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Chapter Three

I ssa and the other two dragons were all glowing with the Nirvana they’d channeled from the humans by the time Kris sensed the next phase beginning.

As much as he would like to, he didn’t have the time or the constitution to watch her continue.

He had to get to the Twins’ chamber door.

And above all, he had to survive the ritual long enough to make it to his own chamber before imploding from desire.

His powers of observation began to falter for the first time when Issa joined him shortly in the Twins’ chamber.

His task, his purpose, was to witness the awakening of each dragon, to watch each phase of the ritual from its beginning until each potential mate was marked, and thus bonded to a dragon.

The task Issa didn’t know about was his responsibility to report to his teachers, and then the Council when it was all over to let them know if the ritual had proceeded smoothly.

Objectivity was one of the things his teachers had impressed on him as being paramount.

He’d done just fine until one rogue, lavender dragon gave away her mate, then soaked up every spare drop of Nirvana the humans chose to give her.

Once she was beside him, power radiating from her and her intoxicating aroma filling his nostrils, he really wanted to urge the others to move along with their fun.

Dragon law had been his most common lesson in the monastery, and the details of it were etched into his mind.

The most prominent one was that dragons were required to mate with humans to preserve their fertility and prevent inbreeding.

There were too few of them born in each generation to risk it.

The imperative to reproduce was what drove the dragons’ instincts, and also what drove the Council to make the laws it had.

Though the infighting that would occur with too many dragons alive in each generation was probably equally undesirable.

It was a double-edged sword, and the laws they followed were designed to maintain the strict balance.

Yet he was drawn to Issa with a kind of urgency that he hadn’t felt from any of the human women he’d traveled with, in spite of spending several weeks with them.

From Hallie’s honesty during their shared mornings bathing to Erika’s frustrated display earlier that evening, then Camille’s very enthusiastic sacrifice of her own virginity.

Issa still outshone them all in some unfathomable way.

After the ritual, Kris would be free of his physical limitations on touch, but he would never be free of the Council.

They would choose a dragon for him to mate, as was the fate of all Catalysts.

Of all the dragons, the Catalysts were the only ones who were actually required to produce pure-bred offspring, but were compelled to mate the dragon the Council chose for them.

Lost in his tangled ruminations, he was only half-aware of both of the twins marking Dimitri. Damnit. That couldn’t be good. But Kris was only a guide, not an enforcer. He had neither the ability nor the inclination to intervene.

“Is that supposed to happen?” Issa asked when the trio before them continued their tryst.

“Not exactly, but you weren’t supposed to give Eben away, either.”

“I guess that means I’m not supposed to be in here watching this all unfold with you. Should I leave? I can go wait patiently by the doors until it’s all over.”

He turned to look at her, suddenly bored with the tableau of sex he couldn’t participate in.

He wanted them all, but Issa had already given him the best preview.

The image of her violet folds spread open before him lingered even as he observed the two golden dragons and their new lover.

Issa’s nearness comforted him, though he found himself dwelling on what she might feel like to touch.

“No. I’m weary of watching, but it’s easier with you beside me.”

Her lips curled into a pleased smile.

They watched the others, Kris finding himself more aroused by Issa’s nearness than the acts of pleasure playing out between the trio in front of him.

“I knew your parents,” Issa said after a few moments. The comment seemed completely incongruous when he’d just been contemplating doing to her some of the things Dimitri was currently doing to the lovely, golden Aurin right in front of her brother.

Issa studied him for a long moment until he started to feel a little uncomfortable, then turned back to watch the twins and their new plaything, a brighter smile gracing her pretty face, probably entertained by his speechlessness.

As if inviting more conversation, she continued. “My father was the Virgin’s Guardian in the last cycle. He wasn’t born a Court dragon like the others’ parents. Or like your parents.”

It hadn’t occurred to Kris that Issa might have known who his parents were.

He’d never even known them himself. “My mother was the last Catalyst, so I’m not sure if that counts as a Court dragon.

My father wasn’t a member of the Court, though.

” His teachers rarely mentioned his father, only that he was a Red with no status.

“I never knew them …” he added, trailing off as the understanding dawned on him.

His father was a Red. Not a human … a dragon.

“I did. They were nice. Racha can tell you more about them when this is all over.”

“Racha?” Kris asked blankly.

“Yes,” Issa said, her tone holding a smile. “The Queen. Your sister.”

The revelation stunned him. His teachers had never told him that detail, or even explained his parentage to him, aside from sharing his father’s nature, if not his actual identity.

He briefly panicked, wondering if he’d failed in his studies somehow, but no.

He’d only glossed over it when it was taught to him because they’d never emphasized the details.

He’d never connected himself to those abstract roles.

The Catalyst and the Queen shall be pure-born siblings, meaning their parents were always a bonded pair of dragons, the only two in a generation allowed to co-breed, though they had the option of breeding with humans too, if they chose.

Kris had always written off that detail as one that wouldn’t apply to him when he was younger, as inevitable as his own isolation felt.

When the twins and Dimitri finally dozed off, he and Issa left the room to wait by the doorway to the next chamber. He only sensed the Shadow’s breath drift by and seep beneath the door. Hallie followed not long after, hesitant but grateful for his and Issa’s presence when she opened the door.

Issa left his side there, heading back to the first chamber to check on the others and make sure they followed with little delay once the Shadow’s phase was complete.

After stepping inside and conducting a brief exchange to make sure the two were headed in the right direction, Kris stepped back into the darkness to observe, as always.

He appreciated the darkness of this chamber, deciding to close his eyes and focus his energy into mental preparation for the ordeal ahead of him.

The lack of sight caused his other senses to become keener, but he didn’t need powerful hearing to understand the tone of the interaction unfolding inside this room.

The lovers had to know he was still there, but he felt like even more of an intruder hearing Kol and Hallie’s emotional exchange than he had in the other chambers. Yet he understood.

What a complicated world they lived in, with such arbitrary rules.

He supposed things might change during this cycle, but it was up to the Council to decide.

Kris resolved to voice his honest opinion, however.

He and Issa may not have anything to worry about, but the twins might run into problems. Kris was just grateful that Hallie had ultimately decided to accept Kol’s mark.

Still, he didn’t relish the prospect of running interference for any of them with the Council.

He would have to be honest and try to convince the elders that way.

He opened his eyes when the voices changed from intimate conversation to even more intimate sighs and moans. This was he part he was truly meant to observe, so he watched, his eyes adjusting easily to the darkness.

In spite of being dulled to the image of two people coupling in a myriad of configurations, the interaction between Kol and Hallie fascinated Kris.

It wasn’t how their bodies connected that kept him interested, but rather the way they never broke the intense gaze they shared.

It incited a much deeper longing in him—one that overwhelmed the already dull ache between his legs that he’d endured for hours.

The phase was long complete, the room now illuminated in a warm glow, yet he still watched them sleep contentedly, unwilling to leave just yet.

When they did rouse and make love again, he made sure to stay in the shadows, marveling at the feverish nature of their coupling.

Soon Issa was by his side again, followed by the others, who quickly dove into the large pool in the center of the room.

“It’s time,” Issa whispered. She reached for Kris’s hand and he flinched instinctively.

Issa stared at him like he’d just slapped her. “You’re going to need to touch us all to finish this.”

Kris pursed his lips and nodded. “I know. Let’s just get into the chamber first. I’ll be ready once we’re finally inside.”