by Lili Zander
She shakes her head. “No, I’m not. But I don’t trust her, Harper. I don’t trust either of them. Be careful, okay?”
She turns around and goes back to the others. I stare at her receding back. I know I need to tell Viola about what Vulrux learned from Beirax. I need to tell Ryanna and Sofia too. Even if there’s only a slim chance that there’s a way out of this planet, the women deserve to know.
“I should tell Arax about what I learned from Beirax.”
The three of us are back in the underground lake the next day. As usual, it’s deserted, though I have a sneaking suspicion that the privacy is Arax’s doing, a way of encouraging the mating bond, and if so, thank you, Firstborn.
Dennox was right; yesterday’s rain-induced bruises are gone, and both men appear to be in perfect health.
The red narmi that scared the crap out of me the first day circles us, but I’m used to seeing it around, and I barely spare it a second glance. Instead, I look at Vulrux. He’s floating on his back, the narmi playfully butting him every five seconds or so.
“You haven’t told him? I thought that’s the first thing you’d do.”
“No, of course not, Harper,” he responds. “I wouldn’t have told him before I told you. You’re our mate. You always come first.”
I can’t help the smile that breaks out on my face. Seriously, I’m pinching myself this morning; I feel so lucky. Maybe that’s the effect of really good sex.
“Why haven’t you told him?” I ask Vulrux.
He has a pensive look on his face. “You didn’t know Arax’s life on Zoraht,” he replies. “From the moment he woke up to the moment he went to bed, his life was dictated for him. In the last year before the Exile, assassins targeted him three times. Palace intrigues, spies, secrets…” He sighs. “It’s not easy being the Firstborn.”
Dennox raises an eyebrow. “Not just the Firstborn,” he points out. “You were causing quite a stir yourself with your speeches in the Saaric.”
I find every description of Zoraht fascinating. Even the politics. “What kind of speeches?”
Vulrux shrugs. “The scientists wanted to expand their security force,” he says. “Among other things. I spoke out against it. Brunox, the head of their council, is a dangerous man, canny and power-hungry, and he had far too many allies.” His face darkens. “Including the Adrashian techmages.”
“You think Arax will worry about what’s happening on Zoraht.”
He nods. “My cousin is finally happy,” he says softly. “Nyx and Viola are really good for him. I’ve never seen him more relaxed, more content. I don’t want to ruin that.”
I gaze at the troubled man. “You can’t keep this from him though.”
“I know,” he replies. “I don’t plan to. Before the rains end, I will tell him everything.” His expression lightens. “In the meanwhile,” he says, “I just realized this cave is large enough for us to transform, and even fly.”
I look around the vast space. “You can’t fly much,” I point out. “More like hover.” I frown. “You should take it easy after yesterday’s injuries.”
He grins playfully. “I’ll take it just as easy as you did once you woke up from your coma, Harper,” he says with a wink.
Ouch.
Dennox’s lips twitch. “We should find out what our abilities are,” he says practically. “Otherwise, we won’t be much use when we look for the other humans.”
My eyes sparkle and I smile gleefully. “So the two of you are going to transform again? Yes, please. And are you going to breathe fire too? So cool.”
Dennox chuckles at me. He swims to the bank and pulls himself out of the water. Once again, I ogle shamelessly as the water sluices off him, and all that glorious nakedness comes into view. Yum. And it’s mine.
He takes a deep breath. I watch, transfixed, as he morphs into a dragon. I swear, if I live to be a hundred years old, I’m never going to get tired of the sight.
Vulrux gets up from his rocky perch and joins me. “Can you understand us?” he yells to dragon-Dennox. “Can you recognize us?”
Dragon-Dennox’s long neck curls toward us, and the massive head nods slowly.
Well, that’s a relief.
Vulrux keeps asking questions. “Can you hover?” he yells to Dennox.
The bronze dragon makes his way to the rock that Vulrux was sitting on, his tail slithering behind him. He’s using the rock formation as a launch pad, I realize. I watch as dragon-Dennox climbs the rocks, oddly graceful and cat-like. When he reaches the top, he unfurls his wings, jumps, and swoops low over the lake.
