Her Elemental Dragons: The Complete Series

The elementals were escorted back to the palace by the Silver Guard, where our staff began taking care of them immediately. The few cultists we captured were dragged off for interrogation, but I doubted they’d give us much information. Varek left to try and track down the Unseen’s leader, while the rest of us returned to our quarters in the palace.

As we entered our communal area, I slumped down on the sofa, feeling defeated. Yes, we’d rescued three of the elementals, but we’d failed to save the fourth, and everything I’d seen and heard tonight had left me shaken.

“I need to contact my parents and tell them we know why the elementals are going missing,” I said.

“I can’t believe the Unseen would go to these lengths,” Parin said, shaking his head. “It’s barbaric.”

Zain sat on the sofa beside me, moving stiffly. “People will do many things to gain power. Especially when they feel they have none.”

“Are you all right?” I asked, noting the way he held his side.

“I’m fine.”

“Let me see,” I demanded. “If you’re injured, I can heal you.”

He moved his hand, and it came away bloody, but he shrugged. “One of the Unseen had a large knife.”

Carth rolled his eyes. “That’s why you use your magic to keep them away.”

“I was trying not to burn the entire place down a second time,” Zain said. “Fire is different from air or water or even earth. You need precise control. You can’t just throw it around and hope for the best.”

“He does have a point,” Erroh said.

“Nice to see you’ve learned something in your training sessions,” Parin muttered.

I rose to my feet. “Let’s go into my quarters. The rest of you, get me some cloths and a bowl of water.”

Zain stood and winced, and I took his hand and practically dragged him onto the bed, after setting down a towel underneath him.

‘Off with your shirt,” I ordered.

Zain leaned back on my pillows. ‘You’re bossy when someone is injured.”

When he unlaced his shirt too slowly, I grew impatient and reached over to help. Even though I was worried about him, I couldn’t help but enjoy the sight as I bared his chest. He was exquisite, his body toned from being a guard at the Fire Temple.

As soon as I saw the cut on his side, my focus went entirely to it. He winced as I prodded it, but didn’t make a peep. ‘It’s long and deep. I bet it hurts a lot.”

‘I’ve had more enjoyable nights, it’s true,’ Zain said in a clenched tone.

“Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

“It was more important for you to heal the elementals.”

Pressing my hand to the wound, I sent healing life energy into it. While I did, Parin and Erroh returned with some cloths, while Carth brought me a bowl of water. I sent them away after that so I could concentrate.

Under my care, the injury slowly disappeared. When I was finished, I grabbed the cloth and carefully cleaned the blood off of Zain. ‘Here,’ I held out my hand. ‘Sit up, let’s get this shirt off to be cleaned. It’s covered in your blood.”

‘I can do it now.” Zain sat up without difficulty and shrugged the torn shirt off his shoulders. ‘But the shirt is ruined.’

‘I can’t heal it as easily as I did you,’ I told him with a smile.

“Thank you.” Zain leaned forward and took the cloth from me, throwing it into the basin. He put his hands on my shoulders. His lips neared mine, and I couldn’t slow the race of my heart.

My healing must’ve been effective because he pulled me close and rolled us, so I was suddenly on my back on the bed, with him looming over me. His mouth came down on mine hard and his tongue tangled with mine. When he pulled back, I was breathless and hot with desire. The evidence of his arousal was pressed into my core too. He pushed it harder against me, and I moaned and arched up against him.

‘We can’t do this until we get to the temple,’ I whispered.

He flexed his hips and his hard length rubbed against me, pressing into my little nub that was so eager for his attention. My moan turned breathy and I spread my legs, giving him more access to grind against me, even as I said, ‘This can’t go any further. We don’t know if the Gods would be angered.’

‘The Gods have deserted us, have they not?’ he replied, then to my shock and delight, sank his teeth into my neck just enough to harden my nipples pressed against his chest.

I was seconds from giving in when the door was flung open. Carth bounded into the room. ‘Break it up, you two. No naughty business until we get to the Fire Temple.’

The others followed him inside, and Zain and I reluctantly broke apart. My mates all draped themselves on my bed like they belonged there, except Parin, who stood apart with his arms crossed. He still didn’t feel like one of us.

“We need to talk about your actions earlier,” he said.

“What do you mean?” I asked, sitting up and trying to ignore the wetness between my legs.

“You were pretty reckless at the meeting,” Erroh said.

“I had to stop them from killing another elemental!” I glanced between them. “Do you not agree?”

“Of course we do,” Carth said. “They had to be stopped. But we were split up from you and couldn’t protect you.”

Zain took my chin in his hand. ‘If you ever do something like that again without a second thought to your own well-being again, I’ll…’

I arched one eyebrow. ‘You’ll what?’

“Yeah, what will you do?” Carth asked with a grin. “Turn her over your knee and give her a spanking?”

Erroh doubled over laughing. “No, she might enjoy that too much.”

I rolled my eyes, even as heat flared between my thighs. Welcome to life with four mates. “I appreciate your desire to protect me, but don’t forget I’ve spent my entire life training for this role under the current Dragons. I can handle myself in combat.”

Parin cleared his throat and shifted like he was uncomfortable. “We need to figure out a plan for dealing with the Unseen.”

“Varek is trying to get more information for us,” I said. “He proved to be trustworthy tonight, so we have to believe he will continue helping us. I will send a message to my mother about the kidnapped elementals too.”

“We should continue to the Fire Temple,” Zain said, and gave me a heated look. “It’s more important than ever for us to be at our full strength now.”

I nodded, and swallowed my desire before it overwhelmed me. “We’ll leave tomorrow.”