13. Bexley Blackforge

Chapter 13

Bexley Blackforge

The hot water from the shower brought me back to life. And with that I finally felt fully aware after the extensive process I'd gone through to wake myself up.

I couldn't tell you how long I slept after I passed out, but when I woke up, it had taken me three times—falling asleep between each—to even fully open my eyes. When I managed to finally do so, I'd slowly rolled my body off the bed, my limbs feeling heavy like they were weighed down. I'd nearly given up at that point, despite knowing it was essential I get up. There were too many important things to be done…

On my way to the shower, I didn't disturb the heavy, drawn curtains in the unfamiliar bedroom, not wanting to wake Gage up. I imagined he and the others were just as tired as I'd been, although Jagger and Breaker were missing. I had no idea where they'd gone to; what I did know was that this shower had made me feel miraculously better and fully rejuvenated.

Tilting my head back, I let the water slide over my face as I reveled in stretching my sore body. Somehow, someway, I could sense that I was more powerful than before. Stronger. My magic was running under my skin in exhilarating forks of lightning, and while my mind was still moving a bit slow, I was awake enough to know that I needed to get moving.

There was entirely too much to deal with. Like an actual freakin' war, for one.

By now everyone had probably gathered here. Certainly the other storm dragon clan leaders would be here. Hopefully my parents had recovered enough to at least be able to greet their old friends and catch up with them—something I needed to do myself. I'd given my mom a short version of my story, and they'd probably heard several other people's versions by now, but I felt like I owed it to them to give my own full account. I knew my mom felt guilty about what I'd been through, and I wanted to dispel that. There was only one person to blame, and if my mates had anything to do with it, he wouldn't be long for the world.

"Cupcake?"

"Hey," I whispered as Gage stepped into the shower, my eyes running over his body and trying to not get turned on by his mere presence. Of course, it didn't help that he was naked. When he pulled me into his arms, I melted against him. A surge of desire overcame me at the feel of his hard length pressing between us. Apparently he wasn't very good at remaining unaffected either.

I whimpered as his hand came underneath my chin, tilting it up to examine my face. When his lips brushed against mine, I became absolutely entranced, his kiss hard and possessive. Trembling, my nipples hardening painfully as the hot water rolled over our bodies, I let my hand fall between us, sliding my fingers along his cock.

Feeling more bold than ever before, I began to stroke him slowly, his kisses becoming hungry as he tugged me to the bench of the shower, pulling me on his lap. No words were said as I climbed on top of him, poised to take what we both wanted. I whimpered as his lips traced down my chest, wrapping around my nipple and teasing the delicate peak with his teeth.

When he bit down on my breast, I nearly came on the spot, and a rumble released from his chest that vibrated through me.

"Come here," he demanded, tugging my hips downward. I hissed in relief as I began to slide down on him, my thighs trembling as his thick length stretched me.

"That's right, open up for me, cupcake," he rumbled, biting down on my lip. I whimpered, suddenly dropping my weight and sliding down the full length of his cock. Holy fates. I moaned against Gage's lips as I tightened around him, the slight sting of pain absolutely nothing compared to the rightness of feeling him deep inside of me.

It hadn't been that long since I'd lost my virginity to him, but it felt like forever. It felt like I had missed him being inside of me for years—decades. That was the type of need he inspired in me.

"You control the pace. I don't want to go too fast until you're ready," he said, running his hands through my hair and gathering it in a knot around his fist. With his encouragement I began to bounce up and down, his full length causing my body to clench in anticipation. The sensation was amazing, but I found myself frustrated, needing to feel him dominating me—pounding into me.

"Gage," I moaned against his lips, "I need faster—I need you to take over. Please."

That was all it took—a simple ‘please.' I whimpered as I was suddenly pinned against the tile wall of the shower. I wrapped my legs around Gage's hips, holding on for dear life as he began to punch his hips forward, railing in and out of me. Faster. Harder. Everything I could have asked for. I screamed out his name as my nails dug into his skin, the scent of blood filling the air.

My climax slammed into me out of nowhere, sending me absolutely reeling.

And when his lips brushed over our mating mark? It felt like I was sent flying, soaring into the stratosphere. I was adrift in a cosmos of pleasure that was slowly drowning me in the sweetest way possible.

"Fuck—you feel so good squeezing around me, Bex," he snarled, slamming into me once—twice—before finally bottoming out and releasing deep inside of me. Gage's hand came down hard on the wall behind me, a loud crack making my eyes snap open. Then I was whisked away from the wall as Gage groaned, his cock flexing inside of me.

"Oh no." I burst into giggles, feeling almost a bit high, as I saw that a piece of tile had not only cracked but fallen off the shower wall. Gage chuckled and shook his head, burying his face against my neck. As the laughter subsided, Gage squeezed my ass before finally pulling out and setting me on my feet. Instantly I felt the loss.

