84. The Storm

“Aneira!” Reya gasped excitedly, rushing towards her form.

But no matter how she tried to grasp her scaly form, it always slipped right out of her fingers.

Frustrated, she pursued her dragon form relentlessly but even when she held her in her arms, her form turned into mist.

“Not yet,” Aneira’s voice was distant, as though she were not in the same space with her.

Reya’s heart deflated and her eyes swelled up with tears.

“I miss you,” she sniffed.

“Please come back. A lot is happening and I just- I really need you,” she beseeched, still trying to grasp on to her dragon.

“It will take time Human. Your trysts with our mates are improving my healing but I need a lot of time. It can’t happen in a day. My body was done a lot of damage,” Aneira explained.

“And it’s taking a lot of energy to be here right....speaking.... you,”

“Don’t go yet,” Reya sighed sadly.

“Please,”

But it was useless. Her vision went black as Aneira’s body faded away.

The next time Reya woke up, she was in a horrible mood. Aneira was not coming back in the nearest future and it most certainly deflated her spirits.

As if to make matters worse, her mates did not seem to be morning people.

While their hands were draped across her body, she could feel the possessive tightness across her waist and hips. Reya blinked slowly, allowing her eyes to adjust to the morning light when suddenly, she heard a small growl.

When her vision was clearer, she soon realized that the twin brothers were sitting up and glaring

Kairo was asleep on his cushioned nest in the corner of her room, visibly unmoving. If he was not reacting to a growl, that could only mean it came from one of the princes and there was no exterior threat.

“What is it?” Reya scowled, wiggling under the overbearing hands of her mates.

“Maybe He should not be leaving love bites on your body,”

“Maybe you should mind your business,” Armani retorted hotly, his dark eyebrows slanting with irritation.

Gods, not this again.

“She has maids dressing her up. They will talk,”

“Then they shouldn’t be there when her bathing robe drops. It is that easy,”

“Why does she have to suffer for your mistake?”

“I think you’re jealous and ridiculous, Aidan,”

“Get out,” Reya’s voice was heated and clipped, her eyebrows slanting with annoyance.

It didn’t help that she had a glimpse of her dragon only for her to disappear again with no decent explanation of why she was gone.

“Both of you,” she wrestled out of their arms, swatting their hands away.

Clearly, her night with them had been nothing but a silly dream.

She snatched her robe from the couch, pleased to find it was dry and went into the bathroom to change into it.

“When I get back,” she called at the door, narrowing her amber eyes at those silly men she was blessed with for mates.

“I don’t want to see any of you in my room. Cover your scents too,”

And with that, Reya banged the door shut, cursing her mates audibly.

************

“Leave me alone,” Reya scowled, flipping another page of the book she was studying.

Seeing as she was tired and did not get enough rest the previous night, Reya opted for studying a few history books in the Royal Library.

The problem was she could barely concentrate as her mates were breathing down her neck. Her outburst had certainly left them feeling uncertain of themselves and where their relationship stood.

“You’re not going to speak to me?” The first Prince had the audacity to tease her.

“I’m busy,” she frowned, clutching her book.

“Leave me alone,”

Aidan did the opposite of what she asked him to do and snatched away her book.

Reya silently turned towards him with a glare, annoyance sparking to life in her chest when she saw he did not look the least bit guilty.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized before Reya Could say anything.

“You’re not,” Reya scowled, folding her arms.

“I am. I didn’t mean-“

“You did. Both of you did,” Reya turned towards The brooding Prince folding his arms.

“I’m supposed to get married to both of you- but at what cost? You can barely even pretend you don’t hate yourselves around me. With the way things are going- I just don’t know. I don’t know anything at all,” her voice broke.

“This seems silly. You both resent each other and you’ve agreed to sharing me? I don’t know. Are you always going to fight in front of me? Do you realize how mentally straining it is?” Tears gathered in her eyes.

“I’m so tired. I’m so bloody weary of this back and forth. This- this is not going to end well. Not at all,” she collapsed against her seat.

“What do you mean?” Armani asked, his voice quiet but with an underlying tone of worry.

“You’re enemies. Clearly, I’m not enough to stitch the rift between you two- not that I’m even going to try because I know what the problem is and I know that it’s not that easy. But if I’m going to marry you both then this is going to be a huge problem. I want to connect with both of you, I want to love and be dedicated to you but I can’t do that because you two are so suspicious of yourselves! We are never going to talk about the things that matter because- because of your rift,” She swallowed the lump in her throat.

“This is not the first time you’re apologizing to me and were I to marry you two, it certainly will not be the last,”

The Princes were quiet after her speech, their faces void of expression. She knew it.

She had always known this was what would happen if she dared to call out the elephant in the room. The doctor was even shocked that the men were not barking orders and warning her not to interfere or broach the topic for it was gift enough that they were deciding to share her r.

“We will not argue in front of you. I can guarantee that,” Aidan said seriously, dropping her book right back on her desk.

“Or maybe we should have separate times allocated to you,” Armani suggested, folding his arms.

Reya’s heart deflated and she turned her face away, determined to hide the tears springing in her eyes. She had never really realized how much it affected her to have mates that clearly resented themselves until now.

