His response was screwed up. Completely backward, it smacked of selfishness. He should be happy for his friend, not feel uptight, out of sorts, and… yes… even a bit jealous of Wick’s good fortune.
Knowing it, though, didn’t stop envy from grabbing hold. And as Venom walked across the LZ, he couldn’t deny the emotion. He’d been displaced… shoved aside and replaced. After sixty years together—of relying solely on each other—he was about to lose his best friend. To a female.
Instinct warned him. Logic hammered the truth home.
Energy-fuse was serious stuff, a magical bond, a connection that only occurred when a male’s dragon half found its mate. Not exactly something a male could fight. At least not for very long. B, Rikar, and Mac were proof enough of that, which meant sooner or later Wick would succumb too. The realization reached deep, made him ache from the inside out, stirring up ugly emotion.
Everything was about to change.
And Venom knew… just knew… it wouldn’t be for the better.
A warm bundle, Jamison lay like a gift in his arms. So relaxed. Too trusting. Beyond precious. Wick clenched his teeth, his footfalls echoing as he approached the magical barrier into Black Diamond. At some point in the last few hours, he’d lost his mind. It was the only explanation for his behavior, never mind his promise. Add that to the fact he kept likening her to a gift and…
Jesus. No doubt about it. He needed his ass kicked. Or his brain rebooted. One or the other, and in the next few minutes. Otherwise, he’d suffer another short circuit and wade even further into the land of holy fuck. A huge first for him.
Like that damned promise.
Wick cringed. He never should’ve given his word. Being there when she woke up wasn’t a good idea. A clean break would be better for all concerned. But oh no, he’d deviated from the plan. Now he was hemmed in, stuck between two schools of thought, which… oh goody… happened to be polar opposites.
Help or hinder. Keep his promise or head for safer ground.
He couldn’t do both. Couldn’t stay and go at the same time, and as opposing forces stretched him thin, his head started to pound. He cradled Jamison closer, looking for guidance, fighting the urge to bail on her, wishing he wasn’t so screwed up. A normal male would know what to do to make it right for her. He huffed. Normal. Right. As if. He didn’t know what ordinary entailed. Or how to act the part.
Case in point? Jamison needed gentle. He’d never been kindhearted or soft-handed in his life. She required care and comfort. He didn’t have the first clue about how to deliver either. She trusted him to keep his word and be there for her. He couldn’t wait to put her down and beat feet in the other direction.
The comparisons made his stomach cramp.
Fucking hell. He deserved to be drawn and quartered. Hung by his entrails. Taken out and shot. Take your pick. The method of torture didn’t matter. Not while he contemplated betraying her trust. Abandonment with the backlash of duplicity. God help him, he hated the mere idea of it. But fact was just that… fact. If he broke his word, he was nothing but a first-class cheat. A betrayer. A coward for abandoning the credo he’d lived by all his life. Granted, the list of principles was a short one, but at the top sat one unbendable dictate—a promise made was a promise kept.
Wick sighed. Shit. He couldn’t do it. Jamison was too important. Honor demanded he finish what he started. His dragon half concurred, refusing to let him retreat or cause her any more pain.
So… here he went, veering away from safe and straight into fucked up.
Adjusting his hold on her, Wick unleashed his magic and engaged the energy shield. Static crackled, prickling over his skin as the cave wall reacted. Solid stone rippled, turning milky white. Wick drew in another breath. Time to face the music and the females on the other side of the wall. Tania and Myst were waiting. He registered their presence inside the lair. Frustration poured off both, sending out a vibe that polluted the air as each paced, ready to tear a strip off him for keeping Jamison out on the LZ so long. Normal, he guessed. From what he knew, females liked to worry. Enjoyed coddling people too.
Not a bad thing. He was glad they cared about Jamison. But that didn’t mean he wanted either of them in his grill the second he strode over the threshold. So… new plan. One that would provide some breathing room. Enough to get him inside the clinic instead of accosted in the corridor.
He fired up mind-speak. “Mac.”
“You coming through?”
“Yeah.”
Raising a mental fist, he thumped on the energy shield, requesting safe passage. Another major first tonight. Usually, he blasted his way through, challenging the magic that safeguarded Black Diamond from outsiders. The provocation was a test of sorts—a way to make sure the shield continued to do its job, one that played out the same way. The pissy thing enjoyed taking a chunk out of him every time he walked into the lair. Wick tucked his female closer, hoping the shield would take a pass tonight.
He didn’t need another lesson. Or any of the spell’s usual bullshit.
Jamison was already hurting. Was far too fragile to be treated to another round of pain, never mind the magical tantrum the energy shield loved to deliver.
Rolling his shoulders, Wick got ready anyway. One never knew. The shield had a mind of its own. No sense underestimating the thing. “Make sure the females stay in the clinic.”
“Already done,” Mac said, a female voice rising in the background. Wick’s lips twitched. Wow, she didn’t sound happy and… Mac cursed. A scraping noise came through the cosmic connection, echoing inside Wick’s head as his comrade grunted. The scuffle continued a moment before all went quiet. “I got her. You’re good to go.”
Murmuring a “thanks,” Wick knocked on the portal again. Magic hummed. Energy surged, kicking up dust motes in the musty air. Wick kept walking, his pace smooth and even, his gaze glued to the ripple of light in front of the solid stone. One moment slid into another and—
The shield snarled and stared out through narrowed eyes, locked onto him from within the void. Adrenaline punched through. His heartbeat picked up the pace, hammering the inside of his chest. Looping his magic end over end, he cocooned Jamison, leaving himself vulnerable as he stepped into the breach. A growl rumbled through the quiet, and Wick tensed. Any moment now, he’d see the flash and hear the whistle of—
Full of fury, the blue flame of a magical whip exploded across the abyss.
Right on his heels, Venom cursed behind him.
Upping the pace, Wick ramped into a run. Legs pumping, breath sawing in his chest, he watched the sharp multi-headed lash slice through the air. He turned his back to take the brunt. A second before the magical cat-o’-nine struck, the spell shifted focus, zeroing in on the female in his arms. Oh shit. Not good. The beast didn’t permit outsiders and…
Jamison twitched against him.
Wick bared his teeth. No way. Not going to happen. If the shield so much as touched her, he’d make it pay. Just KO the motherfucker. Rip it apart without conscience or mercy… Black Diamond and his brothers-in-arms’ reactions be damned. But as he held the line, threatening without words, the spell paused. Magic cracked like thunder. Wick felt the shift in intention a second before the beast reversed course. The whip swung wide, missing him by inches, and whirled away. The fiery tendrils vanished with a loud pop as it shoved him out the other side.