Page 7 of Dragon Awakened

How did I ever get so lucky?

And how can I possibly tell them that they're not enough?

"It's all right," Malik says, moving to sit at the table beside me. He places his hand over mine, and the contact sends a wash of reassurance through me.

I'm breathing too fast, anxiety tearing at me.

Rafe nods and crosses his arms. "Whatever you have to tell us, we can handle it."

Of course. They don't know the details of what happened or what I learned, but they can feel how worked up I am.

I shiver, trying to repress the shaking in my limbs. I don't want to pull away from Malik, but with a glance of apology, I slip my hand out from under his and move to fiddle with the chunk of bread on my plate. With a faint laugh, I shake my head. "I don't even know where to start."

"How about the beginning?" Jianyu says gently, not a trace of condescension to his voice.

I exhale roughly. The beginning of this story might be the part that I fear the most.

It goes back years. To the time before I knew them.

To Storm.

As my thoughts spiral, my hesitation draws on and on, and my words get even more stuck in my throat. I nibble on a few more berries to try to buy myself some time, but I'm not sure there's enough time in the world.

Finally, Malik, bursting with emotion, puts me out of my misery. "I'll begin." His voice catches, and his Adam's apple bobs. "I'm so sorry. You should never have woken up alone that morning."

Guilt pours off of him, so strong and painful, I don't know how I failed to sense it earlier. His frame is rigid, his jaw tight. He's been keeping his feelings bottled up, and I hate that.

"No," I assure him.

"I went to see the queen." Even more pain drenches our connection. "I wanted to convince her to free your other mates." He glances at Jianyu and Rafe before turning his attention back to me, his eyes soulful and wide. "After what we shared... After what I felt..."

If it's possible, my cheeks flare even hotter. He's talking about our magical night together. We made love in the ocean, and then fucked on every surface of his home, long into the wee hours of the morning.

Rafe sighs heavily, and Jianyu's mouth is pinched. They could feel my ecstasy then; they can feel my embarrassment now.

I shoot them soft looks of apology before reaching for Malik. "It was incredible."

His gaze meets mine with dark intensity. "Once I knew what it was like to be your true mate, with our bond fully realized..." He licks his lips, and warmth blooms in my abdomen as we share a memory of how we realized our bond. He breathes out roughly and allows me to take his hand. "I couldn't keep you from them or them from you."

"Don't expect us to write you a thank you card," Rafe mutters, but there's no heat to the jibe.

"I've already apologized," Malik says testily.

"It doesn't matter." Jianyu rubs a hand over his head, ruffling his short hair. His voice is tired--like they've had this conversation before. "What matters is Ember."

They all turn their gazes to me, and a part of me wants to wither under the spotlight. But the same awe that had me blinking back grateful tears before returns to me. These are my mates. I trust them--I love them. I feel safe with them. No matter what.

Exhaling slowly, I give Malik's fingers a soft squeeze. "It wasn't your fault," I promise him.

"But I should have known. My mother--" He stops himself, gritting his teeth for a moment before continuing on. "The queen. She was in the Shadow Kingdom's debt the entire time." The anguish in his heart is almost unbearable. "I left you alone, thinking you were safe in my kingdom, when in reality, my kingdom was the most dangerous place you could be."

Rafe's tone is softer this time. "I don't want to let you off the hook or anything, but seriously, buddy. It happens to the best of us."

He's being flippant, but regret darkens his eyes.

The Fire King is under the sway of Shadow Dragons, too. We barely survived their attack.

"He's right," Jianyu agrees. He looks to me. "Even in the Stone Dragon Kingdom... The royal guard turning on us outside the club in Shítou... It may have been on my father's orders, but it's only reasonable to suspect that he may have been unduly influenced as well."

---