by Ophelia Bell
Numa huffed and lathed up her hands. “You’ve entirely missed the point. If you’d listen to me, you’d understand. Focus. Look into my eyes, Dionysus.”
She pressed soapy hands to his chest and slid them around in circles, marveling at the hard solidity of him. Looking was out of the question, though. She had to keep him on task, and that meant she couldn’t let her own impulses get the better of her.
To his credit, he held still and remained focused on her while she worked her soapy hands up and down his big torso. “As I was saying, discipline is required. And by that, I mean a disciplined mind capable of controlling all that power so we can use it how we need to. I also need someone capable of building up enough power to supplement mine. A full day’s worth of energy from each of us.”
“I merely have what I have,” he said, frowning at her. “It’s all yours, however you choose to use it.”
“The ritual is not a solo endeavor. You need to know how to direct your power. It’s easy for you, isn’t it? To just walk through a room and draw playmates to you with your aura like a magnet. It’s effortless. It’s like this for Red dragons, but they do at least understand how to use their breath for other things. Have you ever used your power for something other than seduction?”
She slid her hands lower, the sides of her wrists grazing his rigid cock. He blinked, but otherwise didn’t react to the accidental touch. At least he’d grasped her need to remain focused and was making a concerted effort now.
“Never needed to,” he said, his jaw clenching when she slipped one hand between his thighs and cupped his balls. They filled her palm and then some, two heavy, warm globes contained in a sack of velvet.
“The first test is finding out how long you can hold out. These…” She slid fingertips around the golden ring at the base of his cock. “Will get in the way.”
With soapy hands, she gripped the first ring and tugged. It came free and she slowly slid it along his shaft, enjoying the way his shoulders tensed as she took her time removing it. When she reached his tip, she caught the second ring along with the first and they clinked together. It took one more tug and they were both free. Dionysus let out an involuntary grunt when she released him.
“I’ll hold onto these for you,” she said, pushing each hand through one of the rings. They fit snugly around her forearms and remained.
His aura had flared wildly and was now a vibrant, pulsing red on the verge of bursting. She could almost taste the raw power that it held, but needed to push his limits as far as possible for this day to be a success.
“Sit and relax,” she said, gesturing to the contoured seat beneath the water behind him.
“What demented, useless test are you giving me now?” he asked, but he obeyed, turning and sloshing down into the bath. He rested his forearms on his knees and slid a little farther into the tub until the water covered his navel. The thick head of his cock still peeked out from the surface.
“Now, we talk,” Numa said, crouching down into the water and crawling toward him. The bath covered her almost entirely, but she knew her shoulders and backside were visible, if not from the air filtering across, then from the way his gaze flicked over her with interest. He moved his legs apart and shifted his hands to grant her passage between his thighs. His lips parted, and heat flared in his gaze when her face came within an inch of his cock.
His musky scent was intoxicating, and she indulged herself with a slight brush of her lips across the crown, darting her tongue out for the tiniest taste of the divine pre-cum that had leaked from the tip. The droplet left her tongue awash in tingles, and her vision blurred for a second. She shook her head and blinked to clear it. She had best take care for the rest of her time with him, if she wanted to last the full six hours.
“Do you hate me?” he growled.
“I barely know you,” she said, turning between his thighs. She settled back against his chest, carefully positioning so that his erection was aligned with the very center of her back. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, but her comfort wasn’t as important as ensuring he was reminded of his arousal while they talked.
“You definitely don’t like me very much. If you liked me even a little, I’d be inside you now.”
“Is that how it usually works with women? You show up, and if she has even a passing interest, you fuck?”
“Pretty much that, yes.”
“There are better ways to get to know a girl. Have you ever loved one?”
He swallowed audibly, the sound causing her to inspect his aura once more. His arousal hadn’t ebbed, but there was a darker halo to it now that spoke of old wounds. Was there indeed more to this arrogant god than his libido? She’d heard of a few of his lovers, but had never gotten the impression they meant much to him.
Her hands were resting lightly on his knees and he covered one with his own, threading his fingers between hers. He squeezed slightly and then let out a breath.
Numa twisted her torso to look up at him, frowning at the strange display of affection. “You did, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
He said nothing more, but from the look in his eyes, she could tell there were endless emotions buried back there that he’d likely never once shared.
“Tell me,” she said softly.
He gave her a wary look. “Part of the test?”
“If it needs to be. Buried emotions can block your energy, Dionysus. If you want to be my mate, you need to let go of these things. I need you at full power.”
“Call me Dion, please, Numa.”
“As you wish.” She smiled and lifted her brows expectantly.
Dion’s shoulders fell, and he gently urged her to turn and face away again. She complied, settling against his chest once more. His cock had gone flaccid between them, which wasn’t a bad thing. Rousing his lust and letting it fade several times in succession would stretch his limits.
He didn’t speak immediately, but began tracing small whorls along her forearm with a wet finger, ending at the golden band that encircled below her elbow and trailing back down again. Finally, he took another breath and began his story.
