"Good. Then no more nonsense about our parents, or God forbid, my uncle." She shook her head, as if warning herself. "Now, Tanner, we set a trap for our egotistical, know-it-all prince. Next time, he'll ask us to mate with him."
"Next time?"
"Oh, you know what I mean." She huffed and climbed back onto his lap, her ass both firm and warm, and one he wanted all over again. "Good lord, Tanner. Again, already? I can feel your thoughts, as well as that powerful tool struggling to rise below me."
He laughed. "'Tool?' I think I like that. And powerful, that's nice, too."
"Ha ha. Now listen, I have an idea about Matthias. But," she paused and scowled. "I have to put Uncle Shino behind me first. That part of my life is over as soon as I talk to him." She stood and redressed, staring down at him with an unsure look on her face. "Will you come with me?"
Tanner understood. She wanted to be whole before she committed herself to Matthias. "I will. But what if Shino tells you what you don't want to hear? Are you going to take off again? Going to run if the next Dracon we cross paths with calls you a name?"
She grinned, surprising him. "Why should I? The minute some jerk mouths off, I have you there to kick his butt."
He stood and tucked himself back into his jeans, smiling. "That's right. And if all else fails, we can always cry unfair to our prince, right?"
They both chuckled, but as he thought about it, Tanner sobered. "If you're okay with your uncle, and I'm okay being half-human and half-Dracon, then there's only one more problem standing in our way. Dracon don't take two to mate."
"They do if the king issues A Royal Continuum," a feminine voice called through the door she opened. The Draka, Queen Lea, took one sniff of Tanner and Ava and grinned. "You two belong to Matthias. Tanner and Ava. I've been so looking forward to meeting you."
Tanner stared in surprise. Lea was huge, her belly full of three baby Dracon waiting to be born. Her features glowed with happiness and health, and more, with mirth at someone's expense.
"You know about us?" Ava asked quietly, her tone reverential.
"I've been trying to fix Matthias up ever since I mated Ferin. Even tried my sister. But he only had eyes for some woman he refused to name." Lea's eyes narrowed as she studied Ava. "Ronin's daughter, right? That makes you Shino's niece." She nodded to herself and focused on Tanner. "And you, you're new. Tanner Flay. All the females around here are dying to try you on for size."
Tanner stared in disbelief as Ava suddenly glared daggers at the Draka she held in such esteem.
"Don't worry, Ava." Lea laughed and patted her belly. "I'm quite content with my Ferin. But I will tell you, Tanner, that you're going to have to deal with ribbing from both Adrian and Lucas. Matthias used to spend a lot of time making fun of their 'manly love,' as he called it. Oh, my God. Are you blushing?"
"Damn." Lucas, he'd forgotten about Lucas. How the hell had that happened?
"Don't worry, Tanner. Dracon aren't like the humans you've been with. As long as you love Matthias, you have nothing to worry about. Either of you," Lea gave the warning not so subtly.
"He's a pain in the ass," Tanner said bluntly. "But he's
my
prince."
"And mine," Ava added.
"Already?" Lea sniffed with a delicate twitching of her nose. "Good lord, it's subtle, but his mating scent's over both of you. I knew he was
planning
to mate with you two, but he went and did it already, and without telling any of us?"
"Don't feel bad. He neglected to tell us, too," Tanner said dryly.
"You're kidding."
"No, we're not." Ava frowned. "But if you wouldn't mind explaining a few things, I think we can safely say we're going to even the score, ending in a happily-ever-don't-you-dare-pull-a-stunt-like-that-again-after."
Lea chuckled and gasped as she clutched her belly. "I'm okay." She waved away their concern. "Just the little guys fighting again. Okay, so what do you want to know?"
Tanner spoke. "About this Royal Continuum..."
Two hours later, Matthias fought the urge to snap Lucas's head clean off. The bastard was having way too much fun at Matthias's expense.
"So, found yourself a 'boy toy' of your own, eh?" Lucas hadn't forgotten the last name Matthias had called him in anger. "Tanner's not my type, but the ladies really seem to like him. Maybe I should try him on for size, and we could see if he's good enough for you."
Just the thought of anyone taking Matthias's mate had his vision hazing, and he began to shift, his legs and chest expanding as a fury filled his brain.
