by Vella Day
“Never! It’s just that Birk will think you are beautiful no matter what. It’s who he is.”
Lily genuinely smiled. “Good to know.”
Nessa turned to the other three women. “Who’s up for takeout at my place?”
“I’m in,” Kaleena said. “Finn is with Birk, so I’m totally free for the evening.”
Tory raised her hand. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”
Greer turned to her sister. “I’m game, but you know I don’t drink a lot.”
Lily liked Greer in part because she was the quiet one of the bunch. If she didn’t know Greer was a dragon shifter, she never would have guessed. From an outsider’s perspective, Greer just wanted to sell jewelry—not fight evil forces.
“Great,” Nessa said.
Once Lily paid the stylist, she gathered the sexy clothes the girls insisted she purchase and walked out with them. It was comforting how the four of them surrounded her, making sure a dragon shifter protected her on all four sides.
When Lily stepped outside and noticed the sun was setting, she hadn’t realized how long they’d been in the salon. The pinks and purples of the sky reflected off the glass buildings, lighting up the downtown, making for an absolutely gorgeous view. Add in the fact that the evening air was clear and crisp, and Lily could almost forget that anyone wanted to harm her.
Once they all piled into the car, Nessa took off.
“So Lily, what was the best part of the day for you?” Tory asked.
She couldn’t possibly answer that. Kaleena had spearheaded the shopping spree, Nessa the hair salon, and Greer the makeup redo. Lily decided to stay on safe ground. “The fact you all asked me to join you and then protected me with your lives.”
All of the women smiled. Nessa glanced in the rear view mirror at her. “What food are you in the mood to eat, Lily?”
Why was she asking her? Sure, she felt like the guest of honor, but the others should have a say so. “I’m good with anything.”
“Pizza okay then?”
“It’s one of my favorite foods.” That was the truth.
“I’ll call it in as soon as we get home.”
It didn’t take long before they were parked in a garage under Nessa’s condo. After Tory did a quick sweep of the area for anyone lurking about, she returned. “All clear,” she said as she opened the back door for Lily to exit.
Just like Birk’s, her condo had an eye scanner. Maybe Lily should ask him to install one of those at her place since it would give her a feeling of safety.
Once inside, Nessa took orders and called for pizza delivery while Kaleena asked what everyone wanted to drink. Greer sat next to Lily while Tory grabbed the plates and napkins. She then plopped everything down on the oversized coffee table that separated the two sofas.
“How is it going with my brother?” Greer asked with a lot of excitement in her voice.
She wasn’t about to say he was an amazing lover. “Good. After he told me I was his mate, he calmed down a bit—or else I understood better why he was so protective all the time.”
Greer chuckled. “Birk always has worried about others. You’re lucky Fate paired you with him.”
“I know that now, but at first I thought I was the unluckiest person in the realm to have a dragon shifter around me all the time.”
Greer patted her hand. “I’m sorry what happened with your last boyfriend. All species have bad ones.”
Wasn’t that the truth?
Nessa pocketed her cell and sat down next to Tory on the sofa across from where Lily and Greer were sitting. Kaleena placed the drinks in front of everyone and sat in one of the chairs flanking the two sofas.
“Lily, do you have any questions for us?” Nessa asked.
“Questions?”
She smiled. “Like what might happen after you and Birk mate—unless of course Kyle filled you in already? I know he originally had a lot of concerns before we mated.”
“I haven’t spoken to him since Birk told me we are mates, but he gave me a general rundown. I’m sure at some point I’ll be asking you all kinds of stuff.” Lily held up a finger. “I do have a question for Kaleena though.”
“Ask away.”
“How did you and Finn meet? I’ve heard bits and pieces but not the whole story.” In part, she wanted to learn if the way mates were paired was the same for everyone.
Her eyes widened slightly. “I can’t believe you don’t know.” Kaleena leaned forward and picked up her glass. “For starters, I need to tell you that I’ve known Finn was my mate for many years.”
“For years? Birk told me he had no idea we were fated to be together until Nessa and he came into my apartment.”
Kaleena smiled. “That’s true, but I have a unique talent in that I can dream-walk.” She explained in more detail what that meant. “So after I was captured by my cousin, Prince Rathan, I told Finn—who was on Earth at the time—that I was in trouble. It was how he knew to come here.”
“That was very brave of him. Did he know you were a dragon shifter?” Lily wondered if she was the only one who had been afraid of them.
Kaleena shook her head. “No. I thought if I told him, he might fear me.”
Aha. “Obviously, Finn found a way to locate the portal and come here, but how was a wolf shifter able to sneak into the castle and save you?”
She smiled. “He had a lot of help from my family and the Four Sisters of Fate.” She detailed all that was involved in getting him inside and finding the cells.
“Wow. I know white lighters are powerful, but I had no idea those sisters could do that.”
Kaleena nodded. “They are amazing, and the rescue itself was equally as impressive.”
“Weren’t you scared being cooped up like that?”
“Very much so—I was forced to wear cuffs that sent poison into my system, and then took away my ability to shift or do magic. But that wasn’t the worst part.”
