Singed

by Malloy, Misty

  I fished in my pocket for the bracelet. I held it gingerly between two fingers, trying to touch it hardly at all. “I used this. But I didn’t want to.”

  “The dragon goddess’s bracelet. Niiiice.” A thoughtful look crossed Lia’s features while the room continued to fill with smoke. “So you had to use magick, even though that’s the last thing you wanted. Huh.”

  “Yeah, but I think it’s dumb that I had to. I mean—”

  I immediately shut my mouth as the Oracle’s bright green eyes rolled back into her head. Her gaze—now a cloudy white—stared as if seeing right through me.

  Zeverini undulated slowly around her neck. He flicked his tongue. One flick. Then another.

  The Oracle began to sing, a long, lilting melody that flowed from her lips. Not like the earlier Metallica song, but this time in the ancient dragon language. The snake swayed to and fro, in time to the song, dipping in and out of the billowing clouds that surrounded us.

  I sat, mesmerized, while the cloudy eyes seemed to delve deep within my soul.

  Then, suddenly, the song stopped. Just as quickly as it had started.

  I swallowed, feeling super uncomfortable with those unblinking eyes staring at me. Zeverini hissed, momentarily lunging forward, and then retreated back to the Oracle to slither around her neck.

  Crap. Was I supposed to say something? I bit my lip, not sure of what to do.

  Finally, the Oracle’s lips moved. “The dragon goddess would like to speak with you.”

  I nodded, waiting for more instructions, but nothing came. “Umm…yes, please,” I said after a few seconds.

  She spoke again immediately. “First, you must take the chalice.”

  The chalice. Okay, got it. I needed a chalice. Although I didn’t see one lying around—the smoke was so thick now that I could barely see anything at all.

  “Then with it, you must make an offering.”

  “What kind?”

  The Oracle sat silent. More weird non-blinky eyes. More snakey, serpentine motions.

  “Goddess?” I repeated. “What kind of offering?”

  “My child, that is for you to find out.” A pause. “Well, I suppose I could give you a hint. How about this…from the seeds comes the fruit.”

  From the seeds comes the fruit? Well, duh. Every kid learned that in third grade. I tried my best not to make a face and to be respectful, but I couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed with my hint.

  “Can I get another hint?” I asked, but then the smoke started to clear. Lia blinked…and suddenly her eyes were once more bright green. Zeverini flicked his tongue one more time at me, and then settled comfortably around the Oracle’s neck.

  Lia batted at some remaining smoke. “So what’s dumb?” she asked. “You never finished your sentence.”

  “My sentence?”

  “Yeah. You were saying it was dumb you had to use the bracelet, because you don’t like the magick, and yadda yadda…”

  I blinked at her. “Sure. But that was before your eyes did the weird stuff, and then the goddess spoke to me through you, and—”

  “Oh!” she interrupted. “You’re saying you already got your message.”

  “Well…yeah. You don’t remember?” I gazed at her in confusion. Did this not just happen a few seconds ago?

  Lia shook her head apologetically. “No. That’s the thing…I don’t remember anything at all. It’s kind of like a blackout moment, you know, like after you’ve had five tequilas too many, and then you wake up in some random dude’s bed the next morning.”

  “Really?”

  “I know. It’s annoying. Now that you mention it, my eyes do feel a bit dry. Sort of a side effect of the channeling.”

  I nodded, totally understanding how the lack of blinking could cause a little dry eye.

  “Hang on a sec,” said Lia, and got up to grab some eye drops from a purse she’d tucked next to a ledge. “So tell me…what did the goddess say?”

  “Not much,” I admitted. “Only that I needed to make an offering with the chalice, and then she’d come talk to me.”

  “Wow! The chalice!” She popped the drops in one eye, and then the other. “I’m so glad that’s being used again. Gods, it’s been at least a couple hundred years since someone’s asked for it. I always feel so bad for it, sitting here by itself.” She returned the drops to her purse, and then walked over to the chest in which she kept her special Dragon Oracle clothes.

  She rummaged in the chest for a few moments, and then brought me something that looked like a large golden wine goblet. “Here ya go.”

