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

by Kenna Bardot

  As we approached it, I saw that there were smooth, semi-elevated flat stones embedded in the ground in front of it. Haisley’s hold on me tightened as we walked closer.

  We stopped in front of them and Chett spoke in a soft voice. “We’ve learned that humans called them cemeteries, but ours isn’t that so much as an honoring. Not a lot of dragons die, but when they do, they’re part of our history. This is one way for us to honor and remember them. Zeevar’s handiwork, of course.” Haisley broke free from me and walked to one was quite near. It appeared more shiny, and I walked over to see.

  Kimba and Trellis | Cadre | 318.

  The image of them flitted through my brain as they’d been on the square that day. Barely alive one moment, then gone the next. My world had bled to black with that image burned into my mind.

  “So young. They were so young. Everyone here had five or six digits next to their names, but for them.” Haisley leaned against Chett, who had moved to stand behind her. “I miss them every day.”

  “We all do, Haisley.” He kissed the top of her forehead. “Come, we’ll walk you to your building.” We did in silence. Haisley’s building was built of stone and marble, just a little off to the right of the big black building.

  “The black building is where Corban handles all affairs of the entire Dragon Guard. That’s also where he and his dragon live.” Haisley stopped in front of the white building. “But this is mine. Administrative building. Most of the Dragon Guard work from here, or at least the ones who don’t work in the library or archives or security. We train, of course, you saw that in the main training facility but usually security trains, Karfis train when they’re not making sure this place is fixed and maintained.”

  Haisley plucked the box from Chett’s hands, then stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the lips. “This is where I bid you both farewell. Foot massage, Mireyah, okay?” She bounded off, practically skipping towards the building. Chett stood there for a moment, watching his wife, and I sighed, wondering if my Sires watched me walk away with that wistful look. And if they did, that they still would after centuries of marriage.

  “Come on,” Chett said as he gestured down a slope towards a sizable building made of charred stone. As we approached it, I felt a heat that rivaled what I thought the sun must feel like up close.

  “The Forgery,” Chett announced with a flourish of his hands. “Those who were Kalds and Sutres work with their dragons to forge the best, strongest, and most indestructible weapons and armors in Demiorgo.”

  “Does everyone get a weapon?” I asked as I eyed the sword that Chett carried on his back.

  He nodded. “Sure. Everyone earns the right to a weapon specifically made for them once they pass basic training. But all Dragon Guard can get one from the armory which is the other building.”

  We moved on and he showed me where the medical building was, which I already knew. The Security building which wasn’t that far from the only entrance into Dragon Reserve besides the Springen Express, which was right beside it.

  “Feet faring well, Mireyah?” Chett asked two hours later when we were back in the training center.

  I collapsed into a chair but didn’t speak. “Well, I’m not dead.” I laughed and threw my head back as I relaxed. “But I’m close.”

  “You’ll be fine, Mireyah. You can take the rest of this day to rest. Read if you want.”

  I waved a hand at him as he walked out of the classroom and promptly fell asleep and into a nap where I dreamed of flat black stones gleaming dully in sunlight, glistening as they bathed in pools of tears.

  ✽✽✽

  I was so tired I struggled to breathe through my nose. I made a hissing sound as I took a deep breath through the mouth. The flapping of wings echoed above me, and I barely resisted the urge to curse. “Five minutes, Mireyah.”

  “Fuck you, Chett,” I muttered under my breath as I struggled to find Hydra. The sun was so low in the sky I half-expected it to just set at any moment. “Hydra, baby, please give me more.”

  I could barely feel anything. I knew I was going in what was vaguely the right direction, but I was too distracted by my irritation and the desire to stab something. Chett had not been kind to me. After learning what we were supposed to do the entire day that morning, I’d understood why it was he’d given me a guided tour the day before.

  I had to learn the area so I could navigate in it without becoming lost. But for the entire day, Thorus would fly Hydra off and plop her in some random place and I had two hours to find her. Two impossible hours where I had nothing but my bond with her to guide me.

