Chapter 21
Lila
Zeydan stands up and makes his way over to the wall of glass, peering out into the darkness, his cute little fox ears perking to attention. All nine of his tails are also on alert, and they hurry over to the window and stare outside as well. A few of them growl and yip before they flow back into his form, turning from foxlike creatures with four legs to a part of the magnificent god in front of me.
Holy smokes, he’s gorgeous, like something out of my anime fantasies. He’s tall with miles of pale skin and long white hair that rivals mine in length. His almond-shaped eyes with vertical pupils are red, surrounded by long, dark lashes. Long, lean lines of sculpted muscle cover his naked torso, ending in a slim waist. The rest of him is covered by a floor-length black skirt embroidered with flowers, and it has a plain green sash tied around it, draping down one side. His feet are bare, but his toes have claws. Where the rest of him is pale, with barely any color apart from the dusky pink of his nipples and pouty lips, his tails and ears are an abundance of colors, like the shimmery greens, purples, and golds of a peacock but with an added blast of red, pink, and orange. All of them differ slightly, creating a vibrant rainbow mass of fur. No wonder I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out and touching him. He’s beautiful.
I watch him closely, not one bit afraid even though I now know he is a god of creation. Instead of being cautious and terrified, I just want to throw myself at him and lick his abs and claim him as mine before any other bitch can get their hands on him. A growl escapes my mouth as my kraken, whisperer, and mimic let it be known that they agree with me wholeheartedly.
“We are about to have a guest, and I don’t think he is going to be happy to smell your attraction to me.” Zeydan turns from the window to look at me, a smile on his lips.
Crap, he can smell that? Of course he can. When will I learn? Instead of being embarrassed, I decide to embrace it and shrug.
“What? You have to know you’re sexy. I’m not going to apologize no matter which mate of mine is bearing down on us. They should all know better than that by now. They are aware that my mimic is a needy bitch.” I move over to stand next to him, peering out into the darkness.
It’s no longer pitch black out there though. The jungle surrounding the house is also lit up by bioluminescent plants, but not enough so I can make out details of all the animals milling about in the undergrowth. They are large in size, and I can see an occasional tail swipe back and forth, but mostly they are shrouded in shadow.
“Are they going to attack?” I ask, pointing at them, and Zeydan shrugs.
“Maybe.” He seems apathetic to the possibility.
“I would prefer that…” I trail off so he can fill in the blank.
“The dragon,” he replies.
I feel my eyebrows jump in surprise. Tirrian is the one who returned? I thought for sure it would be Cas or Max, even with the risk to them.
“Despite the fact that the dragon has been a colossal ass, I would prefer that he didn’t get mauled by your creations,” I say calmly, not wanting him to hear how worried I am. I’m sure he probably knows, but he does the polite thing and doesn’t call me out on it.
“He and his beast have been at war.” Zeydan narrows his eyes as Tirrian drops down into the clearing directly in front of the house, the ground vibrating on impact, the vines from before having retreated to who knows where. “But they are in harmony now, and they will only wait so long before they will claim you.” There’s a hint of warning in his tone, like he’s cautioning me not to be surprised if this pushes him over the edge, but I know my stubborn dragon. I doubt this is going to force his hand.
Predators creep out of the bushes, stalking the large dragon. Tirrian’s dragon roars and breathes fire in their direction. The shadowed predators tuck their tails and slowly retreat, acknowledging the greater predator before them. Zeydan smiles and nods his head.
“See? He did not need my help. He proved he is worthy of you.”
I roll my eyes at the macho misogynistic bullshit. Just because he’s the biggest bully in the yard doesn’t mean he’s worthy. He still has some ass kissing to do.
Zeydan waves a hand, and one of the glass panels melts away. “Come, dragon, and have a meal, see that your mate is fine,” he calls out, and Tirrian’s large ass whirls around, his serpent-like neck snaking out so he’s directly in front of me. His forked tongue licks over me, like he’s trying to reassure himself I’m fine. All he’s doing is adding to the slobber the Baby Zs covered me in.
“I definitely need a bath now,” I mutter.
“How fortuitous that your dragon is here to heat the water quickly for you,” Zeydan replies as Tirrian’s dragon head retreats, his body shimmering as he changes into his human form. I very much doubt Zeydan is unable to heat water for me, but sure, let’s just roll with the plan.
“Lila, are you okay?” he asks cautiously, getting to his feet and approaching slowly, wary of the predator standing next to me. Tirrian’s dark body almost blends in with the forest behind him, only his shimmery pink wings adding a splash of color to the landscape, and what a lovely landscape it is. He’s naked and beautiful. It isn’t the first time I’ve seen him naked, but it’s the first time I’m having a long look. I wipe at my mouth to make sure there isn’t a little drool in the corner.
