Their Royal Compromise: Paranormal Dating Agency (OtherWorld Shifters Book 2)

by Godiva Glenn

  The mattress dipped, and she reached out, touching a firm arm.

  “You’re awake,” Liam commented with surprise.

  “So are you.” She sat up and stared forward as her eyes adjusted to the faint light in the room. “Is something wrong?”

  “No. It just occurred to me that there’s no reason to sleep alone, is there?” he asked.

  The moonlight lit one side of him. She could never forget how handsome he was, but there were times like this when she looked at him and almost couldn’t believe such perfection existed.

  “Is there?” he repeated.

  “My bed won’t fit three men, to be fair,” she said teasingly.

  He crawled onto the bed and fell over with a sigh, his head resting on her lap. “We’ll figure something out. For now, I’m allowed a moment of selfishness.”

  She stroked her fingers through his soft hair and watched the subtle movement of his body as he breathed. “No flying tonight,” she mused. “Too tired?”

  “I’d fall from the sky like a rock,” he mumbled through a yawn. “Are you happy here?”

  “Of course.”

  “Once things are settled, you’re free to visit your friends on Prism… invite them here…”

  “Oh.” She hadn’t thought much of Prism, but now she was flooded with emotions of longing. “Will you come?”

  “Of course. We’ll all go. It’s your other home.”

  Just like that. So easy.

  Closing her eyes, she hummed softly. His warm presence calmed her chaotic thoughts. She continued to run her hands through his hair until his breathing grew slow and his body heavy.

  Supported by a mound of pillows, she was comfortable enough to drift off too.

  Wings spread, Fianni glided under the watchful gaze of two distant moons, surrounded by a field of stars. The burning lights whispered to her, sharing secrets she didn’t understand, and when she tried to ask them to speak louder, she found herself without a voice.

  She opened her mouth again and again, and though nothing came it didn’t bother her. A strange odor wafted to her, like smoke. She searched the ocean below her for the source of fire, but though her body felt warm there was no spark or glow of burning.

  The scent is so strong…

  She woke and felt a kiss at her temple. A split-second of panic made her flinch, but she eased. Liam was still at her legs, and Rask now cradled her from the side.

  “I didn’t mean to wake you,” he whispered.

  “S’fine,” she slurred sleepily.

  “Go back to sleep.”

  Instead, she fought to wake. She turned her head to the side and kissed him gently. His hand cupped her cheek, the innocent action igniting her system.

  “I want you,” she said sullenly.

  “I know. But Liam needs to sleep, and it’s rude to wake someone by having sex near their head.”

  She laughed under her breath, doing her best not to shake the bed. “You’re ridiculous.”

  “Celibacy gives me a dark sense of humor,” he replied.

  “Hopefully that’ll be over soon.”

  “Damn I hope so. I practically walk with a limp lately.”

  She closed her eyes and grinned. “Is that a joke about hauling wood? Really?”

  “Like I said, I need to get off.”

  “No one’s stopping you.”

  “I’m not jerking off when there’s a perfectly good mouth right here,” he teased and licked her lower lip.

  “Did you talk to Arron?” she asked suspiciously.

  “About caves and frequencies, yes.”

  “That’s all?”

  “He mentioned something strange about it being better that you aren’t a shifter or a dragon,” Rask admitted. “Out of the blue, between ranting about faulty readings and pollution spikes.”

  “That’s… strange.”

  Rask kissed her head and dragged his lips across her temple with a soft hum. “I get it. And I suppose I owe you thanks for it.”

  “How so?”

  “Because Arron apologized to me,” Rask said slowly. “I didn’t even know how to react.”

  Fianni tried to sit up but Rask pressed her back down and smoothed the blanket over her stomach.

  “Don’t wake Liam. If he hears this conversation, we’ll all be up.”

  She grinned. “But really? What did Arron say?”

