by Abigail Owen
“Why wait?” That Boy Scout who used to be his best friend should be jumping on this opportunity to prove to the Alliance his mating Delaney without permission had just been a blip in his flawless track record of loyalty.
“We have a young rogue orphan we need to deal with first.”
“Deal with,” Rune growled. No way in hell was he letting them kill some kid—
“Aidan wants Lyndi to take him.”
Anger dissolved in the wake of that revelation. Aidan was an orphan himself—one the team almost killed before Lyndi stepped in. Of course the rookie would intervene. Rune unclenched his fists and let the orphan thing go. But the new mate needed immediate action. “You were right to call me so fast. I can’t do anything by tonight. My best chance is to approach her while she travels. Any ideas on that?”
“Finn is splitting up the team. Don’t even think of attacking. Deep’s coming, and Finn’s sending Aidan, Titus, and Drake to escort Sera to the Alliance in the Rockies, and then to join her at the mating in France, in case the Seer deems them possible mates for her.”
Which was protocol. Still, that meant they’d be traveling cross country. Lots of opportunities to lose her.
“Is he bringing in the other enforcer teams?” The Huracáns had the west coast, but dragons could only fly so far so fast. Other teams were assigned to the central and east coast regions.
“He’ll inform the Alaz team’s Alpha as a courtesy, since they’ll travel through that territory, but isn’t going to ask for help. Deep’s asking them for fillers until the guys get back.”
Dammit, of course Finn would do that. He had to play by the rules extra carefully now. But that also put a different spin on how Rune should approach this. Finn’s men were all Huracáns for a reason—each and every one of them was smart, driven, powerful, and a damn good fighter. The idea of battling men who’d been brothers to him, especially Titus, sat heavily on Rune’s shoulders, like the weight of the stars coalesced into a giant mass he had to hold up, or it would burn the world he lived in.
No fucking way was he letting them haul another hapless victim off to the Mating Council, especially not for Pytheios. Let the man rot. Those assholes in charge of the clans had made the mating process political—he was certain of it—that had to be why primarily men in power, or those the kings thought they could control, had been getting mates. Based on Rune’s investigations, the increase in mating deaths spoke to the same issue. The kings’ and Council members’ hands dripped in the blood of mates given to the wrong men.
And the Hurácans didn’t know it. Couldn’t see it for themselves without more proof. Fallon’s recent successful mating would only sway them toward their own faith in the system. But proving a conspiracy, especially as a traitor and a rogue, wasn’t exactly easy.
He’d have to take Sera. No doubt there. Somewhere along the journey to the Alliance was his best bet.
Rune pinned the man in front of him with a direct gaze. “I’m going to need your help, old friend. More than information.”
“What do you need?”
“Make sure you are part of the group escorting her.”
…
Sera opened her eyes slowly. More like peeled them open after a rough night attempting to sleep while her brain insisted on crunching away at everything that had happened. At the sight of rough, rounded cave walls over her bed rather than the wooden beamed ceiling of her home, she frowned. Then the cooler air penetrated the arm she had out over her blanket, and she groaned.
How could she forget where she was?
Her temporary home with the Huracán team in their mountain fortress. Until she found a mate. They’d kindly given her one of the unused suites. The mountain was designed with twelve fully appointed apartments on the assumption that the team would have two reps from each clan in residence. For whatever reason, they didn’t.
You’d think the place would feel damp or smell musty, and with men in charge, she’d figured the spare room would’ve been dusty and unkempt, maybe even full of old crap they’d shoved in here. But nope, the place was pristine. Her sheets even smelled of crisp linen and laundry detergent.
Kanta, she’d bet. He seemed more the homey type. Or maybe the guys all took turns with chores? Sera lassoed her thoughts and brought them to a screeching halt.
I’m a dragon shifter mate and will probably live in caves like this the rest of my life. Who the hell cares why this room is so clean?