  This time though, with the clock ticking down, I knew I was close. So close. Another stab. And then I understood, and I ran, not stopping even when breathing became impossible to do. “Hydra!”

  And then I felt her, that burst of her fear, her nerves, and I knew where she was. I skidded down the slope and towards the armory. I rushed towards the side, near the tall grass, and saw her with her view directly into the window of the armory.

  Sharp. That’s where the sharp had come from. “Hydra.”

  Where just moments before she did not move, she rushed towards me then, and I wrapped myself around her, squeezing hard. Thorus landed and Chett called down. “Well done, Mireyah. The two of you almost didn’t make it, but perhaps you’ll pass the basic exam, after all.”

  I pumped my fist into the air lazily. “Woo. Hey, can you boys fly us home, please?” I laughed, the hysteria taking control of me as I collapsed onto the ground with Hydra snuggling into my arms.

  While Chett and Thorus were perfectly happy to fly us home, I just had them fly us to the station. The men knew I would come home late because I’d been so tired, and I hadn’t felt up to going home just yet after my training session. That didn’t mean that they’d be okay with me riding in tandem on the back of a male dragon with a God behind me.

  I yawned as we stepped out of the Springen Express station nearest our home, and Hydra followed suit soon after. Judging from the way she stumbled about sleepily, it was hard work being as stubborn as a dragon.

  It was late; the shadows cast down from the moons in the sky something I wasn't used to seeing when I made the journey home. That and the fact that only Hydra accompanied me were very unusual. However, given the way my life seemed determined to become more intense, such an occurrence would become more and more normal.

  The path home narrowed. No one else walked at that time of night in our more rural little bubble where we didn't have to coexist with anyone else. It had its benefits, and its downsides for sure.

  The walk home in the eerie silence proved to be one of the latter.

  I glanced down at Hydra, finding her more alert as her head darted from side to side. "What's wrong?" I asked as a chill crept up my spine. When Hydra spun, flicking her tail as she stared behind us intently, I nearly froze in place but forced my legs to keep moving. If it was someone, if there was someone who meant to harm us, stopping was the last thing I wanted to do.

  "Hydra," I whispered, and for once the dragon listened. She wound herself up my legs and body until she settled on my shoulders. Even her weight couldn't stop me from picking up my pace, couldn't stop me from hurrying forward. I glanced behind me as I went, seeing the shadow that lurked at the rear of the path.

  There was little doubt in my mind who the figure was. I knew it with absolute certainty. Only he could cause the complete panic that swept over me, the chill of someone so cold and void watching me.

  I resisted the urge to run, because with Hydra's weight on me there would be no point. I'd never be fast enough. I glanced at her, meeting her eye on my shoulder and hoped that she could feel my intent.

  If he'd come for me, we wouldn't go down without a fight.

  "Mireyah!" a furious voice shouted, snapping me out of my moment of panic. I spun back, watching as Ryle jogged up the path behind me, his gold hair glinting in the moonlight. "Are you alright?" he asked.

  "Yes," I whispered, shaking
my head. "Did you pass anyone on your way up the path?"

  "No," he said, stepping into my space slightly. "Why didn't you stop when I called you? Didn't you hear me?"

  Panic and fear sounded like a steady drum in my ears, but I didn’t say it. "No. It's been a long day," I admitted. "I guess I didn't."

  Hydra unwound from my shoulders, excited rather than tense and fearful as she had been, as she lunged herself at Ryle. She curled up on his more broad shoulders, purring as she settled in for a pleasant sleep and blew her warm breath against his ear. He flinched with a grimace, using a finger to guide her nose away just slightly as she snored almost immediately.

  Even in the face of the panic I'd felt, something about watching my dragon adore one of my Sires settled me. Ryle held out a hand, and I took it.

  Even if I was jealous that Hydra got a free ride and I didn't.

  "Are you sure you're alright?"

  "I'm good now," I whispered, leaning into his side. "She really loves you and Tate," I noted.

  "And Hollis," he replied with a smile. "It's just Shep and Char she doesn't like, and who can blame her? They're the more ornery of us. I imagine they're too similar to her." Hydra's tongue slid out of her mouth, nipping at his ear with a little warning sizzle like she didn't particularly care for the insinuation.

