Hone struggled to control his dragon from the second Manu arrived for dinner with Cassie in tow. His cousin liked her—he could tell—but he’d seen her first. Should’ve gone with instinct and asked Cassie if she wanted a lift. Instead, he’d vetoed the idea. As jealousy sank its talons into his flesh, he tried to tell himself he didn’t want a woman, didn’t want this woman.
He enjoyed his single life.
His taniwha refuted each mental argument. It whined. It flexed his muscles. It growled, the rumbles becoming louder until they echoed through his head and bled free.
Cassie heard him. Hell, his cousins, his auntie, his uncle heard and made their disapproval clear. Jack glared at him, but he was rapidly losing his grip, his taniwha becoming increasingly out of control.
He’d have to leave early, give his regrets. Unable to eat while he was in this state, he set his cutlery down with a clunk. His entire being acknowledged the presence of the moon, hovering just out of sight, the tug-tug-tug almost too much for him to bear. His gaze swept the sky, darting to the invisible moon. There. A sliver came into view, and it glowed red. Blood moon. Maybe it was his sight coloring the moon, or it was a bad portent. A shiver racked him.
Given the amount of sex he’d had recently, he should have no problem controlling his beast. Hell, he had to get out of here.
Hone stood abruptly. “I’m not feeling well. I might head home.” After he stopped at his usual haunts and picked up an agreeable woman for the night. A growl bled free, despite his gritted teeth. “See you tomorrow. Thanks, Auntie.”
“Cuz, I’ll walk out with you,” Manu said. “I wanted to ask you something.”
Hone gave a clipped yeah-tread-easy nod and emphasized it with a dragon snarl. Manu was the last person he wanted to speak with. His cousin had handled Cassie. Handled her soft skin. His taniwha scent still clung to her sexy curves. A snarl burst forth and claws dug into his clenched palms. Pale gray-black scales glinted on his forearms, tinged with red to go with his fury.
“Hone, wait up.”
Hone ignored Manu and lengthened his strides, desperate to escape before his urge to pummel his cousin or vaporize him with dragon’s breath got the better of him. Now that would cause a scene.
Manu grabbed his biceps and hauled him to a halt. “Quit that damn snarling. I had no idea you were interested in Cassie.”
“I’m not,” Hone spat.
“Could have fooled me.” Manu scrutinized him, his powerful dragon sending off calming vibes. “What about your rules?”
Hone struggled to halt his shift, which had proceeded enough for his clothing to strain at the seams. They were his rules. His taniwha wanted them to change.
Manu manhandled him down a long passage. He opened a door with his free hand and thrust Hone into a Spartan bedroom bearing a bed and not much else. Manu’s, judging by the scent.
His cousin shoved him toward the double bed. “Listen to me, moron. Cassie and I are going to be friends. I asked her to come with me tonight because Ma was busy scheming. Cassie isn’t interested in me. I amuse her, but she agreed to play a part to foil Ma’s matchmaking attempts. That is all. We rode here on my bike, which is why her scent is all over me.”
“I’m not interested in her,” Hone spat.
“Let me rephrase. Your taniwha wants her. You should surrender now.” Manu remained calm, which made him a natural leader. Cool under pressure and heir to the leadership of the Auckland tribe should anything happen to June.
Surrender? Hell, no! “My taniwha isn’t the boss of me.”
“No?” Manu’s brows rose.
Yeah, that was irony, right there. He’d taken one look at Cassie and wanted to fuck her. His dragon had picked up his interest and magnified it tenfold, liking—no, loving—the concept.
“I can’t go home like this.” Hone gestured at the scales still glinting on his forearms.
“Want to go flying later? I’ve worked on the bugs in the cloaking system and wanted to test it anyway.” Manu waited for his reaction, his expression enigmatic.
“Yeah, thanks.” Hone hadn’t flown for months. None of them had while Manu attempted to perfect his cloaking system. Instead, the taniwha population—those who flew—had increased the frequency of their sexual encounters to calm their beasts.
“I’ll tell Ma you’re lying down and I’ll sneak you dessert. That always appeases my taniwha when he gets unruly.”
