by Reus, Katie
Now that her mother was dead, Dallas knew that her time with Rhys had almost come to an end. He’d told her that he would go home once he had his revenge. Or he’d hinted at that anyway. At least she knew he would stay with her until after she healed since he’d promised.
Damn, she was just too tired to think about anything, let alone the future. She held on tight to his neck as he launched into the air, soaking up every last second she could with her big dragon. Because soon he would leave. And that was going to hurt both her and Willow.
At that thought, she leaned forward and hugged him even tighter. She was unable to stop the tears that fell, splashing onto his scales as he soared over treetops.
Chapter 28
Brielle crowded around the screen with Lola, Bella, Harlow and Axel as they waited for Star to pick up the video call. When her smiling face came on-screen, something inside Brielle relaxed. Her tiger knew that Star wasn’t her Alpha anymore, but until a few weeks ago Star had been their Alpha for a long damn time—since they were precocious kids getting into a hell of a lot of trouble.
“There was a real dragon living here!” Harlow shouted.
“Your mate’s brother is so going to mate with a sweet witch!” This was from Lola.
“Aurora is doing so well!” Bella shouted, unable to contain her excitement.
“You just missed out on the best chicken parm ever.” From Axel, of course. That male was always thinking about food.
Brielle didn’t say anything as the others all talked at once, shouting over each other.
Star blinked, her bright purple eyes vivid before she looked at Brielle. “You guys have a dragon?”
Brielle’s lips pursed together but before she could respond, Harlow blurted, “No, but she was staying with us for a week and we’re all going to visit her soon. She’s so stinking cute I kinda want to kidnap her but I like her owner too much to do that.”
Star blinked again as she stared at Harlow. “Who are you and what have you done to my stoic Harlow?”
Brielle grunted in agreement. She wasn’t sure what had happened to her twin, but lately she’d been a raging chatterbox. It was pretty nice, if she was being honest.
“Wait, did you say…Lachlan’s brother is getting mated?”
Lachlan popped into the image then, all serious dragon. “Rhys is mated?” he asked in that lilting Scottish brogue.
“No,” Brielle said before anyone could answer. “But he’s well on his way to claiming her. It’s just a matter of time. He just took her home because she expended way too much energy from a spell. Apparently she’s a pretty powerful witch.”
Lachlan stared at all of them as if they’d lost their minds. Then he kissed Star on the head and murmured something too low to hear before he disappeared from sight. There was the sound of a door shutting then.
“It’s just us now,” she said laughing. “My mate can’t believe Rhys is mating with a witch. Now…she’s the one who owns the dragonling?”
Harlow answered then and for the next twenty minutes they all talked over each other, everyone just excited to talk to Star. Brielle’s tiger was very much at peace, seeing how happy her lifelong friend, her former Alpha, was. It was clear that Star was happier than she’d ever been.
Once everyone was winding down, she cleared her throat. “You guys mind giving me some time with Star?”
“Of course not.” Bella blew kisses at the laptop and everyone else waved before heading out.
“So what’s up?” Star asked, straightening slightly. Behind her a big window was open, revealing that it was dark out, and Brielle was pretty certain she heard sheep in the distance.
“Just wanted to talk to you.” She flipped the chair at the desk around and straddled it. “You look good.”
“That’s what nonstop sex’ll do to a woman.”
Brielle snorted. “It’s more than that. How is everyone there? How’s everyone treating you?”
“Amazing. I was nervous coming here. It doesn’t matter that I’m not a dragon. They’ve all accepted me. I mean, there might be a few outliers but I haven’t dealt with anything internal yet. External is another matter,” she said, sighing.
“Supernaturals or humans?”
“Both. There are a lot of people suffering. So many people were traveling when The Fall happened and now they’re displaced, in a new country. We’ve been able to get some people home, but others have no home to go to. It’s…hard seeing so much suffering and adjusting to this new reality. I almost feel bad being so damn happy with Lachlan.” Star’s eyes flashed a deep violet then, a mirror of her feelings.
