Kiss of Embers (The Dragon Lairds #5)

Chapter 2

Chapter

Two

STRUAN

One week later

I stood in the cabin’s kitchen doorway, my eyes glued to the finest ass I’d ever seen. Clad in a pair of tight, thin boxer briefs, it was round and firm. But not too firm. No, it had a bit of heft to it. Just enough meat for a man to grab onto. I should know. When it came to the ass in question, I’d done my share of grabbing over the years.

The ass’s owner busied himself making coffee in the cabin’s temperamental coffee maker. The machine sputtered, a red light blinking like a small, angry eye.

“Suffering fuck,” Finn muttered, hunching as he fiddled with the machine. His buttocks flexed, and I bit back a moan. He hunkered down, his feet planted firmly apart. More curses spilled from his lips. As he bent lower, his heavy sack peeked between his muscular thighs, the bulge lovingly encased in soft gray cotton.

I leaned against the door frame and palmed my aching dick through my pajama pants. Outside the window above the sink, snow fell in lazy drifts. In the distance, the Bavarian Alps soared toward a bright morning sky. Sunlight set the snow sparkling. The view was undeniably gorgeous. It was nothing compared to the view in front of me. In eight decades, I’d yet to find a landscape that could compete with Finn MacAlasdair.

When it came to my fantasies, he ticked every box. Chocolate-brown hair that was forever falling into a pair of gray eyes. Six-and-a-half feet of muscle honed to mouthwatering perfection. And, of course, an ass that held my attention like a drum solo.

The coffee maker gave another halfhearted sputter. Finn spat a Gaelic curse, then straightened to his full height. His buttocks drew together, a thin strip of cotton captured in the tantalizing cleft between them.

Desire punched hard, and I dug my teeth into my lip as I gave my erection another firm stroke. The thin robe I’d thrown on when I left the bed fluttered open, letting the cabin’s dry, cool air caress my bare chest and abs. I ran my palm up to my stomach, then slid my hand under my waistband and gripped my cock.

Finn stretched his arms over his head, the movement slow and easy. He curled long fingers toward the cabin’s beamed ceiling as he released what sounded like a yawn. Muscle rippled down his back in a languid wave. He bowed his spine, thrusting his ass out as he leaned into the stretch. His ass flexed, sucking more cotton into his crease.

My dick leapt in my hand. Lust crackled through me. Fuck, I was going to come just from looking at him. He’d never let me live it down. I clenched my jaw as I squeezed the base of my shaft, my breath hitching as I tried to stave off my release.

“Are you just going to stand there holding your dick, or are you going to come over here and suck mine?”

I jerked my head up to find Finn watching me over his shoulder, amusement in his gray eyes. They glinted red as he faced me and then leaned against the counter.

“Well?” he added, gesturing to his straining erection. A damp patch marked the spot where his cockhead pressed against the front of his boxer briefs.

I crossed the kitchen and planted my hands on the counter on either side of his hips, bracketing him in. Then I bent and licked a path up the side of his neck, my tongue dragging over his stubble. His scent—smoke and a hint of dark incense—filled my lungs. Like all dragons save for King Cormac, Finn carried traces of his mother’s heritage. The incense was one of those things. “How long have you known I was there?”

His chuckle rumbled against my lips. “You’re really loud when you’re fucking my ass with your eyes.” His laugh turned into a moan as I moved down his body, swirling my tongue around one flat, pink nipple.

I bit the tender peak, and I absorbed his gasp before growling, “I’d rather fuck it with my tongue.” Tapping the speed I inherited from my mother, I spun him around and yanked his boxer briefs down. A couple more tugs, and they were on the floor. When he hissed and thrust his ass out, I took it as the invitation it was and went to my knees. Then I palmed his cheeks, spread him wide, and thrust my face into his crease.

“Fuck!” He shuddered as I made good on my promise, swirling my tongue around his hole the same way I’d circled his nipple. “Oh fuck, Struan. Just like that.”

“Like what?” I demanded, drawing back long enough to spit on his opening. The pink muscle tightened like a little mouth, the pleated skin glistening. So pretty. Growling, I dug my fingers into his cheeks and delved back in, stroking my tongue over my prize.

