Stuart, Murdoc, and I helped where we could, but as soon as the first housing was complete, April shifted gears to the hot shop, directing us to follow.
From then on, the seven of us worked in tandem, the ursa completing the pieces that required smithing and metal-work, and us dragons and April collaborating on the glass. We lost track of time and didn’t stop until the sounds of bickering rose up from the forge.
“You’re moving too slow, Ed,” Chayton grumbled.
“I’m moving just as fast as you, dickhead.”
“It isn’t a goddamn race!” Tate interjected.
“She needs us to keep up with her pace,” Chayton said.
Eddie threw up his hands. “I’m not a dragon, for Gaia’s sake. I’m working as fast as I can!”
I stopped to stare at the blonde ursa who barely ever raised his voice. His aura was weak with weariness but flickered with the unmistakable desire to impress. They were all just a little desperate to make sure they pleased her enough.
April had been ready for another gather but stopped, propping herself on the blowpipe like it was a walking stick. “What’s up, guys? Is there an issue?”
“They’re just tired,” Stuart said. “We had a long trip and haven’t rested.”
“You seem just fine, and you were the one who got shredded,” April said, looking Stuart up and down.
Eddie grunted and glared at Stuart. “Like I said, we aren’t dragons. On top of healing Stu, you topped him off when he got here. All the three of us have had is one meal. We don’t have a bottomless well of magic that gets refilled when we fuck.”
“Fine, I get it,” April held up her free hand. “It’s late anyway. You guys have been amazing.” Her voice hitched, and she cleared her throat. “Really fucking amazing. Let’s head in for the night.”
She turned back toward me, her head bowed, and handed me the blowpipe to put away.
“You all right?” I asked in a subdued voice.
“Nah, just got something in my eye.” She waved me off, but I couldn’t mistake the thicker timbre of her voice. She shuffled into the supply room ahead of me and busied herself rehanging tools and organizing the metal rods used for the filigree.
“It’s about your mother, isn’t it?” I asked, leaning against one of the steel counters that bordered the small room.
“It’s like she knew me, but how could she? She was gone almost my entire life. Dad was the one who taught me to love art.”
I pulled her into my arms and kissed the top of her head. “I haven’t seen or spoken to my parents in over five centuries. Trust me when I say I know how you feel.”
She pulled back and looked up at me. “Is that a dragon thing? Having absent parents?”
“Sort of,” I said with a small shrug. “Each new generation of dragons goes into hibernation for five hundred years while our parents continue to live among humans and increase their wealth so they have a worthy legacy to leave behind when they die. The purpose of the hibernations is to avoid the younger generation competing with the older, which is basically a recipe for disaster. We don’t want humanity to discover we exist, and in-fighting risks that. But the human population is so immense now, it’s easier to blend in. Not to mention, we’ve had a common enemy for long enough that we know better than to start wars among our own kind.”
“An enemy? Do you mean Chaos?”
“No, actually, Chaos usually isn’t such a dick. That’s a new thing. Our old enemy is dead now. Has been for a few years. We called them the Ultiori. They were led by a creature who possessed people’s minds to make them do her bidding.” I mulled over explaining further, that as Bloodline, April herself was descended from the humans who had been subjugated by that enemy. They’d been infused with higher races blood for generations upon generations to observe how the blood affected humanity, and to turn them into soldiers capable of fighting a war only one person in the organization really cared about winning. We’d considered them all our enemy even though we learned later that they’d all been mind-controlled. Very few managed to break that hold.
April shivered. “Glad they’re dead. I think this Chaos asshole is enough of a problem without having to watch our backs against other threats. Let’s head inside before I get the itch to keep going. I have a few bearded hotties who I need to find a way to thank for all their hard work.”
She gave me a wink and slipped back out the door while I smiled after her, too excited for words that she was embracing the idea of being with us all.
21
April
“How are you feeling?” Tate asked, falling into step beside me on the way back to the house. Gray fell back, a pleased look on his face as he pretended not to eavesdrop, but I was pretty sure he’d hear my thoughts anyway. Somehow, I didn’t mind a bit.
I bumped my shoulder against Tate’s and took his hand, wanting to send a clear message that touching was allowed. “I’m fantastic. Not tired even though I know we’ve been at it for hours.” I stopped short halfway up the path and stared up at him, the realization finally hitting me. “I haven’t had sex in hours! You were right! Oh my god, I think I love you.” I tackled him in a hug, catching sight of Gray’s grinning face just beyond while Tate held me tight, his body shaking with a low laugh.
“I hope you don’t love me so much you’re happy to go without,” he rumbled against my ear, letting his hands slide down low on my waist. He didn’t move any lower, but he held me a little tighter to his big, solid torso for a few seconds before I slid down and stepped out of his embrace. Being near him gave me the same sense of absolute comfort as the first time I hugged Gray, like his every intention was to provide shelter, ease my worries, make me happy. For most of my young life, Dad had been that for me, but ever since I finished high school, it’d just been me, exposed to the elements.
For the first time in about a decade, I remembered what it felt like to be near someone whose only desire was to keep me safe. And not just one someone—six someones.
I held him at arm’s length, studying his face, sighing exaggeratedly as I let my eyes wander the length of him. I shook my head. “My love does have limits.” I gave him a wink, then turned back to the house, keeping hold of one hand and leading him behind me. But it wasn’t lost on me now that it might not be too long before my body’s needs took over and I’d have no choice in the matter. Not unless I opted to stay awake working on my sculpture to keep the buildup of magic at bay.
At the moment, I could revel in being clear-headed enough to know I wanted him for my own reasons. He was an enormous mountain of bearded, sexy fun. Eyeing the two other ursa who waited for us on the back porch in the ring of light by the back door, I could rationally admit that I’d be happy with either of them too. Was it enough that I felt that way now, but would have no choice later? Could I reconcile my very real, completely sane desire in this moment with the fact that in a few hours I might not be coherent enough to say no, even if I wanted to?
I stopped just inside the house, a second thought occurring to me. Eddie was holding open the screen door, and Chayton had his back against the main door, holding it open from the inside for Tate and me to pass through. I looked at each of the ursa, who returned my gaze with questioning looks of their own.