by Erin Bedford
“Hey, you asked,” Aeis giggled, placing a hand over her mouth as a blush spread across her cheeks. After a moment she sobered, her voice becoming serious. “In all honesty, you should be happy you are attracted to your suitor. It took weeks before I felt anything for mine.”
Her admission made my laughter die. Confusion bellowed inside of me as I realized I had been so absorbed with my own problems, I hadn’t even thought about what Aeis was going through. Hell, I hadn’t even seen her mate at all since I’d gotten here.
“Aeis,” I started slowly, “what happened? I mean, no one has even mentioned him at all.”
A guarded expression came over Aeis’s face, and I suddenly wished I hadn’t asked.
“Gale,” she sighed and rubbed a hand over her face, “he was a good man, a good dragon, but when we found out I couldn’t have children, it became too much for him.”
“And father just let him leave?” I scoffed in disbelief. “I hardly believe that.”
“What was he supposed to do?” Aeis shrugged with a sad smile, “No one could blame Gale. Our numbers are becoming lower each and every day. If he had a chance to produce a child with someone else, it was in his right to do so.”
“But,” my mouth dropped open slightly, not accepting what she was saying, “I know most of us aren’t monogamous, but he could have at least stayed around.”
“Would you want to?” She shot me a look.
I sighed and shook my head, “No, I guess not. But that doesn’t mean it was right.”
“Anyways,” Aeis grabbed my bag and tossed it to me, “enough about my sappy story. This is your time. You have two more than worthy males to choose from, one you already know you could mate with. What are you going to do?”
Chewing on my bottom lip, I contemplated her words. What was I going to do? Raiden and I had so much chemistry, it would be easy to just announce him as my mate and get it over with.
Yet, I didn’t belong here anymore, not really. I’d made a whole life back on Earth and leaving it all behind for something which my father clearly didn’t want me to be a part of before wasn’t right. So, my only chance to leave would be to drag this out as long as possible. Then when the time was right, I could find someone to open a portal back to Earth, and I would be back where I belonged.
“I’m going to see this through,” I told Aeis. Part of me hated lying to her, but she had been through too much already. Telling her I didn’t plan on staying would be cruel. Besides, I didn’t know if I could handle another goodbye.
“And you are going to wear that?” She nodded her head toward the outfit I had chosen. Tight breeches that easily tucked into my boots and a loosely fitted tan short-sleeved shirt.
“What else would I wear?” I arched a brow. The options hadn’t been the best pickings. It seemed more like my wardrobe was meant for a mistress. Then again, I was supposed to be seducing a mate.
“You could have picked something a bit more feminine.” She smoothed the edge of my collar and brushed my hair behind my ear. “I mean, this is practical, but not really what I had in mind.”
I shrugged away from her, tossing the handle of my bag over my shoulder. “Well, I’m not changing. So they’ll just have to fall for me like this. Or not at all.”
“I suppose you’re right. From the way they’ve both been looking at you, I’m pretty sure I could dress you in a parka, but that’s hardly the point.” Aeis sighed as we made our way out of my bedroom and down the corridor.
“It isn’t?” I asked, but I didn’t hear her response because with each step closer to the meeting spot I took, the more nervous I became. Raiden would be there. Would he say anything about what we did? Oh god, how was I supposed to act around him? Did he expect me to treat him differently now?
Then Jack’s face came to mind. His beautiful stoic face made my palms sweat. Would he know what I did? Should I tell him? I didn’t exactly understand the process of this whole situation. Especially, since I wasn’t going to pick Raiden right away.
Double crap.
My feet felt heavy as we approached the waiting group at the back of the palace, and my eyes locked on Raiden’s almond orbs. He licked his lips in a slow a sensual movement that made my mouth dry. My thighs pressed together in remembrance of where his tongue had been just hours before.
Heat rushed across my face and through my chest. I jerked my eyes away from his and found myself staring at a pair of icy cold ones. All the color in my face evaporated as I took in Jack’s expression. I didn’t need to wonder if he knew something had happened between Raiden and me. The knowledge was all over his face and stance.
Thankfully, my father saved me from having to explain myself. “Now that we are all here, you can be on your way.”
I turned my attention away from Jack trying to ignore the guilt in my belly and instead attempted to focus on the road before us. Only there was no carriage. In fact, there was no mode of transport whatsoever. That wasn’t right. How did they expect us to get there?
Jack and Raiden didn’t seem bothered by the lack of carriage, but as I turned to them, I realized why. They shifted their stance, and their backs began to shimmer.
Damn him. I shot a glare at my father but got distracted by the sight of Jack’s and Raiden’s wings appearing.
Thin and long, Jack’s wings were the color of freshly fallen snow and scattered with snowflakes. My fingers ached to touch them. I took an unconscious step toward him, one hand reaching toward his wings as a desperate need filled me.
I stopped, taking a deep breath and shutting my eyes as I turned away to get ahold of myself. Only when I opened them, it was almost worse.
Raiden’s wings crackled and shifted like lightning, making them seem both unpredictable and dangerous at the same time.
They were nearly the most magnificent things I’d ever seen, rivaled only by Jack’s. As my gaze flitted between the pair of them, I tried not to cry.
