He drew me toward the bench seat around the edge of the pool and I fell onto his lap in a gentle way through the water. Seron reached for my breasts and I twitched.
“No, not there. Not yet.” I let Oszin touch my breasts, but I couldn’t let them. I was too nervous.
“Were you hurt?”
“It was the Emperor,” I said, my tone suddenly harsh. “He didn’t hurt me. But he touched me—there.”
Their looks turned dark.
“He was killed, wasn’t he?” Aurek asked. “Not just rotting in prison.”
“Yes,” I affirmed. “I saw him die.”
“Good.”
“I see,” Seron said. He paused and briefly, he looked like he was the one who didn’t want to go through with this.
“You can touch me,” I said, stroking his arm to encourage him. “Just not there yet.”
Why was I encouraging him? Gods. Well, I knew I had to do it. I just need to get to the healing part and we’ll be done.
Seron ran a hand down my arm. At first he seemed like he was the one who didn’t know what to do, but when I didn’t stop him, he eased into it, leaning closer to me.
Aurek leaned in and kissed the corner of my mouth. “I’m so happy, Himika,” he said, in an unexpectedly heartfelt way that made me think he wasn’t happy as often as he seemed. He sounded too surprised by it.
I knew that feeling.
Now Seron brushed me between my legs, and I felt his cock tremble under my leg where I sat on his lap. As soon as he touched me, all the sensations Aurek provoked came back.
“Ohh…” I couldn’t help the sound again. Aurek’s mouth quirked at the corners in an expression of satisfaction. “Ohh…”
He put his fingers to my chin and then he kissed me on the lips.
I felt completely captive. I had told myself all along that I wouldn’t enjoy this, I wouldn’t feel for them. I was betraying Oszin. But I couldn’t seem to stop feeling. I had to do this, and with all I had suffered for this moment, couldn’t I at least enjoy it now?
I had plenty of attention in my life, but I was always treated like a helpless, sweet girl. Not a woman and a sexual being. Even now, with my bones still made of glass, neither of them seemed to be thinking of me as someone fragile and sweet.
Aurek urged me forward a little so I lifted off Seron’s lap just a little, and I felt the head of Seron’s cock press against me. I felt light-headed.
“Sit down,” Aurek whispered.
I thought I would be afraid, but instead I just wanted to prove to them and myself that oh yes, I really was a woman. I leaned back a little onto the head and felt it press into me a little, stretching me painfully. I held back a little whimper.
“I could heal you as you go, like I did before,” Seron said. His hands moved to my hips, steadying me.
“No. This isn’t an injury…” I pushed a little farther, my eyes watering, but the warm baths seemed to helped relax me as I took Seron inside me.
All that time traveling with Seron and I never guessed he would be the first man to ever have me. At the same time, however, Aurek felt like the one I was really getting intimate with; he was kissing me, gently at first, his lips just exploring the edge of mine with small kisses. Slowly he opened his mouth a little more, plucking at my lips.
Seron kept stroking me between the legs and I felt my lower body succumb more and more to the invasion of his rigid shaft, taking more and more of it until I settled against him, fully seated with his cock inside me. “Ahh…” I breathed against Aurek’s cheek.
“It’s not so bad, is it?” he said, kissing my neck. Seron slowly rocked his hips, flexing inside me. I clutched my chest as Aurek kissed me, overwhelmed by sensation. Now I moaned again, and Aurek put his mouth fully against mine, his tongue pushing into my mouth, mirroring Seron’s movements.
I was glad I had kissed Oszin before this happened, but at the same time, these dragons were nothing like Oszin. Once they were lost in it, I was lost in them and there was no going back.
Aurek took my hand and guided it down to his own stiff shaft, and I immediately felt the ridges just under the surface of the soft skin. Aurek moved my hand up and down, showing me that he wanted to be stroked.
It was as Oszin said, though. I wasn’t strong enough to pump the water at home, and it was hard to move my arms up and down for long.