  Ryle chuckled, squeezing my hand in his as we walked. "Well, I have good news. Hopefully, it will help make up for how tired you are."

  "Oh? What's that?" I grinned at him, scuffling my feet with every step. I just needed to collapse in my bed and not wake up for three months. That was the only solution to the kind of day I'd had.

  "Three days ago, we started a house in the North. In the Kald area, particularly. Today, we finished it.”

  "Mhm?" I murmured sleepily. I was impressed, really, by how fast the Karfis could build a house. But seeing as I’d seen just how well he’d finished and built onto our own house, I believed him.

  Hydra’s quarters were his newest quarters, and it just showed how spoiled Hydra was because it was turning out to be a palace.

  "For Oryn and his wife," he said, and my eyes snapped open as I turned to look at him.

  My bottom lip quivered, and I smiled at him. "Astraea is here?" I asked.

  "Yes, Snow. Astraea is finally here," he confirmed as tears filled my eyes.

  I'd tried. I'd tried so hard not to let myself feel just how much I missed her and Lysandra, but knowing that she’d finally left Sylfeshire made me happy because it meant I would see her again.

  But I knew our reunion would be bittersweet because we’d both left our friend behind. And she was never, ever coming to us.

  ✽✽✽

  The truth of the matter was the week couldn’t move fast enough. Training was interesting enough and challenging at times that it felt like we would fail and I would be a laughingstock of the entire Dragon Guard.

  However, Chett never made me feel that way, and I had to admire him for his patience in training me for days on end. But, at that moment, I didn’t have the slightest bit of interest in my life as a Dragon Guard.

  Instead, I was eager to find Astraea before I keeled over and died from exhaustion. That or I would get lost and no one would ever find me for centuries and centuries. Beside me, Hydra bumped herself against my leg and I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Hydra, I know I’m being melodramatic. But Ryle’s directions aren’t very helpful, are they?”

  That or I was just horrible at interpreting them. However, I didn’t want to admit that out loud, so I just stopped and squinted at the parchment.

  It was mid-morning, a time I considered polite enough to barge in on newlyweds. Hydra ran in circles right next to me, although she had attempted to wrap herself around me before I'd pushed her off. I was in a hurry and not in the mood to be carting around a growing dragon. Besides, she was fully capable of walking herself.

  “Aha! Got you!” Realizing I'd turned right instead of left, I backtracked. As I got nearer and nearer, I slowed down and wondered if, perhaps, I should have sent over a message to let them know I was coming over for a visit. Then they could have met me at the station, and I wouldn't have had to run around like a tourist in an unknown city.

  But that would have removed the element of surprise, which was more important for me. I just hoped that my wanting to keep it a secret would not bite me in the ass.

  I stopped and thought about the reality of knocking on the door of an empty house.

  What if, after all of this, they weren’t even home?

  I came to a halt when I saw the charming house just outside the Northern territory. It really wasn't that far away from the house I shared with my men. The house was a charming blue gray color with cobbled walls and roof. It was closed off by a wrought-iron fence that reached my chin.

  The gate wasn’t locked, but I stood there and shouted, anyway. “Hello?”

  I heard evidence that someone was inside the house. But no one came out, so I repeated myself, "Hello?"

  A few moments later, the stone door opened, and Astraea stuck her head out tentatively. The moment I saw that familiar face, tears pooled in my eyes. Shock settled in with the joy at my first sight of her in almost a year.

  "Mireyah?" Disbelief and joy laced through her voice as a pleased light sparkled in her eyes and she rushed towards me.

  I fumbled with the latch of the gate from the outside, cursing the way my hands slipped from my excitement, trembling from the effort and adrenaline. I met her halfway and wrapped myself around her just as her arms came around me. I cried, one half of a duet with Astraea who did the same with enthusiasm.

  I knew Hydra felt the conflict of emotions that rolled around inside me as she ribboned around my legs, pawing at my shoes and nipping at the cuffs of the loose thick pants I'd worn for my day off. She made a low mewling sound even as I just blabbered incoherently at Astraea.

