Chapter Twenty

Eoghan marveled at how high they were almost the second the dragons took off. He hung from Severin's claws and Invictus flew right beside him, carrying Ari, the man he'd fallen so hard for. His feelings for his partner grew with every day they spent together. At this point, the word love was at the tip of his tongue whenever they curled up together in bed late at night. Eoghan had never felt this way about any man. Right now, though, seeing him dangling from the claws of the impressive shifter that carried him, made him more nervous than he wanted to admit.

The trees on the mountain far below, were a sight to see, very much a sight to see. Wind whipped at him, making the cold sink deep into his bones. He decided then and there that no matter how beautiful the jade cavern had been, he had no plans on returning to view it any time soon. When Severin suddenly yanked him higher, banking to the left, Eoghan wondered what the hell he was doing. Seconds later, Severin plunged toward Earth before shooting right back up. Eoghan was too cold to ask him what he was doing. He craned his neck to see where Invictus had gone with Ari only to feel his heart jump up into his throat as he spotted the huge dragon doing an aerial act with him as well. That's when he saw it. A strange dragon was in an all-out dive bomb, heading right toward Invictus and Ari.

"Severin!" Eoghan screamed, helpless to do anything. He wasn't sure the dragon even heard him or what he could do about Ari's situation. Severin flew closer and he watched as Ari caught sight of him. The terror on his face made a huge lump form in Eoghan's throat. He swallowed just to make sure he could and stared at his lover. Invictus rose, yanking Ari up into the air as the other dragon came at him, claws extended and blowing fire. Eoghan was shocked to see Invictus do the same. When Invictus' enemy banked left to dodge the flame, Ari hung there as if suspended for a split second before Invictus shot into the air as the strange dragon flew toward him again. To Eoghan's horror, when the enemy dragon blew fire right at Ari, he screamed as Invictus let him go.

"Severin!" Eoghan cried out, flailing madly in the air as tears filled his eyes, helpless to do anything as Ari plunged toward earth. He opened his mouth to scream Severin's name again when the dragon let out a mighty roar and went into a nosedive, taking Eoghan along with him. Eoghan couldn't breathe as the wind roared past his ears. He prayed that Severin was going to save Ari, oblivious to his fate or Invictus who fought his enemy in the skies above. Ari's limp body suddenly appeared in the corner of Eoghan's eye and just as he was about to shout to Severin, the dragon released one side of his jacket.

Eoghan lifted both hands, grasping at the dragon's leg, frantically praying he wasn't about to drop him. The skin under his hands felt freakishly rough, cold, and scaly. He twisted his head as Severin continued in his dive, desperately looking for Ari. When he spotted him only twenty feet below them, his heart began to race. Before he could form a coherent thought, Severin had Ari in his free claw, and they were headed toward the icy landscape below. He landed surprisingly gently, setting down his unconscious partner and releasing them both at the same time.

Ari collapsed to the icy road where Severin had landed. It took him a second to see the sign which noted that the road was closed for the season before he dropped to his knees beside Ari. He pulled his head into his lap, noting the scorched part of his jacket, the angry blisters on his arm, shoulder, and neck, and the redness that peeked out from skin which had been burned on his face. Tears sprang to his eyes as he held him as gently as possible.

"Ari…baby," Eoghan whispered, cupping the undamaged side of his face. "Wake up, my love."

"Please, let me."

Eoghan looked up, noting Severin standing before him, stark naked. He held out his hands, pleading for something that Eoghan couldn't understand. Tears slid down his face as he held his dying partner for the second time in only a few days, unable to comprehend what Severin could possibly want.

"I can help him. Please let me help him before it's too late."

Eoghan nodded absently. He'd trusted Gael, somehow knowing that the merman was a safe bet and now here he was, being asked to trust a near total stranger once again.

"You can help him?" he croaked, feeling tears closing his throat.

"Yes, but you must let me do it right now, Eoghan," Severin replied, dropping to his knees beside him.

"Okay," Eoghan said. "Please help him."

