Pride Before A Fall (Book 21 in the Godhunter Series)

by Amy Sumida

  Arach chuckled, and I glowered at him.

  “Did you teach him that?” I asked Arach.

  Arach shrugged.

  “Then you can deal with his flaming temper tantrums when he discovers that baby dragons do not get what they want, when they want it,” I snapped.

  “Why can't he have what he wants?” Arach was honestly confused.

  “What if he wants to burn your favorite chair?” I asked him. “Or take something from the High King? Or fly to the Water Kingdom with his brother?”

  Arach sobered.

  “Yeah, you didn't think that one through, did you?” I grimaced. “Damn dragon kings.”

  “Son,” Arach said sternly to Rian, “there may be times when a dragon doesn't get what he wants. He must occasionally think of others before himself.”

  Rian looked horrified.

  “Yep, like right now,” I added. “Your father is not going to get what he wants.”

  Arach looked as horrified as Rian, and Brevyn burst out into little boy giggles.

  “Boys, you all need to learn a new lesson,” I proclaimed. “When Mama's happy, everyone's happy.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  “Let's go for a flight,” Arach said to me later that day, after we'd put the boys down for their naps.

  “That sounds fun,” I agreed.

  My dragon was already rising inside me, excited by the prospect of freedom. Arach took my hand with a sly smile, and we went down to the main floor of Aithinne, and then out, behind the castle, to where our kingdom began. He stripped out in the open–no shame whatsoever–but I made use of a large boulder and got myself a bit of privacy. We both shifted into our dragon forms: mine gold, and Arach's red.

  Then we took to the skies.

  Arach screeched happily as our wings created wild drumbeats upon the air. I answered him in kind, my heart light with the knowledge that my children were all safe, and I could enjoy some time with my Dragon King free of worry. The Fire Kingdom spread out below us. First came the Weeping Woods with their dripping foliage. The woods were expansive, a lush forest bordering the Kingdom of Air, and one of the few areas of the Fire Kingdom that wasn't veined with crevices that went straight down to the magma boiling below our bedrock. This unmarred ground had become a sort of buffer between the heat of our kingdom and the chill of the Kingdom of Air, and the combination of the two diverse weather conditions created a steamy environment that was perfect for thirsty plants. There were growing things all over the Fire Kingdom, farms hosting several types of crops even, but this was the greenest part of our kingdom, and I loved it. I wasn't the only one who treasured it either; there was a thriving village within the Weeping Woods. Misty Meadows was home to my friend, Caitir.

  Once we passed over the woods, the land opened up and dried up. The central plains of the Kingdom of Fire was veined with those cracks I mentioned. From above, I could look straight down the jagged, thin ravines to the flowing rivers of lava at their very bottoms. It was a beautiful sight; a dark landscape painted with bright ribbons of orange-red. Heat rose from the cracks, helping us to rise as well, and I found myself soaring even higher. Arach and I circled lazily, passing over villages, farm lands, and open patches of desert until finally, we came to the marshy end of our kingdom.

  The hot springs. I had assumed that was where Arach was leading me. It was one of our favorite spots. Right before the banks of the Tine, there was a curving line of heated pools. A river of magma was closer to the surface there. It had separated some of the Tine, forcing the shoreline back, and created a collection of bubbling basins. The lava warmed the water into natural Jacuzzis and turned the soil into a rich, wet environment. The marshy land had become a habitat for exotic, faerie plants. Jungle meets desert oasis.

  Arach landed near one of the largest pools–we had several that we enjoyed–and I set down beside him, my claws digging into the mossy soil. We both shifted back into our human forms, and Arach took my hand, leading me to the water. Emerald moss crept nearly all the way to the rocky rim, stopping just short of the smooth lip of the pool. The stone basin was irregular, with bumps and dips to lean on, but they weren't of any use as far as climbing in. Everything was as smooth as glass from centuries of heat and friction. So, I eased down the shallower end first, then slid to the deeper part of the pool. Arach simply crouched near the deep end and elegantly jumped in; a move I'd never be able to manage. As soon as we were submerged, we both sighed in delight, then laughed at each other.

