Chapter 8
Sir Keyon
“I’d like to make it to the river today,” I said, half to myself, as I mused over my sketch in the dirt. “From what I remember, there’s a small town on the other side.” I prodded the little house drawing with a stick, as though I were commanding tiny, invisible forces. “We just have to follow it north a little bit… cross the bridge.” My voice dropped to a mumble as Elpis leaned across from me to look down at my sketches. My eyes became glued to the round swells that created her tight cleavage, and I forgot what I was saying. It suddenly occurred to me that as much as I enjoyed staring at them, I didn’t want any other males leering at her overflowing assets. She was my fated mate, even if she didn’t seem to realize that.
“Gotta get you some proper-fitting clothes,” I mumbled without thinking, watching her breathing strain the fabric. She looked up at me, and my eyes flickered to hers.
“I don’t have any coin…” she said quietly, fidgeting with her fingers .
I smirked at her and pulled my bag over to rummage through it. “Oh, you have pleeenty of money now, Elpis. You’ll be starting your new life with a nice bit of savings.” I removed the solid gold chastity belt from it and walked a safe distance away to dig a hole in the dirt. I placed the metal garment over the hole and withdrew a step. I drew in a breath and unleashed blue fire upon it, forcing the metal to soften and fold under the thrall of my heat. Pacing around it, I nudged all the gold into the hole so it’d melt into one solid piece. Once I was satisfied with its compact form, I snorted out a victorious plume of smoke and picked up the large nugget.
“There. Much less offensive now,” I announced proudly. “And much more sellable.”
“Wow…” I almost couldn’t hear Elpis’s murmur of amazement, and I puffed out my chest, pleased at the compliment.
I tossed the scalding gold lump in the air and caught it in a hand, smiling over at her. “A tiny fraction of this will buy you proper clothing and necessities after we sell it to a blacksmith or merchant. Much easier to sell a nugget than an illegal chastity belt.” I gestured to her neck and added, “We’ll do the same thing with your collar later when we reach the river. Plenty of good iron there. I’m sure you’d also like to have that cursed thing off as soon as possible.”
She sat up straighter, and her sweet eyes sparkled with delight. Elpis grabbed her slave collar and said, “Yes! Yes! I want this awful thing off! I’m so excited!” She bounced slightly in her elation, and I had to avert my gaze this time. Otherwise, I’d definitely have to sneak off for a second critical round of masturbation.
I’m ready, Toast reminded me, and I smiled at his determination. After grabbing my bag, I held out a hand for Elpis. She looked up at me with surprise in her eyes and slowly put her hand in mine. Her soft skin and the pleasant tingles excited me a bit too much, and I jerked her up from the ground faster than intended. She stumbled forward from the force of my pull and had to brace herself against my chest.
I sucked in a sharp, excited breath when her soft breasts pressed against me, but Toast got spooked. Be careful! Back up, back up, back up!
Her eyes widened, and her soft, pale lips parted. I quickly let her go before Toast could take control and push her. A nervous laugh escaped my mouth, and I said, “Sorry about that, moonflower. You’re just such a light little petal.”
She blushed a faint peach and took a step back herself with a small smile. Then she turned to pick up her bundle of clothes and blanket and awaited my lead. I made a mental note to buy her a proper bag to carry her things in as well. Once I verified the right direction to go in by checking the position of the sun and where the moss grew on the trees, we began walking.
I glanced down at her and mentioned something I’d noticed. “You don’t hum before you talk anymore, Elpis.”
She raised her brows, and it seemed like she’d just realized it herself. “The other slaves and I only talked freely to each other. We weren’t supposed to talk to non-slaves. If you recall… I struggled when you didn’t ask yes-or-nay questions. I found that if I started with a small noise, I could work my way up to a word, but it was very difficult.”
I fought an urge to give her a playful nudge and said, “I think those berries knocked that habit out of you. You were yelling at me, calling me a fat cloud and shaming me for cursing. You said a lot of things actually. Had quite the bold mouth on you!”
Her eyes widened in horror, and she shifted her grip on the bundle. “Nay, I did not!” she protested, obviously in denial.
“Oh, you most certainly did,” I teased. “I would have found it extremely entertaining if I wasn’t worried about you dying.” I then proceeded to tell her in great detail everything that she’d said and enjoyed mortifying her until she finally broke into laughter with me.
It was early evening when we reached the river and found a decent place to settle. I started a larger campfire for Elpis since we’d both need to wade a bit into the water to remove her iron collar. She had a one-track mind when she dropped her bundle, bouncing anxiously on her toes while looking out at the water.
“Have you even seen a river before, Elpis?” I asked, fairly certain she hadn’t.
She shook her head, eyes locked on the current. “Not that I can recall. I was usually either in the mansion guest rooms or the underground cell.”
