“Lasagna…did you know she makes her own sausage for this?”
“Yes, I know.” I also knew she only made it for his visits. Why did he sound surprised? “The tiramisu is in the fridge.” Another thing I never saw. Usually, she left me fresh fruit.
Sasha set the table while I brought out the lasagna and set it on a trivet.
“No salad?” he inquired, having the nerve to look hurt.
“Give me a minute!” The big crystal bowl sat next to the dessert, keeping chilled for his delectation. “Here we go.” I placed it a foot or so away from the hot pan and took my seat. “Anything else, your majesty?”
He served himself a huge piece of lasagna and piled crisp leafy greens next to it. “You forgot the garlic bread.”
“You aren’t going to get kisses after all the garlic,” I grumbled, heading back into the kitchen for more carbolicious food. “Aren’t cats supposed to be carnivores?”
“Not cat shifters,” he said, tearing off a piece of the crusty loaf I fetched. “And you’ll kiss me. You can’t pass up all this.”
No. Ego. Whatsoever. I pictured his magnificent maned self, lying in a patch of sun. Regular male lions spent most of their time doing just that while their females did the hunting. “You’re an arrogant SOB, you know,” I said, filling two thirds of my plate with salad and adding a smaller serving of pasta. Apparently, Gilda had me trained. “So, why are you here again?” Hopefully to be fucked.
“The unicorn.”
“Oh, right. So, the granny is sure it’s him?”
Sasha held his fork close to his lips while he answered. “Positive. And her health is failing, so she begged us to help.”
“What did you quote her?”
I waited while he ate more lasagna and washed it down with red wine that had been left open to breathe while we scared the neighbors with our gyrations. I’d actually opened it before he arrived.
“Sasha? Swallow and tell me the price point?”
“Mmm. I already swallowed,” he said, flashing me a white, toothy smile. “But I can do it again right after dinner, if you like.”
“After dinner, I plan to bend you over and fuck you. But first, answer my question.”
“Nothing.”
“What?” He didn’t get us into another freebie…
“She barely has enough to buy food. I checked. And the unicorn is Grey’s cousin. My hands are tied.”
“Not yet, but they may be while I shove my dick up your ass.”
He cleared his plate and piled it again. “No, I think it’s my turn to fuck you.”
Gave me chills when he said that. “No…I clearly remember that hotel in Cairo where we had the private courtyard and we did it in the blazing sun then jumped in the fountain.” Not that I cared who fucked who as long as fucking went on. But we always did this…it was our thing.
And in the end, everyone got fucked. In a good way. Just like always.
We lay close together, much later, just a few hours before we had to get up and leave on our mission. I spooned him, my arms wrapped tight around his torso, his hands resting on mine. My dick, spent for at least a little while, nestled in the crack of his ass. I listened to his breaths grow longer and slower into the restful respirations of sleep.
“I’ve missed you,” I murmured into his hair, dropping a kiss on his cheek before closing my eyes. “Missed you a lot.”
“Me, too,” came his sleepy voice. Damn. I hadn’t meant for him to hear. We’d agreed that we were friends with extra great benefits, that we had no future… “Love you, Rob.”
Damn.
We were in deep shit now.
Chapter Three
Samuel
Change was in the air. I could feel it. My magic might’ve been bound, but that didn’t mean it was useless—only useless in the practical ways. I still could sense things, which was probably the only reason I was both still alive and not yet sold.
When the Red Dragons took me from my home as a “consequence” for my grandmother who had tried to help my cousin escape their wrath, I’d been but ten. I knew they were coming for me, and I saw her death, so, instead of waiting for them to get me, I met them as they exited their compound. They assured me she would not be harmed by them and that my sacrifice was her safety. Little did they know, I was going to be theirs either way.
