Kiss of a Dragon(23)

“Is that why you’re here?” Leksander asked. “To remind us of our place?”

“In fact, I came because I hear you have a new human lover, Lucian.” Zephan’s eyes drilled into him, and that icy coldness flushed straight to his core.

“Word travels fast.” How the fuck did Zephan know about Arabella? Lucian steeled himself from throwing a glance at his brother. He knew Leksander would never breathe a word of anything to the fae. Ever. Under any circumstances. That left Leonidas, but Lucian couldn’t imagine his more loose-tongued brother blasting out information about Lucian’s bed partners to the Winter Court. Not to mention Arabella hadn’t even made it into his bed. Well, at least not for the kind of activity his lusty dragon side desired.

Which only made him think that perhaps the demon he destroyed actually had been part of the Winter Court. Had it somehow communicated with its fae master before its demise?

“Lucian’s lovers are none of your concern,” Leksander threw out, making Lucian cringe.

Because of course, that wasn’t true at all.

“Is that so?” Zephan asked, his icy stare still trained on Lucian. “Because if you’re on the cusp of renewing the treaty for another five hundred years, well, that interests me very much. It would be a shame, my dear prince, to have another tragic loss in the House of Smoke. You don’t have much luck with mates, do you?”

Lucian had to restrain himself from shifting and taking a bite out of the fae. “We’re done here.”

He turned his back on Zephan and shifted, spreading his wings as he leaped off the perch.

“Do let me know if there’s a birthing ceremony I need to attend!” Lucian heard Zephan calling behind him. Then, thankfully, the wind was in his ears, and the scent of the dark fae was behind him. He heard a whisper of wings coming alongside, Leksander quickly catching up. Lucian thought briefly about running ahead to the keep. That horrible twitching feeling was back—the one that said he needed to be by Arabella’s side. It was a bad sign.

Do you think he’s telling the truth? Leksander’s thought floated past the angry and agitated part of Lucian’s mind.

The fae never tell you a lie, but they sure as hell never tell you the truth, Lucian answered. His brother knew this.

You speak the truth on that, Leksander thought. But I cannot decide if this is some convoluted, secret plan by the fae to infiltrate the human population with demon halflings as if that were some way to get around the treaty… or if it is simply a human thing.

What do you mean? Lucian cocked his head to glance at his brother’s dragon form flying next to him. Leksander was a silver dragon, and the glints of morning sun on his scales made him look ethereal, like the angelings he loved so much.

What if the hatred that has been stirred up in the city recently has unleashed a whole other side of humanity? I love the humans, Lucian, truly I do, but they have their darker moments. Maybe this is a new part of them. A mutation.

Holy mother of magic… that would put a horrible twist on things. That would be a hell of a loophole for the fae with the treaty, he sent to Leksander.

Yes. A dangerously large loophole. Leksander swooped and banked towards the portal at the top of the meeting room.

Lucian growled. Or perhaps they were demons planted by the Winter Court, and they are simply feeding on the hate that has been fomenting in Seattle. That’s Leonidas’s theory.

Leksander alit on top of the keep. I hope you’re right, my brother. But perhaps I should conference with the angelings to see if they have any insights into this.

Lucian smirked. Leksander would take any excuse he could to get close to his favorite slayer. Do that. But I also want regular patrols of the city. We’ll take shifts—you, me, and Leonidas. I want to catch one of these demons in the act and do more than destroy it… I want to track down its master.

Understood. Leksander lifted off again, leaving the keep and heading for the angel realm he loved.

Lucian shifted on his way down through the portal, conjuring clothes as well. His mind was in a twist. Zephan’s interest in and knowledge of the fact that Arabella was in the keep sent shivers of anger and a small touch of fear through him.

He didn’t like the fae even knowing about his treasure.

And a threat from a fae prince—however vague—was something too dangerous to ignore.





Arabella was arriving in Seattle like she was royalty.

There was no other way to describe the smooth-as-glass ride, the rich cream leather interior, the sparkling electronics everywhere, from the mounted tablet to the flat screen TV instead of a rear window—even the coffee maker was some kind of high-end electronic gadget she didn’t understand. Lucian Smoke certainly knew how to travel in style. The limousine was decked out with every creature comfort, including heated seats and fresh, crushed ice. And with Lucian’s right-hand-dragon driving, she had Lucian sitting next to her on the bench seat. And he was much closer than he needed to be. Seriously, there were at least a dozen seats in the stretch limo, yet he was sitting right next to her, peering into her eyes, and asking her earnest questions about how to approach his date.