by Erin Bedford
Lord Amun snorted. “I’m assuming my adviser has filled you in on our situation, so you can stop pretending we aren’t in distress.”
I glanced at Jack before clearing my throat. “Yes, she told us a bit about it.”
“We were attacked on our way here,” Raiden jumped in, coming up beside me. “Any ideas about that?”
“They were ours?” Lord Amun asked finally turning from the window. Lord Amun, a tall man with a dark red beard and bright blue eyes, could be called a handsome man had it not been for the deforming scar down the side of his face. It seemed like he wasn’t the only one who had suffered from the last war.
“Fire dragons?” Raiden asked and then when he nodded said, “Yes. We were attacked by six of them, each wearing a tan uniform. It seemed to be aiming directly for Maya.”
Lord Amun stroked the beard on his chin, the half that grew in anyways. “So, they know you are here.”
“Who are they?” I asked tired of the whole big mystery. I was ready to know who had tried to kill me and why.
Instead of answering my question, Lord Amun said, “Here is what is going to happen. I will sign your father’s treaty, and you will fix our little problem we are having.”
I forced back an aggravated sigh. Everyone wanted something for me, but no one wanted to give me anything in return. Or at least, anything I wanted. “I can’t promise to that until I know what your problem is.”
Lord Amun locked eyes with me and intensity in them that told me the situation was a lot more dire than he made it out to be. “The bandits are the problem. You get rid of them, and I will sign the treaty.”
I glanced at Raiden and Jack before holding up a finger to the lord. When he nodded, I drew my companions to the side, worry starting to rise in my throat until it was nearly choking me.
“What should we do?” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. This was not a situation I was used to handling. Sure, I could maybe talk down a meeting full of angry programmers, but this? This was way beyond my pay grade.
Jack and Raiden exchanged a look I couldn’t read. The look did nothing to quell my anxiousness. We were in over our heads. There were only three of us, four if you counted Herbert, but he wasn’t a soldier, and he was injured. That left three people against God only knew how many in this bandit gang.
“I think we should accept,” Jack stated after a moment.
Raiden nodded his agreement. “I do too.”
“What?” I gasped, not believing what they were saying. “We can’t promise to beat some people we don’t know. For all we know, we could die before ever getting back to get the treaty signed.”
“The men in the woods were not very skilled,” Raiden pointed out. “Plus, like you said before, I have my trident.”
“That doesn’t mean you are unstoppable,” I hissed under my breath, knowing the lord watched us from his spot by the window.
“Then why don’t you just have sex with ice boy here and give him a power boost too?” Raiden clapped Jack on the shoulder. “Even if it doesn’t work, I’m sure it’ll take the edge off.”
Jack shoved Raiden’s hand off of him with a glare.
“I’m not sleeping with Jack!” I couldn’t help the rise in my voice. Unfortunately, my words caused Jack to frown. “Not that I don’t want to, but I’m not about to screw everyone I know just so we have more power. Being with both of you was already pushing it.” I understood how having sex with Jack would make us stronger, but it wasn’t like it had been with Raiden. He and I had an instant connection that Jack and I just didn’t have. Sure, we were finding our chemistry, but it was far from being enough to hit the sack.
“I agree with the princess,” Jack said, an edge in his voice. “I don’t want her to sleep with me just to give me power.” He shook his head.
“You’re just afraid it won’t work,” Raiden said, voice low. “But you should still try.”
“Don’t I get a say in this?” I asked, glaring at Raiden. I wasn’t some breeding mare no matter how matter how much my father thought so.
“Sure, but I don’t know what else to tell you, princess.” Raiden crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s what I propose.”
“And you think we can beat them? Without knowing what we are actually up against?” I asked Jack who I had labeled as the more reasonable of the two. “I mean, the bandits seem to have driven this place into the ground.”
“We’ll be smart about it. We aren’t just going to rush in there without a plan.” Raiden answered for him, and they shared another look. Those were really starting to irritate me.
