"We're not going to throw the eggs in the fire, are we?" I wasn't about to do some Mother of Dragons thing and end up burning to death to try it.
Iyadre shifted back into human form and laid his bags down upon the ground. "Why would we do that?" he asked, mystified.
"There's this show-"
Eskal sighed. "That sort of thing only happens in fantasy novels."
I tightened my blanket around myself and tied the two ends together so I wouldn't have to hold it. We unloaded the eggs from Eskal's back in silence, and though they didn't end up in the fire, they were pretty damned close to it. The whelp threw himself off my shoulder, splatted on the ground, shook himself off and scampered over to look at the flames.
Then he snapped at them and Vadriq sighed, picking him up. "You can't do things like that. The humans won't like it."
I paused, watching him with the whelp. If they were so cozy, would I be needed after I'd hatched the eggs? The idea didn't please me. Though I hadn't been with them long, it'd been... nice, to be needed by such strong, powerful guys. And maybe it wasn't even the fact that they were so tough; it was just that someone actually required me and not just someone like me.
Though I'd been important to the museum, they'd thrown me away the second they suspected me of being a problem. And they were technically right; what I'd done was against the law. Ultimately, I understood the decision. I just didn't agree with it.
As Vadriq and the whelp played with one another, as cute as it was, I turned my attention to Nariti and Eskal. They'd shifted back to human form by that point and were talking in a corner of the cavern. And I had to admit, I was impressed with the size of it. I got up and walked back to them, trying to listen in.
"-don't know what we'll do if someone finds us up here. The trails are still blocked, but a stubborn person could make it," Nariti said.
Eskal sneered. "We don't know anyone that stubborn. The military certainly can't track us."
"What about heat-seeking or heat-reading devices?" I asked, folding my hands behind my back.
The dragons frowned at me. Eskal shrugged. "The mountain above is three hundred feet thick. Should they manage to find us under that, there is nothing that can be done for such matters. We shall have to do what we must to maintain and leave out the back."
"What he means to say is, if someone comes to harm us, you will be the first out and on your way to safety, Olivia," Nariti said.
I felt a blush creeping up to my cheeks. "I don't need anyone to protect me, per se."
"Then you picked a poor group to follow," he said, reaching over and cupping my cheek. "I know things are different. I have little doubt some of this may be hard for you. You were passionate about your job and it's our fault that you've lost it-"
I shook my head at him, interrupting. "I made my decision. I'm sticking with it. Don't get me wrong; I love the museum. Maybe one day I can talk my way back in there or find another one like it. I have the experience these days to look elsewhere and it sucks to lose them. But they were going to steal your kids. And when it comes down to it, that's just wrong."
"It isn't the first time humans have made a march on us like that," he said. "It won't be the last. But we're thankful we have you, while we do."
His hand was satin against my face. I leaned toward it, sliding a hand over his wrist just to keep it there. "You don't have to let me go. You could keep me here, if you want. I won't be much in a fight-"
"You saved my life against a tank shell. I think you're better in a fight than you think you are," Vadriq said, across the cavern.
I looked back at him. How could he have heard? Then I realized the curved form of the cave was probably helping the acoustics out, sending our voices further than they normally would. I shrugged. "You'd have done the same for me."
"Perhaps we don't want to keep you here if there is a fight," Eskal said.
He gently pushed Nariti's hand out of the way and took me into his arms. As if he wasn't used to the gesture, he was stiff-legged and a little rough, but the hug was still a hug. He was still warmer than a normal human, much like the rest of the dragons, but I was starting to get used to that. I tucked my head against his chest and nestled in. How long had it been since I'd been held like that?
Much longer than I'd meant for it to be.
"I know I'm not an omega dragon. I'm just a human, but," I hesitated, then murmured, "This is pretty nice."
"I suppose I must agree," Eskal said.
I frowned, looking up at him, but there was a twinkle in his eye. I prodded him in the ribs and smiled. "I knew you were capable of joking around, somewhere in there."
"Good that you knew it. I didn't remember how until rather recently."
"Yeah?" I asked him, warmth trickling into my belly as the rest of me tickled with goosebumps. He watched me with those wild, dragon's eyes and my instincts told me something was happening. That I was being led into a trap full of things I didn't fully understand. That those things would eat me up like a lamb wandering into a lion's den.
Or maybe it was a dragon's den. I didn't remember all the specifics, okay?
I tipped my nose up under his chin and he nestled against me. Nariti ran his fingers through my hair from behind and I turned my head to nestle at his hand as well, not wanting him to feel left out.
What was I doing? I fought with myself, briefly. I didn't know these men well enough for this, but being up in the cavern and with everything else that had gone on? Maybe I was feeling a little Stockholm-y. Maybe it was more than that. I wasn't sure. But I knew that I didn't want them to stop and I didn't want to pull away.
Nariti was more cautious than Eskal, whose draconic tongue flicks across my ear to try to get my attention back to him. I nudged him away from me, teasing, and stole a glance at Iyadre, who was already headed our way.
