FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 1

The infirmary was full. We brought them in and patched up the ones we could, but the others we moved to the red-ward. If they went there, they weren’t leaving this place. It wasn’t that they were necessarily hopeless. If we’d had more hands we might have saved some of those, but there wasn’t time. There was never time. Shifts lasted until you passed out on your feet, and started against as soon as you were able to walk and perform tasks again. Some warriors died because we were too tired to do the job correctly, but I lost count of those as the weeks turned into months.

In the first few days I’d often asked, “Are we winning?” I’d tried to smile for them and show them that someone still cared, but that had died fast. Hope died fast. No one “wins” a war. Even if we were making gains on the battlefield, could we honestly say we were winning when we were taking these kinds of casualties? How many warriors were dead? How many had there been to begin with?

It was bad. It was getting worse. I was seven months into the battle when new bodies started pouring in, bodies burnt to almost black and still moving, or partially dissolved and screaming. The already foul smell of the place became worse yet.

“They’ve got bloody dragons now.” One of the men carrying in his friend cursed. His friend’s face was mostly gone. He was going to die, but I didn’t say that as I directed him to an empty spot on the floor. “Their warlocks have found a way to snare the beasts. It’s over.”

Warlocks. The word sent a chill down my spine. They were the male half of the Cursed, men and women who chose to infuse themselves with magic at the cost of their humanity. The magic blackened their souls and turned them into creatures that were barely like us at all, but in exchange their minds were flooded with arcane secrets. It was said the Dark God Kannis spoke directly into them. They’d begun this war.

Warlocks crafted spells on large scale. The male side of the magic was deep and intricate, requiring time and dedication to a casting. They could change the weather, boil the sea, plunge a town into madness, but it could take months or even years to complete a casting. Witches were different. They crawled across the battlefield casting balls of blue spirit flame that didn’t burn, but froze. They sucked the life from our men and returned to their own, drawing their corpses from the ground to fight.

Both of them were monsters, though. Witches, Warlocks, the Cursed.

We combatted them with the help of the Sidhe of Grithorn, weavers of light. The elves were a savage race, and one we’d never gotten along with until it became necessary. They lived short lives, but when they died they passed their consciousness on to a new seed and lived on as the child. An “old” Sidhe might be in a body nearing thirty years, but his spirit and knowledge might have been alive for thousands. It was very rare that a new spirit was born amongst the Sidhe.

They could wield pure light, and enchant weapons to be light-touched, making them far more effective against the magical things created by the Cursed. It was the only reason we hadn’t lost yet, but the joining of the dragons wasn’t a good sign. Dragons had remained neutral for a long time. They didn’t like to fight. They lived in the Hunting Lands, far to the North, the only place with enough prey to feed the massive beasts.

The red-ward was piling up, and then it all erupted in a chaos beyond imagining. The moans and screams of the dying took on a new timbre, one full of fear and horror, and suddenly the world was a place of fire. It took me far too long in my exhausted haze to realize what was happening.

“Amber, you have to run!” Another of the nurses yelled, grabbing my arm and pulling me towards the back of the building.

“Why?” I asked numbly as my brain finally began to stumble over the reality of what was happening. The war front was here. Dully I remembered hearing people say it had been pushing back our way, but there hadn’t been time to think about it. Now it was too late. It was here. When I’d started it had been twenty miles away. Men had been carted here for treatment. When had they started being walked here?

The injured were trying to leave too, those that were able. It felt wrong to leave them behind, some small part of me seemed to say, but there was nothing for it. There was another earth shattering roar of flame and cracking timbers and Lara and I barely made it out. Only a couple others stumbled out behind us before the building collapsed and hot air swept us off our feet so that we stumbled a few steps and then fell together to the ground.

A large, hulking shadow fell over us and I looked up to find the black scales of a dragon far above me as his foot touched down on the ground nearby. Then he roared, the underside of his throat lighting up in a purple-red light as his fire brewed in his chest and then rolled up through him and out. After releasing the molten rock and flames he dipped his head looking right at Lara and I with dark blue, slitted eyes. He shifted his weight from one front foot to the other and scooped us up in his large, clawed hand. The jolt upward was almost enough to make me pass out and Lara screamed.

The next long stretch of time was a swinging motion. He transferred us to his tail which coiled around us tightly, but he continued to swing the tail for proper balance. There was screaming and fire and all kinds of destructive sounds. We saw other dragons, most of them stretched into their largest forms as they wrecked havoc. There were many specialties; fire, acid, or just physical force, and some stayed or could not get as large as the others and specialized in bringing larger versions of human weapons to bear, swinging down from the height of two or three men, chopping down a tall, thin house with a sword as though it were a tree. The variety was astounding and frightening.

Eventually our captor took us back into enemy territory, far back until the fighting was just a dull glow in the far distance. He flew or glided at least part of the way, causing our stomachs to lurch and the world to spin beneath us. Then when we came to a stop it was outside of a cave. We were on a steep mountainside and we could see, as we oriented ourselves, that between the sparse trees there were other caves that looked freshly made, by hand or claw, cut into the rock with jagged, sharp edges like an angry wound.

He put us down into a makeshift cage just outside the cave. It was made of trees, the branches stripped and the whole trunks or sometimes halves stuck into the ground so close together we couldn't slip out around them. We could still see him through the breaks between the trunks, and as we watched the huge black shape began to empty a natural, generally seamless pouch on his belly. He unloaded rocks, but also valuables, and a half eaten cow. He ate the rest of the cow, chewing it extensively even though he could have swallowed it whole. The cracking of the bones was disturbing, especially when considering how it had just looked outside his mouth a moment ago. He drank water from some kind of carved out stream beside his lair, and as he did his body expanded in strange ways until flaps opened in his thick, scaly skin and steam streamed out of him. At the same time he seemed to shrink, and as he did it became apparent in a way it hadn't been before that he could walk on two legs, that his shape wasn't humanoid but close in a way. Eventually he was about twice the size of a human man, but if he'd had skin instead of scales he might have been handsome.

He grabbed up a scrap of cloth and tied it about his waist in a quick loop that left his tail and legs free but covered his groin. That was strangely human of him. Then he turned those slitted, blue eyes on us. His tongue flicked out, tasting the air, and he moved closer in a slow, weaving kind of way. He moved like water, with a natural, insistent, deadly flow. “You.” He said with a thick accent, looking over us. Lara cowered back.

“Leave us alone!” I snapped angrily, finding courage from somewhere in me that I hadn’t known existed. I guessed we were being saved to be eaten at some later point in time. Why else cage us? Dragons preferred fresh meat, or so I’d heard. “Our armies will come for us. You’d be better off flying back to your masters now.” I wasn’t even certain how far behind enemy lines we were, how far we’d flown. I couldn’t tell, and my stomach was still swimming from the flight.

“Your armies won't come for two nurses, even if they could. And they can't.” He said, puffing some more steam at me. “So you had better stop thoughts of rescue now and find a way you can be of use to us.” He grinned. “Otherwise you'll end up the snack you're thinking you'll be.” His tongue flicked out briefly, tasting the air, and then his smile left and he turned to begin working at some kind of oven.

As he turned away I shuddered in fear and exhaustion. I was so worn out I could barely think, and the terror on top of that was overwhelming. I wanted to yell at him that they would come after me, that I was important, but the truth was that I wasn't that important, and there was no way they could get here to rescue me. I was doomed. We were doomed. What had he meant by find a use? Had he been implying I’d make a good whore, or did he just want my medical skills? If he didn't intend to eat me, or feed me to the others of his kind, then why had he taken me and Lara?

We watched our captor dress and clean a pig he'd apparently also snagged in his adventures. Then he put the meat on to cook. As we watched he did all the things humans did, cleaning out the less desirable parts and seasoning up the beast with tiny wooden chests of spices he stored on shelves cut into the rock above the stove. Soon enough he was cutting it out and dishing it onto wooden plates.

“I am a vlagrin. It means that I fight on the front lines. I'm highly respected, but it's also assumed I'll die quickly. I have captured you because I need to beat the odds and go home alive. You are in the heart of the dragon camp. I'll protect and care for you, but you must return the same and if you don't, my belongings are split between my kin and my successor here on the battlefield. I can't speak to how that dragon will treat you. Understand?” He asked as he finished preparing the meal. Then he brought it to us and pulled out a small section of wood to push the plates into it, his intense eyes locked with mine.

I met his stare, my jaw set firmly . We were to be slaves then. I wasn’t pleased to hear that. “So we work for you and you let us live. If we keep you alive, then we don't end up with someone who might treat us worse than you do.” I said, making it clear by my tone that I wasn’t happy.

Lara had gone forward and was sullenly picking at the food, her eyes seeming distant and lost. I wasn’t really sure if she was alright.

“I can’t promise you that I can even help you. I know next to nothing about your people. I didn’t even know you had a form that was like this. I wasn’t even certain you could talk.” I added, wanting him to understand that though I might be of use, I had no idea how much I would be helpful really.

He nodded slowly. “I understand. I would try to arrange for a way to get you safely away if something happened to me, but that wouldn't be good motivation and I don't know how to do that. Not just now, anyway.” He said. “You will just have to do the best you can, and hope it's enough. I understand this doesn't seem fair, but I had no orders to keep anyone alive. You'd be dead otherwise.”

I nodded grimly. “I suppose I’d rather be a slave than dead. I think.”

Lara began to weep quietly as she ate, so I went over and gently stroked her hair. I could tell by looking in her eyes that she was in shock. She was acting on instinct more than anything else. “We’ll need bed things for the night. At least blankets. It will be colder here than we are accustomed to.” I was curious to see how much he was willing to do to keep us alive.

He watched Lara cry a moment. “Yes, I have things for you.” He said slowly. “Is she broken? You are both women, right?” His head tipped to one side in question.

