Page 14 of Inferno (Drake Security Book 4)
MONTROSE
Ihalf expected Valentino to change his mind and haul me back into his hoard room when I waltzed out wearing the fur and a few choice pieces of priceless jewelry. There might have even been a small part of me that put it all on just to find out what he would do. Maybe. Possibly.
But the dragon didn’t huff or puff. He didn’t grab me and drag me back into his hoard like a rabid beast protecting his treasures. Sad. Seeing all of his shiny things cheered me up, but an orgasm would have really bolstered my mood. The rancid flavors of hell linger on my tongue, but if I concentrate hard enough, I can still taste Valentino’s earlier release too. Salty, smoky, fucking divine. And that’s not a word demons use lightly.
Valentino’s breath tickles the back of my neck as I near the front door. His strong fingers wrap around my upper arm, and even through the thick fur coat, I can feel the heat of his touch.
“Be careful and keep alert. If you get a single whiff of danger, I want you to let me know and we’ll be there,” he growls, and a little shiver runs down my spine at the possessive edge. Rawr.
I tut out a laugh though, ignoring the swell in my cock. “News flash, deliciae, overgrown lizards aren’t the only baddies on the block. I’m not a helpless flower.” I spin around and flash him a cocky smirk. “You should hear how the other demons whisper about the size of my horns. And you know what they say about demons with big horns.”
I waggle my eyebrows, but Valentino just looks confused. Apparently, my dragon hasn’t heard about Big Horn Energy. That’s fine. I lean closer and brush a kiss to the corner of his lips. He jerks with surprise and his lips part on a nearly silent moan.
“Maggard doesn’t spend much time topside, so I doubt he’s as familiar with how our powers are different here. I’m not saying he’s not formidable as hell, but I could definitely hold my own.”
He huffs, his expression anything but reassured. To be fair, even I can’t say how much of my confidence is earned and how much is a show for his benefit. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to hide out here like a prisoner while Maggard gets his rocks off on my fear from afar.
Two quick honks sound from outside. Valentino narrows his eyes at the door behind me like he’s rethinking the whole idea of letting me out of his sight. I grab his jaw and flick my tongue teasingly against his parted lips without dipping it inside.
“Be a good dragon while I’m gone, pet,” I purr, turning on my heel and leaving while he’s still blinking and dazed.
The door swings closed behind me and I bark out a laugh at the sight that greets me. Lake is parked right at the foot of the stairs in a cherry red convertible Aston Martin, the engine purring prettily as it idles. He has a stylish scarf around his head like a 1950s starlet, and bright red lipstick on that matches the shade of the car. I can see why Valentino was so sure he would make a good shopping buddy. Dempsey and a very grumpy looking wolf shifter—Draydon, I believe they said his name is?—are crammed into the back seat. Dempsey smiles and waves at me, and Draydon scowls a bit, his knees nearly pulled up to his chest in the tight space.
Lake lowers his sunglasses and smirks at me. “Get in, loser, we’re going shopping.”
I bristle. “Loser?” I pull my fur a little tighter around my shoulders and let out a haughty huff.
“Fuck me sideways, more supes who don’t bother to keep up with pop culture,” he groans, and Draydon actually cracks a smile in the back seat.
“It’s from that movie, Heathers,” Dempsey explains, and Lake looks physically pained, going so far as to let out a yelp.
“It’s from Mean Girls. What am I going to do with all of you?” he complains. “Forget it, just get in.” He waves to the empty passenger seat beside him. “Also, please tell me where you got that fabulous coat. I’m assuming it’s faux?” He reaches out to run his fingers through the soft pelt as I slide in beside him.
I ignore the second part of the question because I doubt an ethical debate about wearing a fur coat that’s so old hundreds of generations of cute, furry animals have lived and died since its creation is really the best way to start off a new friendship.
“Tino’s hoard.”
They all go completely still, and then their energies bombard me all at once. Shock, smug satisfaction, curiosity…
“His… hoard?” Lake repeats, his perfectly sculpted eyebrows rising over the rim of his sunglasses.
“Like, he took you into his hoard room and let you take things out with you?” Dempsey leans forward to drape himself over the back of Lake’s seat, studying me with eager curiosity.
“Sure.” I shrug, reaching up absently to touch the diamond teardrop hanging from the gold chain around my neck. I thought it was a little strange at the time, but their reactions to the information are making my pulse thunder and my blood heat. “What about those?” I gesture to the massive diamond studs in Lake’s earlobes. “Nico let you take those from his hoard, no?”
“Well, yeah, but that’s different.” He says it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world as he puts the car into gear and finally pulls away from Tino’s house.
The dragon’s words from earlier ring in my head. “That’s what our hoards are for, to impress our mates.” A little ripple of heat creeps over my skin and my inner demon practically vibrates with an odd sort of satisfaction I haven’t felt before.
I clear my throat and quickly cast a protection over my hair to keep it from becoming an unholy mess in the breeze as we drive. Now I understand Lake’s scarf.
“He was probably just trying to swing his big dragon dick around. All they can do is turn into giant lizards and boil a cup of tea by breathing on it, not exactly impressive.” I wave a hand dismissively. “Showing off his treasure was his way of posturing.”
Draydon snorts a laugh and Lake shakes his head next to me.
