Page 8 of Let's Talk One True Mate

“Which one? Track or Treena?” Burton asked.

“No idea. Does it matter?”

“Yes it matters. We give leadership positions based on prophecy. You two’re in the KSRT because of your prophecy.”

Timber shrugged. “They’re twins—we’ll flip a coin or something. Anyway, Trevor needed no more confirmation than that prophecy. He took Ella to his house—just moved her right in, but Khain called her one morning from her sister’s phone. He’d captured Shay, Ella’s sister, and taken her to the Pravus. Ella agreed to meet him, wanting to save Shay. She snuck out of the house and ran to the catamount statue, where Khain crossed her over.”

Burton shook his head slowly back and forth. “Unbelievable.”

“What’s unbelievable is that he didn’t touch her,” Timber said.

Canyon’s mental voice tightened.He’d already touched her sister.

Burton continued to shake his head, his expression troubled.

“Trevor asked Crew to get a message to Khain, that Trevor was willing to trade himself in exchange for Ella’s release. While Crew was talking to Khain, however he did that shit, Khain attached a mental hook to him, making a kind of connection between the two of them. This had something to do with their run-in when Crew was 13 but we knew nothing about it. Crew didn’t tell anyone.”

Burton grunted and nodded. “Secretive bugger.”

Timber opened his mouth, about to say something about the pot and the kettle, but Canyon whipped a pen at him. Timber grabbed the pen out of the air and whipped it back, over Canyon’s head. It hit the wall and bounced to the floor. Canyon fished another pen out of a drawer and stuck it in his boot, not looking at Timber.

“Anyhow,” Timber said. “Khain accepted Trevor’s offer but of course we all knew it would be a double-cross, even Trevor. We just didn’t talk about it. Wade allowed Trevor to go in as a distraction, then they took a scanty team up the bluff and opened a portal into the Pravus using Graeme’s mind powers, with Trent and Troy helping, and Mac as muscle. They followed Trevor to Khain’s house or castle or whatever it’s supposed to be, and found Trevor downed and Ella riled up and using her super blasty powers. They fought off Khain, grabbed Trevor, Ella, and Shay, and escaped back here to the Ula. Khain’sfoxenservant also escaped out the portal and then ran off into the woods. ”

“Boeson,” Burton said.

“Yeah, Boe. He ran off in the woods and somehow made it to Sinnissippi Park. Rogue found him almost immediately, cold and alone. This was months before her and Mac got together. Boe ran off and our team barely noticed because Trevor was in a bad way—burnt and dying and not able to shift.”

Dead, Canyon said, pulling a football out of a drawer, spiraling it straight up and catching it.

“He was alive enough to drink the dragon blood.”

Canyon grunted. Timber raised his hand and Canyon threw him the football. He threw it back and went on.

“Trevor drankdragenblood and so did Shay. Trevor recovered but Shay didn’t. She never regained consciousness, even during her pregnancy, labor, delivery, and to this day.”

“It disturbs me that she consumeddragenblood while pregnant,” Burton said.

“I label it DD—Definitely Disturbing, but the young came out as normal humans with no sign of demon lineage ordragenpowers. She may have already been pregnant.”

“We’re certain?”

“Timber shook his head. “We’re not certain. We’ve got eyes on the young—Sebastian’s on full-time surveillance.”

“Sebastian? Is that smart?”

“Sebastian’s also being watched, and he knows it.”

“If he snaps, it’ll be too late before anyone can get to him.”

“True. Have you talked to him lately, Chief?”

“Seb? No, ah… I guess I can’t remember when the last time I saw him was.”

“He’s doing good. He interviewed Boe a few months ago and he’s been mellow ever since. Stable, even.”

Burton looked skeptical. Timber went on.

“Graeme did the heavy lifting in that rescue, then gave two people his blood, and it cost him. They took him right out to Remington, the cat doctor, and he stayed there, almost as comatose as Ella’s sister. A few days later was the mating ceremony. It was huge, out in the country. Everybody came.”

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