Scorching, violent fury swelled in my chest at the thought of her under another male’s control, and I was surprised to hear Toast growl as well. I fisted my hands and spat a blue flame at a tall weed to vent some heat, incinerating it instantly.
I angrily shucked my shirt off and removed my pants, leaving only my undergarment on so I wouldn’t have sopping clothes to dry. I looked over at Elpis and caught her staring at me. She averted her gaze and started untying the back of her dress, the sight forcing an odd sound out of my throat that carried notes of hesitation and alarm.
“Euhhh… Elpis, why don’t you keep your dress on for this... You have some dry clothes you can wear after we get that collar off,” I suggested and shifted my weight uncomfortably.
The light in her eyes faded, and she looked like I’d just publicly shamed her. She opened her mouth to say something but shut it just as fast. Wilting, she turned to walk to the river, but she couldn’t quite hide the subtle tremble of her lips and the moisture in her eyes.
What did I do wrong? I asked Toast, not sure why I even thought he’d have the answer.
I don’t know... Thought she’d take it as preserving her dignity. Also, one more barrier between us. He shuddered slightly at the thought of her body touching mine. I groaned and rubbed both hands down my face.
Well, hopefully she’ll cheer up with the removal of the collar, I said with a modicum of hope and followed her to the river’ s edge. How do you want to do this, Toast? You going to hibernate again?
I’ll… stay for a bit and leave if it becomes too much, he decided.
Hatchling steps, big guy.
I waded in and sat so I was chest-deep in the water, then gestured for Elpis to come over while I took a deep breath. “I’m going to need you to sit on my lap here, Elpis. I need to get close to that collar and sweep cold water on your neck while I work. This is going to get pretty hot.” I winced internally at that last sentence, wishing I had worded it differently.
She waded over to me, and I parted my legs slightly, preparing to cradle her sideways. I gritted my teeth until I was certain they’d crack and settled her on my lap, hoping she wouldn’t feel my erection through her dress skirt. I leaned her back until her collar was just above the water. When I cupped my hand under the lock, I realized that I needed my other hand to do this, so I released my dragon wings to support her back and angled them carefully to prevent them from billowing in the currents.
I cupped the lock on her collar with my left hand to protect her skin as much as possible then began to blow a white flame. I increased the heat to just under three thousand degrees, then used my right hand to keep her hair back and slosh water onto her neck and chin. The tingles from touching her were calming, and I hoped it would help Toast tolerate her proximity.
Hot steam rose from my efforts, and I tilted her head away, worried she’d burn from that as well. “Are you doing ok, Elpis? Any burning?” I asked, focusing intently on one spot so the metal would weaken as fast as possible.
“I’m fine,” she responded, staying as still as stone.
I grunted in approval and continued working, heating the metal while making sure she stayed cool. The iron began to get gummy and bend, so I started pulling on it a little, urging the metal to stretch and weaken further. I twisted and pulled it under my blue flame until the iron melted enough for me to rip it. I grinned and displayed the melted lock for her to see, and her hands flew to her neck. Knowing what a meaningful moment this was, I allowed her to free herself, and she began to cry, rubbing her naked neck in disbelief.
“It’s gone!” she exclaimed, alternating between sobbing and laughing. “My neck feels so light. So naked,” she murmured, tracing her throat in awe. My eyes followed her drifting fingers, and I eased her off of me so she could go back to get dry. Once she waded out, she asked, “Are you coming?”
I nodded and waved her off with a hand. “I’ll be there. I need a minute.”
Can one die from blue balls? Toast asked.
If it’s never happened, I’ll be the first, I thought darkly. How’d you handle that experience, Toast?
I took a ten-minute break, but I stayed for most of it, he reported.
I’m... really surprised. You’re feeling ok?
I’m a bit nauseous and anxious, but I think I’ll be ok after a sleep, he admitted. I probably couldn’t have done it without that tingling mate touch.
Good job, buddy. You’re making progress.
Good luck with that erection.
Euhhh… thanks.
Once my body had calmed itself, I turned toward the riverbank and climbed out of the water. Elpis noticed my approach and sat up from her curled position on the blanket, then she went back to staring at the inside of the collar with a melancholic look on her face. She was getting easier to read by the day, which surprised me, but I was grateful for it. It helped me connect with her.
Before getting any closer, I blew some cooler yellow fire over my arms and legs to evaporate the water droplets that were streaming down my body. Elpis glanced at my activity before returning her gaze to the iron pieces in her hands. I wanted to playfully flick some water onto her, but she didn’t seem very receptive at the moment.
“Lost in thought?” I asked and settled across the campfire from her. I couldn’t see her face very well with how her head was hung. Her long, damp hair left the shoulders and chest of her pajama top soaking wet, and I wished I could dry her hair for her, but she wasn’t a dragon-shifter. She was not very fire-resistant.
