Dragon 4 Chapter 8 (Patreon)

"Can I cut in?" Tyrande smiled at the white dragon that had been sitting with me for about twenty minutes.

I realized I could not remember the dragon’s name, cringing. She’d been nice enough, but there’d been so many dragons I’d made small talk with already.

"Sure." The nameless dragon politely bowed out.

"See you tomorrow." I waved her off before focusing on Tyrande.

"If I didn't know better, I'd guess you weren't a dragon." I joked as Tyrande gathered her dress and wobbled as she sat down next to me, bumping her shoulder into mine. She’d chosen a dress that definitely made it harder to move around.

She rolled her eyes. In the dark of the surrounding jungle, they even glowed slightly. "Oh yeah? What was her name?"

I winced. "Is it that obvious?"

"No. But I did catch that you didn't say her name with the goodbye. I know you. You would have made a point to say it if you’d remembered her name." She reasoned.

"Got me. There are only about a dozen female dragons, but my brain is overloaded from all of this." Dragon speed dating had been mentally draining.

"You could always just make things simple and pick my sister." Tyrande nudged me.

I took a moment to look at her again.

The heir to the high elf ruling family had her blond hair done up, with intricate gold ornaments woven between her hair and spilling down to her brow.

It only accentuated her lovely eyes and plump pink lips.

Tyrande blushed. "You’re staring."

"I got lost in my thoughts." I turned away before my eyes roved further down her form. But we’d been around each other enough that my mind just filled in the image, picturing her lithe body that still carried ample curves.

Trying to change the subject, I focused back on what she’d said. "So, you came over to pitch for your sister? She hasn't even come herself."

I hadn’t realized it until that moment. Yev hadn’t joined speed dating at all. I found myself feeling a little disappointed.

"Yeah, she's in her head. She claimed it would only be fair for her to let the others get a chance and then ran off somewhere." Tyrande sighed. "You know that she's smitten with you."

I nodded. If I were truly that dense, then I wouldn’t have four mates. I had noticed Tyrande and Yev were interested after the events in Sentarshaden. But I also could not entertain either of those relationships at the time.

My hands had been full with Morgana and Kelly, and the Highaen sisters both lived half a world away from Philly.

"Problems?" She peered at me, her eyes swirling with magic.

"No, I wouldn’t say a problem. Just something we have to consider. You both have responsibilities in Sentarshaden. And I'm tied down in Philly." I reasoned.

I wasn’t sure long distance was impossible, but I wasn’t sure my dragon could handle it well. The beast already disliked Kelly being back in the states.

"There are things called planes." Tyrande teased, miming a plane's flight with her hand.

I shrugged. "But I'm a dragon. I like to horde my mates all in one place. It would be difficult for me to only see my mates now and then."

Tyrande narrowed her eyes at me as she searched my eyes for some hidden meaning. "Really? She'd need to move to Philly? What about all these dragon biddies that you are going to knock up?"

I snorted. "That's not happening. Scarlett is helping me narrow down the selection."

"How many do you intend to take?"

"One?" But even as I said it, I wasn’t very confident. "The last thing I want is to dilute my relationships down to where they are meaningless. Every woman that joins me as my mate needs to be loved."

Tyrande smiled and leaned against me. "I'm glad you'll take such good care of my sister."

I shook my head with a wry smile. She said it as if it had already happened. Sneaky elf trying to plant the seed.

"You won’t throw your hat in the ring?" I was more direct.

Tryande looked at me, shocked. "But you are dating dragons."

I looked over to where my existing mates were socializing with others. "In case you haven't noticed, I have a type. Women who are powerful in their own rights, not just dragons."

Tyrande and her sister were both beautiful, lovely women. I was honored by both of their affections, and if we lived closer, I would pursue the two of them much harder.

Her cheeks heated to a lovely shade of scarlet. "I'm going to be staying in Sentarshaden."

I nodded, letting the disappointment show on my face.

