People backed away as my dragons landed, giving us space. I slid off Slade’s back and nodded at everyone. I wasn’t used to so much attention and didn’t particularly like it, but I had to get used to this sort of reception. I’d spent so much of my life hiding and running, sticking to the shadows and avoiding being noticed, but those days were over. Everything had changed now, and soon the entire world would know who I was, no matter the outcome of this battle.
While Brin and Leni dismounted, a man in gold armor stalked toward us. I immediately recognized him as one of Auric’s brothers, even though we’d never met before. He was ridiculously tall, even taller than Auric, and wasn’t lacking in muscles either, judging by the way he filled out his armor. But where Auric’s face was chiseled perfection, this man was plain, with blond hair cropped short, pale gray eyes, and a square jaw.
My dragons shifted to their human forms, sending a ripple of awe through the crowd, and Auric stepped forward. The two blond men clasped each other in a hug.
“Thanks for coming.” He turned toward me with a smile. “Kira, this is my brother, Garet. He leads the King’s Guard.”
“A pleasure, my lady,” Garet said, with an elegant bow.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said.
“Garet will be leading my father’s troops,” Auric said.
His brother nodded. “Yes, we have men and women from both the King’s Guard and the Air Realm’s Onyx Army division. We’re ready to serve however we can.”
“We appreciate your help,” I said.
Brin moved to our side with a smile. “It’s good to see you again, Garet.”
The three nobles continued chatting, but my attention was drawn to another man approaching us. I walked toward him with a smile I couldn’t hide. “Cadock!”
The man I’d once considered my first love grasped me in a friendly hug before stepping back. He looked down at me with his bright blue eyes, while his tousled blond hair blew in the breeze. “You’re looking as beautiful as ever.”
I smiled but ignored the compliment. “I’m so happy you changed your mind about helping us.”
“I didn’t want to, but your man here is pretty persuasive,” Cadock said, nodding at Jasin, who’d come to stand beside us.
Jasin shook Cadock’s hand with a wry grin. “I did what I had to do.”
“How did you convince him in the end?” I asked. “I never got the whole story.”
Cadock smirked. “Jasin challenged me to a fight. If he won, I had to agree to support your cause.”
“And if you won?” I asked.
“He’d have to clean our outhouse for a week.”
“Don’t worry, there was no chance I was going to lose,” Jasin said.
Cadock chuckled. “So you say, but as I recall it came pretty close there at the end.”
I shook my head as they continued to joke around, and spotted Faya speaking to some people, including Slade’s sister, at the edge of the crowd. I made my way over to her with a frown. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“Hello, Kira,” Faya said. “Of course I should be here. I’m the leader of the Resistance now.”
“You’re also pregnant,” I said.
“Only a few months,” Faya said, waving it away. “I’ll stay back during the fight, but I’m not going to send my people into battle without me. What kind of leader would I be?”
“And if the fighting reaches you?” I asked.
“I’ll be fine.” Faya touched the hilt of her sword. “I can still fight. And now I have another thing worth dying for—my child.”
Leni moved to Faya’s side. “Don’t worry. Brin and I will protect her with our lives.”
“I appreciate that,” I said.
“I don’t need protection,” Faya snapped, but then she sighed. “But I wouldn’t mind having two friends fight beside me.”
Cadock and Jasin strolled over. The bandit leader bowed before Faya, then took her hand and placed a kiss over her knuckles. “Why hello there. I’m Cadock, leader of the Thunder Chasers. You must be Faya. I’ve heard a great deal about you, but no one ever mentioned your beauty.”
Faya rolled her eyes. “Probably because they knew I’d cut them in half for speaking about me that way.”
A charming smile spread across Cadock’s face. “Beautiful and fierce. I love it.”
Reven caught my attention, bringing over an older woman with short, white hair and a tattoo of a dagger on her neck. She was dressed in all black, with a hooded cloak that didn’t conceal the numerous throwing knives at her waist. “Kira, this is Zara. She’ll be speaking for the Assassin’s Guild. She also helped train me when I first joined.”
