by S. E. Smith
Can you fly? Sara asked her dragon.
Yes, I fly. I know how to fly, her dragon respond with glee. I fly. You see.
Okay, show me, Sara ordered.
It easy, just flap wings, her dragon stated.
Just… Sara started to repeat in disbelief when she clamped her lips tightly together.
She could feel the rumble of her dragon laughing at her. Sara snorted – just flap your wings. Smart, real smart. I have a dragon with a sense of humor!
Brilliant, Cheri chuckled.
Sara ignored both of them when she felt the muscles in her dragon tighten. One minute she was on the ground, the next she was soaring upward over the trees. Her breath caught in awe at the feeling of power washing over her. She felt –
Free, her dragon whispered. We are free.
Tears burned Sara’s eyes. Yes, they were free. Audrey was right. There was nothing more powerful than a dragon, not even Cuello or his men. Sara released the last tiny bit of restraint she held over her dragon, giving the beautiful creature complete control.
The joy that swept through the dragon took her breath away. She and Cheri flew through the clouds, playing hide and seek among the fluffy white puffs of moisture. Sara’s wings sparkled like diamonds where the droplets pooled. Not to be outdone, Cheri turned and folded her wings. Together, they spiraled downward opening their wings mere feet from the tops of the trees. They glided over the tops of the high grass in the meadows and reached down to snare fish from the river, tossing them into the air and eating them before they could disappear.
For the next two hours, Sara learned what it meant and felt like to be a dragon. Cheri showed her how to land on the high branches of a tree and how to drink the water captured in the huge stems of a rose red bloom. Cheri also explained what the different plants were and how they used them for different things.
“The knowledge is passed down from mother to daughter and father to son,” Cheri said, tucking a loose strand of silver hair back into the neat braid that she wore.”
Sara laughed, twirling in a circle. “Today was incredible, Cheri, thank you,” she said, stepping closer so she could hug Jaguin’s mother.
“You can thank me by giving my son and his dragon the peace of being his true mate in every way,” Cheri murmured, cupping Sara’s cheeks. “And giving me a few grand-younglings to play with wouldn’t hurt either.”
Sara blushed and laughed. “Let me get the first part down before I think about the second part. Something tells me that my dragon needs a little extra time to get used to me as much as I need to get used to her. I would like to learn how to be a dragon before I show Jaguin,” she chuckled. “Where are the guys?”
“I think that is a very good idea. Male dragons can be a bit – demanding at first,” Cheri laughed. “Rolf and Jaguin have taken Jaire out hunting – again,” Cheri continued, stepping back and walking toward the house. “If I know Jaire, he has already abandoned the other two and gone off to join some of his friends.”
Sara laughed when several minutes later the two men returned minus Jaire who had disappeared shortly after they left. Rolf threatened to ground the young boy. He growled and threatened every form of torture a parent could think of until Cheri pulled out a fresh pie that she had just removed from the oven.
“The boy has to learn to control his curiosity,” Rolf grumbled between bites of the still hot pie. “It’s going to get him in trouble if he doesn’t.”
“I know,” Cheri responded with a twinkle in her eye. “Just like it got Jaguin in trouble when he was younger.”
Jaguin’s soft groan and muttered warning sent Sara into a fit of giggles. She was still soaring high from her experience earlier in the day. Resting her chin on the palm of her hand, she leaned forward and winked at Cheri.
“This totally sounds like blackmail stories,” Sara said with a huge grin. “You wouldn’t happen to have any photographs, I mean images, from it would you?”
“Of course,” Rolf replied immediately. “I’ll put them on in the other room.”
“Father, no!!!!” Jaguin groaned, pushing back his chair and rising to try to intersect his father. “I thought I destroyed all of those!”
“I made copies, a lot of them. You boys think I don’t know that you would try to destroy them?” Rolf was saying when Sara and Cheri walked into the other room.
