by ERIN BEDFORD
“Their heads more than likely,” his father commented. “They do this every day now. Mostly posturing, they never really try to hurt the other. You’d think the pranks would be enough, but no, they need to put on a show for everyone. Shameful really.”
I eyed the dragons above us for another moment before it clicked. My head jerked to look at Lord Shen and Raiden my mouth open wide. “Wait a minute, are you telling me those dragons…” I pointed up at the battling dragons. “Are your brothers?”
Raiden nodded before crossing his arms over his chest and pursing his lips together in a grimace. “Unfortunately. You’d think as the older ones they would have more sense in their heads, but it seems all intelligence has flown away with my leaving.”
“That it has, my boy.” Lord Shen laughed and clapped his son on the back. “Hopefully, you can talk some sense into those two. You’ve always been the most level-headed of the three of my children.”
“Raiden? Level headed?” Firestar snorted, earning him a warning glare from Raiden. “If they are worse than you, I’m not sure I want to meet them.”
“I concur,” Jack said with a nod. “One careless dragon is enough.”
“Hey!” Raiden shouted, but when the two of them laughed, he joined in.
For all our problems, I was happy they were getting along so well. It could have been worse. They could hate each other. Or they could bicker all the time, and I would get stuck in the middle acting as mediator. Just thinking about it gave me a headache. I counted my blessing that at least I didn’t have to worry about that.
Now, if only I could get pregnant.
Nevertheless, I had to agree with Firestar and Jack. One Raiden was enough. I couldn’t imagine how his brothers really were. My own brother had died before I had turned twelve. I’d hardly gotten to know him before he had been taken away from us.
The problem with wars was people died, and usually, it was the ones you loved and not those who deserved it. Maybe Raiden’s brothers had it right. No need to involve the people, work it out between themselves and leave the rest out of it. Surely there were fewer casualties that way?
“You’ve got your thinking face on,” Raiden said as he took my arm in his. He let the rest of our party go ahead through the palace halls. I had been too deep in thought to really pay much attention to them, but they weren’t anything out of the ordinary. Not barren like Firestar’s home or extravagant like my father's. Overall, I’d have to say they reflected their lords very well.
Strong and sturdy to protect their people but massive enough that it had to be a constant joke between them. I could just hear the laughter as they poked at each other about overcompensating for something else.
“Tell me about your brothers,” I said after a moment. “What are they like? Are they as your father said? Like you?”
“Well,” Raiden started scratching the back of his head. “They are like me but not. They’re some of the greatest warriors I know but prefer to pull pranks than to actually fight. You'll have to see them to understand.”
Chewing on my bottom lip, I grew concerned. I didn’t particularly like surprises. I wanted to know what I was going up against rather than wait and see. But Raiden and his father seemed hell-bent on letting me make up my own mind. Which was a bad idea, if I did say so myself.
We walked up a staircase, which opened into a large room. In the room lay a stone table with a handmade map of all Waesigar. I’d have loved to study it at length, but there were more interesting things, and the brothers had just transformed back into human form.
Raiden hadn’t been kidding when he said his brothers were like him and his father. What he hadn’t mentioned was the fact that they were twins. One of the brothers had short hair with shaved sides decorated with a lightning bolt along each side.
The other one also had shaved hair but only on one side. The other side was kept long and hanging down to his chest. That was where the differences ended. Besides their hair and clothes, they were exactly the same. Piercing dark eyes and full lips that I had no doubt resulted in dimples when they smiled. They weren’t smiling now though.
“You don’t know what you are talking about, little brother,” the one with long hair growled. “We will be slaughtered in our sleep going that route.”
“And what about you, big brother?” the short haired one sneered. “Are we to just destroy them without finding out where they came from? Why they are here? For all you know, more will just come to replace them.”
Lord Shen cleared his throat, placing his hands behind his back as he waited for the bickering brothers to notice us. It didn’t take long. The clearing of their father’s voice made them look our way, their words dying in their throat.
“Raiden!” they shouted in unison and charged toward us. Jack grabbed hold of me and shoved me backward before I could get trampled. The three brothers were completely unaware of the rest of us as they talked all at once, smacking each other on the back and laughing.
“Where have you been?” the long-haired brother asked.
“We thought you were too busy knocking that western princess up to come visit us?” the short-haired one teased.
At the mention of me, the Western princess, Raiden’s face sobered. He found me with his eyes and cleared his throat, moving away from his brothers. Rubbing the back of his head, his ears turned pink. Was Raiden embarrassed? The very thought made me smile and want to tease him the way he always messed with me.
His brothers noticed the change in him and followed his gaze. When it landed on me, their grins widened and then it was I who was being smashed between them. Jack and Firestar started forward as if to remove them, but I held a hand up. I wasn’t against a bit of hugging if that was all that it was.
“So, you’re the beauty who has our little brother all in knots?” one brother asked before adding, “I’m Fujin by the way.”
The short-haired brother then said, “And I’m Raijin. Feel free to mix them up, everyone does.”
“Wait, I thought your names were Aido and Dred?” I tossed a glance at Raiden who smiled.
“You told her our real names?” Raijin exclaimed, narrowing his eyes at Raiden. “How could you?”