“Thanks.” Hone sighed and parked his butt on the bed. He wasn’t sure he’d manage the same magnanimity given the same circumstances. “I’m sorry.”
Manu squeezed Hone’s shoulder. “No worries.”
He left, shutting the bedroom door with a click, and only then did Hone sigh again. What a fuckin’ mess.
He truly didn’t want a permanent relationship. He’d seen what had happened with his friends and other cousins when they’d let their taniwha blindly lead them. Chaos. Broken relationships, and in two cases, humans who had blabbed to the press. Luckily, the reporters hadn’t trusted the women who approached them. Thought they were gaga crazy. There had been social media posts, but since then, no one had snapped photos to prove their existence. June had threatened the next taniwha to break protocol would forfeit their life. Her proclamation settled the community, fortified Hone’s rules about no ties with women.
He didn’t intend to be the dragon who tested June’s resolve.
Luckily, Jack’s situation had occurred before the big drama and June’s decree. Human Emma had accepted Jack shifting to taniwha to save their lives. She’d been more pissed at Jack for making her swim from Waiheke to the mainland. Of course, Jack was a river and lake dragon. Hone was of the flying variety, and if anyone irked him while in taniwha form, Hone reacted with fire.
Manu arrived with a tray of meat and a plate of pavlova and strawberries, a generous serving of a lemon tart and a piece of chocolate log. After his cousin left again, Hone tucked in, starting with the dessert. A sugar coma might quieten his taniwha.
The sweet treats did the trick and pushed his dragon into slumber. Hone tugged off his boots and relaxed on the bed. If he and Manu were flying, he’d rest now. No telling when he’d have a chance to fly again. He should make the most of this opportunity.
* * * * *
“Did you have to grope Cassie?” Hone’s dragon woke with a jealous snarl of displeasure since Cassie’s scent covered Manu.
Manu grinned, a broad smirk that held not a shred of apology. “We rode on my bike. What would you have me do? Tow her behind?”
“Change your clothes. Take a shower and use soap unless you want my fist in your face,” Hone ordered.
“All right. All right.” Manu backed away in capitulation. “I’ll shower.”
“Go and chill with a drink. Ma and Dad have gone to bed. Jack and Emma left as I arrived back here. It’s just Kahurangi and Tane out there.”
Perfect. His cousins would tease the crap out of him. He might as well gulp down his pride and man up. He pulled on his boots and stomped out to face his cousins.
“Ooh, it’s the jealous one,” Tane cooed.
“Don’t you mean the fallen one? The mated one,” Kahurangi corrected.
Deny everything. “No idea what you’re talking about.”
Tane snorted. “You were growling like guard dog. Ma’s not pleased with you.”
Kahurangi cocked his head, regarded him like a bug. “She’s earmarked Cassie for Manu.”
His dragon’s snarl of displeasure bled free and his cousins chortled.
“Stop taunting him.” Manu pushed his dragon through the order and his younger brothers ceased their teasing, both stepping back to give Manu space. He carried his modified cloaking systems, although to Hone’s untrained eye, they appeared unchanged from the last time he’d helped Manu. Small—square boxes with two controls and straps.
“Okay.” He handed a unit to Hone. “It’s the same as last time. This goes around your right wrist. The unit will shift with you, and once you’re airborne, should cloak your presence. Did you see the news item about the guy who has developed a diving suit that allows divers to approach crocodiles and sharks without causing them alarm or to attack?”
“No.”
Manu strapped on a unit. “The suit cloaks a human’s magnetic signal. I’ve designed my unit along the same lines. It’s like stealth jet technology.”
“You left me in lost and found the minute you started talking about magnetic signals. As long as it works. My scales have a reddish tinge at present, the ones on my arms at any rate. I suspect I’ll be more red than black when I shift. Will it still cloak me if I’m a flashy color?”
“The purpose of this test. Kahurangi and Tane will monitor us and listen to air traffic. I’ve designed the units with a beacon, so those at base can check our location. They’ll alert me to problems, but I’m confident the unit will work this time.”
