Page 53 of That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human
“It’s scry magic,” I said, quickly. “Is Felix anywhere near you?”
“Um, yeah. He’s out on the deck with the others.” She stood, and picked up the mirror before nudging open the door. A group of demons sat around a table, laughing and playing dice. “Felix, Dante’s in my mirror for you.”
The werewolf looked up from his game and grinned before leaping over the table. He took hold of the mirror and placed it on a barrel, then slid a chair over to sit. Felix crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back. “So, what did you do now?”
“How did you confess your love to Brie?”
Behind him, the menagerie of demons that made up theBanshee’s crew peeked over with interest. Felix’s eyes widened. “That’s a big leap from where we last left off. Weren’t you going to bring her here so Usha could watch over her?”
“We’re past that now,” I said. “Tell me what you said to Brie to make her accept your feelings.”
“Whoa,” he held up his arms. “Slow down, it’s only been a day. There’s no way she suddenly lost her fear of you. What the hell happened?”
I held up the half-eaten treat. “She made these for us.”
Felix’s blue eyes remained wide as he waited. After a moment he gave a curt nod. “OK?”
“OK?” I parroted back. How is he not getting it? “Everything has changed. She agreed to stay with me. I destroyed her sweet bread by accident and she just giggled, handed me a cinnamon roll then cuddled with me on the couch. I don’t know what to do with myself. I need sappy words. How am I supposed to convey these emotions? Poetry, sonnets, anything, what do I say?”
“Do you think maybe you’re just reading a wee bit too much into the cinnamon rolls?”
“No,” I growled. “These are clearly a sign of affection after our date last night. I just need to figure out how to tell her what I’m feeling so she knows she’s mine and fully accepts me as her mate.”
My hand still tingled from where she had brushed her thumb against it. I didn’t know how I was supposed to go back and act normal around her when all I wanted to do was take her back to my castle, bind her to my throne with a golden chain and fuck her until she couldn’t breathe without me.
This was madness.
I was prepared for the incessant need to claim her when I found her. There were plenty of accounts from other dragons discussing how feral they became around their fated mate. But nothing could have prepared me for the visceral hatred I felt for the sun who dared to set on my days with her. I wanted to fly up in the sky, rip the sun god’s still-beating heart from his chest and lay it at Cherry’s feet so the days began and ended at her discretion. Nothing less would be good enough.
A knowing grin tugged on the werewolf’s face. “Gods, it’s like looking in the twisted mirror of my past.”
“So you understand?”
“All too well. Alright, let’s get started. Tell me what happened on your date. Are we talking a kiss goodnight, or did you just chat and get to know each other?”
“We got drinks, explored the city, then fucked in Kirkwall’s castle gardens.”
He whistled. “Seems like it’s going well. Why are you so frantic?”
“Because I don’t know what to say to her! What if I mess up and she pulls away again? I need the perfect love confession. You said you were good at this kind of thing.”
“Whoa, wait,” Warwick cut in. The minotaur clopped over to Felix and sat beside him. “If you’re still getting to know each other, maybe a love confession would be too much at this point. We’re not sure where she’s at with this. Humans don’t imprint like we do, so they probably fall in love at a slower rate.”
“I can’t take much slower than this,” I groaned, running a hand through my hair.
“Oh, what does he know?” Balabash appeared at Felix’s other side and sat down. “That idiot can’t even walk in a straight line without tipping over. Don’t listen to him. Go up to this woman, grab her by the throat, but not enough to choke her, and push her against the wall. Slide a leg in between her thighs, pushing them apart, and kiss the hell out of her. When she’s properly dazed, tell her you love her and that she’s yours.”
Oh, I like that idea. I like it a lot.
“Should we really be telling the man who until recently couldn’t even shake hands, to grab someone by the throat?” Felix cut in. “Never mind that.” He waved a dismissive hand and continued. “That’s too aggressive this early on. The whole reason she was pushing him away before was because he was coming on like a wyvern in heat and she has issues with dragons. A slower approach would work better.”
“Who are you to talk about coming on too strong?” Bash countered. “You came on stronger than moonshine made in a dirty bathtub and your wife fell immediately.”
“First of all, I was drugged and you know that,” he snapped. “Second, Brie is level-headed and had no issues telling me exactly what she wanted.”
“Bash’s idea doesn’t sound half bad. It’s not like she’s a blushing virgin, guys,” said Warwick.
I let out a breath, my fingers tapping nervously on my knee. “Well… not after last night.”
