by May Sage
"I wouldn't take you otherwise," she replied with a shrug. "And I still might not. Depends on whether I like that guy of yours. What does he look like?"
Ash handed her the folder, feeling so very numb. She took her time appreciating the first portrait. "Well, that is promising. We'd have to meet, see if we clicked, first. And as you've chosen that one, I expect to select the woman myself, of course."
"Of course," he repeated.
"And I'll return home, often. There's no question of my being away from Xandrie for long. It's just a day of flying in any case."
Were they...negotiating terms? He cleared his throat and nodded.
"And I want a year; with you, your pretty boy, my woman, until we recite any vow whatsoever. We have to see if it works, first."
Ash had reached his limit, he couldn't take another second of this without getting to his feet, crossing the room to stand in front of his mate, and frame her face with his hands. He kissed her, slowly, languorously, as if he had all the time in the world to explore her.
He hadn't even dared to possibly hope that she might be all right with his insane duties. Now that she'd told him so, he couldn't wait another second. He had to taste her.
"Let's talk another time," he whispered against her ear. "For now, I just want to devour every part of you until you don't remember your own name."
Elza gasped as his mouth closed around her neck and sucked at her sensitive skin. "That works," she said, thankfully for his sanity.
Ash finally released the reins he'd firmly held over his dragon, and the beast leaped with a roar, pulling their mate with him until he was caging her in against the wall. "If you're fond of that dress, you may want to remove it yourself, Demelza."
She shook her head.
"Not particularly fond of it, no."
Good. Ash took pleasure in ripping the front of it open, freeing her heavy, firm breasts. Elza had the body of a warrior, taut and well defined, with wide hips and strong thighs. She was made for sin, from head to toes. Not a delicate flower he would have feared to break. She was...
"Perfection," he told her, getting to his knee, and lifting one of her feet to his mouth. He kissed the tip of her toes, the curve of her foot, her ankle, her calf, knee, then the inside of her thighs, before lifting his chin to the apex of her legs and closing his mouth around her sex. His tongue darted out to lick along her nether lips, and he sucked at her clit, hands around her hips to anchor her. Elza cursed, her fingers threading through his hair, then gripping his head and keeping him in place. He chuckled against her.
"No fear, love. I'm staying right here until you beg for more."
"I do not b—Oh, fuck!" she screamed when he nibbled her clit, moving one hand to curve a finger inside the heat of her pussy, while his thumb teased her ass.
He teased, coaxed, bit, licked, and sucked relentlessly, determined to prove her wrong. He could feel her entire body contract, so close to the edge, and every time she was about to come, he stopped. To her credit, it took her some time, but finally, she yelled, "Please!"
Ash laughed, looking up to her eyes, innocently. "Please what, mate of mine?"
For a second, she looked like she was seriously considering snapping his neck. "You're going to have to spell it out. After all, you know how men are about communication."
The dragon inside her made her growl, and the next instant, she had Ash by the throat, pushing him on his ass with one hard shove. Then she straddled his lap, one hand still around his neck, pinning him down, while the other opened the crotch of his clothes. She freed his erection, harder than it ever had been before, and impaled herself on him with a deep moan of satisfaction.
"Now be a good boy and stay," she said with a snarl, lifting her hips and lowering them back down on him, taking what she wanted from him. His groin tightened impossibly within an instant. Fuck. She most definitely knew what she was doing. Her sex was molten fire, and tighter than a vice; she squeezed him with every sway of her hips, going faster and harder.
Ash panted, his hips lifting to meet hers. He closed his eyes, and bit his lips, trying so very hard to keep from embarrassing himself by emptying his sacks before she came. Finally, finally, the walls of Elza's pussy closed in on his cock as she came, head back. He lifted his hips once more and exploded inside her, breathing harder than after a full day of flying. She fell against his chest, limp, just like him.
It was only then that one fact came to him. Shit. She was more dominant than him; his dragon had been just fine under her.
