Page 13

L achlan ordered room service with the landline and used his other hand to text Valentine their location. The Greatdrakes were going to be pissed that he hadn't waited, but Lachlan wasn't sorry he had gone in alone.

He would never get the image of Apollo strapped to the table out of his head as long as he lived. His hands began to shake, and he clenched them tight to make them stop. He had gotten Apollo back. They had gotten lucky.

The Sanguis Vitae wouldn't take the attack on their headquarters well. They would come for Apollo again and wouldn't be subtle about it. They needed to be ready.

Apollo was crying in the bathtub, and Lachlan wanted nothing more than to climb in beside him and hold him close. He couldn't do that though. Apollo would never let him, and he wanted Val anyway.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked through the door, careful not to look in.

"No. Maybe when Val is here, and I've eaten. I'm sorry…"

"You've got nothing to be sorry for. They aren't ever going to touch you again. Hear me?" Lachlan said. He ground his teeth so hard together that his molars ached. His beautiful golden boy was hurting, and he could do fucking nothing. There was a knock at the door. "That will be your food."

Lachlan opened the hotel door, and pain burst through his nose as a fist hit him hard and fast.

Valentine shook out his hand and pushed him aside. "That's for leaving without me, you fucking asshole. Where is he?"

"Bathroom," Lachlan grumbled, holding his nose. He supposed he deserved it.

Valentine went into the bathroom and crouched by the tub. "You okay, baby brother?"

"No." Apollo burst into tears again, and Valentine hugged his head to his chest.

"I brought you some clothes. Come out of there and get dressed. I don't want to talk to you with your junk out everywhere." Valentine patted his wet curls. "Can you get out of there, okay? Or do I need to get Lachie?"

"I'll be fine," Apollo sniffed.

Lachlan stepped forward. "I'd be happy to—" he began.

Valentine's eyes narrowed. "He said he was fine."

"Don't fight," Apollo said as he pulled himself out of the tub.

Lachlan saw a line of bare back and golden skin before he quickly turned away. There was another knock at the door, and he hurried to answer it, hoping Valentine didn't notice how red his ears were. It really, really wasn't the time to stare at Apollo.

Lachlan opened the door and was relieved to find it was just a waiter from the kitchen downstairs. He pointed to a brown bag and said, "And that is the special order you requested."

"Thank you," Lachlan said, signing off on the receipt. He put the tray on the table and pulled out the Coke from the brown bag.

"You got a McDonald's Coke Ubered to the hotel for him?" Valentine asked, his lips twitching in a smile.

"Shut up, Val. He likes them," Lachlan said, his ears going redder.

"I've never seen a man so whipped."

Apollo came out of the bathroom in jeans and a T-shirt, his wet curls in a jumble. "That Coke better be for me, or I'm going to burn this hotel to the ground," he said, collapsing into a chair at the table.

Lachlan passed it to him. "Of course it's for you."

Valentine had the decency to wait until Apollo had finished off a plate of crepes before he got impatient. "Tell us what happened, Apollo. What are these assholes up to?"

"They got footage of Bas as a dragon," Apollo said and screwed his face up. "No, from the start. Words are hard."

Lachlan picked at the club sandwich he had ordered, but the more Apollo spoke, the more Lachlan's appetite faded.

"They are scary fuckers, Val. I don't think they will stop until they have one of us to experiment on. They think we are their key to immortality," Apollo finished.

Valentine hummed. "Don't worry, little brother. We aren't going to let them get away with this insult. Lachlan? What's your excuse for going in without me?"

"I didn't want to wait, and I didn't want them to get their hands on another dragon if shit went south. I was trying to protect you," Lachlan said and crossed his arms. "I won't apologize for it either."

"You could have gotten yourself killed, you dumbass.

No matter how noble you think your actions were.

Your death affects other people. Maybe take that into consideration before you rush into danger, hmm?

" Valentine replied, flinching when Apollo kicked him under the table.

"You know I'm right, Apollo. Finish that food.

Lachlan, get your gear and wash that blood off.

We are going to the Greatdrakes apartment, where there are decent wards. We aren't safe here."

Lachlan wanted to ask who put him in charge, but he looked at Apollo and knew the answer.

He wanted Valentine there to take control of the situation, and Lachlan couldn't blame him for that.

He would want Ciara if he were in Apollo's shoes.

He hadn't been kidnapped, and he still would have felt better if his sister was there.

Lachlan took a cold shower to try to wake himself up a bit and dressed as quickly as possible. Valentine wasn't in the room when he came out of the bathroom, but Apollo was.

"Val's checking the streets before we go down," Apollo said, getting to his feet. His color was looking better, but he still had a hollow look in his eyes that Lachlan hated. Before he figured out what to say, Apollo walked over and hugged him around the waist.

Lachlan didn't hesitate for a second. He crushed Apollo to him and held him tight. "You scared the hell out of me, golden boy."

"I'm sorry for being a dick and not listening to you," Apollo said, his shoulders shaking.

"Oh, baby, don't cry. We are going to make them regret ever looking at you twice. I promise," Lachlan said, cupping the back of Apollo's head and tangling his fingers in his curls. "No one is ever going to hurt you again."

"Come on. We can't keep Val waiting. He's already grumpy."Apollo rubbed his face against Lachlan's shoulder, smearing wet tears all over his shirt. "And don't call me baby."

Lachlan laughed. "You must be feeling better if you have the energy to sass me."

"Bite me."

"Just say where," Lachlan shot back, making Apollo huff out a laugh.

Apollo's lips were red from crying, and Lachlan fought the urge to kiss them. Then, he did the hard thing and stepped away to avoid trying.

"I'll get my bag, and we will go find Val," Lachlan said, clearing his throat. They needed to get somewhere safe against other magicians, but more than that, they needed a plan on how they would make the Sanguis Vitae regret ever touching Apollo.