by Marcy Jacks
He was in a bad mood himself.
God, he wished he was a dragon so he could just fight another dragon and get all his anger issues out like that. Dragons were powerful and could withstand mostly anything. A guy could throw a sack of bricks at a dragon’s head and it might not even phase them.
“I need to talk to you about that, actually. You sure they’re gone?”
Zack stepped aside, leading Mike to the condo where he now lived with his mate. “Yeah, no problem. Does this have to do with Tristan? I mean, don’t take this the wrong way, but Tory seemed to think you and Tristan were hooking up.”
“Yeah, well, about that.” Mike waited until they were inside of Zack’s condo, the door shut behind them. As though he expected someone to be out in the hallway, spying on them. “We kind of did,” he said.
Zack blinked at him, backing up a step, as though Mike had just shoved him. “You… really?” He grinned.
“It’s not a good thing, don’t get your hopes up.”
That wiped the smile off Zack’s face. “I don’t understand. I mean, are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
“What? No, not at all.” He was shocked Zack would ask him that question in the first place. He didn’t think he came off as the sort of guy who got easily hurt, and he definitely didn’t want to give off the impression that Tristan had done something terrible when that was certainly not the case. “He didn’t hurt me. It was fine. It was mutual the first time.”
“Only the first time?” Zack lifted a brow, still looking at him as though he wasn’t sure whether or not he needed to call the police.
As if the police could do anything against a dragon.
“I mean it was fine both times. Not that we were together two times. Just the one time. We nearly got together again, but I sent him away, and now I think that might be why he’s out there fighting with your mate.”
“You think you hurt him?”
It sounded so strange and unrealistic to hear it put like that. As if he could ever have enough power to hurt a dragon. But now, knowing Tristan had to pick a fight with Tory just to make himself feel better…
It did give off the impression that he’d done more than deny the guy sex. That maybe he really had hurt his feelings.
“After what happened to us, to you in the alley with that one dragon, Boris, and his stupid cluster of sickles lizards, I just decided that, maybe I was over being a fanboy. I can’t believe I ever was in the first place.”
Zack’s eyes softened. He was looking at Mike with pity in his eyes, and Mike definitely didn’t like that.
“Stop it. It’s not really a big deal.”
“This happened to you, too. They were going to take you, too, if Tory and Tristan hadn’t shown up.”
“Right, and I was passed out for most of it, so it’s not like it affected me the same way it did to you.”
“But it still happened to you.”
Mike was over this topic of conversation. He didn’t want to go on and on about how sad and scared he must have been when he didn’t remember half of it because he’d fainted like a coward.
And when he woke up, he punched the man in the nose who’d saved his ass in the first place.
“Anyway, I just don’t want to worship the ground they walk on anymore. I sold a bunch of my action figures and merch.”
Zack’s eyes popped wide open. “You what? Really?”
“Yeah. Not the T-shirt I bought when you and I went to a match, I might keep that one, but most everything else is gone. Got a decent amount of money for it all, too, and I’m going to use that for my down payment for a new apartment.”
He expected Zack to tell him how proud he was of him, to say or do literally anything else other than stare at him as though he’d lost his mind.
Mike only then realized they were still standing at the spot where they were supposed to put their shoes. They’d barely stepped into the condo at all, and Mike was still trying to justify himself.
“Why are you looking at me like that? I’m trying to make responsible decisions here and you’re looking at me like I just told you I was going to have my legs chopped off.”
Zack blinked, shaking his head a little. “Right. Sorry, you’re right. That really is great news to hear, Mike. It’s amazing, really.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
It didn’t feel so great to be praised when he basically had to hint for it. Or outright ask for it.
“I just… Tristan and I fucked, but I thought it was because I wanted to get him out of my system. I wasn’t expecting to want him to come by again, and when he did… I don’t know. Am I crazy?”
“How do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m trying to put dragons out of my head. I don’t want to be their fan anymore, and I don’t want to be the kind of guy who has sex with a dragon just because he’s there and asking for it. I was right to send him away, but it feels like I fucked up instead.”
He wanted Zack to give him some answers. Zack was mated to a dragon, so he had to know a couple of things about this. Anything that would make all of this make sense to him.
But instead of feeding him all the answers as though he could easily pick them out of a hat, Zack just looked at him like he really didn’t understand what was going on any more than Mike did.
“It sounds like he thought one thing was happening, and then it turned out to be another, and now you’re both misunderstanding something?” Zack shrugged helplessly. “I’m sorry. I don’t have anything else.”
“But there’s nothing to misunderstand. I made a decision to avoid the dragons. I’m only going to date humans from now on, and why would it matter to Tristan anyway? Why would anyone want a human who only wants to fuck them for being dragons? Unless he’s just doing it because I’ve got red hair.”
Dragons could have sex with any human they wanted and still take their energy from them. Their life force. Their Chi. Whatever people happened to call it. They used it in their battles to get stronger, to make their fires hotter and their claws sharper. But everyone knew that it was the humans with the red hair who happened to give the best kind of energy, who made their lovers stronger.
