"Since men are dominant, they inherit property and businesses, not women. After the great war, it was quickly realized that there was a problem housing the widows or other women who did not and may never have a mate. So, this offered the women a chance. If they are unable to live at home any longer or no longer have one, they simply offer their skills to a warrior. This way, they would have a safe place to live until they find their mates," Erik explained."And if a woman does not wish to be under a warrior's control?" I asked for my own peace of mind."They are allowed to say no and even encouraged to if this doesn't make them happy. It's all about… well, consent, honestly. The women consent to allow the men this control. If they do not consent, then it doesn't happen. Or at least, it's not supposed to. However, as you can see… it also breeds a lot of abuse if we're not vigil."I nodded thoughtfully as I watched Tohr's group disappear into the woods and out of sight. My heart squeezed
"One such time was after a rather large skirmish between us and the Sororian Draygons. Tohr had gone with us and ended up severely injured while trying to save one of the smaller dragons from this particularly ruthless Draygon.""Why did Tohr go with you?" I asked curiously. "I can't imagine the King joining in on any battle.""Tohr's father once told him: 'Never send your subjects into a battle you are not willing to fight alongside them. It was his way of saying, don't sacrifice your men needlessly or die with them," Erik explained.It was exceptionally good advice, I agreed. Morbid, but good advice."Anyway, Tohr took a claw to his stomach. That's one of the softest parts of a Draygon, and it injured him severely. He was in a massive amount of pain and losing blood quickly."My whole body tightened in anxiety, and I felt sick to my stomach. Erik reached across the table and touched my forearm, trying to comfort me when he noticed how pale I had turned. I so desperately wished that T
"Nothing," he admitted with a smirk. "It just so happened that Treddian was getting back from his flyover and saw me falling. He almost overextended his wing joints to catch me. But he did and damn near literally bit Haris' head off afterward."I was absolutely horrified and appalled at those men, yet ever so grateful to Treddian for what he had done. It also explained why Erik trusted him so much, I realized."Good, god," I breathed out.Erik nodded. "Well to be, honest, there are tales of Draygons that have changed when they are under an extreme amount of stress," he pointed out."That's still completely stupid and reckless!" I shouted.Erik shrugged and waved it off. "It was long ago. I am, however, happy to see how well your lessons and the spell are working."I knew he was changing the subject, and I allowed it because I didn't want to ruin our dinner."Apparently, I have this odd ability to absorb information and, when I'm relaxed of course, I can call it up in a flash," I explai
"You are nothing, but a weak pile of flesh compared to the Draygonians. You are unworthy of the throne, and you do not belong here. I will not abide by your rulings no matter what, and I certainly will not be forced to accept the guards' sluts in my kitchen cooking my King's food."Synne gasped in shock. I looked over at her to see the shame in her face, and the indignant anger I felt for myself paled in comparison to my fury on hers and the other women's behalf. Without thought, my hand raised and came down across Alodia's face, the slap ringing through the silent room.I couldn't tell who in the room was more startled by what I had done. Me or anyone of the others. Alodia's golden-green complexion flamed pinkish until my handprint was melted into the fury of her scales."You… bitch!" Alodia screamed.She didn't actually say bitch. The word she used basically translated into "dirty, stupid, ugly, useless daughter of a pig-like creature". So, bitch was close enough of a translation in
"You are weak," she snarled as she straightened to leave. "Your blood mixing with any of our own, especially our king, will weaken us until we are nothing more than sniveling cowards like you."Erik and Synne stepped forward at the same time, but I stopped them both."Go, before I take your next words to mean that you wish to leave permanently," I told her once more.She hissed, then turned and stormed out, finally leaving us. I watched her go feeling an odd mix of satisfaction at having won the battle. However, I was absolutely certain that I had yet to win the war.For Erik and Synne's sake, I turned and plastered a smile on my face."Seriously, what is it with all this weird wordless hissing?" I asked with a forced chuckle."Its… umm… well… I think the only translation I could think of was 'I will fight you again'," Synne explained.I winced, thinking of how screwed I would be if I met that woman one on one."It was like, 'I'm not done with you yet'," Erik corrected."Oh, 'cause tha
Synne said nothing and looked away as if she, herself, was guilty. Putting my hand on her arm, I tried to comfort her hoping that she would open up to me."I am not accusing you, sweetie," I said softly. "I honestly want to help.""We are charged with the wellbeing of the warriors. We cook and clean and at times warm their beds," she insisted defensively."Why are they unable to care for such things themselves?" I asked Erik in English."This is a hard gender divide. I have a feeling it is passed down through the family lines. Mothers teach their daughters to cook and care for the family. Fathers teach their boys to fight and…" his voice trailed off as he looked at Synne, leaving no doubt his unspoken words."So basically, to change this, I'll have to fight generations of tradition," I stated in frustration.Erik nodded gravely as I growled under my breath."Did I say something wrong?" Synne asked anxiously."No!" I immediately denied it. "I'm just upset that this has come about. I can
