I was worried about Mischa, my insides crawling at the thought of something going wrong for her. To distract myself, while Louis did his sorcerer thing, I dug a little deeper into what he’d just noted.
“Have you ever felt the energy of other marked?” I had been wondering if mine or Mischa’s power was like the others.
“Only my brother’s, and I think the mystics are different again.”
Maximus turned his head as if he scented something. I focused on the direction he was facing and straight away I was hit with vampire. Cardia, his female was moving toward us. Maximus’ eyes started to glow, her presence was awakening him. He paused for a second to wink at me, then he marched away. No male worthy of the title of mate would make his female come all the way to him, he was going to meet her halfway. He disappeared behind a few buildings, but within moments was back, vampiress tucked snugly under his arm. He looked happy, relaxed; his mate had a calming effect on the beast inside.
“Do you look that blissed-out around me?” I said, wiggling my eyebrows at Braxton.
He reached out and traced a single fingertip from the top of my cheekbone all the way down to rest against my bottom lip.
“Blissed out doesn’t even begin to describe it.” He then replaced that finger with his lips, and I was lost in his kiss for … who the hell knows how long. Supe males were not afraid to show emotion to their mates, no matter who was around. This sort of love was seen as a strength.
Jacob muttered close by, “Jessa is the Pied Piper of dragons, that’s for sure.” And I knew he was not just referring to Braxton, but also that strange encounter when we first entered the sanctuary. I’d been steadfast in ignoring the red-dragon incident. I wondered how long I could hide from all the peculiar in my life.
I pulled back from Braxton, although some of my body was reluctant to part ways – wait, how did my leg get around his waist? Shit, I really needed to pay attention. He was dangerous for my concentration and awareness. While untangling myself I noticed Jacob had moved even closer, he was watching me and Braxton. Not in a creepy way, almost wistful.
“You okay with being the last one not in some form of complicated relationship, Jake?” We all knew Tyson and Grace were heading toward … something.
He shook his head, white silky hair stylishly tousled against his forehead. “Yeah, I’m all good with a little less complicated in my life. There are too many females out there for me to want just one. I’ll stay unmated for as long as possible, thank you.”
Jacob the jackass. It would probably be a sad day when he mated and some of his dick-like behavior disappeared.
I furrowed my brow a little. “Am I the only one who thinks it’s odd that two of the Compasses have discovered true mates here in the sanctuary?” I directed my question to the entire group. True matings were rare, so both brothers in such a short period was unusual.
Lienda answered, her expression wistful. “True mated pairs are works of fate. If you need to find them, you will.”
Jonathon linked his arm with Lienda. “The energy of the dragon king has started to return. We can feel his cold power leaking into the supernatural world. It has been there for some time now. He is preparing to rise and release his command. This is causing a shift in the great plan, and during moments of war, we always have more supernatural mates.”
Well, since fate decided to land me six-and-a-half-feet of beautiful, muscled dragon – it was Braxton Compass for freaks sake – I was not complaining.
Although, I did have a little something to say about this partial bond thing. Not cool, fates. Not freaking cool.
I was determined to eliminate the second mate sooner rather than later. There was no one else for me and I wasn’t running anymore, or hiding behind friendship contracts. I would no longer be wasting energy fighting the inevitable. It was now and always Braxton.
Louis brought our attention back to him and Mischa. “Prepare for the final release,” he said, his voice just a little strained. The glow from his hands increased as he neared what must be the last key to unlocking her power. All of my nerves rushed back to the forefront.
Then, in the same series of steps I remembered from my dragon bursting free in Vanguard, the light and power ricocheted outwards. I stayed on my feet only because I’d braced myself for it. Mischa dropped to all fours, her screams brutal. I wanted to rush forward and gather her into my arms, but Louis seemed to have thrown up some sort of barrier around them. Jonathon and Lienda were surging forward also.
“If she shifts, she will kill you,” Louis warned us.