Texas Showdown

by Aaron Crash

  The ranch house itself had a great room underneath the tower. The room dominated the west wing. A dining room with a big table was connected to a huge kitchen on the south side. To the east was Steven’s master bedroom and to the north were Aria’s, Mouse’s, and Tessa’s bedrooms, each with its own bathroom and walk-in closet.

  Sabina had her own little bungalow just to the north of the garden, as did Liam, though he was rarely there. He enjoyed his privacy and his house in Nebraska, which wasn’t too far away as the dragon flies.

  Two other homes, three bedrooms each, had been built to the east for the five widows. With two square miles of Wyoming plain to work with, they had plenty of privacy and plenty of room to expand.

  The five new women split their time between the Infinity Ranch and the old Aerie that Rhaegen Mulk had kept in the Historic Plains Hotel located in downtown Cheyenne. They could come and go as they pleased as well as leave forever at any time. They were all Dragonsouls, after all, and Steven had not officially married them. And he wasn’t planning to. If they wanted to be a part of his Escort, they had to choose to be. If not, they were free to leave.

  Windbreaks protected the outdoor living room from the ever-present Wyoming wind. Tessa had designed the concrete waves. The dragon script carved into them spelled out their various battles. Steven loved it. Sometimes he’d walk the length of the wind wall, tracing his hand over the letters, reliving the memories they’d built in this incredible and sometimes gut-wrenching year.

  It was the end of November—freezing cold, but that terrible wind had taken the night off. This was the quiet before the storm. Snow was expected the next day, so Steven went out and started a fire in the outdoor living room. The plains around him were yellow with sleeping grass and grayish-green with hearty sage. Both smells were so familiar to him. Even though he’d grown up in a Denver suburb, the sights and smells of the Great Plains had leaked through. A coyote yipped and yowled in the distance, an eerie sound, echoing through the night.

  Skylar Blacke came out, swathed in a heavy coat. Her auburn hair was tied back, revealing her beautiful, if aging face. He didn’t ask how old she was. It felt rude. But he figured she’d lived far longer than the forty years she seemed.

  “Hi,” she said.

  “Hey,” Steven replied.

  She took a seat next to him and both watched the fire pop, throwing sparks. “Sabina told me about her vision of us. She also let it slip that she talked about Pretty and me, what we like, our little quirks, that kind of thing.”

  Steven turned and gazed into her face. “Sabina said you’d be okay with it. As for Pretty, that was an accident.”

  Skylar met his eyes. “Tessa went to Pretty to explain the situation, and one thing led to another. Pretty’s happy to have someone who understands what she likes.”

  “Leave it to Tessa to make things right.” Steven paused. “She’s all about consent, but then we all are. We can’t have free love if there is a price to pay.”

  “Well put.” Skylar’s grin made her prettier even as her smile lines deepened. “I don’t mind that you know about my secret desire. You will need to ask the others, however, if they feel comfortable enough to have Sabina tell you what she saw.”

  “Understood.”

  “Cassius Pine was my sixth husband,” Skylar said. “After all the sex, and all the years, what I like doesn’t mean much. I’ve met people with far more interesting kinks than mine.”

  Steven let out a breath. “Six husbands. Wow. Any children?”

  Skylar’s face grew serious. Her whole demeanor changed. “Yes. All dead. It’s a hurt one does not get over. I miss them with my skin. I miss them with my heart. I will never be whole again.”

  Steven was surprised to feel tears come to his eyes. She’d been through a grief he thought might kill him, like losing one of his wives. A world without Aria, Tessa, Mouse, or Sabina in it? It wouldn’t be the world anymore, at least not one he wanted to live in.

  Skylar must’ve seen his eyes glisten. She reached out a hand. “It is my pain, not yours, Steven. If you have your way, the constant warring and murder and greed will come to an end. Let’s you and I end it, shall we?”

  Steven took her hand and let her talk.

