by Sophie Stern
I chased her away and now she’s probably dead.
Alexandrite said that Sapphire hung herself that night, but I can’t believe it’s true. I can’t allow myself to believe it’s true. Her mates aren’t dead, so why would she be dead? Alexandra has started so many different rumors about my sister and her mates that I don’t know what to believe anymore.
Now all I can do is hope.
All I can do is hope that soon this will all be over.
Soon it will end.
My mates are always on guard, watching me. Alexandrite is a more powerful sorceress than anyone ever gave her credit for. She lived as a housekeeper and a maid in the castle for years and years and no one ever noticed it was strange how good fortune seemed to follow her.
She ended up with a dragon shifter for a son, after all.
Somehow, she managed to convince my fathers he’d be a good fit for one of my mates.
He’s not.
Alexandrite is not a good fit.
My other mates are wonderful. Kind. Loyal. Gentle.
Alexandrite has always scared me, though, and now I know why. He’s been plotting this strange overthrow with his mother for years: probably since he was a child. Now that I’m on the throne and he rules beside me, it’s only a matter of time before something happens to me and my other three mates. Tourmaline, Aquamarine, and Topaz are my greatest joys. I don’t know what I’ll do if anything happens to them. Tour and Aqua are identical twins who are the gentlest, kindest men I’ve ever known. And Topaz…he’s my free spirit. He’s kind and wonderful and I don’t know what Alexandra has done to him, but I know it’s not good.
She’s poisoned them, somehow.
She’s tricked them.
Tainted them.
I woke up one morning a year ago and couldn’t breathe. She was standing over me with her hand squeezed in a fist. I begged for help and eventually, she opened her fist and allowed hair back into my lungs.
“What happened?” I asked. “What did you do to me?”
“Oh, sweet Ruby,” Alexandra scoffed. “Sweet, stupid Ruby. What happened is that you’re about to be queen, and you’re going to do exactly as I say.”
“No,” I shook my head. Something was wrong. Mother was dead, but it was Sapphire who would be crowned queen. She was the oldest. She was the one who was supposed to be chosen. “There’s a mistake. It’s my sister who is to be queen.”
SLAP.
The sound hit my ears before the sting covered my cheek. Alexandra struck me hard on the face. It was the first time, but it would not be the last. I did not know it then. I couldn’t. There was no way I could tell what was about to happen to me. There was no way I could predict the hell I was about to enter.
“You will be queen,” she said. “You will be mated and crowned today, Ruby. You will do this, or I will slaughter your precious sister and everything you hold dear. You think I don’t know where your affections lie, girl?”
I said nothing.
I just lay there staring at Alexandra, wondering how I had never noticed the evil look in her eyes before. How had I never seen it? How had I not predicted this?
She had always had a strained relationship with my mother. I never knew why, but now I did. Alexandra didn’t feel Mother was worthy to sit on the crown. Did Alexandra think she was worthy? Or did she simply want her son on the throne?
“I…I don’t want to be queen,” I said again.
Sapphire was always the brave one.
She would know what to do.
If it was Sapphire, she would fight. She wouldn’t let Alexandra crush her throat with a whisper of magic and swirl of bad luck that wrapped around her neck. I did, though. I let her hurt me. Alexandra hurt me over and over and over until eventually, I agreed to do as she commanded.
She promised she would leave my sister alone if I did.
She promised she would leave my mates alone.
Both of those things were lies.
At night, Alexandra locks me in a cell that’s hidden away. She puts me far away from Tour, Aqua, and Topaz. I don’t know what she does to them at night. We’re separated from each other, which means we can’t be intimate. This loss of connection weakens all of us. The mating bond is strong. We’re supposed to be able to be intimate with each other. It’s part of the ritual. It’s part of the promise.
We spoke the words to each other.
We took our vows.
