by Skye Jones
“No way.” Dominic wouldn’t leave without him now. “Fly with us. Follow us. We’ll lead you home.”
Ice banked and headed back the way they’d come. “We all need to leave. Please come with us, Nathan. Focus on home, on your earthly body. Think about our triad. You can do it. Morgan says it is possible but you have to want it. You have to focus on your life with us, your body back at home, and you’ll find your way back.”
They flew together, each taking up a place on either side of Nate. As Dominic reminisced about their time together, trying to get Nathan to reconnect to his life with them on earth, his wings weakened. Ice disappeared, then flickered back, before going again. Not long enough! They hadn’t had enough time.
Dominic sat up in bed with a gasp. “Fuck!” He grabbed at his chest. It hurt to breathe.
Ice made a horrible gurgling noise and arched off the bed.
Morgan rushed to her and murmured a healing spell.
Dominic’s breathing evened out and his pain receded. He looked over at Nathan and gave a cry of dismay. He slept on, no different from before.
“Oh, my God!” Ice held her hand to her throat. “It felt like dying.”
Her gaze lit on Nathan and tears filled her eyes. “It didn’t work.”
Nathan jerked, his head rocked to one side and then the other and his eyes blinked open and closed.
Morgan abandoned Ice for Nathan. She took a bag from her skirt pocket and scattered herbs around him, chanting in the old language.
Nathan jerked again, his arm shot out to the side and his head bent back so far Dominic feared for his neck.
“Ugh.” He choked and gasped, and pushed up from the bed. The air wheezed through his lungs.
“Nathan!” Ice jumped up and ran to his bed.
“Stay back, child. Give him a moment.” Morgan held Ice back with her arm.
After what seemed an eternity of horrible, wheezing breaths, Nathan collapsed back against the pillow and said, “I’m thirsty.”
Ice fell on the floor sobbing, and Dominic dashed at his eyes, then filled a glass on the nightstand. Nathan took it from him with shaky hands. The magnificent male, whose presence made Dominic’s heart falter, looked a mere shell of his former self. His eyes were sunken and his cheeks sallow. He took a few sips and fell back against the pillow.
“Now you must sleep. Proper sleep this time, the kind that rests your body.” Morgan laid her hands on Nathan’s chest and said a few soft words. “Tomorrow I will bring a soup with all you’ll need to speed your recovery. Good to have you back with us, Nathan.”
Ice snuggled up to Dom that night as Nathan slept, her warmth a comfort. “I can’t wait to tell him,” she whispered.
He pulled her closer, and kissed the top of her head. Grateful to his toes she’d decided to stay with them.
“When do you want me to take you to fetch your things?” he asked her.
“When Nathan is fully recovered. I won’t leave until he is.”
“Suits me,” he answered.
“He risked it all for me. Everything. I can’t believe it.”
“You still don’t get it, sweetheart. You are everything to him…to us. You’re ours now and we are yours. We need to make it official. We belong, and after what we’ve been through to be together, our bond will be enduring.”
She gave him a squeeze. “How do we do it, the whole mating thing?”
“We have a ceremony. Our version of a marriage ceremony, I suppose. Where we thank the gods for leading our mate to us. Then we have another ceremony, the three of us. You know, in private.” He smacked her lightly on her behind.
“Ah, in private. I get it.” She giggled. “Hey Dom, do you think I’ll ever get to fly in my dragon form again?”
“I don’t know. But if it means going through this sort of thing again, I hope not.”
“I thought for a horrible moment he wouldn’t come back to us.” She sniffed and her tears wet his shoulder.
He dropped a kiss to her head and scented her hair. “Let it go, sweetheart. Let it all go. He’s back home now.”
Chapter Fifteen
Ice stared at her reflection. She wore a full length, cream lace dress. It had long bell sleeves, and brushed the floor as she took two tentative steps toward the mirror. Her long hair had been curled into flowing waves and swept back from her head by a matching lace headband. The body of the dress covered a satin slip, but the arms showed her tan skin through the patchwork of lace. Plain, cream leather sandals adorned her feet.
