Page 9

CHAPTER 9

T he only thing Pan wanted to eat was the human man in front of him. Not only had he whispered prayers to gods and made Pan’s skin tingle in the process—not that a tingle was magic, but it was near enough at this point, and Pan was desperate—but the man had a wide-eyed innocence that begged to be corrupted. Pan wanted to rip away the veil and show him all the secrets of the universe.

It was far too easy to imagine Noah on his knees worshipping him, and Pan would be all too happy to shower him with blessings. Once again, magic had led him to where he needed to be.

The dragon had wanted to leave at dawn to recommence searching, but Pan had convinced him it would be better to stay and request help. The dragon then suggested diving through the glass window at the top of the palace until Pan pointed out that destroying the palace was not going to be taken well. Dragons never thought any further ahead than their next meal. While asking the dragon for transport had saved him days of walking, now he owed the dragon, which was galling.

However, he wasn’t going to turn down blessings. Having faith in the path that magic created for him was all he had. And since good help was bloody hard to find, and he didn’t know anyone in this world, he’d been extra nice to Linda and Noah.

When he finally reconnected with magic, he’d repay their generosity.

Perhaps the original gods were punishing the gods for letting a world be destroyed. That wasn’t a pleasant thought. No one, not even gods like him, had seen or heard anything from the original gods. Ever. And yet they were all aware their parents, or grandparents, existed because it was in the magic that ran through the universe. The same way he’d known about this world, the links between them, and how to travel between them.

Without magic, all he had were questions.

He followed Noah back to the kitchen, admiring the way his black pants hugged his ass. They were not the same as the ones Pan wore beneath the coat. He needed new clothes, and speaking with the vampires might solve some of his problems. He’d been hoping for elves, but he’d make do with vampires, and they’d be able to tell him where the Strega lived. Maybe she still had connections to her sisters, even if she didn’t have a connection to magic.

Much like the kitchen he’d eaten in last night. This was all shiny and silver. Linda made three cups of tea and three plates of cake. His stomach rumbled. He wasn’t used to this mortal body, and the demands it made were beyond irksome.

Not only did he have to feed it and water it, but he then needed to deal with consequences of eating. It was all very inconvenient.

“Thank you.” And he actually meant it. He picked up the cup, soaking in the warmth before taking a sip.

For several heartbeats, there was silence as they ate and drank, but the questions rippled unspoken in the air. His and theirs. As much as he wanted to tell them the truth about who he was—if only to hear Noah whispering his name—he didn’t know these humans or what they might do. The only reason he felt safe enough to sleep last night was because the dragon had curled around him.

“I realize with the scale of this disaster, not many people—humans, that is—are going to worry about a missing dragon.” Pan used his fork and broke off a piece of cake, deliberately not looking at Noah. “Do you know anyone who might be able to assist with searching for her?”

“Most people will be helping with the disaster,” Linda said. “Buildings need stabilizing. People need to be treated at the hospital. Water, sanitation, and power need repairing. It’s going to take a long time to get things working.” She shook her head. “A lost dragon will not be high on their list of priorities.”

Pan was aware of the damage in this small area thanks to the flyover the dragon had given him last night. While some parts of the town were lit, others were dark. The holes in the roads and fallen buildings—human and Tarikian—filled him with concern. How many of his people had survived?

That only the palace spire existed was troubling. Where was the rest of it?

He still had no idea what Tarikian town this was, though the knotwork engraved on the palace door was familiar—magic would’ve told him in a heartbeat.

Linda studied Noah for several heartbeats. Pan turned his head.

Noah sat up straighter as if realizing that he was the someone who could help. “What?”

“Nothing.” Linda took a sip of tea. “Only that your friends might want to help find a dragon if they aren’t volunteering elsewhere.”

“My friends don’t want to get eaten by dragons.”

“The dragon will not eat your friends,” Pan assured him. But human friends could not talk to the dragon, which meant he’d be stuck translating unless there was a lesser dragon nearby who also spoke English. It was too soon to hope that Tarikians were already learning the language. That required immersion and a willingness to learn, and if they were wounded and hungry, learning a new language was not a priority.

He bit back the groan. Every solution created a problem. It made his head hurt.

“The vampires won’t help?” Noah asked.

Pan worried the vampires were dead since they hadn’t come out. Though he hoped that wasn’t the case. He couldn’t deal with more death. Death wasn’t his area. He rotated the cup, wanting the answers to appear in the liquid. “I had hoped they’d already be helping my…their people. I am concerned about them.”

And he needed to stop calling Tarikians his people, or someone might suspect he wasn’t an incubus. Given that Noah could name some of the gods, Pan was reasonably sure that his name was not far from Noah’s lips. And it was rather too tempting to try to coax it off his tongue.

“There was screaming coming from in there yesterday,” Noah said quietly.

And you did nothing! You didn’t offer aid?

Pan tamped down on the fury that raced through him. Of course they hadn’t. They didn’t know what was behind the door, and even now, they knew they were both afraid. The lies humans had spent centuries telling had stuck.

He pushed away the plate of half-eaten cake, his appetite gone. “Pray they are alright and can assist their people.” And the dragons. Because I can’t do fucking anything.

And if he didn’t help the dragon, the dragon was going to eat him. In his present state, that would be fatal and a rather unpleasant end to his previously immortal life.

“You will wait for me to return?” Pan remembered to make it sound like a question and not like an order in the last heartbeat

A look passed between the two humans.

Linda nodded. “I need to sort out the food, and there’s some broken glass to clean up. We won’t be here come dusk.”

“Understood.” Which left him with the dilemma of where he’d sleep tonight because he did not want to spend another night curled up with the dragon—the sweet oniony scent was embedded in his clothes and skin—and he didn’t know if the vampires would offer him a room. He needed a long, hot soak, preferably with a couple of pretty attendants. His gaze flicked to Noah.

Or just one.

Noah’s cheeks turned pink, and he glanced away.

Pan wanted to grip Noah’s chin and run his thumb over that plump lower lip before consuming him. Those thoughts needed to wait because the dragon outside wasn’t going to. They had no sense of time, which meant they had very little patience.

Pan frowned and looked at Linda. “When you say sort out the food, what do you mean?”

“I have four days’ worth of food, and we’re not going to be able to open. So I need to determine what we can take home and what I can give to a friend of mine who is stuck…do your friends need feeding? Or do they need blood?”

“It depends on the age of the vampire. The young ones don’t eat blood.” And he didn’t want to explain vampire blood magic.

That probably didn’t work either. Fuck…maybe they were dead like the selkies.

He inclined his head to hide his expression. “I will check with them. It is a very generous offer. Perhaps if you have a little meat, you can spare for the dragon?”

Linda laughed. “I don’t have enough to feed a dragon.”

“It’s about the offering, not the quantity.”

“A bit like a stray cat? If you feed them, they become your friend,” Noah said as if warming to the idea.

“Exactly. Though I don’t recommend getting too close as you do not speak Dragon.” He stood. “Thank you for the tea and the cake. Hopefully, I’ll return with some kind of good news.”

He wasn’t even sure what good news looked like. Or what he wanted it to be. Only that he needed help. Every Tarikian needed help.

For the first time in his life, he wasn’t special. He wasn’t anything.

And he didn’t like that at all.