I awoke to the smells of bacon and sausage. I could hear them sizzling downstairs. The bed was so warm and comfortable. Sydney lay in my arms, her back pressed against my chest. I could feel her heart thumping slowly in her chest. I could smell the sex on her. The dried salt on her skin. Her hair was tussled and so beautiful. I inhaled the smell of her hair, and beneath that, I smelled her unmistakable scent. It permeated my being, seeping into my soul.
There was something else I could sense in her. The growing of new life in her belly. I blinked hard, surprised at the sudden awareness of that new life in her. I could not explain how I knew it was there but felt it. Sydney was pregnant. I knew she would not be showing for months, but I knew. I grinned. A baby. Our baby. I was going to be a father. Twenty seems young to be a father, but I was excited. All the things we could do and experience together.
I felt Sydney shift against me. Her ass pressed into my groin, and my body was happy to have her there. My cock stirred, growing, lengthening, and hardening. It poked into her ass. I shifted my position, slipping it between her legs. I figured this would be more comfortable for both of us. I felt her shift again, taking a deep breath. I knew she was awake before she turned to me.
“Morning love,” she whispered softly. She slid one hand down between her legs and tenderly touched the head of my cock. I shuddered in response to her touch. Sydney giggled.
“Morning, dear,” I answered. I could hear the bacon coming out of the frying pan downstairs. I kissed Sydney on the back of the head. I tightened my arms around her, pulling her against my chest. She sighed contentedly. “Breakfast is ready.”
“Do we have to get up?” Sydney asked. I could hear the pout in her voice.
I chuckled and nodded. Realizing she could not see me nod, I said, “Yes, if you want breakfast while it is still hot.”
“Fine,” she said with a giggle. I lifted the covers and crawled off the bed. I held my hand for her. Sydney took it and stood next to me. She wrapped her arms around me, pressing her naked body against mine. The runes across her body glowed faintly, then dimmed to their normal colors. I pushed her back to take a better look. Sydney frowned but took a step back, letting me look her over.
I bent over and ran a finger across the rune in her groin. The skin no longer looked red and angry. The rune was purple in color, but the flesh looked healed and healthy. I turned her around. Sydney made a small protest but humored me. The runes across the backs of her thighs and ass were all the same color. The flesh was healing but not scarring.
I stood. Sydney turned around and approached me, wrapping her arms around my waist. She pressed the line of her body against mine. My cock throbbed between us. Sydney giggled. She ran a hand down the length of my cock while looking up at me.
“Do we have to go downstairs?”
I chuckled and nodded. Sydney turned, one hand still lingering on the length of my cock as she walked away from me until, finally, her hand slipped off. She bent over, picked up her robe off the floor, draped it around herself, and walked through the open door. I blinked twice, walked over, picked up my robe, and followed her.
As I descended the stairs, I securely tied the robe around my waist. Sydney was already seated at the table with a heaping plate full of bacon, sausage, and eggs.
“How am I supposed to eat all of this?” I heard her ask.
I could hear the scowl in Akasha’s voice, “You will eat it because I am telling you that you will need the protein for the baby. You aren’t just eating for one anymore.”
As I walked past Akasha, she handed me a plate without looking. She was dressed in a similar robe, cut to match her body. Her silver hair danced as she moved through the kitchen. There was grace and elegance in her movements that made my heart skip a beat. The air around her seemed to shimmer with motes of light. I blinked hard, and they were gone.
“Akasha,” I said questioningly, “is everything alright?”
Akasha turned to me, and her face glowed with a healthy radiance I had never seen. She was gorgeous. Almost unearthly in her beauty. She danced across the room to me. Her smile sent a shiver down my back and made my cock twitch and throb beneath the robe.
As she got to me, she slipped her arms around my waist and hugged her body to me. I could feel the press of her ample bosom against my body. I could feel her firm nipples pressing against my chest. I inhaled and could smell the stale sweat on her body and the spicy tint of her sex. She grinned at me. Then she buried her face in my chest and inhaled deeply. She leaned back and looked up at me again, her smile even brighter.
“I feel better than I’ve felt in a thousand years.” She giggled like a schoolgirl. My heart bounced and thumped hard in my chest. She winked at me. “I have you to thank for this.”
Akasha took my hand and guided me to the head of the table. She pulled the chair for me and scooted it under me as I sat. Then Akasha kissed my cheek as she danced back to the stove and heaped another plate with food. Then she danced to the other end of the table and took her seat. She smiled happily at me as she sat.
I stared at her. Gone as the harsh taskmistress I had dealt with for the last 4 years. This was a changed woman. I shook my head, trying to clear the dream that this was. Surely, I was still dreaming. When I opened my eyes, Akasha was slipping a sausage into her mouth, sucking on it tenderly while staring at me. My cock throbbed so hard it hit the table with a solid thunk.
