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Chapter 1

My eyes fluttered open as rays of early morning sunlight peeked in through the gap in the black curtains over my window, and my first conscious thought was it felt good to be back home in the Lunar Palace instead of in the terribly uncomfortable bed in Lord Calvin’s palace. I felt the warm, naked body of my wife, Alyona, curled up against my belly, but my back was surprisingly cool.

I rolled over to search for Isabella, and I found the Nepin on the edge of the bed as she stared across the room with a contemplative look on her face. Her sky-colored skin was bare, and her silvery wings glittered, even in the low light of morning. My gaze was caught by the gold, silver, and black tattoos that dotted her skin, and they left whirls and twists across her back that reminded me of the tribal tattoos popular back on Earth.

“Are you alright?” I whispered as I rubbed the bare skin at the small of her back. “It’s still early.”

“I’m just nervous,” Isabella admitted in a soft voice.

“About going back to Yrosa?” I asked.

“Yes,” she confirmed and dropped her chin to her chest. “I don’t want to disappoint you.”

“You won’t disappoint me,” I assured her as I slipped out of the blankets and wrapped my arms around her. “There is absolutely no pressure on you. We’re just going with you back to your home town. Everything else is on me, okay?”

“What if they ask you to leave?” Isabella worried, and she leaned her slender body against me.

“Then I’ll tell them no.” I shrugged with a smirk. “Alyona is the princess of Rahma, and I’m her husband. It isn’t unusual for us to visit the cities within our country.”

“That makes sense,” she murmured, though her body remained tense.

“Trust me,” I said and grinned. “I have a way with people. Besides, I’m very motivated to find the next Noble Spirit. We have to get the Breach closed, and we’re getting closer every day.”

The Breach was a deadly tear in the fabric of our reality, and if it weren’t for the king’s powerful seal, demons and who knows what else would have invaded and destroyed our world already. Closing the Breach was my highest priority.

“And you can help us do it,” Alyona added as she rolled over and sat up on her elbow. “We believe in you.”

“Why?” Isabella cocked her head to the side with genuine curiosity. “I don’t even have magic.”

“Neither do Aaliyah, Laika, and Rebecca,” my wife pointed out with a smile. “And they’ve found their own ways to help.”

“I suppose that’s true,” the Nepin agreed as she lifted her head.

“It is,” Alyona confirmed. “Besides, I know you have your own strengths. I can feel them.”

“You can?” Isabella’s sapphire eyes widened in surprise.

“Of course,” the princess giggled. “We’re bonded through our love for Lord Evan, and now, we also share love for each other. It’s a deep connection that reaches our souls. You can feel it, right?”

“Yes,” the Nepin said and closed her eyes. “I’ve never felt anything like it. It’s… like flying over the ocean and tasting the fresh air and feeling the warm sun on my face all at once.”

“I love that,” Alyona gushed. “Being able to fly must be amazing.”

“It is,” Isabella and I said in unison, and she laughed.

“And so is our bond, which is why I know you can do this,” the princess declared. “You can help us get to Yrosa, and I think you’ll even help us find the right person for the bond, even if you don’t realize it. And then we’ll be one step closer to closing the Breach and saving the world.”

“Saving the world,” the Nepin murmured. “That’s a big deal.”

“It is.” I smiled as I leaned back and took both women’s hands in mine. “And we’re just the family to pull it off.”

“I don’t know how my other family will feel about my new one,” Isabella remarked with a glint in her eyes. “Nepins don’t generally approve of harems.”

“I’d say we don’t have a typical harem,” Alyona countered and smiled. “Besides, how could they not love Lord Evan?”

“Well, he isn’t the man they wanted me to marry,” the Nepin scoffed as she rolled her eyes. “Lord Evan’s much more exciting… and handsome, of course.”

“Then I’ll have to show them I’m better than their choice.” I smirked. “Now, what about the rest of the city? Are they going to attack outsiders?”

“It’s unlikely,” she replied. “You’ll most certainly stand out, however. Yrosa is not exactly, ah, diverse. Anyone who doesn’t have blue skin will stick out like a sore thumb.”

“Great,” I muttered. “As long as they aren’t violent, I guess I can deal with being under scrutiny.”

“And you will be,” Isabella agreed. “Yrosa doesn’t get many visitors since it’s so far from everywhere else. It doesn’t have a port, so there aren’t any outsiders in that aspect, either.”

“Sounds rather isolated,” Alyona murmured with a frown. “Did you enjoy living there as a child?”

“Umm, I guess.” The Nepin shrugged and seemed lost in thought for a moment. “I really didn’t know how much the rest of the world had to offer. It was a fight over my arranged marriage that led me to go explore it. I found Leyte, and, well, you know the rest.”

“Then you’ll really enjoy our plans after Yrosa,” I chuckled. “We have to find the other Noble Swords, and the rest are past the Rahman borders. It will be quite an adventure.”

“I’d say so!” Isabella gushed, and her wings fluttered adorably behind her. “I can’t wait!”

“I’m glad to see you’re more excited than worried,” Alyona said with a smile. “Now, let’s get some breakfast. Baby and I are famished.”

“Well, don’t keep my son waiting,” I teased as I stood and began to get dressed.

A few minutes later, we headed downstairs to the dining hall, and it seemed we were the last to arrive.

“Good morning!” My adoptive parents, Ruslan and Julia, were already seated together near my chair at the head of the table, and my father waved with a grin.

“Morning, Pops.” I smiled back as I led Alyona and Isabella to their seats.

Lord Nikolaus, my fellow Noble of the Sword and best friend, had a mouth full of scrambled eggs, and he started to smile before he thought better of it. Instead, he gave a very noble wave and returned to his breakfast.

“My lord, I hope you slept well,” Laika said with a grim expression.

The wolf Demi-Human wore a blue tunic over brown leather pants held together with brown straps laced up the sides. Her broadsword was strapped to her back, and her gray eyes were narrowed as she held one hand to the gorget at her throat. She was the leader of the Blue Tree Guild, a group of warriors who spent most of their time on missions, but they’d been helping Valerra guard Hatra while we were gone.

“That doesn’t sound good,” I replied as I began to fill my plate. “What’s going on?”

“I just heard from Pyotr,” she answered in reference to her grandfather who had been leading the guild in her absence. “He said he needs some help with a mission in Oktara Forest.”

“Do you need to go with him?” Alyona asked with a note of concern.

“No.” Laika shook her head vehemently. “I wouldn’t leave your side, milady, especially with the child. Besides, he actually requested the dryads.”

The green-skinned sisters dropped their forks and looked at each other with surprise. Polina, Trina, and Marina were members of the Blue Tree Guild, but they had also left Hatra with us to work on closing the Breach.

“Us?” Polina pointed to herself and her sisters with a grin.

“We’ve been requested,” Marina joked with an upturned nose.

“Of course, we have,” Trina added and winked. “We’re awesome.”

“As is your nature magic,” Laika cut in with a smile. “Pyotr said it would be the perfect asset to accomplish the mission.”

“Are you sure we shouldn’t all just go?” I asked as I chewed on my lip. “I can help with nature stuff, too.”

“Lord Evan, we were warriors before we met you,” Polina pointed out with a gentle smile.

“Exactly, there’s no need to worry about us,” Trina agreed.

“I guess,” I grumbled, though I knew they were right.

When I’d first met the dryads, they were in the midst of a battle with a trio of stone giants a hundred times their size. I’d helped Laika and the dryads defeat the beasts, but they’d been holding their own until I got there.

“Ah, my lord, we’d like to go, too,” Aaliyah suddenly blurted out.

My gaze drifted over to the lioness, and she bared her long, yellow canines in a feral grin. Aaliyah was a warrior in her own right, and I’d seen the damage her extended claws could do to an enemy. Her golden eyes didn’t waver, though she tugged the end of her blonde braid as she waited for my response.

I looked to the bear Demi-Human who sat next to her, and Rebecca nodded her agreement. She’d shredded more than a few of our enemies since she joined our family, and she and Aaliyah had become quite avid partners on the battlefield. Rebecca stood nearly six feet tall and had taken to twisting her auburn hair back into the same long braid that her lion counterpart often wore.

And they were teaming up on me.

“Why do you want to go?” I asked carefully.

“It would be an adventure, my lord,” Rebecca answered with a shrug. “We go on adventures with you, of course, but this would be new and different. Plus, Laika and the dryads are our sisters, and if their guild needs help, we want to offer it.”

“Thank you, Rebecca.” Laika flashed the bear-woman a quick smile before she turned to address me. “They’ll have the guild mission group with them, my lord, so you don’t have to worry. Also, I think it would be interesting.”

“Interesting is not my favorite thing to let my women get involved with,” I grumbled. “What is this mission anyway?”

“A group of explorers went missing in the forest,” the wolf explained. “Based on the party who requested our help, it would seem the group is simply very inexperienced and likely got lost.”

“So, why the dryads?” I pressed.

“We can track them with our nature magic,” Trina answered.

“Yeah, we can sense changes within the natural environment,” Marina continued.

“We can show you that someday, too,” Polina offered with a smile.

“Alright,” I agreed after a moment of thought. “You can all go find them. I feel better about a rescue mission anyway.”

“Oooh, yay!” Aaliyah clasped her clawed hands together. “Thank you!”

“We’ll be back soon!” Rebecca added as they rose from the table.

“You better be,” I muttered.

Each of my lovers came to kiss and hug me goodbye before they scurried out the door to the Blue Tree Guild’s airship near the city gates.

“They’ll be okay,” Ravi assured me.

I looked over at the phoenix, and her blue eyes were bright with excitement. I could smell the remnants of smoke in the wisps of her orange hair that flowed down her shoulders in thick waves, and she popped a bite of a pink fruit in her mouth and flushed when my gaze dropped to her plump lips.

“Yeah, I’m sure they will,” I sighed. “I just hate not having my women around.”

“It’s your dragon instincts,” Valerra interjected. “They make it hard for me to stay here when you’re away, too, but my instinct to protect the eggs is even stronger.”

“Wait, wait.” I held up my hands, and my dragon mate sighed. “You mean… you miss me when I’m gone?”

Valerra’s golden eyes narrowed on me, and her skin nearly matched her crimson robes as she glared. She was one of my fiercest lovers, though she was not always so willing to admit it. She stayed behind on our missions to keep our egg and her sister’s egg safe. While closing the Breach was important, we had no idea if any other dragon eggs existed on Inati after the Sage had gone to such lengths to exterminate our species, so the future hatchlings in our possession were priceless.

“You know I do,” she finally muttered through clenched teeth.

“We aaaaall know you do,” Miraya giggled.

The spirit of the Sword of Healing covered her laughter with a dainty, porcelain hand. She’d grown accustomed to spending most of her time in the physical world with us instead of in my spiritual sea, and I was happy to see her sister Aine had taken to joining us occasionally as well. It made Miraya happy, which was all good with me.

“This soul bridge thing is both glorious and annoying,” Valerra grumbled as she went back to her meal.

“I think it’s always glorious,” Isabella chimed in with a smile. “I’ve never felt so much love, not even with my own family.”

“We’re your family now,” I reminded her. “So, you’ll always feel it.”

“Good.” The Nepin grinned and finished her eggs. “So, what are we going to do once we get to Yrosa?”

“Well, the first thing would be to figure out where the sword is,” I mused as I leaned back in my chair. “With Nike and I, that was easy enough. The lord of the city was in control.”

“Yrosa doesn’t have a lord,” Isabella replied with a furrowed brow. “They only have the Noble Council.”

“Let me guess,” Valerra said with a dry smile that showed her fangs. “A council made up of nobles?”

“You got it,” Isabella confirmed. “Seven noble families lead the city. It’s been that way for centuries.”

“It helps avoid dictators,” I offered. “We’ve come across a few of those.”

“And jealous siblings,” Naomi chimed in with a grimace, but then she tucked a stray wisp of magenta hair behind her ear and blushed.

The lizard mage referred to her brother who’d given her the scar that marked her eye. He’d been furious when he’d discovered their other brother had been chosen to lead her home city of Kana, and Naomi had been caught in the crossfire.

“That, too,” I agreed in a soft voice. “Now, who in the Noble Council has a warrior?”

“Or a knight?” Ruslan suggested.

“A guard, even,” Nike added.

“None of the noble families have children in the guard,” Isabella answered as she looked off into the distance. “In fact, I can’t think of a single one of them who’s shown any kind of ability to fight like you can.”

“We should be able to sense when we’re close to our sister,” Miraya pointed out. “Just like we can tell when our blades are nearby.”

“Perfect,” I said with a grin. “Then Isabella just needs to get us in to see the council, and you two can push us in the right direction from there.”

“Sounds like a good plan to me,” Alyona agreed.

“Then we’ll leave shortly,” I decided as I sat up to finish my plate. “I don’t think this one will be too difficult.”

“Don’t speak too soon, my lord,” Nike warned and waggled his finger. “You never know what we could run into.”

“Don’t jinx us now,” I chuckled.

A few minutes later, our plates were clean, and I was itching to get to Yrosa. The sooner we got this sword, the sooner we could bond, and I loved feeling my power grow every day.

“Please, be careful,” Julia murmured as we walked toward the great room to prepare to leave. “Lord Nikolaus is right. You never know what you might encounter.”

“I was pretty surprised by the lava-slinging hellbeasts,” I laughed. “I don’t know what could beat that.”

“Gods, Evan, you’re really trying to get some crazy creature to come after you,” Ruslan groaned as his fox ears flattened against his head. “Just promise your mother you’ll be careful.”

“Of course, I will, Mother,” I agreed as I wrapped her in a tight hug. “I have some kiddos coming soon, and I won’t miss out on that.”

“You better not,” Emma said and crossed her arms over her chest next to us. “They’re going to need their father.”

“Speaking of your children, have you heard from Mona recently?” Alyona asked.

As soon as she asked, I realized I hadn’t heard from the centaur queen in a few weeks. She’d been anxious to get pregnant with a daughter who would take her place on the throne of Lumin, and I’d been happy to provide her with the seed she needed.

“I’ll send her a message,” I replied before I turned and explained the situation to Aunt Emma. “If I hadn’t helped her, she may not have had an heir to the throne, which meant Lumin wouldn’t have anyone. Centaurs only have female leaders.”

“I’m both proud and astonished,” Emma laughed. “I can’t believe centaurs are real! I’d love to meet this Mona someday.”

“You will,” I promised. “For now, we need to get to Yrosa.”

As the women continued their goodbyes, I conjured one of my magical messengers in my palm. With a few words, I asked the tiny creature to find out how Mona was doing, and it zoomed off toward Lumin.

“I like having Emma here with me,” Valerra said suddenly, but when I turned to look at my dragon mate, she flushed and averted her golden eyes. “She… she can still stay, right?”

“Of course.” I smiled and decided not to tease her. “I think it’s good for both of you and the eggs.”

“Then I shall stay,” my aunt declared with a wide grin at her new bestie.

I wasn’t sure if I should be worried or thrilled with their blossoming friendship, but I decided to avoid extra worries right now.

“Let’s get the portal open.” I nodded to Alyona, who began the preparations for the spell.

“Unless the princess would like to remain here with us, too?” Emma offered. “With the baby and all, it might be safer here.”

I was torn.

On one hand, Emma could be right. Hatra had the bunker, a dragon, and the Blue Tree Guild available to protect Alyona should anyone attack the city. On the other hand, the idea of letting my wife stay so far away from me, especially with my child growing inside her, made me slightly sick to my stomach.

Luckily, Alyona didn’t give me a chance to make up my mind.

“I’d much rather go help,” she said in a resolute voice. “I know it’s probably safer to stay, but I always feel safe with Lord Evan, and I know he wouldn’t let anything happen to me. Besides, I know a thing or two about defending myself.”

Images of enemies flying across rooms and getting wrapped up in magical binding spells flickered through my head, and I grinned.

“Yeah, you’ve definitely handled your business,” I chuckled. “Anyway, it sounds like the hardest part about Yrosa will be figuring out who actually has the Noble Sword since Isabella said there really aren’t any warriors in the noble families.”

“I can think of at least one way to smooth the introductions,” Isabella chimed in. “Nepins love gifts.”

“Like what?” I wondered.

“Anything we think is fancy.” She shrugged, and her silvery wings fluttered behind her shoulders. “Gold, jewelry, gems, stuff like that.”

My mind drifted to the collection of such things I kept in my spatial storage. I had tons of those treasures stored safely in my magical lockbox, thanks to my dragon instinct to collect them. It was an insatiable desire, but the part of me that was raised as a human figured it wouldn’t be a big deal to take out a few things for the Nepins.

My inner dragon roared in obvious disagreement, but while I was now a dragon, I started life as a human, and I knew this was the best course of action.

“I can pull some things from my spatial storage,” I said. “A few things I don’t like as much.”

“You’d give up your treasures?” Isabella’s eyes widened in surprise. “I thought, ah, dragons didn’t really do that.”

“I’m not a typical dragon,” I reminded her with a smirk. “If it’s what we have to do, it’s what we have to do. I can always find more.”

“Maybe once this is all over, we can go on a big treasure hunt for you,” Laika offered. “I’ve heard of a few hidden treasures you might like.”

“Ohhhh, that would be so fun!” Ravi chirped.

“Yes, it would,” I agreed as my inner dragon preened himself in satisfaction. “I think that would make up for the few treasures I lose today.”

“Then that’s our next adventure,” Alyona said with a grin. “Treasure hunting.”

“I’m sure our little one will like it, too.” I winked at my wife, and she giggled as her hand grazed her small belly.

“So, we’re all set?” Nike wondered.

“I’ll get the jewels from my spatial storage when we’re ready,” I answered. “It won’t be a problem.”

“Then we should get moving,” he replied. “It’s well into morning, and we might have to search all day for the sword.”

“Yep, let’s do it,” I said. “Is the portal ready?”

“Well, I was thinking we should just portal into the city,” Isabella said as she curled a silver hair around her finger. “We could get straight into my parents’ house and avoid any confrontations at the gate, just in case. The guards are likely to have dozens of questions, so we can just skip that step.”

“You don’t think your parents will mind?” I asked uncertainly.

“I think you could show up at the front door in your fanciest robes and a box of chocolates, and they would only be happy the sweets arrived.” Isabella rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “They’ll be fine.”

“It’s not your parents he worries about,” Laika explained. “He’s concerned with one of us getting hurt, should we get attacked.”

“Oh, gods, no!” the Nepin gasped, and her wide eyes turned to me. “My parents aren’t the attacking type at all. They’ll be much more worried than violent.”

“I can handle worried.” I smirked as I led everyone outside. “I’m sure it’ll turn out well.”

“I hope so,” she mumbled, and I knew she was back to worrying about her success in our mission.

“If Lord Evan is certain, you should be, too,” Naomi announced. “He’s made it through a lot of tough spots and always comes out on top.”

“Okay,” Isabella agreed, and the waver in her voice had dissipated.

“The portal is ready,” Alyona announced.

So, after another quick round of goodbyes, we were ready to leave Hatra once again.

Alyona moved her finger in a wide circle in front of us, and the sparking electricity of her pure white magic crackled through the air. Then the portal to Yrosa opened ever so slightly until it had finally reached the size large enough for each of us to walk through.

As we walked through the portal, my boot landed on a floor made of thick, red wood, and I could smell the ocean less than a mile from where we now stood. I looked around the room, and I noticed it mostly contained boxes, trunks, and stacks of yellowing papers. It seemed like we’d landed in the attic Isabella’s parents used for storage.

“Oh, wow,” Ravi breathed. “There are a lot of, uh, unique things here.”

“Like this!” Miraya whispered as she held up a small box filled with vials that contained a smooth, blue liquid. “What is it?”

“My father is the city’s shaman,” Isabella answered. “It could be one of many things he brewed for that purpose. Without magic, we can’t just heal each other.”

“Fair enough,” I murmured. “Now, where are your parents?”

“Mother is likely at the shelter,” the Nepin explained. “She spends most of her days there with the children who struggle at home. My father is probably at city hall to talk about the building bid for a new library. So, we can go downstairs with no problem before we hit the town.”

“Great,” I said before a creak caught my attention. “What was that?”

“I-I’m not sure,” Isabella answered in a soft voice, and she inched closer to my side. “It sounded like a footstep, but there shouldn’t be anyone else here.”

“I’ll check it out,” I murmured. “Stay close.”

I crept through the attic door and down the stairs to a second story. To my left was a hallway with at least four closed doors, and straight ahead were more stairs to continue to the first floor. Something told me to check the bedrooms, and I tiptoed down the hall with a hand on my sword.

I pushed the first door open, and there was a gentle groan as the wood swayed open to reveal an empty bedroom. A single bed, a dresser, and a painting of the ocean made me think it was a guest room, and then I heard a thump from further down the hall.

I motioned for everyone to follow me as I pushed through to the last door on the left. I pressed my ear to the wood, and I could hear a subtle thumping sound, followed by heavy breathing.

Then I twisted the knob, and my mouth dropped open.

Two Nepins were tied up in the corner.

Chapter 2

“Oh, my gods!” Isabella gasped as she rushed past me toward the couple on the floor. “Mother! Father!”

“What happened?” I demanded and knelt beside the Nepin to free her parents. “Who did this to you?”

Isabella’s mother’s eyes were wild as she yanked the cloth from her mouth and took a shaky breath.

“Mother, please, we can help you,” Isabella begged. “Just tell us who did this.”

“I don’t know who they were,” her mother finally answered, but her eyes darted over to me with suspicion. “They weren’t Nepins, and I haven’t heard them leave.”

“Shit,” I muttered and looked over at Nike. “We need to check it out.”

“Why would we let you roam our house?” Isabella’s father huffed. “For all we know, you’re with them.”

“They’re not, Papa,” Isabella assured him. “I’ll explain everything once we’re safe.”

Before they could argue any more, Nike and I unsheathed our swords and rushed out of the room. We checked the other rooms in the hall, but they were all empty.

Then I heard a hushed whisper from downstairs, so we looked at each other and nodded. Whoever had broken in and tied up Isabella’s parents was down there, and we weren’t about to let them get away.

We moved silently down the steps and gripped our blades, and as we rounded the bottom of the staircase, I caught a flash of movement. I stormed into what appeared to be the living room just as a robed intruder dropped a wooden box on the floor. The wood splintered as soon as it landed, and both of us looked down for a second before I swung my sword and aimed for his head.

The intruder ducked the blow and rolled to my right before he murmured a few words under his breath. Suddenly, a thick, white fog filled the room like he’d set off a smoke bomb, and I grunted as I tried to wave it out of my vision.

“I can’t see the other one!” Nike called out, and I felt the movement in the air as he entered the foggy room.

“Me, either,” I growled as I wracked my brain for a solution. “Can you use your sword to get rid of it?”

“I think so,” he murmured. “Close your eyes.”

I squeezed my eyes shut as a burst of light lit up the room, and even through my eyelids, I could tell the light was as bright as the sun and felt just as warm. As soon as the light was gone, I opened my eyes to see the fog had almost dissipated in the heat of his sword’s light. The room wasn’t very big, but it had high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows that made it look even bigger. I could see all of it better without the fog, though I didn’t see the little bastards who had thrown the magical smoke bomb.

“Nice,” I remarked as I looked around. “But where did they go?”

“Right here!” a voice hissed from behind us.

We whirled around to see a pair of intruders, and one of them had a small satchel wrapped around his chest.

“Ah, thanks for making it a little easier on us.” I smirked. “You can surrender now or deal with whatever we give you. Which one is it going to be?”

“We have magic!” one of the men warned.

“You think you’re the only ones?” I chuckled. “Think again.”

Before they could utter another word, we charged.

I thrust my sword forward and nicked my target’s arm as he shimmied out of my path. I didn’t stop moving, and I swung the blade around to take him at the knees. He jumped over my sword and landed on wobbly legs as he tried for a jab to my ribs, but I easily blocked the shot with my left hand and brought the handle of the sword up into his gut.

The masked intruder sucked in a gasping breath as the handle connected with his solar plexus, and I followed the blow with a quick burst of petrification magic to his face.

He immediately stiffened and fell to the side in a petrified heap, and I turned to see Nike had taken on the mage. He dodged everything the bandit threw at him, but he couldn’t get close enough to strike back with the Sword of Light.

By now, we’d made our way into the dining room, and the mage leaped up onto the table as he continued to toss a series of magical orbs at Nike. The noble slashed his sword through them before they connected, and I started to help him out when a crash back behind us caught my attention.

“Go!” Nike yelled. “I got this!”

I furrowed my brow before I whirled around and sprinted back into the living room. A third intruder had thrown aside several things from the family’s bookshelf, and now, he held up a metal disk and examined it in the light. He looked no bigger than the dwarves I’d met in Colaruma, though he was just as stocky.

“Hey!” I bellowed as I lowered my shoulder and tackled the man.

“What the--!” he grunted.

We rolled across the floor, and I felt my sword start to slip out of my hand as he grabbed one of my wrists. I shoved back, and he dropped the metal disk. It clattered across the wooden floor, and the man’s eyes widened as he searched the room for his prize. I took advantage of the distraction and ripped my arm from his grasp before I brought my elbow down onto his nose. I heard the distinct crack of breaking cartilage, and he howled in pain.

I rolled away, and I jumped to my feet as he tried to crawl away from me with blood dripping out from under his mask. I realized he was making his way to the disk on the floor, and I swung my leg back and kicked him square in the ribs with the toe of my boot. His hands and knees left the ground for a second, and he landed with another groan.

“That’s not yours,” I growled before I stepped over his back and squatted low enough to wrap my arm around his neck. “Tell me why you’re here.”

“N… Never,” he choked out.

“You’ll regret it.” I smirked as I tightened my grip until I felt his body go limp underneath me.

I reached down and picked up the metal disk he’d found and tucked it into my pocket. I wasn’t sure what it was or why he wanted it, but I’d soon find out.

It seemed only one of the three men had magic, and it sounded like Nike was still dealing with the bastard in the dining room. I dragged the unconscious wannabe burglar into the room just in time to duck under a bright yellow orb that sailed across the room and crashed against the living room wall behind me.

The mage now floated above the dining table, and he continued to launch various-colored orbs at Nike before he realized I was back. He threw one at me, and I activated my fire shield to block the shot. The orange ball crashed into my shield, and I expected to have to hold back its power, but it fizzled and melted to the floor with a plop.

Okay, so this guy really didn’t have a lot of power, just a lot of colors. Time to educate the rainbow boy.

I called back the fire shield and summoned my web magic. Then I shot two webs at the mage’s feet, and the webbing wrapped around his boots and pinned them to the ceiling. The rest of his body flipped to hang upside down, and his brow furrowed in anger.

“Hey!” he shrieked as he tugged at his feet and tried to release the webs’ hold. “Let me down!”

“Not a chance,” I retorted. “I might just roast you instead, actually.”

“Roast me?” the intruder gasped.

“Yep, melt that mask right onto your face.” I shrugged as I climbed up onto the table below him. “Then you won’t have to worry about finding a new one for your little heists.”

“Y-You don’t h-have to,” he stammered.

“Oh, I like it,” I whispered as I put my palm against the side of his head and let the heat warm my skin. “Now, one of you is going to tell me what the fuck you’re doing here. And you have about five minutes to decide which one.”

I grabbed the mask, ripped it off his face, and tossed it to the ground. My captive looked like a young snake Demi-Human, and his yellow eyes darted around the room as he searched for an exit before they landed on his friends who laid petrified and unconscious on the floor. I hopped off the table and let him watch me grab the satchel from his buddy. Then I opened it, but I wasn’t sure what to think when I realized it was empty.

I started to walk toward the stairs to give everyone the all-clear when Naomi peeked her head around the corner.

“Looks like you handled them,” she observed with a grin as she looked up at the snake dangling above us.

“Yeah, just need the other two tied up,” I said. “Do you mind?”

“Sure,” the lizard mage agreed.

With the flick of her wrist, black coils of magic wrapped around the other two burglars as I pulled out two of the dining chairs. Then Naomi guided the two men into the chairs and tied the magical coils around them. I pulled off the other men’s masks, and I was slightly surprised to see the purple hair and black eyes of a Mesic.

The only other Mesic I’d met was Cia, one of the girls who worked in the fields back in Hatra. She’d been quiet and kind, and I realized I didn’t know much about their race.

The other bandit was human, and he also looked young. I felt like I was looking at a group of teenagers that had tied up this poor couple and tried to rob them blind.

I healed the petrified human, and he shook himself awake to open his startled green eyes.

“Oh, gods,” he groaned. “Oh, we’re dead. Soooo dead.”

“It’s still a distinct possibility,” I growled. “I’ll give you the same deal I gave your buddy. You have five-- well, make that four-- minutes to tell me what I want to know before I get it out of you myself.”

I turned my back to the bandits and faced Isabella and her parents with my lovers right behind them.

“W-Who are they?” Isabella’s mother asked as she gnawed her fingernails. “I’ve never seen any of them before. Oh, gods, is that a Mesic?”

“I believe so.” I nodded. “But you’re certain neither of you know them?”

“Not at all,” her father replied with a frown. “We never leave Yrosa, and only Nepins live here. We wouldn’t know them from anywhere else.”

“And why would they even want to rob us?” her mother wondered. “We don’t have money or gold. We lost the dowry we did have.”

She shot a glaring look at Isabella, who dropped her head to her chest. That must be the husband she decided she didn’t want to marry.

“So, you have absolutely nothing of value in your home?” I pressed. “They trashed all the rooms down here to look for things, which seems a little odd given you aren’t a noble family or have any treasures.”

“I agree,” Isabella’s father boomed. “Perhaps they had the wrong information about a house to rob since they obviously aren’t from here.”

“Oh, that would make sense,” his wife agreed. “There are just so many things going on. I’m feeling very overwhelmed.”

“Isabella, you need to explain the strangers you brought to our home,” her father said as he supported her mother. “This is all outrageous!”

“Father, this is Lord Evan,” Isabella answered as she stepped past them to stand next to me. “These are my parents, Rocia and Mel. Mother, Papa, I have joined Lord Evan’s family, and we came to Yrosa on a mission.”

“His family?” Her mother’s eyes widened as she sagged even more against her husband. “Oh, gods, our daughter is a consort.”

“It’s not like that,” I chuckled. “I promise. We do, however, have a mission to complete, so thank you for allowing us into your home.”

“You didn’t give us much choice,” Mel muttered as he looked down at his feet. “You appeared in the attic.”

“That’s true,” I agreed as Ravi, Miraya, and Laika stifled their smiles. “But nevertheless, here we are. Now, back to this burglar thing. I’m going to ask them why they came here, but I need you to be certain you don’t have anything they would want.”

“Lord Evan, you seem like the type of person who can tell if a person is being dishonest,” Mel replied with a smirk. “So, please, understand that when I say we have nothing of value, I mean it.”

“Strange,” I murmured as I pulled the metal disk from my pocket. “Do you know what this is?”

As I held it out for them to see, I realized it was actually a very intricately designed piece of art. It featured dotted lines and swirls similar to Isabella’s tattoos, which I noticed her parents had as well, and at various intervals along the edge were small blue stones that reminded me of turquoise back on Earth. It was an exquisite design, and the Nepins’ stared at it with complete disbelief.

“It’s ours,” Isabella’s mother finally said. “Of course, we know what it is.”

“Well, the Mesic had it when I took him down,” I explained. “So, is there any reason they’d be trying to steal it?”

“It’s priceless.” Her father took the disk from my hand and gently laid it in his palm. “A family heirloom from back when my ancestors left the fairy tribe. How did they even know we had this?”

“I guess I’ll add that to my list of things to find out.” I shrugged and started to turn around to face my prey before I paused and glanced at the Nepins. “You may not want to see how I get my information.”

“Oh, gods,” Rocia groaned and turned to press her face to Mel’s chest.

He nodded to me and held his wife’s head against his body, so she couldn’t see.

Then I turned and stood in front of the three intruders.

“Alright, who’s decided to be honest with me?” I asked in a thunderous voice.

“N-No one,” the snake Demi-Human stuttered and crossed his arms over his chest as he continued to dangle above me. “Y-You might have s-some magic, b-but you can’t m-make us talk.”

“Some magic?” I quirked an amused eyebrow at the snake. “Here’s how this goes. I ask you a question, and my magic pulls it out. How easy or hard it is on you depends on if you fight the truth or not. Got it?”

“Whatever,” the Demi-Human sneered.

“Why did you come here?” I asked as I called on the nature magic I learned from the Sola fairies.

I felt the surge of energy from the ground below me as nature answered my call. The blue-green coils of magic burst from my hands and rocketed toward the snake’s open mouth, and he gasped as they slipped inside and reached for the truth that dwelled inside him.

“To steal something!” he screeched when the coils pulled it out.

“Wow, so tough,” the human snorted. “I bet it didn’t even hurt.”

“Here, you can have a turn.” I smirked as I turned around and held out my hands. “What did you come to steal?”

My nature magic poured from my hands and ripped between the human’s tight lips as his eyes widened in fear. Then he fought the spell.

His screams of pain and rage echoed around the dining room, and he fought at the bindings as he tried to resist the magic. I knew the magic would pull at the truth until he finally released it, and he was stubborn enough to withstand the pain for a few seconds, but he finally gave in.

“The ancestry relic!” the human screamed as blood dribbled over his lips. “That thing you were holding, that’s what we came for.”

“Why?” I demanded.

He hesitated, and I raised my palms again to use my magic, but he shook his head.

“No, I’ll tell you, just don’t do that again, okay?” he begged. “We aren’t the only ones here, I know that. And we were all given an item and a location. That’s it.”

“Who gave you the information?” I pressed as I leaned in closer. “I need to know all of it.”

“Just some guy!” the young man wailed.

“None of us know his name,” the Mesic offered. “He never told us. He just gives us an item and a place, we take it, he pays us. That’s the deal.”

“You’ve done this before?” Rocia finally lifted her head in shock.

“A few times.” The Mesic shrugged and looked away. “We only tie people up when they’re home. We can usually sneak in and out, no problem.”

I eyed the captives for a moment before I motioned for everyone else to follow me into the dining room.

“I think this may be exactly what we needed,” I mused.

“For what?” Alyona wondered.

“For our way in with the nobles,” I explained. “Listen, if they’ve been doing this for a while without getting caught, then we’re the only ones who know about them. So, we can present them to this Noble Council and use that connection to find the person we came here for.”

“Who did you come here for?” Mel asked with narrowed eyes.

“Don’t worry about that,” I replied. “You store your family relic somewhere safe, and we’ll handle the rest.”

“Well, I think we should go with you to city hall,” Rocia interjected.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Laika argued and frowned.

“If you think the Noble Council will simply take you at your word, you are mistaken,” she insisted. “You’ll need more than our daughter to verify what you’re telling them.”

I mulled that over for a few moments before I glanced at Alyona, who nodded her agreement.

“Okay, you can come with us, but don’t get close to the prisoners,” I warned. “Only one of them has some kind of magical abilities, but I don’t know enough about the other two to trust them. Deal?”

“Of course, Lord Evan,” Rocia agreed.

“I’ll go take care of this and be right back,” Mel said as he held up the ancestry relic before he disappeared up the stairs.

“Let’s get these three ready to travel,” I chuckled.

A few minutes later, Naomi and Alyona had all three men bound and ready to float behind us as we made our way out the door.

When we walked outside, I got my first real glimpse of the city of Yrosa. The buildings were made of a dark red wood, and they reminded me of log cabins back on Earth. Most of them were at least two stories high with the same tall windows I’d noticed in Isabella’s parents’ house, and the road was merely flattened dirt surrounded by lush green grass around each building. It looked like a campground in the middle of a forest, though the trees within the city were sparse. I figured they used the trees for their houses, since the trunks were the same deep-red color.

We followed Isabella and her parents through the city, and dozens of blue-skinned citizens watched us with bewildered caution. No one dared to ask what was going on, and I could see Isabella hadn’t been exaggerating about the few number of visitors to Yrosa. The people seemed absolutely shocked to see anyone besides other Nepins within its walls, and the three captives who floated along behind us probably didn’t help.

A few minutes later, we arrived at a long wooden building with a sheet metal-type roof and green double doors in the center. Two Nepins stood guard on either side, and they eyed us with wariness as we approached.

“State your business,” one of them said and tightened the grip on his staff.

“My name is Lord Evan, and this is my wife, Princess Alyona,” I declared with a sweeping gesture toward her. “We need to see the Noble Council.”

“Your Highness!” the other guard gasped as he dropped to one knee, and the other guard quickly followed suit. “My lord, it is an honor to have you both in our city, but I’m afraid the council is currently in session.”

“Good, then they’re all here.” I smirked as I continued toward the door. “We have a few things to discuss.”

The guards looked at each other skeptically before they pushed open the doors to let us inside, and I breezed past them and looked around the wide-open room. The wood floors were polished to a perfect sparkle, and the walls were devoid of any kind of decoration. There were two doors on the wall to the left, one door straight ahead, and another set of double-doors to the right.

“They meet in there,” Isabella said as she pointed to the double-doors. “I’ve never, um, been inside, so I don’t know if you need to, ah, knock or something?”

“Nah,” I chuckled as I strode across the room and threw the doors open. “Good morning, Noble Council!”

Two female Nepins and five males whirled around to face us with looks of shock and fear. They all seemed to be around the same age as Isabella’s parents, and they had the same series of dots and lines tattooed on their bodies.

“What is the meaning of this?” one of the women shrieked and pressed a blue hand to her chest. “Guards!”

“They let us in, don’t worry,” I assured her. “I’m Lord Evan, and this is my wife, Princess Alyona. I’m sure you can see why they allowed us to interrupt your meeting.”

“Oh!” One of the Nepin men slid out of his chair to bow to us. “You grace us with your presence, Your Highness.”

I motioned for Naomi and Alyona to deposit the captives on the floor, and the trio landed with a thump.

“You seem to have a bandit problem,” I declared. “These are three we caught in Rocia and Mel’s home this morning.”

“Bandits?” one of the other men echoed with a frown. “How do you know that if you’ve only just arrived? We’ve never had bandits here!”

“Well, we caught them in the act,” I retorted. “I can’t help it if they were dumb enough to try to steal from the house we portaled into. And they said they aren’t working alone.”

“This is insane!” another woman screeched. “How do we know you’re even who you say you are? Maybe you’re the ones who brought them here!”

“You think we brought our own bandits?” Naomi arched a magenta eyebrow at the woman. “That’s ridiculous.”

“If we brought them, why would we deliver them to you?” Laika pointed out as her furry gray ears twitched in annoyance.

“To gain our trust,” the woman insisted and crossed her arms over her chest. “We obviously wouldn’t easily trust outsiders.”

“And what would be our goal?” I was almost amused with this ridiculous line of questioning.

“To steal from the Noble Council families, of course,” she retorted. “We are the ones with multiple treasures, after all.”

“Then you should probably do an inventory check,” I chuckled.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” the woman demanded.

“These intruders told us they have been here before and successfully left with the items they stole,” Alyona explained in a gentle tone. “If you have as many treasures as you indicated, they may have already taken something without you noticing.”

“Oh, gods,” the council woman groaned and slumped back into her chair.

“Besides, the princess of our country wouldn’t be involved in such matters,” one of the Nepin men said in a matter-of-fact voice before he turned to look at Alyona. “Right, Your Highness?”

“Indeed,” she murmured and offered him a smile. “Neither would my husband, though apparently, word has not reached your city about the wonderful work he’s already done for Rahma. If you had, you would never suspect him, either.”

“We can confirm Lord Evan helped us dispose of these criminals,” Mel said as he stepped forward to stand next to me. “He and his, ah, companions arrived just in time to prevent them from stealing our family heirloom.”

“And we made sure to bring the culprits straight here, so we could work with the council to find the rest of their group before anyone else is hurt or robbed,” Isabella added.

“I see,” the female council member murmured as she rubbed her chin in thought. “This is certainly an interesting situation, unlike any other we’ve experienced.”

“I can understand that,” I said with a smile. “I can promise you I have no evil plans for your city. As the son-in-law of the king, I’m only here to help.”

The nobles began to lean in and whisper to each other, and I started to tune in when Miraya grabbed my hand, so I turned away from the council to listen to her instead.

“My lord,” she said in a soft voice. “My sister, she’s here.”

“In the room?” I asked.

“No.” The spirit shook her head. “But close by. I can’t quite reach her to ask where exactly. I’m not sure why yet.”

“Like maybe the sword is hidden,” I mused.

Someone in this room was likely the Noble of the Sword, but I didn’t see anyone who called out to me. The council looked like a bunch of sissies if I was being honest, and I wouldn’t ask a single one to join me in battle. I glanced over at Nike, and he seemed to be just as unimpressed as I was, so I wondered if Aine had also told him the other spirit was close.

My first instinct was to ask who had the sword, but they’d already shown their lack of trust even with the gift of catching the bandits. I’d have to show them I meant business, so I tuned in my dragon hearing to their huddled conversation.

“He brought us the criminals,” one of the men insisted quietly. “Surely, that’s a good sign.”

“But why are they here in the first place?” another one asked with a slight shudder. “Have we angered the king?”

“That’s silly, Nolan, the princess doesn’t go around the kingdom doling out punishment,” a woman pointed out. “She wasn’t even seen for ages.”

“Then we really don’t know what they could be up to, Morgan,” the first man insisted. “This could cause quite a commotion for Yrosa.”

A lightbulb clicked on in my head.

They were more worried about why Alyona and I were here than they were about the bandits. It was obvious they rarely had visitors, but it was terrifying to them that the princess and future king had arrived without announcement.

“Okay, listen,” I interrupted their discussion, and seven silver-headed Nepins whirled to face me. “I can tell you’re upset about our appearance, which I understand, but I’ve vowed my allegiance to Rahma and her people, which means I’m here to help. I’d like to help you stop these thieves and figure out who is behind it.”

“What do you mean?” the man I’d heard called Nolan asked, and he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“These three admitted to taking orders from a leader,” I explained as I gestured to the tied-up bandits. “I can find out who that is.”

“Why would you do that for us?” Morgan asked. “You are married to the princess, which means you are likely to take the throne in coming years. What is your business with Yrosa?”

“My business is making sure my people are safe,” I answered easily. “With a group of thieves running around your city, I’d call that decidedly unsafe, so I’ll solve your problem. Once we’re finished, and I have the culprit, I’ll ask for your help with my problem.”

“You came here for a problem of your own?” she asked with raised eyebrows.

“That I need your help with, yes,” I clarified. “And I’ll explain everything once we have this bandit thing under control. Do we have a deal?”

Morgan looked at the other female Nepin warily, and the two leaned in for more hushed conversation. The men quickly joined in, and I resisted listening in again as they conferred about my offer.

“Do you think they’ll accept?” Nike asked under his breath.

“They’d be stupid not to,” Laika grunted. “We have to find the sword either way, so they might as well get our help out of the deal.”

“True, but they seem very suspicious of us,” I pointed out.

“Because almost none of them have ever met someone who wasn’t a Nepin,” Isabella chimed in. “I was the first in many years to venture into another city because we were always taught not to trust outsiders.”

“What made you decide to go anyway?” I wondered.

“Curiosity,” she giggled, and her mom shot her an annoyed look. “Well, it was. I always felt so confined here, and I had no desire to marry that insipid fool they’d chosen.”

“Maurice is not insipid,” Rocia argued with a frown. “He is a gentleman.”

“Mother, he didn’t know how to hold a conversation for more than thirty seconds without running out of things to say because he has no interests besides working at the mill,” Isabella sighed. “He was so… utterly boring.”

“Sounds like someone else I know,” I chuckled with a wink at Nike.

“I have no idea who you mean,” he scoffed before he grinned.

Nike’s grandfather had intended for him to marry an incredibly boring closet psycho named Margaret, but we’d taken care of that betrothal thing a few days ago in Leyte. Now, Nike was free to marry whomever he wanted, which meant he wasn’t stuck with that stick in the mud.

My women giggled as we all remembered Margaret, though Isabella’s parents didn’t seem very amused.

Then Morgan cleared her throat, and we all looked up to see the Noble Council rise from their huddle and face us again.

“So, you will rid our city of these thieves, and we will help you with a problem,” she said carefully. “There is nothing more you will require of us?”

“Nope.” I shook my head and grinned. “No punishment coming down from the king of Rahma. Just me and my family trying to find something, and one of you can help us.”

The Nepins looked at each other again with a bit of apprehension.

“We will accept your offer,” Nolan finally said. “You’ve already proven to be a worthy opponent to the thieves, so it seems likely you could find the rest and their leader.”

“Great,” I replied. “I won’t let you down, and I know you’ll be helpful to me once the job is done.”

I turned to face my people, and they all looked at me with a sense of excitement.

“Now what, my lord?” Isabella wondered.

“Now, we hunt down some thieves,” I growled.

Chapter 3

I started to usher my people out the door when Morgan cleared her throat again, and I turned around to look at her.

“What do we do with the, ah, other ones?” she asked as she scrunched up her nose and looked down at the three captives bound on the floor.

“Don’t you have a dungeon or a jail or something?” I asked.

“Oh, yes!” Nolan confirmed with a grin. “I’ll have to find the keys, though.”

“I can help you,” the other woman offered.

“Okay, we’ll be back when we have the situation handled,” I told them. “Until then, try to keep track of your valuables.”

I turned around and followed my group out into the lobby as the Noble Council stared with open mouths. My party gathered together, and Isabella’s parents looked at each other with obvious worry.

“Do you, um, need our help?” Mel asked after a moment.

“No.” I shook my head and gestured toward the door. “You two can go home and clean up. We’ll handle it from here.”

“Come on, Izzy,” Rocia said as she reached for her daughter’s hand.

“I’m helping Lord Evan,” Isabella replied and pulled her hand out of her mother’s grasp. “I’m not going with you. I’ll come check on you later.”

“Isabella,” Mel hissed. “You don’t need to follow him around the whole time. Besides, despite your… situation, I’m sure we could still find you a decent husband. All is not lost.”

“She doesn’t need a husband,” I snarled and stepped between them. “She has me now. She’s part of my family, and if she wants to come to your house later, she will. If she doesn’t, she won’t. You won’t be telling her what to do. You are not in charge of her decisions anymore.”

The Nepin stood with his chest high for a few seconds as though he considered challenging me, but the look in my eye seemed to discourage a continued argument. He released a long breath, grabbed Rocia’s hand, and led her out of the city hall without another word.

