Date: 2020-11-04 05:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Paranormal; dragons; Paranormal Romance; Romance; Fantasy; Shapeshifters; Gods; Adult; Contemporary
Description: Book 6 in this exciting new world. If you like dragons and egotistical, super-sexy demigods, then this is the series for you. I’m the son of a god. The other half of a coin. Where my identical twin brother, Jarrod, can see the past. I can see into the future. An awesome ability. I’m lucky, right? Nope, I think I’m cursed. Imagine, for a second, that every time you touched someone, you could see into their future. Their happiness, their misfortune, and their death. You’d feel obliged to help them. To steer them clear of imminent disaster. I don’t mind helping others, but I’m not always successf

Lord of Destiny

Book 6: Dragon Demigods

Charlene Hartnady

Copyright © November 2020 by Charlene Hartnady

Cover Art by Melody Simmons

Copy Edited by KR

Edited by brigittebillings@gmail.com

Produced in South Africa

charlene.hartnady@gmail.com

Lord of Destiny is a work of fiction and characters, events and dialogue found within are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, either living or deceased, is purely coincidental.

With the exception of quotes used in reviews no part of this book may be reproduced or shared in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including but not limited to digital copying, file sharing, audio recording, email and printing without prior consent in writing from the author.

Created with Vellum

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

About the Author

Also by Charlene Hartnady

Excerpt

1

Stephanus

I jump to my feet as I hear the loud crack. Rage’s head snaps back as his opponent’s fist makes contact with his face.

“What the fuck!” Jarrod says; he’s also on his feet. The crowd is going wild around us.

We watch Rage stagger back a few steps before regaining his footing. Blood is streaming down his face, droplets spattering onto the floor.

“I think it’s broken,” I say. My words are laced with shock.

“Has to be,” Jarrod sounds just as confused. He scratches his head.

“Surely, the ref will stop the fight?” I ask as Manny turns his head to look at us. His eyes are wide and filled with…panic. He quickly dials down his emotions, looking more along the lines of confusion. Rage’s trainer also can’t believe what he’s seeing.

“Not necessarily.” We watch Rage advance on his opponent. If it weren’t for the blood, you would never say he had just been hit that hard. His eyes are clear and filled with determination.

“It was a lucky blow,” I mumble. I’ve never seen anyone land a full-on strike before. Not square in the face. Even when Rage isn’t using his powers, he’s a formidable opponent. Then again, John West has never been beaten either. This is nowhere near the big time, but it is his first professional fight. One way or the other, this shouldn’t be happening! Rage is too good. Rage is… Rage is Rage!

His opponent moves in and is on Rage in a second. He moves quickly. Too quickly? What the—?

Jarrod throws out another cuss. “Are you seeing this?” he asks me.

We watch Rage deflect another blow…only just. His opponent’s knee comes up, catching him in the solar plexus. Rage bellows, sounding both angry and pained. Maybe a little stunned. Something is wrong with this picture. Rage is losing.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I shake my head. “What the hell is going on?”

Rage’s face has turned red. He looks taller than he did before. His muscles are bulging.

“This is bad,” my brother mutters. “That West fucker can’t be human,” he adds, talking under his breath.

“I doubt it. No human can move that fast.” Rage doesn’t exactly have the longest fuse. If he were to let loose, carnage would follow. John West – if that is even his name – would be torn limb from limb…literally. When Rage goes into berserker mode, people die. Blood flows. He sees red. That can’t be allowed to happen! If this fight goes on, it will happen. It’s a guarantee. Humans could end up being massacred. What a fucking mess!

His eyes have locked onto his opponent. Rage snarls as he launches himself at John West, getting in two healthy blows. One to the side of the head and the other to the jaw. His opponent’s eyes widen in shock, and it’s his turn to stagger backward. He cups his cheek with his gloved hand. That blow should have felled him, and yet he’s standing.

“Definitely not human,” I whisper to Jarrod.

“Not a fuck!” He shakes his head.

I see West visibly bristle; he also seems to grow larger. The two men stalk around each other, sizing each other up.

“This is headed for disaster,” Jarrod says, already walking towards Manny, who is standing outside the cage on Rage’s side. There is a full minute left before the end of the second round. A lot can happen in sixty seconds.

I follow Jarrod. “We have to stop the fight,” my brother says as he reaches Manny.

Rage’s opponent growls low, and the audience goes nuts. They’re loving it. Little do they know.

“What do you mean?” Manny asks. “Rage is doing great.”

Manny has no idea what we are. Who Rage really is, namely the son of the god of war. “Throw in the towel,” I say. “Stop this!”

Rage snarls, his muscles rope and thicken as he throws himself at John West. Both men come to blows. Both of their faces are bloody. They’re snarling like animals. The crowd loves it. The ref shouts a word of warning, but neither fighter takes any note.

I look over to the other side of the cage. West’s manager is a big, mean-looking son of a bitch. His jaw is clenched. He doesn’t look happy. This is the first time this West asshole might lose a fight. It’s also his first high profile fight. Like Rage, his fighter has a reputation. One that could very easily be destroyed at this stage of his career. There is a crowd here tonight and the winnings are substantial. It’s not why Rage is here, but that’s a conversation for another day.

Rage gets in a good hit, and West goes flying…as in, through the air.

“Did you see that?” Manny shouts, his voice animated. “I don’t know how he does it; it’s almost superhuman.”

It is super-fucking-human!

“Stop the fight,” I insist.

John West is up on his feet in half a second. Too quickly. He looks dazed but shakes it off as Rage comes at him again.

I see movement in West’s corner; a woman is with the fighter’s trainer. She is speaking animatedly but under her breath. From the way she is gesturing with her hands, the conversation looks heated. The trainer is shaking his head. He also looks like he could be a fighter himself. He’s big and built. I can’t hear what they are saying over the noise of the crowd. At this angle, I can’t read their lips either. The woman is tiny. Her hair is black and curly. It falls in a wild tumble down her back. Her skin is the color of mocha. Wow! She’s beautiful. Her eyes are big…I can’t quite see what color they are. I think they are light, but…

Rage crashes onto the floor, right in front of us. He’s sweating profusely. I can see dark bruises already forming on his ribs. His lip is busted. One of his eyes is starting to swell. He has hate written all over his face. His almost black eyes are much lighter than normal. They’re starting to glow. This isn’t good at all. Rage jumps up, muscles bunching, and hands clenched into tight fists. I grab the towel, about to throw it into the cage, when the bell rings, signaling the end of the round. I notice that West doesn’t look much better. Both fighters are bruised and bleeding.

Rage growls. I think he is going to attack West despite the bell ringing when a woman in a tiny bikini walks into the cage. She’s holding a sign that reads, ‘Round 3’. Rage is taking deep breaths, his eyes on West.

Manny is in the cage. He tells Rage to take a seat. Thankfully he listens and lowers himself to a stool. Manny starts tending to his wounds as soon as he’s sitting.

Jarrod and I clutch the side of the cage behind Rage’s stool. “What the fuck!” my brother says through the bars.

Rage spits his mouthguard into his hand, and Manny shoves a straw into his mouth. Rage drinks and then pushes the bottle away. Manny continues working on Rage’s cut lip and bleeding nose.

“We have a problem here,” I say, directing my words at Rage.

“No kidding,” he grinds out as Manny wipes a towel over his forehead. He carefully pushes his trainer away. “Give me a few seconds.” He turns to us, his face almost pressed against the bars. “West isn’t human,” he whispers. “I’m trying not to use my powers, but—”

There is a commotion on the other side of the cage. West is on his feet. He looks pissed. “Don’t you fucking dare!” he shouts. I think he’s aiming his animosity at the tiny woman with the curly hair. “Raven…don’t you—”

With agility and grace, she tosses a balled-up towel. It lands on the mat in the middle of the cage as the bell sounds for Round 3.

The ref rushes to the center and holds out his hands to each of the opponents as a signal for them to stay apart.

“I don’t forfeit!” West shouts. “I don’t!” Even louder this time.

Rage just stands there. It’s clear that a whole lot of pent-up aggression is just below the surface. His jaw is tight. His fists are up. He’s ready.

“We’re out!” the dark-haired beauty announces, and the crowd goes completely wild.

“I refuse to forfeit!” West shouts. “Don’t I have a say?” he bellows even louder above the din of the crowd.

“You heard his second. John West is out!” his trainer shouts. He doesn’t look happy about it.

“Fuck you, Maddox!” West shouts, turning on his trainer. He lands one hell of a punch, and the guy goes flying, crashing against the side of the cage.

“West!” the woman shouts. She’s opening the cage door and entering.

“Shit!” Jarrod shouts.

I’m already running to intervene. If she gets between those guys, she’ll be in big trouble. I stop halfway up the steps that lead to the cage. I watch in awe as she digs her finger into West’s chest. “This fight is over.” Her voice is commanding. “We’re leaving right now. Suck it up!”

He gets this sheepish look and nods. Then he turns and glares at Rage. “This isn’t over,” he yells, pointing a finger at Rage.

I cringe, entering the ring. I’m preparing to break things up if need be.

Rage narrows his eyes. “Say when and where, and I’ll be there.”

“Glad you agree because this isn’t over!” West growls.

“It is over.” The dark-haired woman pulls on West’s arm. “We’re leaving now. Congrats on your win,” she says to Rage.

“It’s a hollow victory,” Rage says. “Maybe next time, we keep things a little more private and on a more equal footing.” In other words, he wants them to be able to use their powers.

Not happening!

“Bring my money,” West snarls. “You didn’t earn it. I’ll be needing it back when I beat your sorry ass.”

“We’ll see about that.” Rage actually looks like he smiles. Holy shit! It’s been years since I saw him smile.

“Fuck you, asshole!” West turns back. He’s a hothead.

“West!” the woman yells. “Get a grip.” She yanks his arm.

He allows himself to be led away by her. I catch her scent. It’s fruity more than floral. She’s even more attractive up close. “How do we contact you?” I ask her. I don’t want her number to arrange a fight.

When she locks eyes with mine, I realize that I only asked her because I wanted to look into their depths. I wanted to know their color. I wanted to know more about her…about all of them. They’re not human. Who are they? What are they?

“You don’t, asshole!” West narrows his eyes. “We’ll be in touch when we’re ready.”

Nice guy.

“Go ahead. I’ll catch up in a second,” she tells West.

West glares at me for a few seconds.

“Go already,” she tells him.

He grunts and saunters off. He has smears of blood on his face and spatters on his chest and arms. I can see that his cut lip is mostly healed. His left eye was big and puffy. Almost swollen shut. It looks much better. The bruising is more of a green color. Who are they?

“I’m Stephanus. My friends call me Stephan.” I can feel that I’m smiling. The kind of smile that makes your eyes crinkle. I need to stop. She’s just so beautiful. Like jaw-droppingly gorgeous…and she isn’t human. She isn’t fucking human! I feel giddy at the prospect. I don’t want to watch her leave.

She has big, green eyes. They’re fanned by long, thick lashes. They glitter with humor…I think it’s humor. She doesn’t smile back at me. “This is where our paths diverge. There won’t be a rematch.” She shakes her head.

“Why?” I frown.

“You know why.” She widens her eyes and gives me a look.

It’s because we’re not human. Rage and West would tear each other apart. I nod once. “Maybe…you and I could—” I’m about to ask her out, but she interrupts me.

“No, we couldn’t.” She throws me this half-smile. She goes from gorgeous to fucking incredible. “Nice knowing you, Stephan.” She starts to walk away.

I hesitate for half a second. Who can blame me? I don’t willingly touch other people…ever. Hardly ever. Since she’s not a human, I should be okay. I grip her hand. “Wait! Is your name Raven?” I heard West call her that earlier. The name is fitting.

I feel the warmth of her skin against my palm. I grit my teeth for a second. I push out a breath when I get…nothing. Sweet, sweet nothing. It’s thrilling when nothing happens. “Um…sorry, I…” I stammer and then stop talking as she turns to face me.

Her eyes are wide, and her jaw drops open. There’s this look on her face. I recognize that look. Although she’s staring at me, she isn’t seeing anything. Not with her eyes anyway. She pulls in a breath and then yanks her hand away from me.

Shit!

Crap!

“You saw...” I whisper. “You…?”

She nods once and swallows thickly. Her eyes fill with tenderness. Then she reaches up and cups my jaw. Next thing, she’s standing on her tippy toes and kissing my cheek. I feel her lips brush my skin. It’s over almost before it begins. Her eyes flare with shock. Like she can’t believe she just did that.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispers, letting me go. What she tells me next has my blood running cold. Then, I watch as she walks away. I’m not sure how my legs haven’t buckled. I’m reeling.

She saw my future.

She saw!

“What the fuck was that?” Jarrod asks.

“Nothing!” I growl, too quickly.

“Didn’t look that way to me.” He frowns. “Did you see something when you touched her?”

I shake my head. “I got nothing.” I’m not lying. I will tell my twin everything. I need to tell all of my brothers. Not here and not now.

2

Raven

West pushes the door open. It hits the wall with a bang. “What the fuck was that, Raven? What just happened?” he asks as we walk into the alley. I pick up the scent of rotting garbage and pee. Must be gallons of pee. I wrinkle my nose. A heightened sense of smell isn’t always a good thing.

“Let’s get out of here,” I say. “We need to leave…now.” I start walking towards our rust-bucket of a car. “We should never have done this.” I’m panicking. “Did you see the camera? They were filming us.” I’m breathing hard but can’t seem to catch my breath. “The audience was big. You said it was low-key, Maddox,” I say to my brother, who looks sheepish.

“We needed the money,” Maddox says, his eyes barely meeting mine.

“We needed to stay under the radar,” I try not to yell.

“We need food and a roof. I calculated the risk and I think we’ll be okay.”

“Okay? You thought…?” I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I groan in frustration.

“You kissed him,” West interjects, his voice is a low growl.

I stop and turn. I glare at him. Asshole!

“Why the hell would you kiss that fucker?” he practically snarls when I don’t say anything.

“Stop it!” I yell at him. “Just stop! This is not the place for that kind of discussion. It’s not even worth talking about.”

“West is right.” My brother looks at me with concern. “Why would you kiss some random guy?”

“Not random.” West shakes his head. “They’re not human. I’m not sure what they are exactly, but human…” He shakes his head, touching his jaw. “No human could have hit like that or taken some of those punches. The last one I landed should’ve put a hole in his head. He barely lost his footing. His friends didn’t look human either.”

“That’s why I stopped the fight,” I say. “Before things got out of hand. You were both about to out us. I’m not sure what you were thinking, West. You moved too quickly and punched too hard. Next thing, scales would have erupted, possibly even a decent set of wings…how would that have looked? I’m pretty sure that Rage guy’s eyes had started to glow. And you…” I glare at Maddox, “as his manager, you should have been the one to stop the fight. Not me!”

Maddox gets that sheepish look again, looking down at his feet.

“You’re right.” West nods once. “It was the right call, even if I didn’t like it.” His eyes narrow. “You didn’t have to kiss that fucker.” His jaw is tight. His whole body bristles. “I cannot believe you did that. What the fuck? If you were trying to make me jealous…”

Holy hell! I don’t have time for his shit. “I pecked his cheek. It was hardly a kiss,” I mutter. I shouldn’t have done it. I sometimes get a flood of emotion when I have a vision. This was weird, since my emotions didn’t match the actual vision. Not at all. Still, it was the reason for my actions. The only reason. It wasn’t because I noticed how incredible his eyes were. They had this softness to them. I got the impression that he’s a kind, really sweet guy. They were a gorgeous chocolate-brown. Chocolate happens to be a favorite of mine. And then, despite his masculine jaw, he had soft, smooth skin. Probably freshly shaven. So smooth, I wanted to run my finger down his jawline. Stupid, I know. I could scent a splash of fresh cologne and soap and toothpaste and…he smelled really good. His arms were also a thing of beauty. I thought West was a big guy. I was wrong!

“What did you say to that asshole?” West touches my arm, bringing me back from my thoughts. “You had a vision, didn’t you?” His eyes narrow further. “Tell us about it.”

“We need to get out of here. That’s all I’m saying right now.”

“You owe me an explanation.” West grabs my arm as I’m about to turn away from him.

I yank my arm free. “I don’t owe you anything. Not a damned thing…are we clear?” He lost that right six months ago. I’m still in such a bad place after everything that happened. We all are. This kind of life is hard.

My eyes must convey what I don’t say out loud because I see him drop it. West’s jaw tightens. I hear him grind his molars. He gives a curt nod because he can’t argue. He has no leg to stand on.

“You did see something though, Raven,” my brother says. “What was it? Did you read that guy? Tell us.”

“No!” I shake my head. “I didn’t,” I lie. We need to stay away from those guys. Far away from them. As long as we do, we’re A-okay. My deduction has nothing to do with what I saw. It’s pure logic. “We need to leave town. We’re packing up today.”

“I want a rematch. You heard that prick, Rage… He’s willing to put up the cash.” West smirks.

“Not happening.” I shake my head. “Back to the cameras. We can’t take that kind of risk.”

“We could use the money, Raven,” my brother argues as he uses a key to unlock the car. Yes, a key…our car is that old.

“You need to drop it, please, Maddox. I have this horrible feeling that something bad will happen if we don’t stay away from them.” Again, it’s more logic than a gut feeling, but West and my brother are more inclined to listen to my gut than common sense. So I play that card.

“We’re out of money,” Maddox says as he gets into the car, stretching over the seats to unlock each of our doors. Yes, manually. I know it’s bad. It’s worse than just plain bad.

“I needed that win,” West growls, looking like a little boy. Looking more like the man I used to know. My chest gets this ache. That man is long gone. Maybe he never really existed. We sometimes see what we want to see, rather than the truth.

We pile into the car. West in the back and me in the front. My seat is all the way forward, so that he has some legroom. That’s the one upside of driving an ancient car; they were built quite spacious back in the day. That’s literally the only benefit I can see.

“We have a hundred bucks left. Not much for the five of us,” Maddox says.

“I really needed that win,” West harps on like a broken record. “I’m calling Rage now. We can finish it tonight. I can take that prick with one hand tied behind my back.”

“No! We’ll fill the tank and head out.” I work to keep my voice even.

“Where will we go?” West glowers. “I forfeited the fight. I lost! I’m not going to get another gig anytime soon. No one wants to take on a loser. And as of right now, I’m considered to be one hell of a loser. I look like I chickened out.”

“You didn’t lose…I threw in the towel. There will be plenty of speculation as to why.” I start panicking all over again about the incident going onto media channels. This is bad! I pull in a deep breath. “You held your own in there…a little too well.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he throws back at me. “I ultimately lost. That’s what everyone will remember. I’m going to have to work my way back up, taking on small-time fights.” His eyes blaze.

It would be better if he only did smaller fights. More low-key. I don’t tell him this because I know it will fall on deaf ears. “Don’t be so pessimistic. Besides, maybe one of us can get work in the next town.”

He makes a face. “Work?” he snorts. It’s tough to get a job when you move around so much. I understand where West is coming from. “Like what? Who? You?” Then he chuckles. I know this laugh. He’s about to say something mean. I can’t believe I ever fell for the likes of him. That I wasted six years of my life. I fell for his pretty face, his charm, and yes, for all of his arrogance. Only, when I first met him, it was more along the lines of confidence. Things changed. He changed. I know he didn’t have the easiest upbringing, but that isn’t an excuse. He used to be a good guy. He went through a terrible ordeal, but we all did. It changed him.

His eyes narrow on mine. “You have two things going for you, Raven. I know you’re not about to go and rub on a crystal ball. You’re not about to tell all those humans their fortune. So, the only other thing…” His eyes drop to my chest. He has a way of making me feel cheap. It’s crazy how I mistook that for admiration. For attraction. “You have other things going for you. Maybe we can find a town with a—”

“Don’t!” Maddox growls. His eyes have darkened. “Don’t you dare go there.”

West pushes out a breath and rolls his eyes. “In all seriousness, what the fuck are we going to do?”

“We’ll figure it out.” Maddox turns the key in the ignition, and the car engine rumbles to life. “We’ll land on our feet. We always do,” he adds as we pull off.

3

Stephanus

I can’t stop thinking about her. Not just about what she said to me, even though that’s fresh in my mind as well, but about her. She read me.

Raven.

A beautiful name for a beautiful woman. She saw into my future. No one has ever been able to do that before. I used to seek out fortune tellers when I was in my teens and in my early adulthood. I tried to find someone who was like me. There were one or two with some sort of ability, but no one with anything close to my powers. No one who could see the future of another person in vivid technicolor. Sometimes like a movie, moving in fast-forward, and other times, brief snips of random events. The worst is when it’s a jumble of obscure images that don’t make full sense. I haven’t been able to find anyone who can do what I can do. Someone like her.

Raven.

Non-human.

Who is she?

Then I think about her words, and a chill runs through me. Maybe she was mistaken? No! She definitely saw something bad. She certainly looked spooked. Like I must look sometimes when the vision isn’t as clear as it could be. Sometimes it’s more the feeling you get than the actual vision itself. Raven was scared for me. Gooseflesh broke out on her arms. I need to heed her warning, and it’ll be fine.

“What the hell happened in there?” Jarrod pushes out as he fastens his seatbelt.

Rage doesn’t say anything. He stares, stony-faced at the road ahead.

I check for traffic and pull out into the road. “West wasn’t human, was he?” I’m not sure why I’m looking for confirmation from Rage when I already know the answer.

“No. Not human.”

“There were three of them,” I mumble. “None of them were human.” I’m talking more to myself.

“I don’t know about the girl so much. She looked like a puny human.” Jarrod shrugs.

“I couldn’t read her, remember? She’s not human.” I should probably tell them what she saw, but I don’t. Most of it was a jumble. Ultimately, nothing really concrete, except for the warning to stay away from the ocean. The other part of her vision freaked me the fuck out. She knew things about me she couldn’t possibly know. I need to stay away from the ocean. I don’t have any trips planned, so I’m good.

Jarrod grunts and nods. “What was that kiss all about?”

“Nothing.” I feel my cheeks heat. Raven kissed me on the cheek. The cheek, for fuck’s sake, and it’s making me blush like a girl. “I asked her out, and she turned me down.” It’s not a complete lie. The sequence of events maybe.

“What?” Jarrod chokes out a laugh. “Really? You? Just like that?”

“Yeah.” I smile, indicating to make a turn. “I thought she was fucking gorgeous. It’s not often I meet someone I can actually date.”

“Don’t you mean fuck?” He lifts his brows as I glance his way. Jarrod grins. My twin can be such an ass. Probably on account of him not getting much action himself. It’s not that great when you can see into a person’s past. All the bullshit they got up to. All the partners they’ve been with. Sometimes in live-action inside your head. One hell of a buzzkill when you’re trying to get it on.

“No.” I shake my head. “I mean date, asshole. She turned me down, hence the kiss. She was just being nice. They’re leaving town.” I slow down when the light up ahead turns red.

“Did she happen to mention what they are?”

I shake my head. “I didn’t even think to ask. Not really the right place for it.”

“Too mesmerized by her lovely big eyes.” Jarrod chokes out a laugh.

I roll my eyes. The light changes, so I pull off, making my way out of town.

“That’s too bad,” Rage says, out of the blue.

“What is?” I ask.

“I was looking forward to a rematch with West.” His voice deepens, and a frown mars his forehead.

I snort-laugh. “That would have been a bad idea.”

“I can take him….in my sleep,” Rage says. “Somewhere private. I’d unleash a smidgen of my power on him, and he’d be toast.”

“You mean dead.” Jarrod turns back to look at Rage.

I glance in the rearview mirror. “I have some control,” he mutters. “Enough to bring that asshole down a rung or two. He needs it. He couldn’t fight me without his superhuman strength.” He grunts.

“That’s how he got those first punches in,” I say.

“Damn straight,” Rage mutters. “He used his superhuman strength, and I didn’t. He needs his ass whipped. Arrogant little prick!”

“They’re leaving town. It’s for the best.” I feel a pang as I say it. I would have liked to have gotten to know Raven. I’ve never seen eyes that color before.

“I agree,” Jarrod says. “It’s absolutely for the best.”

“I thought I saw scales for a moment,” Rage says. “On West. I might have been mistaken. My head was ringing after he snuck in a power-riddled punch. It was for a split second, but…” He scrunches his eyes up in thought. “I could have sworn…”

Jarrod pulls in a breath. “There’s a good possibility that they are dragon shifters.” There are stories about small dragon weyrs that no longer have any contact with the main weyr. The one we were born into. They’re just stories. Then again, where there’s smoke, there is sometimes fire.

Rage shakes his head and scratches his jaw. “Part shifter…I think. West was too strong. I don’t think he was pure dragon. There was more there.” He shrugs.

“That’s interesting. Do you think they could be…?” I shake my head at the thought.

“Who knows.” Jarrod shrugs. “More and more, we’re coming to realize that we share this planet with various creatures. That harpy, centaur shifters, those cyclopes… Then there’s Death…us…who knows what else might be out there.”

“Straight up demigods?” Rage adds.

“Yep…those too.” Jarrod nods.

“We can talk circles around this for hours.” I look in the rearview mirror for a second. “They’re leaving. We’ll never know.” Again, I feel an unexpected pang at the thought of Raven going. I’m being an idiot. I don’t know her. I met her for all of a minute. Dating her would never have worked, since she can read me. If she’s anything like me, she doesn’t like touching people she can read. Me being one of them. I know that I purposely stay far away from humans. I hardly know any non-humans. There are so few of us. My dating pool is seriously small. I need to forget all about it and concentrate on getting us home. I have work to do. A pile of work. I’ll focus on that instead of a certain curly-haired beauty.

* * *

The next morning…

Pancakes.

I’ve woken up with pancakes on the brain. Blueberry pancakes with whipped cream, lashings of butter and maple syrup, to be precise. I can’t seem to get them out of my head. Bolt’s girlfriend’s family owns a bakery in town that makes the best plate of pancakes I have ever tasted. They started as a special a couple of weeks ago and have become a fixed item on the menu. That’s how popular they are.

I’m on a deadline and working like a dog, so I’m fully aware that my pancake craving is also a good dose of procrastination.

“Fuck it!” I mutter to the empty room. I’ve been working for hours. I can take a break. I push my chair back, grab the keys to my Jeep, and head out. The bakery closes at the end of today for renovations. That might be the other reason I have this unexpected craving.

I’m only a few minutes from home when I spot them on the side of the road. “What…?” I almost can’t believe my eyes.

The car is an old rusted piece of shit. I’m shocked it’s even licensed. That thing should be condemned and sent to the scrapyard. The hood is open, and that asshole, West, is leaning over the engine. I pull in behind the broken-down car. Two things shock me off the bat. One, there are five of them – two guys who weren’t at the fight yesterday, and two, how beautiful Raven is in the morning light.

I know. I’m a fucking loser, but I can’t help but notice. Her hair is a wild tangle of black curls. It’s loose. She’s wearing a pair of messed-up boots – the kind you would wear on a building site or to a moshpit – and a floral sundress. The contrast is stark, and yet it works. I need to close my mouth. Mop up the drool. More importantly, I can’t stare at her. I walk towards them. All of their attention is now on me. West is wiping his hands on his jeans, leaving black streaks.

If I were a betting man, I would put good money on the two ‘new’ men not being human either. They’re big and— Holy fuck! The one has a mop of ginger hair. He looks a lot like…like…Forge. Can’t be, though! Can’t! It’s a coincidence. Has to be!

I realize I’ve stopped walking. I swallow thickly and continue over to them.

“Are you lost or something?” West says, a growl in his voice. “Following us, perhaps?”

Raven shoots him a dirty look, and the other guy – the manager – from the night before elbows the asshole in the ribs. West grunts.

“Having car trouble?” I ask.

West rolls his eyes. “What gave you that impression?”

“Cut it out!” the other guy says. I realize he has the same color eyes as Raven. As in, exactly the same. His hair is also dark. It’s cut really short, so I’m not sure if it’s curly as well. His skin is a darker tone. I think they’re related. Siblings or first cousins, maybe.

“Yeah,” the guy says. “The engine light came on. The car starts up, but the stick shift won’t budge. I think it seized.”

I wince. “That doesn’t sound good.”

West rolls his eyes so hard I think he might strain an eyeball if he’s not careful.

“My brother owns a tow truck company,” I start. “I can call him if—”

“Don’t bother,” West growls. “I didn’t get my winnings last night. We can’t afford a tow truck. This car is a piece of shit, anyway. It’s not worth fixing.” He looks into the engine, a look of disgust on his face.

“I didn’t say anything about charging you.” This asshole is getting on my last nerve.

“Oh, so we’re a charity case now?” He folds his arms. It’s like he’s looking for a fight.

“Stop being such a fucking asshole, West,” the ginger guy growls. I feel the hairs on my arms lift at how much he sounds like Forge. I don’t believe in coincidences. And yet, I don’t see how they can be related. Surely not! Unless— No…just no!

“Let’s just leave it,” West says. “Grab our shit, and—”

“And what?” Raven folds her arms across her chest. I see the worry on her face. Her eyes shimmer, and she bites down on her lower lip for a second or two. It looks like she’s trying to keep herself from crying, which I don’t like.

West shrugs. “We can hitch a ride.”

“All five of us?” Raven sucks in a deep breath and looks at her shoes for a second. “No one is picking us up.” She shakes her head.

“They will if we split up,” West suggests. “Or maybe we can stay in this town a little longer. I’ll see if there’s any work on—”

“It’s better if we leave,” Raven says.

“How?” West takes down the lever holding up the hood, and it crashes closed. The car rocks on its shocks. Even those sound creaky. I half-expect the bumper to fall off. Thankful when it doesn’t.

“Let me call my brother. We can tow your car to my buddy’s shop. Forge does some repair work—”

“We can’t afford any of that,” the guy with eyes like Raven’s says. He pushes out a breath. Then holds out his hand. “I’m Maddox. I’m Raven’s brother.”

Thought so!

I look down at his outstretched hand. I always hesitate. I hate seeing a person’s future. Today is no exception. I would never touch a human, but non-humans are usually okay. I quickly take his hand before he thinks I’m being an asshole. “I’m Stephanus. Call me Stephan,” I say as we let go. “My brother, Jarrod, will tow you for free. Let’s see what Forge finds. Maybe it’s an easy fix.” I doubt it. I can see from the look on Maddox’s face that he doesn’t buy it either.

“You already know West and Raven,” Maddox goes on, looking at the asshole and then his sister. “This is Barrett,” he points at the ginger, who nods, “and that’s Zale.” The last guy is tall. He’s not as built as the rest of them, but still big for a human. He has a beard and shaggy brown hair. His eyes are a blue-gray color. They shine with keen intelligence. He nods as well, looking pissed off about their situation. I can’t blame him.

“We accept your offer of a tow,” Maddox says.

“We’d appreciate the help,” Raven adds, giving me a quick smile.

West groans. “Let’s leave this piece of shit of a car, and—”

“And what?” Maddox snarls. I see a vein pop out on his forehead. I think his green eyes are looking distinctly lighter. They might even be glowing if we were in the dark. He takes a deep breath. “We need wheels, West. Raven is right…hitching won’t work. Not for us.”

“Maybe if we split up,” West tries again.

“No one in their right mind would pick one of us up,” Maddox says.

It’s true. All except for Raven. I’m sure she could get a ride in a hot minute. Only, I bristle at the types of assholes who might give her one.

The rest of them? Forget it. They’re big, mean-looking bastards. Maddox has a couple of tattoos. There’s a big one on his right arm. It’s just an outline at this stage. West has a couple too. Barrett has one peeking out on the neckline of his shirt. No way they’re catching a ride. We are all judged daily by the way we look. It’s a simple fact. “Let’s find out what’s going on with your car. I was just headed out to grab something to eat. You guys are welcome to join me…on me, of course.” I hold up my hands. “We’ll know more in a couple of hours.”

“Do we look like a charity case to you?” West asks, glowering at me. What the hell is this guy’s problem?

The first word on the tip of my tongue is ‘yes’, but I hold back. I can see that they are a proud group. I like Maddox and Raven. I think Zale and Barrett are probably okay, too. I don’t want to offend anyone just because West is being a dick, so I bite my tongue. It takes everything in me to hold back a choice response.

4

Raven

I want to crawl into a hole in the ground. I feel my cheeks burn. I want to punch West in the mouth to shut him up. He can be an obnoxious jerk, but this is too much, even for him.

I watch anger flash in Stephan’s eyes. I see his jaw tic, and his hands clench into fists for a second before he relaxes. Make that, forces himself to relax. I respect his control. His patience. It takes more to back off from this kind of situation than it does to retaliate. From the looks of Stephan, I’m pretty sure he can take care of himself, so he’s not backing down because he can’t hold his own against West. It’s because he’s more mature than my ex.

“The answer to your question,” I say, looking pointedly at West, “would be yes, we are most definitely a charity case.”

“That’s bullshit!” West grinds out.

“Everyone needs help at some point in their lives,” Stephan says. “Two years ago, I was on my brother’s sofa mooching off of him. Struggling to figure out—”

“Boo-fucking-hoo!” West says. “We don’t want to hear your sob stories. Call up Rage and—”

“No,” both Stephan and I say in unison; our eyes lock for a moment before I look over at West. “That was a bad idea yesterday, and it’s still a bad idea today.”

“I can take him,” West says. “I want my money.”

I see Stephan look at the ground. He has a smile on his face, which he quickly schools. He gives a shake of his head.

“What’s that, Stephan? That is your name, right?” West spits out. “You have something to say…?” I think he’s about to call Stephan an asshole but holds back at the very last second. Thank god!

“Trust me, you don’t want to go up against Rage when he’s using his powers,” Stephan says. “You got in a couple of cheap shots yesterday, but I assure you, you’d lose in a hot minute. You may not even survive it.”

I see West’s hackles go up. He’s always had a short fuse, but lately, ever since…what happened…and then the last couple of months, it’s gotten worse. So much worse! “Let’s stop this conversation right here,” I say. “There isn’t going to be any fight…not today, and not ever. I’m getting sick of repeating myself.”

“Since when are you the group leader, Raven?” West asks, his eyes narrowing. “Just because you’re a year older than the rest of us. It might have worked when we were kids, but not anymore. You’re always out to prove something.”

“Do you blame me?” I wish he would shut up. “Don’t answer that.” We don’t know Stephan. He seems like a nice guy, but who is he really? Who are his friends?

What are they?

I’m reminded of our run-in with that group of centaurs a year ago when we first left our weyr. The five of us made it out alive. I feel pity well in me for West. I know that day was the tipping point for him. I understand why he has these anger issues. I still can’t condone his behavior. I won’t!

“No one here is the leader, West,” Maddox says, slowly and carefully. “We agreed on that when we left. We don’t have much of a choice in this situation.” My brother turns to Stephan. “Would you mind telling us what you are before we take this any further? That might put our minds at rest. Not all non-humans are to be trusted.”

Stephan’s whole stance softens. His eyes, as well. They go from molten, dark chocolate to the sweeter variety. He even pushes his hands into his jeans pockets. “This is definitely a conversation for behind closed doors.”

“I think we’ll be okay,” I say. “It’s five to one.” I didn’t get a bad vibe from Stephan. In fact, it’s safe to say that the opposite is true. I felt a connection. I felt…an affection for him. I wouldn’t have gotten that from him if he was evil. I’m sure of it. Still, we have to be cautious. I didn’t get the best vibes from Rage…I certainly can’t say the same of him. “I agree with Stephan…we can talk about it when we get to wherever it is that we’re going.”

“I know a great diner down the road; brunch will be on me.” He looks over at West, who visibly bristles. His jaw tightens, and his muscles bunch. “One of these days…very soon…when you find someone in need of help…” He shrugs his massive shoulders. “You can pay it forward, how’s that?” He looks my way as he says the last but quickly turns towards Maddox.

My brother nods. “Brunch sounds good.”

Thankfully, no one else says anything one way or another.

“Let me call Jarrod, then,” Stephan says.

He walks away, not going too far. We wait while he has a heated conversation with his brother, who seems less than thrilled that Stephan is getting involved in anything to do with us. “They need our help. What if it was the other way around?” he says, pacing.

“Let me guess, you want to help because of that sexy piece of tits and ass? Am I right?” we all hear his brother say, even though we’re not trying to listen in. I feel my cheeks heat. Did they talk about me? Did Stephan say something?

West seems to grow in stature. I think I even hear him growl. I narrow my eyes on him in warning. He has no say in anything. It isn’t even like that. Not even close. This is a snag in the road. We’ll be on our way to the next town in no time.

“No! Fuck!” Stephan says. “Of course not. I want to help because they’re…they’re like us, and they need a break. That’s it!”

“It has nothing to do with us. We don’t know them! Don’t owe them anything. We don’t need the trouble.”

“Don’t be a dick about this,” Stephan responds, still pacing. “Let’s just help them so that they can be on their way.” It seems like we are on the same page there.

There is silence on the other end of the line for a few long seconds. Then he breathes out. “Fine. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

Stephan swipes his screen and pushes his phone into his pocket. He walks back to us. We get our bags out of the trunk. West has a duffel. The rest of us each have one small bag. Then we stand around until Jarrod pulls up in his tow truck a couple of minutes later. It’s shiny and new. Painted in bright yellow, with red trim.

I’m shocked all over again at how much alike he and Stephan are. They’re the same height and build. The same hairstyles. Jarrod is wearing a yellow and red shirt, with a ‘Cross Roads Towing’ logo on the pocket. If they were in the same outfit, I’d be hard-pressed to tell them apart.

As Jarrod gets up close, I realize that isn’t exactly true. Their eyes are different. I think Jarrod’s are harder, somehow. More world-wise, maybe. There is something else in Stephan’s molten stare that I can’t put my finger on. I realize I’m quite literally staring at him, so I look away, focusing on Jarrod, who widens his stance. He’s staring at Barrett. It reminds me of how Stephan was looking at him earlier. Like he’d seen a ghost. Before I can think more on it, he nods in greeting, turning his gaze to Maddox and then me. “Car trouble?” he says to no one in particular.

“You two are most definitely brothers, and it isn’t the resemblance,” West says, making me flinch at how rude he sounds. I know deep down, he’s a good guy, but they don’t know that, and right now, we need their help. We can’t be rude to Jarrod and Stephan. We can’t afford it. Quite literally.

“Thank you so much for coming to our aid,” I quickly say.

“Yes.” Maddox clears his throat. “We appreciate it.” He gives West a glaring look that seems to shut him up.

“Forge’s shop is a few miles up the road. It’s no trouble.” Jarrod doesn’t look so sure.

“I was on my way to Buns, but they’re too small to accommodate a big group, so we’ll head to Aunt June’s,” Stephan says. “I’ll order you a three-cheese omelet?” He lifts his brows.

Jarrod nods. “I’ll be there in a few.”

“Do you need help hitching…?” Stephan starts.

Jarrod shakes his head. “I’m good. You go ahead.” He looks at Barrett again, getting that same weird look on his face. Then he seems to shake it off. “We can talk over breakfast,” he adds.

“Yes, we will.” Stephan widens his eyes.

I wonder what that is all about.

“My car is a five-seater,” Stephan says. “One of you will need to sit in the truck bed.”

“Not necessary,” West says. “Raven can sit on my lap.”

“I’m not sitting on your lap,” I snap at him.

Stephan looks between me and West, like he’s sizing up the situation. West is making it look like we’re together. He’s definitely trying to stake a claim on me. I don’t like how that makes me feel because I’m not sure what Stephan will think. I shouldn’t care either way, but I do. Maybe because it looks like Stephan might care too. I’m hoping he doesn’t get the wrong idea.

“Why not?” West growls, making things worse.

“It’s not far…a couple of miles,” Stephan says. “The bed isn’t big, but it’ll do the job.”

“I…” I start, intent on agreeing to sit there myself. There is no way in hell I’m sitting anywhere near West. I can’t believe how put out he looks when I make that particular reality crystal clear. He still doesn’t get it. We’re done! Finished! It’s over.

“I’ll sit in the back.” Maddox puts up his hand. “You sit up front since you’re the tallest,” he says to West, who immediately accepts with a curt nod. He doesn’t look completely satisfied.

Jerk!

‘Thank you!’ I mouth to my brother. I watch as Maddox gives Jarrod the keys to the car.

After putting our bags in the trunk bed with Maddox, we pile into Stephan’s Jeep. I sit in the back between Zale and Barrett. It’s a tight fit, but we manage. Then we’re heading to the diner. Our immediate future is quite literally in the hands of strangers. I hope to god my gut feeling about Stephan is right. I catch his gaze in the rearview mirror for a second or two and feel better in an instant. I’m not sure why exactly, but I feel I can trust him.

5

Stephanus

Everyone orders food. I stick with pancakes. I know they won’t be as tasty as Buns can make them, but it’s what I feel like.

We’re squeezed into a large booth on the quiet side of the diner. This section overlooks the parking lot instead of the freeway. We’ll be able to talk here without being overheard.

The server arrives with a tray, which she sets on our table. Her eyes are overly large as she takes us in for a few moments before serving our drinks. It was almost comical when we walked in. She dropped a full plate of eggs and grits right on the floor, her eyes just as wide as they are now. We’re five huge guys. Humans tend to find us appealing. I’m not sure what Raven and her gang are, but they’re definitely not human. We look formidable. As scary and menacing as we are attractive, hence the plate of food on the floor earlier. And hence the looks she’s throwing at us right now. Her cheeks are flushed.

“Um…” I notice her hand is shaking a little as she puts West’s large soda in front of him. “Here you go.” Then she puts a glass of OJ in front of me, followed by a coffee mug in front of everyone else. Her hand is still shaking when she pours the coffee. She manages to overfill Maddox’s mug, causing a spill. “Shoot!” She rubs her lips together. “I’m being such a klutz today,” she says as she wipes the counter down, her eyes still on Maddox.

He stares blankly ahead. Not acknowledging her.

“Thanks.” I smile at the server, trying to look friendly.

She seems to relax a little. “Your food won’t be long.”

“Thanks, Avery.” I read her name tag.

Avery smiles back at me; it’s strained. She picks up her tray. We watch as she leaves, making sure she’s far enough away before we start talking.

“I’m a dragon demigod,” I say.

“Told you,” West growls at Maddox. He grins for half a second. It’s more menacing than anything else. They seem to know what a dragon demigod is. I normally have to explain myself. Not that we’ve had to tell many people, but the reaction has always been the same. Confusion. Interest. Shock. Something along those lines.

“Which god?” Zale asks, narrowing his eyes. Interesting. I have an idea of where this is going, although I could be wrong. I highly doubt that I am.

“What does it matter?” West growls before I can answer. His eyes are blazing.

I shake my head. “First, tell me more about all of you.” I ignore West’s outburst. Everyone else seems to as well. “What are you?” I keep my eyes locked with Raven’s for a few beats before letting them drift across the group.

“We didn’t think there were more of us,” Maddox confirms my suspicion.

Holy fuck!

Wait just a minute. Does that make Raven a dragon demigod as well? My heart beats faster. Maybe a straight demigod? Who sired her?

Fuck!

I squirm in my seat. Maybe she’s my half-sister? She has my ability to see into the future. That would be all kinds of fucked up since I’m attracted to her.

Maybe she can read my mind because she juts her chin forward. “I’m a dragon shifter. No blood of the gods in these veins.” She holds up her arms, wrists-up.

I gulp down some juice, trying to hide my relief. I’m not planning on acting on my attraction to her. She may have kissed me on the cheek yesterday, but she doesn’t seem to feel the same pull that I do. Also, there’s something going on between her and West. I note that she has chosen to sit on the opposite side of the booth to him. A lover’s tiff? Were they together? Are they still together? Something else entirely?

I’m at the end of the booth. I pulled up a chair. I’m three seats up from Raven. I need to avoid accidentally touching her. I do this out of respect. I hate my visions. If she read me once, chances are she’ll read me again. That is, if she’s anything like me. I don’t want that for her, even though I wouldn’t mind knowing more about the vision she had.

Maddox takes a sip of his black coffee. “The rest of us are dragon demigods. Same as you.” He looks shocked to his core. Like he’s mulling it over. I can see his mind working. “We’re twenty-six years old.”

“All four of you?” I ask, even though I already know the answer to my question. It seems that the gods come down to earth sporadically. They have their fun, and then they head back to their own realm. A bunch of bastards who don’t seem to care about the offspring they leave behind.

He nods once. “Yes. The gods spent a couple of days partying it up with a group of dragon women from our weyr. Here we are.”

Similar to what happened with us. I push out a breath. “We’re twenty-nine.”

“All of you?” West asks, he’s frowning hard.

I nod once.

“How many of you are there?” Maddox lifts his brows.

“There are questions I can’t answer.”

“Can’t or won’t?” West’s jaw tenses.

I shrug. “I can only speak for myself. When Jarrod gets here, he can tell you whatever he feels comfortable divulging. That’s where it ends.”

West shrugs. “We already know that Rage isn’t human.”

“Doesn’t matter what you know or think you know. I won’t speak for the others. I can’t!” I clear that little misunderstanding right up. I keep my eyes locked with West’s until he looks away. There are some things I won’t budge on, and this is one of them.

“That makes sense.” Zale looks over to Maddox. They have a full eyeball conversation in the space of a few seconds. Then Zale looks my way. “My father is Zeus.”

Fuck!

Holy freaking fuck-nuts!

I can’t believe what I am hearing, and yet I can. I knew it. Deep down, I had a feeling inside me. Those gray eyes. His cool exterior. I don’t even need Barrett to talk to know who he’s related to. I’m reeling. I glance at Maddox and then at West. I don’t know about them, though. Chances are good they’re related to someone in our group. It’s almost a given.

I work hard at schooling my emotions. I’m looking at Bolt’s half-brother. His half-freaking-brother, dammit! I take another sip of my juice, fucking ecstatic when I see our waitress appear, because I can focus on something else. Because I have a chance to get myself together before I give a whole lot away. I’ve always worn my heart on my sleeve. Right now will be no exception. Avery is balancing several plates on her arms. I jump up to help her as she comes closer. Her eyes are widening again. I notice that her gaze is predominantly on Maddox. I grab a plate just as it’s about to fall off her arm and onto the floor. I manage to avoid touching her. I’ve become an expert at it.

“Thanks.” She blows at a wayward strand of hair on her face. Her cheeks are flushed.

We deposit food in front of everyone, and I sit back down.

“Enjoy.” Avery looks around the table. “Let me know if I can get you anything.” She locks eyes with Maddox as she says the last.