It lasts for about five seconds before he runs out of room and splashes into the water.
Most awesome five seconds ever.
Vulrux is almost bent over with laughter. Dragon-Dennox slithers out of the water. He shifts back and heads over, his eyes narrowed as he takes in the other man’s amusement. “Really?” he demands. “This is funny to you? You’re doing the next set of experiments.”
“Oh, come on.” I wrap my hand around Dennox’s waist. “That was hilarious.”
He tries to glare at me, but he can’t pull it off. His lips twitch, and finally, he too bursts out laughing.
Vulrux transforms next. “Let’s try breathing fire,” Dennox suggests to the blue-green dragon. “Can you burn that bush on the far side of the lake?”
The dragon opens his mouth and exhales a jet of fire. The bush bursts into flame and dragon-Vulrux looks smug.
I bounce on the balls of my feet and clap loudly. Dennox, on the other hand, has a frown on his face. “Did it just get colder here?”
He’s right. Now that he mentions it, I’m suddenly freezing, and when I look at the rocks, they’re covered with a thin sheen of ice.
“Try again,” Dennox shouts to Vulrux. “Aim anywhere.”
Vulrux opens his mouth, but this time around, only a wisp of fire leaks out before being extinguished. He shifts back. “That’s strange. What’s happening?”
Dennox’s brow clears. “You’re drawing heat from the air to create fire,” he says. “The temperature dropped when you burned the bush. I bet,” he adds, “that you’ll be fine once it warms up again. Or if you move to a different area.”
Vulrux looks thoughtful. “That is a liability.”
“Is it?” I ask quizzically. “I’m assuming you only need one burst of fire to do damage.”
Vulrux’s lips turn up. “You’re probably right.” His fingertips run over the swell of my breasts. “I don’t know,” he murmurs, “Why I’m exploring my new found abilities when I could be doing something much more interesting.”
Dennox’s hand moves down my back, and he cups my butt. “Mmm,” he growls. “I agree with Vulrux.” He fixes me with a heated gaze. “Why are you wearing your swimsuit today, diya?”
I roll my eyes. “Because I wanted to swim,” I reply. “If I were naked, I’m pretty sure none of us would have got into the water.”
Vulrux tugs at the shoulder-straps of my suit. “You swam already,” he says. “And now, the garment is just in the way.” He undresses me, pressing kisses on my heated skin.
“I have a confession...”
“Yes?” Dennox pulls me to him and lifts me in his arms. I wrap my arms and legs around him as he walks me back to the smooth rocks where we fooled around before.
“The fact that you guys are dragons is a major turn on,” I admit.
“Turn on? What are you telling us, Harper?” the mischievous glint in his eye says he knows exactly what I’m hinting at.
I push at him. “Why would I tell you when I can show you?” I wriggle out of his arms, sliding down his naked body, tugging him to sit. I kneel before him and grip his cock again. “This time is all about you,” I tell him. He doesn’t protest. Smart draekon.
“You too.” I beckon to Vulrux.
He joins the two of us, wrapping his hand around my neck and turning me toward him. I taste one cock and then the other, marveling at the rich honey taste. “Th
is is incredible,” I mutter.
“Does it taste good?” Vulrux asks.
“Yes. Like honey. Something sweet.”
As I suck them, they play with my nipples, pinching them and pulling them. My breasts go heavy with desire, and I gasp with pleasure at their touch. “So incredible…” Gotta love dragons. A thought strikes me. “Do you think I could ride on your back sometime? In dragon form?”
“We must make sure you are safe—” Vulrux starts, and I wrap my mouth around the head of his cock and suck lightly. His fingers fist in my hair, but I pull off with a pop.
“What was that again, Vulrux?”
The gleam in his eyes tells me he knows exactly what I’m doing. Before he can answer, I take a deep breath and engulf him as far as I can. His knees almost buckle, and he groans audibly. I work my mouth over him, sucking until my cheeks hollow. As soon as I relax the suction, he stumbles back, chest heaving.
Dennox chuckles as if he knows my game. I turn to him. “What do you think, Dennox?” I purr. “Can I ride you?”
