Chapter Six

“Vega requests an audience with you.” The voice said on the other end purred through the phone and had to bite back a growl of frustration.

“How many times will I have to ask you not to do that?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said with a chuckle that I could feel moving over my skin as he tried to suck me under.

“Sin.” I growled as I pushed past the lobby doors, the fresh air hitting my senses clearing her from my thoughts for a moment.

“You’re so fun to play with, Vega would like to set up a meeting.”

“What is this in regards to?” I asked, as I aimlessly walked down the sidewalk.

“You know I can’t share that, I can however share that she has a proposal for you.”

“What does that mean?”

“Guess you’ll have to agree to find out.”  I could hear the laughter in Sin’s voice and it set my teeth on edge.

“Fine.” I said through gritted teeth as I hung up the phone. Sometimes Sin really grated on my nerves. Other times, the devil wasn’t so bad.

Glancing up at the clear sky, I thought about how it would feel to be soaring in the clouds. Feeling the sun beat down on my rough hide. I flopped down onto a bench, closing my eyes as I tilted my head back. Letting the sun move along my skin, I needed to get out of here. To fly with my flock, with my mate.

It had been too long. Work and business with the council had been keeping me away from them.

“Should you be out here?”

With a sigh I opened my eyes, “James, what brings you here?”

He sat beside me, leaning back and tilting his face towards the sun. “I’m just taking a break before I throw myself at the mercy of Boston.”

“She still bothering you?”

“You know how she is, trying to lead everyone as if you had mated her.” Slowly, he turned his head to look at me.

“That won’t be happening.” I said, adjusting my tie as I buttoned the front of my jacket.

“Good. April tells me not to worry, but I just don’t trust her to have the flock’s best interest at heart.”

“I think deep down she cares about the flock and when she finds her mate. Then she’ll understand why I could never take her as a mate.” It wasn’t just because we didn’t love her, she would never be able to submit to me the way that I needed.  I didn’t need someone who tried to control everything. I wanted someone who could submit to me in the bedroom and stand beside me out of it. She couldn’t do either.

“April said that Louis will be flying with us tonight, you should join. I know we miss you, all of us.”

“Are you getting sentimental on me old friend?” I said, trying not to let him see how his words affected me. I missed them too.

“Don’t think that I’m growing a heart beneath all this muscle.” James said, leaning forward and flexing his arm. His white button-up shirt strained against the bulk of his muscles as they contracted.

“Easy there, April will be pissed if you tear up a shirt trying to prove to me you’re the biggest and the baddest.”

“I’ll just blame the kids,” he said, as he leaned back.

“At work, besides she’d know if you were lying.” I asked, raising an eyebrow at the burly man. He scratched his chin with a sheepish smile.

“Can’t get anything past her, Rosie is going to have to learn that the hard way.”

“Most kids do, how is she doing?”

“Misses being home with her mom, she hates school.” He chuckled, “You know how kids are.”

I pressed my lips together. Kids, they were something that I wanted. I didn’t know how they were besides the flock’s children. It was so rare for a dragon to be able to carry a pregnancy to term. We were lucky, after I’d put a stop to the arranged marriages that the council had ordered.

My flock had flourished once they’d been able to go out into the world and choose mates for themselves. The gods had blessed us. There were nine children born in the last five years. Three more on the way.

I didn’t understand how the elder’s couldn’t see that what we were doing was what was needed.

“I’m sorry, Tarak.”

“It’s okay, maybe one day.” I said, standing up. “I should get back.”

“I meant what I said, we miss you.”

Nodding my head, I tucked my hands into my pockets before heading back to the office.  Maybe I would go fly with them later.