Page 41 of Ember's Claim

Ember will have her choice of mates. There’s no way she’d settle for me.

Chapter Fifteen

Veryn

My mate will be going over my knee before this night is over. Rogue called and told me she had a bad feeling, which matched up perfectly because my dragon has been on edge all fucking night. Leaving work early, especially without being questioned by Ember’s brothers, wasn’t the easiest, but I managed.

Then I called in the only backup I knew I could trust in this situation—my dads.

Ember being on pack lands is a shit show waiting to happen.

It’s complicated.

I understand what it’s like to be driven by thoughts and actions that don’t necessarily feel like your own. My dragon has spent years contemplating what it would be like to rule in Faere. After all, dragon court was supposed to be my birthright.

Not that I have any regrets.

It was an easy decision, made even simpler by the fact Ember is my mate.

It was one of the few instances where my dragon and I were in complete agreement, but he’s always wondered what life would be like for us in Faere. Ember would have been our queen,but we belong here in the human realm, and fanciful thoughts are good for nothing.

The nearby forest is silent, meaning the insects and prey animals sense the nearby threat. My boots shove up gravel and dirt with each footfall as I pace a frantic circle around the pit.

The ground is stained with blood. My nostrils flare, and I shake my head. At least some of it is Ember’s, and if I’m not careful, my dragon will take over and force a shift.

He wouldn’t hesitate to burn the shifter settlement to the ground to find answers about his mate.

And I’m only slightly more coherent than he is at the moment.

The only thing keeping me moderately sane is that I have Bane at my side. He’s one of my mother’s mates and a former assassin for the dragon court in Faere.

Bane can track anyone, and he’s currently searching the ring for clues about exactly what occurred here tonight.

Eldritch, another of my mother’s pack, circles the sky in wyvern form. His purpose is to ensure we have ample warning if something does come our way. He’s a bit of an enigma, after being trapped in his beast form for so long, but he will ruthlessly guard us from above.

My mind is a goddamn mess. I’ve never been so torn about what the right call is.

Ember’s family will never forgive me if I don’t bring them in and something terrible happens to her.

At the same time, if I betray her trust again…I might never be able to get it back. Seeing how hurt her wolf was last nightslammed that realization home. She feels just as rejected and abandoned as Ember did.

Fucking old people.

I told our parents that I would be a decent fucking mate and keep things respectable until she turned eighteen. Not one of them believed me, but I sure as fuck would have kept my word. All their bullshit interfering did was cost me an extra three years when I should have been at her side.

Even when they barred me from being around her, I never went more than a day without seeing her, even if she didn’t lay eyes on me. Well, except when Bane dragged me with him for out-of-town jobs.

My hands clench as my dragon struggles against my hold. His black claws manifest, and I shove him back down. He makes it known he’s in the camp of not calling in her family. If she needs support, she has it in him. He will be all the backup she needs.

A shimmery, silvery-blue cloud of smoke appears in front of me as I pace.

It’s nothing alarming.

Just the final member of my family pack.

Athos is a djinn.

They’re nearly unheard of in the human realm, and his powers are unmatched. Unfortunately, they also require the steepest penalty for being used. He has his own magic, outside of granting wishes, but it’s nothing compared to the power of a wish.

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