Author: Scarlet Hyacinth
Date: 2013-10-12 00:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Paranormal; Romance; Fantasy
Description: [Siren Everlasting Classic ManLove: Erotic Alternative Fantasy Romantic Comedy, M/M, shape-shifters, HEA] Have you ever read one of those stories where fire-breathing dragons sweeps down from the sky, torches villages, and eats unsuspecting villagers? This isn’t one of them. This is the real thing, and I’m a real dragon. My name’s Dineiro, but you can call me Dini. All my friends do. Confused? I can definitely empathize. Imagine this. One day, while out with my friends, I run into the legendary Rainbow Brick Road, which leads me straight to my mate, Prince Kirril of Arthuria. Sadly, he is huma
Publisher: Siren-BookStrand

A Tail Like No Other: Book One

My Mate's a Dragon Slayer?

Have you ever read one of those stories where fire-breathing dragons swept down from the sky, torched villages, and ate unsuspecting villagers? This isn’t one of them. This is the real thing, and I’m a real dragon. My name’s Dineiro, but you can call me Dini. All my friends do.

Confused? I can definitely empathize. Imagine this. One day, while out with my friends, I run into the legendary Rainbow Brick Road, which leads me straight to my mate, Prince Kirril of Arthuria. Sadly, he is human, and a dragon slayer. And no, we don’t just rush to each other and embrace like I might have imagined once or twice. Instead, he shoots me with a crossbow.

We’re so different, but against all odds, a true connection forms between us. Of course, the Path of Fate is fickle. If the two of us want to be together, we have a long road ahead. This is, after all, the first chapter in our tale.

Note: This book is written in first-person point of view.

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Fantasy, Romantic Comedy, Shape-shifter

Length: 44,415 words

MY MATE’S A DRAGON SLAYER?

A Tail Like No Other: Book One

Scarlet Hyacinth

EVERLASTING CLASSIC

MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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MY MATE’S A DRAGON SLAYER?

Copyright © 2013 by Scarlet Hyacinth

E-book ISBN: 978-1-62242-092-6

First E-book Publication: October 2013

Cover design by Les Byerley

All cover art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER

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Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

If you have purchased this copy of My Mate’s a Dragon Slayer? by Scarlet Hyacinth from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy

This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

This is Scarlet Hyacinth’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Hyacinth’s right to earn a living from her work.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

I like fairy tales. I always have, and I probably always will. As some of you might know, I grew up on Russian fairy tales, which to this day, I enjoy a lot. And I will be the first to admit that I am a bookworm and a great fan of mythology.

With A Tail Like No Other, I wanted to put a little spin on all the stories I love so much. I hope you like it, and most of all, I hope it makes you smile, even if it’s only a little.

A lot of love for my loyal readers,

Scarlet Hyacinth

Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Author's Note
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Epilogue
About the Author

MY MATE’S A DRAGON SLAYER?

A Tail Like No Other: Book One

SCARLET HYACINTH

Copyright © 2013

Prologue

I’m sure most of the people out there have read at least one fairy tale in their life. If not…Well, their existence must have been very sad indeed, and they have worse problems than considering what I have to say. But for those who did read such stories, I just need to tell you one thing. Do not believe them!

The truth is nothing like fairy tales and legends would have you believe. I can assure you of that. Fire-breathing dragons and knights in shining armor? Princesses and ogres? Monsters hiding in dark castles? Bah! It’s all nonsense. But perhaps I should start with the beginning. Hear me out, and once you do so, perhaps I’d have convinced you that things are never what they seem.

It all began on a completely normal day, in my homeland of Merlinia…

Chapter One:

In Which Being a Dragon Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up to Be

The fawn was just a few feet away from us, oblivious to our presence. I flexed my claws in anticipation, watching and waiting. The creature had no idea what awaited it. Soon, it would be dinner for a being of far superior intellect and…

The leaves rustled, and the fawn leapt away, disappearing into the greenery. I released a sigh and slipped back into the grove, abandoning the tree I’d been hiding behind. I felt a little guilty, but I was glad that was over. My wings had been cramping up anyway.

Of course, I wasn’t about to tell that to my poor, frustrated friend. I carefully padded to Vesper’s side and gave him what I hoped was an encouraging smile. I probably failed abysmally, given that it wasn’t exactly easy to beam while in my dragon form. “You almost had it that time, Perry,” I told him.

“Yeah, right,” he mumbled, looking disheartened. His bunny ears flopped, and he jumped into my arms. “Am I being too ambitious? Perhaps I should start small. What do you think, Dini?”

Talk about a loaded question. I wanted to be honest, but also needed to be supportive for my friend. Life wasn’t easy for a carnivorous bunny, especially one who had yet to figure out how to adapt to his place on the food chain. And Vesper really was trying. He just couldn’t put his finger on exactly what he wanted and needed just yet. Well…his paw.

I didn’t get to offer him a reply, because a flash of bright, noisy light exploded into the grove. “Gee, you think?” our pixie friend, Larue, asked sarcastically. “This is a waste of time. The fawn is long gone, and that tree hollow had Goddess knows what inside it.” He released a disgusted gasp as he tried to brush off a stain that seemed suspiciously sticky. “Is that…Oh, someone’s going to pay for this. I liked this tunic.”

“It’s not just about you,” I replied in a reprimanding tone, carefully shielding my eyes with my paw. He tended to throw pixie dust at us when he was pissed, and now he definitely looked furious. “Perry wants to learn, and we agreed on this.”

“Of course we agreed,” Larue answered, “but Dini, you can’t possibly think a fawn was a good choice of prey. I mean, what would Perry even do with that quantity of meat?”

“I actually wanted to share it with my warren.” If anything, Vesper looked even more upset. “My dad would have finally respected me, and I might have had a chance to find a mate.”

Larue’s anger died at that. We couldn’t blame Vesper for his most natural desire since we hadn’t found mates either. “Oh, Perry,” I said, “it’ll happen. Don’t force it.”

“Whoever is our other half has to accept us as we are,” Larue replied, his white form glowing brighter. “But anyway, let’s stop with the hunt for today and do something for the three of us. What do you say?”

At that, Vesper appeared to snap out of his funk, his ears perking up in interest. “Like what?”

“I found something the other day while I was out foraging,” he said. “I didn’t show it to anyone. It’s a path.”

“A path,” Vesper repeated, sounding skeptical. “Where to?”

Our pixie friend fluttered around us, his wings leaving behind pixie dust. “Come on. Let’s investigate.”

I sneezed and rubbed my nose with a claw. “Fine, but just don’t do that, okay? You know how I get in certain times of the year. My sinuses are sensitive, especially to pixie dust.”

Larue chortled, but nevertheless, stopped swirling like a mad thing. I placed Vesper in my pouch and gestured for the pixie to lead the way.

As he flew ahead, we made our way through the forest in comfortable silence. Around us the giggles of the trees began to grow louder, but I didn’t mind. I’d been living here for two years now, so I’d had plenty of time to acquaint myself to the area and with the Laughing Forest.

When I’d come of age, I’d had to leave my parents’ home, as did all mature dragons who hadn’t found a mate in the tribe yet. We were supposed to travel through the world in search of our destiny. A certain instinct told us where to stop, and I had stopped here.

It could have been that at the time, I’d been tired and frustrated, but honestly, I didn’t regret it because it had given me the chance to meet Larue and Vesper.

My mother had always told me it sometimes took a while for fate to work its magic. It had sounded comforting because as she put it, all dragons eventually found their life mates. We just needed to be patient. But reality turned out to be very different from what she’d presented, and being a dragon simply wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. I just felt thankful that I had my friends to distract me, because I’d have long ago lost my patience.

Of course, now I was kind of losing it, with our impromptu trek taking us farther than I’d expected. I’d never gone so deeply into the Laughing Forest before, and I wondered what in the world Larue had been foraging for. “Are you sure this is the right way, Larry?”

He nodded, his small body fluttering in front of us as agitatedly as ever. “We’re close. Shh…”

I might have suspected he’d gotten us lost, but my friend actually had great spatial orientation, unlike me who couldn’t find the entrance to my own cave. Proving that I’d been correct in trusting him, Larue released a soft aha and pointed ahead. Indeed, I spotted something in the direction he indicated. At first, I could only distinguish a soft glow, changing color with each second that passed. Both Vesper and I peered closer and let out twin gasps of disbelief.

“Is this what I think it is?” I asked.

“The Rain—”

I covered his mouth with my paw to stop him from uttering the name and ended up shoving him in my pouch. When I realized what I’d done, I quickly backed down and he climbed out and jumped onto the grass, glaring at me and baring his bunny fangs. “Seriously, Dini?”

“Sorry,” I replied, heat flooding my face and darkening my scales. “It was a rhetorical question. You shouldn’t say the words.”

“Yes, I know,” Vesper mumbled. “And give us a warning, Larry.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Larue asked with a grin.

I ignored him, now staring at the brick road in front of us. A million shades of all the colors in the world emanated from it in a hypnotizing display. It hadn’t always been here, I was sure of it. I would have found it by now or spotted it in one of my flights over the Laughing Forest. There would have been some sort of sign. When had it appeared?

The path winded through the forest, leading toward the misty hills in the distance. I’d never dared to go that way, as my parents had warned me savages with horrible customs lived in the area. But then again, I’d never expected to run into this legendary sight.

The Rainbow Brick Road had been considered one of the wonders and mysteries of our world, which, given the quantity of magic existing out there, was quite a feat, indeed. Countless mages, including dragon shamans, had tried to figure it out. I myself had many times wondered if it existed or if it was only a myth. As a fairy dragon, I was naturally drawn to all things magical. My parents’ strength focused in different areas, ones where I was sadly lacking, and they’d never been able to give me any input on this. I took a step forward, aiming to investigate.

“Stop,” Larue said, now sounding serious. “We shouldn’t touch it. I read up on the road, and all sources say it might be dangerous.”

“Why did you bring us here then?” Vesper asked.

Larue just glanced at me. “I thought Dini might have a clue about what to do. The path never appears without a reason. Now, we just have to figure out why it showed up.”

I didn’t answer, already looking into the distance. “Something’s coming,” I told them. “Hide.”

Chapter Two:

In Which a Dragon Slayer Makes His Appearance

“‘Slay a mighty dragon,’ he says. ‘Win the hand of the princess,’ he says. Gods, when am I going to learn not to listen to my father?”

I grumbled, every muscle in my body aching after the torturous ride. The road seemed to go on and on, and I hadn’t found an inn in over a week. I didn’t particularly mind sleeping under the stars, but unfortunately, it wasn’t the stars that appeared when I planned to get some shut-eye, but rainclouds. Rain, hail, then more rain. I always woke up chilled to the bone and frustrated with the cheerful, deceptive sun that beamed at me every morning.

To top it off, the animals in this area seemed to have had some special course in how to avoid a hunter, because I hadn’t managed to restock my supply of venison. If not for the occasional fruit I found, and for Magda’s help, I’d be starving. My mare could actually tell the difference between a poisonous berry and an edible one.

“I still don’t get why you even agreed,” Magda pointed out. Even her mane was showing the effects of the hard road, although as we rode on, she showed no real sign of fatigue. “I mean, it’s not like you have any interest in her, or in any of her gender.”

“You know why,” I replied with an irritated huff.

“Your brother likes her.” Magda snorted in what sounded like an equine sigh. “He should have gone instead of sending you.”

I patted Magda’s flank, more than ever thankful for her company. She knew as well as I did that my brother Medwin was no warrior. He knew everything there was to know about law, lore, and leadership—the three Ls, as he called it—but he’d asked for my help with the fourth one. How could I have denied him?

“You’re a big softie, you know that? You love your sibs too much.”

“Eh, it’s really not that big of a deal. At least this way, I had an excuse to leave the palace.”

It truly had seemed like a good idea at the time. My father, King Ralph Theodore IV, was working on solidifying the alliance between our kingdom, Arthuria, and the neighboring land of Morganna. The plan was to have one of his sons marry the Morgannian princess, Anelah. He hadn’t even bothered trying to push me into it, well aware that my inclinations would lead the matrimony to fiasco and possibly plunge the two countries into war. My eldest brother Leonard had hated the idea, but our other sibling, Medwin, had been thrilled to agree. However, the Morgannian king had placed one very important condition. We needed to defeat a mighty dragon and bring the king its head.

Personally, I found that a little gruesome, but I’d figured slaying an animal, however powerful it might be, was worth it if it meant bringing my country peace and my brother happiness. Of course, the latter part was debatable. I couldn’t possibly know whether or not Anelah was meant for Medwin. Either way, he seemed to think so, and that was enough for me.

This brought me to my current predicament. “Are we even sure there are still dragons alive?” I asked Magda. “I’ve seen no sign of such creatures so far.”

“According to the Morgannians, yes, there are,” Magda answered. “Supposedly here, in Merlinia.”

That was excellent, superb, and quite amazing, except it didn’t help me find my way now that we were lost. Sighing, I resigned myself to another night of sleeping under the rain clouds.

But then, something unexpected happened. The road in front of us shifted, the country path turning into bricks of every color in the rainbow. They glowed with a magical light, and Magda neighed, as startled as I was at the sight.

I stared at the shining bricks and actually laughed. “Guess we were going the right way after all.”

“It’s not funny, Kirril,” Magda berated me. “Do you have any idea what this is?”

Of course I knew. Even Arthurians like me, who had no magic abilities whatsoever, had heard of the Rainbow Brick Road. I hadn’t actually believed in the legend. As far as I was concerned, I could be delirious now. Perhaps I’d succumbed to fever, excessive rain having finally affected my health. In any case, I could either go straight ahead or back the way I’d come, and I definitely wasn’t going back.

With that in mind, I urged Magda onward. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” she mumbled.

Actually, I didn’t, but if I had any hope of finding the famous dragon I needed to slay, it obviously lay through this road. The Path of Fate. That was what my people called it, and it was said to appear as guidance in moments of great need.

Grinning from ear to ear, I urged Magda on with renewed zeal. She burst forward in a gallop, and for all her skeptical words, I knew this discovery encouraged her as much as it did me.

We rode on for the longest time. Hours slid by, and gradually, both my enthusiasm and hers decreased. The scenery seemed to remain exactly the same, and at one point, I had the feeling we were going in circles. But nothing that was actually worth it ever came without effort and persistence, so we continued our journey in spite of our fatigue.

Soon enough, I was forced to slow down. We trotted onward at a slower pace. Even Magda was tired, the road through the peculiar path far more strenuous than the usual one. At one point, I actually dismounted and started to walk beside her.

“We’ll stop soon,” I promised. “Just a little farther.”

I didn’t know why, but even with my exhaustion, I was reluctant to stop or stray from the brick path. The forests looked very inviting, and it would have made sense to take a break in the shadow of the trees, but something told me that I needed to keep going.

Magda seemed to agree. “A little farther,” she said.

The forest grew denser, thick bushes and large trees shadowing the colorful path. At this point, I was so tired that when I heard a sneeze I almost thought I’d imagined it. “Did you hear that?” I asked Magda, relying on her equine senses.

“It came from that way,” she said, pointing to an apparently innocuous shrub. My senses sharpened, and I retrieved my sword from its scabbard. Nothing moved, and the very air seemed to still. My weariness vanished completely, eliminated by the knowledge of the upcoming battle.

Releasing Magda’s reins, I jumped forward, lunging toward the bush. I had no clue what I’d expected. A bandit, perhaps. Instead, an animal leapt out of the shrubbery, dodging my blow with a startled yelp and pushing me back with its hind legs as it did so. No, not an animal. A dragon.

“Oh, Gods!” Magda exclaimed. “It’s a dragon.”

Under different circumstances, I’d have teased her for pointing out the obvious. A magical horse should have said something a little wiser, in my opinion. But I had no time for sarcastic comments or remarks. Here was my prey, conveniently delivered to me by the Rainbow Brick Road.

I swept my sword in an arc, and I’d have hit the thing had a small white blur not landed straight on my arm, deflecting me. I groaned as sharp teeth embedded themselves in my flesh, a remarkable feat indeed, given that I was wearing my hunting armor. Granted, it was only reinforced leather, as a long journey in chainmail or anything of the like would have been a fool’s errand. However, it still should have kept most creatures at bay, more so one the size of my attacker.

Cursing, I tried to shake the animal of me, only to find myself even more confused when my world grew white as a peculiar substance clouded my vision.

“What the fuck…?” Now furious, I blindly reached for the source of my pain, releasing a sound of victory when my fingers found fur. Before I could get a good grip on the thing, it released me and plopped down to my side, apparently intending to attack my legs instead.

However, Magda rode to my side, snorting angrily and chasing it away. The air began to clear, and I was able to see again. I reached for the crossbow bound to Magda’s saddle, already knowing that the sword would probably be useless in this fight. The dragon could escape me by flying away, but I could reach it with a well-placed projectile.

As I loaded a bolt, though, I finally took in my unlikely foes. A small white rabbit sat in the center of the path, glaring daggers at me. Next to it, a tiny flying creature hovered, its wing fluttering rapidly. A pixie?

“He’s after you, Dini. Run,” one of them cried. I thought it might have been the rabbit, but I couldn’t be sure. “We’ll hold him back.”

The dragon was actually in flight now, its wings keeping it aloft over the path. It could have flown off during my odd and embarrassing fight with the small beings, but even now, it seemed reluctant. “I can’t just leave you.”

I already had my hand on my crossbow, aiming straight for the dragon, but I faltered when I heard its voice. It was soft, softer than anything I’d heard in my life. I wasn’t necessarily surprised that it spoke. After all, Magda did, and she originated from Morganna. Likely, most Merlinian beasts had similar abilities. But that voice…It reached out to a part of me that I hadn’t known existed.

For the first time, I realized my target seemed quite small. Was it a baby dragon? If so, it would be cruel to slay it. The dragon’s scales glittered in a strange purplish color, as if a million shades of it danced over its reptilian skin. Even its eyes were a deep shade of violet, and as our gazes met, I had a strange thought that it was truly a beautiful creature.

Before I knew it, I lowered my weapon, hesitating. Both the rabbit and the pixie noticed. “Go!” the pixie shouted. “He’s not paying attention. We can make a break for it.”

They leapt at the dragon, and it landed, managing to somehow catch them. It stashed them into something that looked like a pouch. As it launched itself into the air, though, my body moved instinctually. Pointing my crossbow at it once again, I attacked.

The bolt hit true. The dragon let out an agonizing cry and fell out of the sky into the bushes. Immediately, a feeling of horror invaded me, and I rushed in that direction, my brain focused on one single idea.

“Oh, Gods, please, please, please…Please, let it be alive.”

I didn’t know why it was so important to me. After all, the whole purpose of this journey had been to slay a dragon. Still, that brief moment when I’d heard its voice and met its gaze had touched me somehow.

Fortunately, when I reached it, I noticed it was still moving around. The pixie and the rabbit had jumped out of its pouch, trying to help it, but failing. The dragon whimpered as it lifted its right wing, where my bolt had struck.

When they saw me coming, all three creatures froze. “Go,” the dragon whispered to its friends.

“No, Dini,” the pixie refused adamantly, much like its—his?—reptilian friend had done earlier. “We’re not letting the human kill you.”

“It is the road,” the dragon insisted. “This is my fate. I won’t have you sharing it. Go!”

In the end, they were arguing about who was going to sacrifice himself for who, and I got tired of it. “Would you mind?” I asked. “I’m still here, you know.”

As I spoke, the dragon looked at me, and suddenly, his form blurred into a human-like shape. “Are you going to kill me?” he asked, purple eyes wide with fright.

His voice swept over me like a caress, and I couldn’t have held on to my weapon if I wanted to. The crossbow fell from my hand, unwanted, as I gaped at the lovely sight in front of me. “No,” I replied in a daze. “I think I won’t.”

Chapter Three:

In Which Introductions are Made and a Journey Begins

The slayer’s appearance had taken me completely by surprise. This province of Merlinia had not seen humans in ages. When my friends and I had spotted him riding from the distance, Larue had been so startled that he’d waved his wings around too much, emanating pixie dust. It had made me sneeze, which brought us to my current predicament.

“You won’t?” I asked the man, unable to suppress the tremor in my voice. We had been taught to fear humans, and here one was, right in front of me. “Why?”

For a few seconds, he scanned me from head to toe, and I wondered what exactly interested him so much about my current shape. It was a form I had little experience with—I much preferred my dragon one—but all of my kind had it. Most shifters did, as it made it possible for us find a mate beyond our own species.

Larue released a soft gasp, and I glanced back at the human, my sharp dragon senses detecting something about him that I couldn’t quite put my claw on. He was handsome, this slayer, big and brawny, his muscles framed nicely by his armor. His loose blond hair fell over his shoulders, and days of riding had left him with a bristly stubble. And his eyes…They were so blue, reminding me of the Merlinian sky.

I quickly squashed my thoughts before they could develop any further. Attractive though he might be, he remained my enemy and I needed to remember that.

“I won’t kill you because you’re a person,” he finally replied.

It was my turn to gasp. “Of course I’m a person,” I shot back, outraged. “What did you think? That my being a dragon makes me inferior to you somehow?”

He looked taken aback and started to stammer. “Err…Actually, I…”

“He doesn’t know,” Vesper said, sounding as shocked as I felt. “Sweet Goddess, these barbarians are more ignorant than we thought.”

Larue let out a disgusted hmph. “That’s only because they don’t want to know. It’s more convenient to believe certain things than to find out the truth.”

He was probably right, but something in the slayer’s gaze beckoned to me. It wasn’t his fault that he had no clue about the nature of Merlinian beings. In the end, our lands had very little contact. Few dared to brave our wilderness. A measure of trade existed between the elven citadels and other such cities and Morganna, but Arthuria was distant to us. And I would have bet my wings that the slayer hailed from Arthuria.

I took a step forward, aiming to reach out to him, but a pang of agony stopped me. Releasing a small cry, I leaned against the tree. What in the world had made me shift into this form anyway? Self-preservation? Maybe. Either way, it had only worsened the wound the slayer had inflicted on me.

“Oh, Gods,” the human said, stalking toward me. “I hurt you. Let me help.”

“Back off,” Larue said with a growl that sounded quite silly when coming from a pixie. He fluttered in front of the slayer, blocking his path. “We’ll do it.”

He didn’t have the necessary strength, so Vesper changed into his human form as well. My bunny friend was a little clumsy in this shape, as he didn’t use it often, either. However, with Larue’s assistance, they managed to extract the bolt from my shoulder. I couldn’t suppress another gasp of pain as they pulled it out, and if anything, it made the slayer look even guiltier. “It’s all right,” I heard myself say. “It will heal right up. I’ll be as good as new by tomorrow.”

A cold chill swept through me even as I said the words. Tomorrow. I had no way to get to my cave without flying, so I was stuck in the forest for at least a day. My arm hurt badly, and if I tried forcing my way home, I’d likely fall out of the sky.

“Oh, no,” Vesper said. “Where are you going to go, Dini?”

“I’m not sure.” I absently clutched my injured shoulder, already trying to come up with a solution. I could attempt to cast a spell to rush my natural recovery, but I was no healer, and I could easily botch it up. Shifters had no affinity with such magic, and I reacted badly to pixie spells—ergo, my allergy to Larue’s pixie dust.

“What’s the matter?” the slayer asked. “You all look very worried. Is it the wound?”

“Yes and no,” I replied. “Because of it, I can’t fly to my cave, and this area gets very dangerous at night. The veil between realms thins a lot in Merlinia, so all sorts of unpleasant beings run around.”

“Unpleasant beings?” the human repeated. “I haven’t seen anything like that. The only real problem I’ve encountered during my trip is rain.”

Of course. He was Arthurian. A Merlinian rock had more magic than him. Undoubtedly, the creatures wouldn’t have any interest in him. His horse, however, seemed to be enchanted.

“Is that right?” I looked at the mare who’d stepped behind her master and was eyeing me with interest. “Why don’t you tell him the truth?”

“The truth isn’t always the best policy,” she replied matter-of-factly.

He seemed more confused than ever, and even if I knew I should have feared him, I softly suggested, “Perhaps introductions are in order? It might help us figure things out a little.”

“Dini!” Vesper and Larue shouted at the same time. My bunny friend actually lost his balance and fell on his ass because of his shock.

“What?” I asked defensively. “He said he wasn’t going to hurt us.”

“Uh-huh.” Vesper struggled to his feet and glowered at the slayer. “Let’s just go, Dini. We’ll find you a cave to stay in.”

“You can’t go,” the human blurted out. “It’s my fault he was injured. At the very least, I can protect him.”

“I know what you want to do to him, and it’s not protecting,” Larue shot back. “You’re crazy if you think we’ll trust you with our friend.”

“Oh, enough of this.” I glowered at all of them. “Standing here looking at each other doesn’t help.”

Now frustrated, I stalked out of the bushes where I’d fallen and returned to the still-shining path, coming to stand straight in front of the human. “By the way, I’m Dineiro, and they’re my friends Larue and Vesper.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” the slayer mumbled, looking anywhere but at me. “I’m Kirril, and this is Magda.”

My friends made disgruntled noises, but joined us. “For the record, I don’t approve of this,” Larue said.

“It was your idea to come see the road,” I pointed out. “Let’s make the best of this, shall we? Magic has a way of balancing itself out. Perhaps if we follow the path farther, it will lead us to shelter.”

“We’ll do that if you think it’s best,” Kirril said, now meeting my gaze, “but first, you’re going to let me look at your shoulder. At the very least, it should be bandaged.”

I highly doubted any sort of human medicine could help me, but he insisted and I eventually agreed. He gestured for me to wait for a few moments and retrieved a small satchel out of his saddlebag.

As he returned to my side, I couldn’t help but tense. He was so close now, invading my personal space, and my fears were returning. Yes, he had said he wouldn’t kill me, but what if he changed his mind?

His ancestors had been hunting mine for ages. The stories I’d heard in my tribe had filled me with fear. For me, humans had always been the scariest thing in the world, scarier even than the spirit hunters that roamed the night to steal magic. He seemed to be apologetic now, yes, but humans were deceitful.

