Dragon 7 Chapter 3

After Till left, I began working on Silverwing Mercenary’s paperwork again. Pixie had gone off to get help from the wild nymphs, and silence surrounded me for one of the first times in a while as I sat behind my big oak desk.

Knock.

A head of platinum blonde hair poked through the doorway, followed by the beautiful face of my second wife, Jadelyn Scalewright. “What are you doing?”

“Finances.” I grumbled, thoroughly tortured by this process already. Morgana kept terrible notes, and she took money in cash and gold. All of her records were little scribbles on separate pieces of paper.

And transactions were done in multiple different currencies, making it difficult to figure out the actual value she’d been paid and when she exchanged things into US currency.

All of this across her nearly two dozen bank accounts, a grumble was more than due.

Jadelyn slipped around the desk with a quirked eyebrow, clearly waiting for me to make a request. I tried to figure out what I was forgetting before it dawned on me.

“Want to help?” I gave her my sweetest smile, desperately wanting to be done with the mess.

“How about I get one of my many accountants to do that for you?” She corrected me.

I paused. I’d considered it my issue, and I hadn’t even thought to ask her for help. But with her large business, she had all the resources needed. “That would be great. Did Morgana not ask you before?” I tried to recover from my obvious oversight. “She said she looked for another accountant.”

Jadelyn worried her lip and sat in my lap. She was always lighter and more delicate than I expected. “Morgana didn’t ask me. But that’s okay.” She held up her hands to defend the drow vampire. “I just don’t think she’s the type to come to me for help.”

Jadelyn settled against my chest, and I rumbled as I smelled her and felt my mark on her.

My hands wrapped tightly around her small waist and pressed her to my hips. “Mine.”

“Yours.” She reached around and patted my face. “Better? I’ll have a team of accountants finish this as soon as they can. But in return, I need you to work with me on some things.”

I nuzzled her. “Talk dirty to me. Take my finance paperwork away.”

The melodic laugh that came out of her hit a certain note that just calmed the giant lizard brain within me. My song was the only song she could still sing to a man, and it came out in her voice from time to time.

“Later, we need to spend some time in the baths. I want to hear you sing more.” I kissed her neck.

“Yes. We should. Okay, I’ll get the accountants. Does Morgana have more than this?”

“This is just half of it.” I glared at the four stacks of paper that were piled about a foot high on my desk.

“Oh my. You definitely need a team to do this for you.” Jadelyn confirmed. “Now then, I tried to ask Ikta and Summer about a shipping lane between here and the Faerie, but they both told me to talk to you.”

“Why me?” I frowned.

She shrugged. “I figured you’d know.”

I shook my head. “Nope. Not a clue. But this place is in both planes, and I have lots of portals.” I paused mid offer. Setting up something that had people stomping through my home didn’t sit right with me. “They both have requested meetings, which I think is just their way of getting more time with me. I’ll get something set up and ask them.”

Pausing, I wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. I was about as subtle as a giant dragon. “How do you feel about Ikta?” I tried.

She pounded a fist against my leg. “She tried to have me skinned so that she could wear me. Ikta is about as stable as a one legged chair. So, in short, I’m terrified of her.”

I squeezed her tightly. “She so much as touches a hair on your head and I’ll kill her.”

“Can you though?” Jadelyn turned her head up to look in my eyes. “With the oaths put on you by The Dreamer and everything else, can you kill her?”

I pursed my lips. “Worst case, I can get Tia to do it.”

“True. She would definitely do that if you asked.” Jadelyn rested against me again.

A nymph popped her head into the room. “Mistress, do you need anything?” She watched me carefully, as if she was taking in every detail.

Jadelyn laughed. “No. That’s not what’s happening right now.” The nymph disappeared with a shrug. “Sorry, they are sort of everywhere now.”

“Yes, they are. So, you want me to work with Summer and Ikta on a freight lane between Philly and The Faerie. I will also instill into Ikta that she doesn’t have a chance until she can win you over.” I rubbed her head. “Now, what else did you need?”

Jadelyn rubbed herself tighter to my lap. Her white pants were practically painted on and so fucking soft as I dragged my hands down them. “Maybe just a little alone time with you. It doesn’t have to be sex; I just want to spend a little more time together.”

I rubbed my chin. “If we can get these documents handed off, then I can take you out to do some ‘legitimate business’ for Silverwing Mercenaries.” I wasn’t sure what we had on the docket, but Morgana would have something lined up. She got far more requests than we would ever be able to manage.

It was just a matter of dredging up some boring, normal ones.

I waited for Jadelyn to pop off my lap, but she didn’t. She held onto me. “As soon as we leave, a nymph is going to spot me and send for Scar. I want to cuddle a little longer.”

I wasn’t going to tell her no. It felt good to have her close to me. My hands ran down her arms to her hands and one found the ring on her finger, my fingers tracing the design. “I’m happy that you married me.”

