Dragon 6 Chapter 22 (Patreon)

Maeve and Evelyn had blown my mind during our night together.

And it had been a different experience. Both of them were all about drowning me in pleasure and more than a few times using glamor to do it, yet during the entire night, Maeve was clearly my partner.

Evelyn played a role that was different. She drove me wild and to new heights of pleasure, but it was more supportive. Oftentimes, she would drive me to my peak only to let Maeve take over and get the final release.

Anytime Maeve wanted it, Evelyn would step aside. And Maeve always seemed to choose to have me fill her sex.

My understanding was that fae rarely had kids; they were a cause for great celebration. I hadn’t talked to her much about it, but I could see them wanting to up their chances as much as possible if that were true.

I looked at the woman who rested in the nook of my arm. The proud Winter fae princess looked so adorable while she slept.

Evelyn had been out of the room when I’d awoken, but she came back in with the brightest smile on her face as she carried in a tray of food. She took one look at Maeve cuddling up against me, and her smile got even wider.

“If you don’t wish to disturb her, I could help relieve a little of that tension.” She was looking at my lap like she wasn’t sure where she could set the tray.

“I think you’ve had enough,” I teased her.

Evelyn licked her lips. “Never enough. You’ve made the horrible mistake of letting a nymph into your harem. Oh, my sweet little Dragon King. You’ll be rock hard and rutting until you collapse one of these days. I heard so far only Sabrina has managed to give you a run for your money.”

Evelyn ended up deciding to place the tray further up my chest.

“If only every fae had a nymph's stamina,” Maeve murmured from my arm. “But one thing is for sure, I will be getting a lot less sleep now.”

Evelyn only giggled. “If you need a night off, I’m happy to help.”

“His other harem members might have things to say about that. Just because it is our custom, doesn’t mean they will invite you to rile him up as I do,” Maeve warned her.

The nymph only smiled and nodded her head eagerly. “Of course. I’ll just have to worm my way into each of their good graces so they invite me. Riling up a Dragon King is quite fun.” She turned to me. “You might have enough stamina to survive in a nymph pool for some time.”

I shuddered, the comment reminding me that I’d need to find a way to move through The Dreamer’s territory.

I looked down at the food wafting up and filling my senses. It was full of breakfast meats, and I started to pick from them as did the two fae around me.

“So, off to The Dreamer today,” I tried to make conversation.

“Later,” Maeve said. “We’ll have time to travel there. I’m sure that Tiamat can follow through on her promise and deliver us to the edge of her main territory. From there, we can talk while we try to distract you from the nymphs.”

“Any idea what it’s like?” I asked.

Evelyn giggled. “No. The Wilds are huge. Even on this trip, we only saw a small section of it. We’ve never gone this deep in the Wilds. The queens don’t even travel to The Dreamer.”

“Are they at odds?” I frowned, looking at Maeve and thinking about her mother in the ice. “Will The Dreamer harm you?” That question definitely came out as a growl.

“No. What we do isn’t against The Dreamer. She is… not exactly on a side other than the land itself,” Maeve struggled to explain it. “Our section of the tamed Faerie is of little consequence to her. We are like a small blemish on her body. For all I know, she allows the queens to maintain control of the area.”

Evenly shuddered. “The Dreamer is both something that keeps Faerie running, but is also a boogie man to young fae.”

“She isn’t really evil or good. We are like ants to The Dreamer,” Maeve continued to try and explain.

I nodded. She was powerful and unpredictable. Ikta and my mother had bent to her wills. Part of me wondered how she compared to rulers of other planes. There was heaven and hell, along with several others that had come up in my magic study.

A knock on the door broke my ponderings. “If you are up, Tiamat would have you join her for breakfast.”

“In a minute.” I looked around for clothes, finding mine, but picking up Maeve’s with a frown. “You might need new clothes.”

I had clothes for some of my mates in my bracer, and I pulled out a set from Morgana. They might be a little long, but they should work.

“Leather?” Maeve took the pants. “Black isn’t normally my color, but I’ll make an exception this time.”

Thinking quickly, I pulled out a pair of Jadelyn’s white jeans instead.

“Much better. Remind me to stock his bracer with some of my clothes,” Maeve said to Evelyn, whose sheer clothing somehow had managed to come through the Wilds relatively intact.

“Will do.” Evelyn came over and took the tray.

I hastily snatched a fist full of bacon before it was out of reach.

“There will be plenty of food at breakfast. Though, I’ll note that we need more bacon to give the Dragon King enough stamina.” Evelyn laughed, and led the way as I slipped on a shirt, making sure not to get any of the delicious grease on it.

As I finished, I looked up. Maeve had somehow pulled together a chic look using the mix of Jadelyn and Morgana’s outfits.

“How do I look?”

“Fantastic.” I was proud to call her my mate.

She laughed and hung off my arm as we followed Evelyn.

“Question.” I had something that was bugging me. “Evelyn is clearly very perceptive, and at one point, she told me to back off you.”

