by Macy Blake
“Of course not. Whatever you need. Hey, can he bring your dad along?”
Sawyer adored Eduard’s dad, Augustus. They’d become fast friends after his visit to the griffins’ compound.
“Alas, my father is otherwise engaged. He sends you his love.” Eduard turned his attention to Saeward next. “Is the pool meeting your needs? Is there anything else we can do to make you more comfortable here?”
Saeward’s blush reached epic levels, and it was so adorable. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Sawyer wanted to happy dance, except he’d probably drown and that would mean he never got to see how this all played out.
“T-the p-pool is p-perfect,” Ward stuttered.
Eduard reached out and laid his hand on Saeward’s shoulder. “I’m so glad. I want you to be happy here.”
Since Ward had lost all ability to speak under Eduard’s full attention, Sawyer decided to play cupid and give him a hand. “You know what would make me happy? If you joined us for a few. I was hoping you’d help me with my stretches.”
Eduard had started to protest before he threw in that last little tidbit. “Did Andvari help you during your morning training?”
“Yeah, but I think it’s tightening up again.”
It wasn’t a lie. But he didn’t exactly have to be in the pool for Eduard to help him. And usually he put his magic oil on the damaged skin after to help reduce the scarring. Which usually led to him putting the oil other places and… well, that oil was truly a gift from the Goddess.
“I could use a break,” Eduard said. He turned his attention to Ward. “You don’t mind?”
“N-no. That would be n-nice.”
Eduard smiled again and walked toward the back door. He’d have to change, which gave Sawyer a couple minutes to prevent Ward’s encroaching panic attack.
“Okay, so here’s the deal. I want you to stay and not make an excuse to leave the pool. It’s important to me that you get to know the other guardians, and I know it can be a bit intimidating because Draco and Andvari are… well, they’re Draco and Andvari. And I know you like Henry already, because who could not like Henry, am I right?”
“Henry is very kind,” Saeward mumbled.
“Exactly. And he’s very cute, too.”
Saeward blushed again but didn’t argue the point.
“So, let’s see if we can break the ice with Eduard.”
“Your griffin is very beautiful,” Saeward confessed.
“I know. And so are you, and don’t argue with me.”
Saeward wrinkled up his nose at the compliment but wisely kept quiet and accepted it. “He purchased me new clothing. And shoes. And grooming products.”
To say that Eduard had been appalled at the state of Saeward’s wardrobe would have been the understatement of the century. He’d only thought Sawyer’s epic T-shirt collection was the worst of the worst.
“He does that. He bought me stuff, too. That’s his love language.”
Saeward tilted his head to the side in confusion.
“That’s how he shows you that he cares,” Sawyer explained. “Some people show you by buying you gifts. Some people, like Draco, like to take care of you in other ways like making sure you have plenty to eat. Andvari likes to make sure I’m safe.”
“S-so Eduard cares for me?”
“He does,” Sawyer said quietly. “We all do.”
Saeward lowered himself into the water and disappeared beneath. His body moved in a flash to the opposite end of the pool and he remained there submerged for a few minutes. By the time Eduard made it back to the pool dressed in a really scandalously tight swim suit, Saeward had poked his head back out from beneath the water. The hopeful gaze he shot Sawyer sent a little flutter through Sawyer’s stomach. Things were really beginning to look up.
Draco
Draco sometimes wondered how his parents managed to keep such solid relationships. He found it increasingly difficult to keep track of his various mates. They were only in the same place at the same time at night, and not always then. It made Draco itch. He wanted to find a cave and put his mates inside it, keeping them safe from the outside world by his sheer strength of will. It wasn’t meant to be, though, and he knew it. It didn’t stop the cravings.
Henry huffed in annoyance and slammed shut the book he’d been studying.
“What is it, baby?”
“None of it makes sense,” Henry complained. “It’s like… there’s a missing piece to the puzzle. Until I find it, I can’t see what the puzzle looks like. Ugh. I can’t even explain it.”
