Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
RAJ
‘I still can’t believe they were under our feet the entire time,’ I sign heavily.
Bryn is drawing circles on my knee with his finger. We’re sitting together under a tree overlooking the lake and the manor beyond, the afternoon sun glinting off the water, the bare branches above us starting to show the first glimpses of new life.
Yesterday was something of a success, with everyone rescued and the captured fae officially arrested once they awoke, at which point the London-based BSG Counter-Terrorism Unit took over.
The fae involved will be questioned further and charged, with the CTU arranging secure imprisonment pending their trials.
A copy of all the Far Out Freight data is being transferred to the CTU today, although it wouldn’t surprise me if Kit continues to search through it as well.
Despite pulling an all-nighter when we arrested Lance, they didn’t find any digital evidence of weapons development, testing on the shifters, or even coded logs of weapons shipments, and it’s still bothering them that they think they missed something.
Bryn is delighted to have the rest of his hoard back, which is now safely stored in the manor.
None of my pack give a shit that it’s technically stealing, and there won’t be any legal repercussions because everything in Lance’s office will be officially listed as destroyed in the fire.
Bryn’s already spent hours this morning polishing, tuning, and playing each of his basses in turn, and it was beautiful to see him so happy.
I can’t help feeling like I failed, though.
Bryn squeezes my knee before lifting his hands, his signs a lot calmer than I am inside. ‘You found the kidnapped shifters and put an end to the weapons manufacturing. You did your job well, treasure.’
I grimace. ‘Not fast enough. I could have saved those people a lot of trauma if I’d found them sooner.’
Not to mention put a much earlier halt to the development of that terrifying new weapon.
Based on Bryn’s description this morning of how it felt when he was hooked up with the cables, Ayo thought that it might work by stealing the magic we use to shift.
Nyoka’s involvement certainly backs that theory because of his history of similar experiments on magic-users, and we may know more once the rescued shifters have been questioned.
Magic isn’t something we can access the way Ayo can, but it’s a fundamental part of how we shift and without it we’d be limited to one form.
There’s a part of me that’s still worried the weapon specs got sent out before the labs were destroyed in the fire, especially considering what Lance told Bryn about this not ending with him, but that part of the investigation is out of our hands now.
The CTU have requested that we do the initial questioning of the rescued shifters so that they can focus on the fae we arrested, with an agreement that we share everything we find out.
We readily negotiated a reciprocal agreement because we still have unanswered questions—such as whether the fae ambassador knew about, or at least suspected, the illegal arms trafficking Far Out Freight were engaged in.
We also want to know if this was connected in any way to the fae military organisation that kidnapped Zara several years ago.
‘Lance’s evil actions are not your fault,’ Bryn signs emphatically. ‘I’m sure your entire pack agrees with me.’
I manage a slight smile. It’s a variation on words Ethan has said to us many times after missions that didn’t go the way we’d hoped, and which he repeated last night. It’s also what I’d say to any of my pack if it was one of them in my position. It’s not easy to let go of the guilt, though.
‘I know. But next time you think something’s happened to your sister, tell me,’ I sign firmly.
Although I didn’t see it happen, I can’t stop picturing Bryn hooked up to some kind of machine trying to permanently rip his dragon side from him. I’d never have been able to forgive myself if Lance and Nyoka had succeeded.
He winces. ‘I’m sorry. I honestly just panicked.’
‘And forgot about your boyfriend who is highly trained for situations just like this, and whose actual job it is as well.’ I give him a pointed look.
His lips tip up at the corners. ‘If there’s ever a next time, I’ll call you first. I promise.’
I lean over and seal that promise with a soft press of my lips on his before sitting back again.
Ethan insisted I take today off while the rest of the pack deal with the aftermath, including inspecting what’s left of the warehouse basement.
I argued against it until my alpha told me to keep a close eye on Bryn to make sure he’s suffering no ill effects after what he went through yesterday.
I stopped arguing at that point.
He seems completely fine and his wounds have fully healed, but I should probably do a closer examination just to make sure. Before I can reach for his T-shirt though, he gives me a smile full of love with a hint of mischief.
‘I want to give you a sign name.’ His hand movements are playful, his eyes bright with happiness. ‘I can’t risk anyone else calling you treasure, can I?’
