by Skye Jones
“Okay. Spit it out. I can see the steam coming out of your ears.”
Cade plunked a plate of perfectly scrambled eggs with toast in front of Jay and sat on the opposite side of the breakfast bar with his own.
“What if you get sick of me and want her all to yourself?”
Cade stopped mid-shovel of eggs into his mouth and stared. “Since when has that ever happened with our kind? We bond before we mate because it is our way.”
Great… No You’re too important to me to lose. Simply a regurgitation of their way of life. Hardly reassuring.
Jay sighed. “You know as well as I do there have been instances. The usual way is two males, one female. But there are many other ways. Three, four, or even five males and a female. Males and no female. And there are known, or at least rumored, instances of a male getting sick of sharing and killing his bonded male to have his mate to himself. In fact, there was a legendary case of it within our own clan many centuries ago. You probably knew the bastard.”
Cade shrugged, all nonchalance and calm indifference. “Wasn’t here. I fought wars while this bullshit allegedly happened.”
Cade swallowed down a big mouthful of food and pointed his fork at Jay. “You know me by now. I’d never do such a thing, and it pisses me off you’d think it. And anyway, I’ve gotten used to having your hairy arse around here.”
“I do not have a hairy arse!” Jay didn’t have to feign his indignation. He knew his arse was one of his best features. The ladies loved it.
“What’s brought all this on?”
“Dunno.” He didn’t want to explore it further. Cade had reassured him…sort of. “Let’s drop it. I need to get my head together to face Gwen and her mother later today. Gods, her mother is kind of scary.”
“She’s fierce, and she’s had to be, bringing up a Dragonea female alone. I like her.”
“Do you think we need to speak to Awen? Let him know we’ve found a mate match?”
Awen was the de facto leader of the Cornish clan. They’d never elected him or titled him as such, unlike the other clans with their leaders. But Awen and his bonded male, Lucien, who came from a clan in the Carpathians originally, were the two most powerful dragons in the clan, other than Cade, and so it had fallen to them. Particularly when it became apparent Cade had no interest or intent to lead anyone or anything. Neither did Awen, particularly, but he’d taken on the role bit by bit when their previous leader had passed decades ago. Now, he and Lucien did their duty, but they weren’t like Nathan or the others. The clan rarely held formal feast days or celebrated the gods. But what Awen did well was protect them from the ever-nearer prying human eyes. He possessed powerful magic, unusual for a male such as himself, and between him and their female Warders, the clan still felt safe. For now.
“We ought to let him know.” Cade nodded. “In fact, I’m thinking we should have him meet Gwen and Lara. It might help put Lara’s mind at ease to know she and her daughter won’t be stuck in some rigid clan with strict hierarchies.”
“Why don’t we ask him and Lucien to come with us when we go meet them?”
Cade rubbed his jaw as he thought. “Might not be a bad idea. Neutral territory. Will dilute things between me, you, and Gwen, and he can issue an invite to Gwen and Lara to come for a feast with us all.”
Jay grinned. Their clan feasts were great fun. Not formal like the other clans, but a riotous mix of food, drink, and music. Some of the clan played instruments, and they had some great folk tunes in their repertoire. Lara would sure see they weren’t formal or stuck-up in their ways then.
“It’s a great idea. Shall I go and ask him now?”
Cade nodded and smiled. “Sure.”
Yet another way they weren’t as hierarchical as others. Really, as the dominant male, because he was and Jay accepted it wholeheartedly, Cade should go and ask their leader. Clearly, he didn’t give a rat’s ass about letting Jay go, despite it probably flouting some unspoken rule of Dragonea life.
For a crazy moment, Jay had the weird urge to kiss Cade on the cheek or something as he went to leave the kitchen. He needed to lock this shit down before it drove him more insane than he’d clearly already gone.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Oh, and tell Awen he owes me a poker night. We had him here last time, and he’s not organized anything since.”
Jay nodded. “Will do.”
