Page 43 of Tucker's Strike

“Zirni-who?” Lake whispers.

“You will not bow to her. Not until she is mine,” Zurri commands, which his men ignore.

I step forward and wait for him to focus on me. “You want my mate, you’ll have to kill me first.”

“Then so be it.” Zurri snarls, throws his head back and shifts.

Zurri screeches and blows fire straight to the sky before lowering himself. “You will not defeat me.”

“Wanna bet?” I tell him, sneering and taking one of the bolts we’ve created out of Lake’s night light from Corbin, who held them for me until now.

Rushing forward, even as fire comes at me, I run right through, not feeling it burn me, only the heat of it. Still, it does nothing to me. With the bolt raised, I shove it through the scales,going straight for where I learned his heart would be. Sinking deeper, I shift my claw, digging deeper into him.

Zurri lets out a horrible screech, and magic pours through us both as he shifts back, my hand still in his chest. “Long live the king,” I snarl, my voice ragged in this form, barely understandable even to my own ears, and yank his heart from his body. Zurri drops down, and he’s left in a heap of bloody mess on the ground. I toss his heart next to his head, the bolt still lodged in it, and look to the men who’d come with him. “You ally yourselves with us or fight. Pick now.”

The all look to Lake, then back to me. “Our queen is your mate. We shall not go against her. The rightful power of Zirnitra courses through her.” Coming to his feet, he sticks his hand out. “My name is Barrydi, and if you will have me, I’ll lead the dragons for you honorably.”

Lake steps forward, her father and uncles behind her, takes my hand, and looks at the man. “It’s not me you need to follow. I’m no queen. If the dragons will follow you, then that’s fine with me. I just want truces between worlds. No more fighting. No more wars.”

“We could do that,” Barrydi agrees, bowing his head slightly.

“Then work something out with Corbin, Cyrus, Tucker, and Orpheus. I want to be left out of this,” Lake says and turns to me. “Can we please go for that ride now?”

I blink twice, shake my head, shift, and draw her into my arms. “Yeah, little Fae, we can go for that ride.”

I knew just where I was going to take her. This part of our lives is over now, and for her, she’ll never have to worry again. I won’t let anyone dare fuck with her. I’ll strike them through the heart before I allow someone to take them from me. Let the word spread about how I took out Zurri. He was too easy to kill, but if he was blinded by his own power to see that Lake and I together are stronger than he could ever possibly be.

Glancing over Lake’s head to all those who stood around, I give them all a chin lift. Words aren’t needed to show my appreciation. They all understand that after something like this, the need to be with our mates.

Being with Lake is all I need or want right now. Feeling her beneath me is even more important. The need to show her how much she means to me even more so.

Epilogue

Lake

One Month Later . . .

“Calm down, little Fae. It’s gonna be okay.”

Tucker’s words don’t do anything to ease the panic threatening to overwhelm me.

“How can I calm down in a time like this?” I snap, still pacing the length of the kitchen. A kitchen that sits in to the side of an open space home he’d moved us into not too far from the clubhouse. But far enough to give us privacy.

I love the house. It’s spacious, with plenty of rooms to fill. Tucker could even shift into his tiger form and not knock into walls or anything else. There are six bedrooms in total, five bathrooms. One in our room. One in what we’ve made the guest room. Two connecting between bedrooms. And one that’s off the living room, it’s more just a powder room.

The rest of the house is mainly an open floor plan, where I could see every bit of it. The living room was divided off by a sectional large enough for Tucker to be able to stretch out on.His big body can lay comfortably with me on top of him. Or to the side while watching the massive eighty-five-inch TV, which is normally set on something I want to watch. I’ve been obsessed with watching crime shows. I don’t know what it is about them, but I love trying to figure out who did it along with the cast.

The dining room and kitchen were mainly one big space with an island in the middle that we placed benches on one side of. I hadn’t picked out a dining table yet. Well, Tucker wouldn’t let me. He said he was working on something to put in there.

“If you don’t calm down, Lake, I’m gonna take you to the bedroom and fuck you until you do.”

“Really, Tucker.” I whirl on him, eyes narrowed. “You’re going to threaten me with sex? You know just how much I like having sex. That wouldn’t work to calm me down. Besides, we don’t have time for sex. Let alone you taking me to the bedroom.” If he did, we wouldn’t make it to the clubhouse on time. Sex with Tucker isn’t quick. It’s wild and hot. Passionate, and lasts for hours. Not that I’d ever complain. I find I thrive off him being inside me.

Tucker moves into my space, cornering me against the countertop. “Little Fae, you wouldn’t be thinking about anything but my cock sliding inside you. You won’t be thinking of all the shit that’s got you worked up.”

“I know that,” I whisper breathlessly. “Still, we don’t have time for it. Besides, I’m already dressed and ready to go.” I was, and I couldn’t wait.

Tucker promised he’d take me on the back of his bike today. Because of me being pregnant, he doesn’t usually take me out riding. He didn’t want to put our baby, cub, whatever people want to call him or her, at risk. However, he knew with what we were about to do, I needed to be on the back of his bike. To feel the freedom it gives me.

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