Cassarah
My dreams were filled with flashes of memories from Miranda on her coronation day, finally claiming her consorts and the beginning of their happiness together.
In all the nights I’d dreamed of her, this was a moment I hadn’t experienced.
It was interesting to see the differences from what I went through yesterday.
It was much simpler and reminiscent of a traditional marriage when it came to her men.
Magic hadn’t been involved at all. When I felt myself starting to wake up, everything shifted, and I was pulled into the void of Vasin’s mind.
Panic filled me as I remembered what happened the last time I was here alone, but I’d come a long way since then and understood my powers better.
A figure glowed, and I assumed it was Miranda coming to talk with me, as we’d done on occasion.
Only this time, it was someone else dressed in armor with her curly brown hair wild around her face.
Confusion whirled in my mind at this change. “How are you here? I thought it was just Miranda who could communicate with me like this?”
“Oh no, any of the past kings and queens of the mercenaries who shared a bond with a black dragon can reveal themselves to you. We know when we are needed, and my mother was who you needed most. Now you’re on the verge of war, the biggest since the Battle of the Kingdoms, so I’ve come to offer what guidance I can,” Emery explained, reaching out a hand to me.
I took the offered hand and was immediately swept up in her memory of swords clashing, arrows flying through the air, and people screaming in pain.
The smell of smoke burned in my nose as sweat dripped down my back and into my eyes, which I brushed away hurriedly.
Chaos ruled, and it was nearly impossible to see beyond what was right in front of me.
A sword descended upon me, and I rose mine to meet it, feeling the hit echo down my arm.
Then as fast as the memory started, it ended, and I was back holding Emery’s hand in the white void of my dragon’s brain.
“War is chaos, bloody, and changes you forever in ways you never see coming. I know the Lost King has left you no choice but to meet him head-on, but I didn’t want you to go unprepared,” she murmured using her other hand to brush the tears from my cheek.
“Your heart is so strong, and yet in that strength, it’s weak when it comes to moments where you have to choose your life over theirs. ”
“How do I make it through this without turning into him?” I asked, feeling that fear wrapping itself around my heart.
Emery smiled and lifted a finger under my chin so I would meet her gaze.
“The fact you are worried tells me that it won’t happen.
War is a test of wills and all about who can outsmart the other, but those who don’t have value in the lives that fight for them won’t get their best. When people fight for their freedom, homes, and loved ones, they become far more powerful than those who’ve been ordered to fight.
” Emery paused, searching my face for understanding.
“Last night, your people wanted nothing more than to spend time with you. Trust me when I say they will fight alongside you without a second thought.”
“I don’t want to have to ask them. There must be some way I can stop this war before it truly begins,” I argued.
Emery shook her head. “The time for that has passed, and now you must stand and fight. There is more to the Lost King than meets the eye. When he lost his dragon and brought him back, it twisted something inside him too. Think of him like a rabid dog. It’s better to put him out of his misery than to let him live.
Sadly, you’re the only one who can defeat him with the magic you hold.
The dragons have blessed you with what you need to do the deed. ”
“Is that why you’ve really come… to tell me it’s my duty as the Dragon Queen to slay the monster?” I asked bitterly.
“My dear girl, I was once where you are. I was raised in a loving home with parents who adored me, and then, in the blink of an eye, they were gone, never getting to say goodbye or see their faces again. My last memory was watching them ride off to meet with the king and queen, laughing with each other. Then the darkest time of my life began when a rider informed me that my family was killed. A burning anger rose in me and refused to be put out until I got vengeance for them, but it didn’t heal the wounds.
Our people still had to go into hiding and were scattered across the nation to keep our people existing.
So don’t whine to me about getting an unfair hand dealt to you.
That was most of my life,” Emery stated, her voice cold and her eyes hard.
“The fates know what we are capable of, and they push us to the limit, bending until we think we’re about to break…
but we don’t. Keep your men close… you won’t make it through this without them. ”
Feeling thoroughly chastised, I hung my head and nodded, knowing she had every right to scold me like a spoiled child. I wasn’t the only one this war would steal from—it was each and every person in this village if I didn’t stand up and fight back.
“I will,” I whispered.
Emery pulled me into a hug, squeezing me tightly. “You will do amazing things, sweet girl. I have no doubt. Know we are all here for you if you should need us.”
Slowly, the dream dissipated, and I was staring at my bedroom ceiling. I could feel Gavin’s even breath on my neck where his face was nestled. Paxton tightened his arms around my waist as he nuzzled into my stomach, where he’d managed to push my nightgown up so he was laying directly on my skin.
I could feel they were both still asleep, so I stayed still and decided to enjoy the moment.
How soon would we be marching out to battle and sleeping in tents on bedrolls?
The weather in Sheca was mild, but when we headed back to Norden, it would be far cooler.
Winter was building, making this even more of a disadvantage for us.
