“Only those rules I make and enforce on it. It’s an eternal battle. I usually win.” He flashed me a feral, fierce smile. “But there are times, such as war, when I get to set the beast free.”
He loved those times. Felt undivided in his own skin for a rare time. Yet always hungered for a return to the man and his world, those he’d chosen as his family.
“Dani, I feel the Hunter in you,” he said quietly.
“And?”
“It’s beautiful.” One more time, his silver gaze didn’t say. That’s all you’ve got.
And I didn’t say, Then I’ll never use it again.
And he didn’t say, Thank you for that.
Because we both knew I’d use it the next time it was needed. Just like we both knew he would devolve into a lawless monster the next time the opportunity presented itself.
We were what we were, and nothing could change that.
Love doesn’t build cages. It builds stairways to the stars.
“Close your eyes,” I said softly, ready to test just how intimate we could be. When he did, I focused on the connection between us, locking everything in the room down on my mental grid, re-creating us in a private space in my mind as I closed my own eyes.
“Christ, you’re a natural,” he said roughly. “I’m here with you.”
Because of the way I’d taught myself to use my brain, it was second nature to re-create reality in my mind. In the illusion, I stalked hungrily toward him, straddled his lap and slid my arms around his neck, staring down at him. Sexy, brilliant, pain in the ass man, and all mine. Bloody hell, he hadn’t lied, I could feel every inch of his body, indistinguishable from reality.
“I feel it, too, now that we’re both branded,” he said roughly. “Before I couldn’t.” His hands slid up my waist, stopping at the curve of my breasts, thumbs drifting up to graze my nipples. I sucked in a shallow breath, jerking from the erotic contact. “Christ, you’re incredible.”
It was so convincing, I wondered if it would be possible to forget which version of events was true. In the real world, he was still sitting in a chair alone while I was standing several feet away. I tested my ability to move back and forth between the reality and the illusion, stunned to find it indistinguishable. Mind-boggling.
“Get your ass back here. Practice technique later,” he growled. “Fucking kiss me, woman.”
I meant to kiss him with an explosion of raw, long-repressed lust, but when I raised my hands to his face they met his skin with reverence. I thought I’d lost the ability to touch him, to feel the rasp of his beard against my palm, slide my fingers into his hair. This was an unexpected gift. I lowered my mouth to his and brushed lightly, teasing, nipping, savoring the tension coiled in his body, knowing he wanted it hard, savage, and I’d get to that in just a moment but, bloody hell, teasing this man sexually was something I’d hungered—
My phone alert sounded.
“Ignore it,” he growled.
I couldn’t. I had to at least look. If our world was peaceful, I could shut it off. But it wasn’t and it might be important so I shifted back to reality with a groan, tugged my phone from my pocket and glanced at it.
Is your last name O’Malley?
It was from Roisin. I winced. With all that had been happening in my life, I’d not circled back to check on her.
Yes why?
I need to talk to you. There’s something you need to know.
I’ll call you
No. I need to see you
I sighed gustily at the same moment Ryodan did and glanced at him, startled. “You can see her text?”
“No. I picked up only that someone wanted you and you’d made up your mind to go, when a split second ago there was nothing but sex on your mind. Whatever it is,” he said darkly, “let’s get it done.”
“This is certainly going to make things easier. You can tell when—”
“Your stubborn kicks in,” he growled. “Yes. We’ll both know when it’s pointless to argue.”
“That’s going to save so much—”
“Which means more time to fuck,” he purred, pushing up from the chair.
“Are you going to start finishing all—”
“Good chance of it. Soon you’ll stop talking.”
Holy hell, I don’t need to anymore!
You and me, peas in that kaleidoscopic, crazy-ass Mega-pod of yours. He flashed me one of those rare full-on smiles, blazing with joy.
It took my breath away. Maybe this beast/dragon thing could actually work.
Never doubt it, he said in my mind as we headed out to see Roisin.
* * *
π
I was pleased to hear the sound of multiple dead bolts sliding when I texted Roisin to let her know we were standing outside her flat, that I’d brought company with me and to brace herself: I looked a bit different.
Still, I suppose no warning could have prepared her for the sight of me. I’d gotten my fill of shocked, startled, and frightened looks on the way over. And notched my chin higher, put a little swagger into my step. I wasn’t scary looking as far as I was concerned; Hunter-raven and obsidian flames looked good on me. I thought I looked downright dangerous and oddly hot.
Soft laughter in my mind. That you do, Ryodan agreed.
I sent him a wordless smile in response.
Sexy in any form, Dani. Woman or dragon.
Back atcha, badass dude.
More laughter, husky with a blatantly sexual undertone. I shivered. Couldn’t wait to get my illusory hands on him again.
During the walk over I’d become aware that something deep at my core was changing, transforming, caterpillar to a leathery-winged black butterfly. I could sense subtle differences in my brain I couldn’t quite grasp but it felt as if inert areas of gray matter were waking up, firing with new neurons. I could feel more raw energy pooling inside me than ever before. I loathed that the changes were taking me away from my friends, but given what Ryodan and I could do with our bond, and the power I would soon have, my inevitable transformation was more bittersweet than bitter. He loved me. He would love me no matter what I was. I loved him the same way. Love doesn’t always come in tidy packages.
“What in the world happened to you?” Roisin gasped, peering intently at me.
“Hazards of the trade,” I told her as we stepped inside the flat, unable to keep a note of irritation from my voice. There were no rules in our world, hadn’t been for years. Who knew killing a Hunter meant you would become one? Who could even guess at that kind of twist? It had been somewhere between seven and nine years since I’d stabbed it. What kind of transformation took that long? I said, “How’s your back?”
“Healing. The bastards dragged us down the street,” she said tightly.
I blinked. “To a mirror?”
It was her turn to blink. “Yes. How did you know that?”
Balor took her? Ryodan said in my mind. And she got away?
Sounds like. How had this petite woman with no apparent magic managed it? To Roisin, I said, “Tell me everything.”
* * *
π