I paced the small area in front of the throne."Mar, sit down. You are making me nervous," Erik ordered me."I'm sorry! I'm just anxious. I really wish Tohr was here. This doesn't seem right without him," I stated once more.It was true. I really did wish Tohr was here. His absence was like a hole in my heart and thinking about it made it difficult to breathe. However, I also wished I hadn't let Erik talk me into having this dinner. He felt it was extremely important that I get to know the most influential Draygons in the village. And according to him it would be best done before Tohr, and I were officially mated.Whatever that meant.I ended up agreeing to Erik's request on the condition that he also invited their mates and any other Draygana that was well respected. I had expected an argument, but Erik agreed easily. Before I knew it, he had dinner planned, and here I was trying not to look uncomfortable standing in front of the thrones without Tohr there.I hugged myself and rubbed
I cleared my throat slightly, trying not to seem as awkward as I felt. I kept my eyes firmly on the window that allowed the orangish light in from the sun and pretended to study the rings and the planet that created a ghostly outline in the sky.Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the group break apart and Ethallia's cheeks still held the blush. I couldn't tell if she was still feeling embarrassed, but she seemed all too content with being kept tightly between her two men.Seeing the way that they looked at their woman caused the sad, lonely feeling to hit me once more. God, I missed Tohr, my pathetic mind whined. Feeling a bit annoyed with myself, I cursed silently and forcefully shoved those useless feelings deep inside me until I could breathe again.Voices could be heard coming from outside the door. At the first sound, everyone jumped and hurried to take their places. They all stood beside me, presenting the four of us as a united front.My heart jumped into my throat as the do
He squeezed my hand one more time before letting go. It was a small gesture, however with Treddian, who was raised in this world to not show affection to another man's woman or risk death, it was a huge step. I turned my attention to the last two people who stepped up to me and raised my eyebrows when I saw it was Ethallia and Synne. "What is it you need, my ladies?" Tohr asked them gently. "Your Majesty, we wish to plead our loyalty to the Queen, as well. Without her here, our lives would have been very different, and now we would be honored if she would accept them in return," Synne replied softly. "That is not necessary," I replied to them."Your Highness, with all due respect, you gave us our lives back and the courage to take charge of them. There is nothing we want to do more than to pledge them to you," Ethallia countered. I looked to Tohr for help. But he had stepped back and was allowing me to handle this. I stood and walked up to the ladies and took their hands. "Are yo
"Caylan," I called, getting his attention. Caylan turned and his icy blue eyes pierced through me as they started to turn slightly Draygonish. "Please… be patient… this… this is not our way, and she may end up hating you if you push too much," I pleaded with him. Caylan nodded to me. I wasn't sure if it was an agreement or acknowledgment. Either way, I was forced to stand there and watch as Caylan carried my new friend off to his 'Draygon lair'. "She will be fine, Mara. You know as well as I do, my little fyre, that a Draygon will do whatever it takes to make sure his mate gives him their heart," Tohr reminded me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed the top of my head. "Most of all, she is safe and protected." I nodded and sighed heavily, hoping one day she would forgive me for this. I felt as if I had to feed her to the wolves.Before I could contemplate or worry about anything, else Tohr was pulling me towards the front of the hall where the thrones were and had me s
-Little fyre. I am damned proud of you. You fought him with all the fyre inside your soul. Sólas would still be after us no matter what you had done. He is the one to blame for what we are going through right now. - I gave him a small smile and tried to let his words soothe me. "Thank you for warning me," I told Caylan. "I appreciate all that you have done for us." "You do not have to thank me, Your highness. It was the least I could do after everything you both did for my people. I, however, did wish to thank you for bringing our princess back." My eyes widened. "Gabby?" As if my words summoned her, Gabby walked in like the princess she was descended from. She looked around the room. As soon as she spotted us, she made a beeline for the group, and the look on her face was one of anger. "Ohhh hell," I whispered in English. "You!" she snapped at me. "You have been back for how long? And you have not stopped to say hi?" "Gabby, I'm so sorry! I just… Ummm," I floundered for a reas