"Sort of hot," I said when I noticed the red tinge of his ears, brushing my nose against his. I knew he wasn't really embarrassed about breaking the wall; it was more that he got caught up in the moment and forgot his own strength.

"All that matters is that you think that, cupcake…and that we find a good way to explain it."

"Explain what?" Jagger asked before dropping towels on the vanity. I could barely see him through the fog on the glass of the shower door, so I gave Gage a quick kiss and moved to open it. I jumped as he hit my butt and I half-heartedly scowled, feeling giddy. Talk about stress relief.

As I stepped out of the shower, Jagger wrapped a towel around me. The soft material felt good against my skin, and his icy eyes were filled with heat and amusement. I was glad that I didn't spot any signs of exhaustion lingering in his gaze.

"Gage cracked the tile in the shower," I said, going to brush my teeth. Jagger chuckled. "Did you just come back to the room?"

"Went to get you food. When you come out, you should eat something—you've been asleep for almost forty-eight hours."

My toothbrush—which was somehow the exact same as my old one—nearly fell out of my hand. "What?"

"Yeah." Gage shut off the water, and I handed him a towel before he stepped out. I chose to not stare at his amazing body covered in water droplets, but it was hard. And when Jagger kissed the shell of my ear, my attention began to really get tugged between the two of them. Deliberately averting my eyes, I applied toothpaste and stuck the toothbrush in my mouth. "A lot has changed, so you need to eat and get settled before we explain."

"Okay," I said around the toothbrush, both relieved and a little sad when they left. Trying to refocus on getting ready, I brushed out my hair and took the time to dry it, searching through the familiar bag of cosmetics. Celine or one of the other moms must have brought this—it contained every single product I normally used, down to the pack of makeup wipes. It was extremely thoughtful.

When I was done, I grabbed a cotton robe and put it on, walking out into a suite I didn't recognize. Jagger pointed out a pile of clothes, the sight of them confirming my suspicions—this was definitely Celine Bronzeheart's doing.

I sorted through the choices, picking a pair of blue cropped pants and a soft lavender sweater that clung to my curves. Slipping on a pair of no-show socks and flats, Jagger called me over to a couch where Gage was already sitting and eating. A large platter of food sat on the table, an assortment of everything from cheese to fruit to pastries available.

I happily sipped some coffee, sighing happily at the taste of peppermint on my tongue, before looking at my two mates. "Where's Breaker?"

"Talking with your dad."

"About what? The attack?"

"No. Breaker was the last to wake up, so he's most likely having the same conversation he had with the two of us separately—one I didn't think I would ever have the pleasure of participating in."

"Wait, what?" I frowned. Gage seemed amused as I tried to piece together what he meant.

"The ‘you better treat my daughter right or I'll rip your head off' type of conversation," Jagger said as he handed me a plate with fruit and an orange scone.

I shook my head in disbelief. "There is no way." My eyes widened at their dry looks. "He didn't!"

"He said worse." Gage chuckled. "But that's okay. I'm just glad he's around to have that conversation with us—in fact, everyone is thrilled to have your parents back."

"My mom almost cried," Jagger agreed.

"My mom did cry." Gage shrugged. "Probably my dad too. He was best friends with yours—or maybe I should say is best friends."

I simply shook my head, wondering what that would be like, having parents who were friends. With my parents back, there was an entire layer of relationship dynamics that I didn't know or understand yet. I mean, even the concept of my dad having a ‘fatherly' talk with my mates surprised me. I knew my mates were taking it in a relaxed and good-natured fashion, but it just seemed so odd to me. It felt foreign to be able to call them ‘Mom' and ‘Dad' in the first place—yet I did it with an ease, familiarity, and confidence that surprised me.

In a way, I was glad my memories had been removed for so long. If I'd lived eight years believing they were dead, it would have been even harder to wrap my head around than it was already proving to be.

"What else have I missed?" I asked curiously.

Jagger ran a hand over my back as he encouraged me to keep eating. "A declaration of war was sent out to everyone in the dragon clan territories, and our allies in the city have shared it with their people as well. A storm is overhead, and I think it's acting as a beacon because this place is packed with both people wanting to fight and people seeking shelter. The clan lands have been essentially cleared because we hope to wage war outside of the rogue lands—ideally within central clan territory where we have the advantage of having a good gauge on the landscape."

"How many people are we talking about?" I asked, considering the size of the estate. It could fit a lot of people, but at some point there simply wouldn't be enough beds in the actual building.

"Everyone from the clan lands, except for some that decided to stay in their homes to defend them if the war crosses their doorsteps. There's also the non-wolf shifters from the city, even though Linan will probably use their absence as an excuse to claim their sectors. Everyone is preparing for when Linan's troops begin moving out. We're now competing on a similar level to him when it comes to numbers, but our fighting styles will be more diverse and unpredictable compared to his."

