Page 25

CHAPTER 25

CHARLIE

F rom the groans greeting me as I walked through my front door, someone was watching a very adult movie.

But it wasn’t a movie.

Clawdia, Zaide, and Baelen were on my sofa and bringing new meaning to the phrase “home entertainment.” Their guilty faces and half-naked bodies were all I could see, but I knew what was going on.

I was missing out. Again.

I threw a hand up. “I knew it. Even with a broken bond, I could smell it in the air. I’m out there working hard and saving the world, and you guys are in here fucking without me? I’m hurt. No, I’m crushed.”

Clawdia was the first to laugh, then the other two joined her until it turned to moans again.

“Charlie, come here,” she said sweetly, smiling in a way that would make me give her the clothes off my back if she asked for them.

I pouted, crossed my arms, and reluctantly approached the threesome. I bit my lip when I saw her impaled on both Baelen and Zaide’s cocks. God, that’s a sight. Fuck me.

I was pissed I missed her taking them for the first time. I’m sure it would have been like watching my favorite porn stars performing live. But when her hands reached over the back of the sofa to grasp my jeans and pull them sharply down, I gasped.

Blood rushed to my cock so fast I was woozy, but my dick was hard and ready to join in the fun.

“I’m less crushed,” I managed to say as she grabbed my cock and stroked it as the other two began thrusting into her again, taking turns to fully fill her. My eyes almost rolled back into my head at the sight, and I shuddered.

“I’m glad you arrived,” she told me, her violet eyes hypnotizing me like she was a snake charmer. “Now I can have you all at the same time.”

She patted the back of my thigh, and I stepped closer, only for her to put her lips around the tip of my cock. I moaned, thrusting further into the wet heat of her mouth and pulling her hair back, out of her face.

“Fuck, Clawdia. God. I can’t believe you’re taking all of us. You’re so fucking perfect stretched out over them. You should see it,” I told her in a growl. “I can’t wait for my turn.”

She moaned, and the vibration rattled through my cock, making my knees shake. I wouldn’t last long. She gagged a little as I hit the back of her throat, and then I was coming so hard my vision blurred.

Considering that two minutes ago I wasn’t even hard, I probably should have been ashamed of my performance, but I wasn’t being graded. And fuck, that was the best two minutes of my life.

Yet in the back of my mind, I knew it could have been even better if our bond was working right.

With my cum dripping from her lips, she cried out as she bowed into Zaide’s chest. Baelen’s hands tightened on her hips, his thrusts making my sofa creak dangerously as his cock plunged in and out of her.

“Let go,” he urged, his lips against her ear. “We’ve got you. Let go for us.”

It was those words that sent her hurtling over the edge, crying out and shaking as she orgasmed. If our bond were working, I’d have felt it like it was my own. I sighed. God, I miss our bond. Why isn’t it working?

With so much else going on, I’d pushed it aside, but now it was starting to bother me.

“It’s my fault,” Dralie lamented.

“It’s not your fault. All the crazy just needs to die down first, and then we can fix it. But maybe it’s time to tell them where you came from. No more secrets.”

The other two weren’t far behind her and groaned as they finished.

While I didn’t get the pleasure of feeling her pussy squeeze me as she came, I got the pleasure of seeing her reddened and gaping holes leaking with cum as they gently pulled out.

“That was…” Zaide began, then shook his head, apparently unable to find words to describe what he’d just experienced. Lucky fucker.

“Yes,” Baelen agreed. “It was.”

“We should probably clean up,” Zaide murmured after a few moments of comfortable silence, his fingers playing with a strand of her hair.

I figured since I was the only one standing and mostly dressed, it was my job to get the washcloths, so I hurried to the bathroom, gave myself a quick rinse, dampened a few clothes, and rejoined them. As I handed them out, I was half tempted to ask if they needed snacks and condoms too, but only Clawdia would get the reference.

Baelen’s hand continued its idle exploration of Clawdia’s skin, while Zaide’s chest rose and fell beneath her cheek in a rhythm that was putting her to sleep.

I bent in front of them. “I need to talk to you.”

“About what?” Clawdia asked. When she saw my expression, her eyes widened with alarm, and she sat up. “What’s wrong?”

“You’ve been worried about our bond,” I started.

“I was worried, but Dralie said it was fine … right?”

