by James, Jacki
“Okay, what all do we need to handle? Let’s make a list and knock it out.”
It turned out I didn’t need to do much in person. I met with a real estate agent to sell the condo. We went by my office and picked up my stuff, which was all already boxed up and in storage. Jeremy sure didn’t waste any time replacing me, not that it mattered. I called the few friends I wanted to see before I left for good, and they met us for lunch.
I was glad we came because it gave me a chance to say goodbye and to introduce them to Azaran so they wouldn’t worry I’d hooked up with some weirdo. It was fun to see their reactions when they asked him what he did for a living, and he answered that he didn’t work. They glanced at me and I saw what are you thinking all over their faces, so I—not too quietly—whispered behind my hand, “Old money,” to which they nodded and suddenly found him much more interesting.
We sold my car for much less than what it was worth, but I just wanted to get rid of it. Once that was all done, and I packed a bag with enough clothes to last me until my things arrived, we left for home. I spent the trip home talking back and forth with Sindri and Azaran in my mind. By the time we made it to the cliffs and flew into the LZ, I felt confident in my ability to not only communicate with them but to also shield my thoughts when I wanted to.
By the time we made it home the guys had all gone to bed, so we slipped into our room as quietly as possible. Azaran stripped off his clothes and collapsed on the bed. “This is disappointing. I was so looking forward to getting home, but after one night, I miss your bed.”
“Well, it’ll be here in two weeks, and then you can sleep on it every night until we wear the mattress out,” I said, laughing as I shed my clothes and got on the bed next to him. I had been wondering what this would be like. Up to this point, sex with Azaran had been amazing. Best I’d had, actually, not that I was telling him that. He was already all mine, mine, mine all the time, and I was sure that wouldn’t help that situation. But as a mated pair, able to communicate without words, it was bound to be different.
He turned toward me and trailed his finger down my bare chest. I’d never wanted anyone as badly as I wanted him. I felt a combination of my arousal and his, so everything was magnified: the sensations, the want, the need, everything. I leaned over and took one of his nipples between my teeth, lightly biting him and he groaned. I felt his pleasure in my balls. Sharing our pleasure was an exhilarating experience, but it’d take some getting used to. He rolled over on top of me, kissing me, and I stopped caring about anything else. The only thing that mattered was how we fit together. He buried his face in my hair and said something about how gorgeous I was, and how amazing I felt, but I wasn’t processing his words. The only thing I understood was the rhythm of our bodies. The way we moved together perfectly in sync with one another until thought wasn’t necessary. The sensations were overwhelming, like every touch was electric and all my nerves were firing at once. All I knew was that I wanted. I couldn’t think beyond the hunger my body had for his, and then he was there sliding into me with one thrust, deep, until he was fully seated. I hadn’t even noticed he’d grabbed the lube, but I was grateful at least one of us was still thinking.
His hands clamped on my hips and he began to thrust deep and hard, over and over. I sunk into the bliss of being filled, and at the same time, I felt the intense pleasure he was experiencing.
Tell me what you want, he said somewhere inside my mind.
“Exactly what you’re doing now,” I responded. “Take me the way you want to, hard and fast.”
He anchored my legs around his waist and thrust forward; I felt him everywhere, stretching me, claiming me, owning me. “Mine, mine, mine,” he chanted. He lifted my hips up higher, angling just right as he pegged my prostate with each thrust.
“Oh, fuck,” I moaned as I neared my climax.
“Touch yourself, baby,” he said. “I can’t wait and I want you with me.” He leaned down kissing me, swallowing my moans as he drove into me over and over. The orgasm crashed through me in wave after wave, and then he was coming, too, and the sensation of his orgasm was like having a second one rush through me. It was all at once overwhelming and perfect.
He collapsed on the bed next to me trying to catch his breath while I lay there panting.
“Oh my god, Toby, that was insane. It was like all of my sensations were heightened and I could feel yours at the same time. I, wow, I don’t even know what to say.”
“How about thanks for agreeing to be my mate so we can have absolutely unfuckingbelieavable sex every night for the rest of our lives?”
“Yeah,” he said with a laugh. “That.”
We cleaned ourselves, curled up together, and slept. The next morning I woke up not even sure what day of the week it was, but happier than I ever remembered being. My life was so much fuller than it’d been a few short weeks ago. I had a family, I had Azaran, and I had a dragon. What wasn’t there to be happy about?
Azaran stirred beside me and laughed. “The joy’s radiating off of you in waves. What’re you in such a good mood for?”
“Just everything. I’ve been alone for so long and now my life’s overflowing.”
“This is what it’s supposed to be like you know, finding a mate I mean. I’m sorry I was so stubborn and kept us from having this from the beginning.”
“It wasn’t that long, and besides, we have forever to enjoy it. I’m glad you let go of your misconceptions and let me in. You’ve been carrying the burden of oldest brother and caretaker for this family by yourself for too long. I’m honored to get to be the one to help take some of that off of you. To be the one to take care of you. And speaking of taking care of you, how about we go upstairs and I’ll fix us some breakfast.”
