Halfway to the clearing, Dexmon grabbed Serena’s hand and locked their fingers together.
She looked down stunned. He looked straight ahead, like it hadn’t happened.
She gave a feeble attempt to shake him away but his fingers tightened.
Then she looked up, and saw Elara and Gav watching. Again. To say she was irritated would be an understatent.
"Can I hold your other hand?" Gav asked, tone dead serious.
She rolled her eyes and continued forward, now holding hands with a grown man behaving like a child.
Serena rembered that Dexmon marked her during this handholding walk. And that Shadowclaw had marked her too the night before. Maybe that was why she was beyond irritated. Getting marked however many fucking tis will do things to your brain.
Gav fell into step beside them, glancing down at their locked fingers. He couldn’t help himself and kept going.
"This is nice. Are we a group that holds hands now? Because I’m in."
"Gav," Elara warned.
"What? I have two free hands. No one’s using them. Seems like a waste."
Dex didn’t respond, pretending not to hear.
Aegon: She has not pulled away in fourteen seconds. New record.
They settled on a hill overlooking the glade. All four of them crouched behind large rocks, eyes on the clearing.
There was ten seconds of perfect, disciplined silence.
Then Gavriel farted.
Not quietly. Not subtly. The kind that echoed off rock.
No one spoke.
Serena slowly turned her head to look at him, a wave of pure nausea rolling through her. Without word, she stood, moving away from him to another large boulder ten feet away.
Elara followed, shooting him a look. Dex pinched the bridge of his nose, stood, and moved to where Serena was.
"What?" Gav whispered. He followed them without apology, crouching next to Serena like nothing had happened. "To be fair, we’ve been crouching for ten minutes."
"We have been crouching for TWO minutes," Elara said through her teeth.
"Felt longer."
Gav let the silence last about thirty seconds before he started up again.
"You ca all the way out here..." he whispered. "Shadowclaw said you refused to let him carry you back."
Serena buried her face in her hands. "I am aware. I was there."
"He also ntioned you crawled part of the way," Gav added, like he was reading a report.
She was mortified by the very mory. And this was not the conversation she wanted to have.
"And that you tried to stand twice. Fell both tis."
"Are you done?"
"He also said you kept saying you were fine," Gav added dryly. "Sounds about right."
They were still crouched down waiting for whoever was trying to et in the clearing. But Serena didn’t hesitate and shoved Gav with all her strength.
He didn’t budge.
"Did you just try to move ?" Gav asked, genuinely delighted.
"I did move you."
He looked down at her hand, then back up at her and started cracking up. This made Serena laugh even though she was thoroughly annoyed.
"Stop laughing," she snapped.
"Stop being irritated," Gav shot back. "It’s hilarious."
"Will you both shut up?" Elara hissed, exasperated.
"She started it," Gav whispered.
"I will end it," Elara whispered back.
"You say that a lot and never follow through."
Elara slowly turned her head to look at him. The look was so lethal that Gav raised both hands in surrender and faced forward.
Dex was silent because he was fighting Aegon again. First when Shadowclaw’s na ca up. And now because Gav made her laugh and Dex hadn’t.
Aegon:She’s laughing because of him. Make her laugh. Then mark her. Now.
A cloaked figure entered the clearing below
Serena’s eyes flashed gold and sothing took over.
Dex felt her through the matebond and was up first, hooking his arm around her waist before she could move.
Sothing was off with her and he lifted her without hesitating, throwing her over his shoulder as he moved away from the clearing in a blur.
Aegon:Finally. Carry mate. This is correct.
He headed towards camp, gripping her tightly. She fought him every second, trying to break free.
Fin Shadowclaw was already moving in that direction. He saw Serena thrown over Dex’s shoulder and his face darkened.
"Sothing in the clearing is affecting her," Dex said, barely keeping Aegon in check.
She wrenched herself free of his grip, flying back eight feet and landing on her feet. Then she disappeared in a blur.
Aegon:How did she do that. HOW DID SHE DO THAT.
Dex ran at lightning speed, hooking his arm around her waist, as if he was prepared for that very thing.
Fin stood frozen for a second due to the fact she just moved at Alpha speed. He’d never heard of a woman being able to do that.
Dex mindlinked, not caring that everyone wearing a gold cuff could hear.
Dex: Hyran. I need you at the north point of camp. Now.
Fin could feel Serena’s urgency through their matebond. But he also felt sothing was off.
She wiggled free of Dex again, but this ti, Fin was on it. He moved rapidly, hooking her around the waist and picked her up.
She struggled against him.
"Sorry, Serena," Fin said, tightening his hold on her.
Dex stood five feet away watching another man carry his mate, jaw tight enough to crack teeth.
Aegon: Get her back.
Dexmon: He’s helping.
Aegon: He is holding her. Those are different things.
Gav and Elara arrived seconds later, out of breath.
"Did anyone else just see her outrun two Alpha Kings and escape twice?" Gav asked, looking around.
No one answered.
"Just checking. Wanted to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating."
Hyran stepped out of a tent nearby and took in the scene.
"I leave for an hour," he muttered, shaking his head. "Bring her this way."
Her eyes flared gold, urgency hitting both Dexmon and Fin like a punch. Then her body ignited in fla.
Fin blinked, glancing down at the fire crawling up his arms but didn’t stop moving. He didn’t feel a thing.
Aegon: Her fire does not hurt him either. Fated mates.
Dexmon: Focus.
Aegon: I am focused. He needs to go.
He got about ten feet before she slipped free, even with his death grip on her.
"Shit," Fin said, shocked.
"Okay. New plan. Anyone have a net?" Gav called.
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