19. Andre

CHAPTER 19

Andre

I never thought I'd live to see the day my little girl would find her mates—and two being bi-sexual. When I was young, if you even showed interest in someone of the same gender you were put to death. So being a gay Golden Eagle was a touch depressing. I just got to witness the most open display of attraction I've ever seen in my life. To be quite honest, it was hot as all hell. I felt my nether regions twitch to life for a few moments. Over my shoulder, I hear a young lad clear his throat. Slowly I turn to look at him, and he smiles at me. Hmm, today may be getting interesting, after all. My eyes fall back on Aurora; it warms my heart with her level of acceptance of her mate's and my choices. I draw in a deep breath as tears threaten to break loose, I feel the love in the room, and it's the most beautiful thing ever.

Dimitri chooses that moment to come over and give me a side hug. "You okay, old friend?" He looks down at me with that smile he gets on a rare occasion when he's feeling sappy.

"Aye, just remembering our baby girl when I used to get the chance to mother the hell out of her. I know I'm not a mom. Hell, my bollocks prove I'm not a mom. But out of the two of us, I've always been the gentle one." I look at my soft hands and my wrist where Aurora's bracelet she made me so very long ago still rests. "I wonder how long we have left." My eyes well up further, and the tears break free rolling down my cheeks in streams. I blubber like a bloody idiot, but I can't help it. I can't see myself or Dimitri without Aurora in our lives. My hand absently moves to touch the scale the dragon king gave us. Who knows how much magic is in it or how long it will sustain us? My heart hurts thinking about leaving her when she needs us the most. She's only gathered mates from two of the clans, and there are two left. I turn and embrace Dimitri, burying my face in his strong shoulder.

A small, warm hand lightly touches my shoulder. Turning my head to find Aurora with Nicodeamus at her side. Her eyes hold unshed tears as she looks between Dimitri and me. "Father told me what's happening; I don't know what to say or do. I don't want to lose you two." Tears pour down her cheeks at her confession. She quickly snuggles herself between Dimitri and me, and the three of us start balling our eyes out. Aurora's lithe body shakes as she sobs uncontrollably; Dimitri and I try to hold her and comfort her. Deep down, I'm afraid of what will come when Dimitri and I pass to the great beyond. Aurora's inability to process emotions is a concern as she cries in our arms.

The double doors to the alpha's house fly open and slam against the wall. Sebastian and Dominik are both completely shifted, looking for danger. Jayce comes walking from the other side of the hall to stand before them. "Nothing to worry about guys; they're having an emotional family moment." Both males shift back to their human forms and move closer to us; both males lay a single hand on Aurora. She seems to calm almost immediately. Her head slowly raises to look at each mate in turn. Wordlessly she shimmies out of her guardian sandwich and moves to her mates. All three surround her and hold on until she stops crying.

"We're going to take her to our room and comfort our mate," Sebastian states calmly and with the authority of an alpha.

Dominik bends and scoops Aurora up into his arms, cradling his precious cargo tightly to his chest. Jayce, who is the most in touch with his emotions, kisses the crown of her head. "I'll draw a hot bath for you, Aurora, and I'll give you a massage while you tell us what you need from us." He gives the other mates a look—probably the most dominant look I've ever seen from him. The other guys just nod and smile as they croon softly to Aurora.

Watching them move as a unit makes me smile; I know in my heart of hearts that she will be taken care of no matter what. My eyes find Nicodeamus and he's smiling. "You two have made wonderful parents for my Aurora. I am forever in your debt." He sighs softly as his eyes move between Dimitri and me. "I can see she's become more than an assignment to you. She's the child you two never got to have. For that, I am sorry that your lives were put on hold for her. I am grateful, however, that she's known love her whole life. For that, she is blessed." He bows at his waist to us. A king is bowing to us; it's going to take some time for that sink in.

"We are the ones that are blessed with the gift of time we have had as your daughter's family. We have been blessed with the countless extra years her life has given us. We only wish to live to see her ascend the throne—like her mother hoped she would. God's willing, we will be granted long enough to do just that." I sigh deeply as I slowly bow to the king. Dimitri follows suit, bowing as well. We all turn to look at the door as Jayce closes it behind him. "I don't know who's taking this harder, Aurora or us. I hate seeing her cry; it's actually quite scary to see." My eyes widen, and I start to laugh, thinking about the past. "Remember Dimitri, that time Aurora got hurt and started crying? Then she shifted, and her Lycan destroyed half the house and part of the forest."

