Silence descended between them. Finally, when she was sure Jenna had passed out from shock, she cracked one eye open. “Aren’t you going to say anything?” she asked once both eyes were peering down at her, and she found herself with a totally stunned Jenna. Well, she wasn’t alone since Lula was still in a state of shock herself.
“Well, that sure as shit wasn’t what I saw coming.” Jenna held up her hand. “However, I think it’s just what you need. I mean, one man err, bear wouldn’t do for you and your dragon. Kinda like me. We are so awesome. We need more than one to—”
Lula slapped her hand over Jenna’s mouth. “Do not even say it. My mother could be near.” She whipped her head around them, opening her senses. “How do I tell her?”
Jenna’s body shook even more, making Lula’s eyes narrow further. “Are you laughing at me?” Lula asked.
A mumble came from the Fey Queen, but Lula had her fingers firmly over her mouth, preventing the words from escaping. “If I remove my hand, you promise no more talk of…that?”
At Jenna’s vigorous nod, Lula pulled away. “Your mother will be happy for you, Lula, and besides, I’m pretty sure she knows about the bowchicawowow between men and women. Hello, you’re here,” Jenna pointed out.
Lula sat up, a heavy sigh escaping. “You don’t understand. My mother didn’t exactly want to have me, or rather, my birth wasn’t the same as yours. I think she expected me to stay chaste for my entire life. Dragons only mate with other dragons, but with me not knowing any other dragons and not ever going to a realm where they dragons reside, I sort of assumed I’d be alone, forever. Sex and mating don’t have to be one and the same, but don’t tell my mother that. Not that I went out and banged an entire football team or anything crazy, but I was curious. I will admit, though, I don’t get the whole sweaty, panting, oh yeah baby, stuff. That was when I decided I’d be the auntie to all those little nuggets the wolfies and you seem so good at having. You know, the cool one everyone loves who sneaks them off to...do cool shit you stuck-up parents say no to.”
“I am not going to ask you why you gave it up because TMI. So, my real question is this. Is that why you’ve been giving a part of yourself to all those in need?” Jenna dropped her query like a boulder into the clearing.
Lula wrapped her arms around her legs, heart banging against her chest. “What did it matter if I wasn’t whole if I never was to mate?”
“Well, fuck. That’s not who I thought would be our mate,” Abyle whispered staring toward his twin brother, wondering if he too felt poleaxed.
Atika punched a hole in the wall. “What the hell do you mean?”
Abyle stared at the space where Lula had stood. “She’s not a bear.” What the hell did his brother think he meant? The two of them were bears. Huge-ass grizzly bears. They were among the largest predators on Earth. When he’d thought of his future mate, he’d pictured another bear. She didn’t have to be a grizzly; a little black bear would’ve been fine.
Shauny, their younger sister, turned to face them. “What is she? I couldn’t sense what exactly her animal was, but she seemed—off.”
Joni swiveled her head toward at Atlas, waiting for him to explain.
“Lula’s not from Earth, boys. I think it’s best you forget about her and hunt for your mate or mates elsewhere.”
Both he and his brother turned toward Atlas, their alpha and little brother, lifting their lips in a snarl.
“Would you have left Joni alone and found another?” Atika asked in a quiet voice.
Through their twin connection, he could feel what the other man had already decided, which was good, because even if his heart and mind were at war, his bear already claimed the tiny female. A damn magical being was their mate for bear’s sake.
Atlas shook his head, pulling Joni against his chest. “Not a chance, brothers.”
Abyle shook him off, staring at the damage. “You said she’s not from this Earth. What do you mean?” It didn’t matter who, what, or where the female was from, she was theirs. His bear snarled inside him, agreeing, wanting to go after her. Only her scent had disappeared, as if she’d not only left their property, but the whole damn state. Fucking-A, they not only had a truemate who was more powerful than the two of them, but one who could transfer from one place to another, within the blink of an eye. It would make for some interesting fights. His bear did a happy sigh inside his head, the crazy bastard.
“You boys might want to sit down for this,” Atlas began.
