by Tara West
His lower lip hung down in a pout. “This school isn’t safe from Nathaniel Goldenwand’s vengeance.”
He is worried now when Grandfather tried to kill us almost a year ago? Thelix said, aghast.
“There are enchantments on the school to keep it safe,” Teju said.
Draque puffed up his chest. “We will protect her.”
Brayne gave them a knowing look. “The school was razed before.”
“Eleven months ago.” Serah crossed her arms, impatiently tapping her foot. “And I find it odd that you suddenly care about my safety.” Anger infused her skull and heated her chest. Did this deadbeat think she was stupid?
“Don’t you want to meet your people?” He blinked at her, unfazed. “Your brother and sister?”
“I have a brother? A sister?” She thought she saw a flash of panic in his eyes.
“You do, and they’re dying to meet you.”
“How old are they?”
“Your brother Alexi is a few months younger than you.” He paused, looking as if he was searching for the right words. “Your sister Lily has recently celebrated her seventh summer with us.”
There’s something he’s not telling you, Thelix warned.
There’s plenty he’s not telling me, Serah groused.
Ladon cleared his throat. “They’re welcome to visit Serah here anytime.”
She loved how Ladon extended an invitation to her brother and sister and not her sperm donor.
Brayne gave a curt nod. “I’ll be sure to tell them that.”
Serah got the feeling he never would.
“Lunch break will be over soon,” Teju said roughly, “and we need to get back to class.”
Brayne clutched his scarf, squeezing it like he was wringing out water. “Are you sure I can’t persuade you?”
“I’m sure,” she said with a disinterested drawl. No way was she letting the bastard know how much his life-long rejection had hurt her. “But thanks for the invite.”
“Very well.” He heaved an overly dramatic sigh. “Your siblings will be deeply disappointed, as will I.”
Trollshit! The fae’s syrupy tone was so insincere, she felt like she was gagging on artificial sweetener. “So they both want to meet me?” she asked, instantly regretting the question. What did it matter to her?
He frowned. “Lily does. Alexi is still traveling, and he doesn’t know about you yet, but I’m sure he’ll be disappointed when I tell him you refuse to visit.”
“I’m sure he’ll get over it.” Draque chuckled.
Especially if he is anything like his father, Thelix added.
“The eggs you wear are so small.” Brayne nodded to Ladon standing behind her. “I assumed dragon eggs would be bigger.”
Serah turned to Ladon, who protectively cradled the eggs close to his heart. They’d been the size of lemons when Serah had birthed them over the summer. Now they were as large as grapefruits and continued to grow under Ladon’s nurturing watch.
Ladon’s eyes narrowed. “They’ll grow.”
Brayne clasped his hands together, rocking on his heels and beaming at her. “When will I be a grandfather?”
Holy troll turds, the fae was thick-headed. It was clear he’d never get a warm welcome from her, but he wouldn’t give up. “Not for a few years. They take a while to hatch.”
“You should know this, as most dragonkind have gone to live in Elysan,” Draque said.
Then why is he asking? Thelix asked.
Serah had no idea. Maybe he was just making small talk.
He flinched, then quickly plastered an impassive look on his face. “Of course.”
Brayne took a few hesitant steps toward her, reminding her of a rodent sneaking up on a trap. “I look forward to the day they hatch and hope to be invited to the baptism.”
As he inched closer to her, a dark feeling settled in her heart, and she fought the urge to run.
“We need to return to class,” Teju warned.
“It’s been a pleasure seeing you, daughter.” Taking her hand, he bowed low. “I wish our visit hadn’t been cut short.”
Pulling her hand back, she stiffened at the look of false sincerity in his eyes. “Goodbye.”
“Goodbye,” he said, his strange gaze roaming the length of her body, making her feel like she needed a shower to wash off the feel of his stare. “I hope we meet again soon.”
He turned to leave, and Serah had a sickening feeling in her gut this wouldn’t be the last time she saw the fae who claimed to be her father.
