9. Hayden
The moment the words were out of Knox’s mouth, Cáel unbuckled my seat belt and hauled me onto his lap. “No.”
His arms wrapped tightly around me as if I might disappear.
Knox and Easton shared a look through the rearview mirror. Maddox still stared straight ahead, unmoving.
I nuzzled into Cáel. The scent of snow and that hint of smoke swirled around me. I could feel his heartbeat, pounding in a rapid rhythm against my body. I pressed my palm to his chest. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
I said it for myself as much as for Cáel. But my stomach churned as if I’d taken to rough seas.
Knox sent me a reassuring smile, but it was strained at the edges. “We won’t leave you alone with them. I promise.”
I let out a shuddering breath. That helped. As strained as things had been lately, I knew that these guys would always have my back against a threat.
Easton glanced at me through the rearview mirror. I couldn’t read his expression. The mixture of emotions flitted across his face too quickly for me to pin down a single one.
He slowed at the gate, rolled down his window, and pressed a hand to the palm reader. The gates opened, and my stomach cramped.
I pressed my face to Cáel’s neck and breathed deeply. His scent stilled a restless energy inside me, a fluttering. And Cáel let out a rumbling growl that sounded more like a purr.
As Easton navigated the gravel roads toward the house, Cáel’s arms tightened around me. By the time Easton pulled to a stop, I could barely breathe.
None of us moved for a moment, just staring at the house and the unfamiliar SUV parked in front of us.
Finally, Knox spoke. “We’re just going to make it worse by waiting.”
Cáel grunted but opened the door. He didn’t, however, let me go. He slid us out of the vehicle and hauled me into his arms, cradling me against his chest.
“Put her down, man,” Easton warned.
“No.”
Cáel was back to single words and grunts. Maybe it was more of his animal side taking over, trying to protect him.
I pressed a kiss to the hollow of his throat, to the swirl of ink there. “I’ll be okay. You’ll be right there with me.”
“It’ll go better if she walks in on her own two feet,” Knox said.
My gaze found Maddox. He stood nearby, but he might as well have been a million miles away. There was a glassy, unfocused quality to his amber eyes that set me on edge.
Cáel’s hold on me loosened slightly, and he dropped my feet to the ground. “Stay close.”
I looked up at him. “Always.”
His head lowered, and he took my mouth. For the first time since the attack, Cáel kissed me. Really kissed me. This was no polite and gentle lip touch. This was Cáel. He plundered my mouth, his tongue demanding entrance.
My body answered instantly, pressing up against his and tipping my head back to grant him better access. Cáel’s tongue teased and stroked, sending waves of need coursing through me.
A throat cleared, and I jerked back.
Easton inclined his head toward the house. “We need to go.”
Knox shook his head. “Thanks for making me meet the dragon council with a hard-on. That’ll be fun.”
My cheeks flushed, and I ducked my head.
Cáel scowled at him. “Don’t embarrass her.”
“Embarrass her?” Knox protested. “I’m the one going in there hard as a fucking rock. I look like I’m going through puberty a second time.”
I glanced at Maddox. He still had no reaction. Dread pooled in my belly, and I moved in his direction. “Are you okay?” I whispered.
He blinked a few times as if just realizing I was there. “Fine,” he clipped and headed for the front door.
That went well.
Knox squeezed my shoulder as he pitched his voice low. “Don’t take it personally. Mad has bad blood with the council.”
I looked up at him, a million questions in my gaze. But I knew none of them would be answered.
Maddox opened the door and strode inside. We followed behind. The moment we were in the entryway, Knox took one side of me, Cáel the other. They boxed me in, so it was hard to even move.
Easton and Maddox led the way toward a formal living room I’d never spent any time in. Unfamiliar voices filtered through the air, and a wave of nausea swept through me.
“Ah, here they are,” a feminine voice crooned.
“Late,” a male voice chastised.
“It would’ve had to have been a planned visit for them to be late, Nolan.” Cillian’s voice sounded as if he were reprimanding a child.
The other man grumbled something under his breath.
As Maddox and Easton parted, I could finally take in the room. Four strangers were perched on various pieces of furniture. As different as they all looked, they had one thing in common. They were stunningly beautiful.
The sole female looked to be in her late twenties. She sat on a tufted chair, in a pose that would’ve been fit for an oil painting. She wore leather pants that fit her like a glove, paired with stiletto heels and a blouse that I’d be far too terrified of spilling something on to ever wear.
Her hair was a vibrant red and spilled around her shoulders in perfect curls. The only thing that overshadowed the tendrils were her piercing green eyes. Eyes that were locked on me. Assessing.
I winced as I thought about what I was wearing. I at least had on one of the new pairs of jeans the guys had gifted me and new Vans. But my T-shirt was an old one of mine that read, Never Trust an Atom, They Make Up Everything. Not exactly my best first impression.
A man with dark skin and wearing a perfectly tailored suit reclined on the couch. He took a sip of an amber liquid as he studied me. “Interesting.”
“Fionn,” the woman chided, amusement in her voice.
A second man scowled in my direction. He wore khakis and a preppy sweater. The combination of that with his blond hair and blue eyes made him seem like he’d be more at home at a yacht club. “This is highly inappropriate,” he chastised. “You should’ve called us immediately.”
Cillian lounged on the couch looking entirely unruffled. “There’s no law stating we need to inform you that we’ve found our mate, Arthur.”
Movement caught my attention as a fourth man shoved off the bar and stalked forward. He, too, wore a suit. He had silver threaded through his dark hair, and his tanned skin held lines around his eyes. But something told me those lines weren’t from smiling.
“He’s right, Cillian.” The man’s voice sent a chill skating down my spine. “The council must be informed when a new dragon is found.” He flashed me a smile. Everything about it was fake, from the too-white teeth to the strained muscles in his cheeks. “After all, we can’t have Hayden being brainwashed before she’s had a chance to choose her future for herself.”
Maddox let out a low growl.
The man’s smile only grew. “Careful, Maddox. I might see that as a sign of aggression.”
Cillian wrapped his hand around a crystal glass. “I think it’s you who might need to be careful, Nolan. It sounded like you were insulting me and my family.”
There was a flicker of something in Nolan’s expression. Anger? Fear? I wasn’t entirely sure.
Nolan waved Cillian off. “Nothing of the sort. But it is my responsibility to let Hayden know she has choices. My responsibility is to introduce her to other hordes who are looking for a mate. You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”