by Lili Zander
As we leave Rhys’ room, I put a hand on his shoulder. “Can I chat with you for a minute?”
I don’t want to raise my suspicions to the others. Not yet, not while it’s just an intuition. Erik’s already lost one mate. It would destroy Bastian to know that his mother’s machinations might cause Aria harm.
And Rhys? If we knew that something bad was going to happen to Aria, even Rhys is not a good enough actor to pretend that all is well.
“Sure.”
Erik gives me a curious look. “Everything okay, Slater?”
I force a smile on my face. “Just wanted to discuss something I read today with Mateo,” I say blandly.
Neither Bastian nor Erik are fooled by that excuse. “At three in the morning?” Bastian raises an eyebrow. I return his gaze steadily. “Fine,” he murmurs. “Keep your secrets. You’ll tell us about it if it’s important?”
“I will,” I reply, though I wonder if I’m lying. If the Bloodstone will harm Aria, would I tell the others? Or would I just allow them to enjoy what little time we have with our mate?
Even the thought causes a hard lump of fear in my chest. I wait until the others are out of earshot, and then turn to Mateo. “I don’t understand magic,” I start, and then pause as something strikes me. “Where are we going? This isn’t the direction of your bedroom.”
Mateo has that distracted look on his face, the one that signals that he’s using magic. “I’m following Aria’s tracks,” he says. “I want to see this underground chamber for myself.” He frowns in annoyance. “Every time I use magic in Bastian’s castle, the wards fight me. Maija Essen was not noted for her trust in her fellow mages.”
“Given that her spurned betrothed cast a blood curse on all magicals, do you blame her for her paranoia?”
He nods reluctantly. “I suppose you’re right. Anyway. You were saying?”
I take a deep breath and prepare to voice my doubts. “You know more about Maija Essen than anyone else,” I start. “She pulled Aria into our war with the Dark Dragon. Is there a chance, no matter how slight, that she would view Aria’s life as collateral damage, a necessary price to break the curse?”
Mateo stops dead in his tracks. “What?”
“Aria said that she was a seed,” I point out. “Those words got me thinking. Are you supposed to pull the untainted magic out of Aria to end Zyrian’s stranglehold, and will it end up destroying Aria?”
His face has gone pale. “No,” he whispers. “She can’t… Why would she…” His voice trails off.
“It has long been rumored that the Silver Mage could see the future,” I reply. “She guarded her ability jealously, but I’ve found hints in various manuscripts. If she saw something… what if she decided that this was the only way to save our race?”
Mateo shakes his head violently. “Why make Aria our mate then? Why trigger the mating bond? Not just for one, but for all five of us?”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “I can't see the whole path. There’s a Norm book called Dune,” I add tangentially. “In it, the main character can see the future, and every path but one leads to utter ruin. And though that path is terrible, one that leads to the death of his wife, he has to stick to it, because the alternatives are much worse.”
Mateo’s jaw clenches. When he speaks, there’s a note of tightly contained anger in his voice. “The Silver Mage might have seen the future,” he says. “But she was wrong about one thing. If it comes to a choice between magic and Aria, I’ll choose my mate. Every single time.”
3
Aria
I don’t feel like fooling around, and despite his flirting, I don’t think Rhys does either. I spoon into him, and he puts his arm around my waist. “You know,” he says softly, his breath tickling my ear, “You don’t need to be part of this. This isn’t your war.”
Is he right? I don’t know. “I can’t think of it that way,” I reply, closing my eyes and focusing on the feel of his body against mine. “When Silas got ill, and Raedwulf approached me about stealing from you, I had one week to get ready for the job. Had I stopped to think about what I was doing, I’d have peed in my pants. Or worse.”
His fingers trace circles on my stomach. “Nice image,” he says wryly.
“It’s the truth. But… I didn’t have time for fear. That week, I just prepped for the job, step by step. You know why?”
“Tell me, love.”
