by Jasmine Walt
“Y-yes,” one of them said. “Do you have the sight, lady?”
“She does,” Drystan said. “In fact, she is your new oracle.”
The acolytes exclaimed over this. Two of them seemed skeptical, while the other, a woman, was delighted.
“I spoke to the dragon god myself today,” Drystan said firmly, “and he told me I would know the oracle by a dragon mark he had placed upon her skin.” He motioned for Rofana to turn around and show the back of her neck. “You are here to serve her, and our kingdom. I expect you to obey her without question.”
“Yes, my prince,” the others said. They sank to their knees and swore fealty to Rofana, who graciously accepted. They offered to prepare a meal for them and fetch some clothing for Drystan, who gratefully took them up on their offer. He’d always had a voracious appetite, but all this shifting had only made it worse. His stomach growled as if he hadn’t enjoyed a meal just two hours before.
The acolytes led them into the temple staff quarters and served them a simple meal of dried meat, rice, and vegetables. Drystan was offered a set of acolyte robes to wear that were a bit too tight in the shoulders, but he took them anyway—it would be unseemly to eat naked with the oracle, after all, though she didn’t seem to mind much.
“So,” Rofana said after they’d taken a few bites, “I assume from what you told me about your visit with the dragon god that you are in great need of an oracle just now.”
Drystan nodded. “We need you to preside over both the marriage ceremony and the coronation,” he said. “But first, we must bring you before the council and convince them that you are the new oracle.” He drummed his fingers on the table thoughtfully as he studied her. “Some of them may be convinced by the dragon mark alone, but others may require more compelling evidence. The dragon god said he would take care of that, though I am not sure how.”
Rofana smiled. “If the dragon god said he would provide, then I trust he will. Just as the people must trust in the royal family when they make a decree.”
“Right.” Some of the weight on Drystan’s chest lifted at her words. Rofana was right—he just needed to trust in their god and listen to his advice. So long as they proceeded as planned, and kept Dareena safe, all would go well.
In just a few short months, his people would finally be free of this curse. And dragons would roam these lands once more.
18
By some miracle, Lucyan managed to slip into the trainee barracks mere seconds before curfew, and then into bed. Some of the trainees were late and severely punished—Lucyan was lucky enough to be serenaded with their cries of pain as they each received two lashings before being sent off to bed. He was very glad that he wasn’t one of them—the amulet might disguise his features, but there was no way for him to hide his healing abilities. The warlocks would immediately become suspicious if they gave him lashings that healed over in a matter of minutes.
The next morning, the trainees were gathered out in the field, where Sergeant Tarras and Lord Byrule stood, waiting. “Tran, Suric, Leager, and Delara, you four are to go with Lord Byrule for a briefing. For the rest of you slugs, it’s business as usual. Get going with those laps!”
While the other trainees got started with the morning fitness regimen, Lucyan and the others followed Lord Byrule to the side. “Congratulations,” he said with a genial smile. “You four are the best in your class, and have been selected for a special mission. We are deploying you a little earlier than scheduled, but you will receive intensive extra training, and bonuses, of course.”
“Yes, sir,” they said in unison. The others looked grateful and excited for the opportunity, and Lucyan made sure to match their enthusiasm. It wasn’t hard for him to look eager and interested as Lord Byrule led them into the castle and down an unfamiliar corridor. His nerves were humming—whatever the spymaster was about to show them was surely valuable information.
Lord Byrule stopped at a thick, heavy door of black metal, then pressed the ring on his right hand against the door and muttered an incantation. Lucyan’s keen ears caught it, and he committed it to memory as the door opened, revealing a large, almost cavernous chamber. Inside were many box-like devices with mirrors placed on top of them. Agents were seated in front of these mirrors, and as Lucyan moved closer, he was astonished to see various scenes playing out in front of them. Some of the mirrors were trained on Dragon’s Keep, others on Castle Whitestone, and still more on various places in Dragonfell and Elvenhame.
