Lilly awoke with sore eyes from crying herself to sleep. Her universe had been turned upside down, and she hated it. She realized she’d spent her life trying to feel safe and like she belonged. Then these strangers turned up and told her she did belong…with them. But it wasn’t so simple.
You didn’t belong because someone told you so; belonging just happened. She’d thought it had happened with Zach—until yesterday shot down the last of her lies to herself. Zach dumped her repeatedly for other girls. As she calmed down from her panic fest, a sinking realization struck. Her anger had surfaced because the whole thing between her, Callum, and Rhyndor blew her mind beyond all belief. It surpassed any feelings she’d ever possessed for Zach, and the fact terrified her because she didn’t know them.
She’d wanted them again as soon as she’d gotten into bed and tried to sleep. She ached with it, feverish and hot, and in the end, she had to take care of herself. Sex with Zach had been fine. Perfectly nice. She’d had nothing else to compare it to, of course, but she always enjoyed it. She had nothing to complain about, until now. Because how the hell did she go back to fine and nice when she’d experienced stratospheric?
Not wanting to face the world, or her guilty reflection in the mirror, she nevertheless forced herself out of bed and shuffled into the bathroom. Marvelous, she looked like shit. Her eyes were tiny, nestled amidst red, puffed-up skin, and her face came decorated with nice blotchy splotches. Hot…not. Good job she didn’t want to impress anyone. She’d be avoiding the guys for as long as possible. In fact, she ought to do as Missy suggested and head on home. Not caring for once about how she looked, she shuffled out of her room and down the hallway, hoping to sneak a coffee, only for a cacophony of voices to great her from the kitchen. She peeked around the door, half hoping it wasn’t the guys, and half hoping it was. What she found made her stop dead. Two large men she’d never seen before filled the space, and with them… Oh Lord, it was like looking in a mirror. It had to be her other sister.
She froze for a moment, so overwhelmed at seeing Claire and the girl who must be Mia standing together, close. They were talking, their dark heads almost touching. Her family.
She had other adopted friends, and they didn’t have the same issues she did. They didn’t feel as if they’d never fit with their families, and now she knew why. She didn’t fit because she wasn’t human, not because she’d been adopted. Her whole life she’d been trying to be human, but she’d failed.
Taking a moment longer to peep in at the scene, ignoring the voice telling her it seemed a tad stalkerish, she imagined herself in that room, with her two men by her side. If the emotional connection between matched dragons proved anywhere near as intense as the physical connection, she’d love to experience it. But it terrified her, too. Her whole life since she was a young girl, she’d believed the only way to be secure and happy lay with Zach. First as friends, then as boyfriend and girlfriend, and in her mind at least, hopefully, one day as husband and wife. Now she’d been offered another way to experience security and belonging. But more and more, she understood she needed to find these things for herself, within herself.
The two men who must be Mia’s mates were talking with Nathan and Dom. Dom said something, and the taller of the two men laughed and threw back his head. She looked at him properly then, and oh God, but he was beautiful. She understood why Claire found Nathan and Dom hot. They were good-looking men, but Nathan left her cold personally, too severe looking, and Dom was too blandly handsome. But this guy? If she hadn’t already seen Rhyndor and Callum, she’d think him the best-looking man she’d ever laid eyes on.
His hair hung in soft waves to his shoulders, warmer and richer than Rhyndor’s dramatic long, dark locks. And this man’s heavy scruff defined a strong jaw. But when he laughed, deep dimples appeared, softening his face. The other guy was blond with a cheeky grin and bright eyes.
“So, Steffan. It’s good to see you, but why the impromptu visit?” Nathan addressed the gorgeous one.
Steffan. Oh, shit! She’d forgotten in her nosiness what a visit from Mia and her men meant. Rhyndor would be in danger.
Claire turned her way as Lilly walked into the room. “Here she is!” Her overly bright voice shocked Lilly, and she hoped Claire never took up acting.