Dimitri starts laughing and shakes his head. "Yeah, or the time her Lycan forced the shift and at least a half dozen trees were taken down because her wolf couldn't handle the tears."

Nicodeamus smiles gently and nods slowly. "It seems like my daughter acted more like a dragon than a wolf. Hatchlings tend to be confused by emotions. Sadness turns to anger. Fear turns to anger. Pretty much everything turns to anger until they get older." Nicodeamus starts laughing. "I'm sorry, it's quite dangerous to raise a baby dragon or dragon hybrid without a dragon to temper its emotions. I was just thinking about all the craziness my daughter must have caused in her first hundred years." He's still laughing his ass off as he finds a place to sit down nearby.

"First hundred? Try two hundred plus, and we're still waiting for her to mellow out." I look to Dimitri and then over to Nico, who just nods along until he cants his head to the side.

"Hmm, must be because she's a hybrid. I'll have to ponder this further." Nicodeamus rises up to his full height and walks away. I sit here wondering how many centuries that male has lived to know everything he does. I draw in a steadying breath as I turn to go for a walk.

Elena stops me and pulls me around the corner with her. "Shhhh… don't alert the others." She's going all James Bond and shit on me and has us sneaking around the compound. It's gotta be a Lycan trait to be bat shit crazy. She leads me to a shed outback. Not creepy at all... no, not at all. I roll my eyes, following behind her towards the creepy shed.

I'm half expecting this to turn into a slasher movie where heads and body parts will be hanging from the ceiling. Nope, it's much worse! The two heads Aurora brought back are being boiled in a large cauldron in the middle of the room. I feel sick to my stomach seeing the Dire Alpha's head and his beta son bobbing around, floating and sinking in the cauldron's water. Random eyeballs float around in the cauldron, giving it a Halloween feel. Unfortunately, it's all real and not for Halloween. Clearly, Elena isn't fazed by what Aurora has done, but she can tell I'm disturbed by it.

"Death is but a doorway, Andre. Do not fear what cannot be controlled." She comes out carrying herbs and some bottles of an unknown liquid and dumps them in. She starts mixing it until it is boiling without a fire. Okay, now I'm getting concerned. She leans forward and plucks several hairs from my head, and throws them into the mix. Okay, either I am about to be cursed, killed, or turned into a zombie. Maybe I shouldn't have watched all those horror movies with Aurora when she was growing up. Oh, shit, am I the reason she's the way she is? My eyes shoot to the only escape route, then back to Elena. Can I make it out in time before she turns me into a zombie? "What are you so afraid of, Andre? I'm trying to figure out the magic my sister used to bind the two of you to Aurora."

Apparently, I've been panicking for nothing, but you must admit, it hadn't looked good for me. "Dimitri may be the better one to test. He was the one that the blade sliced. I'm bound to him by blood because of our jobs in the castle. My gift is an echo of what he got." Echo, side effect, a happy accident... however you want to call it. It's really disheartening to think my extended life span was a mistake or an accident. I look down at the ground when Elena comes over and hugs me. She knows this whole thing is breaking me. I love that homicidal wolf like my own child. To leave her now, I can't bear to think about it. A single tear rolls down my cheek thinking about the possibility of passing away.

"I will do everything within my power to help you and Dimitri." She kisses my cheek gently and moves back towards her cauldrons. "The best I can figure out is that my sister used blood magic combined with black magic. I'll need Dimitri's hair to determine how far down the rabbit hole my sister went." Her eyes lock with mine, and I can see the faint glow of her wolf backing up her claims. They genuinely believe they can help us. I give her a slight bow and back out of the shack.

Aurora's mate Jayce is walking around with his head down and kicking a rock around. "Something bothering you, son?" His head snaps up and his wolf blazes to the surface, then fades slowly; he gives me a soft nod and motions towards the swings. I follow him, watching his body language. He looks dejected. I wonder why? Aurora isn't the type to ignore anyone for any reason. We reach the swings, and we choose the two right next to each other. Side-by-side, we begin to swing. "You gonna talk, or did ya just need someone to hang out with?" I ask playfully with a slight chuckle.

