Wren
Thebedroomdoorshutwith a low click as I released the knob and pivoted on my toes.
Rowan’s ember scent engulfed me as he swallowed a surprised squeal from my lips. He lifted me by my hips until my legs circled his waist and walked us toward the small couch under the window of his office.
He placed me down gently before sitting next to me and breaking our kiss with a smirk. “How’d you sneak out of the room when all six of them went to sleep touching you in someway?”
I dug my teeth into my bottom lip. “You’ve all been sleeping with me since we had that encounter with the relic. I’ve had to learn to improvise to go pee in the middle of the night without causing a panic.”
He raised a brow. “How?”
“I put the shirt I was wearing on a pillow and slipped out, leaving the pillow in my spot.” I shivered, remembering that I was naked. I’d spent a lot of time naked lately, and I was no longer shy about it like I used to be.
He snorted, and fire rimmed his irises. “Damien didn’t wake either?”
“If he did, he didn’t show it, but I came out to tell you that you’ve been overworking yourself.” I frowned, reaching up and threading my fingers through his soft red curls.
Two streams of smoke blew from his nostrils as he huffed. “I’ve delegated all the new student work to Blair, and Rhett has taken over the student courses. I’ve been trying to organize the graduated students of the past fifty years with the Supernatural Council to get them ready to fight as well as keeping tabs on informants for the war. It’s been stressful, fledgling.”
“Lean on me, Rowan.” I continued to work my fingers through his hair, staring deeper into the fire in his eyes. “I’m your mate.”
“You’re busy with your studies,” he murmured.
“I only have two classes, and this is my last term as a student,” I countered, cupping his cheek. “You’re giving me excuses. Talk to me.”
He sighed, leaning into my hand. “Every attempt at finding a facility deep in the south of the human territory has failed. Damien, Alister, and I have been reaching out to all of our contacts but turning up empty. There’s nothing there. Damien searched everywhere, but we will continue to search until we find something, Wren. I’ll tear every facility to the ground if I have to.”
The determination in his expression and voice brought tears to my eyes. “I know you will. Thank you.”
“The dragons have destroyed five human facilities in the north with the help of the sirens and some supernaturals from the Apex Capital. They… didn’t recover any supernaturals held there. They tore every facility to the ground, destroying information and killing all the captives.”
My chest tightened. “That’s awful.”
“Devastating.” His jaw ticked. “And our teams have been unsuccessful in digging the relic out of the ruins. They continue to run into humans. The last team lost a member due to the large number of human specimens around the site.”
“I wondered when the specimens would show up again.” Goosebumps appeared on my arms as I stroked his hair.
He gripped the hand from his cheek and pulled it to his chest. “They’ve been reported to be more powerful than before. To have abilities on par with a drake’s strength and speed.”
A shiver wracked through me, and he squeezed my hand as fire exploded on our conjoined fingers.
He’d been controlling his anger so much better lately. Even though we were waist-deep in war, Rowan kept his cool most of the time. It wasn’t a surprise that so many respected him.
“The dragons’ lack of involvement is what has me uneasy.” He swallowed thickly. “Evidently, they’ve been injecting a select few of the supernaturals who have sided with them with their DNA, but they’ve been keeping those injected in Blezen.”
“What about their families?”
“They’ve reported to be denied access to see or speak to them.”
A beat of silence lingered between us. It was obvious what the fate of those injected with DNA from the dragons must’ve been. They couldn’t have survived. We weren’t meant to carry the DNA of two supernaturals. It was why hybrids didn’t exist. A supernatural carried one trait that made them what they were. The fact that so many supernaturals believe they could carry two was surprising since basic biology proved otherwise.
“Does that mean some of the dragon-allies are catching on to their façade?”
His lips twitched into a grin as he nodded. “Yes, fledgling, it does. You’ve grown so much since coming here. I’m proud of you.”
My pulse quickened, and I pulled my hand back from his hair to place it over the one he was holding against his chest. “That means a lot. I’ve been working hard to learn how everything works.”
“You’ve done a great job.”
