Page 27 of Tucker's Strike

Tucker touches a finger to my lips, stopping me from speaking further. “There’s more you don’t know. We’ll get to the dream last night.”

“What dream?” Karsyn asks, sitting forward.

I quickly relay the dream to her and see her face pale.

“Zurri would want you because it’s prophesied that he would claim his bride and she’d be both Fae and nymph,” Orpheus declares.

Someone please tell me that he did not just say that I’d been prophesied to be the bride of a dragon.

Chapter Seventeen

Tucker

“What prophecy are you talking about?” I demand, the beast inside me enraged with a fury unlike anything I’ve ever felt. The very thought of some claiming our mate as theirs is enough to want to draw blood. To sink my claws into the flesh of those who dare come between my mate and me. More than that, to clamp my jaw on the throat of that person or being. I won’t let anyone take her from me.

Orpheus moves around the table and claims one of the empty seats at the end. His eyes are still on Lake. Once he’s settled, sitting there, looking like a fucking supreme ruler rather than a guest in our clubhouse, he finally answers my question. “In my years, I’ve heard of many prophecies. What you must understand is that when it comes to a prophecy, just as anything else in life, there are two sides to it. Think of a coin, you flip it one way, it has one thing, the other another. The same goes for each prophecy. There is no guarantee to either side winning. One that is only a possibility.”

“Get to the point,” Abel growls.

“Abel, calm down,” Corbin orders, giving our brother a sharp look. He then slices his gaze to mine before glaring to Orpheus. “Skip to what we need to know, if you don’t mind, Orpheus.”

Orpheus shrugs and clasps his fingers together. “As I was saying, there are two stories to each prophecy.” He pauses, his eyes getting a faraway look in them.

“In time, there will be one. A girl born of a nymph. She will be a special gift to those who love her. Her gifts will heal what’s been broken. However, she’ll need the guidance of the other half of her soul . . .her true mate. Many can take her as their mate, but only one is her true.With only her true mate will she be safe, and she’ll learn to control what grows within her.

“This girl born will be unlike any nymph born. She’s more than just a nymph by blood. There must be a that of human and Fae. If not protected, she will be taken. She’ll be lost, and she’ll not know the true mate she was meant for. The one who carries the mark of a true alpha, a tiger prince who lost everyone . . . is the last to hold the mark of his lineage. He’ll be able to fight, but he mustn’t do it alone. For the evil thrives on the dark.” He blinks, clears his throat, and gets that look again.

“Evil wants what should be good. She, who is born of a nymph, can turn dark. She who carries the blood of a Fae will be unlike any other. She will be the queen to a king. Good or evil, it does not matter. Her mate will decide. The choice is hers, but it can be taken from her. If hatred fills her heart, only then will she become the dragon bride, queen to the Drakon King. The most feared queen to live. She will be the ending to all that is good. A scale must stay balanced. If tipped either way, the ending will come forth yet another dark age where dragons once again rule.”

No one said a word as Orpheus spoke. Now that he was done, still, no one spoke. Those words filter through my head repeatedly. It’s confusing, yet it answers questions all at the same time.

Her gift, the powers awakening inside her, they depend on my guidance. On me showing her the way. Helping her learn to control something I don’t even know myself to what extent it’ll be.

What’s fucking with my head is the part that mentions me.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

It was prophesied I’d lose my entire family. Did Callum know? Is that why he gave her that damn night-light that has my tiger in it? Had her mother told him? Lake is the daughter of Nyx.

None of this about the prophecy makes sense to me. Mix that with everything else . . . yeah, it’s fucking with my head. The only thing that doesn’t bother me in the whole scenario is that Lake is mine. She’s my mate.True only to me.

That alone is enough for me to keep my sanity.

“What do we do now?” Lake whispers.

I don’t have to look at her to know what she’s thinking. It’s loud and very clear in my head. Even her scent screams to me that she’s scared.

“We do as we’re doing now,” I tell her and press a kiss to her temple. Though I do my best to keep my voice level and calm, it doesn’t work. My brothers hear the undertone of my voice. The threat to anyone who comes near me right now. To anyone who dares come close to Lake.

“But he’s sending someone.” Lake’s head whips in my direction. “He’s sending someone to kill you.” Panic starts to rise in her voice, and her eyes widen. “They’ll kill to get me.”

“Let them try.”

I turn my attention to Justice, who snarled those three words. “VP . . .” I start, but he slowly stands, hands on the table, and his body leaning forward.

“We now know the threat we’re facing. They want one of us dead, they’ll have to fight us all,” Justice snarls, his lip curling up, showing his canines.

“But they’re fire-breathing dragons,” Lake utters, fear rolling off her in waves, tears shimmering in her eyes. “You can’t put your lives in jeopardy.”

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