Severin nodded and reached out, placing his hand on the burned spot on Ari's face. As Eoghan looked on, he was shocked to see dragon scales appear on Severin's human arm. They flashed a blindingly bright orange for just a second before he lifted his hand and moved it to another burned area. Eoghan stared in shock at the place where Ari's beautiful, silky beard had been burned away, only to realize that every, gorgeous hair had grown back. The blistering and missing skin which revealed his all too red flesh beneath, was back as if nothing had ever happened. Whatever magic the dragon possessed had healed each place he touched and a minute or so later, Ari's burned body was completely restored. As his beautiful hazel eyes fluttered open and he looked up at Eoghan, he smiled.

"What happened?"

Eoghan opened his mouth to answer when Invictus suddenly appeared, landing on the road twenty feet away. He was still in dragon form but he was battered. One wing looked as though it had been nearly torn off, his leg and side were bloodied, and he had a massive, ugly slice across his dragon muzzle. Severin stood and walked over to him, saying something to the dragon Eoghan couldn't hear. When Ari sat up, he dragged his attention away from the two shifters and reached out, cupping the side of his face.

"I thought I lost you, Ari." Tears sprang to his eyes again.

"I'm okay, honey. I really am." Ari shook his head. "Don't cry, Eoghan. I'm okay." He pulled him into a hug and Eoghan pressed his face into Ari's neck as he held him tightly. Just the solid feel of his warm body in his arms, made him forget everything. He was so damned thankful for Severin. He let Ari go and turned to look at the dragons.

Invictus was human again and Severin was talking to him. Seconds later, Invictus shifted to his dragon form. Eoghan noted that his wing looked nearly healed. Once again, a man stood where the dragon had been and then he was a dragon again. Eoghan watched in awe as the shifter changed three more times rapidly, healing himself with each shift. When he finally changed to a human for the last time, he smiled broadly at him. Severin patted him on the back and the two dragons turned and walked toward them.

Eoghan did his best to keep his eyes focused on the naked dragon's faces but it wasn't the easiest task. The men were simply stunning and he wasn't accomplished at ignoring magnificent attributes on a man. Toned bodies and—well, it just wasn't easy. The dragons smiled as they walked up.

"I'm sorry I dropped you," Invictus said, holding out a hand toward Ari as he and Eoghan got to their feet. Ari took it and shook. "If I hadn't, my enemy would have set you on fire. I knew Severin would catch you."

Eoghan shivered at the very thought of it.

"To be honest, I don't remember anything after first seeing that thing come toward us. I hate to say it but—" He paused, looking at the ground and shuffling his feet before looking up again. "Aw hell, I have a little fear of flying and I guess…well, I guess I kind of…fainted."

Eoghan chuckled right along with the dragons as they all shook hands.

"All is forgiven then?" Severin asked.

"Yes," Eoghan replied. "Of course. The fact is, you saved Ari's life." He turned toward him. "I'll tell you about that later." He hesitated for a second. "Think about how Gael healed your neck. It was similar magic." Eoghan turned back to the dragons. "Who was that?"

"The dragon who attacked?" Invictus asked.

Eoghan nodded. "Yes."

"One of the enemies I told you about. Fortunately, he was alone. If he hadn't been, things wouldn't have gone as well as they did," Invictus said.

Eoghan looked around. "Is he dead? I didn't see him fall to earth."

"Unfortunately, no. I injured him quite badly. He has no doubt flown back to his lair. Meanwhile, we need to get you two out of here and then get back home for—" Invictus looked down and waved a hand over his body.

"Clothes," Eoghan said.

"Yes," Severin said.

The dragon glanced up and Eoghan did as well. The clouds had parted, and the sun was shining brightly. When Eoghan checked his watch, he noted it was nearly three. He exchanged a knowing glance with Ari before looking back at the dragons.

"Is there a chance your enemies will come back before dark?" Eoghan asked. "I don't think we should be flying now. It's going to be hard to hide."

"I think there's more than a chance," Severin said, frowning deeply. "I'd say it's a near certainty. We should take you back to our cave but I'm afraid it's just too dangerous for you. Perhaps we should part ways here."

Eoghan looked around. The road where they stood was a narrow two-lane mountain road. "How far away would you say we are from a telephone?"

"There's one in a hiker's trail cabin not far from here," Invictus said. "The rangers maintain them and make sure their operational. Come with us. We'll take you right to it. From there, you can tell the rangers you got lost up here and they'll come up and get you."

"What do you think we should tell them?" Ari asked, falling into step, and walking between him and the dragons. "They're going to get one look at my clothes and ask how in the hell they burned up and somehow missed my skin entirely."

