All That Shimmers

by N. J. Nielsen

  “He’s fey. They all have that ability.”

  “Then why didn’t you? Vance told me I helped heal Jory the same as I healed you. Does that mean you’re part-fey, like Vance said that you were?” Eric asked Tagh.

  “Not exactly as you’re thinking, but we have the same healing power as the fey, because originally my kind were created from all the species. Draconian Warriors form strong bonds with their mates. The whole ‘til-death-do-they-part thing can be very literal to my kind,” Tagh answered.

  Jory broke the silence that came after Tagh’s last statement, “Then I guess none of us better die.”

  “You took the words right out of my mouth,” Eric agreed. The thought of any or all of them dying wasn’t acceptable. Eric didn’t want to think about his mates being hurt in any way. Once they got Jory back into good health, they were going to have to work on staying safe.

  “As long as we’re together, we’ll be okay,” Tagh stated.

  Eric studied Tagh. “I’m worried about all the things we don’t know about being a warrior. I hate it when surprises get chucked at me. I don’t deal well with surprises.”

  “Lara, Simon and Remi are already on it. I think everyone is tired of shit popping up that we know nothing about. Lara wants to know as much as possible before we rescue any more. She doesn’t want a hunt to be called down on my kind again, like in the past.”

  “I knew there was a reason I liked the princess.” Eric relaxed, knowing people were on the job. “How long do you think it’ll take to track down other zoos?”

  Tagh shrugged. “We have to figure out where they are first. It’s hard when we don’t know how they’re linked or where to start looking.”

  “There’s a room in the human government council building. The number thirty-seven is on the door, and so is some weird symbol in the shape of an elaborate maze in a circle with extra swirls around the outside,” Jory suddenly said.

  “How do you know this?” Tagh asked. “Can you draw it? Do you know how to get back there?”

  Eric reached for Jory when his mate started trembling. “Tagh, that’s enough.”

  Jory swallowed audibly before he spoke, “One of the people who bought me used to take me with him to run errands. I swear the room is really there. I can try to draw it, but I’ve only been there a couple of times and we went a different way each time.”

  “We believe you.” Eric smiled at their mate.

  “Yes, we do, and I think you have saved us days of useless searching. If you’ll both excuse me for a minute, I’ll go call the guild and tell them.”

  Jory looked terrified. “I won’t get into trouble, will I? Henry always said I’d be killed if I told the others of our adventures. He wasn’t supposed to take me from our designated room.”

  “Why did he?” Eric asked.

  “Henry wasn’t as bad as all the others. He never did anything with me. He used to hire me and treat me like a real person. He’d feed me and let me bathe. He just liked to talk to me.” A shudder ran through Jory. “I don’t want Henry to get into trouble. His dad would kill him if he found out that Henry took me out.”

  “Who is Henry?” Tagh asked as soon as he finished his call.

  Another shudder ran through Jory. “Henry Bane. His dad, Gideon, is the boss. Gideon set up the very first zoo and showed other people how to do the same thing. He also gets a cut of everything the other institutions…zoos make. But Henry isn’t like his dad at all.”

  “Crap, it’s like Adrian all over again,” Eric spat.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Being free felt weird. As much as he had always wanted his freedom, Jory remained a little wary of all the people around him. He’d been there for two weeks now and his so-called mates hadn’t even tried to claim him. They were always nice and attentive and often came to him smelling of sex, and the sad part was he didn’t think they were ever going to include him. Hell, he’d spent the last three days bunking with Silla and Aileen and his mates hadn’t even worried about him.

  “Are you feeling okay?”

  Jory looked up at the healer and nodded. He was currently waiting for his second weekly checkup since leaving the infirmary.

  “I hope your mates are treating you well?”

  He knew Vance and Silla were mates, and they were taking it slowly, but at least he spent time with Silla and had stopped pushing her away. He smiled then answered. “I know Silla has told you that I’m sharing a room with her and Aileen. I have no clue how my mates are.”

  “Have you tried talking to them and telling them what’s going on inside your head?”

