Page 31 of Dragon Rivals of New York (Dragons of New York #3)

Chapter 31

Sora

“ H ow much longer?” I shove another brownie in my mouth, stress eating in a way my mother would abhor.

“They probably aren’t even at the temple yet.” Jeslyn’s reply is soft and even, but she hasn’t stopped bouncing up and down for the past thirty minutes. Sure, the baby she’s holding makes it understandable, but Athena’s been asleep for the last twenty minutes. She clearly isn’t the one who needs the soothing.

“Maybe we should watch a movie,” Finley suggests, already flipping on the television.

“I won’t be able to pay attention.” I take another brownie. It’s chewy and delicious, but I can barely taste it. All my senses feel numb and raw. Somewhere out there, my men are fighting dragons. Sure, they’re dragons themselves, so I guess it’s an even match, but that doesn’t help my nerves.

Finley puts on a movie anyway, some cringe horror movie from the 50s. I’m just getting sucked into making fun of it when there’s a thump on the patio. We all look at each other, then dash outside.

Kyro is lowering a motionless Otto onto the tile. In the past few minutes, it’s started raining and the fat wet drops wash a crimson trail onto the balcony. Jethro is already there, hunching over Otto in his human form. I scour his body with my eyes. He’s unscathed, apart from red stains around his ears. Is that blood?

Kyro shifts a moment later, and I notice all three of them are bleeding from their ears. But Otto is the only one with a deeper wound. There’s a gouge across his midsection, shredding his abs.

I drop to my knees beside both my men and their friend. A man too young to have been fighting for me. “What happened?”

None of them answer.

Midas, Cyrus, and Damian land on the patio a second later, all of them bleeding from their ears.

Finley and Jeslyn rush to their mates. In his haste to get to Otto, Damian slips on the tile, skidding to a stop just before he falls. He picks Otto up and carries him into the living room. We all follow after him, dripping water into the house from our wet clothes and hair.

“He needs stitches,” Damian says with a grimace.

Now that someone’s taking care of Otto, Kyro and Jethro lock me in an embrace that feels desperate and fragile. Kyro’s shoulders shake.

“What happened?” I ask again. It doesn’t really matter how Otto got hurt, but I need to know. There’s something in me that believes it’ll all be better or fixable if I just knew what happened.

Again, my question goes unanswered.

Jeslyn asks Midas where the first aid kit is, but his back is to her and he doesn’t answer or even turn around.

“I don’t think they can hear us,” Finley says.

Shit. I think she’s right. I pull back and motion to Jethro’s ear. “Can you hear me?”

He shakes his head. “Sorry, lovely.” He winces like it pains him to speak. “They had a siren. Our eardrums burst.”

“A siren? Like the mermaid things that lure sailors to the rocks?” I ask.

Jethro shakes his head with a confused look. Right, he can’t hear me.

Jeslyn walks back in with the first aid kit and hands it off to Damian, who gets to work setting out supplies. Otto still hasn’t regained consciousness. Will stitching him up even help? He’s so pale, and it’s clear he’s lost a lot of blood. I squeeze Jethro and Kyro, feeling helpless and sick as Damian works.

Sweet Otto, who helped me get things to make scones just this morning. Awkward and embarrassed Otto, who didn’t want Kyro to know he’s sleeping with Damian. I think that secret’s out of the bag now. No one could see Damian in this moment and not know he cares deeply for the man he’s tending.

Tears brim over and run down my cheeks. That could be Jethro or Kyro on that couch. It’s a miracle it’s not. I’m so grateful they’re okay and so gutted that Otto isn’t.

“Did… Did you take back the temple?” I ask, forgetting for a moment that they can’t hear me. When there’s no answer, I take Kyro’s anguished face in my hands and make sure he’s looking at me. “Did you win?” I shape the words slowly.

He shakes his head, and a tear falls down his cheek.

This is too much. The cost is too high. I can’t let them do this again. We can’t risk real lives for the possibility that there might be a negative consequence to the hordes if we don’t mate.

I hold my men tighter, letting the tears flow freely. How did they become so important to me in such a short time? They’ve changed me. If I forget them, I won’t be the same person I am now. I don’t want to go back. I’ll risk myself and everything I have to bond them, but I won’t risk the lives of people like Otto. This is my battle to fight, and I’m going to fight it.

I just don’t know how yet.