“Because the reward was worth it. I’d have risked anything to pay for Silas’ treatments.” I lace my fingers in his, and lift his palm to my lips, pressing a kiss there. I hope the gesture isn’t too sappy for Rhys. “This is the same thing. The journey’s scary as fuck, but the destination’s worth the struggle. Plus,” I quip, trying to lighten the tension, “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life as a half-Norm, half-gemstone. That’s just weird.”
He kisses the side of my neck. “You’re pretty damn amazing, Aria,” he says. “But this isn’t the same as when you were planning on stealing from us. This time, you’re not alone. We’re in this together. And,” he adds, his voice lighter. “I consider it my duty to make sure that this journey isn’t all doom and gloom. We’re going to have plenty of fun along the way, okay? The curse is important, but it can’t take away from us living our lives.”
I smile in the darkness. “Is that your way of reminding me it’s date night tomorrow?”
He chuckles. “It’s already tomorrow, love. Get some rest. You’re going to need it for what I have planned.”
Ooh. That sounds intriguing. I can’t wait.
I wake up at noon. Oops.
Rhys is nowhere to be seen. Making my way to my own bedroom, I shower and get dressed in yoga pants and my ‘Life is sweeter with books and cats’ t-shirt. Shockingly, I manage to reach the study without too much difficulty. Last night, this had been the room to which we’d retired after dinner. Unlike the rest of the castle, which looks formal and stuffy, the study is filled with comfortable couches, a pool table, and a massive fireplace.
Bastian and Rhys look up when I enter. “Sorry I overslept,” I say sheepishly.
“Don’t be,” Bastian replies immediately. “It’s only six in the morning in New York. It’ll take you a day or two to adjust to the time difference.” He gives me a warm smile. “I’ll ring for coffee. We were going to eat lunch in thirty minutes, but if you’d prefer, the cook will make you breakfast instead.”
One of these days, I’m sure I’ll get used to the idea of ringing for coffee and having a cook on standby to prepare my breakfast. Today’s not that day. This is so different from my regular life, where I scrounge around for cereal and wonder if the milk is expired. “Umm, I don’t want to be any trouble,” I mutter. “I’ll just eat whatever everyone else is having.”
Frau Ziegler bustles into the room and overhears my last comment. “You are no trouble,” she scolds. “I’m delighted to see the castle filled with people again. Herr Bastian, lunch is ready. After you eat, the Alpha requested a meeting.”
Bastian groans. “Yes, Frau Ziegler,” he says. “I’ll stop by to see Derther after lunch.” He gives me a rueful look. “I was hoping to show you around, but it looks like Rhys might have to play tour guide instead. I haven’t been back for twenty years. I’ll be stuck in magical meetings for the next few days.”
Rhys smirks. “No problem, mate,” he says. “Aria is in very good hands with me.”
“Lovely,” Bastian mutters under his breath. “Just fucking lovely.”
He has such a disgruntled expression on his face that I feel quite bad for him. Bastian works really hard. Frau Ziegler goes off to fetch some coffee, and I turn to him. “Poor baby,” I croon. I lean close to him and stand on tiptoe to whisper into his ear. “I never did give you your birthday present.”
His lips quirk. His arm encircles my waist, and he tugs me closer. He slides his hand down my back until he cups my ass. “Is that so?” he murmurs. “What is it?”
Tendrils of heat coil through my body. “If
I tell you, it’ll ruin the surprise.”
His hand is on my butt, and I wonder if he’s going to spank me. Sadly, he doesn’t. He lowers his head and brushes his lips over mine. “That’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
I laugh breathlessly. “I’m sure you are, but I’m not.” I put my arms around his neck and return his kiss.
Behind me, Rhys clears his throat. “I’ll leave you two alone,” he says, sounding amused.
Clever dragon. I pull Bastian closer to me and press my lips to his. He smells like coffee and smoke. I can feel the hard outline of his erection, and my insides clench with need. “When’s our next date?” I mutter into his mouth.
“Not soon enough.” he groans, pulling away. The next second, there’s a knock on the door, and Frau Ziegler re-enters the room with a tray. Coffee. Irritation about my interrupted make-out session wars with my love for caffeine.
