Chapter 39:...and the devil you don't

I now have an editor, so you all shouldn't need to put up with my typos and poor/dyslexic editing skills anymore. :)

* * *

"No way." Ethan shook his head as he considered the possibility that his redheaded wife was the direct daughter of a dragon, making Lord Delmar that dragon. "No, no there's not a chance in hell."

"Why?" Beth asked.

"Because he would've had to use a disguise gem for... for forever." He replied. "Anyone who wants to can see through mine. And even if he had a better one, someone would've seen through it by now."

"What about Elder Goman though?" Kendra countered. "Right before he sent me back with the weapons, we talked about his disguise-- well, it's not a gem; it's a piece of dragon steel. A large piece."

"How big?" Alana asked.

"About like this." Kendra indicated a three inch circle with her hands. "And maybe half an inch thick."

The wood elf whistled. "That's enough dragon steel to take a major enchantment."

The dragon huntress nodded. "And he said that no one had seen through his disguise so far, and he socializes with some of the most powerful magic-users of our age."

Ethan looked at Rachel, who looked frozen.

He stepped over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

She looked at him with wide eyes and worked her mouth for several seconds before she finally got a single word out. "Speed."

"What about it?" He asked.

She worked her jaw soundlessly for several seconds until Alana came up and took her hand.

"Hey, it's okay. We're all here for you."

The redhead nodded, then took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Speed. The day I first heard of you two--" She indicated Ethan and Alana. "--he was so fast."

"Who was?" Ethan asked.

"My father." She nearly whispered. "He encircled me in a ring of fire and I air-rammed my way out. But before I could take a step he'd already..." She covered her mouth. "He was already in front of me. He moved faster than the air-ram; faster than anything I've ever seen except..."

"Except...?" Ethan prompted, but he was pretty sure he knew what she was going to say.

He was right.

"Except Kyrupto." Rachel finished. "My father moved as fast as a..." She shook her head. "I always wondered how he did it, but I never thought that... how could he...?" She looked at her husband, eyes wide and looking like a lost, scared little girl. "Help."

He pulled her into a hug, though he made sure the redhead could still hold Alana's hand as he did so.

She did.

He could actually see the wood elf's hand turning slightly white from the pressure and a slight grimace of pain on the brunette's face, but Alana made no effort to extricate her hand. On the contrary, she introduced her other hand to hold her best friend's hand more closely.

"The black dragon." Kendra breathed.

"What?" Ethan looked at her.

"The black dragon." The dragon huntress repeated. "Dragons don't usually work together. A Drago might force a weaker dragon to work for him, but dragons of similar power levels don't usually work together for long. Well, not closely anyway; they just don't. The black dragon has been working closely with Lord Delmar for years. If Lord Delmar is a dragon, and dragons don't work together long term, then logically..."

She let that hang in the air.

"Holy shit." Ethan breathed, still holding the woman who he now realized was almost certainly the black dragon's daughter. "Holy fucking shit."

For almost a whole minute, he held Rachel while everyone else just stared wordlessly at each other.

No one moved.

No one spoke.

No one even closed their mouths, which were universally all hanging open.

"I... I don't... wow." Ethan finally managed to get out, but he wasn't sure how to finish the sentence. He looked down at the mass of red hair that slowly faded to blonde at the tips.

Wow.

That was just...

Wow.

"Hey beautiful." He whispered into her ear once he'd collected himself. "How you holdin' up?"

She lifted her head to look into his eyes. She had such big, beautiful, blue eyes. They were absolutely captivating, and right now looked like a deer in the headlights mixed with a sad, lost, and frightened little puppy.

"Hey, how's my wise redhead?" He asked again, reaching up and cupping her face in his hands. "How's she doing?"

"She's... uh, she's... um..." Rachel blinked several times.

"In shock?" He offered.

She nodded, her lip quivering slightly. He leaned in and planted a tender kiss on her forehead.

"Hey, I've got you." He said softly as he drew her into a hug again. He caught Alana's eye, and tilted his head to indicate that she should come closer. The wood elf did, and made Rachel the center of a 'hug sandwich'. The redhead seemed to let out a sigh of relief at his first wife's closeness. He didn't say anything about the revelation because he didn't know what to say.

He just held her.

He held her close, gently stroked her hair, and let everything he felt for her leak across their bond so she could feel it.

After several seconds, she spoke. "I'm the daughter of your mortal enemy."

"And I love you very much." He replied.

"I'm the daughter of a dragon." She whispered.

"Yes you are, the baby in Alana's womb is too, and Alana herself if you go back far enough." He said softly. "And I still love you all very much."

She pulled back slightly to look at him, searching his eyes. After several seconds, she spoke. "None of this changes how you feel about me, does it?"

"No." He said gently, but firmly. "Not one bit. And even if it did -- which it doesn't -- it still wouldn't change the fact that I married you. That means I stick around in good times and bad; for better or worse. I would be here for you even if it did change the way I felt about you, which again it doesn't."

She gave him a half smile. "It changes how I feel about myself though."

"Oh?"

"I... I don't..." Her breath hitched and she swallowed hard before continuing. "I don't have the words to explain right now."

"Okay." He nodded, then gently stroked her face with the back of his hand. "I won't push, but let me know when you're ready to talk about it."

He looked at her for a long moment, recognizing that she was easily both the strongest and weakest of his wives at the same time. She had a profound strength of will that rivaled Alana's; perhaps even exceeded it. However, underneath that tough exterior she was still a nineteen year old girl who'd never been properly loved as a child, leading to emotional scars and the walls she had built to protect herself.

She nodded, then thought to him: *Thank you my lord, for not pushing, for letting me...* She swallowed. *I really appreciate it.*

*I'll always be here for you.* He smiled back. *Always.*

She gave him a smile as her face twisted slightly like she was about to cry. He pulled her close again and just held her.

He didn't know what else to do.

* * *

Sarah winced slightly as the old woman carefully made a tiny slice in her skin with a small, razor sharp knife, then held a glass vial under it to catch the tiny trickle of blood.

"What's that for?" The innkeeper's daughter asked, trying not to fight too hard; the old woman had promised that it would hurt much worse if she fought.

"Drawing blood." She replied. "I can't figure out what powers those muscles without examining you." Something about her tone was excited, and her eyes twinkled as she looked at the tablespoon or so of Sarah's blood in the glass vial.

"It's..." Sarah faltered, wanting to explain but having trouble admitting it out loud.

"Yes I know you think it's a demon." The old woman laughed mirthlessly. "I'll forgive your backwards thinking since you clearly don't know better. Ah, that should do it." She removed the glass vial which was now mostly full with perhaps two tablespoons of blood, then put her hand over the cut mark. Sarah's skin tingled for a moment, then the flow of blood slowed, and then stopped altogether.

The old woman had healed her.

"Thank you." Sarah said, relieved that she wouldn't be bleeding until the wound healed naturally.

The old woman gave her a strange look, then shook her head and carried the vial over to one of the tables covered with strange instruments. Sarah craned her neck to watch since she didn't have anything else to do. The old woman dropped a single drop of blood onto a small piece of glass, then set another piece of glass over the first one, making the drop of blood spread. Then she slid the pieces of glass under a strange contraption.

The contraption had a dozen different magnifying glasses in successively smaller and smaller sizes. They were arranged all in a row, and Sarah couldn't even imagine how magnified they could make things. The glass with the blood was slid into a slot under the final lens, and the old woman looked through the top lens.

"Hmm, seems normal to me..." The old woman mused.

"It does?" The Innkeeper's daughter asked.

"Oh dear." The old woman looked at her. "What little secrets are you hiding? Best to tell me now because I will find them."

Sarah gulped.

* * *

Ethan flopped down on the bed in the captain's cabin, hoping that Rachel would be okay. He figured she would be eventually, but right now she was a hot mess. He almost smiled at the accidental double entendre, then he shook his head. She'd wandered away to the front of the Argo with Alana in tow. He felt like he should be there for her, but she seemed to want some space right now.

*Hey, is Rachel okay?* He asked his first wife.

*I think she will be eventually.* Alana replied. *I think it's just shock now, so I'll watch over her for a bit. Relax, I know you're worried, but she'll talk when she's ready.*

*Okay, thanks.* He laid his head back and closed his eyes.

What a day.

Hell, what a week... or month... or at this point, basically three months.

*Master, could I join you?* Taloni's voice was tentative, and he was pretty sure she was still hanging around on the weather deck.

*You never need to ask honey.* He thought back smiling.

Moments later, the captain's cabin door opened and he looked up -- since he was laying on his back with his head towards the door -- to see the Fey teen slip into the room and close the door behind her. It was slightly odd from that perspective, since visually she appeared to be upside down.

"May I take off my clothes and snuggle with you master?" She asked with a shy smile.

How could she be so shy after being married to him and sharing a bed with him and his other wives for so long? There was something innocent about her shyness though, and a part of him hoped it would never fully fade.

"Oh honey, you literally never need to ask that; the answer is always yes."

She beamed, then reached back and untied her halter-top dress, letting it fall and then slipping out of the matching lilac shorts that Alana had so wisely made to protect the Fey's modesty when she flew. She padded over to the bed, hopped up and her wings were a blur for a moment as she used them to get herself into position so she could lay next to him, and then she snuggled up against his side. He put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head, which was resting on his chest.

"I miss this." He sighed.

"Miss what master?"

"This; snuggling like this." He sighed. "Do you remember the night... nights? When it was just you and Alana, and I held you on either side like this?"

"Of course master, it was so wonderful."

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then shook his head. "I have too many wives."

"What?" She looked alarmed.

"Sorry, I don't mean I want fewer, and if anyone tried to take any of my wives from me I'd rip them--"

"--limb from limb." Taloni finished quickly as she winced, but looked relieved. "I know you will protect us master, I just don't know what you mean about having too many wives."

"Take you for example." He replied, looking down into her beautiful lilac eyes. "We spent a bunch of time on you when we freed you and afterward, but then it was about bringing Beth back, then Kyrupto attacked which brought out some things with Rachel, there was everything with Alana's family in Nalatia, everything with Rachel afterward while we were captured, Alana's family again, then Beth's dad summons us, then Sarah, and then everything in Gralden. I only just realized it, but I feel like I've ignored you a bit."

"You haven't master." She snuggled closer to him. "Your other wives just needed more of your time lately, that's all."

He shook his head. "That's actually my point; time. I literally don't have the time to spend enough time with each of you. I'd never give any of you up. Ever. But..." He sighed.

"But you're saying that time-wise, you have too many wives." She made a thoughtful sound.

"Yeah." He sighed again, feeling a bit exhausted from the day, and his mind drifted to the earlier conversation with Drousin, which led to a rabbit trail about his dragon problems, which naturally led his mind to thinking about the one woman he'd met who could sympathize with them. He felt an ironic grin form on his face as he realized that rather a lot of his mind's rabbit trails led to the innkeeper's daughter.

"Sarah?" Taloni asked as she affectionately rubbed her cheek on the smooth scales of his chest and snuggled closer.

"How did you know?"

"You aren't nearly as hard to read as you think you are master." She gave him a sly grin. "Besides, she'll make a great wife for you."

He shook his head. "She's betrothed. But even if she wasn't, what in God's name am I thinking even considering another wife when I don't have time for the ones I currently have."

"Actually, isn't 'in God's name' appropriate?" The Fey teen countered.

"Come again?"

"Didn't Illuminar say that you would have seven wives master?"

"Don't remind me." He groaned. "I can barely keep up with four."

"Pardon me for disagreeing master, but isn't it a good thing that you're reminded?"

"You never need to apologize for disagreeing, and maybe?" He tapped one of his fingers on his scales. It made a satisfying 'clicking' sound, but didn't actually help him think better. "I suppose I see Kendra being wife number five. And I imagine that if we're really going to beat Smithbond, then I'll have to marry Selene too so we can communicate while she's on Earth. Still, I just don't have enough time for you, Alana, Beth, and Rachel now; how the hell will I cope with Kendra, Selene, and whoever the last wife is?"

Taloni made a thoughtful sound, then thought to everyone. *Ladies, do you feel like master doesn't give you enough time?*

*No, why?* Alana replied.

*I've never felt like that.* Beth added.

*Nor I.* Rachel agreed, though she seemed distracted and it took her several seconds longer to reply.

Kendra didn't say anything.

*Thank you.* The Fey teen thought to them, then looked at her husband and beamed. "You're doing just fine master. I know I'm happy. All I wanted my whole life was to not be a slave and to travel on an airship. You not only freed me, but now I'm learning to become an airship pilot and I have the best sisters--" she cocked her head to one side. "--well, fellow wives but they seem more like sisters; but they're the best fellow wives I could ask for, and a wonderful husband who loves me very much."

"I do." He smiled at her.

She smiled back. "I'm very happy master, and I think the rest of your wives are too, even if you feel like you don't give us enough time."

He made a noncommittal grunt, but wasn't convinced.

Not by a long shot.

* * *

Kendra leaned up against the Argo's railing on the quarterdeck, thinking back to the revealing conversation about Rachel's father. Oddly, she found that the redhead's parentage didn't bother her much, if at all. It wasn't Rachel's fault. And other than a bit of jealousy that the teen mage could resist Ethan's compulsion because of her ancestry, it just didn't matter to her.

"You decided to stay." Anthiel commented from the ship's wheel.

She turned to face the high elf. "Yeah, I kind of made the Argo my home."

"Even with what's likely to happen between you and Ethan?"

She hesitated, then nodded. "I hate it, but there's nothing for it."

The high elf raised an eyebrow.

"What?" She raised her hands, palms up. "There isn't."

The pilot got a knowing smile on her face and nodded slowly, but somehow the dragon huntress didn't think she was convinced.

"What?"

"I didn't say anything." Anthiel replied with an amused smile.

"Well, you were 'not saying it' very loudly."

"I just think it's interesting that you've finally decided to marry him, that's all."

"I did not."

Anthiel gave Kendra a look that a parent might give a child who was insisting that he hadn't taken a sweet roll while his face and fingers were covered in the icing. "You knew that if you stayed on the Argo, Ethan will take you to bed; yet you remained on the Argo."

"That's not marriage though, not really."

Anthiel raised her eyebrow.

"It's not; no vows."

"Ah, because binding your soul to someone and then sharing the most physically intimate experience that a man and woman can share to cement that bond is less of a commitment than vows." She nodded slowly, that annoyingly amused smile still on her face. "I see now."

Kendra gave her a look.

* * *

Rachel stared out across the plains in front of the Argo, trying to collect her thoughts. It was harder than normal, which was saying something. They hadn't passed into Ivernia yet, so the ground beneath them was green, but not quite the vibrant, verdant green that she'd recently learned to associate with the place. The ground beneath them was soothing as it scrolled by, but it didn't change the facts.

Her father was a dragon.

Not just any dragon, but almost certainly the black dragon.

How?

She slowly shook her head for the... Dozenth time? Hundredth time? It would've been unbelievable if it didn't make so much sense. The speed her father had moved the day he'd tasked her with tracking down Ethan and Alana, the lack of dragon problems in her father's lands, the fact that the black dragon seemingly only worked to increase her father's standing; everything. It all fit perfectly together. It all made sense...

And yet...

She shook her head.

