Night of the Dragons

by Miranda Martin

  But we don't stop at the oasis, much to my disappointment. Instead, we keep walking, straight towards a rocky cliff that appears to be less than a mile from that tiny oasis. As we near, I see that the red of the stone is actually striated with white, giving it some variation from the surroundings. And there are large openings to what appear to be caves, some of which have cloths hanging on the outside, like curtains. The fabric flutters in the hot wind as I watch. Because any hint of a breeze on this hellish desert planet is hot.

  I look up at the cliff face, taking in the details as our small party walks up an inclined path leading to the caves. It's wide enough for two of the dragon men to walk up side by side, even with their wings opened. I don't see a railing of any kind when I look over at the edge, even when we're high enough that I don't want to look down. I'd be more comfortable being closer to the cliff than that free edge, but I guess they aren't as worried. Probably because they have wings. Must be nice.

  I turn my attention back to the dragon men, wondering why we're just standing there while they talk. Isn't this our destination? I'm tired of walking. Or, I guess, I'm tired of being carried while they walk. Makes me sound like a pretty big diva. I shall only travel via muscled man. Mariah Carey, eat your heart out.

  When I focus on their conversation, the tone has changed. And not for the better. That's definitely anger. I scan their faces, seeing clenched jaws, narrowed eyes, and lips pressed together tightly as they have a heated, stilted conversation. Definitely angry.

  Well, we seem to have arrived at what they call home. I don't see why I have to be carried anymore. Or why I have to stay here while they have yet another tiff. I wiggle in Royal's arms and he immediately loosens them, allowing me to slide down onto the path. I take a step back from his body and am immediately surrounded by cool, muscled bodies as they continue their argument over my head. I frown, wishing I could understand what they're saying so vehemently.

  Then they start gesturing and pointing, the moves agitated and sharp. I follow their fingers and see each of them is pointing at a different cave entrance, jabbing their fingers to drive their messages home. And also gesturing at me. I'm no genius. And I'm no Charades junkie. But if I was a betting woman—which I'm not since I don't really have anything to bet, but bear with me here—I'd say they're having an argument about which one of them I stay with. Assuming each of them has their own cave, which is what it looks like is the case.

  Well, fuck.

  Really?

  What am I, just a blow up doll without a brain? This has to stop. And it doesn't look like any of them are going to ensure that happens any time soon. Guess it's up to me.

  "Hey!" I say sharply. They all pause, surprise washing across their faces as they look down at me. I really wish I was taller, or at least had a ladder to even out the ridiculous height difference between us. At least they're looking at me. "Fuck this—I get a say in who I stay with, okay? So you can all stop arguing right now. I'm not an object you can just put where you want!"

  I glare at them, crossing my arms as I take care to make eye contact with each and every one. To make sure they understand I'm serious here. And yes, maybe that didn't come out as calmly as I would have hoped. But that might be for the best, since they still don't seem to understand Common, and therefore anything I'm saying. But I'm betting they can understand the fact that I'm yelling and obviously mad as hell. The cues for that emotion seem to be pretty universal. When they don't say anything, I continue on my rant. It feels good to get this all out. Therapeutic even.

  "And I'm not going to fuck any of you just because you carried me across the desert!" I add for good measure, gesturing out to the sandy view. They follow my hand gesture, frowning. "Besides—none of you even asked nicely!" I add, irritated that that also irritates me.

  Damn it.

  More blank looks, though they're starting to look concerned as they share glances with each other. They don't look mad anymore. Glad I could bring all the knuckleheads back together. I stare them down, hands braced on my hips, elbows out.

  Crickets. Well, there would have been if we were on Earth.

  "Fine," I mutter as I push past the muscled bodies, irritated that I know I can only get through because they're letting me. "I'm out of here."

  I stalk off on my own, with absolutely no idea where I'm going.

  What else is new?

  6

  I breathe a little easier as I leave all that raging testosterone behind. It felt like the cloud of it was suffocating me, emanating from those giant, muscled bodies like an insidious hormone cloud. Okay, now I'm just thinking of their bodies. They must have a lot of testosterone to have so much muscle. I feel a little zing of interest.

