Maiden Flight (6 page)

And a great hardship it is. I barely have room to spin around. A great flick of his tail sent a shower of sand over the chuckling humans.

“I keep brooms on hand to sweep the sand back in the wallow each day, else I’d soon feel like I was living on a beach.” He took one of the brooms leaning up against the circular wall and began sweeping the warm sand back into the pit.

Better a beach than a hermitage.

“What does he mean?” Belora looked from Kelvan’s smoky snort of disgust to Gareth’s shaking head.

“My partner thinks I spend too much time alone.” He pulled her close into his arms. “But I won’t be alone tonight, will I?”

Belora giggled. She actually giggled. She was shocked such a flirty, feminine sound came out of her body, but there it was. Something about this knight brought out the floozy in her, but it felt good. Freeing.

“No, you won’t be alone tonight, Gareth.” Blushing, she reached for his hand. “Why don’t you show me your room? And your bed.”

“All in good time.” He patted her hand. “But I bet you’re still too sore to test the bed yet. Not to worry, I have a solution.” He pulled aside a screen that hid the entrance to a small bathing chamber. It had a stone tub sunk partially into the floor and another of those trap devices that Gareth pulled to allow water to trickle into the tub in a steady rhythm.

“This water is from the mineral springs. By the time it makes its way here from there it’s little more than lukewarm but we have Kel to help us warm it again, if we ask him nicely. A hot soak in the mineral water and a little dragon magic will put you right again in no time.”

“Dragon magic?” She turned to watch the large dragon. He craned his neck out of the sand and up on the warm stone floor so that his great head rested only a few scant feet away from the bathing tub. His jewel like eyes settled on her unflinchingly. It was slightly unnerving.

Didn’t your mother tell you that a dragon’s breath and touch has healing properties? I will gladly expend my energies to soothe your torn flesh if it means I can share in your pleasure again like this afternoon. I have never felt the like.

“You… you felt that?” Belora blushed to the roots of her hair, looking from dragon to knight and back again for some explanation.

We bond closely with our knights. We’re always present in each other’s minds. We each feel what the other feels. It’s our greatest strength and perhaps also our main weakness, but it is the way of things. When you joined with Gareth, I felt the echo of his pleasure and your own. His wide mouth opened in a toothy grin. It was marvelous.

Embarrassed beyond belief, Belora didn’t know what to think.

“Don’t worry, sweet.” Gareth took her in his arms as the tub filled behind him. There was a small stool just to the side at the foot of the tub and he led her to it. “It’s the way of things for knights and their dragon partners. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I… I just didn’t realize.”

“I know.” Gareth soothed her with his hands, undoing buttons as he stroked her shoulders and arms. “And I would have told you sooner, but we’ve been a bit busy today.”

She chuckled. “To say the least.”

“Now, how about that hot bath?” He reached out to close the water trap.

“Kel, will you do the honors?”

Gladly. Breathing deeply, the dragon aimed a wonderfully warm exhalation of hot air at the full tub, heating the chamber and the water as easy as that. He returned his head to its reclining position at the foot of the tub, watching the humans lazily.

“Is he going to watch? I can’t… um… take off my clothes in front of him.”

She blushed again, unreasonable bashfulness taking over her mind.

Why not? You are a beautiful woman, but even if you weren’t, I’m a dragon. Not human.

“But…”

Your modesty is misplaced. I’ll feel everything Gareth feels, even know what you’re feeling through my link with you both. I couldn’t be any more present if I were human and could fuck you myself. She gasped, but he forged ahead. Won’t you let me enjoy what little pleasure I can gain from this? Until Gareth mates, I cannot claim my own dragoness. It’s strictly forbidden, and for good reason.

“Is that true?”

Gareth nodded. “Just as he feels my passion, I’ll feel his. Dragon mating is, from what I’ve been told, overpowering to humans. Unless I have a mate to be with during his mating flights, it would drive me mad. Even among mates, sometimes the humans get into a frenzy that can be dangerous.”

“Oh, my.” She turned compassionate eyes to the dragon lolling in the huge archway. “So you’ve never…”

He stirred himself to shake his head sadly. Until Gareth mates, I cannot.

