Page 19 of Hidden Fate

Edna and Mindywould be here any minute. Elliott, Peter, Tyson, and Brenton stayed in the house, while the rest of our group stood in the front yard, waiting for their arrival.

Sol and Eva sat on the red bench swing, talking about some game that Eva liked. They leaned in closely to each other as if the world around them had ceased to exist.

The rest of us stood in a semicircle. I looped my arm through Thorn’s and laid my head on his shoulder as Saphira stepped forward beside me to look at Theron on Thorn’s other side. She asked, “Have you heard anything from Wyvern? Is he—er—the thunder doing okay?”

My eyebrows quirked. That was more than normal interest. I had to talk to her sooner rather than later about what was going on between them.

Nodding, Theron pressed his lips into a line. “I talked to him a little while ago. The thunder is fine. Drake threatened them, but as Wyvern suspected, the thunder was left to him to rule since he showed loyalty by alerting Drake to us. He’s supposed to notify Drake if he hears or sees us again.”

At least that hadn’t blown up in our faces.

“Wyvern asked about you,” Hydra said, placing a hand on her mate’s arm. “He wanted to make sure you, specifically, were okay.”

Saphira’s face reddened, and she beamed.

“Why would he…” Errol’s words died as he studied his daughter. His forehead lined, and his mouth gaped.

An engine that had been rumbling faintly in the background grew louder.

“Are they coming by vehicle?” Vlad moved further into the yard and near the dirt driveway.

Staying close to her mate, Cassidy followed. “It would make sense if they did, in case warriors are searching the area.”

“She didn’t say either way.” Theron crossed his arms. “But we’re about to find out.”

Our group fell silent as a burnt orange Mazda CX-5 pulled up. In the driver’s seat was none other than Edna.

The woman in the passenger seat was a few years younger than me, close to Eva and Elliott’s age. Her hair was a little shorter than her mother’s and dyed a vibrant burgundy that made her chardonnay-gold eyes glow. As soon as the car was parked, Mindy opened her door and got out. Her eyes immediately focused on Thorn.

They hurried toward us, Edna rubbing her hands together.

Mindy just smiled at Thorn like he held all the answers. “I hear you’re going to heal me.”

Our fated-mate bond constricted from the pressure she’d put on him.

Thorn rolled his shoulders, and his body tensed. “I’ll try.”

Her expression faltered, but Theron stepped in and introduced everyone to Mindy.

“We don’t have long.” Edna glanced at her car. “The news of the king’s death hit the Dragonnet, as did the warriors’ preparations to search for your group. Our thunder is concerned. Mindy isn’t the only one at risk, so we’d like to bring some of the older members here for safety. I need to tell them about you before that can happen. Fear has a way of causing chaos, and I need to head back and get things moving…if only for their peace of mind.”

The anxiety rolling off Thorn amped up even higher.

You’ve done this twice, now. You’ve got this.I squeezed his arm comfortingly.

Thorn nodded. “Okay. Where is your injury located?”

I remembered she’d been injured while in human form.

“My back,” she whispered.

He turned to me, kissed my cheek, and connected,I can’t risk you touching me.

Let me know if you need me.I stepped far enough away to give him the space to not feel like he’d impact me accidentally.

Theron and the others followed suit.

Now I have an audience,Thorn connected as he placed his hands on Mindy’s shoulders. “I’m going to channel magic inside you. If I can fill in the missing magic, your dragon will feel a little different until you shift and fly.”

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