Dragonfury 02 - Fury of Ice

Powerful. Unprecedented. And for him, right as hell.
    No one compared to her. She was the sun and moon. His bright and shining star. And as he invaded her mouth—kissed her deep and felt her throb around him—Rikar lost control, losing all of himself to her as she took him home.

Chapter Twenty-three
     
    Shoving the last bite of pasta primavera into his mouth, Mac umm-yeahed and got busy chewing. Goddamn, that was good. A culinary masterpiece. One that fired up all the right taste buds while simultaneously filling the bottomless pit that had become his stomach. Which…yup, was a total understatement. No matter how much he ate, he couldn’t get full. Was always one step away from feeling half-starved.
    Normal, he guessed. A side effect of going through the change, one he would suffer for a while. At least that’s what his new friends told him. But man, he’d never been this hungry before, and constantly hitting Daimler up in the eats department was getting embarrassing.
    Not that the Numbai minded. The guy’s eyes lit up every time he saw Mac coming. Could hardly wait to feed him the next meal. Snack. Or shit…snack between snacks.
    Mac shook his head. Jesus. He might as well just camp out beside the fridge. Drag his bed right into the kitchen and set up shop. It would make the free-for-all a whole helluva lot more efficient.
    With a satisfied sigh, he leaned back on the stool, away from the kitchen island, and put his fork down. Silver clinked against fine china. Mac’s mouth curved up at the corners. The highfalutin utensils were a marked difference from what he was used to: a sign his life had changed for the better. Usually, he ate off a paper plate or out of a Chinese takeout container. But not here. Black Diamond wasn’t anything like the tight quarters on his boat, and Daimler had never been at his service.
    The Numbai said that more than was healthy. At your service, master . Of course, master. Anything else I can get you, master? Daimler was a one-man Martha Stewart with elfish pointy ears and built-in bling thanks to his gold front tooth. And as he watched the Nightfuries’ resident go-to guy move around the kitchen—stirring the contents of bubbling pots, checking the timer on the stove—Mac thanked his lucky stars.
    Black Diamond was his home now. The Nightfury warriors and Daimler, his family. Hallelujah. About fucking time. He’d found the one place he truly belonged.
    Nudging his plate away, Mac pushed the stool back and stood. After a full-body stretch, he snagged the long, black case sitting beside his chair off the floor. “Hey, Daimler?”
    Planted in front of the six-burner stove, the Numbai glanced over his shoulder. A hopeful glint in his eyes, he asked, “Another serving, master?”
    He shook his head.
    “A piece of chocolate cake?”
    Mac laughed. The guy never said quit. The elf lived to serve, and he could get used to the star treatment. “Not right now. I’ve gotta get going, but thanks, man.”
    A wooden spoon poised in midair, Daimler’s face fell.
    The disappointed look backed Mac up a step. Or five. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt the guy’s feelings. “Toss it in the fridge for me, will you? I’ll come back for it.”
    Daimler perked up, happiness lighting him up as he opened a drawer and took out a big serving knife. Mac shook his head, heaved the heavy case, and turned toward the exit while the Numbai went at the cake, whacking an enormous slice from the whole. Mac hummed. No doubt about it. He’d be back for that puppy. And another just like it. Chocolate was his favorite, after all, but…
    Later. Right now he had work to do. Rikar had hit him up with mind-speak an hour ago, requesting a special delivery. Thank God.
    Two days. Forty-eight frickin’ hours of waiting. Of wondering. Of worrying about Angela. And finally his XO was coming up for air.
    Not that Mac blamed the male.
    Angela was beautiful, smart…sexy as hell. At least every guy Mac knew thought so. And he should know. He’d warned enough of them away from her. Had even beat the snot out of a few when they’d gotten too persistent. Not that Angela knew about it. Which was how he wanted to keep it. Mac grimaced, imagining her reaction. Jesus. You’d think he had a death wish or something, messing with her love life, and if she ever found out, she’d kick his ass from one end of Seattle to the other.
    Not advisable. Not much fun, either.
    The rifle case bumping against his thigh, Mac