“I deny it all,” Jaguin growled under his breath.
“I’m sure you do,” Sara whispered back, running her hand along his jaw. Her gaze softened when she looked up and saw the glitter of amusement dancing in his eyes. “Thank you,” she said, suddenly serious.
“For what?” Jaguin asked, tilting his head and gazing down at her.
Sara slid her hands up over his shoulder and held herself steady. “For showing me what it is like to have a real family,” she replied, brushing her lips across his.
Jaguin held her for several long seconds, uncaring that his father and mother were arguing which vidcom went first. He held Sara close to his heart. For a brief second, he wished that he could return to Earth and show Sara’s mother and aunt what they were missing out on – for a brief second. Then, he let it go. Even if he could, he seriously doubted that they could comprehend the amazing woman that Sara had become.
“One day, we will have a family of our own,” Jaguin murmured in her ear.
“We already do,” Sara replied, thinking of his mother, father, and brother. “We have each other.”
“Do I have to claim Jaire?” Jaguin asked playfully.
Sara laughed when a younger version of Jaguin suddenly appeared on the screen. She had to look twice to make sure it wasn’t Jaire. Jaguin grimaced when she raised her eyebrow at him.
“All the girls loved the dragon races,” Jaguin muttered, wincing when he saw the way he was strutting around.
“You look like a rooster, strutting his stuff,” Sara commented, sliding down onto the long couch to watch the vidcom.
Jaguin started to ask what a rooster was when Honey sent him an image from Sara. He muttered a soft curse and sank down next to her. Leaning over, he couldn’t resist whispering in her ear.
“Oh, really?” Sara muttered, raising her eyebrow at him. “I’d like to see your tail do that.”
Chapter 20
Several days later, Jaguin froze, his gaze locked on his prey. He hadn’t planned on hunting this particular delicacy, but the tantalizing scent was too much for his dragon. Jaguin realized that now he had let his dragon out, there was no way he was going to be able to harness him again. All he could do was hope that his dragon would stay calm and rational.
That hope went out the window when he felt his body slowly stretch out and balance on the thick branch of the tree. If the damn thing hadn’t been driving him nuts to get out, he would have never been in this predicament.
Careful, my friend, the branches are damp from the dew, Jaguin cautioned, hoping his dragon would want to shift to prevent the possibility of falling.
He smothered the grin that threatened to escape when his dragon released a puff of hot air at the insult. Jaguin quickly squelched the hope of tricking his dragon back into compliance. No, his dragon was focused on one thing and one thing only – the prey he was determined to catch this morning.
We need to find the right time to call forth her dragon, Jaguin insisted. We agreed earlier that if I let you out, that you would tire yourself out today so that when we call her dragon, you won’t just jump her.
She not mind me jump her. She like me better. She no get mad if I jump her, his dragon snorted.
But what if you hurt her? Jaguin asked quietly.
You no hurt her, I no hurt her, his dragon insisted.
Jaguin would have argued that fact if it hadn’t been the truth. His gaze softened on the slender figure stepping carefully through the tall ferns. He had followed her everywhere over the last few days and somehow, she always seemed to know it, no matter how careful he was.
This time, though, he was in
his dragon form. It was the first time he had shifted away from everyone. Before, he had stayed close to his father, knowing that the older dragon would help calm his own.
He refocused as he felt the muscles of his dragon stiffen when Sara stopped and looked around with a puzzled frown. There was no way she could know he was here. Absolutely, positively no way… until his front foot slipped on the slippery moss and he found himself hanging upside down from the tree branch by his tail.
“I knew you were here,” Sara whispered with an exasperated sigh. “I’ve missed you. You know, Jaguin really needs to let you out more often,” she said, scratching him behind his ear.
Jaguin’s dragon gave Sara a sharp-tooth grin and licked her cheek. Her soft chuckle washed through him and he could have been fine except she hit that magic spot he liked and his left paw leg started thumping. The moment it did, he lost his hold on the branch and crashed to the soft ground with a thud. Sitting up, Jaguin shook his head and snorted.
