Audrey Wright

The soreness in my body was from making love to Francesco and Miguel, which helped to keep me preoccupied from my body. After Francesco left my room so I could nap, I finally worked up the nerve to look at my arms, my stomach, my legs.

My skin was covered in healed burns, the skin altered but not as badly as the burns had felt. Clearly, the burns couldn't have been third degree because I had felt the pain, the agony, but to alter my scent and permanently? That just couldn't be done.

Yet, dragons weren't supposed to be real.

What if… Okay. Dragons were supposed to be mythological. Phoenixes were too. This attack against me, the claws that might be causing the poison… What if the Fanged Serpents had been altered somehow? By what? Magic? Miguel had told me that witches weren't real, but what if they were? What if magic was the way to ascend from dragon to phoenix? Or if not a witch but a spell of some kind? Maybe a spell that required sacrifices, and that was why they had killed those clans? Or blood. They might've needed dragon blood and a lot of it. After all, dragon blood clearly had all kind of properties.

Unable to even think about sleep now, I started for the door until I realized I was still naked. Quickly, I dressed and exited to the hallway to see an unfamiliar man shaking his head.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Doctor Henry Grimmett. I'm trying to determine what is causing Damon to be sick. Several others are plagued with the same affliction, and we are getting nowhere."

"Do you know what…" I exhaled.

"I do. Not all of those on my team does, but I'm a member of another dragon clan. None of the Three-Tails are doctors, unfortunately. The last doctor they had died a few years ago. Old age."

"Oh, good. I'm glad you're a dragon." Relieved, I told him my thoughts. "I have no idea if that makes any sense whatsoever, but…"

"It's another angle to consider. Thank you. Are you a scientist? You have an analytical mind."

"An investigator."

The doctor nodded. "That explains it. Be careful, Audrey."

I lifted my eyebrows, confused because I hadn't given him my name.

"They talk about you often. All positive, don't worry. If you'll excuse me…"

"Of course."

He hurried away, and I hesitated.

The guys deserved more from me. I felt as if I was failing them all by loving them all and refusing to pick one.

Miguel was heading toward me, a grin on his face. "I was hoping to check in on you and find you sleeping, chica."

"I'm tired but not tired enough to sleep. Besides, I'll sleep when I'm dead."

"Which won't be for a long time," he said, refuting my worries. He lifted his eyebrows suggestively. "There's another kind of sleep…"

Confession time.

I opened my mouth, but he was nodding before I said anything.

"What?" I asked, curious as to what conclusions he was drawing.

"I know."

"Know what?" I did my best to not sound suspicious.

"How you feel about us all. It's on your face."

"I don't want to hurt you," I wailed.

"It's confusing, I know. It's not an easy situation."

"Not at all. I just don't want you to think that I'm playing you all. That's not it. Everything that's going on, the attacks, the war, meeting you all… All of you mean so much to me. I don't think I could ever pick just one of you."

The look he gave me was both sympathetic and heartfelt.

"I love you, chica."

"I don't know why."

He frowned. "You're so damned stubborn. You do what you think is right, the rest of the world be damned. You're willing to do whatever it takes, even if that would mean your life."

My eyes filled with tears. "I love you too, Miguel. I love your fire, your passion."

We hugged, and then, before he could suggest a demonstration of that love, I excused myself and hurried into Damon's room.

He was lying down, eyes open, and his kissable lips curled into a smile.

"Audrey," he said. "You should be sleeping."

"So should you."

He held out his hands, and I walked over and embraced him. Somehow, I ended up snuggling against him, sliding onto his bed beside him.

"No idea what's going on with you?" I asked, settling my head on his chest. His heartbeat sounded slower than it should.

"None. At least I have more energy now. At first, I was zonked. You okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm in bed with one of the men I love."

Crap. I hadn't meant to phrase it like that.

I drew back and stared down at him. His face was a mask, and I hated that I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"Did you… Did we…" I flushed, just thinking about it.

His features eased up, settling into a reminiscing smile. "So you felt it too."

"Quite an experience." My heart warmed to know that I had made love to all three of them.

"I wasn't the only one, was I?" he asked.

I couldn't tell if he was upset or not, and I averted my gaze.

"No," I whispered.

"Both of them?"

I nodded. "I'm sorry. I know it's not right, that it's not… I just… I love you."

"I love you too."

"And I love Francesco and Miguel too."

I risked a glance at him. His face was back to being a blank, distant mask.

"You're so driven. You want to help others. You're willing to put yourself in danger to get to the truth. That's why I love you," Damon murmured.

I smiled. "You're always ready to jump in, but you take your time. You're thoughtful, considerate, and you put everyone else above you."

"There's no one above you," he murmured.

He gently guided my head to rest on his chest, and we stayed there like that for a time until his breathing regulated as he had fallen asleep. I kissed his cheek and left him to sleep to go find Francesco. He wasn't in the kitchen or one of the studies. I found him in the bathroom attached to his room, shaving.

"Shaving at night?" I asked.

"So I can have a sexy shadow come morning." He winked at me through the mirror. "Is something on your mind?"

"I told the others about us," I said in a rush.

He nodded slowly.

"I just wanted to let you know that I love you."

"And I you, so very much. You're so passionate. You have a fire of your own for not being a dragon."

I grinned and blinked back tears.

I didn't deserve him. I didn't deserve any of them. Yet, as much as I loved each of them, they all loved me back.