3013: MATED (3013: The Series) (12 page)

Alexis held back the urge to roll
her eyes and raise a finger up to her lips asking for him to remain quiet then
beckoned him into the room with her. Xavier sat down on the bed and pulled her
onto his lap, holding her close. She curled into him, allowing her head to fall
onto his shoulder as he stroked a hand over her back.
“Jax doesn’t mean
anything by it,”
she assured Xavier through their bond.
“He is like a
brother to me and is only worried. He doesn’t know you and wants to make sure
I’m okay.”

“Then tell him you now belong
to us and we shall care for you instead. He has no need to worry about you any
longer,”
Xavier arrogantly replied.

This time Alexis did roll her
eyes then switched her focus back to the call as Jax let out his own frustrated
growl.

“They’re there with you now? Lex,
if you don’t answer me I swear I am going to—”

“Do not raise your voice to my mate,”
Xavier warned, his voice a deadly growl.

There was silence over the line
then Jax finally spoke. “Lex? Could you explain what he means by that? You’re
his mate?”

“Umm, yeah. Sorry, Jax.
Obviously, I have a lot to tell you,” Alexis said, deliberately using his first
name to make the call more informal. “Xavier is with me right now. The others
are in another room. Things have been…there is so much to explain, I don’t
really know where to begin…”

Because he was her friend as well
as her commander, Alexis explained everything to Jax, only leaving out the more
intimate details of what had happened between her and the Dragon Warriors. When
she was done she waited patiently for Jax’s response as Xavier brushed his lips
over her forehead, enjoying the feeling of him running his fingers through her
long hair.

“Holy fucking shit,” Jax finally
said when she was done.

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Alexis
replied with a laugh.

“This is…hell, I’m speechless,”
Jax admitted. “Is this what you really want?”

Xavier let out a growl, but
Alexis pressed her lips to his to silence him. When she pulled back she made
sure to stare into his eyes as she answered Jax, letting Xavier see the truth
in what she said.

“Trust me, this wasn’t expected,
but this is right for me. I know it’s crazy since I just met them, but they are
a part of me now, just as I’m a part of them. They are my future, Jax. I’ve
finally found where I belong.”

“I’m happy for you, Lex,” Jax
said then he sighed. “This is going to be…complicated to explain, but I’m behind
you all the way. Just remember, magic or no magic, those Dragon Warriors better
treat you right. Archer and I will kick their asses if they hurt you. I don’t
know how, but we’ll find a way.”

“Commander Spartan,” Xavier said,
breaking into the conversation. “Since my mate claims you as a brother, I will
tell you that Alexis owns our hearts and souls. Hurting her would be like
hurting ourselves. It is our duty to care for her and place her happiness above
our own.”

Alexis’ heart melted as she felt
the love flowing from Xavier. How could she not love a man who said stuff like
that?

“Well,” Jax breathed out. “I
guess I can’t ask for anything more.”

“But know this, we will not allow
anyone to come between our mating…even you,” Xavier said forcefully. “We would
challenge your entire world to keep her with us.”

“I’m sure it won’t ever come to
that.” Jax chuckled. “Lex, you seem to be in good hands.”

“I really am,” she agreed,
blushing as she remembered just how good her mates were with their hands. “I
know it’s a lot to take in, but I really am happy, Jax. You’ll see how great we
are together, but we have to go now. Speaking of, I actually need you to do me
a favor. Well, it’s an official request really.”

“Name it.”

“They want to see some of the
land so I’m going to take them out to the border, over near the Crystal Cove.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?
That’s pretty damn close to the badlands.”

Alexis laughed. “As I was
reminded by my mates when I mentioned that, they do have magic and they are
warriors in their own right. I can’t imagine any of the rebels will want to
mess with them.”

“True,” Jax said with a laugh.
“You can take them there, but you have to be back by this weekend in time for
the celebration. The regents won’t be happy if you miss it and besides, if I
have to dress the hell up, you better be there.”

“I’ll make sure we attend. Don’t
worry.”

