A Way to a Dragon’s Heart (8 page)

Chapter Nine

Kryssa left a smiling Kathleen in the main kitchen and walked through the dual doors into the smaller test kitchen. At the sound of water on tile, her steps sped up and she crossed the kitchen and rounded the wall of the
emergency
walk-in shower at a jog. What she found brought her up short.

The remains of soap bubbles swirled at their feet, evidence that the washing portion of the festivities had passed to leave them to make out in peace. She tried to think about backing out, but neither instinct nor reason lent a hand. She sprouted roots, lost in watching them glide against each other, golden skin nearly bronze beneath the water spilling from the rainfall faucet above them.

Caleb’s usual wheat-colored locks looked nearly as dark as Xander’s hair as he kissed the slightly taller man. Droplets cascaded over an abundance of taut flesh and sculpted muscle, and Kryssa’s eyesight shifted along the spectrum of light watching them in, literally, all their glory.

“Kryssa.”

Her name flowed in Caleb’s brandy-and-honey tenor and snapped her from the pure pleasure of observation back into the here and now. “Caleb.” She inhaled, and the sudden spike of arousal pheromones flowing across her palate knocked her back mentally. The scent and strength said full Therian in a way it hadn’t just a few months ago. When Xander’s scent rose in answer, she had to put a hand out to steady herself. “Wow, I thought I couldn’t move a second ago.”

Caleb reached out and turned the water off. “I’m sorry. I don’t have complete control just yet.”

Kryssa shook her head. “Oh no, I’m the one that walked into the emergency shower because I thought there might be an actual
emergency
. If I had turned around instead of stopping to admire all the naked goodness, it never would have happened.”

“You’re still admiring the…
naked goodness,
” he pointed out.

“True and your appreciation of my appreciation is becoming rapidly evident. I’m going to pretend that I’m going to turn around now, and as we know that’s going to fail, you should probably both go ahead and grab a towel.”

Xander laughed and looked between them. “Just to be clear, you’re not going to turn around and you’re leaving it up to
Caleb
to make a gesture of modesty and grab a towel? We are in so much trouble.”

Caleb took a step towards her. “You really can’t turn around, can you?”

“You sound so happy about it.” Kryssa stopped, and her jaw dropped as everything clicked. She shook her head with a smile. “No, I really can’t turn around.” She took her own step forward. “Well, it’s more like I don’t want to and have no inclination to force myself.” She looked at Xander. “It’s what I think it is, right?” Her gaze moved to Caleb. “You’re coming out of Dormancy; you can shift now.”

Caleb’s face lit up and he nodded. “You’re my first Witness.” He laughed. “I’ve never captured anyone with Therian wiles before.”

“Oh my gods, Caleb, this is wonderful!” Sentiment trumped pheromones or modesty, whatever that was, and Kryssa closed the distance between them and threw her arms around him. “I can’t tell you how happy I am for you.”

“Thank you.” He spun her around and laughed. “You’re welcome to show me if want. It would be my kind of gift.” He set her down and gave a throaty laugh. “Ooh, your scales are changing colors.”

“It’s an arousal pattern,” Xander supplied. “She’s fertile and receptive too. I paid close attention yesterday.” He laughed.

“Way to be helpful, Xander, thank you.” Kryssa looked between them and caught the eagerness in their smiles. They stood receptive and waiting. It all came down to her.

The day had started out hot, and she’d only worn a tank top, shorts and sandals. She could be naked in a few breaths. If she kissed Caleb and reached for Xander, it would all just unfold without talking it to death or over-thinking anything. An honest, joyful celebration of a friend coming into his full Therianhood so many years after most who ever would, did. How many times had she idly imagined this scenario? Kryssa shuddered in Caleb’s embrace at the cascade of remembered images.

Caleb leaned in and inhaled alone the curve of her neck. “Kryssa, are you okay?”

“What’s wrong?” Xander touched her back and stepped into them.

“Shh,” she replied. “I’m deciding if we’re about to have sex. It’s a balance between following the natural flow and being responsible in acknowledging that the two of you haven’t come down from each other yet. I have to decide whether or not the fantasy aspect outweighs the potential complications.”

Caleb lifted his head. “I vote yes.”

“Me too,” Xander agreed.

“Don’t try to throw me off by stating the obvious. Let me think.”