“Yes, come in. We just ate. I’ll grab you a bowl, and maybe Zeydan can find you something to wear.” I look at my new friend who just smirks at me.
“Are you sure? I don’t care if you want him to stay naked while he eats,” he says quietly, but I think Tirrian still hears him, because one corner of his lips kicks up like he’s trying not to smile.
“Clothe the damn dragon,” I growl at the ridiculous god. How dare he call me out like that?
I whirl around and head back to the chairs, grabbing our dirty cups and plates off the coffee table and taking them over to the little kitchen. I can hear the two males murmuring behind me, but I don’t bother trying to tune in. They need to sort out their own crap.
I put our dirty dishes in the sink. I consider washing them, but I’ll wait until Tirrian is done. I search for another bowl and grumble my annoyance when I can’t find one, but one suddenly appears on the counter next to the hanging pot.
“Thank you,” I call. I may be annoyed, but that’s no excuse to be rude. I ladle some stew into the bowl, giving him a generous portion, knowing how much food shifters consume. When I return to the seating area, another chair has appeared, and Tirrian is wearing a skirt much like Zeydan’s, except the embroidery and sash are the same color pink as his wings, but all the naked abdominal flesh makes me pause for a moment. Hmm, maybe I should instate a rule—no shirts!
“Here.” I hold out the bowl, but Tirrian doesn’t take it. He places his hands over mine, and when I meet his eyes, I can see a little bit of amusement but mostly worry in them.
“Are you okay?” he asks me, and I nod, giving him a smile.
“I’m fine. Zeydan has been very kind and generous, and he offered to help us get Grandma Lily,” I tell him, and he breathes out a sigh of relief before taking the proffered bowl.
“Good, everyone was worried when Xavier came to give us the heads-up. He tried to tell us you were fine, but nobody was happy with that. He tends to be less worried about you than the rest of us.”
“That doesn’t mean he doesn’t care,” I argue, a little annoyed that the rest of them didn’t trust him.
“No, it just means he is confident in her abilities,” Zeydan chimes in. “As you should all be. She is more powerful than all of you. Look at how you handled my creatures. She could have done the same if she had a dragon form of her own.” None of us miss the dig, and Tirrian winces and nods.
“Yes, I’ve been stubborn, I admit that, but I will do my best to make up for it now. It was one of the reasons I returned. I want Lila to have my form, but it would be best for me to give her a mating bite than have her mimic me. My dragon would be happier with that. It was our plan all along when we realized there were no other predators with flight capabilities—a way to ensure her complete safety on this mission. I wanted Xavier to teleport her to our ship so we could seal our bond this evening.”
My mouth drops open in shock. Did he just tell me he wants to commit to me right here and now? I must have heard wrong, and if I didn’t, then I don’t know how I feel about it. Instead of acknowledging what Tirrian just said, I change the subject.
“Did the Aaz’axians have problems because you didn’t want them to establish a base on your planet during the war?” It’s something I’ve been wondering. So far, the stories of the plants and animals have been greatly overexaggerated. I don’t miss the hurt look Tirrian gives me when I don’t respond to his declaration of wanting to mate with me, but he hurt me so often, how could he really expect me to fall on his dick with that half-assed apology? Heck, it wasn’t even an apology, and he didn’t even say it to me, he was telling Zeydan.
Zeydan looks back and forth between us, his mouth pursed in contemplation, but I guess he chooses not to get involved.
“Yes, I didn’t want them here, so I encouraged the inhabitants of this planet to make it difficult for them, but don’t be lulled into a false sense of security. Everything here is dangerous, and with my waning power, I do sometimes have trouble controlling them.”
“Did Xavier tell you who Zeydan is?” I ask the dragon who is happily consuming the bowl of food I gave him. He nods as he swallows his mouthful, a look of determination glowing in his eyes.
“Yes, he filled us in.” Tirrian frowns at Zeydan. “But I don’t think he has been completely honest with you.”
“Like you were honest with her or yourself?” Zeydan rumbles, sounding slightly put out.
“I have learned from my mistakes, and I don’t like to keep secrets from my mate.” I flinch. It’s not the first time he’s called me that, but it’s still a little jarring to hear since he was always so anti Lila from the start. “I made mistakes, and I don’t wish for anyone else to do the same. I also don’t see any disadvantage to her knowing the truth.”
They both obviously know something I don’t, and I’m starting to feel a little annoyed.
I cross my arms and glare at them. “Anyone want to share with the class?” I ask, not holding back on the sarcasm.
“You are my mate,” Zeydan says casually, and I feel like I’ve been hit over the head with a two-by-four.
