Twice Mated

by Penelope Wylde

  Yeah, she read that loud and clear.

  Chapter Five

  “Och, get on.” Her thoughts slammed in reverse and left burn tracks a mile long. What the hell...? A deep brogue resounded in her head again, this time with a lot more ire.

  “Witch, I’m nae takin’ another fireball for ye. Get on!”

  Her eyeballs grew wide and her gaze shot to the midnight scaled dragon. “You’re kidding me! I can talk to dragons!”

  Fierce growls tore from Grayson’s throat as power rolled along his body and fed into her as if he’d hooked car wires up to her metaphysical battery pack. If he’d been in protection mode earlier, that shoved him into to def con KILL mode now.

  Zane moved in closer, his eyes darting from one side of the surrounding trees to the other. “Get her outta here, now! Protect her with your life, I’ll hold them off.”

  “No!” she cried out.

  Zane dropped to his knees. Bones cracked and his wolf appeared just as the elders broke from the tree line. He tore across the snow, his wolf on all fours was as tall as a man, and lunged for the arm of a warlock, tearing him to shreds. Releasing he went for another, teeth bared as he dodging a wicked-looking ball of magic meant to kill.

  Another wolf torn between shifting, half man half wolf broke from the tree line. She recognized him. It was the one after her earlier.

  Zane tore into him, leaving nothing but a tattered lump dead on the ground.

  He turned, gunning for the warlock elders.

  From the short distance separating them, she saw the surprise on those old coots' faces as they retreated to the false safety of the woods. Zane’s wolf wasn’t done and the second dragon roared into the air following the path Zane took. Trees cracked and fell as his wide girth and power pushed over pines older than her like toothpicks.

  The force to shift rolled over Grayson’s body and pulled something to life within her. She’d felt it when Zane had shifted and now...holy shit.

  How else could she explain the full-body glow? She looked like one of those freaking glow worm nightlights. She flung back the coat and looked down the length of her body. Starting from the center, with every pulse of her heart a new wave of light rippled from her center into her extremities. Or what she could see of them. Not cool. Lit up like a flashing neon sign, Harlow hunched into the tightest ball she could muster in Grayson’s grip.

  Grayson gritted his teeth so hard she could practically hear them crack. His expression turned from shock and bewilderment to freaked the hell out. “Fuck!” He pulled the jacket over her and added his to the pile, covering her.

  Zane barreled out of the woods with the black dragon coming in hot behind him. The elders nowhere to be seen. Had they truly defeated them? Scared them back to their castle where they could rot for all she cared? Zane’s enormous wolf flanked her on one side while the icy blue dragon did his best to position himself between them and the tree line. Grayson shielded her with his massive shoulders as he tried to launch them up on the black dragon, but every move he made only forced her to glow brighter.

  “Time out!” She threw her hands up to form a T. “What—,” Her voice cracked. “What the freaking heck is going on?” Fear had a way of taking the reins. Heat flushed along her skin and Grayson’s grew taut under her touch. His wolf sensed her freaking out. If she didn’t calm down, more fur, scales and magical fireballs could clash tonight with no predictable outcome.

  “Fight it, Grayson. Look at me.” Blue-crimson eyes roamed over her face and she momentarily forgot to breathe. When did that happen? And what did it mean? His eyes had been red with the desire to mate her when she’d left for work this morning and now, they were blue? Come to think of it so where Zane’s. She’d been so tied up that little detail failed to register.

  Zane shifted and stood in the snow, the cold of the winter night not even touching him. Muscle rippled with tension and she looked on mesmerized by his powerful body.

  His blue eyes connected with hers. Instinct brought her hand up to stroke along the tenderness she’d found there and realized that talk Grayson mentioned was going to be very interesting indeed.

  A guttural growl worked up Grayson’s chest and he struggled to control his wolf. Everything in her told her the wolves and dragons would have their hands full if the elders came back with reinforcements.

