Page 84 of Hidden Fate

And he wants tokillyou.

Death is better than the future he wants for you.His jaw clenched as his pupils slitted.

He had me there, but that didn’t mean I would agree to his asinine request.Doesn’t matter. Life without you would be agonizing, so I’d rather keep you alive.Especially a life where he was gone and I was Drake’swife. The thought had a cold settling deep into my bones.

The end of the tunnel approached, and with each step we took, Thorn oozed more frustration. He didn’t like that I wasn’t agreeing, but he shouldn’t have expected anything else.

Drake is focused on both of us.I slowed as we reached the end.And we’re a team, right? As long as we work together, he can’t touch us. So stop with the overprotective fated-mate act because I want to be the same way. As long as we trust each other to do what’s best for ourselves and our people, we’ll know we did our best.I wanted to assure him that everything would work out, but I didn’t know that. I’d had the same belief when it came to Mom and her illness, and I’d seen how that had ended.

Of course I trust you.He pivoted and pulled me into his arms.I just don’t want anything to happen to you, but you’re right. If either of us made that promise, it would be a lie.

You own me, forever and always.This almost felt like a goodbye, but I had to say it because the future was so damn uncertain.

His determination soared between us.You know I feel the same way, but I won’t say it. This is not how our story ends. I refuse to believe it.

I heard Saphira and Wyvern kissing. We all knew what would happen next.

My skin sizzled from our touch, and Thorn kissed me. The kiss was full of promise…like he was forcing me to believe that everything would be okay.

I swept my tongue into his mouth, needing his minty taste to carry with me, and pulled away.

Vlad cleared his throat, and Theron, Saphira, Wyvern, Thorn, and I turned his way.

“Get your weapons ready.” Vlad’s entire body tensed. “There’s no telling what’s on the other side of that door.”

The queen had confirmed that Drake was holed up in the royal bedroom. The windows had views of the front and the back of the house, which would make protecting him easy, but he didn’t know about the secret passage in the wall.

“How many guards do you think he’ll have there?” Theron held a dagger in one hand and a gun in another.

“Around five.” Vlad held his weapons in his hands, too. “They’ll be positioned everywhere, but we’ll need to get him before other guards can get in the room. They’ll be close by.”

“All right.” Wyvern held up his hands, ready to fight. “Let’s get this done so we can save our people.”

When Thorn noted we were ready to fight, he pushed the button…and the door slid open.

My heart dropped. Drake wasn’t the only one surprised.

Thirty warriors turned toward us.

CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT

Both sides blinkedat one another. We’d severely underestimated how many warriors Drake would have with him, but at least Uther, Jerry, and Gemma were part of the thirty. Hopefully, they wouldn’t try to hurt us horribly…or at all. But a warning would’ve been nice.

The royal bedroom took up the entire side of the house, with three sections of windows that overlooked the backyard, the side yard, and the front. Five warriors were planted at each set of windows, leaving fifteen spread across the center of the room.

“Why didn’t I know about that secret passageway?” Drake snarled as he rolled away from us across the gigantic gold-framed bed.

Move,Thorn commanded as he jumped into action, pushing two purple chairs out of our way. Vlad, Wyvern, and Theron were on his heels, springing into action.

Chaos ensued.

Ladon, Falkor, and Jessie hurried to surround Drake, their weapons at the ready. Falkor stood in front of Drake, not quite blocking him with his six-and-a-half-foot tall MMA fighter frame. His cobalt irises focused on us, and his pupils slitted, revealing his dragon. “Warriors at the windows, stay put but fire at them if able. This could be a diversion. Everyone else, attackhim.” He gestured at my mate.

Nine warriors rushed us from all sides while Uther, Gemma, and Jerry paused near the dark cherrywood double doors.

Four warriors moved straight for Thorn, and the thrum of his magic took hold.

“Don’t underestimate the others,” Ladon shouted, and narrowed his ice-green eyes at my mate. He stood slightly behind Falkor and was smaller, but not by much.

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