The Dracons' Woman: Book 1 of the Soul-Linked Saga

by Laura Jo Phillips

  “Except Lariah,” Garen said with a smile.

  Faron laughed. “Yes, except for her,” he agreed. “You had a hidden audience in the alley that day. Everyone in town is aware of what Lariah did. She is practically a legend already.”

  “The man, Frith Yanger, lived with his sister, Fera, and her husband, Lenno,” Faron continued, his grin fading. “They own the little café at the far end of town, the CoffeeSpot. They told us that one day, about a year ago, he just showed up, beat them both up and moved into their home. He bullied them more than any, but he terrorized everyone who had a word to say to him, or even looked at him wrong. Lariah saved Tiny from him, and in doing so, she also saved Granite Falls from him.”

  “So many people under the thumb of one human bully,” Garen said. “Why did no one do anything?”

  “He terrorized them. They were convinced that if anyone reported him that he would hurt them, their families, or destroy their livelihood. As it was he did much damage and physically injured several people. Nobody knew what to do about it other than keep their mouths shut.”

  “How did he behave with you, Dav and Ban?”

  “Like any bully, he’s a coward,” Faron replied with a grimace. “One look at the three of us and he put his head down, and kept it down. He never said a single word, which is just as well for him. Unfortunately, nobody in town had a word to say against him until we returned without him and promised that he had been banished and was no longer on the planet. Only then did we hear the stories of what he had done. That’s how frightened everyone was of him.”

  “One little bully should not have been able to get away with what he did for so long,” Garen said, greatly disturbed by the situation. “This is a matter that requires attention.”

  “What do you have in mind?” Faron asked.

  “I’m not sure yet,” Garen replied. “I will need to think on it. But not for long. Something needs to be done soon so that such a thing does not occur again. The people in Granite Falls are not of our race, but many are full citizens with full legal rights and privileges. You know our law states that all who live among us receive the protection of the Princes.

  “Perhaps a discussion at the next Enclave is in order. In the meantime, I am going to assign someone to do a regular check on Granite Falls. Someone who will take the time to get to know the people, so that when something goes bad, he will know it.”

  “That is a very good idea,” Faron said. “I would volunteer myself and my brothers, but I think it needs to be someone who can check regularly and we are not always here. I think a human that is trustworthy would be best.”

  “Do you have anyone in mind?” Garen asked.

  “No, but if I think of someone, I will let you know,” Faron promised.

  Lariah hurried into the house and headed straight for the shower. She’d spent the greater part of the day working in the garden with Pater and had lost track of time. The closest she had ever come to real plants before coming to Jasan had been her rare visits to a large bio-sphere park outside the city where she’d lived on Earth. She loved getting down on the ground and placing her hands into the soil, helping Pater weed and fertilize and plant. She’d worked hard that day and was very hungry, but also very dirty.

  She rushed through her shower as much as she could, though she had to spend a little extra time getting the soil out from beneath her nails. She combed out her hair but left it damp, dressed quickly and headed for the dining room, the delicious smells making her tummy growl.

  “That smells so good,” she said as she entered the room. Val looked up and smiled at her as he placed a large steaming bowl in the center of the table. Lariah now knew that Suly cooked the evening meals before leaving for her own house elsewhere on the ranch before dinner time. The guys served themselves when they were ready to eat, and put the food away when they were done, though they left their dirty dishes on the table for Suly the next morning. Lariah had begun clearing the table and stacking the dishes, though the guys had stopped her when it became clear she intended to wash them. Washing dishes was not her favorite thing anyway so she had conceded to their wishes on that one.

  Garen entered the dining room with two platters, followed by Trey who was carrying another large bowl. It looked like Suly had fixed them a really large meal. Lariah could hardly wait to dig in.

  Garen set the platters on the table and gave Lariah a kiss before heading back to the kitchen for more food. Lariah followed him and helped carry the remaining dishes and drinks to the table, and then they all sat down to eat.

