Valeria leaned closer and whispered, “If your boyfriend ever lets you out of his sight, maybe we can hang out during Happy Hour.”
Boyfriend? I nearly choked on my spit.
Talon tensed beside me, and Hayden and Dallas broke into a chuckle on the opposite side of the table. Stupid supernatural hearing. I spun around and shot them the finger. “I thought you guys had enough to talk about on your own. Keep your nosey ears out of my conversations.”
“Sorry,” Valeria mouthed.
I shook my head, suppressing an eye roll. “Don’t worry about it. And yes, I’d love to hang out sometime.”
“Great, how about tomorrow?”
“She’ll get back to you.” Talon rose, and his thumb and index finger closed around my bicep. “Azara’s got a busy schedule.”
I tried to wiggle free from his hold, but like his temper it was unbending and merciless. “I guess I’ll be going now.” I waved at the two cute pixies as Talon practically dragged me through the mess hall.
As soon as the door to the cafeteria slammed shut, I whirled on him. “What the hell was that about? You already control every part of my life, why can’t I have one girl friend?”
“You can’t have any friends until I run a background check on them first. Are you still having memory problems, or do you have a death wish? It won’t take Thax long to discover we were in his castle, and when he does, it’ll be open season on Azara.”
I wrapped my arms around my middle and bit down on the flare of panic his words incited. I had to be strong if I wanted to survive this. Fake it till you make it, right?
He must have seen the flicker of fear I tried so desperately to hide because the harsh set of his jaw softened. “And anyway, you actually do have somewhere to be tomorrow.”
My brow arched. “I do?”
“You’re meeting with the SIA first thing in the morning.”
Chapter Three
“Thanks for coming so quick, GG.” I pulled my grandpa, who’d actually appeared in his true form, into a hug and nearly knocked down a tower of boxes. I had to remember to thank Flix for giving me the key to his secret office. It was the perfect place to meet with my warlock gramps without drawing too much attention.
Logan arranged the meeting and covered for me with my overprotective bodyguard and his brothers. This conversation had to be held in private.
Garrix eyed the storage room, and his mouth screwed into a pout. “I still cannot believe you choose to remain in this hovel.”
“I already told you, I need to figure this out. If I’d left when you wanted, I never would’ve discovered that I may not be responsible for ending all those lives.” I mean I was responsible, but maybe someone had made me do it. My money was on the demon at the bar—he probably spiked my drink which was why I’d lost control.
He clucked his teeth, and a rueful smile curled his lips. “Always the do-gooder, just like your mother.”
“I wouldn’t go that far, GG.”
He chuckled, and his hand reached out to pinch my cheek. Something he used to do all the time when I was a kid. I hated it. But today, it reminded me of home and much happier times. “All right, then little princess, why have I been summoned?”
“Well, since your ten-day deadline is quickly approaching and we still haven’t figured out the Thax and Delacroix situation, we’ve come up with an alternative plan instead of you spilling to Mom and Dad.”
He quirked a light brow, and his cerulean irises lit up. “I’m listening…”
“Talon thinks he can get me into the SIA. So instead of staying here for ten years, he’d work out a deal where I worked for them for a shorter time period and then I’d get released.”
“An agent for those stuffy bureaucrats? What would you have to do exactly?”
“Oh, you know, basic superhero stuff. Just like my parents.”
He rolled his eyes and grunted. “You see, I wasn’t wrong. Always a do-gooder.”
“GG, it’s a good deal. By working with the SIA, I can get the information we need about Thax so we can finally figure out what he wants with me.”
“It still sounds dangerous, Azara.”
“Better than staying here.”
“Touché.” He grimaced as he scanned the crowded room, cobwebs lining the dusty corners. “You’re sure this is what you want?”
I nodded.
“And this doesn’t have anything to do with that dragon you’re bonded to, does it?”
My eyes nearly popped out of my head. “What? How did you know?”
His nostrils flared, and his lips twisted in disgust. “His scent is all over you, Azara. And you smell worse than last time.”
Heat seeped up my neck and flooded my cheeks. I must’ve been fifty shades of red. How embarrassing. “No,” I barked, a little more sharply than intended. “That’s not why I’m doing this.”
“I certainly hope not. A bond like that can have a variety of unwanted side effects.”
“Yeah, I know,” I muttered. “Is there any way you could remove that by the way?”
He smiled. “Oh princess, you know there isn’t much I cannot do.”
A tiny pang shot through my chest at the idea of losing my connection with the grumpy dragon. I shoved it down, reminding myself he wanted nothing to do with me, and the only reason I felt anything for him—which I didn’t—was a result of said mystical tie. “So let’s do it. Can you remove it now?” I spat the words before I could chicken out.
He shook his head. “I said I could do it, but I didn’t say it should be done. As much as I hate to see you tied to a dragon”—his lip curled in revulsion—“removing the bond is not an easy feat and not one that I would consider doing lightly. Breaking a connection like that is risky business, and I’ve had more than one go awry.”
I snagged my lower lip between my teeth and harrumphed.
Garrix squeezed my shoulder and gave me a reassuring smile. “It’ll go away on its own most likely, as long as you do not strengthen the tie by doing something stupid.”
“Like what?”
“Sleeping with him, falling in love with him, etcetera, etcetera.”
“GG!” My cheeks flamed once again.
He shrugged, raising his hands in feigned innocence. “I simply want you to understand what you’re getting into. A blood bond could easily transform into a mating bond and then things would become monumentally more complicated.”
I opened my mouth to ask more, but thinking better of it, I snapped it shut. Mate bond sounded like more sex talk and that was not the sort of conversation I wanted to have with my grandfather. I’d have to do my own research.
“Okay, okay enough about that. Believe me, it’s not going to be a problem because Talon and I can barely stand each other.”
He grunted out a sound of disbelief, but I ignored him.
“So anyway, if I’m going to meet with the SIA, I was thinking I’d need a cover story. You know Mom and Dad are like famous there. If they find out who I am, it would get back to them in minutes.”
“Yes, that’s true. I can take care of conjuring you up a new identity in the human world for the preliminary background check. I imagine there will eventually be more in-depth testing. In that case, you’ll have to keep your warlock side a secret at all costs.”