They all still had their hands on me and I lifted one eyebrow as I looked at each in turn. “Gentlemen, if you please?”
Cursed sighed and stepped back first, his hand slipping from my ribcage where his fingers had somehow managed to slip beneath my dress and were resting against my breast. Amras went next, taking with him the hand lying below the base of my spine. He’d managed to slip his entire hand beneath the material and neither of us had any doubts about the fact that I was wearing nothing at all under my dress. I let out a breath as the heat from his hand slid over my skin and looked up at Kit, who was wearing a wicked smile and holding my shoulders, his palms pressing into the bare skin at the top of my breasts. With a flick of his fingertips he could have slipped my sleeves and had my dress off me in a heartbeat. Instead he’d opted for a more discreet peep show since he’d actually pressed the material apart, and from where he was standing had a nearly unimpeded view of my breasts and probably my feet too. He pressed his lips together in a small pout to let me know he was leaving under protest, but he did take his hands off me and step back.
We all turned to watch Jace go sailing as Owen rose from the floor. It looked like he’d have a black eye later unless he shifted. Gareth meanwhile was busy pounding on Owen’s face, which looked like it would have more than one black eye. Owen seemed to be holding his own but I worried my lip and told the three standing with me. “That man is my fourth. Please don’t let them damage him permanently.”
Kit looked down at me and tilted his head to the side. “I thought I was your fourth?”
I smiled suddenly and reached out to give his arm a quick pat. “Only in the order of which you arrived.”
He jerked his chin toward Owen and lifted an eyebrow in query. “And he arrived when?”
“First, he was here before me.”
“He did not come in answer to your song?” Cursed asked, taking the opportunity to move in closer to me so he could lean over my right shoulder.
I shook my head and then thought for a moment, he had been with Gareth and Jace earlier and there had been that look on his face when I’d stepped into the hall. Perhaps he had come but not known the reason.
“Did we all feel the strength of her call?” Amras asked and he stepped to my left so I could see him more clearly. He looked between Cursed and Kit as both nodded.
Kit smiled again. “Some of us just had farther to travel,” he remarked and I couldn’t help wondering where it was he’d been and did I really want to know? He chuckled softly.
I monitored the fight going on across the landing and glanced between the three of them. “Why are you really here?” I asked, suddenly curious. The picture had portrayed their arrival but there was no other explanation.
“To serve you, in whatever manner you desire,” Kit responded. The other two nodded their heads in agreement but the answer didn’t tell me anything. I bit my lip and frowned up at them. There had to be more than that.
Amras took a breath and his violet eyes were wistful as he said, “For the chance.”
The chance? The chance to what I wondered bitterly, to follow me about and perhaps throw their lives away while I passed myself from Dragon to Dragon trying to find one that might impregnate me? It wasn’t a pretty thought and I realized I wasn’t nearly as eager as I had been to embrace my destiny.
“Bitter indeed if that was your only option,” Kit responded softly.
Cursed had held back until then but he stepped closer and his voice was low and gentle as he explained. “You are so young, but in you are the seeds of great power. You could be Queen to any number of races. All we ask is the chance.”
In that moment I realized the seeds he spoke of were not any powers or abilities I might develop, but something more elemental. Something no other Dragon or Elf or Demon possessed. Humans would remove them with needles and scalpels, harvesting them like pearls from the sea. The non-humans were willing to try a different approach.
My fingers plucked at the skirt of my dress as I thought about their words. Cursed was right, I was young, twenty five is a blink of an eye to a non-human. It could take decades for me to mature enough to be fertile. In the meantime…well, in the meantime I just might need to get a bigger bed. “Please don’t let them kill him,” I asked again and they stepped back, allowing me a path to my Mother across the hall. I didn’t look back, but imagined if I did they’d be watching me with either relief or satisfaction. Neither of which I felt particularly up to seeing just then. I didn’t know how I was going to explain this to Gareth and Jace, but I did know they weren’t going to be happy.