Their brother had only recently found his own mate and claimed his rightful place as alpha to their clan, taking White Bear Clan from their crazy mother and her machinations. Of course, none of them saw his mate being a little wolf from South Dakota named Joni, but she was perfect for Atlas. She’d been through hell and back, needing a savior as much as Atlas needed an anchor. Shit, his brother was a thing of fables, a white bear, and not a damn polar bear, but a fucking white grizzly literally twice as big as he and Atika, yet he was wise beyond his years. The title of Alpha settled on his shoulders like a second skin. Some of the clan had thought he and his twin would’ve been better to run them, but fuck that shit. They made much better enforcers. Kick ass and let somebody else take names, someone like Atlas and his dire bear.
Atika came to stand next to Abyle. “Atlas, we’re your older brothers. We may have fucked up all those years ago when we didn’t stand up to our father, but you need listen very closely to what I’m about to say. Dire bear or no, that female is ours. Our mate. Try to keep us from her, and we’ll go to war.” Atika thumped his chest with his right fist to punctuate his words.
Their brother was the last known white bear who was a dire bear, larger than three bear shifters put together. What he didn’t know was Abyle and Atika were more than they appeared as well. They came from the same father, who was also a white bear, gifting them a little something they didn’t announce to the clan, knowing anything that was deemed different tended to send fear throughout the clan. Different meant many things in a clan. Mostly it set you apart, made you not one of them. Their father had been an abusive bastard who took great pleasure in using his alpha status to abuse whomever he chose to, mostly his sons and wife.
When Atlas was just seven years old, their bastard of a father and their mother took him on a fishing trip where they took turns beating him, and then tried to drown the small boy. But his dire bear emerged, shredding their father, ripping him apart even though poor Atlas had been beaten and eviscerated by the older man. Neither Abyle nor Atika felt any sorrow for the loss as they, too, had been beaten their entire lives. Never knowing what horrors, he faced, they thought Atlas had been the loved child, always getting to go on outings. Their mother had been too high, her drug abuse constant in their lives, to do anything to stop the abuse. She made up a story of how her husband had died, keeping her hold as alpha bitch until one of her sons took the clan.
“Are you threatening me, Abyle?” Atlas asked, his bear making his voice deeper.
“Atlas, you need to calm down. Your brothers are only doing what any male, who just found their mate yet lost her in the same breath would do.” Joni tried to soothe Atlas.
“I’m aware, love, but I don’t like their tone,” Atlas growled.
Joni snorted. “Look who’s talking about tone, bossy bear. Come on, I think we all need to take a break and just breathe. A lot has happened in a very short time. Now, to answer your question from earlier”—Joni paused, inhaling deeply before continuing—"Lula is a dragon, boys. Not like a dragon in a jokey jokey way, but an actual, fire breathing dragon. I mean, she’s a huge, pink scaled, fire-breathing one from the Fey realm. Does that clarify what she is?”
Abyle knew his mouth was hanging open but wasn’t sure he’d heard Joni correctly. He pulled up an image of Lula and her gorgeous pink hair and her wonderful cotton candy scent, and felt his body harden. “A dragon?” he whispered.
“How big are we talking?” Atika asked, his ass falling onto the first surface he
found behind him. Luckily for him, it was the couch.
Joni bit her lip, gaze darting between Abyle and Atika. “I don’t really know, but bigger than a five-story building I think.”
“Fuck,” Abyle swore.
“She could be bigger, or smaller.” Joni held up her hands.
“Not helping, Joni.” Atlas wrapped his arms around Joni, his bear clearly ready to defend his mate.
“I think we need to go,” Abyle muttered, eyeing his twin. His brows were drawn in a frown, the same confusion on his face mirroring back at him.
“Yeah, let’s go home. It’s not as if she’s left us anything else to do anyhow. I mean, how the fuck do two bears mate with a five-story dragon, who left without even a see you around, to goddess knows where?” Atika snarled, getting to his feet. He walked out the door, a loud roar shaking the timber moments later.
Abyle followed, his bear roaring out his own frustration, claws bursting from his fingertips, the iron tips reflecting the moon above. He marked the trees with the huge claws, raking down the trunks as he raced after his twin, their dual markings letting any other predators know not to come any farther, their claim on the land one they wouldn’t relinquish, not even to the brother who was now the alpha.
