by Tara West
“Well, what news?” Teju asked.
Draque strode to the bar and popped the top on a beer. “They can’t find Thaddeus.” He took a long drink.
Ladon struggled to sit up. “Where could he be?”
“How do you lose a dragon?” Serah asked.
Draque dragged a hand through his disheveled hair. “A search party has been sent after him.”
Serah said apprehensively, “What about my grandfather?”
“He was last seen flying over Sawran with about a dozen witches.” Draque grimaced, then gave her a pointed look. “Witnesses identified two of them as professors at your old school. One was named Prometheus Periwinkle.”
She froze, feeling as if her heart was imploding. Ladon squeezed her hand, and she told herself she wasn’t upset by the professor’s betrayal. She’d traded up with three sexy dragon shifters. Besides, she’d already known Periwinkle was in on it after the memory of her abduction returned to her. It burned knowing the lengths Grandfather had gone to: orchestrating her abduction, downfall, and murder in order to enact revenge. She wondered if he’d felt any love for her at all during the three years he’d been her guardian.
“They’ve frozen your grandfather’s bank accounts,” Draque continued. “He’ll turn up as soon as he runs out of money.” He took another swig of beer and pulled out a few more longnecks. “Anyone else want one?”
She remembered what Violente had told her about the quickening in her womb, even though it had only been a few days since she’d first had sex with her dragons.
“No, thanks.” She pushed away the beer when Draque tried to hand it to her.
He arched a brow. “We have wine if that’s what you prefer.”
“Or I can make you a sangria,” Ladon said, waggling his brows.
She gave him a stern look. “You stay right there. You’re supposed to be resting.”
He cupped her chin. “I’m a dragon, not a mouse.”
“I know.” She shrugged, nervously biting her lip as she struggled for the right words. “But I don’t want any alcohol.”
Draque tried to shove the beer into her hands again. “It will help you relax.”
She flinched. “No.”
He knelt beside her. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m pregnant,” she blurted, wishing she could sink into the sofa cushions when they all stared at her.
Teju shot to his feet. “W-What?”
“A seer told me last night.” She looked away, unable to withstand the looks of horror in their eyes. “She says I’m carrying three or four dragon eggs.” She rocked forward. “I forgot to take Maiden Wart.”
“Maiden Wart doesn’t work for preventing hatchlings,” Draque rumbled.
“Then what does?”
“Nothing. When it’s time, it’s time.” One corner of his mouth hitched up in an impish grin.
Did he think this was a joke? “I’m not kidding, Draque. I’m pregnant.”
He leaned forward, clutching her knees. A slow, languid smile spread across his face. “Dragon seed always finds a way, but only with a dragon pack’s destined mate.”
Destined mate? Heat raced through her like wildfire as her world tilted, then spun. “Oh.” She slumped into Ladon’s arms.
“You okay?” Ladon whispered.
“I’m not sure,” she said, feeling as if someone else was speaking as a surreal sense of detachment washed over her. “Are you all right?” she asked her mates, cringing as she waited for their answer.
“Of course.” Ladon pressed his lips to her ear.
“Serah, we’re going to get through this.” Draque looked at her with big, sweet dragon eyes.
Teju knelt on her other side, rubbing her knee. “We have at least three years. They won’t come until you’re ready.”
Relief washed through her. “Are you ready?”
Draque squeezed her other knee. “We will be.”
“I’m ready,” Ladon said and tightened his hold around her shoulders. “I’ve wanted you to be our mate from the moment I met you.”
She was humbled by the sincerity in his eyes. “How am I supposed to raise three or four baby dragons?”
“We’ll help you,” he said. “It’s a group effort.”
Sirens took care of their young without any help from the fathers. In fact, the fathers were usually more like sperm donors. But Serah wasn’t a typical siren, and her mates weren’t typical sperm donors.
“You’re not going to go through this alone.” Teju took her hand in his, brushing his lips across her knuckles. “We’ll be with you every step of the way.”
Her heart did backflips as she looked into Teju’s golden eyes. “Thanks,” she said, too choked up to say more.
