I laughed. “I love my boys!”
“Looks like it works.”
I nodded. “Now that we’re protected, let’s get out of here.”
“What do you have planned?”
“To get off this freeway first,” I said as I activated the map on the scanner. “The closest exit ramp I find will be our escape, and I’ll try to lose them in the city.”
“Will that work?”
“I hope so.”
When I found an exit ramp, I cranked on the throttle to force the motorcycle to its max speed and flew down the freeway. I could see the military falling behind, unable to keep up with my speed, and I hoped this escape would be easy.
When we made it to the ramp, I slowed the motorcycle down and deactivated my map. I sent a prayer to the gods as this one curled under the freeway, hiding us from the military, and deactivated the defense shield. The soldiers had fallen so far behind us I doubted they saw us exit, but any cover would help.
I was hyperaware of everything as I drove through the city toward the house. We were lucky there were a lot of motorcycles out today, but that didn’t give us full cover.
“Here, take your helmet,” Raikidan said when we stopped at a red light. “It should help us.”
I took it gratefully, as well as my hair clip when he ended up handing that to me as well. It was a good idea he had come up with. I wasn’t sure why I hadn’t thought of it myself. “We should be home soon.”
“Okay,” he replied.
Ten minutes passed, and I finally pulled down the dead-end street for the garage. My helmet made its calculations and the false road pulled back. I cut the engine and knocked down my kickstand when I found a good place to park and let out a sigh of relief as I removed my helmet. It turned into a giggle when Raikidan snickered, and before I knew it the two of us were rolling with laughter.
Raikidan leaned his head on my shoulder in his fit, but I didn’t do anything about it. I was too preoccupied with my failed attempts to calm myself down. When I finally managed to control myself, I looked back at him and smiled.
He grinned and we stared at each other for a moment before Raikidan pulled away and spoke. “Thanks.”
I tilted my head. “For what?”
“For including me on this. I thought it was strange you humans found enjoyment in driving these machines around, but I can see why. This was rather fun, and our run-in with those soldiers was rather exhilarating. I didn’t think you’d be capable of such risky choices.”
I chuckled and slipped off the motorcycle. “You obviously don’t know me, then.”
He watched me instead of replying, making me feel a bit strange. His stare was also rather intense. It was so intense I was sure it’d make women like Ryoko swoon. I didn’t get that about them. I didn’t understand how intense stares made a man more attractive. But, as I held his gaze, I started to wonder if I could see that. I could see how being the only person focused on with such intensity could make someone feel so… special.
A warm feeling began to well up in my body, and I could feel my cheeks warming up the longer he watched me. I felt awkward and rather self-conscious, and I didn’t like it. Don’t ever go back to that place, Eira.
I looked away and focused on my motorcycle. “It’s rude to stare, you know.”
Instead of replying, Raikidan climbed off my motorcycle, but his foot caught. I gasped and tried to help right him before he fell, but Raikidan grabbed me instinctively and we fell to the ground. I lay on top of him, momentarily stunned. When I finally regained my composure, I found myself staring into those sapphire pool eyes of his—our noses mere inches from each other. My heart thundered in my ears and my cheeks burned.
I quickly jumped to my feet and went back to looking over my motorcycle. It hadn’t fallen over, much to my relief, so it wouldn’t have obtained any damage from that, but I wasn’t sure if it received any from our little run-in with the military. It was best to go back to my check-over just to be sure. Nice excuse, Eira.
My gaze was ripped away and forced toward the basement when two pairs of feet stormed down the stairs. Both Zane and Argus ran into the garage soon after.
“Are you guys okay?” Argus asked. “Ryoko called us, saying you had a run-in with the military and then disappeared.”
I grinned. “Oh yeah, we’re fine. Thanks to that defensive mode you installed.”
Zane stared at me. “What did you do to need that?”
I shrugged. “I didn’t think it was a good idea to pull over for a speeding fine when I didn’t have my ID on me.”
He smacked his head. “That’s what I was forgetting.”
I chuckled. “You’ll be happy to know it works great, though you might want to check for damage just in case.” I pointed at Argus. “But your helmet needs work. It couldn’t block out wind on the freeway worth shit.”
“How bad was it?” Argus asked.
“There was a lot of heavy interpreting and guesswork involved,” Raikidan said.
Argus nodded. “Okay. I’ll work on that and see what I can do to fix it.”
Zane waved us to follow him as he headed for the stairs. “Let’s get you two upstairs and on the horn with Ryoko so she knows you both are safe. You may be able to convince her to pick us up some dinner.”
“Let me guess, your attempt failed?” I teased.
He pouted a little. “Yeah. She said your safety was more important than my stomach.”
I laughed. “Well, I think your stomach’s need is more important, so I’ll see what I can do for you.”
He chuckled and patted me on the back before letting me lead the way up the stairs.
Chapter Thirty-One
Ryoko stood in front of me with her arms crossed, and I narrowed my eyes at her as I leaned against my bed. Genesis had given us a simple surveillance assignment earlier this morning, but it required us to be disguised. Ryoko, of course, was insisting I wear something I wouldn’t be caught dead in—a sundress.
