20 Shades of Shifters_A Paranormal Romance Collection

by Demelza Carlton

  Once she and Nephthys had flown onto his back and settled down, it hadn’t taken them long to fall asleep. For all the moon dragon’s talk and display of energy during their flight to retrieve the bodies of the border guards, she was as spent as Isis. He didn’t know what the production of so many snakes and vultures had cost them physically, and neither would say unless asked. The fact that they slept, dead to the world, was a testament to their exhaustion and magic drain.

  He followed Aset through the cloud cover, white-and-blue, and into the human realm. Osiris skidded to a halt. So did the other dragons. Large scaly bodies of magic and might populated the sky. At least a hundred dragons, in a semicircle, waited a couple of hundred feet in front of the cloud cover.

  Osiris recognized them all. Bek and Lateef. DIG’s Board of Directors and employees. Makara and the Ombos Clan. Even Nour was there, as well as many others. In the center of the group, and coming toward him, was Nut’s blue-and-white dragon.

  He took no offense when the sky dragon didn’t acknowledge him and went straight to her daughters, who slept on. Slowly, the other dragons drew nearer, their gazes, like Nut’s, going to the sleeping twins.

  Osiris permitted them to see the twins in this one unguarded moment. Isis wouldn’t like it, but dragonkind needed to witness the faces of victory. Exhaustion, blood, and sacrifice. So he let them look their fill, proud of what they’d all accomplished on Nebty and the sun dragon who’d led them to victory. Isis was their queen, and she deserved their respect, trust, and loyalty.

  From the number of dragons who’d waited for them to return and the others he could see flying to join the gathering, Osiris knew she’d already earned all three. He didn’t know how they’d come to be there, but their presence filled Osiris with warmth.

  Dragons hadn’t come together like this since the day they fled Nebty, which wasn’t a good memory for any of them. But there, now, they gathered to not only find out the fate of Nebty but to thank the dragons who’d fought for the home they loved.

  “It’s wonderful to see you all healthy and here.” Nut raised her eyes from her daughters and took in Osiris and the Tyets. “Your safe return lightens my heart and brightens my spirit. I’ll take my daughters from you, Osiris. There’s someone here waiting for you.”

  Makara’s familiar rock dragon form hovered on the perimeter of the group. Everyone had returned except Set. His mother had to see that, which meant she also knew she’d lost another son. Damn Set. Nephthys had led Osiris to his brother and father. Seeing them, side-by-side, bloody and still, he’d found himself shedding tears.

  No matter what they’d done, his heart broke at the sight of them. They’d caused so much pain and loss, they deserved their death five times over. The truth of that, however, didn’t prevent the tears from falling or his heart from aching. Grief, he could see it in the eyes that met Makara’s across the crowd of dragons.

  Osiris shifted to make it easier for Nut to use her tail to move Nephthys then Isis to her back. They shifted in their sleep, once they were on their mother, but didn’t awaken. Neither did the Yumboe, who slept between the white feathers of one of Isis’s wings. Whether Isis could conceive or not, she would be a mother because the fairies had clearly adopted her.

  When Nut turned, the dragons parted, in much the same way Geb’s warriors had formed the tunnel. As Nut flew between the two rows of dragons, careful with her precious cargo, the dragons flapped their wings and filled the sky with their magic. Dragonkind’s version of a standing ovation and the twins slept through it.

  Isis slipped from under Osiris’s arm, off the bed and into the adjoining bedroom. She vaguely remembered him carrying her up the stairs of Philae Manor, removing her clothing and helping Isis take a shower before tucking her in bed, muttering something about Nephthys “not knowing what she was talking about.”

  She stood in Asim’s nursery, only now realizing Osiris had taken them into their marital bedroom. With him sleeping beside her, the way she’d missed when he’d died and the way she hoped he always would, the nightmares of that awful night hadn’t returned. Perhaps they never would, although Isis doubted if that would prove true. She and Osiris still had much healing to do, but sleeping in the same room where she’d been shot, without going off the deep end, was a good start.

