by Eric Vall
Chapter 1
I was startled awake by a loud grumble, so I jumped up and nearly tossed the three beautiful women next to me onto the floor.
“What is it, Lord Evan?” Polina murmured and rubbed her eyes.
“I heard something,” I responded as I looked around the room in confusion, and then I cast my gaze from the door to the windows of House Onca’s palace.
Suddenly the grumble repeated, and it was louder than before. This time, though, I recognized the noise, so I flopped back onto the bed and rolled my eyes at myself.
“You three have kept me in here so long my stomach is growling with starvation,” I laughed.
Trina and Marina snorted from under the sheets, while Polina wrinkled her nose.
“We may have helped you work up a bit of an appetite, my lord.” Polina smirked as she allowed the sheet to fall down her body and reveal a pert nipple.
I looked over at the luscious green bodies of the dryad sisters, and I licked my lips before another growl tore through the room.
“As much as I’d like to continue ravishing you, I need to also ravish some real food,” I grumbled as I sat up and ran my hands through my hair.
The sisters giggled together.
“Well, you have certainly earned it over the last two days, Lord Evan,” Trina answered.
Two days? Had it really been two days since we took Tikal by storm and set up diplomatic relations among the three Houses? More importantly, had I really spent two days in this room pouring my dragon seed into the three sisters?
That had to be a record.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to best myself.
“Okay, food first,” I sighed, “and then I need to go prepare for the peace treaty signing tomorrow. Plus, I need to speak with the rest of the group about any updates.”
I pictured my beautiful future wife, the Divine Maiden Alyona, with her deep amethyst eyes and perfect slender body. She’d likely had her nose in a book over the past few days and barely noticed my absence, but I missed her all the same.
The beautiful fearsome Laika had probably been training as much as possible without leaving Alyona’s side. As the leader of the Blue Tree Guild and now the Royal Guard, the wolf Demi-Human took all aspects of her positions seriously and would make sure she was ready for anything.
And who could forget the fiery phoenix princess Ravi? Her orange hair cascaded down her back and smelled of a campfire, while her blue eyes shone with determination to explore and learn new things.
I was lucky enough to be fucking all three of those women while having a badass brother in Nikolaus, or Nike as he’d told me I could call him.
Being a Dragon Lord was fucking awesome. I had seven amazing lovers, and I also had an awesome best friend: Lord Nikolaus of Leyte. He was the only human on our campaign, but he was one of the best warriors, since he was raised from a young age to handle the Sword of Light.
I shrugged into some clothes so I could make my way downstairs, and I quickly found Alyona exactly where I’d expected to find her. She was holed up in the library, reading up on Tikal culture and history.
Laika was a few feet away from Alyona’s chair, and the wolf was spinning her broadsword in magnificent patterns, but both women looked up as I entered the room.
“Well, hello there, stranger.” Alyona smirked. “Sounds like you made up for several weeks of teasing?”
I laughed and leaned in to press my lips to the princess’. “Yeah, I’m sorry I didn’t keep better track of time.”
“No worries, Lord Evan.” Laika shook her head. “We knew the sisters would take up quite a bit of your time. Plus, it has been an exhausting couple of weeks so far.”
I smiled at my wolf-girl lover and planted a kiss next to her soft, gray ear. “I will still make it up to you ladies as soon as dragonly possible.”
Both of my women were still giggling when Nike walked in the door with a tray of food.
“Ah, Lord Evan!” he greeted with a smile. “I only grabbed food for the ladies. Let me go get you something as well.”
“No need, Nike,” I responded with a wave of my hand. “I’ll go to the kitchens myself. I need to stretch my legs a bit. Anything I need to know before I run into any of the jaguars?”
Nike shook his head. “All good so far, brother. Just a bunch of people running around getting things ready for the treaty signing tomorrow.”
“Good.” I nodded with satisfaction. “The people of Tikal will talk about this day for generations, the day that the Houses started working together instead of butting heads all the time. We need to go by each of the other Houses today and make sure everything will be ready for tomorrow.”
