After Allison and Lydia finished processing what Jacob had told them—about Allison's family being hunters and Lydia being a banshee—they both looked at Jacob curiously.
Allison asked. "Jay, can you tell us what kind of creature you are now?"
Jacob nodded. His eyes shifted, turning reptilian and glowing gold. His fangs grew longer, and he let out a deep growl, making both girls jump in surprise. But instead of fear, curiosity sparkled in their eyes as they each sat beside him, studying his face.
Lydia leaned in and said. "Your eyes are beautiful."
Allison nodded. "Yeah… really beautiful."
Lydia examined him more closely. "You've got vertical slit pupils—like a reptile, a fox, or a cat. So, which one are you?"
Jacob chuckled. "I'm something ancient. I believe I'm the last of my kind. And I'm a possessive, lustful creature known for having multiple mates. The more mates I have, the faster my strength grows. That's my nature, and I can't change it."
"But you still haven't told us what you are." Lydia pointed out.
Jacob grew serious. "I can't reveal that unless you decide to be with me. It's not because I don't trust you girls—it's just that there are a lot of creatures who can read memories, and the only way to protect your minds from being read is to become my mates. I can't expose what I am yet because I'm both very dangerous and something people will do anything to get their hands on, and I'm not strong enough to protect myself."
Lydia didn't hesitate. "I already told you—I want to be with you."
Jacob looked at her closely. "Lydia, you have to think this through. This isn't something you can just walk away from. It's for life. Once you become my mate, there's no going back."
"That's exactly what I want." Lydia said. "I don't want to be in a relationship like my parents and be afraid that one day you'll abandon me. I want something permanent."
Jacob smiled warmly. "Are you sure?"
Lydia smiled back. "Yes, I think life with you will never be boring. So I'm in."
Jacob said. "Then I'm glad you agreed." Then he turned to Allison. "What about you?"
Allison hesitated. "I don't know… But I do know that I don't want a life without you. That's how I feel. But… you will have a lot of mates like you said, so are you sure you're not going to forget about me one day and cast me aside?"
Jacob shook his head. "Never. You'll understand after you become my mate. We'll be connected."
Lydia, smirking, leaned toward Allison and said. "Well, if you don't want him, I'll get to keep him all to myself. So maybe you should leave and forget about him."
Allison's eyes narrowed. "You're the one who should leave, you bitch. I'm not going anywhere."
Jacob smiled like an idiot, giving Lydia an invisible thumbs up in his mind.
He looked back at Allison and asked gently. "So… do you want to be with me?"
Allison muttered under her breath. "Yes… Even if I wanted to leave, I couldn't. I'm too in love with you, idiot."
Jacob heard her clearly but decided to tease. "Sorry, what was that? I didn't catch it."
Allison looked up and said louder. "I said yes! I want to be with you."
Jacob pulled both girls into a tight hug. "That's great. I was afraid I'd lose one of you today—or maybe both."
After a moment, he let go and silently asked his system: 'System, how do I use the soul contract?'
[The contract will appear as a tattoo in the center of your right hand. Ask them to drip a drop of their blood onto it to complete the bond.]
Jacob raised his right hand, revealing a glowing red tattoo—an intricate circle with a dragon's head in the center.
"You both need to drip your blood on this tattoo." He said.
Allison hesitated. "Why?"
Jacob looked at her seriously. "Do you trust me?"
She nodded. "Yes."
"Then do it." He said. "You'll understand afterward."
Lydia asked. "Do you have a needle?"
Jacob shook his head. "No. Use my claws."
With care, he used his claw to make a small cut on each of their fingers. They both let a drop of blood fall onto the tattoo on his palm. The red mark glowed brightly, then slowly faded and vanished.
The three of them closed their eyes as the contract bound them together. In Jacob's vision, a screen appeared in front of him:
[Contract Successful. Congratulations, host. You are now married to Allison Argent and Lydia Martin. The three of you are bound for life. You cannot betray one another, and their minds are protected from being read by another creature. You can communicate with them telepathically, and you will sense when they are in danger.]
Jacob asked in his mind. 'When can I share powers with them?'
[You can share system rewards with them after they truly become your mates. This will happen when you consummate the marriage. The system will grant you new rewards after consummating the marriage with each of them, including powers that are suitable for them.]
'Good.' Jacob thought. 'Then let's wait until that happens before I tell them that I can give them powers.'
