by Ginna Moran
“I don’t think I follow,” I say. “The Drekis made it seem like they knew I was their mate. It wasn’t random. They had my name. It was given to them by their clan leader before they were obligated to serve as COs at Max.” At least, that’s what they’ve told me. They had assumed Rhett had found me for them. They had no idea he was working with another clan.
Ambrose’s eyebrows peak on his forehead. “That means their clan had arranged a union too. Maybe you’re not actually their true mate. It would make better sense. The witch covens have been involved with re-arranging the fates for dragons because the claiming of a true mate led to many wars and was responsible for endangering your species. The clans sought help from the High Council to ensure only allied clans would bond. It helped the tension and allowed betrothed dragons to grow up knowing who their soul would claim.”
Well, if that isn’t some bullshit.
Ambrose purses his lips. “It’s not as bad as it sounds. No one ever misses their true mates. The chance of actually finding your fated mates is nearly impossible. We create your perfect mate for you.”
Like that makes it any better. “And you think I was promised to two different clans?”
He nods. “I have no other explanation.”
“Except you used magic to bind my soul to Theo’s,” I say, narrowing my eyes. “There is no magic involved with my feelings toward Maddox, Kash, and Rowan.”
He darts his attention to the door again. “You make a point, princess, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. Now please, let me help you get cleaned up.”
“Does my filth bother you that much?” I ask, crossing my arms.
He shrugs. “It’s not that. I just...”
I dust off the caked on mud from my arms. “What?”
Palming his forehead, he releases a huff. “If you must know, seeing you like this fucks with my head. I can’t stop picturing you with Tiernan in his mud bath.”
“You don’t like thinking about me and your familiar?” I tease, a smile playing on my lips. “Why? Because you wish it was you?”
Ambrose flicks a burst of electric magic at my feet, surprising me. I screech and leap out of the way. “The shower is that way. I’ll summon you some clothes.”
I gather a palm full of my dragon fire, tossing my power at him in retaliation. “You didn’t answer my question.”
Chanting something under his breath, he casts a spell that sends me flying across the room and into a small tiled bathroom. I shriek and laugh at the burst of water cascading over my head as he turns on the shower with his magic.
He appears in the doorway. “It doesn’t matter, princess. Now hurry and get cleaned up. We don’t have much time to figure out everything with your supposed mates.”
Curling his fingers, he shuts the door with his power, leaving me in the small shower. The huge rain spout pours hot water over me, rinsing away the mud and dirt from my hair and skin. I shrug out of Tiernan’s sopping shirt and hang it over the glass door just in case Ambrose doesn’t follow through with summoning me clothing.
The scent of rose water and something fruity, maybe cherries, wafts through the air. Tingles bloom over my skin as suds of bubbles mix with the water without me even having to find a bottle of soap. Talk about a magical fucking shower. I scrub my fingers to my scalp until the water returns to normal, filling the bathroom with steam.
If a loud-ass roar didn’t sound from Ambrose’s room, startling the hell out of me, I’d have stayed in the shower forever.
“Where is she, Ambrose?” Theo asks, swinging the door open. He peers around the bathroom, his gaze flicking across the steamy bathroom but they never stop on me.
“I don’t know. Ask Tiernan.” Ambrose shoves past Theo, wearing only a towel. “If you want help tracking her, give me a couple minutes. I’m about to take a shower.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? She could’ve been kidnapped.” Theo smacks his hands against the doorframe. “She could’ve run away.”
“I’d have known if another intruder came, and she wouldn’t leave the Drekis, and you know that.” Ambrose waves his hand toward the shower, opening the door. “Now leave me alone. You can’t expect me to rush to help you after the shit you pulled. She probably wanted some space.”
I stand frozen, soaking wet and naked, as Ambrose steps into the shower with me. He turns his back in my direction, nearly sandwiching me to the wall. And hell. I can’t stop my eyes from sweeping down his broad, velvety dark muscles to his tight, round ass. Theo growls and slams the door shut, and something crashes in Ambrose’s room. Ambrose must’ve spelled me from sight, because Theo couldn’t see I was here.
