Apollo didn't feel anything. Maybe he was too drunk for sex? Oh, well, he would find out soon enough.
It had been raining outside, and a damp chill had settled over Dublin's streets. Apollo linked arms with Jean so he wouldn't slip up on the footpath. He didn't know where they were going and didn't care.
Suddenly, Jean pushed him up against a parked van and kissed him. It had been a while since Apollo had been kissed, andhis mouth was startled by the sudden invasion. Not as startled as his leg was when Apollo felt a sharp stab in his thigh.
Apollo looked down at the slim needle that Jean was pulling out of his leg. A strange taste bloomed on Apollo's tongue, and he opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to swallow.
"Ohh, what's that? Morphine…and something else," Apollo said, his brain not working as it should as he smacked his lips a bit more.
"Don't worry,mon cheri. I am going to take good care of you," Jean said sweetly. He opened the van door, gently helped Apollo inside, and clipped his seatbelt on.
"Thank you. I don't think my hands are working. You really have to give me the recipe of what you just injected me with. It feels like my head is full of rainbows," Apollo said cheerily.
Jean shut the door before he climbed into the driver's seat.
Apollo's inner dragon was trying to tell him something, clawing at his awareness, but his inner voice was no longer working. Apollo smiled wonkily, enjoying the peace and quiet he hadn't had since magic had been restored.
"Relax, Monsieur Greatdrakes. Enjoy the rainbows. I will keep you safe," Jean said and started the van.
"So nice," Apollo murmured. He was relaxing back into the chair when he realized he had never told Jean his name. Ah, well, at least the drugs were nice.
2
Most of the time, Lachlan Ironwood thought he was an easygoing, reasonable adult. Tonight was not one of those times.
Lachlan knew Apollo was in a self-destructive mood the moment he left Bas's party. He just had a look in his eyes that made Lachlan worry. The one that said he was spiraling, and he was going to do something dumb or dangerous. Knowing Apollo, it would be both.
Lachlan couldn't leave Apollo alone when he was in a mood like that, or fuck knows what would happen to him.
He told himself he wouldn't interfere or be seen. He would just…keep an eye on Apollo in case he got in trouble.
After a few hours, he was getting more and more interested in interfering. Apollo was more wasted than Lachlan had ever seen him—staggering, laughing too loud, far too vulnerable. And vulnerability on Apollo made Lachlan's skin itch.
Lachlan couldn't leave Apollo until he knew he was home safe again. It was 3:00 a.m., and Apollo didn't appear to be interested in going home to his own bed. No, he was allowingsome random guy to whisper in his ears and grind against him on the dance floor.
Apollo was a terrible dancer, but he knew it and didn't care. That was always what made Lachlan smile. He wasn't smiling now. He was chewing cupfuls of ice to try and soothe his temper. The cold, crunching jolt in his teeth usually helped on a stakeout. Tonight, nothing was going to help the burning possessiveness in his gut.
Maybe he had spent too much time around the fae. He had never felt this kind of possessive feelings for anyone else before. Maybe he didn't need to be a fae or a shifter to realize the truth—Apollo Greatdrakes was the only person he wanted.
Lachlan had known from the beginning that loving Apollo would be like treading his heart into the dirt, and it still hadn't dissuaded him. Apollo wasn't the type to be tied down to anyone. And he was a dragon to boot, which meant he had some mystical magical mate somewhere waiting for him.
It wouldn't matter if he was dating Lachlan or not. When Apollo found his mate, it would be game over. The dragon in him wouldn't want anyone else, and Lachlan would just have to bow out as gracefully as possible. Lachlan would do his best to back down and walk away, but he would have to leave Ireland for his own sanity. Fuck. Life never used to be this complicated.
Lachlan was about to order another drink when he saw the sleazy stranger wrap an arm around Apollo and steer him toward the club exit. No fucking way was Lachlan going to let Apollo go home with someone when he was too drunk to barely stand. It would be too close to date rape for Lachlan to risk it. Apollo could be angry at him all he wanted. This wasn't happening.
Lachlan pushed his way through the tight crowd, trying to follow them. He got groped more than once but ignored it in his single-minded determination to get the fuck out of there.
Lachlan crashed out of the door and into the wet streets. He looked left and right, trying to spot them. A laugh tinkled brightly from down a side alley, and Lachlan ran. He would know that laugh anywhere.
Lachlan slid on the stone streets and made it around the corner in time to see the stranger shove Apollo up against a van and kiss him. Lachlan halted, bile creeping up his throat. He hesitated, suddenly unsure if he was about to cross a line. Fuck it. He looked up in time to see the stranger pushing Apollo into the van.
What the actual fuck? Lachlan started to run as the guy pulled the van out into the street. His small throwing daggers were between his fingers before he could think about it. Lachlan moved out into the middle of the road and let them fly at the oncoming van.
Two hit the front tires, blowing them out and forcing the driver to swerve. The wet street had the van sliding and crashing hard into the parked cars.
Lachlan ripped open the driver's door and dodged the baton the stranger swung at him. He got out of the car, and Lachlan smiled. He had been spoiling for a fight, and this asshole was going to be the perfect way for him to blow off some steam. He let the guy swing at him a few times before stepping forward into his space and disarming him with enough force to break his wrist.
The stranger's snarls in French were cut off by Lachlan's fist breaking his nose. He crumpled to the ground, and Lachlan grabbed him by the throat.
