Riding Lightning: A Reverse Harem Dragon Fantasy Adventure (Starcrossed Dragons Book 1)

by Erin Bedford

  “What is he talking about?” my father asked, jerking myself out of my daydream. His expression was hard to read, I couldn’t tell if he was angry or not. I also didn’t know whether I really cared because my entire focus was on the man holding me. Still, I was a princess, and I couldn’t let this guy think he could manhandle me any way he pleased even if, right now, that was exactly what my inner dragon wanted.

  I pushed away from his embrace even though my dragon screamed in protest. Then, even though I didn’t know why, I turned toward Jack. “We ran into each other in the hallway last night. He was just as forward then.” I rolled my eyes. “Perhaps he could take a cue from you.” I glanced back at Mr. White-tips. “Common courtesy is to introduce yourself first.”

  “Raiden,” my mysterious male answered with a cheeky grin. “My name is Raiden. Third son of the King of the Eastern Region.”

  “Raiden.” I let the name roll off my tongue while giving him a warning look. What I did now would direct the course of our entire relationship, and given our circumstances, that might be a long one indeed. I had to let him know he couldn’t use his sexy to get what he wanted. I mean, it’d probably work for now, but in a few weeks when my dragon wasn’t so hot and bothered, it’d likely just piss me off.

  “Such a pretentious name,” Jack muttered under his breath, and when I glanced his way, I found him smiling very slightly like there was a joke only he got. Hmm… maybe there was more to him than I’d initially suspected.

  “Pretentious?” Raiden said with a laugh while glancing over at Jack. “You’re named Jack. That’s the most boring name I could ever think of.” He gestured at Jack with one hand. “Guess it fits you.”

  Before Jack could reply, I stepped between them, hands raised. “It’s nice to meet you both.”

  Only, it didn’t seem like either had heard me. They were too busy glaring daggers at each other. It was a little weird because I knew part of the reason for their rivalry was because of me, and honestly, I’d never been in a situation quite like this. I took a deep breath, trying to think of what I could possibly say when Aeis placed a hand on my arm.

  “Well,” Aeis smiled at my suitors, “I don’t know about you men, but I am famished. Why don’t we head to the dining room for breakfast?” She giggled slightly. “I bet you two can eat a lot.”

  Aeis always knew how to dissolve the tension. Usually, I’d have gotten irritated, but in this situation, I was grateful. I mouthed a thank you as their tension dissolved and they turned to look at my sister.

  “That is an excellent idea,” my father said, and there was a touch of sadness to his voice. Just that one sentence let me know he was even more upset with my being here than he had been before. The thing was, I sort of agreed. Aeis was definitely better suited to rule than me. Part of that wasn’t my fault though, after all, I’d been gone forever while she’d been preparing to take over. Of course, she’d be better at it.

  Besides, feeling sorry for myself wouldn’t help the situation. No, I had to learn and learn fast. As we made our way to the dining room, I dropped back, sidling up to my sister and leaning close. “Can I chat with you afterward?”

  “Of course,” she whispered back, giving me a knowing smile.

  “Thanks,” I said as we entered the dining room.

  “Take your seat,” my father said, gesturing at the spot between Jack and Raiden.

  Aeis squeezed my hand as I nodded to my father. “As you wish,” I mumbled, moving forward.

  As I went to sit down, Jack pulled my chair out for me. As I settled in my seat, I turned to thank him, but before I could, Raiden’s thigh pressed against the side of mine, drawing my attention. He shot me a grin as if daring me to say something. I should have been angry at him. For last night, for teasing me now, but all my body could think about was how he had felt when he had me pressed against the hallway wall. Instead of responding, I turned back to Jack.

  “Thank you,” I said before focusing on the plate in front of me with only one thought running through my mind.

  I was screwed.

  4

  In the history of dinners, this had to be the worst yet. Currently wedged between my possible future mates, one I already found myself wanting to make long hot love to and the other — well, I wasn’t quite sure about it.