  “We need to do this more often,” I noted.

  “Every day,” Arach agreed. “Parenthood is so much harder than running a kingdom. Rest and relaxation are required simply to keep from losing your mind.”

  “And we have nannies,” I pointed out.

  “Thank Faerie for them,” he declared. “I never knew that a single creature could have so much energy.”

  “Bursts of energy,” I clarified. “They have moments of madness followed by long naps.”

  “Ah, yes; nap time,” Arach said solemnly. “Perhaps I should start indulging in daytime slumber myself. With their energy, I could rule the realms.”

  “What do you want with the realms?”

  I sank below the surface, and swam up the length of his body, coming up to give him a wet kiss.

  “You already have me,” I purred. “And I can give you more happiness than ruling a realm ever could.”

  Arach smiled against my lips, but then pulled me tighter to him, showing me how ready he was for my particular brand of happiness. I eased my legs around his hips and rubbed against him, encouraging him along.

  He growled low in his throat and grabbed my hips, angling himself upward. I slid a hand between us and helped Arach, guiding him home. Our sighs were even more delighted than when we'd first entered the water. We started a slow motion, just grinding against each other at first. I wrapped my arms around his thick shoulders and clung to Arach as I kissed him. The sweet taste of dragon smoke rolled across my tongue like honey warmed over a fire. Arach had one hand threaded through my wet hair, and the other pressed hard against my ass, pulling me in as tight as possible. Demanding and a little dominant; the strength of his grip was a seduction in itself. There was no withdrawing, only that fantastic friction; that deep, almost tortuous motion which rubbed his pelvis hard against my most sensitive spot.

  I was screaming in seconds.

  Arach drank down my cries as he eased himself out of me; a shivering slide of slick flesh. I cried out again, this time in dismay. He laughed wickedly as he flipped us around and angled me forward against the rim of the basin. I curled my fingers around the smooth stone as he curled himself around me. Arach spread my legs and slid into me from behind, his pace ramping up to wild. His hands went to my breasts and started massaging me as he slammed into me. I looked over my shoulder at him, taking in his glowing dragon eyes and wet hair–wild and darkened to deep ruby by the water. Arach's pale skin shone in the soft afternoon light, every muscle straining against that perfect expanse, bulging with his efforts. Water splashed around us, dripping over his body tauntingly. It was mere minutes before I came again.

  I started to turn around slowly, thinking that we were done for the moment, but Arach had other plans. He turned me back around fully, then grabbed me around the thighs. Arach lifted me, so that my breasts were in line with his lips, and then started a determined licking. I leaned back, over the edge of the pool, thrusting them further into his mouth. Arach groaned, and slammed me down on his erection. The sound of his eager sucking wound with the splashing water and the bestial growls coming from deep within his throat, creating the most erotic music.

  Using the wall for leverage, Arach took up a third pace, one somewhere between the last two. He released my nipple slowly, to breathe fire lightly over my skin, making me shiver. My legs started to tremble as his breath heated the water around my breasts to boiling, the bubbles and extreme warmth making them tingle. Then he lifted me suddenly, higher than the pool's rim, and
set me on the ground. I fell back, lying on the warm moss with my legs dangling into the water. I was about to sit up when Arach set his mouth to me.

  Within that wanton kiss wasn't just a rolling, masterful tongue, but streams of fire. Arach's hot mouth licked and sucked as he breathed flames over my flesh. And then he added a slick finger to the mix. I roared and clawed at the ground, digging up fistfuls of moss. Arach lifted himself out of the water as I came, pushing me back further, and then sheathed himself within me one more time. He pushed my knees up, fitting them over his shoulders, and then thrust himself into me until we climaxed together, at last.

  Arach finally sighed contentedly, rolled off my body, and helped me back into the hot spring. I was nearly as liquid as the water, lolling about in the confused aftermath of mind-blowing sex. Arach smiled with supreme dragon satisfaction and settled me into his embrace.

  “I thought that I was the one who was supposed to be making things up to you?”