Maeve’s cheeks turned a darker blue. “Don’t hate her for it. She is devious, but for the right reasons. She figured that the best way to tempt the Dragon King was to take me away from you.”

“She wasn’t wrong.” I nodded, not really holding it against the nymph. “She was also pretty good at handling my mother.”

“Don’t worry. She works for us now. After last night, I think I’ll have to pry her off you to bring her back to the Winter fae when we are done.” She shook her head with a smile.

“If we save your mother, you can spend more time out of the fae realm.” I said with a smile.

Maeve’s smile faltered a little, and I felt bad for mentioning her mother.

“Regardless, we’ll find a way through this. You are mine now,” I growled, and the beast echoed me in my chest.

Maeve blushed again and relaxed against my arm as we reached the room for breakfast. My newest mate straightened up, and her cold demeanor returned as she prepared to face my mother once again.

“Son!” Tiamat sniffed the air and wrinkled her nose at Maeve. “Ah. I see you’ve marked her.”

“Mother, behave,” I growled.

She held her hands in the air, it seemed I was starting to win more often with her. “Come, come. Join us for breakfast. I’ve been talking with Polydora about the history of the world since my last reincarnation. Humans fly now with giant metal contraptions! What did you call them, Poly dear? Windplanes?” Tiamat shook her head in disbelief.

“Airplanes,” Poly chuckled. “And now humans pull oil from the ground to power everything.”

“Huh.” Tiamat just smiled. She seemed to be in a better mood, or at least, she didn’t seem like she was going to try and stuff me in a jail cell to keep me in her territory anymore. I figured that was progress.

***

We all rode on Tiamat’s back as she flew high over the Wilds. Apparently, at her size, she could fly over the Wilds comfortably. Though, she steered clear of several areas.

“Look ahead,” she called out.

There was a giant flower on the horizon, and the land that stretched out from it was beautiful. Mossy-covered rock outcroppings rose above a land gently coated in mist, and the land was alive with vegetation, along with pops of color that made it seem cheerful.

Tiamat beat her wings, hovering over an outcropping before setting herself down on it.

“Off.” She was short with her words as she started to shift.

I grabbed Maeve and Evelyn, jumping and landing on the rocks while my mother finished shifting and covered herself with a white cloth before I could see anything.

“This is The Dreamer’s land. You can meet with her main body if you travel to the flower. There is little danger besides my son getting lost in some nymph pool.” She rolled her eyes and Helena chuckled.

“Shut it.” I glared at the nephilim.

Tiamat handed a shimmering scale to me. “This will help you find the village when you are ready to return, now and anytime in the future. Don’t let The Dreamer take too much. She’s old; do not underestimate her.” She turned to Regina. “You’ll keep my son safe?”

“Of course.” Regina slammed a fist to her chest and knelt to Tiamat. “His life will not expire before mine.”

“Good.” Tiamat patted Regina on the head.

“Is there anything that you can tell me about The Dreamer?” I asked my mother.

She shook her head. “No. I cannot.” Her words were crisp, and it made me think that there may be a promise behind them.

“Thanks.” I sighed.

Tiamat snorted and looked back at me with a longing. “Come home soon, son. Once you return, we’ll go to this wedding, and I’ll shower the rest of your mates in love. Especially the one who’s about to have my first grandbaby! Yev is going to love me.” She had a stupid silly grin on her face as she thought about my upcoming whelp. “Alright, I’m off before I attract attention.”

Tiamat sank low before she jumped, launching herself well over a hundred feet into the air and shifting again.

“Well, we’ve made it.” I picked my way down from the rocks into the misty area. Watching my feet, I made sure there weren’t any wiggling vines or bright pink flowers that would claim me.

I was a little nervous; it was hard to see the ground through the mist.

“Zach, do you have any rope?” Evelyn asked.

“I do, why?”

“Might be best to tie you to one of us.” She giggled, and the others seemed to be suppressing their own laughs.

“It’s fine. We can see pretty far in the mist. It’s not like I’m just going to disappear in it. Looks pretty clear overhead.” I blew out a frosty breath and knocked down the mist in front of us. “Besides, I’m determined to get Maeve’s mother out of this. Some nymph floosie won’t sway me.”

The silence that followed made me frown. I looked over at Regina.

“So far you have been tempted by those two fae. I have no reason to believe that you wouldn’t be tempted again.” She gestured at Evelyn, who batted her eyelashes at me.

“He is quite the vigorous lover. You’ll need to be careful when you mate him,” the nymph warned the red dragon.

“Yes, he is,” Poly agreed with a sigh. “I can’t wait to get out of this stupid jungle and back to a lovely castle in the Summer fae realm. I’m going to sip pina coladas out in the sun and find my mate when I’m feeling randy.”

“Pina coladas?” Regina asked.

“Oh my sweet summer child,” Poly laughed. “There are things I have to teach you.”