SERAH SILENTLY WENT through the cafeteria line, praying her mates wouldn’t bring up her father and dreading their lunchtime conversation. She caught sight of another Violet Mystique poster on the wall behind the servers, one of the many that had been plastered all over the school. Violet had been a student at Doublewart’s a few years back, a pretty little witch with cropped purple hair and a pixie nose who’d gone missing shortly after Thaddeus, her mates’ older brother, disappeared. Even though she’d been known for causing mischief at Doublewart’s, the witches from the nearby town swore she was a model citizen, an apothecary who helped run her aging mother’s potions business.
After she vanished, her mother closed the shop, which meant her potions teacher had to send to the next town for supplies, a fact she complained about on a daily basis. A chill swept up her spine when she thought of the fate that could have befallen Violet. She’d been known to wander the Werewood Forest, looking for herbs. Draque thought her disappearance was connected to Thaddeus. Whatever the case, Serah feared that with each passing day the chances of finding either of them alive grew slimmer.
The cross-eyed troll, Mrs. Picklefeather, loaded her tray with something she hoped was digestible. Serah deliberately avoided eye contact with her mates as she found a seat at the back table, their usual spot, the only one without a wobbly leg or a crack down the middle. She stared at the faded floral wallpaper across from her, wondering how Dame Doublewart had managed to make a brand new school look like an old thrift store.
“That was weird,” Ladon said as he sat down beside her, his orange tray stacked with something that resembled a club sandwich with wilting lettuce, a questionable meat product, and a green pudding with what she prayed were bits of rice stuck to the thick surface.
“Totally unexpected,” she agreed, toying with a noodle from her “spaghetti surprise” aka “what the fuck is it?” Losing her pregnancy weight had been easy, thanks to Dame Doublewart’s cafeteria, or as her mates liked to call it, the Diarrhea Diner.
I don’t trust that sneaky fae, Thelix said.
Neither do I, she silently answered.
She stroked the eggs nestled in the sling hanging across Ladon’s chest. The warmth they radiated brought her comfort, as did the faint buzzing. Even though birthing them nearly four months earlier had been anticlimactic—she’d literally squatted and squeezed them out, the pain about as uncomfortable as period cramps and the entire process lasting only a few minutes—the love she felt for them deepened each day. She still wasn’t ready for them to hatch, and didn’t know when she would be, but she had at least another three years before she had to deal with it. When the time came, her mates would be supportive, unlike her deadbeat dad, who’d disappeared before she was born. Ladon took on most of the work, carrying the eggs all day and sleeping beside their bassinet each night. He was an awesome dad already. Her sperm donor father would never measure up. It infuriated her that he’d had the gall to march into her school and act as if he deserved a hug, much less any of her time.
“Guess even the fae are motivated by money,” Draque said, picking at what the cafeteria trolls called food, a blend of potatoes and something they tried to pass off as meat smothered in gray gravy.
“You think he came for my inheritance?” she asked. Unlike Ladon and Teju, Draque never sugarcoated his words. At times she resented him for it, but mostly she appreciated his honesty.
“I know so,” he said, scowling. “Why else would h
e suddenly turn up?”
“Maybe he wants to bond with her,” Ladon said, his large, luminous eyes framed with light creases. He was the sweetest of her mates, always looking on the positive side of things.
But Draque was probably right. She refused to listen to him when he insisted her grandfather had tried to murder her. She wasn’t going to play the fool again.
Turning up her chin, she feigned indifference, as if her father’s ulterior motive wasn’t drilling a hole through her heart. “I’m already bonded to you.” She forced a smile, her gaze momentarily locking with each of her mates. “I don’t need anyone else.”
You’re not bonded until the bonding ceremony, Thelix corrected.
She ignored her siren. Other than being able to hear her mate’s thoughts in her head and vice-versa, they were bonded. She just hadn’t gotten up the nerve to complete the ritual. Not that it mattered, since they hadn’t asked her anyway.
“You don’t want to spend time with your brother and sister?” Ladon asked.
