Chapter 3

THREE

Samantha

I’m starting to feel as comfortable in my dragon skin as I do in my human skin. I catch a wind current and just ride it, giving my wings a bit of a break as I soar over the snowy ground. Behind me, Evander and Aydan do the same. We move together, like a pack. And, somehow, it just feels right.

At least there are signs of humans here and there , Aydan says into our minds.

I just can’t imagine anyone living out here. They’d have to use dog sleds to get from one place to another. Evander seems as confused about the existence of people out here as I am.

He’s right. They would. There seems to be an occasional cabin about every fifty miles or so. And that’s it. A few of them have smoke coming out of their chimneys, but most look abandoned.

How is it that we’ve seen just about everything, but not the blue dragon? Aydan asks, an edge of annoyance in his voice.

The bastard is probably hiding because he knows we’re coming. Evander sounds smug.

You think so? Probably because we’re huge compared to him, like with the green dragon, Aydan says.

Hell, yeah. I bet he’s tiny . Evander couldn’t be cockier.

I grin as I listen to them going back and forth, stroking their own egos. I might be tempted to say something, if they weren’t getting along so well.

Actually, they’ve been getting along well all day. It’s like when we’re in dragon form we’re all on the same side. It’s a nice change from all the bickering, even if I don’t quite know how to handle it yet.

I turn in a circle, riding another current. We’ve been flying all day, so I’m feeling spent. Maybe even a little lazy.

In the distance, I see the setting sun and a gray, stormy sky rolling closer. Damn it. It’s going to be night soon, and it looks like a blizzard is headed our way.

Fuck, we lost track of time, Aydan mutters.

Time is different in dragon form. It’s easy to get caught up in just feeling and being. We need to learn to balance our human and dragon sides better.

We probably shouldn’t be flying in the dark or in a storm , I say. It’s already hard enough flying in the cold. We don’t need to add more challenges.

So, we head back? And return tomorrow? Aydan asks.

I don’t like the idea of traveling back in the dark with only the stars for guidance, Evander says gruffly. We could get off track and run into other dragons. Even if there’s three of us, we’ve never fought in the dark.

Aydan sounds worried. And that storm is moving in quick. Like, I think we have a few minutes before it hits.

It doesn’t seem like we have much of a choice but to head back home. Let’s just try our best to beat the storm, I say.

No way, Evander argues, his tone authoritative. I doubt we’ll outrun the storm, and that’s not considering the other dangers. We should use one of these abandoned cabins as a place to rest.

He’s right. I hadn’t even considered that a possibility. I just saw one a few miles back that seemed to be in good shape, but also like no one was home. Should we head for it?

I saw it too . Evander does a little spin in the air. I think that could be perfect.

So, we head for the cabin, and I try not to hope too hard for a warm fire and some food to eat. It’s been a long day and… thunder rumbles in the distance. That doesn’t sound good.

My gaze catches some color in the distance, just barely visible in the icy wasteland beneath us. There it is! I say, flying lower as I head toward it.

We pass more and more barren land as we head toward the cabin. Ice, ice, and more ice spreading out in all directions. I can’t imagine any being, human or otherwise, that would want to live somewhere like this. Not only would it be a lonely place to live, but the lack of life is kind of depressing.

Landing as lightly as a giant dragon can land on the snow, I stay in my dragon form, knowing my dragon is better suited to the cold than my human self. Releasing a slow breath, I start walking closer to the cabin.

Behind me, I hear the guys land with all the grace of an orange cat dropping from a couch. I guess I should just be happy they landed on their feet. My neighbor’s old orange cat landed on his back more than his feet. He wasn’t a graceful fellow.

When I get to just outside the cabin, I stop. The place looks sturdy, well-built, and like it's been used, but not too recently. Hopefully, it’ll have everything we need to get through a night.

Shifting back into my human form, the cold hits me like a ton of bricks. I rush for the porch of the cabin, ignoring the snow that’s falling faster as I try to get somewhere warmer. When I reach the porch, Aydan and Evander are right behind me, looking just as happy about suddenly being cold as I am.

Evander instantly goes to the door and tries the handle. It doesn’t open.

“Maybe they hid a key somewhere?” Aydan suggests.

They both start looking around for a key. There are a few rocks on the porch, a wooden chest, and a couple of chairs. They move everything but nothing seems to turn up a key.

I take another glance around. “Maybe over the doorway?” I suggest.

Evander runs his hand along the top, grins, and says, “Bingo,” as he pulls a key down.

He opens the door, and we go scrambling into the near-darkness. We have to leave the door open, even though it lets in the rapidly falling snow, just to find our way to the fireplace and the matches. It takes no time at all for Evander to get a fire started, while Aydan goes to the side of the house and brings in more wood. I make myself busy with the propane stove, heating up a couple cans of chili I found in the cabinet. I also go through and categorize what else we have. Plenty of water. Plenty of cans of food. Whoever lives here is well-stocked. Maybe we’ll have to have Evander leave them a wad of money for the trouble.

