by Laurie Roma
“I will go first,” Aeron offered. “I feel like the change is already calling to me. My skin feels like it is tingling.”
“Are you sure that is not just a rash?”
He glared at Braden. “I could just push you off of the roof, and we can hope you shift before you hit the ground.”
“It is kind of you to offer, but I will pass.”
“You should step back while I do this. I need room to work. This should be just like using our other magic. We just have to think about being a dragon, then it should happen.”
“This could take a while,” Jasyn muttered.
He took Liandra’s hand, pulling her toward the seating area in the corner as Braden followed after them. They sat down on the padded benches and settled in to watch.
Aeron cracked his knuckles and swung his arms back and forth to loosen the muscles. He closed his eyes and thought about being a dragon. When several minutes passed in silence, he opened his eyes again. “It is not working.”
“You think?” Jasyn stood up. “Take a seat, brother.” He exchanged places with Aeron, standing in the center of the roof. The others watched as he stood there, then he shrugged. “I guess we are transporting.”
“Not yet. It is my turn to try.”
Braden stood up and walked over to switch places with Jasyn. So far, he had been the most hesitant to use their new powers. He had wanted to learn more about magic in order to prevent something from going wrong, but he was beginning to realize that it was all about trust. He needed to trust in his own abilities in order to make them work.
With that in mind, he thought about what they were trying to do. They didn’t want to just become a dragon. They were the dragons. It wasn’t a separate entity they were trying to call forth. His dragon spirit was a part of him, and merging with it was as simple as looking inside himself.
Energy hummed beneath his skin, and his pulse began to race. He felt an ancient power growing within him, expanding until he felt like he was going to burst. Instinct made him want to fight the foreign feeling.
Instead, he accepted the surge of power within him.
Liandra blinked in disbelief. One second, Braden stood in the center of the roof surrounded by a brilliant white light, then the next, a massive dragon stood in his place. She had been connected to him while he had gone through the change, but it was still difficult to believe what she had felt through their bond.
She got to her feet and slowly walked toward the magnificent dragon standing before her. Its body was covered in shimmering silver, gold, and bronze scales. Razor-sharp talons clicked against the stone rooftop as he shifted on his claw, and his massive wings fluttered as he shook them. Staring into his glowing silver eyes, she held her hand up to him.
“Is it truly you?”
The dragon lowered its head and nuzzled against her hand. “Aye, Lia. Come join me in the sky.”
Turning, Braden took two giant steps, then launched himself into the air. She felt his joy as his wings expanded, and he flew in a circle over the palace. Forcing herself not to back down, she closed her eyes and followed the steps Braden had taken. She embraced the light, and when she merged with her dragon spirit, she welcomed the change.
And became the true Arcadian she was always meant to be.
Jasyn and Aeron took longer to figure things out. However, with some encouraging words from Liandra and Braden, they managed to connect with their dragon spirits. When all four of them had shifted, they flew through the sky, playing tag and chasing each other through the clouds. They had been pleased and proud when they saw that they each had the same color scales. It showed their unity and represented how deep a bond they really had.
As the sun began to set, they reluctantly flew back toward the palace.
“We must find my brothers,” Liandra reminded them.
“We will, princess,” Aeron promised. “Do not worry. We remember what the Goddess told us.”
“But I do not think we will have to look far since they are currently standing on our island,” Braden said dryly.
Aeron sighed. “We locked up the palace, but we forgot to make the island disappear before we left. I will not be making that mistake again.”
“Are they trying to break into our home?” Liandra asked incredulously.
“Unfortunately, we must put up with them because they are your brothers, little one.”
She wished she could glare at Jasyn in dragon form. “It is not all my fault. They are your best friends.”
“We may have to rethink that,” Braden muttered.
They flew lower to the ground, then transported onto the island a few feet away from where Tynan, Cael, Ryder, and Allie stood waiting for them.
“What in all the worlds is this?” Tynan demanded, gesturing toward the palace.
“What?” Liandra blinked up at her brother innocently. “This is our new home.”
Cael gaped at her. “You made an island for yourself?”
She glared at her brother. “Is that what you think?
“Nay, we did not make it for ourselves. The Goddess of the Moons and the God of the Sun gave it to us,” Braden announced cheerfully.
“Seriously?” Tynan groused. “First, you steal our sister away, and now, you get a magical palace? And all we got was—”
Allie elbowed him in the side…hard. “A mate who had to travel across the freaking universe to get here? You know, the one you say you love more than your own life? Oh, and you have a kingdom. Did you forget that? What more do you want?”
Tynan smiled at her. “Nothing. I need nothing else.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Good answer. Now, if we—oh!” Her eyes went wide with pain and shock as she hunched over and rubbed her stomach. “Oh, my god! The babies! I think the babies are coming!”
“We need to get you home.” Tynan tried to pick her up, but she slapped his hand away.
“No. When I said the babies are coming, I mean now. Like, right now!”
“I am supposed to time the contractions!” Ryder shouted.