Chapter Two
Jenna ran her hand down her face, sighing out a deep breath. Dang it all, how did things go from hunky dory, to shitnshynoma in a moments time? She watched her best friend Lula pace back and forth, thinking how confused the young dragon must be, her mind whirling at the implications of her mating. Belle was going to have a hissy fit of dragon proportions, yet she would also be happy…surely.
“I need to go somewhere. Please don’t tell anyone I was here. Promise?” Lula blinked back at her.
She took a deep breath wondering how she could agree to such a thing without actually having to follow through with it. “I promise I won’t tell a soul.”
“Thank you. I knew I could count on you. I’ll figure this out, or confine myself to a convent or something,” she muttered.
Before Jenna could pull Lula in for a bone-cracking hug, Lula disappeared. “Well, fuck a duck. How do I work around that promise?” She bit her lip. Concentrating on where Belle was in the Fey Realm. She brushed off her ass even though there wasn’t anything on it, another reminder she wasn’t on Earth, then flashed to the kitchen where her oldest friend was. Goddess be damned she was totally screwed, because she was going to break a promise, or find a work-around.
The sight that met her eyes comforted her, reminding her that things do go on. A reminder even the damaged can be repaired and thrive, becoming more than they’d ever thought possible.
“Jennaveve, what brings you here?” Belle asked, standing at the stove stirring a pot. The aroma made Jenna’s stomach growl, like it always did whenever Belle was cooking. The dragon female sure knew how to make the most delicious things.
She smiled, loving the ease with which her little family appeared to be getting along. “I came to see how all of you were doing. Hi, Egypt, how are you?” Jenna smoothed her palm over the young human girl’s head. She’d been brought to the Fey Realm to heal with her mother, after she’d been abused. She studied her mother ,Asia, seeing a healthy happy human mama, smiling back at her. Both females were healing and getting stronger every day.
“She’s doing much better, aren’t you, sweetie?” Asia asked from the table where she was chopping up vegetables for a salad. Egypt nodded. Her mouth full of food as she smiled, showing the impish child she truly was.
The entire scene was so natural, almost like a normal home on Earth would appear. Jenna’s eyes burned as tears threatened, but she blinked them away. “Belle, can I have a moment?”
Belle tapped the spoon along the edge of the huge bowl before turning toward Jenna, her large eyes knowing stared back toward Jenna, as if she already knew what she had to tell her. “Absolutely. Asia, can you keep an eye on the stew for me?”
Asia got up from the table, smoothing her long skirt down. Her healthy glow making Jenna’s heart turn over. Both mother and child were doing amazing thanks in large part to Belle and Lula. She sent a mental image of them to Jozlyn, letting her know they were healing. The little mate to Turo, her wolfie friend of the Iron Wolves, was always wanting an update on the two females. One day Jenna hoped Asia and Egypt would be ready to return to Earth. Until then, they could stay within the space on Fey she’d given them, with Belle watching over her charges.
Outside, the beautiful suns stood overhead like dual sentinels daring anyone to try to dim their shine. She knew when Belle came out to join her, the dragon’s scent, very similar to Lula’s hitting her like a familiar elixir. “It’s so beautiful here.” Jenna took a deep breath, opening her arms wide and letting the warmth infuse her.
“Yes, it is,” Belle agreed.
“Nothing on Earth can compare to here, but it too, is beautiful, in a different way.” Jenna peered over her shoulder toward Belle.
“I don’t think you came here to talk about the weather, Jennaveve.” Belle moved in front, her taller frame blocking Jenna’s view.
Jenna lifted one brow. “You always were one to cut to the chase. So, have you talked to Lula?”
Belle sighed, turning away from Jenna. “Jenna, you’re the Fey Queen even if you’re mated and spend most of your time on Earth now. Why do you not come here more often and return to Earth without missing any time? You know you can manipulate time down there, so why don’t you do that so you can be here and there often?”
She shook her head. It made sense, but at the same time, she worried it would mess up how things flowed if she did it too often. Instead she kept her visits short and few. “I’ve already told you my reasonings. Now, back to my question?”
