Jace brows creased. “It can be a hard life.”
“It doesn’t have to be, and I’m prepared. I met an interesting woman in the Nairobi airport who assured me it was worth all the risks.”
Trying to sit upright, Jace shifted on the blankets. “What woman?”
“I have a strong feeling you’d know her if you saw her.”
“Alair?” Hope flooded Jace’s voice.
“She didn’t say her name, but you have her eyes.”
Jace appeared to revive and turned toward Beau. “My mother’s alive.”
“Not only is she alive, she seemed very clued in and a step ahead of Commander Vorden and his men.”
Jace rubbed his eyes with his palm. “Why wouldn’t my mother contact me?”
“I don’t know.” Devon caressed Jace’s face. “Is there something wrong with your eyes, sweetheart?”
Jace grabbed Devon’s hand. “I’m not worried about my eyes anymore. Was my mother all right?”
“She was more than all right. She seemed well-informed and very much in control. Things went so smoothly at the airport I got the impression she was connected to a larger network of people. I was taken to a VIP lounge and bumped to first class, no questions asked.”
Jace drew Devon against him. “Wow,” he muttered. “This changes everything.” He motioned for Beau to come near. “Come here, Beau. Lie with us. I want both of you close while I rest a little.”
Beau climbed under the blankets, wrapped his arms around Jace, and spooned him.
Devon embraced them both. “This is how it will be from now on. When we’re in trouble, we’ll face it together, not separately. I’ve had plenty of time to think about things, and I don’t want to be apart anymore. I belong with both of you. I know that now.”
Jace kissed the top of Devon’s head, nuzzled his face against her hair, and lingered there. “I agree.” He stretched out on the blankets and held her tight. “If I sleep, I’ll wake up feeling better. You’re my medicine.”
EXHAUSTION OVERWHELMED Beau, but his spirits soared. Today had been a clear victory. He’d held his shattered heart together, pressed forward, and miracle of miracles, the wheel of fate had turned in his favor. Devon had come to them. He was able to save her and even fly her up the fucking summit, something he never would have attempted even a week ago. His unbounded love for Devon and Jace had made him bolder, and sometimes tragedy brought strength. With every fiber of his being spent, he cuddled under the blankets beside his hard-won mates and quickly slipped into fitful dreams.
Beau dreamed of his childhood home in the blustery granite islands and freshwater lochs of Scotland’s Outer Hebrides. The vision was more of an emotionally charged memory than a true dream. In this trancelike state, he saw his beautiful mother Rhona, standing beside a window with the hazy golden glow of a sinking sun streaming at her back, lighting her wind-rumpled head of strawberry blonde curls like a halo. She held a chunky hand-knit sweater in her arms, the same warm shade of beige as oatmeal sprinkled with black pepper. With love shimmering in her pale, sea-foam-green eyes, she handed it to him. “I made this for you, dear. Happy birthday.”
Beau accepted the sweater with a smile. He’d known he was getting a sweater for his birthday, he always got a sweater, but this one was special and would be his last. “Thank you, Ma.” He kissed her cheek.
The sweater was heavy in his hands. His mother made the most beautiful sweaters, which she sold to tourists and sent all over the world. The wool was harvested from their herd of Scottish Blackface sheep, homespun and knit in front of their fireplace. It gave Rhona something to do with her hands on the long, restless nights when his fathers were out in rough seas, fishing.
Her gaze carried a hint of sadness. “You’ve been happy here, haven’t you?”
He knew nothing else. The seaside farm on the cliff was his only home.
“I know it’s been hard and I know you’ve been lonely. I’m sorry you couldn’t be like other boys and go off to school and have the freedoms they have. Just for the record, I think your fathers have been too protective of you, but I suppose that comes with being an only child.”
Their past was haunted by a violent incident. Before he was born, his parents had lived in Edinburgh and he’d had an older brother, Roland, who he’d never met. Poor little Roland had been walking outside a day care center when a car lost control, jumped the curb, and ran him down. Circumstances surrounding the accident were suspicious and pointed at the OKSG. After that tragedy, the home in the city was sold, and their lives on the edge of a cliff in the North Sea began. For nineteen years, he’d been loved, homeschooled, spoiled and stifled by three wary parents and it was literally time for him to fly the nest.