  Jory rolled his eyes. “I would if I thought they even cared about me at all. I’ve been gone for three days and they haven’t even come looking for me. They have sex all the time and I’m never included. They don’t want me.”

  “Is that what you think?”

  Jory jumped when he heard Tagh speaking. Shit! Eric stood beside Tagh. Tagh looked so sad, and Jory felt guilty for obviously hurting the man. He didn’t answer Tagh, but nodded, telling him yes that was exactly what he thought.

  “We thought you needed time. You were a sex slave, for fuck’s sake. We didn’t want to seem like we were forcing you to be with us. The choice had to be yours,” Eric explained.

  Well, now, didn’t that just make Jory feel like a piece of shit? Maybe he’d gone about this all wrong.

  Eric continued, “I’ve been having to hold Tagh back from coming and stealing you away to our bedroom. He’s been a bloody grumpy bastard since you decided to sleep elsewhere. But if you’re staying away and feeling sorry for yourself, then I say, have at him, big guy.”

  “What…?” Jory felt shocked when Tagh crossed the room, picked him up and started walking back through the house toward their room, “What are you doing?”

  “Shh. The time for talking is over. It’s time for Eric and me to have our way with you. You belong to us. No one else gets to share your bed anymore.”

  Jory found himself being tossed onto their bed. He whimpered, but in a good way. Every time he tried to help remove his clothes, Eric pushed his hands out of the way. The man was on a mission and Jory couldn’t have been happier. His whole body trembled at the look on his mates’ faces once he stood there completely naked. His cock stood up in anticipation of what they were about to do. He knew he had a large cock for a man his size.

  “This is going to feel so good pounding inside my ass. I can hardly wait.” Eric licked his lips before he swooped and sucked Jory in to the root, releasing him moments later. “You taste so fucking good. Tagh, I need some lube. I’ll stretch him while you do me. I need to be fucking as soon as possible.”

  No sooner had he stopped speaking than he began sucking Jory off once more.

  “You two look so hot,” Tagh grumbled as he retrieved the lube and coated Eric’s fingers. Seconds later, Eric was teasing Jory’s hole with his fingertips. As Eric pushed inside him, Jory almost came—it felt that good. At least with him being used to sex, it didn’t take long for his mate to get him ready. Jory became mesmerized by their reflections in the mirrors on the ceiling. If watching Eric go down on him was erotic, seeing Tagh tongue-fucking Eric’s ass made him horny as hell.

  Even sexier was watching Eric manhandling both him and Tagh because he needed to get fucked. Jory willingly let himself be yanked to the edge of the bed. Tagh squeezed and tugged on Jory’s balls for a few moments before he lined up and slid in, not stopping until he was fully seated.

  “Hold his cock, Tagh. I want to ride our baby. I wanna feel him filling me up. He’s so big I’m gonna be feeling him for days.”

  Jory had never been with anyone who took it upon themselves to give him so much pleasure. Usually, they only cared about getting their own rocks off. “Why all the mirrors?” he gasped as Eric sank down onto him.

  “There’s something you should know. Tagh really gets off on watching our reflections while we fuck.”

  “You’re a genius. I love the mirrors.�
�� He smiled up at Tagh, who gazed at him over Eric’s shoulder. “I need you inside me, Tagh.” He sighed in pleasure when Tagh did exactly that.

  Eric closed his eyes and cried out. Sweat glistened over his whole body and couldn’t imagine anything more gorgeous. Desire crashed through Jory as Eric bounced on his cock, babbling the whole time. Jory loved Eric’s sex talk. The man didn’t seem to have any filter once he had a cock shoved up his ass. Right now, he kept promising Jory and Tagh his first-born child if they’d make him come.

  Tagh took him at his word and yanked Eric back against his chest. He pinched Eric’s nipples. Jory did his part by wrapping a hand around Eric’s cock and stroking him in time to each thrust Tagh made into his ass. He winked up at Tagh and it apparently meant ‘fuck me harder’. Tagh pounded into him and he found it so fucking erotic.

