Chapter 12
Alex had just shooed a frisky nymph out of a pantry when he felt the ripple of magic that had no place at a celebration.
The anger and disgust washed over him; whoever was casting was livid.
Or maybe he should say fucking apoplectic.
There was only one individual who could create such a pattern.
Simon had arrived with a beautiful fae crystal for the happy couple.
He’d been a bit tired but happy and not upset in the least, but that had changed.
Several of the other guests must have felt it too, and there was a group of worried warlocks pulling the same concerned expression.
He needed to deal with this. No doubt Karl would also be on alert.
The disruption came from the back of the house.
He broke into a fast walk—no need to run—to get to one of the small reception rooms on the ground floor.
As he approached, another wave of magic hit him, different this time, pure and light, and unmistakably Chris.
Simon was a powerful vampire-fae, and Chris a light elf like no other; some real shit had to be going down if they were facing off.
He stopped dead in his tracks to see Chris with a shield up, defending a bright red dragon that was trying to protect itself with its wings.
Simon’s magic crackling and spitting purple sparks.
Robin was begging for Simon to listen to him, that he had no reason to attack. “Dorian’s my client. Nothing more.”
He didn’t know why he hadn’t realised the dragon was Dorian, but then he wasn’t expecting a giant cowering lizard to begin with.
“You used to fuck him, how am I supposed to believe you’re not continuing to do so when I found you in his arms?”
Karl appeared in a column of smoke and looked as confused as everyone else.
Ben arrived, Ashley in tow. “What the bloody hell is going on here?”
Robin raced over to Ben. “Simon walked in on Dorian holding me. Nothing was going on, but I can’t persuade him otherwise. He’s unhappy.”
“That’s not unhappy, Robin. He’s fucking furious, and he could destroy my house. Do something about it.”
“Like what? He thinks I’m cheating on him. If I interfere, he’ll blast me into Kingdom Come.”
Alex didn’t think Ben would stand for Robin not taking action, and he was right. “Robin, he’s your husband. Deal with him.”
Simon was shaking, Alex couldn’t tell if it was from exertion from matching Chris or from anger, and he wasn’t sure what would be the best way of calming Simon down.
But if someone didn’t do something soon, Simon was in danger of damaging the hall.
And they’d likely have a dead Hollywood A-lister to explain.
Robin was distraught. Alex didn’t think Robin had done anything wrong other than let his scaly friend get a bit close, which was a stupid thing to do given the conversations they’d had about Simon’s jealousy.
But he’d witnessed how Robin was with Simon.
There was no way his feelings towards his husband weren’t genuine, and their current problems were due to not instilling proper boundaries.
He really wished people would talk more; communication was key and a lot less expensive than divorce and remodelling buildings.
“I love you, Simon. I can’t even look at another in the same way,” Robin said, his voice imploring. “Please, you must believe me.”
“Time after time you went to him,” Simon snarled.
“Only as my client.”
A rogue spark of magic flew past Robin’s head.
Chris was still trying to contain him. “Please, Simon, for the sake of Ben’s lovely house, drop your magic, and we can talk this through.”
Alex had an idea, but it might not work, and he wouldn’t want to piss off a vampire-fae unless he had to.
If he were to open a portal, Chris could push Simon through it, and although it would be a temporary distraction, it would be enough to restore some order.
He was about to enact his plan when Simon let out a choked sob and sank to the floor.
Robin raced to his side and tried to gather him into his arms, but Simon wasn’t having any of it. A spell pushed him away. “You need to explain yourself. Why did he have you in his arms if there’s nothing going on?”
“I didn’t ask him to. We were talking, nothing more. It was a friendly hug.”
Alex didn’t think that would be a good enough answer. Simon stared at Robin. He wiped away his tears, defiant.
“But I have asked you, repeatedly, to respect my wishes.” Simon got to his feet. “I will not sit back while you make a mockery of our wedding vows and your lack of respect for my feelings.”
Robin tried to reach out. “I have a job to do. Dorian is my client; you should trust me.”
Alex thought Robin might be as dumb as a whole pile of rocks to try to use that as an excuse.
“Trust is earned, Robin. And you don’t do that by allowing your ex-boyfriend to hold you in his arms.”
A portal opened behind Simon. “I don’t want to be in your presence now. How do you expect me to trust you, when your actions belie your words?” He turned to Dorian. “You’re lucky I didn’t skin you alive. I can’t promise it won’t happen next time I see you.”
