by Lilly Wilder
He growls playfully, then pretends to bite me in the neck, knowing that makes me giggle like a school girl. He is still the one who can always make me smile, no matter how bad I feel. He’ll always have that something.
“Don’t,” I lower my neck, and try to push him away, laughing. “You might wake up the twins.”
“You know they sleep til late,” he tells me. “And, besides, Fynn is in the kitchen. If they wake up, he’ll hear them.”
I know he’s right. But, today is an important day, and I want everything to go smoothly. I don’t want them to wake up cranky, and then make the whole day miserable for everyone else because they’re tired. Toddlers can be so wonderful, and at the same time, so exasperating.
“Is everything ready for today?” I wonder, looking out the window.
The view of the mountain is spectacular. Only this time, I see our garden filled with a big wooden table, chairs and a few other things which hint at a little party.
“For lunch with your dad? Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?” He shrugs his shoulders.
“Well, it’s his first time coming down here,” I explain. “I want it to be perfect. I want him to like where we live.”
As it was to be expected, my dad first wanted us to live with him, in the mansion. It makes all the sense in the world, really. Especially for him. He wanted to have his family close. But, of course, the guys wouldn’t even hear of it. It was the mountain house for them, and I have to admit, I liked that idea as well. What better place to raise children than at the foot of a beautiful mountain?
“Why wouldn’t he like it?” he smiles. “I mean, this is Heaven on Earth. Especially now that you’re here.”
He makes me blush with his comment, as he usually does.
“I don’t know… it’s that I need for him to approve of it,” I smile.
“I think no matter how old you get, you’ll never stop being daddy’s girl,” he hugs me. “And, that’s OK. As long as you allow us to love you equally.”
“Of course,” I hug him back.
We stay like that for a while, just hugging. Even the baby decides to take part, and kicks a few times.
“Whoa there, cowboy!” Anderson moves away and presses his hand against my belly. “That’s some kick.”
“Try feeling it from the inside,” I chuckle.
At that moment, the door opens, and Fynn peeks in. His face is slightly sun-kissed from all the time we spend outside here. Surprisingly, he has been hands on with the twins, just as much as Anderson is. Even though, I can’t say I expected that. He always seemed like he’d be the type of dad who would just pat his kids on the forehead, tell them they’re doing a good job, then retire to his study. But, he has surprised me – in so many ways.
He walks over to us, and smiles.
“How are we doing today?” he asks.
“Still pregnant,” I grin.
“Still glowing,” he replies.
“Oh, you,” I pinch his cheek. “I was thinking – “
But, I’m not allowed to continue. Someone is shouting from the room across the hallway.
“Looks like they’re up,” Anderson sighs. “I’ll go get them. Meet you downstairs in the kitchen.”
With those words, he leaves the bedroom, and gives us a few more moments alone. I appreciate every second spent with my men, especially because they are sometimes gone for a bit longer, and the house always feels so empty without them. However, that makes our time together all the more precious.
“You know what occurred to me this morning?” Fynn suddenly asks me.
He is standing in front of me, wearing a shirt and trousers. He has dressed up for today. I appreciate it, because I know how much he dislikes it.
“What?”
“I never thanked you.”
I look at him, puzzled, not sure what he’s referring to.
“Thanked me for what, Fynn?”
“For saving me.”
His words are soft. I can tell they’re coming straight from the heart, from some inner pocket that he’s never opened before. Not until now.
“Where is this coming from now?” I smile at him gently, cupping his face with my hands.
His eyes are cavernous, gazing at me like I’m a well of beauty and power.
“You’ve given me so much,” he continues. “You’ve changed me in more ways than one. And, I never thanked you for the most important thing.”
“You can thank me now…”
He goes down to his knee, and takes my hands into his. He brings them to his lips, and covers them in a bunch of little kisses. Then, he presses my hands to his cold cheek.
“Thank you…”
His words seal the air between us, filling it up with love, gratitude, adoration. I help him up, and we hug each other tightly. My nose digs into his neck. My stomach pokes at his. But, nothing matters, as long as I have him, and Anderson, in my arms.
I want us to stay together like this, always. I want all of my breaths to be linked with theirs. I want always to be able to keep listening to their hearts beating the sound of my name.
Always.
Always.
Always.
*****
THE END
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"Though dragons covet and value gold, jewels, and gems, it is their Mate that they solely, desperately desire."
That's the sales pitch I got after being rescued by the tribe of dragon shifters that live in the mountains above my town.
I suppose it was my fault for being kidnapped in the first place, wandering alone at night, destined to be sold into slavery or worse.
My name is Alice, and it turns out that Mishael, Galen, and Rhys share the True Mate bond with me.
There are certainly worse things for a socially awkward girl like me than to find herself being courted, wooed, and loved by three of the most gorgeous, powerful dragons I've ever seen.
CHAPTER ONE
ALICE FORREST
The night seemed darker, under the cover of heavy clouds. It was threatening to rain, and smelled like an oncoming storm as I pulled my hood up tighter around my face and ducked my head, hurrying through the narrow path that led from the tavern to my house.
