“Not in a camp tent!”
“Yes in a camp tent.” Now he swept me down onto the furs, pinning down my hands, grinning a little before he kissed me. “You think you’ll escape, now that I can finally have my way with you?”
My body arched toward him. I felt so good, so ready to feel his strength inside me. Even when Seron healed me, it was only after he had already reached his peak, so I had yet to truly experience a man making love to me when my body was healthy enough to handle all the things other women could. A little hum of excitement came out of me before I could help it, just from the feel of his body near mine, and the tender lips. I could feel how much he missed me, how scared he had been when he thought I was kidnapped, just from the way he gripped me and kissed me.
“Himika…if this changes how you think of me, I won’t forgive you until you’ve been proven wrong. I am the king.”
My skin tingled. “And Seron—”
“He can have what he wants. What do I care if your children are yours or his? He’s like my brother. He doesn’t want the rest of this. He never has. The worst of it, really, is that strange old Morlis could be my father, but then…he was talented.” He suddenly paused.
“What?”
“That’s right. I meant to tell you earlier!” He sounded excited, taking my hands in his instead of pinning down my wrists. “It’s your bones. Seron didn’t say anything about it, did he?”
“About what?”
“I think he was a little distracted. I can still sense crystal in them. Tiny traces, all through you.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“It means, I know why the princesses of old swallowed the Dragon’s Tear. It didn’t quite make sense to me, that it would be to preserve your virginity or keep you from other men. Because, after all, a determined couple will always find a way…”
“That’s true…I guess you sure showed me that Oszin and I could have had sex ages ago.”
“You were both too polite,” he said. “But look how well you tended the garden of plants that grew from beds of crystal. No, my gem, I see it perfectly. You needed to absorb the essence of crystal to give you the power to adapt to this world.”
“It made me more powerful?”
“Potentially, yes—in this world. In your own world, it wouldn’t have much purpose. Perhaps my ancestors knew what—” He cut himself off. “Well, someone’s ancestors, anyway.” Now he settled beside me on the furs, idly tugging off my sash the rest of the way. “Now you’re strong, Himika. I hope you’re ready for the lessons I’ll throw at you now.”
“More sword fighting?”
“Yes, get ready for the thrust of my sword.”
“Ohh, that kind of sword.”
“Every kind of sword. In good time.” He wrapped his arms around me, and I kissed his mouth, warm and sweet with the dragon wine that was made from dark, rich berries.
“I wonder how rough you want it now?” he whispered in my ear.
“I’m afraid to answer…”
He slid up my skirts, yanked down my underwear, and slipped two fingers between my legs, sliding easily into my wet sex and fucking me there. “That’s your answer,” he said. “You missed me as much as I missed you…didn’t you? Even when you had Seron and Oszin, none of them deliver quite like I do.” He threw off his own robe, the confidence in his smile and the golden hue of all his lean muscle in the candlelight rendering me speechless.
Sometimes he looked especially dragon-ish, I thought, and now was one of those times, all sharp horns and fanged grin and his amber eyes with pupils that were not quite round, but slightly slitted and open just a little between a bronze fringe of lashes, a dragon’s eyes cracking open in the shadows, looking for prey. His unseeing eyes were still beautiful, but so strange.
It was true.
Aurekdel was my beast among men, always hungry and patient only in the way a predator can be, when he knows he won’t leave until he has caught what he wants.
He drew me into a sitting position and finished taking off my clothes, gentle but brisk; no question about what he would have from me tonight. And I found myself tingling with increasing anticipation. His hands were in human form, his fingers deft with my buttons and layers. Once I was naked he grazed his fingers across my skin, up to my neck, turning my chin to kiss him.
“Mm…it’s true. I did miss you,” I admitted.
“Good.”
Somewhere in all of this he had already taken off his own underwear, and he guided my hand to his cock. I felt the texture of the dragon scales under his skin; Seron didn’t have this feature and certainly, Oszin didn’t, so sex with Aurek was particularly stimulating. The skin over the scales was like velvet, but just underneath—it was thick. Rough. He’d always had to be so gentle with me before.
He picked up his wine glass and took a sip, sighing, as I stroked him. Then he picked up the lantern and snuffed out the flame between his fingers.
Now it was dark.
“I’m the master of your pleasure now,” he purred in my ear. “And always…I’m as loyal to you as your champions, but…I am your only king.” His hand slipped around my throat, his grip gentle but very possessive. “My Himika.”
If he was using me to bolster his own confidence, I can’t say I was complaining. This was who Aurekdel was. He knew just how to lead so that one was glad to follow.
After holding me against his chest and kissing me for a moment, he pushed me back down onto the furs. “I don’t have to be careful anymore, do I?” he asked.
“No,” I said. “I want you to be rough. I want you to prove to me that I won’t break, ever again.”
“That’s exactly what I hoped you would say.”
He thrust into me. Thick. Rough. But not too rough, just a sensation that left me delirious with pleasure. In the darkness, he took up all my senses at once. At first, I still remembered being fragile, the pain I would have felt before, but the thrust of him right against that place inside me that was raw and deep and tender, and crying to be touched…it demanded all my attention. He fucked me hard enough that the furs started bunching around my head, and then he grabbed my legs to keep me from hitting the edge of the tent. I whimpered around my clenched teeth, trying not to make too much noise.
