Page 13 of Storm of Blood and Shadow (Merciless Dragons #3)

“Well,” says Jessiva. “Your true form is back.”

She gets up, walks to the mouth of the cave, and props one foot on a rock before pissing off the ledge into the surf below. I watch her, wondering why I find even that commonplace act to be strangely attractive.

When she returns, she washes herself in one of the cave pools. A dribble of fresh water from the ceiling of the cave feeds the pools, and she drinks from that before putting on her clothing.

I stand exactly where I was when I changed form, trying to process what has happened.

I spent the whole night in human shape and adapted to it far more quickly than I should have been able to. Jessiva and I fucked multiple times and explored each other’s bodies thoroughly. I thought we connected deeply, she and I… yet she’s pulling away from me again, growing cool and reserved. Remembering why she hates me.

But I love her. I adore her beyond logic and beyond recovery. I am addicted to everything that she is, in every phase of her mind and emotions.

For the first time in my life, I hate the body I was born into. If I could dispel it and return to human shape, I would.

Jessiva walks up to me and takes my muzzle in both her hands, looking into my eyes. Her gaze is calm, determined, authoritative, but there’s compassion in it, too. “Are you alright, dragon?”

“I miss you,” I say softly.

Her features tense and her lips tighten. “It was a beautiful night. A beautiful dream. But it’s over. We need to go back to the others, find out if this was a widespread occurrence, and figure out if and when it will happen again. We need to know what it means.”

She’s right, and yet I can’t shake the sadness in my soul, the fear that this was the one and only night of bliss I will ever have with her. A groan rumbles in my chest.

“Varex.” She places one hand between my nostrils. “This must be hard for you. I can tell you’re not entirely happy to be back in this form. But I’m glad you’re a dragon again, because it means we won’t starve to death in this cave. We can fly out of here, together. May I ride you? I’d like to. I think I would enjoy it more now than I did before.”

My wings and neck lift a little, along with my spirits. “You can ride me anytime.”

My intonation makes my double meaning clear, and Jessiva smirks. She pats my nose, then leans in and kisses it. “Good boy. Let’s go.”

I crouch low on the cave floor. Using my foreleg and shoulder, Jessiva scrambles up to my back and settles herself astride the base of my neck, gripping two of my spikes. I soar out of the cave, releasing the contents of my bladder before rising higher into the morning air.

There’s an intimacy between us now that did not exist before. Two creatures cannot share such closeness for so many midnight hours and not develop a bond. I can only hope our connection can withstand whatever we find in the valley.

On our way to the women’s cavern, I spot Rothkuri and his captive flying from the direction of his cavern, heading to the same destination. I pick up speed so we can glide beside them.

“A strange night,” I say.

“A wonderful night,” pipes up the girl on Rothkuri’s back. She’s beaming, and every line of Rothkuri’s body sings of joy as well. He does a playful little bob and dip in the air, and she squeals with delight.

Truthfully, I’m jealous. Everything seems to have been easy for them since the moment he chose her.

We land in the women’s courtyard together, just in time to see a few males transform back into dragons. One of them is standing too close to the barrier with his girl, and as his dragon form reappears, it crushes part of the wall.

The moment they see me, the other dragons rush forward, crowding in, their voices uplifted in consternation and confusion. Jessiva stays on my back to avoid being trampled by dragon claws. I flare my wings slightly to create space around us and to protect her from the stray movements of thorny tails and barbed wings.

Somehow I manage to piece together the stories being flung at me simultaneously. The transformation was widespread, and lasted roughly the same amount of time for all of us. None of the women changed form, which means this was a calculated move on the part of the sorceress—a purposeful circumvention of Kyreagan’s plan.

The sheer onslaught of information from the other dragons destroys my fragile calm, sending me into a defensive panic. I back away, toward the barrier, half-intending to flee with Jessiva. But before I can break and turn coward, Kyreagan arrives with Serylla on his back.

At the sight of him, relief courses through me. Curt and morose though he has been lately, he is my older brother, and he loves me. When he weakens, I step in, and when I am vulnerable, he is my strength.

He makes his way to me, ignoring everyone else.

“Did it happen to you too?” I ask him.

“Yes.” He looks me over, like he’s checking for wounds, then relaxes a little when he determines I’m unharmed.

“She tricked us,” I say. “Thelise tricked us.”

“I know. Where is she?”