“Come here, my love.” Ladon pulled her into his lap, peppering kisses on her forehead and neck. “You make me so happy. I’m glad I’m going to live to see our children.”
She clung to him, a shiver wracking her as she remembered she’d almost lost him today. “Me, too.”
His loving gaze searched hers. “I love you, Serah.”
She sucked in a sharp breath. “I love you, Ladon,” she blurted, hardly believing she’d uttered the words so soon but knowing them to be true. How could she not love him or his brothers after what they’d been through? She surrendered when he claimed her mouth in a passionate kiss. He tasted of barley and sulfur, the perfect blend for the perfect mate. By the time they separated, she was panting heavily and her panties were soaked.
Someone’s getting pounded tonight, Thelix teased.
“What about me?” Teju asked, nibbling her ear. “Do you love me?”
She leaned into him, giggling when he dragged his teeth down her neck. “Of course I love you. Do you love me?”
“With every breath in my body,” he avowed, snaking a hand around her and toying with her nipple.
She groaned as more moisture flooded her panties.
Her breath hitched when Draque bent over in front of her and unzipped her jeans.
A hard pounding, Thelix promised.
“I’m going to show you how much I love you.” He slipped off her pants first, then licked her through the flimsy cotton panties.
“Oh, yes, Draque,” she cried. Impatient for the feel of his forked tongue on her clit, she tried to take off her panties, but Teju held her back, leaning over and suckling her breast.
“Submit to us, Serah.” Draque gently scraped his teeth across her mound. “And we’ll submit to you.”
She surrendered, sinking into the soft furs while Draque and Teju feasted on her. She looked up at Ladon, who had her head in his lap. She felt bad he wasn’t participating more but knew he needed rest.
Draque eventually removed the panties and licked her labia like she was a melting ice cream cone, dipping his tongue inside her before smoothing her wet desire across her slick ribbon.
Teju sucked her tits, swirling his tongue around pebbled nipples until she ached with unfulfilled lust. She jerked with pleasure when Draque stuck a thick finger into her.
“Tell me you love me,” he said, sucking on her nub as if he was trying to draw a thick shake through a straw.
“I love you, I love you!” She bucked against his mouth. “Please.”
Chuckling, he slid up the length of her body and drove into her with one swift thrust. When he was fully seated, he kissed her demandingly. He tasted of sulfur and beer and her sweet essence.
She let him dominate her as they began a slow dance of love, his thrusts timed to the steady rhythm of her heart. With each slippery stroke, they climbed higher and higher until she fell apart in his arms, whispering words of love, digging her fingers into his back and thanking the goddess for her brave dragon princes.
After he rolled off her, they tenderly kissed and toyed with each other until she was hungry for more. He handed her over to Teju, who carried her to Ladon’s bedchamber.
Teju deposited her on the bed, and she crawled across the furs when Ladon sat on the bed,
propped against the pillow with a goofy grin. He stroked her face, and she kissed his palm. “I hope you don’t mind,” he said. “I’m too tired to do much.”
She stroked his lip, which still had a trace of dried blood. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll take care of you.”
She took him in her mouth and slurped up and down his shaft, emboldened by his cries of pleasure. Thick fingers dug into the globes of her ass, and she paused, giving Teju time to anchor himself to her. He played with her labia, dragging moisture from her slick cunt to her puckered anus. Oh, great goddess!
When Ladon nudged her, she returned to sucking his cock, trying not to be distracted by the pressure of Teju’s finger entering her puckered hole. She sucked Ladon deeper, lathering his balls, jamming him against her tonsils and groaning around his foreskin when Teju’s cockhead pressed into her slippery anus.
Ladon exploded with a roar, bathing her throat with his seed. She swallowed, groaning as Teju slid deeper, stretching her and taking her anal virginity. The pain was so intense, she nearly bucked him off, but then he hit a spot that sent a zing of pleasure ricocheting through her. She slipped off Ladon’s cock when Teju went deeper. By the time he was fully sheathed, her last band of sanity snapped, and she ground against him with abandon, blocking out the pain as every nerve ending sent thrumming pulses through her. The orgasm was hard and fast, making his cock feel twice the size as she tightened around him with each throb. Holy heck, it hurt like hell, and holy fuck she’d do it again. He pounded her with shallow thrusts, loosening her once more and priming her for another powerful orgasm.
