Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Colbie
I sleep like the dead. Everything that has happened since I was marked, as well as mating with eight men, has taken its toll. Not even their bickering about who was going to sleep next to me could keep me from falling asleep. They are big boys and could sort it out between them with no input from me.
It’s the feeling that I’m baking in one of my own ovens that finally wakes me. Being surrounded by eight of them has me dripping with sweat. This will be great in winter back in Aramis, but it’s way too freaking warm in Chaos to be dealing with this. I look around the room, and in the filtered light peeking through a curtain over a window, I see an AC vent. Note to self, it goes on every night if we are all in bed together.
I turn my head to the side and find the main culprit. Hunter has one arm thrown over my waist, his body pressed against my side, and he is snoring softly, smoke drifting out of his nostrils every now and again. His skin is scorching against mine, like his dragon is working overtime to keep me warm. On my other side is another snorer. Liam is a lot louder than Hunter though, and I grimace and pray that I am the first to fall asleep every night, otherwise I may ban them from the room. Goddess, I hope the rest of them don’t snore, but I won’t be able to find that out today, because none of the others are still in bed. I hear voices out in the living area of our suite, and I also hear water running somewhere.
Ugh, a shower to wash off all the sweat would be amazing. I carefully slide out from between the two guys and smirk in amusement when Hunter reaches for me but finds Liam instead and tucks him against his body. Liam is so deeply asleep he doesn’t even notice. He just mumbles my name and presses a kiss to Hunter’s cheek before snoring again.
As much as I want to stick around and see their reactions when they wake, I want a shower more. When I get into the bathroom, I find Brodie singing quietly under his breath as he runs a loofah all over his body. I lean against the wall and watch for a moment, admiring his form, which I really didn’t get a good look at originally. Brodie is not quite as covered in muscles as Micah, Hunter, and Gryffin, nor is he as sleek as Gem or Titus. He has a very similar build to Nox—wide shoulders, a tapered waist, like a swimmer, and an eight pack on his stomach. When my gaze drops lower, I find his hand wrapped around his sizable cock, stroking it languidly. When I bring my eyes up, I find he’s watching me with a smirk on his lips.
“See something you like?” he asks, and I strip off my tank and underwear and stalk toward him, desperate to get my mouth on him, but his eyes widen in panic, and he holds his hands up.
“No, no. Shit, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the others will kill me if we start anything, because if we do, my wolf won’t stop until you smell thoroughly of us.”
I shrug, taking a step closer. “I’m okay with that.”
He yelps as he steps backward and his back hits the cold tiles. “No. Unfortunately we have too much going on this morning.” He pouts before stepping around me, giving me a wide berth and getting out of the shower. He grabs a towel, swiftly drying off his body. “I need a goddess damn medal for my restraint,” he mutters. “Wash up and come out to the living area. Nox, Titus, and Gem are all waiting to work with you on their respective shifts, and there is some breakfast on the table. My job is to wake the sleeping beauties and get them ready to leave. We can work on your wolf shift when we return to Aramis. It doesn’t need as much open space as the other three.”
“Fine,” I grumble, and my creatures roll in complaint, but I do as he instructs. Washing my hair and body, I enjoy the warm water rushing over me, but I don’t take too long, and when I get out, I find a watch uniform on the counter for me. I didn’t even hear anyone come in and leave it.
When I emerge from the bathroom, the bedroom is empty, so I follow the voices out to the living area and find everyone having breakfast. Gryffin hands me a mug of coffee and gestures for me to take a seat at the table. I give each of my mates a quick kiss on the way past, and when I sit, my skin buzzes like there is a swarm of bees sitting beneath the surface.
“Whoa,” I mutter, rubbing my arms.
“Your power is astronomical,” Titus observes. “Now that all bonds are sealed, it may take a little while for you to get used to it, but eventually, you won’t even notice anymore.”
“I never knew it would be like this,” Gem murmurs. The fire in his eyes is bright today. In fact, all of them seem to be buzzing with their own aura of power.
“I don’t think it ever has been before,” Gryffin muses. “Dad and my moms certainly never felt like she does.”
