Lanlin’s eyes are equally bright, as he takes a step back. “On my heart, I never thought that I would find anyone who would see my monstrous heart and…”
“Love you?” I say, softly.
Lanlin sucks in a sharp breath. “Yes.”
“Our Omega does that.” Daire nudges Lanlin with his shoulder, shooting me a fond look. “She dares to nuzzle dangerous Alphas who others would run from.”
“So, are you admitting that you are dangerous, Little Dove? Yet you look so sweet.” Lanlin lowers his voice to a seductive drawl.
Daire flaps his angelic wings, while his hand drops to the feathered hilt of one of the two bronze daggers, which are holstered at his waist. “Don’t judge by appearances, bat. You look so wicked, when you’re actually sweet.”
Lanlin blinks. “Was that a compliment?”
“I’m not sweet enough to give you one of those.”
“Perhaps you are.” When Lanlin cocks his head, studying Daire’s hand that is resting on his dagger, I tense with worry. Lanlin only points, however, at the bands of black velvet that are decorated with the House of Sin scarab beetle emblem and hieroglyphs, which have been wrapped neatly around Daire’s delicate dragon iron bracelets. “Are they helping to contain that cursed magic, which has been burning you? May the Void Devils damn Maximinus to the howling abyss for binding you like this.”
Daire rocks on his heels, raising his wrists.
Then he twirls on the spot in an elegant dance move that takes away my breath. He weaves his hands like serpents in front of Lanlin, before sweeping into a bow in front of him.
“You could have just said yes.” But I am grinning.
When Lanlin presented Daire with the velvet scarab bracelets yesterday as a replacement for the lotion to treat the burns on his arms, I’d squealed with joy.
“Heka, my old tutor, created them with hieroglyph magic,” Lanlin said. “He was fascinated by the chance to work on a new challenge. The iron would still hurt you through normal cloth. I will find a way to break you free of them entirely; Heka is committed to it.” His fingers hovered over the silver dove mask. “I am sorry that I have not been able to remove this cursed silver and look upon your pretty face. You should never have been shamed like this.”
Daire’s voice was flat. “The mask will come off on the night of the Blood Moon.”
And it fucking will. All our masks will.
Daire straightened, stretching. “Aye, but ancient fae would dance or sing their gratitude, sometimes through the long summer nights for weeks. Of course, sometimes they’d show it through mind-blowing fucking…”
“Shameless.” Lanlin turns to stare over the desert, but I can see by his silhouette that he is smiling. He is doing more of that than he did before. “But also, I am honored to accept your thanks.”
“Honored,” Daire mouths at me, spinning on the spot with a flap of his wings.
I reach to drag Daire into my arms, desperate to kiss the curve of his laughing mouth. He makes me feel more alive than I have in my life; with him it’s easy to forget that our lives hang on a…golden…thread.
“In ancient times, those with the Power would sometimes have mates as their riders.” Lanlin doesn’t look around at us, and the sudden vulnerability in his voice startles both Daire and me enough to break us apart and stare at him. “If those riders were caught, then they would be executed as an example alongside theirmonster.I have been forbidden by the Scarlet Temple to bond. I never dreamed that I would find my fated mates who would take the risk of becoming my riders. On my fangs, who would wish to touch a bat’s wings? Ride on a shadow creature like mine’s back?”
“If this is you asking us to become your riders,” my pulse races with sudden excitement, “then the answer isfuck yeah, we would.It would be amazing to fly with you.”
Lanlin turns and darts to my side with uncanny speed.
His gaze is hungry and desperate. “Do you mean it, dearheart? Even though you saw me transform in White Lotus?Become feral? I lost control in my grief; I was bloodstained in my bat form.”
“You protected us,” I reply, firmly. “It was an ambush that killed your civilians and soldiers. It destroyed your sacred village. It was you against an entire fucking army. We’d be dead without you.”
“You were glorious.” Daire gives a sharp grin.
Lanlin appears bewildered at the praise.
Has anyone ever praised him before?
I’m going to praise all my Alphas more from now on.
“Plus, we’ve ridden on demonic lions for you, and no offense…” Daire side-eyes Shadow and Devil, who open their eyes warningly at Daire, “…but they’re bloody scary. Riding you would be thrilling.”