“What is it?” Raiden asked as he and Jack turned to me. “Have you changed your mind?”
“No,” I half laughed and looked down briefly, embarrassed at the whole situation. “It’s not that.”
“Then please spit it out so we can be on our way,” Jack snapped, affirming once more what I already knew. He was pissed.
Locking eyes with Jack, I focused on my rage. If I didn’t, I’d never get through this. “My father seems to have forgotten an important detail about our trip. One that I’m afraid will cause our journey to be a bit more complicated.”
Everyone’s attention went to my father who had the audacity to look surprised. “I apologize, Maya, I thought you were over your little fear of heights. Apparently, I was wrong.” He huffed.
“You’re afraid of heights?” Raiden questioned me with an astonished expression. I knew exactly what he was thinking. How could a dragon be afraid of heights? But it wasn’t heights I was afraid of, though, it was what everyone had settled on being the reason behind my lack of wings.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I scowled. “It’s not that. I don’t have my wings yet.”
The group quieted, and I didn’t dare look at their faces. My sister and mother probably were trying not to look at me with pity. My father no doubt was gloating at having made me look the fool. Jack and Raiden were probably trying to find some excuse to get out of this whole thing because who really wanted to mate with a dragon who couldn’t fly.
“Am I understanding this correctly?” Jack asked all the coolness in his voice gone. “You are well over the normal age, and you have not achieved your wings?”
“No, I haven’t,” I snapped, my eyes flickering up to his briefly before looking away, the understanding in them was too much for me to handle. “They never came in no matter how hard I tried. I trained and trained until I was the fastest and strongest of my class but still… nothing.” I didn’t bother to hide the bitterness in my voice.
When no one said anything, I knew it was over. They would leave which in hindsight was what I wante
d, right? I could go back to Earth and father could find someone else to be his heir.
My eyes burned with angry tears. The Western Lord was cruel when he wanted to be, and it seemed like I had royally pissed him off. I turned away from the group not wanting them to see me cry but a hand stopped me from walking away.
Glancing down at my shoulder, I was surprised to find the large, pale hand of Jack. My gaze followed up his arm and until they settled on a pair of eyes full of understanding and patience. A stray tear leaked out of my eyes, and I tried to turn away before they could turn to disgust, but Jack wouldn’t let me.
His hand cupped the side of my face, his palm cool against my hot skin. Jack stroked his thumb across my face, wiping away my tears, and for the first time since we had met, he smiled. If I’d thought he was handsome before, it didn’t hold a candle to now. When he smiled, his face had a truly ethereal quality. One that made me feel almost unworthy to be in his presence.
“We are not as different as you might think,” he took a deep, bracing breath, “I, too, did not receive my wings until well after my peers.”
“What did you do?” The question came out small and wavering.
“Nothing actually,” he replied simply causing my face to fall. “Because I found out the only thing stopping them was me. I was so worried about not gaining my wings, so afraid of bringing dishonor to my family, I couldn’t reach that next peak of power.”
“So, you’re saying I’m the reason I can’t fly?” I cocked a brow, feeling even more confused and hopeless than before.
“Yes.” He nodded, offering me another blinding smile. “Once you find what is stopping you, you will find your wings.” Jack leaned forward as if to tell me a secret. “And trust me, those who take the longest to blossom are the ones who shine the brightest.”
My eyes went to his intricate wings. They were spectacular, and if that was what I had to look forward to, I could probably wait a bit longer to get mine.
“Well, that’s all good and well, but that does not help us now,” my father growled in distaste, “we’ll have to call a carriage which will add two days to the trip. Putting us off schedule.”
I could have beaten my father just then. The moment he opened his mouth and started spouting out his negative crap, Jack dropped his hand from my face and stepped away. His back straightened and the beautiful smile on his face smoothed into his usual pensive expression.
I opened my mouth to say something but stopped myself. We’d had a moment there, but it was gone. I didn’t know him well enough to call him out on the mask he was determined to keep up. If it had been Ryan or Bianca, I’d tell them to cut the crap, but with dragons, pride played a big part in our personalities. If I pointed it out in front of everyone, he’d never forgive me.
Isn’t that what you want? A part of me asked. To make them not want you so you can go home?
I thought I did, but the more I got to know these men, the more I wanted to find out more. I’d just have to play by the rules until I could figure out what it was I really wanted and hopefully with my heart fully in one piece.
7
Raiden and Jack both offered to carry me to the Southern Region, but I promptly refused not wanting to be humiliated even further. While they had both been lovely in regards to my lack of wings, I was still sensitive about it. Though, had I known the carriage ride would be this awkward, I might have sucked it up.
“Are you comfortable, Maya?” Jack asked in the seat next to Raiden.
“I’m fine,” I muttered for the millionth time since we had headed out.
They had both agreed I should have one side all to myself while they shared the other. I didn’t have the heart to argue but seeing the two large men squished next to each other almost made me feel bad. Almost.
“It will be dark soon,” Raiden commented, his eyes out the window. Raiden hadn’t said much since we’d left, his attention on the passing scenery the whole time. I wasn’t sure what this change of mood meant, but whatever the reason, I couldn’t find the energy to care.