“We’re good for now,” I say, wanting privacy.

I pour just about a gallon of maple syrup over my pancakes and cut myself a large bite. “My father is Janus,” I say before putting a forkful into my mouth.

Maddox puts his fork down with a clang.

Raven’s eyes grow in size. She stops chewing. “God of beginnings and transitions,” she mutters around her food.

“One of the most important gods,” Maddox says.

“Not as popular,” West chips in. Ever the pessimist. “Or well-known.”

“What is your power?” Maddox asks.

Raven is frowning. Her eyes move up in thought. “God of time and endings.” She sucks in a breath. “Two faces…you and your brother. Janus. Jarrod and Stephanus.”

She’s putting two and two together. It’s astonishing to watch. Raven isn’t just gorgeous; she has plenty of brains as well. I find myself selfishly hoping that their car is fucked. That they’re forced to stay for a while so that I can get to know her. I want to know more about the others as well, don’t get me wrong. I nod. “Yes…you’re right. We can look into the future and into the past. I can see ahead.”

She sucks in a breath. “You can?” I see golden flecks around her irises, which are huge right now. “You can see? I mean, actually see?” I watch the delicate column of her throat work. “Do you read people?” she adds when I don’t answer. Raven knows this already. She saw it when she read me yesterday. At this point, I don’t think she told anyone about reading me.

I nod…and then shake my head. She smiles at me, looking at me quizzically. She’s lovely! She has a smattering of freckles across her nose, spilling over onto her cheeks. It’s those eyes, though. Man, oh, man! I clear my throat. “I can read people, but I prefer not to.”

“My sister can see into the future as well,” Maddox says, looking from Raven to me and back again. “That’s something.”

“Oh? How interesting.” I raise my brows and go through the motions of acting shocked. It’s now clear to me that she didn’t tell them what she saw, which endears her to me. I don’t know why, but it does. What happened yesterday is between the two of us. Only us. “I didn’t know dragon shifters had powers.”

She shrugs. “Most don’t…I guess I’m unique.”

I nod. That’s an understatement if I ever heard one. “And the two of you are related?” I ask.

Maddox nods. “Same mother.” I see his eyes soften as he looks at Raven. “I’m the much younger, better-looking one of the two of us.” He winks at her.

She gives him a fake dirty look. “I’m older by a whole year and a half, asshole!” Then she smiles at him. “And I wouldn’t call you good-looking. ‘Okay-looking’ maybe.” She shakes her head. “Using the word good would be pushing it.” She picks up her burger and takes a bite, her eyes dancing with humor.

That’s interesting. Raven had already been born when Maddox was conceived, which means that something must have happened to her shifter father. I’m assuming.

West is tearing into his steak and chips like there’s no tomorrow. He doesn’t seem interested in the conversation.

I take another bite of my pancakes when I spot Jarrod talking to Avery. I already ordered his omelet. I told them to prepare it when he arrives. I’m sure he’s ordering himself a drink. Sure enough, Avery hands him a bottle of water. I see him grab the very top of the bottle, also trying to avoid touching her. Then he walks to us.

“My brother is here,” I announce.

Everyone looks across at him. He gives a wave as he gets closer. “Your car is with Forge,” he says as he pulls up a chair next to me. “He’ll call as soon as he knows what’s wrong with it.”

Maddox’s eyes cloud. West stuffs a huge piece of meat in his mouth, and Barrett grunts.

Jarrod gives me a look. He’s noticed the resemblance. “What did I miss?” he asks me.

“Um…” I say. “Raven is a dragon shifter, and the others are dragon demigods.”

Jarrod lifts his brows.

“Zale’s father is Zeus.”

“Zeus.” He swallows, nodding his head.

“Maddox is Raven’s younger brother. I mentioned who our father is and what our abilities are. That just about sums it up.”

Jarrod leans back in his chair. He uncaps his water and drinks.

“My father is Ares.” Maddox puts his fork down and wipes his mouth with a paper napkin.

I reach for the syrup, even though I don’t need anymore. I have to find something to do because I’m sitting across from Rage’s half-brother.

Fuck me!

I guess I can see the resemblance now that I know. It was the green eyes that put me off. That, and Maddox’s darker skin. Rage is pale with eyes like coal.

“The god of war,” Jarrod mutters. “You’re an easy-going guy for someone so closely related to Ares.”

“Don’t be fooled, he has one hell of a temper,” Raven says. “Having said that, I’ve only seen you lose it once.” She looks down at her half-eaten food and pushes away her plate.

West pushes his clean plate away, as well, taking a big gulp of his drink. “As much as I’m enjoying this riveting conversation—”

Jarrod’s phone rings. “It’s Forge,” he says, looking down at the screen. He gets up as he answers.

“Fuck!” Maddox runs a hand over his face. “I doubt it’s good news. Must be something major if he’s already found the problem.”

I frown, watching as Jarrod heads out of the diner. “We’ll have to wait and see.” I push my plate away as well. I’m not feeling hungry anymore.

Avery arrives with a plate full of omelet and a fresh coffee pot. “Where did he go?” she asks.

“He’s coming right back,” I say, touching the table so she knows where to put his plate. I move right out of her way.

Avery proceeds to fill up everyone’s coffee mugs. “Another soda?” she asks West, who nods.

She takes as many plates as she can balance and leaves.

Jarrod is back half a minute later. He smiles. “Good news! Your car isn’t as bad as we thought.”

“Really?” Maddox and Zale say in unison.

“It’s a quick fix and won’t cost much.” He shrugs.

“Fucking finally,” West says. “Something that’s actually going our way.”

“Well,” Jarrod widens his eyes, “there’s more. He doesn’t have the part he needs for the repair in stock. Your vehicle is an older model.” He winces.

Maddox pushes out a breath through his nose. “Older model is being too kind. How long before he can get the part?”

“A couple of days.”

“Fuck!” West growls. He puts up a hand. “Sorry for the French.” He’s looking to side.

I turn and see Avery. She’s holding onto a glass of soda like there’s no tomorrow, looking like she’s just seen a ghost. She pulls in a breath and nods. “No problem! I have two older brothers. I’m used to swearing. It’s just that you guys are…you’re huge. I don’t want to know how much you work out,” she says as she rushes over and deposits West’s soda in front of him.

“We’ll get the check,” I tell her.

She nods, grabbing the rest of the plates, and then she rushes off.

“Look,” Jarod turns my way for a moment, “why not stay with us while you wait for your car? I have two spare bedrooms, and Stephan lives in a huge-ass house all by himself.”

I feel both pride and embarrassment. My house is huge. It’s ridiculous! It took me so long to figure out what I wanted to do with my life that when I finally did, and started making big money right off the bat, I went a little OTT.

“Why would you help us?” West’s eyes narrow on Jarrod.

All of them are looking at us. Their eyes are clouded with uncertainty…with distrust. Even Raven. I guess I can’t blame her. I can’t blame any of them. They don’t know us at all. “Some say that Janus fathered Zeus,” I say, looking at Zale. “That would make us related. Cousins.”

He frowns. “Half-cousins.”

Raven shakes her head. “That’s not the general consensus. It’s doubtful that you’re related.”

“The gods are an incestuous bunch of sex-hungry assholes,” Jarrod says. “Chances are good there’s some crossover.”

“I agree,” I say. “Even if we aren’t related, we’re the same.”

Maddox nods once, and Barrett grunts in agreement.

“Why do you know so much about Janus?” I ask Raven. It’s not really a pertinent question, but I want to know.

Her cheeks turn red.

“For a while, Raven was convinced that she was a dragon demigod, too,” Maddox says.

West smiles. “I remember those days.” He looks at her with what I can only describe as affection. He pushes out a laugh. “You were pissed off when you got your scales.”

“Hugely pissed off.” Maddox chuckles.

Raven blushes, and I’m fucked if she doesn’t look even more beautiful.

“Let me guess,” Jarrod says, “you could shift in seconds?”

She nods. “Yep, I can shift in a split second. I am, without a doubt, a full-blooded dragon shifter. Maddox and I look very much like my mother.” She shrugs.

“That’s not entirely true.” I stick my foot in it. I shouldn’t know anything about it, since I haven’t seen their mother. Only, I do know something about it because I know Rage. I can see plenty of similarities. “I mean, you’re tall, and you’re petite.” I gesture to Raven. “You have the same eyes but different facial structures.” I’m saying too much, so I force myself to shut the hell up. “You’re welcome to crash with us while your car is being fixed.”

“It’s not like we have a choice,” West mutters.

“What he’s trying to say is, thank you, that would be much appreciated.” Maddox smiles.

“A huge help,” Raven adds.

“It would be nice to stay in a house instead of a shitty motel,” Zale says.

“Then it’s settled.” Jarrod nods.

Avery arrives with the check, which I take from her. “Pay on your way out,” she says with a smile.

“Thank you,” I tell her.

“If this arrangement is going to work, Raven and I are staying with you.” West points at Jarrod.

“Excuse me,” Raven stands, her chair scraping, “you don’t get to decide where I sleep, what I do…or how I do it.”

Definitely water under this bridge!

West seems to deflate in front of us. “Don’t say that, Raven. I’ve told you a hundred times how sorry I am. What do you want me to do to prove it to you? Just say it. Anything! You can’t keep punishing me for one mistake. It was an oversight.”

“An oversight. Are you kidding me?” She shakes her head.

“A mistake! I wish you would get over it. Forgive me so that we can move on. It’s been six months since—” His jaw tightens.

“I have forgiven you, West. And I desperately want to move on.” She looks at me. “I’ll stay with you, Stephan. West can bunk with Jarrod. I would prefer it if we were in separate—”

“That’s bullshit,” West speaks under his breath. He stands as well. All of us do as the tension mounts. “Who’s going to look after you, Raven?” He glares at me, his eyes blazing. “We don’t know these guys. Not really! I’ll be fucked if I’m letting you out of my sight.”

“Well, that’s too damn bad, because—” Raven’s cheeks are red.

“I’ll look after Raven. She’s my sister,” Maddox pipes up, trying to defuse the situation.

I can feel my scales rub. I’m trying not to clench my hands. This isn’t my argument. It isn’t my place. I have to bite my tongue.

Raven puts her hands on her hips. “I can take care of myself. I’m a grown woman who is older than the two of you.” Her eyes haze over with hurt. “If it’s okay, I’d like to stay with you?” She locks eyes with me.

“Fuck that!” West snarls. “This asshole has a hard-on for you.” He looks at me like he wants to tear my head off.

My hands are tight knots at my side. I’m clenching my teeth so hard I might crack a molar. I want to get right up in his face and tell him where the hell he can get off, but I stay right where I am. This isn’t my fight. As she pointed out, Raven is a grown woman, perfectly capable of standing up for herself.

“You’re acting like a jealous asshole!” she shouts at West.

“I’m not! I’m trying to protect you.” His voice softens. The calm doesn’t last. “He wants in your panties.” West points at me, and I have to hold back a snarl. “How is it you can’t see that?”

My lip curls in a silent growl. I think I might have popped a few scales on my chest.

“So what if he does? It’s no business of yours or anyone else’s who I sleep with.”

West’s eyes go comically wide. “You can’t mean that!”

“I do.” She looks at me. “I’ll wait outside.” Then back at West. “This conversation is over.”

“It isn’t!” West speaks softly. “I’m not giving up on you.”

Raven looks crestfallen for a second. Then she sighs. “I wish you would.” Then she walks away.

As soon as the door to the diner closes, West points his finger at my face. “If you lay so much as a—” he starts. His eyes are narrowed on mine.

Maddox puts a hand on his chest. “Drop it!” he says, giving West a push.

“I need to warn this asshole,” West snarls, “about what will happen to him if…”

I bristle at his words. I know that if I retaliate too harshly, this will blow up. I’m not afraid of West, but the last thing we need right now is a brawl. Sometimes saying nothing is more difficult than speaking your mind. I’m not sure how, but I keep my lips zipped.

“I’ll go with Raven,” Maddox says. “She’ll be fine. I’ll make sure of it.” He gives me a hard stare but looks away before it can become uncomfortable.

“She will if she stays away from that mother—” His finger is back up and pointing at my face.

“Don’t!” I say. “You were right when you said you don’t know me. You don’t! Not well enough to call me names, at any rate. I don’t know what’s going on between the two of you, but I don’t like being pulled into it.” I hold both my hands up.

“If you keep your hands off her, we’re okay. If not—”

I let my arms fall to my sides. “Don’t threaten me.” I keep my voice even.

Jarrod puts his hand on my chest in much the same way Maddox did to West earlier. I realize that I’ve taken a step forward. “Stay out of it, bro,” Jarrod warns.

“That’s good advice,” West snarls.

A choice ‘Fuck you!’ is on the tip of my tongue, but I hold back. I think he can read it in my eyes because he adds, “I suggest you listen to your brother.”

“You should try listening to Raven sometime,” I bite out.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” West takes a step towards me; that damned finger of his coming up yet again. I want to break it.

“My boss is threatening to call the cops,” a timid voice pipes up from behind us. It’s Avery.

“Shit!” I mutter. “Sorry! Let’s go and take care of the check. We’re leaving now; no need to involve the police,” I assure her as I pick up the bill folder. My back is to West and Maddox. I can hear Maddox trying to talk some sense into West. Trying to calm him down. He’s ushering him out of the diner. Jarrod stays with me.

“He’s a loose cannon,” I whisper as soon as we’re out of earshot.

The door clicks shut as Maddox and West go outside. They are still arguing.

“Please don’t go there,” Jarrod says. “For the love of god, stay away from Raven.”

“Because that bozo told me to?” I fight to keep from snarling.

“Because it’s clearly a mess you don’t want to get caught up in,” Jarrod warns.

“It seems to me that whatever they had is long over.”

“Or she’s going to use you to get to him.” Jarrod pulls in a breath. “Right now, it seems to be working.”

“I don’t think that’s it.” I shake my head.

“Don’t be so sure. Raven pulled you right into that.” He pauses before going on. “Why did she specifically have to stay with you?”

“I’m cuter than you,” I say, smirking.

Jarrod chokes out a laugh. “Like hell you are.” We’re identical twins. Two peas in a pod. It’s freaky how alike we are.

I push out a breath. “She has my ability.” I don’t like to call what I have a gift. I don’t see it as a gift.

Jarrod frowns heavily. “She can see the future?” I can hear the shock laced in his voice.

I nod. “Looks that way.” I should tell him about her vision about me, but I don’t. We’re out of time. I put some money in the folder, including a hefty tip, and hand it to Avery as we reach the cash register. “Keep the change. Sorry things got heated.”

“That guy seems to have a chip on his shoulder.” Avery is looking outside at West, who is still arguing with Maddox. He doesn’t let up.

“We all have our issues,” I say as we walk away. There’s something going on with that guy. People aren’t that angry all the time.

“To think I get to spend some quality time with that asshole,” Jarrod says as we walk towards the exit. “Thanks for that. I can’t wait to share a house with him. Um…about their car,” he lowers his voice and stops walking.

“What about it?”

“The transmission is shot to hell.”

“That’s not a small, inexpensive part.” I keep the volume down even though my voice is animated. “That’s major repairs.”

“I know.” He shrugs. “I’ll take care of it. They seemed to need the help. I didn’t think they’d take too kindly to a handout. It’s going to take time to get the parts,” he adds. “I wasn’t lying about that part of the equation. Given what we’ve heard, it might be a good idea to get to know them. Maybe tell the others at some point. I mean, Zale is Bolt’s half-brother. Same with Maddox and Rage. Let’s face it, Barrett is related to Forge without a doubt.”

I nod. “Without a shadow of a doubt.” I push out a breath. “Can we trust them, though?”

“That’s the problem,” my brother says. “I didn’t tell Forge anything…not yet, anyway. He thinks I brought in a friend’s car. He doesn’t have a clue about these guys.”

“We’ll figure it out. They will all need to know, and soon.”

Jarrod nods. “Yep, they will. Should we call a meeting?”

“I would hold off for the moment,” I say. “Bolt is away on business. He’s back in a couple of days. This coming weekend is the relaunch of his girlfriend’s bakery. They’re closing end of business today to revamp the place,” I add. “What I’m trying to say is that I don’t think we should call a meeting without Bolt. I think he needs to find out about Zale in person.”

“You’re right.” Jarrod nods and rubs his chin. “We should probably let everyone know one-on-one, but we’ll talk about it. We have time. We’ll have to play it by ear.”

“What worries me is if West is related to one of us.” I shake my head. “I’m assuming we’re in the clear, or he would have said something. I’m hoping.”

Jarrod smiles. “He would have shown his displeasure, had that been the case.” His smile widens. “He’s a grouchy bastard with a short fuse. Has to be Hades or…I don’t know…someone fucked up.”

I nod. “I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough. We’d better get out there.”

“Stay the fuck away from her,” Jarrod says, pushing a hand through his hair.

I roll my eyes. “I will.” He’s right. I don’t want to get in the middle of whatever is going on between those two. Besides, it wouldn’t work. Not if she’s going to catch glimpses of my future every time we touch. Not when my outlook is a fuck-up. Despite what she said today, Raven won’t want to come anywhere near me. Not if she’s anything like I am.

6

Raven

I’m mortified!

I can’t believe how West is acting. Then again, I can. This is nothing new. It’s just a whole new level of asshole. He’s been impossible since we broke up. It doesn’t matter that he was the catalyst to our demise. Although, if I’m honest, things hadn’t been right between us for some time, even before he did what he did. He doesn’t seem to see that, though. He definitely hasn’t accepted that we’re over. I wish he would. I wish he’d come to terms with all of it, but he hasn’t. I wish he could at least find closure. Not just for us. For so much more. I feel sorry for him. That’s all that’s left. It makes me feel sad for him too. I’m not changing my mind, though.

Back to being mortified. I’m mortified at my own behavior, rather than West’s. What I can’t believe is how I retaliated against him. I acted like a child by doing exactly the opposite of what West wanted. Namely, me and Stephan in different houses, and West at my side.

Not happening!

Not in a million years! I feel guilty about my behavior because of Stephan. Poor guy. I pulled him into this. I put him squarely between West and me. That was wrong of me. I need to apologize. To explain.

I can see how quiet Stephan is being. He hasn’t said more than two words on the trip to his house.

House.

Huh!

It’s not just a house…more of a mansion. Huge. I think all of us could have stayed here. The garden is manicured. There’s a fountain at the entrance. A fountain! Who has a fountain? The statue is of Pegasus with water cascading down his outspread wings as he rears up. I’m mesmerized. Not that possessions or money are important to me, but come on.

I’ve noticed that Stephan has this soft laugh. It’s cute. Very cute. I shouldn’t notice, but I do. I notice how thick his biceps are. How full his lips are. I notice how good he smells.

Crap!

This is wrong. I shouldn’t have pushed to stay here. I have a bad feeling about this town. About Stephan. Like I’m tied to his misfortune somehow. To the vision I had. It’s probably my guilt talking. West and I were together for a long time. He’s the only guy I’ve ever been with. For the first time, I’m noticing someone else. I can’t help it. It is what it is, and I’m guilty as anything. It’s worse now, after what happened at the diner.

We pull up to the long garage. Stephan opens the door by pushing a remote. “Holy shit!” Barrett mutters. “You have three cars?”

Stephan’s face turns red. He’s so darned cute. That, and modest. He clearly doesn’t like being the center of attention. “Um,” he swipes a hand through his hair, “a little overkill, but…yeah, I do. My Jeep, an SUV, and a sports car. I do use all of them. Not at once…obviously…” He goes even redder and stops talking.

“Impressive,” Maddox says what Barrett and I are thinking. “And up until two years ago, you were on your brother’s sofa?”

The lights go on automatically as we drive into the garage. “Yes. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true. A lot can happen in two years.”

“Gives us hope,” Maddox mutters as Stephan switches off the engine. He gets out. We all follow suit.

“This way,” Stephan says, opening a door.

“Fuck me!” Barrett says as we walk into the biggest living room I’ve ever seen. There are two fireplaces and several sitting areas, including a bar. There’s a pool table off to the one side. Huge stackable doors run across the front. The outside is almost better than the inside.

He has a large, covered wooden deck with a huge infinity pool and more furniture, including pool loungers and a daybed. My mouth has fallen open, so I try to close it.

“This is…amazing,” Maddox says. “Are you sure you’re okay with us staying here?”

“Of course,” Stephan says. “Make yourselves at home. There’s a spare set of keys for the house here.” He points at one of those key hangers. It’s mounted on the wall. All of his car keys are hanging there too. “I don’t have people around often, so my house isn’t really kitted out for it. You’ll have to let me know if you need anything specific.”

I did notice that the bar doesn’t have a whole lot of alcohol stocked. It’s not your typical bar. There’s no…personality. No trinkets. No…anything.

“Let me show you around,” Stephan says. “The kitchen is through here.”

“Wow!” I say. It’s huge, with all the amenities you can think of. The stove has six burners, and the oven could fit two turkeys for the holidays.

“Help yourself to whatever you want. Let me know if you need anything. I was thinking of a barbecue for dinner?” He raises his brows. “Steak and wings.”

“You’re speaking my language,” Barrett says.

I nod when he looks my way.

We walk back out into the living room. “You’re welcome to swim or play pool…whatever you feel like. I’m not much of a drinker.” He points at the bar. “There’s beer; there might be wine.” He looks my way. “I think there’s a bottle of whiskey as well.” He winces. “That’s about it, I’m afraid. I can stock up.” He raises his brows.

“Don’t go to any extra trouble,” Maddox says, speaking for all of us.

“It wouldn’t be any trouble. I don’t mind,” Stephan says as he walks down a hallway. “I’ll show you one of the guest bedrooms,” he says, looking back over his shoulder at no one in particular.

We walk down the hall after him. “This is my office.” He looks sheepish.

Sheesh! My eyes pop out. To one side, there are several desktop PCs and a laptop. Everything looks top-of-the-line. On the other side of the spacious room is a gamer’s paradise. There are gaming chairs and all the latest gaming tech, including what looks like virtual reality equipment. The screen is obscenely big. There’s also a single bed. The covers are ruffled. I see a whole bank of cupboards on the far side, and a door. I’m assuming it’s a bathroom.

“I’m a software developer. I’ve also invented a couple of apps along the way.” He shrugs.

I’ve heard of people making small fortunes developing apps. I think I might be looking at one of them. I’m duly impressed.

“In case you didn’t notice, I’m an avid gamer.” He smiles. “I’m somewhat of a homebody. It’s tough having my kind of ability. I avoid people…crowded places. This is how I socialize most of the time.” He makes a face. “Sad, I know, but what can you do?” He gives a one-shouldered shrug.

“Raven is the same,” Maddox pipes up. “We can’t get her to go anywhere crowded. Anywhere fun.”

“I’m sure.” Stephan locks eyes with me for a moment but quickly looks away. “I would prefer it if you stayed clear of this room,” he says. “I have various systems running. If you accidentally touched something, or…” He pushes out a breath. “I could lose hours of work…days even.”

“No problem,” Barrett says. “We’re not really into tech. We don’t have anything like this where we come from.”

“Oh?” Stephan looks interested. “No gaming? No computers?” He frowns.

“None of that stuff,” Barrett says. “We were completely off the grid. We farmed and hunted. Lived off the land. Kept to ourselves.”

Stephan looks taken aback. “That’s a little…strange.”

“It was…different,” Maddox adds. “There was no mingling with humans.”

“Really?” Stephan looks shocked. “Not at all?”

He shakes his head. “We kept to ourselves. Leaving was an adjustment.” I sense that Stephan wants to say or ask something else, but Maddox leaves the room before he can. We still need to be careful about what we divulge. “What’s down here?” he asks, speaking up so that we can hear him from the hallway.

We all follow. “It’s the bedroom I was talking about,” Stephan says. “This is the smaller of the three I have available.” The bedroom is bigger than the motel rooms we’ve been sharing. It’s nicely decorated. Warm and appealing. Maddox and I shared one bedroom, and the other three shared another one. They’ve taken turns sleeping on a fold-out bed on the floor. Thankfully you can generally choose a double bed or two singles. We’ve mostly been okay. This is like heaven in comparison. A big queen-size bed. A cozy wingback chair in the corner. There’s a lovely view of the gardens. I can smell lavender and roses.

“There are enough rooms for each of you to have your own space. They all have an en suite.” The bathroom attached to this bedroom is decorated in white and gray. It’s almost as big as one of the motel bedrooms, as in the whole room, including the bathroom. It’s gorgeous.

“I’ll take this one,” I say.

“Are you sure?” Maddox asks, frowning. “You might prefer one of the others.”

“One of the spare rooms upstairs has an en suite with both a bath and a shower,” Stephan says. “It has a balcony overlooking the gardens. It’s really beautiful. In fact, both bedrooms upstairs are nicer than this one.”

I shake my head and shrug. “Thanks, but I don’t need anything fancy.” In my opinion, this is seriously fancy. “I’ll let you two fight over who gets the bigger bedroom.” I smile at my brother and Barrett.

“I hope you’re not a light sleeper?” Stephan asks me.

I shake my head, frowning. “No. Why is that?”

He smiles and, holy hotness, but I take note. “Good, because I often work late or start really early. I work all hours. I’m busy with a huge project right now. I wouldn’t want to disturb you.” He looks concerned. His eyes are so warm. His lashes are long and black. Stephan is hot.

“Take the room upstairs, sis. I’ll take this one,” Maddox insists. There’s a hardness to his voice I don’t like.

“I’m fine here.” I’m not sure why he’s going on about this. I get the feeling he wants me upstairs. Why? “Out of the two of us, you’re the light sleeper,” I tell my brother.

“My sister might sleep like the dead, but there’s an unfortunate side-effect in that she snores.” Maddox chokes out a laugh. He’s trying to dial back on the weird tension that’s creeping in.

“I do not,” I throw back because I don’t snore.

“Do too.” He chuckles. “She might disturb your work. She’s that bad.”

I gasp. “You talk such shit.”

“I’m deadly serious.” He laughs some more.

“Whatever,” I mutter, walking out of the bedroom. Maddox is acting strangely. I’m not sure why. We head up a huge spiral staircase. The whole thing is made out of floating oak steps and stainless steel. This place is like something out of a magazine.

There are big double doors as we reach the top of the stairs. Stephan opens them and gestures for us to enter. “This is the bedroom I had in mind for you,” he says to me as I walk past him. I note that he moves back to make plenty of space for me. He’s been very good about not accidentally getting into my space. I like how thoughtful he is, which makes me feel even guiltier about what happened earlier.

The room is lovely. Like the rest of the house, the floors are gleaming gray wood. There are various textures throughout. The main colors are gray and white, with splashes of yellow. The headboard is solid oak. There are a desk and a chair, with a sofa in the corner. There’s a whole lounge suite on the spacious balcony.

“You might want to change your mind and take this one?” Maddox urges me.

“I promise you, I’m fine downstairs.” I want him to drop it already.

Stephan goes ahead. “Um...” He seems shy all of a sudden. “The next room is…an indulgence of mine.” He switches on a light.

We walk through the open door. “You’re freaking kidding me.” Barrett shakes his head. “Wow!”

“Fuck me!” My brother chuckles. “You have your own cinema. I’m impressed!”

“Now, this is amazing,” I say. “There’s even a popcorn machine…and a slushy machine!” I’m gaping again.

There are several rows of comfortable chairs at descending levels, with a huge screen taking up the whole wall at the front of the room. There are no windows that I can see. “It’s a bit of an overkill.” Stephan is blushing again. He’s cute when he blushes, and sexy…very sexy. “But…I love it.” He gives a boyish smile. It’s lopsided and does this thing to my insides. “I have a whole array of movies if you feel like chilling up here.”

“We won’t get bored in this house,” Barrett says, turning a slow circle, “that’s for sure.” He grins.

“This is my bedroom.” He points at an open door but keeps on moving.

I can’t help but peer inside as we walk past. Again, it’s mostly gray, but this time with quite a lot of teal as well. The bed is made. It’s clean and neat. There are more wooden features in this one with— My brother bumps his elbow against mine, and I realize I stopped to check the space out. Stephan’s private space.

He gives me this strange look. It’s a questioning look. I ignore him and keep walking. The next room is a smaller version of the balcony room. There’s more mustard yellow here than that one. “I’ll sleep here,” Barrett says. “You take the bigger one,” he says to Maddox, who is frowning.

“I insist that you take the bigger room, sis.” He tries to sound light-hearted and fails. I can see the tension in his features.

“I insist that you have it,” I counter. Why is he acting like this?

“No, really. You’re taking it!” His voice grows deeper. “That’s the end of it.”

For a few seconds, I can’t believe what I am hearing. This isn’t Maddox. It isn’t like my brother at all. I snap. “No, that’s not the end of it. Are you telling me what to do now?” I can’t help it. “We left our weyr for a reason, Maddox.” There are reasons why we packed a few meager belongings in the middle of the night and ran.

His demeanor softens. Maddox sighs and roughs up his hair with his hand. “Sorry,” he says, his voice soft. His gaze beseeching. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just…” He pushes out another breath but doesn’t finish the sentence. “I’m sorry…that’s all!”

I see how Stephan is looking at us. I don’t blame him. I go back to being mortified. What he must think. “Don’t worry about it,” I mutter. “I know you didn’t mean it like that. I know you mean well. That you want me…comfortable. I swear I’ll be just fine downstairs. You take the big balcony room.”

Stephan looks away. “There’s a full gym above my garage.” He changes the subject, probably feeling awkward. “There are stairs at the back that lead to the entrance.” I think he’s also trying to defuse the tension. He’s a nice guy, for sure.

“Great!” Barrett growls. “I’m hoping there’s a delay with that car part. I wouldn’t mind hanging out here for a couple of weeks.”

“We need to get back on the road, and we can’t get used to this kind of luxury,” my brother says.

“And I’m sure Stephan doesn’t want to host our sorry asses for longer than necessary,” I say.

“Shouldn’t be more than a couple of days,” Stephan pushes his hands into his pockets, “but you’re welcome to stay as long as you want.”

“Thanks,” my brother says. “We appreciate your help. Your brother’s, too.”

Stephan nods. We walk back down the hall. Maddox grabs my arm as we reach the double doors to his room. “We’ll be down in a minute,” he says to Barrett and Stephan.

Stephan narrows his eyes for half a second and then nods. Barrett doesn’t even turn back. He starts down the stairs. “I’m keen to see that gym.” He’s already halfway down.

We watch Stephan go too. “I’ll show you.” He heads down as well.

Maddox walks into his room. It really is spectacular. “I’m hoping you’re not going to try to convince me to stay here,” I say. It’s become a principle. Just like earlier with West. I need to make my own decisions and stand on my own two feet. Some things are deeply ingrained in all of us. I see it at times like this.

“I need to warn you, Raven,” Maddox speaks under his breath. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

I fold my arms. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Oh, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Stephan sleeps downstairs, and now you do too.”

I frown. “What does that have to do with anything?” I say a little too quickly. “Okay…I know where you’re going with this, but you’re wrong.” I shake my head.

“The two of you are clearly attracted to each other. I can see it. West could see it. That’s why he’s acting like a crazy person.”

“Back to being a grown woman, capable of making my own decisions. I don’t want, or need, the two of you trying to run my life.”

“It’s not about running your life. Fucking around with Stephan would be a bad decision.” He keeps his eyes on mine. “I would be a terrible brother if I didn’t say something.”

“Why would it be a bad decision?” I hadn’t planned on letting anything happen between Stephan and me. Although he’s attracted to me, I don’t think he would want to go there. It must be clear by now what a mess my life is. How complicated my life is right now. Nothing is going to happen between us. Also, I’m reminded of my vision. The one Maddox doesn’t know I had. Visions are not exactly good aphrodisiacs. Having one would be like a cold bucket of water to my face.

Not happening!

Just no!

Thing is though, it would need to be my choice. Not because Maddox or West warned me off.

My brother shakes his head. His eyes are wide. “Why would it be a bad decision?” he repeats my question, looking all kinds of upset. “You didn’t just ask me that! We don’t know these guys, Raven.”

“They’re helping us. They’re—”

“We know nothing about them. They could have an ulterior motive. I don’t fully trust them.” He lifts his eyes in thought. “That, and West would go postal. He’s not…stable. He lost the two people closest to him.”

“Losing me was his own damn fault. I don’t know why I keep having to repeat myself on that one. Also, I can’t keep living my life for West…or you, for that matter. I need to live for me. I need to make my own decisions. I need to be me…my own person. Please try to understand that.”

Maddox takes my hands. “I do understand. More than you think. I don’t want Stephan getting hurt either. If you sleep with him…there’s a good chance of that happening.”

I feel a shiver run through me as memories of my vision return.

Shit!

Maddox narrows his eyes. “You okay?” He looks into my eyes, searching.

“Yes. I’m fine.” I force a smile.

Maddox lets go of my hands. “Are you sure?” He scrutinizes me.

I nod. “I think Stephan can take care of himself. I think we need to stop coddling West.” I pull in a deep breath. “I feel sorry for him. Of course I do, but...it’s time he straightened himself out.”

“You feel sorry for him… Why can’t you forgive him, then? He loves you, Raven.”

I feel everything in me tighten.

Maddox puts up a hand. “Forget I said anything. I’m sorry. It’s just that,” his gaze softens, “you guys were so good together. I never thought anything would come between you.”

“West and I are finished. I don’t have those kinds of feelings for him anymore. The funny thing is, I don’t think he loves me in that way anymore either. He’s become fixated on me, which is something different.” I shrug.

“I don’t know so much.” Maddox shakes his head. “One thing I can tell you is that the shit will hit the fan if you fuck around with Stephan.”

“Do you think there are more of them?” I am genuinely curious, but I’m also trying to change the subject. I’m glad when it works.

“Without a doubt. I’m going to be protective of you while we’re here. I can’t help it. I’m not trying to run your life. We’re family, Raven. If it were up to me, we’d share a room.”

“I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself. Besides, I don’t get bad vibes from them.”

Maddox frowns. “You don’t know what his powers are.”

“I do. He told us he can—”

“We only know what he told us. They’re withholding information. I know they are.” Although Maddox is still whispering, he’s more animated. “I don’t like it. Be careful, Raven. Promise me!”

“I will.” I touch the side of my brother’s arm. “I promise. Our car will be fixed in a few days. We’ll be out of here before anyone knows we were in Newfolk.”

“I saw some pictures on social media,” Maddox says. “Pictures of West fighting Rage. There’s a picture of you throwing in the towel. I don’t like it.”

“I don’t like it either. They were looking for us when we first left, but I don’t think they are anymore.” I want to believe it. I want to so badly that it makes me vibrate inside. I’m so sick of running. I’m so tired.

“I think you’re wrong.” Maddox has always seen the glass as half-empty. “They don’t know she died. Then there’s you.”

I feel pain blossom; my throat clogs for a moment. I wait for the unwanted emotions coursing through me to pass. “They don’t give a shit about me. I think we’ll be okay for a few days. It might be nice to just…relax. To put our feet up. Take a swim or a walk in the garden. How long since you sniffed a rose?”

Maddox chuckles softly. “Never.”

“It’s about time you tried it, then.” I laugh as well. “My point being, let’s enjoy this while we can.” I gesture around the room. “We’ll leave soon enough. I’m sure we’ll be okay.”

Maddox doesn’t look convinced. “Yeah…we can’t get too comfortable, though, Raven. We need to stay on our guard and look out for each other. That includes West. He’s one of us.”

I nod. “You’re right.”

“I’m always right.” He grins at me. I can see the sadness in his eyes, lurking just below the surface.

“You wish!” We both laugh, but our voices are a little too shrill. I’m hugging myself, and Maddox’s hands are clenched. I wonder if we’ll ever be able to settle down. Live our lives and just be. Maybe at some point in the future.

Not now!

It’s still too soon.

7

Raven

I can’t sleep.

The bed is comfortable. Dinner was great, but I keep thinking about the day we had. Everything that happened. I haven’t had a chance to apologize to Stephan or to thank him for helping us. He disappeared into his workroom all afternoon. When he finally came out, we all chipped in to make dinner. Stephan ate with us but hardly said two words. Half an hour later, he was gone. When he said he had a deadline to work on, he wasn’t joking around.

I’ve heard him moving from time to time. That, and typing. There’s been lots and lots of typing. It hasn’t bugged me. At least, that’s not why I can’t sleep. I guess I’m tempted to knock on his door. To say what I need to say and then get some shuteye.

I didn’t want to bug him, though. Now I don’t hear him anymore. I wonder if he might have gone to bed. I reach out with my senses, but I can’t hear a thing. The walls are thick, so he might very well be sleeping by now. It is after eleven. I guess he could have gone upstairs to his ‘real’ bedroom.

I listen some more and then decide to go and get something to drink. I’m hoping Stephan has chamomile tea. If not chamomile, then something herbal. I pad to the kitchen and switch on the kettle. Then I look in the cupboards close by. I find several herbal teas. No chamomile, but the ginger will work nicely.

I set about making my tea, letting the bag steep for a minute or two. I hear water lapping.

The pool.

It might be pleasant to sit out back on the deck. The weather is lovely this time of year. It’s not something we can do when staying at those dingy motels. I’d have to sit in the parking lot if I wanted to enjoy the evening outdoors.

I look down at myself. I’m wearing an old T-shirt. I think it used to belong to Maddox. It was dark blue with a bright red star on the front, but it’s faded now. It still does a good job of covering me up. Mug in hand, I walk through the living room, heading to the doors that lead outside. The whole far wall is made of stackable glass doors, so it’s easy to see outside.

I stop in my tracks when I see a dark shape glide through the water. The pool has dim lights on either side. I can see it’s Stephan because of his dark hair and his big build. Maddox doesn’t swim like that. Stephan uses effortless strokes to glide through the water. He does so almost noiselessly. There is just the soft sound of the water lapping that I heard earlier.

I walk closer to the door, watching through the windows. I should head back to my room and give Stephan his space, but I don’t. I want a closer look.

I watch him.

A good couple of minutes go by. Again, I think to myself that I should go. I’ve intruded enough. I should, but I still don’t. He keeps swimming, moving smoothly through the water. I guess I’m technically not doing anything wrong. I don’t want to disturb him, but at the same time, I should let him know I’m here. I suppose that would be the right thing to do.

I’m about to open the door to alert him to my presence when he stops swimming. He stands up in the water. Holy moly, but his chest is a thing of beauty. So are his arms. Water cascades down his body; he’s waist-deep. He runs a hand over his face and through his hair. Then he’s getting out of the pool.

Ass!

Thighs!

Back to his meaty ass!

Holy shit!

Stephan is naked. He has his back to me. I really should go now. Or say something. Or turn away. I’m rooted to the spot. My eyes are glued to him. My heart is racing. I can hear it beating wildly. I’m not sure if it’s my breathing or my heart that gives me away. Could be the squeaky noise I make as he reaches for a towel. It’s soft. Like a mouse. I think he hears me anyway.

I see all his muscles contract as his back stiffens. He turns around. All the way around. Naked as the day he was born. Our eyes lock for a second.

Only for a second, because I can’t keep my eyes on his. Oh no! I have to go and check him out.

Yes!

What the hell is wrong with me? I should turn away or act shocked or something. My reaction should be something along those lines, but I don’t think oxygen is getting to my brain. Yep, that’s the problem. I can’t think clearly because I’m oxygen-deprived.

My mouth is hanging open as my eyes track his broad chest. His abs. Good lord, but those abs… He has a narrow waist and a cock that was god-given. That’s for sure. It gives a twitch under my scrutiny. Make no mistake, I’m scrutinizing…big time.

I realize on my next breath that he’s getting a hard-on. At least I think he is. I still don’t look away. I can’t! His cock is definitely bigger than it was. Wider and—

It takes Stephan wrapping a towel around his waist to snap me out of my haze. Only then do I gasp and take a step back. Only then do my eyes meet his. They’re crinkled in amusement.

Amusement!

Oh, god!

I’m mortified. I turn around and face the other way. It’s stupid of me to turn away now. Why now? It’s far too late by a mile, and yet that’s what I do. I briefly consider running away. Or locking myself in my room. What good would that do? We’re sharing the same house for the next few days. I can’t hide out forever. It would be better to face the music now. Besides, I’ve never been a coward. I pull in a deep breath. I say a silent prayer, and then I turn back around.

He’s still standing there, watching me die a thousand deaths. Wet from head to toe. Freaking gorgeous.

Don’t gape any more than you have already. Don’t do it!

He throws me a half-smile. It’s shy somehow. I can’t believe a guy like him would be so shy. Then again, I know why that is. I live with it myself. Still… he’s too delicious, too darned edible to be a shy guy.

I pull in another breath, hoping my heart will slow down. It’s beating like a mad thing in my chest. I open the door and go out, closing it carefully behind me. “I’m so sorry,” I whisper. “I have to ask, do you always swim naked?” Shut up, Raven!

He nods. “I do. My fault. Sorry you had to see that.”

I’m not sorry! I bite down on my lip to keep myself from saying that out loud. I’ve been known to blurt whatever I’m thinking when I’m nervous. “No…it’s my fault. Totally my fault. I saw you swimming, and I…saw you get out of the pool.” Like now! Why am I saying this? Now he knows I’m a pervert. “I should have…I…I guess I froze.”

“I’ve been known to have that effect on women.”

“Um…yes…I…I suppose you would be used to…that kind of reaction,” I finally spit out the words through a mouthful of teeth.

He laughs quietly and puts up a hand. “I’m teasing you.”

“Oh! Um…yes, of course you are.” I sound like a bumbling idiot.

“I’m sorry. I swim most nights, especially when I’m on a deadline.” He looks down at my mug. “How’s the tea?”

“I haven’t tried any yet,” I admit. “It was too hot.” And then you were too hot. I manage to keep the words inside. I take a sip. “Delicious. I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to make this.” I lift the mug.

His eyes widen. “Did I wake you, or even worse…did I keep you up?”

“I heard you working, but,” I shake my head, “you didn’t keep me up.”

“Are you sure?” He takes a step towards me and then stops. “Maddox was probably right about you taking the upstairs room.”

“No, he wasn’t. Not even close. He’s the light sleeper…not me! He’s worried that—” I stop there because I really shouldn’t say anything more. I’m not sure why I blurted that out. Oh yeah, I’m nervous. I’m scrambling to come up with something other than the truth, and failing.

His brows pull together. “What is he worried about?” Stephan runs a hand through his hair, giving it a shake. Droplets fly, more drip down his face and body. “You’re safe with me. You know that, right?”

“I know that. He’s a little unsure, but that’s not the main reason.” I need to get a handle on my wayward tongue. I still can’t think clearly. I decide to play the truth down. I roll my eyes. “He thinks we’re attracted to each other.” I laugh like it’s the craziest thing. “That we might end up in bed together if we’re sharing a floor. It seems like you’re sleeping down here instead of up there.”

He doesn’t laugh like I thought he would…or outright dismiss the idea. In fact, he gets this heated look, and his gaze drops to my thighs and then up to my boobs. It takes a long while for him to look me in the eyes. His look is still heated when he does.

Oh, boy!

He’s attracted to me. I knew he was, but…this is more than I thought. This is bad! I think I might be looking at him in the same way he’s looking at me. We need to stop! “I didn’t tell him about the vision,” I quickly add.

He pulls in a breath, his gaze shifting. I think he’s disappointed. I’m not sure why. “I figured as much.” He gets this wistful smile. “With that in mind, we need to keep our distance. So, your brother can relax.”

If not for the vision…what then? Would something have happened between us?

“Definitely no touching.” He laughs, sounding a little like I did before. Like he’s playing it cool.

“Unless you really want me to?” I realize how that sounded. “Read you again, that is.” Not touch! Although if he asked me…I might go there.

“Nah! I wouldn’t ask that of you. I know how shitty it is to get a vision. Especially when they’re more vivid. Let’s face it, the next one will be clearer, harder, and faster.”

Harder.

Faster.

I hold back a groan, and I try not to let my mind wander to other things. I fail! It’s been a long time since I had sex. Forever! At least…it feels that way. And then things were distinctly stilted between West and me towards the end. There were no sparks. It felt too much like a colossal effort with a lackluster reward. I’m sure West felt the same way as I did. “Visions come and go with me. Still,” I shrug, “if you want me to try… I think I would want to know more if the tables were turned.”

“I appreciate that.” His eyes sparkle.

My eyes dip to the tattoo on his chest. “I like your ink. Let me guess, it has something to do with your ability?”

He nods once and touches his hand to the piece. It’s a clock. It’s both beautiful and yet masculine in its design. It reminds me of him in that way. It has clean lines with Roman numerals. The hands are beautiful curves and softer. “It works well, since Janus is the god of transitions. Responsible for motion, changes, and time.”

His eyes seem to brighten. “That’s right. I could’ve gone with the two faces, which would have been more conventional. Two faces on one side of a coin is the main symbol for Janus.”

I nod. “One face facing back, and the other one forward to show seeing into the past and into the future.”

He smiles, and his face lights up. “I’m impressed at how well you know your stuff. Janus is an obscure god. I didn’t go with the faces because I only have half of the abilities. It didn’t seem right.” He shrugs his big shoulders. “You’ll see that the hands on the clock are moving forward and that the front side of the clock is the silhouette of a face looking forward.”

“That’s so cool.” I take a few steps towards him and lean in. “Wow! I would never have seen that if you hadn’t pointed it out. I love it. It’s perfect for the son of Janus.”

“So, you thought that you were a dragon demigod. That’s how you know so much about Janus?” He smells good…really good, considering he just got out of the pool.

“It makes sense, doesn’t it? Like Maddox and West pointed out, I was convinced until my first shift happened.”

“It makes sense, given your ability.” We look at each other for a few seconds. I can see Stephan wants to say something. That he’s contemplating whether or not to do it. I see him relax a smidgen as he makes his decision. “So…um…you and West?”

I take another sip of my tea. It’s getting cold, but it’s still good. “We were together, but we broke up.” I decide to take a seat on a nearby chair. It’s gorgeous outdoor furniture. I cross my legs and pull my shirt down over my thighs.

“I figured as much.” Stephan sits across from me.

I take another sip. I feel his eyes on me when I look down at the cup. I know he wants more information. I’m not sure how much to divulge. “We were together for years. We both dated other people at first, it was never serious for me with anyone else. When he finally noticed me, West and I went from friends to much more…and quickly.”

“It seemed to me like the two of you were serious. I definitely got that impression.”

I nod. I take another sip of my tea. “I thought he was the one, but it turned out not to be the case. It’s funny how tough times will make or break a couple.”

