Dragon's Fang -1- by Shauna Rousseau (Patreon)

DRAGON’S FANG

Shauna J. Rousseau

Cover Typography by Joyce Melton

Cover Image Source: Photo 6936442 / Girl © Marek Paju | Dreamstime.com

Author's Note: I have not finished the book, so the chapters that are being published, at this point, are unedited and "raw." I have been under the weather a bit lately and am behind where I wanted to be in writing the story. But I didn't want to delay the story for my readers any longer than I had to. So, please try and ignore any typos or inconsistencies that I didn't catch and realize that the final book (to be published on DopplerPress) may well have some improvements. My hope is that I can convince Angela Rasch to edit this one, as well.

HUGS,

Shauna

*****

PROLOGUE

Grae'Bar surveys the encampment of dinosaurs from above. He is fully aware that it is currently in one of the American's satellite windows and the feed is showing the growing army to the weak Light faction across the planet's ocean. He couldn't care less about the planet, itself … or the experiment that he started on it eons ago as a fledgling Dark Dragon. The Dark Magic he has embraced has let him survive the time … strengthening him and letting him transfer his essence to the hosts of his own choosing. That is a testament to the power he has accumulated … that is normally something only a God, Goddess, or the reigning Emperor/Empress of Dragons can control.

He is pleased that his plan is coming together to take over the planet and squash the last flicker of the infernal Light Magic that the Empress was able to spark here. It is time for the reigning line of Emperors to change … no more weak females at the head of the Dragons. No more being the scales of balance …. A new line of Dark Emperors will rule, and the scourge of Light Magic will be extinguished for good.

It is time for the next phase of the plan to begin on this backward planet. He almost laughs at the thought that it is the last hope of the Light Magic faction. It is just further proof that Dark Magic is ultimately fated to rule over the universe.

*****

CHAPTER ONE

"I thought they would never leave!" I sigh as I close the door and lock it behind the pack when they are finally out of the house.

Race growls and smoke escapes his nose and lips. He's obviously aroused.

I giggle. "I take it, His Highness agrees. Shall we continue from where we were so rudely interrupted …? Now … where were we?"

His beautiful blue eyes are even bluer than normal … if that's even possible! They appear to be pools of sapphire-colored water as deep as the ocean. Come here mate! I need you … now!

My eyebrow goes up in surprise at the gruff command. Other than the brief encounter I had with his dragon form when he flew in to carry me out of the woods, I've not had any real contact with that side of him. It certainly seems to be dominating him, at the moment. Race? Is that you … or your Dragon?

He laughs and it sends shivers of desire down my back. We are one and the same, Princess. You will learn that soon enough when you accept your destiny and your own Dragon Spirit. When the Dragon's Spirit enters you, you will learn to completely bond with him or her … and become a new unified being. Although, your human side will mostly retain control and will also maintain your primary form. The only thing stronger than that bond would be to fully merge with the spirit, but that is a very rare occurrence. And that is all beside the point. It is time for us to complete our bond and become full mates. I need you!

I look up into the bottomless, swirling pools of his eyes. Even after my growth spurts iniated by the emergence of my magic and the resulting inches added to the height of my old decrepit body, I'm still a good six inches shorter than he is. But I'm not going to complain about my height. I'm free of my shackles and rid of that infernal wheelchair, forever. It may have cost me my manhood, but my soaking wet panties are a testament to the fact that I am now a whole person—even if that is in the form of a "hot babe." One with very real needs.

I reach up and wrap my forearms around his neck. I lace my fingers behind his head and slowly use my strong arms to pull myself up to his level. I wrap my legs around his waist once more and kiss him deeply, savoring his musky scent and his unique smoky flavor. My lips smile hungrily around our lingering kiss.

And I need you! You know where the bedroom is, Your Highness.

He growls again and moves us toward the bedroom door, our tongues still fully intertwined. He unzips the back of my dress as he walks and pulls it down from my shoulders as soon as he sets me down on the bed. It falls down around my waist as he deftly unhooks my bra, leaving it hanging loosely on my arms.

