We’re going on a supply run, I said, searching out Lykem’s energy. I need you to help me with Dawsyn.

  You want me to babysit her? He chuckled. Are you sure that’s a good idea?

  My chest rumbled. No. I want you to help her load the nets, you idiot. Are you and Penn almost done?

  Already on our way back. Be to you in less than five.

  At least he knew when to joke and when not to. Most of the time.

  I shifted back so that I could tell Dawsyn he’d be here soon, but she was laughing before I could say anything.

  “You and your dragon get the same pinched expressions on your faces when you’re annoyed,” she said, then smiled widely. “It’s adorable.”

  “How do you know I was annoyed?” I countered, closing the distance between us.

  She took several steps forward, helping to do the same. “Because your chest rumbled at the same time.”

  “That could have been for many reasons.” I kissed her softly, then made the same sound. “Like because I’m happy as well.”

  Her fingertip rubbed between my brows. “But when combined with this…you know I’m right. Don’t be upset because I know you better than you know me.”

  I grabbed her by the hips and lifted her off the ground with ease until she was eye level with me. “You think so? Well, even if that’s true, I’m stronger than you.”

  She barked out another laugh. “Stronger isn’t always better. I proved that in the gym.”

  I was tempted to tell her that I’d let her win, but she was also right. I wanted her to keep that confidence. She’d escaped from Knox and had put up a good fight with me. Her inner wolf strength was more than enough to take care of them.

  My dragon’s spirit filled my chest, letting me know he more than agreed with that statement.

  “Tell me more about you, then,” I said. “What’s your favorite thing to eat?”

  She groaned, rubbing a hand over her stomach. “Everything. Food is life.”

  The sullen look on her face made me realize I hadn’t given her the opportunity to clean up, change, or do anything since finding her in the forest. “Are you sure you want to go with us? I could have someone help you get settled here with new clothes and food.”

  Her fingers gripped my t-shirt, almost to the point I thought she might rip it. “Not a chance in hell, Mate.”

  Our foreheads were nearly touching as she pushed up on her toes, staring me down. I was one second from capturing her mouth and feasting on her when I sensed Lykem’s dragon land.

  “You’re eating the second we get back,” I said, still keeping her close.

  “As long as you join me,” she replied with a smirk.

  Lykem gagged. “For all the dragon eggs, people. Am I going to have to deal with seeing you two all over each other every time we hang out?”

  I didn’t bother acknowledging him, but apparently, Dawsyn was fond of banter.

  She glanced over at him, her grip still tight on my shirt. “If you think this is ‘all over each other,’ I wonder what you’d think of this.”

  Her lips crashed into mine and there was no way I wasn’t going to kiss her back. Her tongue pushed forward, and I angled my head, pulling her closer.

  “My eyes, they burn,” he shouted, making Dawsyn laugh.

  “He’s entertaining.”

  “He’s annoying at best,” I replied.

  Lykem huffed. “I can hear you.”

  I finally stepped back from Dawsyn. “We weren’t trying to be quiet.”

  He threw a rope at Dawsyn’s feet. “I brought that for you. Figured you might not hate riding your mate so much if you had a bit of security.”

  As confusion filled me, Dawsyn’s face paled for the briefest of seconds, then she glared at him. “And here I thought I was going to like you.”

  He grinned. “You’re going to love me. Obviously, not like Cillian, but a brotherly sort of love. It’s impossible for people not to. I’m just that awesome.”

  “Alright, Lick-em,” she jeered. “Whatever you say.”

  I grabbed her wrist, lightly tugging her toward me. “What did he mean about riding your mate?”

  “First, that’s actually a really inappropriate thing to say in the company of others.” She narrowed her eyes, but the corners of her mouth lifted. “And I might have stretched the truth before when I told you it was fun flying over here on your back.”

  I raised a brow. “By how much?”