Time passes. With the door shut and the fire going, the small cabin heats up quickly. Evander slowly feeds the fire more and more until it’s blazing. Aydan comes by and drops a blanket on my shoulders and gives me a kiss. Dinner is done, so we sit down at the tiny four person table and eat in silence. It’s a nice kind of silence though, only broken by the thunder overhead, not the tense one I’ve gotten so comfortable with feeling between them.

Feeling my phone in my back pocket as I shift on the chair, a thought occurs to me. I pull out my phone and send Granger a quick text letting him know what’s going on, so he won’t worry. Unfortunately, we’re in the middle of nowhere, so the text doesn’t go through.

“Damn.”

“What?” Evander asks.

“I tried to text Granger to let him know we were staying overnight, but it didn’t go through.”

“ Humph ,” he mutters.

“What?” I raise a brow.

He shakes his head. “Nothing.”

I know it’s something, an issue he has with Granger, but I don’t want to fight.

Aydan pauses in his eating to give me a smile. “I bet Granger was watching us from the satellites all day. He’ll be okay.”

I hadn’t thought of that. “Thanks.”

He gives a nod before we both dig right back in. God, this food is good. Or maybe I’m just so hungry that a table would taste good right now.

Overhead, thunder roars so loudly that all of us jump, and then there’s the sound of massive balls of hail hitting the cabin roof. I picture what it’d be like if we were still out. I’m not exactly experienced with being a dragon, but I know it wouldn’t be good.

“We got in just in time,” Aydan says.

Evander nods. “If I didn’t think it was absolutely necessary to stop here, I wouldn’t have, but I could tell that storm was going to be a bad one. I weighed the risk, knowing the green and brown dragons are too far away to cause us problems, and that the possibility of dealing with one unknown dragon between the three of us shouldn’t be more than we can handle. I figured we’d be safe.”

“Could you feel that the storm would be bad in your bones?” Aydan teases.

Evander holds eye contact as he says, “Well, in one particular bone.”

I laugh. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

They’re both grinning like idiots and slurping their food. These two definitely needed a few more years of maturing before they became dragons.

When we’re done eating and dishes are washed, Evander finds a couple of bottles of vodka and sets them out on the coffee table. Then, we all crawl beneath a big blanket and watch the fire, listening to the raging storm while taking shots of the liquor. It’s nice. I love finally being warm.

“You look happy,” Aydan says.

I smile. “Maybe because I am.”

He gestures for me to turn, and I do. My feet are in his lap, and I’m resting against Evander. Aydan’s hands go to my bare feet, and he starts rubbing.

I groan. “Oh my gosh are you good with your hands.”

Evander’s hands go to my neck, and he starts rubbing too. Every hair on my body stands on end, and I have to bite down on another groan. “That feels… so good.”

“I used to give you massages when we were teenagers, remember?” Aydan asks, and his stunning blue eyes are watching me closely.

I nod. My feet touch Aydan’s very obvious erection, and I have to swallow hard. “I remember. You were great then too.”

“What were you like as a teenager?” Evander asks, and I can tell he feels a little left out.

I open my mouth to answer, but Aydan answers for me, “Basically, like she is now, but with a little less cockiness.”

“That must have been brutal,” Evander teases.

I attempt to elbow him from behind. “I was just your average teenager. Aydan, Granger, and I spent all our time together. In school. Out in the forest. We were just constantly busy. None of us slept much. None of us cared much about TV, although we definitely enjoyed video games.”

They keep rubbing me, finding just the right spots, and I let out a soft sigh.

“Did Granger date a lot?” Evander asks.

It’s a weird question, but not too terribly personal. “No, he was never big on dating. He makes it sound like girls just weren’t into him, but I knew girls that were more than willing to give him a chance, but he just never went after them. Was he any different in college?” I ask Aydan.

Aydan looks thoughtful. “I’ve seen him go on dates. I’ve just never seen him seem all that crazy about any woman. He must not have found the right one yet.”

“ Uh huh ,” Evander mutters.

“Why do you ask?” I don’t look back at him. I’m too busy enjoying my massage.

Evander grabs the bottle of vodka and takes another drink, then holds it to my lips and gives me a sip too before handing it to Aydan. I look back at him to thank him, and he kisses me hard, before breaking away. “No reason.”

Aydan gives him a look, but to my relief, a fight doesn’t start.

“And did your families hang out a lot together?” he asks.

I shrug. “Everyone but Aydan’s dad. His dad was a firefighter, so he wasn’t around much.”

“Was he a good dad when he was around?” Evander truly seems curious.

Aydan tenses. “I don’t like to talk about my dad.”

Evander lets out a low breath. “So, that’s a no.”

“He wasn’t that bad,” I say, then glance to Aydan for confirmation, but he just avoids my gaze.

My stomach flips. I was there… I know what he was like. Don’t I? Or is there something I don’t know?

“He was just really focused on his career and not his family,” Aydan says, but his words hold an edge.

