by Meg Xuemei X
Under all three pairs of scrutinizing eyes, I was suddenly shy, even in my current forms.
“Yes,” I said. “And I kissed a fair share of the hunters and a few of your men, just to be sure.”
They visibly repressed their growls.
“It’s understandable,” Rai sighed at last. “You have to do what’s needed to be done.”
My eager gaze darted to his lips. “But I haven’t kissed you, Prince Rai.”
He smiled, his gaze falling on my parted lips as well. “Call me Rai.” His thumb traced my scaled lips, and I gasped in pleasure.
Blaze scowled at Rai.
Iokul narrowed his eyes, his fingers on the hilt of his sword.
“Behave yourselves!” Rai snarled to remind them.
Blaze eased his frown, and Iokul stepped back to recollect himself.
“I’m only trying to get to the technical part of getting rid of the curse,” Rai told them, while his gaze stayed on me. Then he asked me, “Did you feel any difference between kissing my brothers and the men who came to hunt you?”
I didn’t like talking about my private feelings in front of everyone, but I knew Rai was trying to help me sort out things, and they’d all been honest with me.
“I didn’t like the other men,” I said.
“But you liked my brothers’ kisses?” Rai asked.
“She made my blood heat like no other,” Blaze said. “It was the best kiss I’ve ever had.”
“And her lips burned me hotter than icy fire,” Iokul said. “She’s my match.”
Rai shook his head exasperatedly. “I didn’t ask you two your opinions.”
“Just like they described,” I offered.
Blaze grinned immediately, but when he found that Iokul also smirked smugly, he looked daggers at his brother.
“I’m the only one you haven’t kissed,” Rai said.
We could solve it right now.
He smiled in amusement as I nudged closer to him.
“But we’ll have to wait until you’re in your Fae form.”
Never before had I wished tomorrow would come sooner.
If they were my true loves, I’d even forgive the enemy who cursed me.
CHAPTER 12
I woke up at dawn to find Blaze and Iokul sprawled around me on the cushions, asleep and looking utterly adorable. They didn’t know it was morning yet, since it was always dim on Pandemonium. Unlike me, I had centuries of experience to feel when the day had started.
Plus, when Akem had been here, he hadn’t allowed me to be idle.
The dragon princes were guarding me on the clock, though I’d told them that my monsters were watching the chamber.
Before we’d settled down last night, the princes had checked in with their warriors in the ship through their dragon mind link. As a cursed half-dragon, I hadn’t been able to get on their channel. I was still an outsider.
“Not every dragon can communicate telepathically with each other,” Rai had explained. “We have implants that make the communication easier. I can only reach my men and not my brothers’ men. We don’t share the same channel since we’ve always been rivals until now. However, after our blood oath, Blaze, Iokul, and I can now vaguely perceive each other’s thoughts and emotions.”
He had then informed me that his warriors would stay in the ship for the night. I’d nodded in appreciation. I didn’t want too many aliens in my jungle since my monster subjects would go berserk. They already weren’t happy that there were three dragons in my chamber, when for centuries I had always been alone.
Rai was now patrolling outside the chamber.
My gaze fell on the sleeping princes as I thought of our reversed roles—they were the Beauties and I the Beast.
I couldn’t tell much difference between the fire and ice dragon when they closed their eyes, the mask covering half of their faces. In their sleep, they seemed to have taken their fire or ice into their sweet dream land.
Only their masks were left to remind them they’d eventually return to the harsh reality.
I desperately wanted to remove their masks and trace my fingers along their cheeks.
My heart ached for them not having been able to take their masks off for nearly a century. How terrible it must be to have to wear that thing day and night.
If and when I got out of there, I’d find the ones who cursed us and make them pay tenfold.
I heaved out a sigh.
Even if the dragon princes weren’t my true loves, I’d help them remove their curses. I knew it wasn’t for me to decide, but I was more than willing.