  “By a lot,” she admitted. “It was terrifying, but I’ll get used to it. My wolf and I are just used to being on the ground.”

  My arms wrapped around her, and I held her close. “It’s okay. If you want to use the rope, you can.”

  “Abso-fucking-lutely not.” She held a finger up. “On second thought, I could use it to hang your friend from one of those trees by his ankles.”

  “I can still hear you,” Lykem whined.

  She glanced back at him and winked. “I know.”

  “You couldn’t lift my body on your own, even if you got close enough to get the rope around me,” Lykem taunted, and I knew the second the words left his mouth, he was going to regret them.

  Dawsyn squared off with him. “Are you sure about that?”

  He swallowed thickly. “Yep.”

  He wasn’t at all, but before things could escalate, Sereph and Daron joined us with the nets. “Everyone ready?” Sereph asked.

  Lykem was the first to turn and move away from the trees to shift. “Been ready.”

  This was going to be interesting.

  Chapter Fourteen

  DAWSYN

  Cillian wasn’t willing to let my uneasiness with being uncomfortable on his back go. I’d been forced to use the rope and was sure that I’d be embarrassed in front of the other dragons. Yet, as I held the coarse material between my fingers, I was suddenly wondering what else we could do with this rope…

  Though, it pained me to admit that Lykem had been right. I felt more comfortable on Cillian’s back when I had something besides his scales to hold on to.

  We flew through the sky, but instead of taking in the sights, I took this time to catch up with my wolf given how quiet she’d been.

  How are you doing? I asked.

  Better, but I can still feel Knox.

  Yeah, so could I and I didn’t like it, but there wasn’t anything we could do about that until we saw my parents.

  Rejecting mates wasn’t something that happened often. Very few people even knew how it was done. I’d thought I could do it with pure will, but after having a bond actually completed and feeling Knox so deeply rooted in my soul, I knew it wasn’t going to be that simple.

  Mom or even GiGi will help, I said.

  Then, we can bond with our dragon.

  Yes, and not that I’ve changed my mind, but is there reason to rush things? Not that I didn’t want to bond with Cillian, but I wanted the decision to be on our terms and not because we were forced to.

  I could hear the eyeroll in her tone. It would prevent any other dragons from making you their mate.

  Okay, she had a point.

  We’ll figure that out later. One thing at a time. Let’s get these dragons their supplies.

  Cillian’s dragon came down for a landing, once again smooth and easy. I released the rope that stayed tied around his neck, then jumped down. By the time my feet were on the ground, Lykem was already waiting for me.

  “Ready, Wolf Girl?” he quipped, spreading out the net we’d brought and securing it to Cillian’s back leg.

  I turned to Cillian and his neck bent toward me until our heads were just inches apart. “I’ll be right back.”

  There was something in his eyes like fear, but it was also mixed with understanding. He knew I was capable, and I was thankful he hadn’t tried to force me to stay behind.

  My palm rubbed between his eyes, careful to avoid the sharp horns at the top. “We’ll be quick. I promise,” I said to my mate first, then I turned back to Lykem. “Ready, Dragon Boy.”

  He smirked, then headed toward an unmarked building.

  I regretfully left Cillian’s dragon and followed Lykem. “Where are we?”

  The structures around us were spread out and very few of them damaged. There weren’t any homes, just commercial buildings, yet none of them were marked.

  “Textile processing center.” He jerked the door open. “We’re going to get clothing and bedding first, then we’ll head next door and see what’s left in the utility building.”

  Clothes would be nice. I’d have to keep an eye out for something I could borrow. Even I was getting a little tired of smelling the stench of the clothes I’d been donning for a week.

  Though, I was going to need a shower—or more likely, a trip to a river or lake to wash up—before I put new clothes on.

  I followed Lykem into the nearest building. It was dark, but my wolf eyes quickly adjusted. There were large machines that I’d never seen before and had no idea what exactly they did, but beyond those were large wooden crates filled to the brim with sheets and blankets. That was where we headed.

