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A high-pitched ring filled my ears.
What had I done?
“Either get food or get out the way.” Tyson kicked my calf.
I sucked in a breath and forced myself to move. I filled my plate without seeing it and took it back to my cot. Grunts and footsteps filled the room as the rest of the guys woke. Ogden and Tyson joined me, filling their plates with piles of scrambled eggs and chorizo sausage. Rehan poured a coffee and the smell of roasted beans filled the air.
My initial shock eased, and the ringing in my ears vanished. Most importantly I was currently in control of my instincts. No crazy dragon hormones controlled my actions, though the storm still built, it didn’t feel like it had before last night. A rut was mindless need, not something I slipped in and out of. My heart thumped in my ears. I had slipped out of it.
How?
I felt Jay come back into the room through our bond. Her slight weight landed on my cot, making it squeak and groan.
“Jesus, you got the shit cot,” Jay ran her hand up my arm. “Did you sleep okay?”
I grunted, my cock twitching, only to instantly still at the sore feeling between my legs. The cot had been fine before I ‘slept’ in it.
I repeated her question in my mind: Did I sleep okay?I glanced toward Ogden’s now empty cot. He’d hidden us from the room. No one knew what happened but us. I didn’t know if that was good or bad.
“I did,” I finally answered, setting my full plate on the floor.
Jay squeezed my shoulder. “I know you’re not Sister Abby anymore. But we can still be girlfriends with benefits.”
“You’re my mate,” I said automatically.
Jay froze, but I didn’t let her back away. Instead, I tugged her elbow, and she slid closer. Her body heat sunk into my side. I wanted more, so I wrapped my arm around her. She molded tome, giving me the love I craved. Rehan watched us while Tyson turned away.
Ogden could blow me in private, but I had an audience for something this simple. I wasn’t an angry dragon. Bad things happened, and you could either burn yourself focusing on them, or you could let them blow past you and focus on the good.
But my usual ability to focus on the good slipped through my fingers. My dad used me to punish the world for everything negative in his life. Saying it sucked was an understatement, but I understood my role. Living as an air priestess had been challenging but rewarding at the same time. Good or bad, I understood what I needed to do and took every step with confidence.
However, this situation with Jay was different. I didn’t understand how I fit into her world. It felt wrong to hide last night. But I’d been rutting. I hadn’t been in control, and now I was, which wasn’t normal. Opening up to Jay would out Og, who had been in control. He’d wanted my dick because he liked men too – liked me.
How would the other two react? How would Jay? Had I cheated on her like Tyson had his ex? Or were we a part of a unit? I rubbed my stump, doubting everything.
My thoughts came back to Og. The first of Jay’s mates to accept me. The quirky warlock who always came to my defense and wanted the five of us to work out as much as I did. I needed to talk to Og before I did anything. Indecision clicked into will. I couldn’t break his trust, and I wasn’t ready to give Jay more tools to push us away. I was the last to find her, and we needed time.
“I don’t really remember my family,” Jay admitted her thoughts, thankfully far from my own. “Time flows differently for me, and I was literally born in a different world, but.” She kissed my bare chest. “Like we said yesterday, we can talk about anything.”
Jay was still stuck on my dad, understandably. I pulled her close. “I’ve lived with his actions day in and day out most of my life,” I said quietly, though with dragon ears, everyone heard it anyway. “I’m not okay with everything that happened to me, but I’ve come to terms with it.” I cupped her cheek, knowing I was about to lie but unable to stop myself. “I promise, if I need to talk, I will.”
Jay kissed my palm before standing. Trust filled her eyes, and guilt ate at my stomach. Instead of indulging it, I gave an appraising once-over of her outfit. Camouflage combat pants were belted low on her waist, with a black tank top tucked into them. Straps of a silver sports bra peeked out of the tank top. Her hair was up in its usual high ponytail, though gathered into a thick braid this time.
Despite my aching sensitive nerves, blood hardened my cock. Jay looked hot, like she could kick my ass twice over, and I wanted her to. I grabbed her hand, pulling her back to my side and into my arms. Instead of fighting me, she let me hold her close. I didn’t just love the feeling. I needed it.
My gaze drifted to Og. We needed to figure this out.
CHAPTER TWELVE
JAIYANA
Irode on Lux’s head –not like that– as we soared through the morning light. My very first night, trapped in a strange dragon shifter’s claws as the dark, unknown island rolled beneath me, came back to me. It felt like a simpler time. Even my emotions had been more straightforward… or at least I hadn’t admitted how lonely I truly was.
Now, I rode on the back of my fourth mate, identifying the villages of the elemental clans. I understood so much more while still knowing nothing. Instead of being excited about an adventure, I faced my nightmare: the entire reason I isolated myself.
Something terrible was happening, probably to the world, and I very likely caused it.
What’s the opposite of a gold star?
