by Renee Carr
“Now, you listen to me,” she half growled at him. “You won’t come until I say so.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he panted, and she thrust against him. This was heaven. This was a moment she would remember forever.
Joshua was lost in pleasure, his eyes rolled back. He needed to be a prince in the morning, but tonight, all that mattered was the knot of pleasure building in his cock and the fact that soon, he would explode into a warm pussy. He was in ecstasy.
Chapter 7
Christine heard the bells go off and leaped out of bed. She had no idea where she was, or what time it was. All she knew for certain was that she should not be asleep.
Joshua.
He was still asleep, half snoring in the bed beside her. He was sprawled naked and she knew that he would likely be out for hours.
Glancing at the clock, she was relieved to see that it was nearly 7 am. She still had time to make her shuttle to Earth, where she would guard the queen.
She grabbed her clothes, her head pounding. She barely remembered last night, but what she did remember was good. She had slept with the prince and he had a good time. As far as she was concerned, this was living the dream.
She flew out of the door, headed to her room in the garrison to pack. The early morning sun made her squint and the loud noises of the guards going through their morning routine made her want to cover her ears. Perhaps it was not the best impression for her to make on her first assignment. She was going to be late if she didn’t hurry.
“Christine,” she heard Leah’s voice in the dawn air and spun around. Fully dressed for the day, Leah looked like she had been awake for several hours.
“Captain,” Christine said, standing in the middle of the garrison. She didn’t know what Leah wanted, but she hoped that she would hurry up because she didn’t want to stand in the middle of the garrison in last night's clothes.
“You didn’t report back in last night,” Leah said. “I assumed that you would?”
“Oh, sorry,” Christine said. “I just thought... I thought that I didn’t have to. And in any case, Joshua knew where I was.”
“Prince Joshua,” Leah’s eyes flashed. “And did he?”
“He did,” Christine said and two women met eyes.
“I see,” Leah said and checked her watch. “You have a few minutes to pack. You shouldn’t be running onto a shuttle at the last minute.”
“I understand,” Christine said and hurried off to her small cabin. Leah shook her head and then headed back to her office. She had a lot to do today, and the fact that Joshua was sleeping with the new recruits was a problem that they had had before. Of course, he had never been serious about anyone before, and she doubted he was serious about Christine. Still, it was annoying at best.
Leah’s own love life was basically nonexistent. She decided long ago that the only person she could rely on was herself. She didn't trust anyone in terms of taking care of her needs or finding out what made her tick. She could do that, and Joshua could supplement if she needed some extra support. Much like him, she didn’t put a lot of weight on marriage. Unlike him, though, Leah wasn’t a noble and therefore did not have the same amount of pressure on her to get married.
Leah was sorting through paperwork in her office when she suddenly felt odd. It started like a flush and then a chill. She swallowed, wondering if she just needed to eat more. But then she felt the horrifying feeling of her throat closing again and knew she was going to pass out.
She managed to get out of her office, hoping to force her transformation. It had helped before and she was sure that it would help again. However, the dragons had to be strong to transform, and Leah felt weak at this moment.
She choked and then choked again, falling to the floor before her dragon wings could even extend. She shivered and felt the darkness take her, her body wracked with pain.
Not like this, she managed to think as she heard the commotion of her guard unit rushing toward her. Not like this.
Leah couldn’t recall what happened next, or how much time had passed. But she woke up in the med bay, connected to what felt like a hundred machines, and a hundred monitors beeping. She was flat on her back and she felt awful.
Joshua was standing over her, looking pale and drawn.
“Hi,” he said when her eyes flickered open.
“Hi?” she asked, confused. “What...”
“Leah, please don’t get up,” Joshua said. “You gave us quite a scare.”
Her IV was itching and she just wanted to rip it out. Instead, she took a deep breath.
“Didn’t even eat anything this time,” she managed. He bit his lip.
“No,” he said. “Turns out that it doesn’t matter.”
“Excuse me?” she thought that she was hearing things. “What doesn’t matter?”
“Eating... or... anything that you do,” he said. “It’s nothing to do with that.”
Her throat felt scratchy but she still insisted on talking.
“Explain,” she said. “Now.”
“Your... it’s your body,” he said. “Your own body is attacking you. They don’t know why, but they can calm it down. There are some treatments.”
“Treatments like this?” she held up her arm. He nodded.
“For how long?” she demanded. He looked away. “Joshua! For how long?”
“For... the rest of your life,” he said. “Likely.”
She bit her lip.
“And how long will that be?” she pressed him.
“It’ll be a normal life,” he said. “So long as you keep up with all of this.”
“Why... why did this happen?” she asked. “This can’t be my life.”
“Leah,” he looked her right in the eye. “It’s okay. We’ll figure out a way around this.”
“There’s no around this,” she said. “Either I’m in the guards or I’m not.”
“They said there is no reason why you couldn’t be...” he said. “As long as you are careful.”
She breathed a sigh of relief.
“Good,” she said. “Then it’s settled.”
“I mean... it doesn’t mean...”
She glared at him.
“Jubilee will still go ahead as planned,” she said. Joshua sighed.