He laughs softly, then turns to look at me. "Sorry, I'm still dealing with leaving a man I've been with for the better half of fifty years for a female. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful and blessed that I've found my mate." Jayce sighs deeply and draws in a slow, measured breath just before a single tear falls. "Part of me, I feel like I'm betraying what I had before. The other part can't wait to start my forever with Aurora." He rubs at his eyes then looks back at me. "I thought Aurora was going to murder me for kissing Sebastian back the way I did. I swear to the gods I saw my life flash before my eyes, and I pictured her ripping my head off or my spine out. That female is fucking lethal and then cool as a cucumber like nothing happened afterward." His eyes are wide, as if he is still in shock over it all.

I start laughing and honestly can't contain it. "I'm sorry, Jayce, I'd love to say you'll get used to Aurora's antics, but two hundred plus years later, I'm still not immune to her. She literally can go from serial killer to snuggle bunny in like point five seconds." I widen my eyes in mock horror then smirk. "It scares the bloody hell out of me half the time. Gods help you if someone fucks with anyone she's claimed as hers, that's an instant death sentence." Mentally I'm ticking off the last ten deaths at her talons; sadly, I see her point in all of it. I finally hear Jayce laugh a little bit.

"Yeah, she's intense, to say the least. I need to sit and talk to her later." Jayce stops swinging and folds his hands in his lap. "I don't want her to think I don't care; I'm just trying to get my head straight before I get intimate with her." Slowly he shakes his head left to right. "The last thing we all need is for me to say the wrong thing at the wrong time, and heads start rolling, literally." He looks up at me, double-checking his logic.

Smart man, he's figured out our girl quite early on. "I have to ask you a personal question. I know Aurora only says what she means, but do you think she regrets accepting me?" He shrugs his shoulders. "I mean, I've spent more time in relationships with males than females." On a loud exhale, his shoulders lower and curl as if defeated. "To be honest, Sebastian is fucking hot as all hell. I mean, I hope to get to ride that pony at some point. But will she kill one or both of us for being intimate?" Jayce slowly looks back up at me, his brows furrowed, hopeful I have the answer he's looking for.

I double blink as the crux of his problem just became blatantly apparent. He's obviously more attracted to males than females. "Okay, umm... she's used to being around a gay male." I point both index fingers at my face, wiggling them around. "She's always been very accepting of my lifestyle and choices over the years. I tried dating, but I couldn't bring myself to be away from her for too long. What can I say? I'm an old mother-hen when it comes to her." I smile warmly, thinking about how blessed I've been over the years with her. "She loves all of her mates equally. None is above the others no matter what they think." I cough out "Sebastian," and Jayce starts to laugh again. "All Aurora is going to care about is that everyone is happy and safe and that no one fucks with her wine and dark chocolate." Jayce raises an eyebrow when I mention her kryptonite to him. A slow, knowing nod is given, and I smile in reply to him. I just gave him the ultimate insider information that will win him instant brownie points with our alpha.

He bounces up from his swing and hugs the hell out of me, and kisses my forehead. "Oh, my gods, Andre, thank you so much!!! I'm going shopping. Don't wait up for me!" When motivated, a bitch power walks.

He takes off like someone set his tight ass on fire. Perhaps I just gave him something that the other guys can't give her. It's sad that I just lost his company, but a delight to watch him leave. My eyes roam the town square, and that male from earlier is watching me again. I wave to him, and he waves back. Hmm, perhaps I'm getting somewhere? He slowly starts to move towards me, and I feel my heart rate pick up. I'm trying my damnedest to fight my fight-or-flight instincts. He's probably the hottest guy I've seen in years. His eyes are forest green, and his hair looks charcoal black. The best part, he's got muscles for days. "Hi." Oh, my fucking gods, I am so freaking lame. What the actual fuck am I thinking? I know what I'm thinking. I'm thinking with my dick. You know, the thing in my pants I haven't used in forever.

The hunk smiles. "Hi to you too. I'm Darren." He extends his hand to me, and for a moment, my dumb ass just stares at it before placing my hand in his to give him a firm shake.