  What I did know was my parents and sister being there only made matters more awkward. Maybe not my sister, she was usually good for defusing a situation, but my father’s over-excited grin as he tried to play matchmaker made my stomach roll. Who knew he was so eager to pimp out his daughter.

  “So, Raiden,” my sister paused to take a drink from her cup, “you have two other brothers, correct?”

  Raiden’s eyes lit up at the mention of his brothers. “Yes, Aido and Dreq.”

  “What are they doing while you are here?” Aeis asked while I pushed my breakfast around on my plate.

  “Oh, probably crawling over each other in their quest for my father’s favor.” He laughed and threw his arm over the back of my chair.

  My shoulders tensed as his arm pressed against the back of my neck. The rest of the table’s occupants didn’t seem bothered by Raiden’s boundary issues. Except maybe Jack who had a frown on his lips. Though, that might be for a number of reasons.

  “So, why aren’t you trying for the throne?” I turned in my seat so Raiden’s arm would slip off of me. The more he touched me, the less my brain seemed to function properly.

  He shot me a smirk that caused all kinds of hot tingles to go through me as he readjusted himself. “I was never known to be the studious kind. I’ve always been more interested in the sensual arts.” He licked his lips, his eyes devouring me in one quick movement that made the skin on my chest burn and the place between my thighs slicken and throb.

  “Then what makes you think you are worthy of the Western Lord’s daughter?” Everyone’s attention jerked around to the solemn dragon, Jack. His expression had hardly changed, but a tiny clench of his jaw showed me he had been paying more attention than I had given him credit for. Not so aloof after all. Interesting.

  While everyone else turned to look at Jack, I kept my eyes on Raiden. That was an answer I wanted to hear. The thing was, Raiden didn’t seem bothered by the question.

  “I might not have been the best student, not like my brothers were, but I still know my way around a political gathering.” His grin widened. “And, more importantly, no can beat me in hand to hand combat.” The confidence in his voice left no room for argument. There was a bite to it though which caused me to squirm as if he might punish me if I dared to argue. I had a feeling any punishment he dished out would be worth it

  “As am I,” Jack replied the challenge clear in his voice. The two males locked eyes, and for a second, I wondered if they’d fight over me here and now. It was a bit strange for me because while I’d never been the girl guys fought over, I sort of liked the idea of it. Oh god, how sad was that?

  “That’s wonderful,” my father said, clapping his hands and breaking the tension. “Both of you are far more than worthy to mate with my daughter. Better still, there will be plenty of chances for each of you to prove your worthiness.”

  “And how exactly would they do that?” Brow furrowed, I frowned at my father. “Aren’t you just going to tie me down in a room and let them both fuck me a few times until I’m good and seeded?” I shrugged. “You know, find out who the father is afterward as it has been for millennia.” I waved my hand dismissively.

  My father’s grin became feral. “You didn’t really think this would be like your sister’s mating, did you?” He shook his head, and as he was about to say more, I interrupted.

  “I wouldn’t know, I wasn’t here,” I snapped returning his grin with a vicious one of my own.

  His expression dropped, and for a split second, I could see guilt color his eyes. Well, that was new. I hadn’t expected the bastard to feel bad about banishing his youngest daughter.

  Mother and Aeis stared down at t
heir plates not saying anything but apparently, not everyone in the room knew the score. Jack’s face hadn’t changed much, but he did look at me in question. Raiden wasted no time voicing his opinion.

  “Why weren’t you here?” His brow bunched together genuine curiosity on his face. “I know you were away studying, but surely you’d have returned for that?”

  Laughter rolled from my lips, a deep belly laugh which had nothing to do with joy and everything to do with the bitter disdain I held for the man who created me.

  “You couldn’t even man up to it could you?” I snarled at my father whose face colored a deep purplish red.

  “I am afraid I am in the dark on this one as well. Would you care to elaborate?” Jack said, his cool gaze fixing on my father.