“Still in Ashvelon’s cave.” At least, I assume so. I haven’t seen either of them this morning, and I can’t imagine Thelise would want to show her face anywhere after what she has done.

“Were there any casualties?” Kyreagan asks. “Do you know if anyone fell from the sky when they turned human?”

“Not that I’ve heard. Most of us were on the ground with the women. Some dragons were stuck in their caves all night, as humans, and they flew down here to join us as soon as they reverted to dragon form.”

“You and I must address the clan,” Kyreagan says. “First, however, I will confront the enchantress. You stay here and keep everyone earthbound and calm until we know if the change will happen again.”

“Agreed. Do what you must to get the answers we need. But Kyreagan—don’t kill her.”

His lips curl back from his teeth. “Not until I find out what she has done to us.” He leaps into the air without warning, and the Princess gives a yelp of surprise, but she manages to remain seated as they fly away.

Jessiva leans forward on my back. “Take me to the cavern, Varex. Let me down so I can speak to the women.”

“Don’t incite them to any violence or foolish escape plans,” I warn her.

“I’ll do what I think is best,” she retorts.

“There is enough chaos without you fomenting rebellion.”

“Fuck you,” she mutters.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Keep dreaming, dragon.”

When I prowl over to the mouth of the cavern, she slides down my foreleg and stalks into the cave without another glance at me.

I don’t let her attitude disturb me too deeply. I’m beginning to accept that loving her means enduring her caustic tongue and changeful moods while constantly striving to win her smiles and her approval. If it means eventually claiming her heart, I’m up for the challenge.

When Kyreagan returns, Ashvelon is with him and the Princess is not. Apparently she stayed behind to speak with Thelise.

“The sorceress and my princess appear to be rather friendly,” Kyreagan growls, clearly unsettled by the idea. He also seems upset with Ashvelon, and both of them bear the marks of a struggle. They must have fought.

“You tried to kill the sorceress, didn’t you?” I ask Kyreagan.

He chuffs. “Not exactly. And she is beyond my vengeance now. She is Ashvelon’s life-mate.”

“The fuck?” I exclaim.

Ashvelon cracks his long neck and shakes out his massive shoulders. “I am not displeased.”

I chuckle. “What did your new life-mate say about the spell?”

Kyreagan sighs heavily. “Thelise did not have the power to turn women into dragons. Apparently a permanent transformation of something small into something much larger is beyond her skill. Instead of telling me she couldn’t do it, she transformed us into what she calls ‘dragon shifters.’ Last night we remained in human form for many hours because the spell was taking effect for the first time, but from this point on, we will all spend eight hours each day in human form and the remainder as dragons.”

My heart leaps. “So it’s permanent?”

“Yes. She says the change will be involuntary at first, but eventually we will be able to control it. And we will sense when it begins, so we’ll have a few moments to prepare.”

I try not to let my personal joy overcome me. After all, our clan has much at stake, and this could jeopardize our future. “What about mating season?”

“The mating frenzy will occur,” Ashvelon says. “We can mate with the women in human form and impregnate them. Our eggs will form in their bellies. They will be smaller eggs, so the women will be able to birth them safely, and Thelise says that the incubation and hatching timeline might be different from what we’re used to… but there can be a new generation. The hatchlings will be shifters too, but they will stay in dragon form until they are six months old, when their first shift will occur.”

For a moment I’m silent, struck by the sheer complexity of the spell and the skill it must have taken to design it. “This is not the scenario we envisioned, and yet it may prove to be the best possible outcome.”

To my surprise, Kyreagan doesn’t contradict me. “There are advantages to both forms,” he admits. He glances past me, to where the other dragons have gathered, waiting at a respectful distance until the three of us have finished our conversation. More dragons are arriving every second, all of them seeking answers.

Fortunix descends near our trio, landing with a ponderous thud and folding his huge, scarred wings.

“You changed as well?” I ask.

Fortunix snarls. “Abomination. Ruin. Horror.”

“I’ll take that as a yes ,” I reply.

Humor glints in Kyreagan’s eyes as he exchanges a glance with me. “Very well then. We should leave this enclosure and find somewhere else to speak together, all of us. Just the clan, not the women.”

“Agreed,” grunts Fortunix.

I’m curious about his form. He’s an Elder, and I wonder if his human shape was an elder as well. But he does not wish to discuss it, so I respectfully refrain from asking.

