Rescue
MORGANA
I ggy actually did have something that cleared our heads—damn near instantly, even—and I used that clarity to get myself prepared for whatever the fresh hell we’re going to find on this search.
That fucking dragon, like my ex, might be the death of me.
I swear to all the gods and goddesses that I’m going to go on an all-out rampage if he doesn’t get his shit together.
Magnus’s bullshit for years and the eventual conclusion of our emotionally abusive relationship have lowered my threshold for bullshit from dragons to nil.
Even sober, there’s a non-zero chance I’m going to deck the asshat when we find him.
“Morgana?”
Turning at the sound of Slade’s voice, I wipe the angry expression off of my face, and give him the smile he deserves. “Yes, darling?”
The gorgeous siren pauses when I respond, ostensibly gathering his thoughts before he speaks.
I like that he’s so emotionally intelligent and thoughtful, no matter how fraught the situation is.
It’s unusual in our world, and with ghosts of my past creeping in, he’s not wrong to be cautious.
His eyes meet mine again when he is ready, and he speaks in a soft tone.
“I know you’re mad at Kaspar and believe me, it has justification.
But Liam is also right about how people can be driven by unhealed wounds unconsciously, and perhaps…
we should give him a breath to explain when we find him before we project that fear and fury on him? ”
Damn this beautiful boy for being so fucking smart and kind at every turn—unfortunately for me, he’s also correct much of the time as well.
“I know you hate hearing that, Lady M, but the pretty boy is right,” Lucas says as he comes up behind me to wrap his arms around my waist. His chin settles on my shoulder as he continues, “I want to give the fucker a nut shot, too, but… I’m pretty sure Li wouldn’t struggle to hold him accountable so much if the thing that hurt them wasn’t bad. ”
I look over at my prince, watching him and Iggy have an animated discussion about the benefits of developing a brand, marketing strategy, and sales plan for his miracle tonic.
The professor looks shocked and humble as my mate talks about investing, which is quite attractive on his normally haughty face.
“You’re probably right, Lucas. And you, too, Slade.
I have a…trigger… with dragon misbehavior that I need to manage more vigilantly if our family is ever going to work. ”
Slade walks closer, pressing against my front and rubbing his cheek on my other shoulder. “Indeed, you do, but that’s something we all have to learn. Controlling our soft spots, I mean, not disliking dragons on principle.”
I chuckle, shaking my head at his explanation.
Leaning into Lucas for a moment to rub my cheek on his, I bask in the feel of them surrounding me.
I’m being encapsulated in their warmth and support so completely that my soul just…
settles. It makes me sigh happily and close my eyes to absorb the feeling for a few moments, then I murmur, “You’re welcome to join us. ”
My words stop the business conversation immediately, and Liam rushes over to take a place at my side so he can put his arms around Slade on one side and Lucas on the other.
I move my face to kiss his lips lightly, and he beams. “I’ll never turn down an opportunity like this, mo theaghlach álainn. It’s too perfect for words.”
Slade turns pink at his statement and I feel Lucas’s dick pulse against my back.
My other mates like my royal mate claiming them, and that makes both my gargoyle and my gorgon happy.
They spread that joy like golden magic in my veins until I sigh again.
Then I realize Iggy is standing alone, looking unsure, and a bit dejected, though he’s keeping his eyes away from us to hide that fact.
The mage is trying, and I noticed it tonight, even before he gave us his miracle cure.
While he needs to fix his shit with my siren, he doesn’t deserve to feel excluded.
“Iggy, come over here and seal this side so we’re all together. I think some bonding before we head out might help us keep our cool. Don’t you?”
His eyes widen as he nods, then scrambles over to us, fitting himself on the opposite side of Liam. Carefully, he puts his arms around my two boys, mirroring the prince as he looks at me with a spark of hope in his gaze. “I’m honored.”
“Just keep showing me that you want to be part of our family—a real, honest part—and you won’t ever be left in the cold, Ignatius,” I whisper. “That means doing the work to gain everyone’s trust and respect… even love, if they so choose. It’s a commitment.”
One the dragon we’re going after seems disinclined to make, even though he continues to stay with us.
The campus is dark as we leave it, and I note that the guards who should be present at the exit are asleep with their feet up in the booths.
Even the sound of Iggy’s car passing by doesn’t wake the lazy ass canines, and I make a mental note to have Channing move my meeting with the IT and security department heads up.
Things I need to review in order to fix this glaring oversight run through my head like wildfire and I have to pull up my phone to shoot off texts to my assistant so she’ll pull campus and city crime stats for the past five years, as well as performance reviews for every single guard and coder on site for the same.
If the physical security is this lax, odds are the technological security is worse, and I’m cleaning that up before something else terrible happens.
“You’re quiet, M,” Lucas says as he struggles to untwist his long limbs so he can lean between the front seats, “And this car is too fucking small. I’m having Nana send one of mine to campus; we don’t fit in the prof’s fancy pants sedan.”
Iggy grumbles something under his breath, and I give him a sweet smile.
“Careful, professor. I’m as big as Lucas and Liam isn’t as small as you and Slade, either.