Draco wrapped his hand around Henry’s neck and tugged him close. “You’ll figure it out.”
“I have to,” Henry mumbled. He climbed onto Draco’s lap and leaned into his chest.
“The responsibility is all of ours,” Draco said softly. He ran his hand down Henry’s back and stopped at the swell of his ass. “You are not alone in this quest, my love.”
Henry sucked in a breath and squirmed on Draco’s lap. Draco gave his ass a quick spank before soothing the sting away.
“You didn’t agree with me.”
Henry looked up at him and scowled. “But…”
Draco smacked his ass again. “No. It is not your responsibility alone. Say it.”
Henry gulped but nodded.
“I said, say it,” Draco repeated.
“But…”
Draco grabbed Henry by the hips and had him over his lap within a second. “You need a reminder?”
Henry nodded again. The stress of the past few months hadn’t settled well on his youngest mate. Henry was determined to discover who was after Sawyer. He wanted to keep them all safe and had stretched himself harder and further than the rest of them combined. Between his studies and his magic, Henry was constantly trying to get better, to learn more. Draco had found that he needed to be a steady presence to keep Henry from disappearing into the void of his work.
He ran his hand over Henry’s ass once more then hooked his fingers into the waistband of Henry’s shorts. He gave them a tug, revealing the pert, beautiful ass he loved fucking. “So pretty,” Draco purred.
Henry wiggled beneath him, trying to free his cock from the confines of the shorts, but Draco gave his ass a quick smack. “Did I say you could do that?”
“No, Daddy,” Henry said.
They didn’t always play this way, but it seemed Henry preferred to slip into this mode when he was closest to losing control. It was theirs alone, one of the few intimacies that weren’t shared with all of his mates. Draco had learned the importance of those special bonds with Henry, and had even swallowed his pride and conferred with his dad after they returned from the griffins’ compound. He’d had a very similar experience with Eduard there, one where he’d taken control as needed. That moment was his and Eduard’s alone, though, as this was his and Henry’s. He needed to treasure the special bonds with each mate as much as he did the full bond they all shared.
He landed another swat to Henry’s ass and his beautiful mate groaned his approval. Before he could add one to the other side, Henry stiffened. “Draco.”
He had Henry on his feet again in seconds. The sudden switch to his name alerted him to trouble. “What is it?”
“Something crossed the outer ward.”
“Get dressed. Quickly.”
Henry ran for the closet while Draco dashed toward the stairs in the corner of the bedroom. They led up to a small turret which enabled both Draco and Eduard to shift and fly without having to leave the house first. Draco waited for an alarm to sound, but none did. The vampires were very well trained and if something had crossed the wards, they would know it as well. Henry came running up the stairs behind him, pulling on a pair of slacks. He’d been caught slumming it, as he called it, when Kavalan and his entourage arrived. The prince had turned up his nose at Henry, and he had nearly lost that very same nose as a result of a swipe of Draco’s claws. Draco would allow no one to insult his mates. But Andvari had gripped his arm tightly
and they’d allowed Eduard to handle the prince. Henry had learned a lesson that day, though. He’d finally understood why Eduard kept up appearances.
“Anything?” Henry asked as he tucked the ends of a collared shirt into his pants. He’d slipped on a pair of the ridiculous loafers Eduard had bought for him once he’d pointed out his embarrassment at being caught unprepared. Eduard had taken the opportunity to add even more to Henry’s already full wardrobe and provided him with casual clothing that could be slipped on quickly should he need to greet any other royal guests. Draco, frankly, didn’t give a damn. He’d rather roast a fairy over an open fire than bother dressing to impress.
“Nothing yet,” Draco answered.
He spoke too soon. A roar of rage sounded that Draco recognized as one of his own kind. “Dragon,” Draco growled. “Stay here.”
