by Freya Garth
There could be no more waiting. Doraya straddled Goril’s lean hips and sank her cunt onto his cock, crying out with the delight of being so thoroughly penetrated. His cock seemed to reach even deeper inside her like this, plus she could grind her inflamed clit onto his body. She rode his pole hard, but wanted even more and lifted his hands to her breasts so that he could squeeze and tweak her nipples.
‘Oh, little one,’ he groaned.
‘Hold on,’ she gasped, knowing he was close. ‘Just a moment.’
She wanted to tell him how much she loved to fuck him, but she didn’t think that would help.
His body was so tense beneath her, his cock so hard, Fiami urged them on, and she felt her peak approaching.
‘Watch me,’ she ordered, and stopped with his cock halfway into her cunt.
His golden eyes were riveted to her body.
She put one hand to her clit and began to frig herself with his cock still inside her.
This was going to take seconds.
Goril’s eyes were bulging, his lips parting on a great in-breath as the veins stood out in his neck.
Her peak crashed through her like a thunderclap. She pulled her hand away and fucked Goril as hard as she could while her legs were shaking in ecstasy.
‘Oh yes,’ he gasped. ‘Yes! Yesssss!’
Her cunt spasms drew spurt after spurt of spunk from his thrusting cock. Fiami roared with delight, and Doraya was lost in bliss, falling into Goril’s warm embrace.
They began to move against each other more slowly, enjoying the aftershocks that shook and teased their bodies. Goril was still half-hard inside Doraya, and she massaged his cock gently with her cunt muscles, eliciting little groans of pleasure.
‘Do you want more?’ she whispered in his ear.
‘You know the answer,’ he whispered back, ‘because you do, too. Hussy.’ He slapped her bottom hard, making her wince and wriggle from the pleasure of the sting. ‘Mmmm, that feels good,’ he remarked. ‘Might have to do it again.’
Another slap, on the other side, made her wince and wriggle some more. This was interesting, just for the sensation, not as a punishment. Yet the associations of previous spankings from several dragon riders made her feel instantly more submissive. That was probably what Goril wanted, given what she’d just inflicted on him. He hadn’t seemed to mind, but he was bound to feel the need to reassert his masculinity. She had no objection to that. None whatsoever.
‘I’m going to spank you some more,’ he said conversationally, ‘and then I’m going to fuck your arse while you frig yourself.’
Which suited Doraya perfectly.
When they were finally sated, they lay in each other’s arms and drowsed in the sunshine for a while. Doraya, drifting in and out of sleep, became aware of a creeping unease in her belly. They had a formidable task ahead, and she wasn’t sure she was equipped to do her part.
‘Goril?’ she whispered.
‘Mmmmm?’
‘What’s it like at King Tinis’s?’
He rolled over and leaned up on one elbow to look down at her. ‘The castle is very similar to King Panac’s, except the stone it’s made from is grey, not honey-coloured. The layout is much the same. You should be able to find your way around.’
‘I could find my way around the kitchen and the dining hall,’ she pointed out, ‘but I know nothing of life on the upper levels.’
Goril rubbed his chin, thinking. ‘You’re a dragon rider’s woman now,’ he said, ‘and that’s what’s important. Which reminds me’—he leapt up and went over to Fiami—‘Saban packed up some robes for you.’
‘Saban did?’
Goril, fiddling around beneath Fiami’s wing, caught the note of surprise in her voice and gave her a piercing look. ‘What’s up?’
‘We had a–a sort of—she was angry with me,’ Doraya said. ‘She was upset about Alda, and she said I was selfish.’ Tears filled her eyes. ‘I wanted to tell her I was sorry, but I didn’t have time before we left.’
Goril came back to her with a leather sack, dropped it on the ground, and put his hands on her shoulders. ‘Why did she say you were selfish? Do you know?’
‘She said I was, um, just like the dragon riders.’ Doraya’s face flamed as she realised her statement implicated Goril, too, but when she looked up at him, he was smiling wryly.
