Bonus Scene #2
“Just because you were a man whore before our mate arrived doesn’t mean we all were,” Brodie points out, and Liam winces when my glare switches to him.
“None of us were angels for the first couple of years either,” Hunter reasons before waving toward the table. “Sit down and eat. I can hear your stomach protesting, and my dragon is getting edgy.”
“Yeah, let them work out their sexual frustration. They’ll be alright. It isn’t the first time, and I doubt it will be the last.” Brodie salutes us with a piece of toast.
“Why won’t it be the last? There’s nothing stopping them now,” Nox asks, taking his seat at the table and pouring coffee into a mug before handing it to me. Micah and Titus return as well, taking a seat on either side of me.
Micah puts his big hand on my knee and gives it a squeeze. All of these guys are bigger than me, but Micah and Hunter practically make me feel petite.
“Because they keep getting in each other’s way,” Brodie answers cryptically.
I frown, and Liam finally takes pity on me.
“Basically, you are going to have to order them to bed, because neither of them will make a move without you letting them know you’re okay with it.”
“But they must know she’s okay with it. Nox and I didn’t hold back, and everyone could see and feel that she enjoyed it,” Titus reminds them.
“Yeah, and that’s when the fight started. When he was talking about it.” Nox nods at Brodie who grins, unperturbed.
“Why did you think I used that specific reminder? They need a nudge.”
“Fine. If that’s what they need, I’m game.” I stare sadly at my food before pushing my chair back, but before I can stand, Micah clamps his hand down on my thigh.
“Eat first. They’ve waited this long, and you need to refuel,” he suggests, nodding at the plate in front of me.
“It does look delicious.” I pull my chair back in but look guiltily out over the balcony. The two of them have disappeared into the forest, but every now and then, we still hear a roar or screech come from that direction.
“Let them wear themselves out. They will be less stubborn then,” Hunter suggests.
“Fine, but this is the last time we are going to solve things through violence,” I state primly as I start my meal, and Liam scoffs.
“Unlikely. We’re shifters, darling. We like to fight as much as we like to fuck,” he points out.
“Most supes do,” Titus agrees, reaching for a plate of eggs. “Not so much witches, but definitely vampires and fae.”
“Witches are pussies, with their potions, spells, and runes,” Brodie grumbles. “All that one with nature crap. They are so boring.”
“Explain the difference between witches, fae, and fairies. I really don’t know as much as I should,” I request, looking at Titus since he’s part fae.
“Fae and fairies are not the same, even though I am both. The fairy part is my shifter side. I get my control of animals and plants from that, hence my garden and Fluffy back in the Chaos Kingdom.” I nod my head, following along.
I’ve been told that before, but it’s nice to have it recapped.
“My fae half has the ability to perform magic with just a thought. I can conjure, control the weather, and travel the lay lines, which we call sifting, through that power.”
“And witches can’t do that?”
“Oh, they can and much more, but all of it requires them to use a spell, a charm, or a potion that has the magic embedded into them. They can’t call on it on command like I can,” he replies.
“So a witch might have enhanced speed or senses, but it is powered by a spell, and it is finite. It will run out when the power embedded in the charm fades,” Nox adds, my supernatural expert’s eyes sparkling with excitement.
“They use spells to draw power from nature and rituals to channel power into charms and potions.”
“See? Pussies. No magic like the rest of us supes, just lots of chanting and woo-woo,” Liam says gruffly. “They are not impressive at all.”
Brodie smirks. “I don’t know, the witch who cursed you to have a limp dick for a week was pretty impressive. Don’t get on a witch’s bad side, because they can be pretty vengeful,” he warns me.
Liam sputters. “I told that bitch it was a one and done thing before we even fucked. It wasn’t my fault she was psycho.”
I wrinkle my nose. “Psycho seems to be your default type,” I grumble, thinking about the fox bitch who turned tail and ran before I could get my claws into her.
“For example, I could wave a hand and transport Gryffin and Gem back to us when the time is right, but a witch would either need to use a spell to do it or have a charm placed on their bodies to do the same thing.” Titus continues ignoring the other two’s antics.
I mull over what he just told me. “But what about the wards at the compound we raided? You said a fae placed them. Can fae embed power into things as well?”
