FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

( Please note! I have included the first part of the previously posted Chapter 29 as well for continuity's sake. Truly new material starts right after "I love you too, Elyra." )

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Chapter Twenty Nine

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Elyra’s head swam and her heart trembled as she walked to the crystalline springs. Her whole body tingled with warmth and wonder. She’d just kissed Galvarys and neither of them regretted it. That needed only a moment to sink in it made beautiful sense. Why regret it? They loved one another. She glanced back at Galvarys over her shoulder, red hair swishing. The dragon’s silver eyes were fixed upon her, his spines half lifted. She giggled to herself. Those weren’t the only things rising to attention.

Elyra tripped over her own feet, and stumbled a few paces. She caught her balance before she fell, rubbing her forehead as if the blush would go away. As if it was caused by embarrassment. “Better watch where I’m going.”

“Yes, you’d better.” Galvarys padded up alongside her, brushing his scales against her body. Did he do that on purpose? “You’ll want to come around his way, though. We’ve cut steps in the crystal over here. Be wary of the moss, though.”

“I’ve gotten used to slipping on slime in your bathtub so I’m sure I can handle this.” Elyra lifted her foot to pull off her boots. “Better not wreck Nyira’s boots, though.” She dropped the boot down in a dry area, then pulled the other free. “I’ll leave her boots and clothes up here where they won’t get soaked when you start sloshing about in there.”

“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.” Galvarys padded around the far end of the spring, then settled down on his haunches. A bit of red flesh caught her eye. The dragon glanced away and curled his tail. “It’s not polite to stare, Elyra.”

“Wasn’t staring,” Elyra said, grinning. “I was peeking.”

“Staring, peeking, it still isn’t polite.” The dragon pinned his ears back and glanced away, the tip of his nose purple.

“I’m still a little surprised just how embarrassed you are about it.” Elyra unbuttoned the top of her blouse, smiling. “It’s not like you make any effort to hide the rest of your parts.”

“It is different when we are aroused.”

“Is it?” Elyra began to pull her blouse off, the paused. “Would you be embarrassed to be standing at full attention in front of a female dragon?”

Galvarys tilted his head, swiveling his ears. He crinkled his nose a little, must have taken him a moment to understand the human metaphor. “Depends on the female, and how she was looking at me.”

“You mean if she was holding back a laugh?” Elyra shrugged. “If it’s the size you’re worried about, from what I’ve seen so far it’s already more impressive than a man, and you’ve barely exposed it.”

“It is not the size!” Galvarys’ eyes bulged, and purple spread across nearly his whole face. Then he snorted, trying to regain his usual smugness. He hoisted his central crest. “And of course it’s more impressive, it belongs to a dragon.”

Elyra took a few steps away from her boots, still toying with her blouse. “What if it was a female dragon who cared for you? Who wanted to see it for the first time, to learn what really delights you? Would you be embarrassed then?”

“No.” The dragon swallowed, rustling his wings. “I would be excited.”

“Good.” Elyra eased her blouse up over her belly, then her breasts before she pulled it away and tossed it to the ground. “Because that’s how I’m going to be looking at it.”

As she walked around the mossy edges beyond the first crystal bubbles, Elyra undid the top button on her breeches. She made no effort to hide her breasts from the dragon’s gaze this time, bracing herself for another comment about her ‘milk glands’. It never came, and soon she had reached the dragon’s side. He turned his head to look at her, and she lifted a hand to stroke the glossy blue scales of his shoulder.

“Is it more embarrassing for you because I’m human?” She leaned in to kiss a few of his scales.

“In a way,” the dragon said, his voice lowering. “It is almost as if you are unmated, and I am expected to teach you. That would make me uncomfortable.”

Unmated? Elyra twisted her face. Oh, that must be how he translated the word virgin. She ran her hand down his foreleg, laughing to herself. “Galvarys, that is the last thing you have to worry about. I probably have more experience with men than you have with the females you sometimes visit.”

“I have visited them often!” Indignity flared the dragon’s spines.

“And I have been made to ‘visit’ men almost every day for my entire adult life.” Elyra faltered. She hadn’t really meant to put it that way. She knew Galvarys was aware, but she tried not to think about it. Being used as little more than a whore for years didn’t exactly make her an appealing wife. Not that she’d be his wife. His…mate? Damn. Elyra wished she hadn’t said that. She turned away from him a moment, looking down at her bare feet. “My…my point is…”

When she trailed off, Galvarys lifted his foreleg, and circled it around her bare waist. “No one will ever make you do that again, Elyra. Not so long as I draw breath. Your life is yours to live, as you choose.”

Elyra leaned her back against the dragon’s body. His gentle yet protective hold upon her was like a wave washing away her fears, her pains. She set a hand upon his, stroking the backs of his larger fingers with her own. His soft paw pad glided against her belly. “For you, Galvarys, I want to do just that. You are the first person I’ve ever wanted to satisfy that way. But only if you’re comfortable, only if you wish me too. I’d never do anything that made you uncomfortable, never anything you did not want.”

“Nor I, Elyra.” Galvarys snaked his head around to rest his muzzle upon her shoulder. “Shall we bathe, then, and see where it leads?”

Elyra turned her head to kiss the side of his snout. “I’d like that.”

Galvarys smiled, licked her cheek and rose back to all fours to descend into the spring.

“Let me grab my soap, first.” Elyra gazed across the pools of water to where she’d dropped her towels and soap. “Some big scaly beast startled me and I dropped it.”

Galvarys chuckled as he eased down into the hot waters. “You were not expecting my declaration?”

“No.” Elyra let her hand slide across the dragon’s tail as he passed her. Then she began to pick her way around the crystalline bubbles. “Hoping? Yes. But expecting? Never.”

“I have been contemplating it.” The dragon glanced at her, then sighed as he sunk into the pools.

“I thought so.” Elyra stepped across a beautiful frozen bubble of blue stone. “Galvarys, back when that gryphon first attacked him. After he was gone, where you…did I cut you off before you could say it then?”

The dragon lifted his head, smirking. “You may have, Elyra. I have…given it a lot of thought, since then. I was fearful you would never feel the same way, but I realized you deserved to know even if you did not share the feeling.”

“Thank you, Galvarys.” Elyra crouched down to scoop her towels up in her arms. She checked to make sure the soap was still there, and made her way back around to the other side of the springs. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately, as well. I’ve known, I think, for a while now. No one’s ever treated me like you do, Galvarys. I’ve never known such simple joy as I have come to know in my life with you.” She dropped the towels down on the ground a safe distance from the water and smiled at the dragon. “I was afraid of what it might mean to love a dragon, but Nyira told me something that helped ease my mind.”