  Really?

  Shaking my head at my own response, I reach out and pull back the cloth to look inside the first cave I near. It looks like it might be a bedroom. My first clue is the large pallet lying on the ground, made of what looks like fur. Yes, I am indeed a genius. My powers of observation are truly something to marvel at. Just call me Sherlock Piper.

  I stare at the pallet curiously. It looks really comfortable, to be honest. Fluffy and thick. I have the urge to try it out, but I don't want to intrude on anyone's personal space. Maybe it doesn't really matter since they were all apparently fighting to be the ones to take me back to their caves.

  They weren't just acting like cavemen, were they? They were the real deal. Wonderful. Maybe it’s best not to go in there. Might give whoever owns that pallet the wrong idea.

  I let the curtain fall back and keep moving instead, ducking in to look around at the various irregular natural openings into the cliff side. They do seem to be good shelters from the searing light of the sun, which is a big plus. My skin is smarting from the exposure. I don't think redheads are supposed to exist on a planet like this. It's definitely cooler inside the caves, surrounded by rock, than it is out on the main path in front of the caves, in the direct light.

  The third cave I duck into is the largest I've seen so far, with an enormous fire pit set up in the middle, the rock darkened with soot around it. It's also where they seem to store food as well, not just cook it. Meat hangs from racks that are made of some kind of sturdy white material that might be bone, and baskets of malleable fibers are set to the side on a natural shelf, filled with more food items, none of which seem familiar, but I'm guessing they must be food from the context clues. I wander around this cave for a bit, picking things up to get a closer look, doing some sniff tests. I never thought I'd say it, but I miss the food on the ship. Or at least the convenience of it.

  After doing a slow round of the large cave, I head back out to keep exploring. Who knows how long they'll let me wander around like this. I want to check out all the caves while I can. All told, I come across four smaller caves with similar fur pallets that I'm now sure are for the dragon men to sleep on. They're large enough that I'm quite certain they're for them. But I only see the four. Maybe it is just the four of them living here?

  I hadn't really given it much thought, but it would make sense for them to be part of a bigger group, one that had women and children in it too. Assuming their species has women and reproduces like we do. Maybe making any kind of assumptions isn't the best idea.

  I also come across another few cave rooms that are mostly empty, interspersed with a couple that are full of things I don't recognize. Not a surprise since everything here is foreign to me.

  I stop in an empty cave not far from the food one after I'm done with my survey. I look around at the small, cozy space. I'm surprised I can call it cozy. Never though a cave could qualify. Maybe seeing how they've arranged all the other ones has changed my perspective on them.

  I could claim this one. They don't seem to be using it, judging by the fact that it's empty. But before I do anything at all, I really need a bath first. I'm hot and sticky from sweating all day out in that heat. I feel like ass.

  That pool of water we passed on the way here is calling my name hard. It's
the only place I've seen where a bath even looks possible.

  I walk out of the cave and look around carefully, trying to see if there are any muscled dragon men lurking around a corner.

  There aren’t. Nobody in sight. Good. That means nobody to stop me from doing what I want. I head down the path, making sure to stay well away from the free edge. No need to die in a stupid accident now after it looks like I might actually live a bit longer yet, despite all of the odds. Maybe I'm actually the Terminator and don't know it. Spoiler alert. With the way I feel, being a robot would be a marked improvement, unfortunately.

  I reach the bottom of the ramp and glance back the way we came from. I easily find the hulking trees not too far in the distance. If I couldn't see them clearly from here, I wouldn't have risked leaving alone. But I figure it's safe enough, because it's so close that I have no chance of getting lost. I do a careful scan of the vicinity before I move forward, just in case there are more scorpion-spiders waiting to swarm. Nothing moves in any direction I look.

  As sure as I can be that it's safe, I trudge across the sand, the sun beating down on me while my feet sink in with every step. Now I kind of wish one of the dragon men was around to glide across the distance with me. I might actually become a princess if they keep up the carrying bit. Suck it up, Piper. It isn't that far.

