Rafe barks out a laugh. "We just watched you fall to your death."
"Reports of her death were greatly exaggerated," Jianyu deadpans.
"You were kidnapped." Malik exhales roughly, shaking his head and turning his hand over to intertwine our fingers. "By Shadow Dragons."
Right. That was bad.
I squirm inside, though. There's so much I have to tell them, and I'm not sure how I'm going to manage to explain any of it.
Sorry to tell you this, but I'm descended from your mortal enemies and oh, also I'm destined to rule the dragon world, and I have one more mate I still need to find, and I'm about ninety-five percent sure he's a total dick.
Yeah, that's going to go over great.
So I focus on the miracle in front of me. "You rescued me."
"From the look of that tower." Jianyu raises a brow. "You did a pretty good job rescuing yourself."
It comes back to me in flashes. Running through the castle. Losing Mariutza and Delaynie. Releasing all of those captured souls.
That whispering voice I heard just before the tower collapsed returns to me now. Reflexively, I check my side. The bag Lord Rook gave me is still there, and I let out a shaky sigh of relief. The gods alone know how badly the remaining Soul Sphere and the scrolls I stole fared after basically exploding and then getting drowned in icy waters. But at least I didn't lose them entirely.
"It could have gone better," I confess, my voice wobbling.
Malik squeezes my hand. "You're safe. That's all that matters."
Rafe lets out a choked sound, and a shudder ripples through our bond. He yanks me close. "Don't you ever do that to me again."
"I'll try," I promise, curling an arm around his neck.
He's still throwing off heat, chasing away the last of the chill clinging to my skin from the icy waters around the Citadel. But that has nothing to do with the warmth that gathers low in my abdomen. I suck in a breath and get nothing but his delicious scent--the combined scent of all three of my mates, in fact. They have a lingering hint of dragonfire and ash, their dragons all close to the surface.
My own dragon slithers sinuously behind my ribs, and my nipples tighten into sharp peaks.
A rough sound escapes me, and Rafe's eyes darken.
He rumbles my name. "Ember..."
"Rafe." His name tastes so good on my tongue. It's only been a couple of days since I've seen him, but it feels like so much longer.
A part of me thought I'd never see him again.
I shudder, relieved and overwhelmed and probably in shock after everything that's happened, but I'll deal with all of that later. For now, I reach out for him, and he leans in.
His mouth meets mine, and it tastes like fire and terror and a love so big I can hardly bear it. But just when I fear it will burn me to cinders, I ignite right along with him. I open for him, moaning as he dips his tongue past my lips to slide it against mine.
Before we can get too carried away, the other threads in my bond make themselves known.
I pull away to find Jianyu right there. I kiss him, too, getting lost in his quiet command and the precision with which he takes me apart. My insides go molten.
But I open my eyes. I look right at Malik as I scrape my teeth over my other mate's tongue.
Malik's bright eyes flare a deeper shade of blue, but there's no anger in him. No jealousy. Only a hunger and an understanding, and I feel myself falling deeper into his ocean. My skin prickles with heat, and I pulse inside with desire.
As Jianyu releases me, I pull Malik in. Both Rafe and Jianyu are wary, but they give us space.
Breathless, I murmur to Malik, "I thought you didn't share."
"Beloved." Earnestness burns in his gaze. "I would do anything for you."
He kisses me then, rough and desperate and deep, and I float on the brilliance of the connection humming through me. I'm still in Rafe's arms, with Jianyu's hand cupping the side of my neck, my lips locked with Malik's, and it feels so perfect.
So nearly complete.
A hollow pang reverberates behind my ribs. My knowledge of what's missing is a sharp ache of dread in my gut.
I can't ignore it any longer.
Breathless, I pull away from Malik.
"I have so much to tell you all," I gasp. "About who I am--about what I am." My stomach clenches, my voice quivering, but I force myself to push through. "And about where we need to go next."