  I held it out carefully in front of me.

  “It’s not going to explode or anything.”

  I sighed. “I know, but…what do I do with this thing? What kind of offering?”

  Lia shrugged. “I’ve got no idea. Just make it meaningful, I’d say.” She looked at her watch. “Well. I should probably get going. I have to work at my other job tonight.”

  “Your other job?” I blinked at her.

  “Yep. I work nights bartending at the shifter bar in town. This is only a daytime gig. I don’t even sleep here—I’ve got a little apartment in town. It’s a bitch to get any WiFi out here, you know?”

  I couldn’t even imagine, still a bit disgruntled over all the woo-woo events that had just happened. I rose and clutched the chalice to my chest. “Well…thank you. For the chalice, and all your help…and everything, I guess.”

  “Sure.” She grinned and gave me a hug. “I feel like we could be girlfriends!” She sighed and then shrugged. “That is, if I was allowed to have girlfriends. You know, you and your dragons don’t have to leave right away. You guys can stay and enjoy the cave if you want. Maybe have some wine?”

  I immediately shook my head. “No, thank you. I’m, uh…” My hand went on its own accord down to my stomach.

  Lia’s gaze followed my gesture. “Oh! Pregnant?”

  “Umm…”

  She sniffed delicately. “No, not pregnant. But you’re trying to conceive. Got it. Well, why didn’t you say so earlier? You know, I’ve got a humongous ancient breeding ground in my backyard. Go get your dragons and I’ll show you.”

  14

  Lyssa

  Lia led the five of us up a narrow, winding path into the giant red rock formations. We trekked single-file beneath a sheer cliff face, the wildflower-speckled valley below us, until the trail opened into a giant, flat plateau.

  “The dragon landing strip,” Lia explained. “Not in the pubic hair sense, you know, but for dragons to have enough room to land and take off.”

  Drake chortled, his mind clearly on the other use of the terminology.

  “And then around the corner,” Lia continued, “is the entrance to the breeding grounds.”

  We followed her through a crack between two cliff walls, and then I saw it…a huge mouth of a cave, large enough for a dragon to fit through. I could already feel licks of energy emanating from the cavern. It permeated the rock walls and swirled around me like a vortex, urging me inside.

  Mate…breed…love…it seemed to chant.

  Ohhh goddess. Moisture pooled between my legs. I bit my lower lip as a tremor of desire zipped down my spine, and I clutched the golden chalice close to my chest.

  “Just a warning,” Lia said, pausing in front of the entrance. “I haven’t been in here in what…a couple hundred years or so? No one’s come asking for the breeding grounds in a while.”

  “It’s because hardly anyone knows where they are,” Trey pointed out. “The locations aren’t documented anywhere.”

  A thoughtful expression crossed Lia’s face. “Actually, sexy scientist guy, you’re probably correct.”

  Trey cleared his throat. “It’s…Trey.”

  “Right, Trey,” Lia said. “Anyway, I have no idea what it looks like. Like if it’s dusty, or cold and dank, or whatever.” She made a face and shrugged.

  At the moment, I really didn’t care. I just wanted to go inside, to feel more
of this crazy, lusty mating heat.

  Lia shot us a huge grin. “You guys ready? Come on.”

  She led us through the entrance into the dimly lit cavern, and immediately the dragon fertility energy became stronger. Okay, that was an understatement—let’s just say it completely blew my mind. It enveloped me entirely, yanking me into its grasp. It seeped into my body and I could feel it pulsing in my veins, then sucking itself into a fiery ball within my core.

  A sudden billow of heat unfurled from my womb. “Oh!” I exclaimed, dropping the chalice to the ground with a loud thunk. I clutched my belly and tendrils of warmth expanded to flow through my body once again. Damn, I was horny. Wetness dripped down my thighs and my nipples ached under my T-shirt.

  Lia picked up the chalice and patted my back. “You okay?” she asked. “Hormone explosion, huh? I’ve heard it can be a doozy.”

  Holy smokes. Hormone explosion? “Yeah. I’m fine,” I said, even though my body still reeled with the aftershock. I did my best to steady myself while my insides throbbed with the effects of the breeding fervor that swirled around me.

