Page 61 of The Dragons’ Eternal Mate

“The problem is, I am well aware that Rowan will freak out if any one of us four goes,” Orsen explained.

“You want me to go get him?” Griffin asked.

“Do you think you’re up to it?”

He leaned back, looking at us one by one. “Of course I’m up to it. If you want him alive, though, I may not be the one to send, because I’m not sure I can contain myself when I see his stupid face. When I met Rowan, she was still having to take medication to get through the night and apply salves and bandages on her abdomen every day. I make no promises about his safety because I want to tear that fucker limb from limb.”

“Do it,” Bastian instructed. His words were simple, resolute.

Griffin glanced at him in surprise. “Are you sure?”

“I want to kill the fucker myself, but I appreciate you want that pleasure as well.”

“Why now?” Griffin asked.

I cleared my throat. There was no point in lying to him, especially as he was about to put his life on the line to keep our mate safe. “Let’s just say that, after last night, it looks like we are finally a proper clan again. We don’t want to start our life together with Cyrus still out there, ready to kill her or any one of us.”

“We want our mate to be safe,” Nix added. “We want this to be quiet and fast, that’s why we are asking you.”

“I’ll happily do it. I’ll tell Rowan that I’m doing some patrolling—things have fallen to the wayside since she came back, with everything changing.”

“We shouldn’t lie to her,” Nix countered. Even though I nodded in agreement, I knew that telling her would be difficult.

“Don’t,” Griffin said. “I will be exploring our borders and hunting down some folks. That’s the truth. It’s all she needs to know for now. We all know she won’t handle me being in danger. She never has. I’ll tell her the truth, but I’ll simply omit the part about me going after Cyrus specifically.”

“Thank you,” Bastian said. “I wish I could do it.”

Griffin smirked. “Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to drag him back here so you can have your pound of flesh.”

An evil grin spread across Bastian’s face. “That’s all I ask. If he doesn’t survive getting back here, I’ll understand, but we’d all prefer it if we could sink our teeth into him, too. Now, I’m going to go back to bed. Our lovely mate is alone in there, and that just won’t do.” He slid his chair back and waltzed out of the room.

Risking Rowan wasn’t acceptable, and making her happy had jumped to the top of the priority list, as evidenced by the fact we were sending someone else out there to find Cyrus.

I just hoped Griffin brought him back alive.

Because I wanted to watch the fucker die, like we all did.

And Griffin had to make it back, too. If something happened to Rowan’s best friend, she’d never forgive us, and I wouldn’t blame her.

“Get him back here,” Orsen tacked on, standing and looking Griffin right in the eye. “Bring him back so that he can answer to the entire horde for what he did. They need to hear it from the horse’s mouth. And it’ll bring me nothing but joy to force the words out of him using whatever means necessary.”

Griffin stood and clapped his hand against Orsen’s in a firm shake. “I’m on it. I won’t let that asshole get away. I swear to you.”

“You’re a good man, Griffin.” Orsen nodded once. “And I’m sorry again for the rocky start when Rowan first got here. Go get him. Get the man who tried to kill her.”

I glanced back at him with a nod. Griffin met Orsen’s intensity with his own. “Done.”

Rowan

“We should get up,” I mumbled, rolling onto my front, sliding my arms under the pillow, and pressing my face into it. The last thing I wanted to do was leave my warm bubble, cozy in a bed that smelled so damn good because my mates were in it, but the real world was waiting for us.

“Or,” Bastian muttered, reaching over me and pressing a kiss to my neck, “we could enjoy this for a bit longer.”

I hummed, craning my neck toward him, still desperate for more attention despite everything we’d done the night before. Bastian didn’t disappoint, kissing up and down, sucking and nipping at the skin, making me squirm.

“That sounds like a pleasant idea,” I agreed, breaking off with a moan.

Every hard ridge of his body was pressed against my back, his cock very awake against the curve of my ass. His scent was overwhelming: rich, woodsy, and a little smoky.