Akasha laughed so hard she spit her sausage out. Sydney blinked and looked from Akasha to me.
“What the fuck was that?” Sydney asked, pointedly.
Akasha reached out and grabbed the hunk of sausage she had spit out. She popped it back in her mouth, licking her fingers clean, then sucking the grease off them while meeting my eyes. Another shudder ran down my back. Akasha laughed again. Sydney looked at Akasha and laughed.
“Are you enjoying teasing him?” Sydney asked.
Akasha grinned and nodded.
Sydney looked at me. “Please tell me that noise was not your cock hitting the table.”
I met Sydney’s eyes and blushed. Sydney laughed and shook her head. I looked down at my plate and realized I was famished. I picked up my silverware and started eating. The room filled with the sounds of us eating an excellent meal. Once I was finished, I stood and collected the dishes. Sydney and Akasha watched me like I was something they were considering eating for dessert. It was not an entirely unpleasant experience.
As I washed the dishes, Sydney and Akasha talked. I listened in.
“Sydney,” Akasha started. “You will be living with us now.”
“I hoped you were going to say that. I have no idea where I would go after all this. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You will do your part to help maintain the house. You will also spend half your day writing everything you remember from those books you read. Then you will spend the second half of your day getting exercise. You need to be fit to carry that child. If it turns out to be a dragon, you will need all the strength you can muster.”
“What kind of exercises?”
“For starters, you will join Ed and me on our hikes through Yosemite.”
“I’ve always wanted to see these mountains. They are so breathtaking.”
“Oh, you will see every inch of this park. Places everyone gets to see, and some places no human has ever seen.”
After the dishes were done, I walked back to the table and took my seat. Akasha met my eyes and smiled again. Her face radiated incredible happiness. It was a look I did not remember seeing, but she wore it easily. I could not help but smile back at her.
“Last night, you asked me to be your Dragon Lord.”
“I did.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you are the king to my queen. You are my mate. My lover.”
“It means more than that.”
“It does.”
“Care to explain?”
Akasha sighed. Her eyes grew distant. “A dragon’s power, strength, and vitality are tied to the land they live in. And the people they care for. When you become a Lord or Lady, you commit to the well-being of all who live in your domain. Your very presence brings peace, tranquility, and harmony to the area.
“A mated couple, who are Lord and Lady, bring twice as much power to the area. The weather is more favorable. The crops are more bountiful. Animals are more docile. In the old days, the monsters would avoid the domain of a mated couple. Only entering when they had no choice.
“A Lord and Lady will feel the lives of all creatures in their domain. They will know when an illness comes and when danger is present. They will know when children are born. When longtime residents become ill or die.”
Akasha blinked, and her eyes refocused on mine. She smiled happily.
I opened my mouth, then closed it again. My throat was dry. I tried again. “That is a lot to take in.”
Akasha smiled. “It will come gradually. I’ll walk you through it. It has been a while, but I can teach you.”
Sydney looked from me to Akasha. “How do I fit in?”
Akasha blinked and looked at Sydney. She smiled sweetly. “You are our third. Our surrogate. Though, I think you deserve a new title—our Rune-Mother. There has never been a surrogate who gave birth and lived to tell the tale if the baby was a dragon. I do not know how you will fit in. You will be cared for and loved by all until the baby is born. Then we shall see.”
The unspoken words hung in the air: " If you live.” I pushed the thought out of my head. I had seen the runes of protection inscribed on her body. They were still working, and the faint glow indicated the power was still in them.
Akasha smiled sweetly at us both, “As much as I enjoy the smell of your sweat on my skin, I think a shower is in order before we go and meet the people of this domain.”
I blushed but met her gaze steadily. There was heat there. Heat and desire. “I would ask if you wanted to join me, but I fear we would use all the hot water before Sydney can shower. I’ll be quick. Promise”
Akasha turned and moved out of the room. Her steps were light and dancelike. I felt the heat on my cheeks as she moved out of the room. My cock throbbed. The thought of taking her in the shower, with the water pounding on our naked bodies was almost overpowering. I started to rise to follow when I heard Sydney giggling. I met her gaze and took my seat again.
“I don’t know if I should be jealous or simply amused,” Sydney said, her voice soft. There was no edge to it. “I’ll go with amused. Besides, I’m the one carrying the baby.”
Sydney ran her hand down over her belly. “Little Jacob. I feel you in there. You are going to be a big, strong dragon. Impress everyone with your strength and grace.”
“Jacob?” I asked.