“What does that matter?” I said, somewhere between offended he didn’t know, and happy he didn’t. Offended won out. “Yes, we’re female, and yes, she’s broken. For now. Watching everyone you know die, and everything burn around you is difficult. Being dragged off by a creature that is reputed to eat people is also difficult to deal with. I will try and make her better, so please . . . don’t kill her.” I didn’t add that I was terrified of being alone.

“I won't harm either of you.” He said, going into his cave as he spoke. He came back out carrying pillows and blankets and some furs. He passed them in the same way he had the meal. “All of your people look feminine to mine.” He explained. “You should rest well. You look very tired.” Then he turned away and went back to his cave. He vanished inside but I thought he didn't go far, just the other side of the stove.

I grabbed the blankets and furs and began to lay them out, and then I took Lara by the hand and led her to the middle of the furs before I laid her down and covered her up. I sat down and ate then. My mind was still racing over what was going to happen to us, and how I was going to prove myself useful in this situation. I knew next to nothing about dragons. I didn’t know how I could help him, if at all. After eating and drinking a bit, I laid down next to Lara and wrapped an arm around her. She shuddered and shook against me.

“It’ll be alright.” I told her. “We’re going to get through this.” I tried to sound more confident than I felt about that.

I didn’t really sleep that night. The ground was rough through the furs, stone. Lara slept a bit, her dreams full of terrors that kept her babbling and thrashing, though I did my best to keep her calm. I didn’t want her to become trouble for the dragon. He said he wouldn’t harm either of us, but I didn’t really believe that from the creature that had burned many people I knew to death just before abducting me. It worked for the cursed, and those creatures were mad. We might be ordered dead at any time.

For a long while our captor was gone. When he returned he was lugging a cart up a path that ran beside his cave. He was the same size we'd last seen him, which was plenty big enough. He brought the cart up to where the landing was in front of his cave and began unloading it.

There were some food stuffs on top which he put away in the cave. Beneath that though there were chains and beneath that a lot of hay. He spent some time in the cave, the sounds of metal and stone echoing out. Eventually he ended up cooking at the stove and bringing it out to us. He pushed food through the opening he could pull out in the wood and then he sat down.

“I will need to fight this afternoon. It may go into the evening. You didn't sleep well, so things will be changing. I don't trust your broken one from knowing better than to run off in the middle of the dragon camp, so she will need to be restrained. I will let you have the freedom of the whole cave, however.” He said.

Lara had taken her plate and was sitting back, part way behind me. She made a fearful, miserable face at him and I. “I'm …” She said softly, but then let it trail off. She ran a few fingers through her thick black hair, which was already showing snarls. She was having a rough go of it, but I'd thought of her as sturdy before and she had had the gumption to realize what was happening at the infirmary and drag me outside to relative safety. I imagined it was the dragon that had really sent shocks through her mind. There was a phenomenon known as dragon fear that afflicted some people. The creatures had a way of stunning the mind. It didn't work on everyone, but those that it did work on tended to get hit hard. I figured that was what was wrong with Lara.

This offer of freedom in the cave was interesting. The fact that Lara was going to be restrained, however, told me that he didn’t believe I’d run if Lara was still locked down. I was free, but only so long as I wanted to leave Lara behind, and I wouldn't do that. I gave a small nod. “Do you have medical supplies for me to use in case you’re injured? I’ll need needles, sinew thread, a good set of knives, wood for splints, clean water and linens . . . “ There were so many things needed to manage a well provisioned medical center.

“I will get them for you.” He said. “I'll move you when you're finished eating.” He watched us some, tongue tasting the air every now and then. “My name is Plovilar. The broken one is Lara, yes? And you are?”

“I am Amber.” I told him honestly. I didn’t see where lying would do me any good, and he’d given me his name. I began to eat, watching him carefully. “Are all dragons like you are?” I asked, not sure what to expect from them, and unwilling to sit here and not learn anything about my captor.

He shook his head. “There is a lot of difference from one dragon to the next. I can become very large, for instance, but some stay about this size and can fluctuate only a little or not at all.” He let out a puff of steam. “I'm also a firebearer. Others have acid, or venom, or just sharp teeth.” He shrugged. “Black is a common scale color. Yellow and green the most common eye colors. Brown feathers and hair are the most common.”

“Hair?” Lara hissed, confused.

Plovilar nodded. “Our women often have hair and feathers along with scales and sometimes even skin. I have feathers.” He opened his wings, displaying a swath of black-blue feathers on their underside. The sudden motion made Lara scream though, and he quickly tucked his wings away. He started to hiss, but cut himself off, rightly guessing the sound wouldn't be soothing.

I took Lara in my arms and stroked her head. “It’s alright, love. He was just showing us his feathers. You’re okay.” I spoke to her soothingly as I would a child.

“I didn’t know dragons had feathers.” I said to Plovilar, trying to smooth over the situation some. “It’s interesting.” I didn't want him getting angry at Lara and deciding he didn’t need her around. “Have your people always been able to talk? Our people generally assumed you were just very intelligent animals, not capable of speech. No offense meant.” I added the last, realizing that statement might have been rude.

“Dragon have a language, it's just not one easily imitated by human construction.” He motioned up and down his own neck and his short snout. He had lips of a sort even, I noticed, though I could see their thinness added to his accent in my language. “Our speech uses more sounds and notes than human language, so learning your language is not as hard as it might have been. We can make almost all your sounds easily, and even the ones that are a little difficult we can imitate in other ways.” He paused then, seeming to think deeply. “As for the intelligent animal claim …” He shrugged. “We're all just smart animals. Some more animalistic than others. Just as evil seems to exist on a sliding scale. A generally balanced one, warlocks aside.” His eyes narrowed and he hissed a little.

I frowned. “You think the warlocks are evil? You serve them.” I was a bit confused. I’d pictured dragons far differently than I now knew them to be, and I’d certainly never thought of them as resistant to the things that they were doing, except maybe that they were resistant to being controlled.

He pulled back his lips and some of his scales there too in a kind of grimace or snarl, a deep rolling sound echoing in his chest and throat. Lara whimpered and he pulled himself back in. “No. Not willingly. It is a very similar situation to the one I have you in now, though I'd like to think their version is even darker and more unfair.” He said and stood. He reached into one of the tree trunks that made up our prison and pulled it up. He tossed it aside and his tail wiped out, wrapping around Lara. He was gentle about it but she started to cry out over and over and he pulled her from my lap and to her feet. Then he turned and led her toward the cave, Lara stumbling and ineffectively pushed at his tail as she hyperventilated.

“You can’t just treat her like that!” I snapped, running along after him. I reached out and took Lara’s hand. “It’s okay, dear. We’re just moving inside. I’ll take care of you and make sure you’re alright.” I tried to speak calmly. “She’s terrified. If you wanted her moved, I could have done it for you!” I was surprised at the anger I could muster given the circumstances.

“I'm sure you would have moved her, I just can't be sure it'd be in the right direction.” He said, picking up the chain once we were inside and attaching it to Lara’s ankle. Then he released her and she fell to the ground, covering her head with her arm that wasn't holding my hand tightly and almost pressing her forehead to the ground.

Plovilar stepped back. He seemed to frown, but his face was different enough from a human face to be hard to tell. “I'm sorry you're friend is so very afraid. And that I can't take many chances right now.” He said, then turned away, back toward the cave entrance. “I'll be back shortly. I want to get the medical supplies before I go to war again tonight.”

“Fine, do what you have to.” I growled at him, sitting down next to Lara and stroking her hair. I wanted to cry, to rage and show just how upset I was, but I couldn’t be weak. I couldn’t give in while Lara was here. I had to remain in control. “It’s alright, Lara. Relax and take deep breaths. Remember your training for working during stress? You’re one of the strongest people I know. Calm.”

She nodded shakily and began to take deep, intentional breaths. It was a start. It was better than we were doing before. I had to think of some way to get us out of here. The chain and ankle bracelet were impossibly thick. I couldn’t hope to break it. It would be easier to sever Lara’s leg, and that wasn’t something I was ready to consider yet. I didn't even know where we’d run if we did get out.

Our captor left, so after I had Lara calmed down I went about making things as comfortable as possible for us. I used the hay to make a couple of beds, laying the furs atop them, and the blankets over them. I spoke to Lara as I worked, though she didn't talk back much, nothing more than one word answers. It was alright, though. At least she was saying something. Keeping her active and doing things was helping me stay focused. It kept me from collapsing into despair. We couldn’t both do that.

After the general setting up the bed was done, I began to clean up around the cave a bit. It needed it. Things were dusty and drafty. I couldn't do much about the draft, but I swept away the dust with some of the straw, and a few hours later I was feeling much better about the way things looked. That was a small victory, I supposed.

He returned hours later as the afternoon was wearing in. He nodded when he saw what I'd done, even looking surprised. Then he pointed to a wooden door. “There is meat in there. Please prepare yourselves something. I would have, but the supplies were hard to find. Now I have to leave.” He seemed unable to hold still, his body swiveling with the grace of a snake from side to side. He was afraid or restless or both. “Anything else?” He asked me.

“No, this will do for now.” I said, uncertain what was troubling him, and hoping that it wasn’t something I needed to fear as well. Threats to him could now become threats to us. “Is there anything that needs doing before you return?” I asked, deciding I needed something to keep my mind active and working so I didn’t focus on the relative terror of my current situation.

“Make food for yourself and Lara. There is a table on the wall there, set out the medical supplies. There are barrels, put one next to the medical supplies, fill it with water. There's a smaller container you can use to bring the water to the barrel. If I need attention you may need it and the gloves I got with the medical supplies to keep your hands cool.” He explained. “Uh … You did a good job before, around here. Feel free to do anything else you might think useful.”