Finn gasped, rocking against my face. “Like that .” His voice went hoarse, his words stretching on a moan. “Holy fuck, you know what you’re doing.” Wood creaked, and I knew he gripped the counter. The cabin was sturdy. Old. Not as old as we were, but it was more solidly built than the hotels that littered the touristy parts of the mountains. The counter would hold. Probably.

Finn’s hole fluttered against my tongue, and I forgot all about the counter. I licked and stroked, alternating between teasing caresses and hard thrusts. Finally, the ring of muscle relaxed, and I poked my tongue inside, fucking it in and out of Finn’s hot, slick passage.

“More,” he demanded, grinding his ass on my face. The kitchen filled with his harsh breaths and the wet sounds of my tongue thrusting inside him. My cock was probably dripping onto the floor, but I couldn’t be bothered to touch it. Not when I could feel every twitch and squeeze of Finn’s muscle around my tongue. After a moment, he spread his legs wider and arched his back. “Deeper. I’m close.”

“Mmm.” Wickedness spread through me, and I abandoned his hole to run my tongue down his balls, denying him the pleasure I knew he chased. Sure enough, he reached back and gripped my hair, attempting to steer me where he wanted me. I ignored the pain in my scalp as I mouthed at his sack.

Finn’s warning growl rumbled above me. “Struan…”

“Wheesht,” I said, running my tongue over the crinkled seam of his nuts. I sucked one hot globe into my mouth and tugged. At the same moment, I pushed a finger inside him, delving deep enough to graze his gland.

His pleasured cry filled the kitchen as his passage strangled my finger. “Aye,” he panted, throwing his hips back. “Keep going.”

I gave his prostate a few firm strokes, then pulled my finger from his ass.

He slammed his free hand on the counter. “Fucking hell, Struan!”

I released his testicle and aimed for the other one. But my lips closed around empty air. I pitched forward, my forehead smacking the kitchen cabinets. Amusement and irritation coursed through me in equal measure. He’d channeled away, the squirrelly fucker.

Ignoring the sting in my forehead, I surged to my feet and headed for the bedroom, stripping as I went. My swollen cock bobbed like a dowsing rod as my robe and pajama pants hit the floor. The bedroom door was ajar. Anticipation pumped hot in my veins as I reached out to shove it wider.

A warm, heavy weight landed on my back, and a pair of sharp fangs grazed my neck. “Looking for me?” Finn breathed in my ear.

I seized his thighs on either side of my hips, then whirled and slammed his back into the nearest wall. His grunt exploded in my ear, but he hung on, his muscular thighs wrapped around my waist. He threw an arm around my neck and squeezed, his thick bicep digging into my throat.

“Let…go,” I wheezed, clawing at his forearm even as my body lit up at the feel of his rigid dick prodding my lower back.

“When I’m ready,” he said. His tone was polite and reasonable, as if we discussed the weather. “You’re an unrepentant cocktease, Struan. Someone needs to teach you a lesson.” He tightened his arm—and scooped his hips, unashamedly rutting against my back.

Dots swam in my vision. I tensed, prepared to throw my body backward and smash him into the wall again. He channeled away, and I stumbled forward as oxygen rushed into my lungs.

Finn was on me before I could regain my balance. He shoved me into the wall, crowding me with his body. I had an inch of height on him, but he was faster, and he pinned my arms over my head before I could blink. His eyes flashed red as he thrust his hips against mine, grinding our dicks together.

The fight left me. I sagged against his grip, a whimper slipping from between my lips. My cock pulsed, and my balls throbbed as need mounted. Trapped between Finn and the wall, I struggled to move. But he held me fast, grinding all over me as he squeezed my wrists. We were both leaking, our shafts growing slick with our mingled precome.

“I could keep you like this,” Finn rasped, his lips touching mine. “Pin you to the wall and use you whenever I pleased. Would you like that? Would you be hard for me?” He pumped his hips harder, working his damp erection over mine. His voice dipped lower, and his warm breath fluttered over my mouth. “Aye, you’d be a good boy for me, wouldn’t you, Struan? Just a hard, ready cock hanging on the wall whenever I wanted to use it.”

