6. Bexley Blackforge

Chapter 6

Bexley Blackforge

"This is absolutely delicious," I told Calliope as I scooped up the last piece of roast on my dinner plate. I usually preferred sweet foods, but I couldn't deny that the warm explosion of flavors that accompanied the dish was absolutely memorable.

It was probably one of the best dishes I'd ever had, which was saying something given the amount of restaurants I'd been to with Celine Bronzeheart and the chefs that'd been brought to the estate. Calliope's cooking was easily better than most of those experiences. And while the setting of the formal dining room was exactly that—formal—the atmosphere was anything but.

The couple's two little girls were cooing happily while smearing food on each other's highchair trays and their own hands and arms, the tiny gap between their seats doing very little to stop them. Music played from the kitchen, the clattering of dishes suggesting that the men were done eating as well. They'd chosen to sit in there so they could talk about the politics of the realm. While I did find that interesting, I was way more fascinated by Calliope's dynamic with her two children.

I hadn't been around babies very often, and I was captivated by their adorable faces and chubby little cheeks, especially when they smiled at you. Calliope handled them with so much ease, responding to what they needed in a way that seemed instinctual. It made me hope that when my mates and I had kids, I would be able to slip into that role just as easily.

"I'm glad you like it," she said with an authentic smile, her eyes filling with pride. "It's been hard to cook as much since the twins were born—I only finally got back into it a month or so ago. It used to be something I did daily, multiple times a day."

"Too much with the little ones demanding so much attention?" I guessed.

"That…and I sort of just lost the inspiration to after they were born—until they started eating. Now it feels more purposeful since they can eat most anything I fix. When they were first born, the days felt so exhausting and long, and the weeks even longer, so the last thing I wanted to do was also cook. But now that they're moving around on their own and are a little more independent, I feel like I've got some freedom during the day."

I nodded in understanding, as if I could comprehend what it was like to be a mom. I was out of my depth, but I tried to respond honestly. "I can't imagine what it's like to be a mom, but you've clearly got it down—they are absolutely obsessed with you. They light up every time they hear your voice."

Calliope looked down at them, her happy smile in return making one of them giggle. "That's one of the amazing things about babies—they look at you like you're their entire world. Heals a little part of me every time, I won't lie. And having double that with twins? It makes it slightly easier on the more chaotic days."

"Female storm dragons normally have litters, so I imagine I'll eventually be in a similar position," I murmured in thought, my gaze moving to the window for a long moment. When I looked back at Calliope, her eyes were wide with surprise. I had noticed that she and the babies had the darkest brown eyes—nearly black—whereas Moloch's were crimson. The twins though had a mix of the warm golden brown tones in their hair from him alongside the raven black shade that she sported.

Both Calliope and Moloch were beautiful, but in a way that was unusual and almost painful to look at—like they were shining just a bit too bright. Like their life force was just a bit too intense for the normal person to experience comfortably. I had a feeling it was a result of their magic; its way of warning others that they were dangerous.

"A litter? Fates, I thought two was a lot. How many are in a litter?"

"Last one had five, apparently." I winced as she hissed through her teeth.

"Shit." Calliope's curse and following laugh had me shrugging with an amused smile. "Well, you'll totally know exactly what I'm talking about when the time comes. Although do yourself a favor and make sure you have a ton of help on hand—some people view accepting help as a weakness, but that's ridiculous. There's no built-in manual for this type of thing, so don't ever worry about asking. I'm lucky enough to live by his family; if it wasn't for them there would have been a lot of very long days."

"Luckily we have a lot of very close family too," I said with a happy sigh. For just a moment I noticed my words caused a tinge of sadness to fill her expression before she completely extinguished it. "What about you? Did you have any of your own family come by?"

"Oh, I don't have any family," she said, her demeanor changing as her eyes darted away. "I was raised in an orphanage up north, so no one of note."

I couldn't imagine what that must be like. Sure, I'd spent most of my life thinking my parents had died, but I had the Bronzehearts to take care of me, and they treated me as one of their own. Calliope was clearly uncomfortable, so I decided to change the topic. "So, where'd you learn to cook?"

Calliope noticeably relaxed. "When I started working in the city, I needed to make my groceries last. Plus, it was some fun after a long day of work."

"Well I'd love this recipe. I don't cook often, but I wouldn't mind trying my hand at it."

Her eyes lit up. "Absolutely." Then we both broke into laughter as one of the babies threw a piece of food right into my hair. After that we both started to pick up and bring the dishes into the kitchen, making sure to wipe the babies down. I felt oddly at home here, comfortable and content to help with the cleanup and the children. Of course it helped that we had already received the tour of the estate, including the guest house in the back where we would be staying.

I hadn't hesitated to compliment both of them on their home during the tour, the entire gothic manor imprinting in my mind. While it wasn't my normal style, I loved the luxurious but moody vibe that matched the constant state of stormy weather here—something I was told was the territory's natural climate rather than a result of our presence. Although we did appear to intensify it, the rain now pouring heavily down on the slate patio out back. It managed to charge up my magic like none of the other realms had, like electricity was running under my skin.

