Mom was busy meeting with some elementals and had to skip this session, but promised she would try to make future ones. Slade stood beside me with his arms crossed while they began. Everyone spread out a bit for safety purposes, and then my three fathers showed off an easy move using their element. Jasin created a small flame in his hand and moved it from one palm to the other. Auric made leaves swirl around his head. Reven blasted Carth in the chest with water, making the poor guy stumble back. I pinched the bridge of my nose and hoped this wouldn’t be a total disaster.
“I’m curious to see who the Earth God chose for you,” Slade said.
I remembered the dark man in my dream. Last night I’d had another vision of him, this time drinking beer while he cheered someone on with a cruel smile. “Me too.”
Slade must have heard something uncertain in my voice because he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Have faith, daughter. Everything will make sense in time.”
I leaned against him, taking comfort in his warm strength. I was truly the luckiest woman in the world to have four wonderful fathers, even if it was sometimes annoying or frustrating. Or awkward, like during this training.
As we watched, Zain set fire to a small patch of grass, Carth flooded the area around his expensive shoes, and Erroh had a hard time producing another gust of wind at all. I sighed. “Were the four of you ever this bad?”
“Unfortunately yes,” Slade admitted. “We didn’t have anyone to teach us how to use magic either. Don’t worry. They will learn quickly with our help. You will too.”
I couldn’t wait to have all that power under my control. As soon as I bonded with each man, I would be able to use their element. Once I had the power of all four, I could become the next great dragon leader—like my mother.
But first, I needed my final mate to arrive.
Over the next few days my mates’ training continued, while I spent my time impatiently waiting for the Earth God’s chosen one to arrive—and dreading the moment too. Every night I dreamed of the same black-haired man, and every night he scared me more and more.
In the evenings, my mates and I shared more meals together and tried to move from childhood friends to something more. It wasn’t as easy as I’d expected. It didn’t help that the men were so exhausted after training they didn’t have much energy for socializing. I started to wonder if that was my fathers’ plan all along.
I was practicing sword fighting with Zain and Carth to hone my skills in defending against two attackers, when Erroh rushed past. He called out, "It's Parin! He's returned from the Earth Realm!"
Zain tilted his head as he sheathed his sword. "I thought he wasn't supposed to return for another month."
Carth shrugged. "Negotiations must have gone well."
"Or very poorly,” I muttered.
Parin was Erroh's older brother, and he took his name from his father, who’d died while leading the Resistance against my grandmother, the Black Dragon. Parin’s mother Faya later married former bandit turned soldier Cadock, and together they had two more children, Daka and Erroh. Parin worked as a diplomat to the Earth Realm, and often traveled back and forth between there and Soulspire.
We headed over to the courtyard in front of the palace, where Parin’s contingent had arrived. He'd already exited his carriage and was speaking with his brother in hushed tones. As he lifted his head, his dark eyes met mine and lingered there. I sensed something in them, something I'd never seen before.
Parin was ten years older than me, and he'd always treated me like a little sister. He'd been my first crush growing up—the incredibly handsome older brother of my best friend with rich, dark skin, even darker coarse hair, and warm eyes that missed nothing.
"Welcome back," I said.
"Thank you." He glanced at his brother with something like worry on his face, then turned back to me. "I need to speak with you. Alone."
My eyebrows darted up. "Is something wrong?"
"Not exactly."
"What's this about?" Erroh asked.
"It's not something I care to discuss in front of you. I'm sorry, brother."
"It's fine." I didn’t want the two of them to fight, but I was very curious as to what this was about. "Let's go inside so we can speak privately."
Parin and I went into the palace and to one of the receiving rooms, this one decorated in soft gold tones, while Erroh waited outside.
"What did you want to speak with me about?" I asked, once we were alone. I looked up at his handsome face and swallowed. I'd rarely been alone with him before and he made me nervous in a way no one else did. All of a sudden I felt like a little kid again, with a big, embarrassing crush on an older man I could never have.
"Sora, I must tell you something." He reached out and took my hand, but with hesitation. "I am one of your mates."
My jaw fell open and I yanked my hand back, more in shock than anything else. "That's not possible."
"I assure you, it is. The Earth God came to me a few nights ago and gave me my new purpose.” He paused, searching my eyes. “I do apologize for missing your birthday festivities."
"But...but..." I had so many questions and suddenly my mouth didn't seem to work right. How could all four of my mates be men I already knew? Why would they choose Erroh’s brother—wouldn’t that complicate things? And who was the man haunting me at night if not my fourth mate? "But my dream…"
"Your dream?" Parin asked, his brow pinching together in concern.
I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. "Are you sure you’re my mate? I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m having a hard time believing this is possible.”
“I can prove it, of course.” He raised a hand and the stone table beside us lifted off the ground. His control was already good, much better than the others had been at first.
It was true, then. Parin was my fourth mate.
I took a few steps backward, completely overwhelmed, and the back of my knees hit a gilded red armchair. I collapsed into it and pressed a hand to my forehead. Parin was my fourth mate. I could barely wrap my head around that as it was, but it also meant my dreams weren’t leading me to him. Did this mean I had a fifth mate? No, that couldn’t be possible. None of the archives had spoken of more than four mates. The dreams had to be related to something else. Something from the Death Goddess.