Aydan still doesn’t look at me, just rubs my feet below the blanket with one hand while taking a large swing of the bottle of vodka before putting it down. I decide that this is something we need to talk about later, when we’re not with Evander, even though it hurts a little that he didn’t tell me whatever he’s hiding, especially when he’s had so many chances to talk to me.

I thought we knew everything about each other. But maybe I just never paid close enough attention to know there was more going on with his dad.

Evander clears his throat. “But the rest of you did stuff together?”

I laugh, my thoughts going back to the past. “Oh yeah, for years we had play dates, meals together, holidays together. Our families mixed with each other all the time.”

We drink more, and Evander asks more questions about what it was like growing up together. I tell him a few silly stories, and even Aydan brings up a few. Evander in turn tells us a little more about what his life was like before we came along. It’s nice. Like we’re developing a deeper relationship. I’m starting to know Evander, maybe not as well as Aydan, but I dare say I might be starting to actually trust him.

“So what were you like as a teen?” I ask Evander, completely enamored with him.

He gives a low chuckle. “I was a little asshole. I never got into too much trouble, but just enough to drive my parents crazy.” His smile faltered. “Like most teens, I stopped hugging my parents, started wanting to spend all my time with my friends, and quality time with them was scarce.”

I find myself holding my breath. I know there’s more.

“Little did I know my parents wouldn’t be alive much longer. If I did know, I would’ve done everything different.” He gives a sad laugh. “What I wouldn’t give to go back in time and sit between them on the couch while watching a movie and laughing. Or to have one of my mom’s home-cooked meals.”

It’s weird how much I can relate to him. “I remember the big hugs my dad used to give. No one has ever hugged me quite like him.”

He smiles. “My mom’s hugs were gentle, but so filled with love. My dad’s always included a hard pat on the back. You know, to make the hug more manly.”

Silence falls between us. It’s weird. Knowing he lost his parents, and I lost my dad, it connects something between us. Like he’s the only other person in the world who can understand how I feel, even though I know that’s not true.

I glance out the one small window. “You can barely see the sky through the storm.”

“At least we’re somewhere warm and safe,” Aydan says, giving me a smile.

Safe. Right? I stiffen. Both men stiffen too.

“What’s wrong?” Evander asks.

I shake my head.

“Sam?” Aydan looks worried.

I let out a deep breath and glance toward the solitary king bed in the cabin. “It’s been awhile since we left home, which means I need to cover my scent soon.”

Silence stretches between them. Even though we’ve all had a lot to drink, I can see them working out what that means in their heads, and they’re probably coming to the same conclusion as I had.

“I’ll do it. I mean, Evander was with you last, so it’s my turn,” Aydan says.

Evander’s eyes narrow. “Like hell.”

I lift my hands to calm both of them and shift on the couch, so that my feet are on the floor and I can watch both of them. “The blue dragon is somewhere around here. If we don’t cover up my scent, there’s no way I’ll be safe.”

“It should be me,” Aydan says.

Evander snorts. “Really? Why?”

“Because she actually loves me.”

Evander flinches. “It should be me. I was a dragon first.”

“Like that matters,” Aydan says, his voice a notch louder.

“I claimed her first. She’s mine.”

“Fuck you!” Aydan’s hands are curled into fists.

“You know it’s true,” Evander taunts. “You’re only around because you happened to shift into a dragon too. If you didn’t, she and I would be here alone.”

“But I did shift into a dragon, so none of that matters.” Aydan seriously looks like he’s going to punch the other man.

How did it go from being so fun to this? Everything always falls apart when we involve sex in our relationship. If I didn’t need one of them to sleep with me, I’d throw them both outside.

I lift my hands up again. Evander is calmer, but I’ve realized with him that doesn’t mean we’re safe. He just hides his anger better than Aydan.

“I don’t want to fight about this. How about we just have sex one at a time?”

Aydan scoffs. “What? And I’m supposed to just hang out in the bathroom and listen to you two fuck when it’s his turn?”

Evander gives him a dirty look. “I’ll kill him if he touches you.”

“One of you could go out in your dragon form until we’re done, and then we can switch…”

“No,” Aydan says, folding his arms over his chest.

“Not a chance.” And I get the feeling Evander is seriously thinking about jumping across me and beating the shit out of Aydan.

I sigh. “Well then, what about at the same time?”

Silence.

Aydan blinks at me slowly. “At the same time? As in…?”

It’s logical, but I wasn’t serious. Or was I? Hadn’t this thought occurred to me before? “I just meant, if you were both busy fucking me, you won’t have time or energy to spend being angry at each other.”

The more I say, the more it makes sense.

Evander leans closer to me and whispers, “I would kill him if I saw him with you.”

“Not before I killed you,” Aydan shoots right back.

I throw up my hands in anger. “Then, I don’t know what we’re going to do. I guess I’ll just sit here and wait for the blue dragon to attack, since you two are such idiots that you can’t come to any kind of agreement! Is that what you want?”

Silence, only disturbed by the rapidly falling hail. I grab the bottle of liquor and drink way too much, but I don’t care. If I’m going to be surrounded by knuckle-dragging assholes, I might as well be drunk while I’m doing it.