by Reus, Katie
“What are you doing? Did you find something?” Rhys knew King’s wolves were nearby, lurking in the shadows as backup. It wouldn’t do to have them out where anybody could see them, and he was glad they weren’t walking with them—it meant he didn’t have to make small talk with some random shifters. Especially when he only wanted to be with Dallas.
Without looking at him, she snapped a couple pictures of an empty yard in between two historic houses. The flash went off, lighting up the entire area. “I know King said that finding the crest is the priority, but this would be a great place for a community garden so I’m making a note of it since we’re already here.”
“Okay… Look, if you’re tired, we can head back.” He wasn’t going to tell her she looked tired but her face seemed almost paler and her pace had slowed down in increments over the last half hour.
She bristled slightly. “I’m fine. It’s still early enough. Besides, if people are missing, we need to find them.”
He knew she was right, but that protectiveness flared to life inside him. “I know. I just don’t like how hard you seem to be pushing yourself.” They’d been at this for three hours straight and she hadn’t complained once.
“Dallas?” a surprised female voice called out from nearby…across the street. Rhys and Dallas turned to find a petite, cute female who was most definitely human standing on the opposite sidewalk, a drink in hand. Her skin tone was a few shades darker than Dallas’s, giving her a sun-kissed look. “What are you doing here?”
“Avery!” True warmth and pleasure spilled from Dallas as she hurried across the quiet residential street, bypassing a parked car before joining the woman on the sidewalk. She immediately pulled the other woman into a big hug.
They stood back from each other, both smiling as if they were long-lost friends. The scent of joy filled the air, bright and sweet.
Dallas turned to him as he joined them, her smile firmly in place. “Rhys, this is my friend Avery.”
“It’s nice to meet you—” He froze, withdrawing his outstretched hand as he scented multiple predators, all dragons. He stiffened, his gaze scanning the house the woman had come out of. And…he recognized one of the scents from long ago in his memory bank. It took a moment for the scent to register. “Mikael?” he asked into the darkness.
The human female with the curly, dark brown hair jerked slightly as she stared at him. “Your friend knows my roommate?” she asked Dallas.
He frowned down at the little female. “Roommate?”
Mikael, a feared warrior—a general of a neighboring clan—who he’d known and respected many years ago, strode out from behind a huge oak tree, a beer bottle in hand. He eyed Rhys cautiously. “I’m surprised to see you here.”
“Likewise.” That being an understatement.
He was aware of the females watching them curiously, so he cleared his throat and looked back at the human. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“You too. I’m just surprised Mikael has any friends. He’s always so grumpy,” she said, laughing lightly.
Mikael simply snorted, his lips twitching, but he did not correct her. What the hell was the former general doing here in New Orleans? Living with a human female who was not his mate?
“So is this, like, your boyfriend?” Avery asked as she turned back to Dallas.
To his annoyance, Dallas snorted out a laugh as if that was the funniest, most ludicrous thing in the world. Then she seemed to catch herself and shook her head. “Ah, no, we’re just out for a walk. We’re both helping King out with something, actually. And maybe you have some insight. I saw the empty lot across the street and it looks like it would be great for a community garden.”
“I swear I just said the same thing to my brothers yesterday!” Avery said, a grin spreading across her face.
As the females started talking, Rhys caught Mikael’s eye and tipped his head to the side slightly. Quietly, they stepped away, a little farther down the sidewalk as the women continued talking. “It’s good to see you,” he said, holding out a hand.
They clutched forearms in the way of warriors and he pulled the other male close, thumping him once on the back as Mikael did the same to him.
“I see your brothers are with you,” he murmured. Though he didn’t actually see them. He just scented Mikael’s brothers nearby, lurking in the shadows.
The big dragon grinned and nodded. “I saw your brothers in the city not too long ago. They did not remember me.”
He nodded. “You never fought alongside either of them. They’re both doing well at least,” was all he could commit to because he hadn’t seen them, much to his shame. He should have come to New Orleans when they’d been here, should have at least congratulated Lachlan in person on getting mated.
“So what are you doing here and not in Scotland with your family?” Mikael asked bluntly. “Your clan is all at home now.”
“I’m hunting,” was all he said.
Mikael knew of his loss, had known his sister. The male raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Still?”
“Always.” Because he wouldn’t rest until the monster was dead.
Mikael flicked a curious glance at Dallas, and all of Rhys’s hackles rose. He didn’t particularly like any male looking at her, and while he didn’t think Mikael’s look was sexual, it still annoyed him.
“You and the witch are…together?” his old friend murmured.
“We’re friends.” Though he wanted to be more, even if that was a difficult thing to admit to himself.
Mikael snorted slightly. “Ah, Avery and I are friends as well.” There was sadness in his voice. “Do you need help with anything?” the male continued.
“No. Not right now anyway. Are you planning to stay here?” Meaning, had Mikael pledged allegiance to King? Because it was a bit odd for him and his brothers to be here. They could easily carve out their own territory. Rhys had a reason for being here, and didn’t plan to stay long term.