  “Sometimes, when a Dragonlord rises to take over a Primacy, they take on the wives and the children and treat them with kindness. It can be a difficult transition, however, and there are stories of Primes murdered by the children of the dragons they slew despite the kindness.” Skylar’s voice faded. She didn’t say anything for a long time. When she spoke again, her words came out choked. “And sometimes, the Prime murders all the children of the conquered. It’s not unlike lions in Africa. A male lion will slay all the cubs of other males so only his genes are passed down to the next generation. Some of my children were killed like that.”

  “But you then had to marry the new Prime?” Steven asked. “How could you stand it?”

  Skylar’s face was painted by the fire. It was expressionless. “Death is a simple thing, Steven. It is silence. It is an eternal ending. It is a candle flame, blown out, never to be relit. Simple. But life? Life is impossibly painful and complicated. After the worst of my sadness passed, I would feel the pull of the new Prime’s seductive powers.” She glanced down at where her wedding ring would’ve been. It had disintegrated the minute Cassius Pine died. She let out a long breath. “I would hate my new Prime, and then he would show me some small kindness, and I would forget for a moment, and that moment became two moments, then three, then a day would pass. I would try and justify his behavior, forcing myself to believe he had no choice. And the cycles of murder would continue on forever.”

  “That’s fucked,” Steven said softly. “Like how abuse victims find they can’t leave their abuser. It’s Stockholm Syndrome, the worst kind. I’m sorry.”

  “Yes,” Skylar agreed. “Only two of my children were killed by a new Prime. Others died in battle. I was relieved when Cassius Pine said he had no desire for offspring. I can still have children. Maybe someday, I will feel safe enough to bring another life into the world with you. I hope to. But not now.”

  Steven sighed. “Not now. But soon. Not all the Primes will be against me. Some will see reason. This constant fighting has to end because if we can travel to other worlds, then we can each have entire planets of our own.”

  “And what if the Dragonlords are not satisfied with a single planet but want to collect them like gems?” Skylar shook her head sadly. “Dragons hoard. It is in our nature.”

  “Maybe,” Steven said. “Or maybe not. Tessa and I are studying Dragonsoul history. Rahaab loved to create conflict. In a lot of ways, he started dragon culture fifty thousand years ago, and all that fighting kept him in power. He was a master at playing games, but what kind of a game is it if you don’t have any opponents? What if no one plays? Then things can change.”

  Skylar gave him a long, steady look. “You certainly are twenty years old, aren’t you? You think you can change the world. It’s sweet.”

  “No, Skylar,” Steven shot back. “I don’t think I can change the world. I know I can. And when I do, you and I can have a child together.”

  “Aren’t I too old for you? Or are you too young for me?” Skylar’s smile was pure mischievousness, and yet there was a heat in her eyes.

  “Yeah, I don’t care if you don’t.” Steven pulled her hand up and kissed it. “Age doesn’t mean much, not with you and me and the way our lives are.” He gave her hand a final squeeze and dropped it. The older woman liked to ease into lovemaking, and Steven had a plan to make that happen. Aria had volunteered to go first with Skylar, since Tessa and Sabina had been with him the night before. And he’d “recharged” Mouse when they first got back to the Infinity Ranch.

  Skylar nodded. “I believe the American humans have a term for it, robbing the cradle. Well, you aren’t a child, not after all the blood you’ve shed. And I admire your strength and your vision. More than that, I miss sex with a man. Pre
tty, Abby, and I keep each other filled with Animus, but it’s not the same. Something about a man, watching him lose himself in his passion, and then finding myself ravished by that passion.” She inhaled. “It’s been a long time. More than a year. Cassius Pine lost interest in us after a while.”

  “He was an asshole,” Steven said before he could catch himself.

  “A dead asshole.” Skylar’s voice was lifeless. She scooped up his hand again. “I like your warmth. And I like the feel of you. I think our sex will be very fine indeed. But there’s something else I wanted to talk with you about. Jaxon Wenck has a daughter and a son in the Queensland Primacy in Australia, along with three wives. They belong to you. As do his vassals… a few Warlings, some Morphlings, and one Magician who seems to have a severe drinking problem.”

  “No,” Steven countered. “I don’t own people, dragons, or any of that. As for the drinking problem, maybe Mouse can help with that. When she joined us, yeah, she was a hot mess. But she’s been sober since April.”

