8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Cyrus

A s soon as the sun is up, I'm in my car and heading to Midas's penthouse. I just want to get back to Finley. I need to be in her orbit, even more than I need to put distance between us. It's a dangerous game I'm playing. Too close, and we could both get burned. Too far, and I feel like I'm drifting into a dark void.

Before I can raise my hand to knock on my brother's door, it swings open. Finley is standing in the doorway, wearing running shorts and a pink sports bra. Her hair is up in a ponytail, begging to be wrapped around my hand and pulled.

She stares up at me with big, icy blue eyes, the color of glaciers in the middle of spring.

This is exactly how we met the first time, when Finley turned my world on its axis. After only a few minutes together, I knew she was my mate. I also knew she was seventeen. Not even of age by human standards.

I left and went straight to the High Temple archives. A year later, I still couldn't find a record of a dragon meeting their human mate before the human was twenty-three. Not a single one.

No one knows exactly what causes one dragon to recognize another as their mate, but it never happens before a dragon reaches maturity. With our longer life spans, puberty doesn't happen until a dragon's twenty-third birthday. And always, for every dragon, it happens on that exact day. Not like humans, who reach puberty at different times all throughout adolescence. When I met Finley, she was nearly of age by human standards, only two months shy of eighteen, and definitely not a child.

I considered taking it up with the priests. But Finley isn't just any human. She's my queen's sister. And even if she was of legal age by human standards, she was still young. It just felt… wrong.

The one priest I confided in encouraged me to trust the goddess and wait. So, I did. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do, but it shaped me into the man I am today. A better man, I think, than I was six years ago.

Hopefully, a man worthy of the beautiful hellcat glaring up at me .

"You having déjà vu as much as I am right now?" I whisper.

Finley lifts and lowers one shoulder. Her beautiful lips quirk to one side. "Nah, you were cuter back then."

"You weren't."

"Excuse me?" Her hand goes to the curve of her hip, and my gaze follows. "Are you saying I wasn't attractive? Did I repulse you? Is that why you cursed in my face and wouldn't even walk me out of the building? You didn't want to be seen with me?"

"No!" I drag a hand down my face in frustration. Why do I keep blowing it with this woman? When our eyes meet again, there's still doubt in her expression, so I step forward. I may not be able to act on anything yet, but she needs to know I don't think of her as repulsive. Quite the opposite.

"You were so stunning it hurt." I crowd her against the doorframe. "You were every naughty school girl fantasy personified. I wanted to bend you over in that elevator, lift that little plaid skirt that barely covered your ass, fuck you fast and hard, and make you come before we reached the bottom floor."

Her breath hitches, her chest heaves, and a whisper slips from her lips. "And now?"

I swallow, all too aware of the inch of space between us. Cheek next to hers, close, but not touching, I inhale the scent of her peppermint shampoo. "You're even more beautiful." My lips just barely brush the shell of her ear. "Now, you're more than some taboo fantasy. You're the woman I want to m—" I self-correct just in time. "Make dinner."

"So you don't still want to fuck me?" There's a touch too much self-doubt in her voice and a low growl rumbles my chest before I can stop it. Her forehead crinkles, but I speak before she can ask what the noise was.

"I want you, Finley. Make no mistake about that. I want to spread my palm across your bare waist and feel how the exposed skin heats when I touch you. I want to drag my thumb under the bottom of your sports bra and see how you shiver from my touch, tug it up to your throat and see how tight your nipples get when I look at them." With one finger, I skim the side of her waist from the bottom of her sports bra to her top of her shorts. "I'd drop to my knees, and kiss a line up the curve of your thigh." I let my finger trail down her hip to the hem of her tiny shorts. "Tug these down and feast on you until you scream my name right here in the hall."

She leans forward, a slight movement, but it's just enough that each inhale makes her peaked nipples lightly graze my chest.

My fists ball at my sides. "You have no idea how much self control it's taking not to touch you right now. "

"Then touch me," she says, breathless. "Do it."

I take a deep, fortifying gulp of air and step back. "No."

Her eyes widen, then narrow. "Asshole."

She goes to step around me, but trips over one of my suitcases.

