Tangled Innocence (15 page)

“What can we do for you?” an Alabaster said. She smiled with
lots of teeth. “We’ll do
anything
for
you.”

Dante closed his eyes and prayed for patience. Or a really
sharp stick.

Nadie cleared her throat beside him, and Dante lifted a lip,
baring a fang.

The five female dragons blinked and looked down at Nadie,
confusion on their faces. He saw their eyes light up, and for a moment, Dante
was afraid he was going to have to kill those of his House.

“You’re mated!” one of the Scarlets said. It could have been
the one that had spoken before, but Dante couldn’t tell. He didn’t care who
they were or their names. They weren’t Nadie, so they didn’t matter.

All five shimmered, and suddenly they were five dragons in
human form. Each of them wore clothing, and while some would have found their
curves and long, wavy hair sexy, Dante couldn’t be bothered.

“Yes, he is,” Nadie said, that inner succubus of hers
shining through. Dante grinned. He liked this Nadie.

One of the Alabasters came up and brought Nadie in a hug.
Dante growled, as did Jace right behind Nadie, both ready to fight.

“We’re so happy for all of you,” that same Alabaster said.
“I’m Vivian, this is Moira, Bree, Donna, and Lauren.” She pointed to each of
them, but for the life of him, Dante couldn’t figure out who was who.

“It’s about time Dante’s found his mates,” Moira or Bree
said. “Oh! And you’re a bear.”

Jace nodded, his eyes wide. This hadn’t been the welcome
either of them had expected.

All five dragons were talking a mile a minute, and he felt
Nadie becoming overwhelmed through their bond. He wouldn’t be having that.

He opened his mouth and roared.

Everyone stopped moving and turned to him, their eyes wide.

“Thanks,” Nadie said after she blinked.

Dante lowered his head so she could pet him. “These are my
mates, Nadie and Jace. We are here to introduce them to the House and show they
are under my protection.” They were also there to see his family and do the
same, as well as find out if Rock was the dragon he needed to take over the
Conclave’s position, but he didn’t mention that. Yet.

“We’re so happy you mated,” Lauren said. Or at least he
thought it was Lauren. Dear gods, these women confused him. They always had.

“Seriously,” another dragon put in. “While Dante is beyond
sexy, as you well know,”—she winked—“he wasn’t the true half for any of us so
it wouldn’t have worked. But now that he has mates, we need to celebrate.”

Nadie started laughing and shook her head. “You guys are
crazy.”

One of them raised their brow. “Duh. We’re mateless dragons.
It happens.”

“Now tell us everything. How you met, how you mated.
Everything.”

Dante closed his eyes at Vivian’s demands but didn’t say
anything. Nadie seemed to have entered into yet another group of women. He
shimmered his body and became human again, wanting to be able to at least be in
the same form as the people around him. They talked with the females for over
an hour, and by the time they were through, Dante was laughing so hard he was
crying.

It seemed, without the need to hide or fight off women,
being in the Royal House wasn’t that taxing.

He probably shouldn’t have thought that last thought
considering, as soon as he did, Obsidian dragons landed beside him.

His family.

He growled but didn’t shift to his dragon form, not wanting
to give them the luxury and pride of that. He and Jace stood in front of Nadie
while, surprisingly, the five female dragons moved so they surrounded the
triad, ready to fight.

“I see you’ve mated,” his father, Udell, drawled.

Dante raised his head. “They are under my protection. You’ve
been warned.”

His mother, Stacia, glared and chomped her teeth once at
Nadie. His beautiful mate rolled her eyes. Dangerous in most cases, but he
wouldn’t let his mother hurt her. As it was, he had to hold back a laugh at the
move.

“Your bitch disrespects me,” Stacia snapped.

“Shut up, Mother,” his sister Fadia said, bored as ever.
“We’re here, they’re here. They’re mated. Let’s go. I need to go see Number
Four.” Fadia had at least six husbands scattered around the realm at last check
and numbered them rather than remembering their names. Considering she couldn’t
keep track, Dante couldn’t really care either.

“Dante left us long ago, and I want to go home. I want that
roasted boar I saw on the table before we left.” Dante had to hold back a snarl
at his brother Meurig’s tone. Dear gods, the man ate constantly and couldn’t
even be bothered to deal with family business.

