Chapter 2: Afterward

The thunder gathers in the sky,

As mighty dragons start to fly.

For only one shall win her heart,

And claim a bond that none can part.

Ryuki

I wake up so sore it feels like I fell off Bynjym’s back and he didn’t catch me before I landed on the ground.

‘As if I would ever let that happen,’ he rumbles, sounding inordinately pleased with himself.

‘How does your dick not feel like it’s going to fall off?’ I ask.

Mine sure as fuck does.

‘You started before me and I’m a dragon. Dragons can mate for days and we did.’

I jerk, regretting the movement immediately.

‘Wait, how long did you mate Cyryl?’

‘Two full days. She flew for almost an entire day before that, so you and Skylar went three days with nothing but non-stop sex. Humans aren’t built for that sort of activity.’

No fucking shit! Tell me something I don’t know.

That explains a lot though, like why my throat feels like the desert and my stomach is making noises that I’ve never heard it make before. Considering I used to go hungry all the time, that is saying something.

‘The other riders brought you food and water even though they are also recovering from days of mating. Cyryl and I sent the entire thunder into rut. Even the nesting dragons mated again,’ Bynjym says proudly.

‘They did? I didn’t think that was possible.’

‘In the past, it hasn’t been, but as I’ve said before, with Cyryl, things are changing.’

I look at the woman in my arms. Her blond hair is a mess, and her body is bruised from our violent mating, but she’s never been more beautiful to me.

She is mine, now and forever. No one will ever take her from me.

‘No, they will not. Cyryl is mine and Skylar is yours. They are ours and will be until the end of our days.’

‘Skylar will want a bath when she wakes up,’ I say.

‘Our queens will want food when they wake. The lake can wait. They need to replenish their bodies. You do realize that Skylar is most likely pregnant, right?’ he asks.

‘When she wakes, we’ll do that thing where we fly high in the sky,’ I say.

‘No, we won’t. First, she’ll be too sore to fly unless she can harness the thunder’s power to heal herself. Second, Queen Cyryl is carrying my fertilized eggs. They are already growing inside her and she will most likely not be able to fly like she was before. Besides, she’ll need to search for a nest. By the time Skylar’s body has healed enough to ride her dragon, Cyryl will be too heavy to fly. If she allows me to, I can fly Skylar to make sure she doesn’t get pregnant, but you’ve never fertilized her body like you did these last three days. It’s very likely that by the time Cyryl finds a nest to lay her eggs, Skylar's egg will have implanted itself into her womb. You need to be prepared for that,’ Bynjym says.

I look at the woman in my arms. I have no idea how we will raise a child in wild. Since I’ve been a rider, no one ever has, but if my mate is pregnant, then we’ll figure it out. And god help anyone who tries to take my woman or my child away from me.

‘As usual, my rider and I are in perfect agreement,’ Bynjym purrs.

It isn’t long before Queen Cyryl begins to stir and Bynjym begins to purr.

‘Would my queen like me to bring her food, or would you prefer to hunt for your own food?’ he asks her.

‘Where is my rider?’ she asks.

‘She’s still asleep. She and my rider have worn themselves out,’ Bynjym tells her.

She turns and looks at Skylar, walking over to press her nose against her. Then she turns to me.

‘You will keep her safe?’ she asks.

It’s still weird that I can hear the other dragons when they want me to, but this time, I’m glad she’s able to communicate directly with me.

‘Yes, My Queen. Skylar is safe with me. If she wakes up, I’ll make sure she gets food and water.’

‘I’m trusting you with her life. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what she means to me.’

‘No, Queen Cyryl, you don’t. Believe me, she means as much to me as she does to you.’

She does that thing where she breathes in my soul, taking in the essence of me and making me feel dizzy.

‘Believe me when I tell you she doesn’t, Ryuki, but I know in your heart and mind, you believe she does, so that is good enough for me. Keep my rider safe while we’re gone,’ she says.

‘I will guard her with my life.’