When he touched my shoulder, I released a soft yelp and recoiled. He immediately pulled back, looking at me in horror. “I’m sorry,” he said, stammering. “Did I hurt you? Fuck…I’m so clumsy…I didn’t mean…”

His uncertainty would have comforted me, except that, in my confusion, I ended up slipping, much like Vesper had done before. However, unlike him, I blindly reached out for an anchor. The human reacted on instinct and grabbed my hand, but before he could steady me, I pulled him down. I fell back, fortunately landing on the grass and not on the brick tiles of the road. Kirril collapsed on top of me, his large body pinning me to the ground.

I should have been terrified at my new circumstances, but his scent enveloped my senses, soothing me. He smelled like sweat, man, and something else, something rough and raw, pure strength. I shivered, arousal coursing through me and drowning out my doubts. I felt something hard nudging my hip, and I finally understood what Larue had been accusing Kirril of. I understood a lot of things.

In the end, my mother had been right. Destiny had delivered my fated mate to me. Of course, she probably hadn’t expected that the mate in question would turn out to be a human, but then, neither had I.

A small part of me screeched in panic at the realization. My rational side pointed out the crossbow and the sword still lying within his reach. It screamed at me to ask myself why he’d even come to Merlinia with such an arsenal. But my soul, my lonely soul that had waited for this moment for so long, rejoiced. Okay, so maybe the situation wasn’t perfect, but my mate couldn’t be a bad man. Our hearts had to match, and I could never love a person who was in any way evil. Admittedly, fate was a fickle thing, and it wasn’t exactly impossible for a dragon to end up with someone not suitable for him. However, my kind believed that this only happened as punishment for a grave misdeed. I didn’t think I’d done anything to warrant that. Had I?

Unfortunately, as I tried to figure this out, Kirril pulled away, his face very red. “Err…I…I’m sorry about that. Let me just…I really didn’t want to hurt you.”

Once again, he was doing the not-looking-at-me thing. I realized that my nudity made him uncomfortable, especially now that my cock was hard. Alas, I wouldn’t be able to help him with that one. Dragons didn’t wear clothes, and I didn’t plan to get dressed anytime soon.

“You didn’t hurt me,” I replied, deciding to be honest on this one. “I just panicked. I’m still jumpy.”

He nodded jerkily. “It’s understandable. I swear I’m just going to bandage your wound so it will heal up faster.”

We sat on the grass and he reached for his satchel again. As he worked, his touch was strikingly gentle on my wounded arm. “This is amazing,” he whispered. “It’s already starting to heal.”

“I told you so,” I replied. “It doesn’t even hurt so much anymore. Sadly, it’ll be a while before I can fly, if not a whole day, a few hours at least.”

“Past nightfall,” he said, understanding. “Don’t worry, Dini. I’ll keep you safe.”

For some reason, the nickname my friends used for me sounded different, sensual coming from his lips. I shivered, and he immediately noticed. “Are you cold?”

I shook my head. “I can’t get cold or hot. I have my magic to keep me comfortable.”

He wrapped a clean white bandage around my arm, humming thoughtfully. When he was done, he tilted his head inquiringly at me. “So you have magic then. Why didn’t you use it on me? Why didn’t you defend yourself?”

I felt a little uncomfortable at his words. The truth was that, while in theory, I had the power to summon all sorts of devastating spells, I’d never tried any of them. I intellectually knew how to make a person burst into flames, but I couldn’t actually do it. I knew how to freeze the very blood in someone’s body, but I couldn’t act on it.

My parents were a red fire dragon and a blue ice dragon. Usually, the resulting offspring from such a match could have either fire or ice affinity, but I’d ended up purple—a fairy dragon. This meant I had no affinity, just a lot of raw magic that I couldn’t really use until I discovered how.

“That’s a sore spot, isn’t it?” Kirril asked, obviously noticing my anxiousness. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to pry.”

“You’re not prying,” I replied automatically. With a sigh, I amended, “It’s just that…I’m a dragon. I should be strong and be able to protect my friends.”

“Speaking of which,” Larue piped up before I could fall too deep into self-pity. “Tell us, Kirril, why exactly are you here? Humans don’t visit Merlinia on a regular basis, you know.”

Kirril froze, his hands stilling on my shoulder. He glanced at Larue, then back at me, with an expression that looked, for lack of a better word, hunted. One would think that Larue and I were the slayers, not him. When Vesper joined us and knelt by my side, he actually released me.

“What is it?” I asked, unable to control my curiosity and, yes, my apprehension.

The slayer looked away, and for a few moments, he remained silent. I was puzzled at his behavior. He almost seemed…remorseful?

At that thought, realization dawned. I recalled the crossbow and the large sword. I remembered the way the mare had urged him to catch me. With a gasp, I shot to my feet. “You came here to hunt dragons, didn’t you?”

I’d called him a slayer in my mind, but until now, I hadn’t actually grasped how appropriate it was. He got up as well, lifting his hands as if to point out he was harmless. “Look, I didn’t know you were shifters. I wouldn’t have gone along with it if I had.”

“Gone along with what, exactly?” I inquired, almost dreading the reply.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, obviously nervous. “Arthuria and Morganna are planning to strengthen their alliance through a political marriage between my brother and the Morgannian princess. But the Morgannians have little faith in our skills, due to our lack of magic. Their king demanded that we slay a dragon and bring him its head as proof of our ability to contribute.”

My knees buckled at his words, and I nearly fell over. Tears blurred my vision. I could not believe my mate would be such a cruel man. Even with an alliance at stake, there should have been another way to convince Morganna to cooperate.

“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I truly didn’t know.”

“That’s no excuse,” I snapped back at him, suddenly invaded by anger. “Were your countries in danger to wage war?”

“No,” he replied sedately. “It’s mostly about trade agreements and such.”

“So you were going to kill an innocent creature just because one man had a whim. Is that it? And if I hadn’t been a shifter, you wouldn’t have seen anything wrong with it.”

I distantly registered the forest growing restless in answer to my outburst of fury. I’d never been so upset in my life, not even when I’d left my tribe. “Let me tell you something. If you kill any beast without need for the resource it provides, it’s still a crime. You humans…How can you not understand that? How can you slaughter the children of nature for sport?”

Even Vesper looked a little uncomfortable at my words, probably remembering his own insistence to hunt the fawn. But unlike Vesper, who in the end had wanted to catch prey for its meat, Kirril had planned to hunt down one of my kind just for the pleasure of a foolish king.

I half expected to hear more excuses and apologetic words, but he remained silent. My harsh breathing sounded obscenely loud in the heavy silence. Finally, he spoke, his voice so low it was nearly inaudible. “I don’t even know what to say. Before meeting you this day, before hurting you and hearing you just now, I didn’t realize how foolish I was. I could have easily killed you, and only your friends’ intervention kept me from doing so. And still, even then, I did not realize that simply destroying a life, no matter whom it belongs to, is wrong. It looks like the Rainbow Brick Road truly did lead me to destiny.”

As one, Larue, Vesper, and I released a sound of distress. Saying the name of the path was just asking for trouble. Even Magda let out a small unsettled whinny.

Our anxiety proved to be justified, as the path started to shift around us. All of a sudden, reality began to shift, blurring confusingly, this time not because of tears. I swayed and would have fallen had Kirril not caught me. When I recovered, however, I found in distress that I’d been right to fear the path’s whimsical nature.

“Where are we?” Magda asked.

I looked around, but I couldn’t recognize anything. There was no sign of the Laughing Forest at all. In fact, the mountains where my cave lay hidden had entirely disappeared as well. The only thing that remained the same was the path, now sweeping through a green, strikingly quiet plain.

“The Forgotten Steppes,” Larue whispered, shivering.

“Well, that sounds appropriately ominous,” Kirril commented. “How do we go back?”

I glanced at Larue, but he shook his head, looking a little frightened now. “We’re somewhere east of the Laughing Forest now, but I couldn’t swear by it. And even then, we haven’t got a chance to get home by nightfall.”

If our situation had been dire before, it seemed even more so now. “This is all your fault,” Vesper fumed at Kirril. “You hurt Dini, and you said those words, and now we’re stranded in the middle of nowhere.”

“Calm down, Perry,” I told him. “We’ll find someplace to sleep, and tomorrow, we’ll head back.”

Or so I said, but there was only an endless ocean of green as far as the eye could see. With a sigh, I started to walk in the direction Larue suggested our home might be. I didn’t even look at Kirril, still too hurt about what he’d revealed. It just seemed unfathomable that my mate, my other half, would do and think such things.

I walked in silence, Vesper and Larue by my side. Kirril and Magda followed us, and I was distantly aware that Kirril had decided against riding, instead choosing to go on foot like me. Countless questions appeared in my mind. This morning, my life had been simple, but now, I had a mate I didn’t understand and was lost in a land unfamiliar to me. What in the world was I going to do?

Chapter Four:

In Which Night Falls

I wasn’t a nice guy. Growing up, I’d always caused trouble for my tutors and more often than not blamed whatever I did on one of my brothers. Medwin was often forced to intercede in my favor, much to his distress. Leonard didn’t even try, as he tended to be even less nice. But that was a different matter altogether. This was about me, not him.

Truth be told, I’d never really cared about what others thought. I respected my position, but I didn’t shy away from showing who I really was. Sometimes, I’d been a real bastard in my zeal.

Now, for the first time in my life, I felt ashamed. I felt narrow-minded and stupid. In my heart, I’d always resented Morgannians for considering my people inferior. It seemed they hadn’t been so wrong after all.

The memory of Dineiro’s tears haunted me as we quietly walked down the winding path. I watched him walking in front of me, his spine ramrod straight, his long hair swishing in the wind. Of course, I had to admit that it wasn’t just remorse that had me looking at him. He remained naked—dragons didn’t seem to have any modesty whatsoever—and the sight of his pert little ass had my cock hard and straining in my leather pants. Who could have blamed me? In the end, I was only a man and Dineiro so beautiful it hurt.

“You’re in trouble, aren’t you?” Magda whispered. “You like him.”

My dragon showed no sign of having heard her, but the rabbit-shifter, Vesper, twitched. I pulled on Magda’s reins a little, and she released a snort of discontent. Honestly, I disliked the thought of causing her discomfort. Ever since I’d received her as a gift from Medwin, she’d been my closest friend. Unfortunately, under these circumstances, I couldn’t exactly confess my deepest emotions since all those present would overhear.

Much to my dismay, Magda’s comment triggered an unexpected reaction from the pixie. Larue left Dineiro’s side and fluttered back toward me.

“So tell us, Kirril, what does a prince do when he isn’t out slaying dragons?”

He arched a brow at me, and even if he was small, I could swear I saw a threat in his eyes. I wondered what it meant, and why exactly he had approached me. Was he giving me a chance to make amends somehow, to convince Dineiro that I wasn’t so bad after all? Why?

“Mostly, we ready ourselves to one day take over the country. The first son is the crown prince. If there are other offspring, their role is to assist their brother. I’m the youngest of my siblings, and generally, I deal with military aspects. My older brother Medwin is studying to be an advisor in all things administrative. Basically, we’ll one day become Leonard’s sword and shield.”

“And you have no problem with that?” Larue sounded genuinely curious. “I mean, it seems like you got the short end of the stick.”

“Not really, no. My brothers and I are very close. It’s one of the reasons why I agreed on this confounded journey in the first place. Medwin has a soft spot for the Morgannian princess, and he’s not very good with fighting and such.”

“So you’re matchmaking.” Larue smirked. Was it my imagination, or had Dineiro slowed down a little? “That’s nice.”

“Probably just makes things worse.” I sighed. “I think if Medwin realized how cruel we’ve been, he’d be horrified.”

Much to my shock, Dineiro finally turned to me. “Do you really think you were cruel, or are you just saying so because I pointed it out?”

“I’m a soldier, Dini,” I replied. While I understood his point, it was unfair for him to judge Arthurian beliefs when he didn’t truly understand them. “For me, life has only been valuable insofar as it benefited my country. It might sound cynical, but it’s our way. Arthurians don’t have magic like you or Morgannians. All we have is cold, hard iron. We can’t afford to think with our hearts. But yes, I do realize we were cruel. I’m afraid in some regards, it can’t be helped.”

Larue glowered at me, huffing, but Dineiro’s eyes widened with realization. “I was cruel to you as well, wasn’t I?” he asked in a whisper.

“Don’t be silly.” I scoffed, walking a little faster to reach his side. “I injured you and actually planned to behead one of your kind. You have every right to be angry. But, please, try to understand.”

He nodded sagely. “Things in life are rarely black and white.”

As he scanned the distance, he suddenly shivered. On impulse, I took off my cloak. “You’re cold. Here, let me.”

I only remembered what he’d said about him never getting cold after I’d wrapped it around his shoulders. Still, he smiled and said, “Thank you. It’s not a physical chill, but this does help.”

“I really am sorry,” I said. “It’s my fault we’re stranded here in the first place.”

“Perhaps,” he answered, “but things rarely happen without a reason. I’m convinced we’ll find our way back.”

This time, when we fell into silence, it was no longer strained by fury and discomfort. We’d cleared the air a little, and while we still couldn’t fully understand each other, at the very least we could continue our journey without being at each other’s throats.

Naturally, attacking Dineiro again was the last thing I had in mind. Cancel that, I actually did consider pouncing on him, but only to kiss the hell out of those lips and caress his creamy skin to see if it was as soft as it looked. I wanted to hear his sweet, soft voice cry out in pleasure as I took him. Great Gods be damned, I craved him too much for it to be sane. I was both thankful and dismayed that he’d accepted my cloak. It covered him a little, keeping me from seeing his lovely slender shaft and his delicate sac. On second thought, it might have been better if he hadn’t worn the damn thing. If I couldn’t touch him, seeing him would have to do.

When he gave me an inquiring look, I shook myself, struggling to control my errant dick. As a shape-shifter, he probably had advanced senses and could detect my arousal, but that didn’t mean I could just turn into a mindless rutting beast.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, his friends decided I was getting a little too close to Dineiro. Vesper melted into his rabbit shape and jumped into Dineiro’s arms, cuddling close to him, while Larue decided it was a good idea to fly between us, creating an invisible barrier of pixie dust.

Dineiro sneezed. “I’m allergic to it,” he explained sheepishly as he put some space between us.

Suppressing a sigh, I resigned myself to the fact that earning Dineiro’s trust and affection wouldn’t be easy. Gods, I didn’t even know why I wanted it. By rights, I should have been apprehensive of him. He was a dragon after all, and I had been taught that these beings were dangerous and cunning.

But in spite of what I’d told Dineiro, Arthurians did sometimes think with their hearts, and I was doing it now. Or maybe my cock was the true culprit. Either way, I planned to explore my strange desire to be with Dineiro. In spite of Vesper and Larue’s presence, it seemed that I’d have plenty of time to do so.

“So that’s why you sneezed back then,” I commented idly. “I admit it surprises me a little.”

“Surprised me, too,” Dineiro admitted. “I mean, I’m a fairy dragon. Even if I haven’t discovered my affinity, I should at least be able to commune with all magical creatures.”

“We do commune,” Larue protested. “It might be something about my physiology that you’re allergic to.”

The topic obviously upset him, and he also appeared to be getting tired. His small wings could hardly keep up with the brisk pace we used in our attempt to find shelter. I felt bad for the little guy. Both he and the rabbit were protective of Dineiro, something I appreciated a lot. He’d also given me another chance to approach the dragon, so I could extend an olive branch, too.

“Speaking of which,” I told him, “come here. You look tired. I’ll give a lift while you rest your wings.”

“Who do you think you are?” Larue growled angrily, blowing pixie dust in my face. Fortunately, I’d anticipated this reaction and ducked before he could blind me. “I’ll have you know that I’m perfectly—”

“Maybe he’s right, Larry,” Dineiro said. “I mean, given that nightfall will soon arrive, it’s better to be ready.”

He released a frustrated huff, but nevertheless agreed and reluctantly sat on my shoulder, crossing his small legs and pouting. After a while, he leaned on my ear, which I admitted was a little strange. It was worth it, though, because it made Dineiro smile.

“What?” I asked him. “I’ll have you know I have experience with people who tend to push themselves.”

“Your brothers?” the dragon guessed.

I nodded, shocked that I was sharing so much private information with him. “Leonard in particular goes completely overboard. Between Medwin and I, we manage to get him to take a breather. I suspect that at times, he feels nothing he ever does will suffice to prepare him for leading the country. He has some pretty big shoes to fill.” Our father was a great king and making Arthuria far more prosperous than our neighbors had ever thought it would be. It was only because of our wealth that Morgannians were even considering strengthening the tentative truce between our nations into an alliance.

But I didn’t want to think about that now. Instead, I focused on my companion and asked him, “What about you? Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

His small smile faded at my question. “I’m not sure,” he replied quietly. “Perhaps I do. I left my tribe a long time ago.”

I frowned at his words. “Surely you can’t have lost touch with them. I mean, you’re so young. When exactly did you leave?”

“It’s been two years,” he answered. I was a little taken aback since two years didn’t seem to warrant that kind of sadness. Then, he amended, “Pardon me. Two dragon years. In your time, it would be…Two hundred, give or take?”

“You’re two hundred years old?” I practically screeched. “Gods be damned…Are you serious?”

And here I’d thought he must be younger than me. He barely looked twenty, if that. He winced at my less than positive reaction. “I am young, in dragon terms.”

Damn it. I’d made him self-conscious. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded,” I hastily said. “I was just shocked. Let me guess…Your two friends are in a similar situation.”

“Quite,” Larue replied, flicking my ear. “You’re beginning to learn, human. By the time you reach our age, you might actually understand the world a little.”

I fell quiet at that. I would never live as long as they did. It was an undeniable fact I never even thought about. Somehow, it made me sad now, and not for the obvious reason. I didn’t fear death. What saddened me was to realize just how fundamentally different Dineiro and I were.

Oddly enough, he seemed to guess my thoughts, or at least my mood. “Don’t worry,” he told me. “Things have a way of working themselves out. Even when a situation looks hopeless, it’s not always the case.”

“Really? Do our present circumstances count?”

“Most definitely.” He smiled. “Sometimes, you just have to have faith it will all be all right in the end.”

“And do you have faith in that?” I asked softly, gazing deep into his lovely purple eyes.

“I have faith in you.”

The words shook me to the core. He was so shy, and so innocent. In spite of him being nearly ten times my age, I feared that I might taint him with my jaded view of the world if I touched him. He had no reason to trust me, not after what I had done, and yet, he’d opened up to me. I could easily imagine his innocence sweeping over me, giving me a goal and a life beyond being a tool for a more important older brother.

Before I could offer any coherent reply, Magda intervened, “Not to interrupt you two,” she pointed out, “but the sun is setting.”

She was, of course, correct. As I turned away from Dineiro, I noticed that in the distance, the last rays of sunlight now colored the clouds in vivid shades of crimson. Larue actually whimpered, clutching my hair in a nearly painful hold. I shared a concerned look with my dragon.

“Come on,” I said. “We’ll make camp. If someone tries to attack us, I’ll protect you.”

We stopped and began to prepare ourselves for a long night. I felt honestly dismayed that in these seemingly endless plains, there seemed to be nothing but grass. I hadn’t even seen any living being except us.

But I refused to let the oddity of the situation defeat me. Ever since entering Merlinia, nighttime had been strange. Granted, I hadn’t been aware that some sort of creatures lurked around me, hunting other beings with magical abilities, but now that I was, I would protect my dragon. And damn it, I really had to stop thinking about Dineiro as mine.

I retrieved my supplies from the saddlebags and began to work. Soon, I’d made a reasonably comfortable nest of blankets and gestured for Magda to remain close by. I couldn’t be sure, but I guessed that my regular routine wouldn’t change tonight and it would rain again. Her heat would help the three magical creatures weather the coming storm.

“You three should stay there,” I told my companions. “Get some sleep. I’ll keep watch.”

Dineiro looked like he wanted to protest. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. What if you can’t see them? They might hurt you.”

“It’s all right,” Magda offered. “I’ll help with that. Rest. You’re all exhausted.”

In response, the little dragon removed the cloak I’d loaned him and wrapped it around my shoulders. “You’re a good man,” he whispered in my ear. “Don’t ever doubt that.”

Was he a mind reader? Did he know how I doubted myself? I honestly couldn’t read him, and didn’t get the chance to ask. All of a sudden, he melted into his dragon form.

Seeing him again like this was, admittedly, a little disconcerting. My mind still had a little trouble reconciling the image of the purple-haired young man with the purple-scaled magical beast. But in both forms, he was just as beautiful. On impulse, I reached out and touched his reptilian face. He seemed surprised but wordlessly leaned into my caress.

“Thank you,” I whispered. “I promise I won’t let you down.”

I didn’t know if he believed me. I didn’t know if I believed myself. Either way, we couldn’t allow ourselves further conversation. Larue and Vesper slipped into Dineiro’s pouch—and when in the world had I stopped considering that strange?—and the dragon slowly made his way to the nest of blankets, purple tail swishing. He was strangely elegant, even in this form, and for a few moments, I got distracted by the way his scales glittered in the waning light. When he lay down, though, I got to work again. I gave Magda some water and brushed her down a little, although I didn’t have time to focus on her as much as I normally would have. Scouting around revealed very little regarding our location, other than what we already knew. However, with a degree of effort, I even managed to make a small fire, even if the only thing I had to work with as raw material was dry grass. Sadly, I could provide my companions with no dinner, but I doubted they could have eaten anyway.

“Let’s hope the fire will help keep these things at bay,” I said.

“Perhaps it will,” Dineiro answered, “although I doubt it will be so easy.”

“Tell me more about these creatures,” I inquired, sitting down on a rock and whittling my sword. It always paid to be informed regarding your opponent. “What exactly are we up against? Magda didn’t care to share what she knew with me.”

My mare huffed, sounding displeased. “How would that have helped? They wouldn’t come for you.”

I peered closer to her, narrowing my eyes. One of the worst things about having a magical equine as a best friend was that I could never read her expression. I had in time learned a couple of tricks, though, and because of that, I managed to realize something. Even if the situation wasn’t in the slightest bit amusing, I released a victorious aha. “You didn’t see them either, did you?”

“Few people actually have,” my dragon replied in her stead, “and accounts vary a lot. Some people have described them as spirits, ghosts. Others believe them to be monsters of sorts. Either way, we do know that they prey on magic.”

Well, that wasn’t very reassuring. Out of the two descriptions, I certainly hoped the latter would be correct. I didn’t fear monsters, but sadly, my sword and crossbow were of no use against ghosts.

As I mused over this, I caught on to something Dineiro had said. “They prey on magic, not magical creatures?”

From the safety of Dineiro’s pouch, Larue grumbled, “Does this look like an opportune moment to argue about semantics?”

“There is a difference,” I pointed out. “A small one, but there is. Let’s take the common mosquito. He needs blood to feed and yes, he carries diseases, but he preys on humans’ blood, not humans.”

“Well, actually, there is this one species of mosquito that—”

Dineiro covered Vesper’s mouth with a claw, something I felt quite thankful for. It might have been naïve, but when I’d made my analogy, I hadn’t imagined huge man-eating mosquitoes existed in Merlinia. Apparently, I’d been mistaken.

“That’s beside the point,” Dineiro said. “I admit I’m not entirely certain about the nature of spirit hunters, but what we do know is that the victims of their attacks are never the same again. Our magic is a part of us, Kirril. To have it stolen would be akin to death.”

I imagined the glow of Dineiro’s scales fading, that discreet hum of energy that came from him disappearing. Just the thought made me angry. Dineiro might not have learned how to use his magic, but I wouldn’t let anyone take it.

“They’ll have to get through me first,” I said, fully meaning the words.

A few minutes passed while we waited in terse silence. I wanted to crawl at Dineiro’s side like his lucky two friends, but instead, I scanned the horizon for any approaching beast, or even a blur of motion. Arthurians might not have magic, but our sharply honed senses had helped us circumvent that. Given the fact that there was virtually no obstacle to obstruct my line of sight, I would definitely see something should a foe approach us.

Nothing happened. The wind continued to blow idly. It was getting a little colder now, much as it had in previous evenings, but beyond that, I noticed no change. I remained on my guard, knowing that it was too soon for the mysterious spirit hunters to make their appearance. If Dineiro and his friends were correct, they wouldn’t make their appearance until well into the evening, and the sun hadn’t even completely set.

In spite of my attempts to prepare, however, I was taken completely by surprise when the last rays of light finally disappeared. The ground actually started to shake. The fire went out, and my dragon released a startled yelp, jumping out of the nest of blankets and clinging to my side. Magda neighed, sounding frightened, and I held my sword up, ready to take on whatever was coming.

The world blurred, much like it had when we’d first ended up here. When my vision cleared, a part of me thought, “You have got to be kidding me.” The other wondered whether I’d lost my sanity, probably about the time when I’d met the gaze of a lovely purple dragon.

Impossibly, the Forgotten Steppes had disappeared, and we were now standing in what seemed to be a desert of sorts. The vegetation had completely melted, leaving behind a barren wasteland. Other than that, though, nothing had changed. Our blankets remained in the same position, as did the Rainbow Brick Road. It was almost as if night had transported us into a different version of the Steppes. Reality simply had a whole different meaning in Merlinia.

Ominous clouds gathered above, making my dragon gasp. “They’re coming.”

“Stay behind me,” I told him. “Magda, watch my back, and no matter what happens, keep an eye on them.”

“Got it,” she replied.

One would ask himself what a horse could do under such dire circumstances. A normal one might have been so spooked it would have taken off running a long time ago. But Magda was special. She’d been my companion through many battles, as Arthuria’s prosperity had naturally drawn the greedy eye of various peoples, organized or otherwise. Still, in spite of having faced pirates, mercenaries, bandits, and armies, I still didn’t feel fully prepared for this. I suspected that what unsettled me most was having Dineiro here. I was far too focused on the fact that I could lose him to keep a clear head.

