Dragon 4 Chapter 21 (Patreon)

The dragons were off flying through the cavern, scouring for the crystal, while my mates started picking through the gold piles.

"Sorry, I think we're still going to have to postpone that date." I chuckled as I walked with Tyrande to the cabin.

"I cannot believe you’d let a little thing like a powerful, crazy fae lady stop us from that date. And don’t you dare think that losing to her in the duel gets you out of it." Tyrande grinned.

Tyrande liked to verbally spar, and I had no problems indulging her. "I’ll do my best.” I took a deep breath, trying to put aside thoughts of the duel. “But in all seriousness, I really am disappointed that we didn't get our date." I bumped her hip with mine and she turned to me with a wry grin.

"All of those dragons are super jealous that I get to pick through Tiamat's cabin with you."

"Yeah?" If I was honest, I had wanted time alone with Tyrande. Something was always coming up; I decided to just make the time with her, even if it wasn’t under the best circumstances.

She squinted at me. "You have to know they are jealous, but maybe you didn't see Scarlett warn them off. At least she's backing me."

Grabbing Tyrande's waist, I pulled her to my side as we got to the cabin. "Maybe bringing you with me was purposeful. But I seem to recall you volunteering."

She blushed a little. "There are going to be crazy enchantments in this place; just look at the cabin."

I shifted my eyes to see the magic, and sure enough, the cabin was covered in enchantments. A big rainbow swirl of them wrapped around every curve of the logs. "Then maybe you should stay a little closer, just in case."

"Just in case." She repeated as she let herself lean on my side.

Outside the enchantments, the cabin looked perfectly normal. It was made of huge cut logs with their bark roughly stripped and fired.

I wondered if they were tempered with dragon fire.

The door was wood, with a wood handle. I pushed my aura forward as I reached out to the handle.

It was cool to the touch, and I relaxed. I wasn’t sure why, but I’d been concerned I was going to go flying when I touched it.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding and turned the knob. No magic, just simple physical weight resisted me as I opened it.

Tyrande gasped next to me. I shifted my body in front of hers; the gasp startling me, but I quickly saw the cause.

The place was gilded to the teeth inside. It was far different from what I’d expected given the rustic exterior.

"Is everything gold?" Tyrande gasped.

"Those sheets are red." I pointed at the bed.

"Pretty sure those are cashmere bed sheets." Tyrande chuckled, leaving my side to touch them and rub her hands along them. "Oh yes, these are lovely."

The room was like someone had taken the shapes you expected inside the cabin and then dipped each of them in gold. A simple long gold table with four gold chairs dominated one half of the cabin, while a gold bed with red sheets dominated the other.

The floor was inlaid with gold tiles. Each was handmade with a unique animal or plant design.

"She likes gold." I joked. Then again, all dragons loved gold.

"Really? I didn't pick up on that." Tyrande burst into laughter at her own joke. "So we are looking for a purple crystal. That should stand out?"

The cabin wasn't that large, but it was a little messy. I started over by the table, picking things off the shelf and peeking inside a ceramic jar. "That's what the first one looked like. Are these ashes?"

I turned the jar to Tyrande. "Who's ashes?"

"Maybe one of her past reincarnations? Or someone special to her?"

Wrinkling my nose, I found a gold spoon and fished through the ashes. I felt awful for disturbing the dead, but we needed to be thorough. I definitely didn’t want to go through everything twice because we didn’t do it well the first time.

"Do elves cremate their dead?" I asked, making conversation. Although I realized after I said it, maybe it wasn’t the most romantic topic.

"We water the earth with their blood and then bury them under the roots of their family's tree." Tyrande said offhandedly.

I paused. "You bleed them?"

"Yeah, it isn't that different from how they dressed the pig just now. But we believe in giving back to where we came from. The idea of coffins and keeping the dead separate from the earth is disturbing." She did a small shudder as she pulled a blanket off a chair in the corner and a few gold coins pinged against the tiles and rolled until they hit the table.

We both paused, but when nothing happened, we continued to rifle through my mother's cabin.

"Strange to me." I commented. "But I'm getting more and more used to different customs."

"What do dragons do?" Tyrande asked in response.

I had asked Chloe and Larisa the same question, so luckily, I knew the answer already. "They eat them, giving their power back to another dragon."

Their response had made me feel significantly better about eating Servile, the silver dragon, and taking on his power. To dragons, I had respected him and his wishes.

Tyrande connected the dots as well. "Like the Silver did in Sentarshaden?

“If they are beyond healing, they offer themselves up. But it is very rare for a dragon to die and their body to just be left somewhere.” I grimaced, thinking of Thalia being shot down by vampires. "We are hunted for our bodies. It isn't often the choice is given."

"Right." Tyrande awkwardly agreed and kept at her search.

We searched in silence for a while before she spoke again. "Are your mates in danger? Like, outside of here?"

"Because of me?" I asked, frowning.

She nodded, looking a little scared. It seemed this was a genuine concern for her or for her sister to mate with me.

"Most of them have some amount of their own troubles, even without me. I don’t seem to attract wallflowers. But as a family, we deal with anything as it comes up. And our family is quite formidable.” I spoke proudly, but I wanted her to know what she was signing up to join.

