by Skye Jones
“Have you forgotten your place—or mine?” Awen raised one imperious eyebrow.
Cade snorted. “My place because I accept it as such.”
“I beg your pardon?” The tiniest bit of steam came out of Awen’s nose. It shouldn’t have made Cade laugh because it meant, any moment now, Awen might go full dragon on them. Unfortunately, the steam made him look like an angry cartoon character, and Cade’s mouth twitched despite the severity of the situation.
“Are you laughing at me?” Awen demanded.
“No. Maybe. A bit. You had… Oh, forget it. Listen, the important thing here is how we move forward from this.”
“You’ve challenged me. Your leader.”
Cade blew out a long breath and prayed for patience. “Awen, what’s gotten into you? Since when did you care about protocol and such shit?”
“Since you fucking dared to come between me and my mate.”
“I’m no one’s mate,” Lara chimed in.
Awen turned the full focus of his fiery gaze on her. “Oh yes, you are. You’re mine. And Lucien’s. You belong to us.”
Cade stared at him and marveled at the lunacy finding one’s mate could drive a male dragon to. He turned to Lucien, and the other male shook his head. “He’s right, Cade. You’re wanting to protect the fragile bond you have with Gwen. But in order to do so, you need Awen to back off, and he’s not going to.”
“So, what? We fight this out? Like some ridiculous Western standoff? Pistols at dawn?” Cade drawled.
“You’d better hope not,” Awen snapped. “You might be powerful, but your bonded male is a mere baby.”
“Hey.” Jay stepped forward and got into the fray, but the wind went out of Cade’s anger. Awen made a good point. Jay didn’t possess anywhere near enough power to take on either Awen or Lucien, and Cade couldn’t fight them both.
“There has to be a way forward we can all live with,” Lucien said.
“The females are coming with us.” Awen took hold of Lara’s arm and started to pull her after him.
“Stop!” The command was so loud, people all around them stopped and stared. Lara wrenched her arm free of Awen’s grip and slapped him across his face.
For a moment, no one moved. Awen rubbed his cheek and looked at his hand wonderingly. Gwen stared at her mother with wide eyes. Neither Jay nor Cade moved a muscle.
“Now you listen to me.” Lara spoke with quiet determination. “No male manhandles me in such a way. Ever. You want me as your mate, Awen of the Cornish clan? You’re going about it entirely the wrong way. I need some time and space to process all this. I want my daughter near me, but I sense she’s creating a strong physical bond with these males and a need for them. I suggest we go back to the Cornish clan as you say, Awen. But I will stay with Cadan and Jago for now, if they will have me.”
“Of course we will. If you accept this?” Cade deferred to Awen because he didn’t need to get into a willy-waving contest right now, and gods knew the females didn’t need it either. He couldn’t believe his luck! Lara wanted to come and stay with him and Jay. He’d bet not entirely for the reasons she stated, but she’d feel safe from Awen simply turning up and taking her if she were in their home. Not that the male would go so far…surely. Still, it had all worked out rather nicely for Cade as now he’d have Gwen under his roof. Something he’d thought would take an age to achieve.
“Can we come visit you, Lara, in the morning?” Lucien asked.
She nodded briefly. “That would be nice. Perhaps we could take a walk.”
“I suppose that settles things for now.” Awen began to walk away, presumably toward his car, but Lara called after him.
“Awen?”
He turned and waited.
“I will see you and Lucien tomorrow, but if you ever drag me after you in such a manner again, you won’t see me again.”
Awen dipped his head in acknowledgment and pivoted on his heel, stalking off. Lucien gave Lara an apologetic smile, then strolled after Awen.
“Christ, what got into him?” Jay shook his head. “I’ve never known him act like such a dick. Awen’s always been a cool guy so far as I’m aware.”
“Stupid male hormones.” Lara tossed her hair and began to pace up and down. “This is why I’ve spent decades avoiding males. It’s why I kept Gwen away from them. You get one whiff of a female mate, and you lose your heads.”
