Page 54 of A Dagger of Twisted Starlight

Xavier groaned, sitting up. “Duty calls.”

I sighed, a hand still gently gripping Xavier’s thick cock. “Later?”

“Definitely later,” he promised with a wink.

“Let me at least get a little taste.”

“Go for it,” Xavier said, throwing off the blanket. I smiled, leaning down as I licked his tip. He wasmagnificent. If there wasn’t more pressing matters to attend to, I likely would have stayed in bed all day with him.

But there were more pressing matters. We got dressed and joined Warrick and Dawn in the main hall. Cassius was there, still in his pajamas, his hair a mess. He nursed a steaming mug of coffee. He set it down on the coffee table.

“I spoke with my father last night,” he said. “He was as shocked as I was when I put it all together. He says he hasn’t spoken to my uncle in years. He knew something was wrong but never really figured it out.”

“Damn,” I said. It hurt to see my childhood friend looking so tortured. He was normally a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. This seemed to have hit way too close to home, though.

“Was there any mention of where we could find him?” Xavier asked. Bambi had leapt onto his lap. He scratched under her neck, being careful to avoid her large saber teeth. Her purrs echoed through the room.

“Yeah,” Cass answered. “I’ve got an address. He apparently still lives there.”

“Excellent,” Dawn said. “Damien and Maddox are off chasing other leads, but I think we can handle this one. Is it close by?”

“It’s near Joshua Tree.”

“Really?” I asked. I thought back to that first day I’d spent with the family. How we’d been attacked, how they had seemed to find us out on our run. What if they didn’t find us but stumbled upon us? If he lived around there, then all he had to do was look out his window and see a golden dragon flying overhead to know that his target was close by.

“I’ll send the address.” Cassius opened his phone andtexted us in a group thread. Sure enough, it was only a mile or two away from the Blackthornes’ desert home.

“Great,” Warrick said, setting his phone down. “I think we should go now. How’s that sound?”

“Time’s of the essence, I agree,” Dawn said.

Xavier looked at his siblings. I could see the family resemblance in them. They had the same expressions, the same mouth, similar eyes. “You guys don’t have to come. I can go alone.”

“Absolutely not,” Warrick said. “I’ve been left out of all this world-saving business for too long now. I want to go!”

“And I can’t let my brothers have all the fun either,” Dawn said with a wink.

Cassius leaned back into the couch. “I think I’m staying behind. I’ve had enough excitement for now.”

“I’m going,” I said.

Xavier looked to me. I couldn’t believe I’d been sucking on him like a lollipop only hours before this. Sure, I’d been daydreaming of doing it ever since the first day I met him, but to have actually broken that seal made me feel different in a way I wasn’t quite expecting. I felt closer to him, but the boost in confidence I had was a bonus surprise. “Are you sure?” he asked me.

“Yes. I want to be there. I want to help figure this out.”

“It could be dangerous.”

“That’s why I’m bringing my bodyguard with me.” I winked at him. He seemed speechless.

I got up with a chuckle. “Are we driving or flying?”

Simon’s home was in a secluded part of the nearby desert. The flight had been a long one, but it allowed me to relax a bit as we approached. There were moments when it’d hit me: I was flying through the air with three dragons on our way to save the world; what could possibly go wrong? It was a beautiful sight: Dawn’s glimmering white scales slicing through the clouds on one side and Warrick’s evergreen and nimble body gliding through the air on the other. I could feel their ancient power surrounding me, making me safer than I’d ever been.

I appreciated that. There were many moments in my life when safety felt as rare as the dragons were. Not even living in the White House, one of the most secure locations in America, did I feel truly safe.

Not in the same way I did now.

We landed near the secluded home in the desert. The house was small, but the property was vast, surrounded by a high fence and dotted with Joshua trees. The isolation made it the perfect hiding spot. There was a trailer next to the home. No signs of life drew our attention. It was quiet. The air smelled like baked earth.

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