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“We don’t have to right now,” I said. “Everything I learned directly affects you and your family. That can’t be easy.”
“Not much about life is easy. Might as well get it over with.”
This sullen version of Cillian wasn’t something I was used to. The events of the past week were hurting him more than he was letting on.
I wanted to help ease his pain, but this was on Cillian to process. I couldn’t force him to do something he wasn’t ready for yet.
He lowered his head and rubbed his hands over my arms. “I wish we could have met under different circumstances.”
“I’m not going to lie or pretend I don’t agree with that, but—” I pressed my lips to his. “—maybe this was exactly what we both needed.”
I didn’t know all of Cillian’s wants or desires. All I really knew was that he cared deeply for his home and wanted to stop its untimely destruction. Yet, he couldn’t do that on his own.
I’d been driven to figure out who I was when I wasn’t the alpha’s daughter.
Together, even if it wasn’t all sunshine and roses, I felt confident we were both going to get what we wanted.
ChapterThirteen
CILLIAN
Having Dawsyn at my side eased a lot of my inner turmoil, but still, my mind couldn’t stop thinking about everything she’d told me. Worse, I had no fucking clue what I was going to do about it.
The idea that my Nannio had turned on us in favor of a brother I’d never known existed burned. Why hadn’t I been given a choice in the matter? To meet him and know why he was furious enough to kill thousands of people.
Knowing I wasn’t going to get the answers I seeked anytime soon, I had to force those thoughts out of my mind. There was no changing the past. We had to figure out a way to stop whatever they were planning and keep future body counts to a minimum.
I took Dawsyn to meet with a few of the people I’d known Uncle Jerome trusted. The conversation was painful, but quick. I recapped everything. They asked Dawsyn questions about Earth and a few clarifying things about her time with Knox, then the conversation switched drastically.
Sereph, a childhood friend of my mother’s, pointed toward the tunnels. “We don’t have enough supplies to last us the next few days while we figure out our next steps.” Her bright red hair made her fair skin stand out starkly in the dimly lit room.
“We should go now,” Daron, Sereph’s mate, said. “Before you came back and the attacks were at their worst, nights were the riskiest time to leave the cave.”
“I can take Lykem and go,” I said, hating the thought of leaving Dawsyn so soon, but at least she’d be safe here.
She laughed. “You think you’re leaving me here while you go have all the fun?”
My brows pinched. “I wouldn’t call what we need to dofun.”
Dawsyn glanced at Sereph. “How did you get supplies before?”
My mate’s confidence at speaking with the others amazed me. She wasn’t afraid of this place or anything she’d experience. Besides her earlier breakdown, I’d seen nothing other than strength from the wolf shifter.
“We went out in groups of four or five,” Sereph answered. “Two people would stay in their dragon forms, and we’d load them up with items to carry back.”
“Perfect.” Dawsyn grinned, looking over at me. “I can help load and you can be the pack mule.”
“The what?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Clearly, animals between our two worlds don’t cross over that much. When should we leave?”
Sereph and Daron shared a look, then glanced back at Mantha who had been rather quiet for most of the meeting.
She was one of the elders who had helped make decisions alongside Uncle Jerome. She was well over a hundred years old, but her mind was still as sharp as ever.
Her back was to us, but she knew we were waiting on her opinion. Her grey hair fell to her clasped hands at the base of her spine, and her shoulders remained straight, but she didn’t turn to us as she spoke.
“Go now, but only come back with what you can find within a half hour,” she said, voice filled with concern. “We can’t risk losing anyone else now that we know who we’re dealing with.”
