"Arielle," he said soothingly. He crouched down so that his face was level with hers. "We're going to put you to bed, okay?"
When she didn't respond with anything more than a whimper, Matthew pulled her into his arms slowly. She flinched, but didn't pull away. He let out a breath that he hadn't even realized he was holding, and she curled into his chest a little more.
"I'll stay with her," Adam told them when Matthew laid Arielle down on her bed.
Matthew opened his mouth to argue, but closed it when the words didn't come.
"I'll do it," Stefan snapped.
Matthew laughed. "If you stay, one of you is going to end up dead. And as amusing as that would be right now, I don't think that's for the best."
Adam nodded along with him. "Why don't you two go figure out what you can about the mercenary that's after her?" Adam said. "Let's face it, I'm the least threatening out of all of us."
Both Matthew and Stefan snorted at his flippant remark. Adam appeared to be the least threatening. In reality, he was the deadliest of any of them. Which was partly why he was so good at infiltrating enemy lines and bringing them down from within.
"I feel like killing something," Stefan said suddenly. "Matthew, let's go see if we can find the man who tried to take her."
"I mean," Adam offered. "Didn't you say you had claws for a reason?"
Adam watched his friends leave, and then he turned his attention to the woman in the bed next to him. She'd stopped shaking when Matthew let go of her, and although her breathing was even he knew that she wasn't asleep.
"They're gone," he said quietly. "I don't know why you didn't want Matthew to stay, but I got him to go all the same."
"How did you know I wanted him to go?" Arielle whispered from under her blanket.
Adam shrugged, even though she couldn't see it. "I don't know," he admitted. "But ever since I saw you in that coffee shop, it's like I can feel what you want and how to make it happen."
"Thank you," the mumble came reluctantly from under the bed. "I didn't want him to see me cry."
Adam chuckled. "But you're okay with me seeing you cry." He rolled his eyes.
"You don't scare me," she said with a sniffle. "They both do."
He didn't call her on the lie, but he felt it. She wasn't scared of any of them. The fact that she wanted him there made him feel warm and happy, but he didn't say that to her either.
"I'm a good listener," Adam finally said. "I'm not a therapist like Matthew, but I can listen to what you tell me without judging you or making you feel bad about it along the way."
He didn't want to push her. Okay, that was a lie. He did want to push her, but he wasn't going to hurt her. Mostly because it was clear that whatever she'd gone through was traumatic, and she wasn't ready to talk about it. At least not on his terms, but maybe she could on her own terms.
"I wasn't just kept in the castle," Arielle said while sitting up.
She wrapped the blanket around herself, and Adam almost smiled at how small she appeared in the large comforter. She really was like a doll. Adam didn't say anything. He didn't want the princess to stop telling him about what brought on the panic attack.
"I was held there, in chains. My father kept me there for my own good, or so he said. I was educated, taught to read and write. Taught about the history of dragons and what it meant to be a princess. But I never left those rooms. I thought it was normal." She sniffed. "I never knew anything different. I had a nanny. She taught me everything I know about shifting, about who I am." Arielle paused there, and Adam felt her hesitance to continue.
He sat down on the bed with her, and before he could stop himself, he pulled her into a comforting embrace.
"I hated him, when I learned the truth about the monster he was."
Adam wanted to push her away. He wanted to let her go, to walk away and let her sort through this on her own, but he didn't move.
"He hurt me," she said quietly. "Over and over again. To force me to shift. To make me into something he could be proud of. I was an animal to him. Something he could just experiment on."
"You're safe now," Adam told her once he had forced the rising anger down so that he could speak. "He's not going to hurt you or anyone else. Ever again."
Arielle stopped talking, and even though she wasn't asleep, Adam knew that she was significantly calmer than she'd been only a few minutes before.
Fighting the urge to stay and protect her, Adam left Arielle alone in her bed. He paused at the door, though, needing to look at her one more time.
"I thought I was hallucinating," she told him. "At the club on my birthday."
Adam paused, listening intently at what she was telling him.
"That's what started all of this. I thought I saw the man my father sent to rape me over and over again. I thought he was there, watching me. I know it's stupid."
Adam clutched the doorframe so hard he heard it crack under his grip. Arielle was so absorbed in her memory of the hallucination, he knew she didn't realize that his entire world was shifting.
In the coffee shop, he had felt their connection starting to form. Now, rage so pure and hot that he was afraid, coursed through his veins.
While she closed her eyes and cuddled down into her blankets Adam walked away with a silent promise.
He'd never let another man hurt her. Ever again.
9
Matthew stepped into the shared office that he used in the human realm, and stared at his partner until Jackson finally looked up from his computer.
"What do you want?" Jackson frowned, and then returned to the work at hand.
Matthew smiled. Annoying Jackson was one of his favorite pastimes. Since they opened an office together a little over a year ago, he spent every single Monday morning trying to find new ways to get under his skin.
"Have you talked to your mother yet?" Matthew watched his friend freeze for a moment, and then continue on like nothing had happened.
"Have you admitted that you want to mate with the princess yet?"
"Prick."
