Page 2 of Red Dragon’s Flame

Tucker added to Mikah, “Thank you, sir.” He sent a smug look at Brookings, who marched out in a huff.

Tucker followed, so busy readjusting his sheep that he nearly ran into someone in the office doorway. It was Zakerek, one of Mikah’s best friends. The startled sheep bleated at Zak, who responded by manifesting his dragon fangs and talons, and mock-lunging at the sheep and the farmer with a rawr.

They both panicked, although only one of them pooped a pile of droppings onto Mikah’s floor before their quick exit. Thankfully it was the sheep.

“Really?” Mikah said, gazing at the pile of crap in front of his door. “You had to do that?”

Zak grinned. “Yes.”

“Well then, you can clean the sheep shit off my floor.”

Zak said, “I’m not the one who let two farmers with a sheep in here just so they could yell at me. You have a stupid job.”

He perched on the corner of Mikah’s desk and idly picked up his portable communication device, tossing the small golden ball from hand to hand.

Mikah said grumpily, “You fucking got that right.”

Zak caught the ball and stared at him. “Excuse me? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Why?”

“Because you never used to know your job was stupid. Whenever I gave you shit about it, you always started telling me how important it is to run the kingdom well for the good of everyone, and that the personal touch is essential, and a bunch of other crap I don’t remember because that’s when I always stop listening.”

He put the communication ball back on its stand. “But if you think it’s stupid too, you should stop doing it.”

Mikah said, “Yeah. Says the guy who never does anything he doesn’t want to do.”

Zak said, “That’s not true. I mined atherias for Emon when I didn’t want to, back in the day.”

“You were a prisoner of war,” Mikah pointed out. “We all were. And you insulted him the whole time.”

“True.” Zak cocked his head in thought, then brightened. “But the other day I cooked corned beef and pickles for Maddie—which was gross—even though I didn’t want to.”

Maddie was his true mate and the love of his life. Mikah knew damn well Zak would do anything for her. His friend frowned and added, “But that might not count. I got dick kisses for that.”

“Nothing counts as suffering if you get dick kisses for it.” Mikah couldn’t remember the last time he’d gotten dick kisses from anyone. Or even came close.

His temples were still throbbing, and he rubbed them again. “I need a drink,” he said. “My dragon almost lost it and flamed both those farmers. And the sheep.”

“What you need is a vacation,” Zak said. “Or a totally new job. You should join Tristan’s Ops team—he could use another dragon. It would be fun. Danger. Mayhem. Rescuing people. Your dragon would love it.”

Tristan Barnes was the king’s brother-in-law, a white wolf mated to Emon’s sister Mayah. Years before, Tristan’s family had been attacked by shifter traffickers, and his parents had been kept in captivity for over a decade by researchers trying to capitalize on the white wolves’ inherent psychic powers.

Tristan and Mayah, along with Zak, Mikah, their best friend Cazbek and a team of other dragons and shifters, had found them and freed them. After they’d been settled in a village near the Al-Maddeiri castle, Tristan, Mayah and Tristan’s father Gerard had formed a Special Ops team to rescue other shifters in captivity.

“Yeah, sure,” Mikah muttered testily. “How’d that work out for you?”

A few years ago Zak had gone on a mission with the team and gotten shot with a serum that created a homicidal monster inside him—so dangerous he’d had to live in exile for a year.

“It worked out great,” Zak said. “I met Maddie, ended up with a mate and two cats, and defeated the bad guys. Now I get dick kisses. All you get is so bored, you’re wrangling sheep farmers just to get a little excitement in your life.”

Mikah sighed. Zak wasn’t wrong, but Mikah was in no mood to admit it. “Did you come in here for a reason?” he asked. “Or just to diss me and my life choices?”

“Both,” Zak said. “Because I never pass up the opportunity to be a dick.”

Mikah shook his head, letting a smile creep onto his face. Zak was a dick—he worked at it—but they’d been through a lot together and he was like a brother to Mikah. An annoying one.

“So now that you’ve taken care of the being a dick part, are we going to get to the other point? At all?” Mikah asked.