My Mother wrapped her arm around my waist and I leaned my head on her shoulder for a moment. She gave me a gentle squeeze and I knew she’d been following both the physical and the mental battles going on around the room. I smiled up at her and turned my back on the three rolling around on the floor, urging her out the door.
In my room I hesitated for a moment, closing my eyes and taking in a deep breath. My head dropped forward for a second and then I rotated it on my neck, working out some of the tension and just…letting it all go. There is much to be said for cleansing breaths and meditation. Dropping my problems at the door was just one of the many things I’d learned in dojos across the county.
Mi looked around and wandered over to the picture of the Dragons in flight. I glanced at her briefly but guided my Mom to the picture of me with my men. “Is this my father?” I asked softly, noting her surprised expression, which she quickly concealed.
“Yes,” she breathed.
“Can you tell me his name?”
She thought about it for a moment and looked at me strangely. “Surely you know your father’s name?” she wondered.
When I shook my head she glanced back at the portrait. “His name is Roark.”
Roark, that seemed to fit. “Do you know where he is?” I asked.
She just shook her head. “He wouldn’t tell me where he was going. Just in case.”
“I see him, in my dreams sometimes. He seems so kind.” I told her as we stood there looking at the portrait. She nodded and something about the look on her face told me that my dreams weren’t the only ones he walked. It made me feel somehow happier that they were able to communicate. I suppose it makes children feel safer somehow to know that their parents still love each other, even if they are apart.
Mi wandered over and sat at our feet glancing up. “That is quite the harem you’re collecting.” she told me happily. “About time.”
“I’m not quite sure what to do with them all,” I admitted with a rueful smile. And she coughed her little kitty cat laugh.
“I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”
“One of these men might be the father of my future grandchild,” my Mother commented and I tried not to stiffen beside her. Though I’d just been exploring options out in the hall, having it said out loud was rather shocking. “Oh Lexi, I can’t wait for you to know the joy of carrying a life inside of you, to see it grow and become a wonderful little person.” I must have turned slightly green because she laughed at me and gave me a hug. “Plenty of time.”
I glanced back and her and replied, “Plenty of time for you too, and I wouldn’t mind a little sister or brother to take some of this pressure off me.” I think she actually blushed and then she wasn’t the only one laughing as we stepped into the hall and walked back to the living room, which by now was completely silent and totally empty.
“I’ll walk you out,” I told them.
“No need, but call if you require anything,” Mi advised as she brushed up against me on her way to my Mother. Then she leaned against her and the two of them simply vanished. I glanced around the room wondering where everyone else had disappeared to.
Chapter 21
I wandered into the kitchen and pulled a bottle of white wine from the fridge. In the cupboard I found a goblet and a search of the drawers netted me a cork screw. I poured myself a glass and placed one foot on a barstool while I sipped. I
stood there for probably twenty minutes and was working on my second glass when an arrow of black smoke slipped into the kitchen and made a beeline for me. I jerked, nearly spilling my drink, as the smoke disappeared under the hem of my dress and wound up between legs, brushing my skin and sending hot tingles through me as it made its way into my patch of hair. I could swear I felt a tongue brush my lips and reached for the counter to steady myself. The smoke rose hot and tingly up my belly and then my breasts were being teased, and the nipples pinched, before the smoke spilled out of my top and back onto the floor where it coalesced into Kit.
I stared at him breathlessly as he grinned and told me, “I do love that dress. Who’s your tailor; I must have a conversation with them.”
I put my glass down and pressed my legs together, trying not to shudder. “Areth,” I muttered, then added, “Where is everyone?”
“They will be along in a moment, I took the direct route,” he told me. Then he leaned in and ran a finger across the edge of my dress, mostly just brushing my breasts. “Areth, huh? I’ll have to make sure she stocks something a little more to my taste.”