  Eric lost it first, his ass clenching around Jory. The man looked so damn beautiful as his body arched and ropes of cum landed on Jory’s upper body. Heat and electricity ghosted over his flesh, spiraling until he couldn’t stand it anymore, and all the while Tagh continued to pound into him. Jory screamed as he spilled into Eric’s ass. Shock filled him when it came Tagh’s turn to come—he couldn’t believe that it went on and on. The heat wrapped around his prostate, dragging another orgasm from his body.

  “That’s so fucking hot.” Tagh moved them all into the center of the bed. He pulled both Jory and Eric into his arms. “You belong in our bed. I don’t want you anywhere else.”

  “I’m sorry.” And he was. If he had only talked to his mates instead of hiding, he could have been having hot and raunchy sex. He chuckled when Eric cupped his groin and squeezed.

  “This is a thing of beauty, and I’m so glad it’s all ours,” Eric mumbled sleepily.

  “If he keeps that up, he’ll have me coming again.” Even as he spoke, he thrust up into Eric’s touch.

  Tagh tapped him on the hip. “Roll over and Eric will slide inside you. I want to see both my mates coming again.”

  He didn’t need to be told twice. Rolling onto his side, he saw himself in yet another mirror. The way they were lying from shortest to tallest made him able to see each of their faces. His body readily accepted Eric’s cock. He felt just as good as Tagh had. Lying there, Jory let Tagh set the pace. This time they took it slow, and Eric’s face showed how much the man relished being in the middle. The best part was that he still hadn’t stopped fondling Jory’s cock and balls.

  Jory swore their heartbeats were in sync, the same as their breathing. He could feel both Tagh and Eric inside him and it felt right. His gaze locked in the mirror with Tagh’s.

  “Whenever you need us, we’ll be here for you. Whether it’s for comfort, making love or a good hard fuck from one or both of us. You belong here with us. We’ve bonded sexually and soon you will wed us both. There are going to be some changes. Like Eric, you will more than likely gain some facial markings of your own. It comes with being mated to a warrior.”

  “I’ll wear them with pride,” Jory answered.

  His answer seemed to be the catalyst. This time, Tagh lost it first, followed closely by Eric, then him. He loved the way Eric sighed in contentment and snuggled in as if he was never letting go, and Jory couldn’t have agreed more.

  Life was perfect.

  * * * *

  Life is so perfect. While his lovers slept, Jory found himself wide awake. He slipped carefully from the bed, trying not to disturb his mates in the process. After getting dressed, he made his way through the house to the kitchen to find something to eat. He pulled up short when he saw someone sitting at the kitchen table, staring into his coffee cup, seeming in deep thought. Jory had to wonder how he’d never met him before. It could have been because Jory had spent the majority of his time hiding out not only from Eric and Tagh but from everyone else who resided here as well. He knew he’d have to try harder to remedy the situation. The time had come for him to open up and let others in. Jory inwardly smiled. He’d start right now with this stranger. Maybe the two of them would end up becoming friends.

  “Is it okay if I make myself something to eat?” Jory asked. When the guy only nodded, Jory made a detour to the table and sat down. He stared at the dark-haired man for a moment. His hair had a slight curl, and if it were grown long, Jory assumed the hair would spiral. His pale blue eyes were mesmerizing, as if the man could see inside of Jory. Yet Jory detected such sadness in them as well. “I know we don’t know each other. But if you need to talk I’ve been told that I’m a great listener.”

  The guy looked up at him briefly before dropping his gaze back to his cup. “Have you ever wanted someone who you don’t have a hope in hell of being with?”

  “I’ve never actually been in love. Until I met my mates, I didn’t really know kindness of any kind. Are you sure this person can’t ever return your feelings?” Jory asked, hoping he was helping the man and not giving bad advice.

  The man snapped his head back and stared at Jory. “Fuck! You can’t tell Eric I said anything.”

  “Are you in love with Eric? If so, I should tell you he already has two mates, and Tagh and I don’t share,” Jory explained calmly. He didn’t want to jump to conclusions. Holding out his hand, he went on, “My name is Jory.”

  “I’m Gabriel. Most people call me Gabe. Actually, most people don’t trust me. I might have had a problem trying to kill my charges a couple of hundred times, but we get along better now—I swear.”