A sound slipped from Caleb halfway between a laugh and a sigh. “The fact you have to think is an answer in and of itself.”

Kryssa looked up at him. “Maybe, but you say that while still holding onto me.”

“I’m coming down from the pheromones; I’m sober, not stupid. You’re in thin cotton that’s already soaked through in places; you might as well be naked. Only an idiot would let go before you said so.”

“I concur,” Xander said at her back.

Kryssa laughed. They had a point. “Agreed, but we can’t just stand here like this because it’s vicariously fulfilling. Time to fish or cut bait and I think the fish gets away this time.”

Both men groaned but gave no resistance when she stepped from between them. She grabbed two towels and held them out. As if rehearsed both took them and began drying their hair. She couldn’t help but laugh. “What all did I miss during the conference call that has you two like this?”

“Hmm.” Caleb wrapped the towel around his hips. “You missed a fight, make-up sex, I-missed-you sex, I-have-something-to-tell-you sex. What am I forgetting?”

“The shower,” Xander answered, securing his own towel in place.

“Yes, and some mutual I-can’t-believe-you-said-that hand-play in the shower. Oh, and Xander said yes.”

She looked to Xander. “You said yes? You signed the contract?”

“I didn’t get the chance to sign. Make-up sex interrupted before I could. But I did say yes.”

She threw her arms around him, relieved and moved in a way that caught her completely off-guard.

“I’m so happy I could just jump up and down.” She bounced on the balls of her feet with the words.

“Krys, please.” He clinched her tight. “It’s a towel, not a magic shield. I’m still kind of overwhelmed by both of you and bouncing up against me does nothing to bring me back to reason and responsibility.”

“Sorry.” She let him go, and he eased his arms from around her. “Let’s step out of the shower into fresher air and, well, clothes.”

She led the way and stopped. “Wait.” She turned and placed her left hand on Caleb’s chest over his heart. “You have Awakened, and here in this place, I have Witnessed your prowess and virility, your power and vulnerability, and although worthy from the day you were born, in this now I deem you magnificent in your newfound glory.”

Caleb closed his eyes and moisture that had nothing to do with the shower clung to his lashes. “I know the words, but I never thought I’d hear them.” He opened his eyes. “Can I kiss you?”

“When you’re safely dressed, yes.” Her smile broke wide. “But you can hug me and we’ll see if your towel stays on.”

He gripped her in an embrace that took Kryssa from her feet. She wrapped her legs around his waist and let him walk them into the test kitchen and hopefully wherever they left their clothes.

He set her on her feet just outside the archway of the tiny work station area, every square inch eaten up by the desk, chair, couch and file cabinet that differentiated it from the kitchen portion of his office. The room held the scents of sex mingled with those of caramel apples and pie crust. It was enough to make Kryssa rethink being responsible. After all, Xander had already said yes, so things between him and Caleb had been squared on the surface. What harm would a little fun bring?

Caleb turned around to pick up his shirt, distracting Kryssa from her train of thought. She stepped forward and touched his back. A speckle pattern in cream, brown and black flowed along Caleb’s spine and along his hips above the towel. “Are the tells permanent or an arousal pattern?”

Caleb looked back at her over his shoulder. “Explore some and find out.” He smiled at her expression. “I don’t know how to shift them away so they’re permanent.” He looked back to his clothes. “Should I put my pants on instead so you can keep looking or should I come by the cabin later to play
fondle mine so I can fondle yours
?”

“Yes and yes.” She brushed her fingers over the markings and placed a reverent kiss on his spine before slipping her arms around him. “They’re beautiful, and the pattern makes me think we have a lot to talk about.” She looked to Xander. “Did you take the tour without me?”

His eyes narrowed in question. “Of Caleb or the café? You should clarify.”

“Wow.” She walked around Caleb and looked at them both. “He said café instead of bakery. You really laid it down, didn’t you? I’m saying yes next time.”

Caleb captured his bottom lip between his teeth. “Hmm, it’s never too late. I haven’t found my shoes yet so whenever you’re ready. I’m asking any time you feel like answering.”

His hazel gaze sparkled down at her in hues of leafy greens, chocolate brown and bits of lemon-drop yellow gold at the edges. They held no demand, only open invitation, and she felt part of her rise to the ease of the offer. Kryssa thought back to the kiss six months ago and the moment she realized things would be so simple with Caleb. He’d take what she had to give and be happy with it for what it was. When it passed, he’d still come back to let it be something new. He was the perfect rebound because when it all flamed out spectacularly he’d rise, a phoenix from the ashes, ready for round two with no grudges against the mistakes of round one. It’s just the way Caleb ticked.