“Absolutely,” Nike agreed. “Let me know when you’re ready to go.”
I gave them all a small wave and made my way down the hall, and then I used my dragon sense of smell to follow the scent of something delicious. The ancestral seat of House Onca was not as extravagant as our Lunar Palace back in Hatra, but I could smell some kind of meal was ready to devour.
“Lord Evan!” I heard Jai’s growling voice. “Come join me for breakfast.”
I turned the corner to find the jaguar Demi-Human sitting at a long, wooden table filled with meats and fruits, and my mouth immediately began watering as I found a chair to his right.
Jaguar Demi-Humans appeared quickly with plates featuring some blue fruit shaped like a pear, another orange fruit sliced in half to reveal a juicy purple center, long slices of a thick meat that smelled like pepper and fat, and some kind of small bird that had been grilled to perfection. The servers set the plates in front of me, so I dove in with vigor and barely tasted the variety of flavors.
“Hungry, my lord?” Jai chuckled.
“Famished,” I answered between large bites. “How go the preparations for tomorrow?”
“Everything is going well so far, sir.” Jai clasped his clawed fingers together. “We are preparing meats for the celebration afterwards, which will be held in the Palenque Temple next to the great fountain. It used to be home to many a celebration, so in an effort to recognize the hopeful future, we will celebrate there again. I just hope the other Houses are preparing as we are.”
Suddenly, a serving girl poured a yellow juice into the mug next to my plate.
“Thank you.” I turned to the girl, only to see her turn her face away from me and nod before she shuffled away. I thought it was odd, but I was still getting used to the customs here in Tikal. Then I turned back to Jai. “We will be going to each House today to ensure everyone is on the same page for preparations, so don’t worry about that.”
Jai nodded his head in approval. “I appreciate that, and everything you are doing for our city, Lord Evan. There will be much to celebrate if this works.”
“When it works,” I corrected him. “I have spent the last few months busting my ass for Hatra, and I will not fail with Tikal either. I’m good at this. Don’t worry.”
“Now, I must go back to the preparations.” The Demi-Human’s tail twitched in appreciation as he took the last bite on his plate. “We still have much to do. Let me know if you need anything on your travels to the Houses today, Lord Evan.”
Then Jai pushed his chair back and crossed one hand over his chest before he took a small bow.
I nodded to him and returned my attention to my plate. This would work, but I did have to be in tip-top shape in case any other interference occurred. When a city like this had been teetering on the edge of war for decades, there were bound to be citizens who were opposed to the integration and peace the leaders had eventually agreed upon. The last thing we needed in the midst of signing peace treaties
was some angry zealot pulling some stupid shit and sending Tikal over the edge.
I pulled my attention from my plate to look at the people bustling around. Something tugged at my senses, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I knew better than to completely ignore my dragon instincts, so I continued scanning the room.
Serving staff carried trays of various animals I didn’t recognize into what appeared to be a kitchen, while other staff carried out large wooden cartons that smelled of already cooked meat. I was pleased to note House Onca was certainly preparing for a huge feast. I still couldn’t quite point out what was bothering me, though, but maybe it was just my nerves over the upcoming ceremony.
I quickly polished off the rest of my breakfast, and then I sat back in my chair and patted my full belly. A nap sounded nice right about now, but I knew I needed to travel to the other Houses, so I had to make myself presentable.
I pushed myself up from the table, but as I made my way toward the door, three distinct giggles echoed from the hallway. Then the three dryads skipped into the dining hall and caught sight of me.
“Did you get your fill, my lord?” Polina tittered and put an emerald hand on my chest.
“The real question is, did you get yours?” I murmured for all three sisters to hear.
They continued to giggle as they leaned into each other and nodded their heads quickly.
“Oh, yes!” Polina giggled.
“Full to the brim!” Marina purred.
