Chapter 2
2
A pollo Greatdrakes was rarely nervous (that emotion was for people with no confidence), but tonight, his palms wouldn't stop sweating.
You are being ridiculous . He knew it, and it still didn't stop him from wanting to run away. He drank a mouthful of mead that the elves had in large kegs all around their party field and hoped it would calm the flutter in his stomach.
"You look like you are going to throw up already," Bas said from beside him. "How much of that have you drunk?"
"Not enough."
Bas could have pulled the answer out of Apollo's head if he wanted to, but his telepathic brother respected everyone's boundaries. "You want to talk about it?"
"No. I'm fine, little bro."
Bas nudged him. "Come on. I know about the present for Lachie. I think it's good that you are extending an olive branch. I never could figure out why you two butted heads so much."
"He just thought I was another sibling to watch out for as soon as Charlotte mated with Reeve. I don't need another brother," Apollo sniffed. "The man has serious issues with boundaries."
Bas gave him a pointed look. "He's not the only one."
Apollo ignored that. He didn't need another brother. Especially not one that he thought about getting naked all the time, but he couldn't help it.
Lachlan Ironwood was a rugged kind of handsome that both sexes were attracted to. There was something about him that screamed, 'I'm big and tough, and I can protect you.'
Apollo had dated plenty of hot people. Lachlan's looks weren't the problem. Well, not the whole problem.
It was that ever since Apollo had seen him, he had the most overwhelming urge to sink his teeth into him. He didn't know if he wanted to fight him or fuck him, and all of Apollo's easygoing nature went out the window as soon as he saw him.
Lachlan didn't have to say anything, and Apollo wanted to yell at him. It made zero sense. If he were just another hot guy, Apollo would fuck him and move on. But no. There would be no fucking Lachlan Ironwood.
Apollo had another mouthful of mead. "I told Dad and Charlotte that I would start to play nice with Lachlan, and that's what I will do. It's his birthday in a few days, and I'm giving him a present. That's nice and family-like."
"Surrree. You two are the most platonic bros I've ever seen," Bas replied, and Apollo scowled. "Don't glare at me. I don't need to read your mind to know you lose all your cool around him. I have eyes."
"Shut up. It's probably a dumb dragon instinct telling me to fight him that has kicked in since magic was fixed and dragon knights inundated us," Apollo huffed in reply and looked across the field, where said dragon knights were trying to out-drink a group of wolves.
"Well, you better get your game face on, big brother, because Lachie is headed our way," Bas said.
Apollo fixed a placid smile on his face. He could do this. He could be nice and polite. He could make peace like he promised. Truth be told, he didn't even know how their disagreement started. It was like they saw each other and started fighting.
Lachlan wore jeans and a black shirt, his dark hair curling in the heat. Apollo swallowed hard. He just had to be cool, give Lachlan his peace/birthday present, and they could ignore each other forever.
"Hey," Bas greeted, rising from his chair. "Nice to see you, Lachie. I'm just going to refill my drink."
Apollo whispered, "You fucking traitor."
"Apollonius. You look well."
Kill me , Apollo prayed to the gods. They ignored him as usual.
"You need to come with me," Apollo said, stuffing his hands in his back pockets so he wouldn't touch things he shouldn't. He started walking away and didn't look back to see if Lachlan was following. Apollo could feel his dark blue eyes on the back of his neck. His pits started to sweat even more.
"If you are going to kill me, Layla's garage probably isn't the smartest spot to do it," Lachlan said, his deep voice filled with amusement.
"If I was going to kill you, I'd poison you like an alchemist should. A bit of Aqua Torfana just to keep to the classics." Apollo opened up the garage door and turned on the light. On the work counter behind Layla's SUV was a long, polished wooden box.
"Okay, so you aren't trying to kill me. What's this about?" Lachlan moved in front of him. "Are you in trouble? Has someone hurt you? Because if they have..."
"No, you troglodyte, no one has hurt me. You don't think I can handle my own shit? This is why you infuriate me so much. I'm not your little brother to look out for," Apollo snapped and then bit his tongue. Don't fight. Don't fight.
Lachlan looked down at him. Apollo wasn't short or slender, yet having Lachlan Ironwood loom over him made him feel like a tiny twink, no matter how much he worked out.
"Trust me, I have never, ever looked at you like your brother," Lachlan said, his lips twitching like he was fighting a smile.
Just stab him. It will make everything so much easier .
Apollo took a deep breath and said quickly, "Just shut up for five seconds. I promised Dad and Charlotte I would stop fighting with you. Make peace. So I have a present for you. For your birthday. And a peace offering. To make peace." Fuck he needed to shut up. Apollo pointed at the box.
"That's my birthday peace offering present?" Lachlan asked.
Apollo wanted to hit himself in the head. "Yes. You're welcome."
Lachlan opened the wooden case, and the smart-ass smile on his face slid off. "Is this..."
"I know you like Highlander , like a big fucking nerd, so I got the fae to make you the MacLeod family sword. With Ironwood on the hilt. Because that's your name. Not MacLeod. It's a real sword that you can use to hit things. Or whatever," Apollo blabbed because his mouth wouldn't stop.
