Lachlan didn't like Apollo embarrassed, so he took Valentine's plate of breakfast back.
Valentine snarled, but Lachlan held it out of his reach.
"Be polite, Val. I'm sorry we kept you up, but that doesn't mean you can upset your brother before he's eaten and can defend himself. Tease later."
"Fine," Valentine grumbled, and Lachlan gave him his food back. Valentine smiled menacingly at him. "Look at that, youdohave a mean side. I was beginning to wonder."
"Oh, he really does. I found that out last night," Apollo snickered under his shirt.
Lachlan gave up on both of them and sat down. "Eat your breakfast. We are hopefully going to have a family meeting today."
Apollo popped his head back out of his shirt and tore a pancake in half with his fingers before stuffing it into his mouth. The love of his life didn't believe in cutlery when he was hungry. On the other side of the table, Valentine was cutting all his food into precise bite-sized squares.
Lachlan sighed. At least if they both had food in their mouths, they would quit bitching at each other.
25
Valentine managed to wait until Apollo had eaten half of his pancakes before asking, "Bas shifted when he had sex. I wonder why you didn't? Lachie not hit the right spot?"
"Wow, did you just wake up and choose violence today?" Lachlan said, bristling. Apollo patted Lachlan's knee under the table.
"Val is being nosy because he's fascinated with the dragon shifting. Not that it's any of your business, bro, but Lachlan hitallmy spots. Taranis said that it's usually heightened emotions of some kind. Sex is just one possibility."
"I suppose Bas and Bridget are so tangled up in each other's heads, it might have forced the shift," Valentine said, rubbing his chin.
Lachlan's hackles lowered a little when he realized that Valentine had asked such personal questions only out of curiosity about their dragon side and not to tease them about hooking up.
Valentine began to ask another question when a red light shimmered across Apollo's glass of water. Lachlan tackled himto the ground a split second before the windows shattered. Three men dressed in head-to-toe black tactical gear swung through the smashed windows.
"Quick! Get up!" Lachlan said, dragging a swearing Apollo to his feet.
Magic streaked out of one of the mage's hands in a whip of light, aimed straight at Valentine. Valentine spat out a word, and the whip bounced off a shimmering golden shield. The man stumbled back, and Valentine grabbed his butter knife and drove it into the man's eye.
Lachlan picked up a chair and tossed it at another mage advancing on him and Apollo. It hit him in the legs, and he went down in a stumbling roll.
Apollo grabbed some of the knives from their wooden block and started throwing them with an accuracy that had them skewering the assailant's body armor. Lachlan used the distraction to go back into the bedroom and grab his sword.
Valentine muttered a spell and vanished before reappearing behind the man who was closing in on Apollo and snapped his neck. The third mage was back on his feet. He was so busy trying to keep Valentine in sight that Lachlan slipped behind him and drove the tip of his sword through the gap in the side of his body armor. He fell, dead before he hit the floor.
"Everyone okay?" Lachlan called out.
"Fine," Valentine said, and Apollo nodded.
Something shot through the broken window, and a silver canister landed at Apollo's feet. Before Lachlan could shout a warning, Apollo picked it up and threw it back out again.
"Will you fuck off! I was having breakfast with my boyfriend, you twats!" Apollo screamed out the window. He switched to French and kept shouting curses and obscenities.
"I'm going to marry him so hard one day," Lachlan said, eyes wide. He had never seen Apollo so angry. He had called him his boyfriend in front of everyone.
"Focus, Lachlan. Apollo! Get away from the window, dumbass. We need to move, so get your shit," Valentine shouted. Lachlan dragged a still screaming Apollo back and tugged him toward the bedroom.
"Get your shoes on. That was just a first wave," Lachlan said, stuffing his gear into his bag. He pulled out a dagger. "You have done knife work by the looks of your aim."
"Yes," Apollo said, taking it. He was still red-faced and golden-eyed.
Lachlan kissed him hard and fast. "Stay behind me. They want you, not me. No arguing."
There was a crash from upstairs, and Valentine appeared on top of the stairs a moment later.
