Dragon

Bodyguard

Dragons & Demis

J. S. Striker
 Copyright 2020 by J. S. Striker - All rights reserved.

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 Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
HUNTED SHIFTERS COMPLETE SERIES
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 Chapter 1
Suddenly, there was light.
For Lucas Kai, everything had been blurry at first, a swirl of colors
and a general hum in the air before that illusion got pierced—and now the
colors were gone, replaced by a darker atmosphere that didn’t glow as much
and made him wary of his surroundings.
Wariness was a tricky thing, his instincts already dictating it before
his brain could even catch up. He sat up, blinking repeatedly and letting his
mind clear, trying to remember what had happened that led to this. The cave
he was in used to be bright and airy, with jewels encrusting the walls and
glinting from every direction. Now it was dark, plain and ominous, no sign of
force to indicate the jewels had been taken. But they were gone.
And this was the same cave.
A memory flitted in his mind, whispering. Then it punched, knocking
him straight down as more memories rushed in, each one like a clear picture
in his head: fire and burning, the flying excursion with his family interrupted
by a turn of events that had forced them out of the sky. Then, sleepiness,
probably from whatever the smoke had contained—an ambush? Accident?
Speaking of family…
Lucas brushed off whatever muscle numbness he was feeling and
turned around, studying the rough space where his body had been embedded.
Ice crackled from all corners, forming a pattern and crawling on the walls in
one particular direction, like a line calling his name. He followed that line,
tracing it with his gaze, moving deeper into the cave. A few more steps and
he found what he was looking for: another mold of ice but in perfect,
luminescent form.
The sight of his sister in her human form, eyes closed and sleeping
peacefully, tugged something in his chest until it tightened. He studied the ice
for a long time, attempting to touch it once and feeling a burst of electricity
singe his fingertips. There was no need to attempt anything more as he knew
he’d just get electrocuted—and that was practically suicide.
 The line of ice kept going, so he followed it to where it stopped. The
last mold of ice was supposed to encase his brother. Dread filled him when he
found the space empty, just like his, but with any traces of ice already melted.
It just looked like a dark wall that held a shape once, the color close to the
cave’s, and indicating it had been empty for a while now. Bothered, he
circled the area and backtracked but found no other life source than his and
his sister’s. His brother was gone.
One last look at his sister told him she wasn’t going to wake up
anytime soon, which only meant one thing: he’d been summoned. Lucas’s
lips flattened, not entirely pleased with the thought of a man dictating his
movements—but then again, when had it been different? It was time to face
the music and see the summoner now.
He found the entrance to the cave minutes later, stepped out, thrilled
at the prospect of feeling sunshine on his face and seeing all the sights he’d
missed in his slumber: the rolling green hills and mountains he knew by
heart, the colorful trees that surrounded the lush lands. His fingers itched in
anticipation at the blue sky and puffy clouds, already feeling his dragon roar
inside at the prospect of flying again.
But he wasn’t met with those things. Instead, he found himself facing
destruction and death as the world burned before him.

An hour later, he managed to get over his astonishment enough to find his
way to the castle—not a hard feat as the location of everything was still
intact. But nothing else was, and that made his steps heavy as he
approached…and was blasted with another moment of stunning discovery.
There were many castles and grand places here in the demi-world, but
Rufus of the Outlands home was perhaps one of the grandest in existence
with its ivory walls and golden touches. That felt like a dream, and Lucas
found himself staring at a different castle instead. This one was surrounded
by flames licking from the ground, the walls a charred black as if burned. But
the structure was still there, and the unbroken glass windows told him it
wasn’t as empty as it appeared.
He couldn’t very well enter in his current form, so he took the time to
stand there and gather his energy—sizzling, snapping, ready to rage at
anything and anyone after its years of inactivity. It had always been
boundless, so it took a while for the energy to ease in, curling in his stomach
and waiting to be let out again. That had been a struggle since getting out of
the cave, too, but now wasn’t the right time.
He grimly strode to the double doors, bypassing the knock and testing
the doorknob. Its unlocked state had him slipping in with no trouble, eyes
sweeping the halls before landing on a figure standing at one end and facing
the window. From this distance, the man looked ordinary, blond hair swept to
one side and robes hiding a hard body of steel muscles.
Then the man turned his head to face Lucas, and whatever illusion of
normalcy there was fled as rust-colored eyes took him in, flickering with the
same flames from outside. The man didn’t move from his spot, but the way
he tilted his head was reminiscent of a king ready to listen to his subjects. As
the man of this castle, Lucas supposed that wasn’t far off, but he wasn’t
feeling like a subject at the moment.
“Your castle is on fire.”
“Yes. Not my castle but its surroundings.”
“There’s nothing green in this world anymore, and creatures are
flying in the sky. They’re not like me.”
“They’re harmless as long as they don’t see you.”
A pause, his gaze still focused on the man in front of him.
“You woke me up.”
At that, the man turned back to the window, looking up at the sky. “I
had to.”
Which meant there was trouble ahead.
Lucas waited for a few more beats before staring at the sky as well.
He kept his hands behind his back, a habit of deference. From inside the
castle, the sky looked as bleak as ever with the gray clouds and the streaks of
lightning, a far contrast from the bright colors he was used to. It left a sinister
feeling, more questions crawling in his head.
 Why is my sister still asleep?
Where’s my brother?
Where are your siblings?
But one question had priority over the rest.
“Who caused this?”
Because that was the essential point: the demi-world was nearly
untouchable, and the only way it could be destroyed would’ve been through
grave sin. Someone had committed a crime here, the catalyst to this.
Other demigods didn’t view Rufus in a good light, enemies who
hadn’t engaged because they knew it would never be a good idea to pick a
battle with the son of one of the most powerful gods. Those demigods had
servants just like Rufus, but none as powerful as Lucas’s kind.
There were also demigods who, while not entirely enemies, were all
about the thirst for power and eternally pushing the boundaries. He expected
to hear one of their names being uttered, would’ve been satisfied to know the
one who caused all this was rotting somewhere in punishment.
“Gabriel.”
There was only one Gabriel in this world—Gabriel of the Outlands—
and this was another man Lucas had known for years. Stunned silence
ensued, followed by Lucas’s head jerking as he turned to stare at the man
once more.
“Your brother…”
“Broke a rule,” Rufus confirmed, no inflection in his tone. But there
was no missing the vibrations coming from his body, the fire flickering
higher from his feet before that was shut away. “Broke this world, caused
your slumber, made things change.”
“Then it’s time to change it again,” Lucas replied, nodding his head.
Rushing through his ruminations, which were toppling over each other, he
said, “Wake my sister up; tell me where my brother is. Your siblings…”
At this, a flare of something dark crossed the demi’s features…then,
was shut away, too. He shook his head.
“Don’t tell me what to do, Lucas. That’s not how things work here.”
Coldness wrapped the words, a quiet warning that Lucas needed to
know his place. Despite not having heard that tone in years, it elicited the
same reaction: Lucas’s back going up, his skin bristling from the authority.
But he locked that in place, held rigid by key rules they also had: demigods
were the highest version of gods here, and dragons…well, they were
servants, slaves created by gods for their offspring. Whatever one wanted to
call it, it all boiled down to one fact: a dragon following his master was also
one of the rules in this world, no matter what.
“I wasn’t,” Lucas said calmly, but even he could hear the tightness in
his tone. “My sister—”
A sigh, then, “Lucas Kai.”
That was all it took for power to surge, wrapping around Lucas like a
vice and stilling him from everything: words, actions, whatever he’d been
about to argue with. Just like that, he was helpless, unable to do anything as
Rufus turned again and retaliated to his demands with a few choice words.
“Gabriel is a lost cause and it’s none of your business. Your sister will
remain in slumber. Your brother is missing, and so is my sister—but again,
that’s none of your business. I woke you up for a reason, and only that
matters now.” A beat. “But I’m not telling you until you work that energy out
of your system. Go. Come back when you’re calmer.”
And Lucas could only turn around and leave the castle, dictated by a
master’s powerful words and a slave to the system.
Just like he’d always been.

It was easier to breathe outside the castle, and in turn, easier to understand
Rufus’s point. Taking it to heart, Lucas finally let go of the energy he’d been
keeping in, feeling it rush out and his body react to it: skin turning to scales,
man changing to a beast. In the next instant, he was soaring the dark sky, his
wings one with the wind and his heart beating fast at the excitement that
alone brought. But it wasn’t a peaceful flight as a few of the flying creatures
he’d seen earlier spotted him—and true to Rufus’s words, they were only
harmless when they didn’t see Lucas.
One rushed for him, wings smaller and shaped almost like a giant
bat’s. Everything about the creature screamed giant bat, from the beaded eyes
to the fangs and claws that careened his way, ready to tear him apart. A
second before it could attack him, the fire from the ground rose, putting up a
wall of red and orange before he heard shrieks from the other side. Then the
creature was falling to the ground with a loud crash, broken rocks scattering
everywhere.
The other creatures saw it and started rushing him, too—but just like
the first one, each of them was systematically engulfed by the fire, some
brought down and others flapping away. That was Rufus’s powers protecting
his territory, not Rufus’s powers protecting Lucas. For a second, Lucas was
overcome by the sheer temptation to cross the invisible wall himself and step
out of the circle of protection, then unleash his energy on these creatures.
But there were about a hundred of them now circling the sky and
blocking any source of light, the darkness vibrating in the air and making him
shudder. That meant fighting a whole crowd, and even while he was
confident in his skills, there was just no taking down that many at the same
time. He wasn’t stupid. And his siblings needed him alive, not dead because
of a temper.
So he reined that temper in, only letting his animal energy free—
wishing every inch of him could experience that freedom, too. An outrageous
thought, as the demi-world only had a few unshakeable rules in place.
One, dragons were at the top chain in the line of shifters, the only
ones personally created by the gods and designed to follow their offspring’s
greatness. Their servants and their warriors, able to defend and cross
boundaries for them. Loyal, no matter what.
Two, there were only a few things that could have broken this once-
beautiful place, and the one who committed it would experience a lifetime of
pain and cause a chain reaction.
Three, demigods were created equal…until they weren’t.
 He flew around some more, ignoring the clandestine cries from
outside and focusing on the space he was given to let his dragon reign for a
while—ignoring the responsibilities he was bound to face soon. Then that
was done and he was returning to his man form, not bothering to put on his
clothes when he entered the castle. Rufus was still there, watching through
the windows. Perhaps the demigod had been watching him all along, too, and
Lucas could only take comfort that the man couldn’t read his internal
musings before he marched over.
“At least tell me what happened to the other dragons. I don’t see any.”
A second of silence, a flicker of emotions. The graveness of it nearly
brought Lucas to his knees.
“They’re all gone. Those aren’t the only creatures roaming our world
now and attacking anyone in sight, Lucas.”
Lucas closed his eyes, letting reality sink in.
“Your siblings?”
“They’re…fine. But they’re not here.”
“There are only three rules that could’ve…what did Gabriel do?”
For a second, it looked like the demigod was about to utter the words.
Then he closed off again, leveling Lucas with a look.
“Forget that. It’s done. Lucas Kai, focus. I have a proposal for you.”
“You said it yourself, Gabriel has destroyed this world. Your
brother’s sins are yours, and that means you’re no longer the best around
here. Why should I listen?”
Oh, he hit a nerve there, judging from the clench of Rufus’s jaw and
the burst of heat that raced up his skin. A moment of satisfaction came at
being able to penetrate the ironically cold wall of a fire demigod.
Then Rufus hit a nerve back.
“Because my other brother is in trouble, and I need you to save him.
And I’m the only one who can wake your sister up.”
 Chapter 2
“That’s not the deal we agreed on, Stan.”
Nora Rivers frowned as the man on the line dared to laugh.
“I know, sweetheart, but hear me out: this deal is even better. You get
two vloggers for the price of one, and they’re so fresh that people will take
interest right away.”
Yeah, right. They were so fresh that they were practically non-
existent—at least they were in the vlogging world. Stan continued to explain
the enthusiastic pitch to her with a few more turns of the word sweetheart,
and she let him speak until he had to pause from all the talking. That was
when she took her turn.
“We’re launching a new product that’s all-natural and people are
initially wary of, and one of the few things that could’ve tempted the
undecided ones was to use the most famous vlogger in the industry—one you
had connections to, which is why I went to you first. Instead, you give me the
names of two unknowns. Do you know what two unknowns would do?
Nothing. The hype will be for nothing, and the interest will wane quickly.
You know how those two are the deciding factors to make or break this.”
In short, to make or break her next career choice.
“Aww, sweetheart, the ones I’m offering you are going to garner you
the attention you want.”
“How?”
“One was involved in a sex scandal last year, and the other in a fight
scandal with another vlogger. It trended for days. Trust me when I say they’re
going to bring interest in, sweetheart, and that would be the turning point of
your life.”
And she shouldn’t have trusted Stan Wittier to know that scandals
connected to her line of new products would pretty much spell doom for the
rest of what she worked hard for. That was her fault for wasting weeks on
this man—her childhood friend who offered a good deal and tempted her
with a good price, and her taking that offer because…well, she was broke. As
a small-time businesswoman, this was her last chance at proving herself
worthy of being in this industry. Her dream job.
Nora sighed. “Stop calling me sweetheart, and thanks for the offer.
But I’m afraid I’m going to have to decline. Call me when you get the person
we agreed on, Stan.”
“But Nora, sweetheart, the person you want is out of commission, and
it’s ridiculous to expect a famous one anyway for the money you’re
offering.”
“As I said, call me when you have good news…and don’t call me
sweetheart.”
She said it with cheer, but there was no hiding the scowl when she
finally hung up. She took that scowl with her as she stalked the streets of Los
Angeles, not ready to go back to her shop—to face her employees who’d
been working nonstop and were aware this was their last shot at keeping the
business open.
Instead, she found herself wandering to the nearest ice cream shop,
then calling another person as she licked the decadent chocolate off the cone.
Parker Mosey was another childhood friend, and they got to chatting about
random stuff for a few minutes before she got to the subject.
“So, Parker, about your line of work…is there any chance you can
find me something I need?”
Parker was a hustler for lack of a better term—drifting from job to
job, essentially working on anything and everything until the woman was the
quintessential jack-of-all-trades. That probably came from boredom and
trying to break free from an extremely wealthy family, but Parker honed it
enough to be useful to her.
“What do you need?”
“The top vloggers advertising my latest line of cupcakes. Or anyone
famous with a good reputation.”
“I’m sure they’d jump at the chance to advertise your food since it’s
delicious.” A pause. “Unless you’re in one of your weird phases again?”
“Grass isn’t weird,” Nora shot back. “It’s natural and perfectly edible,
just like the rest of my ingredients.”
“Which are…?”
“This and that. Chocolate made out of…grass. And bugs.”
The next pause was heavier. “I’m sorry, did you say chocolate made
out of crap?”
Amusement rang from the other line, causing Nora to glare. “It’s
perfectly good. It’s my old chef’s creation.”
“And you fired that chef because of that nasty creation, didn’t you?
And…oh. He used your savings, didn’t he? That’s why you’re trying to make
this work.”
There was no need to tell Parker that Eric had also been her old lover
before she found him getting it on with her other chef—in her kitchen, no less
—and that he’d pretty much dried up her savings and left her with no choice
but to use his stupid products to keep her business afloat. It still stung, but the
rage was mostly gone.
“Kind of. Let’s just say it’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
“Sorry, Nora, but I don’t have those kinds of connections.” The
genuine remorse was there, easing Nora up. “But I’m doing tour guide stuff
at the moment, so if you’re interested or need help with that…”
“Of course. You’re the first I would call.” Although Parker and tour
guide were odd together, as the woman was one of few words to strangers.
But oh, well.
The call dashed the last of Nora’s hopes, so she stalled and ordered
another cone to get her mind off the apprehension of where this day was
leading to—where her life was leading to, to be honest. It was while she was
licking the caramel-vanilla that she started paying attention to her
surroundings, like the lack of customers at this time of the morning…and the
man sitting at the table outside, eating nothing. Watching her.
From the glass separating them, she assessed a few things: he was tall,
broad, and not entirely unfriendly looking if the smile was any indication.
That smile was directed her way, and she must’ve met his eyes underneath
his shades when she stepped out of the store because he was standing up and
bowing.
And he was taller than she’d initially thought.
The friendliness gave off a…weird vibe this close, but she smiled and
nodded back before walking away. A few seconds later, she felt snapping
energy beside her—the only indication of a presence because the man was
silent.
“My lady.”
“Yes? Did you want to know the price of the ice cream?”
The man shifted, standing in front of her and stopping her. The shades
were taken off, revealing eyes so deep green and captivating. The slow smile
felt like the best smile in the world, taking her in and making her feel like she
was the only woman in existence. The vibrating charm drowned her in waves
of pleasure and her body leaned forward a fraction to take it in—then, jerked
back as realization crashed. Humans didn't have that ability and she was
pretty sure it wasn’t even a conscious one. Unless…
“Supernatural, what do you want from me?”
That she would call him out on who he was was probably the last
thing he expected, and his body jerking revealed his astonishment before he
could reapply that wall of charm. Yes, there were humans like them who
knew of the existence of the supernatural. Perhaps it was more common than
she thought if this man didn’t react to that fact, though there was an unspoken
agreement between everyone: to stay in their lanes and never reveal it to the
more ignorant majority.
Another smile, teeth glinting. Coupled with the blond hair with
perfectly aligned streaks of brown, it made him the most beautiful man she’d
ever met.
“My lady, there’s only one thing I want from you, and that is your
undivided attention. Will you grace me with dinner this afternoon so I can
declare my intentions to you?”
 “Do you even know my name?”
“I saw you in my dreams. You’re the woman I need.”
So he didn’t know her name, but he was making declarations that
alarmed her thoroughly. Nora didn’t let on, tilting her head instead. The cone
had softened in her hand, forcing her to toss it in the trash bin beside them
before she faced him. With her ability to detect supernaturals, she’d had
accidental dealings with shifters, vampires, and the likes and had gotten quite
adept at keeping her head down. Not all of them were violent, but…
He felt different. Her skin usually hummed when they were close,
even when they were not very powerful or threatening—so the fact that she
hadn’t detected him right away warned her this wasn’t one of the regulars.
What was he?
Tread carefully, her mind whispered.
She gave him a small, polite smile. “You’re probably in need of blood
or flesh, two things you can get easily through two sources: blood bags sold
everywhere, even in illegal markets, and traded flesh.” An appreciative
glance was sent his way, more deliberate than out of attraction. “Or you could
go to a bar, invite a woman to your place, and take that flesh. Just don’t do
anything that would cause harm or death because there are many others of
your kind—and my kind—who keep the peace around here and would have
your head.” Silence met her speech, so she pushed one more. “If those aren’t
what you’re after, then I’m still not the one you’re looking for. I’m not
supernatural and I’m not of good blood or relations. I’m just your regular
struggling businesswoman, and I’ve got places to be. Nice to meet you, sir.
Let’s not bump into each other again.”
No response. Confident she’d gotten her point across, Nora nodded
her head in one last acknowledgment before she sidestepped and kept going.
He didn’t follow.

Overconfidence was a nasty little thing and a practice Nora should tone down
—and really, a lesson she ought to have learned already, from her business
risks to her personal decisions. But perhaps she hadn’t learned anything yet if
today was anything to go by, starting with Stan and ending with this beautiful
stranger.
He didn’t follow her the first few hours when she got busy in her
bakery and tried to call a few more people, and he didn’t follow her when she
went out on meetings and crossed off her contact list one by one. But he did
follow her when she went out to grab lunch, too lost in her problems to notice
him right away.
When Nora did notice him, she still didn’t panic since it was broad
daylight and there was nothing she could do. She hadn’t been kidding about
the supernatural patrol. She had a few acquaintances in there, polite vampires
who had problems of their own with the wilder of their kind.
She watched him stand by a fire hydrant across the street as she
entered a deli shop, found him in the same location when she went out with
her food. She ate as she walked, chewed on mint gum, and stayed careful not
to wander in areas that would separate her from the general crowd. Honestly,
the man was hard to miss, particularly because his idea of a disguise was
wearing some slacks and polo shirts that fit him to a T—in turn, having the
female population passing by taking notice. She crossed her fingers, hoping
one of them would take his attention so he’d leave her alone. She even went
to the shopping area specializing in lingerie, essentially luring him into more
female crowds until one was confident enough to saunter over and start
flirting with him. There was no hostility from him, only friendliness, making
her relax.
While he was distracted, she quietly made her exit, hurrying off and
texting her bakery manager that she wasn’t going to come in for the rest of
the day. It was best to lie low for a while, but damn it—this wasn’t how she
wanted her week to start, especially with all her pending tasks and upcoming
product launch.
Half an hour later, the panic she hadn’t been feeling started
simmering in her blood as she sat in a coffee shop, hunched at a corner table
and casually biding her time…and her skin hummed a tiny, almost
unnoticeable beat. The front door bell tinkled, a figure coming in and making
her heart jump. Then she realized it wasn’t the same man and she was acting
irrationally. This one looked different: dark hair, darker clothes, ignoring her
while he went to the front and ordered an iced vanilla latte. The female
barista engaged him in conversation and he responded, tone deep and husky.
Nora’s skin reaction only indicated one thing: another supernatural, but this
one didn’t come for her.
She got to eavesdropping, catching something about a job interview
and relaxing when it was obvious this one knew the ins and outs of L.A.—not
only that, he seemed to be talking about law practice. A lawyer? The jeans
and black shirt were plain, hugging a muscled butt and back…yes, definitely
a shifter. He had to be. She glanced at her watch, decided she’d been there
too long, and it was making her antsy. She glanced outside, hand on the door
and gaze sweeping the streets.
The blond stranger was standing by another fire hydrant across the
street, waiting for her. But he wasn’t looking at her yet.
The panic bloomed, rising in her chest until she was close to choking.
She forced it down and took a step back, bumping into the man inside and
feeling the hot drink splash on her elbow. It didn’t matter because the blond
stranger still wasn’t looking and she only had this one chance.
Mumbling an apology and throwing coffee man a look, Nora hurried
to the back door and made her escape.
 Chapter 3
Rufus’s instructions had been simple: find Daniel in the human world, which
Lucas did, and make sure Daniel didn’t see him, which Lucas made sure
Daniel didn’t. Despite Daniel of the Outlands great ability to cross any kind
of border and pass through any kind of barrier—a defining power that not all
demigods shared—he hadn’t practiced this skill to cross to Earth, as the
demi-world had held everything for them and there’d been no need to visit
lesser worlds. Besides, they had dragon servants to do the crossing for them
in case they did need something—and as the youngest of the Outlands
siblings, Daniel only had to lift his finger to have others do his bidding.
That much was obvious when he stalked this woman here with a
tenacity that belied keeping his head down as if he was still the high-ranking
half-god who walked among his subjects. In a way, it made the task easier for
Lucas as he went unnoticed, trailing after Daniel as Daniel trailed after the
woman.
There was one other instruction Rufus had given, the most important
one: to keep Rufus’s younger and more irrational brother from mating with
this woman, in turn sullying the powerful line they were trying to maintain…
or well, fighting to get back to again, since hierarchies were in pieces at the
moment.
Whatever Daniel’s dreams had shown him—and hell knew the man
got those a lot, along with prophecies—it was Lucas’s job to remind the
demigod of his role in his home. That didn’t involve dallying with a human
and ruining whatever Rufus had been trying to work on.
And Gabriel…no, Lucas couldn’t think about Gabriel. The culprit of
all this was gone. But it wasn’t too late for his sister. Or his brother, wherever
he was.
He focused on the task at hand, following the woman as she hurried
out of the coffee shop’s backroom, having spotted Daniel. Lucas made sure
he was hidden at all times, blending with the crowd and the buildings as she
entered a mall. He had his steps aligned with hers as much as possible, but his
eyes divided between her and Daniel—who, sure enough, showed up inside
the mall and attempted to be inconspicuous by hiding behind a potted fern
while she entered a candy shop. Daniel even pretended to watch an indoor
fountain in fascination, making Lucas snort and glance at her, wondering if
she saw the same thing…except she was gone.
His back went rigid, and he abandoned his hiding spot, then stepped
back in when Daniel noticed the same and began to turn a frantic circle
before striding to the next store. The demigod then circled all the other stores
on the first floor before heading to the escalator, hand gripping the side tight
and close to breaking it. When Daniel was out of sight, Lucas walked over to
the candy store, the one place Daniel didn’t check other than that quick
sweep of gaze. There were rows and rows of colorful candies but no one in
sight—
A hand closed around the front of his shirt, then yanked. Perhaps it
was the surprise that had him stumbling, then righting himself as he
considered the regular force before he found himself standing in front of the
culprit: her in between two shelves, covered by wispy orange curtains. She
jerked that closed, enclosing them in a shroud of thick lace and allowing him
a few seconds to study her.
She wasn’t that bad-looking with her brown hair curling around her
face and shoulders, then those honey-colored eyes that were warm and soft.
A small nose and pink-glossed lips, the bottom indentation drawing his gaze
before it lowered. She wasn’t that tall nor short, her body nothing that should
catch the attention of a demigod. But the ivory cardigan she wore over a pale
pink dress drew attention to her best assets: plump tits firmly wrapped up,
tapering down to a snug waist, and a general softness all over.
Those eyes, however, were the farthest thing from soft as she leveled
him with a relieved look. “Good, you got my signal.”
Signal?
“I wasn’t sure you got my eyes pleading for help, but it looks like
you’re as smart as you were bragging about in that coffee shop.”
So he was right. She’d been listening in. Lucas caught on, not missing
a beat as he inclined his head and replied. “No, I saw it. That’s why I
followed you.”
The eyes kept watching him, never leaving his—in turn, grounding
him in place. “Are you practicing to be a lawyer?”
“I already am.” And he was prepared, handing her a business card
with his real name. It had been his trusty alibi years ago, and it still worked
now. “Are you in trouble with the law?”
“No, but I’m in trouble with some weird stalker. You need to help me
file a restraining order.”
“That’s with the police. How about I accompany you to the police
station?”
“I don’t think the cops can help me with this,” she muttered. “But a
written clause worded properly and signed by the stalker can. How about I
pay you, you get me that signature, and then we go to the cops?”
It would be an odd statement to any other human, but to him, it made
sense. That was one upper hand humans had on supernaturals: get them to
sign something and it was essentially bound by blood. In her mind, she
thought she had an out and Lucas was the answer to her prayers. Smart.
But not smart enough to realize she was getting herself out of the
frying pan only to land in the fire.
“Sounds like a plan. I’m glad I caught you. I’m Lucas Kai.”
“I know. Your business card says so. I’m Nora Rivers.”
“Nice to meet you. Shall we head to my office and discuss this
further?”

The muffled scream, followed by the muted kick, jerked Lucas’s body from
behind and had him gritting his teeth. But he didn’t react outwardly as he set
the woman he was carrying—a very outraged woman—into the car seat.
“There’s no use screaming for help. We’re alone in this tinted car and
I’m about to rev it up as fast as I can. Good thing there’s no traffic at this
time.”
 True to his word, he did exactly that, flooring it out of the parking lot
and driving the rented vehicle out of the city and to a rented place. He’d been
to Los Angeles enough to know the way out. Perhaps a part of him even
missed this: the easiness of just being here and blending in as opposed to
being at the beck and call of a master. Or stuck in slumber.
She kept struggling before giving up, then sniffing around as if that
would help. His mouth quirked, but his tense body acknowledged they
weren’t safe yet. So he kept his senses open, his guard up. No one followed
them from any direction, but nothing was constant when it came to dealing
with demigods. At least he knew this one, knew it wouldn’t be long until
Daniel was on their trail again. He needed to get to the warehouse fast, secure
it from the man’s eerily honed senses. But first…
Lucas reached out with one hand, carefully removing Nora’s gag but
leaving her other binds, including her blindfold. Her teeth moved forward to
bite, then she scowled when she was unsuccessful and leaned back.
“I’m stupid.”
The declaration had him raising a brow. “Not really.”
“You’re not a lawyer.”
“Ah. No, I’m not.”
“So, who are you?”
“I told you. I’m Lucas Kai.”
“Supernatural.”
That had him glancing at her. “Not many of you know about us.”
“I do,” she declared firmly. “You hum on my skin.”
“Ah.”
“And that hum turns into a smell.”
“…a smell.”
“Yes. I’m probably the only one who smells it. Let’s see…” She
pursed her lips, drawing his gaze there again before he refocused on the road.
“Vampires almost always smell like rust. Shifters aren’t as easy to pinpoint,
but wolves will either have that woodsy or grass scent because of how they
always frolic in the forest—in the city’s case, the parks. They blend in well.
Felines are more of an alley scents because they love lurking there…except
the lions, of course. I don’t know the smell of fairies because I’ve never met
them, but I don’t think I’ve heard of male fairies.”
“So what do I smell like?”
“Nothing.” She huffed out a breath, frustrated. “You make my skin
hum, but you don’t smell of anything. Are you a fairy?”
“No.”
“Okay. Unhand me.”
“And the guy stalking you? Does he smell?”
She frowned. “No. He didn’t even make my skin hum much. That
must mean he’s powerful. Or my ability’s failing me.”
The former was spot on, but he wasn’t about to get into details. “Then
that answers your question. I’m going to get you away from him.”
“I don’t need help with that.”
“You just asked for help earlier.”
“Which you couldn’t provide. Signatures are important. Unhand me.”
“No.”
“Un. Hand. Me.”
“Don’t waste your breath. I’m still taking you no matter what you
say.”
A sound of exasperation erupted from her throat before she attempted
to kick him again. It happened at intervals. He dodged the next few attempts
until she gave up, huffing out another breath.
“I have a business to run. I don’t have time for this.”
“Getting saved?”
“I can save myself. And you’re not saving me. You’re kidnapping me.
What do you want?”
“I already told you.”
“No stranger would take another—at the pretense of saving—without
an angle. The least you can do is tell me yours.”
Oh, she was good, the panic clear but not clouding her analyzing
skills. It roused his curiosity. Lucas found himself responding against his
better judgment.
“Did you ask him what his angle was when he was stalking you?”
“He declared we were meant to be or something like that, then
proceeded with the stalking when I declined. At least he’s transparent.
What’s yours?”
“So we’re praising him now for his transparency?”
“I wasn’t praising him. And you’re dodging my question.”
“You talk too much.”
“You’re going to regret this.”
A spark came from behind, the only warning he got before he growled
a brace yourself to Nora. Then the car was swerving to the side, the shriek of
tires piercing the air before silence replaced it—long, ominous, and coupled
with the feeling that he was about to fly. He kicked the side door open, the
crunch of metal breaking that silence. Then he reached out and yanked Nora
with him, her feeble protest lost in the wind as he jumped up and out of the
car.
Another spark, but his body anticipated it and spiraled in the air,
avoiding the collision. Then Lucas was landing on the ground and running,
his momentum lending to his speed and his eyes on the clump of trees ahead.
A few more steps and he was already surrounded by the forest, which
somehow prompted the body he was carrying to start struggling again. She
almost fell, so his hand reached out to steady her on his shoulder, taking in
her warm skin and the fast beat of her heart.
“Lucas.”
 It was said in a whisper, no longer the defiant trill from when she’d
tried to get away from him in the car. Somehow, that made it worse. He
clenched his jaw to resist the pleading, knowing he couldn’t set her down yet
—not when the ominous feeling hadn’t disappeared and something was
building up here. Instead, he squeezed her waist, a quiet warning. Perhaps a
reassurance, too. He kept running, the ground sloping up.
His heart pounded hard, then snapped a beat when they finally broke
through the trees and the ground was steady enough for him to let her down.
He removed her blindfold, waiting for her honey eyes to clear and meet his.
She jerked when he took her hand but didn’t protest.
Without a word, Lucas pointed, wanting her to understand that they
had to keep running. Her eventual nod was eclipsed by an explosion in the
air: the car, finally giving in to the pressure after its crash. Trepidation
glissaded in his stomach as they started running again, but he pushed it back,
bracing his body when he spotted the cliff ahead. His hand tightened on
Nora’s waist, his head moving down so he could whisper the words.
“We’re jumping.”
A jolt coursed through her body, racing against his skin. She gasped
when she finally spotted the cliff, too, hand crumpling on his sleeve as if to
stop him. But it wasn’t her who did.
The force came out of nowhere—not a warning, only tearing them
apart. She landed on her butt, eyes glazed in shock and locked to his before
he found himself leaning in the other direction…no, pushed to the edge of the
cliff relentlessly by another body. The body was encased in white, smoking at
the edges and vibrating from Daniel’s last barrier-jump. An angry shout came
from Daniel, but Lucas’s eyes remained on Nora, watching the horror sink in
her expression.
Then he couldn’t see her anymore as he and the angry demigod kept
falling down the cliff.
 Chapter 4
It was like watching a movie, except in full color and without the nice thrill
that came with it. Nora scrambled to the edge of the cliff, an action dictated
by adrenaline more than common sense as she peered down and watched two
figures falling. She expected a great crash, braced herself against the unease
that sank in her belly at the prospect.
No crash came. Instead, the two figures landed smoothly and
continued fighting without missing a beat, their shadowed movements
illuminated by moonlight. If she had any doubts that they weren’t human, this
changed it all, and she inhaled deeply to try to beat back the internal demand
to get to Lucas and…what? She didn’t owe him anything.
Stumbling to her feet, still bound at her hands, she took one backward
step after another, fully expecting a cavalier to surround her and take her
back. But no one did, the only supernatural creatures in the area too
preoccupied at the bottom to pay attention to her. Most likely that was her
strange kidnapper keeping her strange stalker down, which wouldn’t last
long. She was wasting her time by being hesitant.
Not your friend, she shouted in her head.
Then she was turning around and running back to the forest.
Trees were everywhere, the way unfamiliar, and her brain unable to
tell which direction was correct. She went with instinct and kept going
straight ahead, knowing there had to be a break somewhere and she’d be back
on the road—wishing it would come sooner because there was still the
possibility that other creatures lived there. She wasn’t about to get herself
into another set of deadly claws.
A clear field was spotted ahead. Not the road, but it would do. With a
rush of joy, she broke through the forest and kept running on the grass, the
cliff at her side indicating she wasn’t that far from the fight yet. But if she
just kept going…
The hum was her only warning, her heart skipping a beat as she
glanced back at the cliff. The figure jumped up, a sheer force of raw strength
before landing beside her without even blinking. Stunned silence filled the air
as she took in Lucas, unharmed except for some torn pieces of his shirt and a
grim expression. Something dangerous sizzled from him, instinct making her
body lean away from it. He caught on to the reaction, however small—and in
a single movement, was carrying her all over again amid her protest.
“Lucas.”
“We’re about to jump.”
“To the cliff?” she close to yelled, panic bursting.
“No. Somewhere else.”
He didn’t elaborate, but there was no need to. In another second, Nora
felt the electricity snap across her skin, squeezing her before darkness coated
her vision. Somehow, she could still count in her head. She got up to a
minute before the light came again and she was back on the grass. But not for
long.
The blindfold came, abrupt and smooth, followed by her body being
heaved against a hard object…a moving object. She felt another presence
behind her, the solid wall of warmth animated enough that it couldn’t ever be
mistaken for a wall.
She’d been wrong about Lucas. He smelled of the strangest
combination there was: smoke not from the woods, a hint of musk that was
faint because it was so deep in his skin. It made her heady until he made a
clicking sound, that deep, husky voice triggering the object below them to
move faster. Of course, it wasn’t an object but a horse—and his voice was
enough to return her to the present and stop trying to smell him.
“You know how to ride a horse?”
Despite the rushing wind, her voice still carried on. She waited for a
beat before pushing on.
“And what’s with the blindfold again? I know I’m being kidnapped at
this point—”
The cloth over her eyes was taken off, blasting her with brightness
before her vision adjusted. She saw fields, the same cliff…a sky dotted with
so many stars despite it being clear earlier.
“You listened,” she blurted out.
“Yes, I know how to ride a horse. And I just realized it’s stupid to
keep you blind at this point.”
“Where are we?”
“The less you know, the better it would be.”
“Says the kidnapper,” she shot back. But the way he held on tight to
her as he got the horse to make a turn didn’t feel threatening. The fields ahead
stretched on for miles with no road in sight, a bleak reality. She knew there
was no way she could outrun him at this point. “The stalker…did you kill
him?”
“Daniel,” Lucas supplied grimly. “His name is Daniel. And he’s
almost impossible to kill.”
“Do you know each other?”
“Sort of. But we’re not the same creature.”
There was more to that story, a thickness in his tone that indicated
some kind of history. She bit her tongue, curiosity snapping.
“What are you? And what is he?”
“Let’s just say we’re not from this world, but I frequent it. He, on the
other hand…he’s only here for you.”
Nerves coated her, disturbed. He must’ve sensed it, fingers
unconsciously rubbing her side and making her stomach tighten. But maybe
it was deliberate, too.
“For all I know, you’re working with him. You’re putting up this act
so I would trust you and you would end up delivering me to him.”
A pause, then he cleared his throat. “Do you realize how ridiculous
that sounds?”
Nora hissed. “You’re an asshole.”
 “I’m just being practical. Get some rest. We’ve got a long ride
ahead.”
“No, thanks.”
The refusal was sturdy in her mind and she liked to believe she tried
hard. But the harsh, cold winds in contrast to the warm lines of his hard body
—and the hours that went on excruciatingly slow—were too much. Coupled
with the horse’s steady pounding rhythm, she found herself lulled by a false
sense of security, her eyes getting heavier by the second until it was
impossible to keep awake.
Her last sighting was a brilliant twinkling star before sleep overcame
her.

