There’s a harsh bite to Kodiak’s gravelly tone. “Amara should be a part of this discussion. It doesn’t sit right with me to be talking about her behind her back, especially about something as serious as this.”
Stone gets up in Kodi’s face and snarls, “Of course we’re going to talk to her about it, but think for two fucking seconds, will you? Amara held a molten piece of metal to her arm until she burned it beyond recognition when she thought it was nothing more than a tattoo. If she thinks there’s even apossibilitythat she’s still connected to that bastard in some way? She'll carve every trace of ink out of her arm without hesitation, and I'll be damned if that fucker is the reason she gains any more scars.”
“Fuck!” Kodiak shoves away from Stone with a growl. “So what the hell are we supposed to do, then? Because I’m not about to keep secretsaboutherfromher. We’ve worked too hard to gain her trust to piss it away by doing something stupid that’s completely avoidable.”
Cursing under my breath, I scrub a hand over my jaw, shooting a nervous glance at the door. “Kodi, you figure out how to broach the subject of Stone’s theory with Amara. Because that's all it is right now; a horrific theory. Look at how she reacted to the idea of her dragon taking control of her body away from her. We need to be sure this is evenpossiblebefore burdening her with the idea. Stone, that’s your area of expertise. We tell her as soon as we’ve confirmed you’re not being paranoid and searching for problems that aren’t there, and have a plan in place to safely remove it without Amara mutilating herself.”
My phone begins vibrating in my pocket, and I nearly smash it on the floor before catching sight of the name flashing across the screen. Jabbing the answer button, I snap, “What?”
“Mr. Garrison?” Aaron says, unfazed by my outburst. “There’s an incident at the transition center that requires your attention. Would you rather I call Ms. Carina?”
Rubbing my temple to stave off the building headache, I sigh. “I’ll be right there.”
***
Drawing in my wings, I land on the sidewalk harder than necessary, feeling the jolt in my knees. I try to keep my face as impassive as always, though; gods know I try. But seeing Amara in such agony, knowing that if Stone’s right, that sick son of a bitch still has his claws in my mate? I’m barely holding it together.
These people trust me, though, look to me for guidance and protection. If they’re terrified to approach me, small problems will grow exponentially. Whispered stories will spread, and people will be afraid to seek refuge here, and that’s already in danger after the debacle at the training facility.
We all have a part to play in this world, I’m just not sure how much longer I can play mine.
Recognizing the faces of the abusive jackasses, it’s easy to put two and two together. Meeting the gaze of the head of the security team stationed here, I dip my head in thanks. “Keep them restrained while I confer with her. If they give you any trouble, excessive force is encouraged.”
Leaving the five struggling wolves cursing up a storm and bucking against their captors, I press the buzzer, fighting off a small twitch of my lips as Aaron’s voice rings out, “State your name and business,” like he isn’t watching me through the camera. But he’s the face of the transition center exactly for this reason. Absolutely no one is above protocol, and emotions hold no weight in his decision to give or deny access.
“Raiden Garrison, here to speak with the female wolf who’s mates are out here throwing a bitchfit.”
The door unlocks as he buzzes me through the first set of double doors, giving me a respectful nod. “Thank you for coming so quickly, she’s in the lobby. Can’t miss her.” He waits until the door completely shuts and relocks behind me before unlocking the next set of doors.
He’s completely right, and it only serves to make my foul mood ten times worse. The wolf we’d come to save the night everything went to shit with Amara is leaning against the wall beside the elevator, sipping a paper cup of water with her one good arm. The other is currently in a makeshift sling crafted out of a ripped t-shirt. It’s clearly broken, her wrist and the visible part of her arm purple and swollen. One cheek is scabbed over with road rash, her clothes are filthy and tattered, and there are bits of leaves in her tangled mass of dark hair. She looks like she ran the entire way here with them hot on her tail, but she did it.
She realized she deserved better and took a leap of faith that nearly killed her, just for a chance at a different life.
“Happy to see you again, even if I wish it were under better circumstances.”
When she looks up, there isn’t any fear or rage left in her, only resignation and exhaustion. “What are you going to do to them?”
I shake my head. “That’s not quite how this works.You’rein control of their fates, now. As much as they don’t deserve the honor, they’re your mates. If you want me to lock them up while you have time to process everything and make a decision at a later date, I will. If you want me to kill them, I’ll gladly do so. If you have another suggestion, I’m all ears, and will make it happen if it’s within my power to do so. The one thing I cannot do, though, is let them go. They’re a threat to not only you, but everyone in this city, and attacks on the center cannot go unpunished or it’ll open us up to more.”
She nods slowly. “Their pack will retaliate. Not here, but against my fathers’ for me leaving. Probably already have.”
When she falls silent, I prompt, “How would you like me to help?”
She hesitates, but then a spark of anger transforms her features. “If I can get my parents to leave, would you let them come here?”
“Of course, though I’ll need to put them through some security screening after the part one of your father’s played in what happened to you to ensure there won’t be any risk in him retaliating against you. The rest of your pack?”
It doesn’t take even two seconds before she adamantly shakes her head, wincing when she moves too quickly. “They made their beds with the shit they spewed at me for bringing dragons into their midst and how I should learn my place, that this is how things have always been done. Hell, I’m not even sure if my parents will come, but I’d like to at least know it’s an option so I can reach out.” She swallows. “Eric is the only reason I’m here right now, and I’d like to repay the favor if I can.”
“Consider it done. Anyone here will let you borrow a phone until you get set up with your own if you don’t wish to wait since it’s a time sensitive matter. If your parents decide to take you up on the offer, have them come here. Aaron will get the ball rolling for their security clearance before they’ll be allowed in, but it’ll be one of the fastest ways to streamline the process if he puts in the request.”
Blowing out a heavy breath, she holds my gaze with a steely resolve that assures me she’s going to come out the other side of this by sheer determination alone. “Do it then. Kill ‘em. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder afraid of them coming back for revenge or dragging me back to that godsforsaken forest, I just want to move on.”
Everything about this woman is hitting too close to home right now, and a vicious pain in my chest forces me to turn away. Attempting to save face, I cross the lobby in swift strides, masking my pain as eagerness to play executioner. Not a great look to anyone watching too closely, but better than the alternative; seeing right through me.
We’ve managed to hide the fact that we’re marked from everyone but my sister. Only someone suicidal would attempt to harm Amara right now, but if they discovered the truth? That one clean shot when she was out of the safety of our home would rid the world of all of us before we could seek revenge and tear them apart?
Malcolm’s lemmings are just the right kind of crazy to put a bounty on her head, and even that psychotic bastard wouldn’t be enough to stop them from killing her if they discovered the truth.
