by Logan Jacobs
Hell, it was actually going to be more than that.
Queen Nerissa was very pregnant at the moment, and she was due within the next month. Meanwhile, Ainsley and Jemma both carried my children, too.
The Niralope women took far longer to give birth than the dragonkin or the Coonag, but they were both already a bit along in their pregnancies. Both of them were starting to show little lumps, which told me they were just about out of the first trimester.
In a little under a year, I was going to have five more children, and that was if none of these beautiful women were bearing twins or triplets.
Happiness swelled inside of me as I looked over at the five amazing kids I had already. Soon, they would have little brothers or sisters they could play with, but more importantly, they would have brothers and sisters they could work with to build a better world.
Well, as long as I kept them and the rest of our family safe, but that wasn’t a question.
I would do whatever it took to keep my friends and family safe. I’d kill every single orc, slay every single deadly creature that inhabited our island… Anything or anyone who dared to come between me and my women and children was going to end up on the tip of my sword.
Or, even better, in the belly of a water dragon. Or, even better still, they’d be turned to ash by one of those fire-breathing monstrosities slumbering inside the volcano.
We couldn’t do that, though, until we went back to the volcanic island, awakened the sleeping dragons, and rebonded them with members of my crew.
And, if Jonas was truly ready, we needed to do that as soon as humanly possible.
“Jonas, are you sure you know how to do the ceremony?” I asked the soothsayer once more.
“I do,” the old man confirmed. “Whenever you are ready to go back to the island, I will be ready to join you.”
“Wellllll…” I drawled, “I think I’m ready now.”
The whole courtyard fell silent at my words.
“N-Now?” Jemma sputtered as her chartreuse eyes widened. “Like, you want to leave right now?”
“Well, not ‘right now’ right now,” I explained, “but I want to have a crew together by nightfall so we can set out first thing in the morning.”
“Well, obviously I’m coming,” the auburn-haired Niralope proclaimed, and she lifted her chin. “As will Tirian.”
“We’re going, too.” Nadir pointed between herself and Lezan.
“That’s right,” Lezan added with a sharp-toothed smile. “Coonag tradition is the male always keeps his pregnant mates at his side so he can protect them. You can’t really do that if you’re several islands away.”
A million thoughts raced through my head. Was it smart to let both of these women come along with us on this adventure? It was one thing to have Jemma there, since she was barely even showing and wouldn’t be obnoxiously pregnant for several more months, but with the Coonag? For all I knew, they could grow a giant baby bump in the next few days. However, I also knew how stubborn they were, and I knew there was no way in hell I was going to be able to convince them otherwise.
“I suppose,” I conceded, “if it’s tradition…”
“I know you can count Mira in, as well,” Nerissa spoke up as she, Talise, and Careen approached. “Probably Sela, too. They both seem to be vying for your attention lately.”
“I’ve noticed,” I chuckled. “I’m gonna have to see what I can do about that. Anyways, how did you hear us from all the way over there?”
“The acoustics in this place are splendid, Ben,” the queen mused. “It was built so I could have a full conversation with somebody all the way at the other side of the courtyard.”
“Those are some damn good acoustics,” I whistled. “Puts the Sydney Opera House to shame.”
I honestly wasn’t sure how that worked with a structure made out of essentially waddle and daub, but I wasn’t going to try and argue.
“Congratulations on the pregnancies, ladies.” Nerissa nodded to the two Coonag women. “You’ll find Draco Rex’s seed is very strong, as will the children you bear him be.”
“We know.” Nadir smiled. “I can’t wait to have Ben’s incredible children.”
“Neither can I,” Lezan added. “Leaving our island and joining up with such a powerful, loving man was easily the greatest decision we’ve ever made. If Ben keeps impregnating the Coonag women like this, our race will come back more powerful than it was even before.”