“C’mon.” She held out the dress again. “It’s not that bad.”
“I said no.”
She sighed. “It’s not like anyone will recognize you after you use the temporary dye in your hair, and the colored contact lenses. What’s the harm?”
I turned my back on her and stalked over to my closet. Moving clothes around, I sighed and looked through my dresser. I cursed when I found nothing. Ryoko chuckled, but I wasn’t about to wear that dress. I would use the armor clothing if necessary. Before Ryoko could attempt to convince me to wear the dress again, someone rapped on my bedroom door.
“Come in,” I called.
The door opened, and Zane strolled in. “I don’t mean to interrupt you two, but I think the boys are in need of some help.”
Ryoko and I looked at each other and shook our heads with small smiles. Getting the boys to blend in was not going to be easy. Ryoko discarded the dress on my bed, and I followed her out of my room. No sooner had I taken two steps out of the room, I was hit by Raikidan’s annoyance.
“What the hell is this stuff?” He was holding a small bottle with colored liquid in his hand.
“It’s hair dye.”
“It smells awful! You expect me to use this?”
“Sure do.” I spun him around and pushed him toward the bathroom. “Let’s go.”
“Hell no. I’m not using anything that smells this foul.”
“If I have to, you have to.” I shoved him into the bathroom. Raikidan attempted to force his way out, but I pushed him back in. “Ryoko, give me a hand, will you? I need you to keep him still.”
Ryoko pranced into the room and forced Raikidan to sit on the toilet. He struggled against her, but their evenly matched strength kept him from breaking free. I shut the door and squeezed out the dye from the bottle.
Raikidan began to struggle again, and Ryoko rolled her eyes. “Don’t make me sit on you.”
I snickered when he looked at her as if he wasn’t sure to take that as a threat or not. Ryok
o stared back at him as if to challenge him, but he took her words as not meaning much. Because he was a dragon, it didn’t surprise me that he wouldn’t think it would be awkward for Ryoko to sit on him. Of course, he probably wasn’t capable of imagining how she planned to do so.
He squirmed in his seat, and Ryoko made good on her threat. She plopped right down on his lap and hung her arms over his shoulders—their faces rather close.
Raikidan stared at her wide-eyed, and Ryoko grinned. “I told you I was going to sit on you if you didn’t behave.”
Raikidan only stared at her in response. I found myself frowning and not liking what I was seeing, but I couldn’t understand why. There was nothing wrong with what she was doing. It was keeping him still, and it wasn’t like she hadn’t warned him. With him also being a dragon, he wasn’t reacting to the situation like a human male would.
“Now, are you going to be good, or am I going to have to continue to sit here?” Ryoko asked Raikidan.
“Get off me.”
“Swear to cooperate and I will.”
Raikidan stared at her for a moment longer and then looked at me, exasperated, but I didn’t do anything to help. He sighed. “Fine.”
“Fine what?” Ryoko challenged.
“Fine, I’ll sit here and let you punish me.”
“Punish you?” She giggled and stood up. “Is that what you think we’re doing to you? Honey, if I was punishing you, it’d be a lot different.” She winked at him. “And way more fun.”
“Why else would you be doing this to me?” He clearly missed her sexual implications, disappointing her.
“Because we have an assignment to accomplish?” I said, my tone sarcastic. “Everyone is wearing hair dye, so quit being a baby and suck it up.”
He glared at me but didn’t say anything more, allowing me to lace my fingers into his hair and coat it with the foul, sticky liquid. Once I was sure his hair was thoroughly dyed, I applied some to his facial hair before stepping back and allowing him to look himself over in the mirror while I discarded the gloves used to protect my hands.
“What did you do to me?” he asked, his eyes wide with shock.
I shrugged. “Just changed your hair color. You won’t see the results until we rinse your hair in a few minutes.”
“Should we be doing something else?” Ryoko asked.
I looked at her reflection in the mirror. “Do you have something specific in mind? “
She strolled over and lightly grabbed his chin. A negative and slightly possessive feeling welled up in the pit of my stomach as she leaned on him and looked him over. That was not a comforting sign. “We could shave his facial hair.”
Raikidan pushed her away and growled. “I will not.”
She blinked in surprise. “What’s wrong with that suggestion? If you like the style, you can grow it back out after. It’s not like it’ll kill you.”
I figured it was best if I swooped in. “Ryoko, why don’t you go see if Rylan needs any help?”
Her brow creased. “You sure?”
I nodded. “I can handle it from here. Including my own dye job.”
“All right, but you’d better not color your hair in a way that won’t go with that dress.”
“I told you I’m not wearing that!”
Raikidan raised his eyebrow with interest. “You were going to wear a dress?”
I sighed and rummaged through the small closet for the hair dye. “Ryoko, just leave.”
She grasped the door handle. “All right, but I’m not giving up on that dress.”
I rolled my eyes and grabbed the box I was looking for. Ryoko left as I ripped open the box. Taking my hair out of my hair clip, my shirt changed into a small tank top and I went to work lacing the dye into my hair. Raikidan sat back down and watched me.
“You know, you didn’t have to snap at her. She doesn’t know your hair won’t grow back.”
