by Anya Nowlan
So yes. I want to do it. I want it more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life,” she said, finishing with a sigh.
Alexander leant in and kissed her softly on the lips. She smiled and curled closer to Apollo, giving him a gentle kiss as well.
“So, we’re doing this,” Apollo said, liking the sound of it. “I thought the day would never come, but for once, Alexander, I think I have to admit that you were right.”
Alexander laughed out loud, though his laughter was cut short by a coughing fit.
“Try not to die just because I admitted I was wrong, okay?” Apollo bit, receiving a friendly glare from Alexander.
“I’ll do my best. But I think we should both rest, or suffer the consequences, it seems.”
Apollo patted the bed next to him and Jade.
“No better place than here, brother,” he said.
Alexander considered the option for a moment, nodded and clambered over Jade to the other side of the bed. With Jade’s head on Apollo’s shoulder and Alexander’s hand on Jade’s hip, sleep claimed them fast. Apollo had every intention of not letting her out of his sight for the next two days, and because he was going to have to deal with healing, well, she’d just have to stay in bed with him and Alexander.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Alexander
Alexander had to hand it to Apollo – he knew how to throw a party. While gold moon ceremonies were usually subdued, private affairs, Apollo had made it very clear that there was nothing subdued or private about him or the fact that the two biggest rock stars in the world were taking a wife.
Of course, they couldn’t let the public at large know, but there had to be a party. So, while the ceremony was the usual, emotional, powerful and uplifting event it always was, the party was everything but. Devon and Cillian and their brides had been their witnesses, and Ares had stood by their side, their younger brother looking both confused and happy about the sudden changes the Goldplains were making. After all, it wasn’t often that the nonconformists decided to embrace traditions, and by the looks of Ares, he wasn’t entirely sure how he fit into the whole scheme.
Now, the after party though… That was a shindig to remember. Alexander was somewhat surprised the mansion was still standing. They’d invited their entire crew (or to put it frankly, Michelle had, after she had given them a thorough earful about what complete pricks they were for not keeping her in the loop), and now, seven hours after the party had started, it was still going strong.
Dawn had come and passed, and Alexander had spent most of the night laughing, drinking, and kissing his and Apollo’s bride. The night had also brought some unsettling news, like learning that Shelly, one of the Gold Dragons’ most long-time band members had leaked their location, but most of it had been just as fun, insane and hilarious as Alexander had hoped.
Michelle had taken control of the media and easily rerouted the attention the Gold Dragons’ were getting for postponing their tour onto other matters that seemed just as unimportant, while also keeping Death Wing out of it. Shelly had been dealt with (“She won’t even be singing in a fucking church choir in bumfuck Pensa-bama from now on,” as Michelle had so eloquently put), his and Apollo’s wounds had healed from being around one another, and Jade was beaming like the happiest bride in the world.
They’d taken her down to the hoard right after the ceremony and shown her what exactly she had inherited along with the two scorching hot dragons. Alexander was happy to see that she remained as cool-headed about their hoard as she was with most things. They’d each picked out a bangle for her, and along with the pure gold and diamond pendant that the dragon stone had been transformed into during the ceremony, she was fit to rule all dragons, not just Alexander and Apollo’s hearts.
Across the room, Alexander noticed Jade standing at one of the big windows of the main lounge, looking out with a smile on her lips. Her fingers were tracing the outlines of the intricate pendant she wore, and she looked absolutely breathtaking as the light bathed her delicate, soft features.
Putting his drink down, Alexander made his way to her. Without a word, he slipped his arms around her waist from behind and pulled her against his wide chest, breathing in her scent. She was dressed in a crème gown that stopped right above her knees, making her look classy and yet incredibly sexy at the same time. And that was how he saw her – the perfect middle ground between Apollo’s wildness and his own reserved nature.
Holding her, he could feel the power surging through him. He’d been right when he’d said that they’d started regaining their power since Jade showed up. Every moment with her saw both Alexander and Apollo becoming more comfortable with the strength and light within them. Now that they were wed, Alexander could only imagine how strong he and Apollo could grow. With Jade by their side, they were both better men and better dragons.
“How are you, my love?” he asked, his breath on her neck.
“Happy,” she said, leaning against him.
“That’s what I like to hear,” he growled, kissing a trail down her neck and loving the way she giggled as he did so.
“I can’t believe we’re here,” she said wistfully.