When Nora woke up, many things had changed, from the absence of the
horse and the wood surrounding her. It took her a second to realize it was the
interior of some bedroom and she no longer had binds on her. Clothes were
folded at the side, along with a towel that smelled of fabric conditioner.
The front door was locked at the first attempt, so she trudged to the
bathroom and used up the hot water to clear her mind and form a plan.
Stepping outside, the plan she had to pick the lock was turned to dust when
she found the bedroom door open and Lucas standing by the doorframe.
He’d changed, too, hair slick from a recent shower and shirt no longer
torn. It was still black. For the first time since all that running, she finally
allowed herself to get a good, long look at him.
If that Daniel guy was the most beautiful one she’d met, this one…
was not beautiful. Everything about Lucas was too harsh to be called
beautiful, from the angular set of his face to the jaw that could cut a diamond
with its sharpness. Two slashes of dark brows accentuated piercing black
eyes, looking at her from a crooked nose. A hard-looking mouth curved in
disapproval, directed at her.
Not beautiful, but the aura he emitted didn’t need him to be beautiful.
Everything about him screamed sharp and dangerous…powerful. It was
astounding how she hadn’t figured it out earlier.
 “You’ve dropped the act.”
The frown deepened. “What act?”
“The smooth act. You felt harmless in that coffee shop, manageable in
the car and on the horse. You’ve dropped all of it now. This is the real you.”
Surprise flitted in his eyes, instantly banked down. His gaze traveled
from her toes and up, her body reacting with a vibrant tingling. Nora
swallowed when it paused on her midriff, which was bare, and she was out of
breath when it paused again…this time, on her top. Not her cleavage but her
neck, bare to his perusal.
“Are you sure you’re not some bloodsucking creature?” she blurted
out.
His mouth quirked, fascinating her for a second. Then his expression
cleared, irritating her.
“No, I’m not. Your blood’s safe with me.”
But what about everything else?
“I’m cold.”
Oh, he was ready for it, already tossing a hoodie in her direction. She
caught it and donned it, then froze at his next words.
“Don’t ask for shoes. You’re not escaping. This place is sealed tight.”
Damn it.
Her chin lifted. “I wasn’t going to. I just want food.”
Lies, but it was with relief when he bought it and nodded, then
gestured for her to follow him. The rest of the cabin was as sparse as the
bedroom, the kitchen only containing basic cooking utensils, a wooden table,
and two chairs. No couch. Nora eyed the array of food packs on the counter
before snatching the cupcakes. She sat on the chair, waiting for him to sit on
the other side before she tore the pack open and bit into one.
Disappointment fluttered at the first taste, but she forced herself to
swallow. When she looked up, she found black eyes staring at her lips before
he looked down at the table. Another flutter came, not from the food. That
irritated her further, but not enough to unleash it.
“This is dry and kind of hard. When I finally launch my new line of
cupcakes, I’ll make sure they remain soft and good.” Dismay set in. “But I’m
never going to be able to launch anything, am I? Because I’m stuck here with
you.”
She looked him in the eye, not missing the streak of…something on
his face. Emotion? He was a hard man to read.
“You’re not going to be stuck here forever. Just until…”
“Until your friend stops seeing me in his dreams?”
“Until I can get it in his head that his dreams are wrong.”
“So you are friends.”
Lucas didn’t answer that question, taking the second cupcake and
chewing on it thoughtfully. No comment on the dry factor. “I’ll make sure he
leaves you alone.”
“Or you could just release me. Take me to a lawyer if you must—or
the supernatural patrol. They would know what to do.”
He shook his head. “That won’t help.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Clauses won’t stop him.”
“Because he’s too powerful?”
“Yes.”
No hesitation, the conviction hard in his tone. Her knees shook, a
dawning realization that he was telling the truth.
“And you?” she whispered. “What are you?”
“I’m a shifter.”
No hesitation, either. But she knew there was more to it. “Where are
we?”
“New Zealand.”
 Definitely more to it. Her body snapped back, thunderstruck.
“And what do you gain from all this?”
This time, there was hesitation—a struggle he couldn’t quite hide.
Finally, he wrestled it in. “Nothing.”
“Bullshit.”
“For someone in trouble, you sure talk a lot.”
“I want answers. And I’m not the one who caused all this trouble.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Just let me go. I’ll figure it all out. You don’t owe me anything and I
don’t need you.”
“You’re right. I don’t owe you anything. But you do need me, so stop
arguing about it. This is what it is. I promise it’ll all be over soon.”
He stood up after that, a quiet declaration that he was done talking.
Nora glared at his back in frustration, torn between demanding more answers
and jumping on his back to attack. Instead, she stayed in her seat, forcing
herself to eat the rest of the cupcakes and stop thinking about her business for
now. It could survive a few days without her—she hoped—and she needed to
focus on two things now: sustenance and a clear mind, in preparation for her
eventual escape.
The hours went by with neither speaking to each other, but she felt his
presence no matter which part of the cabin she went to. Because he was better
at keeping himself unnoticeable earlier, it didn’t take her long to figure out
why and break the silence. She marched back to the dining room, crossing
her arms and pinning him with a look.
“You’re nervous.”
Lucas looked up, finishing his sip of hot tea before he set the cup
down.
“Do you always dissect your kidnappers?”
“No, I don’t, but I noticed you always deflect from answering when
I’m close to the truth you don’t want me to know. Which means I’m right.
You are nervous.”
“Nora, get some sleep. It’s been a tiring day.”
“I slept on the horse. You didn’t. You were also pretty calm earlier,
which means something’s about to happen.”
The glass clinked before his body moved, standing up. Towering over
her. Her mouth shut at the difference in their aura, his so strong that she was
forced to take a step back. Lucas followed, one step after another until her
back was pressed to the wall and he was right in front of her. The heat he
emanated was intense, crawling up her spine.
“You’re driving me nuts.”
“The sentiment is reciprocated.”
“Don’t wait for me to hurt you.”
“You had plenty of time to hurt me, Lucas. Why didn’t you?”
Because he couldn’t. She was sure of it.
“Go to sleep, Nora. You shouldn’t be up.” The thickness in his tone,
the tension on his neck, his eyes…comprehension came.
“Something’s about to happen and you want me out of it.”
Frustration rose, matching hers. “Nora, stop being such a damn
smartass and listen to me for once—”
“No, I won’t—”
Thunder shook the sky, booming inside the cabin and shuddering at
their feet. It stopped the rest of their words as they gazed at each other, a
second of understanding—her confirming her earlier suspicion, him that
whatever it was had arrived.
“Did you invite someone else?”
“Just him.”
“Him?” she hissed. “As in this Daniel guy?”
“Yes. To negotiate. Stay close.”
Something was wrong. If he invited the guy, why was he so nervous?
And why was this… “Lucas?”
Lucas’s next words sent Nora’s body pulsing with fear. “This isn’t
him.”
 Chapter 5
If someone had told Lucas he was going to risk his life protecting a woman
from the shuddering thunder of the night, he wouldn’t have believed it. No
woman needed protecting in his life—not his sister, who could kick ass just
like the rest of their kind, and certainly not Rufus’s sister, who was perhaps
one of the most powerful demigods he knew and could bring anyone to the
ground with a flick of her finger. Jememiah Kai and Lizbeth of the Outlands
were two forces to be reckoned with, women he’d grown up with and were
now missing from his present.
Nora Parker was tough, he’d give her that, but she was human and no
match for what was coming. Not that he even knew what was coming,
considering he’d never encountered this before. But it sure as hell wasn’t
Daniel…and it was ringing every warning bell in his body until he was a
ticking time bomb.
A blast of light streaked the sky through the window, followed by
another shuddering from the ground. Beside him, Nora tensed, attention
focused on the door before he took her wrist and squeezed. Their eyes met.
“Don’t leave my side, whatever happens.”
A hesitant beat, then her expression resolved with a nod. She didn’t
remove her hand as they both turned their heads to the roof when that rattled,
too. A second later, the rattling turned to a violent shaking, breaking the glass
window into shards. He turned to keep most of it off her, gritting his teeth
when a few pieces scratched his skin. Definitely not Daniel.
A cracking sound split the air, followed by the roof being lifted by an
invisible force. He yanked her down and covered her with his body,
expecting the rest of the house to collapse on them and scales already
forming on his limbs. Another streak of lightning, landing near the door and
splintering the wood to pieces. His arm snapped up to stop shrapnel, scales
easily deflecting the blow. Nora gasped, honey eyes locked on his arm before
she looked up and froze.
More lightning streaks were gathering in the sky, brighter and brighter
until nothing else was visible. He scrambled up, taking her with him, tension
turning him rigid as more scales grew. The streaks formed a single ball,
curling for a second before growing and forming a line pointing in their
direction.
“Shit,” she whispered.
Shit was right. If he had doubts earlier, that was erased now, as no
natural weather could do this. There was a demigod somewhere around here
—and his dragon wouldn’t be enough to stop the coming kill.
A last thunderous roar, then the lightning was striking down. Lucas
jumped to the side, the first strand hitting him and interrupting his shifting
process—which, in turn, had him and Nora landing abruptly. He rolled her
around, cushioning her fall, then crouching again to protect her from the final
blow. It didn’t come.
Roar after roar came, but no attack. His head snapped up, taking in
the fire and smoke where the lightning had hit, then the spot where they’d
been standing. The rest of the house had collapsed, destroyed by a giant hole
snapping with embers. Ahead, movement caught his attention, recognizing
enough to haul Nora to her feet and run for it.
“Are you crazy?”
“Maybe. It’s Daniel.”
“I know. I see him.”
But he wasn’t alone because another figure was there: robed, dark-
haired, simmering with a glow and strands of lightning all over his body. It
was the source of all this shindig, with Daniel the only one stopping the rest.
“Nora, I need to help him. Can you stay here?”
Her face sizzled with an accusation, another truth confirmed: that he
and Daniel weren’t fully enemies. But she nodded, exhaling shakily.
“I don’t have a choice. There’s nowhere to go,” was her only reply.
Lucas took it. Without another word, he raced forward, adrenaline
giving him the momentum for another jump. This time, no lightning stopped
him from fully coating his body with scales and the demigod fighting Daniel
was caught unaware by the impact of his landing. They toppled to the ground.
He had enough sense to kick the man back before that power slithered in
between scales and singed him. In a move as old as time, he and Daniel stood
back-to-back.
“You’re late.”
Daniel acknowledged it with a sharp nod. “Blame him.”
“And who is he?”
The demigod rushed them in a burst of light, but Daniel’s hands swept
up. The light slammed against the invisible force put up, then spread around
to try to find alternative entrances towards them. Without missing a beat,
Daniel kept moving his hand until they were protected by a dome of invisible
force, with Nora inside it.
“I don’t know him,” Daniel finally replied. “But he’s your fault.”
“How?”
“This is his territory now.”
“This was ours before.”
“Things change.” The pleasant tone changed. For the first time, Lucas
heard the man’s grief, however brief. “He’s going to kill you for being here
alone.”
Well, shit.
“You shouldn’t have chased us here, then.”
“You shouldn’t have interfered.”
His gaze rested on Nora, who’d remained surprisingly still as she
watched them…him. As if waiting for his next move. The small show of trust
got to him more than any of the arguments she’d tried earlier.
“You can’t have her, Daniel.”
“Says you?”
“Says everyone except you.”
“I see.” Daniel looked like he wanted to say more, a frown marring
those usually cheerful features. But the next lightning streak was stronger,
forcing him to lift his arms higher. “Rufus put you up to this.”
“I was waiting for you to negotiate, not to fight.”
“We’re not fighting…yet. And we can’t stay here forever.”
Obviously.
“Let us go, then.”
Daniel’s hands crumpled into fists. For a second, Lucas thought a
punch was coming. Instead, there was only a sigh. “Fine. I’m still coming
after you.”
“Fine. Be civil. Don’t fucking scare her off.”
The demigod’s nose wrinkled. “Human cursing is so crude. Fine. But
I’m not changing my mind. She’s mine. You can take her for now.”
The sheer pigheadedness of it made Lucas want to punch Daniel this
time, but he refrained from the urge and watched as the demigod made
complicated hand movements. Swirls, rotations, the crack of knuckles.
Another show of fists, then, “When I say go, you go. Get your dragon out.
Fly her out of here.”
There was no arguing with that and Lucas wasn’t stupid. With a nod,
he took a step back and retracted some of his scales, understanding the signal
would be coming soon. Nora glanced at Daniel for a second before returning
to him until he stood close once more and took her hand. She didn’t resist.
“I’m going to shift to my dragon form and you’re going to have to
ride me. We need to fly out of here.”
The words held a certain intimacy, his mind going somewhere else for
that short moment. Then he felt her shock, saw her face turn white, and
interpreted it as her wariness of the forces around them. There was no protest
as she bit her lower lip, the nod another show of trust that had him gritting his
teeth. That sobered him up.
“I’ll keep you safe, I swear.”
No response except for her feet bracing, then another nod of her head.
Before he could reassure her some more, Daniel’s voice boomed, louder and
filled with immense, electric power.
“Go!”
Lucas needed no further call, his body reacting right away: skin
turning to scales, size increasing within seconds. He felt her limbs
scrambling, helped lock her in place on top of him before his limbs shortened
and thickened, his dragon coming out and swallowing up the rest of the
protected ground. That protection broke, Daniel’s dome curving up and away,
taking the other demigod’s lightning with him.
With a heave, Lucas let his wings take flight and got out of there as
fast as he could.

The booming sounds from the battle, muted only by Daniel’s struggle to keep
it covered up, distracted Lucas for a while. But it was only logical that his
attention remain there as he flew away, already trying to sense a break in
force or a powerful feeling that would indicate they were in danger again. But
nothing came. That steady knowledge remained until the field was out of
their sight and they were soaring over a wide expanse of the dark ocean. Bit
by bit, the tension in his shoulders relaxed, allowing him to fly faster and
more smoothly. But the relaxed state lasted only a while as another
realization came, this one from the lightweight figure on top of him. Riding
him.
Nora wasn’t relaxed as she gripped his spikes tight enough for him to
feel the shudders coming out of her body. At first, he deduced it was the cold,
so he glided down, away from the clouds and closer to the earth’s natural
warmth. Instead of warming up, a whimper escaped her throat, tight and
riddled with an emotion he hadn’t heard from her before. It went straight
down his gut, building up until it coated him, too, leading to a stilling that
almost had him faltering.
That jerking motion brought another whimper out, and he knew. The
woman who evaded Daniel like a pro, stood up to him multiple times, and
waited without an ounce of fear in the center of two demigods fighting…the
same woman was afraid now, almost mindless with it. Nora was afraid of
heights—and there was no land in sight unless they went back, which they
couldn’t.
Profanities exploded in his mind, none of which helped. When
another whimper came, bitten back hastily, he was overcome with a
sickening feeling, one he had to push back until it throbbed low in his belly.
That wouldn’t help, either. For a second, he wished he could return to man
form and reassure her with words: that she was safe, that he wouldn’t let
anything happen to her, that she just needed to close her eyes and this would
all be over soon. Again, wishing wouldn’t help. Lucas acknowledged this and
set it aside. Then he got to action and made sure he flew the steadiest he had
in his life.
Time went by, Nora’s trembling and whimpered sounds finally dying
down. But her grip stayed tight, entire body locked rigid. He tried his best to
ignore the shivering of her legs—this one from the cold—as he kept on the
lookout, trying to see a break in the dark waters. He found it somewhere
around the second hour, up ahead: the white foam of waves crashing against
rocks, which meant there was land. The closer he got, the more he saw; the
rocks connected to a tall plateau of land that formed a vertical rectangle in the
middle of the ocean. It wasn’t his original destination—not that he knew
where he was going—but it would do for now…or would it?
On the one hand, he could land now, but the small space ensured it
wasn’t going to be a very smooth landing, the space on top filled with more
jagged rocks. On the other, he could skip this one and try to find more, except
the darkness that stretched ahead and the lack of any more white foam
confirmed that would be hours away. A drop hit his nose, then another. The
drizzle was light without any accompanying power surge but steadily gaining
traction. And that decided it for him.
He kept flying steadily but slowed down his motion when the sound
of waves became louder. When he was near, he braced his body, hoping the
sudden rigidity would alert her to brace herself, too. Maybe it worked
because Nora sat up straighter, the first movement she made in a long time.
When he started circling the cliff, she leaned down as if she was going to be
sick.
 Hang on, his mind willed. She did.
His gaze circled the rocks, a sense of hopelessness crawling when he
saw only some small, flat surfaces in between. Not enough for his dragon. He
pushed the negative emotion down, buried it deep until only confidence was
left. With firm resolve, he started his descent, timing it...waiting it out until
the last second when he needed to do that one drastic change.
The jagged rocks came closer, a few brushing against him but his
scales protecting him. Still, he kept lowering until his body couldn’t do it
anymore, surrounded by sharpness from every direction. On top of him, she
gasped, then started knocking on his scales to catch his attention.
“Stop. You’re going to hurt yourself.”
Her shaky voice belied her show of strength and he knew that took all
effort to get out of her state of fear. That she would use it to worry about him
humbled him, then forced him to stop delaying this as he assessed the drop
below. Very high, with maybe a sixty percent chance of surviving. He’d take
it.
Lucas clenched his dragon, turning his form even more rigid. That
was all the nudge it took for the beast to subside, size growing smaller until
inch by inch of him could fit in between the rocks. Her weight became more
substantial, her trembling clearer as his wings flapped madly about to keep
them afloat for as long as possible.
Then those wings folded in, too, his full man form returning. With
nothing to keep him up this time, he and Nora abruptly plunged.
 Chapter 6
Nora’s biggest fear had never been an issue in her twenty-five years of living,
mostly because she took great care to avoid any chance of confronting it: no
plane rides, no glass elevators, none of that carnival madness that her friends
loved so much. It kept her sane, kept her secret safe because if there was one
thing she hated, it was being vulnerable in front of anyone.
That was all shot to hell now as the fear she avoided for so long
finally took her in—not just took, but punched her in the face with it. The
ride on top of the dragon, however magnificent his form was, turned her mind
blank and body to jelly, controlled by an emotion she had no power over and
helpless to do anything but experience it. Now she was falling hard from the
same great height and even that wasn’t any better. A part of her had enough
semblance to wonder if maybe death would stop this paralyzing feeling.
Pain sliced at her shoulder, jarring her before she felt her body
crashing to the ground. She expected more pain, something excruciating, but
all she felt was a numbness that gathered at her stomach and continued to
slither up until she was wrapped in it. She stayed in there, the cocoon a
temporary respite before her chest turned tight and it became difficult to take
in air.
In her mind, she was still falling. There was endlessness to it that was
almost surreal, but the continuous tightening of her chest kept breaking it
until she couldn’t take it anymore. Incoherent sounds came from her throat…
then, other sounds, too dark and husky to be hers. A flicker of recognition
came and went. Then it stubbornly returned, forcing her mind to open and
hear what was being said: something about being alive, something about it
being over. But she didn’t feel alive, and God…she needed to feel it now.
She knew this voice, knew him. In a mad bout of desperation, she
reached out, yanking him close—fusing her mouth to the closest source of
warmth until she felt it, firm and full against hers. There was an intake of air,
a suspended moment of silence before she was lost in the kiss, taking
whatever inch she could.
 Warmth turned to heat, seeping under her numb skin. The stark terror
dissipated, slowly but surely, replaced by an electrifying pleasure that
caressed the deep places of her soul. Then it was gone, another abrupt change
coming over as the kiss was broken. Her mind cleared, taking note…taking
semblance, horror creeping in when she realized what she’d done. Not just
that, but what he’d done: push her away.
Nora’s eyes snapped open, expecting outrage or mortification from
the other party. Instead, there was a deep concern and brimming sincerity.
She saw it gleam in his eyes, hardness replaced by softness in the way he
watched her in return. Fingers rubbed her hair, patted her shoulder, checking
her for injuries while his mouth uttered the same words repeatedly.
“I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. Please forgive me.”
It was sweet, stabbing through the rest of her anxiety. But she could
still remember the kiss and still feel traces of it tingling her body at…odd
places. His fingers weren’t helping. She shook it off, told herself this wasn’t
the right place. Before she could move away and confront other topics, the
sky opened up with a crashing sound, leaving them scrambling up and
rushing to the first cover they could find against the rain.
That was when she noticed something: Lucas’s broad back, riddled
with faint white scars and trailing down to a firm butt, muscled thighs…shit,
butt. He was naked.
“There’s a cave ahead. Hurry.”
Nora’s gaze snapped up, her cheeks heating for ogling and getting
caught. But he wasn’t paying attention, already ushering her to a row of
jagged, intimidating rocks…oh. There was a crevice in between, large
enough for them to get into. He went in first, leaving her in the rain for close
to a minute before he stuck his head out.
“It’s empty. Come on.”
Inside it was dark, but that soon changed when he produced light in
the form of a glowstick. Not much, but enough for her to see that the cave
was even smaller than the cabin and he was already wearing clothes.
“Where do you even keep those things?”
 “I always have the basics strapped under my clothes for scenarios like
this.”
“So your clothes always tear open when you…?”
“Pretty much.”
What a waste, she wanted to say. Something else came out instead,
unable to stay in any longer. “I didn’t know dragon shifters existed.”
“We don’t—at least, not in this world.”
The mysterious statement had her shooting him a look, but he ignored
it as he settled on a rock and leaned against it. Nora felt around, the walls too
damp for her to lean on, but there was another rock close to his that could
give her back some support. She positioned herself and tucked her legs under
her hoodie, face to face with him when she was done. His gaze followed her
movements, watching intently. To check on her, she reminded herself. The
rain outside grew louder, booming in contrast with the cave interior’s silence.
She cleared her throat. “Aren’t you going to elaborate?”
“It’s…a complicated world. Hard to explain.”
“Fine. At least tell me what they were.”
She expected the same stubborn silence, but he spoke. “They’re sons
of gods.”
Again, she expected shifter or some kind of magician, pretty sure
those existed. Nora blinked. “I’m sorry?”
“Demigods. Demi. Half-man, half-god. Halflings. They’re called
many names.”
“I know what demigods are, but…what?”
“You’re not hallucinating,” he confirmed. “It’s all true, just like
shifters and vampires are. You still haven’t told me how you know besides
that hum on your skin.”
“You haven’t told me why two demigods would be fighting over me.”
“Technically, they weren’t fighting over you. Only one of them wants
you.”
“And you knew him. Intimately.”
She got him there, the scowl drawing her mouth. She closed her eyes,
trying to stay focused.
“I wouldn’t call it intimate.”
“Bullshit.”
“The other demigod, I don’t know. We trespassed.”
“And this place? This isn’t his?”
“It feels empty. It was my mistake for not checking that cabin
beforehand.”
“But the horse and these items…”
“I’m always prepared except for the cabin part. That used to be
Daniel’s territory.”
“So demigods just have territories here?”
“Some. It hasn’t always been that way. It’s complicated.”
There was that comment again. “Right, okay. So to get this straight: a
demigod wants me, a local human. Because of some dream. And you know
him, but you’re trying to prevent it.”
“You’re about to ask why.”
“Obviously.”
A sigh came, resigned. “Yes, I’m trying to prevent it. Orders.”
“From?”
“Daniel’s brother.”
“Why would you take orders from…oh.” She recalled the books she’d
read right after she’d learned supernatural creatures existed. The desperate
devouring of information, greedy for whatever she could find. “Some books
talked about myths of creatures serving masters and a whole caste system.
Are you…?”
 “I wouldn’t call it a caste system, but just a world where demigods
rule…well, ruled. Another long story. You could say we’re second in line.”
“Like generals.”
“Hmm.”
It was impossible, but then again, so were mythical creatures. Her
mind reeled, trying to rebalance the idea in her head that another world
existed so close.
“Back to your dragon and those demigods, what can you do? I’m
assuming lightning was that other dude’s specialty and Daniel’s are…
protective shields and tracking people down?”
Lucas chuckled, the sound so amused and skittering across her skin.
She tightened the hoodie around her.
“Daniel’s specialty is everything that relates to dreams and barriers:
prophecies, a glimpse of the future, crossing, and making barriers. He can run
through walls if he wants to, can create walls out of thin air if the need calls
for it. He got here by doing that—crossing the barrier that separated your
world from ours.”
“So a mirror world?”
“No. Ours is completely different and not beside yours.”
She opened her eyes, found him pointing up. Oh. “Your world’s up
there?”
“The entrance is up there. Only dragons and Daniel can cross it. The
other demigods are accidents and they’re stuck here. It’s…”
“Another long story,” she finished.
“Yes.”
“Whatever. I guess that’s your business, as long as you don’t intend
on harming my kind.”
“We would never.”
The conviction was almost indignant, making her smile. “So, dragons
can cross, too. Is that why you’re here instead of the brother?”
“Yes. He’s more powerful than Daniel, but his power doesn’t include
any crossing.”
“What are yours?”
“Not much. I can shift and I’m strong in my animal form.” A
pondering pause. “I’m also substantially stronger than you guys in my man
form. Same eating habits, but we sleep at intervals. We can stay awake for
days and slumber for weeks.”
The more she learned, the more she wanted to know. “What else?”
“We fight well. Warriors in our land. There used to be more of us, a
dragon for most demigods, but over the years…” He sighed. “It’s just me and
my siblings now. Two of them.”
Melancholy colored his voice, carefully controlled, making her want
to reach out. There was a story there, but she held her tongue.
“You forgot flying.”
“Yes. We can fly.” That gaze settled on her once more, remorse
shining. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“You couldn’t have known since it’s a well-kept secret,” she said
lightly. A pause, then, “I’m sorry about the kiss.”
For a second, his expression darkened, body tensing. Then he visibly
relaxed and nodded. “It’s fine. Kisses ground people from panic. I get that.”
And that was that. “Right.”
“We should get some sleep. Tomorrow...if you’re up for it, I can fly.”
“I’ll be up for it,” she assured him, ignoring the pinching in her
stomach. It wasn’t like there was any other choice.
Nora settled with that understanding, closing her eyes again and
letting her senses unwind. What she assumed would be a difficult task turned
out to be the easiest, and soon she was drifting off to sleep. The only problem
was that it wasn’t the peaceful kind she wanted as dreams crawled in: soft,
muted, almost unnoticeable at first. They wisped around her senses,
flickering images that painted pictures. Fuzzy figures standing regally before
a crowd, a tall structure with high towers and glistening walls. The backdrop
was a beautiful mix of bright tones as if made out of a painting and brought
to life. It circled with the laughter, the easy cheer…until it didn’t.
The figures started crumbling, like dust blown away by the wind. So
did the structure, only this one shook so hard that the backdrop shook, too.
All the pretty colors went away, swallowed by the ground before something
started rising: gray smoke, black smoke, dust particles that spew everywhere.
It replaced everything until the dream became dark. As for the sounds…
Cries. Endless cries, the anguish reaching out and yanking at her
heart. She saw herself in the dream, a bystander watching as a crumpled
figure started to crawl to the ground towards her. Then, more did until a
whole army was crawling after her, sending panic up her throat.
She was ashamed to say she wasn’t as brave as she wanted to be,
turning around and running away. She kept running amid the smoke and dust
in an attempt to escape, but there was nowhere to go as the same scenario
was everywhere. They followed her, curling around her ankles like hands
pleading with her to come back, so she stopped—turned back around, waited
for the first figure to reach her.
Before that figure could, a gust of wind blew it apart, then the rest.
The lands became flat and that emptiness reached up again, this time getting
to her and squeezing her chest. She smelled the smoke and thought she saw
orange in the distance. Fire? The smoke became stronger, smothering her
nostrils. Nora struggled, refusing to stay still and let herself be consumed.
Her eyes snapped open, a breaking from the dreams...except she could still
smell the smoke.
Disoriented, she stayed where she was, letting her vision adjust. She
froze when the scent didn’t go away, lingering under her nostrils. A few
sniffs and she was sitting up straight, even while instinct dictated for her not
to make any sudden movements. The glowstick was gone, the figure before
her unmoving. But other movements were surrounding them now, figures
crawling from the walls and the entrance of the cave towards them.
Her skin hummed, a late reaction before she smelled it: rust. It
vibrated down her senses, punching her from all directions and making panic
set in. Just as the first shadowy figure reached her, Nora kicked, connecting
with it. The hiss that followed sent a chill down her spine. The arm that
yanked her back nearly gave her a heart attack until she realized who it was,
but it was too late as the ground seemed to crumble around them. Just like the
dream. Now reality.
They fell, swallowed by the force of the fall with nowhere to go, as
compressed cave walls surrounded them. Somehow, Lucas still managed to
hold on, curling his body around her until he was all she could feel: hard,
warm, a steady presence who refused to let go. She clung on, dizziness
assaulting her as her fear came again. But it was short lived as they both
crashed before they could anticipate it, his body taking most of the impact
and causing a groan to tumble out of his lips.
Snapping out of her fear, Nora scrambled up, wildly looking around.
She couldn’t hear the sound of the rain anymore, couldn’t hear anything
beyond one dominant sound: hissing, soft. Familiar. One by one, figures
jumped from the walls to the ground, too many to count. There was an
entrance to this part of the cave on her right, but that was blocked, the
vampires crowding the only way out. Her hair stood on end.
They were trapped.
 Chapter 7
There was no way Lucas’s full dragon form could transform in a space like
this, not if he didn’t want Nora to be crushed to death. But there was also no
way for them to survive if they remained like this, especially not when the
vampires that had dragged them down here were slowly, steadfastly closing
in on them. This wasn’t how he wanted the rest of the night to go down,
damn it—another actual scenario of getting out of the frying pan and into the
fire.
In the ensuing fall, he reached out for her form, wanting her close and
sick at the idea that Nora was back to her earlier state. A protective streak
came over him, dominating all other senses as he snarled, mind turning with
escape plans and attack methods.
A hand rested on his elbow, drawing him in…squeezing it. Unable to
look down, he snarled again at the approaching group, their silence save for
the hisses a formidable aura. A rougher squeeze, then, “Let me handle this.”
Lucas blinked, realizing Nora didn’t sound fearful or panicked. The
tone in her voice was filled with nothing but determination, even while her
clammy hands told him something else: a hint of nerves. He stilled when she
stood up, then moved to reach out for her. She let him draw her back in but
stubbornly stood in front of him as if she was the one trying to protect him.
What the…?
“Good evening. I’m so sorry we barged in your territory if this is
indeed your territory. We didn’t mean to. We just came from a very
gruesome escape from an angry, powerful creature. That was our fault, too.”
The vampires kept moving, one excruciating inch after another until
the two of them were backed against a wall.
“Okay, maybe we’re not understanding each other here.” Nora
widened the stance of her legs as if bracing herself. Then, to his
astonishment, she began hissing: the same sound coming from the vampires,
only it wasn’t full-on hissing. There were words underneath being muttered
and it didn’t take him long to catch on. “I know what it feels like to be
intruded on and I promise we never wanted to intrude on you guys. This must
be your home, a haven for your kind to…uh, breed, and rest, and it should
remain yours.”
The moving stopped, a sudden stilling that reverberated around the
space. The hissing still went on, but they were listening. Jesus, they were
listening to her.
“We would’ve kept going, but I was having a bit of a problem. You
see, I’m scared of heights…actually, no, I’m terrified of heights and was
nearly inconsolable earlier. It left this man who saved my life no choice but
to land here so I wouldn’t be afraid anymore, then the rain came before we
could fly out again.” A loud, exasperated sigh. “We got wet, so we hurried in
this cave to warm ourselves up. Then we decided to rest before we continued
our escape, because…well, I needed to gather the courage to ride him again,
you know? Not as in anything sexual, but ride an animal. Like a horse. Sorry,
my mind went in the gutter for a second there.”
Lucas choked on a cough, unsure where the conversation was
heading. But he sure as hell knew where his mind was heading: an image of
Nora riding him, her eyes closed and filled with ecstasy. Desire rushed,
unwelcome, and inappropriate. He slammed it down, focused on the rest of
her words as she talked about the vampires letting them go so they could get
out of the lair…
The hisses grew louder, alerting him. Nora held her hands up,
placating them. She mentioned something about the supernatural patrol again,
said they had some vampires in the force. She mentioned blood.
“Yes. We want blood.”
And that was where it all went wrong.
He yanked her towards him, her swallowing sound audible in his ears.
Around them, the hisses shifted, the same word stirring across the figures:
blood. A hiss that they wanted blood, a promise that they would let her go if
she gave them her blood. But he knew these creatures—maybe not from his
world because they barely existed, but he’d traveled enough in this world to
encounter a few in the past. Vampires made all kinds of promises to get what
they wanted, while only a few actual decent ones ever made true on those
promises. The rest used it for only one thing: a lure. These bastards weren’t
going to let her go, not with that hungry glint in their eyes. A few drops of
blood wouldn’t be enough, either. They would tear her to pieces.
A second or two was all he got to figure it out, and a third was all the
leeway needed to get moving. Lucas shifted until his scales were out, then
wings, but he didn’t use them to fly yet. Instead, he wrapped them around
himself and Nora like a cocoon, ensuring their protection in the meantime.
The first vampire reached them, a figure blazing in its speed and
crashing against his wing. He flicked it with a burst of force—then, used that
momentum to rush forward and crash against the crowd like a bowling ball.
The figures were knocked down, leaving the entrance clear, so he kept going
and used the small holes between folded wings to see his way. Not a pretty
sight, as more shadows lurked in the bigger cave hall, coming out of holes
that probably tunneled down. Up ahead, he saw another entrance gushing
with white foam—
Pain reverberated down his shoulders, sharp nails penetrating the
scales of his back before he brushed them off. He rolled, taking Nora with
him, her gasp eliciting another protective streak and the need to comfort.
Instead, he searched her eyes in the darkness of their cocoon, the air around
them going tight as vampires started crawling all over them.
“Entrance ahead. Sea. Fly.”
She got it, trembling once. Then, nodding resolutely. Her hands dug
down his waist, gripping, and that was the only consent he needed for him to
inhale hard—then, let out a deep roar before he was pushing the crowded
weight off them and powering through a run. When the entrance came in
sight, he jumped, leaving the angry hisses behind. White foam swallowed
them both but not for long, his legs kicking to get them out of the dark water.
The undercurrent of the waves dragged them back down, but his wings
spread, pulling them up and breaking them out.
And they were flying again.

