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

  Tady nodded in understanding. Lorcan pushed himself slowly away from his throne and hugged the Elf. “You damned well better come home to us, Tady, or I’ll never forgive you… and Amanda would serve me my head on a platter.”

  “Aye, m’lord.” Grinning, blushing furiously, Tady stepped out of Lorcan’s embrace, obviously embarrassed by such an unusual show of affection. “O’course, it’s all up to Lester. It’s his dream, but I’m willing to follow it.” Bowing, Tady quietly left the room.

  Lorcan watched him go. He wondered if he’d ever see his friend again.

  * * *

  Micah slept soundly in spite of his insistence he was too old to nap, and Meggie looked like she was out for the count. Lorcan nodded to the tiny castle sprite keeping watch, then quietly closed the doors to the royal nursery. He crossed the hall and slipped into the royal bedchambers where Amanda waited.

  Obviously naked, she lay there covered only by a thin sheet that outlined the rounded, ripe shape of her belly, the full swell of her breasts. She always seemed to know when he needed her. Damn, but Lorcan needed her now. Amanda held her arms out to him. Lorcan quickly shed his clothing and crawled across the big bed to lie within her embrace. Her breasts lay full and heavy against her gravid belly, the nipples stretched almost flat over the rounded mounds of her full breasts. Lorcan slowly peeled the silky sheet down to her thighs, leaned close and kissed Amanda just beside her cute little outie of a bellybutton. Then he placed his ear against the taut skin of her belly and got a solid kick to the jaw from their unborn child.

  Laughing, he lifted his head and grinned at his beautiful wife. “I want you so badly I ache.” Lorcan kissed her belly once again then slid along her body to lie beside Amanda.

  “Then take me. Make love to me.”

  “But, you’re so far along…”

  “I’m not made of glass, Lorcan. The palace physician assures me there’s no danger, so long as we’re careful.” She touched a smooth fingertip to the end of his nose and tapped. “If you’ll recall, you managed quite nicely when I was this big with Meggie.”

  That he had. Grinning ear to ear, Lorcan lowered his head and sipped at Amanda’s mouth, parting the soft seam of her lips with his tongue, tasting her sweetness. He gently palmed her breasts, rubbing his hands across the nipples, one breast to the other until they peaked beneath his touch. He felt a deep sense of reverence for their fullness, the knowledge they would soon nourish another child born of their love.

  He slipped his fingers over the swell of Amanda’s middle, found the tight curls between her thighs already damp, the nether lips soft and swollen with both pregnancy and need. She sighed when he touched her and arched her back, pressing against his hand.

  Lorcan carefully helped Amanda roll over to her knees and elbows, propped her with pillows to support her middle, and slowly, ever so gently entered her from behind. She sighed as he filled her and the tiny muscles within her sex rippled along the full length of his cock.

  He groaned and held perfectly still for a moment, adjusting his size to Amanda’s tight passage. Slowly he withdrew before filling her just as carefully, once again. Quickly Amanda caught Lorcan’s slow rhythm with an answering rock and sway of her hips. He stroked her smooth buttocks and thighs and swept his hands along her back, but always, as if drawn by a magnet, came back to the full swell of her belly.

  Her short, stuttered gasps, the tiny whimpers and moans brought Lorcan close to the edge of what little control he had left. He knew he couldn’t last much longer, not with the tight ripple and clench of Amanda’s warm sex around his own. He slipped his fingers over her thigh, found the tight little nub between her legs and circled it with his finger tip.

  Amanda’s muffled cry, the sharp intake of breath and the long, slow shudder that raced through her body told Lorcan he was definitely on the right track. Stroking with feather-light pressure, he matched each touch with the thrust of his cock. Faster now, as Amanda’s whimpers turned into a keening cry of pure pleasure. She tightened around him, her muscles clenching his sensitive cock with surprising strength. Caught in a slick, hot vise, Lorcan felt his own climax racing from balls to cock, felt the twisting pleasure so close to pain as he spilled his seed deep inside his beloved wife.

