by Sophie Stern
“Oh, she likes it,” Emerald murmurs.
“Pretty pussy,” Moon comments. “I want a turn next.”
“There will be plenty of time for everyone,” Chrys agrees. “Don’t think for a minute we’re going to be done here until we’ve all tasted your pussy, Sapphire. Every last one of us wants a treat from you.”
I lean back against him, resting my head on Emerald’s chest, and I moan. I can’t do anything but moan. Moon and Chrys are touching my legs, stroking my skin, and Garnet is licking me like there’s nowhere he’d rather be. I’m getting closer, closer.
“That’s it, pretty girl,” Chrys murmurs. “Come for Garnet, baby. Come right on his tongue, princess. You know how fucking good it will feel.”
“Come, Sapphire,” Moon agrees, egging me on.
“I’m so close,” I moan, wiggling. No longer concerned about falling, I thrust my hips forward against Garnet’s mouth, and he chuckles as he continues swiping his tongue across me in long licks. Then he sucks my clit into his mouth and that does it.
That sets me free.
I cry out as I come ridiculously hard: harder than I ever have before, and then Garnet stands and slides into me as I’m still orgasming, filling me. The sensation is overwhelming and wonderful and incredible.
“Fuck,” I whisper, reaching for him. I pull him closer to me as he fucks me standing up. Emerald is still holding me tightly. Chrys and Moon let go of my legs and I wrap them around Garnet as he fucks me hard. “Baby,” I whisper, moaning.
Emerald bites my neck as Garnet shows no signs of relenting. He fills me over and over, sating me, satisfying my need to be taken care of in this way. Then, in one fluid motion, he pulls out and Emerald flips me around so we’re face-to-face.
“My turn, baby,” he whispers, and he lowers me onto his cock. The sensation is thrilling and overwhelming at the same time, and I can’t form two coherent thoughts. All I can think about is the fact that this feels so right, so whole. It feels like this is what I was born for.
Somehow, we move to the bed, which seems to be large enough for all of us, and the men start to take turns fucking me over and over and over. Moon takes a turn, making love to me from behind. Chrys slides his length into my mouth while Moon dominates my pussy. Back and forth, I’m filled over and over, and when Chrys comes in my mouth, it’s a satisfying feeling. I feel womanly and whole and complete.
I feel worshipped.
I feel adored.
He kisses me after. Moon is still inside of me, still fucking me hard. Then he, too, comes, filling me. He moves to my front, too, and starts to play with my breasts while Chrys keeps kissing me over and over and over. I feel hands touching me, playing with me, stroking my bottom, and sliding in and out of my pussy.
I come again and then Emerald takes me once more. He slides his length inside of me. He’s thick, maybe even the thickest of all my men, and I feel full with him inside of me.
“He’s going to come for you, baby,” Garnet murmurs, stroking my back. They’re all around me, completely surrounding me. All of their hands are on me: touching my nipples, bouncing my breasts, stroking my skin. They kiss me and touch me. “Doesn’t that make you feel fucking incredible? You’re going to make him come with that sweet, sweet pussy,” Garnet tells me, and in case I haven’t come enough in one day, Garnet’s dirty fucking mouth makes me explode once more.
Emerson comes, too, filling me.
“Fuck,” he groans. “Your pussy is so damn tight, Sapphire.”
He rolls me over and then he slides over me, kissing me. Our skin rubs against each other. It’s cool and hot at the same time, and I’m so sleepy and happy and content right now that I just kiss him and kiss him and kiss him. Then he moves, and it’s Garnet’s turn.
My last dragon.
My mate.
“Darling, I murmur, reaching for him. I pull him close to me. My other mates are still close, whispering and murmuring and touching me. They’re talking about how beautiful I look and how special I am and how nothing is more magical than what we’re sharing right now.
No matter how much magic there is in Draco Patriam, nothing compares to this.
Nothing compares to us.
