“Zilon.”
“Yes. I got it.”
“Good.”
At that point his cock finally softened enough for him to slip out of me, but we still laid there talking in soft whispers about nothing in particular yet everything at the same time. We just took the time to enjoy the moment.
“Seriously? Without me?” Landers bellowed.
I rolled into a sitting position and looked at Landers. He was scowling in the doorway, his dissatisfaction clear through our bond.
“Welcome back,” I said, trying to not let his attitude bother me.
Lately, he’d been feeling extra surly, and I wasn’t sure what was going on. It wasn’t like the emotions he tended to bombard me with told me the reason behind them. They just were. I still needed to figure them out for myself.
And with Landers in this mood, where his anger was acidic and scorched at my chest, I didn’t have the energy to do that. I had been in a heated bliss after sex with Zilon, and now Landers threatened to ruin that.
“Where did you go? Where is Philit?” I asked.
Landers shrugged. “Why would I know?”
“He went looking for you after you took off like that,” Zilon said.
“I’m sure he’ll be back soon. So Zilon gets you to himself, but I don’t?”
I frowned as his jealousy and irritation came through to me. “Don’t make this into something it isn’t,” I said.
“I’m just stating the truth. I didn’t realize we could fuck you without the others around. With you having three mates, it just seemed natural that we had to share you together.”
“What the fuck?” Zilon jumped to his feet, his tail whipping behind him in irritation. He almost looked ready to throw a punch.
“Cut that shit out,” Philit said, striding into the room from behind Landers. He smacked the red dragon on the head in warning. “Our dynamic isn’t the norm, but we’ll figure it out and make it work. But to do that, we need to communicate and talk shit out. Not let it fester inside of us.”
Landers was still scowling, but he looked away from us. I moved from the bed, approaching him slowly, almost feeling like I was nearing a wild, dangerous animal primed to attack. His gaze met mine, and a sting of shame stabbed into me.
“There is something,” I said softly, still slowly approaching him, sensing he needed me, but at the same time, Landers didn’t seem to want me near. Like he wasn’t sure what he wanted. “Landers, what’s wrong?”
“This is all fucked; that’s what’s wrong. Three mates. One of you. How is this shit supposed to work? And fighting the same people we should be siding with while teaming up with those we should want to kill. Everything is backwards. I can’t help but think that if we keep going as we are, I’ll end up with nothing. Again.”
“Nothing?” I shook my head. “You don’t have nothing. You’re Landers Priat, the son of a wealthy trader. You’ll never have nothing.”
“That’s the issue!” His voice boomed, and the room went up a few degrees in temperature as his anger took over. “I have nothing. I had it all! If I wanted something, it was handed over to me. Then suddenly, it was all taken away from me. The moment I revealed, I was no longer the son of a wealthy trader but just a dragon to be exploited.To be used. I won’t be able to inherit anything anymore. A mate was something that was meant to be mine and mine alone, something that no one could take, yet now I’m competing with two others?”
Suddenly, his insecurities hit me hard. Landers was practically drowning in them.
“You aren’t competing with anyone, Landers. Not against Philit, not against Zilon.”
“Because I have no fucking chance,” he snapped. “Philit is easily a leader. No doubt about that, and Zilon is patient and nice. I’m notnice.” Landers almost seem disgusted by that word.
“No, you are definitely an asshole,” I said. “There is no changing that.”
Landers growled, all his focus finally on me.
“But you are my asshole. You get shit done. You speak your mind. With you, I know I don’t have to work through any bullshit. It’s all out there in the open. It’s real. Stop thinking that everyone is better than you. Philit has a stick up his butt.”
“Hey!” Philit said.
I ignored him. “He’s stuck on how things are meant to be done, on tradition, and on being the hero. Zilon is a pushover. He takes orders, but he isn’t really one to give them. He’s more of a caretaker, always worried about others and never about himself. You, Landers, are a perfect mixture. And you don’t bullshit. With my life filled with so many lies, don’t you realize how refreshing that is?”