Matthew threw a pretzel at Jackson. He knew the rules. No powers in the office. Jackson wasn't just a witch or another magical being. No, he was the freaking empath. The fabled magical being that would restore magic to the way it was supposed to be. He had the power to control the feelings of those around him. Not only that, but he was extremely powerful and adept at reading minds, and even had the skill to cast spells that most witches could only dream of. Unfortunately for the world as a whole, Jackson didn't want to face reality. Instead he was hiding out in the human realm pretending that he could make a difference as a therapist.
"I could always just tell them where you are." Matthew offered as payback. It was common knowledge that Jackson's mother, and actually most of the magical realms, were looking for him. They wanted him to try and save magic.
"You wouldn't dare," Jackson hissed in warning. He was right, though. Matthew had too much to lose by betraying his friend.
During their entire conversation, Jackson had been staring at his computer and typing away at his notes. Jackson and Matthew had an easy friendship, bonding over shared secrets that neither wanted the world to know.
For Matthew, one of those secrets was that he had a therapist practice in the human world. One that he used to help mortals come to terms with sightings and experiences brought about from contact with magical beings.
"Okay," Jackson sighed after another few minutes. "I can literally feel your thoughts eating away at you." He looked up from the computer and crossed his arms. "Tell me what's going on."
"The princess," Matthew said while tapping his fingers on his thigh. "How did you know about the mating thing?"
Jackson chortled. "You're kidding right? As soon as you walked in this morning, you were completely distracted by her. You'd rather be in Gilcurry right now than seeing your next patient. I mean." He shrugged. "I get it. If I had even one more day with Anna, I'd take it in a heartbeat."
"I found h
er last night sneaking back into Gilcurry. She'd been missing for hours." Matthew knew that he was letting the Jackson in on his problems, but that had never been an issue before. Besides, if Jackson wanted to, he could just read his mind.
"Why is that an issue?" Jackson steepled his fingers. "I mean, she's a dragon, right?. She has the same abilities as every other dragon out there."
Matthew paused his tapping fingers. "You're right. I saw that need in her eyes, the one to get away from anything and everyone that wanted to hold her back."
"The same look ..."
"Yeah," Matthew told him. "The same one."
"Well, I guess you know what you're going to do." Matthew watched as Jackson decided that it was settled just like that and he shrugged.
"No," Matthew said. "I don't. She's not mine, and she can't be mine. There's too much at stake. Way too much that could be lost."
"Like what?"
"Well," he ticked off on his finger. "For one, she's the princess. For two, there's only a few of them left."
Jackson rolled his eyes and clapped his hand against his thigh. "My mother was a waitress, before she became a Queen. Your status has nothing to do with who you are, or where you're meant to be in this life. If you connected with the princess, if you felt whatever it is that dragon males feel when they find their mate, then you should pursue it."
"Adam felt it too," Matthew admitted.
Jackson smiled. "Good. I mean, you've never had a problem sharing with him before, so why would it be a problem now. Don't dragons like company anyway?"
"Not like that," Matthew huffed.
"I think," Jackson said when Matthew didn't say anything else. "That you're afraid. For whatever reason, you're sure that everything is going to explode in your face. So take it one step at a time. Give her the freedom she's so desperate for, but stay by her side in case something terrible happens. You wouldn't be able to forgive yourself otherwise." Jackson rattled off, no doubt lost in the memory of losing the woman he loved.
"Why do I feel like I should be paying you for this?" Matthew tried to break the tension.
When Jackson didn't snap out of it, he shook his head. Jackson had been through his own personal version of hell and Matthew couldn't blame him for hiding in the human realm. It wasn't an option for him, though.
Instead, he formulated a plan to help Arielle break out of the shell she'd created around herself. While he plotted, the door to their practice opened with a familiar sound. Matthew looked up as his next patient came in, huddled in an oversized sweater and hiding her face. She'd been attacked by Shades, and Matthew knew his work was cut out for him to help the woman come to terms with magic being real. If only he could convince Arielle to come to terms with her new life, all their lives would be so much easier.
Matthew left his office to the sound of Jackson laughing suddenly behind him. He had a smile as he greeted the woman who was too afraid for her own good.
By the time he left Jackson in the office six hours later, he was exhausted and ready to sleep. It wasn't an option, though. He had the evening shift of caring for the princess. When he opened the door to her house, and heard her screaming at Stefan, he knew that he'd just left one mess and walked right into another.
The kitchen looked like a war zone. Stefan on one side with a cocky grin on his face, and Arielle on the other holding a knife to her chest like she was about to throw it at any second.
"What's going on here?" He directed his question at Arielle, rather than Stefan and hoped that she was in a better mood than the other dragon was.
"He," She accused Stefan. "Is trying to tell me that I can't take the job at the coffee shop. After everything that happened." She waved the knife around, and Matthew had the fleeting suspicion that she really was about to throw it. "I deserve to be able to have a job. I'm not a prisoner."
"I can't handle her kind of crazy any more," Stefan interjected. "I'm going out to patrol. Good luck with all of that." With his last comment, Arielle screeched and threw the knife. Matthew stepped out of the way, preferring not to be wounded by a kitchen utensil. Stefan slipped out the kitchen door into the backyard before the knife embedded itself in the door, and Arielle screeched again.
