him to go ahead. “No, sir.”
Tineen’s eyes narrowed as he lifted his gaze back to Lyndi. “You are aware of the danger?”
“Yes. Has the law changed regarding orphans?”
Unlike rogues, who not only could be killed on sight, but their kind was encouraged to do so, orphans didn’t have to be shunned. It just happened.
“No,” Tineen said slowly. But the way he watched Lyndi, a light in his eyes Levi didn’t trust, he was headed somewhere with this. “You expose our best fighters to him?”
Marin flinched, though the kid raised his chin in a move so like Lyndi—brave and stubborn through his fear—it made Levi’s heart turn over. If the Alliance wouldn’t miss Tineen’s absence and come looking here first, Levi would happily snap the man’s neck right now. Holding back his dragon had him stepping back more abruptly than he would’ve liked, the motion a tell, hands in fists. He wasn’t the only one. Drake’s eyes might light them all up in red flame if they glowed any brighter.
Coahoma, younger and less controlled, didn’t entirely manage it. “Watch it,” he snapped, his dragon so evident that his voice wasn’t his own. Like a cross between human and a monster. Even Levi’s dragon, focused intently on Tineen, paused at the sound.
“Watch yourself,” Tineen warned. “Your place as an enforcer is temporary, and even then, knowing who has leverage is a smart move, son.”
“I’m not your son, asshole.”
“Thank the gods for that.” Deliberately Tineen turned his back on the younger man. A show of no respect. Or sheer stupidity, but Levi knew the other man wasn’t stupid. The provocation was deliberate.
Coahoma drew back a fist, his face a picture of rage and fire, only Levi stepped right into him. “Stop.”
Immediately, Coahoma halted, fist still cocked, expression torn between the rage of his animal and the need to obey a man who was one of his leaders as well as a mentor and friend.
“That’s right. Listen to your elders.”
Levi clamped his hands down on Coahoma’s shoulders, holding him in place. In that moment, he realized what Tineen was up to. He was trying to push buttons until he had a reason, any reason, to shut them down.
Tineen’s gaze took in Levi’s hands and moved to his face. “Gold dragon,” he murmured. “Shouldn’t you be on your way to your king? Our man was called back recently.”
Ice settled in Levi’s veins, because there was something about the way Tineen spoke that felt like a threat.
“I leave tomorrow.”
A smile. “Good.”
Coahoma wasn’t who he needed to worry about. With a snarl that sounded more like a small dog, Marin kicked Tineen in the shin before Lyndi could yank him behind her.
Every person in the room stilled and waited. Emotion pulsed through them, though you’d never know from their expressions, as they watched the Alaz enforcer closely.
After a second, Tineen tipped his head as he turned his focus back to Lyndi, the expression reminding Levi of a buzzard picking at a carcass. “I’ll talk to the Alliance about your orphan program,” he said. “I’m sure we could use more like it.”
What. The. Fuck?
Lyndi couldn’t hide her own similar reaction, shock rippling across her face, but she held her tongue.
“Once they’ve successfully learned to shift and are deemed ready to reenter society,” Tineen said next, “I’m sure it’s best that they be reintegrated. Returned to their individual settlements, if possible, or to their individual clans. We’ll see what Mathai has to say, hmmm?”
Lyndi’s face went as white as bones bleached by the sun a heartbeat before her eyes lit with a red inferno. “The best place for my boys is here, where they’ve grown up,” she said. “They have a home and a colony of their own already.”
Tineen nodded slowly as though truly considering her point. “I’ll be sure to pass that…view…on to the Alliance members.” Like he was on her side. “But without you here, I’m sure they’ll agree with me anyway.”
Levi’s dragon flexed against him at those words. What did Tineen mean without her here?
Lyndi had gone starkly still. “What?”
Tineen smiled, his expression a sickening combination of gleeful and triumphant. “I’m not supposed to say anything, but a mate has finally been chosen for you. Blessed may your union be.”
The words may as well have been grenades dropped among them. Levi’s hearing went silent. Everything inside him screamed that this couldn’t be true.
“I don’t believe you,” Lyndi whispered.
Tineen cocked his head. “Mathai will be here in person to officially tell you the good news. In five