I grimaced and admitted, “No. Actually, he’s pretty worried about it too. We can see you and know you’re safe, so we aren’t freaking out … but he’s worried.”

“Okay…” she drawled, exchanging a look with Baelen and Zaide, who looked just as confused at my outburst.

I probably shouldn’t be doing this while they are naked.

“Nudity does not disturb drakorians. There is strength in revealing your most vulnerable parts.”

Strength in revealing vulnerability… I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

“We didn’t want to tell you he’s worried because he thinks the reason the bond isn’t working is because of him. I disagree, but there’s no way to prove it.”

She frowned. “What do you mean? How could Dralie be messing up the bond?”

“We’ve not told you something, and I know that’s pretty hypocritical of us since we’ve had a whole powwow about not keeping things secret, but there’s not been a right moment.”

“You're stalling. Just tell me what it is.” Her narrowed eyes softened, and she squeezed my hand. “I love you, and no matter what you say that won’t change.”

“Dralie was Fafnir’s dragon before he was mine,” I blurted. “The dragon we killed was the mindless body Dralie used to change into, but due to whatever fucked-up magical laws there are in the universe, Dralie’s soul came to me at exactly the time I was being killed.”

“Goodness.” She blinked. “That wasn’t what I was expecting.”

“Are you angry?” I asked, searching her eyes. “Don’t be angry. Dralie didn’t see any of the shit Fafnir did to you. Fafnir kept him locked down, and he felt really awful that he couldn’t escape and prevent anything that Fafnir did.”

“I don’t blame Dralie for any of that. I didn’t even think of it. That must have been awful for him.” She stroked my hair like she could comfort Dralie somehow. She was contemplative, not upset, as she sat for a few moments in silence. She asked, “He thinks that’s why our bond is muted?”

“It’s a guilt thing. I don’t think he’s right.”

“What do you think is happening?” Baelen asked, and I almost jumped. I’d forgotten he was there. And naked.

“I’m not sure.” I shrugged and looked back at Clawdia with a crooked grin. “But I’m hoping it comes back soon because I’m missing it.”

She nodded. “It feels strange to not feel you like I used to, and to not hear Dralie.”

“Have you looked at the bond to see if there’s anything wrong with it?” Zaide asked as though something like that would be obvious.

“Pardon?” Clawdia asked, just as surprised as me.

“You didn’t think of that?”

I glared. “No, Smarty Pants.”

Clawdia’s eyes were already cloudy, so I waited for her verdict. “It seems fine. I always thought it was just gold, but there’s a black line around it. Maybe that’s suffocating it?”

“A black line?” I asked, alarmed, thinking about Baelen’s shadow possession and the black patches under his skin.

He must have thought something similar, because he said slowly, “The familiar bond is shadow formed, correct?”

“Yes, but it was a gold line when I pulled it to me,” I replied. “There wasn’t any black around it.”

“Maybe it changed when you mated?” Zaide suggested.

“Who knows? The four of us are just a bunch of impossibilities smushed together. The normal rules don’t seem to apply. We’ll look into it another time.” I glanced at the clock and cringed. “I have to go. I only popped over to ask the guys a favor.”

“What favor?” Zaide asked.

“Well, you,” I said to Baelen, “have been working with the witches on the artifacts and the app and coincidentally opened the portal to the biggest safe house, so they want you to drop the artifacts there for them to distribute and continue the work.” I turned to Zaide. “They’ve also rescued a family who were attacked by hunters, and an elderly witch isn’t recovering well. They are hoping you can help.”

“What am I? Chopped liver?” Clawdia asked, outraged to be left out.

“Of course not. But you literally just got lost in your visions, and I don’t want anyone expending too much energy when we don’t know when Fafnir will attack. Baelen could do all of that alone, but while you were in thread hell, he portaled the task team to Sweden so they could capture Fafnir’s fan group while Zaide helped round them up and portaled some of the team back.”

“You did?” Clawdia gasped excitedly. “They are in prison?”

“On their way there now,” I told her smugly.

“We’ll get dressed and gather the artifacts,” Baelen said.

“You should rest more, Little Cat.” Zaide stroked her hair, and she leaned into it like the feline she was at heart. “You didn’t sleep long.”

“I was glad to wake up when I did.” She giggled, then shrugged as she relaxed against the pillows. “I suppose I shouldn’t complain about being looked after.”

I patted her leg and stood. “We’re a team, a family. That’s what we do.”