“Thank you,” Isabella whispered and leaned against my arm. “He never listens to me.”

“I got that feeling,” I muttered as I shook my head. “Okay, so we need to figure out how to take care of any other bandits who made their move today. It sounded like several members of the group had a coordinated attack planned. We could have several other Nepin families tied up like Isabella’s parents were, so we should move fast.”

“We should probably split up,” Ravi pointed out. “We can cover the most ground that way. If anyone is in danger, we can reach them quickly.”

“And if we work from the outside in, we can flush any bandits who escape toward city hall,” Laika added with a fanged grin. “That will make it easier for us or the guards to catch them.”

“Good idea,” I agreed.

“What are we going to do about my sister?” Miraya asked as she wrung her hands together. “I could barely sense her.”

“Aine said the same thing,” Nike said, and he frowned in thought. “She said she was close but unreachable, whatever that means.”

“Like, she was muffled somehow?” Naomi wondered.

“Exactly!” Miraya gasped as her eyes widened. “I couldn’t explain it before.”

“Maybe the sword is hidden,” Alyona suggested. “And that’s keeping her from being able to communicate with you.”

“That would make sense,” the spirit mused. “Especially if there are no warriors here, she would have no reason to leave the blade or grow her power.”

“Will it hurt her?” I wondered.

“I don’t know,” Miraya answered with a twinge of sadness in her voice.

“For now, let’s not worry about that,” I decided. “We have to find the bandits first, then we can help her. So, Isabella, tell us a bit more about Yrosa. Then we can figure out where we should all go.”

“The Noble Council was right about one thing,” she answered. “Their families do have the most valuables of everyone, and they live north of city hall. The other families live south, where we came in. Then there are shops and the market east of here, and the factories and mill are to the west.”

“Seems easy enough,” I murmured. “I assume the noble houses will be the most likely targets. Like you said, they’d have the most things worth stealing.”

“Yeah, but…” Isabella trailed off as she pursed her lips.

“But what?” I asked.

“But why would the thieves go after something so specific at my parents’ house?” she finished. “I imagine the ancestry relic holds some value, but it wouldn’t be well-known that they have one. Or that it’s worth any money outside of Yrosa.”

“And since outsiders went after it, they were likely planning to leave the city with it,” I muttered. “Then we really don’t know what exactly they’re after. I think it’s best we search everywhere as quickly as possible.”

“We could pair up and take each direction,” Nike suggested. “Start at the city walls and search outer buildings all the way back to the center of town.”

“I agree.” I nodded. “Alyona, I don’t want you out of my sight, so you’re with me. We’ll search the noble houses.”

“Of course, my love,” she agreed with a smile, though Laika looked uncomfortable with the decision.

“Laika and Nike, you take the southern neighborhood,” I ordered. “Ravi and Miraya can search the shops, and Isabella and Naomi will check the mill and factories.”

“My lord, I don’t know if the nobles will talk to you without me,” Isabella pointed out.

“I can search my area alone,” Nike said. “Laika can go with Naomi, and if I need you, I’ll send Aine.”

I hesitated a moment at the thought of leaving my fellow noble without a partner, but I realized he’d held his own just fine against the mediocre mage we’d faced earlier. And Aine could reach us quickly if he needed backup.

“Alright,” I agreed. “Let’s go.”

We split off into our separate directions, and Alyona, Isabella, and I made our way around city hall to the noble family estates. I had slight flashbacks to the land owned by the noble families in Colaruma, where the leader of their council had been stealing from the poor to make him and his friends even richer, but the regular homes in Yrosa weren’t in such a poor condition that I worried about an unfair advantage.

It seemed the noble families simply had more, and as long as they weren’t taking it from others, I wouldn’t worry about that. Besides, we had enough going on without trying to make everyone feel better.

The first house we came to was more like a mansion than a log house, though it was built with the cherry wood. It had been painted a regal pearl color and was adorned with gray shutters, and the door was also painted gray and featured a spiral encrusted with diamonds the size of golf balls.

“Nothing like making sure everyone knows you’re rich,” I muttered as I knocked on the door.

“This is Morgan’s house,” Isabella chuckled. “Are you surprised?”

“Not anymore.” I smirked and knocked again when no one answered.

I could hear faint sounds of movement, but I couldn’t tell what it was. I started to plan how we’d enter the house to search it when the door swung open, and another Nepin stood in front of us. She was young, maybe a teenager, and she wore plain brown robes that hid most of her tattoos. Her silver hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she wiped sweat from her brow as she looked us over.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“Morgan sent us to check on her house,” Isabella explained. “There were a few houses broken into in town. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah,” the girl confirmed with a shrug. “No one’s been here all day except me. Should I be worried?”

“No, they would have been here already if they were coming,” I assured her. “Thank you for your time.”

“Sure,” she replied before she shut the door.

“Is she a servant?” Alyona asked as we walked down the steps and turned toward the next house.

“Yes,” Isabella confirmed. “Most of the noble families have at least one, though I believe Morgan has several. They’re paid well, and they can either live in the house or go home every night. I was surprised to see servants were looked down on in Leyte, since they have quite a high social status here.”

“As long as they’re paid and happy, they’re doing better than some of the people we’ve helped lately,” I replied.

We continued to the next house with similar results, and the next one was the same. I listened for any signs that something was amiss, but the servants were all happy to talk to us and didn’t indicate any problems. They weren’t scared and pretending to be normal, like I’d seen on some cop shows a few years ago. They were just doing their jobs, and they seemed more nervous about Alyona and I than anything else.

It seemed so odd Nepins were raised to fear any other people, and I wondered if they all felt that way. Being so far from the rest of Rahma, it wouldn’t be easy for them to venture out and meet new people, but they were close to the ocean, and I knew there were several other races that lived in the water.

And yet, not a single water Demi-Human resided in Yrosa.

Perhaps not everyone was as integrated as I’d thought when I arrived, but my comparison was Hatra, and I’d made sure our doors were open to anyone who wanted to live there and help us grow and rebuild. We had Asurans, Demi-Humans of all kinds, and who knew what else at this point who lived in my city. It was a true melting pot of people, and I loved it.

When we reached the fourth house of the noble family community, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I couldn’t hear the sounds of cleaning or cooking I’d heard at the other houses, and all the lights inside were off.

Something wasn’t right.

“What is it?” Alyona asked quietly when I hesitated to knock on the door.

“I’m not sure yet,” I murmured. “But I’m going to find out.”

I rapped on the door and stood back with my hand on my sword. I was ready for whoever came out to greet us.

“This is Lucien’s house,” Isabella whispered from behind me. “He was in the meeting. The guy who always looks scared.”

“Is he married?” I asked.

“Yes, his wife should be here,” she answered. “And his children.”

“Shit,” I cursed. “I don’t like this one bit.”

If he had kids at home with his wife, I should be able to hear them doing something. I may not have my kids yet, but I knew they were noisy little creatures. For the house to be completely silent, something was definitely wrong.

I reached down to check the knob, and it was unlocked.

“Oh, that’s not good,” Isabella said softly.

I pushed the door open, and it moved silently to expose the foyer of the giant house. A gaudy chandelier hung over the entryway, and we stepped under it with silent footsteps. I kept the women behind me as I crept forward and looked around the dark house. I didn’t see any signs of movement, but I could hear something toward the back of the house.

I didn’t want to risk separating to search the place, so I sent out a wave of my echolocation magic. The sound waves sailed across the room and through each of the open doorways, and when the power returned to me, I clenched my jaw.

“Three bandits,” I murmured as I pointed to my right. “Through that door, and they’re looking for something. They have four people hostage in the same room, but I can’t tell much more than that.”

“That’s more than we knew when we walked in,” Alyona whispered back. “What should we do?”

“I’m going to surprise them,” I decided. “You two take care of the hostages. Our first priority is getting them to safety.”

Isabella and Alyona nodded, and we tiptoed further into the dark house. Then I peered around the corner into the living room, where I could see the three intruders as they grabbed boxes and looked through them.

“Where is it?” one of them hissed.

There was a muffled reply from one of the hostages, and the thief stomped over to rip off the woman’s gag.

“If you’ll let my children go, I’ll take you to the vault,” she begged. “It’s full of everything you could possibly want. Please!”

I clenched my fists in case he tried to hurt her, but I didn’t want to ambush the bastard until he was far away from the family. It would put them at risk, so I had to be patient. My inner dragon roared with impatience, and I silently agreed.

I wanted to rip the man’s throat out for tying up these kids.

“If you just tell us where the phoenix key is, we’ll leave without hurting anyone,” he growled back. “We don’t want to harm anyone.”

“It’s not here!” the woman wailed. “I swear!”

The intruder yanked the gag back over her mouth, though she tried to scream at him again. He stormed back over to join his companions, and I made my move.

I barreled into the room and laid my shoulder into the first intruder. He tumbled into the second, and they fell like dominoes. Even with their masks, I could see their eyes widen in surprise as they crashed to the floor in a heap. I waited a second for one of them to try to fight back, but they cowered on the floor and shook with fear, so I shot out a web large enough for all three men, and the sticky binding wrapped around their bodies and pinned them to the floor in a pile.

“Chicken shits,” I muttered as I looked up to see Isabella and Alyona had already untied the woman and her three children, and they breathed sighs of relief.

“Oh, gods, thank you!” the woman sobbed. “I tried to get them to leave, but they just…”

My eyes drifted to the bruises already forming on the blue skin of her cheek and arm, and my blood boiled with rage. I whirled back around to face the thieves, and I conjured a fireball in my hand. I was so pissed, the fire burned white as I knelt down next to the trapped fugitives.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I snarled. “You put your hands on her!”

“It was just to tie her up!” one of the bandits whined. “She wouldn’t listen!”

“So, you want to die first, then?” I cocked my head as I glared holes into the man’s face.

“Oh, gods,” he groaned and tried to maneuver around the webbed cage to duck behind another thief.

“If you’re going to kill us, just do it already!” another one said with an air of defiance. “We aren’t going to talk.”

“Sure, you won’t,” I chuckled as I called the white fire back into my hand. “That’s what they all say, but yet, here we are, looking for you. How do you think I knew you’d be here?”

Three pairs of eyes darted around the webbed cage as they tried to figure out who had told me about their plan, and I stood up and barely resisted the urge to kick the shit out of each of them for their attack on this innocent family.

“Are you alright?” Alyona asked the children, and I could see she held back tears as she checked them over. “Is anyone hurt?”

“If you are, Lord Evan can heal you,” Isabella added with a smile. “He’s a nice man, and he’s here to help.”

One of the Nepin children cowered behind his mother, and I looked around for a light. I saw a lantern on the wall above the family’s heads, so I flicked a small flame to light up the room.

“See?” I pointed to the light. “Isn’t that better? I’m not as scary as the bad men.”

The boy peeked out from behind his mother’s leg and smiled. He looked no older than six, and I had to swallow my fury again when he held out his arm to reveal rope burns around his wrists. I took slow steps toward him and gently put my hand on his arms. Then I sent a wave of healing magic through his little body, and within seconds, the burns had disappeared.

“Wow,” he gasped as he looked at his wrists. “Cool.”

“Very,” I agreed and glanced over at his older brother and sister. “Anyone else?”

After a few minutes of healing and consoling, Lucien’s family seemed to have calmed down enough to talk.

“Lord Evan, is it?” his wife asked, though she remained cautious. “Lord of where?”

“Hatra,” I answered with a smile. “I know you’re Lucien’s wife, but I don’t know your name.”

“I’m Gisela,” she replied. “These are my children, Ruby, Junior, and Torriano. How did you come to Yrosa?”

“I came here with Isabella,” I hedged.

I didn’t feel like telling her we used a magical portal would be wise at this moment. She was already suspicious about our sudden appearance, though it seemed like there were worse first impressions than saving them from a trio of burglars.

“But you are not a Nepin.” She frowned and looked me over. “I, ah, don’t know what you are. Not a human.”

“No,” I confirmed. “I’m not a human. I’m a dragon.”

“Whoa,” Torriano breathed. “So awesome!”

“I thought dragons were extinct,” Ruby finally said with her hands on her hips. “That’s what we learned in school.”

“A lot of people think that,” I chuckled. “They’re wrong.”

“Well, how do we know you’re a real dragon?” she pressed.

“Ruby!” her mother scolded.

“It’s alright,” I laughed. “I’ll show you, but I have to be careful, okay?”

Ruby nodded, and I took a step back and held my hand at arm’s length in front of my face to contain the flames. Then I blew a gentle fire into my palm, and the children’s eyes lit up with excitement.

“You really are a dragon!” Junior squealed and clapped his hands.

“Yep,” I confirmed. “I’m the real deal.”

“And why is a real dragon in Yrosa rescuing families from bandits?” Gisela asked.

I noticed her tone had changed from suspicion to genuine curiosity, and I grinned as it became more obvious that I was winning her over.

“We came to complete a mission,” Alyona answered. “But we found you had a problem in your city, and Lord Evan volunteered to help.”

“You look like a princess,” Ruby observed as she stared at Alyona.

“That’s because I am one,” my wife whispered and smiled at the little Nepin girl.

“Oh!” Gisela’s mouth fell open as she finally seemed to realize who stood in her living room. “You are Princess Alyona! I’m so sorry, Your Highness, I-I thought you were in a cave until you took the throne!”

“I decided that wasn’t for me,” Alyona laughed. “I’d much rather be here with my people, as would my husband. Lord Evan has made it his personal mission to improve every city in Rahma as we visit.”

“He is… your husband?” Gisela asked with wide eyes.

“Yes.” My wife nodded. “Now, what is the phoenix key?”

“It’s an antique key,” the Nepin woman explained. “My husband received it as a gift from his uncle who supposedly got it from the chief of a phoenix tribe before they were all killed at the Breach.”

“Chief Fiyero?” I asked in surprise.

“That was his name!” Gisela confirmed before she looked at me with confusion. “How did you know that?”

“I know him,” I chuckled. “He’s the reason I can do this.”

I conjured a fiery dagger in my palm, and the children oohed and aahed for a moment as I flipped the blade around with a grin.

“It would seem the rumors that his kind is extinct are also untrue,” Gisela murmured. “Well, anyway, the key is kept with several other treasures in city hall.”

“Why?” I wondered.

“The building is always guarded,” she answered. “So, my husband felt it would always be safe there. Apparently, he was correct.”

“Apparently,” Alyona agreed before she turned to look at me. “But now, we have the same question we had earlier. How did the thieves know about the key?”

“It isn’t anything I’d heard of,” Isabella chimed in. “I don’t know how these outsiders would have known about it.”

“Not many people knew about the gift,” Gisela added as she wrung her hands. “Lucien is very… apprehensive about sharing information with, well, anyone.”

“He does seem to be the jittery type,” I mused.

Before I could continue, a kaleidoscope-colored lizard leaped through the wall and paused at my feet. Then Naomi’s messenger opened its mouth, and her voice echoed around the living room.

“My lord, we found a few more bandits,” the magical messenger announced. “We’re taking them to city hall now, and we’ll wait for you there.”

As soon as her message ended, the creature dipped its head and disappeared in a puff of black smoke, and I glanced over to see the Nepin children’s eyes were glued to the space where the lizard had been.

“Well, I suppose we can get a few more answers,” I said as I looked over at the pile of thieves we’d captured. “I know several ways of making sure I get them. You’re lucky children are present, or I’d get them now.”

One of the men shivered, and I got the distinct feeling my inner dragon was looking forward to the coming interrogation just as much as I was. I wasn’t sure if I’d use the nature magic on these guys. It almost seemed too easy for the ones who were okay with hurting kids. Maybe I’d roast one and wait for the other two to talk. Even if I burned through these three, Naomi had a few more I could try to get info from.

I liked having options.

“My lord, should we go ahead and meet them?” Alyona interrupted my daydreaming of fire on flesh.

“Oh, yeah,” I muttered. “I think I’ll just drag these three. They don’t even deserve the floating spell.”

“I’m inclined to agree.” My wife smirked, and I grinned with appreciation for her fiery side.

“Will you be alright, Gisela?” Isabella asked as she put a gentle hand on the other Nepin’s freshly-healed arm. “We need to finish our task.”

“Oh, yes, of course,” Gisela replied. “Please, don’t let us trouble you.”

“It’s no trouble at all to help our people,” I said in a firm voice. “If you ever need anything else, we’ll be here for a while.”

“Can we just come say hi?” Torriano nearly whispered.

“Absolutely,” I replied and squatted to ruffle his silver hair. “Anytime.”

I stood up and turned toward the prisoners. I pursed my lips as I decided how to finish wrapping them in webbing, and then I decided to test the webs to see if they would answer my call like my fire magic. With a flick of my fingers, the webbing snapped up from the floor and wrapped underneath the bandit trio, and I formed another long string of web to attach to the cage-turned-bag. Then I held onto the string, put it over my shoulder, and began to walk toward the door.

The groans and whines I heard behind me were confirmation that the bag rolled along behind me as I’d planned, and Isabella and Alyona giggled the whole way out the door. We stepped outside, turned and waved to Lucien’s family, and then began the walk back toward city hall.

“Wait, what about the other three houses?” Isabella asked suddenly and pointed toward the rest of the noble family neighborhood.

“Shit,” I muttered. “Better to be safe than sorry. Hold this. Oh, and if any of them try to escape, just kill them.”

The thieves shuddered with fear as I took off toward the other houses with my swiftness skill. Each of the other doors were answered by a spouse or a servant, and it seemed only Lucien’s phoenix key had been a target for the less-than-noble bandit group.

A few minutes later, I trotted back over to Alyona and Isabella and grabbed the bag.

“None of them were attacked?” Isabella wondered.

“Nope.” I shook my head as I began to drag the bag away from the houses. “Though they definitely have some treasure inside.”

“You can tell?” the Nepin asked with raised eyebrows.

“Oh, yeah,” I chuckled. “Dragon senses. I can tell when treasure is near me. Or even not that close, but close enough for me to find it. One day, I might show you my collection.”

“But you can’t touch it,” Alyona teased. “Dragons don’t like to share.”

“What about the gifts?” Isabella pointed out.

“I had to have a mental discussion to make that happen,” I snorted. “My dragon instincts were not on board with that plan at first, but the instinct to protect my people is a lot stronger.”

“You’re very interesting,” my Nepin lover giggled.

“It’s because I’m not from around here.” I smirked.

“I know,” she countered with a confused smile. “You’re from Hatra.”

“No, I just live there now,” I said. “I’m not even from Inati.”

“What?” Isabella stopped and cocked her head to the side. “Where else is there?”

“Well, there are, uh, a bunch of other realms,” I explained with a help-me look at Alyona.

“There are an infinite number of realms,” she corrected me.

“Infinite,” I agreed. “And I’m from another one, and I lived on a planet called Earth. I was a human there. Then I put on this mask that brought me here and turned me into a dragon. Or activated my dragon genes, I’m still not sure on all that just yet.”

“So, you are not of this world?” Isabella gaped and ran her fingers through her hair. “This is incredible. You aren’t just different from me, you’re different from all of us.”

“Yep,” I confirmed with a nod. “I know it’s a lot of information, and I promise I’ll tell you lots of Earth stories later, but right now, we kind of need to turn in these bandits and figure out where they came from.”

“Oh, right!” the Nepin laughed and fell back into step with Alyona and me. “It’s just so unbelievable.”

“I thought the same thing when he arrived,” my wife agreed. “How could such a powerful being appear on Inati with no knowledge of his abilities? It’s a question we’ve been trying to piece together the answers to for about a year now.”

“Incredible,” Isabella breathed. “Does everyone know?”

“Everyone in our family does,” I answered. “I don’t tell other people, though. It tends to make people suspicious of me, and I get that enough being a dragon when they all thought we didn’t exist anymore.”

“Are there more besides you, Valerra, and Eskandar?” she wondered.

“I don’t know,” I admitted with a frown. “But it’s definitely something I’d like to find out.”

My mind wandered back to the dragon history book I’d found in Olivier’s lair a few days ago, and I wondered if Emma had looked through it for any more information about the dragons and their relationship to her mother’s family. I knew the history buff in her was probably dying to find out more, so even if the book didn’t tell her anything else, she could have found her way to the archives to do more research.

That is, if she would leave the eggs for it.

As we got closer to city hall, I could hear a commotion. Loud, angry voices echoed off the wooden buildings, and I gritted my teeth as I picked up the pace to walk around toward the front.

Naomi and Laika stood with two more bandits tied with magical rope, and the wolf Demi-Human held her broadsword to their backs. Miraya and Ravi also had a pair of thieves, though Ravi’s fiery rope held their hands behind them. Nike stood guard over all of them, but his eyes weren’t on my women.

They were on the growing crowd of pissed-off Nepins that yelled and screamed in front of city hall.

Chapter 4

“Tell us the truth!” a Nepin man shouted.

“We deserve to know what’s going on in our city!” a female voice screeched.

“What the hell?” I muttered as we approached the rest of our group. “What’s going on here?”

“They found out about the bandits,” Nike answered, and his mouth formed a grim line across his face. “Now, they’re pissed they weren’t informed and want to know what the council is going to do about it.”

“Where is the Noble Council?” another Nepin man demanded. “Come out here and face us, you cowards!”

“Have any of them come out here to address them?” I wondered as I tossed my bag of groaning thieves near the others.

“Not so far,” Laika replied with a frown, and her bushy gray tail waved back and forth while she watched the growing crowd. “I can’t figure out why.”

“Look!” one of the women screamed and pointed at us. “More outsiders!”

“Are you here to rob us, too?” a Nepin man boomed as he took a step toward us.

“People, please!” Morgan’s voice rang out over the crowd. “We’ll tell you everything soon. Just be patient!”

The Nepin noble had quietly slipped out of the double doors and stood in front of the city hall with her hands up in surrender.

The crowd seemed to waver in its purpose. Some continued to glare at us with unbridled disdain, while others turned toward Morgan with a renewed sense of fury. This group would quickly get out of control if the council didn’t do something, and it seemed like they had no idea what they needed to do. I guessed it wasn’t every day a dragon lord and his harem showed up to capture a band of thieves that had invaded their city.

Nolan and Lucien stepped out of the city hall behind Morgan, but the councilmen cowered behind her figure, which seemed to cement the mob’s decision.

“We will not be patient!” a man thundered. “We want to know what you’re doing about these thieves, and we want to know now!”

“Yeah! Tell us!”

“We deserve to know!”

“My lord, we should do something,” Alyona murmured and wrapped her arm around mine. “They’re growing restless.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “I got this.”

I strode through the crowd, and they cleared the path to the front of city hall with obvious fear rather than respect. At the moment, I didn’t care why they moved, and if they continued to mob the council, they would have a reason to fear me.

“What are you doing?” Morgan hissed as she watched the crowd with wary eyes. “They’re afraid of all outsiders, including you.”

“I’m doing what you won’t,” I muttered before I turned to face the dozens of angry Nepins and lifted my chin. “My name is Lord Evan. I’m the son-in-law of King Rodion  and the future king of Rahma, and I’m not here to hurt you.”

“The king?” Whispers began to ripple through the crowd as they digested the information.

“I know your city does not see many, ah, visitors,” I continued. “And I didn’t intend to stay long, but upon my arrival, a group of bandits was brought to my attention, so I will be staying long enough to rid you of them.”

“How are you going to do that?” a Nepin woman demanded as she stepped out of the throng toward me. “And why? You don’t know us or our city, and the king hasn’t visited in ages.”

“I’m sure you’ve heard he’s been a bit preoccupied with the Breach.” I smirked. “But I can assure you, I’m doing exactly what he would want me to do by taking care of the thieves.”

“You caught them already, haven’t you?” she pressed and curled her fists on her hips. “So, why are you still here?”

Another ripple of hushed gasps tumbled through the crowd, and I felt my temperature rise as the woman stared at me in defiance.

“I’m here because I can be,” I said in a low tone. “And while my people and I have captured the thieves who were here already, we’ve learned they answer to a leader who sent them to steal from you.”

“What?” The Nepin woman took a step back in surprise. “There’s more of them?”

“At least one more,” I confirmed. “And I’ll take care of that, too. I only ask that you don’t stand in my way.”

The woman’s defiance faded, and fear seemed to take hold as her eyes widened, and her strong stance faltered.

“Lord Evan has generously agreed to determine who the culprit is and ensure justice is served,” Morgan said as she stepped up beside me. “For now, it’s best to keep your doors locked and anything valuable hidden away.”

“They came to our house for a valuable item hardly anyone knew we had!” Mel called out, and I turned to see him weave his way toward the front of the crowd. “How can you explain that, Morgan?”

There was a long pause as the councilwoman considered her response, and the other Nepins began to look at each other with concern.

“I can’t,” she finally admitted. “My only hope is that the thieves are caught, so we don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

“And they will be,” I promised. “I won’t let them hurt anyone else in Yrosa. To you, I’m an outsider, but to me, you’re my people because I am the future king of Rahma.”

It seemed my words finally clicked for most of the Nepins, and they began to calm down enough to be more scared than angry. Scared was good. It meant they’d listen to Morgan and lock up until we got the situation handled.

And without anger, I didn’t have to worry about them torching the city hall.

Within minutes, most of the crowd had dispersed, though a few remained, including the woman who’d tried to call me out. She moseyed around the courtyard, but I strode past her to return to my group. We still had to get the prisoners to the dungeon and find out what they knew about their leader.

“Lord Evan?” I turned around to see the angry woman, who looked considerably less angry and more nervous as she wrung her blue hands in front of her chest. “Could I speak with you?”

She was older than I’d realized when her face had been nearly purple with anger, and small creases outlined her eyes and mouth. Even the tattooed skin below her collarbone had started to sag, and the indigo skin on her arms looked paper thin.

“Of course,” I said and looked her in the eyes. “What’s going on?”

“My name is Peppi,” she answered in a soft voice. “I own the inn over there on the main road. It was rarely used since we don’t get many visitors, so I was able to purchase it for low cost. I mostly use it as a makeshift restaurant and bar, with spaces to sleep in case someone gets too drunk, but you’re welcome to stay. I know it isn’t exactly the palaces you’re used to, but I’d like to open it to you and your companions. It sounds like you may need a few days to take care of the bandits.”

“That’s very generous of you,” I replied with undisguised surprise. “Why do you want to help all of a sudden? You seemed ready to burn me at the stake a few minutes ago.”

“I apologize for my behavior, but we’re all scared,” she admitted. “Especially of outsiders, and someone of your stature being in our city is unheard of. Now, we have these outsider thieves running amok, and no one knows what to do. You may have noticed our fearless leaders aren’t quite so fearless.”

“I picked up on that,” I chuckled. “But I’m not like them. I made a promise, and I will keep it. The thieves won’t be a problem for long.”

“So, you’ll accept my offer and my apology?” Peppi asked with a grim smile.

“I will,” I confirmed. “We’ll stay at the inn, but I want to talk with our prisoners first. I don’t want to give them a chance to escape or come up with some bullshit story. I want the truth about who sent them here.”

“It is odd for someone to know about the rare items certain families have,” she remarked and ran her scrawny fingers through her silver hair. “There’s no way an outsider should have that much information about our people. As you likely noticed, anyone who isn’t a Nepin stands out here.”

“That was fairly obvious when I walked through town.” I smirked and shook my head. “So, how would someone know about family heirlooms and stuff? Is there a registry or something?”

“A what?” Peppi’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “I don’t know about all that, but it’s typically only the Noble Council who knows everyone’s business.”

Well, that certainly put a wrench in things. If the Noble Council was in the loop about family heirlooms and such, then someone in city hall could be leading the charge of thieves, so there was a chance I had both the noble and the bandit leader I needed all under one roof.

“Interesting,” I murmured. “I’ll talk with my people, and we’ll meet you at the inn once we’re finished. Thank you again.”

“It’s my pleasure.” Peppi bowed low enough for me to see the silvery wings on her back flutter in the air before she stood up straight and strolled toward the main road.

I watched her curiously for a moment and then headed back over to join my group.

“She looks considerably less angry now,” Laika observed with a smirk.

“Yeah, she offered us rooms at her inn while we’re in Yrosa,” I explained. “And she said something about how the Noble Council would know about all the family heirlooms and relics before an outsider would.”

“Oh, that’s troubling.” Alyona frowned and furrowed her brow. “Do you think they have a traitor?”

“In the council?” Isabella wondered as she wrapped a silver hair around her finger. “I would be quite surprised. Loyalty is an expectation here, which is why everyone was so distraught when I left the city.”

“It’s still something to consider,” I pointed out. “It wouldn’t be the first time we found someone who took advantage of being a leader to get something for themselves.”

“That’s terrible,” the Nepin grunted and crossed her arms over her chest. “If anyone here has done such a thing, they should be punished.”

“I intend to do just that,” I agreed. “For now, we’re going to take the bastards we have to the dungeon and get some info.”

“Finally,” Laika growled and poked one of her captives in the back with her sword. “Get moving.”

I picked up the end of the web and yanked my bag of thieves toward city hall, and Morgan stopped her pacing to watch us with our trophies.

“What are you doing?” she asked as she eyed the thieves. “They need to go with the others.”

“And they will,” I said. “Show us to the dungeons, and we’ll take it from there.”

“I’ll have one of the guards take you,” Morgan murmured. “I have a nearly useless council inside waiting on me to come comfort them.”

“Have fun with that,” I chuckled as she waved to a guard next to the double doors.

“Follow me,” the guard said after he dipped his head to Morgan, and then he turned to walk around to the end of city hall.

He took a sharp left at the edge of the building and continued past it to a smaller building made of the same sheet metal as the roofs, and a single guard stood outside with his hand on a sword in his belt. He gripped it as soon as he saw us behind the other guard, but our guide held out his hand to stop him from drawing it.

“We brought more,” I said as I indicated the masked bandits we held captive. “Morgan said to bring them here, so we can question them.”

One guard to keep watch over ten bandits? I wasn’t impressed with Yrosa’s jail system so far, and I hoped it would be enough to hold these guys until we found their leader and decided what to do with the others.

“Very well.” The dungeon guard nodded and pulled a ring of keys from his pocket. Then he turned and unlocked the padlock that led us to a set of stairs.

It seemed the aboveground building was a ruse, and I nodded my appreciation. The stairs descended at least a story underground, and two more guards waited at the bottom under fiery torches. They glanced at each other as we came into view, but one of them stifled a laugh when they heard the thumps and groans of the bag I dragged behind me.

“I need some space to tie them up,” I said as I dropped the thieves.

“We have chains in every cell,” one of the guards explained and gestured to the dark hallway in front of us. “Only two are occupied.”

“We brought three captives before.” I quirked an eyebrow.

“Yeah, we only have one cell equipped for magical beings,” the guard replied. “So, one is by himself, and the other two are across from him.”

“Got it,” I muttered.

We began to poke, prod, and drag our captives into the various cells and chain them to the walls, and once we had them bound, we removed each of their masks and stepped back. They were all young human or Demi-Human men, no older than I was, and they all glared at us with obvious hatred.

As I pondered where to start, a crow Demi-Human suddenly yanked at his chains and grabbed the hand of the leopard Demi-Human next to him.

“Now!” the crow screeched.

A gust of black and yellow magic burst from their joined hands and rippled toward me, but before I could react, Alyona stepped next to me and held out her palm.

“Desinio!” she yelled.

The thieves’ spell hit her palm and bounced back to throw them both against the stone wall. The leopard Demi-Human slumped to the side as he fell unconscious, while his partner groaned and rubbed the back of his head.

“Holy shit,” one of the other thieves muttered as he gaped at my baddass wife. “You have magic, too?”

“Plenty of it,” Alyona shot back with a glare. “And I’m not even the most powerful one in the room.”

I could hear the chains rattle as the bandits shook with fear, and I bared my teeth in a wild grin as I decided to start with the attempted escapees.

“Do you think they’ll try that again?” I wondered as I eyed the duo.

“I’ll make sure they don’t,” Alyona muttered and twirled one finger in the air. “Irretrio.”

The cuffs around the thieves’ wrists glowed bright white for a moment before they returned to their typical metal look, and I looked at her in confusion.

“A snare spell,” Naomi observed with a smile. “Now, they can’t use magic while they have those chains on.”

“Nice.” I grinned. “Let’s get started.”

I squatted in front of the crow Demi-Human, and he lolled his head around to look at me with the remaining effects of a likely concussion. I decided he wouldn’t be much help in this state, so I hit him with a wave of healing magic. The glittering dust settled over him, and I watched his eyes open wider until he had his gaze directly on me.

“Why did you heal me?” he asked in a raspy voice.

“So you would know that if I hurt you, I can make it better before I start over,” I replied with a smirk. “Now, I want to know who sent you. Are you going to tell me the truth, or do I have to pull the answers from you?”

The crow hesitated and looked down at his feet for a moment before he raised his head with a sneer on his face.

“I don’t have to tell you anything,” he spat out.

“Have it your way.” I shrugged before I called on my nature magic and sent a blue-green coil toward his mouth.

The magic shoved its way between his lips, and a few moments passed before nothing returned. The crow laughed as I furrowed my brow and tried again.

Same results.

“He must have an active protection spell,” Ravi said from behind me. “We’ve seen that once before.”

“If he does, I bet the leopard does, too,” I muttered. “Let’s see who else feels like avoiding torture today.”

I stood up and brushed off my trousers as I eyed the other thieves. The one who had cowered at Alyona’s magic looked like a deer in the headlights, and I zoned in on his blatant terror. He was a monkey Demi-Human with brown eyes that swam with tears, and I knew he’d be the one.

“Oh, gods,” he groaned as I stalked toward his cell. “Please, whatever protection spell they have, I don’t! Just don’t hurt me!”

“Gods, what is that smell?” Miraya asked as she pinched her nose shut.

“Urine,” Laika muttered with her lip curled in disgust. “The prisoner is apparently scared of Lord Evan.”

“As he should be,” I growled, and I took another step toward his stinking cell as I conjured a fireball in my palm. “If you don’t tell me everything I want to know, I have more than just nature magic to help me get it.”

“I swear, I’ll tell you!” the prisoner pleaded as his eyes darted between the fire and my face. “Everything!”

“Who sent you here?” I demanded.

“I don’t know his name,” he answered with a shaky breath. “He recruited me a month ago from Evlorn.”

“And you just willingly left your home with this stranger?” I raised a doubtful eyebrow.

“Evlorn wasn’t my home,” he admitted. “It was just a place I’d found where I could pickpocket. He caught me, and he asked if I wanted a job to steal bigger and better things to make more money, so I went.”

“Where did he take you?” I pressed.

“To a house on the beach,” the young man replied. “Once we were there, he showed me a list of things he wanted from Yrosa and introduced me to this guy he said would be my partner. I told him I work alone, but he said all his people have at least one person with them, so one person can steal and the other can make sure they don’t get caught.”

“Didn’t go so well for your team.” I smirked as I glanced at his partner, who dropped his head in shame.

“Yeah, so you can see why I don’t have any loyalty to this guy,” he huffed. “He promised me it would be easy to get in and out without being caught. It worked the first time, but this time, you were here.”

“The first time?” Nike narrowed his silver eyes on the prisoner. “How much have you already stolen?”

“Some pendant and a weird trophy thing.” The bandit shrugged and looked down at his feet. “He just told me what to look for and where to go. And he paid me, so that was my ultimate goal.”

“Okay, so where did you take the stuff after you stole it?” I asked.

“It was supposed to go back to the house on the beach,” he said. “You won’t be able to see it. He has some kind of magic around it, so no one can find him and his treasures. He keeps everything he stole in there.”

“Wait, supposed to?” Laika swished her tail back and forth as she walked closer. “What do you mean?”

“Listen, the first time we snuck in and out of the city was so easy, he said we could get a few more things this time,” the thief explained. “He gave us each a list with multiple places on it. You guys caught us on our second stop.”

“But you didn’t have anything,” the wolf Demi-Human said with a frown. “I checked your pockets.”

“It was already hidden, b-but I can show you where!” he offered with a hopeful look in his eyes. “Then you can have everything back, and no harm done.”

“Do you actually think you’ll be set free if the items are returned?” I scoffed. “Seriously?”

“Well, then they won’t be stolen anymore,” he muttered.

“And you can plead that case with the Nepin court,” Isabella chimed in with a fierce scowl. “They’ll decide your fate.”

“How far from the city is this house on the beach?” I directed the conversation back to the leader.

“A few miles,” he mumbled.

“Thank you,” I said as I stepped out of his cell and shut the door. “Be thankful you get to keep your limbs. The Nepin court will decide on how you spend the next few months.”

“Oh, gods,” the bandit groaned and laid his head back on the stone. “I’ll be here forever.”

“If you don’t die first,” one of the guards growled as he turned the key in the lock.

“I thought Nepins weren’t violent,” I murmured to Isabella. “That seemed pretty threatening.”

“We aren’t violent unless we’re scared,” she explained under her breath. “The guards are chosen for their fierce loyalty to the city.”

“So, he’s personally offended by the thieves.” I nodded my head in understanding as we followed the guard back up the stairs. “That makes more sense.”

“Exactly,” she agreed.

We stepped out of the dungeons and into the twilight of evening. We’d been in the dungeons for much longer than I’d anticipated, and it seemed like a bad idea to go try to find a magically hidden house in the dark.

“Looks like we’re going in the morning,” I decided as I looked around and turned to walk toward the main road. “We can head to the inn for tonight.”

“That’s probably wise, my lord,” Nike said with a furrowed brow. “Though a surprise attack may not be a bad idea.”

“Yeah, but if the house is already going to be difficult to find because of magic, it might be impossible to find at night,” I pointed out. “As much as I want to go get this bastard right now, I don’t want to give him a chance to get away.”

“And if he already has magical protection, he could have a magical escape plan as well,” Laika murmured. “We should be cautious.”

“Plus, no one even knows who this guy is or what he can do,” I added. “We have no idea what we’re up against, so a night time attack could put us or even Yrosa in danger. He already knows enough about them to plan out these robberies, so he could know their weaknesses against an attack, too.”

“I just don’t understand how he knows so much about us,” Isabella mused.

“Are you certain there’s no traitor on the council?” Miraya asked. “It seems the most likely explanation for the bandits’ knowledge.”

“I don’t know them well,” the Nepin admitted after a moment. “I just know my people, and I really don’t think anyone who loves this city would do this.”

“Then it’s got to be someone who doesn’t love Yrosa,” Alyona concluded with a frown. “But it’s so far off the map, I don’t know who would feel such condemnation for it.”

“We’ll find out in the morning,” I muttered as we approached the inn. “I’m guessing this is it?”

The four-story building was made of wood like the others, but it had clearly seen some better days. The sign with Peppi’s name on it hung unevenly from the awning over the porch, and one of the windows on the second floor was boarded up from the inside.

I almost didn’t knock on the raggedy front door, but I gently rapped my knuckles against the buckling wood and heard a familiar voice from inside.

“Come on in!” Peppi yelled.

I carefully twisted the knob and pushed open the door to walk into the building. It was nicer inside, though it appeared the work was still in progress. A hammer and nails sat on top of a tarp, and the smell of fresh paint invaded my nose as we all walked inside.

“Hey, Peppi,” I said as the Nepin walked around the corner. “Still have room for us?”

“Yes, of course!” she replied with a tiny smile. “Don’t mind the mess. When I bought the inn, it was in terrible shape. I’ve been fixing things up.”

“Oh,” Ravi sighed. “That’s a relief.”

“Surely, you didn’t think I’d invite you to my inn if it always looked like this?” the old Nepin chuckled. “The princess of Rahma deserves better than I can offer, I’m afraid, but it’s certainly better than someone’s couch.”

“I completely agree,” I laughed. “Now, do you have a kitchen around here? I’m starving.”

“I’ve already started dinner,” Peppi shot back with a wider smile. “I’m a better handyman than a cook, but it should suffice.”

She rushed off toward the back of the inn, and we were left standing in the middle of the lobby.

“Should we be worried?” Ravi asked with a twinge of amusement in her voice.

“At least a little bit,” a man’s voice boomed. “You must be Lord Evan.”

We turned around to see a large Nepin as he strode out from behind another door and propped it open with a grin.

“It’s nice to meet you, ah…” I trailed off as I waited for the man to introduce himself.

“Edmundo,” he filled in. “Everyone calls me Eddie. Peppi is my wife, and I help her with the inn when I can. Our son is at his girlfriend’s house for dinner tonight, though I suspect he’s finally figured out his mother isn’t the best cook and doesn’t want to say anything.”

“What a good son,” Nike chuckled as we followed Eddie into the dining room.

The moment we walked in, I felt a rush of nostalgia wash over me. The dining room was one of few places in Rahma that reminded me of my old home. With a large wooden table and simple wooden chairs, it was the least fancy place we’d had a meal since I arrived, and it made me feel right at home.

“Like I told you, it isn’t anything fancy, but there’s room,” Peppi said in a somber voice as she walked in with a huge casserole dish. “I hope it’s alright.”

“This is great!” I replied with a grin. “Reminds me of a place I knew when I was a kid.”

The Nepin couple glanced at each other with questioning eyes, but they didn’t press for more information. I wouldn’t have told them about Earth anyway, so it was easier that they didn’t ask.

We scooped large helpings of the casserole into our bowls, and I couldn’t quite pick out what meat Peppi had used. I wasn’t even sure if it had meat, but it had rice and some cheese, so I figured it was relatively safe to eat. Alyona barely put any in her bowl, and I frowned at the thought of my wife and child not having enough to eat.

“Don’t worry,” she whispered when she saw my expression. “I’m just getting a little bit in case the baby doesn’t like it.”

“Well, if you don’t get enough, I’ll find something else,” I murmured back.

My wife nodded her agreement as she took a small bite.

“Oh, never mind,” she giggled. “It’s good.”

A few seconds later, her bowl was empty, and she went back for more.

“So, Lord Evan, what brought you to Yrosa in the first place?” Peppi asked as we all settled into the meal.

“I’m looking for someone,” I said vaguely. “Do you know everyone here?”

“Just about,” she confirmed. “Eddie and I grew up here, and hardly anyone ever leaves, though I’m sure Isabella told you that.”

My Nepin lover blushed a beautiful pink that tinted her indigo cheeks as she looked down at her bowl.

“She did, but I think it’s good to explore the world,” I replied. “Maybe then people like your Noble Council wouldn’t be so terrified of outsiders.”

“Perhaps,” Peppi murmured. “Nevertheless, I don’t know if they’ve ever been anywhere besides behind a desk, so they could be utterly useless anyway.”

“Morgan seems fairly put together,” I pointed out.

“Seems,” Eddie chuckled.

“Morgan knows how to put up a tough shell,” Peppi retorted. “But she grew up a noble brat, so she doesn’t know any more about the outside world than the others.”

“What about Nolan?” I dug for information about the council.

I had to see if any red flags told me about either a traitor or a Noble of the Sword, but I didn’t want to make it feel like an interrogation.

“Nolan isn’t much different than Morgan,” she answered. “He grew up here, always had everything he wanted, and has probably never had a speck of dirt under his nails.”

“How disappointing,” Laika murmured. “Having leaders with no experience must be difficult.”

“The Noble Council has always existed,” Peppi sighed. “And it’s always been handed down to the next generation without question.”

“What about Lucien?” I continued my line of questioning.

I didn’t want to get caught up in the old bloodline family tree bullshit we’d seen a dozen other times. We couldn’t fix everything, and though the council was inexperienced, they didn’t seem to be forcing anyone into slavery or stealing their food, but someone was doing something wrong.

“That old scaredy-cat?” Peppi laughed. “I suppose he’s the exception to the rule.”

“What do you mean?” I wondered as I set down my fork.

“Well, there have always been seven families in the Noble Council,” she explained. “But a few years ago, a man named Odalis was asked to step down. I don’t know for sure, but the rumor was he tried to sleep with Simon’s wife. They said it was unbecoming of a councilman, and they chose the next best person to take his place. Lucien was Odalis’ cousin, so he took his place.”

“Scandalous,” Ravi whispered.

“Indeed,” I muttered, and the gears turned in my head. “What happened to Odalis?”

“He left,” Eddie grunted. “And good riddance. If I’d been Simon, we would have dueled.”

“You always say that,” Peppi giggled and took her husband’s hand.

“I always mean it,” he said with a smile.

“Where did he go?” I asked after a moment. “If he’d never left Yrosa, would he have anywhere he could run?”

“I don’t know.” Peppi shrugged and took a sip of her wine. “His wife stayed here, but his two sons went with him. His wife was devastated they chose their father. I hardly ever see her anymore. She always stays in her house except when she delivers one of her blankets she knits.”

“And no one has heard from Odalis?” Alyona wondered.

“Not that we know of,” Eddie replied. “He and his sons basically vanished.”

I mulled over this information as we all finished our meal in silence, and I looked over to see my wife lean back and pat her belly. I chuckled and resisted the urge to rub her growing stomach. I didn’t want any of the Nepins to know about the baby just yet. It could put a target on the princess, and since I didn’t know who I needed to bond with yet, I didn’t know who to trust.

“We should get to bed soon,” Alyona said with a smile. “Busy day tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I’m worn out,” Nike agreed and looked to Peppi. “Could you show us where to sleep?”

“Of course.” The Nepin woman rose from the table and led us back into the lobby.

We rounded a corner and followed her up the stairs. I was thankful we passed the second floor with its broken window, and she stopped at the third floor and unlocked two doors. I walked inside one of them and found a large king-sized bed with a stack of folded blankets on top.

“This is much better than a couch,” I said with a smile.

“I’m sorry I only have two rooms,” Peppi apologized. “The other floors are still being fixed up, and I wouldn’t want any of you to have to stay in there.”

“Nike, are you alright with sleeping alone?” I chuckled.

“I think I’ll manage.” My fellow noble smirked and breezed into the other room.

“Good,” I murmured as I glanced over my shoulder at the six women who stood behind me. “I don’t want to sleep alone at all.”

And I had no problem taking all my women to bed.

Chapter 5

Peppi disappeared from sight as soon as we all walked into the room, so I looked over my women, and they stared at me with a whole new hunger.

“Well, why are you all still dressed?” I smirked as I pulled my tunic up over my head.

“We won’t be for long,” Laika replied in a husky voice as she unbuckled her belt.

Within seconds, piles of white, blue, and black fabric were on the floor, and my lovers had surrounded me. Naomi’s lips were pressed against mine while other tongues grazed the skin of my chest and back. My cock pressed against my pants and begged to be set free, and Isabella’s hand slowly traveled down my belly to yank my pants to the ground.