‘We are, in a way,’ he said. ‘All the women tell us so at times. Except you because you’re one of us.’ He kissed her forehead tenderly. ‘You understand what it’s like to be melded. How for you and I, Fiami’s hunger, thirst, lust, or tiredness can be almost impossible to resist. You also understand, better than any rider, what it’s like to live without those pressures.’
Doraya felt as if she could barely remember what life was like before she’d joined the dragon riders. Actually, she didn’t want to remember, because it had been so unpleasant living as a bullied and abused kitchen drudge at King Panac’s castle. But she realised that Goril had a point. She had the potential to bridge the two groups of people in the caves, just as she had the potential to bridge the gap between dragon riders and others in the three realms. That felt like a very weighty responsibility.
‘Goril, I’m not sure I can do what everyone needs me to do.’ She placed her palms flat against his chest. ‘It’s too much.’ The thought of it all was beginning to cramp her belly with terror.
He put his arms around her and drew her into a close embrace. ‘If you think about it all at once,’ he said, ‘it is too much, but you only have to do one part at a time.’ His voice was soothing, as if he was talking to a frightened child. ‘Today we go to King Tinis’s castle. We’ll both wear our finery and act like important people.’
‘I’ve never been an important person.’ Her voice squeaked in panic.
‘Doraya, Doraya’—he rested his chin on the top of her head—‘you have been an important person ever since you became a dragon rider’s woman. Nobody knows what a dragon rider’s woman is like, so nothing you do can be wrong. Anyway, being important in a castle is easy. You’ll be with me all the time. Just watch what I do and what the others do, and do the same.’
‘You won’t leave me?’
‘Little one, I will never leave you.’ His voice rang with sincerity. ‘We’ll have time to talk together when we’re in our chamber, so if anything’s worrying you, we can sort it out then.’
Doraya wasn’t entirely reassured, but she knew there was no way out. ‘I’ll do my best,’ she said.
‘Your best is very impressive.’ He hugged her tighter for a moment. ‘Remember, all we have to do is try to find out why you melded with Fiami, and see if we can recruit a new woman or two.’
‘And not upset anyone.’
‘That won’t be a problem.’
‘Saban—’
Goril held her away from him to look into her face, his grasp warm on her shoulders. ‘Saban is grieving. It’s too easy for us melded ones to forget that, and there are bound to be glitches with you being different from the other women. I’m surprised nothing like this has happened before now. Anyway, Saban is a forgiving woman. Every now and again she has an outburst, but she gets over it quickly. I reckon she’s probably giving herself a hard time about it now, wanting to say sorry to you.’
‘I left a message for her with Mabbi,’ Doraya said.
He smiled. ‘That was kind of you. Now, let’s get into our finery, and then we can fly!’
Fiami lifted her head, and Doraya felt again the urgency of the dragon’s need to fly sparkling in her bloodstream. They quickly pulled the robes from the sack and Goril helped Doraya to dress.
‘This is too hot,’ she objected, as he held out a pair of embroidered slippers.
‘You won’t think so when we get there,’ he said. ‘Now, I need to put on my best breeches and jerkin, and then we must go.’
Doraya folded their other clothes and put them away in the sack. They climbed onto Fiami’s back, tied the sack in place under her wing, and she too
k off from the hillside with great pounding wingbeats.
The joy of flight filled Doraya’s mind, leaving no room for worry about the ordeal ahead. She nestled against Goril’s strong body and revelled in the sensation of soaring through the sky with the two beings she loved most in the world. If only this wonderful feeling could go on forever. It seemed too soon when she saw a grey stone castle on a mountaintop and Fiami began to fold her wings for their descent.
The top of the tower was almost identical to the one at King Panac’s. The low stone parapet, wooden floor, and trapdoor brought back vivid memories for Doraya as she slid from Fiami’s back. The huge dragon curled up, resigned, to wait for their return.
Goril helped Doraya through the trapdoor and down the ladder. Her feet felt strange in the unfamiliar slippers. She felt like a sulky, rebellious youngster, dressed in clothes she didn’t want to wear.
As they walked side by side through the castle’s top corridor, a young page ran up to them, panting, and bowed low.