“I look like something out of Woodstock.” She narrowed her eyes. She’d wanted bohemian and hippy, but now she worried the dress looked too stylized.
“You look beautiful.” Teresa’s eyes shone. “You’ll look even more so when we get the gold on you.”
“What?” She turned to her friend.
“You have to wear some of the clan gold for your ceremony. I went to the vault and looked through it, but frankly, nothing went with the theme you wanted. So…I persuaded Nathan to let me go shopping for you. I thought gold and turquoise would go well with your dress. She grinned as she opened a large leather bag. “Take a look at these beauties.”
Ice gasped in delight as Teresa pulled out a handful of gold and turquoise stacking bangles. They resembled the Indian bangles Sian’s eccentric Aunt used to wear. Ice had loved spending hours going through her jewelry collection with Sian.
“They are gorgeous! Just the sort of thing I’d buy myself. How did you know?”
Teresa shrugged. “I didn’t. Not really. You tend to wear a lot of sporty stuff, so I didn’t really have an idea of your style. But when we went through the wedding magazines, I noticed how you focused on the bohemian dresses, and I remembered how much you’d loved the jewelry in the article about an Indian wedding, and I put the two together to come up with a theme. My guess is, you’re more of a silver girl naturally, but we’re dragons and for us gold is hugely important.”
She rummaged again in the leather bag, and this time took out a pair of gold earrings in a mesh pattern that resembled the lace of her dress. Ice fixed the earrings into place as Teresa pulled the bangles onto her wrist.
Her wedding dress had a deep v neckline and Teresa took out one last piece of jewelry. A chain with a bib style necklace hung from her fingers. She placed it around Ice’s neck and fastened the clasp. When she looked at it in the mirror, Ice gasped.
The piece hung down in stylized scales of shining gold, each one overlapping the next. From a top row of nine scales, it descended to the bottom row of one solitary scale, from which hung five small round gold beads. As she turned this way and that to admire it, the gold almost seemed to shimmer with an iridescent sheen.
“It’s so beautiful.” Her voice cracked as she spoke.
“True dragon gold, my dear. Not made in the human world like the rest of my haul. This is a very special piece. Nathan and Dominic had a hand in the design of it. They wanted something to show your dragon side. You can wear it for any of our special ceremony days with great pride.”
“I’ll treasure it.” She ran her fingers over it, dancing them over the dips and curves of the precious metal.
“I know you don’t normally wear make-up, but I wanted to just try a little on you.”
She nodded, a bit unsure but not wanting to hurt Teresa’s feelings. She only ever wore a dash of lip gloss and some mascara. Maybe a touch of bronzer on the days her complexion looked a little wan.
“If you don’t like it you can wash it off. No offense taken.” Teresa held her hands up and smiled.
“Okay. Do your worst.”
“Yay.” Teresa clapped her hands together. “Let me go grab the champagne and you can have a glass while I work my magic.”
Ice blinked at her reflection and almost didn’t recognize herself. Teresa had spent fifteen minutes working her magic, and magic it certainly seemed to be. Her skin glowed with a dewy sheen. A pinky, bronze blush highlighted her cheekbones. A wash of pink gloss sat
on her full lips. But what grabbed and held her attention were her eyes. Gold so glossy it almost looked wet, sat in a gentle wash of color over her lids. It faded to a pale, glistening cream below her brows. Mascara framed her eyes and the gold made the aqua of her irises pop.
“Damn.” She breathed out. “I don’t look like me.”
“Of course you do. You look like you with a touch of gold eyeshadow and some blush called Climax. So named because it gives you the same glow as if you’d…you know.” Teresa dug an elbow into her ribs and giggled.
Soon they were both laughing. A knock at the door stopped their laughter. One of the men servants called through the wood. “Ladies. If you are ready, it is time for the ceremony.”
Oh hell. She was about to marry not one, but two, dragon shifters. Could her life get anymore surreal? She downed the rest of her drink in one smooth motion and gave her reflection a last glance.