I stepped free of my trousers as the Nepin took hold of my shaft, and I sucked in a sharp breath when she dropped to her knees in front of me.

“I’ve never done this before,” she whispered.

“I’ll help you,” Miraya offered as she kneeled down next to her. “Watch.”

The spirit ran her tongue from the base to the tip of my dick, and a shiver went through my body. Then she took my head into her mouth and slowly slid back and forth.

“Ooooh,” Isabella murmured. “Do you like that, my lord?”

“Yessss,” I groaned. “Both of you can do it.”

Miraya glanced over at Isabella, and they took turns sucking and licking my cock as I kissed Laika and then Alyona. Ravi and Naomi wrapped their arms around Laika and Alyona and began to massage their breasts, and I could hardly contain myself as I watched their nipples get harder with every touch.

“Ohhhh,” Alyona sighed against my chest as Naomi’s hands slid down her stomach to the apex of her thighs.

“Fuck,” I grunted as I looked down to see the lizard mage rub her fingers against my wife’s wet pink lips.

I dipped my head to Alyona’s round breast and took her pert nipple between my teeth. I licked and sucked on her tits while Naomi continued to play with her pussy, and Alyona’s breathing came faster and faster.

“Oh, gods!” the princess moaned as her heart thumped in her chest.

Then her body shuddered as a rush of her juices poured over Naomi’s fingers, and I kissed Alyona’s creamy skin as goosebumps dimpled her flesh. Her eyes were closed as the climax rippled through her body, and my own orgasm started to rise to the surface.

Suddenly, Isabella took my entire shaft in her mouth while Miraya flicked her tongue against my sack, and it sent me over the edge.

“Oh, fuuuuck,” I groaned as I poured my seed down Isabella’s throat.

The Nepin slid back and forth while I orgasmed, and my hot load quickly filled her mouth and dribbled down her chin. After a few moments, I was finally empty, but then another shudder passed through my body as she dragged her lips over my sensitive head.

“I hope you have some more of your dragon seed left for us,” Laika teased as she nibbled the side of neck.

“Oh, I have plenty,” I growled playfully as I led them over to the bed. “You’re first.”

“Good,” the wolf Demi-Human giggled and flopped onto the king-sized bed with her legs open wide. “Fill me, my lord!”

“With pleasure.” I knelt between her legs and dragged the head of my cock along her sopping wet slit.

Ravi and Miraya climbed onto the bed on Laika’s right, while Alyona, Isabella, and Naomi cuddled up on her left. I reached over and pulled Ravi and Naomi close enough to play with their dripping pussies before I plunged my cock into Laika.

“Oh, gods!” the wolf warrior moaned as I pounded in and out of her tight tunnel.

Then Alyona met my gaze as she climbed over to Isabella and guided the Nepin to her back. I watched my wife dip her head between Isabella’s legs, and I nearly choked as she slowly began to taste Isabella’s sweet juices.

I rubbed circles around Naomi’s and Ravi’s throbbing clits while I plowed into Laika’s narrow canal. Miraya rolled over and began to lick Isabella’s hardening nipples, and the Nepin clawed at the blanket beneath her blue body as she neared her climax.

“Oh, my lord, I need it all!” Laika moaned and thrashed under me as her tunnel began to tighten around my cock like a vise. “Oh, gods!”

Then a gush of the wolf-woman’s nectar poured over my shaft as she hit her climax with a wild yell. As her body thrashed underneath me, Naomi and Ravi began to breathe harder, and I slid my fingers inside each of them as they neared their own orgasms. Within seconds, I had all three women’s juices dripping from my cock and my fingers as they vibrated on the bed with their mutual release.

I towered over them as I made their bodies twitch and tighten with intense pleasure, and I continued to plunge my hips and hands back and forth as they came all over the bed.

As I watched the trio shudder and felt Laika’s slick pussy squeeze my arousal, I released my own current of dragon seed into the wolf-woman’s waiting womb. I pumped my hips as my cock slid back and forth along the ridges and valleys of her sweet tunnel, and I filled her until my seed dripped down her thighs.

“Gooooods,” I groaned when my tremors finally stopped, and I glanced over to see Isabella on the verge of her orgasm on my wife’s tongue. “Fuck!”

I crawled over behind Alyona, and I plunged my cum-soaked cock into her sopping wet pussy. She moaned with pleasure and continued to flick her tongue over the Nepin’s dripping slit as Isabella gripped the blankets and let out a primal yell. A flood of her sweet cream washed over Alyona’s lips as I ravaged my wife from behind. The princess lapped up every drop of Isabella’s climax as her tunnel pulsated with desire, and I thrust my hips in and out of her quivering body as she pleasured the Nepin.

“Oh, gods,” Isabella squeaked while her indigo body bucked under Alyona’s mouth.

As Isabella’s muscles relaxed, she slid over and let Miraya take her place. Without a word, Alyona dropped her head between the spirit’s legs, and she licked and sucked on Miraya’s sweet lips. Then Ravi, Naomi, and Laika scooted closer and began to kiss the spirit’s trembling body.

Isabella sat a few inches away as her body recovered from her intense orgasm before she leaned over and wrapped her arms around Laika. She massaged the wolf-woman’s round breasts and thumbed her nipples, and Laika leaned back into the Nepin’s arms as they began to rub their naked bodies together. Isabella trailed kisses down Laika’s bare throat, and then her hands drifted down to the wolf Demi-Human’s still dripping pussy.

“Fuuuuck.” My eyes were glued to the show as Isabella rubbed circles on Laika’s throbbing clit and slid one finger, then two inside her. Their hips rolled back and forth as they kissed, and they let their tongues dance together.

Then Miraya slowly lifted her hand to tease Laika’s tight nipple, and the wolf warrior closed her eyes as she moaned with pleasure.

“Oh, goooods,” she whispered as she rode Isabella’s hand. “Do you want to taste Lord Evan and me at the same time?”

“Yes!” Isabella squeaked.

They quickly flipped positions, and Isabella dove between Laika’s thighs with a hunger for the mixture of our juices that waited for her. Her little blue tongue dipped and slid over Laika’s trembling lips, and Miraya continued to massage the wolf-woman’s breasts while Alyona licked and sucked the spirit’s soaked flower.

Watching my women make love to me and to each other was intoxicating, and I had to rein in my climax until Alyona’s pussy tightened around me. Her creamy skin bounced against my hips, and she took in sharp breaths as she finally crested with a moan against Miraya’s slit.

“Ohhhh, Lord Evan!” Alyona cried out as her pussy released a river of her juices that drowned my cock in her pleasure.

“Fuuuuck, yes!” I groaned and released my own hot load inside the princess.

Our hips moved in perfect synchronicity as we rode our wave together until we both trembled.

“My turn?” Ravi asked as she looked up from Miraya’s bare breast.

I met the phoenix’s hooded gaze as she flicked Miraya’s nipple with her tongue and then nipped at the supple skin.

“Absolutely,” I growled.

For several more hours, I pleasured and filled my women with my seed until we all dripped with sweat and collapsed onto the bed in a pile of steaming, naked limbs.

It felt like only minutes had passed when I heard a bell ring from the first floor.

“Breakfast is ready!” Peppi called out from the bottom of the stairs. “Come and get it!”

“Oh, gods,” I groaned as I looked over my sleeping women. “It’s already morning.”

“I need a shower,” Ravi chuckled as she sat up to rub her eyes. “I’m covered in Evan’s sperm, and I can’t even remember how many orgasms I had last night.”

“Me, either,” Alyona giggled as she rolled over and leaned up on her elbow. “I quite enjoy when we share a room.”

“So do I,” I said with a grin that quickly was replaced by a grimace as my stomach growled loud enough for them to hear. “I think we need to eat, too, but I definitely want to shower first.”

“Probably a good idea,” my wife agreed. “You smell like, ah, us.”

“My favorite scent,” I chuckled as I rose from the bed.

A few minutes later, we all traipsed into the community shower across the hall and cleaned up. By the time we’d finished, my stomach felt like it might eat itself if I didn’t hurry down to the dining room, where I could smell freshly scrambled eggs and toast.

As we all piled around the table, Nike strolled into the room looking as though he’d slept a full eight hours. His silver eyes were bright and alert, and he pushed his jet-black hair back from his face as he sat down in front of a plate of eggs.

“This looks great, Peppi,” he remarked as he took a bite.

We all chowed down, and the old Nepin soon had to return to the kitchen to make another batch of breakfast. It seemed our nighttime activities had increased all our appetites, and when Eddie finally came into the room, Peppi started on round three.

“You all sure are hungry,” she observed with a knowing smile.

“Long day ahead of us,” I said and winked before I turned to my group. “We need to decide our approach for this guy on the beach. If he has magic to hide his house, we have to assume he has more to defend it.”

“If it’s mirage magic, I can take care of that,” Naomi pointed out. “I’m really good with those spells.”

“Yeah, I definitely want you with me,” I agreed. “But I also want some of you to go to the hiding spot for the rest of the stolen treasures. We need to get those returned to their rightful owners.”

“I can do that,” Ravi offered.

“Maybe Alyona can stay in town and help with that,” I suggested with a furrowed brow. “If we don’t know what we’re up against on the beach, I don’t want you in any danger. At least here in Yrosa, we know the bandits are in the dungeons.”

“Then I’m staying, too,” Laika said firmly. “I’ll make sure she’s safe.”

“I’m not helpless, you know.” Alyona looked down at her belly with pursed lips. “Though I suppose finding lost treasure is less dangerous than a fight with whoever is leading the bandits.”

“Exactly,” I said with a smile. “I know you can handle yourself, but I don’t want to put you in danger if we don’t have to. Besides, when you return everyone’s stolen items, they’ll be much happier to see you than the guy on the beach will be when he sees us.”

“I want to be there for that part,” Isabella said as she clenched her jaw. “He stole from my home, and he’s the reason my parents were tied up.”

“I can understand that.” I nodded and looked over at Miraya. “I think you should come with us, too. I need you with me in the sword.”

“Of course, my lord,” the spirit conceded. “Naomi may also need to siphon my power for the mirage if it was created with strong magic.”

“Good call,” I said and then turned to Nike. “You should go with Alyona and the others to get the hiding place location just in case there’s a trap.”

“I’ll keep them safe,” he vowed. “We’ll return the Nepins’ belongings.”

“Then I think we’re set,” I decided. “Let’s clear out some bandits.”

“Do you need anything from us?” Peppi interjected as we started to rise from the table.

“You just stay safe,” I replied. “We’ll handle it.”

“Okay.” She nodded and took her husband’s hand.

We waved as we headed outside, and Nike led Alyona, Laika, and Ravi toward the dungeons. I walked with Miraya, Naomi, and Isabella toward the city gates while dozens of Nepin heads whipped around to watch us pass by. Though I’d made my promise in the courtyard yesterday, it seemed some people were still wary of our presence in Yrosa.

We continued toward the gate, and the guards let us out without question. I chuckled to myself as I realized they were probably a little confused about how we got in to begin with, but then I motioned for my women to stop as I stepped out ahead of them and shifted into my dragon form.

My shining black scales rippled up and down my skin as I grew in size, and my fingers quickly thickened into sharp claws. My wings and tail sprouted from my growing body, and the spikes that lined my spine sprung free as I loomed over the trio of women that waited for me.

“Wow,” Isabella breathed and stared up at me. “You’re magnificent.”

“Thanks,” I chuckled as I lowered my body for Miraya and Naomi to climb on. “Want to ride or fly?”

“Fly,” the Nepin answered with a grin.

We both flapped our wings, and the four of us took off toward the beach. I breathed in the salty ocean air as we neared the sand, and I had to do a quick double-take when I realized the sand was black. I stared at the dark crystals below us while we soared closer to the water, and I wondered if it had anything to do with the Breach.

“Why is the sand black?” I asked Isabella.

“There was a volcano further south,” she explained over the wind rushing between us. “It erupted a long time ago, and some say the lava burned into the sand. I don’t know how true it is, but supposedly, that’s when the sand turned black.”

“Well, at least it’s not miasma,” I said with a note of relief. “Now, we just need to look for anything odd, a mirage, or even footprints in the sand.”

“Got it!” Isabella called out as she dipped closer to the ground. “Look for magic or footprints.”

“Or something that looks out of place,” Naomi pointed out. “If the mage is inexperienced, he may have only been able to camouflage the hideout with something familiar to himself.”

“Ah, I’ll try,” the Nepin muttered.

As we traveled closer to the water, I looked out over the ocean. There was so much of Inati to explore, and I knew I’d barely even scratched the surface. I just had to get rid of this bandit bullshit, so we could focus on finding the Noble Spirits in time to see all of it before the Breach ripped the world apart.

Then a familiar feeling tugged me to the right.

I could sense treasure nearby.

I doubted there was buried treasure on the beach, so it had to be the bandit leader’s hidden stash of stolen goods, and my inner dragon nearly screamed at me to find it. The mental pull toward the gold led me north up the coastline, and Isabella fluttered along beside me without question.

Then I noticed a ripple in the sand about thirty yards ahead of us, and the desire for gold became almost unbearably strong.

“There.” I lifted my foreleg and pointed to the area that had set off a cerebral beacon. “We’re close.”

“How can you tell?” Isabella wondered.

“The gold,” I murmured as I slowly drifted toward the sand for a quiet landing. “I can feel it calling to me.”

The Nepin cocked her head to the side, but she didn’t ask for more details while she floated down to land silently beside me. Miraya and Naomi slipped down my scales to the ground, but then I hesitated to transform again.

“Are you fighting badass dragon-style?” Naomi asked with a sly grin.

“I think it might be better,” I confirmed with a nod. “Can you get the mirage down without me?”

“Yeah, I can already see it now,” the lizard mage replied. “Miraya can help me.”

I crossed the sand with them, though I took care to move slowly and quietly in my larger body. Naomi stopped and reached out with her hand to find the barrier around the beach house, and suddenly ripples seemed to appear in midair as her skin struck something.

“Is that it?” I asked.

“Yes, it’s here,” she replied and frowned. “But it’s not just a mirage. It’s a protective barrier, too. I’ll have to use a different spell to bring it down.”

“Whatever you need to do,” I said and narrowed my eyes on the mirage. “But make it quick. They could be watching us already.”

Naomi dipped her head, and she and Miraya got to work. The lady lizard pulled some kind of flowered plant from her spatial storage and dragged it through the sand. Then she flicked a black fireball onto the flower petals and jammed the stem into the sand. She put her hand on Miraya’s shoulder, and the pair squatted next to the flower while Naomi began to chant.

“Anoxi dia, anoxi mori, reveal to us what eyes cannot see,” she droned as she flattened her hand against the barrier.

The mirage rippled for a moment, and I caught a glimpse of a white two-story house on stilts dug into the sand. Then the cover disappeared completely, and the house was revealed. It looked rickety, as though someone had built it by hand without anything but some nails and a hammer. A wide porch covered the house from side to side, and the two visible windows were covered from the inside with a dark-colored fabric.

One of the makeshift curtains moved ever so slightly, and I bared my teeth as I prepared to lay waste to the entire building. Whoever was running the bandit tribe was about to get burned or come out and face us, and I considered whether I should give him the option.

“Watch the front,” I ordered the women. “I’m going to fly over the top and make sure no one escapes.”

“Of course, my lord,” Naomi said, and they all crouched into a fighting stance.

I leaped into the air and flew above the house, and I could hear the floorboards creak with movement and the hushed whisper of a fevered conversation from inside the house.

It seemed the leader wasn’t home alone.

“Come out now or go down with the house!” I bellowed from the sky above the beach house. “Your protective spell is gone, and wood burns quickly!”

I did a quick loop around the building, but it seemed there was no rear exit. The front door and the two blocked windows were the only means of escape, so I flew back to hover just above the porch and started to give a final warning when the front door slammed open.

A Nepin man flew out with his hands clenched into fists and an angry snarl across his blue face.

“Get them!” he shrieked and pointed at my women.

Suddenly, a group of six masked men sprinted onto the porch and stood in front of the Nepin. Two of them held broadswords and shields, while another swung a morning star around his head. The other three were empty-handed, but I had a feeling at least one of them performed the magic that had created the barrier around the house.

“You’ll regret that,” I growled as I swooped down into view of the bandits.

They released a collective gasp and tightened the grip on their weapons as the leader looked at me with wild confusion.

“What are you waiting for?” he screamed. “I said get them!”

The bandits hesitated for a moment before they rushed off the patio, and they released a battle cry as they headed for Naomi, Isabella, and Miraya.

“Oh, no, you don’t,” I growled and dropped down to swipe at the bandits with my claws. My foreleg connected with two of them, and they flew several yards away and crashed onto the black sand in a heap.

I looped around just as Naomi conjured a black fireball and launched it at one of the sword-wielding thieves. The fiery orb hit him in the chest like a wrecking ball, and he flailed his arms and legs as he sailed backward and landed near the stilts under the house.

“Get up!” the Nepin leader screamed. “Don’t let them come near me!”

Miraya and Isabella teamed up against the bandit with the morning star, and my Nepin lover flew above him as he tried to swing the spiked ball at her while Miraya pulled a dagger from her robe and swiped at his torso.

“Ahhhh!” he yelled as her first strike drew blood that seeped through his orange tunic.

I turned my attention to the other empty-handed bandit as he murmured a spell under his breath. The ocean suddenly became louder in my ears, and I turned to see a colossal wave had formed and was barreling toward the beach. The mage’s eyes were locked on me as he pulled the wave closer and closer, and I knew I could dodge the water by flying above it, but it would leave my women in danger of being pulled back out to sea.

“Bastard,” I snarled as I turned to face the incoming water.

I called on the fire magic I’d learned from the phoenix chief, formed a wall of fire, and dropped it to the sand with a loud thud that shook the ground below me. As the wave grew higher, I pushed the wall to match its height, and the water finally crashed into the flaming barrier.

As soon as the wall of water hit, I felt the pressure of the mage’s magic against my own, but I knew I had more power. The water began to boil and bubble as it pushed on my fiery wall but to no avail. I glanced over at the mage, whose eyes widened behind his mask as he realized I wasn’t his average opponent, and then I shoved the wall backward to push the boiling water back into the ocean. The water released a cloud of steam as it returned to the sea, and I called the fire back into my body.

“H-How did you…” the mage trailed off before he clenched his fists. “It doesn’t matter. You can’t beat me! I’m a mage!”

“And I’m a fucking dragon,” I growled as I swooped down and released a column of flames onto the masked thief.

The material of his mask began to melt and drip down his robes, and he flailed and screamed as the fire engulfed his body. I hovered over his flaming corpse for a moment, and then something poked my side.

“Yes!” the leader bellowed. “You mustn’t give up! Kill them all!”

I whirled around to see one of the men I’d knocked out had woken up and conjured a bow with arrows, and he had another one in the bowstring aimed for me. As he released his next projectile, the arrow sailed through the air and clinked against my scales before it fell to the ground.

“What kind of beast are you?” he muttered as he pulled another arrow from his quiver. “These are magic arrows!”

“They won’t be enough,” I chuckled before I flew lower and knocked him over with my large tail.

I shifted into my human form, landed a few feet away from the mage, and unsheathed the Sword of Hatra. Then I charged the mage as he made it to his feet, and we tumbled over the sand until I landed on top of him with my sword at his throat. I pressed the blade against his skin until a trickle of blood oozed over the silvery edge.

“Oh, gods,” he groaned as he shivered beneath me.

“They don’t like thieves  either,” I muttered and started to lift my sword to slice off his head.

“Get away from him!” The voice from behind me was quickly followed by the familiar sound of a blade slicing through the air.

I ducked the blow, and the other bandit’s sword swooshed over my head. I slammed the pommel of my sword handle into the mage’s face, and he blacked out as I jumped up and swung at my attacker.

The Sword of Healing sliced across his left shoulder as he tried to turn away from my strike, and blood poured down his arm from a cut at least two inches deep that revealed the muscle underneath. He looked down at the wound with shock and tried to use his tunic sleeve to staunch the bleeding before he grunted and gripped his measly sword even tighter, though he kept it at his side while he glared at me with obvious hatred.

“Don’t know how to fight fair?” I sneered as I took a taunting step toward him. “Come on, put up your sword. Let’s fucking do this.”

“Fine!” the bandit yelled before he ran toward me with his sword held high.

I sidestepped his charge and drove my blade through his side, and I felt his bottom ribs crack as my sword plunged into his torso. He tripped and fell on top of his unconscious companion as I yanked the Sword of Hatra back. Then I straddled the pile of wounded thieves and brought my sword down through both of their weakened bodies. The blade traveled through the swordsman’s back and into his friend’s gut before it hit the sand, and I yanked it back out as I stood over them.

A pool of blood soon formed underneath them and seeped into the black sand as they took their last shaky breaths.

“No!” the Nepin leader shrieked. “You can’t do this!”

I looked over my shoulder to see Isabella and Miraya finish off the thief with the morning star. The chain of his weapon was wrapped around his neck, and Isabella fluttered above him with the spiked ball and handle in her hands while Miraya dealt the finishing blow with her dagger. Isabella released the morning star, and the bandit crumpled to the ground in a growing puddle of blood.

Naomi’s opponent crawled across the sand to get away from her, but she planted her foot on his back and summoned a series of fireballs that cascaded over his robed back until his clothes were engulfed in flames. Within seconds, the pile of his ashes barely stood out from the black sand, and I turned to see the Nepin man watching the entire scene with a look of utter astonishment.

“You!” I called out and pointed at him. “Surrender or suffer the same fate as your men!”

“I choose neither!” he spat out as he leapt from the porch and flapped his silvery wings.

It seemed it had been a while since the Nepin had taken flight, and he sputtered just enough to be within my reach. I jumped up and grabbed a hold of his boot to yank him to the ground. Then I slammed him down at my feet, and he coughed as he swallowed a mouthful of black sand.

“Then I’ll choose for you.” I smirked as I pressed my boot onto his wings to keep him from taking off again. “Who are you?”

“I know who he is,” Isabella growled as she strode closer. “That’s Odalis.”

“The one who ran away from the council?” I asked her.

“Yeah, he’s the one Peppi told us about,” she confirmed and shot another glare at the older Nepin’s back.

“Is that Mel’s daughter?” Odalis laughed and then choked out another pile of sand. “I heard you left your betrothed and Yrosa to go be a whore, but I didn’t realize it was for a dragon. What a disgrace. No wonder your family didn’t want you to come back.”

I grabbed one of Odalis’ wings and ripped a hunk of the opalescent appendage off with a feral snarl. “You will not talk to her like that ever again, or I’ll tear off the rest! And any other body parts I feel like removing!”

Odalis shuddered and whimpered underneath me, and Isabella glared at him with a fiery hatred.

“He doesn’t deserve those wings,” she spat out. “He betrayed everyone in Yrosa. He put my family in danger! Even if I didn’t follow their wishes, I still care what happens to them!”

“Your family wasn’t in danger,” he scoffed. “My men go to steal things, not hurt people. You have no idea what we do.”

“You pay people to steal things, so you can sell them,” I said as I pushed my boot further into his back. “It’s not exactly rocket science.”

“Rocket what?” Odalis tried to roll over and then gave up with a huff. “Anyway, I give these men someone to look up to and a way to make money.”

“Someone to look up to?” I scoffed. “You’re a no-good thief. That’s not exactly an ideal role model.”

“I make money, they get paid, everyone wins,” the old Nepin said. “It works for all of us.”

“Except for the people you steal from,” I pointed out. “What about them?”

“Well, they stole from me!” he thundered and dug his fingers into the sand. “I was doing great work with the council, and they took that away from me! They took everything! My job, my wife, my home, all gone! Just because they didn’t like one little thing I did. Or tried to do, anyway.”

“Didn’t you try to sleep with another councilman’s wife?” I laughed. “It doesn’t sound like they took anything from you except a position you made clear you didn’t deserve. That’s a bit more than one little thing.”

“Noble men have had sex with other women for centuries,” Odalis said. “You should know. I can see you’re a noble by the sword you carry. How many women are in your harem?”

“None that are already married to someone else,” I shot back. “I would never disrespect a fellow noble like that. It’s a disgrace to your role on the council, and your people thought so, too. Why not just go find another place to live?”

“Where could I go?” he whined and twisted under my boot. “I don’t know anything or anyone outside of Yrosa. I would have been alone without anyone.”

“You knew enough to recruit thieves,” I argued. “One of them said you found him in Evlorn, so you at least went that far. You could have stayed there, made yourself a new life.”

“With no money, no friends, and a shattered reputation?” he laughed without humor. “Yeah, that would have gone well.”

“Plus, you had your sons,” I added. “Why not try to set a better example for them?”

“I did exactly what they needed,” he insisted. “I made sure they had a place to live and food on the table. We wouldn’t have gotten that in some random new city!”

“You can argue until you’re blue in the face,” I said and then grimaced at my phrase. “You were wrong to go back and steal from these people, and it’s terrible that you involved your own children.”

“You used your position on the council to find out about innocent people’s valuables,” Isabella added with a frown. “It’s sickening. No one deserved to be tied up or hit because you wanted some money.”

“If they got hurt, it’s because they didn’t listen,” Odalis sneered. “All they had to do was give up the item on the list. It was simple.”

“Oh, yeah?” I rumbled as I dropped my knee into his back and dug further into his skin. “What about Lucien’s family? They didn’t even have what your little sycophants came for, so they got tied up, and his wife got hurt even though your stupid list was wrong!”

“I know he has the phoenix key,” the Nepin shot back. “He brought it up a few times in our meetings about how to keep it safe. The little coward thought we would be the only ones who ever knew about it.”

“Then I’m guessing he never told you he moved it to the vaults after he took your place.” I smirked and lowered my mouth to his ear. “And I ought to rip you to shreds for your men putting their hands on his wife and children. They were traumatized by your damn thieves, all for a key that wasn’t even there!”

“I never asked them to do that!” he insisted as he trembled under me. “I never said to hurt anyone!”

“Yet we found my parents bound and gagged while your men searched their home,” Isabella snarled. “Either your men don’t listen, or you’re a liar, and I don’t believe a damn word that comes out of your disgusting mouth. You make me sick!”

I turned to my Nepin lover with a look of both awe and surprise. She was fierce about protecting the people of Yrosa, and it kind of turned me on. I grinned at her before I returned to the Nepin bandit leader under my knee.

“You will pay for your crimes,” I swore as I pushed my kneecap even further into his skin and gripped his wing. “But lucky for you, I won’t be the one who doles out your punishment this time. The Nepin court will want to see justice, like they’ll do for your men we already caught. All ten of them are sitting in the dungeons now, but there’s plenty of room for you.”

Odalis suddenly burst out laughing, and his body shuddered under me as he quaked with amusement. I narrowed my eyes on his back, and a shadowy sense of foreboding washed over me.

He knew something else.

“What’s so funny?” Naomi demanded and looked up at me. “Are you sure we can’t just kill him? He’s getting on my nerves.”

“Mine, too,” I agreed and shoved his head down into the sand. “Tell us what you find so amusing about your men in the dungeons.”

“You just think you’ve won already,” he finally gasped when I lifted his head. “But you haven’t.”

“I beg to differ,” I growled.

“Do you?” he chuckled. “Do you really think there were only ten?”

Chapter 6

“What the hell is he talking about?” Naomi muttered as we all gaped at the Nepin bandit leader. “We cleared the whole town. There aren’t any more bandits.”

“Explain yourself,” I thundered and flipped Odalis over onto his back.

I pressed my blade to his throat and stood with my boot in the middle of his chest as he sucked in the fresh air. I noticed the tattoos on his skin had been scraped away, and part of me was satisfied with the Nepin way of expelling someone from their city. I hoped it had hurt like hell.

“I don’t think I will.” Odalis shook his head and laughed again, and his utter defiance pissed me off even more. “And you can’t make me. I have protection spells from my mages, and they’re even stronger than the one over my house.”

“Think again,” I growled as I applied just enough pressure for the tip of my sword to draw blood, and a red stream flowed out of his blue skin and down onto the sand. “I can slice you to pieces, heal you, and start over until you tell me exactly what the fuck you have going on in Yrosa. And I’ll enjoy every second.”

“Um…” Odalis met my gaze and trembled for a moment before he cleared his throat. “Well, if you torture me, I won’t want to tell you anything.”

“That’s not how torture works,” Isabella retorted as she rolled her eyes. “You realize he’s a dragon, right? He could use the sword or his fire or any of his other magic on you and torture you for hours. It will hurt so much, all you’ll want is to make it stop. You’ll beg for him to stop, which would only happen if you told him what he wanted to know.”

“So, I suggest you start the telling me part unless you’d like to test the torture part,” I snarled as I dug my boot into his chest. “And you have five seconds to decide.”

“You can’t possibly--” he started to argue.

“Four,” I growled and pressed the tip of the blade further into his flesh.

“I just need to figure out--” Odalis started again.

“Three,” I said as I transferred all my weight to my foot on his chest.

“Oh, gods,” he groaned and bit his lip with frustration.

“Two,” I hissed.

“Okay!” the Nepin thief wailed and put his hands up in front of his face. “I just need you to promise me something.”

“Why the hell would I do that?” I asked in a menacing tone. “You’re a thief and a con man. I don’t owe you one fucking thing.”

“I just…” he trailed off and took a deep breath. “I just have to be sure my sons will be safe.”

“What do you mean?” I pressed as I risked a glance at the house. “Where are they?”

I hadn’t heard any other movement from inside, and I didn’t think he’d let his kids run around in Yrosa while he went about his bandit ways. There had to be something I didn’t know.

Odalis hesitated for a moment before everything finally tumbled out.

“I sent my sons in as the last team,” he explained. “They’re Nepins, so they blend in with the rest of the city, and they could go to their mother’s house without anyone wondering why they were back. It was the perfect plan.”

“You made your sons part of your bandit group?” Isabella gasped. “Why would you do that to them?”

“They like money just like anyone else,” he scoffed.

“You’re a disgrace as a father,” I muttered. “They should be learning how to be part of a society, not learning how to steal from one.”

My blood boiled at the thought of teaching my children to be criminals instead of nobles. Even on Earth, I would have wanted my kids to do something we could be proud of, not something I’d have to bail them out of jail for. Odalis was pushing all my buttons, and I wasn’t sure how long I could control my dragon instincts to rip his head from his shoulders.

“Well, like father, like son,” the Nepin leader grumbled.

“Like how you steal wives?” Miraya smirked and crossed her arms over her chest. “No wonder they all wanted you to leave.”

“You don’t know a thing about me.” Odalis shot her a poisonous glare, but the spirit didn’t budge, and he finally dropped his gaze.

“What’s their target?” I demanded. “I want to know everything about their little trip to town.”

When he hesitated again, I growled and healed the cut at his throat before I cut into his skin again. He clenched his jaw and took a deep breath.

“It’s the biggest score we’ve gone after,” Odalis finally admitted with a frown. “The council keeps it in the vault, so that’s why I needed my boys to go after it. I couldn’t send an outsider into city hall. They would be too obvious, but my sons could walk around in town without getting more than a second glance.”

“What’s being kept in the vault?” I bellowed. “Tell me all of it!”

“Okay, okay,” he sighed. “It’s some fancy spirit noble’s sword, I think. It’s been there forever. I asked around in a few other cities, and it’s worth more than my whole stash combined. I knew I had to get it, so that’s why I sent the ones I trust the most.”

“The Noble Sword?” Miraya gasped and covered her mouth.

“You sent them to steal it?” I could hardly believe the balls on this guy. “How do you know it’s there?”

“It was brought into the vault a while ago.” Odalis shrugged and rolled his eyes. “I didn’t think it meant anything, but I was assured it would be worth our efforts.”

“Without a second thought as to why it’s so valuable,” I muttered. “Do you have any idea what stealing it from its rightful owner would do?”

“Fill my pockets,” Odalis huffed. “That’s what I needed it to do. I don’t know if it has magic powers or anything, that’s not my thing. I hire mages to do magic, and I collect my money.”

“You’re a fucking idiot!” I thundered and shoved the blade deeper into his skin until he whimpered with pain. “I should just do us all a favor and kill you right now!”

A wider trail of blood dribbled over the dried path of the first cut I’d made, and I started to impale his throat when Miraya grabbed my arm.

“My lord, please,” she whispered. “While his life isn’t important to me, finding his sons and my sister is. We can’t do that without him.”

“We found the others without this scumbag,” I snarled as I gripped the sword tight in my hand.

“True,” the spirit agreed. “But they stood out in the crowd. His sons won’t.”

“Unfortunately, I have to agree,” Isabella murmured. “I’d like to watch his blood empty from his body, but we can’t yet.”

I took a deep breath and focused on what the women told me. I knew they were right, but I so badly wanted to tear this bastard apart. Not only had he put multiple people in harm’s way, but he also didn’t give two shits about anyone or anything except himself and his money. My inner dragon practically screamed at me to rid the world of Odalis, but I used every ounce of willpower in my body to loosen my grip on the Sword of Hatra.

“Lucky for you, I have my women here to give me a good reason not to kill you,” I hissed as I lifted my sword an inch away from his skin. “We need to hold him here.”

“I can do that,” Naomi chimed in with a sly smile. “Give me five minutes.”

The lizard mage dug around in her spatial storage and produced a handful of black stones. They looked similar to the obsidian I’d created with my lava magic, and I watched her with curiosity as she set them in a circle around us. Then she sprinkled some kind of glittery dust over each of the stones and murmured the words of a spell under her breath.

When she reached the last stone, she stopped and looked at us.

“I’m guessing we need to move,” I chuckled as I sheathed my sword and stepped out of the circle of stones.

“Indeed,” Naomi said with a smile before she finished the spell.

The Nepin bandit leader sat up just as a murky gray shield rose from the stones and connected over his head like a dome. It shimmered like water, but when Odalis reached out to touch it, there was a small pop, and he yanked his hand back and cradled it to his chest.

“What did you do?” he demanded as he inspected his injured finger.

“I added an extra layer of ‘don’t fucking touch it,’” Naomi retorted. “If you try, it will burn you, so try to just sit tight.”

“Or don’t and burn your whole body,” Isabella snickered. “We don’t care.”

“Looks like you’re on our time now,” I said to the old Nepin. “Now, tell us when your sons are planning their attack.”

“I don’t know,” Odalis muttered. “I don’t micromanage.”

“Are they staying at their mother’s house until they attack?” I pressed. “Does she know what they’re doing?”

“She’s clueless.” He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “As usual. She never paid attention anyway.”

“Bastard,” Naomi hissed as her forked tongue slithered out of her mouth with rage. “She deserves much better than you.”

“Maybe so,” Odalis replied with another shrug. “But she wouldn’t ever turn down the boys if they showed up on her door, so they probably did go there.”

“Then that’s where we’ll go,” I said. “We’ll be back when we feel like it.”

“What?” the Nepin bandit gasped as he scrambled to his feet. “No!”

“See ya!” Naomi called out with a sarcastic wave.

“Wait, you can’t just leave me here!” he screamed as we began to walk away from the beach house. “I have no food! No water! I’ll die!”

“Then you’ll save Yrosa the effort of a court hearing,” Isabella shot back over her shoulder. “And get exactly what you deserve.”

“Ahhhhh!” Odalis wailed and threw himself down onto the sand.

We ignored his fit, and I quickly shifted back into my dragon form. Miraya and Naomi climbed onto my back, and I took flight with Isabella beside me as Odalis’ screams echoed across the dark sand. I glanced back over my shoulder at the beach house and wondered exactly how much treasure was hidden inside. It was something I planned to investigate as soon as we caught Odalis’ sons, but for now, I had to focus on bringing them to justice.

Then I’d fulfill my need for treasure.

My inner dragon was annoyed but didn’t argue. He was the source of my protective instincts, though it seemed he didn’t see the harm in getting a little gold before we continued. I shook my head with amusement and looked over at my Nepin lover.

“We need to go to his wife’s house first,” I called out. “Do you know where it is?”

“Yes, it’s not far from my parents’ house,” Isabella replied. “But you won’t have anywhere to land inside the gates.”

“Got it.” I nodded my head as we neared the city wall, and I floated to the sand with a gentle thud.

Naomi and Miraya climbed down from my back, and I transformed back to my human body. I heard a few gasps and looked up to see the guards on top of the wall had seen my transformation, and they ducked behind the stone wall as though I’d suddenly attack. It seemed they hadn’t realized I was a dragon until now. They really were out of the loop over here.

We followed Isabella through the gate into the city and past the staring Nepin citizens until we reached a small house I realized was only four doors away from Mel and Rocia’s home. The wooden shutters were closed tightly, and I couldn’t hear any movement inside. I would have thought it was abandoned if Isabella hadn’t been so sure we were at the right place.

“I’ll try to talk to her,” Isabella offered as she knocked on the door. “You know, the whole outsider issue.”

I nodded my agreement as she stepped back and watched for someone to open the door. We waited almost a full minute before my Nepin lover knocked a second time, and the door finally eased open just enough for me to see a single blue eye that widened before the woman started to close the door again.

“Not happening,” I growled as I put my palm against the door to keep it open. “You don’t have to let us in, but you do have to talk to us.”

“Who are you?” a voice whispered. “What do you want?”

“I’m Isabella, Mel’s daughter,” my lover explained as she moved into the woman’s view. “You know Mel, right?”

“Of course,” the woman confirmed. “Everyone knows him. He took care of my illness a few months ago, but why are you here?”

“My friends and I are looking for someone, and we thought you might have seen them,” Isabella answered. “Can we talk for a minute?”

There was a brief moment when I thought we’d have to push past the quiet woman and search her house, but she finally released a rattled sigh and opened the door just enough to reveal her face. She was about the same age as Isabella’s parents, though she looked so exhausted it seemed to age her features even more. I figured she was pretty at one time in her life, but after having such a public debacle with her husband, life had become harder on her.

“You mean my boys, don’t you?” she asked. “I knew they were up to no good when they came here. I knew it. Just like their no-good, rotten father.”

“We only need to talk to them for now,” I said in a gentle voice. “Can you let us in to see them?”

“They left this morning,” the woman choked out as tears welled in her azure eyes. “They were gone when I woke up, and before you ask, no, I don’t know where they went. I only want to be left alone. Please, don’t involve me. They’re just like their father, and I’m sure you’ve heard enough about him to know I don’t support his decisions.”

“Okay, that’s all we needed to know,” Isabella soothed her. “Thank you.”

With that, the Nepin woman closed the door, and I heard the distinct thump of a lock as it clicked into place.

Odalis’ wife was obviously terrified of us, but she was more terrified of being involved in whatever her husband and sons were up to. While it was clear she was trying to stay out of it, that didn’t give us any leads as to where the boys went or when they’d go after the sword.

“Well, that was sort of helpful,” I muttered. “We’d better get everyone back together.”

I summoned my messenger dragon and instructed it to tell the rest of our group to meet up at the city hall before it zoomed further north into town. We had to discuss our findings with the council and figure out a plan to keep the sword safe before Odalis’ sons could get to it. I still didn’t know which of the noble families was linked to the sword, but they must have put it in the vault to keep it safe, and I wasn’t about to let some bandit family put it all at risk just for an easy profit.

We made our way to city hall just as Nike, Alyona, Laika, and Ravi hurried over from the other side of the building. A feeling of relief washed over me when I saw my wife, though I was glad I’d sent her on the safer mission rather than taking her to the beach and the fight that had quickly ensued there. I knew she could kick ass, but I felt more comfortable when she didn’t have to.

“We got your message!” Ravi called out. “Is everything okay? Did you find the leader?”

“Yeah, it was Odalis,” I answered. “He was the old councilman who got kicked out for trying to sleep with another councilman’s wife, so apparently, he thinks he needs to get back at the whole city for deserting him. Naomi trapped him for now, but that’s not all we found out. Did you get everyone’s stuff returned to them?”

“We did,” Alyona confirmed. “Some of them didn’t even realize their things were missing. How did you contain him?”

“A flemturo circle,” Naomi answered with a grin.

“Perfect,” the princess replied and matched her smile. “He won’t be getting out of that any time soon, though it sounds like he deserves the injuries he’d get if he tried. My lord, with all the people we spoke to, I get the feeling the robberies have been going on for quite some time.”

“I agree,” I murmured. “And they aren’t done yet. Odalis sent his sons into the city to steal the Noble Sword from the vault.”

“What?” Laika’s gray eyes widened in shock. “Why would he do that? Does he know what it is?”

“No, he’s an imbecile,” Miraya spat out. “He doesn’t care about anyone but himself.”

“He only cares that someone offered to buy it if he had it,” I added with a frown. “He’s a real piece of shit, but we have to stop them now. Odalis said he didn’t know how they planned to do it, and we checked with his wife. The brothers stayed at their mother’s last night and left this morning. She doesn’t know where they went, and I don’t think she knows why they came. They could already be on the move.”

“Then we’d better get inside and talk to the council,” Nike suggested. “They should increase their guard patrols around the vault and make sure no one gets in. We can determine how to catch them after that.”

“Let’s go.” I headed for the doors with the rest of my companions on my heels.

The guards opened the double doors without a word, and we strode inside as shrill voices filled the hall.

“I thought this was being taken care of!” one of the men shrieked.

“Lord Evan is working diligently to find the culprits,” Morgan’s smooth voice assured him. “I have faith he will find a solution to the problem.”

“It’s in the works,” I announced as we walked into the meeting room. “It takes some time. Thieves don’t usually surrender if they think they can get away with their goods. What’s with the impatience?”

Several of the council members looked to each other with grim expressions, and Morgan rolled her eyes and cleared her throat as she gestured to the Nepin guard who lowered into a bow at our entrance before he slid to stand next to the door.

“What no one wants to tell you is there is apparently still a thief in our midst,” she declared. “We don’t know who he was or where he came from, but an attempt was made to break into the vault. The attempt was unsuccessful.”

“Okay, so let me talk to him,” I demanded. “I need to figure out where his partner is.”

“Partner?” Morgan lifted her eyebrows in surprise. “There was only one man who tried to get in, and he slipped away from the guards without reaching his goal.”

“I can attest to only seeing one thief,” the guard said with a firm nod. “I was guarding the hall above the vault, and he ran away before anyone could stop him.”

“Odalis definitely said two sons,” Miraya whispered into my ear. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

“I agree,” I murmured before I turned back to the shocked council. “Did you inventory the vault after the thief got away?”

“Ah, no,” the Nepin councilwoman admitted. “Even if we did, there’s no guarantee we would know if something was missing. We don’t keep a running list of everything put inside.”

“That seems… less than smart,” Laika said with an annoyed twitch of her bushy gray tail. “Especially in a situation such as this.”

“We’ve never had an issue like this,” Morgan insisted. “No one has ever tried to take something from the vault. They bring us things, we store them, and city hall is kept under watch of the guards. That’s it.”

“Something must be done about your system,” the wolf Demi-Human snapped. “It’s incredibly underwhelming.”

“We just try not to get involved in everyone’s business,” Lucien interjected as he rubbed his jaw. “We have enough work to get done, and the people have always been allowed to keep their valuables in the vault if they so choose. We’ve never had to prepare for bandits!”

“This is insane,” Ravi muttered.

“It is,” I agreed. “You’re putting the most valuable things your people own at risk because you’re too busy. That ends now. First, you’re going to double the guards around the city hall and at the vault.”

“You can’t just--” Nolan sputtered.

“I can,” I cut him off with a fiery glare. “I want at least two guards posted at the vault entrance and every entrance to this building.”

“Of course,” Morgan said as she motioned to the guard who stood just inside the doorway. “Make it happen.”

He dipped his head and rushed past us to meet my demands.

“Now, we already know who’s leading the charge to steal things from your people,” I continued. “It’s Odalis.”

“Odalis! It can’t be!” The council members gasped and whispered among themselves before I raised my hand.

“Yes, I saw him for myself,” I confirmed. “He’s currently trapped at his hideout on the beach north of the city, where he will stay until we find his last two accomplices. It seems he recruited his sons for his biggest heist.”

“Oh, those poor boys,” Morgan sighed.

“Poor boys, my ass,” one of the men grumbled. “They were just as slimy as he was when they all lived here. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d tried to sleep with my wife, too.”

Ah, it seemed I’d finally found Simon.

“They’re so young and impressionable,” Morgan insisted. “They shouldn’t have followed Odalis out of Yrosa. They could have stayed with Winnie and been just fine.”

“How young are we talking about here?” Nike cut in. “We need to know if we’re going to try to capture a couple of kids.”

“They aren’t children,” Simon scoffed. “Arsenio is around twenty-five, and Andres is only a year or two younger than his brother. They’re perfectly capable of making their own decisions.”

“I see,” I murmured. “Well, we know what they’re after. Do any of you know about the Noble Sword?”

I watched six faces twist with confusion, while one drained of color.

The other councilwoman looked like she’d seen a ghost, and she sat down in her chair as though she might pass out. She hadn’t spoken much since we’d arrived, and I realized I didn’t even know her name, but she certainly knew something about the sword.

“I don’t know anything about it,” Morgan said as I watched her fellow Nepin shake with fear.

“She does.” I pointed to the other woman and took a few steps closer to the table. “What do you know about the sword?”

The woman stared up at me with tears in her blue eyes, and her hands trembled against the wood. Her mouth opened and closed, and she looked like a fish underwater as she tried to think of a response.

“Well, come on, Carmen,” Morgan pushed her. “Tell Lord Evan what you know.”

“I-It was my husband’s,” Carmen finally answered.

“Was?” I raised an eyebrow for her to continue.

“Y-Yes,” she confirmed and cleared her throat. “He, um, died… in the wars of his home city.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Alyona said gently and walked over to place a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “What happened to the sword after that?”

“I… I put it in the vault for safekeeping when I returned to Yrosa,” Carmen explained as she finally looked up, and a tear slid down her sapphire skin. “It’s been there for over fifteen years.”

Chapter 7

Finally, we were getting somewhere.

“Who was your husband?” I asked.

“Duke Renfrew,” Carmen answered and looked down at her quivering hands. “He, um, wasn’t from here.”

“Not from Yrosa?” I wondered.

Carmen took a shuddering breath and seemed to choke back tears, and Alyona rubbed her shoulder to calm her down as we tried to get the information from her.

“She’s embarrassed,” Nolan cut in with a sigh. “She didn’t marry a Nepin. It was a big deal back then, but we all had to get over it when her father died, and she was here to take his place on the council. Just tell them already, Carmen.”

