Her Elemental Dragons: The Complete Series

by Elizabeth Briggs

  Then Falon’s hands were on me too, his body fitted against my back. He was even more muscular than Derel from days spent working as a carpenter, and I enjoyed the feel of his hard ridges on my skin. Along with the other hard thing poking into my behind, which I knew wanted a taste of me too.

  While Derel gripped my hips to pump into me, Falon’s hands claimed my breasts and his mouth sucked on my neck. I arched back against him, taking Derel deeper, while turning my head to capture Falon’s mouth. Derel leaned down to lick water off my neck, but then he pulled out of me and spun me toward Falon. With water churning around us, Falon took me into his arms and captured my mouth, then entered me with one smooth push. He filled me up just as well as Derel did, but it was different. Derel was longer, but Falon was thicker—and both of them were mine.

  “I think we’re clean enough,” Derel said.

  Falon nodded and lifted me out of the water, my body wrapped around him as he moved onto the black stone floor. He set me down on a long cloth the men had laid out, and then pumped into me from above a few times, like he couldn’t help himself, before rolling us over so that I was on top. I took a moment to savor how huge he felt in this position, while Derel moved behind us. He picked up a bottle of oil, and I realized they’d been planning this all along. Waiting for me to wake up, so they could lay their claim to me…together.

  Derel kneeled behind me and began stroking my behind, spreading my cheeks, sliding his oiled fingers along my back entrance. I gasped with each touch, especially as Falon slowly rocked underneath me. When Derel’s finger eased inside, I let out a cry of pleasure and surprise. No one had touched me there before, and I was shocked to find how much I enjoyed it.

  Derel spent a few minutes stretching me wide while I rode Falon, and it was hard to believe anything could be more pleasurable than this moment, but I knew it would be once Derel was inside me too.

  Then Derel’s fingers vanished, and were quickly replaced by something much larger, harder, and thicker. As he pushed inside my tight hole, a mix of pleasure and pain shot through me and I clung to Falon as I cried out. He held me in his arms and stroked my breasts lovingly, and when his mouth captured mine, Derel was able to inch deeper inside me from behind.

  “That’s it,” he said. “Just relax and let me in.”

  “Oh Gods,” I said, as he filled me up slowly, stretching me around him in impossible ways.

  “You’re doing great,” Falon said, with a slight pinch to my nipples.

  Suddenly Derel was all the way inside, his hips flush with my behind, and I drew in a ragged breath as the feelings swept through me. I was one with both men at the same time, all of us joined together in the most intimate way.

  “Please,” I dug my fingers into the light curls on Falon’s chest and whimpered, not knowing what I asked for, only that I needed more.

  Falon gripped my hips and began to thrust up into me, which made Derel move too. Derel’s hands found my breasts and he arched over me from behind as he sank deep inside. Together the two of them began to move in a smooth rhythm, which felt more incredible than anything I’d ever known before. I was pressed between them, joined with them both, and all I could do was let them take control of my body and bring us all to release.

  The climax swept through me quickly, making me cry out again and again as pleasure shook my body. I tightened up around both men and they seemed to surge inside me, both of them groaning and exploding together. All of us succumbing at the same time to the unimaginable pleasure of being one with each other’s bodies.

  As satisfaction swept over us, the men wrapped me in their arms, squeezing me between them, while they whispered that they loved me and always would. I whispered that I loved them too as I snuggled close against them, my enemy and my best friend, and thought how lucky I was to have them here with me.

  Chapter Thirteen

  After my tryst with Falon and Derel I found the library, while the men continued working in other rooms of the temple. At first all I could do was stare at the bookshelves lining every wall from floor to ceiling, full of dusty old tomes I couldn’t wait to crack open. Then I slowly stepped inside, examining a seating area on one side of the room and a small desk on the other with a giant flame carved into it. This was all for me, the High Priestess, I realized. Maybe I was meant to be a scholar of sorts after all.

