Dragon Splendor (Immortal Dragons Book 3)

by Ophelia Bell

  “Can’t you give her a bit of magic to help?” Nicholas said over her sobs.

  “No, zhrihiva coro. In her case, the tears are healthy ones. She needs to accept her loss, and can only do so by letting every emotion flow through her until it’s spent.”

  Nicholas grumbled and slurped at his own tea. “And that’s different from our issues how?”

  “Because Calder isn’t dead, my love. He’s in denial, and it isn’t fair to either of us that he left us the way he did. Our grief is unnecessary. Hers is necessary and very healthy.”

  All the while she spoke, Aurum continued to rub Vrishti’s back. Soon, the pretty woman stood to refill her tea and Nicholas took her place, his large palm warm and gentle against her. He slid closer, turning to straddle the bench so he could more easily wrap his arms around her. No longer possessing the capacity to do anything but give in, she relinquished herself to his comfort, soaking it up like she were starved for it.

  Aurum returned, set the fresh cup of tea on the table, and sat facing Vrishti. She held out a dry towel, which Vrishti accepted with a nod of thanks, unable to get actual words out through the emotion that still held her voice hostage. She wiped her eyes and sat up straight, giving Nicholas a shy smile.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, directing the words to Aurum. She stood and moved around the other woman so she was no longer smack between the pair of them.

  “Never be sorry for what you feel,” Aurum said, and Vrishti was certain she caught a flicker of regret in the woman’s eyes as she darted a look at Nicholas. “You lost someone very dear to you recently. I take it this is the first time you have given yourself the chance to give into the sadness. You’ll feel better after today, I promise.”

  “Thank you,” Vrishti said. “It was nice to feel comforted. You two are good at it.”

  She caught Nicholas moving forward as if to close the gap between himself and Aurum. The woman’s eyes fluttered closed for a split second and she seemed to almost lean back into the space, but then she opened her eyes again, stood, and walked back to the stove again to fill her own cup.

  “You’re a bound cub, it seems,” Aurum said, directing her bright golden gaze at Vrishti. “That isn’t unusual among the ursa, especially children of the clan leaders who are often raised with humans.”

  “It isn’t?” Both Vrishti and Nicholas asked, equal notes of astonishment in their voices. Vrishti turned to stare at Nicholas. Why did he sound so surprised?

  Nicholas met her eyes and shrugged. “I grew up in a prison with a satyr for a teacher. You are the first ursa I’ve ever met since I was taken from my mother.”

  “Oh, wow,” Vrishti said, not quite sure what to do with that bit of information, particularly since it raised more questions than it answered. Turning back to Aurum, she asked, “So what does that mean, exactly? My dad didn’t tell me much—only that I had to get into the Sanctuary to understand my nature, but that I would be safe if I chose to live my life as a human instead. But I have to know who my mother is, and the only way to do that is to go in, right?”

  “Do you know your mother’s name?” Aurum asked.

  “Sathmika, is what my father told me. She’s one of the deities they worship here, or so I was led to believe my whole life. I suppose she isn’t really a goddess, though, if she’s my mom …”

  Aurum’s eyes widened.

  “Sathmika is one of the many names of Summer. If that is who your mother is, she is like me, and that would, indeed, make her a goddess in the eyes of the humans. But my kind long ago gave up the roles of deities. We long for simpler lives now, like humans lead. We only wish for love and family. The fact that we can live forever is a complication we’re still learning to overcome. It doesn’t help that we seem to be up against an enemy who grasps for eternity like it’s the most precious commodity. I don’t think they realize how overrated immortality really is.”

  Vrishti stared at the other woman, whose words only halfway made sense. Aurum’s eyes had gone glassy and were now locked onto Nicholas, drinking him in as though she might never see him again. If that wasn’t true love, she wasn’t sure what was.

  “It doesn’t matter to me who or what she is,” she said. She took a swallow of her tea to try to wash the fresh lump of emotion down. “She’s my mother, and if the life of an immortal really is what you say, she’ll want to see me, won’t she?”

