“I think you just don’t want to admit you like me.”
See? She was right. He just couldn’t seem to stop trying to get a rise out of her. Well, good for him. He succeeded. Octavia gasped and crossed her arms. “I do not!”
An infuriating smirk ghosted Flynn’s lips. “Really? Can you truthfully tell me you haven’t been thinking about what it would be like between us?” He leaned closer, reaching an arm between their cages. His fingers grazed the edge of hers. “Because you’ve been haunting my dreams, Octavia. Every night, as I sleep, I see the two of us together. Your spark, your fire intrigues me.”
Octavia was speechless, which didn’t happen often. Her mouth fell open, and she stared at the witch. Sure, Flynn had made a few such comments while they hiked, but she’d brushed them aside. She hadn’t thought he was serious.
But right now, with that look on his face, he looked serious. In fact, this was the most serious she had seen him. “I’ve wanted you since that first day in your cabin,” he admitted. “And I think you want me too.”
Was the dragon shifter speechless before? That was nothing compared to her current inability to speak.
Her cheeks burned. She didn’t want to lie. Obviously, she thought Flynn was insanely attractive, and he’d starred in more than a few of her dreams since they met, but she wasn’t sure if she was ready to tell him that. It felt… serious, and a part of her knew that admitting those things would be something that she could not take back.
It was one thing to find Flynn both incredibly handsome and vexing, but it would be another entirely to admit her feelings. Luckily, Octavia was saved from having to answer when the doors banged open once again.
The werewolf from the forest entered, though he was clothed now. His brown hair had been pulled back into a long ponytail, and he wore a black tunic. Standing next to him was a burly, muscular man whose aura screamed,leader. His chestnut hair was shoulder-length, black ink wrapped around his neck like a choker, and two swords were crossed behind his back. His skin was tanned and dark, as though he’d spent hours and hours in the sun.
Thiswas the Alpha. There was no doubt about it.
The pair came to a stop in front of the cages. The Alpha crossed his arms, and his orange eyes glinted shrewdly as his gaze slowly moved from Flynn to Octavia. “You trespassed on our lands.”
The way he said it, one would think they had killed his prized puppy and not missed a land marker.
Tension rose and rose, and Octavia’s skin crawled. Something about the two men standing in front of her told her they would be lucky if they left these cages alive.
Octavia gulped, meeting the Alpha’s gaze. “We didn’t mean to. It was an accident.”
The Alpha ignored her. “Do you know what we do with trespassers?”
“You set them free with a warning?” Octavia asked hopefully, wondering if maybe, just this once, things could go her way.
“No,” the leader snarled, slamming his hand on the bars of the dragon shifter’s cage.
The iron rattled, and pain shot through Octavia’s ankle. She squeaked, scrambling away from the werewolf. Octavia wasn’t proud of her reaction, but what else was she supposed to do? She was weaponless, without even her walking stick.
Shifting was strictly prohibited, although she would do it if it saved her life. But she wasn’t sure what would happen if sheshifted in an iron cage lined with prohiberis—would it break, or would she?
“My sincerest apologies.” Flynn pressed his hand over his heart, drawing the Alpha’s attention to him. “I was escorting the lady, and somehow, I missed your pack land markers. We did not intend to trespass, and we will happily leave immediately.”
“You may not have meant to come here, but you did,” the Alpha barked, his eyes flashing. “You?—”
“Daddy!” A high-pitched squeal filled the space as Tia barreled in and slammed into the Alpha’s legs.
The man growled, “Katiana, what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be with Nyshali right now. Daddy is busy.”
“Nyshali is at the river,” Tia said. “I was too, but then I left.”
The Alpha sighed, the sound long-suffering. “Why?”
“To find you!” Tia jumped into her father’s arms, ignoring the others in the room.
Scowling, the Alpha glared at his daughter before hoisting her up and setting her snuggly on his hip.
Octavia stared at the werewolf. With a small child attached to him, the leader looked far more approachable than he had before. Maybe they would survive this. Doubtful, but maybe.
“This isn’t a good time, Katiana,” the Alpha admonished as he stepped away from the cages. “I need to deal with the prisoners. Go find Nyshali and tell her she’s to meet me in an hour to discuss her… abilities to watch you.”
“What? No! You can’t hurt them, Daddy!” Katiana’s eyes widened, and she clutched her father’s tunic. “Please tell me you won’t hurt them.”