Mine.
Tonight had changed everything, brought his world into sharp focus. And what he’d realized is that somehow, Selene had become an integral part of that world. The thought of her extraordinary light being extinguished for any reason put a cold dread in his veins.
He couldn’t stop the possessive need that gripped him as she cried out in pleasure. A vision unfurled in his mind’s eye--an image of Selene at his side, not just as an ally, but as his woman.
His lover.
His mate.
He only hoped that when the time came, the Order and the colony would stand with them in the war that was surely coming, sooner than anyone wanted to imagine.
If he couldn’t broker an alliance, then Darion was prepared to stand with Selene on his own.
CHAPTER 35
Tegan and the other warrior teams returned to the D.C. headquarters from patrols just before dawn.
The mission to take out Opus Nostrum’s inner circle was already making a difference, with fewer Rogues prowling the streets and no new nests turning up in major cities.
It would’ve been good news, if not for the shocking discovery Aric Chase had made in Prague. An untold amount of Red Dragon had fallen into the Ancient’s hands. The only question was, what did he intend to do with it?
The Order was on guard in anticipation of a rise in Rogue infestations and attacks around the world, but the opposite seemed to be happening.
Tegan couldn’t help but dread that the lull in violence might actually be the calm before a very bad storm.
He entered the command center with Micah, giving his warrior son a hearty clap on the shoulder. “Nice work out there tonight.”
“Thanks.” Micah’s smile and eyes were so much like his mother’s it never failed to warm Tegan when he looked at the boy who had grown into one of the best warriors the Order had ever seen. The fact that Micah had also found a mate in Phaedra, a woman who adored him as much as he loved her was more than any parent could wish for their child.
Even Tegan, who had spent the majority of his five hundred years convincing himself he didn’t need soft things like love or happiness in his life.
He might still be in that bleak place if not for Elise.
She met him in one of the command center corridors as he and Micah were on their way to stow their combat gear and weapons. Elise held a small tray of food in her hands.
Tegan paused, greeting his Breedmate with a heated kiss that earned a chuckle from their son as Micah continued on to stow his gear. “Get a room, you two.”
“Good idea,” Tegan said, smiling at his beautiful mate.
Elise smiled, but there was worry in the faint lines that bracketed her lips. “I’ll be up at the residence shortly. I wanted to see if I can get Gabrielle to eat something.”
Tegan frowned. “Still no appetite?”
“No. She hasn’t taken even a bite of food since Lucan . . .”
She seemed reluctant to say the words. No one wanted to acknowledge the disease that was devouring Lucan’s sanity bit by bit each and every hour. Bloodlust was doubly heinous, because while it ate away the mind, the body wasted away from a thirst that could never be quenched.
The fact that Lucan and Gabrielle were going through something as awful as this drove home the reality of just how precious and fragile life could be, even for the Breed.
Tegan stroked his mate’s cheek. “Come on, I’ll go with you. I want to look in on Lucan.”
“I should warn you, the situation’s not good, Tegan. I’m really worried for our friends.”
“I know,” he said. “So am I.”
That worry went even darker and colder as he and Elise stepped into the chamber that contained Lucan’s holding cell. Gabrielle slumped on the edge of a small cot, looking beyond exhausted. She had been sedated off and on for days, and it was starting to show. Her cheeks were drawn and sallow. Her gaze was bleak as she glanced up at Tegan and Elise.
“Oh, Gabby,” Elise exclaimed softly, setting the tray down on the cot as she took a seat beside her. “I brought you some of your favorite things to eat.”