Savida called from the top of the stairs, “Has your group intercourse ended? It sounded like wild beasts were tearing through Charlie’s living room.” He peaked over the banister and whispered playfully, a glint in his dark eyes. “I wanted to rescue you, but Daithi thought if you couldn’t defend yourself from such an embarrassing attack, you deserved death.”

I left the house, chuckling to myself. It was probably the post-orgasm endorphins making me happy, but my plans were working, and things seemed to be on the up.

Something smelled like a combination of cinnamon and expired milk. It turned my stomach.

“Oh God, what is that?” I asked, pinching my nose as I walked into Winnie’s garage.

Lydia sat at the wooden station in the middle of the room, stirring a bubbling cauldron over a portable hob. “It’s your fire-retardant potion. It’s taken a while to get right, but I think I’ve got it now.”

“That’s great. This will protect the entire house?” I asked.

“Every beam, board, and nail,” she confirmed. “Are they going?”

I watched Lydia add three precisely measured drops of something green into the brew; it hissed, and a cloud of noxious gas erupted. We coughed and waved the smoke away, choking on the smell as the mixture continued to bubble like Shrek’s swamp. I didn’t want to know what was in there.

I cringed as I spoke and tasted the air. “Collecting the artifacts and heading there any minute.”

Lydia stirred the potion again until it eventually settled into a smooth, shimmering liquid that resembled liquid copper. Lydia nodded to herself, scribbled something in her notebook, and then turned down the heat on the hob.

“It will just need to simmer for another ten minutes, and then you’ll be able to dose the houses and even yourselves.”

“Thanks.” I rubbed my neck awkwardly. “I know it’s not been ideal working with us and getting dragged into this, but I appreciate your help.”

“I think it’s what Winnie would have wanted, all things considered,” she replied softly.

A sad, grief-stricken expression crossed her face. I nodded. Despite her awful choice in partners, Winnie loved Clawdia and would have wanted to help us survive this. If she’d gotten the chance to find out the truth, I was sure she would have made different choices.

Lydia interrupted my thoughts. “You’re different now.”

“What?” I asked, startled.

“You’ve changed.”

She caught me off guard, and although my first instinct would have been to deflect with something sarcastic about witches and their nosy perceptions, I didn’t. The words died before they reached my lips because, well, she was right. I was different.

“It’s been a crazy month. I’m a witch, a dragon, a soul mate. I have a family, relatives. My whole life changed.” I gave her a small smile.

“Despite everything, you seem … happy.” With her elbow on the table, she leaned her head on her hand and smiled. She didn’t give me the same creepy vibes that Karin did when she was flirting. Instead, she seemed happy for me.

I laughed. I wanted to say that the group sex had a lot to do with my current buoyant mood but settled with, “I am.”

“You really love her.” It was a statement.

“I love her so much it’s insane.”

“I could tell.” She gave a self-deprecating smile and continued, “Even before she was human, you loved her ripping up your sofa and knocking over your glass ornaments. You spent your holidays together, watched films. I was jealous.”

“Believe me, she was more jealous of you.” As much as it warmed my heart to know Clawdicat was pining after me the whole time, I hated hurting her when I was with Lydia. “Also, that was your glass ornament, and now that we’re not together, I can say that I’m glad she did, because it looked more like a cock and balls than an abstract kangaroo.”

She gasped, placing a hand on her chest dramatically, and I laughed.

We were just finishing littering the fire-retardant potion over Winnie’s house. Mine had already been done.

When my phone buzzed in my pocket, my stomach dropped before I even read the message.

“What is it?” Lydia asked, noticing my sudden stillness.

I cleared my throat, but my voice still came out strained. “The witches have escaped their prison transport.”

She gasped. “What? How?”

I scanned the rest of the message from Arabella. “Looks like they had outside help. Someone or something disabled the magical cuffs from the inside before they were loaded up. They’ve left the driver for dead.” I looked up, meeting her eyes. “They’re organizing a team to track and recapture them. They want me in Sweden in thirty minutes for collection.”

“You should go,” Lydia said quietly, reading my hesitation. “You can help track them digitally, and your instincts for finding anything are unparalleled. You’d be an asset.”

She was right. If anyone could help locate the escaped prisoners quickly, it was probably me. But something inside me screamed it was a trap, a trick, and I wasn’t sure what to do.