by Lucas, Naomi
I am the one punished. Not her.
Taking Aida is a sublime punishment, but my right all the same. Her body moves with mine, she holds herself up, bowing back when I pull her, falling forward when I thrust home. Each push heats my insides, she grips my prick. The sensation of my seed wanting to burst from me builds.
Bowing over her, shielding her, trapping her to me, I wrap my tail around her front and bind her to my body. Her moans are all I hear. My testicles rise.
Clamping my teeth on her shoulder, my back bows. I erupt. YES!
She screams out, falls, but I catch her to me, pumping her with frenzy, forcing her to take the lava of my loins. “Take it, human!” My voice is deep, grave. Urgent. “Take it,” I order, pumping more and more of myself into her.
I need to get all of me into her!
A forever later—I am spent. My urgency unstoppable.
Aida is weak in my hold, no longer stiff from the work of my mounting, but soft and full of ease. With the water drifting around our limbs, I rise with her in my arms, and carry her back to the shore, to a grassy stretch before the jungle. I stay planted deep in her little flower the whole way.
Easing us to the ground with soft thrusts, obsession fills me. She is mine. She will take it.
I would use her through the coming evening and night if I knew her body could take it.
Lifting my head, I scan our surroundings, listening, shallowly rutting her all the while.
When I am sure there are no predators nearby, I do just that, rut her some more—until she stiffens again, moans in the grass, and her sheath clamps. With little seed left to give, I enjoy the possessive human sensation of her keeping me in place, milking me. And when her body softens again, I finally pull out, rolling her over with my tail.
Her glistening dark eyes meet mine. Sweat slickens her brow. Leaning over her, I lick it off.
“You did not pass out,” I say, tasting female spice on my tongue.
She laughs softly. “I did. For a few minutes, I believe I did. I don’t remember leaving the ocean.”
Petting her, I squeeze one of her plump breasts—which is still covered. Pulling down her chest coverings, I span my fingers over the orb. Her skin is many shades darker than mine. Though I am quite pale in comparison to her people, I realize that humans come in many colors and hues like dragons. “You are fine now. I will make sure of it,” I tell her, rubbing her tit with my thumb.
For some strange reason, I suddenly want to rub my shaft over them.
She spreads her legs slightly, dips her hand between us and her thighs, and catches some of my seed over her fingers. She lifts it to her eyes. “This,” she sighs, “does strange things to me.”
We are both feeling strange.
She is so beautiful in the golden twilight that it hurts. It physically hurts. My chest clenches.
I clear my throat. “I have much to share.” I am eager to share.
She pins me with her gaze. Her mouth twitches. “Good.”
So unlike a femdragon…
Humans enjoy rutting many times over, I note. My cock tightens. So do I.
But she wipes my seed on her belly, closes her legs, and pushes herself against my side, and as she rests her head in the nook between my chest and shoulder, I decide not to mount her again. I clasp her to me.
She is much smaller than me. I must be careful.
“I’m glad you came after me,” she says after a while.
“I will always come for you,” I warn. “Make no mistake about that. I grow cold… and desperate when you are not near me.” I peer up at the comet above. “It is not a nice thing to feel.”
She nuzzles her cheek on me. “The same happens to me, Zaeyr.” She breathes my name, and it is wonderful. “Is it the bond?”
“I do not know. And even so, I do not like you out of my sight.”
“…Why?”
“I have never laid eyes on something so beguiling as you.” It is the truth. “I have seen much—all the treasures of the ocean and more, all the creatures that roam the shores and waters—and none have broken my thoughts like you have, none have upended the wants I always wanted.”
In the distance, the sun begins to set. The music of the jungle changes, grows ever more quiet. Pulling Aida closer to me, she nuzzles me some more.
“I thought you were beautiful too,” she says.
“Thank you,” I preen. “Sleep now, little human. Tomorrow we head back to your tribe, where it is safe. Until then, you are protected with me.”
She hums, and shortly after, she settles.
