Chapter Five
Hone struggled to control his dragon from the second Manu arrived for dinner with Cassie in tow. His cousin liked her—he could tell—but he’d seen her first. Should’ve gone with instinct and asked Cassie if she wanted a lift. Instead, he’d vetoed the idea. As jealousy sank its talons into his flesh, he tried to tell himself he didn’t want a woman, didn’t wantthiswoman.
He enjoyed his single life.
His taniwha refuted each mental argument. It whined. It flexed his muscles. It growled, the rumbles becoming louder until they echoed through his head and bled free.
Cassie heard him. Hell, his cousins, his auntie, his uncle heard and made their disapproval clear. Jack glared at him, but he was rapidly losing his grip, his taniwha becoming increasingly out of control.
He’d have to leave early, give his regrets. Unable to eat while he was in this state, he set his cutlery down with a clunk. His entire being acknowledged the presence of the moon, hovering just out of sight, thetug-tug-tugalmost too much for him to bear. His gaze swept the sky, darting to the invisible moon.There. A sliver came into view, and it glowed red.Blood moon. Maybe it was his sight coloring the moon, or it was a bad portent. A shiver racked him.
Given the amount of sex he’d had recently, he should have no problem controlling his beast. Hell, he had to get out of here.
Hone stood abruptly. “I’m not feeling well. I might head home.” After he stopped at his usual haunts and picked up an agreeable woman for the night. A growl bled free, despite his gritted teeth. “See you tomorrow. Thanks, Auntie.”
“Cuz, I’ll walk out with you,” Manu said. “I wanted to ask you something.”
Hone gave a clipped yeah-tread-easy nod and emphasized it with a dragon snarl. Manu was the last person he wanted to speak with. His cousin had handled Cassie. Handled her soft skin. His taniwha scent still clung to her sexy curves. A snarl burst forth and claws dug into his clenched palms. Pale gray-black scales glinted on his forearms, tinged with red to go with his fury.
“Hone, wait up.”
Hone ignored Manu and lengthened his strides, desperate to escape before his urge to pummel his cousin or vaporize him with dragon’s breath got the better of him. Now that would cause a scene.
Manu grabbed his biceps and hauled him to a halt. “Quit that damn snarling. I had no idea you were interested in Cassie.”
“I’m not,” Hone spat.
“Could have fooled me.” Manu scrutinized him, his powerful dragon sending off calming vibes. “What about your rules?”
Hone struggled to halt his shift, which had proceeded enough for his clothing to strain at the seams. They were his rules. His taniwha wanted them to change.
Manu manhandled him down a long passage. He opened a door with his free hand and thrust Hone into a Spartan bedroom bearing a bed and not much else. Manu’s, judging by the scent.
His cousin shoved him toward the double bed. “Listen to me, moron. Cassie and I are going to be friends. I asked her to come with me tonight because Ma was busy scheming. Cassie isn’t interested in me. I amuse her, but she agreed to play a part to foil Ma’s matchmaking attempts. That is all. We rode here on my bike, which is why her scent is all over me.”
“I’m not interested in her,” Hone spat.
“Let me rephrase. Your taniwha wants her. You should surrender now.” Manu remained calm, which made him a natural leader. Cool under pressure and heir to the leadership of the Auckland tribe should anything happen to June.
Surrender?Hell, no!“My taniwha isn’t the boss of me.”
“No?” Manu’s brows rose.
Yeah, that was irony, right there. He’d taken one look at Cassie and wanted to fuck her. His dragon had picked up his interest and magnified it tenfold, liking—no, loving—the concept.
“I can’t go home like this.” Hone gestured at the scales still glinting on his forearms.
“Want to go flying later? I’ve worked on the bugs in the cloaking system and wanted to test it anyway.” Manu waited for his reaction, his expression enigmatic.
“Yeah, thanks.” Hone hadn’t flown for months. None of them had while Manu attempted to perfect his cloaking system. Instead, the taniwha population—those who flew—had increased the frequency of their sexual encounters to calm their beasts.
“I’ll tell Ma you’re lying down and I’ll sneak you dessert. That always appeases my taniwha when he gets unruly.”
“Thanks.” Hone sighed and parked his butt on the bed. He wasn’t sure he’d manage the same magnanimity given the same circumstances. “I’m sorry.”
Manu squeezed Hone’s shoulder. “No worries.”
He left, shutting the bedroom door with a click, and only then did Hone sigh again. What a fuckin’ mess.