  Isis didn’t want to wake the children, so she stayed quiet and didn’t turn on the light. Ever-thoughtful Osiris had plugged in the nightlight and kept the adjoining door ajar in case the fairies needed them. They were small, sweet, and unrepentant in their disobedience. Isis treasured each of them, not because they filled a void left by her baby dragon but because they reminded Isis to be her best possible self and that vulnerability didn’t make one weak.

  Unable to resist, Isis approached the crib where they slept on a pillow with a receiving blanket folded in half and tucked up to their chins. Olivebloom slept between his sisters, Rainblossom and Citrussong. When she returned to Nebty, Isis would travel to the Fairy Kingdom and speak with their aunt and uncle. Just because the children returned to her didn’t mean Isis had a right to keep them from their family. However, if the aunt and uncle approved, Isis would love to expand the Philae Clan with the addition of the Yumboes.

  Blowing them a kiss before leaving, Isis exited through the door that led to the hallway. A short distance later, Isis stood in front of her mother’s bedroom.

  She knocked, belatedly wondering about the time. She hadn’t looked at the clock when she’d climbed out of bed. All she knew for certain was that it was dark out and the house was quiet.

  Isis knocked again, softer and less sure about disturbing her mother in what could’ve been the middle of the night.

  “Come in.”

  Sleepy voice. She’d awoken Nut.

  “It’s fine, Mother. We can talk later. Sorry for waking you.”

  Isis turned to leave but stopped when she heard footsteps on the hardwood floor. Seconds later, the door opened. Nut stood on the other side of the threshold in an ankle-length black nightgown, her hair pulled back in a messy French braid.

  “My hatchling is finally awake.”

  Isis refrained from rolling her eyes. She was a hundred-years-old and far from a baby. A part of her, however, loved Nut’s mothering, including the way she spoiled Isis and Nephthys.

  Nut grabbed Isis’s wrist and pulled her into the room. Isis closed the door with her other hand, then allowed Nut to drag her to her bed where they sat. Nut propped her back against the headboard while Isis scooted to the center of the bed, sitting cross-legged and facing her mother.

  The lamp on the nightstand was on, and a book laid facedown beside Nut. She didn’t wake her mother after all.

  “It’s good to see you. You look well. I’ll call to thank Lateef and Bek in the morning.”

  Nut smiled, shook her head, and then laughed outright. “You have no idea what you’ve done, do you? Of course, you don’t,” she answered for Isis.

  “Who told you? Nep, Osiris, or the Tyets?”

  “Your sister was as tired as you were. After taking you upstairs and putting on a pair of pants, Osiris put Nep in her bedroom where Serqet got her undressed and under the covers after he left.”

  “What did the Tyets tell you?”

  “You mean how much of the truth they shared?”

  Yes, that’s what Isis wanted to know. She and Nephthys hadn’t decided how to tell Nut about Geb or whether they even should. She figured they would have to since Geb’s warriors were awake and well and had lived nine decades with Geb when Nut, and everyone else, thought them dead.

  “They didn’t tell me all they knew. They’re loyal, even in the face of my annoyance. They were also happier than I’ve seen them in a long time, which they also refused to explain. They hugged and thanked me for taking care of them. They’d said the same before, but this time felt different.”

  Isis nodded. Between the questions from the warriors and her questions to them, she and her friends hadn’t had an opportunity to s
peak about the return of their parents. She’d tried to convince them to stay on Nebty, so they could begin filling in the blanks of the last ninety years for their parents. They’d refused. Isis had been too fatigued to argue or even put real strength behind her command for them to stay with their parents. It hadn’t mattered, anyway. They knew her directive was less from Queen Isis and more from their friend who understood how much they’d missed their parents and wanted to reconnect.

  “A lot happened while we were away.”

  “So I gathered. You killed Sansabonsom.”

  “Yes.”

  “Found the gateway the demons used to enter this realm.”

  “Yes. Is that all they told you?”

  “Set was killed. They didn’t know how, which I believed. Makara is in mourning again, which I hate. Osiris spent time with her after getting you settled into bed. Tell me what your friends wouldn’t.”