  “He’s here. The one who stole my powers.” Holding her gaze, he spoke to Zane over his shoulder. Neither Grayson nor Zane bothered asking who he was. Rage darkened their features as their attention turned fully toward a shadowed area of the forest off to their left. Her men wanted blood. She could read it from the way they postured their shoulders and braced for another fight. Beside them the dragons grew restless. There would be no holding Grayson back this time.

  He would join the Zane and the dragons. Blood would spill and no one needed another war between shifters and witches on their hands.

  “Get her the fuck out of here. I’ll handle this.” Zane’s muscles bunched and rolled as he moved away from them and her hand shot out. Deep down she knew if she let go, there was a good possibility she’d never see him again. Not gonna happen. If she didn’t get to die, neither did he.

  Fatigue weighed heavy and her breath quickened. Her fingers tightened. Fear fed her the strength to make it this far, but even that wasn’t strong enough anymore. Her grasp slipped.

  “We...” she flipped a finger to encompass all three of them, “...all have to go.” Grayson gave a curt nod and lunged toward the black dragon, who was still reeling from the magic ball. If a dragon could have a pissed off face, he wore it well.

  Ye goin’ to stand around and play dodge ball all night? It’s now or nae, witch! Her gaze met the amethyst eyes of the dragon. Aye, thought I sensed the dragon in ye. Yer father was right.

  Wait. He knew her father? Her father knew dragons? Thousands of questions hit her and before one could roll off her tongue, more golden orbs slammed into the ground, surrounding trees, and one into the side of the dragon that wouldn’t get out of her head. He answered with a bellow, dislodging Grayson’s footing. They fell forward and Grayson tucked her close, rolling sideways to take the brunt of the impact. Covered in snow, Zane scooped her up and called out over his shoulder to Grayson, his voice drowned out by the wail of orbs that hailed down on their position.

  The white dragon reared back and bellowed an ear-shattering roar. Fire erupted from his mouth and she watched as the final elders stupid enough to take on a dragon alone went up in flames.

  “I’ve got her.”

  Quickly Zane placed a foot on the black dragon’s extended leg and hauled himself up with her in tow. Straddled over the ridge and arms anchored around his neck, she glanced sideways to find Zane’s once coffee-colored eyes now as blue as Grayson’s with shafts of red piercing the beautiful coloring, too. Her brows pinched but before she could voice her question, Zane answered.

  “No baby girl, we’re not mated. Fully, anyway. We’ll explain everything later.” He drew her close to his chest and placed a kiss to the top of her head. The heated, masculine voice of his always soothed her.

  Sounded good. Grayson hauled ass to the white dragon and made quick work of securing himself. Wings flared open. The power she felt in them, around them, seeped into her bones as much as the winter air did. Several thunderous beats kicked up a thick shield of snow, and they were already past the treetops as night enveloped them into its hold. Weak, she relaxed into Zane’s hold and let him pull her tighter still. Wind brushed through the tips of her hair and stung the sensitive skin of her cheeks. His heat chased away the worst of the cold. Face buried against his chest, she closed her eyes and focused on his strong, steady heartbeat against her ear. And tried really hard to forget he was naked and writing dragon while cradling a glowing witch.

  Mountains rushed them moments before the black dragon angled his body and glided them over smaller peaks. Werewolves and witches with a handful more of otherworldlies had come out to the human world. Dragons
not so much. Guess that little secret wouldn’t fit back into the shadows after tonight.

  A small voice reared in the back of her mind. She had no doubt the Silver Circle would either slink back and leave everyone be or they would want revenge for what went down tonight. She really hoped for the former in this scenario.

  She rubbed her hand up her chest. Nothing could ward off the pain that tore into her. Moans slipped out and she clutched at her stomach. Lights burst behind her eyelids. The glow flared and she swore she looked like a lighthouse in the middle of the dark skies. She cracked an eye and raised her hand, marveling at her skin. What had she done here tonight? And why were there dragons helping them in the first place?

  “You’re safe, baby girl.”

  She smiled up at Zane.

  Were they? She was just happy the night hadn’t ended in her men getting hurt. She’d invited trouble to their doorstep with her spellwork and for what? Her magic hadn’t returned and she glowed like a lit-up Christmas tree. No familiar pull on Mother Nature or energy crackling and waiting to do her bidding to be found.