Mike didn’t want that. It made him angry thinking that Tristan was only coming around because he wanted to have sex with a nice, willing redhead.
“You wanna come and sit down? I’ll get us something to drink.”
“Yeah, sure. Why not,” Mike said, heading for the couch while Zack grabbed the beers.
Even now, Tristan was out there fighting with Tory, probably testing out how much power he’d been able to take from Mike when they were fucking. Had to make sure he got his fill now that Mike was cutting him off.
God, that pissed him off.
Mike couldn’t even appreciate that he was in the top floor of a beautiful condo, or the awesome view of the city it afforded him.
He would rather sulk in his own misery.
It was no wonder he was so screwed up.
Zack came back to sit with him. He took a drag from his beer bottle, but Mike couldn’t bring himself to. He didn’t know what the brand was, and he was pretty sure it was more expensive than anything he’d ever be able to offer Zack again.
A reminder of their differences now.
Zack was his best friend and cousin, but now that Zack was mated to a dragon, things were going to be different.
They might lose touch of each other.
That made him angry.
And sad.
“Mike,” Zack started, his voice as gentle as he could make it. “Do you really think that Tristan was using you? I’ve hung out with him and Tory a couple of times before. He only seemed to have good intentions.”
Mike rolled his eyes. “I don’t care about his intentions. I wasn’t looking for a commitment,” he said.
Though it kind of felt like he was, and he knew how unreasonable that made him.
Zack nodded, taking a sip from his beer. “Well, whenever Tristan asked about you, he seemed on
ly interested in learning more. I didn’t get the impression he was scoping you out, trying to figure out if you would let him fuck you so easily. Does it really bother you that much if he does think that?”
“No,” Mike said. “Yes, but it’s stupid because I don’t know why. I’ve fucked guys before that I barely knew and we ended up going our separate ways, and everything was fine after. This shouldn’t be any different.”
“Maybe,” Zack said. “If you really want my opinion, I honestly think Tristan likes you.”
“Obviously he does.”
“No, I mean likes you likes you. I think he’s interested in having you for a lover, if not an actual mate.”
Mike’s insides froze up. Something he should not have felt in that moment hit him hard, and when he realized what it was, it terrified the fuck out of him.
Hope. He was hoping that it was the truth.
Mike couldn’t even keep to his own convictions, but he was hoping that Tristan might want something with him. Something more than fucking.
That shouldn’t have scared him so much.
“I… I don’t…” There was a crash of glass. It shattered and shimmered as two heavy bodies flew through it and rolled into the middle of the living room, making him and Zack curse before jumping back.
Mike’s heart launched itself into his throat as he watched green and red wings melt back into human looking bodies.
Bodies that were still full of life as they both groaned and stood up.
Tristan and Tory. They looked like absolute shit.
Chapter Six
Not that it wasn’t nice to see Tristan, but Jesus, that was a lot of blood on him, and the man groaned as he stood, shaking his wings out. Large and tiny bits of glass fell from his body.
Then he wobbled. Tristan fell back to one knee easily, the hardwood thunking beneath his weight.
Tory didn’t look much better, and Zack was allowed to go to him and check on him.
“Tory!” Zack rushed to his mate, putting his hands to Tory’s chest, checking him over for more wounds. He looked as though he was trying to get a proper feel for Tory’s heart, but Tory was sitting up, smiling at Zack and clearly awake and aware. He didn’t look at all like a guy who was bleeding all over himself and had just been in an epic fight. “What happened? Did you both get attacked by another dragon?”
“What? No. We did this to each other.”
Mike raised his brows. He hadn’t expected to hear that at all. Maybe it would have made more sense if they had been attacked.
Dragons didn’t just show a great amount of pride in their health and strength, but it was part of how they made their money and made names for themselves. Dragons challenged each other all the time for money and glory.
But they had done this to each other? For real?
Mike glanced over at Tristan. The other man still stumbled, but he was able to get to his feet on his own. Mike was glad for that, but the damage done to both of them was still shocking.
“You both did that to each other?”
“It’s a dragon thing,” Tristan said shortly, as though Mike couldn’t figure that out.
“I know, but why? You look like you nearly killed each other.”
Mike had seen enough dragon fights on TV to know that blood could happen, but these guys were supposed to be friends. The more he thought about it, the more he was sure this might have something to do with him.
“What are you even doing here?”
Mike didn’t like the insinuation that he wasn’t allowed to come over and see his friend. “I came to visit Zack.”
“Uh huh. You know I live around here, too. Right?”
Jerk. “Yeah, you live downstairs. I’m not there so it’s not your business if I decide to come over.”
“It is my business if I can smell you.”
What was that supposed to mean?
He and Tristan were stuck in some kind of glaring contest now, and it was weird. The more he looked at the other guy, the angrier he seemed to be getting.
As though it wasn’t even coming from himself.
“Okay, guys. I think everyone just needs to calm down,” Zack said, waving his hands a little. He did that whenever he got nervous.