  “A lot. A lot of long-winded, rational, Arron things. One of which was that he worried that I leaned too heavily into my dragon, whereas he feared Liam was avoiding his.”

  “The wolf thing?”

  “Yeah. But since we’ve been worrying about maintaining what we have, he doesn’t see those sides anymore.” Rask paused and twisted a strand of Fianni’s hair around his fingertip. “He had something right. For whatever reason, my dragon isn’t just in my heart, my spirit. It’s right beneath the surface. Arron assumed it was my anger or whatever. It’s not. It’s just me.”

  “It doesn’t seem that bad,” she commented. “Maybe you need it there.”

  “Maybe.” He sighed and shifted on the bed. “It’s worth noting that there were times I acted out just to get under Arron’s skin.”

  “Rask…”

  “I know. Trust me, I’m not proud of behaving like a whelp. I apologized for that.”

  Fianni stroked his cheek. “I’m proud of you two. I thought there was something darker beneath your feuding. I’m glad I was wrong.”

  “Perhaps nothing more than years and years of repressed frustration and refusal to communicate.”

  “But when pressed, your loyalty to each other and your people takes precedence.”

  “And loyalty to you. Keeping peace is one thing, being worthy of a woman like you is another.”

  She shook her head. “You’re silly and I’m sleepy.”

  “Go to sleep.”

  Reaching out and running a fingertip down the center of his chest, she asked, “Will you stay?”

  “Of course.”

  Liam nuzzled Fianni’s neck and squeezed her breast in his hand. “Don’t go,” he groaned. “We never have enough time together. Do you know how badly blue balls affect a dragon?”

  Just like his brother. She squirmed in his lap and adjusted her dress so that her breasts no longer peeked out. She’d woken alone, sadly, and just caught Liam after an early morning meeting. “All the more reason for me to talk to Arron. I told you. I had a headache yesterday—”

  “And you think it’s related to the interference in the system. I know. I’m just fucking horny. Every time I close my eyes I see your naked body and I want to ravage it,” he said against her neck.

  “It’s not any easier for me. I can barely even get two of you in a room together, much less all three. We solve this, and it’ll hush the rebellion and we can have all the time in the world… except for all your meetings and obligations.”

  He scoffed. “You are in for a delightful surprise. The planet tends to rule itself. I oversee things, but I only have stress and meetings when clans start feeling anxious about something.”

  “Then I’ll get more time with you?”

  “Yes. During the day I may travel or what have you… keeping the peace, making sure nothing unlawful is occurring… keeping up with the clan leaders… but my nights will be all about you. We’ll finally get to have normal small talk and enjoy each other’s company without stress looming in the background.”

  She ran a hand through his hair, slicking it back how he liked. “Does that mean no more waking up alone?”

  “I didn’t want to leave. It was tempting to wake you, but Rask wouldn’t allow it. You needed your rest.”

  She rolled her eyes. “We all need rest.”

  “When everything has calmed, I promise you won’t wake up alone. You may wake up with me licking up your delicious nectar, though.” He grasped her breast and massaged it.

  “Mmm. That sounds divine… but for now, I don’t think we have much time. Reese said the Whisper Valley pa
nthers near her old pack are on the move. Traveling here to join the bears.”

  “It’s a three-day trek,” he groaned. “I’d heard. The cats are usually all on our side. They give fuck-all about politics. They just want their territory and their peace. And some fucking trees to lounge in.”

  She slid from his lap, deflecting his attempts to hold her there. “I’m going to see Arron.”

  “Have I told you how ridiculously overjoyed I am to know he’s found someone?”

  “You’ve all found someone.”

  “I know. But his happiness, Rask’s happiness… that’s always mattered more to me than my own,” he admitted.

  “Hmm. Yes, and did you know you all feel that way about each other?”

  He smirked. “Right. Arron, sure, I can see that. But Rask cares about his dick and his dick alone.”

