by Marcy Jacks
Lightning purposely didn’t look toward Silver’s house.
Lightning hadn’t been particularly close to Ajax, but he could remember looking at the two men and wishing to have something even a fraction as powerful as what they had.
They had been so happy together, so in tune with each other.
He was still kind of shocked that Silver was lucky enough to have found another mate.
Meanwhile, Lightning would never have one for himself.
Not when he looked the way he did.
“You’re right. I’ll stay.”
Rey cocked his head, as though searching for any hint of sarcasm, or a lie.
Lightning rolled his eyes. “I won’t go anywhere outside of the territory, and I won’t fly off searching for witches. Happy now?”
Rey smiled pityingly at him. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Lightning growled at him. “Look at me like that again and you won’t be in the mood to pity me.”
Rey lifted his hands. “No pity. Don’t worry. Just don’t go anywhere for a while, all right? When we catch these bastards, you can even be the one to beat the piss out of them before sending them on their way home. Okay? My gift to you.”
It certainly sounded like a nice gift.
Lightning grudgingly accepted the peace offering.
“Fine. Thank you.”
Rey smacked him on his arm. “Thanks, and try to relax. Everything’s pretty much done. The barbecues are coming out, and the omegas are cooking up a huge feast to celebrate Silver’s new mate. There’ll be lots of food tonight, probably no drinking though.”
“What’s the point of a feast without booze?”
Rey shrugged, always the Boy Scout. “That’s what we get for being the clan warriors. Either way, I’m going to stuff myself until I’m as fat as can be. You should, too. It’ll take your mind off of everything.”
Lightning hoped that was true. Still, he looked toward the trees. He could only know which direction the warlocks had been hiding in because Rey had told him where he’d caught the scent.
Either way, they weren’t up there now.
Maybe they had just been scouting. There might be no attack at all. They could have seen that this was a healthy dragon clan with many men in it, and that there was no point in taking the risk by trying to kidnap one albino dragon.
The last time they had been any real threat to him was when he’d been thrown out of his original clan.
When he’d had to rely on that boy to bring him food and thick clothes for the winter.
Huh. It had been years since Lightning had allowed himself to think of that boy. Why did his mind wander to him now? Not that it mattered. He couldn’t even remember what the kid had looked like, but there was no mistaking it, Lightning would have died that winter without him.
He hoped that kid was all right. Wherever he was.
Well, he wasn’t a starving whelp any longer. He was a grown man, he could be intelligent about these things, and there was going to be a feast. Rey was right. He needed to relax and enjoy himself.
Tonight was a night for celebrating, after all.
Chapter Nine
“I need to change.”
Silver blinked at his mate, still catching his breath after what had been, what? The sixth round?
“Change? Into your clothes? I’m not done with you yet.”
He reached out for his mate’s waist, pulling that smaller, sweaty body closer.
He definitely wasn’t done yet.
The omega wiggled out of his grasp.
“No. I mean change. Shift. I have to let my wolf out.”
Silver blinked a little more awake at those words. He sat up, rubbed at the back of his head. “Oh, right. Shit. All right, let me come with you.”
Ajax had periodically needed to let his wilder side roam, and usually that was after sex, or a long time without changing at all.
Silver supposed he’d thought his mate wouldn’t need this because, well, as an omega, his inner wilder half wouldn’t be quite so powerful, right?
Apparently those instincts ran the same.
“You don’t have to come with me.”
“I want to.” Silver pushed himself off the bed and stretched. He went to his dresser and pulled on some boxers.
“My clothes don’t change with me. I’ll stay naked in front of your pack until I’m shifted.”
“The clan knows this. We’ve had omegas living here for a while now, remember?”
He looked at his mate, who stood there looking beyond antsy, the poor thing.
It was kind of funny to see.
Silver smiled at him. “The dragons stay in our clothes whenever possible, but we’ve gotten used to seeing a couple of bare naked people running for cover from time to time. Just don’t go prancing around purposely in front of the children like that and no one will blame you.”
“Yeah, but…”
Erin was dancing around now as if he had to go to the bathroom.
Silver rolled his eyes. He grabbed the bedspread right off the bed and put it around his shoulders.
“There, now come outside with me.”
Erin smiled at him, that cute smile that Silver was enjoying the more he saw it.
“Thanks.”
“And stop thanking me. What did I say about that?”
“Sorry.”
Argh. His mate was going to be a bother for a long time. Silver could tell that much.
He took his mate outside. Erin was still careful about making sure he wasn’t seen as he held the blankets tightly around his shoulders. They went out the back door, and Erin still glanced around to be sure no one watched.
“Go on then. I’ll be in the sky.”
Erin smiled again, and the shift happened so quickly, smoothly.
It was different from what he expected. Whenever Ajax shifted, his bones broke and snapped. It had always been enough to make Silver wince.
The first couple of times he’d heard it, he’d always asked after the fact if his mate was all right, if the change had put him in pain. Ajax would always laugh and say he was all right, that Silver worried too much.
