in greens and blues, and with the help of Cicely’s magic I could see every movement, every expression on his handsome face as he knelt and pulled me down on the soft, springy moss. It was overwhelming, and I closed my eyes, shutting out the world so I could focus on the sensation of Cicely’s lips on my throat, the way one hand cradled my head, his fingers tangling in my hair with a little tug of pressure, the way the other hand outlined my body, pausing to cup and knead my breast through my clothing. The heat of his body pressed alongside mine, the caress of the summer breeze on my skin. I sucked in a breath when our clothes vanished, reminding me once again that this really was a dream.
The omega neediness twined with my own lusty desires, and I found myself pulling Cicely into a heated kiss, demanding more as I slipped my fingers through his silky golden curls and tangled my tongue with his. My fingers trailed over the sweet little nubs of his horns and the slightly pointed tips of his ears. I explored the smooth, defined muscles of his back and downward over a soft, fluffy little tail, to his round, toned butt, urging him closer. I felt the heavy hardness trapped against my hip, but before I could muster the courage to explore further, Cicely was gone.
He chuckled, then pulled away. I reached for him with a needy sound, but he was merely sliding down my body, trailing playful kisses along my oversensitive skin until he reached my lower belly. Cicely heaved himself up and grabbed my knees with a little growl, grinning at me as he urged my knees open and dove between my thighs.
I laughed at his playful antics, but the laughter turned to a moan at the first long swipe of his hot tongue through my folds. I arched my back, my hips twitching upward to meet his mouth, fingers digging into the thick moss of our bed, every fiber of my being straining for more.
My eyes opened…and I stared uncomprehendingly at my blurry surroundings as I tried to catch my breath. My entire body was flushed, and the transition from sleeping to waking was so jarring that it took a moment for my mind to catch up. Someone was pounding at my bedroom door. That had to be the reason for my sudden wakefulness.
I was going to murder whoever had just deprived me of that dream. My core was tingling and pulsing, my entire body lit up and the need coursing through me like a fever. I sat up over the edge of the bed.
“What?” I snapped. “What do you want?”
“Sorry if you were still sleeping, lazybones,” Yukio snapped right back. “We tried texting you, but you didn’t reply. We’re leaving to take care of some business, and Robin wants to talk to you. Pry yourself out of bed or off your vibrator or whatever, omega, and come to the living room.”
I ground my teeth together as I stood. “Fuck you too,” I muttered to myself.
“Heard that,” the pixie said in a bored voice. “You’ve got five minutes before I haul your ass out and drag you there by your hair. We’ve got shit to do.”
I opened my mouth to tell him I’d take as long as I damned well pleased, but he spoke again.
“And there’s cinnamon rolls.”
I made my way over to the door and yanked it open. But all I could see was the usual dim shadows and light blur that made up the hallway. Yukio was gone. I thought I might be able to sense some movement in the shadow further down the hall, but I couldn’t be certain.
“I wasn’t kidding about dragging you,” the grumpy pixie called from down that way. “Move your ass.”
I turned around and went back into my room, my whole body feeling like it was on fire. How could I be so irritated with the pixie right now and still be so horny? I pulled the box of sex toys out from under my bed. Martina had given them to me during my last heat. I rummaged around until I found what I was looking for, then stuffed it into the pocket of my sleep shorts.
I put the box back and stood, then I calmly left my room and slowly walked through the halls to the private living area of the underground, where Robin and her court had a large, cozy living room set up.
I navigated by memory and feel, relieved to find that I still had the mental map of the place in my head. I didn’t stumble over anything or find any of the doorways blocked, so at least there was that. Even the living room area itself proved to be unchanged when I got there. All of the furniture along my path was exactly as I remembered it. No one had moved anything, not even so much as a misplaced ottoman or an out of place throw pillow.
Was it because of me? I wanted to think so, and that little thing made me want to hug someone. But maybe that was just the heat talking.
I walked into the room with my chin up, wearing nothing but my thin camisole and sleep shorts. If they were going to be so impatient, they could just deal with me as I was. I had just been very convincingly reminded that I had nothing to be ashamed of.
I sat on the edge of the couch cushion and waved a hand at the red blur across from me. It had to be Robin. She loved the color. And besides, I could smell her. She and Martina were both in here, and it was driving me mad. I wanted to beg either of them—or both—to just spread me out on the coffee table and make me come until I passed out. Instead, I squared my shoulders and waved a hand for them to get on with it. “Well? What was so important that you sent Yukio to threaten me?”