“It’s the mate bond. I’m not sure anyone else will feel what we feel.” Micah passes me a plate of pastries, and I take a couple, smiling my thanks.
“Make sure you eat plenty. Shifting frequently burns through calories.” Nox adds a couple more to my plate before taking some for himself. My heart wants to burst out of my chest at all the careful care they are giving me.
“Are you ready to shift?” I ask him, assuming this might be a sore subject for him.
He blanches, and his gaze flitters around the others before resting on me.
“I was always teased for being a pink pegasus, but I did shift and fly here. It was nighttime, and I wasn’t risking running into any ferals in the rift before the tunnel. It was so nice to fly again. I’m looking forward to joining you in the sky,” he admits.
“There is nothing better,” Hunter rumbles. “I will join the three of you to keep watch as you practice.”
“That would be great, then Nox and I can concentrate on Colbie while you keep a lookout for anyone who might show a little too much interest in us. I’m sure there are quite a number of beings who can fly in Chaos Kingdom,” Gem agrees, looking at Titus for his thoughts.
“There are, but I doubt any of them will be brave enough to bother us if we’re escorted by both a dragon and a phoenix. If I remember correctly, pegasus are quite lethal as well. Control of lightning, am I right?” Titus asks Nox, who nods, his cheeks turning a little pink.
“Yeah, control of all weather really, and I can cast illusions, which isn’t very helpful.” All of us hear the self-doubt that I’m sure has plagued him for years. It’s something I’m familiar with, my mother’s passive-aggressive tendencies causing the same mental and emotional damage to me.
“Like hell it isn’t. You will be a major asset. Imagine being able to show our enemies one thing when we are really doing something else,” Micah argues.
“Not to mention getting my sisters off my back when they are nagging me. You can help me escape and leave them arguing with an illusion of me.” Gryffin chuckles at the idea. I plan on staying far away from that one. I’m not getting caught in the cross fire.
“I’m sorry,” Nox blurts out, and we all frown.
“For what?” Brodie asks, taking a sip of his coffee.
“For not searching you out in the first place. I should have trusted the goddess. I shouldn’t have assumed the worst, and I should have put my faith in the team I had been blessed with.”
The guys all murmur words of reassurance, and I smile, feeling all warm and tingly. “I love my new family so much.” They freeze and stare at me with wide-eyed shock. “What?” I ask, patting at my hair and wiping my mouth. “Do I have something on my face?”
“You said you love us,” Liam replies, smiling broadly.
“Well, duh, of course I do.”
“We love you too, cookie,” Gryffin tells me, his eyes glassy with emotion.
“We sure do. Now how about you get your cute ass moving, and we can do some flying on this beautiful morning?” Titus looks happy. I haven’t seen him look quite this way since I met him. Shit, was that only yesterday? Is a side effect of the mate bond the feeling of having known them all your life? Until now, I’ve only seen the slightly sarcastic, stoic assassin version of him, as well as the sexy, seductive, lusty version, which I’m kind of partial to, but this is nice as well.
I drink my coffee and scarf my pastries down before standing up. “Are you coming?” I ask the non-flyers, but they shake their heads.
“No, we’re going to go hang out with your dad for a little while. He said he has some intel on the humans in the various zones we should investigate as being involved with the conspiracy. He’s had his assassins keeping tabs on the wealthy and influential as well as some of the politicians. He has some files on the more likely suspects, ones who have been openly verbal of their disdain for supernaturals,” Micah explains.
“That sounds like a good use of time. Stall the goddess if she arrives before we get back. If Colbie can get a handle on her physical shifts, we can work on her ability to use the forms’ magical properties at another time,” Titus tells them.
I make my way to the front door, preparing to leave, but he calls me back. “Colbie, we aren’t going that way,” he tells me, holding out his hand and gesturing to the others to move closer. “Everyone needs to touch me.”
“No, no way.” Nox steps back, realizing what’s about to happen before I put two and two together. “We are not doing it your way. We have two perfectly good legs to get us from point A to point B.”
“I’m with Nox. I don’t need to puke up everything I just ate,” I protest.
Titus pays no attention to me, and both Hunter and Gem look excited at the chance to sift.