“I don’t mean to pry, but it seems like he wants to try again. Like he’s not giving up in a hurry.”

I sigh. “He’s being an idiot. I’m afraid that when West fixates on something, it’s hard to get him to drop it, even if he’s wrong. We broke up just over six months ago, but our relationship was over long before that. We were going through some stuff. He was going through…” I push out a breath. “We left our weyr a good year ago. Even then,” I shake my head, “the cracks were there. He won’t admit it. It was the little things,” I say, more to myself, thinking back. “It’s always the little things, at first.”

“I’m sorry. It looks like you’ve had a rough time of it.” Stephan holds up a hand, “I don’t mean to pry. I was just wondering about the two of you. I mean,” he breaks out in the cutest of smiles, “since we’re going to be sleeping together, I thought I would check in.”

I laugh softly, clutching onto my mug. When our gazes lock, his eyes have that heated look again, and his laughter dries up. Then I’m pulling my lip between my teeth, and I think we’re in trouble. Maybe Maddox was right. Right now, I might just be willing to get through a vision or two if there was an orgasm attached. “I’d better get to bed,” I say instead. This whole thing could get messy. “First, though, I wanted to apologize. I didn’t mean to get you involved earlier. I was so pissed off. I acted like a complete child by doing the exact opposite of what West wanted. He was acting like such an overbearing dick. Then Maddox insisting he take the downstairs room was more of the same.”

“Rebellious streak much?” He thankfully looks amused.

“Our weyr have always been conservative when it comes to certain things. Males run the households. They make the decisions. That’s how I was raised. We had more freedom as kids and growing up, but it became more apparent as we became teenagers, and certainly when we reached adulthood. Women have no say in anything just because they’re…women. Now, I’m afraid, I’m touchy about being bossed around.” Particularly about who I can see and who I can’t see. It is all hitting too close to home.

I can see he’s shocked at my revelation. Maybe I’m saying too much. I don’t see how this information will hurt us. Besides, I think I trust him. I can see it in his eyes. I felt it when I read him.

“After hearing that, I wouldn’t call it touchy. I would call it justified. No wonder it bugs you when they try to make decisions for you. I can’t believe your females accept that.”

“They rebel from time to time. We’re the first, that I know of, to have outright…left. We didn’t accept it. It’s the weyr leader…he’s a nasty piece of work.” Now I’ve said too much. “It doesn’t matter. I just wanted you to understand. I wasn’t trying to involve you or get you into shit with West. I just needed to stand on my own two feet. The guys have been great up until now.”

“They were great until it counted,” Stephan says.

“I guess.” I feel a pang.

“I’m not afraid of West,” Stephan says, his eyes are blazing.

“I know that, but…I don’t want trouble or fighting…please. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but West isn’t a bad guy, deep down.”

“There won’t be trouble.” He gets this look. “West hasn’t said much about himself. I wondered what his ability was. Who is his father?”

I knew this question would come up at some point. I’m tempted to tell Stephan everything. It would be better if they knew. It’s a touchy subject where West is concerned. “I can’t.” I shake my head. “It’s not my place to say. You’ll need to ask him yourself.”

“No problem.” He runs his hand through his hair, squeezing the back of his neck. “I get it. We’re also protective of one another.”

“We’re not together, but he’s still important to me. As a group, we only have each other. We’re all like family.”

“Believe me, I totally get it,” he says, looking sheepish. “Forget I asked.”

“Anyway, I didn’t mean to get you involved in my shit. I wanted to apologize and explain why I did what I did.”

“Apology accepted. I understand.”

“Thanks, and thanks for helping us like this. Not many people would stick their neck out for strangers.”

He looks guilty for a second or two, and then it’s gone. “It’s not often you run into your own kind.”

“That’s true. Thanks anyway.” I lift my cup. “My tea is finished, which means it’s time for bed. I enjoyed chatting.” I stand.

“I should get back to work.” He stands as well.

“Now?”

He makes a face. “Unless my working will keep you up, then—”

“No, I’m fine…really. And,” I give him a sidelong look, “I mean it about another reading. I would be happy to try to do it for you.”

His stance tightens for a moment, then he smiles. “You just want to touch me again…admit it.” He’s being flippant, but at the same time, I think he might be flirting with me a little…for real. His eyes are dancing.

I roll my eyes, and a giggle escapes. “You might be right about that.” I swallow down more flirty talk. It’s on the tip of my tongue. I turn serious because it is serious. “I really just want you to be okay. I didn’t like what I saw. I didn’t like it at all.” Memories of Stephan’s potential future roll through me. Two options and neither are good. We need to go. The sooner the better.

I see his Adam’s apple work. He doesn’t say anything.

I’m sure I can guess what he’s thinking. That we have no business touching. Touching would lead to more. More would be complicated. We just stand there, staring at each other for a while. Attraction like I’ve never felt before sparks between us. The air feels charged. It could be the perfect storm. Something short and sweet. Yet, intense and amazing. Over before we could begin anything. I don’t think I’m ready for a relationship. Stephan could be my rebound guy. I decide that he’s worth more than that.

“Good night,” I finally say.

“Good night.” His voice is thick.

Then I’m turning and leaving. My back prickles. I think it might be his turn to watch me. I feel his eyes on me the whole time I walk away.

8

Stephanus

“Today?” my brother asks. “As in today, today?” His voice is animated through my cellphone.

“When would you suggest?” I pace along the far wall of my property, walking away from the house. I took a walk after breakfast. Firstly, because I needed to stretch. I caught four hours of sleep and then got back to work. All the hours in the chair gets to me. I wouldn’t mind shifting, stretching my wings for an hour or two. There’s no time. A quick walk will have to do. Maybe I’ll hit the gym later. My muscles get tight when I’m working this hard, especially in my neck.

My brother sighs. “Today seems a little soon.”

“They leave in a couple of days. We can’t stall for too long. When would you suggest we get this over with? My vote is for sooner rather than later.”

Another sigh. “You’re right. Should we call him first, or should we tell him to come over and really surprise the hell out of him?”

“I don’t know! Fuck!” I run through the various possibilities. “We should check if he’s home first.”

“What, and just arrive and spring a half-brother on him? Rage is going to shit himself.”

“I know I would. No!” I push out. “That wouldn’t be fair. We have to give him a heads-up.”

“I’ll tell him,” Jarrod says. “Either Maddox or Rage needs to know upfront, or it might not go smoothly.

“See how he takes it and let me know,” I say.

“Okay, I’ll drop Zale and West off at your place for lunch. I’ll let you know if Rage is up for meeting Maddox once I drop the bomb.”

“With all of them here?”

“They all need to know. I know they’ll feel better if they are together.”

“That’s probably true,” I say. “I’d feel better. What about Forge?”

“Forge can be…difficult. He’s better since Ava came into his life, but…still. Let’s take this one step at a time.”

“You’re right!” I pace further along the wall. I hope I’m far enough away that my guests won’t hear me. I have several acres, so it should be fine. “Let’s start with Rage, see how it goes, and then we’ll break things to Forge. I agree; one surprise at a time.”

“If I run into trouble, I’ll let you know. Oh, and don’t cause shit with West while he’s at your place.”

“He’s the one with the problem, not me!” I quickly say.

“Don’t hit on his girlfriend, and everything will be okay.” I can hear that Jarrod is playing with me. I take the bait anyway.

“He’s not her boyfriend! Not anymore!”

“And you know this little piece of information, how?” He’s turned more serious. His voice has gone deep.

“We talked for a little while last night.” I think back to how she looked at me. Her eyes were filled with such hunger. She noticeably checked me out without any kind of embarrassment. I checked her out right back. All she had on was a thin T-shirt. As per usual, her hair was a wild tangle about her shoulders. Jesus, but I could hardly breathe. I’ve never wrapped a towel around me so quickly before. Not because I didn’t want her looking, but because I was getting hard. Truth be told, thinking of her in the room next to me kept me up half the night as much as my work did. Her fruity scent, those big green eyes…her body… Fuck me, but her body is lush.

I want her.

I want what I can’t have.

There’s something about the forbidden that makes it all the more intriguing. There’s too much going on in her life. Then there’s the vision, and the fact that they’re leaving soon. Raven isn’t a quick fuck. She just isn’t. She’s worth far more. She’d be something to savor. To hold onto and to keep.

“Are you listening?” Jarrod half yells.

“I lost you there for a moment. Must be the signal.”

“If you say so.” He isn’t buying it. “Stay away from the girl,” he warns me again. “Hands off!”

“Okay, okay,” I grumble.

“I mean it.”

“So do I.”

“Good! West isn’t so bad. He’s kept to himself, and he even did the dishes. It’s only you who he has a problem with.”

“It’s unwarranted.”

“I hope so.”

“I’m putting the phone down. I’ll see you a little later.”

“Bye,” he says before he ends the call.

I shake my head and pick up the pace. Today will be interesting, that’s for sure.

* * *

I push my plate away and look at my watch. I’m hoping Jarrod isn’t going to be too much longer. I’m tempted to call him and find out what’s going on.

West shoves the last of his burger into his mouth and washes it down with a big gulp of soda. I’ve been working all morning. Mainly because I still have a lot to do on my latest project, but also because I want to avoid hanging out with West. It’s probably better that I keep my distance. Anyone with eyes would be able to see that there’s no love lost between us. Not that I have a problem with him. It’s the other way around. My phone vibrates. Finally!

Jarrod: Nearly there!

Me: Is Rage with you?

Jarrod: What do you think?

I think that if I had a half-brother, I would want to meet him, which means that Rage is on his way. I look over at Maddox. He’s still eating. Dipping his fries into ketchup and popping them into his mouth. He’s none the wiser. His whole life is about to change. I don’t know whether to feel happy for him, or… Fuck! I hope it’s not a shit show. This could end badly. Sons of Ares. Both in the same room. They’re family. I’m sure it will be fine. Maddox seems easygoing. At least, he is compared to Rage.

Next thing I know, Raven has a hand on my plate. It’s on the table in front of me. I note that she leans in from the opposite side, careful not to touch me. “You done?” she asks because I still have some fries left.

“It’s nice of you to offer, but I can take it myself,” I say, trying hard not to smile too broadly. “You sit, please. You’re a guest in my home.”

“No, you don’t have to wait on us as well as keep us fed and sheltered. Let me help out.” She smiles at me. Her eyes light up. Her mouth is full and slanted up more to the one side. She’s fucking beautiful.

“I’ll get it,” West growls. “You relax, Bubble Bee.”

Bubble Bee?

What the…?

“I’ve got it!” I hear a sternness in her voice. “Thanks for the offer,” she adds as she picks up my plate. “I’ll take yours as well,” she says to West.

Her ex holds her gaze for a moment and then finally nods. “Thanks, Bubbles.” He gives her a wide smile. “I appreciate it. Do you want to wash? I’ll dry? Like old times.”

“We’re not kids, West. I haven’t been called Bubble Bee for years.”

“You’ll always be Bubble Bee to me.” He winks at her.

I have to work hard not to laugh at how cheesy he sounds. I stay out of it. At least he’s trying to be nice. It’s a welcome change. I mustn’t be a dick about it.

Maddox chuckles. “I forgot about that stupid nickname.”

“It’s been too long. You shouldn’t call me that,” Raven says as she takes West’s plate.

“Why not? You used to love it. We can reminisce about the day I started calling you that.” He winks at her again.

I want to react. Laugh. Make a stupid joke at his expense. I realize I’m jealous. I have no right. No claim. I can’t be an asshole about this. “Um…you’re welcome to wash by hand, but I do have a dishwasher,” I point out, trying hard not to sound like a jerk. I think I do a good job. I hope I do.

“Awesome!” Raven says, picking up Zale’s plate.

West gives me the evil eye.

“Thanks, Bubbles,” Zale laughs.

“Don’t you start, too.” She points at him. “I hated that nickname.”

West clutches his chest. “You can’t be serious? I thought you loved it.”

She shakes her head. “Back then, I had a serious crush on you.”

“Back then?” He raises his brows, looking put out. “I thought you still—”

There is a knock at the door.

“Expecting company?” Maddox asks. “We can clear out.”

“Relax! It’s Jarrod and…a friend,” I say.

“Friend?” He narrows his eyes.

“One of us. Rage. You met him. He and West fought.”

“Good!” West looks truly happy for the first time since I met him. He grins broadly. “We can discuss a rematch.”

“We talked about this,” Raven says. “This might not be a good idea,” she says, looking at me. “I hope this isn’t an attempt to try to reschedule.”

“I can control myself, Raven.” West looks put out. “I’m not going to start something here…now.”

For once, I’m not worried about West. There’s another knock. “Coming!” I yell as I walk over.

I open up. Jarrod gives a tight smile. Rage is as white as a ghost. The scar across his cheek seems more prominent.

“Hi.” I smile, trying to defuse the tense emotions. It doesn’t work.

They enter the hallway. A large dog follows them. It looks like a Doberman, I think. I’m not all that clued up on dog breeds. It’s big and black with keen, intelligent eyes and pricked ears. “Um…yours?” I ask Rage.

“No,” he says. “I need to get him to the pound when I get a chance. Damned dog won’t leave me alone. I’ve tried to get rid of it for the last two days. I put fliers up around my ‘hood and I posted on our neighborhood Facebook page. No takers!” he sighs.

“Yeah, I thought you hated dogs.”

“Hate is a strong word, but there’s no love lost. I don’t want one…I can say that much.”

I try to pet the dog, but he growls, showing a mouth full of sharp teeth.

“Don’t do that,” Jarrod says. “Mutt almost took my hand off earlier.”

“Does it bite?” I ask, “Will he be okay if we bring him into the house?” I look up at Rage. “I’m hoping he won’t kill any of our guests?”

“He’s fine. Don’t try to touch him, that’s all,” Rage says.

“You ready?” I ask.

Rage pushes out a breath. He nods once.

We head inside.

“You remember West,” I say to Rage, who has his gaze firmly on Maddox. He quickly looks over at West and nods.

“Then there’s Barrett.” I gesture in the ginger’s direction.

Rage blinks a couple of times. I’m sure Jarrod filled Rage in on the rest of the dynamic. It’s just that Barrett and Forge look so much alike it’s scary. Even if you are forewarned. I introduce Zale and then Raven. I save Maddox for last.

“You sort of met Maddox,” I say. “He was at the fight.”

Rage takes a step towards Maddox. “I remember,” he says. “You’re the manager.”

“Cute dog.” Raven drops to her knees in front of the canine.

“No…wait…” I do a double-take when I see her pet the thing. The dog leans into her touch and gives a soft whine.

“Interesting,” Rage says. “Do you want him? He’s free to a good home.”

The dog immediately pads back over to Rage, sitting at his feet like a sentinel.

Raven laughs softly. “It seems she already picked an owner.”

“She?” Rage raises his brows.

“Yes. Don’t tell me you didn’t check.” She’s smiling broadly as she gets up off the floor.

Rage shakes his head. “No, and it doesn’t matter because I’m not keeping the dog.”

“That’s one hell of a nice specimen,” Maddox says. “You should keep her. Get her one of those studded collars.”

“No,” Raven says. “A diamond collar…fake, of course. A diamond collar would look amazing against her dark fur.”

“No collars.” Rage shakes his head. “The dog isn’t staying. Wish it had a microchip,” he mutters to himself. “So, you’re the son of Ares?” Rage asks Maddox, doing such a one-eighty he gives all of us whiplash.

I want to roll my eyes and groan. Rage isn’t one for subtlety.

Maddox frowns. “I am.” He folds his arms as if to say, ‘what of it?’

“I am too,” Rage says. I watch as Maddox’s mouth falls open.

“Sorry, what?” he finally asks.

“I’m also the son of Ares,” Rage says.

“Holy freaking shit!” Raven mutters. “Are you serious? You both have the same father? As in…?”

Rage nods once, eyes still on Maddox. “It seems the gods had their fun on more than one occasion.”

Raven has covered her mouth with her hand. She mutters ‘oh my gosh!’ several times. The others have wide eyes. Everyone looks shocked.

No one says anything for a while. Then Raven asks, “You’re related?”

“Not just related,” I say.

“Half-brothers?” Zale chimes in, pushing out a breath through his nose.

“Brothers?” Maddox’s bronzed skin has turned ashen. He is shaking his head like he can’t believe what he is hearing.

“Looks that way,” Rage says, not quite as pale as before.

I see Maddox narrow his eyes, scrutinizing Rage. “Yeah…I guess I see a resemblance.” He swallows thickly.

“Should we go and wash those dishes?” Raven says to West.

“No. Not right now,” he answers, eyes still on Rage.

“West!” He looks her way, and she gives him a dirty look. “Right now! Let’s give them some space.” She widens her eyes.

“Oh,” West says. “Dishes…right.”

“I’ll help,” Zale adds.

“Me too,” Barrett blurts right after.

Jarrod and I look at one another. “We’ll put them away?” I shrug.

“You don’t all need to pretend to do the dishes. My dog needs a walk,” Rage says. “Want to come?” he asks Maddox.

“I thought she wasn’t yours?” Maddox asks, still looking shell-shocked.

“She’s not!” He points at the Doberman. “Don’t get any ideas, dog,” he says. “I’m responsible for him…her, just until I get a chance to drop her off. I guess I’m still hoping someone claims her. Let’s go,” he says more to the dog than to Maddox. The Doberman gets up and is at Rage’s heel as he walks towards the back door.

“So, do you enjoy sports?” Maddox asks as he strides after Rage.

“I like to fight,” Rage answers. “Keeps me…calm.”

“What about football?”

“I’m not into football. I hate small-talk,” Rage mutters. “That’s the first thing you should know about me.”

“Okay, good to know.” The door clicks shut, and they walk over the deck and into the garden.

“I can’t believe this,” Raven gushes. “Maddox and Rage are brothers. My brother has a brother.” She shakes her head. Her big, green eyes are wide in thought.

“Are there any more of us related to…anyone else in your group?” West asks, eyes brimming with wariness.

“What group?” I say. “I don’t believe we mentioned a group.”

“There are more of you.” Zale scrubs a hand over his face. “Don’t try to deny it.”

“There have to be more,” West goes on. “Just be honest. Are there more?” He looks hopeful. “Do the rest of us have siblings we don’t know about?” He widens his stance. “We deserve to know.” He narrows his eyes on mine.

“In short, yes,” I say. They do deserve to know. I agree with West on this one.

“Who else then?” West growls, his jaw tightening.

“We can’t say right now,” Jarrod answers.

“That’s bull!” he growls, his eyes are blazing. His hands are once again tight fists, aggression bleeding out of every pore. “Tell us!”

“Calm down, please,” Raven says, touching his arm.

There it is again, a hit of jealousy courses through my system as I see her hand on his skin. Fuck! I hardly know her, and I’m feeling this way. It’s stupid! I need to stop this shit.

“You’ll know soon enough,” Jarrod says. “We won’t keep you waiting. One step at a time.” He glances at me.

“I think we should say something more,” I say. “They deserve to know. I would be going out of my head.”

West glowers at me. Like he both hates me and is thankful for me sticking up for them, all rolled into one. He won’t admit as much. I’m cool with that.

Jarrod nods once. He’s giving me the go-ahead to tell them. “I guess you’re right. I would be losing my mind.”

“Barrett, you look a lot like one of the members of our group,” I say.

Jarrod snorts. “That’s an understatement.”

Barrett stares ahead for a few moments. “My father is Hephaestus.”

“Well, it’s confirmed then,” Jarrod says, clapping his hand on his thigh. “I didn’t doubt it for a second. You guys look exactly the same. You sound the same.”

“Holy fuck!” Barrett drops his head into his hands. He holds it there for a few seconds before coming up for air. “I have a half-brother?”

“You do,” I say. “We’ll arrange a meeting later today…tomorrow at the latest.”

“Who else?” West growls. “You made it sound like there was more than one of us with a sibling.” There it is again. He’s hopeful. I can see it in his eyes, and from the way he is eagerly leaning forward. West is almost holding his breath.

“It would help to know who you’re related to. Who your father is,” I say to West.

I see Raven wince.

“It’s not something I like to talk about,” West snaps, eyes narrowing.

“Some more basic information would help in determining—”

“You managed just fine with Barrett,” he says, folding his arms.

“I have a distinctive look,” Barrett says, running a hand through his red hair.

“I can’t tell just by looking at you,” I tell West.

“Me neither.” Jarrod shakes his head. “None of your features jump out. Give us something to go on.”

West’s face turns a bright red. For a moment, I feel like he’s going to lose it. Then his shoulders slump just a little. “I have nothing for you.”

“But you are a demigod?” I ask.

West nods. “Don’t ask me who my father is. I don’t have a fucking clue.” His voice is deep. His dark blue eyes have turned stormy, like he’s daring us to question him. His jaw tightens.

“What power do you have?” Jarrod tries to steer the conversation to safer ground.

How can he not know who his father is? Does he know his mother? I keep my questions to myself.

West snorts. In this moment, he seems more hurt than angry. “I don’t seem to have any powers. I’m like every other dragon shifter. Maybe stronger but that’s it.” He shrugs.

“You must have,” I say.

“I don’t!” he growls, sounding like a bear with a sore head. “Forget it, I’m going to wash those dishes now,” he says, storming off.

“I’m sorry.” Raven shakes her head. “Ignore him. It’s a touchy subject. Not my place to talk about but—”

I put up a hand. “It’s fine.”

“Understandable,” Jarrod adds. “I think I’d be pissed if I didn’t know who my father was. Those gods are all a bunch of dickheads. It helps to know which dickhead is your father.”

“I guess so.” She looks in the direction he just left in. “It’s just that he’s going through some…stuff.”

“Raven,” Zale warns. “Leave it alone.”

“You’ll let me know when I can meet…my brother? Sister?” Barrett says.

“Brother,” Jarrod replies.

“It’ll be sooner rather than later,” I add.

“You’re taking it well,” Zale says to Barrett. “I think I’d be freaking out.”

Jarrod and I lock eyes. He gives an almost indiscernible nod.

“You should probably know that you have a half-brother, too,” I tell Zale.

His eyes flash to mine. His jaw drops. “I…I have a brother?”

I nod. “One of our group is the son of Zeus.”

“Shit,” Zale pushes out. His eyes are hazed. His mind deep in thought. “I can’t believe it. I somehow didn’t think this pertained to me. I didn’t think… What’s his name?”

“Bolt,” Jarrod says.

“I want to meet him.” Zale starts to smile and then pulls in a breath instead. “What is he like? I can’t fucking believe it.”

“Bolt is out of town for a few more days,” Jarrod says. “We’re going to see if we can get him home sooner. We’re reluctant to convey this information telephonically.”

Zale nods and then swipes a hand over his face. “We might need to hang around for a little while longer.”

“If you can,” I say.

“We can’t stay in town for too long.” Raven clenches her hands in front of her like she’s nervous about something.

“We might have to,” Barrett says. “Maybe a few extra days, Raven.”

“No! We can’t!” she goes on. “We really shouldn’t. We need to keep moving.” She licks her lips. “You might need to tell your friend sooner. Or maybe we can come back in a couple of weeks.”

Keep moving. I frown. It almost sounds like they’re running away from something. Their weyr maybe? She didn’t make it sound like they had run away when we spoke last night, but perhaps they had. I want to ask Raven, but I can’t. Not right now. I get the distinct impression that she won’t open up in front of the others.

“I’m not leaving until I meet my brother,” Zale says.

“We might not have a choice.” Raven’s eyes look fearful for a second, and then it’s gone. The emotion is replaced with determination. “We’re not leaving you behind. Either we all stay, or we all go.”

“I don’t think we have to worry anymore. It’s been long enough, I think we’re—”

“Stop!” Raven raises her voice. “Don’t go there. We’ll discuss it later when West cools off, and Maddox is back. We’ll take a vote.”

Zale finally nods. He doesn’t look too happy about it.

They’re afraid. At least, Raven is. My scales rub. I try to catch Raven’s eyes, but she keeps them averted. “I’m going to help West.” She plasters on a smile that isn’t fooling anyone.

“How can we help?” I ask.

She throws out a tense laugh. “There are only a few plates.”

“Forget the dishes. I’m talking about your situation. With whatever is going on with your group.” I keep my voice soft and even.

Raven tenses. “We’re fine. There’s nothing going on.”

They’re not fine at all, but I don’t say that. “If there’s something threatening you, we should know about it, since you’re staying with us.”

“You have nothing to worry about.” She shakes her head. “We wouldn’t put you in danger.” Then she walks away.

This isn’t nothing, and it isn’t the first time I’ve gotten the sense that they’re running away from something. I wish they’d tell us. I meant what I said about helping, about being more prepared.

9

Raven

The front door closes, and it’s just us left in the house.

“I can’t believe this,” Maddox pushes out. He leans back in his chair. “I have a brother, and I could have more family out there. We all could.”

“It’s crazy,” Zale says, shaking his head. “My half-brother’s name is Bolt. I have a half-brother. It’s surreal.” He swallows thickly. “Who would have thought this would happen a couple of days ago?”

“Not me!” Barrett says.

“Good chance we all have relatives.” West looks like he’s buzzing with energy. He shifts a couple of times in his seat and sits up taller. His eyes are bright. He looks lighter in himself than I’ve seen him in a long time. I pray he isn’t getting his hopes up too much. A blood relative would mean the world to West. It’s at times like these that I feel myself soften when I look at him. What can I say? I do still care for him. That will never go away. I still love him, even if it isn’t in the same way anymore. I also see a hint of a smile toying with his lips. I don’t want him to be hurt. We may never know who West’s father is, which means that even if he has a half-brother, we wouldn’t be able to confirm it easily. I don’t want to rain on his parade, so I keep quiet…for now.

“Our fathers sure got around.” Barrett glowers; he is in the opposite mood. “Bastards! Sowing their seed and never sticking around to raise their offspring. No wonder we’re all a little fucked up.”

“What?” I snort. “And you think ‘normal’ people from ‘normal’ households aren’t just as fucked up? I think you’d be shocked.”

“I suppose,” Barrett says, shrugging. “Still, think of the trouble they caused. A few days of fun, and boom…a whole string of illegitimate children were born. Bunch of pricks, if you ask me.”

“Choices were made. The gods never forced anyone,” Maddox says. “It takes two to tango.”

“They’re fertile bastards,” Barret throws out. “I’ll say that much.”

“Forget the gods!” West’s voice is a rasp. “They want even less to do with us than our weyr did, and that’s saying something. All I can say is that I hope Stephan and the rest of those fuckers stop jerking our chains,” he adds. “We need to meet all of them. I might have a brother too. I’m sure I would recognize my own flesh and blood. Maybe I could…” He shakes his head. “Forget it,” he mumbles. West is desperate to find out who his father is. It’s something that’s always plagued him, and understandably so.

“They’re not jerking us around,” Maddox says. “They’re being cautious. I’m sure they’ll come back with answers for us. With some sort of a plan.”

“That’s why Jarrod and Stephan called a meeting with their group,” I say. “They want to introduce us. Let’s wait to hear what comes of it.”

“You need to know that I’m not leaving until I meet him.” Zale clenches his jaw. He narrows his eyes on mine. “I have to meet my half-brother first.”

“I don’t think that we’re safe here.” I look at each of them. “I don’t want to put Stephan and Jarrod, or any of them, in danger. He made a good point. They could end up in the middle of this.”

“No one is coming after us,” Zale sounds exasperated. “Not anymore.” He shakes his head. “I know it like I know my own name.”

“You can’t be sure of that,” I throw back at him.

“I agree with Raven,” my brother says. “We can’t be too sure. I want us to relax and to let our guard down, but we can’t. Not for one second. Not for any reason…even this.”

“We can be fairly sure, at this point,” Zale still sounds exasperated. “Raven was never in danger, and the rest of us have never been in favor. The weyr would just as soon have us gone. I’m sure they wished that all of the dragon demigods left that night.”

“We might have given the younger generation some ideas,” I counter. “If you ask me, they still need to make an example out of us.” Frustration wells. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be an example.”

“Mimi and Raider are dead.” Zale’s eyes are blazing. “I think that’s example enough. A couple of days Raven…that’s all I’m asking.” He implores the rest of the group with his eyes. “I’m sure you,” he talks to Maddox, “and Barrett want to get to know your brothers. Spend a little time with them?”

“I’ve only just met Rage,” Maddox says. “I wouldn’t mind a couple of days here.” My brother looks my way as he says it. “I want to get to know him.” He implores me with his eyes.

I groan. “I don’t like it.” I do understand. How can I not? “A couple of days. We can’t afford more than that,” I concede. “As soon as you meet Bolt,” I say to Zale, “we need to leave. We can come back in a couple of months…if we’re careful.”

Zale nods. “Our life is a fuck-up. We can’t keep running. I, for one, am getting tired of it.”

“Me too,” Barrett agrees. “We can’t put down roots. Can’t make something of our lives. We have nothing. All of my belongings fit inside a small bag and I have to share a room with two men. How fucked up is that?”

“It won’t be for forever,” I say. If we were caught, my punishment would be awful. I shudder to think about it. Thing is though, if the weyr decided to dish out punishment to us, it could spell death for these guys. No, we have to keep going. A year is not long enough. Nowhere near it!

“You’re right.” Maddox’s eyes have a hard look. “Either they’ve forgotten about us, or we’ll have to face them. There’s only one way to find out which of those is the truth. We would need to take a stand. Maybe here is where we stand.” He looks unsure.

“No!” I practically shout. “That’s not going to happen. We can’t stand against the whole weyr. That would be insane. We’ll stay a few days, and then we’re hitting the road. I don’t know what I would do if anything ever happened to any of you.” I feel my eyes sting. “Besides, you’ve just met your half-brother. Do you want to pull Rage and the others into our mess? That might happen if we stay.”

Maddox looks down at the floor before locking eyes with me. He finally shakes his head. “No, I wouldn’t want that.”

“It’s settled,” I say. “We’re leaving as soon as you meet Bolt. A couple more days, and then we’re gone.”

“As soon as we meet all of them,” West urges. “I need to know if I have a half-brother. I have this feeling.” He smiles. I haven’t seen West smile for the longest time.

I nod once. “Don’t get your hopes up too much,” I warn him. “We’ll stay,” I sigh. Against my better judgment, I concede. It’s four against one, so what choice do I have? Sure, there’s a side of me that’s happy. The side that can’t stop thinking about Stephan. About how much I enjoyed our conversation last night. About how good he looked naked. Holy moly, I definitely can’t get that image out of my head. Most of me is afraid, though. I have this prickly feeling up and down my spine and over my scalp. I don’t like it!

* * *

Stephanus

The chair lands on the ground as Forge stands. “Say that again,” he practically snarls.

“Take a few deep breaths,” Jarrod says. “I know it’s a lot to take in.”

“Screw breathing!” Forge yells. “Say that again!”

“You heard me,” Jarrod deadpans.

I can see that Forge is about to lose his shit. “We recently found out that you have a half-brother,” I repeat what Jarrod already said.

“Fuck me!” Forge growls, looking astounded. “That can’t be right.” He shakes his head. His chest heaves.

Rage leans back in his chair. “I know just how you feel,” he murmurs. “They seem…okay.” He shrugs.

“There are four of them?” Forge asks, eyes wide.

“Five,” I reply.

“Four dragon demigods?” His brows are up.

“Yes,” Jarrod says.

“And one dragon shifter. A woman,” I add.

“And let me get this straight. One of them is related to you,” Forge says to Rage, his eyes are blazing, “one to me,” he points a thumb at his chest, “and a third one is Bolt’s half-brother? Fuck!” He paces towards the window and stares out of it for a few moments before turning around. “What about the fourth one? What do we know about him?”

“No idea,” I say. “West doesn’t know who his father is.”

“How can he not know?” Forge growls.

Jarrod shrugs. “West isn’t the most forthcoming of the group. We don’t know them very well, in general. He doesn’t know what his power is either. I don’t have the details.”

I see Forge is calming down. Up until recently, he didn’t know what his ability was either. He didn’t think he had one. “There’s a chance he could be related to one of us, as well.” Forge looks around the room. Everyone is here except for Bolt. We decided to call a meeting without him in the end. We’ll fill him in when he gets back.

I nod. Jarrod does too. One or two of the guys shift in their chairs. The idea is uncomfortable. We knew this day might come. Nothing can truly prepare you.

“At the same time,” Forge goes on, “we don’t know them. They could be bad news. They could have ulterior motives for being here.”

“I don’t think so,” I blurt. I won’t lie; I have Raven’s green eyes and kind smile in my mind as I say it. Still, I think they’re okay. All of them, even West.

Jarrod chuckles. “Don’t listen to Stephan. He’s biased.”

“Biased, my ass!” I growl.

“He has a hard-on for the dragon shifter.” Jarrod is grinning.

“If anyone is biased, it’s Rage. He met his brother today. What do you think of this whole situation?” I ask Rage.

Rage sits up. “I don’t fully trust them.” His dog sits up as well from her position at his feet under the table. “I don’t know them well enough yet to make a call.”

“What does your gut say?” I push him.

He narrows his dark eyes for a moment. “I’m inclined to trust them, but I’m leaning in that direction because Maddox is my half-brother. My gut could be lying. I wouldn’t rely on my gut…or yours, for that matter. I saw how you looked at the shifter. I agree with Jarrod on that one.”

I roll my eyes.

“Do you think they’re deceiving us about being our siblings?” Forge asks. He looks us each in the eyes as he speaks.

“No way!” Rage says. “They’re definitely related to us. You’ll see when you meet Barrett. Just because we’re related doesn’t mean we should trust them, though. Not a fuck! That would be a mistake. That’s logic talking.”

“I really think they’re okay,” I put it out there. “My feelings have nothing to do with the dragon shifter. But I do think that they’re on the run. It sounds like they escaped from their weyr.”

“Escaped?” Trident frowns. “Why would they need to escape?”

“I don’t know enough yet to comment. I’ll work on finding out more about it.” Raven spoke to me in confidence. I don’t feel right divulging too much. I will find out more and discuss it with the guys if it warrants doing so.

“I wouldn’t mind meeting them,” Tri says, grinning. “It certainly sounds like the dragon shifter is worth meeting.” He looks my way as he says it.

Asshole!

“Stay away from Raven.” My scales instantly rub. Tri is a fucker when it comes to women. They also happen to love him. I’m not sure why, but they do.

Trident chuckles. “You do have a hard-on for… What is her name…Raven?” He looks up in thought. “Sexy name.” He whistles low.

“Don’t!” I point my finger at him. I’m oddly reminded of West doing the same thing to me. The image in my mind works to steady me because I lower my hand. “We don’t want to complicate things. Messing with Raven would complicate things in a big way.”

“Things are fun when they’re a little complicated.” Trident is smirking.

“Stop your shit!” Jarrod says to Tri. “The dragon shifter is off-limits.”

“Can we talk seriously for a minute?” Forge growls. “Because this is fucking serious.”

Trident sobers. “Of course.”

I don’t say anything, because I have been nothing but serious.

“When can I meet Barrett?” Forge asks. “My half-fucking-brother.” He shakes his head, looking bewildered all over again.

“It will have to be soon,” I say. “I know they don’t want to stick around for too long.”

“Tomorrow morning,” Forge says. “I can be at your place at eight.”

I nod. “Let’s do it. One thing, though – that car Jarrod took to you is theirs. We told them it was in for minor repairs.”

“A new transmission isn’t minor,” Forge grumbles.

“We know,” Jarrod says. “They don’t have the funds for a major repair. Also, we suspected Barrett was related to you. We wanted to buy us some time to figure it out. Don’t tell them about the transmission. We told them it’s a minor part that needed replacing. That it’s inexpensive to fix, but that you had to order the part because it’s an older model car. We needed them to stay a couple of days. We also figured they wouldn’t accept a handout if we offered. They need the help.”

Forge nods. “Understood. So, tomorrow morning then?”

“Let’s do it,” I say.

“I want to meet them as well,” Tri says.

“I swear to god,” I growl at him.

“It has nothing to do with Raven, although I’d like to see the woman who has your scales up.” He laughs.

I narrow my eyes on him. “I’ll organize breakfast,” I say. “Everyone who can make it should be there.” I look around the room.

“It’s settled, then.” Forge nods. He pushes out a heavy breath.

“I’ll be there,” Night says.

“Count me…in.” Samuel yawns without bothering to cover his gaping mouth. “I won’t stay long.” He shakes his head. Then he looks at his watch. “I’m heading home in the next five minutes. I need my beauty sleep. Duty calls at nightfall.” Poor Sam! I don’t envy him, or Death. Both of them duty-bound.

“I’ll try my best.” Death stands. “Duty calls right now.” He arrived late as well. Right now, he has a pained expression on his face. We watch as he disappears, leaving a waft of ozone in his wake.

Everyone else agrees to be there. “There’s one last thing,” I say. I need to tell them. I should’ve done so already. “Like me, Raven has the ability to see into the future. She saw something when I touched her arm at the MMA fight between West and Rage.” I have to come clean. The guys need to know.

“Why didn’t you say something?” Jarrod’s whole stance has turned rigid. “I could see that something more went down. I knew it!”

“There wasn’t much to tell…” I shrug, playing it down. “Raven told me to stay away from the ocean. If I stay away, then I will be okay. I didn’t think it was a big deal.” It freaked me the fuck out, but they don’t need to know that.

“The ocean?” Trident snorts. “How long? The rest of your life?”

I shake my head. “No, a couple of months should do it.” Her touch was brief. You only see as far as your contact lasts. “I’ll probably plan holidays in the city and the mountains for next year to be safe.” What most people don’t know is that the future is not set in stone.

“I take it you believed her?” Jarrod asks. Then he rolls his eyes. “Of course, you believed her.”

“I believed her because you can’t fake a vision.” I push out a breath. “At least not easily and you should know that.” My twin can be an ass sometimes. “It had nothing to do with…how she looks.”

There are a couple of sniggers around the room. Tri is definitely one of the offenders.

“Now, now, children!” Forge growls. His face is turning red. “Enough bull-fucking-shit!”

I nod at him in thanks, and go on, “I knew what was happening to her. I could see it. I’ve experienced it enough times myself. It’s not something you can fake,” I repeat, turning my eyes on Jarrod.

“What did she see?’ Lyre asks. “I have to say, you look freaked out right now.”

“I’m fine. I will stay far away from the ocean, so I’ll be fine.”

“Tell us what she saw,” Forge insists, sitting back down. “Start from the beginning.”

All eyes are on me. “It was an obscure vision. I get them too, from time to time. Non-humans are hard to read.”

I think back to her exact words. I think back to that night, how I gripped her arm. I didn’t want her to leave. I wanted to touch her. To feel the warmth of her skin. I knew that, since she wasn’t human, I probably wouldn’t get anything from her. I hoped that would be the case. I never bargained on her reading me. That was a shocker!

Her eyes widened as soon as my hand touched her skin. She stared at nothing. Not nothing, she looked inside herself. Goosebumps broke out on her arms, and she sucked in a ragged breath. After a short time, she pulled away. This is the part where she kisses me on the cheek. I don’t tell them about it. It isn’t important to this conversation.

She said, “I saw your…end.”

I felt everything inside me turn cold. I could hear my heart beating. The air moving in and out of my lungs. All I could see were her big, green eyes. They were filled with fear.

“My death?” I asked her. My heart sped up in that moment. The sound loud in my ears.

“Yes, and worse,” she said, frowning.

I remember thinking, ‘how could something be worse than death?’ I’ve asked myself this question countless times since then. There are worse things. I feel my jaw tighten.

“I see two potential outcomes, but there could be more than just two. Those are the most likely right now. I see your head…a bleeding stump…unseeing eyes. If you go to the ocean,” she told me. “If you try to fight the tide, you will be swept away.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” I told her. I shook my head. It still doesn’t make any kind of sense!

I remember thinking that she might have it wrong. Her eyes moved from side to side. I think she was trying to unravel the premonition. They can be obscure. I would know. Then she locked her beautiful green eyes with mine. “I also saw that we’re the same! You can see…like me.” Her voice was animated.

I knew in that instant that she was for real. Otherwise, how would she know about me? She had to have seen it with her mind’s eye.

Then she looked despondent. “On the one hand, you will die. On the other, you will get lost inside your own mind. Pulled into a vision that will never let you go. Stay away from the ocean. I know it sounds like stupid advice, but it’s all I have for you. The ocean will be your downfall. It is true for both futures. The tide will sweep you away. Do you understand that?”

I shook my head. “Not at all.” I didn’t understand. I could die but by beheading, not drowning. Or, I’ll be swept away by the ocean but not die.

What?

“Then she said that she was sorry and left,” I tell the others. “The whole thing lasted a minute, maybe two.”

“Stuck in a vision…” Jarrod has his eyes lifted up in thought. “What does that even mean? Who will you read?”

“No idea!”

“It sounds like a load of bull!” my brother pushes out.

“I don’t think so. She looked freaked out.”

“Either death by beheading, or something worse than death.” Tri lifts his brows. “And she has no idea what causes it? Who causes it?”

I shake my head. “The ocean.” I shrug. I’m stumped.

“So, she hasn’t touched you again since?” Tri’s eyes are glinting with humor.

“No…asshole.” I choke out a laugh and roll my eyes. I feel better now that our encounter is off my chest.

“You don’t seem too worried.” Forge leans forward, putting his elbows on the table.

“She told me to stay away from the ocean. I’ve given similar advice to people before. The future is always changing. As long as I heed her advice, I know I’ll be okay. Raven has offered to try to read me again.”

“Oh, she has, has she?” Tri smirks. Fucker!

“Stop messing around!” Night gives him a dirty look. “You’re like a child.”

“I’m just fucking with Stephanus,” Tri chuckles. “Poor dude hasn’t been laid in forever. I don’t think I’ve seen him this interested in a woman…ever.”

“I can’t touch the dragon shifter for various reasons...” I’m suppressing a smile. I think Tri means well. He’s trying to ease the tension in the room. He’s pissing everyone off.

“I’m leaving.” Rage stands; his dog is at his heels as he starts to walk.

“You’ll be at breakfast?” I ask.

Rage nods once and disappears down the hallway. We’re at Tri’s apartment. We were supposed to meet at Lyre’s, but that would be too close to the ocean for my liking.

“I don’t like any of this, one bit,” Jarrod says. “You should have said something.” His eyes are on me.

“There wasn’t much to say.” I shrug. “I will admit that I was freaked out about it. The thought of being killed or stuck inside my own head is not a very appealing one. Having said that, Raven was clear about how to avoid that from happening.” I shrug again.

“You should let her read you again,” Jarrod says. “Maybe she can get more.”

I shake my head. “I hate getting a vision. It can be downright repulsive. I don’t like the thought of anyone,” even Raven, “inside my head.”

“Pity,” Tri says. “The two of you sound like a match made in heaven. She can get inside your head, and you can get inside her…”

“No fucking around with the dragon shifter!” Jarrod says again. “I can’t make myself any clearer about that little fact. Maddox is her brother. I’m sure that West asshole is her ex. She read your future once, and chances are she’ll do it again,” he says to me. “It’s one big fuck-up waiting to happen. Stay away!”

“Agreed.” I nod, standing. “I think we’re done here.” I know Jarrod is worried about me, but he’s also being a dick. I need to get out of here, or we might come to blows.

“Is there anything else you’re not telling us?” Jarrod asks me as I walk to the door.

I shake my head. “No.” I glance back for a second.

“Don’t withhold information again,” Jarrod says to my retreating back.

I walk out without saying anything. Fuck him! I’m angry because he’s right. He’s right about staying away from Raven and right about keeping my boys in the loop. He doesn’t have to be such a prick about it.

10

Raven

I stand as soon as I see him. “Hi.” I wave, quickly dropping my hand to my side. I feel like an idiot. It isn’t too late to leave. I can pretend to be done and get out of his hair. Truth is, I’ve been waiting for him to come out. He mentioned he swims most nights. So here I am, waiting like an idiot.

Stephan smiles at me. As usual, it’s shy and sweet and sexy. It lights me up inside to see it. “You still up?” he asks.

I nod. “I was hoping to catch you. I enjoyed our talk yesterday. Besides,” I look around us, “it’s quiet, and it’s a lovely evening. Too nice to head to bed early.” I notice he’s wearing a swimsuit this time. “Were you expecting me to be out here? Or to turn up while you were swimming?”

“I was hopeful I might run into you.” His smile widens. “I didn’t want to scare you off again.” He looks down at his shorts.

I push out a laugh, having to work to keep it quiet. “You hardly scared me off yesterday.”

He laughs softly. “You’re right. You didn’t do much running or screaming.”

“Would you mind if I hung out while you did your laps? Maybe we can talk again afterward.”

He shakes his head. “I wouldn’t mind at all. No tea today? I could make you some?” He gestures towards the house, in the general direction of the kitchen.

“Please don’t worry.” We’re tiptoeing around one another. I don’t like it. “Have your swim, then maybe we can talk? We could even go for a walk?” I look out into his garden. It’s big and beautiful with large trees and lush beds of flowers. “I’m feeling cooped up.” I clench my hands together and push my arms out in front of me in a stretch.

His eyes narrow in on mine. “When did you last shift?”

“At least a week…maybe more. It isn’t easy, being on the road and around humans.”

“You’re a dragon shifter.”

“I know that.” I smile.

“You need to shift more often.” He lifts his brows. “It isn’t healthy to stay in your human form for so long.”

“I know that too.” I sigh. “It isn’t always possible to shift as much as I would like.” I do itch to shift more than the rest of the guys. They’re not straight shifters. They don’t experience the need as I do.

“I can skip my swim.” He points at the pool. “Do you want to fly?” He looks up as he says it. There’s this mischievous glint in his eyes.

I suck in a breath. “Are you serious?” I try to hold back my excitement. Just the thought of spreading my wings, of taking to the sky. It makes me giddy.

“Of course I’m serious.”

“How? Where?” I’m grinning broadly. My face hurts I’m smiling so hard. “Will you come too?” I like the idea of flying with Stephan.

“Absolutely!” He is grinning too. “I could do with some hard flying.” He throws his towel onto a nearby lounger. “You should let Maddox know. He might want to come with us. Maybe Barrett too.”

I shake my head. I want this time with Stephan. I like him. I realize that I like him a little too much, but that’s okay. It’s not like anything is going to happen between us, but it might be nice to spend some time with him before we leave. “They’re already asleep. I’ll send Maddox a message. We can even leave a note on the kitchen counter.” I like that idea better. “Just in case anyone wakes up and wonders where we are. I doubt that would happen, but just in case.”

