6. Chapter 6
six
S unlight steadily filters in through the bedroom window, illuminating my face and coaxing my eyes open. My mind lags behind for a few moments as it scrambles to process where I am and why I feel so much warmth behind me.
After a few blinks of my confusion-filled eyes, I remember my crazy reality.
Quietly, I glance over my shoulder, seeing Ares still snoozing behind me. My heart hammers just at the sight of him, especially as the sheets rest low on his stomach and expose the defined muscles of his torso.
I can’t believe I shared a bed with him.
I can hardly believe anything that’s going on right now.
For years, I’ve desperately wanted my life to change for the better once my eighteenth birthday came around, like I can have a new start for myself. Obviously, a lot has changed in such a short span of time. I feel caught in the middle between a strong, captivating Aetherion and a kind, caring Warden on the day I can finally find my mate.
From what I’ve heard through the whispered words of others, you’re supposed to recognize your mate instantly. It’s supposed to feel like a sudden blaze of fire that overtakes you completely and warms you from deep in your heart and soul. It’s unmistakable.
I turn onto my other side and face Ares, my hopeful eyes falling upon his handsome face. My heart flutters, but there’s no burst of fire. No shift in gravity.
Nothing.
My shoulders slump, my head sinking into my pillow as a frown crosses my face. How’s that possible? After his protective, possessive nature over me, I thought there was a big chance that he was my mate.
Part of me hoped for that because if anyone has the power to take me away from this place and make me feel… happy… it’s him.
Or is it Ethan? The chemistry between us is undeniable, so undeniable that Ares felt the need to stake his claim over me. But there’s only one way for me to figure out whether Ethan is my mate, and that means getting out of bed with Ares.
My eyes glide over to Ares one more time, my feelings torn in two. A big part of me longs for him, and I feel like I’m playing a dangerous game here, yearning for the company of two dragon shifters, even if they are close.
What if I’m not meant for either?
What in the world am I going to do then?
Do I go back to my plan to escape on my own? Can I even do that ?
I rip my gaze away from Ares and the way his toned chest rises and falls with each breath. I climb out of bed and pull on my typical shift dress for the day.
Nervous, excited energy crackles through me as I sneak out of Ares’ bedroom. I can’t believe I’m finally eighteen! I have the chance to leave this place and truly start my life, even if I still barely know who I am. Getting out of here is a start.
But I want to feel my mate bond too. I never thought I wanted it so much until now. Until I felt like I could have it.
I venture downstairs toward Ethan’s bedroom, my heart thumping wildly the closer I get. If he’s my mate, I surely won’t be upset, but I can’t help but wonder how Ares will act. Will he be upset? Will he not care?
I only manage to reach the hallway where Ethan’s room is before a tight grip captures my arm, bringing me to an abrupt start. My eyes flash to the right where the headmistress is standing with her usual stern look on her face.
Maybe it’s the fact that I’m eighteen or the fact that the attention of two dragon shifters has bolstered my confidence, but I don’t shrink back or tense in fear. In fact, my teeth grit as I glare at her, catching her off-guard. “Let me go.”
“You shouldn’t speak to me with that tone of voice,” she grits. However, her voice isn’t as sharp and direct as it usually is. It quavers with a hint of fear.
I raise my eyebrow at her, not expecting such a nervous reaction from her, of all people. For years, she’s berated me, struck me, and ridiculed me in front of others without an ounce of shame. Now, her voice trembles and her brow creases with tension when she looks at me.
What’s changed ?
“Well, this is new. Do you… fear me?” I ask her as I tilt my head, feeling her grip slip from my arm to release me. I can hurry away if I want, but my curiosity plants me to the spot. Maybe it’s also kind of amusing to see her like this after she’s tortured me for years.
The headmistress scoffs at me, but her voice is still weak. She shakes her head, but her eyes betray her as they dart to the stairwell. “No, I don’t fear you .”
She may not be afraid of me, but she’s afraid of someone who is starkly protective of me. I cross my arms over my chest as an intrigued glint fills my eyes. “You’re afraid of Ares.”
The headmistress’s jaw tightens as she smooths down her dress. “It seems as if Aetherion Ares has taken a special interest in you.”
That’s one way to put it. What does his interest mean, though? There’s an inexplicable connection between us, but what is it? If it’s a mate bond, I would’ve recognized it.
Air puffs out of the headmistress’s nose. “I have to tell you something,” she says as she steps closer to me, tension settling in the air between us and around us. My gleeful, cocky energy diminishes.
“What?” I ask.
“There’s something that I need to give you. Something was given to me when you were brought,” the headmistress replies, her voice softening more. The kindness in her voice is something I’ve never heard before.
My heart races, pounding in my chest. “What is it?”
Whatever is left should be able to tell me more about my past and who I am. Maybe it’s a lost piece of this puzzle that is my life.
The headmistress shakes her head. “It’s hard to explain. Just meet me at the orphanage. ”
I frown as I watch her walk away, my thoughts split again. I want to follow her now, but Ethan’s bedroom is just down the hallway. I want to see if I feel the mate bond with him.
Ares and Ethan will soon leave this place, and I need to know if I’m being left behind.
If neither of them is my mate, what reason do they have for wanting me around them?
