I gave a little squeak as he spun me around before setting me back down. “I did,” I said, and then of course Jackson wanted a hug and kiss, and so did Trey. “And I had a dream.”
“A nightmare?” asked Jackson, concern on his face.
“No, but…” I licked my lips, wondering how to explain the dream to them. Wondering if it would even work.
I grabbed the chalice with the bracelet still lurking within. Ugh. What to do with it? I didn’t want to leave it inside.
I didn’t want to wear it, but I also couldn’t just leave it lying somewhere. Despite our somewhat tumultuous relationship, it was a valuable magical artifact, after all. I grasped the chalice to my chest with one hand while I patted my shorts. No pockets.
Fuck! Dragon goddess, why did you give me shorts with no pockets?
Lacking better options, I slipped the bracelet over my wrist, and immediately felt its pleasant warmth. I vowed I would take it off as soon as I found a safer place for it. For now, I needed to focus on other things.
I approached Ethan, chalice in one hand, and with the other, I lightly grasped his erection. He groaned, and his cock swelled up a degree further. “The seed…needs to go in here,” I said, dropping my gaze toward the golden cup before meeting Ethan’s eyes once more.
A mix of comprehension and surprise flickered across his face. “You’re saying,” he started, and then cleared his throat before continuing, “that I need to come in the cup?”
I nodded, still stroking him. “Yes. Everyone needs to.” I looked at my other three mates before they exchanged quick glances with each other.
Drake chuckled before taking his huge manhood into his own hands. “My pleasure,” he said, and soon Jackson did the same. The two of them never had a problem with that sort of thing.
But Trey—I went to him next, knowing he probably needed a little jumpstart. I kissed him as I moved my hand up and down his hard length, and a deep groan rumbled in his chest. His cock grew even thicker beneath my fingertips.
I moved from one to another, stroking, kissing, caressing. I momentarily set the chalice on the ground while I took Drake in both my hands, one above the other.
Then a garbled sound came from Ethan’s throat. I knew he was ready, and I scooped the golden cup off the ground just in time for him to spray a creamy, iridescent shower inside. He looked a bit sheepish, because maybe this wasn’t the most appropriate time to be boasting about being first. But it wasn’t a big deal because Jackson finished next, with Trey and Drake soon after. In only a few minutes, the same lustrous, silken sheen I’d seen in my dream had filled the cup.
The offering to the goddess.
I held the chalice in my hands and knelt upon the ground. “Oh, goddess—” I began, when suddenly, the bracelet began to glow and pulse warmth against my wrist, sending tendrils of heat throughout me. It throbbed with intensity, and the light energy began to fill me once again, seeping into every cell of my body.
“Not now!” I hissed at it, not wanting to deal with the damned dragon magick again. “Can’t you see I’m busy?”
The bracelet just blazed brighter in response, sending another wave of energy through me.
My breath caught in my throat while I watched the golden glow from the bracelet expand across my wrist, and then my hand. The radiation traveled to the chalice, encompassing the entire cup and delving deep into the glistening seed inside. The offering, now bathed in brilliant light, began to swirl inside the cup, turning into a fine gilded mist that hovered above the chalice.
As if by instinct, the ancient words in the dragon language lay ready upon my tongue. “Zem.” I whispered the word for earth first, and I felt the vibration of the cave tremble slightly beneath me. “Voda.” The word for water swirled the last remaining liquid in the cup into the cloud of golden mist. “Vatra.” Fire sparked another bright flare from the bracelet, sending the chalice gleaming in a swath of energy.
I held my breath, my heart pumping wildly in my chest as the magick suddenly seemed to burst forth from my very soul.
“Zrak.” The word for air sent the mist spiraling up into the cave, where it swirled around us to form an image of a beautiful white dragon. The vision hovered in the air.
The dragon vision drifted to the ground, where it morphed into the human form of a lovely woman with white-blonde hair. I realized I was still holding the chalice, and I set it on the ground, my hands trembling.