I swallowed breathlessly and asked, “And what would that be?” He stood up straight and waved his hand at me and I was suddenly standing there wearing nothing at all. Well that’s not true, I wasn’t wearing any clothing, just golden chains draped about me. I glanced down in alarm and he flicked his wrist again and a full length beveled mirror in a huge standing frame appeared next to me. It drew my eyes and I stared at myself in shocked fascination. My hair was a wild riot of red-gold curls that reached past my butt and the ends were tipped in black similar to Kit’s.
My neck was covered by a solid collar nearly six inches tall made from hammered gold and covered in rubies and amber jewels. My nipples were pierced through with golden hoops and golden chains draped from a loop on my collar down my chest and attached one to each of the hoops. A third chain stretched from my neck down my center and disappeared between my legs only to reappear over my hips and around my waist, where it clasped at my belly button with a huge ruby the size of an almond hanging at the end.
My wrists and ankles each were enclosed with cuffs very similar to my collar but instead of having just one loop, each cuff had several and I could only imagine what they might be used for. Large gold hoops hung at my ears and my fingers and toenails were painted ruby red. My gaze swept over my body then rose to meet Kit’s eyes in the mirror. He looked very pleased with himself as he stood beside me; I could smell the spicy scent of cloves on his skin and licked my lips. He ran a finger down my collar and slipped his hand under the chains and my breath caught in my throat. I’m not sure what his plans for me were, but he suddenly dropped the chains and flicked his wrist and the costume and mirror disappeared replaced by my dress and high heels.
I swayed slightly as Gareth burst into the room, Jace on his heels, with the rest of them right behind. “What the hell are you two doing in here?” Gareth growled. I turned to look at him, my eyes wide and slightly unfocused. He glared at me and I had a sudden surge of guilt and the image of me naked and draped in chains flashed across my mind.
They all stopped dead in their tracks. Gareth’s eyes nearly popped from his head and Jace’s mouth dropped open. Behind them Cursed grinned and raised both eyebrows. Amras let out a low whistle and looked at me with a new appreciation. Last through the door was Owen and of the five he was neither impressed nor amused. In fact he crossed his arms over his chest and gave me a look that said he’d thought better of me than that.
I watched him through the crowd for a few seconds, then dropped my foot to the floor and turned to face him. Ignoring the others, I tilted my head and considered him. Kit glanced between us. “I’m sorry, perhaps you think you can do better?” he challenged Owen, and the taller man brushed past Amras as he stepped farther into the room.
“She’s no slave plaything,” Owen told him, a thread of steel flowing through his voice. “She should be treated as a Queen, not as some Demon’s Concubine.”
I bit my lip and said nothing. It hadn’t been my fantasy and I wasn’t about to stick myself in the middle of them. I’d done nothing wrong and defending myself was only going to make it look like I had.
“And what does a polar bear know of Queens?” Kit demanded, drawing himself up to his full height.
“Likely nothing,” Owen told him pointedly.
The men turned to look at Owen as if what he’d said made no sense. Actually it didn’t, or it wouldn’t have if a polar bear was all Owen was. But Mi had done something to him, she had somehow unblocked him, though from what I had no idea. Someone had done something bad to him; what could that something be? Did Owen himself know? Something about him was… different, he was simply more.
People shifted about the room, likely following my thoughts. Owen dismissed the Demon with a wave of his hand and everyone in the room held their breath as Kit was literally swept several feet to the side. Owen locked eyes with me and I had to grab the counter as waves of pleasure speared my body and I fell into his vision. There was a huge fireplace at our backs and we were naked. Owen was seated cross-legged on a cushion and I straddled his lap, one leg wrapped around his hip, the other draped over his thigh. My toes sunk into a thick sheepskin, or was it a bear skin rug? He was buried deep inside me, one hand wrapped around my hip, the other supporting my back, which was arched so that my breasts pointed to the ceiling, my head thrown back. His tongue lathed my breast and I cried out as he rolled our hips and pulled me onto him.
