Page 81 of The Mating Claim

Drust flung out a hand and stopped the coldfire ball in mid-air. But Tristan yanked it to one side and sent it toward the sliding glass doors oncemore.

Drust vanished and materialized before the coldfire ball, coaxing it toward him. He absorbed the power and turned to see inside the master bedroom. Lacey lay on the bed, one foot dangling off the mattress, an abandoned book beside her. Dressed in her bunny pajamas, she looked young, lovely and sotempting.

Waving a hand, he chanted a simple, but powerful warding spell to protect the sleeping occupant of the master bedroom, then floated back to the downstairsdeck.

He wanted to smack Tristan behind his sensitive Lupine ears. “What the hell was thatabout?”

“Just testing your reflexes. And your instinct to protect those you love.” Tristan leaned back, hands behind his head, giving him a smuglook.

“You suck.” But he released the breath he’d held. Tristan wasright.

I am falling in love withLacey.

“And you are right.” It wasn’t easy to admit it. “You’re my mentor. Suggestions? What do I do about my feelings forLacey?”

“Do not fight it, my friend. Go with your feelings. Court her. Date her. Get to know her as a lovely female who interests you, not a dragon who needs yourhelp.”

His friend grinned. “The only blue balls you should have are the ones you create fromcoldfire.”

Then Tristan’s smile vanished. “And when you finally make love with her, for it will not merely be sex, I know you… you are free to do it withoutprotection.”

Startled, he blinked. “It is forbidden to share our seed except with amate.”

Tristan had informed him of the wizard rules. A wizard’s seed contained his powerfulmagick.

“Danu has bent the rules for you, Drust. You are special. Follow yourheart.”

Doubt filled him. “And why should I engage my interest, when it goes against my code ofhonor?”

Tristan dematerialized and then appeared standing next to him. He squatted down so they were eye level. “Drust, listen to me. I did you a grave injustice all those years I blamed you for my death, and you were innocent. You never betrayed me. I wish to make up for it now. Go with your heart. Become vulnerable. It is not a bad thing to surrender to passion for a woman. Love centers you, makes you whole. I suspect Danu wishes all of us to find our true loves, in order to make us stronger. Otherwise we become cold, remote beings who lack compassion and can become cruel withpower.”

Understanding filled him. He thought of Caderyn, the eldest wizard and the most cynical, and how close the Shadow Wizard danced with darkness merely from the beings heoversaw.

“Bloated with power, lacking any kindness, we are more apt to be corrupted by darkness,” Drustmused.

“Exactly. You’ve been a good, wise wizard since Danu inducted you into our circle. I’m not advising you to leave that behind. Niki and our children have enriched my life. You deserve the same, my friend. You may not think it now, but you deserve that kind of love as well. Engage your heart for once instead of yourhead.”

Tension threaded through the air, so thick he could not respond to his friend’s words. Finally Drust smiled. “You forgot to tell me to engage my cock aswell.”

Tristan rolled his eyes. In a quick move, he yanked him out of the chair and tossed him into thepool.

Surfacing, he laughed and splashedTristan.

“Go take a cold shower,” the Silver Wizard told him. “Tomorrow night, take her on adate.”

Then Tristan vanished, leaving him alone in the water to ponder the wisdom of his friend’s words. Should he engage his heart? Or focus solely with his head, finding a way to save Lacey without getting involved withher?

Chapter 16

The next day,Drust cooked Lacey a hearty breakfast and then sent her outside with books to read. He waved a hand and set up a place for her on the sand with a comfortable lounge chair, shade, a cooler stocked with drinks and sandwiches and snacks perfect fordragons.

Fire nachos. They sounded suitable when he conjured a fierysnack.

He’d been up all night, reading Caderyn’s book and still came no closer to answers. Every single paragraph had to be poured over with meticulouscare.

While Lacey went swimming in the Gulf and sunbathed, he read. And read. He did not look up even when she returned to “take a napinside.”

“That outdoor shower is amazing. You should tryit.”