“Why are you hiding me?” I whisper against his glistening shoulder blade. “How will I explain my absence?”
Ambrose twists on his feet, the small shower making it impossible for him to stand even a foot away. We both glance down at each other’s bodies at the same time, sending blush crawling up my neck. I don’t know what I was expecting—maybe for Ambrose to be built differently because he’s a warlock—but what I didn’t expect was for him to have several cock piercings along his long shaft.
I catch my damn hand attempting to stretch out, wanting to graze the row of piercings to see what they feel like and rush to cross my arms over my chest. Why in Magaelorum do cocks have to be so enthralling to me? I swear I wasn’t like this in the Mortal World. Of course, I never had experience with dragon-sized batons and bejeweled warlock wands.
“You have to stop looking at me like that, princess,” Ambrose says, drawing my focus to his hard expression. “It’s difficult for me to think under your scrutiny. I’ve forgotten what you’ve asked.”
Fuck. Me too. I can’t even remember why I’m in this shower with Ambrose in the first place.
I chew on my bottom lip, stretching it between my teeth as I drop my gaze once more down his body. Because my eyes are damn rebels. Tell them not to do something and they want to look even more. It’s like if I stare long enough, Ambrose’s cock will grow to give me a real magic show.
“Why are you pierced?” I guess my brain admits defeat, my curiosity getting the best of me. “I know Theo said he did it for me, but what about you? Is that a normal warlock thing? Is it...for your mate?”
I hold my breath in anticipation. A part of me suddenly desperately wants to hear the answer. Another part of me thinks I’m crazy for even giving a fuck. I mean, why do I even care? What is it about Ambrose that draws me to him, especially after the shitty forced bond spell he pulled, linking me to Theo?
“I don’t have a mate, nor will I for a long time. I serve the Darkonians and will remain celibate the rest of their lives. Joining a coven through a union of power that I can’t fully commit to isn’t fair for someone who should be my beloved.” Ambrose’s voice lowers, his face frowning with his admission.
“You know sex and relationships don’t have to come together, right? If that were the case, I wouldn’t have lost my virginity until I met the Drekis.” I try to remain expressionless, the idea of losing my virginity to my mates...I’d have probably been terrified just from their sheer size.
He sighs and rubs his hand across his hair. “It’s complicated. Warlocks live monogamous lives, so sex without the commitment—it’s not something I desire.”
“Are you a virgin?” I ask, surprised by his answer.
“You ask a lot of questions I’m not so sure I should answer, especially in our current state.” He drops his gaze down my body again like he can’t help himself.
“So you are.” I wave my hand toward his cock, pointing out his piercings once more. “Which brings me back to my question of why do you have dick bling?”
“If you must know, it’s to help with my celibacy. I...” He closes his eyes and scrubs his hands down his face. “I don’t want to tell you. It sounds bad, and I’ve done enough to upset you.”
What the hell? Why would his reasoning upset me?
Grabbing Ambrose’s shoulders, I shake him. “Now you have
to tell me.”
“No,” he says, turning away from me. Opening the shower door, he grabs a towel and hands it to me. “Now cover up. I’ll be right back with your clothes.”
Instead of taking the towel from him, I snatch his wrist to stop him from leaving. He startles and jerks back as if I burn him, throwing me off balance. I stumble into him, and together we slip on the wet floor. I screech as I land on top of him, our naked, wet bodies pressing together.
“Fuck,” Ambrose says, his deep voice humming against my skin.
The door to the bathroom clatters open, and Tiernan growls deep in his chest. I tense, fear rising through me at his reaction. Fire erupts in his hands, and he looks ready to set the two of us ablaze like he has a right to be pissed by our closeness. Like me being in here somehow means I’ve betrayed him.
