Page 14

TEN

MAC

Damn. I don’t know if it’s the club affecting me or just how hot Drax is, but I was seconds from climbing all over him when Cassius interrupted us. After clearing my throat and dragging a hand through my hair, I glance at Drax, who’s licking his lips and glancing around the club.

“There,” he says. “At the bar.”

I search the crowd of people, expecting to see some old man standing out like a sore thumb in a sea of sexy supes, but my gaze lands on a petite man with a commanding presence behind the bar, his teeth gleaming white as he grins and sets out a line of shot glasses.

That can’t be the sorcerer. He’s a hot little twink with shimmering blue hair styled in a dramatic pompadour, wearing a tight white vest and white pants. As we move in his direction, his gaze snaps to my face, almost as if he was expecting me, which is obviously impossible.

Drax slots his fingers between mine, holding my hand protectively. “Let me start?” he asks. “I can get a read on him before we interact too much.”

“Sure.”

We slide up to the bar, taking two stools right in front of the man. He’s got a name tag on, Alenor scrawled in a fancy font.

“What can I get you sexy boys?” Alenor says, his tone far more biting than it should be.

“A bit of your time and knowledge,” Drax says, to which Alenor tilts his head.

“About?”

“A mage named Rune.”

Alenor raises a perfectly groomed eyebrow and scowls. “What do you want to know about that scoundrel?”

“So, you know him?” I ask.

“Indeed. He’s my ex, so if you’re here to stake your claim on him, have at it. I don’t care where he puts his dick anymore.”

“No, it isn’t like that,” Drax says quickly. “We’re mates. Not looking for another.”

Alenor’s gaze shifts to me and as he searches my eyes, I feel naked and exposed, like he can see parts of me I’d rather he not.

“Stop that,” I mutter.

“Apologies,” Alenor says. “Just taking a little peek.” He leans back against the sleek black bar. “What do you want to know about Rune?”

“Any idea where to find him?” I ask.

“Why? Are you going to kill him?”

“No,” I say at the same time Drax says, “If we must.”

Alenor glances back and forth between us. “What do you want with him?”

“He has something we need,” I answer. “Something he took.”

Alenor huffs. “Ah, yes, he does that. He’s been on a mission for years to eradicate the planet of cursed and dangerous objects. I assume what he has of yours falls into that category.”

“It’s a cursed amulet,” Drax explains, “and it’s very dangerous in the wrong hands. Is he motivated by eternal life?”

Alenor shrugs. “I don’t know what his motivations are. All I know is he’s obsessed with the balance of light and dark, of good and evil, and he’s made it his mission to restore the balance.”

His answer pokes at me, and I wonder if Auri’s intentions with the amulet are good, bad, or neutral.

Maybe he just wants it because it’s pretty.

Maybe, like a dragon, he’s just a collector.

Like Drax said, Auri is already immortal so the amulet wouldn’t help him in that way, but he might know of another, more sinister use.

Too bad I can’t let that influence me. Not if I want out of this mess I got myself into.

“Do you know where he is?” I ask.

“Maybe,” Alenor says. “But I’m not sure why I should tell you.”

“What would you like in return?” Drax asks.

“What do you have to offer?”

Drax looks at me and I shrug. “What?”

“Your collection. You might have something he wants.”

My dragon immediately reacts to that, thrashing wildly, something both Drax and Alenor can apparently feel given the way Alenor raises his eyebrows and Drax rubs my back.

“How about a scale, dragon?” Alenor asks, leaning closer to me now. “Just one.”

A shiver moves down my back. “What will you do with it?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” He shrugs and a wicked gleam dances in his eyes. “But what fun I could have.”

“I don’t want it to hurt anyone. Or hurt a dragon.”

He taps his chin. “Fair. What if I promise I won’t use it for harm?”

“How do I know I can take you at your word?”

He lifts his hand to show the tips of his fingers glowing and pulsing blue. “My word is a bond. I can’t break my bond.”

I lift my hand and press it to his, my breath catching as my fingers tingle and a sense of understanding and security washes over me. I nod, pulling my hand back.

“Okay. You can have a scale. But tell us where Rune is first.”

He licks his lips. “Rune spends most of his time in a mountain cabin located in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland.”

“Thank you,” Drax says, tugging at my arm.

“Not so fast. A deal is a deal, yes?”

I nod, calling forth my dragon and allowing my scales to ripple across my flesh. Alenor sucks in a breath, reaching out to drag his fingers over my dragon skin, which doesn’t please Drax at all.

He growls, “Hurry up, sorcerer.”

Alenor chuckles. “Relax, demon. I’m not trying to steal your mate, pretty as he is.”

Alenor runs his hand down my arm again, then yanks on a scale on my bicep. It tears away, stinging as it does, but instantly begins to regenerate. Alenor holds the scale between his fingers, lifting it to let it catch the light of the club.

“Amazing,” he says. “If Rune isn’t in Scotland, he also likes to hide out in the Shinjuku district in Tokyo.”

“Thanks again,” I say, rubbing my arm where the scale is regrowing.

