Sired: A Dark Reverse Harem Romance (Ascension Book 3)

by Kenna Bardot

  A moment later, a hand pressed a cold tiny bottle into my hand. “Drink that. It’ll help with the pain. You can have some water afterwards.”

  I raised my head up to give myself a better angle but instead of drinking, brought the bottle up to my nose to sniff. The woman beside me let out a laugh. “Just like a Majele to question any concoction handed to them. I’d tell you it’s not poisonous, but you need to see for yourself.”

  Not bothering to correct her assumption that I was any proper and skilled Majele, I trusted that the liquid would not kill me after a quick olfactory inspection. Deciding it didn’t smell ominous, I took a tiny sip and let that roll around on my tongue for a moment. When it didn’t have any adverse effects, I downed the contents. It burnt against my dry throat, and I let my head drop onto the pillow heavily.

  Too much effort, too quickly.

  A hand came to pluck the bottle from my grip. “Would you like some water?”

  I nodded again, still unable to speak. “Okay then. If you feel you can sit up, don’t. Not until you can open your eyes without squinting. That’s the first step.”

  I didn’t react as she moved away, instead taking deep, calming breaths as I tried to remember what happened. Everything felt like a dream - unreal and incomprehensible. Or more, a nightmare because my men weren’t present. Following the woman’s instructions, I tried first to open one eye and when the light caused no pain; I followed with the other.

  No pain. No glare.

  But it was easy to see why there had been before. I was in the dimmer part of what looked like a brightly lit room with cream-colored walls. Sheer curtains curved around part of the corner where my bed was situated, diffusing some light.

  A green-haired Goddess with rather impressive curves walked towards me, a smile in place. “Ah, good. You can follow instructions. I’m glad you can open your eyes now.” She thrust the water at me, which I took gratefully, taking a deep gulp to soothe my throat.

  I swallowed and tried to speak, “Where am I?”

  “The Reserve,” she answered. “Do you want more?” I looked down and saw I’d drank the entire glass of water. I shook my head and handed the glass back to her. She took it and laid it on the table beside my bed, instead pulling a chair to sit near me. “What do you remember?” she asked.

  It was all blank. I attempted to think, but all I could remember was pain before I had felt my world descend into darkness. And very vaguely I remembered flashes of red and gold and heat. Dragons. I stared down at my right wrist and found it wrapped in a cloth bandage. I knew, though, that the burn was there.

  I remembered the burn.

  “Dragons.”

  I watched her nod, the sadness lighting her eyes as she replied, “Yes, dragons. That’s where you are. In the Dragon Reserve.”

  “My Sires?”

  “You’re alone. We don’t let everyone in. I’m Jasmine, but you can call me Jas. I’m a medic.” She turned at the sound of a door opening. She stood up, pulling back the curtain as she did so. “Haisley, is that you?”

  My gaze immediately went near the foot of my bed, and in the area just revealed was a tiny bed where the baby dragon slept. With one look, I could place all the feelings that were swirling inside me. They all connected to her.

  The dragon’s eyes opened and met mine, narrowed. I narrowed my eyes back at her.

  “Hello, I’m glad you’re awake.” A tiny purple-haired Goddess dressed in a gunmetal gray skin tight outfit walked in.

  “Hi.” Cautiously, I sat up and pressed my hands against the mattress to keep myself up. Most of the pain was gone, and I only felt tired. Like how one felt after getting too much sleep. Groggy and slightly achy.

  “Jas tells me you don’t remember much?”

  I shook my head, felt the tears stinging my eyes as I tried to remember. I closed my eyes and tried to think back. I knew I'd been meaning to meet Shep. That we would talk about the twins. Then the knowledge pulsed through me - the heat, a pain that rivaled no other pain I'd felt before, the heart-wrenching memory of watching life pass to death inside me, the feeling of finally being complete and alive. The swirl of emotion was light and heavy and grave and great.

  I opened my eyes and immediately looked to the baby dragon, remembering how her very own mother had given her to me. “Her mother….” I trailed off when I saw Jas avert her gaze, but not before I saw the tears in them.