"Rachel?" A tentative voice came from behind her.

The redhead smiled; it was Alana. The mage turned to see her best friend standing there looking a bit unsure. She was biting her lip and her hands were clasped in front of her.

"Are you okay?" The wood elf asked.

Rachel took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I will be, eventually... I think"

"I'm glad." She smiled. "Mind if I join you?"

"Please." Rachel stepped to one side to make room for Alana at the front of the Argo, where the ship's port and starboard railings met in the center.

Somehow, completely naturally, they ended up with their arms touching. Rachel liked that. She liked Alana. The wood elf was easily the best woman she'd ever known, and that was saying something when you considered all the incredible women she'd met since joining Ethan; his other wives especially.

There was just something about her that was so attractive.

Rachel knew that some women were romantically attracted to other women of course, but she wasn't. But if she was ever going to be, it would be to Alana. There was just something about her spirit that was captivating. She was so strong and yet so kind; so tender and yet so fierce. She cared so much, and yet wasn't overbearing in her caring. The combination was just so...

So...

Captivating.

Plus, she had these gorgeous, rich hazel eyes. Eyes that looked at her like she was something incredibly valuable that she treasured deeply. Rachel felt the same way about her.

"What?" Alana asked after several seconds.

"Sorry." Rachel averted her eyes slightly after realizing that she'd been staring.

"I don't mind." The wood elf smiled, and for some reason Rachel got the impression that she truly didn't mind being stared at by her.

It was strange.

Nice, but strange.

That of course triggered her brain into thinking about other recent revelations that were strange.

It must've shown on her face, because Alana spoke softly. "Does your father being a dragon bother you that much?"

"That's not really it." She shook her head. "I mean, I'm married to a dragon, and when I have kids their father will be a dragon." She glanced at the wood elf's womb. "Besides, the best woman I know is already carrying a dragon's daughter, and I could never hold that against her; mother or daughter."

The smile on Alana's face slowly grew into being the widest she'd yet seen. "I'm the best woman you know?"

"By far." Rachel nodded. "Beth and Taloni are incredible too, and I really like Kendra and Selene, and Anthiel is great. But you're just... I don't know, you're you."

"Thank you." The brunette wrapped her arms around the redhead and gave her a hug. It was slightly awkward since the wood elf was about six inches shorter than she herself was, but she didn't mind. In fact, there was something quite pleasant about her best friend's head resting on her upper chest. She could feel the elf's sun-kissed cheeks against her cleavage, and something about that felt just...

Just...

She sighed.

Then she noticed a slight itch forming in her loins.

That was strange. Why would Alana hugging her -- okay, Alana's cheeks pressing into the area just above her breasts -- but why would that trigger an itch? That would only make sense if she was attracted to other women, which of course she wasn't. She was attracted to Ethan, not Alana, so why...?

"So what is bothering you then?" The wood elf asked as the hug broke.

Rachel froze for a split second, thinking that somehow her best friend knew what she was thinking. However, her brain informed her that it was more likely that Alana was resuming the previous topic of discussion, not commenting on her incredibly strange reaction to feeling the wood elf's silky skin pressed against her bare upper chest.

No matter how wonderful it felt...

"Um..." She scrambled to put her thoughts in order. "It's less about the fact that my father is a dragon, and more about the fact that I didn't know. But it's much more than that."

"Oh?"

She took a deep breath. "Yeah, I feel like my entire childhood was a lie. There was this enormous part of my life that I didn't know about; what else didn't I know?"

"Oh." Alana nodded with a grimace. "Yeah I can see that."

"But it's more than just that." She shook her head and leaned on the railing again. "I always 'knew' my father was a man. I never questioned it, no one did. It makes me wonder..."

"Wonder what?"

She turned to look at the wood elf, partially to see the caring expression that she knew would be in her gorgeous hazel eyes. It was there, and it made her feel better. Not good, but better. Alana always made her feel much better, just exactly like Ethan did.

"I wonder: what else was a lie that I've never considered questioning?" She finally replied. "I mean, I know my father is the black dragon and he's certainly been hunting us. But is he really as bad as I thought he was? Is he worse? Could he be better? I never actually saw any of the worst things that I've been told he's done, so maybe they happened differently?"

"Oh?"

"Yeah, one of my handmaidens kept me caught up on the gossip, and I learned most of it from her." Rachel explained. "Maybe she was keeping some details back and he was worse. Maybe she got carried away, or had bad information and he wasn't as bad as I thought he was."

"You think it's possible?" Alana sounded skeptical.

"Maybe?" She sighed. "That's just it; I don't know. I know my father hates slavers." She said, thinking back to how even Gonorran had known that from as far away as north of Arcanum. "Further, you don't find his people complaining about him, not the way that -- for example -- Ivernians complain about Lord Farbrottan. They mostly like my father as a lord."

"Really?" Alana asked.

"Yes, but then again he's been hunting Ethan since he arrived. What possible reason could he have for that?" She shook her head. "I don't know and that's the problem. I apparently don't know so much. I didn't know he was a dragon, and that's such a fundamental thing too; the species of my father. He lied to everyone, does that include my mother? Did she know before she died? What if she found out and that's why she died?"

Alana sucked her breath in sharply. "You don't think that Lord Delmar... Do you?"

"That's the problem; I don't know." She raised her hands, palms up. "Everyone seems to think that he loved her, but then again everyone also thinks he's human."

"How did he get to be a lord if he wasn't human though?" The wood elf asked.

"The military." She replied. "He distinguished himself in service, became the personal bodyguard of the previous lord -- my grandfather -- who I've been told regarded my father like the son he never had. He even let him wed my mother when they fell in love. My grandfather had no sons and my mother was his only daughter, so he official proclaimed my father as his heir. He died not long after."

"Not long after?" The brunette grimaced.

"It's not like that." The redhead said hastily. "My grandfather was already very old and sickly by the time he chose my father as his heir. My grandfather really took a liking to him, and from what I hear they were actually friends... at least that's what I've been told. But is it true?"

"I don't know."

"Exactly." Rachel nodded. "That's the exact problem: I don't know. I don't know if it's true. I don't know if my father is what I've always thought; is he better? Is he worse? I don't know if there are some other grand secrets out there that I've never questioned because it never occurred to me to question them."

"Like your father being a dragon instead of a man." Alana nodded. "I'm sorry Rachel, I'd really love to help."

"Actually, you are: you're helping just by being here and I really appreciate it."

"Anything for you." The elf smiled.

Rachel wasn't sure why, but she put her arm around her best friend who was standing next to her. It just seemed like the right thing to do. She was aware at the edge of her mind that Ethan often put his arm around his wives the same way that she had put her arm around Alana, but that was just coincidence. It really couldn't be anything more, since she obviously didn't like Alana the way Ethan liked his wives.

That would just be weird.

After several seconds, the wood elf made a thoughtful sound.

"What?" Rachel asked.

"It just occurred to me..." Alana cocked her head to one side, then turned to face her. However, she moved in such a way that she didn't slip out from under Rachel's arm, but rather was closer to her. They were positioned much like how Ethan's wives would cuddle up to his side while lying down.

"What?"

The elf grinned. "Let's take the worst case scenario."

"Oh?"

"Yes, let's pretend for a moment that nothing you saw growing up was what it seemed." Alana continued. "Let's pretend that your father, the castle staff, and most of the people you met had a secret agenda and weren't who they seemed to be. So what?"

"So what?" The redhead frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I don't mean that it doesn't matter." The brunette hastily clarified. "And I understand that you want to find the truth about all this, which is good, but it doesn't change who you are as a person. I know you Rachel; if you haven't already, you're going to question who you are a person because you're questioning your childhood, but you don't need to."

The redhead bit her lip.

How had Alana known? How could the wood elf know her so well?

The brunette continued. "You don't need to question who you are because the experiences you had while growing up -- whether based on lies or not -- still formed you into the incredible woman that you are today. The experiences were real, even if someone was lying to you."

Rachel couldn't help but smile at being described as an 'incredible woman', especially by Alana. It made her heart go all gooey and she felt a comforting warmth rise in her chest... at the same time that she felt a slight itch forming in her nether regions.

Damn.

Why did that keep happening around Alana?

"Your upbringing made you who you are." The wood elf continued. "Even if there was some grand secret behind the scenes, those experiences formed you into who you are, and they were real experiences. Yes, you might need to reevaluate them, but fundamentally, the experiences themselves were real."

"You aren't wrong." The redhead conceded.

"Besides, it might've changed who you are if you had known, and I wouldn't change a single thing about you for the world and all it contains." Alana finished with conviction, then stiffened slightly as she inhaled slightly, like she'd said too much.

If Rachel's heart had been feeling all gooey before, now it was melting. "Really?"

"Really." Alana nodded. "I love you just the way you are Rachel."

Rachel's mouth ran ahead of her brain in response. "I love you too Alana."

What?

Why had she said that?

That wasn't... Rachel froze as the enormity of what she'd just said to Alana hit her. She must've meant a sisterly kind of love... right? There was no way that she could actually be in love with her best friend, not the way she was with Ethan. That wasn't... she wasn't like that. She wasn't attracted to other women, even women as amazing, and beautiful, and captivating as Alana.

Yet she'd just told her that she loved her...

Then the wood elf did something.

Something shocking.

Something that Rachel would've never imagined in a million years. Something that took her breath away and made her brain lock up harder than it ever had before.

The stunning, wonderful, caring, and kind brunette pushed herself up on her tiptoes, seemingly acting on impulse without prior thought. Suddenly, nearly all of Rachel's vision was filled with the prettiest eyes in the Ten Kingdoms. Alana was so close that Rachel could actually feel the heat coming off of her skin. Why was there so much heat?

But Alana didn't stop there, she came even closer.

Their noses touched, and not the tips of their noses either. The side of Alana's nose slid up against the side of Rachel's nose. It was such a strange thing, but the only thing the redhead could focus on was how warm, soft, and silky the amazing elf's nose was.

Then Alana came closer.

The wood elf closed her eyes and for the first time in Rachel's life, she felt the exquisite sensation of another woman's lips on her own. Rachel froze.

Alana was kissing her.

Alana.

Was.

Kissing.

Her.

Unlike Ethan's stronger and more primal strength, Alana was all gentle reserve and heartfelt emotion. Somehow, the redhead could feel how much Alana cared for her in the gentle press of their lips together.

It was heavenly...

...then it ended.

It had been a short kiss -- not much more than a peck on the lips -- but Rachel knew that she would never forget this moment for as long as she lived. It was permanently seared into her brain and ranked among the best things that had ever happened in her entire life.

Alana still had her eyes closed and seemingly subconsciously licked her lips slightly. Then her expression changed from perfect, incandescent happiness and contentment to something else as she bit her lip and averted her eyes as her cheeks flushed red.

"I'm sorry." She whispered in a rush.

"Don't be." Rachel's mouth replied before her brain had unfrozen.

"Oh?" The wood elf glanced up, and the redhead could see no small amount of panic in her eyes, but a touch of hope too.

"No, I..." She blushed. "I kind of liked it."

"You did?"

Rachel nodded. "It was... it was nice. Strange, and different, but nice."

Alana bit her lip again and nodded slowly. "Good, but I still shouldn't have... I mean, I should've asked or... or something."

"It's okay, um... I mean... uh." The redhead wasn't sure what to say. What did a person say in a situation like this?

"I should... um." The wood elf seemed to cast around for something to say for several seconds before continuing. "I'm behind on enchanting, and I need to finish Kendra's dress. It's almost done, so..."

The wood elf turned and rushed away, though Rachel got the distinct impression that she wasn't running away from her, just from embarrassment. A smile crept onto the redhead's face as she remembered how the kiss had felt.

She touched her fingers to her own lips, scarcely believing it had happened.

She didn't know what Alana had to be embarrassed about; it was a good kiss. A great kiss. It was so wonderful that she wouldn't be opposed to doing it again. Only with Alana of course, but with her...

Mmm...

Yes...

Yes, that would be wonderful.

As she thought about it, she realized that a familiar itch in her nether regions was starting to manifest again. She couldn't figure out why though. Sure she loved Alana dearly, and had loved kissing her, and loved holding her, and being around her, and the wood elf seemed to make her slightly aroused, but there was no reason for all of those things. The only person for whom those other things were true was Ethan, who she loved in the romantic sense. But if they were also true of Alana then...

Then...

Rachel felt her brain freeze slightly as a thought occurred her that...

No...

No, it couldn't be.

She wasn't one of those girls... was she? She put her hand over her mouth as a million little pieces fell into place in her brain all at once. Suddenly, everything about her friendship with Alana and all those little things the redhead felt around her made sense.

Could it be that...?

Her mouth fell open.

Was she attracted to Alana?

* * *

"I kissed Rachel!" Alana blurted out after darting into the captain's cabin and closing the door behind her.

Ethan was lying on the bed and wide grin broke out of his face. "It's about damn time. Maybe the timing could've been better, but it's about bloody time."

The wood elf grimaced, and that was before she heard a fluttering sound that she'd grown to associate with Taloni's wings. Sure enough, the Fey teen was sitting at the desk in the captain's cabin with her copy of the Book of Light open. Alana hadn't noticed her fellow wife when she came in, assuming that anyone in here would be a fellow wife, and any fellow wife would be on the bed with Ethan.

The Fey teen giggled, and then said in a good-natured, teasing, and sing-song voice. "Alana likes Rachel, Alana likes Rachel."

Alana gave her a look, but that just made the delightful teen giggle harder.

"I'll give you two some space." The Fey said before slipping out of the room, giving the wood elf a comforting smile as she did so and closing the door behind her.

"But she's dealing with so much right now, I shouldn't have..." She groaned in frustration. "I'm such a horrible friend!"

"No you're not." Ethan replied. It looked like he was trying to be serious but also having trouble not smiling. "The timing could've been better, but you're not a horrible friend. If you were, Rachel wouldn't light up whenever you're around."

"Really?" She asked, then smiled despite herself. "She does?"

"She does." He chuckled. "You two have been pining for each other for weeks now, so it's about time one of you did something."

"But I kissed her!"

"Yeah, and she's a pretty good kisser, isn't she?" Ethan said as he rolled over and sat up.

She nodded, then sighed. "I've wanted to do that for so long, but I'm worried that I... I don't know; that I messed something up."

He looked like he couldn't keep a smile off his face as he replied. "Well, I won't tell you exactly what I felt from our resident mage a few minutes ago -- I'll leave that for her -- but I did feel a burst of emotions from Rachel a few minutes ago, and they weren't exactly negative."

"Oh good." She breathed a sigh of relief.

Ethan shook his head. "Even without the bond, anyone could see that Rachel likes you just as much as you like her. You do know that, right?"

"Maybe?" She was wringing her hands. "Do you really think so?"

He smiled at her and patted the bed next to him. "Come here."

She flopped down next to him and leaned up against him.

"Alana, you're an incredible woman. I'm not surprised that Rachel fell for you, and almost anyone can see that she has. I bet if I asked Kendra, Selene, Anthiel, or Serif, they'd all agree. Pretty much everyone can see it." He cocked his head to one side. "Okay, Beth and Taloni were a bit oblivious for a while, but everyone else can see it."

"Really?"