“That’s the goal.” I winked, and my cock slightly throbbed in my pants at the thought of fucking each and every last one of the wild racoon women who had come back with me. Still, I couldn’t let my mind dwell on that right now. “So, that gives me Mira, Nadir, Lezan, Jemma and Tirian, Sela, and Jonas… I’d say that’s a pretty fucking good crew.”
“You’re forgetting one more, Dad.” Arrick’s voice cracked as he proudly strutted over to our position, with Malkey at his side.
“Who?” Jemma questioned, and she cocked her head to the side. “Is Malak coming along, as well? Or Brenna or Nima or Trin?”
My son scowled at the deer woman, but she didn’t seem phased. So, the young boy puffed out his chest and patted his bondmate excitedly.
“No,” he explained. “It’s me! I think I’m old enough to come along for this adventure.”
“Absolutely not,” I shot back. “We are literally going to an island with a bunch of sleeping dragons. That’s not the kind of place I want somebody your age.”
“Come on, Dad.” Arrick folded his arms across his chest. “You said this was just going to be a rebonding ceremony, right? And you trust Jonas to not fu-- er, mess it up, right?”
“Of course, I do.” I nodded and looked over at the soothsayer. “I’d trust Jonas with my life.”
“Then what are you worried about?” My gray-eyed son shrugged. “There shouldn’t be any danger with Jonas in charge of the ritual. Also, you keep going on and on about how I’m going to be king someday, but I’m stuck on this island all the time. Shouldn’t I be learning how to be a king by going out at sea with you?”
Damn. The little scamp was making some very good points. What kind of a king would Arrick be if he spent his entire childhood cooped up on this island? Sure, he was learning about the history of his people and training to fight, but that was all just theoretical. He wasn’t going to really learn the ropes until he came out on a couple adventures with his old man.
Still, wasn’t he too young? In my world, he was literally less than a year old, but with the advanced development cycles of the dragonkin, he was the equivalent of a preteen. Where I came from, that was when kids first went out and started getting into trouble with their friends, building strong relationships, and learning more about the world.
The problem was, Arrick was the only male on this island, other than Jonas and me. He didn’t have friends his age, or even a brother who could substitute. If I wanted Arrick to get a true taste of what the Draco Rex does, he needed to start coming out with me.
He was probably right about this particular mission, as well. If all went smoothly, it would be as simple as getting Jonas to the volcano, having him do the ceremony, and leaving.
Then again, when did our missions ever go smoothly?
“What do you think, Mom?” I turned to Nerissa.
The queen seemed taken aback. “Please don’t tell me you’re trying to put this decision all on me!”
“I’d never do such a thing,” I chuckled and held up my hands. “I just see both sides of the issue. He needs to get some experience if he ever wants to be king, but at the same time, he’s pretty young.”
“I’m not young!” Arrick protested. “I’m almost five months old!”
My point, exactly.
Nerissa’s brow furrowed as she stroked her chin and thought it all over. She looked back and forth between the pleading Arrick and me, and then between Arrick and Malkey. Finally, the queen took a deep breath and sighed.
“Alright.” She nodded. “Ar
rick can go along on this mission. But only if Malkey goes with him, and he never, ever leaves your side.”
“Yessssss!” Arrick fist-pumped into the air, and then he began to run toward the courtyard’s exit. “Come on, Malkey! I’m gonna go get a real sword!”
Malkey looked over at Nerissa and I with a skeptical look on his face.
Won’t this be dangerous? the dragon asked. I’ve never fought anyone before.
“Don’t worry about it,” I promised the copper-scaled dragon. “This should be one of our easier missions. We may not even come across any enemies, if we make haste.”
Then I’ll be sure to “make haste!” Malkey proclaimed, and then he turned and ran after his bondmate.
“They’d better give him a small sword,” Nerissa sighed.
“We could always just tell him he has to take the wood one,” I joked. “You know, bring the hammer down? Be the bad parents?”
