Page 13 of Emergence of Fire
“Adrian.” I say with a nod. Oh, Adrian I think I like you very much. I give him a smile and I watch his moody mask slowly slip back into place as he slides my legs from his lap. What a tease! He knows exactly what he’s working with and so does Torin by the size of his hardening dick poking me in the hip. Well, hot damn. I am shooting two for two. Now, where’s the third one? Shifting I look up straight into my aunt Twyla’s eyes. They twinkle with amusement as she quirks her eyebrows slightly nodding to something behind me. I silently quirk mine back in question, but she clears her throat and slightly inclines her head motioning behind me. It was a quick exchange that happens so fast I doubt the men notice; I take that back. Both Adrian and Torin are staring at me so hard that they may know my bra size by now.
I turn, moving my body again, I elicit another groan from Torin. I decide to show pity on the big guy and slide off his lap, never taking my eyes off the piece of art holding up the far wall of the room. All three of these men are huge, I don’t know if that is the standard for most Arcadian men, but it appears I have won the lottery. He smiles and crosses the room. I stare because I don’t know what else to do. He approaches me and I feel nervous. Torin is comfortable. I don’t know if it’s because I saw him in my aunt’s vision but I feel like I know him. Adrian is a dare I am willing to bet all my money on just with one glance. Sexy, moody, and broody, just how I like ‘em. But this one, bright green eyes with flecks of grey or is it the other way around? I could get lost in eyes like those. His smile is orgasmic all on its own with two of the deepest dimples I have ever seen in both cheeks. He is beautiful, with sun-kissed tan skin, hair shaved low on the sides with a mess of black curls spilling over. He is the smallest of the three but by no means less impressive. He saunters over and kneels before me. I can hear someone huff next to me in disapproval, but I can’t look away.
“I’m Gale.” He brings his hand up to his chest gesturing to himself, then continues. “We thought you died a long time ago. You have no idea how many times I dreamt of this moment, only for it to be snatched away when I opened my eyes with the knowledge that it could never be. My imagination didn’t do you justice, beautiful.” He places his hand under mine to bring it to his lips and brushes a light kiss over it. His eyes hide nothing. He is willingly letting me see his soul, and it makes me want to show him mine in return. Gale is the dangerous kind, the kind that makes you want to fall in love with him. It’s way too early for that kind of emotion. Nope, Cordelia, this is not you, I say to myself. I’m going to blame this one on the Dragon, which I can feel moving around with excitement at their closeness.
“Gale.” I shake my head and pull my hand back. I feel like the spell has been broken now that I am no longer touching any of them. I glance up to Aunt Twyla for help but she’s getting up to leave the room.
“I am going to go salvage what little is left of the kitchen.” I go to stand and follow, stepping over Gale in the process. Raising her hand with her palm out she halts me with the hand sign to stop. “Cordelia, you have some tough decisions to make, sweetheart. I think you all need to talk a few things through before we decide our next move.” I plead for her not to leave me with my eyes. I’m drowning in crazy feelings and possibly Dragon hormones. I don’t want to be left alone with these guys. She offers me an apologetic smile. “I will let you all get acquainted.” She turns quickly and leaves the room. I look around the sitting room, suddenly it seems smaller than it is. I watch Adrian take interest in photos of me at various stages of my life hanging on the wall. Torin and Gale wait expectantly for me to speak but my tongue feels glued to the roof of my mouth. Why can’t I just express how I feel about all of this? Maybe it’s because I am not sure?
“Staying here is not an option, is it?” I ask all three men. There, a simple yet complicated question. I want to hear from them. If I had my choice, well, I don’t think I have a choice anymore. Almost seventy-two hours ago a Dragon clawed at me from the inside and took all choice away from me. Adrian turns around and looks over to Torin, and Gale does the same. Interesting that they would defer to him instead of just telling me straight. I doubt this has anything to do with Torin being their leader, I have a feeling he is the most diplomatic of the three.
“I don’t think it’s safe for you,” Torin says with a sigh. He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, dropping his hands down loosely as he chooses his words carefully. “I also don’t think it’s safe to take you directly to Arcadia. Your aunt is right, they would be on you in a second. Especially, after hearing her speculation about the Fae. We don’t know who is watching.” Torin looks at me and waits for me to speak but I just nod my head.