Clutching the handle of my sword like an anchor, I remembered all the lessons the blade masters at the castle had painstakingly taught me. When the storm exploded over the now-barren steppes, I faced it, protecting Dineiro from it with my own body. As rain fell, I could swear I heard laughter in the air, low voices whispering things I couldn’t understand.

Suddenly, my dragon released a high-pitched whine. I turned, only to see the angry wind lifting him up, threatening to steal him from me. He was trying to fight it, but his wing was still weak from where I’d shot him. In the meantime, Magda was rearing wildly, also being pulled up. In the expanse of a few moments, I made a decision. Dropping my sword, I grabbed her reins and with my other hand, reached for Dineiro, grabbing his hind leg.

With a grunt, I pulled him down and held him close. He was trembling, shielding his pouch with his clawed paw. But the hunters wouldn’t be deterred. Lightning flashed in the sky, and the icy rain created a curtain that prevented me from seeing anything. Dineiro’s body seemed to emanate heat, though, and I stood my ground, hoping and praying they would leave us alone.

It wasn’t meant to be. An even more powerful gust of wind swept over us. Magda’s reins snapped and I watched with horror as she was swept away by the hurricane. I was somehow pushed back away from Dineiro, staggering as the storm threatened to kidnap my dragon as well.

Dineiro screamed, and somehow, in spite of the entire force of the storm trying to hold me back, I jumped on him, managing to pin him to the ground. As I did so, however, two white forms slid out of Dineiro’s pouch, protesting in small familiar voices and trying to reach for us. Before I could do anything about it, Larue and Vesper had vanished as well.

I covered Dineiro’s body with my own, knowing I could do virtually nothing to protect him. As many battles as I had fought, no man could hope to defeat the forces of nature. Thankfully, though, the spirit hunters’ hunger seemed to have been appeased. The thought filled me with both relief and horror at what price they had demanded. The storm eased, until it stopped altogether, and the night became clear. When at last I felt sure that the coast was clear, I got off Dineiro, pulling him up with me.

His eyes were wide with shock and grief and tears streamed down his reptilian cheeks. “My friends, Kirril…My friends are gone.”

It didn’t matter that he was still in his reptilian form. I hugged him close and kissed his forehead. “We’ll find them, baby. We’ll find them and Magda.”

Dineiro cuddled close to me, and he melted back into his human shape, crawling into my lap. In spite of his nakedness, it wasn’t about arousal or anything sexual, but about comfort. As I held him, I mentally vowed that I’d find Larue, Vesper, and Magda. The spirit hunters might not know it now, but they’d messed with the wrong Arthurian.

Chapter Five:

In Which a Rescue is Attempted, a New Friend Appears, and a Choice is Made

We didn’t linger too long at our former campsite. I was still shaken and brokenhearted, but I knew that tears wouldn’t help my friends. We still had a chance to find and rescue them, but if we wanted to do so, we needed to hurry. At daybreak, reality would most likely shift again. They would be stuck as prisoners, and Kirril and I would have to wait for at least thirteen hours to continue our search.

Knowing this, we quickly gathered the remnants of Kirril’s supplies. Most everything was a mess. The blankets were torn and soggy and the crossbow shattered. The sword had, however, survived, and miraculously, so had the satchel where he kept his medicine.

Once our task was done, he wrapped his cloak around me and shouldered the bag. Together, we walked toward the road that had brought us here in the first place. “Right. Now which way do we go?” I asked.

“I think the clouds came from that direction,” he said, pointing north.

I sniffed the air, hoping to find a trace of my friends. To my surprise, I sneezed. Kirril’s blue eyes widened. “Excellent!” he said. “We’ll use that.”

My sensitive nose did indeed guide us north, just like Kirril had said. Sadly, just as I thought we might have a chance to find my friends, the pixie dust left behind by Larue finally faded. We’d have continued to go on, convinced that we were headed the right way, but unexpectedly, we reached a crossroads.

This had never happened before. Intellectually, I understood what it meant. The Path of Fate wasn’t straight. It couldn’t be blindly followed. Sometimes, people had to make a choice, and that choice could set the course of their entire existence.

“What do we do now?” I inquired, unable to keep the despair from my voice as I stopped. We couldn’t even separate and take one path each since there were three different directions.

“We need to think.” Kirril looked around, obviously trying to figure out an answer. “There are three roads…It can’t be coincidence. Could it be that each of our friends was taken in a different place?”

My mind just about melted at that. Did this mean that we had to choose who would live and who would die? That couldn’t be it, right?

The thought made something inside me crumble in despair. My knees buckled, and I collapsed onto the path, suddenly drained. The only thing I’d wanted was a home with a mate and my friends. Granted, my other half wasn’t exactly what I’d expected, but after spending a little more time with him, I’d realized that I’d been unfair in my original assessment. He was brave and thoughtful, even if he didn’t fully realize it. I’d hoped that we could perhaps find our way back to the Laughing Forest and explore our attraction a little more, but it seemed I wouldn’t get the chance. How could I possibly do such a thing when my friends were missing? I felt selfish and horrible just for wishing it.

Angry and frustrated, I pounded the bricks with my fists. Kirril knelt by my side, embracing me with his powerful warrior arms. He’d protected me and had kept me from being harmed. I felt safe with him, far safer than I deserved to be.

A voice startled me from my depressing musings. “Well now, don’t take your fury out on me. It’s not nice.”

I yelped and recoiled, falling back against Kirril. “What in the world…?”

“It’s the road,” Kirril choked out. “It’s speaking.”

“Quite so.” The path glowed brighter, a million colors flashing over us. When it spoke again, it almost sounded smug. “You didn’t imagine you people were the only ones with consciousness. Tsk, tsk, Dineiro. I can accept arrogance from humans, but not you.”

“Who are you?” I asked, now trembling. Was this another trap?

“You know who I am, but that name is such a mouthful.” The voice hummed, as if considering. “How about you call me Rainbow. No! Bowie…I like that.”

Great Goddess above, was it being serious? Apparently so. Kirril squeezed my hand, quietly telling me to remain calm. “Well, Bowie, could you possibly tell us which way to go? We seem to have reached an impasse.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” the path replied with a sigh. “You know how it is. You have to make your own choice.”

“Well, yes,” Kirril replied, “but nothing says it can’t be an informed choice. Is one of them in more danger than the others?”

“Oh, they’re not in any danger.” The road chortled. “The supposed spirit hunters just like to be dramatic.”

“Wait…What?” I couldn’t believe my ears. “How can they not be in danger?”

“I have a little confession to make.” Bowie almost sounded embarrassed. “I get bored easily. And when I get bored, I enjoy matchmaking.”

“Matchmaking,” I repeated in disbelief. “So Kirril and I…”

“You two were going to meet eventually.” If Bowie had been a person, he’d have probably shrugged and waved its—his?—hand dismissively. “Might as well meet now, when you can at least make use of it.”

Kirril and I stared at each other. What did he think about these revelations? Had he realized he was my mate, or did humans not know these things? The latter option was more probable.

In any case, I couldn’t afford to worry about that now. No matter what this road said, I still worried about my friends.

As if guessing my thoughts, Bowie tsked again. “It almost looks like you don’t trust me. Ah, well. There you go. I’ll let you see for yourselves.”

Three orbs appeared, hovering over the three paths. I peeked into them, and realized in shock that I could see Vesper, Larue, and Magda, one in each orb, just like Bowie had said. The image wasn’t very clear, but Magda seemed to be in a stable of sorts, being brushed down by the caring hands of a blonde woman. The mare didn’t appear to be panicking, and when her host scratched her ear, she actually released a pleased whinny. We couldn’t see the woman’s face, but her gentleness suggested that Magda might, indeed, be safe.

“Traitor,” Kirril mumbled. “Here I am worrying my ass off, and she’s warm, dry, and enjoying herself.”

For all his words, he was clearly relieved. As we passed onto Vesper, we saw him sulking in the arms of another woman, this time with fiery-red hair. She was clutching him between her generous breasts, much to my friend’s dismay, and for the first time, he seemed to realize that a cute bunny shape might not be so safe after all.

I’d have actually thought that the road was deceiving Kirril and me with these somewhat comforting images, but then, I looked into Larue’s orb. Unlike the other two, he didn’t seem to be even reasonably at ease with his current circumstances. In fact, he was at present attempting to fight off something that looked like a huge black feline.

“Oh, no,” I gasped out. “It’s going to hurt him.”

Bowie snorted, but finally said, “For your peace of mind, I’m going to take you there. It looks like you’ll bore me with your whining until I do.”

It was the last warning I got before the world shifted once more. I had the foresight to cling to Kirril, so I didn’t feel as confused and off-balance as I had been the last time. However, that didn’t change the shock I experienced at the change in scenery. This time, the barren desert had disappeared, replaced by a rocky mountain. High upon the peaks, a quiet castle lay, its dark towers making me shiver with apprehension.

“Well, I guess that’s our destination,” Kirril said. “Come on.”

I half expected the path to actually make another comment, but it didn’t. As such, I clung to Kirril’s hand as he led me toward the large castle gates. He seemed to have no fear, and I found comfort in that. Oddly enough, his cloak, still wrapped around me, made me feel a little safer, although that thought made very little sense.

We reached our destination completely undisturbed. The gates were guarded by huge gargoyles, one of whom was grinning, the other weeping. I could have probably flown over the fence, but somehow, I had a feeling it wouldn’t be that easy.

Before we could take a decision on that account, a sudden voice startled me from my contemplation of the castle. In a way, Bowie’s appearance had prepared me for anything, though, and I couldn’t say I was very surprised when the laughing gargoyle said, “Hi. We have a lot of visitors today. Come right in.”

The gates slowly opened, revealing a quiet courtyard of stone and the looming castle in the distance. “I’m so happy,” the weeping gargoyle said. “We won’t be so lonely anymore.”

“Err…Thanks,” Kirril replied, obviously uncertain what to make of this new development. “We appreciate your help.”

“Oh, and he’s polite, too.” The first guardian laughed. “I’m sure we’ll have lots of fun together.”

For some reason, his words made me bristle. “The only person he’ll have fun with is me. Got that?”

Kirril blinked in shock, while the crying gargoyle sobbed harder, its tears falling onto the ground and turning into dust. “Oh, that’s so sweet. He’s possessive. Isn’t young love just grand?”

“Especially when one of the lovers runs around naked all the time,” his companion pointed out.

I decided that if I was going to remain in human shape for much longer, I needed to find more clothes. I didn’t actually need them, but for the purpose of decency, it seemed they were necessary.

For the moment, I pushed back those thoughts as irrelevant. My friend was somewhere beyond these gates, perhaps in danger of being eaten by a huge cat. Grabbing Kirril’s hand, I ignored the still chortling and sobbing gargoyles, as well as the sound of the gates closing behind us with a resounding bang. We didn’t let it discourage us, however, and we crossed the courtyard, walking all the way to the huge castle doors.

Similarly enthusiastic gargoyles awaited us and allowed us entrance before we even reached for the dishearteningly large knocker shaped like a large lion head. “So far so good,” Kirril murmured. “Be ready. It can’t be as easy as it seems.”

I nodded, very much aware that if the owner of this castle had kidnapped Larue, he or she wouldn’t release my friend just like that. We walked into a dark, large foyer, the sound of our footsteps obscenely loud on the marble floor. I suppressed the urge to call out “hello,” just to hear how it echoed against the walls.

Every shadow seemed to hide an enemy, so I was more than a little relieved when all of a sudden, torches flared to life. My instincts sensed a new presence, and as I turned, I saw a tall, dark elf descending a wide staircase. He was carrying a black cat, which I assumed must have been the one I’d seen toying with Larue. Of course, it would have only been huge for Larue because of my friend’s small size. Eyeing the feline, I tried to assess if I could see a Larue-shaped bump in its stomach, but I couldn’t tell.

I glowered at the elf, obviously the owner of this huge castle. “You took our friend,” I said without preamble. “Return him to us.”

The elf chuckled. “You certainly aren’t shy about what you want.”

“Mmmmm,” the cat said, lazily stretching against the elf’s chest. “Relax, Dineiro. Your friend is just fine. I’ll take you to see him soon. But first, welcome to my castle.”

“Your castle?” my mate inquired, obviously surprised. “You’re a cat.”

The feline snickered, and I, of course, realized there was more to it than what appearances showed. “That’s what you think, dragon slayer. I am Dr. Victor Frankenstein. You can call me Victor or Doctor, if you so prefer. I’m the owner of this lovely residence.”

It was certainly something, although I wouldn’t have called it lovely. But I had more important things to worry about than the state of Victor Frankenstein’s castle.

“This is Igor, my assistant,” the cat continued, unaware or ignoring my less than pacified attitude.

“Your assistant,” Kirril repeated. “What exactly does he do?”

“Mostly, he grooms me,” he replied steadily, “feeds me, you know, that sort of thing.” He purred contentedly as the elf, Igor apparently, scratched his ear. “He also found me a mate.”

At that, alarm bells started to ring in my head. “A mate? You don’t mean…”

“Larue, yes. Come. We’ll show you to him.”

“Don’t look so surprised,” Igor told me. “Surely, you must have known that your friend would someday find his other half.”

“Well, yes,” I replied morosely, “but I didn’t think it would be like this.”

Igor shook his head, and I honestly couldn’t read him at all. He started to go back up the stairs and gestured for us to follow.

It was Kirril who spoke next. “You said you were a doctor. What exactly do you do, if I’m not being indiscreet?”

“Well, yes. I’m actually an engineer.” He perked up, his black feline ears twitching in obvious excitement. “Technology is the future, my dear dragon, and I’ve found a perfect way to further our advancement.”

Before he could elaborate on that, his assistant stopped in front of a large door. The moment Igor pushed it open and we stepped inside, I found myself pounced on by a familiar, small figure.

“Dini!” Larue screeched. “Oh, Goddess…You have to see this.”

I sneezed as his wings excitedly beat around me, sending pixie dust all over the place. Larue fortunately realized it and flew a little farther. Much to my surprise, he sat in Igor’s arms, or rather, on the cat.

“I see you’ve made yourself quite comfortable here,” I drawled at him.

“Well, it was kind of scary at first, but now…” He shrugged and absently petted the black cat. I wondered if he even realized what he was doing it. “You really have to see it, Dini. It’s amazing.”

I was really intrigued now, and rightly so, it would seem. Igor walked to what seemed to be a large screen with a slab of glowing symbols in front of it. On the screen, letters appeared, forming what seemed to be a message. “I call it magical mail, m-mail, for short. It’s largely fueled by the magic of the user, so Igor and I have only had moderate success with it. Larue, however, has mastered it with ease and is able to communicate at great distances now.”

Larue nodded excitedly. “I m-mailed Vesper, and he replied just now. You should try it, Dini. With the magic you hold, it’ll be a snap.”

My mate gave the item a skeptical look. “It could be a trick.”

Doctor Frankenstein scoffed, sounding affronted. “It’s science. Count Vlad is quite open-minded and was among the first who purchased the experimental product from me. Besides, I would not play a trick on Larue.”

I trailed my finger over the slab, wondering how it worked. The symbols seemed to send energy into my palm, and as if I’d known this magic forever, I created a message for our bunny friend. It obediently appeared on the screen, just like I’d wanted.

“Very good,” the doctor said approvingly. “Now, just think about your friend and the message will instantly be sent to him. It is very easy as Count Vlad owns a device himself. I’m working on further applications of my invention. I hope that once I’m done, we’ll be able to communicate with people all over the world. Even Arthuria.”

My mate actually seemed interested now. “That would be very useful. Arthurians need to learn more about Merlinians. We have a lot of mistaken perceptions, and I’m only finding it out now, through Dini.”

Victor actually looked a little impressed. “You’re quite correct, Prince Kirril. And you are in the perfect position to change that.”

The machine made a sound, and I saw that I had indeed received a message. “Dini!” it said. “Save me. These women are…They’re perfuming my fur. I can’t bear it.”

I snickered and wrote back. “The solution is easy. Change shapes. Then you won’t be so cute anymore.”

He didn’t reply again, and I wondered if I needed to be worried about that. As if guessing my thoughts, our host said, “Don’t be concerned. Count Vlad won’t allow any real harm to come to your friend. At most, he’ll end up harassed by Vlad’s harem. It always happens to me when I visit.”

“Perhaps we could go see them, too,” I said hopefully.

“I’d advise against that,” Igor replied. “The sun will be rising soon. If you leave the castle, you’ll end up back in your normal Merlinian reality.”

The cat nodded sagely. “Right now, you’ve slipped into an alternate dimension only accessible at night. You’re still in Merlinia, but one different from yours. My castle will keep you here, just like any of your chosen homes would have kept you in your usual dimension.”

That made sense, although I still had many questions, with the most important one being the identity of the spirit hunters. Also, how in the world had night passed so quickly?

But then, time and space had little meaning in Merlinia, and in some respects, I was used to these oddities. “Perhaps you’ll care to get some sleep,” Igor suggested. “I’m sure that you and Prince Kirril still have a great deal of things to discuss once you awaken.”

The way his black eyes glinted suggested that he was aware of my desire for Kirril. It was probably very easy to see. I hadn’t left Kirril’s side since we’d entered the castle, and no matter what I did, I always attempted to touch him.

Maybe Igor was right. I was pretty reassured that my friends were safe. Vesper’s fur aside, it didn’t seem like any damage had come to them. The time had come for me to solve my own problems.

I smiled at the elf. “I think I’ll take you up on that invitation.”

Chapter Six:

In Which Our Characters Censored

Igor the elf led us to the guest wings, where two rooms had already been assigned to us. After showing us around, he promptly took his leave. With a brief, mysterious smirk, Dineiro disappeared into his quarters. I could do nothing but follow his example.

For all the apparent gloominess of the castle, the chambers I’d been given were quite comfortable. All right, so there were a couple of paintings that I suspected gave me a long look as I passed them, but I was slowly getting used to the oddity. For a brief moment, I entertained the thought that this might be nothing more than an elaborate dream. Perhaps in the morning, I’d wake up soaking wet from another rain, with Magda watching over me. Somehow, the notion scared me, and I had the urge to go next door and see if Dineiro was there, if he was real.

I didn’t get the chance to embarrass myself by rushing to the dragon’s quarters, as a knock sounded at my door. Hastily, I opened it, and to my poorly disguised relief, found Dineiro at the other side. He was still wearing my cloak and nothing else, and for some reason, the sight of him in just that awoke a possessiveness inside me that I didn’t dare analyze too deeply.

He smiled shyly when I gestured him inside. “I wanted to talk to you,” he whispered, fiddling with the edges of the cloak as if nervous.

“Sure,” I told him, my mouth suddenly dry. He stepped into the room, and I closed the door behind him, my heart suddenly beating a million miles an hour. I remembered all too well what Bowie had said about his hobbies. Matchmaking. Where did that leave Dineiro and me? I was pretty sure the attraction didn’t exist solely on my side, but I might be seeing what I wanted to see.

For a few seconds, he just looked around the room, his gaze lingering on the mysterious paintings. Finally, he turned toward me and pressed his body against mine. Before I knew what was going on, soft lips crushed mine in a clumsy, but passionate kiss that took my breath away.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I was no stranger to men taking their pleasure with other men. As a soldier, I’d had plenty of satisfying romps during our campaigns. But all of my experienced amounted to just that, empty pleasure and carnal satisfaction.

I’d never complained, of course. In a way, I hadn’t even acknowledged that it bothered me. But in my heart, I’d always known something was missing. In this simple, innocent kiss, I’d found that something.

It was truly nothing more than a closemouthed lip-lock, and yet, it held more passion and desire than anything I’d ever experienced. I had no clue as to how this was possible. Perhaps Dineiro really did have magic and had enchanted me from the very moment we’d first met. If it was so, I prayed to all the gods in existence that the spell would never break.

Groaning, I slid my hands under the cloak, touching him like I’d wanted from the very first moment I’d seen in him in shifted form. His skin was soft, and also apparently quite sensitive. No sooner had my fingertips come in contact with his body than he released a tiny moan of pleasure, his hard member insistently poking my thigh and demanding my attention. I took advantage of it and thrust my tongue into his mouth, tasting him for the very first time.

Kisses had never been extraordinarily enjoyable before. They’d been like a milestone to hit in the journey for something more interesting, and neither my partners nor I had wanted to linger on them. However, when I sampled Dineiro’s flavor, I completely revised my original assessment. He tasted like plums, fire, and something else that I couldn’t even hope to identify. And his passion…Gods…He melted against me as I ravished his mouth, making small noises of pleasure that had me harder than I ever remembered being. For fuck’s sake, I could already feel my orgasm closing in, sizzling in my balls, and we’d only shared one kiss.

Granted, he had been parading half-naked around me for the past couple of hours. I was surprised I hadn’t lost it until now and taken matters—so to speak—into my own hands. But at the same time, I was overjoyed that I had waited. In fact, I’d wait for as long as he needed me to, if I had the promise that we’d be together in the end.

I didn’t know where that thought had come from and how I’d gone from dragon slayer to dragon lover. Lover? Was love what I felt for Dineiro? It couldn’t be, right? Bards and poets eternally sang odes to this emotion, but I’d never experienced it, not in a romantic sense, at least. My affection for my parents, brothers, and Magda was nothing like this.

The thought distracted me and gave me the apparently impossible ability to break the kiss. “I think it’s safe to say we need to talk about this,” I said, panting. It wasn’t exactly unwarranted. He himself had wanted to discuss something with me before he’d suddenly pounced. Not that I was complaining, but unfortunately, a part of me was studiously ignoring that he was over two hundred years old. He just seemed too pure for words, and I didn’t want to hurt him.

“Can we talk later?” he purred, wrapping his arms around my neck to pull me back toward him. “I’d like to mate now.”

My mind just about melted at that, easily translating “mate” into “fuck” and “yes, Gods, yes.” Of course, it could have been my cock doing the translating, and in that case, he could have said anything from Magda’s my daughter to There’s a war going on between Arthuria and Morganna, and I’d have heard the same thing.

I undid the cloak still shielding his body and picked him up. “All right, baby. Whatever you want.”

I crossed the room, heading toward the huge bed dominating the area. As I placed him on the bed, I added, “We’re going to mate.”

His eyes widened, and all of a sudden, he looked startled. I stepped back, wondering what I’d said, or if I’d done something that could have frightened him. “What is it?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm and soothing.

“I can’t force you into something you don’t understand,” he replied, curling into a ball and in the process hiding his lovely erection from me. My cock wanted to protest that it, and I, understood the situation just fine, but Dineiro seemed in distress, and trying to push him would solve nothing.

Therefore, I sat on the edge of the bed and took refuge in the discipline instilled into me throughout my life as an Arthurian. “Tell me, Dini. Tell me what you came here to say.”

He gazed at me with those purple eyes that shone like the most precious of amethysts. “I don’t even know where to begin, but I’ll try to be brief. As you probably know, dragons are immortal. We can die, but not of old age. Throughout the course of our long lives, we have the chance of finding one perfect companion, our true mate. For some, it’s easy, and they encounter their destined other half in their tribe or other dragon communities. Others, like me, have to go looking. I didn’t find my mate in my tribe, so, as is our way, I left. My parents didn’t want to let me go, as I was too small and they feared for my life. But in spite of their efforts, they couldn’t keep me there.” He shook himself, as if physically trying to dispel a memory. “In any case…I think you’ve started to grasp what I’m getting at.”

“I’m your mate,” I said, a little dumbfounded. What an idiot I’d been. I’d like to mate didn’t mean I want to fuck, but I want to marry you. Oh, shit.

“You are,” Dineiro confirmed. “It’s why I was so hurt when I realized you’d come here to hunt my kind.”

My eyes fell on his shoulder, where the mark of the crossbow wound still remained. I was supposed to be the other half, and upon our first meeting, I’d nearly killed him. No wonder he’d been disappointed.

“But I realize now that I was wrong to trust that first impression,” he added. “You’re far more than a slayer. You’re a soldier, a brave one, aiming to protect his loved ones. You care.”

His scrutiny and earnestness made me feel small. “I’m just a man,” I replied. “You’re the special one here.”

Dineiro shook his head adamantly and, moving faster than I’d expected, jumped on me again. This time, his weight pushed me back onto the bed, and I hit the mattress with an ooph. “I think there’s something between us, Rili,” he whispered, his voice like the trill of a lovely songbird. “Can you see it? Can you feel what I do?”

I’d never been too fond of people using pet names to address me. I was Prince Kirril, not Kirri, not Rili, nothing like that. And yet, when Dineiro used it, I liked it. In fact, it helped me get a grip of the shapeless emotion just within my reach, one I’d been trying to avoid thinking about.

When I did so, I couldn’t help a small laugh. I’d always thought tales of love at first sight were just that, fanciful romance stories written for maidens who sat in their chaste chambers and dreamed about their prince charming. Oh, how mistaken I’d been. This feeling, this almost worshipful emotion…I could name it now. It was love.

Unfortunately, Dineiro interpreted my little chuckle in the wrong way. His face fell, and he started to pull back. I stopped him, grabbing his arm and rolling us around, until he was the one on the bottom. His purple hair fanned around him like a curtain of silk, and I surrendered to the impulse of sweeping my hand through it.

“Yes, baby. I feel it, too. I was laughing because I’m a huge idiot for not figure it out earlier.”

I pressed my body close to his, and at that, his amethyst-like eyes started to glaze over, gaining that aroused look again. “I want to claim you,” he gasped out, each word punctuated by a pant. “But if I do it, it’s forever. Our lives will be bound.”

Forever was a long time, but my concern had nothing to do with that. “Will you be hurt because I’m mortal?” I asked, my earlier fears returning with a vengeance. The last thing I wanted was for his life to be in danger because I would eventually die.

“No,” he whispered, his voice choked. “It doesn’t work that way. My magic will make you lose your mortality instead. You shouldn’t take this decision lightly.”