“By the gods,” Delara said, her voice hushed as she stared at the mirrors. “What are these things?”
“This is our scrying room,” Lord Byrule said proudly, indicating the mirrors. “Each mirror is attached to a special device that can be remotely controlled from this room and sent to various locations to spy on activities.” He gestured to the warlock who had immediately appeared at his side. “Captain Barraflow is in charge of this operation. Captain, would you show them the scrying device?”
“Yes, sir.” The warlock hurried away, and returned with something that looked like a fluffy woolen ball. “This is the device,” he explained, holding it out to them. The trainees were allowed to touch it, and as Lucyan turned it over in his hands, he realized the device was solid metal, with a large, glowing gem inside. It looked rather like an eye wrapped in cotton. He imagined the wrapping served as a camouflage—if the device floated high enough in the air, it would be impossible to see from below. “It requires a warlock to activate, but once it is powered, anyone can control it with this special plate.” He gestured to one of the agents sitting in front of the mirrors, who indeed held a metal plate in his hand, etched in glowing runes. Lucyan watched as he skimmed his hand across the plate, and the view in the mirror shifted to the left.
“This is incredible,” one of the other recruits said. “Does the enemy know about this?”
Lord Byrule smirked. “Of course not. I think they are catching on that we have found a way to magically spy on them, as we have not overheard any important conversations for quite some time. But they have no idea how we are doing it, and even if they did, there is nothing they could do. This castle is far too well guarded.”
“It’s a brilliant device,” Lucyan murmured, walking between the mirrors in the hopes that he might catch a glimpse of Dareena. To his delight, he saw her standing in the window of her bedroom. There was a woman behind her that Lucyan did not recognize, but he imagined that she was one of her ladies-in-waiting—Dareena did not appear alarmed at her presence, at any rate. She did look rather forlorn as she stared out at the gardens, and Lucyan’s heart twisted with guilt. He felt terrible seeing her all locked up in the Keep, but now that he knew what the warlocks were capable of, he knew it was the right thing to do. Drystan and Alistair had no doubt confined her indoors until the babe was born.
The warlocks bantered amongst themselves for a bit, crowing about all the great riches and power coming their way once the other kingdoms were subdued.
“I’ll buy myself a treasure trove of weapons and gowns, and a big house to keep them all in,” Delara declared, her eyes sparkling with the promise of wealth. “Maybe I’ll even hire a few men to walk around naked and serve my every whim.” She winked at Lucyan.
Lucyan laughed, suppressing his urge to incinerate the entire room right then and there. He liked Delara more than the others, but this moment reminded him that she, too, was the enemy. He pretended to joke and laugh with the others while committing the details of the room to memory. He would come back here and destroy this place once he found the counterspell to wake Basilla. And then he would return to his beloved.
19
It took a few days, but eventually Captain Tinor awoke from his coma. He was still swathed from head to toe in bandages and poultice, and in pain, but his mind was alert, to Alistair’s great relief.
“I can’t believe you’ve been sitting by my bedside all this time,” Tinor rasped as a healer spoon-fed him his first meal. “Don’t you have a kingdom to run?”
�
�Luckily, I have my brother to take care of things in my absence, as well as my beautiful mate,” Alistair said with a smile. “I wasn’t going to leave you until I knew for certain you would recover.”
Tinor tried to smile, then grimaced in pain. “As much as I appreciate the sentiment, I don’t want your mate to rip my balls off for keeping you from her for so long. I’ll suffer for a while, my prince, but I’ll recover eventually. You need to go home.”
Alistair knew he was right. His heart ached from being separated from his mate, and for the first time, he understood how his father had descended so quickly into madness. If Dareena had been taken from him like that, he wasn’t certain he would keep his sanity.
All the more reason to keep her locked up and safe, he thought to himself as he flew back to Dragon’s Keep. He knew Dareena was unhappy about it, but the situation was only temporary. Far better for her to go a bit stir-crazy for a few months than be killed. Dragonfell had suffered enough with one mad king at the helm. The last thing the kingdom needed was to be ruled by three of them.
