A Twist of Luck (Shifter City Fated Mates #2)

Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

EMME

I must have fallen asleep at some point, the stress and exhaustion too much for my body to take any longer, and when I came to, all I could see were Slade’s broad shoulders. He stood in front of the destroyed cell bars, snapping at someone on the other side. “What’s your point?”

“You smashed both fucking cells.”

I couldn’t see who spoke, but it wasn’t the deep timbre of Blaine’s voice. It sounded like Donnie, who had a very slight lisp on s words. It was weird recalling even these small details when I’d spent years purging this pack from my memories.

“Correct. And if you don’t want me to add you to the carnage, you will bring us food and water.”

Slade’s voice never rose above a rumble, but still a shiver traced down my spine. Apparently, a dragon needed no inflection to get his point across.

Donnie spluttered. “We… We n-need to s-secure you against the wall again first.”

Slade’s huge shoulders lifted in what looked like a casual shrug. “You can absolutely try. Keeping in mind that I haven’t attacked yet or attempted to escape, so there’s no real need. If my beast feels remotely threatened, and that includes any movements toward my omega, I won’t remain so calm.”

There was a crack against the floor, which sounded like Donnie stomping his foot as he muttered, “Fine, I’ll be back with food and water.”

His footsteps echoed as he walked away, and I tested out my ability to move my legs, relieved that not only did they move but there was minimal pain. I’d really screwed up in keeping my wolf so suppressed, and it wasn’t only my restricted healing. My senses were dulled, and I was less powerful overall.

“You need more sleep, Snow,” Slade growled, interrupting my thoughts, and I wondered how he’d even known I was awake. He hadn’t turned from where he protectively blocked me with his huge frame.

“Snow?” I questioned, forcing myself to stand so I could arch my back and stretch out aching muscles.

“Your wolf’s fur is the whitest I’ve ever seen,” he explained, as he finally glanced my way, his expression neutral. His eyes burned though. “It reminds me of the purity of snow, and your arctic blue eyes only add to the vibe.”

Scooting closer, I took extra care not to touch the dragon. I was under no illusion that his break from character to comfort me during my panic attack meant I had a free-for-all to touch him now. “When did you see me shift?”

From my new position, I could finally see the full carnage from where he’d torn the bars from the concrete floor and ceiling. There was nothing stopping us from walking out of here and up the stairs, outside of the veritable army that awaited up there. Slade had already calculated the odds, and with us vastly outnumbered, his dominance tempered by the magical bands, and unable to shift, he’d decided it was best to stay put.

Maybe he was waiting for our pack to show up too. Who knew how long that’d take though.

“Your very first run with Warrick and Cora,” he told me, turning back to the stairs, “and then again when you shifted in your room. I’ve been watching you in one way or another since you arrived in Golden Claw.”

Okay, then. “Are you saying that Hunter isn’t the only stalker I have to deal with in the pack?”

It occurred to me halfway through that sentence that accusing Scary Shifter of being a stalker might not be my smartest move, but hey, if he wanted to kill me, he could have done so long ago. I figured I was fairly safe for the moment.

“Every alpha in your pack has their way of keeping track of you, Emmeline,” he said nonchalantly. “Mine is just more thorough.”

I found it very hard to believe that Finley, the bear shifter who hated my guts, bothered to think about me at all. But the rest… yeah, it made sense that they’d be keeping tabs on me in their own ways.

Deciding we had more pressing issues to worry about, I directed the conversation back to the current situation. “What do you think my mom’s pack want with us? Why didn’t they leave you behind if I was the target?”

“You were the target,” he confirmed without hesitation. “They brought me because they knew I’d track them the moment they left with you. They’ve done their research, they know of my skills, and were prepared to keep me locked down. There was a reason they waited until you were alone with me.”

“The others won’t be able to track us?”

Maybe he wasn’t waiting for them to show up at all. It was stupid of me to just sit here and wait for a rescue anyway. I’d spent most of my life fighting my own battles, but my self-preservation had taken a back seat lately as I fell into pack mentality. It was a heady, dangerous, and addictive feeling to not be alone and have others at your back.

A feeling I really couldn’t afford to indulge in.

“Not like I could,” Slade said. “It will take them longer.”

Slade was a computer genius, and according to Hunter, if he had even a sliver of your digital identity, he could track you anywhere in the world. At this stage, it appeared he had a lot of mine.

“So, they took you as well to ensure they had enough time with me to do… what, exactly? What do they have planned?” For the first time since I woke up, my brain was back online, and I needed answers. “Do you think this pack has been tracking me for almost twelve years since Mom died? There’s no possible way, right? They’d have to be the worst trackers in existence.”

I’d never seen the slightest hint of their presence anywhere until I’d been captured and sent to Golden Claw. That was when I’d been registered with the pack cities, which was most likely the catalyst to catapult me back onto Blaine’s radar.

Slade turned from his vigilant position keeping an eye on the stairs, and I was once again ensnared in the vibrant green of his eyes. The color and reflection were so unnatural, like jewels had been shined, polished, and slotted into his perfect, godly face.

Every part of Slade was too much, and yet I could never get enough at the same time.

“I don’t think they were tracking you at all.” He confirmed my previous thoughts. “From what I’ve gathered, and I only had them under surveillance right before the attack, they became aware of you again when you were brought before our Alpha Council. I would hazard a guess that the attack by our guard was instigated through them, and when that failed, they waited for the chaos of the Summit to enter our city without raising any suspicions.”

