Chapter 8
The flight to Khadar’s was easier on all three of the triad. Oldrik could sense a slight easing of the mate bond as they soared through the sky. He could fly next to Ardon instead of on top of him. They circled and landed in the clearing in front of his estate.
Skye slid down from Ardon’s shoulders and stood back, studying them intently as they shifted into human form. It appeared her fascination with dragons would never waver, and Oldrik was good with that. He’d never envisioned sharing a mate with one of his horde.
Dragons were naturally greedy creatures who guarded their possessions fiercely. It surprised him that with Ardon, the triad seemed to mesh well. He attributed that to the time he’d spent with the bronze dragon over the last eons. Oldrik did have to remind himself to focus on Skye’s needs instead of his own.
Once on two feet, Oldrik walked forward to wrap an arm around his mate’s waist. Ardon took a position, standing by her other side to protect her. With the mating bond new, the other dragons would keep their distance from Skye. Dragons could be touchy if another got too close, especially in the beginning.
“Welcome!” Khadar greeted them.
Oldrik could tell Skye recognized the young woman next to him. His mate playfully nudged him, signaling to him she was happy. “We’re close, Blueberry, if you wish to go to her.”
Skye immediately shrugged off her backpack and unzipped it to remove the sketchbook Lalani had given her. Walking forward, she pulled herself into public talking mode as she held out the tablet of paper. “Thank you. There are some sketches inside. I can take them out if you would rather.”
“Oh, no. You keep it. I’d love to see your drawings,” Lalani said. “I’m so glad you came. Can I introduce the other mates to you?”
“Yes, please.”
Lalani turned and waved the others forward. “This is Aurora. She’s Drake’s mate. He’s a gold dragon and the leader of the horde. This lovely lady with the violet eyes is Ciel. She belongs to Argenis, the silver dragon. And I am Khadar’s, the green dragon.”
“Aurora, Ciel, and Lalani. I’ll do my best,” Skye told them. “Oh, I’m Skye.”
“I love your eyes. Mine are just dull brown,” Aurora said with a generous smile that set Skye at ease.
“No way. Yours are very expressive.” Skye noticed everyone’s hair appeared to have recently been cut. Their bangs didn’t poke their eyes and the length was precise and neat. “My Da… My mates tell me you’re a hair stylist.” She reached back to drape her hair over her shoulder. “I have a chunk missing. Could you help?”
“Definitely. I was cutting hair under that tree.” Lalani turned and pointed to a massive oak a short distance away. A stool along with a small table sat in the shade. “Will your Daddies come with us over there? I remember how tight the mate bond was in the beginning.”
“Daddies?” Skye said.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought that’s what you started to say. We all call our mates Daddy by their request. I shouldn’t have assumed that fit for you as well.”
Skye glanced over her shoulder at Ardon, who had joined them. How do I answer that?
“Skye hasn’t gotten perfectly accustomed to our ways. Give her a bit of time to adjust. She probably has some questions you could answer,” Ardon suggested.
“Of course. You should have seen me when I got here. And I was the first new mate in forever. I loved it when Ciel showed up. And then Lalani. We can’t wait to get to know you,” Aurora assured Skye.
“The dragons were hanging out over there in the chairs while I cut hair. Do you think that’s close enough not to cause Skye harm?” Lalani asked.
“We can definitely try it and move the chairs into the shade if needed,” Ardon assured her before addressing Skye. “That is if you’d like to have your hair tidied up a bit?”
Thank you, Daddy.
Of course, My Treasure.
Skye nodded and smiled at Lalani. “Please.”
Oldrik joined them and walked to the tall stool Lalani had commandeered as her hair-trimming chair. He boosted Skye into the seat and kissed her lightly. “We are just over there. Call if you need me.”
Thank you!
Skye held her breath as her mates walked the short distance away. She could feel slight pulls on the bond when they sat in the closest seats. I’m okay.
“You talk to them in your mind?” Ciel guessed.
“I’m not good with words,” Skye confessed.
“I’m going to spray some water on your hair so I can get a straight line, Skye,” Lalani warned before spritzing her tresses.
“Can you communicate mentally with me?” Aurora asked.
Skye tried and found the path blocked. “You’re shielded. I’ve never spoken to anyone mentally before. They’re different.”
“No kidding! None of us woke up and thought technology is going to end, and oh, by the way, you’re now mated to a dragon. Or in your case, two dragons.” Ciel pointed out. “Are you happy?”
Nodding, Skye considered her handsome mates and smiled. They both looked at her to make sure she was okay, as if they knew she was thinking about them. She waved, and they relaxed.
“Are you all?” she asked.
“More than I imagined possible,” Aurora shared. “They tell us fate matches a dragon shifter with one mate each lifetime. I would pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming, but every time I do that, I get spanked.”
Skye’s eyes widened. She hadn’t earned a spanking yet, but her Daddies had mentioned it. “Often?”
“Not anymore. I learned to make wise choices. Argenis usually knows what’s best for me, and he lets me do a lot of things. Just nothing that puts me in danger,” Ciel said.
“All of you?” Skye asked, her gaze jumping to each of the two women in front of her. She didn’t dare turn to stare at Lalani as she was cutting. She’d have another notch out of her hair.
