California Imperium

by Aaron Crash

  “And hot,” Steven growled. “I saw them, in a vision, and they were rubbing themselves. Like you’re rubbing yourself, you little slut.”

  One of the Five Widows, Michaela Montes, liked to talk dirty, and she had opened a whole new world of nastiness for Steven. And Teegan Thornrose liked it rough, liked him to grab her and give her ass a good smack. As for Abby Free, she adored it all, in puppy piles, threesomes, foursomes, and moresomes. Skyler liked to watch. And Pretty liked it gentle.

  In that suite, with the cold and snow outside, the fire and lust inside, Steven took a chance and lightly smacked Chazzie’s big white ass.

  She let out a horny groan, a lustful growl, and arched her back.

  He thought he’d gone too far. He hadn’t. Chazzie had her fingers on her special spot, and she breathed out, “Oh, yes, spank me.”

  Prudence let out a yelp. Her skin glowed.

  Steven grabbed Chazzie’s butt, squeezed hard, and then slapped it again, in the same reddening spot he’d hit it before. He didn’t use all his strength, far from it, and for Teegan, it would’ve been too gentle. But for Chazzie, it was enough. Her breath came out in squeaks. When he collected a big fistful of hair and carefully tugged on it, he felt the heavenly waves wash through her. It was so hot that Steven couldn’t hold back, and he let the ecstasy consume him.

  Pru came again, watching him, and they all glowed as their cells collected the Animus from the sex.

  Steven eased Chazzie off him. Her lipstick was smeared, her eye makeup sweaty, and she’d never looked hotter. And Pru was more than ready for her turn.

  That would have to wait a minute. He dripped sweat, so much so, he strode out onto the deck. The cold night air steamed around him. He paced. The tension of the night drove him, his mind raced, and everything about the evening—the sex with the twins, Pru’s whispers, the promise of Denise and Fimi—made him want to explode into fire.

  Chazzie and Pru crept out onto the deck. They both were steaming as well, their nipples hardening in the cold. “Uh, are you okay, Mr. Man?” Chazzie asked. “Was that too much for you?”

  “Might have been too much for me,” Pru said. “Sis, you’ve never liked the rough stuff before.”

  “It felt right,” Chazzie answered. “It was like he was this strong thing, and I wanted him to own me. Like what Zoey sometimes says.” Chazzie paused, her eyes twinkling, her face glowing. “What about you, Pru? Talking about those young ladies like that.”

  “Uh, they’re of age, maybe even older than us. Dragonsouls all age a bit differently.” Pru fanned her face, even though it was well below freezing. “And like you, Chaz, it was maybe a power thing. They knelt there, and I know, I know, Steven’s Escort is all about consent, but seeing them like that, so submissive, it got to me.”

  “Watch it now, Pru, but your femdom might be showing,” Chazzie said.

  Steven stretched and as he did, he felt his muscles pull, and he felt the cold, smelled it, because the cold of the Rocky Mountains had a distinct scent: the wet of pine trees, the melting snow, the perfume of the rocks. He felt himself getting hard again. He had no clothes to hide it.

  Pru drifted over to him and kissed him. “It’s my turn. I might flirt with the ladies, but I like myself a man. Watching you, your muscles, your lust, oh, it got to me, Steven. You okay for another round?”

  Steven nipped her lips. “You know I am.”

  “I want you to do me like you did my sister,” Pru said.

  Steven’s mind shut down at those words. His libido took over.

  Pru went to the edge of the deck and got into the position. “Fuck me out here. So all the humans can see.”

  The suite’s deck had perfect privacy, however.

  Steven wasn’t thinking about that as he slipped into Pru. She didn’t want the spanking, but the hair-pulling was on the menu. Then it was sex and more sex, outside, in front of the fireplace inside, and then in the bed.

  Pru fell asleep on his left. He spooned Chazzie on his right, and she lay awake in his arms. He too felt wide awake. So much had happened that night. There was still one mystery left.

  “What was on Morty’s phone?” Steven asked.

  Chazzie sighed. “Would I really go through his phone? What kind of a girl do you think I am?”

  “Not sure,” he said. “But I think you’re someone I can trust. Pru, though? The jury is still out. You’ll keep her in line, right?”

