I woke up in the early morning hours as the first rays of dawn crested into the valley and slipped in our window. We had left the curtains open; the light spilled across the bed. Sheets of gold illuminated the tangled bodies across my own. I felt their warmth against my skin. Their breath against my body. Both Sydney and Akasha were still asleep.  

My mind was alert. Something had woken me. I lay still and listened. I heard only the soft breathing of the two ladies against me. I furrowed my brow in confusion and closed my eyes. I went to that place in my mind where all living things in our realm were mapped and shown as rocks across the map. I saw Sydney and Akasha. Anton and Amika. Then I saw another rock. Moving closer towards us. Not on the grounds of our house, but close. I moved closer to that human-sized rock and examined it. A man. Medium build. Dark hair. Something familiar to him.  

I blinked my eyes and looked at Akasha and Sydney. Neither had woken up yet. I gently lifted Sydney’s head off my shoulder and laid it on the pillow. She groaned and tried to pull close to me in her sleep.  

“It’s okay,” I whispered to her. “Go back to sleep.”  

Sydney blinked at me. Then her eyes crossed. A distinct green tinge to her face. She threw back the covers and leapt from the bed, stumbling into the bathroom. I heard her throwing up a minute later.   

“Yup,” Akasha said with a soft chuckle, “Dragon pregnancies are rough.”  

“Can you check on her?” I asked Akasha. “Someone is approaching the house.”  

“I know,” Akasha said as she slid off the bed and padded naked into the bathroom after Sydney. I got up, went into the closet, grabbed a robe, and wrapped it around me. Then I headed down to the front door. I heard Akasha come gliding down behind me. She went into the kitchen while I went to the door.  

I pulled the door open just as the man standing there was about to knock. It was the fourth Ranger from the forest the night before. He was in his ranger outfit, deep brown pants, shirt, and a brown jacket over it. His dark hair combed carefully. The morning sunlight lit the dark complexion of his skin. His eyes widened in surprise as he stumbled back a step.  

“Fuck!” He yelped in surprise. “You scared me!”  

“Good morning, Ranger,” I said as I stepped out the door and pulled it shut behind me. “Something I can help you with this morning?”  

“Lord Edgar,” he said as he bowed, “I’m Ranger Thomas Gardmore. We met last night. With the grizzly.”  

I extended my hand. Thomas hesitated for a moment, then shook my hand. He had a good handshake. Firm. Not too strong, but not timid either. He let go, stepped back, and watched me like he thought I was going to bite him.  

“Pleased to meet you, Ranger Gardmore. Something on your mind?”  

“I’ve never met a Lord before.”  

I chuckled. “I still put my pants on the same way you do in the morning. We aren’t that different, Ranger.”  

Thomas Gardmore blushed and chuckled. “I suppose so. I just wanted to give you an update after the events last night.”  

I raised my eyebrows and nodded, urging him to continue.  

“Frank was removed from the park and taken to Modesto, to a medical facility. He is locked up for now, but they are still treating his injuries. Most of his ribs were shattered by  the impact. Punctured lung. Broken arm. He is in intensive care. They expect him to make a full recovery, but he won’t be moving for a while. He is up on multiple charges.”  

“Is there anything I need to be concerned about, Ranger?”  

“What? No. You were defending yourself. We all saw him try to fire that weapon at you.” Ranger Gardmore paused, looked at his boots, then back up to me. “I was with Frank all this week. We patrolled that section of forest earlier this week. That trap wasn’t there.”  

I raised an eyebrow questioningly.  

“What I’m trying to say is that I don’t think Frank was working alone. Most of our Rangers are good people. Natives to this area. They wouldn’t hurt anybody. But there are a few I’m not sure of. I just wanted you to watch your back. News spreads fast in a place like this. I’ll try to get you any information I can...”  

The door opened behind me. Akasha came walking out, dressed in skin-tight sweats. The zipper on the front of her sweatshirt was only half pulled up, showing her cleavage. She smiled brightly and handed me a mug of coffee, then another to the Ranger. The Ranger stared at her. His eyes darted down to her cleavage, then back up to her face. He blushed as he took the coffee mug.  

“My-my Lady,” he stuttered. “Thanks.”  

I turned to Akasha and recapped the conversation for her. Ranger Gardmore sipped his coffee as he watched our exchange. Once I finished explaining, Akasha turned to him and smiled.  

“Sorry, Edgar kept you waiting out here,” Akasha said with a sly grin, “I was running around the house naked and needed to put some clothes on. Would you like to come in?”  

I snickered as Ranger Gardmore choked on his coffee. He nodded. Akasha opened the door and walked in. I followed her and held the door for the Ranger. He stepped in, looking around, his eyes a little wide.  

“I’ve been by this place a dozen times but never set foot inside. Wow. Not what I expected,” he said as he looked at the Dragon paintings on the walls, “though, with all the Dragon statues out front, I guess this isn’t a huge surprise.”  

Akasha led him into the living room and gestured to the sofa. I sat in one of the chairs while Akasha sat in another.  

“What can I do for you?” Ranger Thomas looked at her expectantly.  