“My pleasure,” Alenor says, tucking the scale into his vest pocket. “Word to the wise, Rune is a shifty guy and very skilled. He won’t hesitate to use his magic to deter you.”

“I’m a demon and he’s a dragon.” Drax puffs his chest out slightly. “We can handle a mage.”

“Just passing on what I know.” Alenor eyes us up and down. “He can be dangerous if he wants to protect something.”

“Understood,” I say. “Thanks again.”

Drax and I walk off and before I process anything, we’re back on the dance floor and Drax has his arms wrapped around me and his lips pressed against my neck.

He smells like everything I love: a flower garden filled with the wildflowers of home, my mom’s apple cinnamon cookies, and the cleansing scent of spring rain.

We dance in a slow circle and my eyes catch on Cassius, perched on the lap of a much larger man and drinking from the man’s neck. I search the room for Atlas and Roman, finding Atlas first, sitting with two people who look like a man and a woman from here. They look deep in discussion.

Finally, I spot Roman, dirty dancing with a tall, lanky, man. They grind on each other and I can smell the pheromones rolling off Roman even from here.

Then there’s Drax. This beautiful demon moving against me like his body was made to tuck up perfectly against mine. I gaze down at his face, covered in his human glamour at the moment, and the desire to taste his lips is strong, but I hold back. I’m only complicating things this way.

“Should we go now?” Drax asks.

“Where?”

A sweet smile spreads on his lips. “To the Northwest Highlands in Scotland.”

“Oh, right.” I almost forgot the mission. “Yeah, let’s do that. The sooner we find Rune the better.”

“Hold on then,” he says, wrapping his arms around my waist.

The world sways around me and we slip into the void.

DRAX

Mac clings to me as we travel between realms, using my internal navigation to get us to the right spot. This is faster, but I imagine flying would be a lot more fun. Maybe I can talk him into it sometime.

When our feet touch solid earth again, he exhales but doesn’t release me. The air around us is cool and dense, and when I look up, I see we’re standing in the midst of a canopy of tree coverage as morning light filters through the foliage.

“It’s beautiful,” Mac whispers, also gazing up.

“Very.”

“How do you suppose we find the mage?”

“Hmm. We need a way to canvas the area. Maybe we can spot a cabin.”

Mac nods. “I can do that. Do you want to ride with me?”

I nod happily. “Oh, yes please.”

Mac steps back, tugging his shirt over his head. While we traveled, our glamour fell away, so he’s back in his t-shirt and jeans, which suits me just fine. He removes his jeans next, tossing them aside. I bend down to gather them up knowing he’ll need them later.

Once he’s completely naked, he meets my gaze, and I greedily take him in.

“You are beautiful, ma—Mac.”

He smiles shyly. “Thanks.” After twisting his neck back and forth, he blows out a smoky breath. “Ready?”

“Very.”

Mac crouches down, and right before my eyes, his legs thicken and elongate while his arms do the same.

His neck stretches and his face morphs into a stunning beast’s, his human skin replaced with striking emerald scales.

When his magnificent wings release, he lets out a moan that sounds like a mix between pleasure and pain.

I watch in stunned silence until he taps his clawed foot on the ground, kicking up a bit of dust.

“Can you talk this way?”

“I can,” he says, but his voice is much deeper and far less human than it was.

I step closer, reaching out to run my hand over the dragon’s snout. He blinks slowly at me, the vibration spreading through me as his dragon purrs with contentment.

“You are beautiful too,” Mac says, but I know it’s the dragon speaking to me. I just sense it.

“I’m happy I’m pleasing to you, sweet dragon.” I rub his snout again and he leans into my touch, nuzzling against my palm. “It’s nice to see you fully.”

Mac opens his emerald eyes, blinking slowly.

“Do you like me, dragon?”

He nods, nudging my hand again like a cat asking for pets. “Climb up.”

I do so easily, finding the perfect spot between the horns that line his neck and back. I’ve never felt so small in my life, and it’s delightful. I don’t need much protection, but I certainly have it atop my brave dragon.

“Here we go,” Mac announces before taking three lumbering steps and flapping his huge wings.

We take off into the sky, soaring over the trees and scanning the wilderness for a cabin that looks like it could belong to a mage. It’s pretty desolate and unspoiled out here, so chances are good that if we spot a structure, it belongs to Rune.

The air rushes past me, blowing my hair around and giving me a sense of freedom I’ve never experienced in the underworld. This is wonderful.

“There,” Mac rumbles, pointing a claw toward a thicket of trees.

I see the top of a roof and a stone chimney as Mac dips down to land. Once we’re on solid ground again, disappointment settles over me, but I push it aside. Yes, that was fun, but we have work to do.

I hand Mac his clothes, watching in awe as his dragon slips away and his human features reappear. He throws on his jeans and t-shirt, smiling shyly as he manages his shoes.

“Did you like flying with me?”

“Very much so.”

His smile grows as he rights himself and runs a hand through his hair. “Shall we?”

“We shall.”