He stepped into the portal and was gone. Robin charged forward, but it was too late. “Can any of you tell where he went?”
Alex tried a tracking spell, but as he expected, there was no way of knowing where Simon’s portal had taken him.
Chris tutted and poked Robin in the chest. “You really don’t want to upset a vampire-fae. You’ve been a complete knob, and you need to fix this; otherwise, Simon will find a way to sever your bond.”
Severing the bond seemed somewhat of an extreme reaction, and Alex wondered if Robin would survive if it were to happen. “I’m sure it won’t come to that,” Alex said.
Dorian poked his head out from under his wing. “Has he gone?”
Chris glowered at him. “You need to keep your paws off other people’s partners.”
“Dorian, change back into your human form,” Ben demanded.
Alex thought Dorian was a splendid dragon; his crimson scales and gold markings were marvellous.
That didn’t mean he wanted him to remain in his current form, knowing the damage he could do.
He was too big to be comfortable in this room, and while dragon shifters weren’t as big as the pure dragons they evolved from, they weren’t suitable pets.
“I’ll need some clothes,” Dorian said.
Chris clicked his fingers, and a pile appeared in front of Dorian. “There you go.”
Several seconds passed, and Dorian started shaking his head and waggling his claws. “I can’t. I’m stuck.”
“Stop fucking about,” Ben snapped.
Dorian’s wing drooped, and puffs of black smoke rose out of his ears. Alex had to stop himself from laughing. “I’m not messing about. I can’t change back.”
Dorian whimpered and curled into a ball, his tail wrapped around his body, and his wings covering his head for protection.
Chris brushed his fingers over one of the ridges on the back of Dorian’s head. “Well, that’s odd. He’s not making it up. He seems to be a pure, non-shifting dragon. Not sure it’s permanent though.”
Dorian curled even tighter into a ball. He sounded like he might be crying.
“What did Simon do to him?” Ben asked.
“Not sure he did anything to him,” Chris said, shrugging. “He was dissipating magic in general. He wasn’t throwing hexes. If that had been the case, Scaly here would’ve been a pile of ashes.”
“We had thought Simon’s magic was acting up; looks like we were right. I’m sure this can be fixed,” Alex said. “We just need to isolate the spell.”
“I’m telling you there wasn’t a spell.” Chris pouted. “Hang on, what did you mean about Simon’s magic acting up?”
They hadn’t spoken to Chris, Robin hadn’t even been keen to talk to Simon, so bringing in another outsider hadn’t been considered. Ben gestured at Robin. “Alex picked up a strange trace off Robin. We thought it was Simon being jealous. And now it looks like he had every right to be.”
“Hey,” Robin said. “No, I’m not having that. I’ve not been unfaithful. While non-dragon Dorian is an attractive man, at most I’ve had my head turned for a fraction of a second. There’s been nothing more.”
Chris sucked his tongue; it gave him a child-like vibe, although Alex knew it was because he was thinking. He walked up to Robin and placed his hand on his cheek. “What are you doing?” Robin demanded.
“Checking what the trace is.” Chris wrinkled his nose. “Whatever is going on with you, I don’t think it’s Simon. The bond is there and strong; nothing to worry about. But there is something, but it’s not really affecting you, more just lingering about.”
“Both Karl and I checked,” Alex said. “We couldn’t sense another involvement, so we thought it was Simon’s magic acting differently.”
“I was concerned that there might be an interception spell in play,” Karl said. “But the ones I’ve come across are far more obvious. If this was one, it was subtle.”
Chris returned his attention to Dorian, who was now trembling but quiet. “I wonder…”
Robin was getting agitated. “I need to make sure Simon is all right.”
“I’m sure he’ll be fine once you grovel properly and we get to the bottom of what’s going on,” Chris said, getting to his knees. “He’s pissed off, and you need to be contrite.”
“I would be if I’d done anything wrong.” Robin could be a petulant arse at times. “I’ve made countless adaptations, noticeable ones, enough that comments have been made by others.”
Ashley, who had been quiet up to this point, scoffed. “Robin, you’re a newlywed, you’re supposed to do those things. Anyone pulling you up on them is either a dick or jealous.”
“I have had a sudden change of ways. My friends are going to find it strange that I’m no longer as involved in the LA scene as I have been in the past.”
Ben glanced at Dorian. “Tell me, Robin. Has Dorian expressed those sorts of sentiments?”