Belle’s eyes narrowed. “Do you know how much I can’t stand it when you ask me questions, like you’re leading me to where you want me to go, instead of just saying what you need to say? I’m assuming you’ve made a promise you intend to keep, but you’re hoping I figure out what it is you promised not to say. Is that right?”
Jenna let a small smile tilt her lips but didn’t say a word, knowing her friend wouldn’t appreciate it. “Would you prefer I continue talking about the weather? So, how do you feel about…bears?”
Belle growled, her arms becoming covered with the pink scales of her dragon. “Why do you ask?”
Jenna shrugged. “I’m just making convo. You know, bears are very cuddly,” she remarked.
“My daughter is the offspring of two lines of royalty. Did you know that?” Belle’s words dropped into the quiet of the day.
At Belle’s words, Jenna fell onto her ass, the soft grass cushioning her fall. “I…I knew you were from a high class of dragons, what with the way you spoke. But, royalty? And Lula? You mated another royal, yet they let you leave with an heir? What is wrong with the dragons?” Jenna asked from her spot on the ground.
Belle didn’t turn to face Jenna, her voice cracking as she spoke. “Dragons take a lot of pride in the colors of our scales. My family—the royals of my clan, all have bright-colored scales. Red, blue, green, and gold. To have a daughter whose scales that were pink like mine meant she was not…as good. I was considered not quite up to class in the royal hierarchy. However, my family tolerated me. When I fell for another royal, I thought he loved me, despite my low-class scales,” she snarled.
“Your scales are beautiful.” Jenna wanted to rip every one of the so-called royals’ stupid ugly scales from their equally stupid and ugly bodies.
“While I appreciate your words, in the eyes of my kind that wasn’t so. The dragon I thought loved me, despite my poor coloring, had promised to mate and marry me. The foolish female I was back then believed his lies. I gave myself to him fully. I became pregnant after our first coupling. When I told him, he was very angry and wanted me to get rid of it. Yes, he referred to my child as it. He said he couldn’t mate me. His family were another royal house and of course I should’ve known that they wouldn
’t approve.” Belle paused; her voice breaking. She cleared her throat. “I already loved my baby and refused to do such a heinous thing. I left my home, the entire realm that wouldn’t allow me to have her there. The Goddess found me in the In-Between and sent me here, to you. I’ve thanked her and have loved you like a sister ever since. I’ll never forget either of you for what you’ve done for both of us. Now, tell me what it is you’re not supposed to tell me, Jennaveve. If my baby is in danger, I must know. If the dragons know of her existence, they will kill her. Her sperm donor will kill her to keep his lineage free from disgrace. If she’d been born like her father, she’d have been welcomed, but she’s like me, damaged,” she whispered.
Jenna jumped to her feet. “You are not damaged. You and Lula are both perfect. The dragons who said otherwise are damaged. They, those worthless scaly bastards, are the ones who are worthless and less than the shit we flush down the toilet. Now, I must go. I can feel my babies needs beating at me.” She gripped Belle by the arms and kissed her cheek before releasing her.
Belle reached for her, her dragon nearly roaring. “You didn’t tell me why you were here.”
“I promised I wouldn’t, and I won’t. However, know your daughter is a grown dragon and has to live her life. She can’t be your baby forever, just as you too, need to move on from your past. I want you to find happiness, Belle.” Jenna grabbed Belle’s hands in hers. “I have lived a long life. Hundreds of those years were some of the loneliest of my existence, thinking I would forever be alone. But here I am, Belle. I’m mated to two wonderful wolpires with twin daughters who are my everything. I want that for you and for Lula. Don’t do anything to hinder that, my friend. Promise me,” Jenna implored.
“Is that what you promised Lula? Has she found someone?” Belle squeezed Jenna’s fingers between her own, her strength nearly bringing Jenna to her knees.
Becoming mist, Jenna moved away from the female dragon. “I can’t say any more. Just know things change. People change. Children grow up, and Lula is no longer a baby.” Jenna held up her hand. “Yes, I know she will always be your baby, but she is a dragon grown and has needs she is only just realizing. She’s going to need her mother to be okay with those changes.” Jenna didn’t wait around to hear Belle’s words.
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