by Eric Vall
“So, son, tell me about your adventures so far,” Ruslan said as he dug into his own piece of chocolate cake.
“Yes, we’ve been dying to know more!” Julia added, and her blue eyes sparkled with anticipation as she fanned herself.
“Well, first we were in Tikal,” I began. “We helped the three houses work together to create a marketplace for the city, so they wouldn’t fight each other anymore. Then it turned out part of their problem was the water supply, which the Green Glass Sect had poisoned, so we took care of that, too.”
“It was an awesome battle,” Aaliyah pointed out with a broad, fanged grin. “Lord Evan saved one of the leaders from assassination, and then he and Miraya healed some of our people who had been poisoned with miasma.”
“Yeah, they had some kind of order from the miasma to kill the princess,” I continued. “But once we cured them, she was safe. Then we went to Lumin and fought a skyraptor that kidnapped a bunch of centaurs for the Sect to sacrifice at the Breach. We saw an Oracle who told us everything.”
“And one of the centaur queen’s servants was working with the Sect to kidnap her own son,” Alyona added. “But Lord Evan got him back, and then the queen wanted to mate with him so she could have a daughter.”
“A centaur-dragon baby?” Julia gasped, and her fan froze in front of her face. “What an incredible creature that will be!”
“We can’t wait to see her,” I agreed. “She will be the next queen of Lumin, and they pledged their allegiance to the crown.”
“That’s wonderful,” my mother replied with a smile. “What about Colaruma? The hidden city?”
“We found it,” I chuckled. “It was underground, and it was a bit chaotic at first. The Sentinels the king charged with guarding the portals there were missing, but we found them, kicked the Sect guys’ asses that took them, and closed the portal they’d opened.”
“That’s not all you did,” Laika laughed into her cup of wine, and her gray eyes glinted with mirth.
“Oh, right!” I’d almost forgotten the best part. “And I beheaded this douchebag who was stealing from the poor people to keep for himself and his buddies.”
“Beheaded?” Ruslan laughed. “In front of a crowd, I assume.”
“Of course.” I grinned.
“He was quite deserving of his punishment,” Miraya chimed in as she nibbled on a small piece of pie.
“Yeah, he believed in classes based on bloodlines, even though he faked his own,” I added. “Whitaker was a real piece of work.”
“Whitaker?” Naomi repeated with a look of surprise. “Yellow-scaled lizard Demi-Human?”
“Yeah,” I confirmed, and my brow furrowed. “Did you know him?”
“He was friends with my brother, Gabriel.” She scowled. “He left after Gabriel got, ah, hurt. Rotten bastards, both of them. Good riddance.”
“Well, I’m glad you weren’t friends,” I snickered.
“Not in the slightest.” Naomi scrunched up her nose and then smiled.
“So, then you went to Kana?” Ruslan prodded.
“Yep, we had a less-than-warm welcome there,” I teased, and Naomi blushed and poked at her cake with her fork. “Then a magical relic was stolen by some bandits, and King Rodion told us we had to find the others. So, we found the others and brought them back to the castle. Then we got the stolen relic back, killed all the thieves, and, well, you know the rest of that story.”
“We do?” Julia raised an eyebrow.
I looked over at the crowd to ensure no one was listening before I nodded.
“I defeated the spirits of the Celestial Triad,” I murmured. “I have their abilities now.”
“Wow,” my mother breathed, and her blue eyes were wider than her dinner plate. “Fascinating.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “But we decided to hide the physical relics here, where I know they’ll be safe.”
“Very smart.” Julia nodded her head in agreement.
Suddenly, the people eating at the tables began to whisper to each other excitedly, and I looked up to see a group of warriors approaching the pavilion. Members of the Blue Tree Guild strode across the gazebo toward our table, and Laika stood to greet her grandfather, Pyotr, who led a group of six men through the throng of people.
Pyotr was also a wolf Demi-Human, though his fur was a darker gray than Laika’s, and his face was weathered from years of battle. His steely eyes were focused on my lover, and he powered forward with the confidence of a born leader.