“Come, beautiful one. Let us go meet your men.”
Ice paused as they neared the door. She pulled Teresa into a sudden hug, squeezing tight. When they parted, she swept her gaze over her friend. The female wore a long, flowing dress of turquoise and Ice realized it matched her bracelets. Teresa’s hair was down around her shoulders and she wore lots of gold jewelry. She glowed with health and happiness.
“You look beautiful, too.” She told her friend. “Your mates will be wanting to drag you back to your home as soon as the ceremony is over.”
“I hope so.” Teresa giggled. “I wonder if your males will be wearing their robes or if they went modern and are wearing suits. I bet Nathan will have wanted the robes. A few months ago, he’d have put his foot down and had his way. Now though, I’m not so sure. You and Dominic have softened him. He’ll do anything for you two.”
“We’d do anything for him.” Her heart lurched as she thought of the awful long moments waiting for Nathan to open his eyes, when she’d thought him lost to them forever. “I can’t imagine living without him. Without either of them.”
“Wait till you are truly bonded. Then you’ll know a connection like nothing else. It…it obliterates the old you, and builds you back up anew. Instead of one person, you’re part of a three. It’s hard to put into words but it is the most wonderful and joyous of gifts.”
Teresa brushed at her eyes with brisk movements. “Oh, look at me. I’m an emotional mess today. Come on; let us go before the males begin to worry.”
As she walked out of the room and down the hallway, Ice’s stomach flipped in excitement and nerves at the thought of what lay ahead. They stepped out of the door and made their way to the spot where she’d first seen her men in dragon form. She’d decided when Dom told her about the ceremony that she wanted it to take place there. The views were stunning and the memories the spot held were precious.
They rounded the corner to the clearing atop of the steep drop into the deep valley and she smiled. Her men were waiting for her, both wearing dark grey suits. Dom wore no tie and had on a white shirt, with the top button open, which showed a hint of his tanned flesh at the base of his throat. He looked almost pretty with his blue eyes framed by his dark lashes.
Next to Dom stood Nathan. He wore a matching suit, but his shirt was buttoned up and light grey. He wore a black tie. His dark hair shone in the weak sunlight breaking through the clouds.
He looked up as she approached and his dark gaze met hers, then his eyes ran slowly down the length of her body and back up again. The hunger in his expression nearly made her legs wobble.
“Your male appreciates how you look.” Teresa had linked their arms as they approached the men.
She didn’t dare look around her at all the people gathered to witness the ceremony. They weren’t seated on chairs down either side of an aisle, as in a human wedding. Instead, the clan members had taken seats upon the grass, their legs crossed. Many of them wore long robes, although some wore modern clothing. She loved that her guys had worn suits as a nod to her human upbringing. It meant a lot to her, even more so as she knew the importance Nathan placed on ceremonial matters.
Two women dressed in long gold gowns stood to one side of Nathan and Dom, and an elderly man with white hair, who wore a deep red robe, sat behind a table facing out over the view.
“Go get them, my lovely.” Teresa pushed Ice forward. “I’ll be right behind you to translate.”
“Translate?”
“The ceremony is always in the old language.”
Ice swallowed and came to a stop between Nate and Dominic.
The ceremony seemed to take a long time. Her nerves threatened to spill over a couple of times into an anxiety attack, but each time she began to panic, Nathan placed his large hand over her lower back and rubbed soothing circles, just as he’d done in her flat when they’d first met.
The two women in the robes took it in turns to each state a long list of responsibilities and commitments the mates all had to one another. She’d been surprised to hear that most of the onus lay on the men to keep her happy.
The dragons even went so far as to say that the men must provide a clean and welcoming home environment for their female, whether through hired help or their own labor. She bit back a smile at that and thought it a good thing the guys had some cash. She’d find it hard to imagine Nathan going around the place with a duster.
“What are you smirking at, beautiful?” Nathan whispered the words into her ear.
“The idea of you going around the house with a feather duster, keeping it clean and tidy.”
