A.O.E.M.: Chasing Dragons Read online

  A.O.E.M.: Chasing Dragons

  Kate Douglas

  All rights reserved.

  Copyright ©2006 Kate Douglas

  No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and email, without prior written permission from Changeling Press LLC.

  ISBN (10) 1-59596-469-X

  ISBN (13) 978-1-59596-469-4

  Formats Available:

  HTML, Adobe PDF,

  MobiPocket, Microsoft Reader

  Publisher:

  Changeling Press LLC

  PO Box 1046

  Martinsburg, WV 25402

  www.ChangelingPress.com

  Editor: Sheri Ross Fogarty

  Cover Artist: Sahara Kelly

  This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

  Chapter 1

  Tady Ondáge-O’Shea lay beside his one true love in the big bed they shared, but sleep was the last thing on his mind. Lester lay beside him pretending to sleep, but Tady knew Les was wide awake, too.

  Any other night, Tady would reach out a hand to Les and they’d lose themselves in each other’s bodies, and whatever was keeping them awake would just go away. Tonight though, Tady knew their problem, much like the proverbial elephant in the parlor, wasn’t going anywhere.

  Besides, it wasn’t an elephant. It was a Dragon. Not even a very large Dragon, but most seven-year-old boys, when they finally learned to shift, turned into seven-year-old Dragons. Small by Dragon standards, though still much bigger than the average seven-year-old boy, even if he was half Elven.

  Prince Lorcan’s son had discovered his birthright. Lester was not handling the young princeling’s first shift well at all.

  “Tady? You awake?” Lester’s deep voice rumbled out of the darkness.

  “Yes. You too, eh?” Tady rolled over and raised up on one elbow. Moonlight filtered into the room, enough so that Les appeared a darker shadow among shadows.

  “Can’t sleep. Keep thinking about Micah making his first shift.”

  “Me too.” Well, he was thinking of it, sort of… at least as it related to Lester. “Lorcan and Amanda were certainly excited, although I’m not sure if they’re all that pleased.” And that was putting it lightly, Tady thought. Prince Lorcan, though proud of his precocious son, knew enough of the dangers of flying that he had every right to be worried. His lovely -- and generally quite calm -- wife Amanda, was human and prone to become upset over things Elves took in stride… like her seven-year-old son suddenly turning into a six foot tall Dragon and flying about the palace.

  “Can you blame them? It’s a big step toward independence, and he’s still a little boy.” Lester’s sigh filled the room. “Just a little boy, and already he can shift into a Dragon.”

  And there it is, thought Tady. The reason Lester can’t sleep. After a long, increasingly uncomfortable silence, Tady whispered, “It’s a beautiful night, Les. Would you like for me to take you flying?”

  More silence stretched between them. Normally, Lester would already be out of bed, waiting impatiently for Tady to shift into his Dragon form. He’d be wearing nothing but a silk sarong and a big grin on his face. Now, when he finally answered Tady, the Elf was almost sure he heard a catch in Les’s voice.

  “No. Not tonight, Tady. Not tonight.”

  There was no ignoring Lester’s misery. Tady stroked his hand across Lester’s powerful shoulder and pulled the big man close for a hug. “At least I can help you relax.” He kissed Les, and while Lester kissed him back, there was nothing behind it. No interest, no desire.

  “Maybe tomorrow, Tady.” When Lester rolled away, Tady felt as if the bottom had fallen out of his world. Somehow, he had to find a way to help his mate. He had to bring the magic back to Lester Ondáge-O’Shea’s life.

  Of course, Tady didn’t have a clue how to go about it. What was a perfectly natural event for Tady would always be impossible for Lester -- only an Elf of Clan Dragon could actually become a Dragon. Lester was, and would always be, a very human man. Somehow, though, there had to be a way for Lester to learn to shift.

  * * *

  Sensing Tady’s disappointment when he rolled away made Les feel even worse than he already did, but there was no way in hell he could get on Tady’s broad Dragon back tonight and go flying. Not the way he felt right now, practically seething with childish jealousy over a seven-year-old’s newfound ability to shapeshift. It was bad enough that Tady, the man Lester loved more than anyone else in the world, could soar above the clouds on Dragon’s wings, but to stand there and watch Amanda and Lorcan’s eldest make his first change from little boy to Dragon had been more than Les could take.