“Is that so?” My eyebrows shot up. This was the first person I’d ever met from Reven’s past. “What was he like back then?”
Zara grinned. “Just as surly and brooding as he is now. A fine fighter though. I knew the moment we met that he was meant for something big. I had no idea it would be this though.”
“None of us expected anything like this,” I said. “We appreciate the help of the Assassin’s Guild.”
She shrugged. “We go where the coin is. And we’ve been promised a lot of it.”
“You’ll definitely be compensated,” I said. Assuming we made it through this alive.
Zara slapped Reven on the back. “We protect our own too. Reven is one of us, and now he’s a Dragon. We’ll do whatever we can to assist him.”
Reven looked surprised by this. “Thank you, Zara.”
“Don’t get too soppy on me,” Zara said with a grin. “We’re mostly here for the coin.”
“Of course,” I said.
Another familiar face emerged from the crowd. Calla, the High Priestess of the Fire God. She was a beautiful woman in her forties, with hair the color of straw, and she wore the red silk robe of her station. She started to bow before me, but I grabbed her in a hug instead.
“I’m so happy you’re okay,” I said. “Many of the other priests have been killed by the Dragons.”
“So I’ve heard,” Calla said, as she stepped back. “The Air Realm has been kind to us, although I do miss our home at the volcano. I pray we’ll be able to return to the Fire Temple once this is all over.”
“I hope so.” I chewed on my lower lip. “Although we’ve discovered everything is more complicated than we expected.”
I quickly told her about the Spirit Goddess and Nysa, hoping she had some advice for how to stop her.
“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Calla said. “But if anyone can stop her, it is you.”
“Do you think the Gods will truly help us?”
“I cannot say. Sometimes the things they do seem confusing to us, but later on they make sense. They see a much larger picture than we do.” She touched my cheek. “Have faith, Kira. You were destined for this, and you will succeed.”
Jasin raised his voice, drawing our attention. “If you’d all head inside the tent, we can get started working on our strategy for tomorrow’s battle.”
I drew in a steady breath as the gathered people stepped into the large command tent to begin preparations. Jasin and Auric had made some changes to our plan after Doran left, but they wanted to get the input of the other leaders too. I watched them all filter in through the tent flaps, and then I followed them inside.
31
Kira
We spent hours going over every single detail of tomorrow’s battle, hammering out the plans until everyone was satisfied with them. Or as satisfied as we could be, considering tomorrow we’d be going up against a far more powerful opponent and many people would die in the battle. Worry gnawed at me, not just for the people I loved, but for everyone who would be fighting for us tomorrow. I wished there was some way to spare them all from this, but to save the world we had to go to war.
The hour was late and the camp was quiet by the time we retreated to the tent that had been set up for us. Originally, we’d been given five tents, but I’d asked for one large tent ins
tead. This might be our last night in this world, and I was going to spend it with my mates at my side.
Five cots had been set up around the room, but we shoved them to the side and then covered the floor with blankets and pillows. We spread out on the makeshift bed, facing each other like we’d done beside so many campfires during our travels. Now our journey was almost at an end, and the feeling was bittersweet. Especially since we had no idea what the outcome would be tomorrow.
Slade’s large hands settled on my shoulders and he began massaging them slowly. “You seem tense.”
I leaned back into his touch. “Just worried about tomorrow.”
“We all are,” Auric said. “But we’ve done everything we can to make sure the battle goes our way. Now we just need to get some rest.”
Jasin rested his hand on my thigh. “We will, but not yet.”
“What are you planning?” I asked.
He brushed his lips against my neck. “We’re going to take your mind off tomorrow.”
I relaxed a little more and tilted my head to give him better access. “All I want is to spend the evening in the arms of my mates…in case it’s our last time together.”
“Don’t talk like that,” Slade said, his fingers tightening on my shoulders.
