by Lili Zander
“I have to move,” Xan rasps. He strokes into me, and I’m lost. I grip his shoulders and hold on. He bottoms out and withdraws, and does it again, swiveling his hips to go deeper. At this angle, his cock rubs my clit with each stroke. I rock against him, my face contorted with desire. I want to hold on, but I can’t. I explode, almost sobbing with the intensity of my climax as pleasure shatters me.
Lud is still behind me, squeezing and massaging my bottom cheeks. As I come down from my orgasm, he slides an oiled digit deeper into my back door, stretching the muscles there. I clench around him, my muscles tightening around Xan’s shaft. Between the giant cock in my pussy and Lud’s finger in my ass, I am fully stimulated.
“She’s so hot,” Xan grunts.
“And tight,” Lud says, adding a second slippery digit.
I’m burning up. The desire in me is building again to an inferno. Lud fucks my ass with two, then three fingers. Xan pulls me closer and kisses me, and I lose myself in his touch. I writhe between them, lifting my ass to greet Lud’s fingers, sliding up and down on Xan’s cock at the same time.
“Quickly,” Xan rasps, his voice strained. “I cannot hold on much longer.”
Lud laughs. “See what you do to us, beautiful?” His hands soothe down my back, and then grasp my hips, holding me still for his cock.
“Breathe,” he reminds me. “I will go slowly and be gentle. But today, you will be filled by us completely.”
“Yes,” I whisper, drawing in a shuddering breath as he slowly pushes into me. After all his careful stretching, it doesn’t hurt, but I’m full, so full. My body is boneless, buoyed by two strong lovers who hold me in their arms.
I press my face against Xan’s muscled chest and breathe in time to his heartbeat. This feels so intimate. I feel so connected to them. This feels right.
There’s no sound, no one here but us.
When Luddux bottoms out and lets out a groan, another shiver of pleasure wracks through my body. “Breathe, Felicity,” Xan reminds me.
I laugh and the sound ripples through me, making both guys groan softly and sink their cocks even deeper. I’m willing to swear that they’ve grown even bigger inside of me.
Xan kisses me again and smiles against my lips. Luddux nuzzles my nape. “Ready for us to move?”
“Yes.” I can’t manage more than that. I can’t even beg.
They rock me between them, slowly at first, then gaining speed. I sigh between them, clutching Xan tight as if he’s my source of gravity, and I’ll fall if I let go. Lud presses inside me, so big and naughty.
They’re both in me. Xan’s thick cock is buried in my pussy. Lud’s hard shaft is stroking in and out of my ass. Held between them, I don’t care about anything else. I want to stay here forever, in my Draekons’ arms.
Then Xan pushes my hips up, sliding out a few inches before letting me slam down. White lights flash in my brain. My climax rolls through me, strong and powerful. An orgasm to end all orgasms. I can barely blink, and when Lud mimics his friend, pulling almost out and thrusting back inside, I lose every last brain cell.
The two stroke in and out in alternating rhythm. I’m stretched and full and stimulated until I can’t take it anymore. My climaxes roll one into the other, my cries echoing across the lake. I can’t move, can’t breathe, can’t remember my name.
It’s glorious.
“Felicity,” one of them cries out. Their cocks pulse inside me. Lud explodes first, gasping my name. Xan grinds himself deep inside me as he cums. He rolls me onto my back, his lips caressing my face, my mouth, my chest.
Then a shudder runs through their bodies. I sit up as both men rise up and race towards the lake.
A second later, two massive dragons explode out of the men’s bodies. One green, one blue. They stretch their wings and lift their heads high. Gusts of wind wash over me as they take to the sky, roaring in triumph.
If this is a dream, I never want to wake up.
PRESENT…
This is a nightmare.
I sit on the banks and stare into space for a long time. It’s not until a dull hum permeates my thoughts that I snap out of my reverie.
Dariux is back.
