Page 33 of The Dragon Queen (Ember: Queen Of Dragons #6)

EMBER

Three years later...

I'm sitting on the floor of the nursery in the old Water Kingdom castle, watching as chubby fingers run along the spines of books. It takes a while--this is a serious decision, after all. But eventually, they land on a fabric-covered tome, embossed with gold letters. Exactly like they always do.

My daughter turns to me, her pale, tawny skin glowing, her cheeks round, her dimples irresistible when she smiles.

"Dis?" she asks. As if I'd ever turn her down.

"The dragon one?" I ask, and she claps her hands with glee before plucking the book off the shelf and carrying it over to me.

We read this nearly every night. A daring tale of evil dragons and desperate maidens rescued by dashing young knights. It's absolute nonsense, and she loves it exactly as much as I did when I used to beg my mother to read it to me.

She passes me the book, and I flip it open to the well-worn first page. Gently, I run a finger along the gilded text. My heart gives a little squeeze.

Most of the book is nonsense. A fairy tale. But there are also hidden messages in here. The story of an heir to all the dragon kingdoms bringing light to Shadow.

A story of a Dragon Queen.

I touch the bracer on my wrist. A faint purple glow lights the dark metal. It's as strong as ever--even if I rarely have call to use it anymore.

Interrupting my train of thought, my daughter drops herself onto my lap without ceremony, only jabbing me in the kidney a little. I roll my eyes to myself as I bundle her close, breathing in her warm, sweet scent. Her dark, curly hair with its coppery highlights tickles my nose, but I don't care.

She did a lot more than kick me in the kidney when I was carrying her. She was a fighter, even then.

Maybe it was everything she went through when she was growing within me. Maybe it was my nature--or maybe it was her fathers'.

I kiss her temple as she tries--unsuccessfully--to steal the book.

We'll never know for sure who sired her. The color of her skin is utterly ambiguous, too light to be just Malik's and too dark to be anybody else's. She has Jianyu's solid patience and the color of his eyes. Her coppery highlights and feisty temper are all Rafe. Her hair's curls must come from Malik, and there's a soulfulness to the pout of her lip that reminds me too much of Storm.

It's biologically impossible, but so much of our journey has defied all logic. I was never supposed to have four mates, and she was never supposed to have four fathers. But here we are. Magic is real, and the impossible is possible.

She lived and grew within me for nine months, and she came out fighting, with the face of an angel and the scream of a banshee.

We named her Alina, for the color of the dawn.

"Mommmmyyyyy," she whines, draping herself across my lap dramatically. I've clearly exhausted her limited patience with my ruminating.

"All right, all right," I laugh, hugging her tightly as she giggles.

I open the page and start to read. She follows along, excited when we get to her favorite parts, but even as she's cheering for the heroic knight, she's also cuddling in closer and closer. She puts her thumb in her mouth, and her eyelids start to droop.

By the time the story is done, she only has the energy for a half-hearted protest about wanting to hear more. Setting the book aside, I pull her into my arms and rise to my feet with a quiet groan. She's getting heavier every day, which is murder on my back, but it's also good. She's healthy. Strong. Smart and kind and everything I could ever have hoped for in a child.

She's the future of our people.

But that's a story for another day.

Humming under my breath, I bring her to her brand new big-girl bed, where I tuck her in next to a herd of fluffy stuffed animals. "Good night, my love."

I sing a little song to her as I turn out the lights, leaving only the soft glow from a round little orb set on her nightstand. I shake my head at myself by the door. Alina has no idea she sleeps next to an ancient Shadow Dragon artifact, but Mariutza promised me that the crystal globe held a powerful protection spell--and also doubled as a nightlight. And who was I to say no to that?

"Sing again?" Alina asks, yawning and snuggling a plush purple dragon close.

"Just one more time." I sing the song through again, listening to her slow, steady breathing. She's not quite out but not quite awake, which is basically perfect, according to our sleep training plan. "Good night," I whisper. "I love you."

I close the door quietly behind myself, backing out into the darkened hall.

Only the gentle tug on my mate-bond keeps me from shrieking when I happen to back directly into a hard, male body.

Jianyu's delicious scent surrounds me, instantly putting me at ease. I sigh as I melt into his arms. "You almost scared the hell out of me," I chide him.

"Little old me?" His warm breath washes over my ear, and I shiver with awareness, heat blooming low in my abdomen.