“Did she?” Galvarys shifted himself in the water, little ripples rolled across its surface. “You mean aside from instructing you to yell at me about my stitches?”

“Aside from that, yes.” Elyra grinned as she crouched down to unroll one of the towels and retrieve the bar of lard soap along with a washcloth. “She told me my life is my own, and it does not matter what anyone else thinks.”

“That seems like common sense to me.” Galvarys snorted.

“Perhaps to a dragon.” Elyra turned the soap over in her hands a few times. “To a human, sometimes it’s hard to realize that simple truth. I’m glad she said it, though. Because it doesn’t matter if she approves, or if the Five Villages approve or anyone else. It is my life to live. I want to live it with you, if you’d have me.”

“I want nothing more, Elyra.”

Elyra’s smile grew so wide she feared the rest of her head would topple from her jaws and roll into the water. Her cheeks ached after a moment and still she could not stop smiling. She set the soap and washcloth down on a lump of crystal, and finished undoing her breeches. She wondered if the rest of her body had gone was red as her face. She certainly felt just as hot everywhere else.

When Elyra began to pull down her breeches, she realized Galvarys was watching. The dragon’s curious gaze made her skin prickle with excitement. Elyra eased her breeches down, turning in place, teasing the dragon with her unveiled skin. Though Galvarys had seen her naked before, now she took her time and let him stare. She even trailed her fingers through the coils of reddish hair she’d exposed between her thighs, wondering if it seemed exotic to the dragon. Finally, she stepped clear of her breeches and stood naked before her love.

“What do you think?” Elyra ran her hands across her skin. She’d never truly cared what the nobles thought of her body. They’d use her either way. But Galvarys? She cared a great deep what he thought, and she could only hope she measured up to whatever standard he might have for beauty human or otherwise.

“I think you are the most beautiful female I’ve ever seen.”

Elyra’s near-painful smile returned. That was so sweet of him. Then her breath caught in her lungs when she realized just what he’d said. He didn’t say human. “I…what?” She swallowed, stammered, and rubbed at her cheeks as if to diffuse the burn. “I’d better just…”

“Get in the water?” Galvarys smiled, easing forward through the spring. “Step carefully, the stairs are slick and cut for dragons. Here, let me help you.” The dragon lifted a dripping forepaw from the water, and offered it to Elyra. “Hold onto me so if you slip you won’t fall and hurt yourself.”

Elyra was thankful for the dragon’s offer, and for the distraction from his stunning compliment. She knew she was not near that beautiful by human standards, she was just some red-headed wanderer turned noble’s whore. And surely she could not compare to the female dragons he’d been with. Yet she did not think Galvarys was lying just to make her feel good about herself. In his eyes, she must be truly beautiful.

Each time Elyra did not think she could possibly any feel better about herself, Galvarys somehow lifted her heart even higher.

“It may take me a while to get used to hearing such wonderful words.” Elyra wrapped her hands around the dragon’s foreleg, and eased herself down onto the first step.

“Then I shall have to keep offering them to you until you do.”

Elyra kissed the back of the dragon’s paw, then gazed around their surroundings. “This place is beautiful.”

“I’m glad it’s still here.” Galvarys eased back to help her down another step. “I was afraid the humans might have found it by now and turned it into a quarry. It was an important place for us, once. I wouldn’t say dragons called it sacred, but it had that feeling. A sort of natural serenity.”

From the ground level, the place was even more beautiful. There were three total pools, each of them surrounded by mounds of crystalline bubbles and pointed spires of quartz. The pool they were in was the largest and located at the top. The water was hot but not uncomfortable, and it burbled over glassy ledges shrouded in layers of green and yellow moss. Many of the smooth rocky mounds around her were a pale blue color, others tinted with swirls of frozen smoke or striations of red and black. Steam rose from the water, the scent redolent with earth and minerals rather than sulfur. The steps were softened by the moss that clung to them beneath the water, as was the bottom of the basin. Along with the moss, Elyra felt sand against her feet.

Once she’d reached the bottom, she released Galvarys’ paw and turned to look around. Two of the larger crystalline towers jutted out above their heads, angular and sharp and colored with waves of fire like some natural monument to the dragons who once called the place home. Elyra raised her arm and gently touched one of them. It was smooth and warmed by the steam that rose beneath it. Galvarys was right. If humans knew this place existed they’d have cut these crystals away and used them to decorate their walls ages ago.

“I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“Nor have I.” Galvarys lifted his own foreleg, running a pad along the surface of the crystal. “For all the land I’ve traveled upon my wings, this is the most beautiful place I know. It seemed a fitting place to declare my love to someone whose beauty outshines even this glorious wonder.”

Elyra sucked in a breath at his words. She bit her lip and turned away. Gods, if he didn’t know how to make her heart hammer. She just wished she’d hurry up and get used to hearing that so she wouldn’t react in such a way. Hell, who was she kidding, she hoped she never got used to being given such beautiful compliments. After a moment, she gazed at the dragon out of the corner of her eye, smiling.

“I’m sure I’m the not the only female you’ve brought here.”

“The only one I brought here to tell her I loved her.” Galvarys tilted his head, smiling down at Elyra.

“You…could offer me no greater happiness nor honor, Galvarys.” Elyra’s hands slipped from the crystal, settled upon Galvarys scales. She cradled his muzzle, and pressed her lips to his nose. “I have never known such joy as I have known with you. I never truly understood respect until I felt respected, and only you have shown me –”

“I respected you, Elyra, because you respected yourself as you rightly deserve.” Galvarys rubbed the tip of his nose against your cheek. “You came to me because you deemed yourself worthy of more than cold mistreatment where others wallowed in acceptance and self-pity. I did not know that at the time, yet you were courageous where others were frightened. Where others bowed and trembled and whimpered, you stood up against me because you had come to respect yourself too much to let me push you around. Even if you had not realized it, you found respect for yourself where no one else would offer it. That is why I respected you in turn from the very beginning.”

Elyra closed her eyes, sighing against Galvarys. She stroked his cheek, tracing circles around a few pebbly scales. “Thank you, Galvarys.”

“I don’t know why you’re thanking me, Elyra. You have nothing to thank me.” The dragon rumbled, a faint purr that Elyra felt more than heard.

Elyra smiled, imitating the way the dragon nuzzled her. “Then just know I would gladly spend every moment of my life at your side if you would have me. In your fortress, in your caves, beneath the trees, anywhere you go, I would go with you. In the company of many or in solitude, so long as I was with you I would be happy for all of my days. I would never need set eyes upon another soul because your presence alone fills me with such peace and comfort.”