I watch the stars flicker against the darkening sky, finding that for the very first time, I’m soothed and complete. And when the moon reaches its zenith above, I close one eye and rest.
Knowing I have finally caught myself a mate. The best of them all.
16
The Journey Home
Crunch.
Waking the next morning, I find a pile of fruit beside me and Zaeyr staring at me from a short distance away, awash in the red light of the comet. His face is a mask of hunger, nearly inhuman.
The sharp lines of his jaw glint with sapphire. His thick brows arch. My eyes dip, finding his tail wrapped around his prick, pumping swiftly.
I shiver, remembering our mating. Seeding, I correct.
He takes a bite of his own fruit, and I realize that’s the sound I hear. Behind him is the ocean, calm and beautiful.
Pulling my gaze away, sitting up—watching him watch me—I adjust my chest coverings and begin to feast on the meal he brought. I’m tickled he sought to provide for me, and as I go through several fruits, I’m happy he did so.
“Thank you,” I say when I finish, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
The glow in his eyes darkens. He crawls to me, pushes me down, tugs my skirt up, and forces my legs apart. He presses his thick girth to my opening and rams in.
I’m already ready for him.
Though I still burn from the abrupt stretch.
“Say it again,” he orders.
“Thank you!”
He slams home, deep and devastating.
Gasping, spreading my legs, hooking them over his hips. It drives my butt into the ground. Each time the thick middle of his prick slips in and out, I moan.
Grunting, he bows his spine and pulls my chest covering down, taking one tit, then the other in his mouth to suckle. I throw my head back, grabbing his horns, and finding the right leverage there—I come.
I cry out, and Zaeyr’s rutting grows frenzied.
My core clenches wildy. His grunts turn to ragged bellows—then roars. He roars when his seed bursts and floods me. Clamping hard, I take it all, arching my hips and clinging to him for more.
My dragon gives me everything.
Hard, possessive, savage—everything.
Some time later, his thrusting stops, and I’m back to being an exhausted, weak mess beneath him. Rising, he stares down at me, licking his lips. My belly jumps and I tighten my legs around him. Somehow I’m still wanting more.
“Delicious,” he rasps.
He carries me to the ocean until the water is up to our chest. Still planted inside me, he uses one hand to wash the dirt and dried cum on my skin. I touch him everywhere I can in return. There isn’t a place he doesn’t allow my hands to go.
And when the first gulls squawk above us, he releases me, and we walk back to the shore.
“You want to go back?” I ask, curious. I like this time alone with him. Perhaps a little too much.
“It is your home, is it not? Where your family lives?” He runs his fingers through his hair, pushing it back. The action makes me melt. His gaze trails over my body. “Is it where you are most safe?”
“Yes.”
“Then we go back.”
Though I will miss this time with him without the others, I nod. Going back is the right thing to do.
My tribe needs me. And with Zaeyr by my side, I have everything I want. Everything they tried to take from me
.
I keep reminding myself of this as we make it to the mouth of the jungle river, as I climb onto Zaeyr’s back and he swims us across at great speed. As he enters me again on the other side, mounts me against a tree, pulls my hair, and grazes his teeth over my flesh, I remind myself of this.
But I’m nervous. The elders don’t like having their power taken away.
Will they accept me as Zaeyr’s choice? Will they banish us?
Will they try to convince him there’s another who is better?
My thoughts drift to Delina—Leith—a surge of anger slices through me. Will she leave us alone?
I don’t know if I can forgive my sister for what she tried. I understand she’s been raised differently from me, but she knows better. Whether she is the chosen female or otherwise…
She knows better. I love my sister and am part of the problem with how she’s been raised. There was too much focus on me, and I had always suspected that Delina must’ve been hurt, overshadowed by the attention on me. Now that I’ve been in her sandals for a time, I can understand her more.
But even so, Delina’s always been spoiled. Chastised when she misbehaved, but never facing consequences. If my sister didn’t want to do something, no one forced her to.