He leapt from the window and was airborne a second later. He didn’t have to go far. A huge dragon stood in front of what had once been Sawyer’s house. Another creature, one Draco didn’t recognize, stood beside it, protecting what appeared to be a human man. Draco’s eyes were locked on the dragon, however. He roared, drawing the dragon’s attention, before he stopped and nearly fell out of the air. Catching himself at the last second, his wings gave a giant thrust into the air and he hovered above the dragon on the ground below. The shifter changed back, and a familiar human stood in the dragon’s place. “Draco?”
Draco landed and shifted back as well. “Asher?”
“Draco?” Another man spoke, drawing his attention.
Draco turned toward the other voice and his jaw dropped. “Mikey?”
Asher made a growling huff. “You know him?”
The question wasn’t directed at Draco, but at Mikey. He nodded instinctively in answer as he stared in shock at Sawyer’s brother. Who didn’t know about the supernatural world. Except he was standing beside a dragon and a… Draco wasn’t entirely sure what the creature was who hovered menacingly by Mikey’s side, but it looked like it wanted to take a piece out of his hide. Draco growled low and began to shift again, but Mikey stepped between him and the other shifter.
“Draco, no. He’s my mate.”
A red haze formed over Draco’s vision, and Asher gave him a friendly slap on the back. “Mine, too, Cousin. You owe me congratulations. I have found my two mates.”
Draco couldn’t help his smirk. He opened his mouth to announce his own number of mates, but Mikey’s voice stopped him once more. “Draco, where’s my brother? And why are there…” Mikey glanced worriedly at Asher.
“Vampires,” Asher said.
Mikey gulped. “W-why are there vampires in my brother’s house?”
“Uh…” Draco had never felt more at a loss in his life.
“Oh, Goddess,” Mikey said as he paled and swayed against Asher. “What happened?”
“No, no. He’s fine, Mikey. I swear. He’s just up the hill. We, uh, live there now.”
Mikey glanced toward the new house and frowned. “What?”
Before he could answer, guards swarmed them, Andvari in the lead with his sword in his hand. Kavalan’s guards stood beside him. Mikey twitched and leaned into the mystery creature weakly. “Fae?” Mikey asked.
“Yes,” Draco answered.
“Uh, Draco, cousin, you care to explain why you have the royal guard of the fairy here?”
“It’s a really long story.”
“I’ve got time,” Asher replied.
Draco ignored him. The smart ass. Instead, he turned to his mate. “Andvari, I’d like to introduce you to Mikey Smith. Sawyer’s brother.”
Andvari’s brows rose, and he glanced back and forth between Draco and Mikey as if he thought Draco was kidding.
Draco gave a little nod to let him know he was serious. “And these are his mates.”
Andvari did a double-take. As far as any of them knew, Mikey wasn’t aware their world existed.
“That one isn’t going anywhere near Sawyer unless he shifts back,” Andvari said.
The creature standing between them and Mikey growled. His mane shook out around a mostly human face but his body looked like that of a lion.
“Quillon, stand down,” Asher said. “Our mate is safe here. Draco would never allow harm to come to me.”
“Wait,” Draco said. “That’s Quillon?” He’d never actually seen his cousin’s mate in his shifted form before. They’d been at family dinners together, but for some reason it had never come up. The anger and fear faded even more now that he knew there weren’t total strangers at his doorstep.
Quillon growled again, but this time it seemed more annoyed that angry.
“Draco would never hurt me either,” Mikey added. “Right?”
“Of course, Mikey,” Draco replied. “You’re safe here. Andvari, I’m going to go speak to Sawyer. Will you lead our guests up to the house?”
Andvari gave him a brief nod, so Draco shifted and flew back up the hill. He landed on the turret and shifted back while Henry looked nervously at him. “Sawyer’s brother,” Draco explained as he hurried down the steps and into the bedroom. “Where is he?”
“In the library. Saeward, Eduard, and the prince are with him. The prince’s bodyguard is there, too. His brother?”
“Yep. With his mates.”
“He’s mated to a dragon?” Henry nearly stumbled on the stairs in shock, and Draco grabbed him to hold him steady.
“Yep.”
“But I thought—”
“I thought the same. Sawyer will find out what happened. I’m sure it’ll be an interesting story.”
