A scream ripped from my throat as they lunged as one, then pain seared through my consciousness.
The sound of the slamming door startled me from the dream. My eyes darted around the room wildly, and my body was covered in sweat. Waiting at the door was a whole group of supes, staring at me with wild, glowing eyes, their dragon forms just under the surface. Levi was at the front, rushing forward until he’d dropped to his knees in front of me, a gentle hand resting on my cheek.
“What happened?” His hand was shaking just enough to tell me how much I’d scared him.
“I’m sorry. What’s going on?” I asked, glancing at the group of old and new faces. “I was having a nightmare.”
“We felt it,” he admitted. “The fear, the pain. It was soreal.”
“It brought you all here?” I asked the others, and they nodded as one.
‘Their queen was in danger,’Zehra explained.‘They have a connection to you that no one else will. The moment they claim you, they’ll be connected to your mates as well.’
‘I can’t stop nightmares,’I groaned. I hated the idea of them freaking out every time I had one of these.
‘Then confide in them. They’re your people now,’she prompted. Glancing at the concern on their faces, I couldn’t deny that fact. Only people who truly wanted to follow me could care this much about a little nightmare.
“I’m sorry,” I said again, gesturing to the couches around me. They moved deeper into the room and settled in. Once everyone had a place, I continued. “I’m the last of my stronghold, and the battle that made it so was swift and brutal. I still have nightmares sometimes—this one, I think, was provoked by the stress. It’s scary going from being a dragon in hiding, thinking I was completely alone, to finding out I had mates and now all of you.”
An older man chuckled, his weathered face kind. “I could see that being a bit stressful.” His reaction prompted soft laughter from the rest. Then his face turned serious. “We all have stories like that. You are not alone. I was off on business, came home to my entire stronghold gone. We were small, only about thirty strong, and in one night we were down to one. My mates, my kids, all taken too soon.”
Tears burned my eyes, and the woman next to him reached over and clutched his hand before speaking. “He found me a few years later, hiding in a cabin in the Louisiana wilds.”
“She was a tiny thing, living off the land, but she had fire,” he said fondly.
“I had to,” she laughed. “You aren’t the only one who found me. You’re just the only one left alive.” The fierceness in her voice was laced with venom. This was a woman who’d fought her own battles even when she shouldn’t have had to.
A middle-aged dragon in the back cleared his throat. “My sister and I were hidden away. They thought they’d gotten us all, but our mother had made a back-up plan in case the worst came to pass. It worked.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “It’s an awful thing to have to witness.”
“It was,” the younger woman agreed. “We get nightmares too.”
“We all do,” another piped in. They shared story after story of pain and loneliness, pasts forged in murder and battle.Through their pain came strength—particularly in the resolution that this new brood was the best choice for all of us. No matter what happened from here, we would be stronger and safer together. We’d forged a camaraderie in front of the fire tonight, a connection that we’d never forget.
22
Arch Mage
An eager shiver hit me as I absorbed yet another well of magic. There was just something exhilarating and heady about feeling the magic drain from their body to fill mine, adding to the infinite well in my core.
“Another one?” my new assistant drawled, staring down at the corpse in disgust. He was different from the rest, unafraid to say what crossed his mind, and that was refreshing. For now, at least. He’d eventually step over the line and join the long list of assistants who’d come before him.
“He proved useless. How many of these investigators will disappoint?” I sighed heavily, done with the lack of information they were able to dig up. My former bodyguards were careful, but I’d expected nothing less. Their skills had been learned from me, honed to ensure their magic and abilities grew stronger each passing year. Which was why I thought I’d be able to find them, but even I was growing tired of looking, so I’d turned to other sources. The issue was that every one of them was apparently incompetent.
“Well, I do not disappoint,” he huffed, tapping something on the tablet so it projected up on the screen above me. A smile split across my face at the sight of Kane. It was the background of a photo posted on social media mere hours ago, but his form was unmistakable. “I ran facial recognition through the top social media sites. This isn’t all.” He proceeded to flip through, finding Levi and Avi as well. And where they went, Nikolaus went as well. Sometimes one slip-up was all it took to ruin your cover.Amateur move.
“You found them,” I said, my dark heart finding in knowing they were finally within reach. “Mountainview Hotel, Emberwood, Montana. Well done.”
A self-satisfied smile spread across his face, eyes full of wicked glee. My assistant was enjoying every minute of this pursuit, reveling in the violence I was promising. That amused me enough to let him live for another day.
“Prepare for our trip. We leave tomorrow,” I said with finality. He left the room without another word, the image on the screen displaying the quiet omega grinning at a woman. She was curvy, hearty, and I knew without a doubt that they had a connection. Oh well… another tool for my arsenal against them. I wasn’t reckless; I’d bide my time and wait for the right moment, give them a taste then retreat to the shadows until I was certain the attack would end in my favor.
“I’m coming for you, and nothing will stand in my way this time.” Once I was done in Emberwood, it would never be the same.
23
Farren