  Damn. He had to get past this. There was no reason to wish for something he could never have, but the dream of flying, of unfurling those shimmering wings, had become a part of Les’s every moment, waking or asleep. He wanted it so badly he ached, needed it so badly he found it difficult to bury the foolish resentment he’d started feeling toward the one man in all the world he’d ever loved.

  Thinking of Tady brought a slow smile to Les’s face. Damn if they didn’t make the oddest couple. A six foot, six inch black man and a five foot, two inch blond Elf with pointy ears and a gamin grin… and a package between his legs that rivaled Les for power and size.

  Of course, it was what Tady did with that package that made all the difference. The first time they’d had sex, Tady had blindfolded Les, put him in the unexpected role of submissive and proceeded to fuck the ever-loving daylights out of him.

  Even now, all these years later, the short and curlies Tady’d shaved off Les’s balls and butt that first night had never grown back. The smooth flow of air over his permanently denuded skin still turned Les on like nothing else.

  Magic. What they had together truly was magic, and if the only thing missing was Lester’s ability to shift from human to Dragon, then so be it.

  Les lay there, staring into the darkness, remembering the night he met Tady, the way they’d connected almost from the start the first time they saw each other in the little restaurant on the magical island of Chimera. Connected as if they were meant to be together, destined to be lovers.

  Yet he’d just turned his back on the little guy. Turned his back and rejected Tady’s touch and probably made him feel almost as miserable as Lester felt… which, of course, made Les feel even worse.

  At least this was something he could fix.

  Les rolled over and kept going until he knelt over Tady’s small body, resting on knees and elbows so he could look into Tady’s bright blue eyes. Even in the darkness they twinkled, only Les was almost sure the gleam he saw in the moonlight came from tears, not laughter. Damn. “I’m sorry. Will you forgive me my piss-poor mood? Blame it on the moon or whatever, but I never meant to hurt you.”

  “Your actions did not hurt me, but your sadness brings me pain.” Tady wrapped his arms around Les’s neck and pulled him close for a kiss. Lester sighed against his lips and opened to Tady’s searching tongue.

  Damn but the man could kiss. Les felt his cock begin to stretch, felt the hot rush of blood adding to his length and girth as Tady worked his magic on Les’s mouth. Groaning, Les pulled away. He turned on the low bedside lamp and reached for the small tube of lubricating gel they kept by the bed.

  Usually it was Tady slathering Lester’s ass, but not tonight. Les sat on his heels and pushed Tady’s
knees up against his muscular chest. The Elf took the position without complaint. In fact, he wrapped his fingers around his knees and held his legs closer, raised his smooth buttocks even higher. His cock, every bit as long and thick as Lester’s, was caught between his chest and thighs. Les leaned close and ran his tongue over Tady’s balls, then sat back and slapped a glop of the cool gel between Tady’s firm cheeks.

  Tady groaned and held tighter to his legs as Lester slowly stroked back and forth along the smooth crevice between his buttocks. Tady’s little hole tightened with a reflexive twitch every time Les ran his finger across the taut muscle. After a few gentle strokes, Les pushed with one slick finger. He gained entrance easily and pushed in as deep as he could. He held his finger there, then followed with a couple of slow thrusts, each accompanied by a soft moan from Tady. Les added a second finger, then a third. Sliding slowly in and out of Tady’s tight passage and hearing his lover’s small whimpers of pleasure made Les’s balls ache, so he finally pulled his fingers free.

  Les grabbed his heavy cock in one fist and rubbed the smooth crown across Tady’s taut sphincter, back and forth, over and over until he felt the muscle soften, heard Tady’s soft moans of pleasure. Lester leaned forward and pressed. He felt Tady meet his thrust with pressure of his own. Les’s cock breached the tight opening. He felt the band of muscle tighten just behind his thick crown and he slowly, carefully, slid into Tady’s heat.