  “Yes, Lord Dannan,” Raiden’s attention focused on the head of the table, “I, too, wish to know why exactly I haven’t been able to meet the lovely Maya before now?” He shot me a lascivious look. “She’s positively delicious.”

  My face warmed at Raiden’s question. I had only meant to put my father on the spot, not draw more attention to myself. I pushed my delight in Raiden aside and focused on my father, wondering if he would finally fess up to being in the wrong. Admittedly, I didn’t have high hopes.

  “Well, I…” the Western Lord stumbled over his words under the intense look the visiting males were giving him. I knew he wanted to lie on the spot, but no doubt the scrutiny made it more difficult, especially since he likely hadn’t prepared to have this fight in front of our guests. No, he’d expected me to kowtow to him just like everyone else. As his eyes darted to my mother and sister, neither of whom offered him any help, I almost laughed. From the look on their faces, they seemed to enjoy seeing him squirm.

  Unfortunately, my father’s unbalance didn’t last long. “Maya was indeed studying abroad.” My father cleared his throat and straightened in his seat. “In fact, she is the first of our kind of have earned a degree in the human dimension. This was all part of my plan to make her an even more valuable asset to any lucky enough to mate with her.” He ended his explanation with a warning glare as if daring me to contradict him otherwise.

  I should have known he wouldn’t tell the truth. At least, not the whole truth. Still, that he knew I had a degree surprised me, but then again, he had twisted it around, so I sounded like a better catch than I was. Maybe that had been his plan ever since retrieving me. To use everything, I’d done on my own to sell me to one of these two. It seemed like it had worked too. My potential mates seemed thoroughly impressed though.

  “Whoa.” Raiden’s mouth dropped open. “You were in the human dimension? What was it like? Do they still lack the basic knowledge of the mystic arts?”

  My father relaxed in his seat having firmly turned the attention away from him and back onto me. Jack sat forward in his seat as if he too wanted to know more about the human dimension. Sighing at the lack of justice in the world, I nodded. “Yes, their idea of magic includes machines and pyrotechnics. If you even brought up magic, they’d think you are going to do some card trick or pull a rabbit out of a hat.”

  Raiden laughed, smacking the table with his hand. “What? Why would anyone want to do that?”

  My lips curled up slightly at his amusement. “It’s their form of entertainment.”

  “They seem to be quite the unintelligible barbarians,” Jack commented, taking a drink from his glass. “I couldn’t imagine you learned much from them.”

  Frowning at his assessment, I twisted to face him. “Quite the opposite actually. They have many inventions we don’t have, and even with their lack of magical ability, they’ve advanced further than one could imagine in the medical field.”

  Having spent five years with the so-called barbaric humans, it was only normal I’d be a bit defensive. Especially since, when Jack insulted the humans, I couldn’t help but think he was talking about Bianca and Ryan. A pang of longing hit me so suddenly, my throat burned. I reached for my glass but missed, knocking it over and spilling the contents across the table and onto Raiden’s lap.

  Jumping up, Raiden tried to wipe the liquid off of his pants without much success. I grabbed my cloth napkin, and without thinking, bent down, rubbing at the wet spot on his pants. I realized too late that had been the wrong thing to do. As my hand pressed against his hardness, Raiden released a startled noise.

  Jerking my hand away, my eyes went from his lap and up to his face where his eyes had hooded in desire and his mouth had gone slightly slack. A clearing of the throat pulled my gaze away from him, and I straightened scooting back into my seat. I kept my eyes down on my plate not daring to look anyone at the table in the eyes. I couldn’t believe how impulsive I had been.

  First, I’d gone from arguing about the humans, and then I’d practically sexually assault one of our guests right in front of my whole family. God, could this day get any worse?

  “Father,” my sister, ever the goddess, drew the attention away from me, “you were talking about something you wanted them to do? Maybe you could explain that now?”

  “Ah, yes. Thank you for reminding me,” my father said, nodding sagely.

