When he saw Aryana reaching for her beads, he raised both hands in resignation. "Okay then, if I'm so unwanted here, I'll leave. I have a dozen other girls waiting for me anyway," he said. He tried to get excited at the thought of waiting pussy, but he simply couldn't. Little Magnificent wouldn't wake anymore at the sound of other females.
Aryana sniffed. "Good, then you'll stop bothering me."
"Good." When she showed no signs of calling him back in, which he had secretly hoped for, he sighed and left.
Chapter 4
Aryana's head buzzed as she stood on the platform for the twentieth minute. How much longer was this procession going to last? Her hands were shaky and her body felt like toppling to the ground. She was tired, but aching for a certain dragon. Did this have something to do with the mate thing he was talking about? She couldn't focus, even when the trial in front of her was of utmost importance to her tribe.
Enid stood in front of Aryana and the other advisers beside her. Enid stepped forward, hands behind her back. "Yolanda Vioren, our old sister, has been found guilty of trying to harvest black magic from her male-in-waiting."
The accused knelt in the center of the procession, tied up, with spears pointed at her neck. The victim, her male-in-waiting, had been found half conscious and with most of his soul drained in their tent. He was still alive, but didn't look like he'd survive much longer.
"I could kill you all with this power… I could," Yolanda said. She was delirious. Most of her power had been used up with her own experimentation. Black magic was unimaginably strong, but it drained quickly and corrupted the user.
"She is also guilty of the murder of the three witches who tried to subdue her," Enid said to the watching crowd.
"I could kill you all," Yolanda said, then continued to mutter indiscernible things to herself, before raising her voice to say, "Take him instead! Renan will suffer for my crimes."
Males-in-waiting could accept punishment for their witches, but this one didn't appear conscious enough to take any punishment. Plus, her crimes were too serious. It was the first crime of its kind Aryana had witnessed. The risks of dark magic were enormous, so having a witch trying to harvest it was unheard of.
Her mind drifted off to Diovan. She wanted to see him again. Was he going to come back after she'd sent him away so fiercely? He was right. She had regretted her decision in forcing him to leave the minute he left her tent. She wanted him right after they finished, but the guilt of it all forced her to send him away.
"Life imprisonment," Enid said, announcing the verdict. Aryana had known the sentence beforehand. She, along with the rest of Enid's advisers, had decided on life imprisonment. Water witches avoided death unless necessary. That was one of the core tenets of their religion, although many tried to "follow" that tenet by falsely justifying what was "necessary" for death.
Yolanda made a hissing sound. "I'd rather die."
The witches holding the spears guided her to one of the prison carts as the other tribe members and their males-in-waiting watched. Yolanda resisted as they transported her in, but they kept her at bay with the spears and cautionary spells. Only two other prisoners were carted around in these mobile jail cells, and neither of them would stay in there for long. They weren't scheduled to be locked in there for life. The water witches moved around often to find prey, so they didn't have a permanent dungeon to keep their criminals.
Enid walked toward Aryana. "Sometimes I think that they'd prefer it if we killed them. I don't think anyone wants to be carted around like livestock."
Aryana watched as Yolanda made a huge ruckus slamming against the bars. "As long as they're living, there's going to be hope…"
"All of them take their own lives after facing a life sentence. It's one of the reason why there are so few prisoners."
"Then at least they have control over one aspect of their lives."
Enid shook her head and leaned in to inspect Aryana's face. "Those dark circles… Were you not able to sleep well?"
Aryana rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Does it look like I managed to get a good night's rest?"
"Quite the contrary," her sister said, not detecting the sarcasm. "You look like someone punched both your eyes. Repeatedly."
"Thanks."
Aryana wanted to return to her tent. And hopefully, Diovan would be waiting there for her.
"Are you overthinking the dragon?" Enid asked.
Aryana straightened herself, immediately suspicious about how Enid had found out. "What dragon?" If Enid knew about Diovan, why wasn't her sister going mad with rage? Enid hated dragons.