I break our kiss and let go of him long enough to let the bra fall to the floor and to fully shimmy out of the dress.

He lifts me up and deposits me in a laying position on the bed, wearing nothing but my drenched panties. I'm not sure if dragons have a heightened sense of smell, but even I can smell my own arousal … and his. He slowly crawls up the bed and hovers above me on his strong arms, like he's doing a plank over me.

I can barely contain my need as I unbutton his shirt with trembling fingers, then unbutton and unzip his jeans.

He rolls over long enough to remove both items and lets them fall to the floor to join my dress and bra. Then he rolls back on top of me, his engorged manhood nearly splitting the front of his underwear.

I lightly run my fingernails over his underwear and along the pulsing bulge stretching them as he gasps and growls. I grasp the waistband and pull his briefs down to his thighs, freeing his member and letting it spring forward like a canon shot. I pull my feet up enough to hook my toes into the elastic and pull his underwear the rest of the way down, then unceremoniously flip them off my toe to join the rest of our clothing on the floor.

He rubs me with his member through the scant lacy material of my thong and sighs. Finally, he can't contain himself anymore.

I feel his fingers pull down on my panties, tugging the G-string down and out of my butt crack. I feel the sopping wet material slide down my legs and off my feet. Take me now, Race! I gasp and lift my hips up toward him to punctuate my need.

He slowly enters me until he hits the slight resistance of my virginal womanhood … and he hesitates.

Desperate for him to be in me, I lift myself up and force him further into me. I gasp a little at the slight popping feeling of my virginity being taken, but quickly forget about the momentary pain of my hymen tearing as we fully join with one another. I pull my legs back up around him, taking him fully into me. If I thought our bond was strong before, I was wrong. With each stroke of his huge, strong member in me, we get closer and closer to an explosive orgasm and our bond increases more and more in strength.

His lovemaking is not frantic, but it is forceful … almost feral. And with a final strong thrust that I can feel all the way up my body to the top of my head, we both release. I let out a combination loud moan and scream as wave after wave of a rolling orgasm hits me and he pumps his hot seed into my trembling body. Our red magic mixes and intertwines, and our bond finally completes. With that, we are permanently cemented as mates, and now truly can only be parted by death.

I love you so much, my mate! I truly have never felt this way about anyone or anything before. He has suddenly become my sole reason for living.

I idolize you, too, my mate. We're now forever one. Truly until death do us part … and parting would mean our certain death.

We lay there panting. My heart is racing, and I'm covered in sweat … both his and mine. I gently nudge him to roll over and he slowly obliges. I straddle him, with him still hard inside me, and start gyrating my hips.

He lovingly looks deep into my eyes.

I, in return, get lost in those deep dark blue pools of his, as I brace my hands on his rock-hard pecs and alternatively start squeezing my pelvic muscles and gyrating my hips. I feel my erect breasts swaying in time with my gyrations and he reaches up to cup them and squeeze my swollen nipples. I catch my breath and he smiles as we both suddenly come again, and I'm once more consumed with an explosive round of rolling orgasms.

I finally collapse on top of him, completely exhausted. He strokes my hair as I take in his scent … his muskiness now slightly overpowering his smokiness. I purr into his chest and fall fast asleep in his arms, with him still twitching inside me.

*****

I sigh as I reluctantly put my hands on his granite-like pecs and push him out of the shower so I can finally finish getting ready for the day. My heart is still racing from the multiple orgasms I've had in the last several minutes. What should have only taken a few minutes in the shower to get clean and wash my hair has already turned into nearly an hour. I can only thank Otohime that the house has a tankless water heater! Of course, I did thoroughly soap and rinse his member for him before I pushed him out … and almost gave in to getting it dirty all over again, instead of making him leave.

