Chapter 4
Skye slid off Oldrik’s back with a sigh of relief. The challenge of staying close enough to two dragons for the mating bond to not hurt her was almost impossible. Combine two alpha creatures with big wings and force them to cooperate and the result would either be dangerous or inventive.
Skye rushed forward to wrap her arms around his waist as soon as he’d shifted to human form. Thank you for flying above, Ardon. She had picked up on Ardon’s natural hesitation to expose his belly so closely to another dragon. He had made himself vulnerable for her.
My pleasure, My Treasure, Ardon growled.
She could feel need radiating from both shifters. It resonated inside her. Skye had always drawn male attention. Completely aware of her flaws, she attributed it on her lithe shape and unusually vivid blue eyes. Mentally, Skye shook her head. She couldn’t blame everything on her appearance. Skye frequently reacted differently than others expected. That had intrigued some as well, for she presented a challenge.
“Stop it, Blueberry,” Oldrik commanded, his deep voice giving his words more power.
“Blueberry?” she repeated, distracted from her previous thoughts.
“Blue is the finest color, of course. Berries are a sweet treat. You are both.”
“Your favorite treat?” she asked.
“Exactly.” Oldrik took her hand. “Let me show you and Blunze your new home.”
“And Ardon?”
“Of course. Ardon will live here as well. We are a triad.”
Until I die. She hadn’t been able to say that out loud. Too much emotion dwelled in that statement.
“My Treasure, each of our lives could vanish in a flash. Do we want to spend our existence bemoaning our fate, or shall we revel in the time we have together?” Ardon asked.
You keep referring to me as treasure. Is that how you see me?
“Dragons are picky about the valuables they keep close. Only the most precious items in their collection become a favorite. Of those, one outshines the rest.”
You think I shine?
“With more brilliance and depth than the sun and the moon.”
The firm belief that rang from his words resonated inside her. She wasn’t something to be conquered because she was different. She mattered to him.
Skye checked in with Oldrik, who quietly observed the exchange. His expression alone told her he agreed one hundred percent with Ardon’s convictions. Emotions overwhelmed her. She dipped her head, trying to hide the tears that gathered in her eyes.
“Blueberry, would you like to see what I thought could be your room? You’ll have to excuse me for not having it prepared before your arrival. I was not expecting to celebrate my new mate.”
She peeked up at him. His face was concerned but calm. He wasn’t upset with her for losing control of her emotions. While others found this uncomfortable, he accepted her unconditionally. Oldrik smiled at her and squeezed the fingers he still held. Skye nodded to answer his question and extended a hand to Ardon. Together, they walked up the carved stone steps.
The door opened before they could reach it, and a well-dressed man answered, “Sir Oldrik. Welcome home. Should I bring some refreshments for your guests?”
“Tierney, these two aren’t guests. This is Skye, our new mate,” Oldrik announced.
“Our mate? Like fated to you both?” the man repeated.
“Our mate, indeed,” Ardon assured him. “Good afternoon, Tierney.”
“Sir Ardon, always a pleasure. And Miss Skye, it is a delight to meet you. I am here to serve you.”
Staring around the gorgeous reception area, Skye took everything in. Sensing everyone’s gaze on her, Skye smiled at the man, unsure what to say after that gracious greeting.
“Our Skye isn’t a big talker, Tierney. Oldrik and I appreciate you making her feel welcome in her new home,” Ardon told him smoothly.
“I will go gather some nourishment to replenish you after your flight,” Tierney said.
“We’ll meet you in my study after I show Skye around,” Oldrik directed. “Oh, and Tierney would you send someone to notify Skye’s parents of the mating? And pick up a few changes of clothes for her? Tell her parents we’ll come personally to formally introduce ourselves and gather her things once we’re settled."
“Yes, sir.”
He thinks I’m weird.
“I guarantee you he does not. Tierney gets along extremely well with all personality types. And me. He puts up with me,” Oldrik said.
Are you hard to live with? Skye realized he had switched the conversation away from her and onto him.
“You’ll have to tell me. Let me show you my home.”
Oldrik played tour guide through some of his castle, hitting the places Skye would need to find. The dining room and kitchen. The upper hallway and the luxurious guest room.
“I thought this could be a good private place for Ardon. I will instruct the workmen to create a doorway from this chamber into the room next to it. That is your space, Skye. It is also connected to my personal space. Come, let me show you,” Oldrik said.
After studying the dark wood furnishings with gold accents, Skye knew she would sleep well in this welcoming space. But she wasn’t concerned about her comfort. Whirling to face Ardon, Skye asked, “Does this room make you happy?”
Ardon smiled at her. “You are sweet to think of me, My Treasure. Oldrik will allow me to add more bronze hues to personalize it as my own.”
“Of course,” Oldrik agreed.
“It will be close to you. That is the most important thing,” Ardon concluded.
Elated, she turned back to Oldrik. Suddenly, she had hope that this would work. I’d like to see my room .
“Of course.” Oldrik led them down the hall. He opened the next door on that side of the hall and waved Skye inside.
