by Godiva Glenn
“How? No one’s measured me. And what do you mean by we?”
He raked a hand through his hair and chuckled softly, relaxing against the foot of the bed and setting his glass down by his side. “Don’t ask me the particulars of how clothing is made. I only know that it happens, not how. And I said we because I’ve been lectured on two fronts. Rask seemed concerned that perhaps we weren’t being as cordial to you as we should. You’re a guest and a special one at that. Arron pointed out that you’re the first fae to visit, and that should set the tone as well.”
“They both implored to you on my behalf… for dresses?”
“Oh, no. Rask mentioned clothing. Arron was simply being Arron, but he had a good point. You are like royalty, are you not?”
Fianni took a gulp of the drink. She wasn’t like royalty, but that was hardly the part of his statement that left her unsettled. Rask and Arron clearly thought she’d stay. I did promise Liam to help with their quarrels.
“You don’t have to worry about my comfort. There are more important things.”
“There’s always time for being polite and there is certainly time for diplomacy. I wouldn’t want Prism to believe we’ve mistreated their beloved aspect.” His eyes trailed over her with a different expression now, one that looked eerily similar to the way Rask had watched her.
“You’d asked if I could help with the tension between you,” she commented.
The lusty heaviness to his gaze was gone within a blink. “Yes. My brothers and I were once much closer. We operate with a disjointed peace these days. We argue, we disagree, that’s not the problem. The problem is that we’ve lost our familial bond. The piece that kept us functional.”
Fianni tried to recall if Rask or Arron had referred to each other as brothers but couldn’t find an instance.
“Arron is the eldest, correct? Then Rask, then you.” She waited for him to nod before continuing, “He raised you two, then.”
“Indeed. Along with Rask’s older brother.”
“I thought you were all brothers.”
“No. For the three of us, it is just how we used to call each other. We were raised as brothers, after all, to rule as family. But our parents differ. Arron and I have no brothers by blood.”
“Rask has one though? Is he here in the castle, then?”
Liam frowned and lifted his glass. “No. He died when he failed to find a mate. When we get to a certain age, our dragons need our mates. Sadly, Rask’s family has had more trouble in that department than the rest of us. Khai went mad before losing touch with his dragon and fading away.”
Fianni watched Liam drink with a haunted expression. She didn’t want to ask if they were nearing that limit. Do they need a mate that badly? Is that why they are willing to share?
If fate didn’t always provide a mate, or if they believed they ruled their fate, it seemed that they’d decided to force themselves a single woman. It made sense, if mates were scarce.
Is that why I’m here?
Fianni wandered the castle with no clear plan. She’d awoken to find a new dress at the foot of her bed, and more fresh fruits for breakfast, but still no clue as to who was leaving things for her.
She’d donned the dress readily. Though it mimicked the cut and style of her Prism dress, the new dress was made from the same simple broadcloth that the men’s shirts consisted of. The pale lavender color complemented her eyes well and reminded her of the trees beyond her window. The fabric seemed to have been brushed soft, and it felt light as a feather.
As she walked the castle grounds, the breeze danced through her new outfit, leaving her to feel somewhat naked, which was both freeing and scandalous.
She was considering finding someone to guide her to Arron’s office in search of him when the echo of boisterous voices came from the maze of hallways ahead of her. Her idea of spending time with Arron to be a second pair of eyes on the communication issue took a back seat, and she followed the sound of conversation.
“It always smells like the walls are on the verge of mildew,” an airy feminine voice commented.
“Dragons like it that way. Old. Dank. Dangerous,” a deeper voice replied.
“Of course. They could kill you with fire or their claws, but much more vile to just infect your lungs with the spores of billion-year-old mold,” another masculine voice added.
Fianni chuckled to herself and turned the corner to find three shifters she hadn’t seen before. Shifters that didn’t feel like dragons.
“Hello?” she called.
