Canary for the Dragon Page 5

  Panting, he brushed his lips against the spot between Sky’s shoulder and neck. Rex was high, strung up on post-orgasm bliss. He knew what just happened between Sky and him wasn’t just mere sex. One taste of Sky and he knew his cravings were barely sated. More intimate time together in and out of the bedroom. More of his little canary.

  “Do it.”

  Rex thought he imagined Sky saying those words, but Sky repeated it again. He unsheathed his canines, then slid them back.

  “No. Not until you’re ready.”

  Sky almost looked disappointed, angry. Rex thought he’d done it, ruined the perfect moment, except nothing about their lovemaking had been perfect. It had been rough, no-holds-barred fucking and yet once Rex was alone in thoughts, he relived the moment in his head. Next time, he’d show his little canary he wasn’t just a brute, that he was capable of gentle, slow lovemaking, too.

  Was there a next time?

  “You’re right,” Sky eventually said.

  Rex rolled to the side, to keep his weight off Sky. They lay on their backs, not speaking. He thought he’d driven some kind of wedge between them, but Sky had no idea how close he’d come to binding Sky to him. Forever. However, it was too soon to give Sky his mating mark. A monumental mistake like that could cost most of them. What if Sky never forgave him?

  Rex blinked when he felt the brush of Sky’s fingers against his own. Sky linked their hands together, eyes closed. Moments later, the sound of Sky’s light snoring filled the room. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Soon, he’d rise to clean them both up and settle Sky under the covers. For now, he enjoyed the simple, tender moment.

  ****

  Sunlight pierced through the curtains of Rex’s bedroom window, waking Sky. He yawned, rubbed his eyes, not remembering the last time he had such a good night sleep. A simple nap at Gareth’s place was close to impossible, especially knowing Gareth could barge into his room any moment.

  Sky felt deliciously sore, too, recalling Rex’s shaft stretching him last night, Rex fulfilling his promise to make him see stars, and he blushed. It had felt like a gazillion tiny explosions going off at once.

  He could imagine waking up like this each morning, with Rex’s muscled form tucked against the curve of his back. Safe in the cocoon of Rex’s embrace, he felt cherished, free from free and worry. Except this couldn’t be his future.

  Last night, taken over by ecstasy and a confidence he didn’t understand, Sky begged Rex to bite him, to make a decision for him, for both of them. Of course, Rex had to be the perfect gentleman and tell him they should wait, spend more time together. Too bad time wasn’t a luxury Sky didn’t have. Besides, if Gareth saw another male’s mark on his neck, Rex was as good as dead.

  By now Gareth would have spies scouring the city for him. It was only a matter of time before Gareth tracked him down. Eagles were at the top of the Eyrie hierarchy. Gareth probably had lesser avians like crows at his beck and call, and there were plenty of those pests in the city.

  Sky gently took off Rex’s warm arm across his waist. That earned him a low growl from Rex. He turned to see Rex’s golden gaze opened to slits. Panic nearly set off in him, but he forced it back, putting on a smile on his lips instead. It broke his heart, knowing he had to leave soon. Sky reached out, running his fingers over Rex’s short, heavy strands of hair. He traced Rex’s features, memorizing them in his mind.

  Sky touched stubble, a tiny nick caused by a razor when Rex took his hand and gave it a kiss.

  “Awake so early?” Rex murmured.

  “Grumpy in the mornings, huh?” Sky teased, playing the performance of a lifetime by kissing Rex lightly on the lips. Rex fastened a hand on the back of Sky’s neck, holding him in place. Sky yielded, enjoying the flood of heat Rex thrust down his throat, Rex’s rough stubble brushing and contrasting sharply with his smooth cheek.

  Rex pulled away, still looking like a languid predator. “I need coffee.”

  “I’ll make you some.” Sky pulled the covers away, about to slied off the bed, when Rex found his dick and gave it a squeeze. He groaned. Not this. If Rex went on, he wouldn’t be able to leave. He had no solid plan yet on how to accomplish that feat. Sky thought he could quietly slip out while Rex remained in the realm of dreams, but Rex sensed him the moment he moved. Making coffee seemed like a good excuse to clear his head, find an alternative.