“We can only guess this is a lot for you. The sooner we can get you somewhere safe so we can help you through your Emergence, the better. I will feel better knowing you are learning who you are and what you mean to our Realm,” Adrian says firmly. There is no emotion in his eyes, just the hard facts. Like Torin, he waits for me to speak and I say nothing. Since they are taking turns, I look over to Gale and he looks back at me in surprise. He points at himself, and I can’t help but smile. “Don’t you want to weigh in?” I ask him with a smile.
“I just want you to be ok with all of this.” He waves his hand around the room, indicating the three of them and continues. “Are you ok with all of this?” He hesitates, looks over at Adrian and Torin like he is not sure how what he is going to say next will be perceived. “Your life is changing drastically. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, and I’m almost surprised Adrian didn’t say this, but shit is about to get tough. Arcadia is not Earth, and you will have to adjust. You can change all of that when you are queen because you will be the queen. I also know it’s hard to leave your life behind and I don’t think you should. Not all of it anyway.” I smile. I just needed a little sliver of hope that I can hold on to something. Torin and Adrian glare at Gale but he just shrugs unapologetically.
“I know what I saw through my aunt's eyes. I saw murder and treason. I saw power hungry men change laws to suit themselves. I saw betrayal. I heard the Barons’ opinions on women, so I owe it to my mother—the woman who was taken from me—to right those wrongs. I owe it to her to kill every one of those bastards.” I look at the three men before me and I know without a doubt that they won’t let me fail. Maybe it’s my Dragon’s belief in their feelings for me, and for now that’s enough. “I know nothing about what’s happening to me. Am I scared shitless? Hell yeah. I know nothing about being a queen. I want to say I have nothing to offer, but scratch that, I’ve never given up on something I wanted in my life. I’m stubborn and can be a bit of an asshole. I’m the Alpha of my life. I plan on keeping it that way. I know I can’t figure this out on my own, and I know that I will need your help.” I look around at all of them, my heart warms when they gaze steadily back at me with smiles. Three of the most beautiful smiles I’ve ever seen. I dare say they look proud of me. My cheeks heat and I feel a little flushed from their approval. I just gave a speech about being independent and an Alpha, and all these crazy emotions want nothing more than for me to submit to them.
“So, how do we do this?” I ask gesturing between the four of us. I have never had the stomach to hold down one relationship. Three at once sounds ludicrous.
“Anyway you like, beautiful. We are yours,” Gale says with a wink.
Ok, it just got hotter in here. I need a shower.
CHAPTERELEVEN
ADRIAN
She was made for this. She says she doesn’t know how to be a queen but she is already doing it. Asking for our help, treating us as her equals, and hearing what we have to say has me hopeful about the future. When she called herself an Alpha, I felt my cock stir and had to adjust myself while I stood against the wall. What a dominant way to describe yourself, this woman was made for us. I look at the smiles on my brother’s faces and I know they are thinking the same thing. She is a queen, and we are going to help her see and believe it.
I think she was surprised and a little turned on by our reaction to her speech. I couldn’t be prouder because this could have gone an entirely different way. She could have run and kept running, or buried her head in the sand until she fell into the wrong hands. I’m glad Twyla showed her what happened the night her mother died, it’s given her purpose and drive.
Cordelia stands before us in her ridiculous unicorn pajamas. We’d put her arms back in her sleeves to keep her warm once we’d got her back inside, hoping she wouldn’t go into shock. She’s still gorgeous. Her reddish-brown skin is smooth and flawless, her long black hair is a little worse for wear in a loose ponytail. She’s barefoot and a complete mess but she owns it. I can tell by her slight fidget she is becoming uncomfortable standing there. Especially after asking about our relationship in a roundabout way. We always knew we would share a mate, and with her supposedly dead we refused to find a substitute. Yes, we all had individual dalliances with women, but our hearts would only belong to one woman. Now she’s here, and she is perfect.
