by Megan Derr
Barkus' fingers pressed hard, nails gliding across the scales, lingering at random points—the curve of his hip, where scales turned to skin across Najlah's stomach, the hard ridges along his spine that did not entirely smooth out in his human form.
Najlah nipped at Barkus' jaw then licked and nipped down his throat before biting his collarbone. Barkus growled at him then moved, and Najlah snarled in surprise as he found himself on the rug instead. He bared his teeth in amusement and pressed his claws into Barkus' shoulders just enough that a bite of pain filtered through the bond.
He was starting to grow rather fond of that bond. Would the whole pack know if they were fucking? Amusement rippled through him at the idea, and Barkus shared it as he confirmed that yes, the pack would likely know. There was very little in the way of secrets in packs.
Najlah yanked Barkus down and gave a kiss that was hard and wet and toothy, sucking on Barkus' bottom lip when it split, the taste of blood sharp and bright in his mouth. He rumbled with pleasure, raked his claws down Barkus' back.
Barkus made a low, rough noise of approval in his ear right before he bit it, making Najlah shudder with surprise. He growled when Barkus did it again, claws pressing even harder, body undulating against Barkus', their hard cocks rubbing together. Barkus moved slowly down his body, rough tongue lapping at his throat, lingering at his collarbone to press biting kisses there. "Do you feel much through the scales?"
Najlah growled, tried to convey that he could. Barkus' grin said he got the message, and he moved to put his mouth to the scales, rough tongue dragging across them in a way that made Najlah shiver again. He'd never been so thoroughly explored before, like he was a treat.
Soft, huffing laughter drifted toward him, and Barkus stared up at him through his lashes, moon-glow eyes shining with want and amusement. Najlah flicked his tongue out playfully and rolled his hips to put Barkus' attention back where it should be.
Barkus' hands landed heavy and warm on his thighs, stroking the scales there before he pushed Najlah's legs farther apart and went back to work with his mouth, nipping and licking at Najlah's abdomen, working lower to nose and lick at the crease of his thigh, breaths deliciously warm against Najlah's skin.
Najlah hissed in protest when Barkus pulled back and rolled forward to sit up, wrap his arms around Barkus' neck, and forced him close enough to feast upon his mouth and rub their bodies together until Barkus' breaths turned heavy and panting and the arms that slid around Najlah's body were so tight it hindered his breathing slightly.
Drawing back, he bit hard at the corner of Barkus' jaw, leaving a bright red mark that would probably bruise, then pulled Barkus' arms free and pushed and tugged until he turned around. Barkus laughed raggedly, but there was satisfaction and eagerness in the bond as he settled himself on his folded arms, ass in the air, exactly as Najlah had wanted.
Rumbling his approval, tongue flicking rapidly, eagerly, Najlah nipped at one firm ass cheek, then the other, before he licked at the crevice with several teasing swipes. When Barkus finally growled at him, impatience filling Najlah's mind, he licked at Barkus' hole, the glands in his mouth secreting healing fluid, warm and slick and good for more than healing wounds. He retracted his claws and wet one finger, pushing it slowly inside Barkus' body, forcing himself to be patient. Barkus was not a dragon, even if he was the closest that Najlah had ever encountered.
He rumbled approvingly when Barkus took his finger easily and quickly worked his way up to pushing three deep inside. A gnawing need for more was shared between them, so bright and clear and overwhelming it was impossible to sort out which thought belonged to whom.
Withdrawing his fingers, Najlah lined up his cock and pushed inside, hands settling on Barkus' hips, gripping them tightly. The air was thick with the smell of lust and Barkus' sweat, the barest hint of his blood, almost intoxicating as it blended with the smell of the fire. Najlah paused for a moment to let Barkus settle, and then began to fuck him. He made himself start out slowly, even carefully, but Barkus snarled, impatience echoing in the bond, and thrust back against him, turning to look over his shoulder with eyes that glowed like a late summer moon. Najlah's claws slipped out just enough to dig into Barkus' skin, and the tang of blood in the air grew sharper. With a pleased growl, Najlah fucked him harder, drove into him, rode him like he would the most eager gold scale hornless.