I wash my hair once he is out and think about last night. I lost count of the orgasms we had after my quick, but deep catnap on top of him. When I came to after about thirty minutes, our bond was all-encompassing and the resulting need the only thing on my mind. There was not much sleep to be had, after that, but I feel as energized as if I had slept deeply all night long. Why am I so … awake? We barely slept last night!

He laughs in my mind, and I shudder with desire at the sweet sound of it. We can draw on each other's energy, now. Plus, you're still pulling energy from your sister. She's probably really feeling your drain, about now.

I blush as I rinse out my hair. I can always sense when she and Ginger are having sex through our emotional bond … sometimes it even triggers a spontaneous orgasm in me. I guess that must now go both ways. Sis? Ummm … sorry if I was a … burden last night ….

I hear her giggle in my mind. No worries, Sis! Honeymoon and all! You're forgiven. I sense her yawn before she giggles again. That was one epic night. But trust me, I got more from your bond than I donated! When you two finally mated and completed your bond, your red magic combined and it gave me a huge influx, too! But … I'm still taking a nap, this afternoon! I had several orgasms unrelated to my mating games with Ginger thanks to you two. Why didn't you ever tell me about that little side-effect of our connection?

I laugh. Because it wouldn't have changed anything … besides, it was … nice to get some side action! I giggle. Love you, Sis! Over and out!

I quickly rinse off and get out of the shower to finish getting ready.

*****

I'm honestly relieved when it's time to leave. We're just about to open the front door when a bright red flash blinds us and Otohime appears.

Race steps back from the door and bows deeply. "Mother Otohime. Thank you for gracing us with your presence. What can we do for you?"

Otohime gives me an amused look. It's clearly at the fact that I'm not bowing … or groveling. "At least your mate has the proper decorum and manners around a Goddess."

I can tell she's not really upset … or at least I'm prettysure she's not. "Sorry! Like I said, I don't do the bowing thing … even if I am out of the chair, this time." The last time we met, I didn't bow to her because I was not fully out of my chair yet—a fact that she quickly rectified as she unceremoniously sent it flying into the river out from under me. I still didn't bow after that episode, and I don't plan on starting now.

Race looks a little worried at my disrespect. You do know she could end you right here … or worse, right? It's not wise to test a Goddess' patience, Princess!

Otohime laughs with her signature tubular bell melodious tones. "Relax, Your Highness. I don't really hold it against the Princess … this Princess. She's going to save the universe and magic … and she's going to go through Hell for us all to do it. So, I'll cut her a little slack."

I pale. I don't like the sound of that … at all. "Ummm … Come again? Who said anything about going through Hell? And what's this about saving the universe and magic?"

"Patience, young Princess. Patience!" She taps her pursed lips with her pointer finger. "You need to go see Master Yoshi straight away. Your other training will be put on hold. You need to quickly become proficient in the martial arts and get in tune with your war magic. To that end, you need to receive the first of the endowments from your mark."

She flicks the same pointer finger at me and my back starts burning again. The last time she did that, right after she scuttled my wheelchair, she "endowed" me with my effing dragon tattoo, and it burned a lot like it is now. The tattoo covers my back and is somehow "alive." It slithers around on my back which really is a freakish thing to behold when you watch it, and it feels a lot like ants crawling in my skin.

After the latest nonchalant flick of her finger, I feel the dragon agitatedly moving around. It feels somehow different than "normal." Then I sense a strange pressure exert itself in my back, around where the metal mass still sits from the accident that put me in the wheelchair to begin with. I saved my sister that day. But I was left a crippled boy in a wheelchair … with an inexplicable metal mass from a molten bolt surrounding my spine. I feel that mass get extremely hot and gasp as I somehow feel it begin to swirl around my spine, nearly causing me to lose the hard-earned strength in my legs … and my breakfast.

Suddenly, there is a final searing pain in my back, and I nearly pass out as I feel something cutting its way out. I scream in agony as it exits and moan in immense relief when it's finally gone. I sway on unsteady feet as I hear something fall with a metallic clang to the hardwood floor and truly almost lose my breakfast this time.