“I’m sorry, come again?” I say, spluttering.
“You are my mate. I’m not sure what is so confusing for you. Don’t you feel the pull between us?” He waves a finger between us.
“Ah yes, but I thought that was my mimic power wanting to add you to the collection,” I tell him frankly, shrugging. “It’s hard to tell, to be honest.”
“Yes. I guess that could be a problem. If it’s any consolation, you can’t mimic me or any of the gods. It was one of the safeguards Lilessa made when she created mimic powers. We didn’t want anyone having more power than us.”
“I can see how that could be a problem. So mates… with both of you. I understand the mating process with the dragon, but what about the mating process with you?” I can be calm and mature about these things—at least outwardly. Inside, I’m screaming like a little girl, and I don’t know if it’s Swifties at a Taylor Swift concert excitement or cheerleader at the start of a horror movie.
I should probably be more upset than I am, but there is a part of me—that slutty, needy, horny shallow part—that is thrilled this gorgeous being is my mate. I already wanted to claim him as mine by licking him, so this makes it more permanent and gives me the option of killing any bitch who looks his way—at either of them, to be honest. I kind of like how primal I feel about claiming them, and I can assure you that I will be stamping my own claim all over them so everyone can see they are mine. Maybe I need shirts that say, “Property of Lila Adams,” for all my mates… or a tattoo. Yes, that’s even better. I will have them all tattooed with it.
“Lila?” Tirrian’s growl has me shaking my head and pushing those possessive thoughts down.
“Sorry, did you say something?” I ask, and he nods at Zeydan. “He was explaining the mating process, and you seemed to zone out,” Tirrian scolds me.
“Oh, I’m so sorry.” I slap a hand over my mouth, feeling embarrassed. “I was just thinking about ways that I can make sure everyone knows you’re all mine. I didn’t mean to ignore you.”
Zeydan chuckles. “That’s okay. I could hear your distracted thoughts. I was just saying that I won’t be able to mate with you until I am restored to full power, and we find one of the other gods. They have to carve out a small sliver of my soul and gift it to you to create a mate bond.” He sounds sad, and I know the likelihood of us finding them after all this time is slim, which means we will never be mated. I don’t like the idea of that at all. A growl rumbles out of me as my kraken makes her displeasure known.
“She could always mate you the Skarrian way. Would that work too?” Tirrian suggests, and I could kiss him. I expected him to be possessive and dismissive of the god, but it really seems like he’s trying. That’s going to earn him some very big brownie points.
Zeydan’s eyebrows furrow slightly as he thinks about it, and his tails seem to vibrate with anticipation behind him. They are curled around him so he doesn’t squash them in his seat.
“It might. It wouldn’t give her access to all my powers, but maybe some of them.”
I wave a hand at him. “At this stage, having less powers is actually a relief. I don’t think I would know what to do with life-altering godlike powers. It would probably go to my head, and I’d become Lilazilla supreme overbitch.”
They exchange a confused look.
“Lilessa claimed our mates would be a perfect counterbalance for us, able to handle our power with grace and dignity,” Zeydan argues, standing up. “I will take my leave. I plan on scouting the death forest, which is quite a distance from here. I have no idea how they got onto the planet without me realizing it. Maybe I was away when they were here. Anyway, you are welcome to use my bed for your mating.” His tails vibrate behind him as he stretches, reaching his hands to the sky. That is quite the sight, all his long, lean muscles rippling like they want me to touch them. My hand rises, but Tirrian’s snort of laughter has me blushing and putting it down, then I comprehend what Zeydan said.
“What? Ah, no. We won’t be mating.” I leap to my feet, Tirrian quickly hiding his look of hurt. “You were nothing but aggressive to me for weeks, and now you’ve suddenly changed your mind. I don’t buy it. Did Xavier mess around with your head? What’s to say that if we mate tonight, you won’t return to being a dick tomorrow and resent me because you’re trapped with me for the rest of your life?”
Tirrian winces and also stands up, reaching for me. I slap his hand away, and his shoulders slump. “I’m sorry, Lila, truly sorry for my horrible behavior. God, when I thought you had been taken by the carevasta bears, it was a huge wake-up call.” He drops to his knees before me, taking my hands in his. “Please, will you forgive me? I’ll spend the rest of our years together making it up to you.”
Holy shiitake mushrooms, the dragon is begging me. Did I trip and smack my head? I look around the room, and I notice that Zeydan is gone. Is this a dream? Did I actually dream all of this? Tirrian’s hands feel solid in mine. This must be real. But how do I respond? I want this, I really do, but he has proven he has the power to hurt me. Do I put my heart on the line for him to smash it once more?