Time and again, my ability helped me. I’d been taught early on by granny how to hide yet use my abilities, and, for that, I’d ever be grateful. It was the reason I knew to cut my mane, accidentally, of course, before the person I was promised to tried to claim me on my twenty-first birthday only to be disgusted by my appearance. His vanity was my saving grace. I still held the guilt for the unicorn who ended up taking my place. Had I not been bound, I’d have seen enough to save us both.
It was also the reason I gave my virginity away at a younger than ideal age. I’d seen my bidding price skyrocketing for a chance to own and break the virgin unicorn. A red dragon paid the price for that one. That one I felt far less guilt over. He’d been one of my tormentors when I first arrived, and using him to save myself, even in such a disgusting manner, was worth it and something I’d never regret.
This time my vision was less clear. I knew change was coming. That was about it, and it was driving me to distraction.
I’d become but a slave, working as a maid and servant to the dragons who held this compound, the one I was whisked away to nearly sixteen years ago. Rumor had it the dragons were in a war. The only surprise there was that it took so long to happen. They were a money grubbing clan and that leads to enemies.
“Slave, bring me a whiskey,” Bart, my new owner—and I used the term lightly because no one owned me—barked.
I immediately scurried to make him one. Bart was one of my better owners. He was lazy and pretty much required me to just keep bringing him whiskey until he fell asleep. That and he thought I was dumb as a brick and often talked in front of me as if I weren’t there.
I’d worked hard on getting that image. It wasn’t an easy balance, either. I had to be dumb enough to be a waste of time without being too useless and getting beaten. I took a great many beatings until I discovered just the right blend, but I had managed it nicely and, as such, was bounced from home to home, usually after the loss of a card game.
As far as the slaves went, my life was one of the better ones.
“Here you go, master.” I kept my head low, spewing the words I hated, knowing I needed them to survive.
I wouldn’t be here long. Gram had told me as much. Not that I was sure she knew she was doing it. It was more like she talked to me in her hours of despair and I was an eavesdropper, but still I heard her. She had called in a lion, one a vision told her was the right one at the right time, and they were coming. She believed it, at least, and whether it became fact or not, it gave me something to hold on to.
“Good slave. Now go kneel in the corner until I need you again.” He sucked down a long swig of his heavily poured drink. As a rule, whiskey didn’t impact dragons as much as it did Bart, but he was sick—slowly dying, even—and it helped him sleep much faster than it should have even with my heavy pour.
Part of me wanted to let him know he was sick and to seek help. Being his slave was far from my worst gig. But the chance that he’d give away my skill and they’d bind me even further wasn’t worth the risk.
I’d been able to loosen up the binding micro fraction by micro fraction over the years. I was far from freed from its bond, but I’d get there. I was nothing if not motivated.
I knelt in the corner, facing him. Most owners use the corner as a way to have your back to them, but Bart liked me to see when he was ready for more whiskey and move on it.
“Slave, you are so good to me,” he mumbled, his eyelids starting to fall. He got like this when he drank too much, except he shouldn’t be at that point yet. I needed to figure out a way to help him without him knowing. Damn it. Why did I freaking have to like my owner? Like-ish anyway.
<
br /> “I try, master.” I nodded before looking at the floor once more.
“No.” His voice came closer, and I saw him standing over me and his hand settling on my shoulder. “Not in that way. You know I hate this shit, right?” His voice morphed into a whisper, his eyes suddenly serious.
“Yes, master,” I agreed, even though I wasn’t sure what he was getting at. It wasn’t a sex move, his hand on me—his scent would’ve given that away. He’d never once touched me in that way, unlike some others before him.
Those usually ended up with me puking on them, earning me a few whippings but keeping them from trying that shit again.
“You don’t,” he insisted, “but trust me I do. If I had my way, we’d both be out of here, but I am bound, too, just not the same way you are.”
That was a first for him to admit, although I’d guessed it a time or two. His father was the alpha of this thunder and was an evil, evil man. I’d have wanted to be gone as well.
“Yes, master.” I sounded like a broken record, but I knew better than to add information at a time like this or, worse, seek information.