  Chazzie fell quiet. “She’s my sister, Steven. If she turns against you, it would kill me, but I’d have to follow.” Her next three words tumbled out in a rush. “That won’t happen.”

  Steven heard hope but not certainty. He’d have to confront Pru himself, to tell her that she needed to work harder on fitting in. He had to have a united front. The Wayne twins were powerful allies, but not so much so that he’d sacrifice the strength of his Escort to keep them around.

  Chazzie must’ve taken his silence as a reprimand because she stopped being playful and got down to business. “I got Liang Pope’s phone number. He’s a bit of a mystery, actually. Hell, people thought his name was Liang Po for years. Some still do. Yet, from what I read, he has some powerful Warlings on his side, and at least two male Dragonsoul vassals. He could be tough to beat in an actual fight.”

  “What else?” Steven asked.

  “Despite his power, Liang is definitely looking to form a coalition. He’s nervous about Paanga Komang, who’s real, which is a surprise. If the rumors are true, Paanga pretty much owns every island south of Taiwan, and that would include Sri Lanka. Maybe even the Seychelles and Mauritius. Not sure. Pru and I kept most of our spy work in the good ol’ U.S. of A.”

  “But not New Zealand nor anything around Australia, right?” Steven asked.

  “I don’t know,” Chazzie said. “But he’s deep—deeper than Morty—and he has puppet Primes in places like Bali, Palau, Fiji, Tahiti—you get the picture.”

  Steven let that sink in. “What else?”

  “Morty got a bunch of messages from Louis Laloux, though it wasn’t like they were buddy-buddy. Louis was pushing Morty on something, but it was real cryptic. Some of it was in Latin, I think. Like Rome-wasn’t-built-in-a-day Latin. Anyway, Louis hates Morty, and it might be because he’s ready to make deals with you.”

  Chazzie went on. No mention of Spider Finger. No mention of Javier Jones. There were some texts from Candler and Helge, mostly logistical stuff about dropping off Denise and Fimi. It was clear they were the lowest wives on the totem pole. Candler went as far as to call Fimi damaged goods.

  Damaged goods. Trash. Pets.

  Morty, Candler, and Helge all agreed on one thing. Roy Right, Abner Savedra, and Jem Osprey were more interested in fighting over the loneliest highway in Nevada than in joining the Steven Drokharis bandwagon.

  Everything she found on the phone made Steven feel even better about the deal with Morty Flint.

  He smiled, closed his eyes, and thought of Denise and Fimi. Earlier, the idea of taking them had turned him on. Now? He felt sorry for them, for how their whole lives had been uprooted.

  He had to take them as wives.

  But Pretty’s words, Pretty’s tragic past, made that difficult.

  He was torn.

  AT FIRST LIGHT, WITH hoarfrost trickling from an iron-gray sky, Bud sent a limo to pick him up. Sabina came with the driver, and she led them into some administrative offices. They wouldn’t be going through security, not when Steven basically owned the Eagle County Regional Airport as well as a dozen other international airports in his domain, including Denver, Dallas, and Houston.

  The cubicles had been removed from the offices. Bud had a buffet breakfast catered. It was amazing what money could do, and what Bud could do.

  Pru’s attitude toward Denise and Fimi was cordial and welcoming. She asked the two new wives questions, then listened to their answers.

  It gave him some hope that maybe Pru was changing. Or was she just manipulating them to get into their pants?

/>   He sighed. Then he overheard Mouse say, “Two new Primacies and two new wives? For the love of biscuits, I only have a certain number of people I can be nice to. I’m reaching my limit.”

  Tessa was there to pat Mouse. “There is enough joy for everyone. Love grows the more you love.”

  “Love grows.” Mouse coughed. “Like a bacteria culture or a cancer cell. Sure. I can see that.”

  Tessa laughed and hugged her. Mouse let herself be hugged. Progress.

  The barista approached Steven. They drifted to a window to watch the plows work on clearing the runway.

  “Hey,” she said. “I checked in with my family. They’re just fine, and so is your mom. Of course, no one is going to mess with them, not with Uchiko and the Onari Guard around.”

  Steven thought of the failed Dragonskin ninja. He’d offered her a room at the Infinity Ranch. Haru and the others in the Guard were more than capable of keeping their gated compound in Cherry Creek safe.