  Worry tinged Nut’s request, which Isis didn’t like. The few times she’d seen her mother cry, the sight of the strong, self-assured sky dragon in tears had frightened Isis. So much so she’d pledged to never do anything that would cause her mother to cry or worry. An unreasonable goal, especially for a child, but she’d lived her life that way. Even now, as she joined Nut under the covers and against the headboard, Isis hesitated to reveal all.

  In the end, she told Nut every detail. Her mother had listened without interrupting, which wasn’t like her. When she’d finished, Nut cried. Isis’s stomach and throat had tightened, as did her arms around her mother.

  “I’m sorry we couldn’t save him. Nep and I would’ve if it were possible. I’m sorry, Mother. I’m sorry we couldn’t return your mate to you.”

  Isis handed Nut a box of tissues she’d retrieved from the nightstand. Plucking two tissues from the box, Nut wiped her eyes and face before giving Isis the box back. She returned the tissues to the nightstand, then hugged her mother again, whispering another apology in her ear.

  “I don’t blame you, Isis, or your sister. I never could.”

  “Don’t blame yourself either.”

  A laugh, full of regret and sorrow. “That may take some time. My mind knows I made the right decision when I destroyed the Gateway of the Two Ladies, but my heart will take longer to convince.”

  “Geb and Asim are together. Zaman showed me. They’re happy and at peace.”

  “That makes me feel better. Thank you.”

  A knock sounded at the door, and they both said, “Come in Nephthys.”

  Her twin entered the room and frowned at them. “Why wasn’t I invited to the slumber party?”

  Nut slid to her left and patted the space she’d vacated. Nephthys didn’t need more of an invitation than that. She bounded across the room and onto the bed.

  “Your eyes are red and puffy, which means Isis told you about Father.” Nephthys planted a wet, loud kiss on Nut’s cheek. “Our father was badass. I knew he had to be to run with you.”

  Nephthys’s brand of medicine worked every time. Nut’s smile reached her eyes.

  “Now, it’s been a century. Not that I want any details, mind you, but you need to get back in the game, Mother.”

  “Back in the game?”

  “Geesh, Nep, don’t go there.”

  “What? It’s true. A hundred years. Come on, sis, you and Osiris can barely go twelve hours without having sex. Speaking of which, why are you in here instead of working on giving Mother a grandchild and making me an aunt?”

  “She’s right. You should probably go back to your room.”

  “Wait, you’re putting me out?”

  “Don’t sound so offended. Think of it as me giving you permission to have sex with your mate.”

  “I don’t need your permission for that.” Isis slung the covers off her and jumped out of bed. “Fine. I’ll leave you with Nep.”

  Nut shrugged, and Nephthys grinned, one knowing what the other didn’t.

  “Now, back to you. I’m thinking cobwebs after a hundred-year drought.”

  “What in the hell are you talking about?”

  “About you getting back in the game. I just said that.” Nephthys plucked at Nut’s bed-mussed hair. “Current state aside, you’re beautiful, as a dragon and as a human. It’s past time you got back out there. Father wouldn’t want you spending the rest of your life alone.”

  Isis chuckled at Nut’s gasp. She finally understood what Nephthys meant by “back in the game.”

  “We’re not having this conversation.”

  “Of course, we are. We want a step-father. Don’t we, sis?”

  “Don’t you dare answer that.”

  “I won’t. I will, however, take you both up on your suggestion. Good night.”

  “Good night, sis.”

  “Isis, don’t you dare lea—”

  Isis escaped the bedroom before Nut finished her sentence and Nephthys mentioned cobwebs again.

  She smiled at the thought of making another baby with Osiris and hustled back to her bedroom.

  Osiris heard Isis enter the suite through the nursery. He listened for the telltale chatter of Yumboes, but nothing came, which meant his wife was just checking on the children before returning to bed. He’d awoken five minutes ago to find himself alone. With the demons no longer a threat, Osiris didn’t worry about Isis when she wasn’t in their bed. Her mother or sister, those were the only two people Isis would leave his side, at one in the morning, to go see.

