Page 54 of Devoted to the Dragon

Vandera cuts in, her face outraged. “Are you fucking pissed? Because I’m pissed for you. Biting without asking is gross.”

I think about that night in the forest, and everything about it feels complicated. There’s rage—enough to burn down the world—and relief, knowing a third has come, mixed with regret for the situation I’ve put my mates in. Maybe most of all, there’s embarrassment. I was turned on by the hunt and the serpent’s possessiveness, and that pisses me off even more. I don’t say that though.

“It just feels so spiteful of the universe, you know? I mean, I’m pissed he bit me—really fucking pissed—but I’m not surprised. That’s how it’s worked for mates in the past. Bonding instincts take over. It’s powerful. That I could forgive, probably. But a serpent.Really?After he captured me for my magic? It’s not even original.”

Vandera makes a booing sound. “I hate him.”

I look at my sweet friend’s furrowed brow and frowning lips, and the question just falls out: “What does that mean for the Moon Circle?”

“I want to say who cares and tell you he can fuck right off.” She bites her bottom lip, looking thoughtful. “But magicallyspeaking, it’s not that easy. He had a rune?” I nod, and she takes that in. “Have you marked all three?”

“Fennik and Gunnar have taken the claw.” I think back to what happened in the forest. “Technically, I clawed the serpent when I tried to escape. I don’t know if it counts. My dragon was more than half asleep and I wasn’t doing much better.”

The men around us have fallen silent as they listen.

Vandera hums. “Magically speaking, it’s more likely to be successful. If he has a rune and your other mates give you their marks before the end of the full moon, the power of the Thunder should work to solidify all three bonds.”

Beneath me, Fennik tenses. “And if she doesn’t want to mate the serpent?”

Vandera answers him but looks at me, her expression grave. “You know more than I do about this. What do you think?”

I knew the answer when I asked her. I just didn’t like it. “All awaken. Or none do, and at least three are needed for a bond. That’s why I was so hesitant with Fennik before.”

“And if you reject the bond?” Fennik shifts beneath me.

I turn to face him, unable to mask the devastation.“Rejected bonds are rare and as likely to kill me as him.”

His mouth opens in protest, but a cry of pain from my nest interrupts whatever he is about to say.

I shoot off his lap, wrapping the blanket around me and turning to the others. “I appreciate your loyalty and what you have done to protect our territory. I adore you all. We can deal with how to move forward later. Right now, my mate needs me.”

I hold my hand out to Fennik, and his big hand swallows mine.

Gunnar’sfurry ear is soothing as I worry it back and forth between my fingers. His tail swishes, the tip tickling my leg. He has yet to wake up or return to his human form, but at least he’s settled.

The longer Fennik and I purred after we returned to the lair last night, the more his scent mellowed. The blunt, acidic stench of pain from yesterday has been replaced by thick sage tinged with citrus and pine. My lair has the air of tea brewing and a warm blanket on a cold day. I know instinctively that it’s the aroma of healing.

Gunnar is covered in scars, something rare for shifters with enhanced healing, and I wonder if he’s ever had a chance to rest. Has anyone ever looked after him since his sister died? He was a pup when he lost everything and had to go it alone.

My dragon is at the surface, her desire to care for him, to give him a home, pounding in my chest. The need is surprising because it’s not new. It matches how I feel, only now my dragon feels it too.

It’s shocking how quickly Gunnar’s nuzzled his way into my heart. We don’t have a bond yet, but there is a link that wasn’t there before our trip to the Council. Maybe the claw on his back connects us, or maybe it’s just Gunnar. He risked everything for me with such blind faith. I’m in awe of his ability to trust after what he’s survived.

Fennik’s footsteps in the hallway alert me that he’s returned. My nose gets one whiff of breakfast, and my stomach demands with a loud growl to be fed.

“Stay there. I’ll bring it to you.” Fennik chuckles when I make grabby hands as he sets the tray on the coffee table by the fireplace.

He brings me a plate and a cup of coffee. Both seem equally important.I take a scalding sip and chase it with a chunk of muffin, followed by a heaping scoop of berries. The food is life affirming, and I moan in gratitude.

“You’re sounding like our pup,” Fennik teases, bringing his plate to the bed.

“I can’t help it. I’m starving.”

He tilts his head toward the fireplace. “I brought up breakfast tacos and a couple of sandwiches. Henry said he can send more.”

After all that’s happened, food has been the furthest thing from my mind. But this morning, I woke up ravenous.“You had me at breakfast tacos.”

I take another bite to finish the muffin and listen as he updates me on security and news from the other territories. I should probably care more about the chaos in the North Pass. What happens to shifters matters, but right now, my mates and my territory are my priorities.

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