“Alright then.” I nodded, still uncertain about this situation, and whether I could actually help him if something was seriously wrong with him. “Is there anything else? Is there anything I should be worried about while you’re away?” I wasn’t sure if I should keep us hidden, or if we had some relative privacy from the other dragons. There was also the chance that someone else might come in while he was away. I didn’t really want to avoid being eaten by one dragon just to be eaten by another.

He shook his head and turned to leave. “No, you should be safe until I come back, or I don't.” Then his wings opened up and he took off faster than I'd have felt possible.

I was alone again in the cave, and for a moment I really didn't know what to do. I had a list of things to finish, but it was all simple things, things I could finish quickly. I set to work, doing my “chores” as I spoke with Lara. I was a bit surprised when she got up and started helping me with the tasks. She fell into a familiar pattern as we set out supplies for medical work. It was almost like we were in the clinic, though we had plenty of time to work. Everything could be done with slow deliberation.

“How long do you think he’ll let us live?” Lara asked softly as we finished up what needed to be done and sat down to eat.

“I don’t know.” I answered. “He seems reasonable, though It’s difficult to judge him. He doesn’t have the same tells that I would use to judge a person. His expressions are alien. I think he wants us like an asset, something that gives him an advantage. If we can do that, I think he’ll keep us alive.”

Lara’s hands shook a bit, but she steadied herself. “Do you think he needs two healers, or will he just pick the better of us?”

I looked up into Lara’s eyes. They were glassy and sad. “I think he’ll need at least two. He’s a big man . . . thing. We will work on him together. Neither of us will be useless. I promise, whatever happens we'll be together.”

Night had set in. A shadow passed over the entrance to the cave blocking out the moon, then two more. The dragons were coming back. It seemed like many, many shadows passed over the cave entrance until Plovilar finally landed at the cave entrance. He was huge, like before, but this time he was stumbling around. He downed some water, and then stumbled into the cave as steam rolled out all over the place.

Plovilar was bleeding. He had a huge gaping wound in his side almost up to his chest that wrapped partway onto his stomach. He groaned, his pain had a familiar timber to it. Then he crashed down beside the table of medical supplies and started rocking, holding his side with a clawed hand as though trying to pull the scales back together. Interestingly, they did stretch as though they might cover a wound even so big. It made some sense, his scales had to be able to expand in order for him to change size the way he did.

“Infernals!” I cursed, running forward and grabbing medical supplies. “Lara, heat a brand.” I called as I moved towards the massive creature, grabbing sinew and needles. “Plovilar, smaller. You need to get smaller. I can’t hope to close that wound the way you are now.” I growled at him. I chanced a glance over my shoulder and saw that Lara was moving quickly, shifting to the role of an emergency nurse. The brand would cauterize the wound so I could stitch it up. Hopefully.

Plovilar grunted grabbed the water barrel next to the supplies. He downed half of it and after a few moments jets of steam rolled out of him, at first not changing his size, but then he shrank further until he was the size he'd been earlier, almost twice a normal man. “As small.” He said, his accent thick and husky, his wound was now looser at the edges, the ripped skin folding in strange ways from the shrinking.

“Good I said.” Then I added. “This is going to hurt, but it’s necessary. If you strike out at us, so help me I’ll let you bleed out here.” I told him, voice gruff. Lara approached with a hot brand from the fire. I opened his wound and looked up into his face. “Are you ready?” I realized that right now it would be incredibly easy to kill him, but then Lara would still be chained here. Her chain wouldn't let her even get to the entrance of the cave. No, I needed him alive. Besides, he was in front of me and hurt I was trained to help anyone I could. Anyone. A medic does not pick and choose who they heal. The only exception to that was in the case of emergency triage. Then I had to prioritize, but this wasn’t that situation.

Plovilar snorted and seemed to brace himself, his intense blue eyes on mine.

I pushed the brand into his wound, aiming for where I hoped the arteries were that were bleeding out. There was a loud hiss as the brand cooled against his flesh, and the smell of cooking meat filled the air in a sickening way.

Plovilar screamed and bucked some beneath the brand. His scream was like a bird of prey mixed with the roar of a fire and in fact, his chest started to glow a soft, hot purple through his scales. Then when the brand was removed he sat back, breathing hard and shakily.

“Lara, pull the wound closed while I work on the stitches.” I called out, and she did as she was told, grabbing the flesh and holding it together as I took the needle and went to start sewing the flesh together. I had to work below the scales, in the flesh beneath. The needle wouldn’t go through the scales at all. They were flexible, but almost impenetrable. Once I caught the rhythm of it I was able to move through the actual sewing quickly. It only took me another five minutes to finish the work. When I was done, both Lara and I were covered in blood. I sat down heavily besides Plovilar. I was exhausted. I hadn’t slept the night before, and before that I’d spent hours and hours in the infirmary. I could barely think straight.

“How do you feel?” I asked him, worried about whether or not what I’d done to him would even help.

“Hurt.” He grumbled low. “Thank you.” I'd collapsed next to him, so he reached out, his hand not bloody, and stroked a hand over my hair. He stayed there doing that for what felt like a long time but was probably only a few minutes, then he went to the meat hold and ate raw meat from inside.

Lara pulled on my arm. “Let's wash you up.” She said. She'd already started working on herself with what was left in the barrel. “You can go to the stream that runs next to the cave and it'll be easier for you. I'll work with what's here.”

I gave her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry Lara. I’ll be back soon.” I told her, squeezing her shoulder. I slipped out of the cave then and headed for the stream. It didn’t take me long to get the blood off, though there was a great deal of it. My clothes were stained as well and I wasn’t sure I’d have the chemicals necessary to clean them. I didn't have any replacements anyway. I sighed, dabbing at the mess on my clothes, getting the worst of it out, but it left me cold and wet.

I headed back into the cave and went to check on Plovilar. He was leaning against the door to the cold space, looking at the bed and Lara.

Lara had given in and taken her dress off and hung it up on a line by the stove. She still had on her bra and underwear. Her cheeks were flushed and she glanced at Plovilar with some embarrassment. Then she climbed into the bed and pulled a blanket over herself as she shivered.

“You're cold.” He looked over at me. “Cold and wet. If I sleep between you, I'll keep you warm and dry you out.” He offered in a low rumble. I realized he didn't have his own clothing on, but there didn't seem to be anything to see, just more scales.

For some bizarre reason the offer sent a strange twist through my lower belly that tingled down into my private lips. I shook my head. “No, thank you, I don’t think that would be appropriate, and I’m not sure Lara is ready for that much closeness yet. I will take off my wet things and huddle close to Lara. Beneath the blankets I should be alright. Hopefully by morning my things will be dry.” I felt nervous, embarrassed. I would need to undress. Would he watch me the way he had Lara? Did he even care about our bodies? Clearly his was different.

“Then I'll be next to the bed.” He pointed. Lara was by the stove, so he'd be next to me. The bed was more like a thick mat, so it wasn't all that different from him being in the bed with us, but he wouldn't be near Lara. He laid down where he'd said he would, but he remained awake, blue eyes watching me as his tail, long for his body length when he was as small as he could go, slid around himself and under his own head like a pillow.

I watched him a bit nervously as I began to undress. I pulled off my clothing and hung the pieces by the fire one at a time. My skin was pale and mostly unmarked. I was slender, though I had been heavier when I was younger. My breasts hung a little lower than I might have liked, and my nipples were so pale as to be almost invisible other than where they protruded. I’d never really liked my body. My hips felt a little too wide, and when my thighs were together it almost made my sex vanish entirely, especially with the full patch of hair, reddish-blond like that on my head. Being naked in front of man was very uncomfortable, but I reminded myself that he wasn’t even my species. He probably didn’t think of me that way.

I finished hanging my clothes and slipped into bed, putting myself between him and where Lara would be sleeping. “Make sure you don’t sleep directly on your wound.” I told him, wanting to get my mind off my nakedness.

“Yes ma’am.” He said softly, his warm, large breath washing over me. He reached out and pulled a part of the blankets over himself, and very quickly I felt the warmth of him spreading under the blankets.

My shivering stopped quickly with his heat radiating against me, but for some reason, though he wasn’t directly touching me, his warmth felt like hands on my skin. My nipples hardened and I felt strangely tense inside. “Sleep well. Before you leave in the morning, let me check your wounds.” I told him, my voice less tensed with fear and anger than it had been in a while. I was so very tired, and it was wonderfully warm beneath the blankets now.

Chapter 2

My tail had snuck into the bed, between her thighs and up around her ass. She was so small compared to me, my tail so long that it went all the way up her back and finished tucked under her head. She'd also moved closer to the edge of the bed, closer to me.

Amber was warm and so soft. As I was I could feel her heat most especially between her thighs, where a thick portion of my tail was pressing. It had been interesting to see them naked. Their sexes had been exposed as though they were aroused, but I wasn't sure that was really the case. I'd been too hurt and tired to really do anything about it anyway. Now though, her heat, the smell of her sex was on the air. It was different, but not as different as she probably thought it would be. It wasn't even as different as I'd expected and I knew more about female dragons, the similarities they bore to humans.

Amber reminded me most of my first mate, Flicka. She'd been about the same size as Amber, and her hair had been a light brown. She and I hadn’t been compatible. My mind wandered a little towards Vil and Wix, but I pulled back from that. It would only upset me to think about them, and everything right now was warm and nice, even arousing now that the pain had ebbed in the night.