“But we can always be filled more,” Trina added as she batted her green eyelashes.
“But our lord has to save the world right now,” Polina sighed sadly.
Marina groaned. “Yes, yes, Lord Evan is a busy dragon.”
“The busiest,” Trina moaned.
“But also, the badassest,” Polina added with enthusiasm.
“Thanks, ladies.” I smirked. “Maybe we can have a repeat performance tonight?”
“Oooh, yes please,” Marina sighed as her eyes dropped to my crotch.
“Have any of you seen Ravi this morning?” I chuckled. “I haven’t seen her since we, um, emerged from the bedroom.”
“Oh, the beautiful phoenix was out flying,” Trina answered.
“Yes, we saw her out the window,” Marina added.
I grumbled at the thought of Ravi flying around Tikal alone. The city was not stable yet, and if anything happened to one of my lovers, I would have a hard time staying diplomatic as my fiancée had requested.
Well, I’d be doing a lot of “angry dragon destroying the city” type diplomacy, anyway.
“Thank you, ladies. I will see you soon.”
“Very soon, we hope!” one of the girls yelled after me.
I grinned to myself as I walked down the hall to the front door. Prior to my appearance in Inati, I’d never had more than one lover, let alone three at the same time, so it was good to know I was apparently leaving quite an impression on each of the women in my harem. My thoughts then turned back to Ravi, and my satisfaction was temporarily put aside.
I walked out the front doors of the palace, and Ravi’s tiny phoenix form was fairly easy to spot as it hovered only a few blocks from House Onca. I opened my mouth to yell at her, but she noticed me and flew over. Then she landed at my feet in a column of blue flames and transformed back into her human form.
“Lord Evan!” Ravi breathed happily and threw her arms around me.
“Ravi,” I admonished. “Why are you flying alone?”
The orange-haired beauty looked down at her feet. “I made sure Laika could see me from the library window, and I wasn’t going far.”
I softened my expression, tilted Ravi’s chin up toward me, and planted a kiss on her forehead. “I’m glad you had someone looking out for you, it just worried me to see you alone and away from the Royal Guard.”
“Thank you for caring about me, my lord,” Ravi responded with glistening eyes. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”
“Of course, I care for you, Ravi, I love you,” I murmured into her smoky hair. “Now, let’s get back to everyone else so we can get ready for the big day.”
She nodded and slid her hand into mine as we returned to the palace library. Alyona was still nose-deep in her history book, and Nike and Laika were discussing broadsword tactics.
“Okay, everyone, let’s figure out the best way to conquer the day,” I announced. “Alyona, I want you to come and help with the diplomacy between the Houses. You know it isn’t exactly my strong suit.”
“Yes, of course.” Alyona nodded knowingly and smiled.
“Nike and Laika, I want you two present for protection,” I went on. “Everything has been going great so far, but we all know how quickly the tides can turn in volatile situations.”
The two warriors looked at each other and grinned. Of course, neither of them was worried about a fight.
“And what about me, Lord Evan?” Ravi asked as she raised her hand timidly.
I smiled at the phoenix. “I brought you along on this campaign for your story and your spirit, so I will need both of those today as we speak with Lord Kinba and Lord Chax. Sound good?”
“Yes, Lord Evan.” Ravi smiled at me and dipped her head.
“Alright then, let’s move out.”
We made our way out the door and headed northwest, toward the seat of House Oel. The lion Demi-Humans had been reduced from sovereign rulers of the entire city to faction leaders of a desert third of Tikal. They seemed a little touchy about the subject, as well as the rumors that they had been oppressive tyrants, but that was soon to be all in the past. Thanks to my prowess as a Dragon Lord and some diplomacy from my lovely wife-to-be, the three Houses of Tikal were soon going to be reunited under the rule of King Rodion, the ruler of all of Rahma. Eventually, I would take Rodion’s place as king, but for now, I was good with bringing together my future citizens.