He opened his eyes and saw that Allison and Lydia still had their eyes closed in deep concentration. After a few moments, they slowly opened them.
"So… we're married now, huh?" Allison said, raising an eyebrow. "You didn't think to mention the marriage part?"
Jacob smiled. "I thought the part about being in a relationship for life pretty much explained it. But don't worry—I'll throw you both a huge wedding whenever you want."
Allison sighed. "Let's wait a few years for that."
Lydia chimed in. "Besides the marriage part, it said we can't betray or harm each other, our minds are protected, and… I do feel connected to you two."
"I feel it too." Allison added. "It's like we're family—but more than that. I can't really explain it… It's a fascinating feeling."
Lydia smirked and spoke telepathically. [And we can do this now—talk in each other's heads.]
Allison replied with a laugh. [That's really cool. And we can also feel it if one of us is in danger.]
Jacob blinked. "Wait, how do you girls know all that? I mean the marriage, the telepathy, and the fact that we can't betray each other?"
Lydia said. "After I dripped my blood on your tattoo, a flood of information just entered my head. It explained what that tattoo was."
Allison nodded. "Same here. It was like the knowledge was uploaded into my brain."
Jacob leaned back. "I didn't think that's how you girls would learn what the tattoo was. I thought I'd have to explain it to you."
Allison smiled. "So… now can you tell us what you are?"
Jacob said. "Of course."
He stood up and took off his hoodie, becoming topless. Then he shifted. Black scales covered his chest and a little of his shoulders, and a few scales appeared on the back of both of his hands.
"I'm a dragon." He said.
Lydia's eyes widened. "A dragon? You mean the huge fire-breathing flying lizard?"
Jacob nodded. "Exactly. Though I can't shift into my full dragon form yet. I'm still too weak."
Allison asked. "Can you breathe fire?"
"Not yet." Jacob said with a smirk. "But I can do this."
He raised his right hand and summoned a swirling ball of flame in his palm.
"Cool." Lydia whispered, eyes wide.
"Girls, step back a little." Jacob said. Once the girls moved aside, he summoned a ball of crackling lightning in his other hand.
Allison stared at the fire and lightning balls in Jacob's hands in awe. "And you say you're still weak with all these magical powers?"
Jacob chuckled and dismissed the elements, then shifted back to normal, and wore his hoodie, which made Lydia pout in disappointment after he covered himself.
He sat back down, popped a gummy worm into his mouth, and said. "There are a lot of powerful creatures out there stronger than me, and a lot of hunters with very powerful weapons, so I'm not arrogant enough to think I'm invincible."
He glanced at them seriously. "Dragons are very dangerous when they reach their full strength, so everyone fears them. Also, my blood can be used to create all kinds of powerful magical potions… and my bones can be crafted into weapons. So, if the wrong people find out what I am, I'll have a target on my back."
"That's why I need to lay low." He finished. "At least until I'm strong enough to protect myself."
The girls sat beside Jacob, and Allison said. "Then we can't tell anyone what you are."
Lydia added. "Especially your parents, Allison. They sound like they hate supernatural creatures. If they find out you're dating one, they'll probably try to kill him."
Jacob said calmly. "I'm not too worried about your parents, but Allison—whatever you do, don't tell Kate what I am. I don't trust her. And I will kill her if she tries to harm me or spread information about me."
Allison looked shocked. "Kill her?"
Jacob turned to her, eyes serious. "Yes. If she tells the wrong people what I am, it won't just be me they come after—they'll come after you two as well. So don't tell her. She's not as good a person as you think."
Allison sighed. "Don't worry. I wouldn't tell anyone. But… why are you so sure she's bad?"
Jacob replied. "Because unlike your dad, Kate is close to your grandfather—Gerard. And that man is pure evil. Like I said before, I'm not telling you to hate her. I'm just saying be careful around her and don't be too disappointed when you find out who she really is. That's all I'm saying."
Allison nodded. "Alright. I'll be careful around her and won't believe everything she says. But until I see it for myself, I'll keep treating her the same. She's like a sister to me… at least for now."
Lydia leaned forward. "Okay, let's stop talking about that. Say, Jay—there are a lot of different kinds of dragons. Like eastern dragons that look like snakes, and dragons with wings instead of arms, and dragons with four limbs and wings. Which one are you?"