Why the false happy-go-lucky vibe? And then Steffan turned to her. He came over to greet her, but as he neared, his face darkened and paled visibly under his healthy tan.
“What the fuck?” he roared.
Nathan looked as confused as she felt. Claire too.
“Steffan, get a grip,” Mia snapped. “This is our other sister, don’t go scaring her with the attitude.”
“You’re not their sister.” He stormed up to her and grabbed her wrist, yanking her fully into the room. It hurt, and she gasped.
Nathan stormed across the room and placed his hand on Steffan’s shoulder. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Steffan turned to her, and his eyes were an icy-cold silver, when she’d have sworn they were the warmest amber before. She shrank back, and he laughed, cold and hard. “Nice disguise, Celine.”
“Celine?” Nathan’s brow furrowed, but as he leaned into her, he too grew somber and his nostrils flared.
And then it hit her. She hadn’t taken a shower after her impromptu bit of fun with the guys, and Nathan and Steffan must be able to smell the sex on her. They were animals, after all, heightened sense of smell and all the rest. She hadn’t told her sister, either. None of them knew what she’d done, but the guys were figuring it out now. To her utter mortification. None of which explained Steffan’s frankly rude and scary behavior.
“You stink of him, you bitch.” Steffan spat the words in her face.
Terrified now, she reared back, but Claire pushed forward and got right up in Steffan’s face. “Don’t you fucking speak to my sister in such a way. Stop it, this isn’t the guy I know. Don’t be this way.”
“Babe, I think you need to come for a walk.” Mia put her hand on Steffan’s arm, but he shook her off without looking at her, and her face fell as hurt flashed in her eyes.
If Mia couldn’t control Steffan, Lilly risked him hurting her. She racked her brain and tried to recall what Rhyndor and Claire had told her about Celine. Then it all clicked into place. Lilly had been with Rhyndor, intimately. Not showered, which was disgusting, but she’d meant to grab a coffee and then go jump in the shower, and she must stink of Steffan’s mortal enemy.
Starting to back out of the room, she hit something solid behind her and turned to see the pretty blond man looking at her with something akin to hate shining in his eyes. This wasn’t the way she’d wanted to meet Aiden. He didn’t look so pretty now.
“Oh no, you don’t.” He pushed her back into the room, toward Steffan. “I’ve seen my mate here suffer all sorts of agonies because of what you and that piece of shit did to him. He says you stink of Rhyndor. I believe him, and your magic won’t save you now.”
Nathan rolled his eyes and stared at the ceiling, “For the love of the gods. Okay, Steffan, you need to back off, because she is Mia and Claire’s sister. You love your mate, right?”
Steffan nodded, but his face still held a drawn, angry countenance.
“And because you love her, you don’t want to harm or hurt her sister, correct?”
Steffan blew out an angry breath, and she nearly screamed. Steam came out of his nostrils. Steam, like some sort of stupid cartoon, except real and scary and not remotely funny.
“Get to the fucking point really quick, friend.”
“Charming,” Nathan drawled. “Okay, the thing of it is, Rhyndor is here.”
Steffan didn’t speak, but he put his arm out blindly, and when it hit the counter, he leaned on the surface as if holding himself up. He took a few ragged breaths in and out and then looked at Nathan. Oh God. Those eyes. Cold, hard metal nuggets shining out of an approximation of a human face.
“Are you telling me that not only is my mortal enemy alive, but my supposed good friend, my brother-in-fucking-arms is hiding him in his clan?” His voice sounded calm, but it only made him seem scarier.
He reminded her of a lion about to pounce. All stillness, but full of a taut energy, practically vibrating with the need to move, even as he held utterly immobile.
“Yes, but it’s complicated.”
Steffan laughed, and it held no mirth whatsoever. “I’m sure it is. Let me make it simple for you. Tell me where he is, I’ll go kill him, and I’ll forget you ever betrayed me like this.”
