Apollo could feel the dragon stretching under his skin, wanting to fight. He could taste blood and magic in his mouth, and… The door to the suites opened, and he heard Lachlan's laughter. The claws and fangs and rage sucked back inside of himself like a switch had been flipped.
"What are you all doing in here?" Lachlan said.
Killian gave Apollo a warning look before backing out of the bathroom. "Oh, nothing much. Just seeing what Apollo is making that goes bang."
Apollo quickly turned back to the now bubbling beaker, his cheeks red with anger and embarrassment. Lachlan placed a Coke with ice down beside him, and his heart jerked dangerously.
"Try not to singe your eyebrows off," Lachlan teased.
"I'd still look pretty," Apollo said, trying to smile.
"Oh, I know. I just know how vain you are. Let me know if you need any help. I can hold things or something."
Apollo did laugh then. "I think it's better to stick to what you're good at, Ironwood."
"And what's that?" Lachlan asked, his blue eyes drifting over him with longing and possessiveness that made his blood heat and lips ache.
Apollo swallowed hard. "Heavy lifting and looking pretty. Now, get out and let me get this done. You're distracting me."
"Can't have that." Lachlan kissed him on the cheek and headed back out of the bathroom. It wasn't until he was gone that Apollo released a shaky breath and rested a hand on his chest.
Were they really already mating? He didn't feel any different, except he couldn't discount the fact his dragon had just been getting out of control, and it only took Lachlan's presence to calm him and to have his fangs and claws slide straight back inside of him.
"Oh, no. He's trained my dragon like he's Hiccup." Apollo stared at his reflection in the mirror as his curious expression turned to horror. "Oh my god, I'm fucking Toothless."
That night,they pulled up the plans of the Château that Layla had spent the day collecting. She looked even more wired than she had the day before.
"Have you slept at all?" Bron asked, frowning at her sister.
"Yeah, a bit, but you know what it's like when I'm on a roll," Layla said, rocking from side to side in her chair. "I sent Arne to Alruna's to get him out of my hair. He's complaining I'm working too much."
"You have to be careful that he doesn't tear up the internet connection," Tor said with a wide smile. "If you ignore your health too much, he'll do it to make you rest."
"He wouldn't!" Layla replied, and then she stopped rocking. "Shit, he actually would."
Apollo had been dragged out of the bathroom for food and a planning session, and he wasn't particularly happy about it. He was too in his head about maybe mating with Lachlan, and he was worried his mouth would run off and start blabbing it to the world.
Lachlan had enough to deal with. It wouldn't be fair to tell him that they were also possibly mating. It would just confuse him, and that would be dangerous when going into a fight.
Apollo watched him from the corner of his eye. He had an arm slung over the back of the couch, totally relaxed, as he discussed the best ways to attack the Château. Apollo realized that this was Lachlan's version of a lab. It was his area of expertise, and there was no one better for Apollo to have at his side for it.
Some of his anxiety loosened, and he leaned into Lachlan's side. The arm on the back of the couch shifted, and his fingersthreaded through Apollo's hair and rested on the base of his neck. The touch was all he needed to be able to think clearly and feel more grounded in his body.
"I think the best way will be for Killian to come in from the road leading to the main house. It looks to be the heaviest guarded section, and if he makes a big enough show of it with some of Apollo's explosives, it will draw the bulk of the security away from that section there. It looks like the best place to be keeping prisoners," Lachlan said and pointed out to the southeast of the property. "Thoughts, Valentine? You know the history of this place the best."
"It was a private retreat, but Catherine was still a queen. There would have been cells for holding prisoners. That area you're pointing to is where the wine cellars would have been, and maybe any underground cells too. Everything depends on how much the Sanguis Vitae have created from old plans," Valentine replied, scratching his dark stubble. "I don't know about any escape tunnels either, but I wouldn't rule it out."
"We will have to go carefully and check. We don't need someone coming up behind us," Ciara said, her eyes studying the plans on the TV screen. "Any thoughts on magical defenses?"
"Kovacs seemed like a scary enough fucker to have something," Apollo replied. "He was the one who created that fucked up suicide spell. If he is there, he is the one we will have to be careful of."
"Any thoughts on personal wards? We all have something supernatural about us, except for Lachie," Bron asked, looking at Valentine. "Can you make him something?"
"I'm making you all something. They are only talismans and will only work so far. If you get cut and they get any of your blood, you'll be fucked. That is if they are as proficient as they seem."
"I've hunted magical creatures before. I'm not an idiot, but I appreciate the help, Val," Lachlan replied.
Tor made a grumbling sound. "What about the building in the city? We need to hit them both at once."
