Page 5

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Rorik

This was terrible.

It was supposed to be the two of us alone in a dark, secluded location. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect opportunity to pick him off. But it was too good to be true. Saffron ruined everything by showing up with his identical twin.

My head throbbed with anger. Why didn’t Sheba warn me about this? Then my training kicked in, and my petulant thought died. If she didn’t mention it, she must’ve had a reason. Yes, that was it. The fact that Saffron had a twin was irrelevant. At the end of the day, I had to kill as many dragons as possible. Their relationships didn’t matter.

But the twin’s presence made my assassination attempt difficult, if not impossible. If these two scrawny blonds really were dragon shifters, then I was outmatched. If I attacked one, the other could shift in the blink of an eye and strike me down.

With a cold shudder, I recalled that the dragon who’d attacked my clan was faster than it looked. It was unwise to underestimate them.

Recklessness would be my downfall. I’d bide my time, learn their schedules, their strengths and weaknesses. Only then, armed with information, would I attack.

As I walked behind the two identical blond men, a slow smirk spread across my lips. They were leading me straight into the heart of their lair. How foolish could they be?

When I glimpsed their lair—the castle, they called it—I stopped breathing for a second. It was the biggest building I’d ever seen, grander and more imposing than the hotel. Sharp spires jutted against the sky like dragon horns. If I was a weaker bear, I might’ve been intimidated.

The twins led me into the mouth of the castle, then up a treacherous spiral staircase. Finally, Saffron pushed open a door, revealing a spacious unit.

My nose twitched as their combined scents flooded my nostrils. I was still learning dragon scent, but it reeked of young, virile alpha. The spicy, musky odor was unmistakable. Yet there were undercurrents of a different animal scent here, too. Was it… ermine? Pine marten? I couldn’t tell.

“Here we are! Our living room,” Saffron announced. He pointed to two doors on the opposite end of the room. “That’s Aurum’s bedroom, and that’s mine.”

I absorbed this knowledge and its implications.

“Understood,” I said. “I am not to set foot on Aurum’s side.”

Aurum raised a brow. “Uh, nobody said that. I mean, it’d be weird if you did since you just got here, but it’s not off limits.”

His tone confused me. Both he and Saffron spoke to me so casually. I didn’t understand it. I was an omega; they were both alphas. They had the right to give me orders, and enforce strict boundaries. Why did they act like our statuses were equal?

“I’m sorry,” I said, truly not knowing how else to respond.

Saffron snorted. “Don’t apologize. C’mon, sit on the couch with me.”

I lingered in the doorway, still taking in the sights and smells, then trudged after Saffron. He’d already sunk into the worn leather couch. He patted the seat invitingly.

Again, I hesitated. Did he really want me to sit beside him? I’d never been so close to an alpha—not unless I was being disciplined.

Saffron flashed a smile. “Don’t be shy.”

That smile… it did something to me. It made my chest tingle.

A suspicious thought crossed my mind: was this a trap? Was Saffron setting me up to make mistakes on purpose so he could punish me for them?

I searched Saffron’s face. His amber eyes glittered like sunlight reflecting off ice. He was almost too bright to look at.

Don’t dawdle. Make a decision.

I couldn’t refuse forever. Finally, I gave in. I lumbered onto the couch, trying not to gouge the leather with my claws. As I sat down, the cushion deflated beneath my weight, releasing an embarrassing high-pitched whine. Clearly, it wasn’t designed to support a thousand pounds of bear.

Saffron laughed at the sound. “Don’t sweat it. It’s an old couch. Me and Aurum have spent plenty of nights with our butts glued to the seat, watching movies or playing video games.”

Aurum popped his head over the back of the couch, almost cheek to cheek with Saffron. “You have played a video game before, right?” he asked me.

I could tell the answer was supposed to be ‘yes’, but there was no point in lying.

“No,” I said.

Aurum mimed a choking sound, like he was about to keel over and die.

If he really is a dragon, that would save me a lot of trouble, I thought.

“You are so weird, dude,” Aurum said. His criticism was mild. “Anyway, I’m off to bed. Gotta catch up on my mate-loving time.”

Saffron snorted, then playfully shoved his twin away. “Get outta here.”

Before Aurum disappeared into the other room, he shot me a pointed look. “By the way, Rorik, here’s a piece of advice: don’t let Saffron trick you into watching Titanic . He did that to me once and I’ll never forgive him.”

Instantly, Saffron bristled with defiance. “I didn’t trick you, and even if I did, it’s an amazing film that everybody should watch at least once—”

Aurum didn’t wait for him to finish his rant. “Good luck, Rorik!” he called, then slipped into the other room and shut the door.

I turned to Saffron and cautiously asked, “What is Titanic? ”

Saffron’s demeanor changed, like I’d flipped a switch. His whole face lit up. He sat up straighter, wriggling with excitement and nearly bouncing on the couch. “It’s only one of the greatest romances of all time!” He gasped. “Should we watch it? Should that be the first movie I show you? No, that’s too much. And it’s really long. I mean, it’s not too long—it’s the perfect length—but not for a first-timer…”

Saffron went on a tangent, suddenly oblivious to anything else. He talked a mile a minute. His unfiltered passion took me by surprise.

