Chapter 15
Kaylee
“Dragons are a thing. And my two best friends are mated-slash-married to them. Porter is a dragon.” I burst out laughing. This was insane. What were the odds?
I’d freaked out at first, because, well, who wouldn’t?
Once I woke up in Jace’s living room with half the people I knew staring at me like I’d been the one to do something crazy, I sat up and made them explain.
Dragons. All the guys were dragons. And all the girls were humans, and they knew about the guys and most of the town was involved with the dragons somehow.
Of course. It was some huge conspiracy theory that I’d known nothing about. “What are the odds?”
I chortled to hide my absolute horror at the whole situation. Why was I the last to know? How was this even possible? My best friends. And Porter!
Sammy wouldn’t stop staring at me, either. “What?” I asked. “Are you a dragon too?”
She shook her head and grinned. “No.”
“That’s good.” At least it wasn’t everyone.
Arching an eyebrow at me, she gave me a half-smile. “Is it? You shouldn’t have been able to see the dragons. I’ve got a ward up out there that makes sure that non-magical folk, the humans, are none the wiser. But somehow, you did.”
“Humans? So, the dragon shifters aren’t human? You’re not human? What are you?”
Sammy waved her hand and a black pointed hat with a wide brim appeared on her head for a few seconds, then disappeared again.
A witch. Well. Okay, then.
“Somehow, Kaylee, you’re also special, though I don't think you have the first clue about it. I need to ask you some questions, will that be okay?” She was treating me like I was going to freak out at any moment, but to be fair, I kind of felt like I would.
“I’m not anything special,” I whispered. “Just plain Kaylee.” Was this why Porter had asked me what I was instead of who I was?
“I assure you, that’s not true. There’s nothing plain about you. What do you know about your parents?”
I furrowed my brow. “What does it matter? They aren’t in my life.”
“Is your mother also blonde like you?” Sammy leaned forward and her gaze raked over my light hair.
“I don't see what that matters, but yeah, she is. Or was.” I scooted back and pulled my legs up, ignoring the rudeness of putting my feet on Skye’s sofa. I didn’t care, I’d buy her a new one. Right now, I felt more vulnerable than I had in a very long time.
Sammy adjusted in the chair across from me and crossed her legs while everyone else stared on, including Porter. “Have you ever experienced things you couldn’t explain? Things that might seem fantastical or insane?”
“I’m not sure what that means,” I replied as my gaze darted from one friend to another. Their expressions mixed from concerned to full-out worry to speculative.
“The magic is always stronger when they are younger.” Sammy waved her hand. “Remember anything?”
“Magic?” I whispered, then strengthened my voice. “What in the hell are you talking about?”
“You’ve got pixie magic in you,” Sammy said. “That’s why you were able to see the dragons past my wards.”
I burst out laughing at her ludicrous statement. But as I shifted my gaze around to look at my friends, I realized I was the only one laughing.
“Everything you’re experiencing is real,” the little witch said. “And the fact that you have magic in you means I can’t erase what you’ve seen.”
The laughter died in my throat. “Erase?” I asked. “You’d do that?”
Sammy nodded solemnly. “If a human finds out about this, ninety-nine percent of the time, we have to remove that exposure from their memories. It’s necessary for our survival and the survival of the various magical species of the world.”
“Give her a break,” Porter said in a rough voice. He looked pissed. “Let her absorb some of this.”
He stood near the door and hadn’t taken his eyes off of me. Somehow, he looked ready to jump into action, as though I might bolt, and he’d have to catch me. Was I being held here?
No. Surely not.
Besides, I didn’t feel the need to flee.
As absolutely fucking outrageous as all this was, I trusted Skye and Bri completely, even if I did have a bone to pick with them about keeping secrets.
They’d never let me be hurt in this. But still, this was confusing as hell, and damn hard to believe at all.
“Give me a moment with Kaylee,” Porter said. “Please.”
He looked at me for permission. I nodded once, and everyone else filed out the front door. Sammy winked at me as she shut it behind her.
Porter walked toward me slowly and settled into the chair that Sammy had vacated. “I have a lot to tell you, and I’m not really sure where to start.”
What sort of secrets could he possibly have been keeping from me? I’d only known him a few weeks. “Okay,” I said guardedly.
“So, all sorts of supernatural creatures exist. Stuff you’ve never dreamed could be possible, including many, many different types of shifters, different Fae, witches and warlocks, and more.”
I blinked and tried not to look totally floored, but I was completely overwhelmed. I didn’t really pull off the look, judging by Porter’s pinched eyes and pursed lips.
“Dragons, and I’m pretty sure other shifters, have what’s called fated mates.
” He sucked in a deep breath. “It’s magical and special, and if a dragon has a fated mate, this tattoo shows up on his arm.
” He pulled his sleeve back and showed me a tattoo on his arm with a dragon twined around a trinity symbol. “That’s mine.”
“You have a fated mate?” I asked. Could he mean me? That wasn’t possible.
“No.”
Oh, why did my heart clench so hard when he said that? I couldn’t have wanted it to be me.
“I do have a chosen mate.” He sucked in a deep breath.