“Would you not?” Galvarys pulled his head back a little, his eyes shining with the sort of trembling fear Elyra rarely saw break through his silvery armor. “Would you not feel lonely for the presence of other humans? For a mate who could give you a child?”

Elyra ran her hands up to his frills, gently holding the sensitive, spined membranes. “Would you pine for a female dragon to bear your eggs even as I shared my love with you for as long as I drew breath?”

“No.” Galvarys shook his head against her hands. “I would be content sharing my life with someone I love, regardless of species.”

“Then you know how I feel.” Elyra pressed her face to Galvarys’ muzzle, moving her hands to stroke his frilled ears. “I’ve spent my life surrounded by people yet I have scarcely connected with them. Most of them are little more than empty shells. The nobles fill their shells with greed and lust, and the servants with self-pity and pain. You are the greatest friend I’ve ever known, Galvarys, and I want nothing so much as to spend my life with you.”

“Even knowing I will endanger you?” The dragon pulled his head back, fresh worry flicking in his mercury gaze. “That gryphon will not be the last who seeks to take my life. I fear they will use you –”

“Fear is part of life, Galvarys.” Elyra slid her hands down his muzzle, cradling his chin. “We will face it together. I would not turn away from the best part of my life because people my threaten us, Galvarys, I would turn against those threats and fight them. I have found love with you, Galvarys, and I would fight to my death to see you protected. If they come, we will fight, and if we should lose one another someday, then our grief will be tempered by the knowledge that that we found love together. That in our brief, smoldering ember of a life we found someone who cared for us, someone who would shed blood to see us live another day. There can be nothing greater in all of existence, Galvarys, than to know someone loves you. And to spend your life with them, however it may end. If you love me as I love you, then I am sure you would fight for me just the same.”

“To the very last drop of my blood, Elyra.” The dragon’s voice grew hoarse. “I would end myself for you.”

“Then you know I care not what comes of this, Galvarys, so long as we are together.” Elyra’s grip tightened against the dragon’s scales, her hands shaking.“I would fight for you. I would scream your name to the skies, I would build your legend, and I would strike down your enemies.” As Elyra spoke, her throat tightened, her eyes burned. Yet her voice grew stronger even as it quaked with rising emotion. “I would bind your wounds and care for you and hold when you cry and I would spend every breath I have alongside you if you would but have me there.”

“I would, Elyra.” The dragon sniffed, lifting his muzzle to wipe away one of Elyra’s tears with his nose. “You are a part of my life I never want to lose. Would you…would you be my mate, Elyra?”

After all they’d just shared, the question seemed almost too simplistic. Something she might have expected the dragon to casually ask, yet he almost seemed to hold it back. He’d confessed his love and yet he’d made no mention of becoming mates until it was clear how deeply they wanted to share each other’s life. The way he spoke of mating with the females he sometimes visited, it seemed a casual thing for dragons to mate. A shared enjoyment of life, as he himself put it. And yet, asking to be his mate must be far more profound. This was as new to him as it was to her, and Galvarys’ heart was as bare as Elyra could ever imagine it.

“Yes, Galvarys, yes!” Elyra lifted her face from his muzzle to meet the dragon’s eyes. Tears glittered upon his pebbly, indigo scales, but joy shone in his silver eyes. “I would be your mate!”

“Then our lives are joined, Elyra, and you are of my clan. My lands, my homes, my tributes, my heart.” Galvarys’ voice was soft, filled with reverence. Elyra caressed his scales as he spoke. “My very life is yours to share for all of our days together.”

“As my life is yours, Galvarys, may those days be many.” Elyra smiled at him, holding his head in her arms. She had nothing else to say in that moment, it was already perfect. Any more elation and her heart would burst, and leave Galvarys to mourn the mate he’d only just accepted. After a moment, she lay a simple, tender kiss against his nose. “I love you, Galvarys.”

The dragon flicked his tongue across her lips, returning the kiss his own way. “I love you too, Elyra.”

For a few moments, Elyra stroked his face. She worked her fingers up the fine scales of his muzzle to the pebbly scales of his cheeks. She ran her hands across ears, and caressed their sensitive frills. Galvarys trilled in delight, and Elyra rubbed them harder, nuzzling at his nose. She giggled, it was hard to believe the joy that could come from such simple interactions with someone she cared so deeply for.

When Galvarys lifted his head a little, she kissed his nose again. This time it was Galvarys who sought to deepen the kiss. He pressed the end of his muzzle against her lips, and Elyra felt the warmth of his tongue brush her skin. She parted her lips, let her own tongue meet his. Elyra worked her hand back behind the dragon’s head, holding him just behind a horn as they kissed. Galvarys tilted his head a little, and Elyra swirled her tongue around the tip of his own. When the dragon’s tongue slipped into her mouth, she gently sucked upon it.

There was an innocent awkwardness to their kissing that Elyra knew may never go away. They were exploring one another as though they were only adolescents, kissing another for the first time. In some ways, it was true. Galvarys may never have kissed another dragon this way, and the only time Elyra experienced any passionate kissing was when men she despised demanded it. It was something new and beautiful for both of them. Somehow the inelegance of trying to kiss a dragon only made it that much more wonderful. Like everything else in their lives now, they would learn how to make it work together because they loved each other.

When the dragon’s tongue pulled away, she kissed the end of the dragon’s mouth, then nibbled upon one of his lips. He turned his head a little, trying to give her more room, and she did the same. For long moments their tongues danced together, then pursued one another best they could. She swirled her tongue around the end of Galvarys’ and when she let her tongue follow his, he twined the end of his around her own.

As they kissed, Elyra’s hands roamed the dragon’s head and neck. Elyra circled a finger around a black blotch on his face. Then she caressed his frills and let her fingers trail as far down his neck as she could reach. She pulled them back up over his ears, then caressed his jawline before she stroked the softest parts of his throat. Galvarys moved forward, lifting a forepaw from the hot water to rub her arm with his paw pads. After a few moments, he slipped it behind her, and began to stroke up and down her back. Each time he stroked back down, his paw drifted lower. Elyra shivered at his touch, moaning against his muzzle. By the time the dragon was cupping her rump in the softness of his paw pad, Elyra’s body could have heated the springs all by itself.

When the kiss broke, Elyra pulled away from the dragon and his paw just long enough to wade to the crystalline bank. She fetched the washcloth and the bar of soap, and held it out so the dragon could see it. Galvarys eyed the soap, but nodded his consent. Elyra sloshed through the water back towards him, dunking the water and the soap. Then she worked the soap against the cloth, building up a soft lather.

