When we entered the room I’d personally designed as my dream space, he took it in quietly, as was his way. He did show a stronger level of interest than I expected, running his hand over the pool table and turning a few handles on the foosball. When we ended up on the couches in front of the multiple screens, I asked him, “Have you ever played on a gaming system?”
I handed him the controller, and he held it like it was a bomb about to explode in his hands. The device did appear oddly small in his grasp, and I was already preparing for how many he’d crush on me tonight.
“No. I’ve never even seen anything like this before. What does it do?”
I loaded up my old server without thought, relieved when there was only a slight pang in my chest at the memories of gaming all night with Sorenson. His betrayal cut through any loyalty I’d ever felt; there was no room for his memories in my life any longer.
It helped to focus on Talon, so I taught him the moves while explaining the aim of the game.
“So, you just kill everyone?” he confirmed, and when he smiled, I was reminded that I wasn’t the only sociopathic shifter in this pack. The dragons were far worse.
“Yep, this is free for all. No teams. You win by being the last one standing.”
His confident smirk reminded me of Slade, and while it was eeriewhen they did the twin soul thing, it was also… comforting. As if he’d been part of our quintet all along.
“I’m always the last one standing,” he declared, cocky as fuck, right before his head got blown off. With a snarl, his body tensed, and there was a creak as he split the edge of the controller.
I barely controlled my laughter. “You might want to camp for a bit until you learn how to sneak around better.” My fingers were fast as I took off into the map, and I didn’t bother with headphones or mic, since there was no one I cared to connect with.
Talon snarled when he got shot again, hitting the respawn button so hard that I heard another crack. This time his character took off, following my path, firing wildly as he ran.
“Stealth works better than just holding the trigger and hoping for the best,” I said, but he wasn’t listening, all of his focus on the huge split screen.
His reflexes were next-level, which helped him overcome his lack of skill in taking out opponents, but he also died so many times that he was starting to wear out the respawn button.
“What did you find at the compound?” I asked as we gamed, actually enjoying myself despite his growls and curses.
“Well, there wasn’t anyone in—hey, you sneaky fuck!” He glared at me, and it was fair, since I’d just shot him in the head. Forcing my laughter down, I decided this was a new kind of therapy that I was totally subscribing to.
Talon respawned once more and took off, no doubt searching for me. “The witch hasn’t been there in at least a few weeks,” he muttered, the tip of his tongue emerging from his lips as he knifed a bot. “No scent or magic in the area, and she reeks of both. But there was at least one shifter stuck in the underground containment rooms. We should go tomorrow and explore down there. I’ve never been to those levels. I suspect that will be where the most important information is held.”
He ran around the corner where I was camped, and I shot him again. My move was so fast that he snarled and turned his body to full-on glare at me. For the first time in ages, I laughed freely, and another slice of tension left me.
Talon shook his head, and on his next respawn I noticed him following my screen first, to figure out exactly where I was. Switchingguns to my sniper, I went to my favorite tower, and when Talon closed in, I shot him straight between the eyes.
“Motherfucker,” he bellowed, throwing the controller into the wall, smashing it into pieces. It took a lot to turn the rather unflappable dragon shifter into a raging inferno. My sperm donor had worked hard to knock any disobedience and independent thought from him.
Until now, I’d never seen anything other than Emme’s safety trigger him.
Now we had Emme and gaming.
Talon continued to glare at the split screen and then me, as if he wasn’t sure which one had wronged him the worst. Then right before my eyes, all the tension drained from him, and I knew the exact reason.I felt it too.
Our mate was here. Her soft, lilting laughter filled the room as Emme caught the tail end of Talon’s little temper tantrum.
CHAPTER 24
EMME
By the time Slade brought me home, he was covered in my scent. There was nothing quite like having both horsepoweranda dragon between my thighs.These are a few of my favorite things.
Slade took a longer path home than usual, and it was the perfect end to a day filled with training and magical revelations. I found a sense of peace knowing that I hadn’t hurt any of my mates. Their essences were as strong as ever in our quintet bond.
Their beasts lingered near mine, and I might be imagining it, but there was a new sense of closeness between us that hadn’t been there before.
When we walked into the house, I followed the tugging of my bond to find Hunter and Talon in the gaming room, desperately trying to shoot each other. Or at least one of them was desperate, right before he threw the controller into the wall.
To see my rather unflappable mate in this state was hilarious.