"That's a really good question," Eoghan said, chuckling.

Ari smirked at him. "Fuck it. I'm just gonna tell them I like wearing burnt clothes. I'm trying to start a trend."

Eoghan burst into laughter right along with the dragons.

Ten minutes later, they were standing in the hiker's cabin waiting on the rangers who'd told them they'd be there shortly. Fortunately for Ari, someone had left a large overcoat in the cabin. He took off his jacket and put on the coat, effectively hiding any trace of burnt areas.

"We should go before they arrive," Invictus said. "A burnt coat is one thing, but a couple of dragons might be hard to explain."

Eoghan grinned and held out his hand. "Thank you for agreeing to help. We'll talk to our chief and get back in touch with you as soon as we can talk to King John and arrange a meeting with him. Would that be okay?"

"Yes," Severin said, taking his hand.

"We'll be in touch," Ari said. "I know you hate your phones, but answer your damned email, okay?"

Severin and Invictus both smiled, nodding shyly. "Will do," Invictus said. With that, he and Severin turned and walked out of the cabin. Eoghan and Ari followed them out onto the porch and stopped there to watch the huge beasts shift. Where Severin and Invictus had stood as naked men moments ago, the two huge, iridescent dragons now stood. When they turned and looked at them with glowing orange eyes, both ducked their heads as if nodding before taking to flight. Eoghan lifted his hand to block out the sun, watching as the massive dragons disappeared over the trees moments later.

Once the rangers got them to their Charger, they started the drive back to L.A., stopping only to pick up their duffel bags and to make a call to the chief from their burner. She was pleased they'd made contact with Severin and Invictus and happy as heck that the dragons had agreed to help with John Townsend's situation. When she heard about what had happened when the dragon had attacked Invictus, and Ari had been burned, then healed, she'd told them that she'd handle setting up the meeting with the vampire. And insisted that they take the weekend off while she made the arrangements with the dragons and John.

Eoghan had detected more than a little exhaustion in her voice. They both seemed to realize that they'd have to push John Townsend's case down the road a little while longer. They all wanted it over and done with but approaching Tillis Bradshaw and his evil minions had to be done right, even if it meant him adding to his ranks. There was nothing that could be done about that.

Besides, they had to figure out a way to smoke out their Agency mole at the same time, or everything was going to fall apart. Eoghan had heard the sincere concern in the chief's questions when they'd described the way Invictus and Severin's enemy shifters had attacked Invictus, causing Ari's subsequent plunge to earth. When the whole story had come out, she'd apologized profusely for putting their lives at risk without knowing Invictus and Severin's history or the fact that they had dangerous enemies.

As Ari dropped off to sleep, unable to stay awake for the last two hours of the drive, Eoghan rehashed the entire trip from the Riversong Wilkins case, to the Powmays, to Gael and his family. When he thought of the way he and Ari had jumped into the car and raced out of the gas station being chased by Bob the cephalopod, he laughed silently to himself.

Hands down, though, Beauregard Champayne and his foot fetish had been the highlight of the trip. Eoghan had never run across an honest to God toe sucker and frankly, it hadn't exactly ever been on his bucket list. He grinned to himself as Ari came around, sitting up and stretching just as he was pulling up to the curb in front of the house. He glanced at his disheveled partner, noting the drool running down one side of his mouth. He pointed at it and snorted as Ari blinked, wiping the drool away, and squinting at the dashboard clock. It was just a few minutes past midnight. He glanced around.

"We're home?"

"Yes, we're home," Eoghan said, leaning back on the headrest and glancing up at the roof liner. "And I'm so exhausted, I'm sure I'll sleep like the dead." When a hand landed on his thigh, he rolled his head to look at him.

"Why didn't you wake me up? I told you I wanted to help drive home. I promised myself I'd help out."

Eoghan cracked a smile. "It's okay, babe. After what you went through on this trip, I thought driving and letting you sleep was the least I could do." He reached for Ari's hand, wrapping his fingers around his. Ari squeezed back. "I almost lost you."

