I'm moving before thought forms, crossing the distance and pulling her against my chest. Her head tucks under my chin, her curves pressing against muscle. My dragon roars possession.
"Are you hurt? Besides the arm. Did he hurt you?"
"I'm fine." Her hands come up to my shoulders, gripping tight. "Finn, I'm fine."
I don't believe her. Can't believe her until I check every inch, confirm she's whole, make sure Mikhail didn't do permanent damage. The need to claim her that's been building since she arrived on the island screams through my veins with urgency I barely contain.
She's in my territory. She's accepted my protection. She's choosing to stay despite knowing what I am. Every instinct bred into dragons over eons demands I claim her, mark her, make it impossible for anyone to take her from me again.
The Brotherhood surrounds us in a loose circle, shifted back to human form, various states of injury and exhaustion marking all of them. Declan's shoulder is burned. Kian favors his left side. Grayson has claw marks across his chest that are already healing.
Rafe steps forward first, shadows still clinging to him like smoke. "She knows everything now."
The question underneath the statement is clear. Trust. Like Lila is the variable in an equation instead of the woman who just disrupted Mikhail's ritual and saved all our lives.
But I understand what he's asking. The Brotherhood has maintained secrecy for generations. Exposing our existence to outsiders brings danger we've spent centuries avoiding. Lila knows what we are now. Knows shifters exist, knows about phoenixes and immortals and blood magic rituals. That knowledge makes her either an asset or a liability.
Declan's gaze is steady on me, alpha assessing the situation. "She saw everything. Knows everything. Can we trust her to keep our secrets?"
Lila pulls back slightly in my arms, enough to look at the Brotherhood surrounding us. Her chin comes up with stubborn defiance. "I'm standing right here. Ask me directly."
Smart. Brave. Refusing to be talked about like she's not in the room.
Kian's tiger prowls in his eyes as he studies her. "Can we trust you, Dr. Mercer?"
"With what?" She doesn't flinch from his predator focus. "Keeping your existence secret? Not exposing shifters to the world? Not running to the authorities about phoenixes and blood magic?"
"All of it."
She's quiet for a moment, processing. Then she looks directly at me. "He's going to come back for you."
"Yes." I don't bother lying.
"Then I'm staying. And you're going to explain everything." Her gaze reverts back to the Brotherhood, including all of them in her statement. "I'll keep your secrets. But I need to understand what I'm dealing with. What Mikhail wants. Why he killed Saoirse. What the drownings were really about. All of it."
Declan exchanges glances with the others. Some wordless communication passes between them that I'm too focused on Lila to fully decode. Finally, he nods. "Fair enough. But let’s have that conversation later and focus on getting her to safety. The last place she needs to be is a cave that smells like phoenix blood and burnt ritual magic."
He's right. The cave is compromised, the ritual components scattered but not destroyed, Mikhail's blood still staining the stone. We need to move before he recovers enough to try again.
Rafe steps forward and tosses me a bundle. Pants and a shirt, standard emergency gear the Brotherhood carries for situations exactly like this. I pull them on quickly, efficiency born of centuries fighting alongside shifters who know what combat does to clothing.
I bend and scoop Lila into my arms before she can protest.
"I can walk."
I ignore her. My dragon demands she be carried, protected, kept close where nothing can threaten her. The claiming urge is overwhelming now, made worse by her scent mixing with mine, by the way she fits against my chest.
"Finn."
"You're bleeding. You're exhausted. We're going." I don't wait for agreement, just start walking toward the cave entrance.
The Brotherhood falls in around us as we exit. Declan takes point. Kian and Grayson flank. Rafe brings up the rear, shadows watching for threats. Standard combat formation, protecting the most vulnerable member of the group.
Except Lila isn't weak. She disrupted a ritual that would have killed me. Saved herself and gave us the opening we needed to fight back. She's stronger than any of them give her credit for.
The walk back to my cave covers the distance faster than human speed would manage. I'm moving with dragon strength bleeding through, letting the need to get her safe push me pastnormal limits. Lila doesn't comment on the pace, just holds on and watches the landscape pass with analytical focus.
Declan breaks off first where the path splits toward Wolfstone Abbey. "I'll coordinate defenses. We'll be ready when he comes back." No question about whether Mikhail will return. Just when.
