I took one look at Zara’s face and thought it would be unlikely that anyone would succeed in kidnapping Kali.

“Let’s visit the northern forests outside of Cantrada. They will need to be updated,” Astrid said.

I sighed but allowed her to place her hand on my forearm. We spun away in a sea of darkness.

Chapter Twelve

Wren

Kieran had his fingers in my hair, softly stroking as I dozed against him. Ronan looked up from his paperwork in the corner of the room, an indulgent smile on his lips. The birds sang in the trees on Lyoness, and the smell of fruit was potent in the air. Behind me was the strong plane of Benedict’s chest, one leg entwined with mine. His hand tenderly ran up and down the swell of my hip, his fingernails gently scraping against my scales. I breathed out, joy swelling in my heart at his gentle, careful touch. I pressed back against him, his hips involuntarily grinding against my backside. His desire was apparent, and I couldn’t help the small mewl of contentment that escaped my lips. With a small shift his hands glided up my body, the rough ridges of his hand and a lack of scales feeling foreign against the undersides of my breasts. I frowned, planning on telling him that he could stay in his draken form.

My eyes shot open as a sleepy groan emanated from him, pulling my body closer to him. The interior of Thad’s room greeted me, and my heart caught in my chest. Thad shifted in his sleep, his face nuzzling against my neck. I closed my eyes, trying to ignore how comforting it felt. Thad wasn’t my mate; he wasn’t even my friend. He was my jailer. My enslaver. I tried to pull away and his body tensed, his grip around me like steel.

“Thad.”

He made a growling sound that shouldn’t have been possible with a human voice, and I felt the first real tendrils of fear. Was this his demon side coming out? One hand threaded into my hair, pulling my head back and exposing my throat to him. The collar clinked against him, and I never thought I’d ever be thankful to be wearing it. The sound woke him fully as he stared at it dumbly, his gaze flickering between the collar and the uncertainty on my face. With a jerk and a blink, his eyes cleared of lust, his hands flying from my skin as if I’d burned him. His body started to shake with the tell-tale signs of another seizure.

“Get out! Get—”

He shoved me out of the bed, and I tumbled to the floor. My chains followed me, though I managed to dodge most of them. I winced in pain as one landed on my cheekbone, huddling on the floor while he writhed in the bed. It was obvious he fought to bite his tongue, muffling his screams into the blankets. My eyes scanned the small room, looking for anything that might help. The table! There had to be something to give him, something left over from when he healed me.