Race growls and reaches over to steady me, ready to catch me if I start to fall. He looks totally pissed … and is obviously looking around for something to contain my breakfast, if needed.

"Princess Alexa, you sacrificed yourself out of love for your sister and have borne the metal of that sacrifice for far too long. Now, forged from that very metal, your love and sacrifice to your sister, the white magic and love of your sister, and the intertwined red magic and eternal love of your mate, I present you with your katana." Unconcerned with my struggles, Otohime has an utterly serious look on her face.

I lean heavily on Race, still not trusting my legs … or my stomach. My head is still swimming a little.

She turns and motions at whatever came out of me and is now laying on the floor. She comes around in front of me as a flash of metal flies by me and into her extended hands. She then ceremoniously presents me with a gleaming sword, holding it outstretched on both of her upright palms. "Lexi, meet your mated sword, the 'Dragon's Fang.'"

I hesitantly reach out and take the unsheathed Japanese-style katana from her. I gasp as I feel a jolt and it somehow connects to me with a bond similar to my connection with Sis, and now Race. It seems to hum with magical energy in my hands.

I close my eyes and focus on the weapon. It's surprisingly light and even with closed eyes, I can see the blade's metal gleaming with a now all-to-familiar pink sheen in my mind's eye. Although it's a bit more on the magenta side than Sis's wolf, and I assume that's from a higher amount of red magic being infused in it, since Race I both contributed. I somehow sense that it's sharp enough to effortlessly split a human hair lengthwise several times, and hard enough to shatter even the hardest of substances without breaking … or even chipping its indelible edge.

I open my eyes and turn the blade over in my hands. The handle is well-fitted to my small, feminine hands and seems to be made of bone with intricate markings on both the handle and the blade. The markings appear to be some sort of mixture of Japanese symbols and … something that I have no idea what they represent.

Race gives me a worried look. "Are you OK, Love? That had to hurt like Hell!" He gives Otohime a scathing look. "Was this supposed to be a taste of what's to come?"

Now who's being disrespectful? I grin wanly at him.

I flex my shoulders and hold the katana with both hands in front of me as I swivel from side to side. My back feels completely normal … not at all like a magical sword just cut its way out me. "I'm fine, Love." I look at Otohime with confusion. "Why would I need a blade, if you're saying that it's my destiny to accept a Dragon Spirit?" I look at Race. Do you have any weapons … or know of any dragons that do?

He angrily shakes his head but remains silent.

I assume his tongue is bleeding from biting it … I can feel that he is through our bond.

"You will learn to use the blade to connect to your magic … both your source and your core. It is imperative that you become one with it. Master Yoshi will help you connect and learn to use the katana like the warrior woman that you're destined to be. Once you have completed that training, you will be ready to connect to your Dragon Spirit. So, now it is time for you to train!"

I start to retort, but she flicks her hand before I can get a sound out.

And the world disappears in a sickening, swirling vortex of reds.

*****

The world comes back into focus and quits spinning as quickly as it had started. The vortex that I was sucked into spits me out and I fight an onset of vertigo, which I lose this time. While I'm happy to be released from the vortex … and my breakfast … the bigger problem is that … this desert planet isn't our world. It's clear to me that I'm no longer on Earth. I forget the vertigo and my lost breakfast as I start to panic for real!

Race? Are you there? Can you hear me?

Your mate cannot hear you, Princess. You need a place with no distractions to train. He also doesn't need the distractions that a newly-minted bonding creates, short as the interlude may be for him. You both have work to do. I have let him know that you are safe and not to worry. Master Yoshi will be with you shortly and your training will begin. With that, there is radio silence.

I'm busy loudly cursing the Gods, Goddesses, and the universe at large when Master Yoshi gets unceremoniously dumped from a vortex, much the same as I had minutes ago.