“No, they need to hash this out, or Tristan and I will be fighting again.” Tory looked toward the broken window. “I don’t want to have to keep replacing that.”
Mike couldn’t believe it. “How many times do you break your windows?”
Was it even safe for Zack to be here if this was going to keep happening?
Tristan sneered at him, and he answered as though Mike had spoken out loud. “It’s perfectly safe for your cousin to be here. Tory would never hurt him.”
“I didn’t say he would!”
Now Zack was looking at Mike as though that really was what he’d said. “You think Tory would want to hurt me?”
“I didn’t say that!”
Why did it constantly feel as though he was being railroaded here? He couldn’t stand it.
Mike snapped his attention back to Tristan. “He’s my friend and one of my only relatives. If I want to come over and visit him that’s none of your damn business.”
“I catch your scent whenever you’re close by. Of course it’s my business if you’re going to be around.”
“And? Learn to fucking control yourself.”
Maybe that was going a little too far, because the next thing he knew, Tristan grabbed Mike by the shoulders and shoved him against the nearest wall, pinning him with his strength.
Mike didn’t have the intelligence to be scared, it seemed, because the only thing he did feel in that moment was the annoyance of being put in this position, and of having his wrists gripped as tightly as they were and pushed back against the wall before he was kissed.
And kissed hard.
In front of Zack.
So humiliating, but Mike was a sucker for punishment it seemed, because he liked it.
Stupid Tristan and his dumb, perfectly addicting mouth that made Mike lose all sense of himself. Even Zack and Tory, who were only a couple of feet away, watching the whole thing, faded away into the back of his mind. They weren’t important. The only thing that was important was getting more of that amazing mouth.
Though, shockingly, as much as the heat seemed to be increasing in the air around him, it was when Tristan pushed his knee between Mike’s legs that his actual brain woke up and blared a horn right in his ear, snapping him awake and making him push back hard against Tristan’s chest.
“What are you doing?”
Tristan stumbled back, as though Mike had the strength to make him fall backwards. Or he just caught the other man off guard.
Mike immediately set about to wiping at his lips. He looked at Tristan, waiting for him to go on the attack again, but it never happened.
Tristan blinked at him, as though he was the one who was shocked here, before he turned back to Tory. “I’ll be downstairs.”
Tory nodded.
Now Mike was annoyed again because it looked like both men were sharing a private conversation in their heads. Everyone knew dragons couldn’t do that. They weren’t mind readers, despite what the rumors and the less educated happened to say about them.
Though they could really get a deep look into the feelings of their mates.
And Mike was not his mate, so he had no reason to feel guilty, no reason for his heart to be hammering like this. No reason for his body to be humming, as though he was getting the fight or flight response coming at any moment.
“I just… I just want to feel normal again,” he said, and even that felt like he was giving away a little too much.
He didn’t want to have to think about this. He didn’t want to be reminded again and again of what it looked like to see Zack back in that dirty alleyway, surrounded by dragons who were trying to gang up on him and assault him because they thought the color of his hair would give them more power.
Mike always thought if some
thing like that happened to either of them, that he would be strong, that he would know what to do and be able to protect them both. Instead he fainted, and he and Zack needed to be rescued by other dragons who were nice enough to not want to assault them for any powers they might be able to get out of it.
Mike never wanted to be that helpless again. He never wanted to look up to the dragons ever again. He wanted to forget all about that foolish nonsense and pretend he’d never been as stupid as he used to be.
But this was harder than he thought it would be. He still felt small, helpless, and stupid as Tristan gave him one last pitying look, then walked away from him. He might have crashed through the window, but he left quietly through the door to the condo. He could simply jump down to his unit, but it seemed he was opting to take the elevator.
Mike was torn when the door was shut. He didn’t want the other man to go. He didn’t want to be standing here, a cold, empty feeling seeping into his bones while Zack and Tory looked at him.
The worst part about it all was that he didn’t know Tory. Tory was another dragon, so there was no telling how the man was judging him for the way he’d treated his friend.
“I should go.” Mike’s throat was painfully swollen. He could barely get the words out, and if he started crying right now, he was never going to live that down.
“Don’t go,” Zack said, quickly reaching out to him, taking him by his hands. “I’ll make us a hot drink. We can talk.”
“Your living room looks like shit. I should go so you can fix it up.”
His eyes were burning. Stupid. So stupid. He shouldn’t be here. It was a mistake to come here, and now he was worried. He wanted to go after Tristan and make sure he was taking care of his wounds.
And how pathetic was that? He’d just shunned the man after being kissed by him in front of Zack and Tory, and yet he wanted to go after him.
“Mike.” Zack’s voice was soft. Zack never spoke to him like that. As though he were a little kid and Zack was about to tell him a hard truth. “Is it possible you and Tristan are—”
Before he could finish the sentence, some of the remaining windows that weren’t shattered after Tory and Tristan broke through them exploded into a thousand tiny pieces.