It wasn’t easy to shift to his full dragon form mid-flight, but the thought of
them falling back in the water pushed through the difficulty and made it
work. Another difficulty was Nora climbing from his neck to his back, a
painstaking process that involved a lot of shivering limbs and her heart
erratically beating against his. It killed him, knowing they were there again,
but he tried his best to push it out of his mind so he could focus on the flight
and getting them to a safe strip to land on—something bigger and no longer
isolated this time, he hoped.
The ocean view was broken by that land they were searching for an
hour later, a wider space of field for him to land on. Relief poured in waves
as he neared and saw the lights of villages up ahead, far enough that they
wouldn’t be spotted. But hell, there wouldn’t be the same kind of trouble
here.
A groan from her prompted him to start his descent. This time, it was
smoother as he didn’t need to circle, only needing to glide and let his feet
touch the ground. Momentum carried him forward, but his flapping wings
acted as a brake to fully stop the forward rush. Slowly, he returned to his man
state, felt Nora fight her internal battle again. Then he felt pain sinking in,
blooming up, pushed back by the dragon form but now coming at him in full
force.
It radiated everywhere, coming from the wounds the vampires had
given him in between scales they got into. It looked like the bastards got a lot
in, too, and all he could do was grit his teeth and ride it out, knowing the
initial minutes would be the most excruciating before it started throbbing
down.
He felt Nora move away from him, then come back, hands touching.
There were soothing words and a humming sound, her touch efficient and
fleeting, but pressing at certain parts. The pain eased like he knew it would,
but her touch remained, warm and soft, sinking into him.
Those hands reached out, touching his jaw…lifting his head. He
looked up and found her eyes meeting his, an infinite pool of concern so
close that he could see flecks of gold in the honey. The kiss she’d given him
in her moment of panic came back to mind, cajoling him to forget about the
world for those few seconds and calling for more. For him to take. Hell, if
that hadn’t been the sweetest kiss he’d gotten in his life. But sweet didn’t
mean bland, and even now, he could remember that heat, the succeeding
pleasure, the clenching need.
And now he was aroused because of it.
“Are you okay?” she asked, thankfully not seeing the little problem.
Well, not little. Lucas shifted in his spot, carefully lifting his legs to hide the
erection he was sporting.
“I’m naked,” he reminded. “I don’t have spare clothes.”
“I know.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. Maybe practice makes perfect.” A shaky laugh, humor hiding
the nerves that were still there. Automatically, he reached out and touched her
cheek, thumb rubbing across her skin and wanting to pull her in to…what?
His body knew what, cock hardening further at the thought alone.
Immediately, he dropped his hand but kept his gaze on her. “I promise we
won’t be flying again anytime soon.”
“But we’re still in New Zealand.”
“We just need to get to the mainland. Trust me, there won’t be any
flying.”
“Promises, promises—Lucas!”
The warning was startling. It wasn’t until he was being pushed back
that it registered he’d been moving to stand up in the first place. A stinging
stabbed at his stomach, making him double over before muttered curses
flitted in his ears.
“Stop moving or I’m going to punch you.”
“Violent much?”
“Don’t be a smartass,” she said, angry as she knelt over him. She
inserted her hands inside her hoodie and he could only blink when she
produced her white top out in triumph. Unbidden, it had him thinking about
what she now wasn’t wearing under that hoodie, her breasts free from any
restraints. Soft, pillowy, fucking soft…
 The press of the wet top on his stomach had him hissing and
forgetting all about lewdness.
“What the hell…?”
“Your wounded all over, so you shouldn’t be moving at all.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. You’re bleeding.”
“And it’ll stop faster than you think. I’m a shifter, remember?”
“Yes, you’re a shifter, not a god. You can still die.”
He detected something in the tone… “Are you angry?”
“Yes,” she hissed, glaring at his wound. Pressing again, the top now
soaked with blood. “No. Well, yes.”
“What?”
“I’m angry at myself,” she blurted out, looking up and directing that
glare towards him. But there was something beneath it: anguish, pulsing like
a vein. “You shouldn’t have stopped for me. Then we could’ve…”
“Hey.” He waited until her anger had settled. “If I hadn’t taken you
here in the first place, then none of this would’ve happened. So don’t blame
yourself, okay?”
“I angered those vampires. Maybe I even provoked them. They hurt
you.”
“They were already angry. You tried your best to charm them and
bought us time. Otherwise, they would’ve attacked right away.”
“Do you have an answer for everything?”
At this, Lucas smirked. “Not really, but I’m a pretty knowledgeable
guy.”
“And arrogant.”
“Why shouldn’t I be?”
The anger dwindled to reluctance, then a sigh. “Fine. Just for the
record, it’s not your fault, either.”
“Why not?”
Nora smiled, impish now, and taking him in. “If your friend hadn’t
decided to stalk me, we wouldn’t be here. Now stay still and let me fix you
up. This is your biggest wound and I’m still worried.”
No more words came from her as she focused on the task she insisted
on doing, cleaning him up with the little cloth she had and fussing over his
cuts that were already starting to close. But she didn’t need to say more. He
was already in that state of fascination at every little thing she did, this human
who didn’t know him but worried over him. This human who talked to
vampires instead of running away. Anyone would be charmed by her, damn
it.
Lucas fought the feeling, knowing it wasn’t going to lead anywhere
good. Hands on his lap to cover his bottom half, he let her do her thing and
looked around, the tiny dots of light off to the distance a reassuring sight. He
opened his mouth to voice that reassurance, wanting her to understand it
would be smooth sailing from now on—at least, from unpredictable threats
like vampire hordes and unknown demigods.
He froze instead when his gaze landed on her head, bent down to take
a closer look at his stomach—in turn, close to his lap, her warm exhale of air
already felt by his hands. He bit back a groan when his cock twitched again,
her position presenting a scenario that his body seemed to like all too well.
Human, his mind reminded. Your fucking task. Don’t forget the goal here.
Right.
It was when that train of musing was running in his head that a man
spoke, the voice all too familiar.
“I knew I would find you here. Perhaps we can get to those
negotiations you were talking about?”
Daniel.
 Chapter 8
Daniel, the demigod, stood before them like a…well, demigod, she supposed,
if his glowing aura and perfectly immaculate clothes were an indication. How
he maintained that state after fighting a thunder demigod off was beyond her,
but Nora decided not to give herself a headache thinking about it, knowing it
would get her nowhere.
The blond man tossed clothes in Lucas’s direction, which he took
without hesitation and used right away—a sign of trust. But Lucas didn’t
relax, standing up and ushering her to her feet, too, his body so tense as if
ready to jump at any second. So, friend or not? There was only one way to
find out.
“Negotiate what? Me?”
The two men, who were having some kind of staring contest, turned
to look at her. The force of it from two powerful figures was a little more
intimidating than she’d expected, but she swallowed that in and straightened
her shoulders, refusing to let them see. It was Daniel who stepped forward,
then stopped at Lucas’s warning growl. The demigod shot the shifter a look
before clearing his throat and bowing at her, much like he did that first time.
“Lucas has told me that I’ve been scaring you off. I would like to
apologize for that. The last thing I want to do is scare you off.”
“You didn’t scare me off.”
“Good. That’s good.”
He smiled, pleasant and warm, the kind that wouldn’t hurt a fly. But
she’d seen his powers, knew that tenacity was the kind that refused to back
off when he put his mind to it. Besides, Lucas still hadn’t let up, jaw clenched
and hands fisted beside her.
“Now, what’s this negotiation thing?” she asked.
It was Lucas who answered. “He’s going to keep coming after you, so
I told him we’re negotiating—as in he tells you his thought process regarding
his dream and you tell him your decision. Isn’t that right, Daniel?”
 There was a warning there, loud and clear but masked by a touch of
control. Nora waited with bated breath, expecting a surge of power to come
and attack. But the pleasant expression remained on Daniel’s face.
“Perhaps we should head to that nearby village and find
accommodations first? We can hardly do this properly here.”
She glanced at Lucas, who glanced back. The subtle, albeit reluctant,
incline of his head decided for her as she nodded.
“Fine. Are you paying?”
“I’m paying,” Lucas declared. “Or else he might end up exposing us.”
Right. Not from this world.
“Splendid!” Daniel exclaimed. “Shall we go?”
The tension followed them as they trudged to the village, with Lucas
walking beside her and Daniel behind them. Even without looking, she could
feel his gaze on her, making her shift restlessly on her feet—enough for
Lucas to notice.
“How about you lead the way, Daniel? I’ll cover the back in case the
demigod comes back.”
“He’s not coming back,” was the murmured response, making her
inwardly shudder. Did he kill the other demigod?
They were in the village in no time, with Lucas making the
reservations before ushering them to a room upstairs. He still didn’t leave her
side, placing a few clothes in her hands and standing by the door of the
bathroom. Nora sputtered.
“Seriously? You’re going to stand there while I wash off inside? With
the door…open?”
“Just partially open. I’m not leaving your side, Nora. We’ve come this
far.”
“Right. Because of his brother.”
It was when she was inside and turning the shower on that his reply
came.
 “My sister’s freedom.”

“You didn’t tell me your sister’s life was on the line.”

“Her life isn’t on the line. She’s fine.”
“Then what was that…?”
“It’s a long story.”
“It’s always a long story with you.” Nora glared at the man beside
her, then crossed her arms and frowned at the table in front of them. They’d
both showered and changed, her in a dress and him in pants and yet another
black shirt, and the hot water had done wonders to her sore muscles. But it
didn’t do anything to her mood, frustrated that she had to sit here and wait for
a man when she should be sleeping in her bed.
Well, not sleeping, since this time of the night, she was usually poring
over her accounting books. Her manager had already confirmed that they’d
run the show while she was gone, keeping most of the initial worry at bay,
but…there were still the long stories. So many long stories, none of which
she was privy to but all of which she was involved in.
Okay, Lucas’s sister was none of her business. There was that.
“He keeps his promises, by the way.”
“What?” She blinked, needing to get her head back in the game.
Daniel. He was talking about Daniel. “Oh. But you said…”
“Signing some paper won’t do anything, so the challenge is to get him
to promise you something. Let him state it clearly. Then…”
There was more, but Lucas stilling was enough to tell her they were
no longer alone. No hum, but Daniel made his presence known by gliding
across the room and sitting opposite their chairs, dressed in a black suit and
hair styled up. Nearly all eyes in the fancy restaurant strayed to their table.
She couldn’t blame them.
The man was gorgeous, she’d give him that. He’d make a perfect
movie star with those looks, would charm the world if he put his mind to it.
Oddly enough, none of that appealed to her, her observation of the man a
distant thing she could appreciate but not get involved in.
“Good evening. Nora, you look lovely. So lovely. Shall we order?”
Deep green eyes swept over her, a casual assessment. Whatever
Daniel saw, it seemed to satisfy him.
“I’ve already ordered,” Lucas said, voice gruff.
“Oh. Good. Lovely.”
Sure enough, the food arrived: a plate of pasta for each of them and a
basket of bread at the center. Lucas tore through the bread with ease, eating
casually, while she twirled the pasta and took a few bites. She wasn’t as
hungry as she’d initially assumed, and somehow, the man beside her seemed
to sense that right away. What was up with that?
Lucas cleared his throat. “Shall we get started?”
An answering nod, Daniel flicking a hand up. A second later,
something shimmered around them, similar to what she saw when he’d been
shielding the lightning from hurting them. Nora studied their surroundings,
fascinated when she found the other patrons still conversing and eating. No
one looked at the shimmering cove…
“So only we can see this…thing?”
Daniel smiled. “Yes. And only we can hear this conversation.”
“Then let’s hear it.”
The smile grew wider, delighted that he could finally be heard—and
he didn’t waste it, getting into the topic right away. “My name is Daniel of
the Outlands and I’ve been called many names: Daniel the Young, Daniel the
Prophet, Daniel the Dreamer. The last relates to dreams because I dream.
There are regular dreams just like everyone else, but there are also special
dreams that lead to clues and a glimpse of the future.”
“Okay...”
The man leaned forward, pressing against the table and green eyes
widening. “I saw you in my dream. Your hair, your figure. You. You called
to me in a soft, melodic voice and you called me your salvation. You were
beautiful. That’s why I came here.” Another sweep of his hand, the dramatic
flair startling her.
“You came here because I was beautiful?”
“No, I came here because I’m your salvation. I’ve come here to save
you.”
“Huh. Right.” The aggressive breaking of bread at her side called her
attention, but she was careful not to turn and ogle outright. Instead, she kept
her gaze focused on Daniel, leaning forward as well. “Can I ask something?”
“Of course.”
“What are you saving me from?”
“Doom.”
Oh, God.
Nora sat back, biting back the scoff about to come out. Now she shot
Lucas a look, but he just kept breaking the bread and chewing on it,
obviously not about to interrupt. She rolled her eyes, then turned back to the
dramatic man.
“When I saw you, you were this pretty thing. Such a pretty thing. All I
wanted to do was take you with me and make you mine. Fulfill the prophecy.
No woman has ever touched my dreams but you.”
She was not his thing, but she was leaning in, as if eager to hear more.
Bafflement came and went, disbelief breaking through when she realized
what was happening again. With effort, she pulled back, cutting off the power
curling around her senses. Unconscious or deliberate? Two can play at that
game.
Pretending she wasn’t feeling the power and things were normal,
Nora sighed. “You followed me and freaked me out. I was scared for my life.
I’m scared you’ll hurt me…force me.” An added quiver of lips and…
“I apologize deeply, my lady. I never meant to scare you. I will never
hurt you.”
“So if I say no, will you walk away?”
 The remorseful look was lined with steel, stubbornness in the set of
Daniel’s lips. He shook his head. “I won’t force you, but I won’t walk away.
My dreams aren’t meaningless, my lady—”
“Nora.”
“…my lady Nora.”
She gritted her teeth. “Just Nora.” The rest of her sass was cut off by a
hand on her knee, pressing to warn. Lucas’s hand was rough, calloused…big,
firm, all the things that had her thoughts diving down and latching on to that:
the heat he radiated, trickling up her leg and shooting pinpoints of electricity
inside her underwear. She bit back a moan, her head swimming in a haze. If
only his hand would travel higher, caress where the ache was really located…
“Just Nora.”
Daniel’s voice pulled her abruptly back up. She blinked.
“Nora.”
“Nora…as I was saying, my dreams aren’t meaningless, and I’m
doing this for good. My honor dictates that I stay true to my essence. As it
turns out, you’re my essence.”
“Your brother doesn’t want me to be your essence,” she blurted out.
The hand left her knee, turning her nervous again. But she fought it. “That’s
why Lucas is here.”
Daniel’s gaze rested on Lucas, grim. “My brother doesn’t understand.
He never does. He doesn’t want to sully our bloodline.”
“So then—”
“I know better. You’re my destiny, Nora. Destiny trumps bloodline.”
Jesus. Either this man was insane or she was going insane. Nora’s
head swam again, this time because she was scrambling how to handle this.
Lucas’s words earlier crept in.
“So you really won’t hurt me?”
“I won’t. I really won’t.”
 “And you won’t force me?”
“I won’t force you. Instead, I’ll prove to you that I’m worth it and
wait. I’ll blend in your world, give you all the reassurances you need. You’ll
change your mind about me. When the time comes, you’ll come with me
willingly.”
Over her dead body, but she couldn’t say that. As if sensing she was
about to snap, the hand returned to her thigh, distracting her again. It stayed
there, too.
“But there will be no force involved, right? No kidnapping anymore?”
“No, there won’t. I’ll make sure of it.”
Her lips quivered again, gaze softening. Lashes fluttering. “You
promise?”
“I promise there would be no force involved. With my heart and
soul.”
“And any spells or luring effects? You won’t use them on me to try to
get me to sway?”
A hesitant pause, then, “I promise. You’ll come to me fair and
square.”
Bingo.
She would’ve preferred it if he said he’d accept her refusal, but this
was a demigod they were talking about and this would just have to do. The
triumph flared, but she kept her mouth shut and her expression relieved, even
smiling at him. Daniel reciprocated it with an even brighter one, pleased with
how he handled the situation and seemed to think he had the upper hand. It
looked like they were done, the shimmering cove disappearing and the
conversation around them returning to normal.
When Daniel reached out a hand, she decided to be gracious and
offered hers, expecting a handshake. He lifted it to his lips instead, pressing a
soft kiss on her knuckles and catching her gaze.
“You’ll be mine soon. Willingly.”
 Then he stood up and left, just like that—a god finished with his
subjects, the ass. The tension left her shoulders, causing them to sag.
Relaxation followed. Belatedly, she realized where the soothing feeling was
coming from: Lucas’s thumb circling her knee, starting up the tingling again.
Her breath hitched…and he heard it.
With a clearing of his throat, he jerked his hand back as if burned.
Perhaps her reaction had startled him as he hadn’t meant it that way and she
really should get that to her brain: no to overdramatic demigods, certainly no
to darkly attractive dragon shifters who considered her a task. Just that.
Nothing else.
“That was…”
“Stupid?” she supplied.
“Not stupid. Not smart, either.”
“I got him to promise.”
“Hmm. That was brilliant.” There was a heavy pause. “He’s a
romantic.”
Nora raised a brow. “I don’t need romance in my life.”
“What I meant by that is he won’t give up so easily, not if he thinks
this is some kind of shot at true love. He wasn’t kidding about taking those
dreams seriously.”
“And is there any chance this dream about me is just that? A dream
and nothing else?”
“Fat chance.”
“But it can happen?”
“Well…yes.”
“Then there’s still a chance,” she lamented, stabbing at the rest of her
pasta.
“You just gave him a challenge, you know.”
“Should I be afraid, then?”
 “No. He won’t kill you if that’s what you’re asking.”
Great. “And you would still be around to…help in case things get out
of hand?”
“It’s my direct order.”
Just great. Nora grimaced. “Then I guess we’ll work with that.”
 Chapter 9
The return to Los Angeles should’ve been reassuring. There was no need to
hide the fact that he could get there from New Zealand in the blink of an eye
and without the need to fly—a secret that humans shouldn’t be privy to, but it
was already established that Nora was different. Lucas got her to the ripe
spot, asked her to close her eyes. A jump, then they were in the ripe spot
where they’d started: the fields close to the cliff where Daniel had first
ambushed them. The damaged car was gone, but it didn’t matter because it
was daytime. A wave of his hand and a vehicle flagged down, the stranger
charmed by a smile and a pleading if they could hitch a ride back to the city.
Then they were there, Daniel still not around to start whatever he wanted to
start and Nora back in her bakery where she could catch up on the things
she’d missed.
All good and solved, but…something felt off.
He couldn’t pinpoint it, but it made leaving her difficult, a nagging to
his conscience. Sure, Daniel had promised and he wasn’t kidding when he
said the man kept promises. But until that conscience would ease, Lucas
wasn’t about to let his guard down. He mulled over a decision and formed it.
Then he strode in the bakery and presented it.
“I’m sorry…you want to sleep where now?”
It was still early morning, which meant half her employees were in
the kitchen and the other half hadn’t come in yet.
“Sleep with you,” he repeated. Too late, he realized the implication
and backtracked. “I mean not sleep with you.”
Her cheeks turned a lovely pink, but her gaze narrowed. “Clarify.”
“Your place. I want to sleep at your place. Where you live. To sleep.”
Nora, however, had a different trail of thought as she leaned forward
and eyed him in concern. The action shifted her yellow cotton dress, her
cleavage presented perfectly for anyone to see. Including him. He fought the
urge to ogle, stubbornly focused on her face.
 “I get it. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Tell you what?”
“You don’t have money and you need to crash at my place to protect
me.”
That was… “I have money. I have lots of money. I’m rich. In both
worlds.”
“Oh. Then you still didn’t clarify.”
“I just want to be close to you. It’s bothering me.”
“I’m bothering you?”
“No, not you,” he growled. “This whole thing. Daniel being quiet.
The deal. It’s going to take him a while to get this idea out of his head.”
“Then I’ll wait. And I’ll get him disinterested along the way.”
How could she get Daniel’s interest off when she was the most
interesting person Lucas had ever met? He realized that was his mind
clouding his judgment, irritating him. He growled again.
“That’s not how it works.”
“You’re grouchy today, Lucas. Perhaps you need some cake?”
Calmly, she took a white cupcake from a round glass stand and
offered it to him.
“I don’t need cake.”
“Are you afraid you would like it?”
Scowling, he took the cupcake and stuffed the whole thing in his
mouth, much to her chagrin. But she didn’t launch into some lecture about
how some things needed to be savored and he didn’t lie about his opinion.
“Best cupcake I’ve had by a mile.”
“Of course it is. That’s my first ever recipe—the best. Classic, too.”
Nora sighed. “What do you expect me to tell my colleagues if they ask?”
Before he could reply, a figure strode out of the kitchen, holding
boxes wrapped in dainty pink ribbons.
“Tell your colleagues what?” the woman asked, then stopped in her
tracks when she spotted him. She was taller than Nora, slim, her eyes
squinting at him through clear-framed glasses. An appreciative gleam came.
“Who is this?”
“Lucas Kai,” he said, nodding politely. “I’m a—”
“A roommate,” Nora blurted out, clearly in a bout of panic.
A roommate? He’d take that.
“Roommate?” The appreciative gleam increased. “Why are you
getting a roommate out of nowhere, Nora?”
Definitely not as easy to explain as a boyfriend or visiting relative, but
they were going to have to wing it.
“It’s been an ongoing deal, but we finalized the plan this week and
I’m moving in. It’s all temporary. I know her family.”
The last word was the keyword to erasing any lingering suspicion.
Setting the boxes down, the woman held out a hand.
“Oh, that’s nice. I’m Gina Jones, her store manager.”
“Nice to meet you.” Lucas shook the hand just as the front door
opened and Nora froze, alerting him. It wasn’t Daniel but some delivery man
carrying a basket of flowers…no, ten baskets of flowers.
“Delivery for Miss Nora Rivers.”
“Jesus, Nora!” Gina’s eyes bugged out of her head as she watched the
man set the flowers down on the counter and produce a paper to sign—except
Nora refused to sign. She was slowly backing away, her face red and
alarmed.
“Nora?” he asked. His body had tensed at her reaction. Nora shook
her head, gave a thumbs-up sign, and hurried to the kitchen. He was close to
jumping the counter and running after her when Gina’s sigh came.
“I’ll sign it. Can you get these out of here?”
 The delivery man gaped. “But it’s for Miss Nora Rivers, from her
admirer—”
“Her ex, I bet,” Gina muttered, glaring. “Idiot prankster. Take them
outside if you don’t want me to sue for delivering flowers to a person allergic
to flowers.”
The delivery man went white, then scrambled to get the flowers out
and line them up the side of the street.
“How allergic?” Lucas asked.
“Hives. She would’ve been covered if those stayed in here any longer.
It’s the proximity.”
Gina continued to mutter about the ex some more, giving Lucas the
idea that it hadn’t been a peaceful breakup. The more he heard from the
pissed off manager, the more he got the idea that maybe this wasn’t the ex
after all. There was a promise of retribution from the woman, so he kept
listening some more before he excused himself to do errands.
And that errand included hunting down the real admirer.

He found the culprit an hour later and entered the flower shop.
“You need to stop sending her flowers and get her something she’s
interested in.”
Daniel whipped sunglasses off, green eyes boring into his. There were
about three bouquets in the demigod’s hand, the same red roses he’d sent
Nora earlier. Truth be told, this was the first time Daniel looked normal, that
pretty-boy face toned down by the sunglasses and a hat. Denim jeans and a
shirt completed the look, suspiciously close to Lucas’s outfit the past few
days.
“All women are interested in red roses. They symbolize passion, and
I’m passionate about her.”
The man was terrifyingly clueless.
“Get rid of whatever book you’re reading. And don’t lump women
together. They’re unique.”
 Daniel’s face lit up. “Like me.”
Lucas rolled his eyes. “Like everyone else.”
But the man had moved on, blond hair falling to the side when he
tilted his head. “Why are you taking this seriously? The world’s ruined and
you can just leave. You’ve woken up, free to come and go as you please.
Why do you follow my brother like some blind, helpless animal?”
Because the brother in question refused to wake Lucas’s sister up and
the only other option was to kill Rufus—an impossible option, of course.
Lucas sighed.
“I take my duties seriously. I’m as bound to them as you are to this
prophecy of yours.”
“Dream, Lucas. I dreamed of my true love.”
“It’s probably just a regular dream, Daniel. Can’t you just forget it?”
Daniel smiled. “Nice try. What’s she interested in?”
Cakes. Land. Mythical books. Dresses and pink lip gloss, which did
wonders for her figure and mouth…
“She’s interested in a lot of things. But not flowers. It doesn’t matter.
Whatever you do, she’s not gonna fall for your charm. Didn’t you already
try? She broke out of it, Daniel.”
The smile turned into a smirk, glinting with the challenge. Perhaps
Lucas shouldn’t have said that.
“She’s gonna fall. You can’t fight true love.”
Daniel left the flower shop, but the restless feeling thrumming in
Lucas’s body remained, refusing to be ignored. He ended up following
Daniel as subtly as he could, watching the man throw the flowers in a bin
before entering an antique shop. Minutes later and gift boxes in hand, Daniel
finally stopped by the bakery, engaging Nora in conversation right away.
From outside, Lucas could sense her wariness, but she wasn’t as
uncomfortable with Gina beside her and gaping at Daniel with dreamy eyes.
Nora didn’t smile a lot, either, but she did accept the gifts this time and what
appeared to be a very contrite speech about the flowers. The man didn’t stay
long, leaving the bakery in a wake of appreciative glances and…well,
disappearing. Probably to plan for some more wooing.
When she started putting the boxes away, the store manager protested,
hands moving animatedly until Nora relented. Lucas assessed the items that
came out, each one more extravagant than the last: a porcelain teacup set, a
decorative necklace, a golden vase. Some fancy head jewelry. He sighed in
relief. The last box was smaller than the rest, and puzzlement glimmered in
her expression when she opened it. Gina’s eyes widened as she stared, then
gestured for Nora to take it out.
The ring was thin and gold. His body went ice cold.
When she started putting it on her finger, he moved, slipping in the
bakery with the panic bursting in him and wrapping a hand around her wrist.
He rubbed his thumb over it to make up for the sudden movement. Everyone
froze, Nora and Gina gaping at him. His mind went blank when he realized
the ring was already there, but a second later, decisions kicked in.
“Nora, can I talk to you for a second? It’s…about the apartment.”
Gina frowned in concern. “Is there an emergency?”
Oh, there was. Trepidation curled, but he managed a smile. “Yes. It’s
not a huge one, but I need her to come with me.”
Honey eyes locked with his, seeing right through his farce. She
glanced at Gina. “I’m sorry, I know this is last-minute and we have some
stuff to take care of…”
“Nora, it’s fine. I’ll do it and hold the fort. Go check on that
emergency.”
A few customers strolled in, cutting the conversation short and
allowing Lucas to pull her out of there. But instead of taking Nora to the front
door, he took her to the back, escaping to the alley just in case.
“Lucas, is it about the gifts? Are they poisoned or something?”
“No, nothing like that.”
“You’re scaring me.”
 That stopped him in his tracks. He turned to see her pale face. “I
didn’t mean to.” He exhaled, reflecting on it. “It’s the ring.”
“What about the ring?”
They lifted her finger, where a black stone glinted at the center of the
gold. There was no other way to break it, so he just went for it. “That’s not
from the antique shop. I was following him when he bought the gifts and he
snuck this in.”
“What is it?”
“Eternity ring. We give it to bond with our future mates, but
supposedly with consent. A consensual union.” Anger flared, understanding
what Daniel had been up to all along. “He tricked you.”
“So I’m married to him now?” she asked, paling even further.
“Not yet. It needs to be sealed with a kiss. But that’s the last step left.
A union for us is the strongest bond.”
“And if we’re united, he can take me. Nothing is going to stop him,”
she whispered, leaning against the wall and hugging herself. “Those promises
had been for nothing.”
The anger intensified, connecting to her sense of betrayal. When she
looked up at him, there was helplessness, gripping at his heart. “What do I
do?”
“We do,” he found himself correcting. “We fix this.”
“How?”
Without a word, he took the ring off her finger and watched as she
winced from the sting that caused. Lucas rubbed a thumb over her skin,
wishing things were different. But they weren’t, so he took out the object
he’d been keeping under his packed essentials for a while, with no intention
of using it. It was funny how things worked out.
She didn’t protest when he inserted the ring on her finger, this one a
plain gold band. When he hesitated, she looked him in the eye and nodded,
her resolve forming.
 “As long as you don’t take me out of here…”
“I won’t.” The ring slid on completely. A huge, gaping silence
followed. “Last step…”
Nora swallowed, understanding. Waiting. There was still no protest.
He got that there wouldn’t be any protest because she was giving him her
consent—and now he was tasked to finish a hasty plan that was becoming
more personal than he’d wanted.
“So…the kiss seals the deal? We’re united and he can’t touch me?”
“He can’t.” Of that, he was sure. “I’m going to have to kiss you now.”
“I…okay.”
She licked her lower lip, maybe because it was as dry as his. His gaze
went there, watching as they parted and feeling an answering tug in his belly
that shouldn’t be a reaction to this. This was a business transaction, nothing
more, and the more seconds he wasted…
Lucas skated a hand on her waist, pulling her to him and lowering his
head. Dilated pupils came in his line of vision, her breath quickening before
he touched his lips to hers, sealing the deal. Her mouth opened, unsure...the
sweetest mouth there was, bringing him back to that last kiss before he was
yanked back to the present when her lips moved.
Pleasure licked. He changed the angle of the kiss, sinking into it, a
hunger boiling in his blood before it rushed up. All his senses scrambled, but
a dim command rang: to stop. To break away. She made a sound in her
throat, close to a whimper—not a scared one but a surrendering one, and all
ideas of breaking away left.
Lucas kept kissing her instead.
 Chapter 10
There was a hunger swirling in her system, rising until everything inside
Nora was reacting to it: her legs growing weak, her core throbbing, her
nipples stiffening with an ache that needed soothing. The way Lucas took her
mouth could be described as all-consuming, holding her body and soul until
she was so turned on that it was verging on ridiculous. But it didn’t feel
ridiculous, his hot mouth doing things that made her want to beg if he could
do those things down there, too—perhaps close it around her aching nipple,
then soothe it with a couple of licks.
The image formed, molten and pulsing. A sound rumbled from his
throat and echoed down her body. The kiss broke the same way it did before,
with the same man backing off because…well, because this was just a ruse.
She shouldn’t be aching because of some damn ruse.
“That was…” Nora cleared her throat, trying to hang on to sanity.
“Some quick thinking. Can I punch him for trying to trick me?”
A darkening flared in his gaze as he focused on her. She bit her
tongue hard until pain replaced the hot, pulsing arousal. His hand fisted, so
she deduced that was because of anger for Daniel. Who wouldn’t be angry?
That bastard.
“You’ll get nowhere punching a demigod. But he deserves it.”
“Will he find out?”
“Eventually.” Lucas’s expression shuttered as he nodded decisively.
“Come on. You’ve got work. Let me return you.”
Right. “I…what about them? Gina? The others?”
“That depends on you.”
The back door to the bakery opened, two people spilling out: Gina
and Jerome Englewood, their resident errand guy. He followed Gina like a
lovestruck puppy—which he was, in a way—before they both stopped in
their tracks, noticing they weren’t alone. Gina studied their body language,
much like she did their customers to see who she could cajole into buying
more. When her gaze landed on the ring, Nora knew without a doubt what
conclusion had formed.
Delight flared in Gina’s expression. “Oh. It’s that kind of
emergency.”
“What emergency?” Jerome asked, confused.
Gina’s gaze flicked to Nora’s lips, smirking. Nora inwardly groaned,
pretty sure they were swollen from the kiss. “Just some third party that finally
got someone to make a move. I should’ve figured it out sooner.”
“What?”
Gina rolled her eyes. “Jerome, come on. There are still some orders to
deliver.”
They filed in, leaving the two alone in the alley once more. Nora
grimaced.
“This is going to be complicated.”
To her surprise, there was only an amused smirk from the man who’d
been quiet the whole time. “Complication’s my middle name.”
Right. Dragons and demigods and stuff.
Except this was another matter entirely.

“So, how did last night go?”

Gina’s question was filled with anticipation, clueing Nora in on where
her friend’s mind had gone. It was a quiet day—at least, as quiet as they
could have in the past month, with all the scrambling they had to do. Last
night, she’d managed to contact a reputable vlogger and finally negotiate a
good price, which meant they only had to film the videos before everything
else went into motion: launch, sales, a chance at her getting her capital back.
Last night, she’d also had a severe case of tossing and turning in bed,
with Lucas in her living room: a warm dragon shifter, but also a man who
only wore sweatpants in his sleep. She’d remembered stumbling in the living
room this morning to get coffee, only to be distracted by the sight of a hard
chest entangled in twisted blankets. She’d seen that chest, seen all those
ripped muscles. It shouldn’t have made her throb like some schoolgirl in heat
and it irritated her for the rest of the day.
“It was fine. Everything’s set for the launch.”
Gina rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t talking about the launch, but sure.
Let’s evade the actual topic.”
“I’m not evading anything. It all just…”
“Happened too fast?” Jerome supplied, sticking his head in. He and
another assistant were in the kitchen baking the batter she’d premade.
“I’m sure it did,” Gina added, grinning at the younger man before the
latter returned to the kitchen. “I saw the look in his eye when he walked in
yesterday.”
“What look?”
“A jealous man witnessing another man making a move on you.” A
dreamy sigh flew out. “He took off the ring, gave you his. And I bet he kissed
you so well in the alley.”
Ruse. Out loud, she said, “I guess.”
“I bet there was more at home. Did you make it to bed, Nora? Did he
eat you out? How big is he?”
Nora’s hand fisted on the counter as a visceral image swooped in of
Lucas on his knees, a groan spilling from his mouth. An answering groan
very nearly tumbled from hers as she violently shook her head.
“Gina, that’s not what happened.”
A family of four came in, saving Nora from answering as she catered
to the orders and talked a bit about her upcoming product. The mood changed
when she let them sample the grass and bug chocolate, dismay settling in.
When the family left, Gina sighed.
“Your ex was an idiot. We’ll make this work, Nora. We’ll see that
new line succeed.”
The unwavering support made her smile, so she did her best to be
positive. “Of course.”
“So he didn’t eat you out last night, huh? I’m starting to think you
didn’t get to see each other naked.”
“Well…”
“That’s because you guys were so hot for each other that you didn’t
even get to remove clothes. He fucked you against the wall, didn’t he? Or on
your living room floor, clothes and all. Just his dick inside you.”
“Gina!”
Another image popped up, this one clearer than the last. Her entire
body tightened with it, imagining Lucas’s huge body on top of hers as he
thrust in and out….
“What? Am I getting close? There’s no way nothing happened, Nora,
so don’t even bother lying. That man’s hot for you and I could tell he wanted
to jump you from the get-go…”
“Good morning, ladies.”
This was a nightmare, where things that weren’t supposed to happen
were happening—like her skin not humming to warn her this time and Lucas
walking in from the back door. Her eyes flew up, locked with ones relaxed
from sleep. There was a laziness to that gaze that tugged at her insides, her
arousal crawling up before she could control it. She stood rooted in place, the
dirty thoughts stuck in her head. Replaying.
As if reading those internal musings, he stilled, a stunned moment
before those dark eyes darkened even further. His nostrils flared, a spark of
heat that thrummed in the air. She gulped at the intense hunger she felt from
him, banked down quickly.
Gina cleared her throat. “Good morning, Lucas. I should…I think the
guys need my help in the kitchen.”
The store manager left, cheeks red. Nora shared the sentiment, but she
didn’t leave, riding the heat in her body and facing him squarely.
“Good morning. There was no need to come here.”
 “I know. I was just checking in. You know…alibi. Isn’t that how it
works anywhere?”
“Oh. Right.”
Lucas stopped at the side of the counter, leaving some distance
between them. It didn’t matter because it didn’t lessen the charge in the air,
rendering her hyperaware. That ever-observant gaze traveled down her body,
a quick assessment that was supposed to be purposeful.
“Did you get some sleep last night?” he asked.
“A bit. You?”
“A bit.”
She smiled. “You were crammed on that couch. You could’ve slept
on the—” Bed. “Floor. It has a rug and all.”
Mind, please get out of the gutter.
“Your couch’s fine. It smells like you.”
“Oh.” A beat, then, “What do I smell like?”
“Soap. Clean linen. Traces of cake batter. You smell sweet and soft.”
This time, there was no stopping the flare of arousal that hit her hard,
clenching her stomach. She closed her eyes, riding that out, too. This was
getting ridiculous. Nora laughed.
“I always smell like cake batter. I look like one, too, with all the
sweets I’m eating.”
“Cake batter?”
“You know. Fluffy. Thick.”
Lucas turned away, staring at the front door. “Yeah…you’re
voluptuous. You fill out dresses nicely.”
Oh.
He shouldn’t be saying these things and she shouldn’t be reacting.
They should be talking about things connected to whatever this damn ruse
was, and…all contemplation fled when Lucas’s face hardened, the only
warning she got before he strode to the counter to join her. He kept walking,
alarmingly close, only stopping when he was right beside her—no, pressed
up against her side, hard to her soft, so unnervingly close. The front door
opened and reality crashed when Daniel stepped in.
The demigod still looked blond and still looked like the most beautiful
man on the planet. She took note of the slacks and dress shirt, then the
purposeful strides before the counter stopped him. His hair was slicked back
more neatly by some gel, making him appear cooler, and the grin he threw
her way was swoon-worthy, but she didn’t swoon.
Nora grew nervous, particularly when that gaze rested on her hand.
The grin remained in place at the sight of the ring, only it wasn’t the same
ring anymore…and Daniel finally realized it. His grin changed, a stilling that
shifted the atmosphere and made her skin pulse.
“Where’s my ring?”
Casually, Lucas placed the original ring on the counter, sliding it
towards the demigod. Daniel’s gaze flicked on her finger again before
pinning her with a look.
“And whose ring is that?”
The question was almost soft, like a velvet caress. She swallowed,
then lifted her chin.
“You didn’t tell me the ring held meaning. Were you planning to kiss
me without consent, too?”
“I was planning to wait for the right time to claim that kiss from you,”
Daniel said. “Lucas, what did you do?”
“I did what had to be done. Your promises are bullshit—”
A wave of his hand and the softness was gone. Nora caught a glimpse
of anger before it sweltered into power, the shimmering cove returning to
wrap around them. But unlike the one in the restaurant and on the field, this
one was no longer protective. It was vibrating with a dark matter that fell
heavy on her shoulders, making it difficult to take in air. Threatening, just as
he’d felt threatened.
 “I can’t believe you crossed me this way, Lucas. What made you
think you had the right to cross a demigod?”
“I can’t believe you’d try to trick a human for your selfish gain,
Daniel. You used to be better than this.”
The power pulsed higher, making her hair stand on end. Her
colleagues were here, in harm’s way. Nora fought her growing anxiety,
inhaled…and leaned against Lucas.
“Don’t blame him, please. It’s not what you think.”
The two men stilled, their focus on each other breaking as they turned
to her. Perhaps it was stupid to fight testosterone with vulnerability, but it
wasn’t like she had any shot with force. So she went with this.
“Then what is this?”
“We’ve grown attracted to each other and decided to explore it. He
wanted to protect me; we became close…things happened. I fully consented
to a union with him.”
The deafening silence made her bite her tongue, then open her mouth
to say more. A hand glided on her waist to stop her, squeezing her hip…
drawing her closer until Lucas’s maddening scent broke through the danger
of the scenario they were in. His head lowered, mouth going to the side of her
forehead, fingers tracing circles on her stomach before deliberately skimming
up.
“I’m sorry, Daniel, for what it’s worth. You can’t unbreak a union by
killing me or taking her. She’s mine now. Mine to touch, mine to fuck. Mine
to pleasure.”
Mine. It was all for show, large hand resting at the underside of one
breast and causing tingles to erupt. Her nipples ached, mind begging for him
to lift his hand higher so he could—
Daniel’s eyes took notice of the movement, following it. Perhaps to
goad him, Lucas pressed that hand tight until her muscles jumped and she bit
back a sound that was close to a moan. Embarrassment rushed in, but the
pleasure that spiked was stronger and it was all she could do from pressing
back against him and grinding for relief.
Around them, the air shifted again as the threatening charge
diminished. But there was still a warning there, shaking the counter’s glass
cases until they were close to breaking.
Then Daniel snapped his hand back, taking the shield with him. The
sounds from the kitchen returned to her senses, everything going back to
normal. The demigod stepped back, smiling pleasantly once more as if
nothing was amiss.
“It’s not over yet,” he said softly. “And fret not, my lady…Nora. I do
keep my promises.”
When the door closed, her body sagged against Lucas’s, his heat
surrounding her thoroughly…his hand still there. The laughter ringing from
her work colleagues reminded her that her life wasn’t in shards yet—but it
was close, and Lucas was the only one keeping it from falling apart.
Overwhelmed, Nora turned around, finally giving in to the urge to be
close and erase the power that still lingered in the air. A gruff sound rumbled
from his throat before he drew her in his arms, keeping her safe.
But for how long?
 Chapter 11
Lucas could smell her arousal, and that was a problem. For one thing, it
rendered him immobile, unable to do anything but accept the feel of her in his
arms, caught unaware by the moment. For another, he was erect—hard, so
fucking hard that his cock wept in his pants and raged to be let out. Hell, not
only let out but buried inside the wet, tight heat of the trembling woman in
his arms.
But that was the takeaway: Nora was trembling and vulnerable. Most
likely confused, and as he always tried to remind himself, trapped in a
situation she shouldn’t be in. It was up to him to be the bigger person, which
he would do…but he took that moment, just a few seconds, and took the hug
for what it was, her soft body molding against his.
He wondered what it would feel like without clothes, wondered what
sounds she would make when he touched her. Hell, he’d wondered last night
what would happen if she touched him, those capable hands wrapping around
his cock to stroke him to release. It twitched now, wanting those hands.
Wanting that mouth wrapped around him, those honey eyes glazed and
looking up to meet his.
He drew a shuddering inhale, then carefully disentangled himself
from her warmth. Before him, Nora stood and tried to gather her bearings,
her dress summery and floral, rumpled from their contact and showing off
soft thighs. An utterly delicious sight, his entire body calling for him to take
them in some darkened room. Here. Now. She’d be willing and pliant.
Fuck.
What did he get himself into?
This was an inconvenience, one they didn’t need. Again, he just
needed to be the bigger person and power through this. To get them through
this.
“So,” she said, clearing her throat. His eyes flew to it, wondering how
her skin there would taste.
 “So.”
They stood in silence, inches separating them. Her body heat was
unbearable, her racing pulse swimming in his senses until it was all he could
do to keep from ravaging her—
“Jerome, what the hell? Don’t do that!”
Smoke filtered in, breaking through the rest of their reverie as Nora
flew to the kitchen to keep it under control. Thankfully, there wasn’t any
actual fire, but the fire alarm kicked in, anyway. For some reason, he felt
relief and a pending sense of doom.
Whatever that doom was for, he needed to figure it out quickly before
it blew up in their faces.