“Fine,” Stacia growled. “He’ll get what’s coming to him. I
hear there are plans for our Dante.” Stacia grinned then, and Dante had to hold
back the bile in his throat. Her face really wasn’t a pretty picture.

And just what did his mother know about the Conclave? Or was
she referencing another threat to his life?

With that, they flew off through the large open arches,
leaving a bewildered Dante in their wake. Something was up their sleeves—at
least his mother’s. They’d been trying to kill him since he was a baby though,
so he shouldn’t have been surprised.

“Are you okay?” Nadie asked as she placed her palms on his
stomach.

He pulled her into his arms as Jace wrapped his own around
Dante. “I will be fine. You both are now claimed on a public level. That should
help.” Or at least it would put the law on their side.

“Now, are we going to find that other dragon?” Jace asked.

“What other dragon?” Vivian asked, the other woman
surrounding her.

While Dante didn’t trust them fully, the fact that they’d
been prepared to fight to protect his mates helped make his decision. “I’m
looking for a dragon named Rock.”

Donna scrunched up her nose. “Why would you be looking for
him? He’s a right bastard.”

The ladies nodded.

“Plus I hear…” Bree’s eyes widened, and she shut her mouth.

“What do you hear?” Nadie asked.

“That he’s sleeping with your mom,” Lauren answered, a frown
on her face. “Sorry, Dante. I know it’s gross to hear that your mom’s a whore.”

Dante grunted. He knew his parents slept around. He hated
his family, and now that his mates had met them, he wanted to go jump in a lake
and clean them all from the taint that was his family.

“Rock is not a nice dragon,” Moira put in. “Whatever reasons
you have for talking with him, I’d reconsider. He’d gut you and blame someone else.
He’s one of
those
dragons.”

Dante’s hopes fell, but he nodded and thanked them for the
information. Soon Jace and Nadie were on his back again, and they returned to
the human realm. He shifted back to human form, and his mates were holding him.

“I’m sorry,” Nadie said.

“Fuck, Dante, we’ll find another way,” Jace put in.

Dante shook his head but didn’t say anything, merely pulled
his mates closer. It didn’t matter, not anymore. It looked like a fight was
inevitable. Based on what he’d heard, he couldn’t trust Rock in a position of
power, and he couldn’t find another way out of the Conclave’s order.

He would have to fight for his right to live as he desired.

The bears, succubi, and even some of the dragons would be on
his side…but would it be enough?

He held back a roar and closed his eyes.

There was only so much a dragon could do, and roasting his
enemies on a spit wouldn’t solve his problems. Between his new mating, Nadie’s
powers, Jace’s job as a Mediator, and the battle on the horizon, his dragon wanted
to hide everyone in his hoard and never come out.

The fight was coming. There was no way around it.

Dante wouldn’t fail.

He couldn’t.

****

Rock screamed and threw a vase against the wall. It wasn’t
his vase, so he didn’t give a shit as it broke into a dozen pieces and littered
the floor. He roared, the anger running through his veins ready to burst. If
he’d been in dragon form, he’d have spewed fire, but as it was, he’d turned
human to fuck the woman on the bed beside him.

He wasn’t in the mood, but he’d do anything to get ahead.

Even Stacia.

He’d been watching Dante’s little triad of bliss and fucking
happiness when Rock wasn’t hiding the fact he was watching them from the
Conclave. The Conclave kept a watch on Dante as well, ruining every plan Rock could
come up with. Between the dragon’s natural wards and the fact that the fucking
dragon was never alone, he couldn’t get close enough to kill the bastard.

He’d almost been able to get at the dragon, but then the
Conclave had created a storm and almost killed one of Dante’s mates. The woman,
Nadie. The Conclave wanted her dead so Dante wouldn’t care about her anymore.
He wouldn’t have cared about her death, but ever since that moment, Dante had
increased his power and wards, halting all of Rock’s plans.

“Come fuck me, Leonard,” Stacia whined behind him. “Get over
the stress and put that dick in me. I’ve had a fucking long day with Udell and
my beastly children and need to get sweaty.”

Rock whirled around growled. “Don’t call me Leonard.” He
couldn’t believe his mother would name him something that sounded so
pathetically weak. That’s why he went by Rock. That name was tough. Just like
his scales.

Stacia held up her hands, legs spread, ready for him.
“Sorry, lover. Now get that penis in me.”

Rock sighed and walked close so he stood between her legs.
He lifted her thighs and pumped into her, annoyed that he’d gotten so angry
over that little prick.

