Kiss of a Dragon(11)

“And it never will be. But kindly fuck off. My heart is none of your concern.”

“Clearly, it is.” Leonidas’s expression opened, and Lucian couldn’t tell if he was genuinely concerned or just worried that Lucian might not fulfill the treaty. But that was the blackness in his heart speaking—he knew his brothers would each give their lives for him, and he for them. They were bonded to each other in a way few dragons were, not even his top lieutenants pledged to the House of Smoke. He and Leonidas and Leksander were born minutes apart, dragonlings of the same mother, forever bound together by DNA and childhood and family.

But fulfilling the treaty was his responsibility alone.

Lucian snarled and changed the subject. “There’s something else. I killed a demon—a half demon—last night while rescuing Arabella.”

Leonidas his face pinched in. “A demon? But that’s a violation—”

“—of the treaty. Yes, I’m well aware. The question is—what are the fae up to? Go find Leksander and drag him away from his obsession. Have him sweep the city, looking for any trace of demon. I need to know if there are more.”

Leonidas nodded. “Maybe this recent strife between the shifters and the humans has brought out some kind of latent demon seed. They feed on hatred—they need that kind of black sustenance, and hate has been floating in the air of Seattle like syrup of late.”

“Perhaps. But I don’t care. This is a fae responsibility. They’re supposed to keep this in check. I’ve already destroyed this one, but if there are more…”

“Leksander and I will do a thorough search,” his brother said, his tone serious, which soothed Lucian’s heart. They were united in this, at least. “I’ll report back as soon as we have something for you.”

Lucian tipped his head in acknowledgment—he was the eldest of three, if only by minutes, and generally the leader of all things related to the House of Smoke, now that the king and queen had reached their twilight years. Lucian was the crown prince for their House and not just responsible for fulfilling the requirements of the treaty. It was his responsibility to manage all things in the realms, a duty he didn’t take lightly. For many reasons and in many ways.

He turned his back on his brother to stride out of the room.

When he rounded the corner to the kitchen, he found Arabella finishing up the last of her breakfast. She was freshly showered, well fed, and gloriously beautiful. It struck him full force, heating his entire body.

“Good morning,” he mumbled. His breath was stolen by her fully-human aliveness—the shine in her green eyes, sparkling under her dark, thin-line eyebrows; the way the sun caught the reddish highlights in her hair; her fresh, full lips. In the soft glow of the morning light, the hint of freckles all over her face rose up through the creamy paleness of her skin. He couldn’t help letting his gaze drop down, wondering if the freckles extended underneath the white silk shirt he had conjured for her. She left the top two buttons undone, and the soft swell of her breasts hinted that yes the freckles were there as well. An ache in his mouth rose up, and he yearned to run his tongue across each delicate mark.

She was holding up a finger, telling him to wait while pointing at her mouth, still full of food. He smiled at the awkwardness, then his smile faded as he realized… the clothes he had conjured… they were just like the ones Cora used to wear. How could he have done that without thinking? How thoroughly fucked up was he?

She swallowed and rose from the small breakfast table by the window. “Good morning,” she rushed out. “Hey, I don’t know what our plans are exactly, but I can’t find my phone. I need to, you know, tell someone I’m still alive? I have a friend I can call. Besides, I have appointments today.”

Of course—her business. Lucian welcomed the return to normalcy that this small bit of conversation evoked.

He stepped forward, snagged a phone from a drawer under the counter, and handed it to her. “I left yours with the demon last night. You can use mine.”

She looked at him oddly. “Somehow I didn’t expect this. From a dragon, I mean.” She gave him a slightly embarrassed look, then snatched the phone from his hand.

“Didn’t expect me to have a phone?” He was perplexed by that.

She gave a glance around the apartment. “I don’t know what I expected. Probably none of this.” She held up the phone. “This will just take a moment.”

He gave her a cool look. “I’ll be listening in. I’m assuming you know there can be no mention of where you are or why you’re here.”