Bram nodded. “Right, which benefits the hunters.” Stonefire’s leader looked to his mate. “At one point, you mentioned the possibility of Simon Bourne working with the authorities to look the other way for his dragon hunts. Maybe it went all the way to the top levels of the DDA. That could explain the laxness of arresting dragon hunters over the last few years.”
Evie placed a hand on Bram’s arm. “Maybe, and it’s bugged you for months why my rescue was so easy. Do you think it was a distraction, to give Simon Bourne or Jonathan Christie a chance to recreate the Order of the Dragon Knights? They might’ve had this attack planned for months to coincide with Mel’s book launch and needed to ensure no one made any sort of connection between Christie and Simon Bourne until they could pull off the attacks.”
Bram frowned. “Maybe. Although I don’t like making assumptions without proof. I need to talk to Kai.” He looked at Evie. “And we need to contact your friend. The more information we have, the better we can face this possible new threat.”
~~~
Despite the possible conspiracy brewing amongst the ranks of the DDA, all Tristan could think about was his mate.
He didn’t like the way Mel was slowly moving away from him. It might only be an inch or two at a time, but he knew it was because he’d hurt her.
His dragon paced. You should have listened to me. She might leave us because of your actions.
She won’t. And listening to you meant disobeying Bram. Dragon-shifters need a clan structure to survive or it will become chaotic.
A real dragon wouldn’t hide anything from his mate. It is the way it’s supposed to be.
Right, so his dragon was now giving him the guilt trip. I will handle this. Be quiet so I can listen to the conversation.
With a huff, his inner beast moved to the back of his mind just as Bram mentioned needing to talk with Kai. Then Bram looked to Melanie and added, “Keep a watch on the human media for me and if you could come up with any ideas on how to use it to our advantage, let me know. I’ll be back as soon as I have more information.”
Mel gave a stiff bob of her head. Tristan wanted to rub her back to help ease her tension, but as she scooted another inch away from him, he decided against it.
Bram looked to him. “Tell Melanie whatever she wants to know. There won’t be any more clan secrets kept from your mate. She is one of us.”
Once Tristan nodded, Bram turned toward the door. “Keep your phones close to hand. Evie or I will call you soon.”
As Bram left with his mate and son, a strained silence filled the cottage. He wanted to ease his mate’s pain, but Tristan had never been very good with words. He had no idea of what to say, yet if he said nothing, he might lose her trust.
Unsure of what else he could say, Tristan blurted out, “I’m sorry.”
Mel turned toward him, her eyes guarded. “Right here, right now, I need to know if there’s anything else you’ve been keeping secret from me.”
“Just one more thing.”
She moved another inch away. “Well?”
He glanced down at his son, asleep in his arms. The sight of his son’s peaceful face gave him the courage to look back at Melanie and say, “After Annabel was born and I waited to see if you’d live or die, I cried to the point of nearly sobbing. I hadn’t done that since my mother’s death.”
Mel’s posture eased. “Tristan.”
She would probably allow him to hug her and hold her, but he needed to do more than patch up his mistake; he needed to heal it. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the Dragon Knights, Melanie. Bram’s dominance and my respect for his leadership prevented me from giving in to the desire to share everything with you. I won’t do it again. Please don’t leave me or take away our babies.”
His mate frowned. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“You’re angry and keep moving away from me. I keep waiting for you to bolt.”
“Tristan MacLeod, stop being paranoid. I’m upset, yes, but I would sure as hell hope our love is stronger than one little incident. Things have been nearly perfect up until now. Something was bound to happen. However, if you’re willing to give up on us that easily, maybe I should leave.”
Tristan reached out and touched her cheek. “No, I don’t want you to leave. You and the children are my everything.”
Her face softened. “There’s that tenderness again. It wouldn’t hurt to show it a bit more often, you know, when I’m not angry?”
“So, you forgive me?”
With a sigh, she moved, readjusted her grip on their daughter, and cuddled her head against his chest. “I suppose so, but to start making it up to me, tell me everything you know about the knights.”
He kissed the top of his mate’s hair. The heat and softness of her against his side allayed both the man and beast’s worries. “There’s not a lot to tell, really. The modern human sacrifice system was loosely based on one used during the medieval period, when lords and villages would offer a human female in exchange for protection against outside threats. The Dragon Knights thought they could do a better job of protecting other humans, at a price of course.