Except he seems to be more accepting of his plight than I am. "Good morning, Princess." He looks around. "Or I think it's morning." He shrugs, then bows deeply and continues in his heavy Japanese accent, "Otohime has informed me that you are ready for your training to begin."

I'm baffled. He has never initiated any bowing to me before. I bow back, since it is expected of a student when greeting their master. It's the one exception to bowing that I can live with. Someone who is a master of their craft has earned that respect. "Master Yoshi! Thank the Heavens! Do you have any idea where we are? And … ummm … why were you bowing to me?"

"Thank the Heavens?" He smiles crookedly. "Would that be the same ones you were heavily and loudly cursing when I arrived?"

I blush deep red and meekly nod.

"We are on a different planet, as I assume you have surmised." He takes a deep breath. "I do not know which … or whether we're in the same universe, or even dimension. All I do know is that, according to Otohime, it is an old training site for aspiring Dragon Empresses." He gives me a serious look. "And I bowed to the future Empress of Dragons and Queen of Earth's Light Magical Beings. It is customary to bow to one's queen."

I shake my head. "I haven't earned the right to be bowed to." I look at him in confusion. "Are you saying that you're a Dragon, Master Yoshi?"

"No." It's his turn to shake his head. "I have no Dragon Spirit in me. I do however possess magic. I possess white magic with my core in air magic. I will demonstrate later. As for you not believing you have earned the right to be bowed to … that is precisely why I bow to you, Princess! But I understand your sentiment. So let us have you earn that respect, no?"

I'm lost but I can't admit to it, at the moment. I thinkhe's saying he respects that I don't expect to be bowed to because of some title. I nod, unsure what to do next. "Okay. So … how do we do that?"

He smiles. "Taking out your katana would be a good start."

Oh shit! I look around desperately … the sword wasn't in my hands when I was spit out of the vortex and I haven't given it a second thought since being stranded here.

Master Yoshi smiles and his eyes crinkle with mirth. "Keeping up with your weapon is one of the first lessons typically taught to new students … much like keeping up with your purse is taught to you by your mother as a young girl."

"I never was a young girl, so my mother never taught me that particular lesson." I shake my head in embarrassment. "But what do I do? The sword must be somewhere in that vortex … wormhole … whateverit is. How do I get it back?"

"You just said the magic word, Your Highness!" He laughs at my confused expression. "The katana is mated and bound to you … it is literally a part of you, as it was born from you. It will always return to you, no matter when or where you lose it. It is safely stowed in your back where it belongs, when not in use."

I pale. I remember the pain of it cutting itself out of me! I don't want to go through that every time I need it. I guess I'll just have to get good at fighting without it. I shake my head with finality. "If that's really where it is, it can just stay there!"

His head cocks to one side, and he gives me a bewildered look. "You don't want to use it?"

"It's not that I don't want to use it." I sigh in frustration. "I don't want to … ummm … give birth … to it every time I need it. That hurt like Hell!" I shake my head again and shudder at the memory.

"I see." He smiles. "Did it hurt when it returned to you?"

My eyes open wide. "Well … no …."

"Then reach behind you, Princess, and take your sword." He nods encouragingly. "As if you were pulling it from its sheath strapped to your back."

I swallow hard and try to settle my rapidly beating heart. I look at him and he nods encouragingly, again. I take a deep breath and, feeling completely idiotic, reach over my left shoulder with my right hand … as if I were going to grab a sword strapped to my back. My eyes open wider in surprise, as I feel the bone handle of my katana vibrate with energy in my hand. I pull it over my shoulder, and it appears in my hand. "Just like magic …," I mutter.

"OK, Princess. Defend yourself!" He swirls his arms before I can think, and suddenly a powerful gale of wind starts blowing toward me, picking up the copious kernels of sand from the ground below. He is somehow creating a sandstorm and it's headed straight toward me.