Now he pressed my wrists down again, kissing me—I never knew exactly when it was coming. It had never been like this before. I felt claimed, dominated, and it was exactly what I craved. The more I felt his hips crash into mine, his strength, the tension of his grip, the urgency of his kisses, the more it seemed to wipe away my old self.
Maybe he had his own thoughts to wipe away. He was grunting, urgent and almost pained, as I felt like I was filled with his entire being. I had never felt so close to actually just merging with someone.
His seed started filling me, hot and messy as he finished with deep, swift strokes. “Himika…Himika…”
He slumped, breathing hard for a moment. I wished I’d been able to see his face. But he probably thought the same thing about me.
His fingers trailed through my hair, and then to my breasts, lingering on my nipples, my skin hot and sensitive with my own satisfaction unfulfilled. His hand went between my legs again, coating his fingers in mingled wetness. My sex was so swollen, if he put his mouth there, I thought I might happily die.
“You can handle all of us soon, can’t you?” he murmured.
“Truly, I do dream of seeing you that way.”
“You have a pretty dirty imagination,” I said, wagging one of his horns.
“Well, how many escapes do I have in this world? Dreaming of you isn’t such a bad one, is it? The power is all yours,” he said. “We all love you. And you have the task of deciding if we all are equally worthy of you. I thought I had a greater claim to you than Seron. Now you know the truth as much as I do. The choice is yours and beyond my control.”
“I want all of you. I already told you that. You just have to behave yourselves. Don’t let this king business get into yo
ur head. We’re not like the priestess and her guardians, you know. Magic doesn’t bind us together, so…jealousy could tear you and Seron apart.”
“No one wants that,” he said. “If there is one person I would never want to hurt…it’s Seron. Even as a kid—the moment Tiriana brought me back here to become king…well, kids don’t always know what they’re in for, but I remember how worried I was about messing all this up. I felt the weight of that duty.”
“I understand that.”
“I could never be weak. I could never cry. To anyone, except him. Not that I cried to Seron, but I could have. I always felt as if I could. But so many times, he saved me from the temptation. If I embarrassed myself, whether it was saying the wrong thing or tripping on something I couldn’t see, he had this knack for covering for me. It always felt as if we were just the right people for the job.”
“I saw that right away,” I said. “I see a similar thing as I had with my brother. But you might be even closer than that. So you don’t have to tell me that even if you fight, it doesn’t mean a thing. I already know how that feels.”
He suddenly laughed and the covers rustled around us as he reached for the wine again. “Well, this is no way to end the evening.”
“It’s good to talk about it,” I said.
He scoffed. “You must admit it’s more fun to get lost in the art of seduction.” He handed me a cup.
“Can we light the lantern?”
“You need light to drink wine?”
“Um…maybe?”
“I’m not just teasing you. This is training, my gem. You won’t always have any light. Better to develop awareness this way than in battle.”
“Ohhh.” I took a sip. “So you really are going to teach me to fight, for real? You’re not worried I might get myself killed?”
“Seron and Oszin will do enough of that.” I felt him edge closer, and then wait for me to finish my cup. It was always strange to be with him in the darkness. Before long, I was trying to keep up with him, trying to figure out what the little sounds and sensations of his movement meant. I was more aware of his breath, of his presence near me.
The wine was starting to swim in my head. “No more of that!” I said.
“Yes, I suppose even with your full strength, you human girls can be small…” When I heard the tiny click of his claws around my cup as he took it from me, I knew he had a dragon’s hands again. I anticipated the feel of his touch, more rough scales on tender flesh. He kept his claws blunt enough that he wasn’t likely to truly hurt me, but it still felt dangerous.
He drew in a deep breath, taking in my scent, before nibbling at my ear. This shot excited tingles down—right to his other hand, slowly stroking my sex. The other hand found one of nipples, the three points playing together, making me writhe.
When he had me speechless with yearning again, he moved, his tongue dipping into my folds, licking and stroking in a way that seemed almost playful—meant to make me beg.
“Oh please!” I breathed. “I must sleep sometime!”
“You will sleep very well, once I let you. Isn’t that better than laying awake thinking about all that’s happened?”
“You do have a point…”
His finger, now human again and still slick with my wetness, suddenly circled my rear entrance. I clenched with surprise.
“Relax now,” he said. “I won’t go too fast.”
He went back to stroking and circling the bud of my most potent desire with his careful tongue, and gently probing a little deeper, stretching me there, and I was already so close to the brink that I did start to relax around his finger. As soon as I did, he added a second. I wanted to be able to give all three of them pleasure at once. Aurek, Seron, Oszin…
I wanted to have the same power over my men as the priestess had over hers, magical bond or not. I wanted to make them as happy as they made me.
The very thought sent me cascading to an explosion of release. I grabbed Aurek’s horns, moaning his name as his mouth brought me to a climax almost as good as the one that healed me.
Aurekdel already sounded very happy with me. “I know you liked that, my dearest of queens.”
“I expected more swordplay.”
