by Willa Okati
The thin sac of virile vitality within her began to rupture, spilling over. She rolled her eyes and saw white light pulsing down the length of the two men’s energy cords, shocking them as if with lightning.
“Oh, God, God! Wait-- wait--” Randall rushed to lower his mouth to Gina’s breast, sucking in a nipple. His lips clamped down around the nub as he came, flooding her cunt with strong jets of seed. Behind her, Dakarai held on tightly enough to hurt as he reached his climax, too, hips jerking against the hard-clenched muscles of Gina’s ass.
She was the one to feel him ripple and shake. From a shiver, it grew into a full-fledged, whole-body twitching; only his hands were still as he held on to Gina with a death grip.
“Dakarai?” Gina queried, trying to turn her head, but still pinned between the two men. “Dakarai, what’s wrong?”
He choked out something she couldn’t understand.
“Randall.” Gina turned to him, searching his face. “What’s happening?”
Randall didn’t look worried. Instead, he seemed to glow with pleasure. “Just what we wanted,” he soothed her. “Don’t be afraid.”
She had no choice but to trust him and hung on for dear life as Dakarai spasmed, his cock slipping out and leaving her empty.
“Dakarai,” Gina whispered, praying to any unseen force who might be listening that they hadn’t done something wrong. That this had been the right thing to do. That they hadn’t given Dakarai too much power out of their desire for one another.
Dakarai groaned and fell backward, landing on the floor with a thump. Randall withdrew from Gina and rushed to his lover’s side, helping the man up. Although sticky with fluid and, once again, weak as a kitten from her climax, Gina hurried to kneel by the mage as well.
When he looked at them, his gaze shimmered with iridescent color, and then he began to shine. Bright white light mixed with purple surrounded him like an aura, outlining his body, making his form hot to the touch.
“It worked,” he said simply. “We worked. We’re stronger than ever.”
Gina breathed out in thanks. Words of affection sprang to her lips, and, unable to stop them from escaping, she buried them in the damp curls of Dakarai’s hair. When she had control over herself, she managed to fix her gaze on the mage’s face. “We have the power?”
“In plenty.” Dakarai gave Gina a push. “Break through the walls, Gina. Face the dragon now. Let him see how mighty you are.”
Gina didn’t question him. He was her mage, and he was whole again. He knew what was best.
Shutting her eyes, she breathed in and out, and let herself slip away into the black space where she would find the dragon.
She knew he would be waiting.
Chapter Ten
This time the rush through not-really space was familiar. Gina rode the swells buffeting her through the tunnel in her mind to the place where the dragon lived. No hands tried to stop her as she flew, straight and sure as an arrow, gliding in on the crest of her power -- and the power of her men.
Gina knew the journey had come to an end when she felt rough granite blocks beneath her bare ass. They were cold as ever, grating against her unprotected skin, but solid and real.
Words the dragon man had spoken earlier clicked into place, making sense. “You aren’t just in my mind, are you?” she asked, eyes still closed. “This place you call home. It’s somewhere both of us can reach. Maybe it doesn’t really exist, not physically, but you manifest it as a place where you feel safe.”
She lifted her eyelids to look up at the dragon man on his throne. His scales shifted abruptly from color to color, indigo to cobalt to sky blue.
Getting to you, am I? she thought in exultation. All of us are. We three, Dakarai, Randall, and myself. “You’ve got trouble, big guy,” she said, confident. “My forces are gathering, and they’ve got my back. I feel safe here now, too. The playing field’s even.”
“Is it?” The dragon man snapped his tongue out once, twice, three times in rapid succession. “I have the power to create a dimension out of nothingness, and you feel no fear?”
Gina unfolded her legs from beneath her and stood. She squared her shoulders and stared, unafraid and unashamed, at the dragon man. “It’s all magic.”
“Yet magic is what you depend on,” the dragon man said, his face growing sly. “So dependent on your mage’s paltry human skills to defend your tender hide. You put your faith in his so-called power, do you?”
“I’ve seen what he can do.” Gina shrugged. “He’s a match for you.”