  “How much farther?” Zane’s chest vibrated beneath her touch as he called to the black dragon. He tightened his hold on her and leaned in closer. Any more and she wouldn’t know where she ended and he began. Maybe that was his plan.

  The dragon made a sound of frustration that came out like a gurgled sigh. Impatient wolf.

  She cracked a small smile. Despite the pain, Harlow laughed at the frustration the dragon had for Zane’s worry. “He’s a little cranky.”

  Zane’s voice went low. “What do you mean, baby girl?”

  “Didn’t you hear him?” ARGH! Another slash caught her across the chest as if it wanted to rip out her still pumping heart.

  Lassie, he doesn’t know ye can hear me. And I know ye can, so stop trying to ignore me. Amazement mixed with awe and had the dragon’s head rearing around to catch a glimpse of her before he tucked his wings and took them through a gap between two rock walls.

  “Not ignoring. Who could ignore the two-ton dragon in the sky?” She mentally challenged him.

  “Who are you talking to, Harlow?” Zane looked at her expectantly.

  Rumbled laughter filled her head, not her ears.

  “I think yer mates will be somewhat jealous of our connection. My name’s Xierrah, by the way, and the white one over there with your other mate is my brother, Dakan.”

  “Harlow.”

  If dragons could grin, Xierrah had a huge, albeit mischievous, one plastered across his snout.

  “Shite went down tonight we need to tell the elder about. Let’s get back.”

  Dakan glided closer to their right. Grayson, tucked flat across the ridged back, looked over and tossed her a wink, oblivious to the cold and her newfound talent.

  “Who’s we?” she mentally sent back. “The dragons,” she answered aloud to Zane, who nailed her with a wide-eyed look of astonishment. She gave him points for rolling with the punches.

  He grunted. “That’s new.”

  She nodded. “Apparently there’s a lot of that going around tonight.” Like her being part dragon according to their new friends.

  Heat flushed her cheeks and she tried to sit up, but Zane held her in place as a fresh wave of snow-laced wind nearly knocked them loose from Xierrah’s back. Hades on fire, that smarted. On the flip side, she welcomed the cold to fight the fever raging inside her. And she welcomed the warm arms of her lover.

  She let her lashes fall. How was it that she could now hear dragons speak? That talent normally only went to dragon-blooded shifters. Question after question plagued her mind.

  Forgive me, but why were you at my house?

  Yer father was a— Xierrah paused, and she thought he’d leave it his words unfinished. A friend to the Draegon Elders, Harlow. And me, he added with a hint of nostalgia.

  “You knew my father?” she spoke aloud to include Zane.

  “Hold on, lassie.”

  A quick up-current forced the dragon into a steep ascent. Zane held her in place as they climbed higher in the night sky. Fingers dug into Zane’s thick muscle and she coaxed her fear of heights back into check. Just don’t look down and you’re all good.

  Even with her eyes clamped shut, her stomach lurched into her throat.

  “Look, baby girl.”

  Zane’s deep voice had her eyes flitting open. Ribbons of magic intertwined with stars to create a lavish canvas of jewels. Sapphires, rubies and ambers all ready to fall into the palm of her hands at the simplest of commands and for that one moment, it was only her and Zane. It almost made all the nearly lethal encounters tonight worth being here in this moment with him. They only needed Grayson with them to make the moment complete.

  A sense of hope rose in her chest. Maybe not all was lost after all.

  “We’re almost there.”

  Like a veil that hid another world, mountains she’d never seen came into view as they topped a bank of clouds. Just as quickly her vision began to blur. Everything faded into silhouettes. Her head fell against Zane as all the magic left her body. Silvery light bathed her with its warmth until she couldn’t fight the calm. Unfettered, she let the current carry her away.

  Chapter Six

  Cool silk skimmed along her skin as she turned to her side. Tension wound tight in her chest and heavy fists pounded against the sides of her head.

