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For a split second, it crossed my mind to let go of him. To let whatever fate he had in mind for her play out, but I didn’t want to stop touching my mate. I glanced at Duke and he nodded. I’d never been the best at keeping all my thoughts and emotions off the family and group links. He knew exactly what was happening between me and the hound shifter. He sighed and shook his head. Then he bent down and scooped my mate up by his middle.
“Go!” Duke said, his voice taking the tenor I heard so many times from his adopted dad, Jonah.
“I---” Trista started.
“Are you hurt?” Duke asked as Travis appeared at the top of the steps.
“No, but---”
“Go! This isn’t the time nor the place, Trista. I’m going to count to five and then I’m going to set the hound down in the nest to guard everyone here and I’m going to get you and whatever you’re trying to do away from my egg. Trista, I will do whatever that takes and there won’t be a dragon or half-dragon who blames me.”
“But the dog---” she started.
“No. Go. One—”
Travis scurried down the steps and shot me a hateful glare as Duke continued counting.
“You never could take a fucking joke,” he swore in my direction, tugging his twin to her feet.
Duke and the hound he still clutched to his chest growled.
“Go on, guys,” Blithe said, suddenly at my side. “We’ll figure out whatever’s going on later. Just go on. Go to Bobby’s house or something.”
Neither of the twins said anything else to us. They were back on their twin link as Travis practically dragged Trista up the steps.
“Blithe, be so kind as to lockup, cousin?” Duke asked, still holding onto my mate. “Check everything.”
“The bathroom window too,” I said. “I don’t know if I remembered to shut it or not.”
“I got it,” Blithe said, glancing back at his cat mate and kittens.
“I got ‘em. I don’t think this guy is here to do harm. Trista scared or pissed off Scott and he’s not having it.”
The dog panted, but didn’t look away from me as Blithe made his way past us and up the stairs into the main part of the house.
“Do you understand me?” Duke asked, looking down at the dog.
Keeping his eyes locked on me, the dog nodded.
“If I put you down, you’re going to go to your mate and not make anymore work for us. Welcome to the family. That’s my egg. Don’t touch it. Those are Blithe’s kittens, don’t touch them. Don’t feel bad about Trista. You’re not the first person in the family who wanted to body slam one of the twins. They refuse to be adults, but we don’t eat family. Do you get me?”
The hound nodded again, and I let out a long, slow breath. Whether Trista was here or not, my true-mate was. I reached for my phone to text Dakota, but it was probably still back in the kitchen where it hit the floor. I let out another long, slow breath. My lungs felt as if they were too full, even as my heart pounded in my ears.
“No sex in front of the kittens,” Duke looked at me.
“No sex in front of you guys,” I said, trying and failing not to turn as red as my damn hair.
“I’m gonna sit him down now,” Duke said as he squatted down.
I sat down on the floor to be at my mate’s level. Sure, he could probably shift, but my knees were wobbly now. Soon everyone would know – if they already didn’t – what Trista had done. They’d know how my oldest siblings saw me and hell, they probably saw me that way too.
The hound sat on his haunches once Duke was upright again.
“Bloody hell,” my cousin muttered under his breath before crossing the room in giant strides to check on the other omegas and babies.
I glanced over my shoulder, holding my breath. The egg was intact. No one had gotten close to it. The kittens were nursing again, and Cord’s eyes were already drifting shut. The hound bowed his head, and I pressed my forehead against him.
“Are you okay?” I whispered to him. “Thank you for trying to save me.”