  A faded leather journal sat on top of the desk, covered in dust. I blew it off as I sat in the chair and then flipped the journal open, the pages making an audible crack as they moved for the first time in years. With my breath in my throat, I began to read.

  My name is Ara and one day I’m going to be the next High Priestess.

  Ara—my grandmother! Did she leave this here for me? No, she couldn’t have known I would come to the temple…but maybe she knew someone would.

  For years the Dragons have been pressuring all the High Priestesses to step down. They’re scared of what we know. They’re afraid of what will happen if the Gods awaken.

  My mother refuses to leave, of course, even though the Gods remain as dormant as this volcano. I’ve decided to record my thoughts in case something should happen to us, in the hopes that one day a future High Priestess will find it.

  My mother said she didn’t know why Ara had left the temple and moved to Sparkport. Could this journal hold the key? Was it because of the Dragons?

  I’d lived in fear of the Dragons all my life, as did everyone else with any sense. But the Dragons served the Gods alongside the priests—didn’t they? Why would they be afraid if the Gods woke? I had much to learn, obviously. Yet the Fire God remained silent.

  I intended to read the journal cover to cover to learn about my grandmother’s life and my role here, but for now I skipped to the very last entry, desperate to know why she’d left the temple.

  Once I turned twenty I was supposed to leave the temple and find four priests who would become my mates. Instead I let the Crimson Dragon seduce me, much to my mother’s dismay. She says he did it as a way to ruin me, and I suppose she might be right. If so, his plan worked—because I am pregnant.

  I sat back and rested a hand over my racing heart. Gods, was I the granddaughter of the Crimson Dragon? Sark was the most ruthless and brutal Dragon of them all, even though he served the Fire God and ostensibly protected the Fire Realm and led our armies. I’d only seen him a few times when he’d come to check on Sparkport to instill fear in us, and he had been quite handsome, especially for someone hundreds of years old. But I’d also heard rumors that he burnt down the houses of anyone he suspected of conspiring against the Dragons. How could my grandmother sleep with him?

  I forced myself to keep reading the final entry.

  Sark took advantage of me when I was young, lonely, and foolish…and now I’ll never be able to convince four men to become my mates. Not when I am carrying another man’s child—especially the Crimson Dragon’s. I suspect that was his plan all along, to prevent me from becoming High Priestess, though now he has abandoned me, claiming the child cannot be his because he is loyal to the Black Dragon. No doubt she would punish all of us if she found out he had sired a child with someone else, which is why I must keep this secret to my grave.

  My mother says that one day the Fire God will awaken and the next Black Dragon will be crowned. I’d hoped that I would be the High Priestess at the time, but Valefire remains silent and the Dragons continue to rule. I can no longer hold onto the hope that the Fire God will return from his slumber during my lifetime, and have decided to leave the temple and return to Sparkport to raise my child among my cousins. Perhaps it is for the best, as I find my faith lacking these days and have become a disappointment to my mother and those in the temple.

  I can only pray that one of my descendants will find their way back to this temple when the Fire God awakens to carry out our divine mission, even though I have failed as High Priestess. If that is who is reading this, please accept my apology for not preparing you better. I had no idea if this day would ever c
ome, but I trust you will make the Fire God proud.

  And remember this above all else: we serve the Gods, not the Dragons.

  I reread her words over and over as I absorbed everything she’d written. I was descended from both the High Priestess and the Crimson Dragon. I’d always thought the Dragons serve the Gods, but it seemed there was some conflict between them. Now that the Fire God had awakened, would the Dragons become our enemies?

  Falon appeared in the doorway, breathing quickly. “Calla, there’s something you need to see.”

  “What is it?”

  “The Dragons are coming.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  I rushed to the front of the temple with Falon, where the other men were already waiting and watching the sky. As I lifted my eyes, I caught sight of four large reptilian forms with massive wings and terrifying talons descending toward us quickly. With his blood red scales I spotted the Crimson Dragon immediately, leading the charge to his own temple. Beside him was the Golden Dragon, who represented the Air God; the Azure Dragon, who spoke for the Water God; and the Jade Dragon, who was meant to serve the Earth God. The Black Dragon, the avatar of the Spirit Goddess, was the only one missing, for which I was thankful. She was their leader and the most powerful and terrifying of them all.

