the accused can make arguments. Tell them the Court would gladly continue protection of the race if we also have jurisdiction over the laws.”
“Um…What question was that?” Rowan asked out loud.
“If we give the Court jurisdiction, what will you do? Will you refuse our request?”
Rowan closed her eyes tightly. She wondered for a moment if she could request he go back to what he’d just been doing with his tongue.
“No. As long as Rafe submits and is a part of it, I will do it.”
“Every dragon here must be a part of it, the males with their essence, the females with their magic. Now that we are all inside the glade, the Verdanith won’t accept our sacrifices until they are equally given. To the stone and to its proxy. That would be you. As soon as it’s charged, our first task will be to channel energy to the Catalyst’s children.”
Kol’s whisper tickled her ear. “Good work. Let’s just hope our loverboy is on board.”
A single glance at Rafe spoke volumes. He smiled at her and in a soft voice filled with reverence said, “I submit.” The two words he spoke out loud were only half his full message, however. In her mind Rowan heard the rest: “…to you for eternity.”
Racha released a relieved sigh and hung back while the others converged. Roka was the first to reach his friend. He led Rafe to the center of their circle and urged him to kneel. Kneeling in front of the Shadow, he made quick work of stroking Rafe to completion with one hand before the others came forward.
Rafe leaned back on his heels and looked at Rowan, his eyes bright and his chest heaving from his orgasm. He smiled and said, “You want to watch?” He gestured and the others came toward him. “Whatever you plan to do to her, you’ll do to me, first,” he said, fixing his gaze on each of them in turn.
“I will be right back,” Kol whispered in her ear.
“You don’t have to, do you?”
“I plan to do it to you, love. So yes. I do. This will at least give you an idea what you’re in for.”
Still tied, Rowan had no choice but to watch while the others took turns coupling with her lover, and through it all she received the vivid impression that he enjoyed every second. They all took their turns, sometimes two or three at a time. Each time he or one of the others climaxed, the Verdanith grew brighter
Rafe lay limp and gasping after they each finished, one by one leaving to plunge into the pool to bathe. The Verdanith pulsed brightly beneath him, lending an unearthly glow to his skin.
“I love you,” she whispered.
Rafe’s lips twitched in a smile and he lifted his head. Sweat soaked his hair and it clung to his forehead and neck in dark strands. His eyelids drooped low, but he focused intently on her. He said nothing, only the smile on his face and the intense emotion that washed over her indicated his understanding of their shared situation and his acceptance of what they both knew she must do.
Chapter 8
“D o you submit?” Kol asked Rowan for the final time after the group had bathed.
“Yes.”
The bindings instantly released. Her strength left her, but Kol caught her in strong arms. His beautiful face was before her, kissing her. “You did good,” he whispered. “This is the easy part now.”
“The part where you fuck me finally?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, the part where we all do.”
He held her close and laid her down gently in the center of the platform. Deep warmth seeped into her back. “What is it?” she asked, trying to move to see, but the hands of all the others held her down.
“It’s only the Verdanith,” Aurum said, kneeling beside Rowan. “Your power will be the final charge. You need to stay in contact with it for it to transmute our essences into the seed that will become the Umbra.”
The immortal White, Aodh, knelt at Rowan’s other side and exhaled. Her sight became obscured with a solid white mist. She could see no one. She could only feel the hands on her, holding