Her blood ran cold. She refused to allow herself the slightest glimmer of hope that her siblings would want a connection to their half-siren sister. “Not even them. I’ve got enough family in my life.” Clearing her throat, she forced down a lump of emotion. “Let’s talk about something else.”
Teju frowned. “Serah, you okay?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” She turned to the mush on her plate. The noodles appeared to be melting into the sauce. That wasn’t good.
“Serah, look at me.” Teju placed a strong hand on her wrist.
Why did he have to be so concerned? Couldn’t he just let her sulk in peace? “I don’t like the feeling of being used,” she blurted, then looked away before the pity in his eyes was her undoing.
“Shall I toast him next time he comes around?” Draque asked with a wink.
She struggled to keep it together when Ladon rubbed her back. “Hopefully there won’t be a next time.”
But she remembered the glint of desperation in her sperm donor’s eyes. If he truly needed money, there’d be a next time, and another, until either she gave him what he wanted or her mates burned him to a crisp.
SERAH LAY IN HER FOUR-poster bed, which was big enough to fit three tall, muscular dragon shifters and herself comfortably, staring up at the dark wood paneling on the ceiling. Though Dame Doublewart had insisted on decorating their rebuilt school with old furniture, Serah settled for nothing less than the best furnishings for her private room. She’d paid for everything, after all.
Draque was the first to climb through her window and hop on the padded window seat before falling on her bed with all the grace of a troll in roller skates. He was usually the first, preferring making love to studying. She sure as hell hoped he didn’t fail senior year a second time. He was already three years older than most seniors. She didn’t know how much longer Dame Doublewart would agree to allow her troublesome student to stay.
Grunting, he dipped the mattress and rolled her into him, then dragged his teeth across her neck with a growl. She stiffened. She wasn’t in the mood to play.
Wrapping an arm around her waist, he nibbled her ear. “Are you okay?”
Releasing a shaky breath, she realized she was not okay. “Not really.”
He held her tighter, pulling her back flush against his hard chest. “That’s not the answer I was hoping for.”
Pinching her lips together, she was unable to give him an answer. Her throat was too constricted with emotion.
Keep playing the victim, Thelix teased. Then he’ll lick our pussy.
This isn’t funny, she chided. I swear that’s all you think about.
It’s not my fault they’re so good at it, Thelix pouted.
“My love.” Draque kissed the back of her head, murmuring into her hair. “Please let me comfort you.”
Yesss, Thelix hissed.
Serah ignored her siren. Draque’s concern was almost her undoing. “I don’t understand why the men in my life feel the need to use me,” she said.
When she heard a rustling at the window, followed by two distinct thumps, she knew her other mates had arrived.
“We’re not using you,” Ladon said as he laid the eggs in the bassinet beside the nightstand and crawled into bed beside her.
“I know you aren’t,” she said, then groaned when Teju pulled off her socks and massaged her feet. How did he know she wanted to be pampered?
“Nathaniel Goldenwand uses everyone,” Teju said, rubbing a knot out of her sole. “It’s not just you.”
Thelix moaned while her body softened like butter beneath his touch. When Draque rubbed her shoulders, she felt as if she was melting into the mattress. If only she could totally relax and forget about her father and grandfather. “But what about Brayne?”
“I don’t know him,” Ladon said, taking her hand in his, “but he probably regrets not visiting you when you were growing up.”
And there was the crux of the problem. Her sperm donor could’ve visited her during the first sixteen years she lived with the sirens, but she hadn’t even known he existed. If the fae had forbidden him from returning to Siren’s Cove, he could have written her.
“I don’t want to forgive him,” she said, knowing holding onto a grudge was bad for her mental and spiritual health, but it’s not like he’d asked for her forgiveness anyway. Brayne Phoenixfire didn’t seem the least bit contrite.
Who cares about him? Thelix grumbled. You have three delicious dragons ready to please you.
“You don’t have to,” Draque rumbled in her ear while rubbing a knot out of her shoulder.
“He expects me to.” Her mother had warned her that fae were self-centered and egotistical, and she was right.