Elyra returned to the dragon. She kissed the scales of his neck a few times, then replaced her lips with the wash cloth. Elyra took her time in bathing Galvarys, even more so than before. She worked the soapy cloth down his neck, rubbing it in little circles against his indigo scales. She traced fingers around a black marking, then kissed his hide again after she rinsed it clean.

As Elyra bathed the dragon, she did the same for herself. She shared soap with him, lathering up the cloth before she let it roam over her own skin. When the dragon’s silver gaze wandered her half-exposed body, she turned for him. She pressed her back against his body. Then she circled the soft, soapy cloth around one of her breasts as if to show him how sensual they could be. The feeling of silken washcloth against her nipple, the feel of the dragon’s scales against her skin made her shiver in warm, tingling delight. When she shivered, she saw a grin flicker across the dragon’s muzzle.

When she turned back towards the dragon, she soaped up the cloth again, and stood against his foreleg. He shifted a little, his pebbly scales brushed her belly, and beneath the hot water they brushed her legs, her thighs. Elyra kissed the scales of his shoulder, then washed him once more. She worked the cloth across his scales, cleansing any hint of lingering grime their washbasin baths had left behind. When the cloth brushed the skin of the dragon’s wing joint, it was Galvarys’ turn to shiver. Ah yes. She remembered that well.

Rather than stretch his wing, Galvarys turned himself again so that he was facing her. He grinned at her and reached for the cloth. Elyra let him take it, but gave him a confused look when he held it out. The dragon tilted his head and pointed his muzzle at the soap. Elyra swallowed her reply before it made it out of her throat. The silence that had settled over them felt almost sacred, broken only by the burbling waters. Elyra smiled and lathered up the cloth in Galvarys’ paw.

Galvarys pressed the cloth against Elyra’s arm. Gentle as ever, he stroked her arm with the cloth. Elyra soon lifted her arm, smiling at the dragon. She leaned into Galvarys’ touch as he bathed the side of her body. All along her body, he teased her skin with its softness. Then he held it out for more soap, and when it was lathered again he repeated the process on the other side of her body. As he bathed her, Elyra stroked his foreleg with both hands. She rubbed his scutes, and trailed fingers over his black stripes. When the dragon circled the cloth around her belly, she shivered, and when he grew bold enough to let it glide over her left breast, she moaned and made no attempt to hide it.

Galvarys pulled the cloth back, lowering his head towards her breast. Elyra ran a finger around her nipple to show the dragon he wasn’t imagining its growing hardness. Elyra wondered if her breasts seemed strange or fascinating to the dragon. When she moved her finger and he replaced it with one of his own, she had her answer. Elyra gasped and arched her back just a little as the dragon imitated her motions, rolling a single digit’s pad around her nipple. Oh, that felt lovely. She sometimes forgot how soft his pads could be.

When Galvarys pulled his paw back, Elyra took the moment to slip deeper into the water and rinse herself. When she rose back up, she found the dragon’s muzzle hovering perilously close to her left breast. She smiled at him, stroking his cheek a moment. He wasn’t going to…was he? The dragon’s tongue flicked out. Oh, God. He was. It slid across her nipple like warm velvet, coaxing another moan from her. When Galvarys swirled his tongue around the bud, the feeling made her eyes rolling back. She shuddered, her fingers gripping at his cheeks.

Galvarys slipped the cloth beneath the water, and Elyra next felt it against her inner thigh. She tensed even as she parted her legs. The dragon’s tongue rolled across her nipple once more, and at the same time, he began to stroke her thigh with the cloth. Each motion grew a little nearer her body, and by the time the dragon’s rag-covered paw cupped her sex, her legs were shaking. That did not stop her from pressing herself against his touch as he caressed her there. The dragon teased her even as he washed her. Elyra slid her hands to the dragon’s ears. She held them as the dragon lapped and nuzzled at her breast, his fine, pebbly scales a delightful texture against such sensitive skin.

Elyra took a deep breath when Galvarys pulled the cloth away from her, and when he offered it for more soap, she snatched it from his grasp. Then she tapped him on the nose, grinning. If that was the way he wanted to play things, then it was her turn to do the bathing. She kissed his face, then nudged his head until he began to turn to the side once more. She bumped his wing with the cloth until he unfurled it above her, draping it over her and the spring.

Enclosed beneath the shelter of the dragon’s wing, Elyra picked up where she left off. She trailed the cloth against his hide with one hand, traced circles around his scales beneath his wing with the other. When she drew near a fresh scar, she worked her way around it, easing down the side of his body under his outstretched wing. She lathered fresh soap onto the soft cotton cloth, and then began to rub the underside of his wing with it. When Galvarys shivered, Elyra ran her fingertips across his wing membranes until they met his body.

Elyra found the place along the dragon’s back where his wings joined him, where sensitive skin met scale. She traced a single finger along that delicate border, smiling when it made the dragon shudder. She’d done this for him before, she remembered how he tried to hide his trills and whimpers, how he sought to keep his enjoyment and growing arousal a secret. She’d teased him for fun, then, but now there was something more to it. Now she knew he wasn’t going to hide anything, and she wanted to wring every bit of enjoyment out of it she could.

Elyra pressed her face to the dragon’s side, kissing him the soft skin where his wing membranes were attached along his back. She felt his wing twitch against her as her hair must have tickled him. She brushed her lips just under his wing, moving along his body. Then she lowered herself, kissing the first layer of fine scales. Every few breaths the dragon moaned, or shivered and trilled. She moved down his body, kissing each layer of scales as they grew broader towards his belly. When she was low enough, her head just above water, she slipped the cloth under the dragon’s body. Elyra heard Galvarys’ breath catch as he tensed. Careful not to drift too far back, she washed the scales of his underside, nuzzling at his flank just above the water line.

Elyra eased back up the dragon’s side, caressing and polishing his indigo scales. The wetness made them shine in the pale blue light that filtered through the dragon’s wing. Her breasts brushed against his scales as she rose. When she reached his wing base again, she turned her attention to the dragon’s wing. Elyra lathered up her cloth before working it in ever expanding circles across the dragon’s wing. Galvarys’ whole body trembled as she teased his wing, the indigo membranes shook above her. She ran her fingers in swirling lines. The dragon’s wing was smoother and softer than the finest leathers. It twitched and tensed and reacted to her every little touch. For a time, she followed the line of bones that gave his wings their structure. Then she trailed a single finger along the course plotted by a vein visible in the filtered sunlight.

