I’m up and stalking her scent trail before consciously deciding to follow as it beckons me. I barely get a glimpse of her through the stacks before she finds a secluded spot and collapsesinto a similarly worn chair as mine, head bent low as she props her elbows on her knees.
The dragon urges me forward, but I hesitate. If it’s Killian, or any of the other Heirs for that matter, she’s trying to get away from, my interference could be seen as a challenge for the throne at the top of the hierarchy.
I can hear her blood as it rushes through her veins, pulse racing, breathing labored. It makes my dragon anxious, his feelings bleeding through our shared bond as he paces in the back of my mind.
Take her to the cave.
We arenotkidnapping her.
It’s not kidnapping if you speak to her first.Yet another point of contention between the two of us, considering I’ve had her phone number since our run in last week and haven’t done shit with it.
The sound of footsteps interrupts our mental argument. Soon, three figures appear over the edge of the stairs—two females and a male—beelining to where Nyx is finally starting to calm down.
Shit.
I don’t recognize them, but I can scent them well enough. Two witches—earth and water, and a demon mutt. They strut past my hiding spot without noticing me, intent on their target.
Nyx lifts her head at their approach and straightens in her seat, mouth set in a grim line, eyes defiant.
“What do you want?” she grits out, voice tight as she stares them down, full of piss and vinegar despite being outnumbered.
“What I’d like to know,” the tall, blonde witch starts, “is what the fuck kind of game you’re playing?”
“You heard Brandt same as me, Felicity.”
“Yeah… except he’s old as shit and you’re full of it.”
“How did you channel before your epiphaneia?” the male demands, and I freeze. That’s not possible.
Fuck, is it?
“Pretty sure you were there too, dude. Unless you’ve got some fuck ass twin or something.”
“Cut the shit, bitch,” the demon mutt interjects, stepping forward to interrupt the male before he can respond. “Whatever you’re trying to pull, it won’t work. You want to climb the hierarchy? Get ready to bleed for it.”
“Who even are you? You got a problem with your ears, or are you all just morons?” The mutt snarls and lunges, but her two friends pull her back before I can act. Nyx doesn’t even flinch, and my dragon rumbles with approval. “There’s nothing to tell. I don’t know what the fuck happened in there any more than you do.”
Felicity side-eyes the male as the mutt struggles between them.
“Adrian, can you sense anything?” The male raises his unoccupied hand and that’s when my body propels forward, half a second before I can make the decision myself. The dragon rises as I stalk towards the trio. Not a full shift, but enough that light begins to waver from the heat surging through my veins, for the scent of ozone to spread before me, precipitating my arrival.
The mutt senses me first, whirling around and knocking her friends off balance. They stiffen at the sight of my approach. My eyes briefly connect with Nyx’s before turning to her antagonizers. The scent of their fear is a heavy drug for my dragon, teasing him with the promise of violence and victory.
“This is none of your business, prince,” She snarls. Part Wrath demon, most likely. My low, menacing chuckle wipes the glare off her face.
“You’re in my library, which makes it my business,” I state, letting the dragon bleed into my voice.
“The library doesn’t belong to you,” Adrian blusters, swallowing thickly.
Pathetic male.
“Funny. I don’t see anyone here who could prove me wrong. Do you?” I ask, looking around to the empty stacks around us, pausing when my eyes lock with Nyx’s.
“We were just talking,” Felicity rushes to add.
“Sure,” I grumble, wrenching my eyes from hers to face the tall blonde.
“She’s hiding something, and we have a right to know what-”
