Dripping fire, p.12
Dripping Fire, page 12
He looked at the bill that the Omega Centre was presenting him with for maintaining her. It was less than expected, but then, they did a lot of their scans on site. The casts and therapy were done at the larger hospital in the city, but the scans had all been done at a satellite lab owned by the centre.
He didn’t blame the Wills, but he was glad that Alita told him to talk to the Omega Centre. He would have to pay them regardless, but adding the payment to her family, he could now make it more for the things Alita had had to leave behind. Like the horses.
He thumbed her phone open again and checked the contacts. She had answered a query from Ford about wanting to see how flexible her hips were for a video for a new band that he was working with. He wanted her to dance.
Nikolai smiled as he imagined that scenario and grinned.
“What is that smile for? Someone ends up naked when you smile like that.” Alexi was wary.
“Ford wants Alita to try a few dance routines for him. I am thinking of getting her to audition for us as a practice.”
He chuckled. “You think she would?”
“The closer she gets to a heat, the more likely it is. The dragon says we have eight days, but that could change after treatment runs its course.”
“Good. We can get past Grigory’s birthday party and use the impending heat to cut the evening short.” Alexi smiled.
“What? Don’t you like my family?” Nikolai was laughing.
“You know that I love you, but your family has always considered me an unnecessary distraction. I was the beta in your bed when you should have been omega hunting.”
“Well, we have the omega now, and she holds to you just as tightly as she does to me, which is good because if she is insatiable now, she is going to be ravenous later.” Niko smirked. “The dragon is offering to take the brunt of it.”
“Oh geez. That is both heartening and terrifying. I haven’t known him to want to be out this much.”
“He has never had his own princess to care for. He’s... excited.”
“How does he know about princesses and stuff?”
Nikolai rubbed the back of his neck. “He talked to Jack’s dragon. Jack’s dragon talked to a different dragon. One day, I am going to talk to a young male alpha dragon, and my dragon will speak to his. That’s how we pass this stuff along. And how we learn to fly and develop the larger dragon.”
Alexi chuckled. “I can hardly imagine you giving a young man proper instruction on how to find a princess.”
“I won’t be doing shit. The dragon does it all.”
“It’s still a cute idea.” Alexi yawned and checked the time. “Wow. Close to midnight.”
“Oh, wow. We had best get to bed. I don’t want Alita getting lonely. She needs to learn how it feels to share space at night.”
Alexi gathered their devices to set them on their chargers upstairs. They headed up the steps, and when Nikolai opened the bedroom doors, the bed was there, and Alita was not.
“Ah, fuck. I am going to send him to look for her. He says he can find her quickly.”
Alexi nodded, and Niko stepped out of his sweats, and then, he shifted into what he thought of as his indoor dragon. The dragon scented the air and quickly headed up to the skylight nest. At first, he didn’t see anyone, but then, the pile of throws shifted, and a pale little foot poked out.
He chuckled silently, and her shifting halted. He nosed his way under the blankets and up her body. She smelled like honey, clover, and soap. He wanted her sweaty, but she needed sleep.
“Princess. You should not sleep alone.”
She squirmed under him. “It was cold, and the bed was too big.”
“That will be remedied, princess. Come with me.”
He flicked her little cocoon away with his wings.
She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She was glorious. Pale skin, pink nipples, and long waves of hair for him to tangle himself in. He shook himself. Time for that later.
“Come along, princess. Hold onto my wing.”
She got to her feet and took hold of the top fold of his wing, and he led her out of the high nest and down the steps until they were on the floor with the bedrooms. He walked her to the largest room where Alexi had finished with all the electronics in a cupboard, and he led her to the bed. “Get in, princess. Niko will be with you in a moment.”
She nodded and crawled back into her original position, her pert bottom made him growl, and he wanted nothing more than to crawl in with her, but that wasn’t the agreement with Niko. “Sleep well, princess.”
Niko got possession of the body back, and he flexed his fingers as Alita started shivering in his bed. He leaned forward and kissed her shoulder. “Back after I have brushed my teeth.”
She nodded and tried to pull more blankets around her. Niko made it quick, and Alexi was already cuddling up with Alita, and she was burrowing into him. Niko turned off the lights and climbed in behind Alita. She was trembling but relaxed when he turned her head toward him. He opened his mouth over hers and spilled fire into her until she whimpered. She gripped his arms and held on as he continued until she began to sag in his arms. He cut the flow of mate fire off, and she gasped in air. Her eyes were glowing for a minute before she snuggled against him. She turned toward him and away from Alexi.
Niko softly said, “Hah!”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t have to wear a giant lizard to get her here.” Alexi grinned.
Alita snuffled softly and slid her leg over his hip. “My alpha.”
Niko smiled. “My omega.”
She reached back and gripped Alexi’s arm. “My beta.”
Alexi’s expression got smug as well. “My omega.” He moved in closer, and she was pressed in between them.
Alexi buried his face in her hair and inhaled deeply. “Honey and clover. Our very own omega.”
Niko smiled and slept.