The strangers stopped and turned around to face her, the two men immediately shifting to stand in front of the woman of their group. Raven-haired, soft and curvy, she had a figure much like Fianni’s, except she was a few inches taller and exuded a level of confidence that channeled Gerri. The female growled and shoved the men aside, holding her hand out to Fianni.
“I know who you are, Fianni,” she said in a sing-song manner. “And I’m Reese.”
Fianni took the hand and shook it. “Ummm.”
“Word on the ever-churning rumor mill says a strange fairy princess appeared and immediately took possession of my favorite trio of disgruntled fire breathers,” Reese teased.
“Ah. That’s not quite accurate,” Fianni corrected but wasn’t sure where to start on rectifying the so-called rumor mill.
“Don’t worry. The majority of us ignore gossip,” one of the men commented.
She recognized the voice as the one that called the castle old and dank. “I know I’m a guest, so I don’t want to be rude… but who are you? You’re not dragons.”
And you’re too pleasant to be bears, she almost added.
“Marcus,” the man replied.
“And I’m Wolff. The wolf,” the other offered with a grin.
Fianni took a moment to absorb the information. If she wasn’t mistaken, then this trio was, in fact, the triad that the dragons were friends with. The inspiration for their attempted single-mate plan.
“I was looking for you,” Reese said taking Fianni’s arm and tugging her to her side. “The boys are here to talk tech shop with Arron and Liam. And though I have many talents, circuits and programs aren’t anywhere in my knowledge bank.”
“Okay…” Fianni stared down at their entwined arms.
Marcus sighed. “Reese… what did we say about boundaries? Dragon mates are notoriously…”
“Grumpy? Feisty? Smokey?” Wolff joked.
“Territorial. And it goes both ways,” Marcus replied.
“I’m not a mate,” Fianni corrected. “Or a fairy princess.”
The men shared a look that clearly said they didn’t believe her, and Reese just shrugged before releasing Fianni’s arm.
“Fine. I’ll be a civilized, hands-to-myself, stoic wolf. I represent the pack, after all,” Reese said, even going as far as to deepen her airy voice. “It’s just not every day that a dragon finds a mate, much less three dragons finding their mates at once. And one is my cousin, to boot.”
“Cousin?”
“Follow me if you want the dragon dirt,” Reese offered. She blew kisses to each of the men, who appeared appropriately annoyed, before sashaying away.
Fianni barely managed a “Nice to meet you,” to the men before she hurried after Reese.
Reese knew the castle much better than Fianni and managed to lose her easily, though Fianni suspected that wasn’t her intent. After checking a few wrong doors, Fianni spotted Reese sitting in a shadowed alcove near the castle gates.
“I thought you weren’t coming,” Reese called.
Fianni tucked her hair behind her ears and looked around the small nook. “I seem to be directionally challenged lately.”
“Oh, my apologies. I hadn’t even considered that.” Reese patted beside herself on the bench. “The layout is an unintentional defense, I’ve always thought.”
Sitting, Fianni asked, “I’m assuming Liam is your cousin? Unless someone else is hiding wolf blood?”
“Diving
right in,” Reese said with a sneaky smile. “I like that. Yes, Liam is my cousin on my father’s side.”
“Did you grow up together, then?”
Reese crossed her legs and shook her head. “No. I imagine you’ve been confined to the castle, so it may be hard to imagine how large Solara is. My pack lives quite far from here.”
“There’s more than one wolf pack?” Fianni furrowed her brow. “It makes sense, I guess I just thought… you’re right. Seeing only the castle seems to have distorted my common sense.”
Reese scoffed. “It’s understandable. I’m sure you’ve had other things on your mind. Broody, Bossy, and Aloof.”
“Is that what you call them?”
“Maybe I was just describing one of them,” Reese teased.
Fianni grinned but didn’t reply. As easy as it would be to open up to Reese, they’d just met. She didn’t want to talk about things with a stranger, and further contribute to whatever gossip was currently floating around. She respected the men’s privacy and wanted to hold on to her own as well.