He winces. “Kind of. Those wards had a fae signature on them. I could feel that, but they were a combination of fae and witch powers. I would say that a fae etched the runes into the objects, but a witch powered the spell. I can etch runes and give them power, but they are not as effective as a witch’s.
They draw from the nature of the item they are using, while we can only drape our power over it.
It’s why it took me so long to unravel it.
Our power is more might, and theirs is intricate. ”
Breakfast continues in the same vein, with me asking questions and the guys answering them.
Although we got to know a lot of personal stuff about one another, this is more about the kingdoms and the various supe races.
It’s really nice, and the heat lamps keep away the chill, even when the snow starts to drift down again and the wind begins to blow.
“How is that not coming in here?” I ask, pointing to the snow that isn’t touching the balcony space at all.
“The castle is magic, and there’s a barrier stopping it.
All the balconies have them so you can use them year round.
” A voice in the doorway has us turning our attention inside.
Gryffin and Gem stand there, looking a little worse for wear and no small amount of sheepish.
Both are naked, and their skin is covered in scratches and bruises.
Gryff even appears to have some singed hair on the side of his head.
I huff a breath of annoyance and push my chair back.
“Hey, I was thinking maybe you all could go into the neutral zone and bring my grandparents back for a visit. I miss them and want to talk about whether they have decided to become shifters or not. I’d like to personally oversee their change if I can.
” I look at Hunter, who quickly picks up what I’m putting down.
He nods and drains his coffee before sliding his chair back and standing.
“Good idea. Titus, would you be able to sift us all there and back to save Jenny and Joseph from being exposed to the elements.”
“Of course. I could stretch my legs, and I wouldn’t say no to one of Joe’s coffees.” Titus is also thankfully getting with the program.
“I want to see if he’s come up with a mermaid marshmallow yet.” Micah’s eyes shine brightly with excitement.
“Oh, and a pegasus as well,” Nox agrees quickly.
“I already know he’s made a wolf, so I’ll just stay here,” Brodie says obliviously, and Liam smacks him on the back of the head.
“You’re coming too, you idiot.” Brodie frowns at him as Liam nods in the direction of the other two. “I’m pretty sure Colbie wants to speak to them about their behavior and maybe do something to correct it.”
Brodie’s eyes widen, and he stumbles to his feet, grinning like a fucking teenage boy.
“Yes, ah, sure, of course. Hopefully after her correction, there won’t be so much damn sexual tension floating about,” he replies without shame, winking in my direction.
I roll my eyes affectionately. “Give us a few hours,” I tell Titus.
“I’ll keep them busy,” he agrees, and in a flash, they all disappear.
I blink to clear my eyes and see Gryffin is doing the same.
“Huh, that was different. He didn’t even need to be touching them. It was almost like Nox’s mum teleporting,” Gem says, seemingly unaffected by the bright light, but I guess that makes sense, since he is his own ball of bright light at times.
“It seems we all got upgrades when we were crowned. Today is the first time we are seeing them though.” Gryffin shuffles awkwardly on the spot, the tension around us climbing now that we are alone.
“You two had upgrades? You looked the same to me when you were here earlier,” I point out, and Gem chuckles.
“I guess Gryff was pissed when he couldn’t reach me, and all of a sudden, he grew, and he was as big as Liam’s polar bear. I almost lost my tail feathers.”
“And Gem is definitely faster than he was. I blinked, and he was gone from the previous spot.”
“I was able to change size previously, so not much has changed in that respect, but Gryff is right, I think I was teleporting much like Nox’s mother can, jumping from spot to spot, but I didn’t want to test it on a longer distance.”
“Now that we’ve come up for air, maybe we can mess around with shifting and see what or who else has had an upgrade,” Gryff suggests, and I nod.
“Sure, but first, we have something else to sort out,” I tell him, looking between them. I cross my arms and ignore their nudity, not wanting to lose focus. “Want to tell me what that was all about?” I ask, gesturing in the direction they scuffled.
Gryffin mutters something under his breath, and Gem scoffs, obviously having heard.
“Seriously? This is bullshit.” Gem turns his focus on me. “Gryffin and I are attracted to one another,” he announces, and I give him a blank look.
“And?” I ask blandly.
“We agreed that we wouldn’t act on that attraction until our mate was marked,” Gryffin says slowly, like he’s talking to a child. “We didn’t want them to think they were any less important to us.”