  Aurum’s soft smile immediately calmed Vrishti. “Yes. If you were my daughter, I would be proud to know you.” Glancing at Nicholas, she added, “But the life of a clan leader’s child is often complicated, particularly for the daughters, but also for the sons. Being a Rainsong clan leader’s daughter is no small thing, but you’ll have to let your mother tell you what it means. The seasons play a big part in all four of the ursa clans’ laws.”

  “Windchasers too?” Nicholas asked. “Calder always talked about the clans, but I never linked them to the seasons that way. Windchasers are the Winter clan, right?” Seeing Vrishti’s confused look, he added, “My father was a Windchaser. When we get to the Sanctuary, I want to try to find his family.”

  “He isn’t with your mother?” Vrishti asked, but then held up a hand. “Never mind, it isn’t any of my business. I guess you’re a bound cub too if you’ve never known them.”

  “Actually … no,” Aurum said before Nicholas could answer. “Nicholas is very much a full-powered ursa male. He was taken from his mother by our enemy, the Ultiori. There isn’t enough time to explain the Ultiori, but suffice to say they captured his mother, killed his father, and kept him prisoner for his entire life.”

  “I’ve been free for about a month,” Nicholas said. “And now that it’s Midwinter, I can finally go home. And yes, I would love to take you with us. I’ve never performed the ritual to open the portal, but to invite others in, a Windchaser simply needs to know a bit of your origins. Will you tell me more about your father, and anything else you know of your mother?”

  Beaming at him, Vrishti nodded and began to speak.

  Chapter 19

  Aodh

  Aodh untangled himself from a mass of naked limbs and slid out from under the body of the sleeping acolyte he’d chosen to replenish with the night before. Gavra and Numa had taken the lion’s share of direct Nirvana from all seven humans, which was fine with him. Even though he knew it was better to accept the energy directly through sex, all he really needed was to be in contact with the human when they orgasmed—it didn’t matter who was doing the fucking.

  Which was lucky for him, because he hadn’t been in the mood for a fuck with any of the acolytes who had offered.

  The moment the curvy, beautiful Vrishti had burst through the curtain after their arrival, he’d been aware of nothing else. Her caramel-colored skin, deep brown eyes, and full, luscious body could have been pulled straight from his dreams. His body knew the moment he’d set eyes on her that she was the mysterious female he had yet to identify—one of the pair Fate had sent to his dreams over the last several centuries.

  He wasn’t even close to ready to deal with that knowledge, and based on her reaction to the offer of an orgy, she wasn’t ready, either. She was still a young ursa, even if her appearance was that of an adult female. The flickering colors of her aura disguised her as human, which meant her true nature was still bound by magic and she probably hadn’t even hit her first estrous. That air of innocence meant she must be a virgin, which was the only reason he didn’t chase her down when she left the room with Aurum and Nicholas.

  Nicholas knew better than to try to seduce her, of course, even if it wasn’t painfully obvious the poor kid had fallen in love with Aurum. Calder had been a good teacher to Nicholas, so he knew the risks of sex with an unmated female of his own kind. Vrishti, however, was an unknown variable. Aodh was sure that if she’d been experienced with sex, she would not have turned down the opportunity of a tangle with three dragons. Most ursa would jump at the chance for a romp without any risk of a pregnancy coming out of it—they were
governed by sex as much as the dragons were.

  Vrishti’s apparent purity just made him want her more.

  Shifting away from the pile of sleeping bodies, he conjured clothes for himself and stood in the predawn light, making his way through the bead curtain and down the hall in the direction he’d heard Vrishti going with Nicholas and Aurum hours earlier. Voices came from that direction, along with the delicious scent of his sister’s cooking that he could swear would raise the dead.

  He should avoid Vrishti, but a tiny voice urged him to seek her out, to just see her one more time in her state of innocence. As soon as she passed through that portal with them, the magic that bound her true nature would be stripped, and she would come into her power the way every ursa female did. It might not be immediate, but soon enough she would have her first estrous and would need male partners to service her through the ordeal. As much as he would love to witness her transformation, he very likely wouldn’t be around when that happened.

