by Logan Jacobs
ravenous little beast, but I’d seen what it did to his belly. The first night at
home when he’d eaten potatoes and cabbage, his stomach looked like it was
swollen to three times its size. I’d forgive him that one since he’d just
hatched and I’d allowed him to eat as much as he’d wanted, but I felt it was
part of my job to teach him portion control as well. He only needed enough to
fill himself, not stuff himself silly.
I took my own plate and sat down next to Kas. She passed me a fork
from her bag, and I took it and picked up a heaping amount of meat, rice, and
vegetables to shove into my mouth. I realized then we hadn’t eaten lunch
today. I’d given Blar some bread as rewards for training, but really we hadn’t
eaten since breakfast, and I was hungrier than I realized.
My stomach growled as the first bite of food hit my mouth, and I was
overtaken by the flavor. The vegetables were slightly firm but warm and
flavorful, and the meat was tender and still slightly pink in the middle. I
recognized the flavor then and realized it must have been wild deer. Less and
less families chose to hunt for themselves lately since meat was easily
available at the market, and I wondered if Kas’ father had bought the meat or
took the animal down himself. He was old and seemed brittle, but I wouldn’t
put it past him to still go out for a hunt every now and then.
“Did your dad hunt the deer himself?” I asked Kas through a mouthful
of food.
“Mhm,” she said, and she swallowed before she continued to speak.
“He goes out once a month or so for a hunt. Sometimes it’s deer, sometimes
it’s wild boar or birds, but whatever he catches is what we’ll eat for the rest
of the month.”
“I figured he went out there,” I chuckled. “Your father looks frail, but I can tell he’s a determined man.”
“That’s true,” Kas laughed. “I’ve never even dared to ask how old he
is, but his age has never stopped him from doing anything, so I guess I never
really thought it mattered, either.”
“I don’t think it does,” I agreed. “Your father is obviously still very
capable.”
I heard a tearing sound then and glanced over to see Blar with both
front paws on his piece of meat while he ripped off chunks of it with his
mouth.
Kas and I both laughed and carried on with our dinner.
After we’d all finished eating, Kas opened the last of the brown paper
sacks her father had sent her with, and as soon as she peeled back the paper,
the delicious aroma of lemon filled the air.
“Mmm,” I groaned as I peeked over her shoulder.
“It’s lemon bread,” she told me, and she passed me a slice, then gave
Blar half of one.
“This is amazing,” I mumbled after I took my first bite. The bread was
moist and delicious, and the taste of lemon came through beautifully. Her dad
was more than a sorcerer, he was quite the cook. Although, when I thought
about it, I wondered if the two had anything to do with each other.
Once we’d eaten desert, Blar came and curled up in my lap, and Kas
leaned her head against me as we watched the fire. It was a starry night out,
and the crackle of the fire was the only sound I could hear aside from Kas
and Blar’s deep breaths. I smiled to myself and stared up at the stars while
they fell asleep snuggled up into me.
The next morning, I woke before either of them. Blar was curled up
between Kas and me, so I scooted him closer to her so I could get up. The
little dragon opened one eye and looked at me, but I put my finger to my lips
to shh him, so he yawned, closed his eyes, and turned to scoot closer to Kas
and her body heat.
I wandered to the stream first off and filled up both of our canteens
before I splashed some cool water on myself. Then I took my hair out of its
braids, too, and dipped my dark brown locks into the water to refresh them.
After I’d cleaned up some, I discovered an apple tree nearby and gathered
some fresh fruit for our breakfast. I also foraged for some herbs and found
some to my liking, then I took my prizes back to camp and started on
breakfast. I cut up the apples and softened them over the fire, then I added the
herbs to them and gave them a taste. They were sweet and flavorful, and with
some of Lorena’s bread, I figured they’d make for a decent breakfast.
While Kas slept, I poked through the book she had brought about
dragon sorcery. I didn’t see much information on dragons either, but I found the photos of the different kinds of scales fascinating. It showed some scales
that were incredibly small and rainbow colored, others that were bigger but
with more solid colorings, and then it showed one I couldn’t stop looking at.
The scale was the largest of all of them, and it was pitch black and incredibly
shiny.
“How did you sleep?” Kas yawned and sat up, and Blar tumbled off
her.
“Fine, and I made breakfast,” I laughed as the little dragon shook
himself awake.
“It smells great,” the blonde said with a smile. Her curly hair was a
mess from sleep, but as she stretched, her back arched, and her perky breasts
pushed forward to give me a great view.
I set the book down and walked over to her. She looked up at me
slightly confused and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, I
captured her mouth with my own. She was startled at first, and her body went
rigid, but a second later she sighed into me and kissed me back with her soft,
red lips.