Someone sank down on the couch next to me, and I sensed Sanka’s warm, sorcerer’s aura. “We tried your phone. Everyone thought it would be best to send Yukio…since…the heat and all.”
I rolled my eyes. They sent the pixie because he was an asshole and the two of us were very unlikely to start fucking all of the sudden. “Why couldn’t he just tell me what you want?” I shifted uncomfortably. What little clothing I was wearing was caressing my skin like an overeager lover and I was about to come unhinged. “I’d prefer to stay in my room right now.”
“I wanted to speak with you myself,” Robin said, her beautiful, husky voice making me clench my fingers into the edge of the couch cushion. “And I thought it would be best if I didn’t talk to you alone right now.”
I huffed. Even as my gut did this little flip-flop thing and my brain tried to imagine what would happen if Robin and I spent too much time alone together with our currently raging hormones. “Fine. Talk.” I needed to get out of here and find Cicely. I had plans. I couldn’t care less what dastardly deed the court was up to at the moment. I just needed to crawl out of my skin.
“I’m leaving to take care of something outside of town,” Robin said slowly. I got the distinct impression she was having trouble making words. Which amused me to no end, for some reason. I forced myself not to laugh. “I’m taking Martina, Yukio, and Sanka with me,” Robin continued in that odd, measured tone. “I’m leaving Dusek behind to watch over you.”
And me, Cicely’s voice commented in my mind.
I tilted my head, somehow knowing exactly where he was standing, even though I hadn’t heard him enter the room. The faun was hovering near the doorway that led to the hall. I turned my gaze away from the blur that might be a fae and back toward Robin. “Noted.”
Robin let out a sigh that turned into a low, almost-growl. “Dusek is the most powerful paranormal in this room, Ruya. I’m not leaving him here to spy on you or because I don’t trust you—though it would be understandable if I wanted someone here with you besides your little fae pet. I’m leaving him here because I don’t want you here unprotected!”
Her voice was growing louder with each word, and I could feel her displeasure. Alpha’s not happy, my instincts supplied oh-so-helpfully. I squashed the urge to cower and cringe. “I appreciate the gesture,” I informed her in as calm and haughty a voice as I could muster.
Too bad I could still remember the feeling of her lips on mine, the way she tasted. The wounded heart she had revealed to me not so long ago. It made it hard to pretend to be distant and unaffected.
“Good. Let’s go,” she snapped.
I almost smiled at my ability to annoy the perfect alpha princess. But I refrained, somehow. I heard everyone moving, getting ready to go. I stood too, more than ready to go hide in my room again. Sanka’s warm hand landed on my shoulder, halting me.
“Ru? Don’t leave The Fox, okay?” the sorcerer said, his deep voice full of resignation. As if he fully expected to get yelled at for that.
Which was fair. I was finding I had quite a temper these days. “Don’t worry. I’ll stay in my room.” I snorted. “I probably won’t even be lucid soon, so what harm could I possibly do?”
He squeezed my shoulder, ignoring my attitude. “Can I hug you goodbye at least?”
I smirked at him despite myself. “Has anyone ever told you that you remind them of a puppy?”
Martina barked a laugh from somewhere nearby. Sanka wasn’t amused. “Maybe a time or two.”
I don’t know why I did it. Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it was just that I was so tired of trying to maintain boundaries and be cautious. Whatever the reason, I stepped in closer to Sanka and tilted my head back in invitation. “Goodbye kiss now, so I can go back to my room, please.”
The sorcerer only hesitated a single heartbeat before he gently cupped my face in his big, gloved hands and pressed a surprisingly sweet, chaste kiss to my lips. He smiled against my lips as he drew away, leaving me wishing I wasn’t such a mess of contradictions.
Someone else took my hand and squeezed, and I turned my thoughts to Martina, letting myself enjoy the touch of her alpha aura against my own for just a little while. “We’ll be back later tonight. Text if you need anything, but it might take us a bit to answer.”
I nodded. “I’ll be fine.” The worry was sweet. But also maddening. I was sick of being treated like a helpless damsel in distress. “And you will teach me how to use the knife soon?”
The chupacabra shifter chuckled. “Absolutely. I can’t wait to teach you how to stab people. You’re gonna be a natural.”