Fingers curled into fists until they bit into my palms, I fought against the urge to stomp my foot. My father must have known about Lord Amun’s problem and knew we would have to fix it for him. While I wasn’t sure if he’d told the men about it beforehand, I still felt betrayed and ganged up on. Worse, Raiden sort of had a point. It did make sense, given our situation, to sleep with Jack and see if he too got a power boost.
Spinning on my heel, I stomped back over to where Lord Amun waited. “Who’s the bastard leader of this group and where can we find him?”
“They have a hideout up to the north in between two sleeping volcanos.” Lord Amun folded his hands over in front of him. “The bastard leader, is my son, Firestar.”
10
Chest heaving, I felt like the walls were closing in on me. I had to have heard him wrong. That had to be. There was no way Firestar would be here and be the leader of the bandits no less.
Muffled voices tried to talk to me, but I couldn’t hear them above the pounding of my pulse in my ears. If it were true, not only would I see Firestar again, but I would have to see him with them. How would I explain that? Any of this?
Just say it was your father’s idea a part of me sneered.
While I agreed it hadn’t been my idea in the first place. I didn’t think Firestar would agree so much. Though, this was assuming he even cared about me anymore. We hadn’t seen each other in years, he could have found a mate by now and have a nest of little ones.
A nagging feeling told me it wasn’t so. He still thought of me as I did of him. Firestar had impacted my life in the short time we had been together more than anyone I’d ever met. Just thinking of him now caused my heart to race and my hands to sweat. The dragon inside of me made a low growl, she wanted to see him again too.
Someone grabbed me by the arm, and my low growl turned into a fierce one as I turned on them, teeth bared. Raiden’s eyes widened, and he released me, putting his hands up in defense. When I realized who it was, I forced back my beast and took a deep breath.
After a moment, I shook my head, giving Raiden an apologetic smile.
“What was that?” Raiden asked still keeping a cautious distance from me.
I didn’t know how much I should tell them. Raiden probably wouldn't think anything of it. Of the two men my father had chosen for me, he seemed the more understanding. Jack, on the other hand, had already shown he had a hard time sharing. We hadn’t even decided if we could all get along together with just the three of us. We had been attacked before I could even get my answer out.
No, I couldn’t tell them about Firestar and me. It would cause more issues than we needed right now. Besides, there was no telling if Firestar would even remember me, right?
“Nothing,” I finally said, shaking my head again. “I’m just really pumped to get this over with.”
Raiden and Jack didn’t look convinced. A slight glance to Mon Liz and I knew she definitely didn’t believe me, though I hardly cared what she thought, anyway. Lord Amun had a knowing kind of smile on his face, which made me even more nervous about his request.
Did he know about Firestar and me? I thought only my father had? It wouldn’t bode well for this trip if it was all some kind of dubious plot the lord had concocted. But to what end? What was he planning?
I didn’t have time to think more on it because my dragons were staring me down as if waiting
for me to break. Ignoring their questioning gazes, I kept my eyes on Lord Amun.
“We accept your terms and will leave immediately.” I nodded and headed for the door.
The lord's voice stopped me. “There is no hurry.” He waved a hand dismissively when I turned to look at him. “You should stay the night refresh yourselves. Volcano ridge is quite far from here.” He gestured at Mon Liz, who hopped to attention. “Please make sure they have rooms prepared and dinner is provided.”
Lord Amun then turned his back on us, his attention once more out the window. Mon Liz came over to us, this time not sparing a glance toward Jack.
“It looks like we’ve been dismissed,” Jack muttered, placing a hand on the back of my waist. “What would you like to do, Maya?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but Mon Liz interrupted.
“Oh, you must stay!” Her eyes lit up with excitement. “Now that word has gone around the city there will be plenty of things to see, and you won’t want to miss them.” Her lips curled into a creepy smile. “When do you think you’ll have a chance to visit us again?”