“Are you okay?” Sara murmured, reaching out to rub his head before giving him a quick kiss on the top of it. “I bet I know what will make that all better.”
Jaguin’s dragon purred and rubbed his head against her hand. Sara chuckled and stepped back to give him a coy look before she turned and walked back to where she had dropped the basket she was carrying. He really hoped it was some of the fresh wild berries that grew in the forest. He loved those. While she was checking on her basket, Jaguin turned his attention to his dragon.
You dropped me from that branch on purpose, he growled to his dragon.
She kiss head. I tell you I be good, his dragon responded.
Just behave yourself! Jaguin retorted.
You jealous, his dragon snorted. Our mate like me. You no want to share.
I do want to… Oh, Goddess give us strength, Jaguin muttered, staring back at where Sara had been checking on her basket.
In her place stood a petite dragon, holding a basket full of berries by her tail. Jaguin could feel his dragon’s mouth water. He highly suspected it wasn’t for the berries. That assessment came true when Sara used her tail to place the basket on a nearby stump. He might have had a chance of controlling his dragon – a very, very small, impossibly minuscule chance – if she had not turned around and bent over.
With her tail in the air, Jaguin murmured mesmerized.
Her tail in the air! His dragon roared.
Dragon’s balls, Jaguin groaned.
Yes, all the way to my balls, his dragon announced, nodding his head up and down fervently before he leaped over the tall ferns and landed behind Sara.
Jaguin was mortified when his dragon leaned forward and drew in a deep breath. The rich aroma of the female dragon’s arousal slapped him in the face about the same time as her tail did. The male dragon sat down in stunned disbelief. Shaking his head, he released a soft snarl.
Mine! He growled.
The female dragon snorted and ran the tip of her tail up along his jaw before tapping his chin. The male, unsure of what she was doing, felt his jaw drop when her tail weaved back and forth down his chest to his…
Did she just? I… Hot Mother of Lava, Jaguin choked out when he felt the tip of Sara’s tail wrap around his dragon’s cock. You’d better hope she doesn’t decide to slap that, my friend, or neither one of us is going to be doing anything but eating mud.
She… no… she… no, his dragon kept repeating as Sara’s tail moved up and down the growing length of him.
Sara, be careful, Jaguin warned. A male dragon is built different from our two-legged form.
I’m not doing this, Sara hissed back. This hussy has her own agenda. She is NOT listening to me.
Jaguin’s chuckle echoed through both of them. I think she wants him as much as he wants her. I guess I shouldn’t have worried about whether she could handle it or not.
She handle it? Do you have any idea how strange this feels? Sara demanded, hissing when she felt her dragon snap at the male’s neck. She’s… Oh, my, goodness… I didn’t know dragons had such long….
Well, yes, they need them that long, Jaguin interrupted. I think it is time to let them be together.
Oh my, Sara whispered, fading into the background with a shudder.
Oh my, is right, Jaguin muttered when he felt the muscles in his dragon tense. This is about to get hot.
Mine, the male dragon growled when he felt the tip of the female’s tail running up the length of his engorged cock. Unable to completely pull it back into the protective slit, he knew he would need to mount the female before she got too far away. He reached out to sink his teeth into her hind quarter, but she turned and snapped at him, forcing him to jerk back.
This time, his roar shook the trees. The female, unconcerned by his show of strength and his demand for obedience, turned and lifted off the ground. The male rose up on his hindquarters and stretched his neck. His teeth sank into her tail, catching her in mid-flight. The female fought, struggling to free her tail by whipping it back and forth. Afraid he might hurt her, the male released her.
With a loud grunt, he forced his throbbing cock back into the slit. Surging upward, the male took to the sky after the female. He turned, slicing through a thin spot in the canopy. He paused for a moment, searching the sky for the female. A movement just above the treetops caught his attention. Twisting, he folded his wings and plunged downward.