“I don’t know, diya. Can you?” He leans back, his cock sticking straight up. Clearly, he wants me to ride him in this form. Normally I would hop right on, but today I want to blow his mind.
Nestling between his knees, I lick his balls and then scoot forward to wrap my boobs around his dick. His eyes widen as I squeeze his shaft between his two favorite things. “Like this?” I breathe, and bob up and down, sliding my breasts along his slick cock. On the down stroke, I bend my head to close my lips over his head.
Dennox’s hips jerk. “Harper,” he says through gritted teeth.
“Is that a yes?” I say, and stroke faster, sucking harder until he roars and thrusts his hips up high. “Mouth,” he grunts, his face contorted with desire. Obligingly, I take him in my mouth again. He’s close. His hand on the back of my head holding me close, he comes deep in my throat, and I swallow every drop.
“Harper Boyd,” Dennox gasps.
“Yes?” I ask, giving him my most innocent smile.
The dark-haired Draekon just shakes his head.
“You’ve robbed him of words, sweet one,” Vulrux says. He lifts me from my knees and smooths back my hair.
I smile up at him. “It’s your turn.” I close my palm over Vulrux’s fat cock, marveling once again at how thick and hard he is. My fist slides up and down his length, and he throws his head back in pleasure.
Dennox pulls me into his lap. He spreads my legs wide, and moves his fingers between my legs, unerringly finding my clitoris and strumming on it. Groaning with pleasure, I reach for Vulrux, and take his cock in my mouth, savoring the sweet taste of him. We’re both pretty close.
His fingers increase their pressure on my clitoris, and I moan into Vulrux’s cock. I’m so close, but I fight to hold on. My Draekons have given me endless pleasure. Today, I want it to be about them. I want Vulrux to come first.
Vulrux’s grip tightens in my hair. His normal control unravels, and he thrusts into my mouth. I did this to him. “Diya,” he gasps, his voice hoarse. Then he erupts, and I swallow every drop. Dennox’s fingers speed up, and I can’t hold back anymore. A dam bursts, and wave after wave of sweet release flows through me.
When it’s done, I lick my lips. Honey and cream. Delicious.
“Dragons are awesome.”
15
Harper:
A couple of days go by, and life falls into a kind of rhythm. Every morning, after breakfast, we go swimming. After that, we each head off to our tasks. Vulrux makes salves, tinctures, and ointments out of the medicinal herbs he’s gathered during the dry season, and when he’s not doing that, he’s in charge of making kunnr wine.
Dennox carves bone knives and mends the pathways, which always appear in need of repair.
Me? I’ve been assigned the laborious task of weaving the tree bark together so we can use it as roofing. I should find the work mind-numbingly boring, but as I fiddle with the fibers, I feel myself relaxing for the first time in a long time.
It’s a peaceful life on the prison planet. One with friends and laughter, food and drink, warmth and happiness. One with love. There’s a community here that I never had back home and a sense of belonging.
Sometimes, I think of the cloakship that Beirax mentioned, but the urge to find it is never very strong. Once the rains stop, I know we’ll go looking for it, but I can’t say I’m in a huge hurry for things to change.
The truth is, things are pretty damn good as they are.
Sofia and I are preparing the evening meal for the first time, and we’re running terribly, horribly behind. “Dios Mio,” she groans. “Ferix asked me if we needed help and I told him we had it under control.”
Newsflash: She was lying.
“Yeah,” I mutter. “I know. I was there.”
Vulrux and Dennox are in the dining area as well, watching with open amusement. Dennox comes over to the small prep area, where Sofia and I are trying to dance around each other. “Are you sure we can’t help you, Harper?” he asks, his eyes twinkling with mirth. “The two of you seem to be having some trouble.”
“Men,” Sofia says under her breath.
“Stop laughing at us,” I tell Dennox sternly. “I’ll have you know that back on Earth, I was an excellent cook.” Okay, I might be exaggerating just a little bit. “On Earth though, we had electric stoves and microwaves and meat thermometers.”
The translator in his ear does its magic. Dennox encircles me from behind and kisses the side of my neck. “Poor Harper,” he whispers in my ear, his voice still amused. “How ever are you going to manage?”