At the edge of his wing, Elyra slipped out from under it to stand at the edge of the pool. With her back against the mossy, crystalline bank, she slipped her hands under the dragon’s wingtip. Galvarys lifted it for her, water dripped from the rippling, black markings all along the edge of his wing. Elyra caressed his wing with the cloth, cleansing it. When she reached the largest of the talons tipping the dragon’s wing, she twined the cloth around it. As the dragon watched her, Elyra slowly pumped the cloth up and down his wing talon. He groaned, his silver eyes widening. Elyra simply smirked at him.

Relishing his reactions, Elyra slipped under his wing once more. She made her way back to his body, working her cloth all along the back edge of his wing. Elyra was impressed by the dragon’s patience. If she tried to spend this long simply teasing a man, he’d have thrown her into his bed already. Not that she’d ever met anyone she desired to tease this way before Galvarys. She understood his hesitations the first time, when he was trying to hide his arousal. But now that they both knew how this was affecting him, she half expected him to tell her to get the point, as it were.

Elyra hoped Galvarys was enjoying being teased as much as she was enjoying teasing him. She’d love to be able to do this for him more often. There was a certain heady delight to toying with someone she loved this way. Each little whimpering moan she coaxed from the dragon lifted her heart higher. Elyra just hoped when this was over, Galvarys would be satisfied, in both the literal and the metaphorical sense. Given that she doubted he could safely mount her, as he would say, she’d have to help him find his satisfaction in other ways. She certainly knew ways to pleasure men, but would it have the same effect on him? Would it give a dragon the same pleasure? There was only one way to find out, and she’d do that soon enough.

Elyra returned to the dragon and pressed her body beneath his hind leg. She washed his haunch, rolling her cloth across the broad blue scales. She kissed a few patches of black mottling. She lifted her other hand to stroke beneath his wing base, her fingers trailing downwards. Elyra worked the soft cloth across his haunch in ever-growing circles. Each circle drew nearer the back of his thigh. She dragged the nails of her other hand towards his hind leg, then stroked the front of the limb a few times.

Then Elyra slipped her hand inside his hind leg. She caressed the thin, sensitive scales where his limb met his body. Despite the warmth of the water, Galvarys’ body heat still exuded against her. She snaked her other arm around the back of his hind limb to wash his thigh with soapy cotton. As she gently scrubbed the scales of his inner thigh, the back of her hand brushed the dragon’s testicles a few times. Elyra shared the dragon’s shiver of delight.

Elyra had teased the dragon in the past while bathing him during his recovery, but she’d never actually tended those parts of him. Until now, she’d left him to wash those parts himself, unsure of his feelings and his desires. Even now that they were open with their love, with their shared desires, Elyra wasn’t totally sure the dragon would enjoy having them bathed by another, let alone toyed with. After all, the first time she touched them he’d immediately pulled away. Elyra would have blushed at the memory if she wasn’t already so flushed for other reasons. Still, things were different now.

Elyra kissed the dragon’s hind leg a few times, rubbing the cloth back and forth against the fine scales of his inner thigh. She felt the softness of the dragon’s scrotum brushing against the back of her hand every time, the motions made his testicles shift. Elyra heard Galvarys breathing pick up, hissing a little. Sounded as though he’d clenched his jaws. She glanced towards his face, saw him silhouetted beyond his own wing. His neck was curled, his head resting against one of the crystalline mounds. He looked ready to let her do whatever she wanted for him. Which was fine with her, she wasn’t planning on letting him take that cloth away again until he was spent.

Elyra repositioned herself towards the back of the dragon’s hind leg. She stroked the side of his tail, then draped her cloth across it. She ran her hand up the back of his limb, marveling at the texture of the scales across his thigh. They were smaller there, pebbly, and warm. Like the rest of him they were neither coarse nor iron-hard. Encouraged by the dragon’s shuddering moan, she stroked the dragon’s thigh a few more times before she turned her hand to slip her fingers across his testicles. Elyra brushed all five fingers over the dragon’s balls. She stroked the soft blue skin that held them, her fingers roaming from where they met his body to the bottom of them. Then she traced a single finger just between the dragon’s testicles, savoring the way her touches made him shiver and trill in ever-higher tones.

As Elyra toyed with him, the dragon flexed his back legs, pushing his hind end up out of the water just a little. Unable to help herself, Elyra moved around behind his black-striped hind legs for a better view. The dragon’s testicles were clearly visible now, the soft blue sac that held them just kissing the surface of the water. Galvarys’ belly and genitals were a softer blue than the rest of him, like the afternoon sky on a deep summer day. Though Galvarys made no effort to hide his balls than a stallion did, this was different. Now he was offering them to her as a trusting lover. Now they were as much a beautiful part of him as everything else.

With one hand, Elyra cupped the dragon’s balls. They scarcely fit in her grasp, like plump goose eggs painted a lovely blue. They were warm and soft with no scales at all. Thanks to the water’s heat, they hung loose. When she held them, Galvarys held his breath. With all their claws and teeth, it must have been a very trusting act for a dragon to allow another creature to touch his unarmored parts, let alone cradle them in her grasp. Elyra wished to reward that lover’s trust with pleasure.

Elyra released them and set her hands against the dragon’s thighs, then roamed her fingers across him from his haunches to his balls and back again. The changing textures of the dragon’s body were a delight. The pebbly scales on the outer edges of his haunches gave way to finer scales inside his thighs, and those in turn melted away into soft, smooth skin. Elyra worked her fingers back and forth over the shifting terrain, then kneaded at the soft area where the dragon’s balls hung from his body. From the way it made Galvarys croon, and caused his jewels to tighten, Elyra did not think anyone had ever played with him quite like this.

Elyra pulled the cloth from his tail, and began to wash the delicate organs. As she ran the cloth over them, they tightened further. The dragon trembled and moaned. Now that he had no reason to hide anything, Galvarys was more vocal in his pleasure than she’d expected. She liked it. Never before had she thought of a man’s sounds of bliss as anything more than a signal her repulsive deed was nearly finished. But now, hearing them from Galvarys was a delight so intense it nearly made her heart ache.

Elyra rolled the cloth in slow circles over the dragon’s balls. With the hand that cupped them, she massaged the tender glands. As she rolled Galvarys’s orbs around her hand, his tail twitched and curled. His breath shook, his forelegs moved as he kneaded at the bottom of the spring. Ahead of the jewels she held, she caught glimpses of red flesh unveiled and on full display. With the angle of his belly, he was still partly hidden by the water. Elyra released his balls to slide her hand forward. Soon her fingers found hot, smooth skin, and firm ridges. She rubbed a single finger over one of those ridges, and the dragon gasped. How delightfully intriguing.

