I gather our mate in my arms, and King opens the door. Her eyes don’t open as I carry her up the stairs, and King unlocks the front door, swinging it wide. We don’t bother turning on the lights; I find the bedroom easily. Our sight penetrates the dark.
I chuckle softly when I see her bed. I float in the air beside my brother as he pulls down the covers, and I gently place her on the mattress. I know she would be more comfortable without the leather pants, but we would hate to cause her to distrust us when she is vulnerable. We settle with taking off her boots and tucking her in. We look at our sleeping mate before leaving the room and shutting the door.
Before I can take a step, I sense a vampire. The vampire from the club is here. King’s eyes connect with mine, and we move to the door.
“I didn’t get a message,” the vampire says when we open the door.
“She’s fine. Asleep,” I assure him. He’s ancient, and his power vibrates over us.
“I’ll check for myself,” he says, taking a step. I hold my hand up, and we block the doorway.
“You don’t need to see her sleeping.” I drop my hand as he glares at it. “You can hear her heartbeat.” He backs off, and we leave the doorway and step on the porch.
“I can.” He runs his hand over the knives strapped to his chest and tucks his palm over a wicked-looking blade. “I can appreciate your protectiveness. It’s unnecessary, but a good trait for a mate.” He looks behind him and turns back with a smirk. “I’m Ryker. I’m mated, so you have nothing to fear from me.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” King says.
He lifts a shoulder. “You’re right, but I won’t interfere in your bond. Saphira is family. We want her to be happy and safe.” He shakes his head as he descends the steps. “I feel your power,” he says as he steps on the driveway. “As long as Saphira wants you, we won’t have to test who is stronger.”
“We would never hurt her,” I say.
“I hope not, but I’m not the one you have to convince.”
“We will give Saphira time to trust us,” King says.
Ryker scoffs. “I’m not talking about Saphira.” He tilts his head to the side and down. “The dragons are coming,” he whispers, tips up his lip, and nods at us. “Good luck.” He disappears.
Vampires are fast, but he is on another level. We have confidence in our powers and the ability to win every fight, but taking on a vampire is never easy. With Ryker, it would be very difficult.
“The brothers,” King whispers.
“Yes,” I agree, and we brace ourselves on the porch.
Two men are walking casually across the fields, slow and steady. They show no fear with their pace. Their scent strengthens with every step, and they are both golden dragons. I give my dragon permission to change my eyes from their usual blue to green, with only a sliver of the blue around the edge. He feels irritated with this trial by fire from the men in his mate’s family, but the human side understands it.
“Here we go,” King mutters as they pass the car. I lean against the pole at the top of the stairs, and King stands in the center. He holds his wrist, fiddling with the rough rope, betraying his uneasiness.
“Where’s Saphira?” the one on the right asks.
“Sleeping,” I answer.
Fuck, they’re twins. Their bodies are large, and their golden eyes flare.
“Who are you?” the other one asks.
“Her mates,” Kings says and gets a growl in response. It would be inappropriate to laugh, but sometimes King says things just to get a reaction.
“My name is Maverick.” I motion to my brother. “He’s Kingston.”
“I’m Laken.” The man on the right steps forward, studying King. “You’re a gold dragon,” Laken states.
“Yes.”
“I dreamed about you,” Laken says.
King narrows his eyes. “What?” he asks, dropping his arms.
“I have dreams. I see things in the future. Months ago, I saw your dragon in my dream,” he explains. He looks at his brother. “My first instinct was to kill you for being close to our sister, but Bishop stopped me.”