Page 49 of Hidden Fate

Hand in hand, we rushed toward the Suburban. Halfway to the vehicle, Uther, Jerry, and Gemma stepped into view, heading back to their own vehicles. Uther’s eyes were glassy with unshed tears, and that vise tightened once more.

Uther stopped in front of me. He stared into my eyes as a tear trickled down his cheek. “Everly, please take good care of her. She’s going to cling to you.”

He didn’t have to explain; his daughter already had. “I will. I promise.” Not only would I protect her but every person Drake threatened.

“And that’s the only reason I can walk away from her again.” He wiped the tear as Jerry and Gemma continued to their Tahoe. “This has to end. I need to be with my daughter…to watch her grow up without worryinghemight kill her. I need to be her father. She’s already lost too much.”

Thorn placed a hand on Uther’s shoulder. “Everly and I will ensure she’s always watched over. You have my word. You protected my mate, and I’ll protect your daughter.”

Taking a shaky breath, Uther turned to Thorn. He squinted as if Thorn were a puzzle, but then he nodded. “Tashya made me a better man, despite her not being a dragon. The two of us revolved around each other as if wewerefated to be one. If she could do that to me, I can only imagine how a fated mate could influence someone else. I know the emotions and feelings are supposed to be stronger, though I don’t know how that could be possible. But it has to be because the man standing before me isn’t the same one who saved Everly from the château. It’s a man I wouldn’t mind following after all.”

“That’s the thing, though—I don’t want to befollowed. I just don’t want Drake to destroy our kind…like my grandfather did.” Thorn dropped his hand and scowled.

“Fair enough.” Uther huffed and glanced back at the Suburban hidden by some trees. “Sometimes, it’s the one who doesn’t want to lead who makes the best leader. I’ll call you later after we visit a thunder near here to see if they know anything about you. At least with the location you chose, there’s one close enough to justify an excursion out here.”

“Be safe.” I’d always been fond of him, but now he was truly putting his neck on the line. I wasn’t foolish to think it was for me; it was for his daughter and the future he wanted her to have, but he was still risking everything to better the lives of all the shifters. “If something goes sideways, let us know. We’ll try to help you.”

“I’m assuming the queen gave you the phone.” Thorn’s hope and trepidation swirled through our connection. “Do you believe we can trust her? Or is Drake putting her up to this? From the Dragonnet, it seems she’s backing him.”

“That’s something you’ll have to ask her.” Uther lifted his hands. “Drake hasn’t been hiding his nastiness since King Arman died, and everyone is at his mercy, trying to survive.”

That made the situation worse. I didn’t know why, but I’d foolishly hoped that wasn’t the case. I’d hoped he would be kinder to those in his employ, given they were potentially loyal to him, but maybe his meanness was just the way he was. He felt entitled to everyone’s loyalty, regardless of how he treated them, and he took what he wanted by force—boy, had I learned that the hard way.

“Be safe, Uther. And feel free to call us on a burner phone to check in with Reece. I’m sure she would love to talk to you,” I said as I tugged Thorn toward the Suburban.

“You be careful, too, and I do have a burner phone. I saved the number on yours,” Uther replied as Jerry and Gemma climbed into the Tahoe and shut their doors. The engine started.

That was good to know. We wouldn’t be answering any calls we couldn’t identify, and maybe not even all of those. We had to be careful about who we trusted. Even taking this burner phone was a huge risk, but if Uther, Jerry, and Gemma trusted the queen enough to bring it here and hand over their loved ones, that was enough for me.

Saphira and Tyson stood near the Suburban. Their bodies weren’t as tense, but they were still being watchful.

My human ears picked up a few faint wing flaps, which meant dragons were flying overhead. I looked up and made out their forms high in the sky. If I’d been only human, I wouldn’t have heard or seen them.

Cassidy was back behind the wheel with the engine running. Kari, Reece, and Chandra sat in the back row, the little girl sitting in the middle with Chandra on the passenger side and Kari on the driver’s side. The trunk was open while Vlad and Errol searched their bags for trackers or whatever else could be used for locating our home base.

Thorn and I strolled to the back, and I said, “I’m assuming the three of them are clear.”

“We checked them first.” Vlad zipped up the bag and tossed it in the corner. “And the two bags I checked don’t have anything they can use to track us.”

“This one doesn’t, either.” Errol closed the dark purple bag and placed it on the other side. “As long as we can trust that they won’t track the phone they just gave us, we’re good to go.”

It all came back to trusting the three warriors. Every time, I came to the same conclusion—we could—but a little fear still sat hard on my stomach, mainly because the queen was involved. But I’d seen how she’d reacted when she’d learned Thorn was alive. She’d been happy, so that was the only reason I was willing to continue with the plan.

Thorn placed an arm around my waist, anchoring me to him, and connected,If you want us to change our minds about trusting them, we can.

He was having similar thoughts.I think they’re all being honest…even the queen. I just worry about her loyalties remaining steady if she realizes Uther wants to kill Drake.I hadn’t put that piece together until he’d forced me to discuss it.

I agree, but I believe she doesn’t want him as king. I remember the love she and King Arman had for each other. They were fated, one of the last few pairs to find each other back then…so I believe she’s upset with him.Something like hope spread from my mate.I think we do trust them, but we don’t let our guard down completely. We schedule watches among the thunders so that if warriors come at us, we’ll have a warning.

You’re right. This is our best chance, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take precautions.A plan like that did make me feel better.

“We continue on as planned,” Thorn instructed. “But we’ll make sure that two of us are always on watch, and we’ll rotate the schedule.”

“Good.” Vlad shut the trunk. “I agree, but caution saves lives. Worst case, it gives us time to work on our observation skills, which we’ll need when we attack the coronation.”

A humorless laugh bubbled out of me unexpectedly. “First a wedding and now a coronation. He’ll be more prepared this time around.”

“Yes, he’ll be paranoid.” Errol nodded. “We can strategize back at the house.”

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