Page 96 of Wings of Frost and Fury
Neither of us protest Kyreagan’s arrangement, but before they leave, Thelise comes over to me, places her mouth against my ear, and whispers, “When you return, I am going to make you come in my mouth and my pussy a dozen times. And then, if you like, you can squeeze that pretty cock into my ass and come there, too.”
Heat roars into my face, and I swallow, unable to respond as she climbs onto Kyreagan and flies away, clinging to Serylla’s waist.
Left alone, I wander the parapet in human form until I hear footsteps descending the tower stairs. I strip off my pants, transform into a dragon, and wait until Rahzien appears at the foot of the steps, looking pale and disoriented.
“What did she do to me?” he says. And then, as I spread my wings and take off, panic floods his face. “Wait… wait, damn you! I need to know—”
But I’m already too high above him. His voice cannot reach me.
I do a few passes around the fortress. There’s only one exit, and it’s partially collapsed, but I pile more volcanic rock over it just to be sure that Rahzien can’t get out. This place is an effective trap for him. He is weaponless and alone. There is no one for him to command or convince, and even if he manages to get out of the fortress, he can’t get off the Ashmount. There is nothing with which to build a boat, certainly not one that could survive the dangerous rocks protruding from the waters around the island.
Watching over the Ashmount is dull work. After several hours of flight, I descend to the lava plain and revert to human form for a while, walking among the ash-roses and inspecting the various rock formations. Prowling the island in my bare skin at night is chilly and unsettling, not to mention eerie, with the ghostly blue light of the flowers.
After some debate with myself, I decide to leave Rahzien alone on the Ashmount for a while. It’s safe to do so, since no one besides me, Kyreagan, Serylla, and Thelise know where he is. I promised Varex and Jessiva that I would bring them news after our conflict with Rahzien was resolved. Abandoning my post goes against Kyreagan’s direct order, but over the past weeks, I have learned to rely more firmly on my own wisdom and judgment than on the word of a prince, no matter how much I may respect him.
I owe Varex for the life of my darling enchantress. I need to let him know that his brother is alright. Perhaps the joy of the news can pull him out of the Mordvorren’s grip.
I shift back to dragon form and head to the Twin Fangs, reaching East Fang in the pre-dawn hours. Varex seems cheered by the news of his brother and declares that he’s ready to return to Ouroskelle. I can tell that he still isn’t right, and there seems to be a rift between him and Jessiva. She asks me to take her back to Ouroskelle, refusing to ride on Varex.
I make a mild attempt to help them negotiate their quarrel, but when they both reject my efforts, I carry Jessiva to Ouroskelle, flying alongside Varex. After dropping off Jessiva in the care of Hinarax, I leave immediately from Ouroskelle to return to my post.
When I return, Rahzien is pacing along the battlements. Even though I knew he couldn’t leave, it’s a relief to see him there, and to know that my departure didn’t cause any unforeseen harm.
Around noon, Aidrek comes to relieve me from my duties. He’s carrying a dyre-stone and a bag of supplies for when Rahzien’s guards have to take human form. We set up a makeshift camp in a flat space between three towering spikes of rock, in a place that’s only accessible from the air. The guards will be able to fly to that spot, transform into human shape, and enjoy food, blankets, and warmth until they revert to dragonform again. The spot is safe from Rahzien, so a guard could even sleep there if he wished.
“Kyreagan told me I should keep an eye on him, but not approach him or speak to him,” Aidrek says.
“Wise advice. Rahzien is clever with words. Do not give him a chance to charm, convince, or threaten you. Speaking to him isn’t worth the risk, especially now that you have offspring and a mate to protect.”
Aidrek bows his head in agreement. I leave him to his duties, performing one last sweep over the fortress before I head toward Ouroskelle.
Rahzien is sitting on the battlement, shirtless, his legs dangling and his face turned up to the warm sun. The breeze tosses his red-gold hair.
I don’t know the full story of his crimes against Serylla and Kyreagan, though I expect to learn it when I return. But I do know his crime against my clan, and it unsettles me that he looks so peaceful, sitting there in the sunshine, after everything he has done. He started the war by invading Elekstan. He persuaded the Bone-King to forge an alliance with him. He gave us poisoned prey. He considered us a threat and decided he had the right to end us as a species.
It seems deeply unjust that we cannot kill him. But the life of Kyreagan’s mate is linked to his. Serylla is the shield that keeps me from incinerating the bastard as he sits there on his sunny perch.
I cannot spare him any more of my thoughts or my time. I need to return to Thelise and make sure she is well. Then I must take a few dragons with me to the Resting Cliffs to retrieve the bone-tribute we gathered. The sight of those precious bones will be a joy to every member of the clan. We will write the names of our dead upon them, and they shall be enshrined in our caves for ages to come.
As I wheel away and head west toward Ouroskelle, I keep telling myself that the former king is contained, that he is helpless and harmless. But I cannot shake the deep unease in my soul—the feeling that we have not yet seen the worst of what Rahziencan do.
21
THREE MONTHS
AFTER RAHZIEN’S CAPTURE
“I like the hot spring better when it’s just us,” I mutter to Ashvelon as we pick our way through the crowd of dragons, women, and hatchlings gathered beneath the trees.
“Lately it’s rare that we have it to ourselves. Usually there’s at least one other couple, or group.” He nods toward Bryenne and her three dragons, whom we encountered one evening a week ago on this very spot. Today, all four of them look poised and polite, even innocent, but that night, they were engaged in the most delicious debauchery I’ve ever witnessed. Ash and I made our presence known and asked if we could stay, and theyagreed. He and I made love quietly and urgently in the shadows while watching them fuck.
None of them have mentioned it since, though Jaerix winks at us occasionally. Ash and I enjoyed it so much that we’ve talked of doing something similar again. We only want to fuck each other, but watching others engage in sex is undeniably titillating.
I know he’s thinking about that night now, from the way his breathing turns heavier and his tongue slips out to briefly caress my neck.
“This place used to be sacred, you know,” he says in a low tone tinged with humor.
“It’s definitely not now,” I reply. “And yet Kyreagan insisted on having the naming ceremony for the hatchlings here.”