  Both men sighed. It had been a long time since Les had taken Tady this way. He’d almost forgotten how good it felt, the hot, wet muscles in Tady’s rectum tightening around Les’s cock with the power of a fist, squeezing his shaft from base to crown. Les grabbed on to Tady’s legs and lifted them high as he thrust deep inside.

  Deeper. He had to go deeper, press harder. Les released Tady’s legs and spread his palms beneath his ass. Now he lifted Tady with each sway of his hips, holding the Elf even tighter against his groin.

  Tady hooked his heels over Les’s shoulders and braced his hands against the mattress. Les smiled down at him. Obviously Tady was enjoying this as much as Lester. Les worried sometimes, especially when Tady was the bottom. Worried he’d hurt the small Elf with his huge cock, but it hadn’t happened yet.

  Not that Tady didn’t carry his own monster around between his legs, one even Les had once feared taking inside. Right now, it seemed to get bigger with each thrust, standing straight up and staring right at Lester, practically begging for attention. Les wrapped one fist around the silky length, dark chocolate fingers covering Tady’s much lighter flesh. Solid and heavy, swollen with blood and beginning to weep with need, Tady’s erection was a handful even for a man of Les’s size.

  Les stroked Tady’s cock with the same rhythm as he filled his ass, slow, sure pulls from bottom to top. He brushed his thumb over the pearly drops at the crown and used them to lubricate Tady’s shaft. Up and down with his fist, in and out with his cock, one hand still supporting Tady’s hips, the other stroking, touching, until he was lost in a fog of sensation, an overwhelmingly tactile, sensual experience. Tady’s groans of pleasure, his own rhythmic moans, all of it coalescing into a single carnal experience, something deeply shared, something so personal, so emotionally overwhelming, Les felt himself fly free of his body, felt as if he floated somewhere above the heated visual of two men fucking.

  Two men -- one big and brawny with skin the color of strong coffee, the other petite and fair, their bodies twisted tightly together, hearts, minds and souls joined as one. Les recognized the magic, reveled in the mystery, gave himself over to sensation.

  Orgasm hit Les like a fist to the solar plexus, knocking the breath from his body, forcing his hips forward, his cock deep inside his lover. Tady shouted, his cock jerked in Les’s tight grasp, thick streams of ejaculate covered both men’s chests.

  Gasping for breath, laughing at the mess they’d made, yet still buried deep inside Tady’s heat, Lester carefully lowered the Elf’s legs and leaned forward. He braced himself on his hands, lungs heaving as he gulped in great draughts of air, heart pounding, more laughter bubbling up from deep in his chest.

  Damn, it was good. So good between the two of them. So much more than Lester had ever expected. So what if the dream of flying through the sky clothed in iridescent scales was only that -- a dream? Making love to Tady brought him damned close to flying, even if it wasn’t the real thing.

  It was enough. It would have to be enough. Looking into the sparkling blue eyes of the man he’d sworn to love and cherish forever, Lester quietly gave up the dream.

  Chapter 2

  Prince Lorcan, heir to the Northern Realm of the Lands of Eldar, ruler of the Northern Eldar, direct descendant of the First Kindred, Dragon Clan and once the most sought after bachelor in all the realm, sat patiently while three-year-old Meggie carefully painted the toenails on his right foot.

  She’d chosen the color well, thought Lorcan. The green would match his scales when he shifted, and if she hadn’t quite managed to keep the polish entirely on his toenails, at least she’d kept most of it off the priceless mosaic floor beneath his foot.

  Seven-year-old Micah wandered into the throne room and stared at this father in disgust. “That’s sissy stuff. Guys don’t wear nail polish. Only girls do.”

  “Da’s the prince. He can wear it if he wants.” Meggie continued her careful application without looking at her brother.

  “Wanna see me shift?” Micah stared expectantly at Lorcan and it was all the prince could do not to smile. He remembered those first heady days after learning to shift. He’d driven his parents nuts.

  “Later, son. After Meggie’s finished.”