‘We are honoured, dragon rider.’ He looked at Doraya uncertainly. ‘Lady.’
She saw his Adam’s apple bob. The knowledge that he was afraid of her sent a shock through her body. Nobody had ever been afraid of her before. She didn’t want anyone to be afraid of her.
‘Please,’ the page said, ‘follow me to the dining hall for refreshment while we prepare your chamber.’
He turned and paced down the corridor ahead of them. Goril’s arm was strong and reassuring under Doraya’s hand. She looked up, and he gave her a quick wink. One thing at a time, she reminded herself.
The dining hall was empty, apart from a drudge sweeping the floor. It looked very similar to the hall at King Panac’s, although the tapestries told stories that Doraya didn’t know. The page led Goril and Doraya to the top table, and called to the drudge to bring spiced milk ‘for the dragon rider and his lady.’ The drudge gave them one wide-eyed, terrified look before running down the stairs to the kitchen.
Doraya couldn’t believe she was sitting at the top table of a castle dining hall as an honoured guest. She felt as if she should go and pick up the drudge’s broom and finish the sweeping.
‘I will tell King Tinis that you are here,’ the page told them. ‘Then if there is nothing else you need, I must attend to my duties.’
‘Thank you for your service,’ Goril said, with a nod of dismissal.
The page looked relieved and scuttled out of the hall.
‘The whole castle will know about us before long,’ Doraya said.
Goril raised his eyebrows. ‘How so?’
‘The drudge will have told all the kitchen staff by now. Someone will find an excuse to go to the store so she can pass the news to anyone she sees on the way. The page will be telling everyone he meets. Soon everyone will know, in the barracks and the stables, the gardens and the laundry.’
‘I never thought of that,’ Goril said slowly.
‘You’ve only ever been in dining halls and chambers. Castle staff thrive on gossip. At least, King Panac’s did, and I expect it will be the same here.’
The drudge returned with two steaming goblets of spiced milk and placed them on the table, then returned to her sweeping, darting occasional glances at Doraya.
‘It’s usually me they look at,’ Goril grumbled.
Doraya caught the mischievous twinkle in his eye and laughed, some of the tension in her belly easing.
A tall, hollow-cheeked man strode into the dining hall and over to the top table, his hands outstretched to greet Goril.
‘Good to see you, it’s been a while.’
‘Thank you, sire.’
‘You haven’t come alone.’ King Tinis turned his attention to Doraya and did a double take as she smiled at him. ‘My goodness! Are you a dragon rider?’
‘No, sire,’ she said demurely.
‘But you’re melded—’
‘To my dragon,’ Goril said.
‘Fascinating, fascinating.’ The king tapped a long bony forefinger on his temple, thinking. ‘I may have read something about that in an old scroll.’
‘We were hoping you might be able to tell us why,’ Goril said. ‘Alda said he had heard of it, but it had never happened in his lifetime.’
‘How is Alda?’
Goril’s jaw tightened. ‘I’m afraid he is no longer with us.’
Doraya saw shock, disbelief, and acceptance cross King Tinis’s face in quick succession.
‘I am sorry for your loss,’ the king said formally. ‘Alda was a great man, an exemplary dragon rider.’
‘Thank you.’ Goril cleared his throat. ‘He was very concerned about Doraya. She didn’t have an easy time adjusting to the meld. I know he would have been grateful for your help.’
‘Of course, of course. I will search the scrolls later. First, please, tell me all your news.’
Doraya sat and watched and listened while Goril and the King discussed people and politics. The hall slowly filled up with people, several of whom came to sit at the top table, greeting Doraya with a bow and joining in the conversation. Doraya was glad that nobody addressed her directly.
Drudges began appearing with trenchers of food, serving the top table first. Again, it seemed strange to Doraya to sit and be served. She felt as if she should be helping to serve, getting the food to people as fast as possible, as she’d always been told to do.
Her trencher held a hunk of bread, a piece of cheese, and a spoonful of preserve. Jugs of water and goblets were placed on the table, and her neighbour poured some for her. Goril’s knee was touching hers under the table, which felt oddly reassuring. She kept her eyes down and concentrated on her food. While it seemed sparse after the excellent fare in the dragon riders’ caves, the bread was fresh, the cheese well flavoured, and the preserve had a pleasing tang.