“Is it too nosy for me to ask about you?” Reese inquired. “If you’re truly not a fairy princess, I have to say I’m a little disappointed.”
“I’m an aspect,” Fianni said for what seemed like the hundredth time over the last few days.
“Which is?”
“I am, or at least on Prism, I’m a being of the purest fae magic. The living embodiment of Harmony.”
Reese’s dark brows rose and stayed put. Her brown eyes seemed to have temporarily widened to the size of small planets.
“It’s not a big deal. Here I’m not nearly as powerful.”
“You’re a goddess?”
Fianni laughed. “I guess in a way. We don’t use that term on Prism. We have aspects and deities.”
“That’s insane,” Reese breathed. She shook her head and some of the shock marking her face dissipated. “That’s more impressive than a princess, I must say.”
“I have your approval?” Fianni joked.
Reese gave a strange look. “You don’t need it, but yeah.”
Until that moment, Fianni hadn’t actually considered the families of the dragons. Three men meant three sets of parents. And perhaps brothers and sisters—she hadn’t asked. Then all the cousins…
Flashbacks of meeting Troy’s massive family drained the smile from her face, and she felt cold.
“The only ones who need to approve of you are the ones who chose you, but if you have any concerns, I can tell you just about everyone on the castle grounds is ready to erect a statue in your honor just for making Rask tolerable for half a day,” Reese rambled.
Some of Fianni’s uncertainty faded. “I suppose most of the dragons here are cousins or something…”
“Yep. All personally vested in seeing the royal flame dancers happy and mated.”
Fianni stifled a chuckle. Reese must be confident in her position to be calling the men “flame dancers.”
“What about their parents? I haven’t heard anything about the previous king and his council.”
“They’ve retired to the Sea of Flames. It’s not an actual sea, but a valley beyond the far mountain peaks. A lot of the older shifters go there to escape politics and stress.”
“Ah. I suppose that explains why very few around here look much older than I do.”
“Mmmhmm.” Reese narrowed her eyes on Fianni suspiciously. “You’re not going to ask me about them? I thought you’d want all the hints on how to tame a dragon.”
Shaking her head, Fianni coughed. “No. Though I wouldn’t mind hearing about you and your mates. How does it work out? I’ve heard about triads but in all my years never spoke directly to a part of one.”
“How it works isn’t a secret. It’s just like any relationship. Marcus and Wolff and I… It’s hard to boil it down to a method of things. We just complement each other.”
“Was it fate? Finding each other?”
Reese’s face scrunched as she thought about it. “Fate is a strange concept. The moment I met Marcus and Wolff I felt something. It was more than just thinking they were hot. It felt like a puzzle solving itself.”
“And that was it?”
“No,” Reese scoffed. “Just because it felt right didn’t make it effortless. We still had to work to get things right. But I don’t think it was fate. We can mark mates by choice, if we really want to, though it’s rarely done. If it was down to fate, I don’t think that would be a possibility.”
“I suppose that makes sense.”
“Didn’t you say you’re an aspect of Harmony? Why are you worried about the mate bond? It seems like smoothing the usual relationship issues would be as easy as breathing.” Reese leaned forward as if to share a secret. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but from the second I saw you I felt calmer than I had in weeks, like the stress in my life suddenly had a direct path of clarity.”
Reese gave off nothing but honesty, easing Fianni’s mind. Opening up wouldn’t end the world, especially if she avoided saying things in a way that led to gossip. “That’s how it usually is. But Liam, Rask, and particularly Arron… they all seem immune to most of the passive energy I have. I knew it wouldn’t be simple, but I didn’t think it would be this difficult, either,” she admitted.
Reese leaned back. “Maybe that’s a sign it’s pure. True love isn’t supposed to be easy.”
Fianni wanted to agree, but it wasn’t a matter of love. They weren’t there yet.