These were my people now, the only ones I had to rely on in a world that wanted me stuck behind bars. I slid my arms around Eskal's neck and kissed him as best as I knew how to.
He froze against me and I wondered if I'd made a horrible mistake. His eyes opened and he looked down at me, a question in his eyes, one I didn't know the answer to.
But I wished I did.
Iyadre joined us and the four of us sank to the ground, Nariti's hands slipping under the hem of my shirt and disappearing. Clawed fingertips ran along my skin, tickling everywhere they touched. I drew away from Eskal's kiss, touched with brimstone, to lift my head as he nipped his away along my collarbone.
A stronger, more sensible part of my mind asked what I was doing once again. It demanded that I slow things down, but cooler minds won out. After all the stress, the exhaustion, the failure; all of my life burning down in front of my eyes, I wanted to savor the one, good thing that had come out from it.
Three men wanted me?
Fuck it, I was game.
I'd been alone so long in this lonely, terrible fucking world that I deserved to throw my doubts to the side and take whatever it was that I wanted. And, being completely honest with myself? What I wanted was to be wild.
Maybe just for a little bit.
Maybe for a hell of a lot longer than that.
I helped Iyadre with my shirt, throwing it into the darkness of the cavern behind us. Eskal and Iyadre both went for my breasts at the same time and a brief, snapping fight ensued over them. I pushed their heads away, maintaining control, and drew Nariti in instead. Let them wait if they couldn't maintain their composure. And Nariti was happy to nestle against my chest and tweak what lay beyond the pale pink bra cup that covered my chest.
"If you two can behave, you're welcome to join him," I said, my brows raised at Eskal and Iyadre.
Cowed for now, their eyes shining with promised rebellion, they joined Iyadre and I once again.
And I caught the look Vadriq was giving to the three of us. Hate simmered in his gaze, though once he saw me looking, he immediately turned his attention back to the sleeping whelp. I placed a hand on Eskal's head and whisp
ered to him, "Should I invite him over? What do I do with him by dragon customs?"
"It isn't about being a dragon or not," Eskal hissed back at me. "Invite him, if you want him. Show him that you are interested in him and he will come as quickly as he can."
Well, I had a good idea of how to do that. I drew away from the men, topless but somehow still holding on to my pants. Over I went to Vadriq, the fire bathing me in the last remaining light in the area. Night had fallen quickly for summer, which suggested another storm was on its way.
"I'd like to have a word with you," I told him.
He looked up at me and raised his brows, but his eyes didn't linger on mine. No, they roved the whole of my form, raking over every inch of exposed skin like the hungry, predatory monster that he was deep within. I reached out to him and offered my hand, palm up, as you would to a dog to sniff. I wasn't the most experienced person when it came to animals, but I had a guess or two that had worked so far.
Vadriq placed his palm in mine. I drew him up to his feet and took him back to the others, sitting him down. Then I sank back to the ground with them and, imperiously, snapped my fingers in the air.
They tore me apart on the floor of the cave.
And I loved it.
Eskal ripped my pants free of my body and I only hoped I wouldn't have to sew another button at the top; I wasn't much of a seamstress. The underwear went with it, torn from one thigh and chucked away from me. Naked as they were, it was an adjustment for me to be something of the same.
There was nothing gentle or pretty in the world, and nothing gentle or pretty about the dragons. I gasped as claws, teeth, and sharp-nailed hands left scratches along my sides, my chest, my ass. It wasn't submission; I'd asked for this, and they were giving it to me.
I wasn't surprised when I saw Eskal at the bottom of my hips, grabbing either side of me and looming over me. He gave me a second to say no, but the thought wasn't in my mind. I wanted this, had wanted this sort of attention for longer than I'd realized. Maybe it had been part of the reason why I'd volunteered to help them with the eggs in the first place.
It felt so right. I belonged in the cave, under the stars with these monsters. I dragged Iyadre down for a kiss, one that tasted of smoke and sweetness, and moaned against his lips as an excited new sensation drove its way into me.
There were no books, no stories, no papers that prepared me to take a dragon shifter's ribbed cock. I arched off the floor, but Nariti's hands forced me back down, one locking around my throat. I snarled at him, slapping the hand away and glared knives at him. He hunkered back, eyes wide and pleading, slitted as they were in dragon form, before he crept forward, clearly looking to make peace with me once again.
I accepted it, because he looked so sweet. He kissed the soft curve of my upper belly, just where my sternum ended, and I thought my nipples might pop right off my chest. They'd never been so hard, so tortured, and when he saw that they were alone, he wrapped that forked draconic tongue around one and drew it into his mouth.
A growl drew my attention back to Eskal. His gaze was full of rage, frustration, passion. Was he angry I was ignoring him? Good. all the better. I smirked at him and drew Vadriq down instead, kissing him full in front of his lover. No, his former lover. I was laying claim to Vadriq right in front of him and he knew it. I nestled the beta dragon as Eskal snapped a thrust into me that scraped my g-spot.
