Page 18

Lucan

Dinner Party

I’d aired out and set the table in the formal dining room. The second bedroom containing my hoard remained closed off—though I planned to introduce Riley to it soon—but this part of the house also saw little use.

It was time to remedy that.

While I preferred the cozy intimacy of the breakfast nook in the kitchen, Riley had spoken about wanting to wear her gown tonight and there was nothing I’d deny her.

Besides, Malachy needed an excuse to shave and clean himself up. It was one step closer to getting him out of my house.

He hadn’t told me why he was still here, but I got the feeling that he needed more time to regain his strength. I’d worked out the details of the MacAlister attack—how they’d swooped in on him during an absorption and hit him in that weakened state—but it was only the two younger brothers, Shawn and Jeremey, who’d come.

I hadn’t thought them capable of making decisions without their older brother, Cain, but Malachy reasoned that Cain might be behind the attack anyway.

The part of me that wasn’t pissed at my brother’s cock-blocking ways, was glad that he stayed close enough to keep an eye on him.

Speak for yourself.

It’s easier to have him here when the MacAlisters attack in retaliation for the death of their youngest brother.

I’d assumed that would occur shortly after they realized Shawn wouldn’t be returning. Dragons moved slowly on most things, but they were known for their quick temper and bloodlust.

We were still waiting for their revenge weeks later.

Malachy had healed enough that I didn’t worry about him taking the two remaining brothers in a fight. That would change when Earth called, though. And the longer he was given to restore his strength, the better. Especially if, according to him, each time it took longer to get back up.

Kieran was also waiting to learn if I’d mated Riley and if she bore the mark. But he could keep waiting a moment longer.

Despite the chaos of Earth and the impending doom the prophecy foretold, I dug my talons in on this issue.

Riley could have as much time as she needed.

I finished laying sprigs of rosemary on the plates and capped them with the silver lids just as Malachy walked into the kitchen, adjusting the sleeves of one of my suits.

He dares to impress in my clothes.

Smoke billowed from my nostrils, but I held back the growl of my dragon. At least my brother wasn’t wearing sweats to dinner.

“You really believe Riley is your mate,” Malachy said, taking me by surprise. He’d danced around this topic for the past few weeks.

I looked beyond his shoulder, sensing that Riley was still in the bathroom getting ready. “She is.”

I untied my apron and hung it on the hook before pushing the bar cart toward the dining room.

“These too?” Malachy lifted the serving trays when I nodded.

“I’m surprised your pompous tail still knows how to perform manual labor,” I scoffed. It’d been a long time since our childhood and the training Malachy went through before becoming guardian.

I didn’t know if life was better or worse now, but as his only brother, I still got to tease him.

“I’m surprised you found someone who can tolerate your insufferable ass.” Malachy sneered as he placed the trays on the table. “One you’d even play dress up for.”

I buttoned my sleeves and then removed the jacket I’d left hanging on the back of the chair and put it on. The suit was stuffy and restricting, but Riley deserved to feel like a princess for the night.

“It’s only a suit,” I said, uncorking the wine. “I didn’t think I’d ever…”

My voice trailed off, leaving the thought unfinished.

It didn’t need an explanation.

None of us had hope of meeting our fated mates, not with the way things had been going for the past few hundred years. To watch your species age and retreat to loneliness around you with no hatchlings being born. The empty classrooms. The stories passed down becoming more and more far-fetched.

When we were young, we didn’t know the prophecy signaled our lifetime. But the signs foretold this long before we figured it out. As Earth’s activity increased, ours decreased.

It’d been a long time since we had any sort of hope for a brighter future.

Malachy cleared his throat. “I’m happy for you. Truly.” I glanced up, seeing the pain and clarity in his eyes. “And I’m happy for Kieran, too. I think I’d like to meet his mate and give a late bonding blessing, especially if she’s anything like our Riley.”

My Riley. My dragon awoke.

I held him back, just as delicate footsteps sounded outside the dining room.

“Did you say you wanted to visit Kieran?” Riley’s sweet voice was less timid than it had been and the relief it brought couldn’t be matched.

I turned to her, feeling the air rush from my lungs as my beast roared his approval.

Black silk curved around her heavy breasts, gathering at her hips and waist before cascading toward the floor. The front bits of her hair were pinned up in curls, leaving the growing length to brush the tops of her exposed shoulders.

Smoky eyes regarded me demurely and she’d put on a splash of dark red lipstick that made my cock twitch just thinking about those ruby lips wrapped around it.

“It’s too much, isn’t it?” she asked. The makeup on her cheeks hid her blush, but her scent heated all the same.

“You’re perfect,” my words rumbled out and my chest kept vibrating as she took my hand.

Are you purring?

I’m happy.

“Where do I sit?” Riley asked.

Malachy stepped back, tactfully averting his gaze as he pulled out the seat at the head of the table.

“Here,” he said, giving her his designated place.

I didn’t let the shock show on my face as I got Riley seated and pushed in her chair.

“It smells delicious.” Riley settled in and draped a napkin over her lap. “I feel silly putting on such a pretty dress just to eat dinner.”

“Don’t be.” I nodded at my brother, discreetly showing my thanks, before returning my attention to my mate. “I’ll buy you a whole wardrobe of dinner gowns if you’d like. One for every night of the week.”

“Tone it down,” Malachy scolded through our link.

“You know what?” Riley smiled. “Maybe I’ll take you up on that offer.”

“Why should I?” I resisted the urge to tell my brother that he’d understand someday. Because despite the happiness consuming me, I knew that not all dragons were as lucky.

