Ezra had him by the throat in the blink of an eye, slamming him up against the support pillar in the center of the room, making the whole apartment shake.
“By the gods, Shira. Intervene before your overly aggressive males destroy my home. It’s pent up sexual frustration, what’s doing it,” The Alchemist groused.
“Everyone please shut up for a second,” I groaned, shoving lightly at Oren until he put me down. He did so reluctantly, sticking close to my back with his enormous hands cupping my upper arms. It was probably a good idea, I wasn’t sure how long I was going to last standing on my own.
“Whose blood is that?” Xander gasped, shooting a death glare at Ezra as he struggled fruitlessly in his grip.
“Ezra! Let my brother go,” I ordered, not expecting him to actually listen to me. He never had before. Perhaps the time away from me had made him forget that he usually ignored me when I spoke, since he released Xander suddenly and took a step back.
“Shira? I thought your brother was dead,” Seff asked, still steaming and visibly struggling with his self-control. Ezra gave him a censuring look and guilt slithered down my spine for causing them all this stress.
I tentatively reached over and laid a hand on Seff’s arm, his skin almost unbearably hot under my palm. The second we connected, I felt his temperature drop, some tension seeping out of his shoulders instantly.
“I thought he was dead, he thought I was dead. It was quite the revelation for both of us,” I sighed, knowing that this conversation was necessary, but desperately wanting a hot bath and a long sleep. “And the blood is—”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to tell him that,” Ezra interrupted, looking unusually alarmed.
“She can tell me anything, I’m her brother,” Xander replied icily. “I don’t need an introduction to know you’re the mates who locked her in your den. I’m sorry for encouraging you to go back to these assholes, Shira. I can see now why you left.”
There were five low rumbling growls, but they weren’t loud enough to cover The Alchemist’s howl of laughter.
“Ballsy little thing aren’t you?” she asked Xander, still cackling. “I found him searching the streets for you, little dragon. Quite the long line of males you’ve got trailing around after you.”
“I trust my brother,” I told Ezra, my hand still resting lightly on Seff’s arm, ignoring The Alchemist. “And ease up on them, Xander. It’s been a long night.”
“No kidding, you look like you bathed in a river of blood and are now seconds away from fainting,” Xander snapped.
“Do you really want to implicate him in this, Shira?” Ezra asked in a low voice. No. That’s why I hadn’t told Xander my plans before. I didn’t want this to touch him.
I didn’t want it to touch any of them. When my mates had first found me in Glendower’s cave, I’d naively assumed I could swan off, murder some dragons, then come home like nothing had happened. I was almost grateful that my mates’ obstinacy had forced me to leave on bad terms — that’s how it had to be.
As soon as someone realized Flight Milain were dead, the Council would start looking for a culprit. They’d protect their own. My mates worked for the Council. I couldn’t expect them to protect me.
Looking between my mates and my brother was like seeing my past and my future right next to each other. Except they were both part of my past, and my future was a mystery.
I took half a step towards my brother, away from Seff and Oren. Away from their all-too-tempting touch that made me want to say screw it all and indulge the connection we had between us.
“Shira?” Ezra asked in a soft, broken voice. I shifted my gaze from Xander to the indomitable alpha who’d been the bane of my existence from the moment I met him. He didn’t look high and mighty now, though. He looked sad, resigned.
“I…” I didn’t even know where to begin. How to explain that I was leaving again.
“I know,” Ezra said. “We know.”
“No, we don’t,” Hiram spat, startling me with the venom in his voice. “Come back with us, Shira. Don’t be absurd.”
I’d once affectionately called Hiram absurd, when he’d been bombarding me with compliments and he’d told me it was the highest compliment I could give him. Hearing him throw that word back in my face with such anger cut deep.
“Hiram,” Levi warned, a