chapter Fifteen
Drake sang and played for several hours, but eventually he was able to break away from the minstrels as the fair folk began to retire for the evening. He found Krysta and Mace in a corner near the fire, surrounded by Nellin and Jenet. They looked comfortable, Krysta snuggled back in Mace’s arms while they sat, watching the hall and the people within. The minstrels still played a mellow tune. He liked the way they looked together and didn’t find any jealousy within his heart for their closeness.
Wil sat nearby, talking with Mace, telling him of his life over the past five years. Drake realized the boy he’d chased all the way across country was no more. William had grown into a man, and Drake didn’t know how the royal family would receive him when they returned.
“Sir Drake,” William greeted him with a wide smile as Drake took a seat next to Mace and Krysta. The formal address jarred him a bit. He’d have to get used to this being a knight business. He could still hardly believe it, but Wil seemed to take it in stride. “Jenet talked about you quite often, but I had no idea you were so talented. I’ve heard your songs performed by others in my brother’s court.”
“Speaking of which…” Drake eyed the prince seriously. “You do realize that for us, you’ve only been missing a few days. When we get back—if Gryffid is to be believed—only days will have passed for us and your family, while for you, it’s been years. I don’t know how the king will react.”
William shifted in his seat. “I’ve thought about this quite a bit. Roland will be royally angry at first, but he’ll get over it. I think Nico will take it harder, as will the twins, now that I’m almost their age. Actually, I might even be a little older. Damn, I’ve missed them.” Wil shook his head. “I mean, I understand why it had to be this way, and I’m glad for all I’ve learned here, but I really miss my family. It’ll be good to be back with them, though they’ll probably be suspicious of me at first.”
“I’m glad you realize that, my prince.” Drake liked the thoughtfulness of the young man’s words. It demonstrated he had indeed grown from the impetuous boy who’d flown into the midst of battle with Queen Lana and Tor after Roland fell on the field. He’d shown bravery that day, but not a whole lot of intelligence. “I’d like to get going at first light. We’ve got a long way to go to get you back home safely.”
“But you can’t leave tomorrow,” Gryffid interrupted.
“I thought we were free to go.”
“You are, but not tomorrow. Wil’s training is complete, but yours is not, Sir Drake. I’ll expect you in the courtyard as the sun rises tomorrow morning, and I think Mace and Krysta would like to spar a bit with the warriors, if I’m not much mistaken. It would be good for you all to train just one day with Wil to learn what he is capable of. Your road back home will not be an easy one and you must prepare to face whatever comes, together. You can leave the next day, though I wish I could keep you longer.”
“We cannot delay returning Wil to his family more than we already have.”
“I understand. I would slow time yet again, but it is not such an easy thing to do. Even for me. Time will flow normally on this island until the coming crisis is past. You can tell Roland that, with my compliments.”
“I will.”
“I’ll be sad to leave you,” Wil said quietly, watching the wizard. “I’m grateful for what you and your people have taught me.”
Gryffid smiled in a fatherly way. “I know, my boy. I’m only sorry I had to take you from your family to do it. I regret that, you know, but I don’t regret your presence here these last years. You’ve brought new life to us all and we’ll miss you.”
One of the more friendly servants showed them to a guest room that had been prepared for their use. The dragons were welcome to stay indoors in the great hall if they wished. There was nothing like the suites of a Lair on the island, for gryphons nested in rocky caves on the sides of the jagged peaks that covered the southern half of the land mass. Jenet and Nellin made do with their place by the fire in the great hall, while Krysta, Mace and Drake were shown to a sumptuously furnished room with a very large bed. It was hung with burgundy velvet curtains the likes of which Krysta had never seen before in her life.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Krysta observed as they entered. She tossed her cloak on a richly embroidered chair and plopped down on the side of the bed to tug off her boots. She was tired, but it was a good kind of tired. They’d found the prince and made new friends. A good meal had gone a long way toward settling her questions about these strange folk and now all she wanted was to be with her new husbands—though the idea still took some getting used to.
Being married was strange enough, but to two men? It boggled her mind and her senses. Especially when they both made love to her at once.
