“No, with her… Never mind,” Red said with a grin. “What did you need?”
Aegis paced. “I have a few questions. About sexual intercourse.”
Red’s jaw dropped as he pushed himself up to a sitting position, keeping his blanket around his waist. He was tanned, muscled like all dragons, and Aegis hoped he kept the blanket in place, because he wasn’t looking to see more of him.
“Sexual intercourse?” Red put his head in his hands, and his dark-red hair fell over them. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“No,” Aegis said. “I need help winning my mate.”
“Didn’t your parents give you the sex talk?”
“My parents sold me into slavery,” Aegis said flatly.
“Oh shit. That sucks,” Red said. “Um, well, I can try. Come sit down.”
“I’d rather stand,” Aegis said haughtily.
“Can you just take that chair?” Red asked. “I promise nothing sexy has taken place there. Yet.”
Aegis raised an eyebrow. “Yet?”
Red let out a husky laugh. “Oh, Aegis. You’re such a badass that I never would have guessed you’re such a prude.”
“There is only one woman for me,” Aegis retorted. “There was no need for experience without her.”
Red grew solemn. “I can respect that.” He rubbed his hands together. “Okay, what do you want to know?”
“I kissed her,” Aegis said. He narrowed his eyes. “I better be able to count on your silence.”
Red nodded, putting his hands up. “I promise. No secret telling here.”
Aegis nodded. “We kissed. It really… got her going. And I didn’t know where to go from there.”
“Well, her breasts would be a good start.”
Aegis pulled out a notepad he’d been keeping in his pocket for recipes or other tips. “Breasts. Right. What to do with them.”
“Whatever she likes,” Red said.
Aegis tried to ignore the deep-red flush moving up his face. He was beginning to think this had been a mistake. “How will I know?”
“You’ll know,” Red said with a grin.
“Please refrain from grinning while discussing my mate,” Aegis said.
“Sorry.” Red sobered. “What else do you want to know?”
“Tricks of the trade,” Aegis said. “Ways to convince her she can’t live without me.”
“Well, the bedroom isn’t really the way to do that,” Red said. “You win a woman over outside the bedroom. You keep her happy inside it.”
Aegis nodded, scribbling on his pad. “Got it. Wait, outside the bedroom? That’s obscene.”
“I just mean the better the relationship, the better the sex. The relationship is the more important part to a woman. Sex is only good if she loves you and knows you love her.”
“She is aware of my feelings,” Aegis said snottily. “Perhaps that is why the kiss felt so good.”
Red wrinkled his nose. “Um. Right. Anyway. Here, give me your pad, and I’ll write some things down for you. You’re going to need some details.”
He took the pad from Aegis, and he found himself impressed with how easily the other man would help him.
He couldn’t help interrupting Red. “I caused problems for you and the other dragons. Why are you helping me?”
Red looked up, having already filled a full page with tips and diagrams. “Everyone makes mistakes. But I guess the main thing is you helped me with my mate. Anything you did before that was forgiven when you helped my friends rescue me. Why did you do that anyway?”
Aegis didn’t even have to think about that one. “I know what it’s like to want only one woman and think all others are disgusting. I know what it’s like to have her taken away from you. I didn’t want anyone else to feel that.”
“Compassion, huh?” Red said. “And people say you’re a villain.”
“I am when I want to be,” he said. “I’m selfish and vain and not above using my powers for my own whims and leaving others in the dust if it suits me.”
“But you also were willing to sacrifice for me.”
“I knew the others would be there to rescue you. Plus, I have a particular dislike of capturing dragons and treating them like slaves. Part of why I didn’t ally with this side when I was awakened. I didn’t want a collar. Now look where that’s gotten me.”
“You chose that for Opal,” Red said, still writing on the notepad.
“I did,” Aegis said.
“She must be special,” Red said. “Though, I didn’t really know her.”
“Knew of her,” Aegis said.
