Snowflake Unbound Read online

  He winced. “A succubus.”

  “Yeah. So, I went in search of safer donors, and I found them in a group of three elite who are always out and willing to spring into action if the stronghold calls for it. One dragon, three elite. It takes the same level of energy out of me and puts the same amount in.”

  He was shaking and breathing shallowly.

  “So, that is where I have been for the last four days. I have been topping up my energy reserves in the only way I had available. Now that the block is gone, I can go back to being a woman who lives on the side of a mountain and stop sleeping with anyone.” She smiled. “You have no idea what a relief that is. I was terrified that Erik would find me unconscious or dying in our home.” She paused. “Again.”

  She looked at him. “Well, you look like you need to digest that little tidbit, so I am going to head back for more lemonade. Erik is a really good cook and an excellent kid. I thank my lucky stars every day that I ended up with him.”

  He nodded. “We have spoken at length. I agree that he is an excellent young man. Do you have photos of him growing up?”

  “Oh yeah. Not Alexi quality, but certainly the quantity is excessive.”

  “May I see them after dinner?”

  “Sure. Well, you are taking this better than I thought.”

  “You needed to feed. I understand that. He understands that. He is wracked with remorse at the binding he placed on you and that he bred you without a bond.”

  “It has made for an interesting few decades.”

  “Do you still play?”

  “Oh, for fun? Yeah.”

  He scowled. “No, you were a true talent. The dragon would watch your videos and sob in trauma.”

  “Me too. Right. Well, absorb at your leisure. I am going to have dinner, make plans with Alita, and when the baby is out, I guess I can finally see some of the world outside of a dragon’s bedroom.”

  Luna turned and left him standing in the woods and arguing with himself over a course of action. She didn’t care. She could smell the pot roast, and she was hungry as hell.

  Tangling with the elite always worked up an appetite.

  Chapter Two

  Luna grinned when everyone was finished with their meal and groaning. “Well, Erik, you passed home economics with a ninety-nine percent. This proves you earned it, and it wasn’t just because you are pretty.”

  Alexi said, “Not a perfect score?”

  Erik got to his feet and started clearing. “I forgot to serve toothpicks with the pulled pork tacos. She was tough but fair.”

  Luna smiled and flicked her braid back over her shoulder.

  Nikolai cocked his head. “You home-schooled him?”

  “Yeah. My schedule meant that I wasn’t always home for him to keep to school attendance, but he did do socialization events like sports and camps and stuff.”

  Erik snorted. “I played three sports, ballet, and we did the ren faires together. That’s where we met Alita.”

  Alexi frowned. “I have never figured out why you were there?”

  She sipped at her coffee. “We made masks. Leather masks. Goblins and gargoyles and dragons and fairies. Heated and sculpted and carved and painted. Sometimes carved again. We made them in the depths of winters and travelled around in the summer, but this year, I don’t have time to travel around. Though...” she looked at Jack. “I might be free enough to not have to seek out partners anymore.”

  Erik smiled. “Really? That would be great. You have always been so stressed.”

  “Well, let’s take it day by day. For now, I am here until Alita is comfortable again.”

  Alita grimaced. “Hooray. That feels like forever.”

  She gripped Alita’s hand. “Don’t worry. Some cramps, pushing, a few blasts of dragon fire, and you will be back on your feet in no time. Hell, you will be able to see your feet in a day or so if Nikolai’s dragon is attentive.”

  Erik looked at Jack with narrowed eyes. “You won’t need to go through what my mom did. You have a mate who loves you.”

  Luna sighed. “Erik. Don’t. The dragon didn’t show the details of the encounter and then, looking through the human’s eyes, thought I had ended up off the cliff and into the ocean with the band. That’s why Ford is so fixated on getting me behind the drums again. He had a crush on a ghost.”

  She had used that last to redirect the conversation.

  Jack frowned. “Ford Rathmussen?”

  Niko grinned. “Yeah, he lives a few doors down with a pride with a pregnant omega.”