We never consummated our relationship, though. That it itself should negate me sitting on the throne. Tradition says that the queen will have four dragon mates. Mates to guard her, mates to love her, mates to protect her, and mates to cherish her. For centuries, our country has been ruled by one queen and four dragons. It is the way of our country. It is one of our most beloved traditions.
And Alexandra plans to destroy that.
She doesn’t think I’m smart enough to realize her end game, but I am.
I’m not as dumb as I fucking look.
Yes, I’m weak.
Yes, I was tricked.
Yes, I am alone, but I will avenge my sister.
Alexandra plans to kill me and my mates in five days. On my one-year anniversary as queen, she plans to slaughter us, along with Sapphire’s mates. She’ll make it look like we had a war. She’ll make it look like we fought each other to the death. She’ll spin it anyway she wants, but then it will be her blood on the throne.
Just one lonely, terrible dragon-shifter.
Alexandrite.
I can’t let that happen.
So each night, after she locks me in my cage, I beg the stars to release me from this prison. I close my eyes, and I wish for hope, and I try to remember my mother’s magic, and most of all, I wish for my sister.
I’m never going to see her again, and each day, a little piece of my heart dies.
Chapter Thirteen
Sapphire
“It’s a country house.” We stop walking and stand in front of a huge building. It’s beautiful, albeit a bit worn down. If I had to guess, I’d say no one has been here in about a year. Why would they leave the village to come relax in a place like this? Ruby probably doesn’t even allow it.
“It’s my father’s,” Emerald says. “He used to come here when he needed a place to think.”
“You mean living in a house with a tiny little dragon-shifter wasn’t quiet and relaxing?” I ask, faking a look of surprise.
“Don’t you sass me,” Emerald laughs. “I’ll pull you over my knee fast enough to make your head spin.”
“Is that a promise?” I ask, feeling a little turned on and excited at the prospect.
“Is that what you want?” Garnet asks. His voice is husky and deep. He moves behind me and wraps his arms around me. Then he presses his lips to my neck. “Because I think we can make that happen, pretty girl.”
A thin blush creeps up my neck, but it’s not from embarrassment. It’s from excitement. The word “no” is on the tip of my tongue. It would be so easy to protest this now and to tell them I don’t want that, but the truth is so much juicier and fun.
Yes. I do want this. I do want them to pull me over their knees and paddle me and make me feel like everything is going to be okay. Part of me feels like I’m going to burst into tears now. After all of this time, I’ve found my mates and I’ve claimed them properly as my own, but my heart still feels like it’s on edge.
Everything feels like it’s happening all at once and if I’m not careful, I’m going to have a huge breakdown and just let all of my emotions out at once.
Playing with my mates tonight would be a relief.
It would be therapeutic.
If we could walk into this house and just forget everything happening on the outside, that would be perfection. I don’t want to think about my sister or her evil mother-in-law. I don’t want to think about Tour and Aqua and Topaz and Alex. I don’t want to think about the men who are taking care of my sister. I don’t want to think about the possibility that Ruby isn’t d
oing this of her own free will.
I just want to eat, and I want to sleep, and I want to come up with a plan tomorrow of how we’re going to infiltrate the castle and bring all of this to an end.
We need to bring it to an end.
We must.
It’s dark outside now and I realize the men are still waiting on me to answer. This is the moment of truth for me now. I was brave by fighting my way back to them. That took courage and strength. I was brave and I did a wonderful job. I did great. I was incredible.
Can I be a little bit more brave?
Can I be a little bit more courageous?
I look at the front of the house. It’s dark green, of course. Emerald. It’s the color of his family’s name. Emeralds are such beautiful stones, such incredible rocks and here in Draco Patriam, they’re intensely magical. They’re rare, though. It’s why most parents give their children a precious stone name. It’s for good luck.
It’s for hope.
It’s for bravery.
My parents didn’t name me Sapphire so I could wither away when things got hard. They named me Sapphire because, like the bluest, most beautiful stone – not that I’m biased, by any means – I have a strength inside of me.
And this is my moment.
