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“Squeak!” I said, somehow forgetting I couldn’t talk.
“Hum, I don’t know that one.” Runes wiggled his eyebrows and gestured to his phone. “But it’s pretty clear you need that more than me.” He gave the woman still hovering at my elbow a smile. “I think Tenzin’s on The Hunt for a mate just over there,” he pointed, “if you’re looking for a dragon to match that lovely fiery dress.”
The anger in the woman’s face vanished, replaced with heat and hope. A lot of hope. She bit her bottom lip and looked at me as if asking permission to go.
Curiosity made me hesitate.
Although the woman clearly had her voice and knew what was going on here, she also didn’t give off the same vibes the other applicants did. It wasn’t just her height. With a delicate bone structure and long, silky, deep red hair, if we’d met in an open supernatural setting, I would have pegged her as a Nymph of some kind.
Really, a dance full of dragon shifters isn’t an open supernatural setting?
Not when they only take human mates.
The woman brought her hands in front of her chest. Her long, delicate fingers laced together. Nymphs had a natural glamor, like chameleons, which let them blend into any situation. But any mage should be able to see through it. If she was glamoured up, my new rune-covered friend would have called her out.
I had too many things on my plate. She looked human, knew what the fuck was going on, and clearly knew what she wanted. Icouldn’t get hung up on details. And why was she waiting for my permission anyway?
With a grin, I gestured in the same direction Runes had. The sun couldn’t have outshined the woman’s face. She rushed off, her skirts billowing behind her to the sound of Runes’s rich chuckle.
“Every woman wants a fire dragon,” Runes said his voice light. “They have money, power, technology. Even with their hatred of water, they somehow have complete control over all our trade coming in by boat. Our four elements should be balanced, but fire somehow always comes out ahead.”
I turned back to him with a list of questions spinning in my eyes.
He held out his thumb and forefinger as if framing a picture. “It looks like your trajectory would have taken you to the bar. Why don’t you type out a few bits while I grab you a drink?”
I nodded, but as he turned to leave, I reached out and put a hand on his bare forearm, tracing one of his tattoos with my thumb. He was my first real connection to magic. As far as I could tell, Rehan and Tyson were both elemental dragons. They didn’t use raw Ley Line power.
Runes put his hand over mine and pulled me in for a hug. “I don’t know what’s going on, but you’ll be okay.”
I squeezed him hard. God, I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear those words.
Someone's gaze burned into me, and I looked up to see Tyson glaring daggers at me. I should have guessed he was a prince with that ego. What a mess. My heart squeezed. I’d be pissed too. Magical bonds were no joke; once dragons claimed something was theirs, they never truly let it go. Dragon shifters couldn’t be that different. Pushing me away had to be painful, even if it was the right thing for Tyson to do.
Anger was so much easier to feel than pain. I knew that too well.
I tore my gaze away from him and squeezed the random dragon shifter in my arms. He was so innocent and sweet. I needed to let him go before he got pulled into my shit show.
Runes pulled back when I did. “You have my phone. I’ll come back.”
Heat filled my face. Of course he would. I was an idiot.
He stepped toward the bar, and the crowd swallowed his frame.
I focused on his phone, typing my questions into an email. No one disturbed me, and upon returning, he patiently waited for me to finish before exchanging the phone for a glass of rich, creamy liquor.
I didn’t recognize the caramel-cream drink, but it was good enough. I let the next sweet sip sit on my tongue before swallowing.
Runes grinned. “Cream liqueur is my go-to comfort drink.” He cocked his glass towards me and took a sip before focusing on his phone. “To answer your questions, yes. Tyson and Rehan are princes. The most powerful family rules each elemental clan, except in earth, which is a complicated democracy. Tyson’s a third son, while Rehan’s a first. His grandfather, not his father, still rules water territory.” His smile fell a bit. “Dragon shifters live a lot longer than humans, though the newer generations, not so much.” He took a long breath. “And bringing women to the island is necessary but also controversial. You see, magic likes balance...”
I smiled, hearing something I liked to say a lot coming out of his mouth.
“And, well,” Runes frowned, the skin between his eyebrows furrowing. “The longer you stay here, the more you’ll see how unbalanced our choices have made us.”
“What are you doing?” A woman’s voice called. A tan hand snaked across the dragon shifter's shoulder and pulled him backward. “You saw that kiss. We don’t want to start anything with the water dragons.” The woman groaned. “You can’t go anywhere without a babysitter. This is such a frustrating assignment!”
Rune’s face fell, and he looked at me as if seeing me for the first time. I put my hand out, trying to calm him as if he were an animal moments from bolting. He couldn’t leave yet. I still had more questions.
The hand gripped the dragon shifter’s shirt and yanked. He closed his eyes and shook his balled fists in front of him before letting out a calming breath. “It looks like I’m leaving. It was good to meet you, um…”