He nodded. "Do you remember the morning after I married Rachel, where you and she had a lie-in?"

She nodded.

"Everyone except the blondes all exchanged significant glances when I told them." He explained. "They all see it, though I understand if you don't."

"Oh?"

He smiled at her. "Most people are clueless about their own feelings, and how other people feel about them; especially romantically."

She nodded her head in concession.

"It'll be fine." He assured her. "Just talk to Rachel and tell her exactly how you feel."

"I can't do that." She pulled away slightly. "I mean, she knows that I love her, just not, you know, that way."

"Well, she won't know unless you tell her, so why don't you tell her?"

"Now?"

"Probably not right now because she's dealing with a lot, but you should tell her." He looked at her significantly. "And soon."

"Soon?"

He winked, but sounded serious. "You can't just kiss and run."

The wood elf nodded, knowing he was right. However, that didn't stop her stomach from twisting itself up in knots from thinking about telling Rachel how she felt. She wanted to tell her -- dear Illuminar in heaven she wanted to -- but she just didn't think she could work up the nerve. At least, not for a while.

Maybe a long while.

Ethan exhaled a bit louder than normal and slowly shook his head with an amused smile.

"I'll get there, I promise." She said.

"It's not that, or even you. It's just nice to see you finally express how you feel since you've liked each other 'from afar' for so long." He made a thoughtful sound and then pursed his dragonish lips. He looked out the window for a long moment, after which a slightly sad, slightly guilty look appeared on his face.

"Then what is it?" She asked, then she realized he was looking in the direction of Sarah's inn.

He hesitated and then shook his head. "Never mind. I think I'll go see if Raklan or Serif want to spar. If my duel with Heinrich taught me anything, it's that I need to practice more."

"Okay." Alana nodded.

He stood up, kissed her on the top of the head, and then headed out the door. She watched him leave, thinking about his fixation with the innkeeper's daughter.

She sighed.

He was really hung up on her. She understood why, and she was even glad that he'd met someone who could understand his dragon side. Still, the girl was betrothed and... yeah; it was a mess. She briefly considered asking him about it, but then remembered that he'd clammed up so he probably wanted to avoid the topic. She thought she'd follow his lead and give him some space for now.

Besides, she needed to finish Kendra's dress, which was nearly done. And if she was working on the dress, then maybe she wouldn't need to talk to Rachel about the kiss.

That wonderful, amazing, near perfect kiss.

* * *

Beth was sitting around the dinner fire as usual, but the dinner mood was anything but usual. They'd had cheerful dinners, philosophical dinners, sad dinners, tired dinners, and a whole host of other dinner types on the Argo; but never an awkward dinner.

Right now, it was a little awkward.

Alana and Rachel were usually sitting so close they were almost snuggling, but weren't right now. Oh, they were still sitting together and still clearly liked each other, but there was something between them that didn't quite make sense.

Rachel would occasionally glance at the wood elf like she was trying to decide something. More than once she touched her hand thoughtfully to her own lips, but then seemed to realize she was doing it and went back to eating. She was nearly silent almost the entire dinner and looked like she had a lot on her mind. Somehow, Beth guessed that Rachel was thinking about much more than the revelation about her father.

Likewise, Alana kept glancing at the redhead, but the brunette looked alternately blissfully happy, embarrassed, or even nervous; sometimes all three at once.

Meanwhile, Ethan and Kendra were doing the opposite: completely avoiding each other's eyes. Beth noticed a touch of dragon in Ethan every time he laid eyes on the dragon huntress, and his solution seemed to be simply not looking at her. The blonde guessed that Kendra was avoiding his eye because she'd noticed this.

All in all, dinner was a subdued affair.

Everyone had just about finished eating when Rachel broke the tension. "I'll do everything I can to help defeat the black dragon, but I don't know if I can help in an actual fight against him; not if he's my father."

All eyes turned to her.

She grimaced. "I can help with anything else, but actually fighting my father..." She reached down and touched the black mark on her finger over which the will-breaker ring had rested. "...I don't know if I could do it, and I don't want to put anyone in danger because they counted on me and I couldn't do it."

Alana took the redhead's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I understand." Beth said, thinking about her tumultuous relationship with her own father.

Ethan nodded. "Thanks for saying something. I get that, and it would be pretty cruel to ask you to help kill your own father, no matter what he's done."

"Thank you for understanding." The mage gave him a pained smile.

"Any time." He smiled at her, then looked around at everyone. "We really haven't talked about it, but if Lord Delmar really is the black dragon, then the way we fight him will have to change."

"Agreed, it actually gives us more options." Kendra piped up, and Beth couldn't help noticing that Ethan licked his lips in a very dragon-ish way as his eyes settled on her.

"How do you mean?" The blond teen asked.

"Exposure." The raven-haired woman replied. "Can you imagine the reaction if people learned that Lord Delmar is actually a dragon?"

"But how would we prove that?" Alana asked.

"The birthmarks?" Taloni suggested.

Kendra shook her head. "He could easily claim that Rachel isn't his daughter. He's already disinherited her, and that would make it even easier."

A dragon-ish smile was playing on Ethan's face as he looked at the raven-haired woman. It was nearly identical to the look looks he often gave his wives when he was horny, and even more closely resembled how he'd looked at the dragon huntress at Anthiel's house.

*Dominus...* She thought to him.

He glanced at her and his wolfish grin faltered. *Thanks angel; I've been having a hard time and..." He trailed off. *I really hate my dragon side, you know that?*

*I know Dominus, and I wish I could help.*

He gave her a half-grin. *You do angel; you do.*

She smiled.

"Really, there's no way to prove that Lord Delmar is a dragon except to disable his disguise enchantment in the room with a ton of witnesses." Rachel said as Beth started paying attention to the audible conversation again.

"Even then, it might not work." Selene pointed out. "He could just show up later saying it was an imposter pretending to be him and not him himself."

"Is there any way to avoiding fighting him?" Taloni asked, her wings fluttering nervously.

"I doubt it." Ethan replied. "If Kyrupto was any indication, Dragos don't take the loss of anything well. At some point, we'll probably end up fighting each other, and I'm not looking forward to that."

"But, you'll be okay, right master?" The Fey asked, her wings fluttering even more nervously. "You're enchanting yourself every day to get stronger right?"

"Every single day, lately on that 'spider sense' thing I told you all about." He nodded. "I just hope it's enough."

"Lord Delmar has quite a head start." Kendra pointed out. "He's had decades; you've had months."

He looked at the dragon huntress, and Beth saw the dragon come back somewhat.

*Ethan.* She thought to him again, and judging by the look on Alana's face she'd done the same.

He shook his head, probably trying to clear it.

Kendra eyed Ethan, then yawned. "I'm heading to bed." She stretched, making an obvious show of being tired. However, as she did her shirt rode up enough to reveal a little sliver of skin on her right side between her pants and her long-sleeve shirt. The dragon grinned wickedly, and it almost looked like Ethan's mouth was watering as he looked at that tiny sliver of skin.

Kendra seemed to notice and looked at him.

That was probably a mistake.

"Um, ladies; a little help here." Kendra said, turning her head while her eyes were locked onto Ethan's.

"Stay!" The dragon barked at his wives. He leaned forward slightly and suddenly Kendra stiffened up.

"Ladies, please I could use--" The raven-haired woman's words died on her lips, though it looked like she was still trying to finish her sentence.

Beth sat almost rooted to the spot. She could've gotten up, but Ethan -- or the dragon -- had told her not to. It took her several seconds to realize that maybe this wasn't the best time to obey Ethan, regardless of how much she felt like she should generally.

The blonde glanced at Taloni, and could see the same struggle in the Fey's eyes.

Alana and Rachel recovered first.

The couple looked at each other and then stood. That jarred Beth and apparently Taloni out of their hesitation and they also stood up. As one, they moved between Ethan and Kendra, breaking his line of sight. He growled at them, and Beth felt a sudden desire to capitulate and move.

"Ethan, not like this." Alana said.

"Raklan and Serif are here." Rachel pointed out. "You wouldn't want them to see Kendra, would you?"

He growled again, but it seemed more like annoyance now.

"Master, not right now; not like this." Taloni whispered.

"Dominus, please?"

"Kendra, go below." Alana said in a commanding voice as she locked eyes with Ethan.

Beth almost smiled.

The wood elf was so brave, and so strong-willed that she could match wills with him. The dragon stared back at his first wife, visible frustration on his face at Alana's refusal to move while Kendra beat a hasty retreat to the lower decks. There was a tense few seconds until she disappeared from sight, then the dragon started to calm down slightly.

"Thank you." Ethan said almost a minute later. His shoulders were slumped and he was slowly shaking his head, probably at himself.

* * *

Kendra breathed a sigh of relief as she reached the bottom of the stairs to the Argo's lower deck.

That had been close.

Too close.

Worse, it was getting closer. While his wives had been able to talk him down the previous time, this time they'd needed to physically interrupt his compulsion. She got the strong feeling that if she stayed on the Argo much longer, she'd end up on the dragon's bed.

She shuddered.

Ethan wasn't so bad -- she kind of liked him -- but the dragon... Her stomach clenched and she had to resist the urge to expel her dinner. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's okay Kendra, nothing happened."

But it almost had.

She shook her head as she walked to her hammock, wondering if she was being stupid for staying on the Argo. She knew she needed to leave if she wanted to avoid... that. However, she just couldn't. Even contemplating the idea of not being on the Argo with her new friends was just... she shook her head. She couldn't do it. She couldn't leave.

That was before she contemplated what it would be like saying goodbye to Taloni...

She grimaced.

*Kendra?* Ethan thought tentatively to her, and she could hear the shame and guilt in his tone.

*I forgive you Ethan.* She replied, almost on instinct. *I realize it wasn't you, and I've tried to do far worse to you.*

He didn't say anything for several seconds.

*I mean it Ethan, I really do forgive you." She thought to him, and then thought to everyone. *I'm sure you can gather that Ethan just apologized, and I told him not to worry about it.*

*Thank you Kendra.* Taloni replied. *Master was really worried about how you'd feel after what happened at dinner.*

*Kendra.* Ethan broke in on the group conversation. *I hate to say this, but you might want to consider leaving the Argo because--*

*No.* She interrupted. *Unless you kick me off the ship, I'm not leaving. Are you kicking me off?*

*No.* He replied hastily.

*We would never do that, right master?*

*No we wouldn't.* He agreed. *But I'm having so much trouble controlling my dragon side, and if you stay...*

*We already talked about that Ethan.* Kendra replied. *I know, and I'm willing to risk it.*

He didn't say anything after that.

Neither did she.

Nor anyone else.

There wasn't anything else to say. She had a feeling that it was inevitable at this point, and found herself wondering if the dragon would chase her down even if she left the Argo. She wouldn't put it past him, well, his dragon side anyway. Ethan would fight it the entire time.

She slipped into her hammock and found herself staring at the ceiling.

What if it did happen?

Now that she considered what might happen for the first time in any serious way, she realized that Ethan might see what was under her clothes.

She frowned as she subconsciously covered herself, fully clothed though she was. Her only set of clothes was enchanted to be self-cleaning and self-repairing, and it had long sleeves and full length pants. The long sleeves were tremendously helpful in concealing her strength-enhancing vambraces and -- before she'd run out -- her throwing knives too.

For some reason, she really didn't want Ethan to see the all the remnants of past battles that were still etched into her skin.

She wasn't sure why that idea bothered so her much, but it did.

* * *

Sarah was frankly unnerved by the look that the old woman was giving her. She was scrutinizing her like she'd never seen anything like her before.

"What?" Sarah asked yet again, still being strapped to the wide, horizontal wooden board.

"There's nothing in your blood, or at least nothing that's different or shouldn't be there." The old woman tapped her foot on the floor, or at least that's what Sarah assumed the tapping sound was.

The other woman then reached her hand out, held it several inches above Sarah's head, and slowly moved it down, as if she was feeling something that no one could see. It took her over a minute to reach the feet, and she frowned when she did.

"There's something seriously screwed up with your mana."

"There is?" The innkeeper's daughter bit her lip.

"Well, sort of." The old woman shook her head and seemed to be thinking aloud just as much as answering her. "I mean, there's nothing actually wrong with it, but... Yeah, there's something wrong with everything around it."

Sarah didn't reply.

She was pretty sure she knew why, and felt her cheeks get warm as she turned her face away. She couldn't actually go anywhere because she was still shackled to the wooden table-like plank thing; but she wanted to. Her problem apparently went deeper than she had thought it did.

* * *

Taloni woke before the sun, thinking mostly about what had happened at dinner the night before. She wanted her husband and Kendra to be properly married, but she really didn't want his dragon side involved; at least, not how it had been the previous night.

She looked over at her husband and other wives. Rachel was lying in his arms, sleeping peacefully. Alana was next to her, and Beth was between him and Taloni, putting the Fey girl on the end of the lineup. Taking advantage of that, she slipped off the bed, making sure not to disturb anyone while doing so.

She slipped on her dress as protection against the slightly cool morning air, padded over to the desk across from the bed and next to the door, opened the largest drawer, and pulled out her copy of the Book of Light. She still felt incredibly grateful to have it. It was written in the Fey language and not fancy, so it had almost no value to a non-Fey. There weren't a lot of Fey living outside of Fey lands, so no one had ever tried to take it from her.

She thanked Illuminar for that.

She opened the book, lit a candle, and began to pray for Kendra and master's relationship and read in equal measure.

The sky had grown just light enough that she didn't need the candle when she heard movement behind her. Rachel had rolled slightly out of master's arms and was now snuggling with Alana, while he was yawning as he woke.

*Good morning master.* She thought directly to him so she didn't wake up her fellow wives.

*Morning honey.* He looked up at her, yawned again, then slid carefully out of bed, making sure not to disturb the bed's other occupants. He walked over to her and looked over her shoulder. *Book of Light?*

*Yes master.* She nodded. *I was praying and reading.*

He nodded. *You do that most days, don't you?*

She nodded. *Illuminar has taken such great care of me, the least I can do is spend time with Him every morning.*

He shrugged.

*What's wrong master?*

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. *It's...* He looked out the window in the direction of Sarah's inn, then towards the front of the ship where Kendra slept.

He shook his head. *I'm just working through some stuff. I think I'm going to go do my meditating exercises then maybe... I don't know; wander aimlessly around the weather deck or something.*

*Do you want company master, or...?*

*Um...* He ran his hand over the top of head and onto one of his horns, exactly where his hair would be if he was human.

*It's okay master, I'll stay here and pray for you.* She replied, guessing that he wanted to be alone for a bit.

*You're an incredible wife, you know that?* He smiled at her, then leaned down and tenderly kissed the top of her head.

*Thank you master!* She beamed.

He ruffled her honey-blonde hair slightly, though it didn't do anything because of her Fey heritage; her hair fell perfectly back into place. He gave her a pensive, slightly mournful grin, then slipped out the door.

Not long afterward, The Fey got a strong feeling that she should go talk to Kendra. She wasn't sure why, but she did. She considered for a few moments, then figured it couldn't hurt. She put the Book of Light back in its drawer and slipped out onto the weather deck.

