Filed To Story: A Claim of Fortune Book PDF Free by Jaymin Eve
Slade shook his head. “I’ve spent days attempting to unravel the web he wove around himself and his actions, but when there’s magic involved, it’s almost impossible to figure this out digitally. Our best bet would be to release Talon and follow him back to his master, but I have one major issue with that.”
I already knew exactly what that issue would be. “I’d have to go too, or my wolf might retreat again.”
The engine roared to life, and Slade backed out in one skilled swing of the wheel. “Yes. Your bond is brand new, like with Hunter and Kellan. It takes weeks before the beast is okay with distance, so we can’t let him go until yours settles.”
There was also that unanswered question of what happened if we never completed the bond properly and cemented those frayed tethers between us.
Was there a chance Talon and I could never be apart?
SLADE
Emme was quiet for the first part of the drive out to the training facility, as she fidgeted in her chair and kept messing with her ponytail. It would normally annoy me to have a shifter bouncing around beside me, but worry took over as my strongest emotion.
“You okay, Snow?”
Her head snapped toward me; her gaze moved over my face, and she let out a sigh. “I just have so many thoughts and questions. I hate the unknown more than I can express.”
I felt the same way, which was what had led me to learn how to hack in the first place. If a shifter wouldn’t give me answers, I’d track them down myself.
“You need a distraction,” I said, returning my gaze, though not my focus, to the road.
That statement shocked her into stillness, and she sank deeper into her chair. “A distraction… What about a game of twenty questions?”
This omega constantly surprised me, and I could barely remember my mundane existence before she showed up. I’d take her form of chaos all day every single fucking day. “Twenty questions? Considering I know everything about you, I’m not sure I’m seeing the incentive here for me.”
I was relieved when that elicited the response I’d hoped for and her airy laughter filled the car. My beast even rumbled in enjoyment over the sound. Our fascination with this omega increased every day, and my resolve to keep her safe, even from myself, grew harder to maintain.
“How about I get to ask the twenty questions, then?” she said. “Indulge me so I don’t crawl out of my chair and throw myself from the window to get a reprieve from my thoughts.”
The very idea of her being hurt had me crushing the steering wheel beneath my hands. “Okay, Snow,” I bit out, trying to calm myself. “You can have ten questions. Make them count.”
She thought about it for a second, tapping her finger against her chin. “When my wolf and I were broken and retreating,” she finally said, the reminder bringing forth a surge of fire in my gut which heated the car, “I kept thinking about everything I didn’t know about you all. And a few questions sprang to mind… Are you ready?”
All I could manage was a nod, which was enough for her. “Okay, first question: When did you learn to hack? And why?”
That one was easy, and I released my stranglehold on the wheel. “When I was around ten. I was always curious, and when I found myself with more questions than answers, I started searching for those answers myself. Computers, weirdly, have always been easy for me. Everything just makes sense. Code makes sense since it’s all math and logic. Once I tapped into that world, I never looked back, able to manipulate and control from behind my screen.”
She swallowed roughly, and I could feel her gaze burning into the side of my face. I liked when her eyes were on me like this. When she couldn’t look away.
I wanted her obsession.
“You’re terrifying at times,” she choked out. “You know that right?”
I was also pleased by that assessment. “I know. Next question.”
With a shake of her head, she recovered quickly. “What does it feel like to fly? Is it ever scary? Does your belly like swirl or dip when you dive fast?”
That question was more complex, and I searched for the words to describe the sensation. “It feels like power and freedom,” I finally said. “And it’s never scary. It’s exhilarating, but at the same time, as instinctive as walking. My stomach never drops, as my body knows what’s about to happen and adjusts. Soaring above the world is one of my favorite moments in existence.”
Her lips quivered, and I tasted her desire and sadness before she got herself under control. “Sounds amazing. I’d love to try that one day.”
I’d never taken anyone flying on my back, but if I ever did, Emme would be the one.
“Okay,” she said, clearing her throat. “Dragon fire. What does it feel like to spew it from your mouth? Does it burn you?”
It made sense that she would be the most curious about my beast, and he was quite pleased to be holding her interest.
Bastard.
“Dragon fire burns in our center while in our beast form,” I explained, “and when we breath fire, that heat expands and rises until it spews from our mouth. I don’t have to release it though, and it won’t burn or hurt me. The heat is quite pleasant to our kind and allows me to fly at altitudes that would freeze any other creature.”
She shook her head and muttered again, “Terrifying” before moving on to the next question. “Does your dragon have thoughts like yours?”
I nodded. “Yes, only with less empathy, and an ancient, cold feeling to them.”
“Less empathy?” she breathed, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Believe it or not, it’s the truth. Except for his pack, there’s not a single living creature that the dragon gives a shit about. We razed villages to the ground in our search for you.”
I looked away from the road to see her skin paling as she swallowed hard. “I don’t want anyone to die for me. Especially not innocents.”
To my dragon, everyone but our pack were ants, insignificant and disposable.