Belora walked slowly over to the dragon, feeling both sets of male eyes trained on her as she moved unexpectedly. She knelt down by Kel’s massive head and leaned forward to kiss the ridge just between his eyes.

“You are a good and noble creature, Sir Kelvan. I’m sorry to have doubted you.”

With a nod, she stood and removed all her clothing, standing before the dragon as if for inspection as he sighed out a warm puff of air that tickled her.

She laughed and turned toward Gareth, who had shed his own clothing. He reached for her, and together they tumbled into the warm bath, locked at the lips as if they hadn’t kissed in years rather than mere minutes.

The water lulled her and when a long, hot tongue dipped into the water and circled her ankle, she squealed. Apparently the dragon wanted to participate. She lifted her leg as he tugged upward, then allowed him to do the same to her other leg, draping both over the lips of the massive tub on either side. She was spread before him, Gareth to her side, watching now as the dragon’s tongue returned to the hot, clear water.

“What’s he doing?” The nervous edge was back in her voice.

“Healing you,” Gareth whispered against her breast, just bobbing above the water. He licked her nipple and bit down as Kelvan’s tongue slipped up her passage.

It was warm. No, it was downright hot, and large. But everywhere the long, leathery tongue touched, she felt healing fire. This was dragon energy, exciting even as it healed. She felt herself responding to the two male touches on her body – to Gareth, sucking her nipples and stroking her ass with his hands, and to Kelvan, his big dragonish tongue bringing healing to her sore tissues.

You taste divine. No wonder Gareth enjoyed going down on you so much this afternoon. If I were human I’d live between your thighs.

The dragon’s tongue retreated with a last, hot flick over her clit and she cried out at the stimulation. She had almost come from having a dragon heal her. Could things get any weirder?

Apparently they could. When Gareth lifted her from the tub long moments later after washing every square inch of her body – some twice and three times – he spread her out on the warm stone floor near Kelvan’s massive head.

“Just one more thing to be certain you’ll feel no pain from what we do together.” Gareth looked up at Kelvan and spread her thighs far apart, holding them there and spreading her wide with his hands. “Kel?”

My pleasure.

The dragon rumbled and brought forth a belch of smoke unlike anything she’d experienced from him before. It was vapor more than smoke and everywhere the cloud of sweet cinnamon smelling fire enveloped her, she felt a tingling not unlike magic. She realized quickly that this was the phenomenon known as the dragon’s breath. It was indeed magical, and very, very special.

Dragons expended a great deal of energy to put forth such a healing vapor and they did not do it lightly.

She felt euphoric as the mist faded, her skin tingling with the touch of magic and her body raring to go. It felt as if the long afternoon of loving had taken no toll whatsoever on her untried body, and she knew it was all because of Kelvan and his willingness to expend his precious magic on her wellbeing.

She scrambled up on her knees and went over to him, uncaring of her nudity now. What difference a few minutes can make, she realized in one small part of her mind that worried over such things.

“May I touch you?” she asked formally.

Kelvan lifted his head and stared at her as if considering her request.

Slowly, he nodded his great head and she moved forward to place her hands on the ridges just below his enormous eyes. Holding his jeweled gaze, she focused her own small power and sent what healing magic she could back to him. His eyes widened as Gareth stood abruptly to watch.

You are a healer? A true healer?

Belora shrugged and sat back. “I have only a small gift when compared with my mother, but as you know, healers cannot usually heal themselves.

Thank you for expending your energy for me, Sir Kelvan. I hope I’ve returned at least a bit of what you gave me.”

More than I gave, if truth be known. You have more of a gift than you realize. Your energy has the flavor of dragons.

She yawned and shrugged, setting her pretty breasts to bouncing and she noted both males watched their movement attentively.

“It’s time for bed.”

Gareth scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the sleeping chamber. All the arched doorways in the large suite of rooms were wide so Kelvan could lay his head down right in the middle of them. He followed them right into the chamber and lay his head down opposite the pile of sumptuous furs and stuffed pillows that waited. Belora had never been in such a luxurious bed. She stretched and smiled as she felt Gareth come up beside her, his hands roving over her tingling body.

