Dragon Scorned

10. River

“So let me get this straight. You have three drop-dead sexy as fuck mates.” Natalia shrieked, lying propped up on her arm on my bed.

She followed me into my room while I got dressed, and made me tell her everything.

“Will you keep your voice down?” I hissed at her, pulling my jeans up my legs.

“Well, you”re leaving out all the juicy details, bitch. Tell me everything.”

I scoffed at her, “There”s not much to tell. I touched all three guys, and the mate bond started with all of them. That”s it. Period.”

If looks could kill, I would be dead from the evil glare Natalia is shooting my way. I flopped down next to her, tucking my hands under the back of my head. “What should I do, all three of them?”

My voice cracked; how was I supposed to handle three alpha males?

Natalia laughed at my discomfort. “Well, you could set a schedule, spend a different day with each guy, then let them all go to pound-town together on Friday.”

“Natalia.” I whacked her with my pillow as she laughed, swatting it away. “I cannot believe you sometimes.”

“I wouldn’t be your bestie if I didn”t tell you how it is.”

I rolled my eyes, “I’m serious.”

I gave her a puppy dog look; she could never resist the pleading eyes.

She huffed at me, “Well, first, you need to set boundaries. Don’t let the bond consume you like you”re afraid of.”

“Better said than done, Kai is already in my head.”

Natalia opened her mouth to say something when a loud crash sounded from the kitchen. We both bolted upright in bed, listening. We jumped out of bed and ran toward the door at the sound of shouting.

I ran into the kitchen with Natalia hot on my heels, coming to a stop at the sight of Kai holding Jax up on the wall. Kai”s hand was around his neck as he lifted him off the floor, his toes barely brushing the ground. Lainey and Tate were sitting at the island with matching smirks on their faces.

“What the fuck is going on in here?” I yelled, getting everyone”s attention.

Kai didn’t release Jax, he held him still as he turned to look at me. His eyes were the brightest shade of blue, letting me know his beast was close to the surface.

I looked over at Lainey and Tate, lifting an eyebrow, silently asking one of them to explain.

“Are you two really just sitting there while Kai strangles Jax?” What the fuck happened in the ten fucking minutes while I was gone.

Lainey huffed before answering, “Ooh, your macho man here is pissed Jax didn”t tell you he was a Kailua before starting the mate bond with you. So, Mr. Macho beasted out and attacked the guy, and then you came in. Now you”re all caught up.”

My heart plummeted as I looked over to Jax, seeing the sorrow in his eyes. “Tell me she”s lying,” I demanded, there”s no way I would be sucked into the Kailua horde. I would die before I let them have me.

“Did you know?” I looked over at Tate. They seemed like they were friends at the party. I couldn”t believe he wouldn’t tell me if he knew.

Tate finally met my eyes, sorrow shining in his jade depths. I looked away from him. I don’t think I wanted to know the truth, but deep down, I knew. Tate knew who he was and didn’t tell me before I started the bond with him. I returned my focus back to Jax.

He opened and closed his mouth; no words passed his lips, and his face was turning different shades of blue.

Kai put him down.

Nikolai listened to my demand, releasing Jax as he fell to the floor. Coughing and grabbing at his throat, trying to catch his breath. I released the breath I was holding as I watched the color return to his face.

“Did you know?” I threw the question at Kai. I needed to know if they both knew, how could they let me bond with him if they knew he was a Kailua.

“I thought he told you, my star. I would have never allowed him to touch you had I known he didn’t tell you who he was.”

“I would never let my father have you,” Jax said between gasps, bringing my attention back to him.

I sucked in a sharp breath. Not only was he a part of the horde, but he was Killigan’s son. Betrayal slammed into me, how could I be so fucking stupid.

I was trying to be better at letting people in, and I let in my enemy”s son. Fear took root at the thought of Killigan getting his hands on me. Was that his plan all along? To hand deliver me to his father?

“Why?” I whispered so low I wasn”t sure he even heard me. The hurt was adamant in my voice.

There were so many questions rolled into that one word. Why me? Why did you come here? Why did you do this? Why didn’t you tell me?

Tears pricked the back of my eyes, I pushed them down, I would not give this fucker the satisfaction of seeing how much he just broke me.

