Her eyes drifted to her dragon. Any other woman might have feared him, but Tina knew better. Everything he did, he did to keep her safe.
Anthony stood, the sudden motion jarring in the still cabin. He approached her with powerful strides, his broad shoulders intimidating as he took a seat across from her. He held her hands, leaning forward as he stared at the floor.
She leaned her forehead against his. “Are you okay?”
He caught her eye, his expression intense and deadly serious. “I believe my father was behind the wolves’ attack.”
The four other princes turned their heads toward him. Each man stood and approached, staring at Anthony in either horror or disgust.
“That’s quite an accusation,” Zane said, arms crossed.
Anthony nodded. “I knew every one of those wolves, some of them since I was a child. They were my father’s advisors, his generals, and his best warriors. He sent them as a clear message to me. He wanted me to back down, to allow them to take you, Tina. He thought my history with them would stop me from fighting to protect you.”
Tina was overwhelmed by a surge of panic at the boldness of the wolf king, ready to murder all her princes just to have her. She stuttered, trying to find the right words. “Were they going to … I mean, they wouldn’t …”
Anthony nodded, looking around at each of the princes as he spoke. “It was a well-trained hit squad. They were going to kill all of you, take Tina, and force me to surrender.”
“Your father doesn’t know you very well,” Flynn said with a hearty smack on Anthony’s back.
They all chuckled, the laughter halfhearted with the looming implications of the attack.
Zane cleared his throat in the awkward pause that followed. “Anthony, do you think your father was the one who forced Damara into this world in the first place?”
Anthony rubbed his temples, but eventually nodded.
Tina gasped, a hand on her chest as she tried to fully grasp this new revelation.
“I don’t have proof,” Anthony added.
“If it exists, we can find it,” Zane said with a reassuring nod.
Flynn ran a hand through his hair. “In the meantime, we shouldn’t keep traveling. We must go back to Epara. Everything just got a million times worse, and nowhere else is safe.”
“Epara might not be safe,” Killian said, breaking his silence.
Tina frowned, confused. “Zane and Draven got rid of the traitor. Why wouldn’t it be safe?”
Killian rubbed his neck. “It’s beautiful, but it’s just a temple with only a handful of priests and priestesses to protect it. They wouldn’t stand a chance against a proper army.”
Tina’s shoulders drooped, exhausted and disgusted from everything happening. While she didn’t want to consider another attack on Epara, it made sense as the various attackers were becoming more and more brazen.
“What do we do?” she asked softly.
Flynn rubbed his beard thoughtfully. “We go to Epara. We regroup, and we plan. Despite the previous attack there, the dragon rebels were just that, rebels. As your temple is still considered a neutral place by the kingdoms, anyone of official standing, like the wolves, who tries to attack us there will have to tread carefully in order to avoid an outright declaration of war from the other kingdoms. I’m sorry, Tina, but we have to go back, at least for now.”
Tina nodded. Until they had a plan, going home was the best bet.
“We should talk about our new abilities,” Killian said.
Despite her bubbling panic, this caught Tina’s attention. “Draven managed to focus his flames this time, and Zane experienced a new power during the fight. Did you, Killian?”
Killian nodded. “So did Anthony.”
“Super speed,” Anthony said with a nod.
“The ability to summon lightning,” Flynn explained. “Not just wishing while my enemies are under a tree,” he added with a wink to Tina.
Tina chuckled. Even when the world had gone to shit and nothing was going right, at least her men could make her laugh.
“I seem to have incredible strength,” Zane said, staring at his hands.
Flynn laughed. “I didn’t see that coming.”
Zane snorted. “You and me both.”
Draven slapped the tiger shifter on the back. “Yeah, I figured your brain would triple in size or something.”
Tina eyed her eagle shifter, who stared out the window with glossy eyes. “Killian?”
Killian snapped his head toward her, and his expression softened as their gazes met. “I think I’m … well, I don’t know what happened, honestly.”
Anthony rubbed his face. “That dagger should have pierced your heart.”
Tina bolted to her feet. “What?!”
Killian chuckled. “I’m fine, Tina. It just, well, bounced off of me. It didn’t even leave a bruise.”
Zane ran a hand through his ruffled hair. “From what I’ve read, the gifts and powers granted to Damara’s partners are always difficult to control at first. We’ll need to refine these skills, practice with them more. It’ll take time before we fully understand them.”
“And lots of sex,” Draven said with a wink at Tina.
Tina blushed. They’d never talked about it outright in front of her before, but none of her men seemed fazed in the least. In fact, they all seemed remarkably comfortable with the idea that they had all slept with her.
Anthony twisted in his chair. “Gentlemen, I need a moment with Tina.”
The four other princes nodded and returned to their seats, each shooting Tina a reassuring nod as they gave her and Anthony space for a private conversation. She smiled back, grateful to the lengths her princes had gone to protect her.
Anthony sighed, drawing her attention back to him. “I would understand if you wanted me to withdraw.”
Confused, Tina tilted her head and leaned toward him. “Why on Earth would I want you to do that?”
“My father tried to kidnap you today and murder four of the most important people on the planet to get to you. I will understand if that makes you, well, hesitant to trust me.”
She held his face in her hands and kissed his nose. “You’re not your father. You will always do what’s right, and that’s one of the many reasons I adore you, Anthony.”
His shoulders relaxed, and he smiled with relief. He kissed her palm and inhaled deeply as if savoring the scent of her skin. “Thank you.”
She nodded, resting her forehead against his. In the end, she knew without a doubt that each of her men would do everything in his power to keep her safe. Tina hoped her goddess’s budding magic would be enough to help them succeed.
53
Tina
Once Tina returned to her temple, the weeks began to blur by in a haze of joyful time alone with her men. Even better than her time alone with them were the hours the six of them spent together. Sometimes they congregated in the gardens, other times in the sparring arena, but she most loved the days when they simply sat together and enjoyed each other over a good meal.
With their budding abilities, they had considered abandoning the training hall to keep from destroying it and train outside instead. However, it was virtually guaranteed that Epara and the surrounding lands were being monitored, and none of her princes wanted to give up the element of surprise.
At dinner one night, as the sun cast red and blue light through the stained glass windows of Epara’s dining hall, Tina leaned her elbows on the table beside her mostly empty plate. Only one slice remained of the pot pie Zane had prepared for them, and she couldn’t suppress her laughter as Flynn and Draven debated over who should get it.
Grinning, Flynn reached for the pie tin. “I simply eat more than you, dragon! You shouldn’t come between a demigod and his food.”
“Well, I’m prettier, so I should get it. Tina, tell him.” Draven smirked as he egged her on.
Tina shook her head, a broad grin on her face. “You’re on your own, babe.”
Beside her, Anthony took the final bite of pie off his plate and nodded toward Zane. “I’m impressed. This was really good. I appreciate the gesture and the time you took to make this for us. When did you become such a chef?”