"Shit. Why didn't you tell me you're newly mated?" Lucas backed away. "Come on, Matthias. I was only kidding. What Adrian and I have is special. I'm not wanting another male."
Matthias growled low, bumping the table with his tail that had almost fully formed. He shot a ball of fire at Lucas, who swore again as he ducked, shielding the top of his head with a sheet of ice.
"If you destroy Ferin's prized desk, Lea will have your head."
Thoughts of Lea calmed him, enough to corral his beast and find some control.
"Damn, boy. Maybe you'll warn me next time." Lucas glared, smoothing the water from his head and shirt, his ice shield having melted under Matthias's fire. "Mated without your brother's approval. Ballsy even for you, Matthias."
Groaning, Matthias slipped into a nearby chair. He hadn't planned on telling anyone that he'd mated just yet. He'd intended to mention the
idea
of mating to his brothers to see what they thought. After they agreed to the union, Matthias would then mate again with Ava and Tanner. Of course, if his siblings refused either Ava or Tanner, Matthias would fight the decision, leaving Dracon Mount if it came to that. But now Lucas knew. And it was only a matter of time before Adrian caught wind of it all.
The door banged open seconds later and Adrian stormed in, staring at Lucas in surprise until the icebreather nodded. Adrian laughed and smacked Matthias on the back. "Nice. This is the thanks I get for helping you trick Lucas into adding Tanner to your guard? You don't even wait for the rest of us before you take a mate?"
"You manipulated me?" Lucas's eyes frosted over with a faint sheen of blue, one only an icebreather would have. He glared at Matthias.
Shit.
"It wasn't intentional. I mean, you're the one who demanded I have an escort."
Adrian chimed in. "And I mentioned, on Matthias's behalf, how Tanner might do a commendable job. Had a feeling about him, I think I said."
Lucas scowled at Adrian, who sat and grinned without care. "Asshole. I'll deal with you later. Okay, Matthias, so what's the deal with Tanner? I didn't think you were into men."
"I'm not, exactly."
"Well, I'm confused." Adrian shrugged. "Then again, with you out of the picture, that leaves more of the Dracon females to me, which is never a bad thing."
Lucas shot him a look that could kill, but Adrian ignored him. Tension rose in the room, and Matthias stood to leave.
"Sit down." Lucas growled.
"I need to talk to Ferin."
"Oh?" Adrian shook his head. "To tell him that you've already mated to a male without his consent? To a half-breed?"
Matthias shot a blast of fire at Adrian so fast his brother had no time to deflect it. An overpowering burst of anger filled him, and he shot flame unconsciously through his mouth.
"Shit. Cut it out, Matthias!" Lucas blew cold air over the fire, effectively turning Adrian's shirt to ash. Adrian, a firebreather, remained unscathed. Pissed, but unharmed.
"I wasn't judging him, damn it. I'm just stating a fact. I happen to like Tanner. Might have taken a run at him myself if Lucas wasn't such a dick about it."
"You're not helping," Lucas snarled when Matthias's gaze reddened again.
It wasn't his fault. Matthias couldn't help the bottled rage and frustration he'd been feeling the past week. Though pleased that Tanner had finally bonded with Ava, he found himself left out. Matthias shared in the physical pleasure with his mates, but since he hadn't told them what he'd done, he couldn't exactly say he felt their emotions while shielding them from feeling his. Instead he'd had to stand back and watch as Tanner and Ava fell deeper under one another's spell, all the while maintaining a wary distance from
him.
"Matthias? I'm just joking." Adrian addressed him while staring at Lucas. "I'm
not
into Tanner, okay? Nor do I want to be, not with another male." He spaced out each word, and Matthias watched with curiosity as Lucas scowled again. What the hell was going on with these two?
"I'm sorry." Matthias rubbed his jaw. "But things are...complicated."
"Look. Ferin won't have a problem with you taking a male to mate," Lucas consoled softly.
"Not with you licking after him every second of the day," Adrian muttered.
"What did you say?" Lucas asked in a very low voice.
"I can't handle this right now." Matthias moved to the door, aggravated. "Ava and Tanner won't wait much longer. Where's Ferin?"
Lucas managed to pry his glare from Adrian. "Ava? What does she have to do with this?"
"She's the reason he left in the first place, dumbass." Adrian scoffed. "Some security advisor. Matthias went after her as a favor to Shino."