His gaze softens. “Okay, then. We’re about ten minutes away from the country and about twenty minutes away from the start of my weyr’s land. We can shift there. No humans will be nearby to see us.”

I’m bubbling with excitement. “I can’t wait.”

We walk inside, and Stephan grabs a set of keys off a hook. “I’ll need a shirt.” He looks down at his chest. I try not to do the same because…we can’t go there. Checking Stephan out might just make me want things…I simply can’t have. No matter how much I might want them.

Note to self, no ogling!

“I’ll write that note. Otherwise, I’m all set.” I’m wearing shorts and a T-shirt, with a pair of flip flops on my feet. I don’t need anything else to shift and fly. In fact, the less I have on, the better.

“Give me a sec. You’ll find a pen and notepad in the top drawer.” He points towards the kitchen.

I nod. I find the items I need easily and spend half a minute writing a quick note to the guys. I keep it short and sweet. I decide to take my cellphone with me. I can leave it in the car. I go and fetch it, almost running into Stephan in the hallway.

He jumps back to avoid touching me. “Sorry,” he whispers. “We need to be more careful,” he says as he pulls on a shirt.

I want to tell him that I don’t mind. I’m not a huge fan of reading people. Not normally, but with Stephan, I’m drawn to touching him again. I’m reminded of those feelings of affection I got for him when I touched him before. I guess I want to feel connected. It might not be him specifically. Maybe I just need to feel again. That’s it! At the same time, reading someone is intimate. I will see into his future. Into his head. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. I need to respect his space. I nod once and step back from him.

“You ready?” He gives me the once-over.

I nod and then follow him down the hallway and into the kitchen. Stephan grabs a couple of waters out of the fridge, and then we’re heading into the garage.

He unlocks the Jeep, and I jump into the passenger seat. The garage door glides open almost noiselessly, and we reverse. I half expect Barrett or Maddox to run out after us. I sigh with relief as we head down the street.

My phone is on silent. I look at the screen for a minute, expecting it to light up with a frantic message, but it doesn’t happen. We drive in silence for a few minutes.

“When did you realize you could see into the future?” Stephan glances my way.

“My friend and I hugged, like we’d done countless times before, and boom,” I whisper.

“What did you see?”

I feel my whole body tense. “I saw my best friend die,” I choke out. My throat still clogs when I think about Mimi. When I think about that day. My hands still go clammy. I can still see it. Her death. Her broken body.

“Shit!” Stephan pulls the car over and turns the engine off. “You saw something so horrific as your first vision?”

I’m struggling to catch my breath. I’m trying hard to tamp down on my emotions. I don’t want to start blubbering. I nod.

“I’m so fucking sorry,” he says. “I can’t imagine…”

“Even though she was much older in the vision, I saw her death. I saw them…” I can’t speak for a few minutes. I look his way. “You must have experienced this? You know how it feels, don’t you?” He must think I’m crazy to be so emotional over a vision. If only it had stayed just a vision.

“I try not to touch anyone,” he says, leaning back in his seat and turning to me.

“Ever?”

He makes a face. “I try not to, but sometimes I fail. I haven’t seen the death of a friend. I’m careful. I can’t imagine…” His eyes look hazy. “I can’t read non-humans very well. It hardly ever happens. When I do, it usually isn’t clear at all.” His eyes stay on me. They look darker. His features are shrouded in shadow.

“I can read everyone, but it doesn’t always happen. Even with humans, although they are much easier. I guess it’s not something I can turn on and off. Her name was Mimi.” My voice grows soft. “The vision was a blur. Her limp bleeding body at the end was not. That part was clear. All because she hugged me. Such a simple thing.” I pull in a deep breath. “I didn’t realize what I was seeing. I didn’t fully comprehend what was happening.”

“You must have been afraid,” Stephan says. He stops there; his beautiful chocolate gaze is on me.

“I wasn’t sure what was happening when the vision hit me like a ton of bricks.” I take in a deep breath. “We were talking about my home life and how my dad was being a jerk to my mom…to me too. Mimi put her arms around me tightly to comfort me. We were so close. I threw my arms around her in return. That’s what you do when your best friend hugs you. The vision hit almost instantly. I wasn’t sure what was happening. My arms tightened around Mimi. She hugged me harder. I started crying. She thought I was getting all emotional about our conversation. We were on the cusp of becoming teenagers; there were hormones involved.” I sniff, “I soon realized what was happening when it happened again a couple of times. I really hoped that I was a demigod. It meant a lot to me back then. I talked about being the daughter of Janus all the time. My dad is a jerk. I know it sounds terrible, but I hoped and prayed he wasn’t my real father.” I suck in a breath. “I still remember seeing her broken body in my mind’s eye. I physically jerked away from her in that instant. I was confused. I made up a whole ton of excuses. It took me a while to realize that I had this ability. I saw the vision several times over the next few years but not every time Mimi and I
came into contact. After a while, I never saw it again. I warned her to stay away from horses anyway. Just to be sure.” I blink to stop the tears. “She did. All those years, she was paranoid about horses. I guess you could say that horses killed her.”

“Did she fall off a horse?” he asks, frowning heavily. “That doesn’t seem right,” he mutters to himself.

I shake my head. “A herd of centaurs ambushed us.”

“Centaurs!” Stephan growls.

I nod. A tear falls, and then another. “We stumbled into a herd of them one night. We didn’t even know they existed. We’ve since learned a lot about them. They’re disgusting creatures. I think they underestimated how powerful we were. Four demigods and three dragon shifters.”

“Three?” I can see his mind working.

“West’s brother, Raider, and Mimi. She was his girlfriend.” I sniff, trying to hold it together. I’m not sure why I’m telling him this, only that it feels good to talk about it. Our group has bottled it up. It’s not a nice thing to remember. To bring up. West loses it if I talk about that night. If any of us brings it up. “Raider and Mimi were dragon shifters as well. When we first left the weyr, we used to find empty houses to sleep in. We had a few items of clothing. No money. No idea how to live amongst humans. We were a mess. We slept wherever we could. Found food wherever we could. Times were tough. We almost gave up and thought of going back.” My lip wobbles. “Thing was, the weyr was worse. It was better living on the street…with nothing. Raider and Mimi were very much in love.” I smile just thinking of them. I swallow a lump down, remembering what came next. “Our weyr was going to split them up. Mimi had been promised to another man.”

“What?”

“You can’t choose who you mate in our weyr. Our leader does that. He likes to break up couples. It’s always ‘for the good of the weyr’. If I hear him say that to me again in my lifetime, I swear…”

“What about you?”

I shake my head. “No one would mate with me because of my power to see the future. I’m considered an abomination amongst my own. Same as the guys. Being half demigod is a reason to be shunned.”

“Seems like our weyrs had a couple of things in common.”

“We ran away because we hated it there. We ran so that Raider and Mimi could be together. We hadn’t escaped for very long. It was a few weeks, and then the centaurs happened. The fight lasted all of three minutes. We entered the house. They surrounded us. Told us in detail what they planned to do to us.”

“Centaurs are vile, sick fucks!” Stephan says; his voice is a deep rasp laced with anger.

I nod. I can’t talk for a minute or two; the words are stuck in my throat.

“You don’t need to tell me any more if you don’t want to,” he says, his gaze filled with concern. “Or you can talk to me some more, if it will help, but no pressure either way.”

I nod once, black memories swirling through my mind. “They surrounded us. All hell broke loose. We had to fight for our lives. In the end, there were only five of us left.” A tear tracks down my cheek, and my voice has cracked. “West fought for me too. I will always be grateful. Without him, I would not have made it. Raider gave it his all but…” I shake my head. “Mimi was still alive…after…barely. In the end, her wounds were too grievous. She didn’t make it. The only good thing that came of it was putting an end to that particular herd. They thought they would have their fun and then kill us at their leisure.”

“How many centaurs were there?”

“Twelve.”

“Fuck!” Stephan whispered the curse. “That’s a big herd.”

“If it weren’t for my brother, I don’t think any of us would have made it. The centaurs soon realized they needed to fight hard, and fight they did. Maddox killed half of them. Once he goes into berserker mode, there’s almost no stopping him. Having said that, the centaurs were tough bastards to kill. They fought hard and dirty. Zale and Barrett took on two each. West doesn’t have any power. Zale can shoot lightning out of his hands. Barrett does this fire-spewing thing. West had to fight with his hands. He put himself in front of me and fought with all he had. I’m small for a shifter. Even in my dragon form. Thank god he’s strong and stubborn. I would have been dead if it weren’t for him.”

Stephan reaches out with his hand but pulls back just before he touches me. “I’m so sorry. It sounds like a nightmare.”

I nod. “It was! Raider and Mimi fought side by side. Raider was in half-shift when he was taken down. The house wasn’t very big. We couldn’t shift completely. We needed room to fight. He tried desperately to save her…but those centaurs were too strong. I think some of West’s strength comes from being a demigod. He says he didn’t inherit anything from his father, but I don’t think that’s true. I think the two of us lived because of how powerful he is. He was pretty beat up. Lost a ton of blood. Took a full day to recover.”

“They seriously underestimated you,” Stephan says.

“If only the herd had been slightly smaller. If only I was stronger. Maybe if we had been closer to Mimi and Raider when the attack happened.” The tears are falling in earnest now. I haven’t cried in a long time. It’s been bottled up inside. “By the time Maddox and Barrett got to them…it was…it was too late.” I’m shaking my head.

“You couldn’t have done anything. Don’t beat yourself up,” Stephan says. He pushes out a breath. “I know you can’t help it, but you have to try. It’ll drive you crazy otherwise.”

“You’re right. It’s just that I wish I had done a better job of seeing her future. Stay away from horses,” I snort, feeling pissed off with myself for the hundredth time.

“You couldn’t have known. Your prediction was ultimately correct.”

“It was a half-truth. It was useless. The only consolation is that they both died that day.” I sniff. “I know that sounds grim, but I’ve never known love like the two of them had. Raider would have done anything for Mimi. He died for her.” I wipe my tears. “I sometimes wonder if she could have recovered from her wounds, as bad as they were. I think that maybe she chose to die when she saw his broken body.” I cover my face with my hand when it crumples. “I’m so sorry for putting all of this on you,” I say through my hand before pulling it away. I look his way. “We grieved, but we never talked of that night again. West goes ballistic if anyone tries to bring it up. He lost a piece of himself then. His brother was his only family.” I wipe my tears away. “He’s hoping to meet a half-brother amongst all of you. I’m worried he’s going to get hurt when it doesn’t happen.”

“I understand his…hang-ups better now.”

“He used to be a really good guy. Easy-going and sweet. Fun to be around. It’s hard to believe it now, but it’s true. After Raider died, that all changed. He went to a dark place. If I’m honest, we weren’t as close anymore before the incident with the centaurs. I think we would have broken up sooner.” I feel instant guilt. It’s like I’m putting West down. I don’t want to talk badly of him. “After that night…” I shrug. “I tried to be there for him. I tried hard to…be there. To help him. In the end, our relationship fell apart anyway. He’s convinced himself that we still belong together, but that isn’t true. He’s still in such a bad place.”

“I can’t imagine. Jarrod and I are close. If I lost him like that…” Stephan’s chest rises as he pulls in a deep breath.

“That’s the thing, I’m hoping one of your group is related to him.”

“You don’t know what his power is or who his father is?” Stephan asks.

I shake my head. “No. I think he expects to know his half-brother when he sees him…if he even exists.”

“I didn’t recognize any of his features on anyone from my group. Not like Barrett. Even your brother and Rage have their similarities.”

“I’m so sorry! All you did was ask about the first person I read, and it turned into a big old cry session.” I push out a small laugh.

“Don’t be silly. You needed to get that off your chest. I happen to be an easy person to talk to.” He gives me this cute grin, trying to make me laugh. It works.

“I did, and you definitely are.” I smile at him and then sigh. “I feel exhausted, but so much better.” I lean back against the car seat.

“Are you still up for flying?” Stephan scrutinizes me. “I’m thinking cherry pie would be a better idea. Pie and hot chocolate and then sleep. We could head out tomorrow night? Same time?” he quirks a brow.

“You and me?” I ask him.

“You and me.” That glint is back. This is a fine line we’re walking.

I nod. “In that case, pie sounds good.” I don’t want our evening to end, but at the same time, I’m shocked at how tired I am after talking about what happened to us. I feel hollowed out. I also feel lighter. Stephan is easy to talk to. I like him so much.

We smile at each other. Stephan’s gaze softens. “Thanks for trusting me.”

“Thanks for being such a good friend.”

“I meant what I said. You couldn’t have done anything any differently. What happened was not your fault…or anyone’s fault.” He leans forward, and the air seizes in my lungs. He even looks at my mouth for a moment before his gaze drifts back to my eyes. Then he gives me a half-smile. There’s definitely a whole lot of disappointment in his stare. I think he wants to kiss me. In fact, I’m sure of it. I want him to kiss me too. I want it so badly I have to make myself sit still in my seat. I have to stop myself from reaching for him.

Instead, he reaches over and tugs softly on one of my curls. His touch is gentle. Like before, goosebumps break out on my body. Unlike before, it isn’t because of a vision. Hair isn’t actually living. As long as he doesn’t touch my skin, I’m in no danger of reading him. He knows this. I like that he knows things about me that no one else can understand. We are similar in our abilities. Our gift. Our curse.

Definitely a curse!

Our eyes stay locked. The air in the car seems to grow weighted. I can hear myself breathing. It’s heavier than before. Stephan runs his thumb up the strands of my hair an inch. I can almost feel his touch. The nerve-endings on my scalp prickle. I have to bite back a moan. Then he’s letting go and pulling back. “They also have pecan pie…there’s apple too. Salted caramel is usually on the menu as well, but I would recommend the cherry. It’s sweet and tart. In short, it’s fucking delicious.”

It’s almost like he’s flirting with me. I’d like to think he is. “I like the sound of cherry.” My voice is breathless, a little needy. I can only hope he thinks it’s the pie I want so badly.

“There’s nothing better than ripe cherries.” His eyes drift to my chest for half a second, and awareness flits through me. He’s definitely flirting, which makes me a little light-headed. His gaze is back on mine in a flash. “Let’s go.” He turns the key in the ignition, and we pull off.

11

Stephanus

I’ve never been turned on from watching a woman eat before.

Jesus! I watch as she lifts another forkful of pie to her mouth. I watch her wrap her lips around the fork. I adjust in my seat for the tenth time since she started eating that damned pie. Raven groans around her food. Thank god for booths because my dick is all over the place. She must think that I have ADHD or ants in my fucking shorts. Her groan is low and deep. Her eyes drift closed.

The best part about the whole thing is that she has no idea. No idea how sexy she looks in that white T-shirt and cut-off shorts. No idea how sexy she sounds. No fucking clue what she’s doing to me.

“You were right about the pie,” she says. “So right…only,” she lifts her brows, “you’re not eating yours. Why aren’t you eating yours?” I’ve taken one bite, while she’s nearly done. Truth is, I’ve been watching her. I’ve been too turned on to even think about pie.

That isn’t true.

I have pie on my mind. Cherries? Fuck, yes, those too. There’s a sixth food group. Her name is Raven. I want to eat her whole. Fucking devour her until she’s screaming my name. Until she’s pulling my hair and scratching my back.

Pie?

Hell yes!

“It’s good to see someone enjoying their food,” I say. Not a lie. Not really. I cut a piece of my own pie on my plate and put it into my mouth. It’s good. It’s amazing.

“Isn’t it the best thing you’ve ever tasted?” Raven asks, her green eyes are wide. There is a gentle smile playing at the edges of her mouth.

“It is.” I nod. All bets would be off if my mouth ever got to touch any part of her.

“Do you have any family aside from your brother?” she asks me. I can see dark smudges under her eyes, which are bloodshot. I need to eat this pie and get her home.

I nod. “My mom. We see her on holidays. She married a human. They live in Canada.”

“Really?” Raven laughs.

I fucking love the sound. I hated seeing her upset earlier. I meant what I said to her. I’m grateful she trusted me enough to tell me what happened. “Yes, really.” I laugh. “Jeffrey Anderson is his name. He’s a great guy. They’re very happy.”

“He knows about you and Jarrod…about your mom?”

I nod. “He knows. It was a little bit of a sticking point when she finally confessed to him, but he came around. I guess true love prevails. People will find a way to be together if they’re meant to be.”

Her eyes widen a little. “You’re right. So your mom was single when your dad came along and…?” She widens her eyes.

I nod. “Yeah, those bastard gods came from their realm and charmed the panties off of most of the single, young women from our weyr. They disappeared almost as quickly as they arrived. All of them were pregnant by the time they left.” I pause. I give her a chance to say something about her weyr. About what happened the night her brother and the others were sired, but she doesn’t bite. “My mom never ended up marrying a shifter. They were too prejudiced against us. She only married Jeff eight years ago. There’s one thing I find interesting in all this…”

“What’s that?” She cuts off another piece of pie and puts it in her mouth. I watch as she closes her eyes. Her face gets this look. I’m fucked if it doesn’t shoot straight to my cock.

I clear my throat and try to get comfortable all over again. I watch her throat work as she swallows. She takes a sip of her hot chocolate, and I’m able to think relatively clearly again. I think I might have a cherry pie fetish. It definitely includes Raven. Pie and Raven. Fuck! “Um…I think it’s interesting,” I work on pulling my mind from the gutter, yet again, “that there are no women like us.” It’s something the guys and I have discussed before. “No female dragon demigods.”

She looks at me like I’ve gone mad. “There is, though. We have one.”

I put my fork down and lean forward. “There’s a woman dragon demigod in your weyr?”

She nods. “Not every dragon demigod chose to leave with us.”

“Oh! I see.” Well, shit!

“Two people chose to stay behind. One of them is a woman.”

I take a sip of my hot chocolate, trying to play it cool. “You left two behind?”

She nods. “They chose to stay.” Her eyes cloud. “We had a very similar situation. Only is wasn’t just the single women who partied with the gods.”

“Are you serious?” I lean back in my seat.

“When you’re in a weyr that forces people to mate against their will – very often it is the women who are the ones being forced – you will sometimes see a rebellion. There has only been one big uprising against the weyr. It happened that night and for the days that the gods were here. My mom was mated to my father when she left with the gods. It’s not something we talked about…ever. My father has always been a jerk to Maddox.”

“That’s not great,” I say.

“Exactly! Maddox was an innocent kid. None of what happened was his fault.” She shakes her head. “I remember the snide remarks. The jokes at Maddox’s expense. He could never do anything right. Could never be good enough. My dad is a jerk. My mom was not given a choice when it came to mating him. He treats her like she’s his slave. I guess it’s how we’re raised, but it’s no excuse. I don’t blame her for giving him the middle finger. I do feel bad for the demigod children who were born. Not every female became pregnant…only about a third of them. I was too young to remember that time but apparently there was hell to pay when the women returned.” Raven stifles a yawn with her hand, her eyes widen. “Sorry,” she mumbles.

As much as I want to know more about this, I can see how tired she is. “I think we should get going.” I put a big chunk of pie in my mouth. Then another. For the first time in the history of my visits to this diner, I don’t finish my pie. I push the plate away and take a big drink of my lukewarm hot chocolate. “We can talk some more tomorrow,” I say as I put the mug down.

She smiles. “Sounds good.”

I put some cash on the table and wave at the server as we leave. She giggles, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, and waves back. I don’t remember the top buttons of her uniform being open when we arrived. Her cleavage is out there. I look away. I’m not interested.

Raven gives me a side look as we step outside. “Don’t you guys get sick of all the attention?”

“Attention?”

She stops walking and gives me a look. “Yes. It happens with the others all the time. We can’t go anywhere without women tripping all over themselves. Human women seem to have a thing for non-humans. All the annoying giggles and remarks must get old. West has had panties thrown at him once or twice.” She laughs. “Maddox once had a woman write her number on his chest with a marker.” She laughs harder. “Zale has disappeared into bathrooms with strange women more than once. They suggested it to him.” She sticks her tongue out and makes a gagging face. “Women seem to lose their ever-loving minds.”

“Yeah, I guess we get a lot of attention. I mostly just ignore it.” I unlock the car and open her door before stepping back to give her plenty of space. I walk around and jump into the car. “You must get attention as well. You’re gorgeous.” I try not to sound too sappy. I more than likely fail.

I see her cheeks turn red. “West growls at anyone who shows even passing interest.” She smiles. “I get the odd look, but it’s not like all of you. All the giggles and longing stares. The drooling.”

“I hardly notice,” I say as I buckle up. “It’s not like I can act on any of the attention.” I shrug.

“It must be annoying to get visions when… You know…it must be annoying as anything.”

I check my blind spot, indicate and then pull out onto the road. “I hate it. It’s not worth it most of the time.”

“Most of the time?” I hear a playful edge to her voice.

I glance her way, and she’s smiling. I choke out a laugh. “What can I say? I have needs. I rarely act on them, but fuck…I can’t sit between the four walls of my house every single day. I need to come up for air from time to time. Did you ever get a vision when you…were with West?”

“No…never. It was weird. My immediate family, as well. It never happened.”

“Never?” I indicate and turn. The roads are quiet since it’s the middle of the night. “That’s interesting. Your family makes sense…I can’t read my family either. But West…” I raise my brows. “I guess I’ve never read any of my close friends, but I put that down to them being non-humans. I’ve only ever read a non-human once or twice in my life.”

“Humans are the worst. They’re like an open book.” She sounds exasperated. “I have to try to stay far away from humans.” She shakes her head, leaning back in the seat. Raven yawns.

“I know what you mean.” We make the rest of the trip in silence. Raven is half-asleep when we get there.

She yawns again as we pull into the garage. “I’m so ready for bed,” she says as she slides out of the car.

“Me too.” I open the door that leads to my house. I let her go first.

“Thanks.” She stops dead as we hit the hallway.

“Where the fuck have you been?” West comes at us. He’s trying to keep his voice down, but it doesn’t work. His fists are clenched. His eyes are narrowed on me. In short, he’s pissed.

“What are you doing here?” Raven asks him. “You’re supposed to be at Jarrod’s house.”

“Don’t turn this around,” he growls. “I thought I would check on you, and you weren’t here.” He folds his arms. His eyes are blazing.

“Check on me…why?” She sounds annoyed. I don’t blame her.

“Because I care about you, Raven. Because I fucking love you. I get here, and you aren’t here.” He tones down his voice a few levels. “There are dangerous creatures out there.” His eyes haze over.

Raven sighs. “I’m fine. Did you read the note?” I notice that she steps further between us, using herself as a barrier.

“Yes!” he growls.

“So you know where we were then,” she deadpans. “Thanks for checking up on me, but it wasn’t necessary.” She’s trying to be nice.

“You must have a death wish, pretty boy!” His eyes flash to me before he returns to Raven’s stare. “Flying…fucking flying. Are you out of your damned mind, Raven?”

I take a calming breath. “Please don’t speak to Raven like that.” I try to keep my cool. I don’t want this to turn into a fight. I have a better understanding of why West is so…angry. Also, he cares about Raven, so he might be going about things in the wrong way, but I think he means well. Again, this isn’t my battle. Not really.

West steps in, almost putting his chest against Raven’s front so that he can get to me. His eyes are on mine, and they’re blazing. He points his finger at me. That fucking finger. I wish he wouldn’t do that. “You don’t get to tell me what to do, asshole! You leave in the middle of the night with my girlfriend and—”

“I’m not your girlfriend, West. Stephan and I are just friends…nothing more.”

It stings to hear her say that, even though it’s true.

“There’s more there,” West growls. “He sure as hell wants to get inside your—”

“West! Raven!” Maddox appears. He sounds groggy. “What’s going on? What are you doing here, West?” he adds, giving the guy a double-take.

“I’ll tell you what’s going on…!” West shouts. Thank god my closest neighbor is a good half an acre away because they’d call the cops otherwise.

“Nothing is going on,” I say.

“Shut the fuck up,” West snarls at me.

“Don’t talk to my friend like that.” Raven puts her hands on West’s chest and tries to give him a shove, but it doesn’t work. West doesn’t budge.

“Can everyone please calm down.” Maddox is fully awake now. “What’s going on, Raven?”

“I came to check on Raven, only to find that they—” West begins.

Maddox interrupts him. “I’d like to hear it from Raven. Explain, please,” he says to her.

My blood goes up. They’re giving her the second degree. Even Maddox. I’m sure their concern is coming from a good place, but fuck! Raven is a grown woman. She’s pointed this fact out numerous times already. They don’t seem to get it.

“I left a note. Stephan was going to take me flying.”

“In the middle of the fucking night?” Maddox frowns.

“Why not the middle of the night? I needed to spread my wings. To get out,” she says.

Maddox doesn’t look happy. West looks downright murderous.

“We didn’t end up flying in the end.” She shrugs.

“Where did you go?” West sniffs Raven, who takes a step back.

“What are you doing?” she asks, her voice shrill. “Stop that!”

“Where the fuck did you go?” West yells at her.

“Don’t speak to Raven like that, or so fucking help me…” I snarl because I can’t hold back anymore. West is pissing me the hell off.

“You’re a little fucking prick.” West practically bulldozes over Raven. All of his muscles are bunched. Scales pop out on his neck just above his shirt. “Raven is mine! Do you understand that? We’re together. We’ve been together for years. Just because we’ve hit a stumbling block does not mean we’re through. You need to understand that, pretty boy, or you won’t be so fucking pretty anymore. I’ll see to that.”

“I think Raven can speak for herself,” I say, forcing myself to calm down. I won’t rise to his insults. I refuse.

“Stop it, West,” Maddox says. “Where did you end up going, sis?” he tries to sound casual. He fails. “It’s not safe out there alone. You know that.”

“I wasn’t alone. I was with Stephan. We were going to fly, but I felt too tired, so we went out for…” She glances over her shoulder at me. The side of her mouth quirks up for a second. I have to school my own expression because West will go nuts if I react to her right now. “…pie…cherry pie.”

“Pie! Fucking pie! You went out for dessert?” West shouts. “I’ve been worried sick.” He seems to relax some. “I was about to wake up your brother. I care about you, Raven.”

“You shouldn’t be going out so late at night. Stephan can’t protect you against the weyr. You said yourself that we can’t stay for too long. That danger might still be lurking,” her brother says.

“We also agreed that it was highly unlikely. That they can’t possibly know where we are. There’s no paper trail leading us to Stephan.” Raven shrugs. “I’m twenty-eight years old. I can go out with a friend if I want to. It’s as simple as that. I did you a courtesy by leaving you the note. Quite frankly, I didn’t have to do that. Maybe I won’t next time. Please don’t come over to check on me in the future,” she says to West.

“But—” he starts.

“But nothing. We’re not together anymore…it’s too much like stalking for my liking.”

“I wasn’t—”

“Save it,” she says. “Call or message me in the future, West, and do it as a friend. Now, if you’ll excuse me…I’m tired. I want to go to bed.” She folds her arms, looking from West to Maddox and back again.

“Good night,” West says, sounding hard done by.

“How did you get here?” Maddox asks West.

“I jogged. It’s a twenty-minute jog. I couldn’t sleep.” He looks down at his sneakers for a moment.

Maddox nods and then turns to Raven. “Night, sis.”

No one moves. We all just stand there looking at one another. “Um,” Raven pipes up, “The two of you can go now. You can go home,” she says to West. “Enjoy your jog.”

“I don’t like it,” West grumbles.

“Take care of yourself, Raven.” Maddox gives her a warning look. I see it clear as day. “Have a good sleep.” He puts emphasis on the word. Then he turns and walks away.

“You touch her, and you’re dead!” West’s eyes narrow on me.

“Good night, guys!” Raven’s voice leaves no room for question.

West’s jaw tightens. I hear his molars scrape together. He gives me a filthy look, and I can hear his heart beating. I can smell a mixture of testosterone and adrenaline. It’s thick in the air. Then he walks to the front door and lets himself out.

Raven and I look at one another. “I’m sorry,” she whispers.

“It’s not your fault,” I whisper back.

“I still feel like a child sometimes. They treat me like I’m one.”

“You stood up to them, and you won,” I say. “The more you do that, the more space they’ll be forced to give you. It’s a difficult situation.”

“Impossible.” Her eyes cloud. “Thank you. It was so good feeling almost normal for a short while. You gave that to me. It’s not just them; it’s our whole situation.”

“I meant it. If you feel up to it, we’ll sneak out tomorrow. I suggest we meet slightly later, at say, midnight?”

Her eyes sparkle with excitement, but then they cloud. “What if West comes around again?”

“Who cares what West does? You need to do what feels right. We’re friends going flying. That has nothing to do with him or Maddox. I’ll keep you safe. We’ll be on my weyr’s land. It’ll be fine.”

“You’re absolutely right.” Raven clutches her hands together. “It’s a date.” Her smile is a mile wide. It warms me up inside. Then she frowns. “Not a date, date… You know what I mean.” Then she’s smiling again.

I smile too. “I know what you mean.” We walk to the hallway and stop at my door since it’s the first one.

“Good night. Sleep well,” Raven says.

“You too.” I hold her gaze for a few seconds, thinking how her eyes remind me of new leaves on a tree in spring. Or a sprouting seed shoot. A fresh, vivid, vibrant green. Then I turn and head into my room. Raven is gone by the time I turn to close the door.

I’m looking forward to our ‘non-date’ tomorrow. I don’t think I’ve been this excited for something in a long time.

12

Stephanus

The table has been set. There is a distinct aroma of bacon in the air. Forge takes a step back and gives Barrett the once-over. “It’s almost like looking in a mirror,” he says. “I can’t believe it.”

“Me neither!” Barrett’s eyes are wide.

“Jarrod and Stephan warned me, but…I never imagined,” Forge goes on. “Same hair and eyes.”

“Same build,” Barrett says, sounding bewildered.

“It’s good to meet you,” Forge says, holding out his hand.

Barrett looks down at the outstretched appendage for a moment and then steps in and gives Forge a bearhug of gigantic proportions.

“We’re not doing that,” Rage says to Maddox, his eyes on the hugging men.

“We’re so not doing that,” he agrees. “Does your dog need a walk? Is there time before breakfast?”

“What do you say, Dog?” Rage asks the canine. She whines softly, wagging her tail. “I think that’s a yes. Breakfast will hold.”

“Nice dog,” Death says. The dog growls at Death, who smiles. “Very nice indeed. I thought I saw it under the table yesterday,” he says. He arrived late to the meeting and then left early. Poor fuck! And I think I’m cursed. My life is breezy compared to Death’s.

“Rage is taking her to our local shelter when he gets a chance. He isn’t keeping her,” I tell Death. I look up, noticing that West is talking to Samuel. He’s smiling, being nice. In fact, he’s been in a good mood today.

My attention is pulled back when Rage nods. “I might stop off at the shelter when I leave here. As long as breakfast doesn’t drag on and on, that is.”

Death nods again, “What’s her name?”

“I call her Dog…so, no name. I’m not naming her if I’m not keeping her.”

“It would be a shame to get rid of a dog as beautiful as she is.” Death is looking at the dog, and the Doberman is looking at Death with such keen intelligence, you would swear she could understand every word he was saying.

“I didn’t know you liked dogs,” I say to Death.

“I like all creatures just fine,” he says. “I would have a dog, I think, if I wasn’t so busy. My job keeps me on my feet, day and night. I’m often away from home. A pet wouldn’t work.”

“Death takes souls to the Underworld,” Jarrod explains to those who are close enough to listen in.

“That’s interesting!” Barrett says, folding his arms.

“I hate it,” Death says.

“Why do you do it then?” Barrett asks.

“Sometimes, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” Death explains. “I was forced into my father’s business.” He shrugs.

“What does your father do?” Barrett asks.

“My father is the god of the Underworld.” He looks bored. “He’s also known as the god of Death.”

“You know your father?” Barrett’s brows shoot up. “You work with him? You’ve met him?”

Death nods. “It isn’t as great as you would think. I’m technically a full god since my mother is Persephone and my father is Hades. They are married but separated. I’ve never officially been recognized as a god.” He shrugs. “Talking about Father, have you heard the latest?” he asks Night, arching a brow.

“You met Night,” I say to Barrett, gesturing towards Night. “He and Death are brothers.” Out of the corner of my eye, I see West move over to Trident and introduce himself. He seems to be moving around the room. I know that he is hoping to recognize one of the guys as a half-brother. I find myself hoping he clicks with someone. That he finds what he is looking for somehow. Maybe he’ll give Raven a break.

“What about Hades?” Night says curtly. There is no love lost when it comes to Hades. The guy is a royal prick and a pain in the ass. Night seems irritated.

Death pushes out a solid breath. “Hades is in a fantastic mood nowadays.”

“How so?” Night asks, looking skeptical. “I know he’s in love for the first time.” He rolls his shoulders. “More like addicted to his new wife.”

“You really haven’t heard?” Death looks like he’s on the verge of cracking a smile. He doesn’t.

“Spit it out already.” Night is frowning.

“Twelve is pregnant.”

“Twelve is his latest wife. She’s their stepmother,” I say to the group.

“What?” Night growls. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am!” Death shakes his head. “You would think he’d be more careful. You would think that he has enough children. I’m sure we’re not the only two.”

“You’re not,” Raven says. “I told you about the dragon demigod who stayed behind with the weyr…the woman.” She lowers her voice. “Star is the daughter of Hades. She’s your half-sister,” she says to Night and Death.

Night takes a step back, and Death’s mouth drops open.

“We have a half-sister?” Night finally pushes out.

“You do.” Raven nods once.

“I’m not sure we should be discussing those who we left behind.” Maddox has his eyes locked with Raven. “It’s not right.”

“Death and Night have a sister they know nothing about,” Raven says. “That’s not right. Star has family. I think she would want to know, Maddox. I think it would be good for her to meet you guys.”

“Maybe she would want to know, and maybe she wouldn’t,” he says. “Star chose to stay. There’s nothing we can do about that.”

“Maybe she would have chosen differently had she known.” Raven hooks a loose curl behind her ear.

“I can’t believe it.” Death looks like he is in total shock. He is so pale that his blue eyes seem brighter and his black hair darker.

The dog whines softly at Rage’s feet. She is looking up at her master with big, shiny eyes. I never noticed before, but her eyes are black. Not a very dark brown, but pitch-black.

“Okay, Dog.” Rage pets her head. Just one quick touch of the hand. I hold back a smile. Rage is not taking that dog to the shelter. He can think what he likes.

Maddox nods. “Yeah, let’s go.” He’s looking at Raven. Clearly still not happy she told us about Star. I understand. We’re protective of one another as well, but…we’re family. I want to discuss the possibility of us helping them settle down. Maybe we can offer them protection from their weyr. Help get them on their feet. They’re family. No, we aren’t going to hold hands and start singing Kumbaya any time soon, but fuck! They’re just like us. They’re clearly running, desperate, and afraid. They couldn’t afford to fix their car. They need help. I will talk to Raven about it tonight.

I go warm at the thought of our date. I catch Raven’s eye for a moment. I see her mouth twitch, and her eyes glint. I’m sure she is thinking about tonight as well. She’s wearing a dress again. This one is long and white. It highlights her mocha skin. As always, her hair is curly about her shoulders. That dress, though. Fuck me! It’s cinched below her breasts and hints at cleavage that is bountiful.

Bountiful. I hold back a laugh. I don’t think I’ve used that particular word to describe anything…ever. There is no other way to describe her curves. Everything about her is bountiful. That, and sexy. Fucking sexy! My eyes keep moving to her. I could stare all fucking day. I want to—

Trident smirks at me as he blocks my view for a moment. He turns towards Raven and puts out his hand. I cringe. I see Raven look down at his outstretched hand like it’s a cobra ready to strike…and in a way, it is.

I take a step forward, but Jarrod touches my arm. “She can take care of herself,” he whispers to me.

She gets this look of determination and then takes his hand. I see a sense of relief come over her. Yeah, reading people is shitty. It’s a relief when it doesn’t happen.

“Your father is Hades?” West is talking to Death and Night. I can see that he is keeping a close eye on Raven.

She laughs at something Trident says. Fucker!

“I have to say,” Trident goes on. “That’s one heck of a lovely dress.” He checks her out. The dickhead actually checks her out. I know that he is doing it to fuck with me. I also know that he is just being himself. This is how Tri behaves around women. He can’t help himself.

Asshole.

“Thanks,” Raven says, sounding embarrassed.

I notice that he has yet to let go of her hand.

Jerk!

“You’re grinding your teeth,” Jarrod says.

“Am I?”

“You need to stop your shit,” Jarrod remarks.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” I note with interest that although West keeps looking over at Trident and Raven, he doesn’t seem to react to Trident’s flirting. He keeps talking to Night and Death.

If it had been me flirting like that, I would have had a finger in my face by now.

“You’re not even listening to me,” Jarrod sounds pissed. “Watch yourself, bro. I see the looks the two of you are giving each other.”

“What looks?”

“Like you’re sharing this secret that no one else knows about. The look two people start to give each other when they’re getting cozy.”

“We’re friends. That’s all,” I say with a one-shouldered shrug. Friends definitely don’t use the word bountiful when looking at each other. They aren’t supposed to notice the white lace of a bra, just visible beneath the material of a dress. That dress…holy fuck. I avert my eyes because friends don’t look at friends like that, and I don’t need to be able to see my face to know I’m looking at Raven in a way that I shouldn’t. Jarrod is right!

I catch West’s glowering stare. It’s focused on me. Not Trident, even though Trident is the one telling Raven that she has lovely hair. Even though it’s Trident flirting with Raven. Her eyes are on me, though. Her beautiful green gaze is focused here. She’s checking me out just as much. We are sharing looks with one another. Fuck!

We can’t touch.

Not ever.

Hearing her talk about her friend. Seeing her tears. If something were to happen to me, Raven would be hurt. Especially if she caught glimpses of my future and was unable to interpret the visions. Unable to help me.

Stay away from the ocean.

Really?

It’s similar to stay away from horses. Too cryptic! It can’t happen to her again. I’ve been there on many occasions where I couldn’t change a person’s path. Where I tried and failed and blamed myself. It was never someone I knew. Never someone close to me. We are by no means close. Not like that. I have to keep it that way.

13

Raven

It’s after midnight. I’m sitting out by the pool, looking at the moon reflected in the water. I’m wondering if Stephan is coming. I’m not sure what happened this morning. He suddenly seemed a little cold and detached. Less willing to…meet my eyes and look at me. It felt like he was avoiding me. Even though, without planning it, we do avoid each other when West is around.

I probably shouldn’t have worn that dress. I don’t have many nice things. I know that particular dress looks great on me. It accentuates my good features and hides the not so stellar ones. I know Stephan noticed. It made me feel good to know that he did. Warm and fuzzy inside. I caught him looking a few times before breakfast. After that…crickets.

I look down at myself now. I’m wearing a denim skirt and a T-shirt. It’s one of the snugger ones. It shows off my boobs. Most men love my fuller chest. Aside from my eyes, my breasts are probably my best feature. I’m trying too hard here. I shouldn’t be trying so hard. We’re supposed to be trying to keep things on a friendship level. Both of us realize there’s more there, without a doubt but we can’t act on it so…that’s it.

I’m starting to consider knocking on Stephan’s door when he appears. My heart instantly beats faster. I try not to smile too broadly as I watch him approach.

Play it cool, Raven!

Play it cool.

The smile I receive back is stilted and tense. What? Why? Did I say something? Do something? He’s wearing jeans and a T-shirt. His hair is mussed, like he’s been pulling on it or running his hands through it. He’s beautiful. This man is…he’s exquisite. I realize I’m using feminine terms for a guy like Stephan. I don’t care. That’s just it…I’m not just talking about his exterior. I’m talking about all of him.

Beautiful.

Inside and out. He pushes his hands into his pockets, looking all shy. So darned cute! Most guys with his looks would be cocky and arrogant. This is like a breath of fresh air. I stand. I notice his feet are bare. I frown.

“Aren’t we going flying?”

He looks down and then back up at me. “I don’t know that we should.”

“Why not?” My frown deepens. Disappointment hits me hard.

He pushes out a breath through his nose. “Because I like you, Raven. I like you a little too much. I know you can say the same about me. I can see it. It’s just a matter of time before we…before I…” He pushes a hand through his hair again and squeezes the back of his neck.

“We’re friends,” I offer, but I stop there, the rest of what I had planned on saying dying on my lips. We’re not friends. We never will be!

“If we put all the other stuff aside, you’re going to be leaving in a couple of days.” He shrugs.

“What other stuff? I mean, aside from the vision, and…” I want to say West, but I don’t want to bring him into this.

When I don’t say anything more, Stephan says, “For starters, friends don’t look at friends the way I look at you.” Seems like we’re on the same page. “We’ll never be friends. Even if we had all the time in the world…and we don’t.”

“How do you look at me?” I know I shouldn’t ask, but I can’t help myself. I bite down on my lower lip.

Stephan smiles… Oh, that smile. It says so much. It does so much to me. More than it should.

“I look at you like a starving man. Like I’m fucking dying to touch you…because I am. Like I’m taking in every detail to recall later, in minute detail.”

“Recall later?” I lift a brow in question. I didn’t expect this conversation. As great as it’s making me feel, it isn’t leading anywhere good. I like hearing him say these things, though. I like it too much.

Stephan chuckles. He shakes his head. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”

“And if I do?” I know I’m flirting. I can’t help myself. I shouldn’t, and yet…I want to.

“I’m sure you can guess. Let’s just say that I’ve been taking long-ass showers lately. I recall how your legs looked in those shorts the other night. In my fantasies, there’s ripping of material…lace… There’s lifting of a certain dress over your hips… Fuck, Raven.” He paces away from me. Stands there for a few seconds and then walks back. “We can’t do this. It would cause too much shit.”

“I know,” I say. “But maybe I don’t care,” I blurt the words before I can stop them. I’m not sorry, though.

“I care. I care about you. You had that vision. What if you see more? What if…?” He shakes his head.

What if my vision comes about, and I can’t help him stop it?

What if I see more and it’s worse?

What if…?

I’m glad he didn’t bring up West. I feel everything in me tense. I nod. “You’re right. We’re adults. We’re in control of ourselves. Besides, I leave in a couple of days. We’re attracted to each other, but that doesn’t mean we can’t hang out. It’s not like you’re going to lose control and jump me.”

His jaw tightens for a moment. Like maybe he will do just that. My breath quickens in response. My bra is feeling tight. My panties feel like they are rubbing. My scales are rubbing. My dragon is pacing inside me.

“I won’t jump you,” he finally says. “But it won’t be easy.” He smiles.

“It’ll be tough, but I promise not to jump you, either.” I laugh softly.

Stephan’s smile grows.

“I really want to spread my wings. I need it.” If I can’t have sex, flying will be the next best thing.

“I need it too.” His eyes get this look…like he isn’t talking about flying anymore.

“Release.” I don’t mean it like that. Maybe I do! Shit!

“Yes.” His nostrils flare. “That, and letting loose…just a little.”

“Just a little.”

“Let me get some shoes, and we can go.”

I grin so hard my face feels like it’s going to split in two. I know we can’t act on our attraction, but it feels good to know that Stephan feels the same way about me as I do about him. It feels good to know we’re going to spend time together. I want to be with him. That’s the long and the short of it.

* * *

Stephanus

No jumping each other.

No looking at each other like we want to devour one another.

Definitely no long showers. No fantasizing about what I would do to this woman if we did cross the line…which we’re not going to do.

I can do this!

I can!

Raven pulls her shirt over her head…and holy fucking shit! I turn around, but not before I see her tits. Her bra is lacy. I’m breathing hard. My dick is getting hard.

Jesus!

Her tits are lush as fuck, and encased in white lace. I need to think about other things. I can’t undress and shift with an erection. Think about other things! Do it. Now!

“You okay?” she asks.

“Yes…I’m good,” I say, shocked when my voice is calm and even. It reflects nothing of my actual emotions. I pull my own shirt off and unsnap my jeans. Then I toe my boots off. I pull in a few lungfuls of air before pulling down my jeans.

“Commando…nice,” Raven says from behind me.

I chuckle through my nose. “You shouldn’t be watching me undress.”

“Why not?” She sounds like she’s smiling, but there’s no way in hell I’m turning around, or all bets are off. I might just jump her after all. “We’re shifters…nudity is normal. My overreaction the last time was not. I’m trying to act normal here.”

“I’m only half-shifter. I’m going to avoid looking at you naked, Raven. Otherwise, not jumping you might just be off the cards.”

She laughs. “You’re also half-god…they’re much worse than shifters. Even orgies are okay with the gods. You can look, but you can’t touch.”

“No looking…no touching…no nothing.” My voice is a low growl. I’m still sporting a semi. It’s been over a year since I was with a woman. The sex was quick and not very satisfying. I don’t even remember her name. I know that she is destined to get married. I saw that she will have four children, and then her husband is going to leave her for a younger woman. I warned her against marrying the bozo, but I don’t think she listened. Most humans don’t; they think I’m crazy. Even when I give them details that I couldn’t possibly know. They become afraid. I don’t blame them. I’m somewhat of a freak.

“Let’s do this thing,” I hear her say. Her voice is animated. Right afterward, I hear cracking and a whooshing sound. I feel a light puff of air against my back.

I shift. It takes a damn sight longer than it did for her. It’s almost like I can feel every muscle rope. Every ligament and tendon stretch. I feel my scales erupt. I feel wings and a tail grow. I feel my teeth sharpen and lengthen. I feel all of it. The seconds tick by until I’m finally in my dragon form. I turn to face her.

Fuck me!

A rumble is pulled from my chest. Raven is a beautiful dragon. Even in her scales, she takes my breath away. Her eyes are huge. They’re the same gorgeous green, but with slits. Her scales are black and gleaming in the moonlight. Fucking hell! I think my mouth must have fallen open.

Her tail swooshes from side to side, and she gives a little leap, her wings flap once. Raven is small for a dragon. But then she’s petite in her human form; nothing has changed. Her eyes sparkle with excitement.

Another deep rumble comes from inside my chest. It’s a rumble of approval.

She makes a purring noise. Then she spreads her wings and takes to the sky. I follow suit. Raven might be small, but she’s fast. I have to work to keep up with her. Then again, her body is sleek and light, whereas I’m huge and weighty.

It feels so good to be out here. To feel the wind under my wings. To stretch my muscles. To beat my wings and to fly…to fly.

Freedom.

