Page 85 of Devoted to the Dragon

“What exactly did she say?” Vandera’s voice perks up.

“She said all three of us have to cross her super-freaky fire-ice wall before the full moon,” Gunnar blurts.

“That was exactly what she said?” Vandera asks, her tone insistent.

“More or less,” Gunnar mumbles under his breath.

“Randi’s exact words were something like, ‘Three contenders. One horde.’ I think it means all her mates,” I answer.

Vandera sighs, the sound heavy. “I thinkshe means what she said.”

The witch’s voice is full of sharp double-speak. She knows something.

“What am I missing?” I beg, no shame or pride left.

She hesitates. “I only have guesses.”

“Did you not hear the part about a magical wall-blaster, Vandera? Your guesses are better than ours. Help us!” Gunnar growls.

“This must be the final part of bonding, and there’s no magic to help you but your own. She needs you to finish her awakening. Just remember that Randi is behind all the magic. You know her. Give her what she needs. I don’t think her dragon would offer a challenge you can’t pass.”

“Super cryptic,” Gunnar grumbles, hanging up on her and tossing the phone aside with too much force. He looks at me. “We can’t get across if he’s like this.”

I nod, gathering the serpent in my arms. He’s still too cold, so I bring him back into the nest and lie with him by the rug in the sitting area. I take off my shirt, signaling for Gunnar to join me. “He needs body heat, and maybe the contact with us will help. The last time I saw him, he needed to feed.”

Gunnar cuts his eyes at me. “What the hell?”

“Get over here,” I growl.

“What do you mean he fed? Like a bloodsucker?” Despite his unease, Gunnar shucks his shirt and lights a fire in the fireplaceto combat the room's icy chill before awkwardly lying by the serpent’s side.

I sandwich the serpent between us. “It didn’t feel like anything. His shadows just swirled in the air.”

I cover the three of us with the only blanket not in the nest and prop my head on my arm so I can keep an eye on our dragon. She hovers at the line, agitated and whining, her eyes on the serpent.

I lie there guessing what we could do to get across as we warm up Knox. It feels like it could be anything. Do we offer a sacrifice? Maybe we each need to bring something to the fire? I’ve known her for decades, but I feel like an idiot because I have no fucking idea.

“I’m sorry my head wasn’t on right about Knox,” Gunnar murmurs, voice muffled into the serpent’s side. “I’m jealous, which is stupid, and I’m working on it.”

I kiss the top of Gunnar’s head and weave my fingers with his over the serpent’s chest. “Packs are made so that everyone balances one another. You don’t think of me as competition.”

“Because you’re not. You’re my alpha too,” he says gruffly. He’s quiet for a moment. “Knox makes my wolf nervous. I know I need to get over it, but it’s like he came and everything turned to shit. Randi is sad—like, really sad. I hate it.”

Since he showed up, she has been sad, her scent reeking of grief and loss. But she’s working through it, and even if it’s full of tears, I think it’s progress. “She’s been sad a long time, pup. Maybe that’s what he gives her.”

“Sadness? That’s what you’re going with?” He sits up, pulling away so he can eye me.

My lips quirk at his snark. “Yes, smartass. Maybe his presence is helping her grieve and hopefully find peace.”

Gunnar’s eyes soften. “Yeah, okay. I like your version.”

I purr, my wolf wanting to give us all comfort. Gunnar settles back down, twisting to look at the fire.

Growing up in a pack means I’ve seen how mate bonds work up close. My family pack was healthy; their triad was fated. I was the youngest of three large litters, and my parents were elders when they passed. But Gunnar didn’t have that. He’s only ever had to fight his way. It makes sense to me that he fears the unknown—and Knox—because he craves stability.Just the same way it makes sense to me why Randi is so leery to trust. Knox’s presence has just brought to the surface what was already there.

“Adding another mate to make a horde won’t change the foundations of how the three of us work, pup. He’s her mate, but so are you. We don’t stand a chance if all we do is blame Knox,” I explain gently, rubbing Gunnar’s back.

He doesn’t answer me, but he nods.

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