Regina nodded with wide eyes, and I shook my head, focusing forward.

I walked forward, trying to portray a confidence that I didn’t entirely feel. I was used to overpowering anything that threatened me. I had a feeling this was going to test my prowess as a fae mate and king.

I wasn’t sure what The Dreamer would ask for, but I had no doubt she would take as much as she could out of our deal. And so far, what everybody wanted most seemed to be my seed.

And if what my mother said was true, The Dreamer was focused on mana and the concentration of it. It seemed to be even more important to the fae than the paranormal back on Earth.

I wondered what we’d been missing. It had to do more than I knew. I had no idea what I’d do if The Dreamer asked me for something I wouldn’t give.

I picked my way across the damn ground, breathing frost every now and then to knock down the mist and make sure I wasn’t stepping on anything dangerous.

But the ground in The Dreamer’s domain wasn’t covered with her deadly pink flowers or vines. Instead, it was relatively normal, beautiful even. It had brightly blooming flowers, and there seemed to always be a waterfall somewhere out in the mist. The soothing sounds of splashing water kept me company as the girls gossiped behind me.

I continued looking out over the ground, keeping my bearing based on the giant flower. It just made me wonder yet again what secrets she held. Could The Dreamer tell me where my father was?

I shook my head, the longing that welled up in my chest at the thought of meeting Bart was something I thought I had lost long ago.

But meeting Tiamat had reignited something inside of me that made me want to meet my biological parents and understand just exactly how I had ended up in the real world if I was born here amid the Fae Wilds.

Bart also was clearly the brains of the operations when it came to the two reincarnating dragons. He would have answers to all my questions.

“Are you concerned?” Regina came up beside me, having escaped Poly’s teachings of the world she was headed towards.

“I need this to work,” I said simply. “And if The Dreamer is anything like how people have been portraying her, then she has the ability to make this very painful for me. That and until I came here, I thought my mother was dead, now I can’t help but wonder about my father.”

Regina patted me firmly on the shoulder. “If I have learned one thing about the King of Dragons, it is that you don’t let something as simple as The Dreamer or distance between you and what you want bother you.”

“I’m the king now, am I?” I teased her. It was the first time she’d said it without sarcasm.

“King of the Dragons, though your mother is the Queen of the Wild Dragons. Maybe that makes you the Prince of the Wild Dragons. I am willing to admit that you are a strong man, though I have yet to see how you rule.” She smiled, and it looked odd on the stoic woman’s face, but it made me smile back.

“You are right.” Her confidence in me buoyed me. “I don’t let things get in my way. We’ll deal with The Dreamer, and then I’ll take you back to the wedding.”

Regina coughed into her hand. “I have won you in the tournament. I would like to relinquish any claim I have over you.”

I raised my eyebrows. “You want to go back to the village after this?”

“No,” she said quickly. “I just do not wish to… pressure you too hard. If I have learned anything, you are stubborn. Staking a claim enforced by your mother will have the opposite effect of what I want.”

I smiled at the oddly perceptive woman given that she came from a village where she was taught that women were there to protect weaker men.

“You are going to have to adjust to the new world if you follow me out,” I probed.

She nodded. “I am prepared. Moreover, your mates have been telling me about these dragonettes. They serve as your guards and the conclave of dragons supports them. You seem to be picking mates from within their ranks?”

It was a little less romantic than I’d like, but it was true. “Sort of. It gives me a chance to get to know them. And yes, romantic feelings have been developing.”

“Then I will join the dragonettes, and Poly will teach me about all the things like cellphones. Moving pictures in the palm of your hand that communicate with other moving picture boxes sounds fascinating.”

I suddenly had a little concern about taking the girl from the jungle. I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to take the jungle out of the girl.

“What about you? What do you want?” I asked her, unsure what goals an Amazonian would have.

“Life here, despite what you might have seen, has always been about survival. Every dragon's goal is to make it to the next day safely and enjoy it while they can. I wish to see this new world, understand it and how I can grow stronger in it. You say the other dragons aren’t as big as we are?” she asked.

I nodded, remembering all of the dragons when Quezalcoatl had appeared. “You are about as big as the biggest are outside the Faerie.”

“Then I shall work with Polydora on learning to fight. She has much to teach me. After that, I can figure it out from there.” She nodded to herself.

“No grand goals?” I frowned.

She shook her head. “You misunderstand. How can a hunter know what they want to hunt when they don’t know the land or what lives in it? No, my goal is to wait and watch. I’ll understand the flora and fauna before I cast my first spear.”

I smiled. “Fair enough.”

“I was raised a hunter. I will adapt, and then I will find my prey.” She gave me a wicked smile.

“What of your parents?” I asked her. There definitely were not as strong of familial bonds between the dragons, but I still wanted to know if they were around.

Her wild red hair waved as she shook her head. “They are not with us anymore. Faerie is a harsh world. It took many years of barely surviving for us to establish the village as you saw it.”