I reached out onto the bed and touched Lara’s arm. Her skin was smooth, uninterrupted by scales or feathers. She had little hairs across her skin, tiny, thin, I liked the soft feel of them. I had black skin on my fingers, most dragons did. We couldn't feel as much through our scales, so our hands had developed with soft skin on the fingertips and claws on the ends that we could curl over the sensitive tips. I touched her arm and then her side where it was naked without her dress. I tested my hand there, feeling her even breathing and her heartbeat thudding along rhythmically. I felt a bit guilty. I didn't think she'd let me touch her by choice while she was awake. Then again, there was a whole line of dragons that’s specialty was sneaking into bed with a woman and pinning her before she knew what was happening. I knew from my studies that humans had different ideas on sex and relationships and breeding, but I couldn't remember the specifics. I was pretty sure they didn't generally appreciate men sneaking into them.

Amber rolled further against me then, an arm draping over me absently as her sex pushed against my tail and her thighs straddled it in her sleep. She was slowly, methodically, pushing herself against my tail, her breathing still deep and even.

I pressed my tail against her back, following her curves. I hesitated, but then rolled a little myself so her hand rubbed over my side and part of my chest, coming to rest just above the slit that had opened in my scales as my member started to swell. It was a dark blue-purple with a large head and a small, soft spike that was described by females as providing a stimulating brushing sensation. Just then only a small portion of the head was pushing outward. I ran my own hands over her arm a little, and then out of curiosity I let myself take one of her breasts in my hand and squeezed gently, massaging it. Dragon woman didn't have real breasts, but I liked the way Amber’s felt, soft, full. I brushed my thumb over her nipple, enjoying that too.

A soft sigh slipped from Amber’s lips, and then suddenly she was very still. Her eyes had opened, and they were locked on mine. They were wide and a little bit afraid. A slight tremble had started in her body.

“I won’t scream if you want to take me, but please don’t hurt Lara.” She said softly, swallowing hard.

I puffed some steam into her face in agitation, pulled back my hand from her breast, and then I slowly started to pull my tail back to myself and out from between her thighs, rubbing it against her sex as I did. I flicked my tongue out at her, tasting the air between us. Between dragons bargains were perfectly acceptable, but I was sure it wasn't really like that with people, and I felt strange about her being my captive, a slave I owned. “Your body seems quite eager.” I noted, since she hadn't seemed inclined to admit that. The smell of her arousal was making my decision difficult.

Her cheeks turned a bright, intense red color. “Sometimes the body wants what the mind doesn’t. I’ve been without a lover for nearly a year, but that doesn’t change that I’m a captive, and one that you might kill as needed. I will do whatever you’d like me to do so long as you don’t hurt Lara, or force her into something she doesn’t want. I don’t know how . . . well, I’m not sure how you work, but you’re larger than me so I’m uncertain what I can do for your body without being hurt myself. If it would make you treat us kindly, especially Lara, then I will submit to any request I can.” She said evenly. There was fear in her eyes, but heat as well, arousal buried in fear.

I had half a mind to take her anyway, sate that desire in her and maybe even force her to admit to it. “For now then, we won't.” I said, my voice rattling low as I continued to pull my tail free, her juices were coating it and bringing my tail up near my face made my cock swell and push out further despite my anger and agitation. My cock wasn’t really that large, the average dragon penis was only a little larger than the average human's. I was slightly above average, but there was some variance to human males too, right?

I got up partway, leaning back against the wall which exposed my cock for her view. The bulbous tip looked about the size of her fist, but it was flexible with only a thin tip made for piercing inward. The rest of it was very flexible for the perfect fit once inside, then the pointed, soft brush portion would be up against the hard, driving tip to rub against her inner walls. I was making myself crazy thinking of being inside her, so I forced myself to think of the things I had to do for the day.

Her eyes did linger on me for a moment, but then returned to my face. “My offer is open, but I don’t see our situation changing anytime soon. Prisoners don’t often fall in love with their captors, not that I’m aware of.” She said, crawling out of bed and going to get her clothes. She began to dress. Her outfit was stained red in places, the blood that would never quite come out of the fabric. “What do you need done today?”

“Food. Water. I have to go out again for things. You and Lara need more clothing. Do you need anything else? I need to get you other food besides meat, right?” I asked, watching her dress. I had said ‘for now’ because I couldn't promise I wouldn't give in sometime. I thought dragons had higher instincts than humans. As for ‘falling in love,’ I didn't necessarily equate willing to have sex with being in love, but she'd implied that she did. Interesting.

“Grains, flour if you can get it, and vegetables, fruit. If we eat only meat we won’t stay healthy for long.” She answered. “I’ll see the water is refilled and that there is food for you. I’ll also make sure things are cleaned up from last night. Now that I know more of what to expect if you come back injured we should be better prepared and able to help in a more timely fashion.”

I nodded. Dragons ate other things, but in very small amounts compared to meat. “I was impressed by your performance last night. Thank you. I can't remember if I thanked you last night, but thank you again if I did.” I sighed and got up. My arm was stiff and the whole area felt tight and slightly like it was burning. “I'll go get the things we need.” I grabbed up my small covering and set off for the cave entrance.

“I’ll see you when you get back.” Amber called after me, and then she was off to take care of tasks around the cave.

I rolled my shoulder as I exited the cave just in time to find Mex mounting the ledge to the mouth of my cave. I tried to remain aware that my new nurses could hear, but Mex bounded over. “I thought for sure you'd be dead! I'm happy to see otherwise of course, Plo.” His long, thin red tail was wagging like the pets humans kept. He was smaller than me by a good margin, almost to normal human standards which was very small for a dragon male.

“Still kicking.” I said, my own tail lashing impatiently. The lingering throb in my shoulder wasn't putting me in the best mood.

“Kren and the others are wondering what you're spending so much money on. I wanted to let you know they're starting to think badly of you.” Mex said, bobbing his head in deference to me, which was annoying. I'd known him before the war without all this nonsense.

“My spending should taper off soon.” I said, and then paused, thinking. “If you get hurt, Mex, come here. I know it's not really likely, but come here if you do.” I remarked, and started heading for the ledge to climb toward the market.

“You … oh, are those humans?” Mex asked, tipping his head to one side and gazing into the cave.

“Yes. Leave them be, one of them is skittish. They're nurses, caretakers to human injured.” I explained.

“Oh, so they help you.” Mex nodded. “Does that make sense?” He asked me, turning with me.

“There are no dragon nurses. I need to get home. They'll help me live through this.” I said. I didn't like explaining and I went past him over the edge, gliding downward to the market.

The things we needed were much easier to find than the medical supplies. Dragons ate some fruits and vegetables anyway, but only a few medical supplies were used among us. Dragons were resilient, but I couldn't count on that. I needed to get home.

I grabbed the supplies and lugged them up the path by cart. There was a chute to return the cart by I'd stick it in later. Mex was still at my cave, sitting back from the entrance watching Lara and Amber.

When I got back inside Lara looked clearly agitated. She was hiding as far into a corner as she could get with her bound leg, and Amber didn’t appear happy either. “That one has been watching us all the while you were gone. Is he safe? Is it trouble that someone else knows we’re here?”

“Mex is a friend. He's curious, not dangerous. I'll tell him to go.” I said, setting the wagon up by the storage so we could put things away. Then I headed back to the cave entrance.

“Don't hurt him.” Lara said, surprising me enough that I looked back at her.

“He's a friend. I won't.” I assured her.

I continued out, grabbing Mex by the neck and tossing him off the ledge. His wings opened a moment later and he spiraled up and then to the side, heading back to his own cave with a high screech that ended in clicks, protesting me sending him away.

I turned around and went back to the cave, snickering a little. It'd felt nice to toss him off, and of course I'd known he'd be alright. He'd stay away for a day or two now. I came back and started putting the food away.

“Words wouldn’t have sufficed?” Amber asked as she aided in taking care of the supplies I’d brought back. “I thought he was a friend?”

Lara had moved in a bit closer to help as well, though she was obviously restricted by the chain on her ankle. It seemed a good sign that she wasn't cowering away from me today.

“We're still friends. He can fly. He's fine.” I said, chuckling under my breath. I gave her a small smile. I wasn't sure why, but I was in an alright mood, the first sense coming to the front. She was certainly beautiful. I loved the red-gold of her hair, the way her trim waist opened up into wide hips. Thoughts like I'd had that morning came through me, thoughts of her face in rapture as I filled her. I put that aside forcefully.

“If you don’t like us, will you push us off the cliff?” Lara asked, voice shaky despite her resolve to speak.

Amber sighed and shook her head. “Of course he won’t.” She seemed to have more to say but she closed her mouth and shook her head instead. “Plo seems to have some sense of honor, or at least has decided we’re worth keeping around.” She looked at me. “Is it alright if I call you that? Your friend did.”

I nodded slowly. “Plo or Vilar. Whatever.” I turned my gaze on Lara. “You can't fly and aren't comfortable enough for me to joke with like that even if you did. I like Mex. If I didn't like him, I'd have told him to leave with a good shriek in my voice, not played with him.” I thought maybe the concept of dragons playing was a hard one for her to grasp.

She nodded uncertainly, not quite meeting my eyes.

“He seems much smaller than you. Are the other dragons closer to his size? I feel like I understand your people very little right now, but to stay alive I should probably know more. There are certainly aspects of your culture that is unusual. I wouldn’t have thought that . . . “ She cleared her throat. “What we talked of this morning, before you left, would be of any interest given our differences.”

“Our women look like someone imagined what a female cross breed would look like, if you thought the whole race of dragons looked like the men. Mex is the smallest male I've ever known. Very curious, nice. He does a lot of work back in the dragon camp and sometimes some espionage, not as dangerous as what I do.” I wasn't sure where to start explaining my culture, exactly.

“Are your men generally aggressive? I mean, I’ve heard that you . . . well, devour your enemies at times. You must not think much of humans.” She noted, looking a bit nervous. Lara was listening intently too, both of them with their eyes on me. Of course they were worried of being eaten.