Bynjym croons and clucks at his new mate, waiting for her to lift into the sky. The moment she does, he’s in the air, following closely behind her.

I settle against Skylar again, holding her close.

“Ryuki, do you need more food or water?”

It’s Mara asking.

“No, thank you, Mara. Skylar hasn’t woken up yet.”

“Oh, thank goodness. I have Ymyl out looking for more food, but I’m starving. I promise to replace your food once Ymyl returns if I can have what we left for you.”

“Are you alright, Mara?”

“Yes, but that mating flight was … fuck, Ryuki. It will take us days to recover. We better hope the royals don’t attack because none of us is ready to fight.”

“If they do, we’ll protect our queens,” I growl.

She nods. “So, about the food …?”

“Take it, but as soon as Ymyl is back, I want food for Skylar. She’ll need to eat when she wakes up.”

“I understand. None of us have ever been through a mating flight like that. We’re all famished and our dragons are exhausted.”

“Get some rest, just make sure I have food and water for Skylar.”

“Will do and thanks, Ryuki.”

‘If our queen awakens and Ymyl hasn’t returned, I will bring her food,’ Bynjym says.

‘Thank goodness because it feels like the entire thunder is famished.’

‘They are. Cyryl and I were very … amorous,’ he says smugly.

Before I can answer, I hear Queen Cyryl respond to him.

‘You mean you were a greedy dragon who made sure to fertilize every egg in my womb.’

‘I like to be thorough,’ he purrs.

She scoffs, but it feels flirtatious.

‘What you like is to prove your virility and to make sure you gave me a queen egg.’

‘Are you complaining, My Queen? If you’d prefer a shorter mating next time …’

‘Don’t piss me off, Bynjym. I’m still basking in the glow of our mating flight.’

‘As my queen commands,’ he purrs smugly.

Oh yeah, our life will never be boring again.

As I hold my woman, my mate, my … damn, how do I make her my wife in the wild?

‘You don’t need a ceremony or a token to know that she’s yours forever. If she wants the token or the ceremony, we’ll figure out a way to give it to her,’ Bynjym says.

Through his eyes, I watch as Queen Cyryl dives and grabs yet another beast to devour. Once again, I think about how easy it is for dragons.

‘Really? I didn’t see you outflying every dragon in our thunder, then outsmarting our queen to claim her. All you did was make sure you were there when Cyryl woke up ready to mate so her rider would jump you,’ Bynjym says sarcastically.

‘Yeah, well, you didn’t have to rub your dick raw to keep our queen satisfied.’

‘You’ll need to grow some calluses or figure out how Skylar draws her healing power from the dragons. I don’t want to ever hear that either of our queens is unhappy with our ability to keep them satisfied,’ Bynjym says.

Easy for him to say, I’m the one who feels like their dick was put through a meat grinder.

‘If you’re complaining, perhaps Shao could keep our queen happy,’ Bynjym says.

‘I’m with Queen Cyryl. Stop trying to piss me off, Bynjym,’ I growl.

‘Then learn how to draw on Skylar’s power to heal yourself and her. Cyryl is young enough and virile enough to mate four times a year. I have no intention of losing our queens because my rider can’t keep up. Figure it out,’ he growls.

‘You know, just because you flew our queen, it doesn’t mean you can become a complete asshole,’ I growl.

‘Our queens are everything. You know that as well as I do. You don’t want to share Skylar anymore than I want to share Cyryl, especially since both of them are carrying our young. If you can’t keep up with our mating, we need to figure out a way that you can.’

‘It isn’t just me. As raw as I am, I’m sure Skylar is as well,’ I say.

‘Again, figure out how to draw on her healing power. She’s been working on it, but she hasn’t learned to harness it yet. As her mate, you should also be able to help her harness that power and tap into it when necessary.’

I look at Skylar again. Could I really tap into the power that Skylar has?

Bynjym’s response is confident and leaves no room for argument.

‘Yes.’