“Who didn’t?” Red asked. “You two were epic.” He finished writing, closed the notebook, and handed it back to Aegis. “That should give you what you need.”
“I’m sorry I called you a slut,” Aegis said.
“I was before I met Faye.” Red shrugged. “I just went with what people wanted from me. Now I know I’m worth more.”
Aegis nodded. “I’m glad you found her.” He winced. “Don’t tell the other dragons that. I can’t afford to lose all of my edge.”
Red laughed. “All right, buddy, I won’t.”
Aegis opened his mouth to correct Red. He wasn’t his buddy. But Opal wanted him to make friends, so he didn’t say anything about it.
Still, the dragons here were making a mistake if they thought he was just going to stay with them and be a happy family.
He would play nice and win Opal, and he wouldn’t go out of his way to bother anyone. But in the end, he trusted only himself and Opal.
He didn’t need any other “family.”
“Oh, and, Aegis, about the outside the bedroom stuff. If I were you, I’d go see Citrine.”
Aegis frowned but knew Red was right. “Fine.”
“So you want my help winning Opal over?” Citrine asked, brushing back his long, dark hair and looking confused and a little irritated.
Citrine’s eyes were an interesting mix of orange and yellow, sort of like spring sunshine and daffodils. Or sparkling champagne. But right now, they just made Aegis feel off kilter.
“Yes,” he said. “You do seem to be the expert on it.”
“Why should I help you?” Citrine asked, standing sternly and looking down at him. They were both tall, but serene, usually calm Citrine had a way of making Aegis feel small when he glared at him like that.
Something Aegis both hated and respected.
“Because you like Opal,” Aegis said.
“What if I want her for myself?” Citrine snapped.
“I don’t think you do, Cit,” Aegis said.
Citrine cocked his head. “What?”
“Cit. A nickname. Time you had one,” Aegis said.
“I’m fine as I am. Citrine is my stone. The color of the sun. The power of light.”
“Blah, blah, blah, Cit is your new name,” Aegis said, watching Citrine ruffle and frown at him. “And you’re going to help me with Opal.”
Citrine sat on the bench and finally broke into a grin. “You are interesting. Very well,” he said with a sigh. “I will help you.”
He patted the bench next to him, and Aegis raised an eyebrow. “Um, I wasn’t thinking of being that kind of friends.”
“Then sit on the ground,” Citrine snapped, back to his testy self. “See if I care.”
“I think you do care, Cit,” Aegis said with a grin, sitting. He did like this other dragon. Liked all the reactions he made. Liked the way he didn’t take Aegis’s shit like most shifters did.
Or run away from him either.
“So you want to know how to please her,” Citrine said. “I have thought about it, and I think the slow and steady way is not right. She acts very distant, but I think in the bedroom, she actually likes it—”
“Whoa!” Aegis shook his head violently. “No. No, not like that. I went to Ruby for that. Ugh, no. Just… no. Don’t think about her like that.”
“Just as well,” Citrine said. “I would be no good at that kind of advice. So what di
d you want me to help you with, then?”
“More like the kind of stuff you do.”
Citrine arched a slender eyebrow. “You tried to do the stuff I do and it nearly killed you. You are still supposed to be in bed, if I’m correct.”
“Right. Yeah,” Aegis said. “But I’m fine. I mean more like… the romance stuff. The pre-bedroom stuff.”
“Ah, courting,” Citrine said. “Yes, I suppose that stuff does come like second nature to me. But that’s also just how I prefer to spend time with someone. Enjoying nature. Enjoying good food. Opal is my friend, and we are both new to the mansion, so I was just looking for someone to share that with. I didn’t realize she saw that as courting.”
Aegis gritted his teeth and tried not to let himself get angry. Getting possessive and weird right now was the opposite of what Opal wanted. She knew he could protect her. She wanted to know he wouldn’t drive everyone out of her life.
He exhaled slowly, relaxing his hands. “All right. But say you were trying to be romantic. How would you plan a dinner?”