  They sat eating companionably for a time. Now and then Lariah would point to an unfamiliar dish and ask them what it was before trying it. They enjoyed her adventurous approach. Rather than wishing for more familiar things, she seemed to enjoy trying new ones. She didn’t like everything she tried, but she liked the process.

  As soon as Lariah sated the worst of her hunger she began to notice a strange sensation. It took her a few minutes to recognize the feeling as arousal. Which was confusing because she now knew exactly what arousal felt like, and this was different. She shook her head slightly as she pondered the feeling, realizing that the longer she thought about it, the stronger the feeling became. Suddenly she realized that it was not her own arousal she was feeling. That’s why it had taken her so long to identify it. She shook her head again in confusion.

  Suddenly, her head snapped up and she narrowed her eyes on first Garen, then Trey, and finally Val. All three of them were grinning at her with the same smug expression on their faces. She struggled hard against the urge to smile, but they looked so much like little boys caught playing a practical joke that she lost the battle. The minute they saw her smile they started laughing.

  “Okay, what’s going on?” she asked when they finally stopped laughing.

  “You seem to be very sensitive to us, especially for a human woman,” Garen said. “You were able to feel us from the first time you saw us, and that has only grown stronger. We’ve also thought that you were picking up on our moods a little the last couple of days. So, we thought we would see if you could also feel what we feel.”

  “Is that what is supposed to happen?” she asked. “I mean, for Arimas?”

  “Yes,” Garen replied. “Arimas are able to sense their mate’s emotions, as well as their physical locations within a reasonable distance, and their physical sensations such as arousal, pain, or sickness. Some were better at it than others of course.”

  “Does this mean that I am always going to feel whatever you guys feel?” Lariah asked, not certain she would like that. There were three of them and only one of her, so it seemed logical that their feelings would overpower her own. How would she know her own feelings from theirs?

  “No,” Garen replied. “We must all focus together on a single sensation in order for you to feel it, as just happened. Otherwise, you would feel us only if you deliberately focus on it yourself, or if one of us were to experience intense pain, fear, or something of that nature.”

  “Do not worry little love,” Trey said. “You will not lose your own feelings beneath ours. We would not do that to you.”

  Lariah was relieved. As much as she was enjoying the connections she had with her men, she didn’t want to lose herself in it. Another thought occurred to her.

  “Didn’t you tell me that females of your species did not have magic?” Lariah asked Garen.

  “Yes, I did tell you that, and it’s true.” Garen replied. “But this is not magic. Magic is the ability to exert control over matter, energy, or mind. This ability is more psychic in nature, that is, perception, understanding, or knowledge beyond what the senses tell us.”

  “Why is it that females don’t have magic?” Lariah asked.

  Garen shrugged. “It is not known, but there are theories. Some believe it is because females are capable of magic only after they have been altered by their male-set. But, within 24 hours of that transformation, they must use their magic to link their mates’ souls toget
her with their own. It is believed that their newly acquired magical ability is entirely consumed in that one act.

  “Others believe that females do not have magic because of the alterations they must undergo, and because they must carry children. In the end, nobody really knows. It just is.”

  “Those are both very interesting theories,” Lariah said after thinking about it for a few moments. “I don’t know much about such things, but I think the first theory makes the most sense given what I do know.” She looked up at her men and smiled.

  “So, is there any particular reason that you decided to test me with feelings of arousal?” she asked.

  Trey laughed as he scooted his chair back and stood up. “Little love, if you don’t know the answer to that, then maybe we haven’t been giving you enough lessons,” he said as he stalked slowly around the table toward her.

  “Well, I am generally a very good student,” Lariah replied primly. “If you are not good teachers, I don’t believe you can blame me for that.”

  Trey growled softly in mock anger as he plucked Lariah from her chair and pulled her up against his chest. “Are you insulting your teachers?” he demanded.

  Lariah laughed as she wrapped her legs around Trey’s waist and reached behind his neck to remove the thong holding his hair back. “I did not insult you,” she replied archly. “I merely stated a fact.” She ran her fingers through Trey’s long hair, loving the soft silky feel of it. She didn’t know why the sensation of their hair brushing against her skin was so erotic to her, when she barely noticed the feel of her own long hair. She simply accepted it.