“At least you're pretty.” He ruffled my hair before extending his hand with a now empty glass. “One more?”
“Yes, master.”
He wandered back to his seat, and I was pouring his whiskey when a vision of my shoes filled my head. Fuck. The change was now.
“Here you go, master. May I trouble you?” I asked as meekly as possible.
“Yes, slave. But be quick about it. I’m tired.”
“My foot is not feeling its best, and I need to take care of the field tomorrow—in preparation for the auction. Might I wear my shoes for the rest of the night. The arches might help?” My logic was no logic at all, but letting him know I was all in on the auction preparations his father had laid out for his house to manage was my best shot. Bart didn’t like me in shoes for good reason. I might run. Shit, if my animal hadn’t been bound, I might have when I was younger and still figuring out the best way to survive.
“Very well.” He nodded before sucking back the entire thing.
I walked to the front entrance way, limping just enough to give him the impression it hurt without going overboard, and put on my work boots. They wouldn’t be good if running was in order, but they were the best if I needed to climb the stupid-ass mountains surrounding us.
I went back to my corner and waited, rising only long enough to catch his glass as he passed out.
I was in that corner an hour, my calloused knees not even feeling it the way my younger self did, when a flash of a lion and a dragon crossed my path. They were here. Now, what to do about it.
I closed my eyes, concentrating. Garbage. Lots of garbage. I could do that.
I got up and mumbled about taking out the trash before heading out back.
“Anyone there?” I whispered.
Crickets.
If only my powers were free, I’d have had a better grasp of things.
I walked back inside and found Bart in the kitchen holding onto the counter, his face almost green. I rushed to his side.
“I’m okay slave. Just need a bit of water. Don’t worry. I plan to stick around to piss off my old man. Besides, being nice to you is the only thing that makes me not hate myself.”
Fuck. I was going to have to tell him.
“Bart.”
His head snapped to me. I’d never addressed him by name before. “You are sick. Like bad sick.”
He nodded, his eyes sad, no longer filled with shock.
“You need to see a witch.”
He nodded again. Why had I not told him sooner? A name flashed in front of me. That was why. I hadn’t been strong enough.
“Malinda. Her name is Malinda. I don’t know where she is. Only her name. But you need to go soon.”
He pulled me into a hug, his lips close to my ear. “It worked. I have been trying to help you break your bonds, and it’s working. I will find her. I will. You need to leave. Tonight. They plan to sell you tomorrow. I had a plan, but I think it failed. I leaked the information to a unicorn who said they could find your grandmother, but it is too late. Run.”
I hugged him back. “Thank you.”
“Thank me tomorrow. Now? Now you need to hit me over the head with something hard. And Samuel…it is true you are beautiful, but I never once thought you dumb. It just wasn’t time.” He kissed the side of my head as I broke free from his hold and looked around for something to hit him with that could hurt him and would appear like it did but without making him dead. He’d done more for me than I’d ever known and it was the least I could do—not killing him, I mean.
I found a skillet, one made of cast iron, and swung at him from behind. Hard enough to hurt but avoiding any of the regions that would cause real damage. I had a feeling his illness was going to slow down his recovery. As I eased him to the floor, hoping he was faking unconsciousness, I whispered, “Thank you, my friend. You will not be forgotten,” before running out the back door and straight to the garbage heap where, this time, I found two men waiting, their jaws dropped.
“You’re here for me, but, guys, let’s go before he wakes up.”
Chapter Four
Sasha
Rob and I took stealthy steps toward the building. Outside the place, the smell of stench filled the air, not of garbage but of bad intentions and foul beings.
“This place reeks. Nasty beings.” He pinched his nose.
“They are dragons. Aren’t these your people?” I joked, knowing it would piss him off and loving every second.
“These aren’t my kind of dragons, and you know it. Let’s just get the kid and get out of here.”
We rounded the back of a building that carried the scent of vomit and liquor—a bar.