  “Oh, A Thaisce, you did,” Arach purred. “You absolutely did.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  I ran through the forests of the Fire Kingdom, my family beside and above me. Arach and Rian were in their dragon forms; Arach, a crimson wound in the sky next to Rian's brilliant emerald body. Brevyn was held safely in Arach's claws, laughing in childish glee. Azrael and Odin flew with them as well, both with ebony wings glistening in the sunlight. Azrael was in his archangel glory, and Odin flew in his favorite alternate shape–a raven.

  On the ground beside me was Kirill, a massive black lion, and Trevor, a sleek, black wolf. Re rode a phooka in its horse form, yet another black beast. They took up the rear. I ran between Kirill and Trevor in my lioness form, with my daughter at my side. Lesya was in her lion cub shape, out with her family on her first run.

  I roared in delight and Lesya roared back, a much smaller sound, but wonderful nonetheless. My Pride was complete, and I couldn't have been happier.

  “Mommy!” Lesya's echoing whisper came from somewhere above me.

  I stopped short, causing the whole procession to pull up with me. Above us, my winged-family circled back. I stared at them, having the oddest sense of deja vu. They reminded me of... a flock of carrion birds. A murder of crows. As I watched, my family changed, shifting into forms that were much smaller and darker. Soon, their cries filtered down to me, and among them was a tiny voice calling; “Mommy!”

  “Lesya!” I cried out in a human voice.

  I looked down, where she's been beside me, but she was gone. Then the entire landscape, and everyone in it, seemed to freeze. I realized that I was dreaming, but instead of feeling the relief of it all being a nightmare, I only felt more afraid.

  “Mommy,” Lesya whimpered in that strange, unresolved voice; a baby's basic understanding given sound.

  “Lesya!” I shouted and stood upright in my human form.

  I slashed my hand down in command and revealed the bare foundation of the Dream Realm; blue mist as far as I could see. There, before me, was a door-shaped panel; a veil. It was the door leading out of my dream. I ran for it, brushing it aside absently when I reached it, and then I stepped out into the Realm of Dreams in its entirety.

  “Mommy,” Lesya's voice called to me.

  Maybe she was having a nightmare back in the God Realm. It wouldn't be surprising after all she'd been through. I had just been given the unique opportunity to comfort my child as no other parent could. I could step into Lesya's dream and change it, not just hold her after she woke up screaming. I strode forward in determination.

  “Mommy... Daddy,” Lesya continued to cry.

  When your child cries for you, when you hear fear in their voice, it can turn you savage. It's like waving a red flag in front of a bull, you simply charge.

  “Mommy's coming!” I shouted as I saw red.

  I ran over the spongy ground, mist curling up around my feet and whooshing out in all directions. Finally, I found Lesya's veil. I stepped toward it with a sense of relief. How wonderful it will be, to be able to touch Lesya and comfort her while our bodies were in separate realms.

  But the veil wouldn't let me through.

  I frowned and pushed against it again. It solidified beneath my palm. Every time I pounded on it, it condensed to bar me even more firmly. I roared in frustration, my hands shifting into claws, and began to shred the mist. It remained firm, as solid as it had been the first time I'd encountered it. I finally stood back and glared at it. It had to be a remnant of Sekhmet's spell. When I went back to the God Realm, I'd ask Odin and Re to search for another spell to counter it. But for now, my daughter was terrified, and I couldn't reach her. Again. Oh, that hurt.

  “Mommy,” Lesya called.

  “Lesya, I'm here, honey,” I called out through the mist. “It's okay; you're safe now. No one can hurt you anymore.”

  “Daddy!”

  I frowned as Lesya seemed to give up on me entirely. Maybe she couldn't understand my words, but my tone should have comforted her, at least. I tried again.

  “Lesya, I'm here. Mommy's here. I saved you, remember? You just have to remember, sweetheart. This is only a dream. You're home, safe, sleeping beside Daddy, right now.”

  “Daddy!” Lesya screeched, and it rang through my head like a struck gong.

  It was so jarring that it shoved me right out of my dream and I came awake with a jolt, sitting upright in the middle of my tangled blankets. My skin was covered in a fine sheen of sweat, and my hair was wild around me. Arach stirred and sat up.