Citrine looked around him, out at the grounds, and his lips turned up at the corners. “I think I have an idea. But it’s going to take the evening to get ready. We’re going to need help.”
Aegis scowled. He wanted to do everything for Opal on his own, once everyone told him how to do it.
“Tell you what. I’ll get Faye to take the mates upstairs for girl time, and the males will help us get ready for the dinner. I think everyone will enjoy this.”
“Everyone?”
Citrine’s expression tightened. “You want to win over Opal, right? You want her to want you, to see you have changed, correct?”
Aegis nodded.
“Then the best way to do that would be to understand she wants to have friends. And help her find a way to spend time with everyone. To show her you can belong.”
Aegis nodded slowly, comprehension dawning. Citrine might be typically calm and serene, but he shouldn’t be underestimated just because his favorite activity was wandering around the garden, talking to plants.
The dude was smart.
“All right,” he said. “Show me what we need to do to get started.”
Chapter 10
Opal was confused as the girls removed her after lunch and ushered her upstairs.
Faye was the instigator, looking extra impish with her wild blond curls and blue eyes as she kept an arm through Opal’s, making it impossible to escape. But the others were in on it.
They were headed to Hallie’s room, because she was on bed rest, and once they were all settled on comfy couches around her bed, and Opal had gotten over the shock of it, a smile crossed her face.
“What are we doing again?” she asked, looking around.
Lana, Dominic’s mate, a sassy woman with dark eyes and hair, grinned. “Girls’ day. Erin’s going to do our hair, too.”
Erin had her own auburn hair back in a bun and was bending over a large case, laying out tools.
“Oh, really?” Hallie asked, looking pale but alert as she joined in. She pushed herself up slightly, her enormous pregnant belly clearly uncomfortable.
She looked like any pregnant woman might when she was close to her due date. But more tired.
She forced a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’d love an updo. Something to make Sapphire smile.”
“It’s going to be fine,” Lana said staunchly, putting a hand over Hallie’s. She’d become a fierce protector of Hallie while staying there with her mate Dominic, and the two had bonded.
Lana could be a difficult person to get to know, but once she was on your side, she was the most loyal friend you could hope for.
“How are things going with Aegis?” Lana asked, as Bridget entered the room and sat on a couch with Faye. The two were both blond but couldn’t have been more different. Faye’s hair was light and wildly curly, her blue eyes bright, her freckles prominent. Bridget, Diamond’s mate, had dark-blond hair and moss-green eyes and a quiet manner that lent more toward listening than speaking.
But when she did speak, it was meaningful.
Faye, on the other hand, was a firecracker who liked to babble. “I just thought this was a good time for a girls’ day, what with Aegis laid up and the men relaxing.”
“What do the two have to do with each other?” Opal asked.
“Um,” Faye stuttered, looking lost. “I don’t know.”
“I do,” Bridget said, ever the blunt one. She pushed her straight hair over her shoulder. “Aegis makes everyone a little nervous. Even if he has been doing better.”
“I think he’s interesting,” Lana said. “And Dom seems to have high hopes for him. More than the other dragons I think. Not many people were nice to Dom, and he seems to like Aegis because at one time, he was. Or at least he wasn’t mean like others.”
“How could anyone be mean to Dom?” Hallie asked, shaking her head. “What a sweetheart.”
“I was mean to him,” Lana muttered.
“I think he’s pretty happy now,” Bridget said. “And I think you made it just hard enough.”
Lana flushed but stayed quiet. Then she looked over at Opal. “I guess that’s why I can’t give any advice on Aegis. I would just tell you to be easier on him, but I know from experience how hard that is.”
“Yeah,” Opal said. “I appreciate the empathy, though.”
“Sure,” Lana said. “And I’m here anytime to talk.”
“We all are,” Faye quipped, sitting up, eyes twinkling. “In fact, we’re all here right now. And Hallie has a ton of hair, so while Erin is doing it, we should all hear about how things are going with Aegis.”
Opal’s mouth tightened. “Um, not much to tell.”
