I took a long sip of the protein shake, enjoying the hint of honey. “Okay, two afternoons ago we were attacked right here in the street.”
It took me twenty minutes to go over what happened during the street-battle, what we knew about Jewels, and the fucking curse that was set to take down shifters by the next full moon.
The only part I left out was Emme’s magical side, since that was her secret to reveal when or if she was ever ready to. By the time I’d gotten them up to date, Mom looked horrified, and Dad was clutching his mug hard enough that small cracks had formed around his grip.
“Jewels has been playing the long game,” Finley said with a dark growl, “waiting for the blood moon and the power of Fletcher’s death to initiate her curse. We have around four weeks to stop her, or all of us will lose control of our beasts and be under the direct influence of magic. Her magic to be specific.”
“Why did she target you?” Julien asked, letting Lochlan down to the rug, the little wolf wobbling around to test his limits.
“They needed someone from Fletcher’s line to destroy him,” Finley said. “And Fletcher wanted Emme’s power. She’s an omega, and as such, can share her power with bonded alphas.”
Jewels had tried to maneuver and manipulate every part of our lives, even to the point of tearing the dragon twins apart. All in a bid to control and destabilize us, which left us ripe for her fucking picking.
CHAPTER 14
EMME
Slade kept a spare motorcycle at his apartment, safe and secure in the underground parking lot. After a thorough reminder of how much I enjoyed shower sex, we were dressed in our original outfits, and I accepted the helmet he held out to me.
“Are you sure you’ll be fine with me plastered to your back?” I checked, eyeing the Honda as I slid the slightly-too-large helmet over my head.
“You’re the exception,” he said, flipping up my visor to reveal my eyes, which he stared into as he secured the strap, his movements quick and skilled.
When he was satisfied that I was strapped in properly, he gripped the front of the helmet and pulled me in closer. “Now get on the bike, mate.”
His voice dropped low over the wordmate,and my insides swirled as his bite tingled. He swung his leg over first, settling in front, and I managed to hop on behind him. At first, I attempted to keep the tiniest distance between us, but he wrapped his hands around my thighs and tugged me firmly against his back.
There was a real intimacy in riding with someone like this.
Bodies fully aligned.
Heat seeping into my essence.
Dragons burned in a way that had me desperate to consume their fire.
Slade grunted, going all alpha on me, and I wrapped my armsaround his waist, hands linking over his firm abs. For a few heartbeats, we just existed together, his huge frame shielding mine from the world in front of us.
The engine kicked over smoothly; there was a solid thrum of power beneath us. “You want to go fast, Snow?” he asked, his voice even deeper than the bike’s rumble.
“Yes,” I said, lowering my visor.Always.
His dragon shifted in our bond, but he stayed out of my mind, allowing my wolf to keep the block in place. Even if the occasional thought still slipped through. It was going to take time to adjust to these changes within our quintet, but the closer connection didn’t upset me.
In fact, I was hoping we could use it to win this fight.
As an omega, I already knew I could share my energy… but what if I could share magic too?
The ride back to the house was a blur of speed, warmth, and… peace. Slade and I didn’t communicate, but his dragon remained close in our bond. He nuzzled and adored my wolf like she was precious, and in his own way Slade had treated me the same way from almost the first days we met. He might not use the wordlove, but he showed me in more ways than one.
When we pulled into the underground garage, he parked by the other bikes, and as I went to jump off the back, Slade held my thighs once more. He got off first, his head tilting as he loosened my helmet strap and then removed it.
I shook out my hair, which was no doubt a hot mess after everything I’d put it through today, and he cupped my face. “You always look beautiful,” he told me, and the way his gaze ate me up was a blazing fire.
My voice was lost in the raw need pulsing within me. How was this beautiful, magical, mythical creature my alpha?
He wrapped his hands around my waist and lifted me off the bike, setting me on shaky legs.
“It doesn’t bother you at all?” I asked him, barely finding my voice. “Touching me so freely?”
