by Logan Jacobs
A few minutes later, we finally reached the shore, and I swiped the salt water from my eyes just as the newcomer ship beached itself haphazardly a hundred yards away.
When the orcs were full of adrenaline, they were the worst sailors I’d ever seen in my life, even in the Coast Guard.
A swell of orcs rushed toward the tiny ladders that would lead them down to the beach, and my heart just continued to drop as I watched them.
Our plan had been to retreat to the tunnels, but with so many orcs on our asses, I didn’t think we’d all make it, and I refused to leave anyone behind or turn my back on these ugly bastards.
We were about to be so fucked, but that didn’t mean we’d ever stop fighting.
“Arrows!” I bellowed. This was our only shot.
Instantly, every woman who carried a bow and quiver loaded an arrow and got ready to launch it.
“Fire!” My call was swift. I wasn’t even sure I’d given anyone enough time to aim, but we needed to kill those orcs as fast as possible, before too many of them had a chance to come ashore.
We were all about halfway up on the beach, with half a football field or so between us and the orcs. Glass tipped arrows flew from the bows of my warriors and managed to take down a good three quarters of the orcs whose feet had just hit sand.
The others, though, ran ashore with their swords held high.
“Keep firing!” Was all I could call out, before I rushed headlong into battle.
Again.
I stabbed my sea glass sword quickly through the belly of the first orc I came to, and then I spun around to chop the sword arm off the next one before I slit his throat open.
Arrows flew overhead as fast as they could possibly be fired, but none of it was enough. As soon as one orc made it down the ladder, he was just replaced by another one.
Suddenly, there was a high pitched, elongated cry that rumbled through the air. It was like absolutely nothing I’d ever heard before, and the sound was somehow musical and terrifying all at once.
As it came again, though, I realized I’d heard something similar before. The same screech, though deeper and more pronounced, had come from the mother dragon.
“No fucking way,” I murmured.
“My king!” Mira shouted, and she pointed at the sky.
I managed to tear my attention away from the battle long enough to see a small thing fly through the air, about the size of George’s babies when they were newly hatched. It was beautiful, and its scales were a shiny silver the likes of which I’d never even seen. Tiny, veiny wings stretched out from its small body, and the appendages wobbled as the creature soared through the air.
The baby dragon had hatched.
Even the orcs were distracted by the sight as the small creature zoomed through the sky and cawed the entire way.
Then it let out a sort of strange little cough and dropped about twenty feet in altitude. For a second, I worried something was wrong, and I wondered if the baby dragon was about to drop dead in front of me.
But then, to my absolute surprise, it opened its mouth, with a full set of tiny, sharp teeth, and unleashed a stream of fire.
“Oh, my gods!” Mira screeched.
Instinctively, all of us ducked, including the orcs, but the fire wasn’t aimed at the beach.
It was aimed at the massive ship full of over three hundred orc enemies.
The column of flames coming from the dragon wasn’t as large as its mother’s had been, but it was enough to do some damage. The fire latched onto the sails first, and the canvas quickly began to burn. Flaming bits of sail and parts of the mast started to fall onto the deck of the ship, and then my breath caught in my chest when I saw the open barrels of black powder scattered around the cannons.
Those fucking idiot orcs.
“Oh, shi--” I started to curse, right before the powder caught on fire, and then an explosion like thunder rocketed through the air.
Within seconds, the ship was completely demolished. The baby dragon’s fire, coupled with the barrels of black power, burned so hot and so fast the entire ship went up in flames, and screams pierced the air as the orcs burned alive.
The ones still on the sand were so dumbfounded they could hardly even move, so I snatched the opportunity to drive my sword through two of them, while Mira followed my lead.
And just like that, the battle was over.
The baby dragon flew back over our heads and landed on the sand behind our army, right as Jemma scrambled up over the ridge and ran up to it.
“Jemma!” I called out in warning, since I was nervous the creature might set her on fire.