  Uchiko had declined immediately. He hated that she’d chosen to isolate herself from him and his Escort. How was Steven ever going to convince Uchiko that he loved her and wanted her? Sometimes, she had so much self-loathing that she refused to see him. She said she’d dishonored herself, over and over, but he knew nothing about her history. At some point, he would unravel the mysteries of her origins, and he hoped on that day she would let herself be loved.

  Tessa pulled him out of his reverie by taking his hand and kissing it gently.

  “What was that for?” he asked.

  Tessa gave him a long, serious look. “For agreeing to see Morty Flint. For finding allies. For being open to peace and negotiation. You don’t have to, you know. With the power we have? We could simply crush our enemies.” She grinned and tuned silly. “And drink wine out of their skulls.”

  “What about the lamentation of the women?” Steven asked.

  “Dragonsoul culture has had far too much of that.”

  Aria came and shooed Tessa away. “Our Prime must eat. We have much to do.”

  Tessa rolled her eyes. “Old Blood and Guts is right. You eat.”

  Aria brought a plate for Steven: eggs, bacon, sausage, and breakfast potatoes covered in a bit too much ketchup. Coming from India, Aria hadn’t completely figured out American condiments just yet.

  Aria then went over the list of their cargo: Samael’s Lash; their magic items, including the three Drokharis texts; and lots more guns for the Wayne twins, who liked to travel like World War III would happen this Tuesday, and they were damn sure going to win with superior firepower.

  He ate, sitting at a table with Zoey sitting quietly next to him, while his wives talked. Of course, Tessa was extra sweet to Denise and Fimi. At least with her, he knew she had no ulterior motives. Bud took the newcomers under his wing as well.

  They were all bound for Oregon. Tessa had used the third volume to find the spot on the coast where she’d learn more about her heritage. It was in the Ecola State Park, near Bird Point. They’d fly into Portland on the jet, then fly onward as dragons to the coast. It was only eighty miles.

  Skylar Blacke was handling all the jet details—getting gas, getting clearance to fly out of Eagle County, and getting permission to land in Portland.

  After eating most of the buffet himself, Steven sat, holding his phone, knowing he had a phone call to make. He let out a long sigh. Would calling Liang Pope change the coming fight? Or would it cause it?

  Well, if Liang wanted to join him, Steven would give him the chance. If he didn’t? He wouldn’t have to worry about some Asian dragon overlord taking over his Primacy. Steven would conquer the PNW. And Bud would handle all the paperwork.

  Steven and Tessa were on the same page. If he could negotiate a peace, that was the right way to go. If he murdered every single powerful Dragonlord and their vassals, he wouldn’t have an army for his fight against the Zothoric. He needed as many soldiers as he could get.

  Seeing Bud with Denise and Fimi, the first of many ideas struck Steven. He knew what to do with his two new wives. And he knew what to do with every wife that came after them. He’d have to fight Aria on the idea, but he thought Tessa would love it. Only time would tell.

  He dialed Liang Pope’s number.

  Chapter Six

  EIGHT HOURS LATER, waves crashed on the western coast of the United States of America, north of Cannon Beach, in the great state of Oregon. Steven stood with three of the women in his Escort: Tessa, Mouse, and Zoey. The sand stretched to the ocean in front of them. Wooded hills filled the landscape behind.

  Only Steven and his core Escort were there on the beach. Bud had taken Denise and Fimi to live in his loft apartment in the lower downtown of Denver while he stayed at his parents’ house. Steven made it clear it wasn’t anything against them, but that he wanted to keep them safe until he unveiled his master plan for dealing with his new wives.

  Bud hadn’t been too bummed to be driving around two beautiful women. In fact, he kind of made a fool of himself, trying to act important. In the end, Bud didn’t need to act. He was critically important to Steven’s growing empire.

  Tessa thought Bud’s antics were kind of cute. As did Denise and Fimi, who kept hiding their smiles as Bud strutted around.

  Skylar was stuck again with jet duty in Portland. She was dying to get back to Australia to get back with the Five Widows. Steven had promised her that she’d be back there sooner rather than later. She’d mentioned portal magic. Yes, he’d mastered the spell, but that didn’t mean he could cast it whenever he wanted.