Alexander had to agree with that. Everything had taken so much time, yet happened so suddenly. Just weeks ago, he’d been in a constant battle with his lecherous, alcohol-guzzling, wild younger brother, and finding a mate had been but a distant hope. And now? He was standing at his own wedding, with his bride in his arms, and his brother joined with him in a dragon triad. How easily things could change…
Not that there hadn’t been troubles along the way. No one had heard a peep from Death Wing. The whole band had all but disappeared, and Alexander had a dark feeling that if they returned, it would not be a happy event.
And the fact that they had been betrayed by their own extended family, by a band mate, had cut deep as well. It was a wound inflicted upon Apollo more so than on Alexander, but it was vicious nonetheless. Michelle had said that Shelly must have been jealous, but neither Apollo nor Alexander felt that it was a good enough excuse to set the life of their mate in danger. In the future, they would have to be more careful with their trust.
“Me neither,” he admitted, brushing the dark thoughts away and focusing on the joyous ones.
“What are we discussing?” Apollo asked, strolling in with his expression lit with that smug happiness he got when he was at a good party, amped up tenfold when he laid his eyes on his bride.
Apollo stole a kiss from Jade, and Alexander smirked. Getting to know the true power of the triad felt good. He too had worried that there would be jealousy, rifts or awkwardness between him and Apollo, but it was the exact opposite. The process of meeting, loving, saving and marrying Jade had brought them closer than all the years they spent growing up together, and now Alexander could say with the utmost certainty that he trusted and respected his brother and he could think of no better dragon to share his life with.
“Life takes odd twists,” Alexander said.
“Can’t argue with that. As long as those twists keep bringing us together, I think we’ll manage.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Jade concluded with a laugh, Apollo grabbing her by the hand and twirling her around.
He dipped her low before pulling her up again, that devilish look in his eyes that said that he was up to no good again.
“A dance, dragon bride?” he teased, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
“Go ahead,” Alexander said, leaning against one of the bookcases and casting a look at the roaring party. “The floor isn’t complete without you two.”
“Only if you come with us!” Jade called, grabbing his hand and dragging Alexander on the floor as well.
He tried to look like he wasn’t enjoying it, but who was he kidding. Surrounded by all of his friends, dancing with his bride and his brother, the dragon, who completed the Alpha triad with him? Yeah, he was fucking over the moon with joy!
And I’ll do anything I have to keep this safe
EPILOGUE
Jade
Jade had been a tiny bit nervous to return to the stage. It had been a while since she’d picked up the guitar for anybody other than her two golden dragons… Well… five golden dragons. She hadn’t exactly been warned, but apparently, sometimes it happened that the firstborn children of twin dragons were not just twins, but triplets. Triple trouble!
Her nervousness disappeared into thin air as she was met by the adoring howls of the Gold Dragons’ fans as soon as she hit the first chords. They were well into their set, and it was the best one Jade had ever played. She’d been off the road for a while because of the pregnancy and the newly found motherhood, but she felt that being a mother, a wife and a bassist all went hand in hand – she just had to want it enough.
If there was one thing she had learned from living with her dragons, it was that if one wanted something enough, and was willing to work for it, anything was possible.
Smiling widely, she looked around at the huge crowd cheering them on, and then at the men by her side. Apollo was belting out hit after hit like never before, his voice smooth and clear as a bell. Alexander seemed to have found another gear somewhere within himself, and his guitar solos were nothing less than godly. The crowd was nearly in tears from how good it all was, and so was Jade.
She knew that her babies were safe, Gemma having gladly agreed to babysit for the night so Jade could play a concert in Colorado that they’d been planning for ages. She had her men with her, both casting her loving looks whenever they could sneak them, and her playing was on point. Everything was exactly as it was supposed to be.
Jade could see Michelle standing in the wings, wearing a warm smile as she watched the performance. Despite thinking that Michelle was just about the scariest woman alive when she first met the competent redhead, Jade had come to think of her as a friend – someone to confide in and someone to laugh with. And there was never enough laughter in life, though Jade was learning that with two dragons, there was luckily plenty of it to go around!
I don’t think this could possibly get any better, she thought to herself.
And then, of course, it did.
Launching into the chorus of I’ll Be There, Alexander and Apollo’s voices joined, booming over the huge stadium. Just then, the Gold Dragons’ trademark golden wave spread out, as if flowing out of them and across the fans. It rippled and twined, pushing forth like a vast tide and taking everything under its protective wing.