“Aye,” I said, only vaguely aware what I was agreeing to. But when it came to Finn, I would have agreed to anything. “Let me fuck you,” I begged.

“Mmm, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

What? It was a great idea. The best I’d ever had. But Finn was playing his favorite game now, punishing me for edging him.

“Please,” I croaked, my throat still burning from his rough treatment. “I’ll be good.” I tried to kiss him, but he jerked his head back, denying me. My fingers tingled as his unrelenting grip on my wrists cut off my circulation. That was one of his games, too—proving he could control me whenever he wished. Unfortunately, my dick loved Finn’s games. It throbbed between my legs, every sultry roll of Finn’s hips wrenching my misery higher.

“Will you?” he asked tilting his head.

I nodded mine vigorously, ready to pledge my sword, so to speak, to any cause he suggested. “Aye. I’ll be so good. Just…oh gods…need to fuck you.”

His eyes flickered between gray and red, more of his mother’s heritage peeking out. Thick lashes swept his cheeks as he ran his gaze down my chest to the place where our dicks met. His lips curved as he released my wrists. Slowly, he sank to his knees.

I held my breath, not daring to lower my arms. Finn hadn’t told me to, so I wouldn’t. Simple as that.

He peered up at me, authority rolling off him. My cock brushed his cheek, and he leaned into it, letting the engorged tip slide along his jaw to the corner of his lips. “Show me, then,” he murmured. “Show me how good you can be.”

He sucked my cock into his mouth.

My moan was loud enough to cause an avalanche. I thrust hard, my dick sliding over his hot, talented tongue. He licked all around my shaft, lapping at my slit before taking me to the back of his throat. Then he bobbed his head, his mouth stretched wide as he swallowed my cock over and over.

“Fuck,” I whimpered, letting my head loll against the wall. I kept my arms flung over my head, and I curled my hands into fists as I thrust my hips, nailing the back of Finn’s throat. He held my stare with red-sheened eyes as he let me fuck his mouth.

But I knew better than to come. As soon as the thought materialized, Finn slid a hand up my thigh to my balls. He cupped me, squeezing just hard enough to get his message across.

Mine.

Pleasure shot through me in spiky currents. Sweat coated my skin. The hallway filled with my ragged breaths and the slick, heavy sounds of my cock tunneling into Finn’s mouth. He kept a tight grip on my nuts as he swallowed my dick, taking every inch with no effort. The phrase “gag reflex” simply didn’t apply to him. He was a dark-haired god of sex on his knees, his bare shoulders kissed by the morning sunlight that streamed down the hallway. His erection bobbed with his movements, the thick shaft traced with fat veins. But the plump crown drew my gaze. Broad and shiny, it drooled precome from a prominent slit.

My mouth watered for those glistening drops. Release barreled toward me, but I held back. I couldn’t disappoint Finn.

“Want you,” I gasped, my plea more of a moan than actual speech. I grabbed at the air above my head, desperate to keep my orgasm at bay.

Finn gave me a final suck, then surged to his feet. He seized my spit-soaked dick in an iron grip and put his face in mine. “If you want me, then come get me.”

He disappeared.

I shot off the wall and tore into the bedroom, almost ripping the door off the hinges in the process. Finn was already on his back on the bed. I landed on top of him and crushed my mouth to his. Our tongues tangled as we moaned and huffed into each other’s mouths. My dick lodged in his cleft, and I rocked my hips, dragging my shaft up and down the hot furrow of his ass. He spread his legs wider and hooked a knee over one of my hips.

“Get the fuck in me,” he growled against my lips.

“Lube,” I said hoarsely.

He shoved a bottle into my hand.

I reared back long enough to slick my shaft. He pulled his knees to his chest, putting himself on display. And what a display. Dusky sack. Thick cock lying on taut, heaving abs. Blushing pink hole still glossy and open from my tongue. I fingered lube into him, testing his readiness and trying not to lose my mind.

“Is this where you want me?” I asked, clenching my jaw at the hot clutch of his passage.

“Aye. Hurry up.”

