by G. Bailey
“I won’t look if you don’t want me to, Issy,” Thorne quietly says behind me, and I look back at him, clearly seeing the desire for me in his eyes. Thorne is my mate…and I don’t want to hide from him. Not now. Not ever. This moment between us all is important, and I know that. It’s building trust…which is something Thorne desperately needs to gain with Dagan, Korbin and Elias. I never thought I’d find myself comfortable enough to even think about being naked with two guys…but right now I can’t think of anything I want more.
“No. Watch,” I find myself whispering, knowing I want Thorne to see all of me. He is my mate, even if we haven’t taken that final step yet to being complete. He smiles at me as I shakily pull my shirt off and unclasp my bra, watching how his eyes burn with desire, and his dragon briefly makes them flash silver. I turn around as I take my boots off, and then slowly push my leggings and panties down and step out of them. I look back at Thorne as I walk across the cold stone floor to Dagan and to the showers that are now on; desire floods through me at just the look on his face. Pure longing. When I look back to Dagan, there is a similar expression on his face as he stands under the steamy water. It drips over his wet hair, down his lickable chest that I just want to run my hands all over.
“Come here, princess,” Dagan suggests, rolling his lip ring between his lips in a seductive way that makes my own lips part. My legs are moving towards him at his suggestion before my mind has even caught up. My dragon is practically purring in happiness in my mind. I nearly get to Dagan when I trip on a stone, managing to stop myself falling but crying out a little in pain. Thorne and Dagan run to me as I turn around and lean down. I pick up the smooth white stone that is out of place in this room, and really shouldn’t be here.
“My mating stone,” I say in awe, wondering how the hell it got here. When I meet Thorne’s eyes, I’m pretty sure we are thinking the same thing. Fate playing games, I presume.
“What is it doing here? I didn’t know they could literally appear anywhere,” Thorne asks as I show it to Dagan, who steps up right behind me. I flash Thorne a worried look, wondering if anyone could just walk in now. “I’ve blocked the door for now, using the lock…which I’m surprised we didn’t see at first.”
“Thanks, and no clue,” I shrug. “The fate had it the last time we used it, so she must have put it here for us.” I suddenly become quite aware I’m completely naked, and so is Dagan, when Dagan presses his naked—and hard in some places—body against my back. I shiver from the contact and try to remember to focus when I realize Dagan is talking to me.
“Mate with me. Thorne can say the words, and we can cut our hands with the edge of the stone like they used to do before they realized daggers were easier. This is a gift from fate, and I don’t want to wait for some magical, perfect-planned moment when none of us knows if we are even promised tomorrow. Mate with me, be mine,” Dagan says, turning my head to make me look at him. I press my lips to his for his answer, and he grins against them before I pull back. I look up at his blue eyes as I whisper.
“Yes.”
Chapter Eleven
Isola
“I didn’t expect to be mating with anyone naked in a shower room, with my other mate doing the blessing,” I say nervously as Dagan steps in front of me and takes my hands in his. When I was a little girl, I always planned a big mating ceremony…wearing a big dress and all of Dragca watching. I also imagined it would be with Jace, and I would be queen, and that my father would be the one saying the words as he gave his daughter away. Now…I couldn’t think of anything worse. I don’t want the dress or the blessing from a father who I can’t even stand the thought of. This feels private and perfect in the oddest way. I only wish Korbin and Elias were here with us, but I have this feeling it should just be us for now. Korbin and Elias will be my mates at some point, there is no way that isn’t happening…but right now Dagan is right. Fate left this here for us…and the crazy old lady might be suggesting we take this time for ourselves. Who knows what will happen tomorrow or the day after. The future isn’t promised to us.
“Our ancestors always used to be naked at matings. It was tradition until the last hundred years or so,” Thorne reminds me, grinning at us as Dagan and I laugh.
“At least we are being traditional in one sense,” I reply as he holds the stone out, and his expression goes much more serious as the room fills with a nervous tension. Thorne winks at me before nodding to Dagan, who starts off the ancient words of the ceremony.