The roof wobbled when Lucas landed on it, but at least there was no sound to
accompany it. He balanced on his two feet and jumped fast before it could
give, which was a possibility. Everything about this neighborhood was that:
unsteady, wobbly, filled with a sense of danger lurking from every corner.
Whether that was supernatural or not, he was yet to determine, but one thing
was sure—if Daniel was here instead of in some fancy hotel, then the
demigod was definitely up to something. But what?
He landed on a sturdier roof, looking down on bars lining the narrow
street. There wasn’t a lot of activity here except a passing car or two, most to
pick up the women in skimpy clothes and probably take them home. Daniel
had gone to one of the bars and now it was close to an hour.
When the demigod finally stumbled out, it was with two females in
his arms. They giggled as they leaned into him…no, assisted him, because
Daniel was swaying on his feet and hiccupping.
“Sugar, you really shouldn’t drink too much if you can’t even handle
your alcohol. Do you want us to take you home and make you feel better?”
One of the women skimmed a hand down Daniel’s torso, playful and
deliberate. The other inserted a hand in his pocket, closing in on his wallet.
Before anything could be taken away, Lucas was climbing down and exiting
from the alley, his gait casual as he approached them.
 “Danny boy, there you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
The woman about to snatch the wallet looked up sharply, eyes
narrowed. The other assessed him with interested eyes, cocking a hip in a
sultry pose.
“Hey, sugar. Want to join in?”
“I want to take my friend home. He’s not from around here…”
Smoothly, he stepped in, tone conspiratory. “And he’s not as rich as he
bragged about. Pardon the man. He’s my roommate and I’m about to piss on
him because we’re behind on rent. He shouldn’t be drinking his problems
away.”
The women dropped Daniel as if scandalized. Lucas would’ve
chuckled if he wasn’t keeping an act. Instead, he hefted the man’s weight on
his shoulder and dragged him to a taxi, barking an address. The hotel was just
fifteen minutes away, but it was one of the fanciest in the city.
“You owe me a favor,” Lucas muttered after making the reservations
and taking the man to the elevator. In turn, Daniel wrenched away and
lurched, then leaned against the wall. He closed his eyes and groaned.
“I don’t owe you anything. You’re an asshole.”
“So are you,” Lucas shot back. Aggression charged the small space
and he braced for the attack, but it didn’t come. Either the man didn’t want to
fight or was just too inebriated to do so, but it made the task of dragging him
to the penthouse suite easier.
Once there and Daniel deposited to bed, Lucas crossed his arms. “So
what’s the plan here? Make a sorry ass of yourself and turn Nora guilty?”
“Will it work?”
Anger surged. “No. She’s smarter than that. You keep
underestimating her.”
“I don’t.” Daniel groaned again and rubbed his forehead, sparks
brimming from his fingers. But they stayed there. “I’m not. And this isn’t
about her.”
“Then why are you going into shady places and close to passing out?”
 “I’m not going to pass out,” Daniel argued. “What kind of demigod
would pass out?”
It was said so defensively that Lucas couldn’t help feeling amused.
Still… “Then what is this for? A show?”
Silence. Then Daniel sighed.
“Alcohol’s fun. It’s different from our spirits. You should try it. It
takes the mind off things.”
“I’ve tried it. It’s tolerable. What things are on your mind, Daniel?”
“Dreams. Plenty of dreams. Nora.”
There was something about the intimate tone that got to Lucas and he
had to fist his hands to keep from reacting. No good would come from acting
like a possessive jerk and neither needed it. In fact…
“Have you revisited your dreams? Maybe Nora’s not the woman for
you.”
Daniel shook his head, immediately regretting the action and
punching the pillow. The force of it had cotton exploding. “It’s her. Go away.
Piss off.”
“Ah, you’re getting the hang of the slang.”
“Piss. Off.”
“And if I don’t?”
The only answer he got was Daniel snoring. Lucas gaped in disbelief,
then scoffed…then muttered under his breath as he pushed the man to the
center of the bed because he was close to falling off. He shouldn’t be doing
this, not when they weren’t on good terms. But the anguish he’d seen, a short
glimpse in the demigod’s eyes, had been real. And he was still Daniel in the
end, always tortured by the burden of his power but never once resorting to
breaking rules to get out of it. To gain more.
Unlike Gabriel.
“Don’t be stupid, man,” Lucas warned softly. “Don’t ruin her life.
Don’t ruin yours.”
 The man kept snoring, body shaking from time to time. Dreaming
again, but maybe the alcohol had dimmed most of it. Lucas watched over him
for a few more minutes before leaving the hotel and walking the rest of the
way, reaching a familiar neighborhood in no time. Here, the buildings were
more uniform, and he snuck in one without alerting the front lobby. Nora’s
apartment was on the third floor, a quiet enough space with neighbors who
kept to themselves.
That didn’t stop him from checking the halls once, then twice,
wanting to make sure nothing was amiss: no new security cameras, no figures
hiding anywhere. No traps. Inside the apartment, he did the same, saving her
bedroom for last. The door was open, allowing him to sneak in and check the
room, then the bed where Nora was curled up. She’d kicked the blanket off
somewhere along the night, exposing her legs to the night chill. Her shirt had
ridden up, too, showing a glimpse of a soft-looking, pale stomach. Just like
Daniel, she snored.
The desire to climb into bed and bask in her presence was so surreal
that he had to take a physical step back to fight the temptation. Lucas pulled
the blanket up, smiling when she murmured something about grass cake in
her sleep. He wandered to the kitchen and found some of those grass and bug
chocolates Gina had been talking about, wincing at the first taste. Another
problem to solve, it seemed.
He crashed on the couch and tried to set it all aside for now.

“Sweetheart, can I be completely honest with you?”

The term of endearment had Nora pausing from wrapping a box of
orders with a silk ribbon, then glancing up at him in confusion. He sidled up
beside her, well aware of Gina, Jerome, and Anya Vask—the kitchen
assistant—wrapping more boxes beside them and listening in. Watching,
even, so he made a show of crowding her in and pretending he was about to
kiss her.
Anya sighed dreamily, while Gina coughed. Lucas smiled down,
perfectly smitten.
Nora narrowed her gaze, catching on. “What is it…sweetheart?”
 “I’ve tried your chocolate and it sucks. Is there any chance I can try
those new plant-infused cupcakes you’re launching?”
He could’ve heard a pin drop for the silence that ensued. Gina broke it
seconds later, muttering something that sounded like, “It’s about time
someone else said it” before getting cut off by Jerome’s, “It’s close to one,
hurry up with the boxing.”
“I can hear you,” Nora called out, her back still turned to them. Her
glare was lasered on him. “I’m still trying to perfect it. It’s close. This
weekend’s my last shot.”
“How about just abandoning it? Sticking to your cupcakes now and
selling more? You don’t need bizarre.”
“Have you seen the neighborhood? Pastry shops everywhere. Cake
shops everywhere. This street alone is lined with them. Have you seen our
books lately? We’re barely surviving. My cupcakes are good, but my
business isn’t as reputable as the rest. Maybe the vlogger can change that.
Maybe not. If he hadn’t…”
She stopped to take in air. But he wasn’t done.
“If your ex hadn’t fucked you up, you’d stop trying to incorporate
some stupid chocolate in your launch and concoct something better. Is that
what you wanted to say?”
“Yes,” she snapped. “Maybe. I don’t know. Better can be expensive. I
don’t have the funds.”
“Get a loan.”
“I can’t. I’ve already taken out loans.”
“I meant from me.”
Her body jerked, indignation vibrating from her. She wasn’t wearing
one of her dresses today, just a muted rose sweater that left her shoulders bare
and made him want to bury his mouth in her neck. Pride shone in her eyes.
“No. That’s not how this works.”
“There’s another option.”
 “I—”
“Sell Daniel’s gifts. They’re yours now.”
“No, they’re not.”
“A demigod doesn’t take gifts back, especially material ones. It’s a hit
to their pride. It’s yours.”
Dumbstruck, her eyes fired up. A growl rumbled in his throat. He
took another step forward to close the distance between them and just…
soothe. Tell her everything was going to be fine and he was going to help her
with this, too.
The air changed, a crackle he felt. Nora felt it, too, her back going up
and goosebumps breaking from her flesh. Her skin was probably humming,
too. In an instant, he was tugging her to him and covering her body with his,
well aware that the three people beside them were frozen in their spot. The
door opened, booming with force before a figure in robes glided in. Not
Daniel. This one was worse.
Geremy used to be Geremy of the White Forest because he used to
live close to one, but it had been several years since he left to reside here after
duping one of the dragons into taking him—in turn, ending that dragon’s life.
This had happened way before the slumber, an act that was no longer
possible with their world’s limitations. Now he was Geremy the Joker,
following his father’s mischievous footsteps.
And he had an envelope in hand stretched out towards Nora.
She eyed it, then eyed her friends. Her expression hardened. Lucas
was pretty sure it was only his body that was stopping her from launching
herself at the uninvited party.
“What did you do to them?”
“Just a little something to keep this private. Take this, Miss Rivers.
I’ll be out of your hair in no time.”
No introductions, but his eyes met Lucas’s with what might’ve been a
glint of recognition. Then it was gone, the man nearly floating out of the shop
and leaving a feeling of not having enough air in their lungs.
 “It’s an illusion. Just breathe.” But it was difficult to keep his voice
steady. The stillness broke, movement coming to life. Gina’s laugh soothed
the air, an indication that they didn’t miss a beat.
Nora studied the envelope as if it was poisoned. “Your friend?”
“No. That was Geremy the Joker. Son of the mischief god, delivering
an invitation.”
“What invitation, Lucas?”
He shielded her again and she followed suit, leaning into him and
pretending to smile. It was tense, her eyes glued to his hands opening the
envelope, the words written on it. They glowed, jumping out as if animated
but staying within their line of sight. They sparked, crackling with the
demigod’s energy before vanishing, the paper now blank.
“A battle. He’s hosting it. Daniel invited me to a formal battle to
break our union.”
 Chapter 12
Five days came and went, with no interruption from any demigod and the so-
called battle still a figment of her imagination. It should’ve given Nora the
respite needed, should’ve allowed her to focus on her actual life without
worrying about her other life. Instead, she was distracted as hell and not
liking it one bit.
“So how does this go? He just shows up? Or does Daniel just show
up? Can they get in my apartment and start an actual battle here?”
“No one’s going to show up in your apartment. Your cake, Nora.”
She looked down, found the edge in her tone had translated to her
piping down a mess of icing on a cupcake. It was a new creation, perhaps the
only good thing to come out of this: her finally selling those gifts and getting
the funds for this baby project, dismissing her old one. She’d thank the
sponsor, except she wanted to punch Daniel more than ever.
Dismay clogged her throat and she grabbed the cupcake to throw it in
the bin. Lucas’s hand snapped up, snatching it.
“Hey—”
“Don’t waste food because you’re mad.”
“I’m not mad,” she countered, transfixed as he took a bite and closed
his eyes. The delighted expression baffled her, wondering why a dragon who
could be out on adventures seemed content to stay in her cramped space.
Other musings followed, her attention caught on his throat before she jerked
her gaze away. “How is it?”
“Orgasmic.”
Her mouth went dry. “Really?”
Lucas opened his eyes, amusement brimming as he studied her. Then
he shrugged. “It could take less sugar. You’ve got the creaminess spot on,
though. Chocolate and salted cherries are a goddamn delight. And that
caramel in the center’s spot on, too. What other flavors did you have in
mind? And fillings? I would love to lick the insides clean.”
Nora nearly stumbled on a tile, the bowl teetering from her hand
before she righted herself. She stabbed the whisk in and mixed the batter,
then ran through the list in her head. “Cookie dough cupcake with dark
chocolate filling and hints of lemon. Ginger and orange, probably a hint of
spice in the cream. There’s also peppermint and chili cupcakes with a hint of
liquor. Most of them have liquor.”
She’d splurged on that, a line she’d been wanting to try for so long
before getting duped.
“Aren’t you glad we’re no longer going with that hideous chocolate?”
“I mean, sure. But I don’t know what to do with a whole storage room
of prepacked chocolates. The packaging’s too nice.”
“Can’t you just remix it?”
“I tried repeatedly, but the plant taste never goes away. It’s too
strong.”
“Wasted money for a bad product,” he declared, expression
darkening. “So where does this ex live again?”
“Why?”
“Just curious.”
“Oh, well—”
“I haven’t roasted a human to charred dust before.”
The bowl clattered on the counter. “Lucas! No. I’m over it. I’m over
him.”
“He cheated on you. With your love life and your money.”
“And look at me, bouncing back and no longer thinking about it. I
don’t even have to use his stupid concoction anymore. You know what they
say about revenge.”
“A dish best serve cold,” he finished, eyes gleaming with approval.
He leaned a hip on the counter and watched her whisking.
 “Your friend’s very sneaky, you know.”
“Geremy isn’t my friend.”
“Your other friend.”
“Ah. He has his reasons.”
“Three battles. Against you—his friend.”
There was no comment. Instead, Lucas took over, pouring the batter
in the cupcake mold tray before sticking it in the oven. Every movement was
lithe, and anyone who didn’t know him would think he was relaxed and
almost feeling lazy. But Nora had days to observe him, an intimacy built
from close quarters and shared escapes. He looked relaxed, yet she didn’t
miss the vibrating tension under his muscles, pent-up energy kept locked
tight.
And that angered her. “Stop doing that.”
The timer was turned on. He looked up. “Doing what?”
Her teeth ground together, hands reaching for something to do. She
ended up taking a cupcake and savagely biting down. “Acting like
everything’s fine to protect me. Nothing’s fine.”
“Everything’s—”
Nora slammed her hand down, crumbs flying everywhere. With a
steadying inhale of air, she reined her temper in. “Nothing’s fine.”
Silence. A second later, she felt him beside her. “Are you mad at
me?”
“Of course I’m not mad at you,” she snapped, glaring. “I’m irritated.”
“There’s not much of a difference.”
“Yes, there is. Mad is when you’ve done something unforgivable.
Pissed off is when you’re acting like a jerk. Irritated is when you’re hiding
your damn needs so you can protect me. I can do it myself.”
His jaw clenched. “There’s no need for that. Why are you so irritated
about it?”
 “Forget it.”
“Tell me.”
“The cupcakes—”
“Nora, damn it. Tell me.”
“You’re going to die. You’re going to hurt yourself. I don’t want
that!” Her loud voice rang in her ears, the words making her sick to her
stomach.
“Technically, if I die, I won’t feel the pain.”
“Now you’re turning into a jerk.”
Furiously, she spun around and stormed to her bedroom, poised to
slam the door shut. But his hand was there again. A wrestling match ensued
before she glared at him once more. This time, he glared back.
“Don’t let him get in your head. This is nothing.”
“Your life is on the line. Stop telling me how to feel.”
“Stop acting up. This is the only peace we’re getting until the first
battle, and I want to enjoy this.”
“Fine. Enjoy.”
“Don’t you slam the door on me.”
She huffed and stalked back, then squeaked when he lifted her off the
ground. Lucas ignored her protests, grunting when she attempted a kick and
sitting her on his lap. Sheer stubbornness clashed with determination and they
struggled for a bit before he growled…then, rubbed her back, circling
gestures that made her pause.
“What are you doing? I don’t need this.”
“Maybe I do.”
It was such a stupefying idea, this strong man needing comfort. But
she realized he wasn’t lying when he buried his head against her neck,
inhaling deeply…exhaling in shudders. Slowly, the tension dissipated from
his shoulders and he finally got to that relaxed state that had him groaning in
relief. It tingled her skin, hummed under her veins that had nothing to do with
supernatural detection. Then he chuckled.
“What’s funny?”
“We are. We barely know each other. We’re shouting like
temperamental teens.”
Nora shook her head, then gave in to the urge and rested her cheek on
his hair. “I do know you.”
“Oh?”
“You’re a beast in the skies, a hard man on the streets. Slick when
you need to be, but you take no punches from anyone. Sneaky with how you
leave the apartment at night. Probably to check on Daniel when he doesn’t
deserve it.”
Another chuckle. “I guess you weren’t asleep.”
“I guess you weren’t that sneaky.” Nora sighed. “It’s a complete
contrast to your other personality—the soft one, compassionate with your
task and her colleagues.”
“Perhaps the task has become my friend.”
“Oh.”
“And I’m assuming that mood earlier was because of your worry for
your friend, too?”
“Yeah.”
Lucas’s palm spread over her shoulder, running up and down before
he cupped the back of her neck. He traced circles, still soothing.
“It’s a strategy. It’ll come when I least expect it.”
“What does this battle involve?”
“It depends. Daniel was still being fair because the joker never favors
sides. Whatever’s coming, it’s a surprise for both of us.”
“Gee, that makes me feel better.”
“Don’t feel bad,” he said gruffly, removing his head from her neck.
Now he tucked her head under his chin, her nose buried there. “Don’t let it
eat you up. Please. I don’t like seeing you like this.”
“Perhaps if I just talk to Daniel and try to negotiate for your family’s
freedom—”
“No.” Lucas’s voice was resolute, refusing to bend. “No negotiations,
not when it involves giving you up to him without a fight. I told you, my
family’s fine.”
His smell was…divine. Salty, musky, something she missed. Subtly,
she sniffed. “How fine?”
“My sister’s in slumber and my brother’s missing. That’s it. There’s
nothing Rufus could’ve done for Kinto, so it’s up to me to find him when this
is all over. Jememiah…she’ll be fine. She’s not hurt. My sister’s a badass.”
“I’m starting to think everyone in your world’s a badass.”
“Maybe. Not really. I’m doing this, Nora.”
“I know. To wake your siblings.”
“No.” His other hand drew her in, hugging her tight. “For you. You
deserve to be fought for.”
Whatever frustration she’d felt from earlier dissipated into smoke,
shifting into something else until her body was like a tight string. When his
fingers pressed against her skin, an intense need to be plucked raced down
her spine. The analysis would’ve made her chuckle if she wasn’t so turned
on. But she was, and there was nothing left to do but follow instinct.
“All right. This is for good luck, then.”
“What—”
She leaned forward until their lips met, moving her mouth restlessly
against his and feeling a great sense of euphoria rush inside her at the way he
responded. Desire leaped from them, but she didn’t stop to analyze it as she
lost herself in the kiss and the way Lucas’s mouth moved: hungry, so hungry,
devouring her as if he couldn’t get enough. She crumpled his shirt in her
hand, frantic for more, and a gravely sound glided from his throat before his
tongue came out and slipped inside her mouth. The almost lazy exploration
that followed tempered that hunger, but it didn’t matter because it raged
scorching hot in her system and muddled her musings, made her want to do
nothing but this for a long time. Her tongue met his, tapping, the answering
groan clenching her legs until desire went triple fold.
She wanted to climb him like a tree, wanted to ravish him in her bed.
There were so many things she wanted to do to Lucas that had started with
denial—and now the frustration of wanting to do it all at the same time boiled
in her blood. Her pulse beat hard, her core throbbed hard, and she heaved her
body up, eager to take what she could.
Another groan, followed by a jerk under her as she grazed his tongue.
In her roaring head, she realized it was him, a hard, physical reaction he
could no longer hide.
It also registered that the heat was gone, the hard muscles were gone,
and she was sitting on her soft mattress before it dipped and—
“We can’t.”
Nora’s eyes opened, dazed. They zoned in on his hips, which was
directly in her line of sight. A stunning moment registered at the tent that
crowded the front of his pants, straining the material…straining it so much
that it was literally about to burst at the seams. He was erect, a bulge that
twitched, and goodness help her…her mouth watered at the sight. She did
that, didn’t she?
“Nora.”
Her name on his lips, almost said painfully, had her pressing her legs
together and biting her tongue to keep from whimpering. If he could just pin
her to the bed with that hard body and whisper it right in her ear…
A groan pulled at her arousal. Then, a strangled noise.
“Stop looking at it as if you want to eat it.”
“Oh.” Her cheeks heated. “I didn’t…um.”
His answer was a scowl, comically infused with a sheer struggle.
Then she blinked when he was no longer there, the slam of her bathroom
door the only indication of where he’d gone to. Or maybe it was because her
mind just wasn’t functioning enough anymore.
She sat in bed, confused. She was also still turned on, every inch of
her body pulsing. The faucet turned on, a bump registering before blessed
silence followed, giving her leeway to fixate on the ceiling and gather
whatever sanity she could. Then there was a stillness, allowing her to think as
the silence went on and on…
The muffled groan from the bathroom had her head whipping to the
door, worried that he’d hurt himself. Silence again, except…another groan,
carefully controlled, and her stunned mind went to a direction that had her
envisioning what was happening in there. She lay down and peered up at the
ceiling once more, pulse beating madly and wondering what else was being
beaten. Him. Eyes closed. Leaning against the sink. Hand on his cock—
The last groan nearly had her coming. Then the door slammed open
and out stepped Lucas, looking fine as hell and frustrated as hell. There was
no longer a tent in his pants, driving her imagination wilder before she took
note of the look directed at her.
“We can’t do this,” he said sternly. Disappointment crashed, but she
understood.
Nora swallowed. “You’re right.”
Lucas didn’t expect her to agree so easily and it had relief surging in.
He nodded vigorously.
“Yes. I’m right. This isn’t what we need. We both need focus.”
“I’m sorry for kissing you.”
Black eyes turned hooded, gaze raking until her nipples throbbed. He
looked away.
“Don’t be,” he said gruffly. “That was good. That was…for good
luck.”
The sheerness of his stance nearly made her wilt, but she stood up and
rolled her shoulders, willing herself to be as casual as he was. Of course, she
knew this wasn’t right, and of course, he’d think about it first. He was a
dragon with principles and priorities, bound by honor and loyalty to blood
family. He was being decent. Sure, he was a man who got tempted for a
second because she was a woman throwing herself at him, but he wasn’t
going to take advantage—not when this was just a temporary thing.
“Yes. It was for good luck. It won’t happen again.”
“Good. I want to protect you, Nora. From them. From me.”
The softening of his voice got to her. She looked up, meeting his
gaze. Fighting her feelings with resolve because if he could, so could she.
“For what it’s worth…thank you.”
 Chapter 13
“I can’t believe it’s been a week and we’re finally here.”
The giddiness in Nora’s voice had Lucas looking down and taking
note of the nerves dancing in her eyes. But it was good nerves, her body also
vibrating with it, so intense that she was close to exploding from it. Sheer joy
gripped his chest at the sight, but he set it aside and focused on her. This was
her day. This was her shining moment.
“Nora, if I knew you would be this giddy over people praising your
food, I would’ve offered you a thousand praises already. You weren’t this
excited when I was handing out compliments.”
She elbowed him, scoffing. “That’s different. You’re my friend.
These are strangers and they haven’t even tried the food yet…”
Her hands snatched the hem of her dress, twisting the material
repeatedly. He placed his hand on top, feeling her still.
“Hey, stop that.” Lucas waited for her to look up, then gave her a
chiding look. “I’m a brutally honest friend, so I’ll be the first to tell you if
your food is shit. This isn’t shit. Trust me, they would love it.”
She smiled worriedly, then turned her hand to squeeze his. “We’ll
see.”
The connection of their palms should’ve been nothing for how
constantly they did it now, a growing bond brought about by a waiting game
and the mass production of cupcakes. At this point, he wasn’t going to deny
that he was sick and tired of taste-testing sweets, but the hands…he was
probably never going to grow tired of holding hers, however cheesy that
might’ve sounded.
Had someone told him a few weeks back that touching a human hand
would bring him so much contentment, he would’ve told them they were
insane. And now he couldn’t imagine not having that simple closeness.
There was no time to muse about it further as the door opened and in
flowed curious customers who’d seen the advertisement posted on the
internet from the vlogger. The balloons floating on the ceiling and the
colorful signs at the front drew them in further, giving all the start needed for
them to see the cupcakes lined up at the front—colorful, designed
painstakingly, with tags on each stack of the flavors she’d concocted.
Lucas knew the art of marketing was a powerful thing, but he knew
loyalty couldn’t be based on that alone. In the end, it was all about the taste,
and he watched as the curious customers sampled the delicacies, their eyes
lighting up when the flavors hit their tongue. Triumph surged as one order
after another came, each customer that came in striding out with a box or two
in hand.
They stood on their feet for the whole day, resting only to eat and take
much-needed bathroom breaks. When the clock struck nine and the front
door was finally closed, Vanya collapsed on a chair, relief etched on her
features.
“That was crazy. That was the busiest we’ve ever been since I’ve
worked here.”
“That was the busiest we’ve ever been since this shop opened,” Nora
said in a daze.
But it wasn’t over yet. Lucas left them to their own devices as they
counted the money and organized the orders for the next week—not a
mindboggling amount, but so much more than her previous ones. He helped
Jerome and Vanya clean up, then they were all cleaning up with such energy
that the night couldn’t possibly be over yet.
An hour later, he found himself joining them as they filed in a
restaurant and booked a space, which turned out to be a small karaoke room
with disco lights, plush couches, and a SmartScreen television for the lyrics.
Food was ordered and scarfed down, then drinks, releasing laughter and the
tension that had built up in the days leading to this one.
Lucas clinked his glass to Nora, who was watching Gina sing and
argue with Jerome at the same time. There was a hazy, contented look in her
eyes, tinged with amusement as if she was holding a secret and was
thoroughly delighted about it. Perhaps it was the drinks getting in her system,
perhaps it was the thrill from such a successful day. Perhaps it was Nora just
kicking back after days of stress and worry eating her up, enjoying this while
it lasted. Whatever it was, it made her glow, her body softer than ever in her
fancy silk black dress and his hands itching to touch.
He’d been itching to touch for a long time, if he was being honest
with himself, but the resistance came up like instinct, like clockwork—
protecting Nora even from himself. Their thighs touched together, rubbing
intimately as she giggled at something Jerome said, and he resisted. She
stood up to dance a bit beside him, letting all her limbs loose and making his
mouth dry, and he resisted. Then she strode to the front, snatched the mic
from Vanya, and winked in his direction, honey eyes glittering.
“You haven’t heard me sing. I’m the best singer there is.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Watch me blow your mind, Lucas Kai.”
He could have resisted a hot, horny Nora, could have resisted the
temperamental one who shouted at him and turned him on. Hell, he could
have still resisted the strong, sturdy version of her, never bowing to other’s
selfish wishes and always standing up for her friends. But this Nora, with her
god-awful voice belting out at the top of her lungs and her happiness
overflowing…it blew his mind, made reality sink in that he’d only been
fighting the inevitable. She finished three songs, each one more horrible
sounding than the last, then bowed at the inebriated claps and marched back
to him when Vanya took the mic again. She leaned down, smiling.
“How did I do?”
“You nearly broke my ears, sweetheart,” he murmured.
Nora stumbled, attempted to balance herself so she wouldn’t fall on
him. But his hand was already reaching out and pulling her in, a firm tug that
sent her sprawled all over his lap. The feel of her body was heaven,
particularly when she wiggled in an attempt to get off him.
“Lucas, I…” Her words trailed off, mouth forming an O when her
butt settled snugly over his erection. “Wow.”
Lucas choked on a laugh, her reaction priceless. Then resistance
melted as he closed his lips over hers, taking the kiss he’d wanted and
drinking her in like a man dying of thirst. The dim lighting and alcohol
provided enough privacy for them as he glided his tongue in her mouth and
groaned at the taste of margarita and salt. It seeped inside him, her willing
body pulsing a beat similar to his heart—and cock. As if it felt the
connection, the latter pulsed with that beat, too, raging hard and nudging up
against her butt. He expected it to startle her, a coming of senses from her
end. Instead, Nora ground against it, the sound coming from her throat close
to someone purring with pleasure.
Blood rushed in his ears, then his entire body. He realized he didn’t
care as he ground back as subtly as he could, each press of her delightful
weight providing insanely hot friction for him. It made him harder, made him
so turned on that he lost his mind a little bit. Her dress rose at every grind
down until it was spread across his lap, and soon he could feel his cock
digging against her panties.
A bitten-off sound came from her throat, buried against his cheek
when he shifted her and pressed against her underwear. The first whiff of
arousal caught his nostrils and he froze, trying not to die on the spot when it
was accompanied by her sweet, soft whimper. All he needed was to touch her
there to know she was wet, and it wouldn’t take long to glide a finger inside
and play with that wetness until she was coming for him. But he wanted more
—wanted to bury his cock deep in that wetness, wanted to feel her clench
tight around him as he brought her to oblivion. All the things he’d resisted
before, he wanted now, a crumbling of walls that threw resolve out the
window, trumped by the need to fuck her brains out.
But not here. Lucas wanted her for himself.
It was that certainty that gave him a little bit of his control back,
enough to slide her off his lap and adjust the tent in his pants. She shot him a
look, biting her lip when he nodded towards their group of friends before
leaning against the couch. The action thrust her chest out, where her nipples
were hard points calling for him, but he fisted his hand—then froze when one
of hers rested on his thigh, slowly glissading up.
The dazedness was still there, but also a brazenness that darkened her
honey eyes. He bit back a groan when she reached his bulge, hastily throwing
a coat over his lap when she refused to let go. Lucas closed his eyes at the
teasing strokes and presses, nearly bucked against her when she unzipped
him and wrapped fingers around his bare length. Fascination drove her
movements, uncertainty turning to firm, hard strokes until he was close to
shooting his load in her hands.
Before that could happen, he removed them and adjusted himself
again, shaking from the need. Then he stood up and made his excuse to her
colleagues, calling an end to the night until everyone was ready to go. They
turned down Gina’s offered ride, walking to their apartment in the cold quiet
of the night. Then, halfway through the streets, he could no longer take it and
backed her against a hedge, where he found a sizable cove-like structure for
their bodies to fit in and shelter them, essentially hiding them from anyone
who could pass by.
There, he snapped, hands fumbling to pull down her top as he kissed
her hard, then trailed his mouth down to her arched neck. Her top finally slid
down, revealing a lacy bra and the most tantalizing cleavage there was,
driving him further into madness. A yank down, her chest arching…and he
was blessed with the sight of the plumpest, softest tits there were, round
globes capped with hardened pink nipples that made his mouth water.
A growl and he was testing their weight in his hands and rubbing his
thumbs over her tips. A soft whimper calling his name, and he was closing
his lips over one tip, her taste even more focused here and rushing in his
blood as he licked, then sucked on her. Her hips drove forward repeatedly,
seeking release, her hands tightening on his shoulders as he alternated
between her breasts. He pushed them together after, blind with the image of
what it must feel to have his cock thrusting between them before he brushed
that off. Her first, her always. He kept playing his tongue on her nipples until
she was writhing against him and he knew they wouldn’t make it to their
apartment at this point.
Desperate to give her what she quietly asked for, Lucas closed her top
again, just enough to hide her naked form before he was kneeling and lifting
her skirt. Amid her confused call of his name, he caressed her thighs, trailed
kisses up until he got to her panties—which, predictably, were moist. A lick
over the cloth and she was jerking her hips, a broken whimper that she held
down. Wanting to give her more, he slid her panties down, pocketing them
before his thumb rolled at her opening.
Just as soft as the rest of her, he closed his eyes as she grew wetter at
his ministrations. Heady from it, he kissed her slit, then finally spread her
opening and lightly licked. Her hips bucked, but he held her pressed against
the hedge, and soon he was licking a slow path up, then down against her
core until she was pulsing harder for him. She became even wetter, her taste
warm and addictive. He lapped it up, buried himself in the feel of her until
she was fisting a hand to her mouth and crying in muffled pleasure.
Everything in him raged to fuck her here, but an even deeper part of
him wanted to give her what she needed first. So he kept licking and sucking,
kept the pace steady before pausing now and then, giving her time to adjust.
Then there was no more pausing when his fingers smoothed in and her tight
walls clenched around him. He started thrusting, found her clit, and started
flicking, her pleading urging him on. Please. More. Faster. Please, Lucas. I
need you.
Goddamnit, he needed her, too. Needed her more than he cared to
admit, needed her more than he should. None of this mattered as he added
another finger in and increased his pace, wanting to give her everything she
asked for and more. When her nub was pulsing and tight as a string, he
placed his lips there and sucked eagerly, hungrily.
The string snapped, then shattered completely as Nora’s orgasm took
her apart, her body shaking almost violently with the intensity of it. Her
fingers tightened on his hair to brace herself from it, then skimmed down his
shoulders when he straightened up. Lucas kissed her again, a rush of
desperation as his hand covered her breast and plucked her nipple to prolong
her orgasm. She sighed against his lips, softly sucked on his tongue before
her body sagged, heartbeat slowing into sated contentment.
It got to him more than it should. This time it was Lucas who was
slowing their kisses down until they turned gentle, lazy. At that moment, he
realized that despite his raging erection and blinding need, he wanted to taste
her again—all of her, head to toe until every inch of her was marked by him.
It shook him to the core but didn’t alleviate the desire.
Before he could analyze it further, a tingling started up his shoulders,
different from the throbbing of his body. Nora stiffened, perhaps feeling it,
too.
That was the only warning he got before he was yanking her down
and avoiding the ball of power careening towards them.
 Chapter 14
The switch from hungry Lucas to angry Lucas stopped her heart with how
fast it was, a change that boggled the mind. Then there was no more time to
think as they moved, and Nora could only hang on as his body covered hers
before they were straightening up. Dazed, she looked into his eyes, molten
black with intent. He lowered his head, whispering only one instruction in her
ear.
“Stay here. Don’t run away. Trust me. Please.”
Then he was gone, his absence taking the warmth with him until she
was cold all over and struggling to wrap her mind around what was
happening. That cold turned icy at the figure at her side, recognizable. If
anything, that only sent her body close to fleeing before she remembered
Lucas’s words and told herself to listen to him. With a swallow, Nora
wrapped her arms around herself, keeping covered and highly aware of her
lack of underwear. She turned a wary glance at Geremy. There was a
protective shell of shimmer around them and blurry sparks outside, but he
was calm as a lake in his black robes and focused ahead.
“Good evening, Miss Rivers.”
The greeting skittered across her, his voice friendly and his aura
making her skin crawl. She weathered through it and straightened her
shoulders.
“It was a good evening until you interrupted it.”
“Ah, I would apologize for that, but this is already pre-planned.”
“And what is this?”
He nodded to the front, then waved a hand. Power sizzled in the air,
thin and light before the shimmer around them died down enough for the blur
to clear—and for her to see what the sparks were all about. Nora made a
sound in her throat when Lucas was thrown to the ground, the crashing sound
jarring her senses until she was taking a step forward.
Without lifting a hand, Geremy pushed her back, pressing her against
the hedge with the same sizzling power. She clawed at the invisible force
before she realized he wasn’t choking her, but that didn’t make breathing any
easier. Her gaze flew to Lucas as his scales came out, body moving in a blur
and running towards another figure. They rolled to the ground, two forces
attempting to knock each other down and cracking the pavement with the
force of it.
“That’s the start of the first challenge, Miss Rivers. I have decided to
make it a spontaneous one, with neither prepared—Lucas from a party and
Daniel from a bar, both unaware until this moment.”
Blocks of bricks flew towards Lucas when he flattened Daniel. His
wings snapped up to stop them from hitting him, but the grunt indicated there
was damage. More bricks came at him in fast and hard motions, the blur
creating dust particles until it covered them up. With a heave, Nora pushed
against the hedge and attempted to cross the shimmering cove again but was
powerless when some other force rooted her in place.
“I would suggest you not do that. Any help from you will disqualify
the dragon shifter immediately and give the demigod the win…unless that’s
secretly what you want?”
She didn’t miss the slyness in his voice, realized the teasing held a
thin veneer of mocking. Nora tried not to glare, bracing her feet and
reluctantly staying put.
“You didn’t need to make this cove.”
“I didn’t,” was his cheerful response. “Daniel made it for you. I just
decided to join in.”
“Daniel…?”
“Minimal protection. That’s not my priority.”
As if to prove his point, debris snapped in their direction, deflected by
the cove and shattering into pieces. More debris came, one with some iron
railing that sailed by so fast, it managed to break through the cove. But like
glue, the cove held it in place before it could plunge through her head, and
she peered up at the glinting point and watched the cove harden before
tossing the railing back out.
 Geremy chuckled. Nora trembled, swallowing her fear and trying to
keep a straight face. The commotion had created dust around them, too,
enough to make her cough. She took a step away from the demigod beside
her at his next chuckle, obviously amused over the happenings upfront. When
the dust cleared, she realized why, and the sight turned her body rigid before
she started trembling again.
Someone was unmoving on the ground, a figure sprawled from her
point of sight. Panic coated her tongue, and this time, she would’ve risked
everything to cross that cove—even the fury of a creepy demigod. But before
she could, another figure rushed forward, breaking through the protection
with a hard punch and pulling her out until she was covered by a hard,
furious body…a familiar body.
She sagged in his arms, then righted herself when she felt his wince of
pain. Lucas’s gaze flicked over her in a quick check before he zoned in on
Geremy, glaring daggers that would’ve made a lesser man cower. The
demigod merely gazed back, still sizzling with that underlying humor.
“He was fucking drunk. This is a low blow.”
“It’s not my fault if you’re unaware. It’s supposed to catch you
unaware.”
The callous response had Lucas growling low in his throat, body
strained and about to launch at the other, consequences be damned. Nora
pressed a hand against his stomach in warning, hiding the action from the
demigod’s view and looking up. That hot, angry gaze flickered to her again…
then, cleared when he finally took her in and pulled her even closer.
“First round goes to you, dragon. I hope you’re better prepared for the
next call.”
Geremy addressed this to Lucas, but locked eyes with her for a second
in passing interest. The same uncomfortable feeling crawled up her spine
before he was gone, floating away. Without waiting for him to disappear
completely, Lucas was tugging Nora to follow him—not away but towards
the unconscious figure.
“Is he alive?”
 Lucas’s jaw clenched, but he nodded his head. “Barely. I hit him
pretty hard without realizing it.”
“Oh.” Dread sank in when she swept her gaze around and saw the
damage of broken asphalt and buildings, but she gasped when they started
moving. “Lucas…?”
“No humans will come here until the Joker has fixed it. But we need
to leave. Come on.”
With that parting order, he bent down, obviously in pain. Then he
picked Daniel up, threw the demigod over his shoulder, and urged Nora to
follow him as they hurried away from Geremy.

