Snowflake Unbound Read online

  Ford’s phone lit up, and he laughed. “I thought as much. Alexi didn’t want to ask for photos in front of Alita, but now that you are here, can he come over and play?”

  She frowned. “Okay, I guess.”

  Ford got up and walked behind her to where her dress dipped low. “Snowflake is still there.”

  “Yeah. I was without the block for six glorious hours. I met Erik’s father. The block was removed, and then, a few hours later, he changed his mind and put it back on.” She sipped at her coffee.

  Argus frowned. “What changed his mind?”

  “Oh, he decided that he wants a do-over. The problem is his dragon picked me, and I am a lowly beta. He wants an omega because... reasons? I have no idea. We have a son; he’s strong, smart, and a dragon alpha. Now I am worried that Erik is going to feel stigma from his father for being born to me. Then, I remember that he is a Tesso, and Rickart is proud of him, so he has a grandfather figure. A slightly sleazy one but still a grandfather figure.”

  Ford blinked. “Wait. So, the Tesso in your name is Rickart Tesso?”

  “Yup.”

  “He owns ninety percent of Ledic City.” Yemeen was stunned.

  “Yeah, same guy. He also has some fetishes that no one needs to know about.” She chuckled. “I can just say that he committed to the daddy-daughter theme.”

  Olivia’s mouth fell open, and Argus winced. Yemeen blinked, and his eyes got speculative. “You run into him often?”

  “Every few weeks.” Her voice got high and girly. “Daddy likes to take me shopping.”

  Ford looked at her bright blinking eyes, and he burst out laughing. “How tough is the playing along?”

  “Pretty damned tough.” She chuckled. “But, we just go out to the ballet or art auctions and gallery openings, and I whisper requests to him, and he enjoys it. He likes indulging me, and it forces me to ask for stuff. The actual sexual interaction is rather sparse.”

  Olivia was staring with her head propped on her chin. “I have so many questions.”

  Ford laughed. “Not today, kitten.”

  He finished his coffee and got up, gesturing to Luna. “This way to the studio. The band that is coming will be here in just under an hour. I thought you would like to practice.”

  She nodded and picked up the drumsticks that were there with the kit. “I used to have a great set of mahogany sticks that felt like extra fingers.”

  “Mahogany?”

  “Yeah, not a popular choice, but they were a gift from a friend, made from the baseboard in her mother’s house. I learned to drum with those.” She grinned and lifted the nearby headset. “Got anything to use as a backdrop?”

  He nodded and said, “Got it. Headphones are set up. You can go when you are ready.”

  She sat and absorbed the music and added the beat. She worked slowly until she caught all the ebbs and flows of that song. The beat and accents came to her. She lifted her finger and spun it around. Ford nodded and restarted the song. This time, she went in full bore and gave herself to the beat, and the beat fused with the music.

  She played it out and then paused, taking off the headset. “So, how was that for a warm-up?”

  Ford grinned. “I think I wet myself. You are really good.”

  “You are an omega, so you don’t have a sturdy constitution. And thank you.” She smiled.

  He cracked a laugh and brought up another song. She listened and played along, then he played it again, and she flowed into it. They continued this pattern until she was sheened with sweat and her skin was glowing. She finished the song that she was working on and took the headphones off, looking over at Ford to see a group of young, pouty women with Jack behind them. Oh lord.

  She nodded. “Hello.”

  A young woman clutching drumsticks pointed at Luna. “Who is that?”

  Ford rolled his eyes. “That is the best drummer of the last two decades. Allow me to demonstrate. This is with Lisa playing.”

  The song came out and was tepid but listenable.

  “Now, swap it out for Luna’s track, and this is what you get.” The music started up, and the drum rolled in and carried the music along, making everyone twist and turn to the beat.

  Jack was staring at her, and she was just idly twirling the stick on her right hand. She smiled brightly. She only wished she had been chewing bubble gum so she could blow a bubble.