“Link to the heart, link to the soul. I pledge my heart to you, for you, for all the time I have left. My dragon is yours, my love is yours, and everything I am, belongs with you,” he says, and the mating stone glows brightly as I repeat the words, my voice catching in my throat with joy. Another blessed mating. This was always our fate.
Dagan was always meant to be mine, my dragon whispers in contentment, and I couldn’t agree with her more.
“Hold out your hands,” Thorne asks, and we both do, holding them next to each other. Thorne cuts my palm first with the sharp end of the stone, in the opposite direction of the scar on my hand from Thorne’s and my mating. I flinch from the pain but keep my eyes on Dagan, being strong. Dagan doesn’t even flinch as Thorne cuts his hand.
“Light and dark, good and evil, and everything that makes us dragons, please bless this mating. We bless you,” Thorne speaks the ancient words, and at the end, Dagan and I hold our hands together. A blast of white light blasts out from our hands, blinding me until I have to look away, but I don’t let go of Dagan.
My mate, Dagan whispers into my mind as the light from the stone fades away. Hearing his gravelly sounding voice in my mind is perfect.
“I will leave you—” Thorne starts to say, but Dagan reaches over, placing a hand on Thorne’s shoulder and cutting off his sentence.
“No. Watch me take my mate, learn your place in your new family, and then if Isola wishes, you could join in,” Dagan demands, his voice is almost a growl, and it sends shivers of desire through me. My heart beats loudly in my chest, my lips feel dry, but I couldn’t be more excited or happy right now. I always wondered if Dagan, Kor and Elias could truly accept Thorne into their group like they did me. There always has to be a ranking with dragons, like a pack of wolves. Dagan has always been the alpha, and Korbin comes across as his beta, in a way. Elias was always the defender of the pack, the one who was uncontrollable but loyal. I l slowly became part of their pack, a link between them all. I don’t know my place exactly, but I know wherever they are is where I belong. Thorne didn’t have a place until this moment, and I am interested to see how he reacts to Dagan making sure he knows who is in charge.
“Isola is the one in charge here. It is her choice,” Thorne contests, surprising me.
“True,” Dagan replies, looking pleased at Thorne’s answer. “We are nothing without Isola…and she will always be the one we follow. I’m glad you know it.” Thorne pats Dagan’s hand on his shoulder, and I feel like it was a test for Thorne in some macho man way. I pull my eyes away from Dagan to Thorne and beam up at him.
“Stay and watch, please, Thorne. Don’t leave,” I ask him, and he steps back a few times, leaning against the wall in the middle of the showers and nods once. I feel like he needs to be here, he needs to be okay with sharing every part of me for this work. Dagan pulls me into his arms before I can even blink or look back to him, his lips finding mine only a moment later. I moan into his mouth as he picks me up, his rough hands gripping my ass tightly as he walks back under the hot shower water and presses me against the cold stone.
“My mate,” he growls against my neck as he slowly kisses his way down to my chest. I’m not sure who is in charge, Dagan or his dragon, but I don’t care one bit. Dagan’s tongue circles around my nipple just as his right hand slides between my legs, pressing down on my clit and rubbing. I moan loudly as Dagan gets me right to the edge and stops, leaving me breathless as he lines us up and looks into my eyes as he slides deep inside of me. I gas
p as he fills me completely, utterly and perfectly. Dagan’s eyes burn red as he slams his lips onto mine, as he starts thrusting until I can’t think of anything but him.
“I love you so much, Isola,” he whispers into my ear, before gently biting down on my neck as he thrusts into me harder. I meet Thorne’s silver glowing eyes over Dagan’s shoulder, the sight of him watching us turning me on even more. I moan loudly as I come around Dagan, and a few thrusts later, Dagan finishes, groaning my name like a prayer. A warm feeling spreads all over my body, flittering around me until I have to open my eyes as it disappears. I can feel and sense Dagan like he is part of me.
