“Sorry to interrupt, but Jareth is ready for us.”
I nod, and Drax disentangles himself from around me, wiping the back of his hand across his damp lips and shamelessly adjusting his massive erection. I do the same, dragging my fingers through my hair and giving myself a shake to clear my filthy thoughts. It’s time to focus on the job. There will be plenty of time to enjoy my naked mate once we’ve talked to Roman’s friend.
I can’t fuck this up. I rushed in without thinking and got myself captured by Rune, I’ve made one mistake after another since Auri found me… Okay, fine, that’s a lie. I’ve made one mistake after another since I hatched, and it’s time I finally prove to myself and everyone else that I’m not a complete and total fuckup. Roman glances around.
“Did you lose Cas and Atlas?” he asks.
“I think Cas found somecompany, and Atlas…” I shake my head. “No clue. He’s acting kind of weird, right?”
Drax nods. “Strange, yes.”
“You don’t think Rune could have put some kind of spell on him or something, do you?” I grimace. That would just be the shit icing on the cake, wouldn’t it? My bumbling causing one of the guys to end up under some kind of fucked up enchantment.
“Gargoyles aren’t directly susceptible to mage magic. They’ll fall for illusions just like the rest of us, but it would be damn near impossible to actually put him under a mage spell,” Roman says.
“Okay, good.” I breathe out a sigh of relief. “Should we just go talk to Jareth without them? They can get home by themselves, right?”
“I’m here,” Atlas says, parting the crowd with his stocky frame, still seeming distracted as he glances around and continues to sniff the air. “And I just saw Cassius. He’s fang-deep in some pretty twink, so I think he’d rather we go ahead without him.”
“Perfect, let’s do this.” Roman uses the power Auri gave him to pull all four of us into the void and deposit us in the middle of a field that smells like lilac and ocean water. “Now please remember that Jareth is a friend of mine and try not to act like a bunch of assholes.”
“When have we ever acted like assholes?” Atlas rolls his eyes.
Roman gives him a pointed look, and I choke back a laugh.
“We’ll be cool,” I promise.
“Chilly,” Drax says with a seriousness that has me sputtering another laugh.
With a skeptical glance at all of us, Roman leads us down a winding path to a small stone house. Based on Roman’s story about rescuing Jareth from attackers who had left him for dead, I was picturing a petite, maybe even frail looking mage. The man who answers the door is anything but that. His hair is a glowing shade of silver like it’s made of moonlight, long tresses flowing down over his shoulders. He stands at least a head taller than me, with broad shoulders that nearly put Atlas’s to shame, a chiseled jaw that wouldn’t be out of place in a superhero comic book, and a scar across his cheek from the outer edge of his left eye to the bridge of his nose.
“Thanks, Jare,” Roman murmurs, hugging the mage and rubbing his face into the crook of Jareth’s neck. Scenting him. The exchange feels too intimate to watch, and when I look away, I find Drax and Atlas doing the same.
After a second, they break apart and Jareth waves us into his house.
“Roman says you need my help?” Jareth’s footsteps are loud in the small space, and the smell of burning wood tickles my nose from the smoldering fireplace in the corner, along with the scent of herbs and old parchment. It reminds me a lot of the way Rune’s cabin smelled, with magic hanging in the air. Do all mages have quiet, hidden cabins in the woods? I guess it makes sense considering how earth-based their magic is.
I clear my throat and step forward. “We need advice on how to capture a powerful mage.”
He frowns deeply, his bushy eyebrows lowering and a menacing look entering his gray eyes.
“To kill him?”
“What? No.” I shake my head quickly, taking a step back to find Drax directly behind me. “No, we don’t want to kill him. He’s actually a really cool guy if you put the whole kidnapping thing aside. I just need something he has.”
“Hm,” Jareth grunts.
“We won’t hurt him,” Atlas says firmly.
“It’s just a job,” Roman assures him.
“A job for a demon.” Jareth scoffs.
“Auri isn’t what you think he is,” Roman growls.
“Listen, I don’t want to cause a problem. If you can’t help, we’ll figure something else out.” I rush the words out, hoping to break the rising tension between the two of them, staring each other down like they might fight or fuck at any second.
Jareth breaks eye contact with Roman to look over at me again, his nostrils flaring as he exhales slowly.