Holding his stare, I lined myself up with his hole, then pushed inside, sliding past the first ring of muscle. His tight heat engulfed me, and I curled over him and pressed my forehead to his as I clung to my control.

“You feel so good,” I breathed, my body shaking. “So perfect. I love your ass. I love you.”

Humor touched his tone. “In that order?”

I lifted my head so I could frown at him. “You know what I mean.”

The amusement leaked into his eyes. “Aye, Struan, I know what you mean. And I love you too.” He squeezed his ass around my dick. “Now fuck me before I toss you off the side of the mountain.”

“That would raise a few German eyebrows,” I said, withdrawing a few inches and then thrusting back inside.

He grunted his agreement.

“We might lose our security deposit on the cabin.”

Finn tangled a hand in my hair and yanked my head down. “Struan?”

“Aye?”

“Stop talking.”

“Okay.”

I fucked him hard, driving him into the bed until the headboard slammed against the wall and the skis we’d propped in the corner of the room crashed to the floor. The sex turned aggressive and then feral, and we rolled on the big mattress, ending up on our sides with me drilling Finn from behind.

“Is this what you wanted?” I growled, hooking an arm under his thigh and yanking it to his shoulder. “My shameless slut, flaunting your ass in those tight little shorts. Flashing this pretty hole and hoping I’d pound it.”

“ Knowing you’d pound it,” he corrected, his breath hitching from the force of my thrusts. He twisted his upper body enough to grasp my jaw. “You can’t help yourself. It’s all you think about.”

He had me there. So I shut up and kissed him, licking into his hot mouth as my body caught fire. My balls bounced off his ass, the sharp slap of skin against skin warring with the sounds of our sloppy kiss and the squealing bed. Sweat stung my eyes. I was burning up, my blood replaced with rocket fuel. I’d closed my eyes at some point, but I knew Finn reached for his dick. After so many years together, I read him as easily as opening my favorite book. I’d made a study of Finn MacAlasdair, and I knew all his tells. How he tensed when he couldn’t hold out any longer. How he tried to hide it because he hated anyone guessing his moves before he made them. So I never let on. I just kept fucking him. Loving him. Sharing my body with the man I craved like my lungs craved air.

Finn wrenched his lips from mine. He pumped his cock furiously, his hand a blur. “Come for me,” he panted. “Come inside me.”

My body leapt to his command, come spurting from me mid-thrust. I cried out as I seized Finn’s hip and buried my dick to the hilt. Reality blurred, sliding into something bright and shiny. Stars, maybe. I didn’t fucking know, and I didn’t care. The splendor of the universe was a distant second to the waves of raw pleasure pumping through me.

Finn found his release seconds after I started to come down. His shout rang in my ears as his body jerked and his ass tightened around my still-pulsing dick. When he stopped twitching, I pulled out and then maneuvered onto my knees between his thighs. He lay on his back with his eyes closed, one hand still clutching his spent cock. Come glistened on his chest. I pushed his knees up, then stifled a moan at the sight of my seed dribbling from his hole.

“Let’s not waste this,” I said, scooping my come onto my finger and pushing it back inside him.

His eyes flew open, then narrowed to slits. He let me have my way for a moment, shivering while I collected our mingled come and fingered it into his ass. But Finn could never stay passive for long. After a second, he surged up, grabbed my shoulders, and pulled me on top of him. I went gladly, landing between his spread thighs. We shuddered together as I notched my cockhead against his hole and pressed back inside.

“Fuck, Struan,” he breathed, sliding his fingers into my hair. He wrapped his legs around my waist as he kissed me. It was my favorite kind of kiss—gentle and unhurried, our tongues twining around each other. Sweat cooled on my skin. Finn’s scent surrounded me. I nuzzled his neck and breathed him in, savoring the heady combination of smoke, incense, and me .

Yeah, putting my scent all over him was just as nice as fucking him.

“That was amazing,” he said, stroking his fingertips down my back.

“It always is,” I mumbled against his shoulder. His fingers were magic on my skin, and my voice was lazy as I floated on a sea of contentment. “Let’s sleep all day and then fuck again before dinner.”