  My eyes slowly became adjusted to the dim light of the spacious cavern—also filled with glowing crystals set into niches in the rock walls—and a glance at my dragons showed me fire simmering in their eyes.

  No doubt the intense, sexual power of the breeding ground tugged at them as well.

  “Do you guys see this?” Lia exclaimed, walking farther into the cavern. She gestured to the surroundings—a corner filled with multicolored plush pillows, blankets, and throws, an area almost twice the size of a king bed. Close to the love nest was a table filled with various fruits, cheeses, and sliced meats. “The dragon goddess must like you…” she continued, “because I certainly didn’t put this all together.”

  The goddess prepared this love den for us? But I didn’t spend too much time thinking about it, because at that very moment, desire pulsed through me with such intensity that it pushed me over the edge.

  Drake stood nearest to me, and I yanked him close, crushing my lips to his. “Fuck me,” I demanded in between kisses. I frantically tugged at his zipper, brushing up against the hardness of his erection.

  Smoke flitted through his nostrils, mixing with the sweet, musky scent of arousal that coiled all around us. The air crackled with heat.

  “My pleasure, amore,” Drake murmured. He scooped me up and sauntered over to a large natural springs pool, similar to the one in the Oracle’s cave. Surrounding the pool lay carefully folded piles of soft, fluffy towels, and various soaps and bottles.

  He eased me to the ground and I kissed him again, looking over his shoulder to see my other three dragons approaching, and Lia setting down the chalice and hurrying out of the cave. I stripped out of my clothes in what seemed like a split second, aching desperately to be naked—and pleasured as soon as possible, of course. I eased slowly into the hot, bubbling tub, using the natural steps to lower myself into the water, submerging myself entirely for one moment.

  My internal temperature ricocheted up a million more degrees as I watched my four dragons strip in front of me. I licked my lips—four beautiful, chiseled bodies. Not to mention four fabulous cocks, aroused and bobbing and ready to play.

  My mates eased into the water while the breeding energy continued to pulse within me. Looking down, I could see small, glowing crystals within the pool’s rock bottom, outlining my body and the tips of my hard nipples with a soft bluish light. My pussy throbbed with anticipation, in tune with the vibration of this ancient dragon mating ground.

  Hell yes. Love den, where had you been all my life?

  “Let me wash you, cara,” said Drake, grabbing a bar of soap. He lathered it in his hands and began to caress my shoulders in soft, circular strokes.

  Ethan and Jackson followed Drake’s example and lathered up additional bars of soap. Trey plucked a bottle of what looked like shampoo off the ledge, and I soon felt his hands in my hair, gently massaging my scalp. It sent delicious sizzles of heat skittering all the way down to my toes.

  Ethan moved behind me to wash my back, while Jackson used his masseuse skills to suds up my breasts. Only one devious, taut nipple peeked out from under the mountain of bubbles. Jackson playfully flicked it with his thumb, shooting me a mischievous grin.

  “Mmm,” I murmured, closing my eyes, as my dragons continued to touch me all over. The caresses. The flicks. The slow-burn strokes across my skin. Ohhh goddess—getting a bath had never fucking felt this good. Ethan cupped my ass cheeks and gave them a little squeeze, and when Drake smoothed his fingers across my swollen sex, heat spread like wildfyre within my core.

  I took a moment to dunk my head under the water to rinse all the suds from my hair. When I emerged, bubbles gurgling all around me, I was met with the lusty stares of my mates.

  Ethan lifted me by my ass cheeks and plopped me onto the edge of the hot tub. His gray eyes smoldered in that hunky mouthwatering way I liked so much. He pushed my legs open with his hands.

  Four sets of hot dragon gazes locked upon my pussy.

  “Fucking beautiful,” said Ethan. “Open for us and show us what’s ours.”

  I spread my legs even wider, creating another onslaught of hot, wet heat.

  Ethan traced his thumb lightly across my seam. He brought his thumb to his mouth, glistening with my juices, and sucked it clean.

  A moan spilled from my lips.

