Headstrong

headstrong

A s we pull up to Morgana’s house, a pulse of magic nearly causes me to hit the large SUV parking in front of us. I hit the brakes, blinking and sucking in a deep breath. Slade looks at me in concern, but I just wave my hand. There’s nothing he can do to help; I absorb more than I should when people use their powers around me and I don’t have time to shield. It’s one of the reasons I make such a good professor—I can keep the folks who don’t have precision control from killing their classmates accidentally.

It’s also why my father fucking hates me; I’m more powerful than him by leaps and bounds.

“Will that stick with you?” my friend murmurs as he studies me.

Shaking my head, I let out another breath as the energy flows over me. “Unsure, but damn, that was a big one. I don’t know what the fuck they’re getting up to inside, but we should go see.”

Before I can maneuver the car into the other spot, that damn grumpy dragon bursts out of the SUV and bounds into the house like his ass is on fire. Slade looks at me and groans. “That’s not good. He’s way too much of a hothead.”

“It’s going to be complicated until he gets that flaming head out of his ass, for sure,” I agree. “Let’s go help our girl and the others before Captain Asshat makes them pissy.”

The car slides into the spot next to his armored monstrosity and we both hop out, hurrying to the porch where the door is hanging open. It’s obvious Kaspar has damn near taken it off the hinges and I mutter a spell to patch the damage so we can close it.

“Man, he really needs a damn chill pill,” Slade says softly. “It didn’t even feel like anyone was in danger. Why go totally psycho?”

Because he’s a crazy ass dragon and they’re all like this.

Huffing in irritation, I turn to the steps as loud voices echo off the walls. “Fuck. He’s already screwing it all up.”

We take the steps two at a time, arriving at Morgana’s bedroom door just as she delivers a stinging blow.

“You’re jealous that he wants to be with someone other than you, you scaly shithead.”

Well, that wasn’t subtle.

“Guys, come on. We talked about this already.” I peek in the room to see Lucas sprawled on the bed like the golden god of sports he is, looking totally unruffled by the intrusion.

The Prince looks more frustrated, standing with his arms crossed over an impressive chest. He’s wearing sweatpants I assume are borrowed from the bear, and his usually neat hair is a mess. It’s obvious what went on from the scent alone, but when my eyes hit Morgana, they almost bug out. She’s got a sheet wrapped around her in a messy tumble, looking like an ingenue in a French film.

“I’m not jealous of your silly tryst,” Kaspar says with a snort. “I am concerned because I felt the magic from the street and…”

“It was mating magic?” Liam says with a smirk. “That it was, my friend.”

Damn, that crafty royal shit—riding back with them definitely gave him the edge.

Scales ripple over the bodyguard, and he looks as if he’s truly struggling not to shift. Once they fade, he gives the Prince a dark glare. “Your father will know. This is a disaster.”

Morgana finally moves, stepping into the middle of the fray with her eyes flashing. “I’m not used to people discussing things that impact me as if I’m not present. I don’t care who the fuck you work for, dragon. You wouldn’t be the first one I’ve slayed, nor am I worried about the punishment.”

“Wait, wait,” Slade says as he sneaks past me. “This is all getting out of control. Morgana’s choice in mates or mating is hers and the recipient’s. Well, and maybe Lucas, too. But… that doesn’t mean there are no consequences for free will. I think Kaspar is failing to communicate that this decision may have some we are not aware of.”

“That was pretty good, dude.” I grin at Slade, and he ducks his head, looking oddly pleased at the praise. I never can figure out his reactions and it’s gotten worse since Morgana came along. “But he’s right. The dragon is fucking this up epically, but I assume he’s worried about the evil Fae Daddy smiting someone. That about it, dickface?”

Kaspar huffs smoke rings and I watch him closely. I’ll need a water enchantment and possibly Slade’s help if he unleashes dragon fire. That stuff is hard as hell to put out and resistant to normal water. “The siren is correct. Liam has been promised to many women as a possible betrothal by the King; who knows what political alliances this will disintegrate? Not to mention, mating with Fae will leave obvious marks, unlike the simple bites of the bear. There are mating tattoos that will eventually show and likely follow to the bear.”

“That’s kind of cool,” Morgana mutters and I grin at her. She has no idea, but she will.

Lucas frowns, thinking about it for a moment, then shrugs. “I like ink and Li’s hot. I’m good with it.”

“Odin’s rusty codpiece, you’re all dense,” the dragon grumbles. “Do you realize that if both you and Morgana show up around town with Fae markings—particularly royal ones—anyone who knows what they mean will not only realize you’re connected to the Prince but also to one another? Fuck, it’s like explaining shit to a troll.”

Ouch. Trolls are pretty thick as a species.

“Maybe it will require a glamor to cover them?” I offer. Morgana gives me a grateful look, and I shrug. “I’m quite skilled at them, you know.”

“Fae mating marks can’t be covered with other magic. It is our inability to lie—you can’t cover up that you belong to someone else because it might trick them about your status,” Liam says softly.

Slade tilts his head. “So Fae can’t cheat on their mates?”

“Uh, yes, they can,” Kaspar grunts. “They just can’t lie about it.”

Interesting. I’m not sure I’d survive in Faerie—deception was ground into my bones from the time I could talk.

“That’s why you’re yelling? Some tattoos? Seems like an overreaction,” the bear says as he stretches again. “But what do I know? I’m a murder suspect.”

“I’m an actual murderer,” Morgana adds with an impish grin. “Guess it can’t be that scandalous for me.”