  The Goddess who Jas called Haisley shook her head. “She’s gone. Your little one is all that is left of her.”

  I felt that loss keen in my chest, a devastating feeling of sadness that I could not comprehend. Then my eyes met the baby dragon’s, and I knew it was her. I didn’t know how I felt about the fact that I had feelings inside me that weren’t strictly mine. “I’m sorry. I don’t know that my words mean anything.”

  “She was too young to go, for sure, but she left us a life and a blessing." She gestured with her head and the dragon leapt from her bed and crawled towards me. She was tiny, or at least she was for a creature that would grow bigger than a building.

  "Hello, what's your name?" I asked the dragon as it walked tentatively towards the edge of the bed.

  "She doesn't have a name yet," Haisley put in; cryptically adding, "that's to come later."

  “Okay.” I dragged my legs, so they hung off the side of the bed. I looked around at the room I was in. “Where am I again? And I’m afraid I still don’t understand, but who are you all? I know Jas said she was a medic.”

  “Yes, we’re both members of the Dragon Guard. I’m Haisley and everyone calls me the friendly face. I handle the Guard’s general well-being. I make sure that people are happy and satisfied in the Dragon Guard.” Jas walked over, nose a little redder and crumpled up tissue in hand. She wrapped an arm around Haisley’s shoulders. “She’s basically everyone’s friend.”

  “That’s me. Friend, dictator, bossy tyrant. It really depends on who you talk to.” She shrugged and Jas laughed. “To answer your other question, we’re in the dragon grounds - the Reserve. It’s basically the home of all dragons and their Dragon Guards. The most highly guarded area in the whole of Demiorgo.”

  “Why am I here?” I touched a hand to the bandage on my right wrist. “Aren’t there health centers elsewhere in Demiorgo?”

  “Yes, but this is where the two of you belong. Anyway, it’s good you’re awake. Jas said that she gave you the elixir so you should be good.” She held up a hand when I opened my mouth to speak. “I’m happy to answer questions but there’s somewhere we need to be. You need to change first so we can go.”

  I wanted to argue but just nodded. “Fine. How long have I been here?”

  “Three days.”

  “Three days?” I lurched to my feet, but dropped onto the bed again because of the sudden movement. “My Sires will be worried about me. Please, I have to go home.”

  Jas rushed forward and gave Haisley a dirty look. “Zeevar, Haisley, be a little delicate. At this point, the state of mind is a little fragile.” She looked down at me, grabbing my right arm where the blood had seeped through the bandage. “I have to fix this then you will put on the uniform Haisley brought with her. After, you’re going with her, then you can go home. You’re healthy enough to do so if that’s what you want.”

  “Okay.” I nodded meekly as Jas removed the bandage and instead of replacing it with a fresh bandage, she allowed a green light to wrap around it. When the light disappeared, the burn became a simple scar of raised flesh. “There.”

  She turned around and Haisley raised her hands up, walking forward to drop a pile of gunmetal gray clothing on the bed.

  “Okay, you change.” The two Goddesses walked off, but not before Jas drew back the curtains around the bed.

  I sighed and pulled the stark white top off my head, shrugging into the dark, heavy outfit that reminded me almost uncomfortably of armor. It was like Haisley’s, but had red threaded through it, almost closely mimicking how the dragon’s scales looked. I pulled t
he loose pajama-like bottoms off and pulled on tight leather-like pants that hugged my legs.

  I reached down and touched the top of the baby dragon's head, the tiny scales unbelievably soft, like a stiffer sort of fur. When I touched it, I felt the pain flood back into my body even as the dragon let out a tiny yelping sound. But inexplicably, we didn't step away from one another until I felt a comfort in the touch and knew she did too when she nuzzled my hand with her snout.

  Then the sensations I'd felt in the square resettled themselves inside me and I stroked the side of her face carefully. I stood up and looked down at her. "Let's go then, little one?"

  ✽✽✽

  Jas checked on me before she allowed me to go out. But she’d led me out herself once she declared that I would do. The moment we stepped out of the medical building, the first thing I saw was the large blue dragon who immediately greeted Jas with a bump of the snout.

