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“There’s no record of Kelly before a certain point. Obviously, there might not be much out there since our village was destroyed, but there’s no record of Kelly’s schooling.”
“She was eighteen, all grown up.”
“Yeah, but university. Where did she attend?”
“I don’t know.”
“It’s something. I don’t know what. I need more time to look into it.”
“I will do it,” Gerard insisted.
“You’re not an investigator. I have people to do the legwork and a few connections. Plus, I’ve been involved in this type of work for more than a decade while Janessa and I were in business. Let me do this for you, Gerard. I promise I’ll leave no rock unturned. Deal?”
“Fine.”
“And about Lachelle. You told her you wanted to be with your mate. Janessa told me she admitted as much when she came to talk to me about escorting her parents. I wouldn’t have allowed Janessa to go, but I’m used to letting her do whatever she wants while I watch from the shadows to be sure she’s safe. She’s a stubborn and independent woman, and I know her sister isn’t much different. But you, you let her go.”
“I didn’t!”
“So Janessa was lying about what you said?”
“My mate,” Gerard repeated. “She assumed I meant Kelly.”
“And you didn’t?”
Gerard fell silent. What he meant was he wanted to be with his mate. He wanted that person to be the one he desired, the one he was supposed to be with, the one his entire life revolved around. That’s what he wanted. Beyond that, nothing. He couldn’t have laid it out in plain terms for himself, let alone anyone else.
“Sir!”
One of Declan’s men landed hard, leaving an imprint from his shoes in the earth. He kept his wings out rather than tuck them away. The urgency in his tone unsettled Gerard. Something was wrong.
“It’s the party you sent to the city, sir. They’ve been attacked.”
“What?” The air crackled with Declan’s displeasure. He didn’t ask for further details but jumped into the air, transformed into full on dragon and shot across the sky.
Gerard and Declan’s man followed suit. Catching up easily to his brother, Gerard shuddered as his brother called out for others to join them from all over the homestead. Men shifted into dragon form from every direction and joined their group.
“Tell me,” Declan demanded, speaking in Gerard’s head. He knew that every one of the dragons within the vicinity could hear what Declan thought. Any of them could also respond in the same manner. The mental speech didn’t stretch far beyond the shifter’s sight.
“As soon as the group reached the edge of town, they were ambushed. It’s the humans, sir. A few of our guys are dead. One of them was able to make it back to report.”
“My family?”
“Unclear.”
White-hot pain streaked across Gerard’s skull. He shouldn’t get headaches without drinking alcohol. At worse, it should have healed right away. The pain pulsed and grew in intensity. His mouth dried, his vision blurred. Facts about the attack rolled across his brain as data he attempted t
o make sense of.
The humans attacked Lachelle, her sister, their parents, and Bannon. Several of Declan’s men were dead. What was the status now? How many humans needed to die if Lachelle was dead or injured? Could he maintain control until he knew the answer?
The miles to cover before they reached the city took centuries to cross. A glimmer of light hit Gerard’s brain as he scented Lachelle. He pulled ahead of the others and dropped in front of a man standing in Lachelle’s parents’ driveway.
He picked the man up by his neck, legs and arms flailing. The words to ask a question took a second to come to Gerard’s lips.
“Inside, inside,” the guy choked.
The front door to the house opened, and Lachelle ran out. “Put him down, Gerard, and get in here! You’re going to bring them back.”
