by Starr, Maia
Cree nodded, his jaw tight, but he did what I had asked. I could only hope that they wouldn’t all tear each other apart.
I turned my attention back to James, breathing a sigh of relief that we had at least a little bit of privacy for me to do and say what I needed to without worrying about the other men right now. I had hurt James. That much was clear, and the realization both made me ache and surprised me. He was so quiet and focused on my recovery; it had been hard to tell he was interested in me until this very moment.
The silence was deafening between us as I waited for him to speak, my arms crossed protectively and nervously over my chest. I finally threw my hands in the air in annoyance.
"I came after you to comfort you because clearly you felt something about what you saw, but if you won’t communicate, I can’t help you. Weston and Malick may not be sweet or loving, but at least they tell people where they stand. I will be honest with you: I thought you were just my healer, not having any feelings for me until I saw that look on your face just a few moments ago," I practically spat at him. I wasn’t an angry person, and I didn’t know why I was raising my voice at James of all people, but I just felt like I needed to get through to him.
"You didn’t know how I felt?" he scoffed. "Seriously?"
I rolled my eyes. "Not really. You are just so silent and so focused; sometimes I think I see a hint of something, and then it goes away. Like maybe I am an obligation because you are fixing me up, and we are at your place," I told him.
He pursed his lips, delving into silence again before two long strides closed the distance between us. His hand suddenly cupped my left cheek as he slowly pulled our faces together, our lips touching slowly and softly at first before it turned into a frenzy of passionate and sweet kisses. I had no doubt how he felt now, but it just made things even worse instead of better.
This had to end, the way I was playing around with all of them. I was better now, at least not bedridden or needing them to be at my beck and call. I needed to be honest and start finding a way to make a decision. I was going to have to sit them all down and talk this out.
I was about to tell James as much as his hand slipped into mine, but we were suddenly approached by three men, older men who I assumed were also dragons. One looked oddly similar to James, and I wondered if I would be introduced to two families in one day. What a whirlwind this was.
"Father?" James asked in surprise, confirming my suspicions as he kind of bowed to them. I bowed my head as well and looked down in respect just in case. I still didn’t understand the culture here, but I needed to try if I was going to fit in.
"This is unexpected, but Hailey, I want you to meet my father, Ranick, our current healer, and our clan beta, Black." I tried not to chuckle at the name, assuming it had something to do with the color of his dragon. That would actually be kind of cool but scary to see: a black dragon.
"It is nice to meet you, young lady," the one who looked like James said, but the concern in his eyes was not lost. I didn’t know what was going on, but it couldn’t be good. "I wish it was under different circumstances that we were meeting the woman that has entered my son's life." The man’s aging eyes stayed on James, and I felt James tense next to me.
"What is wrong, Father?" James asked, clearly worried as well. I felt my heart racing and was scared for the first time since I had found out they were dragons. I didn’t like the feeling, and I was not liking the way my sense of safety was quickly melting away.
Instead of him answering, the one called Black, the largest of the three, spoke in a deep voice. "You know as well as I that housing another clan’s member is against our rules here. Even if we are a peaceful clan, many are not, and we do not want that risk on our people. We cannot afford to. We have seen him, so do not deny it."
I looked back and forth between a now distraught James and the man speaking. I couldn’t believe this was happening. It was wrong to associate with other clans? This was not something that had been told to me; I never realized they were risking something like that by all being there with me. I thought it was simply an inconvenience. And from what I understood, we came there because James' clan was accepting and kind. It was starting to sound like that might be wrong, though no one was making any violent move towards us. Yet.
"He was injured, attacked by the wolves," James lied. "That is also how I found the woman. It is my job as a healer to help those injured." He didn’t sound too confident this would change their mind, though, and I squeezed his hand to at least remind him I was there and in this with him no matter what. I wasn’t going to let any harm come to him, and I doubted the three men inside the house would either when push came to shove, even if they were all competing for my affection and attention.
"I appreciate how you have taken the ways of the healer to be tolerant and kind," the third man spoke: the healer. "But I am afraid we all know the law, even if your heart was in the right place. We can’t make exceptions. But please, wherever you go, do not stop practicing your talent," he continued.
I was appalled; was he being kicked out? I guessed that was better than some kind of death punishment or something, but it just felt wrong.
His father stepped up to embrace him. "I am glad to get to see you find a nice mate before you have to leave us, and I will remember and honor you always," he said, and I could feel James' mood take a turn for the worst again, just nodding in defeat as the men walked away.
"C'mon, we need to tell the others,” he said quietly, not even looking me in the eye.
Chapter Ten
Hailey
I woke up the next morning feeling a little disoriented as my new surroundings came into view. Then, I remembered where I was and why.
By the time we had made it to our new temporary home, I had been tired, and it had been late. James had been pretty distant, though he had given me a nice goodnight kiss after looking me over before I went to bed.
We had ended up at Weston’s place. Despite the fact that his people were unwelcoming, his home was closer to the edge of his territory, it was large, and being a higher rank, he would be questioned less about anything he did. It was only a mild comfort, considering I could almost feel the protectiveness of the men growing now that we were in another clan’s territory and James had been kicked out of his clan. They didn’t want other dragons to find me and want me, dragons that wouldn’t be so kind as them.