I watched the top of her head bob as she nodded. “I have a question that is hard to ask, but it is torturing me,” she said weakly. Well, that made me nervous.
“You can ask me anything, moonflower,” I said steadily and pulled on my pants while I waited for her to summon the courage to say what she needed to say.
“I don’t know what’s different about being a free female. As a slave—”
“A Reborn,” I corrected, interrupting her. She was no longer a slave.
She swallowed hard and continued, “As a… well… nay. What I’m trying to say is that I’m considered old. You saw that I was about to have my virginity sold, and then my value would have dropped. Undesirable. Old, undesirable, and used.”
“That’s a myth,” I snapped unintentionally and lit a little branch on fire with an angry spit. I picked it up and tossed it into the campfire. “They would have you think that because they impose those restrictions on themselves. If they can’t enjoy a female after her first time, then I feel sad for them. I’m not an expert, but a female doesn’t change; the entrance just stretches a little, then it heals. She’s not dirty. The female body is meant to wash out what is put inside. No, the female organ is a work of art and brilliant design. And you mention old?” I barked a disgusted laugh. “Old is subjective. You’d be considered a child to a hundred-year-old male.”
She stared at me with stunned eyes, unable to comment or move. I fed the campfire a twig and said, “I’m truly afraid of what some of your facts are based on, Elpis. I will try to clear up what I can, but you’re anything but old and undesirable. Once you’ve lain with a male, you’re not used. You’re not any less pure. All it means is that you had sex.”
“Oh…” she said simply but sullenly. She tossed her own stick into the campfire. “So, it is not too late for me to find a male? A mate? I haven’t lost my chance?”
A heavy dose of jealousy pooled into my abdomen, and I bit back a growl. My fangs tried to lengthen, itching to mark my mate, but I restrained the urge. I wanted to run into the woods, shift, and pull up trees by the roots, but I just sat there and answered her question instead.
“No, Elpis,” I said through my teeth and eventually loosened my jaw so I didn’t sound like I was mad at her. “You have all the time in the world. You’ll be desirable until the day you pass on to the Sun God.” I didn’t meet her eyes when I said that; maybe it was too exposing. Either way, she needed to know there wasn’t some kind of dreadful countdown.
I rubbed my eyes, feeling a little bit of panic coming my way this time. Why didn’t she react to the bond? Couldn’t she feel it? Even humans could feel it, though it wasn’t as strong before mating and marking. I didn’t want her looking around at other males, trying to figure out which one she wanted. I wanted her to only look at me, for fuck’s sake!
Before I realized it, I was standing up and walking over to her. Toast? You doing this? I asked, taken by surprise.
I’m practicing, he grumped as he had me crouch before Elpis. Hold her hands. She’s upset. I’ll… tolerate it. When he removed his control, I wobbled a little bit and fell on my ass. I’d have been embarrassed if I wasn’t so stunned by Toast’s initiative.
“Whoops,” I mumbled and scooted to sit closer to Elpis. She eyed me warily through tendrils of her long, damp hair, and I put both my hands out, palms up in invitation. She tilted her head slightly and frowned but slid her slender hands into mine. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes in pleasure. The tingles settled deep into my skin, and I found gratitude in how it calmed my anxious and jealous mind.
“You don’t feel that, do you, Elpis?” I murmured quietly and gently squeezed her hands. “The tingling?”
“Nay… I feel nothing but your grip,” she said with a small amount of concern. “Did you injure your hands?”
I chuckled and opened my eyes to gaze down at her. If by injury you mean smote by the mate bond, I thought with a smile. “Something like that,” I replied evasively and looked down at her hands. Her slender fingers looked like they’ve never worked a day in their life… it was so deceptive. Her work had included some of the most difficult labor a female could ever be forced to endure.
“We have a scholar at the castle who works with our doctors,” I said softly, turning her hands until her palms faced skyward. “I’d see her come with the doctor on occasion when someone from my Inferno would get injured. I learned a lot just from listening to her talk about her research. Did you know that our skin replaces itself once a month?” I stroked my thumbs over her palms as I stared at all the tiny wrinkles there, so different from my own.
“N-nay, how’s that possible? It always looks the same.”
“The skin sheds so finely we don’t even notice it, but it’s always renewing itself. You know what this means?” I asked and looked up to smile encouragingly at her face.
“Wh-what?” she breathed. I had her complete attention.
“It means that in a month or two, all your skin will have never known an unwanted touch. The skin that remembered the mansion will be completely gone,” I answered, hoping it would help remind her that she’d always be her own person. Unowned. “These hands will only have touched what you chose to touch.”