"The Red Beast. I've been losing sleep about him too. What if he decides to rain fire over our tribe?"
"Oh, yes. Him. No, this isn't about the Red Beast. It's something more… personal."
"Personal? But I'm your personal life. I'm not meaning to be rude, but you don't have males-in-waiting, and I'm your only family. Did I say something to offend you?"
Aryana waved her sister's comment off. "You're not all of it. I have friends, too." She didn't. Being in the high position of second seeker made most of the witches want to revere her rather than befriend her.
"I'm your closest family. Your only family, actually."
"No, it's not you," she said, trying to end the conversation.
Enid pursed her lips. "You usually tell me everything."
Aryana couldn't tell Enid about this. She wouldn't react well if she found out Aryana had slept with a dragon—or even worse, mated with him. "Don't worry about it. It's a small nothing."
"You can share your troubles with me, sister."
Aryana rubbed the back of her neck. "I know. Do you mind if I get some shuteye? My head is spinning."
"Oh, right. We only needed you for the trial. The other witches can take over with the training. Have you changed their schedules?"
"They're focused on ice spells now," she said.
Enid nodded. "Go rest, Aryana. I'll look for you later, to see if you're feeling better."
Diovan dived into the water. This lake was the only one near his cave that had water clean enough to not be disgusting. It cooled him down, but barely. His body was heating up sporadically, and his dragon wouldn't stop demanding for Aryana in his head. He tried pleasuring himself to calm his lust for Aryana, but to no avail. Only having Aryana in the flesh would be able to soothe his longing.
"Aye, Diovan," Cyrion shouted. "What's gotten into that thick head of yours?"
Diovan propelled himself to the surface and paddled to keep afloat. The water sloshed around him, and the gushing sound of the waterfall nearby tickled his ears. "Just swimming," he said.
"The boys are waiting for you for a round of Oweeja," Cyrion said, edging to the bank of the lake.
"How did you manage to find me here?"
"It's either here, or off in some random village with a new girl. I thought I'd give it a look."
Diovan grunted, considering taking a break from his swim to play the card game. In normal circumstances, he'd say yes in a heartbeat. He almost always won at the game. For him it was a matter of sticking it out long enough and watching the other dragons get drunk. Then they'd get into a huge fight and he'd get a free performance. But the activity didn't sound fun now. The only thing that appealed to him then was a particular water witch, one with the most vibrant violent eyes.
"I'll pass," Diovan said, and dived back down. He'd visit Aryana right then if he could. But she was usually out during midday. So, to meet her, he'd have to sneak past a dozen or more aggressive water witches. They usually returned to their tents at night, which made it easier to find Aryana.
"You pass?" Diovan heard Cyrion's incredulous tone through the water, relying on his dragon hearing.
Diovan surfaced again. "I'm getting bored of Oweeja. Too easy."
"That's the only reason why you like it."
He shrugged. "People change."
Cyrion shook a finger at him. "Something's up with you. Is it the news of the Red
Beast? You always react strangely when we talk about him. You're mad about the news, aren't you?"
Thoughts of Joakim didn't invade Diovan's mind until Cyrion's mentioning of him. It turned his mood foul. "I'm not discussing that."
"I'm not trying to bring him up. I'm just wondering why you're storming about with three times the temper you usually have. Leon's almost in tears from your shouting at him earlier. I'm not used to you being so grumpy. Why are you being such an ass?"
Aryana, that's why. She was the reason why his cock was doing most of the thinking instead of his brain. Why did women always have to play hard to get? If she'd just let him into her pants, when he wanted, things wouldn't be so difficult. The mating was supposed to make Aryana want him, too. "Just leave me alone."
"Your loss. One of the boys managed to steal a barrel of fine wine from one of the inns. Says it's from the far east. You know how far away that is. Exquisite liquor."
"More wine for the lot of you, then. I really don't care."
"That's very unlike you. Have you been unable to get women because of your label as a whore?"