“Wait, what?” I asked, suddenly confused.
“Those are our names, sure, but not our better names,” Fujin said with a shrug, and I couldn’t help but smile at them as they both glared at their younger brother.
“I’m not quite following,” I said, glancing at Raiden for an explanation, but before he could say anything, Raijin jumped in.
“Those are the names the man gave us to keep us down, but we prefer our new names.” Raijin smirked, his eyes settling on me. “And don’t you dare say otherwise.”
“I don’t think that will be a problem.” I giggled as they released me but didn’t move away.
“Good, I’d hate for it to be one.” Raijin stuck out his tongue at me before shifting his eyes to his father. “Honestly, who names a son Dreq?”
Before their father could respond, Fujin settled his eyes on me, gripping my hands tightly and giving me an excited shake before turning to Raiden.
“You brother, are a liar,” Fujin said with a wag of his finger. “You wrote that about her loveliness, but when we asked about her ability to produce heirs, you were all closed lips. We concluded she had to be a fragile little thing.” He gestured toward me with a wicked grin. “But I don’t see any weakness in her. She looks like she could take whatever you put out.”
“Hey!” Raiden stepped in pushing his brothers back. “You don’t get to talk about her that way, and besides, she’s not just mine.”
The brothers glanced at Firestar and Jack before they tried to engulf them in hugs as well. Firestar apparently had had enough hugs for one day and produced a fireball in his hand, holding it in front of him in a silent threat. Jack too did not want to be hugged, but he simply stepped away with a shake of his head and offered them a half bow. So, surprised by his actions the brothers couldn’t
do anything but bow in return.
“This is Firestar and Jack,” Raiden said after they finished trying to embrace them. “They too are Maya’s suitors.”
“And you are okay with this?” Fujin asked, raising a brow.
Raiden shrugged. “They’re good men and even better dragons, I don’t see why I wouldn’t be.”
Raijin launched himself at Raiden, putting the younger brother in a headlock. “Yeah, Fujin, our little brother had to learn to share more than us. He’s used to getting sloppy seconds.”
“Now, wait just a minute,” I growled, anger filling me. “I’m no one’s sloppy seconds. I care for Raiden as much as the others. I don’t rate any of them lower than the others, and I don’t appreciate you insinuating such.”
“Our apologies,” Fujin bowed to me with a small smile. “We meant no harm. Only brothers giving each other crap.”
“Yeah,” Raiden agreed, having gotten loose of Raijin. “They are just messing around, and besides, I’m used to it.”
“Doesn’t make it right,” I pointed out, crossing my arms over my chest with a stern frown.
“You’re right it doesn’t.” Raiden nodded and then smirked. “Besides, I wasn’t second, I was first.”
His brothers burst out laughing along with Raiden. Even his father chuckled a bit. Jack and Firestar didn’t on the other hand. They didn’t seem to like the joke any more than I did.
Thankfully, Jack changed the subject before we really got into it. “Your father was telling us about your disagreement?”
“Ah, yeah.” Fujin rubbed his chin. “The disagreement.”
“Yeah,” Raiden frowned turning to his brothers. “Father said you were practically tearing yourselves apart, and he feared a civil war.”
Fujin and Raijin rolled their eyes in unison, and then Raijin said, “Father exaggerates. We simply have a different opinion on how to handle raiders and have yet to come to a decision.”
“And while you are bickering up here in the palace, putting on your shows and playing your pranks, the people outside the city are suffering,” Lord Shen interjected with a sober expression. “You need to decide what to do and do it soon, or there may not be any of our lands left to inherit.”
“We know,” both brothers said at once.
“What’s the problem exactly?” I asked finally. All this beating around the bush nonsense was getting tiresome.
“Well, this idiot thinks we should talk to the raiders.” Fujin pointed a thumb at Raijin. “While I think we should kill them all.”
“It would be more proactive to send a message,” Firestar said, placing his hands on the table where the map sat. “If you drew them to one of the smaller villages and gave the citizens an evacuation order. You could get the jump on them before they can do any more damage.”
“That’s a good idea,” Fujin agreed, looking at the map with Firestar. “But bonehead here will never agree to it.”
“You got that right,” Raijin shot back and then turned to the rest of us. “Now, enough talk of raids and such. Our baby brother has returned, and with his lady love, that’s cause for celebration!”
Raiden laughed along with his brother. “You just want an excuse to get drunk.”
“So,” Raijin shrugged. “You would too with this guy as your other half.”
His words only made his twin launch into a long-winded speech about how he had gotten all the intelligence in the womb and Raijin had none. I tuned them out not more than five minutes into it.
“He wasn’t kidding, was he?”
I looked up at Jack who stood by my side. “About what?”
“They are exactly the same.”
“Oh,” I giggled and leaned into his side. “It would seem so”
“Yes, it is. I just hope the brothers' bickering will not cause issues for us,” Jack mused, and I had to agree. We were supposed to be here to get away from complications, but I had a feeling Raiden’s brothers were going to be an even bigger complication all on their own.
9
They had offered us one room for all four of us, but we had quickly declined. While the men had no qualms about sharing me, we were all happy to have our own area. Room to breathe as it were.