Erin looked over, disappointed, holding bobby pins in her mouth. “I don’t believe that,” she said, talking around them. “Come on, we’ve all seen how that man looks at you.”
“Dragon,” Bridget said.
“Right,” Erin said, winding Hallie’s long, dark hair up over her head and pinning the first part of it in place. She stood back to get a look at it and nodded. “Okay. Deets.”
“Deets?” Opal asked.
“Details, now,” Erin said, turning back to Hallie’s hair once again.
Opal sighed, letting a grin creep onto her face. “Well, maybe we did kiss.”
“Oh, I knew some Florence Nightingale shit would be going on up there while you were ‘taking care’ of him,” Lana said, eyes sparkling.
Faye laughed. “So he seduced you while you thought he was helpless?”
“I think it was more me telling him he’d never made a move. You know, I’d been asking him about that when he passed out from the cookies, and I guess it was still on his mind when he woke up.”
“And how was it?” Bridget asked, looking dreamy.
Opal felt her face flame. “It was good.”
“Looks more than just good,” Faye said.
“You would know,” Hallie said. “Aren’t you with the sex dragon?”
Faye flushed to the roots of her curly hair. “Hey! We’re talking about her, not me.”
“Well, one of these days you are going to have to tell us what that man of yours does in the bedroom.”
“It’s indescribable,” Faye said with a sniff. “Though, she might be figuring it out, because I hear Aegis went to ask Red about it.”
“What?” Opal asked.
“Oops,” Faye said, clapping a hand over her mouth. “I wasn’t supposed to say anything about it.”
Opal didn’t think she could go any redder if someone had a paintbrush dipped in crimson. “Oh. Well. I guess I’ll find out.”
“He does it the right way,” Bridget said. “Research. I think that’s smart.”
“It’s super embarrassing is what it is,” Opal muttered.
“You told him you wanted more from him. So far, you’ve seen how far he’ll go to do what you ask of him. Pretty impressive if you ask me,” Erin said.
; “Weren’t you kidnapped by him?” Opal asked.
“That was Hallie,” Erin said.
Opal looked at Hallie. “I’m still really sorry about that, by the way.”
Hallie shook her head weakly. “I’m not. It was a big part of how Sapphire and I got together. I wasn’t hurt, and his rescue was super romantic.”
“I hear he’s a beast in a fight,” Faye said.
Hallie nodded. “You wouldn’t know it because he’s so sweet and calm all the time, but he can cause absolute havoc.” Love shone in her eyes. Then sadness. “But lately, he’s so worried, and I don’t know how to reassure him. Whatever happens, I’m sure he can heal me.”
The other women were quiet but nodded. Everyone was worried; there was no way around it. But no one wanted to voice concerns, as if that would make them more real.
“Anyway, I’m sure you’re up for a great night tonight with Aegis,” Hallie said.
Then Faye snapped her gaze to her, and Hallie shut her mouth, but Opal was already suspicious.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing,” Faye said. “She just meant whenever you do meet up with Aegis, you’re in for a good time. Probably.”
“She said tonight,” Opal said.
“Oh, look,” Erin said. “I’m done with Hallie’s hair.” It was done in a gorgeous knot that piled all that glorious, dark length on her head. “Your turn.”
Opal scowled as she was pushed into a chair, knowing this was just an excuse to change the subject. But as Lana came over and asked if she could do her nails and started looking through colors, Opal let herself relax.
She would take her own advice and trust these people. She’d never had friends like this, and this was a good place to start.
She put her hand in Lana’s and leaned back in the chair for Erin to do her hair. “So,” she said eagerly. “Tell me more about how you all met your mates.”
The girls were happy to oblige.
Aegis felt nervous as he waited out by the table for the other girls to bring Opal down.
Zach had loaned him a tux, and he was trying hard not to fidget at the way the tight clothing made him feel even more claustrophobic.
But he didn’t want the work he and the other dragons had put in over the past couple hours to go to waste.
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