Page 13

Riley

Look At That… Tail

Lucan’s muscular body twisted and contorted as what looked like shadows rushed toward him. A mist of blues and blacks shimmered around the roof, rising high and blocking out the sun as giant wings unfolded from Lucan’s back.

My heartbeat quickened.

I should’ve been terrified.

The otherworldly creature that took shape before my eyes was a monster of legend. Scarred scales ran along his underbelly and the golden horns atop his skull were tarnished, and deadly sharp.

The talons that clicked across the roof were large enough to crush a vehicle. I remembered the vice-like grip they’d held me in the other day. His powerful hindlegs made the house sway as he leaped into the sky.

Barbs on his tail slashed through the air. Flames burst from his maw as it opened and he roared loud enough to shake the trees.

Any sane person would’ve pissed themselves running.

But all I could think was, ‘That’s my beast.’

I wasn’t right in the head.

And he wasn’t that scary.

In fact, hours ago, I’d learned he liked to knit.

Laughter bubbled in my chest.

“Are you well?” The hoarse male voice brought me back to my senses.

Oops. I’d almost forgotten about the bleeding dragon guy.

“I should be asking you that question.” I adjusted his weight, drawing on muscle memory as I used my thighs so I didn’t throw out my back. Plenty of times I’d transferred patients who were heavier than they looked from bed to shower and back again. “Malachy, right?”

“I can walk,” he said, still resting his arm on my shoulders. “Give me a minute.”

“Or I could help you…”

He stared at me, unblinking.

I stared right back, mostly so I didn’t look at his naked body too long. I’d gotten a glimpse of strange tattoos and scars under all the blood on his right side, but I didn’t want to comment on them. These dragon guys were naked often. Not that I was complaining.

But it was more polite to look at his face.

His eyes were a similar shade to Lucan’s, but they lacked… something.

I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

They were both heavy males, though, and built like tanks.

Gosh, it was strange to think these human bodies somehow housed a dragon inside. If that’s how it worked. Honestly, none of this made sense.

But the sky crackled again with that thunderous boom , lighting a fire under my ass.

“All right, buddy. Minute’s up. On the count of three, you’re with me.” I didn’t let him go as I guided his grumbling self to the staircase.

“Did… you call me… buddy?” Malachy panted as we made it down the first three steps.

“Sure did.” I glanced over my shoulder, looking up at the sky. Lucan’s blue-tinted dragon met the flash of light in the distance.

A roar so deep and soul-crushing it could only be described as a battle cry came from the massive beast, sending shivers down my spine.

I faced forward again, fighting the urge to stay on the roof and make sure Lucan would be okay.

He was bigger than Kieran. More ferocious looking than anything I’d ever seen. I had to believe he’d be able to hold his own against whatever the hell was trying to break into his wards.

But I sent up a silent prayer anyway—despite it never working in the past—that Lucan wouldn’t get hurt as I helped his injured brother down the stairs.

I was starting to like having my dragon around. It’d be just my luck for something bad to happen to him now.