Raven does a twirl and then freefalls. I follow her. She makes a noise that is the dragon equivalent of laughing. I do the same. It’s wonderful…it’s amazing…it’s—

There is a sharp pain on my wings, and I am freefalling. I see large, dark shapes. Several of them…too many of them. They’re closing in on Raven. I should see better than I am. Why can’t I see well? Why am I falling?

What is going on?

I try to say her name, but my throat won’t work. I can’t form words. Not in my dragon form. I screech a warning just as I hit the ground…hard. I feel bones break. Excruciating pain shoots through every part of me. I hear Raven screech. She’s still in the sky above. The sound is filled with fear. That, and anger.

Get away!

Fly!

Please get away.

I slump down. I can scent blood. I think it’s mine. Then I am pulled under. I try, but I can’t fight it. My injuries are too severe.

14

Raven

“What do you want with me?” I shout, trying to pull free from the ropes tying my arms together. My heart is thumping hard in my chest. All I can think about is Stephan. My throat clogs as a sob threatens to break free.

Stephan.

Where is he? What happened to him? I heard him screech a warning. I saw him crash to the ground in a heap of broken limbs. I saw him lying there. My first instinct was to fly to him. That’s when they surrounded me. I tried to flee, but it was too late. I was captured. “Why am I here? Let me go!” I struggle once again against my bonds. At least they didn’t tie my feet. That’s something, I guess. At least I am able to stand and look this bastard in the eyes.

“That’s insolence child,” Tarek says. “You should not speak to an elder in that fashion. To your leader. I am a man. You are a woman. You need to learn respect. It has always been your downfall, Raven.”

I half expect him to beat his chest or to hit me over the head and drag me into a cave. I roll my eyes. “You kidnapped me. I’m here against my will. I do not have to adhere to your rules.”

“You are a child of this weyr.” Tarek is at least seventy…maybe older. He looks to be in his thirties. One of the perks of being a dragon shifter – we age much slower. He has dark, short-cropped hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He is a pompous asshole. Although, that’s putting it mildly. He’s been leader of this weyr for as long as I can remember. It was his father before that. Another pompous asshole, if the stories are to be believed.

“I left,” I say. “I made the choice to no longer be a part of this weyr and your crazy rules and regulations. I want to leave right now. Untie me.”

He smiles. “You can’t just leave. It doesn’t work that way. You are joined to us by blood.”

“I don’t want to be here.” I feel tears well but tamp them down. I won’t let him see me cry.

“You will learn to accept your new life here. You will be happy, my child.”

“What new life?” I throw at him.

He looks at me for a long while. “There is someone who wants to take you as a mate, even though you are well over the age of taking. Even though you are afflicted.”

“What?” I can’t believe what I am hearing. “Take me as a mate?” I whisper to myself.

“Yes, child. You will be mated, but I’m afraid that I can’t condone any children.”

“I don’t want to get married…” I frown. “Who wants to mate with me?” I wrack my brain, but can’t think of a single person in this weyr. My ability to see the future is considered an affliction. Like I’m tainted…and I guess I am, in a way. I’m seen as damaged goods. Dragon shifter men from this weyr stay far away from me. I dated one or two when we were teenagers, but dating and mating are two very different things. No one would have wanted me before I left. What’s changed?

“You will find out in good time. You will be happy. You don’t need children to have a happy union.”

No children. That makes even less sense. Our weyr is small. Children are encouraged. Not only that, dragon men are instinctually drawn to procreate. No man from this weyr will want a woman he can’t have kids with. Who would be so desperate?

“We can’t have you passing on your affliction to an innocent babe. That’s why,” he goes on. “It will be of the utmost importance that you follow this rule, or there will be dire consequences.”

Why is he still talking? “I don’t want to mate anyone from this weyr. No! That’s my answer. You can untie me now, and let me go.”

“It doesn’t work like that, Raven. You will mate, and you will be happy.”

“Just like that? You can’t tell me how I will feel about something.”

“Yes, just like that.” He nods. “I know what’s best.” There’s madness beneath his calm exterior.

“What about what I want?” I’m sure it’s a question countless others have asked. I ask it anyway.

“What any single person wants is not important. It’s all about the greater good of the weyr.” He really is clueless.

“Happy people who make their own decisions would be a good start.” My voice is shrill. I’m not getting through to him. Did I really expect to get that right?

“I can see that I am not getting through to you while you’re in this mood. I will leave you to think things through. Don’t let your weyr down again. Your mother and father were greatly disappointed when they found out about your disappearance. I won’t have you causing trouble, Raven. I need to be clear about that.”

“Where are my parents? Do they know I’m here?” I was sorry to leave my mom. I love her, but she’s brainwashed…just like almost everyone else. My dad is another story. I can’t see him changing any time soon.

“Rest well,” he says. Then I watch him leave. The door shuts, and I hear a key turn in the lock. I’m stuck between these four walls. I’m sure he will have posted a guard or two at the door. No windows. No help coming. I’m well and truly screwed.

I left a note in the kitchen earlier to say that we had gone flying. I’m sure Maddox will know what’s happened. It might take him a while to realize it, though. I hope they don’t try to launch a rescue. It would be futile. They’d be captured. Our weyr might not be big, but it’s large enough to pose a threat against four dragon demigods. I’m not worried about myself, though. I’m freaking out over Stephan. Out of my mind with worry.

Stephan.

I’m sure he is dead. The weyr will have had no reason to let him live. They will consider him to be an abomination, like Maddox and the others. Like me! My only hope is that they didn’t bother with taking the time to finish him off. That he is alive out there somewhere. Then again, the fall was potentially bad enough to have caused his death. I should have listened to Maddox. We wouldn’t be in this situation if I had. This is all my fault. I slide down the wall and curl into a fetal position. That’s when the tears come. I can’t stop them. I’ll let myself have this meltdown, and then I’ll suck it up and try to come up with a plan. I have to.

* * *

Raven

I must have fallen asleep during my pity party because I wake up with a start. The room is still pitch black. It takes me a few seconds for my eyes to adjust before I can see in the dark. I see feet and long legs in front of me.

I smile and suck in a breath.

Star shakes her head and puts a finger over her lips. I mustn’t make a sound. Just as I suspected, there must be someone posted outside the door. They will hear if I say even one word. Star smiles at me. She grips my wrist tightly with her hand.

I feel the floor fall out from under me. Nausea rolls through me. We’re moving but stationary. It’s the weirdest sensation. I haven’t teleported with Star in years. Seconds later, the ground is back beneath my body. I’m grateful I’m lying down, or I would have fallen. My head is spinning. My stomach is still rolling. Saliva fills my mouth, and I swallow it down, breathing hard. It takes ten more seconds for things to stop spinning.

“Star,” I push out.

“Stay where you are.” She goes down on her haunches, smiling at me. I’m reminded of how beautiful she is. Long, blond hair, gorgeous blue eyes the color of a winter’s day. She’s all graceful limbs. Star has full lips and a wide smile. Her eyes still look sad. “The dizziness will be over soon.” She works on my bindings, starting with the ones tied around my wrists. They can’t be silver-infused, or she would not have been able to teleport me.

I nod. “Nearly there.” I move to a sitting position, my head spinning a little again. “How did you know I was there?” I clutch my head.

“I overheard some of the guys talking with Jackson.”

I sigh. “You’re still with him.” My breathing is ragged.

She nods. “Don’t say anything. I don’t want advice. So long as he doesn’t take a mate, I’m going to…at least try to make it work with him. You never know.”

I do know! I want to tell her that he’s using her, but I hold back. Deep inside, she knows. She’s not stupid. A dragon shifter would never mate an abomination like one of us. It’s crazy to think it. No, Jackson will take a mate soon. It won’t be Star. Maybe then she will see reason and leave. I look around us. I’m in a forest under thick trees. It’s dark and smells musty.

“Where are we?”

“I wasn’t sure where to take you.” She shrugs. “I didn’t want to go near the humans.” She gets this quizzical look. “I wasn’t sure who the male is they captured at the same time as you.”

“What?” I shout. It feels like all the air has left my lungs. “Stephan is alive? They brought him in alive?”

Star nods. “Who is this male to you?” She sniffs me. “You’re not together.” Star can’t scent him on me, so she knows we aren’t sleeping together.

“I know him. He’s helping me. A friend,” I finally say because it’s simpler. “Can you help him?”

She shakes her head, looking afraid. “I don’t know where they’re keeping him.”

“But you can try to find him…please, Star.”

She pushes out a breath. “I can try, but I can’t teleport too often without it tiring me out. Even if I do find him, I’m not sure I’ll have enough strength to bring him here. If he’s in one of those silver cages…” She shakes her head.

“Please try. They’ll kill him.” I’m confused about why they even brought him in. Maybe they plan to torture him for information before they kill him. I wouldn’t put it past Tarek and his men.

Star holds my gaze for a few seconds and then nods. My heart races as I watch her disappear. Star can only teleport so many times before her energy depletes. Even if she finds Stephan, there’s no guarantee she will be strong enough to transport him back here. If they find out she is helping us— I don’t want to think about that. I doubt that Jackson will be able to help her if they find out what Star is up to. I feel useless.

I wrap my hands around my legs and shiver. I’m in a T-shirt and nothing else. I’m not cold. I’m fearful for Star, and even more so for Stephan. I say a silent prayer.

15

Stephanus

Pain.

Splintering, mind-shattering pain pulses through me. It hurts like fuck when my bones start pulling back into alignment. It’s a long process. I grit my teeth and groan. I try to take in my surroundings, but it hurts too fucking much to move. It hurts to breathe. To think, even. My head is throbbing. My right eye is swollen shut. I can taste blood. My arms and legs are bound. I’m not sure why someone would bother to tie me up. I’m not going anywhere for a while.

My only consolation is that they took me with them when they took Raven. She must be somewhere close. I need to heal so that I can rescue her. I have to get us out of this situation. I couldn’t tell what those dark shapes were. I was already too injured. I don’t want to assume they were members of her weyr, but that’s the most likely scenario. My wings were a broken and mangled mess. They aimed for them on purpose. Fuckers!

I groan again, trying hard not to move. Maybe I’ll pass out soon. I hope so. My mouth is dry. I’m in hell right now.

A woman appears and falls onto the floor next to me in a heap. She looks like she’s in old-fashioned, cotton pajamas. Her chest is rising and falling in rapid succession, but she’s not making any noise. I can’t see her face. I can’t move because it would hurt too much.

Who is she?

What is she doing here?

Maybe I’m dreaming. It’s possible. She lies there for a while. Several long minutes tick by. Her breathing normalizes. Then she is sitting up. Her hair is very long, all the way down her back. If it gets any longer, she might sit on it. Her eyes are blue. A thought flits around my mind. I can’t grab onto it. It’s something important. At least, I think it is. I can’t seem to hold onto the thought. Pain shoots down my legs. My skull throbs. I can’t think straight. She takes my arm, and I shout as pain blossoms.

I scream when I start to move. I grit my teeth, grateful when I black out.

* * *

“Oh, thank god,” someone says. “You’re awake.”

I groan. My head hurts. My body— Fuck! I try to change my position and groan again. The pain is slightly better than it was before, but not by much.

“Stay still,” the voice says again. “I can’t believe what they did to you.” She’s angry.

Raven.

“Shhhh.” I feel her soft touch on my cheek. The pain subsides just a little. Her touch is soothing. “Don’t try to talk,” she murmurs.

I open my eyes. My right eye isn’t as swollen anymore. I see her. She’s here, looking down at me with concern written all over her beautiful face.

“You should rest,” she whispers.

I moan.

“Close your eyes and rest,” she instructs. “We’re safe. I won’t leave you.”

“Safe.” My voice is a deep rasp. My throat is dry. My tongue is sticking to the roof of my mouth. I do as she says. I close my eyes. Then I’m drifting away again. My limbs becoming heavy. My eyelids heavier still.

I don’t know how long I sleep for. I feel marginally better when I wake up, so it must have been for a while. At least an hour, maybe two. More?

Raven is curled up against me. Her hand is on my chest. She’s touching me. What the fuck? I have a jumbled memory of her touching me earlier. I don’t know if that was real or imagined.

Her fruity scent is in my nose. Her warmth seeping into me. I savor the feeling, even though I’m still hurting. I want to put my arm around her and pull her in closer. Her chest rises and falls as she breathes deeply. Her eyelashes fan her cheeks. Her legs are bare. I think this T-shirt is the only thing she has on. I’ll be fucked if my cock doesn’t react. I’m broken – still healing from wounds that could very easily have been fatal – and yet here I am, getting a hard-on.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

I watch her for a long time. She isn’t getting anything from me, or she wouldn’t be able to sleep right now. She’s calm. Sleeping peacefully. We’re touching. I close my eyes and savor the feeling of her. I must drift off again because I come to when her hand moves on my chest. When her body gives a small jerk.

“You’re fine,” I whisper as her eyes open. As she sucks in a breath. I feel her relax against me.

Then she looks up and into my eyes. “Thank god you’re okay,” she whispers. “I wasn’t sure there for a moment.” She sits up, looking down at me. Her hair is all curls. Wild and untamed. Beautiful.

“I’ll live,” I push out, trying not to wince.

She looks me over. Her eyes glaze, and her throat works. “For a second there, I thought you were a goner.” I can see that the thought is upsetting to her.

“I’m not that easy to kill.” I lift my arm, surprised when I can do it. It still hurts, but it’s bearable. I thread my fingers into her hair. I see that nothing changes. She doesn’t get a vision.

“Don’t joke. It’s not a laughing matter.” Her eyes are blazing. “I thought you might die.” Her eyes fill with tears.

My arm is weak. I gently touch a finger to the side of her face. Something I’ve been wanting to do. “I didn’t.”

Raven sighs, she leans into my touch.

I take my arm back because I’m already feeling worn out from such a simple movement. “Did I dream about the blonde woman?” I frown. “The one with the very long hair?”

She smiles. “That would be Star. She can teleport.”

“Daughter of Hades,” I say.

“One and the same. She teleported us out of there. It took her a while to find you. She almost left you because she was so weak from searching for you.”

“Where is she?” I turn my head, but it throbs between my temples. I grit my teeth and take in a deep breath until the pain dulls.

“She left.” Raven looks down. Her eyes are hazy. “She’s in love with a dragon shifter. She didn’t want to cause trouble for either of them since she plans to stay with the weyr. Star didn’t have the strength to take us home. We’re on our own out here.” Raven looks around us.

“I need a few more hours to heal…a day at most,” I say.

“I will go and fetch us help now.” Determination shines in her eyes.

“No!” I don’t like the idea of her going out there alone. “We are doing this together.”

“They’re going to send a search party…maybe more than one,” she says. “I need to go right now so that I can avoid them.”

“You could be captured. What then?” I ask.

“If we go together, then we will both be captured. At least this way, if I am captured, you might still get back. We have more of a chance if we’re apart.”

Raven makes a good point. “Are you sure? I don’t like it.” I fucking hate it. I’m in no shape to argue. To do much of anything. I hate how weak I feel.

“I’m sure. If I’m not back with the others in a couple of hours, you’ll know I’ve been taken. When you heal, you can head back and fetch help.”

“Where are we?” I look around us. There are trees and thick undergrowth as far as the eye can see. No wonder Star chose to leave us here. We should be safe as long as we stay below the canopy. As long as we keep very quiet.

“We’re in a forest to the south-east of my weyr’s territory.” Raven goes on to describe our location in greater detail, giving me landmarks to go by to ensure that I will make it back to civilization if she doesn’t return.

“I still don’t like this.” I want to sit up, but I’m still too weak. I want to argue, but Raven is right.

“I don’t like it either. I got you into this mess. I’ll get you out of it.”

“You didn’t get me into anything. It’s not your fault that your weyr is fucked up.”

“I’m not sure why they even took you, Stephan. I can only think that they wanted information out of you. That they were keeping you long enough to get it.” Her eyes are blazing with anger. Her cheeks are rosy. “Will you be okay until I get back with help?”

I nod once. It hurts, but I don’t show any outward signs of discomfort. There is still pain, but thankfully my biggest problem now is weakness. The worst is over. “Don’t worry about me. It’s you who needs to be careful. I would never forgive myself if something were to happen to you.”

“I will be fine. I’m small, but I’m fast.” She leans over me, her eyes on mine. Then she’s smiling. Before I can think…react…do much of anything, her soft mouth is on mine. A quick brush of the lips. “I had to do that. Just once,” she murmurs as she pulls back a few inches.

“Just once?” I say, cupping her cheek with my hand. “Then, it’s best we make it count.” I urge her to come closer. Raven slants her mouth across mine. Holy fuck, but she tastes good. I thread my fingers through her hair as I pull her closer. I moan into her mouth.

All too soon, she’s pulling back. Regret in her eyes. “I need to go,” she whispers.

“You’re not getting any visions when we touch?”

She shakes her head. “My ability comes and goes.” She shrugs. “It doesn’t mean I won’t get another vision. It doesn’t mean that your future has changed. I have no control over it, which is a pain in the ass.”

I nod. “I’ll keep it in mind. Take care of yourself.”

“Thanks, I will.” Raven stands. “You too.” She peels her shirt over her head, turning away.

Jesus fuck, but she’s beautiful. I can’t stop staring. I should stop. I really should. Her legs would be considered muscular for a human. I can picture them wrapped around me. Her hips are flared. Her ass… Holy fuck! It’s full and yet pert. Raven turns around again. She must be able to hear how my breathing has changed. I sound like I can’t get any air into my lungs. Her stomach is flat and toned. Her tits. Lord, up above. They’re heavy. So lush that I want to groan. Her nipples are like ripe cherries. My mouth waters for a taste. My cock is filling. My balls are tightening.

“You shouldn’t look at me like that.” She’s smiling.

“You’re so fucking beautiful.” I savor the sight of her for a few more seconds. “Maybe it’s a good thing you’re going, Raven. My willpower is at zero.”

“You’re injured.”

“Some parts of me. Others are just fine.” My voice is deep.

She laughs softly but then her eyes cloud with sadness. “I had hoped we’d be able to settle down. To stop running.” She gets this wistful look. “I see now that it can’t happen. I need to fix this, and then we need to leave. We need to get as far away as possible and stick to ourselves.” She sighs. “The last thing I wanted was for you and the others to be pulled into our mess.”

“We’ll talk about it when we get out of this.”

Raven shakes her head. “There won’t be anything to talk about. We need to leave. I’m hoping they don’t know where you live or who you are. I’ll see you soon, Stephan. You rest and heal.”

“Be careful,” I whisper. The thought of something happening to her has adrenaline coursing through me. “Promise me.”

“I will. I’ll see you soon.” She waves a hand. Then she’s walking through the thick undergrowth. I’m amazed at how silent she is. I know she’s looking for somewhere to shift. A break in the trees where she can take to the sky.

I fucking hate this.

16

Raven

I walk for ten or fifteen minutes before I find a big enough clearing. It takes me less than a second to shift. I stretch my body, hearing my back click. I mutter under my breath to myself. Being tied up and made to sleep on a cold hard floor will do that to a person. Tarek is crazy. I can’t believe no one has seen that. That no one but our small group has retaliated against him.

Then again, that’s not completely true. There have been small acts of defiance over the years. Some were not all that small…my mind wanders to my mom for a second.

I’m about to launch into the sky when I hear it. A soft rumble from somewhere up above. There’s an answering call. Soft, easy to miss. I crouch down, spreading my wings as cover. Thankful that my scales are black as tar. Hopefully, I’ll blend in with the surroundings.

I hear the almost silent flapping of wings. More than one pair. I’d go so far as to say that there are at least five or six of them. I stay completely still. I don’t breathe. I will my heart to beat softer. They’re already looking for us. So soon! Too soon!

I’d say that it’s three or four in the morning. Too early for anyone to be up. It makes me worry about Star. Was she caught red-handed when she returned? Do they know she helped us? I’m hoping that our absence was noted because the guard was told to check on us at certain intervals. That my friend is in the clear.

There’s another rumble, further away this time. I stay down long after the sound of wings has abated. I remain until my limbs start to tighten. I have to be sure. If they find me here, they’ll know that Stephan is close, and then we’re screwed.

I pull my wings in and slowly stand. All of my senses are on high alert. What should I do now? How many search parties are out there? I’m still contemplating when I hear them again. They’re circling back. That, or it’s another group.

Crap!

I hunker back down, my mind in turmoil. Do they know that we’re here, or are they guessing? They’re probably patrolling the general area. Perhaps they’ve set up a perimeter around weyr territory. Clever! We would need to get through them to escape. It gives me hope that Star hasn’t been implicated.

I push out a silent sigh when they move off. I carefully tuck in my wings. I don’t want to make a single noise. Then I shift back into my human form. There is far more chance of me being caught if I try to fly out of here. That’s what they are looking for. I slowly and carefully make my way back to Stephan, but he’s not where I left him.

What?

My heart-rate picks up. My T-shirt is on the floor where I left it. I look around. I pick up his scent. It’s faint but there. I follow. It doesn’t take long before I hear the sound of water. Shit! If he made his way to a river, he’ll be in the open and easy pickings for the patrolling dragons. I can only hope he heard them or saw them before they spotted him. I didn’t hear any commotion. I pick my way to the edge of the forest but stay beneath the cover of trees, trying to spot him. I crane my neck up and down the river. I look up into the sky.

I don’t see anything but stars. The water is loud in my ears as it rushes in currents and torrents. I sniff at the air, trying to pick up Stephan’s scent. Has he been captured?

I see a form peel up from the water’s edge. I pull in a breath. By its size and shape, I think it must be Stephan. I exhale. He hobbles over to me. It is Stephan, I realize, as he draws closer. “Thank god,” he whispers as he reaches me. He’s covered from head to toe in mud. He’s breathing hard but trying to be quiet. Stephan takes hold of a tree and leans against it.

“You saw them,” I whisper; my voice is close to silent.

He nods once. “Trying to mask my scent. I was quite bloody.” I hear him swallow. “You should…do…the same.”

“Let me help you first.” I hook an arm around his waist and help him further into the forest, where the canopy is thick. It’s slow going because Stephan is so weak. We have to be quiet. He has his arm over my shoulder. He’s leaning heavily on me.

“Here,” he whispers, his voice a rasp. There is a fallen tree. We can hunker down beneath the thick trunk and branches. At the very least, it will be more difficult to find us. I help him down. Stephan takes my hand as I’m pulling away. “Careful.” He rubs his thumb over my palm. Despite being in danger, despite everything…my body reacts.

Awareness flits through me. My body tightens. “I will be.” I squeeze his hand and let go.

I am quick but quiet. Once I reach the edge of the forest, I watch and wait until I am certain it’s safe. Then I race to the water’s edge, still alert and ready. The bank is muddy. I will use it to hide if they come now. I drink my fill. The water is cold and delicious. Then I slather myself in cold mud. Goosebumps break out all over my body. If they decide to try to find us on foot, the mud will make it difficult for them to scent us. We can’t be too careful. If we are captured, Stephan will be killed. I know it with a fierce certainty. I will be forced to mate one of the men from the weyr. We can’t be found. We just can’t!

I do a quick check and then rush for the cover of the trees. I’m covered in thick mud. Even my hair and face. Everywhere. I’m barely in the safe zone when I hear them. I hide behind a tree and sit tight. The plan is to stay right here until they pass over.

Shit!

How are we going to get out of this?

I cover my mouth with my hand when I hear them land. They’re right here. I hear sniffing. Can they scent me? Surely not. I hear splashing and deep drinking. It feels like forever. I stand there and pray that they don’t hear me or pick up my scent. That something doesn’t give me away. There’s more drinking and splashing followed by more sniffing. Then one of them rumbles.

Oh, god!

Oh, god!

Please!

If they catch me, they’ll get Stephan. His death will be my fault. I can’t be responsible for another person’s death. I can’t! I almost cry out in relief when I hear them taking off. One by one, they take to the sky. I wait until they fly far enough away before I start moving. It seems to take forever before I get back to him.

Stephan has pulled himself deeper under the fallen tree. I have to duck to see him. He is fast asleep. There’s a chance they won’t see us if they decide to start searching on foot. We need to take every precaution. I retrace my steps, sweeping away my footprints with a branch. All the while, I listen for sounds of the patrol. Then I crawl under the fallen tree and spoon against Stephan’s back. He doesn’t move when I put an arm around him. I tense up for a moment, thankful when I don’t get anything from Stephan. No vision accosts me. I press myself tightly against him. It’s for warmth, I tell myself. I keep listening for noises. I’m tense and fearful, but I’m soon lulled by the sound of Stephan breathing. The slow inhale and exhale as he sleeps. I’m formulating a plan of escape. I think I have an idea. One that will work. I’m not sure that Stephan will agree to it. Maybe it won’t be necessary by the time he is strong enough to fly again.

* * *

When I wake up, it’s to the sound of insects chirping and buzzing. It’s warm. Light filters through the trees in long rays. It would be bright if not for the thick, leafy covering and our natural shelter overhead. I’m no longer spooning Stephan. I have one of my legs over his thighs. My sex is pressed firmly against him. My breasts are mashed against the side of his torso. His arm is around me, holding me tightly. My head is on his shoulder. My hand is on his chest. We’re as close as two people can get. Well…almost.

I notice two things. One, he’s awake. I can tell by his breathing. The other is his cock. It’s fully erect and jutting from his body. It’s the only part of him that isn’t covered in dried up, cracking mud. “How did you sleep?” he whispers.

“Like the dead. You?”

“Great, until I felt all of your curves against me.” He looks down into my eyes. My breathing has become erratic and deep.

I watch his nostrils flare. “You’re turned on.”

“So are you.”

He closes his eyes. “This is a bad idea, Raven.”

“I know.” I nod. Screw it! After everything that’s happened, I don’t feel like playing the safe-card anymore. “It’s a bad idea. Even though life is short…even though we almost died…could still end up dead. It’s still a terrible idea. Only, I can’t think of a single reason why that is. No real reason. Not right now. You might need to remind me before I jump you,” I whisper.

His chest vibrates in a silent chuckle. He smiles, and the mud around his mouth cracks. He’s still cute, even covered in gunk. More than just cute. I’m tripping over myself right now. I can’t believe how solid his body feels. All hard muscle. How good he feels. His eyes are gorgeous. He’s gorgeous. They’re on me. I love what I see inside them. Makes me feel warm inside. I’m so far in over my head, it’s scary.

“Well, because you could get another vision at any time, which sucks,” he says.

“I need a better reason than that since we’re touching right now.”

“Because sex would complicate things.”

I see his eyes move up and then from side to side. I’m not sure if he’s listening for the patrols or whether he’s trying to come up with more reasons why we shouldn’t have sex right now. Personally, I’m still coming up with blanks. All blanks.

“There are worse things than complicated...like dead…dead is worse.” I smile, feeling the mud crack and peel around my mouth.

He grins. “I suppose that’s true,” he whispers back. “We would need to be quiet, or we’d face capture by your crazy weyr. That might be a tough ask.”

“We could be very quiet.”

“It would be difficult.”

“Almost impossible but doable,” I whisper. “Are you too sore or too tired?”

He gives me a half-smile. He could lie right now. “Not in any pain. Still a little weak, but other than that, I’m much better.”

“I can see that…” I let my gaze lower to his member. Stephan is big all over. “I had to do a double-check on your health…as a formality.”

“You shouldn’t look at me like that. Makes it hard to think.” His voice has turned deep and smoky.

I look up at his face. “Any other objections?”

“You’re on the rebound.” I don’t think he realizes it, but he is rubbing his hand up and down my arm while we talk.

“I don’t think I am.”

“You don’t think?” He quirks a brow. “Doesn’t sound too convincing.”

I shake my head. “Nope.” It doesn’t really matter either way since we’re leaving in a few days, if – big if – we even make it out of here. I go on anyway, “West and I were over long before we actually broke up. We hadn’t slept together since before Mimi died. It’s been over a year since I had sex.” I was worried before. I’m not anymore. I’m totally over West. “I think my lack of sex is an excellent reason for doing it.”

He pushes out a breath. “It’s been at least that long for me too, which is a reason against.”

“Against?” I lift my head so that I can look him square in the eyes. “How so?”

He raises his brows. “I’d come in less than ten seconds. I know you’d feel fucking amazing. You’ll never look at me the same way again. In fact, you’ll never look at me again…period. I can’t have that happening.” He gently touches the side of my jaw. I want to arch into him.

“There are ways to prevent that from happening.”

“What, you never looking at me again, or premature ejaculation?”

I giggle softly. “The latter.” I brush a kiss across his lips. Then I slide down his body. We’re covered in dried-up, cracking muck, but I couldn’t care less.

“What are you doing?” I hear both panic and excitement in his voice.

“What does it look like?” I take hold of his cock. It’s silky and smooth. It seems to pulse beneath my grip.

Stephan hisses.

“You need to be very quiet, or we’re dead. No pressure,” I say, placing a kiss on the tip of his head. He bites down on his lower lip. “I must warn you, I give excellent head,” I tell him as I take his tip into my mouth.

Stephan’s whole body tightens. His eyes turn hazy with desire.

I suck on his dick a couple of times, deepthroating him from the start. His eyes widen. He rubs the back of my head with one of his big hands. He doesn’t grip me or tighten his hold. I keep sucking softly. Then I lick my way around his rim before taking him deep again. Right to the back of my throat. Using one hand, I cup his balls.

He mouths the word ‘fuck’, his hand momentarily tightening on my hair. I lick his rim one more time while keeping his tip in my mouth. I watch his Adam’s apple work. Then I go back to deepthroating him. I play with his balls, cupping them in my hand. I feel them tighten, pulling up.

“Raven,” he whispers.

I know he’s going to come. I fist the base of his cock a little harder and tug a couple of times in time with my suctioning, thrusting mouth. I don’t let up on his balls. Then he’s coming and coming. His body jerks and his eyes go wide.

I’m impressed. He doesn’t make so much as a sound. His head is rolling back. His eyes are tightly shut. He has this look of rapture on his face as he comes down. His hips rock gently. I lick and suck and tease as much pleasure out of him as I can. Eventually, he lifts his head. His chest is rising and falling rapidly. He smiles at me. “Thank you,” he whispers. “That was some head.”

“Any time.” Scary thing is that I mean it. Before I can think about it, he’s gripping my hips and flipping me over onto my back. He’s looking down at me like he can’t quite believe what he is seeing. I’m covered in dirt, so it’s understandable. He spreads my legs like he’s unwrapping a Christmas present. Like I’m made from gold and diamonds. Then he lifts them up…up…up. I can hardly breathe.

“Your pussy is a gorgeous pink.” He keeps his eyes on the juncture between my legs. The place where it’s pulsing. “So damned pretty. And for the record, mud is a good look on you.” He catches my eyes for a moment, his jaw tensing.

I’m desperate for him to touch me. I might go off like a rocket as soon as he does. I’m not prepared when his tongue laves my clit. When his mouth closes on the small bundle of nerves. My back bows. I have to hold back the cries that are building inside my throat. The noises that are resonating from deep inside me. I know Stephan doesn’t have sex often. That it’s been a while since he was with a woman…but he knows what he’s doing. He’s licking and suctioning me with just the right degree of firmness. Sometimes doing both at once. Then his finger is inside me. I have to bite back a moan. I make a tiny, desperate-sounding noise. I work harder at keeping quiet. I think he’s using two fingers now. They’re sliding in and out. Not too fast and not too slow. His mouth… Oh, his mouth.

Oh, god!

Oh!

Oh!

I’m rocking against him. My breathing is ragged. I can’t help that. I’m on the verge of coming. I’m close. Everything is tightening…coiling…about to spin out of control. Then he’s pulling back, covering me with his big body. His mouth is on mine. I can taste myself on his lips.

It’s my last coherent thought as he lifts my legs and pushes inside me in one hard thrust. I groan into his mouth.

“Shhhh,” he says against my lips. “Shhh…” he says again as he begins to move, fucking me with hard, even strokes that take my breath away and have my eyes watering. Stephan lifts my legs higher on his body, adjusting the angle.

Holy crap!

Holy…!

Oh…oh!

He hits my spot. I can’t breathe or think. I hear him grunt softly. His kisses are frantic. Unlike his thrusts, which are pure control.

I’m digging my nails into his shoulders. I can’t help it. I want more. I want everything. My breasts are rubbing against his chest. There is extra friction because of the mud. My nipples are hard and sensitive. My whole body is a live wire right now.

He whispers my name against my lips. It sounds like a plea. A prayer. His chocolate gaze is on mine. He grunts softly. He lifts my legs even higher, grinding into me. There’s still no sense of urgency, even though I can see it in his eyes.

“Tight,” he whispers softly between kisses. “Fucking wet.” I can hardly hear him. “Love…how you feel.” His words do things to me. I’m close. I’m on the edge. I can feel my orgasm there…right there. I’m teetering on the edge. I’m about to come hard. Any second now. Any—

Stephan frowns. His eyes narrow. He stops moving. His eyes lift.

I hear them too. Wingbeats in the distance. He covers my mouth with his big hand. He sends me a warning look. Then he’s moving again. They’re right here above us, and he’s moving. Barely, though. Slowly…slowly. In and then out with infinite care. I’m still right there, but it isn’t enough to tip me over the edge. Thank god. I can’t come now. Not now!

I’m terrified and exhilarated. I’m feeling everything more acutely. I’m trying not to breathe too hard. Not to feel too much, and I’m failing.

Oh.

My.

God.

In and out. Slow. Slow. Slow. Easy. It seems to take forever for them to move off. My eyes are locked with his. His jaw is tight. Stephan is frowning hard. His eyes are hazy and yet alert. His arm is between us, his finger is on my clit. Rub. Rub. Rub.

In and out. So slowly. I want to groan. I want to come so badly. Never this badly. Stephan is listening, his face turning up. That finger. That blasted finger is rubbing circles around my clit. On the periphery. Everything he is doing is designed to keep me there without taking me over the edge. I fully understand why he’s doing it, but it’s still driving me insane. Finally…finally, he rubs that blasted finger over my clit, and my back bows. I have to clamp my mouth shut to keep from yelling. I dig my fingers into his back. He lifts my legs up high on his back until my heels are between his shoulder blades.

His thrusts are now hard and urgent. “Shhh,” he warns, a feral smile on his lips. Beautiful, even covered in mud. Maybe because of being covered in the stuff.

Oh!

Oh…

He’s there. Right there. My spot. I’m about to see stars. What am I saying? I’m already seeing stars, and I’m not even coming yet. I’m so close…so very close. My eyes shoot open. Wide. My mouth drops open. Just as wide. I can’t breathe. Not one tiny bit.

“There,” he whispers. “Right fucking there.” His voice is tense. His thrusts are fast and punchy. I hear the suctioning noises my body is making. Everything seems so loud, and I don’t care. I should, but I don’t.

My channel flutters for a few seconds. I clutch at him, frantic. It happens quickly. In a rush. My pussy tightens around him, and hard.

He puts his hand over my mouth, which somehow heightens the sensations rushing through me. How can that be? How? Everything let’s go. All my synapses fire, and all at once. I groan against his hand.

“Shhhhh.” He’s watching me come. Taking me in.

Watching.

Watching.

Watching.

It’s such a turn-on. Just when I think he’ll let me come down, he fucks me harder…holding me there. I’m a jittery, boneless mess when he finally pulls out.

“Beautiful,” I hear him murmur.

I’m on the ground. Barely able to make a coherent thought. My legs are as wide as they will go. My chest is heaving.

I watch as Stephan pulls back onto his knees. Still between my legs. He barely fits in this small space and has to hunch over. His face is pinched. His eyes blazing. His jaw is tight. His cock is still hard and jutting from his body. It’s glistening wet with my juices. He fists his cock, tugging up and down. His eyes are on me. Between my legs…on my chest. He grits his jaw, his eyes rolling back. His hand moving quickly up and down his long length. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so erotic. I’m in awe. His jaw tightens even more. His eyes widen as they lock with mine. He makes this soft grunting noise. That, too, has got to be the sexiest sound I have ever heard. His other hand closes over his head. Then he is crunching over his middle, his movements turning jerky. His jaw becoming slightly slack. He is coming into his hand. He makes another soft groaning noise. His eyes are hazed over. His breathing is loud and ragged; it reverberates around us. “Shit!” he finally whispers. “Fuuuuuck!” Softer. His shoulders slump. His chest heaving.

It takes him half a minute to get his breath back. “We almost got caught,” he whispers, smiling at me.

I shake my head. “It would have been worth it,” I joke, even though it isn’t funny.

He nods. “So worth it. I need to clean up.” He works his way out from under the fallen tree. Within a minute or two, he’s back. “I wasn’t sure if you were on birth control,” he says, pulling me into his arms. “I didn’t want to just assume and come inside you.”

I wince. “I’m not on any birth control.” It never even entered my mind. I’m not usually so careless. “I’m not ovulating, though.”

He kisses the top of my head. “Good thing I pulled out.”

I have to strain to hear what he is saying. “You’re really sweet for thinking about it.” I snuggle closer to him. “We’re going to have sex again before trying to get out of here.”

His chest vibrates with a silent laugh.

“I wish we could find a drug store.”

“Me too.”

“That was better than flying,” I say, still out of breath.

“Yes, it was.” He kisses my head again.

I know I should bring up our situation. Tell him my plan. I don’t. We can’t do anything in the bright light of day, anyway. We need to hide out and pray the patrols let up. I think Stephan is probably still a little on the weak side.

As if in answer, I hear his breathing change. It’s becoming deeper and more rhythmic. I think he’s falling asleep. We’ll figure things out later. Right now, I’m basking in the afterglow from what just happened. I’m enjoying feeling alive for the first time in a long time. This, despite our predicament. I snuggle closer to Stephan and close my eyes.

17

Stephanus

“I don’t like it,” I say, feeling more dried mud crumble away from my body. Most of it has broken off. We’re both dirty. I can’t help but think that Raven has never looked sexier. Her face is smudged. Her hair is a mess. Her eyes are greener, and her lips pinker. Fuck! I want to kiss her. This is serious, so I hold back.

“Do you have another plan that doesn’t involve trying to hike out of this area? It would take us days, and we would possibly still get caught.”

I sigh. “No…unfortunately not.”

“The other alternative is to sit tight for the foreseeable future,” she says, her eyes moving up in thought.

“No.” I shake my head, pushing out a breath. “If we stayed, we’d need to hunt. That would be noisy. Blood has a sharp, distinct scent. In other words, we’d stand a good chance of being captured. We need to leave soon. We’re strong right now, but that isn’t going to last for days without proper food.” Raven found some berries earlier. It was slim pickings, but it helped. We’re about to leave for the river. We’re going to wash up and drink. Then we need to make a decision. One that could affect our lives.

“Your weyr leader told you he’s going to force you to mate someone.” I feel myself tense up. My teeth sharpen, and my voice turns deep. “We can’t be captured,” I mutter.

Raven makes a noise of agreement. “I can’t think who this mystery person might be. No dragon shifter would take me. It makes no sense.” She’s frowning. “It might be someone who committed an offense. They’re punishing him by forcing him to take me. That’s possible. Tarek would pull shit like that.” She takes my hands. “They’ll kill you, Stephan. I’m telling you. My way is the only way.”

“I’m not using you as bait.” Everything in me bristles. “There’s got to be a better option.”

“There isn’t. One of us needs to escape. That person has to be you.”

We’re standing face to face so that we can read each other’s lips. We’re barely making a sound. I squeeze her hands. “It goes against everything inside me. Every instinct…everything I believe in…everything. I don’t know if I can do it.”

“You have to. You need to escape so that you can bring help. I believe in you.” She reaches up and kisses me softly on the lips.

I want to hold onto her and deepen the kiss. I don’t. Not right now.

“There’s a chance we’ll both make it out,” Raven says. “That we’ll—”

Sensing movement above, I look up and give a small shake of my head, eyes widening. She nods, her eyes growing fearful. We crouch, getting in close to a nearby tree. A patrol is almost overhead. We stay that way for a minute or two until we’re sure they’re gone.

“Not much chance of us both making it,” I murmur. The patrols are still out in full force. Raven wants to use herself as bait. While the patrols are focused on her, I’ll hopefully slip away unnoticed. Otherwise, by the time they spot me, it’ll be too late for them to capture me. At least, that’s the thinking. It might not work. Or Raven might give herself up for nothing. We might both be captured in the end.

I hate every scenario. We’re either going to be captured together, or we’ll be captured individually. We’re betting on Raven being caught while I escape. None of the plans work for me. It’s a colossal fuck-up!

“Let’s go.” Raven grabs my hand. “I need to wash this mud off of me. I’m itchy and thirsty.”

“I hear you.” My mouth and throat are dry. We start walking, careful to stay quiet.

We reach the river a few minutes later. It’s a dark night, on account of the clouds that have rolled in. It might rain. We need to use the cover to our advantage. Shifters can see in the dark, but there is a limit to the ability, especially from a distance. Flying into the actual clouds might just give us an edge we need to escape.

We reach the outskirts of the trees. We’re close to the river. All is quiet except for the rushing of the water. It’s a good thing, since it will mask the noise of us bathing. It should be at least eight or ten minutes before the next patrol is overhead. We’ve been timing them as best we can without watches. There’s a section of river with an overhang. The edge is muddy. If a patrol comes along, we’ll hide in the mud under the overhang. They would need to almost be on top of us to see us.

We lock gazes. We both know to stay quiet. To be quick and on our guard. Raven nods at me, and I nod back. Then we head for the river. Raven is just ahead of me. We jog, closing the distance quickly. I note how quick, silent, and agile she is. Raven uses one hand to cradle her heavy breasts, which still bounce with each footfall. I’m fucked if my dick doesn’t take note. I know it’s the worst possible time, but it can’t be helped. She’s incredibly beautiful. I think in any situation, I will always take note of that fact.

I scan the area while she wades into the water just a few feet from the overhang. I turn back and savor the sight of her ducking under the water and then coming up to wash.

I go from hard to throbbing. I have to work to keep all my wits about me despite being more turned on than I think I have ever been before. I can’t let my cock be our downfall. That won’t happen.

I wade in next to Raven as she is finishing up. I keep my eyes off her. It’s tough, but I manage to focus on the job at hand. I watch the sky and listen hard while Raven drinks. Then our roles are reversed, and Raven is keeping a look-out. Minutes later, we are sprinting for the cover of the trees.

As soon as we reach the undergrowth, we slow, being more careful not to make any noise. There are exposed roots, patches of leaves and fallen twigs and branches.

Raven stops. I note that her chest is rising and falling a little quicker. She’s not making so much as a sound. We stand close. Her nipples are a hair’s breadth away from my chest.

“I guess this is it,” she says.

“I don’t like it.” I shake my head. “But I can’t think of a better idea.” My words are barely a whisper.

She nods and mouths, “I’ll fly slow. I’ll make sure they see me. I’ll head east. Once they are closing in, you need to make a run for it in the opposite direction. Best case scenario, you’ll make a clean break. Worst case…there will be fewer of them after you. You might get a slight head-start. You have to escape! You hear me?”

I nod. “You give me the gap I need, and then you fly like you’ve never flown before. You get away. Don’t linger. Don’t take any unnecessary risks.” I cup her jaw with both hands.

“I won’t.” She looks into my eyes.

“I mean it, Raven.” My heart is beating. I’m terrified for her. If we stay here, there’s a chance we’ll both be caught. We need to make a move. The patrols seem to be flying more often. They’re getting lower…more deliberate. We don’t have much more time.

Raven kisses me. There’s desperation in her touch. Need. So much emotion. Fear. A whole lot of fear. Then there’s something else. I’m feeling it too. All of it.

I moan softly, my arm circling her, dragging her closer. I moan again, it’s barely audible. Still, it’s filled with a raging need. All her curves are against me. Her nipples are hard pebbles.

Both my hands close over her lush ass. I squeeze, breaking the kiss. I put my mouth to the shell of her ear. “You need to tell me to stop.”

The little minx rubs up against me. “I can’t.”

“I shouldn’t have fucked you before. I definitely shouldn’t do it now,” I whisper softly. “We could get caught with our pants down.”

“We don’t have pants,” she whispers, her hand slides between us and closes around my cock.

I think we both realize that this could be it for us. The end of the road. We could be captured, killed, mated to other people. Best case scenario, we both escape, and Raven and her crew leave at the first opportunity. She’s made it clear that they won’t be sticking around.

This.

Is.

It.

More than likely, our last chance. It isn’t just lust. At least, I can say that for myself. I’m not entirely convinced that I’m not a rebound fuck for her. I realize it. I’ll still take it. I’ll take what I can get. I’ll savor it. I’ll savor her.

I close a hand around her breast, feeling all her fullness. I rub a finger over her tight nipple.

“I want you,” she whispers. “Need you,” she adds.

I nod. “So bad,” I whisper. “Quiet,” I warn. “They’ll be back soon.”

I feel her nod since her cheek is against mine. She tugs on my cock, from base to tip. I have to hold back a groan of epic proportions.

This woman.

Raven.

We need to be careful. I pull back and look around us. There are a couple of big trees to the side of us. One of them is arched to the side. I turn Raven around in that direction, and we head to the tree.

Then I push her against it. She leans a little forward, bending with the trunk. Her ass is fucking gorgeous. Like the rest of her.

Raven puts her hands against the bark. I can shove us against the tree should a patrol come through. Thankfully, the canopy is thick. I need to try to stay alert. Tough when I’m inside this woman. That’s putting it mildly. I hate that we have to hold back. That we have to be so damned careful. I want to see her lose control. I want to hear her let loose.

I’m still not complaining. I’ll take what I can get, with a smile.

I can see her chest moving faster. I can scent her arousal. We need to be quick and quiet. I know it’s a risk. I know we shouldn’t, but…you only live once. Right now, with Raven, I feel alive. I suck on the tip of my finger.

I tease her nipple with one hand and slide the other around and between her legs, zoning in on her clit. With just the tip of my finger, I circle the tiny nub a few times. She’s still wet from the river. It won’t be long before I have her dripping. Raven’s head pulls back, and to the side, her mouth is open, her eyes are filled with desire…hazy with it.

I’m shaking a little. It’s need. Unadulterated need. Our fuck earlier today only heightened my desire for Raven. Made it more acute. I lean over her.

“I’m barely holding it together,” I whisper as I slip a finger inside her tight heat and pump.

I feel her turning more slick with each thrust of my finger.

“Yes.” It comes out sounding strangled.

“Shhh,” I warn, rubbing on her clit as well.

