by Olivia Ash
“I want you,” he says simply.
“You still haven’t answered—”
“Forever,” he interrupts. He gently bites my neck to drive the point home, and the almost primal sensation pushes me over the edge.
My dragon practically roars within me, begging me to give in, to go all the way, to give him any and everything he wants so that she and I can finally have him.
Our mate.
“In my world,” he continues, his lips hovering just above mine once again, “that means you’re mine—and I’m yours. Just the two of us against the world, forever.”
My heart skips with simultaneous joy and dread. I’m gutted to be so close to something I’ve wanted since I came here—him, as my equal, my partner—and the other three men I’ve grown to love.
And I wonder.
I wonder if he would dare.
I wonder if an ultimatum is coming—and worse, what I’ll do. I need him, pure and simple. He does things to me no one else can, and he has a powerful influence over my dragon no one else can match.
He may be the key to me shifting. He, and he alone, might very well be the key to mastering my magic.
To give him up is unthinkable. I can admit that, now.
But Tucker has been at my side from the start. He taught me to trust. To love. To laugh.
Drew has pushed me to be better. To grow. He made me realize what it means to give in. To not need to control the world around me, but to use what’s happening to my advantage.
And Levi—my darling Levi. In a world that’s so harsh and unforgiving, he gives me hope. He makes me feel.
I can never let go of any of them.
They’re my team. My family.
My men.
And I want Jace in that world, too.
The dojo master sighs, his stormy eyes snaring me as they rake over my face. Tenderly, he brushes his nose against mine, and I feel something within him shift. It’s a soft change, just a subtle one, but it’s there.
“We’re not in my world, anymore,” he says. “If you and I do this, if we give in to what we both want, I can’t just live in my world, by my laws. I have to honor your past, too. We come from different cultures, and we came into this—whatever it is you and I have—with different expectations of each other. So what are we going to do, Rory Quinn?”
“Compromise?” I ask softly, knowing my eyes betray every sensation rippling through my body. I try to hide the breathless shutters in my chest, but I don’t do a very convincing job of it.
He leans toward me, pressing his hard chest against mine as he breathes me in once again. It’s like smelling a bouquet, and he smiles as if it’s the most delicious scent in the world. “I suppose we can try.”
I grin, almost unable to believe what’s happening. “What do you need to be happy, Jace?”
“You,” he says simply. “To know you’re mine. That you’re in this life with me, for eternity. That we’re partners in crime and have each other’s back, no matter the cost. To know that when we go into battle, you’ll be there at my side. To have you, now and forever. And,” he adds with a soft sigh, grinning a little as he looks down at me. “To know that when I’m with you, I have you fully to myself—that you’re not thinking of anyone else. That when I’m with you, I’m enough.”
He pauses, and his hand trails to my face. He gently holds my jaw, his possessive grip beautifully dominating as he smiles down at me. “Can you give me that?”
I smile, beyond blissfully happy that I can finally give in to the fluttering and overwhelming need I’ve felt for this man from the start. “Forever.”
He kisses me, wild and fierce. I weave my fingers through his hair, hoping this isn’t just a beautiful dream. It’s almost surreal, like it can’t possibly be happening.
But it is.
Jace Goodwin is mine.
He pauses, setting his hand gently on my neck as his thumb gently strokes my cheek. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he admits, laughing. “Tucker, Levi, and I will have to figure out some boundaries, but we’ll make it work.”
“Thank you,” I say, grinning. “Does that also mean you and Drew are…”
I trail off as I notice something change in his gaze. His expression hardens, those stormy eyes narrowing with hatred at the mere mention of Drew’s name, and it’s clear there’s another element of this agreement that needs to be ironed out.
The blood feud.
“I don’t understand it, Rory,” Jace says, practically growling in his rage. His grip on my neck tightens, and the possessive fury returns. “I can’t share you with a monster. He’s bad for you. Bad for the world. I can’t forgive him for what he did.”
“But he didn’t—” I grimace and snap my stupid mouth shut before I break my vow.
I swore I wouldn’t betray Drew’s trust, and even now, I won’t do it—even with so much at stake, I can’t shatter his faith in me.
“Didn’t what?” Jace presses, lowering his head until his stormy glare is inches from my face. He narrows his eyes with suspicion, and an eerie darkness crosses his face.
I don’t fear Jace Goodwin. He’s my mate and my man. But that withering look would make grown men tremble—and I doubt he even knows he’s capable of such an expression.
Somehow, his hatred has only gotten worse since Drew came here.
“I can’t,” I say quietly, setting my hands on either side of his head as I try to drive my next point home. “But he can tell you everything. You two need to work this out. We’ll sit down, and—”
“No, Rory,” Jace interrupts. Even though his face brims with rage, he pauses and kisses the inside of my wrist as my hands hover by his face. “Our grudge can only be settled one way.”
He can’t mean…
I gasp.
“Jace, don’t,” I plead.
“I think it’s time he and I finally settle this,” Jace says, ignoring me. “Once and for all.”
