Trouble at the Gala

LOCH

I heard Maddie’s accusations.

The nerve of this little rodent to accuse me of something she had no business knowing.

Hael placed his hand on my shoulder to try and stop the rage from coming, but it was already there.

I pushed Maddie against the wall and pinned her with my arms on either side. She tried to squirm away, but there was nowhere to run.

“It’s none of your business what I do,” I said with a hiss. “The only thing you should care about is how many times I make your pussy quiver with carnal ecstasy.”

“Loch, that’s enough,” Hael said from behind me. His voice was stern, but I could detect a hint of worry.

Typical Hael. He’d gone soft. Maddie practically had him wrapped around her finger like a little plaything.

“It’s enough when I say it is,” I yelled.

“No,” Maddie replied, “it’s enough when I say.”

She kneed me in the balls, catching me off guard. Jolts of pain shot through my groin and stomach.

Maddie ran toward the door, trying to escape. But I was too fast and placed a firm hand against the wood.

“What are you going to do?” she asked, fearful but belligerent. “Fuck me until I submit? Win over my consent by locking me up until I’m starved and skeletal?”

“We don’t want to hurt you, Maddie,” Hael said. “But you will comply with our demands—or pay the consequences.”

His voice was weak and unsure. There was no fire in him like there once had been. I laughed as Maddie moved closer to Hael.

“No, little wretch. We don’t want to hurt you. Just bend you over and fuck your little hole,” I said, baring my teeth. “The only reason you were even born.”

Maddie’s eyes began to tear up, and I felt pleasure in seeing her so emotional.

Hael

What the hell are you doing, brother?

Loch

Exactly what you should have done days ago.

Hael

She’s confused and angry. But that doesn’t mean we should strip her confidence until there’s nothing left.

Loch

You’re pathetic. If you really feel that way, I’m ashamed to call you my brother.

Maddie

No, Loch. You’re the pathetic one. And if it’s true that you’re the one killing those people...those families...then I don’t want anything to do with you.

Loch

That’s not your choice, rat.

Maddie

It’s ALWAYS my choice.

Hael’s eyes narrowed in anger. Those weren’t words he’d wanted to hear, but they were necessary.

I was different—that was doubtless. But it was for the better.

This city was starting to constrict us, squeezing the divine life from our bodies until we were nothing but husks.

“You’re just a brainless beast that can’t even control his own urges,” Maddie screamed.

I rushed forward, reaching for Maddie. She slipped to the side, and suddenly it was Hael who stood in my path.

His arms grabbed mine and clenched them tightly. I gritted my teeth, feeling my fangs begin to grow.

~How dare he!~

“Loch,” Hael snarled, “Control yourself.”

I wanted to throw him aside and turn my attention to Maddie. She would pay for her insubordination with my fangs feasting on her sweet cunt.

But when I spun around, she was gone.

I tried to chase after her, but I felt Hael’s fist connect hard with my stomach. The air was knocked from my lungs, sending me to the floor.

MADDIE

~It’s alright. Everything will be okay.~

I tried to wipe away the streaks of mascara without ruining the rest of my makeup, but it was no use.

Why even try?

The way Loch reacted to my questions gave me all the answers I needed. Adara was right—he had changed—and not for the better.

I never imagined out of the two Twin Leading Breeds that it would be Hael who was more sincere.

I slammed my fist on the sink. An older woman in gaudy clothing embedded with countless jewels quickly made her way for the exit.

It was a mistake to show up here. This wasn't my type of party to begin with. Add a control freak Dragon Lord, and things just went from bad to worse.

“It’s not your fault,” a female voice called out.

I looked in the mirror to see Silver standing to the side of me, offering a kind smile.

Before I could stop myself, I reached over and hugged her tight. She seemed taken aback but reciprocated the affection.

After a moment, I pulled away, and we were on the move. Silver led me by the hand and pulled me gently down one empty corridor after another until we were out on the street.

I inhaled the sweet smell of sewage mixed with fresh air. It was good old Requiem City, all right. At least I was out of the gala.

“What the hell is going on with Loch?” I asked.

My hope for answers quickly faded as she simply shook her head.

“I don’t have the answers for you, but Loch is deeply troubled,” she said. "However, you’re on the right path to learning what truly plagues your mate.”

~My mate…~

I grew sick at the thought of ever letting that beast touch me again.

“So, that’s it? I’m just supposed to keep my head down and keep on chugging ahead?” I said, annoyed. “The answers will just come to me when it’s time?”

Silver offered me a sympathetic smile, but it didn’t help.

“The important thing is that you’ve met Dane and Aneurin,” Silver said. “If anything, they can help you learn more.”

“Does that mean they’re dragons?” I pressed.