“I’m sorry—“
“It’s all right.”
“I hate being so weak.”
“Soon I’ll be inside you, and you won’t be weak anymore.”
I couldn’t seem to help excitement rushing through me at those words. I kept sliding my fingers along his skin, feeling those ridges and wondering what they would feel like inside me.
“I’d better pull out,” Seron said, his breathing coming in short grunts.
He lifted me up a little until he popped out of me. I was surprised how much easier it was to get out than to get in. Suddenly I felt empty inside, but not for long. Aurek now put his arms around me, even as I was still sort of sitting on Seron’s lap in a floaty way, and pushed into me.
“Ungh…” I groaned with a mix of pleasure and pain. Seron was already enough, and Aurek was more. The textural sensations put me on the edge of suffering, so I almost wanted to draw back, but then…not quite.
Seron was holding me, and Aurek was fucking me with his hands on the wall of the baths behind Seron, and the two of them were so close they were practically in each other’s arms with me just caught in the middle.
“Don’t break her,” Seron said.
“I won’t break her! But I need to make it happen, don’t I?”
All of this had been leading to the actual goal: he had to get his seed inside me. I didn’t know how long it took men to release their seed. Apparently it didn’t just happen on command. I was very glad we did have the water to keep my body relatively weightless, or else I might have gotten hurt, because I’d never felt such rough treatment in my life. But once I caught my brother fucking the tailor’s assistant and that had not looked gentle either. I guess it had to be this way.
I can’t say I liked it…but I also wasn’t sure that I didn’t like it.
The longer that cock stroked in and out of me, the same motion every time, the more I started to feel it right in a certain spot inside me. I was burning between the legs, falling into a sensation unlike anything else. Maybe this is how healing feels, I thought.
I clutched my head. “Ohh…ohh, I’m getting hot.”
“Ah, yes, that’s what I want to hear,” Aurek purred. I felt like I was tipping back, drowning…but I was still above water, still in Seron’s arms.
“Yes, yes…” Aurek was soon shouting with his release and I felt warmth flood me on the inside, and I knew this must be the seed. It was happening. I was healing. Even when he started to wind down, my body was still coiling up. I grabbed his shoulder.
“Oh, please, keep going…”
Aurek was stroking me deep and slow, shutting his eyes, and Seron squeezed his hand back into the little space between us and swept a finger over the other spot, which set me on fire. I was flooded with pleasure and relief that pulsed all through me as I kept gripping Aurek’s shoulders.
“Ha…haaa…” My breaths came now in little laughs of relief.
“It’s done,” Aurek said. “Do you feel different?”
“Not yet. I’m so tired now…”
“Maybe it’s best if she sleeps. The spell needs time, I’m sure,” Seron said.
“Yes. Let’s get you to bed,” Aurek said. He got out of the bath and put his robe back on, as Seron lifted me out in his arms.
“I can walk,” I said feebly. I really was exhausted.
“I think you’ve had enough time to prove your resolve,” Seron said. “Your foot still looked awfully bruised.” He did set me on my feet long enough for Aurek to slip my dress over my shoulders and fasten one of the ties. Then he lifted me into his own arms.
“You can come to bed
with us, Seron,” Aurek said.
“Nah, I’ll…take care of things here. Got me all stirred up…” He shook his head. “Go on.”
“Don’t worry. You will not be kept in suspense next time,” Aurek said. “Goodnight.”
“Good night, Seron,” I murmured.
I must have fallen asleep in Aurek’s arms as he carried me to the stairs.
Chapter Sixteen
Himika
I slept very well. When I woke up, the first thing I was aware of was Aurek sitting in bed beside me with a mug of fragrant tea and Kajira curled up at my feet. Aurek must have heard me stir, and a faint smile spread on his lips. “Tea, my gem?”
How strange. I have a husband now. For all I know I could have gotten pregnant last night.