“My children,” said the woman. She walked toward us, remnants of the mist swirling about her head. Her white dress flowed around her. “Please stand,” she said, smiling, and she leaned down to offer me her hand.
“Oh…” I said, sort of dumbly, as I stared at the gorgeous dragon goddess.
“Well?” she said, her bright blue eyes crisp and clear. She lightly touched my shoulder and I reached to place my hand in hers. I stood and looked up into her porcelain face.
Damn. The dragon goddess was tall. And a freaking babe.
“Shall we go sit upon the cushions?” she suggested.
My mates and I glanced at each other for a second. The dragon goddess wanted to…hang out in the love nest?
“Um…of course,” I said, and we all traipsed over to the cushions. The dragon goddess sat upon a large turquoise pillow, tucked her legs up underneath her, and then carefully fluffed her flowy gown around herself.
“Well then, my children,” she said. “I know why you called me here. You would like to know how to heal the fertility stone.”
“Yes,” I said. “Dragon goddess…can you please help us?”
“Issa,” she said. “Please call me Issa.”
“Okay…” I said, feeling a little weird to be calling her that. I looked around at my dragons—all unusually quiet. I didn’t blame them. I found it super strange to be sitting in front of the dragon goddess.
Plus my mates were all naked still.
“Um…Issa…do you want my mates to put on some clothes?”
Issa laughed. “Oh, no, my child. I prefer my men naked. All the time.” She eyed my mates appreciatively. “They are all very nice specimens, aren’t they?”
I made a noise of approval, while my dragons glanced at each other, clearly unsure of what to do. The dragon goddess eyed us thoughtfully.
Finally, she spoke again. “You have all been appointed with a very challenging task: to save the orestaia. And,” she glanced at me, “to help your sister.”
“Is it…possible?” I asked quietly. I bit my lip while silence filled the cavern again.
“Of course,” said Issa. “But you must be ready for it. It will not be easy. Do you think you will be able to undertake the journey?”
My dragons and I looked at each other again. If not us…who, then?
I nodded. “Yes. I’m ready.”
My mates murmured their assent as well, and manly, dragon-y rumbling noises filled the space.
“Very well,” she said, readjusting herself on the cushions and floofing her dress around her once again. “Here is what you must do. You must return the orestaia to the place of its origin. You must recharge the stone there, in the fires in which it was initially forged, many, many years ago.”
“Is that close to here?” asked Ethan, most likely already formulating a travel plan in his head.
“Not at all, my dear,” answered the goddess. “Quite far, as a matter of fact. It is on the Croatian island of Vis, in the Adriatic ocean. Not only the birthplace of the orestaia, but also of my offspring.”
The golden dragon?
I opened my mouth to ask, but the dragon goddess continued, “My offspring will assist you in this journey—I will send word right away. And you have my blessing.” She smiled at us and began to fade slightly.
“Wait!” I said. “And my sister? What about her?”
“She must come with you. To reactivate the stone, you must put the pieces together to make things whole once more. Like a puzzle.” Her clear blue eyes bore deep into mine. “Your sister is now at
tuned to the dark magick. And you, Lyssa, have such affinity for the light magick.”
“But I don’t even want that!” I exclaimed. “All the magick, and the bracelet, and…everything!” I gestured to the damned piece of jewelry, still glowing upon my arm. “I never asked for it, but now I feel like I can’t get rid of it.” I stopped, my breath catching in my throat. My heart pumped hard in my chest.
Issa gazed at me for a long moment. “You don’t want the bracelet,” she finally said. “I understand.” Then the bracelet suddenly disappeared from my wrist, and a second later, I saw the dragon goddess adjust it upon her own arm.
She had taken it back. I immediately felt like an ass.
“I…I’m sorry,” I mumbled. “That’s not what I—”
“It’s all right,” Issa said warmly. “The bracelet is safe with me. May I see your arms, please?”
My…arms? I looked at her in perplexity.
“Yes. Please just extend them toward me.”
I did what she asked, palms up, and she gently placed her fingers on my forearms. Although pale and creamy, her flesh was warm and her touch made my skin tingle. Starting just below the inside of my elbow, she began to trace her fingers along my flesh.