  As the Crimson Dragon landed on the temple’s shiny black steps, his body transformed back into a man, and I stood face to face with my grandfather. His hair was a shockingly pale color, almost white, and cut in a short military style. I recognized my own brown eyes on him, though his were harsh as they swept over me with a scowl. As we stared at each other, I could tell he knew who I was. But before either of us could speak, the other Dragons touched the ground and shifted back to their human forms.

  I’d never seen the others before. Doran, the Azure Dragon, had long golden hair, a rugged beard, and tanned, weathered skin. Beside him, Isen, the Golden Dragon, looked completely opposite with pale, perfect skin and shiny black hair tied back. The final Dragon, Heldor, had a shaved head and tattoos running down his muscular arms, his massive body an imposing figure even beside the other large men.

  “It’s true then,” Heldor said, his voice low and rumbling. “The Fire God is free.”

  Doran arched an eyebrow. “How can we be sure? All I see is a bit of smoke.”

  Isen snorted. “The volcano hasn’t been active all this time. Why else would it suddenly stir now?”

  I remembered Ara’s words. They’re afraid of what will happen if the Gods awaken. I stepped forward and said, “The Fire God remains absent, my lords. It is only us here at the temple.”

  From the corner of my eye I saw my mates shift and cast strange glances at me, but they didn’t know what I’d found. They hadn’t read my grandmother’s journal, or seen her warning. We serve the Gods, not the Dragons.

  I wasn’t sure what was happening, but I knew in my gut that I must lie to the Dragons and protect the Fire God and whatever he had planned. He’d awakened and brought us here for a reason, and I had a feeling the Dragons wouldn’t like it.

  “Who is this?” Isen asked, casting a dismissive glance at me.

  Sark pinned me with his cruel gaze. “The High Priestess.”

  “I thought this temple was abandoned,” Heldor said, raising an eyebrow at Sark.

  “It was.”

  I swallowed. “I’m trying to revive the old traditions in the hopes it will calm the volcano. It’s been rumbling for some time, though my mother says that is normal.”

  “Has the Fire God spoken to you?” Heldor asked.

  “No,” I lied.

  “Why should we believe you?” Isen asked, before his eyes fell on my mates. “Maybe we should make sure she’s telling the truth.”

  “You think this girl could have awakened the Fire God?” Doran asked, with a haughty laugh. “Even if she did, the others are still bound. He is powerless on his own.”

  “I wouldn’t call a God powerless,” Isen snapped.

  “We’re wasting time here,” Doran said. “I don’t see any evidence of the Fire God. And Sark would know if he’d broken free, wouldn’t he?”

  Sark grunted in response, still staring at me in a way that made my skin crawl.

  “This is your temple,” Heldor said to Sark. “Find out the truth and deal with it. Or Nysa will be forced to come here herself, and you know how she’ll feel about that.”

  With that, Heldor shifted back into his dragon form, his dark green wings glimmering under the sun as he leaped into the air. Though I was sweating, a chill ran through me at his words. Nysa, the Black Dragon, rarely left the city of Soulspire where she ruled, but when she did, destruction and death followed.

  “Return when you have answers,” Isen told Sark, before his golden scales flashed bright as he took off toward the sky.

  Sark grumbled and pushed his way past me inside the temple, leaving me alone with the Azure Dragon. The golden-haired man gave me a quick nod, before shifting and flying off, his glimmering dark blue body quickly blending in with the sky.

  “What was that about?” Derel asked, once they were gone.

  “I’ll tell you later,” I said. “For now, just follow my lead.”