She handed him his shirt. “Give me the tour, feed me, let’s talk about his yes, and then we’ll see.”

“That’s as reasonable an offer as you’ll ever get,” Xander informed him.

Caleb nodded. “Fair enough.” He slipped on his shirt and found his shoes. A few moments later he turned to her. “One last thing, the kiss. I’m dressed.”

Kryssa laughed. Perfect and Awakened. His persistent interests and his and Xander’s poly past were either a great gift or a catastrophe waiting to happen. The responsible businesswoman in her ordered caution. The red-blooded Therian in her kissed him like she meant it and simply waited to find out.

Chapter Ten

“See right here.” Kryssa said, tapping the tablet’s touch screen. “I think a photo display on the half wall leading to the patio would be perfect.”

Xander smiled and set their plates on the coffee table. The day in town he’d planned had taken an unexpected turn, but it still rated as perfect. When Caleb couldn’t join them for dinner, the effort to come back to the cabin and change for their four-star meal hadn’t seemed worth it. The scents from a deli shop on their way to the car had given him a new idea. They’d left town with a pan of sliced beef still soaking in its broth, several loaves of Italian bread and a separate pan of au jus for an intimate messy dinner at home.

“That’s where he hung a smaller duplicate of the tapestry on the north wall because he’d run out of images he liked, right?” Xander leaned in to look. “But how do you want to balance the color? Or are you thinking of making it an accent wall?” He plucked his wine glass from the coffee table and leaned back against the couch, turning to face her. They sat on the floor, their minor feast spread out before them and candlelight bathing the room at all points. Soft music poured in from micro-speakers, and a heavy rain against the glass doors served as a blended soundtrack.

“Well, the tapestries are based on the frescos you explored on your trip to India, so why not put up the pictures from the trip?” She swept her finger across the screen and dragged the image of Eternal Delights’ interior to a corner and opened a photo file. “We take images from the trip, change them to black and white, use the same frames around the tapestries, and tie in the color scheme thru matting. It has the impact of an accent wall, but we keep continuity.”

Xander watched her toy with her wine glass with the other hand. She hadn’t picked it up, too intent on the screen. But she had reached for it the same time he picked up his own in that mirroring couple behavior. He schooled his smile and moved his attention to the file. “I don’t think we have enough photos from that trip to cover the entire wall.”

She took a sip from her glass and beamed a smile. “Not a problem. Use all of the photos that complement the building materials. You two picked out the floor tile on the trip to Italy after graduation.” She pulled up new images. “Then there’s the marble you fell in love with from Ireland.” Still new images appeared. “I know you used the remainder from the deli renovation for your condo so you can tie in Luciano’s and even your place into the theme of the display.”

Xander laughed, taken aback. “Where did you get all of these? I don’t think
I
have all of them.”

She shrugged and pulled her plate closer. “Between Caleb and Andrew, I have lots of pictures of you that you don’t have.” She laughed. “I even have baby pictures your mom and sisters sent me. There’s nothing subtle about the women in your family.”

“True.” Xander nodded. “That’s why they like you so much.”

She bit into the mess that tried to pass itself off as a sandwich. He’d asked to see her try eating it with her hands and now he’d gotten the chance. Preparation for the floor show had required changing into a skimpy black tank top and black cotton shorts to help save on laundry for the moments when juice went one way and strips of beef went another—like now. He became an instant fan of the entire event.

Kryssa’s tongue caught a trail of broth before it reached her elbow. As she lifted her arm, Xander ducked down and ate the escaped bit of meat on her thigh, licking away the juices. “I don’t think I need my own,” he said as he sat up. “I can just share the half of yours as it escapes. Skin trumps plates as an eating surface.”

“You’re welcome to it. But when Caleb gets here, dessert is all mine, no matter where it lands on me. Just so we’re clear.”

“Completely understood.” Xander checked his watch. “Unless the vendor he’s meeting with has an unforeseen problem, he should be here in just over an hour.” He looked at the tablet and at the wall unit it connected to. “I’m still not sure why he couldn’t teleconference from here. If the house were any smarter and more wired it would get up and walk away.”

