by Starr, Maia
“What about this place right here? Looks nice, clean and remote. We need to get ahold of Cree and James too,” I added. Weston glanced over the spot, and instead of answering me, he swooped down toward the ground and gracefully landed on the grass. I smirked inwardly and darted down to land beside him. I lowered my skull to the ground, and Hailey slid from it, standing on the ground between the two of us. It was comical to look at, seeing the human girl standing between two towering beasts like a tiny ant beside our feet.
I was the first to begin the process of shifting, my bones crunching and echoing as my inner light began to draft around me. I bowed my torso slightly toward the ground and rested as my scales began to slake away, revealing my human flesh covered in perspiration and bare to all the elements. I stood up, and Hailey pulled a towel out of her backpack, averting her gaze slightly as she held it out to me. I chuckled; after everything James and I had done with her, she still seemed to hold a little shyness when it came to me. It was funny how girls worked like that.
“Are you nervous about being around me naked or something?” I asked her. Weston was halfway finished with his shifting, and I knew he would also be naked, unless he had hidden something up his sleeve that I wasn’t aware of. Hailey shook her head and walked past me, pulling another towel out of her bag and holding it out to Weston.
“No, I’m fine. I just felt like these might be necessary for right now,” she said. I wondered how we were going to keep her safe and decided we needed to create a home base first and foremost.
“Okay,” I said. Weston took the towel from Hailey and wrapped it around his waist, and as if plucking the thought from my own head he said,
“I think we need to start creating a home base, and one of us needs to get back to the house to get James and Cree. I don’t think it’s safe for us to stay there for a while,” he said. I snorted and nodded my head.
“Yeah, I agree that we should build a base here and find a way to keep Hailey safe. I don’t think taking her out anywhere is a good idea for a while,” I replied. Hailey glanced between us, and I couldn’t help but notice her expression contorting slightly as she listened to us talk. “You understand that we just want to keep you safe, and you don’t understand how our kind and clans work,” I explained. She nodded in agreement, but her expression didn’t convince me.
“Tell you what: you start building and finding supplies, and I will do a recon of the area to see what scent signatures I can find. I’ll also go back to the house to get the other guys and bring them back,” Weston stated matter-of-factly. I hated being told what to do, but I also knew this was crucial to Hailey’s wellbeing. If I hadn’t, Weston might have been finding himself looking for supplies while I did the recon. I balled up my fists and kept my cool, though, as I knew it was the wiser move at the moment.
“Alright,” was all I mustered up to say in response. He gave a nod and turned to Hailey.
“Do you think you will be okay out here with Malick alone for a little while? I just want to make sure I know what we’ve got to look out for out here and get the other guys here to help keep the perimeter secure for you,” he explained, taking her hands into his own as he looked down at her. I watched as her expression softened somewhat and rolled my eyes. Women were so easily impressed; I could have just as easily done that job and gotten that reaction out of her, but as I sat there considering the possibilities, it dawned on me what Weston had just said. I would be alone with Hailey, without any of the other guys’ involvement for at least a couple of hours. I suddenly chuckled at the twist of fate.
“She’ll be fine. I won’t let anything happen to her; you can be sure of that,” I muttered, walking up to Hailey and standing by her side as Weston released her hands. She looked at me and back to Weston and smiled.
“I’m positive I will be fine with Malick for a little while. Just please get back here with James and Cree as soon as you can. I’m worried about them being away from us,” Hailey said. Weston smiled, and I took Hailey’s hand into my own, winking at Weston as he turned to disappear into the forest.
About two and a half hours later, Weston emerged from the forest with a satisfied look on his face.
“What did you find out?” I asked him.
“The closest territory belongs to Cree’s clan, but it’s not close enough to get a scent signature on without walking at least two hours. It’s all brush and wildlife that leads out to another beach. I think we’re secluded enough to stay here undetected for quite a while if we are careful about it,” Weston said. I nodded, this was great news, and it meant we would all have Hailey to ourselves, just as I had spent the past two hours grazing on berries and learning more about Hailey without any interruption. Perhaps this battle we found ourselves in wasn’t the worst luck of draw yet? I wasn’t about to say that, though. Hailey walked toward us and smiled brightly as she saw Weston.
“Did you go get the other guys yet?” she asked. He shook his head.
“No, I did the full recon like I said I would, and it looks pretty clear for two hours or so of walking. I don’t think we’re going to have any problems, but I’m going to head out to the house now. Is there anything you need me to get you while I’m gone?” he asked her.
“No, I don’t think so. Just bring back the guys. We’ve already got a lot of the base of the house built. It’s sort of cabin-hut style,” she explained. I smiled.
“Told you we would have her a place to be warm, dry, and safe in no time flat,” I added. Weston gave an agreeable nod and turned to begin walking back out toward the forest.
“I found a place we can both shift and get up in the air without being detected pretty easily. I’m heading up there to take off. I should be back in a few hours. If not, do what you need to remain unseen,” he directed. Hailey stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Weston tightly, burying her head against his chest, as if it might be the last time she saw him, and I understood why the other dragons felt envy, and yet to me, it appeared to be an inviting scene. Just like the fun times she and I had shared with James. I couldn’t explain it, but something about Hailey being happy was melting the darkness inside of me, little by little.