“Now, you wait just a damn minute—”
“Rory,” Jace interrupts.
Hearing him say my name sends both chills of dread and shivers of delight through me. Just that—just my name—it’s enough to silence me, and I find myself watching him with breathless anticipation.
I was so close.
So close.
But this feud—this hatred they have of each other—it could cost me everything.
“This ends tonight,” Jace says, standing.
I feel suddenly cold as he leaves me, my body missing the warmth of his chest pressed against mine, but I try to ignore my dragon’s traitorous aches for this man and focus on the dire circumstance I’ve found myself in yet again.
The dojo master heads for the door without another word, and I can’t quite process that this is really happening. That he’s actually going to go through with this.
Carefully, I sit upright and try to make him see reason. “Jace—”
“Do you want us to hate each other forever?” he asks, turning on his heel. “Because if you’re mine, Rory, I won’t allow him to touch you. Not until this is settled.”
“Jace, damn it—” I stand, entirely done with this entire conversation, when he reaches the door.
“I’m sorry,” he says simply.
“What are you—”
Sparks dance across his skin, the electric current of his magic sizzling across the metal knob as he opens the door. He looks at me once more, a serious and somber expression on his face that leaves me unsettled.
It’s the kind of face you make when you say goodbye—when you have to go do something you may never come back from.
“Jace!” I shout, bolting toward him.
He storms into the hall and slams the door behind him, leaving me alone in his room as sparks burn along the handle from the other side. The metal begins to fuse, and I realize too late what he’s done.
He’s stowed me away in his room the only way he knows how—by giving me a lock I can’t pick.
I bang my fist agains
t the door, and it trembles under my enhanced strength. I can hear his footsteps retreat down the hall, calm and controlled on this death march he’s taking, and I practically growl with rage.
I can feel my dragon burning deep within, simmering in her own fury, and the two of us are shattered.
The grudge Drew and Jace have with each other will end in fire and lightning. Bones and blood. These two men I’ve grown to adore—to love—they’re two of the most powerful dragons in the world.
They’re going to fight each other, and this time, no one alive or dead will be able to stop them until one concedes—or one of them dies.
Chapter Nineteen
When I finally break down the door, it splinters across the hallway. Nothing remains but the fiery fury burning within me. The melted doorknob, nothing but a molten chunk of metal now, slides across the ground.
It takes everything in me not to blast my magic throughout this entire embassy. I just want to destroy something, and one door is not enough right now.
Jace knew it would only delay me, not stop me, and I'm pretty sure that was his point. His goal. He wasn't trying to protect me from this—from what he's about to do to Drew.
He’s trying to keep me from stopping it.
Despite the adrenaline surging through my body, I force myself to pause and close my eyes. I want nothing more than to punch someone in the face, but instead, I force myself to listen.
To my dragon.
She knows where Jace is.
His presence flickers to light within me like a candle’s flame suddenly lit in the darkness, and I can feel him somewhere nearby. His energy is different right now, more powerful and utterly ablaze. He's burning with magic.
He's burning with hate.
As I feel for him, I try to get a more specific idea of where he is. After a few moments of searching, I'm pretty sure I can narrow it down to the front courtyard.
It's a start.
I race to the nearest window facing the front of the embassy, and sure enough, I see two figures circling each other on the black stone below. Even though it's too far away to clearly see their features, I recognize their gait as they circle each other. I recognize their builds and the muscle along both men's bare chests.
It's already started.
By now, I've memorized most of the embassy, and I race downstairs toward the main door. With most of the dojo still tending the wounded, not many soldiers fill the hallways, and for that I'm grateful.
I don't want very many witnesses to what's about to happen, especially if I have to whip Jace's ass in front of his soldiers.
As I reach the front doors, I kick them open. I half expect them to shatter like his bedroom door did, but these are sturdier. They simply slam against the black stone walls as I storm down the stairway toward the courtyard.
Both men turn briefly to look at me as I walk toward them. I know they can see my fury. They can see my anger sizzling across my skin. Ribbons of white light run up and down my arms as I desperately try to hold my magic at bay.
But they're hardly worried.
Despite the magic crackling across my skin and through my core, both men return their attention to each other almost immediately. They're focused, their eyes sharp and clear.
All they want in this moment is to begin.
And that's when it hits home for me.
They want this.
For them, whatever is about to happen means finally getting closure.
That slows my raging pace, and before I know what I'm doing, I stop walking altogether. I'm close enough to see them, to hear the steady breaths and the rustle of fabric as they slowly circle each other, waiting to see who will take the first blow.
My intention when I came here was to charge in and stop this even if it meant a flurry of magic and the threat of facing down a dragon or two. But the chilling realization of what they need to do makes my blood run cold.
They need to draw blood.
It’s taken me until now to see it, but they’ve both been subtly warning me that this was coming. Even if they didn't do it consciously, both men knew this fight of theirs was inevitable.
I just didn't want to listen.
Soldiers begin to gather, keeping mostly to the edge of the massive courtyard walls. There seems to be an unspoken understanding that this battle is somehow different—because no one gets too close.