The sound of a scream surged in her senses and jerked her up, panic racing
before she realized a few things: one, she was in her bedroom, safe and
sound.
Two, Lucas was beside her, fast asleep and also safe.
Last night’s memory rushed back like a gushing current of water,
playing in her mind: the short but jarring fight between a demigod and a
dragon, the return home after they’d deposited Daniel to his hotel suite and
made sure he wouldn’t be helpless from bleeding too much. Then there was
the return to her apartment, with Lucas barely walking straight and gritting
his teeth, the battle getting to him as much as Daniel. He collapsed on her
couch, where she attempted to stop his bleeding before he promised he was
fine and just needed a day’s rest. It was Lucas who talked her into taking a
hot shower and going to bed, with her reluctantly giving in and helping him
change clothes before she crashed to bed with him as well, exhausted with
the alcohol still in her system.
There was no hangover like she expected, giving her so much relief
that she collapsed back in bed. The scream had been in her dream, and in the
hazy sunlight through her curtains, his bruises had turned light and were no
longer open. She lifted his shirt to check him even further, pressing against
darker areas to see if he was still tender.
The groan that spilled from Lucas’s throat had her hand snapping
back, but his reached out to wrap around her wrist. Before she could
apologize for hurting him, Nora found herself rolled to her side and his hands
pulling her in until he was spooning her from behind.
“Good morning,” he greeted in a gravelly voice, crackling against her
skin.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
“Oh, yes.”
“You need more rest. More recharging.”
“I’m fine. And you’re about to ask, so I’ll answer ahead and tell you
that my wounds are fine. They’ve closed up now.”
“You really shouldn’t move around too much,” she insisted, then
attempted to get away and re-check him again. She yelped when he yanked
her back, locking her in place…pressing himself further against her until she
felt it: Lucas’s pulsing erection grinding against her butt almost lazily. It
nudged at her core, had her forgetting the rest of her words as his heat
rocketed in her. In a second, she was already aroused, biting her lip against
the raging desire that pulsed through her.
“I like moving,” he smirked, licking her ear. A warm, calloused hand
glided under her shirt and found her breast, which he palmed before he
groaned. “Nora, fuck. You’re so soft.”
“Well, you’re so hard.” She bit her lip to keep from whimpering, any
protest trickling away like sand. “Lucas, you’re hurt.”
“I’m not hurt. I’m in pain.”
“What—”
“My cock’s in pain, aching for you. I want you, Nora.”
Nora’s resolve broke—not that she had any to begin with. Last night
had been a testament to how much she would break when it came to him,
letting him eat her up in public like that. But she realized she didn’t regret it
one bit, wanted more than a quick orgasm in the dark from this man.
She also realized Lucas had stopped, only his thumb rolling against
her nipple as he waited for her to decide. Somehow she knew he would stop
if she told him to, however much it pained him—and that decided it for her as
she pushed her hips back and had him groaning thickly against her ear.
“Fuck, Nora.”
“We can do that,” she quipped.
A strangled laugh came from him, followed by a desperate grinding
that turned her on to the point of mindlessness. Her hands tried to hold on to
something and ended up reaching for his hair.
“We can. I’ve been dying to be inside you for so long, been wanting
these in my hands for so long…” He palmed both her breasts, rolled both her
nipples until she was a writhing mass of pleasure. Relentless, he coasted a
hand down and touched her center, groaning again. “You’re so wet. Nora…
do what you want. Take what you want. Please.”
“What?”
“I’m three seconds away from screwing your brains out. I want you to
take what you want first.”
The request scalded her insides until she could only feel desire. She
took hold of it and took control, grinding back against him a few more times
before she scrambled away. The protest left his lips and turned into a grunt
when she pushed him forcefully until he was lying flat on the bed, then
straddled his thick thighs. Her hands caressed his bare chest, ridges of
muscles making her throat dry before she adjusted her hips until his tip was
nudging her entrance, their underwear the only barrier between them.
Lucas’s eyes locked with hers, widening when she rolled her hips and
created delicious friction between them. Part of her wanted to take his cock
and taste it, to take all of him in her mouth until he was desperate for her. But
the bigger part of her wanted to tease. She lifted her shirt and removed it,
pleased at the glimmer of lust in his gaze.
“You can touch them if you want,” she whispered, then gasped when
his hands skimmed up and did as asked—willingly, just as teasingly. She shot
him a look, then arched back when he squeezed and kneaded enough to make
her vision grow hazy. Desire crawled, building in quiet momentum. A
restlessness came over her as his cock hardened further, and desperation
followed. “I want your cock in my mouth.”
A guttural groan came from him, shooting straight down her core. She
grew wetter, grew bolder, and she didn’t want any clothes anymore. She
fumbled with his sweatpants, nearly sobbing when they were easy to get rid
of and she was stroking his cock in her hand. Impatience bloomed. She only
had time to yank her panties to one side, thankful they were old and loose.
Nora rose, his hands assisting her as she positioned his tip against her
once more and stayed suspended at that moment. When her knees started to
tremble, she lowered them, letting his cock sink in until she was stretched for
him. The grip on her hips tightened, then loosened, Lucas barely hanging on
to his control as he slid inside her fully. It was madness, being this full,
feeling him pulse in her—if anything, making her want him more, the hunger
never dying.
“Nora…” The sound of his voice was close to the desperation she felt,
and her core clenched in need. He felt it, hips bucking up in answer before he
flattened back against the mattress, gritting his teeth. “Take what you want.
Take me.”
The power he gave her was intense, but she realized she could have
more in her hands, too, if his trembling body was any indication. A powerful
dragon, a prideful male, quivering in desire for her and helpless to it. She
reveled in it, grew drunk in it.
When he trembled again, Nora seized the moment and took him.
 Chapter 15
It had to be the most erotic moment Lucas had ever witnessed in his life:
Nora on top of him, hips rolling as she tried to feed her hunger and eyes
closed in an expression of euphoria. She rocked against him slowly as if she
had all the time in the world, while he gritted his teeth at the excruciating
pace and how it fed his desire. Her muscles clenched around him from time
to time, soft sounds coming from her mouth that he wanted to kiss. But he
stayed where he was, flat against the mattress and letting her ride. It was the
hardest thing not to touch her and feel that heat against him, but he forced
himself to close his eyes and try to think of boring things before he could
blow his load in her.
Blood. Ice. Math, something he could never quite figure out and
bored him to death. It worked for a while until she made a sound, causing
him to open his eyes again, where he saw what had caused it: Nora playing
with her tits and getting turned on by it.
A hundred curses went through his head, followed by a rush of blood
that made it hard to think and go back to the control he tightly held.
Desperation had him sitting up and closing his mouth over one breast,
devouring it in its entirety. Even so, he only sucked and kept his lower body
from moving.
But she had other ideas, pausing before she changed angles. Rolling
shifted to bouncing, her body rising and lowering, his cock rubbing against
wet, pulsing heat. It drove him insane, but still pulling at his control as her
hands pushed him down. The bouncing intensified, Nora’s frantic movements
mixed with helplessness as her eyes blurred. Wanting to help her reach the
finality she was seeking, he swiveled his hips up to meet her thrust down, the
resulting friction shooting lust hard inside him until he was grunting her
name.
She moaned his name, too, leaning down and seeking his lips for a
kiss. Her hunger choked him, drowned him, fighting to snatch his soul before
she whispered, pleading hoarsely.
 “Please. Please, fuck me hard.”
Whatever control there was, broke, the snapping of strings ringing in
his ears before blood roared. A second later, he was sitting up and assisting
her by lifting her up and down against his cock, quick, hard thrusts that had
her body shaking—then, stilling, a low sound racing from her mouth before
he captured it. Her climax came harder than when they’d been outside,
clenching so tightly around him that he almost blew it there, too. Instead, he
hung on, feeling her earth-shattering orgasm hit her with wave after wave of
pleasure.
It vibrated for a long time, a steady thrum, and it was only her sigh
that indicated she was about to come down from her high. While still in the
throes of it, he rolled them around until her back was on the bed and he was
on top of her, waiting for her eyes to clear. They met his gaze just as he
withdrew his cock from her until only the tip was inside. Awareness kicked
in when he thrust back in, her mouth opening without sound, her body
arching to take.
There was no slowness this time. His hunger too great for anything
but frantic. It clawed at him, ate at his insides until he was lifting her hips and
pounding into her without restraint. Then he pressed her hips down against
the mattress, changing the angle and pistoning in repeatedly until her desire
rose once more. Honey eyes sparked with it, her lips trembling. Her hands
reached out to pull him closer until their chests were rubbing against each
other, the friction adding to the blinding pleasure. Nails clawed, short but
forceful, and her shuddering gasp and second orgasm milked him until he
could no longer take it.
Lucas nearly roared with the force of his release. But Nora was there,
kissing him and joining his flight to oblivion. They stayed there for another
long moment, basking in the glory of a mindboggling union before they
crashed back to reality. She sighed, then spoke languidly.
“That was good. So good.”
“We both needed it. We were both stressed.”
“Right. It’s a distraction, though. Perhaps we should…tone it down.”
 Lucas’s hand fisted before he nodded. “Whatever you want.”

Whatever control and self-preservation they deduced they could hold on to

became a cloud of dust when within hours of having her, he was having her
again: at the back of her bakery, inside a closet where he’d backed her in after
announcing they were taking a short break. It was a well-deserved one,
considering how they’d stood for hours catering to orders at the counter—
another success—before a short break between customers came. Nora’s eyes
flew to his, confusion turning to awareness when he started touching her
under her clothes, and soon, she was doing the same to him.
It wasn’t long before his cock was buried inside her, hands on her butt
as he fucked her against a table and tried to be as quiet as possible. In the
darkness, every inhale and exhale became elevated, her delicious scent a
maddening aspect that made him a walking hard-on for her. He set about
pounding her into release, covering her mouth with his hand before he
erupted inside her, too. They stumbled out, dazed, but righted themselves and
returned to their stations, making eyes at each other as subtly as they could.
“Dude, you’re about to make Vanya and Gina blush with how you’re
looking at their friend. Stop being distracting. I’m trying to get with Gina but
there’s no competing with you.”
Okay, maybe not subtle after all. Lucas bit back a grin and shot
Jerome a look. “There’s no need to compete. And you’re blind.”
“Huh?”
“Stop focusing on Nora and me. Gina’s been making eyes at you
when you weren’t looking.”
“Huh?”
Lucas sighed, glimpsing Gina’s glance at Jerome before looking
away. He could play matchmaker but sensed there was no need for it and
handed the guy a card instead.
“Take her out tonight. Let us handle the shop closing. You can return
that card to me after.”
 It took much convincing, but Gina finally agreed to whatever
invitation Jerome presented, leaving Vanya with them. Then Vanya was off,
too, and it only took the locking of the front door before he was pouncing on
Nora and dragging her to the kitchen. She laughed, swatting him away.
“Lucas, stop. You’re incorrigible.”
But her expression said differently, already glowing with hunger
when he let his hands travel to his pants and paused.
“If you say so—”
He chuckled when she launched herself at him and he had to catch her
and lift her, then groaned when she rubbed against him, eager hands already
caressing a path down his erection.
“What time are you going to start baking tomorrow?”
“I’ve made sure not to accept orders due this week, so we can all
recharge until noon. Then it’s going to be busy.”
“Good.”
“We should probably head home. Recharge.”
“Okay.”
Neither headed home until an hour later after he took her against
another table and had her screaming his name in pleasure.

The days went by in a blur, much like they did before she started her launch.
The only difference this time was the candid breaks they took that wouldn’t
affect the business much right before they jumped each other with kisses and
whatever they could fit in. On a Tuesday, he took her against her laundry, the
dryer vibrating in rhythm with his rocking hips and quickening the release.
On Wednesday, he nearly lost his mind when she knelt before him as the
apartment lock clicked into place, lips wrapping around his cock and sucking
him to his orgasm. On Thursday, it was his turn to lick every inch of her skin
after dinner, and they were too frenzied to make it to bed and ended up on the
couch, with him taking her from behind.
Fridays and the rest of the weekend became too much as she got more
customers—an aftereffect of the first batch of orders and a positive response
to it. Stolen kisses were all they could manage, basking in each other’s
warmth when they finally crashed into bed. Nora snored in her sleep while he
dreamed in his, and for a moment, it made him believe that he could live like
this, free of the worries of his other life and content with only her.
On a Monday, Geremy appeared before him just as he reached the
block to her bakery, cups of coffee in his hands for the team. The demigod
lifted two fingers, the only signal needed for Lucas to throw the cups in the
nearest bin before he followed the other. Instead of a fight in broad daylight,
Geremy transported him to a field, where Daniel was already waiting,
expressionless. No words were exchanged, a tense moment before Geremy
spoke.
“There’s no need to fight to the death, but I won’t mind at all if you
resort to that outcome. The field will change as the challenge goes and you
will get your reward at the end. I would’ve made it more interesting, but
Daniel wanted it simple and over with.”
It had Lucas shooting Daniel a look, but the man still wasn’t looking
at him. A second later, an electric charge rented the air before the field
changed, hedges spurting from all directions and blocking the rest of the
view. Lucas eyed the pattern on both sides, realizing what this was: a maze.
There was no time to lose.
He ran, but the first turn was already a dead-end that forced him to
retrace his steps. The minutes flew by, consumed by the desire to get to the
finish line faster. That was easier said than done as the first obstacle came in
a burst of fire, forming a regal phoenix before him. The bird floated up the
sky for a second before diving down, claws glinting towards him.
He dove to the side, avoiding the first swipe before the rest came in a
blur of attacks. He let his scales grow for better leverage, blocking the last
attack and retaliating with his claws. At the next dive, his size grew bigger,
anticipating the pointed wings headed for his face. Just before they hit, he
spread his wings, rolling his body and using them to push back the phoenix—
hard.
It flew across the sky, screeching loudly before disappearing in a puff
of smoke. But Lucas got no rest as another animal came pummeling him
from the ground, this one a panther with a spiky tail. It shot out and whizzed
towards him, and Lucas dove to the side to avoid it. One after another,
monsters came, and he grew stunned when, despite the illusion, the pain
became all too real. The last monster increased that pain, rushing past his
defenses and tearing a part of his skin.
He stumbled through the rest of the maze in a web on injuries,
stopping in his tracks when he found the glowing finish line up ahead. Daniel
was already there, but what caught his attention wasn’t the demigod, but the
figure at the center of the glow, skin an orange ember, and close to charred.
The hair and face were still intact, lifeless honey eyes staring into
nothingness.
His world stilled. His heart stopped a beat or two before anger struck
—fast, blinding, turning his insides upside down until he couldn’t tell right
from wrong. The baffled, angry look on Daniel’s face as the demigod gaped
at the burning body registered, but Lucas’s anger was too intense to question
it as he careened forward. He must’ve made a sound because Daniel glanced
at him, comprehension dawning as he opened his mouth. Whatever the man
had been about to say was lost as everything disappeared, the puff of smoke
gone, and Lucas back on the field with only Geremy’s parting words.
“Round two goes to Daniel. Congratulations. Until the next
challenge.”
Then that demigod was gone too, leaving his emotions in a whirlwind
before he turned away from the field and ran as fast as his feet could take
him. He didn’t stop until he was on the bakery block, close to tearing the
front door apart in his fear, expecting to find everyone in confusion over the
missing Nora.
But there was no confusion. She was standing inside the counter,
ringing up orders, her smile directed to a customer as she packed a box and
talked about each new cupcake flavor with fervor. She was too busy with the
line at first, so he watched her for a while, devouring the sight of a woman
doing her thing. Safe. Unharmed. It had been an illusion again.
When the customers were gone, Nora looked up, her smile fading
when she noticed his expression. Concern flitted in. She turned to whisper
something to Gina before the manager nodded and shooed her away. Without
a word, she led him inside, stopping just at the backdoor.
“I would say you’re scaring the customers away with that look, but I
don’t think it’s anything to joke about.” A hand reached up, touching his
cheek. Grounding him. “Lucas, what’s wrong?”
Lucas swallowed with difficulty, leaning down to smell her. The
sweetness filled his nostrils, made his tense body relax before it tightened,
reminding him he hadn’t touched her in a while. Adrenaline still rushed from
the earlier fights, snapping in his body like a bomb about to explode. Not
here, his mind screamed at him.
“Are you able to get away for a day?”
Surprise fluttered, but concern followed when she nodded.
“Our schedule’s set, and the two new hires are doing good. Gina can
manage, so yes.”
“Good. Come on. I have something to show you.”
 Chapter 16
She expected to be taken for a stroll out and was even excited at the prospect,
eager to get away from her responsibilities for a bit now that her business was
no longer a sinking boat. One thing that baffled her about Lucas was his spurs
of romanticism in the midst of their whirlwind affair. Nora vowed to enjoy it
while it lasted, refusing to number the days.
Eagerness turned to shock when he took her to the very back of their
block where an empty parking lot was located. Stopping at the center, he took
her hand and met her gaze.
“Close your eyes. Don’t open them until I tell you to.”
It was so eerily similar to when they’d still been strangers. The
urgency in his voice had her doing so, feet already braced for what was to
come—and her body being lifted was not what she had in mind. She opened
her mouth to protest, stiffening against him before she realized there was no
feeling of flying. Instead, there was a stilling, as if she floated into oblivion
where nothing existed. Electricity crackled, her body tightening with it. It
ended all too soon, her shoes back on solid ground…except she was no
longer in the parking lot. Her eyes widened as she took in the cave, took in
the icy glow in certain areas before Lucas pulled her deeper into it.
Encased in an intimate kind of darkness, his lips descended on hers,
the hunger so palpable that it made her stomach jump. Then her hunger met
his, dueling until resistance vanished. His tongue slithered in and plundered,
hands already under her skirt to thrust two fingers in and prepare her for what
was to come—not that it was needed as she was already so wet for him.
The world faded when his cock plunged in, the groan from his lips
almost desperate. Hefting her against the wall, she could only wrap her legs
around him as he pistoned repeatedly and took what he wanted, his need
wrapping around her. She yanked that need in, fed her own until it consumed
her body and soul. It wasn’t long before she was clawing at his back, her
body shuddering from the climax, with him following in her path.
Weak, sated, Nora pushed him off after, then stopped when he
reached out and cleaned them up. She expected the same lazy expression on
his face post-sex but found his jaw still clenched. She touched it, feeling its
rigidity before he took her hand and kissed it.
“Lucas, you need to tell me what’s going on.”
Lucas shook his head, then seemed to think better of it and tugged her
in a certain direction. She followed, curiosity surging at the cave’s glow and
where it could lead to. A treasure? Some kind of path to the afterlife? The last
one was a crazy idea, but everything connected to this dragon shifter had
been crazy so far and nothing was farfetched anymore. They stopped at an
area where the glow was brighter, slivers of blue ice running through the
walls like veins and circling a spot. Astonishment coursed in when she took a
good, long look inside the ice.
“Lucas! There’s someone—”
“My sister. Jememiah.”
Her fingers tightened around his, an instinctive reaction before she
took a long exhale. “Oh. I didn’t know she was…”
“We all were. We fell right into slumber after what Daniel’s brother
did. You could say our world went into chaos after. When Daniel’s other
brother woke me up, everything was different.” There was a pause as his free
hand went up to the ice, resting inches away. But he didn’t touch it. “Daniel
didn’t drink before, and he never used to be this aggressive. But I get it—one
brother’s a madman, another brother’s a troubled dictator, and his sister’s
gone.”
“What did his brother do, Lucas?”
Silence. Finally, he grimaced. “Gabriel killed gods. We don’t know
how many, but it’s the biggest sin there is.”
“Why would he do that?”
“I wouldn’t know. Daniel probably doesn’t, either.”
There was no mention of the other brother who had control over
Lucas’s life. Nora wondered about it. “Where’s your brother?”
“He’s not here.”
 “Where is he?”
The hand close to the ice fisted then settled beside him. “I don’t
know. His ice capsule’s broken, so your guess is as good as mine.”
There was a grief to his tone that got to her. It had Nora sidling closer
so she could place an arm around his waist. He drew her in, kissing her head
and breathing her in, the moment quiet and filled with a sense of foreboding.
“Would you like to see a bit of my world?”
Without a word, she nodded, then followed as he led her to a series of
twists and turns. Coincidentally, the glow started to fade, darkness replacing
it before red sparks came. When they reached the entrance of the cave, it
became clear why.
The red represented fire, because that was how it was outside the
cave: a burning land, embers glowing everywhere and new fires flickering in
the distance. Nothing green occurred, only brown and black…and gray, so
much gray. The gray represented piles of ashes before the wind swept them
away, leaving behind a feeling of hopelessness. It tightened her chest, horror
curling in when she realized she’d dreamed of this. Then she spotted the
creatures in the sky.
Lucas spotted them, too, his stance hardening. “They’re not friendly. I
can’t take you anywhere beyond this cave.”
“That’s okay. I wasn’t eager to meet them, anyway,” she quipped,
pulling a small smile from him. “Is this where you live? This cave?”
“No.” He shook his head. “We didn’t have a permanent place, but that
was the beauty of this world—we were second rulers to demigods and
couldn’t be touched unless we were deep in another malicious demigod’s
territory. We could sleep anywhere we wanted: on the fine grass, up in the
mountains where the cold could brush our scales. In caves, where treasure
used to lay. The other dragons did the same.”
And now there was nowhere to go. Protected from sight by his broad
back, she peeked up again and watched the flying creatures, grotesque-
looking and seemingly aimless in their flight. She hadn’t noticed before, but
there were flashes in between them too that she’d dismissed as lightning until
she got a good, long look at them. The last flash contained a familiar orange
color that stunned her and had her body jerking in response.
“Is that what I think it is?”
“Yes. Changing leaves. It’s autumn somewhere in your world.”
“And none of them can cross it, right?”
“That’s right. Just dragons. Daniel—and to an extent, Geremy—are
exceptions.”
Fascination crept in. She found herself just looking for the next flash
and analyzing what city—what country—each flash was showing. Perhaps it
was a common enough sight for how the flying creatures didn’t pay attention
anymore, but it made her wonder about another thing.
“Have demigods ever gotten humans pregnant?”
“Generally, they don’t…or if they do, it’s kept secret and deemed a
mistake. Demigod allies are big on keeping the bloodline pure to keep their
powers pure. Gods can afford to impregnate humans because they’ve always
been the most powerful, though those aren’t purposeful, either. Once they do
it, they have to remove the infant demigods from your world and take them
here. That’s the sole reason this world was created—to keep the balance.”
“That’s horrible,” she gasped, unable to imagine the pain of a mother
losing a baby from the get-go. Feeling her dismay, he rubbed her wrist with
his thumb. “What about demigod to demigod? Does it ever happen?”
Something sparked in his eyes. “It…happened. Before. A rare
occurrence.”
“And?”
“Rufus never talked about it again.”
“As in Daniel’s brother? Your keeper?”
“Yeah. He had a demigod wife and they had a kid. That was a long
time ago.”
“Where are they now?”
 “Gone.”
The more she learned, the more her mood plummeted, feeling a sense
of loss for a man she’d never even met…feeling a sense of understanding for
Lucas and Daniel, too, as they were tied to it.
“Daniel lost a lot. So did you.”
“I’m fine. As soon as my sister wakes up and we find our brother, we
can be a unit again.”
Which made it important for him to beat Daniel, no matter what. As
for the demigod…
“Daniel must be grieving. And he’s handling it differently.” She lifted
Lucas’s hand, kissing his knuckles and feeling them tighten. “This must be a
distraction from the grief for him, a way for him to cope. You can get your
sister back, but him…I get it now.”
“Get what?”
“You. Him. Why you never just killed him in the first place. Why
you’re always cutting him some slack.”
His lips pressed tightly together, his head turning to glance at her in
fascination. Darkness flared when she kept kissing his knuckles, but he
banked the reaction in and shook his head. “It’s not an excuse for what he’s
doing.”
“You’re right, it’s not.”
“Nora, just because I’ve cut him some slack doesn’t mean I won’t kill
him if any harm comes to you.”
Coldness seeped down her back at his voice, calm but still filled with
vehemence. It made her mouth dry knowing he meant every word, and she
felt no thrill in the knowledge at all. Instead, there was apprehension,
surrounding her like a dark cloud and making it difficult to think beyond one
thing: if Lucas killed Daniel, it would destroy them. Her heart squeezed,
having a hard time grasping that truth and her part in it. Her skin crawled,
too, hair standing on end and…
Oh.
 Nora whirled around, alarm rising when Lucas pulled her out of the
cave. She glanced up at the sky, seeing nothing amiss. Then she glanced
behind them, the alarm shifting to fear at the sight of shadowed figures
crowding the entrance where they’d been standing. They were shorter than
her and bonier, but there was no missing the hooked black claws and glinting
yellow eyes, staring at her with hatred.
“Goblins,” he said shortly. “Normally, they can’t get out in the light,
but…”
But there was no natural sunlight to stop them now, not when this
world had grown dark. She watched in horror as they started spilling out of
the cave, like ants stumbling on top of each other. Then the goblins were
running towards them, skin a dark brown and charred in corners, bodies filled
with pocket-like structures that held sharp, glinting objects.
“Are those…?”
“Gems,” he confirmed. “Carved weapons. We need to fly.”
“With them?”
“Yes—duck!” The order was followed by a hand pushing her down
just as something whizzed over her head. She glanced up to see the green
gem weapon hit a rock instead. She gasped when the rock cracked, indicative
of the power of those weapons.
“Oh. I see.”
“I’m sorry about this.”
“No need to be sorry.” But her stomach was starting to turn, nerves
slithering. “Now?”
“Not yet.”
They kept running to widen the distance between them and the
goblins, but it wasn’t working. The creatures caught up, running faster, using
all of their limbs to gain bursts of speed reminiscent of feline forest animals.
More sharp gems came shooting in their direction, one almost hitting Lucas’s
head before he ducked. Above, the flying creatures took notice, some of
which started circling them and the goblins.
 “We have to fly,” she shouted over the rush of her heartbeat. “We
have to—”
“All right, now. Climb.”
She jumped up to his back just as he shifted, then hung on for dear
life when he pushed himself off the ground with so much force that she was
almost knocked out. But she didn’t let go, didn’t close her eyes as she
managed to snatch one of the gem weapons and tuck it at her side.
A screech came from above, the only warning she got before a
shadow swooped in. Adrenaline punched as she gripped the weapon and
thrust up—and, to her amazement, connected the sharp gem to something
solid, earning her a violent shaking and answering cry. More screeching came
and surrounded them now, the sounds vibrating with an electric charge that
signified only one thing: a power so great that it spun her head.
Even then, the fear was still there, clutching at her throat when his
dragon form turned to avoid a creature diving for them. Then he dove, too,
turning her skin to ice before she saw the portal flash ahead. Behind them,
four flying creatures swooped in at the same time, jaws opening to reach for
her head and snap it off. She leaned flat against Lucas’s back, closed her eyes
—
The icy sensation increased, hitting her square in the chest before she
was floating again…then, landing. Hardness knocked against her, jarring her
senses, but she kept her eyes closed and tried to count in her head. The
numbers calmed her, gave her a sense of balance she needed desperately. But
it was Lucas’s voice that brought the rest back, and she finally opened her
eyes with dawning amazement.
“I didn’t feel afraid,” she declared, looking at his astonished face.
Looking around, where she found them standing in another parking lot.
“Your kind’s obsession with parking lots is insane.”
The chuckle he let out was relieved, and she found herself filled with
him: his scent, his kisses, his hands as they pried the gem from her shaking
hands. The kisses settled on her forehead, where he seemed to inhale her. “It
always lands us in empty spaces. This was the only non-green field I could
find in the sky.”
 “That’s some crazy magic shit,” she accused, then laughed. God, her
hands were still shaking. “I wasn’t afraid, Lucas.”
Black eyes bored into hers, thick with emotion. “I know. You were
the bravest woman I saw out there.”
Her laughter turned into giddiness as they tried to figure out where
they were and ended up needing another car ride to return to the city. The
moon was out by the time they got to the now-closed bakery, but Gina’s texts
made her shoulders relax.
“That translates to you’ve been overworking.”
“I’m the owner.”
“The owner needs rest, too.”
They teased each other on the walk home, the thrill still humming
inside her.
That thrill crashed when Nora spotted Daniel standing outside her
apartment building.
 Chapter 17
Outside of dragging Daniel away and punching the daylights out of him,
there was nothing else Lucas could do—particularly not when Nora herself
invited the man in for a cup of coffee and some conversation. The silence
ticked by as they filed in the elevator instead of the stairs, then kept on as
they reached her floor and walked to her door. There, he shot the demigod a
warning look, trying to get his point across without words.
No funny business.
If Daniel understood it, he didn’t say a word, merely flicking his gaze
away from Lucas and entering the apartment with ease. Green eyes assessed
the interior before he nodded.
“This is nice. Small and cozy.”
Lucas scoffed, watching as Nora went to the kitchen to fix them some
drinks. He would’ve gone to assist, but every bone in his body told him to
keep his eye on the demigod. He strode casually to the living room, too,
gesturing for the man to sit down. Daniel eyed the couch with a wrinkled
nose before gingerly sitting, then startling a bit when the material sunk
further down. The man shifted his weight a few times until he got to a more
comfortable position, then started looking around again.
“Are you trying to find spots where you can get a bit of your power
in? Set some traps?”
Those green eyes zoned in on him, darkening. Daniel’s jaw clenched,
offended at the prospect before sighing deeply.
“You know I don’t do that.”
“You’ve done plenty of things you’ve never done before, like trying
to fool Nora into uniting with you and getting Geremy into this whole deal.
Both don’t strike me as fair.”
“I admit getting her to unite with me that way had been uncalled for,
but as I said, it was necessary. As for Geremy, you’re wrong. He’s supposed
to keep this fair. And Nora—”
 “Nora can decide for herself and shouldn’t be talked about as if she’s
not here. Which I am.” She walked in like a boss after her statement, holding
a tray of teacups and cookies. She set it down with a firm plop on the coffee
table, sat down on the lone couch close to where Lucas was standing. Then
she gave each of them a pointed, defiant look. “That goes for both of you.”
God, she was too sexy for her own good, her fierceness warming him
up and making him want to hold her. He stifled a smile and nodded. “You’re
right.”
“Yes, you’re right. I would like to apologize,” Daniel said.
Nora nodded graciously, gesturing at the food and watching as Daniel
took a sip. “Apology accepted. Now, what is this visit about?”
The demigod took another sip, then bit into a cookie. “This tastes
good.”
“I know. Thanks.”
There was such bafflement in the man’s voice that Lucas almost
smiled again, but he refrained and sat on the hand rest of Nora’s chair
instead. Daniel ignored the protective movement—however casual it was—
and focused on Nora, expression softening. There was a fascination there as
if he was still trying to figure her out, and Lucas couldn’t blame him. Still,
his hands fisted when the demigod smiled, all white teeth and bright eyes. To
keep himself from getting aggressive, Lucas reached out for a teacup and
took a sip of the tea, hoping it would calm him down.
“This place smells like cookies and sex. It’s obvious you’ve had sex
in all corners of this apartment.”
The air whooshed out of Lucas, blocking the path of the water. It sent
him choking and a hand slapping his back repeatedly until he could inhale
again. Beside him, Nora had turned a deep shade of red, stunned. But Daniel
was unfazed, obviously finding nothing wrong as he displayed his palms in
what might’ve been a gesture of friendliness.
“It doesn’t matter. Sex is important, I suppose, and a part of
everyone’s needs. And we all have needs. I’ve had sex plenty of times myself
and it has always been enjoyable. I like making women feel good. Lucas here
has been in slumber for so long and probably hasn’t had sex since. That must
take a toll since shifters are notorious for their sex drives—”
Now it was Nora who choked and Lucas who patted her back.
“Daniel,” he growled, close to spitting the words out. “Shut up.”
Daniel blinked, studying them. “I was trying to make a point.”
“Then get to the point.”
“I was saying that sex is as natural as breathing—or in my case, as
natural as dreaming and using my powers. It’s natural for a dragon to mount a
lady, too, and make her scream in—”
“I said get to the damn point.”
The demigod sighed deeply, frowning. “You’re very rude. Do you
know what rudeness gets you in our world?”
“Try me.”
They both braced—
“One more threat from either of you and I’m kicking you out,” Nora
said. Her voice was pleasant but tinged with tightness, the smile she gave
them almost feral. With a snap, she set her teacup down and glared at them
with blazing eyes. “Lucas, stop trying to interrupt him. Daniel, stop talking
about sex and get to the point.”
Daniel jerked back, unused to being sassed. Then he smiled in
admiration. “Wow. You keep surprising me. Humans are…”
“Amazing,” Lucas murmured, another interruption risked. Nora
glanced at him in surprise. “Stronger than we give them credit for.”
“Right.” Daniel nodded, agreeing for once. “That’s right. Which gets
me to my point. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve had sex with him,
Nora, because in the end, the outcome is the same: you’re still the woman in
my dreams and the one I’m destined to be with. I will do my best to make
you happy. And Lucas?”
“What?” Lucas snapped, knuckles cracking. He was close to
launching himself at the demigod when the man talked about honor,
considering the last time they’d met in a challenge.
“Perhaps you’re right about Geremy.”
It was the last thing he expected. Taken aback, Lucas’s suspicion rose
but easily settled when he met Daniel’s gaze and realized they were seeing
the same thing: the image of Nora burned beyond recognition, the play
Geremy tried to make against them. There was horror there, too, as real as it
could get, and it had Lucas abruptly standing up and rubbing his hand over
his face.
“Fuck.”
“What?” Nora demanded, tugging his arm. He sat back down,
nodding at her…nodding at Daniel.
“He’s right.”
“About Geremy?” She shrugged. “Obviously. But what got you to
this conclusion, Daniel?”
Daniel met his gaze again, then hers. He shook his head. “Just a
hunch. Something hasn’t been sitting well with me and I just assumed it was
being here. But I’m comfortable here, so I’ve concluded that this isn’t about
you and Lucas. This is about him. I shouldn’t have trusted him.”
“You think?” Lucas muttered, then cleared his throat at Nora’s subtle
elbowing. “This is messed up, Daniel. We could have settled this ourselves.”
Silence. “Would you have given her up if I asked for her?”
“No.”
“Hmm. Then it had to be Geremy. But now…”
Lucas could practically hear the gears turning and tugging at him.
“Now what, Daniel?”
“I have a plan.”
“What plan?”
“I’m giving Nora up.”
The demigod really shouldn’t be dropping one bomb after another.
Lucas couldn’t keep up, already confused and stunned and…distrustful. He
glared at Daniel, who eyed him serenely. Lucas was angry and shaking with
it. It was only Nora’s hand remaining on his that kept his calm and gave him
a sense of balance.
“Daniel, let me level with you,” she said easily.
“All right.”
“You said I was destined for you and you wanted to keep me happy,
but now you’re giving me up…oh. Oh.”
“Oh?” Lucas bit off.
“He doesn’t think being with him would make me happy.”
“Would it?” Daniel asked, a touch of hope in his tone.
But Nora was already shaking her head. “No. I’m not…I don’t have
feelings for you. I’m not even attracted to you.”
“Would a title as a demigod’s lady and treasure change your mind?”
“Not in a million years,” was her solemn response, and by God—
Lucas could’ve kissed her right then and there. Instead, he kept his silence as
he studied Daniel. There was still pleasantness there, but slivers of it were
fading off as if the demigod couldn’t keep up the act—and under all that
pleasantness were shadows under green eyes and a weariness that held pain.
It stunned Lucas with how deep it was, like a well of never-ending emotion.
But when Daniel realized he was closely watched, the mask returned, smooth
and untouchable.
“I had a feeling you would say that,” the demigod said. “Very well.
That proves my point. I can provide you all the sex and riches in the world,
but you would never be truly happy because your happiness is here. Your
passion is here.”
Nora blinked, reddening again. “Well…”
“Your bakery.”
“Right. The bakery. My ultimate happiness.”
“Exactly.”
 The conviction in her tone was final, seeping inside Lucas. A fervent
desire to give her that happiness came and squeezed at him, so intense that he
grew dazed with it. Then it was gone, settling into the abyss as reality sank
in. Her life, not his. Her world, not his.
It was time to set things right.
“So, what about the challenge?” Nora asked.
“I’ll take care of it. I promise to take care of it. I promise to give up
the chase for you from now on.”
Lucas’s eyes met his, locking in. There was more to that, but the
promise was as good of a word as they were going to get, giving him a sense
of relief. Maybe Nora felt it, too, as her smile towards Daniel became lighter.
“Would you like to stay for dinner? I’ve got some steak in the slow
cooker.”
“Slow cooker?”
Her smile became a grin, tugging at Lucas until he couldn’t take in
air. He wanted to protect that smile, wanted to give her the happiness she
deserved that included peace in her life and success in her business—even if
that meant he could no longer be a part of it.
The realization stung, but he forced himself not to dwell on it as he
watched Daniel follow her to the kitchen and observe the appliance she was
talking about, then listen as she explained what she was cooking. The
demigod might still be a force to be reckoned with, but now he was placid,
keeping to his promise and no longer trying to spout words of passion and
claiming.
Of course, he wouldn’t be Daniel if there was no charm. It came out
unconsciously and wrapped around Nora, who fended it off with warning
looks and a hint of amusement. Gritting his teeth and trying to be civil, Lucas
strode over and reached for the pot she couldn’t reach, beating the demigod
to it. Daniel merely stepped back, brows raised before shrugging. Lucas
handed Nora the bowl. She turned to give him a warning look, too, but there
was heat there, simmering…drawing him in.
 “Are you about to have sex again? I don’t like watching when other
people have sex and I can’t have it.”
The words served as cold water, making her shudder before she
glared at the demigod. But her body was flushed, too tempting and making
his hands itch. It was Lucas who backed off, turning around to adjust the
bulge in his pants and taking the other plates to the dining room.
“Stop talking about sex, Daniel. Let’s have dinner instead.”

