He threw his head back and laughed, his hands still buried in the engine. “Famous last words, Emmeline. I think I’ll take that challenge. Name the place and time.”
I found myself chuckling with him. “I’m ready whenever you are. Not this week, though, right? Kel told me you’ve got a road trip for hockey…?”
That sobered him as he returned his focus to the engine bay. “Yep, we’ve got three away games, which means we’ll be gone Monday through Friday.”
Before he could look my way again, I forced my features into calm, unbothered lines, which turned out to be a waste of energy. Finley noticed immediately. “We can stay if it upsets you,” he said, and I got a hint that he kind of hoped I’d make them stay. “It’s just hockey, and we’re top of the division.”
I narrowed my eyes on him. “Absolutely fucking not. I can survive a few days without you both, as long as my bond with Kellan handles the distance.”
Finley released his hold on the car and took a step toward me. “You shouldn’t have to survive. Come with us.”
He paused in front of me, and I was about to agree before I remembered one glaring issue: “I can’t leave without Talon. His is the newest bond. And on top of that, our connection remains slightly frayed and patchy.”
Talon’s bond did filter through bits and pieces of his emotions, but it wasn’t as strong as with Hunter and Kellan.
The bear shot a frustrated glare in the direction of the hidden doorway. “Annoying motherfucker,” he mumbled under his breath. “But you’re probably right, which means we should just blow off these games and stay here.”
I pressed my hand to his chest in the hopes of reiterating how serious I was. “Not a chance, Finley Thornton.” His nostrils flared as he stared down at my touch. “You’ve already missed too many games because of me. It’s not fair to you or your team for you guys to just blow it off. We can chat on the phone daily, and I’ll watch your games on the sports network.”
He didn’t look convinced, and I was too tired to argue more tonight. “We can talk about it tomorrow,” he finally said, before he glanced at the clock on the wall, which read two a.m. “Or today to be more accurate.” He patted my hand on his chest. “Go to bed, Ice Queen. I’ll clean up and get some rest too.”
“Will you sleep?” I asked, noticing the fatigue on his features. “I can sit with you.”
His stare was penetrating, and at first I thought he’d refuse until he said, “Yeah, okay. I’d like that.”
In my relief that he wouldn’t be alone, I was hit with another thought, one that might not go over so well. “Uh, I have a bit of an extreme idea that might help both of us and someone else.”
Finley didn’t even ask for any further clarification. “Works for me. Let me get cleaned up and I’ll meet you… where?”
Forcing myself to remain calm I said, “In the containment room.”
His eyes widened, and when his gaze flicked toward the door, I all but held my breath until he sighed. “Yeah, let’s do it. Might as well get used to that bastard being around. See you in a minute, Ice.”
While Finley disappeared to clean himself up, I raced up the stairs to pull blankets and pillows from the hallway storage. By the time I’d returned to the garage, arms filled, Finley was waiting in a pair of sleep shorts, and he hurried over to take the bedding from my arms.
I opened the door and strode through first, unsurprised to find Talon already at the bars, as if he’d been waiting for me all along. The fluttering in our bond flared as I drank in the sight of him after days of being apart. When his chest rumbled, I couldn’t stop from rushing forward, Finley’s protests lost as I hit the bars and reached for the dragon.
“Sweet Honey,” Talon breathed, the growl of his dragon following again as he snarled, “don’t take another step closer, bear. Give me this moment with her.”
I breathed in his scent as he held me close, and even with the bars between us, I was comfortable in his touch. “You took too long to return to me,” he rumbled, inhaling deeply against the top of my head. “I almost broke out again.”
It had been too long, and it had affected me too, even if I’d been pretending otherwise. “I’ll try and be here more,” I said, knowing we both needed it. “But I wish you’d just give them the information they need to trust you. Then you could be free.”
Talon shifted back to see my face. “I can’t, mate. While I won’t hurt you or any of your pack, I remain loyal to their enemy, and I see no reason to change that.”
A spike of hurt at his statement had me pulling away to create distance between us. “You proclaim to be my mate,” I said roughly, “and yet you would hand me over to an alpha who wants to hurt me. The alpha who killed my mother.”
His expression remained hard and unyielding. “You are mine. No one will ever hurt you again. Alpha knows the deal, and he has assured me we will rule together.”
Finley’s laughter was broken and completely devoid of any humor. “You’re one stupid motherfucker if you believe that.”
The darkness in his voice reminded me of the Finley I first met, and I found I didn’t mind his raging bear when it wasn’t directed at me.
Not that I had the energy for a fight to break out tonight. “Let’s leave the battle for later,” I said with a yawn. “All of us need rest.”
Even Talon looked exhausted, and it took a lot for the dragons to show weakness.
I directed Finley to set out the bedding beside the bars. “None of us should be alone tonight,” I said as I slid down on the soft material, on the side closest to Talon.