“We are moving halfway across the kingdom to a desert oasis that’s out of the way. The king has a getaway place, and there will be no one around to observe us, but it’s inaccessible by vehicle, and it would take too long to walk,” he explains impatiently.
“We can all fly. How about we do that? Colbie can ride on Hunter or me.” I perk up at Nox’s suggestion. I would love to ride his pegasus, but Hunter shakes his head, grinning with glee.
“Nope, that would take too long as well. Come on, let’s do this. Time is wasting.” He happily places a hand on Titus’s shoulder, and Gem does as well. I grimace and exchange a wary look with Nox.
“If you’re going to puke, do it on his feet,” I tell him, pointing at Titus. “He deserves it.” I reluctantly take his hand, and Nox takes the other one, and without waiting for either of us to breathe, let alone say another word, we move. That same rolling stomach feeling that is disorienting and nausea inducing hits me, and when we reappear, I slap a hand over my mouth and breathe deeply through my nose, trying to keep my breakfast down.
“Ugh,” Nox groans, clasping his head. I hear both Gem and Hunter groan as well.
“Shit, you could have warned us,” the phoenix complains, looking paler, the flames in his eyes dull.
“Why do you think we objected?” I retort, taking another deep breath, waiting for the vertigo to ease.
“I thought you were exaggerating. Let’s not do that again.” Hunter looks slightly green as I turn to see where Titus brought us.
“You’ll get used to it eventually,” he assures us as I look around.
We are standing next to a tropical oasis of palm trees with a brilliant, ripple free, mirror-like pool nestled between them. On one side of the pool is a small, elegant tent-like structure, which I’m assuming is my father’s accommodations when he comes here to stay. Beyond the sanctuary is nothing but golden sandy desert. Sand dunes break up the expanse, making it impossible to see beyond them, but there’s no sign of life.
“This is but only one of a few oases that allow navigation of this desert. You could wander for days and not stumble across one, which makes traveling it unwise. That and ward protection set up by the goddesses when they helped the first king create the kingdom is how we’ve managed to stay off the humans’ radars,” Titus explains, allowing us to get our bearings.
“Right, well, we have no time to waste. Let’s start working on shifting. You have three forms to get through today,” Gem tells me. “Let’s start with mine. Like the dragon and your hydra, I can adjust the size of my phoenix to suit my needs and environment. We will work in a smaller form today so you aren’t too tired to work on the other forms.”
“Size matters?” I ask him, and he smirks, and the other three chuckle like schoolboys. I roll my eyes at their behavior. “I mean, which size I choose will affect how exhausted I am?” Again, they snicker at my comment.
“To begin with, yes, but as you get used to shifting and make sure you are filling your reserves sufficiently, you will adjust and size won’t matter,” Nox explains. “Why do you think shifters eat so much?”
“Is that why there is always a buffet available at the palace? Because you all eat so much? I thought it was a royalty indulging in excess thing,” I ask, and Hunter nods.
“Yes, we all have voracious appetites.” He pauses, and his eyes heat. “For everything.” I hear the suggestion in his voice. Well, that explains why I’m constantly needy. I guess this is my new state of being now. Luckily I have eight mates to take care of those needs.
“Okay, so feel for the fire inside your soul,” Gem tells me. I close my eyes and search for my inner creatures. It’s freaking crowded inside my mind, but I am easily able to distinguish between each of my forms. They are all different to a certain degree. My mer form has the slightly salty taste of brine as well as feeling cold, whereas my hydra has the same cold sensation but feels like freshwater and has the bitter taste of acid. I find the one that radiates heat. There are two, but my dragon form has a slithery, reptilian feel and is a slow burning heat, whereas the phoenix is an out of control wildfire with the rush of wind from its wings.
“Got it,” I tell them.
“Pull it forward,” Gem instructs quietly.
I sink into the power, handing control over to that blazing inferno, and it explodes forward like it’s been waiting patiently for this exact moment. My own consciousness takes a back seat, though I share their eyesight as we shoot into the sky, a piercing scream leaving our beak. I lose track of time as I dive and glide on the eddies of wind. My vision is so sharp, I catch sight of small, scurrying creatures that move in a rocky outcrop jutting up out of the desert a small distance from the oasis.