  “What is it?” He asked.

  “A nightmare,” I whispered.

  “Are you all right, A Thaisce?”

  “It wasn't my nightmare”–I turned to look at him–“ it was Lesya's.”

  “Lesya's?”

  “Her time with Sekhmet seems to have affected her more than we initially thought,” I mulled it over. “She was having a nightmare, and it was strong enough to pull me out of my dream. I tried to go to her, but her veil wouldn't let me pass.”

  “Do you think there's some remnant of magic barring you?” Arach asked.

  “I assume so.” I sighed. “It's just frustrating not to be able to help my daughter.”

  “Oh, how foolish of me,” Arach huffed. “It's not a remnant, A Thaisce. You're in a different time, remember? In this time, Lesya is still with Sekhmet.”

  “Holy hand grenades,” I whispered, “you're right. No wonder she got so frustrated when I tried to tell her that she was already safe. She thinks I'm a liar.”

  “She doesn't think that,” Arach comforted me. “It will be fine. It was only a dream for Lesya. She won't even remember it after she wakes.”

  “And there's nothing I can do for her now,” I agreed. “I wish I could return already. Being away from her so soon after getting her back is killing me.”

  “I know,” Arach said gently. “But it's just a little longer, and you have your sons here to focus on.”

  “And my wonderful husband.” I kissed him.

  “I will do my best to distract you.” Arach smiled wickedly as he pulled me back down to the bed.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  After time had caught up, Arach headed down to the End of the Road with a couple of carriages, and I went back to the God Realm to fetch Lesya and the men. I always gave it a few minutes longer because I had nightmares about being caught in a time loop. If I went back too soon, I'd go straight into the “me” that was already there and go through the motions of everything I'd already experienced–including using my ring to jump back to Faerie. Then I'd go through everything I'd already experienced in Faerie–including jumping back to the God Realm. You get it, right? Now, it's entirely possible that once I reached the point where I employed the ring, I would be cast out of the “memory” since I'd already be using the ring. But I didn't want to press my luck. I screwed with time enough as it was; the last thing I needed was to piss off Father Time and wind up like the Mad Hatter, forever stuck at tea.

  So, I waited. />
  When I returned, the men were waking up, Kirill already cradling Lesya to his chest and staring down at her like she was the most miraculous thing in the world. I suppose that for us, she was. Our little girl had gone through war, a wounded womb, a god-made incubator, and a kidnapping; most of which occurred before she'd even been born. I dearly hoped that this wasn't going to be the norm for my children. I still had at least three more pregnancies, and four babies, to go. And that wasn't including the children that Odin told me he wanted. It was a good thing that I had god healing, or I'd have to start doing some Kegels.

  “Hey, lion-baby-daddy,” I said to Kirill softly.

  “Hey, lion-baby-mama.” Kirill smiled brilliantly at me. “She is so ...”

  “Yeah, she is,” I agreed.

  “She's so happy,” Trevor finished Kirill's statement and then kissed Lesya's forehead. “I don't think I've ever met such a giggly baby. She hasn't cried once since we brought her home.”

  “Are we taking her to meet her brothers today?” Odin asked. “Her other brothers, I mean.”

  “Since she's already met Vidar and Vali, I think it's only fair,” I confirmed. “Are all of you joining us?”

  “As if I'd give up a chance to go into Faerie,” Re scoffed. “Of course, I'm going.”

  “Put on a shirt first.” Azrael grimaced at Re's bare, golden chest. “It's a little early in the morning for all that jazz.”

  “I will take pity on you poor, unfortunate gods,” Re announced imperiously as he got out of bed, “with your dull, cold skin. It must be difficult to be constantly compared to such as I. Clothing will not hide my glory entirely, but if it makes you feel better–” Re's voice trailed away as he disappeared into my dressing room.

  Since Re didn't live at Pride Palace, he only kept a few things there, and I had offered him some space to use in my dressing room because, well, it's enormous.

  “I think I'm going to buy Re a golden butt plug,” Trevor announced.