Losing her powers was hard to relate to, but Lily could empathize with how troubling it must have been for someone like her. “What was the worst part?” Lily picked up her glass of wine and sipped it.
“Not being able to help the others who were imprisoned alongside of me. While I can’t be positive, some were white lighters like me. They had done nothing wrong other than possess magic.”
“That’s horrible and so unjust. Were any of them dragon shifters?” Lily asked.
“I couldn’t be sure.”
“Can’t your family save them?” Lily couldn’t imagine being held prisoner if she’d done nothing wrong.
“Our fathers are working on the logistics now.” Kaleena looked over at Tory and then Nessa.
“A rescue is highly dangerous,” Tory said. “If anything goes wrong, there would be a lot of bloodshed. The king’s men might not possess as much magic as we do, but they are highly trained. Birk’s brother, Thane, works hard to train us, but we don’t spend hours each day training like the Royals do.”
“But Finn found his way in there before. Why can’t he do that face thing again?”
Kaleena smiled. “The sisters don’t like to interfere with the path Fate has set for some people.”
“I see.” Lily wished she could help, but she had no special abilities. She would have to speak with Birk, hoping he had some ideas.
The doorbell rang, and Nessa jumped up. She checked the security hole before opening the door. “Pizza’s here.”
After paying, Nessa carried in the meal. Unless these women ate as much as Birk, there was no way they’d finish this much food.
“Dig in,” Nessa said.
They each grabbed a slice of pizza and a bread stick. After a few bites and a lot of appreciative moans, Lily asked what each of them did in the family business. They went around and explained what their role was. Lily found it interesting and impressive how capable and smart these women were.
Lily wiped her mouth. “What’s fascinating is how different you all are. And to think you’re related.�
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The four women glanced at each other. “Don’t let the fact that I work at the retail end of the business fool you,” Greer said. “While I am a healer, as you and your brother both found out, I can and do fight when needed, though I prefer to help in other ways.”
That was a surprise.
Kaleena nodded. “Greer may be elegant and controlled, but she is a powerhouse against evil.”
Nessa chuckled. “One more thing. Just because Greer dresses like a lady, whereas I go around wearing baggy miner’s clothes, don’t underestimate her.”
Lily held up her hands. “Thanks for the warning.”
Everyone was quiet for a moment until Greer held up her nearly full glass. “To fooling some people all of the time and all of the people some of the time.”
Lily laughed. “Do all dragons more or less look alike?”
The women glanced at each other. This time Tory spoke. “Everyone in our family has different colored scales that are interspersed with the black ones, but there are other differences, such as the shape of the snout and the spacing of the spikes on the back of the tail. Stuff like that. When you become a dragon, you’ll be able to tell one from the other more easily.”
When she became a dragon? That was a scary thought, though an inevitable reality.
Kaleena held up a finger. “We should mention that while we don’t have a choice in what we are born with, it seems as if the more dominant family members end up with colors in the red family. Declan’s scales are a rather bright red whereas Birk’s are more ruby. Sometimes, even I have mistaken those two.
Interesting. “Will my scale colors match Birk’s then?”
“No,” they said in unison. “It’s not like human DNA where you inherit physical traits.”
“I see.” Kind of.
Tory asked her about her work, and the discussion went downhill from there once the serious drinking began.
After another hour of conversation, Nessa polished off the last of the pizza. “Anyone up for watching some movies with hot sex going on?”
The women all talked at once. Apparently, as long as Nessa made her famous popcorn, they didn’t care what she picked.
Chapter Twelve
The last few texts Birk had sent to Nessa had gone unanswered. Given it was close to ten at night, Birk was beginning to worry. Sure, Lily wore the ring that would send him a message if she were afraid, but what if she were unconscious and unable to rub the ring?
She’s fine, his dragon said, sounding rather exasperated at his worrying.
How can you be so sure?
I would have sensed it.
He could almost visualize his animal lifting his haughty head. Enough was enough. Birk was going over to his sister’s place to pick up Lily, and he didn’t care how much anyone complained. He wasn’t going to take a chance that something had happened to her. So what if she was surrounded by four very competent dragon shifters—shifters who happened to be Guardians and were trained by the best?
His anxiety might have stemmed from the fact he and the men were no further along in determining the scope of the human trafficking ring run by Richard Dorlack. Birk couldn’t chance the ass might have already sent ten shifters after Lily.
Birk and Nessa lived quite close, so he chose to walk—or rather jogged—over to his sister’s place. He entered through the parking garage instead of through the main entrance to make sure Nessa’s car was parked in her usual spot. It was. Birk shouldn’t be so concerned, but when it came to his mate, he couldn’t help it.
As soon as he stepped off the elevator at her floor, laughter floated down the hallway, and the tension in his shoulders released somewhat. He recognized Tory’s and his sister’s voices, but not Lily’s. Birk debated turning around since he didn’t want to interrupt her good time, but it was possible Lily might want to leave—not to be with him necessarily, but because she was tired.
Or was Birk just being selfish? Whatever. He was a shifter in need. After waiting a minute at the door and never hearing Lily’s voice, he finally knocked.
The sound from the television was still blaring when Nessa answered. “Well, well, if it isn’t my brother! Come for Lily?”