“Too bad.” Ladon’s eyes turned to golden slits and steam poured out of his nose. “He has no right to expect anything from you.”
Sitting up, she turned away from Ladon’s sulfurous breath and hugged her knees to her chest. “Well, now what?”
Teju sat up on his knees and twirled a lock of her long, auburn hair between his fingertips. “Now we try to cheer you up.”
Finally! Thelix huffed.
Her siren was right. She needed to get laid. “You know what would do that?” she asked.
His eyes lit like fireworks, and he waggled his brows. “I do.”
She cupped his cheek, coyly biting her bottom lip. “So you’ll do me a favor?”
Licking his lips, he slowly unbuttoned his shirt. “Anything, my love.”
“Then cast a memory spell to make me forget my grandfather and sperm donor.”
Good idea! Thelix cheered. Then we can focus on sex.
Teju froze, sharing wide-eyed looks with his brothers.
Draque cupped her chin. “If you forget your grandfather, you’ll also forget he’s a threat, and you won’t defend yourself if he resurfaces.”
She looked to Teju for support, unable to keep the note of desperation from her voice. “What about a temporary memory spell?”
“Just for tonight?” he asked.
Her shoulders fell. “Yes.” She wanted longer, but she’d settle for one night of reprieve from her dark thoughts.
Teju pulled his wand from a jacket pocket. “I can do that.”
“Thank you,” she breathed, closing her eyes.
She felt the swoosh of air as he waved the wand in front of her, followed by a tingling heat in the center of her forehead. When she opened her eyes, she blinked at her mates, wondering why they were all sitting on her bed.
Scratching the back of her head, she gawked at them. “What’s going on?”
Teju arched a thick brow. “You don’t remember?”
She shook her head. “Were we doing something?”
Spread our legs and find out, Thelix cried.
“Yes,” Draque cooed, nibbling her ear. “We were about to make love to you.”
“Oh!” Butterflies swarmed her stomach when Teju nudged her knees open.
“L
et me taste you, Serah.”
She happily obliged, falling onto her back and spreading her legs.
Mm. Thelix moaned. Nobody licks pussy like Teju.
Ladon made quick work of her nightgown and laid her across the bed, fondling her breasts as Teju prepared for a feast. Teju’s tongue was warm and wet, swirling around her button in a rhythmic vortex, spinning until her flesh ached and swelled. Groaning, she bucked against his mouth, needing more. Luckily, his talented tongue was enough to shut up Thelix. She quit babbling as she groaned her delight.
When he slipped two thick fingers inside her weeping channel, pumping into her while teasing her button, she nearly flew off the bed.
“Oh, Teju, yes!” she cried, digging into the silk sheets as pleasure wound tightly around her core. When Ladon and Draque sucked her nipples, she knew she was about to come undone. A few more thrusts, and she came hard around Teju’s fingers, squeezing them while he continued to tease her swollen, sensitive clit.
She heaved a sigh when he removed his fingers and climbed on top of her. She gasped when he slid into her with one, hard thrust. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she took him deeper. He claimed her mouth in a heat-searing kiss, groaning while fucking her with wild abandon. He stilled with a roar, his dragon voice taking over as he spilled his seed deep into her.
Stroking his back, she kissed his face while he murmured words of love into her ear.
After Draque cleaned her up, he latched onto her hips with a wicked grin. “Flip over,” he commanded.
Goddess have mercy! Thelix squealed.
She eagerly turned over and crawled toward Ladon, taking his engorged cock in her mouth.
He hissed when she slid almost to the root, jamming his cockhead against her tonsils. She hissed, too, when Draque slid inside her, banging into that swollen bundle of nerves with shallow, hard thrusts. When Teju slipped a hand under her, buzzing her slit with his vibrating wand, she had a hard time focusing on sucking Ladon. When Draque swirled a finger around her anus, her world exploded in a kaleidoscope of sparks as every nerve ending in her body exploded, too. Her orgasm refused to release her. She was barely aware of Thelix groaning, Ladon flooding her mouth, or of Draque digging his fingers into her hips as he came.