“Laika, we’d heard you all had returned,” the wolf Demi-Human boomed as he reached out to grasp her forearm before he turned and greeted me. “Lord Evan, I trust my granddaughter has been an asset to you.”
“Of course, Pyotr,” I confirmed and clasped his forearm. “She is invaluable.”
Laika blushed as her gray wolf ears perked up at the compliment.
“I’m glad you’ve finished your meals,” Pyotr continued. “We have a few things to discuss.”
“Let’s head back to the palace, then,” I suggested. “I have a feeling we need to keep our conversation private.”
“Indeed,” Pyotr agreed.
We all stood from the table, and the crowd stopped eating to turn and look at us as we filed out of the gazebo. Before I left, though, I stopped and faced the crowd with what I hoped was a comforting smile.
“Please, continue your meals and celebration!” I announced. “We’re all tired from our journeys, and we will be returning to the Lunar Palace for the evening. Thank you all!”
The citizens clapped and cheered as the princess and I waved goodnight, and then we followed the Blue Tree Guild members back to the palace.
Laika and Pyotr talked the whole way, and I intertwined my fingers through Alyona’s as we walked in silence. The three moons were now visible in the sky, and I was reminded of how much I needed to learn about Inati. On Earth, I knew about the solar system, the other planets, and moons, but here, I had a rudimentary understanding of the universe. I thirsted for more knowledge of my new home, and I had to know everything I could to be the best ruler of my people.
I was lost in thought when we arrived at the palace, and Ruslan opened the doors to lead us inside. We walked into the great hall, and everyone sat in the plump chairs to relax.
“So, Laika tells me you’ve encountered a crew of thieves recently,” Pyotr said with a raised eyebrow.
“Yeah,” I confirmed. “We finished them off back in Kana. Have you had anything exciting here?”
“Lady Valerra has handled most of the excitement here,” Pyotr chuckled. “We still go on our guild missions, and we had to handle some thieves ourselves over in Lexavo.”
“What were they after?” I asked as I sat forward with interest.
“We aren’t sure,” the wolf admitted, and his dark gray ears flattened against his head. “We killed a few, and the rest took off pretty quickly after that.”
“Maybe they were taking advantage of the Breach, as well,” Alyona pointed out. “Milo and Sila’s group said they were using the unrest as a distraction for their mission.”
“Maybe so, but taking over Lexavo would give anyone a tactical advantage over Hatra.” Ruslan frowned.
“Why is that?” Laika wondered. “They aren’t close enough for any kind of physical effect on us.”
“No, they’re not,” my father agreed. “They are, however, our regular supplier of iron. The orichalcum mines make for fantastic weaponry, but the iron is easier and faster to work with. They trade iron for food and other goods that we have in great supply.”
“It would affect Hatra quite harshly if we needed weapons quickly,” Julia added. “Especially if we didn’t have dragons on hand to help defend our city.”
“And they think Valerra is the only dragon here,” I muttered and rubbed my chin. “There could definitely be more to this situation than meets the eye.”
“Either way, I think we should try to help them somehow,” Alyona insisted, and her amethyst eyes flashed with determinatio
n. “It wouldn’t be right to leave them to their own defenses if we could help, right, Lord Evan?”
“I agree.” I nodded. “We can’t risk something affecting our city or those close by. Plus, I really fucking hate thieves.”
“You should get some rest first,” Ruslan advised. “It’s getting dark, and you’ve already fought one battle today.”
Though I knew my father meant well, the automatic healing had already relaxed my tense muscles and soothed the aches and pains I normally felt after a fight.
Still, I wasn’t the only one who needed rest.
Alyona’s ivory face drooped with exhaustion, Aaliyah and Naomi had dark circles under their eyes, and even Miraya had begun to yawn. Valerra would never let anyone see if she was tired, but I knew she would probably sleep hard after the day we’d had.
“Good call,” I agreed. “Let’s get some sleep first. We’ll head to Lexavo first thing in the morning.”
“We’ll be here at sunrise,” Pyotr said as he stood and reached out his hand.