“To be fair, we haven’t lost ours.” Jay smirked.
“Only because, he—” Lara paused and pointed right at Cade’s chest “—is a clever one who knows full well if he comes on strong, Gwen and I will be gone. He’s playing the long game.”
“He is also right here.” Cade struggled to maintain his control in the face of Lara’s rudeness. Gods, today had been testing.
All he wanted to do was to grab Gwen, throw her over his shoulder, take her with him back to his lair, and fuck her senseless. Her scent drove him insane. Instead, he stood here in the street, arguing with her mother like some stupid fool.
“Are you coming back to our home?” He bit out the question.
Lara huffed out an annoyed breath but gave a curt nod. “We will need to stop for some clothes.”
Oh no. Cade knew if they got into their own home, they’d more than likely panic and second-guess the idea of staying with the clan. “No need. We’ll send a member of our staff to collect whatever you wish for. Write a list.”
“Come.” He strode toward where he’d parked their car, not wanting to give the females another minute to overthink things.
Cade only began to relax once they reached the road leading to the home he shared with Jay. Humans could never find it; they’d get lost repeatedly if they tried because of the powerful magic of the clan Warders…and Awen. Perhaps he shouldn’t have pushed the male so much, after all. Cade could probably match him in a straight-out fight, but he didn’t possess the sort of magical trickery Awen did. Nothing Cade could do ventured beyond the sort of magic a male of his age and prowess normally possessed, whereas Awen could do things normally only the Warders could. And he seemed to have a good knowledge of the different spells and potions typically only used by their wise, elder females.
What if he put some sort of cursed spell on Gwen as revenge for Cade’s rudeness in front of Lara?
Cade shook himself. Christ, he needed to get a grip. Awen was his friend, and he wasn’t about to do anything nefarious to Cade, Jay, or Gwen.
The females were silent in the back of the car. They didn’t chat to each other, and every time he glanced in the rearview mirror, they were staring out of their respective windows, taking in the scenery whizzing by with set jaws. Great. He hadn’t even touched his mate yet, and he might as well be a century into the relationship for all the baggage that came with it. Perhaps the humans were onto something with all their mother-in-law jokes because, right now, he could do without the added hassle of Lara.
They reached their home, and he pulled into the driveway. Looking at the house from the outside, it didn’t seem particularly impressive. A single story, whitewashed abode made of local stone. But once inside, it was splendid. The place wasn’t old like the other clan houses, but it was built in a sympathetic style to fit in. The interior had all the modern amenities and comforts, but they were housed in a shell that fit the landscape around it.
The place blended old and new well. The state-of-the-art kitchen looked like something from the next century. Whereas, the bathrooms all possessed an old-world glamour with their Victorian claw-footed tubs and old-fashioned sinks.
When you ran the hot tap, you had limitless warm water from the brand-new boiler, and the shower heads gave a power shower as good as any you’d get in a spa.
He hoped Gwen would one day come to see this place as her home, but for now, it didn’t hurt if she found herself impressed by it. Hopefully, if he stuck to the more lived-in rooms and didn’t attempt another fancy meal in their formal, little-used dining room, she’d warm to their home.
Wi
th a sigh, he got out of the car and went around to open Gwen’s door for her. Jay did the same for Lara.
“Here we are again.” Gwen gave him a soft smile, almost shy, and his anger melted away.
Just like that. She only had to look at him, and Cade softened. He swore she’d have him wrapped around her finger in no time. The thought ought to terrify him, but it didn’t. He kind of liked it.
They got the females inside and offered them refreshments and then dispatched two servants to go and get their things.
“I’m tired. It’s been a somewhat wearing day as you can imagine.” Lara sipped her tea, sitting at the breakfast bar in the kitchen.
“I’ll show you to your room, and you can have a rest if you wish.” Jay put his own cup down and went to stand by Lara.
