Dragon magic crackled through the quiet.
Metal fittings on the light sconces rattled. Electricity flickered. Light bulbs blinked on, then off, reacting to the supercharged current in the air.
With a murmur, Rathbone lit the candles lining the main corridor. Soft illumination spilled, lighting his way through the dark. Not that he needed the runway. His night vision never failed him. But a good host provided certain amenities for his guests. Lighting up dark corners, allowing Rannock to scan distant corners without effort, seemed the very least he could do.
Stopping in front a set of triple archways, Rathbone glanced through the opening into his favorite room. He spent a lot of time in the study. More than his brothers, running his Triad’s many businesses, managing the investment fund, ensuring money kept flowing. But as he paused in the hallway, the surge of pride he usually got before entering the room didn’t come.
To be expected under the circumstances. Everything rested on the next few minutes.
He’d taken a calculated risk without consulting his brothers. Not something he liked to do, but…
Rathbone clenched his teeth.
No going back now. The time had arrived to see if his gamble would pay off. All he could do now was pray Noble had done as instructed. Cate was the key. His entire plan revolved around her. Nothing about it was complicated. Simple, straightforward, the strategy went something like—set her in the chair by the hearth, light a fire in the grate, highlight her to maximum effect, and…
Wait for the fallout.
Turning at the third arch, Rathbone strode into the room. The familiar scent of oiled wood paneling touched by a hint of cigar smoke greeted him. Warmth from a well-lit fire rolled in. The crackle of flames eating through huge logs reached him. The sight and sound reassured him as his gaze cut to Cate. Curled up in the armchair, she glanced his way. One shoulder propped against the stone mantel, Noble tipped his chin. Rathbone nodded in return, then pivoted to watch Rannock enter the study.
Moving like a predator—slow, steady, senses sparking as his eyes roamed, searching for danger in shadowed corners—Rannock paused just inside the room. Cate’s attention moved from Rathbone to the new addition. Her lips parted. She sucked in a quick breath.
Rannock’s gaze shifted to her. He blinked, once, twice, looking as though he’d been struck stupid. “Bloody hell.”
Cate’s aura flared. Brilliant sunburst. Orange and yellow tinged with metallic bronze strokes radiated. The flash forced Rathbone to look away to protect his eyes.
Rannock held steady, staring as the glow around Cate intensified.
“Bellmia,” the Scot growled.
“Ran,” she whispered, popping out of her chair.
Her feet hit the floor.
Heat blasted across the room.
Boot soles squeaking on polished wood, she started running. Her aura blurred into streaks behind her. Breathing hard, Rannock watched her fly toward him. The stunned look on his face turned to awe. His lips parted on her name as Cate vaulted over the back of the low-slung couch.
Magic sparked in the air.
The space around Rannock began to shimmer.
Moving like an inbound missile, Cate kept running.
Ten feet away. Now five. Then three, and…
Liftoff.
Without slowing, she launched herself at Rannock. He locked his frame as she collided with him. Full frontal. Zero hesitation. All need, no caution.
Grunting upon impact, the male went back on one foot, then steadied and wrapped his arms around her. Whispering his name, Cate burrowed in tight. The dragon warrior curled his big frame around her much smaller one as she buried her face against his throat. Rannock shuddered as his lips brushed the top of her head.
Combined bio-energy exploded into a kaleidoscope of color. A gust of wind blew through the study. High flames flickered in the grate. Candlelight wavered, fire clinging to blackened wicks as the bonding link sank its claws in deep. Rannock jerked in his woman’s embrace. Curling her hands into the back of his jacket, Cate held on harder, pressing deeper, seeking more contact.
Rannock gave it to her, slipping his hand beneath her coat, touching her skin as he set his mouth against her temple. The pair moaned.
Rathbone shifted in discomfort.
He should look away, give the couple the privacy the moment demanded, but the beauty of the connection kept his gaze glued to the dragon warrior and his mate. The intensity shocked him. The meaning behind it woke a desire long dead. A well of yearning opened inside him. Long-held questions streamed through the crack in his emotional foundation. What would it be like to be accepted so completely? For the male he was, not what he owned? How would it feel to claim a woman? The one made and meant for him?
Intriguing questions.
Ones he’d spent centuries ignoring. But as he bore witness to Cate’s surrender and Rannock’s ready acceptance of his mate, he realized mating a woman must be a spectacular experience. Unlike anything he’d ever felt in over two thousand years of living.
His chest tightened.
Rathbone cleared his throat and, getting his act together, finally looked away. Gawking at the pair wasn’t polite. Neither was standing around while a dragon warrior claimed his mate. And yet, despite his unease, satisfaction rose, pushing into relief as he heard Rannock murmur to Cate.
His plan had worked.
He possessed what he needed—a Dragonkind warrior on the hook, one who would protect his mate at all costs. Right. Wrong. None of it would matter to Rannock now. Not with Cate caught in his Triad’s trap.
Lifting his mouth from Cate’s temple, Rannock nailed him with shimmering orange eyes. “Privacy.”
Rathbone pointed to the triple archway. “Door across the hall.”
With a nod, Rannock picked up his mate. As she wrapped her legs around his waist, he pivoted and, striding beneath an archway, exited the study.
The vibration of powerful energy dissipated.
Silence descended.
Reacting to the downgrade, the fire sputtered and hissed before re-establishing a foothold. Flames flickered between half-eaten logs. The warm glow reached back into the room.
Mouth hanging open, Noble blinked. “Jesus.”
“What the hell?” Dillinger muttered, staring after the now-absent couple.
Rathbone’s mouth curved. “Should I say I told you so?”
“Not unless you want me to rip your head off,” Dillinger said, voice raw with wonder, making his threat no real threat at all. “Did you see them?”
“Yeah.”
“I want some of that.”
“Claim a woman, D,” Noble said, rolling his shoulders, shrugging off the stunning effect of powerful bonding magic. “Though, with your personality, I’m not sure one’ll be crazy enough to accept you.”
“Fuck off,” Dillinger said, reacting the same way he always did to good-natured teasing… with barely leashed violence.
Noble chuckled.
Ignoring him, Dillinger stared after Rannock and Cate. “How much time do we give ’em?”
Good question.
Rathbone only had an hour before the winged horde outside came calling, so no real time to waste. But after witnessing a dragon claim his mate—and with his plan moving in the right direction—Rathbone decided to be generous. Half an hour should do the trick. Rannock would be much more amenable after spending time in Cate’s arms. Which gave him and his brothers the upper hand. Finally. After weeks of failure and frustration, he’d found a solution.