It passed through her, and she was left gasping from the sheer magnitude of it. It felt like the softest, safest hug, or a dose of pure love burst into her and joining with the energy of everyone present, so much stronger and more intense than it had ever been.
Her face lit up, and she walked across the stage to Alexander and Apollo, standing between them as she played.
“Is this what I think it is?” she asked, beaming.
“All you, green eyes,” Apollo said, covering the microphone.
Alexander nodded, grinning, and Jade bit her lower lip slightly. With their family already grown, she hadn’t had any reason to doubt that she’d given her men, her dragons, as much as they’d given her. But so far she’d only heard tales of how their shows were out of this world, and the difference was staggering now that she was part of one again. Everything was bigger, better, happier.
In her heart of hearts, Jade knew that life, or ancient dragon forces, or fate, or whatever it was had brought them together for a reason. And that reason was to bring more light into a world that was falling quickly into darkness. Finally, she’d been given a chance to give back in the exact way she’d always hoped, and not only that, but she was doing it with two men by her side who she loved more than life itself, and who loved her back just as intensely.
Jade Goldplains hadn’t dared ask much from life, but now that she had been offered it, she knew she could never let it go. No matter what she did in the future, she knew she would have one goal – to make things better. And she would never have to feel lost or alone again.
Did you miss the first two books of this series? Check them out here:
Billionaire Dragon’s Bride
Billionaire Dragon’s Mate
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MAKE HIM PURR EXCERPT
Make Him Purr is the first novella in the Shifter Grove Brides series, a novella series about curvy mail-order brides and the shifters who love them and a companion series to Sassy Shifter Brides. The books in this series are all about 25 000 words long and should make for light, hot reading!
He was among cowboys, after all. No need to try and clean up his speech. There wasn’t a general in sight for hundreds of miles who could fault him for sounding like a hick (which he was, and damn proud of it!).
“And you figured dealing with petty thieves and bears hanging from power lines would be just the kind of challenge to jump into right after the Navy? Man, you’re making me worry about our little town. I thought we had things all nice and calm here,” Tyler said with a grin, rousing a round of laughter.
Diesel shrugged mildly, keeping the thin smile on his lips. They were standing in a field near the south entrance to Shifter Grove, under the shade of some trees. Rake had invited him to really meet the rest of the founders (and the founder-adjacent, counting Slate), though he’d already been sworn in as sheriff two days ago after a city council meeting.
Diesel didn’t mind the opportunity to meet the supposed good guys of Shifter Grove. Even if he wasn’t expecting to make fast friends, he’d at least have to get to know what all of these men were about – for their protection as well as the town’s.
The process of being picked as the sheriff had been a pretty easy one. He’d only had to show up in his full parade uniform, his chest weighed down with medals and commendations from his countless tours (and another just as many stowed away in a box under his bed from secret missions that he didn’t quite want to be seen parading around), and that had been that.
Diesel knew he cut a nice form in his dress blues, but apparently being an ex-SEAL, and looking like he did, was enough to convince the men and women to trust him. Add in a warm, supportive speech from Rake, and they had things cooking nicely.
“It’s because most of the guys want to be you and most of the women want to fuck you,” Rake had commented dryly after the city council meeting.
Diesel didn’t know anything about that, but he wasn’t going to argue with a local about why things were going his way – not yet, anyway.
“I hear you guys have been having some issues with arsonists lately. And though I’m sure Rake can handle lions well enough, stuff like that shouldn’t be permitted at a place like this. So I think I’ll find plenty for myself to do. And if I don’t – well, wouldn’t that be just as good?” Diesel offered.
“My thoughts exactly,” Warren Sawtooth said warmly. “We’ll just need to get you a wife, and soon enough, you won’t even be able to imagine living anywhere else.”
Diesel smirked, shoving his feet into his boots and clipping the badge to his belt. He didn’t notice the conspiratory look that went between Rake and Warren at that point, and it was probably for the best. After all, wasn’t moving across the country, patching up his rather sudden and unhappy (though honorable) discharge from the military and settling into a new house enough for one panther to deal with for one week?
A woman. Right. Exactly what I need. I can drive her insane in two hours and she can practice her throwing arm by tossing cutlery at my head, Diesel mused, pulling his dark green shirt back on his chiseled body.
But of course, Shifter Grove tended to know what was best for a shifter better than he himself might have. And Diesel was going to learn that the hard way, fast.
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