He loosed one hand to wrap it around Barkus' cock, stroking it hard and fast in time with his thrusts, losing the rhythm just moments before Barkus spilled, hot and wet. Barkus' shout filled the room, and the sound and smell of his satisfaction drove Najlah to a finishing frenzy. He leaned over, fit their bodies together, and with a series of short, sharp thrusts, finally came, growling his pleasure against Barkus' hot, damp skin.
Withdrawing, Najlah let Barkus slump to the floor and turn to lay on his back, then draped over him, enjoying the heat and press of skin and scales. Barkus gave his cheek a lazy lick, hands running smoothly over his body with relaxed, aimless motion. "I apologize for arriving late," he said eventually.
Najlah gave a sleepy rumble, not bothering to open the eyes he had just let fall shut. He stirred slightly, though, as impressions filtered through his mind: fighting, writing that he belatedly realized were the silly words of magic used by Gormestia. Barkus had been in another fight with Gormestians?
"Scouts, looking for the ones we killed in the caves," Barkus elaborated around a wide yawn. "We took care of them, but not without cost, and it took some time to get the wounded to safety. It also took time to arrange for my extended absence and that of the two wolves who accompanied me."
Najlah gave a soft, inquisitive rumble.
"Gormestia is angry with Restuel, and if matters are not resolved diplomatically, it will likely turn into war. The only ways to get from Gormestia to Restuel are by sea or mountain. The Lukos are not strong enough in number to ward off entire armies, though we can certainly put a strain on them. I strongly advised the Shidene Chief that we should consider cooperating with the king, but getting him to agree took a while. It took even longer to convince him to appoint me liaison."
Najlah rumbled at the hints of homesickness that trickled through the bond, nuzzled against Barkus' shoulder. He may not always understand humans, or even other shifters, but there were some things that everyone understood. Restuel had become his home, and he was happy there even with the nasty snow, but part of him would always ache for Tahjil.
"I admit my desire and curiosity for you mostly drove me to volunteer as liaison. I think they only permitted it because they think doing this will finally curb my reckless, impulsive behavior."
Najlah hissed in amusement at the familiar words, which he had heard any number of times from his mother and the den brutes. Caution this, stop and think that. They were not dragons of action but of sitting still. Leave the slow and careful to that type. He was a hornless; his duty was to do what they could not.
Barkus gave a soft chuckle and brushed his lips across Najlah's ear. "Exactly. We are creatures of action, not caution. What do you say we find the comforts of a bed, Naj? I promise I can keep you warm until we are summoned and put to work. I am not eager to be gawked at again, I can tell you that. I don't know how you endure it."
Sitting up and resting on his heels, Najlah growled in amusement. He was long used to being stared at, but it helped that everyone scurried away when he stared back and showed his teeth. Standing and twisting, he padded across the room to the bed in the corner, snarling in surprise when he was tackled from behind. He landed face down in the blankets, a heavy weight climbing on top of him, teeth that were sharper than they had felt before biting the back of his neck.
Instinct made him want to fight, but he ignored it in favor of the lust that sparked so easily back to life. Growling, he let Barkus have his way, curious to see just how much harder Barkus would be able to play.
By the time Barkus pushed inside him, Najlah was in a frenzy, bruised and aching and desperate. He roared his s
atisfaction into the bedding, claws shredding it, as Barkus began to ride him as hard as Najlah had earlier ridden Barkus. Yes. A Lukos was exactly what he had needed. Barkus was what he needed.
He shuddered as Barkus came, muffling his cry in Najlah's throat, teeth biting down hard; the sharp, sweet pain was all Najlah needed to topple over the edge a second time. They collapsed in a sweaty, panting pile, Najlah growling lazily as Barkus pulled out of him. He settled more comfortably, wrapping around as much of Barkus as he could, relishing the heat and the simple pleasure of Barkus finally being there. He rumbled as the bond conveyed the same from Barkus, closing his eyes to rest for a bit before they continued the fun.
Ajith was the one who eventually came to fetch them, in human form and dressed in court finery that had been carefully tailored to suit the dragon traits he retained: horns and scales and wings. Though he growled sternly, there was no missing his underlying amusement. "Delegates from Gormestia have arrived, and they want to hear for themselves what you two encountered in that cave."