"No,
dumbass
," Matthias rejoined, feeling for Lucas. Sometimes Adrian could be a dick. "I love Ava. She and Tanner...I mated with both of them."
Adrian and Lucas stared at him with twin, dumbfounded expressions before his brother's gaze turned to one of awe. "I thought that wasn't possible."
"So did I." Matthias shook his head. "But they're mine. I love them both, and I'm not letting them go. If I have to leave, I will. If I need to relinquish my role as prince of the Dracon, I'll do it. If--"
"Easy, Matthias." Adrian rose and put an arm around his shoulders. "I'm with you, and so is Lucas. Ferin won't deny a claim. It's just a little unusual, that's all. What's really bothering you?"
Matthias sagged into his brother's hold and sat with him, explaining his problems. "Tanner's so damned untouchable unless he's having sex. And Ava's wrapped up in pride, Emmaline's sins somehow translating into her own guilt. It's all bullshit. The only bright part in this mess is that Tanner and Ava have openly mated with each other and are finally happy."
Lucas had the nerve to grin. "Except they don't know their happiness is tied to yours, because, being the crafty bugger that you are, you tricked them into mating with you."
"I wouldn't call it a trick, really."
Adrian laughed. "Oh? Then what do you call it when a royal Dracon bonds with another without their consent? Look, I've seen the way Ava looks at you. She was or would be a done deal. But Tanner's a little different. He spent a lot of his life around humans, and they tend to have hang-ups about bisexuality."
"I know, but..." He didn't want to go into detail about how good the sex had been between him and Tanner, then found he didn't need to. Adrian chuckled.
"Damn, brother, you work fast. I knew I felt something a week ago." He turned to Lucas. "Remember when were shooting pool and you asked me what was wrong?"
Lucas nodded. "I felt something as well, but I chalked it up to the lack of sex I've been having lately making me ultra horny."
"Lack of sex?" Adrian's brows rose. "What? Only one woman to fuck each night instead of two? Or was it Lea's brother David giving you an unrelenting hard-on?"
"If you would think with your head instead of your dick, you'd realize--"
"
Fellas.
I appreciate that you two are having some issues, but I can't deal with that just now. Where's Ferin?"
"Sorry," Lucas said gruffly and glanced away from Adrian, who stared stonily back at Lucas, a glimmer of hurt in his fathomless gaze. "Last I saw him he was in a meeting with Shino in the library."
Matthias stood and went to the door. He glanced over his shoulder to see Adrian and Lucas studying one another warily. "You know, before I left on this trip, I thought I knew what I wanted. And now that I've found it, I don't want to let it go. If you two are smart, you'll stop dancing around each other and admit how you really feel." So easy to say, but not so easy to do.
Agitated and with a heavy heart, Matthias left to seek out his older brother. What he found instead, however, was an angered Ferin standing outside the library door.
"Ferin?"
"You and I need to talk, now."
Matthias clearly heard Ava's voice beyond the library door. "No, I have to--"
"Ava said she wanted to be alone with Shino." Ferin blocked the door.
Crap. This was not how everything was supposed to play out. "But Ferin, I--"
"Not another word. We'll talk in my chambers. Let's go."
Sighing, Matthias followed Ferin with a brief glance over his shoulder. He hoped Ava would fare better with her uncle than he seemed to be dealing with his brothers. And he hoped Adrian and Lucas soon found themselves on better terms. It wasn't like the pair to be at odds.
He followed his brother through several corridors and up several flights of stairs toward the largest chamber in the eastern turret. The king's suite. They stepped inside, where Matthias noted Lea rocking rhythmically in an ancient rocking chair, humming to herself beside the hearth. The scene would have been peacefully domestic if she hadn't given him an apologetic shrug and Ferin weren't glaring at him.
Resigning himself to the inevitable, Matthias sank into Ferin's favorite leather chair. "Go head and say it."
"
Two mates?
I'd think one is enough." Ferin scowled at Lea but softened his look when she rubbed her belly.
Her husband's attention focused on her stomach, Lea winked at Matthias and returned to looking appropriately chastised when Ferin met her gaze again. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you when Matthias called me. But he confided in
me
, Ferin. He needed
my
help. And Matthias needed time to sort things out."
"It's not like I chose this course. I can't help my feelings." Matthias tried to convince his brother as well as take any blame from Lea.