Twenty-Eight

Ember

As I returned to the land of the awake, I squeezed the warm body in my arms, a smile gracing my lips as Cam made a sleepy, happy sound.

It was still a little hard to believe that I'd get to wake up like this every day. With Kai here too, it wouldn't be long before it was all four of us in this bed instead of three.

I frowned as I remembered Micah had been between us, and squinted my eyes open. Leaning up on an elbow, I checked Cam's other side, but he wasn't there either.

Straining my ears, I found the rest of the house silent. Where was Micah? And was Kai still in his room? Were they together?

Sliding out of bed, I pulled on a t-shirt and some sweatpants before slipping out of the room. A peek into Kai's room told me he wasn't there, and I made my way downstairs, my worry mounting.

Downstairs, I checked the kitchen, finding it empty save for a few cups in the sink.

A sigh of utter relief escaped me when I found them in the living room, and my lips curved up when I saw their heads knocked together, their faces relaxed in sleep with a scant few inches between their bodies. The TV had the screensaver on. Had they been watching something?

Not wanting to startle them awake, I went into the kitchen and set the coffee brewing, then got started up on breakfast.

Cam strolled into the kitchen a few minutes later, his eyes still sleepy as he rubbed at them.

"Where's Micah and Kai?" he mumbled, leaning heavily against the counter.

Placing a hand on the back of his neck, I kissed his warm forehead before turning to the fridge and digging out some eggs.

"Living room. They're still asleep."

Cam nodded, then left the kitchen, returning after a few minutes with a smile on his face.

"They look so cute."

"That they do," I agreed with a chuckle. "Looks like they couldn't sleep."

Cam scowled, his face darkening as he hopped onto a barstool. "Damned Ravenshire. I should've burned the whole place down years ago."

My brows shot up at the venom in Cam's voice. Cam was mischievous, sweet, and funny, but I rarely saw him as angry as he appeared right then.

I hadn't met Micah when he'd first escaped Ravenshire, and I couldn't hope to imagine how traumatizing it must've been for a ten-year-old to be removed from the only home he'd ever known. I still didn't know exactly what had happened, but I knew it was nothing good. I'd seen the scars on Micah's back, and I knew without asking he got them in Ravenshire. What had they done to my sweet mate?

Finding out Kai had been hurt by people from the same island must have been hell for Cam's dragon. No wonder he was so on edge.

"What exactly is wrong with them? Are they just plain evil?" I didn't really know much about Ravenshire. I'd sensed it when I moved to the town close by twenty years ago, but it'd been far enough that I hadn't cared to investigate further.

All I knew was that it was an island of mages a few miles away that was hidden from human eyes and accessible only through a few portals in various towns...unless you could fly.

I broke the eggs and started in on the mix for some scrambled eggs as I waited for Cam's answer.

"Nah, not exactly. It's just the people in control who are assholes, from what I've gathered. They've locked the island up and don't allow anyone to come in. The mages there don't go out much either. 'It's frowned upon,' Cassian once told me. They've become an insular, toxic community that mistreats anyone they think is different. Whenever a mage has magic that they don't like, that doesn't fit into their idea of what it should look like, they treat them like shit. Or, if the magic is powerful enough, arrest them."

"Like Micah," I realized with a sinking feeling in my chest, and Cam nodded.

Pouring the eggs into the pan, I stirred as Cam sighed, resting forward on his elbows as he watched the pan.

"Yeah, exactly. Aeron was arrested because according to them, all necromancers are bad, and it didn't matter that all Aeron did was talk to his mom's spirit. Cassian was treated like a pariah because his fire magic was a bit out of control. Raph was treated like dirt because his healing magic was different from his family's, and they couldn't get their heads out of their asses long enough to figure that out." Cam shook his head in disgust, and I started to understand why he hated these people so much. It wasn't just because of Micah and Kai, though they played a big part. The Ravenshire mages had hurt quite a few of the people Cam loved, and I was honestly surprised he'd managed to hold off from destroying them until now.

"We'll get Kai's coat back," I said, meeting Cam's eyes across the counter. "And we'll make sure those mages know not to mess with any of us ever again."

Cam's green eyes sparked with determination as he nodded, but before he could get too wound up, I added, "But first, we need to talk to Raiden. If there's even a chance the mages might retaliate, Raiden will need to know. It'll also be good to have his advice regardless."

Cam sighed but nodded without protest. I was glad he was so close to his parents, glad he could depend on them. I'd never known my parents, but I imagined I'd have liked someone like Raiden and William or Cassian and Gus as my parents. It was clear as day how much they loved their children, and I knew they'd do anything for them, including go to war with an island of mages, if it came to that.

The sound of Micah's groan interrupted the lull between us, and Cam brightened, sitting upright on the stool and turning toward the doorway just as Micah stepped inside.

"Kai's still sleeping. I didn't wanna wake him," he mumbled, glancing from me to Cam in an adorably unsure way. In the end, he settled on walking over to Cam and leaning against him. "Good morning."

"Morning, Micah. Did you sleep okay?"

Micah met my eyes, his deep brown ones bright as he nodded. "I did. We watched a movie because we couldn't sleep, and I don't think either of us finished it."

Smiling, I turned off the stove, then walked around the counter to stand before him. Cupping his cheek in my hand, I lowered my head and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

"Hey! Why didn't I get a good morning kiss?" Cam complained, though the lightness in his voice assured me he wasn't actually complaining.

Turning to him, Micah smacked a kiss on his lips, and then I did the same, ruffling his already-messy hair. "There you go, brat. Is that better?"

"Much," he agreed with a grin, his earlier rage gone.