I couldn’t help but think about her as a mate. She was incredibly attractive, and she got along with my existing mates. I felt myself drawn to her more than most; I wanted to get to know her better, but I also didn’t want my beast to get more attached when we’d have to separate soon enough.

Tyrande became quieter, her cheeks turning bright red, and she had trouble meeting my eyes. When she finally looked up, they were swirling uncontrollably like a torrent of her own emotions. "I--"

Instead of letting our words continue, I leaned down and kissed her.

Tyrande melted against me as her lips hungrily kissed me back. Her hands pawing at my clothes as if unsure if she could strip me right here.

But it only lasted a moment before she pulled away, putting her hands over her lips as her eyes became wide like a frightened deer. "No. No." she repeated to herself, standing up and bolting.

"Tyrande." I called after her, but she only sped up running towards the tower.

Sighing, I let my weight settle in the seat. I would let her have a moment before I went after her.

"What was that?" Jadelyn came to sit next to me.

"I'm not sure." I admitted. "Both of the sisters are interested. But Yev didn't show up and... well... you can see how my conversation went with Tyrande. Maybe I moved too quickly?"

Jadelyn looked at me like I was an idiot. "Yev is head over heels for you." She playfully knocked on my head. "Idiot. She was just too embarrassed to do this whole speed dating thing."

"I know they are both interested. Back in Sentarshaden, it was clear, but I'm in Philly."

"And you have a wonderful mate who can make spatial portals across the city. Why not one across the world?" Jadelyn shook her head. "We will support whoever you pick. That means jets and portals if they have to get around to be part of our family."

"But--"

Jadelyn held a finger to my lips. "Don't argue with me, Husband. I will throw my weight around for any of your mates."

I sighed, pulling Jadelyn into my side. "You are the best. Did you know that?"

"Of course." She laughed. "But don't tell the others, they will get jealous. Now, you should probably go find Tyrande both to calm her down and so these dragon ladies don't kill you."

Only now that she mentioned it did I feel the tension from the group of ladies that had been a part of the speed dating. Apparently, my kiss with Tyrande had ruffled a few scales.

"Good thinking. Love you." I pecked Jadelyn on the cheek and hurried after Tyrande.

But as I took a few steps, I realized I didn’t know where she would have gone. I couldn’t exactly wander into all the bedrooms trying to find her. Walking into another dragon’s territory unannounced and uninvited was probably not the best move.

And I wasn’t even sure where my room would be.

A door slammed open down the hall and I turned toward it, finding a fuming Yev. She walked out, clearly upset, and the second her eyes locked on me, they narrowed into two draconic slits.

"What the fuck did you do to my sister?!" she roared, stomping down the hall.

I knew better than to argue, holding my hands up in the universal sign of surrender. She really looked like she was ready to hit me. "I came to talk to her. Is she in there?"

"Not for you." Yev brought herself up standing in front of me.

"Yev, I just want to talk to her."

"You've said enough. Whatever you said made her cry." Yev planted her foot and cocked her hip.

Letting out a heavy breath, I nodded. "Okay, then I need to talk to her, because it wasn't what I said, but what I did."

"And that was?" Tyrande's apparent new guardian cocked an eyebrow in question.

"I kissed your sister." There was no reason for me to lie.

"You what?" Yev's face turned bright red. "You-- wh-- no--" She tried to start a sentence several times and failed to the point that soon she was just opening and closing her mouth.

I walked around the temporarily disarmed sister guardian. "Since you missed the dates tonight, we should have dinner tomorrow night." I offered as I walked away.

As I got to their door, Yev followed me in. The place was nice, a large wooden bed set up for the two of them to share. My target was sitting on the bed rubbing at her eyes.

Tyrande wasn't crying anymore, but she had red cheeks and redder eyes. "Fuck."

"Eloquent words from the high elf princess." I laughed. Yev slid in behind me and closed the door.

"I can kick him out if you want, Tyrande." Yev offered.

"No, damn it." More than anything, Tyrande seemed confused. "You weren't supposed to do that."

