Chapter 18
eighteen
AVERY
We spent the next few days splitting our time between the prison and Talon’s office. I still wasn’t all-in the way he was, but I was getting there.
Every day, he convinced me a little more that he really was the same person I’d thought he was.
We heard from Stella that she was staying with the wolves for a while, trying to get to know Evan. She sent pictures every day, and it made me happy to see her smiling in all of them.
I missed her, but I understood.
She needed space from the castle.
From Sylvester.
When Clementine finally got back to me, four days had gone by. We were in Talon’s office, and he was growling at someone on the phone while I filled out simple, boring paperwork for him. He’d be stuck there all day if I didn’t help.
He'd brought an extra desk, computer, and chair in. They didn’t fit perfectly, but when I suggested getting my own office, he turned it down immediately.
Clem’s voice was bright and cheery when I answered her call. “Hey, Avery! How’s it going?”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Pretty good. How are you?”
“Absolutely stuffed . The guys in the fae realm threw this massive festival thing, full of yummy realmside foods. It was amazing! What’s up?
“I need a favor.”
“Deal.”
I snorted. “You haven’t even heard what it is.”
“I don’t need to. You know I’m in.”
“You’re going to want to hear this one, Clem. Kai probably will too.”
“Mmkay. Give me a minute, he’s in the shower.” Her voice was muffled when she called out, “Hey, Seven! Avery needs me for something! Are we in?”
He called back, “What is it?”
“I don’t know, she’s being secretive.”
“Hold on, I’m getting out.”
“Just a second,” Clem said, and I realized she was talking to me.
I bit my lip to hide a grin when I heard what sounded like the phone hitting the mattress. She squealed, and he laughed. A minute later, Clem’s voice was clear again.
“Okay, we’re ready,” she said.
“The dragons have a serial killer in their prison.” I caught Talon’s eyes on me. His gaze moved over my body slowly, though he didn’t stop growling at whoever he was on the phone with. Probably the head of one of the departments that always drove him crazy.
“They what?” Clem double-checked.
“ We have a serial killer. In our prison,” I amended.
“What the fuck?” Kai muttered on the other line. The question was clearly for Clementine, not me.
“Dragons can sort of… half-shift. Their human bodies get covered in scales, which makes them unkillable. They’ve been trying to kill this guy for about a decade now. He raped and murdered seventeen female dragons.”
“Shit,” Clem breathed.
“They’ve tried everything,” I added. “He can’t drown. He can’t burn. He can’t be stabbed. They starve him, fight with him, poison him—none of it works. The families of the victims, and everyone else, needs closure. They need him gone. But they can’t figure out how to take him down. Talon needed a siren because he thought our magic might actually be able to affect the guy. And it does. But I can’t weave power to actually force him to shift back. Which seems like what has to happen if we’re going to take him out.”
“He’s the one who nearly killed you?” she asked.
“Yeah. I kind of convinced Stella to let me in his cell while Talon was sleeping.”
“Avery!”
“It would’ve been a great idea if it worked, okay? I thought if I could touch him, he’d be stuck under my spell. That’s always worked in the past.”
“Your magic is insanely strong, but yeah, brute force seduction isn’t going to do that,” Clem agreed. “You want me to weave magic to convince him to shift?”
“Yes. I’m hoping that, paired with my magic, will finally give Talon an opening.”
“No,” Kai said flatly. “Not a fucking?—”
“We’ll talk about it,” Clem interrupted him. “Can we have a few days?”
“Of course,” I agreed. “You probably wouldn’t even have to go in the cell with him.”
“No,” Kai repeated, his voice lower.
“Like I said, give us a few days.” Clem’s voice raised, growing cheerier.
She was going to figure out a way to convince him.
My lips curved. “Alright. We’ll talk after your party?”
“While we’re all glittery? Hell yeah. Love you!”
“Love you too. See you soon.”
I hung up, and padded over to Talon’s chair. He finally hung up the phone, grumbling, “Fucking asshole.”
“Who was it this time?”
“Redden. Again. The power’s going to his head already.”
Redden had taken over running the guards for Stella. She’d resigned the day after she met Evan. We thought she might come back to take another job eventually, but neither of us blamed her for getting away for a while.
“What did he do now?” I asked, leaning my ass against the edge of his desk.
“Fired two of my oldest, most reliable guards for being five minutes late. Apparently, tardiness is unacceptable under his reign.”
“Wasn’t he always late?”
“By a lot more than five minutes.” Talon tilted his head to either side, stretching his muscles. He hated being cooped up in his office, even though I knew he wouldn’t leave when there were still things to do. Not unless he thought I needed him to.
“He’s the one who always ate all the chocolate out of the trail mix, right?”
“Yup. And the raisins, because it’s only fair that whoever gets the best part also takes the worst.” Talon rolled his eyes. “He needs a lesson in humility.”
“Maybe you should send him in for a round with Sylvester.”
He snorted. “Probably should.”
He wouldn’t, though.