The thought was not quite as awful as it was before, but I still felt far from ready.
Still, when I saw Aurek all the memories of last night rushed back and I couldn’t help feeling like I wished he would touch me again. I thought of Oszin and guilt washed over me.
But then, the second thing I was aware of as I tried to sit up was that my body was still aching all over, and I was sore on the inside too. I still felt weak.
“How do you feel?” Aurek asked, getting up and pouring another cup.
“Um…” Panic flooded my brain. The more I moved, the more I realized just how bad I felt. Yesterday had done a number on me. My foot throbbed, my joints ached, my neck hurt, and my insides seemed to bear the memory of a dragon cock going at it, although the last ache was more satisfying than the others. “Bad.”
“Bad how? Your body probably has to adjust now.”
“Just…the way I always feel after I’ve tried to do too much…” My voice got small with worry. “But it worked, right? Maybe this is just…”
“We definitely followed the rules of the spell exactly,” he said.
“What if it’s because Seron ended up taking my virginity?”
“No, our books are completely clear. The only thing that matters is the royal dragon seed. I mean, what if you had been assaulted by this emperor? You’d be cursed forever. We wouldn’t want that. The curse doesn’t actually prevent you from having sex before you’re married, it’s just a strong deterrent… Well, enough talk. I can sense out crystal. Let me just see.” He put down the tea and crawled into bed next to me, putting his hands on my shoulders. His touch felt even more wonderful than it did last night.
He went still. And didn’t say a word.
“What is it?”
“It’s…”
“It—it didn’t work?”
“Hmm, I—“ He flung out of bed. “I must have read the books and the prophecy and everything a hundred times over. Was something transcribed wrong? I don’t understand…”
“Maybe it just takes some time?”
“I don’t know. I don’t sense anything. Your bones are still…” He went to a shelf where some of the metal plates were stored sideways and edged one out. “It says here. It can’t be more clear. I’ll ask the librarians to double check against the source…”
“Aurek!” I pulled the covers around me. “Maybe it’s…what if…all this was for nothing…” I gripped the covers. “Maybe I never really believed I could be well anyway. I knew this would happen. I knew it. I suppose I’ll just have to go home. I couldn’t be a good wife to you. But I already miss the sky. I have no regrets about last night. I don’t blame you. This happened a long time before you were born. Something must have gotten lost in the records. It’s all right.”
I tried to talk myself into accepting it for a few sentences, and then I burst into tears.
Ugly tears. The kind you can’t help or stop.
“Himika!” Aurek rushed to me. “No,” he said. “You will still be a wonderful wife. I’m certain of that.”
“But I can’t—do anything.”
“How can you say that? You have a mind, plenty of will, a voice and nimble hands. I will not allow you to check out on offering this kingdom your worth.”
“I—I wasn’t going to check out.” Oh my stars, I thought. I was worried about him. Maybe he thinks I’m the one who is going to be spoiled and awkward.
“Good. I feel very responsible for this situation. But—to hear you say you can’t do anything? I won’t stand for that. You’re certainly capable of plenty.” His voice turned husky. “And last night wasn’t so bad either…”
“But I’m still… I can’t get pregnant.”
“We’ll get you some medicine to prevent pregnancy immediately until this is resolved.”
“Those don’t always work. And I’ve heard they can affect one’s mood.”
“All right. So we will just have to be very careful. We’ll use a protective skin and pull out, and pay attention to your cycles.”
I raised an eyebrow. “That is a lot of trouble to go to. I know this is not what you expected at all.”
“A queen’s job isn’t just sex. There is still an alliance to consider, and dragons prefer a queen with a strong but noble character. I think you’ll be wonderful for the people. The rest is our business to manage, and we will. I will take good care of you.”
I wasn’t sure if I should interpret this as a sign that he was very taken with me, or if he just wanted the trade goods from my kingdom. “Do you think it could be resolved?”