“I hope so,” Hone said.
“Our brother is a genius. If this works, he can put it on the market. It will mean other shifter species can shift without discovery too,” Kahurangi said with pride. “We’ll all be rich.”
“Me more than you,” Manu said dryly. “You ready? We’ll take off from here, fly toward the Manukau Heads do a circle ’round and over Ardmore. If the planes landing at Auckland International Airport or Ardmore Airport don’t see us, and air traffic control don’t register our presence, we’ll be one step closer to marketing the unit.”
“Are you sure? We normally avoid those areas. There will be hell to pay if we’re seen. What about your mother? She wasn’t kidding in her threats.”
“The test is necessary.”
“Did you tell her you were doing another trial?”
“No.”
Living dangerously. “Okay. Whatever you say. Anything else I should watch for?”
“Nope. Enjoy the flight, but pay attention. I’ll be in contact with Kahurangi and Tane. If there’s a problem, I’ll signal you. Stay close enough for telepathic communication.”
“Will do.” Hone tugged off his T-shirt. He removed his boots and tossed the rest of his clothes over the back of a wooden outdoor chair before moving away from the others to shift.
His taniwha burst forth, the sharp pain of bones and skin rearranging sucking away Hone’s breath. He groaned, slumping forward as limbs changed to clawed feet. As he’d assumed, his hide was redder than normal. The scales on his chest remained glossy black but his legs and tail glowed scarlet in the subtle outdoor lighting.
Not far away, Manu pushed through his own shift. He was mainly black but the spines along his back and the tip of his tail shone a regal purple.
“Ready to go?” Manu sent the thought winging to his mind.
“All set.” Hone lifted his wings, beating them to warm up muscles not used during the months of lockdown. Pleasure roared through him as he took to the air, every sense greedily drinking in the magnified sensations. He hated to admit it, but flying beat sex. Using the prevailing wind currents, he lifted and rose higher until the estuary spread out below him. The scent of mud and mangroves ebbed, and instead he smelled someone’s dinner—a roast of beef—and animals.
In the past, the dragons had an uneasy peace with the Maori tribes inhabiting the country. Some taniwha had stolen or attacked the tribes while others had brokered peace in return for a frequent tithe. A pity the moa birds had become extinct. Legend said they’d been tasty morsels, the giant ones large enough to feed more than one dragon.
Life for a modern-day taniwha had its benefits. Food was plentiful, but the need for secrecy was a concern. He wondered if he’d live long enough to experience the day when the shifter population came out to humans. Commonsense said that day would arrive soon.
“Head over toward that party,” Manu instructed. “We’ll do a low swoop. They sound drunk, but it will still be a good test.”
Hone smelled the beer and the sweet scent of drugs, the pungent smoke from their bonfire. He chuckled, his humor emerging as a huh-huh-huh. If the units failed or didn’t work as Manu predicted, these men and women would assume they were hallucinating.
Following Manu’s lead, Hone maneuvered lower. He gave a lazy flap of his wings and flew above the group. Their loud chatter, punctuated with colorful curses and the thump-thump-thump of heavy metal music, never faltered. Manu flew in a tight circle above the property and Hone followed, rejoicing in the movement of muscles and the wind blowing across his scales.
“Good. They don’t see us. Let’s fly to the heads, do a circle over the sea and come back via the airport. Watch out for planes.”
“Don’t have to tell me, Hone replied. “Last thing I need is a sheared off wing or tail.”
The briny fragrance of the Tasman Sea seduced him into swooping low and flying mere feet above the churning waves. He reveled in the spray against his face. God, he hoped this unit continued to work. It would make such a difference to their people and to other shifters who found it increasingly difficult to maintain secrecy in this modern world.
“Stop playing, cuz. You haven’t flown for a while and you’ll be sore tomorrow. Airport now. That will be our big test.”
Hone heard the strain in Manu’s voice and snapped to attention. He wanted to encourage his cousin but remained silent. This trial was important.
