Page 44 of Interlude

“My powers may be weak, little one, but I assure you, I can have your quota of fruit picked within the blink of an eye.”

“So why don’t you help them like that normally?” she asks, her anger replaced by curiosity.

“I am paid to protect them, not to provide them with a bounty. They are allowed to harvest, but they must prove they are worthy of my bounty, so they pick, and I protect, and if they are not worthy, they die. It is a way to pass the time. I have been bored for so many years. If they knew that I owned the company they were working for, they would not work as hard as they do.”

“You own the halla mead label?” She sounds surprised.

“Like I said, it is a way to pass the time. I own a lot of different businesses all over the galaxy. Most of them are some kind of food or beverage derived from my bountiful planets.”

I feel a being teleport down to the planet, and I cock my head to listen as my protective plants and creatures try to attack it. Ah, it is the dragon, returned to seek out his mate. Luckily for him, I have no predator that is at home in the sky. I guess I cannot fault the beast, I would be the same if I didn’t know my mate was safe. I told the warlock exactly who I was and who Lila was to me, which was why he was happy to leave her, and I am sure he informed the Aaz’axian.

A shifter at war with his inner beast would not be able to take Xavier for his word though. He would want to see for himself, and I respect that. I use my magic to clear a path for him, using the plants to light the way and lead him toward us. I will allow him to see for himself she is fine, but then he must return to the other large ship that is circling my planet. My mate will spend the night with me, and when the sun reaches its zenith in the sky, we will go in search of her grandmother. I will enjoy the stroll through my creations, because when my mate returns to the ship, I will accompany her. My life is about to change, and I can no longer be happy with just existing.

Lila

Zeydan stands up and makes his way over to the wall of glass, peering out into the darkness, his cute little fox ears perking to attention. All nine of his tails are also on alert, and they hurry over to the window and stare outside as well. A few of them growl and yip before they flow back into his form, turning from foxlike creatures with four legs to a part of the magnificent god in front of me.

Holy smokes, he’s gorgeous, like something out of my anime fantasies. He’s tall with miles of pale skin and long white hair that rivals mine in length. His almond-shaped eyes with vertical pupils are red, surrounded by long, dark lashes. Long, lean lines of sculpted muscle cover his naked torso, ending in a slim waist. The rest of him is covered by a floor-length black skirt embroidered with flowers, and it has a plain green sash tied around it, draping down one side. His feet are bare, but his toes have claws. Where the rest of him is pale, with barely any color apart from the dusky pink of his nipples and pouty lips, his tails and ears are an abundance of colors, like the shimmery greens, purples, and golds of a peacock but with an added blast of red, pink, and orange. All of them differ slightly, creating a vibrant rainbow mass of fur. No wonder I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out and touching him. He’s beautiful.

I watch him closely, not one bit afraid even though I now know he is a god of creation. Instead of being cautious and terrified, I just want to throw myself at him and lick his abs and claim him as mine before any other bitch can get their hands on him. A growl escapes my mouth as my kraken, whisperer, and mimic let it be known that they agree with me wholeheartedly.

“We are about to have a guest, and I don’t think he is going to be happy to smell your attraction to me.” Zeydan turns from the window to look at me, a smile on his lips.

Crap, he can smell that? Of course he can. When will I learn? Instead of being embarrassed, I decide to embrace it and shrug.

“What? You have to know you’re sexy. I’m not going to apologize no matter which mate of mine is bearing down on us. They should all know better than that by now. They are aware that my mimic is a needy bitch.” I move over to stand next to him, peering out into the darkness.

It’s no longer pitch black out there though. The jungle surrounding the house is also lit up by bioluminescent plants, but not enough so I can make out details of all the animals milling about in the undergrowth. They are large in size, and I can see an occasional tail swipe back and forth, but mostly they are shrouded in shadow.

“Are they going to attack?” I ask, pointing at them, and Zeydan shrugs.

“Maybe.” He seems apathetic to the possibility.

“I would prefer that…” I trail off so he can fill in the blank.

“The dragon,” he replies.

I feel my eyebrows jump in surprise. Tirrian is the one who returned? I thought for sure it would be Cas or Max, even with the risk to them.

“Despite the fact that the dragon has been a colossal ass, I would prefer that he didn’t get mauled by your creations,” I say calmly, not wanting him to hear how worried I am. I’m sure he probably knows, but he does the polite thing and doesn’t call me out on it.

“He and his beast have been at war.” Zeydan narrows his eyes as Tirrian drops down into the clearing directly in front of the house, the ground vibrating on impact, the vines from before having retreated to who knows where. “But they are in harmony now, and they will only wait so long before they will claim you.” There’s a hint of warning in his tone, like he’s cautioning me not to be surprised if this pushes him over the edge, but I know my stubborn dragon. I doubt this is going to force his hand.

Predators creep out of the bushes, stalking the large dragon. Tirrian’s dragon roars and breathes fire in their direction. The shadowed predators tuck their tails and slowly retreat, acknowledging the greater predator before them. Zeydan smiles and nods his head.

“See? He did not need my help. He proved he is worthy of you.”

I roll my eyes at the macho misogynistic bullshit. Just because he’s the biggest bully in the yard doesn’t mean he’s worthy. He still has some ass kissing to do.

Zeydan waves a hand, and one of the glass panels melts away. “Come, dragon, and have a meal, see that your mate is fine,” he calls out, and Tirrian’s large ass whirls around, his serpent-like neck snaking out so he’s directly in front of me. His forked tongue licks over me, like he’s trying to reassure himself I’m fine. All he’s doing is adding to the slobber the Baby Zs covered me in.

“I definitely need a bath now,” I mutter.

“How fortuitous that your dragon is here to heat the water quickly for you,” Zeydan replies as Tirrian’s dragon head retreats, his body shimmering as he changes into his human form. I very much doubt Zeydan is unable to heat water for me, but sure, let’s just roll with the plan.

“Lila, are you okay?” he asks cautiously, getting to his feet and approaching slowly, wary of the predator standing next to me. Tirrian’s dark body almost blends in with the forest behind him, only his shimmery pink wings adding a splash of color to the landscape, and what a lovely landscape it is. He’s naked and beautiful. It isn’t the first time I’ve seen him naked, but it’s the first time I’m having a long look. I wipe at my mouth to make sure there isn’t a little drool in the corner.

“Yes, come in. We just ate. I’ll grab you a bowl, and maybe Zeydan can find you something to wear.” I look at my new friend who just smirks at me.

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