Etienne stared into Taya’s pale face, her wide eyes like twin pools of pain and wished he could spare her. Wished he could tell her that it was going to be okay. That this woman had lost her mind and was making up lies.

But he couldn’t do that.

Because every word was true.

It was commonplace for his kind to have many lovers and while he could change that—and would, in a heartbeat, for a chance to be with her—there was a far larger issue at play. With his race so close to extinction, it was his duty as a sky king to procreate eventually. Human women couldn’t physically bear the child of a dragon-shifter and live to tell the tale, so his only option was to find another race of shifters from which to choose his mate.

He wracked his brain, desperate for some words that would ease her pain. Some way to explain himself and the choices he’d made in his life to this point. To get her to understand the ways of his kind. Damn it, he thought he’d have time. That they would have time to work through it all together, once he’d taken care of Mikhail. But how to convey it all now when the danger had escalated so quickly and when Mina had clearly dashed all trust Taya had in him?

He closed the distance between them and took her icy hand in his. “Taya, please. Give me five minutes here with Mina and then we can sit and talk, you and I. You can ask me anything you want, and I promise to tell you the truth.”

“You promised to tell me the truth yesterday, remember?” she asked, her bottom lip trembling in a way that made his guts churn. “But somehow I find myself more in the dark than ever.”

She yanked her hand from his, and wheeled around to face Mina.

“And you’re no better. Busting in here trying to intimidate and manipulate me. I don’t trust either one of you farther than I can throw you.” She took a step back, her face pinched and pale. “No point in asking more questions when all I get are half-truths and lies. I need some time alone to think. Don’t follow me.”

She turned and scurried toward the stairs, her pace quickening with each step. By the time she reached the top, he could see her shoulders quaking with sobs.

He stared after her, his stomach pitching like a raging sea.

“Well, that didn’t go so hot,” Mina observed lightly as she lowered herself onto the couch.

Etienne turned to face her, fury coming fast and hot. “What the fuck was that about? This is none of your god-damned business, Mina.”

“If your uncle says it’s my business, it’s my business. I’m just a soldier, Etienne. I do what I’m told and I was told to come here and take care of business. I’m trying to do it before the Council’s emissaries get here in hopes of avoiding bloodshed, but if that doesn’t work…”

He blanched at the mention of the Council. How had they found out so fast? Before he could ask, the phone in his pocket buzzed and he yanked it out to see three missed calls and a text message from Drake.

Trouble coming down the pike, buddy. Mina’s in town.

A day late and a dollar short. Trouble had exited the pike and was sitting in his living room next to his obliterated front door. He shoved the phone back in his pocket and met Mina’s gaze again.

“How did they know?”

“There is a civil war brewing among the wolves and has been for years. New blood versus the old guard. We’ve been keeping an eye from afar, but once Drake got involved with Willa, they sent someone out to monitor things. You know how it is. Too much action brings attention, too much attention brings Big Brother.”

“Jesus, she’s an innocent, Mina. The Council is comprised of a bunch of ancient shifters with ancient ideas. Times are changing and we need to adapt. The days of thinking we’re going to be able to keep our existence a secret has long passed. Surely they can see that.”

“They can’t, Etienne, and they don’t. I came as a favor because your Uncle Rene asked me to. I gave her an out, and she chose not to take it. Once the Council finds her, there is nothing I can do for her.”

“Whose side are you on here?”

His childhood friend and present nightmare held his gaze unwaveringly. “I’m on the side of right, as ever. Which side that is remains to be seen.”

“Fucking Valkyries,” he growled.

Mina’s kind was a tough bunch to love. Even more rare than dragons, the Valkyries were often viewed as cold and unfeeling, but in truth, no breed felt more deeply. Because of an innate sense of right and wrong and their ability to feel the emotions of others so keenly, they often closed themselves off entirely to intimate relationships. Of the handful of Valkyries in the world, he knew of only one who had married. The rest chose to remain unfettered by relationships rather than risk the total emotional obliteration that came with losing a mate.

Mina’s integrity and her willingness to do whatever it took for the good of the shifter species made her an invaluable diplomat. Because he had taken her in when her parents were killed, she had an affection for Rene that was the closest thing to love as he imagined she’d ever felt, but it only extended to Etienne so far. He could only hope she would withhold judgment long enough to hear the entire situation and stand with him when it came time to decide Taya’s fate.

Bile rose to burn the back of his throat. “How much time do you think we have before they come?”

“Two days. Maybe three, if you’re lucky.”

He hated to leave Taya. Especially like this, but the clock was ticking. Once he was able to ensure her safety, he would set his mind to the rest of it.

But for now, he had one goal, and one goal only.

To protect his woman.

“Stay here. Guard her with your life. I’ll be back before sunrise.”

Mina was an unwelcome guest, but for the time being, she was his best ally. The knot in his chest unfurled just a little when she nodded.

“I will.”

He strode to the foyer closet, scooping up a pre-packed leather duffel, taking a second to tie it loosely around his ankle. He yanked open the wide, cracked door and stepped out onto the porch, sparing a last glance at Mina.

“Thank you.”

“Mind telling me where you’re going at least?” she asked, eyeing him warily.

“I have some wolves to kill.”

Then the real work would begin.

He thundered down the steps and exploded into dragon form, pumping his mighty wings, rejoicing in the strength of his body. He would need every bit of that strength to fight the powers determined to keep he and Taya apart. Because, come hell or high water, he would have her again. This time, for good.

And woe be to the poor souls who tried to stop him.