by Eric Vall
“Don’t look directly at it!” Laika called out from behind us as she and Nike ran into the battle. “It’s a basilisk!”
I balked. A basilisk? What the hell?
“Okay, so how do we kill it if we can’t look at it?” I yelled as I thought back to the scarce lore I knew about the monster from my time on Earth.
The basilisk reared up for another attack and stabbed its beak at Aaliyah, but the lioness swiftly avoided the blow and sliced at his face with her claws. The snake monster roared in anger as Aaliyah’s claw caught a scale, and then the lion ripped the scale from the side of the beast’s head.
Specks of black blood dotted the dirt, and I took advantage of the opening as I summoned a fiery bow and arrow. Then I shot the arrow into the gap of the basilisk’s scales, and the creature screeched in agony.
The centaur warriors followed my lead and shot multiple arrows toward the same wound. The basilisk teetered but maintained its balance and continued to screech. The sound was almost deafening, and I sent out a layer of healing magic to cover everyone’s ears.
“Its eyes, go for the eyes!” Laika shouted as she pulled two small daggers out from her leathers. Then she launched one of the knives at the serpent’s face, and the blade pierced the snake’s left eye.
More black fluid poured from the wound, and the basilisk curled its long body inward so it could reach its eye. It clawed at the dagger to no avail, and it let out another high-pitched wail of agony.
I gritted my teeth against the sound and shot a layer of webs over the dagger to hold it in place in the creature’s skull. As the basilisk hissed and stumbled around, I called on my stone power and summoned hundreds of rocks and pebbles from the ground beneath my feet. Then I hurtled the stones at the basilisk’s remaining eye with a wave of my power, and I watched as the rocky projectiles pummeled the eye until nothing remained but an empty, bloody, tattered socket.
The blinded basilisk screeched again as it collapsed to the ground and scrambled to try and get its bearings, and then it tried to retreat back into the bushes.
“Oh, no, you bastard!” River appeared next to me with his bow and aimed at the creature.
I saw his arrow had a hooked tip as he lined up his shot. Then the arrow flew, and I noticed a string was connected to the shaft, like a harpoon.
The arrow pierced the creature’s neck, and River yanked the line backward. The basilisk flopped over onto its side as the centaur pulled it toward us, and then I ran forward with the Sword of Hatra and sliced the basilisk’s head from its neck. More of the black blood gushed from its neck, and I stepped forward to investigate, but Laika grabbed my arm.
“Their blood is poisonous even after they’re dead,” the wolf Demi-Human warned. “You can’t touch it.”
“That’s just great,” I mumbled as I stepped back away from the pooling blood, but then I noticed a faint mark on the beast’s underbelly. I focused on the mark and saw a circle of evenly spaced stars with two lines criss crossing in the center. It almost looked like a faded tattoo, and it seemed to fade more as I watched it.
Before I could figure out what the mark meant, I saw the familiar words flash across my vision.
Predation: Assimilation activated.
Skill: Petrification, poisonous blood.
Status: Assimilation complete.
Did I just become poisonous? That sounded awesome, but how the hell did it work?
“It seems I was wrong to doubt you, Lord Evan,” River declared as he clapped a hand on my shoulder and brought me back to the present. “You and your friends found the beast.”
“I’m a dragon of my word.” I smirked.
“Where are all the people it took, though?” one of the warriors asked. “Should we keep looking for a nest or something?”
“My guess is the beast petrified them already,” River answered with a frown, and his horse tail whipped back and forth in a sign of agitation. “I doubt we’ll find the nest, though. Basilisks don’t stay in one place for long.”
“Yeah, the basilisk can still eat a petrified animal,” Laika confirmed with a frown before she turned to me. “Do you want us to look for a nest, Lord Evan?”
“If you don’t think there are any survivors, it’s a waste of our time,” I replied. “I’ll burn the body so nothing else is poisoned. Then we can head back to the city and let the queen know the beast is dead.”
The centaur warriors grunted in unison, and I guessed it was their version of cheering, so I’d take it.
