Riding Lightning: A Reverse Harem Dragon Fantasy Adventure (Starcrossed Dragons Book 1)

by Erin Bedford

  “And what exactly is he doing? You said he stole from the people.” I repeated his words back to him, trying to figure out the bigger picture. “How and the bigger question here, why?”

  “I found out he has a huge debt. Like, enormous.” He spread his arms wide. “The last war cost us more than anyone knew, and he had taken out loans from some guy in the North. Now he has come to collect, but my father doesn’t have the money. In fact, we are on the brink of poverty because of it.” The sadness and shame in his face made my heart ache for him. Before I could stop myself, I reached over and clasped his hands in mine. Firestar gave me a small smile, squeezing my hands slightly in response.

  “So, then why are you out here instead of in there trying to help fix it?” I cocked my head to the side not quite seeing how he ended up there.

  Firestar sighed and let go of my hands. “I tried to approach him about it. Tell him it was wrong to steal from the people. He should just tell them what happened and raise the taxes temporarily until we can pay the debt back, but his pride refuses to listen to reason.”

  I nodded, understanding what pride can do to someone. My father had it in spades.

  “Then when I threatened to tell them myself, he faked a robbery and blamed it on me.” He rubbed his hand over his weary face. “He banished me in front of everyone for my ‘crimes,’ and now I’m lucky to have found a home here with the few loyal men I could convince to leave with me.”

  “And so you found your home between two volcanoes? Why didn’t you just jump into one? It would have saved you time?” I pointed out sarcastically before standing from the table. Pacing back and forth, I rehashed everything he had told me. Lord Amun bad. Firestar good. Which left me where? Stuck in the middle of a complicated mess.

  “As if I didn’t have enough on my plate already,” I muttered under my breath.

  “What was that?” Firestar asked from his seat.

  “Nothing.” I waved him off. “Just trying to figure out how I’m going to get out of this mess.”

  Man, I thought coding the final boss of Waesigar had been hard. All the extra twists and turns we had to put in so players wouldn’t get bored but would still be willing to spend all their precious time on it. It had been such a stressful time, Ryan had ended up on the other end of a tequila bottle, but unfortunately, I hadn’t had that luxury. I did get a lovely video to post online of Ryan singing a hit pop song including a dance number. It had over ten thousand views online.

  “What are you smiling about?” Firestar asked from right next to me causing me to jump in place.

  “Don’t do that,” I snapped, clasping my hand over my racing heart.

  “Sorry.” Firestar grinned sheepishly and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear causing my heart to race for a whole different reason. “You’re so beautiful. You know that, don’t you?” The hand on my face cupped my cheek, his thumb tracing along the top of my lips.

  “To you maybe.” I bit my lower lip and stared down at the ground.

  “No, not just to me.” He placed his other hand on my cheeks, firmly trapping my face between his grasp. “Your father might have made you think you weren’t desirable, but you are. Otherwise, how would you have gained the attention of not just one prince but two other noble dragons?”

  “Just lucky I guess,” I tried to joke, but it only made Firestar frown. Sighing, I withdrew myself for his grasp and moved away. “I know what you are saying, but it’s hard to change how you see yourself when everyone has been telling you your whole life you aren’t worthy. Now, all of a sudden, I’m the cream of the crop. The cherry on the sundae.”

  “The what?” Firestar’s brows scrunched together.

  “Never mind.” I waved him off. I sometimes forgot that most people in Waesigar had never heard of ice cream. Let alone human sayings in general. I’d have to be more careful on the references in the future.

  “Anyway, what I’m trying to say is some things just take time to adjust to. This is one of them. Even when I’m swollen with child, I will still need to be reminded that I’m desired. Probably even more so.” I twisted my lips at the imagery of my stomach expanding out over my toes. I couldn’t say I was looking forward to that part of the pregnancy process.

  “You’ll always be beautiful to me.” Firestar placed his hands on my hips and drew me close to him. I wrapped my arms around his waist as his body heat warmed my own. I wanted nothing more than to curl up in his embrace and forget about everything else.

