“I offer no apologies,” Snorre retorted. “If the heat proves too much to handle, Erik and I can assist. Four cocks are better than two, I assure you.”
Erik slapped a hand over his face in embarrassed exasperation. He seemed to do that a lot. Meanwhile, both Ian and Geoffrey growled low in their throats, which were looking a bit scaly—they’d picked up on Matthieu’s discomfort with Snorre’s suggestion and had reacted to it at the same time. While Matthieu’s heart belonged to two men, it knew its limits. No matter who propositioned him, there would be no more.
“Non,” Matthieu insisted, finding the courage to speak now that he was on his way to a small, safe space his dragons could properly defend. “Thank you, butnon.We are not in need of your assistance.”
“Are you certain?” Snorre asked. Matthieu was fairly sure that if he looked, he’d see Snorre wink.
Ian and Geoffrey growled louder and both stepped closer to Matthieu. The message was clear.
“Plus que certain,” Matthieu assured thedragon pervers.
“Erik, I think, if we put our heads together, we can keep Daddy distracted,” Vadim said with a smirk. “What say you, Yinju? Want to join in?”
“Genji,” Yinju said to his daughter, “I think it might be best if you took the young ones to the media room for a movie.”
Dmitry popped back into his boy form, shouted, “I wanna see Toothless!” then stuffed his half-eaten cookie into his mouth. After he’d chewed it enthusiastically, he turned back into a whelp. Genji took little Stephen by the hand that wasn't holding his bubble pipe, then she gathered up Dmitry. Nikita hopped off the couch and landed on his head, rolled over, then sprang to his feet like nothing was the matter.
“Come on, kids,” Genji said, sounding put-upon. “Let's go watchHow to Train Your Dragon. Again.Things are about to get weird.”
21
Ian
Dragons who valued their standing in draconian society did not consort with uncontracted omegas in heat. Most did not consort with omegas at all. Ian, who had been raised to fear violating the law and subsequently dishonoring his father’s name, had been educated in what heat was, but had never witnessed an omega in the midst of it, and after meeting Geoffrey, he’d been sure that even if he did, he wouldn’t take pleasure in it.
How wrong he’d been.
Matthieu, who walked a few paces ahead as he followed Snorre’s Attendant, Grace, looked over his shoulder. A pang of longing shot through Ian’s heart, and his cock twitched in anticipation. Nothing about Matthieu had changed, but Ian couldn’t help but remark upon all the beautiful traits he’d never noticed before. In the sunlight, Matthieu’s brandy-colored eyes were backed by a reddish hue that burned like the fire within a priceless ruby. Their hue complemented his loose auburn curls. The bridge of Matthieu’s nose was dainty, but dignified, and lent delicacy to his well-formed cheekbones and European features. When he walked, his hair bounced, not in an outrageous way, but with movement and energy and life that made Ian want to run his fingers through it.
It was the heat, he was certain, encouraging him to notice tempting details about their fertile omega. The pheromones Matthieu’s body produced were designed to ensnare a breeding partner and ensure conception. Logically, Ian knew it. Emotionally, he refused the notion. If pheromones had been the only factor driving his desire, then he would have been blind to everything outside of the omega producing them.
But he wasn’t.
To his right, following Matthieu with the same devoted enthusiasm, was the man who’d first owned Ian’s heart.
Geoffrey. Tall and graceful and every bit as lovely as Matthieu, but in his own way, with his dark eyes and darker hair and milky skin.
Ian craved them both.
Ahead, Grace came to a stop and gestured at one of the Opal consulate’s many closed doors. Like each one they’d passed so far, it was enclosed within bold fluted casing with acanthus leaf corner blocks. The doorknob was made of hand-painted porcelain, each tiny blue flower depicted on it intricate and masterfully designed.
“The blue room,” Grace conveyed. “Please enjoy your stay, gentlemen.”
“Merci,” Matthieu said, although he sounded much more uncertain than usual. Their little spitfire had lost his edge—another symptom of heat Ian had heard about, but never seen in person.
“I’ll return in four hours with refreshments.” Grace didn’t seem fazed in the slightest at the idea of bringing snacks into their sex den. “Do you prefer savory or sweet?”
“Thank you, but it doesn’t matter.” Matthieu set his hand on the doorknob and looked back at Ian and Geoffrey, his eyelids heavy with lust. Ian’s heart pounded, and somewhere deep inside of him, foreign, vibrant excitement swirled into existence. Prior to having visited Snorre, Ian had always assumed that the swelling excitement he felt whenever he was with Geoff was his own—some deeply rooted, twisted enjoyment over their illicit relationship that he’d conditioned himself to believe was “other.” Now he knew that wasn’t the case. The bond he shared with Geoffrey was every bit as real as the bond Geoffrey shared with Matthieu… and the bond that Ian had begun to realize he shared with Matthieu as well. “I think all I’ll be interested in at that point is water.”
“I’ll bring lemon slices, then,” Grace said. She glanced at Geoffrey and Ian with a small, amused smile hovering on her stern lips. “And some wet wipes.”
“Thank you.” Geoffrey lifted his chin in what Ian recognized as a failed attempt to appear above his instincts. “That will be most excellent.”
Grace took her leave of them. Matthieu, who’d been hovering by the door, turned the knob and entered the room. No sooner was he through the threshold than he began to frantically unbutton his shirt.
“Merde,it’s hot,” Matthieu breathed. He abandoned the last few buttons, deciding instead to pull the shirt over his head. Chest rising and falling, he turned to lock eyes with Geoffrey, then Ian. “Is it always like this? It has been so long since my last unmedicated heat. Itburns.I need—”
Matthieu stopped speaking. He stared at the far side of the room. As soon as Ian entered, he understood why.