She rolled to her side with a grumble, then paused. Blake lay beside her, the curly mop of his hair sticking out of the top of the covers. He hadn’t snuck into her room in over a year. A tragic combination of contentment—having her child by her side—and concern—maybe he wasn’t as easy with the dragon thing as she thought—donkey-kicked her in the heart.
Not to mention a smidge of relief that she hadn’t had one of her dreams last night.
The clock on the solid oak table beside the bed told her it was time to get up anyway, so she smoothed a hand over his hair. Instead of grumbling, like Blake normally would when she woke him, he popped to his knees and spun to face her, bouncing. “Is it time to get up? I’ve been waiting forever, Mom. Why’d you sleep so long? I want to fly with the guys today.”
The words bubbled from his mouth, making Sera laugh. Okay, he’s fine. The concern slid away. Then his words registered. “No flying.”
He stopped mid-bounce. “What? Why?” Blake crossed his arms, pouting at her in the way that portended a day of whining to get what he wanted.
Sera sighed and tossed the covers back. “I haven’t even flown with them yet, buddy. I need to check it out before I decide if and when you can go.”
She paused at the sight of a bunch of small yellow flowers in a glass vase on her bedside table. Reaching out, she brushed her fingers over the soft petals. Those hadn’t been there last night. Were they from Aidan?
Hope was a fickle thing. An emotion she shattered with reality. She’d only told Aidan about her favorite color in dreams. Real Aidan wouldn’t know anything about it.
“Come on, Mom.” Blake’s demand pulled her attention back to him. The pout turned into a full-on glare. “You never let me do anything fun.”
“Nope,” she agreed cheerfully as she dug through her suitcase for clothes. “Holding you back is one of the perks of being your mom.”
As if she ever would. Keep him close. Keep him safe. Yes. But hold him back? Sera paused. All signs pointed to his generation being raised to be one of the most cautious, overprotected, weak generations in recorded history. Do I hold him back?
Blake hopped off the bed and stomped over to the door. “Fine. I’ll go see what the guys are doing.”
“No flying,” she called after him, and winced as he slammed the door.
“That went in one ear and out the other,” she murmured. She dressed and got ready in the bathroom. Mid-makeup application, a soft knock sounded at her door.
Stupidly, her heart ticked up in anticipation. She swung the door open and had to check the surge of emotion at the door—frustration spiking as disappointment dropped into her stomach. “Hi, Titus.”
She managed to dredge up a smile for him. Titus had been kind, especially to Blake, over the last months. He didn’t deserve for her to take out her scattered emotions on him. “Can I help you?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “Just checking on you.”
“Oh.” That was sweet. “Come on in. I’m just finishing getting ready.”
She left him at the door to make himself comfortable and went back to her makeup.
After a moment or two, Titus strolled over and propped himself in the doorway to her bathroom, arms crossed.
He gave her a small, lopsided smile. “Can’t be easy finding out you’re a dragon mate.”
Sera paused in applying her eyeliner to return his smile in the mirror. “That’s putting it mildly.”
He stared at her with that unblinking way most of the guys on the team had perfected. “I’ve seen it bef
ore.”
That was right. Titus had tried to mate once before. The woman had died in his flames when he tried to turn her.
My fate if I choose wrong.
Suddenly that fact took on a deeper significance. She pictured Aidan above her and the horror in his eyes as she was consumed by his flames. Not only that, but apparently he’d lose part of his soul with her. Delaney said Finn still struggled to be the lighter version of himself that he was before he’d killed a potential mate, long before Delaney came on the scene. Finding his true mate helped, it seemed.
But Finn had had his team and his brother Fallon to turn to. Who would Aidan have if that happened to him? The team, though he seemed unsure still of his place there. Lyndi and the shifters in her home. Would that be enough to pull him through? He was already so damn serious. What if losing that piece meant he never smiled again?
The pain of losing her parents and husband so suddenly gripped and crushed her heart all over again. For a moment, she couldn’t breathe.