“You do not have to stress yourselves on my account,” she dabbed at her eyes, determined not to shed a tear.

Inhaling, she turned back towards them.

“It sounded good at first,” she stared at her nails, assessing the curves to keep her from shedding any tears.

“The thought of you proposing to me, of marrying me, of mating for life. But what good is it if I’m settling?” She whispered, blinking rapidly.

“I want to be happy with both of you. But I can only be the woman that sleeps with you two, mother of your children and never-“

“Reya that is not what it is to me,” Prince Aidan insisted.

“I don’t want to hear it,” Reya wiped her eyes again, realizing she had failed woefully at keeping her tears at bay.

“I don’t want to hear you two lie about how you will cherish me and involve me in a serious relationship when your hatred for yourselves will overshadow whatever mate bond I share with you. I’m not even sure if-“

*I would like to marry you,* she wanted to say.

But her life was at stake. She had no choice. She was supposed to get pregnant and protect herself by becoming a princess.

“Are you considering turning down my pro-“

The doors of the library kicked open with a bang, interrupting the discussion that was about to take place.

A tall, handsome nobleman dressed in blue attire with fine gold trimmings stood before them, his red eyebrows raised. He looked exactly like Prince Reagan but where there was a cunning and cold calculation in Prince Reagan’s eyes, Julii had the vibrance of life and kindness in his eyes.

“Julii,” Aidan frowned, folding his arms at him.

“Not now,”

“Alpha Charles is here,” he scowled and lifted his fingers, pausing them briefly and putting them down as though he wanted to refrain from running a hand through his fiery red hair.

“I suggest you get into the meeting house as soon as you can. The man is taking this castle by a storm,” he elaborated, a certain strain to his voice as he glanced at the Lord of The Sea.

Reya sprung to her feet and smoothed her dress, her heart thundering dangerously in her chest. It was asinine of her to think that she would get a few days rest after Castiel had tried to abduct and assault her. Alpha Charles was acting swiftly, when the waters were still troubled.

“Reya,” The Lord of The Sea caught her hand, his Hazel and brown eyes holding hers, worry lurking in those beautiful depths.

“It’s going to be fine,”

She turned away and nodded, her eyes slightly clouding. She really just wanted peace, not assurance that everything would be alright.

“I know,” she squeezed his hand before walking away, hiding her furiously sweating palms in her dress.

*****************

The meeting house was in a heavy disarray when Reya came inside, nobles arguing and debating amongst themselves.

Inhaling, she made her way to the House of Commons and settled beside Lady Danielle seeing as Lady Jessica was not in the meeting house.

Perhaps, she had not yet heard of everything that was going on.

“My apologies for the great misfortune that almost befell you last night,” Lady Danielle said, her arms folded and her tone low.

“I would prefer if you never spoke about it,”

Danielle laughed lowly, her eyelashes fluttering as she relaxed in her seat.

“Unfortunately, your attempted rape is about to be the only running topic in this entire meeting house- then the members of the Ton. Stomach it, Reya darling,” she purred further, running her fingers over her painted black nails- inappropriate for such a high born lady.

“I suppose you are right. But I would rather address the topic when I’m questioned, not when I am clearly being made fun of,” Reya hissed, a frown wrinkly her perfectly arched eyebrows.

“I am not using this as a topic of comedy,” her voice lost all of its mirth.

“Unbelievable as it is, I am much of a feminist myself and I do not stand for rapists or men that deem it reasonable enough to do. Castiel was birthed by a love slave. He of all people should know how damaging it is to women to have babies put in them against their will,” her voice held a tinge of irritation to it.

“Then I’m glad you’ve allowed yourself a bit of human- rather mortal decency. Unfortunately, some people assume they should be praised for the bare minimum,”

Before Lady Danielle could reply, the doors to the Meeting house opened and an uneasy silence fell over the crowd of nobles.

King Erik walked into the meeting house with his Queen, his face stoic with seriousness.

Shifting his long robe imprinted with the royal dunes of Golden dragons, he took his mate’s hand in his and walked the long stairs to his dais.

The twin brothers were already standing by their thrones, expressions blank and shoulders squared.

“You may take your seats,”

And with that, each and every noble was taking his seat.

As soon as the meeting house had seated all of its occupants, the doors to the meeting house opened.

“He who seats on the crimson throne and controls the red dragon tier of The Kingdom of Draconis. Alpha Charles, Reigning Alpha of the Red dragon clan.”

Reya averted her gaze to Alpha Charles as he made his dramatic debut into the meeting house.

He was dressed in a fine suit of blood crimson, a robe attached to his aristocratic clothes.

He was the direct opposite of surreptitious in the meeting house, his appearance as neat, luxurious and collected as always.

He looked surprisingly fine for someone that was about to lose it all which made Reya certain that he had a trick up his sleeve.

Suddenly, Alpha Charles turned towards her, his eyes cold compared to the familial warmth she had associated him with.

All he needed was a brief glimpse from one end of the room to the other, his eyes holding a wicked promise to them.

And while he hesitated, almost uncertain that she had not received the message his eyes strained to convey, he let the corner of his mouth tilt up.

That was enough confirmation for Reya. Alpha Charles was about to wreck havoc.