His friend’s gaze flicked to Avery, then he shrugged. That was all the answer Rhys needed. Apparently Mikael would stay here as long as Avery did.
“We’re going to be heading back to our place soon, but I’ll get your information from Dallas. I’m sure Avery has it.”
His friend nodded again and they embraced once more before joining the females.
“It was nice to meet you,” he said to Avery. She was like a bright ray of sunshine and he found himself smiling back at her. There were simply some people you couldn’t be rude to. It would be like kicking a puppy.
“Oh my gosh,” Avery whispered suddenly, her eyes widening.
“What?” Rhys asked, immediately alert as she pointed across the street, her mouth falling open.
Dallas’s shoulders relaxed when she realized her friend was pointing at Willow.
When Mikael made a move as if to cross the street, Rhys held out an arm, blocking him. “She’s with us,” he growled. And he would protect Willow to the death.
“That cute little dragon is with you?” Avery asked, staring in surprise.
“She’s my pet,” Dallas said, smiling at her friend. “Come over tomorrow and meet her, okay? Just call me first because I’ll be out doing…stuff all day.”
“I will.” Avery was still wide-eyed, not even looking at Dallas, but across the street at Willow who was doing little swoops throughout the air in perfect figure eights. She seriously had no problem entertaining herself and it was clear she wasn’t interested in coming over here and meeting more people. Maybe Willow was maxed out on human interaction—Rhys could certainly relate.
“Willow,” Rhys called out and whistled loudly.
She came to attention and met them in the middle of the street, her flying already a lot steadier. She was a fast learner.
Dallas waved at Avery again as they headed off. “Your friend seems just as brooding as you,” she murmured, laughter in her voice as they continued down the street.
“Brooding?”
She shrugged. “I don
’t know if it’s the right word, but it seems to fit you.”
“I do not brood. My oldest brother is the one who does that,” he said dryly.
She snickered slightly.
“So how do you know the human?”
“Well, I’ve known her for about five years. She’s younger than me but I met her at a friend’s New Year’s party—another human. She knows what I am too. She’s one of the few humans who do. She flips houses—or she did before The Fall. She usually lives in the house she and her brothers are renovating and then they move to the next. So they must be renovating that house they came out of. I always thought it was so fascinating to do that. So how do you know that big, sexy dragon who was hovering nearby?”
He jerked slightly. “You think Mikael is sexy?”
She snorted. “Come on, answer the question.”
He bit back a growl. Barely. She shouldn’t think Mikael was sexy—or be thinking of him at all. “I know him from many years ago. He is a warrior.” And that was all he was going to say on the subject. He wasn’t going to talk about some other male to Dallas. A male she apparently thought was good-looking. His dragon swiped at him, annoyed.
She wouldn’t be looking at other males if you courted her…pleasured her. Sad, sad human. You shame us, his dragon snapped, all sharp teeth and claws now.
As they rounded the next block, Rhys made an executive decision. “It’s getting late and you look tired. I’m going to shift to my dragon form and then we’re going to do an aerial scan. We need to do it anyway, and we might as well try tonight.”
“I’m fine. It’s just been a long day.” There was a stubborn set to her jaw that was beyond adorable.
But he wasn’t having any of it. Not now, when she appeared ready to fall over on her feet. “Willow looks tired.” He glanced back at the dragonling, who was happily doing flying tricks. Damn it.
“Yeah, she looks really tired.” Dallas snorted.
“Is it because I’m a dragon and you don’t want to fly on me? Is that why you’re resisting doing the aerial search for the crest?” Both he and his dragon were offended by the idea.
“What?” Her voice went slightly higher pitched as she looked away from him, focusing intently on the sidewalk in front of them.
“If you don’t want to ride me, I get it.” But he didn’t like it. Why did the word ride have to sound so sexual? Because when he thought of her riding him, that conjured up much different images. He could just imagine her naked in his bed, with her long, dark hair, her hips sensually rocking as she took him inside her.
“Fine,” she muttered. He was surprised and it must have shown because she continued. “Just this once. I’m not committing to doing this all the time. I…am a little exhausted.”
At least she was admitting it, though the way she’d said it sounded as if it had taken all of her to actually tell him the truth. “I’ll strip and change in the middle of the road. Will you hold my clothing?”
Her cheeks flushed pink, but she nodded and turned away, giving him privacy.
“I don’t care if you look. Nudity is no big deal to shifters.” He wanted her to look, wanted to show off for her. Wanted her to want him.
“Yeah, right,” she snorted.
“What? You know it’s not a big deal to my kind.”
“I don’t understand that,” she said, throwing a glance over her shoulder before quickly turning back around when she realized he’d taken his shirt off.
“You don’t understand what?”
“I’ve met mated shifters before and they can be really territorial. So…like, you don’t care if your lover or future mate gets naked in front of other shifters?”
That…was an interesting question. Because he would not want her to get naked in front of any other male. “That’s a complicated question.”
Dallas surprised him by looking over her shoulder. She held his gaze even though he was fully naked now. “Would you mind if I got naked in front of Axel?” she asked bluntly, intently watching him. As if…she cared about his response.