  He leaned forward to lightly flick his tongue against my clit, and I immediately bucked my hips forward, wanting more.

  My other three dragons seemed content to watch while Ethan kissed my slick, wet folds.

  Jackson hoisted himself onto a nearby ledge, shooting me his boyish grin before running his hand along his cock. Drake took a moment to jump up and grab a sprig of grapes from the table before returning to his spot, then popped them into his mouth, one by one, another type of hunger in his eyes and a wild erection even lower. And Trey—well, Trey just sat on one of the rocky steps, half submerged in the water, his face unreadable as usual.

  But as I met Trey’s gaze—Ethan still lapping at me and the tension within my core winding tighter and tighter—the fire in his eyes told me of his desire.

  I was everything to him. And my dragons were everything to me.

  I glanced at Jackson, and Drake, and then back at Ethan, clutching his hair while the earthy pulsations of the cave continued to reverberate within me. Finally, as I writhed beneath him, a thousand starbursts exploded before my eyes.

  I flopped onto my back, and a moment later, Trey was wrapping me in a soft towel, then scooping me up in his arms and taking me to the love nest. He laid me down on the soft cushions, his strong and sexy Viking body looming above me, while my other mates dried off and trailed over to join us.

  Trey’s impressive erection bobbed in front of him, and I grasped it in my hand. “Looks like you’re feeling better,” I said, winking, obviously happy that his man bits had healed well.

  “Yeah,” he said, a smile on the corners of his lips. “Much better.” Then he plunged into me, strength and power emanating from him. He did that thing—the one where I felt like he could see to the depths of my soul, and I could maybe see into his, too—and my inner dragoness just about squealed with happiness. When he came inside me, a little shiver of excitement skittered down my spine and into my belly.

  Ethan entered me next, while the rest of my dragons surrounded me, fondling my breasts and kissing my mouth. Ethan hiked my legs up onto his shoulders, his strong and steady thrusts angling deep and fucking me hard, and was soon followed by Jackson, whose easy glides took me on a wave of pure bliss.

  Oh goddess! I felt so dizzy with love and lust and anticipation for the future.

  Drake took me last—which was a good idea, because I often felt like I needed a nice warm up before sex with him. He flipped me onto all fours, easing his huge cock inside, and I immediately felt his fiery passion ignite a fuse within me.

  When he roared, his warm come
filling me to the brim, I sizzled beneath him, my entire soul set ablaze, the cave pulsing and quaking and trembling to the beat of my heart.

  15

  Lyssa

  I woke up to find my mates snoring on the cushions around me. Stretching like a cat, I nuzzled my face in the fluffy blanket I’d used to wrap myself in. Ohh. So soft. And so fuzzy. Then I flung it off me, realizing I didn’t need the warmth—even though we slept in a cavern, the temperature was the perfect level of coolness. Not too hot and not too cold.

  The luscious fertility energy of the ancient breeding ground still pulsed around me, but I didn’t find its intensity overwhelming like I had yesterday. Instead, the entire space vibrated gently, a steady ebb and flow.

  A tingle of happiness fluttered in my belly. No doubt I was already pregnant.

  Squeee! I couldn’t wait for the guys to wake up so we could talk about the good news. I bet just one whiff of my delicious pregnancy hormones would send them right over the edge, blabbering like idiots and foaming at the mouth.

  Should I wake them? Evil Lyssa wanted to bounce on the cushions, or maybe even sit on one of their faces. I sighed. They all looked so peaceful—Drake was even drooling a little bit on his pillow—and the good side of me decided to let them be.

  Besides, I was starving. My stomach growled loudly, and I grinned—well, now I’d be eating for two. I carefully eased off the love nest to avoid waking the sleeping dragons, and padded over to the table where snacks had been laid out yesterday.

  This morning, an entirely fresh spread of breakfast food had been arranged, next to carafes of orange juice and coffee.

  Hot damn. The dragon goddess really did like us.

  I chose a particularly delectable-looking raspberry pastry and shoved half of it into my mouth. “Thank you, dragon goddess,” I whispered with my mouth full. “So…will you please come talk to us now?”

  I waited for a moment. Then another.

  Nothing.