Out of nowhere, a metal door burst open and a man wearing only shoes, armed with a cast-iron skillet, whispered, “You’re here for me, but, guys, let’s go before he wakes up.”
Rob and I stood stunned, staring at each other in shock.
“Did you not hear me? Lion and dragon, right? Yeah, move your ass.”
He ran between us. Rob laughed and followed him and, as he passed, grabbed my sleeve, dragging me with him.
“Is this the guy? He doesn’t look helpless to me.”
Rob huffed while he ran. “Don’t care. Just go.”
I holstered my weapon as we hurried to my truck. How this male knew where my truck was remained a mystery.
“Got any clothes in here?”
He opened the back door of my truck and started to rifle through my bags.
“Wait a damned minute! Are you Samuel?”
He rolled his eyes. “Of course I am. You were sent for me, right?”
“Yes. Your grandmother called.”
Samuel looked behind me, and his eyes bulged. “Good story and all, but they have noticed their little pet is gone. So, either get me out of here or kill me. Either way, I’m not going back there.”
Rob and I scented the air. The smell was faint, but he was right, the dragons were coming.
“In the truck. Now,” I commanded both of them. I got in, threw the truck into drive, and skidded out, hoping we had time to get out of their territory before they reached us and put their talons through our throats.
“I’m Rob.” He turned around and offered Samuel his hand. They shook but didn’t let go. “Um, there’s clothes in the bag next to you and some food.”
Still holding Samuel’s hand, Rob seemed to be in shock or something, though he wasn’t the one we just rescued. Or, technically, we didn’t even rescue Samuel, he kind of rescued himself.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I glanced at their clasped hands.
“There’s something…I can’t put my finger on it.”
I scoffed. “Looks like you can put more than a finger on it.”
“Oh, um, shut up. You don’t… Never mind.”
I watched Samuel in the rearview mirror as he put on a pair of my sweats
that absolutely drowned him, and, before we’d reached the highway, he’d downed two burgers and opened the wrapper on the third.
He’s warm. He’s fed. He’s safe. Good omega.
Wait, what the fuck?
Rob couldn’t take his eyes off Samuel either.
“Where are we taking him?” I asked, trying to swipe my brain clean of the omega comment.
“Oh, um, probably better in Haven for right now. Malinda’s got wards around the town.”
“Malinda? Did you say Malinda? The witch that lives in Haven?”
Double what the fuck?
“How did you know that?”
“I just know. And, yes, we should go to the lion’s den. I’ll be safest there.”
I pulled onto the highway toward Haven. There was no ordinary unicorn in my backseat.
And there was something more.
Rob was right.
We got back to my den, a comfortable log cabin hidden in the woods behind Haven, and Samuel got out.
“Samuel, let’s get you inside and showered. I mean, you take a shower, not us…not… You know what I mean.”
I cocked my head sideways at Rob who was never flustered around males.
Samuel helped himself to the bathroom then started the shower. I waited until I heard the glass door slide closed before laying into Rob.
“What is wrong with you?”
“You don’t feel it? That pull? His scent?”
My gaze dropped down to Rob’s bulge. “It’s obvious that you feel something. You need me to give you two some time alone?”
He grabbed my hand before I could bolt. “No, that’s not it. I think. Shitfuckdamn, this is going to sound nuts. But you know how you and I have always had this thing, but it wasn’t quite right?”
I nodded.
“I think…I think Samuel is out third.”
What the fuck was he thinking? We were some kind of musketeers?
“Make some sense, please, before I throw you and your hard-on out the door.”
“Sit down and listen, big guy.” I sat on one of my barstools and tried to focus on Rob, but my ears were attuned to every movement I could make out of Samuel’s. I could hear the water splashing on his skin, the sound of the soap bar being placed back on the shelf. His groans in pleasure at washing away the dirt.
The Lion, the Dragon, and Their Unicorn Omega: An MM Mpreg Shifter Romance (The Unicorn Omegas Book 2) Page 2