Elyra pulled her hand back, rubbing his balls a moment before she eased back to reposition herself again. She pressed her body against his, just before his hind leg. She kissed his scales, slipping her hand beneath him. She touched his belly scales, running her palm against them in circles that gradually moved lower. Elyra felt the tip of him brush the back of her hand. She eased her hand back up towards his chest, buffing his scales with her fingers before she slipped it back down again. When she felt his tip touch her skin again, she pressed the back of her hand against it. Even in the hot spring, the heat of him radiated into her. She slowly turned her hand over to cradle the end of the dragon’s member against her palm.

Elyra chewed her lip, pressing her face against Galvarys scales as she wrapped her fingers around the end of the dragon’s mating tool. It was very hot, surprisingly smooth. It felt as though it tapered almost to a point, though Elyra felt a small flare just beyond that point. It was certainly different from a man’s. Galvarys drew in a shuddering breath when she held it, and when she gave the end of it a little stroke, the dragon’s whole body trembled. He groaned, his tail curling. He liked that, didn’t he. Elyra smiled, kissing his scales again. She wondered how long it had been for the dragon since someone else had touched him this way. Did dragons long for it the way humans did, or was it just something that happened from time to time?

Elyra eased her hand down the dragon’s length, and soon he filled her beyond the extent of her grasp. She could wrap her hand all the way around his last few inches, but certainly could not close her fingers round the base of him. Galvarys’ member was mostly smooth, in the water it felt hard and slippery. It gradually thickened towards its base where the ridges she’d felt earlier were located. The fleshy sheath that normally protected it had retracted, leaving the dragon’s maleness completely exposed. The size and shape of him reminded him a little of her forearm, just as she could close fingers round her wrist but not her elbow. Larger in some ways, smaller in others because of the way he tapered almost to a point. Raised ridges encircled the base of him. Lucky female dragons, she thought. She stroked the ridges, and Galvarys cried out, his hips twitching against her hand.

Grinning, Elyra ran her hand back to his tip. She twisted her fingers around him a few times, and the dragon gasped. Then she circled a single finger around his point, which made him groan. Oh, this was fun. For all the times Galvarys may have mounted his scattered females, Elyra wondered if they’d ever taken the time just to tease each other a while? She circled a few fingers around the faint flare behind his tapered tip, and gently pulled him down away from his belly. Galvarys murmured, and after Elyra let him go, she ran a single finger down the underside of the dragon’s penis. Her finger bumped over his ridges, and traced a little between his balls. From the way it made Galvarys croon, Elyra half-expected the dragon to spend himself then and there in the water.

Not that she’d have minded. Given the way dragons were built, perhaps they were designed more for quick, rough passionate mating sessions than they were for extended, tender pleasuring. Either way, it had been an awfully long time for Galvarys, at least by human standards. Perhaps dragons did not have the urge that often. Elyra toyed with his balls a moment, and then pulled back from him. Galvarys retracted his wing when he felt her pulling away. Elyra walked towards the front of him, and when the dragon gave her a questioning look with his ears perked, she shook her head. No, she wasn’t going to leave him unfinished, and no, it wasn’t his turn to tease.

Instead, she had something else in mind. She patted the dragon’s shoulder, and when he lifted his front paw out of the water for it, she slipped her hand beneath it. With her fingers against his gray pawpad, Elyra lifted Galvarys paw into the air. He cocked his head, and when Elyra saw his mouth starting to open she put a finger to her lips. If she didn’t get to ask questions, neither did he. She lifted his paw a little higher, and then pointed towards one of the thick, crystalline spires looming above them. Galvarys curled his neck, glanced at the spire, then gazed at Elyra. She pointed at the spire again. Soon Galvarys set his paw atop the spire. Elyra ducked beneath his outstretched foreleg, then touched his other shoulder, mindful of the scar beyond it. She pointed at the crystalline spire, and grinned at the dragon. The dragon splayed his ears out in confusion for a moment before mischief flickered in his silver eyes. He lifted his spines a little. When he seemed to understand, Elyra smirked at him and nodded.

Elyra wanted to see it. After all, he’d promised. She took a few steps back to give him some room. Galvarys tugged at the crystal structure with one paw a few times first, and when it proved sound, he reared up onto his hind legs, bracing his other forepaw against the crystal. It worked just as Elyra hoped. The dragon was able to stand partly upright, as though he were in the process of climbing up a ledge. His underbelly was just clear of the water, and Elyra had just enough room to slip beneath him.

Now she had an excellent view of everything she’d been curious about. Elyra understood a bit more why the dragon felt ‘naked’ when he was aroused. He certainly did look exposed now, freed of his sheath. In a way, she imagined his sheath worked almost like clothing, both protecting and hiding his most private part. Or perhaps she was just imposing human ideals upon a far more primal creature. She stroked his chest plates, then gave them a few kisses to share her gratitude. When Galvarys curled his neck, Elyra saw his spines half lifted and trembling. She turned to him and cradled his muzzle, kissed his nose to quell his uncertainty. She smoothed his frills down with her hands, lay her cheek against his muzzle for a moment, and then eased away from his head.

Elyra returned her attention to what made the dragon male. Much like it’s owner, the dragon’s penis seemed both wicked yet majestic. It was quite different from a man’s, yet it seemed perfectly fitting for the creature it was part of. The dragon’s tool was dark red in color, the way it tapered towards its lightly flared point reminded Elyra of the spears carried by the guards in the hall. The fleshy ridges that ringed its base made her envy the female dragons who’d experienced them. The organ held a slightly arched form.

Elyra moved up under the dragon, lifting her hands to cradle his spear. She twined the fingers of both hands together, encircling his shaft. She gave it a gentle squeeze, and Galvarys moan made her tingle. The poor dragon sounded both delighted and desperate. Poor beast was probably all pent up. Being laid up with injuries in a barn didn’t exactly lend itself well to self-satisfaction. Did dragons even do that? At least she was here to help him out.

With both hands, Elyra stroked the dragon. She ran her hands from his tip down to his ridges, squeezing them at the end of her stroke. Galvarys moaned, pushing his hips forward against her hands, his balls bumping the water. Elyra drew her hands back towards his tip, squeezing it and its little flare. That made Galvarys trill and thrust a little harder. Grinning, Elyra pumped the dragon again. As she squeezed his ridges again, she felt them swelling further beneath her touch, standing out. At this point the dragon felt so hard and hot in her hands she could not imagine he could possibly be more aroused.

