by Jackie May
I snort. Of course he wants to run around the city terrorizing his fellow mercenaries. Bloodthirsty faerie. It’s not even all that surprising when Terrance stands up straight and demands to go with him. Illren looks him up and down and smiles this frightening devious, feral smile. “Yes,” he says. “Let’s go assassin hunting.”
Hunting? I wonder if there is going to be anyone left to take this contract by the end of the day. Perhaps I should lecture Illren about the whole murder is wrong thing again, but I honestly don’t care if he rids the city of other murderers. Especially not if they’re thinking of coming after my family. “Have fun,” I mutter.
Illren’s eyes snap to mine, and his smile turns almost smug. “I will keep you safe, Mistress,” he promises, then swoops in for a kiss. It’s not quite the doozie he planted on me earlier this afternoon, but it’s definitely more than the peck Parker just gave me.
He pulls back, and then he’s out the door without another word. Terrance steps forward, surprising me when he wraps his big hand around the back of my head and pulls me against his chest. “I will keep him in line,” he promises. I take that to mean he won’t let Illren kill anyone innocent, but I’m sure he’ll help him with anyone he perceives as a threat. I would not want to be an assassin today. “Call me the second Oliver wakes.”
I wrap my arms around his waist and nod into his chest. “I will. Be careful today.”
He answers me by plopping a kiss on the top of my head. “Stay out of trouble, Trouble.”
He walks out, leaving Rook, Charlie, and me alone with an unconscious Oliver. I give them a smile. “Looks like you guys have Nora duty.”
Rook smiles, but it’s sad. He moves to sit next to me and wraps me in a tight hug. I soak up the affection. When he pulls back, he gives me a long, sweet kiss. I take the time to enjoy him. I need the extra TLC right now. He combs my hair back away from my face and quietly asks, “You feeling any better?”
I let out a long breath. “I’m exhausted.”
Rook nods his understanding. “Lie back, then, and rest next to Oliver for a while. We’ll keep watch over you both.”
Charlie nods in confirmation. I give both men a grateful smile, then let Rook tuck me in beside Oliver. I curl up next to Ollie and close my eyes. The last thing I hear is Rook and Charlie quietly murmuring with one another.
Nick’s forceful voice pulls me from a deep sleep. “Nora. Get up. Now.” He doesn’t sound angry, necessarily, just like he’s tired of being bullshitted and means business.
Sucking in a deep breath that turns into a yawn, I sit up and shield my eyes from the light while they adjust. I don’t think I’ve slept long, but it takes me a second to get my bearings. I’m in Oliver’s bed. We were attacked. He’s unconscious. I check the man still lying beside me like some kind of sleeping beauty. His face is still flushed, his brow caked with sweat. I push his bangs back and rest my hand on his forehead—it’s still burning up.
I turn my attention to Nick. He’s standing in the doorway to the bedroom, doing his best impression of a grumpy troll. His face matches his tone—he’s both glaring and he’s not. “Get up. I need you.”
I want to rage at him, but there’s something about him that has me hesitating. A hint of desperation and vulnerability mixed with anger that has nothing to do with me.
While we stare at one another, Ren elbows Nick to the side. “Move out of the way, you big lug.”
After Ren muscles his way past Nick, he stops, taking in the scene. He looks distraught, almost bedraggled, and his eyes are glued to Oliver. He swallows hard and makes his way to Oliver’s side. He mimics the action I just made, lovingly pushing Oliver’s hair off his forehead and feeling the fever with the back of his hand against Ollie’s cheek. His jaw grinds. “Damn that magical bastard.”
He brushes the lightest kiss to Oliver’s forehead, then plops down in Oliver’s desk chair and takes his hand. My throat tightens at the display of affection. I hate seeing Oliver like this, but I love seeing how much my guys all love him, too. And yes, Ren is mine. He may not be a lover, but like Terrance, he’s family. He’s mine.
I shake my head free of my thoughts. I’m so possessive lately. Ever since my siren woke up, I feel this need to claim all of my men so that everyone in the city knows whom they belong to. I wonder if that’s normal.
