Drakhana's Claim

by Tara Starr

  I see stars behind my eyelids when her movements brush against my growing erection. I move my other hand to her ass and squeeze as hard as I can there too. She undulates against me the way she does when she’s flying through the sky.

  If we keep this up, I’m pretty sure that both of us will cum on the spot. Or we might end up discarding our clothes and making love on the grass. Either way, I’m fine with that, but will she be?

  She must sense my thoughts because she pulls away from me. She bends her head so she’s looking down at the grass, breathing hard. I look out into the distance, trying to think of my next move and to cool my rising desire. We were about to enter the point of no return.

  As much as I would like to drive myself into her in that moment, we have more important things to take care of. Since the kissing happened spontaneously, our conversation isn’t exactly finished. When I’m sure that I have all of my emotions under control, I step back, but I keep my hands on her arms.

  I look into her eyes and say, “Come back to the city with me.”

  “What? Why?”

  “I want you to see the income revenue streams for yourself. I want you to see how bad it is and how the fire dragons are taking territory from us as fast as they can.”

  “They’re taking our territory?”

  “Yes.” I nod once. “They are encroaching on our businesses.”

  “I really should get back to the frontline.” She pauses.

  I give her the time she needs to think. I’ve already asked her what I want. There’s no point in pushing until she’s ready to give her answer.

  Then she looks back at me and says, “If it’s really as bad as you say it is, I want to see what’s going on. But I need to set up communication with Basil so that he can inform me if anything changes at the foothills base. I need to get can as fast as I can if an attack happens.”

  By communication, she means establishing an open telepathic link. It’s a drain on a dragon’s power to maintain a telepathic line, but it’s not uncommon for it to be used during special circumstances. I’m guessing the threat the fire clan poses qualifies as a special circumstance.

  We summon our dragons. I wait as Ivy closes her eyes. I know that she’s calling to Basil. Even in his human form he will hear her if she pushes hard enough.

  I’m not worries. Ivy is powerful enough to maintain a line of communication open for hours at a time. I’m willing to lend her what strength I have should she need it.

  Once she opens her eyes, she says, Let’s go.

  I nod and perform a vertical take off with her. In a rare occasion, she allows me to take the lead back to LA. It actually gives me a confidence boosts that I didn’t quite expect.

  Seventeen

  Ivy

  I’ve kissed many dragons in my life, but none of them affected me the way Logan did. The feel of his lips still lingered on mine even in my dragon form as we flew back to LA. I let him take the lead because I need to get my head on straight.

  I was about to rip his clothes off earlier. I’m not that kind of female. I don’t lose control over my emotions like that.

  Yet, while I was in his arms and grinding against him, I actually thought about the logistics of making love on the grass. It might not have been the most comfortable of places, but I’m a warrior, I’m used to sleeping on the ground if I have to. Good thing our sense took over and we stopped things before we moved to the point of no return.

  It might have been pleasurable in the moment, but what about after? There are too many things to take into consideration. On top of that list is the fact that we’re not out of danger yet. The fire dragons still pose a threat to all sides of our lives.

  Pushing aside all feelings of lust, I concentrate on following Logan to wherever he’s taking me. At the same time, at the back of my mind, the telepathic connection I have with Basil is going strong. Of course, he won’t hear anything that I don’t want him to hear.

  We’re at a light frequency that’s only purpose is for him to get word to me right away without having to worry about signal strength or phone lines failing. He can ping me any time there’s a threat and I’ll fly back to Verglas. This also lessens the load on him since maintaining a connection from this far away can take its toll.

  How is everything on your front? I ask, testing the connection.

  Basil takes a second, but he’s able to respond. All is quiet.

  Good. I will check back in a couple of hours.

  He doesn’t need to confirm. I know that he heard me. At the same time, I want him to save his strength for when it’s needed.

  I switch the frequency to match the one with Logan’s then I say, I thought we were heading back into the city?

  We’re taking a detour first, he says, his voice coming in loud and clear. He swivels his neck so that he can look at me.

  Feeling more confident that I have total control of myself again, I move up so that we’re flying side by side. In an unexpected, yet quite intimate move, he touches his wingtip with mine. The zing of energy that it sends into me wakes me up from whatever haze was left by our kiss.

  Woah! Did you just share your energy with me? I ask, blinking as I see stars ahead of me.

  I felt like you needed it. Maintaining that connection with Basil can take its toll. This way, you can remain alert without draining yourself.

  I grin. I might take you up on that offer a couple more times before this is over. That was positively thrilling.

  Glad to be of service.

  I close the connection for a second so that he doesn’t feel what his words do to me. Something changed between us with that kiss. I just don’t know what that is yet.

  My admiration for Logan has always been there. There was a time when I actually entertained feelings for him. But when he left Verglas for LA, all thoughts of forging a relationship with him vanished with the setting sun.

  Now, we’re in a sort of limbo. What did that kiss mean? It certainly eased the tension between us. I just don’t know if that’s a good thing.