I turned and grabbed her shoulders. "Even if you weren't mated to my brother and my favorite guard, you would still belong here." The tears Ethallia was holding back burst open and poured down her cheeks. I hugged her again until the sniffing stopped, and I could tell she was feeling better. I caught bits and pieces of her thoughts, and they were just as sweet as her words. I gave her one last strong hug struggling to control my own tears.-You okay, mate? - Tohr asked concerned. -Yes, mate. I am just so happy right now. - I replied, coating my words with the love I felt for him and these people. He sent back his love letting it wash over me. -I'm so glad, my little fyre. Now hurry so I can have you in my arms again. -I laughed slightly and pulled away from Ethallia. "Alright. My own mate seems to be whining cause I'm not close. Can you help me finish this up?" I asked her, pushing at my quickly drying hair. She nodded and pushed me towards the chair. Under her quick and daft fing
I giggled breathlessly yet didn't deny either of his claims. He set me down on my feet, being sure to hold onto me until I was able to stand on my weak knees. With my head cleared of him, I realized that we were still in one of the main hallways to the castle. Anyone could have walked in and seen what we were doing. Tohr chuckled. "I'm pretty sure the whole world heard you coming, mate." His wink on the innuendo, then again knowing him it wasn't an innuendo at all, caused my cheeks to flush, and I smacked his arm. He laughed and pressed a kiss to my nose before pulling me down the hall to our room.When he opened the door, I saw Ethallia and Synne standing there waiting for me. The adjoining door to the bathroom area was open, and I could smell the scented oils they used for the bath. A wide smile crossed my face, and I practically raced to the bathroom. I slammed the door shut on their surprised faces before I jerked the veils off and practically jumped in. The water was a little t
-Green, huh? - I thought with a smile. -So apparently, my mate is a descendant of the Narhas'fa, huh? - I gave him a goofy Draygana grin. -I guess I am. Do you think you can live with that? - He smoothed his hand down my scales sending shivers down my spine. "Yes, my mate. Even if you had never been a Draygon at all I would still love you the same," he admitted before backing away and changing. As his own Draygon was released, he braced his front feet and let out a loud yell calling to his mate. Me. I braced my feet and returned the call. To anyone else, it would have sounded horrifying or scary. However, to us, it was a beautiful ballad. With one hard flap of his wings, he was off into the sky and began to circle the area waiting for me. I watched him for a moment admiring the grace with which he soared through the sky. For such a big creature, Tohr was agile and swift that I loved watching him fly. The need to join him overpowered me until I was shoving off the ground and s
I only looked back up when I knew they were fully changed. Treddian was an enormous Golden Draygon. Beautiful and vibrant, his head sprouted two horns that bent slightly backward but ended with two extremely sharp-looking tips. His back was relatively free of spikes until the very tip of his tail held one deadly-looking spike. I couldn't remember seeing anything like that on Tohr and made a mental note to ask about it. -Treddian's has some Silver Draygon in him. - Tohr explained. -They sport those tiny spikes on their tails and a little mustache that comes out the sides of their nostrils. It is a rare thing nowadays to see a silver Draygon. They were obsessed about only mating with their own kind. As such, they have almost driven themselves to the brink of extinction. - Tohr explained. -I thought you guys only mated with the ones you bond with. But according to Sólas and now these silver Draygons, it seems not necessary. - I asked, suddenly remembering Sólas's words about how that wa
Quiet voices woke me slowly. They sounded close but not close enough for me to make out what they were talking about. However, even those quiet voices were not the reason I had woken up. No, my Draygana insisted that I investigate why voices were disturbing our sanctuary and why our mate was not beside us. I groaned in agitation and tried to quiet her down. -Be still, my mate. It is your brother and his mates who come to check on us and give us an update. - Tohr's voice ran through me like fingers stroking down my spine in comfort. I smiled softly and allowed him to soothe both my Draygana and me. She purred and preened, then dropped away calm now that she knew he was okay. I couldn't help rolling my eyes at her internally, then stretched, allowing myself to wake up a bit more. Realizing I was still naked, I flushed hard and looked around for something to cover myself with. I heard footsteps heading my way, and the search became a bit more frantic, not knowing who it was who would
I heard his growl once more pulled from the depths of him. His Draygon reared his head and pushing Tohr to give in to his mate. "Then you will have me, little fyre," he growled out loud, his voice sending shivers down my spine. He rose above me and locked his eyes with mine. I spread my legs wide, feeling his hard cock pressing just slightly against my dripping wet channel. I winced a little as he began to push in. I was by no means a virgin. However, I was not well experienced either. However, neither one of those men had been anywhere near as big as Tohr. Not to mention they had been a while ago. Despite how turned on I was, it was like he was my first again, and my body was struggling to allow him in. "Relax, sweeting. Your body will let me in. You are made for me," he whispered into my ear. His hands slide down my body finding my nipples and began to play with them once more. The discomfort began to slowly be replaced by pleasure as his fingers pulled and twisted at my nipples.