Three steps in, she froze in shock. A wall of windows illuminated the space. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs as she scanned the room. Ardon and Oldrik squeezed around her. The brush of their powerful bodies grounded her.
“I thought you could use this area for a studio. We’ll find a comfortable chair or chaise lounge and place it here by the windows. That door leads to my room. We’ll put another connected to Ardon’s directly across from it. That way we can open the space completely for the three of us.”
“I love this.”
“I guessed you might,” Oldrik teased. “We’ll put a small, protected bed along that wall for you to nap in. It will get the afternoon sun.”
“And yes, you will nap and not sneak out of bed to draw.” Ardon anticipated her unspoken plans.
Skye bristled. “No fair.” The realization that she was dealing with a creature who had more powers than ordinary humans struck her. No reading my mind.
“I will never invade your privacy unless you broadcast a thought. Or there is danger. Then I will use every resource to protect you,” Ardon stated firmly.
One glance at Oldrik told her he wasn’t going to argue with Ardon’s plan. “Fine.”
“I think this would be an excellent place to post your Daddies’ rules to keep you safe,” Oldrik chimed in.
“Rules?”
That word Daddies startled her more, but Skye wasn’t going to address that. A bunch of classmates had taken her to an adult dungeon, and several of the art students attended regularly. LALALALALALALA. Skye sang loudly in her mind to keep the dragons from seeing the image that popped up in her mind. The Littles area had drawn her attention. She’d hidden her fantasies of being brave enough to allow someone to care for her completely. She didn’t trust those friends that much.
“Rules, Blueberry. Let me show you the last room. Tierney will have everything set up for us.” Oldrik walked to the connecting door and opened it.
“A Monet?” she asked, walking forward to stare at the gorgeous panel of waterlilies that spanned one wall.
“Yes. It calms my soul,” Oldrik said. “Let me show you the bathroom.”
Skye walked into the adjacent room and immediately felt grimy. A huge tub called her name. And that shower? It could hold three people easily.
“Shall we shower before our snack? You can soak in the tub all day tomorrow if you’d like,” Ardon suggested, obviously having noted her assessment.
Without waiting for her to decide, Oldrik yanked his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. Ardon followed suit. Trying not to drool at the sight of their heavily muscled chests, Skye moved to strip off the old T-shirt she had put on this morning.
“No, Skye. You must allow us to undress you,” Ardon said, stepping forward to tug the shirt from her hands and pull it over her head.
It shouldn’t have felt different to have him take off her clothing, but it did. Desire pooled in her stomach and then flooded her as Oldrik stepped close behind her to stroke his hands over her shoulders and down her spine. The band of her bra loosened on his path. Oldrik pressed a kiss to her neck and eased the garment’s straps down her arms.
I hate those things.
“Then you will never wear them,” Ardon responded as he caressed her sides before cupping her breasts.
Mom makes me.
“She’s not the boss of you anymore, My Treasure,” Ardon reminded her as he brushed slightly rough thumbs over her nipples. “We are.”
When she shivered in delight, Oldrik bit her lightly on the shoulder, inducing another wiggling reaction. “I believe our mate enjoys a bit of pain with her pleasure, Ardon. She is perfect.” He ran his hands over her lower ribs to her waist from his position behind her. “Beyond perfect.”
Sliding his hands under the waistband of her leggings, he guided them over her hips and down her thighs as he lowered himself to one knee. As if Oldrik and Ardon were communicating mentally in a loop without her, Ardon lowered his hands to her waist and lifted her from the ground so Oldrik could remove her sandals and pants.
When her feet rested back on the slate tile, the brush of Oldrik’s beard on her skin warned her a fraction of a second before he nipped at her round bottom. She bolted forward, slamming directly into Ardon’s hard form. He steadied her but didn’t move an inch as the breath jolted from her lungs.
The contact revealed his response to their play. Unable to believe what she had felt, Skye rubbed her satin-covered mound across his hardening shaft, straining against his fly. A gush of slickness welled from her as her desire skyrocketed. His eyes widened, and his nostrils flared as he captured her scent of arousal. The feeling that she was prey appealed to her on an instinctive basis. Rising onto her tiptoes, Skye wrapped one hand around the back of Ardon’s neck and drew his lips to hers.
Behind her, Oldrik stood and bracketed her between the two of them. His powerful hands cupped her breasts, exploring her soft globes. Skye gasped into Ardon’s mouth when Oldrik rolled her nipples between his rough fingers. The pressure, just short of pain, sent a zing that went straight to her pussy.
“Please,” she begged, turning her head to seek a kiss from Oldrik. She hungered to taste them both. His lips captured hers and demanded everything from her. No random thoughts flashed across her mind. Her brain didn’t have room for anything other than the sensations her mates lavished on her.
The glide of her panties down her thighs only registered as Oldrik lifted his mouth from hers. “Little One, let us make you ours.”
Skye nodded eagerly. “I need you. Both of you,” she told the men. She’d never considered having two lovers at the same time, yet this felt right down to her core.
