“Yes, indeed. This has gone on long enough.” I slid away from him, only then noticing his knights—four of them—taking positions around our booth. As if the King hadn't drawn enough attention to himself. “Damn it all.”
King Tor'rien didn't know what he was doing. Simply by entering that place, he was putting a target on his chest. And not just with the Eljaffna who now thought they stood a chance with him. It was our secret that put the King in jeopardy. One bite, and a man could take control of the Dragon King. That alone would be tempting, but then there was the man himself. Very few Eljaffna could resist pursuing him. And warning him would mean betraying my people.
So, I'd have to get him out of there myself.
Son of a bastard. He was blood-blocking me. On top of that, he would see my actions as encouragement.
I slid out of the booth and past the two knights on my side. There was nothing I could say to get King Tor'rien to leave. My only option was to lead him away. I ducked my head as I wove through the crowd. It was too late for the King to go unnoticed, but I hoped that at least I would remain incognito.
“Tekhan!” King Tor'rien shouted.
I groaned as the motherfucking idiot called my name. Then I put on speed. Maybe I could still get out of there with no one realizing which Tekhan he meant. I hunched down and then burst into the stairwell. Taking the steps two at a time, I went past the second floor where all the straights were sucking and fucking each other. The door to the first floor appeared. Rapid footsteps echoed in the stairwell. Dragon footsteps. I dashed into the corridor that led from the stairs to the front door, providing a way through the ladies-only section without anyone invading their space.
And then I was outside, in the cool night. I paused to breathe deeply and then ran. Yup, I ran away. The King would view that poorly, but I was trying to save us both while keeping distance between us—both literally and figuratively. Why had he come there? How did he even know where to find me? It was baffling.
A hand grabbed my upper arm and hauled me around, using my momentum to swing me in an arc. I hit a solid chest. The air burst out of my lungs, and I latched onto a pair of broad shoulders to steady myself. Without surprise, I looked up into the Dragon King's face.
“Never fucking run from a Dragon! Never!” He leaned down and growled without speaking—just the sound. Then added, “I would have expected you to know that.”
I lifted a brow and inspected the King's face. His pupils were dilated. His breath came briskly even though that run shouldn't have winded him. His pulse beat just as rapidly beneath my fingertips, explaining his breath. On his lower lip was a spot of blood. He had bitten himself, perhaps in fury, but most likely it had been accidental. You need to be careful when you have fangs, even blunted Dragon fangs.
My stare narrowed down to that smear of blood. My hands clenched. The inside of my mouth went dry, every cell eager for liquid, every taste bud crying out in thirst. My fangs ached. It would be such a waste to let that blood dry.
The King had been speaking to me. I couldn't tell you what he'd been saying. The thirst had me. His lips parted again, more words coming forth, but I stopped them with one action—a flick of my tongue over his lip.
As he stared at me, stunned, I reeled back. Head lolling. Gasping in pleasure. A drop, even less, and my cock was hard, ready to explode. My mind swam. I couldn't let go of him. I needed to bite. And fuck. Both at the same time. I ached everywhere, craving his blood in my mouth and his flesh in my channel. It was basic, so primal, and part of me detested that. But that same part knew that nature could not be denied. She could be avoided for a while, but she was a persistent bitch, and every time you made her leave, she came back stronger.
“You win,” I whispered. “But only if you act immediately.”
With a triumphant grin, the King leaned in, his hands grasping me even more tightly than I held him. Just before his lips met mine, a shout came, then the clang of Talon bells. I jerked away and stared down the sidewalk, back the way we had come.
“Ignore it.” The King reached for me again.
Horror and bafflement filled me, doubtless crossing my face as well because the King cursed. I ran past him, teeth clenched in annoyance and with a little resentful gratitude. The Gods had just saved me from making a huge mistake. If the King could say that to me—suggest that I ignore a call to all officers inthe area, no matter rank—then he wasn't a man I should be with. And he certainly had no business following me.
“Go away!” I snarled over my shoulder. “You don't care about the cases. So go back to your castle, Your Majesty.”
“I was caught up in lust,” he growled as he kept pace with me. “I didn't mean it. I know what those bells mean.”
I ignored him as he'd wanted me to do with the Talon bells, but I stopped short when I saw the talons rushing into Newfangled.
“What the fuck?” I whispered.
“Claw Shinkai!” a talon called to me as he rushed over. “Thank the Gods you were nearby.”
Nearby. Yes, you could say that. “What's happened?”
“There's been a body found.” The talon grimaced. “It's one of ours, sir.”
One of ours. Those were words no talon or claw wanted to hear.
“Who?” I demanded.
“Don't know yet. But we need your help. Could you come in?” Then the man's face went blank. “Uh. Are you? I mean, Your Majesty.” He bowed. “I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you right away.”
I spun and narrowed my stare at the King. “Stay here.”
“The fuck I will,” the King said.