She gave him a faint smile and stood. “Do you mind, Gwen, if I go and rest awhile?”
“Not at all. Are you sure you’re okay?”
Lara gave a small laugh. “I will be, darling. I need a bit of time to get my head around the events of today.”
Jay and Lara left the room, Jay chatting to her about something inane, and Cade turned his attention to the only female he truly cared about. Gwen.
She walked out of the room and into the corridor, and for a moment, he thought she’d go follow her mother. But instead, she turned and wandered the hallway looking at their art on the walls. She stopped by his study, the door open, and went inside.
He liked her in his space. Too much.
She stood by the windows looking out over the garden and beyond to the wild, rugged moorland and the cliffs above the sea.
“Gorgeous view you have from here,” she mused.
“Isn’t it just?” He wasn’t talking about the scenery, though. He stared at Gwen, so lush and curvy. Today, she wore a long skirt, hippie-style, it even had damn bells on the bottom, so it tinkled when she walked. With it, she wore strappy, flat, brown leather sandals and an off the shoulder white top. Her shoulders were tanned with a smattering of freckles. He wanted to bite the flesh there and then lick up her neck.
Being bold, not caring if it scared her, wanting in some ways to push her further, he walked up right behind her. Not touching her, Cade leaned in so close his breath blew on her neck. He clocked the tiny shiver she gave in response, and he did it again.
Almost imperceptibly, she leaned back, moving into him. A tiny move, but for him, she might as well have crossed continents.
“You’re so beautiful.” He placed one hand on the window in front of her, getting closer as he did.
“I’m okay.” She laughed, and the soft sound stirred something in him. Not only his libido, which already raged, but something deeper. More to do with his heart than his cock.
“You’re gorgeous. I like your style.” He meant it too. Not normally that interested in clothes, he loved how eclectic and unique her dress sense was.
“I’ve got mum to thank for my way of dressing. She always wore these sorts of clothes when I was young, and I suppose it rubbed off on me. These days, she’s more into the vampy, fifties look.”
“But not you?” He liked how she’d stuck with her original style because it meant, while she loved her mother, she also made up her own mind about things.
She shrugged one gorgeous shoulder. “I like these clothes. They’re comfy and…”
“Sexy,” he supplied.
“Not by intention,” she shot back. Almost defensively.
“No, not intentionally, and that’s what makes you so damned hot.”
She gave a throaty chuckle, and his cock throbbed in response.
“I’m not hot.”
“Yes, you are.”
Sick of using words when actions spoke so much louder, Cade stalked over to the door and pulled it closed. He waved one hand over it, using a little of his power, and made sure no one would come in. The door burned hot to the touch. It meant Jay couldn’t join them right now, but he knew his bonded male would give the door a good kick and shout to be let in if he wished to be with them. Their servants, though, would leave well alone.
Gwen still stared out of the window, seemingly unaware of what he’d done. He wondered how strong her own magic was. Most latents had at least some Dragonea gifts. The ability to create fire and to stop it as well. Some could do so much more, like those Havsa sisters popping up all over the place.
He frowned as he thought about how many of his kind were finding mates these days. And he’d bet good money the female Warders were behind it to some degree. It couldn’t be a coincidence that the males who had found females were among the strongest of their kind. He would not be surprised to find that somewhere, in one of their clans, a female, or a group of them, worked to try to bring about an increase in matings.
Frankly, though, he didn’t care what had brought Gwen into their lives. His only focus was on getting her to be theirs. As he approached her, he breathed in her scent. Gorgeous and fresh, she smelled of flowers and something else. Something a little warmer, sexier. His own scent strengthened in response, and he relished the moment she took a breath in, and the way her body melted a tiny increment more toward him.
Reaching her, Cade put both his arms out, bracketing her between him and the glass in front of her.
“I know you aren’t sure where this is going for you. But you can’t deny you want us. Physically, at least.”
“I won’t deny it. I have no reason to.” She continued to watch the waves crest in the distance, not turning to look at him.