  She’d slept for ten hours. Good.

  When Isis strolled through the adjoining door, Osiris grabbed her by her waist, swung her around and pressed her against the door, closing it with a soft click. She went to scream, but Osiris shushed her with a hard kiss.

  Mouth open on a denied yelp of surprise, Isis began to relax the longer he kissed her. Soothing her fright with his tongue and gentle hand at her back, Osiris softened the kiss and eased his lips against hers.

  “You scared me. I thought you were still asleep.”

  Apologetic lips glided to the pulse of her neck, sucking and tasting. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just couldn’t wait any longer to touch you like this.”

  “Mmm, less than ten steps and I would’ve been to our bed. Your mouth feels good. Do that again.”

  Osiris felt Isis shiver, his mouth going to her neck again and laving the sensitive spot at the juncture of her collarbone. He wore nothing, while he’d dressed Isis in a red satin floor-length nightgown. Lips lowered to the V-neckline with lace and flowery embroidery and kissed the smooth, brown skin there.

  “Warm and delicious. You’re going to stay right here while I get my fill of tasting you.”

  “You can taste me all you want, my love. But tasting won’t get us a hatchling.” A moan escaped him, her hand finding his erection and stroking. “But this will. You’re so hard already. I want you.”

  There had never been anything coy about Isis Philae, neither in the boardroom nor the bedroom. Osiris appreciated that about her.

  Raising his head from her cleavage, Isis kissed him. Not hard and impatient the way he’d kissed her. She luxuriated in the embrace, arousing him with tender bites and sweet licks. Hands moved to his bare ass, gripped and pulled him to her. Isis moaned into his mouth at the contact, spread her thighs so he could slip a leg between hers and then ground her sex against his firm leg. Which had him groaning at the wetness he could feel through her nightgown.

  They stayed like that, kissing and fondling, the closed door at Isis’s back and Osiris’s hot, hungry body at her front. He could pick her up and take her to the bed, and he would. But not until they finished what he started.

  Osiris dropped to his knees. Even with only a dim light on in the corner of the room, he could see Isis smiling down at him. Her hand went to his head, playing with his short hair, then a thumb to his cheek, rubbing back and forth.

  “Tell me.”

  “After I take care of you.”

  She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the door, her fin
ger still stroking his face with tenderness.

  The first time they were intimate, Isis had asked him if he loved her. The question had shocked him, not because she’d asked but by how much he had indeed loved the sun dragon. “Tell me,” she’d said. Isis hadn’t needed more than those two words for him to understand what she wanted to know.

  “I love you,” he said now, the same as he had then. Yet the way he felt about Isis all those years ago didn’t compare to the depth of love he had for her now. Neither were they the same rock and sun dragons. They’d matured, laughed, hurt, and survived. Now they needed to learn how to move beyond enduring and coping to living and thriving.

  “I love you more.”

  A memory of her saying the same to him had Osiris grinning, then sliding his hands under her nightgown and up her tantalizing legs to her panties. Eyes still on Isis, he lowered the silky material, helping her step out of them when they reached her ankles.

  Not bothering to ask Isis to hold her nightgown up and out of his way, Osiris stuck his head underneath and allowed the soft garment to fall over head, shoulders, and down his back.

  Nudging her center with his nose, he inhaled her aroused scent. Sweat and red wine. The combination always left him salivating for the full-body intensity of her flavor.

  A lick, long, flat, and right down her center.

  Another. Deeper and slower.

  “Mmmm, yes.”

  More tasting, over and over.

  Twisting to sit on his bottom, Osiris positioned himself between Isis’s parted thighs, his face under her sex. He licked her again, the angle of his oral exploration much better. He licked and licked, drawing moans and curses and more wetness.

  Tip of tongue teased clit, stimulating it in hard, persistent circles then sucking with gentle force.

  Isis’s moans competed against the sound of his tongue lapping at her folds and him slurping down her fruity merlot with ravenous obsession.