  “Ford and I are acquaintances.”

  The conversation turned to the other occupants of the lane, and Alita smiled in relief and squeezed Luna’s hand.

  Alita chuckled and leaned toward Luna, “Boy, is Ford going to be disappointed now that the mark is gone.”

  Jack looked at her. “The snowflake? That is still there. It is so ingrained in you that I couldn’t remove it. Also, he didn’t want to.”

  “Of course not.” She sighed. “Well, then, Ford will be delighted.”

  Alita grinned. “He’s flexible. He can bounce back.”

  Jack asked, “Do you still play the drums?”

  Erik smiled. “Only when people ask her. Ford asked. He might also have whined and licked her a little.”

  Jack frowned. “Has he tried to get into your bed as well?”

  “No. I don’t take any standards into my bed. They always need to have power to spare.” She shrugged and finished her water before Erik took the empty glass. He loaded the dishwasher and set it off.

  Luna helped Alita to her feet, and Niko took the other side, and they walked outside to watch the sunset and evening around them. Luna touched the belly and smiled. “Quiet today?”

  Alita nodded. “It is making me a little worried.”

  “Don’t. He’s getting ready for his big entrance. Storing up energy for the big day.”

  Alita smiled. “Soon then?”

  “Soon. Tomorrow or the next day.”

  Alita paled. “There is so much to do.”

  “I will do it; Alexi and Niko will do it. Just tell us what you need done, and remember that the toddler bed doesn’t have to be ready for a year.” She chuckled. “You need your bathing station, diaper station, and place for the baby to sleep. The clothes need to be washed once in gentle laundry soap and be dried and ready. About five spare outfits when they get bigger.”

  Niko frowned. “Why so many?”

  “As the food quantity increases and their digestion picks up speed, they can have a blowout in their diaper.”

  “A blowout?”

  She looked him in the eye. “Ever driven over a ketchup packet?”

  Alexi’s mouth hung open. “Oh, wow. Always bring extra outfits.”

  “And wet wipes. That little beasty is going to be firing from all angles.”

  Alita giggled.

  Jack looked intrigued more than uncomfortable. “You did that all on your own?”

  “Sure. I spent a few weeks in hospital, and they showed me how to do everything from nurse to bathe to diaper.”

  Nikolai frowned. “How is it that my mother could manage this without dragon fire being given?”

  Luna looked at Jack. “You didn’t tell him?”

  “No. There didn’t seem to be a point.”

  “Ah. Well, Nikolai, you are a level one dragon. Your mother got what she needed from your father, not fire, but the extra energy that she needed. If you asked your father, he would probably say that he was more tired than your mother. There is a reason for that. Jack is a level four. He has three ancestors who were dragon alphas. Rickart is a level six.”

  She smiled. “Your baby will be a level two and will need a partner he can breed with.”

  “If Rickart is a level six, why couldn’t he break through the block?” Alexi frowned.

  Luna smiled. “Have you ever seen a toddler claim something that it wanted? They
throw their whole body on top of it. That was the problem. He had been so excited to mark me when the block went on that he stopped my body from being able to power me, stopped me from keeping and using power from anyone else, and my beta situation meant that I could not adapt and become a compliant mate for him. Not that that would have done any good.”

  Jack frowned. “Would you if you could?”

  “Back then? Oh, yeah. I wanted nothing more than to be a good mom to Eric. Now. Fuck it.” She shrugged. “I am old and bitter now.”

  Alita smiled. “No, you aren’t. You were wounded and carried those wounds for years until they became a part of how you lived. I know all about that.”

  Luna blushed as she became the focus. “I prefer calling myself old and bitter.”

  Alita stroked her cheek. “I know, but you are only eight years older than I am.”

  “And yet, I feel a thousand years old. Must be dealing with men all the time.”

  Erik said, “Hey!”

  Alita laughed. “It does take getting used to. You didn’t have brothers?”