* * * *
At five in the morning, Alita was awake. She looked over at Niko and Alexi, asleep in each other’s arms. It was adorable, but she was hungry. She shivered and slid out of bed, tiptoeing out of the room carefully and into her bedroom. She had a worn cotton robe and put it on before heading down to the kitchen.
She hoped she was allowed to cook because she didn’t want to try and wedge her way in between them. That looked like a tough exercise, and frankly, she needed coffee first.
She got the coffee going in the ridiculously expensive machine and rummaged in the fridge for the makings of breakfast.
* * * *
Alexi lifted his head. “Do you smell bacon?”
Niko groaned and rolled over. “What time is it?”
“Quarter to six. Shit. Where’s Alita?”
Niko ran his hand over his face. “I think she is with the bacon.”
Soft footfalls got closer, and Alita came in in a threadbare robe, and she walked past the bed to set a heavy tray on the bed near their feet. Wonderful smells were coming from the plates on the tray.
Alexi grinned and snagged the bacon. “I am suddenly a fan of early rising.”
Niko looked at her. “You didn’t have to make us breakfast.”
“Shut up, Niko. Yes, she did.”
Alita laughed. “I was hungry, so I made breakfast, and it is as easy to cook for three as for one. Sorry. I know it is early, but I was hungry, and there are no horses to take care of, and I was cold, so...” She shrugged and walked to the cupboard where her phone was charged, and she smiled. “Enjoy breakfast.”
Alexi watched as she darted into the room next door, and he heard her jump on the bed. He grinned. There were rules to that room, and she was either issuing an invitation, or she had forgotten. Either way, he would finish his food and start the morning properly.
Niko frowned. “Cold? Why would she be cold?”
“Around two in the morning, you lifted me over her and turned your back to her. She huddled against you, but I guess you moved away.”
Niko grimaced. “Shit.”
“Hey, don’t worry, it was the first night, and she knows she’s wanted.” He smiled and shouted, “You know you are wanted, right, Alita?”
There was a pause, and she said, “Yeah, we are good.”
Niko looked slightly less irritated, but it wasn’t until Alexi taunted him with a piece of bacon at his mouth that he cracked a grin.
“Fine, but I am going to have to do better.”
Alexi cocked his head. “Maybe we need to switch locations? You did give her a lot of nests. They aren’t just for fucking. They are for her comfort. They are warm, soft, and what she needs to have a good night’s sleep. We might find them just as comfortable. We can also load our bed with all the extra throws and cuddly fabrics, or are you hung up on having a masculine bed?”
Niko snorted. “No. Are you?” He ate as they talked.
“Well, as we aren’t going to be inviting anyone else into it... I say we pimp it out and make it a nest with some of the extra fabrics and pillows and see if she takes to it.” Alexi grinned. “If she sleeps in tomorrow, it’s a win.”
“We are going to need a housekeeper. I don’t want Alita thinking she has to clean up after us every minute of the day.”
Alexi frowned. “We aren’t that bad.”
“We had sex in six different rooms of the house with her yesterday, and we had just met. So... a housekeeper is in order.” Niko nodded as they finished off the food, and he grabbed a cup of coffee. It was so strong that his hair nearly stood on end. “Good god. What is in that?”
Alexi was blinking. “I think I can see out of the top of my head.”
There was a giggle from the room next door.
Alexi set the cup back on the tray and got out of bed to walk through the door to the adjoining room.
There was a lump under the duvet, and that is where the giggling was coming from. He walked over to her and pulled the bedding back. She blinked up at him owlishly. “Oh, morning, Alexi.”
He grinned. “Why are you giggling?”
“I am reading. It’s funny.” She shrugged.
He crawled onto the bed with her. “What are you reading?”
“Uh, you really don’t wanna know.”
“Oh, but I do.”
She bit her lip and mumbled, “Monster erotica.”
Alexi was stumped. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. I have an extensive collection. It is arousing and hilarious.”
Niko spoke from the door. “Any dragons in there?”
“One or two, or possibly twelve, but they always look like people in bed. Very boring.”
Niko stalked toward them, and Alexi made room. “Hm. I believe I owe you some more dragon fire.”
She held up a hand. “I thought you guys had stuff to do today.”
Alexi grinned. “We weren’t even going to wake up for two hours. We have time to play.”
He moved over her and kissed her, setting her phone aside. They started to play, and when Niko joined them, they moved together until the tension exploded, and they lay together sweating and resetting their senses as they discussed who was going to get up first. Alexi was in heaven, she was hot, slick, and tight, and the tiny noises she made when he moved inside her made him feel like a conqueror.
Niko chuckled. “You are on top, Alexi. You have to go first.”
“I don’t want to go. I want to stay right here.”
“We can come back, Alexi. I am sure that there will be other early mornings when she invites us in.”
“Do not use the words come and back right now. Please,” she muttered from between them, “I think they might turn literal if he pulls out too fast.”
They both laughed, and Alexi pulled out slowly then headed to the warm water and towels that Nikolai had brought in.
Alexi smiled as he cleaned up, and they softly separated with light kisses. There should have been a flood when they came apart, but it was a slow trickle that made Alexi marvel. Niko was huge, but she was still tight enough to keep most of his cum in her. That was one of the proofs that she was an omega, and they had gotten lucky. Very lucky.