He made another pass down my back. Then his chest lifted as he sighed. “We should probably ski at some point. Isn’t that why you wanted to take this vacation?”

“Tomorrow.” I was too damn comfortable to move. And the cabin’s shower was big and modern. A shower with Finn sounded a whole lot better than freezing my bollocks off on the side of the mountain.

“Hmm.” A teasing note entered Finn’s tone. “We haven’t skied much since we got here. Are you sure you didn’t have another reason for booking this trip?”

I stiffened. Then I lifted my head and met his amused stare. As I searched for a change of subject, his gaze softened. He moved his hands to my cheeks and stroked over the whiskers I could never conquer no matter how many times a day I shaved.

“We’ll find her, Struan.” His voice turned gentle as he gave my cheekbones another stroke. “But probably not in these mountains.”

An ache bloomed in my heart. “You don’t ken that.”

“No…” Finn offered a small smile. “You’re right. I don’t know for sure. Anything is possible.”

He was humoring me. I pulled from his body and flopped onto my back beside him. “She has to be out there somewhere .” But even as I said it, a little voice in my head reminded me that she might not even be born yet. Finn and I had already waited over a century. We might have to wait a few more.

I forced that depressing thought from my mind. “Everyone else has found their females,” I told the ceiling. “Why not us?”

The bed dipped as Finn lifted onto his elbow beside me. He smoothed his free hand over my stomach, delving his fingers into the hollows between my abdominal muscles. “Not everyone.”

I looked at him. “It feels like everyone. Callum McLeish mated an ice dragon and a witch on the same day .”

Finn’s brow furrowed. “I don’t think it was the same day.”

“Bloody close enough. Then you’ve got Lachlan MacKay and Alec Murray mating that curvy little human. Bram McGregor and Fergus Devlin found Halina of Krovnosta on their doorstep?—”

“I know.”

“—and the Consort and King Cormac have Queen Isolde.”

“Thank the gods,” Finn said pointedly. “Cormac was in a bad way for a long time. It’s a miracle he and the Consort found the queen. It’s an even bigger miracle that Alec and Lachlan’s woman broke the Curse.” Finn raised an eyebrow. “Her name is Chloe, by the way. And based on the rumors I’ve heard, she’ll punt your sack into your brain if you refer to her as curvy little human .”

“A murderous, curvy little human? You’re only making me more jealous.”

Finn snorted. Then he sobered. “Are you really that unhappy?”

Surprise flared in my mind. “What? No. Why would you think that?”

He gestured at the bedroom. “Renting this place. Coming to the Alps. For the past few years, you’ve planned these trips. We travel all over the world.”

“Aye. Because we like to travel.”

And inscrutable look passed through his eyes.

I sat up. “Finn?”

Silence stretched. Then, Finn grimaced. “I need coffee.” He swung his legs off the mattress.

I caught his arm before he could leave the bed. “You think I’m unhappy?”

He drew a deep breath. “You’re looking for her . And so am I. But these things can take time. In some cases, they take several generations. I know all the recent matings weigh on you.” He lowered his gaze to the bedding. “I don’t want you to despair.”

My jealousy dissolved. Because I suddenly recognized the look he’d tried to hide. Fear. Finn worried he wasn’t enough for me. And that simply couldn’t stand. In a sudden movement, I pulled him into my lap. But he was big and heavy as hell, and his weight toppled me backward.

“Struan!” He came up spitting, his legs straddling my waist. “What are you on about?”

“You,” I said, running my hands up his thick thighs. My cock tightened, but I ignored it as I soothed my mate. “I want to make one thing clear, Finn MacAlasdair.”

He stilled, clearly recognizing the seriousness of my tone. “What is it?”

“Eighty years haven’t cooled my ardor for you in the slightest. I don’t despair. I rejoice. And I meant what I said when we spoke our vows.” I gripped his waist, then surged up, toppling him backward onto the bed. With a roll of my hips, I entered him in one smooth thrust. He was still slick and open, and he took me easily. His gasp fluttered over my face, and his eyes went wide as I bent my head and recited our vows against his lips. “I bind you and I’m bound to you. I’ll take no others save the one we wait for.” I thrust my hips once, hard, jolting him on the rumpled bed. “Is that clear?”