Something bad.
“Are you all right?” Parin asked.
I looked up at him with a weak smile. “Yes. Sorry. Just feeling a bit overwhelmed by all this.”
He offered me his hand. “Understandable.”
I slide my hand into his and felt a little tremor of desire as we touched. “Are you comfortable with this new role? With…being my mate?”
He shifted on his feet and looked away. “It will take some adjustment, but yes. Though I will no longer be a diplomat in the usual sense, being a Dragon will allow me to do much of my previous duties but with even more authority.”
“I see….” It sounded like he was more excited about his new job than being my mate. Would he ever see me as more than a little girl?
“We must speak of Erroh.” Parin's face became pained. “I realize this will be difficult for him. You may not know this, but he’s always loved you. I’m not sure how to break this to him, although he must have met your other mates by now.”
“He is one of my mates. They chose both of you. And Zain and Carth too.”
He blinked in surprise. “How is that possible?”
I spread my hands, still finding it hard to believe myself. “No one knows. It seems the Gods have decided the four of you are the best mates for me.”
He stroked his chin. “I suppose having Erroh as one of your mates makes this easier in some ways, and harder in others.”
Definitely harder now that Parin was one of my mates too. How would I handle having two brothers as my lovers? Oddly, the idea didn’t bother me, but only excited me more. I took a deep breath. “I understand things might be confusing and strange at first, but the God
s must have done this for a reason.”
“Indeed.” He gave a firm nod. “I suppose we must inform the others.”
I swallowed. “I suppose we must.”
Parin opened the door for me, but as soon as he did, we spotted Erroh right on the other side, staring at us with his face ashen.
“You heard?” I asked.
“Auric taught me how to carry sound on the wind,” Erroh said absently while staring at his brother. “How could you?”
Parin held up his hands. “I did not ask for this. I’m sorry, brother.”
Erroh’s gaze swung to me. “Are you all right with this?”
Two gorgeous brothers I’d secretly wanted all my life were now mine. It was hard to complain, but I could tell he felt betrayed. “The Gods have chosen, and we have to trust they know what’s best for us.”
Parin clasped a hand on his little brother’s shoulder. “I’m relieved you were chosen too. I know you’ve always cared for Sora.”
Erroh shrugged off his touch. “I have, yes. As have Carth and Zain. But what about you?”
Parin stiffened. “I cared for her too, of course.”
“Not in the same way!”
This was getting very uncomfortable. Mostly for me. I stepped between them. “Enough. You’re both my mates, and you’ll both have to accept that.”
Erroh grumbled something, but reluctantly nodded. Parin just sighed. I could tell this was going to be a problem. What were the Gods even thinking?
Chapter Five
While servants moved Parin’s belongings into his room, Erroh stood to the side with his arms crossed and watched with a scowl. I was on my way to see my mother, but stopped to nudge him in the side.
“I thought you’d be more excited to have your brother return home safely,” I said.
Erroh dropped his arms and sighed. “You’re right. I should be happy to see him. I’m just not sure about sharing you with him. The others, fine. But my own brother?”
“I know what you mean.” I swallowed, but for me it was because the thought made my heart race. “The gods must know it'll work out."
Erroh gave me a flat stare. "You can't tell me you're excited about this. We've always avoided Parin. He's such a bore!"
I had to bite back a laugh. Was that what Erroh thought? The truth was that I’d avoided Parin because I hadn’t wanted anyone to know about my silly crush. But there was no hiding such things from the Gods, it seemed.
I gave Erroh a kiss on the cheek. “Be kind to your brother. He’s just as shocked by this as you are.”
He huffed. “I’ll try.”
My mother came down the hallway on the heels of a man carrying a big box. "You wanted to see me?"
I nodded. We stepped into my private quarters, and I shut the door behind us. “I was just about to come to your study. I thought you were in a meeting.”
“I decided to come to you instead.” She pushed back a strand of red hair with a smile. “Truthfully, I couldn't wait to get out of there. As soon as I got your note, I used it as an excuse to cut the meeting short.”
I laughed as we headed over to the siting area beside an enormous window looking out over my mother’s garden. “Was it that bad?”
Kira sank into one of the chairs and poured herself a cup of tea. “Just wait ‘til you’re the one who has to listen to noblemen whine about their problems all day long. Now, what did you want to talk about? Is it your mates? It’s certainly odd that they’re all men you already knew, but it must be nice for you too. Or at least a lot easier than mating with four strangers.”
“That’s not it. Not exactly.” I sat across from her and twisted my hands nervously in my lap. "Did you ever dream about any men that weren't your mates?"
"No, never. Why?" She furrowed her brow and gave me her full attention.
"I've been having dreams like you did, but only of one man, and he's... He's terrifying." It was hard to say the word out loud. I wasn't scared of anything. Few people could best me at combat, and soon I would have the powers of the elements and a dragon form of my own, and then I'd be unstoppable. Possibly stronger than my mother, thanks to my lifetime of training. Yet somehow the man in my dreams unnerved me. He made me feel…vulnerable.