The female, inexperienced in the art of battle, didn’t see the male until it was too late. Startled, she let out a cry and tried to twist to the left to avoid being caught. The move left her underbelly vulnerable. She tried to correct her mistake, but lost her momentum and began to tumble back to the ground in an uncontrollable spiraling decent.
Sara’s heart pounded and she urged her dragon to not panic. Deep inside, she braced for impact with the hard ground below. Twenty feet from the rocky riverbed, she suddenly felt her body gripped from above. Hope surged through her when the male wrapped his front and back legs around her and began pumping his wings frantically.
Sara could feel the water from the river slide along her back as she slid across the surface before her body began to rise again. A short distance from the river was a grassy bed, soft from years of runoff and build up from the silt. It offered an island among the rocks.
The female dragon’s heart still raced with fear. She had come close to serious injury or even possible death in her desire to lead the male on a chase guaranteed to excite him. What she had not expected was the explosion of adrenaline that would rush through him, or the release of the adrenaline through a need to claim and protect the female he had wanted for centuries.
Her head fell back against the soft grass as her body was released. He still held her firmly by her front and back legs. Her long, slender neck was exposed by her relief of her near-death experience.
The male struck hard and fierce, his fear turned to need, his anger to desire. His sharp teeth sank into the tender flesh of her neck. Breathing the Dragon’s Fire, he could smell the faint burning scent as it mixed with his mark. His cock, heavy and ready from before, was even fuller with the adrenaline still pulsing through his body.
He used his tail and wrapped it around hers, pulling her up slightly and opening her for him. He continued to breathe his fire into her as he pulled back and then thrust forward in a primitive claiming of the male dragon to the female. Her soft, hoarse cry filled the air as the combination of the male and his fire branded her as his true mate.
A shudder ran through the male when he felt the tip of his cock catch and hold onto the female. Once he knew there was no escape for her, he lowered his wings, using the wing claws to lock with hers and released her back legs so he could dig his into the soil. He did the same with his front claws, but kept his hold on her neck.
Locked together, he began moving, rocking back and forth in strong, powerful strokes, each on – feeding on the Dragon’s Fire burning through them. The hotter it burned the faster he pumped until one orgasm faded into another in a
primitive, ancient dance of joining. No longer were they two distinct entities, they were one; one heartbeat, one soul brought together by love.
It is not just the love between us, Sara whispered, feeling the connection of her dragon to the male.
No, a dragon’s love is for eternity. There is only one true mate for them, born in the fire of the stars. Without it, they are lost, Jaguin replied as the male collapsed over the female, his wings wrapped tightly around her.
It is so beautiful, Jaguin, Sara murmured, loving the deep glow that ignited inside her dragon.
I’m glad you think so, Sara, because I think my dragon just gave you our first child, he said dryly.
What! How? Oh, she choked out, staring at the spark of light.
Well, first two dragons have to…, Jaguin teased.
It’s so beautiful, Sara whispered, ignoring Jaguin as she caressed the tiny light.
Chapter 21
Sara carefully packed the last of the things they planned to take to the home that Jaguin was working on. They spent the last month with his parents and brother. Shaking her head, it was hard to believe that time had flown by so quickly.
She and Jaguin still weren’t real sure what happened almost a week ago when their dragons came together. She blushed when she thought about it. Hell, between them and their dragons, it was amazing they got anything completed at all. Their daily trips to their new home turned into a catch me if you can orgasm bonanza. She swore she was going to have to put her dragon on something if she didn’t stop twitching her tail every time she let her out. It was like waving a red flag to the male.
“What happened?”
Sara turned when she heard Cheri’s anxious voice. She stepped out of her and Jaguin’s room in time to see Jaguin carrying Jaire’s limp body into the room down the hall. Hurrying forward, she stepped inside.