Not that he was the only one. Elyra’s whole body felt almost too hot, tingling everywhere. She smirked to herself, she’d be quite wet even if they sat on dry land. In the back of her mind, it occurred to her she’d never actually been very aroused by pleasuring a man before. Not that she did not find men attractive. She’d certainly fantasized about them many times before, especially when she had a hot tub to herself. But the kind of men she fantasized about where kind, and gentle, and the men she actually had to pleasure were far more monstrous than the dragon she now attended. Yet what really drew her to the dragon was not his body, but the love they shared.

It was strange to think that for all the time she’d spent thinking and fretting about how she was going to have to pleasure a dragon before she met him, now was the first time she was actually doing it. And now she actually wanted to do those things for Galvarys. Elyra brought him pleasure now not because he demanded it, but because she loved him. Because she wanted him to feel that way, she wanted to feel him tremble, hear him moan. When he was spent, she wanted to see him lying in lazy satisfaction. For the first time in her entire life, she gave someone pleasure not only willingly, but happily, because she wanted to share that with the one she loved.

Elyra stroked the dragon harder a few times, squeezing his length, rubbing his ridges. Then she reached back, cupping the dragon’s balls with one hand. She rolled them around her grasp, working her other hand up and down the dragon’s maleness before it too found his balls. As she grew bolder, Elyra cradled Galvarys’ testicles in her hands, then pressed her lips to his tapered tip. She kissed him there, let her tongue flick and taste him the way he’d done to her nipples. The water ensured he tasted little different than a man, bathed and clean with only the faint salty tinge of skin.

As Elyra massaged the dragon’s balls, she worked mouth down the side of his erection. Hot water sloshed around her breasts as she moved. She brushed her lips down every inch of unsheathed flesh, kissing the dragon’s member over and over. A few times she let her tongue slip out over him. Each kiss, each lick made the dragon shiver, the clicking of his scales became a symphony of constant ecstasy. When she reached his base, Elyra kissed each of his ridges. When she flicked her tongue over them, the feeling made the dragon’s member jump. They seemed to be as sensitive as the point was, perhaps even more so. Elyra gave them a few slow licks, rewarded by the longest, deepest croon she’d yet heard Galvarys make.

Elyra worked her lips over the dragon’s balls, next. She supported the blue sac and its precious eggs with her hands, brushing her lips against them. Then she placed little kisses all around each of the dragon’s testicles, now and then sliding her tongue across the sensitive skin. The sounds she coaxed from the dragon seemed as filled with surprise as they were with pleasure. This might have been a side of her Galvarys didn’t know she had. In some ways it was just as new to Elyra, the thrilling joy that came from doing this for someone she cared so deeply for. She held a single ball, swirling her tongue across it while massaging its twin in the other hand. Then she turned her head, first kissing them licking the other jewel just the same.

A glance back told her Galvarys was watching her with wide eyes, their silver shine looked almost golden in the late afternoon sun. With a wicked grin, Elyra turned herself to make sure the dragon could see his balls in her hands. And see her tongue sliding across them. Then while she watched, his jaw hanging open, she moved one hand back to his shaft, giving it slow, lazy strokes while she worked her tongue across his stones.

Elyra saw Galvarys’ eyes roll in pleasure, his muzzle scrunching. Any moment now, his tongue would hang from his snout like a panting dog. She wanted to see the look on his face when he reached his peak. Just what might a dragon expression look like at that moment? Elyra knew she’d find out soon. She gave the dragon’s balls a few more slow licks, kneading them in her hands, savoring the way it made Galvarys grunt in pleasure. At least she knew he enjoyed having them played with.

As Elyra started to work her lips back up from his balls, she spotted the washcloth floating around, and fished it from the water. That might come in handy. She held the dragon’s member in place with one hand as she worked her way up it with her lips, kissing every inch of his flesh until she’d reached the tip once more. Then she took the cloth, wrapped it around him, and gave him a few lazy strokes with it. Galvarys gently thrust against it, moaning again. When his red tip poked through the white cloth, Elyra couldn’t help herself.

Elyra held the dragon’s maleness with the cloth, and pressed her mouth to his tip. She kissed it, then parted her lips and swirled her tongue around his point. Galvarys gave a sharp cry, his hips shaking. Elyra thought he must be fighting the urge to thrust. She opened her mouth further, and pushed it down around the dragon’s erection. She’d have to trust him not to get all hump-happy. If he thrust too hard now he might break her neck. Yet she had no fear of that, she trusted the dragon deeper than she’d ever trusted anyone.

The woman pushed her head forward, taking as much of the dragon into her mouth as she could. She could take most men completely, though she had no such illusions about Galvarys. The dragon filled her mouth with intimate heat, his taste a little stronger now, yet not at all unpleasant. The nobles she’d been wish were often unwashed and far worse. For a moment, she simply held the dragon in her mouth, her lips curled. She savored her own audacity even as she gave the dragon time to savor the warmth and softness of her mouth. She slipped her hands down his length, teasing his ridges, then stroked them back up again.

Elyra eased her head back, sucking on the dragon’s spear. She wondered if dragons ever did this for each other. They’d have to be careful with all those sharp teeth, but was that really any different from humans using caution during the same act? When Elyra pulled back to his tip, she slowly rolled her tongue around him. The dragon’s member pulsed in her mouth, she tasted his excitement even as she heard him trilling in delight. He seemed so very close now.

Elyra bobbed her head, going down on the dragon in earnest now. She worked her tongue and her mouth along his final inches, sucking him the entire time. With one hand, she worked the cloth soaked in hot water along the rest of him, and with the other she cradled the dragon’s balls. Galvarys began to vocalize his pleasure in time with her efforts, each time she pushed her mouth around him again, the gave another grunt, or blissful snarl.

Elyra noticed the dragon shift a little, pulling one of his forepaws down from the crystalline support. When she felt the warmth of his soft paw pad against her back, she arched into it. Galvarys began to rub Elyra’s back in time with the motions of her mouth and hands. The dragon’s gentle affection at such a moment actually surprised. No one had ever touched her that way while she did this before. They’d grabbed her hand, squeezed her shoulder, snarled at her, but they’d never simply shared gratitude for what she was doing with such loving, tender affection. It almost made her wish the dragon was not nearly spent, just so she could share that intimate moment forever.

There was always next time.

Elyra dipped her head faster, working her mouth more urgently along the dragon’s mating tool. She rolled her tongue all around his tip, trying to suck him the entire time. She kneaded his balls in her hand, massaging them one at a time. With the cloth in the other hand, she matched her stroking to the motions of his head. Though she could not take him all in her mouth, she tried to make up for it by using the cloth to surround the rest of him with warm, wet softness. As the dragon’s pleasure grew, his paw roamed her back, slipping all the way down to cup her rump. When she swirled her tongue around his flare, he squeezed her, claw tips teasing her flesh. She wriggled herself against his paws, though she did not want to encourage his explorations too much. She was busy, after all.

