Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

Riordan woke up Sunday to the drumming sound of rain against the windows behind the heavy curtains in the hotel bedroom. He was warm even with the air-conditioning on and the sheets tangled around his hips. Most of that reason was lying half on top of him, head resting on his shoulder, one arm slung over his middle and a leg tangled with his, breathing softly against his skin. Wade clung like an octopus in his sleep, and Riordan couldn't say he minded.

He bent his arm, lifting his hand so he could gently run his knuckles up and down Wade's back, following the path of his spine. His skin was fever-warm, a byproduct of being a dragon, Riordan presumed. It made him think of winter and staying in bed curled around each other, a dream he wasn't sure would ever become reality, despite last night.

Letting Wade have his way in bed was the only thing Riordan would ever want in the bedroom. Knowing Wade's past, knowing what he'd overcome, meant Riordan would do everything in his power to never hurt the younger man. It'd been easy to guide him, to show Wade pleasure that made him comfortable, and the best thing about it all had been the laughter. Riordan wanted to remember it all, wanted to be able to hold those moments of joy and heated passion close, because Niall was still a threat.

"You smell like Jono when Patrick has done something stupid and he thinks brooding will solve the problem if tea won't," Wade mumbled, breath tickling Riordan's skin.

Riordan flattened his hand over Wade's hip. "You're awake."

"I'm awake. Kind of want coffee. Kind of want you." Wade's arm curled tighter around Riordan's body, holding him in an embrace he doubted he'd be able to escape without some effort. Not like he'd want to.

"Do you really want coffee over me?"

Wade lifted his head and blearily looked at Riordan. His dark hair was a mess and flopping over his forehead, getting in his eyes. His tanned skin was clear of any dragon scales, though Riordan had been privileged to see them shine through a couple of times last night when they were tangled up together. They'd felt smooth and warm to his touch, just like Wade's skin, patterned in a way that had fascinated Riordan.

"I think I want a shower," Wade decided, being contrary.

To be fair, Riordan did think they both needed a shower after last night. The bedroom was saturated in the smell of sex, but he didn't mind it too much, mostly because beneath it all was the smokey scent he attributed to Wade.

Riordan ran his hand up Wade's spine to drag his fingers through thick hair, making Wade sigh. "Come on. Let's get ready."

Any other day and he would want to stay in bed, exploring Wade's body for hours on end, ordering room service rather than letting the private chef into the penthouse. Any other day and he could let the hours tick away, but not today.

Wade didn't argue, rolling away from Riordan to slide off the bed and get to his feet with a yawn. Riordan immediately missed the warmth of the other man, wanting to drag Wade close again. That itching desire to offer up his sealskin to Wade rushed through Riordan like a riptide, and he had to clench his teeth to keep the words locked away. Wade's confession last night—that he'd never take anything not freely given—was wreaking havoc with Riordan's self-control.

So he channeled that desire into the physical instead, crowding Wade into the walk-in shower big enough for two people once they were in the bathroom. He reached for the knob, turning the water on, not minding that it came out lukewarm first before getting hotter.

"I thought we were cleaning up," Wade mumbled against his lips as Riordan pushed him up against the tiles and kissed him beneath the spray.

"We are," Riordan replied, dragging his mouth and hands down the lean length of Wade's body until he settled on his knees.

"This isn't cleaning up. I'm pretty sure it's—oh fuck !"

Wade's head smacked against the tile with a faint crack when Riordan sucked his cock into his mouth, swallowing down to the root. He kept one hand on Wade's hips to steady him rather than pin him. Riordan dragged his mouth back up the length of Wade's cock, licking at the tip as he wrapped his other hand around the base of it, looking up at Wade. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to make you feel good."

Wade's face was flushed, and not just from the steam rising around them. A faint glitter of red scales edged his hairline, and Riordan had the absurd need to see how many more he could bring up through Wade's skin.

"I think you're gonna kill me," Wade moaned. "Do you even know what you look like?"

