Bonus Scene
Colbie
I yawn and roll over in my bed, reaching for one of my mates, but all my hands find are cold, empty sheets. I lift my head and open my eyes to look around before slamming them shut again. The bright, midday light streaming through the open doors on my balcony has me grumbling.
“Holy crap, what time is it?” I mutter, sitting up and taking stock of my surroundings.
None of my mates are here, but I catch snippets of sound coming from outside.
We’ve been secluded in our wing of the castle for about a week now, and it’s been blissful.
I haven’t had anything to worry about, except where my next orgasm is coming from or if there is enough food to sustain me for it.
The mating frenzy has ridden us hard, and as I stretch my arms, my body practically weeps in dismay as all of my aching muscles let me know I worked them way too hard.
I sniff myself and grimace. Jesus, how did any of my guys stand to sleep next to me when I smelled like a brothel? I’m covered in sweat and no small amount of cum, and I bet my mouth reeks like a dumpster. It certainly tastes like one. It’s no wonder none of them are in my bed.
Grumbling, I crawl my way across the large mattress, throwing bedding out of my way. My bed has grown to accommodate all of us, and it’s no small feat to move from the middle to the side closest to my bathroom.
Puffing like a smoker, I stop in front of the mirror, and my eyes widen as I take in my reflection.
I look like a homeless person who had a run-in with a herd of wildebeests.
I have handprint bruises, hickies, and a few scratches covering every inch of my naked body.
My hair is greasy and limp, and my eyes are red with dark circles under them.
I wince. I guess there hasn’t been a lot of beauty sleep in the last couple of days.
In fact, I think we probably fell asleep in the early hours of the morning, so if I’m right, and it’s lunchtime, I’ve only had about five or six hours.
How is a girl supposed to look like a queen on so little sleep?
The guys must have had even less, since none of them were in bed with me.
I wonder what was so important that it pulled them away from me.
I guess it’s probably time we came up for air and checked in with the council and Nox and Hunter’s parents to see if the kingdom is falling down.
Although I’m sure if it was, they would have let us know, so I’m going to take a little more time to make myself presentable and find some food.
Grabbing my toothbrush, I take the first step in making myself presentable again.
I groan with relief as the toothpaste scrubs away the furry feeling in my mouth, instantly feeling heaps better.
Rinsing out my mouth, I place the toothbrush back in the holder before turning my attention to the shower.
I reach in to fiddle with the controls until I’m happy with the temperature, then I step in.
A whole-body shudder flows through me, and my head hangs as steaming hot water flows over me, washing away the gross, crusty sensation.
“Oh yeah,” I mutter. “This has to be the very definition of bliss.” I should probably wash quickly and find where my mates are, but instead, I stand there, feeling all of my aches and pains wash away, almost like the water flowing down the drain.
Tilting my head back, I shampoo and condition my hair, letting all my thoughts meander as I think back over the various ways the guys worshiped me during our time alone and all the conversations that came in between while we were eating.
I enjoyed learning about each of them in small ways.
Despite how fast everything happened, and how much doubt I had before it all, I can’t deny the goddess chose perfectly for me.
I like each of them, not only for what they can do to my body, but also as people.
Even Liam and Titus, who were such assholes in the beginning, showed me another side of themselves.
I finally feel confident that I can make a go at ruling this kingdom with their love and support.
I’m sure it’s going to be tricky, and things will get harder before they get easier, especially with the suspected uprising looming in our future, but one day, when we don’t have to worry about assassination attempts, kidnappings, and goddess machinations, I’m sure the kingdom of Aramis will flourish.
Once I’m finally finished washing from head to toe, I climb out and dry off, dressing in comfy clothes, and then I go in search of my guys.
Raised voices on the balcony have me heading in that direction, and despite the rapidly cooling weather, I find all of them on the furniture out there, a couple of large lamps on the wall pumping out heat.
My mouth drops open when I look beyond the balcony to find the palace grounds covered in snow.
“Holy shit, when did this happen?” I ask, gesturing toward it.
“Somewhere between day five and six,” Hunter rumbles, smoke drifting out of his nostrils as his dragon makes its displeasure known.
“But you were so distracted that you didn’t even notice when we mentioned it.
