Chapter 13 Easton
Easton
I left my mate to die alone...
What am I thinking? Why would she send me away? I do as Feray wishes and fly over to where Torben and the SUV are. I shift back as I land, and Torben is on me in a millisecond.
"Where's Feray?" He grips my shoulders firmly and shakes me almost violently.
"She said she was fine. If she wasn't, we would feel it, and I would be dead." I stare into his eyes, trying to imbue him with some sense of security.
"I hope you're right." He practically growls out and stomps back to the other side of the car, pacing.
My bird is tearing me apart from the inside, and I swear I feel like I'm going to spontaneously combust on the spot. Khal has, by some miracle, slept through the entire ordeal. In some ways, he's the lucky one. He doesn't know what we're anxiously waiting for—any sign of life.
"Don't look so stressed out, Doc..." Feray's musical tone makes my heart stop dead in my chest.
"Little wolf!" Torben bellows before running over to pick her up and crush her to him. Feray giggles in his arms as he spins her around, kissing him back just as excited as he is. You would think they were separated for months instead of barely thirty minutes.
"Put me down, you big lug. I have to see the others too." Her giggles are infectious as he carefully puts her on the ground.
"Sorry, little wolf. When they said you could die..." He looks down and away until she pulls his face back toward her.
"Yeah, that didn't exactly help set my nerves at ease either. But it's like Diaval said—once his scale was implanted and I bit him, we were okay." Feray strokes his cheek, trying to soothe him.
"I would never hurt my inamorata." Diaval says definitively.
"What does that word mean? I know it's not English." Feray gently extracts herself from Torben's grip to stand before Diaval.
"Yes, please do translate that for her." I decide to help put the old grump on the spot. After all, he stole the word from my people that we use for our mates.
He adjusts his tie and openly glares at me. "It comes from the phoenixes. It means 'in flames in love.'" Smoke billows from his nostrils as his eyes flicker between human and dragon. Maybe I pushed him too far this time?
Feray looks from Diaval to me, then back at Diaval. "What do dragons say to their mates?" She tilts her head several times, watching Diaval fidget under her intense scrutiny.
"Usque ad mortem." He moves closer to her, and his eyes take on the glow of his dragon.
"Until death. It means as long as my heart beats, you are it for me.
You are the beginning and end of all things.
The sun rises and sets according to your every desire.
" It's like watching one of those Hallmark movies.
The arrogant asshole changes his ways and finally earns the woman's love.
Diaval leans down and kisses her lips, and I hear Torben sniffle.
The big guy is over there watching them have their moment, moved by how Diaval just made his feelings known.
I thought the fae were bad with how they ooze sex appeal. The old grumpy bastard just incinerated her panties. Slowly, they pull apart, and she looks over at me. Her steps carry her across the distance, and she grabs me by my tie and pulls me down to her level.
"Thank you for being so selfless to sacrifice yourself to ensure my safety." She kisses my lips so softly, and it's the most erotic thing I've ever experienced in my life. I feel the surge of her wolf under her skin—she's become more powerful.
Feray pulls back and smiles up at me. "Anything you need of me, ask, and it shall be yours." I caress her cheek and kiss her forehead, allowing my lips to linger there for several beats before pulling away.
"We ought to get back on the road." I whisper against her skin before backing away and taking her hand.
"Why don't you let me drive? You and Diaval sit in the back with Feray." Torben offers, smiling and motioning to the car. The bear, her first mate, is so selfless with his time. He's willing to forsake his place at her side to allow Diaval and me to have ours.
"Are you sure?" I question as I pull the keys from my pocket.
"I'm sure." He reaches out and takes the keys. "You're newly mated, and Diaval is half-mated to her. You both need time to let the bond strengthen and deepen naturally."
I extend my hand and shake his firmly. "I can see why she accepted you as her first mate. You lead from a place of selflessness. Torben, you are wise beyond your years."
"What do you mean I accepted him as first mate? The order makes a difference?" Shit. Her innocent question I know will not be able to be derailed.
"Let's talk about it while Torben drives, shall we?"
"I need answers. Many detailed answers." She looks up into my eyes as she grips my tie firmly.
"Answers you shall have." Diaval states as he offers her his arm.
Feray releases me like I set her hand on fire and takes hold of Diaval.
He leads her back to the car and then to the trunk.
Popping it open, he pulls out a bottle of water and a bag of snacks.
"You need to eat and drink once we're in the vehicle again.
Then we will give you the answers you desire.
" He doesn't give her the option to refuse.
Instead, she smiles slightly and nods, taking what he's offering.
Without hesitation, she gets into the car, and I stand here stunned, watching what's happening before me.
Feray is strong and dominant when she has to be, otherwise she enjoys feeling safe and cared for.