“Yes, that’s true,” she confirmed and looked up with wet eyes. “I came back to Yrosa when my husband died.”

“Alone?” I pressed.

“No, with our daughter.” Carmen cocked her head to the side with confusion. “What does it matter?”

“Did your husband ever tell you about the sword?” I asked.

“Not really,” she answered and shook her head. “He said it was important to him in battle. Why? What’s going on?”

“Your husband was a Noble of the Sword,” Miraya explained in a kind voice as she stepped over to the Nepin woman and sat down next to her. “Have you ever heard that term before?”

“No,” Carmen murmured. “I mean, he was a noble, I knew that when we met, but what does it matter if he was a Noble of the Sword? He’s dead now.”

“But your daughter is not,” the spirit countered. “She is the heir of the sword.”

“My daughter?” the Nepin gasped and pressed a hand to her chest. “No, she doesn’t know anything about swords or fighting! That’s crazy!”

“It’s not,” I insisted. “I had no idea how to wield a sword, either, but I’m a Noble of the Sword, too.”

“This is preposterous,” Simon muttered. “How could a young woman possibly be the wielder of such a weapon?”

“The sword chooses her master, or in this case, mistress,” Miraya shot back with pursed lips. “It doesn’t matter what other people think of it, and it’s certainly not preposterous.”

“I’m sure Simon meant no offense,” Morgan said as she held her hands up. “We’re all just confused about what this means.”

“It means I’ve found the person I came here to find,” I answered. “But I made you a deal, and I’ll still help with the bandits.”

“Well, thank the gods,” the councilwoman sighed. “I just don’t know how we’re going to catch those boys. Do you think they stuck around?”

“Since they didn’t make it into the vault, I’d say so,” I murmured and ran my fingers through my hair. “But that also means they’ll probably try again.”

“We increased the guards, like you suggested,” Nolan said with a note of sarcasm. “What else can we do?”

“Trap them.” I smirked and turned to Nike. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s our best chance,” my fellow noble agreed. “But it shouldn’t be as obvious as decreasing patrols. They know one of them almost got caught, so the guards would be on high alert.”

“Right,” I said with a nod. “Especially if they thought the vault was no longer secure.”

The gears started to turn in my head as my idea formed, and I realized Nike was already on the same page.

“If it wasn’t secure, they’d need a new location,” he mused. “Or at least, that’s what the brothers should believe.”

“Yeah, everything has to be moved to be safe,” I continued. “But the people aren’t normally involved in those decisions.”

“They could have an argument outside after the meeting,” Nike suggested. “A very public argument.”

“It has to be convincing,” I said as I glanced over at the Noble Council. “Do you think they can pull it off?”

“I think they argue pretty well,” Ravi murmured. “We just need to tell them what to say.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” I decided before I turned back to the council, who waited anxiously for our plan. “Okay, who is the loudest?”

Everyone turned and looked at Morgan, and her cheeks darkened with a slight blush before she sighed.

“I am,” she said. “Why?”

“We need you to argue with someone else outside city hall,” I answered. “Who would you be most likely to fight with?”

“Nolan,” she replied without hesitation.

“Fair.” He smirked and leaned back in his chair. “Why do we need to argue?”

“We need to make the brothers believe you’re relocating the treasures from the vault,” I explained. “One of you wants to, the other thinks it’s a stupid idea. You’ll finish this meeting, and then you’ll be out in public arguing about it. We want Arsenio and Andres to catch wind of the fight, so the louder, the better.”

“And what purpose will this serve?” Nolan asked with a doubtful expression.

“They’ll go after whatever we’re moving,” Morgan huffed. “It’s quite a brilliant plan, actually.”

“Exactly,” I confirmed. “And when they go for it, we’ll be there to catch them.”

“So, we need to map out every step as though we’re actually going to move things,” Nike added. “It will be more believable if they could plan to attack anywhere along the route. Now, where in town would be the next safest place to store these things?”

The Nepins looked around at each other and shrugged.

“What about your house, Nolan?” Isabella offered. “Everyone knows it’s like a fortress, and you have your own guards on staff as well, so it would make sense to take the valuables there.”

“And put my house at risk?” he scoffed. “I don’t think so.”

“It won’t be at risk.” I rolled my eyes. “We’ll have some of us waiting there and at various intervals between city hall and your house.”

“What if they attack between intervals?” Morgan pointed out.

“I’ll be with the guards and the fake loot,” I answered with a shrug. “They might be sneaky, but they won’t be able to take me on without some serious backup.”

“You can’t blend in with the guards,” Lucien insisted. “You’re an obvious outsider. The brothers will catch on in a heartbeat.”

“Oh, I can blend in,” I chuckled. “Trust me.”

As the council members stared at me with uncertainty, I activated a skill I’d assimilated from the doppelbeasts. In a matter of seconds, my tan skin had turned a dark shade of blue, and my black hair looked silver. I even sprouted a pair of flimsy wings on my back, though they remained tucked under my tunic, and I added a few dots across my chest for good measure.

“How did you…” Morgan gaped along with the rest of her fellow council members.

“Apparently, it wasn’t obvious before, but I’m a dragon,” I answered. “I’ve picked up a few skills along my way.”

“A dragon?” Lucien repeated as he began to quake with fear. “Dragons can change how they look?”

“Not all,” I said and took my own form again. “Like I said, I’ve picked up a few things.”

“I’ll be damned,” Nolan muttered. “A shapeshifting magical dragon came to Yrosa to save us from a group of bandits led by our former friend. Never in my wildest dreams.”

“It’s a lot to take in,” I agreed. “Just focus on one thing at a time. Right now, that thing is your fake argument. So, who’s going to be in support of moving the valuables?”

“I will,” Nolan said. “I can talk about my personal vault, my guards, things like that.”

“Good.” I nodded and looked to Morgan. “So, you hate the idea. Why?”

“Um…” Morgan pursed her lips as she thought about it. “Because the treasures have always been safe in our vault, and it’s more dangerous to move them with thieves in the city. Stupid, even.”

“Great, I think that will do it,” I said as I turned back to Nike. “Sound good to you?”

“Yeah, they know what to talk about,” he confirmed. “And I think we should take a look at the vault entrance for ourselves. Then we can get an idea of every step we need to cover.”

“Right,” I said and looked back at Morgan and Nolan. “Ready to fight?”

“Yes,” Morgan replied, and Nolan nodded his head.

“Okay, you two need to leave like you’re both upset,” I told them. “Start your argument quietly, and as you get closer to somewhere more public, raise your voices like you’re getting angrier just talking about it.”

“We can walk to the market,” Morgan suggested. “It’s always quite busy before dinner, so we should have plenty of witnesses.”

“Good, I like it.” I smiled and gestured for the door. “Everyone needs to leave to make it look like the meeting ended, and I’ll need one of the guards to show us around the building.”

“I can tell them on our way out,” Carmen offered.

“Thank you,” I replied. “And once this is over with, we’ll come see you and your daughter. You can try to prepare her for everything we’ll tell her, but she’ll probably have a ton of questions you can’t answer yet, so I’ll leave it up to you.”

“I’m not sure yet what I’ll do,” she admitted. “I don’t even know how I feel about it all.”

“That’s okay,” Miraya said as she grabbed the Nepin woman’s hand. “It’s no small thing we’re sharing with you and your daughter, but it’s important that she knows all of it.”

“Okay,” Carmen murmured and nodded her head. “We’ll see you later, then.”

She and the rest of the council rose from the table and made their way past us and out the door of the building. Then one of the guards from the door came back inside and leaned into the room.

“Carmen said you needed a tour?” he asked.

“Yeah, we need to know every entrance and how to get to the vault,” I answered.

“Follow me,” the guard said. “You’ve already seen the one entrance into the building.”

He turned on his heels and led us to the door directly across from the double doors to the outside. Then he pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the door before he stepped inside and motioned for us to follow him into the dark hallway. He walked with complete certainty into the darkness, and though I knew I could see just fine, I wondered how the Nepin knew exactly where to go.

The guard stopped about twenty yards into the hall, and a few of my lovers bumped into each other as we waited for him to unlock a second door. As soon as it opened, the flickering lights of lanterns illuminated a tiny room with two more guards inside. Their expressions were grim as they watched us enter, and our guide motioned to a rectangular piece of stone on the floor between them.

“That’s the vault entrance?” I asked as I squatted down to look at it. “This seems like it would be hard to sneak in and out of.”

“It should be,” the guard we’d followed scoffed. “It takes at least two keys to get here from the front of the building.”

“And you’re sure there’s no other way for someone to get in?” Nike asked. “No secret entrances or tunnels or anything?”

“No.” The guard shook his head and glanced at the other guards. “At least one of us is always here, plus the two that guard the front door.”

“Well, how did the thief sneak past them?” Laika narrowed her eyes on the guard. “They walked right by?”

“There was a disturbance in the courtyard,” he explained. “A drunk man was causing a scene with several citizens. By the time our men got there to break it up, he was gone, and the guard in here stopped the thief and chased him out the front doors.”

“Not a bad plan,” Nike remarked with a frown. “One of them distracts the guards, and the other sneaks inside.”

“You think the commotion was a distraction?” the guard asked and clenched his jaw.

“It would make sense,” I agreed. “Then they can see how quickly you respond to various issues. These boys aren’t stupid.”

“But they aren’t as smart as you,” Isabella pointed out. “They’re about to get what’s coming to them.”

“That they are,” I muttered before I turned for the door. “Now, we just need to see if the first step worked.”

The guard locked up behind us and led us back down the dark hallway to the lobby. The sun had started its descent, and the light that poured into the large front windows was dim. We needed to get our plan in motion quickly, so we didn’t miss our chance to grab Odalis’ sons before they made another move on the vault treasures.

As the guard locked the second door, one of the double doors creaked open, and Morgan and Nolan scurried inside and shut it behind them.

“I think it worked,” she said with a twinkle of excitement in her eyes. “There were tons of people in the market, and they were all paying attention. If those boys missed the show, they’ll at least hear about it.”

“Alright, and you made sure to mention where it was going?” I clarified.

“Of course.” Nolan smirked and puffed out his chest. “I made sure to brag thoroughly on how secure my home is.”

“He did,” Morgan confirmed with a smile. “It was quite theatrical, if I say so myself.”

“But believable, right?” Alyona wrung her hands together. “That’s the most important part.”

“Very,” Nolan said and nodded. “Now, what do we do?”

“We need to throw some things in boxes to look like we’re transporting them,” I decided. “It doesn’t have to be anything important, just enough to look heavy when we’re carrying it. We also need three of your guards. One will lead, two will carry the boxes, and I’ll follow behind.”

“I’ll gather two more men,” the guard who’d shown us the vault offered.

“Make sure you get some guys you can trust,” I advised. “This plan won’t work if some loose-lipped guard spills the beans before we even get moving.”

“Of course, my lord.” He dipped his head and rushed outside.

Then we got to work.

We gathered various random items from around the building, like ink pots, silverware, and a few decorative vases. Then we piled them into two boxes, and Nolan attached a large padlock to each one. By the time we finished, we had two important-looking wooden boxes, and the three guards returned in time to hear the plan.

“So, you can just look like us?” one of them asked with wide eyes.

“Yep,” I confirmed. “So, you can’t make a big deal out of me being there. Don’t treat me any differently than you would one of your own people. Got it?”

All three nodded their understanding, and I turned to my group.

“Alyona and I can stay here,” Laika suggested. “It’s not as likely they’ll attack as soon as you walk outside, and she can use magic to protect the real stuff until you’re back.”

“Good idea,” I agreed as I looked at the princess. “Is that alright with you?”

“Of course, my lord,” Alyona replied with a smile.

“Okay, then Ravi and Isabella will set up on the edge of the noble community,” I directed. “You can fly over without being too noticeable. Miraya and Naomi will set up just past the dungeons. Nike, I want you as close to our convoy as possible without being seen.”

“Got it,” he said with a firm grip on the handle of his sword. “I’ll watch your back.”

“Then let’s get set up.” I motioned for the four women to go to their locations, and we waited about twenty minutes for night to fall. Then I spoke up again. “Is everyone ready?”

“Ready,” one of the guards murmured.

I focused on my transformation ability, and within seconds, I blended in with the other three guards, who stared at me with complete disbelief.

“Come on, guys,” I joked. “Never seen another Nepin before?”

They chuckled for a moment before we all straightened up to focus on the task at hand. The recruited guards picked up the boxes, and the other took the lead as I followed behind them with my sword in my hand.

Morgan and Nolan ran into the meeting room, and Nike waited at the double doors to make a sneaky exit once we were outside. The lead guard looked around carefully before he stepped outside the building, and we kept the group tight as we followed him along the length of the city hall.

He turned at the edge of the building and stopped to search for any disturbances. The streets were nearly empty, and I figured most of the other Nepins had gone home for the evening. I didn’t want to have to worry about civilians if the brothers did attack us, so I was grateful for the lack of foot traffic.

We continued down the side of the building until we reached the rear wall, and the lead guard took cautious steps to cross the road.

Then a flicker of movement caught my eye as someone rushed behind the building ahead of us.

“Did you see that?” I whispered in my best worried voice. “There’s someone over there.”

“I didn’t see anything,” one of the box-holding guards replied under his breath. “Are you sure?”

“Positive,” I murmured. “Get ready.”

I sensed Nike’s presence behind me as we both prepared for Odalis’ sons.

As we stepped into the shadow of the building I realized was a school, two masked figures leaped out from behind it with daggers in each hand.

“Drop the boxes!” one of them demanded. “No one has to get hurt!”

“I disagree,” I growled as I shifted back into my own body. “You’re about to hurt quite a bit.”

I sidestepped the other guards and charged the pair of would-be bandits. One of them quickly threw a dagger at my chest, but I blocked the blade with the scales on my forearm. The small knife clattered to the ground as the bandits stumbled backward.

Then I plowed into both men, and they tumbled back behind the school into the moonlight. I could clearly see their wings now that we were out of the shadows, and I realized if they decided to take flight, I’d have a hard time going after them here. I didn’t have anywhere near enough room to transform, and I wasn’t sure the fake wings I’d made with my doppelbeast power were actually functional.

I’d have to take them down before they got a chance to fly.

I conjured a fiery bow and pulled back the bowstring with an arrow as one of the men started to rise to his feet. I released the string, and the arrow sailed across the air and pierced the papery skin of one of his wings. The arrow left a perfect hole in the appendage, and the fire quickly spread to burn more of the opalescent skin.

“No!” he screamed as he dropped to the ground and tried to put out the flames.

“Leave him alone!” the other one bellowed as he jumped up and threw another dagger at me.

The blade was well-thrown, but I wasn’t an easy target. I knocked it down with my scaled arm and pulled back another arrow, but the second bandit had learned from the first, and he tucked his wings closer to his back.

“Okay, let’s try something else,” I growled as I put away the bow and gripped my sword. “How do you think your little knives will compare to mine?”

“Size doesn’t matter,” he snarled and ripped another dagger from his cloak.

“Is that what the girls tell you?” I laughed without humor before I rushed toward him and swung my blade in a wide arc.

The Sword of Hatra sliced easily through the fabric of his robes, but he arched his back just enough to avoid damage to his torso. Before he could return the blow, I brought the handle of my sword down on his shoulder, and he screamed in pain as he toppled to the ground.

I reached around behind him and ripped one of his wings from his back. The shimmery piece felt almost like fabric as I gripped it in my hand before I tossed it on the ground in front of him while blood poured from the gaping hole in his skin. The other wing fluttered uselessly, and the bandit moaned in pain as he crawled to his hands and knees.

“Noooo,” he wailed. “My wing!”

“Take this!” the other man yelled from behind me.

“I don’t think so,” Nike muttered as he grabbed the bandit from behind and pressed his sword to the idiot’s throat.

I turned to see the Nepin bandit pull a small vial filled with a green liquid from his pocket and pop off the cork.

“Watch out!” I called out to my fellow noble.

Nike released the bandit and shoved him forward just as the Nepin tossed the contents of the vial over his shoulder. The green ooze landed on the grass with a sizzle, and the blades of grass immediately began to melt into a runny liquid as a cloud of steam rose into the air.

“Maybe you should have brought a sword to a swordfight,” Nike hissed as he kicked the bandit in the back.

The brother tumbled across the grass to land at my feet, and I looked back at my opponent just as he produced a vial of his own.

“We don’t need swords when we have magic,” he retorted before he threw the vial at my head.

I knocked it down with my sword, and it landed on the other bandit’s back with a loud pop.

“Oh, gods!” the bandit wailed, and I could see the orange liquid burn through his cloak until it reached his blue skin.

Boils the size of baseballs soon popped up across the skin below his damaged wings, and he screamed in agony.

“No!” the other thief shrieked. “I didn’t mean to!”

“Your magic is useless,” I bellowed. “Just give up now and save yourselves!”

“Never!” He took a step back and pulled a larger glass beaker from his robes. “You’ll pay for hurting my brother!”

He popped the cork and poured the black liquid into his mouth, and I watched in disbelief as his body contorted and twisted until he’d nearly tripled in size. He towered over me now, and he balled his fists at his side before he stomped toward me.

The ground shook with each step the thief took, and then he lifted his arm and swiped at Nike and me. We both ducked the bandit’s huge hand with ease, and I realized he hadn’t really helped himself. He was huge, but now he was also slow as hell.

“Watch the other one!” I called out to Nike before I sprinted toward the thief.

I ran with lightning speed as I barreled toward him and called on my nature magic. A series of roots sprang from the ground to meet me, and I grabbed hold of the thick lines as I jumped over the bandit’s large foot. He looked down at me with confusion, but I continued to run figure-eights around and through his legs.

When he finally figured out what I was doing, the thief released a wild yell and tried to slam his giant fist on top of me, but I was way too fast.

And now, he was off-balance.

The bandit’s legs buckled when his feet didn’t move with him, and he crashed to his knees with a thud that shook the land beneath us like an earthquake. He started to flail, and his large fists came dangerously close to destroying the school behind me.

I had to knock him out cold.

I called on my lightning magic, and as clouds formed above us, a bolt of electricity zipped down from the sky. The lightning crashed into his huge blue head, and the giant beast swayed for a moment as his eyes flickered in and out of consciousness. He tried to regain his balance, but it was too late.

I slowed down just enough to grab Nike’s hand and yank him out of the danger zone as the bandit fell forward and collapsed on top of his brother.

“Aghhhh!” the normal-sized thief wailed. “Get him off me!”

“I think you can stay there for a while,” I scoffed as I called out to my nature magic again. “I’ll make sure of it.”

More roots grew from the grass, and I pushed them to form a woven cage that trapped the two thieves. The bandit now covered in boils dragged himself out from under his brother and collapsed on the ground with heaving breaths.

“You could have killed me,” he gasped.

“I definitely could have,” I agreed. “But I think there are a few people here who wanted to see a different kind of justice instead.”

“Is everyone alright?” Alyona asked as she and Laika ran up behind us with Morgan and Nolan right behind them.

“Well, I probably need to heal that one.” I motioned to the thief whose boil-covered face was pressed against the root cage. “I don’t know what to do with the other one. He drank some black gunk and then turned into that.”

“A turgaro elixir?” my wife groaned and palmed her forehead. “What an idiot. You’ll have to heal him, or he’ll be that size for the next week.”

“We felt an earthquake!” Naomi yelled from the other side of the cage. “Or maybe not?”

The lady lizard’s face twisted with amused confusion, and Miraya laughed as she looked inside the makeshift jail.

“They look like absolute fools,” she giggled.

“They tried to use magic against me.” I smirked and tapped on the roots next to the smaller bandit’s face. “Didn’t work out so well, did it?”

“You’ll get what’s yours, sorcerer!” he grunted. “What are you, a dryad? Nature mage?”

“So close, and yet, so far,” I chuckled. “I’m a dragon.”

“The most badass dragon lord you’ll ever meet.” Polina’s voice rang out from behind me, and I whirled around to see the dryads, Rebecca, and Aaliyah stalk across the grass toward us.

“Oh, you’re back!” Alyona grinned and hugged each of the women. “How did you get here so fast?”

“We had one of the mini-airships drop us off,” Aaliyah explained with a fanged, feline grin. “Those things are really amazing, by the way.”

“Aren’t they?” Laika laughed. “Where are Isabella and Ravi?”

“Just checking for any more thieves,” Ravi answered from above us, and she fluttered down in her phoenix form as Isabella landed gracefully next to the cage.

“A phoenix?” Morgan gasped and started to reach for Ravi before she pulled her hand back. “You’re… alive?”

“And well,” Ravi answered with a smile as she transformed back to her slender human body. “I’ve been here the whole time.”

“By the gods, what else did we miss?” Nolan muttered and scratched his head.

“Plenty,” the smaller bandit retorted before he crossed his arms and plopped down on the ground.

“Big talk from the guy in the cage,” I shot back and leaned down to look him in the eyes. “You can take off the mask now. I’m only curious if you’re Arsenio or Andres.”

“You know who we are?” The thief pulled off his mask with wide eyes. “How? You aren’t even from here!”

“I know more than you think,” I said.

“Yeah, well, maybe you should know these people are a bunch of traitors!” he yelled and narrowed his eyes on Morgan and Nolan. “And they’re two of the worst ones in this city.”

“That’s Andres,” Morgan declared with a smirk. “He’s Odalis’ younger son, though he was much better looking without those… blemishes.”

“Be careful, councilwoman,” Andres sneered. “We wouldn’t want your husband to think you wanted to have sex with me, would we?”

“Oh, my husband knows me better than that,” she snorted. “I have no interest in foolish children.”

Andres opened his mouth for another smartass remark, but I slammed my fist against the root cage to silence him.

“Enough!” I thundered.

The younger brother scooted back toward his partner in crime, and I decided to heal Arsenio before I sent them to the dungeons. It would be easier if he was a normal size, though it meant he’d also be conscious again. After a moment of consideration, I furrowed my brow and focused on creating a wave of healing magic that wouldn’t touch Andres.

He could suffer in his boils for a while longer.

My sparkling magic settled over the giant thief, and he slowly began to shrink in size. About a minute later, he sat up and rubbed his head with a groan.

“What the hell?” he muttered before his eyes shot open, and he looked around with frustration. “Dammit!”

“Yep, you’re stuck,” I said with a shrug.

“Let us out!” Arsenio demanded as he scrambled to the side of the cage and grabbed onto the roots. “You’ll be sorry! This whole damn city will be sorry!”

“Get over yourselves,” Nolan scoffed. “No one cared when you left, and now, no one will care when you rot in the dungeons.”

“Oh, we aren’t going to the dungeons,” Andres chuckled. “You have no idea what we have up our sleeves.”

“If you think your daddy is coming to rescue you, I’ve got news for you,” I said with a smirk. “He’s just as trapped as you are. You’re all done.”

“What?” The smile disappeared from Andres’ face as he stared at me. “You’re lying.”

“No, he’s not,” Arsenio growled and met my gaze. “But I swear, dragon, if you hurt our father, I’ll destroy that stupid sword and everything in Yrosa.”

I paused for a moment as I watched the brothers carefully. It had to be a bluff since we didn’t actually take anything out of the vault, right? And one of them was chased out of the city hall before he got into the vault.

But he didn’t seem to be bluffing.

His eyes were steady and focused on me, and he didn’t look scared or uncertain.

“How would you destroy the sword?” I asked as I leaned in closer. “Isn’t that why you came to rob the convoy? To steal it?”

“We stole it earlier,” Arsenio shot back. “Did you think that was a practice run this morning?”

“Oh, gods,” Morgan groaned and fell back against the guards in a dead faint.

“You have to give it back!” Miraya yelled. “You can’t take her!”

“Her?” Arsenio chuckled. “We already took her and hid her away.”

“Then why did you come after the guards tonight?” Nike demanded. “If you already had what you came for, that was incredibly stupid.”

“Stealing the sword was so easy, we figured we’d try for some more of the vault treasures before we left,” Andres answered and shrugged. “We hid the sword and came back for the rest.”

“So, you got greedy,” I said. “Definitely stupid.”

“No, we knew our father would be proud.” Arsenio puffed out his chest as he gripped the roots until his knuckles turned white. “You ruined it.”

“I tend to do that to thieves,” I shot back. “Tell me where the sword is.”

“Why should we?” the older brother asked with an eye roll. “You’ll just kill us anyway. And probably our father, too. I’m not telling you shit.”

I narrowed my eyes on the brothers before I turned and looked at Alyona and Nike. “Did you see it with the rest of the stash?”

Before they could respond, Arsenio laughed and shook his head.

“Seriously?” he asked. “You think we’d be dumb enough to hide it with the other teams’ goods? That’s too easy.”

“Then where is it?” I bellowed and slammed my hands against the cage.

“Like I said, we aren’t talking,” Arsenio replied and sat down next to his brother.

“Fine,” I muttered. “Then I’ll roast your brother until you change your mind. I’m sure the fire will feel great with his boils.”

Andres’ eyes widened as his brother put a hand across his chest to stop him from responding.

“You can’t kill us.” Arsenio smirked and templed his fingers. “Then you’ll never find your stupid sword.”

“No, you’re right,” I agreed. “But I can kill one of you.”

I held out my palm, and a small fireball formed in my hand. The arrogant smile slipped from Arsenio’s face as the fire grew larger and larger, and I let my eyes drift to his brother.

“Wait!” Arsenio called out. “Please, don’t hurt him. He’s my little brother.”

“I’ll be fine,” Andres said, though he didn’t seem certain. “I can take it.”

“No, you can’t,” his brother muttered before he sighed. “Look, I’ll tell you where I hid it, but you have to prove my father is safe. Once I know you haven’t already killed him, I’ll tell you where to go.”

“Pop will be so pissed,” Andres murmured. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” Arsenio straightened his back and glared at me. “Well?”

“Fine,” I agreed. “I’ll go get him, and he can meet you in the dungeons.”

“We’ll take them down there,” one of the guards offered. “They should be locked up until you return.”

“Let me check their pockets first,” I said. “I wouldn’t be surprised to find a few more potions in their robes.”

Arsenio cursed under his breath as I shifted the roots to give myself an entrance. Sure enough, six more vials of various-colored liquids were tucked away inside his cloak, along with two daggers and a handful of tiny, spiked metal balls. I tossed them out of the cage and moved on to check Andres.

The younger brother only had one more dagger and a pair of blue potions, though one had broken and seeped out onto the grass. I got rid of the potions and weapons and grabbed them both by the arms to pull them to their feet.

I passed them off to the guards and watched as they dragged the duo to the dungeon entrance without much of a fight.

“Are you really going to get Odalis?” Morgan asked once the brothers were out of earshot.

“Yeah,” I confirmed. “We need that sword, and even if we didn’t, it doesn’t need to be in the wrong hands.”

“Then we’ll have the guards prepare another cell,” she said before she and Nolan hurried after them.

“I don’t know if I trust those guards to keep the brothers down there,” I muttered. “We can’t risk them escaping, and they’ve already proven they can outwit the guards.”

“I’ll stay with them,” Nike volunteered.

“Me, too,” Aaliyah said, and her tail flicked back and forth behind her tight ass with excitement.

“Maybe everyone except Naomi should stay,” I countered. “She has to do her magic on Odalis’ trap anyway, but we can move faster with only two of us.”

“Good idea,” Alyona agreed. “The rest of us will stay here and keep an eye on the deviant brothers.”

“We’ll be back soon,” I murmured as I pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Naomi and I waited by the cage, and I looked around at the wide-open space that surrounded us.

“What are you thinking?” the lizard Demi-Human asked.

“I’m thinking there’s enough room for me to shift right here once I get rid of these roots,” I replied with a grin.

I called the roots back into the ground, and they slithered under the grass like large snakes. As soon as the space was clear, I transformed into my dragon body. The fresh night air smelled even sweeter in my natural form, and I inhaled deeply as Naomi pulled herself onto my back.

Then I kicked off into the sky and headed for the beach.

It took much less time to get to Odalis’ hideout now that I knew where it was, and I flew straight to the white building and landed in front of the shimmering gray dome.

“You’re back!” Odalis shrieked. “Please, you said you can heal, right?”

Naomi slid from my back, and I shifted to my human form to walk over to the stone circle. Odalis was close to the wall of the trap, and as we got closer, I could see burns all over his hands, legs, and face.

“Did you really try to escape?” I laughed. “Even after she warned you not to touch it?”

“It was worth a shot or seven,” he mumbled. “Can you just heal me?”

“Maybe.” I shrugged and walked past him toward the beach house. “I have something I want to do first.”

“My treasure!” Odalis gasped and ran to the other side of the cage to watch me. “No, you can’t have it!”

“Well, I don’t think the Noble Council is going to let you keep it in your cell in the dungeons,” I pointed out as my voice dripped with sarcasm. “Besides, I’m sure your boys will be happy to see you even without the treasure.”

“You found them?” The Nepin’s voice registered a bit of surprise.

“You didn’t think we would?” Naomi asked with a twinge of annoyance. “They’re young, stupid, and trying too hard to impress you. It wasn’t as difficult as you’d think to catch them.”

“Impress me?” Odalis echoed and looked back at the lady lizard. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing,” I interjected. “I’ll be right back.”

I climbed onto the raised porch, opened the door to Odalis’ house, and nearly fell over.

The entire room was filled with gold.

Gold coins, gold statues, gold bars, every gold item I could possibly imagine was piled up from wall to wall. My inner dragon roared with delight as I scooped handfuls into my spatial storage, and I could just imagine him staring at the growing pile from his little pool in his nest. I had to have nearly doubled my own considerable horde before I got a grip and stepped back from the collection, but there was still so much gold, it barely looked like I’d made a dent.

I wondered how many other people Odalis had stolen from to have amassed so much. It seemed I shouldn’t be the only one who benefited from finding this stash, and I walked out of the house with a wide grin.

“Oh, gods,” Odalis mumbled. “You took all of it, didn’t you? I always heard dragons loved that stuff.”

“I didn’t, actually,” I corrected him. “But I’m going to tell the council about it, so they can give it out to the people of Yrosa for all the trouble you’ve caused.”

“They’re the reason I did this!” he snarled. “They don’t deserve a single gold flake!”

“Neither do you,” Naomi hissed, and her forked tongue slithered out of her mouth in annoyance. “You deserve the sword to the throat you almost got already.”

“Can we carry the trap like this?” I asked her as I ignored Odalis’ curled lip.

“Possibly, but--” Naomi started.

“Aren’t you going to heal me first?” he interrupted.

“Do not disrespect her again,” I thundered as I shot an icy glare at the Nepin. “I’ll heal you when I fucking feel like it.”

Odalis shivered under my stare and closed his mouth.

“Like I was saying, it’s possible, but it would be easier to find a different way to transport him,” Naomi said as she tapped her lips with a clawed finger. “You could just carry him.”

“That would be easier,” I agreed. “And if he tries to escape, he’ll just fall to his death since I ripped his wing, though he should be grateful his are both still attached. It looked painful when I tore Arsenio’s right off his back.”

“You’re a monster!” Odalis wailed. “My poor son, I need to see him.”

“Which you will,” I said. “But if you try to fight me on the way there, you will die one way or another, so no bullshit.”

I shifted back into my dragon form as Naomi approached the gray dome. She looked up at me, and I nodded before she murmured a few words. The gray wall dissipated in a cloud of wispy smoke, and Odalis looked around as though he might try to escape again.

Before he could try anything, I wrapped my talons around his torso and squeezed just enough to make him uncomfortable. I could feel his chest rise and fall, though he coughed and pouted.

“You’re hurting my burns,” he whined.

I wondered if I could squeeze him hard enough to make him pop, but I decided against it. I had to find out where the Noble Sword was hidden, and there was no way the brothers would tell me if I brought their father back looking like a crime scene threw up on my claw.

So, I ignored his whining and let Naomi get onto my back. Then I flapped my wings and lifted us into the air. As we flew over the beach toward Yrosa, I healed Odalis’ burns, and he sighed with relief. If I wanted Arsenio and Andres to tell me everything, I couldn’t risk them seeing their father banged up, even if he had done it to himself.

We landed in the clearing by the school, and I waited until Naomi’s feet hit the ground before I set Odalis down on his belly. Then I planted my rear leg on his chest as I shifted into my human body. When I was done, my boot still held him down, and the Nepin looked at me with disdain.

“Come on,” I muttered as I grabbed his arm and headed for the dungeons.

“You’re hurting me!” he pleaded. “Slow down!”

“I don’t have time for your stupid games,” I growled. “Let’s go.”

Odalis stopped arguing and stumbled along with me as I led him to the entrance, and the guards parted and allowed us down the stairs to the underground jail. The other thieves looked up with interest, and they began to whisper among themselves as they realized we’d caught their boss.

“Pop!” Andres cried out and then cringed with pain.

I’d forgotten about his boils, but maybe it would give Odalis a little incentive to follow my rules. The eldest Nepin’s face was distorted with anger as I pushed him into the cell across from his sons and chained him to the wall.

“What did they do to you?” Odalis shouted as he flailed against his cuffs. “My boys, my poor sons, are you alright?”

“Yes, Pop, we just had to make sure you were okay,” Arsenio answered. “I told the dragon I wouldn’t tell him anything until we knew.”

“What does he want to know?” their father asked and glanced at me.

“It doesn’t matter,” I snarled. “I kept up my end of the bargain. Now, it’s their turn.”

“Unless you don’t want us to,” Arsenio said as he yanked at his chains to get closer to his father. “They want to know where the sword is.”

“No!” Odalis bellowed and turned to me with wild eyes. “You can kill me, I don’t care, but you aren’t getting it back! Just kill me!”

Arsenio and Andres looked at each other with confusion for a moment before they glared at me again.

“You heard him,” Arsenio muttered. “We aren’t talking.”

“Seriously?” Aaliyah rolled her eyes. “What are you going to do? Run away with the sword?”

“You’re kind of chained to a wall right now,” Trina pointed out. “I don’t think keeping your secret will work out well.”

“Plus, letting your dad die is pretty terrible,” Rebecca added with an arched eyebrow.

“They can do it!” Odalis insisted. “They can escape whenever they want! They got the sword on their own, didn’t they?”

“You are absolutely right,” I said and cocked my head to the side. “I guess the better plan is to just kill all of you and find it by ourselves.”

“What?” Andres’ face fell as his skin turned to a pastel shade of blue. “You’d just kill us all?”

“Why would I keep you alive if you aren’t going to tell me what I want to know?” I scoffed. “It’s a waste of time.”

“And think of all the money we’d save on food for prisoners,” Morgan pointed out. “I think that would suffice as recompense for the pain you caused our city.”

“Okay, wait,” Odalis cut in. “Let me talk to my boys. Perhaps we can discuss a better arrangement.”

“No, we had an arrangement,” I growled. “Either I get the location, or you all die. Take your pick.”

My ultimatum seemed to sink into their thick skulls, and the criminal family eyed each other for a few seconds. They had no leverage for their lives other than the sword, and they had to know it. I could see defeat written all over their faces, and I smirked when Odalis released a dramatic sigh.

“Fine,” he mumbled. “Go ahead and tell him.”

“Are you sure, Pop?” Arsenio asked. “I just--”

“I said, tell him,” Odalis grunted. “Get it over with. We lost, son. There’s nothing else we can do.”

Andres’ head dropped to his chest, and Arsenio took a deep breath.

“The gardens,” he finally said. “The sword is hidden in the side of a hill. I dug it out and put the sword inside. Then I covered it back up.”

“How do I know which hill?” I pressed.

“I marked it with a herrata flower,” the eldest brother answered. “You can’t miss it.”

“If it’s not there, I’m coming back to kill you,” I warned. “One at a time until someone gives me the truth. You understand?”

“It’s there,” he muttered.

“Where are the gardens?” I asked Morgan.

“Past the noble community,” she answered. “Almost to the city wall. You can’t miss them.”

“Come with me,” I said to Miraya. “The rest of you, stay here with them. If they say anything different, let me know. If they try to escape, kill them.”

None of the family members responded, and I knew I’d won. They were terrified of the consequences, which, before I’d arrived, were probably not so scary. Now that I was here to defend Yrosa, they’d discovered I didn’t play around. I could torch the whole bandit tribe if I wanted to, and they knew it.

I led Miraya up the stairs and out into the night air, and she looked up at the stars and smiled before she turned to me.

“Why did you let me come with you?” she wondered as I took her hand and began to walk toward the gardens.

“You deserve to see your sister,” I answered easily. “And you’ll know when we’re close. I want to know the sword is safe, and the spirit is good.”

“I can’t believe she’s been locked inside for so long,” Miraya sighed. “It must have been so lonely.”

“Weren’t you lonely before I found you?” I asked.

“Of course,” the spirit replied. “But I knew you were coming. My poor sister has a mistress who doesn’t even know she exists. I can’t imagine the pain.”

I mulled over Miraya’s concerns and wondered if the time alone had affected the other spirit. Could a spirit go crazy? Or would she be completely normal? I couldn’t begin to guess about spirit mental health, so I decided to just pick up the pace and get to her sooner.

As we neared the gardens, I realized Morgan was right. It would have been difficult to miss the large wrought iron fence that surrounded the plot of flowers. A rainbow of colors surged across the ground behind the gate, and I pushed the metal door open to enter.

“Wow,” I breathed.

I wasn’t a garden kind of guy, but this place was magnificent.

Flowers of every shape, size, and color seemed to flow in every direction. I recognized a few species like the sunflowers and the roses, but thousands of other blossoms were new to me.

“This is incredible,” Miraya gasped as she leaned down to smell a hot pink flower. “I love pimurettas.”

“What about the herrata?” I wondered and looked around. “What does it look like?”

“It’s gold,” she answered. “They usually grow about four feet tall, so it shouldn’t be difficult to see.”

“Of course, he picked a gold flower,” I murmured as we wandered around the winding path until I saw a hill around the curve. “Let’s look over there.”

We walked past the first hill and moved onto the second with no herrata flowers in sight. Then Miraya turned to her right and froze.

“She’s close,” she whispered before she took off at a dead sprint down the path.

I followed her past four more hills full of flowers until we reached a smaller rise in the landscape. My attention was caught by a tall golden flower that rose above the others, and my heart pounded against my chest.

This had to be it.

I called on my nature magic to pull the soil out of the hill while Miraya bounced on the balls of her feet. My spirit lover practically vibrated with excitement as she clasped her hands together and waited for the dirt to clear.

Finally, I caught a glimpse of a blade, and I reached in to grab the handle.

It was dirty from its burial, but the jewel-encrusted gold handle still gleamed in the moonlight, and Miraya covered her mouth as she stared at the sword.

“The Sword of Youth,” she gasped.

Chapter 8

“We found it!” I turned the blade over in my hand and dusted the grime away from the shiny handle.

“She’s so relieved,” Miraya sighed. “I am, too.”

“That makes three of us,” I chuckled as I stood up and held the Sword of Youth out in front of me. “Now, can she come out and talk to us?”

“Well, ummm,” the spirit murmured as though she was listening to her sister. “Yes, she wants to, but she hasn’t been in the physical world in a really long time.”

“So, can you help her do that?” I wondered.

“Not easily.” Miraya frowned and bit her bottom lip before her eyes lit up. “Wait, there’s another poss-- yes, that’s what I’m telling him! Okay, so while you possess the Sword of Youth, its spirit can move to your spiritual sea.”

“She can go in my head like you do?” I was intrigued. “Can you both go at the same time?”

“Yes,” the spirit giggled. “I’ll go first. It’ll make it easier for her to get there.”

“Like a beacon,” I mused. “Okay, guess I’ll see you two in a second.”

Miraya laughed before there was a blinding flash of light. Then I felt her presence in my spiritual sea, and I sat down on the ground and laid the Sword of Youth across my lap. I closed my eyes to focus on my inner beach and the way the water lapped across the soft sand, and I could feel Miraya was already there waiting for us.

As I opened my eyes again, I breathed in the crisp, salty air of my spiritual sea. Miraya paced back and forth in front of me, and I started to rise and calm her when another flash of light left me stunned.

When the light faded, a tall, gorgeous redhead stood before me, and she looked around in confusion. I was mesmerized by her hair that flowed to her ankles in a thick braid, and she wore the same nearly transparent robes Miraya always donned. She turned to look at Miraya, and her green eyes lit up with something that could only be described as pure joy.

“My sister!” the redhead squealed.

“Oh, Juniper!” Miraya wrapped her arms around her sister, and the two hugged for a solid thirty seconds before Miraya leaned back to look at her. “You seem so… tired.”

“I was exhausted,” Juniper confirmed with a smile. “I’ve been searching the spirit realm for a way to talk to one of you, but everyone seemed so far away until you and Aine arrived yesterday.”

“I’m so glad we did!” Miraya exclaimed and squeezed her again. “I’ve missed you.”

“And I’ve missed you,” her sister concurred and then turned to me with curiosity. “You are Lord Evan. The spirit realm has been buzzing about you for some time.”

“Glad to know I’m a celebrity in more than one world,” I joked as I stood up and lowered into a bow. “It’s an honor to meet you, Juniper. Miraya has been chomping at the bit to see you.”

“They did say you have an odd way with words,” Juniper murmured and looked me up and down. “But they did not talk enough about how handsome you are.”

“Isn’t he?” Miraya gushed and draped a hand over my shoulder. “He and the princess are having a baby!”

“Oh, my gods, that will be such a beautiful child,” the other spirit replied with a grin.

“Thanks,” I said and tried to steer the conversation away from me. “So, Miraya is the Sword of Healing. What kind of magic does the Sword of Youth have? Forever young?”

“No,” Juniper giggled and shook her head. “My gift is… hard to explain.”

“Just think of it as energy,” Miraya chimed in. “Right?”

“Mmmhm,” her spirit agreed as she wiggled her toes into the sand. “Energy is all around us, which I’m sure you know.”

“It makes sense,” I murmured.

“Well, I can sort of tap into it,” she explained and knelt to run her fingers through the sand.

A red spark jumped from the sand to her slender fingers, and she twirled it as her fingers moved like she was playing the piano. I was fascinated by the power she delicately held in her hand before she released it back into the sand.

“That’s amazing,” I breathed.

“It is.” Juniper smiled as she rose to her feet. “And I can give it to my mistress in battle, as I used to do for my master.”

“Carmen’s husband,” I said. “Duke Renfrew, right?”

“Yes,” she confirmed with a nod. “He was a warrior, and he fought many battles with me at his side. I was devastated at his death, but it was even worse to be stowed away and forgotten instead of passed on.”

“I understand,” Miraya said with a twinge of sadness in her voice.

I realized my own sword spirit had likely felt the same way when she was hidden away after the attack on Hatra. No one had known where the sword was until I was given the task to retrieve it.

“But now you’re both safe and on your way to being where you belong,” I pointed out and smiled. “It’s getting better.”

“It certainly is,” Juniper replied and took her sister’s hand.

“So, you were kidnapped today,” I said after a moment. “Can you tell me about it?”

“I don’t remember much,” Juniper admitted with a frown. “I could feel my blade leaving the noble family, and it made me nervous. I didn’t like it.”

“I can understand that.” Miraya nodded and squeezed her sister’s hand. “It’s rather difficult to be away from your mistress.”

“My mistress has been too far for a long time,” Juniper sighed. “But I could at least sense her mother nearby most days. This morning, I was near her, and then I wasn’t. It was awful.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” I said. “I’m glad we found you. And we’ll be taking you back now.”

“Can I just…” She took a deep breath. “Can I please stay in your sea until it’s time? It’s so peaceful here, and I don’t know how long I’ll have until Carmen puts my sword back in the vault.”

“I’m going to talk to her about that, too,” I replied in a firm voice. “But you can definitely stay here as long as you like.”

“Thank you,” Juniper sighed and closed her eyes.

I took that as my cue to let her relax without me, though it seemed she and Miraya were perfectly content to sit together silently in my spiritual sea. I smiled at the sisters before I closed my eyes and returned to my physical body.

The Sword of Youth still laid across my legs, and I tucked it into my spatial storage until I figured out a way to get her back to her mistress. While Carmen may not be a fan of the Noble of the Sword situation, she was just going to have to deal with it.

I cut back through the gardens and made my way to the city hall building. I could hear the dim chatter of the council and my people inside, and the guards opened the doors for me to enter. Then I strode into the meeting room as the conversation ground to a halt.

“Did you find it?” Alyona asked as she clasped her hands together.

“I did,” I confirmed and pulled the Sword of Youth from my spatial storage to show everyone.

“Oh, thank the gods!” Carmen gasped.

The Nepin woman started to come toward me with her hands outstretched, but I slipped the blade back into my spatial storage, and her mouth dropped open in surprise.

“She is currently recuperating,” I explained carefully. “The spirit of this sword went through quite an ordeal.”

“I understand, but that is all the more reason for her to be safely returned to the vault,” Carmen insisted. “We can’t have the sword be carried about by an outsi-- uh, I mean, by anyone.”

“I’m not just anyone,” I replied in a low voice. “I’m a fellow Noble of the Sword, and I have her best interests in mind, which I’m sure you don’t understand.”

“I beg your pardon?” Carmen pressed an offended hand to her chest and looked around the room wildly. “He can’t keep it from me, can he? It was my husband’s!”

“And now, it belongs to your daughter,” Nike reminded her. “I believe if you aren’t going to return it to her, then Lord Evan will be the best person to have it.”

“This is an outrage!” the Nepin woman gasped as she turned to Morgan. “You let them stay! Can’t you do something?”

“I’m afraid this is beyond my area of expertise,” Morgan murmured. “Lord Evan is much more knowledgeable about the Noble Swords than I am.”

“That doesn’t make him an expert,” Carmen scoffed.

Before I could argue, a white light filled the room as Miraya left Juniper on the beach of my spiritual sea and stood next to me with a look of determination on her ethereal face.

“He may not be an expert, but I am,” the spirit declared. “And your fear has already done enough damage to my sister.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Carmen muttered.

“Exactly,” Miraya shot back. “You have no idea the damage you caused by keeping the Sword of Youth away from your daughter. Tell me, does your daughter have vivid dreams that awaken her nearly every night? Does she seem to be unable to control her impulses? How about the incessant need to leave home to find something she cannot describe?”

“I…” Carmen trailed off as she stared at Miraya. “I just thought it was her nature to be a fairly wild child.”

“The problem is not being wild,” Nike said in a soft voice. “It’s the lack of balance. Her blood tells her she needs the blade, and the spirit calls to her to fulfill her need.”

