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Zhou bowed to Gallen. Gallen nodded. “Nice to meet you. You must be Jiang’s friend.”
“You know where he is? I’m so glad. I was worried he’d come to a bad end. Jiang is the
youngest of our clutch and the least able to take care of himself.”
“I think you underestimate him,” Aden said. “Jiang has handled himself quite well.”
“So you’ve spoken to him.” Zhou’s delighted expression melted some of Aden’s icy
regard.
“He’s staying with my son right now. I can take you over in the morning if you’d like,”
he offered.
“I would like to see him tonight.” Zhou scowled. Obviously this dragon was used to
getting his way.
“That’s too bad. We just got home, and we’re not leaving. You can come back in the
morning or stay in our spare bedroom. I’m not sending you over to my son’s house right
now. He’s had a long day and he’s probably currently trying to make nice with his mate.”
Zhou growled but Aden remained unmoved. “Your mate is a sorcerer and you are
barely more than human. What is to stop me from making you do what I want?”
Aden picked Zhou up by the throat and threw him against the wall. He watched
dispassionately as the shifter fell into a heap on the ground. Aden grabbed his Glock out
of the hall table drawer beside him and pointed it at the dragon shifter. “Don’t ever come
into my house and try to push me around.”
A low growl poured out of Aden, his eyes burned but he refused to close them for
relief, not when it would require him to take his eyes away from the shifter at his feet.
Zhou whimpered on the floor. He bared his neck. “I’m sorry, your highness. I forgot
my place. You are why I was attracted to this condo. I had thought it was Jiang’s scent. I
recognize my error now.”
“Good.” Aden’s voice echoed through the apartment, thrumming with energy. The
crackling noise—like electricity sliding across his skin—startled Aden, but he’d been a
master at hiding his feelings for years and didn’t forget those hard learned lessons.
Gallen ran a soothing hand down Aden’s back. “Hey love, let’s not kill the visitor.”
“Why not?”
The dragon shifter paled. “I can wait until tomorrow.”
“I thought so.” Aden tucked his gun away in the back of the waistband of his denims.
“Are you hungry?” Gallen asked the shifter.
Zhou shook his head. “No, thank you.”
“Have a seat.” Aden ordered more than asked, but Zhou didn’t appear to care as he
dropped onto the opposite couch.
Still hungry. Aden grabbed his food back off the coffee table. If he wasn’t going to get
more sex with Gallen, he might as well eat something.
“Is Jiang truly all right?” Zhou asked quietly.
“He’s doing well. He mentioned you. Jiang said you were a good leader.” Gallen cast a
sideways glance at his mate before continuing.
Aden took a bite of his dinner and shook his head at his friendly mate.
Zhou smiled cautiously at Gallen. “He’s like a little brother to me. I saw the
fenghuangs flying through town but they were gone before I reached them.”
“We took care of them. They are back in China. Well, most of them,” Aden said
spearing a piece of lamb.
“Which one isn’t?”
Gallen rushed to fill the hole of silence. “Li. He said he’d scented his mate and wanted
to stay. Since he seemed to be the sane one, we didn’t make him go through the portal.”
“Hmm. I guess we’ll see. Where is he at?”
“My son’s house,” Aden said, pleased to offer the information.
Zhou sighed.
“What are the names of the other three dragons? Jiang only mentioned you by name,”
Gallen asked.
“Liang, Tian and Wei. I don’t know where they’ve gone. I thought I’d start with Jiang
since I found his trail first. The others can take care of themselves.”
“Jiang is tougher than you give him credit.” Aden took a sip of wine before setting the
glass down with a snap. “He helped plan the capture of the phoenixes.”
“Did he?”
Zhou’s surprise confirmed Aden’s suspicion that they underestimated the younger
dragon. He wondered if the others had always cosseted Jiang in the name of protection.
“Gallen set the transportation spell, but Jiang lured them into trap. He did very well,”
Aden believed in giving credit where it was due.
“Jiang has always been a smart dragon,” Zhou grudgingly commented.
They finished their dinner. Gallen quickly picked up everything and put the leftovers
away. Aden raised his eyebrows at Gallen’s sudden need for tidiness, but maybe having a
strange dragon shifter in their house made Gallen nervous. Aden caught Gallen pushing
his underwear beneath the couch with a shove of his foot.
“Why don’t I get Zhou settled while you get ready for bed,” Gallen offered.
Aden’s eyes burned again for a brief moment. He shook his head then stood. “I can do
that, if you want.”
“You aren’t exactly the host type, babe. Go.” He gave Aden a small shove.
Aden allowed the unfamiliar event of his mate manhandling him while Zhou followed
them down the hall. Before he could be shoved completely through their bedroom door
he grabbed Gallen and kissed him long enough that the sorcerer had to grab the
doorframe to hold himself up by the time Aden finished.
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