He was utterly fucked.
Plus One
The beauty with a younger man was that they recovered faster than their older peers. After taking him on the floor, Elza let herself be carried to Ash's bed, and then his bath, and then his plush carpet in front of the fireplace.
Many a time, the man returned to her neck; many a time, she felt compelled to either hold, nibble, or lick his, but to both their credits, neither of them did the one thing they couldn't turn back from. They didn't bite hard enough to break skin. She wanted to. By all gods, she wanted to. Her dragon was egging her on, demanding it. But a claiming mark between mates wasn't something temporary. She'd agreed to a trial, not a lifetime in these strange lands, with their strange—if highly arousing—customs.
Elza hadn't lied. She'd never considered a husband, or wife. She'd never so much as had a relationship; she wasn't built that way. Her interests went to both sexes, in equal measure, and she was loath to choose between her desires. But he'd also made a fair point. They were dragons. What if her beast refused to share him? Hated to see another close to her mate. There was only one way to know: they had to try that strange arrangement, without any obligation.
After she woke up the next morning coming around his tongue, she said, "I want to meet the guy."
Ash lifted one brow. "Now?"
He was between her legs, where he belonged, his dick hovering right before her pussy.
"Well, maybe not right this second, but today."
"Yes. Today," he agreed, before sinking back into her.
And so, when they got dressed, Ash called a page at his door. "Call the wolves to court, if you please. We'll meet them around midday."
The page had strained to catch a good look at her before fleeing with his request. Elza was somehow surprised, when they made their way down a few hours later, that so many people, nobles and servants, glanced and whispered in every hall and corridor. She pointed it out to Ash.
"It can't be the first time they've heard of their king fucking. You certainly knew how to use that tongue of yours."
Ash laughed. "Perhaps, but they've never heard of me fucking in my own apartments or staying through the night with a lover; or, for that matter, appearing the next day with one. Don't mind the rabble. They'll come to their own conclusion."
It was obvious that the dragons of the Absolian court were trying to intimidate Demelza. She smirked, keeping her head high, not bothering to grace them with a glance of acknowledgment.
They thought her weak and prone to swooning, no doubt. But it wasn't her first time being presented to an unfriendly court. Back in the days of the old king, Rhey's father, the court had been full of mean, unfriendly folks who did not like her, daughter of an old king, upsetting the balance they'd grown used to. She'd outranked most of them, but she'd been young, and they'd attempted to make her heel.
After taking on most females and some of the males in one-on-one combat, she'd been left well enough alone. She could guess things would probably work out the same way here. Eventually, she would have to fight to show she belonged where she stood, next to their king.
Today wasn't about them. Ash had called the man he wished to wed, the Archer wolf. Elza watched him as he entered the hall, at the head of half a dozen wolf guards.
The man advanced until he stood in front of the king and inclined his head. Then, he turned to her and offered her a lovely smile, taking the hand she offered.
"Demelza."
; "Archer," he replied. "Charmed."
"Likewise."
Oh, yes. He'd do very well. A nice, low, rumbly voice and eyes that burned long after they'd turned elsewhere.
"Could I be talking to the woman responsible for Raoul and Timun's wounds?"
Ah, that. She winced. "That'd be me. Sorry?"
The wolf shrugged. "No apology necessary. We all need a lesson in humility from time to time. God knows my brothers were overdue."
Nice and friendly. She glanced to Ash.
"Elza and I would like you to join us for supper this evening, if you would," he asked, after reading her approval.
The wolf inclined his head formally. "With pleasure, sir, my lady."
Words had never been better chosen. Pleasure was the evening's motto.
The wolf was worldly; he'd travelled much, in a mere hundred years, seeing most of the continent.
"But you've never seen Farden?" she prompted.
"I have, in fact. Not much of it, though; we sail to Durandan or Wellyem once a year, maybe. The dragon folk aren't welcoming of strangers, but your purses are deep for those who can bring silks and other gods. We import maille from the High Land."