While I had to brave dark dangers alone…
Shoving Delina from my mind, I study Zaeyr’s back before me. It’s toned and strong, like the rest of him. Whatever happens, I know he won’t leave me. Whatever my tribe and the elders decide, we’ll be together.
I’m not alone anymore.
I reach out and take his hand, clasping it tight. He stiffens, glances at my hand, then clasps mine back. His hand swallows mine.
I’m used to being one of the tallest females in the tribe, one of the strongest… His hand swallows mine.
Walking next to Zaeyr like this, I find I have to look up to see his face, straining my neck to take in his striking horns. Even when we mate, my feet don’t touch when my legs are curled around him. It’s a little unsettling that I can take his cock when I probably shouldn’t be able to. I eye the hard appendage coyly. Though Zaeyr’s put a loincloth back on, his cock is visible.
I purse my lips. To the deepest waters with you, Delina. He’s made for me, not you.
Lost in my thoughts, time passes quickly. We avoid the few crocodiles we encounter, Zaeyr points out the large fin of a giant mako shark sometime later, and by the time the sun is far past its zenith, the howls of swing monkeys return to our ears.
There hasn’t been a dragon’s roar or mating call in days. Despite the comet’s red hue, everything is returning to normal. Growing antsy, I’m relieved to see Sand’s Hunters cliffs in the distance, though my stomach drops too. Now that the animals are returning, so will the deadlier predators. They’ll be hungry.
Facing Delina and the tribe is safer than facing a hungry jungle cat or prowling naga seeking a nest to lay their eggs.
My fingers twitch, wishing for a spear or dagger, instead feeling Zaeyr’s hand.
“Do not be afraid, Aida,” he says as if he knows my thoughts.
I groan. “I’m not afraid. I’m tired.”
“Have I worn you out so?” he purrs. A dragon purr? The sound goes straight to my heart.
I shake my head. “It will take a lot more to wear me out.”
“Good—”
“But I am still tired.”
He stops and turns to me. “Why?”
I kick at the sand. The scouts of my tribe will be able to see us on the beach. There’s no turning back now. I consider it anyway—for a second.
Already, the lift lowers in the distance.
“I don’t want this to end,” I finally say, pointing between us. “I… like us being this way.” Selfish, I am so selfish. “Not having to worry about anyone else, just us. Just you and me. I can’t remember a time where I have not worried—greatly—for my tribe.” I glance at the rocks, the coming tribemates with torches. “I still worry,” I whisper. “But it’s been different lately. It’s been easier.”
Finding the words to convey why I’m hesitant is difficult. Who am I joking? Relaying my feelings at all is a tremendous effort. I’m not used to having someone ask after them.
Zaeyr moves to stand in front of me, blocking my view of Sand’s Hunters and grasps my chin with his fingers.
“You are a great huntress?”
“Yes…”
“You were once the chosen female of your elders?”
Where is he going with this? I nod.
“You stood up to an alpha dragon when no one else dared?”
Tears threaten to fall. “I wanted you,” I tell him honestly.
The side of his mouth twitches. “Is that all, little Aida?”
Ugh. “No. I wanted to make sure my people made it to the caves alive.”
He leans forward and rests his brow upon mine, moving his hand from my chin to cup my nape. Shivering, I give in.
“There is nothing for you to worry about,” he says softly. “Nothing at all.”
“Halt! Aida and dragon, the elders demand to see you! Do not fight us. Lay down any weapons you hold.”
I wince—the tribe comes to collect us. Our time together ends.
“What if my family doesn’t accept us?” I ask, hurriedly.
“Then we will run away together.” Zaeyr doesn’t let go of me. Instead, his lips brush my ear. “You have already proven yourself tenfold. If they do not see that, they do not deserve you.” He lifts away and turns from me. It’s all I can do not to whimper from the loss.
The scouts on the beach move closer, eyeing us with suspicion.
“We will come willingly,” he tells them. “We carry no weapons.”
A tear slides down my cheek, and I swipe it away at once. My strength returns. Moving to stand beside my dragon, I stare down my female tribemates before us.