“I don’t think we need to worry about us at the moment. Let’s focus on you. What do you need from us in this moment?” Torin asks her. She pulls her bottom lip in between her teeth, thinking over his question. I want nothing more than to stop her, if she wants her lips bitten, she only needs to ask. Damn, from the moment she woke and locked eyes with me earlier something just clicked into place for me. I guess in the back of my mind I worried about our connection to her after all these years.
“I need a shower.” She says, clasping her hands in front of her and rocking on the balls of her feet ready to move but she stops. “I don’t know how to say this, but I don’t want to be alone.” She looks concerned and slightly afraid. Torin and Gale both stand but she holds up her hands to stop us as we walk toward her. “Our bathroom won’t fit you all so I am going to have to take one of you while the other two can wait for me in my room. If that’s ok?” She covers her face with her hands, clearly out of her league when it comes to us. Gale closes the distance between us and grabs her hands.
“You set the pace here, beautiful. Lead the way, and when we get to your room you just grab one of us to go with you.” He runs his hand down her cheek and you can see her sag in relief from his words. I don’t agree with Gale much but he’s been spot on with everything he’s said lately. I will never tell him that of course but I am man enough to admit it to myself. She shakes her head at him and turns with his hand in hers and walks toward the stairs. Torin and I follow her up the stairs and on to a landing with several doors down a long hallway. Cordelia immediately starts pointing out the various rooms as we pass them. Twyla’s room is the first door you come to on the left of the hall, followed by the bathroom with Cordelia’s room right across from it. The other two doors are guest rooms for when her aunt invites guests from the local Wiccan chapter during different solstice celebrations.
“I’ve never had a man in my room before. I bet these walls are screaming.” She laughs to herself as she opens the door and pulls Gale in behind her. I am the last one through the door but I make sure to leave it open so she doesn’t feel uncomfortable. Cordelia locks eyes with me and smiles. I nod my head at her in our silent exchange. I watch her lead Gale to her white wrought iron bed with handmade quilts and patchwork pillows piled on top, offering him a seat.
Torin immediately starts to look at all the old posters and pictures on the walls, this room is like a museum. It was probably left this way when she packed up to leave for her adult studies in college. School in Arcadia is not like school on Earth, everything changed after the queen was killed. Girls are not allowed to attend our academies and have to be home schooled if they want to further their education. Everything about Arcadia these days feels archaic and out of touch with what the people want. We all do the best we can for the women in our regions but the law is the law. Thaddeus and his Barons are constantly looking over our shoulders in fear of a rebellion. It should have been a dead giveaway that what they were doing was wrong but assholes like that just want power. Power to control someone’s life, well, that’s the ultimate power, and they are relishing it.
“Adrian.” The sound of my name on her tongue sends shivers down my spine and snaps me out of my thoughts. Cordelia is standing right in front of me with her hand wrapped around my wrist. I didn’t hear her approach let alone feel her touch, I was so lost in my thoughts.
“Where were you just now?” She asks as she studies me. Her head tilts to the side with a gentle smile on her face.
“Possibly imagining all of the different ways he can wear a scowl.” Gale laughs. Torin glares at him and shakes his head from across the room.
“What?” I raise my eyebrows and looked down at Cordelia. I have a feeling I missed something.
“You missed the entire conversation, Adrian,” Torin says as he sits at Cordelia’s desk, examining her childhood knickknacks. He’s clearly not happy with whatever is happening right now.
“You’re coming with me,” Cordelia says softly. “I was telling Gale and Torin that my Dragon is calm now that I’m around you all. I would like to keep her that way, so I am sticking to at least one of you like glue for the time being.” She points to her chest; I nod my head in understanding. It must be scary for her. Being a Dragon is a part of who we are, it’s always present from the moment we Emerge. As a child all I wanted to do was shift and explore the depths of the oceans in my Realm. I can imagine this feels foreign to her.
I take her other hand in mine and pull her across the hall and into the bathroom. Once inside she closes the door behind us. A walk-in shower waits at the other side of the room with frosted glass doors. Black and white shiny tiles in various geometric shapes line the floor. It’s modern yet traditional at the same time. Long double sinks line the left side of the wall with round individual mirrors above each one.