What was there to decide? I understood what he meant. If I became like him, I’d have to watch my family, my friends, perhaps even my country die. I would never be able to return to my homeland, at least not to my previous position. Dragons weren’t welcome in Arthuria, and my place would be with Dineiro. I’d have to stay in Merlinia.

But the alternative, leaving Dineiro, was too soul crushing to even consider. Perhaps we’d have some time together even if I didn’t accept his gift. But it would never be enough. No, I had to make a choice.

“Thank you,” I murmured, brushing a kiss against his lips. “Thank you for making things clear for me. You already know my answer, don’t you?”

“Rili…I…” Tears pooled at the corner of his eyes. “I…don’t want you to hate me.”

“I’d never hate you,” I replied, licking the salty liquid off his cheeks. “I’m in love with you.”

And with those words, I pressed my mouth to his, delving my tongue into the wet cavern once more. His cock, which had gone a little soft during our serious conversation, went rock hard again. My body responded, and I ground against him, the delicious, tantalizing friction fueling my lust and my passion.

All thoughts of reality beyond this moment vanished. I couldn’t even remember what we’d been debating. The only thing I knew was that I wanted Dineiro, and I wanted him forever.

I only broke our kiss when the need to breathe forced me to. “Will you let me make love to you, Dini?” I murmured in his ear. “I think it’s time for us to mate.”

* * * *

There was nothing more beautiful for a dragon than being in his or her other half’s embrace. It could only be compared with flying, but even the absolute freedom I felt when soaring high up into the Merlinian skies paled when faced with Kirril’s touch.

His whisper, his agreement to what I craved so very much, made me feel like I’d fallen into a dream. He’d understood what I’d told him. I could see it in his eyes. He’d grasped that he’d lose everything that had defined him so far, even his Arthurian identity. I was almost afraid to claim him, because I knew how much he would suffer.

But at the same time, I realized all too well that refusing him, denying us both, would hurt him, and me, even more. It wouldn’t be easy, but I would love him so much that I’d soothe his soul. It was the only way.

With that thought came acceptance, and I licked my lips and nodded. “I’m yours,” I replied. “I always have been.”

He released a growl, almost sounding like one of my kind. When he kissed me again, I forgot all about my earlier misgivings. His lips were so soft, but his blond stubble a little rough, the two different sensations complementing each other perfectly. How could we possibly fight against something that was so true and real?

His hands traveled all over my body, leaving behind trails of fire. The beast inside me awoke, and I allowed myself to do some exploring of my own. Unlike me, he was wearing clothes, and my whine of discontent was swallowed into his kiss. Why in the world did humans insist on such ridiculous things? Okay, so pixies wore their little suits, too, but they were by far easier to discard than these stubborn, clingy things.

Frustrated, I didn’t even realize that I’d summoned my claws until his light leather armor ripped under my touch. Whatever tunic he was wearing underneath didn’t have much of a chance, either. It was quite astounding, since I rarely used my claws in human form. He didn’t seem to mind my actions, though, groaning when I touched him for the first time.

Fortunately, in spite of my eagerness, I managed to retract the sharp tips before I shredded his back like I had his armor. And what a lovely back it was, muscular and strong, clearly revealing his life as a warrior. I wanted to see and feel the rest of him, but the angle made it uncomfortable or even impossible for me to reach most of his clothes.

He must have guessed my predicament, as he briefly pulled away. In frantic motions, he took off the remnants of his armor and tunic, then progressed toward the boots. Dazed, I watched him strip, for some reason finding the swift efficiency sexy. But then, I found most of the things about my mate sexy. How could I not?

Soon, he had discarded his clunky footwear and worked on the laces of his pants. As he undid them, my gaze was drawn to his more than generous package. Unable to help myself, I reached for him, tentatively tracing the line of his hard dick. His fingers fumbled, tangling in the laces. “Baby, if you’re going to keep doing that, I’ll never get naked,” he said huskily.

That was quite a threat, except a determined dragon would not allow a little thing like pants to get between him and his mate’s erect penis. Meeting his gaze, I gave him a hand—a claw—and helped him undo the stubborn bindings. Kirril wiggled out of his pants, and at last, he was blissfully naked.

As soon as he abandoned the last of his Goddess-damned clothing, I struck. Pushing him back against the mattress, I lowered my mouth over his dick and took it all the way into my throat. I’d never done such a thing before, but I’d heard stories from the others in my tribe. I’d also discussed it with my friends, and Larue had been particularly pissed that, due to my reptilian nature, I had no gag reflex. In his opinion, it was an unfair advantage dragons had been given. Either way, right now I was more than happy to use it for my mate’s pleasure.

Indeed, Kirril seemed more than appreciative with regard to my untrained efforts. I’d never been with anyone before, but I followed my instincts and bobbed my head up and down his shaft, sucking for all I was worth. His hands threaded through my hair, guiding me down. At first, he obviously attempted not to push me or force me into anything I couldn’t handle. While I appreciated that, it truly wasn’t necessary. I might have been small, but I wasn’t frail. And Goddess have mercy, his passion enflamed me more than I’d have imagined. The taste of his pre-cum on my tongue drugged me, making me crave more. I loved his gentleness, but I ached for his unleashed lust.

Fortunately, Kirril had his limits, too. When I squeezed his hip in sign that it was all right to let go, he snapped. He started to fuck my mouth in earnest, shoving his prick all the way into my throat. More than ever thankful for my dragon nature, I accepted it all and demanded more, moaning around his thick cock. My own pleasure seemed to echo his, and just hearing him lost in his desire for me awoke every nerve in my body.

At last, Kirril surrendered the battle to my enthusiastic ministrations. Thrusting one last time into my mouth, he roared and came. When his ejaculate filled my mouth, a sense of complete ecstasy flowed over me. An unexpected orgasm exploded through my body, more powerful than anything I’d ever experienced before. It was shocking, especially since I hadn’t even touched myself. All right, so I had been grinding against Kirril’s thigh, but that didn’t count.

I trembled through the waves of my climax, drinking down my mate’s sperm without missing a drop. It was with a great deal of reluctance that I finally released him. He pulled me up with a strength that surprised me. Given how drained I was, I’d have thought him to be in the same situation. When he kissed me, though, I couldn’t bring myself to complain.

In fact, one touch from him, and my libido reawakened. My beast was more eager than ever to claim him, and nothing would sate me before it happened.

He didn’t seem grossed out by the fact that he was essentially tasting his own spunk. When we broke apart again, he licked his lips and grinned. “That was nice. Do all dragons give amazing blow jobs, or is it just you?”

“Most are probably better at it,” I replied. “No gag reflex. I’m glad you liked it.”

“Mmmm…I did enjoy it tremendously. But I think you wanted more, isn’t that right, baby?”

I reached for his cock and was surprised to find it hard once again. Magical creatures and shifters were quite legendary for their stamina in the bedroom, but I hadn’t thought the same thing applied for humans.

“Don’t look so surprised.” Kirril chuckled. “How do you think Arthurians survived without magic?”

I stared at him. “You copulated your way out of conflicts?”

He almost looked affronted. “Good genes, baby. Virile men and fertile women. If you don’t believe me, I’ll be happy to prove it.”

This was the moment when I should have told him dragons were quite fertile, too. The words died in my throat, though, when he rolled us over and covered my body with his smaller one. “What do you say, Dini?” He nibbled on my ear as he spoke. “Would you like that?”

“Huh?” What had he asked again? I’d completely missed the question, being far too focused on how good it felt to have his weight pressing me into the mattress.

He chuckled, his breath tickling my skin and making me shudder with desire. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

It didn’t take a genius to grasp that message, but I didn’t mind him teasing me. I could do some teasing of my own. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I murmured, “One bit of trivia about dragons, love. Did you know we have self-lubricating anuses?”

He let out a choked noise that sounded like a cross between a moan and a growl. “You drive me crazy, baby.” His hands swept over my sides, slipping all the way down toward my ass, presumably to check.

Our positions made it hard for him to do so, and I decided to help out. As he pulled away a little, I lifted my legs into the air, practically bending myself into two. Another advantage of being a dragon. High flexibility.

Kirril held my gaze as his fingers nudged against my opening. One of them sank deep inside my slick channel, and I gasped, both surprised and a little overwhelmed at the sensations.

I’d told my mate the truth about my physiology. Our nether passages did self-lubricate, as in the long history of our species, we had adapted to different kinds of couplings. For us, gender didn’t matter in mates. Most dragons were naturally bisexual, although more often than not, we had an inclination toward a particular sex.

However, in all my years, I’d never actually had a lover touching me there. It was very different from my own touches, and when Kirril’s fingertip brushed over my prostate, I thought I might come again, just like that.

My reaction apparently encouraged him, snapping him from the lust-induced trance I’d managed to create. Slowly, he added another finger, scissoring the two inside me and rubbing my special spot with almost vicious determination.

“Rili,” I begged, “oh, please, Rili. Inside me.”

He didn’t reply, not in words, at least. His blue gaze remained trained on my face, keeping track of my reactions, probably trying to make sure I didn’t feel any discomfort. He needn’t have worried. The only pain I experienced was the one caused by the near mind-numbing desire to at last unite with my mate. His fingers teased me, dangling what I craved in front of me without truly granting it. Much to my dismay, I found my claws emerging, threatening to dig into his flesh.

His gaze darkened with an almost impossible desire as my beast roared to the surface. I’d never had my human form and my dragon one combining like this. It was a little frightening, but also freeing. Had I been afraid of it all this time?

“That’s it, baby,” he murmured. “Open up to me. Gods above, you’re so beautiful.”

I was thrilled that my mate found me esthetically pleasing, but words were no longer enough. I needed more, and I needed it now. “Please!” I shouted, my voice so desperate I almost didn’t recognize it as my own.

Thankfully, my mate took pity on me. He removed his fingers from my ass and used the remaining slickness on his cock. Supporting my legs on his powerful shoulders, he positioned his dick at my opening. Slowly, ever so slowly, he slid inside.

My people’s tales about Arthurians described them as brutes, cruel and unfeeling. But my mate was nothing like that. He was gentle with me, mindful of my inexperience, and at the same time, not seeming to mind at all that my shifter nature had started to show. His invasion burned a little, but my body accepted his cock greedily, needing to feel every inch of him. Finally, his massive shaft fully impaled me, filling me to the brink.

For a few moments, Kirril remained like that, not moving, but continuing to watch me carefully. “Okay?” he asked, his voice husky and strained.

I nodded, unable to speak due to the sensations burning inside me. He pulled out of me and thrust back inside, at first softly, careful not to jar me too much. I released a gasp of pleasure and finally managed to force two words out. “Harder…Rili…”

At last, Kirril complied. His hips snapped forward in an almost violent thrust that took me completely by surprise. Sparks of pleasure exploded through me as he struck my prostate, and I clung to him, trying to wordlessly convey my desperate desire.

We fell into a rhythm that was as natural as the turn of the sun and moon. Now seeming as frantic as me, Kirril increased the pace more and more, his gentleness melting into pure, inescapable lust. I writhed under him, every nerve ending in my body sizzling with pleasure and something else, something I couldn’t quite identify, or didn’t dare to.

With every brush of his cock against my special spot, I was propelled into a world where only Kirril and I existed. We moved together like longtime lovers, the awkwardness of a first encounter disappearing in the heat of our bond. His scent, his arousal, his touch, they engulfed me in a cocoon of passion, making my dragon emerge out of me more and more.

Under the circumstances, it came as no surprise that soon, I couldn’t hold my instinct back anymore. Releasing a small growl of my own, I followed my dragon’s lead and changed our positions once more, pushing Kirril back on the bed. His cock briefly slid out of my ass as I did so, but I didn’t let that deter me. Unlike before, I had more important things in mind than mere fellatio.

Before my mate could even figure out what I planned, I lowered myself on his dick again and started to furiously ride him. He accepted my little show of domination eagerly, thrusting up into my eager channel. In spite of my shifter speed and strength, we were completely in synch, completing each other perfectly.

Finally, just as the ecstasy was starting to reach its peak, my fangs dropped. I gazed into Kirril’s eyes and saw only eagerness and acceptance. Even through the haze of lust, he understood me. Smiling, he nodded, and my hesitation vanished. Lowering my mouth over his throat, I bit down, claiming him by the way of my people.

I’d heard many stories about the bond between mates, including from my mother and father. However, until this moment, I hadn’t actually realized just how deeply it would run. I actually felt it click into place, and it sent a rush through me that not only triggered my orgasm, but also reached to a hidden part of my heart I hadn’t been able to touch.

Magic rippled over my skin, and I felt my wings unfold naturally, in spite of me remaining in human form. My thoughts and Kirril’s became one, and as he climaxed as well, I felt his pleasure as if it were my own. More importantly, I sensed his love for me, impossibly true and real. Whatever doubts I might have had faded, replaced by certainty.

Through the strength of our bond, I found something deeper, an answer to the question that had been plaguing me for seemingly ages. I’d compared myself many times to my enormously powerful parents, tried to find my own affinity within theirs. How wrong I’d been. Dragons were normally elemental creatures, yes, but my power lay in a different field. I thanked Bowie, or fate, for it, because I didn’t think I could have burned people to a crisp or turned their blood into ice.

“Love,” my mate whispered inside my mind. “Your affinity is love. Why am I not surprised?”

As I released my hold on his throat, I smiled down at him. “Probably because you must have guessed even before I knew for sure.”

He grinned back, his entire being emanating peace and affection. “Perhaps. After all, I did fall for you within instants of first seeing you.”

My wings melted back into my body, and I allowed his member to slip out of me and collapsed by his side, spent. “Never mind that you shot me with a crossbow before.” I nibbled on his earlobe playfully to show him I didn’t care about that anymore. “You know, I never thought my mate would be a slayer, but now, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

He wrapped a possessive arm around my waist and kissed my forehead. “I know what you mean, baby. I know exactly what you mean.”

Chapter Seven:

In Which a New Journey Begins

As a soldier, I was used to waking up at dawn, before the first rays of the sun even perked up from beneath the veil of darkness. Due to this, being cloistered inside Victor Frankenstein’s castle was quite unpleasant. The moment I opened my eyes, I was gripped by the urge to go exploring. Fortunately, my new mate was in my arms. I might have been an active person, but I also wasn’t an idiot, and I could think of far better ways to exercise than going jogging around a mysterious castle or finding out if one could spar with an elf named Igor.

Dineiro was more than happy to indulge me, and we only left my room when our stomachs started to make protesting noises. Of course, it was at this time that I found I didn’t have any extra clothes, and my mate’s only garment remained my cloak. Fortunately, my pants were usable, but my tunic and top armor would never grace my torso again.

I ended up wrapping Dineiro’s cloak around him as tightly as I could and decided that for the moment, that would have to do.

“We’re going to have to ask our host for some help in that department,” I said as we stepped into the corridor.

“Well, I’m sure Doctor Frankenstein will give us a hand,” Dineiro assured me. “He has been very accommodating and nice to us so far.”

As he spoke, my thoughts went to my dear mare, Magda. Yes, Frankenstein had been helpful, and no harm had come to Larue. Similarly, Vesper seemed to be safe. However, I knew very little about what had happened to Magda, beyond what I’d seen in the mysterious sphere from Bowie. I didn’t think the path had lied to me. It—he?—had no reason to do so. Still, I remained deeply unsettled and felt guilty that I’d allowed myself the comforts of Dineiro’s embrace while she was still lost Gods knew where.

“I wonder how long we have to wait until it’s safe to leave,” I commented.

Unsurprisingly, my dragon guessed or perhaps read my concern. “We’ll ask them. I’m sure they’ll have some idea as to where Magda could be.”

We found Igor in the room with the m-mail device, a chamber I now identified as a laboratory of sorts. A man we hadn’t met before had joined the elf. From his position on the stranger’s shoulder, Larue waved. “Hi, Dini. You look much better.”

“Hey,” my mate greeted his friend. “Must be because I feel great.”

“I’m happy to hear that,” the stranger said, clapping his hands together. “I’m always pleased when my guests enjoy themselves in my home.”

Given the degree of comfort Larue had with the man in question, I wasn’t in the slightest bit surprised that his voice belonged to the cat from the night before. “Do you only shift at night?” my mate asked.

“Yes and no.” Our host shrugged. “It’s complicated. In any case, it’s safe to leave the house now. The veil between dimensions has stabilized, and you’re not in any danger of being swept off, or worse, separated.”

“Prince Kirril, we’re told that you were separated from your mare as well,” Igor said. “I’ve arranged for you to speak to someone who may offer some information.”

As if on cue, the two gargoyles that had greeted my mate and me at the gate flew in through the window. Just like before, one of them was in tears and the other grinning.

“You rang?” the laughing one asked.

“Prince Kirril wanted to know where his mare is.”

“Oh, she’s perfectly safe.” The weeping gargoyle sniffed and wiped its teary eye. “And what a sweet thing she is. We took her to Lord Stiltskin.”

“Wait…” I struggled to process what he was saying. “You’re the spirit hunters?”

“Not the name calling again.” The same gargoyle sobbed. “We’re only trying to help.”

“Help?” I repeated, feeling my temper rise. “By stealing my mare? You know, in some regions of Arthuria, such a crime is punishable by death.”

“That really isn’t something to brag about, love,” Dineiro whispered in my mind. The intimate communication startled me to some degree, as I hadn’t had the time to get accustomed to the bond between us. However, it also filled me with a sense of peace, calming down my anger.

Taking a deep breath, I glanced at the two gargoyles again. “Look, you might mean well, but that doesn’t make stealing people or horses all right.”

“We don’t steal,” the laughing gargoyle explained. “We merely take people where they need to be. We act as the agents of fate.”

For some reason, that really irritated me. I’d have said something scathing, except the Rainbow Brick Road had delivered me to Dineiro, so I couldn’t argue against the usefulness of it.

Still, I wasn’t at all comfortable with the situation. “What about those stories of you feeding on magic?”

“It’s not true.” The crying gargoyle seemed to beg for me to understand. “People have a way of exacerbating things. The simplest example is a situation like the current one. Someone finds his mate with our help and never returns to his or her previous home because of it.”

Somehow, I found that a little hard to believe. As if guessing my thoughts, our host said, “Of course, it does happen at times that powerful people use the so-called spirit hunters for their own benefit. Being magical creatures, they are vulnerable to the power of certain mages. Sadly, the current situation might have a connection to that.”

“But we never meant to hurt your mare,” the crying gargoyle rushed to explain. “Lord Stiltskin wouldn’t harm her, and the road would never allow it.”

There must have been some sort of connection between the gargoyles and Bowie, but I didn’t have the patience to inquire into it further. Likely, they wouldn’t even tell me, and I didn’t particularly care. We were going in circles, and so far, the only thing I’d learned was that rumors were wrong about the spirit hunters and that the gargoyles depended in some way on Bowie. That didn’t help me very much, though. It did relieve me a little, since, in the past, Bowie had proven to be helpful, but it was simply not enough. In the end, my goal was a different one. “Where is Magda exactly?” I asked. “Who is this Lord Stiltskin?”

“Oh, he’s a hermit,” Igor replied. “No one really knows him too well, but he does have a daughter he loves a lot. Magda must have been a gift for her.”

“Well, actually, he has a son,” Victor corrected his assistant.

Igor frowned. “Daughter.”

“Son,” Victor insisted, arching a brow.

“Look, I don’t care about Stiltskin’s offspring.” I threw my arms up in exasperation. “I just want my horse back. So, as the ones who took her, do point me in the right direction.”

The two gargoyles exchanged a look. “Very well, but a fair warning.” For the first time, the laughing one looked serious. “Lord Stiltskin doesn’t like to have his plans thwarted, and he’s a very powerful mage.”

“I’m not afraid,” I shot back. “Although I would appreciate it if you gave me a couple of details on what exactly he can do.”

“Would you like a list?” Victor Frankenstein asked helpfully.

Larue just looked pained, while my mate emanated concern. It seemed clear that we’d gotten ourselves in quite a predicament. It would not be easy to retrieve Magda.

“Please,” I replied with a sigh. “And while you’re at it, direct us toward the person holding Vesper. You say he’s safe, but right now, I’m not convinced of anything.”

“Understandable.” Victor nodded. “Very well. We’ll lead you there. I wouldn’t want you to get lost, or worse. Just give me a few moments to prepare.”

Our host actually began to write the promised list, and as he did so, Igor turned toward us. “While you wait, perhaps you’d like some clothes?”

I didn’t even ask him how he’d known about my unexpressed wish. Likely, the discomfort of having my mate exposed for the entire world to see was showing and contributing to my frustration. As such, we followed the elf, leaving Larue and Victor alone in the mysterious lab. I wondered what other oddities awaited me in this strange realm. As I looked toward my mate, though, I knew that I’d be able to face whatever I found, as long as I had Dineiro by my side.

“I’m glad you think that,” Dineiro said in my mind. “I suspect we’re going to need that bravery of yours.”

I grinned, pulling him closer to me. Testing our mind bond, I thought, “In this particular case, it’s not so much bravery as love. And for the record, Dini, no matter what happens, I won’t ever regret our bond.”

He smiled, although he looked a little unsettled by my words. I didn’t really know why I’d said that either, but I vowed that this Stiltskin person, no matter who he was, would not separate me from my mate, nor would he get to keep Magda. I’d make sure of that.

* * * *

In the end, our journey began perhaps half an hour after our original discussion with Victor Frankenstein and the gargoyles. By the time Igor provided us with clothing and a light breakfast, our host had already made the preparations for departure.

We met by the stables, where we found him with a couple of horses already saddled. Two of the mounts were talking and eyeing Kirril with assessing looks. “They’re curious because they heard you care about your mare deeply,” Victor explained. “Now, here’s the list you wanted.”

He handed my mate a dishearteningly large scroll. When Kirril unraveled it, he seemed dismayed. “Is this for real?”

Victor nodded. “And that’s only what I know of.” He retrieved another scroll and offered it to Kirril as well. “This is what I’ve heard of, but haven’t seen it proven one way or another. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Victor and Kirril each mounted a horse. I was reluctant to do so, mostly because I’d never ridden before. “You can ride with me,” Kirril offered.

“I think I will, yes,” I replied. Fortunately, I was small enough that I wouldn’t burden Kirril’s horse too much.

Kirril pulled me up on the saddle in front of him, supporting me against his powerful body. The position made it so that I could feel every part of him, including his dick, against me. I did my best to control my arousal, although I was only half-successful. It didn’t help that, through our bond, I could feel Kirril’s more than enthusiastic response.

Sadly, we didn’t have time to explore the potential of our new situation, as Victor kicked the horse into a brisk gallop. Igor stayed behind, presumably being left in charge of the castle. Larue, however, had his usual position on Victor’s shoulder. I made a mental note to discuss Victor with my friend. They were getting very close, too close perhaps. Not that I was anyone to judge, but I didn’t want my friend to end up with a broken heart.

As we rode out of the courtyard of the palace, the gargoyles joined us, flanking our group like a sort of stony escort. I was reassured when I noticed the road under the horses’ hooves remained rainbow-colored, although neither Victor, nor our strange guides made any comment on it. At one point, we passed a large canyon, and Victor pointed to a broken bridge across the abyss. “That’s the road toward Vlad’s castle,” he explained. “He hasn’t bothered to fix the damn thing since the only people who ever visit find a way to fly across, mostly with the help of the gargoyles.”

I decided that I’d be able to do the same, as the crossbow wound had healed perfectly. However, Count Vlad sounded nicer than Stiltskin. “Perhaps we should see to Magda first,” I suggested. Whether Kirril realized it or not, I knew she meant as much to him as Larue and Vesper did to me.

His hand squeezed mine where it rested on the horse’s neck, and he whispered in my mind, “Thank you for that, baby. We’ll find Vesper, too.”

Victor nodded and followed my suggestion. We reached the end of the mountainous region with no incident and finally stopped at the edge of a forest. In the distance, I thought I could spot something that looked like a tall tower.

“From this point on, we’ll be headed into Lord Stiltskin’s domain,” Victor said, a dose of warning in his voice. “Be careful.”

I noticed that the Rainbow Brick Road had once more parted into two different directions, one that led right, presumably in the general direction of Count Vlad’s castle and one disappearing into the forest. This time, however, we received no guidance.

Bowie was silent, and left to our own devices, we stepped into the forest. As it turned out, it might not have been a very good idea. We’d barely passed the first couple of trees when our horse neighed wildly, no longer sounding like an intelligent, magical beast at all. I lost my balance and fell off the animal, but so did my mate in his eagerness to keep me from getting hurt. However, as we hit the ground, the moss-covered earth seemed to open up. I screamed, and somehow managed to reach for my mate. Kirril’s hand latched on to mine, and the last thing I registered before my world turned black was his voice whispering, “I love you.”

Chapter Eight:

Dini, We’re Not in Merlinia Anymore

When I’d accepted a dragon as my mate, I’d thought that there were few things left that could surprise me. But it seemed that my life was over and over trying to prove me wrong. Being swallowed by the ground in a magical forest certainly did that pretty well.

I couldn’t have said what happened between the moment Dineiro and I fell into the suddenly emerged abyss and the one when I opened my eyes to see a blue sky above me. I only remembered holding my mate’s hand tightly, cursing myself for my arrogance, and hoping that at the very least, Dineiro would survive Stiltskin’s spell. At one point, I might have surrendered to unconsciousness because after that, it was all a blank.

Nevertheless, when I recovered from the strange stasis, it wasn’t that fear and apprehension that gripped me, but relief. Dineiro’s hand still clutched mine, and our bond remained in place, telling me that my sweet mate was all right.

That realization swept away the remaining cobwebs from my brain and I immediately turned toward him. Dineiro was looking around, taking in our current location with wide purple eyes. “Where in the world are we?” he asked.