  We need to climb a little higher, he says, flapping his wings and passing through the clouds above us.

  I join him and ask, What did you want to show me?

  I feel like nothing will change since he’s already shown me everything that I needed to know about the business side of things. What else is there? Surely, nothing much has changed since we last did this?

  Do you see those factories and warehouses down there?

  I look down at a complex of buildings. What are they?

  Ice dragons live and work down there. They have been at these factories for generations. Sons taking over for fathers.

  Why are you showing me this?

  Because these are the dragons who are affected when the fire dragons start buying out our businesses, Logan says, his voice solemn and grave. Several hundred of them have already lost their jobs. I’m doing my best buy up more factories where they can work, but right now they are not making a living.

  Why don’t they go to Verglas? It sounded like a stupid question, but I really wanted to know the trust.

  The land at Verglas isn’t infinite, Ivy. Our clan has to expand outward. These dragons are commoners, which means . . .

  They can’t live at Star Peak, I finish for him.

  They are also not farmers. Fertile lands aren’t many at Verglas and all that are available have already been taken. That’s why we have dragons who have moved their families into the city and made their living here while supporting the ice clan.

  With Logan’s gentle voice in my head, I’m starting to understand that there’s more to this than all the money he once showed me. It’s not just banks with vaults. It’s not big buildings or movie sets. It’s real dragons working hard to earn a living.

  I know that you won’t like to hear this, but many of the dragons down there don’t even shift anymore.

  What? I gasp.

  Being unable to shift is the height of weakness for a dragon. It means losing that
connection that tethers them to their homeland. They no longer feel the beating heart of Verglas. Complete and utter sadness invades my heart. I ache for their dragons who have been forced to slumber and eventually fade away.

  The younger generation might not even know their lineage anymore, he admits. To them, they are human. No longer dragon.

  Then all the more we must protect what we have left, I insist, reverting to my earlier argument of needing funds for the frontline.

  Ivy, if you take any more money, the dragons down there will starve. Is that what you want? He turns his head so that he can look me in the eye.

  I see the resolve on his dragon’s face. If I ask for the money one more time, I’m sure he’ll give it to me. But at what cost? Will I be the type of general who doesn’t care if others starve so long as I know my men will be protected?

  Basically, I will be sacrificing a life for another. The warriors know what they have signed up for. No one has forced them into their way of living. The same with the dragons below, but to take away what little they have left goes against everything I stand for.

  I’m terribly moved by this. The guilt inside of me is corrosive, eating parts of my heart that I thought that I’ve hardened long ago. I didn’t know. Or was I just blind and refused to see?

  Is the fire clan still aggressively attacking them financially? I ask, feeling ice form in my throat. I want to let it out and scorch anyone from the fire clan it touches.

  They are, he admits. This is a battle that you don’t see, but it certainly has its casualties. Which is why I’m doing my best to spread around what little funds we have left. I promised these families that I will not let them down.

  You’re doing the right thing, I say. An earlier version of myself wouldn’t have said those very words. Not until I found out the truth. Now that I know, I’m mortified for insisting on getting the money.

  I never thought I would ever hear those words from you, he says, looking at me in awe.

  I scoff, forming a plume of ice crystals. Don’t get used to it.

  There’s silence between us a moment as we continue to hover there. I think of different solutions that might help ease the burdens of the families in need of help. Then an idea comes to me.

  What if we move them to manufacturing? I ask, but really to no one in particular. It’s a same to see those factories go to waste. Surely, there’s a commodity that we can make that’s cheap to produce and can sell for a high price?

  If I wasn’t already surprised earlier, I’d be now. Logan lets out a happy snort that creates ice crystals as well. You just gave me an idea.

  Eighteen

  Logan

  I’m about to suggest to Ivy that we head back into the city. I’d like to pick her brain a little more about the shift into manufacturing. It’s a great solution that will shift the already existing factories to a new purpose.

  I want to see what else she has in mind. What other ideas she might have. Maybe over dinner. Then, afterwards, we’ll see what happens next. I’m not expecting that anything will, but if she’d like to continue where we left off when we were on the field then I wouldn’t be opposed to it.

  Ivy gets a blank look on her sleek dragon face. I know that she’s receiving a message. I pray to all the dragon gods that it’s not the fire clan attacking the frontline. Like Ivy mentioned earlier, we’re not close to ready.

  We need more time. I’m sure I can come up with the funds that she needs. She met me halfway, and I’d like to do the same for her. I just need more time. As much as I want to, I can’t conjure money out of thin air.

  We must go, she says after she returns to herself.

  Is it the fire dragons? Is Verglas under attack? My heart redoubles its beating. I can barely stay in the air—I’m feeling too frantic inside. My muscles are twitching too much.

  She shakes her head. It’s my father. He’s asking us to return to the Floe Fortress for a council meeting.

  How does he know that I’m with you?

  Before I left to go and confront you, I told him. Just so he knows I will be gone for a while, of course.

  Of course. But I hear the playful teasing in her tone. He wants me there? I’m not a part of the royal council.

