Echo Book 2

46. Power Shift

I wake up in Malax's bed. I really should have known that would put me to sleep. I sit on Malax in the command area. "Have a good nap, baby?"

I stretch. "Yea."

Eriska sits across from me. Her hair is everywhere.

"Your hair is crazy."

"I just woke up."

"I took a nap too. So, how are you getting along with your boyfriends?"

"They are amazing."

"I'm surprised you're not marked yet."

"I was getting to know them. I feel like I know them now."

The boys laugh.

"Who's going to mark you first?"

"I don't know. I've never had s*x. Can they both be there?"

I remember what Nadine said and scratch my head. "I guess. You'll have to talk to them about that. I'm not sure either of them would be able to watch you have s*x. That's quite different. And it is painful the first time."

Malax nods. "You'll bleed all over."

"I don't know what to do. I love them both."

"Talk to them about it. They love you too. They'll come up with something." Tim turns his paper over. "It's amazing the s**t we figure out."

Malax laughs. "Yea, like how to tell the police to destroy the evidence."

I rub my face. "Let's not bring that up."

"What happen?"

"Those 2 decided to go up to the look-out and have s*x. The police showed up with all the footage for me."

Eriska cracks up laughing. "Everyone knows there are cameras there."

"I didn't." I cross my arms.

Tim shakes his head. "I didn't even know the place existed."

Zion and Hunter come in and sit down. "What are you talking about?"

"The importance of searching for security cameras before you have s*x in front of them." Eriska lays her head down and laughs.

I shake my head. "I'm never going to hear the end of this."

Victor and Tobias come in and Eriska dives under the table.

"What, woman?"

She crawls over to me. "They don't know."

"You want me to tell them?"

She nods.

I smile at the boys. "She's never had s*x and I think she's ready. She has no idea about the 2 of you though. You'll have to figure that out. Good luck."

"Aww. Come here, baby." Tobias pulls her out and picks her up. "You don't worry. We'll always take care of you. You come to us with anything."

Victor kisses her head. "I don't think you're ready if you're hiding under a table. We're not in a rush. We have forever." They leave with her.

Tim throws a $10 bill on the table. "$10, next time we see her, she has 2 marks."

"No. It'll only be 1." Malax throws 10 down.

Hunter shakes his head. "It'll be 0. But I don't have that money. She's so innocent, and they are taking their time with her."

I smile. "They really are. I was worried when they figured out they were mates. It came out of nowhere, and it happened to them at the same time."

Malax pats my butt. "I told you they wouldn't hurt her. It was different from you because you knew about us both before you were old enough. We only had to wait to mark you. You claimed us before you were old enough."

"Mine."

"All yours."

"So, teenagers can't feel the bond?" Zion crosses his arms.

I shake my head. "Why are you always mad?"

"I'm not mad. I'm just sitting here."

Tim laughs. "Teenagers can't feel the bond. Neither can human adults. Nearly every other species can, once they become adults."

"But if she comes across an adult human that is her mate, she will feel the bond immediately. As long as they're an adult."

"How many mates will you have?"

"We know of 1 more. A human teenager is all we know." Tim flips his paper. "Where in the hell is the gold mining list?"

"Table over there." Malax points. "She has 3 marking spots. We know 1 more mate. She could have more, but the gods would probably have to get involved. Unless he's a werewolf. They can mark their mates anywhere. Vampires need a marking spot to mark."

Hunter nods. "Yea, I've never heard of a marking spot. We mark our mates wherever we want."

Tim sits back down. "What did Kane say?"

"Teenage drama will have to wait. He's busy. Then he called me an asshole. An hour later, he said, a teenager. At least 3 more months."

Zion glares at Malax. "You think it's Scotch?"

Tim shakes his head. "No. But he's going to chase her around for 3 months regardless. It's fine. She's allowed to be chased."

I smile. "Nothing more than kissing."

"Very good, babygirl. Malax, why don't you put s**t on the conference table? We got f*****g papers everywhere." He gets up and walks away again.

