Page 77 of Devoted to the Dragon

Gunnar is in his wolf form, his fur ruffled. He doesn’t speak. He just picks me up and buries me against his chest.

I don’t fight it. I don’t even want to.

Chapter 36

Fennik

Gunnar picks up Randi in a bridal carry, and I move ahead of them to open doors as we weave through the estate. Watching her go through this with Knox is going to age me a decade I can’t afford. I forced Gunnar and myself to give her time to cool down after leaving the lake, but it hasn’t made any of this easier.

She’s torn up about Knox, and unfortunately, this isn’t something I can fix for her. I’m pretty sure she needed the shit show that was last night. Gunnar and I didn’t go far when we dropped her off, finding a spot at the lake’s edge near them to keep an eye on her. There was no way we were leaving, even with the serpent’s powers subdued.

I had to pin Gunnar to the ground to keep him from going to her when she started to scream. Maybe he was right and I should have intervened. But even though Gunnar is pissed at me and she’s upset, I think last night was a breakthrough. The serpent was good to her, even in her rage, and he’s earned some respect for that. It seems to me she’s got a lot of demons to bury before she can decide if she’ll keep this one.

We’re quiet as we move through the staff areas and the courtyard, nodding to people but not stopping.

My little dove smells like a doused campfire. She’s covered in Knox’s scent and her own sadness. The urge to take her from Gunnar’s arms is overwhelming, but my poor pup nearly lost his mind last night. He hasn’t shifted back, and I don’t think he will until we’re all safe in her lair.

Gunnar whimpers, the sound slicing into my heart.

“What is it, pup?” I turn, looking him over.

He makes the same noise, his snout nuzzling into the slumped form in his arms. Randi is already asleep.

“Too hot,” he says, his voice clipped.

I touch her cheek, wincing at the heat. This isn’t a normal fever. I curse, ushering him up the stairs as I dial Vandera.

“I’m on my way, but I don’t think you need to worry,” she answers.Witches. I swear.

“Thank you,” I say, but she’s already hung up.

I follow Gunnar into her bedroom and instruct him to lie with her while I make some cold compresses.

Vandera joins us minutes later, crawling beside Gunnar to look over our dragon. He’s got her splayed on his chest, cradling a washcloth to her head. He growls even though it’s Vandera. It’s a mate’s warning, and she bows before asking permission to touch Randi. Gunnar gives a sharp nod but tenses as Vandera gets closer, showing his teeth.

He’s like Randi—tenderhearted naturally and made rough by circumstance. Both are protective of the ones they love. I love that they have that connection—not the violence in their pasts, but how they understand each other. That’s the way packs should work. All the mates give each other different parts of themselves, and somehow that makes the different pieces come together. I see so clearly the way Gunnar and Randi fit. My role in our threesome I’m understanding more and more too. What I can’t puzzle out is Knox.

Vandera runs her hand along Randi’s back, eyes closed, as she whispers. It doesn’t take long before she sits back and smiles at me.

My pacing stops. “Well?”

“I can’t be sure, but I believe she’s starting to awaken.”

Vandera’s words make my brain turn to buzzing static for a moment, my fear making my wolf beat against my chest. This is it. One way or another, we will land on a side of the knife. I can only hope we find peace.

But at least the change is coming. That has to be a good sign.

“Okay?” Our worried pup chokes out the question. He hasn’t said more than a few words since last night. His wolf has taken over completely.

Vandera nods, turning to me. “She is. This means the mating magic is working. I’ll make some stuff for her. A few pouches with some notes on how to use them. There isn’t a lot to go on. But if it’s anything like a wolf going into heat, she’ll be crampy and mopey.”

Gunnar whines.

I translate. “She’ll be like this until the full moon?”

“No. Randi will probably sleep more, but she’ll be up,” she reassures us. Vandera climbs off the bed, patting me on the chest as she leaves. “You’ll need a plan for what to do about the Thunder before the heat takes over.”

That’s code for “Come up with a plan for how to deal with Knox.” I blow out a breath, wondering what the hell I can do to make it right.

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