With a shaky exhale, I walk down the hallway toward Ethan’s room, pausing when I’m in front of his door. My chest tightens as I look down at the doorknob, knowing that everything may possibly change the moment I see him. I should knock, but what if he’s sound asleep?
I’d rather be woken up gently than abruptly.
After breathing in deeply to steady myself, I try the doorknob and a small smile curls. The door is unlocked.
But why? Does he feel that unthreatened here, or did he somehow know that I’d come seeking him?
My cheeks warm as I quietly push the door open and step inside, greeted by silence other than the rhythmic lull of Ethan’s breathing. He’s still asleep. I creep closer toward the bed, my heartbeat spiking at the sight of Ethan lying on his side with his bare back toward me.
Ethan isn’t as big and muscular as Ares, but the lean muscle of his body still makes heat swirl in my lower stomach. He’s agile and fit, which I like as much as Ares’ bigger build. They’re both so different, but they make me feel similar feelings.
The closer I get to him, the more his scent washes over me. An intoxicating musk like Ares’.
A sensation of yearning stirs inside me, one I can’t get rid of. I can’t help but remember our shared meal .
I reach out toward his shoulder to gently wake him up. My fingertips barely graze his bare skin before my wrist is suddenly grabbed and I’m pulled forward onto the bed. The next few seconds are a blur, and before I know it, I’m pinned down on the mattress on my back.
Ethan peers down at me with an amused glint in his eyes. His larger body presses against mine, one of his legs resting between mine. “Well, good morning.”
I pant. “Was all of this necessary?”
Ethan chuckles and shrugs, his hands still resting on my wrists as he nudges his leg higher, brushing against my panties.
His eyes sweep over my body as I lie defenseless beneath him, and heat swirls in my stomach.
“I do like the sight of you under me,” he whispers.
My heart stops as I stare up at him with wide eyes. Sparks erupt on my skin, catching my breath, and my gaze flicks to his lips, wondering how he would taste, how he would feel.
But it’s not there, the roar of fire, that magic pull between us.
My brows crease as I try to understand how I could be so wrong. Neither of them is my mate.
“What’s wrong? I can get off,” Ethan says as his gaze glints with concern.
“I don’t know,” I whisper as he crawls off and helps me sit. My skin tingles from his touch, confusing me even more. Ethan and Ares both affect me so deeply. So easily. And yet, they aren’t mine.
They never will be.
“You can tell me,” he says, brushing his thumb over my cheek.
My breath is shaky as I meet his eyes again. “I thought I would find my mate today.”
Ethan frowns. “You haven’t? ”
I shrug, disappointment weighing my shoulders down. I never craved a mate bond, but they gave me hope, made me feel this connection that seems to be all in my head.
Shaking my head without a word, I feel stupid for even being here, for even thinking a simple Netherling would ever be gifted a bond with a dragon shifter, let alone a Warden and the Aetherion.
Ethan follows my silence. But I see it, this glint of confusion in his eyes, the way his shoulders hang.
“Are you disappointed?” I ask, daring to even think he likes me more than just as a plaything. Because that’s what I’m supposed to be, right?
A stiff smile curls on his lips. “We’ll figure it out.”
I lean back as my confusion rises. “How?” I ask, pushing down the sting in my chest. He doesn’t answer my question.
“Wait here,” Ethan tells me and draws away. He pulls on his clothes and heads out of his bedroom before I can question him, leaving me there alone in his bed.
I sigh and plop down on my back, closing my eyes for a moment as they start to prickle. Inhaling deeply, I let his scent soothe me as I try to understand what’s happening.
With each passing second he’s away, my body feels warmer and warmer. My breathing changes, shallowing as sweat forms on my skin, bringing me to a point where I ache to strip off my clothes for some relief.
Ethan isn’t here to call my heat. Neither is Ares. But why do I feel it rising?
My heated daze fades when I hear muffled voices outside Ethan’s room, prompting me to sit up just as the door swings open.
The sight of Ares makes my heart race, goosebumps lining my skin. “Ares… ”
Ares starts to move closer to me, but Ethan puts his hand out to stop him. “Don’t confuse her,” Ethan grits out.
And then I see it, Ares’ gaze changing back to normal, letting me know he was calling me.
Ares grunts and stays still as he and Ethan stand at the foot of the bed in front of me. His eyes sweep over me as I wrap my arms around my knees to bring them to my chest.
“Something’s wrong,” Ethan says.
My brows knit, but I feel it rising again. Warmth falls over me like a blanket as I sit there under their intense gazes, my desire threatening to spark out of control. My skin itches. My thighs quiver as my gaze sweeps over their bodies.
I blink, daring to meet Ares’ eyes again, and a soft gasp leaves me. His eyes changed, turned into slits, his dragon just beneath the surface.
He crosses his arms over his chest, showing the black and golden scales painting his skin. “Who’s your mate?”
My eyes widen a little as my gaze shifts between them, trying to unravel what’s happening as I notice Ethan having the same struggle with his dragon.
“I… I don’t know.”
Ethan turns to Ares. “She doesn’t recognize her mate.”
Ares grumbles, and my skin heats higher. His scales expand as he continues to call for me.
I shake my head. “Stop! Stop calling for my heat! And someone explain what you two are talking about.”
“I mean that you’re my mate,” Ethan says, the side of his mouth curling up in a grin as Ares snarls at him.