Page 35 of Mad Dragon of Chaos

Adrian tightened his hand on Haru’s as they resumed walking. “I like Shey too, but there’s nothing wrong with being cautious to protect your people. I never want to see anything bad happen to the dragons.”

Haru hummed softly. “This is why you must return to the Isle of Stone with me. You are very logical, and you will help me give Uncle good advice.”

A bark of laughter jumped from Adrian’s throat. Every time. No matter what they were doing or talking about, Haru always found a way to wind it to Adrian returning to the Isle of Stone with him.

And every time, Adrian was a little more tempted to say yes.

THIRTEEN

TYCHE

Haru was not coming back. It was clear after the giant dragon soared out toward the city and hadn’t been seen again after several minutes.

Asshole.

He was probably sneaking off with Adrian to get something delicious to eat.

In the meantime, Tyche was left with Prince Shey—not a bad thing—and a crap-ton of armed men trying to protect their prince as they escorted him home. The heavily armed escort closed ranks around the yacht, making it feel tiny in the harbor as they raced away from the burning Order ships and the other chaos Haru had caused. The dark clouds and lightning Shey had summoned were dissipating while the winds and seas calmed for smoother sailing.

Tyche stood on the deck of the bridge, watching as the city of Sirelis grew larger in front of him. The harbor—even on lockdown because of the Order blockade—was a busy place full of ships of different sizes. Giant cargo ships were at one end, while smaller fishing vessels docked at the other. Past the harbor, row after row of buildings rose to create a beautiful skyline against a distant backdrop of snow-capped mountains. Tyche couldn’t recall the last time he’d been in Sirelis. Countless centuries ago, at least. It hadn’t been built up like this.

A smile teased his lips as he saw the prevalent touches of blue everywhere, reminding him that this was technically Kaes’s town. He’d need to tread carefully. There was no need to piss off the God of Storms more than he had. The one bonus he had working for him now was that Prince Shey clearly had a fondness for Tyche, and if Kaes wanted to use the prince for some nefarious reason, it didn’t help his cause to keep picking fights with the God of Luck.

Of course, Tyche had a few questions about that fondness. Pretty much starting with…

What the fuck?

Shey kissed me.

We kissed.

Lips touching. Breaths mingling. Heat growing. That kissing.

Even recalling it now, Tyche’s brain shorted out and his cheeks heated. If he’d known kissing was so nice, he would have investigated it centuries ago. No! Millennia ago.

However, he had a feeling that the reason for the kissing being so nice had more to do with who he was kissing and less to do with the specific act.

That girl had kissed him. Fuck, he couldn’t even remember her name now. In his defense, that had been over six hundred years ago. Even so, that kiss hadn’t felt nearly as exciting as the one he’d enjoyed with Shey.

He wanted to try it again. If one small, slow kiss felt that nice, wouldn’t several kisses be better? What if they weren’t so small or slow, but hungry and fierce? What if hands were involved and possibly other body parts?

“Are you ready to get off the ship?”

Shey’s innocent question ripped Tyche from his wandering thoughts. The God of Luck lost all credibility as he jumped, a sharp yelp escaping him. When he turned to look at the prince, he found Shey frozen, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open as if he couldn’t believe Tyche’s response.

“Um…yeah. Sorry. Lost in important thought.” Tyche cleared his throat, determined to brazen his way through his lapse and ignore the fact that he might have been fantasizing about what Shey’s warm skin might taste like if he licked his throat. “What were you saying?”

Shey blinked and tried to smooth out his face, but Tyche could still see the hint of a smile tugging up the corners of his mouth. “I asked if you were excited to get off the ship.”

“Oh, yes. Definitely. Apparently, Haru has beaten me to exploring your city and finding out what kind of good food you have here.”

The grin bloomed in full force, and that traitorous flutter in the pit of Tyche’s stomach returned. So annoying. Why did that keep happening? Shouldn’t he be accustomed to Shey’s attractive appearance by now? The fluttering was getting worse. Especially since the kiss.

“I’ll make sure you get the chance to taste all of Caspagir’s specialties. The palace has some of the finest chefs in the kingdom, and they’ll make whatever you want.”

Tyche frowned. Going to the palace likely meant meeting Shey’s mother and sister. That felt very nerve-racking. “When you introduce me to the queen and princess, could you not lead off with the fact that I’m a god?”

Shey’s warm expression clouded, and he stepped up to the railing with Tyche. The wind ruffled his long, pale hair while the waning afternoon light cast shadows across the sharp features of his face. “I’m not sure I would be comfortable hiding such a fact. She’s not only my mother but the queen of Caspagir. She must protect our people, and that’s hard to accomplish with people hiding important information.”