When Alistair finally landed in the courtyard several hours later, Dareena was waiting for him, her ladies and several guards at her side. Her eyes shone with joy and relief as Alistair changed back into human form, and she flung herself into his arms before he could reach into his pack and put his clothes back on.
“I missed you so much,” she said, and kissed him fiercely.
Alistair held her tight to him as he kissed her back, his blood singing with the need to claim her. He groaned as he slid his tongue into her mouth, saturating his senses with the taste and smell of her. The beast inside him wanted to take her in his arms and march her straight to their suite, but he doubted it would be very kingly for him to walk through the Keep naked, his hard cock sticking out for all to see, so he reluctantly released her.
“I missed you more,” he said with a teasing smile, nipping her on the nose. Over her shoulder, the ladies had averted their eyes, their cheeks flaming red with embarrassment at his naked form. “I see I’ve made quite an impression.”
Dareena laughed, then turned around and shielded him with her skirts. “Cover yourself then, before they go up in flames,” she said. Alistair obliged, pulling on his tunic and trousers. “It’s all right to look now,” Dareena told the ladies as Alistair fastened his boots.
The ladies turned around, then curtsied as one. Lyria had a bit of a smirk on her face—of the three of them, she was the only one who had not blushed. Alistair imagined he was not the first naked man Lord Hallowdale’s daughter had seen. He wondered if Dareena was getting along with her at all, or if she still intended to send Lyria packing. Yes, the two of them had bad blood, but he rather liked the idea that at least one of her ladies was not a wilting flower.
“Come,” Dareena said, taking his hand. “Let’s have breakfast. You can tell me all about the raid.”
Dareena dismissed her ladies, and the two of them went back to the royal suite. “I gather Drystan has not returned yet?” Alistair asked as they walked through the halls.
Dareena shook her head, looking a bit worried. “I thought he would be back late last night, but perhaps this is taking longer than expected.” Alistair noted she was careful to be vague with her terms, in case anyone was listening who could not be trusted.
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Alistair said, though he was a bit worried too. He hoped his brother had not run into any trouble on the way there or back. It was a good thing Alistair had come back when he did—he didn’t like the idea of leaving Dareena alone in the castle without one of them with her.
Once back in the suite, Alistair and Dareena ordered a large meal. As they ate, Alistair noted that Dareena’s bosom had grown larger, and there was a healthy glow in her cheeks.
“Pregnancy seems to suit you well,” he said.
Dareena smiled. “Aside from the morning sickness, and my sudden aversion to cheese, I am doing quite well so far.” She leaned in a little and placed her hand on his. “I wonder if the babe sensed you returning. I didn’t have any sickness at all when I woke up this morning. In fact, I’m feeling quite…energetic.”
Alistair grinned, catching the meaning in her voice. “Perhaps food is not the only thing I’m hungry for this morning,” he said, tugging on her hand. He pulled her into his arms and carried her into their shared bedroom. Dareena’s hands were already working on the buttons of his tunic when he laid her on the bed, and Alistair sucked in a breath as her hot mouth trailed kisses down his bare chest. His cock swelled, making his trousers impossibly tight, and he quickly pushed them down to free it. Dareena palmed his length in her hand as she licked and nipped at him, driving Alistair mad with need.
“You’re making me crazy, woman,” he growled, pushing her back onto the bed. He bunched her skirts up around her hips and buried his face between her legs, wanting more of her. Dareena moaned as he licked her folds, rocking her hips toward his mouth, and Alistair closed his eyes, losing himself in the moment. Every time he did this, she tasted even better than he remembered.
“More,” Dareena urged, gripping his hair as she moved against him. Alistair swirled his tongue around her clit, pressing hard, and she came, her body quaking beneath him. He pushed her dress, loose and flowing, and the underlying chemise over her head. In seconds she was fully naked, her breasts spilling into his waiting hands.
“I think this is my favorite thing about your pregnancy so far,” he said, leaning in to taste her nipples.