“We don't generally hunt humans or other dragons, but they are meat just like anything else. Honestly it's well known humans don't taste very good.” I said, trying to be reassuring. “I wouldn't eat you two regardless, especially while you're alive. And you're not my enemies. Aggression depends on the dragon.”

“And this Mex is safe as well?” Amber asked. “If he were to come here while you were away, we wouldn't need to fear him?” She thought for a moment and then added. “Is there anyone we should look out for?”

“He won't hurt you. Dragons are as individual, if not more so, than humans are. They'll respect my property and keep out.” I said, trying to assure them that no one was going to hurt then at the same time as warn them. We did have our crazy, violent elements. “If Mex comes in, it would be to help. He's a very noble person and I can already tell he thinks of you more as women than property.” I headed over to the back of the cave, sitting down by my supplies I'd come with thinking I'd finally have time to go through it. I felt tired though.

“You look tired.” Amber said, coming up beside me. “I should check your wounds again, and maybe you should rest for a bit. Healing takes energy. The more time you have to sleep and let your body work, the better off you’ll be.”

“It’s remarkable that you can walk at all after yesterday.” Lara added softly.

“You can look. Dragons heal quickly. I have tonight off though.” I tried to turn and give her access while I was sitting, but ended up having to lay down to let her at it. That made me feel even more sleepy. “Maybe I'll rest though, after.” I just got anxious every moment I wasn’t preparing for my next shift. Soon though, I'd be set in the monotony of it, I'd relax whether I liked it or not.

She examined me carefully, a strange look on her face. “This is . . . incredible. The wound is almost entirely closed here.”

Lara came over and looked as well. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”

“How long does it take you to completely heal a wound?” Amber asked, still shocked.

“Depends on the dragon, but that'll probably be all but gone by tomorrow afternoon when I have to go fight again. Thanks to your help, of course. Stopping the bleeding and stitching it together is making it heal faster than I expected.” I said, taking a look at it myself as best I could. I felt relieved, the risk of taking them was going to pay off. They were substantially improving my recovery speed.

“Well, that’s good. I was afraid you wouldn’t last long as you were going.” Amber said, and she did look relieved. “I mean, you abducted us and now we’re slaves, but you’re keeping us alive. It wouldn’t be good if something happened to you.” She added that qualifier quickly enough. “I suppose we might have died if we’d been left where we were. In a way you did save us, even if it was just by not burning us to death yourself.”

I sighed, agitated by the conversation. It was true enough, but I was in no mood to hear about it. I didn't like the facts, I hadn't wanted to abduct myself some nurses. “If I hadn't killed you or abducted you, the next wave of dragons would have killed you.” I shrugged. “This is all extra time you wouldn't have had, though I do apologize it's not in the best circumstances. I left the clothing I could find in the cart for you if you want to change.”

“I’m happy to be alive.” Lara said. “I mean, it’s not ideal, but I am happy. So, thank you.” She was then off to do things.

Amber sighed. “I’m happy as well. I just can’t help but rail against things. It’s . . . well, I never had time to think before, and now that I do I just keep . . . “ She shrugged. “I’m trying.”

“It's fine.” I said as she closed me up. “I know it's not the best situation. However I plan on living, and if I live until I can go home I'll make sure you get set free before I go, if that's what you wish. I only qualify that because I'm not sure your kingdom will be in existence at that point, or how long the rest of the humans in other kingdoms will be allowed to live.” I shrugged. “You might have a fine life among the dragons instead.”

Her expression of hopeful optimism faltered. “We’re losing badly, then? The Cursed will win?” There was a bleakness to the question that told me she was very afraid of that eventuality.

“The Cursed enslaved the dragons. They have us working on a level that we would only use if our very existence was threatened, it's very costly but very effective, too. Unless the dragons are freed, and the people under them, I don't see all that much hope. I'm not the most optimistic person, however.” I shrugged and gave her an apologetic look. “As I said, one place or another I will try to make you comfortable and free. I won't release you into a war zone. I'm working on no tricks here. I mean it.” I realized I wanted her to have that hopeful look again, to be happy.

She gave me a small smile. “I’d like to know more about what they have done to you, but maybe another time.” She looked at Lara. She didn't want to talk about frightening things in front of the other woman. “It makes me feel better, I guess, to know that you don’t enjoy what is happening.” She seemed to relax a little. “If you want to lay down for a bit I can do what needs doing around here.”

I nodded and got up. “They threw me in here with some supplies, but no chance to go over them.” I noted at the sacks at the back of the cave. “I was what they'd consider prime for sacrifice. I was expected to die quickly and hopefully the next dragon here world get to look at this.” I headed for the bed, curious about sleeping on it. Being a firebearer I was constantly warm and yet I had a constant drive to seek even warmer ways and places of being. I crawled into the bed and laid down, wrapping my tail around me.

“Alright, I’ll go through things while you sleep then. When you wake we can go over what I’ve found.” She smiled, a genuine expression. “You look cute tucked into the bed, even if you are massive and terrifying.”

I chuckled, puffing steam out into the cave. “Thank you, Amber.” Then I let myself fall asleep.

“Vilar.” A soft, urgent voice slipped into my dreams, and then a gentle motion on my arm. “Pol, there is someone sneaking about the entrance of your cave.” Amber had a note of alarm in her voice, and as I came around I could smell the distinct odor of acid in the air. Acid breathers were not incredibly common and tended to be a bit aggressive.

I rolled to my feet, half climbing, half slithering off the bed. I wasn't made for stealth, but I moved quietly anyway to the front of the cave. “Who's there?” I hissed.

“Garigon.” A deep voice answered. “I smell human.” He added, his massive frame coming into view in the cave entrance. His scales were dark green, so dark that they were almost black, and as he spoke his neck glowed faintly, a bright green. The acid they spat was superheated like fire, or molten rock. The glow meant he was actively feeding the cauldron inside of him now. It was a physical threat, an intimidation move, though his acid would have little effect on my scales. It wasn't meant to hurt other dragons after all.

I could get my own glow going, my purple one that was the red light passing through the pitch back-blue of my scales. Instead I rose tall and glared at him. “Yes. They're mine. What do you want?” I growled, some of the heat readying itself inside me without my intention. I didn't have the hottest temper, but I did get angry. Especially with other males and especially with other males near a place and things that were mine.

“You shouldn't keep dangerous food around. The air will whisper.” That was an old dragon age about how stories could spread from one dragon to another. “Others will think that perhaps you are a traitor, bringing them amongst us. What would the warlocks say, forge breath?” He stood taller, his tail lashing at his back.

“I don't care about the warlocks, I care about getting home. There's no law or edict against taking prisoners. They're mine.” I filled the last word with fire, the roaring, crackling sound of it rolling through my chest and throat as I expanded with hot air and water from my reserves. My bones creaked, shifting to expand into my new dimension as I grew. They were interlocking parts that slid free of one another when pulled as my expansion was pulling them. “Mine, Garigon.” I warned, voice more fire than not. Killing another dragon was frowned upon, but maiming and fighting and hurting was not, and a dragon had to defend their own property, especially away from Spire.

Garigon frothed at the mouth, green acid dripping between his teeth and down the front of him as he too grew in size. His claws tore into the rock beneath him as he spread his wings. “Be wary, forge breath. I don’t feel like putting you in place now, but keeping pets will only bring trouble upon us all.” He snapped his wings in the air before turning and sailing off the cliff behind us.

I growled low but made myself cool some before I turned and headed for the stream. I needed more water before I could reduce my size without strain to my bones and joints. I downed a great deal of water and then I went straight to the wooden cage I had kept Lara and Amber in. I pulled the wooden trunks out if the ground and started lining them across the entrance to the cave. It would cover the bulk of it, but there'd still be light coming in between the trunks and a large doorway.

Then I came inside, my anger effectively worked out in a nice, productive way. My shoulder was sore though, so I sat down on the edge of the bed and looked around.

Amber came up to me and sat down at my side. She looked over my wound again gently. “You shouldn’t have worked so hard while recovering. Everything looks alright, but I’m sure you’re feeling the exertion.” She sighed. “I’m guessing that one wasn’t a friend?”

“No. I don't know him well, but he seems like a dove.” I said the term of endearment sarcastically. I bumped my chin lightly against the top of her head before I even knew what I was doing. I hesitated tensely, but then rested my chin on her head affectionately. “I won't let him hurt you.”

She gave a soft laugh and put a hand on my chest. “You’re protective for an abductor.” Her tone was light. “Thank you, though. He was frightening, even for me. I wasn’t quite sure what to do. He was out there for a bit before I realized it. I went to go outside to get the extra water cask and he was right there.”

I stroked her back. Arousal was coming on, but I tried not to focus on it. “You did the right thing, waking me.” I looked around to see where Lara was.

Lara was huddled quietly in a corner. She looked scared, but not of me, and maybe not to the degree she had been upon first arriving.

Amber’s eyes settled on mine, and it felt like she could sense the arousal hidden beneath my attempt to cover it up. “My earlier offer remains open, and is maybe offered with less hesitance than before. This has been an enlightening day, really.”

I scented the air between us and smiled at her. “Mmm, I probably won't be able to resist now.” I said, flicking my tongue close to her neck back by her hairline to get a good bit of her scent. “I find you very beautiful, Amber.”

She smiled, a faint blush filling her cheeks. “I find you a bit intimidating, and also enticing for a reason that I’m not sure I completely understand just yet.” She said, reaching out and placing a hand on my chest, her nimble fingers sliding across it. “You’re so different, and yet familiar in certain, wonderful ways.”

I ran a clawed hand under the back of her head, feeling the strands of her hair beneath my fingers. She must have found the comb I'd gotten for them with the clothing. My cock was sliding outward a little beneath my covering, but I wasn't sure now was the best time. Lara seemed afraid off in her corner. I looked out of the cave to see how light it was, how long I'd slept. “What did you find in the supplies?” I asked, trying to distract things from sex a little. I'd have her later though, I thought, and that reassurance to myself only made me harder.