I had spent all night dreaming about my four dragon men, trying to sift through everything I had been through since going on that horrible date that led to all of this. But I guess something good came out of it; four good things.
But the problem was exactly that as well. So different, but all just as good, there was no choosing between them. Not right now. Today was the day I had to have the conversation I truly did not want to have.
I sniffed the air, and the smell told me that Cree was likely cooking breakfast for all of us. What better way to address them all than over a good meal?
I sighed and got up, padding into the living area that was at least much more accommodating for so many of us than James' place had been. His had been mostly taken up by all of his medical supplies and equipment. Weston’s home was very open and airy, a large garden right out the back window that I both wanted to explore and was afraid to in case I ruined the immaculate setup of the colorful plants.
"Good morning." I looked around to see I had gotten the words from all of them, James included even though he still did look a little sour. I hated to ruin the mood any further than the events of the day before had, but there was no choice. We could not go on like this.
"Just in time for breakfast," Cree commented, smiling as he began to serve large plates to all of us, and my stomach growled right on cue.
I couldn’t help but smile back at him sheepishly as everyone began to dig into their food, him included. I was glad there was a reason for everyone else’s eyes to be turned away as we silently flirted with one another because I knew the tensions could easily get high i
f anyone noticed at this point. I was temporarily distracted from what my goal had been until I noticed that with the way these men swallowed their food whole, they were almost done eating. Then, I would lose all of their attention, and it would fall apart the minute I said what I was going to say.
“Guys, can we talk?” I asked, my voice sounding more unsure than I liked.
Suddenly, four pairs of eyes were on me, and I couldn’t help but laugh as a piece of food hung from Malick’s mouth like he had been in mid-bite. I calmed myself and placed my hands on the table, sweating even though it wasn’t all that hot at the moment. It was nerves. It wasn’t every day you told a group of weredragons that you liked them all in their own way and that you wanted to date all of them, but they still had to get along.
“What is it?” James asked, urging me on.
“C’mon, we can take it,” Weston said bitterly, probably thinking it had something to do with Cree and I, but it didn’t exactly, other than that my experience with Cree had made me realize that there were real feelings involved here.
“Okay, I don’t say this lightly. I have been thinking about this all night, so please don’t hate me.” They shook their heads in unison as if the idea was absurd, but I doubted it would be after they heard what I was going to tell them. “I think now that I am better, it is becoming clear that there are some feelings here.” I cleared my throat awkwardly, trying to find the right words for this. “I realize that some of you were hurt by what occurred yesterday, and I don’t want to discuss the specifics of anything, but it made me realize that more of you did feel something for me, whether it was more or less, or whatever.”
Man, I was really sweating. I reached up and drew my hand across my brow. This was not going well, and my throat went dry as I tried to look around the room. It was James who came up to me first, massaging the tension from my shoulders while I finished. I huffed a breath out and did just that. I had to finish, or I would never get the words out. “The thing is that I can’t choose anyone right this second. I understand it is important to you all, and that this situation is creating a lot of tension but forcing me to choose so quickly is going to just make me want to walk away, or it will make me resent whoever I choose. That wouldn’t be fair at all. So, I need more time, and I need some other things from here on out to get us through this and out on the other side.”
“What can we do for you?” Cree asked, and I mouthed a thanks to him for trying to break the ice, though I didn’t know if it helped at all considering the fact that he was the one everyone was angry with at the moment for having sex with me first. I had never had so many people competing over my body or my heart before. It was kind of comedic that it took a kidnapping in order for me to find not one but four guys that were truly interested.
“Well, I think the best thing to do is to spend more time with each of you, and I guess kind of date you,” I said with a shrug, unsure how else I could decide. I didn’t even know if weredrgaons dated the way humans did, but it was the only idea I had.
“That sounds fair,” Cree piped up again, and I shot him a look, knowing it was best to let the others speak at this point. He nodded as if he understood and started to eat his food once more as if to occupy his mouth so there wasn’t another slip up like that.
“Okay, we can do that, but I think it should be two at a time. We didn’t like that you went out with only one of us when it was not necessary. I know we all want some alone time with you, but it just isn’t safe, especially on this part of the island. We don’t need any wolves or competitive dragons coming for you. I want you thoroughly protected,” Weston said, ever the alpha. I had to say that I did feel safer with that idea, though I didn’t know how I felt about having intimate moments that way. Would it be like speed dating, going back and forth between each for kisses and more, or would they want to have some strange ménage thing? I blushed at that thought. I had never experienced something like that before, but I couldn’t say it wouldn’t be a fantasy to have more than one of these men at once.
“Let’s eat then and head out,” Cree said with a broad grin, his mouth full of food, and I placed my head in my hands. He just couldn’t help himself, and I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“Yeah, we can go for a swim,” I heard Malick speak, and I glanced over him to meet his dark eyes and was surprised to have him looking at me with a smirk on his face. He was the one I had connected with the least. He was brooding and dark, and I had no idea what to expect from him moment to moment, and yet there was some excitement from that.