“Maybe. If you’re...”
“Did you sleep with Christine?” she immediately changed the subject, making him flush.
“I did,” he said, lowering his voice. “So?”
“Did you get her drunk or something?” Leah asked. “She looked a mess heading off to her mission with Ivy.”
“Oh,” Joshua shrugged. “I guess so. I mean, it wasn’t... she wanted it.”
“Of course she did,” Leah said and tried to sit up. Joshua immediately pushed her back down.
“Hey, please behave yourself for half a minute,” he said and she sighed.
“Any report of her time with Ivy?”
“Everything seems to be going well,” Joshua said. “I mean, she hasn’t called me and complained. And you know Ivy, she will complain about literally everything.”
“Right,” Leah said. “Well, that’s good. Cory is supposed to join them soon, isn’t he?”
“In about 5 days,” Joshua said. “So, plenty of time to see if Christine needs to show off her skills. Can you imagine that on Earth? I mean, the rumors say dragons breathe fire. If she breaths ice...”
“She really shouldn’t need to,” Leah said and Joshua shrugged.
“True, she shouldn’t need to. But if I can read that news story, I won’t be entirely upset.”
“Do you think you’ll see her again?” Leah asked. Joshua gave her a funny look.
“Well, yeah,” he said. “I mean, she’s in the guard unit, so...”
“No,” Leah rolled her eyes. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Oh, do you mean do I think that I will sleep with her again?” he gave her a wicked grin. “I think so. Is that a problem?”
“It’s not a problem,”
Leah said. “Just make sure you sign her back in so that I’m not sending people to look for her.”
“You knew we went for a drink,” Joshua protested and Leah nodded.
“I know,” she said. “But for all I knew, the two of you got killed on the way back from the bar.”
“Ha,” Joshua said. “I’d like to see them try.”
“Leah.” Suddenly, a nurse came through the door without knocking. Joshua looked half annoyed and half-amused, as Leah jerked into a sitting position. She was never good at relaxing around other people. She was the type of person who sat rather than stood, and preferred to always be dressed in full uniform. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m alright,” Leah answered, although it was clear that she was not. “Can I go now?”
“Uh... go home?” the nurse asked. “No, not yet. We’re going to keep you here at least a day, and make sure the treatment is working.”
“It’s working, it’s working,” Leah protested.
“Yeah, she doesn’t listen to my orders either,” Joshua said and the nurse smiled.
“Well, being combative is a sign of healing,” she said. “So that’s a good sign.”
Leah did manage to listen to the doctors and nurses, and Joshua made her promise to stay for another day, with the consideration that Operation Jubilee would still happen for her. He didn’t think it was the best idea, but he also knew better than to doubt Leah. She was stronger than anyone he knew. He even made sure there were two backup plans for her, in case she didn’t feel up to her full strength. Leah was going to serve beside him, no matter what.
After a long day of complications, he was glad to see Christine’s face on the telecom, reporting in.
“You look lovely,” he said to Christine, who smiled. She was in some sort of hotel room, and he could see a connecting door that no doubt led to Ivy’s room.
“Thank you,” Christine said. “To be honest, I feel like this should be more complicated. The queen is... well, easy to take care of.”
“If you get along with her, she is,” Joshua said and he heard Ivy yelling from the other room.
“I heard that,” Ivy called out. Joshua laughed. He loved his sister-in-law, even when she was being difficult.
“I meant you to hear that,” he said. “Be nice to Christine.”
“Whatever,” Ivy came into the room, and he realized that she must be done with her show for the day. In full stage gear, with her hair pinned up and her makeup simple, she looked miles away from the queen she was here. “How’s Leah?”
“She’s okay,” Joshua said. “It was the same thing so... that was scary. I’m glad that she wasn’t alone.”
“Yeah,” Ivy said, sitting beside Christine. “On Earth, we call that autoimmunity. It's a terrible thing to have, but it can be treated.”
“Leah is the strongest person I know,” Joshua said. “If anyone can beat it, it’s her.”
Christine looked away for a minute and Joshua heard a faint sound of knocking. She tensed and Ivy put a hand on her shoulder.
“It’s okay,” Ivy said. “We ordered room service, remember?”
“Right,” Christine said.
“I can get it,” Ivy got up and Joshua cleared his throat, giving Christine a pointed look.
“I can get it, my lady!” Christine said and scrambled up. Joshua smiled, waiting for the two of them to return.
“I should let the two of you go,” he said. “For one, your food is making me hungry. And two, I want to let you eat.”
‘Hey, Joshua,” Ivy said, already shoveling food into her mouth. Away from her husband, she was far less dignified and far more eager to eat whatever was in front of her. When she was with Nathan, she took care to make sure he was comfortable and not taken aback by her athlete’s appetite. Dragon women ate a lot as well, but Ivy often wanted Nathan to feel in control and not outdone. “I got Cory a balcony seat. Do you think that’s okay?”
“Uh, sure?” he said. “Why don’t you ask him?”
“I did text him,” she said. “But he wasn’t answering my messages, so I thought I’d ask you.”
