Page 33 of Mad Dragon of Chaos

“Motherfucker!” Adrian barked. They had overlooked this one because it was tiny and seemed to disappear in the shadow of the large ships. Yet it was still larger than the yacht and just as nimble. But the biggest difference was its gun. The Order ship had more than enough firepower to punch through the yacht’s hull.

Haru roared, shaking the air with the sound, as he flapped his wings to intercept the Order ship. At his approach, multiple guns opened fire, and he was forced to dodge the incoming bullets. He angled his body to take the brunt of the impact, protecting Adrian’s soft human flesh as best he could.

“Hit the side!” Adrian ordered, and Haru didn’t question it. He turned and pulled his wings up as he slammed his legs and tail into the side of the ship. The force was enough to rock the ship nearly onto its opposite side. Screams rose from the sailors. From the corner of Haru’s eye, he could see silver flashing through the air, and Adrian threw his daggers with flawless precision at anyone who’d clung to the railing closet to them. As Adrian kept the sailors from firing on them, Haru dug his sharp talons through the hull of the ship, tearing through layers of steel as if they were nothing more than warm bread.

With enough holes to cause trouble for the ship, Haru pushed off and took to the air. Adrian’s cackles accompanied them as they climbed. The ship that had tried to launch a sneak attack swung back so that it was properly upright, only now it was taking on water. It had no chance to attack Prince Shey’s ship as it slipped by them.

Haru let out another joyous roar and raced at the yacht that was now surrounded by three Caspagir battleships. As they passed the ships flying the blue and silver flags, all the sailors shouted and cheered for him and Adrian. Yes, that was a proper welcome for a courageous dragon and his mate.

Upon reaching the ship, Haru tensed for a breath and then flapped his wings, speeding past the yacht toward the city that was rising in front of them. Adrian’s surprised “Hey!” made him laugh internally as he faked out his mate. Naturally, Adrian had expected them to return to the ship and enter the city with Prince Shey and Tyche, but Haru had other plans.

All too soon, they would focus their attention on the growing war started by the Federation of Order—what a stupid name—as well as working on finding the evil men who were killing innocent people in Damardor. Stealing moments alone with Adrian was going to become hard. Shey would not miss them for a few hours while they wandered through Sirelis. The palace was easy enough to find. It was the big castle on the hill.

No, he wanted to go on a date with Adrian to celebrate burning so many ships.

TWELVE

ADRIAN WESTERGREN

The wily dragon swooped over the enormous city of Sirelis, giving them an excellent view of the tall buildings, unique architecture, and even a stunning glimpse at the royal palace. However, it was very clear that he wasn’t taking them to the ship. Instead, Haru dropped to the flat roof of what appeared to be a five-story apartment building in a residential neighborhood more than a mile from the palace and the harbor.

Adrian slid off Haru’s back the second Haru drew his wings against his body. He turned to face Haru as the dragon shifted into his human form in a swirl of white robes and silky black hair.

“What are you doing? Shey is expecting us at the ship.” Adrian shoved a hand through his windblown hair, trying to push it into some semblance of order. It wasn’t fair that Haru was standing there in all his regal glory after flying around as a dragon, while he was sure he looked like something a cat had coughed up.

Haru strolled to him, a wicked grin playing on his lips. “I thought we could spend a little time together before we must go to war. Go on a date.”

Adrian’s eyes widened, and for a moment he was tongue-tied. Haru wanted to go on a date. He didn’t understand this dragon’s logic sometimes. “We’re guests visiting a foreign country for the first time. We need to stay with Prince Shey, or at least report to the palace.”

Haru held up one long, slender finger. “It’s not our first time. We briefly stopped here prior to flying to Damardor.”

“Yeah, but we reported directly to the palace. It’s not like we saw any of the city. We⁠—”

“Precisely. We got to see nothing of Prince Shey’s home.” Haru closed the last few feet between them and wrapped one of Adrian’s hands in both of his. “Prince Shey knows we will report to the palace eventually. We sank one Order ship and damaged several others. There were quite a few Order sailors killed as well for shooting at me. I think we’ve earned a reward, and I say our reward is being allowed to explore Sirelis unescorted for a few hours.”

There was no point in arguing with Haru. The dragon had already set his mind to this, and nothing Adrian said was going to change it. Besides, it would take Prince Shey a few hours to get to the palace and catch up on what had been happening in the past few weeks. No one would need them for a while, and there was no sense in spending that time locked up in the palace waiting.

“Fine, but only for a couple of hours.” Haru’s expression brightened the second Adrian agreed, and Adrian forcefully ignored the way his heart skipped in response. Instead, he scowled and pointed at Haru’s stomach with his free hand. “Are you sure you’ve got a good handle on everything?” The dragon appeared fine with the goddess’s powers under control, but he still needed to check on Haru.

“Yes, everything is fine. I am in control. It is much easier to dampen those voices and shove aside the darkness with my Adrian at my side.”

That seemed to track. When Haru was happy and relaxed, there were fewer nightmarish outbreaks that lashed out at the world, and Haru didn’t appear to be in pain.

“Let’s get out of here. I’m sure someone noticed a dragon landing on this roof and called the cops.” Adrian grasped Haru’s hands and pulled him toward the metal ladder that connected with the rest of the fire escape. “I don’t think we want to be stopped and forced to answer a lot of questions while the country is in the middle of a war. Someone is going to think we’re spies for New Rosanthe.”

“I will keep you safe,” Haru vowed.

Adrian released Haru and climbed onto the first rung. Thankfully, Haru had chosen a building where the fire escape was well maintained without a speck of rust. It didn’t even creak under his weight. “How about we just skip the part where we’re suspected of espionage? It kind of ruins the vibe for a date.”

Haru’s smile returned, and Adrian fought hard not to do the same. The dragon’s giddy excitement was contagious. This was the stupidest thing. They should go straight to the palace, report to Queen Noemi, and get briefed on the situation so they could help their ally. Instead, they were going sightseeing. Rayne would be having a fit right now. Drayce would be cackling his ass off. Caelan and Eno would probably be somewhere in the middle of it.

Whatever. It was fine. As they were sightseeing, Adrian could direct them toward the palace. It probably wouldn’t hurt to get a lay of the land. There was no telling if there were Order soldiers and spies in the city right now causing trouble. They could step in and protect the inhabitants of Sirelis.

In no time, they reached the street and cut to a narrow side street to a principal thoroughfare lined with shops, restaurants, and other businesses. As soon as they were on the sidewalk, Haru caught his hand and threaded their fingers together. Adrian ignored the stares and whispers of the people they passed. It wasn’t about two men holding hands. That was common enough.

It had to be Haru’s appearance. Slender like a willow in flowing white robes edged in blue and green. His long black hair was loose and tumbled down his shoulders in an inky cascade, a few diamonds woven among the locks to wink in the fading afternoon sun.

He drifted along like a figure from another world. Haru looked more godlike than Tyche. Meanwhile, Adrian’s clothes were common enough. He’d chosen a pair of durable black cargo pants to protect him on the ride and a thick, knit charcoal-gray sweater. It might be summer, but the air in Caspagir was considerably colder than what they would experience in Stormbreak. Only the Isle of Stone might be colder.