Talon made a face. Sensing he hit a brick wall with Thystle, he glared at me instead. “You know what you did!”
How was I supposed to respond? I doubted Talon actually cared about the band drama. He only cared about it as leverage. He wanted to hurt me because Thystle liked me, not him.
A deep growl reverberated in Thystle’s chest. He sidestepped in front of me, blocking me from Talon’s line of sight.
“I’mthisclose to getting security involved,” Thystle warned. “Now, get.”
I couldn’t see Talon, but I assumed he trudged off with a pout. Once he was further away, I noticed the security kobolds escorting him back to the hotel.
“Don’t worry,” Gaius told me. “They’ll make sure he doesn’t make any more trouble. I’ve already messaged Duke and Jade about getting him a flight home later tonight.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks.”
Thystle turned around. It wasn’t my first time seeing his dragon form, but it was my first time seeing it up close and personal. A shiver ran down my spine. He was exquisite. There was no other way to describe him. His long, narrow snout was coated in a thousand tiny scales, all shimmering like gemstones beneath the fairy lights. His eyes shared that mesmerizing color. They burned as he stared at me.
Desire radiated from him like heat from a fire. Dragon form or not, I could tell he wanted to throw me down against the stage and fuck me.
Unfortunately, the cameras still lingered, so he settled for the next best thing. He nuzzled his head into my chest, making a sound oddly close to a purr.
“I’m sorry you had to deal with that,” he grumbled. The dragon form altered his voice, making it thick and gravelly.
I stroked his scales. The cool sensation calmed me. “I should say the same about you.”
His lip curled, revealing sharp rows of fangs. “It was my pleasure to get rid of that dickhead. I only wished I’d done it earlier.”
My stomach twisted.
“I want to talk about what he said,” I murmured.
Thystle’s eyes flashed. “Do you want to do it privately?”
I smiled, warmed by his offer. “No, it’s okay. If there’s tabloids about it, then it’s time to share my side of the story.”
He flicked his tail thoughtfully, as if debating whether to shoo away the camera crew or not. Ultimately, he respected my decision to let them stay.
“Let’s at least talk somewhere roomier so I don’t crush the stage,” Thystle suggested.
I grinned. “What, you can’t change back?”
“No,” Thystle said bluntly. “I’m too riled up.”
I bumped my forehead against his. “That’s fine. I like you in this form, anyways.”
He made that draconic purring sound again. He offered a dexterous paw, careful of his gigantic claws, leading me off the stage. Once we found a spot to sit in the sand, Thystle curled his huge body protectively around me. I rested my full weight against him with a content sigh. It was nice laying against a dragon. Despite the coolness of his scales, his side was strangely warm. I could’ve cuddled him forever.
A bonus of Thystle’s big, pillowy body was that I couldn’t see the cameras anymore. Honestly, I forgot they existed. That made it easier to spill my heart out to Thystle.
I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts. I’d run away from this for so long, but now it finally caught up to me.
As if reading my mind, Thystle nuzzled my cheek. “I’m here,” he promised.
No use tiptoeing around it anymore. I had to take a leap of faith right off the deep end.
“It started ten years ago, when all three of us were in our early twenties,” I began. “TalonStorm was in its stride.”
“I remember,” Thystle said wistfully.
“We were all high off stardom. We felt untouchable, like we ruled the world. But with that stardom came arrogance. It affected all of us.”