I lived my whole life running from the Kailua horde, for him to tear it apart in one fucking day. Killigan would not win. I would not let Jax hand deliver me to his father. Mate bond or not, that wouldn”t stop the monster from trying to breed me. I refused to let him have me.

“I’m not my father,” he said, looking up at me. A pleading expression crossed his face.

Would you be mad if I left scorch marks on your floor?

I glared at Kai, suppressing a laugh. He was the most deranged person I’ve ever met, or maybe that was me for finding his crazy so hot. I felt my panties dampen at his words. Fuck me, maybe I did need therapy. That shouldn’t make me horny; that should make me run in fear.

Just say the words, my star. I’ll have you bent over that counter faster than you can blink.

My mouth fell open, fuck did I say that out loud.

I’m in your head, beautiful. You didn’t have to.

I heard Kai chuckle in my mind. “Can you stay out of my personal thoughts, asshole?” I glared at him.

“Not until you learn how to block me out. I quite enjoy being inside you, though, so I hope it takes a while.” He smirked.

Somehow I knew he was referring to having his dick inside me and not being in my mind.

“Although I’m loving this entertainment, can we get back to the giant elephant in the room?” Natalia said, gesturing toward Jax, who was still kneeling on the floor. She was standing by Lainey and I wondered when she moved from behind me to across the room.

I put that thought aside and narrowed my eyes on Jax.

“Now”s your time to speak before you”re nothing more than a pile of ash,” Kai growled.

We’re not going to talk about the heat that flooded my core hearing him say that. Kai shot me a mischievous look and I rolled my eyes at him before looking back at Jax, waiting for him to explain.

“I don’t see you the same way my father does, River. I don’t want to breed you and control you. I won”t ever let him get his hands on you.” He swallowed, and I saw the honesty shining bright in his eyes. “You”re my mate. I have been waiting my whole life to find you. I won”t let that asshole take you from me.”

“So why didn’t you come out and tell her that in the first place? You don’t sound too convincing to me. If I were River, I’d let Nikolai burn your ass alive,” Natalia said. I saw the magic spark at her fingertips, telling me she was pissed and close to losing it.

“Natalia, calm down before you blow the place up,” I told her, gesturing toward her hands. The purple sparks danced across her fingertips, growing brighter.

Okay, maybe telling a pissed-off witch to calm down was not the best choice of words.

Lainey looked at Natalia”s hands and grasped them in hers, instantly sending a wave of calm over the room and extinguishing the magic.

Thank you, I mouthed to her when she looked over at me. She gave me a curt nod before returning her attention back to Natalia, who was still glaring daggers at Jax.

“I knew if I told her who I was, I would lose my chance before I ever even had it.” He said, slowly standing up, dragging his back against the wall. He eyed Kai wearily as he growled at the movement.

“You”re not wrong,” I told him in a flat tone. Did I still want to give him a chance now? My dragon longed for his touch, and I knew the hurt would never go away if I cast him out. She wanted the bond more than she wanted air to breathe.

Maybe Jax was telling the truth; my dragon had never steered me wrong before, so why was I fighting her feelings now?

Jax’s face grimaced at my harsh tone, hurt bleeding into his eyes, the black almost completely gone. His beautiful amber color was shining so bright I couldn’t look away from them. A whirlwind of emotions swam in my gut, the strongest being longing. It would only get worse now that we started the bond.

“You knew who I was that first day and didn’t tell me…why?” I took a step toward him. Ignoring Tate and Kai”s displeased grunts.

“Because I wanted you to get to know me, not judge me off the bastard who raised me. I wanted to show you that I’m nothing like him,” he told me, squaring his shoulders and lifting his head.

The fucking irony of this damn situation had a laugh bubbling out of my chest. I couldn’t stop it, tears sprung to my eyes as I bent over, clutching my stomach.

“Is she having a psychotic break?” Tate asked, eyes bulging out of his head as he looked at me like I just lost my mind.

That only made me laugh harder. Fuck, maybe I was having a fucking meltdown. A therapist would just love me, they would eat my shit up like it was their favorite soap opera.

“River?” Natalia laid her hand on my back, snapping me out of hysteria.

I stood up, wiping my eyes with the back of my hands, taking in deep breaths.