  We moved with urgency and Lykem started tossing me items. “Let me know when you’ve had enough.”

  This time there was no snark in his words. We were all business now. Get in, get what was needed, and get the hell out.

  Once the pile was about a foot over my head, I finally tapped out. “I’ll go throw this in the net and come back to help you.”

  He didn’t respond. Just started gathering as many items as he could into his own arms.

  I moved my legs as fast as I could without worrying about the pile that I was carrying tumbling to the ground. Thankfully, the door was easily kicked open and I headed straight for Cillian.

  Peeking around the mound, I found him staring up into the sky, likely watching for anyone—or anything—who wasn’t supposed to be up there.

  I dropped the items onto the net as planned, briefly ran my hand over the scales on his side, then raced back inside.

  Lykem was just coming out of the door, his load nearly as big as mine had been. “One more each,” he said.

  I nodded and headed inside to get started like I’d seen him doing. Except, just as I reached the box, the ground beneath my feet vibrated.

  I braced myself for a moment, then listened. The first noise to reach me was that of a dragon’s roar.

  Cillian.

  Without thinking about anything else, I ran back toward the exit and shoved the door open just in time to see a fireball dropping from the sky, headed right toward where I stood in the doorway.

  There was nowhere for me to hide. I wasn’t going to outrun the massive magical meteor-looking fireball.

  There was a fleeting thought to race to the back of the building, but before I could fully turn around, Cillian’s dragon made an animalistic noise, then…motherfucking lightning shot from his mouth.

  The energy was white and mystical and came out in a stream that wrapped around the fireball, squeezing tightly around the ball of destruction until it imploded in the sky before I could be burned to death.

  Holy shit. That was…incredible.

  I ran out of the building. Lykem was nowhere to be seen, but I was headed for my mate anyway. His chest was heaving, and as soon as I was close enough to him, his wing curved around me, tucking my body against his.

  Embers dropped from the sky around us, and I realized he was protecting me from getting burned.

  I pressed my forehead against his cool, smooth scales and wrapped my arms around him as best I could, soaking in the bond I couldn’t actually feel any longer, but that I could still recall from before.

  Lykem popped up from under Cillian’s body. “Time to go. More of these things are coming.”

  I didn’t need to hear anything else. I swung myself onto Cillian’s back, grabbed the rope, and patted his spine, indicating I was ready.

  Within seconds, we were airborne. When I looked back, I wanted to rage on behalf of all the dragons here.

  More buildings were burning. Five in total. One being just two over from where I’d been.

  Lykem flew next to us, and we stayed low, moving at much faster speeds than before. When I checked for Sereph and Daron, I didn’t see them, but there were three more fireballs that shot out of the dark forest and were aimed right where we’d been.

  One thing I did know was that Knox was a coward. Through and through.

  He’d had to blackmail me with the life of my best friend to get to me. He’d used someone else’s magic to harm others, and he seemed to rarely leave that underground bunker.

  He was fucked now, because I knew where he was. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t sure how we were going to get in. All I knew was that we would. And when we did, Knox would cease to exist.

  When we got back, Sereph and Daron were already there, shifted back to their human forms and untangling their net, which wasn’t filled with as much stuff as I knew we’d been hoping for.

  Cillian kneeled down just before I jumped. I moved to untie the ropes from him, but his body began to shimmer. As soon as I could blink, he was back on two feet and wrapping his arms tightly around me.

  I hugged him back, not needing the bond to know that he needed this contact. “I’m so sorry,” he muttered into my hair.

  “What are you sorry for?” I tried to push him back to look at his face, but he wouldn’t relent on his hold.

  “That fireball never should have gotten so close to you,” he said. “I panicked and didn’t react as quickly as I should have.”

  I finally used enough force to shove him back. “You stopped it and that’s all that matters. Don’t ever apologize for saving me again.” My voice was stern, my eyes narrow, and I poked my finger into his chest several times. “Do you understand?”