Master was sitting cross-legged at the front of the Argo facing towards the front of the ship. She could see him doing his deep breathing exercises, and hoped he would get a better handle on his dragon instincts. The Fey teen really wanted Kendra's first time with him to be special, and she didn't think the dragon would treat Kendra nearly as well if he was in 'dragon mode' as he sometimes called it.

She said another quick prayer to Illuminar about that and then headed below decks to the women's sleeping area. She had to pass through the men's area first, and couldn't help but roll her eyes as she walked past Raklan's hammock, where the burly crewman was sawing logs.

"Kendra." She whispered after ducking through the curtain.

The raven-haired woman was up almost instantly, looking slightly bleary-eyed, but very much awake. Apparently, she slept with her sword in the hammock because it was suddenly in her hand, though not drawn.

"Taloni." She smiled and relaxed a bit when she saw her, and the Fey gave her a small smile.

"Good morning." The Fey teen whispered, so as not to wake Selene.

"What occasions the visit?" Kendra whispered back, setting her sword down inside her hammock again.

"Master is up at the bow of the ship, and I think he could use someone to talk to."

The dragon huntress cocked her head to one side. "Why me?" She then looked towards the small porthole that was letting the pre-dawn light in. "And why... wh..." She yawned. "Why now?"

"I just had a feeling." She shrugged, then echoed the yawn.

Kendra made a thoughtful expression, then nodded her head in concession. "You feelings seem to be spot on where I'm concerned."

The Fey smiled. "I try."

"You succeed." She smiled. "Okay, I'll go talk to him. Do you know about what?"

"Um, I have a guess, but I'd rather he told you. I think you could help him with what's bothering him in a way that no one else can."

"Really?"

Taloni nodded. "I think so."

"I'll go talk to him then." She said, swinging her legs out of the hammock.

The Fey couldn't help but notice that she left her sword behind, even with what had happened the previous night.

She smiled.

* * *

Kendra stretched a bit after walking out onto the weather deck. It was early morning and the sun hadn't risen yet, though the sky was slowly getting lighter. Ethan was indeed at the front of the ship, leaning on the point where the railings on the two sides of the Argo converged at the front. She walked over to stand several feet behind him since she couldn't stand beside him.

Honestly, it felt a bit awkward.

He seemed mostly oblivious to her presence, and frankly most everything else except the horizon and perhaps the scenery scrolling by underneath the Argo. After a minute, Kendra exhaled particularly loudly to alert him to her presence.

He turned and got a small smile on his face when he saw her, though he looked a bit guilty too. All trace of the dragon was completely absent.

"Morning Kendra."

"Morning." She gave him an embarrassed half smile.

"What's up?"

"Taloni said I should come talk to you."

"About what?"

"I have no idea." She shrugged. "What were you thinking about?"

Suddenly, he didn't quite meet her eye. He hesitated for several seconds, then shook his head. "It's... I'm not sure I'm ready to talk about it."

"Okay." Kendra shrugged. "Do you want me to leave you alone?"

"You don't have to." He replied, and his tone informed her that he probably didn't want to be alone. "There's plenty of railing and some beautiful scenery. I think we crossed back over into Ivernia during the night."

He took several steps back so there was room beside him and then looked out over the rolling hills beneath them in the light of pre-dawn. Kendra stepped up beside him and did likewise, noting the vibrant, lush green of Ivernia. They stood there for several minutes, each looking out on different sides of the ship. It wasn't an awkward silence, but it wasn't quite a comfortable one either.

Finally, Ethan turned towards her and broke it. "I am selfish?"

"No." She replied simply as she faced him. "Why do you ask?"

"Are you sure?" He pressed. "Am I usually putting other people's lives at risk for things I want?"

"You all but begged me to leave the Argo yesterday, so no." She raised an eyebrow. "Why, do you feel like you're doing something selfish right now?"

He shook his head, but that guilty expression was back and it seemed like he was shaking his head more at himself than in answer to her question. She wanted to ask about it, but wasn't really sure how to without being nosey. After several seconds, he made a thoughtful sound and went back to looking at the landscape scrolling underneath them. Kendra did the same, still not sure what he was referring to.

About a minute later, he turned to her again. "And, you're sure that I'm not usually selfish, and putting other people in danger to satisfy my whims?"

"I'm sure that you don't do that; I wouldn't be here if you did." She said honestly. "Frankly, I've never met a man who was less selfish than you are. Very few men would try to talk Illuminar Himself out of giving him more wives, and even fewer would do so because he was concerned about his current wives."

Ethan looked like he was going to disagree, but it seemed like he couldn't come up with anything. He frowned, made another thoughtful sound, and then started to turn back to ground-watching, but stopped.

Kendra looked at him for several seconds, trying to decide what was going on in his head. Finally, she just asked. "So, please don't take this as me pushing, and feel free to say that you're not ready to talk about it, but what's eating you Ethan?"

He took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and then finally spoke. "It's Sarah."

"Sarah?" Kendra repeated. "What about her?"

Ethan again seemed to hesitate, and then it was like a dam burst. "I want her to be one of my wives. I really do. I don't know why, I don't know what it is about her, but I do. I just can't get her out of my head. She was no nice and that smile..."

He looked simultaneously happy and miserable; contented and jealous at the same time. "She's just so... so... I can't even put my finger on it, but damn I've fallen for her."

"She's betrothed." Kendra pointed out.

"I know." He hung his head and wouldn't meet her eye. "I feel like an asshole for crushing on another man's girl. My ex cheated on me and I'll never forgive her for that. From what I hear, betrothal is basically like marriage here, so I'm basically crushing on a married woman. I feel like a dick."

Kendra wasn't sure exactly what he meant by 'dick', but she could guess the general meaning from the context. "Betrothal isn't quite marriage." She offered. "It's close, but not the same. Her betrothed could end it if he had a good reason."

"What's a good reason?" Ethan asked, almost too quickly.

"Um, if she did something sexual with another man, or she abandoned him, or if she exposed herself to a man, or in public." Kendra replied. "Lewd exposure isn't a common reason to end a betrothal, but it happens."

Ethan shook his head. "She would never do any of those, so yeah she's going to get married. I'm an asshole."

Kendra had the impulse to touch his arm in a comforting fashion, but her stomach protested vehemently. She wanted to say something, but Ethan continued before she could figure out what to say.

"But let's say something happens; let's say that blacksmith fiancé of hers accidentally sticks his head in a forge." He scowled, and Kendra got the impression that he was trying not to wish that would happen. "Then what?"

"I don't follow."

"Okay, so let's pretend that she's single and willing to marry me, what kind of horrible husband would I be to do that to my current wives? Hell, the whole crew of the Argo, even you."

"Still not following."

He paused. "I really like Sarah, and for some reason I don't even care that she could literally rip me in half. It's stupid, but I just don't care. But what about my wives? What kind of monster willing puts his wives in danger because he's crushing on another man's girl?"

"Or maybe you're looking at it wrong." Kendra countered.

"Oh?"

"Try asking yourself this question instead." She offered. "What kind of man is wracked with guilt because he likes a betrothed woman, and then beats himself up because he's worried about putting his wives in danger because of his attraction to her? That doesn't sound like a monster, does it?"

"No." He admitted.

"Ethan, I've been in the world a lot longer than your other wives." She said. "Not age wise, I'm only as old as Alana and Selene, but in terms of living in the real world -- the dangerous parts of the world -- I've seen a lot more. I've seen real monsters. I've met real monsters."

"I'm not talking about dragons." He replied.

"I'm not either." The dragon huntress said darkly. "I didn't only deal with dragons. They can be horrible, but if they want you dead they'll simply fry you, bite your head off, or disembowel you. They take as much pleasure in a man's death as we would in stepping on a bug; they simply don't care. Men on the other hand..."

"What do you mean?"

She set her jaw. "You don't want to know."

"Maybe I do."

She swallowed hard. "I was once sent to... 'deal with' a man who had heard a rumor -- and not even a credible rumor -- that one of his wives had committed adultery. He took a spear shaft with an iron spike, stuck it upright into the ground, covered it with oil, used a poison to paralyze that wife, strung her up by her arms, and then slowly lowered--"

"Okay!" Ethan cut her off, clearly picturing it and shuddering while doing so.

"That's not even the worse thing he'd done or why I was sent to deal with him." Kendra said quietly. "And he's far from the worst person I've heard of; he's not even close. I've seen real monsters Ethan; I've met real monsters. You are many things and you have your problems... but being a monster isn't one of them."

"Thank you." He said, then he set his jaw. "I hope you gave that bastard what was coming to him."

"I've never seen anyone so happy to be widowed as his remaining wives." She nodded.

"Good."

He thought for a moment. "You really don't think I'm a monster? Even though I'm a dragon? Even though my dragon side will likely..." He swallowed hard as he looked at her, then it seemed like he couldn't bear it anymore and looked away.

She shook her head. "I wouldn't be here if I did; being a dragon has nothing to do with it. I've met men, elves, Fey, and many others who were monsters. Monsters come in all shapes, forms, sizes... and races. I've met real monsters Ethan; you aren't one of them."

He considered that for several moments before nodding his head in concession. "Thank you."

She looked at him for several seconds. "You really love Sarah that much?"

He winced and looked guilty, but nodded slowly.

"I hear that Anthiel has some good things to say about that." Kendra remarked.

"Oh?"

She nodded. "She says that love is doing what's best for someone else, regardless of what it costs you. What's best for Sarah?"

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "That I stay away, unless maybe if I can help her with her demon problem."

"Focus on that then." She suggested. "That's a problem that you, a prophet of Illuminar, might be able to solve; and solving it is certainly what's best for her."

"Good point." He nodded.

Kendra had never really had a friend before, but she felt that after a conversation like this that they should... she wasn't sure; maybe hug or something? The thought had barely occurred to her when her stomach clenched, so she resisted. Instead, she leaned back on the railing, feeling like she should do or say something, but not sure what to do or say.

Besides, it looked like he had more to say.

About a minute later, he did. "So, I'm not incredibly selfish for wanting another wife, even though I already have four amazing wives. I mean seriously, I am so blessed with Alana, Beth, Taloni, and Rachel. They are amazing women and I feel like a selfish idiot for wanting Sarah too."

"Well, Illuminar did say that you would have seven wives, right?"

"Yeah." He conceded. "You're going to say that it's not really applicable since I'm going to have seven anyway."

"You said it, not me." She grinned.

"Fair." He conceded.

He seemed to lose himself in thought for a bit and resumed looking out at the landscape. The Ivernian countryside seemed to settle him a bit, and Kendra had to admit that there was something vaguely calming about it. The sun was nearly risen, the light becoming a more cheerful orange-red than the blue hues of pre-dawn.

After several minutes, he finally spoke. "If there's ever anything I can do for you, just say the word."

"You're letting me live on the Argo; I couldn't really ask for more." She felt her eyes get slightly watery at that, but managed to keep it in. It wasn't easy though; it never was when she thought about the night she'd found out that she could make the Argo her home.

He gave her a small smile. "I know we spent a lot of time trying to kill each other, but I'm glad neither of us succeeded."

"Me too." She smiled back.

Ethan was on the starboard side of the ship, and Kendra the port and they were traveling mostly south. That put the sunrise off the Argo's port bow. Ethan turned to look at her, then he seemed to notice the sunrise and nodded towards it.

The dragon huntress turned to watch it too.

It was incredibly pretty.

The sky was mostly a cloudless blue, but covering the entire eastern sky were puffy clouds. The sun had just barely started to peek over the horizon, and it cast the underside of the cloud in the most beautiful mosaic of reds, oranges and purples.

It was sublime.

They watched for several minutes until something occurred to her: she was literally watching a sunrise with Ethan. She'd had her back to him the entire time, and for some strange reason that didn't bother her. She knew exactly what he was struggling with, and yet she had turned her back anyway. Now, they were watching this beautiful sunrise together and it felt...

Felt...

She couldn't think of anything to compare it to.

She'd never done this before, not romantically anyway. She'd seen plenty of sunrises while doing recon, and even occasionally with only a single male ally. But it was never like this; not even once. She had the strangest impulse to take a step back and lean up against him, but squashed it immediately. Her stomach led the charge, though her heart was lagging at the rear.

She was watching the sunrise with Ethan.

It was actually kind of...

Well, nice.

Except that 'nice' seemed insufficient to describe it. Pleasant? No, still not strong enough. Delightful? Wonderful? Those seemed closer; not right, but closer. Fearing to disturb the moment, she said nothing. She just stood there watching the sunrise with him.

She was eventually shaken from the moment by a clanging sound coming from the direction of the captain's cabin. She turned to see Raklan had dropped the metal ladle into the breakfast pot, which is what had made the noise. The entire crew of the Argo except for Ethan and herself was sitting around the breakfast fire, most were watching them with amused expressions.

Kendra blushed.

She wasn't sure why, but she did.

* * *

Ethan headed over to the breakfast fire, not sure what to make of Kendra's strange behavior this morning. First, she'd sought him out, then she'd been very comforting, and then most confusingly, they'd watched the sunrise together. He hadn't even realized that's what they were doing until it was nearly over.

He wasn't sure what to make of that.

He flopped down in the space between Rachel and Beth, which they'd seemingly left open for him since Alana was on Rachel's other side and Taloni was on Beth's other side. The Fey teen was sitting next to Kendra as usual, and Kendra was next to Selene.

He took some breakfast and started eating as he considered the conversation with Kendra. The raven-haired woman did have a point about helping Sarah. He did feel like he should stay away, mostly because he didn't trust himself around her. However, he might actually be able to help her with her demon problem, and he wanted to do that for her if he could.

He both loved and hated the idea of seeing her again. Loved it for obvious reasons, and hated it because he really didn't want to see her wed to another man. He couldn't fault her fiancé for his taste, but that didn't mean he detested him less, mostly on principle.

"So, Kendra and I were talking--" He started to say.

"Yes, we noticed." Anthiel interrupted with a knowing smile.

Taloni and Beth giggled.

He rolled his eyes. "--about Sarah."

Selene perked up.

"And I was thinking, we'll probably see her again since Selene wanted to be there for her wedding." He tried not to scowl at the thought, which produced rather a lot of mischievous and/or knowing looks. He ignored them. "Anyway, I was thinking that out of everyone in the Ten Kingdoms, the people that might actually stand the best chance of ridding her of her demon problem are on this ship right now. Is anyone else willing to help--"

"I will!" Beth, Taloni, and Selene chorused instantly, with his other wives not far behind.

"I will as well." Anthiel added, and Serif nodded once.

"Raklan?" The high elf pilot looked at him.

"I don't give a shit about the broad." He shrugged. "I'll do whatever you need; long as I'm paid, I'm happy."

Ethan rolled his eyes.

Asshole.

"Anyway, I thought probably we should brainstorm ideas, starting with our resident expert on demons." He turned to Beth.

The blonde teen froze in the middle of a bite. "mhwe?" She said with her mouth full, then closed it and covered her mouth.

He chuckled. "Finish chewing, we'll wait."

The blonde resumed chewing and the rest of them waited for her to finish. For some reason, it always seemed like chewing took forever when you were waiting for the person who was chewing to finish.

"Um, I only met the one demon and I was scared out of my mind." She finally said when she'd finished. "I mean, I have no idea what..." She cocked her head to one side. "Well, now that you mention it, I saw one other thing that looked almost exactly like the demon." She turned to Ethan. "It was that curse that was contained by the gold cube; the dark halo around your head."

