Charming the Alphas (Hex My Heart, #5) by Talina Perkins Read Free Book Online Page A

harder she tried to move the more her body resisted. A prisoner in her own body, she had to trust her men to take care of her.
    Cold seeped into her bones and skimmed along her exposed skin. Energy pooled around them a split second before a thunderous noise overwhelmed her. Bone or branches—she couldn’t tell—cracked and moaned. Unable to move, her senses kicked into overdrive.
    Loud crunching from heavy footfalls in the fresh snow hit her eardrums. Pine scent tickled her nose followed by a hint of smoke. No. Cinder. Cinder and something exotic. A small memory came to mind. Wind kicked up a flurry of ice to pelt her face and erased the scent.
    “No fucking way. We have to ride YOU?” Zane roared out, his tension rolling over her.
    Ride whom?
    Hades on fire, why couldn’t she get control of herself? This was supposed to be her night, the night she regained control, and right now she had none. If the High Council stood in front of her, nothing would keep the anger filling her veins from lashing out and giving them a dose of their own medicine. Barbaric, callous, bullies, the whole lot of them.
    “That’s it, Mara, fight it.”
    What? What did she do? Lucian coaxed her closer from the fringes of her darkened world with soothing words and a soft touch to her cheek. Slits of light hit her eyeballs and she flinched from the sudden assault. Wait. Was she doing that? Rockets of energy shot through her. Maybe, just maybe... First a groan, and then a roar ripped from her parched throat. Slow, rhythmic beats quickly picked up until her heart hit top speed. Muscles bunched and her back stiffened, but her throat hurt the most.
    Every swallow was like shooting back fireballs cooked in the pit of Hades. Finally, her eyes fully opened. Lances of moonlight stabbed her eyes. She blinked several times before the ache subsided. That’s when she saw them. Midnight came to life and it had the slitted eyes of a dragon. Moonlight brushed against black scales to create iridescent shimmers of light. As if he harnessed the powers of the Northern Lights. Or maybe he was the ribbons of colorful lights? “Where do your clothes go when you shift?” She couldn’t say the question consumed her thoughts. It did strike her as odd not to see piles of clothing thrown aside like her wolf shifters, though.
    “Ye see a two-century-old DraegonStone and that’s yer first question, witch?” The dragon still in human form piped up with a look of amusement to his eyes. She could use a little of that right now when things looked so bleak.
    Brow arched in question, Marabelle shrugged with a smile. The man standing beside the dragon bowed his head, but she caught the little flick of a smile before he turned away and strode across her yard to a clearing between the pines. Weak but happy to be breathing, she tightened her arms around Lucian’s neck and inhaled long and slow. “I missed you,” she whispered for his ears only. “You and Zane.”
    Turning her head, she gave a shrug in answer to the stranger. “Seems fair given my current clothing situation, or lack of.” Marabelle held up the flimsy material of the small blanket wrapped around her.
    “Let me help with that.” Zane stripped off his jacket and wrapped the warmed leather and fleece material over her exposed chest. Slowly, he leaned in and pressed warm lips to hers. Every emotion she had ever felt for the man rushed her. She opened her mouth but couldn’t say anything. She could only fall under the allure of his red rimmed eyes.
    Hands pressed against her mouth, Marabelle angled her head to look between Zane and Lucian. “I’m sorry, so so sorry,” she whispered. “I...” Her voice cut out. She’d almost lost them and wasn’t that worth a few words? “I didn’t mean to scare you. Either of you.” She held out a hand to Zane and his large, warm hand engulfed hers.
    “There will be more time for that later. We all have a lot to discuss.” Zane’s gaze shot to her neck. Odd. She