  “In that case, I believe it is time for another lesson,” Trey said before capturing her mouth with his own. His kiss was hot, hard, and so intense that Lariah was gasping for breath when he lifted his head. She hadn’t even noticed that he had been walking to the bedroom while kissing her, and was shocked when he suddenly let go of her, letting her fall a couple of inches to the bed.

  Trey grinned at her startled expression as he began removing her clothes. Val hurried over to help him, and between them she was naked within seconds. She looked up to see Garen, Val and Trey standing near the bed removing their own clothing and she took a moment to enjoy the sight of her men. She would never get tired of looking at them with their tall, strong bodies and bold, masculine faces. They had muscles in places she hadn’t known it was possible to have them. And yet, for all of their formidable strength, they were unfailingly gentle and careful with her.

  As always, the sight of their warm cinnamon skin made her want to taste them. Now that she knew what they tasted like, she wanted it more than when she had only wondered. As she let her eyes roam slowly over them, she noted the scars each of them bore here and there. The scars did not detract from their beauty, but somehow added to it, accentuating their perfect masculinity.

  As she wondered idly about a long scar that cut across Val’s thigh, a thought occurred to her. She bit her lip, not wanting to ruin the mood with her endless questions.

  Trey approached the bed and reached down to free her lip from her teeth with his finger. “What do you want to know?” he asked, smiling indulgently at her.

  “I was just wondering about your scars,” she said, knowing that there was no reason to quibble as they would not let it go until she told them. “If you guys regenerate so quickly, how is it that you all have scars?”

  “If we are wounded by magic, a weapon created by magic, or a weapon that uses radiation, such as a gamma rifle, it impedes our ability to regenerate,” Garen explained. “In those cases, we heal very slowly, much as humans do, and, as you can see, we scar as humans do as well.”

  Lariah’s eyes widened. “So you could die?”

  Trey lowered himself to the bed beside her and began stroking her arm soothingly. “We are no more prone to dying than you are, little love. In fact, we are far less prone to it than you, so don’t worry about such things now.” He leaned down and nipped her ear, then laved the small hurt with his tongue, causing Lariah’s skin to pebble.

  Val climbed onto the bed on her other side and began caressing her breast. “I believe you have a new lesson to learn,” he said, “so stop trying to distract us.”

  Lariah glanced at him and opened her mouth to argue, but Val lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her deeply, effectively stopping whatever she had been going to say. By the time Val ended the kiss she no longer remembered, or cared.

  Val and Trey licked and kissed her ears, neck and shoulders, working their way slowly to her breasts. By the time they each took an achingly hard nipple into their hot mouths she was nearly panting with need.

  She moaned softly, one hand going to the back of each head, burying her fingers in Trey and Val’s long black hair. Garen’s hands spread her legs wide before giving her pussy a long, hot lick. She arched her back as Garen placed his teeth at the base of her clit, then bit down gently, holding it in place as his tongue lashed at it. Just as she felt herself about to climax, they all removed their mouths from her at once. She whimpered at the sudden loss, but she already knew that they were in control and would do what they wanted. She could only wait to see what they had planned next.

  Val and Trey lowered their mouths to her body again, but this time they licked and kissed her arms, stomach, shoulders and neck, avoiding her breasts.

  She heard Garen leave the room and return a moment later. He bent her legs at the knee and pushed them back toward her chest. Trey and Val each put a hand on one knee and held her legs in place. She knew the position exposed everything to their gaze, her pussy spread open wide, and the small, pink bud of her ass as well, which made her a little nervous. When she felt something cool against that tender opening, she tensed.

  “Easy baby,” Val soothed, “just relax.”

  Lariah tried to relax, but immediately tensed again as she felt Garen’s finger probe at the tight opening before pushing in past the tiny ring of muscle. At the same time she realized that the cool cream he had applied was growing warmer.