“Do you want something else to wear?” Raiden asked as he helped me unpack the few items we had brought. Jack and Firestar had gone to their rooms to clean up or whatnot. Only Raiden had stayed behind.
“No.” I shook my head and smiled. I hadn’t expected there to be a party, so I hadn’t packed for one. A dress would have been more appropriate for the party, but I couldn’t bring myself to wear one. Here I didn’t have to pretend to be pregnant, so loose clothing wasn’t required. I’d savor that freedom as long as I could.
“Are you sure?” Raiden fingered my shirt. “Aren’t you tired of wearing these dusty clothes?”
Raising a brow, I sat on the edge of the bed my arms over my chest. “What if I want to wear my dusty clothes?”
“Then that is your right.” Raiden shrugged and then stood before me his hands on either side of my hips. “But I would think you would like to clean up. We will be meeting quite a few people tonight. Including my mother.”
I cocked my head to the side and smirked. “Are you worried your mother won’t like me?”
“No, no,” Raiden quickly said and then paused before saying, “My mother hates everyone.”
We exchanged a look for a moment before laughing. It seemed like we both had bothersome family members. Firestar and I both had irksome fathers, of course, it would be only natural that Raiden with his fun-loving attitude would need a reason for one. A nasty mother would fit right in.
“So,” I said after we had finished laughing. “If your mother won’t like me, why does it matter what I wear?”
“Because.” Raiden pressed his forehead against mine. “You will only give her more ammo to use against you. I already know she will hate the fact that I agreed to share you, I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Hurt?” I asked, placing my hands on his arms as I leaned into his embrace. “Have you forgotten who my father is? Do you think his horrible words are a new occurrence? I’ve been spoken down to all my life, if I don’t have thick enough skin to handle it by now, I would be a sad dragon indeed.”
Raiden didn’t say anything after that, but I could tell he was still worried. I dragged my hands through his hair ruffling it for good measure before I sighed. “I suppose I could take a shower and maybe even put on a clean pair of clothes but,” I held a finger up. “I’m not wearing a dress.”
“I can respect that.” Raiden chuckled and slid his hands onto my hips, shifting himself between them. “Though, I know quite a few ways a dress would be a blessing.” He rubbed himself against my center, making me gasp. “Like in this instance, if you were wearing a dress now,” he murmured as he lifted my legs to wrap around his waist. “I could easily slide into you now, but since you aren’t, I have to go to all the trouble of disrobing you.” His mouth brushed against mine, licking my lips but never finishing the kiss.
“What’s stopping you?” I whispered though I didn’t know why. We were alone, and no one would hear me. Not that I cared if they did.
Raiden smiled against my lips. “Nothing,” he admitted before ripping my shirt off my body. My own hands pulled at the opening of his shirt until it hung off him in shreds. Before I could get my hands on his pants, he shoved me back on the bed. I lifted my hips as he dragged my pants off my legs and threw them to the floor.
Unsnapping his pants, he released himself and then without warning plunged himself inside of me. I let out a choking gasp as I clutched the bed beneath me. Not as prepared as usual, the fit was tighter than I remembered and a slight burning filled low inside of me.
Hips thrusting against me, Raiden pulled me back up from the bed until our mouths met. Tongues and teeth fighting, I wrapped my legs tightly around his waist and my hands digging into his scalp as I rode him. Raiden dipped his hand between us and cir
cled my sensitive nub, and I cried out as my pleasure swelled.
I tried to move us faster, to keep the momentum going, but I didn’t have the leverage. Raiden seemed to notice and shifted us so he sat on the edge of the bed. With my knees firmly planted on the bed, I rose up and slammed back down on him. Raiden groaned, and I hissed as he hit deep inside of me.
We moved together with my front rubbing against him, shooting bolts of lightning through my nerves. Hands on my hips, Raiden helped me move on top of him our eyes locking together. This man had come into my life not long ago. Took me to his bed and into his heart. Not unlike the others, but he had also touched a part of me the others didn’t.
He made me laugh. Many a woman would agree that a man who could make you laugh was worth more than all the riches in the world. That and a solid orgasm or two.
My lips ticked up at the thought just as my release caught up with me. Throwing my head back, I screamed, my nails digging into Raiden’s shoulders as I came. Too distracted by the pleasure, Raiden took over our movement. Before I could come down from my high, I was hit with it again, but this time Raiden cried out with me.
Breathing heavily, I pressed my face to the top of Raiden's head. His lips pressed against my chest, right where my heart sat, and I couldn’t have loved him more in that instant.
A funny thing it was, love. I had three men courting me. Three who had my bed - or mostly – and all three of them made my heart swell with joy just from seeing them.
“What now?” I asked, pulling back from him.
Raiden chuckled and swiped a bead of sweat from my neck. “Now, it’s time for a bath.” His eyes glanced out the window at the setting sun. “Or rather a very quick shower.”
I screeched as he lifted us from the bed and toward the bathroom. While we had all intentions of bathing quickly, it didn’t quite happen that way. Water and soap made things slippery which in turn tempted our hands to do more than washing.