A searing white pain tore itself into me. A glowing bluish light trailed from the goddess’s fingers and ancient runes appeared on my skin, shimmering and golden, almost translucent. My flesh burned as she touched me, but I didn’t dare move away even though the tendrils of agony seared me to the bone.
Finally, she finished, placing her hands into her lap. I stared at my arms–now covered with shimmering runes, including my palms. Ancient symbols of dragon magick. My gaze met the dragon goddess’s once more.
“Sometimes we must face the things we are most afraid of,” said Issa quietly. “I chose you for the light. And your sister for the dark.”
“The magick…” I started, a lump forming in my throat.
“Yes. The magick of the bracelet…it is now inside you.”
I wanted to scream out in rage. Yet I couldn’t breathe, my insides in the process of being squeezed by one giant fist.
How could she? I didn’t want this. I didn’t ask to be chosen for anything. I just wanted to heal the stone, help my sister, and get the fuck out of here to live happily ever after with my dragons. Now she had infused the magick into my body, to make it a part of me.
Forever.
I could only stare at her, anger and grief threatening to consume my very soul.
“I must leave now,” she said, gently placing her hands upon my arm. “Oh, and please…don’t forget to take Dragonsbreath with you. My goodness!” She laughed, light and tinkling. “You tried to return it to me! You’ll need it for the sacrifice.”
“What is Dragonsbreath?” I asked, somehow managing to find my voice. Amelie’s hellish nightmare popped into my mind.
“Oh! I think you call it the dagger of Baldur. Mmm…Baldur! What a magnificent lover!” She gazed wistfully off into space. “Anyway, Dragonsbreath is the dagger’s true name.”
The bejeweled dagger. I glanced at it, still sitting where we’d left it for the offering. At one point I’d considered it beautiful, but now, a sinister feeling swept over me as I studied its intricately decorated hilt.
Issa squeezed my fingers and began to fade again. “Lyssa…the best of luck to you, my dear. I give you and your mates all my blessings. You’ve sown the seeds, and now it’s time to bear the fruit.”
“Wait!” I said, calling after her vanishing form. “What kind of sacrifice?”
But she was gone, leaving me with a heavy heart and a million unanswered questions.
22
Jackson
Our small motorboat sped into the island’s inlet and the sleepy town of Vis came into view. Multistoried gray stone houses. Red tile roofs. Church spires and a tall tower with sentry lookouts, all built hundreds of years ago, at least.
Lush green hills rose above the town. Boats of all sizes—from tiny fishing boats to huge, badass yachts—moored together in the harbor, close to a long row of waterfront shops and cafes.
And the water. Fuck. The clear, shimmering water all around us. I was half tempted to strip and dive right in, to feel the coolness of the aqua blue surround me.
How come I’d never heard of this place before?
Lyssa abandoned her seat by the boat’s stern, where she’d chosen to be by herself, to come sit next to me. Trey and Drake sat across from us, while Ethan was absent, having returned to Prague to pick up Amelie and Shay.
“You miss the ocean, don’t you?” Lyssa asked. She held her billowing hair away from her face.
She’d been quiet since we’d left Croatia’s port of Split on this motorboat. Hell, she hadn’t said much since we’d left Sedona to fly across the Atlantic.
“Yeah, I do,” I said, and automatically regretted it when her face fell. Nice job, my dragon chided, and I couldn’t agree more. Clearly, that was a dick move. “I meant—”
“It’s okay. I get it,” she said. “I’m sorry I’ve kept you away from it.”
“No, I—”
She shushed me with two fingers pressed up against my lips. She smiled, but I knew it was forced. I reached over to massage her shoulders, hoping that my touch would calm her. Hoping that I could make her understand that it didn’t matter.
Yeah, I missed the ocean. But the place I wanted to be was by her side. Fuck, if that meant paddling on a canoe in a river made of piss and surrounded by raging piranhas, I would do it.