I gulped air, shook my head, and blinked several times. Raising a hand to my brow I glanced about the room and found I wasn’t the only one shaken by what Owen had just done. Amras held his head in his hands and Cursed staggered to the table and into a chair. Gareth and Jace were simply standing in the middle of the room with their arms crossed over their chests, completely unimpressed by the show. Kit looked annoyed, and me, well I was having my own issues just standing and breathing normally.
“Hey guys?” I rasped. “Can we not play mine’s bigger than yours anymore tonight?” From across the room Amras burst into laughter and Cursed chuckled.
“Damn,” Cursed grumbled, “I think I was next.”
“Nooooo,” I told him bluntly. “No more ‘next’ tonight!” And pushing myself upright I yelled, “Areth!” She appeared in a swirl of red black ooze, her eyes huge as she stared up at me. “I’m sorry,” I told her in my inside voice. “Could I have a cape, preferable black?” Her eyes darted around the room but she held out her arms and I reached for the long velvet cape lined in some sort of fur. “Thank you,” I told Areth and she blinked out.
“What are you doing?” Gareth asked calmly.
“I’m going out.”
Jace stepped forward as if to argue and I turned my eyes on him and he hesitated. “I’m going out to kill something and you had better not try to stop me,” I told him, ending on a growl.
“Snick?” Jace yelled, and two capes dropped from the air in front of Gareth and Jace.
“The rest of you… just…” and I gritted my teeth and glared at the other four. “Stay here!” Then I was sweeping toward the living room and men were scrambling out of my way. I don’t think I’ve ever been as angry as I was at that moment. Behind me Jace and Gareth flung their capes over their shoulders and rushed to join me.
No one spoke on the elevator ride to the club level. When the doors opened I nearly ran up the stairs and pushed open the alley door. People were milling about and I brushed past them, lifting my hood to cover my hair. I stretched my legs and somehow managed not to twist an ankle in my heels. At the next block I turned left and headed for a dark alley. I held my dress with one hand as I quickly scaled the iron stairs, coming out on a second floor landing looking over the city. I waited half a heartbeat checking to make sure no one was watching, then climbed onto the rail and threw myself off. I hung in space momentarily and then spread my arms and shifted, flapping once I cleared the building opposite and then
I was up and into the fog and out the other side, bugling as I went. Below me Jace and Gareth echoed my call and broke free of the clouds, racing toward me.
The air was damp and sweet and felt so good caressing me. I turned north and flew toward the Richmond Bridge, following the water and reveling in the freedom. The fog dissipated as we rounded the Richmond point and entered the San Pablo Bay. On the hills below us I could sense cattle and deer, and Goldy licked her lips. When was the last time I’d eaten, I wondered, and couldn’t quite remember. Jace at my left turned to look at me and the stars sparkled off his beautiful green eyes. He flashed his teeth at me and in my mind I heard him ask, “Hungry?”
I nodded and he looked over at Gareth on my other side and the two of them rolled and dove together. Not wanting to be left out, I banked and followed them down, pulling up just above tree level.
We circled a grove of trees several times, whipping the inhabitants below us into frenzy until a couple deer broke from cover and Jace was on one of them in a flash. His green wings pressed to his sides as he dove and snatched a deer up by the neck, flipping it up and over his body. I watched him from above the trees and he turned to look up at me as if to say…see it’s not difficult. I turned and flew back over the forest, Gareth at my back. When the next deer broke cover I went after it, managing to miss it with my teeth but grabbing it up within my back claws. It must have only weighed a couple of hundred pounds because I was able to lift it even though it struggled. Gareth pulled up in front of me, his huge blue wings nearly sending me over backwards in the downdraft. “Be humane, snap its neck,” he advised in a deep rumbling voice. Realizing the poor beast was still struggling, I reached down and nearly ripped its head off. Gareth’s deep laugh made me wince but I managed to kill the poor thing and carry it over to where Jace was busy munching on his deer. He watched me as I dropped the deer on the ground and looked at it.
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