Chapter Two
Ember
“Well played,” I murmured as the elevator doors closed in my face.
I could have gotten to them in time. They moved slowly, and I could move much faster if I wanted to. Just like I could have wiped the smile off that insolent human’s face.
But I didn’t. I was busy trying to figure out my own mind. My body had betrayed me with her. Humans barely registered to me. I could admire their bodies, but once I started talking to them, they were never enough. I was always bored.
Not that one, though, and I couldn’t figure out why. She made me feel things. Things I usually struggled to feel with humans. My cock twitched against my pants, a noticeable reminder of what she’d made me feel.
I closed my eyes, and unbidden, an image came to mind.
In it, I made it to the elevator in time.
I pushed my way inside, backing the lusciously curved blonde against the far wall.
She stared up at me, with her lipstick-stained lips parted in that perfect pink O of surprise, flecks of orange in the amber of her irises catching the light just right, like little flames of their own.
What would she look like with those lips wrapped around my dick, staring up at me with those eyes ablaze? Probably fucking amazing. I noted the elevator stopped on the twelfth floor. I could be up the stairs in a hurry. Find her, intercept her. She would be mine if I wanted it.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to dedicate to her. Not even to her memory. I was not there for pleasure or fun. I was there on business.
I punched the button to summon the elevator back, narrowly succeeding in holding back my frustration enough that I didn’t accidentally break the plastic disk set into the wall. I’d been beyond frustrated before my dick decided it needed to slide between her legs.
Now she was the only thing I could think about. A human, of all things. How embarrassing. I did some quick breathing exercises, trying to get myself under control. I couldn’t let Ashe find out about it. If he did, my younger brother would never let me live it down. I could hear the jokes already.
“Ember loves a hu-man, Ember loves a hu-man, na na na na.”
Or something like that. They’d be lame and in good spirits, but eventually, others would hear, and the comments would be less so.
“Damn siblings,” I growled affectionately.
I had to. I only had one left.
The doors opened, and I entered, shaking my head, trying to clear my mind of Blaze and his untimely death. It was not the time to mope over him. Things were getting worse, which was why Ashe had called me.
I rode up to the penthouse in silent contemplation, though the tightness of my pants proved she was never far from my mind.
“Ember!” came the shout as the doors opened into the living area.
A tall man with long black hair in a loose braid came to meet me, a big grin creasing his youthful features.
He had black facial hair covering half his face, but it was trimmed as short as possible.
The loose red silk shirt and black pants gave him a rakish air.
That was my brother, the fashion icon, or so he considered himself.
I pulled the key card from the slot in the elevator, a necessary requirement to reach the penthouse, and went to give my brother a quick hug.
“Ashe,” I said, thumping his back harder than he did mine, just to remind him who the older brother was.
Blaze used to do the same thing to me.
“I wish I had better news,” Ashe said, jumping immediately to business. “But I don’t.”
“Nothing is ever better these days,” I growled, waiting while he walked to his bar and poured me a half-glass of something deep amber in color. No ice. “Thank you.”
We cheersed, and I let the liquid fire burn its way down my throat, a familiar feeling of warmth and ease slipping over to me.
“What have you learned?” I asked, impatient to hear it.
“I was talking to Lily last night,” Ashe said, drinking from his snifter. He was slightly more reserved about how much he downed.
That made sense. He wouldn’t have to deal with the consequences of what he was about to tell me. Ashe was but the messenger.
“And?” I pushed. “She’s mated to one of the dragons in Albright’s camp. I know that. Which means she had something important to say.”
“Very important,” Ashe said, his eyes a paler blue than mine. “Albright is going to make a move soon, brother.”
“Of course, he is,” I snarled, blood boiling. “The bastard thinks he can claim the Fire Throne from me.”
“He can if you’re not careful,” Ashe warned. “It’s not like he’s alone. A lot of our clan support him.”
“I know,” I hissed, slamming a meaty fist into my palm. “Damn you, Blaze. Why’d you have to go and die on us? This wouldn’t be an issue if you’d just survived your damn Test!”
Ashe didn’t speak, but his eyes spoke quiet rebuke.
“I’m sorry,” I said, fighting the heat of my rage. “I loved him, too. I just don’t understand why they didn’t make it.”
“The God-King works in mysterious ways,” Ashe said, a common enough saying about the immortal deity of all dragon-kind. “If he felt they weren’t truly a mated pair, then he was well within his rights to kill them.”
“I know. But I don’t like it,” I said. “They were so very clearly in love. Now it’s up to me to keep the Fire Clan from fracturing. It’s not like Albright is making it easy on me either. You’d think, being family, he’d be less inclined.”
“You know he always resented father for being the eldest and sitting on the throne, relegating him to the second son. Well, now he has a chance. His claim is weaker than yours by blood, yes, but he’s got a mate, Ember, and you don’t.
That will weigh heavily on a lot of people, especially considering what happened to Blaze. ”
I bared my teeth, clenching my hand. Fire wreathed it like a glove, flames flickering bright even in the brightness of Ashe’s apartment.
“Don’t set off my smoke detectors,” he grumbled.
“I won’t,” I assured him, dismissing the fire with a flick of my hand and a thought.
Ashe was right. I didn’t have a mate. Nothing clicked with any of the female dragons. None of them made me feel the way I’d always been taught I should.
“Without a mate, you can’t sit on the throne,” Ashe said. “What are you going to do? Are you sure Ari isn’t for you?”
I frowned, shaking my head at the mention of Ari, one of the more eligible female dragons of the Fire Clan. She’d made it clear she wanted to be my mate, but my desires didn’t run her way.
“Either way, you need to get back to our realm,” Ashe said. “Make sure Fire Castle is secure. As long as you hold it, Albright can’t stop you. But do it soon. If he’s feeling strong enough to make his move, you might have trouble even getting back.”
“He can’t stop me,” I growled, fire filling my eyes, giving the room a reddish hue as anger filled me.
“Find a mate, Ember. And don’t take too long,” Ashe said. “We need you to lead us. Keep the Fire Clan unified. Please.”
“I will do my best,” I assured him.
I just hoped my best was enough. Though where I was supposed to find a mate, I did not know. There were no other unattached female shifters, not in the Fire Clan, at least. I’d tried with each one of them, but so far, nothing.
That blasted human woman from the lobby had made me feel more than any of them, and she was a nothing, a nobody. Weak, frail, human.
“More,” I said, downing the rest of my drink. “I will leave when the bottle is done. It could be a long time before I return to Earth, dear brother. I’ll spend some time with you before I go. Let us talk of the good times. Of Blaze.”
Ashe filled my cup to the top that time.
“For Blaze,” he said solemnly. We clinked glasses and drank deep.
Blaze would be sorely missed. He was sorely missed.
I just have to find a mate, and I can fix everything. Can it be that hard?