He truly didn’t want a permanent relationship. He’d seen what had happened with his friends and other cousins when they’d let their taniwha blindly lead them. Chaos. Broken relationships, and in two cases, humans who had blabbed to the press. Luckily, the reporters hadn’t trusted the women who approached them. Thought they were gaga crazy. There had been social media posts, but since then, no one had snapped photos to prove their existence. June had threatened the next taniwha to break protocol would forfeit their life. Her proclamation settled the community, fortified Hone’s rules about no ties with women.
He didn’t intend to be the dragon who tested June’s resolve.
Luckily, Jack’s situation had occurred before the big drama and June’s decree. Human Emma had accepted Jack shifting to taniwha to save their lives. She’d been more pissed at Jack for making her swim from Waiheke to the mainland. Of course, Jack was a river and lake dragon. Hone was of the flying variety, and if anyone irked him while in taniwha form, Hone reacted with fire.
Manu arrived with a tray of meat and a plate of pavlova and strawberries, a generous serving of a lemon tart and a piece of chocolate log. After his cousin left again, Hone tucked in, starting with the dessert. A sugar coma might quieten his taniwha.
The sweet treats did the trick and pushed his dragon into slumber. Hone tugged off his boots and relaxed on the bed. If he and Manu were flying, he’d rest now. No telling when he’d have a chance to fly again. He should make the most of this opportunity.
* * * * *
“Did you have to grope Cassie?” Hone’s dragon woke with a jealous snarl of displeasure since Cassie’s scent covered Manu.
Manu grinned, a broad smirk that held not a shred of apology. “We rode on my bike. What would you have me do? Tow her behind?”
“Change your clothes. Take a shower and use soap unless you want my fist in your face,” Hone ordered.
“All right. All right.” Manu backed away in capitulation. “I’ll shower.”
“Go and chill with a drink. Ma and Dad have gone to bed. Jack and Emma left as I arrived back here. It’s just Kahurangi and Tane out there.”
Perfect. His cousins would tease the crap out of him. He might as well gulp down his pride and man up. He pulled on his boots and stomped out to face his cousins.
“Ooh, it’s the jealous one,” Tane cooed.
“Don’t you mean the fallen one? The mated one,” Kahurangi corrected.
Deny everything. “No idea what you’re talking about.”
Tane snorted. “You were growling like guard dog. Ma’s not pleased with you.”
Kahurangi cocked his head, regarded him like a bug. “She’s earmarked Cassie for Manu.”
His dragon’s snarl of displeasure bled free and his cousins chortled.
“Stop taunting him.” Manu pushed his dragon through the order and his younger brothers ceased their teasing, both stepping back to give Manu space. He carried his modified cloaking systems, although to Hone’s untrained eye, they appeared unchanged from the last time he’d helped Manu. Small—square boxes with two controls and straps.
“Okay.” He handed a unit to Hone. “It’s the same as last time. This goes around your right wrist. The unit will shift with you, and once you’re airborne, should cloak your presence. Did you see the news item about the guy who has developed a diving suit that allows divers to approach crocodiles and sharks without causing them alarm or to attack?”
“No.”
Manu strapped on a unit. “The suit cloaks a human’s magnetic signal. I’ve designed my unit along the same lines. It’s like stealth jet technology.”
“You left me in lost and found the minute you started talking about magnetic signals. As long as it works. My scales have a reddish tinge at present, the ones on my arms at any rate. I suspect I’ll be more red than black when I shift. Will it still cloak me if I’m a flashy color?”
“The purpose of this test. Kahurangi and Tane will monitor us and listen to air traffic. I’ve designed the units with a beacon, so those at base can check our location. They’ll alert me to problems, but I’m confident the unit will work this time.”
“I hope so,” Hone said.
“Our brother is a genius. If this works, he can put it on the market. It will mean other shifter species can shift without discovery too,” Kahurangi said with pride. “We’ll all be rich.”
“Me more than you,” Manu said dryly. “You ready? We’ll take off from here, fly toward the Manukau Heads do a circle ’round and over Ardmore. If the planes landing at Auckland International Airport or Ardmore Airport don’t see us, and air traffic control don’t register our presence, we’ll be one step closer to marketing the unit.”
“Are you sure? We normally avoid those areas. There will be hell to pay if we’re seen. What about your mother? She wasn’t kidding in her threats.”
“The test is necessary.”
“Did you tell her you were doing another trial?”
