Chapter Fourteen

Chloe

The slight tightening of fingers around my forearm was all that betrayed Silas' unease at the sight of the newcomer, whoever he was. I recognized the asshole Mattias from the clothing store standing at his side, but everyone else was unfamiliar.

Taller than his followers, he loomed even above Silas, with long black hair falling down nearly to his chest in waves that looked purposefully messy. His eyes were so dark as to be nearly indistinguishable from his pupil, but they had a sharp, biting nature as his gaze swept from Silas to me and then back. A sneer split his face, turning features that would otherwise might be ruggedly handsome into something unpalatable.

I decided right then and there I would not be upset if Silas broke the man's nose while wiping the disdain from his face. Watching the blood pour onto his half-unbuttoned white silk shirt would make my night.

"Hello, Seth." That was all Silas seemed to think the man merited. Taking my arm, he tried to guide us around them.

"Leaving so soon?" Seth asked, moving slowly to his side, just enough to block our passage without having to be aggressive about it.

"Get out of my way," Silas growled, a threatening rumble in his voice.

Nobody seemed shocked when Seth did no such thing. Instead, he took a step toward Silas, his chest puffing out in wordless challenge. Clearly, there was bad blood between them, but now didn't seem like the best time to settle that. We were badly outnumbered.

"Just drop it," I murmured, half-turning toward Silas, tugging on his arm, trying to drag us back into the party still going on behind us. "Don't bother with this."

Seth chuckled. Mattias and the others followed suit like geese honking after one starts. They were followers, nothing more. I doubted there was an ounce of leader in any of them.

"Who is this pathetic thing you brought to ruin a lovely party?"

I whirled on Seth. "Do you see me insulting your wannabe Fabio look? No, you don't. So, why don't you and your boyband groupies go home, and you can have them change you into something that makes you look like a real adult, okay? While they're at it, maybe they can put you into a clean diaper, too."

Silence ruled. My brain caught up with my mouth, and I knew I was turning as white as a snow. Those were dragons I'd just insulted. Not humans. All my martial arts training would mean nothing against them. So, perhaps I should just try to stay quiet and not antagonize them. Silas would be supremely unhappy with me, I was sure.

Beside me, the big dragon shifter started to chuckle, his chest vibrating with the deep noises.

Or he would find it funny.

Seth, Mattias, and the other hangers-on, however, were all exchanging dark looks with each other.

"You should do as she says," Silas growled when those looks started to come my way instead of darting between one another. "Move aside."

I wondered why Silas was so intent on leaving through that exit. There were many other doors that could take us outside, I was certain. So, why force his way through?

He doesn't want to look like he's retreating. That would make him appear weak.

Even as those thoughts coalesced in my head, I knew there was no way that evening was ending in anything other than violence. Silas wouldn't back down, and whoever Seth was, he wasn't in any way intimidated by who he was facing. Which meant he was probably from a family that rivaled Silas' in power.

"I don't obey humans," Seth spat in response. "Or the clowns who comport with them, for that matter."

My hand came up, fingers splayed across Silas' chest as he stepped forward with an audible snarl.

"Don't let this pissant get under your skin," I said loud enough for everyone to hear. "He's just jealous your date is more attractive than his."

I fixed Mattias with a glare as I spoke, picking him out of the crowd simply because I knew who he was.

Seth stepped forward abruptly, moving so fast I flinched, until he was a foot or two away. "Watch your tone. This is a gathering of superiors. Your kind isn't welcome here."

Casually putting his hand around my waist, Silas moved me behind him, sliding slightly to his right as he did until he was directly between Seth and me, blocking my view entirely.

"You should go," Silas growled. "Before this turns ugly."

I peered around his shoulder, wondering just how much stronger Silas had to be to take on seven all by himself. Could he be that much better? It seemed far-fetched, but there was just so much I didn't know about dragons.

Seth, for his part, looked less confident than before. His eyes darted past Silas and into the room behind us.

"You won't always have your sycophants around to defend you," he spat.

Confused, knowing he couldn't mean me, I turned to look behind me, and my eyes widened. At some point, the rest of the partygoers had taken notice of the terse confrontation going on at the doorway, and a double-handful of males, including Silas' brother, Caleb, had detached themselves from the crowd. The meaning of that was clear to anyone.

Silas laughed. "Please tell me you're smart enough to realize the absolute irony of that statement," he said, pointing out who Seth had arrived with. "I'm not the one who was too afraid to come alone."

Teeth bared but unwilling to push the challenge any further, Seth snapped his fingers, and his entourage moved aside to let us pass. The fury burning in his eyes warned us that whatever that was, it wasn't over. We were going to see more of him. Of that, I was certain.

For now, though, we were free to go.

Walking smoothly, unhurriedly, Silas led me to the landing pad. I tried to hang back to give him room to shift, but he shook his head, instead pulling me close until I was standing facing him, my feet literally on top of his.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

Wings split from his shoulders, stretching wide, and a smile spread across his face.

"Uhhh," I started to protest, reminded of the first time we'd tried this move.

"Hush," Silas said, and with a powerful sweep of his wings, we shot up into the air.

The sudden jolt of movement sent me lurching into him, my body melding itself to his as we smoothly ascended into the sky, both of Silas' arms wrapped around me.

We burst through some low-hanging cloud cover, and above us, the night sky twinkled brilliantly with the light of millions of stars. There we hovered, spinning very slowly as his wings beat just hard enough to keep us aloft.

"You were impressive back there," Silas rumbled, lowering his chin to start down at me.

"You approve?" I asked, unable to look away. There was something about his expression, about the look he was giving me …

Something had changed, but I wasn't picking up on it.

"Oh, yes. That was perfectly dragon-like of you. The insult. The spine. Perfection," he said with a broad grin. "The look on his face is one I won't soon forget."

"Okay," I said tightly, my blood starting to race the longer I was pressed against him. His firm muscles taut under his shirt. Hard pecs. Coiled steel cable in his arms. Rippled stone for his abs. It was beyond impressive.

It was intimidating.

"I will remember that as much as I'll remember something else."

"What's that?" I asked breathlessly, looking up into him.

"This."

He bent down and touched his lips to mine.

Flames erupted across my body, spreading from nerve to nerve, lighting them up like a switchboard.

The air was sucked from my lungs by the heat of his mouth as it smothered mine, the dam between us breaking, the tension that had been building washing over us like a tidal wave, drowning me under its weight.

My hands found the back of his neck, wrapping around it tight while we hung there in the air, slowly spinning.

The piece of my mind still functioning normally noted it was not the sham of a pairing I'd expected it would be when I arrived on the island. Silas was different. He wasn't like what I'd been led to believe about the dragons. He was kind. Caring. Protective.

And I wasn't faking just how badly I wanted him right then under the stars of the perfect night sky.

The jolt that ran through my body at that thought wasn't from anything Silas was doing.

The stars!