How could he not worry when he heard such a disgusting noise all the time?
With Erin, it was different. Erin’s transformation seemed to be almost a gentle glide into his wolf shape. The man was gone almost in an instant, replaced with what Silver could only describe as a lovely grey and black wolf.
Like something out of a nature magazine.
Erin shook out the loose hairs of his coat, then brought his hind leg up and scratched at his neck before looking at Silver, as though waiting for him to do something.
Silver wasn’t entirely sure if the touch would be welcome, but he went to his mate, knelt down, and stroked the wolf behind the ears.
Erin’s fur was coarse down the side of his body, but softer around the ears. It was a pleasure to touch, and Silver found himself quickly soothed by it.
“You’re so beautiful.”
The wolf cocked its head to the side, then the lips pulled back, tongue lolling in a panting smile.
Silver stood.
“Right. Don’t get any ideas just because I think you’re cute. Let’s go.” He spread his wings. “I could use the stretch.”
Erin barked at him. That was a bit of a shock, as well, since Ajax rarely barked at anything.
“What? You want me to chase you?”
The wolf backed up, still giving Silver that playful look.
Yeah, he wanted to be chased. Silver knew this game well. He and Ajax played it often, and Silver had to admit, he kind of missed it.
“All right. Let’s go.”
Erin took off, and Silver jumped into the air, flapping his wings until he pulled himself up high enough to catch a gust of wind that could hold him properly. “Stay by the house!”
He wasn’t going to have his mate rushing off too far when Rey smelled witches and warlocks around. They didn’t often bother the wolves, but that di
dn’t mean Silver wanted his new mate anywhere near them.
It wasn’t much of a game, in all honesty. And how could it be when Silver wouldn’t let Erin out of his sight?
Right. Maybe he was a little more concerned about the possibility of warlocks on his property than he’d thought.
Either way, it was still enjoyable for him to stay above, to feel the wind against his flesh and through his wings.
He watched the wolf running down below, zigzagging through the trees as if Erin really thought he had a chance to losing him.
Silver smirked at the idea.
Right. Not likely. In fact, it was made extra amusing by the fact that Erin kept looking up at him, as if to make sure he was still there.
Silver waved whenever the wolf did that, which just prompted Erin to keep running.
The good thing was that Erin did as he was told. Ajax would have scoffed at the idea of being forced to stay close to the house. He might have even punched Silver for daring to presume to give him such an order.
Was it an omega thing? Or did Erin simply recognize that it was the better idea for him to stay closer to the house when his mate suggested it?
Either way, Silver was grateful he didn’t have to put much thought into his fun. Hell, he was within sight of the houses on his territory, and he knew if anyone looked up, they would see him flying about.
So why did he keep thinking about it? What was it that wouldn’t let his mind rest?
His mate was safe. He was right there.
Except the subtle panic growing inside of Silver’s chest wouldn’t give him a moment’s peace. He wanted to go down there, scoop Erin up, and take him home, announce that the run had been a mistake, or that Erin had more than enough time to stretch his legs.
Erin made his way to the swimming hole. Silver decided right then and there that if the man went any farther than that, he would glide in, scoop up the wolf, and fly home with him.
Erin did no such thing. He trotted onto the dock, sniffed at the shed where the fishing poles were kept, then leaned down to lap at the water for a drink.
Silver came in for a landing along the sand.
He watched the wolf as it drank.
It was dark out now, the stars were coming, and in the distance, the tips of the trees turned black against the contrasting sky.
A full moon began its steady rise.
Silver stopped himself before he could step onto the dock and disturb his mate. He looked at the scene, watched as Erin’s ears twitched, and Erin put his head to the sky to howl.
Silver wished he had a camera, or that he was a painter so he could capture this scene. The lake was small, but the reflections of the water that carried the last of the day’s light against Erin’s fur was magnificent. The sort of splendor only an artist could put to paper.
Just watching this simple scene was enough to make Silver’s chest warm. His mate really was lovely, and Silver wasn’t stupid. He knew Erin was trying. He knew his mate was putting in an effort.
Silver had sensed it in the man before they’d fucked that first time. Sensed that Erin wouldn’t simply allow himself to lie down and let this happen to him.
It had been clear by the look in Erin’s eyes. As though he’d been accepting a challenge.
Though Silver didn’t know his mate that well yet, there was one thing he was absolutely sure of in that moment.
He really was lucky to have him.
Silver walked down the sand. This was a small lake, and the area left a lot of rock, so he’d had to pay to make it look the way it did, to bring in soft sand to be easy on the little feet that came here with parents to play.
Which was why he didn’t spot the trap his foot had stepped into before it sprung, sending sand flying as metal teeth gleamed and clamped down tightly onto his ankle.
Silver cried out. The pain was sharp and sudden. The trap chained into the sand with some sort of spike put him off balance, and he went down hard.
“Fuck!”
Silver grabbed at the metal teeth. He immediately pulled at them, relieving some of the pressure, but this thing was fucking powerful.