But it did the exact opposite. Instead, it raced up to her and nuzzled her hips, just the way George nuzzled me, before it collapsed onto the sand at her feet as if it was exhausted.
“Holy shit,” I breathed.
“Do you think… does this mean?” Mira questioned as she came up to my side.
“I think Jemma’s bonding with the dragon.” I nodded numbly, almost in shock.
Not only did we have a fire breathing dragon on our side, but it was now bonded with one of my lovers.
Even when I was sure life could not get any crazier, it went and threw me another curveball.
Chapter Fifteen
There was little to recover from the orc ship that had been destroyed by dragon fire and the orcs’ careless placement of the cannon powder, but the original orc ship with the damaged mast was still relatively in one piece anchored offshore. It had been damaged by some cannon fire when we’d abandoned ship, but it wasn’t sinking, so I didn’t think the damage was too extensive. There could be some salvageable stuff on the remaining vessel, but the women were tired, and the orcs were dead, so I decided we could scavenge the ship tomorrow. For now, we all headed back to camp at the beach, where Jonas, George, and a few of the other women awaited us.
As we walked, the little silver dragon who saved the day was cuddled in Jemma’s arms. He looked a little tuckered out, probably from launching that stream of fire right after he hatched, but he was a beautiful creature, with feet much too big for his body and sweet green eyes that reminded me of a puppy’s. His shiny silver scales glimmered in the sunlight, flashing all sorts of different colors, and I caught purple, and blue, and even a light yellow in the silver of his scales. He had a long tail, with spikes on the end just like his mom, and two tiny little wings folded against his back. His eyes were wide, and a beautiful shade of pure green, like an emerald, and there were two little nubs on his head where I assumed his horns would grow from.
“Have you bonded with it?” Mira demanded as we traveled back toward the camp.
“I do not understand,” Jemma replied in confusion.
“It’s what George and I have,” I explained. “With water dragons, they cough up some sea glass, and the person they’ve chosen to bond with is supposed to eat it. That’s what initiates the dragon bond and gives you access to the telepathic channels.”
Jemma’s eyes were wide, and she turned her neck to look down at the dragon in her arms.
“No, that has not happened,” she said. “Although, if he coughed anything up, I do not believe I would just eat it.”
“Trust me, you would,” I chuckled.
“Hmm.” Jemma tilted her head and thought about it. “Well, I suppose if it does happen, you will be the first to know.”
As if on cue, the dragon let out a little squeak and looked imploringly at Jemma, and then he started to cough and gag.
Mira and I shared a knowing look as all of the women behind us froze. Mira’s women knew what was about to come, but Jemma’s and Nadir’s didn’t, so there were some murmured questions as the dragon continued to cough and retch as it tried to pull up its stone.
“What is happening?” Jemma asked as she set the dragon on the ground and wrung her hands. “Is he choking? What is going on?”
“Just wait for it,” I told her. “This is perfectly normal, I promise.”
Jemma nodd
ed, although it didn’t look like she totally believed me just yet. All the same, she waited as the dragon twisted his long silver neck and let out a few more huge coughs.
And then, just as I suspected, a stone flew from his mouth. This stone, though, wasn’t anything like the brightly colored sea glass I was used to.
Instead, it was a dark, black color with cracks of bright red that almost seemed to glow. Jemma glanced back at me, and I gave her an encouraging nod, so she reached out and picked up the stone. I expected her to put it in her mouth, but instead, the stone started to glow in her hand.
“It is hot!” she cried out.
A split second later, the stone melted and started to wrap around her arm in liquid form as the bright red glow turned a hot orange, so bright it was absolutely blinding.
And then, just as quickly, it was gone. The only indication it was even there before was the soft orange glow that tinted Jemma’s pale skin for a moment more.
“Whoa,” I muttered as I squinted at the deer-woman. “That was… unexpected. Mira, does she… look any different to you?”