When they had eaten, King Tinis called a page to take them to their chamber.
‘I have arranged for a woman to attend your lady, and Banic here will act as your page during your visit,’ he told Goril. ‘If there is anything you need, he can bring word to me. I will search the scrolls now, and I hope to find an answer for you by evening.’
Doraya was pleased to see that Banic looked older and less nervous than the page who had greeted them when they first arrived. He led them confidently through the corridors to their chamber and showed them around the spacious apartments. There was a central bedroom with a large bed and a blazing fire, and a separate dressing room on each side, one for Goril and one for Doraya. In each dressing room was a bath full of steaming water, and next to Doraya’s stood a stout woman wearing an apron, her hands on her hips.
‘Banic, I don’t know what you’re doing letting the Lord Rider’s bath go cold while you moon around the chamber,’ she scolded. ‘Now go and attend to him, and I’ll see to the Lady.’
She shooed the men out, pulling Doraya behind her into the central bedroom while Banic took Goril into his dressing room. As soon as the door was shut behind the men, she said, ‘My name is Narvi, Lady, and I’ll attend you while you’re here.’
Narvi was speaking loudly, as if she wanted to make sure the men could still hear her.
‘Come, let’s get these travel-worn clothes off so you can bathe.’
Narvi opened the door to the corridor, put her finger to her lips to indicate that Doraya should be silent, and pulled her through, closing the door quietly behind them. She bustled Doraya down the corridor, murmuring, ‘Quickly, come now.’
‘Where are we going?’ Doraya gasped.
Narvi hurried her down a flight of steps that Doraya recognised as leading to the kitchen. Instinctively, she began to pull back against Narvi’s lead.
‘You’re safe, my lady, don’t worry.’
What was going on? Was she being abducted? Should she call for help?
‘Here we are,’ Narvi said, ushering Doraya into the castle kitchen. Women were working at the spit and the sink and the table, and it looked so like the kitchen at King Panac’s castle that
Doraya quailed.
Narvi clapped her hands. ‘I’ve rescued the dragon rider’s woman,’ she said loudly. ‘She needs sanctuary.’
The kitchen women clustered around Doraya, touching her dress and hair with greasy fingers, murmuring endearments.
‘Pretty thing.’
‘Safe now.’
‘We can hide you.’
‘No dragon should eat such a beautiful lady.’
Doraya swallowed her panic. If only Goril would come – but she knew nothing could bring him here. What could she do?
‘When the dragon rider has gone,’ Narvi said, looking earnestly into Doraya’s eyes, ‘we can give you work.’
The thought of being back in a castle kitchen galvanised Doraya into speech. ‘I don’t need rescuing. Goril is my love. He is kind to me.’
‘She is in thrall to the dragon rider,’ Narvi said sadly to the other women. ‘We will have to hold her until his spell breaks.’
How was Doraya going to get out of this situation? If only Goril knew what was happening, he would fix it in a minute. However, as he didn’t know, she was going to have to sort it out herself.
‘I am not in thrall.’ Her voice became commanding, as if it sprang from her very core. She spared a moment to wonder how her voice could sound so certain when she wasn’t entirely sure herself. ‘I am a dragon rider’s woman.’ Goril had told her that made her important. Maybe that was why her voice sounded so defiant. ‘My dragon rider is my mate.’
The kitchen women were agog, waiting for her next words. This could be her best chance to present the dragon riders’ case.
Doraya launched into the history of the dragon riders and the problems they were facing, her confidence increasing as she spoke. The kitchen women listened with interest, varying degrees of doubt in their expressions.
‘You could still be in their thrall,’ one of the kitchen women said. Her face was an almost comical combination of suspicion and anxiety.
‘I am my own woman,’ Doraya said. ‘I adore my rider, and our dragon. I went with them willingly, of my own free choice.’
Would they believe her? If only Goril was at her side they couldn’t have a moment’s doubt.