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Thane leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. Eagerness lit up his face. “My main reason for asking is to learn to control it. So far, it’s only appeared during battle.”
Beneath the table, I slid my hand over his thigh and between his legs, brushing against him. Immediately, he stiffened, and I had to hold back a laugh.
The scales had shown up during other climactic moments than just battle. If they hadn’t appeared, I would have killed him during one of my many fiery orgasms.
Imos dipped his head. “I will ask Tundreg to assist you tomorrow.”
Perfect. Out of anyone here, the blind dragonman with seer-like abilities was sure to have answers or some ideas. One less thing to worry about.
If only he’d gotten that chance sooner.
2
SUNDAY MORNING
After the excitement of returning home to my extremely expensive pillowtop mattress and silk sheets had subsided, I’d fallen into a deep but troubled sleep. Even as I got dressed the following day, nightmares haunted my thoughts and followed my steps.
Something terrible loomed on the horizon, and not just the impending war. Everywhere I turned, monsters lurked in the shadows, waiting to strike. I hated this uncertainty of not knowing who I could trust, worried I’d make the wrong choice and someone I loved would die.
Sure, I once thought of Colin as a bad guy after seeing him with William at the stadium. But when Adam cleared his name, I hadn’t doubted Colin’s loyalty. Certainly not like this.
I’d even dated the guy, which was harder to swallow.
Thane and I met Lena and Ivan in my penthouse living room, and we used Thane’s realm walking ability to jump into the DEA’s conference room where we’d met the night before. Imos and Tundreg were already there, filling their plates with fresh fruit, breakfast pastries, and coffee set out on the bar top.
The blue-winged angel Nathan and Pietr were already seated and deep in discussions. Pietr had declined my offer to stay at my penthouse, claiming a need to be close if Colin showed up at the DEA. He’d also said he didn’t want to sleep on my couch—Lena and Ivan shared my guest room—even though it was super comfy for naps.
I was pretty sure his reasoning stemmed from seeing Thane and me together, even if the phoenix man and I had moved past any romantic involvement and awkwardness.
Sleeping arrangements aside, at least I had company with my sour attitude. Everyone was grumpy after rough nights of sleep all around. Everyone except Ivan.
“If your snores keep me awake one more night, you’re sleeping on the couch,” Lena threatened him with a growl.
The always chipper young phoenix grinned. His twinkling green eyes reminded me even more of my little brother. Though, unlike Maddox, Ivan’s eyelashes were nearly translucent. His shoulder-length hair was the same shade as a raging fire, and his caramel-colored skin spoke to his love of the sun.
“Just wear those weird squishy things Veronica gave you.” He bit into an apple with a loud crunch.
I poured coffee from the carafe into my cup and chuckled. That was an accurate description for earplugs if I ever heard one. I took my seat between Thane and Lena and sipped on my black coffee.
Whatever bright and sweet blend they’d brewed today was heaven, which was good because I would need an entire pot to get through the day.
Lena scoffed. “Like I could ever wear those while Veronica exists.”
“What do I have to do with it?” I asked over my cup, blowing on the hot brew gently. A slight citrus scent wafted off of it and made my mouth water.
“I can’t risk sleeping through the chaos you create.”
I shrugged. That was fair. Most recently, I had slipped away in the middle of the night to hunt down Jackson Reed, the man who killed my little brother, only to wind up stranded in Mirognya and captured by dragons.
Dazhbog must really have a lot of faith in me.
Adam, Luka, and another man walked in. The alpha of the Miami werewolf pack was as handsome as ever. His eyes were a darker amber than the dragons’, and because of his Latino ethnicity, his skin was more of a russet brown than Imos’s dark brown.
Like most men present, he was big and beefy, but one of a handful who’d made Lena’s jaw drop when she first met him.
I vaguely remembered the shorter man beside Luka as his beta. He wasn’t handsome, and unfortunately for him, the effect was worse while standing next to the alpha and archangel, especially considering the broken nose that hadn’t been set correctly.
Although I doubted that he cared about his looks, not with his status as beta. Now that Luka had his mate, this guy had the pick of the litter.