It took him five minutes to get to the start of the clan proper, seeing as their house was off to one side and down a long track. Despite the laid-back ways of their people, he and Cade still didn’t like to be too near.
The sun didn’t shine as much now, and light white clouds were drifting in. Not the fluffy, cotton wool sort that looked pretty, but the wispy strands that you knew would cover the sky by midday and turn it to a grayish day instead of a gloriously sunny one.
Reaching Awen’s home, Jay gave the brass knocker three sharp raps. A male servant opened the door a moment later and gave a bow.
“Welcome, Drago-Anrha-Jago. Are you here to see Master Awen or Master Lucien?”
“Awen, please.”
“If you will give me a moment, sir.” The servant bowed again and then shuffled off. He looked about ninety, which must make him either thousands of years old or weak in his power so he aged quickly.
Jay stepped into the sumptuous hallway. This place had been the previous clan leader’s home, and Awen and Luc had moved into it when they took over the leadership roles. But when it came right down to it, their people deferred to Awen.
“Jay. What brings you here?” The male in question appeared from around the corner of the long hallway.
He wore jeans, Timberland boots, and a chambray button-down shirt. He looked like he belonged on a ranch or something, not on this rugged peninsula. His features though, they fit the jagged and rocky landscape. He appeared to be late thirties, early forties in human terms. Handsome but with a roughness to his features that stopped him from being too textbook good-looking. His short, wavy brown hair was mussed, and Jay wondered if he’d interrupted something. The rumor was that Awen and Luc were happy as lovers and didn’t care to look for a female mate.
Nearly as big as Cade, Awen towered over him.
“Hey.” Lucien strolled up behind Awen and slung an arm casually over his shoulder.
Unlike a lot of bonded males, these two weren’t much different when it came to age or power. Lucien looked a few years younger than Awen, mid-thirties maybe. He didn’t possess quite the same level of power, not that you’d know it looking at him. The guy was huge. Broader than Cade in the shoulders, with thighs like tree trunks. His face, however, was much warmer than Awen’s. His green eyes sparkled with a friendly welcome. And his newly shorn hair still surprised Jay. For most of his life, Lucien had worn his hair long. Nearly black, it had hung down his back in a ponytail most days. Then one day a few months back, he’d taken himself off into the nearest human town and had it cropped. Now it looked almost military in style.
“Hi there. Erm, I’ve a favor to ask you two. But no worries if you can’t, or don’t wish to, accommodate it.”
Awen raised an eyebrow and waited for Jay to go on.
“It seems that Cade and I have found a mate.”
“What?” Lucien’s mouth dropped open. “We weren’t aware you guys were currently looking.”
Jay laughed. “We weren’t. I rescued her from a serious wipeout a week or so ago.”
“She surfs?” Awen asked.
“Yep. Lives with her mum as a human. Has some contact with the Welsh clan, but generally, she and her mother live alone. I think her mum has gone through some bad experiences with Dragonea folk, and it’s causing some resistance to the idea of her daughter being with us. One of her biggest worries is the tradition and hierarchy of the clans. Ours used to be that way, until you guys took over. And I think a lot of the other Dragonea aren’t aware of how much things have changed. How much more open we are now. We wondered if you’d come meet
with Gwen, our female, and her mother, Lara?”
“Meet where? At your abode?” Awen asked.
“Erm, no. Lara suggested a coffee shop in town. It would mean going into the human settlement.”
Awen might not be stuffy and all about the tradition, but he didn’t have much time for the human way of life either. Lucien shrugged one massive shoulder.
“Might be fun to go and take a look at those crazy humans. It’s summer. Full of tourists. Might even find a female to have some fun with for a night or two?”
The suggestion of finding a female shocked Jay. So, the rumors weren’t totally accurate. The guys clearly still enjoyed their female company.
Awen shot Lucien a one-sided smirk. “Might be fun.” He turned his attention back to Jay. “I’m curious as hell anyway as to the female who’s managed to snare old Cade. So, yeah. We will be there. What place and what time?”