They would have to win my heart. I couldn’t force myself to be in love with anyone.
As I regarded the princes, Rai strode in and flashed me a quick smile, and the mask clad tightly on his face failed to reduce the potent effect on me.
I could get used to that—waking up first thing in the morning and seeing him beam like the warm sunshine that was lacking on this planet.
I wanted to shift to Fae and join him, but somehow my instinct told me to wait.
Patience!
I spread my wings in a morning yawn, and Blaze and Iokul, who had been sound asleep a second ago, bolted up, swords in their hands.
“Daisy?” they called.
My three Fury forms turned to them in sync.
“She’s safe,” Rai said, holding back a growl. “I’m with her.”
He had been having a great moment with me before his brothers drew my attention to them.
My gaze darted between them.
Even one overbearing alpha male was handful, and now I had three. Did I have it in me to manage this?
“Did you have a good night’s sleep, Daisy?” Blaze asked, turning up the voltage of his most charming smile. I bet he’d used that on a lot of women and it probably had a lethal effect on them. When he saw my beastly forms weren’t impressed in the slightest, he dropped his grin. “It’s strange talking to all three of you at once.”
“I have no problem with that,” Rai said. “I’m perfectly fine with either of her forms. The dragon in her smells the same to me and calls to me.” He reached me and scratched my scaled neck.
I tilted my head to one side to give him more room to work. No one had done that for me before, and it felt damn good.
Blaze watched us with envy, seemingly infuriated with himself for not having thought to do the same. He jumped up from the cushion, stalking toward me with the intent to stroke the other side of my neck.
Rai pressed a kiss on my scaled lips before turning to his bothers casually. “We need to map out our next steps.”
Iokul, who had been watching us with a detached manner, arched an eyebrow. “I bet your plan today involves kissing Daisy, since you’re the only one who hasn’t kissed her Fae lips.”
“Yes, that’s the first step,” Rai said challengingly.
Blaze looked resigned. “Fine. Just get it over with. The sooner it’s handled, the sooner the curse will be lifted off our Daisy.”
“Would you mind changing to your Fae from, Daisy?” Rai asked gently. “I know it’s painful to change and it’s too much to ask, but we need to get this curse off you as soon as possible.”
“It’ll be a quick kiss,” Blaze decided. “That’s all. Remember, this isn’t a ritual. Daisy just needs one last kiss to get it done.”
He didn’t want me to savor the promised kiss with Rai. I could do a fast kiss, but I didn’t like his tone. Before I told him what was on my mind, Rai beat me to it.
“Don’t dictate her,” Rai said. “Daisy will do whatever she wants and however she wants.”
Iokul folded his arms across his broad chest and chuckled. “We’re a hopeless lot.”
These men would drive me insane one day. Which moron had said three’s the charm?
To stop their bickering, I summoned my other alter egos.
With a shriek, they slammed into me.
I didn’t want the princes to think less of me, so I tried my best to muffle
a cry of pain, but the impact still made me tremble.
And then there I was—a naked Fae.
I blinked away the tears that came out of their own accord. As my vision cleared, I found I was in the arms of—
Wait a minute! I didn’t know in which dragon prince’s arms I was exactly, since all three of them had their limbs around me.
We’d somehow ended up in a group hug—me naked and them clad in armor that was like their second skin. Only Blaze’s armor was short a piece on his chest. Elvey had cut open his armor, and I didn’t think Elvey had meant to kill Blaze.
“Feeling better?” they all asked, hoping to take my pain away.
I shook them off and hissed. “Give me some space.”
A lot of women might find three men competing to shower them with attention flattering, but I was going from not being touched for nine centuries to all of a sudden being pampered by three blazing-hot men who dripped sexiness with their every muscle, every move, and every breath. I was overwhelmed.
I was sure they would defend me with their lives from now on, which I appreciated. But with them paying such intense attention to my every move, ready to tend to my every need, my mind sort of just short-circuited. Which was bad for me, since I needed my head to be cool enough to function, so I wouldn’t literally lose my heads. We still had two ships of hunters to deal with. And those demons weren’t a piece of cake.