“I don’t think it matters. They just dropped.” When all three of her mates stared at the ground in panic, she wheezed out a pain-filled laugh. “Not that kind of dropping. It means the babies are moving into position to be born!”
Since her last word was said on a wailing cry, Tynan lifted her into his arms anyway. Since he seemed to be frozen in place, Liandra took charge of the situation.
“Take them to the master suite on the eighth floor,” she ordered Aeron.
“There is no eighth floor,” Cael growled.
“There is,” Aeron countered. “You simply cannot see it from out here.”
“What the—?”
“Cael!” Allie growled.
“Aye, mate. I am with you. You are doing so well, my love. Just breathe.”
“Oh, shut up!”
Aeron rolled his eyes, then transported Allie, Tynan, Cael, and Ryder into the palace.
“I do not know if I want to go inside until this business is done,” Jasyn said after a long pause.
Liandra laughed. “Is that how you are going to be when our little one is born?”
He smiled, and warmth lit up his silver gaze. “Of course, not. We will be calm and supportive…and do whatever you tell us to do.”
“Good answer,” she said, repeating Allie’s words from a few minutes ago.
Aeron transported back outside. “I never realized that Princess Allie knew so many curse words. She is a fearsome creature.”
“Do you think we should go get your mother or Raven?” Braden asked.
Before Liandra could answer, Aeron shook his head and said, “I offered. She said your mother was busy and not to disturb her, and she did not want Raven to come since she did not wish to scar or freak her for her own birthing, whatever that means.”
“We should go in,” Braden stated. “There is a chill in the air.”
He lifted Liandra off her feet, making her laugh. “You just love car
rying me around. It is not going to be so easy when I get fat.”
“Not fat, love. You will be rounded with our babe.”
She laughed again. Resting her head on his shoulder as he carried her into their favorite lounge area on the main floor, she sighed. “I know I should go upstairs to help, but there is a part of me that is afraid I will see or hear something that will frighten me. I do not wish for even a moment of doubt when it comes to our babe.”
When he sat down with her on his lap, he kissed her gently. “You do what is best for you and our daughter.”
“Aye.” Aeron chuckled as he scooped Liandra out of Braden’s lap and sat down with her on his own. Wrapping his arms around her, he said, “Although, it was amusing to see how Allie can make your bossy brothers cower in fear.”
“That always brightens my day.”
“Shall we put a meal together since it seems as though we have company this evening?” Jasyn asked.
“We could eat,” Tynan announced as he and Ryder transported in the room, each carrying a swaddled baby in their arms. Their smiles were so bright they could have lit up the night sky.
Liandra gasped. “Allie had the babies already?”
“She did.” Tynan looked dazed as he laughed a little. “It was a surprise for all of us since we thought the birthing would take hours.”
“We would like to introduce you to Kaspen and Kaia, the newest Prince and Princess of the Palace of the Sands,” Ryder announced, his voice thick with emotion. “Little ones, say hello to your aunt and uncles.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Jasyn enjoyed feeling the cool wind and strong sunlight on his face as he finished his circuit around the island. It was late morning, yet he was already prepared to retreat to their suite until the next rising. Right now, the island palace was crowded with Dracors. Normally, that wouldn’t bother him, but the one member of the royal family he wanted to be with was upstairs in their suite while he was stuck downstairs.
Liandra hadn’t been sleeping well the last few nights, and concern for her left him feeling on edge. She’d toss and turn for hours until exhaustion finally set it, then she would wake up and do it all over again. They hadn’t been sure if it was early symptoms of her pregnancy, or if she was upset that they still had not spoken to her mother and fathers. Or maybe she was just stressed out about hosting their first matchmaking party.
Whatever the cause was, it wasn’t good for her to be upset in her condition.
Due to the birth of the twins, Braden, Jasyn, Aeron, and Liandra had postponed telling her family about her pregnancy. They wanted to give everyone time to focus on Kaspen and Kaia. That wasn’t difficult since they were beautiful babies. Since they had been born, the twins hadn’t been put down. Instead, they were cuddled and carried by their mother, fathers, aunt, and uncles. They were going to become the most spoiled babies in Arcadia, until their own daughter was born, at least. Their good news could wait until the party, then they would have even more to celebrate.
Jasyn and his brothers admitted they had never thought about all the details that went into planning a party besides the security measures that needed to be in place. There were decorations to consider, food to prepare, and musicians to arrange. The island itself was protected, but they also had to figure out how to make the females feel safe while they were inside the palace surrounded by males.
Because of that, he knew they would have to limit the number of males who attended since they didn’t want to overwhelm the females.
Liandra insisted on inviting some of the unmated males from the city to the first gathering. The bladesmiths who had helped her the day she had visited the marketplace were on the top of that list. She was right when she reminded them that all Arcadians deserved a chance to find their mates, not just the warriors.
Jasyn was willing to invite whoever she wanted, but he wouldn’t let her exhaust herself planning the party, especially when she was already feeling fatigued. Luckily, her brothers and Allie had offered their assistance.