Reven took my face in his hands. “Tomorrow is not going to be the end, I promise.”
Jasin nodded. “Our close bond gives us an advantage. The other Dragons don’t stand a chance.”
Through the bond I knew they were worried too, but they were also confident we’d succeed. I focused on that certainty and nodded.
Auric began removing my boots. “You definitely need to release some tension. Otherwise you’ll never get to sleep.”
Jasin’s lips traced patterns on my neck. “I know the best way to do that.”
While Auric began rubbing my feet, the other three men slowly removed my clothes, lightly kissing every spot of skin they revealed. I melted into their gentle, comforting touches, and by the time I was undressed, I was little more than a puddle in their arms.
“We’re going to take care of you,” Slade said, as he lowered me down onto my back. “Just relax and enjoy it.”
From the pile of blankets and pillows I stared up at the tent while the four men surrounded me. Auric kissed his way up from my ankles to my knees to my thighs, while the others kissed the sensitive skin at the inside of my arms, the curve of my breasts, and the slope of my stomach. Their love wrapped around me like a warm blanket, easing all of my troubles.
Auric spread my legs wider and dipped his head between them, kissing me there. As his mouth moved over me and his tongue began to explore, the others continued their slow worship of the rest of my body. I reached for them, grabbing onto their shirts and trousers, wishing I could touch them too. My fingers brushed against the hard bulge in Reven's trousers and the rough beard coating Slade's jaw, while Jasin's lips found mine.
As Auric wound me tighter and tighter with the stroke of his tongue between my legs, my other mates removed their clothing. The sight of their strong bodies being slowly revealed made me almost dizzy with desire, and I tangled my hands in Auric's golden hair as the tension built inside me. He increased the pressure of his tongue and it became too much, making me gasp and moan as the orgasm gripped me.
Auric sat back and removed his clothing next, while I floated down from the place he'd taken me. My four mates gazed at me with lust-filled eyes and I couldn't decide which one I wanted first.
"I need you," I told them. "All of you. Don't hold back."
Jasin removed a small bottle of oil from one of his bags. "We won't. We're all going to be yours tonight."
My pulse sped up at his words and at what the oil meant. We'd used it once before, and I was excited to try it again with all my men. "Two at a time?" I asked, my voice practically begging.
"If that's what you want," Reven said.
"I do. Auric and Slade. Reven and Jasin. The opposite elements inside me at the same time."
"That can be arranged," Slade said.
I'd been worried he wouldn't be interested in sharing me like that, but he didn't even hesitate as he pulled me toward him and began kissing me, his hard, naked body pressing against my soft curves. Auric's hands fell on my behind, giving it a squeeze.
“I’ve always wanted to take you here,” Auric said, sliding his finger between my cheeks. “Ever since I saw Jasin do it.”
“Please,” I said, before Slade's mouth claimed mine again.
Jasin poured some oil on his hand and began to rub it against my tight entrance, while Auric laid back on the blankets and coated his cock, getting it nice and slippery. Jasin’s fingers slid into me easily, stretching me and preparing me for Auric, and then he moved aside.
Slade's hands circled my waist, and he guided me backwards onto Auric, so I straddled him in reverse. Auric gripped my hips, and together the two of them guided me down. I felt Auric's hard length at my back entrance and tensed for a moment, but then my body relaxed as I slowly sank down onto him. I groaned as my tight hole stretched against his large size, and Slade wrapped his arms around me to hold me in place.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
I nodded and lowered myself even more, taking Auric inside me inch by inch. With every second that passed the uncomfortable stretching gave way to pleasure as he filled me up, until my behind rested against his hips and he was completely inside me.
"Gods, you're so tight, Kira," Auric said from behind me, his voice strained almost like he was in pain. "It's incredible."
"You feel so big," I said, rocking a little against him.
"Ready for me too?" Slade asked, his brow furrowed like he worried he might hurt me.
I slid a hand around his neck and drew him toward me to kiss him, my need for him growing with every second. "Very ready."
