Page 87 of Marked Dragon

He surprised me when he sighed.Fine, but at the first sign of anything suspicious, you leave, even if I can’t yet.

In other words, if he hadn’t finished replacing Sol’s dragon.Fine. Hopefully, we wouldn’t get into that situation.

The front door opened, and Cassidy strolled out. Her face was lined with worry. Vlad had been keeping her apprised of what was going on.

She rubbed her hands down her pants and jerked her chin toward the barn. “Lunch is ready.”

My stomach growled, but food would have to wait. We needed to act, not only due to the threat the warriors posed, but also because Theron could change his mind.

Vlad must have had the same thought. He said, “Will you put aside plates for Thorn, Everly, and me so we can eat once we return?”

“I’d think twice before letting my stepdaughter go with you.” Peter scowled, his beady eyes darker than normal. “She causes more problems than she’s worth.”

When Thorn took a menacing step toward him, realization washed over me. That was the exact response my stepdad wanted. He wanted to make Thorn look bad in front of Theron.

Don’t,I connected, my urgency filling our bond.He’s manipulating you.

Thorn halted just as Eva crossed her arms and said, “Dad, the only person who causes problems isyou. You embezzled money from the Hales, which is the only reason Everly and I got involved. So go look in the mirror to find the person who’s to blame, and stop trying to drive a wedge between Everly, me, and Elliott.”

My gut tightened. Was he the reason Elliott and Eva had treated me with so much indifference for so long? Since the Hale situation had arisen, the twins had been treating me differently. They actually felt more like siblings than mere acquaintances, and I’d seen a side of them that had disappeared when Mom died.

Theron’s forehead creased, and I wasn’t sure if it was from confusion, concern, or both. Either way, leaving before Peter got more riled up was our best option. I should’ve known he would pull something like this, but he’d been playing along the past few days, so I hadn’t thought twice about it.

“We can finish this conversation later,” Cassidy said, glaring at Peter. “Thorn, Everly, and Vlad need to go.” She went straight to Vlad and hugged him. Their eyes glowed, and she pulled away and patted Thorn and me on the arm. “Go on. Brenton, Errol, and I have it from here.”

“Hey!” Saphira placed her hands on her hips. “Don’t play the old-people card on me. I’ll help watch Peter and his sniveling ways.”

Vlad nodded. “Let’s go. I don’t want to drag this out.”

Theron hesitated, and my stomach sank. Then the older dragon glanced at Tyson, and something firmed in his expression. “Yes, let’s go.” He spun on his heel and marched toward the tree line, and Thorn, Vlad, and I followed.

Suddenly, I paused. “Wait. We need to pack a bag, so we have clothes to change into.”

“It’ll be fine,” Theron replied, not breaking his stride. “My mate will bring things for you to wear while you’re there. You won’t be staying long, just enough to do…whatever Thorn does.”

That would work. And anyway, the clothes he’d stocked here were slightly too large for my human size, and I’d learned that wearing shorts was my best option. I had to wash my panties and bras each night because none of the extras here fit me.

“Let’s shift, and you all can follow me.” Theron turned toward us. “Let me be clear. I’m not comfortable taking you this close to the thunder, but Sol can’t travel far in his dragon form. If something goes south, I will do anything to protect my thunder.”

He didn’t need to spell out what he meant—he would tell Drake where we were. Even if we ran, the dragons would know where we’d started.

Aggravation swirled from Thorn, and he growled.

But I understood both men. Theron was helping us as a favor to a friend but didn’t fully trust us. And Thorn didn’t like being threatened, especially when I was involved.

“We understand. You’ve already made that clear. But know that when someone is helping you, they don’t want to hear the same threat again.” I tried to keep a level tone. We were all highly emotional.Thorn, remember, he’s taking us to his mate and son. How would you feel if someone you didn’t trust was about to meet me? Try to see it from his perspective.That was a trick I’d picked up over the years when dealing with Peter.

“I agree with Everly.” Vlad smiled, and there was pride in his eyes.

“All right.” Theron marched into the tree line. “Let’s take flight.”

Within a few minutes, the four of us were flying skyward, higher than we did at night, since the sun was out, and we needed to stay away from human eyes.

Theron’s Carolina-blue dragon took the lead. Thorn and Vlad flanked me, Thorn’s gorgeous plum dragon on my left and Vlad’s olive-green dragon on my right. Among such colorful dragons, my dark silver color didn’t seem as vibrant.

Peter better be damn glad that Theron was there, and you stopped me. I could’ve easily killed him,Thorn connected, his sky-blue eyes locking on me.He wanted Theron to force us to leave so Drake would have a better chance of finding us.

Which is why you didn’t act impulsively,I reminded him as I brushed the tip of my wing against his.You need to let that go and enjoy the moment. We can worry about him when we return. You need to focus on your magic.

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