Page 21 of Silent Jay

“Bloody hell,” he finally said. “You’re fecking calling me out?”

I nodded, wiggling my eyebrows.

His nostrils flared, and he scowled. After taking a few deep breaths, he found my hand and rubbed circles on the back of it. The tension released out of his shoulders, and he managed a weak laugh.

My stupid heart flipped.

What the fuck was I doing?

CHAPTER TEN

REHAN

Waves crashed on the surf before sweeping back into the vast ocean, isolating our island. My inner beast calmed with the sound, but didn’t stop his pacing in the back of my mind.

Our mate wasn’t with us. We needed to go to her. Fix this. His thoughts played on an endless loop, but my human mind knew better. The sun beat down on the dark sand beach. I imagined the hot rays pinning me in place and forced calm into my muscles. Good things came to those who waited.

“Dad’s gonna kill you,” my teenage brother said, kicking sand onto my arm as his shadow blocked my sunbathing.

I sat up. With a thought, my tail grew out of my tailbone and knocked my brother on his ass. I pulled him to my side and gave his hard head a solid noogie while he attempted to squirm out of my grip. Once I’d gotten my point across, I released him. He scrambled back, his annoyed smile betraying him.

I grinned. Annoying sibling or paranoid ancient wizard, family was everything to me and all water dragons. “You’re too serious, Bret.”

“You broke the rules, and you don’t regret it.” Bret kicked some sand at me. “I can see the smirk on your face!”

“Rules were made to be bent, and I don’t.” I grinned. “Knowing Tyson can’t lay a hand on my mate is the only reason I can be here and not storming down his door.”

Bret’s eyes swam. “But you lost.”

I growled; my scales rippled across my body. “I didn’t lose.”

“Your mate’s not here so… ” Bret trailed off, stabbing the sand to avoid my glare.

I took a calming breath. My brother wasn’t wrong. “She will be.”

Bret raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“Tyson’s a hot head, and she wearsmymark.” I smirked and lay back down. Not every bonded pair worked out. I was banking on that. “There’s something different about her.” I pictured her mud-covered face, the way her body felt pinned by mine. “My magic has never reacted to another like that. I won’t know until we spend more time together, but once she’s in my bed, I’ll uncover her secrets.”

Bret wrinkled his nose. “Icky, Re.”

I grunted. “I say that every time mom finds a crusty sock next to your computer.”

Bret turned bright red, and I chuckled.

A dragon landed at my back followed by a gruff voice. “Rehan, I have the information you asked for.”

I shot up like a bullet and bolted to my security officer’s side. Not quite as tall or bulky as me, the shifter still looked the part. A few tattoos crossed his built chest. He kept his light blue hair tightly cropped and his lower half armored in scales.

“Report,” I demanded.

The man handed me a tablet out of a tattered backpack. I unfurled my wings to give us enough shade to see the screen in the glaring sunlight. Every detail, from Tyson’s girlfriendshowing up, to the pile of rubble removed from his apartment, pointed to precisely what I predicted. The fire dragon was frustrated and not responding well.

“The healer on duty stepped out before Betty woke,” my officer continued while I skimmed. “She was the last to wake and had to be given a shot to pull her out of unconsciousness. I was unable to track down who administered that shot. However, bystanders reported a Priestess of the Air Temple leaving the tent.”

I nodded, unsure what to do with this bit of information.

“Betty still cannot speak,” my officer stated.

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