“Yes,” I tell my mates. “That’s what I want.”
They’re silent for a long moment.
“I want all of you together,” I tell them. “All of you at once. It’s been a long fucking year, you guys. I need you. I need you now.”
Emerald growls and then shifts. Instantly, he’s in the air, flying, circling the house. Thankfully, it’s dark. No one can see him, but I can. I can see my boy up there. I can see my mate. He hasn’t shifted in so long. He hasn’t been able to be free like this in a year.
Slowly, one-by-one, my other mates follow suit. They each shift in turn, leaping into the air, and circling the house. I don’t know if they’re looking for intruders and predators. I don’t know if they’re just getting fresh air. Maybe they just want to feel the wind on their face. I don’t know.
All I know is that right now, in this moment, they look majestic.
Incredible.
They look more brave and more wonderful than anyone else in the world and I can’t quite believe we’ve managed to find each other. Yeah, I fought for it. It still feels like fucking magic, like I’m dreaming. They’re taking their time up there, so I lay down in the soft blades of grass and I stare up at the sky watching them.
Emerald with his sleek black body and his piercing green eyes leads the way. I think he might be watching me, but I’m not sure. He’s so nervous and uncomfortable with his family’s wealth. Not that they’re wealthy anymore. If my guess is correct, one of the first things Queen Ruby did was institute a tax on the wealthy. It’s what I would do it I was an evil queen. Tax the wealthy, tax the poor. Tax everyone. Why not? It’s one way to get the country under control.
Moon goes next. Sweet Moonstone with his bright red eyes and deep, dark burgundy scales. His tale is bright red and matches his chest. His eyes roam. I can see that even from down here. He’s always looking, always watching. He’s always on alert. Then again, he’s always had to be, hasn’t he? I don’t pretend to have everything under control in Draco Patriam. I know my parents didn’t, either. There was poverty in our country and pain. They did their best to keep things fair, but sometimes, kids like Moon slid through the cracks.
He had to watch out for himself.
He always had to be on guard.
Now, as I look at him up there in the sky, I think I’ve never seen anyone so incredible as him.
Garnet and Chrys fly side-by-side. I can tell that Garnet still feels a little weak. This spell seemed to hit him the hardest and I’m not sure why. Maybe it has to do with his physical form. Maybe he was sick when the spell took effect. I’m not sure. Chrys stays close to him, though, watching him.
Chrys guards Moonstone just as they all guard me.
And then they land.
All together, in perfect unison, they land.
They shift back to their normal selves. As humans, they surround me, kissing me.
“Let’s go inside, beautiful girl,” Chrys whispers. All I can do is nod.
Emerald leads us around the back of the house, but I don’t see a door. I point this out, but he just smiles at me.
“I’m resourceful, too,” he says, and he moves close to the house, feeling around for a moment. After a second, he smiles, and he pushes against the house. A panel slides open, revealing a hidden door.
“What the hell?” I ask, moving up to it. Emerald just smiles.
“The front door is a bit of a decoy,” he explains. “I’m sure that portion of the house has been emptied long ago. Scavengers and raiders. Hell, probably the queen’s guards. Who knows what people have taken?”
The front of the house did look a bit…messy…but I wasn’t going to say anything to him.
“Back here, though…this leads to a secret underground lair where my father used to spend his time.”
“Secret underground lair?” I raise an eyebrow. “You dragons are all the same.”
“Careful, love,” Moon grabs me and pulls me back against him. “You’ll need to watch your tone with us tonight. We’re just itching to spank your sweet little bottom, baby. Don’t give us a reason to start.”
My breath hitches. This is the sexiest thing I’ve ever experienced and once again, I’m completely wet for them. I both love and hate how easily they turn me on. This is going to be my undoing if I’m not careful. Really, it is.
“Okay,” I whisper, and then we follow Emerald into the house. He waits until we’re all inside a small entryway and then he closes the door behind us. Then Emerald grabs a torch from the wall and hands it to me.
