Page 16 of Midnight of Ashes
“That’s what most believe,” Easton said.
My gaze flicked to the front seats. Maddox’s hands were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had no color in them at all, while Easton simply looked sad.
“And they’re here? Why?” I asked Knox.
He sent a worried look around the vehicle. “They want to know whenever a female dragon is born or discovered.”
A heavy weight settled in my stomach. “Why?”
Knox gripped my hand tighter. “I said they like control. They see female dragons as pawns, ways to access more power.”
That weight only intensified. “But they’re people.”
“I know. But there are hordes all over the world who would give anything for a dragon mate.”
Panic zipped through me, blood roaring in my ears. “But I have my mates.”
Easton’s gaze found mine in the mirror. “You could choose to leave us if you wanted.”
“But they can’t make me, right?” My anxiety radiated in each of my words.
“They won’t take you,” Cáel growled, moving in impossibly closer.
Knox’s gaze locked with mine. “But they will manipulate you with everything they have to get you to make that choice.”
9
HAYDEN
The moment the words were out of Knox’s mouth, Cáel unbuckled my seat belt and hauled me onto his lap. “No.”
His arms wrapped tightly around me as if I might disappear.
Knox and Easton shared a look through the rearview mirror. Maddox still stared straight ahead, unmoving.
I nuzzled into Cáel. The scent of snow and that hint of smoke swirled around me. I could feel his heartbeat, pounding in a rapid rhythm against my body. I pressed my palm to his chest. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
I said it for myself as much as for Cáel. But my stomach churned as if I’d taken to rough seas.
Knox sent me a reassuring smile, but it was strained at the edges. “We won’t leave you alone with them. I promise.”
I let out a shuddering breath. That helped. As strained as things had been lately, I knew that these guys would always have my back against a threat.
Easton glanced at me through the rearview mirror. I couldn’t read his expression. The mixture of emotions flitted across his face too quickly for me to pin down a single one.
He slowed at the gate, rolled down his window, and pressed a hand to the palm reader. The gates opened, and my stomach cramped.
I pressed my face to Cáel’s neck and breathed deeply. His scent stilled a restless energy inside me, a fluttering. And Cáel let out a rumbling growl that sounded more like a purr.
As Easton navigated the gravel roads toward the house, Cáel’s arms tightened around me. By the time Easton pulled to a stop, I could barely breathe.
None of us moved for a moment, just staring at the house and the unfamiliar SUV parked in front of us.
Finally, Knox spoke. “We’re just going to make it worse by waiting.”
Cáel grunted but opened the door. He didn’t, however, let me go. He slid us out of the vehicle and hauled me into his arms, cradling me against his chest.
“Put her down, man,” Easton warned.