Weston, Cree, and James all walked into the camp to find Hailey and I sitting around a small fire, the hut nearly completed, only lacking a front door to provide privacy. It was a warm evening, though, and she seemed to want to sit out by the fire and stare up at the sky. As she rested her eyes on the guys, she jumped from her seat, bounding over to them and wrapping her arms first around Weston as she welcomed him home.
“I’m so glad you’re back! I was worried sick about you the entire time,” Hailey said. Weston grinned, and I stood up and sighed.
“Yeah, we worked our asses off getting that domicile up for everyone,” I added, slapping my hands together and wiping the dust off of them to indicate how much manual labor I had done for the day.
“I bet; looks like you got pretty far on it,” Weston stated, nodding at the structure in approval.
“Yeah, it lacks a door, but I figured that could be remedied come tomorrow,” I said. He nodded.
“Did you guys find any food?” he asked us, looking at me to answer the question as Hailey stepped away from him to hug Cree and then James. Both guys were silent but pulled her in closely as she embraced them.
“No, we found some berries, but nothing protein wise,” I said, “Spent most of the time gathering materials to get the hut built. It’s actually pretty good sized,” I said. Weston gave a nod.
“It’s a start and can be fortified as we go on. As far as food is concerned, Cree, you are the main cook at home and your clan is the one we’ve got to worry about, so you and James should go out looking for food provisions,” Weston instructed. James gave a nod, and Cree stepped toward the tree line.
“Sounds like a plan. We’ll be back soon enough,” Cree said, agreeably. It was odd how each of us was working together like we’d been brothers all along suddenly, but the team effort was making things
easier, and even I noticed that. Who knew what could or would happen next?
Chapter Eighteen
James
When life threw lemons at you, I had always heard you were supposed to make lemonade, or maybe that was margaritas? I was wishing it was margaritas the day we were taken to the little slice of heaven that we now called home. We had spent two days at the new retreat, as I had dubbed it. It was more like a shack with a tiny brook running next to it. I was happy to see Hailey in a safe place, but I hadn’t gotten to spend a lot of time with her since coming to the new habitation. Mostly, we were the only ones we saw in the whole time we had spent there. I didn’t smell a wolf nor a dragon. There was nothing but us and the beautiful landscape that surrounded us.
Cree and I had lucked out on the food scores, and the surplus of amazing fruits and vegetables that we had gathered made Hailey grin from ear to ear. As usual, Cree did a great job of putting together meals for everyone, and Hailey couldn’t stop gushing about how amazing the scores he and I had found together were.
“I cannot believe you found mango and coconut and banana all within such a small vicinity and that there is nothing else out here!” she exclaimed, stuffing a piece of fleshy orange mango into her mouth. The juice trickled down her chin, and I felt compelled to lick her free of it. So, I did; leaning forward and snaking out my tongue, I caught the mango juice, slid my tongue up over her lips, and pressed my own to hers for a brief moment as she relished the rest of her bite. Clearly surprised by my random act, Hailey’s cheeks instantly flamed into a bright red blush.
“Is everything okay?” I asked her, “Mango a bit too pungent today?” I continued, in a playful manner. She stuck out her tongue and gave me a knowing look. This had been how our relationship had gone for the last couple of days we’d been stuck in the remote locale and I was truly enjoying all the flirting. It was almost as if we were on a lavish vacation in a rich and tropical place.
“Not at all, James; in fact, it’s even sweeter than I remembered it,” she joked. My heart stopped beating at that moment, and a sudden harsh epiphany came into view: I was falling in love with Hailey, and I imagined that the rest of them all were too. We needed to talk about it, and not in front of her. Weston emerged from the hut then and motioned to the rest of us.
“Team meeting, guy version,” Weston said, giving a knowing glance to Hailey who was already gasping at his words.
“What?” she asked, “How come I can’t come?” He shook his head.
“Go and lay down and rest for a little bit, Hailey. I just want to talk about some dragon things,” Weston insisted. I gave a knowing nod and decided to back him in it.
“Yes, go take a nap and let us have some man-chat. You don’t want to hear all that anyway,” I urged. She looked all around at the four of us and hesitantly walked into the hut to take her nap. “Like a good girl,” she muttered, thinking none of us heard. It brought a smile to my face hearing her as she disappeared. Weston didn’t waste any time getting straight to the point of things.
“You all know what the customs are for our kind. And you all know we’ve all went against them,” he began, “And yet the fact remains, at least for me, I know…” he trailed his words and shook his head, “I’m in love with that girl in there, and I won’t let anything take her from me,” he explained. I put my hands together, intertwining my fingers together and placed my knuckles to my forehead, nodding before I spoke,
“Yes, I’m in love with Hailey. Nothing else matters anymore,” I said, feeling the relief of confession as each word slid from my lips. Cree was the next to come forward, his lips twisting into a bright smile as he admitted it.