"Didn't you chop that thing to bits?" Rachel asked.

Beth nodded. "With Aharown."

"Ah-har-own." Ethan repeated, making sure to get the pronunciation correct. "Could it be that simple?"

"It's an angelic blade master." The Fey's wings fluttered excitedly. "Surely it could slay a demon."

Beth clapped her hand to her forehead. "Why didn't I think of that before?"

"There was a lot going on." Alana pointed out. "None of the rest of us did either."

He gave her a comforting smile. "Yeah, I was a bit distracted as well."

"We know." Anthiel said with a knowing smile, then took a sip of her drink.

Ethan was pretty sure that if he was still human, he would've blushed. He gave the high elf a look, but she was unperturbed. If anything, she looked more amused.

"Master has been very distracted lately." Taloni teased.

"Ugh." He groaned. "We should change the Argo's name to the HMS Bounty."

Everyone stared except Selene, who laughed.

"There's a famous book on Earth entitled 'Mutiny on the HMS Bounty', inspired by actual events." The Brazilian woman explained.

"Anyway, that angelic blade certainly seems like it would be worth trying." Ethan nodded, then turned to Beth with a grimace. "I hate to ask you to use it though."

"That's okay, it's not mine anyway." The blonde replied. "Gabriella said I should hold onto it until I found its 'rightful owner'." She cocked her head to one side. "I'll bet it's you Dominus."

"Oh?"

"Well, you are the prophet of Illuminar." Beth pointed out. "It would make sense if the sword was intended for you. I only used it to deal with the dark halo curse on you, then it didn't feel right for me to use it again."

He shrugged, then something occurred to him. "Hey, that dark halo thing stuck to me, and I'm guessing that the spell wasn't created specifically for me, so wouldn't that mean it could be attached to a non-dragon? And that being the case, I thought it was impossible to enchant a non-dragon."

"As best as we can understand, things work entirely differently with divine and demonic magic." Rachel replied. "From what Beth described, I wouldn't call that dark halo a spell at all. It sounds like demonic magic, which is completely different. It's more properly called a 'curse', not a spell. We don't know much about them, but from what we know curses can be attached to anything."

"They can?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yes, it was attached to the gold cube, and can attach to other living things as well. For example, consider werewolves and vampires; it's not a physical malady that they have, it's a curse. A curse that can be passed from person to person, but a curse nonetheless. The divine equivalent is called a blessing, which works the same way only produces a positive effect."

"And there was a normal person in the Book of Light who was blessed with incredible strength, master." Taloni mentioned. "So it does seem to be different than regular magic."

He nodded, remembering that the wood elven king had once mentioned that same man with great strength. "I suppose it makes sense that mortal spells are different than demonic curses."

"It's sure troubling when they're used together though." Kendra said darkly and nodded towards Rachel.

"They can be used together?" The redhead raised her eyebrow.

The raven-haired woman nodded. "You didn't know that?"

The teen mage shook her head. "No."

"Oh. You're just so knowledgeable about magic that I assumed..." The dragon huntress looked surprised. "That's what a will-breaker ring is. It's a fusion of a demonic curse into an enchanted ring. The ring couldn't actually break someone's will without the demonic element."

"What?" Rachel put her hand over her mouth.

The dragon huntress nodded. "It's not commonly known because information about how to make them is destroyed or suppressed whenever it's found, but it's true. My team once went after a necromancer who'd made a deal with a lesser demon in order to make them. That's part of the reason they're banned and creating one is punishable by death; because it requires demonic involvement."

"Oh." The redhead replied.

She looked stunned

Alana reached over and gave her hand a comforting squeeze. It took a moment for Ethan to realize the implications that the brilliant redhead had almost certainly put together.

Could it be...?

"Wait." Ethan shook his head. "Wait, wait, wait; are you saying that Lord Delmar is not only a lord with armies and a whole platoon of dragon slayers, and he's not only a dragon with Drago-level power, but he might have demonic allies too, since he obviously acquired a will-breaker ring for Rachel?"

Silence fell.

No one said anything for several seconds. They all just looked at each other except Raklan, who didn't look like he was paying much attention.

Holy Shit.

"That would explain what happened to me when we first arrive in Arcanum." Beth said as her mouth fell open. "I always wondered why I was targeted, and how the demon knew where I was and was able to plan in advance. It must've been someone working with Lord Delmar."

"It must've been, because it sure as Saidow's Lair wasn't Falkaan." Kendra said with conviction. "He's far too cautious to get within a thousand leagues of anything to do with Saidow's minions.

"But, it could be someone other than my father, right?" Rachel asked, her eyes wide. "I mean, he might have someone working for him who... who would make the... the..." She trailed off.

"It's possible." Kendra conceded. "Lords tend to be the cautious type, so he might've had someone else make it on his orders."

"That's not any better." Taloni said quietly.

Ethan had to agree.

It was rather like the man who ordered an assassination being just as culpable as the hitman who carried it out. He put his arm around his redheaded wife and pulled her close. She didn't resist. Damn, she'd been through a lot in the last twenty four hours.

"Are you going to be okay?" He whispered to her.

"I knew my father could be bad, but this..." She whispered back, seemingly unable to finish her sentence.

He looked around at the still-stunned crew while holding his fourth wife. Kendra didn't seem very surprised, but then he supposed she must've known this all along and had assumed that they all already knew.

He didn't know what to think.

If Alana and Taloni could've survived on Earth, he'd be half tempted to finish with the orcs down south, use Aharown to try and deal with Sarah's demon problem, and then high-tail it back to Earth. Secret government organizations seemed like less of a threat than actual demons. And if Lord Delmar was actually working with actual demons...

He grimaced.

Suddenly, he felt a lot less secure about his future, and more importantly the futures for his wives and unborn daughter. His dragon steel weapons were incredible, but he didn't think they could be any use against spiritual foes. The one weapon that they did have -- Aharown -- still was only one weapon, no matter how powerful it was.

That's when he remembered The Witcher series, where the hero carried two blades: one sword for normal threats and another silver sword for monsters. He supposed that he would have to do the same, using the dragon steel weapons for normal threats and Aharown for the demonic ones, but he didn't fancy coming up against a demon.

Not at all.

The only demon that he would voluntarily face would be the one that had attached itself to Sarah. Sure it was risky, but for Sarah he was willing to take the chance. Otherwise... otherwise he knew enough not to mess with that kind of thing.

* * *

Sarah Jumped slightly as she felt something move against her. She jerked awake to discover an emaciated rat squeaking and running away. She was almost amused; even rats couldn't thrive in this place. She looked around the small, cold cell and almost wished that the old woman had left her in the laboratory all night; at least it was warmer there.

Lady Ekthros was in the cell next to her, also sleeping. She appeared to be having a bad dream, as she kept mumbling to herself and jerking slightly. The innkeeper's daughter considered waking her up, but figured she could use all the rest she could get, even if it wasn't pleasant.

"No... no..." The auburn-haired woman mumbled in her sleep. "No, Adrian..."

She started thrashing somewhat violently, so Sarah called her name loudly. "Lady Ekthros!"

The older woman jerked up and awake, looking wide eyed around the room like she was scared out of her mind. She seemed almost feral for a moment before her eyes settled on Sarah and she seemed to come to herself. She took a deep breath while looking at the innkeeper's daughter. That's when Sarah noticed her eye color, which for some reason she hadn't noticed before.

Her eyes were dark grey.

Not the normal color gray that she'd seen occasionally with the inn's visitors, but dark grey. She'd never seen that eye color before, and she'd seen thousands of people come through the inn over the years. Yet even 'dark grey' wasn't quite correct. It was an accurate description of the color, but something about her eye color looked faded; as if they had once been a normal grey color, but then something had darkened them.

Curious.

Eventually, Lady Ekthros put her hand over her heart and took a few deep breaths.

"Are you okay?" The innkeeper's daughter asked.

"I'll be okay." Lady Ekthros breathed deeply. "Sorry, bad dream."

"Who's Adrian?" She asked.

The corner of the other woman's mouth twitched, and Sarah couldn't tell if it had been headed upwards towards a smile or downwards towards a frown. She took another few deep breaths, then finally exhaled in a calm, determined way.

"He's..." A flicker of a happy, contented smile appeared on her face for the briefest moment before it turned to sadness, and then disappeared altogether. "He's no one you need concern yourself about."

Sarah was just about to ask a follow-up question when the door opened and one of the guards walked in. He grinned wickedly at the two women. "The old lady downstairs has more questions for you."

The two women looked at each other and grimaced.

* * *

"Rachel? Rachel can you hear me?"

"Huh?" The redhead turned to see Ethan behind her, and then she realized she didn't know where she was and had to get her bearings. She had somehow wandered down onto the Argo's lower deck and she was apparently pacing alongside the main ballast logs located in the center of the ship.

She had wandered away from the others and spent most of the morning wandering around the Argo trying to collect her thoughts. Everyone had been really considerate and given her space, but right about now she felt like she'd had enough space and didn't want to be alone anymore.

Her husband's timing had been perfect.

"Got a lot going on in that beautiful head of yours?" He asked with a smile.

She nodded.

"So... you agree that you've got a beautiful head then?" He said with a lopsided grin and a wink.

She half chuckled, but couldn't muster the emotional energy to do much more. With the revelation yesterday, the kiss from Alana, and the revelation that morning, she felt slightly numb.

"Come here." He gently pulled her into a hug and held her tightly.

She relaxed into him and let out the breath she hadn't realized that she been holding in. "My father is..." She whispered, barely able to get those words out, let alone finish the sentence.

"I know." He replied. "But whatever his faults are, he makes excellent daughters."

"How do I live with that?" She asked, not letting go of him.

"The same way you live with everything else." He said gently. "With a little help from your friends, and fellow wives, and your husband too. We're all here for you; whatever you need."

"I don't even know anymore." She confessed. "It's all too much."

"Yeah, that happens sometimes." He kissed the top of her head. "I don't know what to do to help, other than to promise that you'll always have me and your fellow wives. Believe me, if I had some clever thing to say that would make it all right, I would've already said it."

"Are you sure you still want me? I--"

"Yes." He said firmly. "Yes I still want you."

"But my father is--"

"You aren't your father." He said just as firmly. "He's tried to kill me since I arrived and I still married you. He could be Hitler for all I care, and I would still want you because you aren't him."

"Hitler?" She asked.

"Sorry, a man from Earth who started a world war."

She pulled back slightly to look at him. "A world war? You mean, the whole world was involved?"

"Pretty much." He nodded. "I love you Rachel, and I wouldn't trade you for anything. Marriage is a 'for better or worse' kind of arrangement, and I think this definitely qualifies as worse."

She nodded.

"So yeah, I'm still here, along with Alana, Beth, Taloni, and the rest of them too."

"But what if he--"

"Rachel." He held up his hand. "If, God forbid, something happens; if he somehow strikes me with a mortal blow, I promise that my last conscious act will be to tell you that I love you."

Her breath caught in her throat.

Her eyes started getting watery

She tried to smile at him, but her smile felt all distorted because she could feel herself starting to cry. He pulled her back against him and held her tightly.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she could feel the dragon's disgust at her tears over the bond. But the overpowering emotion that she got from him wasn't that; it was a deep sorrow that seemed like it came from his concern for her. He wanted to help her; she could feel it. And it seemed like the hardest thing for him was not being able to help.

She liked that he cared so much.

* * *

Ethan held Rachel as tears started silently falling down her cheeks. She had completely relaxed against him and was holding him like she never wanted him to let go. He didn't want to let her go either. It killed him how much her father was hurting her, yet he didn't know what to do about it either.

So he just held her.

Several minutes later, she lifted her head and looked into his eyes with her big, shining, caring blue ones. All her walls were down. She was as open and as emotionally fragile as he'd ever seen her, and she trusted him enough to be that vulnerable with him

He liked that.

He lifted his hand and gently stroked her cheek with the back of it. "I love you Rachel Ejder; my beautiful, wise redhead."

She smiled faintly. "And I love you Ethan Ejder, my wonderful lord."

He kissed her gently, and she returned it tenderly.

For a moment, he considered mentioning her kiss with Alana to help her sort through it, but he didn't think she needed that right now. Right now she needed to be reassured, and he was happy to do that. He knew that he needed to talk to her about it eventually, but it could wait.

* * *

Kendra walked over to the lunch fire, ready to eat after a fairly intense workout that morning. She and Selene had sparred for a bit while she taught the caramel-haired beauty more about the finer points of swordplay. Then she'd sparred against Raklan, who she beaten better than 50/50. Then she spared with Serif.

The legend himself.

She felt incredibly proud of herself that she'd almost beaten him more than once. She hadn't actually beaten him, but coming close still felt like an accomplishment given who he was. The workout had been invigorating and she could feel a slight sheen of perspiration on her tanned skin.

She reached the fire pit and stretched, just as Ethan and Rachel came up from the lower decks. She had been stretching as he came up, and his eyes fell on her.

He stopped.

She recognized the look in his eye.

It was the same hungry look that he often gave his wives before they disappeared into the captain's cabin. He had a wolfish grin on his face and his eyes raked her body. It would be okay though, because she knew how to beat this. He couldn't compel her if he didn't make direct eye contact. Therefore, the trick was simply to avoid making eye contact with him. That's all it would take.

So she shouldn't make eye contact because of what would happen if she did.

No eye contact.

That very was important.

She reminded herself of this twice before -- for some reason that she couldn't explain -- her eyes flicked to look into his. Instantly, she felt her control over her body wane. She suddenly felt a bit like a puppet on a string and found her limbs sluggish and unresponsive. Just like every previous time, it didn't matter how much she applied her will or how much she focused, she couldn't even close her eyes. She could blink, but not look away.

She had looked at him.

Why?

She knew exactly what would happen if she did, so why did she?

Why had she done it?

It didn't make any sense to her, but it almost didn't matter because he was on the move. He took a few steps forward onto the weather deck and she felt compelled to take a few steps also, so they were mirror-image on either side of the captain's cabin door, perhaps ten feet from it and about half that distance from each other.

"Kendra?" Taloni said, then she heard a sharp intake of breath. "Master?"

"Ethan?" Alana and Beth said at the same time that Rachel spoke up too. "My lord?"

He ignored them and kept staring into her eyes.

She couldn't look away.

* * *

Ethan could feel the full might of his dragon side bearing down on him and he couldn't fight it. He simply couldn't. It was too strong, fighting too hard, and it craved Kendra too much. Why had she met his eyes? Why? This would've been so much easier to resist if she hadn't looked at him. She must've known what would happen if she did, so why did she?

He could feel what the dragon wanted. It wanted to compel her into the captain's cabin, force her to strip for him, and then take her repeatedly.

He didn't.

He didn't want to do that to her because he knew what it would do to her, and he couldn't allow that. But it was like a ten-ton carjack was being used to move him. He fought with all of his might, but couldn't fight his dragon side any longer.

He was vaguely aware that time was passing, that he was panting at her as he took in her deliciously toned curves. She had a warrior's body that would surely be perfectly fit to house his next brood after he filled her virgin womb with his--

He clamped down on his dragon side as hard as he could, but it wasn't enough.

