I went to her and accepted her embrace. “Oh, honey, this is amazing. Truly an astounding work.”
“It was a group effort, and I see now that it was always meant to be a collaboration. I just can’t quite bring myself to take it apart.”
“What do you mean take it apart?” She turned to me, eyes wide with dismay.
“It’s not going to make it to the gallery unless we disassemble and pack it into crates. We have a detailed plan, though we’ll need to start tomorrow first thing so we have time to get it there and put back together before the show.”
“No, you can’t! It’s whole and perfect as it is.”
I shrugged. “Not as if I have a choice. I have to deliver. I spoke to the gallery manager yesterday and made arrangements…”
The big, dark-haired satyr Llyr had silently wandered close and stood just behind Mom with his arms crossed. When I trailed off and looked at him, he shook his head at me. “Leave it in one piece.”
“What the hell? This has been the plan all along. I can’t move the show here. That wouldn’t be feasible.”
“No,” Llyr said. “But you don’t need to dismantle the tree to take it there. Deva, Ozzie, and I can move it for you without taking it apart.”
“I can help,” Mom said. “My ability to drift hasn’t faded, and four will be better than three. Is the gallery ready for it yet?”
“They should have the space curtained off, so we can start anytime. As long as you guys are sure.”
“If it means not risking the integrity of this wonder, then absolutely,” Deva said. “Your work will be safe in our hands.”
35
April
Two days later, the sculpture was safely settled in the main room of the gallery but still shrouded by curtains hanging on all sides. With friends who could basically teleport us back and forth, we decided to stay on the island, since the house had more than enough space for everyone. We were still there an hour prior to the opening, getting dressed for the big night.
I’d just exited the shower and was plugging in the hair dryer when Murdoc cornered me and plucked it out of my hand.
“Not necessary, beautiful. Allow me.” He positioned me before the mirror, hands resting on my hips from behind, and met my gaze in our reflection. His eyes sparkled like diamonds, and the top of my mark shimmered with inner power over the top of the towel wrapped around me. Beyond him, Gray and Stuart leaned against the open bathroom doorway, watching. All three were decked out in tuxedos.
“What are you guys up to?” I asked, suspicious of their devious expressions.
“Just making sure you’re dressed,” Murdoc said, bunching the towel in his fingers and tugging. It came away from my chest easily and pooled on the floor at my feet.
The other two moved farther into the room, blowing white smoke as they approached. It swirled in coils and eddies on its way to me, tickling over my skin as if it had a mind of its own.
“I have clothes, you know,” I reminded them, even though the sensation of the feathery caresses made me want to close my eyes and let them do whatever they wished.
“We know,” Gray said. “But it’ll be easier to undress you later if we don’t have to worry about ruining a pretty frock.”
“Dragons are nothing if not pragmatic,” I said, giving them an appraising smile.
Murdoc slid his hands around to my belly and up, cupping my breasts as he dropped a path of kisses along the top of my shoulder. He met my gaze in the mirror, watching as the smoke teased along the back of my neck, splitting into finger-like tendrils that slipped up my scalp and through my wet hair in a strangely sensual way.
I let my eyelids close and released a contented sigh. I should’ve reminded Murdoc of the time, but I wasn’t sure if I cared. He hefted my breasts, idly brushing both thumbs across the tips. Just as I was prepared to surrender completely, he pulled away, leaving my skin cooling where his warm hands had been.
I opened my eyes to more curling wisps of smoke weaving themselves together around my torso. The smoke that had worked its way into my hair was busy doing something. It was warm and soft as it combed through in hypnotic strokes. I watched in fascination as my hair quickly dried into ringlets then began to move, gradually arranging atop my head in a cascade of golden curls.
The smoke constricted around my body like a comfortable sheathe, pushing my breasts up and together and cascading over the curves of my hips down to the tops of my feet, then around and beneath my feet too. Within just a few more seconds, I was fully dressed in a shimmering floor-length gown covered in what looked like red and gold sequins. The strapless bodice supported my breasts perfectly while still leaving a revealing deep-cut neckline that plunged far enough between my breasts that my mating marks were easily visible. My previously bare feet now sported a pair of strappy gold pumps.
I grinned at my dragons, marveling at the creation they’d given me. When I twisted from side to side, the iridescent material reflected the light, making it look like I was dressed in fire.
“What is this fabric? It’s amazing!” I ran my hand over it and stared down in wonder upon my discovery that the texture was nearly identical to the velvety softness of dragon scales.
“Just a little something to evoke the half of you that belongs to us,” Stuart said from the doorway, his silver eyes tracking up and down my body with proprietary hunger.
Footsteps pounded up the stairs, and a moment later, Tate pushed past Stuart with Chayton and Eddie on his heels. The three of them also wore tuxes.
“Whoa, you guys clean up nice!” I turned away from the mirror to properly appreciate them all. After a few weeks seeing them covered in sweat and soot from the studio, the sharp-dressed sextet were a feast for the eyes. Not quite as nice as if they were naked, but a girl had to exercise some restraint once in a while.
Tate’s cheeks flushed, and he glanced down, tugging awkwardly at one lapel. “It’s constricting as fuck, but you said this shindig was black-tie, so…” That’s when I noticed he held a polished wooden box in his other hand.
“What’s this?” I swayed closer, pointing at the object gripped in one big paw.
The three of them abruptly dropped to one knee, Tate taking point with the other two on either side just behind him. He held the box up as an offering.
I stared at the beautifully polished lid, with its inlaid replica of our tree of life, all four seasons represented among its branches.
With a hard swallow, I finally found my voice. “Guys, we’re already mated. You don’t need to propose.”
“It’s an ursa custom for males to craft their mate a gift when she first bears a child. We know this isn’t exactly the same thing, but when Deva said the sculpture was alive, that all seven of us shared in its creation, we knew we needed to follow the custom. This is our pledge to you to always honor our collective power to create new life, in whatever form it takes.”
He lifted the lid, revealing an asymmetrical open-collar necklace that resembled a coiling vine. It was crafted out of red gold with a perfect green patina coating the trio of leaves that draped down on the longer side, while the shorter side held three shiny gold baubles that looked like small fruit, so highly polished they practically glowed with inner light. Except no, they weren’t gold at all.