Dragonfury 02 - Fury of Ice

tough SOB had come a long way. Earning Wick’s trust was part of it. Complete acceptance from the pack was another. Time and effort were good teachers, and eventually he and the other Nightfuries had broken through Wick’s ultrathick guard. Now he was a solid member of their pack.
    Thank fuck for that. Lethal, after all, was always welcome.
    “So we’re all agreed?” Rikar asked.
    As his gaze shifted to Venom, the male said, “You sure it wouldn’t be better if I just bashed his head in?”
    Rikar grinned. Trust Venom to pick the path of least resistance.
    Bastian snorted. “Come on, Ven. If we flip Forge, we gain another strong warrior. Better for us.”
    “If?” Venom perked up. “You mean there’s still a chance I’ll get to—”
    “Shut the fuck up, Venom,” Wick said, planting his forearms on the countertop, golden eyes shimmering as he stared unblinking at his friend. “I was worse than Forge when you pulled me out. After that BS…” Wick shrugged, broke eye contact, and murmured, “Flipping Forge’ll be a piece of cake.”
    Silence ballooned like an air pocket in the wake of the male’s words, filling the space. Rikar blinked. Holy Christ. Three complete sentences. A huge first for Wick. One Rikar didn’t know what to do with.
    It was like watching an infant take his first step. A necessary thing, but painful to endure without reaching out to offer help. And as Venom laid his hand on the back of Wick’s neck and squeezed, Rikar asked the same question he always did when faced with their friendship. What the hell had happened to them? He knew something serious had gone down. Had pieced together some of it—like the fact Venom had pulled Wick out of a nasty shithole before his change . But beyond that, no one knew much. None of them had ever asked, and the two warriors sitting shoulder-to-shoulder never volunteered the information.
    “So…” Sloan cleared his throat, breaking through the uncomfortable silence. “You want us to go at him as a unit?”
    “Solidarity,” Wick murmured, shrugging out of Venom’s hold. “Pack mentality.”
    “Yeah,” B said. “All hands on deck with this one, boys.”
    “So what? We gonna have a love-in or something?” A sour look on his puss, Venom leaned back in his chair. Wood groaned, protesting the sudden shift of muscle. “Sing ‘Kumbaya’ with the meathead?”
    Rikar laughed. He couldn’t help it. The mental image cracked him up. The look on Venom’s face made it worse. Shit, he loved the male and his wicked sense of humor. “He needs to know the entire pack will accept him, Ven. No tricks. No possibility of ambush.”
    “And that’ll make him cave?”
    “It’s worth a shot,” he said, pushing the half-eaten pastry away, watching it ooze jelly until it blobbed on the white plate. Rikar grimaced. He should probably eat the damned thing. Daimler would be disappointed if he didn’t. After all, the Numbai worked hard to keep them in good eats. Too bad he wasn’t hungry…for food. Hot, sweaty sex with Angela, however, was something he could devour with ease. “I think Forge is looking for a home. For a pack to pull him in.”
    “Or maybe he’s just got a death wish,” Venom said, unwilling to let go of the dream in which he ripped Forge’s head off. Rikar didn’t blame him. Normally, he would’ve hopped on that bandwagon. Trusting an outsider wasn’t something any of them could afford. Not when the wrong discussion—pulling an enemy spy into their inner circle—could mean death for one of their own. “He just lost a female.”
    “All the more reason to hit him now.” Chasing an itch, Bastian shifted sideways, rubbing his shoulder blades on a corner cabinet. “He’s vulnerable. In need of support and a strong pack to give him direction. Besides, he wants his son.”
    Sloan’s eyes narrowed. “Leverage.”
    “Yeah,” B murmured. “Let’s crank the shit out of it.”
    Venom opened his mouth, no doubt to protest again. Wick elbowed him in the rib cage. “Ow! Easy, Wick…jeez.”
    “Shut up,” Wick said, getting back on the two-word train.
    Glaring at his friend, Venom rubbed his side and grumbled, “All right. I’m on board. But I’m available anytime you want to switch to option two, B.”
    “I’ll keep it in mind, my man.”
    “So…Rikar.” Rolling his shoulders, Venom stretched. Rikar went on high alert. He knew that tone, and nothing good ever followed it. “I got a solution for you.”
    “Oh,