  A soft rain fell, gluing Tessa’s red-and-black hair to her head. She must’ve been freezing, but Steven knew that she was too afraid to be cold. This was her fondest wish realized—to get to the truth behind her strange ability to use magic. She was the only other Magician as powerful as he was, but that was because of his Drokharis heritage. For all they knew, Tessa might have come from a similarly powerful family.

  Bird Point didn’t seem like a place of fate and prophecy. Rocky outcroppings, some stained with white with seagull droppings, others the obvious home to sea lions, cluttered up the ocean. The waves crashed into these ocean boulders before swirling around to roll up onto the beach. It was like the entire Pacific had come alive to bear witness to what was happening, with the clouds storming overhead like the gods were both appalled and infatuated at the coming chaos.

  Aria glided over the ocean, a long red dragon, running recon, because Liang Pope had warned them that if they trespassed in his Primacy, he would find them and kill them. However, it would take the enemy Dragonlord a bit to find them, and Steven hoped to be gone by then.

  And if not, Chazzie and Pru were waiting in the trees above the cliffs along with Sabina, who was in full Divination mode.

  Mouse looked miserable in a rain slicker with the Slayer Blade sunk into the sand. The fire on the blade gleamed. Next to her hulked the huge shape of Zoey in her bear form. Water dripped from her long snout and streamed off her thick fur. Every once in a while, she’d shake herself damp like a dog, but the rain kept on falling.

  Steven had Samael’s Lash on his back under his own poncho.

  Aria glided in, transformed into her Homo Draconis form, and ran up the beach to them. “I see something at the very tip of a rocky ledge. Two somethings, in fact, that become clearer as the tide recedes.”

  “It’s about fifteen minutes to low tide,” Tessa murmured. Damn she was pale, which made her various tattoos stand out against her skin. The hurricane circle was especially vivid, as were the talons of her red-tailed hawk reaching for it.

  “We can get into place,” Aria said. “Let the others know.”

  Tessa had an earpiece connected to a radio in her leather satchel. As they didn’t change shape, she and Sabina used regular earpieces. The Wayne twins had custom gear to fit their ears when they were in their partial forms. The others didn’t have radios.

  Tessa touched her ear, turning the device on. “Sabina, we’re going to head for that long
arm of rock, the one studded with pines, reaching out into the ocean. Aria saw something there. We’ll return here when we’re done. Keep us posted. Oh. You already knew.”

  The barista shut off the electronics. “Yeah, it’s great working with a precog. Sabina already knew all that. Hey Steven, can I get a ride, big boy?”

  Steven stripped, adjusted his sheath, and turned into his True Form. She climbed onto him, and her touch was soothing.

  Zoey splashed into the ocean. She could swim out to the tip of the stone arm.

  Mouse grumbled. “I hope she’s okay. If I lost Zoey to the ocean, I would evaporate the whole thing with my new ShadowFlame Exhalant. Oh, did I mention I can breathe ShadowFlame now?”

  Mouse stripped, then shifted into her amber-colored dragon form, smelling of almonds, and took off.

  Steven and Tessa flew over Zoey, who paddled her way through the waves with powerful strokes. She must’ve taken lessons from polar bears, who could swim thirty miles or more without a problem.

  Steven landed near tip of the rock’s reach. The ocean had receded, leaving behind a flat plain of tide pools and leftover kelp. The strong smells of the ocean came to him. He’d grown up with dry heat and sagebrush. The new wet, slightly salty scents were completely alien to him.

  Near the edge of the tidal region, a hundred feet away, were weathered rocks, rising from the surf, where waves still crashed. Could those be statues?

  Something felt wrong about the rocky ledges below him.

  Tessa got off him and scrambled down some rocks to walk across the wet stone, avoiding the tide pools where bright green anemone clung to rocks, tentacles waving. Starfish anchored themselves nearby, while crabs skittered around the thriving oceanic community.

  Tessa, standing there, looked so much like the vision they’d seen, it was eerie. She wasn’t in a dress, but a loose white blouse, stained with rain, with her big revolvers at her side and the leather satchel slung over a shoulder. She’d used an Incanto spell to make it waterproof, which was pretty simple in the grand scheme of things.