Najlah nuzzled against Barkus, still fast asleep, then crawled out of bed to speak more quietly with Ajith so as not to wake him. "Are they hoping to catch me in a lie? How do they expect to hear me?"
"That is their problem to figure out," Ajith replied, eyes swirling green with amusement. "I said I would fetch you. Consider yourself fetched. Wake him up and make yourselves presentable—and you had better arrive in human form."
Najlah hissed at that because if he was going to be presented for interrogation, then he should be able to do it in his true form. "Are they such cowards they're too scared to look upon me true?"
"You know damn good and well how terrifying you look to those who have never seen you before. I may be the big one with wings, but you've got all the sharp bits. Stop whining like a kit."
"The Lukos weren't scared of me."
Ajith snorted at that, the wings on his back twitching. "Yes, I can smell just how well you and your wolf are getting along. I daresay the whole palace has heard you two."
"Do you want to talk about how loud you and Korla can get?" Najlah shifted back to his true form and padded across the room to the bathing pool in one corner. He dumped himself into it, hissing softly as he came up out of the steaming water. On the bed, Barkus sat up and shook himself. He looked around the room, eyes landing on Ajith first. "Good day. If I am reading Naj correctly, we've been summoned?"
At Ajith's nod, Barkus grunted and climbed out of bed, and Najlah rumbled approval when Barkus settled into the water with him. "All well, Naj?" he asked.
Ajith's wings moved restlessly at his back, the green of his eyes growing brighter, and his growls were more than a little mocking when he asked, "Naj, is it? Shall I tell him the den bitches like to call you Naji?"
"Shall I tell them you let Korla call you 'Aji, Darling'?" Najlah retorted. "Go away already, or I shall never get ready for the stupid meeting. There had better be good food."
"Done fucking for now, ready for feeding? You'd better refrain from fighting."
"Too tired," Najlah replied with lazy hisses.
Ajith's eyes whirled yellow, but he said only, "Be ready in an hour." When Najlah acknowledged the order, Ajith departed.
Knowing fingers stroked over Najlah's smooth head, rubbing hard behind his ears. "So if I followed correctly, we are being summoned to repeat ourselves so Gormestia can call us liars?" He laughed at Najlah's growled reply, but before he could say anything, the door opened again and two familiar Lukos stepped inside, carrying heavy packs.
"Your belongings, sir," the shorter of the two said. Hyde, if Najlah remembered correctly, which by the thoughts filtering through his head he did. "One of the bird shifters said they would carry a message back to the Chief for us."
"Good," Barkus said. "Thank you. That should keep him from nagging me for a couple of days. We are wanted for a meeting with Gormestia. Make certain you are well-dressed. Do not speak unless I or the Regent gives you leave."
"Yes, sir," the wolves chorused, and then the taller one, Kormis, asked, "Shall we return here to walk with you to the meeting?" Barkus nodded, and the wolves bowed and left.
Najlah rumbled inquisitively at him, curious for the first time as to Barkus' place amongst the Lukos. He sent thoughts of himself, his place as one who hunted down food sufficient to feed the bitches and kits and brutes. Hornless brutes also secured the territory and fought off intruders, be they rival dragons or foreigners.
"I'm something like that, yes. I was whelped by the chief of a smaller pack and given to Clan Shidene in a blood-strengthening exchange. The Shidene Chief adopted me, which, among other things, means I have the right to lead a pack myself, but honestly, there are better choices for pack leader. I am good at leading hunts and doing reckless things like making friends with a dragon, getting lost in caves, and being the first Lukos to leave the mountain in a long time." He bent to rub his face against the side of Najlah's head. "We are very similar, you and I, hmm? Come, let us get dressed and show Gormestia why they were fools to ever let the Tahjili and the Lukos meet."
Climbing out of the bath, Najlah shook himself to get rid of the worst of the water before he strode across the room to a smaller, narrow room that held all of his clothes. After the cold, clothes had been the most annoying thing to get used to. There was no fabric that could outdo scales for protection in Tahjil; they only bothered with the barest wraps when they were forced to interact with foreigners.
