Kaiden grimaces, swiping a hand down his face. “Shit, I don’t want to call the newbloods and ask if they come whenever my sister does. That’s fucking weird and could go my entire lifetime without knowing that awkward piece of information.”
I hold out my hand, struggling to suppress my laughter behind pursed lips. “I’ll do it.”
Kinsley starts dialing, making sure he isn’t on speaker before putting me on the line, because that would be a dead giveaway in a town where they think only one female lives. Ezra’s voice reaches me and I realize just how much I missed her.
“Hello?” she begins warily, since Kinsley didn’t explain anything.
“It’s Saige. Can I ask you something way too personal without you asking why?”
She doesn’t even hesitate. “Sure, what can I do for you, my favorite human?” There’s no using the title with shame or embarrassment, and honestly, she could be in the middle of the grocery store for all I know. Ezra doesn’t give two shits what anyone thinks and will just burn their faces off if someone gives her crap about it.
I kind of want her to be my spirit animal, but I know it’s just a girl crush, because I’ll never have that same level of confidence.
“Do your orgasms set off a chain reaction even if one of your mates isn’t in the room?”
There’s a beat of silence and then she bursts into hysterical laughter. “Please tell me you’re asking for the reason I’m thinking you are. I know my brothers have hardcore crushes on you, but I didn’t realize it was that bad. Oh fuck, this is beautiful.”
I cut her off, finding it difficult to hide my amusement at the guys’ discomfort. “Is that a no?”
She snorts. “Only if they’re jacking off while-“ The end call button is furiously hit repeatedly as Kinsley snatches his phone back, because it was too quiet in the room for them not to overhear every word.
“Okay,” Kahl says, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Well, we’ll find out the next time it happens,” he rationalizes, and I ignore the desire that starts to pool between my legs at the prospect of them touching me again.
Kaiden curses, pupils blown with lust, and I’m acutely aware of Kahl’s unyielding grip. “Sorry,” I mutter, yet not really meaning it. “It should pass in a few minutes.”
Whether or not I’m actually horny, the pheromones I emanate randomly are enough to call to any dragon nearby. Thankfully, since I’m not a real dragon, it’s only a problem if I’m hiding pretty close instead of a huge range. Though it’s caused more than a few problems while I was trying to hide in a tree or some underbrush, giving me away while being hunted.
Tap, tap.I catch myself, stopping the nervous tick in its tracks.No, things are different now.I’mdifferent now. I’m not a victim, I’m predator-adjacent. No less brutal, just with some hang ups.
“Holy hell,” Kahl groans, tilting his head to the ceiling while praying for self-restraint.
“If you’ll excuse me for a few minutes,” Kinsley declares, getting up off of the couch and slamming the bathroom door shut behind him.
Kahl’s fingers are tight on my arm and I have no doubt they will leave a few bruises. I know I should be more upset about that than I actually am, but it’s a heady feeling to have that small bit of power that makes him scramble for control.
“This happen a lot?” he tosses out casually, though his strained voice ruins the effect he was going for.
I start to shift on the couch, but he tightens his grip to make me sit still with a strangled sound. “Ah, maybe just take it easy for a few minutes?” he suggests, pleading. “The more you move around, the worse it is. Just.” He clears his throat. “Just sit for a little bit, alright?”
Timidly smiling, I settle in at his side while we wait for it to pass, Kinsley coming out flushed and reclaiming his spot on my other side. “So, umm, did...?” He leaves it open ended, waiting as Kaiden and Kahl squirm, but deny any extracurricular events happening in their pants.
“Thank the Fates,” Kahl breathes. “Things are already weird enough without adding something embarrassing like that into the mix.”
Kinsley swipes a hand down his flushed face. “We just need to build up a tolerance to the pheromones, I think. Soren mentioned something about that when he was acting as Ezra’s guard before shit went down, so it’s possible.”
A door slams upstairs as Eli stomps down the stairs, red faced and flustered, a bag slung over his shoulder. “I’m staying with Ezra while you guys figure your shit out.”
There’s a moment of absolute horror as it dawns on everyone. Testosterone oversaturates whatever I’m putting off as the triplets get all possessive and pissed off, despite the fact he doesn’t have the slightest bit of interest; hates me, honestly.
“No, I was not jerking it to your pet,” he scoffs, cheeks flamed with embarrassment. “But I’m not about to be subjected to that daily while you figure out how to fix her.”
Kinsley pipes up in my defense, voice hard. “She isn’t broken.”
Elias meets his glare, not backing down. “Pretending there isn’t a problem isn’t doing her or you any favors. She’s ahumanthat’s turning into some imitation dragon.” He gestures to the blue patches of scales on my arms and side of my neck currently. “So yeah, I’d say that qualifies as broken. And if you can’t figure out how to make her finish turning into one of us before word gets out about their success in that lab? We’re all fucked.” He shakes his head in annoyance, walking out the door. “Good luck.”
The door clicks shut with a sense of finality, bringing down the mood. He’s right, and it makes my anxiety flare up in response, but it’s not like I hadn’t already thought the same thing. It’s why I came back here after all, but I don’t think the three of them had reached that point until now. They get a determined glint in their eyes, like they’re ready to take on the world and crush it beneath their feet if they must.
I mentally curse as I start choking out of nowhere, pulling away from Kahl to run to the kitchen sink before I start heaving out a lungful of water. Coughing and sputtering, I struggle to breathe through the onslaught of liquid before it finally tapers off. I spit, rinsing out my mouth with the tap and pulling precious air into my lungs again, gasping.