Raikidan sighed. “I know. I just get defensive sometimes while keeping my secret.”
“Try to work on that if you can. It’s easier to come up with half-truths than full lies. Like this one. Tell people you have a slow hair growth issue, so you like to keep drastic changes to a last resort if you can. Everyone will accept it and leave you alone.”
“I will keep that in mind. Thank you. And thank you for keeping this secret from the others.”
“You don’t have to thank me for that. It’s not my place to tell them.” I turned to face him. “You’re lucky it’s me who knows, though. I’m good at keeping secrets, and even better, trained to come up with half-truths and lies. If you need one, just talk to me.”
Something flashed in his eyes. Shit, did I just give too much away? Raikidan then nodded. “Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”
I discarded the gloves I used for my hair. “All right, let’s rinse your hair out.”
“Wha—”
I grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him over to the shower. Sliding open the glass door, I ran the water and dunked his head under.
“You know I can do this myself,” Raikidan grumbled.
I let him go, but shoved him into the running water. “All right, then you do it. I’ll go lay your clothes out on your bed.”
“Eira!”
I sprinted out of the bathroom and slammed the door behind me before he could think about grabbing me. Ryoko poked her head out of Rylan’s room as I laughed and made my way over to Raikidan’s room.
“You pushed him into the shower, didn’t you?” I nodded and continued to laugh as I opened the door. “I knew you were up to something. You’re so mean.”
I shut the door and gathered myself before I rummaged through his closet. His selection amazed me, and this wasn’t even what he had in his dresser. When it came to clothes, Ryoko really knew how to shop.
Pulling out a brown leather jacket and a white turtleneck, I laid them out on his queen-sized bed and went over to his dresser. Footsteps thundered down the hall and were followed by the sound of the bedroom door opening and then slamming shut. Raikidan’s breath came slow and deep. I grinned and continued to pretend he wasn’t there.
“I should make you pay for that!”
I turned my head and smirked. His hair was now a deep brown, although it was hard to distinguish it from black since it was still wet. He clutched his drenched shirt in his hands and his soaked pants clung to his muscular form. He looked as if he hadn’t bothered using a towel to dry himself in the least. Lucky Ryoko isn’t here to make her stupid comments.
“I suppose you should, but you won’t.” I turned my eyes back to the dresser and pulled out a pair of denim pants for him.
“You’d better hope this color doesn’t last.”
“Calm down. The next shower you take will rid you of the color. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Good, but that doesn’t mean you’re safe. Why the hell did you push me into the shower?”
I shrugged. “Because I felt like it. Do you have a problem with it?”
“Yes, I do,” he breathed in my ear.
I forced myself not to tense. I hadn’t heard him move. The heat of his body teased my skin. He wasn’t touching me, but that didn’t make me any less uncomfortable. Instead of focusing on how close he was to me, I pulled out a pair of boxers and socks for him. “What are you going to do about it?”
“Nothing. I’ll be changing out of these wet clothes, so there’s no point in making you pay. Plus, I still owe you for respecting me and not forcing me to change my physical appearance when I don’t want to.”
I turned and handed over his clothes. “I would hope you’d extend the same courtesy when the situation presents itself.”
Raikidan took the clothes, but also captured my hands with his in the process, holding eye contact with me. “Of course I would. It’s because of your respect I do, and why I made the changes to myself as I have. I did that for you.”
My pulse slowed. I didn’t know what to say. A part of me didn’t like how that soun
ded. The other part didn’t mind at all. This was not a comfortable situation.
I pulled away. “You shouldn’t say things like that.”
His brow furrowed. “Why not? It’s the truth.”
I turned away. “It… reminds me of memories I’d rather not remember… “
“But—”
“I made it clear to you back at the village I didn’t want you to make personal decisions because of something I may or may not want. I want you making a personal decision because you really want to.” I headed for the door. “But I should go and finish getting ready.”
“I”—he sighed—“I suppose you should.”
Once my hand wrapped around the doorknob, I stopped and glanced back at him. “For the record, the style does look good on you. I didn’t lie about that. And the color, as much as this will look good, I prefer its natural state. It suits you better, in a good way.”
Raikidan went to say something, but I left his room before he could. When I entered the bathroom, I found Ryoko sitting on the sink. Her hair smelled of the foul dye, and she grinned at me as I entered. “I saw the color you used.”
I chuckled. “Is it going to be a problem?”
“Not at all, Ginger. As a matter of fact, I had an idea that would work out perfectly.”
“You want to look like twins, don’t you?”
“You bet!” Her grin grew wider. “So I grabbed the last box of the same color.”
I smiled and shook my head. “This doesn’t mean I’m wearing that dress.”
She sighed. “Well, if you’re not going to wear that, what are you going to wear?”
I grinned. “Let me rinse out my hair and you’ll see.”
She blinked but didn’t say a word as I made my way over to the shower and rinsed out my hair. Once I was certain I had done a thorough job, I turned the water off and dried it with a towel.
“Okay, your hair is now the color you need it to be. What are you going to wear?” Ryoko demanded to know.
Destiny (Experimental Heart Book 1) Page 49