We shook forearms, and he turned to say goodbye to Laika. Everyone stood up and said their goodnights before the Blue Tree Guild headed outside, probably to their airship where most of them regularly lived. Then I turned to the hall that would take us to the bedchambers.
“Um, Lord Evan?” Aaliyah purred as she walked up to me.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Where do Lady Naomi and I sleep?” she wondered as she looked around the great room awkwardly.
“Oh,” I chuckled. “You can take the dryads’ room. There are three beds in there already.”
“Could I sleep in there as well?” Miraya asked. “I’ve seen the room from your eyes before. It is quite lovely.”
“Of course,” I replied with a smile. “Anything you want.”
“Thank you, my lord,” the spirit said and curtsied. “Goodnight.”
Miraya led Aaliyah and Naomi down the hall, and I watched as Naomi looked over her shoulder as though she had something else to say. Then she closed her mouth and turned around to follow the others.
“I’ll be in my room,” Valerra declared as she marched toward the hallway. “If Eleanor and Emily return from the party, you can tell them I’ve run away.”
“You don’t want to come to our room?” I teased with a raised eyebrow.
“No, I do not,” she shot back, but then her tone softened. “I always sleep near the eggs.”
“Fair enough.” I raised my hands in surrender. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Valerra nodded her head and strolled down the hall.
“We’ll see you off in the morning,” Julia said and stood up on her tiptoes to give me a motherly kiss on the cheek. “Sleep well.”
“Night, son.” Ruslan dipped his head and held his elbow out to Julia, and then my parents linked arms and walked together to their chambers.
I smiled at their retreating backs before I turned to Alyona and Laika.
“I guess it’s just the three of us,” I murmured as I dragged my gaze over my two beautiful lovers.
“I suppose so,” Alyona said, and her violet eyes were suddenly hooded with desire.
“At least we have our dragon to help us get out of these fancy dresses,” Laika added with a bat of her gray eyelashes. “If you aren’t too tired, that is.”
“I’m never too tired,” I growled.
I rushed toward the women, scooped them up, and threw them over each of my shoulders as they giggled and squealed.
“Lord Evan!” Alyona laughed. “We can walk!”
“Ah, true,” I agreed, “but then I wouldn’t get this amazing view of both your asses right by my face.”
I turned my head and nibbled at the princess’ perfect round rear, and she squealed again. Then I swiftly carried them both to bed, and we barely slept for the rest of the night as I filled their beautiful bodies over and over again with my dragon seed.
When the sun shined into my window, it felt like I’d only been asleep for a few minutes, but my body was in great shape and ready to take on the day.
I looked over at my lovers who still slept soundly. Alyona’s creamy white skin contrasted perfectly with Laika’s olive complexion, and their long legs were twisted up together like pale, twining vines. Their naked bodies laid breast to breast, and my blood rushed south. So, I leaned over and ran my hands along their naked backs down to their round asses, and they stirred with mumbles and moans. Then two pairs of eyes fluttered open, and it was on.
Sometime later, the smell of breakfast wafted into the room and joined the scent of morning sex as we all laid on the bed panting from exertion.
“I guess we should go eat,” I said as I dragged my fingers along Alyona’s flat belly.
“Yes, we should,” she agreed with a smile. “And we have a trip to take today.”
“Ahh, that’s right,” I sighed. “Okay, but don’t think we won’t pick this up again later.”
“We’re counting on it,” Laika growled, and her bushy gray tail swished playfully.
My cock gave a valiant throb, but we still rose from the bed and got dressed for the day. Alyona slipped into a satiny purple robe, while Laika pulled on her brown leggings and blue tunic. Next, the wolf put on her Blue Tree Guild gorget, which allowed her to communicate with other members of her guild, and my gaze drifted over the intricate design of a bright blue tree with dozens of long branches extending from its trunk. Finally, the wolf warrior pulled on her boots and slipped her broadsword sheath over her shoulders.
Then we headed out of the bedroom and down the hall to the dining room. My parents were already seated and murmured with their heads together until we walked in.
“Good morning,” Julia chirped, and Ruslan dipped his head in greeting.