Nothing was enough.

That's when something occurred to him. He couldn't stop the dragon; that much was clear. However he might be able to alter what it compelled. In sword fighting, deflecting a strike was always easier than blocking it outright.

So he tried.

He thought about Kendra and everything he knew of her; how much she loved the Argo, how brave she was, how caring she could be, and used that to fuel his will against the dragon.

It worked.

Barely, but it worked.

He forced the dragon's compulsion to the rear and inserted his own. He pushed the only thought that he could think of on such a short notice. Relishing the irony of what he was about to compel, he hoped it would be enough.

*Whatever you actually want to do, do that.*

His control slipped, and at the last moment he realized that as he had compelled Kendra, the dragon had concealed the compulsion from her. She would act on it, but wouldn't know what compulsion she was acting on.

* * *

Kendra felt the compulsion, but strangely it felt insubstantial too. Like it was there and powerful, but somehow 'not there' too. Her mouth opened of its own accord and called towards the quarterdeck. "Anthiel, could you please come down here?"

What?

Why would she want Anthiel?

"Stay back." The dragon huntress called to Ethan's other wives as they started to intervene.

They stopped.

She could just see them in her peripheral vision and they looked stunned, but they stopped. She couldn't understand why. Why had she asked them to stop? Why had they stopped? Couldn't they see what was happening?!

"Yes?" The high elf pilot said as she arrived, standing facing them with her back to the captain's cabin.

"Marry us?" The dragon huntress asked.

Wait, wait?!

What the fuck?!

What in Saidow's lair?!

She couldn't move. She still couldn't move. She was locked in a battle of wills that she had no hope of winning with a dragon who hadn't said a word yet.

"You want me to marry you?" Anthiel asked and she seemed amused; like she'd known this was coming

*No! A thousand times no!* She screamed in her head towards Anthiel, but of course the high elf couldn't hear her. And besides, those weren't the words that came out as her tongue and vocal chords betrayed her.

"Yes Anthiel, please marry us."

Her mouth was apparently staging a rebellion. Kendra tried to pay attention to her peripheral vision -- since she couldn't look -- and it seemed like all of Ethan's wives were dumbstruck.

Then her rebellious mouth opened again. "Taloni, would you be my matron of honor?"

Even with only her peripheral vision, Kendra could tell that the Fey teen was ecstatic. "I would love to!"

The dragon huntress wanted to scream in frustration as her rebellious mouth staged yet another revolt and spoke again. "Alana, Beth, Rachel, Selene; would you be my bridesmaids?"

One after another, they assented. It took them several seconds of hesitation, but they did.

What in Saidow's lair was going on?!

Getting married wasn't what she wanted!

Well, okay; maybe a small part of her wanted it, but it was only a small part. All of this must be the dragon. That it; that's all it could be. She would never want this. Ever. Okay, it might mean she could share their bed which would be amazing, and yes Ethan was willing to fight and die for her, and yes he was the best man she'd ever known, and yes if she ever were going to get married it would be to him, but she would never want this.

"Are you ready to be married Kendra?" Anthiel asked.

"I am." She replied, not perfectly sure if it was the compulsion talking or not. She really did want to be married, not to a dragon though. She could tolerate Ethan, but not the dragon.

Anthiel turned to the dragon who was currently compelling her. He hadn't blinked once; damn dragon physiology with the second, transparent eyelid. He had a very dragonish sneer of triumph on his face. However, she saw a hint of the man that she was about to marry deep in his eyes.

Oh Illuminar, she was about to marry a dragon.

The high elf pilot cleared her throat. "Do you Ethan, with full knowledge and consent; take this woman, Kendra, to be your wife in the covenant of marriage? Do you swear to keep and provide for her all of your days, committing to treat her with honor, love, and respect in all circumstances to the best of your ability, and allow only death to separate you?"

"I do." He grinned as his eyes bored into her.

Anthiel then turned to her. "Do you Kendra, with full knowledge and consent, give yourself to this man, Ethan, to be his wife in the covenant of marriage? Do you swear to follow and obey him for all of your days, committing to give yourself only to him; and to the best of your ability treat him with honor, love, and respect in all circumstances, and allow only death to separate you?"

"I do." She replied softly, not fighting anymore.

What was the point?

The dragon had won. Now, she was about to be bred like some horse on a farm. She knew what dragons were like; what they wanted. She could maybe live with that with Ethan, maybe she could want that with Ethan, but never the dragon.

Anthiel spoke again, sealing her fate. "Then in the name of Illuminar, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Ethan, you may kiss your bride."

The dragon took a step forward, and surprisingly Kendra found that she had regained a tiny modicum of control; or perhaps he had allowed her a bit of control?

She wasn't sure which.

"No!" She said as he started to lean in to kiss her. To her surprised, he stopped.

"Not here." She pleaded.

"Where?" The dragon asked with a wicked grin.

The dragon huntress felt her cheeks burn as her traitorous mouth ran ahead of her again. "In there." She said, gesturing to the captain's cabin.

"I'll get the door for you... Mrs. Ejder." Taloni said as she skipped forward and opened the door while Anthiel moved out of the way.

She felt the dragon's compulsion and her body obeyed, but she still couldn't quite tell what he was compelling her to do. He moved, putting her back to the captain's cabin as his force of his will drove her slowly backwards. She passed through the open door with him following after her.

"Kendra, relax." Taloni said brightly. "Master will take good care of you."

The door closed behind them.

It sounded oddly final to the bride.

At that point, Kendra's brain unlocked enough that she remembered the telepathic group chat. She thought to them: *Why in Saidow's lair didn't you all intervene?*

There was a brief pause, then Alana replied. *Kendra, it didn't look like you wanted us to this time.*

*Kendra, I don't know if you realize it, but you were smiling.* Taloni added.

*You looked a bit nervous, but that's about it.* Beth added. *I've seen brides who were wildly in love look more nervous.*

*They're not wrong.* Rachel agreed. *You almost looked relieved.*

The dragon huntress was about to respond when the dragon burned a compulsion into to her as he spoke. "Until you leave this room, you'll utter nothing but the honest truth."

Kendra tried to tell everyone that she didn't want to marry him, but she couldn't for some reason. She tried several times to think that to them, but simply couldn't. Finally she settled on something that she could get out. *What made this time different?*

*Ethan was less dragonish.* Beth replied. *And it really looked like you wanted...* The blonde trailed off.

*Did we make a mistake?* Rachel asked. *Should we have done something?*

Kendra wanted to shout 'yes!' at the top of her lungs, but couldn't get the words out. She couldn't even think them to her-- She took a sharp intake of breath as she realized who Alana, Beth, Taloni and Rachel were to her now.

They were her fellow wives.

She blinked.

Then her jaw dropped.

She was married.

Dear Illuminar in heaven, she was actually married.

She didn't know what to make of that, and didn't really get a chance to think about it because her husband -- dear Illuminar in heaven, she had an actual husband -- took charge again. The dragon had stopped so her back was to the massive bed, and they weren't far apart. Now his eyes bored into her.

"Clothes." The dragon said, though oddly she didn't feel a compulsion buried in his tone.

She glared at him.

If he wasn't going to compel her, she wasn't going to do it.

The dragon sneered. "Are you an honest woman Kendra?"

She wanted to reply 'unlike you' to the dragon, but somehow couldn't quite get the words out. Finally she just answered. "Yes."

"And didn't you just promise to follow and obey?" The dragon grinned wickedly.

She glared at him.

If she was going to abide by her vows, she'd have to strip. If not, then she'd feel guilty for violating an oath to Illuminar. "Fuck you." She finally said.

The dragon -- without even the barest hint of Ethan -- grinned wickedly. "Clothes."

She glared, but nodded. First came her shoes and socks; those were the easy ones. She unbuttoned the cuffs of her long sleeves and felt the strength enhancing vambraces that had saved her life more times than she could count. Sadly, they were no use in this fight. She rolled both of her sleeves up all the way up and took the vambraces off as unsexily as possible.

"Kendra, what...?" The dragon was receding as warmth and concern came to his eyes. Ethan blinked and his compulsion was released, all trace of the dragon disappearing.

Ethan's jaw dropped as he stared at her left arm. "What happened?"

* * *

Ethan couldn't believe his eyes. Kendra had worn long sleeves as long as he'd known her. He'd never seen her in short sleeves, which he assumed was partially to conceal her vambraces and throwing knives. Now he was seeing her bare arm and the shock had jarred him enough to regain control.

Wow.

That was a big scar.

On her left arm was a scar that was over a foot long. It started in the middle of the bicep of her left arm, went down and twisted around slightly to end on the top of her forearm, maybe an inch from her wrist. It wasn't one of those 'jagged' scars where the skin was stretched and pulled, but it was a large, thick, white line.

"What happened?" He asked, suddenly concerned for her.

"I wasn't always such a good swordsman." She eyed him cautiously, but avoided direct eye contact.

He stared.

"That's not even my biggest one." She added, seemingly to fill the awkward silence.

"There's more?" He asked.

She grimaced, then nodded.

"Where?"

She hesitated, then -- to his complete shock -- mumbled the word 'clothes' and she pulled her shirt off in a business-like fashion.

He blinked.

She was topless.

She was topless and obviously trying to be nonchalant about it too. Her breasts were small, but perky with perfectly size areola and nipples. Right now they were standing hard and erect despite the warmth of the room and day in general. But that wasn't what drew his attention.

It was the scar.

Starting at her right shoulder, there was a long scar that went down at an angle across the top of her right breast, across the shallow valley between her small breasts, and across the underside of her left breast to end at the bottom edge of her ribcage. It missed the areola and nipples on both breasts by a good margin, but it wasn't a clean cut like the one on her arm. It was still flat, but much less straight and looked like it had been ripped into her skin as much as it had been cut.

This one looked like...

"It was a large dragon." She answered his unspoken question. "It damn-near killed me too; one of my squadmates had to heal me."

Below that, starting at the bottom of her ribcage on her left side was a large burn scar that extended down below the top of her trousers. The burn scar wasn't too bad, but the scar tissue had wrinkled the skin just enough that it was visible and recognizable as a burn scar.

He stared open-mouthed. "I knew you fought dragons, but..." He slowly shook his head and then whistled.

Suddenly, the incredibly powerful dragon huntress looked nervous. She rather nervously raised her left arm to cover her chest scar with her forearm and her right hand moved to cover the burn scar. Most of her breasts and her nipples were exposed; her scars were covered.

"I didn't mean you're not attractive." He clarified. "I just didn't expect..." He looked up at her. "How hard was your life?"

"It was..." She hesitated. "It was hard. And dangerous."

"How dangerous?" He wondered aloud.

She bit her lip, mumbled 'clothes' again, and then slipped her pants down.

He stared.

The burn scar on her left side extended down past her hip joint onto her left upper thigh, though only on the outside. In the middle of her opposite thigh were two slightly curved rows of bite scars in the unmistakable shape of a dragon's mouth; a large dragon's mouth. Above that on her right hip was a scar that could have only been made by her getting impaled by a wide, double-edged blade.

"It's a marvel you're still alive." He breathed looking at all the scars, nearly all of which looked like they had been life threatening.

"Illuminar has been good to me." She looked down at the bite scars on her right thigh. "A hairsbreadth in almost any direction and it would've severed my femoral artery. I would've bled out."

He gave her a small smile. "That would've been a shame."

"Really?" She bit her lip and tipped her head down, but she couldn't quite stop looking at him.

"Yes." He nodded. "Yes it would've been."

They looked at each other for a moment, and that's when he realized that Kendra the dragon huntress was standing naked in front of him. The woman who'd nearly killed him several times, apologized, fought beside him, and then made her home on the Argo. She really was an amazing woman, which led him to one inescapable conclusion.

"Sorry." He said, closing his eyes and turning his back. "You didn't want to be here, doing this."

The words were barely out of his mouth before he remembered the compulsion that he'd fought the dragon over. She literally couldn't have been here if she didn't actually want to be here.

It was impossible.

The compulsion would've prevented her from...

His eyes went wide.

She wanted to be here? Naked in the captain's cabin, with him? With a dragon?

"Ethan?" Kendra's voice came from behind, her tone more nervous and tentative than he'd ever heard her. Even including when she had apologized in Nalatia. "You can, um..."

He actually heard her swallow hard.

"You can turn back..." Her voice hitched. "...back around."

He did, and she was standing there with her hands at her sides. She wasn't covering herself at all, though her hands kept starting to before she stopped them and returned them to her sides. She swallowed hard again and looked down, biting her lip and flexing her fingers nervously.

Her body was lean and toned, evidence of her readiness for combat. She had subtle muscle definition in places that his other wives didn't, and slightly larger bone structure than his other wives too. She still looked very feminine, yet stronger too. Her pubic hair grew a bit wild, but it was short and confined to a sparse triangle above her slit. She hadn't groomed it into that shape either; it must be natural.

"You sure you want me seeing you like this?" He asked.

She opened her mouth and he thought she was going to say 'no', but she didn't.

No words came out.

She worked her mouth for a moment, then almost smiled. "I guess I can't say 'no'." Apparently, her nerves finally got the best of her because she covered her scars with her hands as best she could. Not her breasts or slit; her scars.

"Why?" He asked.

"Because..." She bit her lip, and didn't meet his eye. "Because it's going to happen sooner or later if I stay on the Argo, but I can't leave. I could survive doing this with you Ethan, but the dragon..." She shuddered.

"It would kill you." He finished.

She nodded. "But..." She swallowed hard, still standing there and concealing her scars. "But I'm not sure I can..." She took a deep breath. "You're a dragon, and I don't think I could make myself do... do 'it' with your dragon side dominant. I think I need... I'll need you to... to make me."

She looked directly into his eyes, leaving him in do doubt as to what she was asking. She shivered slightly, and he couldn't tell if it was in disgust or anticipation. Then she bit her lip.

He looked hard into her eyes.

She had beautiful, deep brown eyes. Behind them he could see a bit of fragility that he hadn't seen before, and it vaguely reminded him of Rachel with her walls down. Kendra wasn't as fragile, but she was vulnerable. She was standing naked before him and asking him to compel her to have sex with him. She was literally asking for that, but still...

He frowned. "That's not really my thing."

She gave him a pained half-smile. "It's not my thing either, but..."

She looked down. "...but the dragon will if you don't, and I..." She trailed off, and then took a long slow shuddering breath. "I could live with you doing it, but your dragon side..." She shook her head. "Please don't let it."

He hesitated.

He liked Kendra, rather a lot actually, but that made him want to do this less, not more. Despite how strong she was, in some ways she was a bit fragile too. Again, he was vaguely reminded of Rachel that way, and oddly Selene too. He found himself wondering if a tough outer persona was more often than not a cover for a fragile inner persona.

"Please, Ethan." Kendra said while not meeting his eye. "Please?"

He was about ready to say no, when he remembered something: Illuminar's saying that his fifth and sixth wives would both need something in bed that he was uncomfortable with. Even more interestingly, he'd talked about their needs. Not wants; needs.

He tried to take a step back and look at it objectively.

From her perspective, it was either Ethan or the dragon, and he knew damn sure that she didn't want his dragon side involved. She didn't seem too opposed to him though because she wouldn't leave the Argo. No matter how many times he'd suggested it, she'd refused to leave. Now she was asking for him to take her to bed.