“So why the coy act?”
Now she did glance his way. And her eyes were full of fire. “It’s not an act. I’m no prick-tease, and don’t accuse me of being one. I want you. Both of you. But I’m not sure beyond that. I didn’t have a great experience with dragon males growing up, and I don’t want to be controlled.”
“No one wants to control you, honey.” He rubbed his nose up the length of her neck, letting her curls tickle his cheek.
“Bullshit. You want to control everything, Cadan. You and Awen and other males like you have it in your DNA.”
He laughed a little because she was right. But she was also wrong. The only way he wanted to control her was to keep her safe. End of story. He didn’t care what she wore, ate, read, listened to. If she wanted to decorate their house in nothing but gilt and pink velvet, he’d let her. The only thing he needed to do on a base, biological level was protect her.
“Darling, you come be with us, and you do what you like. I don’t care. You can paint this house purple, dye your hair green, and cook nothing but vegan food, and I’ll roll with it.”
She turned to him fully now, so close he saw all the gorgeous flecks in her amazing eyes.
“The only time I’ll get controlling on your ass is if it comes to your safety.”
Her gaze hardened. “But, see, that’s the thing. Nathan only cares about Claire’s safety, apparently, but he keeps her on a pretty short leash.”
A deeply unsexy snort escaped him.
“What?” She narrowed her eyes at him.
“Frankly, with the sort of powers those sisters possess, they should be the ones keeping their males safe. I bet if they put their heads together and practiced hard, those females could be the most powerful Warders we’ve ever seen.”
“I’m not them, though, am I? My magic isn’t strong. What if I want to go off and surf or go to a club?” She jutted her chin at him.
He seethed at the mention of her clubbing with the trash that descended on the party resorts during the summer.
“I’d say no,” he growled.
“Then get out of my way.” She shoved at him, but he didn’t budge.
“Would you want me to go clubbing with human females?”
She pouted but didn’t answer him. Her non-reply was all the confirmation he needed. Of course she wouldn’t.
“Cade. Let me pass.” She pushed at him again.
“Okay. For a price.”
“What price?”
He ga
ve her a suggestive grin. “A kiss.”
“You’re impossible.” She stomped one foot and shook her head. “This is like dealing with some stupid boy on the playground.”
“Then you shouldn’t be afraid to give me one kiss, should you?”
He was being childish and he knew it, but damn, he enjoyed teasing her.
“Fine.” She pecked his cheek and went to move around him.
In one smooth move, he caught her by the upper arm, held her in place, and with his other hand, tipped up her chin.
He claimed her mouth, and he didn’t gentle it. He might be playing with fire, but he let all his lust for her, all his power, come to the fore. He recognized the moment she felt it as she began to shake, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled him in deeper.
Yes. This was what he wanted. Gwen wasn’t some wilting wallflower. She was a feisty, formidable female, strong magic or not. The first time she’d felt his power it would have been a shock, but now she’d be used to it a little. He swept his tongue into her mouth and groaned at the taste of her.
Small, deft fingers skimmed down his body. Below his belt, to cup him right where he needed her. And just like that, in one moment, Cade lost the advantage.
He couldn’t have been more shocked when Gwen dropped to her knees and pulled down his zipper.
“Wait. What are you doing?”
She looked up at him and licked her lips. “I’ve wanted to taste you since the first moment I saw you.”
A momentary jolt of panic hit him. This wasn’t how he’d seen this going. He’d meant to seduce her. Have a little fun. Give her an orgasm and leave her begging for more. If she did this, would he be able to keep a lid on his explosive need for her?
She watched him with sparkling eyes, amusement dancing there. “What were you saying before about not always having to be in control? You pushed for this, but you only wanted it on your terms. Well, I’m taking it on my terms. Taking what I want and need.”
Without saying anything else, she took him out, and as soon as the air hit him, he hissed, he was that damned sensitive.