Filed To Story: A Claim of Fortune Book PDF Free by Jaymin Eve
“This honey tastes almost as good as you do.”
The only real taste he’d had of me was my blood during our forced mating. A memory I didn’t relish. And while I’d never condone his actions, I had grown to understand the true core of Talon, and I had forgiven him.
Anger was a painful and draining emotion to hold on to forever. Once I started to release mine for Talon and Finley, I felt lighter, more at peace with myself and the future I was ready to claim.
Talon made short work of the rest of the sweets, and when the plate was empty, he didn’t appear as drained as when I walked in. I stayed for another few hours, dragging a half decent conversation out of the generally reticent beast. Even if some of the answers to my questions were painful to hear.
It turned out that Talon didn’t have a favorite color, had never celebrated a birthday, and he wasn’t sure what he’d have done with his life if he wasn’t enslaved to a looney alpha.
Each of those answers upset me, until eventually I stopped asking questions and just held his hand. “Your birthday is on the thirty-first of October,” I said, my voice wavering. “Which is Halloween in the human world.”
He considered that for a beat. “What’s Halloween?”
While the day was a human tradition, most shifters still knew about it. “Oh, well, it’s this night where humans dress up as anything they want.
Could be monsters or celebrities or inanimate objects. They dress up, they celebrate everything spooky, and they go around to houses and ask for candy.”
Talon’s perfect face creased in confusion, the scar pulling against his lip. “Why would they do that?”
I shook my head. “Honestly, I’m not totally sure of the history behind it, but there’s definitely a reason for the tradition. I don’t even think it originated here in the States, but they adopted it and celebrate every year.”
Talon still appeared confused, shrugging as he said, “As I’ve never had a birthday before. I don’t imagine I’ll even remember.”
I made a vow that I would remember for him. The pack had made my day special in a way that I’d never forget, and I could do the same for each of them.
“Wait,” Talon called, as I stretched out my legs, reluctant to leave but knowing dinner was soon. “When’s your birthday?”
His expression was expectant, and I hurried to say, “It was on the twelfth of December. Almost a month ago.”
Talon grew super quiet, and there was another drop in his energy. “I missed it,” he said, a hint of question in his tone. “I’m so sorry, mate.”
Technically, he had been with me for it, he just didn’t know at the time.
Turning his way, I slid my hands through the bars. “No, it’s totally okay. I never celebrated my birthdays either. My mom was not nice, and I usually forget the day too.”
Talon didn’t look convinced, his expression a mixture of anger and sadness that had my stomach lurching. “I met your mother once when Blaine brought her home. She wasn’t fit to be blessed with a child, and that’s all I’ll say about that.”
Where was the lie?
Even before the Rogers pack corrupted and drained her, she’d been an apathetic, uninterested, neglectful parent. “Did you meet anyone else connected to me?” I asked. “Did you ever meet my father?”
He eyed me for a few long seconds. “No, I have no idea who your father was, but I did hear Alpha refer to a Constantine and your mother more than once. I don’t know if that’s your father or just another shifter in your mother’s life…”
Constantine. The name wasn’t familiar, but it was a clue for Slade, who still worked on tracking the shifter from the security footage. Along with anyone else connected to that day.
“Thank you,” I said, reaching through the bars to hug him.
Talon pressed himself into me, his strong arms banding around my back as the air filled with heat, and I felt a tingle of energy surrounding us. It washed over me like magic, but without any sulfur tainting the air. The prickling sensation in my essence seeped to my fingertip, and I was once again reminded of the time I’d shoved Talon in the bunker.
Today, though, it was all the dragon. “What are you doing?” I asked, pulling back from his broad chest. “Are you using magic-” I gawked as the bars came into view. Bars which were now on the other fucking side of me.
He’d pulled me right into the cage.
“What have you done?” I whispered, jerking my gaze back to his. “Hunter and Slade are going to straight up murder you.”
Talon, looking pleased as fuck with himself, his arms around me again as he lifted my feet right off the ground in our first proper hug. “I needed you closer,” he rasped, breathing in my scent like an addict getting his first hit of omega in months.
His smoky maple grew stronger with each breath, and I took the opportunity to fill my lungs even as I panicked. It wasn’t that I was afraid of being with him like this, but it was still a risk.
But for real, I could get very used to being hugged by each of my mates. As our bond thrummed, I was once again a touch-starved shifter soaking up all the comfort.
The moment was shattered by the bang of a door as two enraged alphas stormed into the room.
Oh crap. Here was hoping there’d still be a house by the time Kellan and Finley returned.
EMME
Hunter and Slade reached the bars, fury drawing their expressions into hard lines.
I patted Talon’s shoulder. “Put me down.” I said, needing to defuse the situation, only to have him completely ignore that request and grunt.
Great, we were in alpha mode.