Did you know the Chaos Kingdom is known for its precious gems? Those rocky outcrops are entrances to mines all over the kingdom, and it’s where the kingdom gets its wealth , Gem says in my head, his own phoenix keeping pace with mine, our wings occasionally brushing.
But where are the miners? I swoop down to take a closer look, Gem on my tail.
Off to the side, I spy Hunter’s purple dragon flying parallel to us, and on the opposite side is a magnificent pink pegasus. He’s breathtaking, with a huge wingspan and a lush, full mane and tail that flutters around him. I don’t see Titus, but I have no idea if his wings would be able to keep up with us. They look elegant but flimsy, and I have no idea how they would hold his body aloft, let alone move speedily.
Possibly underground working, or maybe this mine isn’t being harvested at the moment. Loki told us he has the workers sifted in and out every day by fae hybrids. You’ve done well, baby. Let’s return, and you can try one of the other forms now.
I do as he says and spend some time in both my pegasus and fairy forms. My wings are smaller than Titus’s, and they are purple, silver, and black. They are so freaking pretty. He said mine are smaller because that’s the normal size of fairy shifter wings. His are larger because of his fae heritage, but not as big as full fae wings. Flying as a fairy is way harder than as a pegasus or phoenix. I crash a couple of times, have bruises all over my body, and am bone tired by the time they call a halt to the session.
We head back to the castle, and Titus takes us straight to our room where I have another shower and change into a dress that someone laid out for me. We reconvene in my father’s living space for lunch. The goddess taps her foot impatiently as I devour the meal. I know she wanted to go this morning, but what I did was important. I feel so much more confident in my abilities now, and I’m in tune with my creatures. None of the other kings and queens ever had to contend with multiple animals, so I think everyone needs to cut me a little slack.
“I sent a message to my parents this morning,” Gryffin tells me as I’m finishing up. “They are preparing for a coronation, but they said it will take time to invite everyone who needs to be there. They suggested we put it off for another few days.”
“Nonsense. No one needs to be there, but we need her crowned today,” Aramis argues, her face showing signs of stress. Her mouth is pinched, and her eyebrows are turned in. She is obviously worried about something. “As long as there are shifters to witness it, it doesn’t matter about any of the other kingdoms.”
“Because that’s how I want to start my rule, by insulting the other royals,” I say dryly, taking a sip of wine my father produced for me.
“It won’t matter, because none of them will be ruling alongside you,” she argues, and I guess she has a point.
“What about tomorrow? I’m pretty tired after this morning. That will give Lucas and the queens a chance to put something together we all might be happy with,” I suggest, trying for a compromise, and she gives in with a reluctant nod.
“Fine, but I want you crowned by sunrise tomorrow. Make sure Lucas and his queens know this. I will see you then.” She disappears in a flash, and I grimace.
“Not sure I’m winning any allies at the moment,” I grumble.
“She will be fine. She’s not used to having to compromise, and she’s definitely not used to someone saying no,” my father explains. “But good for you for standing up for yourself. Don’t become a slave to their whims like I was.”
“Will you be coming to my coronation?” I ask him, and he winces.
“I want to be there more than anything, but I am worried I will run into your mother.”
“Shit, I hadn’t even thought of her. Do you think your moms and dad will invite her?” I look at my tiger who grimaces.
“I don’t think they want to, but it might cause more issues if we don’t.”
I sigh but nod my agreement. “Okay, but I’m warning all of you, she will get handsy and probably try to seduce all of you.”
Liam doesn’t look surprised by my words, since he’s already experienced her delightful ways.
“She already tried,” Brodie says gruffly. “When we escorted her back to the neutral zone, she offered us sex in exchange for us to look the other way and let her go.”
I gape at him, hurt beyond comprehension that my mother would stoop so low, and that was when she didn’t even know they were my mates.
“She will be worse now that you are my mates. It will be a game to her,” I tell them quietly. “It isn’t something she hasn’t tried in the past and succeeded in.”
I feel their sympathy for me and disgust for my mother inside my chest, and it aches but also reassures me that they have no intention of falling for her games.
“Maybe they won’t be able to find her,” Gem says hopefully, but I’m probably not that lucky.