bond
with a bite. If she has his blood in her, maybe it’s more
than dreams connecting them. What if…what if she’s about
to go into heat for the first time? She’s the right age. I was
a junior in college when I first experienced it. What if it’s
—I don’t know—awakened something within her?”
Griff’s concerned gaze skipped to Ignatius. The one-
eyed dragon looked rather impressed with Avani. “I
suspect you’re correct. It’s something we feared might
happen, back when Niko devised the therapy, but it was a
risk we agreed to take.”
“Why Madoc’s blood?” she wondered.
“Chemistry,” Ignatius answered with an uncertain shrug.
“Niko had his reasons for choosing Mad as the donor, and
I trusted them.”
Griff wasn’t so sure Mad had been fully apprised of the
possibilities associated with giving his blood for Niko’s
experimental treatment. It was the type of thing Mad would
have told him and something they would have discussed at
length. He hoped for Niko’s sake that he’d been honest
with Mad up front about the side effects, because if Mad
discovered he’d been lied to, there would be hell to pay.
Stig brought the mugs of tea to the table along with
spoons and some milk. “Avani, I need to apologize for
what happened at Mad’s house. I shouldn’t have attacked
you.”
She shrugged. “It was chaos. I can only imagine what it
must have looked like when you two broke down the door
to find me biting him.”
“I should have taken a moment to assess the situation
more calmly.”
“We’re fine,” Avani assured him.
Ignatius’ stomach made a loud growling noise. He
cleared his throat. “Excuse me. I missed dinner.”
Stig pushed the sugar bowl toward him. “You’ll have to
make do with tea. Cora doesn’t trust me with her scone
recipe yet.”
Taking his seat next to Ignatius, Stig said, “Cora will be
thrilled to learn she’s no longer the only mate in the
group.” Laughing, he added, “Expect a big basket of baked
goods to drop onto your doorstep very soon.”
The mention of Stig’s pretty mate left Griff questioning
the blood feud issue. It wouldn’t be as simple as declaring
it over and done. Affairs like this were governed by
archaic rules. “So, Ignatius, what happens with the feud
between our families?”
Ignatius sat back and sighed. “Well—it was a blood
feud. You can’t simply shake hands and call a truce.”
Griff bristled at the idea of causing Avani harm to
satisfy the feud or vice versa. “If you think we’re going to
fight and draw blood just to satisfy some stupid old feud,
you are out of your damn mind.”
Ignatius tilted his head and pointed to Griff’s neck.
“She’s already drawn blood. I doubt those marks are from
the poison darts.”
Griff touched the mating bite that had been interrupted
back in Mad’s bunker. He looked down at Avani who had
fixed her attention on her mug of tea. There was no
mistaking the blush of embarrassment on her cheeks. “It’s
part of the Naga mating ritual,” he explained. “They bite to
cement the bond.”
“Biting?” Stig’s eyebrows waggled suggestively.
“Kinky.”
Griff picked up the nearest spoon and flicked it at his
friend’s chest. “Grow up.”
Ignatius ignored Stig’s dramatic protest of pain as the
other dragon rubbed his chest. “Perhaps Avani could make
a peace offering to your tribe.”
Avani exchanged a look with the Brotherhood’s leader.
“You want me to give him the sword, don’t you?”
“You could always call it an engagement gift.” Ignatius
smoothly maneuvered her into a corner.
Griff shifted uncomfortably. “We haven’t discussed that
far into the future.”
She gripped his hand more tightly and winked at him.
“But we will.”
His chest threatened to burst as his heart swelled. Not
wanting her to feel pressured to give up the sword she’d
taken from the Knights who had slaughtered her family, he
said,
with a bite. If she has his blood in her, maybe it’s more
than dreams connecting them. What if…what if she’s about
to go into heat for the first time? She’s the right age. I was
a junior in college when I first experienced it. What if it’s
—I don’t know—awakened something within her?”
Griff’s concerned gaze skipped to Ignatius. The one-
eyed dragon looked rather impressed with Avani. “I
suspect you’re correct. It’s something we feared might
happen, back when Niko devised the therapy, but it was a
risk we agreed to take.”
“Why Madoc’s blood?” she wondered.
“Chemistry,” Ignatius answered with an uncertain shrug.
“Niko had his reasons for choosing Mad as the donor, and
I trusted them.”
Griff wasn’t so sure Mad had been fully apprised of the
possibilities associated with giving his blood for Niko’s
experimental treatment. It was the type of thing Mad would
have told him and something they would have discussed at
length. He hoped for Niko’s sake that he’d been honest
with Mad up front about the side effects, because if Mad
discovered he’d been lied to, there would be hell to pay.
Stig brought the mugs of tea to the table along with
spoons and some milk. “Avani, I need to apologize for
what happened at Mad’s house. I shouldn’t have attacked
you.”
She shrugged. “It was chaos. I can only imagine what it
must have looked like when you two broke down the door
to find me biting him.”
“I should have taken a moment to assess the situation
more calmly.”
“We’re fine,” Avani assured him.
Ignatius’ stomach made a loud growling noise. He
cleared his throat. “Excuse me. I missed dinner.”
Stig pushed the sugar bowl toward him. “You’ll have to
make do with tea. Cora doesn’t trust me with her scone
recipe yet.”
Taking his seat next to Ignatius, Stig said, “Cora will be
thrilled to learn she’s no longer the only mate in the
group.” Laughing, he added, “Expect a big basket of baked
goods to drop onto your doorstep very soon.”
The mention of Stig’s pretty mate left Griff questioning
the blood feud issue. It wouldn’t be as simple as declaring
it over and done. Affairs like this were governed by
archaic rules. “So, Ignatius, what happens with the feud
between our families?”
Ignatius sat back and sighed. “Well—it was a blood
feud. You can’t simply shake hands and call a truce.”
Griff bristled at the idea of causing Avani harm to
satisfy the feud or vice versa. “If you think we’re going to
fight and draw blood just to satisfy some stupid old feud,
you are out of your damn mind.”
Ignatius tilted his head and pointed to Griff’s neck.
“She’s already drawn blood. I doubt those marks are from
the poison darts.”
Griff touched the mating bite that had been interrupted
back in Mad’s bunker. He looked down at Avani who had
fixed her attention on her mug of tea. There was no
mistaking the blush of embarrassment on her cheeks. “It’s
part of the Naga mating ritual,” he explained. “They bite to
cement the bond.”
“Biting?” Stig’s eyebrows waggled suggestively.
“Kinky.”
Griff picked up the nearest spoon and flicked it at his
friend’s chest. “Grow up.”
Ignatius ignored Stig’s dramatic protest of pain as the
other dragon rubbed his chest. “Perhaps Avani could make
a peace offering to your tribe.”
Avani exchanged a look with the Brotherhood’s leader.
“You want me to give him the sword, don’t you?”
“You could always call it an engagement gift.” Ignatius
smoothly maneuvered her into a corner.
Griff shifted uncomfortably. “We haven’t discussed that
far into the future.”
She gripped his hand more tightly and winked at him.
“But we will.”
His chest threatened to burst as his heart swelled. Not
wanting her to feel pressured to give up the sword she’d
taken from the Knights who had slaughtered her family, he
said,
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