” Brodie grins wickedly. “I believe it was when you were watching Nox fuck Titus while Liam and Hunter were DPing you, and you were sucking off Gem. Gryff was passed out, and Micah and I painted your chest with our cum. It was such a pretty picture. Definitely deserved being hung in the royal gallery.”
My cheeks redden, and I shuffle on the spot, squeezing my thighs together as the image plays through my mind. I’ve never been so fucking adventurous before, but being with them felt natural.
“Yeah, you fuckers didn’t even wake me to join in,” Gryff snarls, his eyes flashing back and forth between his and his tiger’s.
“Oh, cut it out, asshole. You got to lick up the spoils when she sat on your face after,” Gem retorts, glaring at him.
“Fuck you, Gem.” Gryff pushes his chair back, and it screeches across the paved floor before tipping over.
My eyes widen with surprise. The furniture out here is sturdy and heavy, designed for large shifters, and he tipped it over like it was nothing but plastic, so there must have been some force behind it.
What is wrong with him? Is he pissed about something?
Before I can say anything, Gem jumps to his feet. “No, you can fuck right off. You’ve been an asshole since we woke up. All we wanted to do was have a nice meal set up for our mate, get some fresh air, and maybe see something more than our suite, and you’ve done nothing but bitch and moan.”
I look at the table Gem gestures at, and he’s right, there is a lovely breakfast selection spread out over the table, and the smell of that and coffee makes my hungry stomach rumble.
“This looks lovely,” I comment, but before I can thank them, Gryff stalks over to Gem and gets in his face.
“You all keep leaving me out of shit and making decisions without me,” Gryffin yells in Gem’s face.
“Well, if you weren’t always leaving, and putting your wild goose chase before your team, then maybe it wouldn’t happen,” Gem shouts, and I do a double take.
What is going on here? I take a step forward to see if I can mediate or something, but before I get far, Micah wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me back against his chest.
“Hello, my beautiful mate,” he whispers in my ear.
I turn my head and press a kiss to his cheek, but my attention is on the other two still griping at each other.
I don’t actually catch what Gem says, because feeling Micah’s warm, hard body against mine is distracting, but Gryffin lunges at Gem, roaring and shifting as he moves.
His tiger reaches for Gem, but Gem shifts in a flash of light, and his phoenix hovers just off the balcony, out of reach.
Gryffin snarls and paces back and forth as Gem continues to hover almost tauntingly before he spins and sprints toward the flying shifter.
Gryffin leaps off the balcony, his claws outstretched like he’s going to tug the phoenix out of the sky, but Gem’s too quick and moves out of the way.
Gryffin’s tiger paws at air but rapidly drops out of sight as gravity grabs hold.
“Gryffin!” I scream, running to the edge of the balcony and peering over. Titus, Nox, and Micah all join me, my heart racing as I search for signs of my missing tiger mate, but all I see is a hole punched into the deep snow below our balcony.
“Relax, he’s a cat, he always lands on his feet,” Liam says dryly, not moving from his seat. Neither does Hunter or Brodie. Instead, they start dishing food onto a plate before placing it in the empty space.
I scowl, ignoring his offhanded comment, but sure enough, the snow shudders like something is moving beneath it, and a white tiger pops out, unburdened by the cold.
It roars before streaking across the snow-covered grounds, chasing after Gem who flies low, swooping and swerving like he’s teasing the irate predator.
Gryffin lunges at the air again, his claws swiping across where Gem had just been.
“What the hell is going on?” I demand, my hands on my hips as I spin to confront the others.
“They just need to fuck already,” Brodie says before shoving a piece of bacon in his mouth.
“What?” I’m so confused.
“Aren’t they a couple?” Nox asks, sounding as confused as I am.
“Yes, and while I assume they’ve fooled around, both of them have been waiting until their mate appeared before starting something with one another so their future mate wouldn’t feel like they were leaving her out,” Hunter tells me, picking up his coffee before taking a sip.
“Huh.” Titus looks contemplatively toward the two of them as they chase each other over the snow.
“That was—”
“Stupid?” Liam offers, cutting Micah off.
He shakes his head. “I was going to say romantic, actually.” Micah glares at Liam, and he just shrugs unrepentantly.