Page 51 of Shifting Fate
Arias
I woke up to someone snoring in my ear. Blinking a few times, I turned my head to the side to find Dallon curled up behind me. His arm was thrown around my waist, both knees tucked into the crook of mine. Spooning me. For some reason, being the little spoon gave me the weirdest thrill and I found myself smiling.
I glanced around the room, a little disoriented. Where were we? And was that… I sniffed. Bacon? I knew Tristram wasn’t cooking, so that meant we had to be at Amber Run.
Dallon must’ve felt me move, because he stirred with a groan, rubbing his chin against my shoulder. “Ari?” His mumble was sleepy, followed by a yawn.
“Good morning,” I murmured.
With a jolt, he sat upright and rubbed at his eyes. “Oh! How do you feel?”
The concern in his voice alarmed me, and memories of the night before came rushing back. Dancing with Dallon at the club. The Dreadhunter attack. The poisoned arrows. The witch. It was hazy there at the end. I remembered a fiery pain, and then…
I sat up in the bed. “Did I pass out?”
“Yeah. I was really worried.” I hated the quiver in his voice, and when I gazed into his eyes, I saw the same fear from last night lurking in the shadows around his pupil. His Adam’s apple bobbed. “You… You were in so much pain, and there wasn’t anything I could do. I don’t think I’ll ever forget your scream.”
“Shh. Come here.” I reached out to him, needing to reassure my mate that I was okay. Besides being a little sleepy, I felt brand new. Dallon scooted closer and climbed into my lap, hugging me around the neck. I wrapped both arms around him in a tight embrace. “It’s okay, Dal. Really. I’m okay.”
“We got lucky,” he said, tucking his face in the crook of my neck. “So lucky. If it wasn’t for Harper…” He released a shuddering breath. “I could’ve lost you forever.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I promised.
“Good.”
For awhile, we just held onto each other, needing the comfort the other offered. I didn’t know what had happened last night, but it was obvious it’d shaken Dallon to the core. I kissed his cheek, and when he smiled, I kissed that too.
“Now, who’s Harper?” I asked.
Dallon pulled back, his brows jumping up. “The guy who saved us? The witch? You aren’t gonna believe this, but turns out, Harper is Liora Fleur’s brother. He’s been searching for her for years, and—”
“Her brother?” I repeated, a vice cinching around my lungs.
Dallon seemed confused, like he hadn’t quite put two and two together. “Duh? That’s what I said, isn’t it?” He smirked. “Keep up, slowpoke. Anyhow, he’d been following the Dreads that attacked us in hopes that they’d lead him back to his sister. Instead, the assholes attacked a group of humans in cold blood. Harper thinks they did it on purpose, like Liora commanded them to do it. Is that fucked up or what?”
I froze. “The humans...”
Dallon’s smile faded. “Yeah. The humans saw all of that. Worse? They got it on tape. They gotuson tape. Shifting.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah.” He sighed. “The cat’s out of the bag now. Shifterkind has been outed and it’s only gonna go downhill from here. News travels fast. The minute that video is uploaded to Facebook and Twitter? We’re fucked. Double-fucked, and not in the good way, either.”
A chill ran down my spine. “Did the video show our faces?” If the police could ID us and the humans freaked out, that could be bad. Really bad. The entire pack could be in danger.
Dallon offered a tight smile. “Not that I could tell. It was dark, and luckily it was taken on someone’s shitty phone camera. I bet that guy wishes he’d upgraded to the new iPhone, huh?”
“Thank god for small miracles,” I muttered.
Three hard knocks sounded on the door before it popped open. Tristram took a look around, his gaze settling on the bed. A smile twitched up one side of his mouth in a lopsided expression.
“Wakey-wakey, eggs and bakey. Literally. Put some clothes on, it’s time for breakfast.” Tossing a wadded-up bundle of fabric at me, he pulled the door closed behind him and left us alone once more.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed and got dressed in the clothes Tristram had brought me, while Dallon pulled his blue jeans on. I raised a brow in question. He stuck out his tongue. “These jeans are tight. No way in hell was I gonna sleep in them.”
I tilted my chin to the side. “This is your house. You could’ve put on something a little more comfortable.”
“I told you.” He huffed at me. “I was worried. C’mon, hurry up. I haven’t eaten in forever.” How he could be hungry at a time like this, I wasn’t sure. I shrugged and followed him down the hall. We took our seats at the kitchen table. Dallon scooted over to make room for Tristram, which meant his leg was pressed up against mine.
