Page 35 of Flying Blind

The sound had to be Lyric blasting a raspberry at her brother. “Hah, for today, she likes me best.”

Zara chuckled. “Oh, this is going to be interesting. Lykon, please go and greet the other two. I will be there when Lyric finishes taking the scenic route.”

Lykon sighed. “You have five minutes.”

“Yeah, yeah. Blow it out your forge.”

He growled again. Lyric turned them toward the east, and they walked toward the sound of the rotors.

Lyric said, “Do you know why I did that?”

“No. I confess to confusion.”

“To show that you can defy them and assert yourself and not have to worry about repercussions immediately. He’s probably going to oversalt or cook my food, but at least we got to show you that he isn’t going to lose his cool.”

Zara smiled. “Thank you for that.”

“You already know Rayd. I am giving you a crash course on Lykon, which only leaves your last mate. You will have two you can trust right away. I know I have said this already, but it bears repeating. I want you to relax and enjoy your mates. It has been stressful enough for you. So you can trust them. Emma and I are only a loud shout away, and if my brother smokes after sex, I don’t want to know.”

Zara was still laughing when they arrived in front of three grey vortices.

The new voice said, “This is her? She has a lovely laugh. I wouldn’t expect that of a woman mating a legion.”

Lyric’s sense of humour was contagious as Zara found herself saying, “I don’t want to know what its nickname is. What is your name?”

He paused. Rayd snorted, and Lykon groaned. “Lyric, you are contagious.”

There was a bright cackle, and Lyric stepped back. “And... launch.”

Zara was on her own, and she held her hand out slowly. The new alpha took her hand in a gentle grip. He solidified to her senses. “My name is Taka.”

“Hello, Taka. I am Zara.”

“Zara.” His voice vibrated as he said her name. “Are you ready to join us?”

“Yes.”

He touched her cheek and removed the lace that covered her eyes. “Oh, there it is. You were too perfect. I had to see their interference somewhere.”

She smiled and turned her face toward his voice. “There it is. Did you want to see the brand?”

“Oh, yes.”

She pulled her hair over her shoulder and showed him. His fingers stroked it gently, and he made an approving sound. “It is clean, so despite their other issues, they took care.”

“What would have happened if it was blurry?”

“The energy transfer would be blocked or unmanageable. The result would not be good for you. But that is not the case. It is nice and clean. So, when are we going to mark you?”

She paused. “Uh, I don’t—Rayd?”

Rayd stepped in close to her and touched her shoulder. “When would you like it?”

“Well, if I have a chance at seeing again, now would be good.”

Zara didn’t hear them move, but she was lifted, and Lykon said, “Follow me.”

They moved fast and soon were at the guesthouse. It had been part of the tour, and Zara knew it was huge, but it felt tiny with all three alphas in it.

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