  Skylar laughed. “Mouse and Teegan love their sarcasm, don’t they?”

  Steven had to think for a minute. Teegan Thornrose was the large-breasted redhead who liked to strut around like nothing could touch her. So far the widows had kept mostly to themselves, yet that would eventually change. Teegan and Mouse would either love each other or Mouse would chop her into freckled sushi with the Slayer Blade.

  “Bottom line,” Skylar continued, “before, when you acquired Mulk’s Primacy, Rahaab used lawyers to stop you from inheriting what was rightfully yours. You killed most of his vassals and the others ran off, afraid of you or Rahaab or both. As for Pine, he didn’t have much, and his Aeries were few. His servants were never very loyal to him, and they’ve all taken to the four winds. The Queensland Primacy is different. You’re going to need to deal with it directly. Perhaps you should go there. If your life is in danger, you’d be safer far away.”

  This wasn’t the first time the Queensland problem had been brought to his attention. Both Aria and Liam had talked with him about it. The Magician, Harold Finkfuss, could be a whiskey-soaked blowhard, but he’d kept things under control down under. Bud and Liam had helped with that at first, while Steven had healed from using HeartStrike to take out Rahaab.

  “I don’t want to be safe,” Steven said. “I want you and everyone in my Escort safe. I’ll tell you what I told Aria and Liam—I had to focus on my training these past months. Everything depends upon me mastering my abilities. And that damn sword, Samael’s Lash? For the life of me, I can’t unlock its secrets. Also, Tessa and I are close to a breakthrough on unencrypting the third volume of my father’s spell book. We still have two abilities we know nothing about. Also, we’re not sure if humans or Dragonskins can access the Mirror-Souled Dragon abilities.”

  He paused and accessed the skill tree. The image of it filled his mind.

  Transformatio (Left Head of the Dragon)

  Partial Transformation

  Homo Draconis

  True Form (Dragonsoul)

  Pugna (Left Tail of the Dragon)

  DarkArmor

  DragonStrength

  SerpentGrace

  ShadowStrength

  IonClaws

  Exhalants (Left Wing of the Dragon)

  Inferno

  ElectroArc

  Toxicity

  ArcticWind

  ShadowFlame

  ChromaticFury

  Veneficium (Right Wing of the Dragon)

  Magica Defensio

  Magica Cura

  Magica Impetim

  Magica Incanto

  Magica Divinatio

  Magica Porta

  Path of the Mirror-Souled Dragon

  HeartStrike

  AnimusChain

  FleshForge

  Enchantrix

  He was full of Animus and close to leveling up to the sixteenth level. He’d gotten better at using his powers in the past few months, and at times he could feel Mathaal’s energy infusing his body, so it was doing something. Yet the real purpose of that had been to give him access to HeartStrike, maybe a bit prematurely. Even though he’d been able to land the killing blow on Rahaab, it had meant a month in bed recuperating. He couldn’t pull that trick again anytime soon. But other than the Chicago battle, he hadn’t had an actual fight since Rahaab. He’d perfected Pugna abilities but those had come relatively easy for him.

  The new abilities, other than HeartStrike, still eluded him and Tessa. Both were dying to delve into AnimusChain. And what was Enchantrix anyway?

  And the encrypted pages no longer showed any dialogue. The ink just spun and spun around in circles. It was maddening.

  Skylar interrupted his reverie. “I’ve seen the book and the Mirror-Souled Path. I know you think you’re doing the right thing, but if I know those women in Australia, they are worried about their children and their future. If you visited, it would ease them so much. They would see what kind of a Dragonlord you are, and that you killed Jaxon Wenck in self-defense. Also, it would show the other Australian Primes that you are going to take your holdings seriously. Now? After six months? It’s only because they fear you that they are staying away. At any moment, that could change. And I worry, Steven. I worry for those children.”

  And after hearing her history, Steven understood why. He softened. “You’re right, Skylar. It just seems so far away. If we were free to cast portal magic, bopping over to Brisbane wouldn’t be an issue. But we can’t, not yet.”

