Page 77 of Mad Dragon of Chaos

“My Adrian has a perfect memory when it comes to maps and directions. He’s never lost.” Haru’s unwavering confidence made the tips of Adrian’s ears burn. Yes, he had a photographic memory with maps and finding his way, but that didn’t mean he never got lost. There were plenty of times he’d gotten turned around and confused. Usually because he had an overgrown lizard whispering in his ear.

Jules released the seats and dropped back with a dull thud. Adrian could see him adjust his glasses in the rearview mirror and shove a hand through his hair. The young man was a strange mix of practical and naïve. He was enthusiastic about helping his countrymen, but he was a thoughtful planner. He didn’t act on impulse and dive into a situation without a scheme.

Unlike several other people also seated in the vehicle.

After a few blocks of narrow streets, he spotted what he was searching for—a nearly empty shop parking lot with no one about. Perfect. He jerked the SUV into the lot and reversed into an empty spot with the rear of the car facing the brick face of the next building.

“Grab what you need. We’re not returning,” Shey ordered as he jumped out.

They each had a plain black backpack filled with a change of clothes, a bottle of water, and some dry rations. All the labels had been removed from their clothes. They’d left behind in Caspagir anything that could identify who they were. No cell phones. No IDs.

“Jules, do you know where we are and where you need to travel?” Adrian inquired as Haru handed him his bag.

The young man nodded. “Y-yes. It’s still a few miles off, but I know of a couple of routes we can take.”

“Good.” Adrian shouldered his bag and snagged the dragon’s arm. “Haru, I need you to get Jules and Ty to the safe house. Protect them but keep a low profile. Don’t get captured. If things get bad, just take them to Uris-Oladul.”

“What?” Haru gasped, and Tyche echoed it. “I am not leaving my Adrian. We can travel together.”

Shey shook his head. “Five is too big a group to travel together. We’ll attract attention. People will remember us. It’s better if we split up.”

“Plus, Shey and I have the most memorable faces,” Adrian added. He loosened his grip on Haru’s arm to slide his hand down to Haru’s, tangling their fingers together. A horrible queasiness had invaded his stomach, and a cold chill clung to his skin. Since he’d started this journey with Haru, the dragon had rarely been out of sight. The last time was when he’d flown off with those damn goddess powers in his belly. He’d sworn he’d not let Haru walk away from him again, but this course of action made the most sense if they were to succeed.

“I do not like this, my Adrian,” Haru pouted. “How can I keep you safe if you are not with me?”

“I promise to stay safe and find you. I will always find my way back to you. No one can keep us apart.”

The words had barely left his lips when Haru’s mouth crashed into his in a brutal kiss that seemed to touch his soul. The dragon had claimed him in the most basic sense, and there was something inside Adrian that was so very relieved by it. He wanted this all to be done so he could escape with the dragon and forget about the world for a while.

Not that such a thing was an actual option, but hey, a guy could pretend.

As Adrian lost himself to that very thorough kiss, he heard Tyche snicker. “Not even trying to put up a fight anymore. You’re just⁠—”

His words were cut off, and Adrian pulled away from Haru to see what had happened and almost fell over. Shey had captured Tyche and shut up the minor god with his own all-consuming kiss. Tyche didn’t appear to be doing all that much fighting either, considering how he’d melted into the prince.

Adrian snorted.

Jules stood between the two couples, his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide enough to roll out of his head. “But…you’re…dating?”

Haru wrapped one arm around Adrian’s waist, cuddling his mate close, while patting Jules on the shoulder. “Things became complicated recently.”

“Uh…yeah.”

They had been careful to hide certain facts from Jules, since they had yet to determine whether he was trustworthy. Namely, that Haru was a dragon and Tyche was a god. There was no hiding that Shey was the crown prince of Caspagir. And right then, there seemed to be no benefit in keeping their relationships from the young man. Shey had been particularly grumpy considering Jules had established a fast friendship with Tyche.

Shey released Tyche, a small smirk playing on his lips. Yeah, the prince had staked his claim.

Tyche cleared his throat and glared at Adrian. “Shut up.” The God of Luck’s face was bright red, but he was also leaning into Shey as if he didn’t want the prince to release him either.

“If we’ve all said our good-byes?” Shey prompted.

Adrian stepped out of Haru’s arms and wiped all worry from his expression as he gazed at the dragon. “Protect them. I’ll see you soon.”

Haru returned his gaze with a steely one of his own. “Be safe…or else.”

Yeah. He got it. If anything happened to Adrian while they were apart, what happened in Sirelis would pale in comparison to what Haru would do to get him back. There would be nothing left of Bellcairn.

Adrian and Shey waited at the white SUV, watching as Haru, Jules, and Tyche hurried away. A minute later, the trio disappeared around a corner, heading deeper into the quiet town that was situated more than a mile from the city limits of Bellcairn. The sun was setting, casting long shadows over the city while lights popped on here and there, doing little to hold off the night.