Rask
When I woke up, for the first time, instead of leaving Chandler in the dream world, I was greeting him with the day. He was still asleep and I watched him, studying his face. He smiled slightly as he slept. I wondered if he was dreaming of me. His eyes fluttered open and his smile widened.
“Good morning,” he said.
I placed a kiss on the end of his nose and one on his lips. “Good afternoon,” I said, able to see the sun high in the sky from our window. The sky was bright and blue. A new day. A new life.
Chandler gave me fresh, new clothing. I pulled it on, marveling at the silk-soft fabric, tugging here and there at the strange fit. He helped me zip up the pants, then stood back to admire me. We shared a kiss and went out on deck.
Hardly a day had passed since I wasn't sure what my future held. Starvation? Death? Escape? And suddenly here I was, sailing away from the island where I had been trapped and into a strange new world; with boats that moved on their own and strange lights without flames. It was still an uncertain future I supposed, but I knew now I would be spending it with my true mate at last.
I turned my gaze from the water to my mate, standing beside me. I reached out and took one of his hands that was resting on the railing in mine. He smiled at me and I swear I felt my heart flutter at the sight.
“When will you know if you have conceived?” I could hardly believe I was asking the question.
He considered it. I knew it wouldn’t be too long, the gestation was only three months.
“Only a couple of days,” he said. “Probably by the time we reach the Parliament.”
“We’re going to the Alpha Parliament?” I asked in surprise.
“They’ll want to see you. Besides, it's sort of where I live.”
“You live near the Parliament?”
“I live in the Parliament mansion,” he corrected. “They may invite you to live there as well. Not that it matters, I'll go wherever you are. But you can't go wrong with the accommodations, and I'm sure they'll offer you a seat.”
Now I was just baffled. “You mean they would offer me a seat on the Parliament?! Surely there are other alphas more qualified than I.”
Even though I hadn’t claimed him yet, his emotions were easier to feel now that we had mated. A profound sadness suddenly swirled around him. He turned away from me and looked out over the ocean.
“There are no other alpha dragons,” he murmured. “You're the only one.”
My jaw dropped and my stomach twisted into a knot. “I am the only alpha dragon? Surely, you do not mean in all of the world?”
My mate nodded. “I don't know,” he began slowly, “what it was like in your time. I was still young, and human, when you were shipwrecked, but I assume the dragon slayings had already started?”
It was as though he had punched me. I knew the silver hunters roamed the skies, but I had never imagined they would have so successfully slaughtered all of the dragons.
“It was how we came to be shipwrecked,” I told him. “We were trying to sail to America, to escape the massacre. No one believed that travel across the sea from France to America without encountering a full moon was possible.”
“France?” he interrupted. “I thought I detected a faint accent.”
“Oui,” I said. “I grew up in France. I was sent to England during the revolution and returned for a few years because of the dragon slayings. I had hoped they were confined to England, but I was mistaken.”
He nodded. “So, you sailed from France to America in under a month?”
“That was the intention. We planned to go west and find a place to create a settlement. One we could defend against the dragon slayers. But the storm… We were blown off course and the ship went down.”
“You were right to flee,” he said sadly. “They killed everyone.”
“How many dragons survive?” I asked.
His fingers tightened painfully around mine, as he bowed his head. “Until today? Elara and I.”
“Just the two of you?!”
“And now the five of you,” he said grimly.
“There must be more dragons out there. It is a vast, wide world.”
Chandler shook his head. “Technology has advanced beyond your wildest dreams. The world is not so vast anymore. If there were more dragons, we would know by now. And I think the odds of an uncharted island harboring another batch of dragons are pretty slim.”
“Aye,” I was forced to agree. The vessel itself was proof that innovation had marched on. This ship, and the silver hunters of course. “What will we do when we have reached the Parliament?”
“Figure out what to do about saving our race, I guess.”
“It seems dangerous for the only two dragons to have left the safety of the Parliament,” I said. “Are you not afraid of the dragon slayers?”