Caffeine wins. But only for the moment.
The housekeeper sets the tray down on the coffee table. Bastian pours me a cup. “There’s something else I need to talk to you about,” he murmurs.
Alerted by his tone, I raise my head. “If you’re going to tell me that Zyrian is your problem, blah blah blah, save it. I’m not planning on going anywhere.”
“That’s not it. The Dark Dragon knows you’re our mate now. There’s no longer any need to keep it secret, which means it’s time to introduce you properly to the world as our mate.”
I have a bad feeling about this. “What does that mean, introduce me properly?”
“In the old days,” he replies, “there would have been a special betrothal ball, attended by every magical who could make it. Essentially, a really big engagement party.”
No. No. Hell no. That sounds awful. “Bastian, read my t-shirt. Books and cats, that’s what I like. Not a whole roomful of people who’ll be staring at me and calling me a slut behind their backs because I have five mates.”
He frowns. “There isn’t a single magical who will think that.”
I sip my coffee and wonder what to say to him. Guys can be so infuriatingly naive sometimes. Bastian’s not the one that’ll get judged. I will. It’s infuriating and sexist, and yet, sadly, it’s the way the world works.
So far, the only people that know that I’ve got five dragon mates are Silas and Bea. My inner circle. Even when I went to see Pieter, I was careful not to refer to the dragons as my mates.
The twin threats of Raedwulf and Zyrian mean that I’ve been living in a bubble, one that’s insulated me from the real world. But a party will drag me right into the spotlight, and I’m not ready.
“That’s not what they’re going to be judging you for,” he adds dryly. “Not the magicals, at any rate. No, the fact that you are Norm will be a much bigger scandal.”
I look up. “Wait, what? I thought you’d say something reassuring like ‘Don’t worry, Aria, no one will judge you.’”
He raises his eyebrow. “You’re not a fool,” he points out. “I could say that, but you wouldn’t believe me. Trust me, five mates are the least of your problems, but it doesn’t matter, Aria. Whatever people say, you’re strong enough to ignore it.”
I hope he’s right. “I’m still not ready for a party,” I reply hesitantly. Bastian probably has symbolic reasons for announcing my existence. Dragons have gone without finding their mates for five hundred years, and their numbers are dwindling. There’s fewer than three hundred of them left alive. Telling them that the dragon princes have found me will bring hope to a long-besieged people.
But when I think of a roomful of people staring at me, my heart sinks, and my palms go clammy. “I know you’re my mates, but I’ve also only known you for three weeks. Everything’s just moving so quickly. Can it wait?”
“Of course.” He pats my shoulder. “Whenever you’re ready, mausezähnchen.”
I pour myself a second cup of coffee. “So having five mates won’t raise any eyebrows? Really?”
“It’s not unheard of for magicals to take multiple mates,” he replies with a shrug. “The mating bond is magic. No one will judge you because no one understands it.”
“And the fact that I’m Norm?”
“That,” he admits, “will cause quite a stir.”
“I don’t understand.” I frown at him. “I know shifters who’ve married Norms back in New York. It’s unusual, but it’s not unheard of.”
“Shifters, yes. Dragons, never.”
An unreasonable hurt fills my chest. “Am I not good enough for you?”
“You misunderstand me, Aria,” he replies. He sits down on the couch, pries my coffee cup from my fingers and sets it on the table, and takes my hands in his. “I’m five hundred,” he says. “I’ll live for another six or seven hundred more years. Dragons only mate with their own kind because anything else would be too painful.”
How did I not think about this? A hard knot fills my throat. “You’re saying I’ll grow old and die and you’ll all still look exactly the same. But if that was the case, why didn’t you fight the mating bond?”
“It’s not possible to fight the bond,” he replies with a smile. “And in any case, the moment I set eyes on you, I didn’t want to.”
I’m freaking out. Why isn’t he?
