April’s eyebrows shot up. “No shit?”
“It’s rare, but true,” I said. “And we know that the only way to create an Elite is to infuse a Dragon Blessed child with pure higher races blood. We didn’t know whether your mother was one, but we definitely suspected.”
I didn’t want to speculate out loud on whether this meant Cassandra St. George was still alive. She hadn’t been present during the war we’d fought. Every member of the Ultiori army present that day had been slaughtered, along with hundreds of members of the higher races. But there had been Ultiori cells all over the world, so if there were any that sat out the war, she could have remained hidden away in one. There was also a possibility that she defected when the other Elites did, but remained in hiding for April’s sake.
She could very well be alive, particularly since Elites were almost impossible to kill. They were infused with immortal dragon blood so could only be killed by dragon fire from the owner of the blood that gave them their power.
“It definitely explains the strength of your dragon magic,” Gray said. “As for the ursa side…maybe Tate can offer a theory on that.”
“Let me see the photo again,” I said, reaching for it. I studied April’s dad, who appeared every bit the perfectly nurturing father holding his young daughter on his lap in the photo. He had a mess of curly blond hair and a thick beard that the young April tangled her fingers into. The sight made me smile and brush a hand over my own beard, imagining how it would feel to have such a precious creature as a cub to hold.
The picture had been taken in the summer, and sunlight gleamed in April’s pale curls. Her other hand rested on her dad’s forearm, where it curved protectively around her. Partially obscured beneath her tiny hand was a swath of dark ink.
“Do you remember what this mark looks like?” I asked, pointing to the tattoo.
April leaned over and furrowed her brow. “Yeah, it’s a tribal bear paw. Is that significant? The ursa are bear shifters, right?”
“It could be. There have been human villages and tribes that were magically tied to the ursa for centuries. Families that acted as waypoints for young ursa on their pilgrimages. If your dad belonged to one, it would explain your concentration of ursa power. They’re all heavily charmed to compel loyalty. When the Bloodline was activated, that ursa magic must have been magnified with the divine blood. How are you feeling now, by the way?”
She pressed her hand to her lower abdomen, looking thoughtful. “I still feel it in me, but at least it doesn’t feel like it’s fighting to escape. Which is a relief because I’m kind of exhausted.”
We had all congregated back around the crackling fireplace, and April looked around at us, then sighed. “As much as I’d love to stay up to try to sort all this out, I think I want to take advantage of the fact that I don’t need sex for five minutes and go try to regroup. Get some real sleep.” Her gaze rested on me, then Eddie and Chayton for a second longer. “There are more than enough bedrooms in the house for all of you, so take your pick. Just not the one I’m in. Is that okay?”
“Of course,” I said, the words echoed two more times from the other two ursa. The dragons remained silent, evidently having already picked up on her needs in a way an ursa wouldn’t be able to.
We all stood when April did, and watched as she left the room. The farther away she got, the stronger my urge to follow her, to the point that it took effort not to take a step in her direction. It didn’t take a genius or an empath to see she struggled with something—even if it was only all the unanswered questions.
Just before she left my line of sight, I called out.
“April, wait.”
She turned with such raw hope I couldn’t help but stride through the arch to catch up to her. I stopped just short of pulling her into my arms. Instead, I rested my hands on her shoulders and brushed the sides of her throat with my thumbs. She took a shaky breath, her big eyes staring up at me. “What is it?” she breathed.
“If you want something…anything…from me or Chayton or Eddie, we need to hear you ask for it. Out loud.”
“So you guys aren’t telepathic like those nosy dragons, huh?”
I chuckled. “No. But it’s a rule embedded in our behavior. We respond to direct commands from our females. The more direct, the better.” I widened my eyes to emphasize how important this was.
“Am I your female, then?”
“That’s a question for you to decide. Or more appropriately, are we your males? Your mates. If you choose us, then yes.”
“I guess that means the ball’s in my court, huh? The thing is, Stuart already told me you guys won’t fuck a woman you aren’t mated to. But I refuse to commit to a man I can’t fuck first. So unless you guys can figure out a way around that, then no, you can’t be mine.”
I wanted to emphasize that she needed us to help her through her estrous, but we’d already established that her glassblowing by itself was enough to manage her magical surges, and she had three very capable, willing dragons to pick up any slack.
I dropped my hands to my sides and nodded. “Understood.”
She turned to go again, hesitated, then turned back. “Just to be clear, what I want is for you to find a way. Find a way for me to be with you three all the way, so I can make that choice, because I already feel like I’ve known you guys forever.”
“Can I offer a compromise?” I asked, unwilling to give up.
“I’m listening.”
“If you need someone tonight, or any night, let us come and show you what it means to be serviced by an ursa male. Because I promise that between the three of us, you will not be left wanting. If you still need more after that, maybe you’ll choose us as mates so we can give it all to you.”
Her gaze fell to the floor as she chewed her lip. Then she stretched up on her toes, wrapped her arms around my neck, and kissed me. It was so unexpected I fell back a step, but managed to catch her waist in both hands and pull her to me as I responded in kind. I let out a pleased rumble, kissing her back while trying not to be too greedy, too desperate. But the fact was, I wanted April with every ounce of my being, and I knew that I’d do whatever she asked. I’d find a way to give her whatever she wanted, and I was sure the others would too.
The kiss ended too soon, and she was gone, leaving me in a daze as she trotted up the stairs.
23
April
It took every ounce of will not to invite the three ursa to my bed that night. I couldn’t deny how much I wanted all three of them. Part of it was not having had them yet, but I couldn’t reconcile the desire with the knowledge that we couldn’t fully make love without breaking their rules. But I also had a reprieve from the constant need for sex and wanted to reassert my boundaries with them for as long as I could, which meant not jumping into bed with any of them again until I was positive it was my own rational decision and not my body’s magical urges dictating my actions.
Ultimately, I wound up lying awake after showering, wondering what the six of them were up to. Were they thinking about me? Had they been too thrown by my mother’s affiliation with their enemy to be interested anymore? Did they see me as somehow tainted because of her? I didn’t really want to know the answer to that question, but their actions would the indicators.