  She shook her head in disagreement. “On the outside perhaps he seems selfish, but he…” She hesitated, unsure if it was fair to reveal what Rask had told her about contacting Gerri. Everything was going so well. Everything is going very well.

  “He what?”

  “You are all getting along, right now, aren’t you?” she asked, though the answer seemed clear to her.

  He leaned back in the chair and seemed thoughtful. “I suppose we are. I can’t recall the last major quarrel. Some of that could be due to us being too busy to interact much.”

  “No. I think it’s coming together, even if you’re spending time apart. Rask has been working with you every day, hasn’t he? You send him on assignments and he goes, he returns and reports back…”

  “With a lot less complaint,” Liam agreed. “It’s been so hectic I didn’t think twice about it.”

  “And he and Arron have been coordinating as well. They seem to have resolved their differences.”

  “Have they really?” he looked up in thought. “You must be right. I can’t remember the last time I got a snarky report from either of them.”

  “I know that challenging times bring people together, but I hope it’s more than that. Because you realize… I love you all, but my needs require more than just the three of you in the same room. I need you all on the same level.”

  “I’ve always understood that. And that’s partially why I asked you to help us.”

  “I know. But to be honest, my magic doesn’t seem to work well on any of you without direct contact. My biggest concern is that if your issues aren’t resolved, I’ll spend all my time stuck between you while you argue. I’m not going to be an eternal referee.”

  “And we wouldn’t use you that way.”

  “I’m serious. Direct contact means…”

  “No coming to you for sex just because we aren’t getting along. I know it may not seem like it, but I listen. I know what you mean.”

  “Good. I’m not the magical cave you enter to solve your problems. Or… I am, but you don’t get to use me that way.”

  “I can’t promise we won’t always be one hundred percent not quarreling before we climb into bed, Fianni. If Rask gives Arron a bad look in the hallway—”

  “That’s not what I meant.” She chuckled. “I meant you don’t get to come to me with the intention of using sex with me as a solvent for disagreements.”

  Liam nodded seriously. “No misusing the magical peace pussy, understood.”

  “And there it is, that wonderful humor that you must have picked up from Rask.” She sighed and looked around the room, wishing she could stay a while longer. “I have to head out. I ran into Arron’s assistant. He’s moved to another location, and it’s a little farther.”

  “And let me guess, you’ll refuse to bring a guard even if I order it?”

  “Correct. It’s not like they have reason to target me or anyone else.”

  Liam’s mouth twitched, making her think he not only disagreed but wanted to argue about it. They engaged in a polite staring contest for a moment, but finally, he stood.

  “Fine. But since you’ll be out and about, this brings me to why I met with you—aside from the necessary molestation.” He circled behind the couch they’d been on and pulled out a small pair of brown leather boots. “The least glamorous gift ever.”

  She eyed them with sincere gratitude. “Just what I’ve always wanted.”

  The sun seemed to follow Fianni as she traveled, being sure to bathe her in warm light until her hair stuck to her face and her lightweight dress clung to her legs like wet pants. At this rate, she’d find Arron just in time to collapse into a miserable sweaty ball.

  All she wanted was a long shower or another trip to the grotto. Standing underneath the waterfall would be perfect in this weather. That wish triggered a flashback that gave her goosebumps. She hoped she’d never look at a waterfall in quite the same way.

  She marched along and distracted herself by imagining what she had to look forward to when the madness had settled. Dinner with her men. Lazy afternoons lounging in the courtyard together. Flying, perhaps.

  Other group activities had her more anxious than excited. She’d never been with multiple partners. They all said they were fine sharing her, but so far, the closest they’d come to having a ménage encounter was the evening before, and that was just sleep.

  Still a wonderful moment but hardly the scandalous activity she ached for.

  She passed a familiar tree and paused to check her position on the crude map Liam had drawn for her earlier. She wasn’t lost, but she’d made a circle. Glancing down the path ahead, she saw her mistake. The fork was unevenly worn, and she’d missed her turn.

