by ERIN BEDFORD
“Guys,” I swallowed thickly and licked my dry lips as all three of them leaned in to listen. “I think - this time - I might actually be pregnant.”
Thud.
I jerked up to my feet, instantly regretting it because of the wave of dizziness that came with it. I grasped blindly for a handhold and found Jack’s arm. When the world stopped spinning, I searched the area for what had caused the sound. What I found was Firestar passed out cold in the snow.
Well, that was just great.
2
The magnitude of what I had just realized didn’t help my swirling insides. Nor Firestar’s collapse. Who would have guessed that out of all my men, he’d be the one to freak out?
Well, he’d have to wait. I didn’t have time to baby him since I still hadn’t wrapped my head around the possibility of being pregnant. If I was even pregnant.
Stomach still in turmoil, I let Jack lead me to a dry patch to sit. Raiden knelt by Firestar, an all too amused smirk on his face.
“Just leave him for now.” I sighed and rubbed a hand over my face. A hand full of snow came into my line of sight. With a curious frown, I followed the hand up to Jack’s concerned face.
“For your mouth,” he explained, nodding for me to take it.
“Don’t we have anything else?” I glanced toward our bottomless bag.
Jack gave me an exasperated look. “Yes, but why waste resources when there is plenty of snow to go around.”
Still frowning, I took the freezing ball of snow from Jack and brought it to my mouth. The snow liquefied in my mouth instantly cooling the heat my sickness had left behind. I turned and spat out the warmed snow and then took another bite. The taste wasn’t as bad now but still there. I’d need something more substantial to get rid of the acrid taste altogether.
“Better?” Jack asked, placing a hand on my arm.
I nodded slowly, still aware of my knotting stomach.
“Should I try to wake him?” Raiden asked with a quirked brow.
Shrugging, I dropped the rest of the snow in my hand to the ground, rubbing my cold hand on my pants. “Unless one of you wants to carry him the rest of the way?”
Jack snorted, and Raiden smiled broadly. “Wake up time it is.”
Drawing a hand back, Raiden prepared to smack Firestar awake. Normally, I would be against violence between the guys – training aside – but Firestar’s reaction kind of bugged me. If he couldn’t even handle the news that I might be pregnant what would happen when I actually was?
Raiden’s hand came down and was just inches from Firestar’s face before Firestar caught his wrist. Eyes flashing red, Firestar sat up and shoved Raiden away.
“Don’t even think about it,” Firestar growled at him before his eyes landed on me. They softened considerably, and if I wasn’t mistaken, had a bit of worry in them. Firestar was by my side faster than I could blink, holding my hand and looking me over.
“Are you, all right?”
“Just peachy,” I grumbled, staring down at our joined hands. While mine were still a bit numb from the snow, his were molten hot, and the warmth of his touch made me feel a lot better.
Firestar cupped my face in his hands, drawing my eyes to his. “Do you think you’re really…” His eyes darted down to my stomach, and I groaned.
“I don’t know. Maybe. Or it could be something I ate.” The mixture of disappointment and relief on his face didn’t go unnoticed. So, I quickly added, “But we have been humping like bunnies for the last few months so if I weren’t by now…” I trailed off, lifting one shoulder.
Thankfully, before Firestar could prod me more, Jack stood and announced, “We can find out for sure at the compound. Right now, all we are doing is wasting time. Maya?” His pale eyes landed on me in question. “Are you all right to keep going? It’s not much further.”
Nodding, I moved to stand, but Firestar beat me to it, hauling me to my feet without a word. I glared at him, but he didn’t seem to notice. This was going to be annoying.
After gathering up our supplies, we started back toward Jack’s home. He’d been right when he’d said it wasn’t much further. We only walked for about twenty minutes before a settlement came into view. Flying was out of the question, I didn’t trust my stomach to behave. What a first impression that would be!
Jack’s home was nothing like the others. Raiden, Firestar, and I were all from ruling families. We were used to seeing large palaces with an even bigger city sprawled beneath it. That wasn’t what was before us now.
