‘Well, that depends,’ I sign playfully. ‘Will you finally let me take you flying?’
His lips quirk. ‘How about we make that our first official date?’
Hell,yes. That seems like the best kind of two-for-one.
‘Deal.’ My dragon wants to shift and go right now, which is impossible given the chaos around us, even if it is tempting.
Raj leans closer but stops short of kissing me. ‘So is that a yes to bonding? Or is it too soon for you?’
Too soon? Is he kidding?
‘Of course it’s a yes, as long asyou’resure. You’re mine forever, treasure, but I’ll wait as long as you need before we officially bond.’
He smiles softly, his eyes full of warmth. ‘I promise I’m certain. Fated or not, you’re it for me.’ He gifts me with another delicious kiss, then backs away. ‘Now, as much as I’d love to spend the rest of the day by your side, I have work I should be doing.’
It’s a little easier to let him go, knowing we’ll soon be bonded forever. ‘Go. I’ll just stand here and watch you be all sexy in your uniform.’
He laughs and walks off to join Skye and Cal on guard duty. Doc P has arrived and is now inside the dome ward with the rescued shifters. The firefighters have spread out and are directing their hoses at the fire, but even combined with the efforts of my siblings and Ayo’s water jet spell, they’re struggling to get it under control.
Before I can shift and help with fire containment, Harley jogs over to me. Things have been tense between us since our argument in the pub, and he’s undoubtedly worked out Raj’s real identity as a member of the task force by now, so I have no idea how this conversation is going to go.
He takes in the slowly healing wounds on my bare chest and arms. ‘Are you okay? Ayo told me you and your siblings were kidnapped.’
‘We’re fine. How did you know to come here just now?’
He frowns at my wounds, but answers my question. ‘My old boss talked me into coming in for an interview. I was hanging outwith the guys when the call came through.’ He gestures at the firefighters.
Ah, that makes sense. Seems he’s doing better at sticking to our pact than I have been.
His expression is unreadable as he glances over at Raj. ‘So, how long have you known who he is?’
‘He told me before anything happened between us.’ It’s a relief that Harley finally knows the truth about who Raj is, even though I’m still not allowed to tell him anything about the investigation. Maybe now he’ll believe that my boyfriend is a good guy.
His jaw tightens. ‘I’m going to have to get used to him, aren’t I?’
I’m unable to contain my grin, even in the face of his disapproval. ‘Definitely. He’s asked me to bond with him.’
He looks at my treasure for longer this time. ‘If he breaks your heart I’ll break his face.’
I laugh, knowing it’s an empty threat. I’m sure he’s hoping Raj is watching his hands. ‘Give him a real chance this time, yeah? For me?’
He purses his lips but gives a slight nod. ‘Fine. I suppose a cat who answers to an alpha wolf can’t be that bad.’
I snort, a puff of smoke escaping my nostrils. ‘You’re ridiculous.’
More vehicles arrive, and when the car doors open many of the Far Out Freight workers get out. They stay well back, out of the way of the firefighters and the task force, but there’s a lot of pointing at the unconscious fae and grins on faces. Felicia walks over to Raj, her brow furrowed, but her body language isn’t hostile so I leave them to it.
The next car into the car park a few minutes later makes every member of the task force tense. Before the driver can even open his door, Skye hurries over and leans his arm on top of the car, trying to block the view of the white man with auburn hair whorolls down his window. It all makes sense when I inhale a whiff of human.
I quickly join Raj as Felicia wanders back to the other cat shifters. ‘Who’s the man in the car?’
He grimaces. ‘DI Idris Gough.’
Ah, shit. I hope Skye can do some fast talking about cosplay, because if Idris got a glimpse of the fae he’ll have already seen their wings. The lynx shifter and Jay in his bear form won’t trigger a human’s suspicions too badly beyond why zoo animals are in a warehouse car park, and our community always has ready answers for things like that. Ayo has stopped his water jet spell, and Milo and Zara quickly shift back while the human’s view is blocked. Idris won’t be able to see through our innate dragon camouflage unless he knows about the supernatural world, but since he’s already suspicious Ayo might have asked my brother and sister to stick to their biped forms. There’s definitely no point taking the risk, and all three of them move away from the warehouse to join Harley.
A flash of movement catches my eye and I whip my head around. Nyoka has regained consciousness while we were all distracted, and is up on his feet and running back inside the warehouse, still in handcuffs. As Raj and I give chase, Cal blurs past both of us right into the heart of the burning building.
Seconds later a massive explosion rocks the warehouse, throwing Raj and me backwards along with several of the firefighters who were closest to the blast. The wind is knocked out of me, but I’m far more concerned about Cal. I hope to fuck the vampire’s shield charm is strong enough to handle that much fae magic, because it’s the only way he’ll have survived.
