The Cambion's Hoard

Preface—Hi all! I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, please let me know what you think.

Much love,

R.A.

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I snuggled down into the blanket's Henson had brought from home for me. It was much too cold in the room. I'd heard one of the nurses laugh about the amount he'd brought. They seemed surprised I needed them. I slept with two very warm men, I liked the heat.

A gentle knock drew my attention to the door. "Come in."

Patti pushed open the door. She looked tired, much like I felt. "Hi, sweetheart."

"Hi. How are you feeling?"

She laughed. "How am I feeling? Child you're the one in the hospital."

Patti sat down in the chair between the beds. "How's our boy looking?"

I glanced at Biggs. His body was still save for the ventilator assisting his breathing. "They believe he'll recover. The one thing concerning them is the rate of healing. It's slower than they would like."

Patti bobbed her head. "The boy ripped out his organs! Of course he is healing slow."

She was right, Biggs had done so much damage. I rubbed my chest.

"Does your chest feel heavy?" Patti turned the chair and faced me.

I nodded my head. "I don't understand, even when I've been sick it's never felt like this."

"Its because of the soul tethering. You are feeling the weight of an additional soul." She reached out and took my hand. "I know you have questions. That's why I came by, I want to help you understand what is going to happen."

I took a deep breath. "What's going to happen to Biggs? Is he, is he safe with me?"

"Oh honey, he is in the safest place he can be. If Henson had been here, I would have tied Biggs to him. You two are his better halves." Patti squeezed my hand. Her smile was soft and warm. "I reached out to a friend of mine that has tethered before, numerous times. It's her specialty. She said that the longer souls are tethered the more entangled you become."

My heart dropped a little. "Entangled? That's bad right?"

"Not necessarily. You two are going to be closer and be much more in tune with each other. In your case it will be more like Thatcher and you. The two of you feel each other's emotions deeply. Biggs has two of you to focus on, and since he's been with Henson for so long, they are already intensely connected. With the rough start of your bond this unexpected situation will help you. Plus, your bond with Henson may finally become a tangible thing like the one you have with the twins.

"However, as the two of you...blend, you'll notice quite a few changes in yourself too. Since your succubus abilities have been dormant this might begin to awaken them. It might benefit you to talk to your father and Sly."

"How is that going to affect all of us? I don't want to work at the club, am I going to have to?" I respected my father's business; he planned on having me run it at some point. Having to take clients on too, I didn't think I could handle it. My relationships with my mates mean the world to me.

"Its going to make things interesting for a while. I doubt you'll need to feed your appetite with strangers, you have three men to satisfy your needs. Since two of them are dragons, I don't think bringing more people into the relationship is necessary. They have similar appetites to you, and they are even more possessive than you are as a succubus." She sat for a moment and let me process what she had said.

I didn't want more people. I had the people I needed. They each filled needs that had gone unfulfilled before. They made me feel things too. Protected, cared for, loved. I felt so loved with them. Each man gave me time, time they had shared with each other. I was accepted by them, wanted, and needed. Yet, something was gnawing away at the back of my mind.

"Patti, when the shit hit the fan the other night, what did I do to Biggs?" Henson had tried to calm him down and yet only I had been able too.

She let me go and leaned back. The softness that her features usually held hardened slightly. "I want you to understand first and foremost, you did NOTHING wrong. Nothing. What is happening with the four of you is unique and evolving rapidly. So, what I'm about to say is purely informational. You can discuss it with them later.

"You are a succubus. Your species has unique dietary requirements. Before those urges were allowed to run rampant and demons evolved means to satisfy them. Including persuasion. It helped their victims relinquish their hold on consent. What you did was let the dragon relinquish control. That part of Biggs was fighting for his life. You helped him realize that all of you were only trying to help him."

"Do you know have I done something like this before? I mean I don't know if I have, I wouldn't have recognized the signs." I would never want them to experience the feeling of helplessness.

Patti tapped her knee, her vision went in and out of focus as she traveled the void. After a moment she regarded me with a calm expression. "Yes, you helped Biggs tell his family he was intersex. You bolstered his courage to tell them how he was feeling, how scared he was. You also helped Thatcher stand up to their mother. You knew he wanted to be strong, and you gave him the strength he needed to tell her how he felt."

She leaned over and took my hand in hers. "Rose, you are special. Cambions are such unique beings. You're going to grow and become an exceptional woman. With your abilities finally awakening, its going to change so many things. You are a catalyst for change with in your family. Not only your mates, but your parents. Please believe me when I say what is going to happen because of this tethering is going to be nothing short of miraculous."

"You'll help me through it?"

"We all will, honey." Patti squeezed my hand.

The door opened, Thatcher and a nurse came in. "Oh, hi Patti. Am I interrupting?"

Patti smiled. "No, we're talking about things you could probably do with hearing. Come in and join us."

Thatcher went over to Biggs's bed, leaned over and kissed his forehead. My heart squeezed, I hadn't witnessed many tender moments between the two. While it was sad, it warmed my heart.

He stood straight and came to my other side. Sitting on the bed and pulling me against him. "Well what are we discussing?"

Patti smiled her all knowing smile. "How your mate is going to change the world. Well that and how last nights events were the catalyst to her evolution."

Thatcher squeezed me. "Sounds terrifying, were to we begin?"

I leaned into his body. "Yeah, what is going to change in me?"

Patti's smile didn't fade. "Everything."