“Dragon slayers are long gone. The Parliament spoke out on our behalf for decades. It’s a shame they didn’t start sooner. By the time people finally started to listen, and realized that shifters needed dragons, it was almost too late. We’re nearly extinct, but we’re safe now.”
“But we have seen silver hunters patrolling the skies.”
“The what?”
I described the silver hunters and Ben's horrific encounter with one. To my surprise Chandler began to laugh.
“I'm sorry,” he said, laughter quickly ceasing. “Please understand, I don't mean to laugh about your friend. I laugh because it has been so long since airplanes were invented, I didn't stop to think about what it must be like for someone who didn't watch their evolution.”
“Airplanes?”
“It's like a ship,” he said. “But it flies in the sky instead of sailing on the water.” He smiled sadly. “They are powered by a highly flammable material. A plane did not attack your friend, but if he tried to land on it or punctured the wrong place with his talons, it would have exploded. It was a terrible accident, but not maliciously intended to harm a dragon.”
“A tragic accident, indeed,” I said sadly.
Chandler nodded.
“What other fantastical creations exist? Tell me what has changed since the shipwreck.”
“I hardly know where to begin,” Chandler said with a chuckle. “There's so much to tell, it will take a long time.”
“We have forever, my love.” He turned and smiled at me. I took him in my arms and kissed him. My stomach rumbled.
“You must be hungry.”
“Starving,” I said.
We joined the others in a main room where a table and several benches were built in. A veritable feast was set before us. Some food looked familiar, others I had never beheld. We eagerly filled our plates and began to eat.
The meal provided the perfect opportunity to share our stories. Chandler explained how he had experienced the dreams with me, only to find out that Elara had similar dreams about Florian. By some Providence, the two of them were true mates as well.
Chandler and Elara spoke of strange technologies that enabled them to find us, promising that we would soon catch up. When their tale was told, I told them of the shipwreck and how we had settled the island. I spoke of our fallen companions and attempts to escape.
“Did none of you ever have children?” asked Elara.
“Our resources sustained us, dear one,” said Florian. “But we feared adding a child would strain them. There was some mating, yes, but always with care to not conceive.” As he spoke he glanced at Umber and Lawrence. They both recoiled, and the reaction was not unnoticed.
“There's no need to hide it,” Elara said kindly. “Even humans have come to accept homosexuality these days. Well, more or less.”
“But…” Umber and Lawrence looked at each other nervously.
Camille laughed. “I don't think they're worried about that,” she said to Elara. She smiled at Umber and Lawrence. “My mother was black and my father was white, there is no shame in it now. You have nothing left to hide from the world but your nature as shifters.”
Umber slid a little closer to Lawrence and the omega put his arm around his mate.
“Does that mean I can boss him around publicly as the hierarchy intended?” asked Umber, with a chuckle. Lawrence grinned as he elbowed the beta in the side.
We talked through the afternoon. Camille and Sully left us only to take turns driving and to prepare dinner. We continued to talk as we ate, then late into the night. Our rescuers shared tales of an impossible sounding world. I learned that this amazing little boat would take us up the entire coast of America to a new Parliament Mansion in the New World.
The first rays of a new dawn were creeping over the horizon when we finally decided to go to bed. The season, then the rain had stopped. Before sleeping, we all went out on deck to watch the sunrise. I held my mates and, feeling as though the rise of the sun were rising on a new chapter of my life.
Then, together, Chandler and I retired to his cabin. I fully intended to mate him, but was exhausted. Instead, I settled in on the bed and wrapped my arms around him. His head rested on my shoulder and he nuzzled my neck, sending a wave of heat through me as he brushed against where I would be marked as hs mate.
“I love you, Rask,” he whispered.
“I love you, Chandler. And I love waking up with you each morning.”
“Me too.” He sat up and I could see that he was sporting a morning erection. His eyes glanced down and I knew he saw my own prominent one.
“You're beautiful when you sleep,” I told him. “Even more so when awake.”