I tried again to say we weren’t staying, but the interest in Raiden’s expression made me pause. Even Jack looked like he really wanted to see what Mon Liz was on about. Sighing reluctantly, I said, “Very well. It couldn’t hurt to stay one night.”
Raiden whooped, and I knew I made the right decision. There had been enough seriousness on this trip we needed a bit of fun and touring the city might just be it.
“Has Firestar and his men attacked the palace already?” I asked as Mon Liz escorted us to another part of the palace. Its walls were as barren as the rest of the palace, and I couldn’t help but ask what had been on my mind since we arrived.
Mon Liz frowned, glancing at the bare walls. “No, Lord Amun requested all valuables be put in the safe for safekeeping until the raids are dealt with, anyway.”
I nodded in understanding. It still baffled me that Firestar had become a lowly bandit. He had been so formidable. Such an honored dragon warrior. What had caused him to revolt against his father of all people?
Mon Liz stopped before a set of double doors and turned to the group. “This is one of the larger rooms. It’s always prepared in case of unannounced visitors. You can use it for now until we find something more suitable.”
“I’m sure it will be fine.” Jack offered her a small smile, causing the old woman to flush.
“As you wish.” As Mon Liz moved to leave, neither Jack nor Raiden bothered to ask the more important question.
“Wait.” Mon Liz paused at my voice, turning back to me with a raised brow. “Are you telling me this room is for all of us?” I circled my little trio with my hand.
Mon Liz’s lips turned down into a confused frown. “I apologize. Lord Amun said these were your men, so I just assumed…”
“No, no. It’s fine.” I interrupted her as I felt my face heat. “It’ll be fine. Right guys?” I glanced at Raiden and Jack for confirmation.
Raiden gave me a thumbs up and a wink, but Jack looked like he had swallowed something foul. Still, he gave a nod of consent. Better than nothing I guess.
“Very well,” Mon Liz stated and opened her hands in front of her. “Is there anything else? Or…”
“No.” I jumped in and grabbed for the doorknob. “We’re good. Thank you for your hospitality.”
Darting into the room, I didn’t wait for the men to follow me as I made my way to the bathroom. I scanned the room as the door shut behind me. It had all the necessities. A toilet, sink, and a shower. A bathtub large enough to fit all of us caught my eye. I swallowed and tried not to focus on the prospects.
The thought of the two dragons in the other room sharing me was too much for me to handle right now. Not with the possibility that I would see Firestar in less than forty-eight hours. The knowledge both excited and frightened me.
I turned the water at the sink on, splashing my face with the cool liquid. It did little to calm my nerves, nor was it loud enough to block out the sound of Raiden and Jack talking in low voices in the other room. They would no doubt want to interrogate me when I came out.
All the more reason to stay where I was. The coward part of me whispered. Or better yet, climb out the window.
My eyes darted to the small window above the toilet. Small but still large enough I could wiggle through if I needed to. The drop couldn’t be that far. We didn’t go up any stairs. I could finally get away. Maybe someone in town could make a portal and then I could go back to Earth. Live out my life there and forget about all this.
A silly unachievable fantasy. As much as I wanted to run away and back to my easy Earth life, I couldn’t. Not without seeing Firestar. The thought of hurting Raiden and Jack also came to mind, and I found that I didn’t want to do that either. Hell, even if I did escape, my father would never allow it. He’d have Ned hunt me down again.
As if knowing my thoughts, there was a soft knock on the door, and Jack’s voice followed. “Maya, are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” I called out, my voice a bit too hysterical for my liking. “I just need a minute.”
“Are you sure?” The concern in Jack’s voice made me feel guilty for my earlier thoughts. These guys had dropped everything to be here. Leaving them stranded in another country wouldn’t just be wrong, it’d be downright mean.
I sighed and rubbed a hand over my face before going to the door. Turning the knob, I offered Jack a weak smile. “I’m sure. Just a bit overwhelmed.”
Jack visibly relaxed at my words. “We don’t have to tour the city. We can just rest if that is what you wish? I’m sure Lord Amun will understand.”