“I know. It’s the same here. We were out on a mission last week for King and found a group of human teenagers stuck out in the middle of nowhere. On the outskirts of the bayou. They’d been here visiting an aunt when everything went to shit. They just wanted to get back to their parents. But…” Brielle swallowed hard, pushing back the wave of emotion pushing up.
“Yeah.” Star’s jaw tightened once. Then she cleared her throat. “So how’s my baby sister?”
“Amazing.” She didn’t even have to think twice about that.
“Yeah?”
“She’s…blossomed. She and King have a weird sort of friendship. You know she’s become a liaison of sorts for him, but I don’t know. She’s coming into her own. She’s always been incredible but it’s like I’m watching a butterfly emerge. She’s powerful, something we’ve always known. But she’s growing into that power faster than I thought would happen.”
“You’re not just saying that for my sake?”
Brielle knew her tiger flashed in her eyes. “I would never lie to my Alpha. To my friend.”
Star’s lips kicked up ever so slightly. “I’m not your Alpha anymore.”
“Hmm.”
“King is your Alpha now.”
“I live in his territory. And I follow his rules. You…were my Alpha a long time. My tiger is still adjusting.”
“Do you want to come to Scotland?”
Yes. “No. I won’t leave Aurora. Not yet.”
“Hmm. Maybe not ever. Just give it time.”
She would. “So how are the girls settling in?”
Star let out a real laugh then. “Oh my, Kartini has already broken a few hearts.”
“So what else is new?”
“Exactly. Taya and Athena seem to be settling in.” There was something in Star’s tone though and she’d left out Marley.
“So…what about Marley?”
“I don’t know. She’s been quiet, reserved. Not like herself at all. I think I might ask if she wants to head back to New Orleans if I can’t get her to talk to me. I don’t know if Scotland is the right place for her and I don’t want her to stay out of a sense of loyalty.”
Brielle was surprised that Marley hadn’t opened up to Star, and made a mental note to call her later that night.
“So what’s going on with Harlow? Seriously?”
Brielle just laughed and shook her head. “I have no idea what’s going on with my twin but I like it.”
“I do too. I miss you.”
She sighed. “I miss you too. It’s weird not seeing you every day.”
“I know.”
“Being mated looks good on you.”
Star grinned. “I know that too. How’s my lion doing?”
“Likely to get his head cut off any day now by some male he’s pissed off.”
“I’m glad that some things haven’t changed.”
Yeah, Brielle was too.
Chapter 29
Dallas opened her eyes, feeling as if she’d come out of a deep fog.
She was home—in her own bed. For a long moment she lay there, soaking up her surroundings. Her window was open, the sheer white linen drapes blowing lightly with a breeze.
She could hear a multitude of quiet voices outside—ones she recognized. Including Rhys. He was still here—not that she’d worried he’d leave.
Willow wasn’t at her window
but Dallas could see her prancing around near the goats. Herding them to nowhere as usual.
She snorted softly and slipped out of bed, feeling as exhausted as if she’d run a couple marathons. She wasn’t sure how long she’d slept but it was daylight, maybe afternoon. So she must’ve slept for twenty-four hours. At least.
She stumbled to the bathroom, brushed her teeth and took care of other business and then decided to take a quick shower. She needed it. The cold water blasted her, helping her wake up as fast as coffee would. When she was done, she ran a blow-dryer through her hair, put on some eyeliner then tugged on a loose white skirt, a soft bralette, and a blue-and-white, paisley-patterned flowy top. As an afterthought she slipped in her favorite hoop earrings that had been a gift from Hazel. In her normal clothing, she felt…good. Settled. It went a long way in helping her feel more grounded after everything.
Dressed and ready to face the day, she went in search of Rhys and found him talking with Naomi and Hazel as they sat around her patio table.
