Chapter 20
Croy
“Maya’s mating heat has broken.”
Az’s words had my head snapping up as he strolled into the main lounge on the second floor, a space near all the bedrooms but relatively private.
I briefly noticed that his hair was damp, most likely because he’d just taken a shower with her—lucky bastard—and he was dressed for the day.
Something I had managed myself, although only barely, because the majority of my attention had been on wondering if I could go see Maya again.
In the past four days we had been trying our best to not overwhelm our little mate, taking turns going in there and making sure she was as comfortable and as satisfied as possible.
The woman was insatiable in this state, and I fucking loved it—although I did worry she would be exhausted when it ended, when the hunger for us melted back to a normal level and she remembered all the other essential parts of surviving outside of mating.
Like food.
Maya had all but refused to eat since the start of the mating heat, and while none of us had directly confronted her about it, it had caused a panic in the group.
We’d managed to get her to drink water, but outside of that, nothing.
Luckily, after some research, I learned that it was pretty normal for those basic needs to be suppressed because a phoenix’s magic was only focused on that singular goal of mating and nothing fucking else.
And we sure as hell had mated her. I should’ve known something changed today, because in the past four days I had been not only constantly hard but unable to sleep, only able to focus on being as close to her as possible and wanting my cum inside of her.
While I very much wanted that exact same thing right now, I could also think a bit more clear-headed, my focus more tailored to making sure Maya was okay following such an event.
“How can you tell? Also, where is she?” I asked, taking a sip of my coffee and muting the news I had on in the background.
Bella, who was sleeping on my lap, mewled in complaint as I shifted my weight but almost immediately went back to sleep, making me smile.
The tiny feline had slowly started to accept me, no longer convinced that I was a predator she had to defend Maya from.
Why a dragon didn’t bother her but a wolf would, I would never understand.
Then again, she was carrying Atlas’s shadow dragon magic on her, a faint but noticeable signature of it, so maybe she considered herself part dragon.
“She went to sleep in her nest instead of the bed after we took a shower,” he explained, his voice holding a soft affectionate note. “She was exhausted. I’m not sure how else I can explain it besides that, and that her magic feels different, more relaxed and subdued.”
His answer was honest, and I nodded in understanding, motioning to one of the nearby chairs.
A seat he took immediately, seeming slightly tired.
I didn’t blame him—Maya had worn me out as well.
I don’t think any of us had truly realized what the mating heat would be like, and I was just hoping she was happy, because that was all that mattered in the end—Maya’s happiness.
There was also a not so small part of me that hoped this mating heat would result in something else, something other than our group and bonds growing closer.
I was hoping that we’d knocked her sweet ass up.
I didn’t try to analyze the urge too much or overthink it—instead, I just banked on her getting pregnant considering how much cum we had stuffed her full of.
Fuck. My cock hardened as I tried to direct my brain elsewhere. That was the last thing Maya needed right now, especially if her mating heat was over.
My smile grew as I considered the real possibility of her being pregnant.
I would’ve never thought a family was in the cards for me.
Then again, I would’ve never thought Maya was in the cards for me.
Everything about this felt absolutely right, and I wanted nothing more than for Maya to wake up from a long rest and realize that everything was about to start.
There no longer was anything hanging over our head—just a vast future ahead of us.
A sudden noise at the archway into the room drew my attention as Atlas joined us.
“How are the boys?”
When Maya’s mating heat had hit so suddenly, we had the boys transferred to the guest house where they could have their own level of privacy as well as around-the-clock medical care.
They had woken only eight hours after arriving, and in between being with Maya, we had all taken turns visiting them and hanging out with them.
The nameless boys were as young as we had assumed, and they were scared.
While I knew we were doing the best we could to comfort them, even having brought out several of the older men and women from the mountain community to try to talk to them, we weren’t the most nurturing and comforting individuals to be around.
So far, no one had really gotten them to talk at all, and I had a suspicion that Maya would be more successful at it than any of us.
“Good. They came on a walk with me in the back yard,” Atlas said. My brows raised in surprise since they hadn’t left the building until this morning. “Now they’re hanging out with the twins and Sai, eating some breakfast.”