“But I have definitely become high profile in the paranormal world, and you know my wives’ backgrounds. There is risk and attention that would come with being my mate. But I think you know that and have already experienced some of it as a Highaen princess?” I paused.

Tyrande nodded. "We have bodyguards and have to be careful, but you bring a whole new level of danger. Apparently the kind of danger that leads to fae queens and ancient reincarnating dragons."

I put down the trinkets on the shelf and went over to her, wrapping my arms around her. "That's true. I seem to be at the center of an endless well of change and conflict. But it’s also pushing me to grow, to become what’s needed to protect my family."

"I-" Tyrande paused and took a deep breath. Whatever was coming was hard for her. "I don't want to be kidnapped like before. Taken away to bait my sister or to harm my family's tree. It made me feel weak, helpless."

She looked down at her hands. The idea had made them shake.

I grabbed both of them and steadied them in my own. "When that happened, I came for you. Even if you don't become my mate, you are my friend. I'd come for you again."

A few tears leaked out of her eyes, and I wiped them away for her.

She shook her head and wiped at her face. "I'm fine. Just bad memories from that time. Zach, you promise me?"

"I promise." Leaning forward, I kissed the top of her head.

She pulled back and her arms came around my head, pulling my lips to hers as she kissed me slowly, savoring the moment. "Thank you. I think having the big bad dragon king at my beck and call will be lovely."

"Beck and call?" I growled playfully. "The dragon king is at no one's beck and call."

It was clear what she was doing. She was using humor as a defense mechanism to not feel silly for the vulnerability she’d shared. But I was fine with that.

The best thing I could do was go with the flow and make her feel comfortable.

"I don't know." She said in a sing-songy voice. "If I work hard, I bet you'd come running to save a princess."

"Last time I called you a princess, you threw something at me." I remembered the time in Sentarshaden.

She rolled her eyes. "I can call myself a princess." Tyrande turned around in my arms so her back was to my chest and her tight rear pressed against my erection. "You make me feel like a princess, and you make me feel safe." She pulled my arms tighter around her.

I leaned down, scenting her, memorizing her smell and loving it.

The beast growled and snapped inside of me, begging to mark her and take her here in the cabin. Something told me she would let me.

But I knew that she was still confused and figuring out how she felt. I didn’t want to rush our relationship.

I worked to calm my inner beast. I needed to pass up this opportunity and just comfort her, regardless of how hard I was poking into her rear right now.

Tyrande had noticed my excitement, judging by the way she ground her ass against me and looked over her shoulder.

I kissed her and let my hands wander down her succulent curves. "Tyrande, we shouldn't." I waited, part of me hoping she’d insist.

"You are probably right." She let out a breathy moan and wrapped her arms around my head, pulling me to her neck. I kissed it up and down as she bent it to the side. "We really shouldn't be doing this." She said, her voice nearly panting.

"No." My hand got a little more forceful, and I was barely holding back my jaw from shifting as she offered me her neck. I wanted to bite her, mark her.

I pulled away, shaking my head, trying to clear it. I really needed a cold shower at that moment.

Tyrande was looking back at me, a little lost and confused, before she pulled herself together. "You're right. We shouldn't do this, not yet. Besides, we haven’t even had that date yet. I don’t want to be a slut. I am a princess." She rolled her eyes.

"Not until we have at least one date. I'd like to get to know you better." I stated, partly reinforcing it with myself.

It was too soon, too fast. If we had gone just a little further, I would have taken her and claimed her. She needed to go into it wanting it, not making the choice when she was swept up in the moment.

"Right." There was clarity that entered her eyes. "Oh god. You were about to mark me."

Giving her a guilty grin, I nodded. "My dragon instincts were going a little wild. If we had gone much longer, I'm not sure I would have been able to hold back."

She brushed her neck where we both knew it would go and she shivered. "Right. Don't wind up the dragon until I'm sure about this."

"That would be best." I joked, to lighten the mood. "Dragons don't let go of things easily. If you let me sink my claws in, they aren't coming out."

The beast rose inside my chest, growling in agreement and snapping its jaws at Tyrande, wanting to mark her for that very reason.

She fanned herself while she looked around. "I don't think the power is in here. There's nothing of significance or value here. It seems like it’s just a place to sleep. Gaudy as it is."

I looked around, realizing she was right. There was a bed and a table and various things like cutlery and cloth. But there were no trophies. It would be something of at least passing significance to Tiamat.

Somewhere in this cavern, Tia had to keep trophies of some sort. It was there that we'd find the crystal, or at least, that was my best guess.

"Good call. We need to find where she keeps her prizes. In my hoard, I have a rack that has a tainted ritual dagger and several angelic weapons. They are my trophies." I grinned as I thought about them.

"The two swords from the archangel?" She asked.

"Yes, they are mounted on the wall of my hoard. I keep the silver sword enchanted by Raguel in this bracer." I tapped my wrist.

She nodded. "Go find Tiamat's trophy spot. I'll take another look here." She murmured the rest under her breath, but I caught it. "And cool the fuck down."

