CHAPTER SEVEN

The following days find more and more girls being shipped to the Dragon King’s estate, with the room we’ve been assigned growing increasingly crowded. I tend to stick to the same crowd I had been brought in with, and it’s to our mutual relief as a group that Lena remains in the estate with us. She’s come out of her shell somewhat, which is a pleasant surprise considering how fearful she had been just scarce days previous. I’ve not asked what the extent of her relationship with Abbi was, but she seems nonplussed by the idea of discussing it. If anything, she seems to think her vague sexual experiences will make her a prime choice for the Dragon King. It’s the feeling a few girls in the bunker seem to share, and while those of us who remain are all technically virgins, there are a few who have… experimented. Quite a few, for that matter.

“Rynna, how far have you gone with a boy?” Lena inquires softly, propping her chin up in her hands. I quirk a brow, considering her with a critical expression.

“I thought your interest lay with women?” I quip back, and she reddens slightly before breathing an exasperated sigh.

“Things are not so black and white. My dalliances with Abbi reflect nothing on my previous dalliances with men,” she gripes. I grumble, feeling my cheeks grow flushed in spite of myself.

“I’ve never been with anyone… in any capacity. I scarcely know what men even like. It’s not as if it’s a subject my mother breached,” I mutter, a sour taste in my mouth at the mention of my mother. Lena quirks her lips in a wry smile, reaching out to grab my hand. I find that she’s grown more open with me than any of the other girls in the bunker, aside from her sister perhaps. While the feelings I have for her are sisterly in nature, I can only wonder how she feels about me.

"I have a bit of advice for you, Rynna," she murmurs secretively, and I quirk a brow, tilting my head to indicate that I'm listening. "Men love when you're enthusiastic. While experience can play a part, if you have none, you simply have to make up for it with your best effort," she hums, and I draw my lip between my teeth.

“I had supposed that I was expected to do little more than lay there and accept whatever he may do to me,” I mutter shyly. She chuckles, giving my hand a squeeze.

“You are a rather innocent one. Pure little Rynna,” she teases, and my cheeks grow warm with indignity. “If he simply wanted you to lay there, he may as well be making love to a corpse. There’s more to sex than a man taking your chastity. How do you think the rest of us have been with men, yet still remain virgins from a technical standpoint?” She inquires. I avert my eyes, huffing softly.

“I hadn’t given it much thought,” I lie. Truthfully, I had wondered what more these girls could have delved into. I certainly hadn’t thought to ask, however. I didn’t want to seem a prude, or as shamefully innocent as I truly am.

“Well,” she drawls, dragging out the word. “I will simply say that men enjoy when you use your mouth on them,” she grins, and I struggle not to look particularly scandalized. I can’t imagine that a man’s length would taste particularly appetizing, but she doesn’t seem to be pulling a trick on me. I squint at her, and she shrugs a shoulder in response. “I know it sounds strange. But you take him into your mouth, and then… well, you suck. Lick. Be careful with your teeth, however, I doubt the Dragon King would take kindly to having his manhood bitten off,” she teases. I feel my cheeks flushing, and draw my hand away from her. She looks vaguely wounded, but I offer her an apologetic look.

"It is time for dinner, is it not?" I murmur, rising to my feet. Trinity and Tara look up from whatever conversation they were swept up in, considering Lena and me with matching grins.

“I thought Tara was my twin, not yours,” Lena huffs, and Trinity rolls her eyes before rising to her feet.

“We’re just discussing, well… wondering, what the dragon king looks like,” Tara smiles, a giddy expression on her face. “I hear he’s built like a god,” she sighs dreamily, and I hum to myself. While I had certainly been considering what the man may look like myself, I was more focused on trying to appeal to his desires. My own desires played little part in the grand scheme. I just wanted a safe place to live. The three other girls chatter amongst themselves, and I linger a bit behind as we make our way to the dining hall. The girls who were shipped here before us already sit at their usual tables, and we make our way to the table where some outliers are sitting. I smile at a pretty brunette, and she considers me with a pensive expression.

“What troubles you?” I softly inquire, and she hesitates, looking between the group of us.

“I’ve heard it told that the Dragon King is very selective with his harem. There will likely be very few of us actually chosen. Those deemed of high quality may find themselves with other noblemen of the court, but the rest of us…,” she trailed off, looking worried. “Well. We’ll likely find ourselves back in the slums, sold to the local whorehouse,” she finished with an air of finality. I swallow a thick lump that has formed in my throat, not liking the sound of those options at all. I’ve grown accustomed to life here, even though I have not been here long. A roof over my head, hearty meals, my own bed… the thought of losing all of that hits me like a stampeding herd of cows.

My lack of experience feels like more of a hindrance than ever. What do I have to offer that the Dragon King does not already have?