Page 41 of Hidden Fate

“I know.” She closed her eyes, then opened them and focused on me. “I get it. That’s one reason I didn’t say yes right away when I met Sol—I still took time to think about it. Maybe it’s not a good reason, but Ev, each day I’m around him, something inside me becomes more desperate for him. Hell, the first time I saw him, his eyes captivated me. It’s like he can see right into my soul.”

I froze. That wasexactlyhow I’d felt when I’d first seen Thorn. “Eva—”

“Let me finish,” she said forcibly, then winced. “Please.”

That was why we’d come outside—for me to listen. I nodded and forced myself to eat.

She huffed, pushing her long hair over her shoulders. “I get your concern, and I’ll be the first to admit that if this were you, I’d be asking the same questions. But I don’t want to lie. Yes, a major reason is Sol. He helped me get there. I don’t want to have a life he isn’t in, but it’s more than that. I knew the answer wasn’t a flat yes or no even before I met Sol.” She wrung her hands as grunts from the group’s training sounded in the background. “When Drake took us, I’d never felt so helpless, even more so than when Mom died. Not only could I not save you, but I couldn’t even help myself.”

She shivered, and though I itched to hug her, I forced myself to remain in place, knowing she needed to get it all out.

“I didn’t say yes immediately like Elliott did because that level of change scares me. Will I even recognize myself afterward? That question keeps circling my head, despite everything else screaming I should do it. But as I’ve watched you become a stronger, more confident version of yourself, and after Sol came into the picture, that question lost its impact. So, am I saying yes today because of Sol? Maybe. But IswearI’ve known for a while that my answer would be yes all along. I needed time to accept it. He just got me there faster.”

I exhaled. “Okay. I just need you to understand that even if you change, there’s no guarantee the two of you will wind up together.” Until she turned into a dragon, we wouldn’t know if they were fated mates. I didn’t want to make any false promises just because I suspected the answer was yes.

She wrapped her arms around herself. “Is that even close to what it was like between you and Thorn when you were human?”

“Yes.” I wouldn’t lie to her. I couldn’t. That wouldn’t be right. “It was like I could sense the type of person he was, even though he’d kidnapped Saphira and me. I wanted to be around him even while fearing him at the same time. I thought I was getting Stockholm syndrome, but it was our souls reaching out to each other. But Eva, that’s supposed to be rare, so I don’t want to get your hopes up in case—”

“In case it’s not.” She exhaled and dropped her arms. “I get that, and thank you for not lying. I promise I would’ve come to this decision regardless. I wouldn’t do it just for a man.”

I took the last bite of my biscuit and pulled her into a hug. “I believe you.” My eyes burned as my vision clouded. I was going to cry if I didn’t pull myself together, and that was the last thing I wanted to do. I was happy she’d confided in me, something I didn’t think she would’ve done before Drake took us. “We’d better get in there and save Thorn. He was distracting Elliott so we could talk.”

“Oh, yes. That man is a saint.” Eva’s irises twinkled. “Just for the record, I’m so glad he’s my brother-in-law. He is completely in love with you, and that’s why he puts up with Elliott. He deserves a medal.”

Laughing hard, I said, “Maybe, but he did call you and Elliott his family earlier, and he meant it. So yeah, he’s a keeper.”

Before going in, I scanned the group again and grinned when I saw Peter sitting on the ground, refusing to stand and continue to fight. For some reason, our decision not to change him brought me comfort. At least I knew what to expect from him.

The two of us entered the house to find Elliott still talking. Thorn was staring at the table, his empty plate and two steaming cups of coffee in front of him.

My heart fluttered.Is one of those for me?I desperately needed a cup.

Yes. Although I’m contemplating drinking it if you don’t hurry.He took a sip from his blue mug, leaving the purple one for me.Your brother has almost put me back to sleep.

I know one way to distract him—if you’re willing to change them while the others are preoccupied.I grabbed my cup.

Let’s do it.Thorn nodded.Honestly, I’ll be more comfortable when they’re dragons. And they’ll need time to acclimate.

Another good point. They’d need to learn how to fly and get comfortable with their dragons. “Who wants to change into a dragon first?”

Elliott’s head snapped up so fast, I wasn’t sure how it hadn’t fallen off. “Uh…me.” He pounded the table. “I said yes the moment it was offered, so you’d better change me beforeher.” He gestured to his sister.

We’d better do this before Peter gets back.If what I’d seen outside was any indication, he’d be plodding in here shortly now that everyone knew Thorn and I were up. I almost asked if Peter was aware of their decision, but I stopped myself. It didn’t matter. They were legal adults, and with the danger we were in, it was smart to change them so they could better protect themselves.

Elliott rushed through the kitchen to the front of the house. “Let’s go out this way so Dad won’t know what’s going on. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission.”

Unfortunately, that was my answer.

We hurried outside, and Thorn had no problem changing either of my siblings. It was strange because his hands glowed, and the friction still wafted through our bond, but not like before. I sensed he was no longer afraid to use his magic.

“Okay, both of you are done.” Thorn dropped his hands from Eva’s shoulders.

I wouldn’t have known they were changed if he hadn’t announced it. But then Elliott clutched his head and groaned, “It’s like something’s inside me, trying to control me.”

“It’s your dragon.” I remembered how unsettling it had been to feel a new being inside my body, like the dragon and I had two different sets of thoughts. “You can spend time acclimating to it later. We need to see if Mindy and Sol are your fated mates. If they are, they can help you shift more easily.”

Thorn ran a hand down his face. “I need to fly, too. My dragon is getting restless, but we’ll have to keep a close watch so any nearby warriors don’t see us.”

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