My heart melts, the hint of possessiveness settling the insecure little boy inside of me who was never important to anyone. ‘I would love that.’
He grins at me, then signs ‘rapid.’
I frown slightly. ‘Umm… why that one? I’m not the fastest on the team, not by a long shot.’
‘You’re the fastest at chopping in the kitchen though, and you’re pretty rapid when you’re chasing Jet.’
‘That’s true.’
‘And you get me hard pretty fucking rapidly too.’ He winks.
I bark out a laugh. ‘I do love how fast you get hard for me.’
I don’t even get the chance to lower my hands before he tackles me, making me laugh again.
He kisses me with the same passion he displayed the first time we kissed in my flat, like he’ll never get enough of me no matter how long we’re together or how many times we do this.
Or maybe that’s me projecting, because I certainly feel that way about him.
Unsurprisingly, we harden against each other the longer we kiss, so I work my hands beneath his T-shirt until he sits up to strip it off.
He leans back down and joins our lips again as I unfasten his jeans, then eagerly lifts up to let me strip off the rest of his clothes.
Only when he’s naked do I wrap my arm and leg over his and, with a decisive hip thrust, roll him onto his back.
Smooth, impenetrable scales replace his skin, which wasn’t really what I was going for. When I raise my eyebrows, he reaches underneath his arse and pulls out a stick with one broken twig jutting out.
I grin. ‘Oops.’
He rolls his eyes and reverts back to his skin again. I make the most of the delicious feast laid out in front of me and inch down to lick the tattoo of a serpent on his right pec, tracing the lines with my tongue.
Exploring his tattoos has become one of my favourite ways to relax him, like foreplay and stress relief rolled into one. He certainly enjoys it if the panting breaths are anything to go by.
I move on to licking and kissing along the lines of the dragon that covers most of the left side of his torso, breathing its flames across the right half of his ribcage.
When he starts working to free the buttons on my shirt, I abandon my tattoo exploration in favour of sitting up, more than happy to help him get me naked.
As my shirt hits the ground, I lift off him just long enough to strip off my trousers and briefs, remembering to grab the lube I put in my pocket earlier just in case. I set it next to us on the grass before straddling him again.
‘Top or bottom?’ I ask, rocking back against his rigid cock so that it slides through my crack.
He sucks in a sharp breath then grips my hips, stilling them before tracing a heart shape over the centre of my chest with his finger. ‘Do you still want us to bond?’ he asks, his hand movements soft, the heat in his eyes melting into love.
‘Yes,’ I sign without hesitation. ‘Absolutely yes. I know it’s fast, and we’re probably going to argue sometimes while we figure out how to be together, but there have been too many times already when I thought I could lose you. I know what an incredible person you are, and I choose you.’
His answering smile is dazzling. ‘I choose you too.’
I wonder if he knows how much it means to me to be chosen—for the rest of our lives—when my parents have spent my entire life making me feel like an unimportant afterthought.
Now that I’m in my late thirties the sting of my parents’ rejection is less than it used to be, especially since Ethan officially made us a pack last summer.
Even so, having a fated mate of my own is something I’ve always wanted.
Now I realise that a chosen mate is even more special. And Bryn? Well, he’s been unexpected in the best of ways.
‘I come with a pack. Including Ethan,’ I warn him, since I’m not entirely sure how he feels about my alpha.
He shrugs, a playful smirk on his lips. ‘I can take him.’
I shake my head, chuckling, then yelp when he grabs me around the waist and tugs me down to steal a kiss. I get a little lost in it before pushing up again, needing to make sure he understands.
‘I’m serious; Ethan is my alpha and best friend. I don’t want you two arguing.’
His eyes turn fierce, his hand movements sharp. ‘We’ll get along fine as long as he treats you like a best friend should.’
Hmm. It’ll do for now, I suppose. Ethan isn’t holding a grudge, and I’m sure they’ll become friends over time once Bryn has a chance to discover how fair a pack alpha Ethan is.
‘And you’re okay with living here? Ethan’s going to talk to Ayo about us all moving in as soon as the roof is finished. I don’t want to live apart from you, but I need my pack.’