  “Hello, darling Iva.” She shot me a smile. “My dragon, Iva, Mireyah. She’s my darling dearest.”

  "Awww, you have your dragon wrapped around you. Bet you miss that, eh, Jas?" I whipped around to see Haisley, who stood with a Leven beside her. She looked tiny beside him, if only because he was big and burly with masses of unkempt green hair on his head. A leather circlet with a stone of swirling colors peeked out from under his hair.

  “I miss it sometimes but not when Iva flies me everywhere. Hi, Chett!” She gave the Leven who stood beside Haisley a wave.

  He nodded and grinned through the beard. “Hiya, Jas.”

  Haisley grabbed his arm and turned towards me. "Mireyah, this is Chett. He’s the boss of you. But not the boss of me.”

  He walked forward with his arm outstretched. I grabbed his hand, which engulfed mine. "I lead all the dragons and their Dragon Guard."

  “At least you lead something, darling.” She wrapped her arms around his waist. “He’s also my husband.”

  “The two of you are adorable,” Jas inserted.

  “Sorry, I’m confused. What are we doing again?”

  Chett let out a deep laugh that seemed to emanate across the ground, loud enough that it could drown out the sounds of the dragons. "We heard you had human origins. It appears your Sire didn't complete your knowledge of dragons. This is the dragon grounds, where the dragons live with the dragon guards. Like you."

  Sires, I corrected in my head but thought it best not to mention. At that moment, was that really the most important thing?

  "Well, yes, they told me where I was, but a Dragon Guard, me?" I said, pointing at myself like an idiot.

  "Sure, Mireyah," Haisley laughed at me. "Why do you think you're here? This isn't exactly what one would call a tourist attraction."

  "There are two branches of the Dragon Guard. Those with dragons and those who are in the Guard but do not have dragons. Those who are unbonded have been accepted by dragons and are trusted. Like Haisley." Chett gestured towards Haisley with a big, beefy ham of a hand.

  "Me, that's right."

  "And I have a dragon?" I winced, sounding like a dim-witted idiot because I was barely following what they were saying. "Yes, I do."

  "Yes. We understand you're confused but hopefully all will be clearer soon.”

  "Then I can go home?” I cursed because I had been there for three days, which meant I had missed Ryle and Tate’s birthday.

  "All in due time. But it’s getting close to time for the induction. So we should go. Follow me, please," Chett said and started walking down a black dirt path. I walked behind him and Haisley dropped his hand to fall into step behind me.

  "Where are we going?"

  "You'll see." She took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry. You can leave as soon as everything is done."

  I gulped. That's what I was afraid of.

  On the way down, a silver-haired Dragon Guard whose uniform had red and silver threaded through it joined us.. “Chett, Haisley.”

  “Elin, this is Mireyah,” Haisley introduced, “Mireyah, Elin heads Security in the Dragon Guard.”

  “Hiya, Mireyah, nice to meet you. Welcome to the Guard.” He shot me a smile and a piercing gaze, and I had a distinct feeling that he was trying to read me. I turned my head to break eye contact but walked in silence as we listened to the two Gods in front of us speak.

  “I was thinking Patrick. He doesn’t have a dragon, but he should do well.” He gestured and a tall God with red hair tied back in a ponytail rushed forward. He gave us a slight wave before he turned to Chett and Elin.

  Whatever it was they talked about, I did not know. I was taken back to that day. Patrick was familiar because he’d been there that day on the square. He’d been the one to attempt to stop me from walking forward.

  And it was like something had opened up. How I’d known the dragon who’d given me her baby. I knew now that she’d been there during my Sire Trials. And her Guard had said something using her last breath.

  ‘You made it out.’

  I wasn’t certain what she’d meant, but as she’d been on her deathbed, I chalked it up to delirium. But the pit in my stomach made me feel restless.

  I felt the dragon’s claws dig into my back and I reached up to calm her down. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  “What happened?” asked Haisley, throwing us a worried look.

  “She’s digging into my back.”

  “You should both relax. It’s important to relax, especially now.” I nodded, and we just walked on in silence. After a few minutes, Chett turned into the trees, pushing back branches so that we could pass through.