“Very funny,” the pearl-scaled woman mused. “As much as I hope your trip goes smoothly, any time any of us leave this island, the danger becomes real. If he must go out into the wider world, I want him to have an actual weapon.”
“If it makes you feel any better,” I started, “he seems to train with the wood sword twenty-four seven, so he’s got to be a decent swordsman by now, right?”
I looked Nerissa in the eyes, and we both burst out laughing. Even though he’d been training with that toy sword, it was always with one of the dragons or his siblings. That was obviously no substitute for actual military training, even if that’s what he was trying to emulate.
Nerissa’s smile faded when she looked over at Jonas.
“What about you?” she asked. “Or Marella? Have either of you had a vision about Arrick lately?”
“I haven’t,” Jonas admitted. “Though, if something terrible were set to happen, one of us most certainly would have had a vision by now.”
“Marella?” The queen turned to my daughter. “Have you had any dreams or visions about your brother lately?”
“Not a single one,” the teenager promised and shook her head. “Also, I know my opinion doesn’t mean much, but I think Arrick will do fine. He’s a lot smarter than he acts most of the time.”
Yikes. Talk about sibling love.
“Ben.” Nerissa placed her hand against my chest and stared deep into my eyes. “This is a huge risk. Please take care of our son… I don’t know what I would do if something happened to him while you were all away.”
“You won’t have to worry,” I reassured her. “He’ll be with me. Also, look at the crew that’s coming with me. Between the two dragons, deadly warriors, and the man who can see the future, he’ll have plenty of protection.”
The silver-haired queen bowed her head. “I know he’s with good company. I just can’t help but worry… This is the first time he’s ever left the island.”
I placed my hand against Nerissa’s soft cheek and then kissed her on the head.
“I know,” I murmured, “and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little worried, too. But this will be good for him. He’s going to have to learn how to sail a ship and have his first battle eventually. We can’t shelter him here on the island forever, or else he will be one of those weak kings who just has their underlings do all the dirty work.”
“Ugh.” Nerissa shuddered. “My grandfather was like that. My dad and brother always hated his guts.”
“Which is why Arrick’s coming along.” I smiled. “On top of sailing the ship and all the combat and survival things I’m planning to show him, I can teach him how to be a great king.”
“That would be wonderful.” Nerissa smiled back.
“I just hope he comes back with a good sword,” I chuckled. “Knowing our weapons-maker, they’ll probably send him back with a stone dagger or something.”
“There’s nothing wrong with a stone weapon!” Nadir interjected, and the raccoon-woman’s lower lip jutted out into a pout. “Just ask any of the creatures who have met their end on the head of my battle axe.”
“Fair enough,” I conceded. “But I’m still gonna go out on a limb and say a seaglass sword is better than anything a stone can make.”
“Ohhhhh, noooo.” Nadir shook her head and clicked her tongue. “This is why it’s a good thing Lezan and I are coming along. I’d hate to see anyone feed your son that sort of misinformation. Nothing beats a good rock.”
“It’s not misinformation,” Nerissa retorted, “that’s a simple fact. Seaglass is the strongest material known to our people. It’s held up against the stone, steel, and ivory of our enemies’ weapons quite well.”
“But can you use seaglass to bash your opponent’s skull in?” Nadir smirked. “Or use it to break the joints in their bones before you go in for the final kill?”
“You’ve got us there,” I snickered. “Seaglass is sturdy, but it is very, very light. When you hit your enemy with the flat side of the sword, it just stuns them for a second, no worse than if you smacked them with a flyswatter. Still… when I swing my weapon at an opponent, I’m going in for the kill. Hence why I love my light, swift sword better.”
Nadir shrugged. “Your loss, Draco Rex.”
“Just so you know,” Lezan interjected and patted her belly, “our child will fight with a stone axe, just like their mother.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Lezan,” Nadir purred as she shook her head. “Our children will fight with both stone and seaglass weapons. They must get the best of both worlds, seeing as how they will be of two races.”