The rest of the night went smoothly, but with an underlying tension that
snapped and circled him. Waiting. Perhaps the tension circled Daniel, too, as
the demigod’s charm wasn’t in full force and there was an almost absent
quality about him. It didn’t take away from a surprisingly pleasant dinner, the
steak catching the demigod by surprise before he started in on the praises.
“This is the best human food I’ve had.”
“Good to know, Daniel. Eat up.”
“It’s so juicy and so good. I could eat hundreds of these easily.”
Nora grinned. “Well, I don’t have hundreds of those, but you’re
welcome to more next time if you ask nicely…and if you keep your promise
to leave me alone.”
“Sounds lovely. You’re lovely.”
“You already said that before.”
“I was trying to woo you. I mean it more now.”
At that, she threw her head back in laughter, a guttural sound that sent
desire tightening Lucas’s stomach. His cock hardened under the table, body
pulsing with insane need. He gripped the silverware and let the conversation
sweep over him, ignoring the glance Daniel sent his way.
An hour later, Daniel held out a hand and Nora shook it. But when the
demigod stepped back, Lucas followed.
“I’ll bid my goodbye downstairs. Make sure he’s fine.”
She shot him a puzzled look but didn’t question it. Daniel didn’t,
either, unperturbed as they rode the elevator in silence. But that didn’t last
long, the serenity fading when they stepped out of the lobby—the mask taken
off as the demigod uttered a deep exhale.
“You said you would take care of the challenge. Of Geremy,” Lucas
began.
“I will. I have a plan.”
“Does it involve his death?”
“No.”
Lucas looked him in the eye.
“Fine. Then let me in on this plan before I end up killing him.”
 Chapter 18
Something was amiss, the feeling strong in Nora’s gut and keeping her awake
most nights. To be fair, Lucas kept her awake most nights, too, with how he
touched her—thoroughly, wonderfully, so skillfully that she was often torn
between being properly sated and wanting even more. The man’s mouth was
impossible to resist, and those hands knew her body like nothing ever did,
plucking her strings until she was begging. She retaliated, wanting him to feel
as good as she did and shameless when she got him so aroused that he lost
control. Time stopped in those moments, then went on for the rest, reminding
her life went on. The bakery kept her busy, while Gina provided a nice
reprieve when the woman recounted what went on with her day.
“And then he took me home and kissed me on the cheek, then said he
would love to call me for a second dinner. It was cute.”
The words were nice and Nora would’ve been grinning with giddiness
already if it weren’t for one thing: the way Gina’s eyes were too bright and
too focused on her notebook as if she was recounting someone else’s
experience. Nora took a subtle peek at the notes, where she only found
scribbles. She made a hmm sound, replying to some emails on her laptop
before she closed the browser.
“The food must’ve been great,” she commented.
“Oh, it was. Definitely.”
“Dessert after?”
“Affogato. Great, too.”
“Was he cute?”
“He was cute. Decisive. He went for what he wanted right away.” At
this, Gina’s voice was a little louder, cementing Nora’s suspicion.
“And he’s a good kisser.”
“Yes.”
“And you probably can’t help wondering what Jerome’s kiss would
feel like.”
“Hot. Intense. I—” Gina gasped, whirling on Nora with a glare. That
glare died into a flush when the kitchen door opened and out strode Jerome,
studiously avoiding looking in their direction as he placed some boxes on the
side table. When he returned to the kitchen, Nora snickered.
“Nora.”
“Gina,” Nora shot back. “I would say aha, but I think we both know
that’s where this conversation is leading.”
“It’s not,” Gina said vehemently, stalking to the boxes and returning
to the counter with ribbons. “I swear it’s not.” A pause, then, “He didn’t even
ask me out, even after…”
“After?”
“Kiss. Launch afterparty.”
Aha.
Because the last was said in a whisper, Nora leaned closer and kept
her voice low, too, feeling for her friend. “Not on the cheek, right?”
Gina laughed, then flushed again. “Definitely not.”
“And you expected it to lead somewhere. A date, maybe.”
“And it didn’t. So I might as well get back into the dating scene.”
Nora pondered over it, recalling a few things that buzzed around her
in her whirlwind life lately—like Jerome being more fidgety after the launch,
as if in anticipation of something. She’d dismissed it as nothing more than
nerves over their sudden success, but now…
“Except the dating scene is a farce because you never date—and don’t
glare at me, lady. It’s true.”
Gina shot her a look. “Lady? What the hell?”
Nora winced. “Sorry. I picked it up. Anyway, back to my point.”
“What point?”
The kitchen door flew open again, Jerome putting a cap on and
muttering something about starting the deliveries. He reached out to take the
wrapped boxes from Gina, their fingers brushing. Because Gina had turned
away, she didn’t see the way his body jerked, as if electrified. But Nora did.
She also saw the glint of longing when Gina glanced at Jerome’s
retreating form. It had her sighing.
“That’s my point.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t go out dating some guy you barely have any chemistry with.
It’s not going anywhere.” Nora looked Gina in the eye. “Maybe he got shy
and maybe he assumed it didn’t mean anything to you. Gina, sometimes we
have to give the sign.”
“So what are you suggesting?”
Nora grinned. “Seize the day. Don’t be afraid. Kiss the guy you have
chemistry with and see where it goes. There’s no point in living if you’re not
living.”

Lucas’s text that he had some errands to run didn’t worry her, and perhaps
Gina’s dilemma had a lot to do with it. It distracted Nora, kept her
anticipating the budding romance between her two friends and wondering
how they were going to deal with it. There was a line to be drawn when it
came to playing matchmaker, however, so she stopped at the advice and left
them to their devices, wanting to use her lunch break to meet up with Lucas
and tell him all about it.
Maybe she was bold enough today to tell him a few other things, but
that could wait until after food…
Her steps faltered, then skidded to a complete halt when she realized
the birds chirping from a nearby tree had stopped making sounds. One look at
the interior of the shop beside her had her blood running cold, then inserting
her hand in her pocket to curl around the gem she always carried around now.
A second later, the figure appeared in front of her, all smiles and studious
looks.
 “Miss Rivers.”
Nora nodded, fighting not to take a step back. Her thumb touched the
ring on her ring finger, lending to her strength as she kept her expression
calm. It was the complete opposite of her gut, pulsing in confirmation that
this had been what was off all along. Was it this man? Or was it…?
“Mr. Joker.”
Geremy smiled again, chilling her bones. Her skin hummed at his
presence. “Just Geremy. I would’ve fetched you earlier, but I didn’t think you
were needed for the third and final challenge.”
“And what changed now?”
“They’re in their final minutes. I would’ve fetched another demigod
to witness it, but I’ve decided you would do.”
A whisk of hand, too fast and blurring, before he touched her shoulder
with it and sent her mind spinning. The dizziness lasted only a second before
she was gasping when she saw the ground below missing and clouds—
“Are we flying?”
“Floating on clouds,” he supplied matter-of-factly. Like it was an
everyday occurrence.
“I don’t like looking down at—”
Another whisk, the unending fall below replaced by wisps of white.
She bit back her whimper, refusing to let this man hear it. Her vision betrayed
her when it turned gray, the terror slamming in her chest. She fought that,
too, forming an invisible foot in her mind and stomping on it relentlessly.
“Look ahead. Look at what they’re doing for you.”
Charges of light thundered at her eyes, snapping them open. In front
of her were more puffy clouds, two figures inside locked in an embrace…no,
a struggle. The sky rang with vibrations every time someone got the upper
hand, but the clouds kept them in place, the fight kept tight in that magical
circle.
“Aren’t you feeling anything?”
 Geremy’s question was mild, but the tone felt different in Nora’s ear.
Coupled with the gut feeling, it tipped her off. This wasn’t just sly but
malicious. This was a demigod poking at her and trying to get her to react—
to provide a distraction, especially for Lucas. Daniel may have promised, but
Geremy wasn’t playing fair.
And she realized what she had to do.
The negative feelings in her gut were stomped down again, mostly so
they wouldn’t show. Instead, she held on to whatever boldness she had earlier
and lifted her chin, tearing her gaze from the fight as if it was no consequence
to her. It locked with Geremy, the slyness clearer now that she looked at him.
There was anticipation there, too, as if he couldn’t wait for that sliver of fear
and its consequences.
Asshole.
Nora smiled. “I’m nervous for them, but I believe in their fairness.
And the sky…” Her stomach quivered, but she hardened it. “Great weather,
don’t you think?”
The clouds surged, a charged force that made them appear like hard
blocks. Geremy’s eyes hardened with it, a gray storm flaring into life, capable
of anything there was. It was gone as soon as it came, but another vibration
followed, strong enough to shake her knees and knock her out. Alarm raced
up her spine as she tilted to the side, the white wisps on her feet parting—
A hand reached out, pulling her up and hoisting her into strong,
familiar arms. She hung on and closed her eyes, putting her full trust in him
—and he caught it just as he caught her, holding her tight without a word. A
swooping sensation hit her stomach, abrupt but not as roughly as she
expected. Then she felt something solid on her feet, balancing her and
sending waves of relief after.
“Nora, take your time.”
Lucas’s words were calm, but with a hint of tension underneath. She
nodded her head, fighting to keep her breathing steady as she waited for her
heart to settle. When it did, she placed her palm on her stomach, feeling it
tremble.
 Nora opened her eyes to two pairs staring at her. Lucas was closer and
tenser, but Daniel didn’t look that much different. His normally sparkling
green eyes were dark, the same storm boiling that she’d seen in Geremy’s.
There was bafflement there…anger, too, not directed at her but for her.
“I’m fine,” she blurted out before the two primed males would get it
in their heads to hunt Geremy down and do terrible things. “I swear, I’m fine.
He needed a witness, which I presume is part of the final challenge?”
“Yes.” Lucas ground the words out. “But he didn’t need to take you.
I’ll kill him.”
“I would probably do the same if he did it,” Daniel said solemnly in a
show of support. That had Lucas’s glancing at the demigod, who shrugged.
“What? We’re no longer fighting for the same woman, so we’re on the same
side.”
“There’s no killing anyone,” she protested. “I handled it, okay?”
“Handled what?” Daniel asked.
“Fear of heights. Flying. All those things. Lucas has been very helpful
with all of it.”
The confusion disappeared, replaced by pure anger now. “Then Lucas
is right. Let’s kill him.”
Lucas nodded, much to her chagrin. She cleared her throat, waiting
for them to look at her before she glared. “No. There’s no need. It’s done…
it’s done, right?”
To her relief, Daniel nodded, his blond hair falling elegantly. No gel
today. While Lucas had soot on his shirt, the demigod was sparkly clean.
“Yes. Lucas won. It’s over.”
“And that means you can keep your promise?”
“I would’ve kept my promise even if I won.” Daniel frowned. “Please
believe me when I say I didn’t know he would play with your fears.”
“He didn’t know it. He was trying to use me as a distraction against
Lucas. It didn’t work.”
 At this, Daniel’s mouth flattened. “He won’t use you again.”
“He’d better not.”
“You’re…what do they call it? A spitfire.” Daniel grinned. “A great
woman. I’m honored to have met you.”
“I can’t say the same about you, demigod.” But she held out her hand.
And he took it. “But I suppose you’re not that bad.”
His grin widened, its energy transferring to their fingers and getting
her just slightly drunk. When he let go, she reluctantly smiled back.
“Ah, there’s that lovely smile. It’s a pleasure to see it again.” The
demigod bowed. This time, there was a more sincere feeling to it. He
straightened after, a glow surrounding him that made her look around warily.
She relaxed when she realized only she and Lucas could probably see it.
“Until we meet again.”
“Let’s not,” she returned.
Either Daniel didn’t mind or didn’t hear it as his cheerful expression
remained. He took a step back, then turned around and kept walking until he
could turn a corner. Lucas, who had been quiet the last few minutes, sidled
closer, mouth touching her ear.
“I’m so glad you’re safe.”
“I’m glad you’re safe, too.”
“He shouldn’t have taken you up there.”
The ice in his voice had her skating a hand over his back, wanting to
soothe. Nothing mattered now except this.
“Forget about him. Let’s get back to the bakery. I have some fun
stories to take your mind off things.”
Lucas’s forehead creased, then cleared. “Okay.”

There was no mention of the last challenge during work, but Lucas confessed
what they’d done on the walk home—basically, Daniel allowing himself to
be beaten and his pride put on the line.
 “So you fooled a joker and got away with it,” was her conclusion.
“Won’t it bite you when he finds out?”
“He won’t.”
They stumbled inside her apartment, where he pulled her to the couch
and sat her on his lap. Lucas buried his face in her neck for a long time, a
quiet giving of comfort that melted her before she simmered with need. She
tilted his head up, peppering his face with soft kisses to let him know he
shouldn’t worry anymore. That changed when his hand brought her face
closer, angling their mouths differently so he could deepen the kiss.
Her breath quickened, but he took his time with it, his tongue doing
things that got her heavy and aroused. A smooth lift and he was carrying her
to bed, the slowness defying the urgency of his shaking fingers when he
removed their clothes. She kissed those fingers until they settled, then lost
herself in sensation after sensation when he rubbed his body against hers. His
hands did the same slow sweep across her erogenous zones, his mouth
following the path they traced. And then he was inside her, thrusting just as
slowly, a rhythm that sent her trembling. When she sobbed with need, he
took the sound in his mouth, fire branding her as he sucked on her tongue.
His fingers found her clit and pressed, understanding where her weakness lay.
The orgasm rang deep as he kept thrusting until Nora saw stars, then
heard the muffled cry against her. They collapsed in bed in the aftermath, her
heart soaring when his thumb rubbed against the ring on her finger.
It crashed right back in her chest at his grave words.
“I have to leave. I have to free my family.”
 Chapter 19
“Are you ready to face the great tyrant in my family?”
It was said in jest, but Lucas could hear the slight sarcasm in Daniel’s
voice as they both stood in front of the Outlands castle. It looked the same as
when he’d last been there, a place in ruins and surrounded by flying creatures
and a layer of protection. But the fire…it was thicker, bigger, close to
burning its surroundings down with how much it was spreading.
“Is this even safe?”
Daniel shrugged. “You should’ve seen this place when Gabriel and
Lizbeth disappeared. He almost brought the land down.”
There was a warning there, but Lucas couldn’t figure out what it was.
He sighed and took the first step forward, unsurprised when the demigod
followed him without a word. It seemed like Daniel had been following him
since they’d left the other world, either because the man was bored or just
didn’t want to face his brother alone. It was no skin off Lucas’s back, and
maybe the presence of the demigod was all he needed to get to this last step.
Inside, the fire had spread as well, clinging on to walls as if gasoline
had been poured there. Oddly enough, there were no scents of smoke or
gasoline, and whatever furniture was left remained untouched by the
flickering orange and red. It was empty, too, the halls devoid of life when
they kept walking until they reached the back—not an easy feat, considering
the castle wasn’t small.
Daniel looked around, unfazed by all the mess. He waved his arms
like a maestro in an orchestra, making the fire snap up in response. He
pushed those off.
“Is anyone home?”
A blur popped out from one of the open rooms, whizzing in their
direction. Lucas stared at the small figure, a stunning realization coming over
him when the boy stopped in front of Daniel and grinned. Daniel grinned
back, then bent over to look the boy in the eye.
 “Hello, Daniel of the Outlands.”
Mud brown eyes peered up at Daniel, flecked with gold and blue. A
small, bow-shaped mouth pouted.
“Hello, Pip of the Outlands. I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“You haven’t been visiting.”
Daniel chuckled. “That’s true. And you know what? You’re the one
I’ve missed the most.”
Lucas watched the exchange, too fascinated to get a word in and try
meddling. The boy was a kid and not some creature pretending to be one, and
the obvious affection Daniel had in his gestures told Lucas who this was. But
he kept his mouth shut, letting them have their moment before the kid
glanced at him.
“Who are you?”
Lucas inclined his head. “I’m Lucas Kai. A dragon shifter.”
The brown eyes turned fully blue, the dazzling color of the ocean.
Then they switched to red-orange, burning as bright as the fire around them.
“Dragons are big and erotic.”
Lucas raised his brows. “Don’t you mean erratic?”
“Yes. That one. Are you erratic?”
“I’m your father’s and Daniel’s acquaintance—”
“He’s my friend,” Daniel confirmed, then beamed at Lucas when he
shot the demigod a look. “A fresh friendship, but I think it’s nice. I’ve never
made friends without motives before.”
“You don’t think I have a motive?”
“No. You got your girl and I’m emptyhanded. That makes this
friendship healthy.”
Lucas eyed Daniel like he was crazy. Now it was the kid who
watched them. The demigod’s sparkling eyes softened at Pip before he leaned
down again.
 “Where’s your father?”
“I’m here.”
Daniel straightened, then amplified his voice with magic. It carried
through the castle with a resounding boom.
“Come out, brother. I’ve got no time to play.”
“Neither do I.”
Rufus strode in with a snap in his footsteps and a frown on his lips,
mostly aimed at Daniel. The two eyed each other with as much animosity as
siblings who were still very much connected carried.
“So you’ve finally decided to show up,” Daniel said.
“So you’ve finally decided to come home,” Rufus shot back.
“This hasn’t been home for the longest time, and we both know it.”
The last was said in a low tone, probably so Pip wouldn’t hear. But the kid
heard and opened his mouth, about to ask questions that would lead to too
much morbid truth.
In silent agreement, the two demigods moved—Rufus gliding closer
to the boy first and whispering something in his ear, then stepping away
while Daniel took over. The younger demigod winked.
“What do you say we get out of here and explore the castle? You can
tell me all about what you’ve been up to while I was gone.”
“I’ve killed some flying creatures.”
Daniel coughed. “Right. Lovely. You can tell me all about that.”
He steered the boy and talked his ear off, walking to the front and
away from them. When their voices had faded off, Lucas turned his attention
back to Rufus, studying the older demigod and the pensive expression. That
cleared instantly, a coolness coming over him as he returned his attention to
Lucas, too. It shouldn’t be Lucas’s business and shouldn’t even be
mentioned, but…
“His eyes change. Like his mother.”
 “Hmm.”
“He doesn’t look like you, Rufus.”
Rufus’s eyes flared, spitting fire. They landed in clumps all over
them, but Lucas didn’t move a muscle. For a second, he thought the demigod
would abandon all proprieties and roast him to the ground, so he braced
himself for one last attack before he was burned to death. Instead, Rufus
lifted his chin, visibly fighting the fire in him until his eyes became their
normal rust color again.
“That’s not your concern. Your concern is reporting to me on how
you did with your orders.”
“You know how I did with my orders,” Lucas shot back quietly. “And
you know what I want in return for it.”
“How do I know Daniel wouldn’t return to that world and continue
with a union? He can’t unite with a human. I won’t allow it.”
He was right. The tone in the demigod’s voice when he said human
put Lucas’s back up and had him close to attacking. With a start, he realized
his hands had started fisting and had to uncurl them, struggling with the
outrage lurking inside him.
“He made a promise that he would leave her alone. A demigod keeps
his promises. You know this.”
“Did he make a promise to stop pursuing this?”
“You would need to talk to him about that,” Lucas muttered. He
studied Rufus again, noted that the man wasn’t as calm as when he’d entered
the room and Pip had been there. There was an energy coming from him that
fanned the flames higher until Lucas was sweating from the heat, the mask
not staying in place. In all his life and their acquaintance, Lucas knew Rufus
to be nothing but calm, and the changes now had a shudder running down his
spine. There was a time bomb ticking at the passing hours, a brimming force
that hinted something was coming…something he couldn’t pinpoint. Again,
before any of it could burst, the demigod’s spine snapped straight as his gaze
locked with Lucas’s.
 “I don’t like your tone.”
“My tone has always been the same,” Lucas said. “And I live to
serve.”
Bitterness coated his tongue, surprising him with how strong it tasted.
The words had once held so much honor, a lifetime of serving the supposedly
greatest creatures in this world. But it was a demigod who had fucked things
up. It was demigods who had grown careless and callous in the human world.
Perhaps the longer exposure there had opened Lucas’s eyes…or perhaps it
was a certain someone who did.
He brushed her off his mind, refusing to bring her innocence here
even in thought. Rufus was still looking at him, speculation glinting before
the demigod finally nodded.
“Very well. I’ll handle my brother from here.” A flick of a finger,
then, “Your task is done. You’ve got their freedom.”

“I can’t believe this. This is crazy. This world is…”

“No longer the same,” Lucas supplied, watching his sister as she eyed
the sky with wonder. It had taken him a few hours to find her after he’d found
her ice enclosure already broken in the cave, the goblins lurking about not
making it any easier. But he’d successfully avoided them without
confrontation and had found her wandering the lands with stolen leather
stitching. No wonder the goblins had been mad. He’d whisked her out of
there before the flying creatures could attack, then had brought her up to date
on the changes.
Now here they were, sitting at the edge of a small forest that provided
enough coverage from the sky. Jememiah Kai stared up at it with longing, her
body vibrating with the need to let her beast out. But perhaps she understood
the need for self-preservation more than he did as she leaned against a tree
trunk and inhaled deeply.
“This sucks.”
“I know.”
 “It really sucks,” she repeated, sighing again. She reached up and
twirled her hair in a bun, a darker shade than his and currently a frizzy mess.
“Why? Why would they destroy a world that had already been perfect? We
had everything we wanted here, but the demigods were too selfish and
wanted more. Now here we are with less and our lives a mess—and don’t
even get me started on being in slumber and inactive because that pisses me
off.”
“You forget there’s no such thing as perfect, even here,” he reminded,
balancing her agitation with quiet. “Demigods one-upped each other
whenever they could, left traces of destruction with hardly any consequences.
We’ve seen dragons and other creatures die because of it. The Outlands
dragons are considered kind for not doing it at all.”
“Yes, well, maybe they didn’t need to because they were the most
powerful before. How about now?”
He recalled Daniel and how the demigod hadn’t resorted to killing
him when he easily could’ve, the offer of friendship still a puzzling thing. But
he couldn’t deny a bond had been formed somewhere along the way,
however strange it had started. Rufus was another story. As for Pip and those
hypnotizing eyes…
“I don’t know, Jem. We’ve been freed from slumber. We’re roaming
freely now.”
“Because you agreed to follow a master’s order and bargained for my
life. They don’t need us now, but when they do…”
“If Rufus needs service, I’m the one he would call.”
“I suppose.”
“Are you feeling better now?”
“I’m still pissed off.” Jem frowned, deep in reflection. Just a little sad.
“You served Rufus. Naturally, he would call for you. I served Gabriel and
he’s gone—off to the deep end for creating this mess.”
“Hmm.”
“It makes me wonder…”
 “What?”
Silence again, Jem shifting through her internal musings. Building it
in her head like she always did, the thinker of their little unit. He knew what
those reflections were about and wondered where they were going, so he left
her to her thinking and lay down on the grass, letting his mind wander to
other things. A laugh flitted in, filled with joy and unreserved amusement.
Then a moan, soft and vibrating as she felt pleasure in the simplest of
touches. It unraveled like a knot, each of her sounds coming to his senses
until he saw her, too: pretty smile, fiery eyes, and steel in her spine. His chest
tightened, a longing so deep that it verged on painful until he had to rub the
throbbing area.
“Kinto served Lizbeth and they’ve always been inseparable. They’ve
connected in a way none of us had, probably because Gabriel had never been
related to Rufus and us…”
“He’s the leader and has always kept his distance.”
“And there’s Daniel. I would’ve served him, except Gabriel came and
the order of servitude shifted. So Daniel’s alone and is used to it, too.”
“What are you getting at, Jem?”
“I’m just saying that if Lizbeth is dead, then Kinto probably is, too.
But if Lizbeth’s still alive…”
Lucas straightened.
“Rufus said they’re missing and that it’s none of my business. Either
he’s searching for her on his own or…” Pip came to mind again. “He’s
focused on his son. On grieving.”
“A grieving man wouldn’t have the energy to cockblock his bro—
fine, to keep his family line pure. But whatever he’s doing, he’s right. It’s
none of our business unless he makes it ours. Lucas, did something happen in
the other world that I should know about?”
A spark of Nora’s face, etched with a sweet smile as she bid him good
luck on the rest of his journey. Her acceptance of his leaving had been easy,
which should’ve made forgetting her easy, too…except he couldn’t get her
out of his mind, no matter how he tried.
“Nothing happened. Get to the point, Jem.”
Jememiah kept studying him but let it go, rolling her shoulders and
letting her scales form. He sensed the excitement rising from her and
reaching out to him, saw it spark in her wine-colored eyes before it turned to
resolution. Another thing about Jememiah: when she wanted something,
nothing could stop her from getting it, short of tearing her scales off.
And she wanted something now.
“I know where we can check if they’re still alive.”
“Where?”
“The world you’ve just come back from.”
 Chapter 20
“We had a last-minute order for ten dozen assorted cupcakes, but I declined
it.”
“Okay.”
“I told the customer we’re fully booked for the next two weeks and
didn’t want to accept more and risk the quality. She was so impressed with
that that she was willing to wait to book after. So I cleared the next month for
her.”
“Sure.”
“By the way, the rush has been dwindling, but it’s a good dwindle.
There are still orders, and we also have space to take a breather. Win-win.”
“Good.”
“And I had sex with Jerome last night. Dirty, loud sex in his car
because we couldn’t make it to the bedroom.”
It took a while for that last part to register, but Nora’s head snapped
up when it did—and found Gina eyeing her with a pointed look.
“What? For real?”
“I knew sex would get your head back in the game,” Gina grumbled.
“Are you messing with me or did you really…?”
At that, Gina grinned, the pink glow on her cheeks clueing Nora in
before her friend even answered.
“It’s true. I followed your advice and took the risk. It went better than
expected. Jerome was hungry for me and the way his hands moved…” Gina
sighed, eyes glazing. “He couldn’t get enough of me and I couldn’t get
enough of him. It was nothing at all like the other guy, and…oh, God, I swear
I came so many times that it should be illegal.”
Nora grinned. “I told you to stop burying your head in the sand.”
“You didn’t say those exact words.”
 “I went along those lines,” she shot back.
“Fine, fine. You’re the expert.” The teasing shifted to worry. “You
miss Lucas, don’t you?”
The mention of the man she’d been thinking about for days now
shouldn’t have made her react, but her body shivered all the same. Careful to
keep it to herself, Nora shrugged.
“Yes, I do. But I swear it’s not going to affect the business this time.”
“I wasn’t asking because of the business,” Gina returned, frowning. “I
was asking because you’re a friend. He’s returning from his trip, right? It’s
just some side business trip?”
“It’s…” Their goodbye came to mind, her smile so bright that it hurt.
It had her heart squeezing now. She realized she couldn’t keep up the act by
herself without breaking down. “We’re on a break. Giving each other space
to focus on our passion. Mine’s the business. He has some family matters to
attend to.”
“Oh.” Gina mulled over it. “Well, I hope it all works out. And when
you’re ready to talk about it, I’m here.”
The sentiment touched a chord inside Nora, lessening the tightening
of her chest and making her smile more sincerely now. Arguing voices
floated in from the kitchen, so she stepped inside and studied the tense bodies
before discerning that Vanya and one of the new cooks were glaring at each
other. Jerome stood on one side, hand rubbing his hair, and he shot her a look
to say he didn’t want to handle this particular scenario. With a subtle nod,
Nora stepped in and got to the brunt of it: Vanya and the new cook realizing
they were dating the same guy. Great.
There was no better distraction than this one, so Nora threw herself
into it, pulling them from the kitchen and to the alley. It had her realizing her
bakery needed an actual office for private matters like these, which led to the
realization that there was no space for that here—which led to the
contemplation that maybe it was time to get a bigger space. She set it aside
for now, playing middleman as the two women talked it out and came to a
truce. When they returned to the kitchen, she stayed leaning against the alley
wall, letting the space idea brew. It was another big risk, but perhaps she
needed to take them to compensate for the ones she didn’t, like not
jumpstarting the new launch sooner. Or not hiring any other help sooner.
Or not telling Lucas how she felt despite his leaving.
The last had an image of him fluttering in her mind, the dark eyes
always focused on her and the smirk that could weaken any woman’s knees.
She closed her eyes, trying to get rid of the image. But it was too late.
Whatever she’d been bottling up gushed out like a dam breaking. If her heart
squeezed earlier, it crumpled now, crushed under the force of the pain that
blazed in her system. Not physical pain, but something substantially deeper
that took the air from her lungs and made her hyperventilate. Nora clutched at
her chest, trying not to collapse under the pressure of her emotions.
Her head cleared enough for reminders to run through it, repeated like
a mantra: he was just a man, she’d survived without him, she was now back
to her old life without her old problems. She should be enjoying it to the
fullest, doing things for herself that didn’t involve anyone else.
Nora opened her eyes and fixated on the ground, feeling more
miserable than she cared to admit and unable to get it out of her system. She
could be busy and remind herself all she wanted, but it all boiled down to one
thing: she missed Lucas with so much depth, it should be illegal. She ached
with it, and it was driving her insane, amounting to sleepless nights and days
that felt hollow. Empty.
Just a man, she said again.
A man she suspected she’d fallen in love with, except she realized it
too late. And now she was stuck with that love and no way to contact him…
not that she would even know what to say.
Hey, it’s me. I forgot to tell you I’m in love with you. Any chance
you’ll stay with me here? Forget your world and be happy here?
He had gone to free his family from whatever binds they had with the
demigods, which made sense. What didn’t make sense was a dragon shifter
catching feelings for a human. His walking away only proved it. This was as
one-sided as it could get.
 She fingered the ring, remembering his insistence for her to keep it as
a token of their experience—and as a warning to other supernatural creatures
she crossed paths with that she had the protection of a dragon. There was no
need for that, so she removed it and placed it in her pocket, no longer wanting
the feel and sight. She gulped the hurt in, then let it out, willing it to vanish
into thin air as he did.
With a sigh, Nora pushed off the wall and returned to the bakery, the
voices reminding her to check on her earnings and see if there was some
leeway for moving to a new space soon. Gina’s laugh teetered into giggling,
catching her curiosity and luring her back to the front.
Gina was shaking a man’s hand at the side table, her expression all
professional and pleased. Nora wondered if this was the new deal their store
manager had been talking about, involving some marketing representative to
take some of the responsibility off Nora’s shoulders. She stepped to the
counter, a smile on her lips, the greeting ready.
The words died in her throat when Geremy let go of Gina’s hand and
glanced in her direction, gaze glinting merrily behind horn-rimmed glasses.
The robes were gone, replaced by a suit that fit his lanky frame perfectly. He
looked so…innocent, a nice man with a nice job and brimming with joy from
it.
The pretense made her so sick that her stomach heaved with it and she
almost took a step back. But nothing had been frozen. The puzzled look from
Gina at her lack of words forced her not to flee the room and essentially
endanger her colleagues, because that was what this was about: the danger
lurking at the corners and stirring in her senses, her gut instinct telling her
something was off again. The only thing missing was the hum on her skin,
which she deduced to him not using any type of unusual energy at the
moment.
She could keep this up, pretend he was the nice man he was
portraying and let it go. But Nora understood it wouldn’t stay like that and
she decided to practice the risk-taking she’d been hyping up earlier.
“Gina, this is Geremy. He knows Lucas. Geremy, can I talk to you
outside for a minute? You’re kind of disrupting the workflow of my bakery.”
 Her voice was polite, but the words had Gina’s back straightening and
a wary look seeping in. Geremy nodded, smiling at her before leading the
way to the front door. Nora glanced at the kitchen door, where Jerome was
moving to follow them. She subtly shook her head, trying to convey the silent
message that it was fine. She even managed a smile.
Outside, all bets were off as her smile faded and she faced the
demigod squarely.
“The challenges are over. You have no business pretending to be
human and disrupting my world, Geremy.”
“Miss Rivers, it’s nice to see you, too. I would like to apologize if I
came off…disruptive. I wasn’t trying to be.”
Bullshit. She lifted her chin. “Stop playing games with me and tell me
why you’re here.”
“Feisty, aren’t we?”
“Honest.”
“Oh.” Geremy made a tutting sound, then sighed. “That calls for
honesty, too. I was hoping to work for you.”
“Why?”
“So I could help you.”
The answer threw her off. “Why?”
Geremy shrugged. “My presence would help. As a marketing
representative, I would get more customers in for you and help build your
brand better.”
“Again, why?”
“You’re a tough nut.”
“Geremy—”
“And to answer your question, it’s because I feel bad for taking you
up there during the last challenge.” He lifted a finger, pointing it up.
Wiggling it. Her skin hummed now, his energy spilling out of his hand—
wisps she could see, the same look as the puffy clouds when she had been up
there. “Pretty, don’t you think?”
It churned her insides, but she glared. “Pretty, but you’re getting
distracted.”
“See? You’re a tough nut. You’re one of the rare humans who’s
aware of our existence and doesn’t balk at it. Now, about feeling bad…I feel
bad. Very bad. I feel that I’ve wronged you thoroughly. If there’s one thing I
hate, it’s owing someone. And I owe you. The perfect solution to that would
be to help you with your business.” The demigod took a step forward, closing
the distance between them. Instinct tugged, telling her to run, but there was
nowhere to go…and the bakery was so close. She couldn’t run. “Say yes,
Nora. It will change your life. It will give you the success you’ve always
wanted a taste of. Bigger. Better.”
The energy wrapped around her, invisible but convincing—pulling
her in as much as Daniel’s did. But Daniel’s had been coaxing, a sweet
sensation that made her sigh and melt before she broke out of it. Geremy’s
was firmer, like a chain circling and waiting for its chance to squeeze. Maybe
it was just her imagination…or maybe it was instinct fighting through.
“I don’t need help. I don’t want it. I want the success to be from my
hands.”
“But I won’t be able to rest if I can’t return to you what I owe.”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
“I do.”
“Then I absolve you of owing me anything,” she blurted out. That
stunned him enough to not say anything back, so she pushed on. “Actually,
no. I do have one favor to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Leave me alone. Don’t ever show your face in my bakery again.
Don’t harm my friends. Please.”
The energy around her tightened, her hair standing on end. With a
start, she realized strands of hair on her head were standing, touched by an
invisible hand. She stayed silent, waiting for the risk she had taken to blow
up in her face. The birds stopped chirping again, the world emptying of sound
and movement in the next excruciating seconds.
A tug…then her hair was let go. At the same time, the energy around
her disappeared, Geremy’s expression changing into cheerful acceptance.
“Very well. I’ll grant your wish. The debt is cleared. Until we meet
again.”
This time, the need to shout with a vehemence that she wished they
wouldn’t was almost blinding. But she bit her tongue and didn’t say it out
loud, not wanting to give him the opening to restart this all over again.
Geremy bowed.
Then he left.