“The clan will fly with us to the Valley of Twin Teeth,” Kyreagan announces to the dragons. “The women will remain here. If you leave the enclosure, you do so at your own risk. Some of you encountered the dangers of Ouroskelle yesterday, when you ran from us. If you flee today, we will neither seek nor save you.”

He’s being too harsh with them, so I step forward. “Please allow us this time to confer as a clan about the marvelous changes that have occurred. I promise we will provide you with all the information we have, after we have spoken together as dragons.” My gaze finds Jessiva, standing in a cluster of women. “Until then, know that we value each one of you and hold you in the highest esteem as our beautiful saviors.”

I dip my head respectfully to the women, and several of them smile and blush.

“Always the charmer,” Kyreagan mutters as we take off, rising into the air with our fellow dragons. He swerves closer to me, his voice barely loud enough for me to hear, as if he doesn’t want Fortunix or Ashvelon to catch the words. “You excel at finding the good in difficult situations and bringing hope to those who despair. I crave your wisdom today. If you see the good in this, bring it forth. Share it with the clan. Keep them hopeful, make them laugh. You are far better at that than I am.”

His words send a flood of warmth through my bones. This is the Kyreagan I know, the one who sees himself and others clearly. He is regaining some of his steadiness, his mental balance. I wonder if the Princess has anything to do with his progression toward healing. I know that the night I spent with Jessiva was the best and most restorative time of my entire life.

At the Valley of Twin Teeth, Kyreagan recounts his conversation with the sorceress yet again. One of the dragons, Saevel, demands Thelise’s death, but Kyreagan declares her protected under clan law as Ashvelon’s life-mate. I don’t know if my brother planned that bond ahead of time or thought of it in the heat of the moment, but mating Ashvelon and Thelise was the wisest thing he has done in a while.

Sensing the discontent brewing among the dragons now that their hope of vengeance is gone, I step forward, my claws grating against the rock spur on which I stand with Kyreagan, Ashvelon, and Fortunix. “My brothers, let us calm ourselves and give each other time to adjust to this new reality. We should talk together, share our experiences in our human bodies, and think of the benefits that might accompany this shift in form.”

“Benefits?” growls one of the dragons.

“Yes, benefits. We can care for livestock better. Plant gardens and fields. Forge armor, craft machinery, create books—”

“You mean change our culture?” Fortunix pushes his way between me and Kyreagan. “Become more like the humans we hate, the humans who perpetrated this act of devastation upon us? Forgive me, young Prince, but I find that intolerable. Who here recalls the days of the dragon hunters? Precious few of us, because so many died during that dark time. Then we endured the plague. Next, the war and the murder of our females. And now we are supposed to ponder the benefits of assuming frail human flesh for several hours each day?”

The other dragons rumble discontentedly, and Fortunix continues. “I cannot view this event as anything but what it is—an assault on the very nature of dragonkind. An affront to the Bone-Builder. If we accept this, we are pissing on the skulls of the ancestors—on your own father, Varex. The Bone-King, Arzhaling himself. What would he say to this?”

Anger churns in my belly, and I growl. “Keep my father’s name out of your mouth. You will refer to him by his title, or not at all.”

Fortunix whirls on me, jaws snapping. “You would teach me the rules of honorifics, hatchling?”

“Enough!” bellows Kyreagan, and both Fortunix and I recoil a step.

Kyreagan gives me a steady look and a slight nod, as if to confirm his support. Then he turns to the clan. “As my brother wisely said, we need time to consider all aspects of this change. It’s difficult for everyone, but squabbling is foolish and futile. We need each other more than ever.”

The clan quiets at his rebuke, but they will not stay silent for long, nor will Fortunix. If there was ever a right time for a moment of levity and commiseration, this is it.

I clear my throat. “Was anyone else’s human cock frighteningly small?”

Immediately the dragons’ voices rise, exclaiming over the size and shape of their human genitals. I jump down from the rock spur on which I’ve been sitting and join them on their level to discuss it. I’m dimly aware of Fortunix leaving in an angry rush, and Kyreagan following him.

“Is it supposed to leak?” asks one of the dragons.

“Leak?” exclaims another. “What do you mean?”

“When my woman is present, my human cock lengthens and leaks,” confesses the first dragon.

Jaerix speaks up. “Mine lengthens too, especially if the two dots on my chest are touched.”

“That’s because you’re a grotesque little pervert,” snarls Zaedian, his black shoulder spikes bristling. “All you ever think about is mating.”