“Will you do the honors?” He asks.
I whisper a quick incantation I know and instantly, the torch comes to life. I know the dragons can see pretty well in the dark, but I’m all woman. My eyesight is normal and limited, so I’m thankful to have the torch as we walk down the stairs.
“You aren’t nervous going downstairs?”I ask after a minute. The staircase curves. We can’t see what’s ahead.
“Why would we be nervous?” Garnet asks.
“Because you were locked in a dungeon for a year. Maybe you’re scared of dark places now. I don’t know.”
The dragons just chuckle.
“No, love,” Chrys says gently. “We aren’t scared.”
“The scariest thing was not knowing where you were, baby,” Moon tells me.
“We were so worried,” Garnet agrees. “And we couldn’t speak to each other for a long time.”
“What was that like?” I whisper. I don’t know if I actually want to know, but I ask the question before I can think things through.
“I could sense the others,” Emerald says. “Was it the same for you guys?”
“I could sense them,” Moon agrees. “I knew they were close. Even though I couldn’t speak or move my body at all, I knew I wasn’t alone. There’s something about the mating bond, Sapphire. Although we were chosen by your fathers to be your mates, Emerald, Chrys, Garnet, and I are all linked to each other, as well.”
“That’s kind of incredible,” I whisper.
“And not at all creepy,” Garnet says with a wink.
Chrys bops him on the side of the head. Garnet protests lightly, but I think he knows he deserved it, so he doesn’t complain too much. We keep walking down the stairs. They seem to go on forever, but eventually, they end and we find ourselves in one very open room.
“Yep, definitely a dragon’s den,” I comment, pointing out the obvious. “Pile of treasure? Check. Pile of food? Check. Cozy bed? Check.”
“Beautiful mate?” Chrys kisses me. “Check.”
“I want a turn,” Moon grabs me and kisses me next. “Check.”
“You don’t have to say ‘check’ just because you kiss me,” I say.
Then Garne
t pulls me into his arms and kisses me. “Check.”
Finally, Emerald brings me close to his chest. At this point, I’m getting a little dizzy from being passed around from man to man, but I don’t complain too much because it’s also kind of, totally, completely wonderful.
“Check,” Emerson says, and then he starts to kiss me.
And he doesn’t stop.
Chapter Fourteen
Sapphire
I’m surrounded by them, by their love.
I’m completely surrounded by my mates. All of their attention is firmly on me and I love it. I love the way they’re looking at me. They’re staring at me like they want to eat me up, like they want to devour me.
I want that, too.
I want it so much.
“Come here,” Moon reaches for me, pulling me toward him. He runs his hands up and down my sides as he kisses me slowly, teasingly. I feel someone rubbing my back. I think it’s Garnet, but I’m not completely sure. Then someone’s fingers slip lower, down, and then inside of me.
I squeal a little, but Moon chuckles against my lips.
“We’re going to take such good care of you, Sapphire. You’re about to be the Queen of Draco Patriam, but you’re already the queen of our hearts.”
He kisses me again as one of the other men continues to finger me carefully. He’s kneeling behind me and nips at me. Ah, it’s Chrys. He slides his tongue up and down my bottom as his fingers play with me.
Garnet and Emerald close in, too.
“She’s so fucking wet,” Chrys murmurs.
“Let’s put her on the bed,” Garnet says. “So we can eat that pretty pussy. I want to feel her come on my tongue.”
“I have a better idea,” Emerald says. Chrys moves and Emerald pulls me back against his chest. Then he lifts me.
“Fantastic idea,” Moon agrees. He holds one of my legs and Chrys takes the other. I’m completely spread open, completely bare to them now. Garnet licks his lips and then he kneels in front of me.
“Don’t drop me,” I whisper, suddenly a little nervous that I’m going to fall, but the men just chuckle. Then Garnet swipes his tongue over my body, and I forget to feel anything but content.