Now, standing before her with his tall, fiercely handsome Viking-French stature and his lavender eyes beaming as he grinned, Rhennic was just what the doctor ordered. With short blond hair and a trim beard that caught red hi-lights in the spring sun, he lifted a straight blond eyebrow at Layla as she gaped at him. Tousling a hand through his hair, his gaze went a dark violet, his smile wilting as he got no response to his arrival.
“Layla? Say something, for mercy’s sake!” Rhennic chuckled with nervous grace, his grin self-deprecating now.
“You… what?” Layla blinked, astounded. “How are you here, Rhennic?”
“I got a call from Reginald early this morning.” He chuckled in his robust baritone, smooth as satin yet growlingly sexy. “He said he had clan duties to attend today before Beltane, and that you could use a friend to keep you company. I was over in Scotland dealing with the Storm Dragons there for a week, and it’s just a hop, skip, and a jump from Deep Harbor, so I came on over. You don’t mind, do you?”
“No… it’s wonderful!” Layla finally smiled, her heart swelling at Reginald’s thoughtfulness and Rhennic’s prompt response. For the first time all morning, Layla felt the dark pit inside her pushed back; Rhennic’s sweet, robust presence like golden morning sun shining over fields of lavender. Feeling a deep relief as that darkness from her Bind with Fury was sluiced back to a dull roar, Layla finally noticed Vindaris standing next to Rhennic, a grin on the Siren’s face.
“Layla,” Vindaris spoke briskly, “I’m setting the Storm Regent up with the royal guest suite next to yours so you can visit. He just arrived on the runway twenty minutes ago and insisted he come straight to you. I’m off to tell Reginald he’s arrived, but Aldo is still in conference with father, and it looks like it might last a while. Do you mind if Rhennic stays here until his rooms are prepared? I’m terribly sorry for the inconvenience, but everything’s vastly busy with the Beltane celebrations tonight.”
“No inconvenience at all.” Layla smiled, still blindsided by amazement as she gestured the Siren guards to bring in Rhennic’s suitcases and computer bag. “I’m happy to have the Storm Regent here. Rhennic, please come in.”
Rhennic beamed as he moved into Layla’s rooms, his eyes gone a sexy dark violet now that she had invited him in. Surveying the placement of Rhennic’s bags out of the way, Vindaris said, “Storm Regent, you are more than welcome to wander about the palace and city, as usual. You have your ring?”
“Always.” Pulling a men’s platinum ring with a complex sigil of diamonds and pearls on it from the inner pocket of his vest, Rhennic slipped it on. “I never visit Deep Harbor without it.”
“Good.” Vindaris smiled, and in his pleased glance, Layla suddenly realized he and Rhennic were acquainted. “I’ll inform Reginald you’re here. He’ll contact you when he’s ready to find you. I’ll be around if you need me.” At that, Vindaris bowed his way out, closed the doors and leaving Rhennic and Layla alone.
“Well. You’re an unexpected sight.” Layla smiled as she shook her head.
“A good one, I hope?” Rhennic grinned, mercilessly sexy though it was still vulnerable.
“A good one.” Layla confirmed with a softer smile. Gratefulness devoured her that Rhennic had come to Reginald’s call. For a moment, they just stood there, watching each other, though Layla could feel the smooth storms in Rhennic’s presence as he tried to control his nervousness around her and failed. Layla smelled his incredible lavender and ozone scent roll off him as his Dragon rose in a delicious wave of carnal heat and blazing desire all around her. Layla’s drakaina answered it, bourbon and spice flowing from her skin to mingle with his scent as her beast roiled through her in a deep, scintillating heat.
Far brighter with Rhennic than she had been earlier with either Fury or Reginald.
“Well, our Dragons are happy to see each other.” Rhennic cleared his throat, then gestured to a side-bar in Layla’s rooms. “Drinks to liberate our human tension?”
“Definitely.” Layla found she was fidgeting with her hands as they faced each other, something she’d not done in a long time. But as Rhennic crossed the room with his long stride, going to the bar and pouring a glass of cognac for each of them, Layla realized she was nervous around Rhennic today for a number of reasons.
