Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
brYN
I wake up alone. Raj’s scent still lingers, although the sheets next to me are cold, and the open curtains allow me to see the murky grey skies threatening rain.
I didn’t expect to sleep so late, not after I spent half the night waking up from nightmares that only Raj’s scent and continued presence could calm me down from, and now that my eyes are open my dragon is already urging me to go find our treasure.
Since I’m fully on board with that idea, I get out of bed and stretch.
My clothes are still in the room next door, so I round the bed and head for the door.
Before I can get there it opens and a man with carelessly styled black hair and olive skin quickly backs into the room, his footsteps careful.
His shoulders rise and he freezes before slowly turning towards me with wide eyes.
I inhale the scent of jaguar shifter.
He whips out his phone, holds up a hand as he speaks into it, then passes it to me. It’s open on his Notes app.
Sorry for barging in. I was sure this was the room Raj was sleeping in. His scent comes in here and yours goes next door. Why is that when you’re in here? I’m jet by the way.
I type a quick reply.
I’m Bryn. Raj was sleeping in here. I came in through the window and spent the night in bed with him.
Might as well establish right now that Raj is mine. I already have to keep an eye on Skye before I even know what his human form looks like, and now Jet’s coming into Raj’s room as well? That’s unacceptable.
When I hand the phone back, Jet taps on it then watches me for a minute before grinning.
Well, now isn’t that interesting. I’m going to get so much mileage out of that and I like your style climbing in through the window to woo him is exactly the sort of thing I would do for someone. I’m using the speak function on what you’ve written by the way dyslexia is a bitch
Huh. Judging by his grin, maybe I don’t need to worry about Jet being competition for Raj’s affection.
Me: Why are you sneaking in here?
Jet: To set up a prank of course. Has Raj told you about our prank war? It’s the stuff of legend.
Me: Nope.
Jet: If you promise not to tell him I was in here I won’t tease him about how I got to see you in your underwear nice ink by the way.
He winks at me, his grin turning sly.
Me: I don’t think he likes me enough to get jealous, but sure.
Jet: Oh, trust me, if you spent the night in his bed, he likes you.
My dragon preens, and I can’t help the smirk that plays on my lips.
Jet’s grin widens, and he gestures to the door.
I nod and follow him out. He waits in the hall while I quickly use the bathroom and retrieve clean clothes from the bedroom I started last night in, before we head downstairs together.
Jet: How strong is your sense of smell? I waited so you didn’t get lost but can you find Raj without me?
Me: It’s a lot stronger in my winged form, but yes, I can tell that there are seven separate scents on this staircase including yours, and which direction each is freshest. Raj is that way.
I point to the left as we reach the ground floor, and he nods.
Jet: Him and sky are at the front of the house cows sent Leeds that way too
I’m not quite sure what that last part is supposed to be, but I tense at the mention of Skye’s name and hurry in the direction Raj’s scent goes. My dragon gives a low vibration at the smell of the eagle shifter, and Jet glances at me as he keeps pace with me, a slight frown on his face.
We abruptly arrive in the formal sitting room we used yesterday and, sure enough, there are three people in the room. One is a vampire lounging on one of the sofas, a cup of blood in his hand, but I pay him no attention because there’s a small blonde eagle shifter hugging my treasure.
Crimson scales erupt over my skin, my dragon pushing to take over and crush the threat.
It doesn’t seem to matter to him that there isn’t space in this room for a full-sized dragon; he wants out and isn’t taking no for an answer.
I push him down because he needs to wait, but it’s not working the way it normally would.
He’s convinced that shifting is the only way he can keep Raj for himself.
Oh, fuck, he’s coming out.
I run at the window and smash through it just in time. My dragon takes control, bursting out in a blaze of fire and wings. I take several heaving breaths on the front lawn, waiting until I stop breathing flames before turning back to the manor.
I lean down and peer into the sitting room, searching for my treasure. The vampire is hovering protectively over the eagle shifter who must be Skye, Jet is staring at me wide-eyed, and Raj strides over to the broken window.
‘Are you okay?’ Raj signs.
I should back up and leave him alone until I get myself under control, but at the same time I really want the reassurance of him being somewhere close where I can see that he’s safe and not being seduced by a tiny blonde.