Her legs are shaking now too, as I use my thumb to stroke her clit while plunging my finger deep into her pussy. Her breathing has turned a little ragged.

My cock is hard against her ass. That’s another thing. It almost killed me to pull out of her before. I so badly want to come inside her welcoming heat. To put my scent all over her. To mark her as mine. Crazy thinking, I know. Although I don’t scent that she is ovulating or about to ovulate, I won’t be coming inside Raven. It would be too risky, for various reasons. I don’t give a fuck about West. I don’t want to cause shit with her friends…her brother. I don’t want to cause shit for her.

I make sure my mouth is right up against her ear. I nip on her earlobe. My fingers are still working her pussy. I can hear her breathing. It’s louder and desperate-sounding. Good!

“I’m going to fuck you now, Raven,” I whisper. “Hard and fast. You need to stay silent.” I don’t want to rush a good thing, but the longer our attention is on each other, on how good our bodies feel together, on reaching climax…the more chance we have of being caught.

She nods. I see that her mouth is open. Her eyes are wide. Her fingers are digging into the bark. Raven is rocking her hips in time with my fingers. Her ass is inadvertently rubbing against my cock.

Fuck!

“If I stop…or slow down almost to a stop, it means they’re here. Stay quiet.” There is an edge of worry to my voice. It can’t be helped. I can still stop this lunacy… What am I saying? There’s no stopping what’s about to happen.

She nods, pushing the side of her face against the tree. I can see that she’s close to coming. I’m tempted to let her. To work a second orgasm out of her with my cock. If we were anywhere but here, I’d do just that. Orgasming is risky. I need to minimize our risk. I vow that if I’m ever lucky enough to get a chance to get inside this sweet body again, I will make Raven orgasm more than once. I will make her fucking lose it – all her faculties – and I will come inside her. Even if we use a condom…I don’t care, as long as I am buried deep when it happens. There will be no pulling out.

“Oh…oh…” she whispers; still, it’s too loud. She can’t be blamed since I’m still finger-fucking the hell out of her.

She feels so good. Her pussy is tight and hot. I leave my finger pressed on her clit. I don’t move it. Not an inch. She starts rocking back against me, desperate for relief.

“Shhhh,” I whisper a warning as I line up to her glistening channel. I put my tip against her, applying some pressure. “Ready?” I murmur.

She groans. It’s soft, but not nearly soft enough.

I should take this part slow. Ease my way into her snugness. I don’t. I cover her mouth with my hand and enter her with one hard shove. She cries out against me, but I do a good job of muffling the noise.

My eyes squeeze shut. My breathing is now as ragged as fuck. I hear her sucking down air through her nose like she can’t get enough of it. Pleasure rushes through me. My balls tighten immediately.

I zone in on her clit and rub very softly. I don’t want her to come right off the bat. This needs to be quick, but not too quick. I thrust into her a couple of times. Not too hard and not too fast. Her breasts bounce in time with my ministrations. I never thought I was a breast man before meeting this woman. I’m converted. Make no mistake, everything about her is sexy, but right now, her side-boob is a thing to behold. I want to fuck her with a mirror in front of us. Or with her on all fours. I want her on top. I want her underneath me again. I want her every which way. I just want her.

I’m just getting going when— Fucking hell! I hear them. I keep my hand tightly around her mouth. I push all the way inside her and hold still. I press my finger against her clit, but I don’t move so much as a muscle. We’re both too close to the edge to take any risks. Either she hears them too, or she takes her cues from me because she quietens down. I take my hand away from her mouth to make it easier for her to breathe.

We stand there, pressed tightly against the tree, under the canopy. Our bodies locked together. My dick throbbing inside her. My heart is beating like mad. If they decide to check this part of the forest, we’re fucked. All I can smell is sex. If they fly very low, we might just be busted. I can smell the musky, slightly salty scent of her pussy. It makes my mouth water. Makes my teeth sharpen. I’m not sure why that is. Maybe my dragon wants to mark her or protect her. Probably both.

As they move off, I start to tease her clit. Softly at first and then more firmly. I start to carefully rock into her. Jesus, but she feels amazing. My balls are in my throat. I work her clit faster. Her breathing has turned ragged. Her hands are clutching at the tree. I pull back further and punch into her heat. I pinch her clit between my forefinger and thumb. Hard enough to sting a little, but not hard enough to hurt her. The sensory overload should make her come. I put my other hand next to hers on the tree trunk. There’s no gentle fluttering of her walls. No warning to speak of. Her pussy just clenches around my cock like a velvet vice. I feel a sharp pain on my hand. I realize she’s biting down on me.

Fuck!

I lose it. I seriously fucking lose it. The feeling of her sharp teeth embedded in my skin is too much. Scales erupt on my chest. My own teeth turn sharp. I hold back a roar, only just managed to stop myself from biting her neck. I’m almost not quick enough. I can feel myself coming.

I pull out, strumming on her clit for all I am worth, while I come hard on the ground between her legs. I ease off as she comes down. When she’s properly spent, I fist my cock. Squeezing out the last of my own pleasure. My eyes are firmly shut. My breathing is ragged.

I pull back and see come splattered on the lower side of her right thigh. Most of it is on the ground, but not all. Shit! I didn’t mean to do that, but I’m fucked if I don’t feel heat blossom inside me. I feel possessive. I have no right to feel this way. No right at all.

Raven turns. Her eyes are wide. She looks upset.

“Sorry,” we both whisper in unison.

“Why are you sorry?” I ask. “I’m the one who should be apologizing.” I swallow, trying to catch my breath without making too much noise.

I can see she’s doing the same. “I bit you.” She bites down on her lip. “I was going to scream and…” She mouths, “I tasted blood.” She winces.

I look down at the top of my hand, and sure enough…a bite mark. Raven did a good job of it. That warmth inside my chest ignites further. Raven marked me.

“I’m so sorry,” she mouths, looking like she means it. “It wasn’t like that. It wasn’t mating behavior, I swear.” It’s a dragon thing. They like to bite their partners during sex. Biting is at the same level as telling someone you love them. No wonder Raven is freaking out.

“I understand. I know why you did it. I, um,” I make a face, “I might have come on your leg. I’m blaming you… If you hadn’t bitten me, it wouldn’t have happened.”

She chews her bottom lip, looking appalled.

“I’m sure we could wash it off, and—” I start to say.

“It’s fine. I don’t mind. We had sex…I don’t plan on pretending we didn’t.”

I nod and smile at her. “Okay, then. I just need to warn you that if West tries to knock my head in, I’m going to defend myself. I’m not going to just sit there and take it. I’m sorry about his brother, but that’s not going to happen.”

I see her eyes cloud.

“Unless you would prefer it if I let him beat me up?” If I was talking normally, there’d be a growl to my voice.

She gives me a dirty look. “I just feel bad for him. He didn’t have the best childhood, and then Raider died. I wish he’d move on.” She shrugs. “I don’t expect you to let him beat on you. Just try to go easy on him. Especially if I’m not there.”

If she’s captured. Fuck! I feel a pang. I’m nervous about what we need to do, but I realize that there’s some jealousy there as well. I’m irritated by the emotion.

“What does that look mean? What’s going on inside your head?” Raven touches my jaw, and my light stubble catches.

“Nothing.” I shrug.

She lets me go. “I’m over West. I still care about him. If it weren’t for all of this,” she gestures around us, “I would be very interested in exploring us. It won’t work, though. My life is a mess. Look what I’ve gotten you into. If we get out of this, the guys and I need to leave…we need to get far away. We’ll need to stay away for a good long while.” She sighs. “I have no idea how my weyr even found us, since they’re completely off the grid.” She’s frowning.

“Maybe that changed after you left. Maybe they’re connected now. They have to be.”

“I doubt it.” She shakes her head. I can see she’s thinking it through. “It would be too risky. Tarek is very much against technology in any form. I think he’s worried that the outside world – and social media especially – would give his people ideas. He’s been brainwashing everyone for years and years. All of that would be undone if the weyr had access to the outside world.”

“How, then?” I say.

“Maybe by chance.” She shrugs. I can see she isn’t buying it.

“Has to be via social media. Or tracking one of your phones...or something along those lines.” There is no other explanation, even if she won’t see that.

She shakes her head. “I didn’t see any kind of technology when I was there. No towers or wires. Nothing. I don’t buy it. It doesn’t matter right now.” I can see it isn’t sitting well with her. I can see it’s been playing on her mind.

I’m feeling an ache inside me all over again. We’re putting off the inevitable. We need to make a break for it. “Raven,” I say.

She must see the concern in my eyes. “I know,” she mouths. “We’ll wait until after the next patrol passes.”

I nod. “As planned. No chances. No risks.” I widen my eyes.

“Don’t come back for me.” She puts her arms around my waist. “No matter what.”

“Try not to get caught.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“If you are,” I put my arms around her, “know that I will come back for you. Hold on until then.”

“I know.” She reaches up and kisses me.

“Do you want to get cleaned up first? We could go back to the river.”

She shakes her head. “Too risky. I’ll do my best with leaves and moss. Besides, if I’m captured, I want to be handed over to whoever wants to mate with me with your scent all over me.” Her eyes glisten in defiance. “I’m glad it happened!”

I am too, but I don’t say that. “It might get you into more trouble.” I push out a breath, worry surging through me.

“I’m hoping not to get captured. I’m fast…remember?” She winks at me.

It’s false bravado, but I don’t say anything. I nod and kiss her softly. Just a quick brush of the lips. I can’t seem to get enough of her.

She tries to pull away, but I tighten my arms around her. “Firstly, thank you for risking yourself for me. It means more than you will ever know.”

“You’re welcome.” She smiles for a moment.

“I also need to add, for the record…” She nods, her eyes on mine. I lick my lips. “I would have liked to explore this...us. I would’ve liked that a whole lot.” I pull her into an embrace. I bury my face in the crook of her neck. I breathe her in. We hold onto each other for a few moments. All too soon, we’re pulling away from one another. I pray that the horrible feeling growing inside me is just that…a horrible feeling. That it isn’t my ability kicking in. I don’t think so, but you never know with these things.

18

Raven

I have a terrible feeling about this. My scalp prickles. My mouth feels dry. It’s probably just nerves. I don’t think it’s a premonition. It doesn’t feel like one.

I’ve wracked my brain a hundred times, and I can’t come up with another option. I need to do this. Stephan has to get away. We can’t wait any longer. We have a plan. As long as I stick to the plan, we should be okay.

I’m walking. I’m listening for the next patrol – they seem to be more and more frequent. I don’t think it’s my imagination. I need to give Stephan enough time to get as far away from me as he can and to find a clearing of his own. We’ve split up. The reasoning is that he can’t launch from the same place as I do. He stands more of a chance if he can get away without being seen. One patrol has already passed overhead since we moved out. I’m going to take flight soon after the next one.

I’ve already passed a couple of suitable launch sites, but they’re too close to where I left Stephan.

It doesn’t take long before the next patrol is approaching. I wait it out, hunkered under a thick tree, and then keep moving. The next clearing I hit, I shift. I take a couple of deep breaths, and then I’m launching. I flap hard…up…up I go. I want them to hear me, to see me. I need their attention on me. I head east. The alarm is given within seconds in the form of a loud screech. It’s answered with more screeches. My heart pounds. Adrenaline courses through my veins. I need to keep a cool head. I fly hard and fast, keeping my eyes peeled for more dragons. Make no mistake, there are more. Too many.

I hear the strong wings beating behind me. They’re not catching up with me yet. I want to fly faster, but I hold back. I need to save my strength.

All too soon, another call is given from a second group. They’re to my left. Shit! This formation is closer. The second call was to be expected though, since there are so many dragons out looking for us. I change course slightly. I’m careful to keep clear of Stephan. I’m desperate to look back, but I don’t. The first patrol group is now closing in on me. I would hate for them to see me looking. They might realize why I’m doing it. They might realize…if they haven’t already. So far, all eyes seem to be on me. At least, I pray they are.

I can hear them behind me…closer…closer. I push myself harder. I need to stay ahead, but at the same time to keep them with me. The chase is on!

They’ve been patrolling in relentless shifts for hours since we made our escape. I’m sure they feel the fatigue. I have the advantage there. Having said that, I don’t fly often enough. I can already feel myself tiring. It’s also due to the lack of food. They have that advantage. I need to dig very deep. I can do this!

I see a bank of thick clouds ahead. I’m not sure if I should steer clear of them since I want the dragons to keep chasing me. If I lose them now, it might be too soon for Stephan to escape. Also, I’m not sure what’s on the other side of that bank. There could be an ambush waiting for me.

I make my decision to steer clear. I’m breathing hard. My muscles hurt. I push through it. I have to.

A couple of roars fill the air and a group of dragons emerges from the clouds. There was an ambush. This group is close. Too close. They look strong and fresh.

Oh, god! They’re fast. I’m not going to be able to outrun them for long.

Shit!

Shit!

Shit!

I’m panicking. I still can’t risk looking back. I fly using every last reserve of energy that I have. Every second counts. I’m done for. There is a whole horde of dragons closing in. I can hear two or three dragons right on my tail. The only consolation is that if there are so many after me, Stephan might make it out okay.

They’re closing in.

Close!

Closer still!

I feel a sharp strike to my side. It’s not enough to hurt or wound me, but enough to have me fall out of the air a few feet before I get my wings back over me. I get knocked again…this time, I drop down further.

They’re playing with me. Cat and mouse. Bastards! I get knocked again. I turn and growl. I see humor glinting in the closest bastard’s eyes. The group quickly surrounds me, taking turns to prod and poke at me. They purr and rumble to one another, sounding impressed with themselves.

Then I hear it, and my blood runs cold. Another screech of alarm. It’s further away from us…in Stephan’s general direction. I see dragons flying away from us. It’s only the five still circling me. There are shapes far in the distance. It’s too dark to see for more than a mile or two. Even then, it’s tough to make out the details. I don’t know if they have Stephan…if they’re closing in on him. I don’t know if I bought him enough time. I can only hope.

The asshole dragon in front of me shoulders me…harder this time. I caught a fierce glare in his eyes just before the blow came. I fall further this time. They are back around me just as I am finding my wings.

He knocks me again. A forward shove. It’s followed by a growl. His meaning is clear. He wants me to follow the dragon in front. We are going to fly back to the weyr. I hesitate and am rewarded with another shove and a low, menacing snarl that leaves no room for confusion. There are five of them and one of me. They’re bigger and stronger.

It eats at me, but I grit my teeth, then I turn and start flying for the weyr. I take my time. I listen for shouts of victory. For further screeches. I listen for anything to do with Stephan, but there’s nothing. I don’t know if that’s good or bad. I can only hope he got away, or we are doomed. Well and truly doomed.

We fly for about half an hour. I spot flickers of light below – candles, fires, and kerosene lamps. I push out a sigh and start descending, still following the leading dragon. The others are trailing, leaving no hope of escape. The asshole who likes to pick on women is right behind me. I can feel him there. He could be any one of the men from my weyr, that’s the sad part.

We land next to an outcrop of houses behind the main hall. There are rooms that are used as jail cells here. It’s where they kept me before. It looks like I’m headed back into the room I was in previously.

The dragon in front of me shifts. I see immediately that it’s Star’s boyfriend, Jackson. His eyes are hard and mean. “Shift…now!” he demands, snarling the words.

The dragon behind me gives me a light shove. I wonder what he’s trying to tell me? I would roll my eyes if I was in human form. These guys are not messing around.

I hear the sounds of shifting. The guy behind me stays in his dragon form.

“Raven!” Jackson bellows. “Quit fucking around.”

The guy behind me gives me another knock. He’s working on my last nerve. I turn and snarl at him, crouching and baring my teeth. I don’t stand a chance against him or any of them, but this is bullshit. I had almost forgotten how bad they all are.

I know I don’t have any choice. Not really. Making them wait is the only act of rebellion I have. Even that has run its course. I shift, watching as the asshole in front of me does the same. He is smirking broadly. “You always were a feisty one, Raven-girl,” he sniggers.

“Lance,” I say, holding back an eye-roll. I should have recognized him in dragon form.

He nods. “Always good to see you.”

I note how he leers at me. My breasts, between my legs…down my thighs and back up again. A slow perusal that has my skin crawling. I roll my eyes. “I can’t say the same.”

He laughs. “Always with the joking.”

Really?

I’m being deadly serious. He honestly needs to get a life. Lance tried to get me to go on a date with him when we were teenagers. I always turned him down even though he was nothing but nice. I had a crush on West from when we were kids. I dated a few guys because West didn’t seem to notice me. I eventually stopped when I realized I just plain wasn’t interested in anyone else. It was at that time that Lance pursued me relentlessly. It was irritating as hell, but it also finally got West to notice me.

Go figure!

So much has changed since. That was another lifetime ago.

“Enough with the nonsense,” Jackson says behind me. “We need to get her back under lock and key. Tarek will be pleased. It looked like one of the other groups may have captured the male.” He makes a face like the thought of Stephan disgusts him.

“Lucky for you! Capturing this one might just be enough to redeem yourself,” one of the others says. He’s older. I recognize his face, but I don’t know him. It’s the same with the other two surrounding me. One is older. The other quite a bit younger. A newbie for sure.

“I have nothing to be ashamed of,” Jackson snorts. “Or to redeem myself over.”

Another of the older men snorts out a laugh and shakes his head. “If you say so.”

“The female is easy on the eye and a firecracker in bed. I’ll miss using her. It was a convenience to have her warm my bed until I found a mate. It was as simple as that. I never planned on taking it further. I informed Tarek of her questionable actions as soon as I became aware. I did nothing wrong!” He holds up his hands.

My heart is sinking when I realize he is talking about Star. He found out what she did and handed her over to Tarek. Just like that.

“You’re an asshole!” I say, locking eyes with Jackson. I’m buzzing with energy.

“You’re the asshole, Raven. This is on you! You’re the reason she’s in there right now.” He points at the doors that lead to the cells. “You’re also the reason you’re going in there right now, too.” He looks pissed. “Don’t give me grief about something you did.” His eyes are blazing. I’d like to think that it’s because he’s upset that Star is locked up, but I’m pretty sure it’s because he’s been made to look bad. Image has always been everything to Jackson. It’s the main reason I’ve always known he would never mate Star. Never ever!

“I left. That doesn’t make me an asshole. Excuse me for not enjoying being treated like dirt…like nothing. No, I’m sorry…women in this weyr are treated like less than nothing. Excuse me for wanting more for myself!” I yell at him. I know it’s falling on deaf ears, so I’m not sure why I’m attempting to get him to understand. “We’re sick of being told who we can be with…who we can’t be with. Sick of being used as baby-making machines. Sick of being told what to do and when to do it.”

“That’s enough, Raven,” Lance says. I’m shocked when there’s tenderness in his words. “We’re also just doing what we’ve been told to do. Let’s get you settled.” He grips the top of my arm, careful not to hurt me.

“We’re not sheep. We shouldn’t have to follow blindly,” I make one last effort. “What you don’t know is that it’s awesome living amongst the humans. There’s a whole new world out there. Full of possibilities.”

“It’s the humans who are sheep,” one of the older guys says. “The humans…not us.” He has no idea. Then again, maybe he does. This weyr is a good place to be if you have a dick between your legs. Otherwise, not so much. And here I am, being pulled back into all of it. It’ll be kicking and screaming, punching, and scratching.

Bastards!

I allow myself to be led by Lance. I think he’s trying to be nice, but that doesn’t compute with his earlier treatment of me, so I’m on my guard.

Another dragon lands just ahead of us. Lance jogs over there. They talk in muted tones. I think I hear the word ‘male’, and I’m not sure, but I think I hear Stephan’s name… That makes no sense. They shouldn’t know his name. How would they know his name? I must have been mistaken. As hard as I try, I can’t make out much more. The odd word, but it tells me nothing.

“That looked important,” Lance says to Jackson. “Why don’t you go ahead,” he says to the others. “I’ve got this,” he adds. “It’s one tiny woman.” He snort-chuckles.

“You sure?” Jackson asks. He frowns when he looks towards the cellblock.

“Absolutely.”

“Griffin…you go with them,” Jackson says.

“I said I’ve got this,” Lance growls, his hand tightens on my arm. “I can handle her just fine.”

Jackson frowns again, then he finally nods once. “You can stand guard out here, Griffin. The rest of us are needed elsewhere.”

“Did they catch him?” I blurt. The words are out before I can stop them.

“None of your business,” Jackson replies.

“Please tell me,” I beg. I don’t care. I need to know.

“What is it to you whether he’s been captured or not? Either way, you will never see him again.” Ice hits my veins. It splinters its way through me. I want to beg some more, but it is futile. I can see it in his eyes. “Say ‘hi’ to Star for me.” I see his eyes cloud for a second, but the emotion is gone in a flash.

My heart sinks even further. “Fuck you!” I snarl, despite the tears pricking in my eyes. “She’s too good for you. Always was, always will be.”

He grunts.

Does this mean they captured Stephan? Or maybe they’re still in pursuit. Frustration and anger course through me.

“Let’s go.” Lance lightly squeezes my arm.

I see Jackson shift. I hear the others do the same. Griffin will stand guard in his dragon form. His senses will be sharper. He’ll know if I so much as set a toe outside that building. Despair is setting in. I have to try to be strong.

My heart sinks even further when I see a guard at the door as well. Lance and the guard exchange pleasantries. The guard uses a key on a chain around his neck to unlock the door. I hear the lock re-engaged as soon as we are inside.

There are two cells with bars across them, and two rooms. Star is in one of the cells. She jumps up as soon as we enter. She’s wearing a t-shirt like the one I was given before. “Raven!” she yells as she rushes to the bars, stopping just short of touching them. They’re infused with silver. She won’t be able to teleport out.

“I’m so sorry,” I tell her.

“It’s not your fault.” She shakes her head. Her big blue eyes are wide, and she looks pale.

“I shouldn’t have let you help me,” I say.

She gives me a look that says she feels otherwise. “My boyfriend of four years shouldn’t have turned me in. He didn’t even need to think it through.” I see her lip tremble.

“I’m sorry.”

“I knew…I guess I knew deep down.” She bites down on her lip, her eyes welling. “I didn’t want to see what was right in front of me.”

“Here,” Lance hands me a t-shirt. He grips my arm again. “I need to put you in there.” He points at the second door. It’s closed.

Yep, it’s the same room as before.

I nod. “Stay strong,” I tell Star, looking back over my shoulder at her while I’m being led away.

“You too,” she says after me.

Lance unlocks the door and gestures for me to go in. I’m shocked when he comes in after me. He closes the door, placing himself between me and the exit.

I pull on the shirt, turning to face him. I feel a prickle of awareness.

“I really liked you…back when we were kids… you know that, right?” he says.

“I know. I liked you too.” I’m not sure where this is going. I only know that I don’t like it. “I was in love with West.” I pull in a breath.

He sniffs. Then he takes a step towards me and sniffs again. “That doesn’t smell like West.”

Shit! We have distinct scent markers. There’s no doubt in my mind that Lance knows I recently had sex. That he also knows it wasn’t with West.

I try to stay calm. This feels off in so many ways. I don’t say anything. It’s ultimately none of his business. I want him to turn around and walk away.

“Did you guys break up or something? You seemed tight.”

“Where is this going?” I have no more time for this. I need him gone. Now!

Lance smiles. “I’ve always loved that spark in you. I think you get it from your mother.”

“What do you want?” I push out, my voice hard. I fold my arms. I take a stance that makes me look like I’m more in control than I actually am. This could turn messy quickly. I don’t like the vibes he’s giving.

Lance is a big guy. “Easy.” He holds up his hand. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

Only someone thinking less-than-above-board thoughts would say something like that. I’m getting nervous. My hands are starting to feel clammy.

“As I said,” he continues, “I like you…always have and always will. You’re safe with me, Raven-girl. Very safe.”

Again, why does he feel the need to say that if it’s true?

“I’m sure you’re wondering who offered to mate with you.” He smiles broadly.

Oh, shit!

Hell!

“Don’t tell me it’s you, Lance. You’ve always wanted children. You spoke about it.”

“You remember our talks?” His whole face lights up. “Because I do…I’ll admit that I do want kids, but I want you more.”

“I don’t love you.” I shake my head.

He shrugs. “It’s like most couples in our weyr…the love will come once we are together. I’m sure of it. I know I’ll be able to convince Tarek to let us have children. We might have to wait, but I’m okay with that.”

“It won’t happen. He won’t change his mind. Tarek was very clear.”

“Don’t be so negative. What I really want right now is to show you how good we can be together.” His eyes dip to my chest.

“No.” I shake my head. “Please leave.” I’m glad my arms are still folded because my hands are shaking.

“Come on now, Raven-girl…it’s a matter of hours before it’s official, might as well—” He takes a step towards me.

“I said no!” I throw the words at him.

“Tarek won’t like the scent of that filthy male on you. He won’t like it one bit. I hate it,” he growls the words, his eyes turning hard. I note that he keeps his voice down. “Let me help you with that. I can scent that you had sex recently. I’m sure you might even still be wet. It won’t take much to…”

I can see how hard he’s getting. His manhood is out there. Right out there. I keep my eyes on his. I’m struggling to keep my breathing under control. I need to keep my cool.

“I will tell Tarek if you force yourself on me before we are mated.” In this disgusting weyr, all bets are off once the ceremony has taken place. Men may do almost what they like to their mates. I have some power until then. I intend to use it.

He snorts. “I would never force myself on a woman. By tomorrow you’ll be mine. I just wish you’d—”

“No! There’s the door.” I point. “I’m going to contest this mating until I’m blue in the face.”

“No one else will have you, Raven.”

I immediately think of Stephan. I can’t help it. He wouldn’t see me as something to have…a possession…a thing. He doesn’t see me as less because I’m a woman or because of my ability to see the future. “That’s where you’re wrong, Lance.”

His jaw tightens for a moment. “I’m going to petition to mate you as soon as possible. I might just go to Tarek right now.”

“I will fight this. I will fight you. I don’t love you. I never will. If you force this, I will end up hating you. Think about that. Think about the life we’ll have.”

“I’ll take you any way I can get you.”

“You sure about that? You won’t be able to so much as close your eyes when you’re around me. Sharp objects in the house…not going to be possible. I’ll spend every waking moment devising ways to kill you.”

“You’ll be sentenced to death if you so much as lay a finger on me.” He looks perturbed.

“I don’t care! What kind of a life would I have? Leave this alone.”

“No! I want you…I’m having you.” He fists his still-hard member from base to tip. His jaw tightens. “I’m going to ask for you to be flogged for having sex with another male. I’ll give you an hour to reconsider letting me fuck you.”

“Not. Going. To. Happen.” He always was a little dense. I had forgotten about that. The thought of this asshole as my mate turns my stomach. “I welcome being flogged rather than having sex with you.”

“I’m sorry to hear you feel that way. You might change your mind when the whip hits your flesh. I’ll see you bright and early.” He winks at me. Then he’s leaving. I hear the door lock, and I sink to the ground, breathing hard. My heart is racing. That was a close call. I might not get off so easily next time. I rub a hand over my face, praying that Stephan got away. Not just for him, but for me too.

19

Stephanus

I can barely breathe, and my limbs are shaking. I stumble as I land since I’m coming in hot. I’m running as I shift. Sweat is dripping off my body. I’m breathing hard. Our clothes are still here where we left them. Two piles.

Two.

I feel everything in me tighten when I see Raven’s clothes. Leaving her was the hardest thing I have ever done. Hands down, the hardest! I know those fuckers captured her. I didn’t have to see it to know it. I could hear their catcalls. Their elation at nabbing their prize.

For a moment, I was frozen. I even turned and started heading back. How could I not go back? I mean, fuck! They had my Raven. For a short while there, she felt like mine. I want so badly for that to be the case, even though I know it can’t be. I can get her out of there and safe. All I know in this moment is that I will save her or die trying!

I turned back for her on instinct. They spotted me. I heard the warning screech. I knew I had been busted. Turning away was the toughest thing I have ever done. It still doesn’t sit right with me. The need to protect rose up in me with such a startling ferocity I could barely breathe. It was that same need to protect that drove me to fly away. To get away at all costs. Leaving is how I will get her back.

Beating those fuckers wasn’t easy, but I did it. I’m a dragon demigod! My strength and my speed supersede any straight shifter by a mile. Those dickheads fought a losing battle when it came to keeping up with me. They tried…they tried harder than I thought they would, but in the end, they failed.

I dress quickly and then pick up Raven’s clothes. I sprint to my vehicle. The keys are in the ignition. My Jeep was safe on shifter soil. My phone is on the center console. It’s down to six percent battery. I have fifty-eight missed calls. We haven’t even been missing for twenty-four hours yet. It feels like much longer.

I plug my phone into the charger and start up my car. I dial my brother as I reverse, leaving dirt tracks in the grass. He answers on the second ring. “Where the fuck are you?” he growls. “Your note said you were going flying with Raven. How fucking long did you need to go on a flight for? We’re going out of our minds with worry here. What the fuck, Stephan?”

“Is Raven with him?” I hear someone ask. By the growl in his voice, I think it might be West.

“Let me speak to her,” another voice says. “Right now!” Maddox, it’s definitely him.

“Where are you?” I ask Jarrod, frowning.

“We’re all at your place. We were about to go to the police,” Jarrod says. “You’re so fucking irresponsible.”

“They have Raven.”

“What? Who? What happened?” Jarrod sounds confused.

“What’s going on?” Maddox snarls.

“Make sure that everyone is at my house. I’ll be there in ten minutes. Raven’s weyr have her. We need to rescue her. I’ll fill you in when I get there.” I put the phone down. I need to concentrate on driving.

My phone rings a few times, but I ignore it. I push the boundaries without being reckless. I go faster than the speed limit at times and drive through red lights, as long as it’s safe to do so. The last thing I want is to cause an accident. I arrive at my property eight minutes after my call to Jarrod. I don’t bother with parking in the garage. I pull up in front of my front door and leap out.

“How did they get to her? What happened?” Maddox comes at me. His hands are fists at his sides.

I put up my own hands hoping he calms down. “I don’t know how they found us.”

I see more of the group spill out of the house. West is at the forefront. “You prick!” he snarls at me, that finger coming up.

Barrett and Zale grab him by the arms. West tries to break free. “Where is she?’ he shouts.

“Your weyr found us.” I stand my ground. “They took her.”

“I told her not to go flying with you. Not to take unnecessary risks.” Maddox hits his hand on his jean-clad thigh. There’s a loud slapping noise. “You should not have gone out in the middle of the fucking night,” he snarls at me.

“We were on shifter territory. Our weyr’s territory. We should have been safe.”

“Well, my weyr doesn’t follow your rules. They broke away from the main weyr many years ago. They don’t adhere to territories or anything else…they follow their own rules.”

“I realize that now,” I say. “I met Tarek. Raven and I were both taken in and locked up. Your leader spoke with Raven. I was in bad shape. I don’t recall very much about my time there.”

“What exactly happened?” Maddox urges me on. I can see that he has calmed down some.

“This Tarek asshole told Raven that someone in the weyr has agreed to mate with her. That she was still a part of the weyr. He seemed happy that she had returned. Like being captured and dragged back was the same as her returning of her own free will.”

“Tarek is a piece of work.” Maddox is glowering. “Who did she say this guy was?”

I shake my head. “He wouldn’t say.” I pull in a breath. “Star helped us escape.”

“Star!” Maddox frowns. “Where is Raven now, if you escaped?”

I explain the rest of what happened and how we got away. I tell them about having to hide and the patrols. How dangerous it was. “I cannot believe you got Raven into this mess.” West pulls free and is on me in a second. He punches me square in the jaw.

I hurtle backwards. I almost land hard on my ass. I’m still weak after everything that went down, especially after flying for my life. As it is, I stagger backward.

I think that part of the reason I don’t fall is that West grabs a handful of my shirt. I see him pull his fist back, ready to clock me again. His eyes are filled with rage. His whole face is scrunched up. There are veins popping up on his forehead. His face is red.

I will my own arms to go up to defend myself, but I’m slow. The adrenaline that was pumping through my veins even five minutes ago has dissipated. I feel like my knees are going to give in.

Maddox and Barrett grab hold of West. “Stop!” Maddox yells.

West’s chest is rising and falling in quickly. “I’m fine. I’m sorry…okay? I’m fine.” I notice that he isn’t saying sorry to me, but to Maddox.

“Why are you acting like this?” Maddox asks. “You didn’t fly off the handle when you first found out about Raven’s disappearance earlier when Stephan called.”

“He’s the reason!” West glowers at me. “This is all his damned fault.” He takes a step or two away from me, even though I’m sure he’d prefer to tear into me. “Everything is on him! I can’t stand the sight of his face,” he adds. West just stands there for a few moments, his breathing hard. His eyes on me and blazing. “I’m okay now.” He nods.

I ignore the outbursts and the insults. Quite frankly there are things that are far more important right now. Once I see that West is under control, I tell them about our plan. How Raven used herself as bait so that I could get away.

“You agreed to that?” West snarls.

“There was no other option that didn’t involve us both getting caught,” I say.

“There are always other options!” West yells.

“Not in this case.” I go through what happened. I tell them about the patrols. “Our choices were to try and sit tight, hike out of there, or make a run for it. I can tell you that if we’d tried to run together, both of us would have been captured.”

“You should have sacrificed yourself, then.” West narrows his eyes.

“Take it easy,” Maddox says.

“I’m stronger and faster than Raven. I’m not convinced she would have made it out, even if I had put myself up as bait. One of us had to make it out. The odds were on me. It’s not what I wanted, I assure you. Leaving Raven was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.” I look at Maddox when I say it.

“Don’t say that,” West says. “You don’t even know her. What…? It’s been days since you met her…days.” West takes a step towards me. Then another. “You don’t know her for shit. Not like I know her. Inside and out. She’s not yours.” That finger is in my face again.

“She’s not yours either.” I can’t help myself. If it means getting smacked in the face again, I don’t care. I’m sick of this asshole.

“Do you want to fucking bet? I am—” I see his nostrils flare. He sniffs openly. He blinks a few times. “Why do you scent so strongly of Raven?”

I want to tell him to go and fuck himself. That it’s none of his business. “We’ve been holed up together,” I say simply. He doesn’t need to know anymore.

“No…” He shakes his head. He sniffs again. “No fucking way…” His eyes are moving up and down me. He sniffs some more. Then he sees my hand. “What the fuck is that?” I know he’s spotted the bite Raven gave me. It’s a faint scar, but it’s there.

“What the fuck do you think?” I know I shouldn’t bait him, but I’m done. Maybe I can get a punch in before he breaks me. I’m just too weak to stand any kind of chance.

His eyes move from my hand to my face and back. “You wouldn’t scent that strongly, unless… Fuck! Unless…” I can see his mind working. I see him trying to deny the obvious. Refusing to believe. I see that moment when he can only draw one conclusion. I read murder in his eyes.

I raise my fists. With the way I’m feeling, I’m going to take a beating, but I won’t let him come at me without trying to hit him back…at least once. Maddox and Barrett grab his arms, but West almost breaks free. Again, I stand my ground. I keep my eyes on his. I don’t kiss and tell. Raven means a lot to me. I won’t be discussing her or anything that happened between us with this asshole or anyone else.

Zale grabs West around his waist. He roars and twists and does everything in his power to break free. I’m grateful when Jarrod comes and stands to my left and Lyre to my right. It takes nearly a minute for West to calm down, and even then, I still see hate in his eyes. Pure hate. “You prick!” he pushes out. He looks like he’s ready to cry.

I feel sorry for him. I can’t help it. I still think he’s an asshole, though. I’ll still beat his ass if it comes to it.

“Don’t fucking look at me like that!” he yells. “Like you pity me. You don’t get to pity me! I’m sure the two of you did more than just fuck. You more than likely talked about me. You don’t need to admit it. I know you did. I’m sure Raven told you every-fucking-thing about me…about us. How my mom fucked every god…” He laughs. “That’s why I don’t know who my father is. Could be any of them. It’s how she became addicted to a mixture of wine and nectar. How she died in her own vomit.”

I shake my head.

“Don’t deny it. Don’t you fucking dare. I know. You probably laughed about all of it.”

“No…that’s not—” I start.

“I know she told you about Raider. About that day…” His eyes cloud. “She left me long before she walked out the door. What was I supposed to do? I made a mistake. A fucking mistake. She wouldn’t listen. Did you guys laugh about that too?” His eyes are shimmering. He looks even more like he wants to cry. “I’m sure she told you all about how I cheated on her. What else should I have done? All I got was the cold shoulder. Fuck!” he growls, looking at his shoes. Then his hateful eyes are back on me. “I know she’ll give me another chance. I know she will if you get the fuck out of my way.” He lurches forward and breaks free.

I think everyone is shocked at what is coming out of his mouth. They’ve let down their guard, and he’s taking advantage.

He comes at me, swinging wildly. I duck and give him a shove. I feel something. A prickle on my fingers. A prickle in my mind. I think I’m getting something from West. My physical contact is over so quickly I can’t grasp onto the thread. I don’t want to. I don’t want to read him. Things are so fucking complicated already. I don’t want to be inside his head, and he sure as shit doesn’t want me there. I hardly ever read non-humans. Why him? Why now? Maybe it’s because he’s so emotional.

West falls back, landing on his side. He snarls, jumping up to his feet almost as fast. Everyone grabs hold of him before he can come at me. He roars like a madman. He’s completely out of control at this point.

“You’re wrong!” I shout. He needs to know. “You’re so fucking wrong it’s scary. Raven is still completely loyal to you.”

West stops fighting, he’s breathing heavily but he’s listening.

“She still considers you a friend. She didn’t tell me anything about you and hardly anything about your relationship. She never once spoke badly about you. She never told me about you cheating on her. Not a bad word ever. Not fucking once. Maybe she should have, because you’re an asshole. While we’re here arguing, she’s in a fucking cage. You need to grow the hell up.” Someone needs to tell this clown how it is. How he is.

His eyes are blazing. “Don’t you dare talk to me like—”

“I listened to what you had to say,” I talk over him. “You have no idea what you had in Raven. None! I can see you don’t know her like you think you do. Even after all these years. I do feel sorry for you. You lost someone very special the day you lost Raven.”

“I lost jack-fucking-shit.” He tries to pull free, but the guys hold onto him. “Raven will still be mine. I know her. I know everything about her. You can’t erase our history. She is mine!”

“I don’t want to erase your history. You can’t erase history.” I shrug.

“Stop it!” Maddox yells. “Just stop! I agree,” he looks at West, “you’re acting like a fucking child.”

“This dickhead fucked your sister. Is that all you have to say about it?”

“Raven can make decisions for herself,” Maddox says calmly. “I’ve tried to interfere before, and I was wrong.”

West’s eyes go wild. “You can’t be happy about this. Maddox, what the hell… What the…?”

“Let’s go and talk about this,” Maddox urges West. “Somewhere private.” He pulls on his arm. I’m hoping he wants to talk some sense into him. He glances my way. “Start making plans. I’ll be down shortly.”

West just looks at me, leaning forward. His jaw is tense. His eyes on me. His whole body is bristling. Then he relaxes some and nods. “I’m only agreeing because Raven needs help. This is not the end!” he growls at me.

“Stop!” Maddox says to West, sounding frustrated. “We won’t be long,” he says, looking at me. “We need to save her. We need to plan. We also need…help, if we can get it.”

They walk away from us. The rest of my crew follow. Everyone but Jarrod.

“Don’t say it,” I tell him.

“I told you so,” my brother says. “You just stirred the fucking pot, and in a big way.”

“I’d do it again,” I say. “I only hope we’re in time to save her.”

“Before she’s mated off?”

I nod.

“She’ll never be free of her weyr. From the sounds of things, they’ll keep looking for them. Do you really want to be on the run for the rest of your life?”

“No, but I’m not sure I want to live without her either.”

“Holy shit!” Jarrod mutters. “You’re in that deep.” He scrubs a hand over his face.

I nod. “Deeper than deep. This could be something real.” I smile when I think of her. When I think of us. Then I feel all of that crumble away like dust when I think of her being held captive right now. “Let’s go inside. Maddox is right. We need to plan.”

“You need to eat.”

I shake my head.

“You need food and rest. You’re not going anywhere like that. You’re no good to Raven. No good to anyone.”

I nod. “I’ll eat while we wait for Maddox. I’m too wired to sleep.”

“Food and rest…you don’t have to sleep.” Jarrod cocks his head, giving me this look. “Oh, and maybe a shower….a long-ass shower. You reek of…far more than just sweat.” He smiles. “I think we need to try to get help from our weyr. Maybe with the right numbers on our side, we can go and get your woman.”

I like the sound of that.

My woman.

Numbers or no numbers, I’m going to rescue Raven.

20

Stephanus

I pull in a deep breath and look around me. We’re all here…most of us, at any rate. Bolt is due home tomorrow. We made the call not to tell him anything because he wouldn’t make it back in time anyway. Forge and Night are married. Lyre is engaged. Their women are all together at Night’s house. They’ll await word from us there. They know what to do if we’re not home within a couple of hours. If things go south. Death was summoned. It’s probably best if one of us doesn’t go along. That person, by default, is him.

This has to work. I can sense the tension in the air. Can scent the adrenaline. The pure testosterone. West still looks pissed off. He refuses to meet my stare. We’ve agreed to a truce. Once again, West made it clear that said truce would be temporary. I’m good with that. At least he’s keeping himself under control.

I pull my shirt off and toe off my boots. The air is somber.

“It’s not too late for any of you to bow out,” Maddox says.

“No one is going anywhere.” Barrett is frowning heavily.

“I’m not chickening out!” West says between clenched teeth. “That’s Raven out there.”

“It wouldn’t be chickening out.” Maddox rubs his chin. “Facing the weyr…facing Tarek…” He pushes out a sharp breath. “It’ll mean sure death for all of us mad enough to try this.”

“I’m not afraid of death,” West says, almost under his breath.

“I’ll go on my own,” Maddox says. “The rest of you can stay here. That’s the thing…whether it’s all of us, or just me,” he shrugs, “the outcome will be whatever it ends up being anyway.”

He looks around. No one says anything. I fold my arms. “I’m in!”

“Me too.” West glares at me, and for a second, I’m sure he’s going to come at me. He doesn’t.

“Okay, then.” Maddox pulls his shirt off.

“What is that?” West growls at…Tri. It looks like his focus is on Trident. What is he going to lose his shit over now?

He’s standing next to Tri, pointing at his side. “What the hell is that?” he growls.

“What is what?” Trident looks down at himself. He’s frowning. He’s even running his hand over his skin. “My tat?” He touches his abs at one side of his torso. He has a vicious-looking sea creature tattooed there. It’s thrashing amongst turbulent waves. He loves the thing. I can’t believe West would notice something like that right now. It doesn’t compute.

We’re all looking at him like he’s lost his mind, Trident included, even though I see pride there too. Back to the fact that he loves that tattoo.

“No,” West says, “that…” He points higher up. At Trident’s birthmark.

“This?” He frowns.

Instead of saying anything more, West shrugs out of his t-shirt. He has the same birthmark. Exactly the same. Same place…same shape…exactly the same.

I watch as Trident’s mouth falls open. He frowns. He starts to say something and then stops. He points at the birthmark and then drops his hand at his side.

West is looking from his birthmark to Tri’s and back again.

Barrett laughs. It’s loud and rich. He sounds just like Forge. Fuck me, but they could almost be twins. “I think that’s one answer that’s now become abundantly clear. The two of you are half-brothers.”

“No!” Trident says dramatically. He honestly can’t do anything without some flare. “It can’t…” He looks like he just saw a ghost doing cartwheels.

“Yes…I think we might be brothers.” West sort of smiles. “I’ll be fucked in the head.”

Trident swallows thickly. “Holy crap! Shit!” He walks right up to West. He touches the birthmark and then looks up at him.

Then they’re hugging. They both make these grunting noises as they smack each other on the back. West gets that same shimmery look to his eyes.

They’re half-brothers.

Fuck!

This is totally unexpected. I’ve never seen two people who are more different. Tri is carefree and fun. Almost too chilled. He’s fun-loving and full of fuckery to the point of being irritating at times.

West… Where do I start? It doesn’t get more serious. More intense. Downright angrier than West. It can’t possibly. He’s just as OTT as Tri but in the opposite direction.

“I can’t believe it,” West says.

“I’m…I’m speechless,’ Trident mumbles.

“Pity we’re probably all going to die,” Barrett mutters.

“Big fucking pity,” Forge adds. “It’s not over until it’s over.” He raises his brows. “I’m going to take a whole bunch of those fuckers down with me.”

“Our calculated risk is through the roof.” Zale scratches the back of his head. “But I agree…no giving up here. I want to meet Bolt.”

“I have to get back to my family.” Night’s eyes are clouded with uncertainty.

“Why don’t you stay? You and Forge?” I say.

“What about me?” Lyre growls. “Not that I’m choosing to stay or anything, because I’m not.”

“You don’t have any kids,” Tri says. “Sorry. Also, you’re a surgeon, which could come in handy on the battlefield.” Again with the drama but he’s right.

“I’m in, then.” Lyre rolls his shoulders. “We should probably get out of here.” He looks up.

Maddox nods. “We should. I’m happy for you, West.” He smiles. “For both of you.” He glances at Tri, who is grinning.

Samuel grunts. He looks exhausted.

“I’ve always wanted a brother,” Tri laughs. “I have sisters…plenty of sisters.” He laughs harder. “Welcome to the family.” He hits West on the back. “My mom is going to fucking love you. You’ll have to come to dinner this weekend.”

“I’d love to.” I’ll be fucked, but West looks happy. He’s smiling.

“Let’s make it through the next few hours,” Maddox says, sounding gruff. “I don’t mean to be a downer, but… I’m just pointing out the facts, is all. Let’s focus and get through this.”

We all nod, taking off the rest of our clothes. Then we’re taking to the sky and flying. We go steady and easy. We want to save our energy. Not that it will do us much good, mind you. Still! I note that Trident and West are turquoise in their dragon forms. Another giveaway, if the birthmark wasn’t enough. I don’t know another dragon with coloring quite like that.

We fly for what feels like forever. I’m hopeful that we make it before dawn. I’m worried about what morning will bring for Raven.

I’m starting to get the feeling that we are close. There are dense forests below us. The same ones that Raven and I holed up in.

We hear wingbeats. Then there are shrieks of warning. Loud and shrill. From our left. From our right. We ignore them and follow the formation leader. We follow Maddox. He has taken the lead on this. He knows where we are headed, Raven is his sister and he knows this weyr.