  Lungs heaving, heart pounding, Lorcan carefully rolled the two of them to one side. Amanda’s smooth back was covered with a fine sheen of perspiration, her hair hung in tangled curls over her shoulders and her heart pounded beneath his palm, the beat every bit as fast as Lorcan’s.

  “Are you okay?” He nibbled at her shoulder until she giggled.

  “Oh, my! Definitely okay. Way beyond okay, if you want the truth.” She turned her head enough to plant a kiss along his jaw line. “I love you. My darling prince, I feel so lucky to have found you. You’ve given me nothing but magic.”

  Lorcan felt the quick rush of tears to his eyes, a suspicious tightness in his throat. “No, my love. It’s not me at all. It’s you. You, my darling Amanda, are the magic. And this…” He spread his fingers across her swollen belly. “This my love, is what the magic is all about.”

  * * *

  Amanda must have dozed off, if only for a few moments, but when she awakened, Lorcan sat alone by the window. Still entirely nude, he looked like a young god in the streaming sunlight. His dark hair had grown longer than when she first met him, curling now against his neck, covering his perfect pointed ears.

  He rested his chin on his fist and stared out the window. As gorgeous as he was, Amanda thought he looked terribly serious, considering they’d just made such spectacular love.

  “Sweetheart? Are you okay?” She rolled carefully out of bed and wrapped one of the silk sheets about herself like a toga. “You look worried.”

  Lorcan turned quickly, obviously startled to have been caught. He smiled and held his hand out to Amanda, drawing her into his lap. She settled herself across his muscular thighs and looped her arms lightly over his shoulders. “What is it?”

  He sighed and touched his forehead to hers. “I worry about Tady and Lester. Les wants to be a full member of the Dragon Clan, something never before granted to a human. He wants to be able to shift. I guess seeing Micah…”

  Amanda nodded. “Ah… Micah. And to think I congratulated myself on the fact there are no cars in the Northern Realm and I wouldn’t have to worry about him turning sixteen and wanting the keys… a flying seven-year-old is a bit much to adjust to.”

  Lorcan chuckled, but then he sighed. “Well, Tady asked a boon of me today, that I give him permission to search for answers. He wants to find a way to allow Les to shift.” He sighed again and Amanda saw tears in his eyes. “I couldn’t turn him down. I gave my permission.”

  “But why is that so wrong? I don’t understand.” Amanda brushed the thick hair back from Lorcan’s forehead and kissed him, just as she might comfort Micah. Right now Lorcan looked so much like their son it made her heart ache.

  “The journey is perilous, the odds of them surviving not at all good, yet it’s a journey they have to make alone, without help from anyone else.”

  “Can’t we do anything to help them? Anything at all?” The thought of something happening to Lester left a huge knot in the pit of Amanda’s stomach. He was her brother, her friend, her favorite uncle, all rolled into one. Her protector and confidant, the only person alive as close to Amanda as her husband and children. She loved him without reservation and knew Lorcan felt the same about Tady.

  Lorcan shook his head. “We can wish them good luck, supply them as well we’re able, and send them off with our blessing. The rest is up to Tady and Lester.”

  Chapter 3

  He’d stewed about it long enough. Lester needed to know the truth. The risks, the slim chance for success… the fact their prince had given his blessing. That was something, to think that Lorcan would risk losing the one man who made his life run so smoothly. Tady couldn’t help but feel proud of the fact his prince cared about him enough to let him take such a terrif
ic risk.

  Of course, it didn’t make it any less frightening.

  He found Lester in their small greenhouse, puttering with the plants. Tady knew Les went here when he was upset or angry… or just plain pissed off at the world.

  “I talked to the prince.” Tady stood just behind Lester, shoulders back, chin up.

  “And?” Lester turned around and glowered at him. Actually glowered! Tady almost took a step back, but he caught himself just in time.

  “He gives us his blessing to make the journey, but he also gives a warning. We might not come back. It’s a perilous trip with many dangers.”

  “You don’t need to go. I can go by myself.”

  Tady shook his head. “No, Lester. We go together. I’m your sponsor, your link to the Dragon Clan. Without me, you would not stand a chance of acceptance.” He took a step forward, grabbed one of Les’s hands in his and stared at their linked fingers. Les’s dark as strong coffee, his own fair and pale. So different, yet so powerfully bonded. “I love you, Les. Even if I could, don’t ever think I’d let you go alone.”