“Fine,” Lezan pouted and flicked back her multicolored hair with a jerk of her head. “But the stone weapon will be their primary, right? I can’t train them to hunt if they’re always using a spear or a sword…”
“Hey, I’ll let you be in charge of the weapons training.” I held up my hands in concession. “I’ll just be happy as long as our children come out safe and healthy.”
Nadir’s hooded black eyes went soft, as if my words had melted the staunch dark orbs into two nebulous pools, and she placed her hand on my face gracefully as a soft half-smile rose up the corners of her lips.
“That’s why we love being with you, Ben,” the Coonag leader sighed. “You know what’s important in life, and you don’t let the small, trivial things get in the way.”
“Well, everything that’s important but the weapons.” Lezan joked. “I think we still have some teaching to do on that front.”
“I trained you guys,” I reminded the racoon women, “so maybe someday you could train me in your ways? I think I’d be pretty damn lethal with a stone axe.”
Nadir’s gray eyes lit up at the thought, and she bit her bottom lip as she let out a soft moan.
“I’d love to see you with such a strong, powerful weapon,” the dark-haired woman purred. “It would fit you very well. And we all know how good you are at using ‘big weapons’…”
“Alright!” Marella interjected as she threw up her hands. “I think that’s my cue to go back to meditating!”
My daughter glanced downward as she turned, ran away, and left us adults to continue our conversations.
“Oops,” I chuckled. “We really gotta watch what we say around the children. Especially now that they’re old enough to understand that sort of stuff.”
“She’ll survive,” Talise laughed.
Marella scuttled past her siblings, stopped to say something to her bondmate Cerin, and then continued on to the exit of the courtyard. Not long after she had left, her water dragon followed, much to the dismay of my three toddlers.
The younger children began to chatter and cry about how their playmates had left them, and soon the courtyard was filled with the sounds of their dismay.
“I’ll go handle them,” Careen laughed, and then the pixie-haired dragonkin turned to attend to the kids. “It’s almost time for their afternoon naps, anyways.”
“A nap sounds really good right now,” I admitted with a yawn. “Hopping through the trees like Tarzan really take
s it out of you.”
“I don’t know who that is,” the auburn-haired Jemma spoke up, “but you’re right. I feel like I could sleep for a week.”
Even though I was tired from this morning’s unexpected activities, I didn’t really have time to sleep. If we wanted to set sail first thing in the morning, we needed to spend the entirety of the afternoon loading up the ship with provisions. It wasn’t a very far journey from our home island, but Jonas was adamant the ceremony would take a very long time. So, I wanted us to prepare as if we would be gone for multiple days.
That meant lots of food, lots of clothes, and lots of materials we could use to build makeshift shelters and fires and all of that.
“Tell you what,” I offered my long-legged mate. “If you want to go and rest up for our journey tomorrow, go and do so. That goes for you, too, Jonas. I need everybody on our crew to be as fresh as possible. Especially the guy whose ceremony could potentially make or break the entire mission.”
“Very well.” Jonas crossed his arms and nodded. “I can’t say I had quite as eventful a morning as you did, Ben, but I think some rest could do me some good.”
“Nerissa? Nadir?” I looked back and forth between the two leaders. “Have all of our people start loading the ships with provisions. Rations, weapons, cooking and camping supplies… you know what to bring.”
“Of course.” Nerissa nodded. “How many days should I tell them to account for?”
“A full week,” I explained.
“The ceremony won’t take a whole week,” Jonas scoffed. “My estimate is it will be five to ten hours at most.”
“I’d rather be safe than sorry,” I noted. “Sure, the ceremony will only take a few hours, but what happens if we get lost in the ashy forest for a day or two? What happens if the ship takes damage, and we’re forced to anchor in place for a long period of time? It’s better to have too much and not need it than to need something and not have it.”
“I didn’t mean to question your tactics,” Jonas apologized and inclined his head. “I just wanted to clarify the length of the ceremony.”