Page 58 of Outnumbered

“A magically enhanced sword?” Nico asked.

I shrugged. “They didn’t go into specifics about the sword, but …” My throat tightened and I swallowed hard before continuing. “… they said they killed a hybrid and it cut through their scales like butter.” Looking at Rhys I said, “They’re planning to decapitate Caleb with it.”

Everyone in the room growled and Jolie slammed her hands on the table as she stood and began to pace along one wall of the room.

“What else?” Katar asked softly.

I told them everything that I had learned and tried to describe some of the pictures on the walls. Riddick pulled up some pictures on his phone and I was able to confirm two of them. I left only one thing out, the conversation at the end by my dad and the mage. If I told Caleb, he wouldn’t have let me continue going with them on missions and I wasn’t going to let him go out and fight without me. If he went without me and got killed when I could have prevented it, I would never forgive myself.

They started talking amongst themselves, trying to figure out plans to find the ones who were creating the weapons and magic spells. I sat down against the wall next to the window and watched the people walking about looking like ants. They were moving about their lives none the wiser to the terrible things that were being plotted.

Ezio squatted down in front of me, drawing my attention from the city. “What aren’t you telling them?” he asked softly.

“I’ve told them everything,” I said and turned my gaze back to the window.

“You didn’t come back crying because of what you told us. What did you hear, Ember? I can tell, you learned something you don’t want them to know. What is it?”

“What are you two whispering about?” Caleb asked.

Ezio made some sign with his hand I didn’t see and Caleb stayed where he was instead of walking closer.

“If what you know could end up protecting them or saving them, don’t you think you should share it?” Ezio asked softly. “Don’t you want them to know everything so they can better prepare themselves for the fight that is coming?”

He did have a point.

“I heard my adoptive dad …” My throat tightened as my chest throbbed in pain and tears built again. Dammit, why was this causing me so much trouble when I had been separated from them for so long? Why was it increasing my fear of abandonment? “… he ordered a mage to murder me no matter what it took.” I raised my eyes to his and the tears started falling. “He read me bedtime stories and played tea party with me. Now, he wants my head cut off. My birth parents gave me up and now my adoptive parents are going to have me murdered. What’s next, me being banished to protect Caleb?”

Jolie dropped to her knees beside me and pulled me into a hug. “No. No, nothing is going to happen to you, Ember.” She sniffled. “I already told you, even if you left Caleb and his pack right now, you would always be welcome with us. You aren’t going to be abandoned.”

Caleb pushed Ezio away from me. “Stop making her cry,” he growled. Sitting down, he took my hands, while his mother held me, and stared into my eyes. “Talk to me.”

Wiping the tears from my eyes, I exhaled harshly and gathered myself together. No more weeping. I had to move past these insecurities. Yes, I had a fear of abandonment among other issues, but it was time to work on improving that. Would it hurt if Jolie banished me to protect Caleb or for Caleb to send me away? Yes. But as my life was teaching me, I wasn’t truly in charge and needed to learn to move forward as best as I could with what happened. My first step was being honest with Caleb, even if he tried to leave me behind. “I’m your weakness, Caleb. They’ve been watching and recording down any sign of a weakness that you have and they determined that I am it. They are going to kill me in front of you to weaken you so they can use the sword to cut your head off, dragon scales or not.”

Fury filled his features, his eyes shifting between his human, dragon, and wolf ones quickly before returning to his blue human ones. “We’re not going to let that happen.” He pulled me out of his mom’s hold and tilted my chin up so that we both sat on our knees, looking into each other’s eyes. “You’re not a weakness, Ember. You’re going to stay at my side and we’re going to protect each other, our entire pack. No more splitting the party, right? Always together.”

“Together,” I said and nodded. “No matter what, I’m not going to let them kill you. I’m not going to let them get what they want.” I was going to find my parents and end this. Without them pulling the strings, we might be able to cause enough disorder among the H.E. to wipe them out.

He smiled. “There’s my girl.”

“Now, what’s our next move?” Jolie asked.

My part done, I ended up sitting on Branson’s lap sideways, curled up with my head on his shoulder, while everyone else talked and discussed plans.

Even with Branson being the largest of them, it wasn’t fully comfortable since my legs either had to be tucked up or hanging over the side of the chair. So, I shifted into my rabbit form and curled into a little ball. He gently stroked my fur and I quickly fell asleep.

When I woke up, I was in Caleb’s bed between Riddick and Caleb, in my human form wearing just my bra and underwear. Caleb had an arm beneath my head, under my pillow sleeping on his back and Riddick had an arm draped across my stomach laying on his side facing me.

Rolling onto my back jostled them enough to wake them up.

Caleb cracked an eye open, rolled over to face me, and pressed a light kiss to my cheek. “Morning,” he mumbled, voice deep with sleep.

“Morning,” I whispered back.

Riddick purred and nuzzled closer to me, his nose rubbing against my neck. “Sleepy,” he whispered.

Taking his hand on my stomach, I pushed it down until he cupped me between my legs. “Still sleepy?” I asked.

His fingers curled around me and he moaned, pulled his hand up, and slid it back down under my underwear until he slid them between my folds.

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