Page 57 of Reign

“Hey, what? No, you can’t go now, not like that.” She gestured at my hard-on that was straining against my zipper.

I grinned. “Sweetness, you’re the one who reminded me of my responsibilities not long ago.”

Her pout was the cutest thing I’d seen in months. “Yeah, but that was before you revved me up. Now I want more.” And she reached for my cock.

I took hold of her wrist before she could touch me. Damn, if I didn’t leave right then, she would break my self-control. “Go back to sleep for a while, baby. I’ll be back soon, and then you can play until we are both exhausted. Okay?”

She nodded sleepily, but her smile was mischievous. “Okay,baby.”

I chuckled at her sass, my lips still curved into a smile as I gently kissed her. Using every bit of determination in my soul, I walked away, the taste of her arousal thick on my tongue. I knew everyone else would scent her on me, and I couldn’t give a fuck. I wanted every single unmated male in this compound to know she was mine. I grunted. Right now, that meant every male. Only two of my pack were mated. My brows dipped; hopefully, that would change. They all deserved the connection of a mate in their lives.

“Collapsingthat Rift is the only way forward,” Walker pointed out, his voice calm and his face as cold as always.

“I will not put Ember in harm’s way again.” I hadn’t forgotten Walker’s past words. He’d threatened to take Ember out if she became a danger to the safety of this world or his. The High King of Faerie didn’t make idle threats, and that’s why he was in this room. If he was here, I could keep an eye on him. Keep your friends close, your enemies closer and, whatever the hellhewas, practically in my lap.

“You won’t have to,” Sophie said, touching my hand, which rested on the tabletop. Everyone’s attention was on her, except Drake’s, whose gaze was fixed on where her hand touched mine. “I have been studying the Halo and the angelic runes.”

“Since when do you speak angelic?” Drake almost snapped. “I thought you were just a shifter assassin who sold herself to the highest bidder?”

She shot him a cold look, pulling her hand from mine. “Since all my life, asshat. And I’m far more than you could ever hope to know.”

“Who says I want to know?” His gaze shifted to me, and I glimpsed a darkness there that made me tense. Drake was a good guy, but he was an alpha shifter, and he didn’t get to lead one of the prison packs without being ruthless when he needed to. “Seems others know you well enough for the rest of us.” Drake’s eyes raised to my face, moving away just shy of a challenge. My nostrils flared, but I let it go. His words reminded me that none of my pack knew who Sophie was to me. After her capture at the Gambit, I’d sworn my brothers to secrecy about her angel side. And that’s how it would stay. The element of surprise was something we needed to win this war, and there were still those in this room I didn’t fully trust, but I’d talked to Sophie about telling my brothers who she was to me. They deserved to know, and she agreed.

Drake ground his jaw, his eyes narrowing dangerously on Sophie’s face. I looked from him to her. Tight-lipped, she nodded.

“Drake! Treat her with the same respect you do everyone else in this room.”

“Why? Who is she to you?”

Standing tall, I crossed my arms over my chest. “She’s my sister, you asshole. And your betrothed.”

The murmurs of everyone else paled into the background as Drake’s gaze flew to mine—and his eyes darkened to the colour of a stormy sea. I remained relaxed, but I’d never seen him so obviously furious before. His fists curled, and his wolf shone through his eyes. “You knew who she was all this time? And you kept that from me?”

Ah, shit, I’d done it again, managed to lie by omission.I sighed and rubbed my eyebrows with my fingers, shaking my head.When would I fucking learn…?

“It wasn’t his decision. It was mine.” Sophie came to my defense, even though it couldn’t change the decisionI’dmade not to tell Drake. He held my gaze; his nostrils flared. I forced myself to let him, for a moment.

The others all watched on, Xania with a bored look and Lance with his usual vigour for angst between us all. He smirked, waiting for someone to try and kick my arse.

Drake shook his head. My warning growl was low but enough for everyone in the room to hear. Drake’s top lip curled, but he nodded once. Grinding his teeth, he dragged his gaze from mine. “Fine, no challenge here, Prime.” He looked at Sophie. “But you and me? We have shit to discuss when this is all over.”

Sophie nodded and released a shaky breath. No one else heard it, but I did. “I know,” she said.

Drake glared at her, and electricity crackled between them as she held his stare. It was Sophie who looked away first. Drake continued to stare at her as if his eyes were glued in her direction. His body remained tense, but his voice was calmer when he spoke. “Are you saying we can use the Halo to close the Rift?”

Sophie’s dark hair swung over her shoulder as she nodded. She’d pulled it back into a tight, high ponytail that exposed the angular features of her face. I knew this wasn’t her true appearance. Drake had also seen her true form when we’d been at Manivera’s place, but it had only been briefly. He hadn’t asked about it, but he was studying Sophie so closely, I wondered if he was questioning which one was her true appearance. The others at the table, mainly Walker, didn’t need to know she was an angel. As Balthazar had said, those born of angel descent were hunted by other supernaturals. Their blood could do many things, and I wasn’t willing to put my sister at risk before it was necessary.

Sophie nodded. “Yes. I won’t get into how right now as it’s a complicated mix of angelic chants and...other stuff.”

Angel juice then, I surmised. “Okay, I trust you, Soph. But we still need troops to fight if the Rift can’t be closed.”

Sophie frowned but thankfully remained silent. I’d learned never to rely on one plan, no matter how foolproof it may seem.

“Owen, where are we with manpower?”

Owen grimaced. “At the moment, we’re pretty much it, from a shifter point of view. I’ve sent out messengers to the shifters we’ve recruited in the past weeks, the few city packs that have pledged their allegiance to you, and those further afield who haven’t yet declared their loyalty, calling them to fight by their king.”

“Hm, is there any way to call in the lone wolves we recruited at the club?”

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