As Mikkel realizes it, our beasts roar from the delay—twisting so hard into each other that our bodies are hauled completely into this maelstrom. As his powerful herbal alcoholic scents floods me, he heaves my short skirt up high over my hips now, shredding my lacy thong away with one rip of his hand. He tears open his own belt and fly so fast, I hardlyrealize it.
I feel him, though, hard and ready, pressed up against me through my soaking wetness. I cry out, sliding upon him and angling my hips in for a better placement as he grips me with powerful hands gone to talons now, pulling me in to take me.
Just then, the door crashes open.
And in rush Bjorn, Ström, and Lærke—with a whole bunch of muscle behind them.
25
DECRYPT
Bjorn, Ström, and Lærke are half-shifted into their dragons as they rush into the gaming room with the club’s bouncers, hauling Mikkel and me apart. We’re roaring at the interruption; swiping at them with our own talons, we try to take a chunk out of necks with our teeth as our joined powers go wild at the dragons now trying to separate us.
Though Mikkel and I fight, roar, and thrash that we could not finish our Bloodbond, Lærke is subduing her brother with her indomitable boa-constricting power now, her dragon’s aura spread wide to combat his massive magic. Bjorn and Ström secure me the old-fashioned way, with their powerful arms around my neck and waist, even as they inundate me with their magics through our bonds.
Trying to get me to calm my shit—and separate my power from Mikkel’s.
I’m choking out with Bjorn’s big arm around my neck, fighting so hard to get back to Mikkel. He’s fallen to the floor, constrained in Lærke’s magic now as she bests her brother’s drake with her own incredible drakaina.
Rigid, Mikkel’s not struggling anymore, as if he’s already agreed it’s the best thing for him. I’m still fighting, but my thrashing is waning as both my mates’ power and scents inundate me now.
Ström whispering dark, calm things into me from his Bone Magic, his lips at my ear.
Bjorn holds me fast as he grounds my power into his big, strong body. I reel, lightheaded now, as his thick arm cinches around my neck. It’s only then that my inner Bloodwalker power finally gives up. As if it knows Mikkel and I are not ready to mate yet, thanks to our human reticence, my power snarls one last time, then dissipates.
I feel it as the two magics that live inside me separate to fight another day, flowing back from my deep braid with Mikkel, as well. My bright drakaina and my dark drake aren’t about to give up on the matter, though; I know that very well now as they both stare at me with glittering, furious eyes from deep inside.
They’re going to make me face this, one way or another. Because Aesa’s Truthstone is right, as it rushes waves of brimstone through my veins and hums pointedly on my chest. Mikkel and I should be Bloodmates.
We only have to figure out what to do with our human problems.
It’s a deep conundrum, as everyone finally settles. As I cease thrashing in Bjorn’s and Ström’s arms, the metaphysics in the room calming, their iron grip on me dissipates. They’re still holding me, still preventing me from lunging back to Mikkel if I change my mind.
But my drakes are actually holding me now, rather than subduing me. Bjorn and Ström cradle me as they straighten my dress and my half-pulled back braids so I’m not bare cookies to the wind anymore, with my thong gone and all The Chartreuse’s bouncers looking on.
At last, Mikkel stirs upon the ground. Blinking his dark lashes, he inhales like he’s just woken back up to the world. He looks at me, just looks at me, and that one simple contact has me raging all over againinside. I have better control of it now, however, with both my drakes touching me.
Plus, Mikkel is at a suitable distance now, at least seven feet away. It’s a distance I can maintain, at least, with both my drakes beside me.
As I realize, I can never be left alone with him again.
I come back to myself now as I realize the deep pickle I almost put myself and my two drakes in, nearly taking Mikkel Thorsen into our Bloodbond. I see Lærke get it, too, as she scowls at me now with pure hate for almost taking her brother away from her.
She’s just as mad at Mikkel that he almost let it happen. As he pushes up to sitting on the floor now, taking deep breaths and winding his elbows around his knees, I watch Lærke shake her head. As Mikkel’s aura finally clears of his dragon, he closes his eyes a long moment. When he opens them again, his beast is nowhere in his eyes.
Only the brisk businessman remaining.
“You may go. Thank you for your prompt attendance,” he says to all the bouncers, as they lurk around us, ready. They glance at each other, but at Lærke’s nod, they take their leave with fists to their hearts.
Silence envelops us for a long moment; it’s only then I realize Ström has our small lockbox with all its magically downsized items fromUnhaemmertengripped in one hand, retrieved from Emil’s hotel.
“Mikkel? Are you alright?” Lærke is all concern for her twin, though I can still feel her simmering with wrath for me. She is only love for her brother now, however, as she helps him stand from the floor.
Retrieving a red silk scarf from a coat tree nearby, she is quick as she wraps it around his waist, tying up his ripped-open pants. It’s almost a prude gesture from someone who’s a dragon. Normally, dragons don’t care about being naked around each other; we’re shapeshifters, and with it comes a certain amount of nudity, each time we shift.
But Lærke is clearly taking no chances, as she hides the most important part of her brother’s nakedness from me. As if feeling what I’m thinking, since part of Lærke’s power is mind-oriented, though not nearly asstrong as her brother’s, she glances at me. Her look is not just furious towards me anymore, but complicated. It’s as if she understands what Mikkel and I are going through right now.
Like maybe she once had to turn away a true mate in order to continue her business partnership.
