Reign of Ash (Black Harbour Dragons)

by Jadyn Chase

  He scaled back down after he landed and soon everyone had come out to see the defeated Finch Skinner.

  "That's twice in one week," Ashton declared proudly. "But this isn't going to stop others from coming after me, after us. Go get your stuff. We have to get out of here. If he found us, I'm sure Miranda and my father know my whereabouts by now too. We have to go Whisper."

  "I can't believe you fought him," Abigail said with her mouth agape in awe.

  Charlotte scoffed, "I can't believe you beat him. What are we supposed to do with a dead Onyx Skull? You know their whole clan will come down here after him!"

  "I know what to do with him," Jasper said unsheathing his blade. But others spoke up about killing Skinner here. They didn't want that kind of retribution following them. While I grabbed a bag of stuff, I heard them bicker and argue. By the time I got back to the space, Ashton was the center of their attention. But something was different as they continued to go back and forth about what to do with the unconscious leader of the Onyx Skulls.

  "HEY!" I shouted. Everyone turned to face me. I eyed the ground where Skinner was laying only to see the outline of his body, "Where the hell is he?!"

  "Alright, anybody with bullets and a blade, spread out! We gotta find him!" Jasper called out.

  "He's gone," Ashton said. "He's not down here."

  I peered into his eyes, "How do you know?"

  He tapped the tip of his nose, "That and whenever he loses a battle he goes to get reinforcements. I suggest you guys lock this place down for a while until Whisper and I get outside of the city. No one should get in or out. Reinforce that steel cover, booby trap it if necessary. It was way too easy for him to get down here."

  Looking to Jasper, sadness came over me and tears fell. We both knew this was it. So I threw my arms around my Jasper for one last time. He hugged me tighter than he ever had before. Sniffing back tears, he held me back, kissed my forehead and told me, "You remember everything I've taught you, young lady. I may not have been as good as your parents, but I loved them almost as much as I loved you. They were good to me and having you survive this long, I say I've paid them back tenfold."

  "You certainly have," I hugged him again, "Thank you for everything, my Jasper."

  "You're welcome, Whisper."

  14

  Ashton

  Watching Whisper say goodbye to Jasper nearly broke my heart. It reminded me of when my mother left. In that moment, the only memory I had left of her played in my mind. Those midnight blue eyes always stuck with me. Her soft black ringlets tumbled from the top of her head down her back. She kept the sides shaved down and I remember looking at the way my father loved her like their love was the greatest thing in the world … and then she left.

  I turned every ounce of sadness into rage and well … everyone knows what happened next. It was a clusterfuck of chaos. But at least Whisper didn't have to endure that.

  The tension in the air was palpable. We had to leave. Tapping her on the shoulder, I extended my hand out to Jasper. He actually shook it looking me in the eyes, "You take good care of her. Shouldn't be a problem for you. I've done it this long without wings and fire."

  I laughed a little, "I'll do my best, but you know how she is."

  "I certainly do," he said kissing her one last time on the head and handing her a sack, "This might come in handy."

  "Thank you," she said quietly.

  Whisper took another few minutes saying goodbye to everyone else before we made our journey through the tunnels and back into the night air. It wasn't until we started walking that I realized I was hurt much worse than I anticipated. The pain increased from a steady burn to a grueling, gnawing, pulsing rhythm of agony.

  "We have to get to Aya," I told her as we began making our way through the city.

  "How bad is it?" she asked me.

  By now, I'd been covering the wound with my forearm, shielding it from dust and debris. But I could barely crouch down when we needed to. I had to get to the docks and quick before we were found.

  Whisper moved my hand out of the way as I cringed in pain. She sucked in air slowly as her face twisted up while she looked at it, "There's like this black crust scabbing over it with some blueness around it."

  "We have to hurry. It's the venom. He must have dipped his hands before he found us."

  "Okay," she nodded.