He squeezed her side and murmured, “If it pleased you. I would.”
Okay. So at first the idea had amused her, but now it struck her as hot. He’d do it for her, to please her. A guy who would help around the house, while running his dragon clan, and being hailed as a most fearsome warrior. What could be hotter?
“Besides.” Dom leaned in to join in the conversation. “I read in one of those awful magazines you leave lying around, that guys who do their share of the housework get laid more often. So…you know. We have the man servants, but if we didn’t then no way would the burden fall on you. I like getting laid too much to leave you slaving over the cleaning all day.”
The robed female to their right spoke again and Teresa translated.
“Now we will exchange the rings.”
Teresa pulled three boxes out of her handbag, handing them to Nathan, who passed them to the elderly man who had been making notes in a red, velvet covered notebook. The man placed each of the boxes on the table and opened them. Three simple gold bands shone from their blue satin pillows. Each contained some engraving.
He began to speak, and Teresa gently pushed Ice forward as Nathan and Dom approached the table. Dom placed his hand on the table. Nathan took hers and placed it next to Dom’s, and then put his own palm flat on the worn wood.
The man took each of the rings and passed over it their three hands. She swore she felt some heat from the rings as they moved over her skin.
Next, the man handed them each a ring. She took her cues from her men and watched as Dominic placed a ring on Nathan’s right hand. Nathan then placed a ring on her right hand, and finally gave her a ring and gestured at Dominic. As she slipped the ring onto Dominic’s finger she glanced up at him and saw the love shining out of his eyes.
Her heart soared at the importance of the moment. Here she was. The girl who’d never really belonged about to bond for life with two amazing men. Strong, loyal, kind, and handsome, they wanted her. Claire, the freaky kid who always stood on the outside looking in, had found her place in the world, and it wasn’t anywhere her wildest imagination could have conjured up.
The man shouted some words she didn’t understand, pulling her out of the deep and meaningfuls she’d gone to in her mind. At his words, the whole village erupted into cheers. Nathan pulled her and Dominic in to him, and kissed them both. Dominic followed suit, and then she did the same.
“Now, we will eat and feast and drink.” Teresa clapped her hands.
&
nbsp; They did drink and feast, but none of them ate much. She wanted to be back in their room, just the three of them. The ceremony had been lovely. Simple, and moving, but she wanted to physically cement their bond and sensed the guys shared her frustration.
Music floated around them as a small group of musicians played their instruments. Some of the clan danced, and many of them drank copious amounts of champagne.
“At what point do you think we can slip away?” Dom looked past her to Nathan.
“Oh, I think we can leave now. These guys will party all night.” Nathan huffed a soft laugh and his breath brushed over her neck making her shiver.
“Come.” He stood from the table and held his hand out.
She took it and turned to give a small wave to Teresa with her free hand.
Dom wrapped his arm around her waist and the three of them walked back to their house.
“Does it hurt?” she asked.
“Hurt?” Nathan sounded confused.
“When we do the special, private bonding thing. Will I burn or anything?”
“Only in a good way.”
She laughed at the in joke and squeezed his hand.
Chapter Sixteen
She followed the two men…males, as she ought to start thinking of them, down the hallway and toward the large bedroom they now all shared. They’d had a custom made bed handcrafted by one of the village males who worked with wood. The thing was huge. Bigger even than a super king. But the three of them slept together every night and Nathan liked to sprawl. He wasn’t exactly small, and when his arms and legs starfished out, it left her and Dom huddled on the edge. So they’d solved the problem with their custom made giant bed and matching mattress.
She’d gone to town on the décor. Instead of the original colors, the room now came painted in a wash of pale green. She’d added handmade wooden shutters to the windows, loving the way they looked. Nathan hadn’t blinked at all when she’d said she wanted a chaise lounge. She’d always fantasized about having one from being a small girl. Not particularly feminine in her dress, or her behavior, Ice let her inner princess out when it came to the décor and the guys let her at it. So now, a gorgeous robin’s egg blue chaise sat under the picture window. She loved to sit there and read.