He would be working in the studio today. Niko was out doing things for their thunder. Alexi helped Alita get tidied up with warm water and fresh cloths.
Alita asked, “What are we called when we are all mated?”
Niko walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her belly. “A thunder. We are almost a thunder.”
“While you are out, can I go and visit Olivia?”
“You want to talk to Ford about the video.”
She nodded. “I do.”
“Invite them here. There is a lovely rear yard, and you can see the stable from the house. You can inspect it before your herd arrives.”
“Do you mean the horses or the omegas?”
He kissed her neck. “Yes.”
Alexi chuckled. “I will be here in case Ford and Olivia want to move in to get away from his mansion, pool, and sound system.”
She stretched into Niko, leaning back against him. “I would think they would occasionally want to scrape off their alphas. Seems like it can be a nasty infestation if you aren’t careful.”
Alita jumped as Niko smacked her ass. Alexi laughed and said, “We can put some cream on that.”
Her eyes widened, and she squealed as she was tackled back to bed, and they did everything to make their infestation felt for the rest of the day.
Chapter Twelve
Ford and Olivia arrived at ten, and they had snacks on the rear patio.
Alita served coffee and tea and then wondered if the scones and jam were too much. Olivia stuffed her face. “These are so good. Can you show me how to make them?”
Ford snorted. “Yeah, because I want to weigh three thousand pounds.”
Alita smiled. “You don’t want a calorie count on that. You are going to have to burn off a ton with Argus.”
“Are you talking to Olivia or me?”
Alita smiled and sipped her coffee innocently. “Yes.”
They all burst into laughter.
She chatted with her friends, and Ford told her about all of the possible videos for her to belly dance in. “I don’t want my face seen.”
Ford snorted. “Why not?”
Alita sighed. “Once upon a time, I was a sought-after omega. I had offers. I was going to interviews, and I had made up my mind on a pack that would take me in and let me be a proper omega. When the first video hit the net, my parents started getting queries about my availability. They had no idea I was featured in the videos as anything but a rider. They watched the video, and they got worried. Then, Nikolai and Alexi showed up, and they were petrified. I am pretty sure that money changed hands seven years ago, and my family has been requested to honour that payment.”
Olivia winced.
Ford nodded. “Yeah, an omega with a figure like yours with a desire to please her alphas and not a lot else would be tempting.”
Olivia frowned. “That is not all she is good at.”
Alita smiled. “He’s right. All I want is to please my alpha and keep him calm, ride my horses, and read romances of all heat levels. Not much else. The dancing is fun, but that pleases other people, not me. It was a means of therapy for my broken body. It worked, and I was able to regain a range of motion I didn’t think I could achieve. But I don’t do it for me beyond the exercise.”
Ford sighed. “I thought you enjoyed it.”
“Well, I sort of do when Niko and Alexi are watching, but then, it is less dancing and more foreplay.” She blushed and mumbled the last into her coffee.
Olivia chuckled. “Well, no matter why you do it, you are amazing at it. Ford has gotten a ton of lists of songs that folks want to see you dance to. Some of the ren faire folks have seen you dance, and they are asking for you by name. Good thing Ford’s office is filtering most of the crazies.”
Ford looked her over. “If I play a few, can you try to dance to one or two?”
“Fine, but I have to hear them all the way first before I can dance.” She grabbed a scone from the dwindling pile. “Go ahead.”
He grinned. “This is just one they want me to get the rights to so you can dance to it. Do you remember Hi-gura?”
“Barely. That was seventeen years ago. I loved their songs, though.”
He played a song, and she listened to it while tapping her fingers on the table. She felt the soft smile drift over her lips. “They were amazing.”
“Their music still is.”
Olivia’s eyes were wide. “I haven’t heard that music before. It makes me want to dance.”
Ford nodded. “The magic of the drummer. She wasn’t in the car that night. She just disappeared.”
Alita’s eyes narrowed. “And no one knows her name. Even on the album, she was listed as The Drummer.”
Olivia blinked. “Nothing else. No trace of her?”
Ford shook his head as the song ended and another kicked off. “No. No trace of her. The guess has always been that she was a family friend who helped the band get started and who had other obligations. A thousand conspiracy theories, and no one really knows who she was or where she went. There were a lot of interested parties trying to find her. She was probably going to be the best drummer of her generation.”
Alita blinked. “When did she disappear?”
“She was last seen in her mask at a holiday party. It is said that she never took it off.” He picked up his phone and punched up an image. “Here she was.”
Alita looked at the woman with the waist-length cascade of brown hair, a glossy black mask on her features, and a figure that was exaggerated by the pleating of fabric that wrapped around her. She wore a corset with two drumstick tips jutting out of the top. Alita wasn’t expecting recognition, but she knew that woman, though she was older now. She had seen her three years earlier... at a faire.
Ford blinked. “What’s that face?”
“Well, I have a few guesses as to why she disappeared, but it isn’t your business or mine, for that matter.”
“Oh, my god. You know who it is?” Olivia was eating another scone.