She swallowed another bite and smiled. “He couldn’t have had the meeting here. When would he have gotten the chance to jump up and down with Kathleen over you saying yes?”

Xander couldn’t help but smile. “I see your point. Although I can’t picture the jumping up and down. That seems to imply squeeing and—fanboy moments aside—men never squee. Testosterone prevents it.”

“Hmm, I don’t know. Every sentence you said on the way home started with the word Caleb. I think that’s the official testosterone approved version of the same thing.” She looked back to the tablet. “Do you think he’ll like the photo wall idea? We could do a mock-up tomorrow after close. We won’t need much, and if works, we can bang it out in an afternoon.” She spoke around another bite. “What? Why are you just smiling like that?”

Xander shook his head. “You keep saying
we
about the café. I like how it sounds.” She’d said “home” about coming back to the cabin. He liked that even more.

“Well, I’m offering suggestions that require work. Nicky always says you never just lay a burden at another’s feet. You prepare to help carry it.” She shrugged, her eyes on her food. “With all the emails and videos Caleb sent during the renovations, I feel invested.” She looked up at him. “And you two were so happy I guess I got caught up.”

“Good. I mean I’m glad you got caught up. He was just as happy with all your questions and suggestions as anything I said. He’s going to love the idea for the half wall.”

She picked at the sandwich on the plate. “How do you feel about saying yes? And have you figured out exactly what you said yes to yet?”

In the heat of the moment he’d meant the contract and figuring out the rest as they went along. Now it seemed so much more. Now it was a yes to… “Everything. I said yes to everything. I feel like I have no idea what that really comes down to now.” His body tingled and throbbed with phantom touches. “But I’m eager to find out.”

“If you need me to head back early…”

That snapped him sober. “No. Why would you think that?”

“I mean so you two can have some time alone,” she explained.

“Krys, have you seen the size of this place?” He waved a hand to indicate the cabin. “There’s plenty of room for three people. We can each be alone or be alone together in any configuration that suits us.”

She turned to fully face him, and his heart sank. “I don’t want to be in the way. This was originally about you and Caleb. I’ve already looked at the contract, and you’re well past the hand-holding stage of this. It’s not like I mean tomorrow morning or anything, but I want you to know it’s okay if you want me to go.”

“Caleb would be disappointed if you left.” Xander startled himself with the words.

“Why? It’s not like it would be his fault or anything,” she replied.

What to say? Caleb had volunteered to be thrown under the bus, but Xander hadn’t thought it’d be quite so soon. “I love him, I’ve loved him for a decade, but I’m not the one he can fully celebrate everything he’s going through with. I don’t know the right questions, the right responses. I grew up in a Therian neighborhood, but that doesn’t make me versed in all it means to be Therian. He needs you too, Krys.”

She looked at him a long moment and smiled. “That’s a very sweet thing to say. Thank you.” Their hips touched as she moved closer and leaned against him. “Most people can’t admit when someone they love needs something more than they can provide. Whatever you two talked about before all the hot steaminess, I’m glad it put you in such a good place. That you want him to be happy more than you want the credit for his happiness is everything.”

He slipped his arm around her. “We’ve both been selfish, but at least we’ve always felt that way about each other. It doesn’t matter where the happiness comes from as long as it’s there. It’s why we do this whole dance. I’m happier closer to my family, he’s happier traveling the world, and when neither of us can be happy without the other, one of us gives in and becomes a different source of happiness.”

“I don’t think that’s what this is,” Kryssa said. “Caleb giving in I mean. I think it’s a compromise but not the kind where you give something up so much as give up the idea that what you want can only be one way.”

“I think I’m following you but explain anyway.”

“It’s…” She stopped, took a swallow of wine, and sighed.

“Take your time.” Xander laughed. She looked at him, and he stopped. “What is it, Krys?” Intrigue swallowed concern as she pushed the coffee table back and straddled his thighs. “Okay, wherever this is going, I’m liking it so far.” Her gaze held him and Xander touched her face. “Give me something here, Kryssa. Am I about to feel lucky or defeated?”

“I want this to work for you, Xander,” she replied. “I want you to be happy with Caleb. I want this time to be the one that leads to a lifetime.” Her hands cupped his face. “I love you. After Caitlin, you’re the one who’s supported me and been there for me more than anyone else in the world without the last name Drake. I want you to have everything that I can give you…and everything I can’t.”