Jay rattled off the name of the coffee shop and the time they were meeting, and he thanked the two males again before he headed back toward his own home.
He hoped they were doing the right thing, and that bringing their clan leaders wouldn’t scare Lara and Gwen off further.
Chapter Seven
Gwen blew on her latte. The delicious scent of hazelnut wafted over her.
“My favorite.” A deep voice to her left had her looking around, right into the azure blue eyes of Jay.
She swallowed. Gods, up close his beauty was even more shocking. She noticed how many of the human women were eyeballing him as he sat down and gave her a grin. His teeth were white and perfect. His smile dazzling in his tanned face.
“Cade’s getting parked and sorting out a ticket.”
“Ah, the mundanities of human life,” Gwen laughed.
“Indeed.”
Lara shifted to Gwen’s left, and she turned to look at her mother. Following Lara’s gaze, she saw Cade had entered the café. He looked almost ridiculous in this old-fashioned room with its low ceilings and sloping walls. He stood so tall he had to dip his head to pass under the beams.
“Look at that delicious specimen walking over this way,” a human to her left said to her friend. Dragon hearing meant that Gwen could pick up the whispered words. Cade probably could too. Gods, did these guys get this sort of attention everywhere they went?
“Hello, Gwen…Lara.” Cade dipped his head at her mother in a sign of respect and sat down.
“I ordered you an espresso. Should be here in a moment,” Jay informed Cade.
Fixing her with his serious gaze, Cade began to speak. “I hope it is okay with you, Gwen, but I asked our clan leaders to meet us here. I want you and your mum to hear from them how the clan has changed in recent years. How open it is now. We don’t have the same sort of hierarchies as the Scottish clan or Welsh. Not now, at any rate.”
“They’re coming here? To this coffee shop?” Lara sounded shocked. And Gwen supposed it wasn’t the kind of thing most clan leaders would do.
Cade nodded and thanked the waitress who set his coffee down in front of him before placing a latte by Jay.
“Yeah, they’re fine with it,” Cade said. “You’ll like them. Awen is ancient, and he’s like Rhyndor and Steffan in many respects. Because he’s seen so much, fought so much, he’s not as bothered by all the hierarchies and rules anymore. You tend to find, in my experience, that the younger Dragonea are moving away from the traditions, and the most ancient of our kind have grown tired of them. That leaves the middle-aged dragons, like Robert of the Welsh clan, to try to keep the old way of life enforced.”
“Not all ancient dragons are the same,” Gwen said. “Look at Nathan.” She’d never quite warmed to Claire’s male. Not in the same way she had to Steffan or Rhyndor. Nathan struck her as stern.
“Yes, Nathan does like his traditions.” Cade smiled, but then his face grew serious. “Still, a better male you’d be hard-pressed to find.”
Gwen blew on her latte and looked around. The café was full, bursting with people and life. Tourists and locals mixed, and conversations buzzed around them. They chatted for a few minutes about seriously boring stuff like the weather, and she wished her mother didn’t have to make this all so awkward.
For the first time in her life, Gwen found herself resenting her mum slightly. Not sure what she wanted with these men, she’d like to find out on her own terms. But then she looked at her mum’s gorgeous face, and her heart softened. She couldn’t be angry with her. Her mother only wanted the very best for her.
The door to the small café opened once more, the bell above it ding-a-linging. She looked up and saw two huge men. She glanced at her mother, wondering if these were the males from the clan.
Her mother’s eyes widened as she took them in.
“My gods, they are huge,” she muttered under her breath, and Gwen smiled.
The males made a striking pair, and as they closed the space between them, and their scent reached them, Gwen deciphered they were indeed Dragonea.
Her mother gave a small squeak and began to act in the oddest manner. She fanned her face with her napkin, half stood as if to get out of her chair, but then sat back down again heavily.
“Mum? Are you okay?” Gwen looked at her with concern, but her mother didn’t move her gaze from the men barreling down on them.
