Page 89 of To Spark a Dragon's Love
I spread out the map on my desk while Kieran and Lucan hovered behind me.
“This is the plan you should’ve started with,” Lucan smirked.
At my look of confusion, Kieran sighed. “He means that we’ve both already been where you are now and thought this through.”
“It’s settled then. We’ll go south.” I reached for the phone to start making plans.
“Whoa there.” Kieran intercepted me. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It’s different this time.”
“How so?”
“For starters, neither of us has half the supernatural world breathing down our necks if we don’t deliver results,” Kieran said.
“That won’t be a problem.” I looked at my brother.
Lucan shrugged. “It’ll take some time, but I can get new wards up and running elsewhere.”
“Second, neither of our mates were actively building a safe haven for an entire community of humans and other shifters to survive in,” Kieran wouldn’t stop talking.
My pride in Willow was tainted by my sense of dread. “All the more reason to get her somewhere far away. She can rebuild.”
“And where is she supposed to go? The moon? I hate to break it to you, but neither of us were trying to run from Earth Herself.”
Ignore the scribe.
I’d had enough of Kieran’s self-righteous-rightness to last a lifetime.
“She can’t have her.” My voice was calm and collected despite the frantic pulse of blood rushing through my veins. “Willow is mine.”
“Now you know why I wanted no part in this,” Lucan mumbled.
He could gloat later, after I figured out a plan.
“We can stay in the sky. No, that won’t work.” I began to pace. “How long will it take you to build a new ward? Maybe we should have multiple locations.”
That could work. Keep her off the ground as much as possible.
“I don’t think we can escape this,” Kieran said.
I ignored him, but he didn’t notice.
“It doesn’t make sense.” He turned to Lucan. “Ember hasn’t said anything about hearing voices. Has Riley?”
Lucan shook his head even as his eyes went distant, no doubt checking with Riley through their bond. I resisted the urge to tug on my bond with Willow for no other reason than to make sure she was okay.
My worry would only upset her further. I needed to hurry and come up with a plan to keep her safe. When I thought of how much time I wasted drawing out these past few weeks in Earth’s service instead of figuring out a way to fuse Willow to me so nothing could ever take her, it made me ill.
“The prophecy says—”
“To hell with the prophecy,” I growled.
That silenced Kieran, finally.
“I’ve given Earth more than any other creature has for longer than any other guardian in our history and this is how She repays me? No. I won’t budge. She can’t have my mate.”
“I’m not saying we give Her Willow,” Kieran said. “I’m just wondering why each of our mates carry one of the runes marked on their skin.”
“If you’re suggesting Riley will have any part as a guardian, you’re sorely mistaken.” Lucan growled.