“Wow,” she gasped and stared down at her arms, amazed. “That’s incredible!”
“May I feel your arms, Elpis?” I murmured my question, wanting to move past hands now.
“You kn-know the answer to that,” she said, biting her lip .
“Right… whenever, as often, and however… whatever that last one means.” I mumbled that last part out loud without thinking and cleared my throat nervously. I could feel my face heating up, which was unusual. I normally had much more control over that.
Resting her left hand on my knee, I took her right arm in both hands. I traced my fingers around her bony knuckles and wrists, then dragged a forefinger up the inside of her cushiony arm to its crook, pushing the fabric of her sleeve along as I did so. I watched as all the tiny, pale hairs on her skin stood on end. Toast wasn’t telling me to stop, so I kept going, wishing I could just get lost in her body. I was in a place of paradise, finally able to explore a female.
I slid my finger up her bicep and stopped when the sleeve bunched too much to proceed. Her breath caught when I completely wrapped my hand around her arm and slid it down until I reached her wrist. I palmed her hand and held it again. “You’re so soft. Are all females like this? I can’t even remember anymore,” I murmured to myself. When I scented her arousal, I fought to keep my composure. She shifted delicately and avoided my gaze.
The turn of her head swung a damp lock over her eye, and before she could get to it, I brushed it away from her face. I gathered all the hair that was slung over her right shoulder and placed it behind her, wanting to see the curve of her neck now that the collar was gone.
“How does your neck feel afte—” I began but noticed something quite unexpected when I leaned forward to get a closer look. “Elpis,” I asked with apprehension, “did you always have symbols on your neck?”
“I do? I don’t know… I don’t recall ever seeing my neck before it was collared. Do they look like these?” she asked and pointed to the inside of the iron collar. I grabbed it from her and held it up to her neck to compare. The symbols were mirrored but identical. It was like the collar had stamped them on over years of pressure.
“They do, Elpis. They’re the same…” I said, uneasy. I traced one with my thumb, and Elpis jerked a little bit. “Shit, did that hurt?” I asked, and she shook her head.
“Nay, you just surprised me.”
“Sorry…” I said quietly and moved to squat behind her. I lifted her hair there and spied the line of symbols continuing. “They go all the way around, but I don’t know what they mean. Looks like witchwork. Did Adelmar ever have witches come by the mansion?”
“I-I don’t know. I don’t remember any,” she replied nervously. She shuddered as I ran my thumb over the symbols, and despite the topic, I suspected she was getting as aroused as I was. I sighed, realizing I should stop touching her now. Toast did marvelously and deserved a break.
Well done, Toast. You helped me discover those markings. We need to learn more about them.
Then let’s not melt the collar for money. We’ll provide for her anyway. We don’t need the coin.
Can’t believe how well you’re adapting.
What does not adapt ends up dying. He sighed. I don’t like the sound of her asking about looking for other males. It is putting a lot of pressure on me to work harder, and I am very stressed.
I’ll do what I can. It’d help if she recognized us. I don’t know why she can’t.
Let me get us dinner, Toast said, changing the subject. I want to provide.
Alright, one minute.
I got up and walked away from Elpis. “Toast wants to find you dinner.”
Play it cool, idiot! Find us dinner. Find US dinner! Don’t make me sound like some lovesi—
“Toast?” she asked. “Who’s that?”
“That’s my dragon’s name,” I said with a devilish grin, stepping out of my pants again. “Terribly ferocious name, isn’t it?”
Keeeyon! Stop !
“It’s a fine name!” Elpis said with a tilt of her chin. “Without it, bread would always be cold, and who likes cold bread?”
You know, I’m not certain if that’s a compliment or not, Toast said thoughtfully. It sounds like a compliment, but like… a compliment for a baker.
“You flatter him,” I chuckled, slipped out of my undergarment, and walked off to shift. Toast quickly returned to Elpis with a mouthful of fish, which he proceeded to drop about ten feet away from her. He got a little spooked when she waved at him, and I shifted back to prevent him from having another panic attack.
Under the fear, I could tell he was still pleased as shit to provide. Toast was also quite upset when we had to toss most of the fish back in the water because we couldn’t eat twelve salmon between us. At least they were still alive, which was a relief to Elpis.
After dinner, Elpis curled up in her blanket, and I nested near her again with a wing slung over me. She extended a hand out between us, yawned, and said, “Sleep well, Keyon. Thanks for taking the collar off. It feels amazing—like I’m a brand-new person.” I watched her eyes close, but she didn’t withdraw her hand.
I hesitated, then placed my hand over hers and left it there. The corners of her lips curled up into a tiny smile, and I grinned into my other hand. Closing my eyes to rest, I simply said, “Good night, moonflower.” Neither of us moved our hands.