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NINE

MAC

I pile food onto my plate, extremely aware of Drax hovering, prepared to offer me anything I might need.

A little salt? Something to drink? A foot massage?

I shudder a little at the same time as my dragon rises towards the surface and starts to purr.

I can feel my demon’s answering affection through our bond.

No, not my demon. Drax isn’t mine, no matter how confused he and my dragon are about the whole situation.

It’s been five days since I met Auri and accidentally agreed to be his mercenary, and so far, there are a few things I know.

One: The food here fucking slaps. As if proving my point, Roman makes a happy growling noise in his throat as he tears into a rare slab of prime rib, letting the juices run down his chin as he chews it slowly.

Two: Drax is the sweetest, strangest demon I’ve ever met, and I have no fucking clue how I’m going to let him down gently.

I’ve managed to not have any more sex with him at least, so that’s something.

But the way my dick reacts every time he buries his nose in the crook of my neck and sniffs me isn’t giving me much hope that that blow job in my hoard room will be the last time I do something stupid with him.

And three: This place isn’t as bad as I thought.

Maybe being a mercenary could even be kind of cool.

Or maybe that’s just the Stockholm syndrome setting in. Hard to say.

“I’ve got a lead,” Cassius announces, gliding into the dining room and flashing his pearly white fangs in a smile.

“On Rune?” I ask through a mouthful of food.

Drax and I have been scouring the library for days and haven’t come up with a damn thing. I was starting to think that old witch got his name wrong or lied on purpose as a final “fuck you” in her last moments.

The vampire nods and pours himself a glass of blood from one of the decanters on the table, swirling it in the wineglass and sniffing it like it’s the finest vintage imaginable before taking a sip.

“An old friend of mine gave me the name of a sorcerer who might know something about the mage. His name is Alenor.”

A sorcerer? I squint and try to remember whether I’ve ever met one.

I haven’t been alive as long as some at this table, but long enough that things get fuzzy over time.

But I can’t come up with any memories of any sorcerers.

The only thing that comes to mind is the traditional human archetype of an old guy in a pointy hat with a long white beard.

“Cool. Do you know where we can find him?”

“I’m told he’ll be at the Full Moon in New Haven tonight.”

Roman stops tearing into the slab of meat he has a hold of and stares at the vampire for a second with the prime rib dangling between his teeth. Atlas drops his fork into his salad with a loud clatter, and even Drax perks up a little beside me.

“The Full Moon?” I repeat, just to make sure I heard right. “As in, the horniest dance club catering exclusively to non-humans in the human world?”

“The one and only.” Cassius takes another deep gulp from his glass then wipes the back of his hand across his mouth with no elegance whatsoever.

“Oh, hell yeah.” Roman finally swallows the food in his mouth and licks his lips clean. “Do I have time to shower?” He lifts an arm and sniffs his pit. “Actually, forget it, I’ve got a perfect pheromonal musk going. Let me just change and I’ll be ready to go.”

“Oh, you’re?—”

“Well, I do need to shower, so no one had better leave without me.” Cassius tilts his head back to guzzle down the remainder of his drink. The blood meal gives his pale cheeks a fleeting rosy glow as he stands right back up from the table and leaves the dining room in a blur.

“I’ll be ready in twenty,” Atlas says, pushing back from the table too, leaving his salad half finished.

“Okay, apparently everyone is coming,” I say, mostly to myself.

There’s a warm tug at the center of my chest, and Drax leans in closer to nuzzle my ear.

“They’re a bunch of underfucked, horny beasts. Can you blame them? Dancing together sounds fun though, doesn’t it?” He flicks my earlobe with his hot tongue and my cock swells immediately, the rest of my body turning to Jell-O and melting towards him.

I swallow a moan and nod absently.

“Good. Then why don’t we finish eating and go get dressed too?”

“I didn’t bring anything to wear to a place like the Full Moon.

” I glance down at the plain t-shirt and jeans I’m currently wearing.

Most of what I packed when we went to my apartment was more of the same.

Not that there’s a dress code at the club or anything, but the last time I went somewhere like Full Moon I wore a mesh crop top and a pair of tight leather pants.

The air shimmers around my body, making my vision blur momentarily and my skin tingle as the clothes I’m wearing suddenly turn into the exact outfit I was just remembering. My mouth falls open and I look up at Drax. His eyes wander over my bare midriff hungrily.

