18. Trouble

18

TROUBLE

"How did they get through?" Pinks yelped. "You said it's warded!"

"It is." Galent gritted his teeth. "But they also have magic. They must've found a way through."

"Oh, fuck." Pinks gathered Zarrie into his arms, his heart pounding.

"Text for backup," Galent growled. "I'll handle this."

"You can't! What if they control you?" Pinks grabbed Galent's hand. "What if you turn into a statue, and they smash you into pieces?"

"I won't let them." Galent's eyes flashed red. "I need to keep you safe."

"You're safest inside the mansion," Pinks said.

Galent shook his head. "No dragon hides in his lair like a coward."

Pinks' mind raced. "It all started because of a stupid bar fight, right? Can't you just apologize?"

Galent sighed. "You think? It tried to kill me."

"That seems like too much to kill someone over."

"My parents were murdered for their hides," Galent muttered. "And others have been killed for less."

Pinks swallowed. "Please stay."

"What about I try to apologize," Galent said. "And we'll see where things go from there?"

"I'm getting a very bad feeling about this."

"I'll be harder to kill in my dragon form." Galent shucked off his clothes, stepped out through the back door, and shifted into a glittering sapphire dragon.

Pinks held back even though he wanted to rush forward and give Galent a quick hug for good luck. "Don't use your wings. Keep them tucked in tight."

Galent flashed him a sharp-toothed smile. "I will, Sweety-Pinks."

Pinks couldn't help the dreadful foreboding that filled him, seeing Galent stalk away.

A sudden thought struck him: if Galent turned into stone now, where would his magic release spot be? His balls were hidden inside his body. Pinks wouldn't be able to reach them.

"Crap, crap, crap!" Pinks brought Zarrie back to the kitchen, pacing nervously.

Galent appeared from the side of the house. The cloaked creatures had gathered in a line, ominous in their stillness.

Handsome nudged Pinks' side, watching the scene unfold. "I texted for help."

Would help even arrive on time? None of the dragons could fly in broad daylight, because the last thing they needed was more kidnappers trying to target them. Telos was away and couldn't fly anyone in—everyone else traveled by car. Help was going to arrive too late.

Zarrie made a loud sound of protest; Pinks was squeezing her too hard.

"I'm sorry!" Pinks tried to loosen his grip.

Galent had stopped in front of the creatures, puffing up his chest to appear bigger. "I would like to formally apologize for hurting you. Will that be enough to appease your grudge?"

"Want baby," the creature said in a reedy, hissing voice, raising one arm to point straight at the window where Pinks and Zarrie were.

A ball of green magic gathered at its fingertip.

Pinks swore and dove out of the way, but not before he saw Galent breathe fire at the creature.

This was going to hell, right now, and they had no backup.

Strong hands gripped Pinks' shoulders. "We need to get you to safety," Handsome said urgently. "Lord Fangy will want you and Zarrie safe."

"But who's going to watch Galent's back?" Pinks cried. "I don't trust those things!"

"I'll watch his back," Handsome said.

The thing was, they were both shifters. Neither of them had any real power against a magical entity that could blast a hole through several wards . Even if Handsome shifted into a dragon, he could be cursed just like Galent had been.

Pinks allowed Handsome to guide him to the basement entrance. Handsome tapped a long series of numbers into the scanner. Then he urged Pinks and Zarrie down the gentle stairs, Limesicart bumping along after them.

As they reached the bottom landing, Pinks closed his fist around the rune cloth in his pocket, thinking hard. He hadn't managed to gather enough magic for anything. Would the spindly sculptures help? Could he transfer the metal magic into Limesicart, and make the cart stronger?

He swept his gaze through Galent's hoard.

And landed on the giant steel AlphaBot prop at the far end of the room.

Pinks' breath snagged. If his idea worked...

If it worked...

"Handsome," Pinks said shakily. "I need you to watch Zarrie."

Handsome frowned. "What about you?"

"I'm testing out a way to help Galent." Pinks set Zarrie's bundle in Limesicart's belly. "Stay here," he told the cart sternly. "Stay with Handsome."

He ran across the coin-strewn floor to the giant robot. "Please, please, please," Pinks whispered. He pressed the rune cloth against the robot's knee, wishing hard for the spell to work.

Nothing happened.

Pinks' heart thumped. Anything could be happening outside the mansion. The creatures could be binding Galent with a spell, they could be killing him. His stomach twisted. Please stay alive. He wished extra hard.

Something jolted against his hand. When he looked up, he realized that the robot was moving.

"What is the status of Planet Earth?" the robot thundered. His eyes glowed red.

"Holy nutballs," Handsome said faintly.

"AlphaBot," Pinks cried. "We're under attack. There are creatures threatening my—my alpha. They're upstairs. Follow me."

The robot thumped after him. AlphaBot was probably flattening all the gold coins; Handsome pulled Limesicart and Zarrie out of the way.