You just didn’t plan to transport beings of our size in your expensive status symbol.
Blame that on Kaspar taking the SUV, not our stature. ”
“The Bentley is a fine machine, but alas, Morgana and Lucas are correct, Iggy.” Slade smiles from behind Lucas, sandwiched in between the two bigger supes without a complaint. “What kind of car do you have?”
Lucas settles back into his seat immediately, and I can hear the grin in his voice without looking.
“ Cars , Slade, cars. I have a fleet of vehicles because I’m a brat, obviously, and I’m happy to share them with our little polycule.
I think having the service send one of the bigger SUVs should give us another ride big enough.
In the spring, I might have one of the fun ones delivered and I’ll take you for a spin. ”
“That… I would…” Slade clears his throat, and the stumble makes my lips curve up. “I’d really like that. I assume they’re… fast?”
Liam laughs first, then Lucas joins him as they frame the artsy siren. “Yeah, pretty boy. They’re fast. You’ll like it, I promise.”
“This car goes fast,” Iggy mutters, and I arch a brow at him.
“Life comes at you fast, to quote a famous lazybones,” I say under my breath as I look at the handsome mage. “Don’t let shit pass you by because you were too dumb to take a chance, Prof.”
His scowl is worth it and I sit back in my seat as the highway zings past outside my window.
If nothing else, I made sure he realizes I know what he’s hiding.
I don’t want to be in the middle because that’s their business, but as the de facto leader of this family, I will let no one hurt my men—even when it’s each other.
Ignatius Briarton has to get his head out of his ass and be the man I think I saw earlier tonight.
“You would know, hmm?”
“Fucking duh, Iggy.” Turning to face him fully, I release a frustrated sigh.
“I spent so many years letting life pass by in that half-assed cross-continent relationship with Magnus. People warned me about red flags I ignored, and the result of that was losing my freedom to mete out vengeance for his multitude of sins. My point is that I had chances to break it off long before it got terrible and I was afraid to spend my long ass life alone. Don’t fuck around; the finding out portion is a bitch. ”
The car quiets for a moment, and I realize that we’ve pulled off the expressway onto the route that leads into the heart of the city.
Iggy doesn’t respond as he navigates the evening traffic, but I know he’s musing over what I said.
My eyes track the landmarks around us for a second, uncertain where we’re headed.
I swivel around to look at my prince, noting the gentle expression he’s giving me.
I appreciate his support, but I also hate seeing everyone feel bad for me when I talk about the dickface ex.
It’s both sweet and salt in the wounds of my battered pride, so I can’t figure out how to handle it.
“Liam, where are we going? It’s probably time to give Iggy directions, right?”
His chuckle helps me move past the gross feeling from my discussion with the stubborn mage.
“Yes, it is. I only instructed him to head downtown, and now that we’re here, I need to…
” He wiggles his fingers with a grin. “…do my thing. Slade, if you’ll lean into the cub for a moment, so your aura isn’t quite so close? ”
Lucas rolls his eyes, tugging Slade close to his side to give the prince space. “Fire away, Li.”
Iggy slows his speed as Liam fills the vehicle with a soft chant, and I watch in fascination as he glows with a brilliant rainbow of icy blue and deep black hues reminiscent of the sky during a storm.
I get why it’s like that, but since I can’t do magic, I’m always a bit of a fangirl when I get to watch. “This is so damn cool.”
“It’s nothing, mascushla .” Liam’s reassurance doesn’t make it any less impressive to me, so I keep my eyes on the cloud of Fae magic as it swirls around him, then into his phone as if it intends to possess it.
The screen brightens, and it sparkles, then the image of the downtown area we’re in appears with a bright yellow lighting bolt in a spot near to us. “Ahhh. Of course, that’s where he is.”
Squinting, I try to figure out where the stupid dragon is hidden by the streets, but I haven’t been in this town long enough to make heads or tails of it. “Where? Where the hell is the douchebag?”
Slade looks down and groans softly. “Nooooooo.”
“Damn, that’s gonna be a pain,” Lucas agrees. “ Howl will be packed by now. Those bouncers are no joke when you show up after the cocktail hour. And we’re definitely not dressed for it, either.”
Iggy smacks his palm on the steering wheel with a grunt of irritation. “That son of a bitch.”
“Not to be a bitch, but if someone doesn’t tell me about this place in the next three seconds, I won’t be held responsible.” I cross my arms over my chest, glaring at the world as they scramble to figure out who is going to tell me. “Seriously. Is this dangerous? Why is everyone all freaked out?”
“It’s not dangerous, Morgana. However… It is a high-end, supe-only club where local and visiting supernaturals often perform shows for the fancy crowds.
It’s owned by a well-to-do family from the area, and definitely not a place where fighting or violence will be tolerated.
” Liam sighs, scratching his chin as he thinks.
“I would venture to say Kaspar is there not for the atmosphere, but to meet a source.”
Well, that’s fucking fantastic—Super Dickhead went off on his own to meet some bigwig, and now we have to bust our way into the ritzy club to find out if he’s been compromised. I swear to all that’s holy, men exist to make my life complicated and you can’t tell me otherwise.
At least, most of them do.