“Oh,” I whispered. “What’s the difference?”
“A chosen mate is what it sounds like. When a man and his dragon, who are the same and yet slightly different, which is impossible to explain without sounding nuts, both fall for a woman, she becomes his chosen mate.” He smiled encouragingly.
“And from that point, it’s a lot like being a fated mate.
Tattoo, overwhelming urge to protect her, insane sexual attraction. ”
As he said the word sexual, a surge of desire pounded through me. I was his chosen mate. I knew it before he said the words. “You chose me?”
His grin widened. “I did. And as soon as I knew it for sure, my tattoo burned like a son of a bitch.” He showed me again. The tattoo looked darker this time, but that didn’t quite seem possible. “I knew something about you didn’t feel normal. Not wrong, but different.”
“Am I different?” I asked, nervous. What if something was wrong with me?
“Turns out Sammy found traces of pixie DNA inside you. You’re a magical creature, though heavily diluted.” He looked like he was bracing for impact, with the corners of his lips downturned and his eyebrows furrowed.
But I wasn’t going to explode. It felt too right, too settling to think about being part pixie. “Okay,” I whispered. “This is all very… insane.” Everything that was out there with most people being totally ignorant was terrifying.
I sat for a minute and thought about it. What would this mean for me going forward? Maybe I had cousins out there that could tell me more about being a pixie. I had to admit that it would be so cool to develop some magical powers like Sammy. Maybe do a little witchy spell or something.
“Are you okay?” Porter asked.
I shrugged. “Kind of. I’m not as upset as I think maybe I should be?” I chuckled nervously. “I’m processing.”
“Well, you’re doing a good job of it,” he joked.
Glaring at him, I decided to find out more about him and the dragons. But my dirty look only made him smile harder. “I can’t believe you’re a dragon,” I said in a low voice. “It’s just so insane.”
He spread his hands. “Do you have questions? I’ll tell you anything.”
“I have a bunch. Why do you keep talking about dragons as if they’re all male? Don’t you have females?” I wasn’t much interested in some paternal society whatsoever.
Porter blinked several times. “Oh, no. Sorry. We have plenty of female dragons. A dragon can only be made by birth, and until very recently, a dragon mating with a human, fated or chosen, was so rare we all thought it was impossible.”
“But Skye and Bri?” I asked.
He chuckled and threw his head back. “Yeah, Anthony started it all. Skye is his fated mate and Bri is Jace’s. And you are my chosen mate.”
I skipped over that tidbit for now. It was enough to think about all this stuff. “Does it hurt?”
Porter stopped and sat back. “Uh, does what hurt?”
“Does it hurt when you shift?” I asked.
“Oh, no. It can and sometimes does, but most clan witches have the ability to take the pain away and make it a quick, simple process.”
I breathed deep and nodded. “That’s cool. Okay. Um.” My mind buzzed with information. I’d processed so much. “You said you can’t change others into dragons. What about your kids? Will they be dragons?”
He nodded. “Yes, we are sure now. The twins confirmed it. They’re dragons.”
As much as I was dumbfounded and bewildered, things made so much more sense. Now I knew why the town had a cult, and this was probably why I had such an enigmatic personality. Everybody loved me.
Except my parents. They’d loved their addictions more.
Skye and Bri became a little more distant when they got serious with Anthony and Jace.
Not to be mean or hurt people but because their secrets along with their men and families would be revealed if I dug too deep.
It hurt, made me a little sad that they couldn’t trust me with their secrets, but I wanted to be understanding.
I wouldn’t be able to tell anyone, either.
The mate thing was sticking with me. “Is the mate thing what happened with Skye and Bri?”
“I think so, yes. They would’ve had to distance themselves at least a little.”
“I suspect I’ll be wanting a more detailed chat with my ladies,” I said darkly. “I need specifics.”
Porter laughed. “I suspect you are correct.”
“One thing I know is that I’m completely safe. That you’d never allow anyone to hurt me. I feel that down to my bones.”
He leaned in, scooting to the edge of the chair and pressed his lips to mine. It was sweet and gentle and set my blood on fire. “I’ve waited a long time to do that. This wasn’t how I expected it to happen, but—”
I didn’t let him finish. Instead, I moved closer and kissed him back with everything I had. It reminded me that I wasn’t dreaming, and this was all very real.
When I finally came up for air, Porter stood, brushing his knuckles along my jawline. “I’ll be outside if you need me.”
He walked out and as soon as he opened the door, Skye and Bri rushed inside.
“You didn’t trust me,” I said accusingly before they could open their mouths. “And that hurts.”
“I’m so sorry,” Bri said.
At the same time, Skye’s face crumpled, and she began to cry. “We wanted to. So much.”
Skye’s likely hormonal reaction broke my heart. I jumped up and wrapped my arms around her. “No, you can’t cry. I’m not really mad. I just had to give you a hard time.”
She sniffled and wiped her eyes. “We really did want to tell you.”
Bri nodded in earnest.
“It’s okay. Forgiven. But I have one question.” I nodded toward the couch and they both sat. I pulled the chair close and crossed my legs to look them in the eyes. “What is sex with a dragon like?”