He trailed Manu as his cousin headed in the direction of the airport. Long before the terminal came into sight, the rumble of airplanes vibrated on the air and the scent of fuel filled his nostrils.
“We’ll follow the trajectory of the incoming planes and keep away from those taking off,” Manu sent.
“I’ll stay behind you in tight formation.” His cousin’s tenseness came through clearly, and Hone battled the teasing words trembling for release.
Manu slowed the beat of his wings, then rose steeply to follow an Air New Zealand flight coming in to land. Once the plane taxied, they banked and waited for the next—a flight from Singapore. They repeated the exercise a third time, flying closer, near enough to the cockpit to see the pilots at work. Neither man shifted their attention from their instruments.
“Nothing coming through on air traffic control.” Excitement radiated through Manu’s words. “I’d like to test at Ardmore Airport now.”
Hone bared his teeth in a celebratory chortle. “Well done, cuz. Are your units waterproof? You could give one to Jack to test.”
“Jack promised to test one for me, but he wanted us to do our checks first because the water dragons get stuck in their natural forms for longer after they shift.”
They repeated the checks at Ardmore airport, following six small planes in as they landed.
“Kahurangi said there is a break in the arrivals. We can land here.”
He could do with a rest. His muscles were screaming at him, but he wouldn’t have missed this experience for anything.
They landed beside a hangar on the far side of the airport. Although the airport at Mangere was the main airport, Ardmore airport was the busiest with numerous private planes.
“Kahurangi and Tane say no alarms have been raised anywhere.”
“That’s great. What’s the next step?”
“I’ll get Jack to test a unit out in a gulf. If none of the ferry passengers, yachties or fishermen see him, that’s a good sign. I need to check the unit remains waterproof for an extended time.”
“Can you calibrate it to work for us in our human forms?”
“That would be a good test, but I wouldn’t want the units to get in the wrong hands. Something like that would be invaluable to the criminal element.”
Hone considered the problem and agreed. “You probably should do the adjustments and test it in this way, but have you considered offering only rental units on the market? Get Dad to investigate those who wish to rent the units to vet them first, and have them sign an agreement to say they won’t use them for criminal purposes.”
“Hell, good point. I haven’t thought much beyond perfecting them. The last thing I want is to create problems, or even worse, some type of clandestine war.”
“I can help,” Hone offered. “I’ll talk to Dad and Jack. We’ll come up with a plan for when you want to go to market. You’ve devoted a lot of time and money into perfecting your unit, and you should profit from your investment.”
“Let me think about it,” Manu said. “I’ll need to discuss it with Ma. Let’s wander over to those hangars and in front of their main building where those people are working. I don’t want to get in their way, but we’ll venture close enough for them to see us if they’re not blind.”
“Then we head home?”
“Yup.”
Half an hour later, they touched down at the farm. Hone visualized his human form in his mind and his tired taniwha subsided without a whimper. His body quivered with fatigue yet satisfaction throbbed through him. He’d sleep well this evening.
“You look as bad as I feel,” Manu said. “You’d better crash here tonight.”
“Not gonna argue. Thank you for taking me with you. Even though I’m tired, there’s a sense of exhilaration as if I’ve had a sex marathon. Your invention…I just wanted to say I’m in awe of your talent.”
A whoosh of red rushed to his cousin’s face. So unusual, Hone wanted to make a joke. He resisted because this was a momentous occasion. Manu deserved praise. Those taniwha who scoffed at his cousin’s inventions, called him a nerd and alleged he wasn’t up to his position within the tribe would stand in line to get an invisibility unit.
“Do you have a costing available? How much will it cost to produce each unit?”
“Probably close to two thousand. A little more to make sure the unit is robust and will survive someone dropping it.”
Hone clapped his cousin on the shoulder, proud of his accomplishments. “I doubt any shifter will quibble at the expense. Which room should I take?”
Manu yawned. “Share my room. That’s probably easiest since it’s late. I’m so tired I’ll drop off the second my head hits the pillow.”
“Thanks. I’m not even gonna offer any smart-arse comments about sleeping with you,” Hone said, and they trudged the final steps home.