Octavia’s leash on her control slipped, and her lips curled into a sneer. Suddenly, shifting was the only thing on her mind. She would release her dragon, expand her wings, and roar so vociferously that none of them would know what hit them.
They’d think twice before refusing to treat… to treat…
Her brows knit together. Thinking was far too difficult as the animal took over. Why was she so upset? She knew there was a reason she probably shouldn’t do this, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember what it was.
Someone touched her hand.
A snarl rose within Octavia, but it died off when a pair of familiar brown eyes moved in front of her.
She liked those eyes. They made her feel… safe.
Why was that? For the life of her, she couldn’t figure it out.
“Hey beautiful, look at me,” Flynn breathed. “I’m fine. See?”
Did she see that? She wasn’t sure he was fine. Sweat shone on his forehead, and he was incredibly pale. But there wassomething about his face that made her calm down. Her heart rate slowed, her breathing leveled out, and the red cleared.
Bit by bit, minute by minute, the dragon returned to its slumber.
When Octavia’s mind was her own once more, her gaze swept over the witch. “Flynn, are you okay?”
He nodded slowly. Octavia reached out to touch him, but before she could, a hand snatched hers.
“Dinner isover,” the Alpha declared, twisting Octavia’s wrist. His grip was just on this side of pain. “You two will leave first thing tomorrow, as promised. Tonight, we’ll put you up in a… guest house.” He frowned. “A heavily guarded one. This way.”
Without waiting for a response, the Alpha turned. He clearly expected them to follow.
Octavia stared at the werewolf, confusion twisting deep within. The dinner she’d eaten was like lead in her stomach. She’d never been so close to letting her leash on the dragon slip before.
What was happening to her?
“This can’t be right.”Octavia crossed her arms and glared at the werewolf standing just inside the doorway of the so-called guest quarters.
The white-washed cabin was small, nothing like the longhouse where they’d just been, and though it was dark, she could make out the prohiberis lining the walls. That must be the reason the tall, blond guard had removed the cuffs when they stepped inside. Violence radiated from him, and he didn’t look like he had a kind bone in his body.
The werewolf snarled, baring elongated canines in her direction. “I assure you, this is where the Alpha wants you to stay.”
Octavia looked around the cabin and sputtered, “But… but there’s only one bed!”
And it wasn’t one of those kingly beds she imagined one would find in the Emerald Palace. No, this was more of a cot than a bed, and it looked uncomfortable at best. It definitely wasn’t built for two people. The entire cabin was maybe twice the size of the shack they’d left in the woods.
A smirk crawled across the smug werewolf’s mouth, making the dragon shifter want to introduce her fist to his face. “My goodness, you’re an observant one, aren’t you?”
Octavia growled. “You little?—”
“Enough, Octavia.” Flynn pulled her behind him. He pushed her towards the back wall and put himself between the two snarling predators. “This will be just fine. Thank you.”
The guard grunted something resembling a farewell, in the loosest sense of the term, and drew the door shut. At the last minute, he added, “Don’t try anything. You’ll be under heavy guard until it’s time to leave.”
Because of her. Flynn might have gotten them into this mess, but there was no denying that Octavia had caused a few problems at dinner.
Her cheeks flammed, and she studied the ground. Her behavior was not acceptable, especially not a Mature shifter who was trying to regain the Elders’ favor.
Groaning, Octavia tossed her bag in the corner of the room, as far from the door as she could get it. The only good thing about this change of scenery was that they’d removed the cuffs. “Let me see your hands.”
Flynn sucked in a breath, but he slowly extended his wrists towards her. She didn’t need the moonlight shining through thesolitary window to see the ruby tint to his skin or the tiny welts that marked the place where the cuffs had been.
Her fingers traced his skin, and his breath hitched. “I’ll be fine,” Flynn said gruffly. “Once we leave, I can heal myself.”