  Hurry we did. It was a lot further on foot, but we made it without being seen. By the time I reached that ladder I practically fell down to the sand below. Whisper helped me to the door where she started banging furiously. Aya opened it with a surprised look on her face.

  "Oh yes, I knew it. Skinner left not too long ago. Come, come," she said ushering us inside. She cleared out space on what looked like a dining table. Once I was laying on top, she cut my shirt away with one swipe of her talon. Those gills on her neck waved effortlessly while the room began spinning around me. She moved her hands over me like a wand casting a spell, and suddenly she said, "Sleep."

  I didn't remember what happened after that. When I woke up, I was in a comfortable bed with my entire torso bandaged. I was sore, but I could move and felt a whole lot better. The sound of running water made me wonder if we were collapsing into the bay, but it was Whisper. She was showering with the door open. Pain or no pain, it made my cock twitch looking at her inside.

  "I see you healthy now," Aya laughed as she stepped into the room. Her eyes glossed over my burgeoning erection making me blush. I don't think anyone's ever made me blush before. I covered myself with the pillows and blankets.

  "It's okay," she laughed, "I've seen it all before. You know Goldens have two."

  "What?" I eyed her crazily I'm sure.

  "Just joking," she laughed. This was the happiest I'd ever seen Aya.

  Whisper came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her. She bowed slightly, "Thank you Aya."

  "No thank you," she gleamed. "You two must leave Black Harbor by sunrise. Empyrean will be the best place for you to go."

  "Empyrean?" I asked her, forcing myself to sit up, "Where is that?"

  "Where?" Whisper scoffed, "What is it?"

  "Empyrean is the City of the Heavens, the highest peak of peace and prosperity. Scalers and Anthros live together, united and bound by a code of conduct that protects their sanctity," she told us. "No wings, though. No fire. Only Scalers you will see are the Golden Imperials."

  "What's a Gold Imperial?" Whisper wondered.

  "Golden Imperial!" she corrected, "Are extremely rare and extremely dangerous. They're the largest of all Scalers and their venom has adaptive components."

  "What does that mean?"

  "If another Scaler uses venom, it enhances their own healing properties. If Anthro uses their venom, they turn into Scaler."

  "What?!" Whisper's face said she was horrified, "How? That's not possible."

  "Very much possible. Look at him," Aya motioned toward me.

  My eyes darted back and forth between them, "What do you mean? I was born a Scaler."

  "Yes, yes, yes," she waved away my objection, "I mean look at you."

  She motioned me to remove the bandage from my midsection. I let a talon protrude while holding one of the bandaged layers. A single swipe split them down the middle revealing my washboard abs and abs alone. The only remnants of Skinner's attack were four pin sized marks near the bottom of my abdomen.

  "You see, extra dragony," she chuckled. "Speed you up. You healed."

  "And if I were to drink that elixir you poured in his wounds, I would become a Scaler?"

  Aya and I looked at each other and then to her, probably imagining the same thing … Whisper with wings.

  "If you survive the ingestion, then yes. You get wings, scales, and claws. All of it. If you survive. Many Anthros not healthy enough to survive Golden Imperial elixir and at Empyrean it's not allowed. No dragons, no scalers, all Anthros. You must not show your wings or be banned forever."

  "Sounds like we're taking a step back
to a hundred years ago," I grumbled. I didn't want to go to a place where it was forbidden for me to be me.

  Whisper's eyes lit up, "No. Don't think like that. If we're together, in a safe place, there's no reason for you to scale. No danger. No scaling."

  "She right," Aya nodded. "No danger, no scaling. You talk it over. I leave food for you. You eat. Leave by sunrise."

  I watched her leave the room and close the door behind her. Whisper brought the tray of food over to me.

  "You eat first," I told her.

  "No, you need your strength," she insisted.

  "I'm fine now, I swear," I smiled. We both ate the food with vigor and appreciation. "Is this beef? Again?"

  Whisper smiled and giggled as she chewed on the food. She did a little bounce of pure joy as she ate.