“Good. I can clear a transpo for
you there at the visitors center and—”

“That won’t be necessary,” Alexis
broke in. “Just clear a flight path from here to the Crystal Cove for us and
we’ll see you in a few days. Oh, and can you make sure to tell the patrols not
to shoot at the dragons in the sky? That would just piss us off. Thanks, Jax!”

“Dragons?” Jax asked
incredulously.

Alexis cut off the call and had to
laugh. That should give her commander something to think about.

“You are trouble, mate,” Xavier
said playfully as he cupped her face, tilting it up for his kiss. “I think we
will have our hands full with you.”

“You can count on it,” Alexis
promised then she grinned. “Come on and teach me how to fly!”

****

“Well, here we are...”

Standing on the roof of the
visiting center high above the city, Alexis was damn glad that heights didn’t
bother her.

She tilted her face up to the
sun, breathing in the clean air. The colors she was seeing were incredible and
it felt like she was viewing everything for the first time. Bright and
beautiful, it was amazing being able to stand out in the sunlight without it
hurting her eyes. Thankfully, Jax had cleared the landing pad of other soldiers
so they didn’t have an audience as she stood out there with her four mates.
Looking out over the Capital gave her a deep sense of pride at what they had
accomplished over the years.

The view truly was spectacular.

“You are the one who is
spectacular, mate,” Brydan growled as he wrapped his arms around her waist,
pulling her back against him.

She sighed in contentment as she
snuggled back against him. “I’m glad you think so.”

“We know it is so,” Thorn said
with conviction, making her smile.

Xavier stood with his hands
braced on his hips as he looked out over the city. “What your people have
accomplished since we were last here is impressive. Humans are a resilient
race.”

“We are,” she agreed.

Xavier turned, his piercing
silver eyes serious. “You are no longer human, mate.”

Shit, she’d forgotten about that
already.

She sent him a sheepish smile.
“Right. So how do I go about becoming a dragon?”

“I will show you. Keep your mind
open to mine as I bring forth the change and follow how I do it,” Thorn told
her as he stepped away from the group.

She felt the rush of power surge
through Thorn as she focused on him through their bond. She could feel him
calling his dragon spirit to him and felt the change happen as he allowed the
magic flowing through him to alter his form.

One second, Thorn was a man…the
next a large dragon stood in his place.

Alexis’ mouth dropped open in awe
as she looked up at the magnificent beast standing before her.  The dragon’s
body was covered with iridescent scales that shimmered in the sunlight. It
seemed to glow a pearly light-gold to a sparkling deep-bronze, the color
changing as its massive chest billowed out as it breathed. Lethal-sharp talons tapped
against the ground as he took a step toward her. Those claws looked terrifying,
and yet she knew they would never harm her. A large, spiked tail swished back
and forth over the ground as enormous wings expanded, stirring the wind so it
blew softly against her skin.

She had seen vids before, but
nothing compared to seeing a dragon in real life. The dragon was huge, towering
over her, but she could see the intelligence shining back at her through those
golden eyes. They were Thorn’s eyes and she could see the love shining back at
her through them as he patiently waited for her reaction.

Alexis pulled away from Brydan
slowly, walking over to Thorn. Excitement had her body vibrating as she
approached and adrenaline rushed through her as she held out her hand. The
dragon lowered its majestic head and gently pushed its nose against her palm.

“Oh my god…” she breathed out.
“You are amazing.”

“I am pleased you think so.”

She ran her hand over his nose
then walked around him, stroking her hand over his side. He was a powerful
beast with hard scales that protected his body like a coat of armor, yet he
trembled beneath her hand as she touched him.

Startled, her eyes raised to his.
“Can you feel that?”

“Aye, my love. I have never
let another touch my dragon form and it feels amazing.”

“I’m glad you’ve never let
someone else touch you. It makes this even more special for me.” She walked
back to his head so she could look back into his eyes. “Can I really change
into a dragon too? It seems too fantastical to imagine.”

