Page 14 of Fight Fire With Fire

I wasn’t surprised that Dawson refused to blame me for my part in this fiasco. I’d already figured out that he had tunnel vision where I was concerned. I just had to hope that Blake could smooth things over with Adan and that once I was no longer at risk, Dawson would be able to move past his anger.

9

Dawson

Iwas still pissed off when the head of her coven—or former coven since I now considered Ember to be part of my hold instead—called back fifteen minutes later to let us know that he’d spoken with Adan. When I learned that the powerful demon insisted on sitting down with Blake, Seth, Ember, and me, I fired a quick text off to the head of the shifter council to apprise him of the situation. He assured me that my fated mate and I would have his full support, but I wouldn’t be able to relax until I knew how Adan had decided to handle Ember’s infraction.

Between the suite he’d given us and the meals he’d arranged, I didn’t think he was that angry with my fated mate. But I understood why he felt as though he couldn’t just give her a free pass. No matter how unusual the circumstances, appearances were everything and other supernatural beings would be tempted to test his boundaries if they thought they could get away with it too. If I didn’t like his solution, I was going to have to come up with another option because no way in hell would I ever let anyone hurt Ember.

Although the reason we’d been stuck at The Abyss wasn't good, I didn't want our time here to end so quickly. Finding my faded mate was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, and being able to stay sequestered together in a luxurious suite with nobody around to interrupt us had made it that much more special. But with the impending meeting, our alone time was about to come to an abrupt end.

And if that wasn’t enough to put me in a foul mood, the outfit that Adan sent to the room for Ember hugged her curves and was sure to attract a lot of male attention when we went downstairs. “Are you sure your other clothes aren't salvageable?”

“Not after you got through with them.” She laughed and shook her head. “Maybe if I had access to a sewing machine, I could fix my blouse. But the pants are definitely a lost cause.”

Remembering how I had used my dragon’s claws to rip the sides open, I stalked across the room toward her. Ember took a couple of steps back, holding her hand up to stop me from getting too close. “I don’t trust that devilish glint in your eyes. What are you thinking?”

“If I ruin that dress, they’ll have to send something else up for you.” I raked my gaze down her curves. “Like a muumuu.”

“A muumuu?” she echoed before bending over in a fit of laughter.

I loved the sound of her happiness, but I hesitated to point out that my suggestion was serious. Although I had mated and marked her—and bore her consort mark on my arm—my possessiveness would be at its peak until I had officially claimed her as my fated mate. Not that I’d be much better afterward. Ember was my favorite treasure, and I planned to guard her well for the rest of my life.

“Just wait. I’m going to get you one as a mating present,” I warned.

She winked at me. “And I’m sure you’ll rip it to shreds at some point.”

“Probably,” I conceded as I interlaced our fingers to lead her toward the door. As I wrapped my palm around the knob, I saw her humor drain away and be replaced by fear. “Don’t worry, baby. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“I know.” She gulped and shook her head. “I just remember how easily my entire world fell apart when my parents died. This is the first time I’ve been truly happy since then, and I hate thinking it could be taken away from me.”

“Never.” I stroked his thumb over her consort mark on her wrist and then the mating bite on her shoulder. “I’ve mated and marked you by shifter customs, and you’ve claimed me as your consort. Nothing will ever tear us apart.”

My utter certainty seemed to boost her confidence. After taking a deep breath, she nodded. “You’re right.”

“Get used to it,” I teased as I opened the door.

Considering the circumstances, the last thing I expected was to be able to make her laugh. So the giggle that burst from her lips was a pleasant surprise. “You’re such a guy.”

“Yeah, but I’m your guy.”

She didn’t tense up again until Adan’s guards met us as we stepped off the elevator and led us toward the same door that they’d taken Ozul through yesterday. But she relaxed a little when she spotted Seth, Jared, and Blake seated across a table from Adan in a conference room. So did I, because the demon’s choice of meeting location said a lot about his frame of mind.

“This was one hell of a first mission, huh?” Seth shook his head and chuckled. “I sent you to The Abyss to pay Adan what we owed, and you somehow managed to find your fated mate right as she broke one of his rules.”

I ignored Jared as he muttered, “If I’d known it was that simple, I would’ve come on this mission my damn self.”

I glared at the warlock at his side. “Only because he didn’t warn her about Aiden’s rules.”

Seth turned toward Blake, looking as shocked as I’d been. “You didn’t tell her?”

Blake nodded. “I know, this whole mess is all my fault. I meant to warn Ember not to use her magic while she was here, but our meeting was unexpectedly interrupted, and I didn’t get the chance before she left.”

“I don’t want to hear your bullshit excuses,” I growled. “Nothing should have taken priority over ensuring Ember’s safety.”

My fated mate stroked her palm down my back in a soothing gesture. “Dawson, please. I don’t want you to fight with Blake. He would never intentionally do anything to hurt me.”

“I don’t really give a damn about what he intended. He almost got you killed.” My dragon pushed against my skin, wanting the chance to make this man pay for what could have happened to my mate. “If I hadn’t been here, there’s no guarantee that you would’ve been able to get Adan to listen to you before he did something that couldn’t be undone.”

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