I put on a pot of coffee and started breakfast. It may’ve been the noise or it may’ve been the smell of bacon, but it didn’t take long for the guys to show up to eat. Having them all around me laughing and joking felt so normal. The young men had made their way into my heart just as surely as Azaran had. About halfway through breakfast, Azaran casually said, “So after breakfast, we’re going out back to train. I’ll expect you all there by nine. Toby has to work on both his mount and his dismount under normal conditions. Sindri can’t always lay down for him to get on. He especially needs to work on mounting as she materializes while under pressure.”
The table fell silent and everyone looked at us. “Wait,” Malachite said. “Did you guys…?” He motioned between the two of us like he couldn’t think of the words.
“Yes,” Azaran said. “We completed the bonding. Now eat your food so we can get the day started.” The boys sat there in silence for a minute, his completely stoic way of announcing we’d joined our lives permanently stunning them.
Just wait for it, he said in my mind, and I could feel his mirth.
Sure enough, the shock wore off quickly and the table burst into a mix of questions and congratulations. My heart felt full to bursting, only reinforcing the joy I felt when I woke up this morning. But seriously, between the life I was building with Azaran and the acceptance and friendship from these young men, what more could I ask for?
Chapter Nineteen
Azaran
The next couple of weeks flew by. I’d contacted my Uncle Kazimir and told him about Toby. He was excited for us and wanted to plan a full mating ceremony for us around the holidays. I wondered sometimes if he had found his mate if things might have been different for him. Four grieving boys were a lot for a confirmed bachelor to take on, but especially when you were grieving yourself. He and my father had been close, so losing him had been difficult for him. They had been as different as night and day but still loved each other. I thought about my brothers, and how different we all were, but we all loved each other. I knew Uncle Kazimir tried, and despite how differently we viewed the world, I wanted him to feel like part of our family, so I told him I would talk to Toby and see if we could plan things for late December.
We continued to tra
in and Toby and Sindri grew into a good team. He wasn’t a fighter, never would be—that just wasn’t who he was—but he rode with confidence. Such as right now, I thought with a laugh as they came swooping in, Sindri magnificent with her wings spread wide as she glided in to land in the practice field. Toby stood on her back still learning to lean with her turns so he could stay on his feet. He had fallen a few times, but it only served to strengthen their bond as he realized that even if he fell, she would catch him.
We had developed a rhythm of sorts. Dr. Evans had been thrilled to have another doctor in his practice, so now we were just waiting on Toby’s credentials to be approved, and he’d start work at the clinic. In the meantime, we spent so much time in Malachite’s hammock he made us get our own. We debated getting two but opted for a double instead, and we spent a lot of our time in the evenings out there.
I had never been so relaxed. We hadn’t had an assignment since we returned, and I was sure that was my Uncle’s way of giving us time together. I knew that wouldn’t last long, and I was right. We were out back working on weapons training when the call came in. A call that hit way too close to home. A dragon rider, his mate, and his son had been attacked just outside of Winnipeg. The rider was seriously injured, his mate, a human, was with him at the hospital, and the boy had been taken. He was only four years old. The father’s dragon was able to communicate with the boy's dragon and get a location, but it was heavily guarded. They needed us to go in and get the boy out.
“All hands on deck for this one,” I announced. “Toby, we may need you if the boy is injured and, Eeli, I want you there in case I need someone to watch Toby’s back.”
We mounted up and headed north. I could feel the nervous energy coming from Toby, but I was also excited for him to see us on assignment. We’d all told him stories, but seeing us in action would be different than hearing about it.
“Why do you think they want the boy?” Zale asked.
“Not sure, unless they wanted to use him against the father,” I said.
“Well, why they wanted him doesn’t matter right now. What matters right now is we have a scared little boy, and scared little boys can be unpredictable, so be ready for anything. He could hide from us and refuse to come out. There are stories every year about children who die in fires because they’re scared of the firemen who are there to help them. This little guy saw men on dragon-like creatures come in and hurt his parents, so going with men on dragons may not seem like the best idea to him,” Toby said.
We had the GPS coordinates of his location, but we wouldn’t have needed them once we’d gotten close. The circling wraiths above the house would’ve been a dead giveaway. They were flying a patrol pattern on the lookout for any intruders. I didn’t understand what the point of this was. Was it about the boy? Was it an ambush to pull in riders and take them out as they attempted a rescue? Something seemed off, but we needed to get to the boy.
“Azaran,” Eeli called. “Get me and Toby on the ground. I think we can get inside through the cellar door. We could maybe get in, get the boy, and get back out by the time you’re all finished with these guys.”
What do you think? I asked Toby.
I think it’s a good plan.
“Okay, I’ll fly low to the ground. You jump off and run for the trees and wait for Eeli.”
I dropped low and he dismounted just as we had practiced. I watched his back as he ran into the woods and disappeared behind a tree. Malachite did the same with Eeli, and then we both launched up into battle.
Up to this point, most of the wraiths we’d been dealing with had been third string at best, but these guys were no joke.
“Okay, go in hot, and take all these bastards out. We don’t know what they have for backup or how many are in the house. This may just be the first line of defense but either way, we have to go through them first so we can provide cover for Eeli and Toby.”
