“Hell yeah, I’m a snack.”
I cock my head and frown. Is he trying to talk me into eating him after all? He does smell edible, but in a way that has nothing to do with tearing his flesh. My cock stirs again in agreement, and Mac’s throat bobs with a nervous swallow.
“Am I making you anxious, dragon?” I bring one of my claws to the edge of his jaw and touch it gently to his skin so he can see how careful I can be. Perhaps he’d be less nervous if I looked more human. I pull a glamour into place with an easy, shimmering tug at the air around me, hiding my horns from sight and softening my flesh to match the pink hue of his.
The claw I have notched against his jaw turns into a human shaped finger. “Is that better?”
His gaze travels down, then back up again, and he wheezes out a laugh. “No glamour in the world could make that thing lookless aggressive, dude.” He clears his throat. “So, you were going to show me to my room?”
“Yes.” Auri said I could put him anywhere I want, so I consider the options as I lead him down the hallway to the bedrooms.
There’s a room right next to Cassius’s that’s available, but I don’t love the idea of the vampire sneaking into Mac’s room for a midnight snack. There’s another open room on Roman’s end of the hallway, but once a month he becomes excessively horny, and I wouldn’t want to subject the dragon to that either. That only leaves one empty room left. The one right next to mine.
Yes, that’s an excellent option, actually. I’ll be able to make sure he gets settled in and I can listen for anyone trying to disturb his sleep at night. No one else will get into his room without me hearing it. I grunt in agreement with my own plan and lead Mac to the room.
“Here you are.” I stop outside the door and turn the handle to show him inside. “My room is right next door, so if you need anything, you can shout, and I’ll be right here.”
His cheeks turn a deeper shade of pink, and he nods.
“Uh, sure, thanks. I think I’m just going to…” He waves his hand towards his bed. “You know, cry and think about my life choices.”
I study him, trying to figure out whether he’s making a joke or not. His face doesn’t give me any clues, and neither does his scent. But it’s clear he’s dismissing me, so I nod and back towards the door.
“Alright. Dinner is in a few hours. I’ll come get you and show you the way to the dining room.”
Mac nods, a dazed look in his eyes as I step out of the room and leave him to get settled. As soon as the door is closed between us, an uncomfortable urge settles in my chest, telling me to go back in there, to stay close to him, to protect him.
What a strange, wonderful day.
THREE
MAC
“Fuck,”I groan, crawling into the large bed and burrowing under the million thread count sheets to wallow in my mistakes alone for a while. Is it possible this whole thing is a crazy dream I’m having?
I squeeze my eyes closed tightly, count to three, then open them again. There’s nothing but the darkness of my little blanket burrow and the distinct smell of the underworld still filling my nostrils. Probably not just a bad dream then.
While I try to follow the path of all the terrible decisions and fuckups that led me to this moment, my dragon’s priorities become extremely clear, filling my mind with the memory of Drax’s ring dangling around his neck and the thick swell of his cock as he pressed me up against the wall and sniffed me like some unruly beast. My own cock twitches, and a purr rumbles in my throat.
“Stop that, you horny beast,” I grumble, pulling the blankets even tighter around myself.
Should I call my brothers to get me out of this? I immediately recoil at the idea. I’m already enough of a fuckup in their eyes; I don’t need to add accidentally agreeing to be a mercenary for a demon like Auri to the list. Maybe it won’t be so bad. If I getthis cursed amulet thingy, he’ll hold up his end of the deal, and everything will sort itself out, right? No one will ever have to know that I said yes to a deal with a demon without asking for any details.
I whimper and draw my legs up, curling myself into a protective ball under the covers.
All I need is a plan. So, okay, here it goes.
One, don’t make anything worse.
Two, get this cursed amulet and give it to Auri.
Three, go home.
See? It doesn’t sound so daunting when I break it down like that. I can handle three simple steps. I repeat them to myself over and over, taking deep breaths until my eyelids start to get heavy and, eventually, I fall asleep.
I’m not sure how long I manage to sleep, but it feels like I just closed my eyes when the thud of a fist against my door snaps me awake again. I fling my blankets off and sit up in a daze, flames flickering over my lips instinctively as I blink blearily around at the unfamiliar room. It’s the smell of sulfur that jogs my memory first.
Right, I fucked up and sold myself to a demon.