Ari leaned in and kissed him then, pushing his fingers through the hair at the back of his head and holding him in place. Eoghan kissed him back, absolutely sure by now that he'd fallen too far to ever come back. It wasn't like he wanted to anyway. When Ari finally pulled away and Eoghan opened his eyes, he could see the love shining in his partner's eyes. It was as clear as it could be. He opened his mouth to tell him he loved him when he heard a shriek followed by a scream of what could only be peals of laughter. He looked toward Al and Ted's house, noting that the sound had come from an open window. Since his house was in the back, he knew the window belonged to their bedroom. When another peal of high-pitched laughter sounded, he grinned and turned toward Ari.

"It sounds like Al and Ted have a guest," he told him.

"That's not them?"

"No," Eoghan said. "Trust me. I've lived here a long time. Neither of them laughs like that."

"We should probably go see then," Ari said, reaching for the car's door handle.

Eoghan grabbed his arm. "Are you crazy? That's their bedroom. What if they're…you know…entertaining a—"

"Hooker?"

"What?" Eoghan asked, grinning at him.

"Sorry…escort?" Ari smirked back at him.

Another burst of giggles came through the bedroom window.

"Oh, my God!" Eoghan said, laughing. "Come on. Let's just go to my place and ignore it."

"Fine. I am a little tired." They both got out and retrieved their duffels and burners, and headed up the driveway. The window was eye level as they walked by just in time to hear someone scream.

"Al!" was followed by a burst of laughter. "Stop it! Stop it!"

Eoghan came to an immediate stop as he recognized the voice…of Bear. He had no idea why he turned toward the window when he'd planned on walking right on by. The sight he saw made him instantly regret his choice.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?" Ari said as he peered into the open window right beside him.

His naked tabby was in human form along with his equally nude landlords. Al was straddling Bear who lay on his back in the middle of the bed. Al's partner, Ted, held Bear's hands so he couldn't get up. His naked cat was laughing like crazy as Al teased him with a wand which held several feathers at the end, bopping him first on the nose, then running the feathers down the middle of his chest, and across to each nipple. All of them laughed like total idiots and in spite of himself, Eoghan turned to Ari and grinned. He tugged on his elbow and moved him away from the window, heading to the back and his own front door.

"What the fuck was that?" Ari said, laughter in every syllable.

"I think we just interrupted a cat orgy," Eoghan whispered, inserting his key, and opening his front door as he snickered.

"A cat orgy with a feather cat wand?" Ari asked. "That's a new one."

They spilled into the house and flopped down on the couch a moment later. Eoghan turned to him and when their eyes met, they started laughing…uproariously. By the time they finally got themselves under control, several minutes had passed and they were both wiping tears from their eyes.

He reached for Ari's face, cupped his cheek, and stared deeply into his eyes. Running a thumb over his full lips, he then scooted closer before slipping his arms around Ari's neck. He leaned in and kissed him. Ari returned the kiss with an unhurried pace Eoghan absolutely adored. After several minutes, he pushed Ari back on the couch and stretched out over him, letting his body slowly come to life. When he was good and hard, he broke the kiss and sat up, sliding off Ari.

"Get naked. I'll be right back," he said as he walked out of the room and headed for the bedroom. He opened his nightstand drawer, reaching for lube and condoms. The tube he pulled out was empty, so he went into the bathroom and dug through the drawers, unlucky there too. When he remembered that he'd thrown their last bottle into his duffel, he walked back out into the living room. Ari lay right where he'd been moments before, arm thrown over his head, fully dressed, and snoring loudly. Eoghan smiled and walked over to the couch, pulling his arm away before leaning down and kissing him soundly on the mouth.

Ari's eyes fluttered open and he smiled sleepily up at him. Eoghan stepped back and held out his hand. "Come on, Romeo. It's past your bedtime." He threw an arm around the man he loved and steered him down the hall toward the bedroom. "We'll revisit this in the morning, though. That's a promise."

"I don't—was there—" Ari stuttered as Eoghan chuckled.

"Nothing, my sweet. Nothing that we can't talk about in the morning. You're dead on your feet."

"At least I'm not dead," Ari said, yawning loudly as they stepped through the doorway.

"And there is that…thank God," Eoghan said, caressing his tight ass as he pushed him back on the bed and stooped to help him off with his boots. Before he'd gotten the last one off, Ari began to snore, and Eoghan simply shook his head, grinning to himself as he stood. He leaned over and kissed him softly before pulling off his cargos and swinging his legs onto the bed. As he shed his own clothes, and climbed into bed beside Ari, he knew one thing for certain.

He really was in love.