Chapter Seventeen

Lysa

I wake to the sounds of someone muttering. I open my eyes and see that Drake is fast asleep, so it must be Eyrx. I roll and see him pacing the tent holding his pendant. He is crying so I nudge Drake before I sit up. “Eyrx,” I say softly.

“I did this,” he says tearfully. “I got my little girl killed. Now she won’t even pay for what she did to her.”

“You didn’t, Eyrx,” I say as I step in front of him.

“She did it because of me. Because I loved you more,” he says, almost whimpering. It breaks my heart to see him in so much pain like this. I would give anything to take away his pain. “It had been one day. She was fine before we left. I don’t understand. Why did she do it? Why didn’t she just talk to me? I would have taken her. I would have cared for her and loved her. She didn’t have to do it.”

“Do what, Eyrx?” I ask softly.

“No,” he says as he shakes his head and steps back. “No, she’s a liar. She’ll lie. I didn’t do anything wrong. I swear to the Gods, I wouldn’t…”

“She’s gone, Eyrx,” I say. “No matter what happened, we stand with you. We know your heart. We know she was wanted and loved long before she passed. What happened, Eyrx?”

“I didn’t even get to meet her,” Eyrx says as his legs give out and he drops to his knees as emotion slams down harder. “She’s gone. I couldn’t save her. I would have saved her. Why did she have to take her from me?!”

“Shh. I’ve got you,” I say as I kneel beside him and pull his head to my chest. He wraps his arms around my waist as he sinks down. His sobs drag tears to the surface and roll down my cheeks. Drake kneels with us and rests his hand on my back and Eyrx’s shoulder. His cries and pleas for his baby girl cut deep, and soon we are all in tears as he relives this loss all over again. We knew that eventually, he would reach a point where he couldn’t keep it in any longer and he would break. We knew it would be hard. I tried to prepare myself to see this wound reopened for him his heartbreaking.

We stay together until Eyrx calms enough that he can sit up. “I’m sorry,” he says quietly.

“You’ve done nothing wrong,” I say .

“I lied…”

“You protected your heart,” Drake says. “You didn’t want to face the reality of the situation. You did what you thought was best and we will always support you. You are under no obligation to explain anything to us, but we are here. We will always be here, Eyrx.”

“I want to say it,” he admits, dropping his head. I lift his face to meet mine before wiping away his tears.

“Then say it, my love,” I say. “With every breath, I am yours… I will always choose my mates. Always.”

“She killed her,” Eyrx says tearfully. “She said the bond was severed because I kept choosing you so… she killed her. Erin was viable. She would have been born healthy. She was healthy. She induced labor and murdered my baby girl. Why did she have to do that? She could have just given her to me and walked away. She didn’t have to hurt her.”

Rage is radiating from Drake, and it’s not directed toward Eyrx. “How did she get you to lie?” Drake asks in a tone that is far calmer than how he looks.

“She said she would say that I raped her and that it caused her to lose the baby,” he sniffs. “I didn’t know if she would be believed, and I was scared. I’m sorry I doubted you guys.”

“I understand,” Drake says, hugging Eyrx. “I’m so sorry she did that.”

“I just don’t understand,” Eyrx sighs.

“So… Julianna should have been unmated if the bond was severed, right?” I ask.

“Yeah,” Drake says before snapping his head to me. “Yes.”

“So why wasn’t every unmated dragon in this group trying to fuck her brains out?” I ask. Eyrx looks at me and it clicks.

“She had a new mate,” Eyrx says.

“When did she flip?” Drake says.

“When we went to dump the papers,” he says.

“Oh…. No,” I say.

“What?” Drake asks.

“Will a witch know if they mate?” I ask.

“As long as they know what it is, absolutely. You only missed it because you didn’t know what mates were,” he says. “Oh… shit.”

“What?” Eyrx asks.

“She… If she mated to Aldric… He would absolutely use magic to strengthen their bond. He is a control freak and there’s a very simple love spell that is a lot like a mate bond,” I say.

“Let’s find your mom,” Drake says as he stands. Eyrx follows us as we walk out of the tent and walk down to their tent .

When we walk in, I slap my hand over my eyes when I hear moans and skin slapping against skin. “Fuck,” I hear dad growl. They’re completely oblivious to us and Drake laughs as he covers my ears. I don’t care about societal norms, that is an image I will never get out of my head.

I don’t move a muscle until my hand is pulled off my face and Drake drops his hands. “You have terrible timing,” Dad says with a smirk. “What’s wrong?”