It took some convincing to get Gina to believe Geremy was bad news,
clueing Nora in that the demigod hadn’t just applied for the job but had
weaved a spell on her store manager, too. It pissed Nora off, plummeting her
mood and setting off a chain reaction of events that none of them could stop:
a burned batch of cupcakes, a few canceled orders, a rack filled with jars of
spices and flour breaking and spilling ingredients all over the storage room.
By the time the workday was done, it was a miracle she hadn’t lost her
temper. They smoothened things out as best as they could before expressing
relief that it was finally the weekend.
“Are you sure you don’t want to get dinner with us? It’s going to be
fun.”
And a hell of a bust for the two lovebirds, a third wheel they didn’t
need. Genuinely happy at how they were eyeing each other under subtle
glances, she shook her head.
“I’m following a podcast series I want to finish. I also have some
ideas for a cookie line I want to polish. Raincheck?”
“All right. Call me if you need help.”
They parted ways. In her apartment, Nora mulled over her idea
notebook before gulping down a glass of wine…then, two more. It cleared
her mind, but perhaps that was a bad idea as the ache came back, a sharp
sting that burned. Her feet tingled with it and she had to walk around to get
rid of the feeling. It wasn’t until the heat intensified that Nora realized it
wasn’t just her body heating up.
Her apartment was burning.
 Chapter 21
“Are you sure this is the place?”
Lucas swept a gaze over their surroundings, a general checkup to
make sure they weren’t being followed. His sister couldn’t blame him for
that, considering where she’d taken him: a hellhole on Earth, also known as
one of California’s bad neighborhoods where the cops were corrupt and gang
wars ran rampant. Hellhole, as the nearby towns literally called it. A gunshot
rang in the air, proving his point.
Beside him, Jem shrugged. “Pretty sure. I may not visit this world as
much as you guys do, but I do know my brother’s activities.”
“You didn’t know mine.”
“You were the boring one, always following Rufus’s orders.”
It was another reminder of how Lucas had lived his life and how
different he felt now. Coming to terms with it was still in the works.
“Are you telling me Kinto had more adventures and excitement in his
life?”
“Lizbeth was adventurous despite her love for peace. Kinto would
follow her out of loyalty no matter where she went. Come on. Let’s see if
they still do it.”
“Do what?”
She didn’t answer, leading him instead to a narrow path where they
had to squeeze in and file into a line to walk. They deviated further from the
main road, reaching an end that led to an array of other narrow paths with
random doors on walls. He could hear faint whispers inside, some louder than
others. A few times, he smelled beer and other drinks, heard the boisterous
laughter of drunk men. They passed by a distinct moan once, the slapping of
flesh punctuated by grunts that Jememiah deliberately avoided as she led
them in the opposite direction.
She entered one of the doors, disappearing inside a dark room. After
another glance around, he followed her in, shutting the door at her request
and looking up when lights flickered. The ceiling was filled with hanging
bulbs, high enough for a second floor. But there was no second floor, as it
was just a tiny room with a moldy carpet on one side and several rolled ones
on the other. The walls were the most surprising thing, not made of wood but
stone.
“Hellhole’s a crazy place, isn’t it? Anyone who’s not familiar with it
could get lost easily. It’s so huge that anyone who has been here once or
twice could still get lost. Hell, I would probably get lost if I didn’t count the
turns in my head. The paths haven’t changed, which is a good thing because
we would’ve ended up somewhere else if my counting didn’t match.”
“How did you even know about this place?”
“I followed Kinto once. I got lost and almost bargained with the
devil.”
“What devil?” he demanded.
“Not an actual devil,” she added sheepishly. “Relax. It was a jinn. He
almost fooled me into exchanging places with him so he could be free. Then
he attempted to kill me when I caught on.”
“How is that any different from a devil?”
“I don’t know. We’ve never met the devil. Anyway, Kinto and
Lizbeth dragged me in here before things could escalate. It’s their spot for
when they need a reprieve. It should’ve been impossible for Lizbeth, but she
found a way to cross this world…not permanently, from what I’ve gathered.
This was where they had their adventures: discovering the other creatures that
thrived here, the places connected to them. They explored more than you
did.”
“And why are we here now? They’re not…”
Lucas’s words trailed off, gaze following Jememiah as she strode over
to the rolled carpets and kicked at them. Dust flew up.
“They haven’t used these in a while.”
He could’ve told her this place hadn’t been visited in a while from the
cobwebs alone, but she kept kicking the carpets until they rolled to the other
side, then bent down to touch the cleared stone floor. She kept pressing her
fingers against them.
“Jem…”
Again, whatever he’d been about to say vanished as a glowing line
appeared, leading to the wall and going straight up to connect to the hanging
lightbulbs. The extra light made him notice the cloth covering one side of the
wall, its color blending in so that it appeared invisible. She tugged, letting it
fall to the floor and revealing the lines breaking off into tinier lines and curls.
With a start, he realized what they were.
“Dates,” she confirmed. “Important ones they noted of discoveries:
finding a new kind of creature, a new knowledge. Look…”
Her words trailed off into stunned silence and he understood why.
The last two dates glowed at the bottom right, numbers he could read all too
well: the first was four years ago, a year after their world had gotten
destroyed.
The last was six months ago.
“So Kinto was awake?” he concluded.
“I don’t know. Either she’d woken him up or dragged his icy ass in
here, but the latter’s just a pain and Lizbeth is smarter than that. Anyway, this
proves my theory. They were alive after the event. They were alive six
months ago.”
“Oh, good. I’ve been worrying about her and have been at my wits
trying to argue with Rufus that our sister’s still alive.”
The third voice in the room sent a chain reaction that had dust and
cobwebs flying everywhere: two dragon shifters spreading their wings, claws
ready to attack. They ended up staring at Daniel, who stood by the door with
his hands held out in surrender. Lucas growled.
Jememiah glared. “Do you realize we could’ve killed you?”
Daniel blinked. “I’m a demigod. You can’t kill me.”
The sheer confidence in the words made Lucas realize the idiot
believed it. Jememiah mirrored his sentiment by muttering the word. Then
she grinned.
“It’s nice to see you alive because of our self-control, Daniel. I
haven’t seen you in…”
“Five years. You were frozen, and I couldn’t wake any of you up,”
the demigod replied, bowing cheerfully. “You’re as beautiful as always,
Jememiah.”
“And I’ll kick your ass if you call me that again,” she returned just as
cheerfully. When Lucas kept glaring, she raised a brow. “Is there a story here
that I missed?”
“No.”
“Yes,” Daniel said at the same time. “And I have some time, now that
we’ve established our family members are still alive.”
“There’s no time for…” Lucas sighed, watching as the two settled on
the floor and faced each other, ignoring him. “Fine. Whatever.”
He leaned against the wall as the demigod started recounting the past
few weeks, studying the glowing numbers again. There was no pattern to the
gap between dates, but the long list indicated Lizbeth had been crossing the
boundary undetected—leading a double life, so to speak, as she’d still shown
up in the castle as far as he was concerned. And the last date…
They’d been there but not the castle. Otherwise, Rufus and Daniel
would’ve known. What had they discovered?
“And so I gave up the woman in my dreams so I could give your
brother a chance in the name of friendship.”
“That’s not how it went,” Lucas interrupted, not missing a beat. “He
didn’t give it up for me; he gave it up for her.”
“His dream woman?”
“Nora.” Like a curse, her name sent an image in his mind, refusing to
leave. The rest of her expressions flickered to life and he could’ve groaned at
how clear it was. “Her name’s Nora, and she’s happy now.”
 “And I’m lost,” Daniel said glumly. “Lost to a dragon shifter, of all
creatures, with my quest to catch her awe and offer her unending joy. She
holds your ring, a sign of my loss—”
“Wait—wait,” Jememiah hissed, narrowing her eyes at the demigod
before rolling them. “Oh, for the love of—fine. Pardon, Daniel, but may I
interject?”
“Yes, you may.”
Her eyes zoned in on Lucas. “You gave a human your ring?”
“He did. He gave her his eternity ring and his cock—”
“Pardon, Daniel, may I interject?”
“Yes, you may.”
“I get that you’re trying to blend into the human world but being frank
is going to get your ass kicked—and not by me. People hate that here. Don’t
mention cock and sex and any of that shit in public, okay?” Jememiah
fluttered her lashes. “Especially to women. It’s a private matter.”
“Of course it is.”
“I mean talking about it is only reserved for good friends. Very
private.”
“Oh.” Comprehension dawned, the demigod nodding frantically after.
“But aren’t humans rude all the time?”
“Rude is different from crude. Plus it’s not that rude. Humans get to
the point without the formalities. It’s normal in this world. Cursing is fine,
but other intimate matters should be kept private.”
“Ah. That makes sense. Brilliant. Thank you for the nice education.”
“You’re welcome. Now…Lucas?”
“There’s nothing to tell.”
“How about your version?”
“I gave her the ring to fend him off. There was some attraction. It’s
over now.”
 “But she still has your ring?”
“For protection.”
“Right. What does she mean to you?”
“She’s—” Beautiful. A light in the dark. All those poems that he’d
read before but had thought cheesy, a longing in his chest that beat its pulse.
“A great woman. She took it all in stride. As I said, she’s happy now.”
Daniel tilted his head. “So the attraction is over now?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Or maybe you’re the one who’s complicating things.” A gleam had
entered Jememiah’s eyes, one he knew all too well.
“Drop it, Jem. We have a goal here.”
“And you’re all about goals, aren’t you? Never your happiness.”
“I have responsibilities.”
“So do I.” She glared. “That doesn’t mean we need to be miserable—
and you are.”
“Well put,” Daniel approved. “So, about Nora—”
The words cut off with a cry before the demigod doubled over, then
rolled around on the ground. Cobwebs tangled in his blond hair and white
clothes as he swatted an invisible force off, making Lucas and Jememiah
charge into motion as they tried to find the source. But there was none, and it
took Lucas another second to realize what was going on. As if in
confirmation, the green in Daniel’s eyes disappeared, leaving only white
behind before that turned stormy.
“He’s having a prophecy.”
“Dream?”
Lucas shook his head. “I don’t know.”
A moan tumbled out of Daniel’s lips, tinged with pain. Filled with
anguish. He started thrashing around so violently that Lucas had to hold him
down, which proved futile when a blast of energy roared and pushed Lucas
away. His wings snapped to cushion his crash against the wall, but the
dizzying effect made it hard to move for a few seconds. The second blast and
Jememiah’s grunt were the only warnings before she flew to the same space,
but he caught her before she could crash. They straightened and surrounded
Daniel, wings braced.
Light blazed, blinding the entire room before it formed images on the
opposite wall: the figure of a woman, her back to them. The brown hair and
hairstyle had his heart skipping a beat, familiar laughter renting the air and
snatching his breath. Then other laughter joined in, Nora stepping in the
bakery and turning to the counter, her side profile visible.
“That’s not Nora,” Lucas blurted out, stunned. But she could almost
pass for Nora from the back and general figure, the hairstyle an uncanny
resemblance.
“That’s her bakery. Those are her cupcakes.” Daniel argued. His
green eyes were, staring…widening as the figure turned again and was fully
revealed. “That’s not Nora.”
“That’s not her,” Lucas confirmed, his mind spinning. “You were
chasing after the wrong woman?”
“May I interject, Daniel?”
“Yes, you may.”
“That’s the most idiotic thing you could have ever done, and I’ve seen
you do lots of idiotic things during our childhood.” Jememiah brushed off the
dirt from her clothes, displeasure etched on her features. “And I’m tired of
this polite thing. I’ll interrupt all I want now.”
“I—”
“You owe this woman an apology. This Nora.”
Daniel opened his mouth, about to argue the point. Then he closed it
and sighed, spinning his finger. Like a magnet, the cobwebs and dust rushed
to it, reminiscent of cotton candy in a fair before he snapped it to vanish.
“You’re right. I do owe her an apology, Jem.” Morose eyes turned to
Lucas. “I think I might owe you an apology, too.”
 “You can make up for it by not meddling with her life anymore, even
by showing up. She needs space.” Lucas frowned, rubbing a fist to his chest
when it started stinging. Damn these demigods and their careless energy.
“Leave her alone.”
Daniel considered this before nodding. “You’re right. But maybe it’s
not too late for me and the woman in my dreams.”
“Just make sure you don’t force yourself on another woman again. Or
try to use the damn joker to win her hand.”
“Lucas.”
“Or try to trick her into uniting with you. You need to be a better man
than that.”
“Lucas!”
Jememiah’s hand on his chest had him hissing as the sting intensified,
like a brand on his skin. With a start, he looked down and realized that the
brand was burning a hole through his shirt…no, a circular symbol that looked
like a ring. Dread bloomed, carving a path that turned to ice all over his skin.
The sting hadn’t been from the force of Daniel’s energy but the burn of the
ring branding him, calling him.
Nora was calling for help.
 Chapter 22
Unlike Lucas, Geremy didn’t ask her to close her eyes, which Nora found
baffling until the blare of light almost blinded her and made her realize it was
deliberate. The upside was that she finally witnessed the process of crossing
the demi world: just a jump up to the sky, where a glazed circle would open
at the last second and swallow them whole. The light part happened
somewhere in between, just a few seconds that made her eyes hurt, and
unable to see when they finally landed on the other side. Not that it mattered,
because she knew without a doubt where they were now.
Directions were a different matter, confusing her as her blurry vision
only saw gray interrupted by bursts of red. Then there was only black,
terrifying her for a second into believing she’d grown blind before the pain
trickled away and she could finally see.
It was a house. That was the first impression she got looking at all the
furniture it contained, reminiscent of the ones in her world. Smuggled? It
looked like any other fancy house she’d seen, the only difference being that
the light from the ceiling had no actual light source but small holes. The most
surprising thing was how she wasn’t tied up but on a couch and still in her
old clothes. She knew no demigod would be stupid enough to leave her free
after painstakingly taking her.
Gingerly, she rose, standing still for a minute and looking around.
When no figure made itself known, she strode over to the nearest window,
moving the curtain as slowly as she could and peeking out. The unease she’d
been holding back finally made its way to her stomach as she ogled, taking in
the white, puffy ground the house seemed to be standing on…then, the black
grounds beyond the white circle, not devoid of life but teeming with
movement coming from all directions.
Not the flying creatures. Not the goblins either as these were taller.
After a few more minutes of observing, she finally concluded that the chaotic
energy was filled with activity: cutting trees, someone barking orders in a
gritty voice, growls, and howls that made her hair stand on end. But the
figures remained in the dark, arousing her curiosity.
 When one spared a glance in her direction from sniffing the ground,
she snapped the curtain closed and took a step back, then looked around
again in a burst of paranoia. Around this time the villain already showed up,
but Geremy was nowhere to be seen, and instinct was telling her she was
wasting time by just standing here.
She patted around her clothes, her wallet and lip gloss gone. But her
ring was still in her inner pocket, while her trusty gem was in the other inner
pocket. She reached for the ring, rubbing it again to seek comfort and feeling
it heat up. That filled her with hope and had her taking the first step to the
door, tiptoeing out of what she assumed was the living room.
Nora found herself in another living room with a different set of
furniture, but she kept going. One door after another led to the same: some
other form of living area, each with a different interior setup…each leaving
her with an odd feeling. She counted ten in her head before she understood
this was either an illusion or just a messed-up house. But something urged
her to keep going—instinct, maybe—so she followed that, finding the rhythm
that would make her close to deathly quiet and finally entering a living room
that contained a bigger door than the rest. Her pulse quickened, hands going
clammy as she turned the knob. She snuck out and found herself no longer in
the living room but at the house’s back—at least, what she assumed was the
back.
Unlike the other sides of the house, the white puff only covered a few
steps here, the rest being dark grounds with no movement. It stretched on for
miles with no mountain or spot to hide in sight, while the sky…it was black,
too, streaking red now and then, and those red contained images of familiar
sights: a beach with aquamarine waters, tourist spots in the states, and other
countries…then, the neighborhood leading to her bakery. There were so
many reds floating like bubbles in the sky, appearing and disappearing, and
she knew without a doubt these were places Geremy had access to. What was
he up to?
A blur appeared out of the corner of her eye, the only warning she got
before she slammed the door. Whatever it was, it crashed hard, banging
against the wood but not destroying it. She stepped back at the animal cry and
scratching, ears cocked when they were followed by silence. The scratch
started up again, but not from the door…
Nora turned to her side, her body going cold when she studied the
window and the claws scratching against the glass. A face was pressed
against it, too, wide brown eyes staring at her with intense hunger. But that
wasn’t the most jarring thing. No, it was the overall face itself, so eerily
human.
When the creature saw her watching, its long, slitted tongue came out
to lick the glass until it bubbled. She took a step back when it started to crack.
Before it could break, the creature screeched, dragged back by something she
couldn’t see. Beating sounds broke through the screeching, muting it until
there was only the crack of bones…then, silence.
Blood splashed on the glass, turning her stomach. But whatever had
attacked the creature didn’t show its face, and she found herself looking at
the window for a long time. Stunned. Terrified.
Determined to get out more than ever.
“I would like to apologize for that. Prince is one of my youngest, so
he’s a little reckless and likes to defy authority. We always have to remind
him how things work around here. I think a few more beatings would do the
job.”
The casual way he described violence made her want to hurl, but she
fought the urge and took a good look at him. Geremy was back to wearing
robes, but there was a glow about him now that was brighter than before: his
energy, free to curl around his body without restraint. Despite its brightness,
there was an underlying quality to it that made it feel…oily. Like it would
choke the living daylights out of her. That was instinct, and she didn’t doubt
it.
“I didn’t know you had a lot of followers here, Geremy. There’s
hardly any need for me with how busy your life seems to be.”
The demigod smiled, his energy slithering to his hair and making it
curl up.
“There’s always a need for someone, Miss Rivers, especially for the
likes of you. That was some show you gave there.”
 “Show?”
Another smile, almost gleeful. “Searching my rooms. Finding the exit.
Facing Prince without cowering in fear. It makes every decision I’ve made so
far perfect. Now I’m more resolute than ever.”
So that was where the odd feeling had come from—this man secretly
watching her.
“You’re talking in riddles,” she said, skipping the pleading to be let
go and show the weakness he was waiting for. He wasn’t going to let her go
willingly, anyway. “Either you tell me why I’m here or go.”
Geremy chuckled. For a second, she wondered if he would blast her
with another speech. Instead, the words that came out had her blood running
cold.
“You’re here to be my assistant and take care of my offspring. And
when the time comes, you can be their mother.”