“Give Daisy some room!” Rai snarled at his overeager brothers, though he refused to back away from me, either.
I rubbed my temples with my fingers.
“Headache?” Blaze asked. “I’ll give you a massage.”
“We’re crowding her,” Iokul said. “We’re giving her headache.”
Rai, who had a cloak, untied it swiftly and wrapped it around me.
“I just need a little room,” I said honestly.
My senses were overloaded. Their body heat—dragons were very hot—emitted to me, their hard, perfect torsos made me flush, and their scent, all male, dominant, mint and pine and home, kicked my desire into hyperdrive.
No man had looked at me as a woman for centuries, and now all of sudden this—three of the hottest, gorgeous dragons all desired me, and I wanted all of them.
But I didn’t know where to start.
They looked bashful at my request for room to breathe. Collectively, they stepped back half a foot, and no more than that. They didn’t want to make me uncomfortable, but they had no intention of withdrawing further from me, either.
The warriors, who had no problem charging into the battlefield and cutting down their foes, stared at me and didn’t know what to do.
I gave them a small smile. I didn’t want to hurt their feelings if I could help it. “I just need to get used to this, to all of you,” I said softly.
Blaze grinned first. “At least we’re honest with each other and communicating. That’s good, right?”
Rai gazed at me hopefully with a doting smile. “Communication is the key to any good relationship.”
“Like you’re now all relationship experts,” Iokul snickered. “Neither of you could maintain a normal relationship for a month.”
Blaze glared at the ice dragon, obviously not liking that his brother revealed his weakness in front of me. “Like you’re any better? You don’t even have any relationship history to contribute and offer opinions.”
“I have standards, unlike you,” Iokul said. “And now I know why I didn’t do relationships. I’ve been reserving it for Daisy.”
Would it always be like this? How were we going to get things done if they kept at it like that? I’d told them not to banter, but none of them seemed to be able to drop their century of habits and rivalry.
I ruled the most lethal monsters in the jungle, yet I couldn’t get these three dragons in line, not while their masked handsome faces, their super-hot bodies, and their delicious male scent made me lose all coherent thoughts.
I needed to rein myself in first or find a way to resist their magnetic pull.
Rai caught my helpless look. “Enough!” he said. “Debasing each other won’t win you any points with Daisy. We’ve sworn the blood oath to share and respect the same mate if she’ll have us. Can you at least pretend—”
“Pretend?” I asked, displeasure laced in my voice.
Rai ran his large hand through his clean-cut, gold-tinted brown hair. “Well, I meant they should pretend to be good at working with each other or liking each other. I think that’s the only solution for all three of us to share the same space without killing each other.”
“That will be difficult, but for Daisy’s sake, I can pretend to liking you dudes,” Blaze grunted.
Iokul didn’t sneer this time. I bet he was thinking the same from his brooding look.
Rai appeared happy at the solution. “Now, will you gentlemen leave the scene and go back to the ship?”
“Why?” Blaze asked. “And what made you our leader to give us orders?”
“And since when have you appointed yourself that role?” Iokul demanded.
“Haven’t I said ‘pretend’?” Rai asked exasperatedly.
“I can surely pretend, but I’m not leaving Daisy defenseless here,” Blaze said. “I’ll never leave my woman unguarded.”
I was hardly unguarded. I had been on my own for a long time and knew exactly how to take care of myself. And I wasn’t really his woman. But if I got into this argument with him, then I might just fall into the trap of siding with one dragon and disheartening the others. As the three of them seemed unable to agree on anything, I wasn’t going to get involve in their quarrel.
Iokul braced his legs apart and planted his feet firmly on where he was, which just told everyone that he wasn’t going anywhere either.