“The night is young.”
I laughed incredulously. “No. The night is not young. Go to bed.”
“All right. In Irandal, then.” I heard him pour more wine.
“Don’t drink too much,” I whispered.
He stroked my feet. It put me to sleep almost instantly, before I could tell him what to do. I was very tired from all the adrenaline, once I let myself succumb. All I remember of that night is waking up at one point and sensing that Aurekdel was still sitting up beside me, as if keeping vigil.
“Aurek…”
“I think I’ll have to kill that man,” he murmured drunkenly.
“What man?”
“The prisoner. I told him he could go…but that was when I thought…the rock dragon took you.” His arm suddenly fell heavily across me. “Seron couldn’t do it,” he said.
“Seron couldn’t…kill a man?”
“Seron’s a warrior. I’m a king. Warriors fight and kings execute. Doesn’t feel noble, but…I must protect…” His breathing slowed. “The prophecy says the dragon king and his bride will bring peace. Himika…I hope it’s true. Even if I’m not the one it meant…”
Chapter Six
Himika
We had passed the worst of our journey once we made it through the swamp, and by the next day we were back on schedule, a night late to stay at another dragon lord’s domain—this one even more grand than our other hosts. This was the castle of the rough and ready Baron Joramu of Abdo, the last stop before we reached the palace of Irandal.
This ended up being quite the political visit, and not very much fun. I was still pretending I was not yet cured. A place must be found for the mist dragon prisoner Captain Merudon, who now knew that Ezeru had betrayed him and was cursing so loudly that the baroness, a tall, beautiful crystal dragon with pale purple hair called Lady Minna, was worried the servants wouldn’t get any sleep if he was lodged in the basement.
I remembered Aurek telling me he would have to execute the prisoner, but I hadn’t brought it up once he was sober. I wasn’t sure what to tell him. My father had never held a formal execution; he let men die in prison. They were out of sight, and I guess I never thought of them much. But some people whispered he should have been more harsh. Some even whispered that he was cowardly. An executed prisoner got to die with a crowd to hear his last words; but to languish in prison usually meant dying slowly, all alone, shivering in a cell with some disease or other. The thought of having to make decisions like that still brought me anguish.
“Oh dear,” Lady Minna said, turning to me as the commotion faded into the distance. “I hate this kind of thing.”
“My wife is an amethyst dragon, so she’s exquisitely sensitive,” Baron Joramu told me, putting a protective hand on her shoulder.
“I noticed your hair is very striking like an amethyst stone,” I said. “I think it must be the most vivid hair I’ve seen!”
“My whole family leans toward the gentle crystals,” she said.
“I only just learned that dragons develop an affinity for different types of crystals. So it depends on your personality?”
“Yes,” she said. “Dragons with blue, green and purple stone affinities tend to be more gentle and sensitive, better at healing. But you can tell King Aurekdel must be a lot of fun because of his golden coloring. I heard your bones are still made of crystal, too. Do you have an affinity?” She started to reach for my hand.
I suddenly got scared that she might realize I’d been healed before we said anything to the people. “No. I don’t.”
“That’s not true, she’s great with the garden,” Raia piped up. “I bet she’s a moonstone.”
Damn these dragons for being so chatty, even the servants. Lady Minna was still reaching for me. “Oh, come on
, let’s see!”
If I tried to stop her now, it would only make things worse. I saw Seron flinch.
“Oh—” Lady Minna started. It was clear that she immediately sensed that my bones were not pure crystal anymore.
“My dear baroness,” Aurek said gently. “We were waiting to make the announcement until we got to the palace.” He threw up his hands. “Well, maybe it will improve everyone’s spirits now, after the battle. The queen’s health has been restored.”
All the dragons who had accompanied us into the castle started murmuring.
“How?” asked Viruta, the advisor.
“It happened last night,” Aurek said. “When we reunited after the battle. Maybe it required her to miss me!”
“And you didn’t tell us right away?” said Tanair, the minister of communications. “Erimon and I have been wracking our brains over how to heal her! I’ve barely slept!”
“As I just said, I wanted to make a proper announcement in Irandal so the entire court could hear it at once. It doesn’t matter now. Personally, I’m hoping it means she’s pregnant with an heir. Maybe that was what the curse meant by the seed healing her. Maybe it required conception.”
“How wonderful that would be!” Lady Minna said. “I do wish you good luck, Your Majesty! I never knew how hard it would be to conceive, myself! I hope I don’t have the Traitor’s Curse.” She shivered.
“The Traitor’s Curse?”
“The Traitor Queen never had a child, and she is too old now,” Lady Minna said.
“I’m sorry to hear you’ve had trouble,” I said, feeling very awkward now to be lying about a pregnancy. Hopefully the gods wouldn’t punish me for lying. To be infertile was, indeed, a curse for a royal wife. Still, this had diverted the conversation as Aurekdel surely intended. “I hope it’s true and my luck wears off on you.”
Some of the advisors still looked stunned and a little annoyed that they hadn’t been informed. Their lives were occupied in thinking over the difficult questions of ruling a kingdom, so they were obviously a sharp lot. Aurek probably hadn’t heard the last of this.
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