By Fairy Means or Foul: A Starfig Investigations Novel(34)

“You should be glad you’re nothing like your dad. He’s not near as kind as you.”

I rolled my eyes.

“I’m not kind.”

“You may be rough around the edges, but you’ve treated me nicer than anyone has in a long, long time.”

And wasn’t that a kick in the chest? Manhandling him, and he still thinks I'm a gem.

“Quinn, your perspective on nice might be a tad skewed. That’s why I want to make sure I’m not taking advantage of you. Just because Brandsome feels free to use your body without caring how you feel, doesn’t mean I think it’s okay for me to do the same.”

“You wouldn’t be taking advantage.” His voice was soft and a little sad. “I don’t think you’re anything like Brandsome. For one, I have a choice, right? That makes it completely different.”

I shook my head. “Except I still own your contract and so technically you can’t say no.”

“I’ve managed to ignore your demands before. What makes you think this would be any different?”

He had a point.

“How do you manage to ignore them, anyway? The contract should enforce my commands, yet you managed to go to Rainbowpebbles’ against my wishes.”

Quinn smiled sheepishly.

“You never enacted the anti-resistor clause. If you had, I would have to obey.”

“Ah, High Council bureaucracy. Of course. My dad would be so ashamed his son can’t even properly manage a simple servitude contract.”

Quinn chuckled, and then leaned in to kiss me.

It killed me to turn my face away. Except I couldn’t risk kissing him again. Then I would fuck him for sure and at the moment I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t bite him. That would be even worse than Brandsome’s actions because, unlike indentured servitude, once mated it was for life.

“Quinn, I can’t.” It took a lot for me to say that.

His face fell. “Did you want to enact the anti-resistor clause first or something?”

“What? No, no, that’s not it.”

He looked so relieved I almost laughed. Only I could tell it would be the wrong thing to do.

“Then what is it? Don’t you want to sleep with me?”

“More than you know.” I cupped his face in my hands. “I . . . I just can’t.”

“Why not? There’s nothing wrong with you, is there?” His eyes shot toward my crotch.

I sputtered. “There’s nothing wrong with my dick.”

“Prove it.” He narrowed his eyes, pulled out of my grasp.

“It’s not my dick that’s the problem.”

“Uh huh.”

“You”—I poked him in the chest—“are purposely being difficult. If you must know, it’s my, well, my dragon. It likes you. We like you.”

“You talk about your dragon as a separate being? That’s a little freaky.” He didn’t smirk, though he might as well have.

“I know it’s weird, but since I can’t shift, it feels that way. Like I’m fragmented. I don’t know if you can understand what I mean.”

“I’m not sure I do either. I’ll take your word for it.” He picked up a pillow and played with the frayed edges. “So you and your dragon like me?”

“Yes.”

“And that’s a problem?”

“Exactly.”

“So we can’t have sex?”

“Right.”

“You realize that makes no sense, right?”

I sighed. Time for a little honesty.

“I think maybe Brandsome’s magic affected me in some unintended ways.”

“Meaning?”

“My dragon wants to mate you.”

His eyes widened and his nostrils flared. He didn’t attempt to move away, though.

“D-Do dragons mate humans?”

“Not that I’m aware. Like I said, I think something in Brandsome’s magic reacted to something in me. I’m not like any other creature and most of the time that’s been a blessing, but in this instance, maybe it affected me in an odd way.”

He nodded, his face resigned. “So, it’s not really me you’re attracted to, it’s Brandsome’s magic.”

“Yes. I mean, no. Sort of.” I ran a hand through my hair. “Let me try that again. I would be attracted to you regardless of Brandsome’s magic. That I’m sure of. But the urge to mate you? That’s got to be because of Brandsome. I think he’s somehow confused my dragon, that’s all. That’s why we can’t do this.” I pointed between us. “Because if I kiss you, I’ll want to fuck you. And if I fuck you, I’m afraid I’ll bite you. You think indentured servitude lasts a long time, try being mated to a dragon. Gives a whole new meaning on the term ‘infinite.’”

“Wow.” Quinn continued to pluck at the worn edges of his pillow.

“Yeah.”

Then he socked me with the damn pillow.

“Would you stop hitting me?” I snarled.

So he did it again. When he went to do it a third time, I yanked the pillow out of his hands and sent it sailing across the room. He had the nerve to chuckle.

“Do you have a death wish or something, human?”