Unexpected Mate (Dragon Goddess #2)

Chapter Seven

I watched desire fill Levi’s face as he entered our bedroom, and Luke’s expression mirrored his brother’s. I felt my lips curve into a wicked smile. They were mere moments away from ripping this silly little robe off my body when I realized that someone was teleporting into our room. My body was already on edge from my continued refusal to claim Leo, but the knowledge that someone was teleporting into my personal chambers made adrenaline pump through my veins. It created a dangerous combination of desire and the need to defend my nest. If it was Mithraheal, I would likely rip his perfectly tailored suit off the moment he materialized. If it was an intruder, he would be on the ground taking a long nap before he had the chance to speak.

It was worse. Mithraheal appeared, his hand gripping Leo’s shoulder. At the sight of my four unearthly beautiful mates, in my bedroom, with no outsiders, I could barely take in a breath. Passionate desire spread like a wildfire inside me; my body burned and I struggled to think. I wanted to touch these men, to feel their hands and lips press against my skin.

I looked back at Leo and felt myself moving toward him on the bed. His pupils dilated and his breathing was as ragged as my own. He wanted me. The restraints I had wrapped around my dragon to delay claiming him snapped. He was mine, and I was his. Fate had made it so. The blue gown clung to my skin as a fine sheen of perspiration slicked my shimmering body. My fangs dropped, and the need inside me beat out a chaotic rhythm worthy of a rock concert.

“Mine.” I wouldn’t be able to stop myself this time.

Shock registered on Leo’s face as he realized I was speaking to him. I rose from the bed and made my way over to him. The shock disappeared, only to be replaced by a look of longing. His eyes had always held a depth of sadness that called to my soul, but his look of longing to be accepted and loved, that was so obvious now, nearly broke me. By delaying the claim in order to give him time, had I just prolonged his pain and added more hurt?

I pressed my body against his, relishing the feel of his heat radiating into my skin. Sliding my hands around his neck, I sunk my fingers into his thick hair. Moving to my tiptoes, I pressed my lips to the corner of his mouth, giving him a chance to turn his head away if he didn’t want this. Instead, he moved his hands to my waist, I assumed to pull me tighter against him, but instead he paused for a moment as he realized his hands had slid under the partially open robe. He was touching my burning bare skin.

I moaned at the pleasure of the simple touch, and that was all the encouragement he needed. His hands slid confidently under the robe and his palms flattened against my back. His arms were like steel bars as they tightened, forcing us even closer. The rough material of his jeans and shirt created friction against my flushed skin, and another wave of heat went straight to the aching apex of my thighs.

Turning his head, he deepened the kiss, his tongue delving into my mouth to dance against my tongue. His palms slid up my back until they were on my sides, and his thumbs brushed the sides of my breasts. Goosebumps pebbled my skin, and I nearly wept at the sensations overwhelming every part of me.

“Mine,” I whispered against his lips, although this time it sounded almost like a question, rather than the assertive statement it had been before.

“Yours.” He spoke softly, but with confidence.

My dragon nature was ready to bite him and make him mine on the spot, but my human side still needed reassurance.

“Are you sure?” I asked. “I am dangerous, Leo. This claim is forever. Dragons are difficult to live with.”

He pulled his lips away from where he had been sucking and kissing his way up my neck. His joyful laughter filled the room, startling everyone.

“Darling, I would follow you off the side of a volcano if you asked it of me,” he replied. “I was a little slow in realizing that we were fated mates; after all, it isn’t something that happens very often to wizards, let alone a nadir. But I was already in love with you before I figured out what was causing the pull. It is a great honor to be taken as a mate, and to be a dragon’s mate is a rare gift. I am not powerful. I am not worthy to be claimed by you. It would be wise for you to reject this bond and find a more powerful mate for your circle who can protect you and your nest.”

