Dragon 7 Chapter 23 (Patreon)

I stepped through the portal and looked to the right to see a summer queen in a bath towel.

“Shit, sorry.” I turned around as Morgana and Ikta followed in after me.

“Don’t be shy.” Summer teased. “It’s respectful to face me when you speak.”

I wasn’t sure why I was embarrassed; nudity wasn’t anything unique in my life.

Summer was smiling when I turned back around. “That’s better. You should enjoy the view.”

The Summer Queen was a tall woman, with a regal bearing that seemed to shine out of her tan complexion. Her frame included large breasts that didn’t seem completely unnatural, but they were certainly stretching into that limit.

So when she dropped the towel, I got a feast for the eyes.

She only smiled. “You can come and touch them if you’d like. I promise, they are real.”

I cleared my throat. “Though that sounds fun, we came because there’s a problem. I think the Spring Lady is the one helping Norton and Iapetus.”

Summer frowned but didn’t give up on her tease, grabbing a piece of lacy underwear and slinking them on. Then she walked over, putting a leg up on a chair seat, slowly working her stockings on. “That’s unfortunate. I hadn’t expected her to start so soon. Ah.” Summer made a noise of understanding. “But she has always been ambitious. If she believes the prophecies, then she’d believe that with you in the picture she might never become the Summer Queen.”

I waited for Summer to work through her thoughts. I could tell she wasn’t done. Summer drummed her fingers on her lips as she stood there half dressed. “Or she’s pitching this all around to come kill me.”

“You seem far too calm as you say that.” I observed.

Summer shrugged. “It’s sort of the way it goes around here. Eventually, she takes my role, and rarely is it without bloodshed.” Summer watched me as she finished pulling on her first stocking. “Besides, maybe I could get some sympathy sex with you. Oh! Maybe you’ll get me pregnant on the first try.”

I rolled my eyes and she laughed, making her breasts bounce. The way they jiggled showed they really were real, even if they defied gravity.

Pulling my dragon back from oogling them, I focused on the problem at hand. “What will you do if she comes to kill you?” I asked.

Summer hummed and wiggled her foot at me and held out the other stocking.

“Really?” I walked over and took it from her, putting it over her foot. The fabric clung to her legs as I worked the thin gossamer of cloth up her leg. Every inch of her flesh that was devoured by the stocking left me with a little longing.

She grabbed my hand when I tried to leave her leg at her thigh and made me pull it all the way, up feeling her warm, smooth skin and brushing her soft silken underwear.

I looked up and was caught in her golden eyes.

Summer was truly a gorgeous, mature woman. Even if her age was timeless, there was maturity in her eyes. She held me in front of her as a smile blossomed on her face and kissed me.

I kissed her back and she tasted fresh, like a breath of warm air and just a hint of berries. It was an intoxicating kiss, one that she completely controlled from start to finish.

She placed her forehead against mine when she was done. “I’ll defend myself, you, and your family, but I won’t harm Aurora. One day when Yev’s egg hatches, you might understand.” She pecked me on the cheek and pulled away, her arms trailing over my hands along the way. “Besides, you have no proof it’s her or you wouldn’t have said ‘I think’. Help me with my dress?”

I assumed she meant the white and gold dress hanging nearby, so I walked over and pulled it off the hook. There were so many folds of cloth, I wasn’t really sure what to make of it.

Morgana chuckled. “Hold it low so she can step into it.”

I grunted and did so. “Then maybe we have you focus on the Iapetus part of this?” I offered Summer.

She nodded. “What news do you have on that front?”

“They seem to want Simon’s corpse to get to something, but we have no idea what they are after. Meanwhile, Iapetus used one of the human bodies it blessed to form an avatar that fought me.” I caught her up as she stepped into the dress, purposefully causing as much body contact between us as possible.

She put her arms down and I helped her wiggle past the tight waist and pull it up around her breasts. “Hmm. So they would want something that the elves have that could harm you or me.” She tapped at her lips as she put on a pair of detached sleeves. “The elves have created many artifacts from over the years. And they have a long history of hunting dragons and a few conflicts with the fae.”

“Do they have anything that could go after The Dreamer?” I asked, adding to the list.

Summer gave me a strange look, then shifted her focus to Ikta. “Do you think they could bring anything to bear to actually hurt The Dreamer?”