Everyone else had remained, sharing drinks and the leftover food that the kitchens had cooked, laughing to themselves over inside jokes I wasn't invited to. It had been that way since I started working there, since I moved from a smaller town on the edge of the mountain range.
I wasn't good at making friends. Never had been. I had been a big fish in a small pond back home, much smarter than everyone around me, and honestly it was still true here. And I was good at reading people, but in a way that tended to make them uncomfortable.
People didn't like being around someone that could see right through the social constructs and meaningless platitudes and get to the heart of what they were – or weren't – saying. And yeah, I probably could do more about keeping my mouth shut and playing nice, but it didn't seem worth the effort for something as plebian as a social group who would rather drink their intelligence away than anything else.
The trees swayed above my head as the wind began to pick up, and I pulled my thick clothes tighter around my body, hurrying along. It was a near half-hour walk back to my home on the edge of the forest, which grew in thick clusters at the foot of the mountain.
The forest was almost whisper quiet, aside from the creaking branches and rustling leaves. Storms tended to hit this part of the world hard, and everything was hunkered down to wait it out. If I didn't hurry, I would certainly be caught in it, and end up with mud caked up to my thighs and soaked through.
It was cold, and grew colder as the path opened to the little clearing that marked halfway home. I don't
know, to this day, what made me pause and look up. But I did.
The clouds were a little thinner, blown out by the wind so that I could see higher up the mountain. This village was in the heart of dragon country, and there was a known roost high up in the mountains. On a clear day, if you were lucky, you could see the great beasts flying to and from their caves, carrying their hunts or going out to forage for gems. The mountain was well-known for being rich in minerals, and to my understanding, there was an agreement amongst the people who lived nearby and the dragons that lived on top of it.
The people were allowed to use the forest and the mountain for wood, and gems, and allowed to hunt within the immediate area. The dragons could fly far and had slow metabolisms, so they were never wanting for food.
Occasionally, a brave hunter would go up and bring an offering of gold, so that they could hunt a little heavier when the summer harvest had been on the lean side. The dragons were kind, up there, and posed no threat to us.
I had never seen one up close, but I liked to sit on the roof of my house and watch them on a clear day. They were mostly red and gold. Golds were the largest breed, and had four legs and gigantic wings that could block out the sun when they flew low to the ground. The reds had two legs, using the large, savage-looking hooks on the arches of their wings to climb and fight and hunt as they needed.
They were beautiful. One day, I told myself, I would go up the mountain and try to speak to one. They were capable of speaking, but also able to change shape into something vaguely human, more able to communicate in human words. At least, that was what everyone who lived here claimed. More than anything, I wanted to know what it was like to be in the presence of such a powerful, ancient species. I was sure that they were wise, and intelligent, and would be much nicer to be around than humankind.
I was so caught up with staring at the mountain that I didn't hear the heavy, rushing footsteps, until it was too late. A hand wrapped around my mouth, silencing my scream, and another meaty arm went around my neck, choking me as a foot kicked the back of my knee, sending me to the ground.
"Got her," my assailant grunted. A man, of course. Another set of legs came into view as my vision began to go dark at the edges. "Send word to Jonah. She'll make a nice house slave for the Northerners."
"We shouldn't be here," the other man said nervously. "The Wyrms will see."
"Let them," the first man scoffed. I struggled and kicked out, trying to get another lungful of air, but his grip merely tightened. He pinched my nose so I couldn't breathe at all. "What are they gonna do, come down here and start a war for one girl?"
"We're in their territory, Zeke," the second man snapped.
"The more you flap your lips the longer we'll be here," Zeke replied. "Just go tell Jonah I've got another. I'll meet him by the road in an hour once I've secured her with the wagon."
The second man sighed, and turned, disappearing into the darkness again. Zeke hauled me up with a grunt, and adjusted his grip long enough that my mouth was free, for a brief moment.
I gasped, and then I screamed. I wasn't sure anyone could hear me over the rumble of thunder, but I didn't know what else to do.
"Shut up," Zeke hissed. I shook my head and screamed again for help, but received no answer, from the forest or the creatures within it, nor from the storm or the dragons that I knew resided above. Zeke's hand clamped over my mouth again and he hauled me back into the trees like I weighed nothing at all, and a few minutes later, my vision went black.
I was only vaguely aware of being lifted, and thrown into the back of what I assumed was a cart, before I lost consciousness completely.
*
I woke up with my brain pounding inside my skull, body awkwardly curled up as though I was an old shirt that had been stuffed into a wardrobe. My neck ached and my spine protested the hard surface I was pressed against.
I soon realized that I wasn't alone.
I pushed myself upright and hissed when the back of my head cracked on another hard surface above me. I rubbed the back of it, glaring up into the darkness as the first ache in my head was swiftly joined by the second. Beside me, there was a source of heat in the form of another warm body. It was so dark I couldn't make out details.
"Hello?" I whispered. Then, louder; "Hello?"
"Quiet," a voice replied. It sounded young, too high for me to immediately determine if it was a boy or a girl. "You have to be quiet."