Stacia made the appropriate sounds, and he leaned down,
sucking a nipple into his mouth. She seemed to like that, pressing him closer
to her breast. He pulled away and turned her over. He slammed her face into the
bed and fucked her from behind, thrusting as hard as he could, enjoying the way
she mewed.

“Enjoying yourself?” he asked.

“Yes, yes, keep going,” she said, her words muffled from the
sheet in her mouth.

He gripped her hips and stopped for a moment. “I’ll keep
going, but I need to think about how to kill your son.”

She waved her arm around, kind of difficult to do at her
current angle but whatever. “Fine, fine, kill my son, just keep going.”

Rock shrugged then thrust again, his mind on how to kill the
son of the woman he was fucking. What an odd world he lived in, but if he was
careful, he’d one day rule it.

Not a bad way to end the day.

The block of wood flying at his head should have been the
worst part of his day, but Jace had a feeling it was only the beginning. He
ducked out of the way and kept prowling toward his mates.

“Oh my God!” Nadie ran to him, her hair wild around her
face. “I’m so sorry, honey. Did I hurt you?”

The sight of this tiny woman worried that she’d hurt a bear
as big as himself made him smile, despite the fact that inside he wanted to
scream and rage over what wasn’t in his control. He tucked a strand of hair
behind her ear and smiled.

“You didn’t hit me. Don’t worry about it. At least you
didn’t hit the house.”

Her eyes widened, and she stepped to the side so she could
see around him. “Crap. This whole lightning thing is hard.” She looked down at
her open palms and wiggled her fingers. “I don’t think I’ll ever get the hang
of it.”

Dante walked up behind her, the hair that had escaped his
braid flying around his head in the wind. Jace tried to smile at his dragon,
but Dante seemed to see beneath the surface and knew something was wrong.

Damn intuitive dragon.

Dante wrapped his arms around Nadie’s hips and brought her
to his chest. Jace fisted his hands, wanting to join in, craving their touch,
but he couldn’t. Not yet. Not until he told them what he’d found out and dealt
with their reactions.

Jace swallowed hard and put his thoughts to the side for the
moment. “What were you practicing?”

Nadie tilted her head and frowned. “You’re not telling us
something.”

Jace sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Let’s talk
about it in a bit, okay? I’d rather hear how your powers are progressing and
relax before we deal with yet another thing on the outside looking in.”

Nadie bit her lip then nodded. “You get a pass for now, but
don’t think I’ll be forgetting any time soon.”

Jace smiled softly then pulled her into his arms, unable to
hold back any longer. “Thank you, darling.” He lowered his head, his lips
brushing hers, and she melted against him.

When he pulled back, it was to find Dante even closer, the
man’s hand behind Jace’s head. Jace closed his eyes as his dragon pressed his
mouth to Jace’s in a rough caress.

“We won’t be forgetting,” Dante whispered. “Come, you’ll
want to see how much better Nadie is getting.”

Their mate snorted before walking over to the area of trees
where they must have been practicing. “Sure, dragon, whatever you say. So far
I’ve burned a hole in the grass and almost knocked Jace out with a piece of
wood. So much better.”

Jace grinned at her frustration. She was doing much better
than she thought, and he and Dante would just have to prove it to her.

“So, what have you been doing?” he asked.

Nadie held out her hands and sighed. “Blowing up things?”

Dante cupped her cheek, and Jace smiled at the possessive
dragon. “You’ve been doing a whole hell of a lot more than that, my sprite, so
stop bashing yourself. How did you make that burn mark? Hmm? How about the fact
that you had to have done
something
in order to break off a piece of the tree so it could go hurling in Jace’s
direction? Hmm? Just because you can’t control it fully yet doesn’t mean you
haven’t been making progress. Don’t sell yourself short.”

Nadie sighed, her shoulders low.

Jace couldn’t take it anymore and pulled her into his arms
again, slapping her ass so she squealed.

“Jace!”

“What? I wanted you to smile. Now, show me what you’ve been
doing.”

“Fine. Dante is teaching me to center myself so I can focus
on my inner power. It’s really weird since I thought my inner power would be
all about heat and sex, you know? But it’s not. It’s about life.”

Jace smiled full-on and patted her ass again.

She narrowed her eyes. “Hands off my butt, bear. I need to
focus.”