  “I was the oldest of five sisters in a very conservative and religious beta congregation. I wanted to play drums all my life, so I learned in secret, and at a school assembly, I got to play the drum kit for the first time. No one was expecting me to be any good, but I was.”

  She flexed her hands. “So, my mother and father beat my hands until I couldn’t move my fingers and forbade me from playing. Women didn’t play drums, and if they did, they certainly weren’t good at it. God didn’t want me to play, so they started beating me when they caught me.”

  She chuckled. “I played every day, made mock-ups out of slices of wood and then went to a trial for an all-girl band in a nearby city. I auditioned and got the part, but they wanted my parents’ signature, and that wasn’t going to happen, so we had me emancipated, and I was part of a band, playing and moving around on tour. We cut our first album, and June, our singer, said it would be funny if the drummer is a girl was on the album instead of my name. So, we did that, and that was hugely popular. I alternated wearing masks while we played, and it made folks think there was more than one drummer.”

  She covered her mouth and blinked. “Sorry. I went off on a rant there.”

  Alita smiled. “It has to come out sometime. May as well be with friends.”

  Luna smiled. “Well, friends, family, and whatever Jack is.”

  He looked hurt.

  They chatted about the weather, the neighbourhood blossoming with families, and the baby, and then, Luna had to call it a night. “Sorry, but I am a little short on sleep, and I need to catch up before the big event.” She touched Alita’s hand gently.

  “Good night, Luna.”

  She nodded to the others, and Jack stood up. “Good night, Luna.”

  He looked like he wanted to say something else, and his eyes were flickering like a strobe. She grinned. “Call your girlfriend before you head to bed. It will ease your conscience.”

  She winked at the shocked Erik, who immediately got angry. Jack was rounded on, and Luna headed inside. She didn’t screw mated men, and he was dating someone. She could taste it.

  Late at night, when the household was asleep, Luna’s eyes opened wide, and she gasped as there was a non-human silhouette outside her window. She moved quietly, slowly, and got to her door, slipping into the hallway as the crash sounded. She bolted down the hall, heading for the family rooms, when she was struck in the middle of her back and carried to the floor.

  “Hush, princess. I just want to taste you.”

  “Not your princess, dumbass. I am a beta. Also, your human half is seeing someone, and I won’t participate in cheating. Ever. Get off!”

  “No, he called woman and broke up with her. She was furious, but he is free. Let me taste you, princess.”

  She kept her thighs shut as he tried to nose his way in. She held still and remained tense when he worried at her skin and slipped a tongue in where his muzzle couldn’t reach.

  She heard shouts from Nikolai, and the dragon on her hissed angrily. Arms pulled her to a scaled chest, and the dragon was still talking. “She’s mine. She’s always been mine.”

  “Jack. One night has cost me eighteen years of my life. If you want me to keep, court me. Don’t just jump me the same night I get free of the block. I haven’t even had a good night’s sleep in eighteen years. The hunger has been driving me mad. So, put me down like a good boy. Walk away, and try to think about how to woo a mate you fucked over. If it is too hard, then give up and be better for the next woman. Okay?”

  He looked at her, his white-blue eyes bright. “I made you for me.”

  “And you didn’t take care of me like a dragon should. I was hurt, damaged, powerless, nearly died birthing your child. Couldn’t give him the fire that he needed for a safe delivery. All of these things I bore because of you, not for you. I kept my son safe, but you can burn in whatever hells you dragons believe in.”

  He looked guilty. “Princess...”

  She held up her hand. “Not a princess. Just a beta with some extra internal space. That is all. It is not enough to build a life-bond on. Go to the Omega Centre, sign up, and get yourself a proper mate. I am not it.”

  He kissed her, dumped dragon fire into her, and then, she pounded her fists on his shoulders as something familiar reappeared. He set her on the floor carefully, and Jack said, “I will do it right this time.”

  He left through her bedroom, and Alita asked, “So, that’s a new form?”

  Luna was crying, but she waved at Nikolai. “He will get it when he has a grown son in about fifteen years. The dragon has known about me this whole time. It was Jack who wanted to look for a perfect omega.”