Yev frowned. "He wasn't supposed to kiss you?"

"Fuck." Tyrande ran her fingers through her hair, but they got caught in the gold chains, and she wrestled with the hair piece before laying it out on the bed. "You told her?"

I shrugged. "I will not lie about my feelings for either of you. What I told you was the truth. I’ve been interested since Sentarshaden, and I know you have as well, at least to some degree. But I knew then I was headed back to Philly and we wouldn’t get time to explore it. Now, it seems like we might."

Tyrande stopped me. "I can't, not with you. You should be with Yev." Tyrande's eyes flickered back and forth between me and her sister behind me. "Yev, I want you to move to Philly to pursue him. I will stay in Sentarshaden to lead the family."

"But, Sister…" Yev started, but then looked at me. "Wait, you want your mates in Philly?" She seemed heartbroken. "I don't think I can leave Sentarshaden."

I thought about bringing up a potential solution with Morgana's magic, but I hadn't even confirmed with her yet that she could do it. If she couldn't, I'd be lifting their hopes up only to dash them on the rocks like an asshole.

Tyrande crawled off the bed and grabbed Yev's hand. "He's the king of dragons. I can't possibly take this opportunity away from you." She turned to me and bowed. "Please forget me."

My brows rose high enough that I think they merged with my hairline. "Uh. No? I wanted to set things right, but I think you two need to talk more than I do to either of you. I'll see you for dinner tomorrow, Yev."

Tyrande was surprised by my response, and Yev looked something between angry and embarrassed.

I stepped back out of their room and headed back to the party. It was dark enough I wondered if it wasn't time to retire.

The beast bumped happily in my chest, knowing what an evening with my mates meant. I realized it had been oddly quiet during my conversation with the Highaen sisters.

"Oh, I'm sorry." A woman bumped into me, stumbling slightly. "Oh. My King." She put her hand on her shoulder. It turned a rich bronze as she bowed and tipped forward.

I caught her. "Careful." Even dragons could get drunk with the right drinks, and there had been plenty of those at the party.

"Thank you. I'd better get back before I get lost." She slurred and stumbled off to her own room in the tower.

I smiled, becoming determined as I walked to wrangle my mates back into our room. I knew Jadelyn would have found one for us.

As I neared the party, my mates in sight, I was intercepted by Brom. I worked hard not to sigh.

Brom smiled at me. "Listen, we should talk about the other perks of being king."

"Other perks?" My eyes drifted over to my mates.

Brom followed my eyes and laughed. "Never mind; it can wait until tomorrow. Savor the night with your mates." He walked away, laughing like an old man.

"Everything okay?" Jadelyn broke away from the dragons, who were vying for her attention. It appeared her popularity was true even among dragons.

"Nope. But I'm sure the two of them will work it out. You three are going to show me where our room is." I hooked my arm in Jadelyn's. This had been enough socializing for one night.

One of Scarlett's fox ears twitched in our direction, and based on the way she suddenly broke off the conversation, she’d been listening in. I shot her a wink.

"If we don't get him back soon. I think he's going to drag us back." Morgana teased as she came up behind Jadelyn.

Scarlett pulled herself away from the gathering dragons, that politely waved her and me off.

"They get so nice every time you are around." Scarlett said loud enough that we both knew the dragons would overhear.

"Need me to duel another pushy dragon, mom?" I laughed, saying it equally loud.

Defending my first mate was a priority.

Now that we were further away from the crowd, I turned to Morgana to ask an important question. I was bursting to know the answer. "Morgana, can you create a spatial passageway between Sentarshaden and Philly?"

The vampiress playfully tapped on her chin, drawing out her answer. "Maybe."

I rolled my eyes. "That doesn't sound like the mate I know. Can you do it or not?"

Morgana let out a sultry laugh. "It can be done, but it will be tricky. I'll need to create enchantments between the start and end points as sort of boosters in order to get a passageway that will go across continents." She shrugged her shoulders. "Then there is, of course, the maintenance costs of the land that will house the booster enchantment."