I reached up to stroke her cheek before I pulled back and looked into
her violet eyes, which were heavy from desire.
“Good morning,” I said softly.
“Good morning,” she murmured back.
I served each of us up some breakfast, then Blar and I set to work on
training while Kas practiced spells.
Blar and I practiced some drills I came up with for him that I thought
would come in handy during battle, but after a while, I heard Kas cursing and
muttering to herself, so I turned around to watch her. We were at the opposite
end of the clearing, at least a hundred feet away, and I watched as the
strawberry blonde attempted a spell. Her perfect body lit up with a slight
green aura, but it dissolved as quickly as it appeared, and she cursed again,
stood up, and kicked the book.
“Hey,” I laughed as I jogged over to her with Blar by my side. “It’s
okay, you’ll get it.”
“It’s not working,” she huffed, and she threw her arms up in
exasperation. Somehow, the sorcerer looked even more beautiful when she
was angry. Her violet eyes were fierce with determination, and her jaw was
set, which just displayed her lovely cheekbones that much better.
“Maybe I can help,” I offered, and I leaned down and picked up the
disheveled book. “A fresh set of eyes never hurt.”
“Okay,” Kas sighed, and she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and
then sat down next to me in the grass.
Blar sat beside me and peeked at the book I put in front of Kas.
“Try it again,” I said. “Just go slower.”
Kas nodded and r
eached for the dragon scales that sat near the book.
She started to whisper to herself and close her eyes, and I watched as her
whole body lit up once more with a green aura. Instead of disappearing,
though, it grew brighter and brighter the more she spoke until it flashed a
bright green light and disappeared.
She opened her eyes then and stared at me before she looked down at
herself with awe.
“It worked,” she breathed.
“How can you tell?” I asked.
“I’m the caster,” she explained. “I can see the aura still. This was the
protection spell I told you about.”
“I knew you’d get it,” I said with a smile. “You just needed to slow
down.”
“No,” she said with a shake of her head. “It’s you. You and Blar.”
“What?” I asked, and I was confused about how Blar or I had anything
to do with her powers.
“This is what I was reading about last night,” she said, and she flipped
to the page in the book she’d shown me the night before. “I use dragon scales and their magic to harness my own abilities. You’re somehow tied to Blar, so
I’m stronger when I’m near you.”
“Are you sure?” I questioned.
“I’ve felt it before,” she said quickly. “When we… ahhh… when we
made love, but I wasn’t sure what it was then until I read this.”
“Oh,” I said. “Well, I’m happy to help, then.”
“That’s not the only way you can help,” she said, and she looked down
and bit her lip.
“What do you mean?” I asked, and my eyebrows pinched together in
confusion.
“There’s a soul bonding spell in here,” the sorceress explained, and she
pointed to the book. “I felt your power during our sex, since we were
attempting to become one and make a child, but if I bond myself to you, then
I’ll be more powerful.”
My mind spun a bit at her words. Of course, I’d poured my seed into
her when we’d made love, and of course that normally resulted in a child, if
the woman was fertile, but I didn’t think it would enable an actual magical
bond between us.
“Is that something you want to do?” I wondered. “What does that
mean?”
I’d never heard of soul bonding before, and I wondered if it was
commonplace in the magical community or not.
Or if it had something to do with my dragon taming powers.
“It means we’d be bonded forever,” Kas murmured and averted her
eyes. “You’d always have control over me, and you’d have a duty to protect
me, but my powers would grow, and it would be easier for me to cast for both
of us at once.”
“Control?” I asked. “Explain, please.”
“I’d feel pleasure when you did,” she stared. “I’d… want you all the
time and never stray. I’d obey your wishes. I’d feel your magic, and you’d
feel mine. Imagine marriage, only also with the soul, not just the heart. That
is the best I can explain.”
“I see,” I said, and I nodded as I considered her offer. I’d never really
spent more than one night with a woman at a time before Kas, but there was
something about her that was different from the other women I’d been with. I
hadn’t known her for long, but I could sense she was meant to be a part of
this journey with me.
“What do you think?” she asked, and she looked at me with hopeful
violet eyes.
“I want to know more,” I said.
“Of course,” Kas said, and she nodded fervently. “What do you want
to know?”
“Tell me more about this bond.” I furrowed my eyebrows. “You said
connected. Connected how?”
“Like we’ll be able to feel if the other is in danger or upset.” She
shrugged. “Emotions. Pleasure. Pain. I will feel it more since I am bonded to
you, but you will know me as well.”
“Alright,” I said with a nod. That didn’t sound so bad. “And what
about me having a certain level of control over you? What does that mean?”