I am young, by god standards. Older than dragons, but not by much, really. Pleasure wasn’t recognized as a power until Fate realized it needed a mechanism to control the rest of us. Whether I was born to fill that need or not, I don’t know—only that I instantly had a use once I existed. It was my power that aided the creation of the four higher races, one of which was spawned from my very own seed.
You already know that Fate had a hand in the creation of all the higher races. The day Fate came to me with the offer of creating a race of my own, I was lost. I had no purpose beyond fornicating with whatever beasts walked the earth. The humans were the most interesting, but so easily influenced they lost their allure if I spent too long with them.
I was … entranced. Beautiful doesn’t begin to describe the aspect of Fate who came to me that day. She appeared as a naked and luscious woman emanating fertile power, much like you do now. She spoke to me of a world filled with creatures who would be my playthings, if I would only share her bed but once.
The night lasted a hundred human years, and by the end of it, I knew I would never want any of these so-called playthings that my power contributed to creating. I only wanted her.
My desire for her stayed strong until she birthed the twins, Nyx and Neph. And even after they were born, I still wanted no one but her. I couldn’t find desire for the offspring, of course … they were my blood. She told me they weren’t the only ones, only the first … the Dionarchs. And if I would just be patient, there would be others worth my attention.
But I didn’t want any other. I told her this, but she was done with me. She left, and all I had were my children, who I taught the only thing I knew once they were grown … pleasure. And I warned them never to mate with those such as me because gods weren’t to be trusted. They understood and made it their law to only mate with their own kind or with humans, since human
ity was plentiful, easy to seduce, and wasn’t tainted by Fate.
Then I learned Fate had done the same with the Mother Dragon, appearing to her as a virile male dragon, impregnating her and giving her not two, but six children. Still, she was no luckier than I was. Fate never stayed.
Gaia was the third victim, but desired her own race to worship her despite knowing she would be used and thrown away by Fate the same as the rest of us. The nymphaea and the dragons were thriving when the ursa’s four seasons were born.
We weren’t happy with Fate’s treatment of us. The three of us got together and conspired to get even. There was one element Fate hadn’t seduced. We found Ouranos before Fate got to him and warned him in advance. He was ready when Fate arrived, once again in the aspect of a beautiful woman. Ouranos overpowered her, took his pleasure, and laughed about it afterward. Even though Fate got what she wanted, she cursed the turul race to be lost and lonely until they found their true mates, which she predetermined for them at their birth.
But we had had our revenge, and during our victory celebration, the Mother Dragon, Gaia, and I became lovers, producing a daughter who would be immune to the hand of Fate. You know her as the Diviner, who is the only creature in existence truly outside of Fate’s grasp, but who can see Fate’s plan for those creatures brave enough to ask her. Not even the other gods can make that claim.
Fate doesn’t always have a plan, as it turns out. You are evidence of that, otherwise you’d have never been given this choice. My hope is that mating you will allow me to exert my power within the Haven, to preserve our creations in spite of Fate’s influence. And that maybe a bit of the choice you were granted will rub off on me.
Chapter 9
Numa
Numa remained silent for several moments after Dion finished his story, unsure what it all meant. She knew of the origins of the higher races, but it had never occurred to her how manipulative Fate had been in their creation.
She took a deep breath and carefully chose her words. “Am I a way for you to get even with Fate?”
“The thought did cross my mind when word came that you were available. But our desires are too well aligned for me to discount the offer of an alliance. We’ve all been made fools of in some way … either by Fate’s meddling or by its neglect. We have to do something. Winning this war is only one step.”
She turned to look at him. “What makes you so sure you’re not being manipulated now? Sophia North has a direct line to Fate. She knew this contest had to happen.”
“She had no choice. The turul are cursed to be Fate’s puppets. But the dragons have the power to subvert that control. Sophia’s been scheming to break the curse, and getting her own grandchildren bound to mates Fate didn’t choose is part of it.”
“My sister dreamed of Lukas and Iszak … Fate sent my siblings all their dreams. What makes you so sure…?”
“Because I’m a god, little one, and as long as you stick close, I can protect you and those you love.”
“I don’t know if my brothers and sisters would agree that it’s a bad thing. They’d probably never have left the Glade, if they weren’t compelled to go searching for their mates.”
He cupped her face and gave her a serious stare. “Numa, if not for Fate, you’d have never had a reason to be there in the first place. Your brother would have never fallen in love with my son. The creature we are preparing to fight would have never had a taste of immortality. She’d have been a happy consort of a Dionarch, bearing his babies and living the hedonistic life of a nymph in the Haven.”
“We’d have never been forced to protect our children at all costs …” Numa added.
“Unfortunately, there is no way to break free from Fate’s grasp. The best we can do is subvert that hold in whatever way we can. My presence here is my best attempt at that.”
“Whether this is Fate’s plan or not, it doesn’t change what we need to do here. The ritual has to happen if we’re going to have a chance to beat Meri’s army.”
