Page 69 of Fastlander Fighter

“Truth,” Owen pointed out.

Gunner’s eyes cooled and flickered over to Silver. “Traitor.”

“Traitor for good reason,” Silver said unapologetically.

Gunner looked terrifying as he slid his angry, bi-colored blue-and-silver gaze back to Sloane. “You love him?”

“Very much. I probably always have.”

“Your son’s safety is on you then. Guarantee it. If anything happens, you will not pin it on me as the Alpha of this Crew. I tried to stop it.”

“My son’s safety is on me,” she gritted out.

“And me,” Captain uttered, his voice hoarse.

“And me,” Silver said.

“Yep,” Owen said low.

“Me too,” Corey said.

“And me,” Ace murmured from where he appeared in a cloud of dark purple smoke behind Gunner.

“Me as well,” Hallie whispered from beside her mate, her eyes on Gunner.

Damon’s voice rang through the room, deep and gravelly. “The boy will have the protection of the blue dragon as well.”

Chills rippled up her spine as everyone in the room turned their attention to Damon Daye. His silver eyes with the elongated pupils stayed steady on Gunner.

The enormous rock-walled room was heavy with the silence that fell upon it.

Gunner slid his gaze back to Captain. “I need the room.”

Silver grabbed Sloane’s hand and quickly tugged her to the door. “Before he changes his mind,” she whispered as she led the way down the hall. The other Fastlanders were with them, all but Wreck, Gunner, and Captain. When Sloane dared a glance behind her, Damon was closing the door to the big room, and he and Clara and Lucia were making their way into the hallway.

The Fastlanders had pledged to keep Ruger safe in whatever war was coming.

Damon Daye, the motherfreaking blue dragon himself—the most famous shifter in the world, the shifter in charge of policing the entire species—had pledged to keep Ruger safe.

For her?

For Captain?

The tears that had been burning her eyes spilled to her cheeks as Silver slowed and then stopped in the long hallway. She squeezed her hand and nodded at Sloane like she could read every tumultuous thought.

“The lion?”

Her bottom lip quivered, and Sloane bit it to stop the show of weakness there. “I choose the lion.”

Silver lifted her chin higher into the air. “You mean you choose Captain?”

Sloane nodded, unable to speak out of the tightness in her throat now.

“You just took every one of Gunner’s arguments away,” Corey said softly, resting her cheek against Sloane’s shoulder in a sign of affection that perhaps shifters needed in emotionally chaotic moments like this.

“You told Gunner your first act as a shifter would be to kill him,” Owen said, and when Sloane looked at his face, she didn’t miss the lopsided grin that had taken over his mouth. “That was awesome.”

Corey let off a giggle, and Silver laughed too. Even Hallie was pursing her lips against a smile.

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