“She was born to wield the Sword of Youth,” I continued. “By keeping them apart, you’re only harming them both.”

Carmen took a shaky breath and grabbed onto the chair next to her, and the Nepin woman shuddered as she closed her eyes.

“You have to stop worrying about what could happen if she becomes the warrior she’s destined to be,” Miraya nearly whispered. “No good can come of keeping her away from her fate, whatever it may be.”

“I just… can’t lose her,” Carmen choked out. “I already lost my husband. I can’t lose her, too.”

“You’ll lose her if you try to hold her back,” the spirit said as she knelt in front of Carmen and took her hands. “She’ll never understand why she felt something was missing, and she’ll leave without knowing why or how to protect herself. Let us help.”

“We can teach her how to use the sword,” I added. “It isn’t just about swinging the blade around. She has to understand how they can work together.”

“It’s in her blood,” Nike continued. “She’ll feel complete.”

The room fell silent as Carmen soaked up everything we’d told her, and I could feel the tension rise when she still didn’t speak. Juniper paced back and forth in my spiritual sea, and her anxiety was almost palpable. She wanted more than anything to be returned to Carmen’s daughter.

“Fine,” Carmen finally breathed. “I’ll take you to her.”

“Thank you,” Miraya said as a dazzling smile lit up her features. “You’ll see we’re right. I promise.”

“I have to take you at your word,” the Nepin woman murmured. “I don’t have any other choice.”

“I think you’ll see for yourself,” Nike replied with a smile.

“Whenever you’re ready,” I added.

Carmen hesitated before she rolled her shoulders back and headed for the door. She was a strong woman, and I hoped that said something about her daughter’s strength as well. She had to be tough to be a Noble of the Sword.

“Ah, I think we’re going to head home,” Morgan said when I turned to follow Carmen outside. “This has been a long day.”

“Go ahead.” I nodded. “I don’t think all of us should go to her house anyway. It might be too overwhelming.”

“Aww, we wanted to meet the lady Noble of the Sword,” Polina pouted.

“I know,” I soothed her. “And you will, but let’s wait until tomorrow for the whole crew to show up. It’s late already, and this will be a lot to take in.”

“Lord Evan is right,” Alyona agreed. “Perhaps just he, Lord Nikolaus, and Miraya should go with Carmen.”

“Yeah, we’ll come back to the inn as soon as we can,” I said as I kissed each of my lovers. “We’ll tell you everything.”

“Okay,” Ravi agreed with a nod. “Come on.”

As we walked out of city hall, my lovers headed for the inn, while Nike, Miraya, and I followed Carmen toward her home. She was silent for the entire walk, and I looked at my companions with doubt. Either she was taking everything in, or she was pretending like we didn’t exist, and I wasn’t sure which one.

When we arrived at the noblewoman’s house, she stopped at the front door and took another ragged breath. Then she turned the knob and stepped inside. I wasn’t sure if she wanted us to continue to follow her, but she left the door open, so the three of us trickled into the foyer and waited.

I pulled the Sword of Youth from my spatial storage and held it softly while Carmen went further into the house to find her daughter. Sparks of gentle electricity popped against my hand, and I could feel Juniper’s excitement rise as she stopped in the middle of the beach and clasped her hands together in front of her body.

“She knows she’s home,” Miraya murmured. “Can you feel it?”

“Definitely,” I agreed as I loosened my grip on the sword.

The little pinpricks of power had started to make my hand go numb, and I grinned as Juniper bounced up and down with happiness in my mind’s eye.

Carmen’s daughter must be close.

Then a woman nearly as tall as me walked down the stairs and into the foyer. Her blue skin was the same shade as her mother’s, but instead of the silver hair I’d seen in all the other Nepins, hers was a dark chocolate-brown that seemed to melt over her shoulders and cascade down to her curvy hips. A smooth white dress complemented her blue skin and white tattoos, though hers were different from her mother’s. Her eyes were a deep brown with flecks of turquoise, and she stared at me with curiosity and a warmth I couldn’t explain.

“Lord Evan, this is my daughter, Skye,” Carmen announced as she walked up behind her. “Skye, Lord Evan.”

“I’m honored to meet you,” I said with a humble bow.

“Likewise,” Skye replied in a raspy voice as her eyes traveled down to the sword in my hand. “My mother tells me you have urgent news for me.”

Can’t you give me to her yet? Juniper begged from my spiritual sea.

Not yet, I murmured. She needs to understand what’s going on first.

“We do,” Nike confirmed while I soothed the spirit. “Is there somewhere we could sit and talk?”

“Of course,” Carmen replied and gestured toward another room.

We followed the blue-skinned women into a living area, and I narrowed my eyes on Skye’s back. I didn’t see a hint of the silvery wings I’d grown accustomed to seeing on Nepins, and I wondered where exactly Carmen’s husband had been from.

“So, what’s going on?” Skye asked as soon as we’d sat down.

“Have you ever heard of a Noble of the Sword?” I began.

The beautiful young woman shook her head and trained her sparkling eyes on me.

So, for the next half-hour, I explained the swords, their spirits, and the people who are destined to wield them. I noticed her gaze repeatedly dropped to the Sword of Youth across my lap, and I could feel Juniper’s energy rise until the sky in my spiritual sea was filled with red lightning.

“Let me make sure I understand,” Skye finally said as she looked back up at me. “You are a dragon, a Noble of the Sword, and you talk to the spirits of these swords?”

“Is that so strange?” Miraya asked and cocked her head to the side with amusement.

“Well, it is pretty strange,” Skye laughed. “Don’t you think?”

“You’re talking to a spirit of the sword right now.” Miraya grinned as Skye’s eyes widened.

“You’re one of them, too?” the young woman asked. “But you look so… human.”

“We can choose the form we take,” Miraya explained. “We try our best to please our master or mistress.”

“And Lord Evan enjoys a beautiful woman?” Skye looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

“I enjoy several,” I shot back with an easy smile.

“Oh.” Carmen turned a deep shade of scarlet before she cleared her throat. “Um, Lord Evan, should we perhaps get to the reason we woke my daughter up in the middle of the night?”

“Right,” I murmured. “You remember I said the Noble Sword is generally passed down to a family member who shares the bloodline?”

“Yes,” Skye said with a note of confusion in her voice.

“Your father was a Noble of the Sword,” I continued. “And now, so are you.”

Skye froze, and the room went completely silent. The Sword of Youth practically vibrated in my hands, and her mistress looked down at the blade with a mixture of emotions on her face. Then she held her hand out to me.

I hesitated for a split second before I stood and gently placed the handle of the sword in her hand.

The moment Skye touched the Sword of Youth, it gleamed as though it was brand new. Juniper was gone from my spiritual sea, and I knew she had landed in Skye’s. The blade crackled with the red electricity of Juniper’s energy, and Skye’s eyes seemed to pop out of her head.

“Oh, my gods,” she whispered. “It’s all real. Everything I’ve been dreaming, it’s true.”

I glanced over at Carmen, who looked about ready to faint, but Nike was close enough to grab her. His face was lit up with a wide grin, and I knew we didn’t have to confirm anything.

Skye was the Noble of the Sword and the next person I needed to bond with to bring more power against the Breach.

“You’ve dreamt of her, haven’t you?” Miraya asked.

“Yes.” Skye wrapped her fingers around the handle and closed her eyes. “I sensed her calling out to me over and over, but I couldn’t figure out what it all meant. I understand everything now.”

“Not everything,” I said with a gentle smile. “You have a lot to learn to wield such a powerful weapon.”

“You’ll teach me, right?” she asked and opened her eyes. “You and Lord Nikolaus are just like me.”

“Let’s just take things one step at a time,” Carmen interjected as I opened my mouth. “We don’t need to go start training right now or anything.”

“Right now, she needs to understand what she can do with her sword,” I insisted. “The rest can wait.”

“What do you mean?” Skye asked. “Is it magic or something?”

“Or something,” Miraya giggled. “In your case, it’s energy. You can feel the spirit of the sword in you now, right?”

“Yeah,” the newest Noble of the Sword breathed. “She’s so vibrant and strong.”

“That’s a relief,” I said. “She felt weak and alone without you. I’ll teach you how to access your spiritual sea, so you can communicate better with her until she regains her ability to come to the physical realm.”

“How did she lose that?” Skye wondered.

“Just from being away from you,” I answered without meeting her mother’s stare. “It will get better now. Anyway, with the Sword of Youth, you can access the energy around you and use it in battle.”

“Battle?” Carmen gasped and leaned back against the sofa. “I knew this was a terrible idea.”

“Mother, please, you know this explains a lot about me.” Skye rolled her eyes as she gripped the sword and turned back to us. “Growing up, she used to talk about how I never seemed to run out of energy. We thought that’s why I had such trouble sleeping and had those crazy dreams. It was like a switch I could never turn off.”

“I just don’t want you running off and fighting wars now,” her mother muttered. “I had no idea what those things meant, and now, I wish I still didn’t.”

“I know it’s a lot,” Skye said in a softer voice. “And I wish I could make it easier for you, but honestly, I feel better than I ever have. I feel… complete.”

Carmen stared at her daughter with a mixture of fear and love, and I had to look away from their tender moment. I understood the parental instinct to protect your children even though mine weren’t technically born yet.

“Then I suppose I’ll have to let you start training,” Carmen said after a long moment.

“Thank you!” Skye squealed and set the Sword of Youth next to her as she leaned over to hug her mother. “I don’t know where to start!”

“Your spiritual sea,” I said firmly. “I know it isn’t as glamorous as sword fighting, but it’s just as important.”

Skye nodded her agreement, and we set to work.

It was nearly midnight by the time she felt comfortable going in and out of her spiritual sea, though the first time she made it, she returned with a renewed sense of joy.

“I talked to Juniper,” she announced upon her return. “She’s amazing!”

“Juniper?” Carmen raised a doubtful eyebrow.

“She’s the spirit of my sword!” Skye replied with a grin. “You’ll love her. Well, when she gets her strength back, that is.”

“I can help her,” Miraya offered before she looked at me. “Just until we leave.”

“Of course,” I agreed. “I think you two deserve some time together anyway. We’re going to head back to the inn soon, though. It’s late.”

“I hope Peppi still has some dinner for us,” Nike remarked with a grimace. “I’m starving.”

“Oh, I didn’t even offer you anything.” Carmen frowned and glanced toward her kitchen. “I can have the staff make you something before you leave, if you’d like.”

“That would be wonderful,” Nike agreed.

He followed Carmen out of the living area, and I looked over to see Skye and Miraya chatting as though they’d known each other forever.

“Oh, Lord Evan, I was wondering if we’d talk about--” Miraya started.

“Let’s save the rest of our information for the morning,” I cut her off gently. “I think we’ve given Skye and Carmen enough to think about for tonight.”

“Part of me wants to argue with you, but the other part is totally satisfied with everything I found out already and wants to get a good night’s sleep for once,” Skye laughed. “I’ll save the argument for tomorrow, okay?”

“Deal,” I agreed with a smile. Then I leaned over and took Skye’s hands in mine with a gentle squeeze. “And I promise, I’ll tell you everything you need to know when the time is right.”

“I believe you,” she murmured.

“I would never lie to you,” I swore. “You have my word.”

A blanket of warmth seemed to settle over us as we stared into each other’s eyes for a moment before we were interrupted by Carmen’s less-than-subtle cough.

“So, you were heading back to the inn, Lord Evan?” she asked with an arched eyebrow.

“Yes,” I said as I let go of Skye’s hands and stood up. “We’ll be back in the morning, and we’ll start her training then.”

“Fine,” she agreed. “We all need our sleep.”

Nike walked into the room with a stack of sandwiches, though it appeared he’d already started on the first one. I had flashbacks to the Scooby-Doo cartoon and imagined Nike in Shaggy’s place with his ridiculous tower of bread and meat, and I had to stifle a laugh as I shook my head.

“See you in the morning,” I said and patted Skye’s hand.

She nodded her head and smiled before we walked out into the dark night and headed for the inn.

“Sandwich?” Nike mumbled as he held one out to me and Miraya.

The spirit shook her head, but I took the sandwich happily.

“Thanks,” I laughed and bit off a huge hunk of meat and bread.

“So, when are you going to tell Carmen and Skye the rest of the reason we’re here?” he asked after a minute.

“Ah, tomorrow,” I sighed. “I didn’t want to overload them tonight. Besides, we couldn’t have flown off to do the ceremony tonight anyway. We have to let the king get everything ready first.”

“I didn’t think about that,” Miraya murmured. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” I said and smiled. “The ceremony can wait one night.”

“True,” Nike agreed with a nod. “How are you going to bring it up?”

“That I haven’t decided yet,” I groaned. “Is there an easy way to tell a woman that I have to perform a blood ceremony with her daughter to help save the world?”

“It took a few more words than that with Vala,” Nike snickered. “I thought for sure she’d back out.”

Vala was Nike’s grandfather’s lover who happened to be pregnant with the next Noble of the Sword of Light, and she’d been less than thrilled when I’d told her I had to do the Redimi Vincio bonding ceremony with her before she gave birth. She almost left a couple times, but we’d finally convinced her to do the ceremony and stay in Leyte with young Elian.

“Where was the faith in your favorite dragon?” I laughed. “We talked her into it eventually.”

“Yeah, it was a lot easier when I had the bond of our blade between us,” he snorted. “I don’t know what we’re going to do if Carmen says no to Skye doing the ceremony.”

“Skye is a grown woman,” I reminded him. “She can make her own decisions. Hopefully, she’ll decide to do it with us.”

“She did seem to be interested in doing something with you,” Nike chuckled.

“Maybe so.” I waggled my eyebrows. “When are you going to find a lady for yourself?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted and shrugged. “I’m not in any hurry now. I can take my time, thanks to you.”

“Hey, I knew you deserved better than what the Bloodline Council signed you up for,” I muttered. “I’m just glad Calvin disbanded them.”

“Me, too,” my fellow noble agreed.

We finally reached the inn, and it looked like everyone had already gone to bed until I noticed one of the lanterns in the dining room was still on. Nike and Miraya were nearly halfway up the stairs before he looked back and saw I wasn’t behind them.

“I’m going to see who’s up,” I whispered. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

He offered a sleepy wave and continued upstairs, while Miraya blew me a kiss and headed for our room.

Then I walked into the dining room and saw Ravi and Isabella at the table with a basket of bread between them.

“Lord Evan!” Ravi grinned and jumped up from the table. “How did it go?”

“Not bad,” I replied as I kissed them both on the cheeks. “What are you two doing up?”

“We couldn’t sleep,” Isabella answered. “We were too excited to hear about the new lady Noble of the Sword. I’m sure I’ve seen Carmen’s daughter before, but I don’t know her.”

“Her name is Skye,” I said with a smile. “And you’d know if you’d seen her before. She looks… different.”

“Is that a good thing?” The phoenix quirked an orange eyebrow with curiosity.

“Yeah, she’s gorgeous,” I explained. “Just different. Anyway, you all can meet her tomorrow. I know you’ll like her.”

“As much as you do?” Isabella giggled and dragged her finger down my chest. “I can feel your heart beating when you talk about her.”

“We may have had a, uh, moment,” I admitted with a grin.

“Well, we’d like a moment, too,” Ravi whispered as she reached under my tunic to drag her nails across my skin.

“You can have several moments,” I growled and wrapped my arms around their waists to carry them to the deserted lobby.

I clicked the lock on the front door into place before I set the women down on a fluffy orange couch. In the blink of an eye, Ravi had yanked my trousers to my ankles to reveal my throbbing erection, and she eyed it with a deep hunger that made my toes curl.

Isabella shifted onto her knees next to Ravi, and she grabbed my face to pull me into a warm, wet kiss just as the phoenix took my cock into her mouth.

“Ohhhh,” I groaned into the Nepin’s mouth.

The combination of Ravi’s tongue on my shaft and Isabella’s tongue in my mouth made my head spin, but I wanted more. I pulled Isabella’s robe off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor so I could drink in her beautiful indigo body. Then I dipped my head down to kiss her throat, and I trailed more kisses down her collarbone until I reached her round breast.

I took her nipple in my mouth and flicked it with my tongue as she threw her head back. Ravi continued to lick and suck my arousal while I played with Isabella’s tits, and desire burned like a wildfire through my veins.

“My loooord,” the Nepin gasped while I slid one hand down her slender belly.

“Mmmm, yes,” I murmured.

My fingers grazed the thatch of silver hair at the apex of her thighs, and I immediately felt the wet warmth of her desire. I grazed her throbbing clit with my finger as she trembled against me, and then I gently slipped my finger inside her scorching tunnel.

“Godsssss.” Isabella dropped her head against my shoulder as her breaths came in gasps.

“Fuck!” I hissed as Ravi took my sack in her hand and began to massage it while she slid her wet lips back and forth along my shaft.

I pumped my finger in and out of Isabella’s hot pussy while Ravi’s ravenous mouth brought me closer and closer to the edge. I gently rocked my hips back and forth with Ravi’s rhythm, and the phoenix moaned against my cock. The vibrations sent me into overdrive, and I plunged another finger inside Isabella and curled them in to rub her core.

“Oh, Lord Evan!” the Nepin gasped before her canal squeezed my fingers, and her body dissolved into shudders of pleasure. “Yes!”

“Yesss…” I purred as I pumped my fingers into the blue-skinned woman’s perfect body while Ravi ravished my cock with her mouth and brought me to the edge of my own orgasm.

Then I tumbled over with a guttural yell as I thrust my hips just hard enough to pour my seed down the phoenix’s throat. A torrent of heat zipped through my body while I filled her mouth with my warm juices, and she sucked on my shaft as what felt like a never-ending amount of dragon seed dribbled over her lips.

“I love how you taste,” she murmured as she licked the remainder from her pink lips.

“Me, too.” Isabella sat next to her and winked.

Then she plunged her tongue into the phoenix’s mouth for a hot kiss while she pulled off Ravi’s robe to expose her creamy bare skin.

“Fucking hell,” I groaned. “I love both of you so much.”

My women giggled and turned to look at me.

“Please, fill me next, my lord,” Isabella pleaded and batted her silver lashes at me.

“Oh, I will,” I growled. “Just keep Ravi happy.”

“I can do that.” The Nepin grinned as Ravi climbed up onto the sofa and laid back.

“Mmmm.” Ravi watched Isabella through hooded eyes.

Isabella spread Ravi’s thighs and then leaned over to drag her tongue along the phoenix’s dripping pussy lips. I watched as my Nepin lover teased her for a moment, but her warm slit was only a few inches away from my hard shaft, and I could enjoy the show while I fucked her from behind.

“Now, hold still.” I stepped closer and plowed into Isabella’s warm pussy.

“Oh!” she gasped as I entered her tight canal.

My thick cock slipped inside her, and I rocked my hips back and forth as I pounded into her while she pleasured Ravi. Isabella’s sapphire ass bounced and jiggled against my thighs while I hammered my cock into her sweet pussy.

“Oh, gods!” Ravi’s nails dug into the sofa as she arched her back away from the orange cushions. “Yessssss!”

“Your finger,” I murmured to Isabella.

“Please!” Ravi moaned.

Isabella pushed her finger inside the phoenix, and I shivered as I watched Ravi’s body tighten and then release with a gasp. A gush of her sweet juices poured onto Isabella’s tongue and hand as Ravi stifled a scream. Her nipples were as hard as rocks as her chest heaved up and down, and her thighs quivered next to Isabella’s face.

“Yes, let me taste more,” Isabella whispered as she lapped up every drop of Ravi’s cream.

“Fuck,” I growled and pounded harder into the Nepin’s tightening pussy.

Then it was Isabella’s turn.

Her canal wrapped around my cock like a glove, and a warm rush of her juices washed over my shaft.

“Oh, Lord Evan!” she gasped and gripped Ravi’s still trembling thighs.

I grinded my hips against her ass while my Nepin lover quivered and shook with her climax until her legs nearly gave out. Then I let go.

“Isabellaaaa,” I groaned as I unleashed a deluge of my hot seed into her empty womb.

Swell after swell of my dragon seed poured inside her tight canal while pleasure ran rampant through my shaking body. I closed my eyes as I filled her to the brim with my load, and I rode the wave of pleasure that scorched through my bones.

“I need more of your seed, my lord, please!” Ravi begged as she chewed on her bottom lip. “Fill my womb!”

“With pleasure.” I slid out of Isabella’s dripping pussy as the Nepin lifted her wobbly body to lean back against the sofa.

I sat between my lovers, and Ravi was quick to climb over and straddle my hips. She slid her pussy lips over my wet shaft, and I shivered at the warmth of her core. The phoenix rocked her hips back and forth as she shoved my cock deep inside her while Isabella shifted onto her knees and pressed her lips to mine.

I could still taste Ravi’s sweet nectar on Isabella’s lips, and our tongues slipped through her juices as we kissed. My heart pounded in my chest as Ravi’s tits bounced next to my face, and I could feel every inch of her tunnel ripple against my shaft.

“Doesn’t she taste so good?” Isabella asked as she looked up at me.

“You both do,” I murmured and dragged my tongue along her lips.

“Ohhhh,” she sighed as I slid my tongue down her throat to nibble the azure skin at her collarbone.

I kissed and nipped at Isabella’s throat while Ravi bounced up and down on my cock. Then I grabbed the phoenix’s round ass and felt it ripple beneath my fingers with every move.

“You two are so sexy,” I growled.

My lovers giggled and looked at each other with knowing grins before Ravi switched to rocking her hips back and forth. Then she leaned over and kissed Isabella while she rubbed her pussy lips against the base of my shaft. I shuddered again and gripped her ass while they made out on top of me.

Then I took Ravi’s breasts in my hands and began to knead her supple flesh before I lowered my head and took her pink nipple in my mouth. I sucked on her tit while she grinded her hips against me, and her pussy walls closed in around me.

“Ohhhhh,” the phoenix moaned and clawed at my shoulder as she rocked faster and faster. “Yes!”

Her climax hit hard, and her slender body bucked with waves of pleasure that clamped down around my cock and sent a flood of her sweet cream through her hot tunnel. I guided her hips to keep moving back and forth as she trembled and moaned against me, and I flicked her nipple with my tongue to keep her orgasm going.

Then I fulfilled her needs.

“Gods!” I delivered a surge of my dragon seed inside my phoenix lover’s womb as a current of ecstasy ripped down my spine.

My body felt like it was out of my control as I filled Ravi with at least a gallon of my hot load, and my toes curled against the wood floor. I continued to push her hips against mine as I filled her until our juices dripped down her pussy lips.

When I was finally empty, I looked at both my women with satisfaction. I’d filled them both to the brim, and they looked completely satiated.

“My gods,” Ravi exhaled as she flopped onto the sofa next to me. “I’m so glad we stayed up.”

“Me, too,” I chuckled and sighed. “But now, we should get some sleep. We have a long day of training and talking tomorrow.”

“I don’t even know if my legs will make it up the stairs,” Isabella groaned. “They barely work now.”

“I’ll take care of that.” I grinned before I scooped up both women and threw them over my shoulders.

My lovers laughed and pointed to the clothes that laid on the floor, so I grabbed them, too, and I carried the women up the two flights of stairs to our room. I set them down just outside the door, and we tiptoed inside.

The rest of my lovers were sound asleep, and we carefully made our way to the bed. In a matter of seconds, Ravi and Isabella were snoring peacefully, and I was well on my way to join them.

But my sleep wasn’t restful.

I looked around everywhere, but I just couldn’t find her.

But who? Who the hell was I looking for?

It was dark, but I could smell flowers and death. It was an odd combination, though both scents were sickly sweet, like roses on top of an open grave.

I found the grave, but when I leaned over to look inside, I only found a lock of red hair.

“Juniper!” I gasped.

I knew I had to find her, but where else could I look?

I pushed through the tall stalks of bright red flowers, and something told me I was getting closer.

Then I stepped into a clearing and--

“Lord Evan?” Alyona’s voice brought me back to the real world.

I sat up and realized I was drenched in sweat. The salty liquid poured down my bare chest and glimmered in the early morning sunlight that peeked through the curtains over the window.

I rubbed my eyes and looked around to see my women were already awake and pulling on their clothes.

“What’s going on?” I asked with confusion. “Why are we in a rush?”

“My lord, something’s wrong,” my wife answered and frowned. “We all woke up a few minutes ago, and Miraya was gone.”

Chapter 9

“I don’t understand,” I mumbled. “She was here when I came to bed last night.”

“Yes, she went to bed with us,” Aaliyah said as she tied her belt around her robe. “But she’s not here now. We’re going to look for her.”

“Just wait a second.” I ran my fingers through my hair and took a deep breath. “No one heard anything at all?”

“Nothing,” Alyona replied as she shook her head. “We were all asleep.”

“Even I didn’t hear anything,” Laika muttered as she pulled on her boots. “And I’m always listening.”

I frowned at the wolf warrior’s statement. She made a good point. As the leader of the Blue Tree Guild, she’d trained for years to always be prepared, so it didn’t make sense that someone could come in and kidnap Miraya without waking even her.

“Okay, we got rid of all the bandits,” I pointed out. “So, wherever she went, I’m sure she’s safe. Maybe she just already went downstairs for breakfast.”

“Peppi isn’t even awake yet,” Naomi said as she tapped her clawed fingers on the footboard. “I already checked. We have to find Miraya.”

“Alright, let me get dressed,” I agreed.

I crawled out of bed and slipped into my clothes while I tried to remain positive among all the worried looks from my lovers.

“Where should we search first?” Trina asked.

“Yeah, we need to know more about Yrosa,” Marina added.

“Isabella can give us the layout of the city,” Ravi said and looked toward the Nepin.

“Yes, of course,” Isabella confirmed with a nod.

“Let’s check with Nike before we go tearing apart Yrosa,” I suggested. “Maybe he heard something.”

My women murmured their agreements as I opened the door and stepped across the hall to knock on my fellow noble’s door.

“One second!” Nike called out before he opened it and looked at us with confusion. “What’s going on, my lord?”

“Miraya isn’t here,” I said. “Did you see or hear her leave this morning?”

“I did!” Aine skipped over to stand behind Nike with a smile. “She left for Skye’s house already. She said she couldn’t wait to help Juniper more with her practice.”

“Oh!” My women sighed in unison.

My attention, however, was caught by Aine tying the belt around the waist of her robes, and I quirked a curious eyebrow at Nike. The noble’s face flushed a hot pink before he shook his head and glanced at his spirit, who ran her fingers through her golden hair without meeting my eyes. Her pale skin had a pink tint that matched her master’s, and her blue eyes finally glanced over at Nike once she was finished with her robe.

“Aine wants to be in the physical world a little more often,” he explained carefully. “She said it will make it easier for Juniper to do the same thing.”

“Uh-huh,” I chuckled. “Let’s get some breakfast.”

Nike opened his mouth but then closed it and followed us downstairs without another word.

We walked into the dining room where Peppi and Eddie were already at the table with a wide array of fruits, toast, and scrambled eggs. Normally, I’d be bummed about the lack of meat, but considering Peppi’s mystery meat casserole, I was good with the food I recognized in front of me.

Everyone sat down with a few quiet greetings and began to eat. Alyona cleared her first plate in record timing, and I chuckled when she refilled her plate and continued to eat as though she hadn’t eaten in days.

I caught Peppi’s arched eyebrow at the princess’ wolfish-- or perhaps I should say dragonish-- appetite, but she didn’t say anything. I had a feeling the older Nepin recognized my pregnant wife’s eating habits, but she seemed to know better than to say anything.

“So, when do we get to go meet her?” Trina asked.

“Skye?” I grinned. “As soon as we’re done with breakfast. Nike and I already said we’d train her first thing this morning.”

“Miraya really couldn’t wait on her training with Juniper,” Aine giggled. “I don’t blame her. I haven’t seen our sister in eons.”

“I can’t imagine going so long without my sisters,” Polina said as she took the spirit’s hand. “You must be very strong.”

“We have to be,” Aine murmured. “We were never meant to stay together, so it brings us great joy when we are reunited. I’m lucky enough to spend so much time near Miraya.”

“And we’ll do our best to keep you together as much as possible,” I said with a smile. “Nike won’t be able to get rid of me too easily.”

“Like I’d even bother trying,” he scoffed.

Our casual conversation continued until Peppi and Eddie excused themselves and left the dining room. Then I sensed the tension rise as we all knew the part of our mission that had to come next.

“Have you talked with Skye about the ceremony?” Alyona asked in a soft voice.

“Not yet,” I admitted. “I didn’t want to overload her last night. It was already a big deal for her to learn about the sword and her father.”

“Did you figure out who he is?” Isabella wondered.

“Duke Renfrew,” I answered. “That’s pretty much all I know besides that he died in a battle. Do you recognize the name?”

“It sounds familiar,” Laika murmured and tapped her clawed fingers on the wooden table. “I can’t place it, though.”

“Maybe we’ll get more details about him once we go start training,” Ravi suggested.

“Fight training.” Aaliyah bared her long canines in a feral grin. “I can’t wait!”

“She’ll need some work,” I said. “She’s never done any of this before.”

“I think she’ll be a natural,” Nike remarked with a nod. “It seems to come to those of us who have it in our blood.”

“Fair enough,” I agreed. “I just like to set my bar low, so I’m pleasantly surprised.”

“How optimistic of you,” Rebecca giggled.

“It’s one of my better qualities.” I smirked and cleaned off the rest of my plate. “Is everyone ready?”

“Soooo ready!” Marina chirped.

We all rose from the table and headed for the door, and as we made our way to the noble community, a few heads turned to watch us. I overheard whispered conversations as they wondered why we remained in Yrosa after the bandits had been apprehended. I considered telling them it wasn’t their business, but it didn’t matter. The Noble Council knew why we’d stayed, at least as much as I’d shared with them, and they wouldn’t be a problem.

When we arrived at Carmen and Skye’s house, I knocked on the door and waited patiently for it to open. A few seconds later, a small Nepin woman opened the door and looked at us with obvious confusion.

“We’re here to see Skye and Carmen,” I said.

“I wasn’t aware of arriving guests,” the woman replied with a frown. “Can you please wait here?”

Before I could answer, she shut the door, and I could hear her feet scuttle across the floor as she searched for Carmen. After a moment, the door opened again, and the lady of the house stood in the doorway with a grimace.

“You were serious about starting her training today?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” I confirmed. “It’s something she should have learned already, so we need to get her caught up.”

“I see,” Carmen sighed and deflated in the threshold. “Well, she’s still in her room, though your friend Miraya arrived very early. She’s been in Skye’s room since she got here.”

“Talking to Juniper,” Aine said with a smile. “That’s her sword spirit.”

“I don’t remember you from yesterday,” the Nepin woman remarked. “Or… well, several of you.”

“We stayed at the inn,” Aaliyah explained. “But we’re here to help now that you know what’s going on.”

“I’m afraid I still don’t get most of it.” Carmen frowned and looked around the group. “You’re all here to train her?”

“We all have different skills and fighting styles,” Laika answered. “It may be helpful for Skye to have a few options since she’s never done this before.”

“It’s better to have several teachers,” Alyona agreed and offered a smile.

Carmen seemed to think this over before she nodded her head and walked toward the staircase.

I looked over to see the wolf warrior had her hand to her gorget, which allowed her to communicate with the rest of her guild, but when she scowled, I furrowed my brow.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Pyotr is requesting some more assistance,” Laika murmured.

“I thought the missing group was found,” Ravi said with a frown. “Did something happen?”

“It would appear they don’t remember what happened to them when they went missing,” the wolf Demi-Human replied. “Pyotr requested a priestess to work a magical memory spell, but I told him the princess wouldn’t be going anywhere.”

“What about me?” Naomi offered. “I can help. I know I’m not as skilled as Alyona, but I’ve learned a lot with her.”

“I don’t want you going alone,” I said firmly. “I know Pyotr and the others would look out for you, but I’d feel better if you had a little more protection.”

“I’ll go,” Ravi volunteered.

“And we can go back, too,” Aaliyah added.

“Yeah, we met those people,” Rebecca said. “They might feel more comfortable if we’re there when Naomi helps them remember.”

“What about Skye?” Alyona twirled a lock of hair around her finger as we made our plans. “Don’t you want to teach her to fight?”

“Of course,” the lioness confirmed. “But I don’t know that she’ll learn to fight with her claws like we do.”

“We can help train her,” Polina pointed out. “We don’t have to go back.”

“Didn’t you meet those people, too?” I asked.

“We did, but Aaliyah and Rebecca spent more time close to the people we rescued,” Trina explained. “We mostly accessed our nature magic to find them.”

“We have to make sure Naomi and Ravi can help those poor people,” Rebecca said as she took Alyona’s hand. “We’ll be back before you know it.”

“Okay,” I agreed after a moment of consideration. “Naomi, can you make a portal?”

“Yeah, I learned that, too,” the lizard mage answered with a smile. “I’ll take us to Hatra, and we can get on the airship from there.”

“Please, make sure we know what’s going on,” I said. “I want to be in the loop.”

“I’ll send you a messenger,” Naomi replied. “Don’t worry, we’ll be fine.”

“I always worry,” I muttered.

Naomi grinned as she began the spell to open her own portal to Hatra, and the cracks of magical lightning were black and magenta as she twirled her finger in the air and formed the doorway to Hatra.

I kissed each of my lovers as they stepped through the portal to help the Blue Tree Guild on their mission, and Carmen, Miraya, and Skye walked down the stairs just as the women left. I was happy to see Skye carried the Sword of Youth, and I wondered if she’d let it out of her sight since I handed it to her.

“Whoa!” Skye gasped. “Did they just disappear?”

“No,” I chuckled. “They took a portal. Some of our friends need help in Hatra, but they’ll be back later. I’d like to introduce you to everyone else.”

I went down the line to introduce Aine and my lovers to Skye and her mother, while Skye looked at everyone with awe.

“I think my assessment was correct,” she murmured with a sly smile. “You do enjoy the company of beautiful women.”

“So, what do you need to start this training?” Carmen interjected before I could respond.

“Her sword and open space,” Laika answered, and her bushy gray tail flicked around behind her with anticipation.

“The backyard should work!” Skye turned and motioned for us to follow her through the house to a back door. “Plenty of space out here.”

“Are you sure you should do that where people can see you?” Carmen called out as we all filed outside with Skye.

I gestured for everyone to continue without me, and I whirled around to talk to the Nepin woman.

“Listen, I know there’s a lot going on with the whole Noble of the Sword thing,” I began. “But you have to understand it’s a huge honor, not an embarrassment. Your daughter has an amazing opportunity to help thousands of people by learning how to wield her sword, and she’ll need your support to be her best.”

“I’ve already had plenty of eyes on me, Lord Evan,” she replied in a low voice. “I don’t need more questions and rumors floating around about the outsiders who trained my daughter to fight.”

“Rumors don’t mean anything,” I muttered. “You need to stop worrying about what everyone thinks about you. Skye learning to fight doesn’t say anything about your abilities on the council. If anything, it tells the city you’re taking the bandit problem seriously and teaching her how to take care of herself and others.”

“I suppose that’s one way to look at it,” Carmen murmured and glanced out the door. “Do you really think she can do this?”

“I know she can,” I replied. “It’s in her blood, like it was in mine and in Lord Nikolaus’. We learned, and she will, too.”

“You’re so certain,” she sighed. “I guess you must have a good reason to feel that way.”

“I do.” I nodded as I looked deep into her eyes. “Skye is special, Carmen. I know you can see that. Just let us guide her on her path, okay?”

“Okay,” Carmen exhaled.

“Thank you,” I said with a smile. “Now, it’s time to get to work.”

We walked outside to join everyone else, and I noticed Laika had already started to work on Skye’s grip. She’d used the same technique to teach me before my first duel back in Colaruma, though it had turned out my challenger was not exactly the experienced sword fighter he’d portrayed himself to be.

Skye and her wolf warrior teacher moved in perfect synchronicity as they moved from pose to pose while Nike offered small corrections to her feet and shoulders.

“Your hips should face your opponent when you strike,” Laika explained. “It gives your blow more power to have the force of your lower body behind it.”

Skye stepped forward with the next pose, and her blade sliced through the air with a whistle.

“Wow,” she breathed. “That totally works.”

“Laika’s had some practice,” I chuckled as I walked over to join them. “With this sword, it’s also important to feel her power with every move you make. Take in the energy she collects and use it to your advantage.”

“Like this?” Skye murmured and took a wide arc around her head.

Bolts of red lightning crackled along the blade as she swung the sword and jabbed it into her imaginary opponent, and a single line of red sparks jolted from the tip of the blade and crashed into a potted plant. The pot exploded as shards of white ceramic flew several feet into the air, and Carmen gasped and stumbled backward with her mouth wide open.

“That’s exactly it,” I laughed. “You’re a natural.”

“Nepins aren’t typically so skilled with a blade,” Isabella mused. “It’s not our weapon of choice when weapons are necessary. I’m surprised she’s so adept already.”

“Maybe it’s because of her bloodline,” I suggested.

“Or because she’s half-naiad,” Polina pointed out.

“Wait, what?” I asked as I turned to face the emerald-skinned sisters.

“Yeah, she’s not a full-blooded Nepin,” Trina agreed. “The other part is naiad.”

“We thought you knew that,” Marina giggled. “Didn’t you see her hair?”

“Well, yeah, I knew she was different.” I smirked. “But I didn’t know how exactly. How can you tell?”

“Naiads are closely related to dryads,” Trina explained.

“We aren’t exactly the same,” Polina continued. “We just have a similar relationship with nature.”

“Right, where our kind typically lives among trees, naiads live with water,” Marina added.

“I knew I felt a different connection with you three when Lord Evan introduced us!” Skye gasped as she walked over to take a drink from her jug of water. “I think you’re all fantastic, but that was a new feeling.”

“Yeah, it’s our nature magic,” Polina confirmed. “Do you ever use yours?”

“Nepins don’t have magic,” Carmen cut in with a frown. “How would she do that?”

“It seems we have some lessons to give as well,” Trina giggled.

“I’d love to learn,” Skye said and grinned. “My father… well, he passed away before I could learn anything like that from him. He was a Nakken.”

“Wow,” Polina breathed. “I’ve never seen a Nakken. Do you remember him?”

“Wait, wait, can someone explain how he was a Nakken, and she’s a naiad?” I interjected with confusion.

“A Nakken is a shapeshifter,” Marina answered. “They live in the water, but they’re only males. When they have female children, they’re naiads.”

“I’ve never known one to mate with a Nepin before,” Polina remarked.

“Renfrew was a special person,” Carmen choked out before she scurried back inside.

“My mother doesn’t talk about him much,” Skye said. “I know it’s hard on her, but I wish I knew more about him than the fact he died in battle when I was young. I only have a few memories from when we lived by the lake.”

“She must have loved him very much,” Alyona murmured as she absently caressed her belly. “I can’t imagine the pain of losing someone you love so dearly.”

“I understand that,” Skye sighed. “I just always wanted to know more about the good parts of their lives together. I remember he always seemed huge, like he stood seven feet tall compared to my little eight-year-old self. Then he was gone, and my mother moved us back here to live with my grandfather. I left all my naiad friends behind, and the other kids here never really accepted me for being so different.”

“I wish I’d been closer to you.” Isabella frowned. “I would’ve been your friend.”

“At least you’re my friend now,” Skye replied with a soft smile. “It certainly beats the loneliness I’ve experienced for years having all of you around me and Juniper with me.”

“And we’ll make sure you’re never lonely again,” Marina declared as she hugged the young woman.

“I’ll second that,” I chuckled.

After a few hugs and soothing words, Skye returned to her lessons, and it seemed like hours had passed before her mother finally came outside again and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Lunch will be ready in a few minutes,” she nearly whispered.

“I think Skye could use a break,” I agreed before I addressed the whole group. “Let’s get cleaned up and go eat.”

Laika and Nike sheathed their swords, while Skye tried to figure out a way to tuck hers into the belt of her toga.

“We can make you a scabbard, if you’d like,” Trina offered. “It can be a quick lesson in nature magic, too.”

“I’d love that!” Skye replied with a grin.

The dryads led the naiad-Nepin further into the grassy yard and squatted close to the ground, and a few seconds later, I watched as thick roots burst out of the grass and formed a creamy-brown scabbard around the blade.

Polina tied the sheath to Skye’s belt, and the handle of the Sword of Youth shimmered in the sunlight as the newest warrior turned her hips back and forth to examine the scabbard.

“I think that should hold,” Marina said and smiled.

“It’s perfect!” Skye gushed as she hugged each of the dryads. “Thank you!”

The four women skipped inside after the others, and Nike and I brought up the rear to head to the dining room.

It was considerably more lavish than the dining room at the inn. A large crystal chandelier hung over the table with at least two dozen lit candles, and a stark white tablecloth was draped across a wooden table. Each place setting had already been set up with a plate, bowl, mug, and shining silverware.

Our sweaty group looked a bit out of place among the fancy decor.

As we sat down, I looked at Skye with more curiosity. The fact that she was half-naiad explained her chestnut hair and multi-colored eyes, but it seemed to have left me with even more questions.

“Are you going to stare at her the whole lunch?” Alyona whispered, and I turned to see a twinkle of amusement in her amethyst eyes.

“Maybe,” I shot back with a grin before I looked at Skye again. “Skye, I’m curious. Were you able to do the nature magic with the dryads?”

“I felt it,” she answered as she furrowed her brow. “I couldn’t make anything happen yet, but I sensed the shift in power as they drew on nature to make my scabbard. I’ve never tried before, so Polina told me to be patient.”

“I think that’s wise.” I smiled and took a sip of water. “What else have you tried to do? I don’t know much about naiads, and I’m still learning about Nepins.”

“Not much,” she admitted with a shrug. “I know I can’t fly, so that’s disappointing.”

“You can’t?” Isabella gasped with wide eyes. “That’s awful.”

“Well, I don’t have wings,” Skye giggled. “I guess that’s one Nepin trait I didn’t inherit.”

“I’m sure I can help you fly sometime.” I smirked as I leaned closer to her. “I have wings, you know.”

“I guessed that with the whole dragon thing,” she laughed. “I’d love to go for a ride.”

“Oh, he can do that, too,” Polina offered with a mischievous grin. “Lord Evan has many types of rides for you to enjoy…”

Skye’s sapphire cheeks flushed a dark hue, and Carmen cleared her throat as the staff entered the room with baskets of large rolls and huge bowls of some kind of brown soup. It smelled like roast and vegetables, and my eyes widened as one of the workers set a bowl down in front of my place setting.

“Please, Lord Evan, you go first,” Carmen said as she gestured toward the ladle.

“Thank you,” I murmured as I scooped a few spoonfuls into my bowl.

I waited for everyone to have their food in front of them before we all dug in. The soup was delicious, and the rolls were even better dipped in it. It was definitely an improvement from Peppi’s heartfelt but questionable meals, and I devoured an entire bowl within a few minutes.

After I’d given myself a second helping, I glanced over at Carmen, who seemed to have relaxed considerably since we’d arrived, and I decided now was probably the best time to talk to her and Skye about the more important part of our mission.

“This is fantastic,” I commented. “Thank you for lunch, Carmen.”

“You’re most welcome,” she replied with a kind smile. “I realize you must have many important things to do, and the least I can do is ensure you get a hot meal.”

“I do have many important things,” I agreed. “And I have one more that involves Skye.”

Skye looked up and cocked her head to the side as she chewed a hunk of the tender beef.

“What is it?” Carmen asked with a degree of apprehension in her tone.

“Are either of you familiar with the Breach?” I sipped some water as they both looked at each other.

“Yes, of course,” the Nepin woman said with a frown. “I believe everyone has heard about it by now. The demons have been trying to escape into our world, but King Rodion has held them back. What does Skye have to do with that?”

“More than you’d think,” I said and paused to take a deep breath. “We’ve been trying to close it for good, but it’s taken some pretty strong magic to get there. One of the steps to reaching the level of power we need is a ceremony called Redimi Vincio.”

“I don’t understand,” Carmen murmured and shook her head.

“It’s a ceremony that binds power,” Alyona explained. “Lord Evan and I have bonded through this ceremony, and he now has access to my magic. He also bonded with a Child of Light, the future Noble of the Sword of Light.”

“Noble of the Sword,” Skye’s mother repeated slowly, and I could see she had started to figure out where this was going.

“In order to continue to grow that power, I need to also bond with you, Skye,” I said as I turned to look at her.

Skye’s eyes widened until I could see the whites around her brown and turquoise irises before a smile erupted across her face.

“You need me to help save the world?” she asked.

“Yes,” I confirmed. “Not only are you powerful as the Noble of the Sword of Youth, but you also have a new level of nature magic that would help even more.”

“Then I’ll do it,” Skye decided.

“What?” Carmen gasped. “You absolutely will not! This is too much! First, you storm into our city and demand to handle a situation. Then, you hand my daughter a sword and tell her how to fight in battle! Now, you want to take her to do some binding ceremony and siphon her ability?”

“It’s not siphoning,” Alyona soothed. “It’s access. I understand that can be confusing, but Skye would not lose anything by helping.”

“Except her safety,” Carmen retorted. “I’m sure you have to go to the Breach to do it, right?”

“Closer to it than we are now,” I said. “There’s a specific place to hold blood ceremonies like this that--”

“Blood ceremonies!” the Nepin mother shrieked. “That is not happening. Not a chance, not with my daughter.”

“Mother, stop,” Skye interjected. “I’m not a child. I’m twenty-four years old. You will not make this decision for me.”

“I’m your mother!” Carmen insisted as she clenched her spoon in anger. “I will not allow this!”

“I’m old enough to make my choice with or without your approval,” Skye countered, and she lifted her chin in a strong show of defiance. “I trust Lord Evan. If he says this is the right thing to do, then it’s what I should do. I can’t say no to helping everyone on Inati just because you or I get scared of what could happen.”

I looked at Skye with a whole new sense of admiration. She was totally inexperienced, apparently very sheltered, and yet, she was brave and willing to sacrifice for her people. It was obvious she was meant to be a Noble of the Sword, even if her mother was on the edge of a mental breakdown over it.

“Unbelievable!” Carmen thundered before she shoved her chair away from the table and stormed out of the room.

A hushed silence fell over the table as we all tried to figure out what to do next. No one had become quite this angry over the discussion of the Redimi Vincio ceremony, but we also hadn’t been in this situation before.