“Mating is more amazing than I thought,” Dagan whispers, pulling out of me and gently easing me to the floor. The hot water pours down us as I stare up at him in happiness. Dagan kisses me before pushing my wet hair behind my ear and whispering as I lock eyes with Thorne who remains still as he watches us.
“Go and claim your other mate. I will be right outside the door just in case the hunters are getting suspicious.” I stay still as Dagan walks away from us, towel drying himself before pulling his clothes on. I wait to say or do something until Dagan opens the door and walks out. The sound of the door shutting seems to shake me into stepping forward. I walk over to Thorne, stopping right in front of him.
“If I move, my dragon will take his mate,” Thorne warns as I place my hand on his cheek. “I don’t have much control left, Issy.”
“Then don’t move,” I whisper, feeling more confident than ever about who and what I want. Life is short, life is precious, and I’m tired of not taking the leap I want. I slowly slide my hands down Thorne’s chest, down his flat stomach to his trousers. I undo the button, before pushing them down and taking his long, hard length into my hand. Thorne groans as I stroke him before falling to my knees and not pausing or teasing as I take all of him into my mouth, stopping just before I choke.
“Fuckkk,” Thorne groans as I bob my head up and down, sucking and rolling my tongue around his length. Thorne suddenly pulls me away from him, laying me down on the ground with one smooth movement and lying on top of me. I kiss him harshly as he thrusts inside me, holding himself deep as he breaks the kiss.
“You and me. Nothing comes between us now,” I tell him. His silver eyes burn as he slowly moves, drawing each movement out until I feel like I might lose my mind with him deep inside of me.
“I’m yours. You are mine. I love you more than anything in any world, Issy.” He makes each statement between slow thrusts, making me moan out of control before he deeply kisses me. Thorne reaches between my legs with his thumb, only needing to rub me a few times before I release once again, and he shouts out my name as he finishes with me. The same warm feeling spreads over me, completing our mating, and Thorne holds me close the entire time, making me feel more content and complete than I have ever felt before.
Chapter Twelve
Isola
I run my fingers through my damp hair after pulling my clothes on, trying to get the knots out and failing as it is a mess. We found some soap, but no shampoo, so trying to clean my hair with that wasn’t good. I give up and put my damp towel in the washing basket.
“Here, I found a comb,” Thorne says from behind me, and I look over my shoulder to see him walking to me with a blue comb in his hand. He pauses right next to me, placing his hand on my arm to stop me turning around to face him. “Can I brush your hair?”
“Sure,” I whisper back. Even with the shower still pouring in the background, my voice sounds loud. We couldn’t figure out how to turn the showers off and concluded that it might be an automatic shut off. Thorne gently combs my hair; the repeating motion is soothing, and I resist the urge to lean back into him as I know it would stop him combing.
“I love having someone do my hair,” I admit, and he chuckles, turning me around with his hands after he finishes my hair. I look up at him, placing both my hands on his cheeks and leaning up to kiss him. The door opens to the shower room, and Dagan comes in, spotting us and walking over.
“Hallie is out there with some other hunters. I don’t think you should say anything to her, but I’d rather be by your side as you do, so let’s go,” he says, but I’m already walking to the door and hearing them both sigh behind me. I step out into the large main room and spot Hallie straight away. She is sliding a tray of food on the banquet table in the middle with a blond-haired male hunter at her side. Though she can’t sense me looking at her, she looks up and narrows her eyes on me as I storm over to her without a second thought. Hallie still looks like an army brat, but her green-tipped hair stands out like a sore thumb. Two other hunters are stood just to her right, both older men with gelled, short, brown hair and bulky bodies under their uniforms. They glare at me, and I stare for a second at one of them, wondering why he looks familiar to me.
“What do you want, Isola?” Hallie asks with a sigh when I get to her side, and she turns to look at me. The hunter next to her slides his gun out slowly, but it still catches my attention before I lock eyes with my best friend, though no part of her looks at me the way she used to. She looks at me like I am a stranger and nothing to her. I glance around the room, seeing all the dragons watching me, and Korbin is being held back by two hunters stood right in front of him. His eyes meet mine, and he shakes his head, clearly warning me to behave, but that isn’t going to happen until Hallie listens to me.