Everyone in the clearing stepped back to give me some room, and I pulled up stone from under the dead basilisk and created a platform to act as an elevated pyre. Then I opened my mouth, breathed a column of fire on the corpse, and watched the flames lick over the dark scales until nothing remained but ashes.
Once the fire burned out, we made our way back through the forest to Lumin. The sun had just set, and my stomach was growling, so I hoped the hunters had time to get us some real food now that the basilisk was dead.
We walked the half-mile back to the castle, and the warriors veered off in various directions, probably to go home. River stayed with us up to the giant castle doors, though, and after he pushed them open, we followed him into the stone building to the sitting area.
“I’ll go get the queen,” River advised before he trotted out into the hall, and the sounds of his hooves clopping against the stone floor faded as he drew further away.
The rest of us sat down in the chairs and let out sighs of relief. This mission had been much easier than the problems in Tikal.
A minute later, Alyona breezed into the room and leaned down to give me a kiss. She carried a huge book with pages that looked ready to fall out, but her amethyst eyes zeroed in on us.
“I heard you return,” the princess explained. “Do you need a spell? Is everyone alright?”
“No spells needed, and yes, we’re all fine,” I chuckled. “Did you think I couldn’t handle a little basilisk?”
“A basilisk!” Alyona gasped, and her hand shot up to cover her mouth. “You didn’t touch its blood, right?”
“No, Laika made sure we knew what we were up against,” I assured her and nodded to the wolf Demi-Human.
“I have seen a few with the Guild.” Laika smiled. “We handled it.”
“And no one was petrified?” Alyona asked as her brow furrowed.
“No, although I apparently picked up the ability to petrify,” I replied with a shrug. “And poisonous blood. So, that was a new assimilation.”
“Wait, you assimilated its skills?” Aaliyah piped up, and her orange eyes narrowed on me. “Can all dragons do that?”
“I think so,” I chuckled, “but since Valerra is the only other dragon I know, I’m not completely sure. It’s pretty fucking awesome, though.”
I didn’t want to give away how little I actually knew or why. I knew I’d have to come clean about my past with my newest mate at some point, but it wouldn’t be right now.
“So, a basilisk has been terrorizing my people?” Mona asked as she strolled into the room in her gorgeous human form. She wore the same revealing robe she’d worn this morning, but she’d undone her braid, and her chestnut hair fell in curls to her ribs.
“Yeah,” I confirmed. “But we killed it and burned it, so you have nothing to worry about now.”
“I must say, I’m impressed,” the queen said with a bat of her eyelashes. “I never imagined a dragon would come to our rescue.”
“I’m not your typical dragon.” I smirked. It seemed the queen was finally warming up to me.
“I can see that,” she agreed as her green gaze dragged over me slowly. “Anyway, you’re welcome to stay. I’ve sent the hunters out to get us some real food for dinner.”
“Thank the gods,” Aaliyah chimed in, and her purr resounded at the back of her throat. “I’m starving.”
“Me, too,” Mona chuckled. “I’ll see you all back down here in an hour for dinner, then.”
With that, the c
entaur queen turned on her heels and returned to her chambers.
“Well, good job, guys!” Trina laughed as she stretched out along the couch she and her sisters occupied.
“Yeah, I just wish we could’ve caught the stupid basilisk,” Marina pouted.
“We could’ve smashed that big, dumb snake,” Polina agreed and crossed her arms over her breasts.
“Looks like we need to work on our hunting,” Trina suggested.
“I can show you a few tricks,” Laika volunteered with a smirk. “I know you finished your Guild training a while back, but there’s always something to learn.”
“Oh, that would be great!” Marina cried. “Thank you, Guild Leader!”
The dryads giggled and pulled Laika out of her chair.
“Let’s go now!” Trina squealed.
“Okay, okay,” the wolf laughed. “Come on. I saw a courtyard for warrior training next to the castle. We can go practice there until dinner is ready.”
The four women laughed and pulled each other out the doors.
“I’m going to keep reading,” Alyona said as she held up her book. “I’ll be back down for dinner.”