I still manage to make a little scoffing sound, tipping my head to the side to give him better access to my throat, which he takes full advantage of. Kissing down the side of my neck to my collarbone, he strokes the side of my breast with his thumb.

A part of me wants to let him keep going. My desire for my mates never abates--even when I was huge with Alina, I was still insatiable. With everything going on this week, we haven't gotten enough alone time together, and his warm lips on my pulse point feels so good.

But seriously. We're in the royal family's wing of the castle, but there are still guards wandering around. We're also literally standing in front of our daughters' bedroom.

Sighing, I pull away. He lets me go, intertwining our hands. He tips his head toward Alina's door. "Think she's down for the count?"

"Here's hoping."

Our kid isn't the best sleeper in the world, but she's been improving recently. It's bittersweet, not lying down next to her every night, but learning to fall asleep on her own is important.

Besides, if she needs us, we'll be right down the hall.

Hand in hand, we make our way to the suite we share with my other mates. Unlike when Malik grew up here, we've rearranged things a little, keeping our child's bedroom close by. I won't pretend we don't rely on a team of dedicated nannies and teachers to help, but we like being close enough to hear her when she needs us.

Jianyu pushes open the door to our rooms and holds it for me. I step inside and breathe in the mingled scents of my four mates, and something within me is instantly soothed.

Rafe is fixing a snack, but he looks up when he hears us enter. His entire face lights up, his eyes burning with smoldering heat. Abandoning the brick of cheese he'd been slicing, he strides over and picks me up in his arms. The heat of him sears through me, taking the arousal Jianyu had stoked in me earlier and fanning the flames.

"About time," he growls before capturing my lips in a toe-curling kiss.

"If you think you can get her down faster..."

Setting me down, he lifts his hands in front of himself. "Nope, nope, nope. I did not say that."

Laughing, I lean up to kiss him again. Rafe is an amazing father, always up for a piggy back ride or a good tackle. What he is not, however, is a calming influence. He's not banned from doing bedtime, but he's also basically last on the list.

"How's the little princess?" Storm emerges from somewhere in the apartment, fresh from the shower, his hair still wet, his chest enticingly bare.

"Do we really have to call her that?" My mock annoyance doesn't stop me from letting him pull me in. I breathe in his spicy, sexy scent, and my eyes roll back in my head just a little bit with pleasure.

"Fine, how's the little hellion?" The sparkle in his eyes proves that he's just kidding.

"She's good," I promise.

"And how are you?" Malik asks.

He doesn't wait for Storm to let go of me, inserting himself directly into our space and pressing his mouth to mine. As he pulls back, his cerulean gaze assesses me, peering into my soul.

"I'm good," I tell him, and it's the truth.

Honestly? I've never been better in my life. I live in a literal castle with my four devastatingly attractive, caring, wonderful mates. We have additional homes all over the world, and we have the chance to travel at a whim. We have an incredible daughter, who is the light of my life.

And yes, I've been stressed out the past few days, but I've learned to be grateful for what I have. To stay in the present. To trust in the future. In my mates. And in myself.

Accepting my answer, Malik presses his lips to my temple. "You still need your rest. If she's up tonight, we'll handle it."

2 a.m. wake-ups aren't my favorite part of parenting, but it's the kind of job where you don't get to pick and choose--unless, of course, you have four co-parents with whom to share the load.

With a soft smile, I nod. "Well, I won't say no to that."

"You ready for tomorrow?" Storm asks quietly.

My stomach does a little flip, but I refuse to let anxiety intrude on my mental space right now. "As ready as I can be." I glance around at my mates. "You guys?"

"We're good," Rafe promises me.

My connections to all four of them glow with agreement, and I'm so grateful to be sharing my life with these men.

These princes of the dragon world.

These Kings.

Emotion rises within me, my love for them almost too much to bear sometimes, even after years of constant companionship. They've been there for me through the birth of our child and the tough first year. Through the defeat of the Shadow King and the birth of a new order that we've had to craft with our own ten hands, and not a single step along the way has been easy.

But it's been so, so worth it.

"What can we do for you tonight?" Jianyu asks, coming to stand beside me. He can feel the depth of feeling welling up inside me, just as I can feel the answering echo of love and devotion radiating off of him.

"I can fix you something to eat," Rafe offers, gesturing vaguely at the snack he'd been preparing for himself before I returned. He tips his head down the hall. "Run you a bath?"