Instead, I just smiled. “She’s my mate.”

Dinner passed in a blur of free-flowing wine and conversation. Malachy was more animated than I’d seen in years. Riley cleaned her plate.

My chest filled with a quiet sort of pride at feeding her—feeling fuller when she kicked off her heels and her bare foot brushed against my leg under the table, resting there as if she couldn’t bear to not touch me for this long.

“And that’s when he landed in the training yard with the blueberry filling smeared across his mouth,” Malachy explained, laughing at his own joke.

It wasn’t funny.

“I didn’t steal the damn pie,” I growled.

“I know the story.” Malachy rolled his eyes. “The plate was sitting there on the log complete with a fork.”

“It was,” I defended myself for the millionth time.

“Wait. Your father starved you as he trained you for… what exactly?” Riley paled, not amused at our childhood memories even though she’d asked for them.

I wished we could give her better stories.

Malachy gave me a knowing look. It wasn’t the first time we’d had to explain that being a guardian wasn’t the glamorous lifestyle others perceived it to be.

“Life as a guardian is lonely and isolating,” he said. “It takes a special kind of dragon to pass the test and survive the years of service. My father wanted to ensure I was ready.”

“I thought the Earth chose you.” Riley frowned. This was a lot to take in for a human who didn’t know of the supernatural world.

“She did,” I said. “The position of guardian always falls to the first-born hatchling of the current guardian’s bloodline. Unless…”

“Unless he can’t absorb the shock or fulfill his role. Or if there are no hatchlings born. Then another family can step in.” Malachy sipped his drink.

“Has that happened before?” she asked.

“Once in our entire history,” I said. “And that’s why the MacAlisters think they’re the solution to our current woes.”

“I don’t understand.” Riley traced the rim of her wine glass. “Kieran said your family has held the guardian role for over a millennia.”

“More than that,” I explained. “Our ancestors have been chosen for longer than written history. But there was a story passed down orally telling of a giant O’Sullivan dragon who took over as guardian when a MacAlister failed. There’s been bad blood between us ever since, despite us being distant cousins. They’ve undermined Malachy every chance they could get.”

Stories of old. My dragon sighed mournfully.

We’ll write the new ones ourselves.

“And you recently killed one of these MacAlisters. Good.” Riley spoke so casually, twirling her wine around the glass before she sipped, that it took me a moment to process her words.

I expected her to hate me for it, not sit at the table calmly as if discussing war strategy.

She continues to surprise.

Damn if that didn’t make my dick hard.

“I did,” I said, topping off her glass. “They’ve crossed us once too many times. At Kieran’s insistence over a hundred years ago, Malachy stepped aside to allow them the chance to prove themselves when we figured out the prophecy would end with this cycle. They failed and yet they still attack, claiming it’s their birthright. Honestly, all they did was piss Her off more.”

“Earth.” Riley glanced at the window. “You speak of her like she’s a person.”

“She’s the mother of all this land,” I said. It always fascinated me how humans were taught to ignore this fact.

Riley nodded, accepting. “Why is She so angry then?”

“Earth isn’t angry.” Malachy broke his brooding silence, rejoining the conversation. “She is chaos and creation. A feminine energy of birth and death that requires a conduit to channel excess energy.”

“Sounds like she needs to get laid and have a girl’s night out,” Riley muttered under her breath.

The shock of her words had me barking out laughter. I beat my fist against my chest before I choked. Malachy and Kieran were the religious, reverent ones. They suffered at the thought of being cast aside.

I never understood the concept of holding fast to beliefs and labels. Maybe it was because I’d seen the folly of mass destruction when someone waged war in the name of a strongly held belief. Abstract concepts of justice and purpose no longer mattered when you were standing on a battlefield, fighting for your life and the lives of those beside you.

My laughter faded.

Riley’s hand found mine under the table. Her soft fingers wrapped around my rough fingers, capturing my heart.

“I still don’t understand why you trained with him.” She looked at me. “I thought it was only the firstborn who became guardian. Why was your father preparing both children?”

I cleared my throat, searching for an answer.

Malachy beat me to it. “Lucan wouldn’t let our father train me alone, saying that if I was starving, he’d starve too. That it wasn’t fair for him to eat if I was hungry. Even when our father refused, Lucan stayed just out of fire reach down the mountain, training alongside me until our father had no choice but to give in so he didn’t kill himself.”

“That’s awful.” Riley’s eyes brimmed with tears as she squeezed my hand harder under the table. “No wonder he stole the pie.”

“I didn’t steal the pie!” I moaned. “Fuck, at this point, I wonder if I should’ve just stolen it, since I’ve gotten the blame.”

Riley’s laughter soothed my beast. “Where was Kieran in all of this?”

“I still think he was the one who stole the pie and left the trap for me to fall into,” I grumbled.

Malachy smiled as he shook his head. “That lucky bastard grew up with his nose stuck in a book, but we had some fond memories—the three of us—when I was a fresh, young guardian.”

I’d rather talk about those memories instead of our darkened hatchling days, but Riley let out a big yawn.

“It’s getting late.” I scooted my chair backward, draping my arm over the back of her chair.

She smiled at me sheepishly before resting her head against my shoulder. “I’ll be all right. We can keep talking like this.”

Perfect.

She fit against me snugly and my beast soared with the knowledge that I was providing her comfort. Little by little, she’d trusted me.

I was the luckiest dragon in the world.

“Come on, now.” Malachy stood suddenly. I swear I saw the hint of jealousy in his eyes, but it was gone in the next second as he blinked. “Don’t you dare fall asleep on me yet. I have a gift for you two.”