Page 45 of Dragon's Desire (Dragon Shifter's Mates 3)

“I don’t care,” Julius said. “I just wantedyougone.”

“Why?” Aaron asked from the back of the room. “What were you hoping togain?”

Julius hesitated. Something about that question seemed to have thrown him off. His fingers curled over his knees. “Respect,” he said. “Power. A better position than I havenow.”

All true. I bit my lip. Nothing he was telling us was any use, no matter how honest he wasbeing.

I tipped my head toward the door. The alphas filed out, Marco lingering to shoot one last glare at his rival. I followed them. Marco closed the door behindus.

“Are we taking him outside so you can work your dragon magic on him?” West asked in his usual gruffvoice.

I shook my head. “It wouldn’t do any good. He’s not lying to us. He’s not being very clear, and there’s something strange about the way he’s answering, but the things he says he doesn’t know... He really doesn’t know them. Unless he’s somehow strong enough to confuse my impressions when not even the four of you can managethat.”

Marco smiled crookedly. “That hardly seemslikely.”

“It doesn’t,” I agreed. “But where do we go from there? He’s admitted to working with the rogues, even if he doesn’t seem to be half as involved as Orion thought. He seemed sure there was a feline calling a lot of theshots.”

“Orion wasn’t really in a position to give you many details,” West pointedout.

“I don’t like the idea of that one walking free,” Nate said, jabbing his thumb toward the door. “If you simply banish him like a regular failed challenger, of course he’ll go straight to the rogues. And who knows what plans he’ll make with them then? He knows your estate; he knows your people. He’ll tell themeverything.”

“There are other considerations,” Aaronsaid.

“Like what?” the bear shifterdemanded.

“Like how much I want to tell my kin about Julius’s involvement with the rogues,” Marco put in. “If I imprison him instead of banishing him, I’ll have to explain it somehow. And they might not even believe it. For all they know, I’m making up an excuse after the fact to justify tormenting him further. Which won’t exactly do wonders for morale aroundhere.”

Shit. I hadn’t thought of that. I crossed my arms over my chest. “So what’s our bestoption?”

Marco sighed. “I don’t know. I can keep him confined a little longer without too many questions, but I’ll need to make some kind of official move soon. Now would be an excellent time for my feline cleverness to kickin.”

“We’ll all think on it,” Aaronsaid.

Unlike on Nate’s estate, the holding cells on Marco’s weren’t in a basement but a separate building off to the side of the main mansion. When we stepped out, Kylie and Alice were waiting forus.

Kylie bounded to my side, but her face still looked a bit drawn. She’d been quieter since the challenge fight yesterday. That was part of the reason I’d wanted her to stay out here while we did thequestioning.

“So what did you find out?” she asked, her gaze flicking back toward the building we’dleft.

“Not much,” I said. “We still have no idea whether the rogues are going to attack us here, and if they are,how.”

“Was he really helpingthem?”

“It seems like it. He admitted toit.”

Kylie cocked her head. “What happens to him now,then?”

I spread my hands. “From what the guys have told me, usually a failed challenger would be banished. His kin mark would be stricken, and they’d mark him on the forehead where anyone could see to show his new status.” I gestured to my own forehead. “Any kin who saw him anywhere near kin territory would have license to kill him.And...”

My voice faltered when I noticed Kylie’s expression. Her face had taken on a slightly sickly cast that clashed pretty awfully with her pink pixie cut. She glanced at me in my sudden silence and smiled, but her mouthwobbled.

Here I was talking about people getting killed like it was nothing. No wonder she was feelingill.

“Are you okay?” I asked. “If you needanything...”

Kylie laughed awkwardly. “No, no. I think I’ve just had enough shifter brutality for a few days. I didn’t sleep that well last night. Maybe I’ll take anap.”

“I can see you back to your room,” Alice offered. I was about to jump in and say I would, but I caught myself. Maybe it was me Kylie needed some distance from as well as therest.

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