Any relationship with Zoe Willow would be an unpredictable and complicated mess, and that is something my dragon and I do not need in our life.
Unfortunately, my body disagrees. I glance down at my growing erection as my car and driver pull up, readjusting myself as William hops from the driver’s side and opens the door for me. I slide into the back seat, and he returns to the wheel, adjusting the cap of his uniform.
“Remus called while you were indisposed,” he says as he pulls into traffic. “Sounds important.”
I pull my phone from my pocket and see several missed calls from Remus. I’d turned off the ringer during Zoe’s show and been so enraptured by her performance and our discussion after that, I hadn’t even noticed the vibration in my pocket. I hit the call button and bring it to my ear.
“Seb, thank the creator,” Remus says in lieu of hello. “I need you to get down here right away. It seems we underestimated what’s going on with the Order.”
“Hmm? What are you talking about?”
“There’s been another murder, and it has the Order’s calling card all over it. It’s just you and me on this one. Ellison is back in New York with Connor and Fiona, and Lucas went to Maryland to try to track down the bomber. I need your help making sense of this. I’m sending you the address now.”
“I’m on my way.” I groan as I end the call and forward the address Remus sends me to William’s phone. “Sorry. There’s been a change of plan. We need to head to the Laguna Beach area immediately.”
“No problem, sir. I’m on it.” He taps a few buttons on the console, and the directions to Remus’s destination come up.
We travel in silence for a few minutes, me shifting uneasily in the back seat as my partial erection presses painfully against my zipper. I consider putting up the divider and rubbing one out in the privacy of the back seat, but I know from experience it won’t help. A dragon in his alignment needs sex, preferably with their mate. No other medicine will do.
William glances at my squirming in the rearview mirror and clears his throat. “Do you need me to make a stop on the way? Mia’s residence is en route.”
Mia is a fellow Taurus dragon and does indeed live in the area. We’ve used each other before in years past to stave off the strong mating instincts our dragons force on us during our alignment. William has been with me long enough to know, and it’s not a bad idea, actually. Among dragons, it’s perfectly acceptable to have such arrangements. It’s just sex, after all, not mating. A salve that barely eases the pain of an open wound. A no-strings-attached arrangement. I’d have jumped on the suggestion in the past.
So why do I find that the moment I consider saying yes, my erection is gone and my dragon is suddenly uninterested, almost repulsed, by the idea? My brow furrows. Problem abated. “Thanks, but no. I’m fine. Remus needs me there as quickly as possible. Brotherhood business.”
He sends me a little nod. “Understood. I’ll have you there in no time.”
I lean back in my seat, surprised as my inner dragon sends me mental images of carrying Zoe, the scent of her hair, the way her arms had wrapped around my neck. That’s weird. Crap, I hope he’s not developing a fixation on the singer. If so, he’s going to be sorely disappointed.
I redirect my attention to my email as my blood heats again. It’s done. The decision made. I will not bother Zoe Willow again.
Over an hour later, we pull up the drive of a beachfront property past a small contingent of police cars. I recognize Remus’s army-green Jeep by the VENMINK plates. I hurry inside.
Remus meets me at the door. “It’s a crime scene. I influenced the lead detective to let us in. Gave an insane excuse of being insurance investigators. Best not to draw attention to yourself,” he mumbles. “If he starts asking questions, we’re screwed.”
“What happened here?” I whisper.
He gestures with his head toward the hall. As we walk, I watch him fade, camouflaging himself before we enter the bedroom. I follow his example, stepping quietly into a crime scene that stinks of blood and the smoky scent of dragon. A man’s naked body lies at the center of the room, surrounded by crime tape and forensic labels.
His head is missing.
Remus elbows me in the side and points to the wall. Nailed to an enormous oil painting of a dragon is the head. Blood tracks from the severed neck to a pool on the floor that still looks wet. Painted to the side of this grisly scene are the Latin words, “Astra inclinant, sed non obligant.” The same inscription that appears on each of the Saint’s Order rings.
Remus nudges me and gestures toward the hall. We creep past the investigators, down the hall, and into an empty bedroom where we can close the door.
“Who was he, and why do you think he was targeted?”
Remus frowns. “Reed Follis, art professor. Popular among the local gay community.”
“How do you know that?”
Remus holds up his phone and starts showing me social media and Grindr accounts. “His last post was about meeting someone for a drink.” He holds out his phone. On the screen, a social media post by the deceased reads, “Sometimes love requires you to take a leap of faith.”
“You think someone seduced him and came back here with him to kill him.”
“It’s a theory.”
I lower myself into one of two leather chairs in the room. I feel as though someone has delivered a serious blow to my gut. “Fuck. Do you know what this means?”