“Not even when you’re the Dean?” the dragon asks with a cocked brow.

“Especially not then given our previous Dean, moron,” I shoot back as I walk into the room to find a place to sit on the window seat.

How is this guy an actual bodyguard when he’s this dumb?

Lucas smothers a guffaw, grinning. “Good one, Prof.”

Even the Prince cracks a smile as he walks over to stand behind our girl. “Kaspar, I’m well aware of all the implications. We’ll have to deal with them one by one, as they come up. My father is fairly distracted by all his mistresses and the Hand at the moment. We both know he’s not exactly tuned into the goings on of his children, even on a boring day. The mercenaries and preventing war should keep him busy enough.”

“And your mother?” The dragon gives his friend a pointed look, and that drains the color from his face.

“Uh… well…”

As quickly as she allowed him close, Morgana gives Liam a big shove. “You idiot. Your mother is going to get involved? I’ll kill you myself.”

Slade clears his throat, his expression thoughtful. “Does everyone in this room have living parents?”

I heave a sigh, nodding. “I do and it will not be a treat to have either interested in my life.”

“Second that,” my roommate says as he turns to the others. “Morgana’s folks are in Greece, right? Retired?”

“Yes, but I’d like to keep them out of anything for as long as possible because the trial was really hard on them,” she murmurs softly. “They didn’t deserve all that flack just for raising a hybrid they adopted.”

Lucas leaps up from the bed, glaring as he walks over to take her hands. “Babe, my parents gave birth to me and they could give a fuck less what I do. I wouldn’t torture anyone with their presence for all the money in the Wolfenberg vaults. But Nana is going to want to meet you, eventually.”

Our girl looks like she’s going to throw herself out the window, so I take pity on her. “I think the Prince said this dick’s dad is alive at least. So that rounds us all out. At least now we have an idea how many assholes we’ll have to fend off.”

Kaspar clenches his fists, shaking his head. “You don’t need to worry about me. I returned because you have other worries.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Morgana tosses her raven hair over her shoulder, then blinks and looks down at herself. Her lack of clothing has finally sunk in. She frowns and stomps towards her closet. Yanking the door open, she steps inside and closes it before calling, “Just speak loud enough for me to hear, jackass.”

Liam chuckles, his eyes dancing with fondness at her jibe, and I feel a pang of jealousy hit me in the chest. The bear holds his fist out and they bump knuckles, a clear camaraderie formed now that they’ve experienced their mate together.

Fuck. I want that, and I’ve never wanted that before in my life.

“You have a gushing leak in your admissions department. The amount of information and libelous gossip she provided me with very little prompting suggests to me that you need to put the entire staff in your building in with a truth taster.”

Slade blanches, looking disturbed. “Are you sure that a good…”

“Yes.” The dragon didn’t even give him time to finish, and I assume he found more than one yapping girl from the admin pool.

Morgana pops her head out of the closet, frowning. “Where the fuck am I going to find a goddamn unicorn shifter? They’re as rare as dragons who aren’t giant assholes.”

We all look at one another and burst out laughing as Kaspar fumes and she ducks back into her space to finish dressing. I’ll admit, I don’t know where to find one outside of the Society, and I doubt anyone else does. They really are sought after and have to keep themselves hidden so people don’t kidnap them for personal gain.

“I know where one is,” Slade says softly. “But you will not like it.”

I blink in surprise, then realize it must have something to do with his gangster relatives at home. “Slade, you don’t have to…”

“If we need one, I do,” he says with a sigh. “My parents have one who is indentured to their… organization. You probably don’t want to know much more than that because the story is fucking awful. I wish I didn’t know it, but the dude really fucked up. So if we visit my family, we could request… a favor.”

Oh, hell no.

“No way,” Morgana says as she comes out of her closet dressed in comfy clothes. “First, Lucas isn’t supposed to leave the state. Second, I can’t just hop a plane to the coast—I’m tied down, too.” She points to where her wing would be and I cringe. That shit is barbaric. “Third, why in the hell would your criminal parents agree to it? I’m no one and I’m sure as fuck not ending up indentured to them like this poor unicorn.”

“All excellent points,” Liam says. “Not to mention, going into some gang’s territory is quite dangerous. Supe empires are tricky with visiting heads of state.”

“It wouldn’t matter if… uh…” Slade fumbles for a second and I finally get what he means.

This would cost him big time—even if the outcome was positive in the short term.

“You’re suggesting she mate with you, which will give Lucas and Liam free rein to join you. They know me, and Kaspar would be required to accompany his royal. We’d all be able to go in with no special permission and your parents would be hard pressed to deny their heir’s new mate.”

What they don’t know is that finding his mate will have consequences easily as dire as the dragon was reminding the Fae prince about. Slade will have to present her at one of the Appalachin meetings of the heads of the criminal and mafia empires, then show her off at parties. During breaks, he may need to assume family responsibilities. It would end his dream of being completely free of them for good.

“I don’t know, Slade. Finding out the truth from the staff will not clear Lucas, nor will it fix all my problems,” Morgana says slowly.

The sound of a throat clearing makes us all look, and Kaspar shrugs. “Actually, it might. If someone in Magnus’ old band set Lucas up to smear you or even be involved in the poisoning, the likelihood of those bobbleheads all gossiping together is high. You might even figure out what the endgame is besides getting you in trouble. This can’t all be about his crusty dick; that’s insane.”

He’s got us there.