Both of those sound pretty great. But they're not what I want.

Shaking my head, I lean back into Malik, allowing my body to become flush against his. Electric blue heat flares along our bond, and he closes his arms around me. He hardens rapidly against my lower back, and I pulse inside. My gaze connects with Jianyu's, and there's that sizzle along our link as well.

"I thought I said we'd watch Alina tonight so you could rest," Malik rumbles against my ear.

I hold out my hand, and Jianyu comes to me, blanketing my front with his heat. Storm doesn't miss a beat in joining us. Rafe abandons his snack again, and seriously, we're going to have to feed him eventually.

But not now.

"What if I don't want to rest?" I breathe, curling one hand around Jianyu's neck and intertwining the other with Rafe's.

"You have a busy day tomorrow," Jianyu reminds me, and his lips are barely an inch from mine.

But that busy day tomorrow is the reason we've had so little time to spend together the past few days. I need rest, of course. But what I need most is a moment alone with my mates.

I reel Jianyu in, pressing back into Malik, stroking a hand down Rafe's firm chest. Storm slips his fingers beneath the hem of my shirt, just as Jianyu's lips meet mine.

"Let's leave tomorrow for tomorrow," I implore between kisses. "I have plans to be very, very busy tonight..."

I WAKE up the next morning to the sounds of giggling. Smiling, I flutter my eyes open. The door to my and my mates' bedroom is just barely ajar, and through it I catch a glimpse of Alina conspiring with Malik. My heart twists at the sight of them. Unlike Rafe, Malik isn't much for horseplay, but he listens to our daughter with his whole heart and speaks to her like she's an adult, and she adores him for it.

As a team, they run across the room, tackling Jianyu, who pretends to fall to his knees with such convincing theatrics that he should be up for an Oscar. Shaking my head, overwhelmed with love and affection, I burrow a little deeper in the covers.

Watching my serious, restrained mate let go of any semblance of decorum around our daughter has been an unexpected kind of joy. He can be serious when he needs to be, of course, and he holds her to a high standard, much as he must have been as a child. But he also underpins it all with love and a willingness to be silly that surprised me--in the best possible way.

Confident that things are well in hand out there, I roll over onto my back and take a minute to gather myself. After a very enthusiastic, athletic night with my mates, I slept like the dead. True to their word, Alina's dads handled any problems that may have arisen while I was passed out, and considering I'm waking up alone at--I lift my head to check the clock--nearly 8 a.m., they've clearly taken the early morning shift, too.

I stretch out long, relishing in the delicious soreness in my hips and thighs--and everywhere else, for that matter.

Once upon a time, I thought I was basically cursed. A defective, rejected, friendless nobody. Amazing how much can change in just a few short years.

I really am the luckiest girl in the world.

For better or worse, though, my particular brand of good fortune comes with great responsibility. My stomach does a little flip as I think about what the day has in store. I take a deep breath, though. I'm nervous, but I've got this. Exhaling, I push the covers off and roll myself out of bed.

It's probably about time that I got started with my day.

I take a quick shower, both missing my mates and grateful for the lack of distraction, then tug on a robe and wrap a towel around my hair. The second I make my way into the main living area, Alina shrieks with delight.

Heart full, I crouch down to catch her as she hurls herself at me.

"We really are chopped liver," Storm laments, but the spark of warmth in his eyes proves that he's not actually put out about it.

"Just wait." Picking our daughter up, I rise to my feet. I rub my nose against hers. "Someday this munchkin will want nothing to do with me, and she'll just want her daddies to take her off on adventures."

Alina shakes her head fiercely, too serious. "Mommy, you come, too."

"As if they could keep me away."

"As if we would want to," Rafe rumbles, stepping up behind me and copping a quick feel of my ass.

Laughing I tip my head toward his for a quick good morning kiss.

"Breakfast?" Malik offers, heading for the fridge.

"Coffee?" Jianyu asks at the same time.

"Yes and yes." I sit down with Alina in my lap, accepting my mates' offerings with traded kisses and gentle touches. As I dig in--pretending not to notice Alina stealing berries off my plate--I sneak a peek at the time. "Cavalry should be arriving soon."

"Oh, goodie," Rafe mutters dryly.

Not ten minutes later, there's a knock on the door.

"Do I let them in?" Storm asks.