  “Rex.” Sky used his no-nonsense voice. “Let me do this for you.”

  “Fine,” Rex mumbled, releasing him.

  Sky’s canary didn’t like that. It wanted them to remain with Rex, but that was selfish thinking. Sky grabbed his jeans and shirt from the night before and headed to the door. He lingered for a couple of seconds, appreciating the sight of Rex’s huge frame, mussed-up hair, and glimpses of golden muscle peeking from the sheet.

  “Like a dream,” he murmured.

  “Did you say something?”

  “Nothing. I should get to that coffee.”

  “There’s instructions pinned on the fridge.”

  With that Sky padded outside.

  Chapter Nine

  The apartment looked lonely as ever. Perfect on the outside, furniture all matching, the tastes of the homeowner quite refined. The lack of pictures gave the space a sense of isolation though. It wouldn’t be hard to snap a couple of pictures, capture a couple of memories on film and put them up. Smiling faces. Irritated faces. Emotions.

  No, Sky should stop thinking about the prospect of being the one to change Rex’s life. He went to the kitchen, looked into Rex’s shelves and cabinets, desperate for something, anything he could use. Sky found a curious bottle at the back of a cabinet filled with nothing but Lucky Charms. He grabbed it, stomach twisting as he saw the label. Sleeping pills, strong ones designed especially for shifters. Why did Rex need these, to forget about the past? Did Rex still use them? Flipping it over, he searched for the expiry date. Two years later. That gave him an answer.

  Setting the bottle on the counter, he started for the coffee machine, then stared. It was one of those capsule machines. He took a peek at the instructions on the fridge and found the capsules by the side of the machine. Since he didn’t want Rex to be alert, he picked decaf for Rex, extra strong for him.

  Cups, he could see by the glass cabinet above the machine. One mug had the funky design of a cartoon green dinosaur. No, he realized, tracing the cute tiny wings poking from the cup. A dragon. Cute. He wondered if Rex’s former mate had given it to Rex, because Rex didn’t seem to be the kind of man who liked whimsical objects.

  Once the cups were filled, he placed the steaming mugs on the counter, eyeing the bottle again.

  “No,” he whispered.

  Yes.

  Sky uncapped the bottle, reading the label out loud. “No more than two pills a night.”

  He dumped four white pills into Rex’s cup, watching them dissolve, along with his heart. Only a coward would resort to cheap tricks like this to escape a wonderful, possessive man.

  “This is for his own good.” The reminder didn’t make him feel any better. Sky brought the cups to the bedroom.

  “Hmm. Smells good,” Rex said once he entered.

  Sky handed him the dragon mug. Rex widened his eyes, shock evident on his features as he accepted the cup with shaking hands. Guilt hit Sky.

  “I’m sorry, it was just so cute, sitting there among the normal mugs,’’ he said.

  Rex shook his head. “Tim gave this to me as a joke.”

  “You kept it though.”

  Rex smiled grimly, took a sip. “Tastes different.”

  “I added a pinch of vanilla.”

  Oh God. Seriously?

  Rex didn’t question him. “Sky, we didn’t have the chance to talk last night.”

  “Let’s finish coffee first,” he suggested.

  “Good plan.”

  “I’m, um, going to take a shower. Okay?” He set his cup on the table beside the bed.

  “Sure.” Rex waved him off, took
the remote on the same coffee table and turned the TV on. The news came on. Sky nearly ran off to the bathroom but forced himself to slow down. He busied himself, taking longer than necessary. The blast of cold water woke him up completely. Guilt doubled. He dressed after toweling and exited the bathroom. Loud snores filled the room.

  “Rex?” he whispered.

  No answer. Rex didn’t stir. He kept his footsteps light, quiet. Still nothing. He peered at the wacky mug. Completely drained. He picked it up now. Curiosity made him flip it to the back, and he noticed the inscription on the back for the first time.

  “To Rex, my fiery fire breather, keeper of my heart. I love you. Tim.” Simple yet effective words. Sky painfully shut his eyes. “I’m sorry, Tim.”

