4. Hayden
Pain flared in my chest as I watched Easton disappear through the door and down the hallway. Part of me wondered if it was an echo of the injury I’d sustained or if this was just fresh agony from the latest rejection blow.
“I’m so sorry,” Knox whispered. His voice was hoarse, layered with his own anguish.
I turned to him, lifting a hand to place over his heart. “It’s not your fault.”
Knox shook his head. “He’s let his fear ruin him, and it almost cost us you. The person we love most. I’ll never forgive him for that.”
Everything in me twisted. That was the last thing I wanted. The guys needed each other, especially now.
“Don’t.” I pressed my palm harder against Knox’s chest. “He needs you, and you need him just as much.”
“I can’t, Hayden. He went too far this time.”
I kept my hand over Knox’s heart but didn’t push with words. There’d be time for that. For now, I’d simply assure them all that I was fine.
Something pulsed beneath my palm. Something more than Knox’s heartbeat. My brow furrowed as I stared at my hand. It was like I could feel Knox. His energy, maybe?
“What?” Knox asked, concern filling his voice.
“Nothing. I just—” I moved my fingers over his pec. “I feel you.”
Knox shared a look with the other guys in the room.
Anxiety slid through me. “What? Is something wrong?”
Cillian slid a hand under my tangle of blonde hair. “Easy, Little Flame. You’re fine. You’re just feeling a deepening of the bond.”
I looked up at him in confusion.
“When you were hurt, Easton touched you. He was trying to stop the bleeding.”
“Okay…”
“He was the last of your bond mates to have contact. It means that you’ll start feeling the pull to us more,” Cillian explained.
“It also means that your dragon may surface soon,” Maddox added.
“What?” I squeaked.
Knox sent me a gentle smile. “My beast can’t wait to meet her.”
“Well, tell your beast to chill. I’m not sure I’m ready to transform into a giant lizard.”
Knox choked on a laugh.
Cáel frowned down at me. “We’re not lizards. We’re dragons.”
I let out a sound of exasperation. “They look pretty similar to me.”
“Not even close,” Cillian growled.
“Well, whatever it looks like, I’m not ready.”
Maddox studied me for a moment. “Your animal half needs to spread her wings at some point. She’s been pushed down for so long that if you keep her locked away, she may fight you for dominance.”
A shiver ran through me. “Like she won’t let me turn back into a human?”
“Yes,” he answered matter-of-factly.
Panic flared hot and fast, and my gaze jerked around the room as if my dragon were about to jump out and take me hostage.
Cillian squeezed the back of my neck again. “Breathe, Little Flame. I’ll help you.”
“How?” I demanded.
“He’s the alpha,” Knox explained. “Your dragon will recognize his authority.”
“Unless she goes feral,” Cáel muttered.
“Feral?” I squeaked.
“Not helping,” Cillian growled. He turned to me. “An animal going feral is extremely rare. We’re going to welcome your dragon when she comes out, make her feel safe and cherished. The fact that she’ll have her mates around her will help.”
My head swirled as I lay back on the pillows. “This is a lot to take in.”
The room went quiet. Too quiet.
I glared at them all. “What else is there?”
My focus shifted to Maddox, whose mouth had pressed into a hard line. “Tell me.”
He would say whatever it was scientifically. Straight facts.
Maddox shifted uncomfortably. “Now that all of us have touched you, there’s something else to consider.”
“What?” I demanded.
“Just like the presence and touch of your mates can bring about your shift, it can also bring your heat.”
I blinked a few times. “Heat? Like my ability to breathe fire?”
The panic was back. What if I hurt someone?
“No,” Knox assured me. “That comes with the shift.”
“Great,” I muttered. “So, what the hell is my heat?”
Everyone was quiet.
“Someone start talking!” I yelled.
“It means your time of being fertile,” Maddox finally said.
“I’m sorry, did you say fertile? Like I could get knocked up with a bunch of dragon babies?”
Maddox winced. “Yes. It means that you could get pregnant. But it, um, also means that, uh?—”
“Spit it out already,” I demanded.
Cillian squeezed the back of my neck again. “You’ll have touch hunger. You’ll need sexual contact often and for great lengths of time. It will be painful and can reach points of agony if you don’t have it.”
My jaw went completely slack.
Not only was I going to turn into a giant, flying lizard, but I was also going to turn into a sex maniac. Awesome.
Knox stroked a hand over my cheek. “We’ll get you through it. It might be scary the first time, but we’ll all be there.”
Maddox cleared his throat. “I’m going to get Hayden something to eat. We’ll start with soup.”
He was gone before anyone could respond.
Cáel glared after him.
So not everyone would be there. Not Maddox. And certainly not Easton.
Cillian bent, his lips ghosting over my temple. “It’s going to be okay.”
Pressure built behind my eyes. The urge to cry was so strong, but I knew if I let the dam break now, the tears would never stop. So, I forced them down, something I was becoming far too good at. But I’d have to get even better.
Because even though I was tied to five men, only three of them wanted me. And I wasn’t sure if that was because of who I was or because of the damn bond.