“I do love it,” he agreed. “And next time I won't be so gentle on you.”
Gentle? Damn, I couldn’t wait to see how different next time would be. My poor pussy might not survive Kane, but what a fucking way to go.
18
Farren
Letting them into my cabin was so much more intimate than them seeing my room. Likely because this was my slice of heaven, my oasis in the storm. My nest was here, and this was where I went to hide away during my heats or the bad nights when I was overwhelmed by my loneliness.
“This is such a nice place,” Levi said excitedly as he walked inside. “It smells like you.”
“Thanks,” I finally said as they walked around, taking in the comfortable couch that faced the fireplace, the bed tucked away in one corner of the room, and a kitchenette in the other. The open concept was West’s idea, and it had worked out perfectly. Especially since the only bedroom was fairly small.
“What’s in here?” Niko asked, tapping the door to my nest.
“My space. The bathroom is there,” I said, pointing to the last door, but that answer didn’t satisfy their curiosity. I sighed. “It’s my nest.”
“Can I see?” he prompted, raising one dark eyebrow as his brown eyes focused in on me. It took everything in me to answer, but seeing how happy it made him was worth the nerves.
“Sure.”
He pushed open the door, and Levi leaned in around him to see as well. Neither said anything for a moment, but they both inhaled at the same time, sighing at the overwhelming scent I knew still hung in the place.
“It’s cozy. I love your adorable dragons,” Levi said as he threw me a grin. “Can’t wait for heat to hit.”
“With how strong your scent is in here before heat? It’ll be exquisite torture,” Niko agreed with one final sniff. “The snow is slowing down, so I suggest you get out there.”
“Good point,” I said, turning to look out the window. It had definitely slowed, and the sun had started to sink behind the clouds, giving us a good enough cover. Levi lost some of his enthusiasm, nerves taking over now. “You alright?”
“Yeah,” he said softly. “This is just… a big deal. Something I never thought I’d see.”
“Now you never have to fly alone again unless you want to,” I promised. That had him taking a shaky breath and blinking away tears.
‘This is how life should have been,’Zehra said. The feeling of her excitement had my own anticipation growing. Grabbing my amulet, I took it off and hung it on the hooks on the wall, adding my coat to the next hook. Levi did the same, taking off his bracelet and baring his arm. Niko walked over and tapped the tattoo on his arm. It lit up with a soft flashing glow before it faded again, meaning the ward was officially down. An intense rush of magic released. His power latched onto mine right away, both of ours calling out to each other. The scent and feel of it reminded me of my childhood, and nostalgia hit me hard.
“This is incredible,” Niko said in awe. Our alpha was staring at us reverently. “Your magic is so different, yet it has an underlying power that feels so strange.”
“Dragons are ancient beasts,” I explained. “When I was growing up, they’d tell us stories about how we were one of the ancient races, with old magic that was as strong and resilient as the ley lines that run underground. That’s why I didn’t think I could mate with witches.”
Niko shrugged. “Sounds like they were just traditionalists. It’s more than possible for different species to mate, but it’s forbidden in most traditionalist communities. Even now, it’s basically an urban legend for people to mate outside of their species. Hell, that’s part of the reason Kylan and his coven had so many issues.”
“I thought ley lines were legend?” Levi asked.
“There’s actually a lot of supes that believe they’re still here and recognize them as where a lot of magic still comes from,” Niko said. “Even some humans try to use them. The pagans, for instance, recognized them as points of power and thought it connected them more closely with the earth.”
“That’s interesting,” I said. “It’s crazy how different things are than my brood led us to believe.”
“Same,” Levi sighed, “although mine wasn’t as intense as yours. I never learned we couldn’t mate with other races, but we were trained to trust no one but our brood.”
“Don’t blame them,” Niko said with a dark laugh. “Why would they trust those seeking to kill them?”
“Well, now we’re done hiding,” Levi said firmly. “They don’t get to win. Come on, Farren.” Determination filled his emerald eyes as he clasped my hand and pulled me with him to the door. Zehra was on the edge, ready to transform the moment we could, but I could tell it was more than that. There was a curiosity there, like she was ready to feel out his dragon form. Part of me wondered if she could sense Levi’s dragon soul as well.
Levi didn’t talk again until we were outside. I took the lead, heading for the spot I generally used. It was tucked in a small valley between the peaks, so the walk was about ten minutes past my cabin. Thankfully, the spot was shielded from even the tallest windows at Mountainview.
“This is amazing,” Levi said. “I’ve missed flying.”
“How did you get Cadmus out when you lived at the university?” I couldn’t help but ask. I’d lived in hiding, yes, but the thought of never getting Zehra out was painful.