There was a town all right, but I bet I could walk from one end of it to the other in a matter of minutes.
The houses in the town were more like huts and were made of wood and straw. Still, they did have stone mixed into the foundations, but it was nothing like what I’d seen in the other kingdoms. Hell, even the so-called palace wasn’t much of a palace at all and was made of the same material as the rest of the houses. Sure, it was larger, but it was nothing like the massive monstrosities the other Lords had.
“It’s so…” I drew out as we approached the compound gates, frowning when no guard stopped to question us. “Quaint.”
“Yes, it is.” Jack seemed proud of it. Having grown up in a large city myself, I couldn’t really bash what he considered home. In a way, it made sense. Jack, despite his fancy suits, never seemed the kind to care about how badass or rich he looked. He just was. His home fit him perfectly.
As we walked through the town, many of the residents looked up from their tasks to watch us. Several of them even bowed in respect to Jack; others shouted out his name with a wave of their hand.
To my surprise, Jack waved back. A genuine smile on his face.
“You must be happy to be home,” I commented, taking a few steps closer to him so that my arm bumped his.
Jack surprised me once more by grasping my hand in his as he smiled softly down at me. “It is nice to be back, but it wouldn’t be home unless you were here.”
I fought back a blush and stared down at my feet. Jack sure knew how to make a girl feel wanted. I glanced back at Raiden and Firestar who had started to trail us and couldn’t help but laugh.
While the villagers had been happy to see Jack, they were curious about my other two companions. The villagers stared at them as they followed closely, the eyes on them no doubt making them uncomfortable. Or at least Firestar. Raiden seemed to gobble up the attention, waving and winking at the spectators.
“Attention whore.” I scoffed loud enough to be heard.
“I heard that,” Raiden called to me, not deterred from basking in the attention.
“You were meant to,” I countered back and giggled.
Firestar grunted in response to our joking and hurried his pace until he was on my other side. I took his hand in mine as well, not bothered by the surprised looks I received from the villagers.
While it wasn’t unheard of for a dragon to have more than one mate, most of them didn’t flaunt it in public. I wasn’t going to be like that. If I was going to be in a relationship with all three of them, I was going to let everyone know. I wanted them to know I wasn’t ashamed of them. Plus, it didn’t hurt to make sure all those leering females knew who belonged to who.
“Be nice,” Jack muttered in my ear, startling me.
“What?”
“You look about a second away from tearing those women’s faces off,” Firestar whispered and squeezed my hand tightly in warning though there was amusement on his face.
“I am not.”
“Your face does not lie,” Jack informed me before stopping to cup my face in his hands. He brushed his lips across mine in a quick kiss. “Jealousy does not become you, though flattering.”
My face heated. I wasn’t jealous. Okay, maybe a little bit. But I’d gone through hell and back to secure my little squad. I wasn’t about to lose them to some horny village girls.
We passed through the market area, which wasn’t much more than a few wooden stalls. Some had wares till display
ed, clay pots, bags of herbs, but most seemed ready to go home for the day. Not surprising since the sky had darkened considerably since we arrived.
As we made our way past the center of the market, warmth touched me. A pit sat in the middle with a small fire going giving the air a burning wood smell. Better than the mixture of manure and piss some of the cities had.
The smells aside, we were close to the main house now, and still, no one came out to greet us as the other regions had. I worried we might actually have to knock on the door which would be embarrassing in itself. Who knocks on their own home?
Then just as we reached the large double doors with intricate carvings of dragons and ice decorating the wood, they swung open. Several guards came out, each dressed in similar dark brown leather pants and long-sleeved shirts, their pale hair braided down their backs. It was then I noticed that like the guards most of the villagers had also been wearing clothing that one would see in summer and not deep in the snowy mountains.
“Do all ice dragons have an immunity to the cold?” I asked Jack but didn’t get an answer as more people poured out of the house.