“I think Julianna mated to Aldric,” I say.

“Oh shit,” he says.

“Julianna was further along in her pregnancy than she told anyone. She told Eyrx that their bond was severed because he kept choosing me, but it had only been a day. She was fine until we went to handle the flyers. When we got back, she induced labor and then murdered Erin,” I continue. “I don’t think she died today. That spell… it looked like a fatal one but… they could have simply just done a light spell so that she could disappear… I think she’s with Aldric.”

“Oh Eyrx,” Mom says tearfully as she hugs him. “I’m so sorry. That wretched cunt.”

“If she’s alive…” Eyrx says when he eventually pulls away from her hug .

“If she’s alive, she won’t be for long,” Drake says matter-of-factly. “Either you kill the bitch, or I will.”

“I will,” Eyrx says calmly.

“This changes everything,” Drake says.

“No,” I say. “It doesn’t. We tell everyone the truth. We let them be as angry as we are. Someone we all trusted murdered a newborn baby. Mate bond and magic considered, no one forced her to do that. There is no spell to make you do that. That was calculated and evil. That evil was already there, and he just built off it.”

“Are you sure they…”

“Even the most despicable people wouldn’t support that,” Mom says. “Fuck, I doubt Rystar and Isolde would.”

“Aldric is so much worse than Rystar, so he probably praised her for it,” I say.

“Let’s tell everyone then,” Eyrx says simply.

“Are you okay?” I ask. “I know that’s a dumb question but…”

“I’m okay,” he says. “Thank you, Lysa. Truly.”

“Always,” I say as I go up to my tiptoes to kiss him.

“Sorry you heard your dad power fucking your mom,” he says with a grin .

“Hey, on a positive note. They’re definitely trying to give you a sibling,” Drake says.

“Yep. Knotted and everything,” Eyrx says.

“Alright, ham hock. I don’t need the visuals,” I say, but squeal when he abruptly grabs the backs of my legs and picks me up. I wrap my legs around him

“I love you, brat,” he says before kissing me.

“He’s definitely going to destroy you,” Drake chuckles.

“Eh. He can try,” I say, winking at Eyrx

“Well, she’s just like her mom, and Unika sure did just take a lot,” Drake says but laughs when I frown at him. Eyrx laughs and sets me down.

“Us girls are resilient,” Mom teases.

“All of you are annoying,” I laugh. “let’s go do this.”

We go out and let a few know to gather. Within a few minutes, everyone is gathered. “Evening, everyone. I know we are all tired, but we have a development that needs to be addressed immediately…” he says. “I am going to give it to you bluntly because otherwise I’ll get wrapped in my own emotions.”

“Take your time,” I encourage. He nods and takes a second to just breathe .

“My sister Julianna was thought to have died today, being the only casualty… That is no longer thought to be the case,” Drake says as he tears up. He takes a second again, a tear rolls down his cheek. “When Eyrx and Lysa became mates, Julianna was the most supportive of everyone. She encouraged Eyrx to focus on their bond. The next day, we all handed out the flyers. Upon return returning, she went off on her own. That is when she decided to induce labor. She was further along than she had stated in an attempt to surprise me…. So the baby was viable… Julianna then murdered her child before cremating her. Those remains were given to Eyrx, and he was forced into silence by a threat of making him look guilty of his daughter’s death. In no way is Eyrx at fault and I know in my heart that you all will feel the same way… It is our belief that when Julianna and Aldric came face-to-face, for the first time, they became mates. We suspect that Aldric used his powers to sever her bond with Eyrx. Her response to this was to murder her child. Although she is a victim of his influence, she is still a murderer… Given this information, we believe that the light we saw was simply a distraction and not fatal. This means that Julianna is alive and with Aldric.”

Rage and sadness flood the group, and Drake waits for them to settle. “The plan is very simple,” Drake tells them. “Lysa, Eyrx, and I will go in alone. There are a few powers that Lysa has that only the three of us know about for this very reason. Trust in us and I promise, baby Erin will get justice. When we return, we will hold offering to the Gods in memory of her. ”

“We will be in our tent for the remainder of the evening,” I say. “If anything should arise, go to either of my parents and they will let us know.”

“Go in before you get trapped,” Mom says, kissing my cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” I say before Dad hugs us. “Love you, Dad.”

“We love you too, sweetheart. Go on,” he encourages.