  "How can we afford all of this? How many scales did this cost me?" I asked her. "Aya's not cheap. A room? Food? Running hot water? BEEF?!"

  "It didn't cost you anything you hadn't already given up," she said nonchalantly. "Your battle with Skinner left a few dozen scales from the both of you behind. And she got to keep the blood."

  "What?"

  "When we got here, you had those nasty gashes from Finch. She had to bleed them out first before pouring that fancy gold stuff in you. I told her she could keep it as payment."

  "You shouldn't have done that. Onyx poisoned Black Sapphire blood? That doesn't sound like a concoction needed by anyone looking to do good in the world."

  "I think she just wants to study it and use it for her own medicinal treatments. I don't think she'd sell it. She's been pretty steady at keeping her ties to both communities neutral. It if got out that she sold that concoction both sides would have her head."

  "I guess," I shrugged. "So we head out in the morning then right?"

  "Yeah," she sighed, "Aya also gave me some newer clothes, shoes and things for us to wear and take along the way. And she said the same thing Jasper did."

  "What's that?"

  "You have to mark me before we leave. It's the only way to keep me safe while we travel, especially since it will only be the two of us."

  "Okay," I agreed, "I'll do it. Just let me shower first."

  15

  Whisper

  Nerves, maybe?

  Everything that's happened within the last week … it's changed me at my very core. I never thought I could be with a Scaler, pet or otherwise, let alone fall in love. Holy crap! Is this love? It can't be.

  Jasper once described love to me as the ending of everything. He said when my parents died, saving his life, he loved me. It was the end of his irresponsibility. It was the end of him making rash decisions that would jeopardize his life because he had to protect mine. The more I thought about how I felt about Ashton, the more I realized how deeply I cared for him.

  Ashton Cane … Prince of the Black Sapphires. At least, that's what I thought of him as since his father was running things. And then that whole thing with Aya, and drinking the Golden Imperial elixir? Could I become a Scaler?

  I swallowed hard as Ashton emerged from the bathroom. Steam billowed out from behind him like he'd walked out of the clouds. My eyes scanned him alright. From the top of his head, down to his neck, over his chiseled physique and landing dead center. Yes … I'd become a Scaler for him.

  I pushed myself closer and closer toward the headboard until I couldn't scoot back anymore. I don't know why I was so nervous, but I couldn't stop my heart from thumping against my chest.

  "Will it hurt?" I asked him.

  He shook his head, "I'll make sure you're feeling so many other things when it happens, it'll be an afterthought."

  "You promise?"

  "You have my word, my honor, and my heart, Whisper."

  With that I relaxed, letting him climb onto the bed. With one of his hands planted on the mattress underneath my naked body, he used his other to lift my chin toward him. Tilting my head back, he slid me away from the headboard before bending down to kiss me. The slickness of his tongue over mine made my entire body tense with anticipation.

  I could feel his hand moving down over my nipples. He teased and pulled them gently while his lips overtook my mouth, and all of my apprehension began to melt away. When he moved his mouth away from mine, I took in a deep breath. The trail of kisses tingling down to my center made me want to grab his hair, but I steadied myself. He held my thighs firmly apart while his tongue began to explore every soft spot that made me a woman.

  It was firm and soft. I could feel him tasting me, between my lips and then inside my slit. My pulse continued to race as euphoria came and then so did I. My moans of erotic pleasure couldn't be silenced while he moved that magic mouth of his around my clit. I could feel his tongue inside of me, inside of my walls. I clenched around him and all he did was chuckle but he didn't stop. Soon he inserted a finger and then two to assist him in dining on me. I came again.

  When he finally had his fill, he crawled up to position himself directly on top of me. I gazed up into his eyes as he peered down into mine. They were the softest words I'd ever heard him speak, "I love you, Whisper."

  "I love you too, Ashton."