“Silver!”
Erin, back in his human shape, ran down the dock to him.
“Stay back!”
Erin didn’t stop. The little fool. There could be so many more traps in the sand, but Erin didn’t stop. He ran, naked, off the dock and onto the sand. He fell to his knees next to Silver, stopping just short of putting his hands onto Silver’s body.
“Oh my God. Oh my God, your leg.”
“It’s fine,” Silver said, even though it hurt like the worst sort of dragon bitch in heat. He pulled at the teeth, but even with his strength, the power of the bite was intense.
“No, don’t touch it!”
Erin pulled his fingers back, as though he’d been about to try to help Silver pull the teeth apart.
“Why…why is there a trap here? I thought…”
Silver had an idea of why. When he saw the black wisps of smoke, he had his answer.
The warlocks appeared first, their robes a dark shade of black. The witches came second, their robes a bright white.
Light witches. Love spells and nature incantations. Didn’t stop them from being merciless cunts when it came down to it.
They looked at him. Silver growled at them.
“You motherfuckers! I’ve got children who come to this lake! Are you fucking kidding?”
The people in robes looked at each other.
At least, that’s what Silver thought they were doing. Their hoods came up so high over their heads that he couldn’t see their faces. Just body shapes and height.
“Lightning isn’t going to come here, and we won’t hand him over. The lot of you can fuck off.” Silver pulled harder at the teeth of the trap. They cut into his fingers a little, his arms and foot trembled from the exertion, but he was so close to getting this damned thing off him that he could already taste what it would be like to put their throats into his mouth and use his own teeth to bite away their lives.
“We didn’t come for the albino.”
Silver blinked at that. For a moment, he felt no pain, only shock as the words sank into his head.
They didn’t come for Lightning?
Erin growled. He got to his feet, and though he was no alpha, and he was completely naked, the sound of that growl, and the claws he brought out with tufts of fur showed off how vicious he could be when he wanted to be.
“You’re not taking Silver either! Get out of here!”
Silver watched his mate, hardly able to believe he would get in the way, that he would defend Silver at all.
They were mates, sure, but at the same time…
“Erin, don’t.” He realized too late what it was they wanted. “They’re not here for me.”
Silver was just the poor sap to have stepped into the trap. There was no telling how many of these were scattered around.
It was a land trap because wolves couldn’t fly.
“What?” Erin looked back at him, as though he didn’t understand.
Silver snapped out of it quickly. “Get out of here! Run away! Hurry!”
The warlocks and witches pushed themselves forward, far enough that they would have fallen if they didn’t immediately start to fly on the black mist they created around them.
“Don’t just stand there, you idiot! Run away!”
Erin took one last tearful look at him, and in that moment, Silver could see the fear that was in his eyes, the despair and helplessness before he finally did turn and run away, back the way he came, through the woods, shifting into his wolf form that was much faster and making his break for it.
Silver let go of the trap around his leg, allowing it to bite deeper into his ankle as he tried to reach out and grab onto one of the many robes that flew by him.
They eluded him neatly, the rat bastards. Silver roared from the pain and the disappointment of missing out on his catch.
He brought his ha
nds back to the trap, desperate to pull it apart.
“You motherfuckers! You touch him and I’ll kill you!”
He’d just gotten his new mate, just claimed him, allowed himself to be part of him.
Silver couldn’t survive it if he attached a piece of his soul to another person, just to have someone rip that piece away from him.
Not again.
Ajax’s grinning face came to mind.
He couldn’t lose his mate again.
Chapter Ten
Erin flew through the trees. This time, instead of paying attention to what was above him, he tried to watch better as to what was on the ground.
There were traps. Animal traps designed to snap at his feet, to stop him. Christ, these people wanted to tear his paws off! And now they were chasing him!
Erin wanted to yell for help. He barked and howled as he ducked between the trees, leaving his mate farther and farther behind.
Don’t think about it. Silver told you to go.
And he would go. He couldn’t leave Silver there just to get captured. Erin was going to get back to the houses. He could smell them from here. He hadn’t gone that far! He would bring back help and—
Another animal trap snapped beneath his paws. Erin barely managed to jump out of the way of it before its teeth could chomp at him. He stumbled and rolled away from it, just to nearly roll into another.
Jesus Christ! There were so many!
The black smoke was getting closer. A ghostly white hand with bright red veins reached out for him.
Erin yelped and scrambled back to his paws just as those fingers gripped his fur.
The hand pulled. Erin pulled harder, leaving his attacker with only a handful of fur.
He barked and howled the entire way home, ignoring the pain in his body, and on his back from where his fur had been pulled.
That would be nothing compared to what Silver was feeling right now. It was nothing compared to what these people would do to him.
Why did they want him? What the hell had he done to draw the attention of their kind?
Thank God, he finally saw the house in the distance. The lights in the windows, and Erin pumped his legs harder, faster. He barked and yowled just as the robed people surrounded him, reached out for him, grabbed him.