  “Maybe after his nap.” Amanda swept into the room, beautiful as ever even in her eighth month of pregnancy, her long, honey-blonde hair falling nearly to her waist.

  What little waist she had left.

  “Ma-a-a-a! I’m too old to nap!”

  “No, you’re not. Even your father takes naps.” Amanda’s eyes twinkled when she said it and Lorcan knew exactly what kind of nap his lovely wife had in mind. Not a nap that included children, though the babe she carried was most likely the result of one of their frequent private periods of rest.

  If you could call it rest…

  Lorcan was wondering how to get Meggie to paint faster when he heard a soft, hesitant knock on the door. He glanced up to see Tady standing with uncharacteristic shyness in the doorway. Frowning, Lorcan waved him in. “It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you stand on protocol, Tady. What’s up?”

  “I… I’ve… uhm…” Tady glanced toward Amanda and the children. Before Meggie and Micah could attack their Uncle Tady, Amanda gathered them up and swept from the room with a cheery wave.

  “I do wish I knew how she manages to get them to behave so well.” Lorcan smiled after his wife, then turned his attention back to Tady.

  Tady grinned. “The same way she gets you to behave, m’lord.”

  Lorcan raised his eyebrows.

  “With love, m’lord. She loves unconditionally. All those around her know that and respond in kind. You can’t help it. None of us can, nor would we want to.”

  Though he hadn’t really thought of it, Lorcan realized Tady was absolutely right, but then the little Elf generally was. “What brings you here in such a formal manner, Tady?”

  Tady drew himself up, then bowed his head in a show of respect. “I’ve come to ask a boon of the Lord of the Realm. Information, really, and permission to find answers, as my request is not really something you have the power to grant.”

  “Go on. You’ve definitely caught my interest.” Tady asked for so little, yet he seemed almost desperate this morning.

  “I want to know if there is any way to bring Lester Ondáge fully into Clan Dragon.”

  “I don’t understand. You and Lester were wed according to Clan ritual. You’re legally bound as lifelong mates. What else is there?”

  “Flight, m’lord. Shifting from man to beast and lifting into the heavens und
er your own power. The strength and agility only a Dragon understands. I want Lester to know it just as we do. I want him to be a Dragon.”

  Lorcan had seen the yearning in Lester’s eyes when Micah shifted, but he’d not really understood the desperate need. Not the way Tady did. Sighing, Lorcan knew he owed Tady the truth.

  “There might be a way, my friend, but it’s a long and dangerous journey, one you and Lester must make together. You have the power of the Dragon but he is just a man. The risk is great.”

  “ ’Tis worth any risk, m’lord. Any risk at all.”

  Ah, but that was the problem. Lorcan knew the odds were that neither Tady nor Lester would survive what could only be considered a fool’s errand. Could he bear to lose two men he loved as brothers?

  Was it fair to hold them back?

  Lorcan raised his head and stared at Tady, standing proudly before him. They’d been together all their lives and Tady had saved Lorcan’s foolish butt on more than one occasion. As much as he hated to risk his friend’s life, the hope in Tady’s eyes was Lorcan’s undoing. He stared at the bright green toenails on his left foot and realized he had everything he needed to be happy. How could he deny the same opportunity to another?

  With a huge sigh, Lorcan repeated the directions as they had been passed down to him by princes gone before. “You must find the Seat of Magic. There are no maps to guide you, no directions to follow, merely the knowledge in your own heart and the compass in your soul. If you are successful, if you reach this fabled land, Lester alone must prove himself worthy to She Who Rules. If he fails, both of you will die.”

  Tady frowned and stared at Lorcan. “What can you tell me of She Who Rules? Is that her name? Is she Elven or some other creature? How long has she been ruler of the Northern Realm?”

  Lorcan shrugged. “She came to power when I was a child. Some say she’s a witch, others call her a great sorceress, but she’s not originally of this land. I’ve not heard her name spoken aloud, for what it’s worth. Her decisions are said to be fair, but always final.” Lorcan stared long and hard at Tady. If anyone could make this perilous journey successfully, it would be his brave and faithful friend.