Even a mild dose of her acid was still enough to hurt. Yelps of pain echoed down the corridor. She hoped she’d gotten the basilisk, but she didn’t dare open her eyes to check.
To her eternal relief, she heard the elevator doors slide shut behind her. Hope was finally on her way to safety.
Ivy blindly breathed out another covering blast of acid, half-spreading her wings to make sure no one was trying to sneak past. No yells this time, so she guessed Gaze and his shifters must have retreated.
The elevator binged, counting down floors as it descended. Ivy frantically tried to remember how tall the apartment building was. It would surely only take a few minutes for the elevator to reach the lobby.
Got to find a window. Fly down to meet Hope, get her to safety—
Something crashed into her, knocking her head over tail backward. She slammed into the wall, her attacker a cold, hard weight on top of her. She was only poisonous to the touch in human form; in wyvern form, her armored scales covered her venomous skin.
Powerful coils wrapped around her body. They squeezed, trying to crush the life out of her. It took all her willpower not to open her eyes.
Spit! Strike! Kill!
Completely disoriented, Ivy unleashed a blast of acid—not the diluted form she’d used before, but her full, steel-melting strength. Her unseen assailant let go of her, slithering away as she blindly whipped her head from side to side.
Walls sizzled, melting under her deadly breath. Sparks showered over her scales as the acid ate through electricity cables. The whole building shook as the power went out. The music still emanating from the party abruptly went dead.
And in the sudden hush, Ivy heard the deep, metallic groan of the elevator cable giving way.
Chapter 2
Hugh Argent had a splitting headache. As usual.
It was rather ironic, considering that as a paramedic he was carrying an emergency kit full of modern medicine’s finest painkillers. But not even morphine could do anything to help the migraine brought on by close proximity to non-virgins.
Being a unicorn shifter was, quite literally, a pain.
“You all right back there, Hugh?” Dai asked from the driver’s seat. The red dragon shifter glanced over his shoulder, looking concerned. “I can hear you grinding your teeth from here.”
“I’m fine,” Hugh snapped, forcing himself to unclench his jaw. “It’s just that this bloody overgrown fish is taking up all the space.”
Next to him in the rear seat, John Doe obligingly tried to fold himself smaller. This was about as effective as a carp trying to fit into a teacup. No matter how the sea dragon twisted his seven-foot-tall bulk, his legs or elbows jabbed into Hugh.
Just the briefest contact was like brushing against an electric fence. Even the layers of fire-resistant turn out gear Hugh wore couldn’t do anything to protect him from the searing jolt of touching someone who wasn’t chaste. And unfortunately, since John had found his one true mate last year, he was extremely unchaste.
“I am sorry, shield-brother,” John rumbled, giving up. Despite his efforts, he’d invaded Hugh’s personal space so thoroughly, he’d practically conquered it in the name of the sea dragon Empress. “This vehicle is not built for my kind, I fear. Please tell me if there is anything I can do to alleviate your discomfort.”
How about keeping it in your pants for one night? Hugh wanted to say. Let your mate get some sleep for once. It’s a wonder the poor woman isn’t walking bow-legged by now.
But he had to hold his tongue. John and Dai couldn’t know the real reason for his grumpiness. They didn’t even know what sort of shifter he was.
Fire Commander Ash was the only person Hugh had ever told. He’d had to, in order for the Phoenix to allow him to join the all-shifter Alpha Fire Team.
Hugh could trust Ash’s discretion—the reclusive Phoenix was even more tight-lipped than Hugh himself. But sharing his true nature with the entire team…? That would be inviting disaster.
Staying aloof kept him alive. He couldn’t tell his colleagues what he was, no matter how much his secretiveness distanced him from them.
Of course, some distance is starting to sound a lot more appealing, these days.
Hugh sighed, rubbing his pounding forehead. With four of his five colleagues now mated, Alpha Team wasn’t the peaceful refuge it had once been. Much as he tried to be happy for his friends’ happiness, the brutal fact was that he now spent every working moment feeling like they were collectively driving a fire axe through his skull.
He couldn’t even hope that their enthusiasm for carnal pursuits might wear off over time. Dai had been joined to his mate for over three years now, and Hugh could tell that they still spent practically every night dancing the horizontal tango.
Dai caught his eyes in the rear-view mirror. “What are you glaring at me for?”
“Nothing,” Hugh muttered. “Just thinking how nice it would be if your toddler wasn’t such a good sleeper. Are we there yet?”