Page 29

CHAPTER 29

“T ell the vet to hurry,” Noah said.

“You aren’t coming with us?” Liam asked

“I need to stay here.” Though that wasn’t quite true. Pan didn’t need him; he’d be able to talk to the vet just fine. But he didn’t understand some of the terminology and he didn’t understand how things worked. It wasn’t the language he needed help with, it was everything else.

Web rolled his eyes. “He’s fucking the incubus. Of course he wants to stay with him. By cozying up to the acting Lord of the city, he can feel important.”

“Give it a rest, Web. You were pretty keen to come searching for the dragon. We found a dragon and had dinner with centaurs.” Liam grinned, as if it had been a great adventure.

Web snorted. “We were captured, held prisoner, and pissed on.”

Both could be true. “Their rules are different. And that’s why I’m staying. We’ll get the dragon out of here and be back in town soon enough, and if we aren’t, you know who to talk to.”

Liam hugged him. “I’d tell you to be careful, but I’m not sure if you can in this situation.”

Noah held onto him for a moment longer, not wanting to admit that he was afraid. Dragons were big, and this one was hurt and while it was technically a wild animal, that she talked and helped guard the city meant that she wasn’t really wild. And then there was Pan, who was also wild and unpredictable and dangerous.

And addictive.

Or was that the magic?

Noah patted Liam on the back and stepped away. “I’m glad you came with me. When I get home, I’ll see if I can introduce you to the vampire in the pub.”

Web narrowed his eyes. “So you’re going to be hanging out with them now?”

“Everything changed with the collapse. I’m taking one day at a time and helping where I can. Since there’s plenty of people helping humans, I might as well help the mythologicals.” He glanced over his shoulder. “I should head back… Say a prayer to Pan for me?”

Liam laughed. “Will do. And I’ll light a candle.”

“Yeah. Will you be coming round for the full moon?”

He wanted to. It’s what they’d been doing for the last year. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“No reason.” Web shrugged. “Come on, the sooner we spot the vet, the sooner we can leave.” Web started walking away.

“He’s jealous.”

Noah had figured that out already, but he wasn’t sure what he could do about it. No one was ever jealous of him. Web would be more upset if he learned the only reason Pan had done that was because Noah had magic. For the first time in his life, he had something that people wanted. Needed.

He’d looked up to Web, believing he had the sight and magic when it had all been posturing and pretend. He was the one with the power, but he didn’t know how to use it. No, but there was someone who could teach him.

He didn’t need to trust Pan to learn more about magic. He didn’t need to like Pan to have sex with him to reach the magic.

Perhaps the only honest thing between them was that Pan was using him for magic. If he used Pan to learn about magic, he was only balancing the scales. Though none of those things sat well within him.

He should have been able to trust a god.