  One of the women looked between the two of them. “Do you two know each other? Do you know Sylvie?”

  Luna shook her head. “No, I don’t know Sylvie. I have met Jack, and I do need to have a little chat with him.”

  “Sylvie is Jack’s lover, and they are going to marry.”

  Luna smiled. “Who told you that? Sylvie or Jack?”

  The girl said, “Uh... Sylvie.”

  Jack said, “Tara, Sylvie and I am no longer together. Luna and I have known each other for years, and she is the mother of my son.”

  The girls gasped, and Luna raised her brows. He had just come out and said it. Wow. No shame.

  She smiled at Ford. “You know what? If the girls want to chew on Jack, they are welcome to it. Olivia offered me the loan of a swimsuit the last time I was talking to her, so I will just leave this set to Lisa.”

  Ford ruefully nodded. Luna unwound herself from the drum kit and got to her feet. The girls gasped, and Jack’s eyes started flickering. She moved around the instrument stands and patted Jack on the chest as she left.

  Tara gasped. “She has the same tattoo you do, Jack.”

  She smiled and continued out where Olivia was wrapped in a towel. “Did you have a suit to fit me?”

  Olivia grinned. “You are coming in?”

  “I am coming in.”

  “The cabana. Yemeen has been experimenting, but you will see the ones for your body near the ones marked for Nora.”

  “Excellent. I will be out in six minutes.” She headed to the cabana and took off her heels, her jewellery, dress, and the sorry excuse for panties, and slipped into a silver suit that was snug around her hips, and the top was a whisper of string and a matching triangle of fabric.

  She walked out wearing a towel, and Alexi was there, looking disappointed when he saw that she had changed. She grinned. “Sorry. Too slow.”

  She walked to the edge of the pool and dropped the towel on a chair, then she stepped into the water and met Olivia. They swam laps for a while, and then, Luna had worked out her tension, and she waded out of the shallow end. Alexi took photos, and she put up with it for a while before she flipped him the bird and grinned. “You are getting between me and my towel.”

  “No, I am not.”

  Music was coming from the house, but when she looked around, it was Jack holding her towel, backlit by the sun. She walked up to him. “Towel, please.”

  He held it and looked down at her. “May I have a kiss?”

  “You are asking now?”

  “Yes. This begins our courtship.” His eyes were dark blue.

  “Who is Sylvie?”

  “She was my lover. She is no longer in that capacity.”

  “Why were you with her?” This was the most important thing.

  “We were suitable socially. The physicality was secondary.”

  “So, how much effort have the girls put into making Sylvie like them?”

  He wrinkled his nose. “Quite a bit.”

  “So, they are up for sabotage or are going to suck up to me.”

  He touched her neck, tracing a line of water down to her nipple. “They are.”

  She inhaled, moving away from his touch, but he looked at her with a soft expression. “May I have a kiss? I believe you need a top-up.”

  Her mouth tightened, and she checked on her energy level. She nodded and stepped toward him. He met her halfway and wrapped a hand around the base of her neck, kissing her slowly, to her surprise, tasting her, and she felt the flick of his forked tongue. She stroked his tongue with hers, and he wrapped around hers and tugged at it playfully. She flicked her tongue against his again then stroked slowly while humming low in her throat. His hand clenched on her neck, and she stepped toward him on her right leg, rubbing the side of her hip against his groin. He growled, and she chuckled in her throat, and he exhaled the fire. She took it, and when he straightened, she smiled brightly. “Thank you. He’s still not taking the block off?”

  He shook his head. “No. He wants to keep you close.”

  She grimaced. “Of course, he does.”

  He leaned in and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck. “And he needs a reason to keep close himself.”

  She patted his chest. “What do you want?”

  He smiled. “Hot wife, kids, the usual. I already had a career. It happens that I have a kid, so I am just needing the hot wife.”

  “Let me know when you find her. I will throw you a party.”