Auric held my hips while Slade got in position in front of me. His large cock edged into me, and it seemed impossible they would both fit, but somehow Slade pushed all the way inside. I wrapped my arms around his neck as my body grew weak, already overcome with pleasure from being taken by both of them at once.
Slade held me tight, steadying me, as he started to slide in and out. With every thrust he pushed me back onto Auric, and every time he retreated, Auric lifted his hips to follow. I threw my head back and let their rhythmic glide rock me between them, their movements almost leisurely, like they could do this all night. Their long, deep thrusts touched me everywhere, filling me completely. I found myself matching their speed and then increasing it, demanding more from them as I spiraled higher and higher, chasing the release only they could bring. We reached it together, shaking and moaning as the bond snapped tight between us.
I slowly came back down to earth while Slade kissed me and Auric’s hands caressed my back and hips. On either side of us, Reven and Jasin watched, stroking themselves as they waited for their turn with me.
Slade kissed me one last time, before he stood and helped lift me off Auric. My knees were so weak I could barely stand, but Jasin was immediately there, sweeping me into his arms. He wrapped my legs around his waist, and I clung to his neck as our lips found each other’s. He devoured my mouth as his cock plunged inside me, making me cry out.
Reven moved to stand behind us and his hands cupped my bottom. He’d already oiled himself, and he pushed into my back entrance, pinning me between him and Jasin. I was stretched wide thanks to Auric and Slade, and both Reven and Jasin filled me easily.
Together they held me up as they caged me between their hard bodies and began to thrust into me. Unlike the other two men, Jasin and Reven had no intentions of going slow. They both liked it fast and hard and a little rough, and my nails dug into Jasin’s arms as they pounded me together. They rocked me back and forth, giving and taking, sliding in and out in a rhythm that got faster and faster. They were fire and ice, cool and hot, and I burned and melted all at once between them.
Jasin claimed my mouth while Reven buried his face ag
ainst my shoulder, and all I could do was cling to them as I came so hard I was sure my cries could be heard by everyone in the nearby tents. The two men let go at the same time, losing control for that brief instant, giving everything to me.
At first, all we could do was hold onto each other and try to breathe, sweat dripping down our bodies, which were still joined together. Slade and Auric grinned at us from the makeshift bed on the floor and patted it in an invitation to join them.
Jasin and Reven carefully lowered me down into the arms of the other men, who helped me get comfortable in my slightly dazed state. All four of them wrapped themselves around me, a combination of coolness and warmth, and I kissed each of them slowly.
“I love you all,” I said, as the bond flared bright, so strong I could almost see it filling the room. Each one of my mates told me they loved me too, and I knew that whatever happened tomorrow, they were with me until the end.
32
Jasin
The sun breaching the horizon made the clouds above us look as red as blood. An ominous sign, if one believed in such things. I didn’t, of course, but it certainly set the mood as I gazed across the sea of troops lined up in front of me. Soon the field before the Spirit Temple would be covered in their blood, all so we would have a chance to defeat the Dragons.
The plan relied on the soldiers buying us time so we could get inside the Spirit Temple and defeat the Black Dragon as quickly as possible. None of us had any idea what would happen after that, especially once the Spirit Goddess was freed. The Water God had made it sound like the Gods would help us split the Goddess’s essences, but nothing was certain.
The Spirit Temple rose before us at the end of the plain on a hill, nestled up against the mountains beside a waterfall that fed into a clear lake. The temple shimmered where sunlight touched it, due to the walls made from a pale marble that looked like pearl or shell…or maybe bone. Great columns held it up on every corner with ivy and roses twining around them. Above the grand entrance a relief depicted animals, plants, elementals, and dragons, though it was hard to make out the details from a distance. A beautiful garden surrounded the temple, filled with fruit trees, vegetables, and flowers, while the waterfall splashed beside it into a stream that fed down into the valley.
Her Elemental Dragons: The Complete Series Page 60