No, not gone, I corrected myself. Subdued, so Micah wouldn't catch onto it and start worrying again.

Kai

I woke up on the couch under a mountain of blankets, warm and utterly cozy. I could hear voices in the kitchen, though my senses were too muted to figure out what they were saying.

Fuck, I wanted my skin back. Not just because I didn't have access to much of my magic without it, but because it was mine. It was a part of me, and my chest ached from being away from it for so long. Cam and the others had promised they'd help me, but would they really?

I wanted to put my faith in them so badly, to just let go and let them take care of me, but I was afraid. No, I was terrified. I didn't think I'd be able to take it if they betrayed me too.

Struggling out of the blankets, I stumbled a little as I stood up, then righted myself, pushing my hair away from my face as I made my way to the kitchen.

Ember stood behind the counter while Cam and Micah perched on barstools, plates of half-finished breakfast in front of all three. Ember smiled when he spotted me, and took out a plate from the microwave, placing it in front of the last empty stool.

"Kai, come eat." I did as he asked, climbing onto the stool as Cam and Micah smiled at me.

"Did you sleep okay?" Cam asked, and I nodded, my eyes sliding to Micah.

"Thanks for keeping me company last night."

"My pleasure." Micah gave me a wide smile, and I turned my attention to the breakfast as my cheeks heated up.

Ember had made scrambled eggs, bacon, and pancakes, and I devoured everything he'd put on my plate, listening intently as the other three chatted. They mentioned a whole lot of names I didn't know, and I wondered just how big their clan was.

"Kai, would you be up for meeting my dads today? We'll need to talk to them before we make a plan to get your coat," Cam said once I'd finished eating, and I swallowed hard, meeting his eyes. I knew his dads were dragons; he'd said as much. Cam was the first dragon I'd ever met, and I couldn't imagine what his dads must be like. I had a feeling I'd be a lot more overwhelmed by him if I had all my magic, if I could sense the full extent of his .

"Um, okay," I agreed reluctantly. I needed my coat back, and if that meant I had to talk to Cam's dads, then so be it. After all, if they really were my mates—which seemed more and more likely, even if it was still unbelievable to me—Cam's dads would soon be family. There was no point in being wary of them.

Cam watched me for a moment, as if trying to determine if I was lying. Then, he nodded sharply.

"All right. Let's freshen up and get dressed, and then we'll head over."

As if on cue, the doorbell rang, and I stiffened.

"I'll get it," Cam said, giving me a kind smile as he hopped off the stool and headed out of the kitchen.

"It's just Niran. He's a garuda, a South Asian bird shifter species, and works as a delivery guy," Micah explained, and I wondered if I looked as panicky as I felt.

Cam returned with a big box, and Micah hopped off the stool to take it from him. "Oh, Kezan works fast!"

Turning, he held the box out to me, and I took it with a puzzled frown.

"They're clothes that will fit you better. Kezan is a friend of mine, a djinn. He has a clothing store, and I gave him your rough size and asked him if he could send some over. I didn't think we'd have time to go shopping. I hope that's okay."

I stared down at the box, completely stupefied. He'd...he'd bought me clothes? And he'd had them delivered because he knew I wouldn't want to waste time on errands when my coat was out there somewhere?

"Thank you," I said in a choked whisper, and Micah merely smiled at me, reaching forward to place his palm over mine on the box.

"It was my pleasure. Now let's get dressed and go visit Raiden and Will."

Nodding, I followed after them up the stairs, rolling my eyes when Ember insisted on taking the box.

Once in the guestroom, I opened the box and sifted through the t-shirts, jeans, sweatpants, hoodies, underwear, socks, and shoes. There were more than enough clothes to last me a while, and Kezan hadn't missed anything.

Picking out some clothes for now, I left the box on my bed and went into the bathroom, taking a quick shower and brushing my teeth with the toothbrush someone had left on the counter for me, before changing into them.

Running a brush through my hair after drying it, I tucked it behind my ears and examined myself with a narrow-eyed gaze. I'd picked an off-white hoodie with a splash of pastels on the front, dark blue jeans, and some off-white sneakers.

Leaving the room, I found Cam and Ember in the hallway outside the master bedroom, and their eyes brightened when they saw me.

"You look great, Kai," Cam said with a wide smile, and I felt my cheeks heat as I took him in. He'd opted for black jeans paired with a soft blue t-shirt, a navy sports jacket, and black boots. His jeans showed off his well-defined thighs, and I realized for the first time just how attractive he was. I'd noticed it before, of course, but I hadn't really allowed myself to focus on it.

Ember wore a dark green Henley with the sleeves rolled up, the material clinging to his thick form. His brown jeans molded over his thighs like a second skin, and my cheeks darkened further when I met his eyes and realized he'd been watching me admire him.

"Beautiful," Ember murmured, and I jerked my gaze away from his, flustered, just as Micah stepped out of their bedroom.

My eyes widened as I took him in, and suddenly, it was clear why Cam called Micah princess. Yesterday, he'd been dressed in a sparkly hoodie and jean shorts, and I hadn't really thought of it much—I'd been too preoccupied by my coat—but now as I looked at him dressed in a pink crop top that offered a delicious view of his belly button piercing, paired with a pleated navy blue-and-white skirt that ended just above his knees and cute navy blue sandals, I realized Micah was a sight to behold.

"Wow," I murmured, and Micah and I blushed at the same time while Cam grinned proudly and Ember's eyes twinkled with joy.

"Stunning, isn't he?" Cam asked, pulling Micah into his side and pressing a kiss against his pink cheek.

I nodded mutely, and wondered if someday soon I'd get to kiss him like that too.