She whistled appreciatively. "That particular trade is lucrative, no doubt."
Archer shrugged. "So long as we don't lose a boat to the dead seas, aye."
He'd sailed with his father in his youth, but after the man's boat sank, he sought work in the capital, selling his sword. The then the Alpha wolf, Ash's mother, hired him eighty years ago, and a decade after that, he was named beta by the pack. As such, he was given an immortality serum.
"Treacherous word, of course. I’m not immortal at all. While it will prolong my natural life and keep me from dying of most sicknesses, a good sword to the chest still works just fine."
Demelza was highly interested in that serum; they had no such thing in Farden. Mortals could live forever when bonded to a dragon, but so many of their folk, bears, wolves, and other kinds, soon died of old age like mere humans.
The men exchanged a glance. She had to roll her eyes. "Go on, spill. You can't hoard all knowledge."
"We can, and will," Ash declared. "What if everyone could live forever? And they'd still have children; their children would have children. Soon enough our world will be overpopulated and there won't be enough resources to go around. Only one out of ten earn this gift here."
"And you suppose we'd act any other way in Farden?" she asked, offended.
"I've seen your little paradise with my own eyes. You live in a dream. Most of your subjects aren't even taught to hold a sword. And..."
"And we've not shared a piece of technology outside of our cities; not a bit of it, although we have electricity, computers, central heating, energy walls and hovering cars in our garages. Please. You guys are way softer on your people than we are. A king marrying wolves and bears, as well as dragons? For hundreds of years, wolves weren't even allowed in our city walls. Rhey lifted the ban, but trust me when I say, we're just as disgustingly elitist as the rest of you."
After a pause, Ash said, "It's the blood. We don't want to be bound to anyone out of the blue, so we only use the blood of dead dragons. Freeze it, then inject a high dose of it inside a mortal. Not all survive the process, but those who do do not die."
It made a lot of sense. Human mates did ingest dragon blood, when they bit and marked their partners, after all.
Three courses of food later, they'd not run out of things to discuss, from science to music, art, magics, and training methods. By dessert, Elza's feet were on Ash's lap; he massaged them hard, his touch making her strain to talk coherently and keep uncivil moans to herself.
"So, am I right to think Elza will be your first wife?" Archer asked as the servant brought brandy to go with their apple strudel.
"We're still discussing details," Ash replied.
Archer laughed. "And I suppose the dragons of these parts won't take kindly to a foreigner, either."
Elza shrugged. "See if I care."
"They can hardly be opposed to a sound political alliance. Elza's rider is queen of Farden. Our main issue is that we're not quite sure how she feels about sharing me yet."
The wolf was quick to catch on. "Ah. Hence why I'm here, I take it."
"Smart boy."
Archer smirked. "I'm no boy, my lady. We may want to get that fact straight right away."
She lifted a brow. His tone had changed, and if she wasn't mistaken, the man was angling for dominance. Oh, he had balls all right. He was but a wolf, in front of two dragons, and he was trying to best them.
"Aren't you, now? Even though good boys get treats and scratches where it itches," she teased, leaning forward, her hand touching his lap.
Ash's eyes on her only served to excite her more. Oh, dear. This was a game she definitely didn't mind playing.
"Even then, ma'am. But if you call me your equal and show me respect, I can assure you that I would never allow for any part of you to itch in my presence."
Demelza had never taken two men. She did that night. One teased her breasts and took her pussy while the other licked it; then she had Ash in her mouth, and Archer inside her. Ash was girth and curves; a cock perfectly shaped to hammer at her g-spot. Archer had length and never hesitated to make it dirty, biting necks, scratching deep, and curving two fingers inside her ass as he pumped her pussy, calling her all sort of nasty things.
"Not so very prim and proper, now, are you, my lady," he chuckled, removing his cock from her sheath, and angling it lower, until the head of his hard, glistening member was against her arsehole. She just had the time to gasp before he lifted his hips, plunging it deep inside. Oh, by heaven and hell, she'd never felt so very full.