“You can feel your own dragon
spirit within your soul. You have our magic in you now. Feel it humming beneath
your skin. Call forth the change, mate, and fly the skies with me,”
Thorn
said though their bond.

“Come join us, little one,”
Xavier
commanded.

Alexis turned her head and saw
another large dragon behind her. This one was covered with large iridescent
scales that shimmered silver to a glittering dark-gray, and she knew it was
Xavier.

Centering herself, she closed her
eyes and focused on doing as they asked. She could feel her mates feeding her
their strength, encouraging her to call forth the dragon spirit that seemed to
be waiting inside her for this very purpose. Stars bursts behind her eyelids,
and a wrenching pain struck her body as the change began. “It hurts,” she
whimpered through gritted teeth.

“Relax, sweetling,” Galan said
softly. “You are fighting the change. Give yourself over to it and become one
with your dragon. It is already inside of you. All you have to do is trust
yourself and the dragon spirit.”

“We would never let anything hurt
you,” Brydan added. “No fear, mate.”

No fear…

Repeating that mantra in her
head, she forced herself to let go. Pure white light engulfed her as she
embraced the magic within her until she felt one with an ancient power so
potent it was like becoming one with the universe. She let it spread through
her, filling every fiber of her being until she felt the dragon spirit merge
with her so they became one.

The spirit of the dragon was
neither male nor female. It was simply an untapped source of energy that flooded
her mind with knowledge of the ages and such strength it stole her breath,
making her feel utterly invincible. Her senses were in overdrive, allowing her
to feel as if she had somehow connected to the very Earth itself.

The light faded and she opened
her eyes, looking out at the world through the eyes of her dragon. Her large
head moved fluidly to look over at Galan and Brydan to see them looking back at
her with pride glowing in their eyes. Everything became clear to her in that
one blinding moment. She was no longer Alexis Donovan, an infertile female. She
wasn’t even a liaison officer for the United Federation Command Alliance.

She was Alexis, the true mate to
Xavier, Galan, Thorn and Brydan, and a Dragon Warrior.

Brydan smiled as he watched their
mate flap her wings. She was glorious. Her dragon form was something he had
never seen before, shimmering from a pearly-white to silver then to a pale gold
color. Using their magic, an individual’s dragon usually took on the color that
best represented them. It warmed his heart to see that Alexis’ dragon form had
taken on a little of all of her mates, showing how deeply engrained they were
in her heart. Her beautiful violet eyes glowed brightly within the dragon’s
face as looked at all of them, sharing her joy.

He endeavored never to do
anything that would breach that trust or love she felt for them. Alexis was
vital to all of them. Without her, the world would no longer hold any meaning.
All the long, lonely years they had waited were worth it in order to have her
with them now. Rage filled him at the thought of anything happening to her, but
he calmed as he watched her spread her wings and her laughter filled his mind.

“This is unbelievable!”
she called out.

“You are a natural, Lexie,”
Brydan said, aware that he was grinning like a fool as her happiness became
infectious.

“Come, mate. Take us to this
special place of yours,”
Xavier beckoned. He and Thorn launched themselves
into the sky, hovering in place as they waited for Alexis to follow them.

“Okay,”
Alexis said
hesitantly.
“Here goes nothing…”

Brydan watched as Alexis flapped
her wings, building up momentum before she leaped up into the air, hovering
effortlessly.

“I did it!”

“Aye, you did,”
Thorn
said.
“We are so proud of you, mate.”

Her laughter rained down on him
as he used their bond to monitor her thoughts to ensure she wasn’t afraid. He
felt no fear inside of her, only exhilaration and pleasure. Alexis had fully
merged with her dragon spirit and her dragon would allow no harm to come to
her.

Even though all the males could
sense Alexis had embraced her dragon, Galan changed into his dragon form and
took to the skies as soon as she lifted off, staying slightly below her in case
she faltered on her first flight. His protective nature allowing nothing else.
They watched as Alexis’ smaller dragon flew around each of the males, and they
laughed at her antics.

“This is so cool! I can’t
believe I’m really a dragon!”