  Nevertheless, I couldn’t. There was still his father to deal with, and Raiden and Jack were waiting for me. I couldn’t leave them now any more than I could have back in the bathroom of Lord Amun’s palace.

  “What are we going to do?” I muttered against his chest allowing myself a few moments of comfort.

  “Well, first off,” Firestar leaned away from me to look at my face. “We are going to find you somewhere to sleep for the night.”

  I opened my mouth to interject.

  “And your dragon concubines.”

  Shoving at his shoulder, I frowned even as the smile threatened to come forward. “They aren’t concubines.”

  “I know,” Firestar smirked. “But it’s so fun to tease you. In fact.” He saddled up next to me once more his hands gripping my waist bringing me flush against his front. “I remember you used to like being teased.”

  “That was before.” I placed my hands on his arms, trying to extricate myself from him. We were too close, and I didn’t trust myself to be this close to him and not give in.

  “What does that matter?” Firestar wouldn’t budge.

  “We can’t do this, Firestar,” I growled out in frustration.

  “Why not?” One of his hands slid down to cup my backside and press me firmly against the hardness inside his pants. I forced back a groan as I fought against my own body’s reaction. Desire pulsated through my very being begging for a reprieve, but Firestar wasn’t done with me yet. He tangled his fingers in my hair and drew my head to the side where his mouth attacked my neck and ear. A whimper fell from my lips, and for the life of me, I couldn’t find the will to push him away.

  When his tongue found the spot behind my ear, my legs crumbled beneath me, leaving Firestar’s arm to hold me up. My hands clutched at his shirt, holding on for dear life as he used his wicked mouth on me to disperse any neurons in my brain while the hand gripping my butt slid between my legs stroked at my heat. My legs quaked as my thighs slickened, and before I knew it, Firestar had me up and over the edge.

  Moments after I cried out my release, reality set in. I shoved him away from me. This time he let me, an arrogant grin on his face. “You shouldn’t have done that,” I snapped.

  “I’ll ask again, why not?” His eyes were dark with lust and his voice deep, it made my core ache to be touched again.

  “Because I’m not here for that,” I argued, holding a finger up to hold him off. “I came with Raiden and Jack and I can’t… we can’t.” I stumbled over my words for a moment and then stopped. I took a deep breath in and let it out, centering myself. “I promised nothing would happen, and I will not break my promise. I already lied about us knowing each other. I won’t make things worse.”

  Firestar stopped coming toward me and frowned. “You’re serious.”

  “Yes.” I threw my hands up in the air. “Finally, you get it. This…” I gestured between us. “We can’t happen. No matter what your father has done or will do. I’m here for the treaty, and that’s it.”

  The fire dragon was quiet for a moment and then straightened his back and nodded. “Very well. I will have Blorder escort you to your living quarters.”

  “What about your father?” I asked, moving toward the tent flap.

  “Tomorrow we will discuss what to do about my father and all that entails. Now go.” He waved me away, his eyes turning back to the table we had once sat at. “Before I change my mind.”

  I hurried out of the tent not because I thought he would force me to do anything
I didn’t want to do but because I knew my restraint had already taken all it could bear. I didn’t trust myself not to give in to him if he seriously tried to get me in bed. Now I just needed a cold shower to remind my body of that.

  15

  Blorder didn’t like me. I could tell by the way he kept shooting daggers my way when he thought I wasn’t looking. Or the way he dropped me off at a tent without a word before stomping away.

  Sighing, I stared at the tent in front of me. It looked exactly like all the others, meaning someone probably got kicked out so we could have it. No wonder Blorder didn’t like me.

  As I stared at the entrance, I wondered briefly if Raiden and Jack were in there, but a cough from inside answered that question for me. What would I tell them? They would definitely want to know what happened.

  I glanced back at the large tent I had come from. Firestar was still in there. Was he thinking about me? On the other hand, had he brushed me off after my many rejections? My head told me it was for the best, but my heart thought otherwise.