I choked out a pained cry. He was not rejecting me because he didn’t want me; he wanted me protected and didn’t believe he was good enough to be a dragon’s mate. I had observed him and knew he wasn’t simply smart. The man was a genius. He had not crumbled under the cool treatment of the wizards, instead he worked hard. He was a powerful man in his own right, whether or not he possessed magic.

Tears slid down my face as I cried. He deserved so much and had received so very little in his life. A gasp escaped me as I was suddenly lifted off my feet and cradled against him like a doll before moving to sit on the end of the bed.

“Don’t cry, I understand the struggle you must be going through,” Leo whispered gently. “Your heart says to claim me, but your mind knows I am not a wise choice as a dragon’s mate. I will leave soon, and the pull will ease for you, but please don’t let my last private moments with you be filled with tears.” His thumb wiped at the tears still staining my face.

I heard Luke mumble, “What an idiot.” Levi and Mithraheal snorted their agreement.

“Leo, stop,” I said through my tears. “I’m crying because you are incredible, and you don’t see it. I wanted to claim you from the moment you arrived. I fought the urge to claim you, only because I wanted to allow you the time to decide if this bond was what you wanted: instead it has made you believe that I had second thoughts. You are mine, and unless you do not want me, I wish to claim you. Now.”

He was motionless, his body as stiff as a statue as he studied my face. As I waited for his answer, his hard erection pressed against my butt; the heat felt good as it burned against my skin. I bit my lip to stifle a moan while my control began slipping.

“If you do not want to be claimed, you need to leave immediately. I’m not going to be able to maintain my hold on my dragon nature much longer.” I spoke my words through clenched teeth. Leo had no more than a minute before the last chains of my control snapped.

“Darling, I am never leaving,” he said. “You are mine, forever.”

Relief flooded me, and I turned to straddle him. We kissed as though our very lives depended on it and only stopped when we desperately needed to take in air.

“As sensual and enjoyable as this has been to watch, I believe this is where we will excuse ourselves and give you two privacy to form the bond.”

I turned around to face my three bonded, now straddling Leo in reverse, and took in their uneven breathing. All three had dilated pupils, but while the twins’ eyes glowed an otherworldly green, Mithraheal’s were blood red. My vampire stood stiff as a soldier at attention, but my naughty twins were less self-conscious. They continued slowly stroking their hardened erections, the shape clearly visible through their low slung jogging pants.

“No.”

Leo’s single word was sharp, and we all turned to look at him.

“I am a nadir,” he said. “I’ve been overlooked, often even ignored among my kind. They have always seen me as nothing within the community; not worth a second glance, born to work without complaint, in order to make lives easier for the special ones gifted with magic. You have all gone out of your way to include me in conversations, to acknowledge me. These are small things to you, but everything to me. Working in your home is the first time I have been treated with respect, as an equal. Are you guys truly okay with having me in Tia’s circle?”

Without hesitation, my bonded spoke their agreement, and from behind me I could feel the remaining tension drain from Leo’s taut body.

“Then I wish for you all to remain present while Tia and I claim each other, as long as she is comfortable with that,” Leo added. “I am tired of being invisible.”

His words were barely above a whisper as he finished. Tears pricked my eyes for a moment. I looked at each of my bonded to ensure they were okay with this; Mithraheal and Luke nodded, but Levi gave me a devilish wink. I had learned all my bonded enjoyed watching. Kinky freaks.

“If that is your wish, I am happy to have them stay.”

The second those words left my lips, Leo’s hands gripped my hips and ground me down against his burning member. I moaned, arching my back into him. His warm mouth settled on my shoulder and he sucked gently as he rolled his hips against my throbbing center. I felt his teeth graze my skin. I was burning alive, slick with the need that had now soaked his pants where he was grinding against my sensitive folds.

Through lust-clouded vision, I watched as my men removed their shirts and spread around the room, relaxing in chairs or on the floor, unabashedly stroking themselves as they watched Leo explore my body. It was going to be a very, very long night. I nearly startled when Beasty spoke up.

Now this is what I’m talking about! Let’s do some squat thrusts in this incredible cucumber patch!