Her eyes slipped over my hardness, but she gave a quick nod. “There were a good many things I didn’t recognize really, things particular to dragons I imagine. It looked like there was some kind of stone shards that were labeled ‘fire rock,’ but I’m not sure what that was.” It was a rock that could be slowly chewed, crushed and swallowed to aid the production of heat and fire. It wasn’t necessary, but it made raising temperatures easier. “I found some pieces of a strange armor that looks like it was meant for you. It has joints that stretch and expand. There was a great deal of preserved meats, enough to feed a large group of men for a while, but I imagine a dragon for much less time. There were a collection of weapons, most of them large and heavy . . . I left them where I found them. I don’t have any intention of trying to fight you.” She pulled out a list written on a scrap of parchment she’d found. “This is everything, but those were the most important items, I think. The things I didn't recognize I described in detail on the back of the list.”

“Thank you.” I said, looking over the list and nodding to myself. It was actually quite useful stuff and now that I had a little time I could set it up for use. I set to exploring everything a little myself, thankful she'd laid it all out for me.

Then I drifted back further while Lara and Amber cooked enough for all three of us, the warm, lovely smells filling the cave. I pulled the small bag I'd smuggled here from home. We'd been told not to take the time to pack personal items, but I'd insisted. I had a pouch that made it easy to transport things, easy to hide things. It was rare to have a pouch like I did, and they hadn't really inspected people so much as just taken things if it was obvious.

I opened the bag for the first time since arriving and flicked out my tongue, tasting and smelling home on my tongue. I could sense Vil and Wix, smell and taste them in the air from the bag and on the little things I'd brought to remind me of them. I had one of Wix’s baby scales and one of his childhood ones, and one of Vil’s baby scales too. I had a lock of Vil’s dark brown hair, the little tuft bending in just the way it would have on her head. She had short, fur-like hair. I had a picture Wix had drawn me years before but that had still been hanging at home, a little sketch of he and I and my cave. I huffed a puff of steam and started packing it all up again, my heart aching to go back to my children.

“Those seem important to you.” Amber’s voice came from behind me. It was soft and thoughtful. “Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. I saw you over here and you looked so . . . well, kind of lonely.” She placed a hand on my back. “If you’d prefer, I can go.”

“It's alright.” I said, showing her the oversized picture Wix had made. “Reminders from home, that's all.”

She looked at them and smiled. “You have children.” Her smile faltered a bit. “You have a wife?”

I shook my head. “Dragons mate very freely. We do pick lifemates also, but I haven't. Dragons have a lot of trouble with fertility, our differences being so varied and numerous. I have two children, Averwix drew this ages ago. And a daughter, Vilaria. Wix is like a teenager now, Vil is still little. Vil’s mother is dead, and Wix is troublesome when I'm away. I want to get back to them.” It felt strange and yet somehow good to tell her.

Amber’s expression softened. “That is sweet of you. I guess to you the end of this war is important, no matter the outcome.” She said, looking sad. “I desperately wanted my people to win, but that would just mean yours would suffer in the long run. As long as there is war, no one will be happy. For what it’s worth, I hope you get back to your family soon.”

“I'd rather there just wasn't a war, but the warlocks got the dragons involved and here we are. I'm considered expendable because I have two children, by the way. It's why they threw me in first. My blood is already secured in the next generation. This last plan of all plans doesn't look at if a person is needed by his family, but that's because it was always meant to be the last resort.” I sighed and finished putting my things away. “I can't hate my leaders for being prepared, and I believe they're doing everything the warlocks tell them because the warlocks have their own children held captive. But in order to end the war, someone, and it can't be me way out here, would have to kill our own leadership and then go against the warlocks. Without leadership we'd be hard pressed to do anything right.” I shook my head. “Impossible situations.”

She sighed and nodded, coming forward and laying one of her small, soft hands on my hip. “War is unpleasant for everyone involved. I’m sorry the warlocks have dragged your people into things. I worry what will happen to all of us if they win, but . . . I really just want to live through this all. I don’t have a home to go back to, but it’s enough just to survive. I think.”

“Enough for now. Then what happens when the war is over and they have everything? What happens to us then?” I pulled her close, hugging her as I blew steam out into the cave in my agitation. They were thoughts worth thinking, but there was nothing I could do about them now and alone. Perhaps I'd have to start poking around and seeing what the other dragons were thinking, if anyone was planning anything.

“You’re so warm.” She said, laying her head against me as one of her hands traced down my side and to my hip. “Big too, and very masculine.” She leaned in and kissed my chest lightly. “Will you hold me tonight in the bed?”

“I'd like that.” I said, nudging my nose into her hair and drinking in her scent. “I don't think I can safely promise I'll be exactly a …” I tried to find the word. “Gentleman.”

“That’s alright. If you take care of us, I’ll take care of you.” She said, looking up at me with what I thought was a playful smile.

I chuckled softly. In a way, it sounded like she was telling me to take care of her and Lara’s needs in the bedroom. “I'll take very good care of you.” I said, my tail wrapping around her ankle and sliding up her leg under her dress.

She gasped, clearly a little surprised at my agile tail. “And here I thought you’d want to get other things inside of me.” She teased, her cheeks that interesting tone of red again, as though she had her own fire burning inside.

“I do. I will.” I said, sliding my tail against her underwear, against her sex that she kept safely covered in them. It was a bit like the way our scales closed over our privates, I supposed. “First the tail, though. Warm you up for it.”

She made a soft, tittering laugh. “You’re so forward. I can’t say I’ve ever been with a man who was quite so clear about what he wanted. It makes me just a little bit nervous. It has been a long time since I’ve been with anyone at all.”

“I don't mean to make you nervous.” I said, holding her by her hip and wrapping an arm around her waist as my tail pressed against her, wiggling and caressing. “I'm just want to make you feel as good as I'm going to feel, at the very least. That's not scary, nothing to be nervous about.” my tail writhed, sneaking into the site of her underwear and dancing in the hair of her sex until I could rub along her slit and against her entrance, nudging at the bud at the tip of her sex. My own arousal was pushing at my cloth covering that was only meant to hide the slightest of erections.

A soft sigh of pleasure slipped between her lips. “I’m very curious what it’ll be like with you. You’re so different from human males. Even when I was afraid of you I was curious. Now I’m just nervous, and even more curious.” She took a step in my direction and reached down to stroke the bulge in the fabric covering my sex.

I moaned softly and wrapped my tail around her thigh and then I slid my tail into her underwear again. This time I slid the tip into her, my tail wiggling and twisting. Things were getting very hot and heavy. I wanted to take her to the floor of the cave right then. “How's that?” I said in a low rumble.

Her body was warm and receptive, very slick and wet on the inside, hotter seeming than the rest of her. She gave a pleased sigh as I slipped into her. “That’s very nice. Would you like to come lay down with me someplace comfortable? I can let you explore how I’m different than your women, and maybe I can explore you as well.”

“Yes. Will Lara be alright with that? Will you be alright with her being around?” I asked. Some dragon women required complete privacy, others only mated in group gatherings. Even as i asked though I picked her up, encouraging her to wrap her legs around my waist as I carried her to the bed. She did so, crossing them behind me.

“Lara, will it bother you if I make love to our captor?” She asked, a playful tone in her voice.

Lara shook her head. “It’s . . . I’m curious. Can I see?”

Amber looked at me. “Do you mind if she watches?” Her cheeks were bright red. “I’ve never done something like this with someone watching, but our situation really doesn’t give us many options.”

“It's fine by me.” I said, sitting her down carefully. As I did I pulled the skirt if her dress up and then pulled it up and over her head. I was very excited to have her naked. Once her dress was off I went for her underwear, using my claws to pull them down her legs. I was tasting the air frequently, taking her in, drinking in the moment.

Soon enough her flesh was exposed to me for the second time. The hair over her sex was soft and straight, the same color as her hair, and was almost difficult to see against the pinkest tinge of her lower lips. Her breasts were of a nice size, the nipples hard at their tips, very pale. It was almost difficult to see where they started. She looked a bit uncertain sitting there naked in front of me.

“Am I . . . attractive to you?” She asked, a bit of worry in her voice.

“Oh very.” I assured her, flicking my tongue over her chest, her strange nipples as I explored her. “I can't wait to watch your beautiful body writhe with me inside you.” I flicked my tongue at her sex, reaching down to pull apart her lips so the next time my tongue flicked out I could run it over her entrance and up to the nub at the top of her sex.

She moaned in pleasure and leaned back, spreading her legs which opened her up for me to see more clearly There was a wet, pink entrance into her that was glistening, as were the lips surrounding it. She reached down between her thighs and pulled her sex open, exposing the entrance even further. It winked, almost in invitation, as my tongue slid over her.

I got up and leaned down to kiss her large, soft lips with mine, my tongue slipping briefly into her mouth as my tail slid up her inner thigh and then slipped seamlessly into her. I lined up my tip to push against the bud of her sex, rubbing myself against her as my tail twisted and pushed deep.

“Oh!” She moaned loud and hard, her body tensing tightly around the squirming form of my tail as it pierced her body. “Oh, that’s good!” She cried out, her hips rocking onto it even more, inviting it into her body. Her breasts pressed into my chest as she moved for me.

I was big enough compared to her that as my cock was sliding against her I couldn't kiss her and I had to prop myself up well to see her body as it seemed to bounce for me. I made a deep sound that was both moan and growl. I was going to be inside her soon. My cock throbbed and a batch of precum poured out of me and over her slit as I penetrated her with my tail. “Ah I need you.” I growled, pulling my tail back and lining myself up. Then I drove in deep, the hard tip plunging in first and then the softer, moldable portion of myself following it. I groaned as it stretched and her body resisted how large I was, pulling on me and sliding forth my most sensitive part to rub inside her. I groaned, wanting to fuck her with abandon but making myself wait. She was so warm inside, warm with a natural, inner heat.