He nodded, running his hands along her sides. “I know. You’ve been the one pushing for things to work with Caleb more than anyone—even Caleb. You’ve been determined to have me squared away and happy like you did with Cait. It’s how you are, I know.” Xander looked away but forced his gaze back to hers. “I thought part of it was to deter me from pursuing you, but I know even if that crossed your mind, it doesn’t change you wanting me and Caleb to be happy for our sakes.”

“I understand Caleb. I know what it’s like to have this picture of yourself and your future and have no idea how to fit the people you love into it so that they’re happy too.” Her hands slid down to his shoulders. “Caleb’s been given a gift that’s only a few steps off from a miracle. So few Awaken to shift at his age and there’s no way to predict what all of this will mean for him. It’s an entirely new outlook on life. It makes you sit up and pay attention to what you truly want and what you’re willing to do to get it. And he chose you.

“He built your dream together, close enough to your family that you can see them any time but far enough away that your success won’t be about riding the coattails of Luciano’s. He decorated it with far away locales and constructed a menu with exotic spices to give him that taste of the world within the four walls of home. The need to move, to wander, to migrate hasn’t disappeared; it never will. But his definition of what that means is broader because shifting changes your definition of self. He’s more than he once was, and I believe being more for you is one of the most sincere acts he’s ever done.”

The world blurred, and Xander blinked away the sting of tears. “The day he shifted becomes his new birthday, doesn’t it? This is an entirely new life for him by Therian standards.”

Kryssa nodded. “And he built you into it before he even had a name for what he felt happening. That’s a big deal, bigger than just the words can convey, and I wanted to tell you. I want you to understand that the fact his thoughts, his wants, his desires and affection all focused on you means more than any contract or compromise. He loves you as a part of himself. He’s imprinted on you as an extension of what it means to be himself. It doesn’t get much bigger for us.” She moved until they were kissing distance. “Are you hearing me, Xander? Are you getting the scope? He means for you to be part of his Sect, to build a life and family with you, and I don’t want either of you to mess this up by treating it like just another
on-again
phase because you don’t understand. At least Caleb has Kathleen; I know she’ll keep him sorted. I want to do the same for you. If you see enough to know he needs to celebrate this and be acknowledged Therian to Therian, I just want you to see a little further to what this all means, that it’s happening now and how it all comes together.”

Xander’s breath came faster, as if his body had just run the same obstacle course as his emotions. Caleb had touched on many of the same things, but he hadn’t been as direct on the emotional side of things. Xander smiled and tried to break the intense air surrounding her words. “So you’re going to safeguard things by being the girl so we don’t screw this up?”

Kryssa seemed to consider a moment. “Good enough explanation for it I guess. I look at it as being the outside observer that keeps you from falling into old habits and expectations. But in the end no Sect is complete without a little womanly influence.” She smiled back.

Xander slid his hands along her back, first to comfort himself. “Caleb used the word imprint. Is it a preternatural level of falling in love? Like a Fae True Bond?” Then he used them to hold her in place. “Did you imprint on Landon? Is that why you hid in your office for over two years after you broke up?”

She leaned back, just a hair, but Xander felt it. She looked away and took a breath. He couldn’t place how he knew, but Xander would have bet anything that without his hands holding her close, reminding her she had taken them to this place, that she would be across the room, if not having left it all together. His hands tightened. “Please, I just want to understand. All this time Landon’s had some sort of power over you, and I want to know if it’s because you let him in so far that the damage he left on his way out just won’t heal. I want to know if that’s what I have to look forward to if Caleb and I do mess this up. Will I never heal from it?”

“You wouldn’t need a preternatural bond to never heal from losing Caleb. You’ve been in each other’s blood for too long for it not to leave a hole in your life if he were gone and vice versa. But that won’t happen with the two of you.” She looked at his face, and a ghost of a smile touched her lips. “But to touch on the fretting side of things, if it did, that hole would heal around the edges eventually even if it never filled again.”

“Has the hole you had healed around the edges?”

“Landon didn’t leave a hole,” she replied. “Not like that. Being imprinted or bonded isn’t the issue. It’s simple in that we enjoyed each other’s company, we became lovers, he proposed, things went wrong, I said no—forcefully—and we haven’t seen or directly talked to each other since. It’s complicated in that there’s nothing either of us could have done to change it.”