“And all you think about is touching what doesn’t belong to you,” Jaerix growls back.

“You can’t lay claim to a person with a mind and free will,” interjects Runaris, a dragon with iridescent purple scales.

The woman who gave me Jessiva’s food last night mentioned these three dragons making her life complicated. Their feud is unproductive in this moment, so I shoulder my way between Jaerix and Zaedian.

“What of that dangling sack behind the human cock?” I say, by way of redirecting the conversation. “Does anyone know what it does?”

“It produces seed,” replies someone.

“And touching it feels good,” echoes another dragon.

“Touching almost any part of my human form feels good,” adds Runaris.

“But you must be careful,” warns another dragon. “Because if you touch your human cock too much, it sprays seed on the ground, which seems wasteful.”

“It’s not very much seed, either,” says one of the older dragons, who has seen a couple of mating seasons and experienced the heat in dragon form. “I don’t think it’s nearly enough to impregnate a female.”

“Is it harmful for a human female to… swallow male seed?” asks Runaris.

Silence falls after his statement. If any of the other dragons wondered the same thing, they’re too embarrassed to say so.

“There will be many new experiences,” I tell them. “The best thing we can do is talk about this together and communicate openly with our women. They can teach us more about their physiology, and as dragons, we can support each other.”

Emboldened by my words, another member of the clan speaks up. “Does anyone else worry about their cock when it is soft? It seems so vulnerable and prone to damage. I feel as if I should create a protective shield for it.”

The conversation continues, and gradually some of them begin to reveal more details of how they have interacted with their humans. There have been more sexual encounters than I expected, which makes me feel less self-conscious about my interactions with Jessiva.

When Kyreagan returns, the other dragons fall silent, as if they’re afraid he’ll rebuke them for the thoughts and feelings they’ve confessed to me. He notices the abrupt quiet, but rather than commenting on it, he reminds them to fly lower than usual and pay attention to any sensations that might indicate a reversion to human form. He sends Rothkuri and Runaris to let the women know that they’re free to wander outside the enclosure as long as they’re accompanied by a dragon for their protection.

“We need to hunt and forage for supplies now,” Kyreagan says. “And we need to ensure that we have the means to repair the barrier tonight, to prevent fenwolves from entering the cavern area.”

The other dragons depart to follow his instructions, but Kyreagan makes no move to join them yet. Instead he sits on the short grass near me. I get the feeling he wants to have a conversation and isn’t sure how to begin it.

“How was it?” I ask. “You and the Princess, in human form? Did you mate with her?”

He shifts his front feet. “It is not mating season.”

“Sex doesn’t have to be solely for breeding purposes.”

Kyreagan glances at me sharply. I avoid his gaze, but my wings arch, betraying a joy and pride I can’t conceal.

My brother makes a low, gruff noise in his throat. “How did it feel?”

“Unspeakably wonderful.” I glance at him. “You didn’t even touch her?”

“I—” He chuffs out orange smoke and his tail thrashes. “Of course I fucking touched her. She was right there , so soft and smooth and beautiful that I could not stop myself. But we did not couple as mates.”

“And have you given her the special food and the tea you procured from the mainland?”

“I plan to do that tonight. I’m taking her to the sacred springs.”

“The most beautiful place on the island.” I wish I’d thought of it first; I could have taken Jessiva there.

“She seems to enjoy bathing,” Kyreagan continues. “I think she will appreciate the hot water.”

“No doubt,” I agree. “It is a good plan. And will you fuck her?”

He bristles, his lip curling in a discomfited snarl.

“There is no shame in it,” I tell him. “Do what both of you desire, and feel no guilt about claiming moments of sweetness and pleasure in a world filled with so much pain.”

Kyreagan’s golden eyes meet mine. Amid the sorrow I’m so used to seeing in his gaze, there’s a flicker of hope.

I lower my head and touch my muzzle to his neck, a sign of respect and affection. “She is good for you, brother. I wish you every joy.”

“She is temperamental and troublesome,” he growls.

“So are you.” I nudge his wing with mine, and he chuckles.

“Fair enough.” He shakes himself, stretching his wings. “Shall we hunt?”

I lift my wings as well. “If there is anything left to be hunted. Prey is growing scarcer by the day.”

“We cannot risk a long flight to the Middenwold Isles until we better understand the change in our forms.”

“Then let us hope we understand it soon,” I reply. “Before Ouroskelle is stripped bare of food.”