  Aodh couldn’t let himself indulge in her too early. He couldn’t commit to her yet—not until he’d followed through on his promise to Nikhil. Hopefully by the time he was finished with that, she would no longer be shy and inexperienced, and she would be ready to have him … and at least ready to entertain the offer he would make her then.

  Because she wasn’t the only mate he had dreamed of. The face of his old lover had never really left Aodh’s dreams after their ordeal with Meri. He and Neph had parted ways on terrible terms, the satyr refusing to apologize and insisting he’d never sanctioned Meri’s actions, that Aodh must have wanted the blood-melding to even consider going along with the abominable plan. Aodh had made the cut himself, after all, that had allowed Meri to taste his blood, but she’d never returned the favor.

  Aodh had heard enough of a lie in Neph’s voice to cast doubt on everything he’d said. As if it wasn’t bad enough being stripped of his body, his spirit left to drift around, unable to even occupy the empty shell that Meri had left behind—had he taken her blood too, his spirit could have at least been anchored that way.

  In spite of that argument, his love for Neph had never died, and in these new dreams Neph had appeared even more vivid, his touch as real as if he were present, and the female between them was one finally worthy of their trust and love.

  Returning to the Haven hadn’t been part of Aodh’s plan, though. In fact, he had planned to just bide his time to see if Neph would come to him, believing that he need do nothing—if Neph was truly his fated mate, events would align for them to be together however Fate saw fit. Now that they were certain Meri was behind the Ultiori, he’d hoped that would draw Neph out.

  Now that he had found his second fated mate and she was within his reach, he needed to be near her, even if he wouldn’t let himself know her yet.

  He slowly approached a doorway with warm light flooding out of it and the familiar scent of one of his sister’s epic breakfasts. His stomach growled, then somersaulted at the lilting sound of Vrishti’s voice and laughter, followed by a deeper laugh he knew to belong to Nicholas.

  A brief jolt of territorial rage burned in his chest. He clenched his teeth and buried it. The old instinct had no place in the modern world. The concept of “he who has the most pets wins” was ancient history for him and his siblings. They had done their duty in helping to create and perpetuate their race. They’d played their games with their kingdoms and established their own little pecking order. The population of dragons was growing again with this generation. Every new dragonling born was a testament to the efforts of the Dragon Council over the three thousand years since they’d instituted the hibernation cycles.

  Three thousand years—during which he’d believed he was done wanting a partner, that he could subsist on the periodic visits of the Catalyst to the Glade for physical pleasure.

  His desire for a mate had most certainly returned with a vengeance and settled itself in his soul with deep roots. It was so tangled up inside him that he couldn’t look at her when he finally found the power to walk through the door.

  If he looked at her, he would lose himself. He would take her back to whichever tiny bedroom in this place was hers and mark her, then carry her back to the Glade and stay. Let Neph come searching for him, after all … If the dreams were true, it would happen somehow.

  Keeping his gaze deliberately focused anywhere but on Vrishti herself, he directed a quick nod in Nicholas’s general direction as he passed. Once across the room at the stove, well out of earshot of Nicholas and Vrishti, he turned his attention to his sister.

  “Smells delicious. A full stomach won’t go amiss with the trip ahead of us.” Seeing his sister’s disheveled appearance, he said, “Did you sleep at all? You should take a moment to go top off and have a nap before we head to the portal. The humans are still willing …”

  “I’m more than flush, brother,” she said, affording him a dazzling smile that infused him with a giddy sensation more potent than seeing the sunrise. “Did you know that Vrishti is the true daughter of Summer? She’ll be both powerful and quite fertile for whichever pair of males she chooses in the Sanctuary.”

  “I’m sure she will,” he said, ignoring Aurum’s single raised eyebrow as she handed him a plate piled with food. Not quite sure where to go aside from the table where Vrishti sat with Nicholas, he instead opted to stand and shovel the food into himself right where he stood.