  “Are you going to stand there all night?” Raiden growled from inside the tent. Someone obviously was still mad.

  Pulling up my metaphorical big girl pants, I stepped into the tent to face the music.

  What lay before me though was not a tent full of angry men but shirtless ones laying out on a large pile of blankets. I’d seen Raiden partially nude but never like this. The tanned skin over ripped muscles combined with the way he was looking at me — as if he remembered how I tasted and wanted more — if my body wasn’t already still trembling from Firestar’s touch it would be now.

  Then they just had to put Jack in the mix.

  The stoic man was a sight all of his own. A complete contrast to Raiden, his pale skin almost glowed in the light of the lamp. He had spread his long hair out over his shoulder so that it brushed along the edges of his pants bringing my attention to the faint trail of hair leading down. I licked my lips to wet my suddenly dry mouth. They certainly were a sight to see.

  “Maya,” the way Jack said my name was like a caress in the most intimate of places. “Why don’t you come down here and make yourself comfortable?”

  “Yes, come join us.” Raiden held a hand out to me. The fun-loving guy I was used to had gone away and in his place, the commanding man who had brought me so much pleasure.

  While nearly everything in me wanted to eagerly join them, a nagging part of me kept me from doing so. Pushing back my desire, my brows furrowed as I suspiciously tried to figure them out. I had expected to be fighting with them until we all went to bed angry and dissatisfied, but it seemed they had other ideas.

  “What’s going on here?” I squeaked, partially ashamed I could barely form the words.

  Jack and Raiden’s faces dropped at my question moments before a scowl replaced Raiden’s bedroom eyes and Jack’s mask of indifference came back up.

  “I told you it would not work,” Jack sighed and reached for his shirt. I’d been so surprised by their little setup, I probably hadn’t reacted well. They had gone to all this trouble after all.

  “Oh, don’t get dressed on my account.” I reached a hand out to stop him from pulling the shirt over his head, bringing me down to my knees and awfully close to him. “I mean, uh… you were going to bed soon, anyway. Right?”

  My thin excuse made Jack’s gaze soften, and he dropped the shirt back down on the ground. “If it pleases you to look, then by all means.”

  My face heated at his words and I turned my attention to the platter of food between them. There was some kind of meat, but it was mostly fruits and vegetables. Reaching a hand out, I picked up an orange slice and brought it to my lips. Taking a bite of it, the juice spurted out dripping down my chin. I started to wipe it away, but a hand stopped me.

  My eyes met Jack’s as he leaned forward and licked the liquid from my skin. When he didn’t immediately retreat afterward, my eyes darted to Raiden. He watched Jack and me with a narrowed gaze as if he didn’t trust me not to stab Jack in the back. I understood his distrust. I hadn’t been honest about Firestar, and it seemed like it had hurt Raiden the most. Surprising really, since Jack had portrayed himself to be the jealous one. I didn’t think I had to worry about Raiden. Apparently, I was wrong.

  I shot him a look, challenging him to say something but was distracted when Jack took my lips with his own. Not closing my eyes, I moved my mouth along with Jack’s and let him pull me into his lap. A hardness pressed against my backside, and I couldn’t help but wiggle my bottom against it. My movement caused Jack to groan into my mouth. My eyes fluttered closed, no longer caring what Raiden thought. I shifted until I could straddle Jack’s lap pressing him against my throbbing core.

  Needing to breathe, I let go of his mouth and said, “I thought you didn’t want an audience?”

  “Let’s just say, Raiden and I have come to an agreement.” His eyes darted behind me before returning to my face. “Does it bother you?”

  “No. Maybe. I don’t know.” I shook my head and sighed. “It’s all kind of weird and sudden. What changed?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Raiden snapped from behind me. “He has already started to turn her against us.”

  Twisting around in Jack’s lap, I stared at him. “What are you going on about?”

  “You,” Raiden sneered. “You hid him from us. You only agreed to do the lord's bidding because you hoped to see him again. Didn’t you?”

