Clearly, once my mother told Fletcher about my hybrid nature, I became very important to his plans. All of which Constantine saved me from.
“I owe you my thanks,” I said suddenly, and he startled like I’d slapped him. “Fletcher would have destroyed me in his quest for more power, but you kept me safe for years. Even in your absence, you were a far better parent than Morgan.”
His cheeks pinkened, and he opened and closed his mouth a few times, before shaking his head. Giving him a second to pull himself together, I focused on unwrapping a sandwich and eating quickly, while the alphas chatted softly.
“Whatever Jewels has planned after the curse can mean nothing good for the shifter world,” Hunter said to Slade, rubbing a hand over his jaw.
Slade nodded. “Nothing good. She’s waited a long time for this to come to fruition, and if it’s set to control all of us, it’s a heavy curse.”
This jolted Constantine back into the conversation. “It’s one of the most powerful of magics,” he confirmed.
“How did you even find out about it?” Kellan asked him, still examining a Snickers bar.
“Everyone with active magic felt her draw on the power to cast the spell. There’s no witch who wouldn’t have felt that.”
Except for me apparently. “I didn’t feel anything,” I said, taking a bite of the chicken and mayo. “The only time I ever felt magic before the full quintet bond were those faint tingles in my hands.”
“Your magic was locked away,” he reminded me. “You probably did feel it, but it would have registered as a weird flip in your gut.”
I had a sudden thought:Do you think magic was how I blasted you across the room?I asked Talon, who remained high in the skies above.
The dragon’s reply was immediate.Yeah, I already had an idea you might have magic in your blood with how excited Fletcher was to claim you. But I expected it to be more like dragons. Not witches.
Yeah, that makes sense. I wish it was more like that.
There was a caress of his dragon against my wolf, and then he withdrew to continue his sky patrol.
I didn’t bother to tell Constantine I’d briefly accessed my magic in a moment of pure survival; it was really a moot point now that the full bond had shattered all locks on my magic.
The alphas encouraged me to finish up my snacks, and they wolfed down whatever was left, before we hit the road once more, this time with more focus on getting there as quickly as possible.
Out front, Kellan pushed the Bentley to its maximum capacity, and we all needed to take a moment to give thanks for the power of a W12 engine. When we closed in on the compound, Talon directed us down isolated, rougher roads, which we were forced to slow along.
It’s very remote, he confirmed when my wolf backed up for easierquintet conversation.But there are no immediate dangers. I’ve already scouted ahead, and it’s as deserted as it was yesterday.
The chain-link and wire fence came into view first, spanning high into the air. There was nothing welcoming about this compound, and I shivered as Talon directed us toward the front gate, which had been blasted open.
We drove down a short dirt path to reach the dwellings, with the main building made up of gray walls and squat shapes. When I pulled my bike to a stop, Talon landed beside me. I swung myself off the bike, my aching legs briefly faltering, but he was there. I wrapped my arms around his snout, which allowed me to give him a hug as well, before pressing a kiss to the side of his nose.
Talon’s massive chest rumbled. “You’re so gorgeous and scary,” I cooed at the beast, and there was another satisfied vibration from him. “Thank you for leading us here.”
The dry heat of his scales left me nicely warmed, and I jumped at the rough scrape of his tongue over my cheek. “Whoa, that texture will take some getting used to.”
After the dragon released a rasping gurgle that must be its version of a laugh, there was a pull of power, and I had a naked human Talon in front of me. His tongue swiped over the same spot his beast had, and my core clenched. “Naughty dragon,” I murmured, shaking off the thrall he had me under. “No time for that.”
Talon smirked, entirely unrepentant. Slade handed him a pile of clothes, and he dressed quickly, sliding on combat boots to finish his badass, SWAT look.
“Come on, let’s get this shit over with,” Kellan said, eyeing the side of the industrial building which looked like it was designed to withstand the strongest of attacks.
Not wanting any distractions, I nudged my beast back in to block the connection. Our energies meshing wasn’t anywhere near as overwhelming as it had been the first time, but with all of us still getting used to it, I wouldn’t take any chances in dangerous situations.
Talon led us to a side entrance, and we entered a large kitchen, which bore a slightly musty smell. It hadn’t really been long enough for decaying food, unless Fletcher had been away from here longer than just the days since the street battle.
It took us twenty minutes to check every room on the massive main level, finding no shifters or evidence that could be used. All thatremained was a multitude of bedding on the floor, none of which held any personal essence, as it was clearly used like a drop-in zone for Fletcher’s army.
The door that led down into the sublevels was thick and reinforced, with steel layered so not even shifter strength could easily bust through. It took two partially shifted dragons multiple attempts to break it down.
“They’re rather useful, these twins,” Kellan noted, and he wasn’t the only one who looked impressed.