Relief bled into Hazel and Naomi’s gazes the moment they saw her. Both her friends jumped up and rushed at her.
Hazel pulled her into a tight hug, with Naomi quickly joining in. Laughing at their intensity, she squeezed back.
“I told you I wasn’t keeping her hostage,” Rhys muttered.
Dallas let out a startled laugh and leaned back. “Is that what you guys thought?”
Willow had joined them now and was happily dancing around, her wings held tight at her back the way Rhys had taught her so she didn’t bang into everything.
Hazel’s cheeks flushed pink as she shrugged and scratched behind Willow’s ear. “The only reason I didn’t storm your house is because Willow seems to like him. She’s got pretty good taste.”
Dallas dropped a dozen kisses on Willow’s face before Rhys scooped her up and tucked her up against him as he sat back down.
She didn’t miss the looks of surprise from either Hazel or Naomi but she was so not commenting on her and Rhys and whatever they were. Because she wasn’t even sure what they were at this point. She enjoyed him holding her, however.
“We saw Willow flying and realized you were home, so we brought over some food. Actually, we’ve only been here about half an hour. Are you hungry?” Hazel asked as she started unpacking a cooler, clearly already knowing the answer.
“I’m starving. How long did I sleep, anyway?”
“A day and a half.” Worry flickered into Rhys’s gaze, his dragon peering out at her for a moment. “Is that normal?”
She was surprised at how long she’d rested, but she felt so rejuvenated. Underneath her, she could feel the magic from her land lifting up to greet her in an invisible caress, happy she was home. “It’s a little longer than normal, but obviously I must have known I was safe to sleep so long.” She’d done big spells before and then passed out, hiding and hoping that she wasn’t attacked in her sleep. But her body must’ve subconsciously known she was safe with Rhys.
“So it seems a lot has changed since you’ve been gone,” Naomi said, curiosity clear in her big eyes as she started pouring sweet tea for Dallas.
Even though she lived in the South she hated sweet tea. But she needed the sugar right now and she wasn’t going to be a dick to her friend so she took it with a smile. “Yes, it has,” she said, laughing lightly as Rhys tightened his possessive grip around her. She settled back against him, liking that he wasn’t shy about claiming her. Deep down, she knew this wasn’t a long-term thing. Even if she wanted it. He would leave once she told him the truth of her parentage. She was trying to mentally prepare for it, but wasn’t doing a great job.
“Well, we’re going to head out of here.” Hazel shot Naomi a warning look when it was pretty clear that Naomi wanted to argue and stay. Naomi was definitely one of the bigger gossips around the farmers. Maybe gossip was the wrong word—she just liked to share information and keep everyone informed of what was happening. “We’ve been taking care of everything since you’ve been gone and have nothing exciting to report. But we are going to want to hear all about your time in the city,” Hazel added as she gave Dallas another quick hug. “Especially since you apparently did some magic that required you to sleep for a couple days.”
Rhys relinquished his hold for a brief moment so she could hug her friends again.
“I swear I’ll tell you everything that I can.” She needed to talk to Rhys, see if he had any updates from King. She just hoped that all those witches involved had been taken care of. She also needed to tell Rhys that Catta was her mother. Though she wasn’t sure how to tell him. She was afraid that if she did, it would make him see her differently. That she’d see loathing in his eyes and he’d reject her. “Thank you guys, for watching over my farm, for all this food.”
Naomi made a little scoffing sound. “Please, you would do it for any of us.”
She nodded because it was true. “Thank you all the same.”
“Take a day and rest, but tomorrow I guarantee everyone’s going to be over here wanting to see you and Willow,” Hazel said as she and Naomi headed out.
Willow made a little chirping sound and flew after them as they walked to their car.
“Thirty-six hours, for real?” She leaned her head on Rhys’s shoulder for a moment, soaking up his warmth.
“Yes. I was worried about you,” he said as he reached for one of the sandwiches Hazel had made and placed it in her hand.
