“You’re going to run out of jerky at this rate,” Mori said, gently.
“Moonglow Cabin remains fully restocked anticipating the need for use of the location,” I said. “There will be plenty of food there.”
“See,” Preston said.
Sighing, Mori opened his door enough to say something to Crilus that I didn’t hear. The elf’s whole body sighed, causing his ass-length hair to swing over the bare backs of his muscular thighs. I forced myself to do a quick visual sweep around the immediate area. It was unprofessional to let my gaze settle in any one place for too long. Especially if that place was a client’s thighs. Particularly if they were attractive thighs.
“Fine, but if they screw this up, I’m wearing a dragon scale cape,” Crilus sighed, opening the passenger door and frowning at me. “You’re a dragon, aren’t you?”
I froze in place, torn between introducing myself and pulling him into my arms. His scent filled the car as if someone set off a smoke bomb made entirely of his pheromones. Trees, wolfen fur, and feathers all bundled up behind sandalwood and patchouli. He was mine. My fangs threatened to elongate, and I held my breath for a second. He wasn’t food but he was mine.
“No,” I answered a second later and told him to put his seatbelt on.
I kept my eyes on the street in front of us as the trio settled in and I fought my baser instincts as my mind tried to wrap itself around my reaction to the bar owner who I’d heard about on a near daily basis since the triplets moved into their grandparents’ guesthouse for a while. How had I heard his name over and over and never put it together? Names didn’t have scents, but I should’ve known. With him in the car, spreading his scent all over me and taking up the very air I breathed, it felt naive and impossible that I hadn’t known. Crilus couldn’t smell me. I was covered in regulation issued pheromone blocker spray. The one I picked up from the office had some ridiculous name like ‘Just Peachy Keen’ and smelled like the aforementioned fruit.
“Are we going or are we waiting for Clarence to clear us?” Crilus asked, waving his hand in front of my face.
I grabbed his wrist and for a fraction of a second, I thought I might bring it to my lips for a kiss. I settled for sitting it gently back on his lap. He cocked his head to the side and arched a dark brow in my direction.
“Are you drunk or something?” Crilus asked.
“He’s listening to his earpiece,” Preston said. “All the guards have them. Besides, it’s not nice to wave your hand in front of anyone’s face like that. He’ll leave when we’re clear to.”
“What? Is he your boyfriend or something?” Crilus rolled his eyes.
“He said he could eat in the car. Now he’s Preston’s favorite person tonight,” Mori laughed, trying to break the tension.
I had to call Medwin. Not out of some needy emotional urge but because it was regulation now. If you met your true-mate while on assignment you had to notify Medwin Moonscale, First Mate of the Moonscale Dragon Flight. It had always been an unspoken and often unfollowed rule, but it was written now. Some folks debated whether a guard named Ciro’s delay in reporting was the reason he and the grandson of the leaders were nearly blown to smithereens not long after meeting. Still, calling him in front of everyone while driving would be rude. So, I turned on the car. Besides, once Crilus knew who I was, he may decide not to be forthcoming with the information I need to keep him safe.
“Finally,” Crilus sighed.
“A second ago, you didn’t want to leave,” Preston pointed out in between big chomping bites of jerky.
“Let’s just get this over with. I need to set up stuff to do stuff and can’t do that in the car,” Crilus said.
“Stuff?” I inquired. “Do we need to make a stop at the All Night Candle Emporium?”
Crilus rolled his eyes at me. The shop was real but apparently my mate wasn’t a fan of it.
“Not all magic is candle magic,” he huffed.
“I am aware of that.”
I opened my mouth to say that my family had a long history of blood magic but thought better of it. Blood magic was misunderstood by even the most open-minded shifters. Sure, Crilus would find out eventually but everything inside me ached for his approval. I sort of hated that feeling. I spent my adolescent years working to outgrow such childish notions of belonging and approval. Now I was right back at step one, wanting to impress the lean muscular elf who had his legs curled up in the passenger seat while his light green flipflops rested on the floorboard.
“At least I took them off,” he rolled his eyes when he caught me staring.
“I was appraising you for injuries,” I lied and pulled out onto the empty street.
“My building was attacked, not me,” Crilus snarled.
“Am I on the suspect list because you’re acting as if I single handedly smashed every window in the damn place,” I said, thankful for the red light that caught up not even a block down the street.
“Everyone is on the suspect list until further notice,” he said.
“Fair enough. What information can you share? As your assigned guard, I need to be aware of the details.”
“That’s non---” Crilus started but his cousin, Mori, cut him off.