“No, I want to go. Like Mon Liz said, ‘When do you think you’ll have a chance to visit us again,’” I tried to mimic her ridiculous accent, causing Jack to give me a rare smile. “You should do that more, you know.”
“What?” Jack asked, moving aside so I could reenter the bedroom.
“Smile more,” I murmured a bit distracted by the room before me. Larger than my room back home, the bed had a high canopy of dark redwood, and the mattress could have bedded six people. My face heated at the implications.
“It’s great isn’t it.” Raiden gave me a knowing grin as he smoothed his hand over the top of the comforter. He leaned back on his elbows, propping one leg up on the end of the bed. Memories of the last time Raiden and I had been in a bed together caused my body to warm.
I couldn’t help the smile that came to my face or the slickness between my thighs. The memory was promptly squashed by the sound of disgust behind me.
Twisting around, I stared back at Jack. The coolness in his eyes had returned and that peek I’d had into his shell was gone.
“What’s wrong now?” I sighed.
“Seems like the only time I can get your attention is when someone else is interested in me.” Jack flipped his long silvery white hair over his shoulder in a way that would have made a pop diva proud.
My eyes shot to Raiden for help, but he simply shrugged. Seemed like I was on my own.
“Yes, it bothered me to see you flirting with Mon Liz,” I admitted. Not that it bothered me to say so.
Jack sniffed, crossing his arms over his chest as if it weren’t anything new to him.
“What else do you want me to say, Jack?” I stepped toward him, my eyes never leaving his face. “Do you want me to admit I’m attracted to you? That even though we haven’t slept together yet, I still see you as mine?”
The ice dragon didn’t answer, so I took it a step further and touched his arm, making his icy gaze to fall on me.
“Because I do. Both of you are mine.” I darted a look to Raiden who smiled and urged me on with a wave of his hand. I didn’t linger on him because Jack was the one who needed my attention right now.
Finally, it seemed like I broke something in him because he placed a hand on my cheek and stroked my face with his thumb. “But you are more his than mine. I cannot compete with the phy
sical pull he has.”
“It isn’t that.” I shook my head, not wanting to think of myself as either of theirs. “Raiden and I have clicked from the beginning. He’s been open with me. Trying to get to know me and yes, while he does have a slight physical advantage over you, you could be just as attractive to me if you tried.”
His eyes widened slightly and then narrowed. “So you would lay with me right now?” His words made me go still, and as he raked his eyes over my body, he snorted. “Would you do it with Raiden in the room, or would you send him away? Perhaps you would ask him to join us?” The anger in his voice sliced through me. Jack’s word hurt and even worse pissed me off. I wasn’t doing this because I wanted to and here he was making it seem like everything was my fault. That I was the puppet master pulling the strings.
“What’s your problem?” I growled, dropping my hands from the ice dragon. “Why the hell are you here?”
I had a bad habit. One which had gotten me in more trouble than naught. Whenever my feelings were hurt, I didn’t cry or run away. Instead, I got angry. Which meant I said things I didn’t mean. This was one of those times.
Hurt crossed Jack’s face, and as I opened my mouth to apologize, to take it back, Raiden spoke. “Why don’t you guys go on the tour together?” He smiled. “Seems you guys could stand to have some time alone.” He yawned, stretching. “I could use a nap, anyway.”
“What?” Jack asked irritation coloring his face. “How will that help any? She clearly expects us to share her in every aspect.” He shivered. “I’m not sure that is something I can abide.” He shook his head.
“No, I don’t,” I argued, glaring at him. While the thought of the two sharing me sexually made my blood race, sharing them emotionally all the time might be more than I could handle. Plus confusing as all get out.
“Then prove it,” Raiden said, gesturing between the two of us. “Spend time with Jack alone and show him he still has a chance with you.” Raiden placed a hand on each of our shoulders and gave us a little shove toward the door. “It’s that, or we let you fight it out. Though, I think Lord Amun wouldn’t be too happy about his room getting trashed.”
