Page 1

Chapter One

T he clubhouse had never had so many people inside. Skippy wasn't sure how much money they had made at the door, but it was definitely more than they had ever made in the past. Word got out that the Dragon Skulls clubhouse was the place to be for a good but safe time. Daruss had let Wren, Jonik's mate, do all the DJing. It turned out he was better at it than everyone else. He read the vibe in the room well and picked the music that suited it best.

The crowd was on the younger side. As if a bunch of college kids decided to take a trip to the wild side. So Wren chose the latest dance music. Most of them made Skippy’s stomach bump to the beat. He had enjoyed that when he was in his twenties far more than he did since reaching his forties. Now the bass just got on his nerves. Or maybe that was another reason for his current mood.

Jonik sat in the corner of the room with Wren. They made moon eyes at each other, touching and kissing. It was sweet. Skippy wanted to rip their fucking heads off. But he wouldn't because they were family.

Skippy was on bouncer duty, which was a good thing. He could put his bad mood somewhere, eventually. He just had to find an idiot who wasn't following the rules first.

So far everyone had drinking and dancing on their minds. They had the occasional couple make their way to the back wall, where the lights in the rest of the room couldn't quite reach. The shadows made the perfect stop for fucking, which was allowed as long as all parties agreed on whatever they did, every second they were doing it.

Skippy always had one ear out for sounds of distress or a struggle. Someone saying ‘no’ or ‘stop’. Ever since they posted the rules next to the door, it swayed the predators from having a go at anyone. A lot of them didn't even bother showing up anymore. And it wasn't that Skippy wasn't happy about it. People deserve to have a good time without worrying about their safety. But he hadn't fought at the club in a solid week. He needed to either fight or fuck and since he was on duty, he couldn't do the latter. Not that he would anyway.

He'd complain to Daruss, but he was on the couch with his boys, watching them fuck each other. The way he ran his hand down Jude's back as he kissed Raylee was a goal for Skippy.

Not that Skippy had a mate. He wanted one, though. Someone to love and protect. Someone who would put a similar expression on his face to the one Jonik, Daruss, and the other mated Dragon Skulls had. He wanted to be in love. But it just hadn't been in the cards. Not yet. And sometimes it felt like it would never happen.

It didn't help that the Dragon Skulls seemed to be finding their mates en masse lately. What happened to the days when they would fuck whatever rando who would let them? And yeah, maybe it was an exaggeration to think none of them did that anymore. Hell, Nash was making out with a boy in lacy panties. The panties were black boy shorts.

He was over fucking strangers. He told himself he was fine taking care of his needs himself.

Abstinence was for the fucking birds, though. Gods, his dick ached to be inside someone. So yeah, he was seriously considering caving on his resolve to wait for his mate, and it had only been a month. What would happen if it took months? Or, the gods help him, what if years went by? Or if he never found his mate? His dick would shrivel up like a prune. The biggest prune to ever prune. What a waste of a perfectly good dick.

Seryn walked in from the back where Landry’s tattoo shop was. He slid into the space between Skippy and the edge of the bar. It was just enough room for him.

"Where's Mitchell?" Surely Mitchell didn't leave Seryn by himself for no reason. Not with Seryn wearing leather pants so tight Skippy could read his thoughts. Not that Skippy ever wanted to know what Seryn thought about. It probably had something to do with Mitchell or killing someone.

Since meeting Mitchell, Seryn had lost what Skippy affectionately referred to as his dead smile. That smile meant something and nothing all at once. It could mean Seryn was sad or it might mean he was ready to kill. But it had never meant he was happy. Skippy was glad to see it gone. Lately, whenever Seryn glanced at Skippy, there was curiosity and maybe a little concern.

"He's in the back talking to Landry and Enzo." Seryn nodded toward Jude. "He doesn't want to watch his brother fuck."

"Can't say I blame him." Not that Skippy had a brother, but if he did, he wouldn't want to watch them. "I'm surprised Daruss is letting them get so…"

"Intense," Seryn finished for him. "Yeah, me too."

