Hidden Fate

15

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.”

Mindy bit her bottom lip as Sol stood on the porch and called out, “He’s right. After flying, you’ll reconnect with your slightly different dragon. It’ll be okay.”

I asked, Do you want me to ask them to go inside?

No, it’ll make everyone uncomfortable. He closed his eyes. I’ll be okay.

“I’m going to remove your dragon for a moment and give it back,” he informed her as his hands glowed. “Don’t be afraid.”

The magic churned through him, and I watched as everyone’s mouths dropped open. Only Theron, Hydra, and I had seen him use the magic before, and it was amazing.

His hands lit up the area around him despite the sun shining high in the sky.

I smiled as my chest swelled. He hadn’t even hesitated or needed my help. He was getting control of his magic and not struggling to connect with it anymore.

As the friction vibrated through our bond, I knew he was already working. The moment he took her dragon, Mindy whimpered, “It’s gone.”

Then a different tension filled our bond…an emotion I’d felt from him only one another time—when he’d realized Drake had captured me.

Terror.

I can’t heal her, he connected. Her dragon isn’t injured.

Fear strangled me. If he couldn’t heal Mindy, we weren’t safe anymore.

My mouth soured as his words replayed in my mind. Our group was in horrible trouble. The deal had been clear: Edna would help hide us if we healed her daughter. If Thorn couldn’t heal Mindy, she might inform Drake that we were here.

Mindy whimpered, I assumed due to her missing dragon. From the friction swirling through our bond, I knew Thorn was holding on to it.

His fear strangled our bond, making it seem half its normal size. The warmth of our usual connection cooled in my chest.

I’m going to give it back to her, he connected. Her dragon is about to dissipate. I can feel it.

Do it. He needed to hear me say it. The only thing worse than not healing her would be taking her dragon away.

Tension roiled from his body. I didn’t have to be connected to him to sense it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Vlad inch toward Cassidy. His jaw clenched. He sensed something was amiss. Of course they could read Thorn. He was their son, after all.

The friction in our connection intensified as Thorn gave Mindy her dragon back. The moment the transfer was complete, our bond returned to normal. His hands stopped glowing, and he removed them from her shoulders.

Mindy gasped and opened her eyes.

“Well?” Edna asked as she scurried over to her daughter. “How do you feel?”

She bent down toward her toes…and groaned. “My back still hurts. It doesn’t feel any different.”

“What?” Theron shook his head. “That’s impossible. He healed Sol and Tyson.”

“The agreement was that he heal her.” Edna’s eyes hardened. “And he didn’t.” She turned to my mate and scowled. “Why? Is it because she’s a female?”

My mate’s jaw slackened. “What? Gods, no. That has nothing to do with it.”

Anger sparked through me, and my hands fisted. I didn’t like her insinuation. He’d risked his life for my sister and me.

My breath caught, and my attention settled back on Mindy. “Wait. You were hurt in human form, right?”

She arched a brow but nodded.