“Ambrose, are you fucking kidding me?” Theo shouts, stepping behind his brother. “You’re—”
Rowan slaps his hand over Theo’s mouth, cutting off his words. Dragging him back, he pulls him out of the way so that Maddox can tackle Tiernan before he lights Ambrose and I ablaze. Kash materializes in the doorway, standing tall like a wall of muscle, ensuring if his brothers lose control of the Darkonians, his body will keep them away.
I scramble off of Ambrose, my heart racing out of control. Snatching the towel from the floor, I quickly cover up. “Kash, I can explain.”
“You don’t have to explain anything, kitten,” Kash says, turning his gaze to Ambrose. “But he does.”
Ambrose pushes to his feet, his muscles rigid and flexing. “I—”
Snapping his mouth shut, he shakes his head.
Light flashes through the room, blinding me.
Ambrose disappears.
Chapter 16
Mirrored Bond
“HE IS OUR GUARD!” THEO shouts, linking his fingers to the back of his head, tugging his black hair. We now stand in his suite and away from the magic of Ambrose’s. “Delphia is ours! I trusted him, and look how he betrayed us. Trying to hide her. Seduce her. I—”
“Theo, calm down,” I say, pushing up from my spot on the couch. The Darkonians’ emotions run so hot and furious that it’s a struggle to keep Theo’s out of my mind. “He was not trying to seduce me.”
“You don’t know him like I do. We have a bond. I felt his rising desire for you.” Theo growls and punches the rock wall.
Maddox gets between Theo’s fist and the wall, blocking him before he can punch the hard stone again. “Have you not seen our mate? I’d be offended if he didn’t desire her. She’s the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen.”
“He also proved he knows his place. Had it been any of us lying beneath her, we’d have had our way,” Rowan says.
“Give the warlock credit. Our girl is irresistible, especially when she sets her sights on something she likes.” Kash comes up behind me, hugging me. “Isn’t that right, kitten?”
My mind whirls with a dozen thoughts. How am I supposed to respond to that? The Drekis are a lot calmer than I expected them to be, considering the position they found me in with Ambrose.
Leaning in, he rests his chin on my shoulder. “It’s okay. You can’t help who you find attractive.”
“But why is that? She shouldn’t. Her bond is exclusive to us,” Theo retorts.
“Except I don’t share the same bond.” Tiernan speaks up from his spot sitting on the armrest of the loveseat in the sitting area of my bedroom.
Theo glowers. “Yeah, but—”
“But nothing. We’re twins but we’re also Ambrose’s familiars. Perhaps the bond encompasses all three of us.” Tiernan gets to his feet and closes the space to me. He offers me a small smirk and grazes his fingers along my cheek. “Now shut the fuck up before you make Nova feel guilty for something we caused in the first place.”
“You need to also call your warlock back.” Maddox straightens his shoulders. “We have some things we need to discuss.”
“About what? The fairy?” Theo asks, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “She won’t be a problem.”
A bright flash of light explodes through the air, blinding me for a few seconds. “You,” Ambrose says, his deep voice wrapping around me in its delicious melody.
My heart jumps in my chest at the sight of Ambrose, shielding himself behind a protective wall of magic. Maybe Tiernan was right about the bond. It would make sense that I could feel such a connection, and so quickly. What that means for all of us? I wish I knew. I have so many questions and not enough answers.
“About the union arrangement,” Ambrose adds. Green light flickers in his silver irises.
I frown and look between the Darkonians and Ambrose. “What are you talking about, Ambrose?”
“You have to understand.” Theo blocks my view of Ambrose, cutting me off from their conversation. He ignores my question, falling silent. Without having to ask, I can tell they have a quiet conversation that none of us can hear.
It pisses me the hell off.
Striding away from Kash, I lock my fingers to Theo’s shoulder and spin him away from Ambrose. He releases a growl with fire lighting his eyes. I take an automatic step back, my body recognizing his threat.
Maddox, Kash, and Rowan all close the space to me, looming behind me. Raising his hands, Theo breathes a heated breath and puts space between us. He flicks his attention to Tiernan, who remains quiet, allowing his brother to handle the situation.