I’m the only one standing in the courtyard, and I am definitely in the line of fire.
Levi appears suddenly beside me, and I flinch slightly as he steps abruptly into my periphery. My heart skips a beat in surprise, but it really shouldn't at this point.
He glares at the circling men, his hands balled into fists. “Rory, what's happening?”
I shake my head and open my mouth to answer, but I don't even know how to put this into words.
“I should shift,” Levi says when I don't answer. “I can stop this. I can—”
“No,” I say softly, setting my hand on his chest to make sure he doesn't try. “They need this, Levi.”
He looks at me with a baffled expression, but all I can do is watch my two men as they circle each other, ready for blood and battle.
If I keep stopping them, it will only get worse. If I keep getting in the way of their closure, then maybe it will get to the point where neither man can forgive the other. At that point, I would have to choose.
Deep within me, I can feel my dragon itching for war. She's angry and furious, her very soul buzzing with energy I've never felt before. She's so close to a shift that I can taste it.
It gives me an idea.
It's desperate, of course. Maybe a bit foolhardy, but I don't exactly have a ton of options.
Even though I keep most of my attention on the fight about to break out in the center courtyard, I reach toward her. Inwardly, I try to connect.
Just in case.
Just in case they take this too far.
Jace thinks Drew killed his brother Garrett, and Drew is just trying to protect his brother Milo. But dragons believe in an eye for an eye, and this won't end pretty.
Jace pauses, his eyes scanning the courtyard as more of his soldiers watch from the walls and windows.
“Leave!” the dojo master shouts. “This doesn't involve any of you. If you have nothing to do, I'm sure there are doctors in the medic ward who can fix that.”
It's astonishing how quickly the crowd disperses. But their master has spoken, and none of these soldiers want to face his ire, especially given the fury that radiates from him right now.
In moments, the courtyard is empty except for Levi and myself—but I'm pretty sure they'll still be watching.
When the last soldier leaves, Jace lifts his fists. Drew does the same, and it's clear.
It has begun.
Jace throws the first punch, and Drew takes it. Jace's fist connects with Drew's side, and though I suspect Drew figured he could take the blow easily, he lets out a groan of pain and doubles over.
In a vicious double-whammy, Jace lifts his knee, aiming for Drew's nose. This time, Drew ducks and rolls out of the way. He lands with one leg extended, his palm on the ground as he regains his balance. Seconds later, he launches, tackling Jace to the ground. Jace hits the black stone hard, his head raised to protect his skull.
And he takes the blow like a beast.
The two men duck and swing at each other, their brutal dance almost hypnotizing, and I find myself leaning forward with breathless anticipation as I wait for it to end. It's a daydream, of course, to think it would end so quickly or so neatly, but a girl can dream.
Jace's fist hits Drew's temple, and the crack of bone hitting bone thuds through the courtyard. I wince, sucking in a sharp breath through my teeth.
But I can't look away.
Drew takes a step back, shaking out his head to clear the fog as a trickle of blood races down his face and along his jaw. He narrows his eyes, glaring at Jace, ready for the next blow—and more than ready to give one.
/> “I can’t let you stay,” Jace says through clenched teeth as he lands a kick in Drew’s stomach.
Drew grabs Jace's leg and twists. Jace flips in the air and falls to the ground.
“Let me?” Drew asks, smirking.
With his back on the ground and his foot still pinned under Drew's arm, Jace nails a brutal kick on Drew's knee. Drew falls, grimacing, and releases Jace's other foot.
“I refuse,” Jace says, rolling away and jumping back to his feet. “I won't be reminded of my loss forever. You can't have her.”
“This is not up for discussion,” Drew says, wiping away a trail of blood from his face. “You can't steal her from me.”
The two men launch at each other, their hands on each other's shoulders as they grapple, each trying to get a slight advantage on the other despite being so evenly matched.
As they fight for dominance, Drew slowly begins to win. He pushes against Jace, trying to take him down. In a move so fast I almost miss it, Jace twists, throwing Drew to the ground and rolling with him. His opponent on his back, Jace cocks his arm to land a blow.
In that moment, Drew is faster. With one arm lifted to protect his face, he lands a deadly accurate blow in Jace's throat.
Jace coughs, backing up as he tries to catch his breath, and this is a moment where the whole fight could turn. If Drew cut off Jace's windpipe, then…
I pinch my eyes shut, and I almost wish I wasn't watching this. I almost wish this was just a bad dream.
Thankfully, Jace recovers, lifting his fists once more. He’s ready for battle even as a red trickle escapes the corner of his mouth.
These two men are bloody and brutal. With every blow they land on each other, I wince. I feel for both of them, and I can't imagine how much longer this will go on.
In most battles, there would be a winner by now, someone clearly better, clearly more capable.
But these two are the best, and they knew going in that this fight would be vicious.
Beside me, Levi is as still as a statue, stoic and silent as he focuses on the fight. He doesn't want to see this any more than I do, but I think deep down, he also realizes there's more at stake than just pride.