Curiously, his dragon instincts seemed to hold themselves at a simmer. His dragon side seemed content to watch and wait for Ethan to take his newest wife to bed. However, he got the distinct impression that a refusal to do it himself would trigger to the dragon to take over, and that was one thing he wanted to avoid at all costs. Not for his sake; for Kendra's.

But he couldn't do it.

He just couldn't.

He cared about her too much. They'd been through too much together to have this happen now. The last thing in the universe that he wanted to do was take Kendra to bed when she didn't want him to.

But then the dragon would...

Hmm.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He really didn't see a way out of this. He had absolutely no intention of forcing anyone to have sex with him. Ever. Especially not someone he cared for, doubly especially not a virgin, and triple especially not Kendra. To force the virgin Kendra -- who he really did care about -- to share his bed was just...

He shook his head.

He couldn't do it.

Then an idea occurred to him. It was far less than the dragon wanted and far more than he wanted, but it should work. He knew from experience that he couldn't deny the dragon completely, but maybe partially...

Hmm.

* * *

"Say something?" Kendra asked. In the back of her mind she was trying to avoid conjuring up visions of Ethan waiting too long his dragon side taking over and her being forced to... to do that with the dragon in control.

She swallowed hard.

He looked incredibly conflicted, but he hadn't said anything. She bit her lip, and then did something that she'd resorted to only once before, but desperate times call for desperate measures. She opened her mental defenses enough that she could tell what he was feeling. To say it was confusing was an understatement. His emotions were a swirling mess of contradictory feelings. Foremost among them was a sense of protectiveness towards her.

She almost smiled.

He had what seemed like a hundred other emotions swirling around, and she was slightly gratified to feel desire from him, but it was completely subsumed by his desire to take care of and protect her. He wanted her, but he wasn't willing to hurt her to have her.

She liked that.

She left her mental fortress open to him as she waited. Only so she could gauge where he was at of course. No other reason. None at all, and certainly not because she liked what he was feeling for her.

"If the dragon wasn't a factor, would you want sleep with me?" He finally said, then added. "And be honest."

She hesitated for a moment, then tried to shake her head. She didn't really succeed, but she didn't really fail either. Why was she hesitating? She definitely, positively had no desire to bed him, even though she was his wife. None whatsoever. That was the absolutely last she ever wanted to do with him. Ever. Never ever. Of course, she couldn't actually say that for some reason...

Hmm.

"Would you be able to do something a bit less intimate?" He finally asked.

She grimaced. "Mouth?"

He nodded. "Would that be easier?"

She hesitated for several seconds as she considered. There was a real sense where that would actually be harder because it required her to be an active participant. She would actually be doing something, where if there was actually sex -- her stomach roiled -- she could theoretically not have to do anything and focus on surviving it.

Finally, she shook her head, this time finding it easy. "I would have to take the initiative, and I don't think that I could... I couldn't bring myself to..." She shook her head again. "No."

"You sure?"

"I know it's strange, but yes; that would be harder." She nodded. "I um, I'm not sure how we got to this point and..." She bit her lip.

He gave her a strange sort of knowing smile. "I couldn't stop the dragon from compelling you, but I was able to change the compulsion slightly. Do you want to know what I changed it to?"

She nodded.

"With your permission, let me see if I can remove the block that prevents you from knowing."

"Okay." She nodded and looked him in the eye.

She felt him capture her gaze moments later, and several seconds later the block that had prevented her from knowing what the compulsion was had been was removed so she could--

She gasped and put her hand over her mouth.

No.

No, it couldn't be...

Could it?

He released her from the compulsion and she took a step backwards, mouthing wordlessly.

"So... You wanted to marry me, huh?" He asked.

She was about to shake her head when she realized that it wasn't true. She had wanted to have what Ethan's wives had almost since she had started watching them. The most memorable moment was the first time she'd seen him spread his wings over them, but there had been plenty of others.

"Apparently." She finally said, then sank down so she was sitting on the bed.

His bed

His wives' bed...

...her bed?

"And now?" He asked.

"I can't..." She swallowed. "I can't be like your other wives Ethan; I really can't. I know they love this--" she gestured to the bed. "--but I'm just hoping I'll survive it."

"I'm hoping you'll do more than just survive it." He replied, a bit of swagger creeping into his voice, though he still looked very concerned about her.

"I'm hoping I won't vomit the minute you start touching me." She admitted, then a thought occurred to her. "Could you help with that? Not permanently, but just for now?"

He raised an eyebrow.

She bit her lip and crossed her arms over her chest, covering her scars and most of her breasts, then crossed her legs to hide her slit. She leaned forward slightly, not quite looking at him. "Could you help me with the nausea? Again not permanently, but just for now?"

"I think so, look at me."

She did, and moments later she felt his will press against her own. Moments after that, her stomach calmed. She could feel that it wanted to roil and complain, but it wasn't allowed to. That was the only thing he was compelling though; she had complete control otherwise.

"Apparently I can." He said.

She nodded, then bit her lip again. "Could we... I mean, could you get this over with as soon as possible?"

"I could." He conceded. "But that's not how I like to roll. Would you mind if I at least try to help you enjoy it." He said, then clarified. "Without compulsion; completely naturally."

Kendra thought that the contents of her stomach would probably be halfway up her esophagus if he wasn't compelling it to remain calm. He wasn't compelling anything else, and she was glad because she would hate that. Compulsion was a naturally dragonish thing, and she didn't like it at all.

"Okay, I suppose you can try if you don't use compulsion." She acquiesced. "But it won't work."

He gave her a small smile, then spoke in a strange voice that he'd once said belonged to someone named 'Yoda'. "So certain, are you?"

She nodded.

"Stand up." He asked without compelling her to.

She froze.

For some reason, it had been a lot easier to take her clothes off earlier. She'd been trying to be businesslike about it and just get it over with. However, that was a lot harder to do when she was staring into Ethan's warm, caring eyes versus the cold dragon's eyes. She couldn't look away of course; not while he was compelling her. And even though he was only compelling her stomach to remain calm, she still couldn't look away.

It was unnerving.

Not his gaze -- that was kind and almost comforting -- but the depth behind his gaze. His force of will combined with the caring and tenderness almost unsettled her in its sincerity.

"Do you trust me?" He asked, extending his hand towards her.

"Yes." She said a bit hoarsely, though without hesitation, surprising even herself.

"Then stand up; I promise you won't regret it." He said softly.

She bit her lip.

She remembered all her scars and how beautiful his other wives were. They surely weren't as damaged as she was; physically or otherwise. She couldn't help but think that she wouldn't measure up against his other wives, and she didn't just mean physically. She felt herself start to shiver slightly, and not from the temperature.

"Are you sure?" She finally managed to get out. "I have a lot of scars."

"Yes you do." He nodded. "And sometimes, it's the scars that make someone beautiful."

She swallowed as her eyes got a bit watery and her voice cracked slightly as she spoke. "Really?"

"Yes." He replied simply. "Stand up Kendra, I promise you won't regret it."

She nodded, feeling slightly dazed.

He thought she was beautiful?

Why?

Anyone with eyes could see that she was easily the least attractive woman on the ship, and it wasn't even close. She normally didn't let that bother her, in fact, she rarely even thought about it. But in comparison with Alana, Beth, Taloni, Rachel, and especially Selene and Anthiel, she wasn't much to look at.

She slowly uncrossed her legs, and tentatively set her other foot on the floor. She swallowed hard and then stood up, still keeping her arms crossed over her chest. She could at least cover those scars. She didn't think he could see them well anyway, since they were still looking into each other's eyes.

Ethan took a step forward, reached out, and wrapped his arms around her torso as he pulled her into a hug.

No, not a hug.

This was...

Was...

She wasn't sure; she didn't have a word for it. He was simply holding her. Their eyes were still locked together, but his arms were around her and he was holding her close to him. Her entire front was pressed up against him, though her arms were still crossed over her chest.

He was holding her.

She blinked several times. It didn't break the compulsion, but her eyes seemed to be malfunctioning. She could feel them grow wetter, and then the liquid spilled over and slowly ran down her cheeks.

Still he held her.

Still he looked deep into her eyes.

She wanted to look away, but was glad she couldn't. She wanted to stop making eye contact, but was glad she had no escape from it. He was holding her and looking deep into her eyes like she was some precious treasure that he wanted to protect. Yet despite that, there was nothing dragonish about his gaze.

This was all Ethan.

"What are you doing?" She finally asked as another tear began to trace a path down her cheek.

"Holding you, as a husband should hold his wife." He replied kindly, not breaking eye contact.

Kendra knew that her stomach would've been emptied a long time ago if he hadn't been compelling it to remain calm. The rest of her though... The rest of her didn't know what to think or how to feel. This was so different than a hug from Taloni or the other ladies on the Argo. She was naked, he was naked, and he was holding her.

Despite herself, she felt a small smile forming on her face.

"I told you that you wouldn't regret it." He grinned.

She let out a sound somewhere between a chuckle, a sob, and hard exhale.

"Tell me, how long have you been wanting this?" He asked.

She swallowed hard. "I don't even know; a lifetime?"

"Even though I'm a dragon?"

She let out a contented sigh as she relaxed slightly into his embrace. "I hate dragons, but you... I don't think I could hate you."

"Anymore." He corrected with a grin.

"Anymore." She conceded, and even smiled slightly. She almost wanted to avert her eyes, but of course she couldn't; she could only stare into his eyes. They were like a cat's eyes only greener, and the slit somehow did nothing to make him seem less loving or caring.

Still he held her.

He held her for what felt like a blissful eternity, but probably wasn't even ten minutes. The entire time he was looking deep into her eyes, and she was looking deep into his. She finally realized what was unnerving about that.

It was the closeness.

The intimacy.

She didn't know what it was about eyes, but there was something intimate about staring into another person's eyes. Some people called the eyes the 'windows to the soul', and she finally understood why. It was like she was looking at more than just his eyes; she felt like she was looking at him. Or perhaps 'looking into him' was more accurate.

Regardless, it was profoundly intimate and she didn't know what to do with that.

"You said you wouldn't mind if I tried to help you enjoy it." He finally said.

She nodded.

"I'm going to start." He stated.

She bit her lip and then nodded.

His right arm lifted off her back and lowered until it was hovering near her left hip; the scarred hip. She could almost feel him touching her, but he wasn't... yet.

"Tell me how this feels." He said, still staring deep into her eyes.

He brushed the outside curve of her hip, where part of her large burn scar was. Thanks to a squad mate having gotten to her quickly with some magical healing, she hadn't lost any sensation in the skin. Why was he starting there?

Then he touched her.

It felt like he had brushed her hip with just his fingertips.

She inhaled sharply as a jolt of... of something seemed to shoot through her. It was warm and coursed through her body, leaving a pleasant sensation in its wake. Finally, it seemed to hone in on her pelvic area and produced a warm sensation that she'd never felt before. It was almost like an itch, but not quite.

She exhaled with a breathy sigh. "What was that?"

"You enjoying it." He grinned.

He brushed her hip again, and the same pleasant sensations coursed through her. This time though, he didn't stop. He slowly and lightly traced his finger upwards in a lazy zig-zag pattern, constantly shooting those little jolts through her body in ways she'd literally never felt before. She had of course heard that sex was pleasurable, and even that a man or woman could pleasure themselves, but she'd never tried it. Her instructors had told her that it was a distraction and drilled discipline into her. She'd never felt the need or desire since she didn't know what she was missing.

Now...

Not she was glad that she'd never tried since she would've found it hard not to do this again after tasting what it felt like.

"Should I stop?" He asked, lifting his hand away from her side.

She froze.

She didn't want him to stop. That marvelous sensation was just... there were no words. It suddenly made so much sense why everyone liked sex if it was like this. This was truly the best thing she'd ever felt; the absolute pinnacle of physical pleasure.

"Okay, I can stop." He said with a sly grin and started to move his hand away.

"No!" She said quickly, then felt her cheeks instantly get hot. They probably looked like the roots of Rachel's hair right now.

He grinned. "So, you want a dragon to keep touching you?"

She bit her lip, and she could feel her stomach twinge just slightly even despite the compulsion keeping it calm.

"Not any dragon, just you." She replied, and because of the compulsion keeping her stomach calm, she was still staring directly into his eyes. She could blink but not look away, and something about that was at once unnerving and wonderful.

"In that case..." He grinned.

She sucked in her breath as the fingers of both his hands started roaming over her body, and not just the side of her hips. She felt them on her back, sides, stomach, and they ever started to get close to her...

She swallowed.

"Lower your hands." He instructed gently

She reflexively clenched her arms tighter.

He chuckled. "What is it about warrior women? Fearless on the battlefield and nervous in the bedroom."

She chuckled nervously.

"Seriously though, what's wrong?" He asked, and she couldn't avoid his gaze because of the compulsion keeping her stomach's reaction at bay. There was something deeply personal about looking into his eyes and she just couldn't help but feel closer to him.

"I... I'm not..." She faltered, painfully aware that she wasn't an attractive woman. Or at least not a beautiful one. She was rather average looking, which had always been an asset when she wanted to blend in. Now... now she wished she was beautiful, but she wasn't.

"Yes you are." He said firmly, obviously guessing what she was struggling with.

It was strange; she'd been looking into his eyes for a long time now because of the compulsion, and didn't think he would lie to her.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because I learned a long time ago that beauty is more than skin deep, not that I'm complaining about the skin." He winked, though the one eye open kept the compulsion going. "Outward beauty is incredibly attractive, but it fades. Character doesn't. Maybe it's because of the glimpse I got of you while bonding, but I look at you and I can't imagine not thinking that you're beautiful."

"But I'm really nothing special, I'm barely average looking and my scars--"

He put a finger to her lips, stopping her. "I'm pretty sure there's nothing I could say to convince you otherwise, but what I do..." His eyes twinkled. "...How about I show you some evidence?"

* * *

Ethan stared into Kendra's eyes, keeping the compulsion in place that was preventing her stomach from emptying itself. He wasn't exactly sure what to think of that because he could feel that it definitely wanted to, but he was pretty sure that the woman herself was happy where she was. Well, not quite 'happy'; she seemed concerned about her looks, which frankly didn't make a lot of sense to him.

True, she wasn't a knockout like Selene -- though basically no one was -- but she had a subtle, understated beauty that had only seemed to grow the longer he know her. Really, the scars didn't even factor in for him. He didn't care about them; he cared about her.

With his eyes locked with hers, he reached up and took her hand. She didn't resist him, which was a new thing for her. He guessed that she had literally never done anything sexual before, and his dragon instincts seemed to confirm this.

"Here's some physical evidence." He said softly, and moved her hand down until he pressed it up against his rock-hard cock.

She inhaled sharply, then her jaw dropped.

"Is that your..." She stared into his eyes, opened mouthed.

"It is." There was something incredibly intimate about making eye contact with her while she touched him there. They hadn't broken eye contact once yet, and it was... strange. Nice; but strange.

Seemingly on instinct, she felt around for a moment, trying to wrap her hands around his girth. "But, I thought it only gets that way when you're... I mean, when you think a woman is..." She blushed.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Like I said: evidence."

