20. Hayden
Easton jerked upright at the sound of Nolan’s voice, but to his credit, he didn’t drop my hand. I knew it cost him. That fear was a living, breathing thing inside him, and he was battling it not to leave me alone.
“We’ll be right there,” I said as calmly as possible, even though my heart felt like it was ricocheting around my rib cage.
Nolan’s eyes narrowed on us. “No. You’ll come now.”
Easton let out a low growl.
I squeezed his hand as hard as I could. “Lead the way.”
Nolan let out a huff and started back inside.
We followed, but I slowed my pace enough to create distance between us and him. The last thing we needed was Easton snapping at him, too.
I took a deep breath as we stepped back into the living room. Our bond was waiting, their gazes coming to us as soon as we walked through the door.
Knox’s eyes zeroed in on my and Easton’s joined hands. Hope flickered to life in his expression. I didn’t begrudge him that hope, but I also didn’t want him to be disappointed.
“We’re ready for introductions. Please assemble,” Nolan called to the small crowd.
Men clustered together in groups, and I realized that Cillian had been right. There were what looked to be five hordes. Hal and his bond were standing off to one side, and I didn’t let myself look in that direction.
“You aren’t seriously going to make her shake hands with the man who almost killed her,” Easton spat.
Nolan sent him a droll look. “It sounds to me like it was an accident. One you caused. There’s no reason why Hayden shouldn’t meet the Corbett bond. Hal will be the next alpha, after all.”
Easton’s jaw tightened.
I squeezed his hand again. “I’ll be okay.”
I tried to make my words as believable as possible, but I wasn’t sure how successful I was. I released Easton’s hand and turned to Nolan. “Let’s get this farce over with.”
He glared at me, eyes sparking with anger. “Show some respect, girl.”
I met his stare dead-on. “Respect is earned.”
Cillian moved in then, squeezing my shoulder and pressing a kiss to the side of my head. “Good luck.”
I pressed my lips together to keep from saying something I shouldn’t.
Mona strode up then. She wore a slinky, maroon gown that accentuated her curves. “I’ll escort her. We may need girl talk after all. Lots of delicious specimens in the room.”
She laughed at her own joke as she linked arms with me. “If I didn’t already have my own bond, I’d be making these boys jump through hoops for me. Make them promise you the world, Hayden. Jewels, travel, homes. It all can be yours.”
I glanced up at her. “That’s all pretty empty if they don’t actually care for you.”
Mona laughed again; this time it was a touch more real. “An idealist. Let’s see how long that lasts.”
She released me toward the first group.
I swallowed hard as the group of four men stared at me. Their expressions were hungry and more than a little dark. The largest man of the bunch stepped forward, his gaze roaming over my body before landing on my breasts. He didn’t even bother to look at my face as he introduced himself.
“Julian, alpha of the Mercutio horde.”
I took his hand. “Hayden, and my eyes are up here.”
There was no hint of energy as we shook hands. I didn’t feel faint, and my vision didn’t tunnel.
Julian chuckled. “Fiery. I’d have fun breaking that spirit.”
I jerked my hand out of his, turning to Mona. “I didn’t feel a thing.”
She nodded, motioning to the next group of men.
My back teeth ground together as I moved into their orbit.
An absolutely massive man stepped forward. He had a shaved head and a piercing through his septum. I nearly stumbled backward, but then a wide grin split his face. “Hayden, so pleased to meet you. I’m Roark.”
“H-hi,” I stammered.
“Told you that you’d scare the shit out of her, R. I should’ve gone,” a leaner man chided him from behind.
Roark scowled at his friend. “Shut up.”
I took a steadying breath. “Sorry, you are a little intimidating.”
A hint of pink hit Roark’s cheeks. “Comes in handy sometimes, not so much in others. Pleased to meet you.”
He extended his hand, and I took it. There were no fireworks, and Roark immediately looked disappointed.
I squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry. You’ll find your mate.”
Roark gave me a kind smile. “You will, too.”
Surprise flashed through me. “Didn’t they tell you? I already have. They’re over there.” I inclined my head to my guys.
Anger flashed in Roark’s eyes as he glared at Mona. “They neglected to share that tidbit of information.”
Mona hurried forward. “She thinks she found her bond, but new dragons are easily confused.”
She tugged me to the next group with a scowl. The next two hordes weren’t nearly as warm as Roark’s but not as creepy as Julian’s. There were no fireworks with either.
Now, there was only one left. I swallowed hard as we moved toward Hal and his bond. He smiled at me, seeming to think that the action would charm me, but it came across as false and as smarmy as he was.
“Hayden, I’m so glad to finally meet you properly.”
“You mean when you’re not shooting fire into my chest?”
There were some curses and mutters around me.
Hal’s jaw tightened. “You should be blaming Easton for that fuckup.”
“We both know that there’s only one person who should be blamed, and I’m looking at him.”
Hal struggled to get his breathing under control. “You don’t know the truth about the men you aligned yourself with. What they’ve done to others.”
“I’m sure whatever it was they did, it was deserved.”
The men behind him growled. But Hal held up a hand to stop them. “Once she’s with us, she’ll see the truth.”
I scoffed. “Don’t hold your breath.”
Hal held out his hand.
I stared at it for a moment before accepting his shake. I tried to tug my hand back quickly, but Hal held firm.
“What do you think, son? Feel anything?” a deep voice said as a hulking man who resembled a wrestler stepped forward.
“You know, I think I might,” Hal said with a sneer.
I jerked my hand free. “There was nothing.”
The tall man behind the bond grinned at me. “We’ll just see about that.”