Riordan smirked but didn't bother answering, preferring instead to swallow Wade's cock again because the sound of Wade's moans against the shower tile was better than music right then. He took his time, working over Wade's cock with a thoroughness that had the younger man swearing and gasping as it hardened in his mouth. Listening to Wade fall apart above him as he swallowed around the cock in his mouth made Riordan feel good, knowing that Wade enjoyed it too. The water was still warm when Wade finally came, cock so far down Riordan's throat he couldn't even taste it.

Riordan looked up, drinking in the sight above him. Wade truly was gorgeous like this, with molten-gold eyes bisected by reptilian pupils and fiery red scales pushing up through his skin in scattered areas of his body, as if he couldn't control himself in the wake of the pleasure Riordan could give him.

He pulled off after a moment, not even breathing hard, and leaned in to nuzzle his face against Wade's stomach. He kissed his way back up warm skin to Wade's mouth for a kiss neither of them shied away from.

"Feel free to do that every morning," Wade said.

Riordan laughed, wanting to believe he could. "Sure."

They didn't spend too much more time in the shower. Wade's stomach rumbled, and Riordan knew they'd need to eat breakfast before they dealt with everything ahead of them that day. He turned off the water, and they left the shower, drying off in the bathroom before Wade finally showed him where all the new clothes were in the closet. Riordan grabbed his sealskin from the chair in the corner and pulled it on as a leather jacket once he was dressed, nerves settling now that it was with him again.

He followed Wade out of the bedroom to the living space beyond. Wade unearthed the remote and turned on the television while Riordan checked out the refrigerator to see what the chef had left that could be used for breakfast. The morning hour meant the channel it was turned to opened up on the local news. Riordan's attention snagged on what was being reported, and he left the carton of eggs he'd pulled from the refrigerator on the counter to join Wade in the living area.

"—fire overnight on a yacht anchored in Cambridge and owned by the same company whose hotel on the wharf had water damage from burst sprinklers yesterday, which has delayed its anticipated summer opening. It's too soon to tell if?—"

"That wasn't me," Wade said, looking at his phone and not the television.

"It wasn't anyone from my clan."

"Any other kin who might be out looking for revenge?"

Riordan shook his head. "We don't take on each other's debts that way."

"Ugh. I hate debts." Wade found whatever he was searching for on his phone and pressed it to his ear. Riordan stepped closer, listening in on the call. The ringing stopped, but the line didn't go to voicemail. "Was the yacht your doing?"

"I thought you said you didn't want to speak with us ever again," Carmen drawled. Riordan winced, still amazed at Wade's complete lack of fear when it came to the succubus and the master vampire she followed.

"Extenuating circumstances. Just tell me if Abby Boy is still going after Niall."

"It's been a fun little game, hunting fae."

"Great. Keep enjoying it."

Wade ended the call, apparently happy with that explanation, even if Riordan wasn't. "Are Lucien and his Night Court sticking around Boston?"

"No idea, but I won't be paying for any more of their help."

"I'm betting that yacht belonged to Niall."

"Sucker's bet. I know better than to take them."

"I don't think anyone will be happy if Lucien sticks around after all this."

Wade shrugged, turning to face him. "No one ever is, but he doesn't really settle down. He was in New York City only long enough to keep a promise to the mother of all vampires, and then the second the fight was over, he was gone."

Riordan hoped Lucien only targeted Niall's people and not anyone else. "If Lucien is going after Niall's property, Niall may think what happened at the hotel yesterday was because of the vampires."

"Maybe. But if telling him it was me works to our advantage, I'll shout it from the rooftops."

"I still don't like the plan."

Wade turned to kiss him on the lips, just a quick peck. "Yeah, you yelled about that all day yesterday. I know you don't like it, but I'm not going to let anything happen to Saoirse."

Riordan pressed their foreheads together, hands gripping Wade's hips with tight fingers. He was perfectly willing to give up his skin and his freedom if it meant his sister and his clan would be safe with Donal to lead them. But apparently, Wade and his siblings weren't willing to let that happen. "I'll make us breakfast."