“Can he do this?” The dragon man leaned forward and exhaled a plume of fire, heavy with oily smoke. Gina jumped back before the flame could reach her, her throat automatically retching at the stench. His fire smelled of burning flesh.
Gina struggled to clear the air in front of her. “He can protect me,” she insisted. “And you missed.”
“On purpose,” the dragon man hissed. “A warning shot. Next time you tweak my temper too hard, I will scald the skin from your bones.”
“Big talk, little action,” Gina scoffed. She could still feel the power pulsating inside her body as she stepped forward onto the scorched mark the dragon fire had left on the stone floor. “If you could do that, you already would have.”
“Honestly, you have no comprehension of my battle plan.” The dragon man sighed, as if he were trying to teach a particularly stupid child. “There is a game humans play, called chess. I have -- or before I was the only one, we had -- a similar pastime. I was a master. You would barely make it through half a game.”
“So?” Gina challenged.
“So,” the dragon man replied, leaning forward, “you may have might on your side, but you have no strategy. I am at least two steps ahead of you -- ha! No, more like a thousand! All you and your pitiful forces are able to do is trail along in my wake, applying your fragile human bandages to the wounds I tear open.”
Gina paused, a hint of doubt crossing her mind. She sensed he was telling the truth; how, she didn’t know. But everything seemed right. She and Randall and Dakarai had first come together to defeat the dragon flame, but they hadn’t been able to do anything to block the fireballs. Dakarai’s power shields over his neighborhood had been shredded by the dragon attack.
“You see?” The dragon man chuckled, leaning back in his throne. “I am winning, Georgina. Why should you fight any further?”
“Why would I give in?” Gina held her ground. “I am a descendant of the Saint. He was the first to see what kind of danger you and your kind are. We’ve lived to bring you down.” She glanced around herself at the piles of ash. “Thanks for doing a lot of the work for us.”
“Sss!” The dragon man shot forward, his taloned hands curling into tight fists. Gina could see fangs dropping from the roof of his mouth, wickedly sharp things gleaming at the tips.
Hit a sore spot, huh?
Gina scooped up a handful of powder and let it trickle through her fingers. “This place is full of decay. It smells like a mausoleum... and you’re the only thing hanging on to life.”
“Smells, oh, yes, let’s talk about those. I can smell what you’ve been up to. Semen and foul woman’s juices and oils to lubricate passages. My, my, imagine the three of you together. Tell me, are you such a whore that you reek of sex every time we meet?”
A dig like that would have shamed “Mary” into cowed silence. Not Gina. Not anymore. She folded her arms under her breasts, displaying them and the marks of passion Randall had left. “You won’t embarrass me. My mage and my bodyman are tied to me. We’re lovers. From what I was taught, it happened sometimes with a George and his helpers. Not always three, sometimes just a mage or just a bodyman, but lovers. There’s no shame in what we do together.”
The dragon man ticked his head back and forth. He unfolded his fists and touched the tip of his chin with one talon. “No, no. A true George would not need the power of a mage or the strength of a bodyman. That you have them is an advantage to your side, but not e
nough to defeat me.” He puffed up like an adder. “Come, if you think you can. Have a shot, your best shot. No magic, no tricks. We will fight hand to hand and see who comes out on top.”
Gina remembered his easy defeat of her before, and the bite which had left her with a ring of scars. She fingered them, feeling the rough circle of tissue. At the same time, her body tensed for the attack. “Why should I believe you won’t cheat?”
“I? Cheat?” The dragon man placed a hand against his chest as if he were shocked. “You have my word, should you choose to accept it, that whatever passes between us here is no more than honest battle.”
Gina knew she shouldn’t trust him. But the urge to prove herself burned in her heart, the pressure of a lineage trained to fight the dragons egging her on. “You swear?” Gina asked, shifting her weight from side to side on her bare feet. “What do you have that’s holy?”
The dragon man blinked, his no-color irises narrowing as the pupils dilated into a diamond shape. “I have nothing,” he said coldly. “Accept my word or do not. The choice is up to you.”