Jadelyn perked up. "Don't worry. I have people that can handle the estates." She pulled out a phone and started typing on her phone, lining some contact up.

"What about security? Would there be any problem if those enchantments were disrupted while somebody was in route?"

Morgana shook her head, making her silver hair dancing the firelight."I can set them up such that it will kick you out to the closest endpoint if they are disrupted. However, that does put risk at making someone stuck."

Jadelyn looked up from her typing. "That's what planes are for." She put her phone away, her business apparently done.

I knew she was right, but for the enchantments to be disrupted, there was a good possibility it would be intentional. I didn’t like the idea of being slow in getting to my mates.

Scarlett must have seen my concern, because she stepped forward. “We will put protocols and plans in place. This is workable. And it helps that we have a giant dragon who can fly on our side.” She gave me a smirk, and I realized she was right.

Some of the older dragons could fly nearly as fast as a plane. As I grew more powerful, it wouldn’t matter where I was, I could get to my mates quickly.

"Okay. I think we can make that work. I didn't want to promise anything to either Tyrande or Yev until I knew if you could make the enchantment work."

Scarlett leaned forward, getting my attention. "Does that mean you didn't work it out with the sisters?"

"Not exactly. I think they have something of their own to work out. Tyrande wants me to be with Yev, while Yev is undecided. I think she's reluctant to leave her sister."

Morgana smirked. "The answer is simple; just take them both. It's not as if you don't already have a harem."

I was about to make a snarky reply, but then I took in the beautiful women standing around me, staring up at me, and my mind went somewhere else. "So, where is our new room here in the tower?"

Jadelyn beamed from ear to ear. "You'll love it! It has the most beautiful bed you've ever seen. It’s almost as if dragons are used to entertaining harems. Its huuuuge." She spread her arms out wide.

I wondered where the hell the dragons got all the dragon-friendly furnishings. I’d been back in the room the entire time everything had gotten set up, but my mates had not.

"Where did all of this come from? The party, all the furniture, not to mention the food and drinks. I didn't see any dragons hauling bags on the way over."

"They pulled a lot of stuff out of the bowels of the tower. Most of the furniture was there and well preserved. Though all the mattresses were hay. All the new mattresses and all the food, as well as plenty of other stuff, came on a barge parked on the south side of the island." Scarlett commented with a sly glance at Jadelyn.

I decided not to comment on the fact that she’d clearly scouted the entire island. I wasn’t surprised. Scarlett liked to know the territory she had to use in case anything went wrong.

"Modern problems require modern solutions." Jadelyn replied. "That, and a good contract with the world's premier shipping company." Jadelyn winked at me.

I hadn’t thought about it before, but the Scalewrights were the obvious answer for getting barges safely and secretly across the water.

"So, you have a crew here on the island?" I asked.

"Nope. They requested we anchor it just outside the island's magic and abandon it. A few of the dragons towed it in once we were here." Jadelyn replied.

"Guess they are pretty secretive. The island seems locked down tight. We only came in one group..." I looked out a window and shifted my eyes. A huge magical barrier rose up around the island. "Yeah, there's a barrier here."

Morgana stopped and lifted an eyebrow. "Like we are trapped?"

"No, like the conclave is an entirely private affair." I didn't feel trapped, at least not among dragons. If something happened, I was absolutely sure I was safe here.

"But no more distractions. I want to be with you three." I growled and turned to my mates. "Which room?"

"That one." Jadelyn led the way.

When we neared the door, I flipped Jadelyn over my shoulder and scooped up Scarlett next.

Morgana pouted. "No dragon stealing me away?"

"Careful what you ask for." Scarlett said over my shoulder.

I scooped up my pouting drow and stacked her on top of Scarlett.

"Oof. I'm fragile!” Scarlett wheezed.

"Guess we'll have to pressure test just how fragile." I laughed, throwing the door open to a magnificent room. But I would take in all the fine details later. Right now, I just wanted to be buried between my mates’ bodies.