“I’m not going to steal Daisy from any of you,” Rai sighed. “She kissed you both except me, so it’s my turn to kiss her and end this curse of hers. This will benefit all of us.”
“Then kiss Daisy now,” said Blaze. “It takes a second to peck on her lips.”
“Only if Daisy agrees to participate and let you kiss her,” Iokul said, flashing me an icy smile.
“I’m not just going to peck on her lips,” Rai said. “That’s discourteous. Daisy isn’t some random woman. She’s the mate I choose. Our first kiss must be memorable and remarkable. And it’ll be the most significant if my kiss proves to be the last kiss of her true loves.” He gazed at me, suddenly uncertain. Then he shook his head, trying to shake off the shadow of doubts. “Anyway, I need to get into the mood.”
“If you aren’t in the mood to kiss the most desirable woman,” Blaze said, “then you’re not it. I’m in the mood to kiss Daisy any second of the day. I’m like an arrow on nock, ready to go. I can hold her in my arms and kiss her all day long.”
My heart fluttered, my face flushed, and my eyes brightened at the promise. Blaze was full of fire and passion. I’d learned that from his kiss.
Iokul inched toward me as well, either ready to hug me, or shove his brother away. Ice was ready to take on fire in every way. “I can pleasure Daisy like no other,” he purred.
My face flamed hotter, remembering how he had fucked me in the spring pool. It had felt more than amazing when his cock thrust deep inside me with an ice dragon’s power.
He gave me a meaningful, lopsided smile, sharing a private moment with me.
“Stop!” Rai roared. “Do not twist my words. What I meant by getting in the mood was that I needed some privacy with Daisy. I’m going to take my time and relish kissing Daisy. It can’t be rushed.”
“Too bad, brother,” Iokul said before Blaze could also come up with an objection. “When you got us to swear the blood oath, you sealed your fate. Our fated mate doesn’t belong to you only. She belongs to all of us.”
Were they so sure that I was their fated mate? They’d said that they’d scented that I was the one. I didn’t smell them the way they had smelled me, but then I’d reacted to all of them like my body was on fire.
>
And why had I also responded to Elvey equally strongly if three true loves were all that was required?
“Well said, Iokul.” Blaze nodded in approval, and Iokul sent him an appreciative look. I had an inkling that it might be the first time the two had ever agreed. “You want to do this, Rai, you do it in front of all of us. Privacy among us isn’t a privilege anymore.”
Caught in his own net, Rai sighed in resignation. “Star-damned! At least back off a few steps and give us some space.”
Blaze and Iokul folded their arms across their chests and retreated two steps exactly, keeping their attention on me.
Rai heaved a sigh again and gazed at me with tenderness. “Daisy, may I kiss you?”
At this point, my patience had grown thin. It wasn’t like I could stay a Fae as long as I wanted. I was running out of time. If he didn’t act in the next minute, I’d just grab him and kiss him to get it over with.
I stepped toward him, and his tempting sapphire eyes brightened.
Rai pulled me into his arms and crushed me against his hard, warm chest. I let out a hitched breath at the sensation of being embraced by such a strong warrior. His minty breath made my skin tinkle with desire, and without another word, he slanted his mouth over mine.
It was gentle and light before it become heavy, deep, and demanding.
At his dominant urging, I parted my lips to receive him, and he thrust his tongue into my mouth, at first leisurely, then growing more possessive.
My tongue met his, and they entwined. Pleasure buzzed in my bloodstream.
I tasted lightning and thunder in him. I wanted to join him and fly high into his storm. He pressed me tighter against him even though there was no extra space between us, his fingers lacing into my hair and the heel of his palm anchoring the base of my skull.
Tiny shocks of pleasure rippled through me until heat rose in my belly and spread all over.
I forgot the whole world, except Rai, as I drank in his scent. He was the home I hadn’t visited for centuries.
I curved my arms around his neck, kissing him back with abandon.
We soared together, and the liquid fire twirled around the tender flesh between my thighs.