"Andre. The pleasure is all mine." I stand before him, and we're almost the same height—my tall, lithe frame to his I'll-end-your-fucking-world muscular build. I rest a hand on his firm shoulder and look deep into his eyes. Mine are boring compared to his, but I can easily get lost in his. Just as he leans in to kiss me, I hear catcalls coming from behind him. Damn it to all hell; the gods must hate me. Aurora and her other two mates are approaching.

She's smiling from ear to ear and has to rub it in that in the last two weeks, she's gotten more dick than I've gotten in the previous hundred years. "Hey, Dre! Darren, I see you've met Dre!" She's way too fucking chipper; it's scary to witness this side of her.

"I thought we would have lost you for the better half of the afternoon with these two young studs." I quirk a brow and look between the two of them. Immediately they both start posturing and puffing out their chests, trying to look all badass. Aurora smacks them both and starts laughing.

"Oh, trust me, they can handle me. I was more concerned where mate number three disappeared off to." Her eyes shift to that of her beast as she scans the area. Her nose twitches for a moment, and I know she picked up his scent. A soft smile crosses her lips briefly before continuing. "He's so... I don't know how to explain it." A sigh escapes her lips as her steel-gray eyes stare at the ground. "It's almost like he has a hard time adapting away from his boyfriend. I gave him the option to stay with him. I don't want him unhappy." Both of the boys' wolves surge to the surface, making their eyes glow as they sense and, perhaps, feel her distress. Aurora is sandwiched between the two of them within moments, and she visibly starts to calm down. She sighs gently and rests her head on Dominik's chest. "I just don't want him unhappy, Andre. Please talk to him for me. I honestly don't know how to broach the subject."

"I talked to him a little today already... he sought me out." That gets her attention, and she pries herself away from her mates. She grasps both of my hands to drag me to the picnic bench to sit. "You're partially correct. He is having a hard time adapting, but I think it's mainly because he's mostly dated males." Gently I kiss her cheek and rub my thumbs over the backs of her hands. "He loves you, and he's grateful he's found his mate. From personal experience, it takes time to get over a breakup. He appreciates that you gave him a choice." Smiling confidently, I squeeze her hands tightly, trying to reassure her. "Jayce knows in his heart he made the right decision. His mind just needs time to catch up with what his heart wants." I draw in a deep breath and watch Aurora. I can tell she's in a deep conversation with her Lycan and just nods slowly.

"I understand, Andre. Thank you for being the best momma bird a pup could ask for." She leans forward and kisses my cheek, hugging me tightly. Her mates slowly move off to give us time and space. "I hope he understands I accept him fully. I don't mind him kissing or having sex with any of my other mates." Sebastian's head shoots up with that, and his eyes glow faintly. "There are things only another male could give him. I know I'm strong, and I can be rough at times. But let's face facts, I don't have a schlong, and I'm not about to put a strap-on on to rail my mate from behind." Every male within hearing distance coughs, and their eyes bug out of their heads.

I cough and clear my throat, attempting to look as serious as possible. "Aurora, love, that was quite the visual you painted." She smiles and nods, proud of herself. "Trust me, we fully understand the differences in the mechanics between the genders." Stifling my laughter, I shake my head at Aurora. I swear you never know what's going to come flying out of that girl's mouth. "You're absolutely right; there are things a male can do to another male that a female could never do on her own. But that would never replace your part of this whole bond." I can't help but smile at how far my baby girl has come. "You are the glue that holds these boys together. It's fortunate for all of you so far that they have been all true matings. Trust me when I say that when a bond is forced, it's never the same or as strong as a true mate." Sebastian winces at my statement; I study him closely as he regains his composure. "Your poor mother, gods, rest her soul. Her only true mate was Nicodeamus. She had to force the bond with the other three males to make the political alliances."

I grit my teeth. "That fucking Lycan Alpha chose her other mates for her. She didn't have the choice as to who was in her bond." I release Aurora's hands abruptly and make fists trying to contain my anger over what happened. "I was so thankful when I saw her Lycan reveal itself to Nicodeamus. The Lycan Alpha was furious, and it's why shortly after that, he forced the other males to be castrated—including Nicodeamus. He wanted to be the only male capable of being able to father children." I start to laugh. "Little did he know that during one of his meetings, I snuck Nicodeamus in to be with your mom before the Shamans arrived to perform the castrations." I look down, thinking about those dark times, and I feel a hand land on my shoulder. The dragon king is standing right behind me. My eyes widen in fear because I didn't know if he had wanted Aurora to know the whole story, and I just blabbed everything.

