Could he say it? Could he admit this to himself? He knew that his brother was egging him on. Brian knew perfectly well what he was doing. He wanted Declan to admit that Zoa was his mate. Was Declan ready for that?
“She’s your what?” Brian asked. He actually had the balls to look amused, and that just pissed Declan off even more.
“Shut up,” Declan said. Then he shifted into his dragon form and leapt into the air. He didn’t bother backtracking through the forest. If Kellen had left spies or cameras to alert him to any visitors, then they’d already been spotted. Being sneaky would do nothing but waste time now.
So, he flew. He soared above the trees, and he pushed himself higher into the sky. Declan was pissed. How could he have been so ignorant? Somehow, he’d actually thought that simply flying out to Kell
en’s hideaway would be enough. He’d really expected that showing up would be it. He had imagined that he would walk into the mansion, shift his hand into a giant dragon leg with sharp talons attached, and slice Kellen’s head off.
That was how he’d imagined it going.
The actual execution of Declan’s plan was less than stellar. It had been disappointing, to say the least. Then there was the fact that Kellen hadn’t even been there. Declan glared as he flew. No, he couldn’t speak out loud in his dragon form, but if he could have, he would have screamed. He heard the sound of wings flapping and looked over to see his brother beside him.
Although Declan, Brian, and Christopher were not identical triplets, they were identical dragons. It was a phenomenon that had both delighted and bothered all of them. As children, they had craved uniqueness and individuality. As adults, they were more pleased to have something that bound them together.
When they neared the treehouse, Declan slowed. He forced himself to scan the trees for any sign of strange behavior from the wildlife there. He looked for any sort of disturbance that might indicate someone was hiding in the darkness or that they had bothered the animals who lived in the woods.
Were the tree branches bent?
Were they damaged?
Were any of the wolves or squirrels or rabbits agitated?
If someone had sneaked into the forest, he wanted to know. He was surprised to discover that nothing had happened, though. Everything looked the same as he flew over the tops of the trees. As he neared the treehouse and slowed, he was caught off-guard by how it all looked exactly the same.
Nothing had been around the treehouse since they’d left, and Christopher and Zoa hadn’t wandered outside.
“They’re still here,” Brian said, shifting back.
Declan shifted, too, and nodded.
“I checked the trees,” he said.
“Me too,” Brian agreed. “Everything looked normal, except for-”
But Declan didn’t stick around to hear what Brian had to say. He was too anxious, all of a sudden. Instead of listening, Declan went barreling up the stairs to the trapdoor. He heard Christopher and Zoa laughing, but they both stopped when he entered, popping up through the entrance. He was back. Finally, he was back.
It felt like a lifetime had passed since Declan had left the treehouse even though it had only been a few hours. He could see Zoa now. She was safe. Christopher had kept her safe.
A feeling of relief washed over him. Everything was going to be okay. They were all going to be okay. He might not have killed Kellen – yet – but he would. In the meantime, he got to be with her, and oh, he wanted to be with her.
“Hey,” Zoa jumped up. She scurried over to Declan and hugged him. He hugged her back and then kissed her right in front of his brothers. He didn’t care if they knew he liked her. She’d spent the night in his bed, after all. It was kind of obvious that he cared for her.
Declan did like Zoa. He liked her a lot. She was heaven to a dragon like him. She was soft and sweet and wonderful, and she made him feel like no matter what else happened in the world, everything would be okay as long as they were together.
“You’re back,” Zoa whispered, and Declan realized that she’d been worried about him just as he’d been worried about her.
When was the last time someone worried about him?
Had anyone ever been afraid for him before?
Declan looked past her to his brother. Zoa and Christopher had been playing some sort of card game when Declan and Brian returned. Christopher stood, too, and he furrowed his brows. He also seemed concerned about Declan, but it didn’t feel the way it felt when Zoa was the one worried.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“What happened?”