I grinned and pretended I didn't hear her. "Sounds good."

If she wanted space, then I'd give it to her. I could use it too; my body was still wound tight.

Stepping out of the cabin, I saw Jadelyn tossing items from one pile of gold to a smaller one. "Oh, husband." She looked up and saw the hunger in my eyes. "Darn, you didn't end up claiming her in there?"

I nearly choked. "Is that what you were hoping happened?"

"Sort of. Me and Scar made a bet. But it seems she guessed it right. Need the edge taken off again?" She smiled.

Tempting as it was, we were currently trapped. And at least for the moment, I could think rationally. I didn’t want to lose time. "Actually, I was wondering if any of the dragons had returned yet."

"Just Polydora, who came back with another pig. She's working on it now, but said she'll let this one drain until we are ready to eat later." Jadelyn tossed another handful of coins over to the other pile.

Anyone else would drool over them, but to Jadelyn, she was acting like these gold coins were just trash.

"Does all of this not impress you? This is an incredible amount of wealth." I truly wondered what she thought of it.

Jadelyn shrugged. "I don’t really need more money. For me, it’s just... a number I see in the bank account. The value of it in realistic terms has lost most of its meaning. Instead, it is the value I can use it for. Like helping you, that interests me." She smiled wide enough to pinch her eyes together.

My lovely little siren was amazing. I scented her and sighed contently before coming back to the moment.

I ruffled her hair. "Goof. I don't need your money."

"Still, it is fun to throw it around when you need help." Jadelyn looked over at another pile that had a noise coming from behind it. "I'm not Morgana. I can’t always physically stop trouble when it comes for you. But I can help in my own way."

"Of course." I kissed my lovely siren. "Now, I'm going to go stretch my wings. Need to blow off some steam."

Jadelyn chuckled knowingly. "Tyrande got you all revved up. If going for a flight doesn't settle that itch, I'll lay myself down in a pile of gold."

The images that flooded my brain did nothing to help me settle down, and I ended up growling as I stomped away. I let the sexual frustration flood me as I shucked my pants and put them in the bracer before shifting.

Bones crackled, and my scales shifted gold, but I continued it going. I wanted to be the mix between gold and red where they swirled together on me.

Pushing myself towards the wild chaos, I worked to shift towards the burning wild fire that was my red half. I felt my scales change and stopped myself once again partway through.

"Damn. That's a pretty cool trick." Jadelyn whistled at me.

I snorted, feeling a little smug and beat my one red and one gold wings, sending gold scattering with the wind and taking flight.

Immediately, the wind in my face cooled me down. It wasn't a cold shower, but it helped a little.

My wings beat and pushed me higher. Dangling under my body, I looked at my four claws.

The back right and the front left were red, while the other two were gold. As the scales moved up my body from my legs, they swirled together, trading places in the middle of my body.

And small threads of gold wound their way through my claws, like the thin strands when mixing paint.

I felt powerful, confident of my strength.

I knew that I needed every advantage I could get to face off against Ikta when we left here.

That thought brought me back to the present and searching for the second half of her power.

I began scanning the ground ahead of me, swooping above the trees with my massive wingspan and sending a few small critters scattering.

Tia’s ‘study’ really felt like a forest. I could see the enchantment on the ceiling of the cavern that made the fake sun shine and the illusion of clouds.

It wasn't a real place, but Tiamat had clearly used her great power to make a mimicry of the real world for her to rest in and revel in her hoard.

I kept pumping my wings, dipping down to scout for where she’d keep her trophies.

Not far into my flight, I spotted a wide cave entrance and angled for it. It seemed significant enough to check out.

I swooped low, landing roughly at the edge of the cave. I beat my wings to arrest my flight and not crash into it.

The jingle of coins and the clang of weapons sounded inside the cave, along with a feminine shriek.

I ducked my head and stepped into the cave as my eyes adjusted. When they did, they were locked on the sight in front of me.

Yev had been thrown into a mound of gold by the cave entrance. Gold coins had flown up and were sprinkled along her body, the skirt she’d borrowed from Morgana blown up, revealing that she hadn’t borrowed panties as well.

My throat rumbled at seeing her half naked in the gold.

"Zach!" she said, recovering from being tossed into the pile.

As she took in my face, Yev bit her lip and blushed as her violet eyes swirled with emotion and magic. She stared right into my own eyes, an unyielding resolve entering them as she stretched and spread her legs amid the gold. "Come join me."

It was an offer only an idiot would turn down.

I moved forward, still in my dragon form, and grabbed her with my massive claw. Flapping my wings to once again move us airborne, I moved us deeper into the cave, knocking over piles of gold and wracks of weapons before I planted her in the gold once again.

I breathed heavily and stared down at Yev as she lay panting amid the gold. I spoke in my dragon voice. "Are you sure? There's no going back."

Unlike Tyrande, there was no confusion in Yev's gaze.

"Mark me, and mate me." Yev declared.

I let out a bellowing roar that made the gold in the cave rattle before I shifted down to my normal self. "Marking second. Mating first." I growled.

Yev slipped off her dress and ran her hands through the gold coins. The tinkling of the coins was music to my ears as I leaned down over her.