Page 69 of The Magic of Destiny
“Sloane, do youwantthem to kick your ass? Do you think you need some kind of punishment for something you literally had no control over?” I walked over to the fridge and pushed Kai back, away from my sad dragon boy. “Living room. Everyone.Now.” I pushed Sloane’s back to get him to move. I could feel the tension and unease at my back like a thick fog.
Once the guys all took their seats, I headed over to sit next to Sloane. He’d tried to isolate himself off to one side on the sectional, but I wasn’t having it. What had just happened wasn’t his fault, and I’d be damned if he thought he could just close himself off again. Situations like these were exactly why we needed to be there for each other.
His eyes widened as I plopped down beside him and took his hand. I held on tightly, because I fully expected him to try and pull away from me. Our eyes connected and I narrowed mine, hoping he knew what I was saying without words.
Don’t even fucking think about it, mister.
He huffed, settling back against the couch, and I looked away to hide my smile. Which evaporated fairly quickly because my other men were clearly wound up.
“Let’s talk then,” Kai rumbled, his voice holding a primal edge to it that lifted the hairs on the back of my neck.
The silence in the room was unbearable. We were never silent. Someone was always laughing, teasing, touching, or talking.
Turning to Sloane, I kept my voice low because I didn’t want to embarrass him if he was uncomfortable. “Do you want me to tell them what happened? Or do you want to?” His jaw ticked in agitation, but his thumb traced circles over the back of my hand, so I knew it wasn’t me he was upset with.
He cleared his throat and looked at the guys. “When I was taken, they had, uh, an interesting technique they used to get me to obey.” I watched as everyone straightened up, except for Fischer since he already knew. “My father was there when I was taken, and when I woke up, I was strapped to a table in some kind of exam room. A woman came in and administered some kind of drug via injection that suppressed my magic. They wanted me to be in my dragon form all the time, so they could study me. When I refused...” Sloane paused, and groaned. The pain in that sound was so obvious that Kai released a whimper at his obvious discomfort.
“It’s okay. You’re here with us. We’re all here and we love you,” I whispered, encouraging him to continue but hopefully helping him to stay grounded in the here and now.
“The people who worked there… they had you guys. Or I thought they did. It all seemed so real. At first, they would torture them when I refused to shift, but they quickly learned that by actually hurting them, the shift to dragon would happen regardless. I’d lose my fucking mind. Stuck in a cage, with no escape. I’d have to watch them... watch while... while they…” Sloane released a heartbreaking noise that was as un-Sloane-like as a noise could be.
“Jesus,” Cam hissed.
Sloane took a deep breath. His hand trembled in mine, so I covered it with my other hand. “When it became clear that I’d shift just to avoid Red or Fish being harmed further, they started doing it just to see how powerful I was, or to watch how I’d react to different scenarios. They wanted to break me... and I think they might have,” he explained, the last part coming out softly.
Kai hopped to his feet and came over to plop down on the floor next to Sloane’s legs. “That’s not possible. You’re one of the strongest men I know. It may take some time, but you’ll be okay, brother.”
Tears welled in my eyes at the love these guys had for each other. With a foundation as solid as their friendship, I knew everything would work out. These men took care of each other, and they’d done so long before I ever came into the picture.
Crossing his legs, Bram ran a hand through his hair. “Fucking shapeshifters,” he spat, holding his hands up when every person in the room looked at him with identical ‘are you serious’ expressions. “Yes, I know. Shapeshifting is a power I have, but I would never abuse that power like they did. Mentally torturing someone like that? I wish I could go back there and personally decimate those bottom-feeding assholes.” His eyes flared, and I knew he was literally working through the logistics of that in his mind, to see if it was possible. When this demon wanted blood, it was nearly impossible to deter him from his goals of carnage.
Faris had been quiet the entire time, listening and watching the room closely. I knew he and Sloane had issues, but I was really hoping they’d be able to work them out.
A wave of calm suddenly blanketed the room, and my body relaxed. Sloane’s arm wrapped around me as he tugged me against him, and I released a deep sigh. Guppy stood and walked over to us, taking Sloane’s other hand and twining their fingers together. I was thankful for the use of his affinity in this moment; it felt like we could all breathe for a moment.
“Tell us what happened upstairs?” Guppy asked, looking at Sloane, who looked almost like he was in a daze.
“I was asleep and I was having a dream. Flashback would actually be more accurate. Only this time, I got my hands on that fucker who was hurting them—the one who’d been the most cruel. I wrapped my hands around his neck, but then he slapped me. Except when I looked down, it wasn’t him anymore. It was Red.” He pulled his hands away from Guppy and I, holding them up like he just couldn’t believe what he’d done. “I was strangling her. Like they did. Like my dad used to—”
“You’re nothing like him,” Cam snapped. “You went through hell, brother. I still have dreams about the cabin burning, and I wake up sweating, gasping for breath. This is going to stay with you forever. Having a natural reaction to a traumatic event doesn’t make you weak.”
“I could have killed her!” Sloane boomed, pushing off the couch to his feet. Kai scrambled out of the way to make room.
Jumping up myself, I reached for his arm. “You’re acting like I’m made of glass. I have my own magic, Sloane. Trust me, you never would’ve gotten close. The shock caused me not to react as quickly as I should have, but now that we’re all on the same page, I won’t make that mistake again.”
“One of us will make sure we’re with you if you’re sleeping with anyone. Nobody needs to get hurt or be isolated. We’ll get through this together,” Kai said, his voice firm. He’d never let Sloane confine himself. Hell, he’d never let any of us do that; that’s part of why I loved the big bossy Alpha.
Fischer stood off to the side, studying Sloane. “Let me take the memories away,” he blurted out, and every head in the room snapped to look at him.
“Absolutely not.” Sloane crossed his arms, glaring at Guppy.
I huffed at him. “Why the hell not?”
“Nobody—and I mean nobody—will ever see what I saw there,” Sloane warned, a challenge in his tone.
Guppy frowned. “You’re trying to protect me and there’s no need. My powers are stronger than they’ve ever been. I’m confident I can do it quickly, and I swear to you that I won’t look at the memories, Sloane. I just want to help you. Think about it, okay? If you change your mind, I’m here.” He surged forward and wrapped his hand around the back of Sloane’s neck, tugging him in and bumping their foreheads together.
Glancing back, I met Cam and Bram’s eyes. They seemed to be at ease now, thank the stars. I looked over at Faris, feeling slightly confused when I found him scowling. Before I could ask him if he was okay, Sloane dropped another bomb.