Before I could respond, a huge man strode into the room from the kitchen. He was a deer Demi-Human who stood nearly seven feet tall, and he had to turn sideways to fit his giant antlers through the doorway. He wore a long white apron and a grin that revealed perfect pearly teeth.
“Good morning, Lord Evan and Princess Alyona!” he boomed in a deep, loud voice. “My name is Forsythe, and I am your head chef here at the Lunar Palace!”
“Good morning, and nice to meet you,” Alyona replied with a curtsy.
“Forsythe came to us a few months ago,” Ruslan explained. “He experienced some difficulty in his home city, and he decided to come here once word had spread about how we allow anyone to live here freely. When we discovered his skills in the kitchen, we had to offer him the job.”
“I’m excited to see what you can do, Forsythe,” I said with a smile.
“It will be an honor, my lord,” the deer drawled and gave a slight bow before he sauntered back to the kitchen.
Within minutes, Forsythe and his staff brought trays of pancakes, fried eggs, and chunks of ham covered in a thick, gooey jelly. Then they set out jugs of a sweet-smelling syrup and a big jug of juice that smelled like strawberries and blueberries. While they set the food out on the table, Miraya, Aaliyah, Naomi, and Valerra made their way to their seats and sat down to eat. Emily and Eleanor trailed in after Valerra and leaned against the wall behind her chair, and the dragon glanced over her shoulder with an exasperated sigh before she scooped food onto her plate.
As we began to eat, I understood why Ruslan and Julia had given Forsythe the head chef position. The jelly that covered the ham was sweet and oozed down my throat as the tender ham fell apart on my tongue. The fluffy pancakes had a hint of cinnamon, and the eggs were flavored with a few different spices. The entire meal was delicious, and I wanted to devour everything on the table.
After a few minutes of silent eating, two Blue Tree Guild warriors strolled into the dining hall and leaned against the doorway.
“Saxon, Nallen, is it just you two going with us?” Laika asked as she turned to face them.
“Yes, guild leader,” the human warrior replied. “Saxon and I volunteered to accompany your group to Lexavo.”
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Nallen looked like a WWE wrestler with large muscular biceps and long curly hair that flowed down his back, and he wore the traditional blue and brown Blue Tree Guild armor, though his tree was emblazoned across his breastplate. His companion, Saxon, was a snake Demi-Human, and he was much smaller. His blond hair was buzzed on the sides with a mohawk on top that barely reached Nallen’s shoulder, and his yellow reptile eyes darted around the room.
“Okay, let’s finish up here and get a wagon ready,” I said as I forked the last of my pancakes into my mouth.
“We’ve actually brought a smaller airship, my lord,” Nallen boomed. “It will save us time on the journey.”
“Nice,” I replied. “That will definitely help.”
“Evan…” Valerra murmured, and I turned to my dragon mate. “Would it be alright if I stayed? I’d rather be with the eggs, just in case.”
“Definitely,” I agreed. “With all these thieves running around, I don’t want to risk leaving them unguarded.”
Valerra nodded, tossed the last bite of ham into her mouth, pushed back from the table, and sauntered back down the hall, and Eleanor and Emily scurried along behind her without a word.
I turned back to the rest of the group who had finished their meals and began to get up from the table. Then we all headed for the door and followed the warriors outside to the smaller airship that waited in front of the Lunar Palace.
It was similar to the one the Blue Tree Guild used for their missions, but it was about a tenth of the size. It was like a large boat with wings like an airplane, and I was reminded of the old relic airships that supposedly could fly faster than a dragon.
“Laika, when are you going to fix up one of those old ones for me?” I teased the wolf. “I want to race.”
“When we aren’t in the middle of a thousand different battles,” she shot back with a grin.
“Fair enough,” I chuckled. “Let’s load up.”
“Be careful!” Julia called out as she waved goodbye.
“As always,” I replied with a wink.
“This is magnificent,” Naomi breathed as she walked up the ramp to the flying boat, and she ran her hand along the wooden handrail and then along the doorway to the airship. “I’ve never seen such a machine.”