Chapter Fourteen

Iris

The babe in my stomach rolled around, rousing me from sleep. I raised my hands above my head and stretched, realizing where I was. No alarm had woken me. No sounds from the street below or Bessie opening up downstairs.

Oh yeah.

I was in Phoenix and Keir’s home.

The two dragons who had saved me.

Patting my hands on either side of me, I felt no one in the bed but, despite their absence, their warmth and scent remained. Nix smelled like smoke, while Keir reminded me of a waterfall. Killian had only smelled sweet in the beginning.

He’d certainly fooled me.

The night before had been incredible. More than I could’ve wished for. I got it in my head that Nix and Keir were only taking me in out of pity, but the way they looked at me, maybe I was getting ahead of myself.

They had both kissed me good night. Not on the lips but on my forehead or temples, and then Nix kissed my cheek. I longed to turn my head just a bit and capture his lips with mine, but it seemed as though they were moving slow, probably for my benefit. I had some things to work through, and it would be a while before I could hear a loud sound without having my innards vibrate with fear, but I knew I was safe here with them.

A whooshing sound made me finally open my eyes. I got out of bed and moved to brush my teeth while staring out the window for the source. I smiled at myself in the mirror while washing my face. Until last night, any sound out of the ordinary would be cause for a frantic emotional response, but I found myself more curious than anything.

I dropped the washcloth when I saw the reason for the sound. Of course. Shaking my head, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it. That was the sound of wings flapping. Not just any wings. Dragon wings. Dragon wings on my dragon men.

I wasted no time going down the stairs and to the kitchen where I exited through a back door. At first, I chose the wrong one and ended up in the garage This house was so big, I was surprised they hadn’t gotten lost or forgotten each other existed a time or two.

I could put my old apartment inside the bathroom and have room to grow.

I slipped into a pair of fuzzy slippers right outside the door. They were easily four times too big for me, but they would have to do.

Two enormous dragons circled above me.

No way in hell I would miss the show.

I lay down on the lounge chair near the pool, leaning my head back to enjoy the aerial show. They glided through the air so gracefully, much like they walked on two legs. I hadn’t seen their shift, but somehow I knew that the golden one was Keir and the maroon was Nix. Call it a hunch.

Pride surged in my chest watching them soar through the clouds, in and out of sight. These majestic beasts had taken me in and cared for me. I found myself more grateful than ever for them and their kindness. These giant beautiful creatures had bent over backward to help me in my time of need.

If I had a shot at being their mate, I was going to dive into the deep end, headfirst.

Keir rounded Nix’s form in the air and blew out a bit of fire, burning Nix’s tail in the process. When I laughed, they turned their heads toward the ground.

I’d been caught ogling the dragons.

I held my breath as the earth shook when they landed, absolute perfection. I was lying in that lounge chair in my secondhand pink pajamas that no longer fit me correctly. Ugh.

“Do you want me to go inside while you shift?” I asked as the dragons stopped just short of stepping on the concrete deck surrounding the pool and hot tub.

I stood, expecting some kind of confirmation, but instead, they both moved closer to me, bowing their giant heads and resting them at my feet.

Gentle beasts.

Emboldened, I stepped forward, slowly, but knowing they would never hurt me in either of their forms. “You’re Keir,” I said, and reached to stroke the golden, shimmering scales of the dragon nearest my right foot. “You two are beautiful in the air.”

Keir’s dragon moved a bit so that my hand covered more than one scale. “I can’t believe I’m actually touching a dragon.”

Nix’s dragon moved forward, nuzzling my toe. “Phoenix.” I used his full name. Nix was a human name. This giant beast deserved a name for a god. “Don’t be jealous. I was going to pet you next.”

I spent the next two minutes watching two monstrous dragons become putty in my hands. I caressed their ears and they even let me touch their tails before a powerful wave of magic changed them from dragon to human. The force of it stole my breath.

Even the cub inside me moved around, impacted by it.

Shifters, in my experience, were unabashed about nakedness, but I turned, giving them some privacy anyway while they walked to retrieve their clothing. Disappointment flooded me and so, I peeked over my shoulder, getting my visual fill of them both. Nix and Keir were majestic in all the physical ways.

My face flushed as I whirled back around, barely containing a nervous giggle.

“Did we wake you?” Keir asked, coming over and wrapping his arms around my waist. He rested his chin on my shoulder.

“No. The baby did. They’re active this morning.”

Nix took one of my hands. “Probably because he’s around alphas again.”

“He?” I questioned. “You think it’s a he?” Shit. While I would welcome a baby no matter the gender, a he would be the next alpha. Even more reason for Killian to come after the unborn cub inside me.

Nix shrugged. “Seems like a he to me. Doesn’t matter to us. I’m curious, female. Would you like to ride us one day?”

My body swayed with the impact of the question. Oh. Right. As dragons. They were talking about riding them as dragons.

Nix chuckled. “You are beautiful when you blush, Iris.”

Keir’s growl reverberated through his chest and into my back, sending ripples of lust straight to my core. “We were talking about riding our dragons, female. What did you think we were talking about?”

I shook my head. No way I was saying it out loud.

“Smell that, Keir? Your growling turns her on.”

My core pulsed with need. Keir sniffed the air. “Did you want us to kiss you, Iris? Taste your lips?”

“Yes,” I whimpered. Keir’s hard-on pressed against my ass while Nix moved to stand in front of me. His intense gaze slid down my form and, though he hadn’t touched me intimately, my body lit up with tingles.

“Say the word if you want us to stop.”

Nix cupped my face and moved in so slowly I thought I might die waiting for his lips to take mine. As soon as his mouth covered my own, I let out a loud moan, and my hips bucked against him. Keir’s hands moved to my hips as he kissed the back of my neck. I’d only ever had sex with Killian, and he was a five-minute-and-done kind of alpha. I was being generous with the five minutes. The only orgasms I’d experienced were from my own hand.

“Can I touch you, Iris?” Keir asked, rocking his hardness into my ass.

“Please,” I begged, not caring how desperate it sounded. I was desperate for them. Yearned for a touch from someone who cared for me. Craved the skin-to-skin contact that came with lust.

His hands rose to knead my tender breasts, pinching the peaks until I thought I might burst from need.

Then Nix pulled back and I found myself reaching for him. Their caresses seemed like heaven.

“If I don’t stop, female…” He looked behind me, sharing a look with Keir, I assumed. “If we don’t stop, we are going to take you right here and now.”

I let out a laugh. “That’s not a bad thing.”

He growled, giving me one more kiss, but Keir had already pulled away. “We need to be careful with you, Iris. We want to get to know you better and for you to feel safe with us before we move any further. It’s not from lack of want. Isn’t that right, Keir?”

His friend moved around and replaced Nix in front of me. He took my hand and moved it to his groin where the proof was more than evident. “We want you, female. Don’t doubt that.”

I shook my head but couldn’t help the clouds that rolled in. I knew what I looked like. A pregnant female. I’d gained some weight despite my on-the-run previous lifestyle, never knowing when my next meal would come from.

“We’re going to get cleaned up. Make you some breakfast.”

I nodded, noting my wet pajama pants crotch. “Yeah. A shower would be good.”