Rhona looked into Beau’s eyes, and tears spilled onto her golden lashes. “We might not see each other for a while, maybe years. I’ll miss you and I wish you the best. You’ve been a good son and I hope life treats you fairly. Never forget the Marduko ways and the love of your family.”
Her maudlin mood alarmed him. “It’s not forever, Ma. I’m only leaving for university.”
She shook her head. “You’ve been shifting for over a year. Too many dragons in one spot will attract the wrong sort of attention. It’s time for you to break from us, go into the world to carve your own territory and seek your own mates. Beau, you’re so shy. Promise me you won’t put it off. I can’t bear the thought of you spending life alone.”
His fathers peered into the kitchen. Demyan, a broad-chested, sloe-eyed Russian dragon, built as sturdy as an oak, and his slender, fair Norwegian father, Alyx, beckoned him with a crooked finger.
Demyan’s hearty laugh interrupted Rhona’s somber attitude. “Come outside, son.” He held a clear bottle with red Cyrillic lettering printed on it. “I want to make a toast.”
Beau kissed his mother’s cheek as he brushed past to join his fathers on the back porch. Both men had a twinkle in their eyes.
“We’re very proud of you.” Alyx bowed his head.
Always the louder man, Demyan held the bottle aloft. “So let’s drink!” Despite having left the Soviet Union decades ago, his thick Russian accent never faded. “A toast to our wonderful son, Beau. Someday, may he know the happiness he’s brought to us with his own trio and family.”
Beau’s face flushed. “It won’t be my trio. I’m not an alpha, but God willing, I hope to be part of a trio.”
Alyx smiled, making the edges of his gray eyes crinkle. “Well said.”
Demyan unstopped the bottle. “This is the best damn vodka Moscow has to offer. You can’t buy it anywhere. You have to know somebody who knows someone, and even then you might need to do a favor for the FSB to get it. I’ve been saving this bottle for something special, and this is it.” He offered the bottle to Beau. “To Beau! He’s a man. He’s Marduko, and the world is at his feet!”
It took a moment to realize his father expected him to drink straight from the bottle. He did, and the vodka was ice-cold and smooth as silk as he took a burning gulp. “It’s good.” He passed the bottle to Alyx, who drank a long swig. “Where have you been hiding this?”
“I’ll never tell.” Demyan grabbed the bottle and swallowed. “Damn, that’s fine.” He thrust the bottle back into Beau’s hand. “Drink!” he insisted.
The bottle went back and forth between them, and once everyone had grown tipsy, Demyan raised his fist to the setting sun and shouted, “Strip! We’re going flying.”
“Rhona won’t like it,” Alyx muttered.
Demyan dismissed the comment with the stomp of his heavy boot. “Sometimes a dragon needs to be a dragon. Before I send my son away to university, I want to fly beside him. As a proud father, that is my right!” He tore at his shirt, popping several buttons loose in the process. “Everyone join me. As your alpha, I command it.”
They quickly stripped their clothing away and left it in a chaotic pile on the porch. The men dropped to all fours and shifted to dragon form with joyous roars.
&nbs
p; Demyan completed his shift first. Built thick and powerful, he had a coppery hide and a tremendous wingspan. Alyx shifted next to his sleeker dragon form with a bluish, silvery sheen. Beau was last to make the shift, and had to beat his wings frantically to take off and follow his fathers, who were already gliding on an updraft above a rocky pasture.
In flight, they were formidable—lethal denizens of another age. The last crimson rays of the sun underlit their wings and made their snouted bills look fiercer. The herd of Blackface sheep bounded away from the flying predators.
They mentally linked, and of course, Demyan dominated the conversation. “My land. My loves. My son. Life has been good to me. Beau, wherever you go in this world, never forget our hearts have become human but our souls will always be Marduko. Never be ashamed of the dragon in you.”