He ignored Cyrion's taunting and dived back into the lake. He wasn't a Dragon Whore. He pondered his self-coined title—the other one, which was much more regal—liking it. He'd spread the name, somehow, and replace that abhorrent title given to him by the humans. Repeat something long enough, and it'd stick in people's minds.
He swam until he reached the bottom of the lake, where Cyrion's shouting turned into muffled noise. Maybe the feeling of drowning could help keep him from losing his mind. Drowning felt pretty much the same as not having Aryana around. Then again, a dragon could hold his breath for hours. It'd take a while before suffocation kicked in.
He swam about until tiredness engulfed him, wasting his time in an agonizing fashion. He couldn't wait till evening.
Chapter 5
Tell me how I let this happen a second time?" Aryana asked, placing a hand on her forehead. She was talking more to herself than Diovan, who lay next to her with a satisfied grin.
Their backs were flat against the mattress, and they were surrounded by her mess. Clothing strewn around the ground, empty soul beads, pelts and daggers that really should be kept more properly. Diovan didn't appear to care much for her lack of neatness.
Diovan winked at her. "Because I'm irresistible."
"Irresistibly punch-able."
"That's why you love me," he said, circling his finger around her shoulder.
She scowled. "I definitely do not love you."
"For now."
Staring upon his chiseled face and running her fingers through his blond hair made her chest constrict. She convinced herself that she was being driven mad by the lust she felt for this man. It was desire that made her act like a hungry vixen… right? Her body played tricks on her, taunting her resolve to remain true to her water witch values. She didn't actually like him.
Yet she recalled the way he had just pinned her hands over her head, commanding her attention. Yeah, she really liked that. Not him.
"Goddess, forgive me for my crimes," she muttered to herself. She dragged a hand over her face and knocked the back of her head on the mattress.
Diovan hummed. "I'm sure the Dragon Mother doesn't mind matings."
She wrinkled her nose. "Not the Dragon Mother, our goddess. A goddess of the old, Kroasha. She's the anchor of our teachings."
"So, she's the reason why the lot of you are so strange."
She shot him a look that implied his foolishness, then continued, "They say she's older than the Dragon Mother. She intended for humans to live in peace, under the direction of women, then the Dragon Mother betrayed that and gave men strength to subdue women."
"And you believe that horseshit? Who the hell is 'they,' anyway? The Dragon Mother is thousands of millenniums older than Kr-Krona or whatever. And why would the Dragon Mother give men strength? The Dragon Mother is a woman."
"The teachings say the Dragon Mother is corrupted. That she wants her fellow women to be subdued because men's greed and desire make them more easily controllable as a gender. Men used to be the weaker sex, both in mind and body. Now, they try to subdue women with brute force. Kroasha wanted to keep the balance, but she lost to the Dragon Mother. Thus, the world is now imbalanced with men as the ruling sex."
He rolled his eyes. "That's a load of bull. You're saying my goddess is corrupted, and yours is the right one?"
"Your goddess seems to rile dragons to fight. Mine prefers to maintain peace and prevent bloodshed."
"I don't see what's wrong with fighting. Fighting is fun."
She brushed her hair back so she could have a clearer view of Diovan's face. "Fighting creates deaths and injuries, which, in turn, creates hardship and grief." She watched him toss a greennut into the air and catch it in his mouth. She was impressed by how high up he could throw it. "Well, I don't expect you to believe in Kroasha. Sometimes I don't believe in her myself. I mean, the teachings are probably distorted by thousands of years of being passed down. And being weaker sometimes isn't inherently bad. What's so bad about being taken care—" She cut off and stopped herself before she revealed too much.
"Seeing you vulnerable sometimes just makes me want to protect you," he said, trailing kisses on her skin.
Hearing him say that made her knees weak. She wanted to be protected and cared for. Diovan could give that to her. The water tribe always made women in charge of everything. Being second seeker made her responsibilities even heavier. If a man—if Diovan—could help carry her burdens, unlike males-in-waiting, who merely did chores…
She shook those thoughts away for the umpteenth time. "You won't have to do any protecting. I handle my own safety just fine. If we are to maintain a working relationship, you're to respect Kroasha's teachings—"
"What, so you can walk over me, a dragon?"