At that, I finally allowed myself to see beyond the blue sky, the relative peacefulness of the place, and Gods be praised, the fact that wherever we were, the journey here hadn’t hurt Dineiro. What I saw shocked me as much as the ground opening under my feet had. We had been lying on grass, yes. There were trees around us, indeed. However, this was definitely not a Merlinian forest, or at least I didn’t think so. The grass ended a few dozen feet away from us, and a path snaked from around, separating this patch of greenery from another one. Groups of people, both old and young, walked around, while others sat on the benches strategically placed in the area.

I recognized a park when I saw one. Arthuria’s capital, Camelot, had numerous such places for the enjoyment and relaxation of all. My father’s palace boasted huge gardens, as did my own domain, granted to me as was per my position as prince and my rank as general.

The park itself wasn’t what surprised me. Neither did the fact that the path held no sign of the rainbow colors I’d become accustomed to. What did unsettle me, however, was the sight of the buildings that loomed beyond. The oasis of greenery seemed surrounded by mammoths of brick, mortar, and glass, towers that by far surpassed what I’d seen in Merlinia so far.

To make matters even more confusing, the people themselves were strange, dressed in clothes I didn’t recognize and toying with odd items. One of the objects in question reminded me of Victor Frankenstein’s invention, and I briefly entertained the notion of attempting to contact the man before disregarding it. There were too many people around, and I suspected it would hard enough for Dineiro and me to blend in without me trying to steal someone’s possession.

“Dini, we’re not in Merlinia anymore,” I told my mate through our bond.

It seemed clear that our foe had sent us to some distant land where we wouldn’t bother him. I might have been a prince, but there were numerous places out there I wasn’t even aware of. Arthurian explorers had trouble going beyond Merlinia, which was why whatever territories awaited there remained largely a mystery. I could only hope the people here understood the common tongue, because otherwise we’d be in huge trouble.

“Love, this doesn’t look like any place even beyond Merlinian borders,” Dini whispered in my mind. “And there’s something else, something that troubles me greatly. I feel odd, not right somehow.”

I knew what he meant. Even the air in this peculiar area smelled different. I didn’t let it unsettle me, and I tried not to think about what it might mean. As we got up, I tried to figure out where to go from here. For the moment, it didn’t seem like anyone had noticed my mate and me appearing out of thin air, which was definitely a point in our favor. However, other than that, we had very few things to help us in our unfortunate predicament.

As I scanned the park, though, my eyes fell on a group of people dressed in a manner similar to Dineiro and me. They seemed to be celebrating since there were jugglers and all sorts of showmen around. Perhaps they were putting on a show. Either way, seeing them made me think that we might not be so far away from our homeland after all.

I felt Dineiro’s relief at the more-familiar sight, and we immediately headed our way. I’d intended to mingle with the group and perhaps try to figure out if they could give us some information without making it obscenely obvious how out of place we were. However, before I could go through with my plan, we were intercepted by a stocky man wearing a monk’s outfit. “Finally!” he shouted at us, sounding pissed. “I thought the agency wasn’t going to pull through this time.”

Thank the Gods, I could understand him, or at least, the words he spoke, because I had no idea what he was talking about. He was glaring at us now and seemingly awaiting a response, and I assumed he’d confused us with someone else, perhaps a person he’d been waiting for. “Let’s play along,” I told my mate. “It can’t hurt.”

“I’ll do my best,” Dineiro promised.

I smiled at the stranger, summoning all the courtly manners that had been engrained within me. “You have our deepest apologies. We will endeavor to mend our transgression.”

Instantly, the man lit up. “Oh. I think it was worth the wait. I love how you’re already so used to the role. A knight, right? Which one are you, Mark or Joseph?”

“Joseph,” I replied with a smile, “and yes, a knight.”

“And what of your shier friend?” The stranger gave my mate a curious look.

“I am a very powerful mage,” Dineiro replied without missing a beat. “My abilities are way beyond the comprehension of normal mortals.”

If anything, our apparent employer seemed even more thrilled. “Excellent. Love the hair and the contacts. Very nice touch. Now come on. Follow me. Your costumes are awesome, but I’ll need to see how well you do with the people.”

Costumes. Of course. We weren’t anywhere near our homeland. For them, this was only an artful display, more surreal to them than Victor Frankenstein’s dimension had been to me.

What could we do? We followed after the stocky man and hoped that no one would think to question our presence too closely. If they did…Well, my sword certainly wasn’t a prop, and if it need be, I would defend my mate until my last breath.

As if ushered by my ominous thoughts, our employer suddenly said, “Oh, you do have the paperwork with you, right? I mean…We trust your agency, but it’s better to be completely clear.”

I nearly panicked, but my mate intervened. He grabbed the other man’s arm and beamed brightly. “Oh, I’m sure it won’t be a problem. My…friend and I are so eager to begin. Perhaps we can settle things at the end of the day.”

Honestly, I wouldn’t have expected such a thing to work, but I felt the wave of love surrounding us and pooling into our unexpected boss. “Uh-huh,” he replied, sounding a little dazed. “I’m sorry, but if you’ll excuse me, I have a phone call to make. It’s my wife’s birthday, and it completely slipped my mind.”

The stocky so-called monk fled, leaving us to our devices. I arched a brow at my lover. “Wow. I didn’t know you could do that.”

Dineiro laughed nervously. “I didn’t either. But, hey, it worked, didn’t it?”

Grinning, I watched as our employer attempted to fix his faux pas with his wife. He might not know it, but his soul had been touched by the essence of love today. “That it did, baby. That it did.”

Chapter Nine:

In Which Dini and Kirril Find an Unlikely Ally

As it turned out, the party of performers we’d suddenly been hired with proved to be quite helpful. On occasion, they showed some skepticism regarding my mate and me, but a discreet nudge from my powers made them become much nicer.

Bit by bit, we managed to piece together the fact that we were in a city called Los Angeles, in a country by the name of USA. Beyond that, everything else was a mystery, but I suspected Stiltskin’s spell must have sent us to yet another dimension, perhaps one that held very little resemblance to my own world. As far as I could tell, though, there was some sort of link between my world and this one, because we had no trouble communicating with our supposed coworkers.

I’d have felt guilty about using my abilities to manipulate people, but I found that I wasn’t actually inducing emotion, but rather making them more aware of what they felt. There was an astounding potential for love in all of them, but it seemed like they pushed it aside for all sorts of reasons. Forgetfulness, random arguments, a desire to advance in their chosen profession or in studies, all of them created distractions that separated them from their loved ones. If I could become a bridge helping people come together once more, I was happy. Oddly enough, the humans seemed to be drawn to me, and soon enough, Kirril and I drew quite a crowd.

Naturally, I hadn’t forgotten our need to find a way back. In fact, with every person I approached, I tried to find out something new, as did Kirril. Unfortunately, these men and women were clearly humans, and even more magic-less than my mate. Nothing they said gave me any real assistance, beyond assuring me that, indeed, I was a long away from home.

And then, something strange happened. A few hours after our arrival in this strange land, I experienced a peculiar sensation, as if I was being watched. And no, it had nothing to do with the people crowding around me and Kirril. It seemed darker, more secretive somehow.

“I feel it, too,” my mate told me through our bond. “Can you tell who it’s coming from?”

I discreetly turned away from the woman I’d been talking to, nudging her to approach the fiancé she’d had a fallout with. As I looked around, my gaze fell on a tall, dark-haired stranger leaning on the trunk of a tree and just watching the performers without getting involved. In fact, he was watching me and Kirril in particular, and his expression unsettled me. A smaller man stood by his side, holding what seemed to be a treat of sorts.

The stranger didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. When he made a gesture for me to come to him, I excused myself and decided to comply. Kirril was right by my side, and I recognized the tension in his body as him getting ready for a possible conflict. The stranger’s companion placed a hand on his shoulder and kissed his cheek. There seemed to be a silent exchange between them, but neither of the two lost sight of Kirril and me.

Nevertheless, it seemed that whatever the smaller man had said had calmed the waters a little. As soon as we reached the tree, the taller stranger said, “I don’t mean you any harm, but if you continue playing your little games, that’s going to change. We don’t need hunter attention on us, not right now.”

“Pardon?” I arched a brow, confused. “There are spirit hunters here?”

Honestly, I couldn’t imagine the gargoyles traveling through this place, but perhaps they had been sucked in by our foe’s spell. Anything was possible, right? Another option might be that they had been instruments of Stiltskin’s plan, and they’d assisted him in trapping us here, but I really didn’t want to think about that. I liked the strange creatures.

It seemed that our new companion wasn’t referring to the gargoyles, though. “Human hunters,” he amended.

“As in slayers?” my mate inquired. He wrapped an arm around my waist, obviously thinking about the possibility that I might be hurt.

The second stranger sighed. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

I bit my lip, deciding to take a chance and trust the peculiar man. “Actually, no, we’re not. As far as we can tell, we’re from a different world entirely. Someone cast a spell on us,” I explained. “The next thing we knew, we ended up here, in this park. It was only luck that made us fit in with that party of performers.”

“Indeed,” the first man offered. “And I don’t suppose you had any clue on what to do after you left here?”

“Actually, I expect that we might have earned a sum of money from our work here today,” my mate replied. “I’d hoped we could find accommodation with it. If not, I have my seal ring which I could trade at a local merchant.”

The stranger hummed thoughtfully. “You’re a noble, then? Well, there’s no need for such measures. A seal ring is very valuable. My name is Orion Walker, and this is my mate, Grier Adams. It would be our great pleasure to receive you in our home until we figure something out.”

I could tell Kirril was suspicious of the man’s motives, and honestly, I couldn’t be sure our strange benefactor could be trusted, either. “We thank you for your offer,” I said slowly. “But why would you want to do that?”

“Oh, it’s not only for your benefit. Like I said, the relationship between humans and paranormal creatures is carefully monitored here. Normal people don’t even acknowledge the existence of magic or the supernatural, and the hunters make sure things stay that way. They don’t like us and we don’t like them, so we do our best to keep the balance.”

“Well, we certainly wouldn’t want there to be a problem because of us,” my mate said. “But please excuse us. We’ve been rude. I’m Prince Kirril of Arthuria, and this is my mate, Dineiro.”

“It’s a pleasure.” He grinned at us, displaying strikingly sharp fangs. “Welcome to Los Angeles. I do hope you’ll enjoy your stay.”

* * * *

It took a while, but my mate and I managed to excuse ourselves, abandoning the rest of the performers in the park. In the expanse of a couple of hours, my little dragon had become so popular that there were numerous demands for his phone number and e-mail address, whatever that meant. I assumed they were referring to something similar to what Victor had shown us, but we had no such thing, so we could only avoid all the pleas.

When we at last made our escape, Orion Walker was still waiting for us by the same tree. “Ready to go?”

I nodded. “Where are we headed?”

“My coven,” Orion answered as we started to walk out of the park. “I contacted a friend of mine who I think might be able to give us a clue regarding your situation.”

“Someone with magic?” Dineiro guessed.

“Yes,” Orion confirmed. “He and his mate are very discreet, and as a bonus, his brother-in-law is a former hunter. They can help us control any problem that might emerge.”

“He is the Alpha of my pack,” Grier piped up. I must have looked confused, because he released a small laugh. “But you have no idea what that means. Don’t worry about it. We’ll teach you everything you need to know.”

I really didn’t understand the dynamics of life in this strange world, so I decided to go with what Orion and Grier said. It didn’t mean I trusted them, but I did believe that our presence had the potential to shatter the balance Orion had mentioned. I was more inclined to think he meant to help himself, not us. True, I was less wary of Grier, perhaps because his open, sweet manner reminded me a little of Dineiro. However, that didn’t mean I would let my guard down. I had a mate to protect, after all.

We did notice that some people were giving us long looks, but I didn’t think we’d done anything to warrant that. I made a mental note to ask Orion about it once we were somewhere more in private.

He finally stopped in front of something like a large carriage. There were no horses around, though, and I watched in puzzlement as he gestured us inside. “I take it you don’t have cars in your world,” Orion said.

Similar vehicles passed all around us, oddly without any horses at all. “We have carriages,” I answered, “but nothing like this.”

“Ah,” Orion replied. “Well, no worries. It’s quite safe.”

We slid into the back seat of the car, as he had called it, while Orion took position in the front, where there was a wheel much like the ones used for our ships or dirigibles. As Grier took the seat by his side, Orion inserted a key in a small hole under it and turned it.

All of a sudden, the machine—it was clearly a machine of some sort—roared to life. My mate held on to my hand, obviously startled. We didn’t say anything, though. Instead, we waited as the car started and rolled away from the park.

Trying to distract myself from the strangeness, I asked, “Why the long looks from those people?”

“You’ll find that in our world, humans aren’t exceedingly open to same-sex relationships,” our unexpected friend said. “Some species of paranormals are against it as well. Just holding hands draws attention. And it’s not just you they were staring at. Grier and I are quite open in our affections. Don’t pay them any heed. We have more important things to worry about.”

“Who exactly are we seeing?” Dineiro inquired.

“Incubus prince Julian Hayes and his mate Mackenzie. One warning, though. His mate is pregnant, and I urge you to be careful with the way you’re treating him.”

I almost couldn’t believe my ears. “A pregnant man?” I couldn’t help but ask.

At that, Orion’s lips twisted into a small smile. “Yes. And I’ve been lucky enough to receive a similar present from my own mate.”

He threw Grier a look that was so sappy it didn’t seem to fit on his serious face. Grier beamed back, and I’d have thought the moment touching had the information not short-circuited my brain. So Grier Adams was going to have a child, as well? “Wow,” I breathed out. “And I thought Merlinia was weird.”

My lover twitched but said nothing. His thoughts were a jumble, and I could make out very little from it. I gave him a puzzled look, but he just smiled. “You don’t have to be concerned,” he told Orion. “We wouldn’t harm an innocent child.”

“I didn’t think you would.” Orion stole a look at my mate through a strategically positioned mirror. “Prince Kirril is a little more…brusque. It was best for him to be advised before having to face it, especially since he’s human.”

In a way, the comment felt a little derogatory, but I admitted my own attitude had been less than accepting regarding what he’d said. Orion’s words also held a warning, and I made a mental note to school my tongue, specifically around my hosts. Truly, I knew better now than to judge other peoples or cultures, and these strangers had been quite welcoming. Even if I didn’t trust them, I at least had to be careful so as not to upset Grier. In the end, we didn’t discuss it further, and by the time we reached our destination, my anxiousness had increased quite a lot.

Orion’s coven, as he had described it, turned out to be located in a large sprawling mansion that reminded me a little of my own estate. He drove into a part of the building that seemed specifically designated to hold his vehicle, somewhat similar to a carriage house.

When he stopped, both Dineiro and I eagerly abandoned his “car” and stepped out. Orion and Grier led us out of our current environment, through a side door, and into the main house.

A group of people intercepted us, much like my servants would have done when I arrived in Arthuria. “Prince Julian and Prince Mackenzie are here,” one of them said. “We’ve directed them to your office.”

“Good,” Orion said expediently. “While I speak with them, prepare one of the rooms in my private wing for our guests, Prince Kirril and his mate, Dineiro.”

The men didn’t even blink at the request. “Yes, Your Lordship,” the same one answered. “Your Highnesses, I do hope you’ll feel right at home here.”

It might have seemed a little strange that Orion’s address had less weight than mine, but it all depended on rank. In that regard, this place seemed similar to my world, and to a certain extent, it relieved me.

As soon as the servants disappeared, our hosts led us through the long hallway that seemed to stretch out for miles and miles. Perhaps it just felt like that to me because I was eagerly anticipating the meeting with Orion’s friends, hoping for a solution to the situation.

At last, we reached the office, and, just like the servant had said, found two men already there, sitting on a comfortable-looking couch. “Greetings,” Orion said. “I hope we haven’t kept you waiting for too long.”

“Not at all,” a handsome, muscular man replied as both of them got up. “We’ve just arrived a few minutes ago. Now, what’s this about needing our help?”

The second man, a smaller redhead, looked toward us, seeming a little concerned. “Is everything all right?”

“Please, don’t be concerned,” Grier hastened to say. “An unexpected problem has popped up, but it’s nothing bad.”

In the meantime, Orion turned toward us. “I’d like to introduce you to our guests, Prince Kirril of Arthuria and his mate, Dineiro of Merlinia.” In turn, he told us, “And of course, these are my friends, Prince Julian and Prince Mackenzie.”

“It’s a pleasure and an honor,” I said. “We’re in a bit of a predicament.”

“Well, we’d be happy to help if we can,” Mackenzie answered. Like Grier, he reminded me a little of my own mate, the same aura of peacefulness seeming to engulf him.

We all sat down, and I proceeded to explain in more detail what had happened. “So let me get this straight,” Julian drawled after I finished. “You come from a land called Arthuria, bordering Merlinia and Morganna. Your mate here is a dragon-shifter, and you accidentally ended up in another dimension because of a sentient road. Your friends, a pixie, a carnivorous bunny, and a talking mare, were taken away by some gargoyles you later met when you reached the castle of Victor Frankenstein. And let’s not forget his assistant, an elf named Igor, and your foe, Rumpelstiltskin. Did I get all of that right?”

“Indeed,” I answered, frowning at the grin on Julian’s face. “Is something funny about our predicament?”

“Well, actually, if I hadn’t known Orion for a long time, I might have thought he was playing a trick on me,” Julian replied. He smiled apologetically. “I didn’t mean to offend you. If you open a storybook here, you’ll find most of the people you mentioned there, in fairy tales, novels, or legends.”

“Stories are often said to have a grain of truth,” Mackenzie commented. “I suppose it is a little surprising, but I’m more interested in knowing just how much about those stories is actually true. I’m thinking that your world and ours are connected, given that we speak the same language. But you have other priorities than to deal with this. I gather you need to leave Earth and return to your world urgently, as you fear for your friends.”

It was my turn to be curious. “Earth?” That was certainly not an original name. “Is that where we are?”

At that, Orion got up and rummaged through his desk. After a few moments, he retrieved a map and pointed the general area where we were located. “This is LA.”

“What’s your world called?” Grier inquired, giving us a curious look.

“Avalon,” my mate supplied. The other men didn’t seem particularly surprised, and I hazarded a guess that there must be a legend regarding that as well.

“In any case, do you think you can help us?” I asked.

Julian took his mate’s hand and peered a little closer at Dineiro and me. “May I?” he inquired, reaching for me.

I nodded, having already expected it. As we touched, I waited for him to give his verdict on the spell. When the answer came, it wasn’t something I enjoyed hearing. “I’m afraid I can’t break this, not just yet.”

“What do you mean?” I inquired. “What is it?”

“It seems to be some sort of anchor spell,” Julian replied, “keeping you tied to Earth. I’m afraid that this magic is beyond me, but I could request a meeting with my parents. It won’t be right now, though. It’ll have to wait a couple of days.”

“A couple of days,” my mate repeated, sounding dismayed. “I suppose I can understand that. But what do we do in the meantime?”

“You get a little accustomed to Earth, of course,” Orion replied. “Worry not. I’m sure we’ll be able to keep you busy.”

Chapter Ten:

In Which a Certain Slayer Finds Out Something Very Interesting

The days slowly slipped past as we waited for an answer from Prince Julian’s parents. It didn’t really surprise me that they were taking their time. After all, they were royalty. But it was still unsettling, especially given the situation we’d left our friends in.

We had learned that Orion Walker was a very important man, indeed, but in spite of his numerous responsibilities, he still attempted to make us feel at home in his coven. We had also found out he was a vampire, a creature who lived off the blood of others. Kirril had been a little disturbed by the fact, but had quickly disregarded it as a diet quirk that really had very little relevance to the value of a person.

Like me, Grier was a shape-shifter. He spent a lot of time with us, even when his mate could not be there, and his assistance helped us a lot in understanding our new world.

There was always something to do, and we busied our time with getting accustomed to the way these earthlings lived and amused ourselves with the terrible, terrible legends they had of things I’d considered reality. I’d thought Arthurians were bad, but here, a main religion proclaimed it amazing to be a dragon slayer. Apparently, my kind were a symbol for something wicked. It made me uncomfortable, and I wondered if this was how I’d feel if I ever went to Arthuria. Victor Frankenstein was apparently notorious for creating a monster, with Igor being his humpback assistant. There were also stories about a Count Vlad Dracula, who ironically seemed a creature very similar to Orion.

Roughly a week after our arrival, we somehow found ourselves in the same park we’d landed in upon our arrival. The performers who’d greeted us that day were gone, but we were also dressed differently, having received a complete earthling outfit from Orion and Grier.

We strolled hand in hand, ignoring the gazes we got from the occasional passerby. “You know, I wonder why it bothers them,” my mate idly commented. “How is it any of their business that we’re a couple?”

“According to Orion, they find it strange.” A little girl on a bench waved at me, and I waved back with a smile. “Well, some of them.”

“I just don’t get it. I mean, my father was a little disappointed because I wouldn’t have any heirs of my own, but that’s a lot about us being a royal family. There’s nothing like that here.”

His words surprised me, although they probably shouldn’t have. The topic of children had appeared more than once during our stay, partially because of us meeting Mackenzie Scott. I hadn’t been brave enough to approach my lover about it, especially after his reaction to Mackenzie’s condition.

Just as I thought this, a sensation of nausea and weakness struck me. I stumbled and almost fell, but fortunately for me, my lover’s instincts were as good as always and he caught me before I could hit the ground.

“Baby?” he asked, his voice tinged with concern as he lifted me in his powerful arms. “Are you all right?”

“Fine,” I replied weakly. A few moments later, I contradicted myself by adding, “Oh, Goddess. I think I’m going to throw up. Just put me down. I need to…I need to throw up.”

He looked a little panicked, but he carried me away from the path and deposited me on the grass. He was excruciatingly gentle, but my stomach still protested the jostling motions, or perhaps it decided I’d eaten too much that day. Either way, I promptly vomited out my entire breakfast, which was quite an interesting feat in itself given that I didn’t have a gag reflex. All the while, my mate held my hair and whispered soft endearments in my ear.

When at last I felt a little more stable, I took a couple of deep breaths and leaned back against my mate. “Okay, that was unexpected. Maybe we should go home now.”

“Do you think you can stand?” my lover inquired.

I nodded, but when I tried to do what I’d claimed, my knees buckled. This time, Kirril cursed. “That’s it. You need medical attention.”

He rushed out of the park, paying no heed to the startled people. We found our vampire driver waiting for us outside. Since we didn’t know how to drive such a vehicle and we couldn’t exactly use our host as our own personal chauffeur, Orion had assigned several people to watch over us when he couldn’t be around.

The man in question looked surprised at our sudden appearance. “What happened?” he asked.

“Dini suddenly felt ill,” Kirril answered as he carefully slid me into the backseat of the car and followed after me. “Take us to the coven.”

The vampire wordlessly obeyed. In fact, he seemed to acknowledge the urgency in my mate’s voice, as he rushed out of his parking spot with a haste and zeal that made me a little light-headed again.

“Carefully, please,” I whispered, placing my head against my mate’s shoulder.

Our companion slowed down, and my dizziness subsided a little. I closed my eyes and held on to Kirril’s hand. His presence anchored me and made the sudden sensation of sickness fade into the background. Still, it seemed to take forever until we finally stopped in front of the coven.

Kirril brushed his lips over my temple and whispered in my mind, “Okay, baby, I’m going to pull away now and then carry you out of the car. Do you think you can handle that?”

His concern touched me, although I didn’t think it was fully warranted. A small part of me already suspected what was going on. Dragons didn’t get sick. Our immune system prevented us from catching any disease. Weapons could hurt us, but even such wounds healed easily.

The nausea was particularly disconcerting because I’d never experienced it my life. I’d never even had a stomachache, as my digestive system worked to perfection. I was still having trouble computing the implications of this knowledge, and I suspected that my own confusion was the only reason why Kirril hadn’t already heard the truth behind my unprecedented sickness in my mind.

Just like he’d said, my mate helped me out of the car and hastily carried me into the house. In the foyer, we ran into Orion and Grier, who must have been alerted by a member of their staff, perhaps the driver.

“What seems to be the problem?” Orion asked. “I understand Dineiro is sick.”

“I’m fine,” I insisted. “I just need a word in private with Kirril.”

“Baby…” Kirril was obviously still very concerned. “You should have someone look you over. Perhaps a doctor from Grier’s pack? One of them is bound to…”

He abruptly trailed off as my thoughts finally slipped into his consciousness. Looking dumbfounded, he used our bond to ask, “Are you sure?”

“Not really,” I replied. “But I can’t imagine it being anything else.”

Turning toward our hosts once more, Kirril said, “With your permission, we’ll head out to our room. Dini needs to rest.”

“If you’re certain,” Grier replied, seeming very puzzled. “We could contact a healer.”

“I don’t think it will be necessary,” I answered, “but thank you.”

My mate carried me out of the foyer and up the stairs. We soon reached our quarters, and once we were inside, I found that I already felt better. Closing the door behind us, my mate ensured our privacy, then carried me to the bed.

He deposited me on the mattress with a gentleness that made my heart hurt. “Are you feeling better?” he asked me softly.

I nodded. “It was just something passing. You’re not angry, then, about this?”

“Angry?” He cupped my cheek and brushed his thumb over my lips. “Oh, baby. How could I be angry? I mean, I know I said it was strange, and Gods, I certainly didn’t expect it would happen to me, but a new life is always a blessing. I’m probably doing something seriously wrong if you thought I’d be angry.”

I released a sigh. “I just didn’t know how you’d react. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. I’m not even sure I’m really pregnant.”

“You’re sure,” Kirril told me. “I can tell. Maybe intellectually, you know that you could be mistaken, but your heart tells you it’s true.”

He was completely correct. In truth, I wanted to be right so much, that I worried I was only imagining it. We had only a week being mates and regularly having intercourse, and while dragon pregnancies usually manifested symptoms from early on, I still wasn’t sure.

In that moment, I really wished to be back in Merlinia, where I could contact my parents and perhaps ask them. But that wasn’t possible, at least not just yet, so I contented myself with lying down on the bed and pulling my mate next to me.