"Come, Ashkar. Leave her mouth. Your lady's cunt awaits."
He withdrew his cock, and plunged it back inside her ass, fast, deep, hard, at a rhythm that was going to render her entirely insane, she was certain of it. Archer rolled on his back to have her on top, legs parted. Ash knelt between them and pressed his cock at the entrance of her pussy. There was no way she could fit them both. None. It already felt so very tight! But she was too busy screaming in agony and ecstasy to protest. Ash thrust in, and she came and came, and came, for how long, she couldn't tell. Her body had never been so weak, weightless, limp, and relaxed. But the next instant, she felt heat gather in her insides again, a pressure on her chest, her pussy tighten, wanting more.
So, she told them so. "Please, give me more!"
"Aye, lassie. More coming for you." Ash played with her clit. Archer pinched her nipples. One man thrust inside her tightness as the other withdrew, at first. Then, they changed the rhythm, and both of them fucked her ass and vagina at the same time. She would never have thought that it was possible to feel quite so full; it might have been painful, had it not felt so very deliciously warm and arousing. There could be nothing as intense as this.
Of course, Archer had to prove her wrong, withdrawing his dick from her ass, and plunging it higher, inside her pussy, right along with Ash's.
"Aaaargh!" she yelled, loud enough to raise the dead.
Both men quickened the maddening pace impossibly, grunting, panting, as she tightened around them, coming again. They followed shortly behind, both of them coating the inside of her pussy with their come.
She didn't know how long they remained in that position, unmoving, trying to remember how to breathe, think, exist.
"Yeah. We need another girl. I can't do that myself every day. I'd die coming."
Other than that pesky little detail, she could definitely get used to it.
"I'm entirely certain there are about a billion worse ways to die, my lady.”
The man might just have a point.
Bears
Archer led, Elza topped, Ash followed. Wasn't he supposed to be the king in that scenario? He wasn't quite certain how things had turned out that way, but it worked. It truly did. He didn't mind sharing Elza. He loved seeing her enjoy herself wit
h Archer. And the man he was slowly getting to know was perfect for the role. Strong, wise, caring. Funny, kind.
Ash took to kissing him in the morning, right after dropping his lips on Elza's forehead. Might have something to do with rubbing his dick inside Elza's snatch every other day, but the progression felt entirely natural. A good thing, too, as it was necessary. The wolves would not have been satisfied with a spouse the king didn't care for. He cared for Archer. He wanted him to be happy. It was entirely different from his bond to Elza, unofficial as it was. If the dragoness suddenly perished one day, he might never recover; he might not live through her loss, going feral like so many of their kind when they lost a mate. But if Archer was killed, he'd start a war to avenge him; hell, he'd start a war simply to get his mind off his loss.
"So, are you saying that things fate planned worked out fine?" Damion asked, visibly amused.
From the beginning, he'd believed that Ash was being foolish in his attempt to stay away from Demelza. Now that he'd been proven right, the rider was unbearably smug at all times.
To be rid of Damion's stupid grin, Ash asked, "So, when are you going to go to Farden? I believe your sisters invited you for a long holiday."
The mage glared.
He'd written, as he'd promised he would, and he'd also sent the letter, after a time. That didn't mean that he was ready to see them. Ash left him alone, although Demelza was frustrated with Damion's unwillingness to see his family.
She saw the queen, her rider, at least every other week, and each time, Xandrie asked about Damion. She was tired of having to evade answers, pretend that he was busy.
"Besides, all is not well, not yet," Ash said.
They did fine, Archer, he, and Elza, but would the dragoness be quite so welcoming of another partner--a female, of all things?
They'd know soon enough.
The bears were a lot friendlier than the dragons. They'd only announced their intention to see them that morning, but by mid-day, when they arrived, the town had set up a festival, with musicians and dancers in the street, food carts and games in the main square in front of the city hall.