This situation between Lud, Xan, and I is taking up all my energy, but the truth is, trouble is brewing on the horizon. Raiht’vi is being hunted, and we’re in the crosshairs. I don’t know anything about the Zorahn Empire, but I’m guessing they’re not the kind and understanding type. They’ve shown themselves capable of exiling their citizens for life, depriving them of the opportunity to fall in love, have a family, and live their lives, all because they’ve tested positive for a mutation that might or might not cause them to become dragons. They’re ruthless.
We don’t know where Raiht’vi is. Will they believe that? Somehow, I’m more inclined to believe that they’ll line us up and shoot us, one by one, until they find what they’re looking for.
Already, one ship has been sent on a suicide mission. Five soldiers lie dead, and one of them is struggling to stay alive.
We said we’d take a week to figure out if there’s anything left between us, but I’m not sure if we have a week.
Things are just moving too damn fast.
11
Xanthox
PRESENT…
As much as I want to follow Felicity, she told us she wanted to be left alone, and I have to respect it. There are no predators here to worry about. This part of the prison planet is relatively safe during the day, and Felicity knows her way around.
I turn to Luddux as soon as she leaves. “You’ve got to tell her the truth,” I say to him. “Right now, she thinks we conspired against the others in a selfish desire to get off this planet. If she’s ashamed of us, I don’t blame her for it. But if she knows why…”
“If she knows I abandoned my daughter, the same way her father abandoned her?” he demands. “Yes. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to know that her mate is just as much a coward as her father was.”
Some wounds never heal, and for Luddux, this is one of them. He had failed to take responsibility for his daughter. “You can’t still hate yourself,” I say gently. “You were exiled.”
“A million times, I replay that day in my head,” he says heavily. “Why did I not reply to the healer right away? I should have headed immediately to Kraush, skipping the testing.” He takes a deep breath. “I failed her, Xanthox. I let my child grow up, alone and unloved.”
“No. You didn’t. You were exiled.” I stare at him, willing him to see sense. “The Firstborn is exiled on the prison planet. If the scientists didn’t bend the rules for him, what chance did you have? An orphan Midborn?”
He’s not listening to me. “If I tell her,” he says, his voice low, “She will hate me, the way I hate myself.”
“You set up the game. You promised her the truth.”
“You’re right. I did.” He takes a deep breath. “My dragon snarls and rampages inside, demanding I make things right with Felicity. But,” he says sadly, “When I tell her everything, I know I’ll lose her.”
I hear something, a thin steady whine, growing louder. As much as I want to stay and reassure Luddux that what happened to his daughter wasn’t his fault, a man’s life lies in the balance. “Dariux,” I say out loud. “That’s his skimmer. He’s back. Let’s go get his med-kit.”
Dariux is looking frustrated, tired and defeated. When we show up, he’s putting away his skimmer, and he doesn’t look surprised to see us. “I saw two dragons in the sky yesterday,” he says. “I was wondering which one of you was paying a visit. What do you want? The med-kit or the ThoughtVault?”
I have every right to feel angry with Dariux. Like Herrix and Belfox, he too had made us into a pawn in his games. Whether he knew it or not, he’d taken Luddux’s worry about his daughter and my secret fear that I wasn’t able to provide for Felicity in a way that she deserved, and he’d shaped them into weapons in his sick, twisted games.
But Dariux, to his credit, had not k
nown why we were doing what we did. Dariux is sly and manipulative, but he has honor.
“The med-kit,” I reply, quickly explaining the situation.
When I’m done, Dariux looks grim. “I haven’t been able to find Raiht’vi,” he says. “I’ve been looking for her every single day, to the point that my skimmer is starting to wear out. The map in Zunix’ ThoughtVault is better than none at all, but it only shows us the details of this continent. If she followed the river and headed to the sea by boat…”
“You can’t follow her on your skimmer,” I finish his thought. Finding Raiht’vi, especially if she wants to stay hidden, will not be an easy task. More of us need to look for her, not just Dariux. With the arrival of the Zorahn ships, I dare say Arax is going to make the search for her a priority.
He nods. “Exactly. Tell me, what does the Firstborn intend to do once the soldiers start arriving in force?”