  Aurum lowered her voice so that only he could hear. “Don’t you think it’s fortuitous that we have met such a lovely ursa female before venturing into the Sanctuary? After hearing about your dreams and Gavra’s, it makes me wonder if she is the female Fate intended for one of you. Numa and I only dreamed of males. Wouldn’t it be delightful if she were your fated mate?”

  “I suppose it would, if it were true,” he said. “Better not chance getting attached to the wrong female, though. Right, sister?”

  Aurum’s sunny smile faded, the bright morning light in the room growing dim.

  That was unfair of him, but he wasn’t keen on having a conversation about the state of his mating life. Fate was clearly steering him to Neph, and though the logistics of actually getting Nikhil into the Haven escaped him at the moment, he intended to get that reunion over with before he even considered dragging Vrishti into things. No doubt he and Neph would have some issues to work through, first. After more than three thousand years apart, that would take some time.

  Aurum stared at him with lips pursed as though pondering how to deal with a rebellious child. “Our laws on taking multiple mates haven’t changed. Even if she isn’t the female from your dreams, perhaps it would be better if there were more females for you and Neph to share.”

  Aodh’s gaze shot up and he stopped chewing. Around his mouthful of food, he asked, “What do you mean?”

  She huffed at him and finished filling several serving dishes with flatbread, pancakes, and spiced potatoes, which she carried over to the table. Aodh resumed eating, but the food tasted like paste. She couldn’t know his secret, could she?

  When she returned to the stove, she said, “We all know you’ve pined for him all this time. I don’t know what happened with the two of you beyond your story of a female coming between you, but when you showed us your dream, it was clear to me the male in it was a satyr. You and Neph belong together—I think you always have. It’s just proof that some laws were meant to be broken … or changed. Do you think it means that the female who caused your rift is out of the picture now?”

  Aodh let out a long breath, focusing on his food again.

  “If he really is the one, it bears remembering that it only took one female to destroy our relationship. Vrishti is better off if she isn’t the one.”

  Aurum’s shoulders sagged and she sighed. Glancing at Nicholas, who seemed none the wiser about the content of their conversation, she said, “You’re right. As much as I wish Nicholas were the ursa from my dreams, I know better, and he’s better off for it too. He deserves better. Not a lover l
ike Calder, who would leave him, or a mate like me, who wishes Nicholas were someone different. Will you come with me into the Haven, now that you know Neph is one of yours?”

  “And make it easy for him?” Aodh said, laughing. “He kicked me out of the Haven after that issue with the female. As if what happened was my fault. If he really is the second mate Fate wishes for me to be with, he will come to me.”

  He concentrated on his plate, ashamed that he felt the need to obscure the truth from his sister. What he planned to do would reflect poorly enough on the dragons without making the rest of his siblings culpable.

  Giving Vrishti another look, Aurum shook her head. “I don’t know why you’re in such deep denial, but I hope you don’t let it go on for too long. Fate sent us those dreams for a reason. If we were meant to wait, they wouldn’t have come when they did. I have to believe that being with our mates is crucial to our success against our enemy. I just need to reach Calder and convince him of that.”

  Aodh studied his sister over the last dregs of food on his plate. He glanced away while he took the last couple bites. She had a point, and he really didn’t intend to wait. But she didn’t know the extent of his falling out with Neph, and he wasn’t prepared to share that shame with his siblings. Steering Nikhil toward the answers was the best way he knew to help find Meri, like aiming a weapon at a target. Keeping Vrishti as far away from that conflict as possible was ideal, for the time being.

  He handed his empty plate back to his sister and stole a look at Vrishti and Nicholas, who were in the midst of an animated conversation about ursa customs. The discussion had painted Vrishti’s cheeks a lovely shade of pink. Her arousal was potent and clear to Aodh from the bright flickering of her aura, but Nicholas seemed completely oblivious, which was some comfort.