“If you don’t tell Delphia, I will,” Ambrose says, his low voice stabbing into me as deeply as his stare. “She deserves to know.”
“But it could ruin everything!” Theo’s voice blares through the room as he releases a breath of his dragon fire.
“Tell her, Theo,” Tiernan says. “It will ruin everything, and you know it can’t be me. You’re intended to lead.”
Theo roars with his transformation into a dragon, knocking everyone away. My back hits the cool floor, and I skid a dozen feet toward the balcony. Fire engulfs me in a circle of orange light, separating me from the others.
No one has a chance to move or intervene.
Snatching me with his dagger talons, Theo flings me from my room and off the balcony. My stomach rises into my throat as I freefall a dozen feet, heading straight toward the jagged mountainside below. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to summon my dragon, but I’m too slow. Theo roars a breath of fire and launches from the palace, diving down toward me. My hair blows everywhere, my body stiff and bracing for impact to the ground.
But I don’t smash into it.
Theo catches me with his claws and throws me up and onto his back. I curl my body around his massive dragon form and squeeze my eyes shut. There is nothing I can do except hold on and wait.
Flapping his wings, Theo ascends toward the sky.
We leave the Darkonian territory behind.
***
Fog clouds the expanse of jagged mountains below as night descends on the world. The ice blue frozen ground sparkles with the white glow of Theo’s dragon fire. I shiver, colder than I expected to be. All I wear is a tank top and shorts with my feet bare. It’s not like I knew Theo would basically kidnap me and hide the two of us on a wintery mountain.
“Come sit down, Delphia,” Theo says, standing naked in front of his make-shift fire. “I want to talk.”
“We could’ve talked back at the palace.” I rub my hands up and down my arms.
“Delphia—”
“My name is Nova!” I throw my hands, blasting him with my dragon fire. “How many fucking times do I have to tell you that? Now take me back. I don’t want to be here with you.”
Theo strides closer to me. “Not until we talk.”
I shake my head, scrambling back. “No.”
Closing my eyes, I transform into my dragon form. If he’s not going to take me back, I’ll figure the hell out how myself. I’ll call for my mates. I know they’ll be looking for me. Ambrose can use a locating spell.
An enormous body crashes into me, and teeth sink into th
e back of my neck. I screech, my dragon scream echoing through the still night. Theo flips me over. The world shakes as I slam into the ground. Smashing his front feet into my chest, he pins me down and bites me again in the throat.
“Stop fighting, Nova.” Theo’s thoughts explode through my head. “Just stop! Stop and look at me.”
Smoke billows from my nostrils, and Theo locks his front foot to my throat, keeping my head still. Bowing down, he meets my gaze, his jade eyes shining like stones against his metallic black scales. His desperation courses through me, silently pleading with his soul to hear him out.
So I give up.
I submit to his power and let my humanity cage the wild beast within me. My naked body presses against the frozen ground, hard like ice but not slippery like in the Mortal World. The rough, sparkling texture prickles over my skin. I shiver and curl my knees to my chest, waiting for Theo to lift me into his arms like he thinks about.
Another few thoughts cross through our bond, his mind open and raw, fully at my disposal to hear what’s on his thoughts. He thinks I’m beautiful and hypnotic, powerful yet in need of protecting. He wants to do right by me in a world he thinks will continue to do me wrong unless he takes control.
“Nova,” he whispers, his voice a smooth melodic breath that caresses my soul. “May I hold you?”
I slowly nod my head but don’t meet his gaze. I should be angry. I should fight and shout at him that his idea of controlling the situation and my life isn’t the answer. I’ve already been stripped of my freedom and my life as I knew it. I don’t need him to be my prince or knight. What I need is for him to tell me what the fuck is going on and how he has come to think of me as his and his brother’s intended. I need to know the secret Tiernan thinks will ruin his chances with me.
Theo slides his muscular arm under my knees and around my back, lifting me from the icy ground. Heat radiates from his skin, his dragon fire emanating from him as if he gathers it just below the surface to melt the cold clinging to my very soul.