“No!” The word shot out before she managed to stop herself.
Steffan swiveled his unholy gaze her way and stared at her. He pointed one long index finger her way. “Is she their sister? You know this for a fact? And if she is, why does she stink of the fucker?”
Nathan pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fuck my life, I do not need this shit. Okay, try not to lose it, but they match. As mates. I presume something happened yesterday. Without, may I add, my knowledge or consent.”
“They match?” Steffan’s hands balled into fists. “Her and fucking Rhyndor?”
“Yep.” Nathan nodded.
When Steffan turned her way again, his eyes were a touch warmer. Not the amber she’d seen earlier but not the cold, dead metallic tones of moments before. “Did you fuck him?”
“Steffan! Stop this,” Mia cried out, but he ignored her.
“Answer me.”
“No.” She blinked away threatening tears, hating feeling so small and stupid. “We got carried away and…erm, we, err…messed around.” Her face burned. “Rhyndor’s been nice to me. Caring. Callum can be a bit of a pompous dick, though.”
“Callum? Your Callum?” Steffan shot Nathan an appalled glance.
Nathan only nodded.
“Someone better explain this clusterfuck to me right now, and it may be handy to add in where the fuck Rhyndor is, so I can get what I deserve.”
“You swear a lot.” Lilly wanted to stuff the words back in as soon as they were out.
“You’d swear a lot too if you found out the person who killed your beloved mates, whom you’d been searching for over years and thought dead, was not only alive but hiding out in your supposed friend’s clan.”
“He didn’t kill them on purpose.” She remembered what Rhyndor said happened. He’d talked to her about it some. He’d been forced by the witch.
“Oh, I suppose it must have been an accident, then. Killing two people and doing this to me.” He undid his belt, and she shrank back, thinking he meant to hit her with it for one awful moment. But instead, he dropped his trousers.
She tried not to gape, but the scar on his thigh knocked her sick. It almost glowed and looked hot and inflamed.
“Your pet little mate-match did this to me. He’s a deadly, cold-as-fuck killer, and I am going to end him.” He pivoted to face Nathan. “And I swear to the gods, brother-in-arms or no, you don’t tell me where he is right now, I’m going to make you hurt.”
“I’m here.”
That low, gruff voice washed over her, making her nipples peak even as she shook with fear and trepidation. She turned to see Rhyndor and Callum standing in the doorway. Callum’s face was serious and worn, Rhyndor’s unsure. Nervous.
“You don’t want this to happen in front of the females, so let us go outside.” Steffan’s strangled tone and clenched teeth belied the quiet way he spoke.
“I’m not going to fight you,” Rhyndor said. “I owe you such an apology, but I didn’t understand what I did. Celine enchanted me. Used me.”
“Bullshit. You’re too strong. And if it’s true, I don’t care. You’re dead.”
“You’ll have to go through me,” Callum said, and Steffan laughed.
“Okay.” Nathan spoke up, his voice firm and calm. “Listen, everybody. Steffan, the facts are Rhyndor came here with Callum as they are bonded males and more. They came across Lilly in New York and followed her over the months. When they saw we’d come for her and brought her here, they followed her here, too.
“Know this, when they got here, I acted like you. Threatened to kill Rhyndor. But he told me what happened, and I believed him. You know we can detect a lie easily. What he says is true. Celine put awful magic on him, made him do some terrible things.”
“I spent centuries trying to get myself killed,” Rhyndor said. “Only the fact that I wouldn’t go to Neffee, but spend forever stuck in the in-between, stopped me doing the job myself.”
“He let himself get beaten up repeatedly, by dragons and humans alike.” Callum rubbed a hand over his weary face.
Steffan sneered at them. “There’s one minor problem with your story. Why not come find me? I’d have done the job for you.”