He’d deal with the problem at hand, and find someone to replace Redden if he was enough of a dick. But he wouldn’t genuinely hurt him without good reason.
“What did Clem say?”
“She’s in. Kai’s out.”
Talon’s jaw set, but he nodded. “It’s a good call.”
“She’s going to convince him. We’re going to talk about it after her birthday party.” I’d told him about it already.
“Right. I need to fly you there tomorrow, don’t I?”
“Yes. You’re going too, aren’t you?” I asked.
His gaze shuttered, slightly.
He didn’t want me to know what he was thinking. Or feeling.
“I have some work to do at Dragon Manor. I can pick you up afterward.”
Oh.
“Okay.” I bit my lip, trying not to let myself feel upset.
He didn’t want to go.
That was fine.
We didn’t have to do everything together. We weren’t even really mated, so… yeah.
It was okay.
I didn’t need him there.
His phone rang again, and he sighed in exasperation as he checked the Caller ID. “Damn Stella for leaving.”
I gave him a small smile and padded back to my desk. He squeezed my hip before I left, and it comforted me a little.
He didn’t want to go to the party, but we were still friends. He was still himself.
It was okay. Wasn’t it?
We finally headed down to the prison after dinner with a bunch of dragons who introduced themselves to me. I slipped my hands into my pockets when we left, just to avoid holding Talon’s hand.
I knew it was silly, but I didn’t want to touch him at the moment.
Everyone had been friendly, and I had enjoyed dinner, but I really wasn’t okay with how the conversation about the party had gone. Trying to convince myself otherwise hadn’t worked.
When Talon tried to drape an arm over my shoulders, I eased away from him immediately. It didn’t go as smoothly as I wanted it to. He definitely realized I was trying to avoid touching him.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “You’re being distant again.”
“I’m fine.”
“You clearly aren’t.” He stopped in the hall, his eyes narrowed. “Talk to me, Ave.”
I huffed. “I don’t want to talk to you in the middle of the hallway.”
He captured my elbow gently and led me down a few more halls until we reached our room.
We stepped inside, and he closed the door behind us. “How about here?”
He didn’t look angry. Some part of me expected anger.
I wasn’t sure why. Probably because of Wendell.
I let out a harsh breath. “It’s nothing.”
“It’s obviously not nothing. You’ve been upset with me since we were in my office.”
“Not upset ,” I tossed back.
He lifted an eyebrow.
“You don’t want to go to Clem’s party,” I said.
He blinked.
“You don’t have to, obviously. But it’s a family thing. If you’re not there, they’re going to think we’re not serious. I thought we were serious. You gave me a mate mark, for fuck’s sake. I?—”
He stepped closer, cupping my face with one of his hands. “I want to go.”
It was my turn to blink.
He spoke again. “Fine, I don’t really want to. It’s probably going to be awkward for me with the kings. They’re all friends. I’m not. It’ll be like a big political meeting, with glitter and ice cream. Sounds like a nightmare. I don’t want to go, but I want to go with you , if that makes sense.”
I frowned, my forehead furrowing. “Then why did you say no?”
“I didn’t think you wanted me there.”
The crease between my eyebrows deepened. “Why not?”
He shrugged.
He actually looked a little uncomfortable.
It made me want him more. Not that I needed any help with that. Maybe it just made him seem more… genuine.
“Talon,” I said, putting my hands on his chest. “You can’t just say something like that without explaining.”
“Your sisters all sealed their mate bonds with the other kings quickly. You’re taking your time. I’m okay with that—I get it. It’s a good idea. I hid the truth from you for a long time. I deserve it. But until the bond is formed, we’re not really mates. And I don’t see why you’d want someone who isn’t your mate at a family party.”
I blinked again as his admission set in.
Then bit my lip.
He was insecure. The big, sexy as hell dragon king. The one I’d wanted since literally the moment I met him.
He wasn’t confident in the way I felt about him.
And honestly?
I didn’t blame him for it.
It was my fault—and not in the unhealthy, blame-myself-for-everything way that I’d felt with Wendell.
It was just honestly and genuinely my fault.
Because yeah, I’d been settling into living with him and helping out in his office.
And yeah, we’d had sex a couple of times since we got back together.
But things had definitely been different between us.
And I had never come out and said exactly how I felt about it.
Releasing my lip from between my teeth, I went up on my tiptoes and kissed him. Lightly. Sweetly.
He kissed me back, but he was practically radiating confusion.
“You saved my life, Talon,” I said softly, as I pulled away from him. “You brought me here, to a place that feels like home. You make me feel good, and safe, and sexy. The feelings I have for you are ridiculously strong, and I’m not going anywhere. We’re fated mates. You’re it for me, as much as I’m it for you.”
Emotion stormed in his dark eyes, and he kissed me again.
Harder.
I let him have his way with my mouth for a minute, but when he started to turn me around, I stopped him with a hand to his chest.
Before he could ask me what I was doing, I unbuttoned his jeans.
His chest rumbled, low and dangerous.
I pulled his cock free, and kissed his lips again as I stroked him slowly.