I pressed my lips together and drew in a breath. Around me, the scent of dirty, musty bodies and damp wood filled my lungs, and the sounds of creaking carts along the main road, and the bluster of horses was audible. I turned and pressed my hand to the wall of the cart, the wagon, and felt along it, seeking any weakness. The space I was in was long enough for me to stretch my legs, but I couldn't put my arms above my head and I couldn't sit up. It was like my companion and I had been laid inside a large, flat coffin.
I tried not to panic at the thought.
The cart moved over a particularly large bump in the road and I winced, my head aching as it knocked against the surface above me again. I hissed, rubbing my forehead, and turned back to seek out the source of the voice.
"Did you get taken from the mountain?" I asked.
"No," the voice replied. It belonged to the person next to me. It was another girl, someone I could guess was barely more than a child. My stomach turned, from what I'd heard Zeke say, we were likely destined to be sold into slavery. It was a long road around the mountain range the dragons called home, and to the North resided the wolf shifters, and beyond them, the nomadic humans who were said to be barbaric and cruel. They would do awful things to a young girl.
They would do awful things to me, as well, but I tried not to think about that.
"I'm from Lakeside," the girl said. I nodded to myself, recalling the little fishing village several miles outside my own. They supplied most of the region's freshwater catches, and were renowned for their ability to make excellent boats and weave strong nets. "You?"
"Near the Pass," I replied. I could hear the other girl nod, the vague sound of her cheek rustling her clothing.
"They're going to sell us," the girl said, her voice thick with tears. She trembled in front of me, her knees hitting my leg as she tried to curl up, though there wasn't room to do it. I couldn't even move back; my back was pressed to the wall of the wagon. "We’re going to become slaves."
I swallowed. I wanted to tell her that that wasn't the case, that we were going to be alright. But that wasn't the truth, and the truth wasn't something you said in situations like this. "What's your name?" I asked her.
"Ravi," she whispered.
"I'm Alice," I said. "Stick with me and I'll protect you as best I can."
Ravi let out a tiny, terrified whimper, as the cart rumbled to a halt, swaying on its wheels. I frowned, and went tense as I heard the creak of heavy steps above our heads. Then, suddenly, the ceiling opened. It was still dark outside, but I still blinked rapidly at the sudden change of light, letting me see. A large man's shadow came into view and he sneered at us.
"Get up," he commanded, grabbing Ravi by her hood and hauling her upright. I surged after her and was caught by another man, as they held us and hauled us from the wagon, stumbling onto unsteady feet. It had started to rain and the ground was wet, and slippery beneath my shoes.
"Bathroom break, ladies," the first man snapped, shoving us towards the trees. I recognized his voice, and the way his big hands felt on my shoulders and back – it was Zeke. He had a mean look to him, enough that even if I had met him in the tavern, I would be reluctant to talk to him. His head was shaved smooth and he had a thick beard and mustache, covering the lower half of his face with reddish hair. His eyes were dark and narrowed in irritation as Ravi and I stumbled our way towards the trees.
I looked up, seeing that we were still in the shadow of the mountain. There was no sign of life around the summit, no telltale flicker of golden or red scales,
or the rumbling of beasts. The horses seemed nervous, but that was normal this close to the dragon roost.
I thought about screaming, and decided against it when Zeke held a blade out. He didn't try to attack us with it, but the threat was obvious enough. He wouldn't hesitate to cut out our tongues or take a few fingers. Slaves didn't need to talk to be useable.
My stomach turned in revulsion and I wrapped an arm around Ravi. I could see, now, that she was almost a foot shorter than me, and had tanned skin and very dark hair in keeping with the normal Lakeside people. She looked up at me with wide eyes, which looked almost black in the darkness.
I gave her what I hoped was an encouraging smile as we were herded into the trees by Zeke. There were other men around, almost a dozen, checking the wagon and laughing at each other as they shared bitter-smelling ale from skins between them.
We went into the trees, and I let Ravi go. "Do you need to go?" I asked her, aware that Zeke was hovering nearby, making sure we didn't try to run.
Ravi shook her head, biting her thin lower lip. "No," she whispered, visibly shaking.
I didn't need to, either, but who knew how long we would have to wait until we were allowed another break? "Try," I whispered, and she nodded, going over to a tree. I could feel Zeke's eyes on me and shivered at the thought of him watching.
My cloak had been taken, and while Ravi was still in her hood and cape, it wasn't long enough to give us any sense of modesty. I pulled my shirt up so that I could reach for the hem of my trousers, gritting my teeth at the thought of attempting to go in front of my kidnapper.
It was then that I felt another set of eyes on me. Ones not belonging to Ravi or Zeke.
I froze in place.
Behind me, the horses gave a terrified whinny.
"Zeke!" a man called, his voice high and frantic. "Zeke, we're -."
He didn't get to finish his sentence. Though there was no sunlight, the moon shone in silver hues on the ground and the trees and the wagon. And then there was darkness, with the deadly silence that comes right before a huge crack of lightning. For a moment, rain wasn't falling on me at all.