“Sweet talker.” He kissed me and trailed his hand down my chest and stomach and came to rest in the juncture of my hemipenis. I stiffened as a shiver went through me. His fingers teasingly stroked up both of my penises. I moaned in pleasure. He bent down and took one penis into his mouth, sucking as he stroked the other. Shooting me a smirk, he released it and sucked on the other one. My knees felt weak as he tormented me, alternating his mouth and hands on each penis.
Then, to my surprise, he palmed both together and drew them into his mouth as one. I groaned as the heat enveloped me. I reached for him and ran my fingers over his dick, eliciting a husky moan.
“We should go up to breakfast,” he said, looking up at me, teasing.
“Not before I have taken you, again,” I said.
As I spoke, someone knocked on the door. “Are you awake? It is nearly time to eat,” Abe called.
“We shall be along shortly,” I replied. With a grin, I pushed my mate down on the bed and straddled him. “We must make haste.”
“I honestly don’t know if I can do twice in a row again without taking a nap.” He flushed red with the admission. “I might have to work on building up to that.”
“Not to worry. There are other options. For example…” I teased a finger into him, delighted to find he was already wet for me. I added a second as he writhed beneath me, then slowly worked in a third.
“Yes, yes,” he moaned as I spread my fingers, driving them deeper and widening him.
My other hand cupped his balls, then moved up to his penis, slowly stroking as it grew harder and harder. When he was practically dripping down my hand with need and on the verge of begging, I sped up my hand.
“Are you ready?”
“Please, yes,” Chandler gasped. “I need you!”
I removed my fingers and held one penis in my palm. I eased into him, letting him adjust. He was so prepared with omega lubrication it was easy. I thrust in and out a few times, gasping my own pleasure as he moaned. My other dick seemed to pulse with desire as it rubbed against his skin. I pulled out completely and switched. My omega made an erotic mewling sound as I thrust my second dick in and out, coating it with his slick. When it was ready, I pulled it out and palmed my hemipenis together as one. I pushed both heads gently against his opening, nudging it wider.
“What are you – oh!” He stiffened and shuddered as I pressed my hemipenis into him slowly.
Even with the lubrication I could feel him stretch as I entered him. He was impossibly tight. After each small push I waited until I felt his body relax again. I returned a hand to his cock, distracting him as I pushed in further.
“Holy shit,” he moaned.
I pulled out a little, then back in, deeper. He arched back against me with a gasp. I did it again, going just a bit further in. I went slowly, making sure every inch I gained was one of pleasure. At last, I thrust my hips forward and buried both dicks fully into his ass. It was enough to nearly orgasm right there. I waited, both for his comfort and my own.
“Fuck me,” Chandler said after a moment.
I drew out, then back in. We both moaned and I did it again. And again. Even though it got easier, slicker, it didn’t seem to stretch any more. His ass was still clenched firmly around my dicks. I stroked him and thrust. He started trembling, increasing my pleasure from the vibrations.
I recalled that we were expected at the morning meal, so I sped up. It was the first time I had mated with anyone like this and it was over quickly. I felt him close in around me in waves and knew he was climaxing. I thrust a few more times and followed, shouting my pleasure. Chandler’s arms seemed to give out, even as my legs weakened. I leaned to one side and collapsed back onto the bed with him.
~~~***~~~
I was accustomed to seeing water for as far as the eye could see, but it was strange to be moving along on it. Once again, I stood at the rails of the boat with my mate by my side. This time, however, we were at the back, watching the water churning from what Chandler called the motor. Based on what he described, I was imagining something rather like the waterwheel of a mill beneath the boat.
He kept glancing at me and I knew it was because he could sense I was nervous. After all of our conversations, there was one burning question I had yet to ask him. I didn't want to hurt him, but I needed to know. As an omega dragon, he would have to have been turned by an alpha which meant…
I cleared my throat. “I do not mean to bring up bad memories… but I must know…”
“What is it, Rask?”
“What happened to your first mate?”
To my surprise he looked confused by the query. “What mate?”