Mom leaned forward and studied me. “A man who isn’t one of your mates?”
I nodded. “I thought he would be my fourth one, but then Parin arrived. Now I’m more confused than ever.”
"You're sure he's not one of your mates? Perhaps it's a dream from the future and he has a different appearance?"
"No. I'm absolutely sure he's a different man." His appearance haunted me even while awake. Not just his appearance. His ruthlessness. His cruelty. His darkness.
I described the things he'd done in my dreams to her in a halting voice, and when I was done, Mom sat back and sighed.
“This is very unusual. I'll have your fathers look into it. I would help too, but there have been reports of missing elementals in the area and I want to investigate them immediately. I’m sure Auric or Reven will find something about your dreams though.” She reached across and took my hand. “Don't worry. We'll figure this out."
“I can’t help but be worried. The Death Goddess must be involved somehow.”
“If she is, we’ll confront her together. I defeated her once before, after all. She has no chance against the two of us and all our mates.”
I let out a long breath, hoping she was right. “They’re not my true mates yet. Not until we go to the temples and bond. I’d like to get started on that right away, especially if we’ll need to face the Death Goddess. We can head to the Air Temple tomorrow even.”
Mom frowned and studied my face. “You don’t need to rush into this. Focus on your mates. Get to know them.”
“I already know them. I grew up with them, after all.”
“It’s different now that they’re your mates, and not just your childhood friends. Your relationship with them needs time to flourish and grow.”
“We might not have time,” I grumbled.
“You have plenty of time. Your fathers and I are in no hurry to step down. We’ll only do so when we’re sure you and your mates are ready for the responsibility.” She ruffled my curls a little. “Patience, my love.”
I sighed. Patience never was one of my strong suits.
At dinner that night, I tried to follow my mother’s advice.
“Let’s all try to get to know each other better,” I said, once we were eating. The chefs had made one of my favorite dishes from the Air Realm, with chicken, bell pepper, lemon, and cheese, layered on thin pasta. “Which meal is your favorite: breakfast, lunch, or supper?”
“Dessert,” Carth said, with a lazy grin. “I like to get right to the good stuff.”
“Breakfast.” Erroh tilted his head. “No, lunch. No, breakfast. I can’t decide.”
“How is this supposed to help us get to know each other better?” Zain asked.
“Just answer the question,” I said.
He shrugged. “I don’t really have a favorite.”
I sighed and turned to Parin, who had been especially quiet ever since he arrived. “And you?”
He gave me a warm smile. “Supper. I like salty foods, and the more pepper the better.”
Erroh made a gagging sound. “Parin is obsessed with pepper. He puts it on everything. I’ll never forget when Daka and I were sick and Mom and Dad were out, so Parin made us some soup. He put so much pepper in it we nearly gagged.”
“Pepper soup!” I laughed. “I remember that.”
“Oh,” Erroh said, his face falling. “Of course you do.”
“My favorite is supper too,” I said quickly. “Followed by dessert.” Silence hit the table as we all continued eating. I wracked my brain for another question. “Favorite animal?”
“Owl,” Erroh said.
“I’ve always been partial to dolphins,” Carth said.
Zain waved a hand. “These questions are silly. We already know everyt
hing about each other.”
“Not everything,” I muttered, but I had to admit it did feel silly asking these questions.
“No? What’s the next one—favorite childhood memory?” Zain snorted. “Most of our memories feature each other, I bet.”
I leaned forward. “Well, what is your favorite childhood memory?”
Zain looked at me with his intense blue eyes. “The four of us—you, me, Carth, and Erroh—sneaked away one afternoon and headed into the woods. I’m sure it was your idea, Sora.”
“It always was,” Erroh muttered.
“Shush.” I threw a bread roll at him.
“We found that one large, gnarled tree, and Carth challenged us to get to the top first. I was determined to win, but I fell and broke my ankle.” Zain paused and something smoldered in his eyes. “You climbed down and healed it.”
I remembered the moment. We were young then, but I was right at the age when I was beginning to realize they were boys and I was a girl and that meant something. I turned to Parin, who had gone quiet again. “And then Parin came and found us.”
Carth chuckled. “Yes, if I remember correctly, he made us all go back inside.”
Parin ducked his head. “I was simply trying to keep you out of trouble.”
“That’s your favorite memory?” Erroh asked. “Getting injured?”
“I think he probably enjoyed the healing part the most,” Carth said with a wry grin.
“I enjoyed being with my friends,” Zain snapped.
“I love that memory too,” I said. “The best times were when we were all together.” Zain has grown up in the Fire Temple or the nearby town of Sparkport, while Carth spent much of his time at his parents’ estates in the Air Realm. All my favorite memories were when they came to visit Soulspire with their families.
“Exactly my point,” Zain said. “You already know us, better than anyone.”
It was hard to argue with that. I did know them, through and through, and there was no way to force the change in mindset from friends to lovers. Only time and togetherness would do that.
Embrace The Dark (Her Elemental Dragons Book 5) Page 3