"I'm trying to keep them organized. There is too much s**t in here."

Hunter rubs his face. "Why don't you use your offices?"

"Because we're always in here."

"Keep work in the offices. There's a s**t ton of people here who can drive. And hell, the ship drives itself."

"That is true."

Tim nods. "I like that idea. Nobody wreck."

They leave, and I run over to the captain's chair. "I'm the captain now. How long until we're there?"

"8 hours."

"Oh, that's a long time." I look at the boys. "Do you want offices too?"

"Yes please. That's a long time to sit here."

"There is entertainment stuff on board. Not sure where it all is though. Let's get your offices."

I pick out my own office while I'm at it. Then I visit Malax in his office. Soon, we're all in there.

I lay my head down. "I'm so bored."

"It's about time for dinner. Pick out what you want."

"Ok. We can all eat in the dining room."

Tim nods. "That's fine."

I send everyone to the dining room and pick dinner. Eriska sits between her boys. She is cuddly with them. They are happy as hell. Not sure what it's about. They have no marks yet.

Malax and Tim sit at the ends of the table. "NO. NO NO NO NO NO. YOU ARE NOT SITTING ON OPPOSITE ENDS. I CAN'T SIT WITH YOU THAT WAY."

Tim gives me a hug. "Calm down. Now, you're mad."

"HUNTER TAKE THAT SEAT." Hunter sits at the end, fast. "Thank you."

Malax rubs his face. "Did you get the ping for the..."

"NO. NO WORK IN HERE."

"WOMAN."

Tobias shakes his head. "You are about 1 minute away from a teenage breakdown."

Tim pulls me to the table. "I noticed. Let's sit and eat dinner together. Did you pick out an office, babygirl?"

"I did."

"Good girl."

Zion sits up. "So, who do you live with?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Both of them. It's our ship."

Malax nods. "Tim lives in the house. She has us both. If you're asking who she sleeps with, it's whichever she wants."

"She's a teenager, so half the time it's whoever puts her to bed." Tim motions for the food.

"And you don't try to kill each other?"

"No point in that. It would hurt her if we didn't get along. We don't want to hurt her."

"My sister has 8 mates. Try asking her. 1 of her mates killed another one. Then she refused him. How could you accept someone who killed your mate? She was messed up for a long time. They got everything worked out though."

Malax nods. "Took years."

"Tim is the stronger of the 2 of you. I'm surprised he didn't kill you when he met you."

Tim shakes his head. "She was in love with him. I couldn't break her heart like that. And yea, when I met him, he was barely a vampire. Then he had no idea what to do with a dragon. He's learning quickly. I've already done the power shift with Echo. I don't think he has. We'll end up equal in power." Tim takes a bite of his taco. "I don't know if anyone told him how to do it."

Malax shakes his head. "I didn't know that was a thing."

"I'll explain it later."

Tobias shakes his head. "No. Please explain it now."

"Do you know how to transfer a dragon to your mate?"

"I think so."

"I'll explain it when there aren't any teenagers in the room."

Zion shakes his head. "The teenagers don't care."

"Well, I do. We're not going there."

I shake my head. "I don't know how he did it either."

Tim laughs. "I have no comment. Everyone eat. Stop staring at me."

After dinner, I go to my office and check the papers from the Cru N ocean. I would like to duplicate that in aquariums.

Malax comes in and kisses my marking spot.

"You need something, love?" I give him a kiss. He's so sexy.

"I love you."

"I love you."

"Tim told me how to do the power shift." He kisses my marking spot again. Tingles flow through my whole body. I love this. I need him. "I will make love to you for as long as I can. Then, when you c*m, I suck blood out of your marking spot. You do the same to me. It gives more strength to the dragons and our blood will run through each other."

I wrap my arms around his neck. "Sounds like I'm in for an amazing night."

"That you are, babygirl." I wrap around him, and he carries me to our room.