  Nikolai frowned. “Who said that?”

  “The dragon. Just now, while he barfed fire into me again. He’s mad at Jack and Jack’s simpering little girlfriends. Fuck. I am not getting into a love quad.”

  Alexi said, “When I spoke to him earlier, he said he was going to cut it off with his girlfriend before courting you. I am guessing he did but didn’t discuss anything with you first.”

  “Um, no. Trying to get a good night’s sleep.” She curled up against the wall and sobbed. Erik came to her side and held her.

  Alita frowned. “What happened?”

  Erik looked at her. “He put the block back on. She’s back where she started.”

  Alita covered her mouth and leaned against Nikolai. Nikolai looked confused and furious. “Why would he do that?”

  Erik helped her with her tears. “She said she was leaving when Alita was safe. He doesn’t want that, so he is pinning her to the city so he can find her.”

  Nikolai scowled. “I will talk with him.”

  Erik helped Luna to her feet, and she asked, “Alita, can I use a second bedroom? There is a bit of shattered glass in mine.”

  Erik murmured, and she nodded. “Good idea.”

  They got her bag and then brought it to his bedroom. He had a futon he opened for her as he was too long for it. He slept on the bed, and she slept on the futon and cried through the night.

  Luna got up and finished her conversation with Ford. He had a band coming in that needed a session drummer, so she put on an off-the-shoulder tunic dress in super-soft ice-blue rayon, a wide silver filigree belt, and cuffs. Her four-inch heels were strappy sandals with thin straps that wound up each calf to her knee. She had braided her hair loosely and smiled at Erik when she got out of the bathroom. “What do you think?”

  His jaw hit the ground. “You look... spectacular?”

  “I feel like a spectacle, so thank you, but I needed to armour up.”

  “Lip gloss?”

  She winked. “After breakfast. What are you making?”

  “I will think of it before I get to the kitchen.”

  She giggled and followed him with her essentials in a tiny purse and a diamond snowflake necklace and earrings in place.
>
  Her accessories alone were worth close to two hundred thousand.

  Alita looked at her with wide eyes, and then, she laughed. “Going to battle?”

  “Just putting on the armour. I wear less into battle.”

  Alita giggled. “Going over to play at Ford’s?”

  “Yup. It’s probably a setup, but I can use a day in fancy heels. My phone is on and charged and turned up to full volume.”

  Scrambled eggs, bacon, and fruit salad were breakfast, and she ate quickly and then got her keys. Her beast of a truck was great on icy hills, but it also scared the crap out of sub-compacts in the city.

  They did a test of the phone, and she grinned, and Alita looked less nervous. When everyone knew where she was going to be, she left.

  She needed to hit something, and drumming was even better.

  Chapter Three

  Luna’s truck growled into place when she parked. She walked up to the house and knocked at the door. Olivia opened the door and smiled, then said, “Holy shit.”

  “Good or bad or too much?”

  Olivia grinned. “If I didn’t know you were dressing for yourself, it would be bad. But for me, I say congrats, and I hope I look that good when my kid is approaching eighteen.”

  She was welcomed inside with a hug because omegas were cuddly little things.

  Olivia looked at her with big eyes. “Can I drive your truck?”

  “You have a valid license?”

  “Of course.”

  Luna handed her the keys. “Enjoy, but make sure your mates know where you are going and take one with you if you can.”

  Olivia giggled and wiggled. Luna snorted. Ford was sitting with Yemeen and Argus. Ford sprayed coffee. “Holy shit.”

  “Rough night last night. I am compensating.” She went to get herself a cup of coffee.

  Yemeen was looking at her with astonishment. “Luna… you look...”

  She grinned. “Tall?”

  “Where did you get that outfit?”

  “Oh, just bits and pieces from my early travels. The dress is by Helengar, the filigree is gifts from a lover in the Balkans, and the necklace and earrings I got for boning three elite last weekend.” She sipped at her coffee. “I got the shoes online.”