“Well,” Akasha said with a sly grin, “We have some friends who just arrived recently, and we were wondering what your duties are as a Ranger, and how hard it would be for them to become Rangers themselves?”  

Ranger Gardmore sat back with a laugh. “Ranger duties? We have lots of them. Our Rangers are broken up into different specialties. Those specialties fall into four categories: Visitor Services and Education, Law Enforcement and Public Safety, Resource Management, and Administration and Coordination.  

“I’m with Resource Management. I spend most of my time helping to protect historic buildings, artifacts, and cultural landscapes here in Yosemite. Though I also get calls to work with wildlife. Like last night. We have some openings in our department, especially this time of year.”  

While Ranger Gardmore was explaining, Sydney came walking into the room from the dining area. The Ranger tipped his hat to her. “Mornin’ ma’am.”  

She was looking better, though still a little shaky on her feet. She sat on the edge of my chair. I put an arm around her waist. She leaned into me.  

“Are you feeling better?” I asked quietly as Akasha and the Ranger discussed his duties further.  

“Yeah, Akasha got me some toast and crackers. We left a box on the nightstand. She said I’ll need to start eating as soon as I wake up to fight off the morning sickness.”  

Ranger Gardmore turned to face us. “Morning sickness? Are you pregnant, ma’am?”  

Sydney blushed and nodded.   

“This is Sydney, our surrogate,” I said as an explanation. The Range blinked at me. I could see the gears turning in his head. He looked at Akasha, then back to Sydney and me.  

Akasha laughed softly. “It’s an old family hereditary condition.”  

“Oh.” The Ranger said, “I’m glad you got it sorted out then.”  

Just then, Amika and Anton came walking in, wearing comfortable sweats. They were holding hands as they went around the corner from the hallway. Akasha lit up as she saw them.  

“Ranger Gardmore, these are the friends I was talking about. Anton and Amika. Anton, Amika, this is Ranger Thomas Gardmore with the Yosemite National Park Ranger Service.”  

Ranger Gardmore stood and walked over to shake their hands. “I hear you two are interested in joining the Ranger Service?”  

Anton shook his hand, turned to Akasha and me, and blinked for a moment. “Yes,” he said when Akasha nodded. “Yes, we are.”  

Ranger Gardmore smiled broadly. “Got any skills related to park management?”  

Anton and Amika looked at each other. Anton turned back to the Ranger. “We are both skilled at working with people and animals. Opportunities to work outdoors are preferable.”  

“Great,” Ranger Gardmore said, “Come on down to the main office later, and we can get you some applications to fill out.”  

“Thank you,” Anton said with a smile.  

“If you folks don’t need anything else, I need to get back to work,” Ranger Gardmore said as he headed towards the front door. Akasha and I stood to walk him out. “If I hear anything else about the poachers, I’ll pass it on.” He said as he stepped out the door. Gardmore paused and looked around. Then smiled back at us. “Beautiful day for a hike. You folks have a good one.”  

“Poachers,” Amika said with a grimace.  

I nodded. “The Ranger doesn’t think the one the other night was working alone. He doesn’t think we are in any danger but wanted to pass on the word.”  

“Shall we get some breakfast before we take off?” Akasha said with a smile as she headed into the kitchen.  

Amika raised an eyebrow. Anton caught the glance and smiled. “We are going for a hike to North Dome, and around the northern section of this valley. Getting Sydney in shape in  for her pregnancy.”  

Amika’s eyes sparkled as she smiled. “I’ve always wanted to see Yosemite. I tried to visit more than once.” She paused, glanced towards Akasha. “The lands were warded against Dragons. I couldn’t cross the boundary into the park.”  

We walked into the kitchen together. Akasha was already fishing food out of the refrigerator. Bacon, sausage, eggs, and cheese. She glanced at us and smiled innocently.  

“Yes, I warded the lands against any visitors. Sorry Amika. I wasn’t in a visiting mood.” She smiled as she took the other woman’s hands in hers and squeezed them.  

“You can ward the land against other Dragons?” I asked as Akasha released Amika’s hands, pulled out two frying pans, and set them on the stove.  

“Yes, of course. When Lord Caine left, I put up the wards. I didn’t want anyone else here. I wasn’t ready to deal with another Dragon trying to claim me and my lands.” She shrugged as she started peeling pieces of bacon out of the package and setting them in the pan.  

“It wasn’t until you accepted the position as Dragon Lord that those wards were lowered.”  

“Oh,” I said, “But how did I get in then?”  

“I let you in.”  

“Right.” I scratched my head. Akasha winked at me. She laid the last piece of bacon in the pan, then walked over and took my hand.  

“If you really want to know how, I can show you later, but for now, can you help me with breakfast?”  

I smiled at her as she blinked those amber eyes up at me. “Of course.”  

I turned the heat on under the other frying pan and added some butter. I pulled down a large bowl and started cracking eggs into it. I pulled the whisk out of another drawer and whipped them while the butter melted. Once it was sizzling, I added more butter and poured in the eggs.  

“Anything we can do to help, my Lady, my Lord?” Anton asked.  

Akasha turned to Anton. “You can set the table, please.”  

