“Little one? I’m bigger than you.”
Jed snorted, a shit-eating grin on his face. “Not in this form, you’re not.”
Oakley flipped him off, but I could see them fighting a smile, and my dragon grumbled in my head, wanting to actually bite Jed’s head off for daring to flirt with my little dragon.
Scales, this was getting ridiculous.
Logically, I knew Jed was just being Jed, but I couldn’t help the possessiveness I felt over Oakley. My Oakley.
And my dragon wasn’t happy with that vampire at all.
Oakley eyed me as if they knew exactly what I was thinking, and after a moment, they surprised me by rubbing my upper back and gently nudging my arm with their chest.
Some dragons were very affectionate and craved touch. Others were more reserved and kept to themselves.
For the last several decades, I’d mostly been by myself because Garrick and I had been the only two dragons left in our clan. Neither of us was overly affectionate with the other, and a lot of that had to do with how we’d grieved for our clanmates and for the loss of the very dragon in front of me.
When Oakley had been stolen from Garrick as a baby, Gar had fallen into a deep depression. Both of us had.
Those twenty-five years had been the hardest of all my years on this planet. And after having Oakley back and gaining more family, more clan through Tan and his family, I’d begun torealize that I’d missed the sweet affection Oakley so often offered me.
It wasn’t only that they were my viramore, although that was obviously a big part of it, it was that they were another dragon, and I’d missed the casual touches.
So I sent Oakley a small smile and nudged them back, gaining a smile out of them before we both took our seats and dug into our food.
After a few bites, I swallowed my food, cleared my throat, and said, “I’m impressed. This actually tastes good.”
They flipped me off even as they said, “Thanks.”
I snorted at that and leaned over to bump them with my shoulder. They returned the gesture without missing a beat, making me hide a grin to myself.
Phaeron finished his blood bag and said, “We should leave here in twenty minutes. We need to be in position well before dark falls.” I blinked, forgetting for a moment that the three vampires were old enough not to burn up in the sun, although I knew none of them actually enjoyed being out in it. Old vampires had an array of powers, and I was sure I didn’t even know the half of it. “If we leave now, we’ll be able to travel during rush hour, which will make our arrival much less conspicuous.”
I nodded. “Agreed. Some of the other teams are already there.”
Beshiro said, “I’ve spoken to the team leaders, and there’s been minimal movement on the property today. The same group that you recorded that first night have come and gone, and there was a delivery of what looked like tables, chairs, and some food this morning. Nothing in the last four hours, though.”
Oakley asked, “Does that mean they’re hosting the auction inside the barn? It was really crowded with prisoners.”
Beshiro shrugged. “They left the chairs right outside the barn, so maybe they’re waiting to set them up out there? The forecast is clear for the night, although that might not matter if they havea witch who can put up a large shield.” He shrugged again. “I’m not sure. We still have several hours before dark, and the auction likely won’t start for at least a couple of hours after that. They’ll want to give any of their vamp clients time to travel to them safely.”
I scrunched my nose at that, even though his logic was sound. “Alright, I suppose we should hurry up and finish our food so we can head out there.”
Oakley nudged me again. “I’m getting a second plate, but I’ll eat quickly. Want more?”
I passed them my plate. “Thanks.”
They nodded, then looked at Tan, who had an orange cat on top of his head. “Tan?”
“I’m good, but thanks.”
“What about you, little miss?” Oak asked the chimera. Orangelica gave a small meow, and Oak said, “I’ll bring you something, cutie pie.”
I watched the dragon—my dragon—walk across the kitchen, and my eyes strayed down to their ass. They were already dressed in their gear, including tactical pants, but somehow, they made even those shapeless things look sexy. My heart pounded, and my cock even gave a small twitch as I stared at them. What would they look like out of those pants?
Mine. Claim them. Mine.
I sucked in a breath, trying to keep my dragon under control before he dragged Oakley back to the bedroom and fucked them senseless, rubbing my scent and spend all over them, making sure anyone that came near them knew they belonged to me, making sure they knew—