“You’re my best friend, Hallie. Won’t you even pause to listen to my side of the story?” I ask her and notice how the entire room is silent. The two hunter men come over to stand right at Dagan’s side next to me, and Thorne stands silently a little distance away. The tension is thick in the air as there is nothing but silence.
“You and your kind are murderers!” she spits out at me, seeming so angry, and her words are so hurtful. I know she lost her mother, and I know they were close.
“Should we take them back to their cages?” the blond hunter at Hallie’s side asks. Hallie shakes her head at him; clearly, she doesn’t want this conversation to end. I might have some chance of getting through to her.
“Is Jules okay?” I ask Hallie, needing to hear the answer first.
“Of course she is. Jules is human, and none of this is her fault,” Hallie replies, crossing her arms.
“Good…thank you,” I say, before clearing my throat as I start to explain. “I am so sorry about your mum. I don’t know everything about Paris or what happened to her, but I am so sorry. What happened with Michael wasn’t like you said. I didn’t kill him or the others, but I wish I could have. He drugged me, and then he tried to rape me. I won’t say sorry for my dragon guard ending his life, he deserved it.” Her eyes widen in shock, looking briefly away from me to the two hunters nearby. When she looks back, there is fear on her face.
“What did you just say about my son?” one of the male hunters demands, walking over to me, but Dagan slides between us before he can get close. Fear shakes through me as the man’s eyes meet mine, and they are the image of Michael’s.
“You heard,” I bravely reply. “Your son tried to rape me after drugging me with something he clearly stole from here. I will never apologise for your son’s death…he deserved it.”
“You’re a liar! My son would never do that! You killed him because you’re a monster and that is what your kind do!” the guard shouts, trying to push Dagan to the side to get to me. Dagan lifts Michael’s father by his jacket and throws him across the room, his body slamming into the wall, and there is a sickening crack as his head hits the wall before his body drops to the floor. I scream as Dagan and Thorne fall to the ground, each holding their collar as it electrocutes them. It’s only seconds before my own collar starts shocking me, sending incredible pain throughout my body, causing my legs to collapse underneath me. I slam onto the floor, my eyes still open to see Hallie’s pale face as she stares down at me.
“I’m sorry,” she mouths, before the pain sends everything into darkness.
Chapter
Thirteen
Isola
“I warned you not to test me. Yet here we are, and only the second day of you being here, and you cause chaos. I am very disappointed,” Graves’s voice drifts into my ear as I slowly come awake, feeling my face pressed against the cold floor. Every part of my body still hurts, and my neck feels worse than any of it. I can smell a slight burning and taste my own blood in my mouth as I blink my eyes open to see shiny black shoes behind bars. I roll on my back, looking up to see Graves standing outside the cage, his arms crossed with an expression suggesting he wants me dead.
“I only told the truth,” I gasp out, clearing my throat a few times to try and make my voice come back. I must have screamed to make my throat feel so raw, but I don’t remember anything past Hallie mouthing that she was sorry. Why would she be sorry? A little part of me hopes I might have gotten through to her, and she might help us escape. Though I need to remember it won’t be that easy. There is no doubt Dagan killed Michael’s father, and Graves will make us pay for that.
“Well, maybe you will learn to shut your mouth in the future. Don’t expect your dragons back anytime soon,” he threatens, grinning down at me as I start to panic at his words. Graves walks away as I pull myself up with a grunt and look into Dagan’s empty cage. I stare through the cages and only see Melody in the room with us. She stands in her cage and shakes her head.
“I’m sorry,” she says loudly, reminding me of what Hallie said for only a second, and I wonder if that means something. I search my mating bond, sensing Dagan and Thorne are alive, but I can’t hear them. I can’t feel them like I usually can either. My dragon roars to life, freaking out just as much as I am at Dagan and Thorne’s lack of response.