The dragons would not be flying tonight, so the human side of the family was on its own. If they chose to make love, it would be without the influence of the dragons to drive them mindless. Krysta rather liked the idea of taking her time making love to them, and the men taking their time making love to her in turn.
“These velvets are from the other side of the world, if what I’ve heard is true,” Drake said, fingering the furry fabric. “But they’re hung Jinn style. I wonder if the Jinn copied the fair folk or if it was the other way around?”
“Does it matter?” Krysta stood, barefoot now, and tugged Drake into her arms. She pulled him downward for a lingering kiss.
Drake didn’t answer, too busy seducing her mouth with his talented tongue. She felt Mace come up behind her, bracketing her between the men’s heated warmth. She loved the feel of them, even fully clothed as they were, but she knew it would feel even better naked. She pulled back and smiled over her shoulder at Mace.
“We have too many clothes on.”
Mace grinned. “Easily remedied, milady.”
Drake tipped her chin around with one finger and set about kissing her again, while Mace divested her of her clothing and his own. When he pressed against her again, they were both bare. She pulled back from Drake’s drugging kisses.
“Your turn, Master Bard,” she teased.
Mace tugged her onto the bed with him as she watched Drake undress. He really had the most amazing body. Tan and golden, he was more muscular than any bard had a right to be, but Krysta knew he was a fighter as well as a lover. He hid great talents under the bardic flair of his clothing.
He held her gaze as he bared himself, stroking his long, thick cock while she licked her lips. She wanted to taste him.
Mace’s fingers were busy, stroking her * and dipping within her channel to test her readiness. She’d never been so hot so quickly before meeting these amazing men, but now, it seemed, all they had to do was look at her and she was ready to take them any way they wanted.
Drake walked up to the side of the bed, his cock tantalizingly close to her lips. Mace seemed to understand what she wanted, for he lifted her by the hips, placing her on her hands and knees, her head in perfect position for Drake as Mace pushed into her p-ssy from behind. She whimpered as he filled her, eyes closing in bliss as he slid home.
But they opened even quicker when Drake pushed between her lips, sliding just as easily into her mouth. She looked up at him, her mouth filled almost to overflowing with his thickness as he grinned down at her.
“You feel good, wife. Damn, I think I’m going to really like being married.” He stroked through her hair, holding her head at the angle he wanted while she let him guide her. Mace pushed into her from behind at a gentle pace, moving her up and down on Drake’s cock as well. The slow rhythm stirred her senses by slow degrees, unlike the mighty conflagration of the dragons, but every bit as seductive.
They pulsed together for a few minutes, each enjoying the sensations the three of them created with each other. Krysta sucked at Drake, lifting one hand to cup his balls as his breathing hitched in a most satisfactory way. Mace moved a little more swiftly behind her, stroking her core with his warm hardness. He was a big man and he knew just how to wield that rigid cock. Krysta moaned as he hit that secret spot inside her again and again. She was close to exploding.
And just when she thought she’d gain the bliss just out of reach, Drake stepped back and Mace slid out. She could’ve screamed in frustration, but the men weren’t done with her.
“You know,” Drake said, kneeling on the bed as Mace moved her around like a rag doll, “I’ve never had her p-ssy. I think it’s time we remedied that oversight.”
“Don’t complain, partner. I let you have her ass first,” Mace griped as he spread her legs and settled at her side.
“And for that I thank you, brother. You’ll find she’s tight and eager.”
“I won’t be if you two don’t stop talking about me like I’m not here,” Krysta groused, playing along with their banter. The way they talked about her body was making her hotter—something she wouldn’t have expected before meeting these two men. They changed every preconceived notion she’d ever had about what she liked and what would repulse her.
Mace reached out and pinched her nipple hard enough to make her squeak. “Pipe down, recruit. You’ll do as we say. Do you understand me?” His fingers threatened retribution for the wrong answer, but his eyes sparkled with play she hadn’t expected. Mace had surprised her yet again.
“Yes.” She moaned when Drake settled at her other side, his long fingers diving into her p-ssy.