She gasped again, looking surprised at first, and then she let out a soft moan. “There is so much of you.” She marveled at the way I filled her. “If you were any bigger I think you'd break me, but this feels so good. You can fuck me now, Plo.”

I sat up so I could hold her waist. My hands were so big compared to her that I could almost close them around her narrowest point and as I began to move back and forth inside her with increasing speed and urgency her breasts bounced deliciously over a portion of my hands. I decided I liked breasts, their softness, the way they rolled with the motions. It was different than being with one of my kind but I liked it. I liked the feel of the tiny little hairs all over her and the thicket patch between her thighs that brushed against my cock as I hammered it into her. I noted she was enjoying it, I was losing myself to the pleasure, growling low as molten fire churned in my chest and neck with each breath so that the purple warmth that the women could see seemed to pulse as I breathed, and pulse faster as I grew closer to climax.

I wondered if I should avoid leaving my seed inside her, but we probably weren't compatible anyway and if we were … Dragons were pretty much encouraged to fuck anything, try anything to plant a seed. Why change that now? I wanted to leave my seed inside the lovely Amber. “Cumming soon.” I said, the sound drawn out in crackling flame as I pressed deep into her tight sheath again.

“Yes, yes, yes!” She cried out, each exclamation a little louder than the last as I pounded into her. It wasn’t long before her sheath began to tighten around me in a an uncontrolled spasm and her words became more a pleasured noise. Her legs jerked, and her hips thrust against me hard. She was cumming around me, her body sucking on mine as though begging for my release.

I groaned and then warmth washed up my cock and out into her in a flood, my hips pushing hard into hers and locking there as I spilled out. My cock’s tight fit meant it would all stay inside her and I liked that, liked that the deeper I pushed myself in the deeper my seed would be trapped far inside her. Relaxing as I started to come down made my steam valves open and steam rushed out. I'd been growing in size some from the exertion and the churning of my fire, but then I shrank back the small amount I'd gained with a final, pleased moan. “Oh Amber, that was amazing.” I said, leaving myself deep inside her for the moment. I'd shrink quickly and the longer I waited the easier our separation would happen.

“It aches a little.” She said, touching over where our bodies were connected. There was a bit of a bulge there where I’d expanded her as I’d grown. “In a good way, though. I really liked that, and I feel so full of you.” She reached out and lightly touched my face.

I bent my head to nuzzle it against hers, having to arch my back to do it, but I didn't mind. I liked the sensation in her gesture, and I felt an answering affection for her in me. I was left with the impression that I had to sort this out, this rule thing, not just for me to get home but for her too, to make her happy.

Chapter 3

I felt adrift in the situation. I’d been abducted and basically enslaved, but I didn’t hate my captor, and really I was lucky to be alive. He was actually quite charming in his way. He sometimes seemed so alien, and others as human as any man I'd ever known. His longing for his family was the factor that really won my heart over. It was impossible not to see him as just a man in a terrible position after that.

Jumping into sex was perhaps reckless of me, but since it had first entered my thoughts the temptation was there, and as I saw his interest in me remain consistent despite our differences the idea of having him inside of me worried me less, and intrigued me more. Besides, we were of a different species. No babies would come of it. It would just be a matter of physical pleasure, like when young women let their family hounds mount them to experience the pleasure of penetration without the concern of pregnancy. It was common enough that most girls joked about it, and some people didn’t keep a male dog if they had daughters.

Of course the key difference here was that though Plo might not be able to get me with child, he was a man with feelings and desires that he could express. I didn't know if he could or would develop actual feelings for me, but I knew that our sex and the bonding afterwards was having an effect on me.

I found myself wanting to be closer to him more often, wanting to have him inside of me every night, and some other times as well. Over the next week and a half I began offering myself to him more frequently.

I worried it might be awkward for Lara, but she didn't seem to mind. She liked to watch us, and sometimes she'd rub herself through her clothes. Other times she lift her skirts and slide her fingers into her sex and came with us. It was embarrassing for me to have her watching the first couple times, but I got used to it. I hardly noticed her at all after a week.

It got to the point that I would wait nervously for Plo to return from his shifts. I knew what he was doing out there. It was hard to accept, but he didn't have a choice in matters, none of us did. I often took him to bed as soon as he came home, sliding him into the covers just before I slid him into my slick and ready body, but as he returned this most recent night I moved to meet him at the cave entrance. Before he'd even begun to shrink I ran a hand down the flank of his massive dragon form, and then down onto his underside and back towards the slit that hid his cock.

He glanced at me and grinned before starting to drink, cooling the fire within him and then letting out the hot air and excess steam out . He did this slowly because I was there, and turned himself so that it didn't hit me straight from these points on his back. If he did that, it might be hot enough to burn me. “One of these days I'm going to head home and find you halfway to the front in search of me.” He teased low, dark blue eyes locking with mine as his slit opened for me and his unusual cock tip pushed out. He wasn't his usual, almost human size yet, though his cock only changed size a little compared to the rest of him.

I reached forward and took him in my grip, stroking him with excitement. “At some point it might be interesting to roll you on your back while you're all big and see how much of you I can force inside.” I said, voice teasing, but the idea was a bit exciting. It was one of those things that would make proper women faint, but just made me wet.

He chuckled deep and rolled, dragging me up on top of him. I could see his chest glow a dull purple as he expanded again, not fully but in part. He held me in two hands, his fingers expanding until they were threading themselves behind my back and his thumbs touched across my belly. “No reason not to try now.” He said, using the hold to put me over his cock and rub me against himself.

His large member slid over my wet entrance in a satisfying way and I shuddered some. “Oh, you’re so big like this.” I looked down at him with half lidded eyes. “I’m like a tiny little toy for you right now. Will you use me like one? Pull me down over your shaft and use me to give you pleasure?” I felt dirty saying things like that, but I was so aroused, my insides ached to be filled.

Plo made a deep rumbling sound and lifted me, poking at me in a way that had his large tip almost entering but then glancing off, as though I were too small. Then he found his mark and pulled me down on him, his tip driving him in and the rest following and filling me thoroughly. His big hands used me like I was just as I’d described, a toy he could thrust into, a toy he could guide up and down his shaft which was what he did, at a pace completely controlled by him. “You like being used.” He said, tongue flicking over his lips as he locked eyes with me. “You like feeling like my plaything, my woman. Tell me you like it.”

I had trouble speaking at all. He was rough. It was impossible for him not to be like this, and his cock seemed to press so deep into me that it almost felt hard to breathe. I came suddenly, uncontrollably around his shaft as it forced its way into me, all the while trying to tell him what he wanted to hear, but unable to make myself say is. Finally, even as I rode on the back of a wave that I knew would carry me to another climax, I managed to speak.

“Oh yes, I love it! Keep going, use me more. I’m your woman. All yours!” I gasped.

“Good.” He growled, switching to a one handed grip since he'd grown even larger since we'd begun. He moved faster, though still with some care not to break me. Then his grip tightened and he came inside, a torrent of seed as he held me on him. He relaxed his grip quickly when he realized i was having trouble breathing, my vision going haywire and pressure exploding through me.

I gave an inarticulate cry of pleasure and then came again, my wet tunnel trying to grip tighter to the already impossibe largeness inside of it, but it couldn't be compressed anymore. Cum dripped from me, pushed out by the force of his ejaculation. There was nowhere else for it to go so it dripped down my thighs and back down his cock. “Oh, Plo!” I cried out, shaking so hard in pleasure that I thought I might pass out. That had been far too good.

He sat up and pulled me against him, my face against his warm belly. He used a thumb to stroke over my hair and back as he rumbled, content. Eventually he reached out and pulled a barrel of water to himself and drank so he could shrink back down, and with his erection fading space was opening up inside me and making things ache less. “Oh Amber, you're amazing.” He said warmly.

His cum poured out of me to drip down over him. I smiled at him. “You’re pretty amazing yourself. It has never felt that good before.” I sighed and laid my head against him. What a strange situation I was in. I’d found happiness in a very unusual place, and I wasn’t sure what to do about it.

“When this ends, if this ends, I was hoping you might come back to dragon lands with me. I know we talked about the possibility before, but now I'd like you to come with me regardless of the outcome.” He was trying to sound confident and like himself, but I could tell he was nervous about the question. “Maybe I'm moving a little fast … it's just that everytime I go out I come close to death, less close than those first days, but close enough.”

I looked into his eyes and thought for a bit. I had nowhere else to go, and I was very fond of Plo. I wasn’t sure how deep those feelings ran, but I knew they were deeper than I’d felt for anyone in a very long time. I smiled at him. “Would there be a place for me back in your home? I know you have children, mates, does that leave a place for me?” I asked, and I was honestly curious. When I’d first thought of going to his lands I’d only considered if I could live amidst dragons, but in this question of his he was, I thought, asking for more from me. Would there be a place for me in his life once he returned?

He smiled and nodded. “Of course, you could live with me. I want you to. Wix doesn't live far and visits often. Vil used to live with me, but since I had to go to war she lives with her mother's mother at the moment. I'd like if Vil lived with me again, but we'll see what the situation is when we get there.”

I smiled at him. “That’s a big step, asking your abducted house slave to move in with you.” I told him with a small laugh. “I could accept, and then you might end up being the house slave. What would you think of that, my cute little fire breather?”

He snorted. “I think of us as equals, mostly. Though dragons are matriarchal. Women don't usually fight, they stay home and run our society. That doesn't change when the men come home, so you'd be ruler of our roost.” He ran his large hand over my chest and down my body. “If you ended up my lifemate that'd be all the more true.” He whispered, blue eyes coming up to lock with mine. He was giving me his intentions.