“You don’t see the fucked up irony of this situation?” I asked, looking over at my best friend. “One of the two people I have spent my life running from ends up having a son that is destined to be my bonded mate.”

“The fates have a funny way of throwing us into fucked up situations, that’s for sure.” She let out a nervous laugh.

“This is beyond a fucked up situation. Having three mates is a fucked up situation, but having the son of Killigan as one, and a stalker for the other is delusional.”

“Hey, what about me?” Tate scoffed.

I waved him off, “You”re a persistent gnat at best.”

His mouth opened to a wide O shape, “A cute gnat, but a gnat nonetheless,” I told him, watching the gold flakes swirl in his green eyes.

“I’ll show you a gnat,” he told me, a wicked gleam in his eyes. He started to stand before Kai shot him a look.

“Sit down, Toto,” Kai barked.

Tate sat back in the chair, shooting Kai a dangerous look.

“Good dog,” Kai smirked.

“Did you really refer to him as the dog from The Wizard of Oz, Kai?” I glared at him, and he smirked back at me.

“Better than being called a gnat, my star.”

“Once again, we got way off topic,” Natalia said, pointing to Jax.

I looked over at him, Natalia was right. I needed to figure out how I was going to deal with the bond between me and Jax. I could feel it tugging me toward him, like it did with my other two mates. My heart was already split into three and there was no stopping them from consuming the fragments.

“How can I trust you?”

“Give me a chance to prove it to you.” He begged, pleading with his eyes. Needing me to give him a shot at showing his worth.

I looked him over, his long blond hair hung around his face, framing those gorgeous amber eyes. My emotions were at war with my dragons, she wanted to give him the moon, while I was hesitant.

“Does your dad know?”

He gave me a puzzled look.

“Does he know I’m here and you’re my mate?” I asked, Jax knew who I was that first day, if he was going to tell his dad about me he would have already. Wouldn’t he?

“No, to both questions. If he knew you were going to Willow Hollow, he would come after you. That”s the last thing I want, ma lune.”

I saw the truth in his eyes, my breath hitching at his words.

“Don’t go speaking fancy lovey dovey French to her to make her see hearts. You”re still not off the hook.” Natalia said, narrowing her eyes at Jax.

“Je n’ai pas besoin de la courtiser, c’est ma compagne. Je ne la mettrais jamais en danger, j’ai besoin qu’elle le sache.” Jax said so fast my head spun.

“Alors prouve-le-lui, ne la trompe pas.” Natalia shot back.

Jax opened his mouth to say something else before I interrupted him. “Enough. Can we speak in fucking English for the people that napped during French class in high school?” I looked back and forth between Natalia and Jax. She knew my French was shit. They were speaking so fast I could hardly decipher their words.

I looked to Tate and Kai, wondering if they caught any of the conversation.

Kai held up his hands, “I took Latin; I’m no help.”

“Spanish here, French was not my jam,” Tate said.

Clearly, Natalia was not going to tell me what they said, so I turned to look at Jax. If he wanted me to trust him, he was doing a real shit job at it.

He sighed, meeting my eyes, “I was just telling her the same thing I’ve been trying to tell you. That I won”t let my father get his hands on you. I would die before I let him have you.”

“Chienne,” Natalia said, looking at Jax, and I shot her a look.

She was not going to make this easy on Jax. He not only had to win me over, but also her, and Natalia was a tough nut to crack once she thought someone wronged her, or me in this instance.

“Consider this your thirty-day trial. I’ll give you thirty days to convince me to trust you. If I don’t by the end, then you leave and never come near me again.” I told him.

Would I really be okay with him leaving though, my dragon growled in disapproval, clearly not agreeing with my choice. She should be thrilled though, at least I was giving him a chance instead of scorching him like Kai wanted to.

The offer still stands, my star.

I narrowed my eyes on the broody man, looking like pure sex with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall and a devilish smirk on his face. My stomach erupted in butterflies, and heat pulled low in my belly as I took him in.

I sighed, glancing around to everyone in the room, “That”s enough excitement for today. I’m going to bed.”

Kai and Jax took a step toward me, and Tate hopped off the chair. I narrowed my eyes at them, “Alone.”

My tone had a no-questioning command to it as I turned on my heels and headed into my room. They could see themselves out, I had enough socializing for one day.

