Chapter 2: Athos

Chapter Two

Athos

T he little siren sighs heavily as she turns to face the grumpy-as-fuck dragon. Bane was an assassin in a former life, and it shows in how he struggles to find common ground with, well, everyone …but most especially his mate.

He is practically incapable of compromising or handling anything with tact. And, yes, I’m confident he’s not lying about their connection.

I have inside information, since Knight can sense lies, and I’m not even a little ashamed that I verified Bane’s story.

Charity may be slow to accept our connection. I, however, am already fully committed to protecting her best interests.

No one warned me that my kind could share a mate. Certainly not with two beasts who don’t seem to understand the meaning of the word share.

Still, I’m no longer stuck in Hell at Nero’s mercy.

That, in and of itself, is a gift.

So, I’ll do my best to peacefully assimilate with the more monstrous mates of my mate.

Ha.

I’m rocking the alliteration tonight .

“What’s up?” Charity asks Bane, shoving her hair behind her ear. “I need to grab Veryn.” She’s stunning, which some might attribute to her half-siren heritage.

I simply think she’s the most beautiful creature I’ve ever come across, because such is the nature of the matebond.

“I get that you’re still pissed at me,” Bane growls in his low, gravelly tone. “But we need to have a conversation about Veryn. He’s already tucked into his bed. I snagged him from Mrs. Segar two hours ago.”

“You’re overstepping again.” Charity frowns, jabbing her finger at Bane’s chest. “Who gave you permission to do that?”

Oomph.

Such a perfect example of his lack of tact.

“He had the shakes.” Bane swipes the long, black hair on top of his head back. It doesn’t stay that way, falling immediately over his forehead and into his eyes.

He clearly needs a haircut.

Hmm.

Not that I should have any opinion on the matter, when my hair falls around my shoulders.

“Is he sick?” Charity takes a step forward, like she’s about to dart into her house.

“No,” Bane says firmly as he reaches for her arm. “His dragon is restless and beginning to fight for control.”

“But he partially shifts regularly…” Charity frowns.

The wobble in her voice makes me ache to pull her into my arms to offer her comfort.

Not only are we not at that level, but I’m also currently invisible.

Well, to Bane and Charity.

I’m fairly sure the wyvern can sense me.

Eldritch.

I’ve got to stop referring to him as his beast. That might take a bit of adjusting to, since he’s been the wyvern for the entirety of my time in Haven.

“And he completely shifts while he’s asleep, but never during the day. That tells me it’s some type of mental block,” Bane says with a softness to his tone that only appears when he’s talking to Charity. “He’s from an old line of some of the most powerful blood in the dragon realm, and an alpha shifter, at that. Once he reaches maturity, he may be stronger than even me.” It sounds like it’s exceptionally difficult for him to admit that. “If you don’t allow him freedom to bond with his beast, then as soon as it’s capable, the dragon will take full control. Without a more powerful alpha to force the shift, it may be a long time before his animal lets Veryn take the driver’s seat.”

“I mean…” Charity’s entire body shrugs, or maybe that’s a shiver of fear. “If it came down to it, couldn’t you or Dread force the shift?”

“For now? Yes.” Bane pulls a hand up, tenderly brushing his fingers over her cheek. “Once he’s a few years older, that will no longer be a guarantee. That’s why I need to work with him… regularly . Once Veryn builds a bond with his dragon, he’ll be able to force his beast to cede back control. They’ll come to an understanding. If they maintain this level of disconnect, you’re risking a situation like we’re currently experiencing with the wyvern.”

“Eldritch,” she corrects. “You know he’s my mate. I need you to drop the grudge.”

“The fuck he is,” Bane snarls. His yellowy-green eyes turn to reptilian slits as smoke pours from his nose.

They’re both delusional.

Eldritch is Charity’s mate.

But so is Bane.

There’s no way she’d be able to hold her ground, staring into the eyes of a furious alpha shifter if she wasn’t.

Eldritch huffs his displeasure and stands, shaking out his massive form.

I siphon through the air, and my hands come to rest on the wyvern’s giant muzzle as I stay invisible.

It’s frustrating.

I can sense no intelligent consciousness, outside of the monster.

The man must be hiding in there somewhere, but the beast has completely shut him out, to the point my magic can’t even reach him.

It’s unlikely I’d be able to grant him a wish if I could.

The infuriating catch to my magic is that I can’t grant wishes for personal gain without the universe exacting its price.

In nearly two thousand years, I’ve never seen a selfish wish end even remotely how the wisher intended.

Only when a wish is pure of heart can I direct the magic to an outcome without grisly repercussions.

It’s why even Charity can’t wish for Eldritch’s halves to be made whole. It would be well-meaning, but not truly free of personal gain.

I’d like to think the wyvern accepts me as another of Charity’s mates. He’s never tried to maul me, like he regularly does with Bane when Charity isn’t watching. Scratching under his jaw, I prepare to siphon if necessary, but he grunts and settles back on the ground.

I ignore Bane and Charity’s arguing, which I’m beginning to view as their dysfunctional form of foreplay, and rest my head against the wyvern’s.

“You’ve been in control for long enough,” I assure the beast in little more than a whisper. “You valiantly protected Eldritch from the pain the two of you were forced to endure, but you have a mate now. Don’t you want to allow him to experience that connection?”

The wyvern huffs, closing his slitted eyes.

Yes, even overgrown reptiles enjoy a good jaw scratching. I’m just not sure the monstrous side of him understands a word I’m saying.

The only option may come down to having Malice, the nightmare demon, remove his memories of that trauma. The other choice would be to wait it out and see if his humanity wins out over nature.

“I hear what you’re saying,” Charity says, still arguing with Bane. “But Veryn is going to be up in five or six hours. I haven’t had a shower, and I need some sleep. I promise to think about what you said.”

“I know you’re hoping I’m wrong or exaggerating,” Bane says softly. “I’m not.”

I give Eldritch’s nose a pat and step back, glancing at the pair still in a standoff.

Bane brushes his fingers over Charity’s cheek again as his forehead wrinkles. “You wouldn’t have to do everything on your own if you’d just let me in.”

I frown at the change in Charity’s posture.

Her entire body goes rigid as she steps back. “I’ve heard that before.”

Bane’s head falls back as it shakes at the night sky. “When are you going to stop punishing me for someone else’s sins? I’m not him. I didn’t fucking hurt you.”

Charity makes a strangled sound. “No, you just lied about what you are.”

“No,” he growls. “I didn’t. You made assumptions, which again, is not my fucking fault.”

“I’m tired, Bane.” She turns, heading toward Eldritch. “Thank you for getting Veryn tucked in, but I really prefer he not be alone.”

“I only walked outside when I heard you come up,” he says incredulously. “I can hear him breathing from here . Don’t insinuate that I would ever put your son in danger.”

Charity’s shoulders slump as she makes it to the wyvern. “I wasn’t trying to. I’m just tired. I do trust you with Veryn. I’m sorry if I made it sound otherwise.”

I siphon a few feet away as she nuzzles her face to the massive maw of the wyvern.

Bane watches the same display with a look of discomfort on his face.

I’m sure he can sense her sadness just as easily as I can.

Eldritch draws out his wings, tenderly stretching them around Charity’s back as she says goodnight to the mate she can’t access.

Neither of them deserves to suffer, and it makes me resent the nature of my magic even more fully than I already do.

I eye Bane carefully.

It’s time the two of us work together to fix this once and for all. I’m going to make a team out of the three of us if it kills me.