Though, their help came with a cost.
The morning after the twins had been born, Braden, Jasyn, Aeron, and Liandra had woken to find Zarek, Solan, and Cian camped out on the beach, waiting to be invited in. Grudgingly, Aeron had gone down to welcome them onto the island at Liandra’s insistence. Before they realized what was happening, the trio of troublemakers had claimed a suite for themselves.
That had been a couple of days ago, and they showed no signs of leaving.
Tynan, Cael, Ryder, and Allie had returned home after the twins had been born, but they came back to the island every day to visit. Although Allie claimed she was completely healed, her mates wanted her to rest several times a day, so they had also claimed a suite in the island palace for their use. She would have fought the decree to rest, but Kaspen and Kaia wouldn’t go down for their naps without their mother and at least one of their fathers lying down with them.
They were little tyrants, but so damn adorable they could get away with anything.
Liandra’s mother and fathers had been suspiciously absent over the last few days. From what the princes had reported, things had been extremely tense between the kings and queen for a day or two after the celebration. Then, Queen Kyriani had decided she’d had enough. No one had ever seen her lose her temper before, so everyone had been shocked when she had started screaming at her mates.
As soon as she had stormed out of the great hall, Arik and Falon had quickly followed after her. They had been locked away in their suite ever since. The guards who delivered food to the kings and queen reported back that they were still arguing. They might have even heard an object or two being thrown against the walls.
Tynan, Cael, and Ryder had been quick to send the rest of the guests packing, though most had already returned home. Braden, Jasyn, and Aeron refused to let Liandra shoulder all the blame for her mother and fathers arguing, and her brothers agreed. Tension had been building between Kyriani, Arik, and Falon for a while now. They had a great deal to work out, and hopefully, they were finally doing that. The kings’ stubbornness would remain a problem for everyone until they finally gave in and fully accepted the changes that were taking place.
Since facilitating more of those changes was their primary objective, Braden, Jasyn, Aeron, and Liandra had visited each of the havens within the city to invite the females to their island palace. They had debated how much to tell the females about the purpose of the gathering, but in the end, they had gone with complete honesty.
They’d gotten mixed reactions from the females. Some were eager to find their mates, while others were excited about the party and a little more cautious about the whole idea of mating. There were a few females who were still too frightened to leave the havens. That was understandable after the abuse they had suffered at the hands of rogue males, though Liandra assured them that they would be protected.
There was no safer place on the entire planet, especially since it was guarded by four Dragon Warriors.
She told the females there would be other opportunities to visit the island palace. Any time the bridge and island were visible, their doors would be open to visitors. They had asked a few of the more skittish females to come to live at the palace, requesting their help with the gatherings. They hadn’t wanted to leave the havens to find mates, but they had jumped at the chance to be useful.
Jasyn and his brothers had taken on the task of speaking to the warriors. They had been prepared for lengthy discussions and arguments to try and convince the other males, but none of it had been necessary. The warriors had jokingly stated that true mates had to be real.
How else would they have won the heart of the princess?
All jesting aside, the truth was their word had been enough for most of the males to believe them. The faith and trust their warriors showed them was humbling. Even those who had doubts agreed to attend future gatherings.
The other males in the city had been even easier to convince. Since merchants and those
who worked in other trades were considered lower in status than the warriors, they were honored by the invitation to the island palace. Their gratitude made Liandra sad since she claimed everyone deserved love equally.
Jasyn agreed with her and was determined to help her prove it.
As he continued on his walk, he could hear the sounds of feminine laughter coming from the garden. Glancing over, he saw three of the females who had moved to the palace sitting outside together, enjoying the sunshine. Sitting outside was a luxury many of them hadn’t had in far too long. When they glanced over, he was pleased to see their easy smiles remained in place. He returned their warm greetings before continuing on his way.
When he started toward the back of the palace, he heard the familiar clash of metal striking metal. Following the sounds of swordplay toward the beach, he saw Braden and Tynan sparring with Zarek and Solan. The younger males were panting with exertion, but Braden and Tynan looked like they had just gotten started.
Jasyn knew Braden and Tynan had been training for hours since they had been at it when he had started walking around the island. He and his brothers had a talent for tactics and strategy, which had been useful as Commanders of the Guard. When it came to actual battles, they had few equals, but they were also able to use their skills to train other warriors.
Using those skills now, Braden calmly instructed Solan while they fought. He corrected what the younger male was doing wrong or praised certain techniques that he did well. Solan listened intently and adjusted accordingly, learning with each move.
Tynan did none of that. Instead, he taunted his younger brother until Zarek looked like he wanted to kill him. Then, Tynan threw his head back with a booming laugh and wrapped his arms around Zarek, slapping his back enthusiastically.
“How did you get so good, little brother?”
“By trying to survive you,” Zarek panted, all but preening from his brother’s praise.
Ah, the joys of brotherhood, Jasyn thought with the shake of his head.
“Speaking of brothers, yours is a genius,” Aeron said through their bond.