As we walked, I made it a point to greet and wave at the Demi-Humans who watched us on our way. While many of the jaguars appeared shocked at my actions, a few cowered behind plants or other people. Some were still terrified of the big, black dragon, which was fine with me, but not with Alyona, so I had to appear a little friendlier in order to gain more trust. I had to start thinking of all of Rahma’s citizens as my people, the way I considered the people of Hatra.
Since I was lost in my thoughts of ruling a kingdom, I didn’t even realize we’d begun traversing the desert part of Tikal, and before I knew it, we arrived at the palace of House Oel, a giant golden pyramid in the sand with crimson jewels accenting its steps and doors. Crimson ribbons hanging from the top of the entrance blew in the stifling desert breeze, and the scent of cooking meat filled the air. Half-naked lion Demi-Humans lounged on adirondack-style chairs in the shade of the palm trees outside the palace doors, while servants fanned them with large palm leaves, but they paid no attention to our arrival.
Having seen all three Houses, I was even more annoyed at the extravagance of the former ruling House and its leaders. The rest of Tikal lived plainly, especially House Jubatus, whose members wore loincloths and no shoes. If the city was thriving, everyone should be profiting, but House Oel seemed to believe they should profit no matter the situation outside the pyramid walls.
“Greetings, Lord Evan,” one of the lion Demi-Human guards purred when we reached the pyramid doors. “We were not prepared for your arrival.”
“I only made the decision to travel here this morning,” I confirmed. “I am not looking for a fancy welcome, I only come to ensure that preparations are being made for the event tomorrow.”
“Of course, my lord,” she responded with a slight bow. “Please, allow me to give notice to Lord Kinba that you have arrived.”
I gave a quick nod, and she dashed inside to alert Lord Kinba. Then we followed her into the hall of the pyramid and waited for Kinba to greet us.
The lion Demi-Human soon floated down the spiral staircase to my right, and his golden and crimson robes swirled behind him as he made his way in fr
ont of my group.
“Lord Evan!” he called out. “I am surprised to see you today. I believe the festivities are not taking place until tomorrow?”
“Yeah,” I confirmed, “but House Onca is preparing their part of a celebratory feast to follow the treaty signing, and I wanted to ensure all the Houses are doing the same.”
“Ah, yes, of course,” he conceded with a nod. “We have been preparing our legendary cactus juice, as well as some desert fruits and smaller meats, like the lizard. Is that an acceptable contribution?”
“That sounds like a perfect addition to the large meats House Onca is cooking as we speak,” Alyona replied with a smile. She seemed to know Lord Kinba was not my favorite of the leaders we were working with here in Tikal. Her democratic skills, and by extension, her ability to hide her distaste for a person, were much more honed than mine.
“I’m sure our contributions will be quite tasty,” Aaliyah added as she sauntered into the hall. Her lightly knotted crimson robe was open to the waist and revealed her tightly muscled, bronze stomach and a hint of cleavage, and her long blonde hair was in a thick braid that swung with her steps.
The daughter of House Oel caught my gaze, and she smirked as she cocked her head at me.
I returned the smirk and wanted to get to know the lion Demi-Human better, but then her father cleared his throat.
“Perfect,” Kinba purred. “We are looking forward to the events tomorrow.”
“As are we,” Alyona answered and curtsied to the lion Demi-Humans. “We will see you then.”
“Lord Evan and Royal Guard,” Kinba responded with a bow.
I smirked and nodded my head in his direction. Then I turned back to Aaliyah and drew my gaze from her braid down her golden torso and back up to meet her orange eyes. I watched the blood rush up to her cheeks before I turned back toward the front doors of the palace.
I would definitely have to find a moment to speak with her later.
We walked out of the pyramid and back into the dry heat of Tikal’s desert. Alyona and Laika began fanning themselves almost immediately, while Ravi closed her eyes and appeared to bask in the sunlight.
“Would anyone like a ride for the walk south?” I asked with a cheeky smile.