  “Aria told me of the secret portal that connects Denver to Mumbai. There might be another such static doorway.” Skylar leaned close and kissed his cheek. Feeling her so near, smelling her, a light cedar scent, had Steven’s heart beating faster. He’d slept only a little, but the thought of exploring a new partner was enough to bring him fully awake.

  “I can ask Sabina to look,” Steven said. “And I plan on studying the Magica Divinatio magic next. I had my first vision earlier, in the hotel. I saw Tessa. I think we’re going to find out who she really is. I just don’t know if it will be good news or bad. Liam said that my vision meant I was ready to dive into the next branch on the magic side of the skill tree. The doors of my mind are already opening on them.”

  “And I hope you gain more insight.” She kissed his cheek again.

  He turned, and their lips met, then their tongues. Her tongue danced over his, probing, licking, exploring. His heart beat faster at the thought of what else she could do with it. She would be the most experienced of his lovers, secure in who she was and what she wanted. And thanks to Sabina’s unexpected insights, he could fulfill that desire.

  He gently pulled her hair back and kissed down her neck, approaching her cleavage. And then he pulled away, standing. “Aria and I will be in the bedroom at the top of the tower. Give us fifteen minutes. We’ll keep the door open so you can watch. You can join us when you want.”

  Skylar touched his leg and parted her thighs, just slightly. “Just you saying that gets me so excited. Thank you, Steven. It’s been a long time since anyone’s cared what I wanted.”

  “I’m glad you feel comfortable enough with me to share. See you soon.”

  Steven left the warmth of the fire and pulled his coat tighter around himself. He loved the thrum of his sexuality, the pounding of his heart, and the slight dizziness he felt.

  Yes, running two Primacies wasn’t going to be easy, but the fringe benefits were amazing. Now, if he could only figure out who was trying to kill him.

  FIVE

  The next day, the storm hit.

  Naked, clutching Samael’s Lash, he walked through the swirling snow. The wind blew flakes across the shaking grasses and sage of the plain. He smelled the woodsmoke of the fireplace inside the ranch house. It was an inviting odor, and he’d get there, once his training was done. The central tower, seven stories tall, rose into the storm like a lighthouse, making sure no one got lost.

  Bud Novak was on his way up because he wanted a face-to-face meeting to discu
ss logistics. Steven was glad Bud had agreed to fight his way through the storm. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Skylar had said, about the children being slaughtered by a new Prime. And he kept thinking of the women in the Queensland Primacy. He hoped they understood what kind of Dragonsoul Jaxon Wenck had been. He’d helped Rhaegen Mulk butcher Steven’s family. Then again, from what others had said, Australia was a brutal place for dragons. Maybe his wives had supported the murders.

  Steven switched his thoughts to his training.

  Above, Aria and Mouse circled him in the sky, blotted out by the clouds. On the ground, Tessa and Sabina were somewhere, hiding. His job was to try to figure out where they were and defend himself. Each wore a torn piece of fabric ripped from the same sheet. Steven had tied the cloth around the bastard sword, a hand-and-a-half weapon made from the multicolored scales of European dragons long dead. The scales had been sharpened to a razor’s point. A central steel cable connected them together. Rahaab had been able to turn his blade into a chain-whip sword. So far, Steven hadn’t figured out how to do that. As a sword, however, it was weapon enough.

  Being a naked human in a snowstorm was cold as fuck. He changed into his Homo Draconis form and shifted the blade to his left hand.

  He reached out with his right hand and uttered, “Magica Divinatio!” He felt his vision change. Anyone looking at him would see shadows misting out of his eyes.

  A scene erupted in his skull, and yet he could still see the world in front of him, on the snowy plain. It was hard to concentrate because he was seeing Skylar, himself, and Aria from the night before. His muscled body was between Aria’s strong legs, and he was kissing her. Her small breasts undulated a bit as he made love to her. Being small, they didn’t quiver as dramatically as Tessa’s. Skylar stood in doorway, watching them and touching herself. Steven turned to see her, watching her as she watched him. Aria had closed her eyes, lost in her own pleasure.