I stand there stupidly for half a heartbeat and then the dragon on my back flares red-hot and I somehow instinctively create a dome of red energy over me, causing the stream of sand to split and flow harmlessly around me. The dragon moves on my back, and I suddenly have the urge to stomp my foot. I feel like a petulant princess that isn't getting her way when I stomp my right foot hard on the ground.

But Master Yoshi is knocked back, and half buried in the very sand he is blowing toward me … as a strong ground tremor spreads in his direction from the spot I was just compelled to stomp my foot on.

The howling wind goes silent, and I stand there completely stunned and totally dumbfounded. Let's just say I was entirely unsure of what I just did! The red energy shield dissipates, and I shove the sword back into its "sheath" as I run to check on Master Yoshi. "Are you okay? What just fucking happened?"

He shakes his head to clear it and smiles brightly. "You just confirmed the reason that people will bow to you! You did that reflexively. With training you will be near unstoppable, even as just your basic human being. Add a Dragon Spirit to the mix, and you will make a very worthy Empress!"

*****

The weeks pass by in a strange mixture of speeds. At times, it seems like time is going by as slowly as molasses pours in sub-zero temperatures. Other times, it disappears as quickly as iodine sublimates at high temperatures. At any rate of passage, the crux of the problem is that we've been here for weeks!

That's not to say that I've not made progress. I have. Loads of it. I've learned that the dragon on my back is as much a part of me as my katana is an extension of me. That very first "attack" that Master Yoshi sent my way … the dragon "guided" me to put up my shield and to send out the tremor. With time, I've learned to not only "listen" to my dragon, but to also command it. The same is true for my sword … I can wield it as a seamless part of me. As if it were any other of my natural appendages.

The scariest part, however, is what I've learned about my core war magic.

According to Master Yoshi, war magic is rare … and there are really no two known individuals with exactly the same type of war magic. It isn't uncommon, in general for magic to differ between individuals, but it's usually a fine gradation of difference in those more "common" types. Since war magic is so rare, the differences are more apparent.

Mine seems to be an offshoot of earth magic … specifically attuned to metal. I can attract it and repel it … not unlike a magnet, but I can do it with any type of metal—not just ferrous metals. That original tremor that I sent Yoshi's way on the first day was me simultaneously pulling and pushing on minerals in the soil … causing the ground to quake. I've also found that I can pull/push metals so violently into one another that is literally causes an explosion … big ones. Especially when I add a little red magic to the mix.

I sit back with a sigh as my dragon's tail twitches on my back, alerting me to the same stealth attack that I had already detected with my now always-alert senses.

Yoshi is testing me again.

I put up my shield and close my eyes, reaching out with my magically enhanced "normal" senses and probe the energy that triggered my "Dragon-Sense," as I've come to call it. If Spiderman has a "Spidey-Sense," then it seems logical that mine is a Dragon one.

I smile as there's a sudden loud crack and a huge bolt of lightning bounces harmlessly off of my shield. "Nice try, Yoshi! But I felt the energy build-up way before it got to a critical mass!" I say it loud enough that he should be able to hear me … wherever he is. I could push it mentally, but I want to see if he'll respond.

I hear him laugh from far away. A few minutes later, he comes into sight and waves. "Nice job, Princess! I don't know that there is really much more that I can teach you." He sits down across from me and smiles.

"How much longer do you think we'll be here, Master Yoshi? It's been weeks and there's no telling what's going on at home. I miss my mate … and my family!" I pout petulantly. I also miss being able to tap into Sis' magic … or Race's as I assume I now can. I've had to learn to both gauge my internal levels and gather energy from my surroundings. I've become adept at it … and do it subconsciously now. But I still miss my pipeline to Sis, especially for healing.

"I don't know, Your Highness." Yoshi shrugs. "Like I said, there's not much more I can do for you, at the moment. But Otohime didn't give me a 'phone home' option." He grins.

I start to retort something smartass but feel an unfamiliar energy building nearby. Without thinking, I put a shield over Yoshi and me and pull out my katana, as we both get into a fighting crouch.

