"Cheating," Rymar supplied.
"And that's like adultery?"
Zasen huffed out a laugh. "Yeah, basically, but because Dragons do families different from Moles, our rule is that your partners," and he gestured to him, Rymar, and Kanik, "would have to agree first. If they all do, then it's not cheating. If you hide it or lie about it, then it is."
My eyes dropped to the golden torc in my hands. A necklace? It didn't look like the cord I still wore around my neck. This was stronger. It felt more powerful, and I liked that. The curved ends of it were both delicate and beautiful, making it feel feminine in a way I liked.
But I'd been taught to be careful as a girl. Proposals weren't something to jump into, yet I couldn't find any reason to hesitate. This? It was what I wanted. It was the thing I'd been trying to get Rymar to explain to me that night on his bed.
I liked Zasen because he always made me feel so brave. I liked Rymar because he never made me feel stupid. I liked Kanik because he was so patient with me but never hid things from me either. I trusted these men. They were my friends, but lately that word didn't feel like enough.
I didn't feel the same way about them that I did with Meri. I didn't love them as much as I did Holly, though. This? It was somewhere in the middle. A wild feeling that made me want to act foolish, but they were still the ones I turned to when I was scared or unsure. There was just one more thing I needed to know.
"So, is this how you ask someone to date?" I looked between the three of them, making it clear any of them could answer.
"This is a little more than that," Kanik admitted. "This would make us a family for as long as you wore that. If you change your mind, you simply take it off and give it back."
"You'll probably need a jeweler to help you get it off," Zasen mumbled. "Um, but Saveah, Lessa, Jeera, or even my mother could show you where to do that."
I nodded, letting my fingers play across the shiny metal. "And I just stamp it to say yes? How does one say no?"
"They hand it back," Rymar said, sounding like he was bracing.
Which made me realize I hadn't given them hope. I hadn't led them on. Worse, I'd been a bit too careful, making them think I wasn't sure! While that was the proper response as a Mole, I was a Dragon now.
"Then I'm going to need the mallet," I said. "I also don't know how to put it on."
"I'll get the mallet," Rymar said.
"And I know how to put it on," Zasen promised. "I just have to squeeze it."
"Really?" Kanik asked. "You pick the one piece of jewelry that will make her feel like you're going to choke her?"
"But he won't," I said, finally letting my smile show. "He never would, and I know that."
"Yeah," Zasen said. "But, Ayla? This means we're all going to kiss you."
"Yeah?" Even I could hear the excitement in my voice.
Which made Kanik chuckle. "I think I get to go first."
"I think Ayla does," Zasen said as Rymar hurried back out. "So, Phoenix, do you have an answer for us?"
Grabbing the hourglass-shaped metal around my neck, I slipped it over my head and held out my hand for the mallet. Rymar put it in my palm. Setting the torc on the table before me, I checked my sign to make sure it was facing the right way, then struck the top of it once.
"I say yes," I told them, lifting the die to show all of our signs arrayed before me.
And Kanik pushed to his feet, leaned across me, and cupped my face. "This," he said, leaning in, "is how you deserve to be kissed."
I looked up, my eyes closed, and his mouth found mine. Like at the hospital, I knew Zasen and Rymar were there, watching, but they'd proven this was okay. Kanik had seen me kiss Zasen. Neither of them cared, and this was a Dragon thing. I was a Dragon -theirDragon.
So I parted my lips and met Kanik's tongue with mine. The sound he made? That proved I was definitely doing it right.
Sixteen
Ayla
Girlfriend. That was the word for a woman someone was dating. Partner. That meant more than simply dating. I'd learned that bit over the last week, and even thinking about it made me smile all over again. I had partners. They didn't own me, couldn't abuse me, and were men I thought of as friends.