"How long do you predict we have?" I asked softly, feeling a thread of nervousness. I was glad they appeared to have confidence in all of this, but the idea of a full-out war being waged wasn't one that would ever settle comfortably in my stomach.

"It's been two days since the notice was delivered to Clanguard, so not much longer." Which meant I needed to figure out my place in all of this—if I even had one.

"We should go find everyone else." I stood up and my mates seemed to agree, following me toward the door as I prepared myself for the chaos that would greet us.

At first we were only met with silence, the castle quiet as we worked our way down from the private quarters to the main floor. It was only then that I noticed it was nighttime. Stars twinkled in the sky—well, a few that managed to peek through the clouds did. They were so thick I could barely see the moon, and I wondered if everyone was already asleep in their rooms, lulled by the thunder rumbling in the distance.

When we arrived on the main floor, though, I realized I was right—everyone was sleeping—but not in separate rooms. There were hundreds of people camped out in the grand hall, sleeping on cots and in sleeping bags. Dimmed lanterns lit the walls, their flickering lights highlighting guards moving through their peaceful forms, keeping watchful, protective eyes on them.

Jagger motioned for us to follow him outside, and we were hit with a cool autumn wind that carried a familiar scent. My dragon nearly burst forth, frantic to get to my parents. My steps quickened as I searched for them, and thankfully it wasn't long before I spotted them across the front courtyard.

My mom turned from her conversation with Celine—I could only imagine that she'd felt my presence as I'd felt hers—and I couldn't help but break into a smile at seeing how much better she looked. How much more vibrant she looked. Her hair no longer hung limply, now surrounding her like a silver-streaked cloak. And while she was still far too thin, there was a healthy glow to her.

I was careful when I hugged her in greeting, not wanting to squeeze her too hard, but she didn't have the same concern, her arms holding me in a vise grip.

"You're finally up," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion as she pulled back from the hug. "Your dad and I were so worried."

"I heard he was so worried he decided to have a conversation with my mates?" I teased.

There was a mischievous glint to her gaze that I remembered from my childhood. "That may be true—although he and Breaker are over there laughing, so if he was trying to be scary, it didn't work."

A sudden sniff reminded me that Celine was nearby, watching both of us with a tearful smile.

"Oh, don't cry," I said in concern, grabbing her hand as my mom motioned for us to sit at the table they'd been occupying.

"I'm just so happy to be a part of this, to see you two reunited."

"Which is only possible because you did such an amazing job raising my daughter," my mom said, voice ringing with conviction. "I can't thank you enough for that, Celine. I can never repay you."

"No such thing—Bexley was amazing to raise. I got to put all my girly tendencies on her." She said the last part teasingly, but it was one hundred percent accurate. When Gage and his father had been off doing whatever male storm dragons did to bond, she and I had been off on our own doing an assortment of ‘girly' things like shopping or gardening. But we also did other things together, like going hiking. Celine had been absolutely fundamental in making me the woman I was today.

"Bexley, girly? Never." My mom laughed, and I watched as the two of them talked as if no time had passed—as if they'd spent these past eight years side by side.

My other mates had joined my dad and Breaker, their parents—aside from Celine—floating between conversation with them and discussion of battle strategy with a group of soldiers poring over maps. The atmosphere was relaxed, but the plans were still being altered and changed, probably based on whatever intel they were gathering about Linan's preparations.

Now that I looked closer, I didn't see anyone else out here that I recognized. "Hey, where's Rachel? And her mates? Or Olivia?"

"Sleeping in a private suite, resting as much as possible," Celine explained. "It was just reported that Linan is moving his troops into formation."

"I'm glad I woke up," I murmured. "How's Olivia doing?"

"Adjusting. She's got her days and nights mixed up, and she misses her mom. Cries for her often. But your friend Rachel has done an amazing job keeping her occupied," my mom said. She paused, taking a breath before changing the topic. "Bexley…I need to ask you something. Or ask something of you, I should say."

"Yeah?" I asked curiously.

"I don't want you to fight." When I didn't give an immediate reaction, she added, "I know that's a lot to ask, especially with everything Linan has done. But if he's after you, the last thing we want to do is put you right in his line of sight."

"I know," I said, understanding. "That's fine. I'm not a fighter, but I will protect those that are here. I don't want anyone stepping foot into this place."

"Your daughter is a pacifist," Celine explained. "She doesn't believe in shifter hierarchy either. Thinks it's bullshit."

"It is," my mom agreed, pride shining in her gaze. "I am so proud of you Bexley."

"You are? Why?" I couldn't deny it felt so good to hear those words leave her lips.

"Because of the woman you've become—one I can't wait to get to know."

No matter what came tomorrow, I would make sure we had that chance.