Rhyndor turned those amazing deep blue eyes toward Steffan and looked at him full on. “Because I was scared. Not of what you’d do to me but of what I might do to you. I feared Celine’s magic still resided somewhere in me. I know now, looking at you, it doesn’t.”
Steffan strode to Rhyndor and wrapped his big hand around the scruff of his neck, pushing the other male in front of him and out the door, and Rhyndor let him. Lilly had no illusions about that. If Rhyndor wanted to fight, he could have. The men looked evenly matched size-wise.
Nathan cursed under his breath and followed them, so she did, too.
Steffan reached the front door and yanked it open, shoving Rhyndor through it with a harsh push. Rhyndor stumbled forward but righted himself before he fell. He shot Steffan an annoyed look, but he didn’t say a word. Both men headed down the path and out of the gate toward the field bordering the small house the two guys were staying in.
Once there, they stopped and stared at one another.
Rhyn rolled his eyes. “Fuck’s sake, Steffan. Get it over and done with. I owe you a tithe, I understand this. You can kick my ass to hell and back for what I did.”
“It’s not enough.” Steffan ground the words out, and his fists clenched and released repeatedly.
“It must be enough.” Callum came forward and got up in Steffan’s face.
She became aware of warmth on either side of her, and then both her sisters were close, their faces worried and drawn.
“Hell of a way to meet, huh?” Mia shot her a wry glance, her lips twitching for one moment before turning down again as she turned to look back at the men.
“You have to die, Rhyndor. I’ve spent my life, centuries, waiting for this. You’ve done terrible, evil things. You can’t live.”
Nathan began to speak, but Steffan turned to him, and with a roar, shot a ball of white-hot flames his way. Nathan went down with a grunt, and Dom gave a shout of shock. Claire ran at Steffan with a cry and raised her arms. Wicked red flames shot from her hands to hit Steffan on his chest. He stumbled back, and Claire folded her arms across her chest.
“You want to hurt Nathan again, you go through me. I love you, Steffan, like a brother, but you don’t hurt my mate.”
Lilly’s chest filled with pride at the way her sister defended her mate, and she wanted to defend Rhyndor in the same way.
She loved the desire to protect because it felt so good to want to safeguard someone else, when all she’d ever wanted before was to be protected and cherished. The need also scared her to death because she’d known him no time at all.
Nathan pulled himself up with a groan and stood. “Jesus, Steffan. That fucking hurt. You want to fight me, too?”
“Yes, we will, if you take his side,” Aiden spat the words.
“No one should be taking sides.” Claire raised her arms to the heavens. “You’re all acting like crazy people. Look, we have a situation where someone did something bad but outside of their control. In human law, if someone commits a crime when they are out of their mind, they can’t be held accountable for it. He’s not responsible.”
Steffan turned angry eyes her way. “We aren’t human, Claire. And I respect you, but he took my mates. What would you do if someone killed Nathan and Dom and then stood in front of you? Huh? Would you walk away?”
Claire’s shoulders sagged, and she glanced at her men and then back to Steffan and closed her mouth. Lilly’s heart stuttered. Oh God. Were they going to let this Steffan character kill Rhyndor? Tears filled her eyes.
Watching Steffan closely, she almost missed Aiden, the blond one, walk toward Rhyndor, his arms raised. A flash of red heat shot from his palms, and Rhyndor flew back, his spine hitting a tree before he fell to the ground.
She didn’t think beyond needing it to stop. One moment she stood watching, the next she moved forward and lifted her arms. And as she’d done with the two young dragon males and with Callum the other day in her training, she used her fire. Aiden grunted as the ball of white hit him, and he went down, hard. He didn’t move.
Steffan roared, the sound so loud, she swore it shook the earth. “I knew you were Celine. Your magic is way too strong for a novice Dragonea female.” He ran at her. Fucking ran right at her, his big boots kicking up the dirt.
She staggered back, but the next moment, someone flew past her, moving so fast she only sensed wind. Rhyndor’s huge form collided with Steffan’s, and the two males lifted off the ground and spun around in midair for a moment before dropping back down to earth.
