“Rune. Yeah.” I nod. “The sooner the better.”
“Agreed.”
I grab my shirt from the foot of the bed and throw it over my head, managing to grab my sneakers on the way out the door. Atlas is leaning against the wall and Roman and Cassius come around the corner just as we exit the apartment.
Roman rubs his hands together. “We’re going to a sex den?”
Atlas frowns, scrunching his nose. “For work, you horny dog.”
Roman barks out a laugh. “It’s not my fault. We’re heading towards a full moon.” He shrugs. “It’s just hormones.”
Cassius sniffs the air around Roman. “Is that what that is?”
Roman wraps his arm around the vampire, pulling him close, much to Cassius’s disapproval. “Never had sex with a wolf shifter, huh? You should give it a shot.”
“I’d rather not,” Cassius says, extricating himself from Roman’s grasp. “I prefer mortal human blood.”
“And everyone thinks I’m the biter.”
“Gentlemen,” Atlas says, sounding exasperated, “Rune jumps around a bit. Let’s go before I lose him again.”
“Right,” I say. “We have work to do.”
Drax wraps his arms around me, his body warming against mine. “Ready, mate?”
I nod, gazing into his mesmerizing eyes. “Ready.”
Atlas’s heavy hand lands on my shoulder. “Let’s do this.”
Traveling between realms is getting easier for me, so much so I hardly notice it this time. Gotta admit, it’s a pretty sweet way to get places. Our feet touch down in a dark alleyway between two stone buildings, the scent of weed, liquor, and something spicy lingering in the air.
“Where are we?” I ask, gazing up at the dark sky.
“Oooh.” Drax points ahead.
I don’t see anything though. Just a bunch of trash bins. “What?”
“He can’t see it yet,” Atlas says.
“No?” Drax tilts his head, looking down the alley then back at me. “How do we fix it?”
Cassius huffs, digging his thumbnail into his own wrist and producing a few drops of thick red blood. “Try this.”
I pull my head back. “You want me to drink that?”
“It’s hardly a drink,” Cassius says. “I’ve learned that it’s the quickest way to share abilities. Otherwise, we have to go to Auri, blah, blah, blah. You can wait outside, or you can lick my wrist.”
I scrunch my nose, clinging to Drax. “For what reason again?”
“There’s a door right in front of us,” Drax explains. “We can see it, but you can’t. It’s magic.”
“Oh.”
“And you won’t get in without our abilities,” Roman says. “So drink up, dragon.”
Drax nods. “It’s the easiest way.”
“Okay, fine. I’ll just pretend you’re a rare steak.”