She tried to shake it off and studied Titus. What had he lost? Had he been different before?
“I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” she managed in a quiet voice.
An emotion she couldn’t quite place darkened his already black eyes. “I’m sorry a woman had to perish, but I know I’ll have my mate.” He seemed to search her expression for who knew what. “Eventually.”
She reached out and squeezed his arm. “I know you will, too.”
He ducked his head for a second, then lifted his gaze. “I want you to know that I’m here for you. Even if you don’t want to talk, sitting quietly can help, too.”
Sera gave him a small smile and turned back to the mirror. “Thank you. I might take you up on that.”
In her periphery, Titus seemed to expand in the doorway, towering over her, fierce all of a sudden. “And I will never, ever let anything happen to Blake. Got it?”
Sera, mascara wand held up to her face, paused. “You’re a good man, Titus. I hope you know that.”
He seemed to hesitate, as if arguing with that statement in his mind, then nodded.
She finished her makeup as he looked on in silence, then turned to him. “I’m starving.”
“Then let’s feed you.” He waved her ahead of him and out the door.
As they walked through the massive caverns and tunnel-like hallways, navigating their way to the kitchen, Sera took in everything with a different perspective. This, or another lair like this, would be her home. She’d be living in the inside of a mountain and hiding who she was from humans. What about Blake—his schooling, his peers? Maybe I should homeschool. She had the credentials for it. At least the winery wasn’t a concern. The final paperwork to sign it over to Delaney should come through next week.
Sera swallowed another sigh.
She always felt like it should be claustrophobic down here. But with the striped lighting system at the tops of the walls, which mimicked the daylight hours, and the constantly cool temperatures, and the totally normal human rooms with normal furniture—granted, with cave walls—a sense of…comfort stole over her. An easiness.
So odd.
“Lyndi and her guys are here.”
Titus’s comment pulled her out of her own head. Sera raised her eyebrows at that. “Oh?”
“They want to see the new mate.”
Great. Now she got to be a sideshow exhibition. Come see the new human in shock and try to guess who she ends up with for a dollar. “I’ve already met most of them,” she pointed out in a dry voice.
“They’re also here about a possible new orphan for their group.”
A new orphan? Like Aidan. “Since when?”
“Since Aidan went to bat for him. He shifted for the first time without help and started a fire and attacked Aidan while we were putting it out. Technically he should be put down, but Aidan thinks he’s redeemable.”
“Oh.” Of course Aidan thought that.
They turned a corner into the massive, modern kitchen to find it full. Delaney stood at the island over the stove, bacon crisping away in a pan with a satisfying sizzle while she scrambled eggs in another pan—the scents of meat and fixings masking the scents of men.
At least six or seven of Lyndi’s guys showed up, mostly the older ones. How that many tall, broad-shouldered men could fit in one space was impressive. Not to mention slightly overwhelming. Without consciously deciding to, she sought out Aidan, finding him at the kitchen table with Blake beside him. He watched her with that intense gaze that always wreaked havoc with her pulse.
A cleared throat had her glancing at Titus to find him watching her with a similar intensity that made her blink.
“There she is!” Coahoma swooped her up in a bear hug and spun her around before setting her down. Only to be picked up by Mike next for another hug. Followed by Attor. The three had helped keep her and Delaney safe, taking them to Lyndi’s place and watching over them through the night while the team had been called to a fire last year. At the time, Delaney’s stalker was still causing problems. Of course, Sera hadn’t yet known exactly what they were, or she might’ve been more reserved with them. Too late now, though.
“We’d draw lots to see who got to be your mate,” Mike said. “But none of us would be on the list anyway, even if you bore one of our brands.”
“Oh?” Sera cast a confused glance around at the guys. She’d been told that every dragon shifter held a certain fascination with mates and locating his own, making finding one a big deal. “Why wouldn’t you be included?”