“It’ll mean sure death for all of us.” Maddox’s words ring through my head as we fly. The sky is changing color on the horizon as the sun starts thinking of rising. It’s beginning to lighten a smidgen, hinting at the pinks and oranges to come.

We start to descend as they surround us. Five…ten…then as many as thirty-five. We remain calm and docile. We are not here to wage war. Clearly! That would be stupid since there are only twelve of us. Only twelve. I’ve been told that we’ll be outnumbered by twenty to one. Maybe more. We’re going to try to barter for Raven’s release. We’re going to talk. To have a fucking chit chat. Somehow, I don’t think that Tarek is a listening kind of guy. I don’t think he’s one for negotiating either. He makes the rules. He enforces them. It’s all black and white to him. This is his kingdom. His domain. We’re pretty much fucked, but still we fly. The drum of our beating wings is loud. It’s ominous. We have to try.

Maddox is going to offer himself up for his sister. His life for hers. I plan to do the same, even though I’m not part of this weyr.

Jarrod and Forge told our weyr what was happening and of our plans. Several of the men offered to join us. Colton, Forge’s brother, was among them. There were a couple more. Since this is madness – sure death, if Maddox is to be believed – we turned them down. It would have been different if a hundred men offered. We got seven…seven out of a weyr of hundreds. There’s still no love lost for us. That’s where the weyrs are all in agreement. Dragon demigods aren’t worth much. They won’t help us save the life of a single dragon shifter woman. Why? Because Tarek’s weyr doesn’t give them any trouble. They stick to themselves. Our weyr don’t want to rock the boat to help a bunch of misfits. Fuck them! We’ll find a way to do this ourselves.

A group of men has gathered in a large clearing in the middle of, what looks like, a village. I agree with Raven. I don’t see any indication that there’s any kind of technology here. They look completely off the grid. To the right are fields of corn. To the left, vegetable gardens. I see a large chicken coop. I think they must hunt for meat because there is no livestock. Farm animals tend to get nervous of us. Dragons are predators, so that makes sense.

We keep descending. I have to bite back a roar when I see Raven. She is flanked by two shifters in human form. She’s wearing a t-shirt, like the one she had before. Her hands are bound with rope. I think it must be silver-infused. Otherwise, she looks okay.

I realize that I’ve shot forward. I’m slightly ahead of the group. I note that West is also out front with me, his eyes on Raven. People deal with things differently. You can take two people and give them a tough start to life. Throw in obstacles along the way. One person will work harder, fight harder, live harder. They’ll end up better than they ever would have been. All the terrible events and obstacles will give them wings to fly. Another person will internalize and blame. Anger and resentment will end up being all they know. Their back will end up breaking under the weight of all they carry. A chip so big they can’t function.

West catches me looking at him, and growls. His eyes glow. His tail thrashes. He just can’t see it.

I fall back, my gaze on Raven. Her back is straight. Her chin tilted up. Her mouth is set. She smiles for a heartbeat as we land.

The sky is now well and truly streaked with oranges and yellows. There’s some pink, and then, of course, blues and purples. Stars still sparkle within the darker shades, slowly fading as the sun rises higher.

People are spilling out of their homes. Men, women, and even children. They’re wearing cotton clothing in rudimentary designs. Garments made for easy removal. Many of the children are naked. I think they must shift often. That their dragon form is the main mode of transport, so it makes sense.

Tarek is at the front of a large group of men. I count around twenty. He is smiling and looking calm. We are nothing to fear. He’s making that clear.

The dragons who flew in with us have landed around us. They don’t shift back into their human form. They’re all facing towards us.

“Ahhhhh,” Tarek’s smile widens. “Welcome back, brothers.” I’m going to assume he is talking to Maddox and the others. “It seems that you missed the shelter and stability of our weyr and that you wish to return to us. I see that you have brought friends. Welcome to all of you.” He looks my way and holds my gaze for a moment.

I haven’t forgotten how badly they blindsided me, injuring me. To rub salt in the wound, they threw me in a locked room, left me bleeding on the cold, hard floor. Now he has Raven bound in ropes.

Tarek can stick his warm welcome. He’s a snake.

“We don’t wish to return to the weyr,” Maddox states. “I’m here for my sister. You captured her and brought her here against her will.”

“Will…what will? As a sister of this weyr, she has no will. My will is hers. I will for her to live amongst us. To be a part of us.” He opens his arms like he is the second coming. Dickhead!

“Why?” Maddox is trying to keep his voice even. “You see her as an abomination. You—”

“One of our males has agreed to mate with her. To make an honest woman of her. I have agreed. That, too, is my will.” He smiles. It’s maddening.

I want to fly at him and remove his head from his shoulders. I know I won’t make it five steps before being felled, so I hold back. I won’t be able to restrain myself for too much longer. Not if he keeps spouting this bullshit.

“What would I need to do to ensure the release of my sister?” Maddox asks.

“Do?” Tarek shakes his head like Maddox has lost his mind. “You wouldn’t have to do anything.”

“Surely there’s something?” Maddox shrugs. “What can I offer you? I will even give my life in exchange for her freedom.”

Tarek chuckles. “Silly boy. I already own your life.”

I step forward. “I want to lay a claim on Raven. I want to mate her.”

“Fuck that!” West growls. “She’s mine!” He beats his chest like a gorilla.

Tarek all-out laughs. “Oh, my! It looks like we have multiple parties interested in Raven. I don’t see the attraction personally, but,” he shrugs, “there you have it. I’ll tell you what…” He gets this look of excitement. “We can have a fight to the death for the girl.”

“What?” West spits out. “You can’t be serious!” He’s shaking his head.

“Oh, but I am.” Tarek looks him head-on.

“That’s utter crap, and you know it!” West shouts.

“Don’t do it!” Raven yells, her eyes on me.

“That isn’t going to happen,” Maddox says. “Forget it!”

“Okay!” Tarek shrugs. “Then I’m sending her to be mated…right now.” He clicks his fingers, and the guards holding her start to walk.

“No!” I shout. I feel a whole lot like a puppet on a couple of strings. I can see that Tarek is enjoying making me dance. What choice do I have?

Raven tries to break free. I see her pulling and riling against the two men holding onto her.

Tarek puts up his hand, and the guards halt. “The two of you can fight…or say goodbye to Raven,” he says. “I assure you that she will be mated within the hour.”

West starts to say something. His face is red and his eyes are blazing.

“Silence.” Tarek sighs as if talking is difficult. “Those of you who left so unexpectedly will be flogged with a silver-tipped whip. Fifty lashes. If you win the female, West, I will let you off. Call it a wedding gift.” He smiles.

Holy fuck, but this asshole is barbaric. I’m not sure a person could survive that kind of beating. Even a demigod. This is fucking insane. I feel like we’ve been dropped into the Dark Ages.

“The rest of you will be properly welcomed into our fold,” he goes on, looking from me to Jarrod and then the rest of the guys. “We welcome you with open arms.” Again, he opens his arms like he’s Jesus or something.

“We’re not staying!” Night shouts.

“Forget it!” Forge roars, his eyes blazing. I am sure that he is thinking of his wife and young son waiting for him. Night is thinking of his family too.

“We already belong to a weyr,” I say, trying to keep the growl out of my voice. “We have friends and family who would miss us. Who would come looking for us. We left word of our movements. You can’t make us stay! If you do, you can expect a war.” I am bluffing. I doubt our weyr would go to war over a bunch of demigods, but this asshole doesn’t know that. Our weyrs are not in contact. At least, I fucking hope they aren’t. I keep my eyes on Tarek’s, making sure I look confident. I’m bluffing my ass off. This had better work.

He chuckles. “Nicely played, young man. Leave then, but they stay.” He points at Maddox. “She stays.” He points at Raven. “Your weyr has no jurisdiction over my own.”

21

Raven

“Doesn’t look like they’re going to fight,” Lance whispers in my ear. “I’m looking forward to our mating,” he adds, his breath hot. “I can’t wait.” He leers at me. I’m wondering why he isn’t objecting to this whole ‘fight to the death’ bullshit if he’s so adamant about mating me. I have a feeling Tarek will pit West and Stephan in a fight to the death and then still hand me over to this jerk. We have no leverage. As happy as I was to see my group, I know this is a bad idea. They should not have come for me, not without bringing an army, or a request from their weyr leader…something. This is going to end badly.

“I can’t wait to put you on all fours—” Lance whispers.

“Shut up,” I snarl at him.

He chuckles. I see Stephan take a step forward. “We won’t leave them. They are a part of our weyr now. We arrived together, and we’ll leave together,” he says.

“I need to strongly object, on that note,” Tarek says.

“We’re taking Raven, and we’re leaving,” Maddox all but snarls. I can see he’s working hard to keep it together.

“No, you’re not!” Tarek says. “We’re talking in circles, and it’s starting to irritate me.”

“I’m not leaving without Raven,” Stephan says, folding his arms.

I don’t want anything to happen to him. I’m so nervous, my throat is dry.

“You can’t have her,” West snarls at Stephan. “Raven’s place is with me.”

I want to roll my eyes. West is being…I guess he’s being West. He really needs to let this go. Let us go. I wish he would. He thinks I haven’t forgiven him for cheating on me, and he’s so wrong. I have! The cheating was a byproduct of a bad relationship. I love West, but only as a friend. It’ll never be more. I’m not on the rebound. West and I have been over too long for that to be a possibility.

Hearing Stephan claim me publicly has only solidified that fact for me. I know it’s possible he only did it to try to help me, not because he actually wants to claim me, but I don’t care. I felt something when he said the words. Just as I felt something when I bit down into him. It felt right. We feel right. I’m hoping we can somehow get out of this. I want to tell him what he means to me before we are forced to hit the road yet again. Maybe one day… Maybe he’ll wait for me. It all sounds so dramatic, but there it is…my life! I push all of those thoughts aside because I’m getting too far ahead of myself. We need to get out of this first. My stomach is in knots.

“Looks like the two of you are interested in fighting again.” Tarek looks amused. “I think it’s a great idea. A fight to the death, and winner takes all.”

It’s a terrible idea. My heart is thrumming in my chest.

“You win,” he points at Stephan, “and you can take her when you leave. You lose, and she stays here with West.”

“That’s fucking bullshit, and you know it,” West snarls.

“Those are my terms,” Tarek says to West. “Things change. That’s one thing in life that you can count on…change. I’ve changed my mind about the girl. Either the two of you fight, or she will be mated off to someone else entirely.” He laughs. “I can’t believe Raven has so many parties interested.”

West’s face is bright red. He starts to say something and then holds back, clenching his jaw instead.

“I might be out of luck.” Lance sniffs at my hair. “But I think they’re both cowards, so maybe not. I think I’ll get you in the end, no matter what.”

That’s my fear. Tarek plays by his own rules.

I elbow Lance in the solar plexus. He crunches over with a loud grunt. The guy holding my other arm grips me tighter. “Stop aggravating her,” he says to Lance. Lance grunts softly, holding his belly.

“Yes!” West yells, his eyes stormy. “I agree!”

“No!” I shout. “Don’t!”

They’re fairly evenly matched from a size point of view. Stephan is slightly bigger. Only, West has a whole lot more anger in him. That, and he has more experience fighting than Stephan. I don’t know this for sure, but I’m assuming it’s the case. Stephan is breathing hard. I can see him thinking it through. Bottom line, I don’t want to watch them tear into each other. I don’t want to watch one of them die.

“You don’t exactly have a choice here,” Tarek says to Stephan. “Fight or you lose the girl. Which will it be?”

Maddox looks stone-faced. He doesn’t offer an opinion either way.

“You can’t!” Jarrod shouts. “Don’t let this fucker bully you.”

“Insolence, young man.” Tarek’s eyes blaze. “I will have you beaten before I let you leave.”

“Are you a pussy?” West taunts Stephan, whose jaw tightens. “Fight me!” he snarls. “Scared I’ll win? I can’t wait to hurt you…to make you bleed…”

“Stop!” Maddox’s voice booms.

“Yellow-bellied pussy!” West shouts.

“I’ll fight,” Stephan says, his muscles bunching and roping. Everything in me turns cold.

“No!” I scream. “Don’t do it. No! Stephan…don’t! Please!”

Tarek looks like the cat that got the cream. “Good. In order to win, you must kill your opponent, or all bets are off.”

“Don’t do it!” Jarrod shouts, cupping his hands around his mouth. He shakes his head, looking crestfallen.

This is terrible. “Please leave it alone, Stephan. I’ll be okay!” I shout, pulling against the hands holding me tight. “Don’t! Please!” He ignores me. I can see just by looking at West that he isn’t going to budge on his decision.

“This will be interesting,” Lance chuckles. I ignore him. He’ll just get off on my pain and my fear.

“Make space for the two opponents.” Tarek rubs his hands together. People start to move away. “No one may intervene. My guards will make sure of it. You may not shift into your dragon form. I want a head or a beating heart…here at my feet.” He points at the grass in front of him. “The winner gets the girl. I hope that I have made myself very clear.”

I watch with horror as both men are left facing each other in the center of a huge crowd. There is a mix of people in their human and dragon forms. I had hoped that Maddox and Rage would let loose. That all of the demigods would unleash their powers. I think they are stronger than they realize. Looking around us, I realize that isn’t possible. There are women and children present. Too many innocents would die if those kinds of powers were unbridled.

“I need each of you to acknowledge that you understand,” Tarek says.

“One hundred percent,” West growls. He looks eager. Why would he be so happy about killing another person?

Stephan nods. “I understand.” He looks far less thrilled about the prospect.

“You may begin,” Tarek says, his eyes glinting.

West runs at Stephan, who barely gets his hands up to deflect the attack.

“Looks like your boyfriend is already in trouble,” Lance says.

I ignore him. My focus is on the two men in the center of the crowd. I can barely breathe. They dance around each other for a while. It’s West who attacks again. He goes at it hard, managing to land a blow. It doesn’t land as hard as he would like because Stephan is moving backwards as his fist makes contact. It glances off the side of his face.

Stephan moves out of the way as West tries to knee him in the stomach. The crowd is eerily silent. This is how it goes on for a while; West attacks, and Stephan defends.

I can hear their hearts beating. They’re both breathing harder as their exertions start to show. Sweat beads on their brows as the morning sun shines down on them.

I gasp as West lands a hard strike to Stephan’s face. I think I hear a crack. There’s instantly blood. Lots of it. It pours down his face and onto his chest.

West doesn’t stop there; he uses the shock of the blow to strike again, this time to the side of the jaw.

Stephan staggers back. It looks like he’s trying to get away. West advances, going in hard.

Stephan counters, swinging slightly wide. His punch hits home but doesn’t do much damage.

West laughs. The sound is chilling. His eyes are crazed and zoned in on Stephan. I know in this moment that West will kill Stephan if given half a chance. I feel a shiver race down my spine. Goosebumps break out on my arms. I’m chilled to the bone. I think this is my premonition becoming reality. I’m not sure what the ocean has to do with it. There is no ocean anywhere near us.

Did I get this one wrong too?

Is Stephan going to die because I couldn’t interpret the premonition?

Right now, I feel strongly that one of the two outcomes is a strong possibility. In my mind’s eye, I see Stephan’s head on the grass. I see the bloody stump and his unseeing eyes. I cover my mouth with my hands. I look down at the ropes binding me. I can’t believe this is happening.

“Your boyfriend is done for,” Lance says. I can hear he is smiling.

“Stop being a prick,” the other guy says.

They continue to bicker, but I’m not listening. West takes another hit. He turns his face so that it lands on the side of his head. He’s in the strike zone and uses it to his advantage. He punches Stephan in the stomach. The dull thud is loud.

I gasp when the next punch is between his legs. Stephan’s face turns white. I’m not sure how he keeps his footing. He’s struggling to breathe. He hunches over. His face morphs into a mask of agony.

“That’s not fair!” Jarrod is screaming. “Below the fucking belt.”

“Keep going!” Tarek shouts. “I gave the rules. Where to hit was not one of them.”

Oh, my god! I can’t believe this. West is fighting dirty. Stephan is losing. Also, he’s not fighting as hard as West is. I think maybe that he is holding back. Perhaps he doesn’t realize he’s doing it. If he wins, he will need to kill another living being. I can understand the hesitation.

Stephan is a big strong guy, but he’s also kind and sweet. I like that he has a softer side. I like how introverted he is. It’s funny how all of these things I love and admire might end up being his downfall.

West, on the other hand, is going at Stephan hard. There is no hesitation. No mercy. I hate him right now. I cringe as another fist hits home. Stephan is still struggling after taking a punch to the groin. I can see it from the way he’s moving. West is using it to his full advantage!

Stephan’s left eye is almost shut. His nose is bleeding. I think it’s broken. His lip is cut and bleeding too. He looks terrible. I’m trembling. I don’t want to watch anymore, but I can’t turn away.

West has one bruise on his right cheek. That’s all! He’s toying with Stephan. He’s making him bleed before he brings him down…before…

I stifle a sob.

West lands another hard strike, and Stephan almost goes down. “No!” I yell. “Fight, Stephan! Please fight!” I shout.

West glares at me. He looks hurt, but he mostly looks angry. He gives a small shake of the head like he can’t believe I’m not on his side. I see his eyes narrow, and his jaw tighten. I see his body tense, his muscles grow. He goes after Stephan, hell for leather.

I think I’ve made things worse. I try once again to break free. If I can get to the men, maybe I can talk sense into them. If all else fails, I can somehow try to protect Stephan. I can’t believe this is happening.

Jarrod is shouting. I can’t hear what he is saying over my own screams. Maddox and Zale are holding him back. Tarek will have him killed if he tries to intervene. I don’t think Jarrod realizes just how bad Tarek is.

Stephan staggers and falls onto one knee. His breathing is ragged. Blood spatters onto the ground at his feet. I’m screaming harder. West closes the distance between him and Stephan. I expect him to finish it. To kick and beat the last of Stephan’s life out of him before…beheading him with his bare hands. I’ve seen this outcome. Where is the ocean? Where is the fucking tide? This can’t be right!

I’m crying. Tears are streaming down my face. I’m also begging. I don’t think West can hear me. I start to scream again as he leans forward.

West gets down on one knee too. For a moment, I am hopeful he’s going to stop this madness. That he’ll put his hand up and stop the fight. I’m hopeful, but I don’t hold my breath. West isn’t evil. He’s lost. He’s so filled with anger he can’t see straight. He can’t feel anything else. It’s no excuse. I’m done making excuses for him.

“Please, West!” I shout. I shout the words over and over. I’m begging him. He can’t do this.

West goes in close. He clasps his hand around the back of Stephan’s head, holding onto him. I think Stephan groans. I can’t see his face. West puts his mouth almost against Stephan’s ear. He says something to Stephan. I can’t make out what he’s saying. I realize that I haven’t stopped sobbing and screaming.

What happens next is a surprise. Stephan headbutts West with a loud crack. West falls back. His eyes widening in shock. Blood streams down his face. He lands on his back but doesn’t stay there.

Stephan seems to have found a reserve of energy. I’m not sure if it was what West said or if Stephan planned to take the advantage if one presented itself. Both West and Stephan are rushing to get to their feet. Stephan is on his knees, while West is on the floor. Stephan is up first. I’m not sure where he gets this sudden strength from. He kicks West square in the jaw as he is leaping up. There is another cracking sound. Louder this time. West howls. Stephan might have been holding back before but not anymore.

I now have to watch the man I have feelings for kill the man I used to love. Someone I still consider a friend. I put a hand over my face. I’m still crying. I still can’t stop watching, even though I want to. I’ve never felt so hopeless and frustrated in all my life.

Stephan tears into West. He kicks him while he is down. Not just once either… Two…three…four times. I hear more cracking as ribs break. I think his arm breaks too. He kicks West in the head numerous times, his near-lifeless body jerking with each hard kick.

What has gotten into Stephan?

What did West say to him?

I can’t blame him for retaliating like this. It was fight back or die…still... Stephan stands over West. I see West’s chest rising and falling. His eyes are small slits. I’m not sure whether he’s conscious or not.

“Don’t!” he says, the blood trickles from his mouth. “Pl…ple….ase.” West is begging Stephan not to kill him.

“No!” I yell. I can’t bear it. I can’t.

“End him!” Tarek shouts.

Stephan stands there, looking down at West. His hands are still clenched into fists. I can hear his ragged breathing. I am praying. I’m not sure what I’m praying for. A miracle. We need a miracle right now.

“Kill him now!” Tarek tries again.

“No!” Stephan says. “I can’t…I won’t!”

Tarek’s face turns red. He hates it when anyone disobeys him. “Kill him, or the girl stays. I will give her to—”

“You’ll do nothing of the sort, Tarek.” The voice is loud and true. A woman steps forward. She is beautiful. Her black hair glints in the sunlight. It is streaked with some gray, which works for her. There are delicate lines around her eyes, giving away her age. She’s wearing a long dress. I recognize her instantly.

Tarek frowns. “Be quiet, Isa,” he warns her. “If you can’t stomach this, then leave. That goes for all of you.” He looks around him. No one will leave because if they do, they’ll be punished for it later in some indirect way.

“I won’t be quiet. I have been quiet for too many years,” Isa says. Gasps of surprise rise around us, followed by whispered conversation.

“That’s insolence, and I won’t stand for it. Not from anyone, but especially from my own mate.” Tarek’s face is red. His whole stance has changed. He looks ready to kill.

“I’m sick of hearing you say that word.” She sighs.

Tarek makes a noise of utter rage and disbelief. “You listen here—!” he booms.

“No! You listen to me for once. We’ve been together for thirty-eight long years. I’ve never once asked you to hear me out. I’ve never once refused you. Never once disobeyed. I kept hoping that things would get better. That you would somehow,” she shrugs, “realize what a horse’s ass you were being, but—”

Tarek yells something. I’m not sure what it is. It’s too garbled. He’s so angry he can’t form coherent words. I’m a little in shock myself. I see shock on the faces of those around me.

“I’ve waited and waited, and it hasn’t happened, Tarek. I’m sick of waiting for you to come around. I’ve swallowed your nonsense year after year. I’m sick of watching you treat people like objects. You treat women like we’re possessions. Just because we were born with something different between our legs does not make us inferior.”

“Isa, I swear to god, woman!” Tarek shouts. “Stop this right now, or I’ll have you locked up.”

“No, you won’t!” Isa shakes her head. All around us, the women start to shift. Children are running for their homes. “Today, we take a stand. All of us…the women of this weyr collectively. We stand against you. We stand against oppression. We stand for one another. For equality. For love. For respect. Most of all, we stand for our children. For change for them.”

I wish I could shift too, but these ropes are preventing it. My heart bursts with pride when I spot my mother as she steps forward in her dragon form. She roars as Isa finishes. I know that the roar is for me. My mother has never stood up for me. Not once. Then again, she has never really stood up for herself, either. Not really! She holds her head high right now. That stops today. I am crying all over again. I am crying with joy…with hope.

The men are shuffling around. They are looking bewildered and unsure.

Tarek throws his head back and laughs. “You…them?” he sneers. “A bunch of women against warriors? You don’t stand a chance, Isa. We will take you down. Is that what you want?” He looks his wife in the eyes. The men stand taller. “I don’t want to have to hurt you…”

I notice that the women stand taller too; that their eyes fill with determination.

“I’m talking to all the men of this weyr.” Isa looks around her. “Think long and hard before you act against us. We are not going to stand down. We refuse. Enough is enough! We want to be able to live together in peace and harmony. We want to be able to choose—”

“Stop this, Isa! You’re being ridiculous. Listen to you. Men, it’s time to take control of the women in your families.” He looks back at his wife. “I don’t want to lock you away…or…or…put you in your place, but I will. Since we’re dishing out lashes today, I might put you in the line too. Do you want that kind of pain?”

“You hurt me every day,” Isa says.

“That’s a little melodramatic!” Tarek snorts. “Does this have to do with the conversation you heard the other day?”

“The fact that you want old men to be able to mate with young girls turned my stomach, I’ll admit as much.” She nods.

Collective gasps go through the crowd. I note with interest that some of the men look upset at this prospect.

“Especially since we have a young daughter. I can say with certainty that learning of your plans added fuel to the fire.” Isa nods. “It isn’t just that. It’s the years of having to stay silent. We’re done being treated the way that we are. You hit the nail on the head earlier when you told Raven that she has no will of her own. That’s wrong!”

“You’re women. That’s how it is.” Tarek sounds bewildered. “You need direction. Two people can’t lead. There can only be one leader. It’s how things have been for hundreds of years.”

“What happened to two people being in a partnership? Two people making decisions together?” Isa sounds exasperated.

“That doesn’t work,” Tarek snorts again.

“What doesn’t work is having you as our leader.” The rest of the women go wild. They shout and clap. “We want you out. It is time to vote someone new in. All of us must get a vote. Every single person here. It’s not just the men who want a say in the matter. Who deserve a say.”

Tarek chokes out a laugh. It isn’t as confident as before. “My men and I will stand together and fight you, then. It will be a bloodbath.”

Isa stands taller and pulls her shoulders back. “Your response is not unexpected. It is still disappointing. I’m hoping the rest of the men in our tribe will feel differently. Tell me, are you willing to kill your wife…your mother? Are you willing to fight your daughters? What about your sisters? Are you willing to kill family members? Friends? Because that’s what will need to happen. We will not stand down.” She shakes her head.

“Again, so dramatic.”

“You just said that it would be a bloodbath. This is very serious. I wouldn’t dare exaggerate anything after a statement like that.”

“Go back to your homes!” Tarek shouts. “Do it now, before it’s too late. I would hate to see you hurt or locked up.”

It’s Isa’s turn to laugh. “You do not have enough cells to hold all of us.”

“Take control of your wives!” Tarek yells.

No one moves. No one does anything.

“I swear to god, Isa.” Tarek raises a hand. I cringe inwardly. He steps forward. I can see he’s going to strike his wife.

Isa doesn’t cower. Or flinch.

Someone grabs Tarek’s arm. “No, Father,” the young man says. “I can’t allow you to harm my mother. I agree; this has gone on long enough.”

Tarek snorts. “It’s because I refuse to allow you to mate that girl. She’s no good for you, son.” He looks desperate.

“I won’t harm my wife,” a voice echoes from the crowd.

“Me neither,” someone else says.

“I have daughters!” someone else shouts.

“I want to choose my own mate,” yet another person says. This time it’s a woman.

“Me too,” a man growls.

“Stop!” Tarek yells. “That’s not the natural way!” he shouts louder.

“Rather be quiet, Father.” I think his son has noticed the stares of hatred. The utterances throughout the crowd, which is drawing closer.

Understandably, there are those in agreement with Tarek, but they soon realize that they’re outnumbered and shut their mouths. Tarek’s stance changes. His shoulders slump. His whole form becomes smaller. “Isa,” he whispers, “why are you doing this to me?”

“Always so selfish.” Isa looks sad. “This isn’t about you, Tarek.”

“Let’s go, Father.” Tarek allows himself to be led away.

The guy on my right lets me go somewhere through all of this. I note that Lance is still gripping me tightly. I try to pull free. “Let go!” I growl, when his hands don’t budge.

“This isn’t right,” Lance mutters. “You’re a warm hole and a cooked supper at night. You shouldn’t be able to vote.” He looks at me with disgust. I stomp hard on his foot.

His face registers first pain and then shock. I knee him in the groin…hard.

He groans, falling onto his knees; the look of pain intensifies a whole lot.

“That’s as close as any part of me is getting to that.” I point at where his hands are clutching his manhood. I’m tempted to punch him in the face, but he isn’t worth it, and my wrists are still tied so it would be difficult to get a good blow in. Asshole!

I turn and walk straight into Stephan’s chest. He’s still bloody and bruised, but he’s smiling. Busted lip and all. “I thought I would leave you to it.” He glances at Lance. “Was he being an asshole?” he asks as he works on the knots binding my arms.

I nod, giving Lance a dirty look. “That’s putting it mildly,” I say as Lance falls onto his side. He’s groaning loudly, still clutching his junk.

Stephan undoes the knots and pulls the rope free. Then he cups my face in his hands. “I’m so glad you’re safe.” He brushes a kiss against my lips and then winces as we come apart. His lip is still pretty busted. It’s not bleeding anymore, but it must hurt.

“Shit, I got some blood on you.” He wipes at the bottom of my lip with his thumb.

“I’m just so glad you’re okay.” I hug him.

Stephan wraps his arms around me and hugs me back. It feels so good.

“Thank you for standing up for me,” I murmur.

“Anytime.”

“Thank you for not killing West,” I say. “I don’t think he planned to give you the same leniency. Did he hurt you badly?” I give him the once-over.

“I’m fine.”

I hug him again. “I’m so glad you’re okay. So, so glad.”

“Stop saying that. It’s like you didn’t think I could do it.” He kisses the top of my head. I can feel his big hands moving up and down my back.

I pull back. “You scared me there for a minute.”

“I was holding back. I knew I could never kill another person in cold blood.” His eyes are narrowed in thought. “I was kind of hoping that West might feel the same way. I…” he shakes his head. “It’s over now.” He sighs.

“What did West say to you?” I ask. “It clearly influenced your feelings.”

“Some bullshit about taking you as a mate and then doing everything in his power to ensure you love him as much as he loves you. There was more, but I didn’t catch it. It was more of the same…” He shrugs.

I frown. “And that pissed you off so badly you found your second wind?”

“It gave me a chance to regroup to a degree, but that’s not it.” He shakes his head.

“What then?”

“I’m not sure how to tell you this.” He’s frowning. He rubs his hand up and down the sides of my arms. “I’m not sure you want to know.” His eyes are narrowed with concern.

“I’m pretty sure I do.” I nod.

“It’s bad! I had a vision, Raven,” he says. His eyes have this look in them.

“You read West?” I sound unsure. I must have misunderstood somehow.

Stephan nods. “Yes, and it was bad. It was really bad.”

I fall hard as someone crashes into Stephan’s side. I turn to my right in time to see West and Stephan rolling. West lands on top of Stephan.

Stephan’s eyes are wide. I know that look. He’s having another vision. West pulls his fist back, ready to strike. “What the hell is wrong with him?” he asks, confusion in his eyes.

22

Stephanus

I’m seeing flashes of West’s future. Like video clips. In some, he is with a woman…there is a child. They are happy. In others…he is alone. He is drinking. I think it might be nectar of the gods because he is drunk. Then he is fighting a whole group of men. Oh, fuck! I don’t need to see this. He’s having sex with…I think she might be a prostitute. It’s no one he cares for…I know it. Now we’re back to a woman in his life, someone different this time. They are breaking up; they’re screaming at each other.

I moan.

I try to shove him off me.

I can’t. He’s too heavy, and my arms won’t work. Why won’t my arms work?

The visions turn into snippets. Same as in the longer visions, some are good. Some bad. Some are terrible. Snippets. Pieces. They’re moving from one to the next to the next. Going faster and faster. My arms feel like lead. I try to shake my head. I try to talk, but I don’t think I can even moan anymore.

My head hurts.

It throbs.

My whole body hurts.

I have never had a vision from a non-human for this long. It’s not right! It feels all wrong! Bad! So bad! All I have are the visions. More and more. Faster and faster. I think this is it. Stay away from the sea. I can feel him on me. West. His weight. His hands. I’m stuck. Falling deeper. I’m being taken with the tide. A tide of visions. His visions.

West is the tide.

It’s him.

My undoing. I’m losing myself. I can feel my mind as it slips away. I’m sinking. Being swept away.

* * *

“Thank god!” I hear someone say. I’m not sure if it’s another vision or if it’s reality.

I’m still seeing snippets. My body jerks, like it’s been shocked.

“Easy,” a voice soothes. I feel a cool touch. I think it’s real. I hope it’s real. This is like a nightmare.

My body jerks again as more flashes accost me. I feel like I’m sinking away to nothing. I groan.

Suddenly, my forehead is cool. “I’ve got you,” the same voice says.

“How is he?” another voice.

“I think he’s…” The voices are fading.

I’m not sure how much time passes. Seconds…minutes…hours. I jerk awake. I think I’m sitting upright. I can still see the flashes of West’s future. I can see him having sex, pounding into some woman, telling her to keep her head facing forward. He doesn’t want to look at her. Then he’s drinking…he falls and tries to get up but falls again. Then he is with another woman. She is looking at him with love. He touches her swollen belly. Then I see him staggering and falling, his eyes hazy. Flashes. Snippets. My head.

“Stephan.” I see Raven. She’s holding my face. “Oh, my god! I thought I lost you,” she whispers.

“Raven.” I touch her cheek. “I see you,” I say. “I see you.”

She laughs. I love the sound.

“Is that…? Stephan!” Jarrod yells. “Fuck! You’re awake. Is he awake?” he asks Raven.

“Yes.” She laughs.

“What happened?” Jarrod asks.

“West is the tide.” I fall back against soft pillows, feeling drained. A blanket is bunched around my hips. I’m wearing sleeping shorts. How is it that I’m wearing sleeping shorts? “Where is he?” I croak.

“West?” Raven asks, brows raised.

I nod. “West is the son of Poseidon.”

“I heard all about that,” Raven says.

“Where is West now?” I ask again, feeling weak.

“In his room at Jarrod’s house. He refuses to come out or to talk about what happened. He says he needs space,” Raven says, her eyes clouding.

“That’s what he told Trident,” my brother says. “He’s the only person West would talk to, and then only briefly. Do you want something to drink?” Jarrod asks.

He must see how dry my lips look. They feel parched. I nod.

Raven holds a straw to my mouth, and I drink. I feel so incredibly tired. “How long…how long was I…under?” I ask, for lack of a better word.

“Twenty-six hours,” Raven says.

“Twenty-six very long hours. I didn’t think you would come out of it,” my brother says. “Raven wouldn’t leave your side.” He smiles at her.

“How did…? What happened?” I ask. “I could feel myself being pulled into the vision. Getting stuck. West wouldn’t get off me…”

“I wonder how it happened,” Jarrod interjects.

“I think it’s because he’s a powerful non-human.” I shrug. “And the length of the contact. I think that combination. It has never happened with a human.” I’m reminded of how my head throbbed. “I was nearly a goner. How did I break loose?”

“It was Raven,” Jarrod says. “She shoved West hard. He was just looking down at you.”

“You shoved him?” I ask Raven.

She nods. “Of course. I could see that you were in a bad place. Your eyes…” She shivers like she’s getting the creeps. “I couldn’t get West off you. That’s where your brother came in.”

“I may have broken his jaw…again, since you broke it the first time.” His eyes harden with a flash of anger. “He can be a serious jerk, especially where you are concerned. And jerk is putting it lightly.”

“West went down hard,” Raven says. “He was out cold for a while.”

“He deserved it…and more,” I mumble. “He’s some piece of damn work…” I’m shaking my head. “That he would stoop so low,” I mutter some more. I’m not sure how I’m going to break this news to Raven.

“What aren’t you telling us?” Raven asks. “You told me you had a vision. That it was bad. You were about to tell me about it when West jumped you. What did you see?”

“I saw his future when he clasped me around the back of my neck. When he told me about how happy you guys were going to be, and all of the other bullshit.”

“You had a vision then too?” Jarrod sounds shocked.

I nod.

“What was it?” Raven asks.

“It was different to the ones that came after. The future most definitely is not set in stone. In my first vision, I saw my own death. West twisted my head from my shoulders.” People wonder why I hate my gift.

I see Raven cringe. My brother looks like he’s about to pop a vein.

“I then saw him talking to Tarek. If I had died, Isa would not have stood up to Tarek. Things would have gone down differently. In the vision, West was arguing with Tarek, who was still the leader. West was pissed off that Tarek made him fight for you, Raven. He said that he had already earned the right when he told them where to find us.”

She gasps. “Find us?”

I nod. “He said that Tarek had promised that West could mate with you and that he would be allowed to kill me if West gave Tarek information on how to find us. He gave away our location so that he could get you as a mate. At that point, I’d seen enough. I saw red and went after West. I still couldn’t kill him, though.” I shake my head. “Even though he deserved it. I’m sorry.” I see hurt cloud her features.

“Fucking asshole!” Maddox says from the door. His eyes are blazing. “I can’t believe it… Actually, I can… No! Fuck! I can’t fucking believe West would do that to us…to you.” He looks my way before walking into the room, shaking his head. “What the hell is wrong with him?”

“I do believe you, but…” She’s deep in thought. “That can’t be right,” Raven says, shaking her head in disbelief. “Lance…the guy I kicked in the privates. He told me it was he who had asked to mate with me. He tried to talk me into sleeping with him when I was taken the second time. He told me Tarek wouldn’t be happy if I had another shifter’s scent on me when I was already promised. That I would be punished. He offered to fix it. That’s how he put it.” Raven snorts in disgust. “I told him it would be a cold day in hell before I had sex with him, that I would fight a mating with him.” She pushes out a breath. “It doesn’t make sense. Why would Lance say that if it was West?” She locks eyes with me.

I don’t like that Raven doesn’t believe me. It makes me think that she might still have feelings for West. Even after everything. “My vision was very clear,” I tell Raven. “West gave us up – all of us – in order to get you as a mate. I know it.”

“Maybe I can clear things up regarding Lance,” Maddox says. “That guy is a loser. Always was. I know he was always sniffing around you when you were younger. I was grateful you always turned him down, because he’s the biggest liar. He would say just about anything to get into a girl’s pants. I’m talking hardcore bullshit. He was probably lying. Hoping to score. West is making more sense to me. The way West acted…makes more sense to me,” Maddox says. “West only became angry when Stephan got back. Before that, he was calm, even though he knew Raven had been abducted. Now that I think about it, too calm, considering Raven was gone. Also, he didn’t react much when you mentioned Tarek forcing her to mate with someone from the weyr. He should have lost his mind. The only way he would’ve stayed so calm was if he knew that the mate was going to be him.”

“I can’t believe this.” Raven looks shocked.

“He reacted harshly when he saw you because he despises you Stephan. He went fucking ballistic when he scented Raven on you. When he figured out that the two of you had slept together. Also, some of the things he said to Tarek. The disbelief, when Tarek forced the two of you to fight. Tarek told West that he’d changed his mind. West was shocked and pissed off because Tarek was going back on their deal.”

“Also, that night we ended up going for pie,” I say to Raven as the thought comes into my head. “West was there when we got back. Why? It was as if he knew we had left. How did he know? Was he watching you? Maybe your weyr was watching already by then. It just seemed weird to me that he showed up so late at night to…check in on you. I don’t believe in coincidences.”

Raven has started crying. Tears are rolling down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry, sis.” Maddox puts his arm around her. “I’m so damned sorry.”

“I thought I knew him,” she whispers and then sniffs again. “I can’t believe he would do that to us…to me.” She looks distraught. Shit, I’m back to thinking that maybe she still feels something for West. I can’t shake that thought. I know it’s stupid at a time like this. I have zero rights over this woman. We’re not in a relationship of any kind. No promises were made. I need to stop my shit!

“I’m so sorry.” I see him hug her harder. Then he stands.

“Where are you going?” Raven asks.

“I’m going to have a little conversation with West.” His jaw clenches.

“We should tell the others first,” Raven says. “Confront him together.”

Maddox pulls in a breath. For a moment, it looks like he’s going to disagree. Then he nods. “Fine!” he growls. “Before we go,” he says to me. “Star is also here. You know Star. She—”

“I know Star,” I say. “I don’t remember much, just that she helped me and that she has really long blond hair and the same eyes as Night and Death.”

“Yeah, well, we brought her back with us. She didn’t want to stay with the weyr anymore. We’ll be out of your hair in a few days.” I note that Raven doesn’t say anything about staying. She doesn’t say anything at all. It doesn’t mean anything. I need to calm the fuck down. So much has happened.

I nod. “I don’t mind. You can stay as long as you need.”

“We’ll see you later,” Raven says as they walk out. Then I hear her say, “Don’t hurt him, please.” She’s talking to Maddox about West.

Don’t hurt him!

Don’t fucking hurt him!

I don’t get it. If I wasn’t as weak as a day-old fucking lamb, I’d go over there and make sure that West was in pain for the rest of the week. The month. The rest of his fucking life. He doesn’t deserve to breathe. I hate him. I know this is partly jealousy talking. I also know that I couldn’t kill him even if I wanted to. I had the chance…I didn’t take it. I know that makes me a good person. Screw being fucking good! Nice gets you nowhere.

“You’re grinding your teeth.”

“Am I?” I ask.

“I think that Raven might still be hung up on her ex, despite him being the biggest fuckhead alive.”

I don’t say anything. I can’t because I don’t want to admit that he might be right.

23

Raven

We all pile out of the car. Our old rust-bucket isn’t a rust-bucket anymore. Forge is a genius. The engine is so smooth you can hardly hear it when it’s running. It emits a beautiful, soft purr.

Although the inside is the same, the outside is radically different. Forge repainted the vehicle in a light green color that works for a vintage model. That’s just it; it looks vintage now instead of old. I think he must have refitted all of the chrome parts as well because they look shiny and new. Like the headlights, the grille, and the handles. I still can’t believe it. Barrett runs his hand lovingly down the side.

We’re all in awe.

We turn and trudge to the door of Jarrod’s place. Before we can knock, Zale opens up. “Is that our car?” His eyes have this confused look; he looks over our shoulders, straining to see the vehicle. “Nah! That isn’t our car…is it?”

Barrett nods. “It’s our car. Can you believe it?”

“I can’t.” Zale is grinning. “It looks amazing! Forge did a great job.”

“I helped.” Barrett puffs out his chest. “It was such fun. If we stay—”

“Let’s tackle one thing at a time,” Maddox suggests. “We’re here to speak to West. Let’s get that out of the way first.”

Zale shakes his head. “I doubt you’ll get him to talk to you. He’s hiding out.” He rolls his eyes. “I think he even eats during the night because I have yet to see him. Maybe he’s starving himself.”

“I don’t give two fucks what West does or doesn’t want.” Maddox’s jaw tenses.

Zale’s eyes widen. “It’s time for him to face the music,” he states.

“Yes, but—” My brother starts to say.

“I’d like to speak to him first…alone?” I ask. “You can fill Zale in on the latest development.”

Maddox nods. “Sure thing, sis. Have at him.” His eyes narrow, and he grunts. “I still can’t fucking believe what he did.”

“There’s more?” Zale asks, his jaw tightening.

“A whole big chunk of more,” Barrett says, folding his arms.

“He deserves everything you give him, and probably more,” Maddox says to me as I head for the stairs.

“It’s the second door once you hit the landing!” Zale shouts after me. “What the hell happened?” I hear him ask the others.

I take the stairs two at a time because now that I’m here, I can’t wait to get this over with. I feel bogged down with the emotions churning through me.

The only door that is closed is the second one. I knock twice and then enter. West is already standing. He’s facing the wall. He turns, like I just woke him from a deep sleep. “Raven!” He smiles at me like it’s old times. “It’s so good to see you.” He walks to me, his hand is outstretched, ready to touch me…hold me… “Don’t!” I snap, looking down and then at his eyes.

They’ve turned stormy. West doesn’t say anything. I half expect him to start explaining himself.

“You made a deal with Tarek. Our location in exchange for Stephan’s life, and apparently for me.” My voice is cold and accusing.

His eyes narrow. His muscles rope, and thicken. “That fucker is feeding you bullshit again. How gullible are you, Raven?”

“Don’t even try it!” I yell at him. I can’t believe he’s denying it all. That he’s trying to turn this around. Actually, I can!

“Try what? Where did he get this information?” West shrugs.

“He had a vision. When you—”

“A vision!” West snorts. “He’s making me out to be the bad guy so that he can win the girl. It’s as simple as that. The asshole can’t even play fair,” he growls.

“Play fair!” I shout. “This isn’t a game. This is our lives we’re talking about. I’m not even going to start a conversation about how you almost killed Stephan. You can’t even begin to talk about playing fair.”

“I did not almost kill him!” He doesn’t say anything more because he knows he’s lying through his teeth.

“I can’t believe that you went to Tarek. You told him where to find us.” My throat feels clogged for a moment. I’ve known this man my whole life.

“You shouldn’t believe it, Raven.” He tries to touch me again, but I flinch away. “What has he done to you? To us?”

“You keep blaming Stephan.”

“If it wasn’t for—!” he booms.

“This has nothing to do with Stephan. I don’t want to talk to you about him. This conversation has nothing to do with him.” Why doesn’t he get that? Or any of it?

“Good!” West’s eyes sparkle. “I’m glad to hear it.”

“This conversation is about you and me.”

“Now we’re talking.” He’s animated, playing at being happy, but his eyes tell me a whole other story.

“Not us!” I point out. “There is no us.”

His face falls, and his eyes cloud. “Because of him!” he growls.

“No! Why did you go to Tarek? Why did you do it?” My eyes sting. I know why he did it, but I need him to own up to it. I need him to admit to what he did.

He groans, running a hand through his hair. “You’re back on that. It isn’t true! How do I make you believe me?”

“At this point, it’s your word against his. Good thing there’s one other person who knows the truth. I can safely say that he has no loyalty to you or anyone else. In fact, he’ll take great pleasure in telling me because he knows the truth will hurt me.”

“Who?” He looks worried. “Who are you talking about?”

“You know who…Tarek.”

I watch his eyes widen and his mouth drop open. He starts to say something and then stops.

“Tarek will—” I start to say.

“I did it for us,” he grinds out.

My heart drops. “Us? You told our crazy-in-the-head leader where to find us. You did that for us?” I sound shocked to the core. “You could have gotten all of us killed.”

“I love you, Raven.” He looks stricken. “I was desperate. I was watching that asshole steal you away. I don’t know how many times I need to tell you. I felt helpless. I watched you with him…with that asshole motherfucker, and—”

“Don’t! I told you this has nothing to do with Stephan. Don’t blame Stephan! You can only blame yourself.” My voice is shaking I’m so angry.

“I made a mistake. She meant nothing. I don’t even remember what she looks like. I never asked for her name. I don’t give a fuck!”

“I understand why you cheated. I’ve told you this already.” Now I sound exasperated.

“It wasn’t because we were already over. Don’t say that! I refuse to believe it. I know you haven’t forgiven me.” His face is red.

“I did forgive you. I have!” I growl. Everything in me quietens. “I can’t forgive you for this.” I’m shaking my head.

“I did it for us. To get you away from him. I needed you to think straight.”

“I was thinking straight. I’m thinking straight right now. Give me some credit!” I yell. “We will never be together. Never!”