  While I was highly interested in what he planned for my potential mates and me, I couldn’t find the courage to take my eyes off my plate for more than an instant. To be totally honest, I’d have been pretty damned happy if the floor opened up and swallowed me just then.

  “While you two are wooing my daughter, you will also be tested on your ability to work as a unit.” Jack and Raiden shifted next to me as if to hear my father more clearly. So far it didn’t sound like anything I would want to do. Then again, why did I ever think it would be?

  “How will we do this?” Jack asked his voice even and analytical as ever. “We are competing against one another.”

  My father cleared his throat as if prepared to give a long-winded speech. “As many of you know, Waesigar hasn’t been in the best of times. There is quite a bit of conflict between our lands about how we should rule.”

  His words reminded me of Ned’s and my sister’s warnings from before. They were deeply worried about the dragons keeping too focused on tradition. This must be what they were talking about.

  “So,” my father continued, “I am tasking you three to go to the Southern Mountains and get their lord to reaffirm our alliance.”

  “Why can’t you just send a messenger?” I asked, slightly confused. That would be what we’d normally do. Sending the three of us was most unusual.

  My father’s jaw tightened, and his hands gripped the table in front of him. A petty part of me enjoyed how my questions were bothering him. “Because they have yet to answer any of my messengers, and I, myself, cannot travel to their lands where they might be waiting to attack.”

  “But we can.” I jumped in, causing my father to shoot daggers at me with his eyes.

  “I have little doubt you are proficient enough to stay out of trouble and with your two strapping escorts.” He nodded to Raiden and Jack. “You will have no trouble getting there, and hopefully you can use some of their political experience to come to some kind of agreement with the Lord Amun.”

  “Do not worry, Lord Dannan,” Jack spoke calmly with his hands folded in front of him. “I will take personal responsibility for your daughter’s safety and secure this alliance for you. I have no doubt I shall prove the better match for her.”

  I forced myself not to roll my eyes at Jack’s proclamation and then jumped in place as Raiden’s hand came down on my inner thigh. Glancing up at Raiden’s almond-colored eyes, I couldn’t help but blush.

  “While our companion is focused on politics,” Raiden murmured into my ear as Jack and my father discussed the particulars of the journey. “I will be more than delighted to adhere to your every need.” Each word was enunciated with a slight squeeze to my thigh that sent a scorching heat between my thighs.

  “I’m sure you will.” I licked my lips and glanced up at him beneath lowered lashes. If this man could affe
ct me so easily in a room full of people, I couldn’t imagine how hard it would be to keep away when we were alone.

  “Maya.” Jack’s voice reminded me we wouldn’t be completely alone on this trip, which I was only partially thankful for.

  “Yes,” I asked, pushing Raiden’s hand away.

  “Would you like to leave today or would you rather spend more time with your family first?” Jack questioned with a raise of his brow.

  It was such an insightful question I almost didn’t know what to say.

  Thinking about it for a moment, I searched myself for the answer. Did I really want to spend more time with my family? The answer instantly was a yes, which was the problem. If I spent more time with my sister and mother, I would become attached to them again. That would make it even harder for me to leave them. If not impossible.

  No. The best thing for everyone would be for me to find a way out of this and head back to the human dimension as fast as possible. Getting pregnant wasn’t in my plan. I had a life back on Earth, and while it might not be anything as extravagant as being a dragon princess, I had every intention of getting back to it.

  “While I appreciate your concern for my feelings, I think it would be best to get started right away.” I glanced at my father before continuing, “If what I’ve heard is true, even one more day might be too late. We don’t want another war to occur. We all lost so much during the last one.”

  My father nodded his approval as my sister and mother’s faces fell. It almost made me want to change my mind, but I steeled my back and stood from the table. “I should go prepare for the journey. If you would excuse me.” I pushed my chair back as Jack and Raiden stood from theirs. Before either of them could offer to escort me, I darted away from the table and into the hallway.