“Hold me, Rili,” I told him. “I want to think everything is going to be all right.”

He complied, and I cuddled to his side, taking comfort in his now-familiar scent. I missed my home and my friends. I worried about them, and now, Kirril and I had a child on the way. I wanted my baby to be born in Merlinia, where he’d be safe and happy.

“Relax, baby,” Kirril whispered in my ear. “It will happen. Prince Julian will come through for us. You’ll see.”

He brushed his lips over my forehead and then, as if taking a decision, started to pepper my face with kisses. Instantly, my body responded, like it always did to Kirril’s touch. My apprehension began to melt into arousal, and even if I knew it to be an instinctual reaction that did nothing to eliminate our very real problems, I found that Kirril’s caresses were making my anxiety disappear.

Unsurprisingly, Kirril didn’t push me in any way. His caresses were gentle, almost worshipful. He kept his touch above the waist, nearly platonic, with an edge of lazy sensuality. It relaxed me, but it also awoke my very eager libido. On an impulse, I pushed him back on the bed and straddled him, at the same time pressing my lips to his in a demanding kiss.

Kirril took it in stride, apparently not very surprised by my reaction. As I opened for him, he thrust his tongue into my mouth, his gentleness as familiar to me as his passion. Through our bond, he murmured, “Hush now. Don’t strain yourself. I’ll take care of you.”

There were numerous advantages to our new connection, but I felt particularly happy that we could communicate without even having to break our kiss. He could sense my need for him, my desire to be one with him.

We broke apart to breathe, already panting. Slowly, Kirril began to undo my shirt, the buttons yielding to his insistent ministrations. Our hosts had been wise enough to provide us with easily removable garments, so I slid out of my top with ease and dumped it on the floor. As I did so, Kirril’s hands began to travel over my now-naked chest and lower down, to my abdomen. His palm stopped there, hovering over my still-flat belly.

“I almost can’t believe it,” he whispered. “I’d always thought that I wouldn’t get to be a father, and I’d accepted it. But now…”

In spite of the comments he’d made earlier, he was clearly excited about the possibility of us having a child. “It might not happen now,” I warned him. “We don’t know for sure.”

“Perhaps.” He grinned. “But it will happen eventually. I can’t wait.”

I trailed a finger over his chest and worked on his shirt. “While we wait…What do you say we make sure I really am pregnant?”

As I spoke, I started to grind my ass against his crotch. He groaned, and his hands landed on my hips. “Are you sure it’s safe? You were sick earlier. We can do something else.”

“Well, I’m completely all right now, and I think you know exactly what we’re going to do,” I purred, flooding our bond with my arousal. “Come on, love. You wouldn’t deny me, would you?”

In response, Kirril released one of his trademark growls and flipped me over, now looming over me. “Just tell me if I do anything that makes you uncomfortable,” he said, his voice filled with gravel.

“You’ll know if that happens,” I told him. “Our bond will make sure of that. But more importantly, I trust you with everything that I am. You’d never do anything to hurt me.”

He had, once, but we were long past that. I still caught him staring at my shoulder at times, or at my wings when I had them out, and felt his regret at what he’d done and his terror at what might have happened. Now, that protectiveness had melted into something even more profound. I liked it. I felt safe with Kirril, and I wanted my mate to know it. I couldn’t allow those doubts to keep us apart. Besides, I had a feeling that my as of yet unconfirmed pregnancy would make me even more easily aroused. Already, I was anticipating feeling Kirril inside me. His kisses had awoken my beast, and now, it demanded to be given its due.

Kirril heard everything I said and wasn’t saying. I felt our minds connect, and he groaned, his blue eyes now nearly black with arousal. At first, he still seemed to be struggling, but I could tell the exact moment he snapped. He crushed his lips to mine, the gentleness becoming pure ardor.

My world turned to desire and flame. I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, his intoxicating taste fanning the blaze of my already-burning passion. My cock throbbed in my pants, and I hated the material keeping my body from Kirril’s. He seemed to be of a similar mind, as without even tearing his mouth away from mine, he began to work on the stubborn buttons keeping my garments in place. I tried to help, but my reluctance to release him even for a moment made me more of a hindrance than anything else. To my credit, Kirril wasn’t very willing to move away from me either, and he only did so when it became obvious that the little sacrifice would be needed if we wanted to take things further.

I released a low whine as he broke the kiss and freed himself from my possessive embrace. His absence frustrated me more than I could have ever imagined. Kirril didn’t try to provide words of comfort, not this time. Instead, he acted, and I was more than relieved when he crawled down my body, pressing light kisses over my chest while he worked to free me from my clothing. The shoes were easy, and when he pulled them off, he swept his fingers over the arch of my foot, making me moan with delight. He knew that I wasn’t used to wearing shoes of any kind. I didn’t actually need them, as even in my human form, my skin was harder than that of a human. However, I’d gone along with it, and the result was sore feet. I didn’t complain since it allowed me to blend into this strange world and it made my mate more comfortable than he’d been when I’d only worn his cloak. Still, it made his light massage more than a little welcome.

In his talented hands, I became a puddle of relaxed lust. He had me right where he wanted me, and no longer could I make demands or anything like that. I was at his mercy, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

However, he remained a man on a mission, and he released my feet in favor of finally undoing my pants. I wiggled out of them and congratulated myself for the decision of not wearing any of those horrid undergarments that had been supplied when Kirril’s lust spiked, flooding our bond. As he dumped my last garment on the floor, he stole a look at my face and said, “Remember. If I do anything that feels uncomfortable in any way…”

I nodded and smiled at him, wordlessly reminding him of my earlier reassurances. He grinned back, and it was the only warning I got before he engulfed my cock in his mouth.

Wet heat surrounded my prick, sweet, volcanic, and delicious. He teased me, giving and taking, licking my hard-as-nails cock from root to tip, then sucking it back in, all the way into his throat. It seemed that he had no problems with gag reflex either, although in his case, it was due to skill and experience, not a gift of nature.

I gasped and couldn’t help but reach for him. As he bobbed his head up and down my shaft, I threaded my fingers through his hair, barely managing not to force him down even more. He moaned around my dick, obviously appreciating my touch and my lust. The vibrations rushed through my body, and every nerve ending screamed in appreciation.

Already, I was hovering at the edge of an incredible climax. My world was melting, focused on the heat of his mouth, on the suction and the raw, unmistakable ecstasy Kirril experienced simply because I did.

Unable to control myself, I thrashed on the bed, shoving my cock in his wet cavern. But he was not done tormenting me, not done at all. His talented fingers came to tease at my nether passage, adding another layer of sensation. Since his ministrations on my dick had only whetted my appetite for more, my anus was slick with my self-lubricating juices. When Kirril slid one digit inside me and zeroed in on my prostate, I exploded. Screaming his name, I found my peak and filled his mouth with my spunk.

My mate swallowed down my offering almost greedily, not letting one drop go to waste. Even as the waves of my orgasm rushed through me, he licked me clean, reawakening a fire that hadn’t been fully quenched. The ecstasy of the afterglow didn’t even get the chance to settle in, as my need to have him was too great.

When Kirril released my dick, the insatiable thing was, predictably, still hard. However, this seemed to please my mate. He smiled at me, adding another finger to the one already working my ass. “I’d offer to stop now, but I know you’d want to kick me if I did.”

“See?” I panted out. “Now you’re getting it. It’s nice to know that you can be taught things.”

“Oh, I’ve already learned a great deal.” He chuckled darkly. “For example, I know you really like it when I do this.”

Crooking both fingers inside me, he rubbed my prostate with ruthless focus. Whatever coherence I might have tried to muster completely dissolved, and I heard myself moaning and pleading for my mate to take me, to claim me like I ached to claim him.

A third finger joined the other two, stretching me, preparing me for Kirril’s invasion. He was, as always, frustratingly careful, or perhaps even more so than usual, not that it surprised me. I’d have hated that he could even be so calm and collected under the circumstances, but I could feel the torment brewing under the façade of control. Through our bond, I sensed how much he craved me. Knowing it both gave me a measure of peace and fueled my ever-increasing desire.

I couldn’t speak, but I tried to at the very least convey my thoughts to him. “Please,” I said using our connection. “Inside me. Rili, please.”

Fortunately, he’d never been able to refuse me, something I unashamedly took advantage of. He removed his fingers from my ass and started to take off the rest of his clothing. As with everything else, Kirril was amazingly efficient in this regard as well. In a blur of motion, he discarded his shoes and pants, and I noted with great pleasure that he’d chosen to go without underwear as well. This meant that soon, I was graced with the mouthwatering sight of my naked mate.

As soon as his garments joined mine on the floor, he returned to me and used the remnants of my natural lubricant to slick up his dick. Keeping his gaze fixed on my face, he supported my legs on his shoulders. In spite of the urgency roaring through him, when he pushed in, he did so slowly, carefully, never once looking away from me. It almost seemed that he’d even stopped blinking in his attempt to monitor my reactions.

But there was no reason to doubt or hesitate. He belonged to me, and I to him, and we fit together perfectly. My channel stretched to accommodate him, my body eagerly accepting his domination and penetration.

At last, Kirril fully impaled me, his thick cock buried within my passage all the way to the hilt. He stilled and took a deep breath, his need to thrust and fuck me so powerful it nearly stopped my breath.

“It’s okay,” I somehow managed to whisper. “I want it.”

I didn’t even know if I said the words out loud or not, but he heard them either way. He pulled out of me and thrust back in, not hard, not slow, but rather, somewhere in the middle. The shallow, yet powerful, motion brushed against my prostate, making me whimper in distressed pleasure.

Kirril rocked in and out of me, at first keeping that same sedate pace, but gradually increasing the speed. His fears hadn’t completely dissipated, but they had settled into a more natural cautiousness, the same one that made him gauge my every response. I didn’t mind, as it was an evidence of his genuine love for me. Naturally, our connection worked both ways, and as such, my trust in him reassured him.

Soon, he was thrusting more vigorously, the powerful motions of his pelvis making the bed creak alarmingly and strike the wall with force. I braced myself against the headboard and moved with him, impaling myself on his thick shaft, seeking more of the potent sensations overwhelming my mind and body.

By now, my cock leaked generous amounts of pre-cum, rubbing against Kirril’s abdomen as my mate fucked me. Every inch of me sizzled with sensual pleasure. My dragon craved the ultimate completion of our bond, and my fangs dropped, aching to be sunk into his flesh.

Kirril knew all this. He knew how to find my special spot every time, but he also understood my every emotion. It was so very strange. When we were together like this, the feelings and sensations flowed between us in a continuous stream, so much so that we experienced each touch twofold. I had nothing to compare our couplings with except the occasional flash of memory I caught from my mate, but I gathered normal sex was very different from that between mates. What I was experiencing now went beyond carnal pleasure. It was a union of two bodies and souls, two beings becoming a single entity.

And because Kirril understood all this, he bent me nearly in half and brought his lips close to mine. One ravishing kiss had me desperate and so close to orgasm that I could almost taste it. Or perhaps that was Kirril’s flavor assaulting my senses. I couldn’t even tell anymore.

In the end, it didn’t matter because Kirril broke our kiss and exposed his throat, waiting to be claimed. I didn’t hesitate for a single moment and buried my fangs in his flesh.

Instantly, another even more explosive climax swamped me, propelling me into a transcendental world. As his blood filled my mouth, I sensed him finding his peak as well, first through the wet heat now painting my passage, and at a more profound level, through our bond.

In that moment, our thoughts came together in a moment of complete perfection. Just like that, I knew. I knew that I’d been right about the reason of my strange nausea from earlier. I could feel it deep inside me, a small spark of life that hadn’t been there before, a light that tentatively reached out to me and Kirril.

When I started to descend from the high of the orgasm, I found my mate looking dazed and overwhelmed. He collapsed at my side and gasped, “You are…You are pregnant. Baby…”

His mind was a litany of “Oh, Gods,” and “I love you.” I just smiled at him, too exhausted and blissful to speak. Just like he had, I used our bond to reply, “I love you, too.”

Kirril pulled me close, and I placed my head on his chest with a contented sigh. As I drifted into slumber, I felt reassured that my mate would take care of me and our child. Our situation might not be perfect, but as long as we were together, I had faith that we’d get by.

Chapter Eleven:

In Which There Are Separations and Reunions

A child. I still couldn’t believe it. I was going to be a father. It seemed amazing and unfathomable, but if anyone could have given me this gift, it was him.

I watched Dineiro sleeping, an expression of utter peace on his face. Distantly, I thought he’d never looked more beautiful, with his hair mussed after our session of lovemaking and that lovely serene smile that made me believe nothing could ever go wrong.

Unfortunately, that peacefulness was shattered when a knock suddenly sounded at the door. My mate released a startled snort and his eyes cracked open. “What is it?” he asked in a sleep-rough voice.

I brushed my lips over his forehead, smiling fondly. “Just stay here and rest. I’ll check it out.”

He nodded and fell back on the pillows, already surrendering to slumber again. One quirk of his was that he tended to be a heavy sleeper, especially after I fucked him. Sometimes, he woke up for like two seconds, like he had now, but then, he promptly remedied the situation and relaxed again.

As I slipped out of the bed, I stole a look back at him and grinned when I saw him murmuring in discontent at my absence. He curled around a pillow, and I covered him with the blanket, impossibly even more protective of him than I’d been before. The knock sounded again, and with a frustrated sigh, I pulled on a pair of pants and headed toward the door.

When I opened it, I found Grier Adams at the other side. “Is Dineiro all right?” he asked. “King Samuel and Queen Beatrice are here.”

“Prince Julian’s parents?” I inquired, shocked. “They came here themselves?”

Grier nodded. “I expect they’re taking advantage of the occasion to visit their son, too. I’m told that they can indeed help you with your predicament.”

“Thank you,” I answered, somewhat shaken. The glee from the news my mate had given me hadn’t even settled in yet. “Just a moment. I need to wake him, and then we’ll come downstairs.”

“You’ll find us in Orion’s office,” Grier said, offering me a small, comforting smile. “For the record, they’re truly wonderful people.”

I expressed my gratitude again, and he took his leave. As I watched him go, I finally understood just how lucky Dineiro and I had been to run into him and his mate. Grier, Orion, and all the other people we’d met on Earth had been amazing with me and Dineiro. I realized with a pang of surprise that I would regret it if I never saw them again.

I closed the door and went back toward the bed. My mate must have sensed my disquiet as he stirred and opened his eyes. “A king and queen?” he asked, already pushing off the blanket. “I didn’t expect them to come here.”

“Me neither,” I answered. “I truly wish you could have rested a little more, but it looks like it’s not possible.”

Dineiro shrugged and grinned, leaning over to me to steal a kiss. “I’ve never felt better.”

As I sampled his incomparable flavor once more, my lust for him rose. I might have tumbled him back into the bed, but I remained aware that we couldn’t keep the incubus royals waiting.

With a great deal of regret, we broke apart. “We should wash up,” I told him. “It would be rude to come to the meeting smelling like sex.”

“We could take a shower together to save time,” he suggested coyly.

I shook my head at his antics. “I highly doubt it would work. You tempt me too much for your own good.”

He laughed and stepped away, padding naked toward the bathroom. I watched him disappear inside, and a few seconds later, the water started to run. While I waited for him to come out, I found us new clothes from the wardrobe the vampires had provided.

My lover’s shower didn’t last long, and he soon rushed out, granting me the use of the area. Naturally, he brushed against me as I headed inside, and my hands itched to grab him. I refrained from doing so, however, telling myself we’d have all the time to couple once we were back home and preferably found our friends.

As I stepped into the shower, I turned on the human device I’d grown quite fond of. It had been a little difficult for Dineiro and me to get accustomed to it. My mate in particular had trouble with it. Arthuria had a similar system, although not quite so advanced. Even so, we were both quick learners and now had no trouble with it whatsoever. As I washed, I once again tried to register how everything worked since I planned to use this knowledge when we went back to Avalon.

I didn’t linger too long inside the bathroom, either. When I came out, I found my mate already dressed and waiting for me. A mix of relief and dismay filled me, as my lustful side would have liked to see him naked, while my rational one knew we didn’t have the time to dwell on such things.

In the end, I pulled on my clothes as well with the swift focus that had become deeply engrained in me during my life as a soldier. “Ready?” I asked Dineiro when I finished my preparations.

“I suppose,” he replied. “I certainly want to go back home, but I’m a bit nervous as to what it might imply.”

He had a point, especially given the way we’d ended up here and Prince Julian’s reluctance to meddle with the spell. Unfortunately, we didn’t have much of a choice. As such, I took his hand and led him out of our quarters. “It’ll be all right,” I promised. “No matter what happens, I’ll always be with you.”

He leaned against me, his doubts forgotten. I couldn’t get over how much he trusted me, and I vowed to never fail that trust.

By now, we had learned how to navigate the intricate corridors of Orion Walker’s mansion. We reached the office in no time. Still holding on to him, I knocked at the door. Orion let us in, gazing from me to Dineiro as if trying to figure us out. His expression could have meant anything at all, and I didn’t like that.

I didn’t have time to ask him if anything was wrong, as he ushered us inside. Other than Grier and Orion, Prince Julian and his mate were predictably there, but also two other people I didn’t know, a man and a woman. I was not surprised when Julian made the introductions.

“This is my father, King Samuel, and my mother, Queen Beatrice. Mother, Father, this is Prince Kirril of Arthuria and his mate, Dineiro of Merlinia.”

“We’ve heard a lot about you,” Beatrice said pleasantly. She was a stunningly beautiful woman, almost to a threatening extent, but her kind smile tempered it, so much so that she almost reminded me of my own mother. “We’re very pleased to finally be able to make your acquaintance.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Majesties,” I answered, bowing lowly. My mate followed my example, and I noticed in awe that in spite of him not having grown up in court, he did it far better than I’d ever managed. Some things about dragons still boggled the mind.

“We truly needn’t be formal,” Julian’s father said. “My son speaks highly of you. Alas, certain political aspects have kept us from dealing with your request earlier, but we have been informed of your problem and we think we can help.”

“You can send us back to Avalon?” My mate’s voice teemed with poorly concealed enthusiasm.

At that, the king and queen shared a look. “We believe we can,” she finally said, “but you’re going to have to let us check the spell first.”

“Of course,” I replied. The request didn’t surprise me, and when the couple approached, we met them halfway.

I felt a little reluctant to allow another man to touch my mate, which was why I experienced a sense of relief when the queen went to him, while the king came to me. A small secretive smile from Julian told me he and his parents must have guessed that, and I distantly remembered that incubi did have powers of extreme empathy. It might have made me uncomfortable, but in this case, it helped, so I couldn’t begrudge them the use of these abilities.

With that in mind, I took the king’s hand while Dineiro did the same with the queen. I felt something like a wave of power flow over me, but it was in no way invasive. At last, it retreated, and King Samuel released my hand.

“Well?” I inquired, unable to contain my impatience, either.

“The good news is that we can, indeed, break the spell,” Samuel answered.

“But there’s some bad news,” I said, my heart starting to beat faster. My thoughts immediately went to the unborn child my lover carried. “Is it risky? Dini is…We’re going to have a baby.”

“Congratulations,” the queen said with a warm smile. “I thought I could sense something, but I wasn’t very sure. And no, nothing we do should harm you or put a strain on the child.”

“The spell is actually quite harmless,” the king pointed out. “Whoever cast it didn’t mean to hurt you, just get you out of his way.”

I wanted to scream. They were obviously doing their best to cushion the blow of whatever was coming, but it didn’t help at all. Fortunately, they must have sensed that as well, because Samuel finally said, “None of this can actually injure you. However, I cannot guarantee that you’ll end up in the same place you were, or even together. Once the anchor spell is gone, you will be returned to your world, but beyond that…Everything’s a mystery.”

I gaped at them, unable to believe what I was hearing. “So in other words, you can break the spell, but it will separate us?” How was that in any way good news?

“Surely there must be a way to stabilize it.” Dineiro sounded as upset as I felt.

“There is,” Beatrice offered, “but you know how magic is. It is by its nature unstable. What you must understand is that the spell on you was never very solid to begin with since, as far as I can tell, neither you nor its caster were actually on Earth when it was created. It will begin to unravel on its own, and if that happens, you can end up someplace else entirely. The best thing to do is to sever it now, when we can to a certain extent control it.”

I understood what she meant, but that didn’t make me feel happier about it. “What do you think?” I asked my mate through our bond. He was better than me at this magic stuff.

“I think they’re right,” he replied softly. “If the spell is indeed frayed, which would truly not surprise me, we’re better off getting rid of it now. But I’m afraid, Rili. What if this separates us?”

I pulled him close, hating that we hadn’t even gotten much chance to celebrate his pregnancy before this had happened. “Can you at least guarantee that we’ll both end up on Avalon?” I asked the royal couple. “As long as that’s the case, our bond will help us make our way back to each other.”

“Definitely,” Beatrice replied, no hesitance in her voice. “You are naturally drawn to your world, after all. The only thing you need from us is a little nudge, and of course, the breaking of the spell.”

“All right,” Dineiro told her. “We’ll take you up on your offer. When do you think it would be best to do this?”

“As soon as possible,” Samuel answered. “It’s still holding on, but I can’t tell when it will snap on its own.”

“Now,” Dineiro and I said at the same time. “Let’s get it over with,” I added. I couldn’t live with this uncertainty, and apparently neither could my mate.

“Very well,” the king said. “We’ll make the preparations. Perhaps you’d like to say good-bye in the meantime.”

Apparently, they’d expected Dineiro and me to want this. When we gave them room, they began to draw a wide circle on the floor using a strange translucent powder. We turned toward our host, no, our new friend. “You can’t begin to imagine how much your help meant to us,” I told Orion.

“It was freely offered, and your presence honored my home.” Behind his normally serious expression, I detected a measure of regret. “Who knows? Mayhap we’ll meet again.”

Grier nodded. “I admit I’m going to miss you, but I have faith that we’ll see each other one day.”

Prince Julian and his mate looked upset. “I wish you could have stayed,” Mackenzie said, gazing toward Dineiro. “We could have given birth at the same time. It’s kind of boring with only Grier around.”

There was laughter all around, lightening the mood a little. Dineiro hugged Grier and then Mackenzie tightly. “Of course, you are all correct,” he said. “This isn’t good-bye, just farewell.”

“I certainly hope so,” Julian commented as he and I shook hands. “Avalon sounds very interesting. I’d love to visit sometime.”

As we waited for the royal couple to finish the ritual, Orion ordered for a servant to bring us our luggage. I was dismayed, since we had come here empty-handed, but he insisted. “This way, at least, you’ll have a memento of your time on Earth.”

“I don’t know what to say,” my lover answered, genuinely touched. In the end, he kissed Orion’s cheek, and the vampire blinked, looking taken aback by my mate’s touch. Nevertheless, he didn’t comment, instead accepting the gesture as it was meant to be received, as a sign of friendship. Just as the servant appeared with our bags, Julian’s parents finished the spell. Dineiro and I shouldered our bags and stepped into the circle. Samuel and Beatrice were outside it, but with their hands extended.

“Ready?” Samuel asked.

I nodded. I held on to my mate with one palm, using the other to grip Samuel’s. My mate did the same with Beatrice. “Thank you again for all your help,” Dineiro said. “May the Goddess shine love upon your path forever.”

“Rest assured that should you ever visit Avalon, we’ll return the favor,” I offered. “Farewell.”

As I said my good-byes, I sensed the power of the incubus already drifting into me. It reached out to a small part of me I hadn’t even been aware of, or rather, to something that had been artificially attached to my consciousness. I could see it now, and confirmed that the anchor spell was, indeed, unstable.

Samuel snapped the magic, and I felt my world become dimmer. I squeezed Dineiro’s hand tighter, hoping that I’d still be holding it at the other side. He squeezed it back and inhaled deeply, as if to center himself.

This proved to be a bad idea. At the last moment, Dineiro wrinkled his nose and sneezed. Some of the translucent powder used for the spell blew away. I saw Beatrice’s eyes widen, but there was no time to fix anything. The bonds keeping Dineiro and I tied to Earth broke, and once more, we fell into the darkness.

I didn’t know how long it lasted. I was aware of very little throughout our journey. In fact, at one point, I blacked out entirely. However, when I did recover, I instantly knew two things with great clarity. No, Dineiro’s hand had not remained in mine, but to a certain extent, the incubus couple had come through for us. I was home, in Arthuria.

How did I know that, you might ask? Easy. The first thing I saw was Medwin, sitting by my bedside, looking tired and concerned. So, home, and in my quarters. I stirred and rubbed my sore temples, seeking out my connection with my mate. I had to have faith that Dineiro had reached Avalon, too. Unfortunately, it seemed clear that we’d been separated somewhere along the way, but given the fact that I’d ended up in Arthuria, that might have been a good thing, at least in some regards. My mate would never be safe here, not until I managed to drastically change things.

My brother interrupted me before I could get an answer from Dineiro. “Thank the Gods,” he gasped out, clutching my hand in near despair. “We almost thought we’d lost you.”

“Why would you think that?” I inquired.

To my surprise, it was my oldest sibling who replied. I hadn’t even noticed Leonard in the room, which spoke volumes of my condition. Granted, unlike Medwin, he’d been sitting farther away from the bed, but still, I should have spotted him. “You’ve been out of it for three days, brother,” he told me. “Father even sent for a Morgannian medic since it seemed clear that magic brought you in this condition.”

Three days? Surely not. It hadn’t happened when we’d first traveled between worlds. At least, I didn’t think so. After all, we’d landed in that park, and someone would have noticed us had we been lying there for so long.

But that was irrelevant. I needed to know what had happened with my mate. If something had gone wrong with me, Dineiro and our son could have been hurt as well. Once again, I reached out to him through our bond, fighting back my panic. “Dini? Answer me, baby. Please answer me.”

A few seconds later, Dineiro’s voice popped up in my mind, tentative and hesitant. “Rili? Is that you, or am I imagining things?”