Sofia rolls her eyes. “Can the three of you make out later?” she demands. “Harper, the others are going to be here for dinner any minute now, and all we have is burnt meat and mush. Get peeling.”
Dennox winks at me and leaves us alone. He joins Vulrux, and the two of them are soon in deep conversation. If I had to guess what they’re talking about, it’s Beirax’s revelations and Dennox’s memories. This morning, Vulrux decided to tell Arax everything after the evening meal.
All the more reason why Sofia and I need to hurry up and get food on the table.
I get to work on peeling knotty purple roots in front of me. Sofia, who’s much better at names than I am, told me what plant it came from, but I’ve forgotten already. As far as I’m concerned, the only thing that matters is that the roots taste a little like turnip. Ugh.
“Be careful with that bone knife,” Sofia warns me as she tears some pink leaves and throws them into a clay pot along with the few pieces of meat she’s been able to salvage from our earlier barbeque debacle. “It’s a lot sharper than it looks.”
“Yes mother,” I quip.
We work in silence for a few moments, and I shoot Dennox and Vulrux several covert looks. When I’m certain they’re not paying attention to me, I clear my throat. “Hey, Sofia, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
She doesn’t lift her head from the pot. “Uh-huh,” she says. “What’s up?”
“Umm, this is a little awkward. I kinda heard that you and Vulrux might have had a thing for each other when I was in a coma.”
That gets her attention. She gives me a stupefied look. “What?”
I bite my lower lip. “If you don’t want to talk about it…” My voice trails off.
She continues to gape at me. “Harper,” she says at last, “I’ve never had a thing for Vulrux. From the moment you got here, Vulrux couldn’t take his eyes off you.”
Oh. I’m going to kill Viola. She might have got the Thrax-Ryanna thing right, but she missed the boat entirely on this one. “Are you sure?” I ask her.
“I’m quite sure,” she replies dryly. “You’re welcome to your Draekons, Harper. I’m not pining for either of them. Now, can you get peeling, please? I’m pretty sure I just saw Strax and Odix walk toward the dining area.”
Crap. She’s right. It’s not just the two Draekons, I see a stream of people heading toward u
s, and we don’t have anything for them to eat. I’m about to start peeling faster when I see someone unexpected walking our way.
It’s Raiht’vi.
The Zorahn scientist has finally decided to join us for a meal.
There’s a bit of awkward shuffling at first, but then Haldax, who never met a Highborn he didn’t love, starts talking to Raiht’vi. Viola watches the scientist with narrowed eyes, and I remember our conversation from the other day. Did Raiht’vi send Viola into the jungle, knowing how dangerous it would be? Or was it all a big misunderstanding?
I can’t tell. The scientist is too inscrutable.
Someone else is watching Raiht’vi. Dennox. My mate’s expression is uncertain, and his shoulders are tense.
After her initial look of surprise, Sofia’s returned to her cooking, moving at a frantic pace. I don’t see what the big deal is—so what if dinner’s a little late anyway? It’s our first time alone in the kitchen. While I want to impress Vulrux and Dennox, I’m not going to twist myself into knots about my culinary abilities.
Sofia isn’t quite as calm. The instant I’m done peeling and chopping the purple turnip-thingamabobs, she snatches the wooden cutting board from me.
It seems to happen in slow motion.
The bone knife that I’d set down next to the roots goes flying in the air. Acting instinctively, I make a grab for it, but my fingers don’t close around the handle.
They close around the razor-sharp blade.
I stare at my hand. A thin red line appears, blood trickling down my wrist. It’s nothing serious, I tell myself, and then the flow increases. Blood begins to seep from the cut, slowly but steadily, dripping on the floor.
The knife clatters to the ground, and the noise makes Vulrux and Dennox look up. The instant they see my face, they’re at my side. Dennox makes a strangled noise in his throat and goes pale.
Vulrux swallows hard. “How deep?” he asks, his voice shaky. “Flex your fingers for me, diya.”
“It’s just a cut,” I say, but I’m beginning to feel light-headed from the blood loss. I lean on my two mates, grateful for their support. “It’s nothing serious. I’m not going to be a juggler anytime soon though.”