He squeezed then let her go. Nadie rolled her eyes then
turned away from him, facing the tree that had a huge chunk taken out of it.
Ah, this must be her practice tree, and from the size of the hole in the side,
Jace was mighty glad he’d ducked out of the way when he had.

“How do you pull on your inner power?” he asked.

“Dante said it was sort of like how he pulls on his dragon
or like how you find your bear to shift.” She scrunched up her face. “It’s
weird, like a tug on a bond I didn’t know I had. It’s not like the mating bond.
That’s something warm and fragile in some respects but growing strong as we
continue to find out how we fit together. The bond I have with my succubus, if
you can call it a bond, though, feels warm but sort of like a ball of energy
that could get out of control if I don’t know how to approach it.”

His bear didn’t like the thought that she could be hurt with
what was inside her, but he knew Dante was teaching her control. After all, the
dragon held the fire of a volcano practically inside his chest and knew how to
control it. He’d be able to help Nadie. Jace was a little different. While all
three held their other paranormal creatures inside, he didn’t have any special
powers or weapons other than his claws and teeth. The fact that he was a
Mediator was something else entirely that had nothing to do with the fact he
was a bear.

“Can you show me?”

Nadie smiled. “I can try. You might want to step back
though. Flying debris and all.”

He took a step back so she would feel more comfortable.
Dante stepped closer to Jace so they were hip to hip. Without conscious
thought, Jace leaned into his mate, needing the other man’s strength, if just
for the moment.

Dante wrapped his arm around Jace’s hip, and they stood
there watching their third hold out her arms and take in the power that made
her stronger than any other person he knew, stronger than she thought she was.

Her hands glowed white as her power radiated from her center
and shot out from her palms. He heard her suck in a breath as she seemed to
push the power out in an arc of lighting so beautiful Jace couldn’t form the
words to describe it.

It wasn’t that the lightning was deadly—because it was—it
was because it had come from deep within Nadie, the idea that the life force
she’d taken from
them
had turned into
something that could protect her.

That in itself made Jace want to fall to his knees and bow
to her greatness.

She pulled back after hitting the tree dead center, and she
wavered on her feet. Jace ran to her, holding her to his chest as she blinked
up at him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice tense.

She smiled dreamily up at him. “That was fun. I don’t think
I’ve hit dead center before. I think you’re my good luck charm.”

He kissed her forehead, not wanting to let her go. Dante
came up to them and cupped her face, turning her to him while Jace still held
her in his arms.

“Did you use too much power, my sprite?” their dragon asked.

She shook her head. “Not too much, but just enough. I’m
about tapped out I think.”

Jace cupped her ass, bringing her closer. “I guess we’ll
have to replenish your source,” he teased.

Nadie threw her head back and laughed. “Oh God, that has to
be the worst pickup line I’ve ever heard.”

Dante chuckled beside them, his hands on each of their
backs, keeping them close. “You obliviously hadn’t heard the lines our angel
friends have used.”

Nadie raised a brow. “I’m going to have to ask Lily and
Jamie it seems.” She’d talked to her friends about what had been going on, but
with everyone’s lives so busy, getting together to talk about more than a few
things at a time seemed almost impossible. The others knew a fight was coming
and would be on their side, but she still missed them.

Jace nuzzled her side. “I wasn’t kidding about the
replenishing thing, but I’ll be more romantic about it.”

She turned her head and bit her lip. “I like the sound of
that, but first, we’re going to go inside, and you’re going to tell us why you
were so worried and drawn when you came out here. And don’t think you can get
out of it, mister.”

He sighed but gripped her hand, leading them into the house.
Dante walked behind them, a quiet storm that Jace feared would rage once the
other man found out what was on Jace’s mind. He didn’t have a choice though.
Jace never had a choice.

And that was the problem.

Jace led them to the living room and pulled away, tucking
his hands in his pockets.

“Tell us,” Dante said, his voice low.

Jace raised his chin. “I’ve been given another assignment.
I’m supposed to leave for the pixie realm in three days. I don’t know how long
I’ll be gone. I don’t know what it entails as they haven’t given me the
information. I’m sorry.”

Nadie frowned at him, and Jace wanted to pull her into his
arms, tell her he was sorry he was going to have to leave her so soon. Dante
didn’t move, didn’t blink, didn’t do anything.

That was scarier than any reaction Jace could have imagined.

