Three

Moon

O das wasn’t wrong. Cato did strip us out of our clothes, even though I barely had any blood on me. He could smell it though, I guess, so he needed us to hand them over.

“So, the fifth trial is taking for-freaking-ever to start,” I say, trying to fill the silence and feeling awkward since I’m using a blanket to hide my nearly naked body from view.

I’d grabbed my pebbles off the floor since they got knocked off the rug and stuffed them in my bra once more. In all the chaos of the guys barging in, I’d forgotten to grab them, and I don’t want them to get lost.

I watch as Cato grabs a fluffy blanket and lays it on the floor. He places several pillows in a circle and puts the rest of the blankets in with the pillows. It’s right in front of the fire and actually looks pretty comfortable.

“There are a lot of contestants, I think the fourth trial is still going on in batches of fifty.”

“Oh, that makes sense—” I’m cut off when Cato scoops me up in his arms and puts me in the pillow nest, and then tucks me in tightly under a blanket.

“Stay,” he commands, before turning to Odas. Cato scoops the Cyclops up like he weighs nothing and tucks him in right beside me. Odas is trying not to laugh, while I just stare in horror.

“This is normal for him?” I whisper, but Odas shakes his head.

“It’s rare. He was triggered. It’s been a long time since I’ve been injured like this. He can take pain but when he has no control over what someone else does to those he cares about, he kind of loses his shit.”

“Oh heck.” I watch, as Cato strips naked, and then shifts into his Dragon form. Huge, and barely fitting in this room, his Dragon form is beautiful. Black and red scales that have no business being so stunning.

He nudges us both with his nose and then wraps his large form around Odas and tucks us closer to his body with more nudges. “I think I’m going to sweat to death,” I complain, because the fire, the blankets, and the body heat of the Dragon are a lot, all combined.

“He’s…” Odas starts to speak but trails off, and I look over to see he’s fallen asleep. My discomfort is quickly overpowered by exhaustion, and as my eyelids droop, I realize what Odas was probably about to tell me. Cato’s putting us to sleep.

Moon

Oh, I’m comfortable. Very comfortable. I stretch slightly, but don’t go far, because I’m trapped. I nuzzle my face into my pillow, breathing in the smoky scent, when I realize it’s not a pillow at all.

I open my eyes slowly, finding a sleeping Cato under me.

A very naked sleeping Cato, who is no longer in his Dragon form. I have a leg draped over his waist, and my head and chest are pressed to Cato’s body. I peek down, and at least I’m still in my underwear, even if they are revealing. When I win these games, I’m going to demand someone tell me who the fuck was in charge of putting clothes in the supplies.

I lift my head, and when my chest pulls away from Cato, I hiss in pain.

“Ah! What the fuck,” I growl, looking down and then freaking out. There’s a blue dragon scale over my heart, and I watch as it sinks into my skin and disappears. Mostly, because I can still see it just under the surface. “What the hell was that?” I freak out, rapidly tapping Cato’s chest, as he blinks open his reptilian eyes. Oh great, the man is still in beast mode.

“Bonded.” Cato’s voice is rough from sleep, and I yelp when he grabs my waist and tugs me onto him until I’m straddling his hips. I use my hands to steady myself on his chest, so I’m still sitting up a bit.

“Seriously?” I whisper, hearing a chuckle from beside us. Odas sits up slightly, before lifting his wrist, showing me a mark I’ve seen on Arlo, Tristan, and Silas. This one looks more like the one Silas has, as it’s also on his wrist.

“Both of you?” I squeak, and Odas nods, looking rather proud of that.

“We didn’t realize it right away. My mark didn’t appear until tonight, probably because of the blood, but I’d suspected it for a little while. I felt drawn to you from the moment I saw you. I’m mostly in control in my other form, but sometimes I get a little carried away.” His blush is so subtle, because of his dark skin, but it's there, and damn is it cute.

“You mean like you grabbing me and tossing me onto your shoulders, so I couldn’t run away?” I tease, making Odas smirk. “Should I call you Theodas? Or do you prefer your nickname?” I ask, because I know personally I hate my full name. This reminds me that Cato knew the full thing before I ever even actually knew who he was…back when we were just strangers surviving the first trial together.

“You can call me whatever you want to, Moon.” I roll my eyes at him, but I’m smiling. He’s so charming, it's criminal. “I like Odas. Cato is the first person to call me Odas. The only people who ever used my full name were usually trying to hurt or control me.” His smile never falls, but I can see the darkness creep in as it clouds his brown eyes.

I’m still straddling Cato, so I reach out, grasping Odas’s hand, needing to feel closer to him. I give him a reassuring squeeze, and the connection between us grows.

“Dragons' marks look different as well. You two needed the skin-to-skin contact, so his scales could mark you. The scale protects your heart, just like the Bond.” Odas bites his lip and looks away, releasing my hand.

“There's more, isn’t there?” I push, and he nods as he stares at the fire. I can feel anxiety coming off of him and Cato both. Are they worried about how I’ll respond to what Odas is about to tell me?

“Our Bond creates a mental link between us. When in my other form, you’ll be capable of seeing through my…eye. You’ll be able to control me if you choose to. Because of that link, no one can ever control me with my blood ever again. Cato’s scales will never provide magic or protection for anyone but you, ever again. Neither of us can be used to harm another person against our will, ever again.” Odas sits up and reaches out, cupping my cheek, before leaning forward. “We belong to you, forever, and you are ours, always.” A tear falls down my cheek because I hadn’t realized the Fae Queen had been making them hurt people. I’m officially burying her in a ditch.

“Kiss me,” I whisper, because whatever this means for all of us can wait until the morning. I can feel the ache Odas feels in his heart when he thinks of all the things he was forced to do. The pain and helplessness Cato felt when Odas was injured. I need to ease their suffering. I need to fill the void in them. I need them to fill the void in me, too.

I don’t know if I can be everything these men need, or if I’m enough on my own to make them happy, but I’ll do whatever I can to make sure they never feel that kind of pain ever again.