47. Knox
Chapter 47
Knox
R andi was greedy with us for an entire week after her heat, and it was bliss. We transitioned from her dragon’s nest back to her lair—which is one hell of an upgrade—and for days, we recovered. We cooked together and talked, spent all day in the forest or at the lake, and spent our nights in bed, learning the feel of one another outside of heat.
It’s like the legends say—dragons are hoarders.
She collected items from each of us and moved our stuff around until everything was so intertwined it was hard to tell whose was whose. The finished product is her new nest and our bedroom. Even though I’ve had the same rooms all my life, this shared nest feels more like home than anything ever has. To be fair, most of my shit from home is now here, and so is my favorite person.
But Randi can’t hide away anymore. Like my mother, she rules a territory—only her territory is in lockdown, the wolves in the North are still at war amongst themselves, and the wolves’ magic is dying. I’d rather find fun ways to make Randi come apart between the three of us, but I guess we can’t spend eternity in bed, however tempting.
This afternoon, we met with Vandera and her mates. The witch still scares the shit out of me, which she reinforced when she told me she would hex me if I hurt her friend again. Then she proceeded to poke and prod at our mating runes and the stone I made into a key, grilling me on magic until her mates finally pulled her away.
The scary witch was tame compared to facing an entire pack of wolves. Normally, I don’t give a fuck, but this matters, and the cards are already stacked against me.
“Chill, vamps. People will follow her lead.” Gunnar claps a big hand on my back, shaking my bones. He’s a mammoth Viking, even if he is a puppy, and he seems to forget that not all of us are giant sized.
“That’s easy to say when you’re not from the most hated of the shifter species.” I force my shadows to quiet, shifting to full human form. No need to freak out the wolves on our first meeting.
Gunnar’s brow furrows. “You do know I’m a half wolf from the Outskirts? What do you think people think about me being mated to an ancient badass dragon queen and a high-ranking wolf? You’re a serpent prince who also happens to be in our horde. I think you’ll be fine.”
I hadn’t put much thought into the fact that Gunnar is a wolf-beast and what that might mean for him. In the bond though, he’s not worried at all.
With an air of boredom, he leans against the doorway outside the meeting room. Behind the door, we can hear raised voices and many people talking at once. Randi is addressing her inner circle first, explaining the treaty and allowing them to ask questions before I join them for the vote.
“I mean, maybe these guys need to be shaken up? Maybe they need fresh eyes. Your people could help, isn’t that what you said?” Gunnar asks.
“Yeah.” I mean that. I’m pretty sure if Randi and Vandera spend some time with Stef, they can find a solution to the mating runes.
“Most wolves don’t even know about serpents. The humans either.” Gunnar shrugs. “You’ll see. This territory is different than most.”
I roll my eyes. “My ribs seem to recall the welcoming committee is very eager.”
Gunnar cracks a smile. “Don’t be a dick and you won’t have problems.”
Fennik pops his head out of the door and signals for us to come inside. I feel as though I’m walking to my execution, but when we enter, taking our place behind Randi at the long table, the crowd is more curious than anything.
“Meet Knox Orm, my mate and the official representative of the serpents’ Western Territory.”
For the next hour, I’m totally dazed as I answer questions, let people feel my shadows, and get introduced to more people than I’ll ever remember. Most are cautiously curious. A few are too eager, and some just avoid me. When it’s time for them to vote about signing a treaty alliance with the serpents, the naysayers are outnumbered by a staggering majority.
Randi sends me a burst of reassurance in the bond and takes my hand. Fennik and Gunnar crowd in beside us.
“See, vamps? It’s gonna be fine.” Gunnar claps my back—too damn hard, the shit.
Randi nuzzles my neck, whispering in my ear, “I’m glad you answered my call. I needed you, and they did too.”
Mother leans over the wooden table and signs the treaty with a flourish, her shadows circling around her. She’s dressed in full regalia today, her intricate cloak with our family crest shining on her back, the serpents in the weave appearing to slither. She looks out of place among all the flannel and foliage, but that doesn’t seem to matter.
My sister steps up next, signing below my mother before passing the pen to Randi. At my dragon’s signature, the energies in the air change. They mix together before bursting, sending out little pops of light. The wave of energy ripples through the crowd, and though most can’t see it, they howl at the change.
My mother holds out her hand to Randi and pulls my dragon into a hug. She speaks softly into her ear, but I can’t hear what she says thanks to the celebrating crowd. Whatever it is, it sends a burst of love and a flash of grief through the bond.
