Page 46 of Interlude

“Sorry, did you say something?” I ask, and he nods at Zeydan. “He was explaining the mating process, and you seemed to zone out,” Tirrian scolds me.

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” I slap a hand over my mouth, feeling embarrassed. “I was just thinking about ways that I can make sure everyone knows you’re all mine. I didn’t mean to ignore you.”

Zeydan chuckles. “That’s okay. I could hear your distracted thoughts. I was just saying that I won’t be able to mate with you until I am restored to full power, and we find one of the other gods. They have to carve out a small sliver of my soul and gift it to you to create a mate bond.” He sounds sad, and I know the likelihood of us finding them after all this time is slim, which means we will never be mated. I don’t like the idea of that at all. A growl rumbles out of me as my kraken makes her displeasure known.

“She could always mate you the Skarrian way. Would that work too?” Tirrian suggests, and I could kiss him. I expected him to be possessive and dismissive of the god, but it really seems like he’s trying. That’s going to earn him some very big brownie points.

Zeydan’s eyebrows furrow slightly as he thinks about it, and his tails seem to vibrate with anticipation behind him. They are curled around him so he doesn’t squash them in his seat.

“It might. It wouldn’t give her access to all my powers, but maybe some of them.”

I wave a hand at him. “At this stage, having less powers is actually a relief. I don’t think I would know what to do with life-altering godlike powers. It would probably go to my head, and I’d become Lilazilla supreme overbitch.”

They exchange a confused look.

“Lilessa claimed our mates would be a perfect counterbalance for us, able to handle our power with grace and dignity,” Zeydan argues, standing up. “I will take my leave. I plan on scouting the death forest, which is quite a distance from here. I have no idea how they got onto the planet without me realizing it. Maybe I was away when they were here. Anyway, you are welcome to use my bed for your mating.” His tails vibrate behind him as he stretches, reaching his hands to the sky. That is quite the sight, all his long, lean muscles rippling like they want me to touch them. My hand rises, but Tirrian’s snort of laughter has me blushing and putting it down, then I comprehend what Zeydan said.

“What? Ah, no. We won’t be mating.” I leap to my feet, Tirrian quickly hiding his look of hurt. “You were nothing but aggressive to me for weeks, and now you’ve suddenly changed your mind. I don’t buy it. Did Xavier mess around with your head? What’s to say that if we mate tonight, you won’t return to being a dick tomorrow and resent me because you’re trapped with me for the rest of your life?”

Tirrian winces and also stands up, reaching for me. I slap his hand away, and his shoulders slump. “I’m sorry, Lila, truly sorry for my horrible behavior. God, when I thought you had been taken by the carevasta bears, it was a huge wake-up call.” He drops to his knees before me, taking my hands in his. “Please, will you forgive me? I’ll spend the rest of our years together making it up to you.”

Holy shiitake mushrooms, the dragon is begging me. Did I trip and smack my head? I look around the room, and I notice that Zeydan is gone. Is this a dream? Did I actually dream all of this? Tirrian’s hands feel solid in mine. This must be real. But how do I respond? I want this, I really do, but he has proven he has the power to hurt me. Do I put my heart on the line for him to smash it once more?

Lila

Before I can form a response, he leaps to his feet, sweeps me up into his arms, and kisses me. Whoa, he’s forceful and not taking no for an answer. He nips my bottom lip before his tongue sweeps across it, asking for entry. I sink into his embrace and allow him to kiss the hell out of me. Our tongues wrestle for dominance, but one of his hands drifts up to my hair, threading through the strands, and he gives a little tug, angling my head so he has better access to my mouth, and my inner submissive melts. I give myself over to him, my hands running up and down his back as we make out. When he pulls away, my core throbs, my heart races, and I’m breathing heavily.

“Please, Lila, please be my mate. Allow me to bite you and make my dragons the happiest dragons in the galaxy.”

My mouth drops open in shock, and I gape at him. I feel him chuckle, my body shaking with it.

“Yeah, I guess I kind of deserve that reaction and so much more, but I promise I’m sincere. If you don’t believe me, switch to your warlock form and read my mind. I will happily give you access to my inner workings.” His tone starts to hold a hint of desperation, and as much as I just want to go with the flow, he has hurt me so many times. I know his dragons want me, but I want to know how the man feels.

I’m still wearing Zeydan’s robe, so I pull away and let it drop, not wanting to destroy it when I shift forms.

Tirrian’s eyes darken, and his pupils elongate as he catches sight of my naked body. “Why are you naked? Could the god man not even create you some clothes?” he growls as smoke drifts out of his nose.

I don’t bother answering him as my mimic powers take over, and I assume my warlock form. I use my nakedness as a distraction to slide into Tirrian’s brain. It’s a little confusing to start with, because there are three distinct voices. Holy crap, no wonder he’s a grumpy fuck. Sharing his head with two different creatures must be exhausting, especially two dominant creatures, but as I concentrate, I can separate each voice.

The two dragons are guttural and beastly with animal instincts, and they are shouting, “Mate,” and “Breed.”

Whoa Nelly, let’s ease up on the whole breeding thing. I’m not ready to add any more children to our large brood at this stage. I feel them both pout and retreat as I share my thoughts with them, and I feel a little guilty. I promise we will one day, just not right now, I add that extra bit of reassurance, which seems to make them happy, and they fall silent, leaving Tirrian’s mind.

God, I was such a fool. I hurt her so many times, no wonder she won’t forgive me. Scales, she’s beautiful. How am I going to convince her that I have always wanted her, and that I am ready to commit? I can’t wait to see what her dragon form looks like. Hopefully she gets both dragons so they can have fun with one another. They are going to be so sad if she doesn’t get a form. My teeth ache to bite her. Dad warned me it would happen, but I didn’t believe him. I just want to taste her and spend the rest of my life keeping her safe. I wonder if she would like to see my hoard. I have a lot of pretty, sparkly things to tempt her. Maybe that’s what I need to do. Dragon women want to know that you can provide for them, they love pretty sparkly gems, so maybe I should show Lila my hoard—or my dick, that would probably work better. I want to chase and bite her like my dad chased my mom.

I pull out of his brain and burst into laughter. Tirrian frowns, looking slightly offended.

“Oh, you poor, poor man. No wonder you’re so grumpy, your mind is chaotic,” I tell him, stifling my laughter because I really don’t want to upset him. It did help me make a decision though. I thought he had his shit together and knew what he wanted, but his mind is just as much of a mess as mine is. The one thing that stands out, though, is that he wants me. Heck, I can feel that he already loves me, yet he was taught that showing love makes him vulnerable, so he hides it deep down.

He steps back and crosses his arms, and I know I upset him, but I’m still naked, and he’s a man, so his gaze drifts down my body again. I step toward him, and when he takes a small step back, I smirk.

“Lila, baby, stop there. You’re gloriously naked, and I’m a man with two dragons riding me hard. If you want to continue this conversation, I am begging you to put clothes on.”

I let my warlock form fall away, returning to my original form, and I take another step toward him.

“Lila,” he growls, smoke drifting out of his nose. “I hope you are sure about this.”

I look over his shoulder at the bed and wrinkle my nose. I don’t want our first time to be in Zeydan’s bed. That’s not fair to any of us. I did see he’d like to chase me, and I want to give him that. I glance out the window, and I’m surprised to see the forest is still lit up, and there isn’t an animal to be seen.

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