  As if talking to a dead man would clear his conscience. With a heavy heart, Sky focused on his task. He borrowed a black hoodie from Rex’s closet and went in search of his shoes. Maybe he lingered a little, took too long to what should be a hasty exit.

  It hurt like hell, like his heart wanted to burst out of his chest and explode. For most of his life, Sky had focused solely on self-preservation. Caring about someone else was something new to him. Rex wasn’t a simple one-night-stand, not someone who’d eventually fade from his memories with time. Without realizing it, Rex had dug his claws into Sky’s heart and refused to let go.

  Sky wasted more time, circling the apartment, before finding what he wanted, a piece of paper and pen. The words he wrote were designed to be callous, hurtful: I had a good time but it’s time to move on. Later.

  Dropping the pen, he ran out of there before he could change his mind. The elevator seemed to take a long time, but it eventually reached the first floor. He hurried out of Rex’s building, kept his head down. By the time he reached the sidewalk, he realized he felt awfully exposed. Raw. He lifted the hood to cover his head and followed the signs to the nearest subway, before realizing he had nothing on him.

  Sky swore. Taking a couple of bills from Rex’s wallet made him cringe. No way in hell he was returning, despite knowing Rex would still be down. The bottle label read a guaranteed of eight hours of sleep, and Sky had double dosed Rex.

  He deviated from the path to the subway and ended up on a bench of a small local park. Sky didn’t know how long he sat there, until cawing noises drew his attention back to reality. The sound came from two exceptionally large crows a few feet from him. Intelligence gleamed from their beady eyes.

  A high-pitched, screeching shrill made all the hairs on his arm rise up. Warily, he raised his head. Positioned strategically across the branches of the trees surrounding the benches were several bald eagles. Unlike the crows, they simply watched, waiting for his next move maybe. He stood up. The crows started screeching, flapping their wings, but stopped when he raised his hands in defeat.

  “I’m not going to put up a fight. Take me to Gareth.” Spitting out the words was a challenge, but wasn’t this what he came for?

  ****

  Rex woke, his dragon going insane inside of him. His human body felt sluggish, though, like he’d been drugged. At that thought, Rex went on high alert, fully alert now. He sat up and looked around. The familiar sight of his bedroom confused him. It took a while for Rex to connect the missing pieces of the puzzle. Finally, he saw the empty mug Tim had given him and realized drinking coffee was the last thing he remembered. Where was Sky?

  Rex ripped off the comforter and sniffed. Sky’s scent still lingered on his skin, around his home. The trail led him outside, to the bottle of sleeping pills on the kitchen counter.

  “Fuck.” He tossed the bottle right into the trash bin.

  His dragon hovered on the surface of his skin, so angry, it could explode from his skin and burn this entire building down. How dare Sky drug a dragon like him? Sky didn’t know what Rex did to people who spat on his trust, his kindness.

  “Calm down,” he snapped, clenching his fists. His hand blurred, claws sliced out, but he willed them back.

  Why would Sky do something like this?

  He found Sky’s note next, gritted his teeth at the casual words, then raised the note to his face and sniffed.

  The smell of salt.

  Tears.

  Sky hadn’t drugged him out of spite. His little canary must have one stupid reason or another.

  There were only two possibilities. Sky had either run on his own, or gone back to Gareth. Either way, Gareth would probably hunt Sky down.

  Rex shouldn’t have agreed to have their conversation after coffee. He thought they had all the time in world to convince Sky to let him handle Gareth’s family. Now, it was too late for civilities. Rex was sick of walking on thin ice, of keeping a handle on his dragon and playing by the rules, because dragons existed on the top of the food chain.

  Rex found his cellphone and dialed George.

  George answered on the first ring. “Mr. Striker, thank God, there’s a ton of papers—”

  “George, transfer me to Duke.”

  A pause.

  “George,” Rex said patiently, although it wouldn’t last. “Now.”

  “Right away.” George hesitated. “Is everything all right, Mr. Striker?”

