“You going to be okay, big guy?” I asked Slade, unmoving yet as I really didn’t need another dragon brawl. “He’s not asking for anything I’m unwilling to give.”
Slade’s exhalation held frustration, but he didn’t stop me. “Fine, but if he tries anythingother than holding your damn handI will break his neck next. Which will require a much longer recovery.”
If Talon’s amused expression was any indication, he wasn’t worried.
I stepped closer, and shadowed by his huge form against the bars, I felt small and oddly vulnerable. When our hands touched, my wolf perked up her head and growledmate,and it might have been a coincidence, but that was the exact moment the darkness in Talon’s eyes brightened to highlight the bisects of green in them.
“You smell like chocolate and honey,” he murmured, tilting his head to examine me. “Why is the scent stronger now than when you were in the bunker?”
Annoyed by the nerves sprinkling my stomach, my words came out rougher: “My wolf was broken and hiding while you held me captive.” I breathed through my mouth to ease the thrall of the scent, but like with the rest of my pack, it had very little effect. “Being without my bonded mates forced my wolf to retreat and protect me, which was why I couldn’t strongly scent you either.”
Slade sounded reluctant as hell when he added, “Technically, this is the first time you’ve properly been together without outside forces impacting your beast and scents.”
Yep, if we discounted those few seconds in the desert before Talon was knocked out.
Talon’s hold on my hand tightened, and his usual hard expression eased. I was briefly met with what I could only liken to anime styleheart eyes. “You are perfect,” he whispered. “I’ve waited a long time for my mate.”
“She’s not fucking yours,” Slade reminded him with a snap.
Talon ignored him, stroking his thumb over the fleshy heel of my palm. “We will rule by Alpha’s side.”
Annnd the moment was broken. “Nope. I will never side with Fletcher Davenport.” I hoped he knew by how firm my tone was, that this was a hard line for me. “His views of the future, andhowhe’s choosing to get there, doesn’t align with my values. I’d die before I side with him. Talon, please understand how serious I am about that. I. Will. Die. First. And you will have no mate.”
My statement was met with a dual set of snarls, so loud they echoed off the thick stone walls until it felt like the ground trembled.
“You hitched yourself to the wrong omega,” I informed him sadly, ignoring their fury. “I’m not pliable and easilymanipulated from my morals. What Fletcher did to my mom broke and reformed me, and I will no longer bend for an alpha with evil intentions.”
The stroke of his thumb stopped, but Talon hung on every word, his stare unwavering.
“Think about what side of history you want to be on,” I said, softening my tone. “But first, please tell me everything you know about Slade and you.”
Talon’s eyes darted briefly between me and the other dragon in the room, and I couldfeelhis confusion. “All I know is that when the egg hatched, there were two of us. Dragon lore calls that?—
“Salatrina.”
I swung my gaze to Slade, only to find him staring at Talon.
“You… you’ve heard of this before?” I asked, looking between them both. “You both came from the same egg?”
Slade nodded, looking like he’d seen a ghost. “Yes. It’s a rare phenomenon that was mentioned maybe three times in the books and lore I’ve managed to procure about my kind. It depicts twin souls born to a single egg, who are connected in a way that defies the normal. That’s all I really know, and to be honest, I assumed it was a myth.”
Talon resumed his stroke on my hand, sending unwanted butterflies through my stomach. “Alpha said there are none left alive who truly know about our abilities, but that he believes we’re joined in a connection that goes beyond normal quintets.”
I thought over the implications of this and came to only one conclusion “This has to be the reason you’re my scent match too. You and Slade were literally born in the same egg, as if you’re two sides of a single coin. A yin and yang.”
Slade, who had finally recovered from his shock, scoffed like he’d rather get run over by a truck than claim Talon as the other half of his soul. Talon, on the other hand, sent hisbrothera starethat was filled with longing, before it was just as quickly masked. “This pack life is not for me,” he finally said, the life fading in his eyes. “I have a duty. I’ve been well trained to complete my duty. Alpha Fletcher will come for us soon, and then he’ll return the packs to their former glory. He’ll stand as the true alpha of the American shifters, and you all can either get in line or die under his rule.”
That was the moment we lost him again, just when I felt like we were close to getting through to him. His unwavering loyalty to an alpha who most certainly didn’t deserve it was frustrating as hell, but I forced myself to understand. Fletcher was all Talon had ever known.
Maybe with time we could show him what a true family looked like.
The battle ahead of us had exhaustion pressing on me, and I hoped tonight I’d actually sleep. “What was your normal day with Fletcher like?” I asked, shifting closer until our scents mingled. “If you weren’t out fighting or killing for him, what did you do? Did he treat you well? Did you have family dinners? Family games nights? Watch television together?”
He blinked, his brows bunching. “I sat in my room until I was called for a mission. I had a gym to work out, and food was delivered once a day for me to consume in my beast form.”
Slade’s scent washed in from behind me, as he moved closer, and I wondered if he was feeling a draw to Talon too.
“That’s not how you treat a shifter you care about. Or one who is family,” I said, needing him to understand the truth. “In this pack, they spend quality time together. They joke and tease and have each others’ back. They eat meals together, work together, race their cars, and show up to support their sports teams. They protect each other. You don’t have to be alone all the time, sitting and waiting for your nextmissionto get attention.”I lifted my free hand and placed it against Talon’s chest, and his expression shuttered until I had no idea what he was thinking.