A man as tall as Jack with long white hair and eyes as white as snow smiled at us. Like Jack, he had a taste for expensive suits, and I knew without a doubt this had to be Lord Fafnir.
“My dear nephew,” Lord Fafnir announced, his hands behind his back. Unlike Raiden’s father, Lord Shen, he didn’t move to embrace Jack or any of the rest of us. I couldn’t say I was unhappy about it. I’d had far too many hugs from strangers as it was.
“Uncle.” Jack inclined his head and then did the same to a man who was a younger replica of Lord Fafnir, and a woman I could only assume was his aunt. “I am glad to see you once more.”
“And we you,” Lord Fafnir replied before turning his attention to me. “This must be the lovely Maya. I am overjoyed to see you, my dear, the rumors of your beauty don’t do you justice.”
“Thank you.” I flushed at his compliment. I knew where Jack got his sweet talking from now.
As Lord Fafnir’s eyes went from me to Firestar and Raiden, confusion flittered across his face briefly before vanishing under an icy mask. “And who are your other friends? We were only expecting the two of you.”
Jack tensed beside me, but I didn’t give him the chance to make up some kind of story. Instead, I stepped out from between them and said, “These are my other mates, my Lord. This is Firestar, first son of Lord Amun, and this is Raiden, third son of Lord Shen.”
“Other mates?” The younger replica of Lord Fafnir gaped, and my gaze snapped to him.
“Yes,” I answered my eyes narrowed, daring him to challenge my words. I was tired of people judging my decision.
“Tyrell, where are your manners?” Lord Fafnir waved a hand at the man and then turned back to me. “Please forgive my son. He’s just surprised is all. When I saw you coming, I had assumed you had chosen my nephew for your mate, but I can see now that I was mistaken.”
“Oh.” I pressed my lips into a thin, annoyed line. I wasn’t sure what to say to that even if I believed it.
Raiden didn’t have that problem though. “Lord Fafnir let me be the first to say you have a lovely town. I wish my father put less effort into making us look intimidating and more into making it a home.”
The tension eased out of Lord Fafnir as he turned to the lightning dragon and offered him a small smile before gesturing to the woman on his right. “That is my lovely wife, Ingrid’s doing. She wouldn’t allow such resources to be wasted when we have sparse few as it is.”
Lady Ingrid nodded her head slightly, her pale hair tied up in an intricate knot on her head. Unlike the men, she wore a deep purple form-fitting leather dress that split in the front showing her brown leather encased legs. Couldn’t fault them for functionality even in the royal house.
“Well, she has done a lovely job.” Raiden smiled at the older woman causing her to blush. I rolled my eyes at his flirting. I swear, he could flirt with a rock.
“Now that we have all the pleasantries out of the way, how about we find you some rooms.” Lord Fafnir swept a hand to the side gesturing for us to enter the house in front of him.
“Thank you, uncle.” Jack led the way as we entered the main house. I stayed close to his side as my eyes took in his home. Lord Fafnir hadn’t been kidding when he said Lady Ingrid didn’t allow for wastefulness. While Lord Amun’s palace had looked ransacked without any decorations of any kind, Lord Fafnir’s held a more simplistic hue. No elaborate tables or pointless tapestries filled the halls. Instead, there was a strange fur theme. Fur rugs and coverings on the windows, it was almost as if we were inside of a big bear.
“The fur keeps the cold out,” Jack murmured into my ear as if reading my mind or in this case my confused face.
“But you don’t feel the cold,” I reminded him, feeling a bit silly that I had to say it.
“Yes, but it’s not about me. It’s about the comfort of our guests.” He gave me a knowing look which made my mouth form an o. More and more Lord Fafnir was proving to be a better lord than the rest. No money wasted so he could flaunt his position, and he had even thought of the other elemental dragon’s comfort even if it did nothing for his own.
My father could learn a thing or two.
Lord Fafnir lead us down the hallway, pointing out different areas of the house before stopping at a hallway lined with doors. Frowning, he stood next to one of the doors and if I could have guessed he seemed a bit embarrassed.