“Holy shit. He’s fighting,” Callum said from beside her. “He’s fucking fighting. I knew you’d bring his warrior out.”
His words upset her for some reason, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it. Not now, not with two huge men about to kill one another.
“Stop them.” She turned beseeching eyes to Callum, but he shook his head.
“This has been a long time coming. They need this.”
“But they’ll kill one another.” Were these people insane?
“No, they won’t. I won’t let them.” Nathan placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “This needs to happen.”
The men were trading punches and kicks now, and Rhyndor fought like a hard bastard. She’d been told he’d lived as some sort of pacifist, but he didn’t seem tranquil now. She found it hard to believe he’d spent centuries living as peacefully as some sort of monk.
Blood spilled from split lips, and the grunts became louder and angrier. Then Rhyndor got in a massive hit, and Steffan went down.
She expected Rhyndor to go after him and keep fighting, but he didn’t. He took his clothes off, quickly and efficiently. Was he going to change form? But he didn’t do that either. Instead, he stood there in only his underwear, and when Steffan hauled himself up, Rhyndor turned around slowly.
“These scars are the marks of centuries of penance. I have loathed what I did, loathed myself, for the longest time. I lived in my own special hell. This, I promise you. I lived a thousand deaths every single fucking year. I was treated like a dog, worse than. By both humans and dragons and I let them. I never once fought back.”
He continued to show off his marred body, and the sight broke her heart. “I only hoped to find one strong enough to kill me, but none was. This body carries my regret, my punishment. You want to kill me, you can. But you don’t harm a hair on my female’s head. You touch her again, and I will fight you. Trust me, she isn’t Celine. The moment I see that fucking bitch, I am going to kill her myself. For what she did to you and what she did to me. She took my life, too.” Rhyndor thumped his chest, and there were tears in his eyes. “I still hate myself for what I did. I can never make amends. But I can help you get your real vengeance. On the person who truly deserves it. Then, if you still believe I deserve it, you may have my life.”
“No.” Callum moved forward, but Rhyndor held his hand up.
“This has to end. Centuries of hatred and vengeance. It has to end.” His sad gaze moved from Callum back to Steffan. “I swear to you, on my honor. You and I will find Celine and we will kill her, and then once we have done so, you can kill me if you still believe I deserve it.”
Lilly shook so hard at the idea of Rhyndor getting killed, her teeth chattered. She brushed at the tears flowing down her cheeks. An arm wrapped around her shoulders, and she turned to see Mia holding her. Her sister spoke, her voice choked.
“Steffan, my love. I swore to myself if you found Rhyndor, I’d help you kill him. I wanted him dead. I saw the anguish he’d put you through. But now, I’m asking you, begging you, don’t do this. Not for my sister, much as I love her already. Not for Rhyndor, despite Claire being right and him not deserving this. But for you. You will regret it deeply in time to come, and I know this for a fact, because I know you. You are nothing if not honorable, and if you kill someone who ultimately doesn’t deserve it, the knowledge will eat away at you. I don’t want you to go through such a thing.”
Steffan’s shoulders sagged, and he walked toward Rhyndor. He looked over the man’s myriad scars and marks and winced at one particularly nasty one on his side. When he turned back to Mia, his gaze wasn’t stone-cold silver anymore but a molten mix of warm and cool. “For you, I will let Rhyndor live. Only for you. And because he didn’t kill my family while under control of his actions. If he had, no amount of pleading from anyone could save him.”
He addressed Rhyndor directly. “I am holding you to your promise, though. One day, one day soon, we are going to find Celine and make her pay. She took too many lives and ruined others.”
“I want her dead as much as you do.” Rhyndor held his hand out.
Steffan eyed it warily, then grasped it tight and pumped it once. They didn’t hug or smile at one another, but Lilly felt only relief. It was a start.