Unexpected Mate (Dragon Goddess #2)

Chapter Six

I smiled as I watched Tia lean over the table, her cute little forehead scrunched up and the tip of her tongue caught between her teeth. She was completely focused as she studied the maps of Draven’s base.

“So, there’s only one entrance to his inner office?” she asked. “He’s going to have tightened security near that corridor, not to mention the cameras tracking anything that dares move.”

“Yes, although I’ll hack the cameras,” Leo replied. “Anyone monitoring those cameras will believe they’re watching a live feed, but they’ll actually be watching a video loop of the guards.” I barely held back a laugh at the ridiculous lovesick look on Leo’s face as he spoke to Tia. They were acting like they were in middle school, and I wouldn’ t have been shocked to see Tia pass him a note with the little boxes where he could mark if he liked her or not. I rolled my eyes at the thought and my wolf let out a snort.

Why does our mate delay? She knows he is intended to be in our circle - best to mark him and begin building the bond.

Wolves could be so primal, their animal sides strong. Human logic rarely made sense to a wolf, although in this case, I had to agree with him. Leo was clearly smitten, and Tia was fighting her dragon nature as the urge to bond with him grew increasingly harder for her to resist. She had already spoken to Luke, Mithraheal, and I about Leo joining our circle, and we had made it very clear that we were all in favor.

We had each spent time talking with Leo, as well as observing him from a distance. He was quiet and spent most of his time focused on his computer. The other wizards rarely noticed him unless they needed help with their own computers or had another target for him to hack. Yet he didn’t seem to notice their dismissive and indifferent attitudes toward him. He worked hard and absorbed himself in his mission.

It was fascinating that a male with no magic had been selected by fate to be a dragon mate. I didn’t care if he was human or a super, I just wondered at fate’s logic. It was believed that fate only chose the strongest of the supernaturals to be dragon mates. Dragons were rare and had been hunted to near extinction. Mates were needed to guard the female during her pregnancies and to help guard the offspring. I didn’t believe that fate made mistakes; Leo was meant to bond with Tia and that was all that mattered .

The morning after Tia bonded with my brother and myself, she had come out of that bedroom stronger. She had sashayed into the room of waiting wizards with the grace of a queen. I had known she was strong, but her confidence had washed over us as her magic probed the room and I had fallen in love all over again. She grew stronger with each day that passed. We feared for her safety in the upcoming confrontation with Draven, but it was clear she was focused and ready.

“I will take Mithraheal with me to Draven’s office,” Tia began. “Luke and Levi will shift and take out the guards. Your men can assist them and watch out for any reinforcements that may arrive. Thanks to Leo, we know Draven’s holding a meeting with the leaders in his organization on Tuesday afternoon, two days from today. We will attack that morning. After Draven is taken down, we need to cut off any outside communications to ensure no one warns the visiting leaders. Once inside the building, we will release gas through the vents to knock them out with a minimum of bloodshed. These men will be powerful, but you must remember that they do not possess the same skills as Draven. This will not be easy, but we will be victorious. Evil will not win.”

Several of the wizards, along with Luke and Damien, whistled and stomped their boots. Her call to war excited our bloodlust. Draven was trying to destroy the balance among supernaturals, and he could not be allowed to continue.

“Your plan is strong, Dragoness!” cried Gregor. “We will proudly follow you into battle! However, I wish to join you and Mithraheal into Draven’s office. I may be of assistance if he tries to use his magic. The three of us will be a formidable force.”

Gregor’s words were heartfelt, and he bowed his head after presenting his request. I focused on Tia’s face and watched as indecision danced across it for a brief moment.

“I will welcome you at my side,” she said.

Her voice had changed; it reverberated with raw power, her energy pulsed around us. Several wizards looked to the ground, unable to maintain eye contact, even at such a small display of her dragon gifts.

I stood, stepping to her side, and watched as Damien, Luke, and Mithraheal did the same. The wizards bent down on one knee, pressing their fists against their hearts in the sign of allegiance.

“Thank you,” Tia whispered.

Her words were soft, but they were sincere. She turned and walked away, heading back toward our level of the cabin. We shook hands and slaps on the backs with the wizards, before going in search of our little mate.

“I can’t believe I’m going to say this,” said Damien, “because we all know the last thing I need is to have to listen to another person getting their freak on in that bedroom, but Tia would be stronger if she bonded with the nerd. She’s already a force to be reckoned with, but if fate has brought her another mate, it will only strengthen her. I know she’s worried about him accepting such a permanent bond without having the chance to know her, but we all know the kid is head-over-heels in love with her.”

Damien was right. I wished Tia and Leo could have the luxury of dating, but right now, I just wanted to take every precaution to keep her safe. I rubbed my aching head.

“We’ve already told her it was fine with us!” Luke added. “We’ve encouraged her to move forward, or at the very least to have an actual conversation with him.”

“I think she’s been wanting a moment away from the other wizards to speak with him,” said Mithraheal. “Elani is close to him all the time, and it sets Tia on edge. She doesn’t want to risk Elani overhearing such a personal conversation.”

I mulled over Mithraheal’s words. I turned toward him and asked: “Can you teleport him to our room tonight after everyone turns in for the night?”

“Yes, I will bring him,” Mithraheal replied. “It’s late, the wizards will prepare for bed soon. Get our mate comfortable. I will bring him shortly, prepare Tia.” He disappeared before anyone could respond.

“I’ll take guard duty tonight,” said Damien. “Your circle needs to be together.” His tone was serious, a stark contrast to his usual playfulness.

Luke and I headed into the house, following the delicious scent of our mate. She lay stretched out across the bed, her long blonde hair damp from showering. I felt my rod stand to attention, and my mouth dried as I took in what she was wearing. Our sexy little mate had grabbed one of the sheer robes that Mithraheal had purchased for her. As she moved, her skin shimmered through the gauzy blue fabric and I realized she had partially shifted. Her adorable ears twitched and her glowing blue eyes danced.

Luke groaned, a sound filled with pain and desire. It was clear what Tia had planned for our evening. I sucked in a deep breath and regretted it instantly. The heady scent of her desire rushed into my lungs. Her dragon nature had been pushing her to claim Leo, and the longer she resisted, the stronger the drive became. We happily did what we could to ease the drive, but it was becoming a struggle, even with three male mates.

She slid toward us on the bed, her gown falling to the side, giving me a teasing glimpse of the bare skin at the apex of her thighs.

I growled, my erection straining against my pants. I forgot everything around us and prepared to pounce on my temptress of a mate.

At that moment Mithraheal popped into the room, his hand on Leo’s shoulder.

“What the—” Mithraheal started, his mouth hanging open. “I know I told you to prepare her for his arrival, but this was not what I meant!”

Tia didn’t seem to hear Mithraheal, her eyes focused on Leo. I couldn’t look away from the vision of perfection she made on our monstrosity of a bed.

“Mine.”

Her vocal cords sounded rough, and her tone promised mind-blowing sex. She eyed him like a predator sizing up their prey. Her tattoos glowed, and when she licked her lips, I caught sight of her fangs.

Oh crap.