I looked over at Skye, and her mouth was set in grim determination as she stared at the doorway her mother had just exited.

“Don’t worry, Skye,” Miraya said in a soft voice. “This is a lot for her to accept, and she’s just worried about you.”

“I was serious about my decision,” Skye replied as she met my eyes. “She can be angry, but I’m going to do the ceremony.”

“And we’re grateful for that,” I said. “But let’s get her back in here, so we can explain what exactly we’re going to do.”

“Or we can just leave now,” the naiad-Nepin scoffed. “She’s going to be pissed for a while. She probably won’t even notice we left.”

“Oh, no, we can’t do that.” Isabella shook her head. “I promise you’ll regret leaving her without saying goodbye.”

“I can’t talk to her when she’s like this,” Skye insisted. “She’s gone days without talking to me before. This one will probably take her a week since I defied her wishes in front of other people.”

“And I’m sure she’s upset about more than just being embarrassed,” Isabella said with a gentle smile. “She worries about her daughter running off to do something dangerous, but it’s because she loves you, Skye. When I left Yrosa to go to Leyte, I didn’t say anything to my parents. I left in the middle of the night without a word, and it haunted me every day and night I spent away.”

“It did?” Skye pursed her lips as she stared at the Nepin.

“Yes,” Isabella confirmed. “I could hardly sleep, and I thought every night of how I should come back and talk to them. When I finally did, I was worried they would be angry, but when she saw me, my mother cried so hard, she could hardly breathe. They were just worried about me.”

“Oh,” Skye breathed and looked down at her hands. “But she won’t ever agree with me leaving.”

“She doesn’t have to,” I said in a low tone. “But you only have one woman in the world who gives birth to you, raises you, and loves you more than herself. You don’t want to leave her behind while you’re both angry.”

“And without saying goodbye,” Isabella added with a nod. “It will haunt you, I promise.”

“Okay,” Skye finally sighed. “I’ll wait until she cools down.”

“Good,” I said. “We can go train for a while longer and wait for her to think about it.”

Skye nodded her agreement, and we finished our meals in silence. Then the staff reappeared to clean off the table as we all filed back outside.

Laika and Nike led Skye back into the yard, and she seemed lost in thought as she followed their movements almost robotically.

“She is struggling with inner turmoil,” Miraya murmured as we watched the training trio. “She loves her mother, but she is falling in love with you.”

“She is an amazing woman,” I said with a smile. “I hope she takes the time to keep her relationship with her mother intact. Everyone deserves to have their mother around.”

“I agree.” The spirit nodded and looked at me with round blue eyes. “Can Juniper and I use your spiritual sea again? She’s close to being able to get to the physical world, but Skye’s emotional pain is holding her back right now.”

“I thought I had to hold the sword for her to do it,” I replied.

“I have a way around that,” Miraya giggled.

I raised an eyebrow but didn’t question her, and a few moments later, I felt the presence of both spirits in my spiritual sea. I could feel Juniper’s spirit had grown much stronger since the last time she’d been there, and her red lightning became even brighter as she called it across the blue sky of my spiritual sea.

“Lord Evan!” Laika called out and drew me from my inner musings. “Can you join us?”

“Of course,” I agreed.

Within minutes, Laika and I moved like dancers as we parried and lunged back and forth in a mock battle while Skye watched in awe. Then Nike joined in, and I defended against both of them as they attacked from each side. I spun, jumped, and avoided their blows, but I had the distinct advantage of my precognition and swiftness skills, so neither of them got close to touching me.

When they were both breathing heavily and took a step back, my lovers all clapped and cheered, and Skye came over to stand in front of me.

“That was amazing!” she gushed. “How did you learn to fight like that?”

“A lot of it just comes naturally because of the Noble Sword stuff,” I explained. “But I also grew up learning martial arts, so I had some experience already. It takes some time, but it’s definitely worth learning.”

“I think you have quite a bit to teach me,” Skye said as she looked up at me with bright eyes.

A wave of heat passed between us, and the smell of her desire filled my nose. It was like the ocean and a fire rolled in one, and my blood rushed south as I looked at her flushed face.

Then we were interrupted by a flash of light even brighter than I was used to, and we shielded our eyes until the light disappeared.

Now, Juniper and Miraya stood side-by-side on the grass in front of us.

“You did it!” Miraya squealed and wrapped her arms around her sister.

“Oh, my gods, the sunshine!” Juniper sighed as she released Miraya and basked in the warm rays of light. “I’d forgotten how wonderful it feels here.”

“I can’t believe you’re here!” Skye shrieked and hugged the spirit of her sword. “This is wonderful!”

“Yes, it is,” Juniper agreed.

Another quick flash of light had me blinking away spots in my eyes, and then Aine joined her sisters for a reunion.

“It’s so good to see you!” Aine gasped and held Juniper close.

“And you,” Juniper replied with a grin.

The three spirits huddled together and talked for a few moments while the rest of us looked on, and a feeling of serenity came over me.

Until Juniper stepped back and looked around with a furrowed brow.

“What is it?” Skye asked.

“Something is wrong,” Juniper murmured. “You know how I can use energy around us?”

“Yeah,” I said as I stepped closer.

“Well, I can also read the energy around us.” The spirit’s eyes darted around the yard, but I didn’t see anything. “And something has some very negative energy, and it’s getting closer.”

“Oh,” Skye said with a shiver. “It’s so… cold. I feel it.”

“And angry,” Juniper added. “And it’s in a hurry.”

“What the hell could it be?” I muttered. “I don’t see anyone.”

Then we all whirled to face the house as someone pounded on the front door.

Chapter 10

I stalked through the house to the front door, and everyone crowded behind me as I grabbed the knob. Before I could turn it, the visitor slammed a fist against the door three more times, and I ripped the door open with a fiery anger to see who was outside.

A young man stood on the porch with rage in his brown eyes. His face was slightly familiar, but I didn’t think I’d seen him before. He looked to be about twenty years old, and he wore brown hardened leather armor over his chest and shoulders with a huge broadsword hanging from the belt around his trim waist. His chestnut hair was tied back in a long ponytail at the base of his neck, and his bronze skin was reddened with fury.

“Who the fuck are you?” I demanded as I gripped my own sword and blocked his entry.

“I’m not here for you,” he growled and looked past me as he pointed. “I’m here for her.”

I followed his gaze to see Skye’s eyes widen, and she took a trembling step back as the mystery man focused on her.

“Well, you’re not getting her,” I snarled and stepped into his line of sight. “So, you got me. Now, back the fuck up and tell me what you think you’re doing here.”

“You are not the one who is being challenged!” the man bellowed. “I am challenging Skye, daughter of Renfrew, for the Sword of Youth!”

“I j-just learned h-how to fight,” Skye stammered as she backed further away. “I can’t accept a-a challenge!”

“Don’t worry,” Alyona assured her quietly and squeezed her arm. “Lord Evan will get this settled.”

The rest of my lovers crowded around the Nepin-naiad to shield her from the young man’s onslaught of rage while Nike and I stood shoulder to shoulder in the doorway. There was no way this douchebag would get by us, and I’d have my blade to his throat before he even came close.

“You will have time to prepare, as is the custom,” he continued as though we hadn’t even spoken. “By nightfall, we shall duel for the blade.”

“No, you shall not,” I cut in and stepped toward him. “You can’t have the Sword of Youth, even if you beat a woman who just learned how to use it. That’s ridiculous. I don’t know who you are, but you’re obviously not from around here, so just go back to wherever you came from before you get yourself hurt.”

“I’m not leaving until Skye accepts my challenge,” he shot back with a grim stare.

“Then I’ll make you leave.” I took another step toward him as my hand gripped the handle of the Sword of Healing. “And you won’t like it.”

“You don’t scare me.” The young man narrowed his eyes into slits as he stared at me. “I can smell what you are, dragon, but I’m a true warrior. I can handle any battle. I’ve spent my life preparing for them.”

“Don’t bite off more than you can chew, boy,” I snarled and felt the heat rise to a boil in my chest. “You aren’t going anywhere fucking near her, and you won’t be able to get past me to do it. I dare you to try.”

“I’m the rightful heir to the Sword of Youth!” he argued. “You can’t keep me from my destiny!”

I froze for a moment at his words as my blood ran cold.

How the hell could there be two heirs to the sword? Was that even possible?

The young man’s chest heaved up and down as he stared me down with no trace of doubt in his face. He truly believed he was the rightful heir to the sword, and I had no idea why he would think that.

“What in the gods’ names is going on in here?” Carmen shrieked as she rushed down the stairs and into the foyer. “Who are you? What are you doing at my house?”

“I’ve come to challenge Skye, daughter of Renfrew, for the Sword of Youth!” the young man declared again as his gaze shifted to Carmen.

“Renfrew is long gone, and I will not have anyone come to my home and threaten my daughter!” Carmen seethed as she took Nike’s place next to me.

The Nepin woman was only as tall as my shoulders, yet her fiery glare seemed to affect the mystery man whose puffed-out chest dropped ever so slightly.

“It is not a threat,” he said in a calmer voice. “It is a challenge, and I have every right to do it.”

“How so?” I demanded. “She’s Renfrew’s daughter, so she has the Noble of the Sword bloodline. No one can wield the sword without the bloodline!”

“Then it’s a good thing I also have it,” the young man sneered as he cocked his head to the side and stared at Carmen. “I am Renfrew’s son.”

Carmen’s face fell slack as she looked at the young man with pale fear, and I grabbed her arm to hold her steady before I turned back to the challenger. Nike guided Carmen away from the door and returned to stand by my side. While Carmen had been prepared to ferociously protect her daughter, she’d weakened at the idea of her husband having a child she didn’t know about.

“Renfrew was married to Carmen, and they only had one child, Skye,” I said with a frown. “You’re obviously mistaken.”

“I’m not,” he shot back. “My name is Rocco. I was raised in the Lake of Avmun by my uncle, Rafael, because my mother died in childbirth.”

“Is that possible?” I turned to Skye’s mother, who was nearly limp in Laika’s arms as she took shuddering breaths.

“Rafael was Renfrew’s brother,” Carmen exhaled. “I had no idea. How did this happen?”

“I’m sure you know how children are made, Carmen,” Rocco snorted. “After my mother died, Rafael took me in. I lived in the lake with him, while my father pranced about on land with you and his precious daughter Skye. Rafael taught me everything I know, including how to fight, so one day, I could regain the Sword of Youth and bring it back where it belongs with the Nakken tribe.”

Carmen trembled and leaned against the wolf Demi-Human as she took it all in. It seemed her perfect marriage to Duke Renfrew wasn’t as perfect as she’d thought it was, and the living proof stood at her door threatening to duel her daughter.

She was having one hell of a rough day.

“Listen, if all of that is true--” I started.

“It is,” Rocco snarled.

“Then we’ll look into it,” I finished as I narrowed my eyes on the young Nakken. “But you can’t just walk up here and tell her she has to fight later when she’s barely had the sword for a day. She’s just learning how to fight. It wouldn’t even be a duel, it’d be a show for your skills.”

“That is not my problem,” he retorted. “She should have been training like I have.”

“Well, she and her mother didn’t know about the sword,” I shot back as I bared my teeth and refrained from growling in his face. “You’d punish her for not knowing?”

“I don’t care about that,” Rocco mumbled. “I didn’t even have a mother, so my uncle told me everything about the Noble Sword and why I had to get it. I have to return to the lake with it. My tribe is waiting.”

“She’s your sister!” Nike grunted. “You don’t care about her at all?”

Rocco’s resolve seemed to soften for a split second before he clenched his jaw again. “I have to get the Sword of Youth back, no matter the cost. Besides, a woman can’t wield the sword anyway.”

“She already has,” Juniper snapped as she stood on Skye’s other side and squeezed her hand. “The moment she touched the blade, I knew I was hers. She is my mistress now.”

“And I will become your master!” Rocco bellowed. “I challenge her, and she must face me or concede the duel!”

“Wait here,” I muttered and took a step back.

He opened his mouth, but I slammed the door in his face. Then I turned around to the spirit sisters and furrowed my brow while we tried to figure out what the hell was going on.

“What are we going to do, my lord?” Alyona asked as she rubbed Skye’s trembling back.

“Whatever we have to,” I grunted. “I just don’t know what that is yet.”

“My lord, this is a very serious situation,” Miraya murmured.

“Is it legit?” I asked. “Could he also be an heir?”

“If his story is true, yes,” Aine answered.

“And an equal heir has the right to challenge for the sword,” Juniper added. “I hate to say it, but he’s correct, and my instincts unfortunately tell me he’s being honest. I just don’t like his attitude.”

“I don’t, either,” I grunted. “Skye was learning really well, but she’s not ready for a duel yet, especially not with a guy who claims to have been training his whole life.”

“You can’t let this happen to her,” Carmen hissed. “You have to protect my daughter, Lord Evan.”

“I’m working on it,” I replied as I shuffled through my options. “He won’t get to her.”

My words seemed to comfort the Nepin woman, but I wasn’t sure how I was going to keep my promise just yet.

It would be easy enough to find out if he was lying. I had the truth spell, Alyona had her bloodline tests, and Juniper could probably sniff out if he had the same relationship to her as Skye. The problem was if he was telling the truth, how did we keep Skye safe from the challenge?

Even though she was a natural with the sword, she wasn’t at Rocco’s level of training. He would slaughter her in an instant, and that thought alone made my blood boil again. If he wasn’t her brother, I’d tear him to shreds right here on the porch and watch his blood run down the hill of the noble community.

For now, I needed to find out more about the challenge.

Was it a fight to the death? Did he even care if he had to kill his own sister just to take the sword back to his tribe?

The spirit sisters told me what they knew, but I needed more information before I decided what play I’d make. Whatever I chose, it had to keep Skye safe and get her to the Redimi Vincio ceremony. We already knew I couldn’t bond with another man, and Rocco didn’t seem like the type to wait around and see how he could help.

Plus, Skye and Juniper had already formed their own bond, and I wasn’t about to let this jackass come in and break it like it was nothing.

And I could only think of one group of people who knew more about what was going on with the Noble Swords than the spirit sisters in front of me. They weren’t my biggest fans, but I didn’t have much choice at this point.

“Okay, if we have more questions, we need to find the answers,” I mused. “I know you’re not going to like it, but we have to ask the Iudices.”

“What?” Juniper gasped and paled. “That’s a terrible idea!”

“No, it’s not.” Miraya shook her head. “He’s spoken with them before, and they relented to his will after he won their challenge. I believe they have a high respect for Lord Evan.”

“Their respect is hard to come by,” Aine murmured with wide eyes. “Are you certain they’ll listen? Or help?”

“I’m not,” I said with a shrug. “But it’s worth a shot. We can’t just sit around until nightfall and hope for the best. Even training until then isn’t the best idea. She wouldn’t be anywhere near as prepared as Rocco is.”

“I’m sorry, who are we calling?” Skye interjected. “Someone has advice on how to keep my surprise brother from killing me for the sword I just got? Is this a regular thing for you?”

“No, but I’m hoping they can help,” I chuckled before I turned to Nike. “You and Laika watch Rocco. I don’t trust that guy, and I don’t want him busting in here and stealing the sword while we talk to the Iudices.”

“Got it,” he said, and Laika nodded as she opened the door and stood in front of the Nakken.

“So, you’re just going to leave me out here?” Rocco asked and crossed his arms over his broad chest.

“Yes,” I confirmed. “I don’t trust you, and I don’t like you, so you can wait until I know enough about you to do something different.”

“Are you sure about this, my lord?” Juniper asked with a degree of uncertainty in her tone.

“As sure as I can be.” I shrugged and looked at the sisters. “You’re welcome to join me in my spiritual sea. I may need your help to reach out to the Iudices anyway.”

“You will,” Miraya agreed. “Let’s go.”

I moved to the living room, sat on the couch, and closed my eyes. I concentrated on entering the safe space of my spiritual sea, and when I opened my eyes again, I felt the warm, wet air of the sea on my face. The sun shone down and glinted off the white crystals of sand around me, and I took a deep breath to center myself.

Then I climbed to my feet just as Juniper, Aine, and Miraya appeared in the blink of an eye. Aine and Juniper looked uncomfortable with my idea, but Miraya knew me well enough to know I’d follow my gut.

And it was telling me the Iudices were the ones who’d be able to clarify what we would have to do for Skye.

“Okay, whenever you’re ready,” I said.

Miraya nodded her head, and the trio reached their arms above their heads as they murmured a few words.

“Venteo, atvanta, Iudices,” they chanted together. “Venteo, atvanta, Iudices.”

Suddenly, the bright, warm sky above us darkened and grew cold as a gust of freezing wind blew across the beach, and the ice-cold wind turned a charcoal gray as it streamlined into one large form that landed silently on the sand in front of us. As the gray faded away, it reminded me of sand falling in an hourglass, but it left behind three hooded figures.

The Iudices lifted their hoods and laid them across their shoulders as they stared at us with blank expressions. The crumbling gray skin of their identical features still gave me the creeps, and I wasn’t sure which one I’d battled before until the one on the far right narrowed his blue eyes on me. He seemed to remember the skin-piercing strike I’d delivered across his torso last time we’d met, and I smirked as I met his gaze before I looked over the rest of the spiritual judges.

“Great Iudices, thank you for answering our call,” Miraya said as she bowed.

“We do not have time for insignificant demands,” the one in the middle answered with his nose in the air. “So, this better be important.”

“It isn’t insignificant,” Juniper insisted. “We would never call upon the high cicerones for small favors.”

“But you have called us for a large one?” he sneered.

“It’s not a favor at all,” I cut in with a frown. “We have a situation, and your knowledge would be helpful in resolving it. You know our mission is to close the Breach, and this could put a damper on the plan already blessed by the gods. So, will you answer our questions or not?”

The three gray-skinned spirits looked at each other, and I saw a momentary look of uncertainty flicker across their faces before the one on the left finally spoke.

“We will, as the gods have decreed it,” he answered. “Go ahead, Lord Evan.”

“A Nakken man named Rocco showed up in Yrosa today,” I explained. “He claims to be the son of Duke Renfrew, former Noble of the Sword of Youth. The problem is we’d already begun training Renfrew’s daughter, Skye, to use the sword.”

“So, he challenged her for the blade,” one of the Iudices murmured. “It is uncommon for a sibling challenge, but not unheard of, and it is out of our hands if one chooses to challenge the other. Why does this warrant our attention?”

“First, I need to know if he’s telling the truth,” I replied. “We can do our tests to figure it out, but you guys would know, right?”

“We can confirm there were two possible paths for Juniper to take,” he said carefully. “But we can say no more than that. What is the next question?”

“Okay, and second, I called you here because I need Skye to be the Noble of the Sword to complete the Redimi Vincio ceremony,” I answered. “Without her power, I may not have enough to close the Breach.”

“Then she must win her duel,” another judge said simply. “I’m still confused about our presence here.”

“We only started training her this morning,” I grunted. “How is she supposed to beat a guy who says he’s been training his whole life?”

“I’m afraid we can’t answer that,” he replied. “All we can do is guide you. I assume you remember there are consequences if we overstep our bounds?”

He quirked an eyebrow as he referenced the last time we’d seen each other when they had appeared in Miraya’s spiritual sea to punish her for helping me defeat an opponent from the Celestial Triad. It was the reason I’d ended up fighting one of them until I had him on the ground with his throat beneath my blade. I had half a mind to bring up who actually won that battle, but now wasn’t the time. I needed their help, and my typical smartass remarks wouldn’t get me any.

“Yeah, I remember,” I grumbled. “This is different. I need to know how this stuff works. Is it a fight to the death?”

“It can be,” he countered with a frown. “Most siblings do not choose such an ending, but for siblings who have grown up separately, I cannot say to what end the duel will be. It is the choice of the challenger.”

“Fantastic,” I muttered. “Can she challenge him again later if he wins now?”

“No, the winner becomes the only heir,” the spirit on the left said. “There can be no change once the challenge has been completed, and the bloodline power is removed from the loser.”

“Of course.” I rolled my eyes and clenched my fists. “I guess we have to get back to training her.”

“That would be wise,” one of the Iudices agreed. “She only has one day to prepare, or she concedes the challenge, and he becomes the Noble of the Sword.”

“What?” I narrowed my eyes on the spirit judges. “One day to get ready for a duel for the sword? I thought he was just being a dick. That’s crazy!”

“Most potential Nobles of the Sword are prepared their whole lives for duels,” he retorted. “If this one has not been prepared as such, that is the fault of her parents.”

“Parent,” I corrected. “Her mom had no idea about all this. She didn’t even know what the Sword of Youth meant after her husband was killed. She locked it away to be kept safe from outsiders.”

“It’s a pity really,” another of them said as he frowned and clasped his hands together. “The knowledge and power of these blades used to be so widely renowned. Now, you’d be hard-pressed to find a mortal who knows anything about them unless the blade is in their family.”

“It’s sad,” I agreed. “But the problem here is not simply the knowledge of the sword, but also the fate of everyone on Inati if I can’t get that Breach closed. There has to be a way!”

“There’s always a way to accomplish your goals,” one of the spirit judges declared in a voice that told me they had an answer already.

Damn their guide-only, no-interference bullshit rules.

The council huddled together and spoke in quiet voices that even I couldn’t hear, and I pursed my lips before I turned around and looked at the sister spirits.

“What are we going to do?” Miraya asked.

“We only have so much time to teach her,” Aine added as she wrung her hands. “Lord Nikolaus trained since he was a child to be able to wield my blade.”

“I don’t want to lose Skye,” Juniper moaned. “She’s meant to be my mistress. I can feel it!”

“I just wish I could give her all the skills I have,” I muttered and tried to think of a way to help Skye. “I’ve learned so much since I got here, and she’s trying to play catch-up in less than twenty-four hours. How do you turn a normal person into a warrior in just a day?”

Wait.

I whirled back around to see the Iudices had finished their discussion and looked at me expectantly.

“Is there anything else we can answer for you, Lord Evan?” one of them asked as his sapphire eyes bored into mine.

“I do actually have one more question,” I murmured. “Does she have to fight the duel herself?”

“Another Noble of the Sword can take her place in the duel if she so chooses,” the Iudices replied in unison.

And then they seemed to smile slightly.

I grinned and glanced at the spirits over my shoulder. They could barely contain their excitement, and I felt the same way.

Rocco was about to get a wake-up call.

“Thank you,” I said with genuine appreciation, even though I wished they had just started off telling me that important factoid.

The Iudices nodded before they disappeared in a gust of gray wind, and the four of us returned to the physical world. As I opened my eyes and looked around, I saw Nike and Laika had brought Rocco into the foyer and cornered him behind the door.

“He was drawing the attention of the neighbors,” Laika explained when I noticed Rocco’s new location. “I thought it best to bring him inside.”

“Reasonable,” I murmured as a smile crept across my face.

The dryads stood as a second line of defense between Rocco and Skye, who watched me anxiously as I blinked a few times to regain my bearings.

“Well?” Skye asked and wrung her hands together. “Did you find out anything?”

“Are we going to get to kick his ass?” Polina grunted as she eyed the Nakken.

“Or help Skye do it?” Trina added with a fierce expression.

“I did get an answer,” I confirmed as I sat up and looked at Rocco.

The young Nakken’s face was full of arrogant confidence as he smirked and lifted one eyebrow. “He found out I was telling the truth.”

“I confirmed that Rocco is also an heir to the Sword of Youth,” I said.

“Oh, gods,” Carmen groaned and sat down next to me on the sofa. “It’s all true, then. My Renfrew…”

“Mother, we have more to worry about right now than what Papa did wrong twenty years ago,” Skye pointed out. “Focus.”

“Did wrong?” Rocco echoed with narrowed eyes. “What he did wrong was go back to his clueless wife after he got my mother pregnant. I was lucky to have Rafael, so I could still learn the ways of being a Noble of the Sword, and now, it’s my time to earn the blade.”

“Is it?” I chuckled.

“Yes,” he thundered and took a step closer to me. “And I’ll have no problem winning the duel to do it.”

Laika and Nike crossed their swords in front of his face, and he grinned at me with overt confidence. I was so ready to burst his conceited little bubble.

“Well, you see, you do have the right to challenge her,” I said as I led up to my big finale.

Miraya, Aine, and Juniper stifled their laughter at my antics, but I couldn’t help but tease the Nakken. He’d been so full of himself when he showed up, and I had a feeling he knew damn well Skye wasn’t ready for a challenge like this, so I was more than happy to knock him down a few rungs.

“I know I do,” Rocco growled. “Why do you have that stupid smile on your face?”

“Because I know something you don’t,” I snickered. “Would you like to know a little secret?”

“Just spit it out already.” The Nakken’s smooth features were crumpled with annoyance.

“Skye can choose a fellow Noble of the Sword to take her place in the duel,” I announced with triumph. “And I just happen to be one.”

Chapter 11

Rocco’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor as he stared at my smirking face. It was exactly the reaction I’d been going for, and my group looked at me with various expressions of surprise, excitement, and pride.

“Nothing to say?” I snickered. “You looked big and tough when you were talking shit about kicking your own sister’s ass, but now that it’s me, you’re done talking?”

“How am I to know you’re telling the truth?” Rocco demanded. “You simply meditated for half an hour and returned with this information I’ve never heard of.”

“I spoke with the Iudices,” I retorted. “Would you like to be the one who accuses them of being liars?”

The Nakken’s face drained of color as he looked up to meet my gaze.

“Yeah, that’s right, the dragon knows the spirit judges,” Trina said with a satisfied grin.

“And they helped him find a way to make sure you don’t take me from my mistress,” Juniper added as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“I also found out the challenger is supposed to give the other person a day to prepare,” I said as I stepped closer to the Nakken. “Since you wanted to fight Skye at nightfall, I’ll be generous and give you until dawn to prepare for me, even though I could kick your ass right here and right now if I wanted to.”

“I highly doubt that, dragon,” Rocco hissed. “I was raised a warrior. If the rumors are true, you’ve only been training for a year.”

“And yet, I took down the entire Green Glass Sect in that time,” I laughed. “What does that tell you about my ability?”

A flicker of doubt passed through his eyes, but he didn’t say anything.

“Your other option would be to forget the challenge and leave Yrosa,” Miraya pointed out. “If there’s no challenge, there’s no need to fight.”

“I will never retract my challenge!” Rocco thundered. “The Sword of Youth is my birthright, and I shall have it!”

“Then you can try to take it from me tomorrow morning,” I sneered.

“You should hold the duel at the dome,” Isabella suggested. “It has plenty of room and nowhere to hide.”

“I’ll be there,” Rocco muttered. “At dawn.”

“Don’t be late,” I chuckled as I motioned for Laika and Nike to let him return to the door.

“I won’t,” the Nakken grunted before he ripped the door open and stomped outside.

Laika slammed the door shut behind him, and her gray ears twitched atop her head with annoyance. “He’s an ass.”

“An arrogant ass,” I agreed. “He has no idea what he just got himself into.”

“He seems really angry,” Skye murmured as lines of worry creased her beautiful face. “I can’t believe you’re okay with taking my place in the duel.”

“I would never let you get hurt,” I assured her. “And once I realized that was an option, it was an easy choice.”

“You’re certain you want to stand in for my daughter?” Carmen asked with wide eyes. “You barely know her.”

“It doesn’t matter.” I shook my head and then smiled at the older Nepin woman. “It’s the right thing to do. I can’t imagine fighting my own brother or trying to prepare for such a battle in only a few hours. I’d put myself in that position for her every time.”

“But what if he tries to kill you?” Skye moaned. “Rocco looked pissed, and he has to be dangerous. He grew up training for something like this. I can’t imagine… Oh, I’ll never forgive myself if anything happens to you.”

“It won’t,” I promised. “Can I show you something?”

Skye nodded her head, and I pulled up my sleeve to reveal the onyx scales that laid over my forearm. Then her eyes widened as I formed a fiery dagger in my other hand and dragged it across the scales.

“Doesn’t that hurt?” she gasped.

“Not at all,” I replied. “Watch this.”

I flipped the dagger with the blade down and then tried to stab my arm. The flaming blade bent as it made contact with my scales, and she sucked in a sharp breath.

“It didn’t work?” Skye asked and cocked her head to the side.

“I have impenetrable scales,” I explained. “I can block any strike with just my arm in human form. In dragon form, nothing can get through anywhere.”

“That’s amazing,” the naiad-Nepin breathed. “What else can you do?”

“The real question is what can’t he do?” Polina giggled. “He’s a dragon, for crying out loud.”

“Yeah, he can fly, spit fire, shoot webs, call on lightning,” Trina said as she ticked them off on her fingers.

“Oh, and he can move stones and use nature magic,” Marina added. “Plus, that whole doppelbeast thing.”

“And the target precision,” Alyona pointed out. “And healing power.”

“I’m sure we’re leaving a few things out,” Laika laughed. “He has acquired many skills in a short amount of time.”

“I thought dragons only breathed fire,” Skye mused. “Those are the only stories we heard.”

“Me, too.” Isabella nodded and perched on the arm of the sofa next to me. “I feel like I learn something new about you every day.”

“I feel like my power grows every day,” I chuckled. “I have the ability to assimilate more abilities from my prey, so when I killed the stone giants, I gained their stone magic. When I captured the Celestial Triad spirits, I gained their abilities as well.”

“The Celestial Triad?” Skye’s eyes widened in shock. “Weren’t those weapons made to defeat the gods?”

“Yeah,” I confirmed. “I had to get them before the Sage did, but they kept trying to get in my head, so I let them in and gave them a solid ass whooping.”

“In your spiritual sea?” she wondered.

“Yep, it took some time, but Miraya helped me,” I said with a smile at the sword spirit.

“I hardly did anything.” Miraya blushed and looked down at her hands.

“You almost got punished by the Iudices for your help,” I pointed out. “I wouldn’t call that nothing. Honestly, each of my women has helped me in some way along this mission. And Lord Nikolaus, too.”

“That’s incredible,” Skye breathed. “Do you do it all because you’re a Noble of the Sword? Will I go on adventures, too?”

“That definitely helps,” I replied with a shrug. “But I’d go help people regardless of my title. When I become king, they’ll be my people, and I’ll do anything I can to keep Rahma safe. As for your adventures, that’s up to you.”

“I don’t know if I could be quite as brave as you are,” she murmured.

“I’m sure you could do whatever you set your mind to,” I said and grinned. “You’re stronger than you think.”

The naiad-Nepin blushed and turned away, and my gaze drifted to her mother, who had barely spoken since Rocco left. Her fiery rage at his appearance had smoldered into dead eyes that didn’t seem to look at anything in particular.

Alyona seemed to notice Carmen’s silence, and she crouched in front of the older Nepin and grabbed her hands.

“Carmen, Skye will be safe now,” my wife said in a gentle voice. “I told you, Lord Evan took care of it.”

“Safe from her apparent brother,” Carmen murmured. “The brother I had no idea existed just showed up and challenged her for a sword I didn’t know I was supposed to give her. Renfrew never told me anything about it. Or… his other child.”

“I can’t imagine that pain,” my wife said as she gripped Carmen’s hands. “I know you loved him very much, but at least Skye will be okay. You have to think of the good things.”

“The good things,” Carmen choked out as tears welled in her turquoise eyes. “Like how Renfrew told me I made him happy, even when he disappeared into the water for days at a time? Or when his family said we were insane for being together? They always said he should have found a naiad wife.”

“Is there a chance he simply had a harem?” I offered.

“If he did, he never told me.” She shook her head and wiped a tear from her cheek. “Nepins don’t have harems. It’s frowned upon in Yrosa, but Nakken often have several naiad lovers. They believe it is their right to have as many chances as possible to create more of their warriors.”

“So, Renfrew said he didn’t do that?” Alyona pressed.

“Yes, he promised if I didn’t want him to have a harem, he wouldn’t,” Carmen said in a tight voice. “His brother always pushed for him to disobey my wishes, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he arranged for Renfrew to meet some naiad woman.”

“Rafael?” I asked.

“Yes, that’s how I knew Rocco was telling the truth,” she muttered. “I knew Renfrew’s brother would be involved somehow. I was an idiot to fall in love with a Nakken, considering their propensity for arrogance and disregard for others.”

“Mother!” Skye gasped and covered her mouth.

“It’s true, Skye,” Carmen retorted. “Your father had a good heart, but he was just like the other Nakken. They all believed they were only a step below the gods, if that. It was a regular fight between us that he shouldn’t be so arrogant about everything. He thought he was the best warrior, the best husband, the best father, and he didn’t even have to try. In fact, he hardly ever tried. He just assumed he was the best at everything.”

The Nepin woman inhaled a deep breath and let it out as her chest heaved up and down. I suspected she’d been holding that sentiment in for fifteen years now, and it seemed almost therapeutic for her to let it out now.

“Is that true?” Skye finally whispered. “About the Nakken men?”

“It is,” Trina answered softly. “They’re well-known for giant egos and treating women as their personal breeders.”

“How disgusting,” Laika grunted and bared her teeth. “Lord Evan would never treat us like that.”

“Definitely not.” I frowned and looked at Carmen whose face had changed from heartbroken to grim. “But he loved you enough to marry you and stay with you and Skye until his death.”

“He did,” she agreed in a quiet voice. “He loved Skye more than anything in the world. I thought she would be the reason he changed his attitude and maybe even stopped going into battle one day. I guess I was wrong since Rocco said he’s younger than Skye.”

Carmen’s head dropped to her chest as she sighed again.

“I’m sorry you’re dealing with this,” Alyona soothed her. “No one should ever have to question true love.”

“I questioned it a thousand times,” Carmen replied without looking up. “And now, I question everything else. How could he be so arrogant that he got another woman pregnant and then left their child without a father?”

No one had an answer for that, and Alyona scooted up onto the sofa next to Carmen to wrap her arms around the Nepin woman. One by one, the rest of my lovers joined her as they comforted Carmen while Skye caught my eyes and motioned for me to follow her away from the living room.

“My mother is going to be a wreck for a few days,” she murmured when we were alone. “I don’t know how she’s going to handle my training after this.”

“Let’s just focus on one thing at a time,” I suggested as I placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “We can’t fix everything. I’ve had to learn that, too.”

“My lord?” Alyona said as she peeked around the corner. “Carmen is ready for bed, so I think we’re going to head back to the inn.”

“You go ahead.” I nodded to her. “I’ll catch up.”

“Okay,” she agreed.

After a few seconds, I heard Carmen’s feet on the stairs as she went to her room, and the front door shut softly a moment later. Then the house was nearly silent, and when I turned back to face Skye, I saw her brown-turquoise eyes were wide as she watched me.

“I’ll stay with you as long as you want,” I said in a quiet voice. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Why are you so nice to me?” she wondered suddenly.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” I quirked an eyebrow with curiosity.

“You signed up for a dangerous challenge in my place,” Skye pointed out with a grimace. “And you barely know me. I know the Noble of the Sword thing gives us a link, and I’m sure you want me alive for the blood ceremony, but that’s a really strong level of dedication.”

“It is.” I smiled and led her back to the living room to sit on the sofa. “It’s the right thing to do, though. I meant it when I said that before.”

“But I can’t ask you to do it,” she murmured and looked down at her lap. “It’s much too dangerous. Rocco looked ready to rip your eyeballs out of your skull when you told him you’d be fighting him.”

“Well, yeah, I knew he’d be pissed,” I chuckled. “He can pretend he’s not worried, but he knows dragons are tough opponents, and I’m not just any dragon.”

“I can see that,” the naiad-Nepin whispered.

“Besides, I volunteered,” I pointed out. “You don’t have to ask me. I’m doing it for you and for my people. I need you to understand how important you are, not only for my mission, but also as a Noble of the Sword. You’re destined to do great things. Juniper chose you, even when another warrior was presented to her.”

“That’s true,” she mused as she reached her hand out and gently touched my arm. “You aren’t worried.”

“No.” I shook my head and waited for her to look up at me. “I’m not at all worried. And you shouldn’t be, either.”

“No, I mean, I can tell you’re not.” Skye smiled up at me, and I noticed a small dimple on her right cheek. “I’ve been practicing tapping into the energy around me like Juniper can do. Rocco’s energy was murderous and a little scared, but yours is nothing like that.”

“Tell me what it’s like,” I encouraged her.

“You’re like a boat in the middle of the ocean,” she said as she closed her eyes. “The waves move you all over the water, but you’re still just adjusting your sails to reach your destination. You aren’t taking in water or tipping with the waves.”

“Sounds about right,” I replied with a grin. “I grew up learning to roll with the punches. By that I mean life will deal you all kinds of blows, but you have to find your own way to get around them instead of getting knocked down.”

“You’ve really won a lot of battles, haven’t you?” Skye giggled. “Stone giants and sages and the gods know what else.”

“Oh, they know,” I laughed. “I’ve even met a couple. Gods, that is.”

“What!” she gasped. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah.” I shrugged. “You’ll probably meet one at the ceremony. Aeron likes to show up and bless the Redimi Vincio.”

“The God of Punishment blessed your ceremony?” Skye’s mouth dropped open. “He just showed up and did that?”

“That was after he showed up at the Sage’s hideout and tried to scare us away,” I chuckled. “He took the form of a kid…”

I regaled Skye with stories of my times with the gods, Oracles, lava hellbeasts, miasma, and anything else I could think of to assure her I would be fine in this duel. It was well after dark when she finally stopped laughing about the last person who challenged me to a duel.

“I can’t believe he thought he could beat you!” she snickered.

“He really thought his lifetime of fencing lessons would be enough to win a duel with someone who actually fights people,” I laughed.

“I would have loved to be there for that,” Skye said with a twinkle in her eyes. “Do you ever take people with you on your adventures?”

“Nike and my women go everywhere with me,” I replied. “Well, usually. My dragon mate Valerra is back in Hatra with our egg, and Naomi, Aaliyah, Ravi, and Rebecca are currently helping the Blue Tree Guild with a mission.”

“Your women,” she murmured. “So, they are part of your harem?”

“Yeah,” I said with a smile. “But not a group of breeders, like the dryads said about the Nakken. It’s not like that with us.”

“What’s it like?” Skye scooted closer and looked up at me.

“I love them,” I answered simply. “And they love me. We share a special bond, and it’s strengthened every time we make love.”

“How do they feel about each other?” she wondered.

“Alyona uses the term ‘sisters of the heart,’” I said with a fond smile. “I hadn’t heard of it before I met her, but I understand it now. They love each other as family would, and we’re all connected by our shared love. It’s honestly one of the most amazing feelings I’ve ever felt.”

“Even Isabella?” she asked and cocked her head to the side.

“She is the newest to join our family,” I replied. “But I don’t love her any less than I love the women who have been with me for a while.”

“Nepins don’t have harems.” Skye frowned and looked down. “She doesn’t mind yours?”

“No, because it’s more than a harem,” I said in a low voice as I lifted her chin up to face me. “It’s a family. No one is treated differently than the other, though I make sure everyone feels special in their own way.”

“No man has ever wanted to make me feel special,” Skye nearly whispered as tears swam in her eyes.

“Why not?” I demanded. “You’re beautiful, strong, sexy, and brilliant. Only a fool wouldn’t be interested in making you feel like the best thing that’s ever happened to him.”

“Yrosa must be full of fools, then,” she muttered before she swallowed back her tears. “They don’t like me because I’m a half-breed.”

“A half-breed?” I grunted. “People around here are way too focused on shit that doesn’t even matter. Where I’m from, there are people of many colors mixed in together, and I’ve never seen the point in worrying about their family trees.”

“You are a kind man,” Skye murmured with a half-smile.

“And you are a beautiful woman,” I replied.

The world seemed to stop moving for a moment before I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers. Skye hesitated briefly, but then she grabbed my shoulders to pull me closer. I caressed her cheek as the warmth of her body filled the air between us, and a shiver passed through me. I could smell her desire welling at the apex of her thighs, and I let my hand drift down her throat to her shoulder as I pushed her chestnut hair back.

“Mmmm,” she hummed as I left a trail of kisses from her lips down her jaw to her throat. “Lord Evaaan.”

“I want you,” I whispered into her ear.

“I want you, too.” The naiad-Nepin shivered as my warm breath traveled across her skin.

“Just what I wanted to hear.” I grinned as I picked her up by her hips and sat her on my lap.

Skye straddled my thighs and kissed me again while I untied the belt that wrapped her toga around her slender body. Once the belt was free, I dropped it onto the floor and lifted her dress over her head. I was pleasantly surprised at her lack of panties, and my cock twitched beneath her at the sight. Her perky round breasts were even larger than I’d imagined under her clothes, and they waited in front of my face expectantly.

And I was happy to oblige.

“Oh!” she gasped as I took one of her sapphire nipples in my mouth and flicked it with my tongue.

Her fingers raked across my shoulders as I sucked and licked her tits, and she pawed at my tunic to pull it over my head. I helped her take it off and returned to her breasts. Then I took one in my hand and the other in my mouth as she moaned with pleasure. She undulated her hips against me, and my erection throbbed against the seam of my pants as it begged to be set free.

I grabbed her ass and pulled her close enough to feel my cock rub up and down her bare slit with only the fabric of my pants between us.

“You see how badly I want you?” I whispered.

“Y-Yes,” Skye stammered and shuddered against me. “I’ve never felt my body get so… wet. I’m… dripping with need.”

“Just wait,” I chuckled softly as I rose to my feet with her legs around my hips. Then I set her down gently on the couch and knelt on the floor in front of her.

“W-What are you doing?” she gasped as I leaned closer to her juicy flower.

“Showing you how much wetter you can get.” I winked before I spread her legs open wide enough to reveal her entire flower.

I dragged my tongue up one side of her plump, indigo lips and down the other as she trembled and clutched the cushion beneath her. A drop of her sweet cream dribbled down, and I caught it with my tongue and slipped it up between her lips to her clit.

“Oh, godddsss,” she groaned as I gently stroked her throbbing clit with the tip of my tongue.

“You taste so good.” I took slow, easy movements up and down and then back and forth while Skye’s breaths came faster and faster. She bit her lip as she watched me taste every inch of her mound, and I let my gaze drift back down to focus on pleasuring her.

Then I picked up my speed as I flicked my tongue across her engorged clit, and she dug her nails into the sofa with a squeal. I knew she was close, so I gently sucked on her pulsating nub as I slipped my finger inside her tunnel.

Skye’s sharp intake of breath told me I was on the right track.

“Fuck, yes,” I murmured as I softly pumped my hand back and forth and continued to lick and suck. “Just relax. Let it come. I want you to feel good.”

“Lord Evan, oh, gods, I--” she gasped before her back arched away from the sofa, and her pussy walls tightened around my finger.

A cascade of her sweet juices poured over my hand and onto my tongue, but I didn’t stop moving. I dragged my tongue up and down her slit while she came, and she wrenched my head closer to her as her body thrashed and jolted with her orgasm.

My cock throbbed at the sight of her first climax, and I could feel the bead of desire that formed at the tip as my seed pleaded to fill her.

When Skye finally shuddered and relaxed against the couch, I slid my finger out and licked it clean while I kept my eyes on her.

“You taste delicious,” I murmured.

“I’ve never felt that before,” she gasped between shaky breaths. “How did you…”

“I can do it many more times, I promise,” I chuckled. “Lay across the sofa.”

Skye quickly obliged and rotated her body to rest her head on the arm of the couch while I let my trousers fall to the floor. Her eyes grew as round as saucers as she stared at my full-blown erection, and I watched her nipples stiffen while her hand drifted down to her sopping pussy.

“Will it hurt?” she nearly whispered.

“I’ll make sure it doesn’t,” I swore as I climbed onto the couch and wrapped her legs around me. “I’ll go slow.”

Skye nodded her head and watched me as I dragged the head of my cock across her slit. Her juices left my skin glistening, and I had to use every ounce of self-control in me to take my time. I wanted to plow into her tight body and mark it as my own, but I also wanted to make sure she enjoyed every second.

So, I carefully pressed the tip into the opening and sent a wave of healing magic ahead of me before I slipped inside her.

“Ahhh,” she sighed as my cock filled her tight canal. “Ohhh, Lord Evan, I never imagined… oh, it feels so good!”

“And we’ve barely started.” I grinned before I slowly rocked my hips back and forth.

Skye’s virgin tunnel wrapped around my shaft like a warm, wet blanket, and I shivered as my cock grazed every rough and smooth surface inside her. Her body trembled beneath me, and I slowed my movement even more.

“Don’t… stop,” she whispered. “It feels… so good!”

I allowed my hips to pick up speed again, and the naiad-Nepin dug her nails into my shoulders as I pumped a little harder with every thrust. She bit into her lip and kept her eyes on me while her already tight walls squeezed even harder before she let out a choked yelp.

“Mmmm, yes!” I murmured as she exploded beneath me.

Waves of pleasure wracked her curvy body as another surge of her sweet juices rushed over and around my cock. She vibrated and moaned as her second orgasm overtook her, and her nails nearly drew blood on my back.

“It won’t stop!” she cried out.

“It doesn’t have to,” I growled while I continued to thrust my hips back and forth.

Skye bucked under my hips as her climax sent her into a spiral of pleasure, and I reached out and pinched her nipples between my fingers.

“Oh, gods!” she gasped and wrapped her legs around my hips to pull me even deeper inside her tight canal.

“Fuuuck,” I groaned as the pulsating pressure of her orgasm squeezed my cock.

I couldn’t hold back anymore, and my need felt like it would knock me unconscious.

“I’m ready to release my seed,” I growled. “Do you want me to pull out or pour it into your womb?”

“Lord Evan, my womb, please!” Skye pleaded. “Give me all your seed! I need it!”

“You’ll get every drop,” I said as my cock unleashed its gift inside of the beautiful virgin. It was like an ocean of my dragon seed poured inside her hot core, and sparks crackled down my bones from head to toe as my climax burned through my body. My muscles tightened, and my head spun while I pressed my hips to hers to fill her empty womb.

When my mind could finally focus again, I wondered if I could form a soul bridge with another Noble of the Sword. I’d never thought about it before, since the only other one I’d met was a dude, but my question was quickly answered.

I felt the stark white rope of our magical bond snap across the waters of my spiritual sea as our bridge began to form. Skye looked up at me with curiosity, and I knew she sensed it, too.

We were linked in a way that others would never understand, and now she understood the bond I’d tried to describe between me and my other lovers.

“It’s wonderful,” she sighed as though she’d read my thoughts.