Oldrik swept her up in his arms and carried her to the bed after Ardon threw the covers down to the footboard. Setting her carefully on the mattress, Oldrik caged her underneath him and kissed her hard and fast before nodding to the side of the bed where Ardon stood. “Watch.”
Unsure what he meant, Skye looked over at Ardon for clarification as Oldrik nibbled an erotic path down her throat. The breath caught in her throat as she saw the massive man undressing. Chiseled muscles flexed in his arms and chest as he unfastened his jeans. His heavy cock burst from the material, making Skye’s mouth water.
She licked her lips, and Ardon groaned. “Temptress.”
She smiled, liking the idea that he was as turned on by her as she was by the visual display Ardon created. Gasping as Oldrik nipped at her breast, Skye struggled to divide her attention between them both. Her thoughts must have revealed her confusion, for Oldrik lifted his head to stare into her eyes.
“Just feel, Blueberry. Pleasure is all you should worry about now. It is your mates’ duty to handle everything else.”
She checked with Ardon to make sure he agreed. He nodded and crawled onto the bed. Oldrik eased away, and Ardon took his place as the other shifter rose to strip off his clothes.
“I claim the first taste,” he told her before kissing a line down the center of her torso and settling between her thighs. Ardon pressed her legs up and apart to display her intimately for his view. “Damn, Oldrik. Our mate is beautiful.”
“Of course she is,” Oldrik answered, drawing her attention to the second strip show of the night. His strong body radiated power and raw masculinity. The smooth play of his muscles reminded her of an erotic dance. The rigid shaft pressing against his fly captivated her. These guys could make a million dollars in Vegas.
Skye laughed at that thought. Reminding her they could read her mind, Oldrik growled, “I’m not wearing a G-string and working a pole, mate.”
Her laughter spilled into the room but was quickly chased away when Ardon licked the seam of her pussy. Skye tangled her fingers in his dark hair. “Do it again.”
“My pleasure, mate,” he said and scooped up more of her slick juices. “Mmm.”
That hum went deep into her core. The vibrations pushed her need higher. “Please,” she repeated, craving something but unsure what that was.
“Ardon will make it better, mate,” Oldrik assured her as he crawled onto the bed. He kissed her lips hard as his hands explored her curves.
Skye struggled to divide her attention as they each tantalized her. One sensation would grab her attention and then another. She gave up trying to attribute different caresses to each of her mates. A climax slammed into her suddenly, making her shake in reaction to the swirling tongue around her clit and the strong pull of her nipple into a hot mouth.
The trio’s skin grew damp from the heat building in the room. Skye pressed her mouth to the chiseled chest in front of her before savoring the salt on his skin. The hot man in front of her shifted to spoon her from behind as Ardon abandoned his play between her legs to kiss a path up her torso. She tasted herself on his mouth and savored her own juices from his lips.
A powerful hand shifted her leg over Ardon’s hip in front of her as Oldrik fit the wide head of his cock at her drenched opening. She gasped as he pushed steadily into her. His thickness stretched her more than any of her small number of previous lovers.
Do not think of them, mate .
She shivered at that growling demand and nodded. As he moved, Skye could only concentrate on the feel of his shaft as it stroked over sensitive spots inside her. Two sets of hands and lips adored her, caressing and tasting her slick skin.
Ardon captured her hands and guided them down his torso. Touch me, Little One.
Curling her fingers around his shaft, Skye pulled from root to tip. Show me what you like, she requested, and that hand wrapped around hers to tighten her grip and hasten the speed. The groan that followed made her repeat the action, loving that she could bring him pleasure.
You feel so good, mate. I could get lost inside you, rumbled into her brain from Oldrik. A hint of his pleasure leaked through their connection, making Skye want more. We’ll explore that later, Precious Mate.
Skye nodded and focused on all the delights buffeting her. Each caress from her shifter mates pushed her desire higher as Oldrik thrust inside her and she teased Ardon with her fingers. Never having a hint that this level of physical and emotional connection was possible, she poured herself in the sensualism of three bodies moving together. A second orgasm followed quickly, and Skye lost track of the pleasure they created together. Their motions quickened.
A pulse of the cock in her caressing hands preceded the feel of Ardon’s seed coating her abdomen and thighs. Skye opened her eyes to find Ardon staring intently at her as pleasure contorted his face. She kissed him hard as she guided his hand over her, rubbing his essence into her skin.
Mate! Ardon sent her overwhelming, possessive thoughts that launched her climax in response.
The roar behind her vibrated the bed underneath them. A tinkle of glass sounded nearby, but Skye didn’t pay any attention as Oldrik plunged deep inside her before bathing her channel with his orgasm. Oldrik held her tight as if he were concerned she would escape.
I’m not going anywhere , she assured him as she turned her head to offer him her lips. His hard kiss was followed by Ardon’s.
Snuggling between the hard bodies that bracketed her, Skye understood her fascination with dragons fully for the first time. Her fingers itched for a pencil and paper. A sharp slap on her bottom jolted that idea out of her mind.
Art later, mate. Sleep now.
Heeding the warning, she laid her head on Ardon’s broad shoulder and followed Oldrik’s command.