expecting that. He wouldn’t have lowered his guard with anyone else, and yet every time he turned around Briana kept getting closer than he anticipated.
He rubbed his jaw, making sure she hadn’t dislocated anything. He definitely preferred her fussing over his injuries compared to her explosive right hook.
Straightening, he finally got a good look at her. “Briana?” She still looked human, but her claws were out and all he could pick up on when he met her gaze was pure, lethal predator.
“Bitch is crazy.” The kid behind her stumbled backward, but she didn’t acknowledge that she’d even heard him.
A smart move on the mortal’s part. Lucan really didn’t want to have to save the ignorant fool. He’d noticed how much of Briana’s animal half had surfaced in the parking lot, but that didn’t come close to the aggressive tension radiating from her now.
“He’s still standing. Couldn’t you have hit him a little harder?” Tristan squeezed past a couple who were too busy feeling each other up to make room for him, then stopped next to Lucan.
Briana snarled, positioning herself between him and Tristan.
“Whoa? What the hell did I do?” Tristan shot him a furious look over Briana’s shoulder, as though her overreaction was somehow Lucan’s fault.
They might not be on friendly terms, but he and Tristan were in complete agreement about this. What. The. Hell.
The feather-light tease of old magic pulsed under Lucan’s skin, a lazy, seductive beat, but with Briana looking ready to go for Tristan’s jugular, he ignored the sensation to deal with the problem at hand.
This was the exact situation he wanted to avoid in the first place. He knew how much she loved her brothers and that each of them would sacrifice anything to protect her. Although his own family had been dead for centuries, Lucan knew how important that bond was and he refused to see it threatened because of him.
Briana might believe she was doing the right thing by stopping old friends from fighting, but not like this. Immortals could theoretically live forever, but time was still an enemy, ruthlessly snatching away the moments to set things right.
Tristan was smart enough not to touch his sister. “Talk to me, B.”
“You are not going to hurt him.”
His attention darted to Lucan. “Is there something going on that I need to know?”
“No.”
“Yes,” Briana answered at the same time.
Not bothering to repeat himself—Tristan would never believe him over his own sister—Lucan stepped to the right.
Briana didn’t let him get far, snagging his hand.
“Give her some room, bro.” Cian joined them, careful to give Briana a wide berth. He cocked his head, considering. “He’s here, isn’t he?”
Lucan frowned. He who?
Before Briana could respond—and Lucan was betting she wasn’t in much of a conversational mood—Cian spun around.
A short distance away, Emma stood smiling at her mate. The second Cian zeroed in on her, all concern for his sister melted away. Gaze locked on his mate, Cian’s expression revealed only…arousal?
What the hell were they serving in this place tonight?
“Cian?” Tristan waved his hand in front of his brother’s face.
Ignoring his brother, Cian crossed to Emma and scooped his mate over his shoulder. She giggled and gave them a little wave as Cian carried her away without a backward glance.
Tristan threw his hands up. “Is everyone losing their fucking minds?”
Tracking Cian’s progress to the stairs leading to the office, Lucan voiced the one question that wouldn’t leave him alone. “Who was Cian talking about?”
“What?”
“When he said to Briana, ‘He’s here’.”
“I think you have me confused with someone in the know.”
Something small and black flew past them and landed on the floor near their feet. Tristan picked it up, letting the lacy black bra dangle from his finger tip.
“You guys bring in some new entertainment tonight?” Lucan asked, noticing another piece of lingerie land on the stage at the foot of the lead guitarist.
“In what universe do you think Sorcha would ever let Cale get away with something like that?”
“Good point.”
Judging by the frown on Tristan’s face, the cat didn’t want to be in agreement about anything. “We need to go.” He reached for Briana.
Lucan felt the tension slice through her like it was his own, and snatched her hand away before she raked her claws down her brother’s chest.
Tristan stared at her hand. “Briana?”
A look of horror crossed her face, and she spun away from Tristan.
“Hey,” Lucan coaxed, tugging gently to get her attention.
Her fingers curled around his wrist and she turned her body into his, hiding her face in his chest. The hold she had on him was both vulnerable and intimately possessive. Rising up on her tiptoes, she murmured something that sounded like, “Better,” and drew her forefinger along his jaw.
A shiver raced up his spine. He fought the urge to close his eyes and concentrate fully on her touch, all too conscious of Tristan glaring at him. If not for the cat looking like he was ready to rip Lucan’s throat out, he might have leaned into the palm curving his cheek.
And why would he be that stupid?
The question drifted through his mind, but the longer he stood next to her, the less he cared about it being a bad idea.
Briana bit her lip, drawing his attention straight to the mouth he had no business staring at, let alone entertaining wicked thoughts about. How many times had he wondered if her breath would still catch right before he kissed her?
Tristan eyes narrowed, his gaze sharp enough to tear Lucan open from neck to navel. “Take your hands off her.”
Briana snarled and locked one arm around Lucan’s back, the message to her brother crystal clear—no one was separating them. Not without a fight.
Trying hard to ignore the sluggish warmth trickling into his bloodstream like a narcotic, Lucan scanned the room for an objective third party and came up empty.
“Look, whatever is happening is affecting her too.” If he kept talking, maybe he wouldn’t think about using his mouth for anything else.
“And what if it starts affecting you?”
If Tristan hadn’t realized it already was—that it was likely affecting all of them—then Lucan wouldn’t be stupid enough to point it out.
“I’m fine.” For now. Later was definitely up in the air. “You need to find Mac and figure out what the hell is going on.” Cale and Cian would be useless with their mates distracting them.
The crowd had filled in the space created during Briana’s showdown with the dragon, most of the surrounding people in various stages of kissing and groping each other.
“Sure,” Tristan snapped. “I’ll just send up a flare and hope he spots it.”
The longer they stood there, the more people joined the action. In less than ten seconds two T-shirts and a pair of underwear hit the floor. And that was only in the immediate vicinity.
Tristan shuddered and tossed away the boxers that hit his shoulder. “Jesus.”
Ten minutes tops and almost everyone in here would be naked. Lucan’s own clothing clung to his skin, weighing him down.
“Even the music has stopped.” Tristan’s voice barely registered. Lucan was too busy tugging at his shirt, seeking any kind of reprieve from the smothering material.