The outside of the house had changed, a lined path on one side that was
meant for her to walk on so she could reach the cave in a clump of white trees
off to a corner outside the white, puffy circle. Nora had refused at first before
feeling the energy forcibly drag her out, only stopping when she was at the
entrance of the cave. Cold seeped in her bones, an ominous feeling that told
her she wasn’t going to like what she saw.
But the will to stay alive was stronger. That had Nora rubbing on the
ring again, her source of comfort. Then, basket in hand, she gulped deeply
and entered the fray.
It was dark and slightly wet, causing her to almost slip before she
steadied herself by grasping a cold, slimy rock sticking from one side of the
wall. She descended the makeshift steps and tried not to gag over the bitter
stench in the air, then inhaled again when it vanished. Inside, there were
holes on the ceiling again, letting in slivers of light and illuminating the
space.
She saw vast emptiness at first before she saw the circular wall filled
with bigger holes. No light came from them, but again, the ominous feeling
stayed, thrumming a beat inside her. She gripped the basket hard,
remembering the careless instruction given to her: Hand them to my children.
Don’t take a peek. Don’t scream. Don’t show fear. Don’t die.
He wouldn’t care less, either way, her role clear in that moment: a toy
he’d gotten interested in and wanted to play with until he was bored. How the
rest factored in she didn’t know, but her contemplation trailed off when she
started walking the lined path until she reached the point where it stopped.
She was now in the center of the circular wall, the bigger holes and silence
surrounding her.
When the silence kept on, she placed the basket outside her space and
straightened back up, looking around. Waiting. A countdown pulsed in her
head, her hand in her pocket tapping in time with it. The gem was another
comfort to her touch, its sharp tip making her recall the last time she’d used
it: stabbing the flying creature about to attack Lucas when they were escaping
this place. She shivered at how effectively it had worked before…then she
shivered for an entirely different reason, the icy sensation running down her
back.
Nora’s stomach clenched, but it was sheer stubbornness that fought
the instinct to run and had her turning around as slowly as she could. Even
then, she nearly jerked back at the sight of the creature right in her face, teeth
bared and dripping with blood. They were human teeth, jagged but not fully
sharp, the eyes holding the same hunger as the creature earlier. Its jaw
snapped, head moving closer, the smell of blood crawling up her nostrils—
Stop moving.
The warning screamed in her head, her body snapping to follow—and
just in time, too, as one more step would’ve taken her out of her space. She
gripped the sharp gem tighter as fear rushed up, realizing too late that was the
reaction they wanted.
Almost instantly, the silence was cut off by a rush of footsteps, the
wall holes crowding with heads before their full figures stepped out. Then
they were racing down, fast movements of human limbs running on all fours,
launching themselves at her. She crouched, braced for the pain. None came,
the banging sound alerting her to the creatures bouncing back from their
jumps and her space—Geremy’s space—protecting her.
They tried a few more times to no avail, but each jump and crash
against the invisible protection chipped away at her confidence until she was
about to scream. Then—
Scratching sounds, the basket sliding away. Then the creatures began
to crawl away, too, leaving behind just one: Prince, who stood smaller than
the rest and sniffed close. Something growled from the distance, a large
figure jumping up and over her head. It crashed against Prince and they rolled
to the ground, locked in snapping teeth and claws. The bigger figure flattened
Prince down, but Prince didn’t give up, scratching wildly and trying to buck
the other off. Something gleamed in Prince’s eyes, stunning her at the
familiarity of it: desperation to survive, the fear of death. Human emotions.
It called to her, her hand already moving to pick up a slimy rock. She
hurled it towards the bigger figure’s head, where it hit its target and bounced.
The action might have been small, but it was enough to have the head
snapping up, angry eyes staring at her. Then the creature scrambled towards
her and banged against her space again, scratching long and hard until she
saw thin lines appear—
A hiss and another crash, the claws disappearing as Prince dragged
the creature away. Another hiss, louder and brimming with hatred…then,
blood exploding in all directions and dripping down on her invisible wall.
When it settled down, she found herself staring at an unmoving face, eyes
gouged out and teeth gone. Prince crouched before it, licking away at the
blood before looking up at her with a gleam of intelligence.
A few of the figures watching from the holes crawled down and
dragged the dead one back up, fighting over it in hisses that echoed through
the place before they started tearing it apart to take their share. At this point,
she looked away, gaze locking with Prince. It—he—had licked himself clean
and still watched her, but no longer with the same hunger as before. A boyish
lift of mouth on one side…then he was running off towards the nearest hole,
and silence surrounded her once more.
She willed herself to move until her feet started following. Each step
leading out was punctuated by the inhale of blood until she was dizzy from it
and she had to lean against the wall to keep steady. Then she was out of the
cave and inhaling sweet air…except it wasn’t sweet air but the demi world
air, brimming with a darkness that chattered her teeth and made her feel
hollow.
If she stayed following what Geremy wanted, he would keep her
forever. If she rebelled, those creatures were going to be on her like predators
to prey. If she bided her time…
Nora closed her eyes. No one would come for her. Her colleagues
didn’t know this world existed, while the ones who knew had gone on with
their lives, blissfully unaware that a human had been taken. The ring heating
up might be a figment of her imagination, a desperate attempt of her mind to
give her hope.
She kept walking to the house, her knees shaking with each step. The
thought of returning to that illusion, to Geremy—the source of all the sick
madness in that cave—gave her such a sense of growing terror that she
couldn’t breathe and just couldn’t stomach it anymore.
In the last few steps, Nora turned, her body overpowering her mind
and leading her away. Then she was running as fast as she could, defying
common sense and her lack of knowledge as she made her escape, zoning in
on the dark grounds and searching for something to hide in.
She didn’t get very far as something sharp stung at her ankles,
eliciting pain. Then she screamed when she was pulled down and dragged
back.
 Chapter 23
“This is a very bad idea, Lucas.”
Jememiah’s words were a whisper in his ears, fleeting but firm. She
had a point. The smarter side of Lucas would’ve acknowledged this as a bad
idea, too, and would’ve retreated to rethink the plan. Wherever that smart
side was, it certainly wasn’t with him now as he nodded but gestured
forward. Expecting it, she sighed and strode ahead, appearing relaxed from
the outside as she led the way deeper into the cave. But he knew his sister
well, knew she would be blocking the first attack if it ever came.
So far, it was empty, giving them silence as time ticked by, and they
kept going. Lucas scratched marks on the walls along the way, then stopped
when she did.
“We’re an hour in. Update?”
Her guarded stance gave him the chance to stop watching their
surroundings and focus on his chest. It wasn’t burning at the moment, his
shirt still intact, but there was a tingling that tickled his skin.
“Tingles. We’re either going in the right direction or on the right
path.”
She nodded, touching one part of the wall before leaning against it.
The space they were standing in only had one entrance—and this time they
made sure to check the floor and ceiling for cracks so they wouldn’t be
caught unaware again. He counted in his head, each second ticking away like
a timebomb that hardened his body and made him want to burst. When
another hour passed, a sinking sensation came, churning his gut until it felt
heavy.
“He should be here by now,” she said, breaking the silence.
Except Daniel wasn’t. He’d promised to help and catch up to them
when they found the location—the same damn cave they’d been frozen in—
then had disappeared in a rush. Now he still wasn’t here.
“Let’s wait a few more minutes.”
 “The goblins…”
“If they haven’t attacked us yet, they won’t. This place is empty, Jem.
They’ve moved on.”
It wasn’t impossible, as most caves in the demi world were connected
by secret pathways and portals. He and his siblings had explored it as kids
before realizing they were too many underground monsters lurking in corners
and risking their lives over the adventure just wasn’t worth the trouble. Like
the ocean in the human world, demi world caves were filled with mystery,
bound to be left alone and never fully explored.
“We don’t know that for sure.”
“Do you feel them?”
“No,” she said reluctantly. “But I generally dislike caves. Too
constricting.”
The next half-hour passed, forcing Lucas to accept that maybe the
demigod wasn’t going to show up. Maybe Daniel got held up somewhere, got
distracted somewhere…had decided Nora wasn’t worth it and had just moved
on. His hands fisted, anger boiling at the thought alone. Nora was worth it,
and she was here because of them. Alone. Missing. Two options came, and
he jumped on one.
“You can go back if you want, Jem. But I’m going in. I’m going to
find her.”
Her lips tightened, the conflict clear. When it settled, she rolled her
eyes. “Did you honestly ask me to leave my brother alone when he’s not
thinking clearly and would just mess this up?”
He raised a brow. “Would you?”
“You suck. Come on. Follow my lead. Tell me if your chest feels
different.”
She stalked out of their space and started the trek again while he
flanked her and watched their back. Every few minutes, water trickled from
the ceiling, the only indication that they’d gone underwater before the walls
ran dry again. It became a pattern as the hours went by, right before the
relatively flat grounds stopped to an abrupt halt on one entryway, gaping
down into a dark abyss.
There were circling walls, with random holes that served as entryways
to other heights and spaces of this cave. Here it was colder, the air from an
unknown source and thin ice crawling up the rocks. The mesmerizing sight
snagged his attention before he looked up at the ceiling, where something
bigger had his eyes widening: portal holes flickering in and out, leading to
images of places both from the human and the demi world.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Jememiah muttered. This time, the
tension in her tone was tighter.
“Me, too.” But neither of them suggested going back.
Because something in him was telling him to keep quiet now, he
resorted to tapping her shoulder and pointing up, wishing to get closer to the
portals. With a nod, she hurried out of the entryway and stood at the very
edge, turning for a quick scan. Then in a swift movement, she jumped up,
claws growing enough to grip the wall’s rocks without slipping. Lucas did the
same, climbing faster until he was slightly ahead and studiously avoiding the
other entryways so they wouldn’t be caught unaware. A glance at Jememiah
showed her guarding their flank now, so he looked up and studied the portals,
listing the human cities he recognized before he tried to figure the others out.
He froze when he saw fire inside one, the familiar orange-red jumping
out at him before it disappeared. That portal disappeared, too, then appeared a
few seconds later in another corner, a glimpse of the Outlands castle flitting
in. The others did the same, a random, jerking appearance before they
vanished, each one containing some kind of home or structure that sent
nerves ticking in his muscles. He tapped Jememiah again when she reached
his side, pointing and trying to get his message across.
Rufus’s home. Other homes. Who has access to all of these?
The answer nagged at his mind, a fervent desire to find out.
Jememiah’s face was pale from the discovery and she bit her lip to keep from
saying anything out loud. But she nodded. Lucas nodded in return—
It struck without warning, the bolt of pain like a sword plunged in his
chest until he couldn’t take in air from it. He lost his grip, slipping down and
hitting another rock before he clawed up for leverage. The first rock he found
broke under his grasp, but the next one held on, his body slamming against
the wall as the invisible sword kept stabbing at him. A sound escaped his
throat at the excruciating pressure, hastily bitten back before more could burst
out of him.
When he looked down, he found his shirt burned to a crisp, the ring
symbol burning its brand harder than ever. He closed his eyes, trying to ride
it until it passed…a mistake, the hot rush of wind his only warning before he
was scrambling up and avoiding the creature about to lunge at him. The
goblin thrashed in the air when it didn’t find its grip, its momentum making it
fly to the center before crashing back down—way down into the gaping
darkness below. It screeched its woes, the sound the only signal needed for
the cave to stir to life, whatever it contained no longer in slumber.
The higher he climbed, the lesser the burn, and soon the ring only
glowed, becoming brighter when he reached one entryway. It led to a dead-
end, but it was near one of the flickering portals that showed more darkness
with shadows of rocks. When his hand reached up, the tickling restarted
again, his heart beating faster in his chest.
Nora.
“Go.”
Jememiah’s voice was distorted. He glanced down to find her already
shifting as she braced herself on the edge opposite his. Her shoulders vibrated
with tension, scales forming like an armor. A smirk whispered on her lips,
wine-colored eyes blazing as she jerked her head at him and repeated the
word, gesturing up at another portal.
“Go. I’ll keep them distracted and escape when needed.”
Arguing was futile and a waste of time. The conflict came and went,
the decision loud and clear in her resolute expression. Lucas kept staring as
goblins started spilling out of one entryway and jumping for her. But
Jememiah had already spread her wings, though her scaled body remained
human-sized and able to balance her as she flew to the center of the cave—a
feat she was better at than he was, the symbol of perfect energy control. The
goblins who jumped for her all started falling and screeching.
Lucas jumped up, letting the portal suck him in. He fell into darkness,
tumbling along hard surfaces with his wings serving as protection from the
sharper edges. The rough, uneven path kept going down until he was rolling.
It was only the rush of air that clued him in and had him pushing his feet
forward to brace his landing. He crashed hard, anyway, teeth knocking
against his gums and sight filled with stars. Before he could catch his
bearings, he was already scrambling up, waiting for a goblin or two to follow
and start attacking.
Nothing came, this area empty. He waited a few more seconds before
running to the closest entrance, the constant motion keeping him from getting
caught on the spot. The more seconds ticked by, the heavier the tingles grew
until it shuddered in his system and he could almost taste it on his tongue.
Instinct told him he was going in the right direction, but that same instinct
warned him to brace for what was to come.
Up ahead, voices had him stopping and hiding behind a rock to
discern them. Not hisses or growls but soft, weak moans…then, a cough or
two. He crouched down and crawled the rest of the way, gaze trained on the
next entryway he was about to sneak into. When he got there, the pathway
spread into a cove, shadowed figures on one side that rattled against
something whenever they moved. He should pass by them as quietly as he
could, but the nagging feeling came back, and he turned at the last minute to
approach the figures. It was a stupid idea when they could probably sense
him and he was better off running.
Soft beams of light shone from a hole above, illuminating clothed
backs the closer he got. One more step and his eyesight took them in better,
the shadows forming into clothes…humans, lying and sitting down, heads
bowed. All with long hair, all visibly female.
All with huge bulges in their stomach area.
It clicked, horror racing down his spine before it clutched at his gut
and squeezed. Coupled with the returning burning sensation on his chest, he
stepped back and hit his back to the wall, unable to comprehend what he was
seeing…then, comprehending it too well and feeling sick with the discovery.
This was worse than the portals in the cave, worse than the goblins that had
come out to attack them. Worse, because these women weren’t supposed to
be here but were taken here to be imprisoned. Impregnated.
While killing gods was a grave offense, this was just a step or two
lower—but to his mind, more unforgivable. He tried to gather his calm,
staying in a dark corner while he counted them. Four, the dried bones piled
on one side a telling sign of what happened to the rest. The coughing came
from the furthest one, while the woman closest to him was leaning against the
wall, feet chained and eyes closed. Not wanting to risk another unexpected
attack, Lucas swept his gaze again, sensing his surroundings and confirming
that the nagging feeling had led to this area. Whatever the other areas of this
cave contained…
He set them aside for now, rubbing his chest. Then he took a step
forward, putting himself in the light and closing the distance between him
and the sleeping woman. He reached a hand out just as her eyes snapped
open, blue locking onto his. They both froze, her hand already moving to
protect her stomach and her body tightening. In that decisive moment, he
could clamp a hand over her mouth and risk her struggling, or…
He lowered his hand, still braced for the scream. Her thunderstruck
expression settled into suspicion…then, a curiosity that he wasn’t charging to
attack. Several other emotions flitted in before the speculation came. Quietly,
he lifted his hands again, careful not to touch her skin as he reached for the
chains. He found the lock, inserted a claw inside the small hole to work on it
—a trick he’d learned in the past. The coughing interrupted the excruciating
minutes, sweat starting to form that he wouldn't be able to pick this—
A snap, her ankle jerking as he removed the chain. Her hands
tightened on her stomach before one reached down, rubbing at her freed
ankle as she looked up at him. Hope flared, so achingly desperate that it
tugged at him. The cough grew more violent before settling into a sigh. When
he looked up, he found the coughing woman lying on the ground, sleeping
peacefully. The rest were close to unconsciousness.
But the blue-eyed woman wasn’t. It was she who crawled towards
them and gestured while she ogled him. After a few seconds of observing, he
followed suit and freed them, too. One opened her glazed eyes to look at him,
then returned to sleep, too weak to do anything else. Silence filled the space
before a voice croaked, low with fear but thick with desperation.
“Army. He’s building an army.”
 Chapter 24
There was a commotion outside, filled with the type of monstrous sounds that
should’ve made her panic and shrivel in fear. Instead, Nora’s ears perked,
listening intently to what followed: crashing sounds, then the shaking of the
ground. She crept to the window to take a peek, found the scenario crazier
than she’d anticipated as demigod-human toppled on top of each other,
creating a pile. The higher it got, the more joined in, blood spilled but with no
limbs torn yet. Anxiety pulled that it would reach that state, clashing with
their monstrosity. They were still humans, her mind reminded, however a
small part it was. The redeemable part was the question.
Before the pile could crumble, a few large figures yanked them down,
sending them crashing and dragging them back to their feet. The next shouts
that followed weren’t just random sounds but words, each order ringing in
her ears like a heavy reminder. They weren’t very clear, but she could still
hear them perfectly. Stop. Fall in line. Don’t make me hurt you. Then—
“Father.”
At that, she let the curtain fall, the robed figure the last thing she
glimpsed before she sank on the couch. She’d been in this room since she
was dragged here a second time, and that had been hours ago. How many
days had passed? She couldn’t very well keep letting her emotions drown her,
but the struggle was real as she forced herself to lie down and close her eyes.
Sleep was a must despite the dangers of this place, but it didn’t come fast, her
mind muddled with musings of escape and survival.
She slept to the dwindling of the commotion, the following quiet in
time with her falling consciousness. Nora woke up in the dark, still in the
same position but with food and water in front of her, which didn’t make her
feel any better as she wondered who’d come in here and how long that
creature had stayed. Gingerly, she picked at the food and sniffed, identifying
the scents. Cinnamon, yeast. Butter. She bit into one, chewed it before
swallowing, and waited for the effects to take place, her stomach pulling in
hunger.
 Relief flooded in when her body didn’t react and she scarfed down the
rest before washing it with water. Sufficiently energized, she wandered over
to the window again, moving the curtain and expecting to find empty fields.
She froze at the figures still there, their movements muted and the silence a
far contrast from earlier. Not only that, but they were also filing in some sort
of crooked line, eyes following the larger figure in front of them. From her
view, they looked like an army at a ready, crazily close to her dream. The
possibility sent her head spinning. Army for what?
The larger figure—or in this case, taller, more bulked-up demigod-
human—had been one of the few who’d stopped the fight earlier, form
hinting at feminine curves. She marched around and waved her hands,
tapping one creature after another. Another larger figure did the same to
another unit and it took Nora a while to understand they were correcting a
few things: position, posture, to name a few. When they were satisfied, they
raised a hand, the resounding cry that followed ringing like warning bells in
her body. Warrior cries. But for what?
Neither humans nor demigods should be acting like this, instinct
telling her this had been instilled since birth—keeping them in this beastly
state as slaves to a master, their father. Unless growth had been accelerated
with magic, it must’ve taken Geremy years to breed to get to this, and
something told her the man was close to the finish line.
You can be their mother.
Where the hell were their actual mothers?
As abruptly as the cries had started, they stopped, marching steps
vibrating on the ground as their now-straight line filed back to the white
forest. She closed the curtains over the bleakness that followed, eyes busy as
she studied the room’s every nook and cranny. There was no odd feeling this
time. It was mostly wood and cloth, all attached to furniture except for the
curtains.
Her gaze landed on the empty tray made of wood. Nora took the sharp
gem out, careful to keep it out of the door’s view before she tested a scratch
or two. Then she was scribbling as fast as she could, the words small but
cohesive, wood dust scattering on the ground. When she was done, she
hastily swept the dust under the couch and waited, her heart pumping hard as
she re-read the words before she hid the tray under her clothes.
When the knock came and no presence followed, she opened the door,
picked up the basket, and risked a peek in. It contained the same thing as
before: glossy stones with a clear liquid inside, the number amounting to the
number of demigod-humans here. They’d barely touched it the last two times
she’d visited, but the basket was empty when she returned for it. Was the
liquid to keep them wild? Subject to his whims?
Outside, Geremy was nowhere in sight, and the temptation to run
again was so sheer that she had to stop for a few seconds to fight it. Then she
continued walking to the cave, stopping again at the entrance to brace herself,
her mind racing a mile a minute. The idea had formed somewhere around the
time she’d seen the army…no, somewhere around the time she’d locked eyes
with Prince, a whisper in a corner of her mind that crept out now. It clashed
with the dread, and she shoved both under the surface. It was going to work.
It had to work.
The scents were the same on her way down, punching her before they
mellowed. The path was the same, too, leaving her standing at the path’s end
as she looked around and watched the holes. Just like her last visit, she turned
a circle before they could catch her off guard—a lesson she’d learned the first
time—placing the basket down. Her hand went to her pocket once more, the
gesture casual as she cleared her throat.
“Prince?”
It came out soft, hesitant, maybe too low for him or anyone else to
hear. She opened her mouth to call again…paused when shadows moved, a
figure jumping out and landing right in front of her. Prince’s brown eyes
gleamed almost yellow, the hunger present but muted. He smelled of blood,
rusty and faint, and was mostly naked except for his private parts covered by
some leather material.
“You heard me, didn’t you? That’s why you came.”
There was no response, his attention already on the basket. He nudged
it with his foot, spilling the stones to the ground. They clanked around but
didn’t break.
 “Prince, I can help get you out of here.”
Prince glanced up, not making a sound.
“Freedom, if you want it. You no longer have to follow your father.
You and whoever wants to escape.”
Silence.
“No more caves. No more pain. Just you and your siblings living
somewhere else. Anywhere. All you have to do is—”
The body crashing against the invisible wall was followed by two
more, startling her before they bounced back. The thin lines appeared again,
indicating she didn’t have much time. Willing her knees to stop trembling,
Nora kept going.
“Sign. Promise your alliance to me and I’ll free you after we stop
them. All I need is—”
Another crash, one of the larger figures spitting at her now.
“Claw, scratch! Just sign!”
She threw the tray outside her protection, horror swirling as she
watched figures crawl out of their holes and throw their bodies in that
direction. The ground became filled with wriggling flesh, the sounds of
scratching reverberating in her senses. There was a loud crash after as two
bodies clashed, bumping against her wall once more and making her unable
to see what was happening ahead. She craned her neck, her heart in her throat
as the tray was lost…
A hand lifted it, claws digging in and scratching. There were plenty
more scratches in there, stunning her before it was thrown in her direction.
Prince’s head popped up from the throng to let out a scratchy howl, a sound
that surpassed the noise in its volume. She shivered when a few others
howled in turn…then, more, a sizeable number that included two of the larger
figures in her line of sight—not the one in front of her, though, who was also
larger than the others. This one locked eyes with her, a flash of fury that told
her which side he was on.
He pushed forward in a blur, charging the protection repeatedly until
more lines appeared and surrounded her like cobwebs. Before he could fully
break it, claws yanked him away, Prince howling firmly. Whatever
instructions Prince gave out had a group piling on top of the larger figure.
There was blood, but there were no torn limbs—at least, not coming from this
particular group, and the sight of mutiny had her mesmerized…
“Nora.”
The sound of her name, the shock of the familiar voice, had her
looking away from the fight—straight into eyes that stared at her soul. Lucas
wasn’t in man form, hunched body blending in perfectly with the throng
before two rose. With a start, she realized he had people riding his half-
dragon form, and they were going to be dead if they stayed there.
The words were out of her mouth before she could think twice,
shouted over the din. It echoed in its shrillness.
“Protect them!”
The command had several heads looking up, but Prince’s side was
faster as bodies moved again, scrambling over the rest. Lucas was surrounded
in an instant, a development that alarmed him before comprehension dawned
and his eyes met hers again. There were questions there to be answered later,
but he nodded, jaw clenching when the creatures covered him and he started
heaving his way down to her.
It took only a few seconds for him to reach her side, then deposit two
of the women to her protective wall. The conscious one gently laid the
unconscious one down, staring at Nora with wide eyes before turning to peer
up at his form. Nora studied their stomachs, the bulges clicking in her head
and making her body tremble.
But there was no time to waste. It became clearer when the attacks
started again as creatures tried to jump over Prince’s group to get to Lucas.
Her eyes met his one more time, the urgency resonating in his. Without
saying a word, two messages were clear. But it was the latter that stole her
breath and made her wish they were in a different situation.
You have to go now.
I love you.
 She bit her tongue from saying it out loud, watched in anguish as a
few of the ally creatures started leading him away. Then Nora turned her gaze
away from the horrid spectacle to focus on the two women under her
protection.
“What’s your name?”
“Ri—Rina.”
So young. Trying to act as normal as possible, she gave the pregnant
woman a small, encouraging smile. “Rina, we need to get out of here. Can
you help me carry her?”
Rina nodded, fighting with a haunted expression as she struggled with
lifting the unconscious woman’s arm. Nora did the same with the other arm.
They slowly, painstakingly made their way outside, slipping a bit when they
tried to get to the entrance. Rina trembled a few seconds later, making Nora
break from her focus when she spotted writhing at the corner of her eye. With
a start, she glanced at the demigod-humans following their progress, hungry
eyes watching their every move…no, rabid eyes. Their bodies were hard with
vibrating tension, a kind of waiting that Nora knew would progress into
something violent soon.
Outside the cave, silence met their escape before the creatures started
spilling out, too, then howling in the air. She got Rina and the other woman
halfway between the cave and the house before the waiting creatures started
banging against the protected path, scratching and punching hard in their
attempt to get to her. An angry screech came from somewhere beyond as
more of them burst out of the cave, Prince leading a small portion of his
group and leaping at the ones closest to her. They were forcibly dragged
away, clearing the space ahead, where she could make a break for it.
“Rina, we need to run. Can you run?”
Rina’s body shook once more, the haunted look returning. “Them?”
“We’ll be protected.” At least, she hoped so. Her decision was
solidified when another crash sent the invisible walls cracking like ice, ready
to break. She heaved the unconscious body up again, waiting until Rina did
the same on the other end.
 Her skin hummed a crazy, incessant beat that blared loud and clear.
Nora only had a second to put down the body and block Rina’s before pain
slammed into her, knocking the breath out of her. Then she was lifted as if
she weighed nothing, a dizzying speed that sent her stomach lurching. Nora
looked down, relieved when she found the two women unharmed. Then terror
took over, coating her in ice as her head was snapped up by an invisible
force. Her eyes locked with calm ones…except it was a thin coat, bound to
break soon like his wall protection. There was madness to him now, leaking
from his energy and creating an invisible stench.
“The audacity to abuse the freedom I’ve given you,” Geremy
murmured, shaking his head. Clicking his teeth in a show of disapproval.
“Some humans never learn, do they?”
He didn’t know about Lucas. Heart pounding and mouth dry, she
cleared her throat and desperately tried to keep his attention.
“And some demigods need to understand that an army isn’t going to
be the answer to whatever power they seek. These creatures you’ve bred have
as much right as you do. I just gave it back to them.”
“You destroyed what I’ve built.”
“With a piece of signed wood, which means you haven’t built it
sturdy enough.”
“You have no right.”
“You have no right. Do you think other demigods would let this go?
They would condemn you.”
A smile. “Not if I kill them first.”
“With what? This? Did you think your army could kill more powerful
demigods?” Nora scoffed. “In your dreams, I suppose. They would die in
vain, and you’re a monster for causing that death. You deserve death first.
You—”
Her anger tightened around her throat, pushed down by Geremy’s
energy coming off him in large waves. Then it spiked out, strangling her until
she couldn’t breathe before letting go. In the floating space of the sky, her
terror increased when she doubled over, hitting an invisible floor and seeing
the maddening height from her position to the ground. But it was nothing
compared to the way the energy kept careening downwards until it hit the
protected path and sent it exploding. It traced through the forest after,
engulfing the white trees with black and sending rocks flying everywhere as
the cave collapsed.
Then it charged at her, sending her falling.
 Chapter 25
The first fall of rock on his shoulder missed his riders but knocked him to the
ground, where Lucas struggled to roll so he could cushion their fall. He
picked himself right up when more rocks fell, comprehension dawning that
the whole cave was starting to crumble before he dove to the side and
wedged all three of them under the nearest, smallest hole.
The space turned black and dusty, his back catching most of the
weight that heavily, steadily fell. Screeching, wailing sounds reverberated in
his ears as the creatures still in the cave made desperate attempts to get out of
the way, but that was impossible considering the collapse was happening
everywhere. He focused on the two women, focused on the next few seconds
when his little spot would collapse, too, and the only protection they were
going to have was his scaled body.
The pain came, a sliver of warning that told him what was coming.
Then it was gone in the blink of an eye, making his mind stutter before he felt
a force pushing him forward. He pushed back, a few seconds of an instinctive
fight before he realized his ass was heating up and there was no fighting the
growing, relentless force. The voice that followed had him pausing, a
booming sound that somehow overpowered the crashing.
“Move forward. Don’t look back. Now.”
There was obedience because of servitude—then there was obedience
because of common sense and a good amount of trust. It was the latter that
had Lucas scrambling forward towards the next blasting sounds, unsurprised
when no rock hit him on his way. Red and orange replaced the darkness, a
brilliant exchange of flickering lights. He shoved through the last blast until
he was outside, where more chaos surrounded him.
The white forest covering the cave was gone. The cave itself was
gone, too, leaving only a vast field of black soil and writhing bodies fighting
each other. Those who weren’t heavily involved in their fight turned to him,
running on all fours and losing all semblance of control with the snapping
anger in their eyes…their human eyes. He crouched, too, covering the
women and waiting for his body to take the brunt of the attack.
A second before they could reach him, fire shot up from the ground,
the creatures slamming against it and leaping back. Then more fire came
bursting out until Lucas was surrounded. Heat crept up his skin and had
sweat pouring down his back, but he ignored it as he knelt and checked on
the women’s pulses and stomachs. The relief intensified when he found
nothing alarming, but he didn’t rest as he carefully dragged them to the ring
of fire’s center and waited for the sudden bursts to take pause.
A figure zoomed straight to the ground beside him, hands making
crazy fast gestures and blasting more fire everywhere. A second later, two
more women were deposited beside the two already in the ring, with Rina
looking tired but still alert. He acknowledged Rufus with a nod, but that was
the only thing he managed before his attention was snatched by the sounds
coming from the air: a roar, a shriek of pain…a loud explosion, competing
with the glazed images of portals. A brown dragon with wine-colored streaks
flew past the portal hole he was staring at, racing towards a figure falling
from the sky in a fast blur—
No.
His heart stopped beating in the seconds that recognition flared, then
fear went past it. His body roared to life, a second before he saw Jememiah’s
dragon form catch Nora midway and fly off—except they didn’t stay flying
as another explosion hit them and sent them hurtling down. He ran for it,
half-aware that the demigod-humans charging towards him were pulled back
by a force he couldn’t see. The rest of his awareness was thrown into bending
his legs and jumping up, where he fully transformed into his dragon form and
flew up to meet the descending bodies.
His sister crashed into him before righting herself, her nostrils
snorting dark smoke. The impact, however soft for a dragon, had Nora’s body
jerking, fingers holding on for dear life but slipping one by one. Somewhere
in the rush of wind and chaos, she met his gaze. Fear and recognition pushed
against each other before her expression turned blank. It echoed inside him,
but he kept looking, trying to communicate what he needed her to do.
A beat of suspended silence filled his ears, his whole being aligning
with hers. Her fingers held on for a second longer, a quiet bracing…then
Nora let go, let her grasp slip from Jememiah’s form before she went falling
again. She landed on Lucas’s back, a hard thud that had her desperately
scrambling for a hold before she found it. He braced himself when she stayed
hanging at his side, unmoving and close to losing grip again. But something
snapped, her body catching on and her hands pulling her up until she’d fully
climbed his back.
Jememiah, who’d been watching the whole thing, jerked her dragon
head once before flying off to join the explosions in the sky. He turned the
opposite direction, descending as fast as his wings could carry him. He zoned
in on the ring of fire, flying around in wait. When the fire receded, he dove
down the rest of the way, claws digging on hard soil to break his momentum.
Nora kept her grip tight until his dragon turned back to human form
and his arms reached over to maneuver her to his front. Beside them, an
expressionless Rufus watched the exchange before nodding. Then, in a wave
of his hand, the demigod was standing on fire and lifting himself off the
ground, where he broke through the ring and hurtled towards the air.
“I assume that’s a fire demigod and I’m not having death dreams. Or
purgatory dreams.”
“Yes. It’s a fire demigod. One of the most powerful.”
“Ah.” There was a hint of trembling. “Good.”
Lucas closed his eyes, savoring her voice for a second. When he
opened them, he found honey eyes on his, taking him in. Something dug in
between them, making her wince before she jerked back and looked down at
the sharp, bloodied gem in her hand.
“I stabbed him. He got mad.”
Christ, could she be any more magnificent?
“Good. Fucking brilliant.”
“You’re still naked.”
His mouth quirked. “I know. Come here.”
The gem fell from her hand as she let it go and drew him closer as if
she couldn’t get warm enough. The quiet gesture made his tense body relax
bit by bit, then made him realize he was shaking. Instead of him soothing her,
it was Nora who did the soothing, her hands fluttering. She whispered words
before she stood up and went over to check on the four women. The soft
murmurs continued, Rina’s voice fleeting before his attention turned to their
surroundings.
There were still creatures fighting, but the tide had turned over
enough for one side—the side that wasn’t trying to get inside the ring of fire.
He watched the one who seemed to be the ringleader jump over a throng that
ripped a dead one to pieces, watched as they toppled over like bowling pins at
the surprise attack. More jumped in until it went in their favor, bodies falling
and a howl of victory echoing in the ensuing stillness.
As if feeling the heavy gaze, the center creature’s head snapped in his
direction, watchful. Then the creature started limping over. Lucas’s body
tensed once more, a silent bracing. The creature stopped outside the ring of
fire, observing him with a calmness that belied its coiled body.
“Prince?”
Nora’s call had the creature’s attention switching, hunger flashing
before it dimmed. Lucas bit back his growl, choosing to keep his mouth shut
when she took a step closer to the ring’s edge. Conflict warred in her gaze,
followed by resolute understanding. Her next words were soft, but the impact
it had on the remaining creatures went over the field like a punch.
“You’re free to go. You’re no longer bound to me.”
A second later, a line was formed, turning in one direction before they
bounded off. He kept his eyes on them until they disappeared from his line of
sight. Nora’s sigh had him reaching to take her hand and squeezing it.
“You bound them to you?”
“It’s a long story.”
The humor in her voice was faint, but it gave him a sense of joy.
“Hmm.”
“To shorten it…claw marks on a wooden tray. Consensual. I can’t
believe it even worked.”
Again…magnificent. “You did the right thing, letting them go. For
now.”
“It’s later that I’m worried about.”
“Then it’s for later to worry about.”
Before he could say more, another blast shattered the sky, colors
exploding like a visual attack. He made a move to lunge and stopped when
the fire around him flickered higher in a warning.
“I think that means we’re to stay here,” she deduced.
His jaw clenched, but Rufus’s warning was loud and clear. Trapped in
their space, they could only watch as the portal images disappeared in a
whirlwind of smoke and fire, turning the entire sky gray. The smoke slithered
down, creeping through the soil. Hisses whispered at his feet, tendrils of
smoke that had found crevices to sneak into to get through the ring of fire.
That only lasted a few seconds before getting sucked back by the soil, the
reason showing itself as a longer, louder blast nearly had him going deaf.
Nora gasped and covered her ears as an entity of light separated itself
from the rest, floating down…towards them. The shimmering that followed
was recognizable enough, Daniel’s figure taking form when he was close. His
green eyes caught Lucas’s before flickering towards her and the demigod’s
relief was palpable.
“I’m filled with joy to find you alive, Nora Rivers.”
Nora didn’t smile, but Lucas could feel her relief, too. “I guess I could
say the same about you, Daniel of the Outlands.”
Daniel’s gaze met his again. This time, it stayed. “I told you I would
come.”
“You’re a few hours late, but I’ll take it,” was Lucas’s response.
Then, “Is he dead?”
“Yes…well, maybe. I was so close to ripping him to pieces, but Rufus
asked me to come here.”
 “For?”
“To take Nora back home. Things are about to get messier.”
Lucas straightened. “I’m—”
“You’re staying here, unfortunately. My brother’s orders.”
The words punched into him, turning him rigid. Before he could let
his emotions fly off the handle, another figure landed behind Daniel, warning
the demigod not to turn around. It took Jememiah only seconds to cover her
body up before she was stepping beside Daniel, her voice deliberately
cheerful.
“Sounds good. I’m free. I can accompany you guys.”
“I’m not going back without these women,” Nora declared, lifting her
chin.
“I’m not going back without them, either,” Jememiah shot back.
The two women eyed each other before relaxing, the decision made—
and Lucas had never felt more helpless as he realized where this was heading.
But nothing good could come out of him asking Nora to stay, not when she
wasn’t safe there.
So he let it go, let himself bask in the squeeze of her hand before he
turned to her. In the next blaze of flames that caught the others’ attention,
their mouths met, pouring heart and soul into a kiss that tasted almost
bittersweet. He lost himself in it, found himself at peace with the knowledge
that she was alive—and that was the most important thing.
In the next instant, the ring of fire was gone, allowing Daniel to step
in and hold out a hand to her. The demigod’s other hand was open, creating a
circle of protection that floated the four women up as he waited. Nora
watched, making sure Rina gave a nod before she nodded, too. An inch away
from the demigod’s reach, she hesitated, glancing back at Lucas.
The emotions swirling darkened her eyes and nearly had him stalking
towards her, but he locked his knees and stayed in place. The moment she
took Daniel’s hand, the demigod lifted them towards the smoky sky to find
the portal hole that would lead them home. Jememiah followed, leaving
Lucas behind to watch them disappear before he focused on the sky itself.
The smoke didn’t let up, thick and swirling relentlessly but no longer
drifting down. It allowed Lucas a chance to sweep the grounds now that the
ring of fire was gone, checking the dead, scattered bodies, and breathing
through the cloying scent of blood. The tearing fights had ensured no one
would survive, so he widened his sweep until he was covering the darker
areas of the field, too, sensitive to any sound or movement that would come
at him. Nothing did, his surroundings remaining empty. With the creatures
gone, he returned to the destroyed forest, eyeing the piles of black dust and
charred rocks. It had him wondering how many creatures had escaped
through the other paths and were alive somewhere.
The flash of red at his side had him looking up once more as a figure
descended, carried by fire. Rufus’s eyes spat power, his energy more open
than ever. Lucas shuddered, then took note of the crumpled body the
demigod dragged behind him. Whatever was left of Geremy was
unrecognizable, but Lucas knew it was him.
“That’s…”
“He was very stubborn. I had to make sure he stayed dead.”
Trust it to this one to be meticulous. Lucas nodded, feeling no
remorse for the mischief demigod’s death. “Good. Tell me what needs to be
done next.”
“We clean up the place. Burn all evidence to the ground.”

It made sense to remove all evidence, considering anyone investigating

would also investigate on Rufus’s involvement, which circled back to the
same thing: Pip, who remained hidden from the world for a reason. Gut
instinct had Lucas holding his questions about that in and following orders as
they gathered the body parts, stacked them in the old forest, and proceeded to
burn it all down, including the house nearby. That last move released another
surge of energy in the air, shrieking through the skies before vanishing
altogether.
Hours later, they stood in an empty field, with only the portal holes
witness to what this had been before. Weariness echoed in his muscles, but
Rufus looked unruffled as always, the snapping fire gone. The demigod stood
in front of Lucas, the silence between them prompting Lucas to speak.
“We’re done here. What’s next?”
“I’m going back to your ice cave to seal that place up. Destroy the
portal holes if I can. No one must know of their existence.”
Lucas nodded, for once in perfect agreement.
“Of course. Can you give me directions? I don’t know where we are.
Perhaps you know a path where I can avoid the flying creatures as much as
possible.”
“There’s no need. You’re not going.”
Not missing a beat, Lucas shrugged. “All right. Am I needed in the
castle? I still don’t know the way.”
“No. You’re headed to the human world. I’m giving you your
freedom.”
The words seeped in but didn’t register until he felt something
moving—a change happening inside him, like a weight being lifted off. With
a start, he realized it was also part of Rufus’s energy, simmering in his blood
before purging itself and returning to the demigod. The stunned silence that
followed was long, uninterrupted by both parties as they stared at each other.
In Lucas’s mind, his world spun, understanding the involvement of magic
meant this was as binding as any servitude.
And just as shocking.
“But you came here to help me. You could’ve stayed in your castle
and not gotten involved.”
“Let’s just say Daniel has a way of getting in one’s head and you
deserved a favor for all your years of loyalty to our family. And now there’s
no need for you to return it.”
“Rufus…”
“You’ve found your mate. Am I wrong to think you wouldn’t fight to
the death to be in that world?”
“No…” It trailed off, Lucas reeling. “No, you’re not wrong.”
“Then we have an understanding.”
The tone was as steady as ever, a hint of cold that never really went
away. But Rufus wouldn’t tell lies now—and that certainty had Lucas’s
world stilling as what followed next went straight to his heart. Before the
demigod could leave, Lucas bowed, bending as low as his upper body could
take him. The aches in his muscles were a testament to this moment, one he
knew he was never going to forget.
“If you ever need assistance or are in danger, please let me know. I’ll
be here.”
To his surprise, the demigod slightly bowed in turn, rust-colored eyes
taking him in.
“If it comes to that.”
“What about Daniel?”
“I’ll handle my brother from now on. He’s not the only one who can
get in someone’s head.”
That was bound to be a mess, but one thing was clear: it was no
longer Lucas’s business. Without another word, Rufus stepped back and used
his fire once more to take flight, disappearing into the night sky. Lucas
studied that area for a few more minutes, then turned to the portal holes that
blinked in and out of existence. When he recognized one, he took a deep,
steadying inhale.
Then he pushed up and let his wings soar.
 Chapter 26
The first step was to convince her colleagues that she hadn’t been kidnapped
and taken somewhere strange—which, in actuality, was a big, fat lie,
considering that was exactly what had happened. But Nora lied through her
teeth and kept herself composed as she showed up at her bakery, got through
the task of unfurrowing Gina’s worried brows and answering questions, and
went through the motions of performing the duties she’d missed before the
store closed. It took a second round of convincing to get them off her back,
particularly when they offered to accompany her home and join her for
dinner. The worry made sense, as she’d been away for days without warning.
But her alibi of a lost phone and a family emergency stuck, and her return to
her apartment was smooth. She stepped inside, still amazed that nothing was
amiss despite the burning that had occurred. It felt like yesterday.
An illusion, her mind soothed.
Jememiah wasn’t. She was standing in Nora’s living room, looking
pissed and vibrantly alive.
“He’s gone.”
Nora blinked, unsure of how to take that. “What? Who?”
“Daniel. The bastard vanished on me while I was showering. He said
something about a new dream and his unfulfilled destiny, and I should’ve
known where that was leading. Not that it matters since he’s a grown-ass
man, but his brother’s going to be pissed off and our family’s connected. As
you’ve just witnessed, a pissed-off fire demigod isn’t pleasant.”
Nora tilted her head, fascinated at the beautiful woman in her home.
Like Lucas, Jememiah radiated a tight, wound up energy waiting for its
chance of release. Nora remembered the way Jememiah’s dragon form flew
to rescue her before joining in the unseen fight. Yet the shifter looked fresh
from her bath with hardly any scratches, the clothes Nora lent giving off a
loose but fashionable effect.
“You sound like you’ve been to our world plenty of times.”
 Jememiah shrugged. “I have been to your world plenty of times. Not
nearly enough. I’ve decided it’s time to change that.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. My world sucks right now and my demigod’s gone.” A
shadow passed in the woman’s eyes, too fast for Nora to read. It reminded
her of Rina’s haunted expression. “I might as well rent a place around here
and explore…oh, and continue trying to find Kinto, my other brother. We just
found out that he’s alive. The location part’s the issue.”
“Ah.” A pause. “I hope you find him. Do you need any help finding
an apartment? A tour guide service?”
Jememiah smirked. “There’s no need for any of that, but thanks. Are
you going to be okay here? Did your human friends accept your alibi?”
“Yes to both, though I still need to work on fending off any lingering
suspicion. Thanks for saving my life.”
“No skin off my back.”
“The women…”
“They’re fine. I’m monitoring their progress. But I can’t tell you
where they are for now. That’s our mess, too, so it’s up to us to make things
right.”
“I understand. If you need help there, too…”
“Yes. I’ll let you know if there’s a need.”
Another pause. Nora cleared her throat. “There are active patrollers in
Los Angeles, scattered across areas with the most clubs. You might want to
steer clear of those if you don’t like bumping into righteous supernatural
creatures.”
At this, Jememiah laughed and rolled her eyes. “It’s too late for that,
but yeah. Thanks.” The woman’s gaze narrowed, a quiet settling on Nora as
more seconds of silence ticked by. “Lucas is…dealing with things right now,
so I’m not sure when he will show up.”
The squeeze in her chest was sharp, but she ignored it. “It’s all right.
He has his duties. There’s no need to show up.”
Jememiah opened her mouth, about to say more. Then she seemed to
think better of it and sighed. “You’re not so bad for a human.”
“You’re not so bad for a shifter.”
The study eased, making Nora relax. She watched as Jememiah
sauntered towards the front door, waving at her one last time before opening
it. More pausing ensued, making Nora wonder if she should offer her couch
for a night or two just in case. Maybe food, a nice dinner like the one Daniel
couldn’t stop complimenting.
But Jememiah’s words had her thoughts turning blank, a knowing
statement that didn’t sink until it sunk.
“Ah. I should’ve known you would find a way to get here. Did he
give you a break?”
“No. He gave me my freedom.”
More words were uttered, particularly Jememiah’s shocked rebuttal
before the two started hissing at each other in low voices. Whatever
conversation went on got resolved quickly as Jememiah sighed again,
shooting the man outside the door an unreadable look before stepping out.
Then it was the man stepping in—and the sight of Lucas, just as vibrantly
alive as Jememiah was, had Nora’s heart thudding thickly.
He was dressed in all black, casual clothes that still gave off a rough
edge. That roughness was never going to go away, but she didn’t care. She
reveled in it. This was him, and her entire being already surrendered to
everything he was.
A shyness came over her at the way she took him in, immediately
overpowered when she realized she wasn’t the only one doing the looking.
Lucas’s dark eyes devoured her, a quiet perusal that sent heat down her
thighs until they were quivering. She locked her knees in place, eyeing him
shamelessly until he met her gaze. It didn’t escape his attention and she
watched as his expression flared. He bit back a sound, whatever he’d been
about to say swallowed down. Instead, he cleared his throat and started with
calm.
 “Hi.”
“Hi,” she returned, mouth dry. Unable to comprehend this moment,
even while the earlier declaration came back. “Is it true? The freedom thing?”
“Yes.”
The joy for him was astounding. “What are your plans now?”
“I’m looking for an apartment. I’m also going to be looking for my
missing brother. That’s it for now, honestly.”
“Oh?”
Nora bit her lip, where Lucas’s gaze strayed. His tone turned husky…
intimate. “Yeah. There’s no need to look for my mate since I already found
her. But it would take a while to convince her that she is.”
“Oh. Is she worth it?”
“Every bit. She’s the best, and…I’m pretty sure I’m in love with her.”
Oh, her heart. “Oh. And is she worth it?”
“I’m going to do my best for her. With her.” All humor fled, an
intensity coming over him that drew her like a magnet. “Did you mean what
you said about me not needing to show up?”
“Yes, I meant what I said about not needing you to show up,” she
whispered, closing her eyes. Letting go of all doubts and putting everything
on the line, just like he had. It felt like freedom, too, her heart now close to
bursting. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want you to show up. I do. Lucas?”
“Yes?”
“I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you, too.”
A growl was all he managed before Lucas crossed the distance
between them and took her in his arms, his energy surrounding her. He buried
his nose in her hair, sniffing softly...groaning low. Fire leaped inside her,
pulsing a lively beat.
“I’ve missed you, Nora.”
“I’ve missed you, too.”
 “And in case there’s any confusion, I love you.”
The pulsing stilled, settling into that truth. She opened her eyes and
smiled.
“No confusion here. I love you, too.”
“You probably have questions.”
She had a lot, but at the moment, she couldn’t think of a single one.
“They can wait.”
Lucas’s gaze softened as he leaned down, framing her face with his
hands in a gesture that made her sigh. She met his waiting mouth, sighed
again at the gentle kiss they savored—him catching her taste, her
remembering his. They basked in each other, this certainty that they were safe
and together. He kissed her over and over, changing the angle each time…
taking her breath, melting her insides until she was pressing against him,
urgent for more. What had started gently turned frantic, an explosion ready to
take place.
He groaned, already hard as he pressed back. A beat and he was
lifting her off the floor, tongue sliding in. Fingers unbuttoning cloth,
skimming across bare skin. Need flared, their bodies trembling with it.
“It can wait,” he agreed.
And Nora had no protest when he carried her to the bedroom and
made use of that wait.
HUNTED SHIFTERS COMPLETE SERIES
More by J. S. Striker
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 Author Bio
J.S. Striker lives on the west coast with her hubby and 2 Great Danes. The
coast is full of magical forests, the mountains and ocean often giving her
inspiration for her stories. Having worked as a social worker most of her
adult life J.S. is now giving writing all her energy and loving every minute of
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