“Yeah,” I agreed while she snuggled her nose into my chest. “Unlike anything else, right?”

“Exactly,” Skye murmured before she yawned. “Are you going back to the inn tonight?”

“I definitely don’t want to freak your mom out in the morning,” I chuckled. “But I’ll be back before dawn, so we can go to the dome together.”

“Okay,” she whispered and yawned again. “I think I’ll go to bed.”

“Good idea.” I leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

We untangled ourselves and got dressed before I walked toward the door.

“Goodnight, my lord,” Skye said as she blew me a kiss.

“Goodnight,” I replied with a wink.

I walked outside into the cool night air and took a deep breath. The soul bridge was a sign, and I knew what it meant.

The Redimi Vincio ceremony had to happen.

And once it did, I’d be stronger than ever.

Chapter 12

I walked slowly toward the inn and looked at the city of Yrosa. Shadows filled the spaces between the wooden buildings, and not a soul crept through the dark streets. The three moons of Inati were the only source of light, but I didn’t need any light, thanks to my dragon vision.

As I strolled through town, I realized the soul bridge with Skye was slightly different from the others. It was the same white rope, but it had thin, red strings woven throughout the braid. I wondered if her energy power had anything to do with the connection, but before I could ponder too much, I’d reached the inn.

I felt the exhaustion of the day wash over me as I opened the door and walked inside. The main room and dining room were both empty, which meant it was even later than I’d imagined. I went upstairs in silence, and I gently pushed open the door to the room I shared with my lovers.

“You’re back!” Polina shrieked and then covered her mouth as her sisters shushed her. “Sorry.”

“What are you doing up?” I laughed. “It’s so late.”

“We were just talking, but then we noticed the newest soul bridge,” Miraya replied with a sly smile.

“And we figured we’d ask how Skye was doing.” Laika winked, and the others erupted into fits of giggles.

“She’s doing much better now.” I smirked, and they all doubled over with laughter. “She was very interested in us, so I gave her some additional information.”

“I’m sure you did,” Trina giggled. “Maybe next time, we should help you with your lessons.”

“I think that’s a great idea,” I replied, and my cock twitched in my trousers at the thought of my women’s warm welcome to Skye.

“So, is she going to go with us when we leave Yrosa?” Isabella wondered.

“That would be so fun!” Marina clapped her hands together with excitement. “I’d love to teach her more nature magic.”

“And we could keep working on her sword fighting,” Laika added.

“We didn’t talk about that,” I answered. “She seemed interested in our adventures, though.”

“Well, did you invite her?” Alyona pressed.

“Sort of.” I ran my hands through my hair as I replayed our conversation. “I told her my women go everywhere they can with me, and she felt the soul bridge, too, so…”

“So, what?” Polina rolled her eyes. “You’re a smart dragon, Lord Evan. A woman likes to be invited.”

Oh, gods, I hadn’t even thought about that.

“You didn’t even tell her you wanted her to come with us?” Marina asked with wide eyes. “Oh, no.”

“You have to at least tell her we’d love to have her with us!” Isabella insisted.

“Okay, okay,” I said as I held my hands up in surrender. “I’ll tell her tomorrow after the duel that we’d like her to join us, but it’s her decision if she does it or not. As much as I’d love to bring her into the family full-time, she has to want it, too.”

“Of course,” Alyona agreed. “We’d never want her to feel obligated.”

“Good.” I nodded my head. “Now, can I please get some sleep? I kind of have this thing in the morning where I have to duel this crazy Nakken guy.”

My women giggled for a few more minutes before we all curled up on the bed and fell asleep.

My dreams were filled with bolts of red lightning and sword fights, but I couldn’t seem to string together anything that made sense. I woke up with Skye already on my mind, and I hoped she’d decide to go with us on the rest of our mission.

As I got up to get dressed, my lovers began to rouse as well, and within a few minutes, we were all headed downstairs for a quick breakfast. Nike met us in the dining room, and I was happy to see Peppi had left some fruit and bread on the table for us. I wasn’t sure if she’d be awake this early, but it seemed she was looking out for us.

After we’d each had our fill, we filed quietly out the door into the still dark morning. The sun hadn’t risen yet, which meant we had plenty of time to go to Skye’s house and bring her with us to the dome.

“So, what’s the dome?” I asked Isabella as we walked through the quiet streets toward the noble community.

“It’s a dome,” she deadpanned before she laughed and shook her head. “It used to be training grounds for the city guards, but they built a new one closer to city hall a few years ago. It’s basically been empty ever since.”

“Where is it?” I wondered.

“Past the gardens,” the Nepin explained. “Hardly anyone goes there, which is why I figured it would work out well.”

“Fair enough,” I agreed as we arrived at Skye’s house.

I stepped forward to knock on the door, but it opened before I touched it. Skye bounced back and forth between her feet as she gripped the handle of the Sword of Youth while it rested in her root scabbard. I glanced past her to see Carmen, who looked considerably less excited, but she grabbed a satchel and wrapped it around her torso before she joined us at the door.

“We’re ready!” Skye declared with a grin.

“Let’s go,” I replied and matched her smile.

Isabella led us past the noble community, and I caught a whiff of the variety of flowers that filled the garden where we’d found the Sword of Youth. We skipped past the garden gate and continued closer to the city walls, and as we crested a large hill, I looked down to see a wide, domed building.

It looked like the only stone building in the entire city, and the sun peeked over the horizon just as we made our way to the open door in the center. When we walked inside, it looked to be about half the size of a football field, and it featured four or five rows of stadium seating all the way around.

Rocco sat on a bench near the opposite side, and he barely glanced up from his sword. I smirked when I realized he was sharpening the blade as though he thought it would intimidate me. Sparks flew with every strike from his tool, and the sound of the stone against the metal blade was like music to my ears.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Skye asked in a momentary fit of worry.

“All good,” I assured her before I turned to the rest of my lovers. “Miraya?”

“I’m coming,” she murmured.

In the blink of an eye, the sword spirit had entered my spiritual sea, and I felt the rush of her power as I gently touched the handle of the Sword of Hatra.

I knew I had nothing to worry about.

“Did you see his sword?” Laika asked under her breath.

I homed in on Rocco’s weapon of choice, and I could pick out detailed markings along the silver blade that lined up with more designs crisscrossed around the slender golden handle. A few jewels were encrusted into the hilt, and another jewel adorned the very tip of the handle.

“What about it?” I wondered.

“It’s a traditional Nakken blade,” Polina answered.

“Only warriors who have completed their final ritual are allowed to carry one,” Trina added.

“Well, at least he’s had a lot of practice,” I said with a shrug. “It doesn’t change anything.”

“Maybe not,” Laika agreed. “But don’t underestimate him. The Nakken train their warriors to kill without mercy. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rocco went for the kill in his first strike.”

“Then he’s about to have a rude awakening,” I scoffed. “Dragons don’t die that easily.”

“I think you’ll have to fight him in human form, my love,” Alyona pointed out. “This dome is perfect for a duel, but not so perfect for your, ah, rather large dragon form.”

“You’re probably right,” I agreed. “That’s okay. I want this to be a fair fight. Mano a mano.”

“You know we have no idea what that means, right?” Laika grunted, though the hint of a smile crossed her lips.

“Wish me luck,” I said as I started across the arena.

“You’re going to need it, dragon,” Rocco declared and rose from his seat to brandish his sword with a few swipes through the air.

“It’s just a phrase.” I smirked while I walked toward him. “I don’t think I’ll need much, if any.”

“You’ve never battled a Nakken,” he hissed. “You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

“And you’ve never battled me,” I shot back. “Don’t be too sure I won’t have some tricks up my sleeve.”

“Already planning to cheat, then?” Rocco raised an eyebrow. “I assume you know magic in a true duel is illegal.”

“Of course,” I muttered, though half my plans to beat him had just flown out the window. “Everyone knows that.”

“And you also know the duel will be a fight to the death,” he continued. “The winner shall stand over the loser’s corpse to declare his victory.”

“That’s not creepy at all.” I rolled my eyes and motioned for him to continue.

“If you somehow manage to beat me, Skye keeps the Sword of Youth,” he added. “However, when I am victorious, I will claim the blade and return to the Lake of Avmun.”

“When?” I shook my head. “Whatever, let’s just get on with it.”

Rocco grinned and tossed his sharpening stone to the ground before he walked over to stand in front of me. I pulled the Sword of Healing from my belt and waited for him to blow a whistle or say go or something, but instead, he held his sword out in front of him. I cautiously touched his blade with mine, and then he stepped back and crouched.

The duel was on.

Rocco charged toward me with his sword gripped tightly in his right hand. He made a quick jab toward my torso, and I dodged the blow with a sidestep. Then he whirled around and slashed at the back of my neck, but I doubled over and heard the whistle of his sword in the air above my head.

I spun around and kicked my feet out. My boots connected with his shins, and the Nakken stumbled back before he growled and charged me again.

This time, I parried strike after strike. The clangs of our swords meeting reminded me of every medieval show I’d ever watched growing up, and I couldn’t help but grin.

“Do you find this amusing?” Rocco snarled as he spun around and took a quick swipe at my ribs.

“A little bit.” I blocked the strike with my forearm, and his eyes widened when his blade connected with my scales and sent reverberations up the metal into his hands.

“I said no magic!” he bellowed.

“It’s just my scales, dude,” I retorted. “Can’t help it if you picked a fight with a dragon.”

He roared and came at me with his sword at his side. The world seemed to move in slow motion when I caught a glimpse of his left fist soaring toward my jaw, and I threw up my forearm and drove the handle of my sword into his gut.

Rocco doubled over with a grunt, and I took advantage of his lowered head. I brought my knee up into his face and sent him flying on his ass across the arena while his sword clattered to the ground between us.

“No!” he thundered as he clambered to his feet.

He wiped the blood from his nose and smeared it across his cheek before he sprinted toward me again. He whipped a dagger out from inside his leather armor and clenched it in his fist as he dove toward me with his arms outstretched.

I ducked under the Nakken and rolled backward to plant my boots in his chest. Then I used his momentum to shove him behind me before I rolled to my feet and faced him again.

“Whoa, I can’t use magic, but you can use a dagger?” I said with a grimace. “That kind of sounds like bullshit.”

“I said no magic,” he sneered as he rose to his feet. “I didn’t say no other weapons.”

Unfortunately, I had no other non-magical weapons, but I’d done just fine with the Sword of Healing at my side, so I gripped the handle and decided to take matters into my own hands.

I sprinted toward the Nakken and swung the blade in a wide arc that landed solidly against the hardened leather around his middle. My blade slowed when it met the resistance of his armor, but it eventually cut through the covering and sliced into Rocco’s torso.

Blood seeped from the minor wound, and he reached down to trace the line with his fingers. When he looked at the crimson liquid on his hand, he furrowed his brow and glared at me, but I didn’t give him a chance to return the favor.

Instead, I whirled around and delivered another strike to his upper thigh. I took care not to cut off his leg, but another river of blood dripped down his brown leathers, and he grunted in pain. I took another step forward and turned to the side to jab the handle of my sword against his already broken nose.

Rocco stumbled backward and swung blindly with his dagger, but I deftly avoided the wild blows and dealt an uppercut to his jaw. The Nakken’s eyes rolled back in his head as he fell backward and tried to catch himself.

I jumped on top of him and rained down a series of punches on his face and abdomen. I aimed for his solar plexus and every other weak spot I could think of until he gasped for breath and moved into a defensive position to cover his face.

“Have you had enough?” I yelled a few inches from his nose.

“I’m still alive, aren’t I?” he grumbled as he landed a quick punch to my temple.

I was dazed for a split second, but that was all he needed.

Rocco rolled out from underneath me and sprinted toward his sword.

“Dammit,” I muttered as I stood up and met him in the center of the dome.

Our swords clashed again, and I met every one of his strikes with a quick parry and a strike of my own. Blood dribbled down from both of his wounds, but he still moved quickly. I kept my eyes on the Nakken as he tried to deliver blows to my chest and throat, though none of them landed.

Then Rocco made a move he soon regretted.

He leaped forward and jabbed his blade toward my face, but I craned my neck and watched the blade slice through the air next to me before I reached out and grabbed his wrist. I wrenched down on the joint, and his sword fell to the ground with a metallic clang.

“Ahhhh!” he yelled as I yanked his arm behind him and pressed my sword to his throat.

“What was that you were saying?” I sneered as droplets of his blood trickled down my blade. “About me somehow managing to beat you?”

“Enough with the talk,” Rocco snarled. “Just end the duel and let me die an honorable death!”

I glanced over to see my women huddled together while Nike and Carmen watched intently. Then I focused on Skye.

Her face looked like a storm of emotions as she watched me hold her brother in a position that could most definitely kill him, and I could tell part of her was terrified I would.

She’d only just discovered he existed, and here I was about to take him away from her. I couldn’t imagine the questions she would be forced to leave unanswered if I ended this duel the way Rocco expected.

I think you know the choice you should make, Miraya advised quietly from my spiritual sea.

While my inner dragon roared at me to finish the job, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t do it to Skye, and even though it may have been stupid, I didn’t want to do it to Rocco. He was a stupid kid who was raised to believe he was supposed to do this challenge, and he deserved a chance to make things right.

“I’m not going to do that, Rocco,” I said as I softened my grip on the sword and pushed him away from me. “You’re going to live today.”

“No!” he growled and whirled around to face me. “If you don’t kill me, you haven’t won the challenge! It’s a duel to the death!”

“Yeah, yeah, I heard you say all that,” I muttered. “But you aren’t going to beat me, and I’m not going to kill you, so I’d say we’re at a bit of a crossroads here.”

“Why won’t you kill me?” Rocco demanded.

“One, I don’t enjoy killing people who don’t deserve it,” I pointed out. “I know that seems to be some kind of dragon myth, but I just don’t live up to that one. And two, because you have someone in our audience who actually looked pretty upset at the thought of you dying, and I’d rather not upset her.”

“Who?” The Nakken looked over his shoulder, and Skye’s gaze dropped to her feet. “Skye?”

“Yeah, dumbass,” I muttered. “You’re her brother. She may not have known about you until yesterday, but she doesn’t want you to meet your death already. I could see it all over her face when I was about to kill you.”

“Why?” he pressed, though he seemed less angry and more confused. “Why would she care if I lived or died?”

“Because she has a heart, I guess.” I shrugged and returned the Sword of Healing to my scabbard. “You should ask her.”

“This duel, even if you didn’t complete it, doesn’t change the fact that she doesn’t even deserve to wield the Sword of Youth,” Rocco snarled as he turned back around to meet my stare. “She has no right! She was never taught the ways of a warrior!”

Before I could respond, Skye stomped across the arena and stood next to me with her arms folded over her chest.

“Then teach me,” she ordered.

“What?” Rocco’s face registered a sense of utter bewilderment.

“You heard me,” Skye hissed and narrowed her two-toned eyes. “If you don’t think I have the right to the sword because I wasn’t taught, then teach me.”

“Don’t you already have a teacher?” Rocco smirked and gestured toward me.

“He will if you don’t,” she agreed. “But you seem to need assurance that I’ll do right by the Sword of Youth, so you can make sure I do so by teaching me the ways you learned.”

My eyes darted back and forth between the siblings as they both waited for the other to speak, and I started to step in when Rocco finally crossed his arms to match her defensive pose and chuckled.

“I’ll think about it,” he declared.

“Then you can come tell me your decision at dinner,” Skye replied. “You obviously know where I live, so you can come there, eat, and tell me if you’ll teach me.”

Rocco stared at her as though he waited for the other shoe to drop, but Skye didn’t flinch, so he finally dipped his head to her and stormed past us to the door. He walked out into the daylight and let the door slam shut behind him, and I looked at Skye with raised eyebrows.

“You really want to learn from him?” I wondered. “He was ready to kill you, and then me, obviously.”

“I care less about learning his way of fighting than I do learning about him,” Skye explained with a fragile smile. “And thank you, by the way.”

“For what?” I asked.

“Not killing him,” she replied. “I didn’t want to ask you not to because I didn’t want him to win the duel, but I hated the thought of my brother getting killed before I even really talked to him about something besides birthrights.”

“Understandable.” I smiled and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “Now, let’s go join the others. We have a few things to discuss today.”

“Of course,” she answered.

We walked back over to the rest of the group, and I realized Carmen still stared at the door where Rocco had left. She still seemed to be in a daze about the young Nakken, and I wasn’t sure how else we could help her. It would just take time for her to get used to the kid’s existence.

“So, is he headed back to the lake?” Polina asked.

“Maybe,” I hedged and glanced over at Skye.

It was her situation to explain, and I didn’t want to step on her toes by broadcasting her offer to Rocco. She seemed to understand my hesitation, and she sighed before she clarified.

“I asked him to stay,” she explained. “I told him if he wants to make sure the Sword of Youth is used by someone with the right training, he should train me himself.”

“You did what?” Carmen gasped and covered her mouth. “Skye, why would you ask him to stay? He came here to kill you!”

“I know,” Skye exhaled. “But it’s not his fault he was told all these things about coming to take the sword from me and being the rightful heir. I know it hurts to think about, but he’s my little brother. I have to look out for him when I can.”

“You don’t owe him anything,” her mother seethed.

“Maybe not,” I interjected. “But if Skye feels it’s right, then we should let her make her own decision.”

“Like she made the decision to come with you for some crazy blood ceremony?” Carmen spat out.

“Yes,” I confirmed and ignored her frosty attitude. “And I know it’s not the best timing, but we really need to get to that today.”

Carmen’s mouth dropped open at my blunt statement, but I focused on Skye and getting her prepped for the ceremony.

“I’m ready when you are,” Skye declared, and there wasn’t even a hint of doubt in her voice or stance.

“We’ll go to the ceremony site and meet with King Rodion,” I explained. “He’ll do the ceremony with us, and we should be able to be back before your dinner with Rocco.”

“Wait, you invited Rocco to dinner?” Carmen cut in.

“Yes, Mother,” Skye sighed and turned back to me. “You think we can make it to the Mihireti Mountains and back before dinner?”

“I know we can,” I chuckled. “We have our ways.”

“Oh, my gods,” Carmen muttered and dug her fingers into her hair. “You really plan to go through with this blood ceremony with a dragon thing?”

“Yes!” Skye cried out as she threw her hands up in the air. “Mother, I’m a grown woman. I respect you and everything you’ve done for me, but now I have to do this for myself and for the people of Rahma. I can’t sit around and do nothing while our people could be dying!”

“You have your father’s warrior heart,” Carmen whispered as she blinked back tears. “I just…”

“You just what?” Skye encouraged her with a hand on her mother’s shoulder.

“I just can’t bear the thought of losing you,” Carmen breathed. “I already lost your father to his battles and wars, but I can’t lose you, too.”

The dryads wiped tears from their eyes as Skye wrapped her arms around her mother and squeezed.

“You aren’t losing me, Mama,” Skye soothed her. “I’ll be perfectly safe with Lord Evan, right?”

“I swear it,” I agreed. “In fact, you can see for yourself.”

As soon as I spoke the words, I wondered if I’d come to regret them.

“What do you mean?” Carmen looked at me with wide eyes. “You want me to come with you?”

“I want you to understand what Skye is doing,” I explained. “If that means you come see the ceremony, then that’s what we can do. She’s your daughter, and I understand you want to keep her safe, but she’s also a Noble of the Sword. She has to do things you may not like because they’re the right things to do. The Redimi Vincio ceremony is the right thing to do, and when we close the Breach, you’ll understand. For now, I’ll settle for letting you see that she’s not going there to be hurt.”

“I’ve only ever left Yrosa once, and it was brief,” she murmured.

“It’s your choice,” I replied. “I’ll warn you, though. The ceremony valley is close to the Breach, so it isn’t completely free of any danger, and you’ll have to listen to me and my people to stay safe. Can you do that?”

“Yes,” the Nepin woman said in a stronger voice. “I need to make sure I know what Skye is getting into.”

“Then we need to prepare to leave,” I declared.

Carmen nodded, turned on her heels, and marched toward the door. I looked at the others in question, but I shrugged my shoulders and followed her outside.

“My lord, are you sure this is a good idea?” Laika whispered once we were walking away from the dome.

“Nope,” I muttered.

“She has nothing to protect her if anything goes wrong,” Nike pointed out.

“She has us,” I replied. “She’s Skye’s mom, and we can’t let anything happen to her. If this is the only way we can get Skye to the ceremony, then it’s what we have to do. You know we don’t have any other options.”

“Besides leaving her behind,” the wolf Demi-Human grumbled.

Laika makes a valid point, even if you don’t like it, Miraya said in a kind voice. Carmen could be in danger by going with us.

I know, I agreed. But it’s her choice, and who am I to tell her she can’t make sure her daughter is safe?

The sword spirit didn’t seem to have an argument for that, so we continued to follow Carmen until we reached the noble community.

“What are we doing here?” Alyona wondered.

“I just need to grab a few things,” Carmen replied with a dismissive wave of her hand as she strolled into her house.

“A few things?” I repeated and glanced over at Nike, who shrugged.

“What do you think you need to bring to a Redimi Vincio ceremony?” Isabella asked with genuine curiosity.

“Well, first of all, I assume I’ll need to wear more appropriate clothing,” Carmen retorted. “I’m wearing my casual robes, and this sounds like a more formal event.”

“That doesn’t matter,” I chuckled. “No one else is changing clothes for this.”

“Didn’t you say King Rodion will be there?” she scoffed. “I’m not wearing this in front of him.”

She rushed upstairs before I could stop her, and I sighed as Skye stifled a laugh.

“She likes to make sure she keeps up her appearance at all times,” the naiad-Nepin said.

“I can see that,” I muttered before I turned to the dryads. “Please, go make sure she’s not putting on a ball gown or something.”

“Of course,” Marina giggled.

The trio rushed up the stairs after Carmen, and I looked over at Alyona as she rifled through her spatial storage for her white jade hand mirror.

She often used a mirror magic spell to communicate with the king, and she would have to let him know we planned to arrive today in order for the Redimi Vincio ceremony to be prepped and ready to go.

“I just don’t see why I wouldn’t need anything at all,” Carmen said as the dryads ushered her back downstairs a few minutes later. “Aren’t we going to be flying to get so far and back in less than a day? I don’t think a hairbrush is unreasonable.”

“It would be possible but super uncomfortable for all of us to ride on Lord Evan’s back to the mountains,” Polina pointed out with a grin. “We’d probably take up his whole back, and I don’t know about you, but riding on his tail sounds a little…”

“Terrifying,” Marina finished.

“Exactly,” Trina agreed.

“No one is riding on anyone’s tail,” I chuckled. “We have other modes of transportation.”

“Like what?” Carmen furrowed her brow as she stared at me.

“Have you ever used a portal?” I asked with a mischievous grin.

Chapter 13

“Father, we have good news,” Alyona declared as she held up her hand mirror.

King Rodion’s face appeared on the normally mirrored surface, and I recognized the high-backed purple chair on his balcony in the background, though the increased dark clouds were a less pleasant addition. Alyona’s father had his long white hair swept back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, which revealed each of the worry lines that creased his neck and face.

“Exceptionally good news,” I added.

“Ah, I’m intrigued,” Rodion chuckled. “What is this exceptionally good news?”

“We found the next Noble of the Sword,” Alyona explained. “Skye is the mistress of the Sword of Youth, and we’re training her. She’s prepared to do the Redimi Vincio ceremony.”

“A woman Noble of the Sword?” Her father’s eyes widened in surprise. “That is incredibly rare. Are you certain?”

I had only focused on how convenient it was that Skye was the Noble and a woman when it came to the ceremony, so I hadn’t thought about whether it was normal. Skye was obviously a warrior, and Juniper clearly supported her new mistress. I wondered how many other Nobles of the Sword we would meet were women, but for now, I had to focus on Skye.

“Oh, yeah,” I laughed. “She’s definitely the one for the sword. I had to help her with a challenge for it, but everything is good now. She wants to help us close the Breach, and she’s on board with the ceremony.”

“Who challenged a Noble of the Sword?” Rodion asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Her half-brother,” Alyona answered. “She didn’t know he existed, but Lord Evan took care of it, so we’re ready to bring her to you.”

“Wonderful!” The king clasped his hands together before he waved at someone we couldn’t see. “Castor! Prepare the ceremonial items!”

“We can leave as soon as you’re ready,” I said. “Alyona is going to portal us directly to the cliff.”

“The cliff?” Carmen repeated with a look of horror. “Our first time in a portal, and you’re going to have us land on a cliff?”

“It’s larger than it sounds,” Trina assured her with a grin.

“I agree,” Rodion murmured. “The less time we take to get there, the less chance there is of any other dangers sneaking up on us.”

“Yeah, the two-headed serpent things weren’t very fun,” Isabella chimed in.

“Oh, gods,” Carmen muttered as she paled drastically.

“Don’t worry,” Skye laughed. “We’re with the best people to handle crazy stuff, right?”

“Right.” Laika dipped her head as her fluffy gray tail swished around behind her.

“Then we’ll meet you on the cliffs in a half-hour,” Rodion said. “Once Castor has gathered everything, Eskandar will take us there.”

“You don’t want to use a portal, too?” Alyona wondered and cocked her head to the side in confusion.

“I don’t want to draw from my magic,” her father replied with a frown. “I can’t risk weakening the seals any further. Something in the Breach has already grown stronger, and I fear giving the demons any opportunity to break my hold.”

“Okay, then we’ll leave shortly,” I agreed. “Be careful.”

“As always, my dear son,” the king said, and a shadow of a smile crossed his lips before he disconnected the mirror spell.

“So, I don’t need a hairbrush, then?” Carmen murmured and looked down at herself. “But I’ll be meeting the king of Rahma. I need to at least put on my nice toga.”

“Alright,” I agreed. “But we’re leaving in twenty minutes. Anyone who isn’t ready isn’t going.”

Carmen nodded and rushed back upstairs to change clothes, and the dryads glanced at me before they followed the Nepin woman back to her room.

“Sorry about my mom,” Skye said with a blush. “I told you she worries about appearances, so being in front of the king is a big deal for her. I mean, it is for me, too, but I’m not worried about how I look. I just don’t want him to think I’m weird.”

“Why would he think that?” Laika asked.

“Because I’m… you know, different,” the naiad-Nepin answered and looked down at her feet.

“There is absolutely nothing wrong with being different,” Alyona said in a firm voice as she took Skye’s hand. “No one is perfect.”

“You seem pretty perfect,” Skye replied. “You’re beautiful, magical, and a princess.”

“And I’m having a half-dragon child,” my wife chuckled. “He or she is destined to be different, just like you.”

“That’s the other link I felt!” Skye gasped and looked up with a half-smile. “I knew there was someone else there, but it was such a small connection, I wasn’t sure what it was.”

“Yes, that’s the baby,” Alyona replied as she patted her belly proudly. “So small and yet, so strong already.”

“Amazing,” Skye sighed. “I suppose being different isn’t all that bad as long as you aren’t stuck in Yrosa.”

“Exactly,” I agreed. “I told you, any of those idiots here who didn’t think you were great are dumb. You deserve better than this city.”

“You may be right,” my newest lover murmured, but our conversation was cut short when Carmen and the dryads came back down the stairs.

The older Nepin wore a long, black toga with a gold belt, and I had to agree she looked much nicer. She stepped onto the floor and did a quick spin as my lovers clapped and laughed with her.

“That does look much better,” Marina giggled.

“See? I told you,” Carmen replied with a smile as she ran her fingers through her freshly brushed hair. “Now, I feel acceptable to be seen by His Eminence.”

“I think he’ll be focused on other things,” Nike murmured in my ear.

“Probably.” I nodded my amused agreement before I raised my voice for everyone to hear. “Are we all ready to go now?”

“I think so,” Skye chuckled. “Whenever you are.”

“Alright,” I said with a glance at Alyona.

The princess turned around and began the portal spell. The crackle of her magic echoed around the living room as the familiar circle started to appear at the tip of her finger, and I watched Carmen and Skye stare at the portal as it opened wider and wider until a perfect view of the ceremonial cliffs came into view.

Swirls of dark clouds hung over the flat plateau in stark contrast to the bright green grass, but I couldn’t see if anyone else was there yet.

I took Alyona’s and Skye’s hands in mine before I led everyone through the magical doorway onto the ceremonial cliffs. The reeking stench of the Breach immediately assaulted my nose, and I grunted in disgust as we all stepped onto the grass.

“What is that?” Carmen wrinkled her nose and grimaced as she looked around.

“It’s the Breach,” I answered. “It stinks of miasma, and until we get it closed, that’s one of many dangerous things everyone here has to deal with.”

“Oh,” the Nepin woman exhaled with wide eyes.

She seemed to finally realize why Skye wanted so badly to do the blood ceremony with me and put an end to the Breach. It was a risk to leave the tear open, and it would take some powerful magic to handle it.

“There’s my father!” Alyona called out as she pointed into the sky.

I looked up to see a familiar set of white scales as my fellow dragon Eskandar swooped overhead and came to a gentle landing on the plateau next to us.

Rodion and Castor slid from his back before Eskandar shifted back to his human form and greeted me with a solid grasp on my forearm.

“Good to see you, brother,” he murmured.

“And you,” I agreed with a grin. “How have the villagers been doing?”

“Certainly better without the hellbeasts,” the dragon chuckled. “Only a few minor issues I handled without incident.”

“Good to hear,” I said and turned to the king. “Nice to see you as well, Your Eminence.”

“Your manners have improved, I see,” the king teased, though his smile didn’t quite meet his amethyst eyes. “I’m sure we both have my daughter to thank for that.”

“You’d be right,” I replied as I smiled at Alyona. “And let me introduce you to the newest Noble of the Sword, Skye, and her mother, Carmen.”

The two women bowed to the king as he took their hands and offered a grim smile. “It is no small task you are undertaking by helping us rid the world of the Breach, but your bravery and strength is commendable, and our people owe you great thanks even if they don’t know it yet.”

“We’re honored to join Lord Evan in his quest,” Skye replied as she rose to her feet.

Ah, someone besides the Oracle calling our work a quest. I felt like King Arthur all over again.

“Then this ceremony is sure to be blessed as the others have been.” King Rodion offered a wider smile as he looked over everyone. “Now, let us begin.”

I started to walk toward the cliff where we would perform the ceremony when the ground below us began to vibrate. The sensation started in my boots, but it quickly traveled up until my head nearly throbbed.

Something is wrong! Miraya shrieked.

“Everyone, move!” I yelled and pointed for the path back to the castle.

My people ran toward the stone path as they formed a protective circle around the king.

I drew the Sword of Hatra from my belt and searched the cliffs for another creepy serpent or giant magical tree, but nothing appeared except a large crack that zigzagged across the plateau. It looked like someone had taken the world’s largest Sharpie to the grass until the crack began to expand as wide as my hand, then my boot.

Then I realized I was on the wrong side of the crevice.

I leaped over the gash just as it split open even wider, and the entire surface of the ceremonial cliffs tumbled over the side of the mountain. The huge chunk of land crumbled into pieces until large clods of dirt and grass were all that landed in the valley below.

A feeling of dark foreboding fell over me, and I sensed Miraya’s fear as I peeked over the edge toward the shattered cliffs and the edge of the Breach. A shiver passed through me, and something told me the shadowy figure was the one responsible for the attack on the cliff.

He obviously didn’t want us to do the Redimi Vincio ceremony.

Which meant we were getting closer to defeating him.

“Is everyone okay?” I asked as I turned away from the destruction and faced my people.

“You cut that one a little too close,” Marina pouted as she scrunched up her nose. “You almost fell down with it.”

“Nah, I would have flown away first,” I retorted with a smile. “No need to worry about that.”

“I’ll check the perimeter for any other monsters,” Eskandar offered.

“Good idea,” I agreed. “I’ll join you.”

While Eskandar shimmied around to make room for his transformation, I took the more dramatic approach and jumped from the cliff to change mid-air, and I heard the collective gasp from my lovers before I zoomed back into the sky in my dragon form. My black scales glistened in the morning sun, and I bared my fangs as I grinned at them and winked.

“You look incredible!” Skye breathed as she gawked up at me. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“Doesn’t he just take your breath away?” Polina sighed and batted her eyelashes in my direction.

“Yes, he seems to enjoy surprising everyone,” Carmen retorted. “We’ve only been here ten minutes and already almost died. Now, I’m watching not one, but two dragons-- who everyone thought were extinct, by the way-- fly around and look for something else trying to attack us!”

I gave Alyona an exasperated look, and she smiled softly and clucked her tongue before she walked over to reassure the Nepin woman. I hoped Carmen wouldn’t try to talk Skye out of doing the ceremony again, and I needed Alyona to make sure everything was still in place.

If whoever lived in the Breach was worried about us continuing the ceremony, that was even more reason to make sure we did it.

I nodded to Eskandar, and we took flight over the mountains. We looped around the plateau to make sure no creatures had snuck up the other side of the peak, but it seemed the earth-shattering blow to the ceremonial cliff was the only danger we faced at the moment.

“I guess that’s it,” I grunted. “Looks like creepy shadow guy tried something new when his creature horde didn’t work.”

“No more monsters?” Eskandar sounded slightly disappointed. “I didn’t even get to fight the Queras last time.”

“You wanted to fight the weird tree guys?” I barked a laugh. “Why were they so special?”

“Their kind has been dead for hundreds of years,” he explained. “That’s why the king was so surprised to see them. It was once said they were the first trees to ever exist on Inati.”

“They were total psychos,” I replied with a frown as we veered around to head back to the group. “Were they always like that?”

“No,” the white dragon said and shook his large head. “I have a feeling it had something to do with the Breach. It must have transformed their spirits.”

“Man, that’s rough,” I muttered as we landed on the precipice, and we started to transform again when Rodion held up his hand to stop us.

“Lord Evan, I’m afraid we have a problem,” he declared as he looked over Eskandar and me. “Though I believe you two should be able to solve it.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“We have to find somewhere else to perform the ceremony,” the king answered as he tugged on his beard in thought. “But where?”

“Can’t we do it in the temple?” I wondered.

“No.” Rodion frowned and met my gaze. “The cliffs were special because we worked for days to cleanse them. It’s the reason we chose it for your marriage ceremony as well.”

“We who?” I looked at Alyona curiously.

“Not my daughter,” the king said. “A group of sorcerers gathered here to help me.”

“What makes it cleansed?” Isabella wondered.

“It isn’t tainted by war or hatred,” the king answered. “It has been cleansed of the evil left behind by such heinous actions and emotions and then protected by several layers of pure magic.”

“What about all the beasts that attacked here before?” Laika’s furry gray ears twitched with curiosity.

“Though he did take lives here, even the battles Lord Evan faced at the last ceremony couldn’t penetrate the level of magic we’d put in place,” he said. “I suspect that’s why our mystery guest in the Breach decided to get rid of the whole thing.”

“So we wouldn’t have anywhere to do the ceremony,” I murmured.

“Precisely,” Rodion agreed and pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly. “And now, we have nowhere to do the ceremony.”

“What if you called one of those other sorcerer guys?” I suggested. “Surely, they have their own cleansed places for important stuff, right?”

“They might,” he sighed. “But unfortunately, in order for me to perform the ceremony, it must be within Rahman borders, and my accomplices for the cleansing were from all over the world. Several of them have long since passed on from this life, but even if they were alive, I can’t guarantee any of them have the strength to perform the Redimi Vincio. I’m only able to do so while maintaining the seal because of the coins.”

My mind flashed back to the magical coins we’d discovered in Pullis and how Rodion and Alyona had recreated them to help keep the king’s strength at full power without killing him with exhaustion.

“Not to mention, none of them have my father’s ability, which he humbly failed to mention,” Alyona pointed out. “They may not even be able to create the bond as well as he has done, if they know how to do the ceremony at all.”

“Okay, so let’s cleanse somewhere else,” I suggested with a shrug. “Is it hard? I can go find some more flowers or sage or whatever.”

“I wish it were that simple,” the king sighed. “I had to gather a group before because it takes an enormous amount of power to cleanse and purify the land. I could ask them to return to a new location, but it could take days to get them all here.”

“We can’t wait days,” I grunted.

“I know,” Rodion replied, and he nodded his head in agreement. “That’s why I said you and Eskandar will be able to solve it. You’ll simply have to find somewhere that’s already been cleansed. It will most likely be close to the temple, since it holds the most power.”

“I feel like you’re using the term ‘simply’ very loosely here,” I grumbled. “How are we going to find that? You said it took a lot of work to cleanse this one.”

“You have healing magic,” he explained. “You should be able to sense a location that has been healed of its burdens and pain. It should call to you in a way.”

I looked over at Alyona, who smiled with encouragement, and I released a sigh. “Alright, you all head back to the castle. We’ll go on the search for some purified land.”

The king, his right-hand man, Nike, Carmen, and my lovers began the short trek back to the temple while Eskandar and I headed for the blue skies. I had no idea how we were going to find this sacred, cleansed place, but Rodion had faith in me, so I needed to trust that. He was old as hell, so he had to be wise, right?

I sighed to myself as we flew across the Mihireti Mountains to search the area for a land that called out to me as clean.

You’ll find it, Miraya said with a note of encouragement in her voice. If the king says you can, then you can.

I keep telling myself that, I grumbled back.

Oh, I know, she giggled. I’ll help you, too, don’t worry.

We flew over the mountain villages, and I was pleased to see the village that had avoided death by making a deal with a hellbeast was helping their neighbor village with repairs. I didn’t particularly feel like unleashing my wrath on them today, so it was good to know the brothers I’d met had followed through on their promise to look after the other village.

As we skimmed through the clouds, I saw Bruven’s Peak ahead and wondered if that would be cleansed or purified or whatever.

Haven’t you tested the gods enough? Miraya teased.

Ah, yeah, Aeron seemed pretty intent on the whole God of Punishment thing last time we were there, I muttered to the spirit. I guess we should keep looking.

It seemed like hours had passed while we circled over the mountains and dales, but nothing called out to me as clean and pure. We hovered over the valley where we’d slaughtered waves of Green Glass Sect assassins, and I shook my head with disappointment. The land nearly screamed with the need to be healed, so it clearly wasn’t cleansed or purified enough to be able to use for the Redimi Vincio ceremony.

The king clearly said the land couldn’t be tainted by war and hatred, and I’d brought enough of both to that fight. It had been Olivier’s last time to get away from me, though the memory brought a burning fire to my chest. I’d wanted nothing more than to roast him alive, but returning him to my dragon mate for his final execution had been nearly as satisfying.

Valerra had waited a long time to exact her revenge on the so-called Sage for killing her family and countless other dragons, so I knew she deserved to watch him take his last breath.

“My lord, has anything, ah, called out to you?” Eskandar called out over the wind.

“Nothing,” I yelled back with a frown. “One place has called out like it needs healing, though.”

Why not heal it, then? Miraya wondered.

We don’t have time for all that, I muttered, though I felt a twinge of sadness as I replied. I mean, it can wait until after the ceremony.

But what if it doesn’t have to wait? the spirit mused.

What do you mean? I pressed.

I could see Miraya in my mind’s eye as she paced back in forth along the beach of my spiritual sea, and she twirled a lock of her white-blonde hair around her finger as she thought out loud. Well, sort of.

I mean, what if you healed it now? she asked. What if you cleansed it with your healing magic, so it could be used for the ceremony?

The thought stopped me mid-flight, and I turned it over and over in my head, but one blaring problem came to mind.

The king said he had to have a big group of magical guys cleanse the cliffs, I argued. How am I supposed to do the same thing by myself?

I doubt any of them had both healing and nature magic at their disposal, Miraya shot back with a smile.

I hovered for a few seconds as I considered my spirit lover’s statement. She had to be right about that part, for sure. I had a variety of magical abilities as a dragon because I assimilated them, which meant I possessed combinations no mage or sorcerer ever would. They might have needed a team of mages the first time, but I was practically a team by myself.

“What’s going on, Lord Evan?” Eskandar asked as he hovered next to me. “You seem deep in thought.”

“Miraya has an idea,” I murmured. “The valley where we fought the Sect, it’s the one that also is in need of healing. She asked if I could heal it enough to purify it for the ceremony.”

“Interesting,” he replied and looked back toward the valley. “What do you think?”

“I know I’ve combined different magic before, so I’m thinking if I put healing and nature together, it could work,” I said and pointed back in the direction of the location. “Let’s go check it out from a tactical point of view.”

“Good idea,” the white dragon agreed.

We zoomed back over the valley and landed between the peaks with dual thuds. Then we shifted into our human forms as we began to walk the perimeter. The narrow river that ran across the center of the grassy area was no longer tainted with the murky miasma poisoning, but the water still reached out with its desire to be fully cleansed.

The mountains towered over us, and only two entrances were allowed by their gaps. One led to the forest where Nike and I had chased Olivier, and the other was in the direction of the White Jade Temple. I jogged over to the second opening and realized the valley was even closer to the castle than I’d realized. It was a fairly short trek from the temple to the valley, which meant it wouldn’t be too difficult for the king to get here for each ceremony.

“Not bad,” I murmured. “This location is actually pretty great.”

“I agree.” Eskandar nodded his head as he looked around. “No hidden cliff faces for serpents or Queras to sneak up on us, which makes it easier to guard and defend. Any truly efficient attacks would have to come from above, and you and I can take on anything that appears in the sky.”

“Absolutely,” I chuckled. “Now, if only I felt as confident in my ability to cleanse it.”

“You’re the most powerful being in Rahma,” Eskandar replied with a note of surprise in his voice. “Why wouldn’t you be able to do it?”

The white dragon’s response seemed to strike a chord within me.

He was right.

We’d bound my powers with Alyona’s and the Child of Light’s magic already, and that had increased my ability exponentially. And my own child’s power had joined Alyona’s and, therefore, mine once she became pregnant. I’d likely quadrupled my strength already, so there was nothing holding me back except trying.

“Okay, I’ll do it,” I grunted as I unsheathed the Sword of Hatra. “Might need a little help, though.”

I don’t think that will be a problem, Miraya giggled.

I changed my grip on the sword a few times as I looked over the gorge and tried to decide how I would begin. I thought of how we’d pulled the geas curses from Olivier’s victims, and I pressed the tip of the blade into the soil.

Together, the sword spirit and I pushed a wave of healing magic out of the blade and into the ground, and the power surged from my body and barely touched the ground at my feet before it retreated back inside me.

“Well, that didn’t work,” I muttered and shook my head. “Let’s go again.”

Minutes turned into an hour as I tried over and over to release a wave of healing over the valley, only to have the land return it to me without an explanation. I shoved the Sword of Healing further into the ground, as though it needed a deeper connection to make my ability work, but my efforts were fruitless.

I held the sword above my head and tried to channel the healing power into the sky, but the glittering blanket of magic merely floated overhead for a few seconds before it also returned to the blade. Finally, I dropped to my knees and laid the Sword of Hatra across the ground as I looked up at the sky above me.

“Why isn’t it working?” I growled in frustration. “I combined powers before.”

You combined two physical abilities that you have control over, Miraya soothed me. This is different.

“How?” I clenched my fists and resisted pounding one into the soil beneath me. “How is it different?”

You don’t have control over nature, she replied in a calm voice. You work with nature, and it listens to you. Focus on the ground beneath you, the sound of the river running to your right, the sounds of the forest to your left. Take a breath of the fresh air.

I closed my eyes and let my fingers relax against the soil as she spoke to me from my spiritual sea. The trickle of the water seemed to echo in my head, and soon, I could pick out the calls of several different creatures within the forest. I inhaled a long breath and released it as my shoulders relaxed.

The sword spirit seemed to have awakened something inside me, and suddenly, I could feel everything.

Every little pinprick of wind on my face, the individual drops of water that rushed through the ground next to me, and the grains of soil beneath my fingertips all flowed into my body as though we were one, and as I brought them closer and closer to my soul, I opened the door to my healing magic.

The glittering power burst out from my chest and sword like a ray of light, and it soared across the valley in all directions. I could feel the darkness ooze out of every atom in the gorge, and in my mind’s eye, I could see the black droplets of evil evaporate into the air like a dark rain working in reverse.

My nature magic hummed and sang with a glorious feeling of joy as each bit of negative energy left until only the pure natural magic remained.

When I opened my eyes again, the bright colors of the valley felt like they nearly blinded me with their intensity. The water trickled happily on its path, the grass was thick and lush, and even the dying flowers along the riverbank had begun to grow once more. Life seemed to have bloomed again in the valley, and Miraya twirled around on the bank of my spiritual sea with a look of bliss on her face.

You did it! she squealed. I knew you could do it!

Thank you, I replied. Are you sure it’s good?

I think so, Miraya said. You should have the dryads and the king check to be certain, but it truly feels like a new world here.

“This is incredible,” I breathed as I dragged my fingers through the green grass.

“I feel like this is even more pure than the cliffs were,” Eskandar observed with a smile. “I think His Majesty will be quite pleased.”

“Well, I don’t know how to do the layer of protection he did, but hopefully, he can add that on,” I murmured.

“Then we should go tell him immediately,” the white dragon said before he began his transformation.

I followed suit, and a few seconds later, we flapped our wings in unison and headed for the temple. The king, Nike, Castor, Carmen, and my lovers waited on the balcony with matching looks of apprehension until they saw me bare my fangs in excitement.

“I take it you found a place,” Rodion said as he rose from his chair and stood at the railing while Eskandar and I hovered next to it.

“Well, it’s more like I made one,” I replied. “I purified it with my healing magic, and I know that wouldn’t normally be enough, but I combined it with my nature magic.”

“Brilliant!” Trina gasped, and the other two dryads grinned.

“I… I never considered that,” the king mused as he rubbed his chin. “Where did you choose?”

“The place that called out to me.” I shrugged my large shoulders. “The valley where we fought the Sect before. I know you said to look for a place that spoke to me as being cleansed, but that place spoke to me differently. The land begged to be cleansed, so I did it.”

“What a fantastic idea!” Alyona gushed.

“It was Miraya’s,” I explained. “She helped me with the sword, too. I just didn’t know how to add the protection at the end.”

“That is the easiest part,” Rodion said with a smile. “I believe my daughter and I will be able to handle that. Shall we go see what you’ve accomplished?”

“Be my guest.” I grinned as Alyona began to open a portal to the valley. “Meet you there!”

As the group began to walk through the portal, Eskandar and I zoomed back over the mountains. I knew we didn’t have a chance at beating a portal, but we seemed to have an unspoken understanding that we would try to beat each other instead.