Thankfully, Norden didn’t get much snowfall, but the temperature could be brutal, creating its own risk.
Where would we meet the Lost King in battle?
How much of a hold did he have in Creisal, if any?
The smartest thing to do would be to lure him there so we didn’t need to move that many people on foot to another location.
It was easy enough to travel by dragon—transporting our soldiers there would be a far less hassle.
“What are you thinking about so intently, love?” Gavin whispered into my ear, letting his lips brush against my skin. “The wheels of your beautiful mind are working so hard that steam should be coming out of your ears.”
A smile tugged at my lips as I turned my head to face him. He rewarded my effort with languid kisses, neither of us feeling the need for urgency. “Good morning,” I murmured.
“It certainly is, waking up with you in my arms,” Gavin replied, pressing his lips to mine in a deeper kiss. “How long do you think we can pretend nothing important needs to happen today?”
“You tell me. You’re far more experienced in this life of a royal than I am,” I teased.
The arms around my waist shifted, alerting me to Paxton being awake as they skimmed up my side under the nightgown until they reached just under my breasts.
“If the prince is serious, I can think of a few ways to forget all about the real world for a bit. Unless he doesn’t want to share, then he’s out of luck because I’m not leaving this bed for him to get lucky. ”
Gavin’s eyes shimmered with heat as he traced a finger along my jawline and over my lips. “What did you have in mind? I feel I could be persuaded if all parties were in agreement.”
Paxton lifted his head, brows arched in surprise.
“Who knew the straight-laced prince could be so open-minded? All right, Your Highness, what do you think about splitting her between us? One gets the cave of wonders, and the other keeps her mouth busy. I’m willing to split fifty-fifty and switch in the middle, or if we’re happy where we are, then so be it. ”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at Paxton’s description of his plan.
Part of me wondered if he’d done this before or was just thinking practically.
May had taken it upon herself to share with me about the twins she’d been with at the same time, and they did something similar.
Only one was in her core and the other in her ass.
Remembering Cole and how he’d introduced that feeling to me made me shiver.
“Would you look at that… our queen seems to like the idea of being shared,” Paxton purred, kissing down my stomach until he reached the tuft of hair above my core. “I say we get her squirming and dripping for us before we decide who’s going where.”
Gavin reached down to grab the bunched-up fabric of my clothes and pulled it over my head, leaving me bare to them. “So perfect,” he sighed, letting his fingers glide over the swell of my breasts.
At his touch, my nipples started to peak, and my breathing became faster. When he gently pinched my nipple between his fingers, rolling it ever so slightly, I moaned, arching my back.
“Seems like I need to get to work,” Paxton commented before shifting between my legs, which I opened to accommodate him.
Paxton didn’t go right for my clit like I expected him to.
Instead, he kissed, licked, and caressed every part of my body between my legs but where I wanted, making me pant with anticipation.
With Gavin attending to my upper half and Paxton driving the lower half wild, I couldn’t help but whimper in desperation.
“Please, someone, please touch me,” I begged. “I need to feel you. My body is aching, and it’s driving me wild. Someone better fill me with their cock now.”
Paxton let out a huff of laughter that hit my clit, making me keen with need.
“You know, I think she might be ready for us?” I bucked my hips, trying to close my legs on his head, shoving his face into my core.
“Easy there, spitfire. I want to taste you first. Then I promise we will give you what you want.”
“Whatever you’re going to do, I suggest you do it quickly before I take matters into my own hands,” I growled out.
“I kind of like this bossy side of you… it’s incredibly sexy,” Paxton shared as he ran his finger over where I’d been aching to feel him.
Crying out at the touch, I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, I was presented with a cock ready for me to take into my mouth.
Gavin looked down at me, a little unsure of how I would react, but I grabbed ahold of him with one hand, tugging him closer.
Licking the crown of his cock, I could taste the pre-cum leaking from it—salty and bitter.
Paxton, feeling that my attention might be wandering from what he was doing to me, shoved two fingers inside me as he descended on my clit.
With all the teasing they’d put me through, I wasn’t shocked when I was sent into a shattering orgasm.
I moaned as I took Gavin’s cock between my lips, trying to keep myself grounded as Paxton continued to work me over.
Gavin’s hand found its way into my hair, gripping it tightly as I bobbed up and down on his cock.
My tongue swirled, feeling the ridges of his veins pulsing as he grunted in appreciation.
Paxton got me on the edge of another orgasm but slowed or stopped just before I was about to reach my climax, making me ache in a whole different way.
Then he pulled his finger out and crawled up my body.
“Can I take you, Cassarah? Will you let me fuck you, filling you with my seed until we are both sated?” Paxton whispered into my ear.
Pulling off Gavin, I turned to meet his icy blue eyes. “Yes, I want you to come in me as Gavin comes down my throat.”
Paxon groaned, hearing my words before surging forward and kissing me senseless as he entered me. “As my queen commands, I will provide.”