by Marcy Jacks
Because it wasn’t true.
Mike got what he wanted. He got Tristan out of his system, and now, he was going to forget all about liking dragons. He was done watching the fights on TV, done collecting the action figures and getting the hats.
Thank God he never bothered to get that tattoo he wanted.
A fresh start. No more dragons. Mike was going to buckle down with work, save up the money he needed, and get a better apartment.
Starting tomorrow.
Chapter Four
Of course he ended up dreaming about Tristan last night, because why wouldn’t he? Why wouldn’t Mike get screwed over like that when he was trying to turn over a new leaf?
Now his sheets really did need a wash, but that was all right. He told himself it was fine as he collected his sheets and walked them downstairs to the laundry room. Giving his apartment another deep clean would invigorate him, and since he had the day off, he might as well start now.
First thing was first, if he wanted money, then he needed to go through his collectibles and sell them. Everything he put together would go to the new apartment fund.
Next, he had to find a new roommate. Zack was still paying rent here because he felt sorry for Mike and wanted to give him some hope that he might be coming back, but he wasn’t coming back. Not if Zack really was mated to that dragon and he was happy. Mike sure as hell wouldn’t leave if he was true mated to a rich dragon who worshipped the ground he walked on.
He was not thinking about Tristan right now.
Mike grabbed all of his action figures. They were collectors’ editions and two of the boxes had been signed by the actual dragon shifters they’d been modeled after. None of them had been taken out of their boxes. He had five of them. That was five hundred dollars right there if he didn’t bump the pricing up too much.
One he could easily get two hundred and fifty dollars for, but selling them quickly over eking out the largest amount of money seemed like the most important thing to do in that moment.
He snapped a couple of pictures and threw them up online before moving onto the next items. The signed hat he got from last year’s Ultimate Dragon Fighting match. Maybe he could get fifty dollars for that one? He really didn’t want to let it go. It was his favorite hat…
He needed the money. Mike told himself that again and again as he snapped another photo and put it online.
He had banners and posters, an official UDF T-shirt and all kinds of merchandise. Looking at it all and adding up what he thought he could get for it, Mike couldn’t believe himself.
This was what he’d been spending his money on?
There were times when he’d struggled to come up with his rent, and meanwhile he had at least a thousand dollars’ worth of merchandise here. He could put a nice chunk of that on his credit card and the rest could go to his new apartment fund.
Checking his phone, he was stunned to see his hat was already sold, and there was an offer for the action figures. Seeing the offers for money took away any hesitation he might have had for getting rid of the items in the first place.
This lit a fire under him, and Mike went hunting around his apartment for anything else he had lying around that he could sell. Stuff he’d picked up and never used, or had been gifted to him and he just never got around to using. There was an old toaster over lying around that never got used after he and Zack went in together on the one that also doubled as an air fryer. That was another twenty dollars right there. His old roller blades he hadn’t used since before he moved into this apartment. He put those online. Then there was bread maker his mom got him as a housewarming present that was still in its box. The DVD player he never used because he’d donated his old DVDs a long time ago. A few rings he didn’t wear anymore, though the chain his dad bought him before he died was staying. He didn’t care how much it might be worth, that was never going anywhere.
By the end of the day, most of his items were picked up, and he had seven hundred dollars in his pocket.
And he was massively proud of himself.
A lot of the remaining clutter was gone with that cleanup job he’d just done, and now that he had so much less stuff and more money in his pocket, he decided that maybe he wouldn’t sell that UDF T-shirt after all. That was a good memory he’d had with Zack when they went to that fight together, and just because he wasn’t going to lust after dragons anymore didn’t mean he couldn’t have a few tokens from the games.
He went to his room with the shirt, practically floating there as he stuck it back on its hanger and put it in his closet. Mike quickly pulled down the ad to sell it and went back outside to clean up any remaining items.
He jumped three feet in the air and cursed when he spotted Tristan standing there.
“What the fuck?” he snapped, his heart hammering. “Jesus Christ, do you knock?”
“I did. You weren’t answering,” Tristan said.
“Oh, well, what are you doing in here anyway? Just because I don’t answer doesn’t mean you get to come in.” He said that, though on the inside, Mike was kind of glad to see the other man. “Never mind. I want to talk to you about last night.” He might as well use this opportunity to set a couple of things straight.
“Me, too,” Tristan said.
He didn’t give Mike the chance to start as he marched over to him, a large hand cupping the back of his head and pulling him close.
“You smell like all those humans who came in here.” Tristan kissed him hard on the mouth once, making Mike’s brain heady before he pulled back. “I need to fix that.”
Okay.
Tristan sounded breathy and wild. His kisses seemed just as animalistic and desperate.
He had no idea what the other man was doing here after walking out last night, and Mike was supposed to be making the firm decision that he didn’t need to deal with him, or any other dragon, ever again. But the touch of his mouth… God, why did his lips have to feel that warm? Why did a single kiss, no matter how deep, make his knees feel weak?