“You saw for yourself how they reacted to your song,” she said.

Well, that wasn't the forthright answer I was hoping for.

Not to mention, she was apparently spying on me.

But it had to be true. They passed out while listening to my singing. When they came to a few moments later, they apologized but had no idea why. It was impossible to believe they were anything but dragons.

“Tell me what to do next,” I pleaded. “I want to know how to help them. Especially if it helps leads to answers about Loch.”

“I can only tell you this, little mouse,” she said affectionately. “Your mates are dragons. The only thing you can do is to let them start living like dragons.”

Before I could ask anything else, Silver was gone in a puff of smoke.

Typical dragon. Left me waiting by the side of the road just when I was starting to get what I wanted…

***

I walked through the front door of the apartment, stilettos in hand.

My feet were killing me. I couldn’t think of anything more relaxing than a long hot bath to soak away my soreness and worries.

“Hey, you’re finally home,” Zayda said from the kitchen.

I stopped walking, surprised to see Zayda in the apartment.

Shouldn’t she be off fucking Xythor right now?

“Hey,” I replied.

“Didn’t mean to surprise you, just wanted to talk for a second,” she said.

I dropped my stilettos on the floor and moved toward a half-empty bottle of wine sitting on the counter. If we were going to talk, I would need to be nice and lubed up.

“What did you have on your mind?” I said, pouring a tall glass.

Zayda looked at me for a moment, studying my face. The silence was a bit unnerving, so I took a long sip of the wine.

“I’m just worried about you, that’s all,” she said.

I sighed.

~Not again.~

“I appreciate your concern, but everything is fine. There’s nothing to be worried about,” I assured her.

Zayda shook her head, refusing to take the bait.

“It doesn’t seem that way. And I’m not the only one who thinks so,” she said.

Who else would have confided in Zayda?

Harry and I were a duo. It had to have been either Darshan or Thea. But what would they convey to Zayda about being concerned for me?

“Well, you can tell your conscience, and whoever else has too much time on their hands, to calm the fuck down,” I said, annoyed. “When else would I have been able to buy something like this?”

I motioned to the dress—a bit ruffled from my run-in with the Dobrzycka twins.

Zayda smirked, causing my annoyance to turn to anger.

“It’s nice that you’ve got money, Mads, but think about what you’re doing for it.”

“Don't start in about my job,” I warned. “If that's what you want to talk about, then this conversation is over.”

“I wanted to talk about Loch,” Zayda said, matter-of-fact.

~Oh.~ That was a bit of a surprise.

“What about him?”

“I know this isn’t how you want to spend your night, but you need to listen. Please, just hear me out,” she said.

I let out another sigh and sipped my wine.

“Fine,” I replied. “Say it and be done.”

“Loch is dangerous,” she continued. “And I’m pretty sure he’s behind all the murders in Requiem City.”

My eyes grew wide. Hadn’t she said something like this before? Last time she was angry with me?

“And how do you know that?”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“Is Xander filling your head with this crazy bullshit?" I asked, infuriated. “Because then you can just stop right there!”

“Lochness is dangerous,” she countered, “and he’s growing restless. Given enough time, he’ll become so powerful that it will be almost impossible to stop him.”

“Isn’t it already pretty damn hard?” I questioned.

“But this version of him is different,” Zayda replied. “He’s a monster hellbent on destroying this city and everyone in it!”

Zayda wasn’t wrong. Yes, Loch was acting like an even crazier version of himself. And maybe he ~was~ behind the murders.

But Zayda wouldn’t get the satisfaction of having one over on me. Not when she was still willingly in league with my treacherous asshole of a father.

I gave a harsh laugh.

“~Lochness~? You’ve got to be fucking me.”

“This is serious, Mads," Zayda urged. “If something isn’t done, then we’re all in trouble.”

I drained the rest of the wine and slammed the glass on the table, cracking the stem in half.

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

“You’re in denial. But you have to believe me!” she yelled.

I moved closer, our faces within inches of each other.

“Get this through your head,” I said. “Xander is trying to brainwash you. If you believe the words he says, it’ll be the end of our friendship.”

“Like we were on such great terms to begin with,” she said, turning away. “No matter what Xander says to me, I’m only trying to watch out for you. Believe it or not, I still consider you a friend.”

“Whatever you say,” I said, storming off.

“Yeah, just do what you always do, Maddie. Walk away.”

Zayda didn't know everything, and it was time for her to realize that.

“If you think you know so much, tell me why you haven’t figured out that you’re fucking a dragon!” I screamed.

Zayda’s face was a mask of confusion, but I refused to let her reply.

I slammed the bathroom door and turned on the faucet, happy to hear the rushing water wash away all other sounds.