  As predicted, I make it without any problems. I stare at the trees in awe as I stop at the edge of the water. I don't think I could ever get used to the sight of them. They're just so big and look so completely alien. I take a moment just to stare at them, touching their rough bark.

  My attention wanders back to the water in short order. I really want that bath. I need it even more now after walking here. I have a whole new layer of sweat piled on top of the old. Lovely. I glance around once again to make sure nobody's there. Maybe it's paranoid, but I don't care. No dragon-men lurking behind the trees that I can see. Good enough.

  I'm too impatient to be more cautious than that quick glance around. I quickly strip off my outfit and shoes, wishing I had clean clothes to change into. This suit has definitely seen better days. But I'll settle for at least my body being clean.

  It feels good just to get the clothes off, the air on my skin soothing. Naked in under a minute, I step forward, the sand sloping into the water under the soles of my feet. I slowly wade in, the water lapping up my shins, up my thighs, past my waist. I ease in, sighing at the delicious feel of it against my skin. I don't realize it's deep enough to swim until my feet don't touch sand anymore.

  As I tread water, I realize there's one good thing to say about having two suns. They've warmed the water up quite nicely. It feels like pure heaven as the water laps at me. I duck my head under briefly to scrub at my face and hair and my body. Oh yeah, that's really nice. I rise back up and pull in a long, deep breath.

  I let myself just float on my back, wanting to stay there forever. It's the only really comfortable place I've been since waking up on this crazy planet. I want to stay as long as I possibly can. I look at the leaves silhouetted against the sky above me for a while as I drift, the water soothing and perfect, surrounding me in soft warmth, easing the strain on my body. My eyes slowly shut as I let myself luxuriate in it. It's not like I have any appointments to get to, after all. The thought makes me frown, but I push that away as well. No point in worrying over something I can't change. And I deserve a break right now, a moment to find calm. Or I might actually have a break with reality and run off tearing at my hair. I wonder how the dragon men would react to that. I entertain myself imagining their reactions while I float there for some time, my body feeling weightless and free, not like a burden I have to deal with.

  I almost fall asleep, but catch myself. Letting out a breath, I finally open my eyes again, wondering how long I've just been floating there, letting this place sink in.

  "Oh!"

  I gasp, almost going under before I rise back up quickly, treading water. I immediately duck down farther, even though I know the clear water can't be doing much of anything to cover my nakedness from four pairs of very interested eyes.

  How long have they been standing there? Watching me?

  My eyes drift down of their own accord. I swallow as I take in the very large erections poking out the brief coverings they have wrapped around their hips. Oh, wow. My eyes widen and I immediately jerk them back up to their faces, feeling my cheeks flush. I probably look like a tomato. Yay, pale skin.

  Looking at their faces doesn't help the matter much considering the smoldering heat I can see in all of their eyes. Royal is clenching his jaw. Fire's eyes are focused a little too south of my face to be staring at anything but my breasts. Emerald's jaw is clenched as he watches me, while Danger stands there with his feet braced apart, his eyes narrowed as he watches me with a single-minded focus that really makes me feel like prey.

  Oh shit.

  What are they going to do?

  7

  They stand there for a few more seconds, until I wonder if that's all they want to do, just stand and watch, and if they expect me to just keep floating and let them. But then they all move towards the water, almost in unison, their eyes locked on me. My heartbeat picks up even more, and I feel completely exposed. Being naked makes me feel more vulnerable than ever, even though, realistically, I was always vulnerable around them.

  I turn my head, trying to see them all at once, though I can't when they're coming from every direction it seems like. From my front, my sides, behind me. One of them alone would be intimidating, just with his massive size. Four is overwhelming as they near me. As they hit the water, kilt-like cloths swirl around their muscled, bulky thighs, the water level rising up their legs. It's a low shallower for them than it is for me.