I'd been to three other realms now, and I couldn't lie…this was possibly my favorite. Maybe after all of this was handled I could visit Deva here—or maybe we would get a vacation home here. That was a fantastic idea!

After we cleaned up, I stood next to Jagger in the kitchen, his hand rubbing up and down my back as I melted into him. Calliope had already taken the girls to bed, which left me, my mates, and Moloch.

"We can stay up for a while," Gage offered when Moloch mentioned getting back to work.

"I would appreciate the company," he admitted. "It's going to be a long night."

"Bex, you should get some rest," Breaker suggested.

Jagger kissed the top of my head. "I'll head back with you. I'm more tired than I would've expected." Hearing he was tired sent my dragon into overprotective mode, and I found myself bidding the others goodnight as I clasped Jagger's hand in mine, dragging him out of the house and towards the guest house.

"I promise I'm okay, little treasure. More of an excuse to spend alone time with you than anything," Jagger said, chuckling.

I narrowed my eyes on him. "My dragon doesn't believe you. This situation is draining all of us, and at the end of the day, this is turning into a war. One that we need to at least be well rested for."

"I don't disagree," Jagger murmured, squeezing my hand since our fingers were intertwined. "The Clanguard wolf pack has turned this into a rather lethal affair."

It was indisputable, and I hated it.

As we reached the guest house, Jagger broke the thought-filled silence. "What's on your mind?"

"I think I'm just trying to imagine what life will be like after this. I'm ready to get back to some sense of normality, but I don't even know what that means. I don't know if we're going to continue at the academy, or if we want to immediately start leading the clans, and what are we going to do about the Flash clan's old territory?"

"Hey." Jagger swept me into his arms as we stepped into the guest house, pressing his lips to mine. The single-story home had a large central living area and two bedrooms in the back with a shared bathroom. It was comfortable and cozy, the perfect place to spend the night. It also provided us with the perfect amount of privacy we needed right now. "First of all, I love your trust in us. That you don't doubt this will work out."

"I know we'll win, but I'm worried about the cost."

"I know, and I wish I could assure you that there wouldn't be any cost—any lives lost—but already it's happened. We will do our best, I promise you, Bex."

"I believe you, Jagger, I really do."

"Secondly." He gently placed me down in front of the fireplace, which was still crackling from when it'd been lit during our tour. I leaned into him, inhaling his amazing peppermint scent. After hugging me close, Jagger tilted my head back, his rough hands pressed to either side of my face as his gaze traced my features.

"I promise you, everything is going to work out. Every single thing. Nothing else is acceptable. So rest easy knowing we will handle this and everything after. If you want to finish school, then that is exactly what we will do, no questions asked. If you don't want to, then we can focus on reestablishing the Flash clan. If you're not sure, we can take a rest while our parents handle things. We have time."

"We have forever," I said, more as a reminder to myself than to him.

"Forever to love you." His lips dipped against mine. "I love the sound of that, little treasure."

"I love you so much."

"It can't possibly be as much as I love you," he teased, his voice rougher than normal, lifting me up and carrying me toward the larger bedroom in the back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs at his hips, and when he plopped me down on the bed, I stretched out, my arms above me.

A rumble left Jagger's throat, and a flash of darkness that I only ever saw when he and I were alone rolled out from the more civil fa?ade he usually wore. The heat in his normally cool eyes had me squirming. "Fates—you are absolutely beautiful."

When his hand came out to touch my cheek in a soft yet possessive hold, lightning flashed outside, and the wind from the open window blew out the candle on the nightstand. Both Jagger and the storm electrified my skin, and I found myself reaching out to him before I consciously knew I was doing so.

Jagger bent down and met my lips in a hard kiss that was demanding yet sweet, like he was pulling on every ounce of my need for him at once, trying to coax it out but also possessively taking it as his own. I shivered at the intensity of it, and when his fingers smoothed my waist and tugged my shirt up, I helped him slide it off of me, leaving me in a silk bra and my jeans.

"Fuck," he groaned, kneeling on the mattress and leaning over me, trailing kisses between my breasts before moving over the silky material. I arched off the bed with a moan as he circled my hardened nipple with his tongue, wetting the silk before tugging the material away—the delicate flesh feeling like it was on fire as he began to toy with it.

My hands came up to his chest as I tried to pull at his shirt, but with a warning rumble, he took both of my hands captive in one large grip and pulled them above me. Jagger turned his attention to the other breast as I tried to shift, needing some type of friction from him, but his other hand stilled my hip in a commanding move.

"Don't," he warned. "You only get to come if I say so—I want you absolutely dripping before you slide onto my cock—then you can come. Only then. Understand?"

"Yes, Jagger." My voice was breathy, and a satisfied rumble left his chest. I cried out as he went back to teasing my skin, and I almost climaxed from that alone, a tremble working its way through my body. When he released my hands and sat back, tugging off his shirt, my eyes roamed over every inch of skin. He was so insanely muscular it was absolutely unreal—he looked like a marble statue come to life.