He groaned roughly
I released him long enough to peel my top over my head and unbuckle my bra. Both hit the floor, and he growled at the sight of me. The man was absolutely obsessed with my tits.
I lifted my hand to his mouth, and he licked my palm slowly, wetting my skin so I could touch him. When I wrapped my fingers around his cock again and stroked him with the slickness, his groan was raw.
Tortured.
His hips jerked.
His head fell back against the door.
He’d focused on pleasuring me before, but I had never taken the time to do the same for him. And it was long overdue.
I stroked him slowly, twisting my hand at the tip of his cock.
The snarl that escaped him made me wet between my thighs. He must’ve smelled my desire, because he reached for the waistband of my leggings.
I smacked his hand away.
He growled at me again, but when he opened his eyes, they were blazing with lust. I recognized the look well enough not to need my magic’s help with translation.
“If you’re not going to let me touch you, touch yourself.” His voice strained.
“No, Talon. This is about you.”
His eyes slammed shut again. The slickness of his pleasure mixed with his saliva, helping my hand glide over his cock smoothly.
“I want you on my mouth afterward,” he gritted out.
“Just watch me touch you, Tal.”
He forced his eyes open, and watched with a dark, hooded expression as I stroked him again, and again.
I twisted my hand around his head once more, and he swore viciously, hips jerking.
“Stop.” He grabbed my hand and held it still. His cock throbbed even harder than before as he fought against the need to release.
My lips curved upward.
He was so, insanely hot. And once again, I had complete control of him—but in a different way.
A better one.
A real one.
“I need those tits in my hands,” he said, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he eased back away from the edge of his release.
“You can touch them,” I said. “But only for your pleasure. Not to get me off.”
He lifted his hands to my breasts and pinched my nipples. I stroked him again, swirling the start of his release over the head of his cock just to make him crazy again.
“Fuck me,” he growled, gripping me tighter as I dragged him back to the edge quickly.
“Later,” I said. “After I’ve taken your release down my throat.”
His eyes slammed shut again, and his body went still as he grabbed my fist once more, holding me still.
“Is that how you want to finish me, A?”
“Yeah. I should know how my fated mate’s cum tastes, shouldn’t I?”
He throbbed harder for me, gritting my teeth. “You’re too fucking good at this.”
“Maybe you just need a little more practice.”
He groaned, his voice strained. “I’m not going to last.”
“I don’t care.” I lifted his hands to my hair, and sank down to my knees in front of him. He opened his eyes, and took in the sight of me.
“You belong to me just as much as I belong to you, Tal,” I said, and wrapped my lips around the head of his cock.
He swore again, his grip tightening on my hair as I slowly bobbed over his head, taking his length deeper and deeper with every motion. When the head of his cock finally hit the back of my throat, he lost control with a roar. His body shook as he fought the urge to drive into me hard and fast, and that level of control told me everything I still needed to know.
He cared about me just as much as he claimed to.
He wanted me safe.
Happy, too.
I wasn’t an object to him. I wasn’t just a siren, either.
I was his friend.
His mate .
And he was mine.
After the last aftershocks of his release, Talon pulled his cock free from my mouth and kneeled down with me. His mouth crashed into mine, and he pulled me onto his lap, kissing me brutally.
He peeled my jeans down my thighs, not bothering with my thong. When the fabric was free from my legs, he pulled me further up his body, tugging my panties to the side and lining us up.
Releasing my mouth, his hot gaze met mine. “I need you, Ave.”
“Then take me already.”
His lips captured mine again, and he thrust into me slow and deep.
I gasped into his mouth, and he kissed me harder as he fucked me.
His hands were in my hair.
On my tits.
On my ass.
Until I finally shattered with a cry.
He hauled me off the floor and carried me to our bedroom as I came down from the high. Still buried inside me, he wasn’t anywhere near done—and neither was I.
He dropped to the mattress on his back, and I laughed breathlessly at the rush as we fell together. My tits crashed into his chest, and his lips curved wickedly as he kissed me again, lightly.
“You’re so fucking gorgeous, Avery.”
“So are you.” I kissed him back, matching his sweet little peck with my own even though what we were doing was nowhere near soft and playful.
He chuckled, and his chest rumbled against mine. “Have your way with me, woman. I want to hear you scream my name.”
I laughed, even though he was right. “I don’t know if you can hold back that long right now.”
He smacked my ass lightly. “I know how you can find out.”
“I have a better idea.” I leaned closer to his lips, dragging my hand through his hair before I set my hand on his throat. His body went still, and I whispered against his lips, “I love you, Talon. You are mine.”
The magic burned through us both, and he flipped me onto my back as he drove into me hard.
“You’re everything to me, Ave,” he growled, as we both reached our edge. Between the sex and the bond’s magic, there was no way to hold back. And even if there was, I didn’t want to. We didn’t want to.
We finally shattered together, my scream of pleasure mingling with his roar as we found our release together.
Whatever else happened, there was no going back now.
And even if there was, I wouldn’t have wanted it.