She kissed my chest. “It was just a formality. I already gave you my song and my body.”

“Maybe I’m just a big, bad, greedy dragon.” I nuzzled her hair, loving the scents of my mates. The beast preened in my chest. It liked feeling her close and smelling her scent.

The bundle of dragon instincts had been growing quieter. Or at least, it was less noticeable of a shift. It was becoming part of me.

“You are a big, greedy dragon for sure. I don’t know about bad.” She ran her hands over my arms, a little humming note making me rumble in satisfaction.

“I’m up against the FBI. That seems pretty bad. I eat people, which they are probably not going to like. And the leader of the investigation is fighting against me, driven by influence by a titan.” I argued.

Jadelyn just laughed. “Is that all?”

We shared a look that helped me. Her gaze was soft with just a hint of mirth. “You eat monsters, not people. You stand up for those that need to be stood up for. This FBI director is pursuing a personal agenda, not some greater purpose.” She pushed on my chin so that I dipped my head and then softly butted hers against mine. “Zach Pendragon, you are a wonderful person, a wonderful dragon and a wonderful husband to so many.” Her voice picked up into a small dulcet note at the end that made me relax.

“I love you, Jadelyn Scalewright. Will you marry me?” I kissed the top of her head.

“Too late. I already gave you everything, and I’m going to give you more. Also, I’m running out of plushies alarmingly quickly.” She teased. “And I bought a whole crate.”

“Sorry. Too many?” I laughed.

She waved her hand. “Nope. You are still making time for me like this. Now, there was one thing I did come here for.” She turned to the door. “Tulip, bring in the papers.”

There was shuffling outside the door, and Jadelyn’s nymph came inside with a stack of papers.

I groaned while Jadelyn chuckled. “It’s just some signatures.” The stack of papers was placed on the desk, and based on the tabs on the side of a number of sheets, they needed more than just a few signatures.

I looked up at Jadelyn, waiting for more.

She smiled back, running her hands through my hair. “I’m setting you up as an equal partner in my business ventures. Maybe the American system won’t let me marry you along with Scarlett, but I’m going to do my damndest to make sure you can’t get away from me. ‘Til death do we part. And hopefully you keep me nice and young looking, my immortal love.”

Jadelyn righted herself in my lap, and Tulip pulled the stack to the side, placing the first page needing our signatures in front of me.

Jadelyn picked up one of my pens, scribbling her fierce but illegible signature where the tab indicated and handing me the pen to do the same.

***

After Jadelyn finished making me a partner in most of her personal ventures, she called up her accountants to confirm the changes. Then she piled on the request to help me with my financial documents.

I smiled as she took on that mental load. I just needed Morgana to send her documents over as well.

“This room.” Pixie gestured to a familiar door as she helped me navigate my new home.

I pushed the door open to find Morgana’s Atrium room, fairly sure it was the same one.

“Blueberry. Are you in there taking a pregnancy test?” Kelly was in Morgana’s room, knocking on the bathroom door.

“You just took one, Furball. How’d it go?” Morgana’s voice came through the door.

“Negative. We are all on the same cycle. Maybe we are all just going to be a little late this month.” Kelly’s wolf ears swiveled as I entered with Jadelyn. She turned and a mischievous grin spread across her face. “Oh Zach. Yes.” She groaned and thumped herself against the door. “Take me my mate.”

The door to Morgana’s bathroom flew open, knocking Kelly aside.

Kelly didn’t mind, falling to the floor laughing her ass off. “Haha. You should see your face, Blueberry. Damn, I wish I had a camera ready.”

Morgana scowled at Kelly before lifting her face to me. But her happiness fell just a little as she took in Jadelyn and me. “Not a sex call?”

“Nope. I need your papers. Jadelyn is going to put her accountants on it, and we are going to get it fixed.” I saw the papers on the desk and sucked them up with my bracer.

My vampire mate seemed less enthused at the idea. She narrowed her eyes at Jadelyn. “Are you sure? I don’t want to burden you.”

“I have an army of accountants. Why not put them to use for our husband?” She crossed her arms under her chest, making the silk shirt bunch up nicely.

Morgana mirrored her, but her corset kept everything in place as the leather creaked, and she put her hip out to the side. “I was…” She trailed off, glancing at me.

Kelly was still rolling on the floor laughing, but she managed to get out some words in between. “It was a ploy! She was trying to keep him home.” Kelly was having too much fun with the entire situation.

“Keeping me home?” I frowned at Morgana.

She shifted her focus from Jadelyn to me. “You are like a magnet for trouble. If you go out there, it’ll no doubt find you. This would at least keep you busy for a little while.”

Now it was my turn to cross my arms. “I don’t like being managed, Morgana. And I’m not going to go out and do any big jobs. I’ll do some small ones. Maybe a stakehout or saving cats from trees.”

All of my ladies looked at me like I was an idiot.