  A lone breeze curled through the trees and gave her a second of relief before she picked up her pace. She corrected her mistake and took the less trodden dirt trail, but after a few minutes, she wondered if she’d read the map wrong.

  Though she’d been walking for too long, and unless she was imagining things, she was closer to the cave she’d been at the day before. A dull hammering clouded her thoughts and she leaned against a tree as she winced.

  Something was wrong here.

  She massaged her temples and studied her surroundings. The shifter tech at work on Solara was modified from what they’d borrowed from Aurora. During her time at the castle, she’d never had any discomfort.

  What she felt now was almost as bad as walking through an average Earth city. She could bear it, but eventually, it would get worse and she’d be unable to focus at all. Taking a deep breath, she weighed her options. Find Arron or find the source of her sudden headache.

  But I’ve been walking for hours and haven’t found him. A vague knowledge of where I am now doesn’t mean I know where I’m going.

  Besides that, it had taken time for her headache to retreat yesterday, so it stood to reason that if she continued wandering the forest in search of Arron, her headache could get worse and make it more likely that she’d lose focus and be legitimately lost.

  Her mind made up, she pushed her weight from the tree and left the path, walking in a circle until she could roughly tell which direction bothered her the most. The forest floor was under a blanket of dead vines which hid roots. She tripped as often as she stepped, but that only made her more determined.

  The dull fog over her thoughts laced with incessant ringing. Whatever she sought was affecting her too harshly. She’d built up a tolerance on Earth but now realized that it had probably faded over time. She hadn’t been exposed to anything toxic in weeks.

  A rustling sound to her left made her freeze. Carefully, she ducked down behind a thick cluster of red weeds. Someone was walking through the forest, but they hadn’t seemed to have noticed her.

  She stayed low, creeping along until she could get a better view. It was one of the bears, Solomon in fact. They were far from his territory. This was neutral territory—all the land the dragons owned was deemed neutral save exceptions such as Liam’s grotto—but she refused to believe his presence was a coincidence.

  She wasn’t dressed for spying, nor did she have the skills, but no other cho
ice presented itself. Solomon appeared to be carefree, hardly cautious or hiding. He was making enough noise to mask any she made—hopefully.

  The plan was simple. See what he was hiding then return to the castle.

  Creeping along behind him, she moved on one side of the trees, occasionally squatting down to skirt along the bushes. Her dress dragged and collected twigs, and dirt coated her hands and knees, but so far, she was holding up.

  After a few minutes, he stopped. His head swiveled, seeming to scan the area for the first time. He continued shortly after, and she followed. Her legs were cramping from keeping low and her headache was now making her lightheaded and dizzy, but she refused to turn back.

  He came to a small cabin and knocked on the door. When no one answered he peered into the window then turned and whistled under his breath. He looked to be searching for someone, and when no one appeared he walked away, not from the direction he came but another.

  Fianni didn’t follow.

  Part of the agreement for all the clans and packs on Solara was to work with the natural aspect of the planet and not against it.

  The limit on technology also related to advancement. They didn’t want massive cities or sprawling developments. They wanted to keep the forests and lakes and mountains. There were deserts and tundra, swamp and plains, and all were to be carefully preserved.

  The castle was the largest structure, she was told, but most shifters lived in shared housing all the same.

  Which was why a tiny cabin in the woods was even more suspicious than Solomon taking a stroll. And even at a distance, it seemed like the cabin was emitting heat.

  She waited a few minutes until she was sure he was far away, before sneaking up to the cabin and peeking into the side window. All she could see was what looked like a giant motor, a motor that took up almost the entire cabin. She pressed a hand to the glass and flinched back. It wasn’t just warm—it was burning up.

  “My lucky day,” a deep voice growled from behind her.

  A strong hand gripped her arm and spun her around, so hard it felt like her arm would rip from her socket. The jerky action made her head spin and spots cover her vision.