"If you want us to continue to work together, then you'd understand that I won't be ordered around. I don't expect you to be a pushover, but you have to accept the delicate balance we must maintain."
He coughed out a laugh, almost choking on the greennut. He hit his chest hard, then swallowed the food. "You call this working?"
"It's—"
He cupped her folds. She gripped his arm, but didn't push him away. She relaxed, allowing her craving for him to take over.
Her head started spinning with pleasure as a finger slipped in, then another. "It's… We're… I forgot what I was saying."
He stroked her folds with two fingers, stretching her out. Biting her ear, he said, "You think too much. Goddesses, teachings, rules… I'll teach you something—and it's that dragons don't give two fucks. I'll do what I want, when I want. And right now, what I want is you."
"Males who do that in our tribe suffer lashings."
"It's a good thing that I'm not in your tribe, isn't it?" He took one of her nipples into his mouth and suckled.
Diovan must have mastered his tricks with the other girls he'd been with, because he could please her like no other. Diovan's lips, hands, everything, belonged to her, or at least she viewed it that way, as terrible as that view was. She hated thinking of him with another woman.
But if this relationship were to end, which it should, he'd no doubt find somebody else to spend the rest of his centuries with. She hated that thought with a passion that scared her.
"Right there," she said, when his fingers found the right spot. As soon as the words left her mouth, he stroked harder and faster at the same sensitive place. She gripped his shoulders, her breath heavy. "Oh, fuck."
"You're not in a hurry to send me away tonight," he said, releasing his lips from her breast.
She wanted to shove his head back down and command him to keep working his magic. "I've decided that I like your company."
"Didn't take long for you to change your mind." His blue eyes shone.
Her mind went numb. She had to collect herself before she managed to mutter, "Don't get too prideful, dragon."
> The smugness remained perfectly plastered on his face as he kissed her neck and trailed his tongue up toward her chin. The tingling sensation made her giddier.
"Has anybody told you that you taste good?" he asked, nibbling on her skin.
"Are you going to eat me? I heard dragons like devouring humans."
"I just might."
With a forceful tug, he pulled her head toward his. She was weakened with electrifying pleasure when he kissed her. She kissed him back, loving the intimacy of his closeness, while at the same time fearing it. His body felt hard against hers, and those wings, which often got in the way of sex, were beautiful. Their forms melded into each other, like they belonged together.
She didn't want to be without this man. Or, at least, her body didn't.
She felt Diovan stilling over her. He pulled his fingers out of her folds.
"What is it?" she asked, examining his frown.
"I have to go," he said, stepping away and tossing the blanket aside.
"Go?" No, she almost pleaded. It was embarrassing to sound desperate after the way she pushed him away the day before.
"Don't look like that. I might think you want me around." He slipped his pants on.
She had missed him, and was going to. At the very least, she'd miss that dexterous tongue of his. She wouldn't admit it, however. "Why so suddenly?" They hadn't even had round two yet. He promised her when he'd arrived that they'd be playing with each other well into the night.
"Someone's coming." He ducked his head and lifted the flap of the tent.
She reached out a hand, as if it'd catch him in time, and was about to ask him to stay when Enid walked into the room.
"Uh, Enid," Aryana said, dragging her blanket over her chest. Enid had seen her unclothed multiple times, but not under these guilty circumstances.
Enid raised a brow. Her gaze darted between Diovan and Aryana. She could see Enid's expression change as her sister put two and two together. "Aryana," Enid said, "you have a guest." Another witch, Kealin, who had followed Aryana on the hunt the other day, trailed behind Enid. Kealin worked mostly as Enid's guard. Aryana sometimes borrowed her to have more manpower for hunts. Enid's position as high seeker made her vulnerable to assassinations, so guards were a necessary precaution.
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