“Oh, thank the Gods,” I said. “It’s me, baby. I’m in Arthuria. It seems I was unconscious for three days.”

“But are you safe?” he asked earnestly. “Are you unharmed?”

“It’d take more than a little spell to put me down,” I joked, aching to be at his side and soothe his anxiousness with kisses. “What of you, baby? Are you all right? Our child?”

“I’m fine. Back home…This is all wrong, love. It’s my fault. If I hadn’t sneezed…”

“Don’t be silly,” I rushed to correct him. “If you hadn’t sneezed, we might not have met at all. Look, I’ll come to you. Fate brought us together once. I won’t let it separate us.”

At that, he released a small laugh, and I was ecstatic at hearing it. “I very much doubt Bowie would even try.” Sobering, he asked quietly, “Will you really come?”

I’d have attempted to reassure him, but I became aware of my brothers giving me odd looks. “Kirril? Did you hear what I said?”

No, actually, I hadn’t heard a word. I’d been too focused on my mate. But I couldn’t exactly tell them that, not just yet. I trusted my brothers, but they weren’t ready to hear everything that had happened to me since we’d last seen each other.

“I’m sorry,” I replied apologetically. “I wasn’t paying attention. What is it?”

Medwin still looked concerned, something that didn’t surprise me. “I asked you what happened. Do you remember anything? Was it the dragon that attacked you? Did it kill Magda?”

I couldn’t help but twitch at the reminder of what I’d gone to Merlinia to do. It also didn’t help that his words confirmed what I’d in my heart already known. Magda had not been returned here. “No,” I replied bitingly. “It wasn’t a dragon.”

Unfortunately, my frustration and anger at myself showed, and Leonard immediately noticed. “All right, little brother. You’re going to tell us exactly what happened, and you’re going to start right this instant.”

I might have done just that, but the door opened and our mother rushed inside. Her eyes were red and swollen, surrounded by dark circles. She carried a bowl of water and a washcloth, which she promptly dropped when she saw me. “Kirril!” she gasped. “You’re awake.”

“Mother.” I bowed my head in respect, feeling accomplished when the action didn’t cause my temples to throb in pain. “Greetings.”

My mother had been obviously caring for me and my formal welcome was unsatisfying for her. She pounced on me, hugging me tightly with a strength that belied her small stature. “None of that nonsense. Do you have any idea what you put me through? I just knew that dragon-slaying thing would get you hurt. Oh, my baby. How do you feel?”

She fussed over me, going from angry to worried in the blink of an eye. I hugged her and patted her hair, wondering how she’d take my inevitable departure. “I’m fine, Mother,” I told her. “It was nothing serious.”

Sadly, she’d never appreciated being deceived. She pulled away from me, her eyes narrowing in disapproval. I prepared myself for a tongue lashing, but it never happened. My father stepped into my quarters, having obviously been notified by the guards of my recovery.

“Welcome back,” he told me. “I knew you’d wake up soon.”

His faith in me had always warmed me inside, but this time, the feeling was tempered when he added, “It’s regrettable that you couldn’t bring the dragon’s head, but perhaps it was my fault. It’s clearly not an errand one man can take up. The Morgannian king be damned, I’m not sending any of you to perish out there. My army can take care of the entire Merlinian population of dragons.”

A cold chill swept through me. It wouldn’t be very easy for Arthurian soldiers to find their way through Merlinia, but they still represented a danger for my mate. “Father, what did you do?”

“A troop of two hundred men has already been dispatched,” Leonard replied in my sire’s stead. “This is no longer about the alliance with Morganna. We take care of our own.”

Even realizing that I needed to keep my calm, I couldn’t help but imagine my mate lying in a pool of blood, his beautiful skin marred by wounds. He’d survived me, yes, but two hundred Arthurians were not easy to fight. Knowing my brother, he must have insisted to go along, but it seemed obvious that our father had refused him.

I needed to stop this at all costs. “Call them back,” I said. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”

Everyone seemed taken aback by my outburst. My father narrowed his eyes at me. “If you’re worried that they’ll be harmed, you need to—”

“I’m worried about what they might do,” I interrupted him, throwing off the blankets and jumping out of the bed. “Merlinia is a beautiful country, and dragons aren’t what we were taught to believe. They’re people, Father. They shift. What you had me and the other soldiers do was nothing short of murder.”

“Brother, be calm,” Medwin tried to soothe me. “You’re confused. Merlinia is dangerous. We’ve always known this, and it’s time for that threat to be more adequately assessed.”

“I’m not confused!” I shouted. “Are you even listening to me? Dragons are shape-shifters, and they haven’t hurt us with anything, not in ages. Why should we attack first?”

“Whether they shape change or not, it doesn’t matter,” my father replied coldly. “They’re still monsters. I don’t know what you saw out there, Kirril, but it’s clear to me that you’re not as unharmed as I originally thought. You will remain locked up here in your room until your sense comes back.”

Without giving me a chance to reply, he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room. My mother gave me a look full of regret, then followed. My brothers did the same, although I could tell they were confused and uncertain regarding this sudden development.

As they left me alone in my quarters, I immediately began to plot. I couldn’t wait for my father to change his mind. My mate needed me. I had to find a way out of here. But how? How could I escape the palace that had once been my home but had now become my prison?

Chapter Twelve:

In Which There Are Family Interventions

My mate was trapped in Arthuria by orders of his father, the king. An army of human slayers headed toward Merlinia. However, I was oddly ecstatic. Given the fact that, mere minutes ago, I’d been contemplating the chances of Kirril being dead, the new information I’d received filled my heart with joy. Kirril was safe. The rest didn’t matter to me.

I let out of cry of glee and rushed out of the cave, still in my dragon form. As I burst into the air, I allowed myself to feel the bliss of flight, which I had refused to accept during these long days of sorrow. My sudden explosion of enthusiasm didn’t go unnoticed to my guardian, as before I could get too far, I was intercepted by someone far larger than myself.

“Where do you think you’re going?” my mother asked me, huffing a breath of cold air in my direction.

“Just spreading my wings,” I told her. “Oh, Mother. He’s alive. He’s not hurt.”

“Your slayer?” I could almost see her compute this new information. “I suppose that’s a reason for celebration. But where exactly is he now?”

At her inquiry, I remembered the rest of what I’d caught from Kirril’s mind. That wasn’t so good, and my parents needed to know. I knew they were perfectly capable of defending themselves, but that didn’t mean I wanted them to face any danger.

“He’s in Arthuria.” I flew closer to her and placed a paw on her shoulder. “Oh, Mother. Not all of it is good news. He was unconscious for three days, so his father sent a troop of soldiers this way.”

“Oh, them.” My mother waved a paw dismissively. “We’ve already received notice of their approach. Honestly, the humans are insane if they think such a course of action will be accepted. Once those men step onto Merlinian soil, their fates will be sealed.”

I was horrified. Obviously, a lot of things had happened while I lay in my cave, hiding from the world. If my parents hurt Kirril’s people, a war might break out. My bond with my mate would never break, but we’d never have peace to enjoy our love. And so many would die, human and dragon. No. I absolutely couldn’t allow it. There had to be a way to avoid it.

“Please, Mother,” I begged her. “Surely you must realize what this will do to us, and them.”

She released a heavy sigh, and together, we landed on a nearby cliff. “We weren’t the first ones to attack, Dini,” she replied. “I know how you feel about your human, but he’s still a slayer. He hurt you.”

“He’s the father of my child,” I replied bitingly, “and my mate. We’re in love.”

For a few moments, she didn’t reply, instead looking away from me into the distant horizon. In truth, I’d been very surprised when I’d awakened in my cave, only to find my parents waiting there. It seemed that they had felt my absence and had come looking for me. My trail ended here, but they had run into Vesper and Larue, who’d apparently made their way back here in a desperate attempt to find me. I didn’t know much about the specifics since at the time, I’d been too lost in the terrible silence of my connection with Kirril. Oh, I’d known Kirril wasn’t dead, but I’d feared he might have ended up on some other world, or Goddess knew where else.

Shockingly, my parents had proven to be quite supportive when they’d learned the truth. This surprised me a lot, given our less than amiable separation. As it turned out, they’d never been angry with me for my disobeying and leaving the tribe. In fact, my mother, who was by her ice dragon nature colder, had now self-appointed herself as my guardian, while my father hunted for us and flew around to check for any foes. I guessed that in one of his long trips, he must have somehow found out about the Arthurian army.

“I can understand your situation, Dini,” my mother finally said. “But what will you have us do? Arthurians see us as monsters. They’d never listen to reason. Has your mate even tried to get them to stop? Has he even told them about your bond?”

I hated to admit it, but she was right, at least to a certain extent. “He attempted to convince his father to pull back the soldiers, but he became a prisoner for his trouble,” I admitted, already waiting for the “I told you so.”

It never came. Instead, my mother looked surprised, having obviously not expected Kirril to even try to defend us. “You should give him a chance,” I told her softly. “He’s a good man.”

“Perhaps you’re right,” she mused. “But his kind are stubborn and set in their ways. Your Kirril seems fond of you, which is why he was more open to change. Not so with the rest of the Arthurians. Otherwise, they’d have never imprisoned him.”

“They believe him to be addled,” I replied. My enthusiasm for having found my mate was now melting into concern. “We have to find a way to get him out of there.”

As it turned out, my mate must have been monitoring our conversation, because his voice popped into my head. “You’re not coming anywhere near Arthuria. Give me time. My father has already posted guards everywhere, but I think I could make a break for it if I really wanted to.”

“Don’t you want to?” I inquired, confused and unsettled.

“If I run, there will be no one here to make them see the error of their ways,” my mate answered. “I’ve decided on a plan of action. I’ll talk to my brothers. I’ll tell them about you and our son. Perhaps they can help me reach out to our father before it’s too late. If not…Well, I’m a resourceful man. I promise you, baby, I’ll return to you.”

On instinct, I reached out to my mother and clasped her paw. “What did he say?” she asked, having apparently guessed that I’d been talking to Kirril.

I explained Kirril’s plan, while my mother remained silent, musing over what I told her. “I’ll try to keep the attack on the Arthurian force in check,” she finally offered. “But if they go too deep into Merlinia, I can’t promise anything.”

In the end, I couldn’t ask for anything more. I only hoped my mate’s trust in his brothers was justified, because otherwise, we were all in trouble.

* * * *

The hours passed slowly while I remained trapped in my quarters. I’d stolen a look outside my balcony, only to find guards posted there. I suspected I could probably escape either way, but what I’d told the mate was the truth. If I didn’t do something about it, my country would fall into an unnecessary war.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, there was a knock at the door. I’d been waiting for a servant girl to bring me my meal, hoping that I could coax her to deliver a message to my brothers. Instead, I watched both Leonard and Medwin slip into my room, looking glum. “You wanted to tell us something,” Leonard said without preamble. “We’re listening.”

I didn’t waste the chance they were giving me. This was a risk, but I trusted them with my life and my future. “When I reached Merlinia, I found a dragon,” I began. “The thing is, I fell in love with him.”

For the first time in my life, I saw both of my brothers look stunned. Medwin always attempted to be prepared for anything, and Leonard studiously kept his emotions from showing. But none of that worked, not with what I’d thrown at them.

“Excuse me?” Medwin croaked out. “Did you just say what I thought you did?”

“Just let me finish before you judge me as crazy, okay?” Both of my brothers nodded, and I continued, “He’s the most wonderful creature to brave the face of the planet, and he’s pregnant with my child.”

I explained the entire story, from finding the strange road, to losing Magda to the strange warlock, going to search for her, and ending up on Earth. By the time I finished, my siblings had taken up seats, seeming torn between disbelief and anxiety.

At last, I reached the point I’d been trying to make from the very beginning. “I need your help. I can’t just stay here while my mate and my child are in danger. Father might be thinking he’s doing the right thing, but this time, he’s leading our country to disaster.”

“If half the things you mentioned are true, I’m inclined to agree,” Leonard murmured. “I won’t lie, brother. This all sounds so outlandish that I doubt you have any chance of getting him to trust you. However, for some obscure reason I cannot begin to fathom, I believe you.”

“Me, too,” Medwin offered. “You’ve never been imaginative enough to spin such a wild tale.”

I chuckled, the relief swamping my heart making it come out nervous and choked. “Will you help me, then?” I asked.

Leonard rubbed his eyes tiredly. “We don’t have much of a choice, now, do we? But be ready, Kirril. You’re going to have to find some sort of proof. Otherwise, you’ll end up with him imprisoning you for an indefinite period.”

Proof. What evidence could I possibly provide that I was telling the truth? I knew Leonard had a point, but I simply couldn’t come up with anything that would convince my father, except…No, absolutely not. Just the thought was unacceptable.

“I’ll do it,” my mate’s voice piped up in my mind. “I’ll meet your father. I want to help you earn your freedom.”

“It’s too risky,” I replied. “We can’t take the chance.”

“Just trust me. I’ll have my parents with me. Perhaps this way, some sort of agreement can be reached.”

Dineiro’s parents. I’d seen flashes of them in his mind. His mother, Aridana, was a blue ice dragon, while his father, Zewyn, held fire abilities. They were among the most powerful of their kind, and a perfect example of what Arthurians imagined dragons to be—other than the shape-shifting, of course.

Intellectually, I knew this could work, but my heart screamed that I shouldn’t allow it. Before I could make a decision, Medwin interrupted my conversation with Dineiro. “Brother?”

I knew my zoning out didn’t exactly fill either of my siblings with confidence, so I decided to fully explain the nature of my bond with Dineiro. “I apologize. I was merely consulting Dini on giving Father proof. He and I have a mind link.”

“Are you serious?” If anything, Medwin looked even more concerned. “Father won’t like that.”

“Well, it’s the truth. There’s nothing insidious about it.” After a brief moment of hesitation, I added, “I truly wish the two of you could have something like this. It’s the most powerful thing I’ve ever experienced. There simply isn’t anything to compare it with.”

“All right, all right.” Leonard lifted his hand, as if surrendering. “I believe you. So what does your beloved Dini suggest?”

“A meeting. Father and Arthurian delegates on one side, and Dini and his parents on the other.”

My siblings knew me well, so I wasn’t surprised when Medwin guessed, “You don’t like it. You don’t want them to meet.”

“Of course I don’t,” I grumbled. “You heard what Father said. He doesn’t care they’re shifters. He still thinks they’re monsters.”

“But do you think your mate would be able to change that?”

If anyone could, it was Dineiro, but I didn’t dare chance it. “Trust me,” Dineiro said in my mind again. “Trust our love. We can do it.”

Feeling like I might be making the worst mistake in my life, I nodded. “Yes,” I replied, both to my brothers and to my mate. “It can be done.”

“Then we’ll speak to Father and see what we can do,” Medwin promised. “Be ready for anything. There’s no telling how he’ll react.”

His words did very little to encourage me, but I hugged him and Leonard nonetheless. “Thank you for this,” I told them. “You have no idea what it means to me.”

“Thank us when it’s over,” Leonard replied with the same brisk efficiency I knew and loved. “Until then, it’s all useless.”

Perhaps he was right, but even so, as I led them out of the room, I couldn’t help but feel a little better about the whole thing. I wasn’t very eager to have my pregnant mate meet my dragon-hating father, but at least my brothers supported me. I only hoped that would be enough to convince my stubborn sire that this time, he was mistaken.

Chapter Thirteen:

In Which a Life-Changing Event Takes Place

“A meeting with a dragon?” My father arched a brow at me, actually seeming amused. “I’ve heard a lot of crazy things since we started this conversation, but this goes beyond anything I could have imagined.”

“You were the one who demanded proof, Father,” I pointed out. “I’m merely providing you with the opportunity to see for yourself.”

Somehow, Leonard and Medwin had managed to convince him to hear me out. However, just like Leonard had guessed, our father was not inclined to believe me just like that. “I’ll see him without having to make such arrangements.” He waved a hand dismissively. “The only thing I need to do is to order capturing the dragons alive. Indeed, that would be quite a good idea. Morgannians couldn’t question our strength if we did that.”

I recoiled as the image of my beautiful mate in chains popped into my mind. “Father, you…Did my words mean nothing to you? After everything I said, you still plan to hurt them, even knowing that Dini and I are going to have a child?”

His expression of satisfaction melted into a glower. “I’m only going to say this once, boy. I don’t know what nonsense you’ve made yourself believe, but men can’t give birth. Dragons are animals, and they don’t fall in love. Nothing you ever say or do will change that.”

I felt hollow inside. Was the man I’d always seen as a visionary truly so absurd? “So all those times you claimed we can change the world if we only tried were what? Lies? Oh, and let’s not forget about what you said on never allowing appearances to deceive us.”

“That was different. Arthuria has always been seen as inferior because our lack of magic, which is untrue. Many nations don’t know us, and they don’t realize the truth about our people. However, dragons will always be dragons, no matter what you might claim.”

I widened my eyes in mock surprise. “Oh, so then…You must have seen a dragon with your own eyes. I must apologize for my mistake.”

He twitched satisfyingly, and I knew I’d hit a nerve. “Very well then,” he said coldly. “I’ll give this a chance since I see it’s important enough for you to defy me. But until then, get out of my sight.”

My father was furious with me, but I didn’t mind since I felt quite angry myself. A few months back, I’d have been crushed if he said those words to me, but now, I just bowed politely, remembering to respect his rank, then stalked out of the throne room without looking back.

Outside, I ran into my mother. “How did it go?” she asked as she grabbed my arm and started to lead me away.

“He agreed, but he’s very upset,” I replied as we headed toward my quarters. I was thankful for her presence since it spared me the humiliation of having guards taking me there.

“I can’t say I’m surprised,” she told me. “Look, I’ll try to temper him. But are you completely certain this is the right thing to do? Is this dragon truly so important to you?”

“The most important thing in my life,” I admitted, not even trying to claim otherwise. There was no longer any point in pretending my loyalties hadn’t changed since my departure from Arthuria.

“I understand,” my mother replied. When we stopped in front my quarters, she kissed my forehead and smiled slightly. “Rest assured that I’ll do all that I can for you to have it. And for the record, I’m happy for you, my son.”

I hugged her, more than thankful for her support after being so disappointed by my father. “I appreciate that,” I told her. “I have a feeling Dini and I are going to need all the help we can get.”

* * * *

As it turned out, I didn’t see my father for a good couple of days. I didn’t know what reaction he had upon learning of my bond with Dini since I’d never gotten the chance to explain it before he’d banished me from the throne room. However, my brothers did eventually tell him, as the mind link represented the basis of the meeting itself.

It was established that five guards, together with my father, my brothers, and me, would meet the dragon trio. My mother insisted to be taken along, and while many argued against the wisdom of dragging the entire royal family into such dangerous circumstances, these protests were quickly silenced. Queen Sedonia was as fierce as her husband when she decided on something. Fortunately, she had decided to trust me and my assessment of my mate.

On the morning of the fifth day, I found myself in the courtyard of the palace, holding a horse’s reins, much like I had been a couple of weeks back. This time, however, Magda was not the mount I would use. The enthusiasm of my fellow Arthurians didn’t surround me as before. Most of the soldiers I’d served with gave me wary looks. The guards my father had picked addressed me briefly and politely, but with a distinctive chill. To a certain extent, they obviously knew at least a part of what I’d talked with my father.

I was soon joined by my family, all dressed for the trip, just like me. Even my mother had forgone her usual elegant attire in favor of a riding outfit, complete with a blade and a crossbow. Arthurian maidens might sigh romantically in the privacy of their own boudoir, but if needed, they could join their men in battle.

I bowed lowly as they reached my side. “Greetings, Your Majesties.”

“Greetings, son,” my father replied, surprising me. “Ready for this?”

“Of course,” I answered, a little puzzled at his behavior. Was he expecting the dragons to have backed out? Why? “Are you?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he went to his already-prepared stallion and mounted it. My brothers did the same, although Leonard squeezed my shoulder as he passed me by. My mother was the last one to follow my father’s example, as she briefly stopped next to me and whispered, “I might have convinced him that there’s a possibility this dragon doesn’t exist at all, and once you realize it, too, we’ll have you back.”

“But he has stopped the army from advancing into Merlinia, right?” I inquired.

“Yes,” she whispered back. “They’ve made camp a few miles away from our meeting spot.”

I frowned, hoping that didn’t mean my father had anything up his sleeve. I knew him to be an honest man, but I couldn’t trust him to act as usual with regard to this matter. Alas, I didn’t get to ask my mother anything else, as she had to go to her own horse. Both of us mounted our respective animals, which made the party ready for the trip.

Perhaps eager to get this whole thing over with, my father kicked his stallion into a gallop, and we all followed. As we rode out of the palace courtyard and through the streets of Camelot, I wondered if this would be the last time I’d ever see my homeland from this perspective.

In the end, no matter what the outcome of this meeting would be, I was sure of one thing. Once I reunited with Dineiro, I wouldn’t leave his side. My mate definitely couldn’t come back to Arthuria, so I’d have to remain in Merlinia.

I mentally said my good-byes to my life as an Arthurian prince. Distantly, I noticed that I had no regrets. A new life awaited for me out there, in the Merlinian wilderness, a life with the mate I loved so much. I couldn’t wait.

“I can’t wait either,” Dineiro’s voice drifted into my mind. He released a little chuckle. “Well, technically speaking, I am waiting. How much longer until you get here?”

I could almost see him pacing, or perhaps fluttering around in dragon form, and my heart warmed with my love for him. “It’ll take a while, baby. An optimistic estimation would be tomorrow, at noon.”

My mate released a heavy sigh. “All right, then. Just hurry…I really miss you.”

I missed him, too. Every moment we spent apart was pure agony, but that didn’t change the protectiveness I felt toward him. “I take it you’re already there, at the meeting place. Be very careful, baby.”

“I will,” my lover replied just as I rode out of Camelot and onto the road toward Merlinia. “You, too.”

Our patience was greatly tested. When I’d traveled alone, I’d been quite fast, at least until I’d reached the borders of Arthuria. In my current company, the trip lasted two times what I expected it to be. I suspected this might have been engineered by my father specifically to check whether or not I was telling the truth, or perhaps to irritate me. Either way, the man had certainly succeeded in doing the latter.

On the evening of the third day, we made camp on the Arthurian shore of the river Dozmary. On the other side, Merlinia stretched out, quiet and mysterious. As I dismounted my horse, I could already feel Dineiro nearby, and I ached to just cross the damn water and run to his side.

I held that impulse in check, waiting to see what my father would order. A part of me still hoped that we’d be able to maintain a relationship after this. At the very least, I wanted to make sure he wouldn’t start a war because of my abandonment of Arthuria.

To my surprise, he seemed as eager as me to find out the result of this meeting. Handing in the reins of his horse to one of his guards, he turned toward me. “Well? Here we are. Go ahead and summon your dragons.”

At this point, I felt unsure whether he was skeptical, angry, or both. It wasn’t something I could address, not now. Perhaps I’d have tried to do so, regardless, but my mate’s eagerness won out. A piercing enthusiastic cry filled the air, and Dineiro’s purple form appeared from over the river.

He swept over our camp, moving so quickly that to an untrained eye, he’d have become just a violet blur. And then, of course, he swooshed down and pounced on me, effectively making me collapse to the ground.

I laughed, not minding the reception in the least. “Hi, Dini.”

In the background, I heard Medwin ask, “Is that really a dragon?”

“Oh, Gods,” my mother said. “He’s so cute.”

“He’s still a beast,” my father pointed out, although he didn’t sound quite so sure anymore.

No sooner had he said these words than my mate changed into his human form. There were gasps all around, but the surprise didn’t distract anyone from the sight of the other two dragons approaching. Unlike Dini, they were huge, and I wondered what kind of arrogance had made me think I could take on such creatures and win.

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Dini whispered. He brushed his lips against mine. “Hi right back.”

Aware that our position wasn’t very appropriate under the circumstances, and my rapidly forming erection even less so, I reluctantly separated our bodies. He got up and I followed, already taking off my cloak as I did so. My brothers might not have been as open with their sexuality as I was, but even Medwin seemed to be eyeing Dineiro with interest.

My mate didn’t seem to care. After I wrapped the cloak around his shoulders, he pulled me toward the red and blue dragons, looking so excited that I’d have given him the world. “Rili, I’d like you to meet, my parents, Zewyn and Aridana. Mother, Father, this is my mate, Prince Kirril.”

Behind me, I thought I heard Leonard repeat inquiringly, “Rili?” I ignored him and focused on my in-laws. Their dragon shapes were somewhat intimidating, but I didn’t let them scare me. “It’s an honor to meet you.”

“The honor is ours,” Zewyn rumbled. “We’ve long waited to see the man who made our only child so happy.”

“Dini is the one who showed me the true meaning of happiness,” I corrected the red dragon. “But I’m forgetting my manners. I’d like you to meet my family, my father, King Ralph Theodore IV of Arthuria, my mother, Queen Sedonia, and my brothers, Princes Leonard and Medwin.”

If my father was nervous at the sight of Dineiro’s parents, he didn’t show it. Instead, he said, “I was greatly surprised when my son explained the situation. Naturally, I only want what’s best for him, and for Arthuria.”

“As do we, for Dini, and Merlinia,” Dineiro’s mother said. Her form and that of her husband melted into human shapes, which instantly caused a measure of discomfort. My father tried to look away and glance at anything except Aridana’s voluminous breasts, but such a thing implied him not being able to face the two dragons fully, which could be considered a diplomatic breach. It was almost amusing.

“But before we go any further, we have a surprise for our son-in-law,” Dineiro’s father said. A bright fire erupted from his hand, harmlessly bursting into the air and sending beautiful sparks over us. Everyone in the Arthurian party, except me, of course, tensed, but held back. It almost seemed like Dineiro irradiated an aura that made all those present reluctant to act violently.

“What surprise?” I asked, trying to distract my family from the display of magic.

I got my reply when an equine silhouette appeared on the Merlinian shore of the river. Instantly, I recognized my loyal, longtime friend. “Magda!” I couldn’t help but gasp.