Sydney turned to me and blushed. “I don’t know why I said that.”
“It’s okay. I think it’s a good name.”
Sydney smiled happily. Then she frowned. “Is she really serious about all those things she said? Lord and Lady? Like some medieval knight shit?”
I shrugged. “Yes. I do. And she can probably hear you, by the way.”
Sydney blinked wide eyes. “Really?” she whispered.
I shrugged. “I could hear the bacon sizzling in the pan when I woke up from upstairs.”
“That is crazy. What else do you hear?”
I closed my eyes and listened. “I can hear your heart beating and the creek outside. And birds. Lots of birds. More coming.”
“Birds?”
I opened my eyes and met Sydney’s gaze. “Yeah, I have no idea what that is about. Akasha just got out of the shower. My turn.”
I walked over and gave Sydney a light kiss on the forehead. She smiled brilliantly. My heart fluttered in my chest, a tingle running down my spine. I turned and went upstairs. Walking up the stairs, I heard Sydney moving around the kitchen. She wiped down the table and counters, then cleaned the stove.
As I entered the bedroom, I saw Akasha walking into the closet. She was completely naked, her ass shaking with each gliding step she took. I stopped in the doorway to watch. She seemed even more beautiful than before. How was that possible? Her hair was almost platinum in color. It sparkled in the light as it danced across her back. Had it always been that long before? It hung almost to her waist, a curtain of luxurious beauty that sparkled and seemed to move of its own accord. I started to follow her.
Akasha spun on her heels. Her hair whipped around her like a cloak. I stopped in place, transfixed by the beauty of her body. Her skin was smooth and flawless. Akasha’s eyes glowed with a soft amber color. There were no pupils, just the soft amber light filling them. Her ample chest bounced as she moved, her nipples taught, the shape perfect. Her stomach was flat and smooth, the muscles beneath flexing as she looked at me. Her groin was smooth, the perfect lips tight and small. Akasha’s thighs were nicely rounded, though the strong muscles were evident.
She planted her left hand on her hip and held up her right, waggling a finger at me. “Just where do you think you are going?”
My jaw unhinged. Akasha's musical voice danced along my skin, causing goosebumps. I wanted to wrap it around me like a cloak. She smiled, and I wanted to hug her and feel her flesh pressed against mine.
“I... Uh.” I stuttered, not sure what to say. She smiled again and giggled.
“No time for that now, darling. Take your shower. I’ll set out some appropriate clothes for you. We have a busy day ahead of us.”
I pouted. Akasha made a shooing gesture at me. I turned and walked into the bathroom. I undid the robe and hung it on the hook inside the door. I could feel Akasha’s gaze on my back. I wanted to run into her arms but knew she would not have me. When she had her mind set on something, there was no turning her from that.
I pulled the curtain back on the walk-in shower and stepped in. The water was still hot from Akasha’s shower. My shower was quick and efficient. I dried myself off and then stepped to the vanity. I combed my hair, then ran the razor over the stubble that had grown overnight. I heard Sydney in the other room. She stepped into the bathroom and slapped my ass playfully. I grinned at her in the mirror. She smiled back, then paused.
“Was your hair always that color?”
“Huh?” I looked in the mirror. The roots of my hair were going silver. I peered closer, spreading my hair with my fingers to take a closer look. There was no mistaking it; the roots were now silver. My hair had always been a rich brown.
“What the crap?”
Akasha came walking into the bathroom. She was wearing a flowing gown of green and gold. The sleeves were mesh, showing her dark, tanned skin. The pattern of green and gold played across her chest, with a deep cut down between her breasts, showing off her ample cleavage. The stomach had a cutout of mesh showing off her flat stomach. Thicker material played around her waist and thighs. It became mesh again just past the midline of her thighs, showing her incredible legs to great effect. Both Sydney and I stared at her, our jaws hanging open.
“What is the problem?” Akasha looked from Sydney to me. She grinned at me. “Your hair is changing color already?”
“What do you mean already?” I asked.
Akasha chuckled. “Your hair color reflects your station. If you ever take on a full dragon shape, the color of your scales will also match your hair.”
“My scales?”
“You are a dragon, love. What did you expect?”
“Why platinum?”
“I’ll explain while you get dressed. Sydney, hop your gorgeous little ass in that shower.”
Sydney blinked, opened her robe, and set it on the last available hook in the bathroom. The runes on her ass glowed softly as she stepped into the shower. I watched her hungrily as she closed the curtain. Akasha took my hand and led me into the bedroom.
“Dragons are typically born with bronze scales. As they take on their roles as protectors and lords, their scales shift to the color appropriate. Silver for protector. Gold for knights. Platinum for Lords/Ladies. On very rare...