Mike dropped to one of the chairs at the kitchen table and popped a piece of bacon into his mouth, talking around it. “Because we’re orphans. Living in a group of sorts with Lyndi is the only thing that keeps our clan brands intact.” He held up his hand with the brand of his clan’s king marked on the skin between the thumb and forefinger like a tattoo. “Still basically pond scum, as far as the clans are concerned.”
A suspicion crowded into her head along with all the other thoughts. Did this apply to Aidan, too? “Why does that matter?”
“Give the woman space to breathe,” Aidan broke in before they could answer.
“That’s not how it works anyway,” Levi said, and smacked Mike on the back of the head. “Of course, you’d be included.”
But the three guys shared a look that said they weren’t so sure.
Sera frowned her confusion. “Why wouldn’t—”
“Mom,” Blake called.
She dragged her gaze to her son.
“Kanta says that flying is safe because if I fall off they’ll catch me.”
A mental image guaranteed to give her nightmares for the rest of her life. Sera aimed a flat expression at the dark green dragon shifter who lifted his gaze from his book on the Dalai Lama to give her a sheepish grin. “It’s safe for him,” he said.
She crossed her arms, unimpressed. “No.”
“Come on,” Blake wheedled.
Kanta blinked at her in that lost-in-another-world way of his. “A mountain never yields to the wind, no matter how strong the wind.”
“How very zen. The answer is still no,” Sera said.
Blake’s expression descended to a cross between anger and pouting. “Aw, Mom.”
“You heard your mom, buddy,” Aidan said.
Miraculously, Blake stopped begging, settling to eat the breakfast someone had served him.
He never ate eggs. Sera gave a mental shake of her head. It had to be because Aidan told him to. Blake listened to him in a way that could make her grit her teeth because he didn’t listen to her that way. Except she couldn’t argue or say anything because Aidan got him to do things like eat eggs and stop whining.
Sera forced her legs to carry her over to the island. Delaney, still at the stovetop, moved around to music softly piping into the room through the full house speaker system. She must’ve gotten up early. The woman loved to cook.
“Looks great.” Sera gave her friend a side hug, then snuck a
piece of thick bacon from the plate beside the stove, the salty meat reminding her how hungry she was. She rolled her eyes in pleasure. “I miss when you lived in the upstairs apartment and would cook for me and Blake.”
Delaney hugged her back. “Me, too. But now you’re here.” She grabbed some tongs to flip the bacon.
For a little while, at least. Sera kept that thought to herself. “Can I help?”
Delaney grinned and bopped her with her hip. “Nope. Grab a bite to eat and find a seat. If you can.”
A massive toaster dinged, then popped up six perfectly browned pieces of bread. “I’ll just butter these for you, first.”
Over Delaney’s protests, Sera made quick work of the task and popped six more pieces in the toaster. Then she listened to Delaney’s insistent prodding and dished up eggs and bacon along with fresh fruit before heading over to Blake.
“You can sit here,” Aidan said, getting up. “I have to go do something anyway.”
“Not yet,” Lyndi said. “We’re still eating.”
Aidan resumed his seat with obvious reluctance, scooting over on the bench so Sera could sit beside Blake.
“Scared of me?” she murmured in his ear as she leaned over to put her plate on the table. Last night when he’d shown her his dragon side, she’d thought they’d…connected. But obviously he was right back to avoiding, despite his mark on her neck.
He said nothing.
“Look, I get it.”
“I doubt that,” he muttered.
She frowned at him. “Then clue me in.”
Aidan stared at her, a wall behind his eyes that she suddenly got the feeling she’d never scale or understand.
“Forget it.” She shook her head, mostly at herself. “Thanks for the flowers, but you can have them back.”
“Flowers?” Aidan looked around the kitchen like he’d find them there.
“In my room this morning? Yellow’s my favorite color. How’d you know?”
A scowl descended over his features. “I didn’t give you flowers.”
She refused to give in to suspicion, though after that note she found in her house after the fire… “It must be Delaney or one of the other guys.”