His swallow was audible in the quiet bedroom. “It’s clear.”

“Good. Let me know if you need reminding.” I pressed deeper, my balls snug against his ass, and I grinned when a moan slipped from him. “Now that I think about it, I should probably remind you right now.”

His lips twitched. At the same time, a wicked gleam entered his eyes. The vibe between us changed—the subtle balance of power shifting. “Is that so?” he asked.

“Mmhmm. You’re pretty forgetful.”

“And you’re a hypocrite.” He squeezed his ass around my cock. When I sucked in a breath, he smiled. “Calling me a slut when you’re ready to beg for it.”

“I am,” I rasped. “I’ll beg.”

“I know you will.”

I seized his wrists and pressed them to the mattress above his head. A fresh wave of arousal built as I rutted inside him, my thrusts rocking the bed. “I’m going to fuck you so hard. Going to fill up this messy hole again.”

Lust sparked in his eyes. He tightened his thighs around my hips, then flipped us in one powerful movement. My dick stayed lodged inside him, and he flashed me a triumphant look as he pinned my wrists to the bed, reversing our positions. “You?—”

The first strains of “Imperial March” drifted from the nightstand. Finn and I both looked at my phone.

“Ignore it,” I told him.

“It’s hard to ignore that stupid ringtone.”

“Sacrilege, speaking about the Galactic Empire that way.”

Finn leaned sideways, straining as he tried to see my phone on the nightstand. “Were you expecting a phone call?”

“Hell no.” I bucked my hips a couple times, earning a disgruntled look from Finn. “Ignore it,” I repeated. “If it’s important, they’ll leave a voicemail.”

The phone stopped.

“See?” I gave Finn’s cock a lazy stroke. “It wasn’t important.”

The ringtone started up again.

Finn climbed off me and grabbed the phone. He paled as he studied the screen.

“Who is it?” I asked, sitting up.

“The Consort.”

“Shite!” I jumped from the bed, my blood pumping faster as I searched for my clothes. Robe. I’d left in the hallway. I darted for the door.

“What are you doing?” Finn demanded. “You need to answer this!”

I stopped and waved a wild hand in front of my dick. “I can’t talk to Niall with my cock out.” The ringtone continued, filling the room with trumpets.

Finn marched toward me, the phone extended and an exasperated look on his face. “He can’t see you, Struan.”

“You don’t know that.” Niall Balfour wasn’t just the king’s mate. He was a powerful witch halfling who could travel through water—and wield it as a weapon. He’d ruled the race while Cormac was lost to the fire. Everyone gave the Consort a wide berth.

Finn thrust the phone at me. “Answer it!”

“Give me a bloody second!” I started for the hallway.

The phone went silent. Finn and I stared at it.

“Fuck,” Finn muttered.

I rubbed a hand over my jaw, worry nibbling at me. “Maybe he’ll leave a message.”

Finn shot me a dark look. “Or he’ll come here and?—”

The phone lit up again. This time, the trumpets seemed angrier.

I reached for the phone just as Finn shoved it into my hand. Our knuckles glanced off each other, and Finn fumbled the phone, nearly dropping it.

“Fucking hell, Struan, if you don’t answer this thing, I’m going to?—”

I snatched it from him, and we glared at each other as I pressed the accept button. “Consort,” I said.

“MacLure?” Niall said over the line.

“Aye. I apologize for missing your call, sir.” Gaze on Finn, I pointed at my dick, then at the door. Robe , I mouthed. He threw up his hands and headed for the hallway.

“It’s fine,” Niall said gruffly. “Listen, MacLure, I’ll get right to the point. Isolde is pregnant?—”

“Get the fuck out.” I winced even as joy filled my chest. “I mean— Shite. Um, sorry for swearing. That’s great?—”

“She’s not doing well.”

The joy died a swift death. Finn rushed back into the bedroom with my robe in his hand. But my nudity didn’t matter anymore. Finn looked as devastated as I felt, his brow furrowed as he stared at the phone. He’d obviously had no trouble hearing Niall. Given our superior hearing, private phone calls weren’t really a thing among our kind.

