Seventeen

Lust

W hen Moon and Warrior walk out of the tent, I have to hold myself back from sprinting over to her. I walk at a reasonable pace, and stop in front of her, trying not to be overbearing.

“Can I have a moment?” I ask, and Moon grins.

“I’m very popular tonight,” she giggles, and I nod.

“I’m sure I won’t be the last of your mates that want a moment with you tonight,” I say, looking around at the other guys. I know the rest of them all want their time with her. “I have something important to give you,” I blurt.

“Tent?” Moon asks, and I nod, following her back inside. I’m anxious and impatient, and end up partially shifting before I can explain myself. “Oh…” Moon looks at me with wide eyes.

“Sorry. I’m just…Listen, I was assigned as your protector a long time ago. My kind have always been protectors, and I want you to know that will never change. You might not need me now like you once did, but I’ll always be here to keep you safe.” Bringing a wing forward, I pluck the feather meant for her and hold it out. My magic transforms it into a bracelet.

It’s red, with a yellow tip, and hard as metal now. Holding her wrist, I slip it on over her hand.

“It’s a symbol of my devotion to you. Of my love for you. A love I’ve felt for a long time now. But this one,” I take another feather, and repeat the process. “This one is for the baby. I know Dragons are pretty resilient, but if anyone has bad intentions toward our child, it will light up. It’ll help keep them safe. And in our world, that could be the difference between life and death.”

“Oh, Marcellus…” Moon takes the small, honestly tiny, bracelet from me, and a tear falls down her cheek. “Thank you. I wasn’t doubting you, but this means so much to me.”

“You mean so much to me, Moonlight. Being your protector was a privilege, and I would do it all over again. I love you.”

“I love you too, Lust.”

Kili

I watch the Phoenix walk out of the tent. He’s smiling, and I wait for Moonlight, but she never exits. I glare, waiting a little longer, but as the darkness around my vision starts to creep in, I move.

No one says anything as I approach the tent. No one even looks my way. Is anyone even really there? Am I alone and just imagining them?

As I step into the tent, I see her. She’s sitting in front of the mirror that’s held up by a vanity. I watch as she collects her pebbles, and tucks them into her bra. I frown, why did she remove them?

I draw a knife and slowly sneak up behind her. As I raise the blade, preparing to strike, she lashes out. I’m surprised by her speed, and that she was able to catch me off guard.

“Kili!” she snaps, grabbing my wrist. She’s leaping into my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist. “Hey…” her glare softens, and I growl.

I shove her away, freeing my wrist from her grasp. Before I can slash her with the knife, a force stronger than me slams me to my knees. Her magic.

“Who are you!” I snarl, and she looks down at me with a fierce stare.

“I’m yours, Kili. I’m yours.” She snatches the blade from my grasp and shakes her head. The darkness recedes, and I see Moonlight through clear eyes. My mate.

“Moonlight,” I whisper, and she nods.

“Yes, you crazy fucker,” she chuckles. “By the way, don’t try to sneak up behind someone who's sitting in front of a mirror.” She shakes her head, and I frown.

“Oh. I suppose that makes sense. I wasn’t in my right mind.” I’m still on my knees, and honestly, I don’t mind it. I could crawl on my knees for Moonlight for my entire life. I worship this woman, and would happily bow to her.

“Kiss me, Kili.”

“Yes, Mistress,” I whisper, crawling on my knees until I reach her. Resting my hands on her waist, I press kisses to her stomach before climbing to my feet. I hold her tight, kissing her lips and savoring her taste. “Who are you?”

“I’m yours…”

“And I’m yours, Moonlight. Until our souls burn out…I’m yours.”

Crow

“Did Kili just try to kill you?” I ask, my eyes wide, as I walk into the tent. My brother smirks at the look of horror on my face.

“She saw me coming,” he says with a shrug of his shoulder, waving me away.

“So yes?”

“Yes, but like he said, I saw him coming.” Moon shakes her head, smiling. I sigh heavily. He’ll probably always be like this. I don’t see that changing, but our mate rolls with it. She doesn’t mind how unpredictable he is. She loves him despite his insanity.

“I’ll leave you two,” Kili says, patting my shoulder on his way past me and out of the tent, a lazy smile tugging his lips up.

“Are you okay?” I ask, because even though she looks fine, I want to be sure. I inspect her closely, and she nods, wrapping her arms around my neck.

“Perfectly happy, and unharmed.” She presses soft kisses to my cheek, sighing. “I don’t think he’d ever actually hurt me. He snuck up on me while I sat in front of a mirror. Have you ever known your brother to be so careless?” she asks, and I shake my head.

“I suppose you have a point. Doesn’t mean I won’t worry about you.” I tilt my head down, catching her lips with my own, and taking my time kissing her. Enjoying the flavor of her. The way she melts into me. The softness of her body pressing into me. “I have something for you, Pixie.”

“I’ve gotten a lot of gifts today,” she murmurs, and I smirk.

“I would assume so. We all want you to have a piece of us before the vows.” I nod, and Moon shrugs.

“I don’t have anything to give you. I feel guilty.”

“Hey. Don’t. You have nothing to feel guilty about. You give us more than enough every day. You give your heart and your love. Your care and attention. And, you’ve given us a future. That baby in that egg is all of ours. Hope for a life we never would have gotten without you,” I tell her honestly, forcing her to look into my eyes, as I take her hand, and slide the ring onto her thumb.

“Crow…” she whispers, and I grin.

“Do you like it? They’re Elven crystals,” I say, loving the look in her eyes as she admires the jeweled ring.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispers.

“I hope you think of me when you wear it. I have everything I need, right here. With you. I’ll spend my life doing everything I can to make you happy. I love you, Moon.”

“I love you too, Crow. So very much.”