All the eggs in the carton were put to use, as were the two packets of bacon and some shredded cheese. Wade found a loaf of sliced bread in the cupboard and set about toasting the entire thing. When everything was finished, they ate over the pan on the stove, scooping scrambled eggs onto pieces of toast and eating it.

It was enough to tide over his hunger, but it sat heavily in his stomach for the entire rainy drive over to Lady Caith's in Beacon Hill. The home looked intact when they parked out front, no hint of damage in the magic that surrounded it. Niall and his people must have steered clear even after everything, on the run from vampires during the night and the day.

The front door opened before they even reached the porch, Saoirse peeking her head out and smiling in relief at them. "Hey, boyo. Glad to see you in one piece."

"I told you I'd keep him safe," Wade said.

Saoirse wrinkled her nose at Wade when they reached her. "It smells like you did more than that."

"Nope, we are not talking about that."

He didn't sound embarrassed, but Riordan understood why Wade wouldn't want to talk about sex. "Let's get inside. This storm looks to be getting worse."

"Sure thing. Lady Caith has breakfast ready in the dining room."

Wade perked up at that, bustling past her. "Oh, good. I want some fruit."

He disappeared into the home, and Saoirse stepped out of the way so Riordan could enter as well. She shut the door behind him, eyeing him with a faint frown. No other fae were in the hall, their hospitality from before still holding.

"You have your skin," she said.

Riordan reached out to tweak one long lock of her auburn hair. "Of course I do."

"Why haven't you offered it to Wade yet?"

"You know why."

If this plan didn't work, then Riordan needed to be free to offer himself up in lieu of everyone else. He couldn't do that if Wade held his skin, not after the younger man already held his heart, even if Wade didn't know it. Fixation was such a terrible thing when you couldn't give in to it.

"But—"

Riordan shook his head. "Let's find the others."

He wasn't about to discuss anything personal like that in this home that probably had eyes and ears everywhere. The alliance with Lady Caith was built partly on Wade and his god pack's reputation. Riordan would take it, but he wouldn't trust her, not completely.

Saoirse huffed out a sigh and turned on her heels. "All right."

He followed her to the dining room, where he was unsurprised to see Wade clutching a plate piled high with food. It all smelled good, a mix of mundane human food and fae food. There was even a dish of tiny roasted fish piled high that he had to force his older brother to share. Riordan doubted it was typical fare for Lady Caith, who seemed satisfied with her fruit and sweet bread and was probably meant just for the selkies to eat.

"Did you see the news this morning?" Riordan asked after he'd eaten half the food on his plate and was on his second cup of coffee.

"I presume you are referring to the burned yacht," Lady Caith said.

"Yeah. The news thinks it's Niall's."

"They are most likely correct. You told us you would go straight to the hotel last night."

"It wasn't us, if that's what you're asking. It was the vampires' doing."

Lady Caith neatly buttered a piece of fluffy bread. "Ah. Well, good for them."

"Has anyone heard from Ella?" Wade asked before shoving a forkful of food into his mouth.

"No."

"Okay. I'll call them after I eat."

Riordan couldn't shake off the tension that settled in him as they ate. It was barely nine o'clock in the morning, but time felt as if it were dragging. He was a day past Niall's demand, and the only reason Saoirse wasn't writhing around in pain still was because of the ring she still wore. None of them knew the status of her sealskin, and they couldn't go another day without reaching out to Niall. Riordan wouldn't risk his sister's life and sanity any longer.

It was strange, though, that Niall hadn't reached out after his last call. Riordan had thought he would, but perhaps being hunted by vampires and the loss of Harper was making him reassess everything.

Riordan was finishing the last bite of food when thunder rumbled overhead, strong enough to rattle the windows. He glanced up reflexively, listening to the howling wind outside. "I don't think we factored in the rain."

"I did," Lady Caith said. Considering her title, Riordan wasn't going to question the storm any longer.

"We'll still launch the boats, and you have clan leaders to call," Donal said.

Riordan grimaced. "I still think?—"

"It was decided," Lady Caith interrupted coolly. "Your protests were noted, but your skin is not the one in Niall's possession. Allow your sister this choice."

