He slowly pulled off Apollo and rested his forehead against his thigh. Apollo dropped his leg from his shoulder before lifting Lachlan's chin up to kiss him slowly and deeply. Lachlan wrapped his arms around his legs and held him.
"I don't know why you fought this so long either," he said, kissing Apollo's thigh tenderly.
Not so deep down, Apollo knew the real reason. It was because Lachlan could see all the way to the core of him like no one else did. He couldn't half love Lachlan. He could only love him wholly and obsessively, which scared him more than all the blood mages in Paris.
27
By the time Lachlan and Apollo returned to the lounge room, Valentine was already working on casting protection wards over the windows and doors. He had a slightly manic gleam in his eyes, and Lachlan didn't know if he should be concerned. The fact that he was only wearing a fluffy robe with his wet hair sticking up in weird directions didn't help him look less crazy.
"Okay, Val?" Lachlan asked cautiously.
"I've ordered us some clothes to be delivered," he said, his hands moving in a complicated pattern. Red and silver sigils lit up over the windows and doors, and a muffling effect settled over the rooms. Lachlan wriggled a finger in his ears to make them pop, but it didn't help.
"He's blocking out traffic noise," Apollo explained. He was wearing one of Lachlan's spare T-shirts and a pair of boxer shorts, his robe on over the top but open. He looked a little calmer, but Lachlan could feel the anxiety radiating off him. He blamed himself for the attack, and Lachlan didn't know how to help convince him it wasn't his fault.
Lachlan had years of dealing with sudden attacks and people trying to kill him. He had to remind himself that this was a new experience for the Greatdrakes boys.
"I've ordered food too," Valentine said. He went to the little kitchen and pulled out a handful of mini alcohol bottles from the fridge. He tossed two bottles at Apollo and one at Lachlan.
"Thanks, Val," Apollo said, opening the little vodka and downing it. "Fuck, I hate these alchemists."
"We need to talk to Cosimo first. I don't want to ambush him with this while the whole family is on the call." Valentine was pacing and sipping from a little bottle like he couldn't hold in his energy. "Lachie, do the computer thing."
Lachlan sighed and went to get his laptop. Thankfully the screen hadn't been damaged. He hooked it up to the hotel TV, and they rang Cosimo. He answered, and he looked in worse shape than Valentine.
"Boys! Thank the fucking gods. What the fuck is happening? I've just been on a call with the French police because the apartment has burned down," he said, eyes frantic with worry.
"We are okay, Dad. We just got to safety ourselves. Sorry, you had to find out that way about the apartment," Apollo said, not looking at the screen. "I know it meant a lot to you because…because of mom."
"I couldn't give a damn about the apartment! I thought you were all dead!" Cosimo shouted. He rubbed a hand over his eyes. "Please tell me you are all uninjured?"
"We are okay, Dad. We got out of there before they firebombed it," Valentine replied, still pacing.
"How?"
Apollo smiled sheepishly. "The tunnels."
"God fucking damn it! I told you never to go in there!" Cosimo was usually the calm one.
Lachlan had never seen him yell so much in all the time he had known him.
"It was a calculated risk, Cosimo. I had a map of the catacombs, and we were fine. Dirty and out of reception but fine. They had the building surrounded, including the rooftops," Lachlan said, trying to calm everyone down.
Their father's anger was only making Apollo and Valentine stress out more.
Cosimo ran his hands over his face irritably. "From the top, please. What the hell happened?"
Lachlan took the lead because Apollo had shut up tight, and Valentine was too busy drinking and muttering. He answered the door when the room service arrived with food and bags of clothes. Apollo took one of the slender fries from his plate and nibbled it.
Lachlan sat down beside him and put his arm around him, not caring what Cosimo thought.
"Those damn alchemists. Maybe you should have blown their building up, Valentine," Cosimo growled when they had finished telling him of the attack. Cosimo's eyes were usually gray like Valentine's, but now they were glowing a deep purple color. His dragon was definitely rising.
"Easy, Cosimo. Your dragon is getting agitated," Lachlan tried to warn him.
"Don't lecture me about my dragon, Lachlan Ironwood," Cosimo snarled. He pulled back as if he had shocked himself. "I'm… I'm sorry. Forgive me, Lachie."
"It's okay. I'm sorry we made you so upset. I just need one Greatdrakes clear-headed right now. Shifting because you're angry is only going to ruin your nice house," Lachlan said with a nervous laugh.
