33. Hayden
A comforting heat wrapped around me like a cocoon. I let out a little moan as I burrowed deeper into it. A body pressed against me from behind, and another nuzzled my neck from the front.
Everything about the moment was pure bliss. I was happier than I could ever remember being, and it was then that I realized I wasn’t just feeling my own joy. I was feeling others’.
The emotions were like colors, each one carrying a different hue. Knox’s had a giddiness to it. As if he couldn’t believe that we had found each other and managed to cement the bond. Cáel’s had a grounded peacefulness. As if he was at ease for the first time since his attack.
And I could feel those emotions pouring into me and through me.
My eyes popped open, and Cáel pulled back, taking me in. “How do you feel?”
My mouth opened and closed a few times before I could get the words out. “I can feel you…”
Knox hardened against my backside. “Don’t go saying that first thing. I already have morning wood.”
A laugh bubbled out of me, and I smacked his arm. “I meant your emotions. I can feel how happy you are.”
Knox brushed my hair out of the way and pressed a kiss to his claiming mark. A heated shiver wracked my body.
“Never been so happy,” he whispered hoarsely.
“Me neither.”
I lifted a hand to Cáel’s bare chest, to the place where I’d bitten him. I traced it with my finger, and his gaze went silver.
“I wouldn’t do that for too long,” he growled. “I’ll want to take you again, and you have to be sore.”
There was a slight twinge between my legs and at my backside, but it just reminded me of what we’d all shared. “I’m not that sore.”
Cáel chuckled, and the sound wrapped around me like the warmest embrace.
I stilled as I took in a mark below the bite. It looked like an intricate gemstone tattooed on top of the ink that was already there.
“Your brand,” Knox explained. “We’ll carry it with us always. Just like you’ll carry ours.”
I glanced down at my chest. The guys had each bitten me at the juncture of my neck and shoulders. The bites themselves were healing already, but I was sure I’d have angry, red teeth marks for a while.
But below them were two unique marks. On the left, where Knox had bitten me, was a swirl inked into my skin. It was beautiful and hypnotic. On the right, where Cáel had claimed me, was a delicate snowflake that looked like a work of art.
I pushed up against the pillows, trying to get a better look. “What do they mean?”
Knox shoved up next to me. “We never know what our mark will be. It can be tied to any number of things.” He traced his swirl above my collarbone. “It looks like both of ours tie to our gifts.”
I frowned at him. “Gifts?”
Cáel nodded. “Shifters that are especially strong can have extra gifts.”
“I can control the air to a certain degree. It gives me extra speed when I’m flying,” Knox explained. “And Cáel can control the weather in short bursts.”
“The weather?” I squeaked.
Cáel grinned down at me. “I can give you snow whenever you want.”
I stared at Knox’s arm where I’d bitten him, and my gem was now marked on his bicep. “Will I have a gift?”
“We won’t know until you shift. Maybe longer,” Knox said.
I dropped my hand from his arm. “And when is that going to be?”
A month ago, I would’ve been terrified at the prospect, but now I was antsy. I wanted to know what it felt like. And I was starting to feel something beneath my skin. A phantom sort of energy pushing to be set free.
Knox stroked his fingers over my belly in a soothing design. “Your dragon has been through a lot. It might take her some time to surface.”
“And what if she doesn’t?” I asked, finally giving voice to the question that had been swirling about my head for weeks.
“Then she doesn’t,” Knox said with a shrug.
“But won’t you regret mating with me then?”
Cáel let out a rumbling growl. “Never.”
Knox slid a hand along my jaw, forcing my gaze to his. “You’re ours. It doesn’t matter if you never shift. We’re honored to be your mate. You’ve already brought healing to us.”
Doubt flickered in my mind, and Knox seemed to read it instantly.
“Even with Easton.” Knox’s thumb swept back and forth across my cheek. “He’s been in denial. Letting his pain and trauma fester. You’ve forced it to the surface so that he finally has a chance to deal with it.”
I wasn’t so sure that was a good thing. But maybe.
Cáel linked his fingers with mine. “Knox is right. Your gifts are in far more than you transforming. But I can feel your dragon. She’s incredibly strong.”
My eyes widened. “You can feel her?”
He nodded. “Another one of my gifts is sensing how strong a supernatural is. And I’ve felt your other half from the moment we met.”
I was quiet, trying to sense into myself, to feel something, anything. But I came up empty.
I let out an exasperated sigh. “I just want it to happen.”
Knox chuckled. “You can’t force it. Give her time.”
“Easy for you to say,” I grumbled. “You’ve gotten to fly for years.”
He bent and brushed his lips against mine. “It’ll happen.”
“All in good time, Little One,” Cáel echoed, kissing my temple.
“But first, we need breakfast. And if we don’t hurry, we’ll be late for classes,” Knox said, sliding out of bed.
Even with the threat of lateness looming, I took a moment to check out his perfectly sculpted ass.
“You’re staring, Little One,” Cáel said, humor in his voice.
My cheeks heated. “Hey, he’s my mate. I’m allowed to stare, right?”
“Damn straight,” Knox called as he headed into the bathroom.
I scooted out of bed and stood, freezing. I felt the bite marks at the base of my neck. “Uh, guys?”
Knox poked his head out of the bathroom. “What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong is that you left me with something way worse than hickeys. I’m going to have to wear turtlenecks for a month!”