"Relax, old friend. I've been dreading having to tell Aurora that story since we've been reunited. You have once again done me a great service." He gives me a gentle side hug and moves forward to stand before Aurora. "Jayce is a smart man. He has a lot to sort out in his mind. Moving and relocating isn't easy for everyone." Nico walks over to his daughter and hugs her. He holds her as only a father can. "Little one, he loves you so very much, never doubt that. Before your mom... I also had a male that I was considering bonding myself to." Nico slowly lowers his head on top of Aurora's and sighs softly. "He was the most beautiful male I had ever seen; he and his dragon were lean and sleek and brilliant." Nico closes his eyes as he remembers the past. "My brother, the alpha of our clan, called for me one day and told me I was being sent to the Lycan fortress. I argued with my brother as I had no interest in an arranged mating. After all, I already had someone I loved right at home with me." Nico opens his eyes and pins a returning Jayce with his stare, rooting him to his spot.

"I arrived at the Lycan Fortress and was escorted to the main hall. Your mom was already so defeated after her first couple of mates were forced matings. She was so sad she wouldn't even meet my eyes when I first entered. My dragon had other plans. He dropped the temperature in the room so swiftly that frost began to gather on the wine glass your mother was holding." Nico closes his eyes again and nuzzles the top of Aurora's head. "Anca's eyes opened wide as the frost spread across her glass. That's the moment she looked up at me. She actually saw me. Her Lycan in all of its glory burst forth and made her presence known and ran to stand before me."

He sighs wistfully. "I only allowed my eyes to shift to that of my dragon, for the hall we were in wasn't large enough for me to fully shift in safely. I touched her face, and she nuzzled my cheek. I knew at that moment that she was mine." Nico hugs Aurora and kisses the top of her head, and backs away so she can look him in the eyes. "It took a while before your mother, and I slept together and completed our bond. It took Andre running to tell us about the alpha's plans to castrate all the mates, other than Vladimir, to force my hand. Mentally I was ready; I knew what she was to me. Emotionally, that was a whole other demon to deal with. Emotionally I felt like I was betraying the male I had loved for many years." There was a hollowness to Nicodeamus's haunted gaze.

You can see the gears turning in Aurora's head as she takes in Nico's story. "So, what you're saying, Dad, is that just because he's not trying to bone the hell out of me doesn't mean that he doesn't love me. It just means that he has a few things to work through first." Aurora bites her bottom lip and searches her father's features.

" Da ! That's exactly what I am saying. Give the lad some time. I'm sure when he's ready, he will make the first move. In the meantime, be supportive of him, love him, and show him affection." Nico smiles. "Make quality time just for him because out of your mates, he's the most emotionally sensitive. With two potential alphas in your bond already, you need someone that isn't always trying to prove themselves." He smiles a smile that tells you of the years of wisdom he is speaking from. Nicodeamus gently hugs Aurora again and then pats me on the shoulder. He heads straight to Jayce, and they both walk off towards the main house.

I look between Aurora and her two mates as they move to join her. Her eyes search mine for a bit, then look between her two mates. "You guys know I'm all good with ya'll being together, right?" Sebastian and Dom nod and look at each other, then back to Aurora. "Sebastian, I'm counting on you to make sure Jayce feels secure and comfortable. Dom, you're his brother and know him best. Any advice you can offer would be wonderful. I know it may be months before he's ready to mate with me, and I'm fine with that." Her eyes turn to me.

"Andre, take flight and find that stubborn bear of ours. We will not go in search of the next mate until my bond with Jayce is in place. We cannot venture forth without being able to sense everyone in the bond." Her hand rubs over her heart as she closes her eyes, clearly concentrating. "I feel him faintly, just barely a whisper. That's not strong enough to be venturing into new territory."

The guys nod, and so do I. We had our orders, and now it's time to put them into motion. My first mission: seek out the bear. Secondly, watch over all my new pups and make sure they all play nice. I start to walk away from the love fest behind me and strip as I go. Before my new admirer knows it, I shift into my eagle and begin my bear hunt.