“Cade. Jay. Why don’t you introduce us to your lady friends here?” The one with extremely dark hair spoke. He was handsome, with his sparkling green eyes and pleasant features. But by gods, he was big. Taller and broader than Cade, she’d guess. The other one wasn’t much smaller, but he wasn’t quite as hefty. His face scared her, though. Rugged and harsh, it held a severity she didn’t like.
As he approached them, the severity only grew more pronounced. He reached the table and looked from Lara to Cade and back again.
Cade’s face paled, and he muttered, “Oh, fuck.”
What the hell was going on?
“Is this a fucking joke?” The severe male kept his voice low and didn’t move his stern gaze from Lara.
“I must go. I feel quite unwell.” Her mother stood up so suddenly her chair tipped back and hit the table behind them, sending coffee and tea spilling everywhere.
“You stupid cow!” A woman at the table leaped up and turned to Lara with rage coloring her face. “What have you done? You’ve ruined my dress.”
Gwen looked her up and down, and indeed, the outfit was ruined. The pale cotton was covered with an ugly tea stain.
“I-I’m sorry. It w-w-was an accident.” Lara flushed as her gaze darted around the café as if it were a prison cell.
Since when did her mum stutter?
“You owe me.” The woman stood with her legs apart, fists planted on her hips.
“Yes, of course. I am so sorry. And if I may, please allow me to replace your drinks. I will do so on my way out.” Lara tried to move around the woman and head for the till at the entrance, but the bitch moved and blocked her path.
Gwen gritted her teeth and started to stand herself.
“No, not for the poxy drinks, you daft cow. For this dress. It cost an arm and a leg, and you’ve wrecked it.”
“Here.” The serious male pushed his way around the table and got in between Lara and the mouthy woman. “Take this. Should cover it.” He thrust a load of bills into her hand.
The woman looked down and gave a pursed-lipped nod.
“Now, I suggest you sit back down, shut up, and stop making a scene.”
“Hey. Who do you think you are to talk to my wife like that?” A shaven-headed man with a huge beer belly stood.
A moment later, the other male, the big one with the nice eyes, appeared by Lara’s side. “He’s someone you really do not want to mess with. We’ve paid for the dress, more than. Now, why don’t you go back to enjoying your day? You don’t want to start any trouble. Trust me.”
The man looked at the two males, seemed to weigh up the situation and decide that, indeed, he didn’t want to start any trouble.
/> “Come on. Let’s get out of here.” The severe male took her mum’s arm, and she let him, which shocked the shit out of Gwen.
They all trooped out of the café, Gwen noting the stares aimed at them and not caring, too caught up in trying to decipher what was going on.
Once out in the fresh air, the male turned to Cade.
“Is this a fucking setup?”
Cade held his hands up. “I swear, Awen. I had no fucking clue. I would never do such a thing to you.”
Awen watched him for a moment then blew out a long breath. “No, you wouldn’t. Which means some sort of sneaky fate is at work here. What are the fucking odds?”
“What odds?” Gwen couldn’t be any more confused.
“Your mother, the absolutely lovely Lara here, is a perfect match for us.”
Gwen stumbled back at those words, but a warm hand steadied her, and Jay was by her side immediately. “It’s okay, honey.”
But it wasn’t okay. Now, not only did she have to choose, but so did her mother. And suddenly she understood with sickening clarity how her mum had been feeling these past days, because fear slammed into her hard. What if she lost her mother? What if these males took her away or wanted to separate her from Gwen. She’d heard of such things. Of males being possessive and territorial.
Holy shit, this couldn’t be happening.
***
Cade took control of the situation before either Gwen or her mother took flight and ran away.
“Awen, why don’t you and Lucien go back to the clan lands and let Gwen and Lara go on home and gather their thoughts?”
Awen stared at him, his gaze dark, simmering with anger. Crap. Their normally laid-back leader didn’t like being told what to do in front of his female. The truth was, Cade should back down, but he wouldn’t lose Gwen. And when it came down to it, he let Awen lead. Cade possessed just as much power and age and experience. So Awen needed to drop the superior act.