Conrad
SEVEN
My mistake was going into the garden, but Durand’s scent clung to the walls and doors all over the house. How was I supposed to know he was in the one place I was headed?
My dragon scented him, not just his smell but him. He insisted I go outside because he was tired of being cooped up in the house. There was nothing unusual about that.
You need your papers signed, and I want to catch a glimpse of the clouds and wish I was up there.
Fine. I needed to clear my head. Juggling numbers while trying not to think about Durand wasn’t ideal. Spending a few minutes in the garden would get rid of my gloomy thoughts, though I would have preferred not to be in the same space as my twin.
I’d read about identical twins who shared their thoughts and were each other’s best friend.
But we were destined to be not enemies but distant, thanks to our omega father dying after laying one huge oversized egg.
Instead of having my own egg, I shared my twin’s.
Evander had made a hole in the shell and pushed his way out, while I waited until the entire shell cracked and collapsed.
Because I hatched last, the blame was placed on me.
I was the one that had caused our omega father to bleed out, and though it was never spoken of, resentment simmered in the walls and foundations of this house.
You tricked me.
How did you not sense he was here? Are you sure you didn’t know? My beast wasn’t taking responsibility for leading me toward my mate.
Durand was sitting on the bench with his face tipped toward the sun as if he craved the warmth it gave him.
In those seconds with the light on his face, something stirred deep inside me.
It wasn’t my dragon because he was clawing me so hard I stumbled.
No, this was raw and rough like sandpaper.
It was both agonizing and desirable, and my belly churned. I wanted to throw up.
But I took deep breaths and headed toward Evander. My twin and I spoke and he signed the document, but my skin prickled with heat. I didn’t have a fever. That warmth was coming from the emotion I stifled.
When I walked into the house, Durand was looking at me. I didn’t need eyes in the back of my head to know that, and goosebumps erupted over my skin. Rushing to my room, I slammed the door and closed my eyes, wanting to rid myself of what my dragon longed for but I refused to accept.
That was an hour ago, but my heart was still galloping twice as fast as usual.
The silence in the room was broken by my phone. It was a summons from Father, and it was one word. Study. That was how it worked. He commanded and I did as he wanted.
Father was behind his desk, but Evander wasn’t present which was unusual. My father preferred efficiency, delivering information to both of us at once. If it was just me, this was about operations.
“Sit. We have a security problem.”
I was in the same chair Durand had been in yesterday, and his faint scent drifted off the polished wood.
My dragon latched onto it, and I had to press my teeth together to suppress him because if Father picked up that Durand was my mate, my blood would count for nothing.
He would get rid of me, a belief that had festered inside him since I killed his mate.
“Our intelligence confirms the La Luna Noir Alpha has mobilized.” He slid a folder across the desk. “Flint Durand left the compound with his brothers an hour ago. Based on their trajectory, we have until tomorrow morning at the latest.”
I opened the folder and studied the surveillance photos, route analysis, and vehicle descriptions.
Flint Durand didn't travel light. I counted at least six vehicles and recognized the formation of front and rear security with the principal in the middle. The Alpha and his brothers weren’t trying to rescue Durand on their own.
They’d formed a convoy of wolf shifters.
While La Luna Noir might’ve prided themselves on their security arrangements, our dragons were much better at embedding undercover agents close to them, and I was familiar with how their Alpha operated.
“I need the perimeter reinforced tonight.” He rattled off instructions. “Double the watch and pull the reserve unit from the south section. I want air surveillance rotating from midnight.”
I was already working through the plans in my head. The eastern perimeter was our weakest point, with an old wall, limited sight lines, and too many trees providing cover. If the Alpha had done his homework, and everything in his file said he had, that was where he'd come.
“I’ll need authorization to reposition the Wyvern team. They're currently at the port.”
“Done. Anything else?”
“We need drone coverage, and we have two units in storage. I can have them operational in an hour.”
“Handle it.” He leaned back. “There's something else.”
The change in tone alerted me this was important.
“The mating ceremony is happening tonight.”
Though I was physically still in the chair, my mind reeled and zoomed outside, needing to get away from him and his plans. But his huge presence pulled me back. Father hadn’t waited the full forty-eight hours and had brought the ceremony forward.
“Evander is preparing, and the wolf will be informed within the hour. By the time the Alpha arrives, the bond will be sealed and his grounds for aggression will be significantly reduced.”
He cackled, and I hid my revulsion because that was not a happy laugh. It was gleeful; he was relishing making decisions that would disrupt everyone’s lives as if he were playing with miniature toy soldiers.
My father was telling me that my mate would be bonded to my brother before midnight, and I couldn’t tell him no or explain why that shouldn’t happen.
My dragon clamored to shift, and I flinched. I adjusted my position in the chair, crossing one leg over the other, and my father noted my movements. But I couldn’t give him any reason to suspect my motivation.
“The wolf is still resistant.”
“That is irrelevant because once the ceremony is complete, Evander’s dragon will take control, even though he is the omega.” His grin told me this was going to play out exactly as he wanted it to.
What he'd just said was monstrous, which mirrored similar speeches he’d made over the years. He'd run this family for decades on the principle that outcome was all that mattered.
“I doubt the wolf will cooperate.”
“He'll be given the choice between the ceremony and something more sinister. One is considerably more comfortable than the other." My father picked up a pen and made a note on the paper. “I don't anticipate any difficulty.”
Though I doubted he wanted to kill Durand, Father had a temper, and if the wolf refused, he and his dragon might lash out. And this was for a man whose only crime was being caught pretending to be someone he wasn’t while looking into our business practices.
My body vibrated, thanks to my dragon who was demanding I stand up to Father or let him do it.
But my father’s beast was bigger than mine, and he was just as volatile and lacking in feeling as his human side.
Smoke trickled up my throat, and I swallowed it, but not before Father narrowed his eyes at me.
He returned to his notes. “You have your assignments. I want a full briefing by seven on the perimeter and the Wyvern team. The ceremony is at nine.”
“Yes, sir.”
My hand was on the door handle when he spoke again.
“And Conrad, stay away from the third floor tonight. The bonding requires privacy.”
I walked outside, being careful not to slam the door so hard it ripped from its hinges. My mate was going to be bonded to my twin at nine o'clock.
My dragon had gone quiet, and just like Father when he stopped talking and stared at me, I worried he was going to erupt.
I walked toward the east wing because that was where I was expected to be. I wasn’t shaking and my breathing was controlled. Nine o’clock. My mate would be out of reach. But that was what I wanted. He wasn’t the person I wanted to spend my life with. I kept telling myself that.
We tried your way, and now it’s my turn.
No. You can’t get us out of this by burning shit down.
My beast sent a stream of fire, not into the house but through my veins, knowing how disruptive that was. I broke out in a sweat and slumped into a chair, thankful no one else was close to my office.
Nine o’clock and it would all be over. I wouldn’t have to concern myself with the conflicting emotions about Durand. So why did it bother me so much? I told my dragon not to answer me. He wanted Durand. But where did my beast end and I begin?
Nine o'clock. I repeated the time in my head. Either it would be the end or the beginning of my agony.
I have always obeyed you. My beast continued by saying he’d spent all of my thirty-one years respecting my decisions and tolerating being treated as disposable.
But his patience had run out.