A familiar red vortex suddenly appears about ten feet away and Race steps out with a bewildered look on his face.

I gasp and let the shield fall as I rush over to him, tears forming in my eyes. "Race! You're here!" I barely stifle a sob as I jump onto him, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist.

He barely has a chance to give me a grin, before he leans in and passionately kisses me. After a full … well, several minutes … he breathlessly breaks the kiss. Miss me, Princess? He gives me a cheeky grin and waggles his eyebrows.

Yoshi clears his throat. "Welcome to … wherever this is … Mr. Cannon. Are you our ride home?"

Race smiles at Yoshi. "Hello, Master Yoshi. That depends …. Has my Princess been a good girl? Is she ready?"

Yoshi smiles with a bow. "She is ready, Race. Or … as ready as I can make her. I would suggest you watch out, however. She's not the same person she was when you last parted."

Race gives him a funny look. "You taught her all of that in four days?"

I punch him in the shoulder. "Race! Four days indeed! How long have we been here? It's been weeks … months …?"

It's my turn to be plied with Race's funny look. He shakes his head. "No … you've been gone half a week. Otohime let me know you were coming home today, and I'm trying to get home in time for our dinner reservation. Tonight … to celebrate our … completion ceremony." He winks at me … obviously not wanting to say more in front of Yoshi.

You know you could just say what you mean … it's not like we can't telepathically talk. Not that I think Yoshi would care, either way!

He shrugs. "I'm sorry, Master Yoshi. My mate is chastising me. We recently completed our bond and there is a lot to celebrate."

"I understand." He smiles with a bow. "I do not understand the whole bonding, since I do not have a Dragon Spirit, nor am I a shifter of any sort. But I am very happy for you." He looks at me. "Princess, it seems that I was correct. We are in a different dimension … time must flow differently here. What was weeks or months for us was … much less at home. That is very interesting!"

I smile at Yoshi. I've come to love him and his ways. "It seems so. Then again …!" I bow to him. "I've never known my master to steer me wrong!"

He twitches a little … and bows back. "I am honored to have been able to serve my queen. You have certainly earned my bow!"

I go over and give him a huge hug … completely surprising him. I whisper in his ear … not that Race can't hear it with his enhanced hearing. "Thank you, Yoshi. If anyone deserves a Dragon, it's you!"

He stiffens at my words, then hesitantly returns the hug. "Thank you, Empress-to-be. That means the world to me that you think so."

And as Empress-to-be, you will be able to bestow him with that honor … as soon as you receive your own Dragon Spirit.

I break my hug with Yoshi. Or I can convince Otohime to do the honors, herself. Now, how do we get home?

Race smiles and hands Yoshi a small gem. "This will open a portal for you, Master Yoshi. It's a one-way trip, I'm afraid. But I doubt you want to explore the realms, just yet. Am I right?" He winks at Yoshi. "Since time here seems to flow much more slowly than at home, it would appear that I can spend a few days of quality time with my mate and only delay our arrival back home by a few minutes." He grins broadly as he clasps Yoshi's hands in his own. "Thank you for what you've done for Alexa, for magic, and for the Dragons, Master Yoshi. I'm sure it won't be forgotten by the Goddess. It certainly won't be forgotten by me!"

"Thank you, Your Highness. I know you're not technically my king, but you certainly have earned the title. I will see you back home, I'm sure. I have a feeling that it will soon be 'all hands on deck!'" Before either Race or I can say anything, he does something with the gem … I have no idea what … and a vortex swallows him.

"Well … I hope he activated that thing correctly!" I grimace. "I would really miss him if he was sent somewhere … or sometime … where I would never see him again!"

Race pulls me into a deep, passionate kiss. I promise, he's fine. Now … do you have a bed somewhere … or is here okay? It's been a few days ….

I punch him in the shoulder … hard! "It's been months! Here is just fine!"