Swooping in lazy circles, they flew along the edge of the sea cliffs, with the wind making their wings vibrate and flex with tremendous force. Banking hard in triple formation, they raced back across a loamy pasture teeming with white boulders and startled sheep eager to get out of the way. It grew darker, and a wall of fog crept toward the coast. This was prime flying time. Misty skies and nightfall were their allies, even though they had no neighbors on this rugged isle to witness the dragons flight.
Demyan touched his wingtip to Beau’s. A glimmer of pride shone in his father’s black eyes. For a moment they flew in tandem, talon to talon, before Demyan broke away and soared fast and steep over a ridgeline.
A shot rang through the air and then another and another. Someone concealed on the ground was shooting at them! In a panic, Beau’s wingtips tangled with Alyx’s and he tumbled from the air in a clumsy dive. He glanced up in time to see a portion of Alyx’s wing ripped away by gunfire. Blood spurted through the air as Alyx spun out of control, plummeted from the sky and smacked the ground. Still in dragon form, he pulled himself by the talons between a rocky outcropping.
Shrieking in rage, Demyan zipped along the ridgeline, looking for the perpetrator of this heinous act. He spotted him, drew his wings back and dropped from the sky in a high-speed dive with his talons poised to strike. A soul-shredding shriek of rage burst free and rang against the hills as a hail of bullets ripped into his chest, tearing him to pieces. His snout snapped back and he tumbled head over feet to earth, hit the boulders hard, and lay still with his broken wings crushed beneath him.
No one moved. Their links went silent. The wind off the ocean was all he heard. Beau cried out his father’s name, but only his shrill dragon call echoed back to him.
JACE LAY STILL WITH his eyes half-closed, pretending to be asleep. The light of the dying fire flickered against the cave wall. Both Beau and Devon had been sound asleep for hours. The poor things were exhausted.
It was wonderful to have Beau and Devon safely beside him. A feeling of completion and peace like he’d never felt before flooded through him. His body was depleted, but he knew he had to fight his way back from the brink. His situation demanded he be at full force as soon as possible. Commander Vorden was at the base of the mountain, and they were certain to wake to fresh threats. His mother was alive and possibly his beta father Kostas too; he couldn’t let them down. He now had two committed mates who needed him, and if he wasn’t mistaken, Devon’s scent had subtly changed. He wasn’t certain, but he sensed a hint of sweetness on the crown of her head, which meant her body had reacted favorably to his and Beau’s pheromone-laced dragon bites. The process was never a sure thing, but it was the only way a human woman could have healthy children with them, and like a beautiful miracle it seemed to be happening for them. When she was ready to mate, and there was no rush now, Devon’s body would now be prepared to accept little Marduko. He wondered if she was aware of the change.
Everything he ever wanted was being offered, and he had to pull himself together and fight for it. It was clear that recent hardships had been a harsh test of spirit and not a death sentence. With Beau’s devotion and Devon’s love and acceptance, he’d passed through the fire and come out stronger. Decline was no longer an option. This was the moment to change gears and take up the challenge.
He allowed his hands to drift over Devon’s soft curves, pulled her near and freely explored her. She sighed in her sleep and snuggled closer. Her body was a pleasing mix of softness and strength, and just too tempting to resist. He wanted to stretch on top of her and part her thighs. “Devon,” he whispered, “I need you.”
Devon turned onto her back and stretched an arm languidly overhead. Her eyes half opened. “I’ve been hoping you’d ask.”
He rolled on top of her, taking his weight on his elbows, and gazed down at her pretty face. “How did a nice girl like you end up with two male dragons?”
“I got lucky.” She wrapped her legs around Jace’s hips and held him tight. She glided her hand across Beau’s shoulder. “I could never choose. I love you both.”
“Then it’s perfect.” He gently parted her legs, stroked his fingertips between her thighs, and guided himself inside her.
She arched upward to meet him. “I’ve been dreaming of this.”
Almost holding his breath, he entered with a slow stroke. This was a special moment, and he knew it. Devon had risked her life to come to him, and he wanted to repay her by returning all the love and tender emotions she triggered in him. He grazed his hands along the sides of her face. “Open your eyes,” he said softly, “and look at me.”