“And I will do whatever you wish to help make that happen. If it isn’t me, so be it, but there are other ways I can contribute, even if it’s just to spur things on.” He leaned forward and cupped her cheek again, and Numa gravitated toward him, leaning sideways between his thighs. She tilted her head back as he lowered his mouth to hers, the steam from the bath gathering like dew on his upper lip. She opened for him, savoring his lips and the liquid coating, realizing too late that it wasn’t water that coated him, but whatever honey-flavored magic he exuded from his pores. One taste of his mouth, and her desire soared.
She pulled away with a start. “Sweet Mother, that’s not what I expected.”
He grinned at her. “What isn’t?”
“Your kisses are literally intoxicating. Whatever that is, I need you to save it for next time. The next few hours are about testing your limits, not mine.”
Dion leaned back and sighed. “Ah, spoil my fun. Fine, then. What do you need me to do? My offer still stands for the spanking.”
“Next time,” she said. “But perhaps you wouldn’t mind bending over for me?”
“I don’t bend over for anyone.”
“In the interest of teaching Fate a lesson, maybe you will?”
He studied her solemnly for a moment before surging up out of the water and climbing out of the tub. He was halfway back to the bedroom before she heard him call out. “You win! But whatever you do to me, I get to do twice as hard to you next time.”
Grinning, she hopped out of the bath and followed him, quickly wrapping a robe around herself on the way. Dion didn’t bother drying off, and his big, muscular body glistened in the sunlight that streamed through her big windows. He climbed onto the wooden bed and reclined against the pile of pillows. The white of the linens stood out starkly in contrast to his deep bronze skin, and the dampness that bled out from his body made it appear as though he floated above the sheets.
His cock was fully hard again, and Numa nearly stopped just to admire it. There would be enough time for that later.
“Turn over,” she said, hating the fact that what she intended to do would obscure that majestic appendage from her view for a little while.
“Nothing that happens in this room makes it out of here, you got it?” he said, narrowing his eyes at her before slowly rolling onto his belly.
Numa took a deep breath as though admiring the most glorious vista she’d ever seen from the sky. Yes, he was most certainly a god. And he was most certainly submitting to her whims for the next several hours.
She removed her robe and ensured her hair was secured tightly with the pair of sticks she used to bind it. Then she climbed up onto the bed beside him and gently patted his backside with one hand.
Dion turned his head and gave her a quizzical look. “Is that what you call a spanking?”
She shrugged and dropped her hand back down to his ass again, rubbing in a slow circle. “It’s not the pain I’m after. Would it arouse you if I smacked you harder?”
She pulled back her hand and gave him a hard smack that made him jump and flinch.
“Fuck! Ah, no … that doesn’t really do it for me. Whatever you were thinking when you came over here … it made your scent stronger. Do that. Smelling you get turned on turns me on.”
“Are you sure? You might not like what I was actually thinking.”
“You’re the good girl, Numa. You don’t even like spanking, so how shocking can it be?”
She pressed her lips together to hold back her smile. Zephyrus likely had a better idea of what she secretly enjoyed after spying on her moments of solitude when they were younger. She also doubted any of the ursa had any compunctions against it, either.
An overly masculine god like Dionysus, however, probably was not nearly as open-minded as he liked to think he was.
She straddled his lower back and bent down, brushing her lips over the top of his ear. “I’ll give you one more chance to take that back, Dion, my dear. Because taking you to the e
dge is the goal here, don’t forget that. Pushing that limit until it almost breaks is my intention. Have you tested all your limits?”
“I got fucked by Fate. Whatever you do can’t be as humiliating.”
“Perhaps, but a figurative reaming by a manipulative female aspect isn’t the same as literally being fucked by a woman.” She extended her dragon tongue and traced the outer edge of his ear with it, then teased the line of his jaw before sliding down his back, her hard nipples rubbing as she went. As she made her way down, her entire body lifted and fell with the force of his heavy breaths. His aura was tinged with fear along with desire now, and while she couldn’t see his cock, she was absolutely certain he was still as hard as a rock.
She tickled his spine with her tongue all the way down, deliberately slowing as her breasts grazed the mounds of his ass. She paused when her knees slipped between his and gripped both cheeks in her hands, spreading him open.
“You can breathe, Dion,” she purred. “This isn’t going to hurt.”
His tight anus clenched even tighter, his cheeks marble beneath her hands. “It’s my pride I’m concerned about, not my ass so much.”
Numa laughed and released her hold. “We’ll work up to that, then. Spread your legs a bit more for me.” She pressed her palms to both his inner thighs and pushed. He spread his legs wide—much wider than she needed him to—and tilted his hips as though adjusting his position.
“You can’t be enjoying that view,” he commented over his shoulder.
Numa quirked her mouth and tilted her head, raking her gaze up his backside to his shoulders and back down. “You are every bit the god from any angle. When you’re tormenting me later, maybe you’ll indulge me by doing it from your knees.”
Dion groaned and looked over his shoulder again. “You are enjoying this way too much for my comfort.”
“Shhh… I know what I’m doing, and I’d really rather not tie you up. If you tried to break free, you’d just damage the bed, and I need the bed to last for the next two days.”