“It means I won’t be able to resist when you give me a command,” she
admitted, and she bit her lip. “I’d be compelled to serve you.”
“You’d be putting a lot of trust in me,” I murmured.
“Yes,” she agreed. “But I believe you are a good man.”
“I wouldn’t do anything to harm you,” I assured her.
“I know,” she said with a small smile.
“What about your power?” I asked. “You said you would have more?”
“Much more.” She nodded. “And this is the most compelling reason
for both of us. It’s been hard to practice my magic because I am limited by
the scales. But I believe I won’t need them if I’m bonded to you. Imagine
someone thirsting for water and the desire to swim, but only getting a small cup every day. Bonding with you will be akin to having access to a lake of
pure water to drink and swim in.”
I thought about it for a moment and decided there was no reason not to
go through with it. There was something special about Kas. I knew somehow
she was supposed to be a part of my life and this journey with the dragons. If
this spell would help her become more powerful, then who was I to stop that
from happening? I didn’t mind the thought of being linked to her, she was
beautiful, intelligent, and powerful, and I wanted her with me all the time
already.
Plus, being able to give her commands she was compelled to follow
was extremely sexy.
“Alright, let’s do it.” I shrugged, and I leaned in to kiss her plump, red
lips.
“Oh, thank you!” Kas exclaimed, and she wrapped her arms around my
neck as she kissed me back.
Kas gathered the supplies to perform the ceremony, and before I knew
it, I was on my knees facing her with our hands bound together with twine.
She whispered to herself, and I closed my eyes and just listened. As she
spoke, it was like my body was vibrating, and for a second I thought I could
even hear Kas’ thoughts, but then I was overwhelmed by a sudden feeling of happiness and tranquility.
When I opened my eyes, it was as if I was looking into the eyes of my
true love. I’d never felt this way before, but it was a feeling I could only
describe as total togetherness.
Kas smiled at me, then, and she leaned in to kiss me again.
After the ceremony was over, Kas tried to perform a couple of spells
and was able to do so easily.
“It’s amazing!” she squealed with excitement, and then looked down at
her hands. “It worked! I… I… It’s like I can feel power filling my body and
leaking out through every pore.”
I didn’t feel much different except for an overwhelming urge to protect
Kas and keep her safe, which I’d had prior to the spell. I figured she probably
gained more from it then I did, but she’d said I would have some sort of
power over her, and I was a bit interested in seeing how that worked.
“Let’s find another portal,” Kas suggested, and her violet eyes sparkled
with sunlight and excitement as she stared at me.
“You think we’re ready?” I asked with a smile. Blar and I had
practiced several maneuvers
, and I was confident in his ability to take
commands when we were in other worlds, and if Kas thought she was ready,
then I didn’t see a reason to stall any longer.
She definitely seemed more powerful than she had before, and that
meant we could protect ourselves more easily if we got into trouble.
“Definitely,” Kas said, and her red lips split into a wide grin.
I looked up at the sky. It was only midafternoon, and the day was clear
and bright, so there was plenty of time left for exploring.
“Well, then, where’s the next portal?” I asked, and Kas grinned even
wider.
Chapter 11
I stepped through the newest portal and into a bright and dreamy
world. It was as if this place had a light-yellow screen over it that made
everything appear more beautiful than it had a right to be.
“It’s incredible,” Kas breathed, and I turned to smile at her.
“You’re incredible,” I told her. She’d used her new powers to improve
the map we had, and we’d found this portal just a few minutes after she’d
completed the spell.
“It’s because I have the bond with you,” she clarified. “Your dragon
magic… or whatever your natural magic is… is enabling me to perform
magic much faster. As I said before, it’s a cup of water to a lake.”
“That much, huh?” I snickered. “I didn’t think I had any magic until a
few days ago.”
“No,” the beautiful blonde woman said as she shook her head. “You
have great power, and from our bond, I don’t even think you’ve tapped a
fraction of it. I wish you knew who your parents were, since they might help
us develop them more.”
“Whoever they were, they didn’t care.” I forced myself to smile at my
mate, and then I glanced back to the new world we stood in.
Based on what Kas had told me about the worlds, I figured this was
either the home of the Vanir Gods or the light elves. The world was so
picturesque it almost made me feel as if I were dreaming.
We’d stepped through the portal into a wooded area with a path right
in front of us. The trees on either side spiraled upward in unique patterns, and
they blossomed with pale yellow and white flowers. There wasn’t any debris
on the ground, no fallen petals or leaves, only vibrant green grass. The path in
front of us was a light brown color, and it looked incredibly inviting.