“Yes, what?” Mace grasped her other nipple between his thumb and forefinger. The grip tightened as he waited for her answer, and started to roll.
“Yes, sir!” She gasped as the pressure became unbearable, pushing her desire higher in a way she never would have expected.
“I think she likes her discipline, Mace,” Drake observed, stroking her core with two limber fingers.
“I think you’re right, brother.” Mace plucked at her nipple, bending down to suck and nip gently at the other one. When he straightened, she was writhing on the bed. “We’ll have to explore that some more later, but for now, I think you need to discover the delights of our wife’s p-ssy. F*ck her, Drake. She needs it.”
“I heartily agree.” Drake grinned down at her as he positioned himself between her widespread knees and teased her * with the domed head of his cock. “Do you want it, Krysta?”
“Yes!” she cried out when he pushed home in one hard thrust.
“How do you want it, wife?” He stilled above her, watching her face. “Slow?” He stroked into her a few times with agonizing slowness that only increased her desire. “Or fast?” He hammered home with rapid strokes that made her cry out with each assault.
“I think that was a yes for fast,” Mace observed, watching them from the side. Drake sat up between her thighs and started a pounding pace within her as Mace bent to nibble at her breasts. The combination sent her into a fast and furious climax, but the men weren’t done with her yet.
Drake pounded home as Mace sat back again. Drake came over her, gripping her shoulders while he kissed her, drawing back only to get more leverage, f*cking her like she’d never been f*cked before. This was a raw, earthy and sweaty kind of loving she’d never experienced. She felt his need for her in every movement of his body, every panting breath he took. It invigorated her, sending her up the crest of desire once again on a fast, perilous climb.
Drake tensed, and she felt him come inside her, bathing her womb with his incredible heat as she joined him in a quick, powerful climax. He lay over her for several minutes, seeming to bask in the moment. She felt the same.
“Now you’re mine.” He spoke, for the first time, in the intimacy of their minds. Linked by the dragons, they could all communicate in ways most people would never know. “I love you, Krysta.”
“I love you too, Drake.” He kissed her sweetly before levering off her and collapsing at her side.
The flicker of his gaze over her shoulder was the only warning she had before Mace pounced. He flipped her onto her back and she marveled at the strength of these men, being able to toss her around as if she weighed nothing at all. She’d never felt petite, but these two brutes were doing a good job of it.
Mace smacked her ass, making her yelp. She hadn’t expected that either.
“What are you doing?”
He slapped her other cheek. “What do you call me, recruit?”
She met his gaze, emboldened by the warmth she read there. Serious Mace was actually being playful.
“Sir?” she tried, licking her lips as his eyes followed the slow movement of her tongue.
“Better, recruit, but you’re not out of the woods yet. I think you’ll need to show me how sorry you are for disrespecting me. Sucking my cock ought to do it.”
She lifted onto her elbows and smiled up at him. “With pleasure…sir.” Reaching out with one hand, she balanced on the other, playing with his thick hardness until he was absolutely rigid. Only then did she lower her mouth to taste the glistening tip of his cock. She wasn’t entirely unprepared when he drove into her mouth, expecting his forceful nature to override her teasing touches. Mace set a pace and she followed, eager to please this special man.
All too soon, he moved back, kissing the crown of her head as he positioned her on her stomach. A pillow was handed over her back—from Drake, no doubt—and Mace lifted her up with one hand around her middle, sticking the thick pillow under her hips. She thought she knew what Mace had in mind and was looking forward to feeling how he’d love her in this way. So far, every position they’d tried had been utter bliss. Mace was a skilled lover.
“Where’s that jar?” he muttered, and Krysta felt motion at her other side as Drake reached out with one hand. A moment later, she felt slick cream against her backside as Mace prepared her, interspersing forays of his fingers with slaps on her backside. The stark difference between pleasure and a hint of pain startled her and aroused her all at the same time.
She was whimpering by the time Mace left off and knelt between her thighs.
“Do you want it now, Krysta?” He bent over to growl in her ear. “Are you going to share your luscious ass with me?”
“Yes, Mace! Yes!”