“I’m liking this plan,” Zale said as he broke off to the left, spiraling to pick up speed. That boy was absolutely fearless.
I dropped low skimming the trees around the house. There were a lot of them. It was hard to get an exact count, but I was thinking at least fifteen or so. They flew in threes. One group would circle around near the ground and one in the air while the others sat perched on the roof of the house waiting. They swapped off, taking turns. My first instinct was to light up the ones on the roof and just take them all out, but that wasn’t an option with people inside. I heard a rushing noise and realized the two my direction had spotted me and had turned together as one and were headed right for me. Yep, not amateurs. I stood on Sindri’s back and readied my weapon. You take the one on the right and I’ll take the one on the left. She roared and fire shot from her mouth hitting the wraith rider on her side dead on. I switched my attention to the one on the left. I waited until it swept in, talons drawn and ready to grab me. I sliced with my sword taking off both talons with one swipe. As the wraith screamed and turned to escape, I swung around taking off the rider's head. I looked around for Malachite and Zale. Malachite was on the tail of one wraith, but there was another coming in fast.
“Malachite, incoming on your right!” I yelled. Kesia inhaled and let out a steady breath as acid shot from her mouth and melted the wings of the wraith in front of her. Malachite swung quickly to the right to intercept the incoming wraith, but Itsaso came up over the trees and roared, releasing a blue stream that froze everything in its path. It hit the wraith and the rider, and they both plummeted to the ground.
The three of us circled back around. “What’s the count?” I called out.
“Six down, looks like six to go,” Zale answered.
“I can’t flame them on the roof. I’m going to fly by and see if they’ll follow.” I flew as close to them as I dared not knowing what kind of flame they had, and two of them took the bait and gave chase. We moved quickly, swooping up and down over the trees. As I circled back, I noticed two more were gone from the roof. I led the two on my tail right in front of Malachite. They were so focused on me they didn’t see him until it was too late. He released a steady stream of acid. The riders screamed and the wraiths screeched, but both fell from the sky.
“Two more down. Where did the other two go?” I asked.
Zale and Itsaso have them.
I reached out to Toby. How are things in there?
We’re okay. We have the boy.
Okay, clearing the way for you to come out. Hold tight.
Chapter Twenty
Toby
I did as Azaran said and waited there in the trees for Eeli. It didn’t take but a minute and he was there beside me.
“So, they have one group patrolling close to the ground. We’ll wait for them to move around the house, and then we’ll make a run for the cellar door. Stay behind me and do as I say,” he said, and gone was the seventeen-year-old boy, and in his place was a serious warrior. I nodded that I understood and waited.
“Come on,” he finally said, running out of the trees and toward the cellar door. He quickly pulled it open and started down the steps. I followed behind, but as soon as we were far enough down for me to close the door, he stopped and indicated that we should be quiet. We moved down the stairs into a finished basement. We could hear voices up above us, so we knew there were more of them in the house. We split up and quickly checked the basement, but there was no sign of the boy. Eeli moved to the stairs waiting for me to follow. We moved slowly and quietly to the top. He looked out carefully and motioned to let me know there were three people to the right. Then motioned for me to follow. I stayed right behind him as we rushed down the hall and ducked into a room. He held up his hand showing he wanted me to stay put and slipped out. I flattened myself out against the wall and waited for him to come back. I concentrated on breathing slowly and blocking my emotions. The last thing I wanted was Azaran sensing my fear and freaking out.
Eeli came back and whispered that the boy wasn’t down that way. Which meant if he was here, he was dow
n where the other people were. Again, we moved down the hall but toward the voices this time. We paused and Eeli pointed through a doorway toward the far wall. Thank god for mirrors. There was one on the wall that reflected the kitchen, and we could tell where all three men were at. We slipped into the room with the mirror and moved cautiously around the wall watching the mirror the whole time. When we came to the wall that led into the kitchen, Eeli paused and looked around. There was a bowl sitting in the middle of the coffee table filled with decorative balls. He smiled when he saw them. He grabbed a ball and slid me behind him.
We could hear the men’s conversation from the kitchen, and I gathered they had no idea why they were here. Someone had hired them to watch the boy, and they didn’t ask any questions. Eeli took the ball and slowly rolled it across the floor. It made enough noise to be heard, but not enough to startle anyone.
“What was that?” one man asked.
“I don’t know, Vince, go check it out.” We watched in the mirror as one of the men, Vince apparently, came around the corner into the room. Eeli stepped forward, applied pressure the way I had seen Azaran demonstrate in their training sessions, and the guy hit the floor. We stood there quietly waiting when one guy called out to him, “Vince, what was it? Vince?” He rushed our direction, but Eeli was ready. As he rounded the corner, Eeli caught him with an elbow to the face, and he also fell to the ground. We stood there waiting a minute to see if the last guy would come looking for his friends, but it didn’t seem like he would. A big boom sounded from outside, and we watched in the mirror to see what the guy would do. He froze and stood there listening. I guess Eeli decided that while he was distracted would be the best time to attack because he rushed around the corner. The guy saw him and dropped into a fighting stance.