“And what truth is that?” Yaroslav asked, an eyebrow raised in amusement.
Liu Wei, who seemed to be on the mend, glared at him.
“What?” Yaroslav shrugged. “The omega is compelling. I wish to hear what he has to say.”
Ian did, too, but he already knew in his heart the argument Matthieu was about to drive home. His pulse quickened, and a tremble of anticipation worked its way between his ribs, gripping him from the inside.
He had never been so proud.
“The truth is, there is irrefutable evidence that all dragons can mate.” Matthieu kept his voice level, but his words were as charged as ever. “If you accept bonds exist between alpha dragons and omega dragons and that those bonds can be proved via testing, and that those bonds are sanctioned by the council, then you must accept and agree to test and sanction bonds that exist between alpha dragons and alpha dragons, or omega dragons and omega dragons, or any combination therein.”
“And Sigric Brand has discovered this truth within Alistair Drake’s lair?” Grimbold rumbled. “Why does this not surprise me?”
“Hey!” Nate quipped from the sidelines. “Lay off, Grimmie! We’re not the ones causing trouble this time.”
“I am,” Matthieu boldly concluded. “It was I, and my clutch, that drew Sigric Brand to Alistair Drake’s lair.”
“Why?” Yaroslav looked like he might, at any second, start rubbing his hands together in anticipation of the drama.
Several council members shot him nasty looks.
“Simple.” Matthieu gestured in Ian’s direction like he wanted Ian to do something, but Ian knew not what. They hadn’t planned any of this. To his surprise, it was Nate who sprang into action, unzipping one of Matthieu’s nestlers and producing from inside the twin egg. The room went silent. Not an eye in the room was focused on Matthieu any longer—all of them stared in awe at the Amethyst and Topaz swirled egg. “Not only have I mated to Ian Brand, but I have mated to his lover and mate, Geoffrey Drake, as well. We have produced a mixed clutch. It was Sigric Brand’s intention to destroy us in order to keep you from the truth.”
* * *
The council room descended into madness. Clan heads bickered, raising their voices so they could speak over one another while their legal representatives tried to speak over them, making matters worse. Harry held Darwin in one arm and punched the air while Steve flicked his tongue in appreciation of Matthieu’s defense. Geoffrey, pale as a sheet, folded onto his knees behind the table and disappeared. He sent reassuring energy through his mate bond with Ian as a promise that he was okay. Alistair patted Ian’s shoulder, then went to stand by his mate, who had put the twin egg back in its nestler and was grinning ear to ear. Perry whispered something to Sebastian that made Sebastian smile, and Ian, whose head was swimming, could think of nothing else to do than approach Matthieu and stand by his side.
Of all the cases Ian had pored through, hoping to find precedence, and of all the laws he’d revisited in anticipation of what he assumed would be an inevitable debate, he couldn’t have put together a finer defense than the one Matthieu had just delivered.
Amid the din of quarreling, confused dragons came a new sound—the door to the council room slammed against the wall, and a troop of motley individuals entered.
Snorre and his multiple mates had arrived.
“Hello, boys,” Snorre said in his booming voice. “I heard my assistance was necessary.”
Ian gaped at the newcomers. Vadim, who was the last through the door, winked at Ian.
“Heard?” spat Liu Wei, who had recovered. “Fromwho?”
“Why, my mate, of course.” Snorre cocked his head and laughed from his very flat belly. “Erik has been flooding our bond with distress over whether or not you dunderheads will come to your senses, and I thought it was about time the cavalry arrived to provide a little backup. You want proof that multiple mates exist? Look no further. Ingrid, Yinju, Aruna, Vadim, Erik, and I are more than happy to testify alongside our polybonded friends.”
“Polybonded,” Harry said to himself in much the same way one might if in desperate need of a notebook. “It’sperfect.”
“Yes, it is, isn’t it?” Snorre chuckled. “And it’s not as rare as you think. In fact, a little birdie—” Yinju looked bashfully to the side, his long black hair flowing over his shoulder, “—told me that we’re not the only ones in this room who may share an… unusual bond.” Snorre lifted one of his heavy brows and directed his focus on the head of the Gold clan. “Liu Wei, would you care to explain why Ju Long Min, a Gold dragon from a humdrum family, accompanies you wherever you go and also happens to share your private quarters? It’s an arrangement, I am told, that has been going on for several centuries.”
“He’s—” Liu Wei sputtered, turning red. “Protection!”
“Funny, that.” Snorre examined his nails. “You’d think that a dragon as old and strong as you wouldn’t need a bodyguard, but I suppose that you never know what trouble you might get into between the sheets, provided the right company.”
Liu Wei slammed his hands on the table, but despite his aggressive outburst, there was fear in his eyes. Ian recognized it well. Liu Wei’s secret was being torn from him, and he was afraid that it spelled the end. If it was true, and Liu Weididhave an alpha dragon mate, then it meant that Ian and Geoffrey weren’t alone in their attraction—that out there, somewhere, were alpha dragons who’d found love with other alpha dragons. It gave Ian hope that not everything was lost.
“Enough!” Grimbold declared, his deep voice reaching every corner of the room. “We’ve heard enough. There will be no more rumors spread—you’ve proven your point. Let’s focus on the claim being made. Matthieu Boudreaux, are you willing to prove via consular testing that you share a mate bond with both Ian Brand and Geoffrey Drake?”
Matthieu inclined his head. “Oui.”
“And Geoffrey Drake and Ian Brand, are you willing to prove the same bond exists between the two of you?”
Geoffrey hurriedly climbed to his feet and looked at Ian. He did not hesitate when he gave his consent, nor did Ian when he provided his.