“Anyhow, it’s nice that you’re here. I hope everything works out. It would be nice to have the boys getting along again. It’s been ages since they’ve even flown together.”
“Is that a big deal?”
Reese glanced at the open sky through the alcove’s open archway. “Yeah. I’m not a dragon so I don’t know the full significance, but I’m told it’s something special for them.”
Fianni traced a hand against the cold stone wall of the hall she walked through. Reese had been helpful, telling her about Solara’s history and what she knew of the current tensions. It was already obvious, but the Blue Mountain clan was steeped in disagreements with the packs and clans that were the dragons’ most loyal allies.
She’d also revealed that it hadn’t always been this way. Sure, there was always someone unhappy—the planet wasn’t immune to feelings of unfairness—but the recent problems had cropped up quickly over the last few months.
It was nice to discuss something other than relationships and mates, and Fianni was disappointed when Reese had to leave. But she promised she’d stop by again soon if Fianni was still around.
For now, Fianni would remain. Time and progress would tell if she’d be around for good.
Lightly padding down a staircase, Fianni searched for anyone. As large as the property was, it seemed inevitable that at times she would be completely alone, but she swore she’d heard voices coming from this direction.
She stepped through a doorway and was met with a growl echoing through the corridor. Cautious, she continued forward. Liam was in the distance, heading towards her but not seeming to see her. He spun away and looked to something or someone behind him—she couldn’t tell.
“I said leave, or have you crossed the line from brazen to treason? If I give an order it’s not because I like the sound of my voice—it’s because you need to listen and follow directions. I don’t want to see you here again unless I summon you,” he half-shouted.
Behind him, two men stepped out. One was familiar—one of the bears she’d seen days before—the other was a stranger. They appeared to be speaking, but their voices didn’t carry as well as Liam’s in his frustration.
“I don’t care. If you’re not out of my home within the next minute, I’ll hand a chunk of your Western ridge to the sabers.” He turned on his heel and continued forward, not bothering to look back.
The bears scuffled away, clearly furious. A door slammed open nearby and Arron appeared through it, making a beeline for Liam. She stared as Liam bar
reled down on her, seeming to notice her for the first time. He stopped short and seemed to be slowing his breath as he looked her over.
“Fianni. My apologies. I didn’t realize you were around.”
“Maybe if you had, you wouldn’t have taken a step towards a war,” Arron hissed. He pointed to the spot where the men had stood moments earlier. “What was that about?”
“I handled it,” Liam said clipped.
Fianni reached out and gently took his wrist. “What’s wrong?”
He glanced at her hand on him and pursed his lips.
Arron muttered under his breath, “Hot-headed fool.”
She glared at him. Whatever was going on, they didn’t need to be fighting each other, too. “I’m sure Liam had a reason.”
“I don’t need a reason. They’ve become proud and want to act like we are equals. We aren’t,” Liam said, pulling away from her grasp carefully.
“Lovely. Now isn’t the best time for you to decide to turn disgruntled shifters into hardened enemies, though, is it?” Arron asked?
“I’ll handle that, too—”
“Perhaps you should call a meeting,” Fianni suggested.
The men both looked to her.
“I get the feeling you’re about to make a decision, immediately after one you’ve already hastily made, but you said Arron and Rask are your council. Then call a meeting. Isn’t that the point of having them?”
Liam ran a hand through his light hair. He was jittery, and she couldn’t understand why he didn’t want her help with it. After a second, he nodded sharply.
“You’re right. Actually, this may concern you as well. Rask is… What is today?” He looked at the ceiling in thought. “Fine. I’ll find Rask and meet in the private council room.” Liam furrowed his brow and stomped away, calling, “Half an hour,” over his shoulder.
“This isn’t good,” Arron said.
“I guessed that much.”
“No, you can’t even guess. The property he just threatened to take away is the border near the Blue Mountain clan’s burial grounds. It’s about as disrespectful as he could stoop to.”