Ladon pulled and twisted her nipples, heightening her pleasure and intensifying her pain. The orgasm hit her like a bullet, gripping her so hard, she thought she might faint. Teju came, and by the time he withdrew, she was so sore and spent, she could hardly move. Falling on top of Ladon, she let him wrap her in a warm embrace while Teju cleaned her up.
Draque and Teju crawled into bed beside her.
Teju stroked her back and nibbled her ear. “Did you mean it when you said marrying us wasn’t such a crazy idea?”
She rolled onto her back, blinking up at them. They stared at her like she was a bone, and they were salivating werewolves.
“Yes, I meant it.” She smiled when their gazes roved over her puckered nipples. “But maybe not right away.”
Ladon sat up on his knees. “What about a betrothal?”
“I would love to be betrothed to you.” She pulled him close. “Lie down. You need rest.”
“How can I rest now?” He stroked her cheek. “The most beautiful girl in the world wants to be my mate.”
She laughed and kissed the tip of his nose. “Keep calling me beautiful, and we’ll be making love all night.”
Teju toyed with her nipple, his wet finger making it peak and ache for his mouth. “We don’t have a ring yet.”
“You’d better hurry up and get one,” she said while Draque massaged her inner thigh, her legs spreading like melting butter. “My siren is impatient to make you ours.”
“We’re yours, Serah.” Draque chuckled. “We’ve always been yours. And we will get you that ring.”
Draque climbed up her body and kissed her passionately, stoking her desire until she was left with no choice but to surrender to her dragons. That’s when she knew she’d found the perfect mates, for she doubted ordinary witches would ever match a siren’s lust.
Chapter Twenty
Ladon held tightly to Serah’s hand as they stood in the center of what used to be their school, a virtual wasteland now. Where there were once walls, there was now blackened shells, making the place look abandoned next to the decrepit cemetery and overgrown forest.
This was supposedly neutral territory, where shifters and witches were meeting for a truce. Nervously scanning the skies for any sign of the witches, she twisted the betrothal ring on her finger. It was a beautiful work of art, three golden dragon tails entwined with a silver and green mermaid tail, twisted into the shape of a flower with an Elysian silver pearl in the center.
Her heart dropped when she heard a faint buzzing in the distance. Squeezing Ladon’s hand tighter, she glanced at her other mates, standing beside their fathers, all of them in dragon form.
Their older two brothers were still searching for Thaddeus. With each passing day, Serah feared the dragon prince would never be found.
As the witches came into view, she recognized the prime minster, Sir Gais Goblingout, at the helm of an industrial-sized broom that sagged like a wet noodle under his weight.
Sir Gais landed hard, flipping over the broom and nearly falling face-first into the ground. A much younger witch caught him with a flick of his wand, setting Sir Gais down gently.
About a dozen other witches flanked him, clutching their wands and nervously darting looks at the dragon kings and princes.
Sir Gais coughed a good amount of phlegm into a handkerchief before giving them a forced smile. “Thank you for meeting us here, dragon kings.”
Kron and his brothers eyed the prime minster, their low growls shaking the ground under Serah’s feet.
“Your Highnesses, if you please, Prime Minister,” Kron requested.
Sir Gais blanched, then mopped his brow. “Very well, Your Highnesses. I suppose we should get down to business.”
Kron straightened, his long neck bowing over Sir Gais like a cobra about to strike. “I suppose we should. Have you heard anything of the whereabouts of our son?”
Sir Gais looked momentarily puzzled, then recognition dawned in his beady eyes. “No, I’m sorry. My investigators still haven’t found anything, but they are already stretched thin, searching for Goldenwand.”
Vepar’s low rumble sounded like an approaching freight train. “Have you read our terms?”