“No.” Ikta spoke with certainty. “They’d go indirectly at her and kill dragons in the faerie to starve her. The titans never managed to kill each other. I doubt they’d try again after all these years expecting a different result.”

Morgana was thoughtful off to the side though. “There are a few powerful weapons the elves have. Some with the purpose of killing dragons.”

“Any they’d need Simon to get to?” I asked.

She shrugged. “You’ve seen their community here in Philly. It’s completely surrounded by wards.”

“Like a Christmas tree.” I recalled, remembering when I’d seen all the protections through my dragon eyes. It was a fortress of magic.

Summer handed me a cloak with an emerald clasp. I put it around her neck, clicking it closed. The cloak was heavy; I was surprised wearing it was even remotely comfortable. “Are you going to join me in court? We start at dawn, and I think it would be absolutely lovely to have you there.”

I desperately needed sleep. “Maybe—“

“My daughter should be there, having returned from the front lines with an update.” Summer smiled, knowing she had me.

“Ah.” I rubbed at my chin. “Got something for me to wear?”

Summer snapped her finger, and I was suddenly decked out like a prince charming out of a fairytale. A white military uniform decorated in gold with big shoulders that weren’t remotely functional. “We’ll make an exception and glamor you for this one.”

Morgana shared a glance with Ikta. “I’m guessing the two of us aren’t likely to be welcome.”

“No.” Summer pursed her lips. “I’m sorry for that, but the two of you would grind my court to a halt.”

Ikta frowned and snapped open a portal back to the kitchen, ready to head back.

Two nymphs started walking through immediately with platters of pancakes. “Pancakes.”

“I love pancakes.” Summer said before humming. “We can be a few minutes late. Let’s enjoy these.”

***

“Announcing The Summer Queen and The Dragon King.” A fae beat a staff with a large metal cylinder at the bottom.

The court ground to a halt with our appearance. Many of them had been discussing matters, but stopped at Summer’s arrival.

The room we stepped into was a chamber with one large throne and many smaller ones set a step below it. There were even more ornate chairs set below or behind those. In many ways it reminded me of the council chamber for Philly, only this one clearly had a ruler.

Summer’s throne was giant and the only empty seat in the house.

“Where do I sit?” I asked. Pretty sure I didn’t get to kick someone out of their seat.

Summer only smiled as she snapped her fingers and her chair stretched to something that wasn’t quite enough space for both of us. “With me, of course.”

I took her hand and walked with her into the room and up the dais to her throne under the gazes of every fae present.

Unsure how to sit on the throne with her, I hesitated next to it. She pushed me gently into the chair and then draped herself over me. Each of her movements were fluid, perfect and down right entrancing. And as she sat down on me, the thin and tight cloth that made up her dress did little to prevent me from feeling her every inch of pert curves.

I swallowed loud enough I had a feeling all of the fae nobles had heard me.

We certainly had their attention. All the nobles were beautiful, tanned and had wildly bright hair as they assessed what was happening. There had to be four or five dozen in the seats, with another handful for each milling about.

The entire room had gone silent, focused on Summer and me.

“Welcome to the Summer Court.” A fae noble stood. She bowed gracefully to the two of us. She was quickly followed by every other fae in the room.

“Of course.” I nodded, remembering not to thank any of them. “I must apologize, Summer sprung this on me quite suddenly.” I chuckled and they politely laughed with me.

Though I was sure we had completely broken decorum.

“Mother.” The Spring Lady was already in her seat, her legs and arms crossed. “Is this an announcement of something?”

“No. The Dragon King was interested in joining for a court session. I am just personally attending to him.” She turned and projected her voice around the room. “To those of you that aren’t aware, The Dragon King has bound himself to a piece of faerie that holds the power of both Summer, Winter and Wild.” Summer beamed over the crowd.

She said it as if it was a casual announcement, maybe a change in address.

Glass shattered and the room went quiet. Several of the nobles lost their composure and gasped in shock.

That was new from the fae. I hadn’t been expecting that.

It wasn’t often the fae nobles lost their composure. Small strategic expressions of shock were normal, but this felt real.

“My Queen, is that true? If he has such a unique piece of faerie, will he… establish… his own… court?” The noble kept pausing as murmurs grew in volume, and they paused to look around at the growing round of concern.

I whispered into Summer’s ear. “There is something you haven’t told me.”