“We didn’t stick around for the strategy sessions,” I reply. “We left as soon as we could to look for you.” I level him with a stare. “I know you don’t like the Firstborn, but Arax seems like a competent leader.”
His forehead furrows. “You’re wrong, Xanthox. I like Arax very much. I always have. He, on the other hand, might not feel warm and kindly toward me, but it’s time to bury our differences.”
Footsteps sound, and Felicity joins us. “Dariux,” she says warmly. “How’ve you been?”
She embraces the other man, and I watch, tendrils of jealousy filling my heart. When did Felicity and Dariux get so close?
“I’m well, Felicity Rollins,” he replies. “You?”
She shrugs. “You know me.”
He surveys her thoughtfully, and then his gaze turns to the two of us. Whatever he sees there, I don’t know. Dariux, above all, possesses the ability to keep his true emotions hidden.
“Stop that,” she says to him now, seeing his scrutiny. “Direct your plotting energies elsewhere. Are you going to the Na’Lung cliffs?”
He’s still watching her, and I have to clench my hands into fists to keep myself from reacting. “Yes,” he says. “Of course. I’ll grovel to Arax and offer my advice. Zunix is there, and normally, he’s quite astute, but I’m assuming he’s still acting like a love-struck fool.”
Felicity grins. It’s the first smile I’ve seen from her in weeks, and it’s because of Dariux. A hard knot of fear fills my gut. This morning, she said she loved us, but as soon as she said it, it was obvious that she’d wanted to take the words back. Is it too late? Does she wish to be free of us?
Luddux looks stricken, and Dariux notices. He frowns at the two of us, shaking his head slightly. “We need to hide,” he continues. “Their camp is on the top of a cliff. They’re too exposed there. Those of us that can transform at will might be able to defend themselves, but the others are at risk. Especially the women.”
Felicity would never cheat on us. Of that, my heart is certain. It’s not in her nature. But she’s been pulling away from us. Is Dariux the reason? Has she been pining for him in the new camp?
With difficulty, I bring my mind back to the conversation. “The others,” I breathe. “There were twenty-four of us on the shuttle to the prison planet. Jorix is dead, but the other nine might still be alive. They’re vulnerable out here. We need to find them and evacuate them to safety.”
I’m half-expecting Dariux to protest, but he nods again. “You’re right. Their camp is due west of here, in the hills next to the ocean. They know about the human women, so they won’t be too surprised to see a dragon drop in on them.”
I stare at him. “You know where they are? You’re in touch with them?”
He exchanges a glance with Felicity and then shrugs. “I’ve always known,” he replies. “Why does that shock you, Xanthox?”
Because you’ve never shown any sign of caring. You haggle like a market stall owner, and never do anything out of the goodness of your heart.
I don’t say those words out loud, but I don’t need to. His lips tighten. “I’ll need to take my skimmer,” he says. “We’ll need to rig up some contraption so that you can carry it when you’re flying. Let’s go. Time is of the essence, and the sooner I get to the Na’Lung cliffs, the better.”
I’ve been wrong about Dariux. The man is more than what he appears to be, layered and complex. Which shouldn’t surprise me. There are rumors that back in the homeworld, Dariux worked for the Spymaster. That is not a position that one succeeds in if they’re easy to read.
But if I’m wrong about him, and have missed what’s so clear to see right now, what else have I been mistaken about?
12
Felicity
PRESENT…
“I’m going to find Bolox and Narix,” Dariux says. “They can help build a platform to transport the skimmer.”
“I’ll look for raw materials,” I say. “I’m sure the others won’t mind if we scavenge their houses for raw materials.” I spent three months here, and most of my time here was idyllic. But we can’t stay here. It’s too exposed. On the banks of the lake, we’re sitting targets.
“Wait a second,” Xan says as I turn to go. There’s an edge to his voice, one that gives me pause.
“What’s the matter?” If it’s about this morning, I’m not ready to talk about it yet. I know I should, but my emotions are a little too raw, too close to the surface. At the slightest provocation, I’m going to become a sobbing mess, and now’s not the time for such indulgences.