As Ren stares down at Oliver, his eyes gloss over. He blinks hard and looks at me. “He’s going to make it.” His eyes move back to Oliver, and he gives his hand a shake. “You hear me, mister? You’re going to be just fine.”
His obvious love for Oliver is going to make me cry. I swallow and blink back a few tears of my own. “He is,” I promise with a nod. I’m honestly not so sure, but I can’t deal with any other possible outcome so I make the promise anyway.
“Nora,” Nick says again. His voice is softer now, but still firm. When I look his way, he stares me down with an anxious brow. “I know this is terrible timing, but I really need you.”
Anger rises up inside me. “Go find your missing griffin yourself, Nick.”
I expect him to argue. I don’t expect him to swallow hard. “This isn’t the missing griffin. It’s personal. I need your help, Nora.”
When I open my mouth to argue, he holds up his hand and says one word that stops me. “Please.”
Nick says please about as often as Terrance says thank you. My anger deflates when I realize how truly upset and desperate he is. When I don’t say anything, he drops his hands. “I know you’re pissed,” he says, “and you have a right to be. Choices were made, and maybe they weren’t the right ones, but they can’t be changed. The past is the past. The only way to make up for it is to do the best we can now.”
I say nothing. He has a point. You can’t change mistakes. All you can do is try to make up for them by being better. Maybe Nick didn’t care about humans then, but he helped me when he thought I was human. That’s progress.
He folds his arms over his chest and gives me another staredown that could rival Terrance. “Ignoring the good and not helping when you can just because you’re angry is the same as sticking your head in the sand. Is that any different than us looking the other way?”
My anger flares up again, but only because he’s right. If I refuse to help, am I any better than them? I want to be so mad, but Nick is a good man, and I’ve seen the good the Agency does for this city.
Nick lowers his voice and softly says, “The Agency needs you, Nora. The fey need you. This city needs you. And right now, I really need my partner.”
That desperation is back. Nick is pleading with me, and it’s so unlike him. I don’t like seeing him upset. My shoulders sag, and I let out a breath. “You’re right. I need to help if I can.” I’m giving in, but that doesn’t mean I’m okay. I meet his gaze so that he can see the truth in my next sentence. “But, Nick, I’m so angry.”
Nick sits down beside me on the bed and surprises me by taking my hand. “I know you are, little spitfire, and I’m truly sorry for the part I played in your mother’s death.”
With his hand holding mine, I can hear his thoughts. The sincerity of his apology is surprising. There’s true remorse. He’s conflicted because he still feels like the outcome—the Agency being formed and the underworlders uniting under the law—was worth the sacrifices. But he is genuinely sorry that it affected me, and he feels guilt about how little he thought of humans back then. They have more worth than most underworlders give them credit for.
He squeezes my hand. “So will you come with me, partner? I’ve got a case that needs solving yesterday. I could sure use your help.”
My eyes drift back to Oliver. How can I leave him?
“I’ll stay with him, Nora,” Ren promises. He’s still holding Oliver’s hand and combing his fingers through his hair.
I don’t want to go, but Oliver is clearly in good hands. I force down another lump in my throat. “Will you call me the second anything changes? Good or bad?”
Ren gives me a pained smi
le and nods. “Promise.”
A look passes between us. Understanding. Ren is every bit as devastated as I am. He’ll keep his promise.
Nick rises to his feet and tugs me up with him. “He’ll pull though, Nora.” I nod. He will. He has to. “Come on, partner. Some fresh air will do you good.”
I’m quiet as I leave the house bundled up in Charlie’s coat since mine is covered in Oliver’s blood. Nick is content to let the silence ride. He seems distracted. Whatever this case is, he’s upset about it. I can’t, for the life of me, imagine what could be so bad it has Nick Gorgeous upset.
We travel forty-five minutes south to Lake Erie Metropark. I don’t ask questions until Nick parks the car in an empty parking lot and leads me to a deserted, frozen lakeshore. Clouds block the light of the moon, and the park is big enough that the light pollution from the city is dimmed. It’s dark out here. The little light there is reflects off the ice and snow. It’s just enough to let me see where I’m stepping.