She laughed like I’d told her a joke. “Oh. It is a small piece. The only ones who spend time in it right now are some nymphs, myself, Ikta and Maeve.” She said it like it was a throwaway comment, but it nearly brought the court to a standstill.

I pinched Summer’s rear, hard. Casually saying that the three fae queens spent time together in my little piece of faerie was hardly a small thing.

She bounced a little in my lap and giggled like I’d just flirted with her. “But that isn’t why he’s here. He’s just participating in today’s court. We should show him how it’s done.”

“From your throne.” The Spring Lady cleared her throat, suddenly looking far less sure of herself. “But I guess that’s what happens when you hold off from men too long mother. Just be careful of what beds you lay in.”

She wasn’t amused.

I smirked, that was just fine with me. Spring had found herself near the top of the list of people I did not like at the moment.

I knew that Summer was using me at the moment to steer her court as she wished, but I didn’t mind. She’d already helped me on multiple occasions. I probably owed it to her.

“Lady Spring, a report from the front lines?” Summer changed the subject like she’d been commenting on the weather, turning to her daughter.

She wiggled a little in my lap, her hand slipping down and playing with my thigh behind her leg.

“You will pay for this later.” I whispered into Summer’s ear.

She turned to smirk at me, a challenge in her eyes before focusing back on her court. Summer would glance around at people and they would stiffen up, or pay more attention to what was being said.

It was interesting to watch her work her court with mere glances as her daughter spoke, adding her own emphasis to Aurora’s words with her eyes and a light smile, even as she rested on me.

“As expected, we continue to hold the center line. The Winter Fae are still weak with the season. Conflict and losses have been minimal. We are continuing to set up fortifications expecting a heavy push from The Fall Lady when summer wanes to fall.” The Spring Lady seemed bored with her report as she finished up.

“Good. We like that things are going to plan.” Summer smiled. “Boring is not at all bad. We like the way everything works, don’t we?” She asked the question to the larger body of nobles.

There was a resounding ‘yes’ from them.

Quietly, she was also showing Aurora that the fae nobles backed her.

“Yes, so what should we make of changes like bringing The Dragon King here?” Aurora turned on her mother.

Rather than answer her directly, Summer turned to face me. “Zach, you’ve married the Fall Lady, correct?”

“Of course. Everyone here knows that. You invited all of them to the wedding.” I put on a charming smile as I played the part of a smitten man and focused on her, ignoring the rest of the crowd. “You’ve also said balance is important.”

“Incredibly important.” Summer echoed me and shifted her posture so that she was more firmly in my lap and looking out at the nobles. “It would be an absolute shame if the Winter Fae started bearing the dragon king’s daughters, and we suddenly had an army of dragons against our battle lines.”

Her posture hardened enough that I knew she was staring each of them down to drive the point home.

“No. That would be silly.” I joined her, entangling my hands with hers. “After how kind the Summer Fae have been to me, I couldn’t dare support my children in joining the conflict here.”

The way her ears shifted, I knew she was beaming in victory out at the rest of them.

“Of course not.” She kissed my cheek. “Maybe one day you’ll help us have some Summer Fae bear dragons. They would do wonders to the faerie realm in increasing the mana.”

“Yes!” A noble was so impassioned that he stood with his declaration and clapped. “Balance in all things. Of course, something as pointed as The Dragon King’s involvement in The Faerie must be balanced.” That same noble glanced at Aurora as if to encourage her to agree.

The Spring Lady’s face was colder than a winter chill. “I think the best balance is an empty scale. Maybe we shouldn’t encourage The Dragon King’s continued involvement in our realm.”

I put my hand on Summer’s thigh to stop her from speaking for me. “I’m afraid it’s inevitable. I’ve promised Maeve a child. There are many nymphs living in my manor, and they will eventually bear my children. The Dreamer has made sure of that.” I lifted Summer’s hand and kissed the back of it. “And I’ve expressed interest in getting to know your mother better.”

If we were in a cartoon, The Spring Lady’s ears would have been blowing steam based on the sudden fire in her eyes.

Though, I couldn’t say that she was the culprit behind all of this just based on her not liking me.

But she kept her composure, giving me a chilling smile. “We’ll see about that.” When she turned out towards the nobles looking for support, she was met with frowns.

I saw as the nobles picked up on the tension between mother and daughter, and their faces were clear. They did not approve.