“Me too,” Dareena said breathily as he flicked his tongue over the bud. “Oooh…they’re much more…sensitive…than before.”
Alistair grinned. “I can tell.” He ducked his head to take one in his mouth, sucking gently while he massaged the other with his hand. He loved the way she writhed and moaned beneath him, as if his touch drove her mad. But then again, she had a similar effect on him as she reached between them and closed her fist around his cock. Pleasure rolled through him as she slid her hand up and down his length, scattering his thoughts and filling him with primal need. Growling, he batted her hand aside, then nudged her legs open and sank himself all the way inside.
“Yes,” Dareena hissed, clutching him closer to her. He pulled back, then surged inside her, hard and fast, losing himself inside her. She felt so damn good, so hot and wet and tight, and the way her nails dug into his backside as she urged him on only made him burn even more for her. Part of him wanted to slow down, take his time, but her green eyes blazed, a silent rebuke, and he gave himself over to the savage desire clawing at him.
He was pounding into her when he sensed Drystan enter the room behind him. The lust in Dareena’s gaze deepened as she locked eyes with his brother, and she curled her fingers, beckoning. Alistair slowed a little, turning to watch his older brother strip off his clothes. He looked a bit weary and travel worn, but the hunger in his gaze rivaled Alistair’s own. Alistair did not protest when Dareena gently pushed him away, then reached for Drystan.
Drystan pulled Dareena into his arms and kissed her, his hand slipping between her legs. Alistair felt himself grow even harder as he watched his brother fuck their mate with his fingers, and he closed his hand around his cock, stroking himself. Dareena let her head fall back, a flush spilling across her cheeks as she rocked herself against Drystan’s hand. It only took a few minutes for his brother to bring her to a climax, and when she did, Alistair had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from coming himself.
“Come,” she said when she caught her breath, beckoning toward Alistair. She gently grabbed Drystan as he prepared to move away from the bed. “I want both of you.”
Drystan’s eyes lit up. “Let’s try something a little different then.” He locked gazes with his brother, and Alistair blinked as he read his brother’s intentions.
“Is she ready?” he asked, looking between them.
Dareena frowned. “Ready for what?”
“For us both to take you.” Drystan slid his arms around her from behind, nibbling o
n her shoulder while he massaged her breasts in both hands. “Together.”
20
Together.
The word echoed in Dareena as she stared at Alistair, her breaths quickening. Little thrills of pleasure sizzled through her body as Drystan continued to play with her breasts from behind. His cock nudged her bottom, and her mind flashed back to the time she had made love with Lucyan and Alistair at the hot springs. The promise Alistair had made her then…did he mean to fulfill it now?
“Yes,” she said, reaching for him. He came to her, taking her face gently between both of his hands. As he kissed her deeply, she closed her fingers around his cock, massaging him while Drystan ran his hands all over her body. Her skin burned, and the space between her legs throbbed with unrequited need. Drystan’s fingers felt good there, but she wanted, no, she needed more.
“Come here,” Drystan said, tugging on her hips. He pulled her farther into the middle of the bed, then pushed down on her lower back, urging her onto all fours. Suddenly, Alistair’s cock was right in front of her, and Drystan’s was pushing in from behind—
“Yes,” she said again, the word a low groan in her throat as he slid deep inside her. Taking Alistair into her mouth, she sucked him hard while Drystan pounded into her from behind.
“Just like that,” Alistair panted. He gripped her hair in his hand and pushed himself even deeper, until she was nearly gagging. Sensing her distress, he gently withdrew, then slowly filled her mouth again, gradually allowing her to get used to his girth. Soon enough, her gag reflex relaxed, and she took him easily. Staring up into his hot, amber gaze as he slid in and out of her, slick and smooth as satin, made her even wetter, and she ground her hips back against Drystan, urging him to thrust harder.
“Fuck,” Drystan gasped, his fingers digging into her hips. “I’m going to come right now if we keep this up.”