“Ya think?”
Draco couldn’t help but smirk. He gave Henry’s ass a swat as he continued downstairs to the library. “I’m going to add a couple extras later for that smart mouth of yours.”
“Aww, can’t think of anything better to do with my ass?”
“I can think of a few things. Now stop distracting me or Mikey will be here before I’ve given Sawyer a heads up. And trust me, that won’t end well.”
Henry grabbed Draco’s hand as they made their way into the library. It was mostly used as Eduard’s office, but Henry liked to curl up in the leather club chairs in the room as well to study his magic books. Sawyer was sitting in one of the chairs now, gnawing nervously on his fingernail.
“What is it?”
“We have company,” Draco said. “Mikey’s here.”
Sawyer’s eyes widened, and he pushed to his feet. “Oh shit.”
“With his mates,” Draco added.
Sawyer plopped back down into the chair. “What?”
Draco knelt in front of Sawyer and smiled gently at him. “It seems that we dragons can’t get enough of you Smiths.”
Sawyer gulped. “My brother is mated to a dragon.”
Draco nodded.
“Wait, you said mates. More than one?”
Draco nodded again.
“Holy shit.”
“That’s pretty much what I said. And even better? His dragon mate is my cousin, Asher.”
Sawyer blinked at him, and Henry snickered.
“You actually made him speechless.” Henry slipped past Draco and wiggled his way onto the chair beside Sawyer, who immediately wrapped his arms around Henry and pulled him close.
“Really?” Sawyer asked.
“Andvari is escorting them up here now. Your brother is just as shocked as you are. I did not give them any information about you or us. I wanted you to explain for yourself.”
“Oh Goddess,” Sawyer said. He slouched back in the chair before sitting up quickly again. “Cecil.”
“Yes, young master?”
He always appeared when they needed him and Draco could never figure out exactly how he did it. “My brother… Oh Goddess.”
“I shall prepare refreshments. Shall I ask Viv to make a particular favorite of your brother’s?”
“He’s a coffee snob. He owns a coffee shop.”
Cecil smiled serenely. “I’ll make sure Viv knows
that you’ve issued her a challenge.”
Sawyer smiled back, and Draco let out a breath. “Yeah. Tell her that.”
Cecil bowed his head and left the room.
“Sawyer?” Kavalan left the corner where he’d been standing and stopped beside Draco.
“My brother, Mikey, is here,” Sawyer explained. “He… isn’t supposed to know anything about this world, so he doesn’t know about my mates or that I’m the Chosen One.”
Kavalan’s pale face gave away nothing, but he tilted his head to the side before smiling. “Then we shall welcome him to your home and show him how special you are to us.”
Sawyer flinched a bit, and Draco pushed to his feet. “We can do that,” Draco said. “But maybe we should let them talk first? Perhaps you should change? It’s not every day you meet the brother of your mate.”
Kavalan glanced down at the purple velvet cloak he wore and grimaced. “You’re right, Dragon. This will never do. I shall freshen up and return to meet the brother of my mate. Loch, remain here and ensure my mate is safe until I return.”
“Yes, my prince.” The guard bowed to Kavalan and took up position beside Sawyer’s chair.
Kavalan nodded his head regally, letting one long golden curl fall forward. Draco had never seen anyone so able to use their hair as a prop before, but Kavalan managed it beautifully. Kavalan swept from the room, and Sawyer sent Draco a thankful look. Sawyer had filled him in on the earlier incident with Viv and the rest of the staff. He still hadn’t spoken to Kavalan, finding every excuse in the book to put off the uncomfortable conversation. But with Mikey arriving, Sawyer wouldn’t be able to wait much longer. If his brother witnessed Kavalan’s behavior… well, Sawyer would never let that happen. Draco heard the front door open and several sets of feet heading their way.
“They’re coming in now. You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
Sawyer gave Henry one last squeeze, then stood up. Draco and Henry took positions on either side of him, while Eduard stepped to Draco’s side. “I’m so nervous,” Sawyer mumbled.