He lowered his head a little. “Well, I would like to say so. But I’m not going to lie to you. When I lost my sight, my nurse said I’d get it back as soon as we got back to the castle, that the healers would be able to fix it. But that ended up not being the case. I was very young and I’d adapted in a lot of ways, but it was still devastating. I wanted to be as strong as Seron. My entire childhood was spent wishing I was as strong as Seron. And of course, I still do. But—I also know I wouldn’t make for a very good king if I worried over that.”
“They seem to love you,” I said in a small voice. I didn’t even have a handkerchief to mop my tears, but had to use the back of my hand.
“We’ve had a long tradition of dancing and wine and parties that I urge them to continue,” he said. “I wanted them to know it was still all right to be dragons, and celebrate, even after all the loss.”
“I think that…is wise of you.” I was still stricken. Of course, I had grown up not knowing there was any hope of a cure. Why did anyone have to dangle this in front of me? “If I am never able to give you heirs…”
“Were you excited to have a brood of dragon children?”
I sputtered. “Well—not yet.”
“Maybe,” he said, “it’s a blessing, then.”
But he was sad about that. I could tell. Still, he didn’t say another word about it to me, and instead he took my hand in his, gathering me closer. My head rested against his chest and I could hear his heartbeat. He tipped his head down and kissed me.
My body remembered last night when he had set every nerve afire and I wanted more. I couldn’t resist the kiss. He tasted so good, his lips consuming mine for a moment before he said, “If we can’t change the world, we have to embrace the one we’re given. I will make you a happy woman. I promise you that.”
“Maybe.”
“I will do everything I can to understand what went wrong,” he said. “But it doesn’t change how I feel, or the practicality of this marriage. It’s an alliance between me and your brother, the Emperor, that will benefit both of our nations on many levels, and the best way to seal an alliance like that is with a close bond.”
“Thank you…Aurek.” I squeezed his hand back. “I just wanted to be strong.”
“You are strong, and no one will tell you otherwise, or they’ll deal with me.” He suddenly stopped and waved a hand. “I just remembered something. You wanted to see the royal treasures, didn’t you?”
Chapter Seventeen
Himika
I struggled down the stairs. So many stairs in this fortress. It was more tall than wide. I had so looked forward to walking up stairs the way normal people did, lik
e it was nothing…
Aurek was patient. He offered help once and then didn’t push it. “Just a little farther…”
He was carrying a cane himself, and a lantern in his other hand. I guess he didn’t come down into the basements often. He tapped the wall now and then, and maneuvered around some crates and pots. “I apologize for the mess. It is an unglamorous place to keep the royal treasures, isn’t it? But it would also be difficult for an enemy to get this far.”
“It’s a little spooky down here…”
“Are you sensitive to ghosts? They say we have a few. The catacombs are just down that hall. And in here…”
Guards stood watch outside two heavy doors, for which Aurek had the key. They must be old, I thought, because they were made of wood—wide, thick old planks. He leaned into the door to get the old lock to align.
He held out the lantern, walking in carefully, because this room was long, narrow, and cluttered. At the end of the room I saw the shadowy, ominous shape of two crypts, with sleeping dragons carved on the lids and a structure shaped around them almost like a canopy bed. This added to the goosebump-raising, shadowy aura of the room. I could just feel the sense of age and the fact that few people came here. Some of these objects must have been sitting here since the last time humans and dragons used to trade. The weapons were numerous, crowns and jewels locked away in gilt and glass cases, precious beaded silks hung on a laddered rack. There was leather armor made for women no larger than myself, huge pieces of shaped metal to fit around vulnerable parts of a dragon’s body, and everything in between.
I heard tiny drips of water somewhere, like the stone walls were sweating. Aurek frowned at the sound. “Leaky old place.” Everything felt a bit damp.
The sword Saramu, from our wedding ceremony, was back in its place inside of a case given prominent placement in front of the tombs.
“Do you like jewelry?” he asked, waving a hand. “Take your pick.”
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