“He’s probably just busy,” Joshua said. “Ribbon cutting and all, it’s quite an adventure.”
“Yeah, I bet he’s found a girlfriend,” Ivy smirked. “Anyways, do you think it’s alright?”
“Yep,” he said. “I’m sure that it’s fine.”
“Cool,” Ivy looked down and seemed genuinely disappointed that she was already half done her food. “Alright, we’ll talk to you later.”
“Goodbye,” Joshua said and ended the call. At least all was well over there, if it wasn’t well here.
Chapter 8
“Doesn’t Cory need a guard unit?” Christine asked as they got ready for the show. Now that she had been with the queen for a week, she was used to the routine. Ivy slept late, having usually gone out the night before. Once she was awake, they found lunch, and then she showered and began to get ready. Usually, there were two shows a day, with a little gap in between them. Christine thought it was stunning and she had never seen anything like it. And Ivy, as both the black and white swan, had an amazing transformation that seemed impossible to the average singer. But Ivy clearly wasn’t the average singer, and she had audiences on their feet every night. Getting Ivy out of the stage door and to the hotel was the hardest part of Christine’s job.
“He technically should,” Ivy said. “But Cory is like me and prefers to not have a guard unit unless on official business.”
“Isn’t this official business?” Christine asked. “By visiting the queen?”
“Maybe on Knorpp,” Ivy said. “But certainly not here. Here we are just... us, I guess,” she looked in the mirror and fixed her eyeliner.
“You’re so lucky,” Christine said wistfully. The queen looked at her, confused.
“Why?” she asked.
“Well, you are a very good singer and you’re married to the king,” Christine said. “It’s like a fairy tale come true.”
“Ugh,” Ivy said, bending down to stretch. “I don’t really think that it’s a fairy tale. I mean, it’s hard work, all of this.”
“Of course it is,” Christine said. “But... you’re lucky. You fell in love...”
“Let me be clear about one thing,” Ivy turned to Christine. “Whatever Nathan and I have, it’s not being in love. Not in the traditional sense, anyways. It is... and it isn’t.”
“I’m sorry?” Christine’s face twisted in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“It’s not love,” Ivy responded. “We care for each other, of course. We work well together and we are the best in bed, but we’re not in love. We are fated, and you can’t interrupt fate.”
Christine tried not to react to the crass comment.
“So... but don’t all those things make love?” she asked.
“Maybe to some people,” Ivy said. “But Nathan and I don’t believe in love. It’s silly.”
“But you’re fated mates!” Christine exclaimed.
“Sure,” Ivy said. “The universe decided that we should be together, and we probably should. Doesn’t mean we have to wax poetic about. If we were with anyone else, we’d probably commit murder.”
“Oh my,” Christine said, and Ivy laughed.
“Don’t make it too dramatic,” she said. “We’ll save that for the stage.”
“Of course,” Christine said as Ivy stood up. “Ready to go back?”
“Aye,” Ivy said, grabbing her phone and her purse. She glanced at her phone screen, annoyed. “Cory still hasn’t texted me back. He’s literally the worst.”
“Should we be concerned?” Christine asked, and Ivy shook her head.
“No,” the queen said. “Cory can be like this, especially if he’s doing something that he shouldn’t. He never answers. But don’t worry, he usually keeps his commitments. Can you meet him out front about 10 minutes before the show? That’s usually when he arrives and he doesn’t know this theater.”
/> “Of course,” Christine said. “As long as you’re going to be alright?”
“I’ll be just fine,” Ivy gave her a look. She really didn’t like being watched, and she was glad that Christine’s assignment was soon coming to an end. Ivy figured that she’d have two more weeks left on Earth to do as she pleased without answering to anyone. “Let’s go.”
The theater was in full preparation mode for the show that night. There were a hundred people, including the performers, moving to and fro in the chaos. Ivy knew exactly where she was going and barreled through them to the lead singer's dressing room. As far as the theater was concerned, Christine was Ivy's assistant. It wasn’t uncommon for singers of her level to hire assistants, and so no one questioned it.
Ivy spent the time she should have used to get ready to chat with her fellow singers and answer fan mail, which Christine thought was admirable. Despite her hard exterior, the queen did have a golden heart, somewhere deep down.
“I think you should go get Cory,” Ivy said to Christine when the show’s start time neared. “I’m just going to go stretch and there will be half a hundred eyes on me. No one will touch me. And if they do, I will kill them.”
“Somehow, I believe that,” Christine said and headed back down the long hallways in order to retrieve Cory. The box office was bustling with people, and Christine wasn’t sure where to wait. She eventually settled for leaning up against a wall, ready to escort the prince to his seat.
The minutes ticked by and Cory did not show up. Christine looked at her watch anxiously and then double-checked it, making sure that she wasn’t wrong. But as the lights dimmed and the box office emptied, she started to wonder what she was supposed to do.
Maybe he was just running late, she thought. Maybe he was just around the corner, and he would be angry if I called to report the trouble.
She heard the opening notes of the orchestra and panicked. She had to do something. At some point, Ivy would look up, expecting to see her brother-in-law, and he wasn’t going to be there.