Soon, the dragon’s breath came in sharp gasps and heaving pants. She felt him tense up, his sac grew tighter against his underbelly. She eased her mouth back from him, watched his slightly arched tool strain against the air. Right at the very edge. A little dribble of dragon’s seed ran from his tip, splashing into the water. When Galvarys gave a whimper that oozed frustration, Elyra laughed. Poor thing.

Elyra stroked him with the cloth a single time, then let just his tip emerge from the soft, wet fabric. She pushed her lips against it, parted them a little and ran her tongue in a slow circle around her scarlet prisoner. Smiling, Elyra sucked the dragon’s tip, holding his throbbing maleness in her hands. She rolled her tongue around him again, and Galvarys sucked in a breath through his teeth. Elyra smirked. So close, and yet so far. Well, if anyone deserved it now, it was him. Time to give the dragon his satisfaction.

Elyra swirled her tongue one last time, felt his member flex in her hands, heard him gasp. She pulled her head back, not wanting him to drown her. She pumped the dragon swift and hard with the wet cloth. This time Galvarys did not hold back on his thrusting, nor did he hold back his roar. Dragons roared during orgasm? Wonderful. Elyra glanced back at the dragon’s face to find an expression of pure, primal delight. His jaws were wide, baring his fangs, his ears were pinned back and at the same time, all his spines were flared to their full extent.

Elyra was so busy watching Galvarys’ face that the content of the dragon’s release caught her off guard. The first spurt of it exploded across her face in a hot splatter. She squeezed her eyes shut, turning her head, and pumped the dragon as fast as she could. His mating tool jumped in her hands as he came, more spurts of dragon seed arcing through the air to splatter his belly scales, his foreleg, and to splash down into the water. As Galvarys came, his tail flagged, his wings beat at the surface of the water, and he lashed his head back and forth. Elyra stroked the dragon until his release dwindled to dribbles. Then she eased the cloth away before he became to oversensitive.

The woman slipped out from under the dragon’s belly. By now his forelegs probably ached a little, though she doubted he’d mind. She patted his side to tell him she was clear. Galvarys dropped his limbs back into the water, and a moment later, the rest of him followed. He flopped down onto his belly, sending a wave hot water crashing over Elyra’s face. It plastered her red hair against her head, but it also helped wash the dragon’s release from her skin. She dunked herself, scrubbing at her face and chest. Then she emerged, wiping the water from her eyes. Galvarys lay his head down against the crystal embankment, his eyes closed. The dragon’s mouth hung halfway open, his breath still came in heaving pants.

Ah, yes. There was that picture of lazy satisfaction she wanted to see.

Elyra sloshed through the water towards the dragons head. She stroked his neck, and gave his scales a kiss. “Thank you for letting me do that for you, Galvarys.”

Galvarys slowly lifted his head, blinking. He cocked his head, one ear lifted as if trying to understand why she’d thank him. “Elyra, I am the one who should be thanking you.”

Elyra just laughed, reaching out to stroke his cheek. “I take it that means you enjoyed it?”

“More than words could convey, I think.” He nuzzled at her hand, then licked her palm. His tongue felt like hot velvet. “It was…far better than I could have ever imagined it could be with a human.” He smirked at her. “I should have demanded a maiden earlier.”

“Very funny.” Elyra swatted at his nose. “I’m glad you enjoyed it, though. I was worried I might not be able to satisfy you.” Elyra smirked right back at him. “Bit bigger than what I’m used to working with.”

“I should hope so.” Galvarys lifted a hind leg beneath the water, peering down at himself. His member was gradually retreating beneath the water. “If I was only as large as a human, I should feel especially inadequate.”

Elyra laughed, moving away from the dragon. With a bit of searching, she found the soap and cloth again. She lathered it up, and began to scrub herself in earnest. “You’ve got nothing to worry about there. Or…anything to worry about, really. I quite like that you have.”

“That is…” The dragon glanced away, but Elyra saw relief wash across his scaly face. “Pleasing to know.”

“Let me finish washing, and then we’ll get out and get you all dried off.”

“Oh, no.” The dragon lifted his head, his gaze swept across Elyra and then their surroundings. “I’ve a use for those towels, but it isn’t yet to dry off.”

Elyra worked the cloth down over her belly, resisting the urge to plunge it between her thighs a while. “What are you on about?”

Galvarys pushed himself back up to his feet. “Is that normally what happens, Elyra? You pleasure the male, and then they make you clean them up, and you leave?”

“Well…” Elyra trailed off. It sounded far more humiliating when he just put it all out there that way.

Galvarys voice softened. “Elyra, has anyone ever pleasured you, in return?”

“You don’t have to do that, Galvarys.” Elyra kneaded the cloth between her hands.

“Have they?”

Elyra glanced away, scowling. She knew the dragon wasn’t trying to embarrass her but, it was a little unpleasant having to admit it. “No.” Then she quickly held her up her hands to him. “But I don’t need…I mean, you don’t have to do anything – ”

“Elyra.” Galvarys cut her off, snapping his jaws. “You are not some noble’s whore, and you never were. Just because they treated you as such does not make it so. You are not my plaything, you are my mate. You are my equal. You deserve the same joys in life everyone else does, and you deserve to know what it is like to have someone else working solely for your own pleasure. Someone who cares about you.” The dragon smiled at her, softening his voice again. “Someone who loves you, and believes you have gone far too long without experiencing one of life’s great joys. Elyra, I would be honored if you would allow me to do for you what you have done for me.”

Elyra swallowed, unable to dislodge the lump in her tightening throat. “You really want too?”

“Yes.” Galvarys strode through the water to Elyra, waves sloshing from his legs. “But not until you admit you deserve it. Say it, Elyra.” The dragon lowered his muzzle. His nose brushed her throat, followed his tongue. “Say you matter. Say you deserve pleasure.”

“I-I matter. I deserve pleasure.” Elyra lifted her hand to cup the dragon’s neck.

“Louder.”

“I deserve pleasure!” She shouted the words, then laughed at the ludicrousness of it.

“Yes.” Galvarys smiled, licking her mouth. “You do.” He pulled back from her, curling his tail. “But I cannot hold my breathe forever, and I doubt sitting upon crystal would be comfortable for you. So. Are you going to go and lay upon those towels, or do I have to carry you?”

Elyra stared at the dragon a moment, a dopey grin spreading over her lips when she realized he was serious. She draped the cloth around his horn, grinning. “You’re going to carry me, Dragon.”

“So be it, my love.”