  She pulled back, hands on my shoulder, and laid her hands on the sides of my face. "Mireyah, what a sight for sore eyes you are. I didn't know you were coming here -" she broke off and took a step back, her mouth forming an 'o' as she looked down. "Oh, hello there. Who's this lovely thing?"

  I laughed even as I sniffled, a watery sound, as I shook my head. "Hydra, stop that." I shook my head at my dragon, who had taken to digging at the top of Astraea's thick boots.

  "Hello, Hydra," Astraea said patiently as she crouched down and gently pried the dragon off her feet. She gave my dragon a few strokes down the head and back and Hydra must have figured that she was one of the nice ones because she rolled onto her back. Obliging, Astraea gave her a few belly rubs before standing back up.

  "Well, I didn't immediately notice that." She pointed to her forehead, and I reached up, touching the stone that lay flush there. A part of me just as my eyes and ears and mouth were.

  "Ah, yes. Well, surprise! I'm in the Dragon Guard."

  She shook her head with a slight chuckle. "Trust you to Ascend and not just fade into normalcy. What, the shock of having five Sires not enough for you?" I gave her a wide-eyed look, and she shrugged in response.

  “They’re more than enough for me.” I laughed, remembering how a mere touch of their lips could send me to paradise. “Yes, more than enough. But we’re fading into an old married group here. No, let’s talk about you. How’s being married to Oryn? Finally, after all this time?”

  She laughed and spun in a circle - a movement Hydra copied while making short yipping sounds and waving her tail back and forth. “It’s glorious. I’m free, finally free. And the sex isn’t bad. I hated being a Descendant but love being a Goddess now.”

  “Especially because Sutre? How does Oryn feel about that?” I asked, noting her stark orange hair.

  “He loves it. Since he supports me, he’s happy that I’m happy. Speaking of which, your fan club asked that I give you a message once I Ascended and saw you.”

  I barked out a laugh as I remembered her, Cyrille who had gushed over me and mine so often. One had to wonder how she survi
ved the Trials at Godsvail being she seemed so flighty on the surface. “Okay, what does she have to say? Hit me.”

  Astraea walked over to close the front door before gesturing for us to follow her around the house. “Well, there was a lot of squealing and shrieking, which I will not repeat. But she said she hoped you were having fun living out your best fantasy life.”

  I shook my head. “That girl is... surely special.”

  “She is. And she’s harmless, even if her shrieking and squealing did likely puncture my eardrums.” Aes led us over to a set of chairs, plopping down on one that was coated with ice. The water streamed from it as she melted it with her Sutre heat. “Sit, sit.”

  I sat down on the seat beside hers, enjoying the cold of the chair. “I wonder what type of Goddess she’d make.”

  “Who knows? She’s still in Viewing and we won’t be there to see her Declarable. But speaking of someone who is, as I was leaving, Theo had a declaration from a Majele Goddess. He seemed well-pleased.” We watched Hydra playing with the snow in the yard. A result of living in mostly Kald territory.

  “How is Theo?” I remembered him clearly. The way he made me feel comfortable when I knew no one in Second Level viewing. His determination and drive. I was glad he would undergo the Sire Trials. I looked forward to seeing him again.

  “He’s happy for you and tells you to watch out for him. He’s confident, that one. But with cause. He’s a favorite amongst the Goddesses, and I’d be very surprised if he didn’t have several more Declare for him since I left.”

  “Of course.” Then I tensed because we were avoiding the one person who mattered more than all the rest. I knew it and Aestraea knew it too. My heart tightened because I had to ask about the last member of our trio. "How is she, Aes?"

  Silence.

  I looked beside me, and I watched as Aes physically struggled to hold back tears. I grabbed her hand and squeezed. Hydra stood up on her hind legs, laying her head on our joined hands. Aes reached over with her other hand to stroke Hydra. “As the days pass, she becomes more and more peaceful. I was so angry at her, Mireyah. So damned angry. How could she find peace in having to be punished for not wanting to be a Goddess? How?”