His gaze returned to the stairs once more, and I sucked in a low, ragged breath, willing my heartrate to level out. “If you had them under surveillance, how did you not know they were part of the Summit?”

The lowest rumble sounded in his chest, and once again I was struck by the fact that loud did not equal menacing when it came to this alpha. “They sent lackies first. None of them arrived until the day of the attack, and I was occupied keeping an eye on you. They must have traveled via witch magic to our borders so as not to leave a digital trace, and then lay in wait for the opportunity to cross into Golden Claw.”

The rasp on claw told me how angry he was that they’d slipped past his surveillance. I almost reached out and touched his arm, catching myself at the last minute. “You did nothing wrong, Slade, and you’re here now keeping me safe. I have little doubt that I’d have already been dragged upstairs by these assholes if you weren’t standing as guard dragon between us.”

Footsteps echoed from above, and as his expression hardened, he jerked his head to tell me to get behind him. Which I immediately did, because I was vastly outmatched against other alphas. “General magic doesn’t work on me the same as it does other shifters,” Slade murmured. “But if they have strong enough spells at their disposal, they will be able to hold me until they get to you. It won’t hold me forever though, so don’t give up. No matter what happens, I will come for you.”

His promise burned into my chest, and with it came a sense of calm. My anchor remained, and I would cling to the comfort of Slade for as long as possible.

Peering around his side, I waited as the steps grew louder, until Donnie hurried down the stairs. The stocky blond shifter held a large tray in his hands, and there were no witches or other alphas in sight. I should find it odd that he was appeasing Slade’s request without any fanfare, but the dragon had a way about him—even while suppressed—that commanded even other alphas.

And omegas.

“Here,” Donnie snapped, dropping the tray on the ground a few feet from Slade. His focus was on the largest threat in the room, and he hadn’t noticed me. “We have provided food. We will be back soon to discuss our proposal regarding the omega. Please ensure she’s awake and ready to chat.”

Slade moved so fast that I swore he flashed in and out of existence, crossing six feet of concrete floor to punch Donnie right in the face. The other alpha’s face exploded, blood and bone splattering everywhere. Slade leaned down and hoisted him into the air before throwing him up the stairs like he was a fucking tennis ball.

There was a thud when he connected with the door at the top of the stairs, and then he tumbled back down to land near the basement floor. Slade stared at the knocked-out— maybe dead— alpha at his feet, gave him a bit of a kick, and then leaned over to scoop up the tray.

“Food is safe,” he said when he reached me, and I just blinked, tension holding me in stasis.

“G-great.”

He placed the tray on the floor before me, and then leaned back against the remaining bars, his stare unblinking as he watched me. There was an immediate vibe that if I didn’t start to eat soon, he would take great pleasure in feeding me. Blindly, I reached out and grabbed the first bowl, which happened to be a salad.

My nose wrinkled as I stared into the leaves and horse chow. Dammit . I mean, I was hungry, but I wasn’t sure I was hungry enough to swallow this shit down. No doubt the alphas remembered my dislike of herbivore food and made sure to include it out of spite.

Now I wanted to kick Donnie.

As I glared at the bowl, Slade reached out and plucked it from my grasp, replacing it with a larger bowl filled with what looked like stew. Beef stew, to be more accurate, the broth dark and thick, with thank the goddess only a few carrots and potatoes as vegetable filler.

My stomach woke with a vengeance, and foregoing utensils I tipped the bowl up and drank it from the side. It was too salty and not meaty enough, but it wasn’t a salad, so I wouldn’t complain.

I paused when Slade turned and threw the salad at the wall, the bowl smashing and scattering the offending greenery everywhere. I was reminded that Slade preferred a mostly meat-based diet too.

“You want some,” I said, holding the second half of the stew out to him. “It’s a lot better than that salad.”

The alpha tilted his head, observing me in that calculating way of his. It was a stare that always appeared to take in more than he should from a simple glance. “You’re still hungry. You will finish it.”

I shouldn’t have been surprised—the alphas in my pack were quite diligent in waiting for me to eat before they did—but somehow I was. “I’d rather share,” I admitted, staring into the thick broth once more. “You’re bigger and need strength. I can’t fight these guys off.”

My gaze flicked to where Donnie remained sprawled in a bloody mess. “I need you.”

I turned back in time to see Slade eyes darken, but he didn’t take the bowl. “I can last without food for weeks before any weakness touches me.”

While that was a cool trick, it didn’t satisfy me or my wolf. “You were injured in the explosion. You’ve expended a lot of energy healing and keeping me safe. I bet you haven’t even slept. Don’t push me on this, dragon. Eat the fucking food.”

A flicker of a smile ghosted over his lips, so fast that I probably imagined it, but he did reach out and grasp the bowl. There was the briefest graze of our fingers, which set off an entire kaleidoscope of butterflies in my gut. “Whatever you need, Snow.”

Oh. Fuck . The way that sentence rumbled from his lips had my body reacting in a way that was highly inappropriate for our current situation.

My body curved forward right as the door at the top of the stairs exploded inward, and I almost didn’t care that we now had a much more pressing issue to deal with.

I was too busy falling into a dragon’s thrall.