  Then they're right up next to me, surrounding me on every side, a wall of muscle. It seems to be their favorite position. Maybe they like cornering me. I shiver as they growl softly, each pair of eyes I meet filled with a carnal heat that has tingles spreading through my body, the edge of danger only adding to my arousal. I also really wish I could just close my eyes and disappear. Go figure. But the two conflicting feelings exist side by side. The situation is just so out of my experience, my comfort zone. It hits my buttons, but it also feels like a bad idea, like it could get out of hand quickly.

  And then it escalates. I'm not in that position for long. Fire picks me up easily, pressing me against his hard, cool front. I automatically raise my legs to wrap them around his waist to stabilize myself, my hands sliding onto his broad shoulders so I don't fall. I gasp as I feel the ridiculously large erection rub up against me, with only the thin, almost transparent cloth of his kilt-like covering between us. There may as well be nothing at all there, that cloth is so thin and wet. I can feel him pulsing against me in his excitement, feel exactly how thick and long he is. And it doesn't leave me unaffected.

  I groan, heat and a warm tension clamping down in my belly at the feel of him. Between my thighs. I'm panting softly as I marvel at how his proximity is affecting me. I've never felt this kind of mind wiping arousal, the kind that pushes my inhibitions aside, makes my self-consciousness fade against the face of it. Even as a voice tells me in the back of my head to be careful, that I don't really know any of these men, that I don't know what to expect, all I want to do is move my body against his. Feel more of this insanity. Rub against that ridiculous erection where it throbs against me. I can't focus on anything but that driving need.

  I make a small, involuntary sound as I try to rub myself against that hard length, needing more than the press of him against me, staring into his pretty amber eyes, his handsome face softening at the touch. At how it makes him feel.

  Four identical, frustrated growls sound from around me as they see me trying to slide against him. And then I'm suddenly torn right out of Fire's arms and into someone else's, the loss of his hard length from between my legs making me cry out in protest. I might have to get used to being pulled away from each of them. It seems to be how they ope
rate.

  I get a brief glimpse of Emerald before he closes the distance between our faces and settles his mouth against mine. He doesn't hold back or beat around the bush at all. Not that he needs to with how hot I'm already feeling. The kiss goes from zero to a hundred so fast my head is spinning while I try to gasp in a breath. His tongue slides against mine. His taste is seductive, his lips moving firmly, mobile and confident against my mine as he explores my mouth. I sink into that kiss, feeling the heat build even more at the contact. And now all I can think about is Emerald, his hard body against mine, the pretty yellow-and-green of his scales. The equally impressive erection pressed against my belly.

  How can I just go from man to man like this and enjoy each one so much? But how am I supposed to resist such sexy men when they all want me so badly? I don't have much time to dwell on that thought or to enjoy Emerald either.

  Another pair of hard arms flips me around in Emerald's hold. And now it's Danger staring at me, his eyes filled with an intense heat. My breath catches as I meet those eyes. I feel like he might be able to burn me with that look alone, it's so searing. His piercing gaze is so focused, I wonder if he can see exactly what I'm thinking, how hot the situation is making me. Despite how hot that look is, he doesn't pull me away from Emerald like I expect him to, like everyone else seems to like to do. Instead, he presses me back against Emerald, my back against his friend's solid chest.

  He lifts my legs so that I wrap them around his narrow waist, suspending me between the two of them. I’m completely naked with nobody's body to obstruct the view of mine. It sends another bolt of fire through me. Oh, I feel much more open and vulnerable now. They can all see everything. Danger can see everything.

  My eyes lock on his face as his drift down to my body, taking in every inch slowly, not rushing. Taking his time to look. I have the urge to cover myself, but I can't in this position. So I just watch him, my breath coming faster as his large hands smooth up the length of my legs. Up my shins. My thighs. My hips. Across my stomach. I look down to see the stark contrast of his dark, strong hands against my pale, much more delicate skin, the arresting sight holding my attention. He touches me slowly, sensually. As if he could do it all day and not tire of it. Feeling so wanted is an aphrodisiac all on its own, isn't it? I didn't realize that until now.