Page 35 of Reign

Drake scoffed. “Yeah, not happening. If she works for him, she’ll have done some shady shit and ruined lives. Not my kind of woman.”

I swallowed hard but bit down on my retort. Sophie’s life story wasn’t mine to tell. However, if Drake thought he was going to disrespect her because of what she’d been made to do by that bastard, then he had another thing coming. “When Ember’s awake, we’re heading back to London. Get the plane sorted, would you? We’ll have a meeting when we’re in the air.”

Drake nodded his head. “Sure, Prime.”

“Areyou sure that’s the best way to play this?” Owen asked, staring at Jed.

“I’m telling you the truth. As far as I know, now that Ember’s not taking the drugs, her memories stand a better chance of returning. The drugs were to suppress her wolf, which is why she got so many headaches. It’s a side effect. Rex told me that when a shifter spirit tries to communicate with its host, it fires up their pain receptors and causes migraines.” Jed looked directly at me, though with sincerity, not challenge, his lips pressed tightly together. I held his gaze, keeping my need to destroy him in check.

“What if her memories don’t come back?” growled Reed.

I stood and stared at the faces of my council, my brothers. Reed and Myles sat together, their bodies close. Reed had improved physically, thanks to the hard training regimen B’nar had organised for us. And my brother was more than a little pissed at Jed for taking Ember away. Reed had a huge soft spot for Ember, as I knew she did for him, and she hadn’t even recognised him when we’d travelled to the plane. He was hurt and ready to rip Jed a new one.

He wasn’t the only one.

Stone glared at Jed, his eyes a vivid purple. He didn’t even try to conceal his hatred for the man who had ordered his men to kill Shannon. Shannon herself watched Jed with cold eyes. She sat next to Sophie, who I was pretty sure was staying out of the way of Drake. Her eyes remained on the door to the flight deck where Drake had gone to talk to the pilot. Owen sat at the front, lounging by himself on the seat he’d turned to face inwards. I lowered myself into another plush leather seat and leaned my elbows on my knees. I’d vacated it to pace the plane when the conversation about Ember had begun. B’nar occupied a place next to me, watching us all silently.

Kawan reached into the fridge and passed me a beer.

“Here.”

“Thanks, man.”

He nodded. “No problem.”

I hadn’t wanted anyone but my brothers with me when we brought Ember back. Lance had been my partner in the SBI, but I didn’t trust him anymore. We were both different people, and Ihadshot him, and his mate. I’d left him with Ava, demon hunting and watching for any increased demon activity on the streets, and left Alex as his back up. Alex was really there to keep an eye on them and Xania. I didn’t trust his sister. And he’d confided that neither did he. I hadn’t wanted to leave them alone with my mother, either. Lance and Amy worked for Walker, not me. And Xania did whatever the fuck she wanted to do. I’d given up trying to get her to work with me. She seemed determined to do her own thing, though her attitude and resistance were more of a ‘fuck you’ to Walker, who’d left her in this world when she wanted to be back in Faerie.

Those people weren’t my priority. Ember was. I met Reed’s worried look. “Ember’s memories will come back,” I said with conviction.

“Prime, you know she suffered a head injury too; maybe that’s part of the reason for her memory loss.” Jed sighed and rubbed his hands over his short hair. “Even when the drugs have worn off, she may still suffer.”

“And who’s fucking fault is that?” Stone growled, his canines bared.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Mine. Okay? Iknowthat. If I hadn’t agreed to take her, she’d still be fine.” He looked at me. “I know it’s no excuse for taking your mate away, but Rex gave me no choice; it was either help him or wake up dead.”

“There’s still time for that to happen,” Shannon sneered.

Stone glanced at her, but she was too focused on Jed to notice.

“Yeah, alright. I get it. You all want to rip my throat out for taking her from you.”

“Yes. But I also want to rip your throat out for what you did toher,” Stone said, his voice low and promising violence as he nodded at Shannon.

Jed glanced between them, but focused his attention back on Shannon. “You were with her. I remember. I’m sorry for what my men did to you. It wasn’t personal. You were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Stone shot out of his chair and, in the blink of an eye, had his big hand wrapped around Jed’s throat.

“Stone! Sit down!” I yelled.

Stone met my gaze, his eyes glowing. He shoved Jed back in his chair. “We aren’t done, motherfucker.” He snarled but did as I ordered.

Shannon followed his movements. He held her gaze, and the tension between them was scorching.

I rubbed my face. I was so damned tired. I’d sat up with Ember all last night and spent the time while she slept going through the contents of Rex’s safe with Sophie. Then Owen, Stone, B’nar and I went through the other documents Owen had found. We’d locked up the compound before we’d left. No locals knew what had happened, and if anyone did get in the house, there was no one there. No prisoners, no dead bodies; they'd been disintegrated into nothing by B’nar’s ice magic, and their remains dumped in the sea.

“Guys, let’s just be gentle with her, okay?” I said, taking a swallow of my beer. “She’s been through a lot. Fuck. She doesn’t even know she’s pregnant.”

Shannon snorted. “Gentle? With Ember? Thisisyour mate we’re talking about, isn’t it? She doesn’t need gentle. She needs a kick in the ass to remember who and what she is.”

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