"So, you thought you'd come over here and bug the shit out of me, huh?"

Seryn grinned. "I like bugging the shit out of you."

Skippy chuckled and shook his head. "No, you don't."

"Did you know you're my best friend? You can tell me what’s wrong if you want." Seryn's expression changed to one Skippy couldn’t read, but he didn’t doubt his sincerity.

Skippy sighed. "I've decided to save myself for my mate and it's driving me crazy. I'm certifiable, man. Seriously."

Seryn chuckled. He didn't very often. "That's dumb, Skip."

Skippy could also count on Seryn's honesty. He growled. "Yeah, but fuck, man. Even Izzy found his mates."

Skippy eyed Izzy, who had each of his mates tucked under each arm as they took up residence on a couch next to Daruss and his boys.

"And now you want a mate?"

"It’s my fucking turn. I can feel it in my gut. He's out there somewhere. He’s close." Skippy didn't speak about the urgency in finding his mate. He didn't understand what it was that made his chest ache and his gut clench. Describing it to someone else would only be confusing for them and him.

Seryn held out his hand and then wiggled his fingers. "Come on."

Skippy scowled. "What do you want me to do? I'm not holding your hand, man. I know I can kick Mitchell's ass all over this club, but I don't want to die at your hand. And I definitely don't want him to steal everything I own, which he will out of revenge.” Not that Skippy would blame him if he did.

Seryn smiled. It was the empty one that meant everything and nothing all at the same time. "I would kill you for touching him."

"I know." Best friend or not, Seryn would go to any lengths to protect his mate, even against Skippy. The thing was, Seryn would do anything for Skippy too. He was a weird dude like that.

His smile turned genuine. "Mitch is the best thief."

Skippy chuckled. "You're a dragon skull, through and through."

"Why do you say it like that? Because I'm proud of him for being a good thief?" Seryn smirked.

"Exactly."

"Give me your hand, Simon." Seryn wiggled his fingers again.

"Don't call me that." Skippy hesitated. "I will if you tell me why."

Seryn rolled his eyes. "I want to see if I can get some information on your mate."

Seryn had visions. It was something Skippy hadn't always known about him, but lately, Seryn had been more open about his abilities, although he considered the ability as more of an affliction. "I thought they were random."

“I’m controlling them better.”

Skippy shrugged and put his hand in Seryn's. What could it hurt?

Five seconds later, he found out.

Seryn sucked in a breath and let go of Skippy's hand. And took a step away from him. "Your dragon is stuck."

"What?" What did that mean?

“You need it to save your mate.” Seryn drew his eyebrows together and rubbed his chest.

"Nothing has happened to me." And the gods forbid if it did. He’d never been seriously hurt. He wasn’t sure how well he’d be able to handle the physical limitation. “I'm still landscaping your backyard tomorrow."

Seryn had been his only customer for the first two years of starting his business, but the business had grown slow and steady.

Seryn had several acres of grass. Since he didn't care what Skippy did, he'd been putting in flower beds and creating pretty walking paths. He wanted to get a couple of benches eventually, so Seryn and Mitchell could sit outside amongst the flowers. Seryn let Skippy do whatever he wanted. And since Skippy had something similar at his own house, he’d already learned which plants grew best together and how to get the most color year around.

"I get injured at some point." That was just fucking great. It was one more thing he didn't need to worry about but would anyway. Seryn's visions were a gift, but it didn't feel like one at that moment. "Ignorance was bliss, man."

"You have to be careful. Have patience with yourself. Protection isn’t always physical."

"All we were trying to figure out was if I have a mate."

"You have one. Everyone does." Seryn leaned closer, as if what he had to say next was a secret. "He's not like you and me. But he’s fierce. A Mama Bear when protecting his cub."

Skippy sucked in a breath. It was only a little snippet of information, but it was enough to give him hope.