“Okay, I’ll come check in on you later.” I kissed her hand and watched her hips swing in her tight white robe as she walked out of the room.
Gods, she was sexy.
“Lord Evan?” Ravi asked and waved at me from the corner of my eye. “Did you hear me?”
“What? No, sorry,” I apologized and turned my attention to the orange-haired woman. “What did you say?”
“I said, Aaliyah and I are heading to the bath house if you’d care to join us,” the phoenix repeated, and a blush bloomed across her cheeks as she averted her gaze.
“Wellll, I do need to get cleaned up,” I teased. “And both of you have worked very hard today, so you deserve a nice, long bath. So, yes, I’d love to help you.”
Ravi’s face stretched into a grin, and she grabbed my hand to pull me to the bath house.
The structure was carved from the same stone as the castle, but it was illuminated only by small candles that clung to the walls. There was a single tub that nearly filled the room, and shelves were set up along one wall and filled with soaps, lotions, oils, and towels. I guess it made sense to have a huge bathing area for people who could be either human or horse when they bathed.
Aaliyah was already there, and the lioness had started to fill the giant marble tub with hot water. The tub was big enough for at least five people, and it had a large stone lip about eight inches wide that was perfect for what I had in mind.
“Kind of you to join us, Lord Evan,” the lioness purred.
“Anything for my women,” I murmured.
I watched the steam rise off the water’s surface as Aaliyah slipped out of her clothes, and my cock twitched as her bronze skin was revealed. Her lean muscles rippled as she tilted over to turn off the water. Then she turned to look at me, and I watched as sweat dripped down her perfectly toned body, between her round breasts, and down her torso toward her slit.
I wanted to taste every inch of the sexy, seductive lioness.
Then Ravi dropped her robe and drew my attention, and I looked at the phoenix. Her milky white skin was dimpled with goosebumps, and the chill left her nipples hard. Her smoky orange hair cascaded down her sides and framed her petite body beautifully, and the ends of the strands smoked with her desire.
And I desired to devour her pussy.
Aaliyah ran a clawed finger down my chest to my hips, and then she lifted my shirt over my head as Ravi knelt in front of me and untied my pants. The garment dropped to the floor, and my erection sprang up in front of her. Ravi took a sharp breath and grinned up at me before she wrapped her hand around my cock and pumped it up and down along my shaft.
“Oh, yeah,” I groaned as I grabbed a handful of her orange hair.
The phoenix leaned forward and ran her tongue along the tip of my arousal as she pumped my cock.
Gods, when had she learned that? I didn’t care. It felt fucking amazing.
Ravi continued to suck and lick my dick, while I reached out and pulled Aaliyah in closer. I kissed the lioness hard and shoved my tongue into her mouth, and she moaned against me and opened her lips for more. I felt her rough tongue as she played with mine, and I ran my hand down her back to grip her tight ass. Then I dragged my hand around her hips to the front of her body and thumbed her clit.
“Fuck,” the lioness groaned as she released my lips with a slick pop.
I rubbed her clit in fast circles and then slid one finger inside her tunnel. Her pussy was hot and wet, and I couldn’t wait to fill it.
Then Ravi suddenly shoved my entire erection into her mouth, and I groaned as my first load poured down her throat. I pushed a second finger into Aaliyah and pumped as waves of my orgasm dumped into the phoenix. Just as I was finishing my climax, Aaliyah began to shake, and she roared as she came all over my hand. Her juices dripped down my fingers, and I pulled them out of her to lick them clean.
“I need you now,” the lioness growled as she pushed me to the edge of the tub.
“Your wish is my command.” I smirked and hopped up on the wide ledge, but she stopped me before I could get into the water.
“Like this,” Aaliyah purred as she guided me onto my back and climbed on top of me. Then she grabbed my still-hard cock and shoved it inside her dripping wet pussy.
As the lion Demi-Human bounced up and down on my dick, I grabbed Ravi’s hand and pulled her up onto the ledge.
“Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you,” I growled as I turned the phoenix around so her wet slit was above my face, and then I yanked her hips down to me.
Ravi gasped as I ran my tongue along her folds, and I gently sucked on her clit and felt her shiver with pleasure. Then I grabbed her hips and pushed her further onto my tongue as I rammed it inside her.
“Oh, gods, yes!” Ravi cried out, and she writhed above me as I continued licking and sucking her flower. Her juices began to run down onto my face, and suddenly she came. She cried out even louder as her climax hit her over and over, and I didn’t stop licking until her shudders stopped and she sat back on my chest.
As Ravi’s climax slowed, Aaliyah’s second one began. I felt her walls tighten around my cock as she rode me, and then she moaned with pleasure as she came. I pushed my hips up to meet hers, released a wave of my seed into the lioness, and filled her pussy until she gasped for air.
Once the lion Demi-Human had gotten her fill, I lifted Ravi from my chest while Aaliyah climbed off my hips and slid into the water.
“Your turn,” I chuckled as I turned to the phoenix, who sat on the edge with her feet in the tub. Then I got in the water and pulled her down from the ledge.
The flame-haired beauty giggled as I turned her around so her plump ass faced me, and I bent her over the edge. Then I slid my erection into her now soaked pussy and started thrusting in and out of her.
“Ohh, Lord Evan!” Ravi squealed as I pumped my cock into her tunnel.
“Make her come!” Aaliyah moaned, and I turned to see the lioness groping her breasts as she watched me with Ravi.
Fuck, yes.
The visual was almost enough to send me over the edge. Then Ravi’s pussy squeezed around my cock as she began to orgasm, and I couldn’t hold back. I dumped another load of my seed into the phoenix as we came together, and her moans echoed around the bath house.
When I slid out of her a few minutes later, I was satisfied to see some of my load dripping down Ravi’s thighs. Then she slowly dropped into the water and took a deep breath.
“I’m glad we found that snake,” she sighed as she floated and let her orange hair fan out around her.
“Me, too,” I laughed.
“Would you like some help cleaning up?” Aaliyah asked as she grabbed a piece of soap from the edge of the tub.
“Absolutely.” I grinned.
We spent the next few hours cleaning and fucking, and I was never h
appier about missing dinner.
When I awoke the next morning, the bell was ringing in a frenzy, but it wasn’t the same wake-up chimes we’d heard the day before.
I threw off my blanket and looked around. Somehow, I’d made it back to my room, and three women were passed out on the bed with me.
Aaliyah and Ravi groaned at the commotion, but Alyona had heard the bells, too. She held my gaze for a moment, and then she got up and looked out the window.
“There are a bunch of centaurs running around outside,” the princess informed me.
“What?” I frowned and joined her at the window.
She was right, though. Lumin’s citizens were running back and forth outside the castle, and it looked like the Sagittarius Order was gathering in front of the steps.
“What do you think is happening?” Alyona murmured and glanced up at me.
“I’m going to check it out,” I decided as I turned and started yanking on my clothes.
“I’ll go with you,” Alyona offered, and she pulled on her robe as well. Then she gestured to Ravi and Aaliyah, who had somehow fallen back asleep among the pillows and blankets. “Should we wake them?”
“No time,” I answered. Then I grabbed her hand, and we rushed out of the room toward the front of the castle.
At least a dozen centaurs were arguing in the sitting area, including the queen and River.
“I thought you killed it!” Mona screeched, and her jade eyes flashed as she glared up at the centaur commander before her.
“We did kill the basilisk!” River argued, and even though he towered over the queen in his horse form, he seemed cowed by her. “I watched it burn with my own eyes!”
“Then how the hell did this happen?” the queen demanded.
Then they noticed Alyona and I standing in the doorway.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“You!” Mona pointed a finger at me. “You said you took care of the problem, yet another one of my people has gone missing!”
“Okayyyyy,” I drawled as I held up my hands. “Well, we killed the basilisk. If that’s not what was kidnapping people, then we need to figure out what other shit you have in the forest. Was this new kidnapping any different than the others?”