Gina’s mind whirled. Dakarai had pushed her into this. He wouldn’t have done it if he hadn’t thought she was ready. But what if he’d been high on the power, supercharged and ready to take on the world? Would his judgment have been impaired?
But Randall hadn’t said anything. He was her strong right arm. If he’d had the chance, if Gina hadn’t been so eager to charge, would he have had something to say? He might have advised against this.
Gina knew she had the power, but she also had no idea how to use it. And, of course, the dragon man would be aware of her struggle.
To fight, or not to fight? Could raw strength and a backwash of magic be enough?
“And if I turn down your challenge?” Gina wanted to know.
The question earned her a clicking noise, the sound of a schoolteacher tsking over a student fumbling her lessons. The dragon man let his taloned foot tap the floor, the sound reminiscent of a rattlesnake’s warning.
Gina readied herself for the strike.
It didn’t come. Apparently, he wasn’t done dueling with words yet. “What kind of a George would you be, then?” the dragon man taunted. “So much bravado under your tender bronze skin. I threaten you with the tips of my claws and the edge of my teeth, and you tremble. Perhaps you are not up to the standards set by your ancestors.” He paused, drawing out the silence as if mocking her. “Or are you George enough, after all?”
Was she? Gina felt more prepared than she had been. A little more powerful.
But afraid.
Yet wouldn’t anyone who wasn’t a fool be nervous in this creature’s presence?
“I’m ready,” she said steadily, balancing herself. “Do your worst.”
“To you, a mere woman?”
“Women have the power to change the world.” Gina shook hair out of her face, knowing she must look like a barbarian. “Cleopatra? Elizabeth I? Joan of Arc?”
The dragon man curled his lip. “All so-called noble females, named as heroes by your puling race, but cut down in the end by this pitiful disease called humanity. Had they interested me, I could have destroyed them with a thought.”
“If humanity’s so pitiful, then go ahead and see what you can do,” Gina challenged. “No matter what the dragons did to my line, I’m still here, and there must be something about me you’re putting off facing or you would have killed me the first time around. If you weren’t prepared, well, so much for what you said about being a thousand steps ahead of the game.”
The rattlesnake buzz grew louder. “You try my patience,” the dragon man warned.
“Good.” Gina bared her teeth. “Let’s do this.”
The dragon man showed off his glistening fangs. “Very well. But look how generous I am! A spear, for you to defend yourself with.” He beckoned with one talon. A deadly sharp blade shot through the air toward Gina, point first.
She caught it in one hand and drew in a deep breath as the sense memory of holding one of these washed over her. In practice, in battle. The firmness of the solid wood shaft made her arm feel stronger. “Generous of you, indeed,” she said, not trusting him one bit. “What’s the catch?”
“Why, none at all.” The dragon man stood up, rustling and hissing and clicking. “You are truly prepared, then?”
Gina lifted her spear. “Bring it on.”
He cackled. “As you wish. Face me, mortal.”
The overpowering stench of sulfur was her only warning. An explosion of blinding light and rending flesh knocked Gina out of her battle-ready position. She hit the granite floor hard, scraping the tender skin of her knees and then her rump. Unable to see, she thrust her spear up with one hand and shielded her eyes with another.
As the light dimmed, Gina felt the weight of something massive looming over her. Its shadow, ringed in a halo of luminescence, kept her from getting a good look until her eyes adjusted.
When they did, she wished they hadn’t.
No longer cloaked in a male form, the dragon stood above Gina, one massive horned foot on either side of her shoulders and her feet. Titanium-tough blue scales completely covered his body. And his face! God. Only the colorless eyes were the same. His visage had transformed from the features of a man into the thrusting muzzle of a lizard, opened wide to display every wicked tooth, each vicious point three times the size of the ones he’d worn previously.
He was easily the largest of his kind she’d ever seen. The previous dragon, the one that had sent her world flying apart, had been a third of this beast’s size. She’d been in the peak of her fighting prime then, prepared for anything -- and look what it had done.
