Sailing Deep (16 page)

              While he was admiring the tux, he fingered the cufflinks. They were gold and diamond studded. He asked about them, and Lucy grinned, saying they were custom ordered. Arulean wears new cufflinks every time. After confirming that he would indeed be wearing these cufflinks, he slipped one out of the sleeve while Lucy wasn’t looking and pocketed it. Once back in their room, he pulled out his surveillance gear and set to work hooking up one of his bugs. It was one of his smallest listening devices, but Blake managed to pry open the cufflink and insert it without a problem. He admired his work. It was an expensive bug, but they were worth it. Plus, his employers fronted the bill.

              Dylan watched the whole procedure with rapt attention. Blake reveled in it.

              Getting the bugged cufflink back in place proved equally as easy. He went with Dylan when he went to get his tux fitted by the tailor. While she was busy poking and prodding him, Blake made a show of finding the cufflink on the floor. The woman screeched with delight, saying she had noticed it missing and had nearly had a heart attack. She praised Blake as her savior, and he humbly brushed off the praise. Meanwhile, Dylan watched with a glint in his eyes.

              With that, everything was finally ready for the party and the blood moon. Blake stared at the ceiling that night, unable to sleep. His mind was awhirl with all the possibilities of everything that could go wrong, and everything that could go right. He didn’t know what this would mean for them, or what the outcome would be. Suddenly overcome with a panic that threatened to choke him, he turned to Dylan and woke the man with kisses and insistent touches. He woke slowly but quickly rolled over to face Blake and willingly gave into his sudden passion.

              The day of the party approached quickly, and as it neared, Dylan felt more and more anxious. A mere month ago, he had thought dragon shifters were nothing but myths, and soon he would be in the presence of two. Either one of which could pose a threat in and of themselves. Together … well, he wasn’t sure what to expect. He had been skeptical of Blake when he had said that he didn’t believe Arulean to be a threat. But after meeting the man, he wasn’t sure what he thought. He didn’t seem to be very threatening or to have dangerous ambitions, but looks could be deceiving.

              He was so antsy the night before the pre-moon that he barely slept. He was out of his element. This was Blake’s territory, not his. But it seemed the other man was also having trouble sleeping. Dylan had no qualms with both of them seeking refuge and comfort in the other’s embrace. He had long since decided to give over to the physical temptation of their fake relationship. Dylan decided that as long as he guarded his heart, everything should be okay. He had indulged in physical relationships before and never had trouble when it came time for them to part.

              He tried not to dwell on the fact that he could already tell that Blake was different. There was already no going back.

              For all his nervousness, however, when the day of the pre-moon came, he woke up feeling oddly and serenely calm. This was the day of a mission. He knew how to handle missions. It may not be the kind of mission he was used to, and he may not be crawling through enemy territory with a gun in hand, but he was on a mission. And when the day for it came, his nerves settled, and he felt in full control. He smiled a little to himself that morning. A month away from his team hadn’t dampened the instincts his training had ingrained into him. It was a relief.

              He went on patrol that day feeling more focused than ever. He performed his duties quickly and precisely, even driving his comrades to do better than usual, and Marcus once again looked impressed. They were making their way back across the castle grounds when they saw her.

              She started as a shadow cast across the eastern sky, dark and silhouetted against the sun. Their group stopped to watch as she flew closer. She circled the castle in wide sweeping arcs, her shadow enormous and ominous as it swept across the castle’s field. As she passed under the sun, her scales glinted red, looking like a streak of blood in the sky. The membrane of her wings seemed to glow red with the sun behind it. She roared, and the sound shook Dylan down to his bones. Her circles grew tighter and tighter, looking like a bird of prey until she finally settled on the wide stone perch built atop one of the castle towers. They lost sight of her as she shifted, but he had no doubt that Arulean was there to greet her.

              It wasn’t until she was out of sight that Dylan realized he had been barely daring to breathe. He filled his lungs with the crisp air and started after Marcus as they continued their trek back to the castle.

              Dylan found Blake in their room when he got back. He was at his desk and so engrossed in his computer that he barely looked up when Dylan entered.

              “Shouldn’t you be at work?” Dylan asked as he came up behind him, draping his arms over his shoulders and around his neck. He eyed the computer screen, but it was filled with coding mumbo jumbo that he didn’t understand.

              “I was. I left early.” He muttered. He sounded distracted and was completely absorbed in his work.

              “What’re you doing?”

              “Hacking.”

              “Hacking?”