“Gladly,” Anton opened the cabinet and started handing plates to Amika. The two of them set the table while I cooked the eggs, and Akasha flipped the bacon. She pulled out the first couple of strips and added a pile of sausage to the pan. Sydney sat at the table nursing a tall glass of orange juice.   

Sydney blinked at Anton and Amika. She stood. “Can I get you two something to drink? Coffee? Tea? Orange Juice? Water? I started a pot of coffee when I went downstairs. I can’t drink it, but it's ready if you want some.”  

“Oh,” Amika said with a shy smile, “Coffee would be great. Thanks.”  

Anton nodded. “Coffee for me too, please.”  

“Certainly,” Sydney said as she went, grabbed two mugs, and poured coffee into them. She carefully brought them back to the table. Then she poured a mug for Akasha and me. Sydney refilled her orange juice and sat back down at the table. Akasha carried over the plate with the bacon and sausage, and I bought another plate with a giant pile of scrambled eggs.   

The five of us sat in silence and ate the meal. Once breakfast was done, I collected the plates. Amika stood shakily and followed me into the kitchen. I paused, watched her walk with one hand on the counter to steady herself. Anton followed her.  

“Are you alright, Amika?” I asked as I set the dishes in the sink and started rinsing them. She grabbed the drying towel and smiled sheepishly.  

“Yeah. I’m fine. Still relearning how to walk after last night.” She took the first clean dish, dried it carefully, then handed it to Anton, who put it away.  

“Sorry about that,” I said as I washed the next dish.  

Amika laughed. “Sorry? Fuck me.” She put an embarrassed hand over her mouth. “Wait, no, you already did that.” She blushed darker. “I can’t stop saying stupid shit. You and Anton...” her voice trailed off as she watched him take the next dry dish and put it away. Her gaze was on his backside. Then she turned back to me and blushed again.  

“Damnit, my Lord,” Amika took the next dish with shaky hands. She dried it slowly and handed it to Anton. Then she stood with her eyes closed, taking several deep breaths. “You have nothing to apologize for, my Lord. Can we do it again, someday?”  

I washed the next dish and handed it to Amika. I looked into her eyes and saw a softly pleading look. She bit her lower lip as she took the dish in shaky hands, carefully dried it, and handed it to Anton.  

“Yeah, sure.”   

Amika’s eyes lit up. She bounced on the balls of her feet, then stopped, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes, looked at me for a moment, then smiled as she finished drying the rest of the dishes. Anton put away the last couple of dishes.  

Akasha came walking by with several boxes of granola bars and protein bars, headed for the foyer. I walked after her, plucked one of the boxes from her arms, and helped her start dropping bars into different backpacks. Akasha nudged my shoulder with hers as we finished.  

“Already agreeing to fuck Amika again?” she said playfully. I shrugged. “I think it’s very sweet of you.”  

Sydney came walking over with an arm full of water bottles. “Long as I get to watch this time,” Sydney said with a wink. She started handing water bottles to Akasha and me. We slipped them into the sides of the backpacks.   

Akasha stood and called into the house. “Anton? Amika? Are you ready to go?”  

Then she turned to me and laughed. “Go get dressed, you goof. You can’t be hiking in your bathrobe.”  

“Oh, right.”   

Then Akasha leaned over, grabbed the front of the robe, pulled it forward, and looked down the front. She laughed softly, then met my eyes while she licked her lips.  

“I’m going. I’m going.”  

I stood and walked up the stairs as Anton and Amika came walking to the door, dressed and ready to go.  

“Someone forgot to get dressed this morning,” Akasha said with a laugh.   

“I was answering the door!” I laughed as I went up and got dressed. When I came back down, everyone had their hiking boots and backpacks on. I hurried down, grabbed my boots, and slipped them on, tying the laces nice and tight. Then I hefted my backpack, tightened it down, and smiled.  

“Sorry to keep everyone waiting.”  

There were laughs, chuckles, several mentions of “don’t worry about it,” and we were off. We took the same path as the day before, winding around the property, meeting up with the trail, and hiking up towards Mirror Lake. Our pace was brusque, covering ground quickly enough that Sydney started to drop back almost immediately. Anton was pointing things out to Amika, while Akasha and I dropped back with Sydney.   

“Are you alright?” I asked Sydney as we walked. She nodded. Her stride grew longer as we kept moving.  

“Yeah,” She nodded, a soft smile on her face as she lifted her head and let the breeze blow her hair back. “Just needed a minute to stretch my legs. Feeling better already.”  

Sydney bumped shoulders with Akasha. “So, tell me, why don’t you have a jacuzzi or something for all these sore muscles I’m going to have from hiking?”  

Akasha laughed. “A jacuzzi? Never needed one. They are nice, but I never felt the need to get one. Not sure where we would put one.”  

Sydney shrugged. “It was just a thought.”  

Akasha winked at Sydney. “Who needs a jacuzzi when you can just ask Edgar to massage your sore muscles. I’m sure he would be happy to put his hands all over your body...”  

Sydney blushed. “Yeah, I’m sure. Though I'd probably end up with new sore muscles elsewhere.”  

Akasha smiled as she...