Hard like one also.

"Stand. Now." His tone did absolutely everything for me, and I hastened to follow his instructions. He spun me so I faced the bed, his rough hands sliding around to unbutton my jeans and then slide them down over my ass. As he knelt to help me step out of them, I knew he could see, and probably scent, just how wet I was.

Jagger pressed a hand to the small of my back, the pressure of his fingertips encouraging me to bend over. When his nose brushed my inner thigh, I let out a moan that had him nipping at my skin as he tugged the wet silk to my ankles.

"You're so wet," he groaned. "I want to slide into you so fucking deep, little treasure."

"Please do." I gasped as his tongue ran along my slit, and my knees nearly broke. When he hardened his tongue and began to fuck me with it, I gripped the bedding and fell forward, letting it catch my weight. Jagger's hands held tight to my hips as he began to devour me, causing my eyes to squeeze shut as I sought the relief that was so close.

"Jagger!" A moan of his name left my lips as he suctioned his lips around my clit and I came hard. Hard enough and explosive enough that I saw stars, my vision turning spotty as shivers erupted all over my skin.

"Fuck. I didn't want you to come yet, but it's so fucking beautiful when you do."

Before I could catch my breath, I was being rolled over, and a feral noise left Jagger's throat as he looked over my naked frame. My legs fell open as he unzipped his jeans and kicked them off, followed by his boxers, his massive length hard and ready. A shiver of anticipation rolled over me as he crawled onto the bed, capturing one leg and pulling it over his shoulder.

A whimper of need left me as the head of his cock brushed over my wet heat, and I fought the urge to beg him to push inside of me, afraid he would play a teasing game. But it seemed Jagger was as impatient as I was because he captured my chin with one hand so I had to hold his gaze while impaling me in one hard thrust.

My scream filled the house as he slid so deep into me my eyes rolled back. His fingers slid over my still sensitive clit, moving in a way that had me both melting and tightening in anticipation.

"I can feel you tightening around me," he groaned, holding himself deep inside of me. "You feel so damn good. I almost don't want to move—want to fucking stay in you forever."

"Please move," I whimpered, lifting my hips. Jagger grunted, somehow pushing further into me.

"I can never deny you," he admitted, his voice a raspy whisper, as he began to pump in and out of me in hard, demanding strokes. The position we were in allowed him to get as deep as he possibly could, my nails digging into the skin on his arms. The faintest scent of blood filled the air, and as he began to stroke faster and faster, the erotic sound of our bodies meeting filled the space. Outside, lightning flashed, illuminating the intense, possessive expression on Jagger's face above me, and the thunder in the distance echoed every movement.

The faster he went, the more it felt like we were racing towards something so much bigger than just our climax. It felt like all my magic was surging and surrounding us in a cyclone as I stared up into his icy eyes. I could practically see a silver glow surrounding him, and for just a moment, I felt our dragons connect, a gigantic crash of thunder sounding outside.

"Shit," he groaned. "I'm going to come—going to come right inside of you."

"Please," I begged. Jagger growled, the sound echoing through the room as he punched his hips forward, slamming into me in one final thrust. His lips came down on the unmarked side of my neck, a gasp of relief escaping me as his teeth sliced into my flesh.

Absolute pure connection surged through me.

Jagger's name left my lips as our bond coated itself in pure silver. Thunder crackled outside, rain pelted down, and lightning lit up the room. Something nearby crashed, and gale-force winds rushed around us. Jagger shielded me with his form, his arms creating a cage above my head as he sank deeper into me. My nails broke skin on his back as his teeth released my neck, allowing me to turn my head to look up at the ceiling.

All at once, it wasn't just our connection.

My own magic swelled inside of me, and the reserve of magic collected from each completion of my mating bond exploded out. The room went dark as my eyes snapped shut, my three metallic mate bonds intertwining with one another in a hard, solid rope. I whimpered at the intensity of it as a pathway of communication opened between all of us—one I hadn't even realized was supposed to be there.

I could feel each of their intense emotions, affections, and even residual elements of their thoughts. I could feel their love for me. A wave of euphoria washed over me, my body radiating with pleasure as lights flashed behind my eyes, my body lying limp under Jagger in a puddle of pure happiness.

It was nearly transcendent.

It wasn't until Jagger held me under warm water that I realized we were in the shower, my body melted against his. Tilting my head up, I found him smiling down at me, his eyes filled with a possessive thread of darkness that he couldn't hide. Letting out what I swear was a purr, I rubbed against him, running my nose against his neck as he picked me up so I was locked against his body.

I didn't even have the energy to tell him I loved him, but I heard him whisper the words, and they were enough for my brain to give into the sleep it was demanding.

If only I realized I would be greeted by dreams on the other side…

Towering walls with cages on all sides surrounded me, the bars triple the width of a person with glowing wards surrounding them. A pair of doors stood at the far end of the corridor, and I knew in that moment what I was seeing.

The exact location of my parents.