By the time we landed, we were both laughing until we noticed the dryads laid face down on the dirt near the river.

“Are they alright?” Eskandar whispered once we’d shifted to our human forms.

“I’m not sure,” I muttered.

We strode closer to the group, and I realized the dryads’ faces weren’t quite in the ground like I’d thought, but they were incredibly close. Isabella and Skye squatted on either side of the sisters, and King Rodion stood over all of them with his eyes closed.

“He’s checking your cleansing, but so far, it looks very promising,” Alyona murmured once I was closer. “The dryads said they’ve never felt anywhere so pure, and something about the Green Mother being very happy with you.”

“Well, hey, at least I got something right,” I joked.

The Green Mother being pleased with you is a great honor, Miraya said in a soft voice. She usually only cares about her children.

Ah, another of my in-laws who was pleased with my work. That task had seemed way harder on Earth when I led a much less exciting life.

“Alyona, if you’re ready, we can begin,” Rodion drawled as he held his hand out with his palm facing up.

The princess stepped forward and took her father’s hand while they began to recite the spell that would add a layer of protection to the valley.

“What are they doing?” Carmen whispered as she leaned closer. “Is it more magic?”

“Yeah, it’s the only part I didn’t know how to do,” I explained. “Well, I didn’t really know how to do the part I did, either, but it worked. Anyway, they can protect the healing I did to the valley, so it will always be pure for us to use for the Redimi Vincio ceremony.”

“You plan to do more of them?” The Nepin woman’s eyes widened in surprise as she turned to look at me. “I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah, we have a few more to go,” I answered with a smile. “Skye will be the third person to do the ceremony with me. Alyona was the first. Once I’ve bonded with each bloodline from the Noble Swords, we’ll be able to take on the Breach.”

“It does seem much worse when we’re here,” she murmured. “When we’re in Yrosa, we’re so far away from the rest of Rahma’s problems, it didn’t exactly feel like something I could allow Skye to do. Putting herself at risk for a fantastical problem like the Breach felt so silly, but now…”

“She’s incredibly brave,” I countered. “And the Breach doesn’t feel real until you see it. I get that.”

“It is done!” Rodion declared, and he, Alyona, and my nature lovers rose from their positions with expressions of fiery determination.

“Let’s get this party started,” I said with a grin.

Chapter 14

Castor scurried over to the king with his satchel of items required for the ceremony and began to lay them out on the ground. Rodion pulled out a podium, text, and a large ceramic bowl from his spatial storage, and he set them up on the riverbank with a regal air about him. The king seemed calmer and more collected than he had only hours ago, and I hoped he was relieved we were about to be one step closer to shutting down the Breach for good.

Skye walked over to stand next to me, and I noticed her shoulders were tight with worry, and her mouth was set in a grim line.

“Don’t worry,” I soothed her as I squeezed her hand. “It goes quick, I promise. I’ll tell you everything that’s about to happen, okay?”

“I think that would help,” the newest Noble replied with a shaky smile.

I explained each step of the ceremony from the cutting things in half to the dagger we would each use on our hands, and I made sure to add the part about how I’d heal her as soon as her blood hit the bowl.

Carmen’s eyes were huge as I walked them through the process, but she waited until I was done to speak.

“And then it’s done?” she asked. “No sacrifice or anything?”

“Sacrifice?” I laughed. “No, not at all.”

“I thought when you said blood ceremony…” Carmen trailed off and looked down at the ground with pink cheeks.

“Oh, gods, no,” I assured her with a grin. “It’s a blood ceremony because we share blood in the bowl, not because we kill anyone or anything.”

“That’s why you didn’t want me to do it?” Skye asked and gaped at her mom. “You thought Lord Evan was going to kill me?”

“Well, it’s not the craziest thing,” Carmen muttered, but her blush darkened. “I didn’t want my baby girl to get killed so some dragon lord could become more powerful or something.”

“Mother, I trust him,” Skye insisted. “You saw the Breach, you felt it! It has to be stopped, and this is how we take care of it. We have to do what we can.”

“I know that now,” her mother sighed. “I won’t argue with you, Skye. I know you’re going to do this, which is why I wanted to come and make sure you were safe. I just felt like you were running away from Yrosa.”

“I’m not running away,” Skye said and shook her head. “I thought about it when you said you didn’t want me to go, but Lord Evan and Isabella told me that wasn’t a good idea. They said I’d regret it, and they were right.”

“Well, I’m glad they talked sense into you.” Carmen clucked her tongue as she narrowed her eyes on her daughter. “I would have been very upset to find you’d disappeared.”

“I know,” the naiad-Nepin said with a grimace. “I’m sorry.”

“I forgive you, my dear daughter,” Carmen replied as she wrapped her arms around Skye. “I would never hold it against you.”

I stood in silence while the pair hugged it out, but something told me Skye hadn’t said everything she wanted to say. I didn’t want to push in front of her mom, so I decided to bring it up later.

“We’re ready,” Castor announced with a flourishing gesture to the riverbank setup.

“Alright,” I said and turned to Skye. “We’re up.”

My newest lover nodded her head as she released her mother and took my hand. I led her in front of the podium, and Rodion opened his giant book and laid it across the wooden surface.

“Please present the Blade of Wystonia,” the king boomed.

Castor rushed over to kneel in front of Rodion with the ceremonial dagger held in his palms, and he lifted it up to give it to the king.

Rodion continued to call for each ingredient, and my other lovers presented them one by one as the king cut or broke them in half to put them in the bowl. Then he poured a vial of water from the Lake of Life over the top and looked at me with a wry smile, and I grinned back before I blew a tiny plume of flames into the bowl.

“Oh!” Skye gasped as the contents caught fire.

“It’s okay,” I whispered. “All part of the plan.”

“Now, the pair must entrust each other with the dagger,” Rodion declared as he held the handle out between us.

I nodded to Skye, and she took the blade with shaking hands while I turned my palm up to face her. She gently pressed the dagger against my skin until blood bubbled over the surface, and I turned my hand over to let the droplets fall into the burning bowl.

When I flipped my hand back over, the wound had already healed, and only a slim pink line remained.

“Amazing,” Skye murmured, and she rubbed her thumb over the fading line as she handed me the dagger.

I carefully took her hand and drew her blood before I quickly turned her palm over to release her blood. Then I healed the mark as soon as I heard the sizzle of her blood in the fire, and she smiled when she felt the wound begin to repair itself.

“Great gods of the land and sky, we present the dragon and the naiad-Nepin for your eternal blessing, as they bond their magical souls,” the king thundered.

A clap of thunder echoed around the valley, and a bright flash of light indicated a new presence had entered our space.

I glanced over and expected to see Aeron, but my mouth dropped open at the sight of a stunning gold-skinned goddess. Her long, navy-blue hair was in braids that wrapped around her head and draped down one shoulder to her waist, and she wore white robes that flowed to the ground and made it seem as if she were floating. Her eyes were a deep brown that looked at us with curiosity, and then she closed the distance between us and stood next to the king.

“Olesia, great Goddess of Havoc!” Rodion gasped as he dropped to one knee and bowed his head. “We are honored by your presence at this ceremony.”

The rest of us lowered into bows as Olesia cast her gaze over each of us for a few seconds. Then she smiled, and a wave of relief washed over me.

“King Rodion, Lord Evan, and the lovely Skye, I hereby give my blessing and that of my allies to this Redimi Vincio ceremony,” she announced in a voice that was somehow as quiet as a whisper but loud enough to command everyone’s attention. “May you use this power for the goodness of your land and your people.”

“We will,” I vowed without looking up.

I’d already gotten dirty looks from my wife for how I talked with the God of Punishment, and I didn’t think it was much better to test my diplomacy on the Goddess of Havoc.

“Lord Evan, your manners surprise me,” Olesia chuckled. “Aeron said you were quite outspoken for a noble.”

“I’m working on improving,” I replied as I risked a glance at the goddess.

“Your efforts are appreciated.” She smiled and revealed a set of perfect gold teeth that matched her skin color. “Keep working.”

With that, the goddess clapped her hands together, and a bolt of lightning zipped out of the sky and crashed into the bowl as a blinding light filled the valley. The multi-colored light show we’d seen on the cliffs was even more spectacular with the mountains on each side of us, and the beams of light zigzagged across the air as Olesia faded out of view.

As soon as the lights dimmed, I felt the surge of Skye’s power binding with my own. I had to close my eyes to take it in, and I knew exactly why she’d struggled with containing her energy for so long. It was like lightning coursed through my veins as powerful swells of the energy around us bombarded me with their desire to move.

The gentle breeze that moved past my face desperately wanted to become a driving wind, while the clouds overhead wanted nothing more than to release a torrential downpour. I felt the urge to fly alongside both as they spent their wild energy, and I had no idea how Skye had been able to stay in Yrosa for so long.

“Wow,” I breathed as I opened my eyes. “You really can feel everything. I had no idea.”

“Now, someone finally understands why I was such a wild child,” Skye laughed. “There’s so much to do, so much energy to tap into!”

“For sure,” I chuckled. “It’s insane. Everything around you wants to move and be free, and everyone continues to be… normal.”

“Exactly!” the naiad-Nepin chirped. “You get it.”

“I don’t,” Carmen chimed in as she shook her head. “I can’t believe we just saw the Goddess of Havoc, right here in front of us in real life.”

“Yeah, I was really expecting Aeron,” I said with a shrug. “He came last time.”

“The God of Punishment?” the older Nepin gasped.

“Yes!” Isabella squeaked. “He was very intimidating.”

“That’s nothing compared to Lord Evan’s adoption ceremony,” Trina pointed out.

“The Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens,” Alyona murmured and shivered. “I wasn’t sure what would happen when she arrived.

“Oh, right, she was a little scary,” Laika agreed with a grimace. “I thought she might rip him to shreds right there in Hatra.”

“Oh, my gods, tell me everything!” Skye begged.

The dryads and Laika began to spin the wild tale of my adoption ceremony for Skye and Isabella, while Alyona walked over to take my hand and smiled.

“This energy thing is nuts,” I murmured as I tapped my foot. “I can see why she struggled for so long. All I want to do is run.”

“You simply have to calm the storm,” Alyona said in a soft voice. “It’s new and exciting, but you must learn to train your mind to only access the energy when you need to.”

“Right, right,” I agreed and closed my eyes. “Calm the storm.”

As soon as I said the words, I realized I’d landed in my spiritual sea, and the storm certainly was raging. Bolts of red lightning crisscrossed over a windblown sky, and the waters of my sea were white with froth as ten-foot waves crashed onto the beach.

Miraya had backed up into the grass at the foot of the mountain and stared at the oncoming waves with concern.

“Is this the energy from Skye?” she called out over the furious wind.

“Yep,” I yelled back. “Now, I just have to learn to control it.”

“Just focus on something that’s still,” Miraya advised. “Find your constant.”

I looked around my spiritual sea and wondered what wasn’t being affected by the tumultuous storm overhead. Then my gaze stopped on the anchor to the soul bridges. The white base stood strong, and even the bridges themselves barely fluttered in the wind, so I walked closer to the anchor and pressed my hands against the warm surface. It felt strong and smooth beneath my fingertips, and images of each of my lovers flashed through my head.

A smile crept across my face as I watched the mental slideshow of my women until I looked up and realized the storm had abated. The lightning was gone, and the wind had returned to a gentle breeze.

“Much better,” I sighed as I looked over my shoulder to Miraya.

“We’re your constant?” she asked with a slow smile.

“It makes sense to me.” I smirked and stood up to give her a peck on the cheek. “Come on. You can come back with me.”

Miraya nodded, and in the blink of an eye, we stood hand-in-hand in the valley. We were no longer in my spiritual sea, and I took a deep breath and reached out with the energy magic to test my ability to find it on my own.

The wind whispered its desires to me, but I was no longer consumed by its needs. In a way, energy magic was like nature magic. I couldn’t control it, but I could work with it to find what I needed.

“You figured that out much faster than I did,” Skye teased.

“I’ve had a few things to learn,” I explained with a grin that quickly faded. “Wait. Did you feel that?”

Skye whirled around with the Sword of Youth gripped in her hand, and Nike, Laika, Eskandar, and I pulled out our swords as well.

Something had a very strong energy, and it wasn’t excited to be here.

In fact, it felt like a murderous rage rode on a lightning bolt toward us, but I couldn’t tell where it came from.

“Above us!” Skye shouted and pointed her blade toward the clouds as a large shadow passed overhead.

We looked up, and my mouth went dry.

Two dragons circled the sky above us.

They both had orange scales, but something wasn’t right. Several of their scales were missing, as well as the flesh underneath. I homed in on their bellies and realized I could see through to their bones in several places. They didn’t smell like miasma, so I wasn’t sure if they were corrupted, but they definitely already looked dead.

“What’s wrong with them?” Eskandar hissed.

“I don’t know,” I muttered. “But we aren’t going to be able to find out down here.”

“Agreed,” he replied through clenched teeth.

We hurried away from the others before we transformed into our dragon forms. As soon as I looked up again, both pairs of faded yellow eyes had focused on me, and one of the dragons tilted his head back and released a plume of flames with a thunderous roar.

“Ah, I see what they want now,” I growled. “I’m their target, but why?”

“I have no idea,” the white dragon replied. “Let’s find out.”

The two of us kicked off into the sky, and the orange dragons split up to try to circle around us. I jerked my head toward the one of them with my eyes on Eskandar, and we wordlessly separated to handle one opponent each.

As I focused on my target, he bared his teeth with a feral growl and darted toward me. I barrel rolled to dodge his strike as he blew flames that barely warmed the end of my tail, and then I spun around and tried to decide what to do.

I couldn’t just defend myself until he got tired, but I didn’t want to kill one of the few of our kind that remained on Inati. I’d been able to save Eskandar, but how could I save dragons that looked like they were already long dead?

While I pondered my course of action, my opponent whirled around and tried once again with his fire, but I dipped down below him and lashed my tail in his face. My tail whipped across his snout, and he bellowed another angry howl.

I glanced over at Eskandar, and it seemed he was in the same state of inner turmoil. He prevented his opponent from getting past him without causing any serious damage, but he struggled to fight back. We didn’t want to kill any more dragons, yet these two seemed hellbent on killing me.

I tentatively reached out with the energy magic as I tried to get a feel for what we were dealing with, and the response made my stomach twist into knots. I could hardly believe what I felt, but there was no denying the power of the energy.

It seemed the dragon in front of me contained borrowed energy.

My opponent zoomed toward me again, this time with his talons outstretched, but I flew higher, took hold of his wings, and used his momentum to spin and launch him into the face of the nearest mountain. The orange dragon landed with a thump that echoed around us before he slid down the rocks a few feet and shook his head to clear it.

If something else had put its energy into these creatures, they weren’t at fault, but I could tell nothing remained under the borrowed energy. The orange dragons were already dead.

“They’re like the phoenixes!” I shouted to Eskandar. “Not exactly the same, but we have to do what we did before.”

“I don’t want to kill them,” the white dragon said as a look of sorrow haunted his scaly face. “Are you certain?”

“I don’t, either, but they’re already long gone,” I replied with a frown. “We have to.”

Eskandar huffed before he launched a full-scale attack on the other dragon, and I turned back to find my opponent had just pushed himself off the mountain and barreled toward me again.

I was ready for another onslaught of flames when the orange dragon changed his game plan. He opened his maw, and a horde of humming bugs flooded out a few feet away from me. Their angry buzzes seemed to fill my ears and made my head want to explode, and then they tried to sting me.

Their little stingers poked and prodded at my impenetrable scales, but nothing made it through. I swatted at the dog-sized bugs, and I quickly discovered they were different from the average housefly. When my talon connected with their hard shells, there was a metallic clang that vibrated my scales for a second before a few of the pests went sailing across the sky to return to their master.

Then I decided to use the orange dragon’s own approach against his annoying little creatures. I opened my mouth and roasted the little pests.

I turned from side to side like a flamethrower as I incinerated every last buzzing creature that had surrounded me. Their ashes floated away on the wind, and I glanced up to see the orange dragon’s pale-yellow eyes didn’t even blink at his bugs’ deaths.

It was an assimilated ability, but I had no idea what he’d killed to be able to control a whole swarm of stinging bugs.

Before I could put too much thought into it, the dragon launched another attack, and this time, chunks of stone from the face of the mountain behind him soared across the sky to pelt me.

Ah, it seemed this one had killed a stone giant as well.

Before the rocks made contact with me, I accessed my own stone magic, and I halted their movement mid-flight. The floating pile of rubble hovered in the air between us while the orange dragon stared at me with confusion. Then I pushed the stones back toward him, and he became the recipient of the onslaught of rocks. They cut and tore his scales while hunks of rotted, black flesh fell to the ground below us.

“Don’t touch those!” I yelled down to my companions on the ground.

“You must die!” the orange dragon roared, though the voice sounded like two in one.

The image of a puppet flashed through my head, but I quickly shook it away to concentrate on the battle at hand. It was time to put an end to the first orange dragon.

“I don’t think so,” I snarled as I called on my lightning magic.

The bolt of electricity zoomed out of the sky without warning and crashed into the orange dragon’s back right between his wings. He froze in the air as the current ripped through his body, and he trembled as it electrocuted him from the inside out. Then his few remaining orange scales turned black and crispy as I called on bolt after bolt of lightning to attack him.

The dragon’s faded yellow eyes flickered before they finally closed, and I halted the lightning just as his wings stopped flapping, and he fell to the ground. I watched his limp body for a few seconds to be sure he was dead, and then I spun around to find Eskandar locked in a fiery battle with the remaining dragon.

The two traded flaming blows, and I could see Eskandar had become winded from the fight. His wings sagged after every hit, and I knew he couldn’t keep this up much longer, so I zoomed over and launched my body into Eskandar’s opponent.

I felt the other orange dragon’s skin slough off under my touch, and the wet sound of his skin smacking the ground was something I didn’t think I was likely to ever forget.

“Gross,” I gagged.

“You!” the orange dragon hissed.

Then he opened his maw and tried to hit me with his fire, but even as I dodged the flames, I was surprised to realize they were blue. I wondered what it meant as I dipped below his snout and raked my claws across the skin of his exposed throat.

Despite the depth of the wound, no blood bubbled over the surface, and it was further confirmation the orange dragon wasn’t alive.

“Time to think of another plan,” I muttered.

I focused on target precision and shot a large web at my new opponent, and the sticky binding flew across the gap between us and stuck to the scales around his torso. The web pinned his wings to his back, and he let out a furious roar as his body began to fall.

If I could keep from killing this one, maybe I could figure out why they were here to kill me.

But the orange dragon wasn’t on board with my plan.

He turned his fire on himself and blew a thin column of blue flames onto the webbing. The silky ropes caught fire and disintegrated when the dragon was only about ten yards from the ground, and he flapped his wings to carry him back into the sky with Eskandar and me.

“Now what?” the white dragon asked.

“We’re going to have to kill him, too,” I growled.

“Unfortunate.” Eskandar shook his head sadly.

“I know,” I agreed.

We turned to face the oncoming dragon, and he barreled toward us with a fiery hatred. He didn’t seem to even notice Eskandar’s existence as his faded yellow eyes focused on me.

Whoever had given these dragons borrowed energy had made their goal very clear. They wanted to take me out.

Just before the dragon crashed into me like a freight train, I dropped just enough to wrap all four of my legs around his body and dig my claws into his skin to hang on, and we sailed through the air as I hung underneath him and bellowed flames against his exposed underbelly.

“No!” he boomed as he tried to shake me off him.

My flames burned through his tender skin, and flaps of his rotted flesh began to rain down on me.

I loosened my grip as he looped around toward Eskandar, and I let go completely as the white dragon swiped his thick talons across our opponent’s side. Eskandar left deep gouges as he ripped the orange scales from the other dragon’s skin, and our opponent roared in agony.

It seemed even though he wasn’t exactly alive, he could still feel pain. I felt even worse than before for fighting him, but I couldn’t just lay down and let him kill me. I had to buckle down and handle it, so I put my emotions aside and narrowed my gaze on the orange dragon as he flipped around and headed for me again.

When my opponent was close enough, I flapped my wings to carry me above him and then dropped down to land on his back, and as soon as my weight was added to his, the orange dragon’s wings could no longer support us both. We began a quick descent to the ground, and the dragon tried valiantly to roll me off his back, but I grabbed onto his wings and held tight.

We crashed into the ground, and I heard him grunt as the wind was knocked out of his lungs. As soon as we’d completed our bumpy landing, I wrapped my talons around his throat and squeezed.

“Why are you trying to kill me?” I demanded.

“Must… do it,” he gasped. “You… must kill... me.”

“I don’t want to,” I growled. “Why can’t you just surrender?”

“Can’t,” the dragon hissed. “Do it.”

“Just remember, you asked for it,” I muttered as I tightened my grip.

“Thank you,” he sighed.

I nearly let go of my grip when I heard his response, but I squeezed even tighter as the borrowed energy drained from the orange dragon’s body. When he was lifeless beneath me, I slid down and landed on the ground to look him over.

The orange dragon had certainly seen better days, even before Eskandar had burned over half his rotting body.

“Are they dead?” Eskandar asked as he hovered over me.

“I guess so,” I murmured and shifted back into my human form to examine the body. “I think they already were, but I need to make sure.”

I grabbed the Sword of Healing and plunged it into the second dragon’s heart. When I pulled the sword back, not a single drop of blood decorated the blade, and I knew I had to be right.

These dragons were already dead when someone gave them energy and a directive to kill me, but who could or would do something like this? My thoughts automatically turned to the shadow leader beneath the Breach, but something about that didn’t feel exactly right.

I chewed on my lower lip as I walked over to the crispy dragon and performed the same maneuver on his corpse. Neither of the orange dragons moved, and Eskandar came to a stop a few feet away before he joined me in human form.

“So, now they’re deader?” he asked with raised eyebrows.

“Looks that way.” I frowned and looked over to the rest of my group, who had huddled around the king and Carmen to keep them safe. “I’m getting the feeling someone really doesn’t like these ceremonies we’ve been doing.”

“I’m inclined to agree,” the white dragon murmured.

Once I was certain the creatures were gone, we walked over to join the others, and Alyona had an absent hand on her growing belly as she stared at the rotted corpses.

“They’re gone,” I said in a gentle voice as I pecked her on the cheek. “Don’t worry. Our son is safe.”

“What was wrong with those dragons?” Skye asked. “They didn’t look normal, and their energy was, ah, strange.”

“They weren’t normal,” I agreed. “And the energy was borrowed. Don’t ask me how I know that, but I do.”

“So, someone enchanted their corpses,” Rodion observed with a frown. “That sounds like our old friend Olivier.”

“If he wasn’t dead already, I’d most definitely put him on the list of potential suspects,” I said and nodded. “I think it’s more likely to be the dude we saw at the ceremony last time.”

“You mean the one who appeared in our heads?” Nike asked with a grimace. “That was unpleasant.”

“Yeah, I’d say that’s our most likely suspect since we know Olivier is dead,” I mused.

Even as I spoke the words, I wondered if we could even be certain it was this shadowy demon leader. He had been powerful enough to command beasts from within the Breach, but could he use the dead bodies of my fallen dragon brothers to do his will? Or did he find himself another minion on land like Olivier had been?

“We must find out more about him,” the king said as he clenched his fists.

“I agree,” I replied with a nod. “Especially after he made me kill these dragons. I can’t help wondering if I could have healed them like I did for Eskandar.”

“I was under a geas,” the white dragon insisted. “That wasn’t what was wrong with them. We could both tell.”

“I know,” I sighed. “I just hate hurting one of our own, let alone two.”

“But did you hurt them?” Alyona asked. “I know you killed these physical bodies, but did you truly hurt fellow dragons?”

“They looked like dragons to me,” Isabella said and pursed her lips. “Am I missing something?”

“The second dragon thanked him,” the princess explained.

“You heard that?” My eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“The baby seems to have lent me some increased senses,” Alyona chuckled. “Maybe the dragon wanted you to be comforted as you took his life. That has to count for something.”

“But what?” I wondered. “Thanking me for killing him seems like odd last words, but he said I had to kill him. It was like he knew he’d never stop attacking me somehow. I think it had something to do with whoever gave them the energy.”

“You might be onto something,” the king mused. “I’ll do some research into borrowed energy. I think it’s worth knowing more about what we could face again.”

“Well, hopefully, we won’t have to face any more fellow dragons,” I muttered as a shudder raced down my spine. “I don’t ever want to do that again.”

“Me, either,” Eskandar agreed. “I couldn’t even do anything but defend myself without feeling incredibly guilty.”

“I know.” I frowned and looked down at my hands.

I remembered an old Shakespeare play I’d read in high school about a woman who couldn’t seem to wash the blood from her hands because she felt so guilty about her part in a handful of murders.

Out damned spot!

The one line replayed over and over in my head as I avoided looking at the two decaying dragons only a few yards from where we stood.

“I’ll dispose of the bodies,” Nike said as he interrupted my thoughts with a hand on my shoulder.

“We need to burn them,” I sighed. “They don’t deserve to have their bodies used again.”

Nike, Eskandar, and I trudged over to the slain dragons and began the work of burning their bodies to ash while the others began to clean up after the ceremony.

My throat tightened, but I grabbed one of the orange dragons by the foreleg and dragged him over to the other. Their pale-yellow eyes were still open, and I reached over to press their eyelids shut. It was something I’d really only ever seen in movies, but it felt like the right thing to do.

Then I glanced back to see Nike and Eskandar had used their swords to move the pieces of rotten flesh that had scattered on the ground during our fight, and they pushed them into the mangled pile of bodies. The sight made my stomach twist, and I stepped back from the carnage to take in a deep breath of clean air.

“Ready?” Eskandar asked once we were all a few steps away.

“Yeah,” I mumbled.

We opened our mouths and blew flames across the orange dragons, and the fire rose to nearly twenty feet as it burned through their corpses. I stared blankly at the flames that towered over us until they shriveled down to mere flickers that licked at the piles of ashes.

When we were finally done, Rodion looked at me with sympathetic eyes.

“I think it’s time we leave the valley, my son,” he said.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

Chapter 15

Eskandar shifted back into his dragon form, and I envied him for a moment that he would get to fly home. I wanted to soar among the clouds and clear my head of the terrible battle we’d just fought. It was technically a win, but I didn’t feel like I’d won much of anything except maybe a new nightmare to wake me up in a cold sweat.

“The child is growing stronger,” Rodion murmured as he pressed a soft hand to Alyona’s belly. “His heartbeat is powerful.”

“The heart of a dragon,” my wife replied with a smile. “He will be strong like his father.”

“You’ve already discovered the gender?” her father asked. “I didn’t think you would be able to tell so soon.”

“It was actually Julia who told us,” she explained. “She foretold we were having a son.”

“Then I imagine she is correct,” the king declared as he leaned down to hug Alyona. “Continue to keep me updated as you move on to the next sword.”

“Of course, Father,” Alyona replied with a subtle glance in my direction.

I offered Rodion my arm, and we clasped forearms, but he seemed to understand my silence. I had a lot on my mind at the moment, and even Rodion didn’t seem keen on interrupting my thoughts.

The king and Castor climbed onto the white dragon’s back, and after a few waves goodbye, they rose into the waning light of evening and headed for the White Jade Temple.

“I’m ready to go home,” Carmen announced. “I’m hungry.”

“I need a nice, long bath and lots of sleep,” Marina groaned. “Today sucked.”

“Totally sucked,” Trina agreed.

“I think we’re all feeling drained,” I said and grimaced. “I could sleep for a few days at this point.”

“We need to get home, so we can get dinner ready,” Skye said to her mother. “If Rocco comes, I don’t want to miss it.”

Shit, I’d forgotten all about the dinner date with Skye’s brother.

As Alyona opened the portal back to Yrosa, I contemplated my next move. I wanted nothing more than a hot shower and the comfy bed that awaited me at the inn, but I also didn’t feel great about leaving Skye to meet up with the brother who had wanted to kill her this morning.

Holy hell, was that just this morning?

Today had seriously been one long ass day.

I followed Nike, Carmen, and my lovers through the portal, and we stood in front of Carmen and Skye’s house just as the sun began to set. While I knew Skye felt the drain of my emotional turmoil, she was also buzzing with excitement at the prospect of getting to know Rocco better. I couldn’t blame her, but I was still wary of the Nakken and how he’d treated her upon his arrival.

Even though I wanted to sleep for a few decades and forget about my battle, I needed to be there for her. She may only need my moral support, but I was also ready to provide protection.

“Will you have enough food for all of us?” I asked suddenly.

“Of course!” Skye chirped with a wide smile. “I’ll have the staff begin right away!”

She rushed inside to start preparations, and I took a deep breath before I started to follow her into the house.

“Lord Evan, you look exhausted,” Carmen observed as she put a gentle hand on my arm. “Are you sure you want to stay for dinner?”

“You saw Rocco yesterday,” I pointed out. “I don’t trust him with her, not yet. He didn’t even know what to say when she talked to him this morning after the duel.”

“I understand your concern,” she murmured. “And I’m grateful you care for my daughter. I truly thought you’d leave once the ceremony was complete.”

“Lord Evan wouldn’t do that,” Isabella cut in with a frown. “I know you don’t know much about outsiders, but there’s so much more to this world than the Nepins in Yrosa, and he’s one of the best people out there.”

“I’m starting to see that,” Carmen said and offered me a small smile. “I suppose he’s doing quite a bit to prove my initial feelings wrong.”

“If they weren’t good, then, yes,” I said with a twinge of amusement. “I know dragons have a bad rap, but I try to prove that wrong with everyone I meet. I only want my people safe and happy, and I care deeply for Skye.”

“Oh,” the Nepin woman breathed as she looked around at my lovers. “You care for her… in a certain way.”

“I do,” I agreed. “Now, let’s go see what we can do to prepare for this family reunion dinner.”

Carmen hesitated but pressed her lips together and turned around to lead us inside her house. We filed past the living room and into the dining room, where the Nepin staff had already begun to set the table, and the smell of roast turkey filled the air.

My stomach growled audibly, and I wondered if some food would help my mood. It usually brightened my day, at least.

Over the next half-hour, we talked about other battles we’d fought since my arrival in Rahma, and Skye was intrigued with the stories of bandits, displacer beasts, and Mahigans. She looked like a kid in a candy store while we described the places we’d gone and the people we’d met.

“And he just swooped in and saved you from the stone giants?” she asked the dryads.

“Well, first, he blew glitter all over everyone,” Polina laughed. “He looked just as surprised as we did when it wasn’t fire that escaped his mouth.”

“Glitter?” Carmen quirked a curious eyebrow.

“My healing magic,” I explained with a chuckle. “I was new to my power at the time.”

“You do seem to have a better understanding of it now,” Skye pointed out. “You seemed to have no trouble with Rocco or the, ah, other fight.”

“If you thought that was impressive, you should have seen him with the Sage,” Nike cut in.

“The Sage?” Skye covered her mouth. “That sounds ominous.”

The conversation quickly turned from today’s battle to the capture of the Green Glass Sect leader, and I gave Nike a look of gratitude. My fellow noble smiled and continued the conversation while I took a gulp of red wine.

Soon, my women began swapping stories about how they’d come to join the family, and Skye seemed upset at the appearance of our dinner.

I was less upset as I piled what looked like half a turkey onto my plate and chowed down.

“So, what about the other women?” Skye asked after everyone had started in on their food. “Did they all join after some wild battle?”

“Um, Naomi attacked us first,” Marina giggled. “She thought we were there to attack Kana, but it was a big misunderstanding.”

“She had been protecting her city for so long, she had no idea what friends really looked like,” Alyona said with a fond smile. “When we finally helped her put down her guard, she was happy to stay with us.”

“What about Ravi?” Skye wondered. “Everyone thought phoenixes were extinct. Did you rescue her?”

“Not exactly,” I chuckled. “She blew into Hatra like a cannonball and asked us for help with her tribe.”

“Wait, there’s an entire phoenix tribe still alive?” Carmen asked with a surprising degree of interest.

“Yeah, but they’re still staying under the radar,” I hedged. “Anyway, Valerra and I saved them from some echidnas, and then Ravi decided she’d rather be with us, too.”

The conversation came to an abrupt halt as one of the staff walked in and whispered something in Carmen’s ear.

“Please, excuse me,” the Nepin woman said as she rose from the table and followed the other woman out of the dining room.

I was mildly curious about the whispered conversation, but I was quickly brought back to the present with Skye’s endless enthusiasm.

“Oh, I’d love to ask them both so many more questions!” Skye chirped. “And Rebecca and Aaliyah, too!”

“Does that mean you’d like to come with us?” Alyona asked.

“Would you?” Polina clasped her hands together and batted her jade eyelashes.

“We would totally love it if you did!” Trina added.

“It would be so much fun!” Marina grinned and stared at Skye.

“I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be,” the naiad-Nepin replied with a smile. “I love all of you, and being wherever you are feels so right.”

“Oh.” We all turned to see Carmen’s crestfallen face as she stood in the doorway. “You’ve decided to go, then?”

“Yes, Mother,” Skye confirmed with a nod. “I’m going with Lord Evan and my sisters.”

“I just didn’t think you’d ever actually leave Yrosa,” her mother sighed.

“You know how badly I’ve wanted to find adventure,” Skye countered. “I’m not meant to be here, sitting still and waiting for nothing. I have to get out and explore the world. I’m a Noble of the Sword now, and I have a duty to keep people safe.”

There was a moment of dead silence, and I shifted uncomfortably in my chair before Carmen finally released a loud breath.

“I know,” she said. “You’re meant for much more than this city, and I know a warrior when I see one.”

Before any of us could ask what she meant, the Nepin woman turned around and slid the back of her robe down to reveal an intricate tattoo between the nape of her neck and her wings.

A collective gasp filled the room as we studied the art on her blue skin.

The shape reminded me of a shield, and the ink colored a seriously detailed design in the center. Two swords were crossed in the middle, and the hilts even featured designs that looked like swirls and encrusted jewels.

“You… you have the mark of the Sodala,” Skye gasped.

“I do,” her mother replied as she shimmied back into her robe and turned to face us.

“You never told me.” Skye couldn’t take her eyes off Carmen.

“No, I didn’t,” Carmen agreed with a shake of her head.

“I’m sorry, what is the mark of the Sodala?” I interjected with a frown. “I’m lost here.”

“The Sodala are female warriors,” Laika explained. “They train for years, and normally, one is born into the tribe they fight with.”

“But if you’re from Yrosa, how did you get born into a warrior tribe?” I asked.

“I wasn’t.” Carmen shrugged and looked down at her hands. “I was born in Yrosa, but I sought to defy everything my father wanted for me. I left the city when I was strong enough to fly over the city walls. That was when I met Renfrew.”

“You ran away?” Skye gasped.

“Yes, and it was one of the best and worst decisions of my life,” Carmen replied. “I had no idea what I was getting into, and I soon learned I had no skills to protect myself. The Nakken weren’t fond of my appearance in your father’s life, and they sent several naiads to battle me. When the Sodala women found me, I was battered and felt powerless, so they trained me to fight.”

“That’s incredibly rare,” Laika murmured. “The Sodala hardly ever welcome someone else into the fold.”

“They made me promise to use my skill only to fight battles of necessity,” she explained. “And once I was trained, they released me back to the naiad city where they’d found me. This time, when the naiads attacked, I was ready.”

“You fought them off?” Skye gaped.

“Yes, though I made sure I spared their lives,” Carmen answered. “I had no desire to harm anyone, but I knew I couldn’t let them dictate my life or my love for Renfrew. He was so impressed with my skill, he asked me to marry him and join him in battle.”

“So, you fought with Papa in the war?” her daughter breathed, and her eyes were so wide it was surprising they hadn’t popped out of her head. “How could you keep this a secret?”

“I never wanted that life for you,” the Nepin woman said as she plopped back into her seat. “Though it seems you were destined to be as much a warrior as I was and then some.”

“Why didn’t his family like you after that?” Skye wondered. “You kicked ass and helped them win a war!”

“It would never be enough,” Carmen sighed. “I wasn’t a naiad, and I didn’t want your father to have a harem. That was all they cared about. I was just shocked to discover Renfrew still sought another woman after everything I’d done to be with him.”

“You’ve been through a lot,” Isabella said as tears glistened in her eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not anyone’s fault but mine and Renfrew’s,” the older Nepin said with a grim smile before she looked at Skye. “I never wanted to taint the perfect image you had of your father.”

“Well, if he was a jerk, he was a jerk,” Skye retorted. “You’re my mother, and I’d like to say I wouldn’t have looked at you differently, but I understand. I was too young to accept that Papa wasn’t a good husband to you.”

“That means so much.” Carmen swallowed back tears as she kept her gaze locked on her daughter.

Then a knock at the door stopped everyone in their tracks.

“I’ll get it!” Skye sang out as she shoved her chair back.

I stood up and quietly followed her to the door. I knew it was likely Rocco, and while Skye was still excited at the prospect of getting to know her brother, I was still on the fence. He was late for dinner, and I wasn’t sure what his reason was just yet, but I’d sure find out.

Skye yanked the door open to reveal the Nakken, and it seemed he’d cleaned up for the occasion. Gone were the battle leathers, and they’d been replaced by a silky blue tunic and brown trousers. His sword still hung from his belt, but I couldn’t fault him for that.

“Did I miss dinner?” he nearly whispered.

“No!” Skye replied as she grabbed his hand. “Come in!”

She pulled her brother inside, and I stepped out of the way as she dragged him to the dining room. Rocco looked like a deer caught in the headlights when Skye guided him to the seat next to hers, and he looked at his empty plate and the food in the middle of the table with obvious conflict.

“Go ahead and get some food, Rocco,” Carmen said with a small smile. “I’m sure you’re hungry after the duel this morning.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied in a soft voice.

The Nakken carefully set food on his plate while Skye practically vibrated in the seat next to him, and he stared at the food for nearly a minute before the naiad-Nepin burst at the seams.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” she asked. “It’s really good.”

“I’m sorry,” Rocco sighed. “I’m so sorry, Skye. I just… Oh, gods, I’m a terrible person.”

“Why?” I demanded.

Was he about to admit to some awful new plan to get the Sword of Youth back from his sister? Would I have to kill her brother even after I’d spared his life this morning?

“Because I challenged her to the duel,” he moaned and put his face in his hands. “I had no idea she was so… kind.”

“What do you mean?” I pressed, though my wariness had slowly shifted into curiosity.

“Growing up, I had Uncle Rafael to teach me about the world,” Rocco explained. “He knew everything about everyone in the lake, and he was always right. He told me a bully would only leave me alone if I kicked his ass, so I did, and he quit. He told me a girl would kiss me if I made the first move, and he was right about that, too.”

“So, what does that have to do with me?” Skye asked as she cocked her head to the side and frowned.

“He said you were a stuck-up snob who would never be able to train on my level,” her brother replied. “He said you and your mother knew who I was and didn’t care about me.”

“Rafael always was a mean son of a bitch,” Carmen grunted and pursed her lips. “Even when the other Nakken would at least tolerate my presence, he was hateful and cruel.”

“He used to kick my ass every day,” Rocco sighed. “He said it would make me tougher, and he was right about that, too, I guess.”

“Sounds like a prick,” I grumbled. “So, he told you about the challenge?”

“Yeah,” the Nakken confirmed. “He said I could go challenge her, and it’d be a piece of cake because there was no way Skye could match my skills, so she’d probably just concede the duel anyway.”

“Well, I don’t know everything about the sword yet, but I wouldn’t have done that,” Skye giggled. “I think my mother would confirm my stubbornness wouldn’t have allowed it.”

“Indeed,” Carmen murmured with a smile. “A trait she undoubtedly gained from her father-- ah, I mean, your father.”

An awkward pause hung in the air before Skye cleared her throat.

“Listen, Rocco, my mom didn’t know about you,” she said. “I could tell from the look on her face when you told us who you were. I don’t know much about this Rafael character, but it seems he misled you.”

“He’s your uncle, too,” Rocco pointed out with a grimace. “I’m sorry, uh, again. He is your uncle, but he’s also-- as Lord Evan put it-- a prick. He was right about a lot of things, but this isn’t one of them. You’re obviously not a snob who didn’t want anything to do with me, and your mom isn’t a conceited noble who pretended I didn’t exist. He was just… wrong. Or lying. Maybe both, I don’t know.”

“I don’t know which one, either,” Carmen said carefully. “What I do know is if I had known you existed, I would have tried my best to let you two grow up together. It’s not fair that you’ve missed out on a lifetime of a sibling relationship.”

“You would have?” Rocco’s eyes widened in surprise. “I thought because the Nakken hated you…”

“That I would have hated you, too?” the Nepin woman finished with a knowing smile. “No, you were a child, and you had no say in how you came to exist. Yes, I know your tribe hated me, and apparently, some of them still do, but none of that is your fault or Skye’s. I would’ve let you know each other if Rafael had allowed it.”

“He probably wouldn’t have anyway,” the Nakken scoffed. “I have no idea why he despises you both so much.”

“Rafael has despised me for many years,” Carmen chuckled. “Though I’m surprised his hatred extended far enough to keep you away from Skye.”

“He must have known you had Renfrew’s sword,” Laika chimed in. “He knew there wouldn’t be a way to get it back without the challenge.”

“So, he spent years brainwashing Rocco into hating his own sister and her mom to get the sword back?” I cringed at the thought.

“The Noble Swords are not only valuable, but they command respect,” Nike explained. “It wouldn’t be too surprising that someone would care more about it than about tearing apart a family.”

“Rafael always said family was important,” Rocco insisted. “He said that’s part of why he hated what my-- ah, our father had done because it disrespected the family of the tribe, so I’d have to earn it back for all of us.”

“Sounds dramatic,” I said with a frown.

“He has a flair for drama,” the Nakken agreed. “He’s going to be furious when I don’t return with the sword.”

“So, don’t go back,” Skye replied and shrugged her shoulders. “You don’t owe him anything after finding out he lied to you for so long.”

“He’s already so lonely,” Rocco said and ran his fingers through his dark hair. “I don’t know what he’d do without me.”

“Is he still single?” Carmen asked suddenly.

“He never married, if that’s what you mean.” Rocco shrugged. “I saw him take a few lovers, but no one ever stuck around once they experienced his temper.”

“Then he’s probably mad I chose Renfrew,” she sighed. “I met them both when I arrived at the Lake of Avmun, but Rafael was angry even as a teenager, and I had no interest in him despite his interest in me.”

“Ahhh, so Mama Carmen was a hot young Nepin,” Trina giggled. “It’s all making sense now.”

“I did alright,” Carmen chuckled.

“So, you don’t hate me?” Rocco asked and looked at Skye with pleading eyes.

“I couldn’t hate you,” his sister replied with a smile. “You’re my brother, and I’m glad you found your way to me, even if it was a little messed up at first. We have it figured out, right?”

“Right,” he agreed as the first real smile we’d seen stretched across his bronze face. “Now, I feel like I can eat.”

The siblings began to chat about a wide variety of topics from favorite foods to worst subjects in school, and I had to laugh as they realized how much they had in common, despite growing up in two completely different worlds.

I watched in awe as Rocco’s guarded expression finally became more open and loving toward his sister, and something told me it would all turn out just fine. She was happy, he was happy, and even Carmen watched with the maternal look of unparalleled love.

After over an hour of conversation, I finally had my fill of dinner and dessert and sat back in my chair with a sigh of contentment. The food had done its job to ease my belly and my mind, and I was sure seeing my newest lover filled with joy had helped, too.

“Oh, Lord Evan, I just realized it’s getting late,” Skye said with a frown. “Do I need to pack?”

“We aren’t leaving until tomorrow,” I replied and pecked her on the cheek. “You two need to catch up, and I need a good night’s sleep.”

“Maybe we have time for a few rounds in the backyard, then?” she asked and smiled mischievously.

“Rounds of what?” Rocco asked in confusion.

“Battle,” his sister giggled. “No challenges, except I think I might be able to give you a run for your money.”

“Oh, you’re on!” the Nakken laughed.

“I’ve got to see this,” Laika snickered.

“Me, too!” Isabella agreed.

Nike and my lovers followed Skye and Rocco out to the yard as Carmen and I sat in the finally quiet room.

“You aren’t going to watch?” Carmen asked after I didn’t move.

“I will,” I sighed. “I just wanted to catch my breath for a minute. It’s been a wild day.”

“That it has,” she agreed before she cocked her head to the side. “You truly care about my daughter?”

“Yes,” I confirmed and sat up. “And not only as a Noble of the Sword, but as a woman. She’s smart as a whip, brave, strong, and, of course, beautiful. I can’t believe the Nepin men here were dumb enough to let her be alone.”

“They didn’t understand her,” Carmen explained. “Not her free spirit, not her will to fight, and definitely not her desire to be more than just some man’s wife.”

She looked at me with the mother-in-law look I’d expected to see at some point, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. Carmen was apparently just as much of a warrior as Skye, even if neither of them had been prepared to discover it, and she would do anything to protect her daughter.

“I have no desire to hold her back from being whatever she wants to be,” I assured her. “I know harems aren’t your thing, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure they were my thing, either. Alyona introduced me to this life in a way that made it more than just having a bunch of women who throw themselves at my feet every day. I love each of my women, and they love me and each other. There are no secrets, no hidden desires, just honest to the gods love.”

“You really love Skye as much as you love the other women in your harem?” she pressed.

“I do,” I confirmed. “And harem isn’t even the right word for what we share. We prefer to call it our family. In fact, the women call each other sisters of the heart. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever known, and it’s bound our souls together forever.”

“Including Skye’s soul?” Carmen blinked rapidly and seemed surprised.

“Yes.” I neglected to provide the details of how our souls created the bridge. “She now knows every part of me, and I know her.”

“And you’re going to take her on these wild adventures around the world?” the Nepin woman asked, though a smile twitched on the corners of her mouth.

“Yeah, just like she’s been begging to do,” I chuckled. “I know she’ll be happy.”

“I think you’re right,” she murmured. “But I do have one request, Lord Evan.”

“Of course,” I said and dipped my head.

“You have to protect my little girl,” Carmen whispered. “She’s never known a life outside these walls, and she’ll need you.”

“Nothing will harm Skye,” I vowed. “I’ll keep her safe forever.”

And no matter where our next quest took us, I knew I would keep my promise.

End of Book 16

End Notes

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Copyright © 2021 by Eric Vall