by Ophelia Bell
“But you have the power to reach them, right?” she asked.
“Yes. I can sense all the souls attached to the bloodline, but I can’t affect them on my own. I would need power from all five races to do that, and a conduit through which to channel the power—someone with a link to all the races too.”
“Not a fucking chance.”
Numa’s gaze shot to Cade, who had spoken. The big blond ursa shook his head and scowled.
“Cade, you don’t even know who would possess that kind of link.”
“The hell I don’t. You know as well as I do it’s Deva he’s talking about. The poor girl’s been through enough the past year, being shuttled around like precious cargo between all the higher realms, never once allowed to get her feet under her. Now you want her to be the apex of some sex ritual. She isn’t ready.”
“He never said . . .” Numa objected, but Cade interrupted her with a laugh.
“Sweet pea, you think I don’t know how this works? Anything that involves our magic—especially dragon or nymphaea magic—requires someone getting fucked. If it were any one of us, I’d be all over it. The five of us together brought enough power to win a fucking war. But we’ve got experience under our belts. Eons of it between us. Deva may look old enough—she may be wise beyond her years after living with the gods while we won that war—but she’s still a baby, and I guarantee none of her parents are going to sign on, either. Find someone else.”
She turned a worried gaze to Dion. “He’s right. There has to be someone else who can do it. Meri experimented on thousands. We should at least talk to Neph and Nyx about it, don’t you think?”
“You forget I am linked to all the potential options, little one. If they were tainted by Meri’s blood, they are now part of my bloodline. That includes your brother, who was Meri’s first. Yes, I can sense him with Neph and Vrishti and their new daughter in the Sanctuary, though his blood meld to my son is a stronger link. I agree we should open up the conversation to the others when they arrive, but if there was any other option, I would know.”
Not prepared to give up the argument, Numa racked her brain for other options. Deva’s parents—at least her biological parents, Neela and Nikhil—were the only options that made sense, but Dion would have the final say whether either of them possessed the needed combination of blood.
She accompanied Dion and her other four mates down to the grand hall where Nyx and Nereus were preparing to greet the first wave of guests arriving for the celebration, yet could come up with no other ideas.
The saving grace was that Deva was in the Dragon Glade spending time with her mother, so they would have time yet to discuss the options before she arrived. Neela and her mates had chosen the Glade as their permanent residence owing to Neela’s phoenix nature, and Deva spent a few weeks at a time there, learning to harness her own dragon powers under the instruction of her half-sister, Asha. She was a quick study, though the power she exhibited was weak compared to other members of each race.
Numa had received regular messages from Deva over the past year, including the occasional visit, and had never sensed any dissatisfaction in the girl’s situation or a struggle to adapt. On the contrary, despite having no soul, Deva’s aura carried a patina of hard-earned wisdom belying her true age and she took to her lessons easily. If Numa hadn’t been there the day she was born, she’d have believed Deva was as ancient as any of the dragons.
They arrived at the entrance to the grand hall in time to see three figures appear just outside in a cloud of dense fog. When the mist cleared, Numa rushed forward with an exclamation of delight. “Aodh! Brother, you’re here!” She embraced him, then Vrishti and Neph in turn, and stood back beaming at them. “Where is the little one? Is she as much of a joy as she was when I last saw her?”
Vrishti’s face split into a glowing smile. “She is the loveliest baby, but the kinds of celebrations going on here during the Equinox aren’t exactly appropriate for little ones.” She shot a coy look at her mates.
Neph chuckled. “As much as we adore her, we are more than ready for a vacation. Sathmika and the other ursa elders have opened up the Rainsong Lodge for anyone who is in similar straits and wants a respite from their offspring. I’ve lost count of how many babies have been born over the past year. If we aren’t careful, they’ll have the run of the Sanctuary by the time we return.”
“With hope, we will be adding our own soon,” Dion said, resting a big hand on Numa’s shoulder and squeezing. Her body warmed under his touch and she suppressed a shudder of need. There would be ample time for them to work on that task soon enough.
Neph’s broad smile turned serious as he regarded Dionysus. “You’re looking well, Father. I assume it’s time to have a more serious conversation about the steps we need to take to do damage control with the humans of Meri’s bloodline.”
“We will,” Dion said. “But not until we’ve gathered all the immortals here to discuss it, and that includes Deva.”
Neph tensed and narrowed his eyes. Cade snorted from behind Numa, and she silently willed him to hold his tongue.
After regarding Dionysus for a moment, Neph finally nodded. “We will wait, but I admit I don’t like the implications one bit. Deva’s too young and inexperienced to be involved in the sort of thing I believe is required. I’d just as soon avoid involving her at all.”
Beside him, Vrishti frowned. “She’s a grown woman, and perfectly capable of making her own decisions. She’s had so little control over her life so far. We owe her the respect due a fellow immortal. She is one of us, regardless of how new she is to the world.”
“Agreed,” Aodh said, causing the other men to look at him in surprise. “I may consider her a daughter, and have all the protective instincts that go along with that, but Deva is nothing if not strong-willed. It would be more dangerous to force a choice on her. She is in command of her own fate—we should allow her the chance to decide herself. I will support her no matter what.”
“Then we shall wait,” Neph said, giving his mates a grudging glance. “But I intend to remain cautious. I’ve assigned one of the Thiasoi to guard her while she’s here. And whatever she decides to do, he will accompany her to ensure her safety.”
“As long as you’re not trying to control her life, I’m okay with that,” Vrishti said. “She needs her freedom if she’s going to be able to grow.” She slipped beneath his arm and embraced him and they headed into the grand hall to greet Nyx and Nereus.
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About Ophelia Bell
Ophelia Bell loves a good bad-boy and especially strong women in her stories. Women who aren’t apologetic about enjoying sex and bad boys who don’t mind being with a woman who’s in charge, at least on the surface, because pretty much anything goes in the bedroom.
Ophelia grew up on a rural farm in North Carolina and now lives in Los Angeles with her own tattooed bad-boy husband and six attention-whoring cats.
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Also by OPHELIA BELL
Sleeping Dragons Series
Animus
Tabula Rasa
Gemini
Shadows
Nexus
Ascend
Rising Dragons Series
Night Fire
Breath of Destiny
Breath of Memory
Breath of Innocence
Breath of Desire
Breath of Love
Breath of Flame and Shadow
Breath of Fate
Sisters of Flame
Dragon’s Melody (a standalone dragon novel)
Immortal Dragons Series
Dragon Betrayed
Dragon Blues
Dragon Void
Dragon Splendor
Dragon Rebel
Dragon Guardian
Dragon Blessed
Dragon Equinox
Dragon Avenged
Immortal Dragons: The First Four Box Set
Black Mountain Bears
Clawed
Bitten
Nailed
Stonetree Trilogy
Fate’s Fools Series
Fate’s Fools
Fool’s Folly
Fool’s Paradise
Fool’s Errand
Nobody’s Fool
Eye of the Hurricane (Amazon Only)
Standalone Erotic Tales
After You
Out of the Cold
Dragon Equinox
Copyright © 2018 Ophelia Bell
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