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A soft sigh carried across the room from the open door, and Conall stiffened on top of me.
"And here I was thinking I was too tired to possibly do anything other than fall asleep before I hit my pillow," Hywel murmured, crossing to us and pulling his bloodied shirt up over his head. He eyed the limp and quivering pile of us with a smile. "I hope you aren't done. I'm feeling very…inspired."
I squeezed around Conall's knot, and he groaned and bucked inside of me.
"I'm sure we could manage a good effort for you," I said. Hywel winked at me and reached for his belt.
"Good girl,blodyn bach."
* * *
I stirred in my sleep,fur and feathers caressing me as I rolled. A pair of low, hissing whispers caught my ear, and slowly, in piecemeal measures, the conversation woke me just enough to listen.
"You didn't bite her."
"No…she's not ready. I'm not sure I am either."
It wasn't Laszlo and Hywel, as I was used to sometimes waking up to their murmurs. It wasn't even Conall and Laszlo, as might've made sense after a long-awaited physical reunion.
"Hmm, but it leaves you tense not to turn the scent bond into a mate bond," Hywel murmured.
"It does," Conall admitted. My head was pressed over his heart, and his whispers floated above me. "But it's better already, now that I've told her."
Hywel hummed, and his claws reached over Laszlo's shoulder to stroke gently through my hair. "We won't give her up."
"I'm not asking you to. I'm not asking her to give you up," Conall answered. There was a pause, and then he added, "But I won't let you make me an afterthought, either."
I tensed and Conall's hand around my breast twitched as he realized I was listening. Hywel must've known. He knew when I was asleep or not. I could sit up now and make my own position on the topic very clear. But I waited to see what the dragon would say.
The bed shifted. Conall's breath caught. Warm, silken skin brushed over my shoulder, Hywel moving. I risked opening my eye just a sliver and realized he was arching over me and Conall.
"Werewolves may only have one mate," Hywel hissed, "but dragons and gryphons take as many as we please, pup."
There was a snag of breath and a familiar damp sound, and then Conall groaned, trying to arch up. They were kissing, and I was desperate to twist and stare and watch them. But it must've been their first kiss, and I was already enough of a voyeur.
Hywel moved away after a moment, settling back on the other side of Laszlo. "It's about time you let me give you some peace while you sleep."
"The nightmares are a part of me. They're a reminder," Conall whispered.
"They're penance," Hywel muttered, slightly bitter. "And you can set them aside for a night. Now go to sleep.Bothof you."
I fought my grin, pressing it to Conall's chest as he heaved a sigh. And then we were all quiet, all at peace, and sleep swam back over me with a welcoming embrace.
CHAPTER33
TRAINING TECHNIQUES
“Easy, Hywel!"
"Guard your left!"
"You're wasting energy."
"No, she needs to attack!"
My teeth grit and I let out a rough growl, charging toward Hywel, taking out the aggression of being yelled at from four directions and trying to channel it toward our sparring. Hywel, who remained cool and languid even mid-lunge, didn't so much as blink an eye at the running commentary of our spectators. He met my thrust easily, sweeping it in a circle and then returning with a slash. I was slow and awkward compared to him, even with the advantage of Excalibur in my hand, and I narrowly dodged the motion, catching my heel on the mat and stumbling backwards until I landed hard on my ass.
"Hywel!" Conall roared, leaping forward from where he'd been pacing the perimeter of the room.
