“I don’t like it. How the hell does someone just disappear without a trace?” Igrowled.
“I know. If you want, I’ll help you leave.” He lowered his voice. “For you, I’d risk Orsen’s wrath again.”
“I’m pretty sure they won’t let me leave,” I admitted, my voice shaky as I ran a hand through my hair. “Fuck, Griffin, they were so angry. If you could have seen the look on their faces…”
“They thought you—Emmeline—were dead. And I know you’re not sure whether it’s you, but let’s face it—the timelines match up. How long ago did you lose your memory after the attack? Six years?”
I nodded. I’d woken up in the middle of nowhere without a single memory, sporting my own array of injuries and certainly worse for wear.
“Six years ago, their mate vanished into thin air.” Griff locked eyes with me, never one to avoid cutting straight to the point. “They recognized youimmediately. I think it’s pretty safe to say you came from here. Well, you know what I mean.”
I looked at him pointedly, but my voice was small when I spoke. “I don’t—Am I even safe here? After what Orsen did?”
“No one here is going to hurt you, least of all Orsen.” Griffin frowned as if that was obvious. But everything felt strange. I didn’t feel like their mate. Hell, I didn’t feel like their anything. And as much as kissing Orsen had been?—
No, you will not be going there.
“What the fuck happened to me?” I asked in a strangled voice. “Someone clearly tried to kill me. We know that much, but who? Why?”
Griffin shook his head. “There’s no way it was anyone fromthishorde. It must have been someone who lived near the cabin.”
“And how far away is this cabin?” I looked around, as if I’d see it looming in the distance through the walls. “How far away from here was I when whoever the hell that dragon was nearly killed me?”
“It’s like a three-day drive.” He shrugged again, the corners of his lips turning down.
“That’s… way too close for my liking. Ugh.” I sagged into myself, exhausted, as if a weight had just dropped from the ceiling to smother me. The healer who had found me was adamant that I hadn’t been attacked close to the Southern Dust Lands. Apparently, a van had been seen speeding away with New York plates. No one in the local area had seen me before, so it made sense.
“Look, I’m going to stick to your side like glue just in case, and Iwillkeep you safe,” he said adamantly, gripping my hand.
He scoffed at the disbelieving look I gave him. Given his current condition, I highly doubted he could protect anyone.
“Okay, so I may have failed this time, but in my defense, I was taken by surprise. How was I to know you were secretly the Alphas’ mate, who vanished six years ago? Even me, with my all-knowing wisdom, couldn’t foresee that.”
I shook my head, trying not to laugh as I pulled a few more cotton pads from my medical bag. “All I want to do is run for the hills. Pretend I never came to this town.”
“Well, you’ve got to stay long enough to heal Rory.”
I frowned playfully at my friend, narrowing my stare as I grumbled. “That’s not fair, and you know it.”
He raised his hands in mock surrender. “I’m not above using dirty tactics to keep you here. You know I like having you around, and, surprise of all surprises, I do actually think figuring this out would be better than running.”
A sharp huff left me as I crossed my arms over my chest. “I thought youjustsaid you’d help me leave.”
“And I will, if you’re really set on going. But I’m pretty sure my ass will get kicked again, and I’d like to avoid that. I’m a badass dragon, yes, but I’m nothing up against four Alphas.”
My brows shot up. “Fourof them?” He had told me that, but in the stress of the moment, I had completely forgotten, focused on the cranky dragon in front of me.
Griffin nodded. “The other two are camping on the borders of our lands, but I’m pretty damn sure they’ll be here any minute.”
I sighed. Just what I needed—moretestosterone-fueled dragons.
“Isn’t it super rare for there to be a mated group thatincludes four Alphas?”
“Oh, yeah. Everyone was shocked when the news reached us all those years ago. But it was meant to be, apparently. We all agreed that Emmeline had to be one amazing human to have four dragon mates.”
“Emmeline,” I repeated.
How many times had I imagined what my name was before the attack? How many times had I considered every name I could think of, testing what fit and what felt right? Nothing ever did, and nowhere on the list had been Emmeline. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it.
