Page 41 of Winter's Dragons. Frozen Flames
The furnishings in the chamber remained sparse, but my nisse had brought three beds in before it had become obvious that they wouldn't be necessary. We picked one at random—Kerryn's, judging by the small smile that popped up on his face—and collapsed onto the mattress. I was too tired to move a muscle, but I didn't protest when my dragons freed me from my clothes. Honestly, I needed a bath too, but the likelihood of me having the energy to drag myself into one anytime soon seemed slim at best.
It did not matter, because being with my dragons like this was comforting and cleansing in itself. As they slid into bed next to me, just as nude as I was, I unashamedly curled against Raijin's chest. "You know, I should be mad at you for conspiring with my sisters," I mumbled. "You're supposed to be on my side."
"We are, treasure," Kerryn replied in Raijin's stead. "As evidenced by our current presence in the bed you occupy."
I laughed lightly and relaxed in my dragons' warm embrace. Despite our nakedness, it wasn't really sexual, but it didn't have to be. For the moment, the simple proximity between our bodies was more than enough, and I allowed myself to drift into slumber.
When I opened my eyes once again, I was near the riverbank of the Amethyst, on the hill where my sisters and I used to play as children. A small, brown-haired girl sat in the grass in front of me, curiously poking a flower and making the bloom open and close with her magic.
I knelt next to her, watching her work in silence. She looked up at me, her bright green gaze reminding me of everything I had lost."Snegurka isn't gone," my other self said. "She'll come back to finish what she started."
"I know, but my dragons are right. I can't lose hope and forget the gift I was granted. I believe in the bond I share with them."
"I can't argue with that," she said with a brief quirk of her lips. "We're pretty lucky, aren't we? To have found something so special with them."
She uprooted the flower and for the first time, I noticed its petals were now lined with frost. Crimson liquid started to drip down the stem as if the bloom was crying blood. "But you also need to remember the consequences of your mistakes."
All of a sudden, the beautiful, cloudless sky above us started to grow darker. My ten-year-old self turned paler, silver trickling into her hair and blue consuming the green of her irises. She shot me one last, sad smile, reached forward and pushed.
The next thing I knew, I was jerking awake in my bed, or rather the bed which I had temporarily appropriated and had been sharing with my dragons. As always, my soulmates were by my side and instantly noticed something was amiss.
"Treasure?" Emmerich asked, tentatively brushing his palm over my bare shoulder. "Is everything all right?"
"Yes," I answered, rubbing my eyes to chase away the vestiges of the dream. "I just had a nightmare."
Raijin took my hand and gently kissed my knuckles. His soft, gentle magic trickled into my body, bathing me in waves of soothing affection. "Is there anything we can do?" he asked.
They were already doing plenty, simply by being there. It was unreasonable to ask for more. Even so, I couldn't help myself.
"Kiss me. I want to be with you."
It was selfish and a little foolish, but hadn't I admitted with my own mouth to Snegurka that I was a foolish, selfish person? In a little while, I'd have to focus on helping my people once again, into finding a solution for everything that had gone wrong and making a decision regarding the fates of the people who had betrayed me. But for now, would it be so bad if I allowed myself to steal a moment of pleasure and togetherness with my soulmates?
My dragons didn't seem to think so. Kerryn moved first, pulling me into his lap and gently brushing his mouth against my own. There was something sweet, almost reverential about his touch, about his tender, strong embrace. His hold was solid enough to anchor me while still granting me complete freedom of motion, and in that perfect balance, I saw my entire relationship with my dragons and everything they wanted to give me.
Raijin and Emmerich soon joined in, their hands traveling over the naked expanse of my back, through my hair and over my shoulders. I shivered and let out a small gasp, all the while pressing my naked breasts against Kerryn's chest. He took advantage of the opportunity I had granted him to thrust his tongue into my mouth. As I surrendered to the passion he and my other two soulmates offered, I well and truly knew that I would never be alone again, nor would I forget it.