Wade knocked his foot against Riordan's beneath the table. "I'll keep her safe. You know that."

"I know," Riordan said, putting his fork down, suddenly no longer hungry. "But it should still be me."

No one seemed inclined to argue with him again, so he didn't press the issue despite how badly he wanted to. Lady Caith didn't seem in the mood to rehash everything they'd fought over yesterday, and the plan in question was already set. All that was left was giving in to Niall's demands.

Riordan kept his phone on him, the weight of it impossible to ignore in his back pocket. The rain meant they all remained inside Lady Caith's home, all of them twitchy. Riordan had wanted to call Niall first, to get it all over with, but Lady Caith had shaken her head.

"Better to let him come crawling to us for what he wants," she had said.

Riordan didn't know if that would make everything better, but he'd agreed to wait, spending time with his siblings in the den, where they huddled together on the couch. Wade stayed close, seated on the floor in front of the couch, resting his head against Riordan's knee.

The storm didn't let up as the hours ticked down. Noon came and went, lunch a tense, quiet affair with little conversation. It was after everyone had eaten, and they were arguing over what to watch when Riordan's phone finally rang, quieting the conversation.

He pulled his phone from his pocket and stared at the screen, Niall's name on the incoming call. Riordan drew in a steadying breath before he answered it. "Niall."

"You must think yourself above me, to play such games with your sister's skin," Niall said in a silky, dangerous voice.

"I take it you didn't get much sleep last night? Vampires keep you up?" Riordan asked, forcing his voice to remain calm.

Niall ignored the question. "We had a bargain, and you broke it. Your sister is forfeit."

"I did no such thing."

"So you say."

"I'm not the one trying to take over Boston."

"A city like this needs guidance."

"Not from you."

"You have a choice, Riordan Maguire. You hand over your sister, or you hand over yourself. Your debt is being called in today."

Riordan made a fist, fingernails biting into the skin of his palm. He looked over at where Saoirse sat, clutching her hands together before her chest, mouth set in a stubborn line. He could smell her fear, but more than that, he could see the determination in her eyes. "Fine. Come make us pay it. We're at Lady Caith's."

He ended the call, in no mood to argue the minutiae of the bargain they'd been forced into. That would happen soon enough. He exhaled sharply, looking over at where Lady Caith stood in the doorway, several of her fae standing behind her. She nodded gravely at him. "He will believe your clan comes first. We know how protective you kin are."

That didn't make any of what they were doing better. Riordan had spent centuries keeping his clan safe, and it felt like the bitterest of failures when the doorbell rang not even an hour later, heralding Niall's arrival, and he would have to choose.

Wade took his hand on the walk through the home to the front door, giving it a hard squeeze. "It'll be all right."

Riordan desperately wanted to believe that, but then one of Lady Caith's fae was opening the front door, revealing Niall standing on the porch, one of his fae servants waiting behind him on the path with an open umbrella. The rain pouring down slanted sideways from the wind, but Niall appeared dry. Riordan could sense the weight of water in the air, his awareness of it tugging at his attention. He thought, briefly, of reaching for it through magic, of using it to lash out at Niall.

But they had a plan, one he'd been outvoted on, and Riordan would do his best to sell it.

"Niall Noígíallach," Lady Caith said, naming him true and not inviting him inside for any sort of hospitality.

"Lady Caith," Niall replied with an insincere smile. It was a mark against his position that he didn't use her title or name her true, either because he didn't know it or he thought using it wouldn't help him. If he was still in the process of becoming a prayed-into-being god of some sort, Riordan wondered if Niall didn't mind the acknowledgment of who he was. "I am not here for you."

"Of course not. You are here for my allies."

Niall's mouth ticked up at one corner, but Riordan couldn't read the reaction. That piercing gaze snapped to him, and Riordan met it without blinking, refusing to show deference in any way. "I am. Kin do so need to be on a leash, don't you think?"

Riordan ground his teeth in the face of that insult. "You play fast and loose with your words."

"I speak the truth." He did, because it was ingrained in the higher fae how they thought of kin. It didn't make Riordan hate him any less.