  As soon as his name spilled from my mouth, he entered his thick erection inside of me. I gasped as he took up every bit of empty space. He moved slowly at first, catching his rhythm before he sped up. Every stroke, I could feel his head hooking at my spot, that wonderfully elusive spot that made me beg for more. He continued to roll his hips into every thrust, diving deeper, pushing and pulling himself in and out of me. It was orgasmic.

  I don't know how long we stayed like that, but he changed positions pulling out of me and turning me over onto my stomach. He didn't hesitate to dive right back inside. I could feel him pressing deeper against my backside with one hand wrapped around my waist. Playing with my clit as he moved. He was bound to drive me crazy.

  I held onto the sheets while we made love. Ashton turned my head toward the wall, kissing my neck until he reached my mouth. His tongue went to work once again. So much so that I barely felt it when his talon pricked me on the opposite side. A straight line, from the point of my heart to the top of my clavicle … he marked me, and I didn't feel a thing.

  Once he did, he pulled out of me again. This time he stood up next to the bed motioning for me to come to him. He hoisted me into the air before sliding me down, gently onto his throbbing manhood. He held my back with one hand and with the other he supported my bottom as I began to ride him, up and down while we stood there.

  The first tremble in his legs forced him to turn me around, pushing me against the wall. With my body anchored against something a bit firmer than his hand, he moved my legs to drape them over his arms with his hands firmly gripping my waist. His rhythm picked up dramatically from there. With force and speed, he controlled me from the waist down. He drilled into me back and forth so fast the sound of my skin slapping against his lap echoed around the room louder than my screams of ecstasy.

  When he tired of that, he pushed himself up into me further, bringing himself closer to the wall while he moved me up and down on him. After a few strokes, he spun me away from the wall and fell back onto the bed with me straddling him. I rolled and twisted my hips on top of him until he couldn't contain his moans anymore either. He was close to his own climax as he rolled me over onto my back and we ended up in the same position we started.

  Each and every stroke was deliberate. The slow, intense drag of his cock in and out of me let my juices flow like never before. Finally, he came. A solid and soft seven strokes later he pulled himself out of me while kissing and sucking on the mark he'd just given me. He was right. It was done, and I barely felt a thing.

  "So this is what all the fuss was about?" I said looking at it in the mirror. It had already healed. "How did it stop bleeding so fast, and none of it ended up on the bed?"

  "When I kissed it, it helped seal it faster. Besides, it wasn't a deep gash, to begin with," he laughed, "And yeah, it's a big thing these day
s to be marked. Not too many I can think of that are marked as mates and not pets."

  "Your mate?" I smiled.

  "Yes, I marked you up and down. It's a symbol my mother carried, showing that your heart is tied to the one always flying above and behind you, protecting and loving you forever. We're in this together, aren't we? I know you never asked for this, but I've loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you. It's because of that I never forced you to be my pet. I wanted you to feel what you do for me on your own. Now as my spouse, my mate, my forever, we can do whatever you want, Whisper. We can go to The Towers and stand up for our love. We can leave the city, walk away from Black Harbor forever and head to Empyrean. Whatever you want to do."

  He did kind of drag me into this, well actually it's all stupid Skinner's fault. If he'd let me hunt my rabbit in peace … I let it go. What's done is done.

  "Let's go to Empyrean," I told him.

  There was a hint of sadness in his eyes but I didn't want to watch as herds of Scalers attacked him for loving me. That's all this boiled down to. He loved me, and because he didn't love me the way they thought he should, we had to leave. Our lives would always be in danger if we stayed.

  "Very well," he said with finality, "We'll leave at dawn. But in the meantime…"

  That mischievous grin couldn't be any sexier, as I grinned too.

  "Round two," I smirked.

  And so we went through another round or two of intense, passionate lovemaking under the docks of Black Harbor. We decided not to do too much as we had a long journey ahead of us. We couldn't fly out of the city, and we couldn't fly up to Empyrean. I wished we had his motorcycle but even that would only get us so far. Last I checked, motorcycles didn't ride too well through forests.