I laughed and reached my free hand out to find her face, cupping her jaw and pulling her closer. “I suppose you want a goodbye kiss too?” Goddess, I really hoped so.
Her hands came to rest on my hips, and she pulled my body flush against her compact, powerful frame. “No pressure, sweetheart. But I wouldn’t say no.”
I bent slightly to meet her lips, reveling in the softness there, in the way this strong, capable alpha warrior opened to me. Her kiss was just a bit more passionate than Sanka’s had been, but I could tell she was also being careful not to push me. When she stepped away, her hand lingered on my hip for a moment, then she was gone.
“I’m going to step outside to vomit,” Yukio commented dryly. “Aren’t the rest of us supposed to be here to prevent all the face sucking?” There was a soft thwap, and he muttered, “Ouch. Don’t touch me, you fucking nightmare,” as Dusek apparently hit him to shut him up.
I smiled at their antics. Goddess, my life was a mess. But I had to admit, I really did like these people, strange as that might be. Maybe…maybe it might be okay to trust them after all. But was that instinct, or just my libido talking?
“Alright,” Robin said, her voice moving closer to me as she herded her minions toward the door. “We do have a timetable, and we’re already late.”
But she paused and I felt her draw closer, a blur of red and an aura of heat and power that made my knees weak. “Oh, Ruya?” she said, as if she was just now remembering something she’d almost forgot.
“Yes?” I said, arching a brow in question.
“You forgot my goodbye kiss.”
I froze, not sure what to do with that. Long, soft fingers traced the outline of my cheek and jaw, and I could hear the challenge in her words, as if she was daring me to react. “Or have I been shunned now that you know all my dark, nasty little secrets?” Her hand withdrew. “Rethinking your little declaration from earlier, are you?”
I narrowed my eyes and glared in her general direction. “What is it like to be so sure that you know everything?” I sniped. Then I surged forward blindly, one hand finding a slender hip and the other fumbling a second before I got my hands tangled in the long, flowing hair at the nape of her neck.
She didn’t recoil or try to escape my angry demand, she simply leaned into me, her willowy height perfect against me, her smoke and cinnamon scent filling my lungs. Her own strong hands gripped my shoulders, and I wasn’t entirely sure if she meant to hold me there or push me away. A distinctively inhuman tongue met mine, and it took me a moment to realize that Robin’s tongue was forked at the tip. It writhed against my own as she deepened the kiss, taking control. A low rumble had started up in her chest, where it pressed to mine, and I swear I almost came on the spot.
Alpha, mine, need, need, need.
Goddess, I was losing my mind. We were playing a stupidly dangerous game and I was pretty sure we had both just lost.
Ruya? Cicely’s voice seeped into my mind. Want help? His tone was uncertain. He was trying to decide if I wanted this or not. The problem was, I wasn’t entirely certain myself.
A strong arm wrapped around my waist, and Robin was ripped away from me with a snarl.
I recognized the massive, muscled bulk of Sanka behind me before he set me aside and stepped between me and his alpha. Dusek and Yukio apparently had Robin. I could hear them murmuring to her in low tones from across the room. A warm hand touched my arm, bringing with it a surge of desire, but also a sense of calm. Am here.
Cicely. His words were difficult in mindspeak, but his intent was clear. He would help me if I needed him. In that moment, I truly believed he would take on an entire rebel court to protect me from myself. I stood taller. “It’s fine. We’re fine. Everyone just calm down.”
Someone snorted. But it was Robin who spoke. “I apologize, Ruya. That was stupid. We’re leaving now, so you’ll have a break from alphas and all of our ridiculous baggage.”
I wanted to tell her that it wasn’t stupid. That yes, I knew the two of us bonding and giving into the alpha-omega urge to make little baby dragons wasn’t in either of our life plans, but that I didn’t regret kissing her. And that I had meant what I said about changing her mind about her revenge plans—about saving the light inside her. But I knew now wasn’t the time. Especially not with an audience and when her ego was already suffering over her loss of control.
“Be safe,” I said instead. “All of you. I might want to smack most of you right now, but that doesn’t mean anyone else is allowed to hurt you.”
Martina laughed. Sanka turned and patted the top of my head. “See, Ru?” The sorcerer said fondly. “You’re sounding just like one of us already.”
Then the rebel court left to go make someone else’s life miserable.