              “Mm-hmm.”

              Dylan sighed. He’d been around Blake long enough by now to know when he wasn’t going to get any more information. The man was too engrossed in his work to pay much attention to anything else. And judging from how quickly his fingers danced across the keyboard and the way his eyes flickered around the screen, it required a fair amount of concentration.

              “What time does the party start?”

              “Five o’clock.”

              “So early?” Dylan asked, an eyebrow raised.

              Blake gave a short nod. “I expect the shifting to take place around midnight.”

              “I’m going to take a shower.”

              Blake grunted in response. Dylan rolled his eyes and went to the bathroom. As he expected, Blake joined him roughly ten minutes later. The man simply couldn’t resist an opportunity to shower together. Dylan had already washed, but he took the time to clean Blake. He washed his hair before moving on to his body, and moved slowly down from his shoulders, to his chest, to his stomach, and finally to his already hardening erection. Dylan gently took hold of it and enjoyed Blake’s soft gasp and the half moan that followed. He wrapped a hand around the man’s neck and pulled him down for a kiss. Dylan had forgotten what it was like to have someone to touch, to take pleasure from and to pleasure in return. He hadn’t realized he missed it. But it all came back to him so naturally.

              “Your hair looks beautiful,” Blake said an hour later when Dylan was fidgeting with his hair in front of the mirror.

              “Are you sure?” Dylan asked, leaning forward and running his fingers through it again. It was a decent length now, enough that he got bedhead when he woke up in the mornings, and he could make it stick up at odd angles if he ran his hand through it. It wasn’t bad, but it was longer than he was used to. “I haven’t had hair this long since I joined the Navy.”

              “Here, stop.” Blake turned to him, slapping his hands away from his hair. Using some of his own hair product, he carefully ran his fingers through Dylan’s hair. Dylan stood as still as he could and let Blake work. Blake looked great. His white blond hair was longer than Dylan’s by a good few inches. He had it swept back, and the ends brushed his shirt collar at the back. He looked suave, classy, and incredibly charming. His blue eyes crinkled at the edges with his smile as he stepped back. “There, now just don’t touch it.”

              Dylan looked in the mirror. His hair had been laid flat and swept a little to the side. He looked at it from several angles and muttered his thanks.

              “Anytime. Now get dressed.” Blake said, leaving the bathroom. He was already dressed, and he stood by the computer, adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves. Dylan tried not to stare and went to work getting dressed. He had only worn a tux to prom back in high school. He hadn’t had an occasion to wear one since.

              When he put the jacket on, Blake stepped forward to help him adjust it. He paused with his hands resting lightly on his shoulders. He was smiling, but the smile was small and sincere. “What?” Dylan asked, shifting uncomfortably in the silence. He felt uncomfortable in the tux.

              “You look fetching,” Blake said, leaning forward to kiss him gently, drawing out the contact. “I wish we could stay here, and I could rip that off you.”

              Dylan didn’t want to, but the corner of his lips twitched upward. “We have work to do.”

              Blake sighed, brushing off Dylan’s shoulders before stepping back. “I know.” He went to his desk and picked up a watch that Dylan hadn’t noticed before. “Here.” He said, holding it out.

              “A watch?” Dylan asked, raising an eyebrow.

              When he didn’t move to take it, Blake rolled his eyes and snatched his hand. He slid the watch on his wrist. Dylan eyed it. It didn’t seem like a very fancy watch. It looks nice enough but fairly ordinary. And the wristband didn’t feel like leather, even though that’s what it looked like. When Blake was done, he started to pull his hand back, but Blake stopped him. He held his hand firmly with both of his. He looked up to see Blake staring at him very intently. There was no sign of a smile on his lip or in his eyes.

              “Do not lose this.” He said slowly and firmly. Dylan bristled. He only heard that voice when matters were extremely dangerous.

              “What is it?” He asked slowly, realizing it probably wasn’t just a watch. He had seen several of Blake’s small gadgets, and he wondered just what was hidden in the watch.

              “This,” Blake said, tapping the watch with a finger. “Is our backup plan. I’m sure your team has all sorts of procedures for all sorts of circumstances. And I’m sure you never go on a mission without several backup plans and an escape plan.” Dylan nodded, his lips pressing together. Blake tapped the watch again. “This is ours. I don’t know what will happen tonight. I don’t know how big of a threat this dragon shifter is. Maybe I’m making a big deal out of nothing. Everything could go fine. We could continue to live here for another few months. I don’t know. But I need you to follow my lead with this one. If for any reason, I tell you to run. I need you to run. If I give you the word, promise me that you will run, and you will take this watch, and you will go back to your team.”