“What?” Jemma shrieked as her hands flew to her cheeks. “Is something wrong with my face?”
“No,” Mira quickly assured her. “You look as you always have.”
“Which is weird, right?” I questioned. “When I bonded with George, I had to ‘evolve’ into dragon-kin, and I grew these scales and my senses were heightened, but Jemma… looks normal.”
Well, as normal as a deer-woman with antlers could look, anyway.
“Do you think it’s because this dragon is different from George and Nixie?” Mira wondered as she gestured to the silver scaled baby.
“I don’t know,” I mused with a frown. “Maybe?”
“Ben!” Jemma suddenly gasped, and her eyes went wide as her hands dropped to her belly. “What if… what if it’s because I have your baby inside of me? If I am pregnant with your child, maybe that allowed me to bond with the dragon without changing like you did?”
“That’s a theory,” I murmured as my eyes slid to her belly, and a wide grin spread across my face. “I put a baby in you, and you can now bond with dragons? That would be really awesome.”
“Oh, my goddess!” Jemma inhaled sharply and threw her hands over her mouth, but I quickly realized she wasn’t reacting to what I said when her wide chartreuse eyes shot to the dragon at her feet. “I can hear him! Ben! I can hear him in my mind!”
Mira and I grinned.
“Fuck yeah,” I laughed as my heart swelled with emotion.
Jemma, though, was deeply embroiled with her conversation with the baby dragon. They seemed to already be so engaged with each other it was as if the rest of the world dropped away, just as it was with George and me.
“Another dragon,” Mira breathed with a surprised shake of her head.
“His name is Tirian,” Jemma announced when she and the dragon had finished their communication. “And he says I am the first to bond with a fire dragon in over three thousand years.”
That number made my jaw just about hit the floor.
“I knew there was something special about you,” I half joked as I stared between Jemma and the dragon.
“We should keep going,” Sela announced and pointed up at the sky. “I do not know about you, but I am not prepared to battle any night roaming creatures today.”
“Same here,” I laughed. “Let’s go.”
Jemma and Tirian walked side by side the rest of the way, and every once in a while, she would let out a light laugh or nod seriously at something he said.
I couldn’t wait to get her alone and hear everything they talked about.
When we made it back to camp, George and Jonas rushed up to Jemma and Tirian instantly, and I had a feeling the two of them already knew exactly what had happened. George had figured it out, or Jonas had a vision, I was sure.
The girl has bonded with the dragon! George exclaimed with his toothy dragon grin. I hoped something like this might happen!
“You knew Jemma would bond?” I asked curiously.
Not Jemma, necessarily, but something told me the fire dragon was meant to be with us. The dragon nodded. Call it a gut feeling.
To celebrate our massive win, we cooked up an enormous feast full of fish and fruit, as well as some bread Jonas had brought onto the ship in secret. He’d kept it hidden from all of us to enjoy when we inevitably won the battle.
“So, was this what you envisioned?” I asked him as we all sat around the campfire that evening and enjoyed our feast, and I nodded toward Jemma and her dragon to indicate they were the ones I spoke of.
Jonas tilted his head and looked them over. Jemma absolutely loved that little dragon, we could already see it in her face. She tossed up some pieces of raw fish, and she laughed as the dragon fluttered his little wings and leapt up to get them.
“Yes and no,” the old man replied evenly. “I had a feeling this might happen, but as I did not see it, I did not want to say anything.”
“You’re always too damn wise,” I laughed and knocked him lightly on his shoulder.
He might have been right. As much as I loved Jemma, she might have shied away from the thought of a dragon bond if we’d told her earlier.
“I believe I am supposed to reward you for all of your help,” a husky voice suddenly said into my ear and yanked me away from my thoughts.
I turned to see Lezan right next to me, bent at the hips, with one hand on my shoulder and a sultry gleam in her dark black eyes.