A dragon who masked his emotions was a dangerous dragon.

“You can’t get out of it? You’ll have to leave again?” Nadie
walked toward him but didn’t make any move to touch him.

His bear raged at the loss, but he stood there, ready to
take their wrath at leaving them so soon. He shook his head, sadness enveloping
him.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have any control over what they tell me
to do. I go where I’m needed and come back home when I can.”

“Bullshit,” Dante snapped.

Jace met the fire in his dragon’s eyes and growled. “I don’t
have control. I do what I’m told.”

“You’re a fucking idiot, that’s what you are. What the fuck
are we doing here if you’re just going to leave with no contact for what could
be years? I’m pulling in forces to battle the fucking Conclave and you’re just
leaving to deal with their orders. Think about it, Jace. Who give you orders?
The Conclave. They’re trying to separate us. And you’re letting them.”

His bear raged, and he fisted his hands. “I’m not a fucking
puppet, and I
know
it’s the Conclave,
but unlike your summons, the pixies actually need my help.”

“And the pixies are more important than us?” Dante lashed
out. “No, they aren’t. There are a hundred other Mediators that can do this.
Mediators without mates and wars on the horizon. Why didn’t the Conclave ask
them? Because they want you away from us. Well, fuck that. Tell them no. You’re
allowed to, but you’ve always done what you’ve been told because there hasn’t
been a reason not to. Now you have a damned good reason to refuse.”

Jace growled, his head lowered, ready to ram into the
bastard. Did the other man not think Jace would do anything to be with his
mates? How the hell was he supposed to give up his duties, the duties that
would protect an entire realm?

“I can’t be selfish, dragon.”

Nadie stood between them both in an instant, and Jace froze.
“Stop it. Both of you. How is fighting going to help right now? You’re not
being selfish by wanting to go against the Conclave, Jace. It’s fishy timing,
and we all know it. If Dante is right, and there are other Meditators out there
to help the pixies, why can’t one of them take it? Have you ever taken a
break?”

Jace snarled.

“You don’t scare me, grizzly,” Nadie shot back. “Don’t snarl
at me.”

“No, he’s never taken a break,” Dante spat. “We lost years
because he was stuck in that fucking realm and now look at us. We’re fighting
again. We could have lost everything because of your job and Nadie would’ve
been hurt because of it.”

Jace staggered back at the words. “You still blame me?” he
asked, and the anger leached out of him. Gods, he didn’t deserve the two in
front of him, and now the others knew it.

****

 
“Dante!” Nadie
yelled before stepping on the coffee table so she could cup Jace’s face. “Don’t
listen to him. You know I don’t blame you. I don’t even blame Dante for keeping
everything from me for all those years.” She glared over her shoulder at the
dragon who looked as if he’d break at any moment.

“Shit, Jace, I didn’t mean that. I…”

Jace pulled away from Nadie. “What the fuck are we doing?
We’re fighting over things we can’t control and lashing out like we don’t even
know each other. Maybe that’s the problem though. We
don’t
know each other.”

Nadie slapped him. Hard. “Get control of yourself, ass.” She
pulled her hand to her chest, the sting surprising her. “Jesus. Now I’m hitting
people. We need to take a step back and calm down.”

Jace blinked at her then cupped her face. “That was a very
dominant thing to do, love. You can hit me any time you think I’m acting like
an idiot.”

“She’ll be hitting you often then,” Dante mumbled.

She looked over her shoulder and held her arm out. “Get over
here, you big brute. Now the three of us are going to calmly talk about this
because lashing out with accusations and slapping people won’t help.” She
blushed and kissed Jace’s cheek. “I’m sorry.”

He turned his face, kissing her palm. “Don’t be. I was so
surprised you actually did it that it brought me out of my funk.”

Dante gripped Nadie by the hips and brought her to his
chest. “I’m sorry, sprite.” He kissed her neck and wrapped her arms around him.

“It’s okay, my dragon. Now let’s sit down and talk like we
should have done in the beginning.”

“Jace, you can get out of that duty, you and I both know
it,” Dante said as he settled onto the couch, Nadie in his lap. She picked her
legs up and settled them on Jace, wanting the connection.

Jace closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Yeah, I can.
Maybe. It will be a huge slap in the Conclave’s face. I’m not that old, and
honestly, it’s usually the older ones who get out of doing things like this.”

“But do the younger ones have true halves?” Nadie asked.