“We should find somewhere to camp for the night,” Jack replied, waving a hand outside of the window to signal the driver. “I smell water up ahead, be prepared to stop.” He hollered out to the driver and then turned his attention to me. “Would this be all right with you?”
The fact that he even bothered to ask me earned him brownie points. If it had been my father or really most males in his position, they wouldn’t have bothered to see what I wanted to do. Too full of themselves to think their decision might not be the right one. It was good to know Jack had a good head on his shoulders.
“I’m sure that’s fine,” I muttered, glancing out the window. The forest covering most of the western lands had thinned out over the course of our journey, revealing the large mountains surrounding the Southern region. As I inhaled, the faint scent of mineral-filled water touched my senses. What do you know, Jack was right. There was water.
The carriage jerked to a halt, throwing me from my seat and into Raiden’s lap. Clutching his shirt, I peeked up at him sheepishly. “Uh, sorry about that.”
Placing his hands on my shoulders, Raiden’s lips curled up in the first grin since the journey had started, “Haven’t I told you before, you can fall onto me anytime.”
As I tried to scramble from Raiden’s lap, Jack snorted and leapt out of the carriage. I moved to follow, but before I could get far, Raiden grabbed my waist and lifted me into his lap. Eyes wide, my hands automatically went to his chest to push him off.
“What are you doing?” I sharply whispered, my eyes searching out the carriage window for Jack and the driver. Unfortunately, while the driver seemed oblivious to what we were doing, Jack seemed to be rather pointedly ignoring us.
Raiden’s hand settled on my inner thigh, jerking my attention back to him with a gasp. “I’m reminding you of what I can give you.”
Licking my lips, I gathered my strength and pushed his hand away before jumping out of his lap. “Believe me,” I gave him a sharp look, “I haven’t forgotten, but this isn’t the right time or place for a refresher.”
Climbing out of the carriage before he could reply, I hurried over to where Jack and the driver were discussing where to set up the tents.
“Nice of you to join us,” Jack said, barely glancing at me before fixing his eyes on Raiden. “Do you have any preference on where we put the tents?”
“Um… not really,” I said, swallowing hard as Jack turned his attention back to me. I could feel Raiden’s gaze on my back, and though part of me wanted to look back at him, I resisted.
“What about you?” Jack asked as Raiden sidled over.
“Oh, you know me. Always up for anything.” Raiden’s hand gently caressed my bare arm as he turned to look at Jack.
“Well, that’s helpful.” Jack snorted before turning to the driver. “I guess we’ll just leave them here.” He nodded to Raiden and me. “Can you two set the pegs for this one while we lay out the others?”
“Okay,” I said, glad he included me. Normally, male dragons would have told me to wait idly by.
“Your wish is my command,” Raiden said, a silly grin flashing across his face as Jack and the driver moved off to unroll the next tent.
Ignoring them, I grabbed a handful of pegs and a hammer before heading to the corner. Only, when I bent over to set the pegs, Raiden pressed his front against my backside.
“Here let me get that,” he said as he ground his hardness between the crease of my pants.
A tiny yelp of surprise escaped me, and as the hammer slipped from my grip, my hand shot out to keep me from falling face first onto the ground. Only instead of catching myself in time, Raiden caught me. His strong arm wrapped around my waist, easily holding me steady.
“Not cool,” I snapped, wriggling out of Raiden’s grip as I straightened. “I’m going to find some firewood.” I shoved the pegs in my other hand against his bare chest. “You can finish here.”
I practically r
an away from the campsite before he could stop me. My feet kept moving until I was well into the woods. I glanced around, and when I didn’t see any of them, I fell against the base of a tree with a heavy sigh. These men would be the death of me. At this rate, I didn’t see any scenario where I didn’t end up with my legs behind my ears before the trip was over. Which I supposed was the whole point of the quest.
“I thought you were getting firewood?” Raiden’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. He stood above me, one hand on the tree trunk as he smirked down at me. His positioning put me right at the line of his pants, and the evidence of his arousal was still going strong.
Swallowing thickly, I turned so I could backpedal away from him and his tempting scent. “I was just taking a break.”
“But you haven’t even started yet,” he teased, following after me like a wolf would stalk his prey.
“Weren’t you supposed to help with the tents?” I found my feet and started toward the sound of water, not really thinking about finding firewood anymore.
“Perhaps, but what would your father think if something were to happen to you? No, I thought it best if I help you.” With every step I took, Raiden was right there behind me, not quite next to me but trailing a bit behind as if worried I’d take off at any moment. Which to be honest, I wanted to.
“Fine.” I broke the clearing of the woods and saw a waterfall pouring into a large pond. Water, yes, I needed something to cool down this heat I couldn’t get rid of.
As Raiden left the forest, he said something I didn’t catch.
“What?” I turned back toward him right as my foot slid in a patch of mud. My feet went out from under me, and I landed flat on my back. Breath rushed from my lungs as I lay there dazed.
“Are you okay?” Raiden rushing over to me.
“I’m fine, just… look I don’t need to explain myself!” I snapped, waving him off as I got to my feet.