She relaxed a little into my touch and relief shot through me. Sedona hadn’t been easy on her. The inability to conceive, and worrying about her sister, and now…having the light magick forced upon her…
Gods. I couldn’t even imagine how she must feel.
She tugged at the long sleeves of her white T-shirt, even though the hot summer sun beat down on us. I knew she wanted to cover up the tattoos on her arms. To hide any evidence that they existed, even from herself.
“This is the town of Vis,” announced our captain…er, rather, the guy who Trey had bartered with relentlessly to take us here in his boat so we wouldn’t have to endure the slow ferry. We pulled into the harbor, and within a few minutes we were docked and standing with our luggage on the sidewalk. Sort of like kids on the first day of school, trying to figure out where the heck we could find homeroom.
I glanced at Lyssa, and then at Drake and Trey. What now? We’d been sent here with no plans except to meet the golden dragon. Issa had said she would send word, but—that’s all we knew.
Were we searching for a golden he-dragon or she-dragon?
Then I saw her. A beautiful blonde woman, hair down to mid-back, leaning up against the hood of a parked black Hummer.
She began to walk toward us, hips swaying, her stride brisk and strong. She wore a black tank top, black jeans, and short black boots. A golden dragon tattoo swirled along the entire length of her ridiculously toned arm.
Damn. This chick was all business.
“I’m Ambra,” she said, even before she got within a few feet of us. Her amber eyes gave all of us the good old look-over. Not unfriendly by any means, but definitely no-nonsense. “You must be Lyssa. And these are your mates?”
We nodded, not even getting a chance to introduce ourselves before she turned to head toward the car. Okay. Guess she wanted us to get the fuck in the Hummer.
“You’re the…golden dragon?” Lyssa asked, hopping into the passenger seat while the rest of us piled into the back.
“Yep. That’s me,” said Ambra, flashing her a grin. “Bet you didn’t think I existed, right?”
Lyssa returned the smile. “No. Not at all. I thought you were just a legend. Like the dragon goddess.”
“Oh. My mom.” Ambra shrugged. “Yeah, she’s definitely around. Kind of nutty at times.”
“Mine too.” Lyssa shot her a knowing look.
I grinned, super stoked that Lyssa seemed to be making friends right away wit
h this golden dragoness. I guess kick-ass she-dragons thought alike.
Ambra navigated the car through light traffic in town, and then headed up into the hills on a narrow, curving road. We drove past vineyard after vineyard, a herd of roaming goats, and even a lone donkey. Churches and old stone homes peppered the landscape.
A tall peak loomed in the distance, near the other side of the island. Mount Hum.
Soon we approached a huge Mediterranean stone villa, built on a hilltop and surrounded by vineyards on each slope. I wasn’t surprised when we pulled into the drive—I couldn’t imagine the offspring of the dragon goddess to live in anything less decadent.
“Your house is absolutely amazing,” Lyssa told the golden dragoness.
“Oh, I don’t live here,” said Ambra, as she pulled the car in to park. “I live in town. This is my brother’s house.”
“Your…brother?” Lyssa asked.
“Yeah. My twin.”
23
Lyssa
Hold the fuck on.
Two golden dragons?
The second dragon in question stood barefoot in the doorway of his house, leaning casually against the frame in a fitted black T-shirt and dark jeans. Tousled blond shoulder-length hair, a short beard, and a strong hard jaw graced the features of his face.
And his body? Damn. Muscles in all the right places. Ripped like a freaking Greek god.
I glanced away while I grabbed my luggage from the back of the Hummer, trying hard not to drool upon myself.
Oh, goddess. Golden dragons were smoking hot.
And now there were two of them. I’d believed there was only one, based on what I’d read about the dragon goddess myth. A one-night fling with three guys—a dragon, a dragonborn, and a human—to produce a baby.
But…twins? In the cave, Issa had said offspring. Not just son or daughter. And as I glanced back at Mr. Hunky, and then at Ambra, I could see the resemblance between them. Golden hair. Amber eyes. Full, sensual lips.
Holy smokes. Yes. I really was looking at the real-life versions of the only two golden dragons on this planet.
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