Pinks led AlphaBot up the gentle stairs. There were a few crashes; the passage was narrow. But the robot followed him out of the basement and squeezed through the double backdoors. Then they were running around the mansion, the robot covering distance that Pinks' human legs had trouble catching up with.

AlphaBot made it to the scene first. The hooded creatures were still standing in a row, but they were converging on Galent, whose eyes glowed an awful shade of green. Galent plodded toward Pinks, his jaws open, a ball of fire gathering at the back of his throat.

Was he... going to breathe fire on Pinks?

"Danger," AlphaBot announced, aiming his arm cannon at Galent.

Pinks' stomach clenched. "No!" He skidded in front of the robot, throwing his arms out. "No, no! The dragon is my mate! They brainwashed him, don't hurt him!"

AlphaBot looked at Pinks. "He will destroy you."

"Take down the creatures, they're the ones controlling him!" Pinks pointed. AlphaBot turned to the creatures, who began firing spells at him.

Galent roared. There wasn't time.

Pinks scrambled over to the dragon. Galent aimed his fireball at Pinks .

"Galent," Pinks pleaded, his heart pounding. "Remember me? I'm Pinks. Your mate. You're not supposed to hurt your mate."

He'd never acknowledged what they were, to Galent. But Galent didn't hear him now. The ball of fire swelled to fill his mouth; Pinks wasn't sure how far he could run before the flames swallowed him.

If Galent came back to himself, only to discover Pinks' charred body... he would be devastated. Pinks knew that for a fact. Galent had been kissing him all over, savoring every inch of Pinks like Pinks was his greatest treasure. Just this morning, Pinks had woken up in bed with a huge dragon curled around him, Galent's paw on Pinks' chest as though he could feel Pinks' heartbeat in his sleep. Galent had been utterly patient with him; he'd held Pinks while Pinks threw up. And he'd been watching Zarrie with great longing, getting so excited when he held Zarrie through her blanket.

Galent was everything Pinks wanted in a forever-mate. He was the reason Pinks smiled most days; he made waking up a joy.

Pinks refused to be the reason Galent broke—because Galent could break. He knew that now.

And the thought of his alpha shattering made Pinks want to cry.

"Galent," Pinks shouted, his voice cracking. "Don't."

He threw himself against Galent's warm, scaly belly, hugging the dragon as tightly as he could.

A loud rumble swelled in Galent's chest. Pinks cracked an eye open—only to see the flames growing white-hot in Galent's mouth.

"Don't," Pinks said again.

That's not loud enough. You should howl with feeling.

Just as Galent angled his head to breathe fire, Pinks howled.

He howled his worry for Galent, that he might come back to find Pinks dead. He howled his fear, that Zarrie might lose one of them today. He howled for his family and his home; he howled all his love for his alpha. And he howled desperately, hoping with all his heart that Galent heard him somehow.

The flames sputtered and died in Galent's mouth. Galent tipped his head down—his eyes red now—only to be struck by a bolt of green light.

He turned into a statue.

"No!" Pinks' stomach dropped.

He fell to his knees and patted Galent's stony, vertical slit, desperately trying to find the spot where Galent's balls might be. To the side, AlphaBot grabbed one of the creatures, swinging it like a bat to smack down its friends.

The creatures shrieked and fired spells at AlphaBot. Somehow, the spells bounced off the robot instead of affecting him.

Pinks patted all over Galent's belly like a floundering game of Whack A Mole, until color returned to Galent's body.

Galent's eyes flashed red. "Pinks."

"Oh, gods!" Relief flooded Pinks' chest. "You're alive!"

Galent stretched his limbs and flexed them. Then he roared, charging toward AlphaBot and the creatures.

"Don't hurt AlphaBot," Pinks yelled.

"I won't." Galent grabbed one of the creatures and breathed his hottest blue flames on it, until it burned to ashes. Then he grabbed two more, and burned them too. "You won't ever use me against my mate again."

Between Galent and AlphaBot, the creatures were taken out, one by one, until none of them remained.

Pinks sank weakly onto the grass, shaking all over. "Gods, that was terrifying."

"Sweety-Pinks." Galent shifted back into a human, hurrying over and gathering Pinks into his strong arms. He held Pinks close and rocked him back and forth, stroking Pinks everywhere he could reach. "You howled me back. I couldn't control my body. I was watching from the inside, fighting against their hold until your howl gave me strength."

"It was you who told me to howl," Pinks admitted. "The other week. Remember?"

"Yes. We all howled together." Galent hugged him tighter.

AlphaBot strode up to them. Galent tensed.

The robot held out his steel hand. "We have not been introduced. I am AlphaBot."

Galent glanced at Pinks. "How—"

"I saved up some metal magic. And, um. I made him come alive. Sorry? I guess I should go first." Pinks stood, grasping one of AlphaBot's huge fingers. "I'm Pinks. I was the one who woke you. This is my alpha, Galent."