She cried out when he slid home within her, the cream letting him easily inside. Though she’d never been overly fond of this kind of loving before, with Drake, and now Mace, it had an appeal all its own.
Mace began a slow rhythm inside her, but then stopped, confounding her until he rolled them carefully to the side. Mace’s cock was buried in her ass, tighter now in this new position, as she faced a randy and ready Jinn bard.
Drake winked at her when she dragged her gaze from his hard cock up to his face. She knew what was coming next, though she wouldn’t have thought he’d be ready again so soon. Yet another thing to thank the dragons for, she guessed. Or maybe Drake of the Five Lands really was as good as his over-inflated reputation.
She’d soon find out for certain.
Drake lifted her leg over his hip and slid closer, rubbing his cock against her dripping core.
“Ready to take us both, my love? This time the dragons aren’t pushing you to accept us. This time it’s your choice, love. Do you want us?”
“Do you have to ask?” She was panting between words, more ready than she’d ever been. “Stars, Drake, just do it! Please! You’re killing me!”
“As my lady commands.” He winked again as he pushed into her. The position was tight as they both found a home within her body.
“You were right, Drake,” Mace said from behind her. “This feels incredible.”
“Much as I delight in hearing it…” she paused for breath, “…you two really need to start moving now.” She squirmed between them, on the knife’s edge of a pleasure so tantalizing she wanted nothing more than to come. But she needed them to move to bring it about.
“Haste makes waste, sweetheart,” Drake teased her. “You’ll get what you want, but we want to enjoy the feel of you for a bit before we speed on to that inevitable, pleasurable conclusion.”
“Speak for yourself, Drake. I’m about ready to explode back here.” Mace’s voice rumbled from behind her, making her giggle at the frustration they shared.
Drake sighed dramatically and began to thrust. “As you both wish, then. But don’t blame me if this is over too soon.”
“Can’t be soon enough for me!” She gasped as the men started a rhythm that soon caught her up in its swell.
Krysta actually screamed when Mace pulsed inside her bottom, coming hard against her, triggering her own magnificent release. Drake was only a step behind, drawing out her climax with his own pulsating need as he bathed her womb in his rich heat.
She’d never felt anything like it. Without the heat of the dragons to make her senses swim in a wash of pleasure that was theirs and the dragons’ together, she felt the true depth of the experience. It was more than she’d ever dreamed she’d have in her life. She felt cherished, replete and so totally loved, she could never doubt their feelings for her ever again. The men pulled away and rested at her side, each breathing hard.
When she could move, she leaned over to kiss them both, one at a time, thanking them silently for the love they all shared.
The next morning, Drake was gone when Mace and Krysta woke sometime just after dawn. They went in search of breakfast and found a crowd gathered around the windows that looked out onto the courtyard. A quick query to Nellin confirmed the dragons were outside with Drake.
Mace and Krysta walked out onto the steps, watching the wizard and Drake, standing in the center of the large courtyard. The two dragons stood opposite the wizard, encasing Drake in a triangle. Mace listened in through his connection with Nellin, intrigued at the instruction Gryffid was providing.
“How is he doing?” Krysta came up beside him. Mace put his arm around her shoulders and drew her close to his side.
“Nellin says well. He says there’s great magic in Drake, but it’s so close to the dragon’s own fire, he never realized it before. Plus, those years away, surrounded by Jinn magic, must’ve brought it closer to the surface.”
“And I bet a true wizard’s instruction doesn’t hurt either.”
“No, our friend the minstrel seems to learn new talents and skills quickly.”
“He’s more than our friend.” She turned to him and he felt the chastisement and query in her probing gray gaze. All his own turmoil rose and he knew the time had come to discuss his discomfort.
“He’s our bondmate. Our family. I know that, but I have no idea what this new development will mean to us as a unit. How can I fight alongside a mage? I’m a simple soldier.”
She touched his cheek. “A soldier you may well be, but simple? Never that.” Reaching up, she kissed him gently. “The Mother of All has plans for us we cannot fathom. It’s like Gryffid said. Each of us came to this island for a reason. We need only figure out what it is.”