She bit her lip, and he smiled into the deep brown eyes that he'd been staring deeply into for the last... well, quite a while now. He didn't mind; in fact he liked it.

"You held me." She said softly.

"I did."

"I asked you to compel me to have sex with you, and instead you held me." She swallowed and her eyes got a bit watery again as she gave him a small but genuine smile.

"Because I care about you." He replied simply.

She smiled, and for some reason the tears on her cheek made the smile all the more beautiful. "Thank you; I didn't think anyone ever would."

"Everyone on this ship cares about you." He said sincerely, then cocked his head to one side. "Except maybe Raklan."

She made a noise halfway between a chuckle and a sob. "You're right; they do."

"Now, let me take care of you." He said, brushing his finger against her side again.

She stiffened and inhaled sharply, then exhaled breathily. He raised his hands again, making light brushes against her skin. Kendra appeared to be nearly overwhelmed with the sensations. She was taking short, shallow breaths and seemed to have trouble forming coherent sentences as he continued to explore her body with his fingers.

She was more toned than the rest of his wives, and arguably more responsive too. He could feel it when his fingers brushed a scar, but they didn't bother him at all. In fact, for some reason he kind of liked them. He wasn't sure why, but something about them seemed very 'Kendra', and he liked that.

"Wha... what are you......you doing to......to me?" Kendra managed to get out in a breathy voice.

"Making sure you enjoy it." He replied with a grin, their eyes still locked together by his compulsion. "Move your hands." He gently instructed, since they were still crossed across her chest.

This time, she didn't hesitate. Her hands fell, revealing her breasts in their entirety. Kendra had... well he wasn't sure what to call them other than 'puffy' nipples. That is, her entire areola seemed slightly erect too, and it stood out a bit like cone, with relatively small nipples at the top. He'd never seen breasts like that in person, but he definitely liked them.

He reached up and brushed the underside, and Kendra instantly shivered as she let out a small sigh. He did it again, with the same results.

Their eyes were locked together the entire time, and she was staring into his eyes with wonder.

He liked that.

"How are you..." She started to say, but he cut her off by brushing his thumb over her nipple.

She moaned. "Oh Illuminar..." She panted slightly.

"It gets better." He whispered.

"Better?" She breathed as her eyes went wide.

* * *

Kendra's brain could barely process what was happening to her. She'd never felt sensations like this before in her entire life. Her entire body seemed like it was alight with some strange fire that was radiating from her breasts and hips. She felt entirely out of control, and not because of Ethan's compulsion either.

And this was supposed to get better?

How?!

"I'm going to kiss you Kendra." Ethan said. It was a simple statement of fact; nothing more, nothing less.

She froze.

She looked deep into his green, cat-like eyes as they got closer and closer to her. She knew what a kiss was and had seen them countless times. But how does one actually kiss? And how does one kiss when--

She sucked in her breath as his finger brushed one of her nipples again, wiping the confused thoughts in her brain away. She let out a little moan, and in the space of time it had taken her to do that, for the first time in her life she felt a man's lips pressed against her own.

It was weird.

Good, but weird.

What made it weirder was the fact that she was still looking at him with open eyes because of the compulsion. She loved that. For some reason, she felt closer to him because of it. She thought it might be strange to be kissing with eyes open like that, but she didn't care.

She loved it.

He smiled after their kiss broke. "Now, normally I'd spend a while getting you 'warmed up', but I see you're there already."

"Huh?"

He moved his thigh, which had somehow ended up pressed against her mound, which had somehow gotten wet from something.

"What the...?" She tried to look down, but of course couldn't.

"Don't worry, that's just you getting ready for me." He said softly.

"Oh."

"You're practically there already." He said with a wide grin as he gently rubbed his thigh up against her slit.

"Where?" She panted breathlessly.

He continued pressing his leg up against her mound, gently massaging it with his thigh while his other hands came up and began to caress her breasts.

"Oh God." She breathed as the sensation surged in strength.

* * *

Ethan almost chuckled as Kendra stiffened up from the light stimulation. Kendra's eyes -- which had been locked to his and still were locked to his -- rolled back as much as they could while still maintaining eye contact because of his compulsion.

Her limbs trembled for a moment and she seemed to have trouble staying on her feet as his hand replaced his thigh and he began to gently massager her clitoris. She started slipping down as her legs seemed to give out, so he caught her. Her mouth opened and she seemed to have trouble drawing breath as she let out a nearly silent moan.

She seemed to partially lose control of her body, so he let her slide back onto the bed so she was laying on her back with her eyes still locked with his. She looked almost scared for several seconds as she panted, then finally seemed to be able to draw breath properly.

"Wha...? What was that?" She panted up at him from the bed as she tried to regain her breath.

"That was an orgasm; a pretty small one by the looks of it." He couldn't help but smile; apparently this woman who'd literally never done anything sexual before was on a hair trigger for her first time.

"Small?" Her eyes went wide. "That was small?"

He nodded. "Now, ordinarily I'd spent the next few minute blowing your mind with several more, and ones that were much more powerful, but I'm not sure you're ready for that."

Her eyes got even wider and she shook her head vigorously.

"In that case, scoot back." He nodded.

She hesitated for a moment. "Is it always like that?"

He shook his head. "Better."

"I don't know if I'm ready for..." She swallowed hard and then bit her lip. "...for better." She looked almost scared.

"Do you trust me?" He asked.

"Yes." She replied without hesitation. However, since their eyes were still locked together, he could see a bit of worry in them.

"Then scoot up a bit."

She nodded, though didn't look perfectly at ease. She hesitated a bit longer, and then scooted up so she was lying flat on her back with her legs on the bed instead of hanging off of it. He gave her a reassuring smile, then crawled onto the bed. She flinched slightly when his leg brushed up against hers, but otherwise didn't move.

* * *

Kendra's entire body was in a state of diametrically opposed flux. Half of her was screaming that she needed to run as far away as possible, and the other half was willing to cut off her own legs to make sure she stayed.

What in Illuminar's name had Ethan done to her body?!

She was still trying to catch her breath and recover from that... that... she couldn't even come up with a word for the sensation that had washed over her barely a minute ago. It defied all rational explanation or description. It was... she simply didn't have the words. And he said it got better?

Was that even possible?

She supposed she was going to find out soon, because Ethan was now on top of her. Well, he was leaning over her anyway.

They hadn't broken eye contact once.

It was strange.

Really strange, but she loved that.

She felt so incredibly close to him after spending so much time looking into his eyes; his green, cat-like eyes that radiated concern for her and so obviously cared about her. She didn't understand why, but she was so very glad of it. All she knew was that she wanted to see that look in his eyes when he looked at her for a long time.

Possibly forever.

For the longest time, she had wanted someone to look at her like that, and he finally was. For some reason, it took staring into his eyes for what felt like an eternity to realize that's what she wanted, but she finally had.

She smiled slightly. "I like the way you look at me."

He grinned mischievously. "I like the way you look."

She half chuckled at that. "I mean, I can tell how you feel about me. It makes me feel like I won't need to be alone."

He looked at her, and spoke softly. "Kendra, I swear to you that for as long as I and my wives draw breath, you will never be alone."

Suddenly, she was doing a lot of blinking to keep her vision clear as her eyes filled with salty liquid. She swallowed hard, trying to keep some semblance of calm but it wasn't working. She found her lips curving upwards into a smile that was so wide it almost saw a few tears slip into the corners of her mouth.

"Really?" She breathed.

He nodded. "You're my wife. From this day forth, you'll always have me, no matter what happens, no matter what crazy shit this insane world throws at us, I will never leave you. Ever. As long as I have breath in my body, I want you with me."

Her throat suddenly felt a bit tight, though her cheeks were about to start hurting from the effort they were exerting to break the world's record for largest smile. After what he'd just said, she didn't know what she could possibly say to tell him how much that meant.

So she acted on instinct.

She kissed him.

She wasn't sure what else to do.

A simple kiss seemed wholly inadequate to express what she was feeling at the moment, but she didn't know what else she could do to convey just how she felt about him right now. She was staring deep into his eyes and could see that he meant every single word. He would never leave her. Ever. And because of that, she would never have to be alone again. Ever. She wanted to tell him how much that meant to her, but simply didn't have the words; she didn't know how.

Fortunately, her body seemed to know.

After several seconds, she stopped kissing him and realized that she had wrapped her arms around his torso...

...and her legs around his hips.

She froze.

"Do you have a request you'd like to make?" He asked with a smile.

She nodded. "Yes Drago."

Wait, what?

Drago?

Why was she calling Ethan by the title of a dragon lord?

"What's your request Kendra? What would you like me to do?"

"Please, um..." She tried to glance down at where their hips were touching, but couldn't because of the compulsion. She hoped he took her meaning because he wasn't inside of her yet.

'Yet'; she smiled at that.

He nodded. "Good girl."

Something in her heart just melted at being called his 'good girl'. She didn't know why, but she liked it. Maybe because she'd spent so much time hunting him and felt bad about that, maybe because she'd done a lot of things that she wasn't proud of with the Aldmiri, or maybe... She smiled; maybe she just like him calling her that. She decided she didn't care why she liked it; she did and that was enough for her.

Moments later, she felt something large and warm press up against her nether lips.

She stiffened.

"It will sting slightly at first, but afterward I promise nothing but pleasure." He said, still looking into her eyes because of the compulsion.

She bit her lip and nodded.

She had been looking into his eyes this whole time, but suddenly it was like he was looking deeper into her eyes. This wasn't just compulsion, he was intentionally looking into her eyes, and she could tell that he would've been staring into them even if he wasn't compelling her stomach to remain calm.

She liked that.

Staring into her eyes, he started pushing forward.

She inhaled sharply and her eyes went wide, looking deep into his eyes; his warm, caring eyes. Then she felt her nether lips stretch wide. She opened her mouth wide and gasped, the sensation utterly and completely foreign to her.

He pushed more.

She felt a sharp pinch, and then suddenly she could feel him in her.

He was actually inside of her.

She felt like he was pushing a large log inside of her as she felt herself being stretched by a man for the very first time. It was like nothing she'd ever felt before, and the sensation of partial fullness was almost as unnerving as it was wonderful. She winced slightly at the stinging sensation that was still present at her entrance though.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he stopped with just a bit inside of her.

"Yes Drago." She nodded, then used a bit of mana to heal herself down there. "Please don't stop."

He pushed forward as he looked deep into her eyes. She was staring into the depths of his warm, kind, and caring cat-like eyes as he slowly slid all the way inside of her for the first time ever.

It was indescribably wonderful.

Not just the sensation, but the eye contact; the intimacy. He was looking adoringly into her eyes as he entered her; as he penetrated her body and staked his claim on her most intimate place. If Kendra was being honest with herself, she felt like he had staked his claim on her; all of her. For some strange reason, she felt like she belonged to Ethan now.

Even more strangely, that didn't bother her.

He bottomed out inside of her almost the moment she had this realization. She had never felt so full in her entire life. Further, she could feel that same sensation from before building in her, that wonderful sensation that had rendered her incapable of intelligible speech.

He looked deep into her eyes, then drew back.

She almost moaned in complaint as she somehow felt emptier than before he had entered her, but then he slowly thrust back in and she almost saw stars. He repeated this motion several times, getting slightly faster each time. Powerful sensations were coursing through her body and she couldn't control them. She couldn't restrain them or even resist them. They were washing over her like a tidal wave, carrying her along with them.

* * *

Ethan could barely believe what was happening, especially with Kendra of all women. She was clutching herself to him, holding him tightly as they stared into each other's eyes. She had the most beautiful deep brown eyes that were shining with happiness and also subsumed with shock and confusion. She seemed to be struggling to comprehend what was happening to her body and the sensations that she was feeling.

He thrust into her with strong, deep strokes, though not too fast.

This was Kendra.

He couldn't believe how far they'd come, and the journey somehow made this moment even sweeter. She cared about him, he cared about her, and they were expressing that in a way that words truly never could.

After not even a minute of thrusting, Kendra's whole body tensed up. She opened her mouth in a silent scream as she arched her back and clung to him like never before. Her breath came in short, ragged gasps as her toned body seemed to mold into his. Her strong arms and legs were wrapped around him, holding to him tightly.

Then she froze as they continued to look into each other's eyes.

She seemed to lose all voluntary control of her muscles as her entire body started trembling so much that it was almost vibrating. She barely seemed to get out a few ragged breaths that blended into sighs, or moans, or the occasionally mewling sound. She was trembling so powerfully that he was almost worried she'd hurt herself... almost.

Her arms and legs fell from him, jerking slightly on the bed as they stared into each other's eyes, which were still bound together by the compulsion. She looked rapturous and scared; blissful and worried; perfectly incandescently happy and totally unsure at the same time.

He came.

He finally let loose with the one testicle that hadn't yet been emptied. He thrust deeply inside of her, releasing his seed and depositing it at the entrance to her womb. It felt like he released with the force and volume roughly equivalent to a burst fire hydrant, and he groaned as he finally felt the relief that had eluded him for so long. Kendra let out a strangled moaned in response and her trembling seemed to intensify for a moment before everything began to taper off.

Slowly, her vibrating became shaking, which became trembling, which became quivering, which eventually blended into stillness. She collapsed, all of her limbs looking like they were attached to a rag doll. She lay completely still, her only movement was her heavy breathing. She panted as she looked into his eyes, and every breath seemed to carry the slightest hint of a moan or sigh in it.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that her body was covered with a light sheen of perspiration. Several errant strands of hair were laying on her chest, slightly damp after what had just happened to her. Her chest was rising and falling in the most delightful way as she caught her breath.

"Hi." He said after almost a minute.

"H... hi." She panted. "What in the... how the... what was...?" She looked at him wide-eyed. "What in Illuminar's name was that?"

"Sex." He said with a grin. "Really good sex."

"Oh dear Illuminar in heaven." She moaned. "That... that was wonderful."

"It was." He said, still looking directly at her.

"That was something else, looking into your eyes as you... you..." She was almost tearing up slightly, and her eyes were shining with happiness despite her stunned expression.

"Yeah, it was." He grinned. "I'm going to release the compulsion."

She nodded, still panting slightly.

He did.

He let the compulsion fade away, leaving her stomach to react naturally again. Almost instantly, she blinked, then closed her eyes, seemingly to savor the sensation. Moments later, she clapped one hand to her stomach and the other over her mouth. She looked a little green for a moment, then frantically turned and vomited all over the bed.

TO BE CONTINUED...

* * *

29 chapters, comprising about 620,000 words over a period of 2.5 years from Kendra's introduction to this point... which isn't the end of her character arc I assure you. Like Chapter 34 ("Home"), it's 'merely' another turning point in her life. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I love having you all on this journey with me.

Note: This chapter began on day 88 of Ethan's life in the Ten Kingdoms, and ended on day 89. I submit new chapters on the last Wednesday of every month, and they usually drop after the 2-3 days review process. Thus I'll submit the next chapter on November 30th, and it'll probably drop on December 2nd or 3rd.

I'd like to extend a very special thanks to two of my patrons, one of whom didn't want to be credited by name. So "Anonymous" and Joseph: thank you so much for your support. I really appreciate it.

STORY TAGS: dragon, magic, medieval, elf, teen, romance, virgin, harem, cuckquean