What would this monster be capable of?
Gina stared, frozen, as the dragon spread flapping indigo wings, threw back his head, and roared.
Chuffing, he lowered his gaze to her. The intelligence present there was so much more alien than before, yet keener than the edge of her blade. “Do you still want to fight me, little one?” the dragon whispered, his foul breath blasting into Gina’s face. “Do you think a little spear will stop me?”
Gina got a better grip on her weapon’s wooden handle. “If I fall, you’re going down with me,” she brazened.
“I think not.” The dragon swiped at Gina, scoring her shoulder with surgical deftness. The slices barely bled. “You are mine.”
“Guess again.” With all the might she could muster, Gina thrust her weapon up and into the dragon’s belly.
Hot damn! Got you, you bastard. The blade pierced what she’d hoped would be softer scales and sank halfway to the hilt. Big and bad, huh? And you didn’t even see that strike coming? Or did you think I wouldn’t really have the balls to attack?
The dragon roared and blasted out a pillar of fire.
“Strategic retreat,” Gina said, scrambling out from under his stamping feet. She reached out for Dakarai’s power cord and, somehow, managed to push power along her own bond to give his a sharp yank. “I’ll be back, and I’ll be able to take whatever you can dish out, no matter what shape you take.”
The dragon glared, plumed smoke out his nostrils, and lunged for her.
The sight of his razor-toothed mouth was the last thing Gina saw before the safety of blackness swallowed her whole.
Dakarai had heard her call.
Thank God.
Chapter Eleven
“Again,” Gina demanded. She slapped the length of wood, once a dowel rod, in the palm of her hand. “I almost got him that time.”
Dakarai perched on the edge of his cashier chair. He sighed and waved his hand. The remnants of the faux dragon he had conjured up, all light and show, disappeared completely.
“Hey! What’s the idea?” Gina spun on Dakarai, waving her pointless spear at him, then rotated her shoulder joint. The magician had used his special decoction on her latest wounds and healed them. “I have to make up for all the time I wasted. I’m so out of practice it’s pitiful. The dragon knows it, too. And
I was getting there. One more in the gut and he would have been mine.”
Dakarai’s look was one of deeply tried patience. “Perhaps. You’re too sloppy in your approach, though. Let Randall help you.”
“He’s my bodyman.” Gina stood firm, defiant. “It’s his job to hand me the spears, make sure my armor is on right, everything else. I’m the one fighting here. Going to be fighting. The dragon’s coming after me, and soon. I can feel it in my bones.”
“Ah, yes. Your bones. It’s interesting how you’ve developed this sixth sense after having been the subject of a truly threatening attack.”
Gina dropped her makeshift spear to the curling linoleum floor, where it clattered and rolled away. “You’re saying you doubt me? You weren’t there, Dakarai. The dragon’s animal form is huge, and I know he can touch this world if it wants. He’s out there somewhere, waiting.”
“It makes sense the dragon would -- could -- have conjured up an astral plane on which to fight. And as his own chosen battle ground, it would resemble the place from which he actually came. But do you actually think he’ll be content to leave the clash and fray there?” Dakarai reached out and tapped the top of a dusty leather book he’d pulled off one of his shelves without looking, knowing exactly where it rested.
“Why not?” Gina glanced at Randall. “Give me another of those fake spears. Dakarai, make with the mojo. I need to practice.”
Randall looked at Gina, then at Dakarai. He hesitated, then shook his head. “Listen to Dakarai, Gina.” He sounded quiet but firm. “I’m just the bodyman here. He’s the mage.”
Gina planted her hands on her hips. “Now you’re ganging up on me.”
“That’s not what we’re doing at all.”
“Sure seems like it to me.” Gina’s lips thinned with irritation. “I’m telling you, everything inside my head -- there are all these voices shouting at me -- they’re telling me it’s time to fight. Soon.”
“No. It’s time to prepare. These are two entirely different things.” Dakarai thumped his book. “This duel will come down to far more than jabbing the dragon with a pointy stick.”