Gryffin looks startled at this information, and his lips purse as he frowns. He’s about to say something, but Mom looks at Colbie with intense scrutiny.
“If he is a pegasus, that means you can shift into two of your mates’ forms.” She nods at Brodie. “Brodie is a wolf, and Nox is a pegasus. I wonder if you can actually shift into all your mates’ forms. When you practice this afternoon, you should try one of the others as well. If it doesn’t work, it’s not a big deal, but if it does, it would be incredible.”
Lucas growls and slams his fist down on the table. “I tried to put a stop to the way the equines were treated, but the council wouldn’t let me. They insisted that shifters are a hierarchical species and if the equines couldn’t fight back, then they deserved what they got. Even with the equine mythical species, most of their magic is passive—tracking, healing, illusions, and weather manipulation—so not much in the way of attack magic, and they were run out of towns.”
Evie reaches over and grabs his hand, giving it a squeeze. “Don’t beat yourself up. Colbie is going to fix everything that is wrong with our society, I just know it.”
Colbie winces and looks unconvinced but gives Evie a small nod. “I’m certainly going to try my best,” she promises.
“I was just at Zalfari, and I didn’t see any sign of equine shifters. It was weird, actually, The village alpha was shifty as fuck and gave off distrustful vibes. He wouldn’t let me question anyone except a few people selected specifically by him. He claimed that because they lived at the base of the Aramis Rift, a curfew was in place due to the ferals that occasionally wandered into town. It certainly wasn’t the equine haven you make it sound like,” he tells my mother, and she exchanges a worried glance with my father and the king.
“So where are the equines then? And if the feral problem in Zalfari is so bad, then why haven’t they called in the armed forces?” Dad growls, and I know the alpha of Zalfari is going to get a visit he probably doesn’t want.
ChapterEleven
Colbie
“You need to take us to that shifter,” Gryff blurts all of a sudden. “He shouldn’t have to be alone anymore.”
My heart melts. The prince is such a softie. I remember him being like that when we were small as well. He hated seeing me cry and would do anything to fix it. The throb inside me now that the bond has been acknowledged is constant. All I want to do is run my hands over their bodies and grind against them, but I need to focus on other things first, so I shake the fog of lust out of my mind and try to concentrate on what everyone is talking about.
“First, Colbie needs to get a handle on her shift. If she can’t control it, then we can’t allow her to go into the human only zone. We are going to reach out to the human authorities to get permission for her to visit her grandparents as a cover story, and then you can find that shifter,” Lucas explains. “Gracelin already sent the message when you went to change.” He turns his attention to me. “It might be a couple of days before we get a response, so you six can take the time you need to work on your shift.”
“We can also tell the council about this so it will get them off your back.” Layla sounds thrilled by this. “Man, are they going to be shocked. I can’t wait to see Sophia’s and Vallen’s faces when they learn you are mated to the group they both wanted for their daughters.”
“Pfft, if you thought Gianna was bad before, she’s going to be livid that all of her dreams have gone up in smoke.” Gracelin sounds gleeful as well. I would kind of feel sorry for the girl if I didn’t know she’s had her hands all over one of my mates. I can’t control the glare I aim in Liam’s direction.
“Hey, if you think they are the only two who are going to be disappointed, then you’re sadly mistaken.” He gestures to the rest of my mates. “None of us were angels in the past.” He sounds defensive.
“You know what? I think we should give you some privacy,” Sable announces, pushing her chair back from the table, and the other parents follow suit. “You all have a lot to work out. Shall we continue these plans at dinner?” She looks at the king and queens for approval.
“Yes indeed. Come on, girls,” Lucas says to Gretchin, Gracelin, and Violet. “Let’s leave them to bond.” The king grabs onto Sable’s suggestion like it’s a life preserver and he’s drowning in an endless sea. His wives laugh, and the girls grumble.
“But this was just starting to get good,” Gracelin complains, but she does as Sable suggested, taking her plate of food with her.
“Violet and I are going to the shift room. She needs to shift and fly off some energy. We’ll be there if you need us,” Gretchin tells me, her eyes serious.
“I’ll be fine. Go shake out those wings,” I tell my friend, who is watching us with unrestrained interest.
“I’ll see you later?” she asks, and I know she’s going to grill me for every gory detail, but I nod my agreement. She takes her plate, then she and Gretchin follow the parents out.
“Ugh, we miss all the good stuff.” Gracelin stomps her foot but hurries after everyone else, and then there are only the six of us left in the dining room.
The silence is slightly strained for the moment, but then Gem turns his attention back to Liam.
“We might have enjoyed our freedom, but you’re the only one who fucked where you slept,” Gem points out. “The rest of us were sensible enough to keep that shit out of the palace.” He turns to me, his eyes pleading. “Shifters are highly sexual creatures, all supes are, but now that we’re mates, none of us will look anywhere but at you.” He side-eyes Gryffin, and I see the dismay in his eyes. I know I have to assure them that whatever they have going on is fine with me. I could see it the moment I approached the table, and thoughts of being the jelly in their sandwich make my panties damp.
“I’m not going to stop you and Gryff, if that’s what you’re worried about. Hell, there’s only one of me, and there’s going to be eight of you. I would say you are taking one for the team if you two are together.” I wink at him, and they both relax. “In fact, I’m pretty sure Nox is bi as well. He kind of implied he was,” I offer. “He’s very pretty.” I see intrigue in both of their eyes, but it’s the only thing I’m going to say on the subject. “What about the rest of you? Are you going to be fucking as well? I don’t care, I’m just trying to work out the dynamic here.”
They all stare at me with shock, and it’s all I can do not to giggle.
“Ah, no, the rest of us are very much hetero, but that doesn’t mean we don’t like to share.” Brodie recovers first and gives me a sly wink.
“Good to know.” I give him my own wink back, and his mouth drops open in surprise. I think he was trying to shock me, but I assumed that’s how things worked in a group dynamic. I’m kind of excited, to be honest. The thought of being shared by two or more of these men is exhilarating, albeit nerve-racking. I hope I’m enough for them. It doesn’t seem fair that I get to have all of them, but they only have me. A frown creases my brows as I think about this.
“What are you worried about, pretty girl?” Hunter asks, and I turn my attention to the gorgeous dragon shifter. “The key to a healthy bond group is communication. You need to tell us how you are feeling, because despite our animal instincts, we are not mind readers.”
“Not yet anyway.” Liam smirks at me.