“I get that I’m under FBI surveillance. I’ll be careful, but I am not going to sit still. I won’t shift or use magic. I’ll just use my strength and durability to help out around the paranormal community.” I smiled at them, feeling pretty good about my plan.

“Sorry.” Jadelyn apologized to Morgana. “But I already promised our husband the use of my accountants, and I don’t think we are going to dissuade him now.”

“Hey.” I objected. It sounded like Jadelyn would have gone alone with Morgana’s plan if she’d known.

Morgana shrugged. “He was going to get out from under that stack of papers sooner or later.”

Ignoring them, I walked off, pulling my phone out of my bracer.

I scrolled through the job listings that Morgana’s call center had sent us most recently.

Pixie fell into line behind me.

I glanced at her over my shoulder. “Did you know about all that?”

“Nope.” She smiled. “But I wanted to talk to you about the wild nymphs. They’ll be here tonight.”

“Perfect. I’m going to go out with Jadelyn and…” Scarlett had appeared around the corner as if summoned.

In the manor, she didn’t need to use any illusions, so her three fox tails swirled behind her and her fox ears pivoted to take in what I was saying. I saw how she was watching me and already knew what she was going to say. “Scarlett will come too.”

Scarlett was Jadelyn’s bodyguard and would want to join us if we were heading out. Thankfully my own honor guard wasn’t quite as attentive.

Scarlett smiled at me and fell into line as Jadelyn caught up. “Glad you know you aren’t trying to make a break for it.”

“Never.” I teased as her fluffy tails wrapped around me possessively and absorbed some of the latent mana that I exuded with each heartbeat.

The tails were so soft. My fingers trailed through all three of them knowing I was responsible for one of them.

It had grown much earlier than was usual for Kitsunes. Kitsunes weren’t supposed to get their third tail until they were about thirty years old. It was typical to get a new tail every ten years.

But it seemed sex and being around me had sped up Scarlett’s timeline.

“How’s the third tail?” I snagged what I was sure was the new one and ran my fingers through it.

“Go-good.” Scarlett blushed as I claimed her tail. “Adjusting to the third tail hasn’t been that bad at all.”

“Except the hair brushes.” Jadelyn chuckled.

I glanced at Scarlett, waiting for her to explain. And while I waited, I really looked at her, stunned by her beauty as always.

Before I knew she was a Kitsune or she knew I was a dragon, we’d run into each other at school and I’d asked her out. She was a mix of plucky sorority girl energy and badass assassin trained bodyguard. It was hot as hell.

“Stop that.” Scarlett blushed and one of her tails pulled away to hide her face. “I have to brush them out every time I shower, and now there’s another one to brush out. They don’t stay this soft on their own.”

Jadelyn leaned in. “She has a whole care routine for them. She puts on several leave-in oils, and she has a special light shampoo that she uses for her tails. And don’t forget about the conditioner, the detangler and the post shower oils.” Jadelyn was all smiles.

Scarlett’s tails wrapped around herself and she stroked her tails. “It is important that they stay healthy. They are the source of my magic.”

“How have I not seen all of this primping?” I frowned.

Her tails wilted. “No girl wants to be seen as that high maintenance.”

“Those tails are very high maintenance.” Jadelyn added with a wink at Scarlett.

“Do not lecture me on high maintenance. Should we talk about your scale polishing routine you did before the wedding?” Scarlett fought back.

Jadelyn clamped her hand over Scarlett’s mouth. “Just girls being girls.” She smiled at me.

“Well, I’d love to help you take care of your tails after a bath sometime, Scarlett. Don’t feel like you need to hide something like that from me.” I brought her close and kissed the top of her head. “Besides, I like touching your tails. If this is the price I have to pay for them being so soft, then so be it.” I beat my fist against my chest like a soldier ready to die for his country.

“What about Jade’s scales?” Scarlett added mischievously.

“We can polish those too.” I said without hesitation.

Pixie was trailing behind us. “Your semen would likely make a great polish. Probably also a great conditioner for the tail. Really, it just gives everything magical a lot more life.”

My two wives turned, likely having forgotten that Pixie was nearby. “Interesting thought. I wonder if Hestia could make some potions with it.” Jadelyn’s face shifted from flirty into business as new ideas swirled in her head.

I poked her forehead softly to regain her attention. “I don’t like where this is going.”

“You’ll love it. Especially after some of the girls start getting pregnant.” Jadelyn smirked.

“Are Kelly and Morgana…?” Scarlett trailed off, glancing at me to see if I was freaking out.

I sighed. “It’s inevitable. The Dreamer has made sure of that. I don’t know that I”ll ever truly be ready for all of it, but I’m not afraid of it.” I flipped through my phone again, happy for the distraction of looking at available jobs.

“Come on. Let’s get to this job.” I picked one on my phone and led Scarlett and Jadelyn downstairs to the garage. I was pretty sure the garage was going to be connected with Morgana’s and it didn’t disappoint.