Yesterday, my family arrived, and it’s been surreal to have the two parts of my life collide. Also, it was mortifying because my siblings told some of my most jackass stories over dinner last night. No doubt Gunnar will never let me forget them, but I’ll take all their teasing if it means we can have this. Randi’s warm welcome to my family made me fall in love with her all over again.
This truce is probably the most important thing I’ve ever done. Maybe I did it for Randi, but it’s bigger than us. I can feel the magic in it, the power of the reconciliation.
I step closer, my hand finding Randi’s back. She pulls away from my mother to snuggle into my side. Her two wolves join us, and we face the gathered crowd.
I’m pretty sure every wolf and human in Randi’s territory has come out to the lake today, along with my family and a few from our crew.
Her voice is sure and commanding when she affirms the terms of the treaty and vows to work toward a solution to the problems facing their magic. She ends her speech with a wide smile, calling to the crowd, “Now, let’s run!”
The crowd cheers again, clothes tossed as bodies shift. Today’s gathering is twofold. We’re not only celebrating a treaty with the serpents, but Randi and Fennik are also honoring the creation of the new wolf pack of Moon Lake Valley.
My dragon is a collector, her pack full of strays, but that doesn’t seem to matter to anyone. The humans get ready to run alongside the wolves, and even my sister takes her place at the front with them.
Randi tugs in the bond, and I let my shadows loose, joining her mates and my sister as we take off into the forest. My dragon leaps into flight with a roar, signaling for her pack to follow.
We move together, and Fennik and Gunnar set a pace even the humans can maintain. The forest feels full of magic, and the air is charged with the connections between us. Never before have I felt so alive or so in tune with a group of people. I can feel my bonds, all of them pulsing with our shared magic, and beyond that, a whole pack made of light energy.
The run is loud, full of joyous shrieks and howls, dizzying closeness, and the fire of our dragon above. Together, we taste like home.
After the pack run, we returned to the lake house to celebrate. We’ve turned the shore into a giant sprawling picnic. Wooden tables are lined up along the bank, there’s a huge spread of food under a series of tents, and a giant smoke pit is being run by an older wolf.
It’s comical to watch the serpents mingle amongst the wolves and even funnier to see my mother attempt to eat ribs with her hands.
Stef, Randi, and Vandera have been talking magical runes for most of the afternoon, huddled together at a picnic table, but I’m impatient. I snake my shadows around Randi, cutting into their theorizing. “I’m sorry, guys, but I need to steal my mate.”
Vandera and Stef don’t even bat an eye, still deep in conversation as I pull Randi away. One of my shadows slips over her eyes and another around her waist to steady her.
“Where are we going?” she asks, her scent spiking with cooling mint.
“Telling you would ruin the surprise,” I tease.
I tug her down the sloped lawn and onto the dock.Her smile takes over her face as she realizes where we are. It feels like a lifetime since the two of us were on this dock.
I slow my pace, wanting to savor this moment that I almost missed. The sun is setting, and the lake is cast in a golden glow, framed by a puffy pink sky.
Fennik dips his head out of the tent, and Gunnar is right behind him, both of them eyeing our dragon. I take away my shadows and watch as she sees the new nest for the first time.
The guys helped me rebuild it, and together we’ve made it pretty fucking perfect. It’s a repaired version of the original, with new additions like hanging crystals. It’s warm and inviting, and the deep green tent glows softly in the warm lantern light.
“You remade it?” Randi asks softly, turning to me with wide eyes.
“Yeah, baby. We made it all together this time.”
Her blue eyes mist over, and she leans in for a sweet kiss. It sends a vibration through the bond that I feel all the way to my soul. “Thank you, it’s perfect.”
Fennik steps off the floating dock and holds out a wrapped box. Randi uncovers the lid, her perfume swelling as she fingers the necklace we made with the red stone that forged our horde bonds.
“It’s perfect.” She bites her lip. I know it’s because she’s trying not to cry.
I grab the metal chain, slipping it around her neck and locking the clasp in place with my magic. Her dragon purrs, and her whole body sings. Sparks of energy dance around her.
I kiss her shoulder where my mark lives and pat her ass. “Go thank them then, baby.”
She turns from me and leaps for Fennik, practically climbing him. She kisses him deeply, their bonds thrumming, then she jumps down and throws herself into Gunnar’s arms. The two tumble onto the nest bed, kissing and laughing in a messy heap.
“Get in here,” Randi shouts.
She doesn’t have to tell me twice.