Instantly, all thoughts of the battle, or of anything, really, disappeared when I realized I could see right down her tiny little top to the mounds of her breasts. My fingers itched with the need to reach out and feel the soft skin there, to knead her nipples between the pads of my thumb and forefinger as she screamed out my name.
“I believe you are,” I replied smoothly.
“The feast seems to be dying down.” Lezan shrugged casually as she flicked her eyes out over the crowd. “Would you like to claim your reward, Ben?”
“Yes.” I nodded quickly.
She was right. Most of the women had already gone to bed, since they were tired from the long battle and then our subsequent hike.
“Good night, Draco Rex.” Jonas grinned at me knowingly.
“Good night, soothsayer,” I responded with a similarly mischievous grin.
I let Lezan lead the way to my tent, and the moment I closed the flap, I grabbed her waist and spun her around to face me.
“And to think, I thought you hated me when we first met,” I murmured with a laugh.
Lezan raised a single eyebrow. “I just did not want you to see how attracted to you I was. The last man I felt this way about, well… ”
The black-and-white-haired beauty trailed off mid-sentence. Her tail drooped, and she bit her pink lip in sadness.
I already knew what she hadn’t said, though. The last man she loved had died.
“Well, you don’t have to worry about me for a second,” I told her. “Because there is no way in hell I will ever let those orcs kill me.”
“Really?” she breathed.
“Really,” I assured her with a nod.
Lezan all but leapt toward me, even though we were less than an inch apart, and she latched onto my mouth with warm, firm lips. Then she slipped her tongue inside and brushed up against mine gently. I could taste the fish and fruit on her lips, and the sweetness stirred something deep inside of me.
“I want to taste you,” I murmured as I pulled away a fraction.
For all of Lezan’s animalistic, feral tendencies outside the bedroom, she had turned into a quiet, soft woman inside. She looked up at me from under hooded eyes, nodded, and slowly stepped back toward the mattress. The woman dropped our interlocked hands and slid her tiny little shorts off to reveal a perfect little pussy. Then she laid down on the mattress and spread her bent legs to show me everything she had to offer.
“Gods,” I growled.
I dropped
down to my knees and crawled over her. My fingers ached to feel her soft pussy lips, and I let myself dip inside her warm wetness for just a moment.
Lezan gasped at the feeling, and her back arched nearly four inches off the mattress.
The sound lingered in the air and was followed by a string of whimpers as I lowered my lips to her.
The woman tasted incredible. She was the perfect mix of tangy and sweet, and her juices flowed freely and generously as I rolled my tongue over her lips, and then her clit. I gave every single centimeter of her soft treasure my undivided attention. I pumped my tongue in and out of her at all sorts of different angles and made sure to hit that spot inside of her, the one that drove all women crazy. Every time my tongue grazed that rough patch, Lezan shrieked and twisted in the bed sheets, and I had to put a hand across her hips to keep her in place so I could pleasure her. If not, I knew she’d just about fly off the mattress.
I kept my movements slow and easy for as long as possible, until I felt her start to near the edge.
Part of me wanted to deny her pleasure so I could taste her for longer, but the rest of me wanted to hear this beautiful woman scream my name as she climaxed uncontrollably.
I drew my right hand up and over her thigh, and I made sure to let the pads of my fingers drift across the soft skin where her pelvis met her leg. Then I slowly pushed two fingers inside of her and curled them gently as I pumped.
That was all it took.
“Oh, Ben!” Lezan managed to breathe out before her walls clenched down around my fingers like a vise and sucked me even further inside her. I could feel all of the muscles in her body shake and shiver with the power of her orgasm, and I did my best to pump slowly as I brought her down from her high.
Seeing her like that had made my cock so hard it felt like it was about to burst, but I held off until I knew she was coherent again.
Finally, I pulled my fingers from her warm depths, and I watched as a string of her arousal followed them out before it broke off. Then I shoved the digits into my own mouth to taste whatever remaining bits of her I could, and I was rewarded with a throaty growl from Lezan.