“You know I have.”
Nessa grinned and motioned him in. “Fun’s over girls. The big bad dragon is shutting us down.”
Lily stood and then giggled. “Be kind, Nessa. I’m sure Birk was worried about me. I have been gone all day, and you know how anxious he gets.” She held up a glass of wine and polished it off.
Tory and Kaleena were still glued to whatever was on the large screen. When Birk glanced over at it, he sucked in a breath. Holy shit, it was two naked men having sex with a woman.
Tory hummed. “Oh, my. He is very well hung, isn’t he?” She swayed right and left.
Kaleena grinned. “Let’s just say I’ve seen as big.”
“Oooh,” Tory said. “Better keep your mate close by your side in that case.”
“I plan to.” Kaleena laughed.
Lily wove her way over to Birk, waving her now empty glass. “Hey there. Hope you weren’t too worried.” With her free hand, she dragged a finger down his chest straight to his cock.
His body nearly exploded. “How much have you had to drink?” Her breath smelled fruity.
Her smile widened. “I lost track.”
Not sure what to say, he just stared at Lily. While he loved her look before, the new hairdo and makeup had his libido skyrocketing. Even his talons threatened to poke through his skin.
She spun around, her scent swirling inside him and making his dragon growl in anticipation. “Do you like the new me?” she asked.
“I’ll get your shopping bags, Lily, from the spare bedroom,” Nessa said with a huge grin. Damn. His eyes must have turned turquoise.
Sure enough, when he glanced down at his arms, his ruby red scales were shining through his clothes.
“I love it.” Almost too much, Birk thought to himself as he ran his tongue along his teeth—teeth that had sharpened to points. Damn.
Lily leaned into him and then cupped his balls in front of everyone. Heat raced up his body. “Want to have some fun?”
Enough was enough. He lifted Lily’s hand off his crotch. “I’m taking you home.”
She giggled. “I hope to bed.”
“Shh.” If she kept this up, he might slam her against the wall and make love to her, not caring that he was in his sister’s condo with everyone looking on.
Nessa returned with four bags and handed them to him before facing Lily. “I’m so glad you were able to go out with us, Lily.”
She spun to face Nessa and when she teetered, Birk steadied her. “Thank you for inviting me. It was an awesome day.” She handed Nessa her glass.
“We’ll have to do another girls’ day when all this Toma stuff is over.”
“Absolutely. I loved getting to know you and really appreciate how welcoming you all have been.” Her words came out a bit slurred.
All four women hugged her goodbye, and Birk puffed out his chest, proud that his future mate got along so well with his family. And here he had worried for nothing.
He placed a hand on Lily’s back. “Ready?”
“Yes.”
“Did you have a good time?” he asked when they were halfway down the hall.
“I had an amazing time. Not only was it fun to shop and have makeovers, I learned so much about everyone, especially Kaleena’s story about her incarceration and her eventual release.”
At least she hadn’t said the highlight was watching porn. “I’ve always admired Kaleena’s strength. If I’d been in the same situation, I’m not sure if I’d have handled it as well.”
Lily sighed. “She told me about the people unjustly locked up in the castle. Is there anything you can do about it?”
Birk tightened his hold around her waist. The last thing he ever wanted was to disappoint Lily, but right now he needed to ensure her safety. “My father and uncle are working on a p
lan. Declan and Finn will lend a hand as soon as this whole mess with Toma clears up.”
She sagged against him, and he wasn’t sure if it was because of the alcohol or because she wanted his warmth. “I hope you figure something out.”
“I’m sure we will.” He pressed the down button. “Enough of the sad talk. I want to know everything you did, though from the looks of it, I’d say you stopped in quite a few stores.”
She faced him. “We did.” She listed just a few. “You really like the new me?” she asked, her eyelids half closing.
“Like I said, I think you look amazing, though I loved the way you looked before too. I didn’t say anything, because I didn’t want to gush over you in front of Greer and Tory. Remember, they have no one to go home to.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Just so you know, it took all of my control not to pin you against the wall and kiss you senseless like you wanted me to.” And strip you naked and then make love to you.
Her eyes widened. “Like I still want you to?” He nodded. “You’re right.”
Birk chuckled. Once they arrived at his condo, he couldn’t wait to taste her. Being away from Lily all day had him on the brink of despair.
As soon as they stepped inside his place, she faced him. “Can I try on a few things for you that I bought?”
Birk inwardly groaned. He’d never be able to see her in sexy clothes and not tear them off her. “If I can help you get out of them.”
She laughed and held up her hands. “No, you have to behave and watch. Once you touch me, you know what will happen.”
“Only too well.”
Before he could snatch her into his arms and kiss her like he’d been wanting to from the moment he’d stepped into Nessa’s place, Lily grabbed the shopping bags from his hands and ran into her room. He debated going after her, but she seemed really excited to show him what she’d purchased. Birk needed to put her joy over his needs.
While Lily changed, Birk paced. When she hadn’t emerged after five minutes, he snagged a beer from the fridge to help settle him down. After the frustrating day he and the others had, he needed to relax. Halfway through the bottle, Lily opened the door and stepped out.