“I don’t want to talk about your parents right now,” he said in a voice like hot embers. He lifted the hem of my shirt, and his fingertips skimmed over my skin.
My thoughts fritzed as he nipped and sucked his way down my neck.
“Do you?” he asked.
“I … I’m sorry … what were we talking about?”
“Not talking,” he replied.
* * *
A heavy poundingat the door made us both freeze.
“Rage!” Noble bellowed. “I know you’re in there, bro.”
Crap!
My gaze bounced from the front of the library to Rage, my eyes wide.
“Go away!” Rage yelled back to his brother. “We’ll be done in an hour.”
I blushed and mouthed,‘An hour?’
“Maybe two,” he amended.
Grinning like a lunatic, I snickered.
“No can do,” Noble replied. “The Dark Row mages are here, demanding an audience with you.”
I frowned. “Why are theyhere?”
“Hi, Nai!” Noble called. “I’m glad you’re here and all, but we really do need the alpha king in the throne room. If you’re not there in five minutes, Rage, the mages said they are leaving and won’t come back. It’s about the plans for fortifications.”
“Damn,” he growled.
“Uh, what fortifications?” I asked, rummaging around for my clothes and realizing I needed to have that serious chat with Rage sooner rather than later. This damn fresh mating bond was getting in the way of my ability to think straight. I was supposed to tell him everything that went down in the high mage meeting.
Rage growled. “I’m having our earth elementals build some walls around Dark Row to help protect the mages so my people don’t have to. It will also be easier if all the lower mages live in one area, not spread out over the continent.” He shook his head. “I’m sick of losing wolves to the blood mages.”
Yikes. How many had he lost, and why hadn’t we had this conversation sooner?
“You should come so you’re in the know. After all, you are mated to the alpha king,” Rage joked.
We quickly got dressed, except for my socks because somehow I’d lost one of those, and then hand in hand, we followed behind Noble.
Once we were there, I spotted Justice and broke away to give him a quick hug. He was using a cane to lean on, but otherwise seemed healthy and healing just fine.
I listened to the report from Mageville, stunned. My communication with Rage had been minimal the last few days, but I had no idea things could get so dire so quickly.
“We’re not going to abandon our homes just for your convenience,” a woman said. “The lower mages don’t trust you—and you haven’t really given them a reason to if you ask me.”
“Really?” Rage asked. “I’ve sent countless guards to Dark Row to protect you all from the blood mages, and I’ve ordered my men to train your people in self-defense—against the wishes of the high mages. I’m losing my people to protect yours. What more would you have me do?”
She shook her head. “For every man you lose, we lose a dozen. Put pressure on the High Mage Council to let us live on their fancy and protected island. Then we’ll be truly safe. We don’t want to live behind those huge walls your earth elementals are making.”
“Those walls are to keep yousafe.” Rage shook his head. “And if you all moved to High Mage Island, then we’d still be protecting youbecause the portals are here on Shifter Island.”
The woman drew in a sharp breath, but Rage held up his hand.