He was being pushed backwards, toward the couch. Tristan pulled at Mike’s clothes, his hands pushing up and under his shirt. The touch of skin to skin was amazing. That searing hot, burning sensation left Mike gasping for breath and wanting more.
His body was alive. He was on fire. He was being swept away and he had to… he had to…
Stop.
“Stop, wait, stop.” Mike pushed firmly against Tristan’s chest, finally getting the guy’s attention as he blinked down at Mike.
“What’s the matter?”
Yeah, what was the matter? This could be amazing, and yet he was making them stop?
“I don’t think we should.”
Again, Tristan looked at him as though he didn’t quite believe him.
That made Mike angry. “I don’t want you to walk out immediately after it’s done, all right?”
He still didn’t feel all right about that. It felt a little like being used.
“I’m not using you for sex.”
Was he reading Mike’s mind or something?
“I didn’t say you were doing that, but… I thought about it and I don’t want you to get off with me just to go out and fight immediately after getting powered up.”
“I thought you said you knew I wasn’t using you?”
“I did say that. This is different.”
“How so?”
He was getting pissed off here. “Look, I’m done. It was a nice time, thanks for that, but I don’t need to fuck a dragon just because he wants it. If you wanted another redhead to get off on so you can power up or whatever, then that’s fine, I don’t care, but just find someone else to do it for you, please?”
Tristan narrowed his eyes, and it shocked Mike just a little bit when the guy smiled at him. “You really are scared that I’m just going to walk out of here again, aren’t you?”
“No!”
Admitting it would be a lie because if it was true then it would mean he had feelings for this guy.
And he de
finitely didn’t.
Tristan took another step forward. Mike didn’t dare back up. He wasn’t going to give the man that kind of satisfaction and he was damn well going to stand his ground.
“You honestly think I just want to use you to power myself up, don’t you?”
“What else would you be here for?”
“Does it matter?” Mike was very aware of how close they were standing, and of how much his body was starting to react. “You were helpless last night, and you wanted every second of it. I can tell you want it again.”
“So what?”
“So, it’s just sex, isn’t it? When we’re done, I will leave if that’s what you want me to do, but not one minute before.”
What the fuck was going on with this guy? And why did it have to turn Mike on so much?
“Just because I like dragons and just because you make me horny doesn’t mean I’m going to fuck you. I don’t need to have sex with you.”
“Uh huh.”
Why did that sound like Tristan just called him a liar?
“Or anyone else,” Mike clarified.
Tristan kept looking at him as though he didn’t believe him, and it was starting to piss Mike off.
Then, Tristan shrugged one shoulder and turned his back on him. “Well, that’s fine. I was hoping to spend the night with you, but if you’re not in the mood then so be it.”
Mike didn’t understand. “Wait, what?”
Tristan was heading for the door, and Mike was starting to have a strange, sickening feeling in his stomach that he was about to have a repeat of last night. He was about to watch Tristan walk away from him.
“You don’t want to have sex, and I do. So I probably should leave and find it somewhere else.”
Somewhere else?
Mike shook his head. No. He couldn’t let himself get jealous. It was none of his business, and they weren’t in a relationship.
This was why he didn’t want to have sex with dragons anymore. It was why he didn’t want to idolize the dragons anymore, period. After one fuck, he was already starting to get clingy. Mike was confusing himself about what he wanted, and that wasn’t good.
“Yup. Well, all the best to you. Happy hunting, or whatever it is you call it.”
Tristan stopped with his hand on the door. He looked back, but this time Mike wasn’t pretending to be asleep. “Happy hunting? Jesus, don’t say it like that, you make it sound so creepy.”
“You know what I mean,” Mike said, embarrassed that he even cared, embarrassed that he felt he had some right to the other man, and embarrassed that he was suddenly turning into a prude when it came to sex.
One more time couldn’t hurt anything, right?
No. He had to be strong. This was his fresh start and he wasn’t about to screw it up.
“Thanks for dropping in. Maybe I’ll see you around when I go to visit Zack.”
“Yeah.” Tristan gave him a once over with those red eyes. The first time Mike saw them he’s been scared out of his mind. Red eyes on a dragon usually meant they were angry. Very angry. Murderously so.
But not with Tristan. It seemed to be just something that he had. Something permanent.
Now that Mike was a little used to them, he found himself thinking they were kind of nice to look at. He was a little jealous of whoever was going to be looking at them tonight instead of him.
Without another word, Tristan left the apartment, and Mike was alone again. Alone, and wondering what the fuck he was going to do with this burning pain in his chest.
Something was going on here. This wasn’t normal.
He needed to talk to Zack. He was mated to a dragon. He might be able to give Mike some insight on what the hell was happening.
Chapter Five
Tristan might have been overreacting just a little when he went to Tory and punched the man in the face. But it sure felt good to have the guy growl at him, burst into his dragon shape, and go for his throat.
They weren’t going to kill each other. They fought all the time. Dragons needed to fight to get their excess energy and aggression out of them, it was just the way of things.