Aurora shifted a little, holding her chin up high, but I could tell that she was put off.

Her mother still maintained an iron grasp of the summer court. Aurora really had no prospects for Queen at the moment, and if she believed I could be part of the end of the conflict or the Queens, then she had nothing.

The court session continued, and they went through what seemed like routine updates, bringing some troubles before Summer, but it all seemed light. Either there was a subtext I wasn’t picking up or it was all relatively simple.

When it all came to an end, The Spring Lady dismissed herself.

“I’m needed back at the front lines.” She stood abruptly and spun away.

“Do be sure to keep an eye on things. Wouldn’t want you to miss something if you wander away.” Summer called after her, but Aurora was gone.

“My Queen.” A noble came up to her throne. “Congratulations.” They bent the knee to her before smiling at both of us and hurrying off.

And that noble wasn’t alone.

Noble fae practically were falling over themselves to come and have a few brief words with Summer and myself.

“Dragon King, you are looking brighter than ever.” A fae woman picked up my hand and kissed it. “I remember when you first showed up to the ball in the park. So powerful. Any fae lady would be honored to marry you.”

In my peripheral vision, I saw Summer shoot her a glare, and the fae noble scurried off.

“That was mean.” I joked, suddenly realizing that the court chambers were empty, except for guards at the door.

Summer lifted a hand. “Guard, leave us.”

There was no back talk. The doors swiftly opened, the guards hurrying through them and closing behind them with a finality. I was jealous for a moment that I couldn’t dismiss my security so easily.

Then again, my guards had to be more stubborn than me or they wouldn’t get a chance to do anything.

“I suppose, I owe you a date. After everything you’ve done for me and my family, I should be making you more of a priority.”

The beautiful fae queen turned in my lap to face me. “About time you realized it. Come to court with me more often. I’ll make it worth your while.” Her finger trailed along my inner thigh, before she stood. Summer shifted her gossamer dress as she sat in my lap again, this time facing me directly.

I could feel the warmth of her body and realized only the stockings separated her skin from my body.

Images flooded back into my mind of her long legs and soft skin.

She chuckled. “Thank you for attending court with me; it made quite the statement and strengthened both of our positions.” Summer pulled my hands around to cup her rear and hold her in place.

“You are welcome,” I lost myself in her gold eyes as her smile spread up to them and I leaned forward, kissing her.

The kiss lingered for just a pleasant second before she pulled back. “I’m in the height of my power, and you have a certain weakness to glamor.” She teased me, a finger touching my clothes, only to remind me they were a glamor as they disappeared and my actual clothes parted ways for her finger. “I could glamor you into feelings you’ll never have again.”

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted. It really was like a drug.

“Delights, so profound you’d become addicted.” She continued on. “Thrusting up into me forever, begging for more.” She dipped down to kiss my chest. Each kiss felt warm, like a beam of light through the shade kissing my skin.

My hands had a mind of their own, running over the curves of her hips. “Is that so? I think there’s some business we should clear up first. What got everyone so worked up about my piece of faerie?” I wasn’t going to let her distract me away from that topic.

Her little warm kisses continued down my chest. “No, you don’t want to thrust up into me. The dragon king likes girls on their knees, doesn’t he?” She parted my legs and slid down between them, her breasts rubbing up against my thighs as I sat in her throne with her on the floor in front of me.

The idea of The Summer Queen going down on me while I sat in her throne was intoxicating.

She wasn’t even using a glamor, but I sort of wished I had the excuse, as I grabbed her hair and pressed her head to my pants.

Summer chuckled and kissed me through my jeans, nibbling at the start of an erection she found and making it swell to full attention. “Just say the word. I’ll glamor you and let you feel it.”

The offer was so damn tempting. And I knew that she was ignoring answering my question, but I wasn’t sure I fully cared at the moment.

She caught my zipper between her lips and paused, waiting as she stared up at me, her gold eyes watching me. And below them, her cleavage spilled out as her dress flowed down to the ground. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.

“My Queen.” A door cracked, but the guard had enough sense not to look in. “There’s a nymph for The Dragon King.”

Annoyance flashed across Summer’s face as she dropped the zipper from her mouth and rose from where she knelt. “Another time.” She made sure to brush her entire body against me, making me regret the interruption as much as she did. Then she spoke louder, to the guard. “Let her in.”