  “So, are you in love with Eric?” Jory asked again, seeing as Gabe hadn’t answered.

  Gabriel shook his head. “No. I’m not in love with Eric, but he knows the person I have feelings for. If Eric found out, it would soon become awkward. The truth is, even though I have feelings for this person half the time, the other half I want to thump the ever-living shit out of them. Right now, it’s all kind of confusing and mixed up inside my head.”

  “I’m sure it will all work out in the end. Maybe you have to bide your time and see how this person feels toward you. They might surprise you.” Jory wished he could help more, but without actually knowing either of the people involved, it might be too hard to do.

  Again, Gabe shook his head. “The person doesn’t trust me at all. They think I’m an idiot who can’t do anything right. I’m pretty sure they hate my guts.”

  Jory watched as Gabe got to his feet. He didn’t think he’d helped at all.

  “I’ll see you later, and please don’t mention to Eric anything we talked about.” Gabe turned and left the room.

  Jory got up to make something to eat when he felt a presence behind him. His heart raced until he saw Tagh. “I suppose you heard all of that. I wish I could have helped him more.”

  “Gabe is a very complex, yet fragile man. If I have any advice at all, it’s to keep his confidence. Especially from Eric. Our mate may try and butt in where his help isn’t needed.” Tagh hugged him tightly. “I woke up and you weren’t in our bed, and I didn’t like it.”

  Jory chuckled as his stomach rumbled. “I’m sorry, but I woke up starving.”

  “Don’t let it happen again. I worry when I don’t know where my mates are.”

  “It won’t happen again, I promise.” Jory grinned like a madman when Tagh pulled him into his arms and sighed with contentment. Jory realized he’d finally found a home.

  Epilogue

  The days rolled by and after Tagh’s second wedding to his mates, the tremors that had been constantly inside him had quelled. Both Eric and Jory were major players in his life. They understood that some days he left on council business and they would be home by themselves, but they were only a phone call away if he needed them.

  Today, he was in a meeting with Lara and Simon. It had come to the guild’s attention that some people from their world didn’t want the Draconian Warriors to rise to a position of power again. These same people wanted the warriors culled before things got out of hand.

  “If you think I’m going to allow any of my people to be murdered, you
have another think coming. Tell these idiots, if they want a war, then that’s what I’ll give them.”

  Lara clapped at his speech. “I told you Tagh would be put out by the suggestion.” She focused on Tagh. “Sweetie, lose the red. You have this whole creepy vibe going on. We need to talk about the rest of these zoos.”

  Tagh concentrated on calming himself and slowly returned to normal. “Are we any closer to finding any more of them?”

  “Yeah. Eland has had people out searching and we think we might have three potential sites. We’ll need to organize simultaneous hits so they don’t have time to warn one another.” She sighed and Tagh realized how tired Lara had been looking of late. “Adrian here has been checking on the building society accounts to see if we can trace them back to the original owners. We’ve had Gideon Bane under surveillance to see where he leads us. His son came and gave us the lead to the zoo where we found Jory. Apparently, he and your Jory are friends.”

  Tagh already knew that. Jory had told both him and Eric what he felt comfortable sharing for now. The rest would come in time. “Where’s Henry now? Jory would like to know his friend’s okay.”

  “He is for now. His father had the crap beaten out of him when that guard Rico told him that Henry had been visiting Jory.” She grinned. “Oh, how the tables have turned. They are all in their own glass cages now. Because of their crimes against all beings not fully human, we’ve moved them to a secure facility, and I can guarantee they’ll never see the light of day again.”

  Tagh wanted to get the meeting back to why they were there. “When do you plan on taking out the next three zoos? And do we have somewhere to take the captives once they are freed? Because I can tell you now, our house is filled to the point of bursting.”

  “Simon has graciously offered us the use of his home estate. He has plenty of space. I think that we should keep the warriors we come across there, so no one takes it upon themselves to start killing people they don’t even know, just because they’re scared.” Lara sounded furious and Tagh couldn’t blame her.