  “That party is called a wedding if you aren’t an omega. You aren’t, right?”

  “No, I am a plain old beta. With a few alterations.”

  “You are an exquisite beta who makes me marvel at your strength and skill. Erik is amazing, and I am blessed that he doesn’t hate me.”

  “No, I couldn’t explain that it was your dragon and not you, and I didn’t know that they could act independently from you until this week. None of my associates mentioned that.”

  He shrugged. “It isn’t something we spread around. Nikolai told you?”

  “I think so, or Alita mentioned that the dragon had taken her on some stairs and torn her clothing.”

  He nuzzled her neck. “Why don’t you have a scent? He remembers your scent.”

  “Oh, a combination of the block and all the life force I have to draw in. It also
stopped my cycles completely, so with the block in place, no siblings for Erik, ever.”

  His eyes flickered white and blue and white again. “What?”

  She tapped her fingers on his chest. “No heat, no need, no scent, no babies, nothing. Just the hunger and then nothing again.”

  He looked upset as his eyes went back to dark blue. “He’s upset.”

  “Yeah, I am guessing that he is just realizing that he unintentionally tortured me for eighteen years because you had a girlfriend, and then, my band went off a cliff.”

  “You weren’t with them.”

  “No, your girlfriend had me beaten half to death and then dumped me in the hospital. I told you that.”

  He nodded and ran a hand through his hair. “Right. Lily. She didn’t take ‘we need to see other people’ for an answer. How did she find you?”

  “Uh, I staggered back to the party.”

  “Right. She probably caught your scent on me or mine on you.”

  She whined softly. “I can’t smell anyone either. It is frustrating, but I have to go by sight. The elite come through, but they smell like ozone.”

  He shook. “What was that sound you just made?”

  “I whined. Why?”

  “I really liked it. He really liked it.” He growled. He pulled her toward him and ran a hand down her nearly bare back.

  Luna flinched when she realized that the balance of their interaction was shifting to alpha finding a beta he wanted and pursuing her. Luna wasn’t good at that. She was a predatory beta; she wasn’t used to being seduced. Sex for her was transactional, not romantic.

  She was unsure and tried to ease out of his grip.

  “Do you know why you have a mark on your back?” He continued to stroke her skin slowly.

  She shook her head rapidly. “No.”

  “Because my mark is on my chest. All dragons are different. My mark is on my chest, so when I was inside you, it pressed to your back as I got as close as I could. No one has ever worn my mark before. I can only make it once. He chose you, and he chose well.”

  Luna jerked in surprise. “I thought it was part of the block.”

  He drew his fingers up and down her arms, lightly. “No. That is just the logical assumption.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me that yesterday?”

  “Surrounded by your friends and family? I wanted to keep my head on my shoulders.” He stroked her arms slowly, and she realized he was easing her toward him.

  “So, who are the girls to you?”

  He smiled. “One of the bands my agency represents. They are new, but they have potential. You could help make them great.”

  “I don’t think their drummer would thank me for that.”

  He ran a hand behind her head again. “She can also play keyboards. Don’t worry about her.”

  She chuckled. “I have to. She’s glaring at me right now.”

  He paused and turned to look over his shoulder where the group of young ladies was gathered. “Hello, ladies. Done the session?”

  “We are having a break.”

  He looked back toward Luna and kissed her softly, slowly, and with absolutely no hurry in any part of him. His lips were soft, his tongue was sure, and she leaned up toward him as her body readied itself. He slid a hand over her hip and between her thighs. “I thought you had been out long enough to dry off. I was wrong.”

  “Butthead. I was going to say Jackass, but I don’t know if that is your full name.” She quirked a smile.

  “Jackson Realms.” He lifted her hands to his lips. “At your service.” He kissed her palms, licked them, and kissed them again.

  “Ah, the Realms Talent Agency. I should have made that connection. Well, I am going to go and get dressed and work on tracks for that last song if it met with Ford’s approval.” She eased away from him and headed to the cabana.

