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West and Nate had both shifted back. So had the black bear shifter, who was now a woman sprawled limply on the road. The blankness of her half-open eyes dampened my relief. “She’s dead.”Damn.
“She took one of the bullets meant for us,” West said, nodding to a bloody mark on her chest. “Managed to fight like she wasn’t dying for long enough despite it.” Bloody scores marked his chest, just below the glowing splatter of a scar I knew had been left by fae magic. He hurried to the SUV to grab his clothes, shooting me a pained look as he passed. “I was hoping we’d get some answerstoo.”
Our dragon shifter was staring at the woman. She bit her lip. She’d taken lives with her dragon-fire a few minutes ago, but seeing a dead body up close wasn’t something Serenity was usedto.
“I got their leader,” she said, jerking her gaze away. “The wolf shifter who attacked me in the village. He’s a pile of ashes up there now.” She jabbed her hand toward the mountain slope. “I tried to catch the ones that were runningtoo...”
Nate’s eyes darkened. “You did everything you could, Ren. I’ve never seen any other shifter hold their form that long the first time they made a fulltransition.”
“Oh.” She blinked. Then a small smile crossed herlips.
Nate followed West to the car. We had to get moving before any humans showed up. The road wasn’t frequently traveled and we’d left the last town several miles behind, but that didn’t mean there hadn’t been anyone around to hear thegunshots.
Serenity pulled my shirt closer around her shoulders. “They still wanted me dead,” shesaid.
“Apparently sixteen years of chaos wasn’t enough for them,” Westmuttered.
Marco’s lips curled. “You put them right in their place, though, princess. Blasted them all tocinders.”
We couldn’t know what other rogues might be out there who were just as set on destruction, but I didn’t want to say that. Not as I watched Serenity draw her back a little straighter. She glanced around at us as the others returned, looking every bit a princess in that moment. Every bit a queen. This was a victory, and it belonged to her. I felt, in the hum of energy passing between us, my alpha equals responding to herpower.
We were all in this, all the way. None of us were backing down, not even West. It felt good. It feltright.
“Then let’s get on with whatever the rogues were trying to stop us from doing here,” Serenity said. “There’s just one thing I need to dofirst.”
She turned to me and reached to cup my jaw, pulling me into a kiss I was more than happy to return. I kissed her back with all the passion and reverence I had in me, until a tremble passed through her body. Everything—the danger, the wounds just starting to heal across my body—was worth it forthis.
* * *
Ren
Ieased back from Aaron,breathless, but I wasn’t done yet. I reached for Marco next. My jaguar shifter came easily, sliding his arm around my waist as he tipped his face to mine. He kissed me long and deep, with a teasing caress of his tongue. Of course Marco would slip thatin.
Nate was there waiting for me when I stepped back from Marco. I joined my hands behind the bear shifter’s neck, and he pulled me up to meet him with his broad arms. His kiss was firm but sweet, with a lingering brush of his lips over mine before he let mego.
Last I turned to my wolf shifter. West’s stance had tensed. He eyed me warily, but heat smoldered inside his gaze. He wanted me, despite himself. We all felt the samepull.
I held out my hand to him. “It’s just a kiss, not a contract. I need to know you’re with me at least thatmuch.”
He wet his lips. The gesture sent a flicker of desire through me. “All right, Sparks,” he said. “You can have yourkiss.”
After that, I expected him to give me nothing but the briefest of pecks. He stepped closer, bringing the smells of the forest with him, rich earth and sharp pine. My heart beat a little faster. He bowed his head, and I bobbed up on my toes to tentatively press my mouth tohis.
A hungry sound reverberated in his chest. His hand found my waist, hot as a brand as he yanked me to him. He kissed me so fiercely that my head spun. For an instant, there was nothing but the heat of him and the demanding pressure of hislips.
West released me just as abruptly. He backed up, folding his arms over his chest in a familiar standoffish pose. “Let’s go then,” he said gruffly, holding my gaze for a moment before jerking hisaway.
The sharp taste of him lingered on my lips. I let out my breath, feeling as if I’d finally fully settled into my body. The body of a dragon shifter, surrounded by the four alphas who’d be my mates. “Yes,” I said. “Let’s.”
* * *
After a brief delaywhile Nate and West swapped out the shot tire with the spare from the back, we set off down the road again. The mountains pulled back around a wide valley with a glittering river down its center. Sunridge lay on the south bank, a small town of a few thousand inhabitants. I peered out the window as we cruised down the main street, waiting for something to hitme.
Aaron glanced at me expectantly. I shook my head. “Nothing.”
“They’ve got a town historical museum,” Nate said, pointing. “That seems like a good place tostart.”
West parked outside the repurposed house. The woman at the front desk looked at us curiously as we walked in. Her badge marked her as a volunteer for the Sunridge Historical Society. How much history could a town this sizehave?
