“They are where we are,” Remus says. “Imani thinks that part of the magic of the rings is that they are drawn to our energy, because they tend to end up wherever we end up.”
“Because they’re hunting us,” I say.
He shakes his head. “She’s into technology, Seb. Didn’t even believe in magic until recently. She can see it in the data. Where we go, they go. They’re either following us or following the art we inspire.”
“You seem to have learned a lot from Imani.”
He flashes me a perfect Gemini half grin, a spark of wickedness in his eye. “She’s quite a woman.”
“Are you falling for the human, Remus?” I jest.
He clears his throat. “I wouldn’t call it that. But I wouldn’t turn down a few more hours listening to her theories, I’ll tell you that.”
We both chuckle.
“Speaking of women, where is that witch of yours?” he adds.
I snort. “Not mine, and she’s resting. She’s onto something, though. This is what she saw last night.” I show him Zoe’s drawing of the ring.
“Creator defend us all. What do all these symbols mean?”
“She said they were spells. Layers of spells. It’s complex. She needs to go back in to make sure she understands it all, and then she can recommend how best to defend ourselves against it.”
Remus lifts his cap and runs a hand over his buzz-cut head. “Fuck. This is great news. So, when is that going to happen, ’cause we need a solution like yesterday.”
I frown. “It’s going to be a few days. Doing what she had to do to understand the ring had…side effects.”
He squints at me. “What kind of side effects?”
“The kind that could kill her if she pushes herself too hard.”
Remus whistles through his teeth.
“Yeah, so I need to stay close to her to heal her afterward. I have to be here to protect her.”
Remus’s nostrils flare. “Shit.”
I look over my shoulder and then back at him, but I don’t know what he’s smelling. No one is here but us. “What? Is Ellison here?”
He snorts. “Brother, you are putting off mating scent every time you mention Zoe.”
The sound of her name on his lips sends my dragon into a lurch. I stand and lunge toward Remus, my dragon pressing against the underside of my skin. Sweat breaks out across my forehead.
Remus chuckles behind his cupped palm. “Damn, you’ve got it bad, brother.”
I lower myself back into my chair, feeling my cheeks heat. I bury my face in my hands, not even bothering to deny it. “Fuuuck. Why does it have to be her?”
Remus’s hand lands on my shoulder. “We don’t pick who we want to mate. The creator does.”
I groan. “The creator picks for me. She gets to choose for herself. That’s the problem. She could reject me. And then what? I pine for her while she puts herself at risk to help dragonkind?”
“How is that different from what’s happening right now?” Remus shrugs his tattooed shoulders. “Unless you want me to call Mia to come take the edge off?”
I growl, feeling repulsed.
“Judging by the shade of green you just pulled, you are beyond accepting any substitutes.” He balls his hand into a fist. “One thing I think we can both agree on, though, is if she is your mate, you can’t rush things. If she rejects you right now, you’re toast.”
“No shit,” I say sarcastically.
