28. Harlow
The run should have been helping clear my head.
That was the whole point of dragging everyone out here in the middle of a storm to burn off the leftover bullshit from lunch, sweat the tension out of the hive before we went back to the house wired and snapping at each other.
We wouldn’t be safe around Sina. Rain soaked through my fur, thunder rolling low and constant overhead like the sky was growling back at us.
No matter how fast I moved, my mind kept circling back to her. Fuck , I should have just kissed her.
Ghost growled in annoyance. He didn’t understand why I hadn’t. She wanted me to. She’d been right there, leaning into me and everything.
I pushed my paws harder into the mud, wet earth kicking up behind me.
Beside me Rafe sped up too, his heavy footfalls loud compared to mine even over the rain.
He chuffed as he ran, probably feeling our haywire emotions bleeding all over the place.
I glanced up at Ki overhead, lightning flashing behind his wings, turning him into a black silhouette against the storm clouds.
He was beating himself up for how he handled things with Sina.
I grit my teeth in frustration. The big oaf had tried to woo our mate.
I didn’t blame him for how lunch had ended.
We had gotten more out of her about Logan, and in the end that’s what mattered.
The ex’s brother is who Sina truly feared.
I could practically taste the sour scent of it when she talked about him.
The asshole needed to die.
Eli better find out where this fucker was and fast.
Ghost’s annoyance at me shifted into rage for her. I pushed even harder, muscles straining as rain slicked my coat. My stride faltered for half a beat before I forced it faster.
Then we heard her .
The sound sliced through the storm, thin and sharp and human, barely audible over the thunder.
Kiron reacted before the echo died. Fire tore across the sky in a blinding streak of orange as he roared, lightning flashing at the same time, thunder cracking so loud it shook water from the trees.
He banked so hard the air boomed and shot toward the house like a missile.
“Oh, fuck,” I thought, already veering after him.
Something’s wrong. That was the first hit, sharp and violent and ready to tear something apart.
Then the wind shifted, rain carrying scent fast and wild.
I caught her. Sweeter than usual, like brown sugar.
I stumbled mid-stride, paws skidding in the mud.
Relief hit first. Fast and dizzying. Her pleasure hit the back of my throat and I groaned.
Lust and thirst drove me toward her faster.
Rafe growled low and fierce beside me. He caught her scent too, his emotions spiking hot through the bond.
Kiron didn’t slow. He was too far gone, dragon instinct already in full protect mode, and protect mode didn’t stop to interpret scents. It reacted. Claimed. Destroyed anything in the way.
Shit. The last thing we needed was for him to storm into the house driven by instinct.
I shifted on the move, bones snapping back into place just as my bare feet hit the gravel of the drive, rain plastering my hair to my face.
Kiron came down hard in front of the house, wings slamming rain-soaked air, claws gouging the ground as he shifted mid-motion, already charging for the door in human form.
I barreled into him from the side.
We slammed into the hood of Nik’s car, metal crumpling beneath us, rainwater splashing across the windshield.
Kiron swung back without looking, all adrenaline and dragon. The hit rocked me, but I didn’t lose my grip, my hand locking around his thick neck as we grappled, bare skin slick with rain and dirt .
“Stop,” I hissed.
The slippery fucker broke free from my hold and turned his rage onto me.
“ Move .” He shoved me, the air wheezing from my lungs. Rain ran down his face, eyes glowing red. Chest heaving. He could already smell it from here. Nik on her. Her release in the air.
That was what did it. Not fear. Jealousy. Possession.
His dragon pushed hard against his skin, desperate to go and claim her for himself. And if I let him, he would hate himself for it.
Rafe hit us a second later, human now, rain dripping off him as he grabbed Kiron from behind and locked an arm across his chest.
“She’s not in danger.” My breathing ragged. “That’s not a scream for help and you know it.”
The words tasted strange coming out of my mouth. Me. The voice of reason. HA! That was new.