  She got dressed, and when she was putting on her sandals, one of the bandmembers came in. “Hello, Tara, right?”

  “Um, yeah. So, how long have you known Jack?”

  Luna finished the left leg and went to the right. “Eighteen and a half years.”

  “Oh. Wow. So, you are lovers?”

  “We were for the night we made our son. We are not now.” She wrapped the straps around and around, crisscrossing and wondering if it was worth how sexy her legs looked all wrapped up.

  “Uh, you looked like it, and he was touching you like it.”

  She got to her feet, and the smaller woman backed up. “I did not say he wasn’t trying for it again, but we are not currently lovers.”

  “Oh. So, he is pursuing you?”

  “Yup.”

  “You aren’t after him for your career?”

  “I own three boutiques and have a number of other investments around the world. I have a career. I am just doing this because Ford is a giant fanboy of my work.”

  Tara asked, “When were you a professional drummer?”

  “Eighteen and a half years ago, minus a day.”

  “Oh, so before you met Jack.”

  “Until I met Jack. After that, it all went to shit for a while.”

  “Sylvie has powerful friends. She might come after you.”

  Luna stroked a finger down her cheek. “She can try, but my friends can beat her friends, in every sense of the word. I also don’t play nice when it comes to survival.” She chuckled. “Also, what am I supposed to do? If an alpha ever stalks you, you run out of escape options pretty quick. If Sylvie comes after me, she might have to get through Jack because he will be beside or on top of me.”

  Erik was meeting the band, and he heard the last. “Geez, Mom!”

  She chuckled. “Ah, baby boy. You have heard worse.”

  The ladies from the band were looking at Erik, and Luna could swear that two were drooling.

  “Where’s Alita?”

  “She’s inside with Olivia. Don’t worry. She’s not on her own. Nikolai had to attend some kind of family meeting at Lexa’s.”

  Luna exhaled. “Right. Okay. I will just check on her and then head to the studio.”

  Tara asked, “Can I watch?”

  “Sure. Meet me at the studio.”

  “Where are you going now?”

  “To check on a friend. She’s going to go into labour today, and I have to see how far into the process she is.”

  “Are you a doctor?” Tara pattered after her as they went inside.

  “Midwife. I had a rough time with my son, and I didn’t want anyone I know to have the same kind of problems.”

  “You learned that?”

  “Sure. Just because you play music doesn’t mean you can’t study something you are interested in. Creative writing, architecture, fashion design, construction, jewellery design, music production, you can learn any or all of it.”

  Olivia snorted. “You just listed all of our occupations, didn’t you?”

  Luna knelt next to Alita. “It was easier than saying, helicopter mogul and art photographer. Hey, sweetie. How are you feeling?”

  “Hot, itchy, crampy.”

  Luna put her hands on Alita’s belly and smiled softly. “He’s in a great position. You are starting labour, but you have about eight hours before you start going great guns. So, have lunch. Skipping dinner isn’t recommended in your case, but stick to juices, soups, and bread. Stuff easy to digest, but don’t skip a meal. Please.”

  Her palms felt what Alita described as a cramp. “And there is one of those cramps. The little guy is on the way.”

  Tara fidgeted behind her. “Um, ma’am? Can I feel?”

  Alita was amused. “Sure. I get groped on the regular. One more won’t matter.”

  Luna moved aside, and Tara touched the tight belly, and her eyes went wide. “Whoa. There’s a person in there.”

  Alita smiled. “And it is coming out today. Thank goodness.”

  “Are you the mate of someone who lives here?”

  Alita laughed. “No. I live down the road. Olivia is in charge here.”

  Olivia raised her hand. “I am Olivia.”

  “I thought this was Ford’s place.” Tara blushed.

  Luna got to her feet. “It is, but Ford has stated that as long as Olivia wants to be here, it is her house.”

  Olivia smiled. “I try and hang a bra in every bathroom to mark my territory.”