  Seconds ticked by and the fuzzy memories slowly evaporated until little inklings of the last few hours came into focus. Talk about a hangover. Nothing knocked a witch on her ass faster than a supped up magical overdose. From the way her skin felt alive with electricity she’d say the supercharge had been a doozy.

  An unsettling silence brought her awake and she sat up, fully alert. Warm golden light poured over the entire room. Flames flickered beyond the partially opened double doors opposite the bed.

  The bed.

  Knees pulled to her chest, Harlow scooted upward and gathered the cream-colored sheets in her hand to bunch around her chest. Silky soft and heaven against her skin.

  Skin.

  She pulled back the sheet, brow cranked high.

  “Okaaay.” She didn’t remember undressing herself, or ordering the luxury suite at some swanky hotel, but here she sat in the largest bed she’d ever seen surrounded by opulent furnishings all highlighted by soft lights from the sconces perched on the wall every few feet.

  Her breath caught as her gaze drank in several overly large tapestries that created artistic petitions between the lights. Each piece covered massive sections of the walls.

  She slipped from the bed positioned on an elevated platform and immediately let out a sigh. How did they heat their floors? She needed the secret yesterday. In Sleepy Briar everything froze, including the toilet seat when winter closed in on their small town. For a brief moment, she stood there and took it all in down to how smooth the stone flooring felt against her bare feet.

  From her angle, the low light rippled across the floor to create a hand-chiseled appearance and caressed the soles of her feet with each step. Her attention flitted between plush loveseats, the bed ample enough for three with countless throw pillows and a now mussed comforter, to hand-carved doors that led into what appeared to be a bathroom bigger than her small cabin.

  The size of everything seemed so...so big. As if it was designed for giants. Or giant creatures with a fetish for silk. It covered every piece of furniture in one fashion or another. The sight brought images of her spread out beneath her men as they lavished her with their affection. Speaking of, where were they?

  Slowly she made her way around the room, stopping at each cloth depiction of jewel-colored dragons soaring in formation, armor decorating their massive chests, while fields of flowers and open skies were featured in another. Large mountains fanned across the background of each depiction. She twirled in a complete circle. Each of the seven tapestries completed part of a picture that made a whole. Fascinating, and such attention to detail. No place on earth
she knew about looked this majestic.

  Fingers buried into the soft material of her makeshift robe, Harlow opened the double door separating the rooms inch by inch and peered around the edge.

  Her heart stopped. Nothing like this existed in the Silver Circle’s palace. Compared to their domed archways, pillars and marble... this place screamed true architectural genius.

  An oval fire pit graced the center of the room and served as the source of the comfortable warmth fighting back the chill. High flames flickered and created a soft glow around the spacious room.

  She kneeled and ran a hand over the back of a carved dragon in midflight, her fingers finding all the contours of the scales and extended wings. Such great detail. Along the edge of the pit, several intricately designed dragons flew in unison, some larger than others. Male and female, she presumed. She leaned closer. In the tapestries, there’d only been dragons. Here, though, humans accompanied them. Women with long, flowing hair and full hips on display beneath tunic-like dresses hiked high as they straddled the backs of their dragons. The erotic tone of the images spoke of mates.

  She couldn’t tell if they were human, witch, or maybe another otherworldly that could shapeshift. There was so much of the preternatural world she still didn’t know. Did dragons mate with other dragons? Did they mate with humans like her shifters were supposed to? Did it matter as it did in her world with Grayson and Zane? Witches were forbidden to mate with shifters and that was just another slash against her in the eyes of her people. Harlow pushed the thoughts aside and made her way deeper into the room.

  Several plumper sofas positioned in small gatherings around the open space worked together with various lamps and earth-toned walls to create a homey feel. To her left, one door led to the bedchambers while she assumed the ornate wooden doors located on the far wall to her back led out of the suite.

  To her right and beyond the sitting area opened up to a balcony. One unlike anything she’d ever seen before. If she could fall in love with a place, this would be it. Like a giggly schoolgirl, she gave a little laugh and held her hand over her mouth. No railings or glass served as protection from walking off the deep end and finding out how high they were.