“We have.” Sir Gais furiously nodded. “Have you read ours?”
“We do not speak for the resistance.” Dagon narrowed his one eye on Sir Gais. “We can’t guarantee peace with them, but we can promise our sons will no longer do their bidding.”
“We will lift the sanctions.” Sir Gais coughed and sputtered, wiping more sweat off his brow. “But recognizing your realm takes an amendment to our constitution.”
His answer elicited growls from every dragon, including Ladon, who tensed like a granite statue. Serah leaned closer to him, hoping her presence would calm him.
Kron moved so close to the prime minister, he dampened the witch’s hair with steam from his nostrils. “Then I suggest you get to amending.”
Sir Gais squeaked and a distinct bubbling sound erupted from somewhere behind him. His round face turned an alarming shade of purple.
Serah sniffed the air. The witch had sharted his pants! When Kron drew back, glowering, Serah hid a smile behind her hand.
Draque cleared his throat. “What about Serah’s money?”
The prime minister crossed one leg over the other, no doubt in an attempt to ward off any more sharts. “Several families have filed suit against the Goldenwand estate for the deaths of their loved ones. We can’t release all of her inheritance until after the lawsuit has been settled, but we can free up fifty million merlins.”
Draque turned to Serah. “Is that acceptable?”
“I just need enough for my godmother’s rehab and to rebuild the school.” Her mates’ fathers had refused her offer of financial assistance, saying The Grotto would thrive again once the sanctions were lifted. She suspected their stubborn pride had a lot to do with their decision. What did she need with that much money, anyway? She smiled at her dragon mates. She already had everything she desired.
“That will do... for now,” Kron said, giving the prime minster a dark look.
“Good, good.” The prime minister not-so-subtlety picked at a wedgie. “Does that mean you’ll sign the peace treaty?”
Kron nodded. “On the condition that you declare The Grotto a realm within six months.
“Six months?” He gasped, then coughed into his fist. “I’m
not sure that will be enough—”
“That’s plenty of time. See that it gets done.”
The prime minister bowed. “Yes, Kro—Your Highness.”
Serah breathed a sigh of relief. The shifters and witches would finally have peace between them. She hoped it lasted this time.
SERAH LOUNGED ON THE shore, playfully slapping the waves with her long tail. She was leaning against Ladon as he ran a pearl comb through her hair. After the stress of the past five months, they’d needed this escape to Siren’s Cove.
Thaddeus still hadn’t been found, which was odd and frightening. How does one lose a dragon?
Her studies were brutal. She’d memorized so many spells this semester, she thought her head would explode. Sneaking off with her mates during the week had been nearly impossible, which meant Thelix could only be sated on weekend visits to The Grotto. Her siren was less than pleased, and she made it known on a daily basis.
Hiding the eggs growing in her womb had been challenging as well. Teju’s concealment spells didn’t prevent her from having a difficult time squeezing into her desk. There were no pregnant students at their school, and Serah didn’t want to be transferred to Auntie Agatha’s Academy for Expectant Witches. She was only carrying eggs after all, which she hoped wouldn’t hatch for another five years.
Serah’s godmother had escaped from rehab and gone on drinking binges at least half a dozen times. One time she’d poofed into the middle of Serah’s potions class, demanding she brew her witch’s whiskey while spewing demon daiquiri vomit and sparkles all over the floor.
Even though finals were this week, Serah needed time to unwind. If only Teju would leave her alone. He sat across from them, nudging her tail and trying to get her to recite spells.
“Focus.” He waved a wand in her face. “We need to study for exams. Tell me, what is the spell for concealment?”
She slumped against Ladon with a dramatic sigh. “I’m tired of studying.”
“Do you want to fail your finals?” Teju chided.
She thought her mates had taken her to Siren’s Cove for some much needed R&R before finals, not to ruin her time in paradise with more studying. She sneered at the Pegasus-feather wand she’d tossed on shore. Since Parliament had banned all Goldenwands, sending witches back to the stone ages, her crappy school-issued PF wand was no longer uncool, but it sure was unwanted.