Shoving the last few bites of breakfast in my mouth, I nod. I squeeze Alina close as Storm opens the door, and in pour a veritable army of aides, stylists, consultants, and--most importantly--Alina's favorite aunties.

"Aunt Amy!!!" Alina tosses herself out of my lap, just barely managing not to get run over by the stampede. It's a damn good thing everyone on my staff is careful to a fault.

Also, this isn't exactly their first rodeo.

"Hey, cutie." Amy ducks down to scoop up Alina.

Grace is right beside her, and as soon as Alina's gotten a good hug from Amy, she's clambering for her Aunt Grace.

I smile, even as I'm swept up in the storm of preparations for the day.

Amy and Grace may have struggled to find their balance in those dark days before our attack on the Shadow King, but with time, Grace accepted that Amy may be a dragon, but she's still a person, too. Amy also got a lot better at actually talking about her feelings and not just deflecting and avoiding. In the end, they've emerged stronger than ever, and I was proud to stand up at their wedding just this past spring.

"You ready for an awesome day?" Grace asks Alina.

Alina claps wildly, and Amy makes eye contact with me. "You know we're going to feed her nothing but ice cream, right?"

I shake my head and smile. "I would expect nothing less."

"Rock on." Amy pinches Alina's cheeks. "We are going to have so much fun!"

My heart squeezes as I wave them off. Alina has a great nanny, but it sets my mind at ease to know that my daughter is being taken care of by family on days like these.

Because that's what Amy and Grace are to us. Family.

Metaphorically, of course. Amy's my best friend.

But also, now that Rhiannon and Rook are officially, openly together, Amy's basically a step-cousin of some sort. Which only makes everything better.

"Meet you back here in an hour," Storm says, kissing my cheek.

"Try two," my chief stylist corrects him, and internally I grown.

But what can I say? This may not be the life I expected for myself, but it's one that I've embraced with all my heart.

NEARLY THREE HOURS LATER, I sweep through the doors of our suite and out into the receiving hall beyond. Much like in the nightmarish vision I had of myself if I had chosen to keep the power Erembour had stolen, I'm done up in absolute finery. A long, black gown. Strings of black diamonds around my neck. The bracer as ever on my wrist.

The Crown Of Cinders is not a part of my ensemble, however. It's remained dormant since the battle--thank the Gods. For safe keeping, we keep it locked up tightly in a vault. It will not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands.

Instead, I wear a different crown on my head. It's bright platinum, set with jewels to represent all five dragon kingdoms. It has no magic, no aura, no history. Except that it was forged in the smoldering wreckage of Erembour's shadow empire, and it symbolizes the hope we all have for the new era we're building. Together.

As I enter, my mates all turn as one. My abdomen sucks in. They're devastatingly handsome, as always, but there really is something about a man in formalwear. Malik's bright blue tattoos glow against the blue and green silk of his robes, and Storm's broad shoulders and muscular build fill out the lines of his suit in a way that makes my mouth water. Jianyu's silver, high-collared jacket hugs his frame in a similarly delicious way, while Rafe's deep red, velvet coat begs to be touched.

"Damn," Rafe mutters, and our gazes meet. His is full of as much heat as I feel, staring at them.

I manage a smile, standing up my straightest and tallest--as if I have any real choice, considering the boning in my gown and the height of my heels. "Sorry I'm late."

"More than worth the wait," Jianyu assures me.

Malik steps forward to offer me his arm. "May I?"

I slip my hand into the crook of his elbow, relishing the warmth of his body against mine.

Storm appears at my other side, and I accept his arm, as well. He leans in close. "You look stunning."

"You all clean up pretty well yourselves," I tell them, which is the understatement of the year, but the deep glow of our mate-bonds is evidence enough of how I really feel.

Like I can't wait until tonight, after our duties have been fulfilled, and our daughter is all tucked in.

When I finally get to rip all those gorgeous clothes right off them.

For now, though, we have work to do.

"Everybody ready?" my chief of staff asks.

I glance around at my mates, checking for approval before nodding. "Lead the way."

She does, and we follow.

The old Water Kingdom capital has undergone quite the transformation over the past few years. While a fair share of Water Dragons were happy to return to their ancestral lands--once they were revealed to still exist--most chose to remain in the new city they founded in the aftermath of the last great war.