“I’d rip the limbs from anyone or thing that dared to take her from me. The smell of her, the way she smiles, the way she moves. All of it makes my heart go still in my chest like nothing else ever has. It’s as if she is the very air I need to breathe, and I won’t let that be put to risk,” he stated. “Even if it is my clan that I must stand up to, I will. For Hailey, I’d do anything. That’s all there is to it.” That left only Malick to confess his feelings, and I could tell from the expression on his face, his sentiments were aligning right alongside the rest of ours, but before Malick was able to begin talking, Hailey emerged from the hut again.
“You’re all? You’re all in love with me?” she asked, her eyes watering slightly as she relayed what she had heard. Malick walked up to her and grabbed her arms, looking at her deeply as he spoke.
“Yes, Hailey, we… I am in love with you like I have never been with any person before. I want you, forever. Anything to make you smile and be happy is what I want now, however possible,” he said. Hailey smiled and pulled free, stepping into the middle of the four of us as she addressed us all.
“I’ve struggled with my heart for the past few days. Each of you taking a piece of me with you and leaving a piece to stay with me, and I haven’t been able to make any decisions as my heart tells me its right with every single one of you. If it is possible, I want to be mated to all four of you, to belong to only the four of you, and to be a part of all four of your lives forever,” she explained. “The bond I’ve formed with you, it’s life lasting, and the only fear I have now is losing any of you.”
“Hailey, do you know what us claiming you will mean?” I asked her, feeling compelled to make sure she understood what she was offering and all it entailed.
“No, not entirely, but I want to be with you all. I don’t care what that means,” she said, insisting on the matter. I had to explain more.
“Hailey, we must mate with a human woman in order to keep our beasts at bay, or we eventually lose all control of our beast, and it takes over completely. We lose our humanity and become emotionless monsters. It’s crucial to our well-being that we mate,” I explained, “and when we mate, we mate forever. It means taking on a whole new lifestyle, a whole new way of living. It means fighting forever to stay together because our clans will not accept the sharing of a woman. It’s supposed to be a life-mating ritual for us,” I said. She looked over the group of us and gave a shrug. Inside, I knew the answer was the same for all five us, including Hailey. It was what it was, and as the words slipped from her lips I found myself smiling briefly.
“It doesn’t matter. This is what I want,” she replied.
“We all knew it was a risk, but it’s been worth it,” Malick said. “I would rather share her than never have her at all.”
“Hailey, you’re a remarkable, woman and I couldn’t see myself not at your side now. If it means sharing, then, believe me, beautiful, I am sharing,” Weston muttered.
“I said it earlier, and I will say it again. I don’t care what the clans say, what mine has to say, or what anyone has to say. I want to be mated to Hailey. I couldn’t have it any other way,” Cree said. That left only me left to agree or disagree, and as I looked to Hailey, I knew what my words would be instantly,
“I love you, Hailey. I will share and care for you as my mate in every way possible for as long as you are by my side, and the risks don’t make a damn bit of difference. My heart demands it,” I replied. She smiled happily, and we all swarmed her at once, embracing her tightly as if we were a natural family pack and it had always been this way. But there was another matter to settle before Hailey’s claiming would be complete, and I wondered how she would feel about having not only myself and Malick making love to her, but the four of us, each in our own unique way? I supposed, in time, we would all find out, and I was anxious to see how it would go.
Chapter Nineteen
Hailey
There are times in life when you are just ready to make a leap of faith, and there’s truly nothing that can stop you. Sure, warning voices may emerge to let you know about the train wreck about to occur, but when the tracks of life are open, well, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. It’s a personal journey, this life, and though many passengers may sign up for the ride alongside you, the most crucial decisions had to be made alone, and no matt
er the outcome of those decisions, you have to live with the consequences.
I felt that James was one of those warning voices, and it made me feel a surge of emotion when I finally made my decision. There was no way I could go on without having them in my lives, and I didn’t care about the dangers that meant for me. I only cared about living a half-existence.
“I’m ready,” I said, approaching the four of them inside the hut. “I want to be claimed,” I said, feeling the excitement at what was about to happen flood through my every nerve-ending. If what James, Malick, and I had shared was a preview of how amazing things could be, I was definitely in for some earth-shattering sex.
Weston’s gaze turned dark suddenly as if a switch had been flicked inside him; he sauntered toward me, pulling his shirt from his ripped abdomen and teasingly trailing his tongue along his lower lip as his eyes centered upon mine.
“Are you sure?” he cooed at me, coming to tower over me as his eyes remained glued to mine. My breath slipped from my lungs so quickly, I almost felt lightheaded.
Malick’s hands suddenly slid up behind me, his fingers teasing at my nipples through the thin fabric of my shirt. I gasped, pleasure filling my body as he continued to massage my breasts. Weston leaned forward and captured my lips with his own, slipping his tongue past my mouth and proceeding to duel against mine as he explored further. Malick’s hands continued to knead my breasts as his lips fell against my neck, and he bit hard into my flesh. I winced in pain, the sound muffled by Weston’s hungry kiss. James crawled toward me, lifting my leg to press tender kisses against the inner part of my ankle, and my head began to spin from the sheer euphoria of it all. But things were only just beginning, as Cree slipped his head between my thighs and began to trail his tongue across my inner flesh, inching his face closer and closer to the apex of my legs.