  "This?" I took a step forward, acting braver than I truly felt as I examined the barren area in the middle of thick trees. Peculiarly, there was no sound of any dragons but for the tiny sounds the baby dragon made near my ear.

  "Yes, now we wait." Chett nodded as he stepped forward and stood next to one, waiting with his hands behind his back. A dragon landed right beside Chett, and he reached up to give it a light stroke. The dragon expelled a soft breath and nudged at Haisley before flying off.

  “That was Thorus. Chett’s dragon. He’s a handsome devil.” I nodded in agreement but couldn’t speak. Everything was just very overwhelming.

  Of course, that meant that another dragon landed in front of us. A Tovenaar jumped down from the back before the dragon shot up once more to the sky. “Chett.”

  “Corban, our newest, Mireyah.” Chett gestured back towards me, and I came face to face with a tall God with black eyes that sent a shiver down my spine in fear.

  I had to stop myself from stepping back - having an issue with one was not a reason to have a reason with all.

  “Mireyah, welcome to the Dragon Guard. Your little one seems to be very comfortable with you. That’s good.” He nodded and shot me a welcoming smile.

  A friendly Tovenaar. How novel. I shot him a smile back. “I guess it’s nice to be here.”

  I felt a shock of electricity shoot up my spine and then Zeevar appeared in front of me. I remembered him on that day in the square. He’d given me a look, but I’d been too distracted to think about until that moment.

  "Mireyah who was once Bolstad. Why did it have to be you?" He shook his head at me, although I did not miss the light of amusement in his eyes.

  "I want to be here just as much as you want me, Zeevar." I met his eyes. Why was it I was always dealing with the least pleasant of the Core Gods? First Caprice, then Zeevar. Someday, I wished I could just deal with Rhiannon.

  Even Anselm would be a relief.

  "I can see that. Well, here is where you are and they have chosen you for something that even I could not control. Dragons are their own creatures, much as they might serve me." He shrugged as he examined his nails. "Tell me, do you still spit at the feet of Gods? Now that you call yourself one amongst them?"

  "Not all of them." I looked around at the solemn faces of the other Gods who had arrived with him. "But that could change. After all, I don't know why you're here yet."

  He reached forw
ard and ran a hand over my dragon's head. She snapped her teeth at him, and he laughed when she did so. "Your creature is just as ornery as you are. How interesting. It keeps life from being boring. But I would prefer it if you didn't spit at my feet. I quite like these boots."

  I bared my teeth and rubbed a hand over my dragon's head as a thank you for snapping at the God before me. "I'm not making any promises."

  He shook his head and gestured before him. "Fine then. We’ll begin shortly."

  Haisley took my arm to move me forward. Wind struck against me as we walked, making me reach up another hand to stabilize the dragon clinging to my shoulders like it might knock her down from her perch. My shoulders already fatigued from her weight, because contrary to what she must have thought, she was not an appropriate size for me to carry around.

  The gusts of wind were followed by a blue dragon landing to our right, followed closely by a red dragon. Two Bytas dropped from the red dragon to join the yellow-haired guard who had been on the blue. The female Byta threw me a look of such animosity I stumbled a bit in surprise. Haisley tightened her grip on me and pulled at me to walk faster.

  A few meters behind Zeevar, Haisley stopped, and Corban offered me his arm. I hesitated a moment before I grabbed it, but he gave me a supporting nod. We walked forward until we reached the area where Zeevar stood, waiting. Beside him stood a huge rock, and the top was flat, carved with an intricate marbled design that I didn't recognize.

  “The sun is setting.” He faced what I could only assume was the West, and we watched the sun go down. Against the backdrop of purple bleeding into orange, a group of dragons appeared in the sky. They dropped into the clearing in one fell swoop, then a group of Dragon Guard in uniform with glistening black thread through it.

  “Gaige,” Chett said impatiently. “What time is it?”

  “Sorry we’re late,” a tall Vide spoke in a soft voice. “We were otherwise detained. But we could not miss the induction involving Kimba’s baby.”