Simple turkey and Swiss. And it sounded like heaven. Food in general sounded amazing right now.
“I’m definitely rested. So what did King say?” she asked before taking a bite. Because Rhys would have talked to him by now, probably more than once.
“He questioned all the survivors, and there might be a straggler witch or two out there but no one could confirm that anyone was missing from the group King and his people killed. He sent over a description of all of the dead witches.”
She stopped chewing and turned to look at him. “And?”
“One of them is—was—Catta.”
Her stomach tightened at his words. “You’re sure?”
His jaw tightened. “Not a hundred percent. But from the description he gave, it sounded exactly like her. Flame red hair, green eyes, a beautiful monster. And she appeared to be the leader.”
The muscles in her stomach remained bunched. That sounded just like Catta, but she had no problem changing her appearance, something Dallas knew.
“I know this sounds morbid, but can we see the body? Or see if the scent is what you’ve been hunting all these years?”
“He incinerated her with her own magic.” Rhys quickly launched into King’s description of the battle.
The little food she’d eaten tumbled around in her stomach. She knew exactly what kind of spell Catta had thrown at King. It was one of the earliest ones she’d taught Dallas. It was a dark, dark spell and the fact the King had been able to launch it back at her was incredible. “That sounds like her.”
“Eat,” he simply said.
She ate two sandwiches, a bunch of fruit, cheese, and two protein bars. And she still felt like she could eat even more but she leaned back against him, feeling settled as her energy returned. The magic from her land infused her, settling into her bones.
“So are you going to tell me how you tracked them?” Rhys murmured into the quiet.
Sitting in his lap, she looked out on her garden, her land, all the acres in front of them. A few white clouds dotted the sky, and her trees rustled under the light breeze, but it was quiet, peaceful. “I don’t want to tell you.”
“Why?”
She closed her eyes, knowing she needed to be honest. Somewhat at least. “I’m related to Catta. Part of the same bloodline.” Somehow she couldn’t force herself to tell him that Catta had borne her.
Rhys shifted slightly underneath her but he didn’t curse or act shocked.
She opened her eyes and looked at him in surprise. “You knew?”
“I guessed it
was something like that. I don’t know a ton about spells or witches, but that scent that triggered the familial recognition was my first hint. And then the spell you did. I knew it had to be more than just a common link from an old coven, but an actual familial relationship.”
“You don’t hate me?” She still couldn’t tell him that Catta was her mother. The words wouldn’t come. Maybe later. But she didn’t want anything to spoil the here and now with him. Because if he knew the truth, she was afraid he would despise her. And Dallas couldn’t bear it. God, she knew that made her an asshole, but she was so damn touch-starved. She just…wanted to hold on to him for a little bit longer. She’d dealt with a lifetime of hiding what she was, of being hated for who she was. She just wanted to keep what they had a bit longer in case he did reject her. Her scars ran deep, no matter how much she wanted to trust that he wouldn’t hate her once he knew the truth.
“Of course I don’t hate you.” He sighed and brushed his lips over hers. “I understand why you didn’t tell me. I was a giant dick about witches before I met you.”
“I’m sorry you didn’t get to take your revenge personally.” It was a weird thing to apologize for but she knew it had been important to him.
He shook his head. “I only wanted justice for my sister. And she’s gone. I thought I would feel different… And I guess I do. Catta needed to die. Clearly. I’m just glad that you’re alive.” He looked like he wanted to say more but stopped himself.
“What?”
“Nothing. Thurman told me I would need to make a choice. And I’d like to think I made the right one.”
“You mean going with King, or staying with me?” Because it still stunned her that he’d decided to stay with her, to bring her home while King killed Catta and her coven.
He nodded once and leaned forward, brushing his lips over hers again, deepening it this time.
She knew he was going to leave soon. How could he not? So she wanted to soak up every second with him. She wanted to cross that line with him, wanted to feel him inside her. They’d only skated the surface of intimacy and she wanted so much more.