“I hope you’re not too tired to make love.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be too tired to make love with you, Gareth. You make me feel so alive.”

Gareth looked from the dragon in his doorway to the gorgeous woman lying in his bed and realized he had never been more content. Right here he had everything he would ever need in life. His dragon partner had been the main focus of his life for so long, he had not quite realized how a mate would complete the circle. Yet Belora's presence in his room, in his bed, in his heart, made him see things in a whole new light.

She was the woman for him. Of that he had no doubt. Now he only need convince her of it and gentle her to their ways. Life in a dragon's Lair was odd to most humans, but necessary to the nature of both the dragons and their human partners. He prayed to the Mother of All that Belora would be able to accept their ways. No doubt they were hardest on the woman involved, but the benefits were great. The old adage held true in this case—the greatest prize often demanded the greatest sacrifice.

Gently he came down next to Belora, touching her softly, knowing she welcomed his touch, his love. It was a heady feeling. Slowly he lowered his head to her body, licking the mineral saltiness of the bathwater from her dewy skin, lapping at her much the way Kelvan had done. She was that sweet.

“What you do to me, Gareth. I never knew…”

He sucked her nipple into his mouth and she gasped, unable to complete her thoughts. He kept at it until she was shivering, moving on the bed sensuously. A puff of warm air from the doorway had her lifting her head to meet the jeweled gaze of the dragon, watching them.

To warm you, Mistress. You looked cold.

She giggled. “I wasn’t cold, Kelvan, and well you know it.”

Gareth lifted above her, blocking her view of the dragon.

“You don’t mind that he’s here? Truly?”

She tilted her head as if considering. “It still seems a little weird, but I think I’m okay with it. I mean, it’s not like he’s human after all.”

“How would you feel if he were?” Gareth’s eyes darkened.

“You mean having another man watch us?” She shivered against him and the look in her eyes was not one of fear as she mulled over the startling thought. Her reaction gave him hope. “I don’t know. That seems weirder still. I was a virgin until this morning, Gareth. Give me some time to adjust.”

“I know I’m rushing you, sweet. Just kick me if I go too fast, okay?” He leaned down and kissed her. “But having you here in my bed makes me think of all sorts of strange notions.” He nibbled on her neck, working his way down her body as she squirmed in pleasure. “And for the record, being watched doesn’t bother me. Quite the opposite, in fact. To have other men able to see what belongs to me – what they’ll never have – it’s a tantalizing thought.”

She wiggled again as he neared her sex, spreading her legs with his big hands and settling himself between them. He stared down at her for a long while, slowly threading his fingers through the neat hair at the juncture of her thighs before spreading the outer lips of her pussy and touching within.

He knew that together, he and Kelvan had healed the worst of her hurts but still he did his best to be extra gentle. He would die rather than injure this special woman, the other half of his heart. He leaned forward and took her in his mouth, swirling his tongue through her folds and right up into her channel as she cried out.

She came almost at once as the dragon puffed warm air over them and rumbled low in his throat, reminding her of his presence in the archway, watching. Gareth rode her through the orgasm, stroking her ever higher with his tongue and questing fingers. He brought her wetness down to the tiny hole of her anus and probed gently within, setting off another series of shockwaves.

“You like that?” he breathed against her skin.

She could only moan as he continued teasing her. When he judged she was ready, he sat back, flipping her over and massaging the rounded cheeks of her ass.

“Get on your hands and knees, pet.”

She looked back at him, uncertain, but his slap to her ass made her squeal and move. The spank had not really hurt; he had meant it only to tease. The widening of her eyes and her panting breaths told him all he needed to know about her reaction to it. She moved to her hands and knees uncertainly but he soothed her, parting the cheeks of her ass with gentle fingers so he could inspect her in detail.

When he could hold back no longer, he moved up and brought his cock to the entrance of her dripping pussy. She was beyond excited. She was primed. Pushing in, he went slow as she moaned.