Page 23 of Thrown into the Mob

“Now what?” Ranger turned onto the highway.

TWELVE

MADD

We'd been on the highway for twenty minutes when Flint told Ranger to pull over.

“Why? What's wrong?” Ranger checked the mirrors, though if a vicious dragon was overhead, the mirrors were useless and the car would be flattened.

“Just do it.”

Ranger found a gravel patch at the edge of the tree line. It was the kind of spot truckers used to sleep, and he cut the engine. Flint had the door open and was out of the car in seconds.

“Madd, get out. We need to talk.”

Conrad tensed beside me, and so did I as I wondered if this was where we said goodbye to the dragon shifter.

No, you can’t let him go.

I told my wolf to cool it because even though Flint was family, he was also my Alpha.

My shoulder protested as I got out, and my legs were stiff from sitting, but the night air cleared my head. Flint walked far enough from the car that the others couldn't hear. He put his hands in his jacket pockets and stood with his back toward me. If I’d been an enemy, I'd have guessed this was the moment when he gunned me down.

“I need the truth. Is the dragon shifter your fated mate?”

There was no point lying. Besides, the more information Flint had, the safer we’d be.

“Yeah.”

“That’s what I thought.” He raked his hands through his hair. “Gods, our family and fated mates. But congratulations on choosing a shifter, though commiserations on him being the enemy.”

“Until we escaped, we’d spoken only a handful of words to one another, but he’s been fighting the connection as much as I have.” I sounded as though I was making excuses, but I was trying to make sense of it.

We both glanced over our shoulders at the car. Ranger was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, Grandpa was pretending to be asleep but with one eye open, and Conrad was staring straight ahead. Was dragon-shifter hearing more precise than wolves and could he hear every word?

“Here's the problem.” Flint turned back to me. “I can protect you and so can the pack. But not him.” He jerked his chin toward the car. “His father will come for him. And if he's unmated, there's nothing stopping the patriarch from dragging him back and doing whatever he wants. He's the man's son. It's a family matter, and we'd have no grounds to intervene.”

Oh gods, I knew where this was going, and I wanted to slap a hand over his mouth.

“But if he's mated to one of mine,” Flint continued, “harming him means doing the same to La Luna Noir. That changes everything.”

I had to voice that niggling thought in my head. “Do you think that might be what his father wants? For us to take Conrad and start a war between the pack and the dragons?”

Flint rubbed his chin. “Did the patriarch have any idea that you and Conrad were fated mates?”

“You’d have to ask his son, the one in the car.” If he had, he might have removed Conrad from the equation. My eyes filled with tears, but I blinked them away. “But he might know now.” I shrugged. “If anyone picked up on it after we left, it would be his twin.”

“Mmmm.” Flint paced the forest floor. “You have a decision to make.”

“You want us to mate.”

“I want you to decide whether you're going to do it.” He held my gaze. “I won't force this, Madd. Not after what his father tried to do. If you're not ready, we’ll figure out another way to protect him.”

Do it. It’s what we’ve been waiting for.

I refused to make a decision that would affect the rest of my life solely based on what my wolf said I should do. But instead of telling Flint that, I said, “He might say no.”

“That’s not going to happen. I’ve met the guy.”