  A familiar wave of heat spread through her, causing her flesh to pebble again, and she knew they had released some pheromones to help her relax. She was grateful, realizing that for this, she needed the extra help. She was very nervous about what she knew was coming.

  “What’s the matter, little love?” Trey asked, his fingers brushing over one nipple. “Don’t you want us to fuck your ass?”

  Lariah shrugged, her body both aroused and tense at the same time. She didn’t really know the answer to that one. It never occurred to her to tell them no, even though she knew that if she did, they would immediately stop. She trusted them, and knew they would not hurt her. She was just a little anxious and uncertain about this.

  “Just imagine all three of us penetrating you at once,” Trey said, his voice low and gravelly with his own arousal. “Garen in your ass, me in your pussy, Val in your throat, all of us coming at the same time. Wouldn’t you like that?”

  Lariah nodded emphatically at the mental picture he’d built for her. Yes, she wanted that.

  “Good baby,” he said, pinching her nipple hard at the same exact moment that Garen pressed his finger deeper into her. Val pinched her other nipple and Garen began thrusting his finger in and out, stretching her gently. The cream that Garen had applied had gone from cool, to warm, to hot. It was also slightly itchy, so that Garen’s stroking finger now felt soothing against the tender flesh rather than uncomfortable.

  Garen added more of the strange cream before slowly easing two fingers into her. Val and Trey continued pinching her nipples alternately as they licked and kissed every inch of skin they could reach. What had begun as an uncomfortable sensation was rapidly growing into a hot, intensely pleasurable one, and she found herself pressing against Garen’s thrusting fingers uncontrollably. By the time Garen had three fingers in her, her pussy was gushing emptily and she wanted to come so badly she thought she might scream.

  Garen withdrew his fingers and they flipped her over on
her stomach, urging her up onto her hands and knees. Trey moved around in front of her and nudged his cock against her lips. She opened her mouth at once, licking him lovingly before attempting to take him deeper into her mouth. She wanted all of him, but he would not allow it, using his hand around his cock to control how much she could take. At the moment, he was allowing her no more than the head of his cock, adding to the need and sexual tension building in her.

  Lariah felt more cool cream, then the hot, hard, incredibly huge head of Garen’s cock nudged against her and pressed forward, slowly stretching the tight ring of muscle. At the same time she felt Val reach beneath her and pinch her clit lightly between his fingers before milking it with gentle strokes. Lariah moaned around the cock in her mouth, her body trembling, her mind not knowing what she wanted.

  Trey began to rock back and forth, sliding his cock deeper and deeper into her mouth as Garen copied the motion, slipping deeper and deeper into her with each stroke. They moved so slowly that her need continued to build until it bordered on desperation. She needed more, harder, faster, but they maintained rigid control of the pace until Lariah’s moans were constant, her skin covered in a sheen of sweat.

  Finally, all at once, Trey shoved his cock to the back of her throat, Val pinched her clit hard, and Garen surged into her ass, not stopping until he was buried all the way to the hilt in her dark, hot channel. She barely had time to worry about it as she was desperately trying to swallow Trey’s huge cock as it thrust in and out of her so fast she barely had time to breathe when he pulled back. Garen fucked her with hard, deep strokes in counterpoint to Trey, while Val continued to firmly stroke her clit.

  “Now,” Trey growled suddenly, warning her that he was going to come. She took a deep breath just before he rammed his cock down her throat so hard and deep she didn’t even have to swallow him. At the same time, Garen slammed himself deep into her ass with a roar. Lariah felt the two men pulsing into her, their seed flooding her at both ends as Val pinched her clit hard once more, sending her into an orgasm so intense she saw spots before her eyes. She was still trembling from her climax when Garen withdrew from her. Seconds later Val buried himself deep in her pussy with one long stroke. Trey pulled his cock out of her throat so she could breathe, but she continued sucking on him as Val plunged in and out of her, faster and faster, until he was pounding into her so hard that without Trey in front of her to brace her she would have fallen forward. Val reached down over her hip and gave her clit one short, sharp spank. They both exploded, Lariah shoving herself back into Val as he came, bathing her womb with his hot seed.