“Me, too,” Lalani chimed in from behind her. “Skye, I’m going to have to take off about nine inches to even everything up. Is that alright?”
“Sure. No one will be able to trap me in the future by my locks,” Skye said casually. For her, hair was simply hair. It grew until her mother made her go get it cut.
Lalani darted around the chair to stare at her. “I’m so sorry. Did that happen on your way here?”
When Skye nodded, Lalani continued, “I’d hug you, but I don’t think you’re ready for that, so I’ll send you an air embrace.” She held her arms out and motioned like she was squeezing Skye from a distance.
To Skye’s surprise, the others repeated the gesture. A warm feeling appeared inside her. These women seemed so sweet and accepting.
“Thank you. I’m a bit odd.” She wanted these women to have a built-in excuse in case they wanted to limit their time with her. It would be easier if they rejected her now than if they pretended to be her friend and shunned her later.
“Pishposh!” Aurora announced. “Haven’t you figured it out? We’re all strange. We’re dragon mates. Rwahr!” She raised her arms like she was flapping wings.
“My friends in the dorm thought I was crazy because I had a dragon stuffie since childhood. And then I got here and both Lalani and Aurora had one,” Ciel announced.
Skye ran her fingers over the straps of her backpack she still wore.
“Could you take that off?” Lalani asked quietly. “I figured something important was inside.”
Skye stripped the backpack from her shoulders and took a big breath, gathering her courage. Opening the zipper, she drew Blunze out. The women oohed and aahed. Skye grinned at them, instantly set at ease by their reaction.
“What’s his name?” Aurora asked.
“Blunze.”
“He’s a blue dragon with bronze stitches? Did you do that, or did he come that way?” Lalani asked, leaning closer to see.
“I added the bronze. He didn’t feel quite right,” Skye confessed.
“Aren’t you clever? And talented. Those loops of thread actually look like scales!” Ciel said. “I have a dragon stuffie as well. Mine is a silver dragon, of course. His name is Silly, for silver.”
Aurora piped in, “Mine is orange now. It used to be gold. His name is Firefly.”
“But you’re the gold dragon’s mate?” Skye asked.
“I obviously wanted to keep Drake on his toes even back then,” Aurora said with a laugh.
“And you, Lalani?” Skye asked, overwhelmed by the coincidence. If it was a coincidence.
“I have one too. My dragon is green. His name is Lettuce,” the young woman replied as she snipped. “Skye, this style will be so cute when I’m finished. You’ve got a wave right at the ends of your hair. It’s going to curl under naturally. You won’t need one, but I really miss curling irons and blow-dryers.”
“Automatic ice and water dispensers in the fridge door,” Aurora added.
“Movies and television,” Ciel chimed in.
“Cellphones,” Skye said before clarifying, “Just to take a picture of things I want to draw.”
“Can we see your sketches?” Aurora asked Skye.
“Sure.”
Aurora eagerly retrieved the pad and opened it up. “Here are your rubbings you were doing, Lalani. Those are fascinating. Oh!” She stopped as she reached Skye’s first drawing of a dragon. “That’s Keres.”
Reversing the sketch pad to show everyone, Aurora said, “It looks just like him. That fierce expression and the sadness in his eyes.”
“I hope he’ll find a mate soon,” Skye commented.
“We all do,” Lalani said and made a final snip before setting her scissors down with a click. “Done. Here’s a mirror. You can see how it turned out. Thank goodness, those still work.”
“So good,” Aurora complimented, and Ciel nodded enthusiastically.
Skye didn’t enjoy looking at herself too much, but she took the mirror to check out Lalani’s efforts. It seemed like the polite thing to do. To her shock, she almost didn’t recognize the woman who stared back at her. Her blue eyes appeared twice as big as the hair curved just below her jawline.
“Wow. You’re good.”
“Wow! You’re a great subject,” Lalani said, flipping the compliment back to focus on Skye. “Go show your Daddies.”
Without another word, Skye hopped down from the stool and walked carefully over to Oldrik and Ardon. She didn’t want to ruin Lalani’s hard work before they saw her. Daddies! She’s good.
The two shifters turned immediately, and their eyes widened. Oldrik stood and wrapped his arms around Skye to pick her up. “Who is this enchantress? This can’t be my Blueberry.”
It’s me! Lalani had to take a lot off to even everything up. I’ve never had hair this short. You know, at jaw level. I love it.
Ardon hugged her from the side, wrapping his arms around both of them. “My Treasure, you’ll always be beautiful, but this style suits you perfectly.” He leaned forward to kiss her. When he leaned back, Oldrik pressed his lips to hers as well.
Are you comfortable here, Skye? Ardon checked with her privately.
They’re nice.
Then we stay for a while. You alert us if your sense of ease changes, Oldrik requested.
Okay, Daddy.
Oldrik set her feet on the ground and complimented Lalani. “You are so talented. Thank you for helping our mate.”
“My pleasure. I’m going to ask her a favor too,” Lalani confessed.
“What?” Skye asked in surprise.
“Would you draw my Daddy in his dragon form?” Lalani asked.
“I’d love to,” Skye confessed. Being with the other women was enjoyable, but she always preferred to draw. And the chance to capture a dragon’s likeness? She wouldn’t refuse that.