I slammed my door and dropped onto my bed, exhaustion taking over and pulling me into a restless sleep.

“Please don’t go,” I begged my mom, tears streaming down my face.

“Be good for grandma and grandpa, little moon.” She said, wrapping me up in a warm hug.

“Why do you have to leave, you can stay with us too.” I told her. Begging her not to leave me.

“Little moon, I have to. The hunters will never stop coming for you. Your dad and I are going to lead them away from you so you can be safe.”

“Please, I don’t want you to go.” I told her again, my five-year-old self not understanding why she had to leave me.

“Listen to your dragon, little moon. She will never steer you wrong. Trust her instincts.” She told me, wiping the tears from my eyes.

“Jenny, we have to go.” My dad said, placing his hand on her shoulder.

I looked up at him, a new set of tears forming. “Stay, please. I won’t complain about moving anymore. I’ll listen and be good, I promise. Just don’t leave me.”

He wrapped me up in his arms, lifting me off the ground. I latched onto him for dear life, holding so tight my nails dug crescent moons into his flesh. He kissed me on the head before passing me off to my grandpa. My five-year-old body was no match for the vice-like hold my grandpa had over me.

“Dad…mom…don’t go,” I screamed, trying to break free of my grandfather”s hold. Desperate to get to them.

I shot up in bed, gasping for air. Tears streaked down my cheeks, and sweat coated my body.

I felt your fear, my star. What”s wrong?

Kai’s deep voice floated into my mind, “It was just a nightmare. I’m fine.” I answered him out loud. I don’t know why I said it out loud in my empty bedroom, maybe because I was trying to convince myself as much as I was trying to convince him.

A real scream left me as a hand landed on my leg.

I’m on my way.

Kai shouted in my mind just as a hand covered my mouth, pushing me back onto the bed.

“Shh, it”s just me,” Tate said, holding his finger up to his lips.

My eyes went wide, filled with anger.

It”s just Tate, you don’t have to come.

I told Kai, he growled in my head, sounding just as displeased with Tate as I was.

I bit his hand, finally getting him to release me. “What the fuck are you doing here, beastly?”

He waggled his eyebrows at me, a sly smile spreading across his face. “Natalia let me in. I didn’t want to leave you alone after that bomb Jax dropped on you.”

“I’m going to kill her,” I said through clenched teeth. Natalia really needs to butt the fuck out of my love life. It”s already complicated enough without her sticking her nose in it, too. Although my dragon was ecstatic Tate was here, I was definitely going to give Natalia a piece of my mind.

“Of course, she fucking let you in, that witch needs to find her own relationship to obsess over.”

Tate laid back down beside me, pulling me into his arms. I laid my head in the crook of his arm as he drew his fingers through my hair.

“Don’t be too upset with her. I’m a hard person to say no to.”

I huffed out a laugh, “Yet here we are, me repeatedly telling you no.”

His chest rumpled with silent laughter, “I have a feeling you won’t tell me no much longer.”

I looked up at him, “Is that so, beastly.”

He pecked me on the nose before forcing my head back down, continuing to play with my hair.

“What were you dreaming about?” He asked, and my whole body tensed.

Did I let him fully in…let him know what haunts me in the darkness of night? The nightmares that keep me up at night. Tell him how the only way I can sleep at night is to push myself to the brink of exhaustion.

“My mom.”

His hand froze before continuing its lazy journey through my hair. “What about her?”

“The night she left is on a constant loop in my nightmares.”

He placed a kiss on the top of my head, and the sweet gesture clenched my heart. “You didn’t deserve them being taken from you that way. No child should have to go through losing their parents so young.”

I let the tears fall then, releasing all the heartbreak over the past thirteen years. I didn’t think I had any tears left to cry. I thought I used them all up, yet here I am soaking Tate’s bare chest with my sobs.

“I’m just so angry at them.” I finally admitted to myself more than him. “Why did they have to leave?”

I asked the question burning in my mind since that day. I knew Tate wouldn’t have an answer for me. The only people that could give me the answer I wanted were dead.

“They did it to keep you safe, to lead the hunters away from you. They were too close, and your parents did the only thing they could think of. Leave you and bring a lookalike with them while they ran.”