Devon tangled her fingers in Jace’s hair. “Sweetheart, you’re in shadow. I can’t see your face.”
He bent lower and brushed his lips against hers. “I love you, Devon, and I’m never going to let you risk your life alone ever again. From now on Beau and I will be at your side. I promise.”
She kissed Jace’s throat and worked her way higher, kissing the stubbly grit on his jaw before finally reaching his lips. “Don’t make rash promises. I won’t hold you to it.”
He moved carefully inside her, knowing it had been so long since the last time, he could lose control in a flash, and he wanted this to last.
Beau woke and turned onto his side. He gazed at Jace’s position between Devon’s thighs and smiled. “I see the medicine worked.”
“All I needed was a good dose of Devon.” Jace drew Beau closer. “Give her a kiss and tell her you’re glad she’s here.”
Beau leaned over and kissed Devon’s lips. His warm breath mixed with hers. “I’m very glad you’re with us.” A sensual look crossed his face as he tossed the blanket aside, revealing a thick erection. “The bedding smells like sex. How could I sleep through something like that?”
Devon traced her fingertips against Jace’s face. “Let’s make everyone happy.” She pulled free of Jace, rolled onto her knees. Bending over Beau, she stroked her tongue across his balls and up the shaft. When she reached the crown, she licked and caressed it adoringly. “You were my hero today, and as your reward, I’m going to drain your balls.”
“Do it.” A huge smile lit Beau’s face as he sprawled on the blankets and spread his thighs wide for Devon.
She settled between Beau’s legs, gripped the shaft with her fist, and slid the crown against her wet lips. Her hair spilled across Beau’s thighs. Arching her back, she offered herself to Jace by lifting her hips higher.
The sight of Devon leaning over Beau and sucking him off while Beau moaned beneath her was too much. Taking hold of Devon’s hips, he positioned himself behind her for a long, steady thrust and sank deep. Breathless, he pulled all the way out and entered her again as she rocked her hips against him.
“Don’t tease me.” He smacked her ass lightly, just because it looked so tempting from that angle. He fought the urge to take her hard for fear she’d accidentally harm Beau if he lost control. He knew that before he could have what he wanted, Beau had to get his. “Play with his balls. Bounce them against your palm, and suck the head hard. That’s what he likes.”
She did exactly that.
Beau moaned and thrust his hips off
the blankets.
“Wet your fingertip.” Jace’s voice was a low rumble. “Circle Beau’s taint and pretend you’re going to slide one of your slender fingers inside him and really torment him. Beau loves ass play. When we get home, you and me should tie Beau spread-eagle on the bed and take turns sucking him off while we stroke a skinny, well-lubed vibrator high inside his ass, and listen to him beg.”
“Fuck!” Beau bucked against the blankets. He lifted his hips and pumped in and out of the heated grip of her lips with short, furious strokes before tensing and emptying into her mouth with an anguished groan. He collapsed against the bedding. “Damn!”
Pulling away, she swallowed, then kissed the head of Beau’s cock. She glanced over her shoulder at Jace. “I want to be part of this trio as much as I want my next breath. Claim me as your mate. Mark me. Do it.”
Those words were what he needed to hear. They literally gave him life and made his heart pound with joy that kept building to ever-sweeter levels. All his greatest hopes and desires were being delivered into his waiting hands, and he had only to claim them.
He gathered Devon into his arms and pressed a soft kiss to her nape. “You’re going to bond with me as a mate and link.” His tone was firm. “There will be no arguments.” He swept a wisp of dark hair from her throat and bit, knowing the sensations would be intense. An alpha’s bite burned fiercer than a beta’s. Just bringing his mouth near the soft skin of her throat excited every nerve to an almost unbearable pitch. As the dragon bite deepened, he locked his arms around her, branding his mark onto her throat.
Devon made tiny, pleasured sounds, and within moments she melted onto the blankets and stretched. “Wow, those bites are a hell of a rush.” She reached between her thighs and stroked herself as a sweet moan escaped her lips. “You’d better finish me off before I burst into flames.”
The Lady Prefers Dragons Page 30