Lachlan lifted the sword out of the case and tested the weight. "Wow, this is perfectly balanced for me," he murmured.
"Yeah, well, the fae know their shit, and I got Emrys to talk to them about how you fight so that if you wanted to use it, it's made to move right or whatever the fuck swords do."
Apollo tried not to fidget, but he realized he was bouncing a little on his feet. This is why he hated being around Lachlan. It's like all his cool vanished, and his body just wanted to do its own thing like he was a demented puppy. Lachlan smiled so brightly that Apollo actually rocked back under the intensity of it.
"Apollo, this is the best present I've ever been given," he said and placed the sword back in the box.
"Yeah, well, I wanted to get something that you would actually use," Apollo said.
Lachlan turned and before Apollo could pull his hands out of his pockets to defend himself, Lachlan pulled him into a hug.
"It's perfect. You didn't have to, but I love it so much," he said, his big arms holding Apollo close. Apollo's hands came out of his pockets, but instead of pushing Lachlan away, his traitorous arms went around him. Fuck, he smelled so good.
Lachlan's big hand cupped the back of Apollo's golden curls, and all of Apollo's resistance left him. He melted into Lachlan's chest, the side of his face fitting neatly in the groove of his shoulder.
Apollo's hand moved under the back of Lachlan's shirt and touched the hot skin underneath. Inside of Apollo, something woke up and growled happily. He didn't realize the sound was coming out of him until Lachlan laughed softly by his ear.
"Is that a good sound, or you're about to bite me sound?"
"Both," Apollo's mouth said without his brain's consent.
Lachlan's fingers twisted into Apollo's hair. "Your curls are so soft. I knew they would be."
Apollo breathed in Lachlan's scent, trying to memorize it, his alchemist brain already trying to label the notes of it. He turned his head, following the smell to Lachlan's neck where it was strongest. His mouth fixed on Lachlan's skin, the taste of him like ambrosia... Apollo's eyes snapped open, and he jumped backward out of Lachlan's grasp.
Lachlan's expression was burning hot as he looked down on him. "Apollo, your eyes..."
Apollo clenched them tight and opened them again. A clawing sensation ripped through his chest. Whatever was inside of him was pissed that he wasn't still in Lachlan’s embrace. It wanted to dig its fangs into Lachlan Ironwood like he was steak.
"Fuck. Fuck. No. Gotta go. Yay to peace," Apollo said, hurrying for the door.
"Apollo, please don't run. Stay and talk to me," Lachlan called.
Apollo didn't stop. He kept running with his eyes half shut until he collided with someone.
"What the hell, Apollo!" Imogen said, turning on him. He must have looked worse than he thought because Imogen took hold of him. "Hey, steady on, sweetie. Your eyes are glowing like a dragon. You need me to go get Taran?"
"No. No. Don't let anyone see," Apollo said, trying to get away and into the woods where he could calm down the clawing in his chest. Imogen wasn't like Lachlan when it came to respecting boundaries. She led him into the trees and pushed him up against the nearest one.
"Talk, sunspot, or I'm getting Taran," Imogen demanded.
"Lachlan..."
"What the fuck did he do? If he upset you with his shit, I'll kick his ass," Imogen replied.
Apollo laughed, but it came out like a sobbing growl. "He didn't do anything. It's me. I almost bit him. I don't want to hurt him. I..."
"He's your mate," a deep voice said, and Arawan stepped out from the shadows. "Thought he might be."
"Fuck," Imogen whispered, eyes wide. "That actually explains so much. You need to talk to him."
"No, I don't. He's not my mate. I don't want a mate. I just need to stay away from him, and everything will be fine," Apollo said, sinking into the mossy forest floor. "I'll sit quietly here for a bit and catch my breath."
"I don't think that's how it works," Imogen replied and crouched down beside him. "You can't avoid him forever, Apollo."
"Watch me," he muttered, and then, because he wasn't already acting ridiculous enough, he burst into tears.
Imogen pulled him into a hug. "You really need to talk to Taran about this. You looked like you were about to shift, Apollo."
"I'll go and get him," Arawan said.
"No, don't!" Apollo didn't want Taran to confirm what he didn't want to know.
Arawan smirked. "I don't take orders from you, goldie." And he was gone.
Apollo wiped at his cheeks. "Please don't tell Lachlan. This is humiliating enough."
"I won't, but only because I expect you to man up and do it," Imogen said, kissing his forehead. "You might be surprised by his reaction, kiddo."
"I want to die."
Taran stormed through the trees. "Not on my watch, little dragon. Give me a look."
"You're not my real dad."
"Oh, you want me to get Cosimo, do you? Because I can, you little drama queen," Taran said and knelt beside him. "Show me."
Apollo lifted his head and opened his eyes. "I almost tore his throat out," he whispered, terror coursing through him.
Taran cupped Apollo's cheeks, turning his head this way and that. "I knew you Greatdrakes boys had sleeping dragons in you. Maybe fixing magic has allowed them to wake up."
"You don't mean...shifting?"Apollo squeaked.
Taran's smile lit up the gloom. "I think so."
All of Apollo's strength left him. He tipped sideways onto the grass and pulled his knees up to his chest. This was the worst party ever.