  Lester bowed his head. “I love you too, Tady. Am I totally selfish, wanting this?”

  Tady shook his head. “No. You merely want what you deserve. Full acceptance, complete understanding of the way of the Dragon. It’s only right we do this. In fact, we should never have waited so long. It’s past time.”

  “What do we have to do?” Les brushed the loose soil off his hands and leaned back against the potting table.

  “Find the Seat of Magic and convince She Who Rules that you are a deserving man worthy of full rights of Clan Dragon.”

  Lester nodded. “Fair enough. Do you have a map so we can find the place?”

  Tady shook his head. He took Les’s big hand in his, turned it over and studied the palm as if the map might lie somewhere in the lines and creases, among the calluses. “The directions are in our hearts, the map a part of our soul. If we are meant to find the Seat of Magic, we will. If we are meant to prevail, She Who Rules will not kill us. Prince Lorcan says the journey is long and perilous, known only in legend… and in the hearts of worthy men.”

  Les frowned, then sighed. “What do you think, Tady? Are we worthy? Am I worthy?”

  At this Tady grinned for the first time all morning. “Aye. If I didn’t think you worthy, do ya think I’d be in love with you, ya big twit? C’mon. We need to pack, we need to meditate and hope we find some direction, and then we need to tell the prince and his family good-bye.”

  Lester followed Tady out of the small shed, shaking his head. “Amanda’s not going to like this. Not one bit.”

  * * *

  Les had never been much for meditation. He tended to think of himself more as a man of action than the cerebral type, but Tady seemed to know exactly what to do. They found a quiet, private spot beneath a towering oak, a tree so huge its branches disappeared into the clouds. The grass in the shade of its limbs was thick and soft, the rippling sound of a small stream and the twitter of birds the only disruption.

  Tady stripped down to his skin and sat with legs folded crosswise. Lester did the same, though his cock immediately stood at attention when he watched the little guy remove his clothing. Would he ever grow tired of making love with Tady?

  Would Tady grow tired of him?

  “There can be no doubts, Les. No questions of fidelity, of love. Can you look at me honestly and say you will always love me? Will you always turn to me in time of sorrow, of need?”

  Les nodded, his throat suddenly so choked with emotion he couldn’t speak. He’d been so lonely before Tady. Amanda Carlisle had been his stalwart ally and friend, but never his lover. Tady was both. The best friend a man could have and the most amazing lover Les had ever known. Yes, Tady was the only one he would ever need.

  The Elf cocked his head to one side and grinned mischievously. “You have to say it, Les. You have to reaffirm your vows to me. I will always love you, always turn to you. Always need you. Will you swear the same to me?”

  “Yes. You know I do, Tady O’Shea. Though I will admit, I still can’t believe someone as perfect as you would love a man like me.”

  Tady laughed. “That, my friend, is the power of love. The fact you see me as perfect while I view you the same. Now we’ve cleared that hurdle, I want you to think about our journey. See if you find the direction in your heart, the call to the Seat of Magic. If She Who Rules believes we’re sincere, she will show us the way.”

  Most of the time, life in the Northern Realm was every bit as normal as life in California had been, but once in awhile, Les realized he had to accept the fact the land of the Eldar was magical. He’d grown accustomed to the sight of Dragons flying overhead, to tiny faeries flitting among the forests and a castle sprite guarding Lorcan and Amanda’s children, but to think some broad in some even more magical place would know he was thinking about her… well, why not? Grinning, Les did the best he could to open his mind and heart to the unbelievable.

  Clan Dragon. An old and powerful ruling group of the Elven world, their numbers not nearly so great as some of the other clans, yet from within their ranks were drawn the rulers of this land. Though Prince Lorcan was a witty friend and a loving father, Les still sensed the power he wore as casually as he wore his crown.