  His hands gripped my face, almost painfully. “Do you understand that I can’t lose you?”

  The pain in his voice nearly broke me. I did understand. I was just really good at putting my emotions into a box and not letting them out. Most of the time.

  Cillian wore his heart on his sleeve, which only made me want him more. It made me believe that I could trust him with not only my life, but my own heart.

  I pushed up onto my toes and kissed him hard, my fingers threading through his hair that had grown out at least half an inch since I’d met him.

  Our tongues tangled, and he pushed closer to me, pressing his palm against the base of my spine. He tasted sweet, but there was so much longing in his movements, all I could focus on was giving back to him.

  If we had the bond, he’d understand my feelings better. He’d know it didn’t matter how many times he paused or panicked. I knew he would be there for me if he was capable.

  And if he wasn’t… Well, there was nothing we could do about that. Sometimes fate was too strong.

  Our kisses eased out of the desperation stage, and I finally pulled back, but only far enough to speak. “We should help them take everything inside.”

  “It’s already done.”

  I glanced around to find both nets empty except for one pile of clothes. Keeping a hold on Cillian’s hand, I guided us forward, then bent down.

  A plain black tee and blue jeans, both a size too big, but appreciated nonetheless, were sitting there. Underneath them were what I assumed to be new underwear and socks. I grabbed the cotton material, never more thankful for clothes than I was in that moment.

  Living in my own filth for nearly a week was hard to ignore. Though, it was a little awkward thinking that Lykem likely left them for me.

  “Is there somewhere I can wash up around here?” I asked, looking back up at Cillian.

  He nodded toward the trees. “About a mile past the cave entrance.”

  “Are you up for a walk, because I’d really love to be clean.”

  His fingers brushed against my cheek. “Whatever you want.”

  Mother shittery shit. He was killing me with his kindness. Only this wasn’t a death I wanted to avoid.

  We walked toward the trees, hand-in-hand as he led the way. Being with him in the quiet of nature felt oddly calming, considering we’d just run from a warzone.

  “Do you usually go back after the attacks? Try to put out the fires?” I asked, wondering if there was any hope of minimizing the damages.

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. There weren’t any while you were with Knox. That was the first one I’ve been around for.”

  “We should do that when we’re back if nobody has.” All I could picture were people’s homes burning and them coming home to nothing other than despair. After living in the caves for however long, nobody deserved that.

  Well, except for Knox. He deserved dead fly sprinkles on his shit sundae.

  Within ten minutes, we were at a small pond. The water was so clear that I could see the pebbled bottom. I took off my shoes but stopped as Cillian started speaking.

  “You might want to test the waters and see how badly you want to be clean,” he said with a grimace. “I didn’t think to tell you that the nearest water comes from the snow melt on the mountain above the caves.”

  Not at all what I wanted to hear, but there was no way I was going to dip a toe in beforehand. I needed to be clean. I’d just have to jump in and hope for the best.

  Though, I did have another idea.

  “Why don’t you join me so we can keep each other warm?” I asked. “You know. Shared body heat and all that.”

  I wasn’t sure it was a good idea to be naked with Cillian given I still had a bond with that monster of a dragon, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Not when it so nicely presented itself.

  With one tug, he had his shirt pulled over his head and hands on the button of his pants. “Don’t mind if I do.”

  The smirk on his face as he held my gaze had my eagerness tripling.

  I stripped my clothes off in record time, unconcerned with my nakedness. Sure, our shifter magic allowed us to keep our clothes intact when we transformed, but that didn’t mean we were shy about our bodies.

  Though, when my eyes landed on Cillian’s, I realized I’d yet to even see his chest before now. My eyes unashamedly roamed over his wide shoulders, down to his pecs, then to his abs. They rippled under my scrutiny, making me think that even his abs had abs thanks to all the dips and curves.