Until this moment, I hadn’t even realized just how worried I’d been about her. Distantly, I noticed that a person I didn’t recognize walked by Magda’s side, leading her by her reins. Dineiro’s friends, Larue and Vesper sat on Magda’s saddle, now seeming very comfortable with her.

They crossed the bridge over the river and rushed to our side. “Hello, human,” Larue greeted me. “Thank the Goddess you’re finally here. Dini was driving all of us crazy.”

“It’s nice to see you, too, Larue, Vesper,” I replied. Oddly enough, it was. In the brief time we’d spent together, I’d grown fond of the little devils.

As they leapt off the saddle, the stranger led Magda to me. I couldn’t distinguish anything about this new arrival, as he or she wore a thick veil and garments that made it impossible to tell even his or her gender. However, there were two things that struck me at once about Magda’s companion—the long golden hair flowing all the way to his or her feet, and the piercing blue eyes that fixed me with a somewhat regretful glance.

The stranger handed me Magda’s reins. “My name is Rapunzel, and I’m ashamed to say my father stole Magda for me. When I heard what he’d done…Well, I couldn’t allow it. I knew I had to return Magda.”

Was it my impression, or had Medwin made a choked noise? Perhaps he had since that striking azure gaze flashed in my brother’s direction. I’d honestly thought he was in love with the Morgannian princess. In any case, a passing glance to the mysterious Rapunzel didn’t mean anything, and I couldn’t worry about it now.

“Thank you,” I replied to Rapunzel. “She’s a very special horse.”

Magda whinnied appreciatively and nuzzled me with her muzzle. “I knew you’d miss me.”

Before I could get to enjoy my reunion with my loved ones, my father cleared his throat. “As much as I hate to interrupt this, we arranged this meeting for a specific purpose. I wish to know whether dragons are a danger to Arthuria in general and the Arthurian royal family in specific.”

Before Dineiro’s parents could answer, Larue flittered in front of my father, doing something that looked like a happy dance in the air, “Why would they be dangerous? After all, you’re family now.”

I instantly revised my opinion of Larue. No, I hadn’t missed him at all. In fact, I wanted to strangle him. Unfortunately, before I could focus on that, I had some damage control to do. My problems weren’t over yet, not by far.

Epilogue:

In Which All’s Well That Ends Well

A few weeks later

“And then, King Ralph Theodore was like…What in the world are you talking about?” Larue chortled and gleefully flew around as he related the story. “You should have seen his face. It obviously hadn’t occurred to him that his son was basically married to Dini.”

I rolled my eyes at his antics, cuddling closer to my mate. “You shouldn’t have pushed him, Larry. It could have ended badly.”

“Well, it didn’t.” Larue crossed his arms over his chest and landed on Victor Frankenstein’s shoulder. “It all worked out in the end.”

“Fortunately, yes,” my mate replied pleasantly. “In the future, you should try to be more tactful. Kings are generally touchy, and more so when their children wed what they think to be their greatest foes.”

Larue wrinkled his nose but didn’t say anything else. I honestly felt bad about reprimanding him since I knew his character well and realized he didn’t mean any harm.

Fortunately, Victor intervened before the situation could become awkward. “In any case, what happened after that?”

“Oh, at first, an argument started,” Kirril replied. “There were blades drawn and some spells cast, but then, Dini and I intervened. I explained that I’d be staying in Merlinia with Dini. My father wasn’t happy, but from that point on, fighting seemed a little useless.”

I shivered slightly at the memory of my parents facing the king and his men. Thank the Goddess that our loved ones had listened to us. If they hadn’t, we might not have been here at all today.

Obviously guessing my mood, Kirril added, “But you already know all this since Larue insists on telling the story every time we come here.”

It was true. Ever since we’d started to regularly drop by Victor Frankenstein’s castle, Larue never got tired of telling the story. “It’s fun.” Larue pouted. “And Victor doesn’t mind.”

To a certain extent, I did, but I could also see the humor in the situation, so I didn’t blame my friend for being amused by it. I suspected there was more to it than that. Larue’s people had a tradition of celebrating life with tales, so this might easily be Larue’s way of exorcising his own fears.

As such, I grinned at Larue. “I’m assuming he doesn’t since he has to withstand it more than once per day.”

There were chuckles all around, while Larue let out an outraged gasp. Finally, Kirril said, “In any case, we should go. We’ve intruded on your hospitality long enough.”

“Nonsense.” Victor waved a hand dismissively. “It’s always nice to have you here. Your rooms will be waiting should you decide to return tonight.”

I honestly wasn’t sure if that would be wise. Oh, I liked Victor and his assistant. I even liked the gargoyles, whom I’d affectionately dubbed Smiley and Weepy. At the same time, though, I thought Victor and Larue needed some privacy to figure out the complicated and more than frustrating dynamics of their relationship.

It was clear to me that some measure of attraction existed between the two, but given Larue’s size, nothing could come of it. Well, not yet. I was pretty sure the scientist had started to research this predicament, which was another reason why Kirril and I should have avoided distracting him.

Alas we didn’t have much choice. Once the obvious problems had disappeared, the more practical, everyday ones had reared their ugly heads. I’d known that Kirril would live in Merlinia, but beyond that, everything was a mystery. My mate couldn’t fly, and while in dragon form I was strong enough to carry him to the cave, his bulk made it uncomfortable for me to maneuver adequately. Not to mention that Kirril resented me having to make any sort of effort that would endanger my pregnancy. Besides, Kirril was a prince, and a human. He wasn’t used to living in caves, and I couldn’t ask that of him.

This brought us to our current predicament. Kirril was planning to build a home for us in the Laughing Forest, but until then, we needed somewhere to stay. Victor Frankenstein had offered the use of his castle, and we had accepted in spite of my misgivings.

Suppressing a sigh, I nodded at our host. “Thank you. We’ll likely take you up on that.”

Both Kirril and I got up from the couch we’d been lounging on. “We’ll see you to the exit,” Victor immediately said.

He and Larue led us out of the cavernous living room and into the foyer. It was almost strange to realize how used I’d grown to the castle that had once startled me so much. As I stepped outside its walls, I thought I’d probably miss it if I never came back.

“I’ll drop by to help with the house a little later,” Larue promised as we walked.

“Sure,” I replied. “Take your time. It’s not going anywhere.”

One would think that someone Larue’s size wouldn’t be of much assistance in such a complicated process, but actually that couldn’t have been more wrong. Larue had enlisted all of his extended family, and their help, coupled with that of my parents, made the home I’d share with my mate progress quite nicely. Even so, I didn’t want to take advantage when Larue still had so many problems of his own.

We finally reached the stables, where we found Magda, Igor, and Rapunzel waiting. I’d finally determined—with considerable effort—that our new beautiful friend was male, although our host and Igor had not given up on their debate. It was truly very hard to tell, due to the heavy, thick clothing Rapunzel wore all the time and the veils that covered almost his entire face. The only one who could have fully clarified the situation was Magda, but the mare seemed to have no plans to say anything.

Judging by the outfit Rapunzel wore today, he intended to leave as well. Victor looked disappointed. “You’re returning to your home?” he inquired.

Rapunzel nodded. “It’s time for me to head back. My father will be furious enough with me, and I don’t want him to cause you any more trouble. Could I perhaps borrow a mount from your lovely stables, just until I reach Stiltskin lands?”

“Of course,” Victor replied. “I do wish you could stay more, but I completely understand your decision.”

I looked around the stables and realized my friend Vesper was nowhere to be seen. “Where did Vesper go?” I inquired.

“I believe he planned to meet Count Vlad, but I can’t be certain,” Igor replied. “He’s very secretive about it.”

“Ah.” I exchanged a look with my mate. “Well, we’ll leave him to it then.”

It was not the first time he’d done so, and probably wouldn’t be the last. It seemed Bowie had come through with his matchmaking task, at least where my friends were concerned. I still didn’t know how Magda fit into the picture, especially since Rapunzel had returned her to my mate, but I suspected I’d find out in time.

As promised, Victor gave Rapunzel a horse, while I mounted Magda with my mate. As we rode out of the palace, Smiley and Weepy wove us off, like they always did. Rapunzel seemed almost as sad as Weepy, and we rode together toward the forest where we had once fallen into another world. Ironically, the road under the horses’ hooves was rainbow colored, which made me wonder just what Bowie thought about all this.

Rapunzel tried to look brave, but he obviously wasn’t looking forward to going back home. Technically speaking, Kirril and I didn’t need to go in this direction, but we decided to do so in the hope of giving Rapunzel some support. Alas, all too soon, the dark woods loomed ahead, with the tower in the distance. Rapunzel dismounted and sighed. “Thank you for everything, Prince Kirril. My apologies again for taking Magda.”

He patted Magda’s large head, almost seeming in tears. I didn’t know what to do, but apparently my mate did. He dismounted, and once I saw what he had planned, so did I.

“I’ll make you a deal, Rapunzel. With my dear friend’s permission, you can have Magda. I think right now, you need her more than I do.”

Rapunzel’s eyes widened. “I couldn’t possibly…Are you certain?”

My mate nodded. “Right now, my focus is on Dini, and I couldn’t possibly give Magda the attention she deserves anyway.” Kirril caressed Magda’s mane and smiled sadly. “I admit it’s not easy for me to let her go. She’s been my companion through thick and thin. But I honestly think it would be for the best, and Magda knows it, too.”

Magda nudged Kirril’s shoulder with her muzzle. “I’ve always known you were a great man, and you just proved it to me.”

She had essentially confirmed Kirril’s words. Honestly, I agreed with them as well. It wasn’t that I’d have kept Kirril from having his time with his mare, but I thought Rapunzel must truly be very lonely in that tower of his, and having Magda there would help a lot.

Rapunzel’s hand trembled as he took Magda’s reins from Kirril. A tear fell from the corner of his eyes, wetting the veil covering his mouth. “Thank you,” he whispered. “I promise we’ll visit.”

“Good,” Kirril replied. “This way, you’ll even have an excuse to leave this place more often.”

On impulse, I embraced Rapunzel and quickly released him when he tensed. “We’ll see each other soon,” I said.

I thought he might have smiled, but I couldn’t be sure. “Yes. And don’t worry. I’ll take good care of Magda.”

Kirril wrapped his arm around me, his hold on my waist tight, as if seeking an anchor. “I know. Otherwise, I’d never have agreed to give her to you.”

After thanking Kirril once more, Rapunzel mounted Magda and headed out into the forest. Almost instantly, his form seemed to melt in the gloom of the woods. While I felt somewhat concerned for Magda, I knew we’d done the right thing. She and Rapunzel would take care of each other.

We led the second horse back onto the Rainbow Brick Road, and I was not surprised when Bowie suddenly said, “That was very generous. I know it can’t have been easy.”

“And you probably guessed I’d do it,” Kirril replied with a snort as the mount provided by Victor fidgeted nervously.

“That I did,” Bowie answered. “Ready to head home?”

“As ready as we’ll ever be,” I told our strange friend.

We’d learned that Bowie didn’t have to wait for daylight or nighttime to transport anyone between dimensions. He also seemed to have some sort of weakness for us, as he often helped us without us even asking him to.

This time was no different. One moment we’d been standing in front of Lord Stiltskin’s territory, and the next, the dark gloom of those woods was replaced by the beauty of the Laughing Forest.

“Thank you,” I said, a little dazed after the trip. I should have gotten used to it by now, but the change didn’t agree with my sensitive stomach. My mate immediately picked me up in his strong arms and carried me toward a shaded area. As he deposited me on the comfortable moss, he grumbled, “You could have made the trip a little smoother, Bowie.”

“My apologies.” The path chuckled. “But no worries. I’ll make it up to you.”

I was almost afraid to ask what Bowie meant by that, but I didn’t get the chance to make any inquiry. The brick path vanished, leaving behind a completely harmless-looking forest road.

“Should we be concerned, do you think?” I asked my mate.

“I doubt it,” Kirril replied. “If Bowie had wanted to give us trouble, he wouldn’t have brought us together in the first place.”

My mate had a point, although I knew by now fate was finicky, and Bowie just as much. But I didn’t care. The moss was comfortable, and when my lover sat down by my side, I figured we had a little time before we needed to return to our future home.

The big disadvantage of our great plans was that all the friends and family we had in Merlinia had joined in to help. Now, this seemed a good thing, very laudable and very useful in the long run, but unfortunately, it also meant that we had little privacy. It was a little better in Victor Frankenstein’s castle, but when we were there, we both always had the impression that we were being watched.

As such, sharing these quiet moments in the forest was quite refreshing. It seemed my mate thought the same since he lowered his body over mine, grinning. “How do you feel? Nausea gone?”

“Yes,” I replied, already wrapping my arms around his neck. “Why? What did you have in mind?”

In response, he pressed his lips to mine in a gentle kiss. I gladly granted him entrance, and his tongue slipped into my mouth, exploring and mapping my wet cavern. A kiss shouldn’t have awoken every inch of my body, but it did. Just the taste of him had my dragon, and my cock, taking notice and demanding our coupling.

As always, my mate understood my plea. From gentle, the kiss grew increasingly more passionate until its heat and flavor had me forgetting about my need to breathe. While air didn’t seem necessary, though, both Kirril and I craved more intimate touches. Another unfortunate consequence of our situation was having to wear clothes, and right now, that seemed absolutely unbearable.

I tore at my mate’s garments, my fingers sprouting claws at my determination to get skin to skin. His shirt ripped under my assault, and he tossed it off onto the ground with a careless shrug. Even if he didn’t have my abilities, that didn’t stop him from doing the same thing on the vest I wore. Buttons flew and material tore as his passion won the battle with the one of the few items of clothing I consented to wear.

Grinning, I helped him as much as I could. “I liked this vest,” I said, almost surprised that I could find it in me to be teasing.

“You like being naked more,” Kirril pointed out. Wet heat surrounded my nipple, and my ability to speak dissolved. I fell back against the grass, helpless in front of my mate’s nearly torturous ministrations.

He sucked on the little nub with relentless determination, his hand going to its mate to tweak it. As he bit down on the bit of flesh, I moaned and arched against him. “Yes! Oh, Rili…Yes, more!”

Kirril released my nipple with a wet pop and started to kiss down my chest until he reached my belly. Unsurprisingly, he lingered over the area, like he always did when we came together like this. Even if we both knew a new life lay hidden there, it wasn’t showing yet, and it would take a while before it did. Dragon pregnancies took a long time to mature. I wasn’t sure exactly how long it would last for me, as our child would be a half-breed. However, we’d all agreed that it would most likely take more than the nine months humans had to wait.

Given all that and the near-surreal nature of the events that had brought us together and separated us, a part of him still couldn’t fully grasp how it had been possible for me to fall pregnant. Because of this, at times he seemed to expect that the dream would shatter, and he’d be left in the cold without me or our child.

I reached out for him and caressed his long, blond hair. He smiled up at me, an almost-innocent beam which contradicted what he was doing with his hands. As he kissed my belly, his hands worked on my pants, deftly unbuttoning them.

Anticipation coursed through me as he at last released my aching prick from its confines. “Love you,” my mate sent through our bond as he placed one last kiss on my still-flat belly. Before I could even process what he had in mind, he suddenly lowered his mouth over my shaft and took my erection all the way into his throat.

The sensations that exploded through me were intense enough to cripple a thousand men. Simply the heat of his wet cavern melted every inch of me until I became nothing more than an incoherent pool of lust and need, a vessel of pure carnal pleasure, receiving the ecstasy he offered and aching to return the favor. Honestly, I’d have been dismayed that our current position didn’t allow me to do so, except that, through our connection, I could sense his genuine enjoyment, no, his bliss at sharing such an intimate experience with me. As he bobbed his head up and down my dick, I clutched his hair, thrusting my dick into his mouth as I guided him to take more of my cock. But even as the sensations soared, it wasn’t enough, not nearly enough for me. My dragon demanded more. It demanded everything.

Obviously knowing this, my mate pulled away, freeing himself from my grip with ease. I might have tried to coax him back, but truth be told, he was running this show. I was putty in his hands, and he could do whatever he wanted with me. Still, when my cock slipped from his mouth, I couldn’t help but release a whine of protest.

“Hush, baby,” he whispered out loud. “I know.”

And he did. It didn’t matter if he spoke to my thoughts or to my ears. It didn’t matter if he used his voice or our bond to address me. No matter what happened and no matter what he did, I believed in him, and I trusted that he’d take care of me.

I still remembered the way he’d sheltered me with his own body when the supposed spirit hunters had tried to steal me away. To this day, the gargoyles hadn’t explained the reason behind that action. At times, they seemed very random. I actually suspected that they’d done it on purpose so I could see Kirril for who he really was, without my perspective being tainted by him being an Arthurian and a slayer.

It had worked, and now we were together. And sweet Goddess, I wanted it to last forever. I wanted this moment to never end. At the same time, I ached for Kirril to get on with it, to touch me deeper, to make our union complete. Every part of me, from the one I now recognized as human to my dragon one, wished to claim him.

The best thing was that he felt the same. In spite of the brief pang of loss I experienced when he released my dick, it was all worth it, as he quickly pulled off my boots and proceeded to do the same with my pants. Once I was naked, he disrobed with the same efficiency I’d gotten used to since becoming his mate.

As I watched him strip, I was once more struck about by just how lucky I’d been to have him as my other half. Plainly put, the man seemed cut from divine cloth. I didn’t even know where to look first since I wanted to take everything in at the same time. Actually, I wanted to touch everything, but paradoxically, my lust was so intense that it didn’t allow me to move.

He chuckled, having obviously heard my thoughts. “It’s okay, Dini. I can do all the moving for you, as long as you’re willing.”

“Oh, yes,” I heard myself croak out. “Definitely willing.”

Ready, willing, able, and oh, Goddess, desperate. When he moved close to me again, I almost pounced on him, my dragon needing him so much that my power was slipping out of me. As he covered my body with his larger one, I was distantly aware of the living beings around us responding to it, animals, plants, and even the earth coming together to celebrate love, each in its own way.

I couldn’t focus on that, however, not when my lover pressed his lips to mine once more. He tasted like himself and me, and truly, I didn’t think there was a more arousing flavor on the whole of Avalon, or any of the other worlds in existence. It was as if I could sample the essence of our bond with my every sense, and the beauty of it made me shiver in delight.

When we broke apart again, Kirril didn’t waste any more time with prolonging the sensuous torment. As much as we both enjoyed the foreplay, we needed something else to be complete.

To my surprise and secret delight, Kirril flipped me over on all fours. Amazingly, we’d never tried sex like this before. My mate claimed he wanted to see my eyes when he fucked me, and I needed to face him so that I could claim him. But I like exploring, and I liked discovering new things with him, so I obeyed and remained in the position my mate had chosen for me. To help out further, I spread my legs and pushed my ass out, mentally pleading, “Come on, Rili. Fuck me.”

I was not disappointed. A few seconds later, two fingers invaded my channel, immediately finding my prostate. I gasped, burying my claws in the ground as my mate prepared me. However, my patience was running out. “Rili,” I whined. I couldn’t remember how to say anything else, but I did think it.

And since Kirril didn’t seem inclined on fucking me without taking his sweet time to stretch me, I decided to speed things up a bit. As Kirril rubbed my special spot, I clenched my ass muscles around his fingers.

He groaned, the promise of the bliss awaiting him inside me straining his control. “Baby, you’re not making this easy.”

“It’s not easy,” I said to him in my mind. “It’s hard. I’m hard, and I need you, damn it.”

Thankfully, my lover at last took mercy on me, on the both of us. He removed his fingers from my ass, and after a few moments during which he must have slicked his cock up, he held on to my hips, steadying me. His dick pressed against my anus, already promising dark delights. And that promise was kept, as in one single thrust, my lover impaled me on his thick shaft.

The world turned to pure flame as I struggled to process the sensations now overwhelming my body. Kirril allowed me a few seconds to get accustomed to his girth, but it was more because of his normal protectiveness rather than out of an actual need. By now, I’d grown not only used to taking him within me, but had also started to crave it.

Acknowledging this, he pulled out and thrust back in, hitting my prostate so hard that I saw stars. Everything else melted except our shared desire. As I pushed back against me, he wrapped an arm around my waist, giving me additional support. “Oh, baby,” he whispered in my ear. A few moments later, he continued through our bond, “What you do to me…You feel so good, so tight. Dini…”

At this point, I had no words, not even ones I could mold into coherent thoughts. My mind had become a litany of his name. We fell into a rhythm that felt as perfect as our connection, moving together in complete synch. But then, that made sense, since we’d been made for each other. Our hearts beat at the same pace, and we almost seemed to breathe through the same lungs. My love for him matched what he felt for me. We were one, and we fit together in a single cohesive whole.

The new position allowed my mate a lot of flexibility in fucking me, but it did have one disadvantage, the same one which had deterred us from trying it before. When my dragon roared, demanding to claim Kirril, I couldn’t do so. If I tried, I’d have to turn and dislodge my mate’s dick from inside me, and I truly had no desire to lose the wonderful penetration.

However, Kirril had thought of a fix for that, too. Or perhaps, his instincts had shown him what to do, because I didn’t see it through our bond until it actually happened. Just as my pleasure started to build up to unbearable heights, he suddenly buried his teeth into the flesh of my shoulder. He didn’t have fangs, not like me, but he did manage to break the skin. One would have thought that it would hurt, but instead, it triggered a burst of ecstasy so intense that I forgot how to breathe.

He had never done that before, never claimed me like I did with him. I’d accepted it as something inexorably linked to Kirril’s human nature and didn’t think about it too much. But now that he had finally bitten me…Oh, Goddess, it brought me a joy that mingled with the carnal pleasure and propelled me into an orgasm that I couldn’t hope to control.

Through our bond, I felt him come as well, pumping me full of hot seed. His thoughts drifted into my mind, mingling with mine, until I didn’t know where he ended and I began. Dini…Rili…I love you. I love you, too. Who said what? I didn’t know, and I didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was the emotion behind it all.

As we floated on the wave of our shared climax, the power of our connection allowed us to see the blossoming life within me. It was growing, a bit braver now and safe in the knowledge that his or her parents loved each other. I sensed Kirril’s awe at this small miracle of life entwining with mine. Even if I’d known it was possible, I sometimes ended up wondering the same things Kirril did. Could life truly be so perfect?

Some things certainly weren’t, and one of them was time. All too soon, the afterglow of my orgasm began to fade, and I had to return to reality. My mate slid out of me, and we collapsed together on the grass, panting and exhausted.

“That was…” My mate started to say something, then shook his head, chuckling. “I can’t come up with an appropriate adjective.”

I’d have tried to find a witty reply, but sadly, a familiar voice stopped me from doing so. “If you can think of the word adjective, you can probably find one to describe anything,” Vesper pointed out.

I yelped and rolled away from my lover, only to see my bunny friend waiting next to a tree just a few feet away from us. His whiskers twitched as if he was very amused. So much for privacy. Why in the world hadn’t I felt him?

Kirril groaned and tried to reach for his clothes while I asked, “What are you doing here, Perry?”

“Actually, I came to give you a heads-up, but it seems I’m too late.”

I didn’t get to figure out what he meant. A familiar rainbow-colored path appeared beneath us, and before I could even reach for Kirril and brace myself, the world tilted and changed once more. This time, we appeared in the grove right in front of our future home.

To Bowie’s credit, the transition was far smoother. The result, however, ended up being quite embarrassing. Now, I wasn’t shy, but my mate still clung to his human sensibilities, and really I couldn’t blame him. After all, it wasn’t every day that we both ended up nude and smelling like sex in the presence of my parents and half of Larue’s family.

“Well, this is interesting,” my father commented idly.

He said something else, but I didn’t hear it, or whatever observation my mother made after him. I was too busy focusing on the structure behind them.

It was our home, the one Kirril had imagined for us. The front part was a two-story cabin, which Kirril had planned to eventually supply with every comfort we needed. In the back, it opened toward a cave which the pixies had helped us discover. It wasn’t huge, but it had a beautiful pool where we could wash and enough space for me to nest when the time came.

The project had been ambitious, and I honestly hadn’t known if we’d manage, but there it was. This must have been the gift Bowie had referred to.

“Thank you,” I murmured as I got up. “It’s beautiful.”

The shades of a million colors glowed brighter, as if Bowie was preening. “It is, isn’t it? Consider it my mating present. Oh, and there’s a charm on it so that no dangerous person will be able to come inside. If you will it, your home can even become invisible.”

Safety had been one of the issues Kirril and I had debated without coming up with a fully satisfactory result. My mate stood as well and took my hand, for once not seeming to mind that we were giving the rest of those present a show.

“It looks like we have our future ahead of us, baby,” he whispered. “What do you say we celebrate with a kiss?”

I laughed and cuddled close to him, the warmth of our love surrounding me like a cocoon. Who’d have guessed when I met this dragon slayer that he’d make me so happy? Certainly not me, but I wouldn’t have changed this for the world. I’d found my mate, and we’d created something beautiful together.

But of course, this was only the first chapter of our lives. Our story, a tale like no other, was only just beginning.

THE END

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A native Romanian, Scarlet was born in 1986 and grew up an avid fan of Karl May and Jules Verne, reading fantasy stories and adventure. Later, when she was out of fantasy stories to read, she delved into her mother’s collection of books and, of course, stumbled onto romance.

As a writer though, Scarlet Hyacinth was born one sunny summer day, when a dear friend of hers—the same friend who introduced her to GLBT fiction—proposed they start writing a story of their own. As it turns out, the two friends never did finish that particular story, but Scarlet discovered she had a knack for writing and ended up starting to write individually. And so, between working on her dissertation, studying for exams, and reading yaoi manga, she started writing the Kaldor Saga. Along the way, Scarlet met a lot of wonderful people who supported her, and in the end, she found her story a home and, in the process, fulfilled a beautiful dream.

For all titles by Scarlet Hyacinth, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/scarlet-hyacinth

Siren Publishing, Inc.

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