Unlike Ajith, who seemed to enjoy draping himself in fancy robes and tunics, Najlah wore as little as he could possibly get away with. Court required something fancy, which for him meant one of the shimmery wraps edged with precious stones. He pawed through the thirty or so of them he had somehow acquired and settled on one that seemed to be red-orange-yellow all at once, shifting and shimmering as he walked, and was edged in gold fringe threaded with rubies and amber.
The only other concession Najlah made was to put heavy gold cuffs around his wrists, ankles, and upper arms, with a heavy collar studded with rubies around his throat. Gold and jewels were definitely perks of living in cold climates. Gold was too soft a metal to survive back home, and jewels not something dragons possessed except by way of trade. He had not known so many types of jewels existed until he traveled to Restuel. Rubies he knew, and sapphires, and of course, the stupid opals that foreigners went on and on about. Those he had plenty of and could easily get more—and sell to idiot humans at their high prices and keep himself well-supplied in money and more interesting jewels.
Attaching more rubies and gold cuffs to his pointed ears, he left the dressing room and looked around… and growled appreciatively at Barkus. The clothes were not court fashion, but they were handsome all the same. Well-fitted black pants tucked into high, glossy dark boots; a short gray tunic with a faint shimmer to it, the black laces at the throat pulled just tight enough to be respectable; and over that was a jacket the precise color of the sky in the middle of a cloudless summer day. It sharpened the pale, silver-gold of Barkus' eyes. His long, thick hair had been tied back with a ribbon of the same color, and around his throat was an oval stone that same silver-gold color, hanging from a silver chain.
Najlah growled as he padded over to Barkus, rumbling as he picked up the stone and examined it. "I've never seen this kind before. What is it?"
"Topaz. A Shidene Topaz. There's not many of them, and this is the first time one has been entrusted to me. So get that thieving gleam out of your eye, dragon. If you're good, I'll let you wear it to bed later. I didn't know you had a fondness for jewels. You didn't seem the type to have expensive taste." He stepped back, giving Najlah a slow, heated look up and down. "Though you wear expensive like a prince." Barkus grinned as Najlah filled the bond with amusement. "I did not notice until I came here, with all this daylight about us and no exhaustion crushing me, that your eyes change color with your moods. I feel silly that I did not notice that sooner."
Rumbling, moving in close to touch and pet
Barkus because he just could not resist a moment longer, Najlah called up memories of how long it had taken everyone to notice that their eyes changed color. Korla had been the first to figure it out but had taken entirely too much delight in not telling anyone how she knew what the dragons were feeling. Fayth had been the next, and he had shared the knowledge with everyone else.
Unfortunately, so far as Najlah was concerned, since it meant he had to better curb when he was angry or bored with all the people nattering at him.
Barkus leaned in to kiss him, hard and bruising, and it would never stop being thrilling that he was not afraid of all the sharp teeth that could tear him apart with little effort. Drawing back, Barkus said, "You're not the only one people are instantly scared of, Naj. Centuries ago, we were driven into the Shide because we refused to agree that our human shape was the superior, because we refused to be tamed. Human shapes serve their purpose and help to keep the peace…" He bent and kissed Naj hard again, drawing back slowly. "A human form has its benefits, but I am no human."
Growling in agreement, Najlah kissed him one last time, then drew back—right as another knock came at the door. Barkus called out to his men, and they stepped inside, as finally dressed as Barkus though their coats were a slightly darker blue.
"Rank," Barkus said to the question Najlah pushed through the bond. "The paler the jacket, the higher up in the clan. The Chief's jacket is such a pale blue it's practically white. We always fear we'll lose him in the snow." By the door, the other two Lukos made a poor attempt to cover up laughter. Stepping, sweeping an arm toward them, Barkus said, "These two miscreants are my cousins. I do not know what you would consider them in your dens, but they hunt and scout and help look after the pups."
They were young, hornless brutes, probably blooded but recently. Najlah growl-rumbled at them, and they smiled back, clearly feeling his approval. Najlah could also feel a bit of surprise. "You were right. He's taken to the bond like a wolf," said Kormis, the taller and, unless Najlah was mistaken, slightly younger of the two. He smiled when Najlah looked at him. "Am I correct in that your eyes turn pink when you're curious or confused? Outsiders don't usually take to the pack bond. Either they get twitchy about the lack of personal space, or it's just too much and overwhelms them."