I blushed brightly. “Can you be lifemates with someone who isn’t a dragon? It wouldn’t . . . I mean, would it hurt your standing with your people?” I was shocked he was putting something so serious out there. I wanted it. I wanted to tell him that was exactly what I wanted, but I was also afraid I might ruin his life by accepting.

“I don't think anyone will care. I think they will try to accept you, though some may focus on what they'll see as your shortcomings, there are always those people.” He shrugged. “Dragons are encouraged to try mating with anything in the hopes our seed will take. We mate freely, but generally it's expected we'll take a lifemate from the people we have sex with. I don't know if there are many non-dragon lifemates, but there's no rule against it.”

“You can plant your seed in non-dragons?” I asked, a blush coming to my cheeks. My voice had no shortage of surprise in it. I’d really thought that would be impossible for us.

“Maybe.” He shrugged. “Firebearers do have more success with the warm blooded.”

“Then all of . . . I mean, I might . . . “ I blushed again, brighter this time. “Oh, you must have thought very poorly of me with how quickly I gave in to you without taking any precautions at all.” I was quite embarrassed, but I also didn’t feel particularly bad about it. It didn’t seem so bad to possibly carry one of Plo’s children.

He stroked over my hair. “Not at all.” He said softly. “Dragon's don't think about such things as humans do. It didn't occur to me to think badly about you for it, I can't really think of why anyone would. I thought you might not know that we could … but I didn't say anything. I should have, I'm sorry.” He said, and now that I knew him better I could see by his expression that he was concerned, a narrowing of his eyes, a tightness to his neck and jaw.

“I probably would have been angry after the first few times, and maybe I should be now, but I’m not. What happens, will.” I reached out and touched the side of his neck. “Don’t trouble yourself over it, Plo. I know you would have taken care of me. You’re not half the monster I thought you were.” I grinned. “Maybe a little bit in bed, but I quite like that.”

Plo chuckled and grinned. “Good, I'm glad. I'll hope you get with child then. I'd like that.” He picked me up and kissed me gently, pulling me off his cock in the process. “I'm looking for dragons that are thinking long term, ones that are trying to find a way out from under the warlocks.” He said softly as he carried me to the stream and started washing me with water he heated first.

It was very nice to have instantly warm water. It felt good against my skin. “Are there others who want to get away? Is there even a way you can do that?” I still wasn't exactly certain on the nature of what was keeping them bound. I also really needed to discuss Lara. I was thinking it was time we freed her ankle. We weren’t going to run, and she could use a bit more freedom, even if it was just to come to the stream so I didn't have to sponge bathe her every day.

“Like I said before, we'd probably end up killing our own leaders. A consequence of low fertility is that the children we have seem very important to us. I can only believe our leaders had their children stolen from them. I'd like to think there's nothing else that would turn them in favor of the warlocks like this, but I haven't heard for sure.” He finished washing me and carried me to the cave, setting me down on the bed.

I looked over at Lara, and then back at Plo. “I think you should free Lara, Plo. We’re not going to run. There isn’t anywhere for us to go, and honestly we both feel safe here. You know how I feel especially.” I touched his chest as I spoke, liking the warmth of him against my fingers.

He looked worried for a moment, glancing between Lara and I. Then his eyes locked with mine for a moment and he nodded. He motioned Lara close and undid her chain. Lara grinned, stood awkwardly a moment, and then hugged him. Plo laughed in surprise but hugged her back. “There then.” He said, nodding.

I smiled up at him before having to almost jump to kiss the side of his face. “There, now we can really get some work done around here. I’ve been meaning to tackle cleaning up more of this cave.” My eyes narrowed a bit. “Do you live in a cave back home as well? I may need to educate you on the benefits of wood floors. Stone is so very cold, and I’m not equipped with a built in furnace.” I grinned mischievously. “Though I had one inside of me not too long ago.”

Plo laughed. “This is a war camp, our homes are better equipped. I think of you as a low burning fire. I can get cooler than you, or hotter, but you stay the perfect temperature.” He nudged his head against mine and then puffed some stream into my hair.

I laughed and stroked his chest. “You’re sweet. Well, now that we’ve got the future solved, I guess it’s time to figure out our more immediately situation.” I looked over at Lara, and then back at Plo. “You know, you’ve been very loyal to me all of this time, but I’m thinking it might not hurt for you to at least share your tail with Lara. She has been forced to use her fingers all this while.” I felt a small surge of jealousy at this suggestion, but there was a greater heat that rose from it, and even some decided warmth at the thought that I would get to have his cock again.

Lara was blushing. “Oh, you don’t have to! I know you two are together. I don’t want to get in the way.”

“He has a very talented tail, Lara.” I told her, grinning. “It wiggles in the most delightful way, and it can get nice and deep.”

Plo laughed and nodded. “And there's no chance of pregnancy from my tail. I secretly think that we're developing more varied tails for exactly that reason.” He was back to his normal size, but his tail was very long for his body like this and it slithered over to Lara as he took me in his arms. His tail ticked at her ankle, hooking behind her legs and pulling gently, encouraging her to join us.

Lara gave a laugh and let herself be pulled in closer as I slid my fingers down Plo’s body and stroked across the slit that housed his cock. I leaned in close to him. “Let her see you.” I whispered against his scales as I pressed my breasts against him.

Lara was stroking the tail that had wrapped about her, caressing it as though it was his member. I sighed at watching her hands pass over him. It was making me wet. I wanted to see him press it into her body, to watch him penetrate her with it’s long, thin length.

He opened up easily for me, his tip pushing outward into my hand. His tail began to stroke Lara’s inner thigh, and then wiggle against her sex, pressing in among her folds at the dark hair curling there. Plo moaned softly, thrusting into my hand as his fire glowed softly in his chest, churning hotter due to his arousal. “I'm very excited.” He said, and his cock throbbed as if to demonstrate the fact, coming to full hardness quickly.

I sank down onto my knees then and took his tip into my mouth, moaning around his strange length as it passed into my body. It still tasted a bit of my own sex from our earlier encounter. I reached forward and grabbed his hips, using that hold to slide myself up and down his shaft, pushing it as far into my throat as I could. Lara had found a place to sit down, and she was spreading her legs to allow a better view of her sex, and easier access for Plo. I could smell her arousal, and see it glistening on the tip of Plo’s tail as he teased her.

Plo gripped my head, his fingers and claws lacing into my hair, gripping it. “Oh yes.” He moaned, and as he did he slipped his tail into Lara, his tail lashing and wiggling deeper into her as it pierced her and coated itself in her fluids at the same time. Then he was thrusting in and out of her fast and easy, his tail bucking rhythmically in and out. His other hand came down to grab my shoulder. “I want to be inside your sheath again.”

I slid my mouth off of him eagerly and jumped onto him, wrapping my thighs around his body as I pushed my sex against his member. “I want you inside of it. Please, fast and hard again.” I told him, looking over at Lara who was moaning loudly as that agile tail used her with a fervor. I had a vision of him thrusting that into my other lower hole while he fucked the wet upper one and blushed red. I wasn’t sure how to approach that just yet, but it was a thought that made me burn with eager desire.

Plo grabbed me about the waist with his hands, guiding me into place until his hot, thick cock was pressed to my entrance. He slipped me over the top a few times, and then I felt the top of him pierce me. The rest of him followed hard and fast as he pushed himself in deep. Then he rolled us so I was on my back. He grabbed my ass and held me in place as he plowed into me, his claws digging in the perfect amount. He made a low cracking sound, his eyes bright with excitement. “Oh yes.” He hissed.

I gasped sharply, his presence making me feel full and satisfying that deep desire that had been near to driving me mad. I swiped my hips on him, rocking against his body with a high moan of pleasure.

“Fuck me, I need you!” I hissed the words, desire silencing my normally more timid nature.

Lara was giving off various noises of delight herself, her head tossed back, one hand clasped around the slick tail that was ramming into her hot and dripping sex, and the other clasping her right nipple hard, tugging at the strawberry colored nub with surprising vigor.

Plo hissed and gripped me tighter, using me hard, only the way he locked eyes with me didn't feel like he was using me. He was enjoying me, sharing with me. “Amber ...” He rumbled, my name trailing off into a pleasured moan. He suddenly gathered me up in his arms and sat back, pulling me into his lap and wrapping his arms around me. He nudged the top of my head with his. He still used me roughly, but he was also cuddling me to him, holding me affectionately.

Lara began to let out a loud, high moan and I knew she was cumming, but I was lost in this moment of rough tenderness, a strange place between hard sex and affection that made me smile. I nuzzled into my lover and kissed his chest.

“I love you.” I told him softly, and then my body tensed. My sex felt like it was a spring about to release, and then it did. I came hard for him.

“Oh Amber, I love you too.” Plo rasped, and then groaned as he jerked inside me and began to cum himself. His cum always felt a little hot, warming me from the inside out.

I loved the feel of him pouring into me, and his words struck a note in my heart that made my chest ache in a pleasant, very full way. I nuzzled into him as our bodies spasmed together, our orgasms joining us in our entirety for a time. I sighed my pleasure as I began to come down from the peak.

“You’re incredible.” I told him softly.

“I must be, since you love me.” He said, chuckling happily. He hummed low, pleased, some stream flowing out of his back. He looked over at Lara and grinned. “Was it fun, Lara? It certainly was for me.”

Lara was still panting, but she nodded. “You two are cute.” She said with a giggle. “I mean, I didn’t mean to listen in, but I couldn’t really help after I was coming down from . . . well, that incredible tail. Thank you. I didn't realize how badly I’d needed that.”

I smiled at her and kissed Plo again. Now we just had to figure out how to get away from the damned war.