Nothing compares to how they’re all here for me, loving me, adoring me.
And I feel the same way about them.
Garnet smiles at me and traces a finger down my stomach. He slips it inside of me and then rubs my clit briefly before moving back to my nipples. He touches each of them with his finger and then leans down, kissing me there.
I reach for him, running my hands through his dark hair, stroking his back as he climbs over me, and then he’s inside of me, and once more, I am filled.
I’ve known forever that I would be mated to four wonderful dragons. It’s the way of our country. I just didn’t know that they would be this fantastic, this wonderful, this incredible. Garnet makes love to me over and over, kissing and nipping at me while Chrys, Emerald, and Moon tell me how fucking sexy I look, and then he comes, too.
He comes for me, and I feel complete.
I feel whole.
I feel like a fucking queen.
Chapter Fifteen
Sapphire
There’s no good way to overthrow a queen.
No matter how we do this, someone is going to get hurt. Someone is going to make a mistake. Someone is going to end up a little more broken than they started.
I have a feeling it’s going to be me.
We don’t really have any way to get intel. I mean, who can we trust? We talk about the possibility of trying to contact Chrys, Garnet, Moon, and Emerald’s families, but it seems too risky. I don’t want to give Ruby and Alexandra a heads-up that we’re coming. Not until we absolutely have to.
We stay up late planning and strategizing, and then we’re up before dawn to make our approach. Emerald’s father was quite the planner and somehow, despite the food shortages, there is still quite a supply of food in the secret lair. We have a large, hearty breakfast, and then we’re on our way.
The boys stay naked for easy shifting, but me? I don’t really want to walk naked into the castle I’m hoping to rule from. I rummage around the lair for awhile, but the best I can come up with are a pair of pants that tie at the waist and a tunic.
“No underwear?” Emerald raises an eyebrow.
“As it should be,” Moon comments.
“It’s the best I can do,” I shrug. We take the few weapons there are, close up the secret lair, and leave Emerald’s family home. We don’t bother trying to take the main roads to the castle. That’s an easy death sentence for sure. We don’t want the queen or her guards to know we’re coming. I have no idea how many guards Ruby has or how loyal they are, but the fewer people who see us go to the castle, the better.
Instead of the main roads, we go through The Forbidden Forest, which is my least favorite place in Draco Patriam. It’s not a particularly huge forest or a very dense forest. It’s not even really that scary and it’s not actually forbidden, but it’s a forest that has some spooky animals who live there and sometimes there are weird sounds in it, and local children started calling it “The Forbidden Forest” and the name just sort of stuck.
We walk in silence, each lost in our own thoughts, until we see the castle up ahead.
This is it, I realize.
The moment of truth.
This is the moment we confront my sister and either kill or capture Alexandra. I’m not sure which it’s going to be. I don’t want to kill anyone today. The thought of hurting my sister makes me sick. Even if she really is evil, I don’t know if I can do it. I don’t know if I could kill the girl I spent my childhood sharing secrets with. We even shared a bedroom until we were teenagers and our mates were chosen. Once we had assigned mates, our fathers said we were too old to share a room.
They didn’t know we still sneaked into each other’s bedrooms every night.
They didn’t know how much we still needed each other.
&
nbsp; If it comes down to it, I don’t know if I’m that brave.
Am I brave enough to kill Alexandra?
Probably.
But Ruby?
How could I?
I try not to think about it.
“Are you ready?” Moon asks, stopping beside me. I’m just staring at the castle in the distance. Even from here, I can tell it looks sad and broken. Damaged. It doesn’t have the warmth and happiness it had when my fathers were alive.
Then again, that was a very long time ago.
“No,” I tell him.
“We can wait a few days,” Emerson says. “It doesn’t have to be today.”
“The longer we wait, the more we put everyone at risk,” I say. “As soon as Alexandra and Ruby find out that you’re free, they’re going to flip out. They might send the dragons out, and then what?”