  The other guys nodded and we headed back inside the temple to find Sark. He’d opened the door at the back of the great room, which had been locked up until now. It led to another room with a large bed on a raised platform, almost like an altar. The room was coated in a layer of dust and I got the sense it was meant for some kind of ritual. How odd.

  Another door on the other side opened to the outside, behind the temple. I stepped through it and was hit with a wave of heat coming from the mouth of the volcano, which was only a short distance away.

  Sark stood over the edge of it, looking down into the smoking abyss. He spun around to face me as I approached. “Tell me the truth. Why are you here?”

  I bowed my head. “I serve the Gods, as do you. Isn’t that right?”

  His lips pressed into a tight line. “Of course. That’s why I must know if he’s been freed.”

  I tilted my head. “I didn’t realize the Fire God was imprisoned.”

  He grabbed my chin in his hand. “I can make you talk, you know. I’ll burn off your limbs. Throw your mates into the pit. Turn your entire village to ash. Unless you tell me the truth.”

  “You would truly harm your own granddaughter?” I asked, keeping my voice sweet, even though I was more scared than I’d ever been in my life.

  Behind me, my mates gasped, but Sark’s eyes only narrowed. “You don’t know what you speak of.”

  As his fingers tightened painfully on my chin, I met his gaze without flinching. “I wonder what the Black Dragon would say if she knew you had a child with someone else?”

  He glared at me for a few more seconds, then shoved me away so hard I hit the ground, scraping my palms on the black rocks. Sark then turned to my mates and gave them all a dangerous look. They each stood poised to fight, even though there was no way any of them could win against Sark, the deadliest of the Black Dragon’s mates.

  “If the Fire God awakens, I expect you to send word to me immediately,” he snapped.

  I bowed low. “Of course. I live to serve the Dragons.”

  “See that you do, or everyone you love will suffer for it.”

  Sark’s body seamlessly shifted into his terrifying dragon form before he launched into the air and flew over the mouth of the volcano. He let out a huge blast of fire as a warning, before he flew away.

  Once he was only a tiny speck in the distance, my shoulders finally relaxed. The other men all surrounded me and wrapped their arms around me.

  “Are you okay?” Falon asked.

  I nodded. “I think so.”

  “What was that about?” Blane asked.

  “Let’s go inside,” I said. “I have a lot to tell you.”

  But as we headed back toward the temple, the volcano began to rumble loudly and the ground shook beneath our feet. The air suddenly became m
uch hotter, to the point where it became hard to breathe, and my skin tingled with awareness. As we turned back to the gaping maw, lava and sparks shot out from it as a monstrously large dragon reared up from inside it. This one was much larger and more incredible than the ones we’d just faced, and its skin seemed to be made from lava itself.

  “Calla of the Fire Realm,” the dragon’s deep voice said, while it pinned me with its fiery eyes. “You have served me well.”

  “The Fire God,” Falon whispered, while the ground continued to rumble around us.

  “It’s really true,” Blane said, while Roth and Derel could only gape and stare in awe.

  This must be the Fire God’s true form, only seen here at his most holy place. I bowed my head low, while the volcano surged around us. “I’ve done everything you asked. I came to the temple and brought four men to serve as my mates. Will you calm the volcano now?”

  In response, the glow from the mouth of the volcano dimmed and the ground stopped shaking. “Very well. But there is still more for you to do.”

  I swallowed and glanced at the men at my side, who nodded and gazed back at me with determined eyes. “What would you have us do?”

  “You must prepare for the next Dragons to rise—the ascendants.”

  I tilted my head, unsure if I’d heard him correctly. “The next ones?”

  “The Dragons were created to protect the world, and were meant to bring balance between the humans and elementals. Many years ago that changed and the current Dragons allowed their purpose to be corrupted. Now their time is at an end. The next Black Dragon has been born, and in twenty years she will visit this temple with her mates.” His fanged mouth dipped low. “And you will be ready for them.”

  “But the Dragons have ruled for as long as anyone can remember,” Derel said. “How can they be replaced?”