Epilogue
Something changed after those experiences for Natasha.
Even though she'd been the mate of the dragon three before, there had still been a part of her that felt like nothing more than a passenger on the ship.
But now she felt like she was more than that. She took her turns learning how to fly the ship, and she learned about the maintenance of it, too.
When they stopped to refuel, sometimes she would take charge of telling the attendants what needed to be done, and she started making supply lists and sending the others to get what they needed.
Having some control felt good, she had to admit, and it made the others look at her with a respect that had been lacking before.
Before she knew it, they had been traveling through space together for a year.
Time really had flown, and it was amazing to think back to the person she'd been before this. The woman who had been on Earth, afraid to leave but desperate to go. Sometimes when she looked in the mirror, she didn't even recognize herself, but maybe that was a good thing.
The person she was now was capable of so much more than she had ever been before.
Speaking of, Natasha sort of couldn't believe that she was standing in the middle of the training room with a sword in her hand, facing off against Alaran.
He seemed amused to find himself there, too, and Natasha couldn't tell if he was laughing at her or the situation. Either way, she wanted to give him a reason to take her seriously.
The sword was hers, a gift, sent all the way from the planet Dahl. Soro Vel had included a note that she had needed Az to translate for her.
"Because you are bold and brave and should never have to feel helpless."
It was a beautiful sword, too. A longsword, meant to be held one handed and possibly used with a shield. The hilt was made of pure Dahler silver, and it shone so brightly that it seemed to make its own light.
The blade was the same color, though a different material. Flexible and strong, it was clearly meant to be fast and to hold up to any attack that was thrown at it.
The dragon three had been less than impressed, and the three of them had taken turns hefting the blade and trying to find some fault in it, and when they couldn't, they'd pouted even more.
Natasha had laughed at all of them. "It's not a marriage proposal," she said. "It's just a sword."
"Gifts of weaponry are very personal," Alaran told her.
"Yeah, and so is escaping slavery with someone. It doesn't mean anything."
Possessive was a mild word for her dragon boys sometimes. They were excellent about sharing with each other, to the point where she sometimes wondered if they had drawn up some kind of schedule to avoid conflicts, but when it came to others, they had no patience.
"I don't know what you're so amused by, Alaran," Natasha said now. "I know I'm not a match for you, but I've been practicing."
"I'm sure you have," he said, but his tone was patronizing.
Her eyes narrowed, and she decided that it would be better to show him that she wasn't a wimp than to try to tell him so.
She let her body settle into the stance that she'd been practicing. It felt much more natural now than it had before, and her focus was clear.
The sword felt good in her hand, and it helped that she'd been practicing with swords made for Dammen Ka sized warriors for a while before Soro Vel had sent her this one.
It made this one, sized appropriately for her, much easier to wield.
When Alaran took his stance as well, she lunged, making her attack.
They traded blows, and though Alaran was clearly holding back, he lost his smirk quickly. By the time they called an end to the bout, he was smiling with pride.
"You are a fast learner," he said.
"I like being able to protect myself."
The first few times she'd said that, she'd had to follow it up with assurances that it wasn't because she didn't think they couldn’t protect her. Now they took her words for what they were and didn't question them.
"Food is being served up here, you miscreants," Az's voice came over the intercom. "Clean up and come eat."
"He's so bossy sometimes," Natasha said. She leaned up to kiss Alaran's cheek, and he smiled back as the two of them headed to their quarters to clean up and change.
Dinner was usually a casual affair, the four of them eating whatever was made, chatting and laughing before returning to whatever they'd been doing before.
Now the mess hall was lit with torches that flickered in multicolored fire, and there was a spread of different kinds of food and drinks on the long table.
Az and Temos stood at the head of the table, and Alaran smiled and went to join them.
"What's going on?" Natasha asked.
"Well, exactly one cycle ago, something miraculous happened," Az said. "Temos did a very stupid and impulsive thing. That wasn't the miracle, of course, that was a regular thing that led to the miracle."
Temos rolled his eyes. "Thank you, Az."
"My pleasure. Anyway, we ended up on Earth with a damaged ship, in the middle of a storm, and then we met someone who would change our lives forever."
"I was not impressed at first," Alaran said, smiling at her. "I didn't think we needed this human woman who didn't know how to fly a ship or defend herself. I thought it was a mistake."
"I saw the potential in it," Temos bragged. "I knew you would be an asset. But this...this has been more than I ever expected. More than any of us could have expected."
"You have made things better for us in ways we never thought possible," Alaran said. "And we want to say thank you."
"Thank you, and we love you, and we never want you to leave," Az added.
"We want every cycle to begin and end with you with us. With all of us together like this."
It was overwhelming. Natasha had never had so many compliments that she'd managed to get used to them, so having three people she admired and respected so much heaping on the praise made her blush in a big way.
And they loved her.
They loved her.
She'd known that their feelings were strong, but hearing it was something different. She was stunned, and it took her a moment to realize they were probably waiting for her to say something back.
"I...I never thought it would be like this," she said. "I just wanted to get away from my life and see things. I never thought I would find one person, let alone three, who wanted me the way you do. And I'm so grateful and so happy, and I love you too. All of you. This is...this is the best thing that ever happened to me, and I never want to leave you."
"Then you never have to," Temos said.
Alaran poured drinks, and Az dished up the food, and they ate and drank and teased each other. Natasha kissed each of them with purpose, and when Az put on some music, she ended up dancing with all three of them, laughing and flushed from the drinks.
It was amazing, and she had never felt so light before.
At the end of the night, when they were all tired, Az and Alaran kissed her goodnight and withdrew, leaving her alone with Temos.
Somehow it seemed right for her to end the cycle as she had begun it, with Temos being her champion.
Without a word, he took her to his quarters, and he kissed her there like he meant it.
Temos' kisses never failed to take her breath away, and even when he was being gentle, he devoured her and left her weak and panting against him.
"I love you," he said, looking down and into her eyes.
"I love you, too," she replied. "I love all of you."
"We know. It's something we cherish every day. Come to bed."
She did as he said, and got comfortable in his bed, knowing that there would always be a place for her in any of their beds and their hearts.
When Temos joined her in bed, she rolled over to look at him. “Will you take me to your home planet one day?” she asked.
He hummed and reached out to pull her closer. “One day,” he said. “We only go back for momentous occasions. And every Dammen Ka child must be born there.”
His voice was heavy with promise, and Natasha flushed, but she found it wasn’t an unpleasant thought.
“Even ones that are half human?”
“It would be a first,” Temos said. “But you are a fierce warrior all on your own. No one will deny you or any children that were half yours.”
“Hmm,” she said, snuggling closer. “Maybe one day, then.”
She'd never thought about having kids before, but she also had never seen herself traveling through space on a ship with her three lovers who could also turn into dragons, either. Natasha was finding out that she could be open to a whole lot of new experiences.
It was impossible to tell what all the next day might bring, let alone the next few years, but she wasn't worried about it.
She had her dragons beside her, and she had the strength that she had gained in herself, and now, when she thought about the future, it seemed very bright.