Galent sucked in a slow breath. " Sweety-Pinks. You just called me your alpha."

Pinks flushed and ducked his head. "You are my alpha."

Galent purred, rubbing their faces together. Then he straightened, bashfully offering his hand to AlphaBot. "Gosh. Uh, hi. I—I guess I bought you ages ago, before you came alive. I've always admired you in the movies. You've been my hero for a long time. But now that you're sentient, we won't keep you. You don't have to stay here with us, but you're always welcome to call this place home."

AlphaBot looked around at the wildflowers, his eyes flickering. "I would like to get to know this place, first."

"We'll build a shelter for you in case it rains," Galent said.

"Thank you," AlphaBot said graciously.

Pinks didn't even know what to say. The robot was giant. And until half an hour ago, it had been a prop in Galent's hoard.

Before he could speak, Galent's wooden gate slid open. Pinks tensed.

Cars drove up the driveway, arms waving from the open windows. They parked in front of Pinks and Galent; men poured out of them. Yaeger, Blade, and Griff—all dragons. Then there were Valor and Fang, the alpha wolves, and Onyx, a demon. There was Doc, too, in his double masks and scrubs, with a medical bag over his shoulder.

"Sorry, we're late," Yaeger said, looking around. His eyes flashed red. "What's the status on things?"

"We've dealt with the threat," Galent said.

"Are you still cursed?" Pinks asked.

Galent pressed his hand over his chest. Then he breathed in deeply, and shook his head. "No. The curse is gone."

A huge grin spread across Pinks' face. He leaped at Galent, wrapping his arms tight around the giant. "It's gone!"

"Yes." Galent buried his face in Pinks' neck, smiling against him. "All because of you."

"All I did was—"

"You did everything," Galent said firmly. "You brought AlphaBot to life, and you brought me back from being controlled. You're amazing."

Cheers erupted around them. Limesicart came butting up against Galent's leg, and Zarrie tried to stand up in the mess of her blankets.

Galent sucked in a slow breath, glancing at Pinks. "Can I...?"

"Yes." Pinks' heart pounded.

Galent picked Zarrie up. Zarrie smiled and patted his face, and Galent's eyes filled with tears. "I've wanted to hold you for so long, Baby Zee." He carefully kissed her forehead, then hugged her gently against his chest, rocking her back and forth. "This is the best day of my life."

It was one of Pinks' best days, too. Galent paused, looking down at Pinks. Then he swooped Pinks up in his other arm, and rained kisses all over Pinks' face.

"Mine," Galent said. "All mine."

"Yours," Pinks whispered. Galent rumbled and kissed him harder.

Someone gasped behind them. "Is that AlphaBot? " Griff asked in an awed whisper. "Is he... alive?"

"I had him as a movie prop," Galent said. "Pinks made him come alive."

"Damn," Fang said.

"That's fucking amazing," Yaeger said.

"I'm going to show this to Telos and Mav," Valor said, pulling out his phone. "Telos is going to be hopping mad. He loves AlphaBot."

"I want an AlphaBot autograph on my chest," Griff said.

"I want one on my back," Onyx said. "Who has a permanent marker?"

Handsome immediately brandished four markers.

"This better be a good call," came Telos' voice from Valor's phone. "We're in the middle of a fancy TV dinner!"

"It's definitely good," Valor said. "You missed out on this rescue. They had AlphaBot in to help. Look." Valor turned the camera around.

"Holy fuckass, what the hell!" Telos screeched. "AlphaBot! Why do you do this to me!? Why am I stuck several hours away, with the boring people?"

"Everyone's getting AlphaBot autographs," Valor said, showing Telos the line of huge men going up to the robot with permanent markers. "Wait. They're getting pictures taken with him, too. I think they're even going to bring their mates down for another photo."

Telos pretended to sob. "Nooooo. I want an AlphaBot autograph on my pterodactyl butt. I would look so much more kickass fighting the bad guys with an autograph on my booty!"

"Shut up, Telos," came Mav's voice in the background. "No one's going to look at your skinny dino ass."

"Yeah? Just because you are too much of a prude to look at my ass, doesn't mean no one else will."

Mav scoffed.

Telos scoffed back. "Valor, please make AlphaBot promise to come back. Or—Or keep tabs on his location. I'm gonna come back from this mission with an ultra-sexy tan and have AlphaBot sign on my pecs. I will be irresistible. "

"So you say," Mav muttered in the background.

"Boring ass," Telos retorted.

Galent nuzzled Pinks, distracting him from the conversation. "So, do you think Zarrie wants an AlphaBot autograph on her?"

Pinks laughed. "We—We can take a family portrait with her. You, me, Zarrie, Handsome, and Limesicart. All of us with AlphaBot."

Galent looked so happy, he might burst. "Yes," he said. "Let's do that right now."