“Where’s Marco?” Az asked.
I chuckled. “Henry and him are still sleeping.”
Atlas made a concerned noise. “Are they sick or some shit?”
“Nah, Maya wore them out.” I chuckled again, finding it funny that such a small slip of a woman could bring eight powerful men to their knees. It was amazing.
“Ah.” Atlas smirked. “Where is she? Is she okay? Who’s with her?” I could practically see the worry emanating off of him, and I knew that he was far from the only one feeling on edge when it came to her well-being.
“Sleeping. We think her mating heat has ended,” I explained.
Atlas breathed out in surprise before nodding slowly. “Well that makes our plans going forward a bit easier. There was a potential we would’ve had to separate.”
“Why?” I asked, suddenly concerned.
“The younger flight from back in Seattle wants to join us,” Atlas explained. “I received correspondence from Alpha Creed this morning, so we have to pick them up and bring them here. They offered to fly them commercially, but I would rather not risk it.”
Because if there were people who were unhappy with them in the Dreki realm, they would be in danger for a sizable period of time. It was probably better to be somewhere with as much support as possible.
“Maya will be happy about that; I know she was worried,” I said, not loving that we would have to leave, but I also knew it’d give her an opportunity to grab anything from home that was needed.
Plus, there was no way any of us could comfortably separate right now.
The idea of leaving Maya’s side was beyond painful.
“There is so much I need to be caught up on, I feel like,” Az finally said, looking a tad distressed. It was then that I realized he probably had no idea who we were talking about.
“I’ve got time.” Atlas offered him a smile, carried some coffee over from the breakfast bar, and sat down to explain everything to him.
I excused myself and made my way towards Maya’s bedroom, finding the housekeeper about to knock. She stood hesitantly and rather awkwardly at the door, as if unsure.
“She’s sleeping,” I explained, relief filling the older woman’s face. “But I can see if she wants to be moved.”
She nodded in understanding as I moved past her and slipped into the room, gently closing the door behind me.
Almost instantly, my cock hardened, the scent of sex and Maya filling the space.
I felt the sudden and possessive urge to have the entire space freshened and cleaned, not wanting anyone, let alone males, to have access to this level of perfection.
A growl caught in my throat and my eyes darted to the far side of the room, the noise causing Maya to shift in her nest of blankets.
When she blinked open her eyes, relief filled my chest that she was okay.
Of course I hadn’t had reason to doubt it, but after she died and shit, I was a bit fucked up over the idea of losing her.
“Croy.” She sighed happily, her eyes warm and filled with a soft affection. Her magic, which had been ravenous before, was glowing softly, and her cheeks were flushed as she pushed her damp hair out of her face, not sitting up but turning to look up at me.
“Hey, sugar.” I tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, crouching down next to her nest. “I know you’re sleeping, but the housekeeper wants to get in here to freshen the space up. Are you okay with that?”
Looking around, she blushed and nodded. “Can we…can we just not have her touch my nest?”
“Absolutely,” I confirmed, gently picking her up and walking towards the door.
The housekeeper offered Maya a polite smile as I gave her instructions to not touch the nest. Then, instead of carrying her back towards the main lounge, I carried her towards my bedroom, letting out a groan of relief as we fell into the bed together.
Maya stretched and hummed sleepily. “It’s done, I think—my mating heat. I feel different. Good, but very tired and hungry.”
“I bet,” I rumbled, unable to hide my concern. “Do you want to eat now? Or get a bit more sleep? As much as I want you to eat, sleep may be better right now because later we have to travel to Seattle to pick up the younger flight. With that being said, if you aren’t feeling?—”
“Wait! Are they okay?” she asked wide-eyed before cursing. “Are the two little ones okay? Crap. I literally haven’t been thinking straight and I feel so bad that I haven’t asked!”
“It’s fine.” I tilted her chin gently, hoping to soothe the panicked look on her face. “They are totally fine, I promise.”
She let out a relieved exhale and nodded. “So where are they?”