  I shook my head, anger filling me. “No, I didn’t.”

  “Then why didn’t you just tell us if you weren’t planning on picking him?” The accusation in Raiden’s voice caused a mixture of hurt and shame to swirl inside of me. I had wanted to see Firestar but not to leave them for him. Quite the opposite really.

  “Not to be difficult.” Jack’s hands tightened at my waist, turning my attention back to him. “But Raiden does have a point. Why exactly did you say yes to Lord Amun’s request?”

  “I admit, I did want to see Firestar but not for the reasons you think,” I added before Raiden could jump in. The mood ruined, I slid from Jack’s lap and wrapped my arms around my knees before placing my chin on top of them. “Firestar and I were lovers but not just that, he was my first.”

  “Your first?” Raiden’s eyes widened. “Like first kiss, first lover?”

  “First everything.”

  Jack and Raiden were quiet for a moment, and then Jack’s hand stroked my hair. “One’s first love is an important person and is hard to forget.”

  “Yeah,” Raiden jumped in, offering me a small smile. “You should have told us. We would have understood. Do you think there wasn’t anyone before you?”

  “I’m not so arrogant.” I snorted lifting my head slightly, not completely sure they would have understood. In my experience men didn’t like to talk about one’s feelings. Especially, dragons.

  “Well, that’s something at least.” Raiden moved closer, taking a piece of meat from the platter. Somehow, that one movement seemed to lessen the tension in the room, and we spent the next half hour eating and discussing what I had learned from Firestar.

  “It is quite a story to swallow,” Jack commented after I had finished. “Though, I can’t say I am surprised. The palace was too empty to just be a guard against thieves.”

  “Exactly,” I nodded. “I think Firestar is telling the truth, but unless we can get him to come back with us, I don’t see how we can fix any of this. I can only see civil war in their future.”

  “Well, there’s nothing we can do tonight.” Raiden stretched and yawned. “I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted.”

  I couldn’t have agreed more. I’d been on an emotional rollercoaster since I had heard about Firestar, and I wanted nothing more than to collapse into a blissful sleep. Somehow, I doubted that would come easily.

  We settled down onto the makeshift bed, and someone turned off the lamp, putting us into darkness. I tried to go to sleep, I really did, but something was still bothering me. Somethi
ng I needed to get off my chest.

  “Raiden? Jack?”

  “Yes?” Jack answered, and Raiden made a noise telling me he heard me.

  “I’m sorry. You know, for not telling you.” My hands tightened into fists on the blanket beneath us as I waited for their response. After a moment, they clasped my fisted hands into theirs, and that was how we fell asleep, hand in hand.

  16

  The next morning, I sought out Firestar to get things going. I didn’t want to stay here much longer than I had to, and if his father really was the bad guy, I doubted he’d wait too much longer for us to return with our answer.

  When I arrived at his tent, Blorder stood outside the tent flap. Great. How to get around the bodyguard? Blorder’s eyes narrowed when they landed on me, and the arms he had crossed over his chest tightened. That wasn’t good.

  “Hey Blorder,” I tried for a sweet smile. “How are things?”

  “Get lost.”

  My lips pressed into a thin line, my eyes narrowing to match his. “I need to talk to Firestar.”

  “That’s Lord Firestar to you, woman,” Blorder sneered.

  Placing my hand on my hip, I shoved a finger at Blorder’s chest. “I’ll call Firestar whatever I damned well please. He’s no better than me.”

  Blorder’s eyes flickered behind me and then his expression changed to disgust. “He will always be better than some royal whore.”

  I glanced behind me to see Jack and Raiden standing by our tent. I’d left them there sleeping while I went to talk to Firestar. I’d hoped not to have to fight today, but Blorder seemed determined to piss me off.

  “I suggest you focus on the men you have and stop trying to hook your claws into our lord.” Blorder jerked his head toward the guys before dismissing me with a turn of his head.

  Growling low, I bared my teeth. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I am trying to provide an heir for my kingdom. What have you ever sacrificed for your lord?”