There are other dragon shifters in my country. At least, there were. Being a dragon shifter doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to mate the queen, but most of the shifters aren’t interested in fighting one another. They’re peaceful creatures. They don’t want war. They certainly don’t want war with their own kind.
If Ruby’s mates come and attack the villagers, what then?
What happens next?
To be honest, I’m surprised there hasn’t been more war in the time I’ve been gone, but I suppose it has to do with the fact that everyone feels trapped. With the barrier in place, everyone’s magic has weakened. Everyone has struggled. It wouldn’t surprise me if shifters here had a hard time actually being able to change into their true forms. With the barrier still active, they’ll be weaker than they otherwise would be.
“Then let’s go,” Garnet squeezes my hand and we move stealthily, quietly, toward the castle. We pause at the edge of the forest to look and see what we’re getting ourselves into. The front of the castle is heavily guarded. That’s the main entrance. Anyone making a delivery or needing to speak with the queen goes in there.
That’s not where we’re getting in.
Nope.
We’re going in one of my tried-and-true secret tunnels, and the passageway entrance is on the west side of the castle, close to the forest. We’ll have about fifty feet from the edge of the woods to the passageway’s entrance. It should be shrouded by some bushes. That will give us the space we need to make it inside.
There are a couple of guards walking around the castle. They’re in groups of two circling on a timed rotation. Moon carefully counts, timing our move perfectly, and when the last set of guards rounds the corner, he motions for us to move.
My dragons are perfect.
They’ve been trained by the very best – my fathers’ men – and move silently and quickly. I, too, have been thoroughly trained, and I reach the castle at the same time as my mates. I fumble around, looking for the right rock to move to open the passageway.
“Hurry, darling,” Moon says, carefully looking around. His eyes never slow. His back is to us. He’s watching for more guards while I’m trying to hurry and find the opening.
“Sorry. I’m trying,” I murmur, reaching around. Where the hell is the rock?
Suddenly, the warmth around me vanishes as the men move in unison. I realize what’s happening, but I still turn and look in time to see them knocking out the next two guards who rounded the corner.
Emerald sees me looking and motions for me to turn back around.
“The door,” he mouths. “Come on, baby.”
Right.
The door.
I reach the stone wall, pressing again, trying several different rocks until I find the right one. The door slides open and instantly, I dive inside, followed by Moon, Chrys, Emerald, and finally, Garnet. They close the door behind us just in time because I hear a third set of guards walking by the door.
“Did you hear that?” One says. They’re stopped right outside of the castle.
“Hmm, what’s that?”
“I thought I heard something.”
A pause.
I hold my breath, careful not to release the air from my lungs, and then I hear one of them start to move again.
“I didn’t hear anything.”
The other guard follows. His words are lost in a mumble, and I turn to my dragons. There are no torches here: no magical way to guide us to the center of the castle. I don’t know if Ruby is going to be on the throne or in a cage. Both options frighten and terrify me. There’s no more chance for worry, though.
“Can you see?” Moon whispers.
“No.”
“Can you fashion a torch? Is your magic that strong?” Chrys asks.
“I can’t create a torch out of thin air, no,” I say dryly. “But shouldn’t there be some in here? Shouldn’t there be something?”
We feel around on the walls for awhile, but none of us finds anything.
“If I ever had a stick, one of you could breathe fire on it,” I say.
They laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“Only Moon can breathe fire,” Chrys says.
“You can’t all breathe fire?” I ask slowly. Really? That’s a bit strange, isn’t it? I thought all dragons could breathe fire.
“A myth,” Moon explains. “Come on, love. I’ll lead the way. Emerald will go behind me and you’ll stay close to him. Chrys and Garnet can take the rear.”
“I’ll be right in the middle,” I point out.
“All the better for us to protect you. I know you can handle your own, Sapphire, but give us this honor of pretending we’re protecting you,” Garnet says.
“I can do that.”