He hugged her close as they turned again to watch Drake’s progress.
“I believe I was brought here for a lesson in humility.” Mace smiled wryly. “All those years I strove to be the best. I had to work so hard to equal and only sometimes surpass what came to Drake naturally. But he never saw it. I never begrudged him his natural ability. But now…”
“Now he’s a mage.”
“There’s no way to compete with that.” Mace felt fear for the first time, but it wasn’t fear of Drake or his abilities. It went deeper than that. “I’m afraid he won’t need us now.” His arm tightened reflexively around her as she snuggled into him.
“Time will tell, but I have hope the Mother of All knows what She’s doing when it comes to the five of us. For one thing, you know Jenet will never let him go again, and I get the feeling she can be tenacious.”
Her little chuckle warmed Mace’s heart. “I believe you’re right on that score at least, milady.”
“Then we’ll just have to see where this leads. Drake is a mage now. There’s no turning back from something like that. We’ll need to stand by him and accept him for what he is and what he can do, trusting him to believe in our love and accept it as his due.”
Mace turned and hugged her close. “You’re a marvel, my love. I don’t deserve you, but I’ll never let you go.”
“Good.” She smiled up at him. “Because I’ll never let either you or Drake off the hook. You’re mine now. Get used to it.” The saucy wink she gave him belied her warning words.
In the courtyard, flames erupted around Drake’s body, surrounding him in a pillar of fire, but all he felt was their warmth, none of the searing pain associated with natural flame. No, this was magical flame, and it came from within himself. He could hardly believe it.
“Good,” Gryffid coached him from several feet away. “Now shape the power to your will. Command it and control it. Do not fear it, for it cannot harm you.”
“Or us,” Jenet said from behind him. She was on his right, Nellin next to her on his left. The dragons were there to help contain his fire, should it go out of control, but so far he was able to master the immense energy that wrestled with his will.
“I was going to encourage you to let it all out, but I see I miscalculated your power, young Drake.” Gryffid was laughing, apparently pleased with himself, though Drake didn’t quite understand why. It was all he could do to retain control over the wriggling energies that vied to be let free.
With Gryffid’s help, he’d learned to tap into the river of power that lay just beneath his soul’s surface. It had always been there, but Drake was only marginally aware of it. Only at times when the Jinn power had been high had he felt the stirring, the rippling of the energy current down deep inside him. He always felt itchy at such times—like something held captive inside him was trying to get out—but he hadn’t known how to free it. No way could he have known the immense burning river that flowed beneath his surface, just waiting for him to tap into it.
The feeling was like no other. The fire cleansed him. It burned him down to his simplest needs. Jenet was there, as always, in the burning center of his soul, but so too was Krysta. Beautiful Krysta. Her love nurtured him and helped him bank his fire. Mace was there too, he saw, and Nellin, on the periphery, ready to protect him should he fail. It was a comfort he hadn’t known since leaving his home.
They were part of him. Perhaps the best part. The thought of their love and care humbled him and gave him the strength to control the fire, to temper the flames. They were his world. His family.
Slowly the flames came to heel. He felt their submission with triumph. The inferno that surrounded him died down, but he knew he could recall it with the merest flicker of his will. It was a heady feeling.
“Magnificent!” the wizard cried, clapping his hands. “You’re a natural, my dear boy. And more powerful than I would have imagined. Perhaps Draco’s blood runs thicker in you than I’d first thought. This is good. Very good indeed!”
Drake felt the drain as he fought the magic for control and won. He was suddenly tired, but Jenet was there, the coils of her long neck supporting him when he swayed on his feet. Fire was the dragon’s element, so Drake didn’t worry overmuch about the flames that still licked at his feet hurting her.
“Is it all right?” he asked, just to make sure.
“Your fire can never harm me,” she assured him. “Just lean on me. You’ve had a startling introduction to your magic. It’s bound to tire you at first, until you get used to it. I remember when I was just a hatchling. Managing the magic was even more tiring than learning to fly.”
“I think you have something there, Jenet.” Drake chuckled wearily as he pushed the fire out completely. It wouldn’t do to walk around all day with flaming feet.