Garridan growled and stepped in front of Bennett, protecting him from the threat.
The little witch’s mouth hung open and he stopped advancing.
“He won’t hurt me.” Bennett put a hand on his shoulder and stepped around him. “Lucas, come here.”
Lucas started across the room to Bennett immediately and Garridan relaxed. “You have control of him.”
Lucas stopped again. “Oh, I don’t think so. Nobody has ‘control’ of me, as you so eloquently put it. That includes my mate. So you better check yourself.”
“Check myself for what?” Garridan asked.
Bennett chuckled. “It’s just an expression. It means thinking about what you say before you say it.”
“I’m not capable.” Garridan said.
“Yeah, I sorta figured that out.” Lucas started toward Bennett once again.
Garridan thought about killing him when he got close enough, but he could see the witch was important to Bennett, so he didn’t. Garridan understood how important a mate was to a shifter. Bennett wanted the man as much as Garridan wanted his own mate.
Lucas wrapped his arms around Bennett’s waist and kissed him. The way Bennett acted told Garridan he was right not to harm Lucas. He would have to live then.
Garridan watched as a small ball of light appeared in Lucas’ hand. He pushed the thing to Bennett and the wounds on his face disappeared.
Lucas met his gaze, ending the kiss. “Sage wants to see you.”
“Is this a trick?” Garridan asked.
Lucas frowned. “I would never do that to you. I know how much you need Sage.”
“The vampires lied. Said they had Bennett locked up and promised me that I could see him if I did what they said. You’re keeping me here too,” Garridan said.
“I was never with the vampires. I was brought here and lived a good life with Mother Estelle. I already told you that,” Bennett said.
“I’m not like those bastards,” Lucas said and let go of Bennett. He held out his hand, wanting Garridan to take it. “I want to show you what happened to Sage. Why he needs you to not jump his bones when you go to him.”
Garridan growled at Lucas. No way would he submit.
“Please. You’ll understand more if you give me your hand. I just want to show you what I saw Sage go through. And I can help you with your headaches,” Lucas said.
Garridan exhaled through his nostrils but lifted his hand anyway. The second he connected with Lucas, his dragon faded slightly, connecting with his human just a little bit more than they had before. He immediately remembered the wolf attack on his village. He saw Samuel die all over again. He remembered lifting the boy in his arms and carrying him out of the house. He remembered talking to hisfriend Tony about the wolf shifters attacking and feeling a sense of panic.
Then things shifted. This next memory wasn’t his own, because he could hear Lucas’ voice in his mind telling him that it was something Lucas had experienced. He saw Sage and blood on his pants, a lot of blood all over him. His face looked beaten and Garridan wanted to rip the heads off the people who’d done that to him.
Garridan’s dragon roared in his mind and he pulled away from Lucas. “I need air. I need to shift.”
Garridan started out of the room.
“You shouldn’t go alone,” Bennett said and Garridan could feel him at his back, following him out of the house.
“You’re free to leave the property. Sage said he wanted to see you, so…” Lucas said from behind him.
Garridan stopped and turned. “I didn’t want to remember Samuel dying. And I didn’t want to know about Sage.” He eyed Bennett, who looked so much like Samuel it almost hurt. Garridan didn’t understand what he was feeling right away. He had to think about it for a few seconds. “I miss your dad.” After that, he walked out of the door.
He shifted in the yard and flew around for over an hour before he finally landed at the house where Sage stayed, Bennett right beside him.
Garridan sniffed the air, finding that delicious smell that was his mate. It was all over and would probably be stronger inside. Garridan walked outside the house, until the smell was the strongest. He made a sound in his throat that would alert Sage that he was there. It would also alert anyone else around that he wasn’t a threat, at least not at the moment.
A few seconds later he saw Sage appear in the window. Sage’s hand came up to the glass, as if he wanted to touch him. He said Garridan’sname. Garridan stepped closer so he could hear Sage through the glass of the windowpane better.