“We’ve stabilized her,” Niall said, “but she’s ailing. And we’re not sure if the bairns will survive.”

Finn jerked his gaze to mine, his eyes wide.

I sat heavily on the bed. “Did you say bairns ?” I asked Niall.

“Aye. She’s carrying twins.” Tension filled Niall’s voice. “But it’s not looking good. She’s weak…and bleeding.”

“Have you tried tears?” As soon as I said it, I realized how stupid I sounded. Niall was nearly two thousand years old. The healing properties in his tears were extremely potent. Of course he’d tried tears.

“Of course,” he said, a hint of impatience in his tone. “I’ve tried everything, including summoning Alec Murray. He—” Niall stopped abruptly. A chair squeaked, and then muffled footsteps echoed over the line, followed by the sound of a door closing. When Niall spoke again, his voice was low and muffled, as if he stood in a small space. “Alec brought a human doctor to the castle. A specialist from Edinburgh.”

Finn sat beside me. “Murry charmed this doctor?”

“Aye,” Niall said, obviously unsurprised that Finn was listening. “It was risky bringing a human here, but we didn’t see an alternative. Isolde doesn’t trust any healers or physicians among the other races. After what she endured on the demon plane, I don’t blame her.” Niall’s sigh made the phone vibrate against my palm. “Murray’s fae heritage is strong. He erased the human doctor’s memory, and we sent the man on his way.”

“Did the specialist identify the source of the problem?” I asked.

“No. That’s the frustrating part. The scans look good. The bairns are developing normally. But Isolde gets sicker by the day. It’s as if her body can’t sustain the pregnancy. And, more and more, I worry we’ll lose her along with the bairns.”

Finn and I looked at each other, unspoken worries passing between us. If Isolde died, Niall and Cormac would die, too. Cormac was the last living full-blooded dragon. It was quite possible the race wouldn’t survive without him.

“The human doctor couldn’t give any answers,” Niall said. “The pregnancy hangs by a thread, and we don’t know why. Isolde is on bed rest. And Cormac…”

I tensed. Finn put a hand on my thigh. We stared at the phone, both of us holding our breath.

Niall dropped his voice to a near-whisper. “Cormac isn’t handling this well. I’m managing him the best I can, but I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to keep him…”

Sane. Niall didn’t have to finish his sentence. The word hung in the air like a black cloud. Worry was a drumbeat in my head. Dragons grew more powerful with age, and Cormac was unfathomably old. If Niall lost control of the king, the world—including the human realm— wasn’t safe . The consequences of an unrestrained Cormac were the nuclear fallout kind.

“We need a miracle,” Niall said. “And, as it turns out, one might be available.”

Hope sparked in my chest. “What do you mean?”

“The Firstborn Games start tomorrow. The winner receives a dram of the Elixir of Vozgadach. I know it’s a lot to ask?—”

“We’ll do it,” Finn and I said together. I looked at him, and he nodded before turning his attention back to the phone.

“Struan and I are all in, sir,” he said.

Niall’s relief-filled sigh gusted over the line. “I’m grateful. The two of you are among the toughest warriors the race has. And, please don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re both unconventional fighters when the situation calls for it.”

I smirked even though Niall couldn’t see me. “You mean we’re not above cheating.”

“I wouldn’t call it cheating ,” Niall said. “But it’s an unwritten rule that the demons who run the Games look the other way when it comes to magical sabotage. Some among our kind cling to honor at the expense of victory.” Niall huffed. “I can guarantee the witches competing won’t hesitate to use every magical tool at their disposal. Dragons have competed in every Firstborn Games since the Curse struck down our females. We’re more powerful than the other races, and yet we’ve never won a single Games. We must win this one.”

Determination coursed through me. “We will. Between Finn and me, one of us will win that elixir.”

“The Games are being held in the South American jungle this year,” Niall said. “I’ll send you the coordinates.”

Finn stirred at my side. “We’ll be there, Consort. And we’ll keep you updated on the competition’s progress.”

“Good.” More muffled footsteps, followed by the squeak of door hinges. Niall cleared his throat, and his tone turned mild. “Before you go, you lads should probably put on some pants.”