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M ost of the time, Lachlan Ironwood thought he was an easygoing, reasonable adult. Tonight was not one of those times.

Lachlan knew Apollo was in a self-destructive mood the moment he left Bas's party. He just had a look in his eyes that made Lachlan worry. The one that said he was spiraling, and he was going to do something dumb or dangerous. Knowing Apollo, it would be both.

Lachlan couldn't leave Apollo alone when he was in a mood like that, or fuck knows what would happen to him.

He told himself he wouldn't interfere or be seen. He would just…keep an eye on Apollo in case he got in trouble.

After a few hours, he was getting more and more interested in interfering. Apollo was more wasted than Lachlan had ever seen him—staggering, laughing too loud, far too vulnerable. And vulnerability on Apollo made Lachlan's skin itch.

Lachlan couldn't leave Apollo until he knew he was home safe again. It was 3:00 a.m., and Apollo didn't appear to be interested in going home to his own bed. No, he was allowing some random guy to whisper in his ears and grind against him on the dance floor.

Apollo was a terrible dancer, but he knew it and didn't care.

That was always what made Lachlan smile.

He wasn't smiling now. He was chewing cupfuls of ice to try and soothe his temper.

The cold, crunching jolt in his teeth usually helped on a stakeout.

Tonight, nothing was going to help the burning possessiveness in his gut.

Maybe he had spent too much time around the fae. He had never felt this kind of possessive feelings for anyone else before. Maybe he didn't need to be a fae or a shifter to realize the truth—Apollo Greatdrakes was the only person he wanted.

Lachlan had known from the beginning that loving Apollo would be like treading his heart into the dirt, and it still hadn't dissuaded him. Apollo wasn't the type to be tied down to anyone. And he was a dragon to boot, which meant he had some mystical magical mate somewhere waiting for him.

It wouldn't matter if he was dating Lachlan or not.

When Apollo found his mate, it would be game over.

The dragon in him wouldn't want anyone else, and Lachlan would just have to bow out as gracefully as possible.

Lachlan would do his best to back down and walk away, but he would have to leave Ireland for his own sanity.

Fuck. Life never used to be this complicated.

Lachlan was about to order another drink when he saw the sleazy stranger wrap an arm around Apollo and steer him toward the club exit.

No fucking way was Lachlan going to let Apollo go home with someone when he was too drunk to barely stand.

It would be too close to date rape for Lachlan to risk it.

Apollo could be angry at him all he wanted. This wasn't happening.

Lachlan pushed his way through the tight crowd, trying to follow them. He got groped more than once but ignored it in his single-minded determination to get the fuck out of there.

Lachlan crashed out of the door and into the wet streets. He looked left and right, trying to spot them. A laugh tinkled brightly from down a side alley, and Lachlan ran. He would know that laugh anywhere.

Lachlan slid on the stone streets and made it around the corner in time to see the stranger shove Apollo up against a van and kiss him.

Lachlan halted, bile creeping up his throat.

He hesitated, suddenly unsure if he was about to cross a line.

Fuck it. He looked up in time to see the stranger pushing Apollo into the van.

What the actual fuck? Lachlan started to run as the guy pulled the van out into the street. His small throwing daggers were between his fingers before he could think about it. Lachlan moved out into the middle of the road and let them fly at the oncoming van.

Two hit the front tires, blowing them out and forcing the driver to swerve. The wet street had the van sliding and crashing hard into the parked cars.

Lachlan ripped open the driver's door and dodged the baton the stranger swung at him.

He got out of the car, and Lachlan smiled.

He had been spoiling for a fight, and this asshole was going to be the perfect way for him to blow off some steam.

He let the guy swing at him a few times before stepping forward into his space and disarming him with enough force to break his wrist.

The stranger's snarls in French were cut off by Lachlan's fist breaking his nose. He crumpled to the ground, and Lachlan grabbed him by the throat.

"Tell me why you were trying to kidnap him, and I might take it easy on you," he growled.

The man laughed, cold and bitter. "The Sanguis Vitae will have their prize, and there's nothing you can do to stop us."

He spat out blood, and magic burned hot in the air. This fucker was a mage. Lachlan dropped him as the spell spread the spilled blood from the mage's broken nose and sealed over his mouth. He was suffocating himself on purpose.

Lachlan dug his fingers into the hardening blood, trying to claw it off him, but it was no use. The mage's eyes rolled back into his head, and he was dead.

"Fuck!" Lachlan shouted. And then he heard singing.

"On the good ship lollipop..." Apollo crooned in the back of the van.

Lachlan pulled the back door open and found Apollo hanging awkwardly off the bench seat, tangled in a seat belt.

"You okay in there, bright eyes?" he asked.

Apollo smiled wonkily. "My head is full of rainbows. Jean...gave me the good drugs."

"He was trying to kidnap you." Lachlan used one of his daggers to cut the seatbelt straps and caught Apollo before he could fall.

Apollo snorted. "Rude."

Lachlan let out a relieved sigh when he saw Apollo wasn't bashed or bruised. He was drunk and high, but he wasn't hurt. "Okay, golden boy, let's get you home."

"Noooo, don't take me back there." Apollo's arms flailed wildly. "They are all lovey dove faces, and I can't. I don't want them to see me like this on their happy, perfect night."

Lachlan knew exactly what he meant. "Okay, I won't take you home. You need to stay here for a moment, okay?"

"I can't go anywhere. The pixies ran away with my legs," Apollo whispered. "I think they will want my arms next."

"I'll find them. They won't be back for your arms. Just stay."

Lachlan left Apollo singing to himself. He hoisted the body of the driver up off the road and threw it into the back of the van.

He grabbed the keys out of the ignition and locked the doors before he went back to the side for Apollo.

He was still sitting where Lachlan had left him.

His singing had become verbatim quoting of Shrek 2 .

He tried not to laugh. At least Apollo was funny when he was wasted.

"Let's get you out of there, golden boy," he said gently.

Lachlan lifted Apollo up and over his shoulder before sliding the van door shut and locking it as well. He would send someone back for the van and the body. He hid the keys in the front wheel well and steadied Apollo's bulk on his shoulder.

"Wow, your ass is so perky. I'm going to need a handful of coins to see if they bounce," he said and gave it an experimental squeeze.

Lachlan tried not to jump with every pinch. In any other situation, he would have loved Apollo groping him. It wouldn't be right to think anything of it when he was so drunk.

With a sigh, Lachlan carried the unrequited love of his life to where he had parked his own car and tried really hard to ignore the dick rubbing against his shoulder with every step he took.