Chapter Ten
Eirrick
Laughter filled the feasting hall. All around, his brothers and the women paired off, chatting and playing and in many cases slipping away. The aroma of meat and spice enticed him to continue eating, even though his stomach felt overly stretched out already. He still wasn't fully recovered from the poison arrow he had been shot with and it was best not to push it until he was.
It was the first feast that Mother had been able to rejoin them. Though they had been terrifyingly close to losing her, she was well on the path to recovery. Her natural healing abilities as a dragon combined with their technology meant that they didn't have to worry about her any longer. Everybody was happy about it and none more so than Lorro. Mother had forgiven him for his stupidity and the girl who had betrayed them was found to have a sister in the College that Jyah had threatened. She had been removed from the harem, just as Lorro was removed from the command staff. Both of them were working to be reinstated in their positions but it wasn't going to be easy.
Mother now sat among the new women that had joined them after they had been freed from the College. They were nervous and shy just like Brighid had been at first but Mother had welcomed them into the fold and they were starting to understand their freedoms. There were even a few priests that had come on board. All of them had been men who begged to be allowed to stay with their wives and their wives begging for their husbands to join them. It was an odd situation for all of them but they were slowly adjusting.
Eirrick glanced at Brighid and smiled at her. She beamed back at him as she bit into a roasted wing, the grease dripping down her chin. He wanted to let it run all the way to her chest before licking it off but for now, public displays were being discouraged. At least, displays as charged as licking her chest would be.
He leaned in and licked at her neck, which made her giggle and wipe her chin. Things were going to have to get back to normal soon. How were their new members meant to get comfortable with the openly sexual natures of dragons if they hid it from them? Although, it seemed as though some of the girls were getting quite comfortable with it.
"It seems we will have a population boom soon," he whispered in Brighid's ear, nodding as half a dozen of the College girls slipped off with the younger warriors. He smiled proudly. Their small clan needed to grow. "We'll have to start looking for a bigger ship soon."
"A new ship," Brighid murmured. "That might be very nice. Especially since this one is so old and outdated."
She tossed her meat back to her plate and stood, holding her hand to him. He took it and she tugged him from the room. As soon as they stepped into the hall she pressed herself against him, kissing him fiercely. Eirrick grasped her ass and pulled her tight, grinding at her through their clothes. Brighid gasped and gave a little shudder that had him stiffening. Without wasting a moment of time, he picked her up over his shoulder and raced for their rooms. Brighid giggled wildly.
As soon as they were alone, Eirrick pressed her against the wall and began to work at the ties on her dress. Brighid ripped at his pants, moaning.
"I love you," she gasped out.
"I love you, too."
Eirrick slowed himself, turning his touch to be gentle rather than demanding. His beautiful wife always needed the tenderness he gave her. After a lifetime of thinking that he was going to be handed off to someone who could do what he wanted with impunity, it was an adjustment for her to speak to her own desires, even now.
"I belong to you." He cupped her face in his hands. "You know that, right? I am yours and I love you."
She kissed his palm. "I know."
"You're so beautiful. So brave." He brushed his mouth against hers again. "I am so lucky that you came into my life."
Brighid giggled. "You mean lucky that you decided to buy me from the auction."
Eirrick grimaced. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"
"No. But you're right. Not about you being lucky, I'm the lucky one. About you said at the feast. The population boom. We are going to have a population boom." She giggled again and Eirrick had to laugh with her. She was acting as though she had drunk too much wine but he hadn't seen her drink any wine at the feast. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen her drink wine in a few days now. Brighid took his hand and pressed it to her stomach. "And we're leading the new generation."
Eirrick's breath caught in his throat. A smile blossomed on his face and he laughed out loud, unable to contain his happiness. He wrapped both arms around Brighid and swung her in a circle. When he set her down, he dropped to his knees and pressed a gentle kiss to her stomach. Brighid smiled down at him, running her fingers through his hair.
"I'm glad you're happy," she whispered. "After everything that has happened, we haven't been able to establish a normal and—"
"Normal is overrated." He got back to his feet and beamed at her. "There is nothing that could make me happier than this, Brighid. My love. Our child will be strong and mighty, a great warrior."
She rolled her eyes. "And what if we have a girl?"
"Then she will be strong, mighty and a great warrior."
"Oh, really?"
Eirrick picked up Brighid and carried her to their bed. "Really. Because all of our children will be strong and mighty. And they will be beautiful like their mother. I hope they all have your dark hair and your eyes. I love you and I want our children to look like you." He laid her on the bed and draped himself over her. "I love you."
Brighid held out her arms, showing him without words how much she loved him too. Eirrick happily drowned in her embrace, rejoicing internally as he considered the years of life and love they had ahead of them.
*****
THE END