We walk in silence. Every so often, Moon stops and asks me for directions. It’s difficult in the dark, but I do my best to guide our little group toward the center of the castle. This tunnel should lead close to the throne room and that’s where we’ll most likely find them. Even if they aren’t conducting official business, something tells me that Alexandra isn’t about to let her son off the throne for one second longer than she has to.
When we’re directly below it, we stop and listen.
We can her them.
Sure enough, there’s a group of them here, and it’s obvious they’re talking about the upcoming anniversary celebration. Anniversaries are a huge deal in Draco Patriam. Whether it’s a mating anniversary or an annual celebration of something, they’re a big deal to everyone here. Ruby’s year on the throne is no different.
“The party will be held at seven,” Alexandra is saying.
“I don’t want a party,” Ruby hisses. I’m surprised by the venom in her voice.
Alexandra ignores her and repeats her statement. “At seven, we’ll have everyone start arriving. That will give them enough time to start eating and drinking before the main event.”
“I said, I don’t want a party.”
Was that a foot stomp I just heard?
It’s hard for me not to giggle at my sister’s obvious outburst, but the sound of a cheek being slapped silences me and erodes any jokes from the moment. Did Alexandra just hit my sister? Did she just strike the queen?
Even if she is evil, striking royalty is an offense punishable by death.
This is the part where Ruby slaps her back or orders her to death.
This is the part where my sister tells her off.
This is where Ruby calls her guards and they take Alexandra away where she can never hurt anyone again.
Only that’s not what Ruby does.
Instead, she starts to cry.
I don’t consider myself very brave, but I’ve never heard Ruby cry. She’s the epitome of bravery. If she’s sobbing over a slap, it must have really fucking hurt.
And she must be so, so tired.
“It’s going to be okay,” Aqua whispers to her. I hear Tour moving near her, too, and he also says something to her.
“Back the fuck away from her,” Alexandrite’s voice tears through the whispers. “And let my mother punish ‘the queen’ as she sees fit.” He sa
ys the queen with venom and malice. Apparently, Alexandrite is also not a fan of my sister.
But he’s her mate.
He should be head-over-heels for her.
It sounds like Tour and Aqua like her. I didn’t hear Topaz, but he always thought Ruby was great. So why doesn’t Alexandrite?
Oh fuck.
Of course.
I am such an idiot.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Moon whispers.
“He’s in it with his mother,” Emerald says in agreement.
We’re quiet, more silent than they are upstairs. They shouldn’t be able to hear us.
“They’re going to kill Ruby,” Chrys says.
“That’s the twist,” Garnet agreed. “I knew there had to be one. This entire thing has been a ploy to make Alexandrite the last remaining chose for the throne. He’s Ruby’s mate, so he’s the natural heir if she dies. If something happens to her…”
“We can’t let that happen,” I whisper, but then I notice something.
There’s no noise coming from the throne room.
And then I hear Alexandra clear her throat.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” she says in a sing-song voice. “I know you’re there, Sapphire. I can fucking smell you.”
Chapter Sixteen
Sapphire
I figured I’d feel scared.
Nervous.
Afraid.
When the moment of truth comes, though, I am none of those things. Now I know the truth. Now I know that Alexandra has been hurting my sister. Now I know she’s an evil bitch and she has to go.
There is no room in my heart for mercy. Not when I thought for so long that my own sister betrayed me.
Before my men can hold me back or grab me, I reach for the trapdoor above me. I shove it open and leap up and into the room. I land awkwardly on my stomach, and I hear Emerald and Moon groan from behind me, but they push me out of the way and enter the room with me.
There’s no time for a stand-off.
Alexandra starts chanting, my mates rush at Ruby’s and I run for the evil bitch who hurt my sister. She’s standing as she chants, staring at me and my mates, and I propel myself forward on pure adrenaline. When I’m close enough, I leap toward her, throwing myself directly at her stomach. It’s a hit and we both go down.