"Are you leaving again?" I can't tell if there's relief or disappointment in her voice.

"No. I'm just bringing my stuff over." Picking up my suitcase, I step past Finley into the apartment.

"What? Why?" She follows me.

"It wouldn't be appropriate for me to walk around naked, would it?" Midas's modern living room is empty, bright with morning sunlight pouring through the uncovered floor-to-ceiling windows.

"What are you talking about?"

"Good, you're here." Midas comes down the stairs, probably having heard the door slam shut behind Finley.

I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him, jerking my head in Finley's direction. "You didn't tell her."

"We were getting to it."

"Will one of you fucking assholes tell me what the hell is going on?" Her ponytail whips around as her head swings from Midas to me.

"Jeslyn, my treasure," Midas calls to his wife. Avoidant asshole.

Jeslyn steps out of the kitchen, one hand on her belly. She looks more exhausted than she did yesterday, and when she moves, she flinches. A brief show of pain, but unmistakable. Midas is at her side in a moment. "Everything alright?"

"Yes, fine. We should get going, though." She turns to her sister. "I hope you don't mind that we told Cyrus he could stay here while we're gone."

"No, that's fine." Finley sighs. "I'll just go stay with Sora."

Jeslyn raises her eyebrows. "You're going to bunk up with Sora and her two roommates in their one-bedroom apartment?"

Shit, that hurts. She'd rather put herself in that situation than stay here with me? I really have been an asshole. I'm gonna need to work to make it up to her by her birthday, because there's no way in hell I'm going one more day than necessary without her.

"Fin, there's plenty of space here." Jeslyn steps closer, wrapping her sister in a hug, and drops her voice. But with dragon hearing, it's not difficult to pick up on her next words. "Cyrus is a good guy. You don't have to worry about him, and I'll feel better knowing you aren't alone here."

Finley snatches a glance in my direction. "Isn't there somewhere else he can stay?"

"You both just moved back. He doesn't have anywhere to go, just like you."

Jeslyn is really committing to keeping Finley in the dark. She knows full well I have a place here. It's clear this is all because she doesn't want to tell Finley what we are, or how much danger she might be in.

"Fine." Finley pulls away from her sister and points her forefinger at me. "But don't you get any ideas. Like I told that dude last night, I'm not interested."

Fire lights in my veins. "What dude?"

"Jethro or something."

My jaw clenches, remembering the two of them talking.

"Jethro hit on you?" Jeslyn asks with a hopeful note in her voice. Why would she be hopeful about that? She and Midas share a look, and Midas subtly shakes his head. Her face falls slightly, but then she pulls her sister into another hug. "Be good, okay? Take care of yourself. Don't do anything reckless. "

"Have you fucking met me?" Finley laughs.

Jeslyn smiles fondly. "Language."

"Yes, mom."

Both of the women laugh together, and I catch a soft smile on my stoic brother's face.

I know Jeslyn raised Finley, but I haven't really seen their dynamic in person before. It's clear they care about each other a great deal. My chest tightens. Midas and I used to be close enough to tease and joke around like that. Then we lost half our horde, and he became king. His eyes meet mine, and I wonder if he's also remembering how we were when we were young.

My brother places a hand on his wife's back. "We should go."

She pulls away from Finley, and to my surprise, throws her arms around me next, nearly toppling me over. "Take care of her, Cyrus. Please."

There are tears in her eyes when she breaks our hug, and I realize what this goodbye could mean for her if everything doesn't go smoothly with this birth.

I give Jeslyn the same promise I gave Midas. "By the goddess and the gold, I'll protect her." Squeezing Jeslyn a little closer, I whisper so low I know even Midas won't hear. " I'd give my life for her."

Jeslyn pulls back and gives me a careful assessment. We both nod, then she steps away. She doesn't make it two steps before she's turning around and hugging Finley again, no longer trying to hide the tears.

"Get off me, you weirdo," Finley says. "You're going to be back in a few weeks. I'll be fine."

"Right." Jeslyn sniffles, wipes her eyes, and tries to smile. "I'll see you soon."

By the goddess, I hope that's true.