It’s also freezing. January nighttime temperatures are a bitch to begin with, but standing on the shore of the lake with the wind whipping in off the ice makes me feel like I only have minutes left before I freeze to death.
“Okay, I give,” I say, staring around at the deserted park. “What are we doing here?”
Nick points out at the massive lake. “Fastest way to the crime scene.”
My mouth falls open. “The lake?”
Nick nods. “North Bass Island.”
I blink. North Bass Island. I’ve never even heard of it. But it’s not hard to figure out that he’s talking about an island out in the middle of the freaking lake. Not to mention, the lake’s frozen over. We can’t exactly take a boat out. “What are we going to do, cross the ice on foot?”
Nick shakes his head, still distracted and staring out at the lake. “We’re going to fly.”
I don’t get it at first. When I don’t respond right away, he finally pulls himself from his thoughts. “You said you wanted to see my dragon.”
It takes a couple seconds for it to click, and then I gasp. “Fly? As in, you want me to ride your dragon?”
Nick smirks but passes on the opportunity to make a sexual joke. Something is definitely wrong with him.
“Are you serious right now?” I ask. “You’re going to shift into a massive flying dragon, and I’m supposed to climb up on your back and hitch a ride out into the middle of Lake Erie?”
Nick lifts both his eyebrows. “Is that a problem?”
I’d like to say I’m excited by the prospect of flying dragonback. I’ve read several fantasy books before where it’s happened, and it’s always been described as exhilarating. But honestly, I’m just terrified. Do I want to see Nick’s dragon? Hell yes. But fly on his back? No, thank you. “I’ll freeze,” I say, scrambling for any excuse I can to get out of this.
“No, you won’t. My dragon is like a furnace, and I can control my body temperature. You’ll be warmer than you are now. Now, stand back. I’m not exactly small.”
I look out at the lake, and my stomach rolls. “I’ll fall.”
“Not if you hold on tight.”
I frantically shake my head. “I can’t. I’ll—”
“Stop being a wuss, Jacobs.”
Before I can argue further, Nick’s body blurs, and in a blink he’s standing in front of me as a massive black dragon. Dark and sleek, with horns on his head and spikes on his tail, the creature looks deadly in a beautiful way. He’s absolutely breathtaking.
He swivels his head my direction and stares me down with his large reptilian eyes, as if he’s waiting for me to do or say something. I can’t move—my limbs seem to be frozen—but I manage to breathe out a few words. “You’re beautiful.”
He puffs his chest out, preening at the compliment, and his lips curl back, exposing a mouthful of long, sharp teeth. I think it’s supposed to be a smile, but it’s terrifying. The monster could swallow me whole. I can hardly believe this creature is my friend. No wonder everyone in town is afraid to get on his bad side. I’ll definitely think twice about pissing the man off from now on.
You ready?
I squeak as the voice enters my mind. It’s a deeper, rumbly version of Nick’s voice. “You can speak telepathically?”
Only in this form. Convenient, isn’t it?
“Warn a girl next time. You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
Nick’s chuckle rolls through my mind while the dragon makes this coughing sound and smoke puffs out of his nose. Come on, little spitfire. We’re in a hurry.
I look up—way up—at the gigantic beast and shake my head. “Uh-uh. No way. Nope. Not happening.”
Stop being a baby.
“You’re as big as a house! I wouldn’t climb up there even if I could figure out how to do it.”
I can practically hear his eye roll.
Without warning, Nick scoops me up in his paw and tosses—yes, literally tosses—me onto his back. I scream and hit the spot between his shoulder blades with an oof! “Nick!” I screech, scrambling to get a good grip around his neck. “You jackass!”
He does that coughing chuckle thing again, and his body shakes beneath me.
“I hate you.”
You love me.
“I do not. I sincerely hate you.”
Come on, Jacobs. You should feel privileged. Do you know how many people in my long, long life I’ve allowed to ride me?
“Oh, I don’t know. Half the women in Detroit?” I deadpan.