Jacob smiled. "The last one. I'm a Western dragon—four limbs and two wings. The ones with wings instead of arms are wyverns."
"Are you sure you're the last of your kind?" Lydia asked.
"I'm not sure." Jacob said. "Maybe there are other living dragons, but until I reach my full strength, I hope I never meet one."
Allison raised an eyebrow. "Say, pervert, do you like anything else other than women?"
Jacob grinned. "Yeah. Food and shiny things. That's why I love my car and my bike."
Then he hugged both girls close and smirked. "Speaking of being a pervert… when are we going to sleep together?"
Lydia giggled. "We can do it now, if you want."
Allison pushed him away lightly. "No, we are not doing anything yet. And by the way, I knew him first, so I get to be his first woman."
Then she glared at Jacob. "And you—don't ever think about sleeping with both of us at the same time. I'm not gay, I have no interest in women, so I'll never do that."
Jacob raised his hands defensively. "Relax. Like I said, I'm very possessive. I don't want to share either of you—not even with each other. So don't worry, I don't want a threesome. But Allison, when are we going to..."
Allison cut him off. "I already became yours—for life. But if you want to sleep with me, you'll have to work for it. Take me on a few more dates at least."
Lydia smirked. "I can sleep with you, Jay. I can do it right now if you want. I'm ready whenever you are."
Allison snapped. "No, you won't. You'll wait your turn after me."
Lydia said. "Then hurry up. I'm already more than ready. And just so you know, I'll be trying to seduce him whenever I get the chance. So don't blame me if he gets tired of waiting for your indecisive ass."
Allison shot her a glare. "I won't stop you from that, but if he sleeps with you before me, he better be ready to lose his balls."
Jacob raised a finger, about to speak. "I..."
Allison cut him off sharply. "You shut up. I'm serious. If you sleep with her first, don't blame me for being rude."
Jacob blinked and said. "Yes, ma'am."
Then he sniffled dramatically like he was crying, leaned into Lydia's chest, and whined. "Allison is so mean… she scared me."
Lydia patting his back. "There, there… don't be scared."
Seeing Allison's death glare, Lydia smirked, and pushed Jacob away from her chest and said. "Let me give you a kiss to make you feel better."
Then the two of them started making out, until Allison finally snapped. She stood up and pulled them apart. "That's enough."
Jacob grinned, turned to her, and scooped her into his arms. He sat back on the couch with her in his lap and started tickling her until she burst out laughing and begged him to stop.
When he'd had enough fun, he leaned in and gave her a deep kiss. "Don't worry. I promised you, and I'll keep my promise. Just… don't take too long, because I can't take Lydia's torture for too long."
Allison, catching her breath, said. "I won't take too long. I just want us to go on a few more dates first."
Lydia crossed her arms. "Speaking of dates, you haven't taken me on one yet."
Jacob chuckled. "How about tomorrow night?"
Lydia nodded. "Deal."
Jacob looked down at Allison, still resting in his lap. "Oh, I just remembered… I think your parents noticed I have powers yesterday when I caught that mountain lion."
Allison's eyes widened. "You think that'll be a problem? Are you going to fight with them?"
Jacob shook his head. "No."
"But what if they try to hurt you? Or separate us?"
Jacob replied calmly. "Then we'll pretend that if they hurt me, you'll get hurt too because we're bound together. And tell them that if they try to separate us, we'll both die. I think they love you enough to not endanger your life."
Allison considered it. "Alright. If they try anything, we go with that. But… what if they tell Kate?"
Jacob said. "I don't think she'd do anything to harm you either, I hope. And as long as she doesn't know exactly what I am, it's fine if she thinks I'm just a shapeshifter."
"I see…" Allison nodded. "But we also need to hide the fact that you're dating both me and Lydia. At least for now."
Lydia agreed. "She's right. I don't need my mom nagging me constantly, so let's keep it between us for now."
Jacob nodded. "Alright. We'll keep it a secret for as long as we can—though honestly, I doubt it'll stay hidden for long."
Then he stood up, lifted Allison over his shoulder, and gave her a playful spank. "Now I'm starving. Let's get lunch."
With that, the three headed to the kitchen and had a big lunch. The girls were shocked by the sheer amount of food Jacob consumed. He laughed and explained that it was part of his dragon growing phase—he needed tons of energy.
To be continued… 😊