Constantine’s arrival kicked us all into gear. Half of the group peeled off to enter the car, while the rest of us climbed onto our bikes. Hunter had already swung Emme’s around to face the exit, and through the bond I could feel her surprise and then gratitude at the gesture.
No one had ever taken care of her, but this was her new reality. Now and always.
As I pulled my helmet on, the comms kicked in, and her voice filled my head. “—thank you, Hurricane. I appreciate the assist.”
Hunter shrugged as he leaned down to tap his helmet against hers. “Taking care of you is the best part of my day. I love you, little mate.”
Emme’s words were huskier as she sniffled. “I love you too, Alpha Hunter.”
For maybe the first time, I truly understood the reason shifters used those three words in their packs. Surelovewas thrown around too easily, but it was more than the word itself. It washowit was said. I’d just felt the soul-deep emotion between Emme and Hunter as they shared their love. I’d felt the power behind it. It was beyond any power witches could touch; it was an eternal magic that spanned more than our mortal lives.
My first,and hopefully fucking last, existential crisis was shelved when engines roared to life in the garage, and I kicked my bike over to join them. Hunter headed out first, Emme followed, and I brought up the rear to keep their backs safe. Talon would remain overhead the whole time, offering a full range of protection for our mate.
In the street, we followed the Bentley’s steady pace until we left Golden Claw’s borders. Emme eased up her hold on the quintet bond so Talon could give us direction, and when we hit the highway it was time to open up the engines.
Emme’s whoop of joy was almost drowned out by the throatyrumble of our bikes, and my dragon roared at the rush. We kept pace with her, relishing the speed, which wasalmostas good as flying.
“I flew with Talon the other night,” Emme said as if she’d heard my thought, though the connection was once again closed.
“I know. I witnessed most of it through Talon.” I’d never allowed anyone on my back during flight, but Emme’s excitement with Talon had me reconsidering it.
“I will finally concede that a motorcycle comes second to flying. You were both right.”
My amusement took me by surprise. “You don’t say that a lot.”
Hunter let loose a laugh, deeper over the comms. “And I hope you don’t make it a habit. This asshole is already too full of himself. Cocky fucking dragons.”
Talon might be a literal part of my soul, but Hunter was as well, just in a different way. Which meant he got to make comments like that and not get hurt for it. Also, he wasn’t wrong. Dragons were cocky, and it was for a good damn reason.
“I’m appropriately confident,” I reminded them.
“You can’t deny that,” Emme said with a snort. “The dragons definitely live up to their hype.”
And I always will, sweetheart.
We rode for hours surrounded by engine noises and the occasional conversation that sprang up between us. Emme told us a little more about her years on the run, and how her bike had been an escape from her loneliness and her wolf’s need to be with her pack. “She wanted to be in the cities,” she said. “She would push me and try to force the shift. Remember that day I ran around my bedroom, unable to stop until we calmed? That was a common occurrence in my day-to-day. Kind of took the edge off.”
That day in question was maybe the first time I acknowledged how desperately obsessed I was with this omega. I’d watched the security footage of her wolf circling the room so many times, that it permanently played on one of the screens in my room for a good week. Seeing her distress, the bitterness of her scent filling the house long after she’d recovered, had me wanting to burn the world down just to scorch every person who’d ever hurt her.
Emme still had no idea that every night for weeks after that I’d sat by her side in the dark, keeping her as safe as I could, craving a touchI wasn’t sure I’d ever feel. All while fearing my beast would destroy the best thing to ever come into my life.
“You never have to worry about that again,” Hunter said, dragging me from those darker memories. “Not even with this new attack on shifters. We will keep you safe.”
Emme scoffed. “Fucking war, it makes no sense to me. How are there any winners?”
“There aren’t,” I confirmed. “But if I’ve learned anything from our history, it’s that you need to take whatever chances you can get for happiness. These darker days can drag on, and our souls aren’t designed to live in the dark forever. Even the smallest snippet of light helps to get us through.”
Ahead, the Bentley turned into a gas station, and I indicated to follow.
Emme let out a sigh. “Yeah, I don’t want to feel guilty about enjoying myself. The truth is, we have no idea if we’re going to be able to win this time. I hope we do, but there are no guarantees. I don’t want to miss out on these last days, if that’s all we have left.”
“These are not our last days,” Hunter growled, spilling dominance. “We will not let that bitch best us.”
Kellan pulled up beside the pump, ready to gas up his car, and Emme followed to the next.
“What do you think of Constantine?” she asked, turning to watch her father hop out of the car. “I don’t get bad vibes from him, but I’m also hesitating to get closer.”
The shifter in question looked in our direction—he was always sneaking glances at his daughter, whenever she wasn’t looking his way. I’d been keeping a close eye on him, and so far there were no red flags, though he was well-versed in hiding his true identity…