“It didn’t matter, though; it only lasted five years, and then the hunters found me again,” I screamed, pushing off of him to look him in the eyes. Allow him to see the raw emotion in me, maybe he will change his mind on wanting to be my mate.

I’m cold, distant, hard, but most of all, I’m broken. I shattered that night so many years ago, and not even Natalia could fix all the broken pieces of my shattered heart.

“River,” he said my name and I flinched, it sounded so intimate coming from him. I much preferred the nickname he had for me.

“We will figure out exactly what happened to your parents and why Moonbeam wants you so badly. I promise you, I will not rest until I find the answers you need, that you crave.”

He leaned up and kissed me. There was so much promise and passion behind the kiss that I melted into him.

Tate hitched my leg up on him and started dancing his fingers along the back of my thigh. I moaned into his mouth, and he swallowed it down greedily.

He laid back, pulling me down with him, threading his hand into my hair to deepen the kiss as his other hand continued its lazy trail on my leg, getting closer and closer to the curve of my ass.

As he was dancing his fingers along the plump curve, I felt his dick harden under my thigh. Heat shot to my core, and I whimpered, needing more from him.

He pulled on my hair, pulling my lips from his. I let out a whine, not wanting him to stop.

“If I keep going, I will fuck you, and I’m not even sure if you like me. I don’t want you to regret it in the morning.” He told me, sadness and desire mixing in his features.

I opened my mouth to tell him I didn’t care about the morning, but was cut off by him speaking again.

“You”re upset and vulnerable right now, minx. The last thing I want to do is take advantage of you.”

I leaned in and kissed him again, telling him with my mouth how much I wanted him. My dragon needed him; it was hard to deny her when Tate was lying in my bed in nothing but his boxers. Only my sleep shirt and panties separating us.

He squeezed my ass before slapping his palm down, sending a sharp sting through my cheek. I yipped at the slap as heat pooled in my core.

My star…do you need a release? I will come over there and make him watch as I bend you over and fuck that sweet cunt of yours from behind.

I moaned into Tate”s mouth as Kai whispered dirty things into my head. Was that wrong? Being here with Tate as Kai whispered all the different ways he would fuck me in my head. Should I tell him that Nikolai is in my mind right now.

Maybe when I’m done, I’ll make you sit on his face so he can clean our combined release from between your thighs.

Fuck telling him, he would find out soon enough. Kai was sending my head spinning while Tate played with my body.

A shutter raced down my spine at the idea and I ground into Tate’s hip, trying to get the friction I so desperately needed.

In one fluid motion he flipped us so I was fully on my back, legs spread with him settled between them.

“Tate, please,” I whimpered, needing to cum so bad I was aching.

Please, what, my star?

“Please, what, little minx?”

My mind was firing on all cylinders, I had one mate before me, and one whispering in my head. I don’t know if I would be able to handle them together in the same room if I couldn”t even handle them like this.

“I need to cum.” I begged, writhing under him.

Tate didn’t hesitate, he pulled my panties to the side and drove his tongue into my folds. I arched my back as a moan passed my lips.

Does he eat you like a man starved, my star? Because he should be, just the taste of you should drive him crazy like it does me. Your pussy is my favorite meal, and I would eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I could.

Tate closed his mouth over my clit, and I was a goner. I don’t know if it was from Kai’s words or Tate’s mouth, but my orgasm flew out of me, sending quakes through my body all the way to my toes.

Tate made sure he licked up every last drop before righting my panties and kissing up my stomach.

I was panting hard as he placed a gentle kiss on my lips.

“Now get some sleep.” He told me before laying down and pulling me into his side.

I lifted my head to look at him, a puzzled expression on my face. “Don’t you want release?”

I know he was hard, I felt his dick against my leg as he hitched it back up onto his body.

“That was for you, little minx. We have forever to have sex, I wanted to give you an orgasm so you could relax and sleep.”

“Ooh…okay,” I said, laying my head down on his chest.

Tate was not like I expected, he didn’t want to just bond with me, he wanted me to want it to.

My feelings for him were growing when he did stuff like this. He was kind and caring, and he wanted me to feel safe with him before we fully bonded.

I drifted off to sleep, listening to the steady thump of his heartbeat, and for once, no nightmares entered my mind.