Her preference for being sheltered versus having to wage war is interesting.
I get into the back of the SUV from the passenger side and close the door.
"Are we ready to get going?" Torben turns with a big smile painted on his face. The big guy seems happy with the way everything is progressing.
"Let's get going." I laugh a little, watching Feray eat her snack and Diaval watch her like a hawk.
"What is it with you two and stuffing food in Feray's face?" I look between them as Torben pulls back out onto the road.
"For bears, a well-fed and happy mate is a sign of a powerful male. A good boar provides food and protection for its mate. If she feels safe and is never hungry, then I've done my job." Torben says it with such passion that I sit up and take notice.
"Dragons believe that if our female wants for nothing, we've done our job." I watch Diaval brush the hair away from her face as she eats the second bag of snacks.
"What of your hoard? Which means more to you—your mate or your hoard?" I pose the question, curious about his answer.
Diaval laughs as he hands Feray her water bottle back. "That's easy. A dragon's mate trumps its hoard. Since my mate gave me my prized possession, it's always going to be her."
"I did?" Feray angles her body, leaning back against me to watch Diaval. She obviously didn't realize how important her gift was to him.
"You did." The smirk he was wearing earlier fades, and a genuine smile appears for a moment as he digs in the satchel that's never far from him.
He pulls out the black mug Feray gave him, handing it to her like it's the most fragile thing in the world.
She turns it over in her hands several times and then notices the inscription—the same Latin phrase, until death, written in beautiful script.
"You didn't know it, but the day you gave me that mug, my dragon decided you were meant to be ours. Instinct told me you were mine, but that cranky bastard doesn't always agree with me. For once, he did."
"But you set it aside..." She sets the mug on her lap before wringing the hem of her sundress.
Torben's eyes find the rearview mirror, looking back at Feray. "Deep breath. Let him explain."
Diaval nods his thanks in Torben's direction before speaking.
"Your thoughtful gift stunned me. I'm usually so unapproachable that no one has ever gifted me anything.
" I watch him reach down and extract her hands from the hem of her dress, rubbing his thumbs gently over the back of her small hands.
Slowly, I run my hands down her arms, trying to soothe her.
"You are a massive asshole most of the time, Diaval." I chime in.
"Easton!" Feray looks over her shoulder at me and lightly smacks my hand.
"What? It's true."
"He is right. Diaval can be a dick at times." Torben adds.
"Now that we've determined I can be a dickish asshole, may I continue?" Diaval stares at each of us, then proceeds, taking our silence as permission.
"My dragon started fighting me, wanted to be released in that little room for you to see him.
Before I accidentally crushed the mug in my hand, I set it aside to keep it safe.
" He draws in a deep breath and looks over her shoulder at me.
"As Easton can attest, it's difficult when you've spent most of your existence alone.
" A smirk ticks up the corner of his mouth for a moment.
"In dragon society, the female picks the males in her nest. My dragon chose you. It was a shock when he was urging me to claim a female he only knew from the bar. One who seemed to know exactly what flavors would please us the most." He gazes affectionately down the bridge of his nose at her.
"It wasn't hard to figure out. Your choice in whiskey or bourbon told me exactly what to put together.
The rest was watching and learning." Feray leans back and presses herself into me further.
From what I can tell, she does this when a topic makes her uncomfortable.
I stop running my hands up and down her arms and wrap an arm around her waistline, hugging her.
"You are very observant and highly intelligent. I would expect nothing less from you." Leaning in, I kiss the shell of her ear and nuzzle her cheek after, like I've seen Torben do to soothe her.
Slowly, the tenseness in her rigid frame relaxes, and she sighs softly. Leaning her head back, she smiles at me. "I'm not the only one watching and learning what my mate needs. You did good." Her praise is followed up by a kiss as she remains leaning against me.
"I would not be a suitable mate if I didn't notice what does and doesn't make you happy." Glancing toward the front of the car, Torben makes eye contact with me using the rearview mirror. He gives me a terse nod, and I assume it's his way of showing approval.
"So back to this mate order thing. Someone needs to start explaining because I'm confused." Feray makes the give me movement at Diaval, and he hands her back her water bottle.
"Well, way back when—" I gesture in the air, rolling my hand slightly. "Most families were like how this one is shaping up to be. The female having several mates in her nest. In the grand design, it makes more sense." Shrugging, I look between Diaval and Torben.
"What Easton is trying to say, given everyone's chosen profession, is that someone will always be with you. Not that anyone would tell you to quit your job, but you could if you wanted to. Combined, your mates make enough to support everything." Torben offers.
"Or if there's something you always wanted to do, we could help you achieve it." Diaval interjects.
"Is there anything you always wanted to do?" Leaning forward, I hug her tighter. Hopefully, she'll let us in on what her deepest desires are.