Still, when getting in a fight to release all that pent up aggression, it was best to do it outdoors, away from things that were breakable, as well as mates and children.
Which was why they were doing this in the sky.
Tristan felt a little badly for nearly knocking the other man out of the sky, but now that he was ducking out of the way of the massive green dragon’s tail, dodging those snapping teeth, and flying out of the way of fire that damn near burned his ass, he had something else to focus on other than the fact that he’d been rejected by his own mate.
“Come back here!” Tory roared, his voice barely human sounding, barely sounding like English as he flew after Tristan in that much larger shape.
Tristan didn’t transform back. He only kept his wings out so he could keep flying. He didn’t take them to an arena where they could finish this, and now that he had Tory on his ass, trying to get his revenge, Tristan realized that this form of exercise was the best way for him to feel better.
A good race was just the thing he needed to get Mike’s face out of his mind. The look as he was sent away.
Tory blew another line of fire at him.
Bastard really had some lungs on him, because it seemed to be ongoing, almost never ending, and Tristan was pretty sure he lost some hair when the flames finally stopped.
He’d been meaning to get a haircut anyway, so the burning hair wasn’t an issue. He’d deal with it later.
“Tristan!” Tory commanded, but Tristan angled his wings to pull him up, around, and back behind Tory in an instant. He kept out of the way of the other man, and he wasn’t in a mood to have any heart to hearts.
Which was probably why, just as it looked as though Tory was about to calm down, Tristan spat a ball of fire into his hand and threw it at the back of Tory’s head. It spattered into a thousand sparks on impact, like a fiery snowball, and Tory angled his long, scaled neck to look back at him, green fire flickering from his eyes.
“What the fuck is your problem?”
“I need it!” Tristan snapped.
He was horny and wanted his mate, but his mate didn’t want him back. Because it was too late? Because they really weren’t mates and Tristan was mistaken?
He didn’t care. He wasn’t taking the rejection well, and he was going to get this out of him, one way or another.
Thankfully, Tory didn’t question him. In fact, the other dragon shifter looked at him as though he was finally getting what the issue was.
He angled his wings, taking himself down to the earth.
Tory was always a by-the-books kind of guy. He was going to want to do this at an arena, with a referee and everything.
Whatever. So long as Tristan was able to push away this feeling of empty irritation, to go back to being himself, he was up for whatever the hell the other male wanted to do.
Anything to forget about Mike Sweeney.
* * * *
Mike splurged on an Uber to take him to Zack’s new place. He had the money for it now that he’d sold a bunch of his stuff, so he figured he might as well treat himself.
Especially since he was still feeling like complete shit after sending Tristan away.
It bothered him that he was so torn up over it.
It was the right move to make. He knew that deep down, but he couldn’t stop himself from wishing he hadn’t.
Walking into the condominium was a real experience. The last time he’d been here, Tristan had flown him here after he and Zack were attacked by other dragons who had been looking for redheads to fuck.
He didn’t remember coming here, and Mike had been in such a hurry to leave that he barely recalled what the lobby looked like. Getting let in by the doorman and walking through the lobby to the elevators, as though he came here all the time, was an experience in and of itself.
On the way up, Mike began to question
his decision to show up. He’d texted Zack that he was coming over, and Zack had seemed excited enough, but at the same time, even with an invite and a blessing to be here, Mike kind of got the impression the doorman would be checking his pockets on the way out to make sure he hadn’t stolen anything.
The elevator moved shockingly fast to the top floor. Probably one of the perks of living in a place like this. The elevators not only worked, but they were efficient.
He didn’t have to walk down the hall to condo door. Zack was standing in front of the elevators as they parted, and he threw his arms around Mike’s shoulders in the biggest hug Mike ever got from the other guy.
Not that he was complaining. He could use a little love and affection right about now.
“What’s all this about?” he asked, his mood immediately brightened nonetheless.
Zack squeezed him a little tighter. “I missed you, and I’m glad for you! This is going to be amazing!”
Mike froze, having an inkling of what Zack was talking about. “Uh, what do you mean?” he asked. He wasn’t about to give anything away in case it turned out he was wrong.
Zack pulled back, still grinning at him like they’d both won the lottery, only now there was a hint of confusion in his eyes. “I mean, I heard you and Tristan… was I wrong?” Zack backed off, the both of them stepping out of the elevator before the doors could close on them. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Mike said. “Tristan’s not around, is he?”
“No, I think he and Tory are having a dragon battle.”
Mike didn’t understand. “They are? What for?”
Zack shrugged. “Could be the exercise. I just saw Tristan dive down at Tory when they were in the sky. He appeared out of nowhere and got him right in the face. They started fighting and flew off.” His cheeks colored deeply. “I guess I thought they were fighting to celebrate. I figured that was why Tory wasn’t taking me with him for the fight.”
“Right, yeah, maybe,” Mike said, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized it was more than likely they were fighting because Mike had sent Tristan away in a bad mood.