Kiron made a low, broken sound in his throat, halfway between a snarl and something worse. His hands flexed like he wanted to throw both of us off and tear the house apart brick by brick. Thunder rolled overhead, lightning flashing white across the yard.
Rafe didn’t raise his voice. “She’s safe,” he said, calm and steady right against Kiron’s ear, his influence thick in the air. “Nik’s with your mate, Kiron. She’s safe. Your alpha would never harm her. You know this.”
That hit him hard. Kiron went still for half a second, jaw clenched so hard I thought his teeth might crack, rain dripping from his lashes.
“You’re right— I need to—” He struggled.
“Go. I’ll be right behind you,” Rafe said, releasing his hold on Ki as he shifted.
The dragon exploded out of him in a violent rush of scales and wings and fury, rain steaming where it hit his heated hide.
He launched skyward with a roar that was swallowed by thunder, then flew away from the house, vanishing toward the dark stretch of woods where he kept his distance when he didn’t trust himself.
Silence dropped heavy in his wake, broken only by rain hammering the ground.
Rafe watched the sky a moment longer, chest rising slow, making sure Kiron was putting space between himself and the house. I stood there in the storm, heart still pounding, rain cooling my overheated skin, and let out a shaky breath.
“Well,” I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. “That’s new.”
Rafe glanced at me, one brow lifting slightly.
“Me being the responsible one,” I clarified.
His mouth twitched.
I looked toward the house, toward the faint pull in my chest that had nothing to do with the run anymore and everything to do with the soft, distant sounds drifting from the kitchen. Curiosity curled through me.
“Your turn to babysit the dragon. I have a date with a pretty red head. You got her sleeping in your bed. It's only fair.” I was already backing toward the door, not giving him a chance to argue.
I grinned while taking the stairs two at a time, and grabbed a towel from the basket on the porch, dried off fast, and shoved on a pair of sweats before heading inside, following the sound of her like a trail only monsters knew how to track.
Nik had her up on the island, his body between her knees. I smirked, dark amusement curling low in my chest. I wondered how my uptight brother had ended up there.
I should’ve been jealous he was the first of us to have her. I wasn’t. I was just itching for a turn .
She was laid out on the kitchen island like temptation and surrender wrapped into one fragile, dangerous offering. The kitchen lamp cast a low golden glow over her flushed skin, turning the marble beneath her into something that looked less like a counter and more like an altar.
Fuck. I wanted to worship her.
I licked my lips, my fangs lengthening at the sight of her—flushed skin, head tipped back, eyes closed, fingers tangled in his hair, mouth parted on a soft breath.
Beautiful.
Nik’s gaze flicked to me, his wolf shining brightly in his eyes, and he dragged his tongue over one fang before returning his attention to her. My brows lifted. Nik wasn’t hiding his fangs from her.
What the fuck?
My eyes flicked to her face. She was watching him. And she wasn’t afraid. It turned me on. Sina was nothing like the last blood mate. She had looked at us like we were monsters. Sina looked at Nik like she wanted more… Her hand stayed in his hair like this was exactly where she wanted him.
Well, I’ll be damned.
My smile deepened as I leaned one shoulder against the doorframe, arms folded loosely across my chest, making no effort to hide my presence.
“Fuck, darling. If I'd known we were coming down here for a midnight snack, I would’ve been here earlier.”
“Harlow.”
I shivered at the desperate way she said my name and stalked slowly into the room, my eyes never leaving the scene in front of me.
I caught Nik’s gaze, and he answered without a word, shifting her wider as he lowered his mouth back to her.
Sina moaned, her chest rising and falling in sharp breaths, the soft sway of her body making my fangs press hard against my lip .
A sudden, visceral urge hit me to taste her for myself and I wondered if she’d let me.
This wouldn’t be the first girl my brother and I had shared.
But I wanted Sina to be the last. There would be no other for me, at least. Now Nik…
I didn’t think he’d ever give up Elias. I wondered how Sina would feel about that.
Questions for another time.
I stepped closer, stopping beside her. That’s when I realized I wasn’t wearing my gloves.