“No. The only buildings tall enough to require them are in the Valley, and I’ve spent very little time there.”
The dragon pulled one of his hands free and placed the other on Adrian’s shoulder, shoving him against the wall. Adrian swallowed hard, briefly wondering if Haru could hear his heart racing.
“Behave,” Adrian admonished roughly. “There are cameras in here. You’re being watched.”
Haru leaned closer, his smile growing. “We could give them a show.”
Adrian squeezed his eyes closed and held his breath, trying to gather his strength and patience. Haru was a playful lunatic, and Adrian needed to remember that most things out of his mouth were not serious. Right now, they needed to be serious.
“Caelan is in trouble, and he needs your help,” Adrian announced. When he opened his eyes, he discovered that Haru had soundlessly stepped backward, giving him some much-needed breathing space. His expression had become both patient and amused.
“Of course. That’s why I’m here.” His smirk returned and he corrected himself. “Well, one of the reasons, but we’ll have time to tackle the other reason later.” He cocked his head to the side, eyes narrowed. “But why are you here? I thought you would be locked to your king’s side as his protector.”
“That’s where I want to be,” Adrian said between clenched teeth. He blew out a breath, trying not to hold on to the annoyance any longer. It was stupid and a waste of energy. “They’ve gone into the Ordas to take out the Goddess of the Hunt, but there’s no way to find them using electronics. I’ve bonded with the king, and I can sense where he is. It’s my job to lead all the armed forces I can gather to his side.”
Gods, it felt good to be able to tell the full truth for once.
Haru was the king’s cousin and he’d been in the middle of all the mess they went through on the Isle of Stone. There was no point in trying to hide the truth from the dragon. Adrian was sure he’d discover it all in time, and it was probably better he didn’t uncover it all while on the battlefield in the Ordas.
“Bonded? Like Cael bonded with the other gods?” Haru demanded. His smile left him completely this time.
“Yeah.”
The elevator reached his floor after making all the unnecessary stops that Haru had selected. He grabbed the dragon’s arm and pulled him out of the car. They strode quickly down the hall and to Adrian’s apartment, where he gave Haru a full recap of the events that had occurred in Ilon. The entire time, Haru wandered slowly around the living room, gazing out the large windows and inspecting random things.
At the end of Adrian’s story, Haru said nothing. He picked up a well-worn novel and turned it, looking at the cover.
“Have you heard a word of what I’ve told you?” Adrian barked.
“Of course. These Ilon people are traitors and the God of Wisdom killed my cousin, who has returned as a god himself.”
Adrian’s mouth fell open to argue, but no words came out. Yeah, that was a pretty good summary, even if Haru seemed a bit emotionless about it all.
“We need to punish these traitors, and I need to kill this god to avenge my cousin,” Haru continued in the same bland tone. But when he looked at Adrian, there was a new hardness in those cold, dark eyes that whispered of rage bubbling deep within the dragon. Then Haru blinked and the hardness was gone. “I expected your private rooms to be different. To be…more…” His nose wrinkled with his confusion and Adrian’s heart thumped harder. How could this very deadly creature alternate so quickly between scary and adorable?
Sighing, Adrian crossed the room and plucked the book out of Haru’s hand. “I haven’t been living in these apartments for very long. Only about a month.” Taking the dragon’s hand, he led him over to the sofa and pushed him down. When he tried to release his hand so he could sit in the chair across from him, Haru’s warm fingers tightened around his own, trapping him so that he had to sit next to the dragon.
While still holding Adrian’s hand, Haru lifted his other to lightly drag his fingertips along Adrian’s jaw, creating goosebumps along his arms. “I said I would come for you.”
A hundred comments and quips rose in Adrian’s throat. He wanted to laugh, make a joke, even lean in and capture Haru’s beautiful mouth in a draining kiss, but now wasn’t the time.
Reluctantly, Adrian pulled Haru’s hand from his cheek and placed their hands between them. “Not now. Caelan and the others are in the Ordas as we speak. They have been for several days now, and they’re getting closer to the gods as well as the New Rosanthe army. We need to help them and fast. I’m assuming you came alone.”