17
Accusations
Walking through the village at twilight, no one comes near us, and those who escort keep their spears trained on Zaeyr. Whispers abound, but none that I can make out.
It’s not the reception I expect. I expected a fight with Delina, my mother, perhaps the elders. But this? It’s so much worse. I tighten my hold on Zaeyr’s hand, glimpsing his face.
Unlike me, he doesn’t look the least bit worried.
When we reach the elders’ hut, I release his hand and enter first, he follows immediately after.
Father, Stagie, Nata, and Drea are sitting around a low table, talking. Mother is there as well—and Leith. Between them is a weeping Delina. Her eyes lift to mine and she cries louder, burrowing in our mother’s outstretched arms.
Leith shoots Zaeyr a look of murder. “What is he doing here?” He stands, points, demands.
“Sit, Leith! It is not you who decides who is allowed entry when the elders convene,” Tabach snaps. He turns to me and Zaeyr. “Aida—daughter—and Zaeyr, yes? Please sit and join us.”
Leith growls but lowers back to Delina’s side.
Zaeyr and I join them at the table. Those on either side slide away, rearranging so no one sits directly next to us.
“He attacked me,” Delina cries out. “He tore off my coverings and pushed me to the ground! I was so scared.”
I gape, staring at my sister.
Finally, I realize what is happening.
“Liar!” I hiss. Betrayed again, by my own family this time.
“Enough,” Tabach bellows. Delina sniffles, turning now to Leith. I glare daggers.
A terrible, foreboding noise emanates from beside me. We all look at Zaeyr as he rises back to his feet, muscles strained, eyes blazing. He’s focused on Leith, and only Leith. “You,” he rasps.
Leith cowers but stands, face going hard. “Do you want to fight, inhuman beast?”
Father tries to settle us again, but his words go ignored.
I’ve never seen Zaeyr look more savage and predatory. It’s not how he looks at me in heat or when he rams himself between my legs�
�no, he reels with fury. Only fury. Grabbing his wrist, tendrils pulsate beneath my fingers. His fury enters me.
“Zaeyr, don’t,” I beg, confused. He hates Leith with such passion.
“You, male, I know your smell! It was on Aida!” he roars.
The next instant, he’s across the table on top of Leith, pinning him to the floor. He’s twice the size of boyish Leith, twice the size of me! He could break him in two.
Screams ring out, the elders jerk back, and guards surge into the hut to press their spear tips to Zaeyr’s back. His tail swipes them away.
The kiss, I realize. He knows of Leith’s kiss. My stomach pits.
“See! This is what he is,” Delina shrieks. “A beast!”
“Let go of Leith!” one of the scouts shouts.
“No!” I scream, jumping up and throwing myself between him and the scouts, flinging out my arms. They scowl at me.
Unhindered by the chaos, Zaeyr growls. “I tasted you on Aida’s lips. Why?” A hush falls over the group. Everyone is poised to make another move but afraid to follow through. Zaeyr’s deep voice commands that much intimidation. “Why!?”
Smoke plumes the air.
Rasping sounds come from Leith’s throat.
“Do something!” Delina wails. “He’s killing him!”
“Don’t you dare,” I warn the scouts nervously shuffling. Turning to Zaeyr, I place my hand on his shoulder. “He kissed me. That’s all. Let him go,” I plead.
Zaeyr sneers. “Death!” Leith begins choking.
Delina’s crying turns to sobs.
I drop to my knees and grab Zaeyr’s hands on Leith’s throat. “Please,” I beg. “This isn’t how humans react,” I tell him, trying to keep the desperation from my voice. “If you kill him, you and I are done. We are done.” I pull at his hands. “I should’ve told you. It happened when I ran. But I forgot to tell you. I’m sorry.” I see Leith’s eyes begin to water. “He’s a good male, a kind male. A close friend. Do not do this.”
Zaeyr’s hands stiffen, and more smoke pools from his mouth and nostrils, but my words make it through to him. Leith’s coughing returns as Zaeyr’s grip eases. Slowly, he rises and I rise with him.