Ethan, along with a cheetah shifter I haven’t met yet and a sorcerer who can only be Ayo Muroyi, all rush into the room.
My dragon panics at so many people close to our treasure, so I reach in and pick Raj up carefully, protecting him from the broken glass as I take him outside.
I stride away to a nearby field and place him gently on his feet in the curl of my body and tail.
He smiles at me, a hint of amusement sparkling in his eyes. ‘Feeling possessive again?’ He takes out his phone, types a quick message, then pockets it. ‘You can relax. I’ve asked them to give us space until you calm down.’
He sits down on the muddy grass, which is undoubtedly getting his nice trousers dirty, and leans against my tail as if he has all the time in the world.
He strokes the scales nearest him and the soothing touch gradually brings down my heart rate to something near normal.
He doesn’t flinch when the rain starts, but he does smile when I lift my wing protectively over him to keep him dry.
When I eventually settle down and rest my head close to him, he stands so he can stroke my snout.
My dragon vibrates happily, the fucker.
Is it possible Raj could be my fated mate? It would certainly explain my dragon’s behaviour towards him, but can I rely on those reactions when my dragon isn’t his usual self? My dragon is a possessive arsehole at the best of times, and I’m lucky Raj is so tolerant of it.
I shift back, feeling like a complete prat for my behaviour. ‘I’m sorry for taking you without your consent.’
I can’t believe I was so jealous of Skye that I couldn’t control my shift. That’s a problem teenage dragons have, not full-grown adults.
Raj walks closer, because my biped form reappeared where my dragon’s chest was which put us several feet apart. ‘It’s fine; we knew this could happen, and your dragon side is really quite sweet.’
I give him an incredulous look. ‘Sweet? I just burst through a window before snatching you up!’
He laughs. ‘Yes, but that’s better than destroying walls and ceilings with an indoor shift, and you didn’t hurt anyone. How are you feeling?’
‘Embarrassed as fuck.’ My dragon has a warped idea of mating rituals, that’s for sure.
Raj’s lips tilt into an understanding smile. ‘Don’t be. I’m sure your dragon will settle down soon. Although if you’d like Doc P to check you over again, we can ask him to pay a house call.’
‘That’s not necessary.’ I can deal with this relatively minor issue until my dragon stops being a drama llama. I’ll just sprint outside every time I get jealous. Easy. ‘It would really help to cuddle you again tonight. Just to make sure I don’t shift in the middle of the night.’
He shakes his head, but he’s smiling. ‘You’re incorrigible.’
‘Is that a yes?’ I ask hopefully.
He hesitates before nodding, a slight flush on his cheeks, then closes the distance between us and hugs me.
It takes me half a second to get over my surprise, at which point I immediately wrap my arms around him and hug him back.
I bury my nose in his neck and inhale, drinking in the apple and cinnamon scent of my treasure.
He steps back far sooner than I want him to. ‘Do you feel up to going inside now?’
‘What was the hug for? Not that I’m complaining.’
His cheeks darken. ‘To keep you going until tonight. Hopefully prevent any more spontaneous shifting. So, breakfast?’
I drink in the way his rain-soaked shirt clings to his skin. ‘I could eat.’
I have to remind myself that he isn’t on the menu. Not yet, anyway, and if I want to stand any real chance with him, I need to do better than the absolute shitshow that just happened.
Although I did hold him in both forms, so maybe it wasn’t that much of a disaster after all.
‘The warehouse security spells work in layers, and are constructed using a combination of air and fire magic,’ I sign to Raj from across the small table on the patio overlooking the formal gardens.
We’re inside the weatherproof dome spell, which keeps Raj warm as well as both of us dry.
There’s no scaffolding back here, so we have a clear view of the bare winter gardens through the continuing downpour.
We did manage to go back inside for a while, but my dragon was twitchy every time anyone so much as looked at Raj, so I suggested we move our meeting outdoors.
He frowns. ‘Can you expand on that please? I know fae have elemental magic, but not much more than that.’
How to explain fae security spells to someone who can’t see or sense magic? Hmm. ‘One of the layers detects vibrations. A second is visual, like the fae version of security cameras. A third connects all the air particles inside the warehouse, so every single disturbance is tracked.’
‘Like a motion sensor? Or an infrared camera?’