Then again, he could have been turned by a feral dragon instead. I couldn't decide if I was relieved my mate didn't have a love before me, or if it hurt that someone had turned him against his will.
“How did you come to be changed? If not a mate, then by a feral dragon?”
“Neither.” He drummed his fingers against the top of the rail, staring out at the sea. “By the time the Alpha Parliament realized how serious the situation was, there were hardly any of us left. There was an alpha who came to them for sanctuary. They thought she might very well have been the last. Aside from you, she may have been. They gave her permission to turn and impregnate multiple humans, in the name of saving our race. I was very ill…” He paused and glanced at me, gauging my reaction to this news. “She came to a hospital and told us all what she was and gave us a choice.”
I put my hand on his shoulder. “I'm glad you chose to be changed.”
“Me too.”
“But, then where are the others? If there was an alpha dragon turning omegas, where is she? Where are the offspring?”
“There was a cavern where we were going to spend our full moons.” His eyes narrowed and I felt a rush of emotion from him; frustration, grief, confusion… “It was supposed to be a secret location. But in the morning, while we were all still reeling from our first transformation, someone came. Humans, I assume. It was still so close to moonset I don't think a shifter could have done it.” He bowed his head, his fingers clenched on the railing until his knuckles were white. “They killed everyone, while they slept off the effects of the full moon.”
“You saw this? How did you survive?” Fury rose in me at the idea of the slaughter of some of the last, helpless dragons, along with fear for my mate, even though I knew he had, of course, survived.
“There was a ledge, near the top of the cavern. I guess I must've climbed or flown up there during the night. Elara and I awoke there together. We couldn't climb down…” I could hear the sorrow in his voice and sense his guilt, even after all this time. “There was nothing we could have done… So we just hid…”
“I am sorry if I have upset you. There's no need to discuss it any further.” I pulled him close to me and hugged him, pressing a kiss his forehead. His emotions were still swirling, and I felt anger.
“It was supposed to be secret,” he growled into my chest. “The Parliament took Elara and I in after that, to better protect us. But they also exiled several members of the Parliament around the same time. We think we were betrayed.”
My fists clenched. “I hate that I was not there for you.”
“You may have been killed too, I'm glad you weren't.”
“I pledge you, Chandler, if the one responsible still lives…”
“No, my love.” He kissed me. “It was long ago and if anyone takes any issue with dragons, they will not move against us. Elara and I have made ourselves indispensable to the Parliament. We are essential to keeping shifterkind a secret now. No shifter would dare harm us. Besides, Elara and I have lived in the Parliament for two hundred years now. I can assure you the ones responsible are no longer there or else I'm sure Elara and I would have realized it.”
Camille joined us on the deck. “It's time for lunch,” she said. “The wind is in our favor and we’re making good time. We may be there by lunch tomorrow.”
“Thank you for doing this,” Chandler said. “I know how much out of your way you’re going and how expensive fuel must be.”
“Nonsense,” said Camille. “I'd be closed right now with the hurricane anyway and worried about where my boat was moored. The Parliament is paying me well, and I get a bit of adventure out of it.” She fixed us with a shrewd look. “Tourists will be flocking to speak with the woman who rescued the alpha dragon and his pack. It will be good for business.”
Chandler took my hand and gave it a squeeze, flashing me a smile. “Shall we go have lunch?”
“I am hungry. And I can't wait to sample more of the unusual foods you have. Do you always eat such exotic…”
Camille answered for him, “Most of the food we serve is traditional Caribbean fare, for the tourists. You'll be eating much differently once you get to the Parliament. And I am sorry it's mostly seafood, I'm sure you're sick of it.”
“I'm not sick of it all,” I answered honestly. “You are a fabulous cook.”
She fixed me with the expression she made when I made what she had termed a ‘colonial faux pas.’ “Sully does the cooking,” she told me with a grin. “I run the boat.”
“I apologize, Camille.”
She laughed and went back inside, presumably to drive the boat. Chandler and I exchanged a smile, before following her.