  I suggested to him that you be there. Since you are the keeper of our finances, you have to be present.

  I see the logic in what she’s saying. That doesn’t mean I don’t feel my stomach drop at the prospect of being in front of the king and queen. The reigning sovereigns of our clan are powerful in their own right. They can be quite intimidating.

  With great reluctance, yet unable to disobey a request from my king, I fly with Ivy back to Verglas. This is the first time I will be back in a long while. I used to visit, but this is the longest stretch since my last homecoming.

  Mostly, we fly in silence. I can feel that Ivy has a lot on her mind. What I showed her today isn’t the easiest sight to see. I’m glad that it was able to change her mind.

  I knew that ultimately her love for her people will win over any impulse to insist on the money that I cannot provide. By virtue of being a princess, she is duty bound to serve her people. She always puts them first, which is why her sense of protectiveness is fierce.

  The wind changes once we near Verglas. In the distance, I can see the shining tip of Star Peak. It calls to me like it does all dragons born within the ice clan. It’s a drumbeat that starts in our chest, pulling us back home.

  Immediately, I feel invigorated. It’s as if my powers are renewed, recharged even. There really is truth in the saying that there’s no place like home.

  I let Basil know that we are back, Ivy says, the first words she’s spoken since we left LA.

  I’m sure he’ll feel relieved that you two no longer have to maintain the telepathic connection.

  She doesn’t say anything else. How I wish I can crack open that mind of hers and see inside. But I also know that she must feel the same pressure I’m currently feeling.

  I adjust my wing beats to the change in the wind currents. With the setting sun upon us, the air becomes more frigid than usual. I shiver. The spikes on my scales stand on end.

  You’re getting weak, Logan. That LA weather isn’t doing you any good, Ivy teases.

  For a moment, I revel in the relief I feel. She hasn’t pulled away from me after all. She just retreated into her thoughts like she often does when in flight.

  Floe Fortress looms nearer. Its many ledges stretch out to receive dragons who are flying in instead of using the foot bridge that connects it to the rest of the mountain top. The castle resembles a sleeping dragon, curled within itself with spires that stretch up further into the clouds.

  Ivy picks the ledge with the path closest to the council room. I expect that she has already sent word once we entered the perimeter of Verglas. The royal council will already be waiting for us.

  Thank goodness I didn’t change out of my suit. I’d hate to see the king and queen in jeans and a t-shirt. Ivy doesn’t even bother changing out of her fighting leathers. She sheds her dragon without even stopping.

  She’s already several steps away when I land and change. I have to hurry my steps to catch up. She’s put on her general’s mask. Meeting the council is akin to going into battle as well.

  The guards outside the council room open the double doors as we approach. We enter. The king and queen are already seated at their respective thrones, clad in their robes of royal white. A top their heads are their crowns—gold with the finest jewels.

  There are two other members of the council in the room. They are the closest advisers to the king and queen. They are clad in their silver robes.

  Ivy stops at the center of the room a few feet away from the dais. I stop a step behind her. In unison, we drop to one knee in supplication, fist over the ice dragon emblem on our chests. Well, mine is imaginary since I’m not wearing my fighting leathers.

  “Daughter, stand and tell us what you have to say,” her father acknowledges.

&
nbsp; We both stand and Ivy begins her report. She tells them about the preparations she has made to ensure the safety of the clan and Star Peak. As I listen, I can tell that she has a solid plan.

  “Is it really too late?” one of the advisers ask after Ivy finishes her report. “Do we have no other recourse other than physical war?”

  “As the number one proponent of a bloodless war, what do you have to say for yourself, Logan?” the king asks, settling his brilliant blue eyes so much like Ivy’s on me.

  I feel the weight of that stare as I begin telling him of what I’ve encountered with the fire dragons and the measures I’ve taken to ensure that they stop their pursuit of our business interests. Then I begin telling them of my goal of driving out the fire clan dragons from the whole of California entirely.

  “That’s impressive, indeed,” the king says.

  “But that will take some time, will it not?” the queen asks. She possesses the same ethereal beauty that Ivy does.

  “It will, but I know that it’s effective in defeating them,” I insist.

  “But that doesn’t solve the current threat we have from the fire dragons who want to expand their territory here at Verglas,” the other adviser says. “I believe that Ivy’s plan is more suitable for our current security needs.”

  “We don’t have to be hasty about going into all out war,” Ivy says, sounding like she surprised even herself as everyone in the room raises their eyebrows at her. “You will have to admit that the comforts we are all enjoying is because of the money Logan has amassed while being in the city.”

  “If that is the case, then we might have to abandon Verglas all together and retreat further north,” the first adviser suggests. “That’s the only way to save our people.”

  “There’s also the option of retreating deeper into the mountain,” the queen says. “I’ve read in the histories that it’s been done before.”

  I’ve forgotten the fact that the queen was a historian. She actually might know more about the ice clan’s story than the elders do. Her husband actually turns to her with a fond look.