Chapter 26

Once Tulia’s tears had stopped flowing, she’d drifted off to sleep right there on top of him, soothing the fury roiling inside him. If the man who had caused his mate such distress hadn’t been dead already, he’d have hunted him down and torn him to shreds in the slowest, most painful way imaginable. But Reyn was dead. Mason had seen to that. Jace had stayed back, protecting Marie until someone else could take over the task, and then followed. He wouldn’t be alive had it not been for Tulia, Jeff, and his two clan mates.

He’d held Tulia in his arms as she’d slept, enjoying her slight weight over him, and when she woke again, he’d shown her just how alive he really was, first in the bed, then in the shower, and he had the scratch marks on his back to remind him.

He glanced down at Tulia as they crossed the foyer to the living room. She smiled up at him, her lips puffy from his kisses, passion still burning in her eyes, and he wished he could whisk her back up the stairs. Her heat wasn’t over, but at least she wouldn’t be uncomfortable for the next little while. She licked her lips, and he groaned. Whatever Jace wanted to discuss had better be quick.

When they entered the room, Austin did a double take. It wasn’t unusual for there to be fewer people around in the afternoon, but it was empty except for Jace and Charlotte, who sat cuddled together on one of the sofas. The projector screen was set up, and in front of Jace, his laptop was open, though from where Austin stood, he couldn’t see the monitor.

“Come in. And no, we’re not watching a movie,” Jace said. “Sit over there, and we’ll get started.”

“Jeez, nothing like being bossy.” Charlotte tsked, rose from the couch and came over to them, then wrapped her arms around Tulia in a tight hug. “You doing better?”

“I’m sorry I was so cranky with you. I was just so worried,” Tulia said. “And yes, I am doing much better.”

“What’s going on?” Austin asked Jace, knowing the man wouldn’t call a meeting if it wasn’t important. The fact that he and Tulia were the only ones included raised red flags in his mind. Maybe they hadn’t eliminated the threat to her. If that was the case, he’d have to be extra vigilant.

“We’ll get to that once you guys take a seat.”

Charlotte rolled her eyes at her mate. “Okay, okay. It’s almost three, anyway. We have to get this show on the road,” she conceded.

Austin led Tulia to the couch Jace had indicated right in front of the screen.

“While you were out of commission, I got a call from a man named Kade. It seems his mate was running from him, and he asked if we could take her in and keep her safe until he could come for her. Mateo was already in the area, so he went to assist. When he came across them, the female and her escort were being attacked. They were outnumbered and would have perished, but two more showed up to her defense—the woman’s mate and another. Mateo tipped the balance of the fight, and the enemy was defeated,” Jace said, stating facts as he always did when he was prepping any of them for a job.

“What does that have to do with me?” If there was a mission, surely Jace wouldn’t expect him to go with his mate in heat. Hell, he’d outright refuse.

“I’m getting to that.” Jace clicked his mouse, setting up his presentation as he spoke. “The male—not the escort, but the other—and the woman are the ones you’ll be most interested in. Rory Peters, from the Edgewood clan. Do you recognize that name?”

Austin’s heart pounded. “That’s where I grew up. Rory was my little sister’s best friend. What’s going on?”

“The woman they rescued decided to go back to Greenwater to be with her mate, but from what Mateo tells me, you’ll want to speak with her. Rory is with Mateo now, hunting Alexandra.”

“Is he there?” a sweet, older, but familiar voice sounded from the speakers just before the projector screen came to life, both gutting him and filling him with joy.

“I’ll let your sister tell the story. She knows more about it than I do.” Jace said, taking his mate’s hand. Austin barely acknowledged them as they left.

On the screen, an older version of the kid sister he’d left behind came into view, a dark, menacing looking man sitting next to her.

“Austin? I can’t believe it’s really you.” His sister smiled at the man who still assessed him.

There was so much he wanted to say. So much he needed to say, but when he opened his mouth, nothing came out.

Next to him, Tulia cleared her throat and reached for his hand, giving it a squeeze. “Hi, I’m Tulia. Austin’s mate,” she said, breaking the lengthening silence.

Meadow looked over at her as though just then realizing he wasn’t alone in the room. “I’m Meadow, and this is Kade, my mate.” The man inclined his head, his black hair falling over his forehead, but didn’t say a word.

His sister was mated. Hell, just the fact that she was old enough to be mated was a blow to his solar plexus. When he’d last seen her, she’d been a kid. Now she was a grown woman, and from the looks of it, she was happy.

He finally found his voice when Meadow looked at him again. “How have you been? I’ve missed you so damned much. Each time I sent you a letter, I’d hoped you’d call or write to tell me you were ready to leave Edgewood.”

Meadow gasped. “What letters? I never got any letters.”

Austin hung his head. He should have known better—tried harder. He should have gone home to check on her rather than rely on…anything. Her parents had been controlling to the point of suffocation when he’d left. He could only imagine how bad it had gotten for his sister.

“I wanted to take you with me when I left, but father wouldn’t hear of it. He threatened to have us both hunted if I tried to take you before you came of age. Did they… How did things go after I left?”

Meadow’s face fell and she cast her mate a quick look again. “Things weren’t too bad at first. They got worse as I got older, but I don’t want to talk about that now. We’ll have plenty of time to catch up on all that now that I’ve found you,” she said, smiling again.

Anyone with eyes could see the love shining in his sister’s every time she looked at her mate. The same affection was reflected at her from him, and that was enough for Austin. All he’d ever wanted was to see her safe and happy.

He spent the next hour sitting on the couch, Tulia at his side, getting to know his sister again. Eventually, Kade was drawn into the conversation and his posture relaxed. They finally ended the call with a promise to visit soon.

Once the screen went blank, Austin sank back into the cushions and released a shaky breath. In just a few weeks, his whole world had been turned upside down, then set right again.

“Are you okay?” Tulia asked when he brought a shaky hand up and rubbed his eyes.

He pulled her onto his lap, nuzzling her neck, then grinned when she squirmed against him, not to get away, but to get closer.

“I have a clan that any dragon would be proud to call their own. My sister is back in my life, and I have extended my family by bringing your parents into it. Top all of that off with the fact that I’ve found the one person on this earth who was made just for me. I’m more than okay, Sweetness. I’m perfect.”