I nodded my head and went to eat my breakfast, now anxious to go on my first date.
Malick and Cree had decided to take me to a secluded part of the coast of the island, somewhere where the trees were still at out back but we could splash in the water and bury our toes in the sand. I had to settle for some shorts and a tight top instead of an actual suit, but that was alright; they didn’t seem to mind one way or the other. In fact, on the walk over they had kept joking about doing this in our birthday suits, causing me to both laugh and be embarrassed at the thought.
I walked in slowly, a man on either side holding my hands, and I was pleasantly surprised by the warmth of the water.
I felt a tickle on my feet and looked down with a chuckle as tiny fish swam around my feet, the water clear right down to the bottom. It was beautiful, even more beautiful than the Florida coast, and I was glad that no matter what bad things had happened, I was getting to experience this with these two great men.
The conversation was light, and the water was the most relaxing thing I had felt since I had arrived on the island. However, when I was beginning to get pruny enough to make the move to get out, I heard a growl come from Malick’s throat, and Cree pushed me behind him so quickly I didn’t have a chance to think or ask anything.
Knowing I needed to fear whatever I was being hidden from, I stayed silent behind Cree as he hid me, though I knew whoever it was who began to speak had already caught a glimpse.
“So, Malick, you’re fraternizing with the enemy for a woman? She must have some special pussy,” the man joked in a sickeningly slithery voice like he had swallowed a snake. “You know, if you don’t claim her soon, I will. She looks like quite the challenge and the perfect beauty to breed dozens of dragon children with. The clan will be proud, don’t you think?”
“We’re leaving,” Cree announced to me, pulling me around in front of him and wrapping his arms around me protectively as we turned another way and swam to a different part of the shore. It would be a longer walk home, but I assumed he wanted to get me away from the other dragons. But I made him stop at shore, dripping wet and watching as Malick refused to move. I called out to him, but he was gone, his temper flaring.
“He’s not going to come; let’s get out of here.”
“You mean he’s going to fight them all by himself?” I asked Cree in horror.
“They are from his clan. It’s his problem if he wants trouble with them. We need to get you back.” I didn’t want to leave, but as I heard the carnage begin, the roars and fire, I knew I had no choice, but I also knew that Weston would not like this at all.
Chapter Eleven
Malick
I was plenty pissed by the time I finally got free of the altercation I had found myself suddenly thrust into. It was enjoyable to spend time with Hailey, but the unwelcome disruption the other shifters brought to the mix had caused my adrenal glands to excrete to the max, and the rage that propelled me forward was all borne from negative energy. I did what I could to the best of my ability, and it had served my purpose, but that only left me without the girl and hoping that I could save face one way or another. I walked back into the house expecting a reaming from everyone, and part of me felt I did deserve it, but that didn’t matter in the scheme of things. The walk back over had given me some time to come down from my rage and knowing that Cree was with Hailey put some relief in the back of my mind, even though I missed out on getting to know her better
as a result of it. I closed the door behind me and walked into the living room to find Hailey and Cree sitting on the couch.
“Glad to see you two are all cozy,” I muttered, annoyed with the closeness that Hailey and Cree were displaying. I cleared my throat and snorted slightly. “Where’s Weston?” I asked, expecting him to come out and proceed to lecture me about my irresponsible choices. It was the usual script he gave me whenever I did something stupid, though he would never call it stupid outright for fear of my retaliation. He had good cause for that also because I was prone to settling arguments in less conventional ways, as he had once put it. I chuckled at the thought but remained silent.
“He should be back any moment,” Cree replied, sighing briefly before he continued, “I’m pretty sure he isn’t going to be too pleased about tonight either,” he finished. Hailey glanced between the two of us and tilted her head. Her eyes scanned over my body, assessing whether I had any physical injuries or not.
“Are you okay?” she asked me, clearly more concerned for my welfare than the reprimanding that Cree had just mentioned. I shrugged in response, “I’m fine. It’s nothing I’m not used to. Definitely not my first rodeo, sugar,” I remarked. She frowned slightly but didn’t say anything, obviously not convinced that I was telling the truth, but with no physical evidence, she settled for what she got. I heard keys jingling in the doorknob, and suddenly the front door creaked open and shut, which brought my attention to the shadow now nearing the living room. I knew instantly upon smelling the air that it was Weston.
“What’s up?” Weston asked as he leaned into the entrance, shooting me an accusatory glance as he looked my way. I shrugged. If he didn’t know already, I sure as hell wasn’t about to tell him. Weston looked over Hailey and Cree and directed the question to her, as if to test my honesty, “You look a little shaken. What happened tonight, Hailey?” he asked. She glanced from me to Cree and exhaled sharply, her body language cluing me that she didn’t want to rat me out but felt stuck between a rock and a hard place. The hard place being me, mainly. I chuckled and interrupted quickly. Best to keep the negative light on me and not make Hailey feel even less comfortable around all of us.