  Only Amanda’s power was stronger, but hers was the strength borne of women through the ages. The power of love. Was Les’s love for Tady as strong? Les found his thoughts wandering not toward the Seat of Magic, but back to the days before he’d known Tady O’Shea. The memories then were gray and black, lacking both color and substance.

  Everything after Tady was filled with color and life. Les thought of the shimmering lights reflecting off the beautiful scales that covered Tady in Dragon form, the gossamer wings that lifted the huge Dragon into the brilliant blue skies. He saw himself as a Dragon, his own body shimmering in shades of gold and red, his wings catching the gentle rays of the morning sun as he soared above the forests.

  Soared with Tady at his side, his partner, his one true love.

  Les followed the two Dragons in his mind, saw them cross over perilous mountains, follow a deep canyon that led to an amazing fall of water splashing onto rocks so far below they practically disappeared in the mist. He watched the Dragons glide off the mountain and follow the meandering course of a fiercely rushing river. In the back of his mind, he was aware of the change in light, of day following night and leading into a new day.

  Finally the Dragons waited at the base of a tall, snow covered peak. Each one, with head bowed, their bodies covered in bloodied wounds and contusions, their lungs heaving with the effort to stay afoot. They waited patiently, knowing She Who Rules prepared to judge.

  Waited, knowing their lives might even now be forfeit for daring to ask so much.

  Then a veil of black covered Les’s vision. He blinked awake, opening his eyes to the troubled blue of Tady’s cautious gaze. “I saw where we need to go, but then it all went dark.”

  Tady nodded. “My vision faded to black as well.” He shook his head. “I don’t know what that means.”

  “That we will fail?” Les hated to think their journey was doomed before they even began, but Tady shook his head in denial.

  “No. I merely think it means She Who Rules isn’t quite ready to rule. We have to prove we can get there first.”

  Lester stood up and brushed the leaves from his thighs. His cock stood straight out, hard as a baseball bat and almost as large. Whatever had happened in that vision had left him so aroused he felt as if he might burst, but he put the need behind him and then held out a hand to Tady. “I think we go north. Does that sound right to you?”

  Tady grabbed the outstretched hand and leaped to his feet. Les noticed the Elf was just as hard as he was. Tady glanced down at his cock, then grinned at Les. “Aye. North it is. I recognize the mountain range we need to cross, and the waterfall as well. I’ve seen it in my dreams before.”

  Les felt the excitement withi
n him build. Saw the matching excitement in Tady’s eyes, excitement even greater than their physical need for release. They were going to do this. Really, truly, going to travel across the Northern Realm to find the mystical ruler. And, if all went well, Les might actually become that huge golden Dragon he saw in his vision.

  He grabbed up his sarong but Tady stopped him before he could wrap it around his waist. “I feel as if I might burst if I don’t touch you, Les. The need in me is like a live thing, a thing that needs to be fed. I’m wondering if it’s the touch of She Who Rules.”

  Lester laughed as he reached out and stroked Tady’s hot length. “I doubt She Who Rules can reach us here, but I’m available, and, unless you’re blind, you might have noticed I’m in the same shape you are.”

  Tady stepped close to Lester, then scrambled up on a fallen log. It brought him up to Les’s height, brought him close. So close their cocks rode against one another. “And a fine shape it is, Les.”

  In the almost eight years they’d been together, Les figured he and Tady had tried just about every possible sexual act two men could do. This was still one of his favorites, he thought, as he wrapped one fist around Tady’s cock and cradled the Elf’s sac in his other palm.

  Tady did the same to Lester. His palm felt cool against Les’s heat, the strength in the man’s fingers grasping his cock with just the right amount of pressure, the hand holding his balls squeezing the sac just enough.

  Not pain. Merely the hint of pain to force Les’s mind over to pleasure as he carefully stroked Tady’s thick length, squeezed and fondled the round balls within his sac, doing exactly to Tady what the Elf did for him.

  The trick was to stay upright, to keep his legs from folding under him as Tady brought him closer and closer to climax. It always became a contest of sorts as each man sought to bring the other to climax first. There were rules, of course, meant to be broken but rules just the same. No slipping a finger between the warm globes of the other guy’s butt, like that, no rimming the taut sphincter with a fingertip just that way.