Hearing him ramble on and on was… strangely endearing.

I stopped as if struck by lightning. What was I thinking? He wasn’t endearing. He was a dragon—my mortal enemy.

Although I still hadn’t witnessed Saffron actually shift into a dragon, like he claimed to be able to…

Could I force a shift somehow? But if I did that, I’d be at a huge disadvantage. Killing him in this form was much simpler.

It occurred to me that we were alone again. Just Saffron and me, sitting beside each other on the couch. Inches apart. I was close enough to count the hairs on his fragile head. Close enough to inhale his scent with every breath. It was spicy and sweet, pleasantly tickling my nostrils and making my chest squeeze...

I could smother him with a pillow right now and escape without getting caught.

My stomach clenched. Killing a fire-breathing monster was one thing; killing a cheerful little human who’d invited me into his room was another.

“Okay, Rorik,” Saffron said, chipper voice cutting into my thoughts. “Why don’t you choose?”

Damn. I’d hesitated for too long and missed my chance.

“Choose?” I asked.

“The movie. Duh.”

Saffron held an assortment of rectangular cases in his hands. They all had different pictures and titles, and none of them meant anything to me.

“I’m sorry. I don’t understand,” I admitted.

Saffron’s smile was patient. “Just pick whichever one you like. That’s the movie we can watch together.”

I wasn’t used to being asked for my opinion—especially not by an alpha.

This was a trick. It had to be.

But if it was a trick, Saffron was a master of deception. He bounced on his heels with barely restrained enthusiasm, eager for my answer, raring to go. Did he actually value my decision that much?

I reached out with my paw and poked a case with colorful drawings. “This one.”

Saffron scanned the title. “ The Land Before Time . Awesome choice, Rorik! Man, I haven’t seen this in forever. It’s such a classic. I prefer romcoms myself, but animation is a close second.”

He dashed over to the huge TV. I’d never seen one up close, and it was bigger than the one Sheba and Knox owned.

Saffron swiftly popped a disc into a machine, then launched himself back onto the couch. His elbow brushed my fur again. I ignored the tingly feeling in my chest.

As excitement buzzed around Saffron like an electric current, I suddenly realized something. His intensity hinted at his dragon side. Each dragon hoarded something—jewels, gold, any precious item imaginable. Flanking the TV were rows and rows of cases. Movies must be a precious and valuable item, too.

“May I ask you a question?” I began.

Saffron’s thumb flicked over the controller, his eyes glued to the screen. “Sure.”

“Do you hoard… movies?”

His gaze snapped towards me. It was unnaturally fast. Dragon-like.

“Yes!” he cried. “You figured it out! I mean, it wasn’t a secret, but…”

Out of nowhere, Saffron’s cheeks turned a shade of pink. It made my chest feel strange.

Hells, was it hot in here?

Saffron tore his eyes away from me. He glanced back at the TV and sank into the couch. “A-anyway, let’s start the movie.”

The weird feeling disappeared, though I remained overheated. At first, I couldn’t focus on the movie. I spent the first ten minutes silently berating myself for losing my chance to kill a dragon. If Sheba and Knox were here, they would punish me, and I’d deserve it.

But soon, the allure of the colorful images and characters won me over. I forgot my thoughts and paid attention to the movie.

And I was enraptured.

My mission faded into the background of my consciousness. My whole focus was on the strange reptilian creature and his journey.

I opened my mouth to ask a question, then stopped. I didn’t know how many questions Saffron would tolerate. Back home, even one was too many.

Saffron must’ve noticed my desire to speak. He looked at me expectantly. “What’s up?”

He seemed open to my queries, so I took the risk. “What type of animal is a ‘long-neck’?”

“He’s a dinosaur,” Saffron replied. “Don’t ask me what kind, ‘cause I ain’t a dinosaur expert.”

I had never heard of a dinosaur in my life. Overriding years of etiquette training, I asked, “Where do they live?”

“They don’t exist anymore.”

“Why? What happened to them?”

The edges of Saffron’s mouth sloped into a concerned frown. The subtle change on his face made me think I’d said something wrong. Perhaps I’d bothered him with too many questions.

Before he could respond, I said, “I’m sorry. Never mind.”

We both went back to watching the movie. My real-life curiosities faded. Maybe it was better if I didn’t know too much. My focus was on my mission, not learning.

But I found myself spellbound by the movie. I didn’t know they were so wonderful. I understood why they were off-limits for us omegas back home. We would easily spend all day indulging and forget our duties.

My shoulders relaxed. I sank deeper into the couch. Beside me, I felt Saffron’s elbow imperceptibly brush against the tips of my arm fur. That slight touch sent a warm pulse through my veins.

Maybe here in the dragon’s lair, alone in this moment with my mortal enemy, I could enjoy a single movie before I did what had to be done.