"You sound like an owl," he said observantly. "Why do you act out like that with him?"
She glared at him, and Matthew caught himself staring into her eyes, rather than paying attention to whatever she was about to say.
"Shut up," she hissed. "He's too domineering. Too much of an asshole, for me to listen to him. And I'm tired of being trapped in this stupid house all day." She propped her head on her hands, leaning against the counter, deflating as she did so.
"Okay," Matthew said with a shrug. "Let's go, then. I'll show you what it's like to be free."
Arielle didn't question, didn't complain, and didn't utter a single word while she rushed to get dressed before Matthew changed his mind about taking her out of the house.
In less than five minutes, she had a pair of comfortable leggings on, a shirt that fell off one shoulder, and her hair was up in a messy bun on top of her head.
She was winded by the time she made it back downstairs, and he was looking at her with a smile.
"I'm ready."
Matthew held the door open for her and Arielle was so excited that she was practically bouncing on her feet as they left. When she reached for his hand, Arielle didn't question it. She was comfortable around him, and she was a dragon after all. She had the need to touch another dragon. It was part of who they were. The only problem was that up until recently, she couldn't stand to have anyone touch her. With him, though, for some reason it was different.
His fingers interlocked with hers, but neither of them said anything while they strolled through Gilcurry. Children were playing on almost every street. Shifters and witches, goblins and elementals all living together. It was easy to see how perfect Gilcurry was for the magical community. Arielle loved being a part of it, normally. Being trapped like a prisoner, though, made her feel too much like she was back under the Mad King's dominion.
Matthew’s touch had her thinking of what it would be like to sleep with him. Still as soon as that thought entered her mind, she pushed it away—dismissing it. Her father's man had done that to her making her dread the very act of sex so much that it gave her chills.
"I meant what I said before," Matthew said once they'd made it to the park. "You're not a prisoner. You're not our prisoner. It's our job to make sure that you're safe."
While he was talking, Arielle's thoughts drifted again. Her fight with Stefan had her on edge, but not in a bad way. Everything about her felt more alive than it had in a long time, and she knew exactly why.
It was ridiculous though, thinking about any of her bodyguards in that way. She knew that Stefan couldn't stand her. Matthew always spoke to her like she was their job, but the way he'd held her the night before had her wanting more.
"I am going to take that job. Whether Stefan or you or Adam says anything against it. I'm not going to sit around and do nothing with myself. I don't need to work, I'm a princess. I get that. But I want to interact with people. I want to be around people. None of you would understand … I need it." She whispered the last part, and didn't flinch when Matthew brushed a few strands of hair away from her face.
"I'll talk to Stefan," he told her. "But don't expect him to take it lightly. He's protective, and demanding that's just who he is as a person. It has absolutely nothing to do with you."
Arielle didn't say anything. She was thankful that he had told her, because she honestly thought Stefan hated her.
Matthew surprised her, dragging her from her thoughts. "Have you ever shifted before? I know that's crazy to ask, and extremely personal. But you're a dragon, and it just strikes me as odd that I haven't seen you in your dragon form. Not even when we all come together to feed from the flames that the witches make for us."
Arielle didn't know what to say. She couldn't tell him her secret. It didn't matter
if she could trust him.
"I have." She nodded her head slowly. "I don't like to do it. My father constantly forced me to shift in the dragon realm."
"Oh." Matthew looked away for a second. "Well, if you don't want to shift and fly on your own, do you want to ride me?"
Her mind immediately went to the possibility of riding him during sex and she blushed.
"I think you'd like to feel the air like that." He went on as if he hadn't just insinuated that they would have sex, and Arielle blushed even further. Of course he wasn't interested in her sexually. She was just a job.
She turned around so he wouldn't see her, and then coughed to hide her embarrassment.
"Yeah," she said. "I'd like that."
Her hands were shaking, though. Honestly, she was terrified, but it was time to face her fears. She heard his clothes rustle as he stripped down, and was thankful that they were alone in the park. She swore to herself that she wasn't going to watch him shift. It was personal, a painful process. But for some reason she had to.
Arielle turned, and what she saw stunned her. Matthew wasn't in pain. He was flowing gracefully from his human form into the dragon one. His fingers elongated, green scales pushing through his skin. His wings sprouted and she was so enraptured with his transformation that she couldn't blink. It ended quickly, and she was shocked. It had always taken her minutes to shift completely, and here he was, doing it in less than ten seconds.
"You're beautiful," she told him.
He grunted, his snout jerking upward with the movement. Arielle shouldn't do what she was about to do, but she couldn't stop herself. She reached out and ran her hand along the scales in front of her. He was huge. His head was almost as large as her entire body, and if he wanted to, Matthew could easily hurt her in this form.
Instead, he sat there patiently, letting Arielle caress him and explore his dragon form with her hands. When she reached the silky webbing on his wings, he twitched, and she smiled.
"You're ticklish." He growled, and that just made her smile even more.
Using Her Dragons: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (Omega Book 3) Page 7