“Did I do that somehow? Is this the demon magic you said Auri might give me?” I pluck at the shirt, making sure it’s actually there the way I’m seeing it. The mesh feels exactly the way I expected it to, just like I remember from the last time I wore it.

Drax chuckles. “It’s demon magic, but I did it.”

“What? How?” I frown, dozens of far more concerning thoughts flooding my mind. Can Drax read my thoughts somehow? Fuuuuck, I so do not need that. Do I owe him an apology for thinking about how to break our bond? Or for thinking about his massive demon dick too much?

“Relax,” he says soothingly, sending a flood of calm through our bond.

“I wasn’t sure I could do it, but I thought I’d try.

I figured you were thinking about what to wear, so I just pushed a little bit of my magic through our bond.

I guess technically you did conjure the outfit yourself, using my magic. ”

“Shit.” I smooth my hands over the leather pants in wonder. “What happened to the clothes I was wearing?”

“You’re still wearing them. This is a glamour.”

“Wow. It’s incredible.”

Drax puffs up his chest and preens a little. “I’m glad you like it. Now, what should I wear to the club?”

I’ve gotten so used to his nudity that it’s actually startling when the air around him shimmers and he’s suddenly wearing pants. He put on his human glamour at the same time, so the mesh top stretches too tightly over his chest and it looks like he’s smuggling a python in those leather pants.

“I don’t think I like this.” Drax grimaces and shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

I can’t tear my eyes off of his dick bulge, and it’s possible a little bit of drool is about to make an appearance. I really shouldn’t have sex with him again. It’s only going to confuse things for both of us. But holy good goddamn, the man is a wet dream.

“Maybe the discomfort would be worth it though,” he muses, and I finally manage to tear my eyes away from the way the leather molds itself around his cock.

“You should be comfortable.” Without thinking, I reach over and put my hand on his.

His whole body vibrates, but I can feel him trying to rein himself in and play it cool.

This is why I need to stop drooling over his dick.

He’s too sweet to play with when I don’t mean it.

“Can I… I mean, can you give me your magic again? I want to see if I can dress you too.”

He grunts in agreement, and a second later, I feel the warm tingle in our bond.

I thought it was the glamour itself causing that feeling before, but apparently it was his magic.

I close my eyes and picture him wearing a pair of jeans and a black vest with nothing underneath it.

And when I open them again, the new clothes have replaced the mesh top and leather pants.

Admittedly, I did still give him an epic dick bulge. Sue me.

“Thank you, this is more comfortable.” He runs his hands over the vest appreciatively. “Do you like it?”

“I picked it out,” I remind him with a grin, realizing that we’re closer than we were before, leaning into each other like maybe…

Roman’s whistle cuts through the tension of the moment and I jump back, nearly toppling out of my chair.

“Looking good.” Roman shoots me a wink and a smirk. “Oh, sorry, did I interrupt something?”

“Nope,” I answer in a hurry, standing up and putting a few feet of space between Drax and me.

As soon as he stands up, the shadowy demon servants descend on the table to clear it. I hold back my shudder. I’m not sure I’ll ever get over how creepy that is, even if it is convenient.

Roman is dressed now, with a leather collar around his neck, a black tank top, and jeans. He’s looking more feral than usual, his eyes glowing yellow and his canine teeth elongated. He’s also rocking a major dick bulge, but for some reason it’s less interesting than Drax’s. Stupid mating bond.

Cassius and Atlas are only a minute behind Roman. I’m not even sure Atlas changed his clothes, still rocking a t-shirt and slacks, and Cassius decided to go full Gothic vamp with a red cape and a ruffled shirt.

“Who’s ready for some fun?” Cassius rubs his hands together.

“And to meet a sorcerer,” I remind him. “I have to find out if he knows where Rune is.”

Cassius waves that off dismissively. “Yeah, yeah, we’ll talk to Alenor. Keep your pants on.” He drags his eyes over me, landing on my leather pants, and he raises his eyebrows. “On second thought…”

“Let’s just go,” Drax growls, stepping in front of me to block Cassius’s lecherous view.

“Let’s go,” I agree.

DRAX

Usually when Cas, Atlas, and Roman get all horny and decide to go chase ass, I stay home. They dragged me out once, then said I ruined the vibe by conjuring a tome to study in a quiet corner of the bar.