"Yeah, that still makes you an asshole," Wade said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Niall's attention shifted from Riordan to Wade, and Riordan wanted to step between them. "Ah, the human from the bar."

"Yeah. Little old me who sicced the vampires on you and ruined your hotel. By the way, Harper wants her husband back."

The rage that flashed across Niall's eyes was easy enough to see, like a storm barreling in from the horizon. "You seem not to know your place."

"Oh, I know it." Wade jerked his thumb in Saoirse's direction. "It's with her."

"I'm going with you," Saoirse told Niall, her voice flat and firm, hands fisted at her side. "You can keep me and my skin, and that's all you're getting."

Wade nodded. "And me. You seem the kind of asshole who likes a little revenge. I mean, how much did that yacht of yours cost?"

Riordan could smell the sharp scent of anger for a split second before Niall got himself under control. Wade smiled at him, a hardness to his gaze that would have been foolhardy if Riordan didn't know what Wade was.

"Is this your choice, Riordan?" Niall asked. "You would actually give up your sister to my possession?"

No , Riordan wanted to say. But instead, what came out of his mouth was "You stole her skin, and the cost is too high to get it back."

It took everything in him to choke out those words, not needing to fake how much it pained him to do so. Niall narrowed his eyes but didn't immediately speak, clearly not getting what he truly wanted—which was Riordan's clan and territory to eat away at the rest of the kin.

"The bargain was set, and payment is made," Lady Caith said, her words ringing with a kind of power that made the air feel heavy. "I bear witness."

Something seemed to snap around Riordan, that invisible pressure breaking. Riordan stiffened, staring at Saoirse, who swayed on her feet but never lost that determined look in her eyes. She took a deep breath and stepped out of the foyer and onto the porch. Donal had to hold Riordan back from snatching her away from Niall.

They had a plan.

He needed to remember that.

"So where are we going?" Wade asked as he handed his cell phone to Riordan before following Saoirse outside.

"You were not part of the bargain," Niall said.

"It's your lucky day, then, because it's a buy one, get one free sale. Besides, you'll want me. I can tell the vampires to stop messing with your territory."

"That doesn't mean they will stop."

"You won't know unless I try." Wade slung his arm over Saoirse's shoulders, holding her close. He smiled at Niall, showing no fear, and then proceeded to guide Saoirse off the porch and into the rain. "What car are we taking?"

Niall stood there for a moment, his gaze boring into Riordan's. "I don't know what game you think you're playing, but it won't end how you hope. You'll never see your sister again after today."

Riordan bit his tongue until it bled, Donal's grip bruisingly tight on his shoulder. He said nothing to that threat, the bargain paid and witnessed. The Maguire Clan was out of reach of Niall's clutches, but Saoirse wasn't. Riordan dragged his gaze away from Niall and looked past the other fae at Saoirse and Wade, who had paused on the pathway, flanked by two of Niall's fae bodyguards. The rain had soaked through their clothes, plastering their hair to their heads. But they both looked back at him, and Riordan knew the only thing he could do was place his trust in Wade.

He kept his teeth clenched together, words locked away in his chest, his sealskin remaining with him as Niall walked off with his sister and his lover. He didn't call out to them, staying rooted where he stood until the black SUVs double-parked out front finally drove off.

Donal tugged him out of the doorway, letting Lady Caith shut it, closing out the storm. She looked at him, gaze unwavering. "He did not get what he truly wanted. He will come after you again."

"That's what we're hoping for," Donal said in a low voice.

Riordan shook himself free of his brother's grip and pulled out his cell phone, calling Ella. The dire picked up after the first ring. "Did he take the bait?"

"Yes," Riordan said, the words scraping themselves out of his throat. "He took Saoirse and Wade."

"Good. We'll head to the harbor. Have the boats ready."

Ella was all business, which Riordan would appreciate some other day. She ended the call, and the only thing left for them to do was get ready to defend their clan and their territory.

That meant stealing back Saoirse and Wade.

Riordan wanted to believe that Wade would be able to manage that on his own.