Maybe that was wishful thinking on his part. Oh no. He wasn’t going to answer that. Because the thought of that smug lion seeing Dallas, seeing his female, naked? His dragon rose up like a tidal wave, ready to hunt down the cat. Instead, he turned around, letting her see his ass.
He was pleased when he heard her suck in a little breath. Then he let the magic take over, the change rolling over him in a wash of pain, pleasure and raw energy as his dragon emerged.
By the time he turned around, she had his clothing bundled up under her arm and Willow was flying above them, making happy trilling sounds. He wondered if she liked what she saw when he was in dragon form. His scales were indigo and the deepest purple, and under the sunlight they glittered like jewels. He’d been told on more than one occasion—many years ago—that he was a beautiful dragon. And his beast wanted to know if she thought so as well.
He extended his wing so it was easy for Dallas to climb up him. By the time she settled on his back, he realized that he liked the feel of her atop him, as if she belonged there. That knowledge was at odds with everything he thought he knew about himself. He’d never trusted anyone enough to let them ride him.
He waited until she settled in, then took off, angling his body as straight as he could so she would feel comfortable. He could feel her holding on tight to his scales and she seemed to have a good grip, but he still wanted her ride to be as smooth as possible. Because he wanted her to do it again.
Willow flew with him, her flying a bit stronger. But she was still learning a lot. She stayed angled to his left, mimicking his moves as he breached the treetops. Every now and then she made a little chirping sound, clearly happy. Every time she did, Dallas’s laughter rang out, soothing every part of him.
In that moment he wished his life was different. That he’d met Dallas and Willow under different circumstances. Because despite himself, he could see a future with her and that scared him on every level possible. He’d never imagined a future for himself, ever. For so long all he’d wanted was revenge, justice. It had been his only focus and he’d never allowed the possibility of anything else.
Now, however, Dallas made him want things he had no business wanting. Forcing his mind off thoughts of a life that would never be, he focused on flying. On keeping Dallas safe.
He flew in a tight configuration over the areas they’d already searched on foot, so she could get an aerial view. After ten minutes of flying, he heard her say, “Nothing,” frustration in her tone.
It was time to head back. And at least they weren’t walking—now she could finally get some rest. It was close to eleven and she’d been pushing herself all damn day. He’d banked left and headed home when Willow started making scared little chirps.
Immediately he looked around, scanning for any signs of danger. That was when he felt Dallas’s grip on his scales loosen.
Suddenly her hands completely fell away and he felt her slipping off him.
Willow screeched and panic punched through him as he twisted in midair. He caught her falling body in his talons and held her close. She was breathing, but unconscious.
Fear like he’d never known rattled through him, wild and hot as he angled back toward the mansion.
Flying hard, unable to slow for Willow, it took barely five minutes to get there. Though fear was riding him hard, he dove down and landed steadily, laying her in the grass gently before he shifted to his human form.
Willow landed as well, making scared little sounds as she hopped around on her feet, nudging Dallas’s face gently with the end of her nose.
“I’ve got her,” he murmured to Willow as he scooped Dallas into his arms.
She curled into him, asleep, not unconscious. Otherwise she would be a deadweight. This still wasn’t great, but it was better than her being fully knocked out. And he could feel her body warmth, hear her steady heartbeat. He relaxed slightly.
He raced for the back of the house, and as he re
ached the yard, Bella and Harlow were already racing toward him from the shadows.
Lola jumped up from her chair, her rainbow-colored hair in double pigtails today. “What’s wrong?” she demanded as he hurried toward them.
“I’m not sure. She might just be overtaxed and tired, but I was flying with her on my back and she passed out.” And he’d lost a decade of his life when she’d fallen off him.
“R…Rhys?” Dallas’s tired voice snapped his gaze back to hers.
She was staring up at him in confusion, her gray eyes unfocused.
He shoved out a breath of relief as he clutched her closer to him. Ignoring the others, he raced toward the back door and hurried into the kitchen. He hated leaving Willow but it had to be done. “You passed out on me while flying. I need to call a healer.”
“No, that’s not necessary.” She struggled in his grasp so he set her on a chair in the little breakfast nook that overlooked the backyard.
Bella was with them but she remained silent, on the periphery, clearly waiting to see if they needed help.
“It is damn well necessary,” he snapped out, placing the back of his hand against her forehead, checking her temperature—as if he had any idea what he was doing. He wasn’t sure if witches ran hotter than humans, and damn it, he didn’t know anything right now. And he’d never felt so helpless in his entire life.
“I swear I’m fine. I just need to eat and sleep. The finding spell took more energy out of me than I realized. I haven’t done one in a very long time. They can be energy-draining and I’d already been running on fumes. In hindsight, I should have waited to start my search.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me?” he demanded as he hurried toward the fridge. He started tugging stuff out as Lola stepped into the kitchen.
“Harlow’s getting Willow settled,” Lola said.
“Thank you,” Dallas murmured, true relief rolling off her, the scent sharp and sweet. She really did love her dragon.
