Kiss of Embers (The Dragon Lairds #5)

Chapter 16

Chapter

Sixteen

FINN

Z ara was obviously determined to resist Struan and me. It wasn’t working, but she was nothing if not stubborn.

And cranky. In that, she had company. We’d been walking for two hours, and Struan grew surlier with every step.

It was the moon. Bloated and round, it shone almost as brightly as the sun at midday. Its argent glow spread over the trees and rivers we’d been traversing for three hours.

And the scenery never changed. At first, I’d dismissed the repetition. My mind played tricks on me, I reasoned. Or maybe I was just tired. But the fifth time we passed the exact same bend in the exact same stream, I knew dark magic was to blame.

We were locked in a holding pattern. Infuriating? Absolutely. But it was also impressive. Galen of House Baudelaire was no fool. He’d planned thoroughly, creating a magical “treadmill” that kept Zara, Struan, and me walking in place. We couldn’t burst the illusion because we literally couldn’t reach the edges.

Hunger gnawed at my gut. Sweat was a sticky film over my skin. In my peripheral vision, Struan stomped over a clump of low-lying shrubs, muttered curses spilling from him. On my other side, Zara shot him an irritated look. When I finally tracked down Baudelaire, I was going to compliment him on his spellwork. Then I was going to enjoy watching his intestines splash the ground.

“Fuck!” Struan bit out. He hopped on one foot, his features contorted in a grimace. “Bloody tree stump. That’s the third one!”

I bit my lip against the impulse to tell him it was the first one. He’d just smashed his foot into it three times because he’d spent the past three hours dividing his attention between Zara’s tits and the moon.

Zara observed him, her eyes narrowed and her hands propped on her hips. She’d done her share of moon- and man-gazing. More than once, her stomach had voiced its displeasure with our circumstances.

“How did you miss that?” she demanded now, pointing to the stump. “It’s huge.”

Struan glowered at her. “It’s dark .”

She pulled her long ponytail off her neck and held her hair on top of her head in an obvious effort to cool off. “I didn’t realize your night vision was so poor.”

Struan lowered his foot, his nostrils flaring. “My night vision is excellent.” He tracked a bead of sweat slowly sliding down her throat. When it got to her neckline, his gaze moved to her breasts. “I’ve just been”—he rubbed a hand over his mouth—“occupied.”

Zara froze. They stared at each other, both seemingly unaware of what they were doing. I’d lived with Struan long enough to know when the moon was affecting him. It obviously pulled at Zara, too, ramping up her aggression. If she and Struan didn’t shed their skins and blow off some steam, they were going to end up fighting or fucking.

I knew which outcome I preferred. Now I just had to steer my stubborn beasties toward the path I wanted them to take.

“Why don’t you two shift and go for a hunt?” I offered.

They jumped, then looked at me as if just seeing me for the first time.

“Hunt?” Zara asked.

I gestured to the moon. “You need to shift, right? I recognize the signs. Struan always gets a bit peevish when it’s his time of the month.”

Struan huffed. “That’s absurd.”

I ignored him. “You both need to shift. And if Struan takes dragon form, he can fly above the trees and see if we missed anything.”

Zara frowned. “What will you do while we’re gone?”

“Oh, I have a few tricks up my sleeve.” I smiled as I patted my hip. “Well, in my pocket. I’ll have dinner and hot showers waiting for you.”

Her frown fled. “Showers,” she breathed, and I knew I’d won her over.

“I’ll take care of the food and hot water,” I said. “You two handle the reconnaissance.”

She nibbled her bottom lip. “Well, I guess it couldn’t hurt to go for a quick run. Especially if it helps us find our way out of here.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

She nodded. “All right. Give me a minute.” She glanced around, then headed toward a cluster of tall, leafy foliage. A second later, the soft sound of clothing hitting the ground drifted in the air.

I looked at Struan and found him watching me with a knowing glint in his eyes.

“Someone’s plotting,” he murmured.

I went to him and patted his cheek. “I’m planning, love. Pay attention.”

He snapped his teeth, catching one of my fingers. I laughed as I jerked my hand away and sucked at the wound.

“You’ll pay for that,” I said around my finger.

His eyes gleamed in the darkness. “Promise?”

The shrubs shivered, and then a giant wolf trotted toward us. Zara was beautiful on two legs. On four, she was absolutely breathtaking. Her fur ranged from a golden buff to the palest platinum. Her eyes glittered like citrines. Muscle rippled as she stalked to my side, rising well above my hip. Power rolled off her in thick waves that lifted the hair on my nape.

Pride swelled my chest. My female was no ordinary werewolf.

“Alpha,” I said, lowering my head. Struan did the same, acknowledging Zara’s status.

She nuzzled my hand, sniffing at the now-healed spot Struan had torn.

“I’m fine,” I said, stroking her fur. It was warm and silky, and I caught my breath as she pushed her head into my hand in a clear demand for more. The force of her snout knocked me backward a step. When she growled softly, I plunged my fingers into the impossibly soft fur on her crown. I’d never encountered a lion, but I had to imagine the protocol for dealing with one was similar. When they wanted ear scritches, they got ear scritches.

Struan drifted closer, fascination in his eyes. “Don’t I get a greeting?”

Zara pulled away from me. In one powerful move, she went onto her hind legs and slapped two claw-tipped paws on his shoulders. Then she swiped her tongue over his face.

Laughing, he staggered backward under her assault. “All right! You’ve proved your point, lass.”

She bumped her snout against his nose, then dropped to all fours and trotted a few paces away. Looking over her shoulder, she gave a playful, high-pitched yip. Then she plunged into the jungle.

I looked at Struan. “I think you’ve been challenged.”

He stared after Zara, anticipation lighting up his features. “It’s on.” He grinned. Then he twisted into shadow form, his clothes spilling to the ground. For a moment, he hovered in the air as a column of smoke. Then he shot into the sky and burst into dragon form. With a flick of his tail, he spread his wings and took off after our mate.

I winked at the moon. “Keep an eye on them, will you?” It was probably my imagination, but the silver orb seemed to glow just a little bit brighter.

Smiling, I pulled the tent from my pocket and set about making camp.