“Fuck! Saige, what’s happening?” I beg, frantically running my eyes over every inch of her, terrified to touch her and make it worse.
When she starts to collapse, I shove that worry away to catch her, growing increasingly panicked. I ease her to the ground until we’re both on our knees as she braces herself with one hand on my thigh, the other still muffling her cries. Her screams taper off as her claws pierce their way into my thigh, her entire body tensing rigidly enough I’m afraid it might just shatter.
“Talk to me, love, where’s it hurt the most? What can I do?”
But she can’t get the words out, and a rush of cold hits my leg as her abilities start to slip out, freezing the blood at the puncture wounds. The problem starts to become clear as fractured lines snake over her skin, small rivulets of blood trailing down her arms. As she bleeds, each small drop that hits the tiled floor seems to echo, my ears starting to ring.
Especially when a small flash of sapphire catches my eye as it races beneath the cracks in her skin, churning and writhing beneath the surface.
Before I can second guess myself, I pull her upright, burying my face in her collar as I sink my teeth into the crook of her neck. The metallic taste of blood coats my tongue as I desperately scramble for anything that might help, whether that’s stop what’s happening, or remove that final block standing in the way of it at last.
“Fucking,ow!” she exclaims, smacking my shoulder and jerking away from me.
A sheen of sweat covers her strained features as she breathes heavily, but it seemed to shock her out of it, thank the gods. Her arms are still bleeding, and she looks far too pale, but at least she isn’t writhing in agony anymore.
Palming her cheeks, I smash my lips against hers as my body trembles with terrified adrenaline. “Gods damn it, Saige,” I murmur, resting my forehead against hers. “Are you okay now?”
She exhales a long, slow breath before whispering, “She doesn’t like Nate.”
Huffing out a nervous laugh of relief, I tilt her face up to kiss her again, taking my time. “Nobody does, angel.”
Swallowing, she adds, “He was asking too many questions. What do we do?”
Debating the merits of bringing it up right now, I bite my tongue. Ultimately though, keeping things from each other only leads to more problems. Sighing, I explain our concerns about Ben and if he’s going to put two and two together when we eventually cross paths.
“And if Nate keeps running his mouth, chances are Ben will get there sooner rather than later,” she finishes, grimacing. “Shit. No point laying low for a while, it will only make things worse. What the hell do we do?” She runs a shaky hand through her bright hair, eyes wild as she starts to hyperventilate. “If Ben gets involved, then all hopes of passing myself off as a dragon go up in smoke. They’ll have no reason to keep me a secret. Someone will talk, and then they’ll find me. They were always going to find me eventually.”
Her heart starts hammering so loudly that I can hear it pumping, and for the first time in ages, the predatory air that’s clung to her since she returned starts to ebb away, revealing the panicking human beneath. Her eyes flick to the sides, noting how boxed in she is with no windows, and me between her and the solitary, locked door.
“Saige Veles,” I bark and she jumps, pulse visibly fluttering at her neck. “Take a breath. I’m not going to let anybody touch you. You know that, right?” I have to prompt her again, but finally she jerks her head in agreement, still jittery.
“If Ben, or even Nate figure it out, we’ll decide what to do with them. There’s no point in running. Nowhere except maybe deep in the wilderness is safe anymore. We’ll stand and fight if it comes down to it, if anyone comes for you. The bunker beneath the house is stocked to last a solid year. We have options. It’s okay.You’reokay.”
She swallows, her arctic irises showcasing all of the vulnerabilities she fights so hard to hide. “Garrett.”
My lips purse, and I can’t even blame it on the pressure in the back of my skull that threatens to follow Saige’s display to burst out of my skin. “Who the fuck is Garrett?”
A watery laugh bubbles out of her throat as she sits back on her heels. She swipes the back of her hand across her teary eyes, leaving streaks of red behind without realizing it. “No, I meant my last name. Saige Garrett, since I don’t think it ever came up.”
Softening my features as my annoyance drains away, I get up to wet a paper towel before crouching back down to gently clean the blood off her face. “I stand by my previous statement. I don’t need some shriveled old man’s approval or a piece of paper to know you’re mine.”
Another tear rolls down her cheek that I brush away with my thumb, wishing I could fix this mess. Gently, I start tackling the carnage of her arms, and I’ll be thoroughly amazed if she walks out of this without any more scars.
“I’m just tired,” she admits, sounding worn down and guilty. “Of everything being so complicated. I can’t even read a book anymore without something happening. And then I feel stupid for just wanting to read a book in the middle of what’s practically the apocalypse.” She hisses in a sharp breath as her wings recede abruptly, throwing her off balance and I quickly grab her wrist to steady her before she can topple over.
Pulling her onto my lap, she rests her head on my shoulder, closing her eyes and sighing in defeat. “It’s always something, isn’t it? Nothing can ever just be easy.”
Running my hand over the tattered remains of her shirt and naked back, my hand comes away wet. A subtle glance shows my palm stained with red and I fight spiraling as much as my mate, everything seeming so damn insurmountable.
It may take more than blood to be a dragon, but she’s paid her pound of flesh tenfold by now. If anyone deserves to have that strength it’s her, yet here we are on a bathroom floor, nearly done in by the comments of some asshole.
Smart or not, I’m kicking Nate’s ass the next chance that I get.
“The best things in life are worth fighting for.” I keep a steady rhythm stroking her back, internally sighing in relief that the prey vibe she was starting to project dissipated before anyone came banging on the bathroom door. “But lucky for you, you’ve got three mates that are more than happy to take point when you need some time to lick your wounds.”
Curling against me, she blows out a long breath. “But ultimately, I need to get back up. Can’t fight the forces of evil on my ass.”
Wrapping my arms tightly around her, I rest my chin on the top of her head. “Nah, take all the time you need. We aren’t going anywhere, so there’s no hurry. Besides, who said anything about us playing hero? Surviving is hard enough some days without trying to change the world on top of it. We don’t need to go looking for trouble; just be prepared to handle it if it shows up at our door.”