It was enough to make me see stars, but not enough to make me pay direct attention to him. He was like a spoiled child, angry that he wasn't getting his own way. What better time for him to learn that wasn't going to be the case anymore? I pushed Vadriq back and slid my hands down his chest, past his belly, and found his cock hard and waiting for attention. He stiffened at the first touch, eyes round and still human as he stared down at me. Then I ran my tongue over his pointed head, the tip more like a cone than the flat, ram-like cock people typically had, and swirled it through the ribbed spirals all the way down his length.
Vadriq's head tipped back as he groaned, keeping his fingers out of my hair. A good dragon deserved a reward. I swallowed him down, closed my eyes, and savored his taste.
As Eskal pounded me flat against the floor, hissing against my ear, then biting the lobe. He didn't dare try to pierce the skin, but it was an obvious plea for attention. I put a hand on his chest and pushed him back, though I wasn't as rough with him as I had been with Nariti. He could take that sort of punishment.
Eskal couldn't. Underneath his big, tough attitude was a softer dragon; he was all bravado and no follow through.
And I was the exact opposite. He wasn't prepared for a woman like me. He didn't understand what it meant to be put in his place. As I felt the coils throb within me, knowing that he was about to reach his climax, I pulled my mouth off of Vadriq long enough to snap at him. "You haven't earned that yet."
He stopped mid-thrust and blinked at me, then shivered and slid out of me. Iyadre crept between us and buried his tongue in me instead, hope in his eyes. Perhaps he was being good enough to replace Eskal later.
Eskal came to me on all fours, curiosity in his gaze. I wrapped my hand around his still-throbbing cock and began to stroke him, even as I turned my attention back to Vadriq.
Something outside crunched. Headlights poured into our cavern. And everything got a hell of a lot more interesting.
Chapter 17
Eskal
By all rights, I should have tied with her the moment she showed rebellion. Yet, I couldn't do that and live with myself. I needed her, wanted her, desired to slam her through the floor as I mated with her over and over again, slacking a thirst I hadn't known I'd had in so long I-
I needed Olivia Monx.
And the thought made me tremble against her as I came ever closer to reaching that wonderful peak of-
Headlights.
Headlights?
Bleary-eyed, I frowned at the vehicle that had somehow found its way up our mountainside. How? The trails from the road were taken care of by fallen trees, washed out paths, and the such. Had we missed one? I pulled away from Olivia, hating that I had to, and walked to the front of the cavern ready to murder whoever had interrupted us.
I would have known that goddamned Hummer anywhere.
How had they found us? I growled as I approached them, her scent all over me, her sex dripping from my groin. There was a whelp and a mate in that cavern and I would kill every worthless wolf that came after us if I had to.
"We aren't here for trouble," Sadie called, sliding out of the passenger seat. "Are you all okay? You've been running from the cops all day. Everyone's freaked out."
My ire dissolved at the sight of the omega wolf. Nudity wasn't an issue so much as it was with the humans. She didn't care if I wore a thousand-dollar suit or nothing at all. When shifting often ruins the clothing the humans hold so dear, you become used to sliding in and out of it, seeing your fellow shifters in their skin. Even mating loses its taboo quality when one becomes a part of the community.
Though, Olivia wasn't quite there yet. She followed me down, wrapped in a blanket. Her hair was a mess, kinking with the humidity of the night. I snaked my arm around her and pulled her to me, then I groomed her hair back into place, one strand at a time, watching her for approval.
And when she smiled at me, the rest of the world went away.
I'd certainly not meant to fall in love with the girl, but how could I resist that smile? And when had it happened? I'd taken a single look at her and known; wanted her, needed to know that she felt the same way. Yet, it was madness. It was... irresponsible. But it felt so right.
"Don't kiss up to them," Hudson scowled, finally turning off the blinding headlights. "What are you doing? Were you guys under some kind of threat, or did you bulldoze a police station for the hell of it?"
My wingmates joined me at my back and I considered the younger alpha. If need be, I could break him and send his omega home in tears. At one point, the wolves had respected me. That ship had appeared to
have sailed. "We were in danger. There are relaxation of restrictions in cases like ours where we must save part of our people and-"
"Who? Her?" Hudson asked, pointing at Olivia. "She hasn't been cleared by the rest of the community to be part of your wing. You haven't even asked about it under a Meet guideline, like you're supposed to. Like my whole pack was on trial for the accident with Sadie."
I paused, ignoring the fact that he’d called us a wing instead of a flight; stupid mongrel. Whatever I said next would hold long-term implications for the potential changes under the guidelines of the Supernatural Secrecy Pact, the single item that kept the world from knowing what we were and what we could do. My flight had shattered every known rule of the Pact and, to be crude, more or less wiped our asses with it.
Yet I had enforced others to adhere to it for generations. I had overseen the moment when Hudson's father had turned his mother. I had encouraged Lillian, Hudson's former sister-in-law, to press for justice to happen to the Fontaine pack when Hudson's son had bitten Sadie Adelaine, a simple farm girl who ran an animal rescue, and turned her into a werewolf.
On Wings: A Reverse Harem Dragon Shifter Romance (Her Secret Menagerie Book 2) Page 15