  Rex thought about raining fire all over Gareth’s building, over the damn fucking Eyrie. It had been a while, since a dragon erased an entire shifter species out of existence. Once Sky was back in his arms, he planned on tying Sky to his bed and making Sky scream out his name repeatedly, until in the haze of pleasure, Sky would beg him to finish the dance.

  Mine.

  “Rex, this is rare. What can I do for you? Is this about the board meeting coming up?” Duke asked.

  Duke was one of the few Rex considered a long-time ally. Ally, because one couldn’t really be friends with a millennia old demon. He also called Duke, because Duke was a member of the Council. Duke would take his side, if the worst came to pass, and besides, Rex was among the last of his kind, and while the Council might issue threats to kill him, he was protected by the Council’s laws concerning endangered shifter species.

  “I’m not here to talk about human affairs. I’m cashing in the favor you owe me.”

  A longer pause than George’s. “Very well. Speak.”

  “I need information on the Eyrie, specifically on the eagles.”

  Chapter Ten

  The eagle shifters marched him inside the elevator like a prisoner, choosing to stand on either side of his shoulders. The message was clear. If Sky ran, he wouldn’t be able to go far. Their broad shoulders didn’t touch him, but their bulk left little breathing space. Sky began to hyperventilate. He forced air into his lungs, tried to calm his heartbeats. It was only natural to be afraid in the face of death—because he couldn’t see Gareth letting him live after this.

  Gareth was possessive, prideful. If word got out a dominant eagle male couldn’t keep a leash on one canary, Gareth’s position in the Eyrie would be compromised. The elevator let out a ping. One of the eagle bodyguards shoved him forward.

  “Don’t try anything. He’s not in a good mood,” one of them warned.

  Well, no one needed to tell Sky that. He knew firsthand that Gareth was like a bomb, and any second could trigger an explosion. Should he stay silent and take his beating with grace or fight to his last breath?

  The theory sounded brave in his head, but every inch of him was scared.

  He shouldn’t have left Rex like that—and that awful message. Rex deserved so much more.

  Rex doesn’t deserve to die for my sake.

  Because without realizing it, Sky had started to care. Hell, more than that. Rex saw right through him when no one could, even from one lonely song from his window ledge.

  The other bodyguard opened the door. Sunlight from the floor to ceiling glass windows of the living room illuminated his prison. That was all this place was to him. A cage to keep him in. Even after the mating ceremony, Sky would remain here, rotting until he lost his mind.

  “Sky, you’ve given me such a hard time. Sit.” Gar
eth’s polite voice made Sky jerk his head. He knew that careful, dangerous tone of voice. Gareth was this close to losing control, to lashing out at him. Why the act?

  Sky got his answer a second later. Two other older men in suits sat opposite Gareth on the sofa. Gareth’s father, Joe, the current king of the eagle shifters in the city, and Sky’s own father. Sky supposed his own father, being the leader of his people, could also be called a king and him a prince, except canaries always served another predatory bird. They were never meant to rule.

  Sky warily approached the party, heart fluttering against his chest. The tiniest flicker of hope lit up inside of him. At least he wasn’t alone. His father might intervene on his behalf, maybe take his side for a change.

  Gareth patted the space next to him. The thought of being that close to Gareth made his skin crawl, but Gareth flashed him a warning look. Not wanting to make his situation any worse, he sat. Gareth placed an arm casually around his shoulders. All the muscles in body tensed up at the gesture. It took all of his self-will not to fling it aside.

  “My son looks scared,” Sky’s father said slowly.

  “He ought to be. Running away from my Gareth without a word? He deserves whatever punishment Gareth deems fit,” Joe said in a cold voice. Those pale blue eyes judged him from a single glance, telling Sky all he needed to know about the Eagle King. Like father, like son.

  His own father let out a sigh of resignation. Sky wasn’t surprised his old man was throwing out the fight. Why did he even think the old man would take his side? Sky was raised knowing he was a bargaining chip. He’d had no say in the matter, when his father and Joe struck a deal to seal an alliance between their two races.

  “That’s perfectly acceptable. Now as to why Sky ran,” his father began. “On behalf of my people, I apologize for his behavior. It will never happen again.”