I watch his face fall. He swipes a hand over his eyes. I think I might have caught the glint of a tear falling. I can’t feel sorry for him. Not after all this! “I don’t even know if we can be friends again.”

He makes this anguished noise. “Please, Raven. Please!”

“You went too far, West. Please, all I ask is that you sort yourself out. Go for help! Do it for you. Not for me or anyone else.”

“I’m fine!” he growls.

“You haven’t faced up to what happened to Raider and Mimi…to the shitty childhood you had. You need to own it.”

“What do you mean own it?” His voice is gruff and emotion-filled. “I live it every fucking day.”

“I mean deal with it…come to terms with it. I mean that you need to work through all of it.”

“I just want you, Raven. We can face all of it together. We can—”

“No! You are so filled with hate…you can’t see.”

“I see just fine. I see you…” He swipes at his face again, tearing his hand through his hair.

“I can’t see you for a while,” I say as I step backward. “A long while…”

“Bubbles…” he pleads.

“No! Don’t call me that! Don’t!” To think hearing him tease me with that stupid nickname, once upon a time, made my heart flutter. I saw a bumblebee and accidentally called it a bubble bee. Everyone laughed. It was hilarious. For West, the nickname stuck. He called me Bubble Bee or Bubbles for a long time after that. I don’t really remember when he stopped, or why he stopped. I know why he started up again, and I don’t like it. “I’m not the same person I was back then. I’ve changed. I’ve moved on. I really hope that you can, too. Goodbye, West. Look after yourself.” I walk out before he can say anything more. There isn’t anything that I need to hear. I’ve told West everything I came to say.

The guys go in to see West after me. Ten minutes later, we leave. The mood is somber. When we arrive back at the house, Stephan’s door is closed.

It’s the first time I’ve seen his door shut. It’s normally open just a tiny crack. I stand there just looking at it for a few moments, contemplating whether to knock softly or come back later.

“He doesn’t want to be disturbed,” Jarrod whispers from down the hall.

I nod, watching Jarrod walk away.

That’s odd. I get this funny feeling. Maybe Stephan is one of those guys who doesn’t want a relationship. The kind of guy who only picks women who are unavailable. If they do become available, then he doesn’t want them anymore. I know I’m overthinking this. I’m sure I’m being an idiot. He’s probably just tired and wants to rest. He’ll be up and about soon.

Anyway, I’m not sure I should dive into something new. Then I think about Stephan…his smile, how shy he is, how freaking cute he is. How he claimed me, stood up for me, and nearly died for me…and I hope I’m wrong.

24

Stephanus

Two days later…

I’m painting like a demon. In a way, it’s therapeutic. I’m feeling less shitty as I watch the fresh paint coat the wall behind my brush. I’m inside the bakery because I needed some privacy. It’s chaos outside with all the people and the press. Besides, Night and Tri have been throwing me these pitying looks. I’m sick of it. They think something is up with me. They’re assuming it’s something to do with Raven, and they would be right.

I’m a mess.

A fucking mess.

“Hey,” Bolt says from the doorway. “Wow!” he adds, looking at the wall I already painted. “That’s impressive.”

If I keep going like this, I’ll have most of the walls done within an hour. I keep going, hearing Bolt walk over to me. We made the decision to wait for Bolt to get back from his business trip, which happened to be very early this morning. I can scent why he’s late. It had nothing to do with any airport delays.

Sex.

Lucky bastard!

I’m happy for him. I honestly never thought I’d see Bolt so in love. Then again, I never thought that I would fall in love either, and I have. It’s only taken a week, but there it is. I’m essentially fucked.

“Is everything okay?” I hear the concern in his voice. Bolt has very little idea about what’s happened since he left…and a lot has happened. He called Tri, Night, and me to invite us to this bakery revamp press party. Tri told him that there had been an incident, that we ran into some non-humans but that everything was under control and back to normal. In other words, we lied through our fucking teeth. I turn to face Bolt. He looks so carefree and relaxed. No clue of the shitstorm that has taken place. We were going to wait until after this event at Buns to tell him, but I find I’m bursting at the seams. I can’t keep this inside. I need to talk about it, and fuck…he needs to know.

I look outside. Everyone is doing their thing. No one is paying us any attention. “You know that incident that happened last weekend?”

He nods.

“One of them touched me…a woman,” I remind him.

He nods again. “I take it you saw something.” He lifts his brows. “Something bad?”

I shake my head. “I got nothing from her.”

I see him frown. “What, then?”

“She did…see something.” His frown deepens. He’s probably wondering why no one filled him in on this. I go on, “She saw something from my future, and it wasn’t good. It wasn’t good at all!”

“Okay. What happened?” He folds his arms. “Why didn’t anyone tell me any of this? Are you in danger?”

“Night mentioned that this trip was very important to you. Something about an acquisition. That, and some time away with your girlfriend. You’ve gotten mad in the past about being interrupted,” I tell him.

Bolt narrows his eyes. “I guess that’s true, but I’ve changed. This looks serious. You look kind of spooked. Tell me about this premonition. Are you afraid it’s going to come true? How much can you trust this woman? This group? They might be non-humans, but that doesn’t mean they’re trustworthy.” He sounds like we did a few days ago.

I choke out a laugh. “The premonition almost came true,” I say. “And I can trust her.”

“What do you mean it almost came true? What happened? I feel like I’m missing something here.”

I tell Bolt about how Raven had the vision at the MMA fight. About their car breaking down. I give a brief overview of each person, and then I tell him that the men are dragon demigods.

I watch his facial expression change to disbelief. “What the fuck?” he snarls, quickly lowering his voice and looking outside. “There are more dragon demigods? You guys didn’t think to tell me this?” I haven’t even told him about Zale yet, and already Bolt looks…intense. His Adam’s apple works. I can see that his mind is working too. It’s working overtime.

“We knew this day might come,” I try to soften the blow.

Bolt starts to say something, but there’s a knock at the door, which is half open. It’s Bolt’s girlfriend, Ashley. “Is everything okay in here?” She sounds hesitant as her head pops around the door.

“All good, Babe. I’ll be out in a minute.” Bolt winks at her, looking the picture of calm.

Ashley smiles at him. “I just wanted you to know that another one of your friends is here.” She steps to the side, and Rage walks in.

“I was at a loose end and thought I could come and help paint.” He looks bored. It’s weird to see a paintbrush in his hand. He’s dressed in black from head to toe. Not very smart, considering what we are here to do. “It’s a shit show out there.” He points with the paintbrush to all the madness of the flashing cameras and people. I think more people have arrived since Ashley and Bolt appeared. “I thought I would come and work in here with you guys where it’s quieter.”

“I’ll leave you to it,” Ashley says. “I’m outside painting with my folks. Emily wants some pictures of the bakery staff working together, so I need to find Simon. Then she wants us to mingle with our customers.” She smiles, looking excited. “It’s going so well. I’m having so much fun!”

“I’m so glad, Gorgeous. Let me know if you need me for anything. Otherwise, I’ll be there soon,” Bolt says to her.

“I will.” They share this look. It makes me feel like I’m imposing for watching…for just being here. Then Ashley leaves.

“What the fuck is this about dragon demigods here in Newfolk?” Bolt whisper-shouts at both Rage and me. “Are they still here? Is their vehicle still at Forge’s shop?”

Rage locks eyes with me. “He needed to know,” I say by way of explanation.

Rage nods. “They’re still here,” he tells Bolt, sounding a little unsure. He’s probably trying to figure out how much Bolt knows.

“You also need to tell me more about this premonition that almost happened. You nearly died? Is that right?” Bolt narrows his eyes.

I nod. “Yes.”

“You might need to sit down for this,” Rage says, pointing at one of the chairs. It’s been covered in plastic wrapping.

Bolt sits, and it makes a crunching noise. His attention is on me. “You’re making me nervous. I don’t like being nervous.” He shakes his head.

“There are four dragon demigods and one dragon shifter.” I start giving names and various other details I didn’t give before.

Rage groans. “I can see this is going to be longwinded. You have a half-brother!” he blurts. “One of the dragon demigods is related to you.”

Bolt’s mouth has dropped open. He just stares at Rage, and then looks at me, and then looks back at Rage. “A half-brother? Are you shitting me?”

“One of the guys from the group shares the same father as you,” I say. “That would make him your half-brother. His name is Zale.”

“Fuck!” Bolt grunts. “That’s insane.”

“You’re not alone,” Rage says. “Maddox is my half-brother.”

“Holy fucking shit!” Bolt’s eyes are wider than they’ve ever been before. He roughs up his hair with his fingers, scratching his head. He no longer looks camera-ready when he drops his hand.

I go on to tell him about Trident, Forge, Death, and Night having half-siblings. Then I tell him the rest of it. All of it. I don’t go into too much detail, just enough for him to get a clear picture.

“You nearly fucking died? You could have gotten trapped inside your own mind? A whole lot of us have half-brothers we knew nothing about?” His eyes widen for a second. His hand goes back to his hair.

“Don’t forget Death and Night’s half-sister,” Rage rasps. He has started painting. He still looks utterly bored. There’s this tension coming off him, but then again, he’s Rage.

“Fuck! All of this in the space of a week. I go on a business trip, l come back, and all of this happened.” He’s shaking his head. “You even have yourself a girlfriend.” His eyes brighten up.

I glower. “No, I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Sounds like it to me,” Bolt says. “Late-night swimming. A pie-eating date, and then sex in a deep dark forest with the enemies circling.”

“I didn’t say anything about sex.” I narrow my eyes.

“I’m not stupid. You were both naked, hunkered down together, and seriously attracted to one another. You totally fucked.”

I don’t say anything.

“Okay, so you had sweaty sex out in the wilderness. Then you agreed to fight to the death for her. You nearly died, but came back from the brink and won. Sounds like she’s very much yours. That’s the stuff those romance novels are made of. Romance being the key word here.”

I laugh, but it quickly dies. “Yeah, except I think Raven might still have feelings for West.” I tell them about what Raven said to Maddox.

Don’t hurt him!

Fuck! I still feel my chest clench. I still feel jealousy rise up. I’m hurt and jealous, and it makes me angry.

Bolt laughs, which pisses me off more. “All that means is that she’s a nice person. I mean, that West guy sounds like a complete dick. I can’t believe he’s even related to Tri. Raven sounds intelligent. I’m telling you, she was just being nice. It’s what nice people do. Nice people don’t like seeing others hurt or killed. Even if they deserve it. Ashley would have said something similar too.” He gives the goofiest smile as he thinks about his girlfriend. “They’re forgiving and kind and loving.” I think he might be talking about Ashley more than Raven at this point.

“I’m not so sure. At the very least, she’s seriously on the rebound.” My chest feels tight. “They didn’t break up that long ago. She was sure he was the one. They dated for years.”

“You have real feelings for her,” Bolt says. “I recognize the look.”

I nod.

“What’s happened since they went to talk to West? That was two days ago.” He frowns, eyes on mine.

I shrug. “I haven’t seen her since then. I’ve been laying low. I wasn’t well, and then…I holed up. I had this thing I needed to get done for work.” I look down at my paintbrush. More like hiding away like a yellow-bellied coward. A chicken shit!

“You haven’t talked to her?” Bolt asks, sounding shocked.

I shake my head. “I’ll admit that it wasn’t my injuries or work. I’m afraid. I don’t want her to confirm my suspicions.”

“It sounds like they might have plans to move on. To leave town. You need to talk to her before it’s too late. You need to ask her straight out. Don’t assume. Never fucking assume. It’s one of the first rules in business.”

“This isn’t business.” I smile, feeling marginally better.

“Relationships work in a similar fashion. Frankly, the assumption rule counts for everything in life. If you like her, go after her. If you ask me, she’s waiting for you to do just that. Women have a thing about who makes the first move.”

“I have such limited experience when it comes to women. Maybe I am reading this all wrong.” I pull in a deep breath. “There’s only one way to find out.”

“Only one way,” Rage says, still painting. I had almost forgotten that he was here. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen Rage with a woman. I’ve never seen him talk to one, unless he was ordering a drink…or turning one down when they offer to buy him one. He doesn’t get many offers since he’s menacing as fuck. He has this ‘stay away’ vibe that most women acknowledge. Not all – there are those who love him. It’s never reciprocated. He’s never mentioned anyone before. Does he even have sex?

Surely, he has needs…

Why have I never thought about this before?

Maybe because I was like him not so long ago. A loner. Just a much nicer version. Without scars or an affinity to inflict pain and suffering and death. Not that he gives in to these particular urges.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Rage asks. His black eyes are searching my face. He doesn’t look impressed. It doesn’t take much to get his back up.

“I was wondering where your dog is?’ I blurt, even though that wasn’t it at all. I’m grateful to my subconscious for saving my ass because the Doberman isn’t at his feet, where I’ve become accustomed to seeing her. The question just popped into my head.

“I took her to the pound.” He starts painting the wall again.

“Really?” I sound shocked.

“What dog?” Bolt asks.

I fill him in. “I really thought you would keep her. You guys looked tight.”

He stops what he’s doing and turns. “We were not fucking tight. How can a person be tight with an animal?” He looks angry. I’m not sure why. “I told all of you that I wasn’t keeping the thing. That I was going to try to find her owner. I tried. I fucking failed. She’s at the pound. You go and adopt her. End of fucking story.”

“Okay, okay.” I hold my hands up. “Sheesh! I’m sorry I asked.”

“Don’t ask me stupid questions again. What are you still doing here, anyway?” His tone softens.

“I was on my way out.” I take a step back. “I need the keys to your apartment, please,” I ask Bolt, who frowns. “I figure you’ll be here for at least another hour or two. I need somewhere private to talk.”

“To talk?” Bolt lifts his brows like he thinks I’m talking shit.

“Yes, Barrett and her brother, Maddox, are at my place right now. In fact, Zale might be there too.”

“Talking about Zale…” Bolt growls. “When can I meet him? I take it he knows about me?”

I nod. “He knows. Here’s his number.” I pull out my phone and send Bolt Zale’s contact information. “I’ll let him know to expect your call.”

“Thanks.” Bolt’s jaw tenses for a moment, and then any sign of stress is gone.

“About those keys…” I say.

“Okay, but no sex in my apartment.”

“We won’t! I swear.”

“What do you mean you won’t? How can you swear?” He has deep grooves on his forehead. “Don’t make promises you can’t fucking keep. You’re going to tell her all of this romantic bullshit, and then you’re going to kiss, and her panties are going to drop to her ankles…and you’re going to tell her no? Do I have this straight?”

“I have no idea what will happen.” I swallow thickly, feeling my throat constrict.

He snorts. “You can have my keys, but don’t you dare fuck her…not in any room. Not even on the terrace. Since I know the two of you like the outdoors,” he laughs. “Also,” he digs in his pocket, pulling out a buzzer for the garage, and a key card, “security is tight. I’ll need you to fill in some paperwork…and I’ll need a copy of both of your identity documents. I will also—”

“Here,” Rage hands me a set of keys. “Go to my place. Just clean up when you’re done.”

Clean up?

“I’m not going to have sex. The two of you are jinxing me here. I need somewhere private to talk. That’s all!”

“I was talking about washing any dishes you might use. Or picking up any glass splinters if she breaks something over your head for being such an idiot and waiting so long.”

My mouth has dropped open. Is this Rage giving me advice on women?

“Go before it’s too late,” Bolt growls.

“They aren’t leaving just yet,” Rage deadpans.

“Women are weird about a guy taking too long. There’s a window period,” Bolt says. “I’m hoping you’re still in that window.” He makes a box shape with his hands and the paintbrush.

I take the keys. “Thanks,” I mutter to Rage. “Good luck with Zale,” I tell Bolt as I jog for the exit.

There’s a window?

A fucking window?

Why didn’t he tell me sooner?

25

Stephanus

Raven is on a lounger next to the pool. She’s reading a magazine. I notice she’s wearing one of my caps. I must have left it lying around. She has her hair pulled back.

The bikini is yellow. I think yellow is my new favorite color. Fuck me! There are small triangles covering her breasts. My new favorite shape. Triangle. The yellow is gorgeous against her darker-toned skin. Back to yellow being—

“Are you going to stand there all day?” Shit!

Does she know it’s me?

She doesn’t sound happy. Raven puts the magazine down and sits up. Holy fuck, but I love triangles and yellow.

“My eyes are up here.” There is a hint of humor in her voice. At least I think there is…I hope there is.

I manage to pull my gaze from her lush body. I stare into her green eyes, and yellow is no longer winning. It’s green. It was always green. “Hi,” I managed to get out.

“Hi.” She sort of smiles. “I hope you don’t mind; I borrowed your cap.” She points at her head.

“You can have anything of mine,” I blurt, sounding like an idiot. I find I don’t care. I mean it…she can have anything she wants. All of it…me included.

“You have a little something on your shirt.” Her eyes drop down for a second, and her mouth turns up on the one side.

I look down, and there’s a splash of paint. “Yeah, I was helping at the local bakery…they’re fixing the place up and needed help, so I…” I’m harping on, so I force myself to stop. “How are you doing?”

“Are we going to make small-talk now?” Shit! She looks hurt.

Did I wait too long?

Did I ever even stand a chance?

There’s only one way to find out. “Um…I think we really need to talk. I’d appreciate it if we could go somewhere and… Rage gave me the keys to his place. It’s not far from here. I thought we could—”

“Were you hoping to get lucky?” She has this glint in her eyes, but I can’t tell if she’s being serious. I never thought that she might take my request the wrong way.

“Shit! No!” I shake my head. “Just to talk, I swear. After everything that happened, I…”

She smiles. Raven is so fucking beautiful. “I’m only teasing you. It’s—” Barrett walks outside in his bathing suit. He has a towel over his arm.

“You were right, it is difficult to find privacy here,” she says under her breath.

Barrett stops in his tracks. He widens his eyes. “Am I interrupting? I don’t have to swim right now. I could…I don’t know…catch a movie, or make a sandwich.”

Raven laughs. “Go ahead and swim. You’re not interrupting because we were just leaving, anyway.”

“Oh?” He raises his brows. “Where are you headed?” He looks at me and then back at Raven.

“None of your business.” Raven folds her arms across her chest and fuck, but yellow is a beautiful color. Triangles are—

She pulls a dress over her head, giving me a look as soon as it’s on.

I swallow thickly. “Sorry…yellow is a good color on you.” I’m fucking this up.

Raven turns away. “Enjoy your swim.”

“Thanks.” Barrett looks sheepish. He drops the towel on a nearby lounger and dives into the pool with a loud splash.

“Ready?” I ask, trying hard not to look too desperate because I am. I’ve never been this desperate before. I want a chance with this woman so badly.

She puts her feet into a pair of flip flops and then nods. “Yes.”

“Okay, then.” We go inside and then down the hall that leads to the garage. I open the door for her. I help her into the Jeep.

We drive to Rage’s place in silence. It’s awkward. I don’t want to make small-talk. She didn’t like it when I tried earlier. Thank god it doesn’t take long to get to there. I haven’t been here often. It’s on the outside of town. A big log cabin that borders on shifter land. It’s all hills and grassy fields with outcrops of trees. There is a small lake behind the house.

“Wow!” Raven says. “This is nice.” We just stand there for a few moments, taking it in. I’m so fucking terrified my hands are shaking.

I need to just tell her how I feel and not assume anything. I think if I do those two things, I will be okay. Bolt knows his stuff. His advice made sense.

“I wanted to—” I start.

A dog barks. It’s loud and menacing. It comes at us from its place…was it at the front door?

It’s her.

The Doberman.

“What?” I say, frowning. “Easy, girl.” I hold my hand up. The dog growls at us. She’s only about five or six feet away. “Don’t move!” I warn Raven. “I’ll protect you. You need to slowly move behind me.”

“What are you talking about?” she says, dropping to her knees next to me. “We know her. Hey, girl,” she coos.

“Don’t! You—” I gape as the big Doberman comes in for ear rubs.

“I thought Rage said he took the dog to the pound.” I am frowning.

“I can’t believe he went through with it,” she says, her voice sad.

“Me neither.”

“Look, she’s panting hard,” Raven says, still rubbing her ears. “She looks tired and thirsty. I’ll bet she’s really thirsty. Maybe she escaped?” She lifts her brows. “Did you escape?” The dog whines. Raven stands up. “Let’s get her inside.”

We head to the front door. I insert the key, but the door is already unlocked. I push it open. Raven and the dog go inside. She heads for the kitchen. “Wow, it’s lovely inside, too,” she remarks.

The cabin is cozy and homey. It’s not at all what you would expect when you look at Rage. There are paintings and a fireplace. The furniture is comfortable. There are rugs and throws. It’s nice. It’s really nice.

I hear lapping. The dog is drinking like she’s never seen water before in her life.

“See, I told you she was thirsty,” Raven says, looking down at the dog, who’s still drinking. “Do you think she ran all the way here from town?”

“I’m not sure how she would’ve found a way out, but,” I shrug, “it’s possible. I know how much the dog loves Rage. I wish he would lighten up about her. There’s nothing wrong with having a dog.”

“The responsibility is not for everyone.” Raven shrugs.

“I guess.” Then we just stand there. Looking at one another. It’s gone back to being awkward as fuck.

“Do you want something to drink? A coffee? I could make tea. Rage might have—” I start walking to the refrigerator.

“I don’t want anything. Why am I here? What do we need to talk about?”

“Maybe this was a mistake,” I say, turning to face Raven.

“That’s it, then?” she asks. “What do you want from me? Why am I here? What do you want to say? You should have a very good idea since you’ve had two days to think about it.” She folds her arms, her chin is jutting up. Her eyes are burning with determination.

“I would have talked to you sooner, but…” How do I put this all into words?

“But what?” She’s starting to sound pissed.

“I’m so terrified of fucking this up, okay? I’m so afraid of saying the wrong thing…of… I have no idea where we stand with each other. None! You might shoot me down. I’ve been agonizing over every conversation we had. Every touch. Every…everything. I still have no idea. Back to you shooting me down. Maybe we’re on different pages. Hell, maybe we’re not even in the same library.”

“Try me!”

“I like you, Raven. I really like you very much…” I pull in a deep breath. “That’s not true.” I scrub a hand over my face. “It’s not true at all.” I pull in a breath.

“It’s not?” She sounds shocked. “Don’t you…um…like me?” She suddenly looks unsure. For the first time, she seems hesitant.

Maybe she’s not as angry. Maybe I have a shot. Maybe, just maybe, I’m still in that window. I might still be in this with a chance.

I’m in the goddamned window!

“It’s more serious than ‘like’. I’m falling for you. I know it’s really soon and that it’s one big mess, but I think I’m falling in love with you.”

She smiles and licks her lips. “Why did you wait so long? There has to be more to this. You’re shy. You’re not used to the whole relationship thing, but I get the feeling that’s not the main reason you took two whole days to talk to me. I watched you fight West. You’re no coward, Stephan.”

“I’m worried you still have feelings for West.”

Her mouth falls open, and she gets this incredulous look. “Are you crazy? Out of your mind, maybe?” she growls.

“You told Maddox not to hurt him.”

“Maddox is the son of Ares. Hurting turns to bleeding which turns to death. He’s accidentally killed a few people. They were all bad, but still…” She widens her eyes.

“You were afraid Maddox might kill West?”

She nods. “I was very worried that Maddox would regret it. That was my biggest fear, right then.” She rolls her eyes. “And then, although West probably deserves to die after all he’s pulled…I don’t want him to die. Old habits die hard.”

“That brings me to my second worry. That you might be on the rebound. It’s fine if you are. Maybe we should wait. I’ll wait. You can take your time…as much as you need.”

She smiles at me. “You are so sweet. I’m not on the rebound. I told you that our relationship was pretty much over when we left the weyr. I meant that. When West’s brother died, he…he lost it. I couldn’t break up with him after that. I stood by him as a friend. He ended up in bed with another woman. I was angry, and I broke up with him. I felt disrespected more than hurt. He somehow fixated on me. He decided that us being together would somehow fix how he felt inside…namely, devastated. He and Raider were close.” She rubs her lips together. “West and Raider had a shitty upbringing. Their mother was…” Raven looks upset. “She died when they were teenagers. It left a big hole in West. He somehow thought he could save her. Get her straight. He was the one who found her.”

“That’s terrible.” I mean it. I can’t imagine.

“Then Raider…” She shudders. “West is all kinds of messed up.”

“What happened when you confronted him?” I ask.

She sighs. “It wasn’t fun. He tried to defend himself. He still maintains his love for me. Says you’re trying to paint him with an evil brush.”

“Me?” I raise my brows.

She nods. “We told him we all need our space. I think he might leave town. He said something along those lines to Maddox. I hope he stays. He just met Trident. He still has family. It could be great for him if he stayed.”

“You want West to stay?” I feel something clench inside me. I hear that voice of doubt. It’s the one I hate.

She gives me this look. “Are you jealous?”

I swallow hard. “Yes, big fucking time. If you keep talking, I might need to find West and beat his ass again. If he even thinks about starting his shit, I’ll—” Raven reaches up and closes her lips over mine.

I put my arms around her and deepen the kiss. It feels like forever since I touched her. This feels so right. So real.

She moans against my mouth, like maybe, just maybe she feels the same. Raven pulls back. Her gorgeous green eyes are locked with mine.

“What?” I say.

“I’m falling for you too, Stephan.”

I lean in to kiss her again, but she turns away, keeping her arms around me. “There’s one other thing I need to tell you.”

“You’re pregnant?” I half-yell.

She laughs. “No, silly, what gave you that impression?”

I laugh as well. “It happened to two of our guys. I wouldn’t have minded. I mean, only if…”

She giggles. “You’re so darn cute. You need to know that.”

“Cute!” I make a face. “Ugly, but fuckable.”

“What?” She looks confused.

“That’s what cute means. Ugly but fuckable.”

“You’re not ugly. You know you’re not ugly,” she says.

“What about fuckable?”

She puts her hand on my cock through my shorts and gives my member a firm stroke. I’m hard before her fingers reach my tip.

I groan.

“Oh, you’re plenty fuckable. This cabin didn’t look like it was close to any other dwellings.” She pulls away from me, looking up toward the ceiling. “I don’t hear any patrols. Do you?”

“I can’t hear anything but your yellow bikini.”

She throws her head back and laughs. “My bikini? Are you serious?”

“Very serious.” I kiss her mouth. I suck on her tongue. I nip at her lips. Then I pull back. “It wants me to peel it from your body. Really slowly. It wants me to put my tongue on all the places it touched.”

“All the places?” I can scent her arousal.

“Every fucking one.”

She steps back and lifts her arms.

I pull her dress over her head. Jesus! “I’ll lick you in all those places soon. Very soon. I want to fuck you first.”

“Yes…I’ve been going mad,” she says.

“Me too.” I kiss her neck. I squeeze her tits, rubbing my thumbs over her hard nipples. There is a thin layer of fabric between her and me. I shove those triangles to the outside. The yellow tie is still around her body...under her breasts. She looks amazing. I suck on a nipple.

I yank the fabric of her bottoms to the side and rub on her clit. She groans. My fingers slip and slide. “So wet,” I say against her plump as fuck nipple. “I’m dying here,” I growl. My cock is throbbing.

Raven moans. I strum her clit harder. She’s making these noises.

I pick her up and walk a few steps to the sofa. She’s breathing hard. She jumps up off my lap and takes off the bikini bottoms. Then she slides back onto my lap.

I push two fingers inside her and use my thumb on her clit. She starts bouncing on my hand. Her eyes are wide. Her mouth is open. She’s moaning every time I spear into her. Close. Really fucking close.

I take out my fingers. “Fuck,” I say. “Still no condom.”

“Wait,” she pants. She gets up and rummages in her bag.

My cock is pulsing, just looking at her. She takes a box of condoms out of her bag. “What?” I manage to push out. She came prepared.

She gives me this sultry look. “I was hopeful. I was on the verge of throwing them out,” she adds, giving me a fake dirty look.

That window… I made it in time. Just in fucking time. “I’m glad you didn’t. Come here.”

Less than a minute later, Raven is bouncing on my cock. Good lord! Holy fucking shit. Jesus! She’s beautiful.

She’s breathing hard and making desperate-sounding noises. Then she’s all out groaning with every thrust. I punch into her hot, wet heat. I’m looking from her bouncing tits into her gorgeous green eyes and back again. I’m not sure how I’m holding on.

I put my thumb on her clit. I rub softly. I watch her bounce harder. Moan harder. I rub on her clit a few more times, then I grab her hips and pound into her. I watch Raven unravel. I watch her in one moment go quiet while her sex starts fluttering around me. Then her eyes go from closed to wide open. Her mouth goes from tightly closed to hanging open. Her hands clutch at my shoulders. Raven throws her head back and groans. Then she yells my name…long and hard.

I let myself go, jerking as I come harder than I ever thought possible. I can barely catch my breath as I am coming down. Raven too. She’s slumped over me, still rocking into me.

I put my arms around her. “I knew you would sound amazing,” I say.

“I’m glad,” she laughs. “I have to say, though, I kind of liked it when you put your hand over my mouth while I was coming.”

“You did?”

“I absolutely did.”

“We’re going to do that again in two minutes, and I might just test that theory. Right now, I want to know what you were going to tell me.” My voice gets a timid edge.

“Going to tell you? I can’t remember. I’m not sure I even know my own name right now.” She laughs softly.

“There was something else. I thought you might be pregnant, but it wasn’t that,” I try to prompt her. “I should probably stop talking now,” I laugh. “I’m messing this up again.” I pull out of her.

“You’re not.” She shakes her head and kisses me softly. “Remember when I tried to push West off of you—”

I groan. “Not West again.”

“This is a good thing, bear with me here.”

“Okay.” I smile at her.

“I felt something.” Her eyes lift in thought.

I sit up straighter. “What did you feel? You said you didn’t feel anything for him anymore.”

She gives me a dirty look. “I felt the start of a premonition. I saw him and Tarek. Maybe it was the same one you had.” She’s animated now. “I was reading West. Don’t you see?”

I shake my head. “I’m a guy…you need to spell it out.” I wince.

“All these years, and I got nothing from him. Not even leading up to the death of his brother. I should have seen something. I read you when I met you, and yet, nothing since. And we’ve touched quite a bit since then.”

I smile and kiss her. “Yes, we have. Not as much I would like, but…”

She rolls her eyes. “That’s your fault. We could’ve been having lots of sex. My point being, I don’t think I can read someone if I have real feelings for them. I can’t read you anymore. I couldn’t read West before, but that changed.”

“So, we’ll be okay then?” I ask, my gaze on her lips and then her beautiful eyes. Her cheeks are flushed. Her hair is wild. My cap is somewhere on the floor. I’m not sure when that came off.

“We’ll be more than okay.” She smiles at me.

“You’re not leaving town?” It was my other worry. What am I saying? It’s still a major worry.

She shakes her head. “No, I’m not sure where we’ll stay, or what we’ll do, but…” She shrugs.

“We’ll figure it out.”

“We?” she says.

“Yes, we. You’re not alone anymore. None of you guys are alone. Not Maddox, or Barrett…not Zale or Star. Even West,” I push the last out.

“If he turns himself around, he might even have friends again,” Raven says.

“Yeah…maybe,” I try not to sound like a grumpy fuck.

Raven sticks out her magnificent chest. She ropes her arms around my neck. “You know you have nothing to worry about, right?”

“I know.” I kiss her. I break the kiss. “You, on the other hand, have a whole lot to worry about.”

She frowns. “How so?”

“I’m about to make you come harder than you ever have in your whole life.” I’m pulling a condom out of the box next to me.

“You are?” Her cheeks suddenly look more flushed.

“I am!” I use my teeth to tear open the foil. “And you’re not going to utter so much as a sound.” I turn her onto her back.

She squeals as I position myself over her. There isn’t much room on the sofa, but I’m used to working under difficult conditions.

I’m rolling the condom on. Her eyes are on my dick. They’re wide. Her breathing is elevated. Way fucking elevated. “If you do…” I warn her.

“Then what…?” Heavier breathing. “What will happen?” She’s blinking fast. I’ll be damned, but she looks turned on.

“If you make so much as a tiny squeak, I’m going to have to bite,” I say. “I might even need to spank you.” I move back, turning her onto her knees. I give her ass a sharp slap. Shit! Maybe too hard. Her cheek jiggles.

Raven yells. I see how hard she’s breathing, and I think that maybe I took it too far. I can’t see her face. I can’t tell either way.

Then she giggles. “Holy shit! I’m so wet right now.” She sounds excited.

“Shhhhh,” I whisper as I plunge into her tight heat. I’m thrilled when she squeals because it means I can spank her again while fucking her hard.

* * *

“What the hell?” someone growls loudly.

I sit upright. Rage is here. He’s in the house. He’s looking at the Doberman.

Raven moves and mutters in her sleep.

“Fuck!” I groan as I grab one of the throws and pull it over her.

“Relax!” Rage is frowning. “I didn’t look at your girlfriend.” He locks eyes with me.

Girlfriend.

I have a girlfriend.

Holy shit! It makes me happy. It makes me grin.

“Was she here when you got here, or has she arrived since?” His voice cuts through my excitement.

“Is that a dog bed?” I ask. I don’t remember seeing it when I walked in. The dog is curled up in the thing. It’s big and furry and looks like it cost a ton of money. “Did you buy that for the dog?”

“Answer The question!” His eyes are blazing.

“Yes. Your dog—”

“Not mine!” he growls.

“The dog was here at your front door when we—”

He curses. “Really?” he says to the dog. “We spoke about this. I don’t want a dog.” He sighs. “I can’t have a dog. You need someone else. Not me,” he says to the poor creature. She wags her tail.

He goes to the open closet. I’m pretty sure I remember the closet being closed. I could be mistaken. My mind was on other things at the time. Rage takes out a lead and a collar. I note with interest that the collar sparkles. I keep my mouth firmly shut. He puts on the collar and then clips on the lead. “I’ll be back. Clean up!” he growls the last.

“There are no dishes.”

He frowns at me. “I’m talking about the condoms. And that throw. And while you’re at it, burn that sofa…or take it. I don’t care which.” He turns and leaves.

I see that Raven is awake. She’s clutching the throw to her chest. “Hi,” she whispers.

I feel everything in me soften. “Hi,” I say. I know at this moment that we’re going to be okay. More than fucking okay.

Lord of Chaos is on pre-order now

About the Author

Charlene Hartnady is a USA Today Bestselling author. She loves to write about all things paranormal, including vampires, elves and shifters of all kinds. She lives on a couple of acres in the country with her husband and three sons. They have an array of pets including horses and a gecko named Pickle.

She is lucky enough to be able to write full time, so most days you can find her at her computer writing like mad. Charlene believes that it is the small things that truly matter, like that feeling you get when you start a new book, or when you look at a particularly beautiful sunset.

If you want to be kept updated on new releases please sign up to my Latest Release Newsletter to ensure that you don’t miss out http://mad.ly/signups/96708/join. I promise not to spam you or divulge your email address to a third party. I send my mailing list an exclusive sneak peek prior to every release, as well as info on sales and freebies. You can unsubscribe at any time.

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Also by Charlene Hartnady

The Chosen Series:

1# Chosen by the Vampire Kings

2# Stolen by the Alpha Wolf

3# Unlikely Mates

4# Awakened by the Vampire Prince

5#Mated to the Vampire Kings (Short Novel)

6#Wolf Whisperer (Novella)

7# Wanted by the Elven King

The Chosen Box Set Books 1-3

The Program Series (Vampire Novels):

Book 1: A Mate for York

Book 2: A Mate for Gideon

Book 3: A Mate for Lazarus

Book 4: A Mate for Griffin

Book 5: A Mate for Lance

Book 6: A Mate for Kai

Book 7: A Mate for Titan

The Bride Hunt Series (Dragon Shifter Novels):

Book 1: Royal Dragon

Book 2: Water Dragon

Book 3: Dragon King

Book 4: Lightning Dragon

Book 5: Forbidden Dragon

Book 6: Dragon Prince

The Bride Hunt Box Set Books 1-3

Water Dragons (Spin-off to The Bride Hunt):

Book 1: Dragon Hunt

Book 2: Captured Dragon

Book 3: Blood Dragon

Book 4: Dragon Betrayal

Earth Dragons :

Book 1: Dragon Guard

Book 2: Savage Dragon

Book 3: Dragon Whelps

Book 4: Slave Dragon

Book 5: Feral Dragon

Book 6: Doctor Dragon

The Shifter Night Series:

1# Untethered

2 Unbound

3# Unchained

Complete Box Set Books 1 - 3

The Feral Series:

Book 1: Hunger Awakened

Book 2: Power Awakened

Book 3: Hate Awakened

The Dragon Demigods:

Book 1: Lord of Fire

Book 2: Lord of Hell

Book 3: Little Lords

Book 4: Lord of Life

Book 5: Lord of Rain

Book 6: Lord of Destiny

Book 7: Lord of Chaos

Demon Chaser Series (No cliffhangers):

Book 1 Omega

Book 2 Alpha

Book 3 Hybrid

Book 4 Skin

Demon Chaser Boxed Set Book 1-3

Excerpt

Chapter 1

It had been many years since he had been in such close proximity of his birth enemy. Zane looked as arrogant and as full of shit as ever. Barking orders at his royal guard like they were his servants instead of trusted subjects. In some cases, those receiving the harsh treatment were probably his best buddies. Then again, the bastard probably didn’t have any friends. Shaking his head, Brant turned and surveyed the crowd. He felt sorry for the female that would soon be chosen to become queen to the likes of that ruthless king.

It wasn’t his concern though. His own queen was out there. Brant shuddered, praying that the events of one hundred years ago would not repeat themselves. A bloody war between their fathers had been the result of the last choosing. It couldn’t happen again, the vampire species would not survive another war at this point.

As his mind returned to thoughts of his own female, he knew that he would not be able to remain sensible where she was concerned. His focus was on protecting his coven, and he would dispatch the other male without hesitation if he so much as looked at what was his. No matter the odds, and the knowledge of Zane’s ruthlessness, Brant would allow nothing to harm her. She was too valuable, too precious of a gift to him.

Turning, he surveyed the crowd again. Feeling the electric pulse of her closeness. According to the lores, he would be able to sense her and to tell of their compatibility almost instantly even in a crowd full of females. From the noise projecting from outside, he could tell there were many females present. He hoped his chosen would be willing from the start. The last thing he wanted was to force her, to have to go caveman on her and throw her over his shoulder. The thought did not appeal to him, but the choosing was not something that could be ignored. She would feel it as well, whether she wanted to or not.

“Ready?” his head guard Xavier asked as he moved in next to him. His brother’s eyes never faltered as they stared straight into his. Brant knew the reason for the intenseness. Xavier harbored similar feelings of distaste and distrust for their neighboring king. In order to maintain their tenuous hold on the truce between them, it had always been necessary to keep interactions between the two covens to a minimum. This event was no exception.

“Yeah, as ready as I’ll ever be,” Brant replied while taking a moment to scan the room.

“Your eyes are glowing my lord, maybe you should stop looking in that direction.”

Brant looked into Xavier’s clear grey eyes. Always the cool one in a situation. “My eyes have nothing to do with that bastard at the moment, and everything to do with my female. I can sense her, and the urge to mate is strong. I just hope that she’ll be agreeable to a speedy union.”

“I told you to take a female, ease your need. Humans are…easily broken. We don’t want any accidents.” Xavier spoke softly, ensuring that no one else would be privy to their conversation.

“I have a plan.”

“Please, tell me you at least drank recently,” Xavier’s eyes narrowed. When Brant didn’t reply, his brother’s eyes narrowed even more. He made a sound of disbelief and continued, “Brother, should you harm our future—”

“Enough,” Brant growled.

Xavier lowered his eyes.

“I said I have a plan. My future queen will come to no harm.”

Xavier nodded. “Yes, my lord. It is time.”

Brant took a deep breath. He had been raised for this moment. His decision and the events of the next few minutes would determine the future of his coven.

No pressure.

* * *

Tanya had seen tabloid pictures of the vampire kings and they really weren’t all that attractive, unless you were into the ultra-big, ultra-built and ridiculously bad non-human types.

She so wasn’t.

The whole choosing ceremony was so outdated to the point of being down right sexist. Yet, every hundred years, all of the eligible women would assemble to be chosen. A queen for each of the kings. The worst part was that vampires and humans never mixed so there was very little known about them. Their traditions, their ways, their expectations, she shuddered.

For at least the twentieth time, she wished that her best friend Becky was there with her. The whole thing was a real circus. Tanya hadn’t realized how many women there were in Sweetwater between the ages of twenty one and thirty. Aside from age, there had been a long list of requirements. Everything from weight and height to a clean medical exam.

Tanya sighed as a group of giggling women squeezed past her trying to find a spot closer to the podium. Becky was divorced, a complete no-no. It had automatically disqualified her from being allowed to attend the choosing ceremony. Attend, hah, not hardly, the right term would be forced. If all aspects of the criteria were met, it was mandatory to be here. For whatever reason, the human justice system went along with this whole farce once a century. Only those wanting a fast track to jail failed to show up. What scared her the most though was the thought of how many of these women were actually hoping to be chosen today.

Vampire queen.

Tanya cringed at the thought. For once she was thankful for being a little curvy. Most men were into wafer thin model types, so she would be safe.

The whole courtyard vibrated with an excited hum.

The two kings were royalty but they were also vampires. They drank blood for heaven’s sake. Had these women lost their freaking minds?

It was early afternoon yet you wouldn’t guess it by how some of them were dressed. Little black numbers, low cut tops, sequins and jewelry were the order of the day. The amount of skin on display was obscene. Tanya did a double take as one of the ladies walked by, she was wearing a sheer dress without underwear. Her lady bits on display for all and sundry. With all that exposed skin, she hoped that the woman had used sunblock. The highest possible factor.

Tanya looked down at her jeans and t-shirt. Maybe she should’ve tried a little harder but then again, she wasn’t planning on getting noticed. She had a life to get back to. It wasn’t much but she had her little book store. Some might consider it to be boring, but she liked it just fine.

She’d owned The Book Corner for two years now. Reading had always been a major passion, that and coffee. It had been her ultimate dream to own a little coffee shop on the side. That way potential customers could browse through purchases while enjoying a cappuccino and maybe a little pastry. So far she was way behind on those goals. She was supposed to have had half the money she needed already saved in order to do the required renovations. As it stood though, she may not even have a store soon, let alone an additional coffee shop. She couldn’t afford to hire someone to fill in for her today. Just the thought of the closed sign on the door, of losing potential customers, had her looking at her watch. Hopefully this would be over soon. The last thing she needed in her life was a man…let alone a vampire who would not only uproot her from her goals but from her friends and family as well. She only had one BFF and her aunt, but she loved them both a ton.

It had been a while since she’d dated and her last relationship had ended…badly. Sex was overrated anyway. She could just imagine how much worse it would be with a blood sucking vamp. Wishing she was back at the store, she glanced at her watch a second time.

It wasn’t like one of the kings would ever think of choosing a plain Jane like her anyways. What a waste of her precious time.

There was silence followed by gasps as two of the biggest, meanest looking men she’d ever seen walked onto the platform. Tanya had expected fanfare. A trumpet call. An announcement at the very least. What she hadn’t expected was to be shocked stupid. Pictures she’d seen of the men didn’t do them justice.

Tall, check.

Built, check.

Mean, check.

Ridiculously hunkalious, double check.

Several women swooned. One woman, closer to the front, fainted. Medics pushed their way through the thick crowd and placed the young women on stretchers.

The king on the left was slightly shorter, from tabloid pictures she’d seen, he had to be Zane. Although short was the wrong description, the big vampire must be at least around six and a half feet. He was meaner looking, with close cropped hair. From this distance she could tell that he had dark, hard eyes. A nervous chill radiated through her body.

King Brant was taller and even though he had a massive chest and bulging arms, he wasn’t quite as broad as the scary one. Neither was classically good-looking. Though both radiated raw energy and sex appeal like nothing she’d ever seen before.

“Pick me!” One of the women closer to the platform shouted waving her arms.

The kings ignored her.

A group to the side hoisted a ‘Look over here’ sign. What was it with these freaking women? For some reason it bothered her that they were so desperate to become one of the next vampire queens that they would do anything to get noticed? And the question of the hour was, why?

Turning back to the platform, she noticed that the taller one, Brant, had medium length dark hair, his eyes were dark and his mouth generous. Tanya was certain he would be even more attractive if he smiled.

Both men were tense. They just stood there, hands fisted at their sides. The crowd grew restless. Some women tried to push to the front while others tried to catch the attention of one or both of the men on the elevated platform.

Eventually, Zane stepped forward, his hard eyes were fixed on her. What the hell? Adrenaline surged through her blood, but her mind immediately rejected the idea that he was actually looking at her. It had to be some sort of mistake. His eyes seemed to stay on her for a few more seconds. Just as she began to feel the need to look around her for the true object of his fascination, his gaze moved to the back of the crowd. She breathed out in a gush.

“You,” his gruff, smoky voice was a low vibration. He pointed somewhere behind Tanya.

An equally big, equally mean looking man came onto the platform from the side. King Zane didn’t take his eyes off the female he had set his sights on the entire time he spoke to what had to be his head guard. All of the surrounding men were dressed in full leather. Though, this one wore a silver family crest on his chest.

Tanya shivered, thankful she hadn’t been chosen by the likes of him.

Zane continued to shout orders. The head guard, flanked by two vampires, stepped off the platform and stalked through the crowd. Tanya shifted to the side as they approached. They were big bastards. The women surged forward. One dared to touch. The king’s head guard paused, without turning to face the culprit, he growled. His top lip curled revealing sharp fangs. The air caught in her lungs. Her pulse quickened.

They were so close, Tanya could smell a musky male scent, could almost feel heat radiate off their huge bodies as they passed.

“You,” a deep growl sounded through the crowd.

“No,” a feminine wail responded. “Let go of me!”

Tanya was too afraid to turn. So close to the action, she was fearful of being noticed.

Another wail, louder this time.

“Put me down!” the woman shrieked. It seemed Tanya was not the only one there that didn’t want to be chosen.

Tanya moved with the crowd as the guards passed, the woman was slung over the shoulder of the head guard. She kicked and screamed. The big vampire didn’t seem to notice though. Tanya caught the look of sheer terror on the young woman’s face.

This wasn’t right.

How could this be allowed to happen? Tanya looked around her at the multitude of willing ladies. Women that were practically throwing themselves at the vampire kings. Why did the SOB have to go and pick one of the few that wasn’t interested?

Read Chosen by the Vampire Kings