“Truth or dare, Felicity.” His expression is unreadable.
Next to him, Lud’s hands are clenched into fists. Every muscle in his body is tense. Something’s bothering him.
I don’t understand. What do they have to worry about? I’m the stupid fool that’s desperately in love with them. As much as it’ll kill me on the inside, I’m sure I’m just going to end up staying with them. Where else can I go with a baby? It’s not like there’s daycare and support centers on the prison planet.
I can’t bring up this child alone.
In any case, that’s not fair to Lud and Xan. Whatever the problems between us, my baby deserves to have a relationship with all of his or her parents.
You said you’d play. You want to clear the air? Start now.
“Truth,” I whisper.
Xan takes a deep breath. “Do you want Dariux?” he demands. “Do you want us to step aside? Is that why you’ve been so distant for the last few weeks? Because he’s not around?”
My mouth falls open. Whatever I thought I’d hear from Xan, this wasn’t it. “Dariux?”
He doesn’t meet my eyes. “Just tell me the truth, Felicity. I know the mating bond isn’t the same for humans. If that’s what will make you happy…” His voice trails off.
“You think I’m cheating on you with Dariux?” My voice starts to rise, and I don’t care. All the misery of the last few weeks explodes into pure, incandescent anger. “You think I’d ever betray you like that?”
“You smiled at him,” he says, his jaw tight. “Do you know how long it’s been since you smiled at us? Looked at us as if you cared about us?”
“As if I cared about you?” I’m screaming now, and damn it, I can’t stop the fucking tears. “Fuck you, Xan. Fuck you and the horse you rode in on.” A small part of me points out that the translator embedded in our ears is going to have trouble translating the word ‘horse’ to something my Draekons are going to understand, but I’m past being reasonable and logical. “I’m not the one that doesn’t care, okay? You don’t see me, you never have. I’m just a thing to you, a woman your dragon wants. Do you know how many times you’ve told me you loved me?”
I take a deep breath, and the anger evaporates. What’s the point, really? What do I think is going to change? A heavy weight settles in my chest. “Not once,” I say quietly. “The first time I told you I loved you, it was the most difficult thing I’d ever done in my life. You are the only men I’ve said those words to, ever. Do you remember what you said?”
Thank you.
He’d thanked me for my words, and he’d given me another present. Another piece of syn-made jewelry. I’ve never been able to bring myself to wear it.
Xan doesn’t reply. Whatever flicker of hope was still left in my heart fizzles. We might as well go help the others build their skimmer-carrier.
Taking a deep breath to compose myself, I brush away my tears and look up…
…To see him staring at me, a stricken expression on his face.
“I never said it?” he asks me, and there’s so much sadness, so much regret in his voice that my eyes fill once again with tears. Fucking hormones. “I never told you I loved you?”
13
Luddux
PRESENT…
Xanthox looks miserable. Felicity has tears streaming down her cheeks. They’re both angry and hurt.
My fault. All my fault. We’d been perfectly happy, the three of us. It was my actions that had caused the first crack in our relationship.
Her words echo in my mind. You don’t see me, you never have. And though she’s directed them at Xanthox, they resonate with me as well.
Because she’s right. I was so afraid to lose her that I never did trust her.
I should have never given Belfox and Herrix my word that I wouldn’t tell Felicity about the communicator, but I did.
I should have told her about Mar’vi, but I hadn’t.
When things got difficult, I should have confided in her, but I’d kept quiet.
At every stage, I’ve made the wrong decision, chosen to place my trust in the wrong people.
PAST…
I can transform now. I can fly.
I can finally talk to my daughter.
As soon as I walk Felicity back to Dariux’s house—she won’t be living there much longer, now that we’re mated—I hurry to Belfox’s sparse treehouse. Herrix is with him. “I’ve lived up to my end of the deal so far,” I tell them. “I want the communicator.”
“Of course,” Herrix replies, a slight smile on his face. “So you’ve finally done it. Fucked the human woman in order to transform. It took you long enough, didn’t it?”