Finley joined us, her magic wound tight beneath her skin, and I sensed its readiness to strike should any of the riders prove to be a threat.
One male, burly and tall for a human, angled his head to the side and sneered at Finley. My canines pulled down while Finley’s magic whispered at her palms, its electricity gliding from our bond and beneath my skin.
“Is there a problem?” I asked.
Elias turned to face us, a muscle twitching at his tightened jaw. The male stepped to Elias and crossed his thick arms over his chest. Standing beside Elias’s towering height, he looked nothing more than a small boy. “A dragon did not choose this woman. Why is she here?”
“She is here with me,”Hoshiko said.
I paused when I felt Finley’s surprise. I was certain she had not expected Hoshiko to claim her in any way. I was ashamed to admit I hadn’t either. But why should that matter? Why should it matter if she had no dragon of her own?
“Under my orders,”Sama added.“She is a guest in our home, as are the other riders. You will treat them as such.”
“Shame,” a young male whispered. “I bet I could teach her some things.”
Another snickered. “And she’d thank you for it.”
Both males were in my hands within a few beats. I slammed them to the hard ground, holding one down with my forearm while I used my foot on the other one. While they both held their mouths open, either in surprise or to try to get more oxygen, only one of them was bleeding.
“Speak of my mate again, and I will remove your heads from your necks.” Their eyes flared wide, bravado draining from their face. Good. “Blink twice if you understand.”
I didn’t wait to see them comply, my focus snapping to Finley when she reached us. Her hand went to my shoulder when she crouched beside me. That touch, that simple, soft touch, threatened my resolve.
“Let the males breathe, Brent,” she said, so close to me her words fanned across my face.
I hesitated, wanting to do exactly as I’d said and rip their heads off with my bare hands.
“Do as she says, Brenton.” Elias pulled from the power that forced others into submission. It made my limbs shake as my body willed me to obey. When I rejected his order, pain slammed through my temple. I shot my best friend a scathing look before I finally let the two males go.
One male, the youngest, who had to be a few years younger than Javier, sat upright, sucking in air, while the other stayed onthe ground, running a hand over his neck. I expected the leader of these males to scold me, but the female stayed silent, content enough to stand by and do nothing.
Perhaps if I killed them it wouldn’t be all that terrible.
The younger male pulled himself up to his feet, and when he spoke, he directed each word to me. “I don’t know this term,mate,but I meant no disrespect.”
The female leader made a noise that sounded from her throat. “What else would your words suggest but disrespect? That is not how we treat or address our women.”
The male’s tanned face paled. “I’m sorry, Kassidy. I thought?—”
“You will apologize to them, Everitt.” The leader, Kassidy, lifted her hand.
His face lost even more of its natural color, and he bowed his head, but he didn’t bother facing Finley. “I’m sorry.”
“It is not I you should be apologizing to.”
“Brenton,” Finley said in a shocked whisper.
Everitt pulled at the collar of his leather suit before he brushed his hand over the chest plate that seemed to be made of dragon scales.
“I am sorry, woman,” he said.
Nodding, Finley pressed a palm to her stomach, where thin threads of her magic coasted from her fingertips. “You may address me as Finley or not at all.”
“Finley is a formidable warrior and enemy,” Elias said, his eyes engulfed in black. “If you want our help, you will treat her with the respect due to her.”
“You are a king in your realm,” Kassidy said, her body far too relaxed for her hardened words. “You’re in our realm now, and here, you are no one. I’m the one who gives orders while you and yours obey me.”
Everly’s sword sang when she unsheathed it. From the inner pocket of my magic, I drew mine out just as Finley did the same.