Partly, she was still processing everything with Fury, and a deep unease gripped her as she wondered if Rhennic had felt her tryst with Fury through the Bind, or if Adrian and Dusk had. But mostly, she blushed because despite having protected each other in battle and become Bound by her power, she and Rhennic weren’t actually lovers yet. It was the exact reverse of what had happened with Fury this morning – and Layla realized the strange irony, that she was experiencing both situations back-to-back today.
Now, Layla’s inner Dragon roared to jump Rhennic’s bones. It made that dark place inside Layla rush up fast as she slut-shamed herself for wantonly fucking a man she didn’t even know this morning, then wanting to turn right back around and hop into the sack with another this afternoon. Handing a cognac over and clinking glasses, Rhennic sipped with a frown as he watched her, and Layla wondered if he could feel that dark place rioting inside her.
But he didn’t say anything, and after sipping, Rhennic cleared his throat. “So you’re here with Reginald for the week, and for the Siren’s Beltane celebrations tonight?”
“I don’t know how long I’m staying, exactly.” Layla spoke as she sipped, reaching up and fidgeting with Reginald’s pearls at her neck. With everything that had happened with Fury, she really didn’t know how long she’d be staying with the Sirens now. Especially if she decided to deal with him and all his crazy, rather than run away like she wanted to. Frowning even more, Layla sipped her drink, and Rhennic caught her dark mood as he cocked his head.
“Something wrong?” He spoke gently, though his gaze was intent.
“I just…” Layla closed her eyes, trying not to think about Fury and failing.
“Layla, why am I getting a mental image of Fury Durant from you?” Rhennic spoke quietly, watching her with a fierce alertness now as he set his drink down. “I can smell the sea and quicksilver all through you this morning, and Dragon-sex. Did something happen recently with Fury that I don’t know about? Something… that maybe shouldn’t have happened?”
Rhennic was too acute; Layla couldn’t hide anything from him. Even as that devouring worry and self-chastisement coiled up inside her, Layla heaved in relief that her Royal Storm drake had already intuited the situation. Layla shook her head, not even knowing where to start with everything that had gone down in the last twenty-four hours. Suddenly, she felt the Bind open wide between her and Rhennic. With a surprised raise of his eyebrows, Layla felt him understand the fullness of the problem at once. Coming to her, Rhennic netted her gently around the waist with his big hands as he gazed down, his warm, towering presence rolling back the darkness that threatened Layla deep inside.
From Fury, Reginald, and herself – all at once.
“Feel me, Layla.” Rhennic spoke quietly. “Know me. Feel the light that survives every storm, and let it push back Fury’s madness rioting through the Bind. Let my Bind soothe you, and open you back up to the light.”
Breathing softly, Layla felt a luminous, warm sensation corral their bodies close. Like being flooded with joy and pleasure and comfort all at once, the sensation of her unique Bind with Rhennic pulled her closer into his arms, until she was nestled in against his amazingly powerful, tall body. He was so strong he could have broken her in an instant, yet so elegant he used all that towering robustness like the softest caress. Gazing down, Rhennic’s eyes had gone a deep royal plum now as he watched her, a flicker of lightning-storms moving in their depths as he poured his bright, steady energy into her.
At last, Layla sighed, giving in to Rhennic and laying her head on his strong, sculpted chest. Cuddling her close, he set his chin to her shoulder, his lips at her neck though not presuming to kiss her. Layla felt how he had to curl his body in to hers to hold her; he was just that incredibly tall.
“It seems I came at the right time,” he murmured gently at her neck. “Reginald’s voice was tight on the phone this morning, and he hardly ever calls me at dawn. He was guarding his energy like a motherfucker; wouldn’t let me get even the barest hint of what was going on through the Bind. But he was worried about you – specifically about leaving you alone while he fulfills his clan duties tonight for Beltane. It seems his worries were warranted. What’s going on, Layla? How… how did you end up Binding Fury? And having sex with him in Dragon-form, if I’m not mistaken.”
“You’re not mistaken.” Layla sighed, cuddling closer into the massive warmth of Rhennic’s strong chest and relieved by his frankness. “Reginald and I got information yesterday that Hunter might be on the island. We went to see Fury to confirm it, because it was tech made from Fury’s magic that had possibly sensed Hunter. But once we got to Fury, everything got… upsetting, to say the least. Bada-bing, bada-boom… bada-Bind. And me fucking Reginald’stwinas our Dragons. Yeah, so that happened. Underwater.”