“You three are very annoying,” I inform them with a sniff.
“Aw, come on now, I know you just lost all of your stuff and you’re stressed about this demon business, but that’s just rude.” Lake keeps a sunny smile on his face, reaching over and patting my knee as he flies down the quiet roads with the large city buildings looming in the distance. “You’re going to love us. Besides, we mates need to stick together, otherwise those bossy dragons might start thinking they actually call the shots around here.”
“I’m not a mate,” I point out, but my comment is ignored as Lake gestures to the back seat and keeps talking.
“Just look at Draydon there. He thought I was too much at first, and now he can’t wait to go shopping with his besties.”
“I literally tried to shift and run into the woods to get out of this. You made your mate grab me by the scruff and stuff me into the back seat. This isn’t a shopping trip, it’s a kidnapping,” Draydon says dryly.
“See?” Lake says brightly. “He loves me.”
“Pretty sure that’s not what he said,” I mutter, but I can’t help smiling at the confidence and strange sunshine rolling off of the enigmatic human in thick waves. “And I’m not a mate,” I say again.
Dempsey reaches over the seat and pats my shoulder, but none of them say a word.
VALENTINO
I can feelthe tug of the binding spell pulling a little tighter with every mile that grows between Montrose and me. I didn’t notice it earlier, but there’s a whisper of emotion that seeps through the invisible thread between us too. When he first left, there was a tight feeling of cautious annoyance, but it’s slowly warming up and relaxing. My lips twitch with a smile as I look blankly in the general direction of the city where they’re headed, even though there’s nothing but Lord’s living room wall in my line of sight right now. I know Lake can be a bit much, but I can see them becoming fast friends. Dempsey and Dray too. I think Montrose will like them if he gives them a chance. Why I care about how the demon gets along with my brothers’ mates is beyond me, but my dragon purrs with satisfaction anyway.
“Tino.” Arson’s voice snaps me out of my thoughts.
“Sorry, what was that?” I tear my gaze away from the wall and return it to my brothers, seated around me.
Mac is looking pale and gaunt with worry, and Lord, Hemingway, Nico, and Arson are all varying degrees of tense and murderous. A flicker of amusement crosses Arson’s face.
“I was just saying that I don’t think we can trust Montrose, and the smartest option is to take him out now while he’s not expecting it.”
Before he can even blink, I’m out of my chair and across the room, roaring as I leap at my brother. My dragon rushes to the surface, but I can’t blame my reaction solely on the beast. Even with my human eyes, I’m seeing red as Arson barks out a laugh and dodges out of my path by rolling off the couch just as I’m about to land.
“Stop fucking with him,” Lord says mildly.
“What? I was just checking. I think we can all agree I confirmed a theory.” He gets up and dusts himself off while I drag in a few deep, smoke flavored breaths in an attempt to calm myself.
“What theory?” I ask through gritted teeth.
“Can we focus?” Mac practically screeches, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around himself. “I don’t want to be a demon skin suit, okay? Please.”
My youngest brother’s fear is like a bucket of ice water on the inferno of protective rage inside of me. Nico is sitting closest to Mac, and at his near-hysterical tone, he scoots even closer, putting a comforting arm around our little brother’s shoulders.
“The only one who’s going to end up as a skin suit around here is Maggard,” Nico growls.
“He’s right. We’re not letting a demon or anyone else lay a hand on you,” Hemingway assures him. “We’ve got Dahlia on her way over to strengthen the wards. She said she can add some more demon-specific protections to the property too.”
“What will that mean for Montrose?” I ask, rubbing my chest against the surge of worry that has no place when the pretty demon has been nothing but trouble so far.
“She said the binding spell will override the wards, so you’re good,” Hem says.
“Okay, so Maggard won’t be able to get in.” I pace in front of the couch where Arson is seated again, rubbing my stubbled jaw as I grasp helplessly for a plan, any plan, to protect Mac. “But we can’t just keep Mac here for all eternity. Something tells me Maggard isn’t going to cool off with time.”
“We’re still looking for a more… permanent solution,” Lord answers. “Dempsey says he has some texts he can check, and Dahlia put out feelers to her contacts for anyone with information about Maggard. No demon is invincible. We just need to find his weakness.”
I grunt and keep pacing. That’s all well and good, but the problem is, while we sit around here with our thumbs up our asses hoping to figure out Maggard’s weakness, he already knows mine. The demonic wail Montrose let out when he found his things destroyed still echoes in my ears and deep inside my chest. If Maggard gets his hands on Montrose…
I stop in my tracks, my whole body tensing at the thought as flames burn their way up my throat.
“I’ll give them a few days, but if neither of them can come up with anything solid, I’m taking matters into my own hands.”
“What does that even mean?” Arson asks. “You’re going to go to the demon realm, puff up your chest at Maggard, and tell him to leave us alone?”
“If I have to.” I growl again, my teeth clenching so hard it makes my jaw ache. “I’ll do anything to keep him safe.”
“Mac?” Arson asks, his lips twisting into another taunting smile.
I rear back and frown, rubbing my chest again.
“Of course, Mac,” I mutter. I’m not about to admit that for half a second I forgot Mac was in danger too. All my dragon can think about is protecting Montrose. By any means necessary.