“As I said before we had only been expecting Jack and Maya, so we only had two rooms prepared.” His eyes glanced at me as he continued. “I didn’t want to hope you were sharing a room already, so I had two prepared, but it will take a little time to get another two rooms ready.”
“Not a problem.” Firestar stepped forward, his large form filling much of the space, making the hallway feel smaller. “We can share until you are ready. It is our fault for not sending word ahead.”
Lord Fafnir had a good poker face that was for sure. He didn’t show an inch of nervousness in Firestar’s presence. I couldn’t say the same for his son who had visibly blanched at Firestar’s menacing form.
“Very well,” Lord Fafnir confirmed with a nod. “I will have the servants prepare more rooms at once but feel free to rest before dinner.”
Firestar took my hand and opened the door to the first room. I glanced back to see Raiden shaking his head as he headed for the room across the hall. At least one of us knew not to cause drama.
I stopped at the door as I waited to see what Jack would do. He didn’t move to follow Raiden or us into the room, and he had his guarded face on. That couldn’t be good.
“Jack?” I raised a brow.
Offering me a small smile, Jack stepped toward me. “I will be along shortly. I want to discuss our current issue with my uncle in a non-hostile environment.” His eyes went behind me to where Firestar stood in the room.
Chewing on my lower lip, I nodded. “Sure, I get it. Please be careful though.”
“Of course.” Jack cupped the side of my face, and I leaned into his touch. “Get some rest, and I will ask about getting you checked out with the medics.”
Mentioning the medics reminded me of what had happened just before we came. Like I could forget. My stomach rolled just thinking about it, and I swallowed thickly.
“Okay. Sure.” I didn’t dare nod, fearing I’d lose what little else was in my stomach all over Lord Fafnir.
“Take care of her,” Jack ordered Firestar over my shoulder earning him a grunt in response. He smiled once more at me before I closed the door and raced to the bathroom.
3
Warm. I was too warm. Rolling over, I moved away from the impossibly strong heat and sat up.
Firestar lay beside me, out cold. After I’d dry heaved into the toilet, Firestar had laid down with me, rubbing my stomach in small circles until I fell asleep. I supposed he was trying to make up for his passing out earlier.
&nb
sp; Sighing, I slowly tossed the covers off and slid from the bed. Hands shot out around my waist pulling me back into the bed with an “Oof!”
“Where do you think you are going?” Firestar growled as he nuzzled my neck, his lower half grinding into my backside. Someone was thrilled to see me.
“To find something to eat,” I told him, sinking into his embrace for a moment before adding, “Then I have to see if Jack made my appointment with the medic.”
Firestar went quiet and shifted behind me before he asked, “Where are we?”
Letting out a slight chuckle, I twisted a bit to see his face. Confusion filled his eyes as they scanned the canopy above us. “You’ve forgotten already?”
His mahogany eyes scanned the room around us. It was nicer than I expected from Lord Fafnir’s explanation of wasting resources. The fur theme from the rest of the house followed into here as well. Even the canopy above our heads was made of fur. The dresser had antlers for handles and legs, as did the nightstand. I felt like I was living in a hunting lodge or something.
Seemingly remembering our location, Firestar wrapped his arms around me once more, his hand going to my stomach and I knew what he would ask next.
“So, do you think you’re pregnant? More importantly, do you want to be?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know. This was kind of the whole point of this thing, right? Besides, if I don’t get pregnant than Ned has a better chance at the throne, and we so don’t want that.”
“Then we should find out for sure.”
I rolled my eyes. “I would if you got your big butt off of me.”
“Big butt, huh?” he growled into my ear, his hands sliding up from my stomach to my hips. “Are you sure it wasn’t something else too large for you?”
I giggled at his antics but shook my head. Talking of Firestar’s size caused me to think of Jack’s size and how Firestar would react to it. Raiden didn’t seem to have a problem with confidence, he had it in abundance. Firestar, on the other hand, would have a cow if he found out, which was why I wouldn’t be telling him anytime soon.