              “Blake-”

              “Promise me.” He insisted, cutting him off. Blake’s eyes were hard as ice and held Dylan’s gaze captive, not allowing him to look away.

              “I promise.” He said, and he meant it.

              Blake finally relaxed, and his familiar casual smile returned. “Good. This watch has a memory chip in it that holds all the useful information I’ve been able to gather from the Shadow Pack databases. In case of emergency, I need you to get it back to your superiors.”

              “I will,” Dylan assured him, putting his hand on Blake’s. He squeezed his fingers. Blake still looked a little unnerved, so he stepped forward and went up on his toes to press a long, slow kiss to Blake’s lips. He felt the man relax further, and he smiled against his mouth. “Come on, Lucy and Marcus are waiting for us.”

              Blake chuckled. “Yessir.” He stepped back and grabbed his own jacket. Unlike Dylan’s, which was cut with an even and square back, Blake’s was tailored to have a longer back with coattails. Dylan smiled to himself. It fit Blake well. When he had buttoned his jacket and adjusted his sleeves, he held out his arm for Dylan to take. “Shall we?”

              The hallways and grand main staircase were crowded with people as everyone, dressed in their formal best, made their way to the great hall. Several of them greeted Blake and Dylan, and they smiled and waved back. Marcus and Lucy were waiting for them at the bottom of the main stairs in the entrance hall of the castle. Lucy, dressed in a beautiful sea foam green gown, hung on Marcus’s arm. The man made a dashing figure in a tux. They both smiled when Blake and Dylan approached and then the four of them joined the flow of the crowd. The great hall was located through the main corridors and at the back of the castle.

              Dylan had only been to the great hall once, and that was in the middle of the night when he and Blake had snuck in to attach a small camera to the back wall. It had been impressive then, but that didn’t compare to how it was now. The doors were opened wide, and people filtered through the grand entry that could easily fit ten people across with plenty of elbow room. The great hall was lit with several intricate chandeliers, as well as several sconces that lined the walls. The fading light of day filtered through the windows that lined one wall. Halfway up the vaulted walls were balconies that lined one side of the room on the second floor. There were steps leading down to the center of the main floor, giving the room a look of layers.

              The room itself required no extra decoration. The wood of the walls themselves was intricately carved, and the pillars and tray ceiling created layers of decoration built right in. The hall was already filling with people, yet none of it looked too crowded. It was simply that large. At the far end, on a dais raised above the floor, stood the two thrones. He couldn’t see them clearly, but he saw Lyphnia sitting on her throne while Arulean stood beside her, observing his pack.

              As they entered, Blake guided Dylan to the side. An orchestra was set up in the far corner of the hall. They played a song that was neither too fast nor too slow. It was a perfect tempo for the arrival of guests. Several couples were already dancing.

              Blake nodded toward the floor, grinning. “Shall we?”

              Dylan blanked. He hadn’t anticipated dancing. “I don’t know how to dance.” He said honestly.

              Blake chuckled, tugging him toward the dance floor. “Nonsense, everyone can dance.”

              “But-”

              “Do you trust me?” Dylan bit his lip and nodded. Blake took his hands and guided him to an open space on the floor. “Then just follow my lead.”

              As it turned out, Blake was a fantastic dancer. He knew exactly how to move to the music. Dylan wasn’t sure if Blake was reciting a formal dance, or just making up the steps as he went. Either way, he did so with such grace and confidence that Dylan didn’t question him. Dylan, on the other hand, danced like he had two left feet. He moved stiffly and awkwardly, unsure of his body and unable to feel the music as Blake did.

              After a few songs, Blake pulled him off the floor, laughing lightly. He teased Dylan, saying that he was right when he claimed he couldn’t dance. Dylan glared at him, but Blake kissed him until he relaxed.

              The night passed in a blur of faces and voices. The entire pack was in the great hall, and though there was plenty of space for them, Dylan wasn’t used to such crowded areas. Luckily, he didn’t need to do much. Blake dragged him around throughout the night, determining when it was time to dance and when it was time to relax. They spent most of the first hour merely mingling and greeting people. Dylan knew if they were going to disappear later in the night, Blake wanted to make sure they had been seen and could be remembered at the party. They snacked periodically from the food tables set up in the hallway outside the great hall.