I take my mates by the hand, and we walk back to our tent. When we get in, I put a spell up to keep anyone from coming in. When I turn back, Eyrx has a feral look in his eye. He has so much built-up anger and no place to put it. He is holding himself back though.

“What’s going on in your head?” I ask as I slowly step toward him. Drake simply smirks and goes to sit in the armchair by the bed.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he says.

“I want you to hurt me,” I say with a sweet smile as I lay my hands on his chest.

“Lysa,” he sighs.

“What’s wrong, ham hock?” I ask. “Going soft on me?”

“I know what you are doing,” he says, grabbing my chin and forcing me to look up at him .

“If you’d rather, you can just sit with Drake and watch me get myself off,” I say. Eyrx growls and wraps his hand around my throat. “Aww. Don’t like that idea, ham hock?”

“Stop calling me that,” he snarls.

“Or what?” I ask. “Are you getting mad, ham hock?”

“Stop it,” he snaps.

“Mmmm. Make me,” I say, and Drake laughs.

“I swear to the Gods, Lysa,” he growls again as he backs me up to the bed.

“Aww. Poor Ham hock. All bark,” I say before patting his cheek. “No bite.”

I laugh when he shoves me backward onto the bed and rips my clothing off. He has unintentionally partially shifted and I know he’s close to breaking. “You are pushing me,” he says. “I am not responsible for what I do when you do this shit.”

I grin at him before spreading my legs, dragging his attention down to my pussy. “I think I can handle two minutes; don’t you think, ham hock?” I ask sweetly, knowing this will push him over the edge. He tears his clothes off and forces his way between my legs.

“You want me to break so badly, fine,” he says harshly. “You want all of my rage and pain and sadness? Fine. Don’t say I didn’t fucking warn you. ”

Eyrx leans back to grab hold of my waist before he surges into me with so much force that I arch my back dramatically and scream. His pace is instantly unrelenting. He is fucking me with the intent to cause pain, so I decide to make it harder for him and shift mid-stroke. “Fuck!” Eyrx groans and quickens his pace. I can feel his barbs dig into me but instead of pain, I come. The more pain he tries to cause me, the harder I come. Soon, I am almost speaking in tongues. He has fucked me into a lulled state and this carries on for so long that I am nearly unconscious by the time I feel him swell inside of me.

“I want our baby in your belly,” he growls in my ear.

“Please,” I moan. He buries his face in my neck and moans deeply as his knot and barbs lock him inside of me. He still keeps moving and instead of pain from the barbs, I come again and again. What should be causing me pain is triggering explosive orgasms. When he starts to come, he kisses me hard. He doesn’t let up and I bring my hands to his face as I whimper through my pleasure.

When he finally pulls out, I groan and relax into the bed. “I didn’t even mean to do that,” Eyrx says. “I don’t know why… Oh hell…”

“Aww. Little flame’s first fertility window,” Drake says as he lays down and pulls me on top of him. He wraps his arms around me, and I am pinned to his chest with my arms between us.

“Fuck, please knot in me. Please,” I beg .

I gasp and almost scream when he abruptly starts fucking me hard and fast. It startles me and I unintentionally shift back, making the pain of his barbs rip through me. “Fuck,” I scream. My brain is killed still so I can’t focus enough to shift back, allowing the pain to take over. When his knot swells inside of me, he’s still fucking me just as fast. I instinctively claw at him, trying to relieve the pain. I don’t want him to stop because I am on the brink of heaven.

Drake grabs a tight hold of my throat, cutting off my air and my screams as he continues to thrust deep while his knot is ripping through me. My eyes roll back and when he comes, something hellacious breaks free and I am temporarily transported to a different dimension. I can feel everything, but I can't see, hear, or speak. As I am stuck in this state, I feel something take root in my body. It’s both subtle and obvious at the same time. It isn’t a physical feeling but more so spiritual.

I suddenly gasp and sit up, but I am pulled back down to the bed. “Fuck. I’m sorry,” I sigh.

“For what? We put you in the coma,” Drake laughs.

“She deserved it,” Eyrx teases.

“I’m pregnant,” I say bluntly. They go silent and I sit up. “I don’t know how I know, but I know. I’m pregnant and I can’t shift. If I can’t shift, the plan is ruined. I won’t be able to offer you two invisibility.”

“Hey,” Eyrx says, cupping my cheek. “It’s okay. ”

“It’s not okay,” I say.

“We have another plan,” Drake says with a smile. “But you need to trust us.”

“Oh Gods…” I sigh.