That gets a real laugh out of Nick, and as nice as it is to have some of his playful attitude back, when he laughs, his body shakes, and it rattles me from the inside out. I start to slip and squeak again—a high-pitched, embarrassing squawk. I cling to Nick like my life depends on it. His scales are smooth and impossible to grab onto, but the crevice between his shoulder blades is so big it’s like I’m sitting in a nest. A warm nest. Nick wasn’t lying about his body being a natural heater. It’s so nice that I lean forward and plaster my whole body against him.
You ready? He spreads his wings out, and I shiver at the feel of power beneath me.
“No!”
The bastard ignores me. We’re going to fly low against the water to avoid being seen. Hang on tight, Jacobs. You don’t want to fall off.
With that last helpful piece of advice, he flaps his wings and we’re off the ground. My stomach leaps up into my throat, and a scream rips from my chest. I cling to Nick’s neck so hard I start to lose feeling in my fingers, and I bury my face against his scales. I pinch my eyes shut and send out a prayer to the universe that Nick doesn’t kill me.
The ten minutes it takes to reach South Bass Island are the longest of my life. I’ve never been on a plane, but I’m pretty sure I’m not meant to be in the air. By the time we reach the island, I’m chilled to the bone. As warm as Nick’s dragon is, the wind roaring around me was brutal. My muscles are rubber from being completely clenched the entire ride.
Nick circles the island and touches ground surprisingly gently. I breathe a sigh of relief. I’m never doing that again. Before I can worry about how I’m getting down, Nick shifts. His body blurs, and for a split second I’m surrounded by the tingly sensation of magic. Then I fall. I shriek, and flail my arms, until Nick catches me bridal style. “Nick!” I punch him in the shoulder. “You asshole!”
He sets me on my feet with a shrug. “Sorry. It was the easiest way I could think of to get you down.”
“And if you’d missed?” I start brushing myself off even though I never hit the ground.
“I wouldn’t have missed.”
Ugh. There’s no arguing with the cocky man.
I stretch my sore muscles and take a look around. Or, I try to anyway. If I thought it was dark back on shore, I was mistaken. Out here, so far away from the city with the moon still lost to the cloud-covered sky, it’s nearly impossible to see. As far as I can tell, we’re in a field, and I think there’s a thick wall of trees not too far away. Thankfully, Nick
made me put on my big clunky pair of snow boots because I’m standing in probably ten to twelve inches of the stuff. My toes are going to freeze—along with every other part of me—if we stand here long.
As Nick tucks some of my hair back into the fur-lined hood of Charlie’s coat and re-wraps my scarf for me, I realize he’s still dressed. “Hey, how come you still have clothes on?”
Nick arches an eyebrow at me. “Disappointed?”
I tug away from him and roll my eyes. “When Rook or other werewolves shift, they have to strip or they rip out of their clothes. They always shift back nude.”
Nick looks around the field and points toward something I can’t see. “All shifters do that.”
“And that explains exactly nothing to me. How come you’re different?”
“Come on, this way.” He starts guiding me through the dark toward what I think is dense woods. When I start following after him, he says, “I’m not really a shifter.”
I stumble in the deep snow, and Nick catches me by the arm before I fall. Instead of letting me go, he links my arm through his and guides me along like a Boy Scout would help an old lady across a street. He’s not stumbling at all. “Can you see in the dark?”
“Yep.”
Of course he can. Annoying. “So how is it you’re not a shifter when you can shift into a dragon?”
“I’m a different class of underworlder,” Nick explains as we make our way across the dark field arm in arm. “Dragons are what are referred to as mythics. There are a few species out there that are purely magical beings. We were born from magic and are some of the most powerful creatures on Earth. There are so few of us that we’ve become nothing but myth to humans. There are four types of light mythics: dragons, gryphons, phoenixes, and unicorns. We’re—”
“Whoa, wait.” I stumble to a stop. “Are you telling me that there are actual unicorns?”
Even in the dark I can see the sadness in Nick’s expression when he says, “Not many. There’s only one herd left in the entire world. They live in the Redwood forest in California.”
I blink a couple of times, trying to accept this. “That’s…incredible.”