That left this castle and the fertile lands around it severely underpopulated, and lacking much in the way of organized government. So we set up shop here, welcoming anyone from any of the five kingdoms to come join us in creating a better, more cooperative, more peaceful world. Ironing out relations between so many different dragons took some doing, of course, but this place is now a central hub of the new, united Dragon Republic. It's where my family and I make our primary residence.

And it's where, once a year, we host a summit of representatives from all the dragon communities, all over the dragon world. I preside over the events as Queen; someone has to keep order, after all. But everyone has a voice.

Gone are the days of hoarding and dominion--of in-fighting and oppression and war-mongering tyrants. The peace isn't always easy to maintain.

But it's so, so worth it.

And that's never more obvious than it is right now, as we prepare to begin the open ceremonies for this year's summit.

By design, my mates and I are the last to arrive. As we wait outside the doors, Jianyu fixes me with a knowing look. "It'll be fine."

He's perceptive. My nerves are jangling, but I believe in us. In what we're building here in this place.

Rafe chuckles, brushing out the sleeves of his coat. "Hey, at least it can't go any worse than it did the first time we attended a peace summit together."

It isn't very dignified, but I can't hold back my snort of laughter. "Only because that one literally exploded."

Storm pats my hand where it's still hooked through his arm. "Just because the bar is set too low to limbo under doesn't mean he's wrong."

"You're conspiring against me," I grouse.

"We're conspiring with you, beloved," Malik reassures me, and I do like the sound of that.

A member of my staff clears her throat. She meets my gaze. "If you're ready, Your Highness?"

Nodding, I step forward, and that ends all the flirtatious banter. I inhale as deeply as I can in this dress--helped by just a bit of Air Dragon magic. My mates similarly adopt the regal expressions that have been trained into them since birth.

So much has changed. They've each grown in their own way, embracing themselves, their destinies, their magic and their power. But they're still themselves, too.

And I still love them so much it hurts.

Before I can get too carried away with sentimentality, the doors are flung open. A deep voice carries through the grand hall, announcing, "Please welcome your hosts for this week's events: King Rafe, King Jianyu, King Malik, King Storm, and Queen Ember."

We emerge into the ballroom to thunderous applause, and I smile brightly, my throat tight. It's hard to remember that a few short years ago, I was no one. My relationship with Storm was a closely guarded secret. Even after, when I discovered that Rafe and Jianyu were my Fated Mates, we had no choice but to keep our relationship under wraps. We could have literally caused an international incident, otherwise.

Now, my union with all four of my mates is a cause for international celebration.

As we ascend the steps to the head table at the front of the room, I look out over the hundreds of dragons who have come together today. I'm met with faces filled with hope.

Rook and Rhiannon catch my eye from the tables where the Shadow Dragon dignitaries have been seated. Rhiannon winks in encouragement, while Rook bestows me with a solemn nod. Zahra and Obi sit among the newly reemerged Water Dragons, and Rafe's friend Cael and his brother Dorran are among the leaders of the Fire Dragons. High Priestess Fang and Lady Tsing are both part of the Stone Dragon delegation, despite their very different views on the role the Stone Dragons have to play in our new, more interconnected world. Brynn and Jimmy smile at me from the Air Dragon tables, where they join the newly healthy, completely recovered Princess Aria as leaders of the Air Dragon nation.

Meanwhile, Freya and Jett sit among the new delegation of dragons from the unclaimed territories, who have more than earned their right to claim a seat at the table in our new republic.

Unlike some others.

Fury and Jasmine and Li and Atina and all the others who sowed hate and division and acceded to the Shadow King's rule have been banished to the far corners of the globe. And who knows. Maybe someday, they'll try to cause trouble again.

But my mates and I? We'll be here.

Presiding over negotiations. Providing leadership. Proving that unity is possible. And when needed, bringing the might of the gods themselves against anyone who would threaten this fragile, precious peace.

While my mates and I are monarchs, the rest of the dragons assembled here are duly elected representatives of their nations, and they all have a say in the future of our kind.

There's still so much to do. So much ugly history to overcome.

But the future right now is one full of light.

Taking my place at the front of the hall, I feel outward with my senses, relishing in the strength and support pouring into me from my mate-bonds. I glance to the side, meeting the gazes of each of my mates in turn.

And then I look forward once more at the dragons of the world. I raise my hands in welcome. Our work of ensuring the continued peace lays before us. It isn't easy, but it's worth it.

We're ready to begin.