Page 32 of Protector Dragon's Shattered Mate

“Oh God,” Levi said. They were escalating.

“Don’t worry, we will handle it. It’s what we do.” Quinn stopped abruptly, moving in front of Levi, causing him to stop too. He grabbed Levi by the back of the neck and leaned in close, until their foreheads were nearly touching. “Don’t lose hope. We haven’t lost anyone yet.” Quinn looked him right in the eye and shook him a little, digging his fingers in hard enough that it grounded Levi. “Okay?” Quinn asked.

Levi nodded. The coiled knot in his stomach eased just the tiniest bit. Quinn was right. This pack knew what they were doing.

Quinn moved and they started walking again, with Levi leading the way. “They haven’t gone after any people. I think they’re just trying to attract our attention. They may expect us to try and trade Sofia for something we want, or make some kind of deal,” Quinn said.

Levi could not stop the growl that ripped from his chest. “How do people think like that?”

Nora’s quiet voice answered. “That’s the only way my coven thought. They were purely sinister. There was nothing inside them but greed and depravity,” Nora said. “They won’t understand that we’d never make a trade. They’ll think it’s worth a try.”

Levi rubbed his eyes. If Nora had reshaped her life so fully after what she’d been through, then he hoped that Sofia wouldbe able to find that same level of happiness, as well as a measure of peace as well. And if that did not include him as a mate, well, he’d have to deal with it.

That didn’t mean he was going to give up. He would never give up. He was going to doeverythingin his power to show her that he deserved another chance. This time, he would try and be her friend instead of smothering her with his demands. He’d hauled off half-cocked, assuming immediately that just because they were mates meant she wanted to settle into his life. He could see that now, in a way he could not before; he just hoped it wasn’t too late.

Levi stopped abruptly. His body was aware of the direction change before his brain was. He pointed north. “We have to turn, she went this way, toward the town.” Oh fuck. His chest caved in, and his throat closed, suffocating him. He tried to breathe through it. Having a breakdown wasn’t going to help anyone, least of all Sofia. “She’s on her way into town,” he managed to say. He yanked his gaze over to Nora. “She’s headed toward the wolves.”

“It would appear so,” Nora said.

If Sofia was going to throw herself to the wolves, so to speak, then it was going to be much, much harder to protect her. He took a second to close his eyes and breathe. “Should I be able to feel her?” he asked the group. “Should I know if she’s okay?”

Levi felt nothing. He smelled her scent, and that was it.

They all found a way to avoid eye contact with him.

“Did she acknowledge the bond?” Brennan asked finally. “If she did, then yes, you should be able to feel her.” Brennan winced. “Even if she didn’t, you might feel it. Unless she is deliberately blocking it.”

Nora stopped them all again. “Levi, you being able to track her is great. But we’re close enough to town that I’m going to try a locator spell.”

“Thank you,” he said, awed once again at Nora’s abilities.

The rest of them weren’t going to leave Nora, so they all crowded around her while she sat down gracefully on the damp grass. Her mate stood at her back.

Giving her some space, Levi resumed his conversation with Quinn. “She’s acknowledged it, but she doesn’t want a mate,” he said, referring to Sofia’s rejection. “We argued about it at first, but I accepted her decision.”

“Good,” Quinn said. “For anyone who didn’t grow up like we did, in a stable clan, it’s always a struggle to accept that kind of commitment. It’s possible, but it’s hard. My mate is a human, as you know, but Juliana’s family is beyond dysfunctional. Living here, with me and my brothers and our mates and children was an adjustment for her.”

“I’m sorry that Juliana had such a rough time,” he said. He’d never heard this story before. “But having your mate turn her back on you is a pretty shitty rejection, even though I don’t blame her.”

“I can’t imagine,” Quinn said.

“I’ve accepted that I can’t have my way. I’ve accepted that she had just as much right to dictate the terms of our relationship as I do. I’ve also accepted that there is no guarantee that mates must enter a relationship. But I will still do everything in my power to protect her.” Emotion overcame him and he slung his arm around Quinn, working to collect himself while Quinn patted him on the back.

Nora lifted her head. “The locating spell worked. Sofia is over by the grocery store.”

His emotion evaporated. He was ready to fight.

Niall pulled Nora to her feet. She put her arm on Levi’s shoulder. “She’s got such a big heart. And you are her protector,” she said. “You will find your way to each other.”

“Thank you,” he whispered.

That was one thing he could not turn off; he could not stop protecting her even if she didn’t want his help. He just hoped she’d understand.

Now that he no longer needed to be close to the ground to follow her scent, he ran forward, leaping into his dragon form so that he could fly and get to her faster. He flew low, skimming over the tops of the trees.

The town was far enough away from Dallas that there was no light pollution, and he would be hard to spot.

He flew over the edge of town, scanning every familiar landmark as he pointed his body toward the grocery store. A flash of knowledge surged through his mind, burning bright like the flame on a candle.

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