He seems to read my mind. “I stayed awake most of the night,” he admits. “I was angry at my mother for what she did. Halla Northridottir might have chosen to sacrifice herself, but you didn’t. If she knew what Zyrian was going to do, why didn’t she try to stop him? She was powerful enough. Only one thing gave me a shred of hope.”
“What’s that?”
“My mother knew Zyrian’s vengeance was coming, and she made a plan. She deliberately chose a Norm to be our mate and to break the curse. I must have faith that she thought about the lifespan difference and has a plan for it.”
Yes, but is it a plan I’m going to like? I don’t voice my concerns though. Like Bastian, I too need to hope.
“We better go eat lunch,” he says. “The cook gets very cranky if the food gets cold, and then I’ll be in trouble with Frau Ziegler.”
Lunch. Yes. Like I told Rhys last night, I can’t allow myself to give into my fear. I need to train for my role in all this, even though I still don’t know exactly what I need to do.
After lunch, a magic lesson awaits. Last week’s attempts were disasters. Hopefully, this afternoon’s session goes a lot better.
4
Aria
After lunch, Mateo walks with me to the library. “This is good,” he says. “Now that we know that you have magic inside you, we’re going to focus on getting you to use it.”
“Lovely.” I know I sound like a sulky teenager, but the lessons last week were disasters.
He gives me a stern look. “Nothing worthwhile is easy,” he points out. “But if it makes you feel better, you’re doing much better at your lessons than I did.”
Every time Mateo has used his magic, it’s looked effortless. “I find that very hard to believe,” I reply.
He opens the door to the library, and I gasp. The room is spectacular. A mural is painted on the ceiling. It shows thirteen dragons sit around a circular table. “The Council of Thirteen,” Mateo says to me.
I study it with interest, wondering if I can recognize any of my dragons’ ancestors. No surprise—I can’t. Transferring my attention to the rest of the room, I take in the space. The walls are lined with carved wooden shelves filled with books. There’s a large globe on a pedestal in one corner, and in the center of the room is a long wooden table. Casius is already there, reading a scroll that looks like it should belong in a museum. He looks up when we enter and gives us a smile of greeting before turning his attention back to his work. I bite back my smile. Typical booklover. I’m the same way.
“It’s true,” Mateo insists. “It took me months to feel my magic. To sense the threads all around us, the way you already do. You’re very impatient, tesoro. You’ve just had three lessons so far.”
Okay. T
hat does make me feel better. “What are we going to do today?”
His lips curl into a smile. “Simple stuff,” he assures me. “Let’s start with some levitation.”
“You can do this, Aria.”
Mateo’s unending patience is equal parts annoying as fuck and sweet. We’ve been at it for two hours. So far, I’ve managed to levitate the paperweight off the desk just high enough to send it crashing down to the surface, startling Casius out of his studies.
Not only am I failing; I’m failing with an audience.
“Stop relying on my magic,” Mateo says, for what seems like the hundredth time. “Reach inside and use your own.”
“I’m trying,” I reply, exasperated. “Right now, I’m more than ready to bring that paperweight crashing down on your head, damn it. But I can’t feel my own magic.”
Mateo is unfazed by my show of hostility. “Try again,” he says calmly.
Casius looks up. “Maybe she doesn’t have enough motivation to succeed,” he helpfully suggests.
Jerk.
I glare at him. “Because having a homicidal dragon mage gunning for me isn’t enough motivation?” Ooh. Snarky Aria is coming out to play.
Casius doesn’t look chagrined either. “Clearly, no.”
Mateo’s lips curl up into a devilish smile. Holy shit, he’s hot. If Bea were here, she’d be making some kind of joke about my girly bits tingling with desire. And she’d be right. “Casius has a point,” he says. “Every time you’ve successfully used magic, you’ve been in danger. You can use my magic easily enough when the need arises. Now, find that same urgency to tap into your own.”
I sigh. I’m not in a life-or-death situation, and if that’s what it takes to make my magical abilities come to the surface, I’m screwed. “Well, which one of you is going to try to kill me?” I snap.
