A Dragon's Tale Ch. 24

Hailey nodded. "He still sleeps like a log right?"

She nodded.

Hailey bit her lip, then reached down and gently lifted Jason's arm off of her. Luckily, the cot was close to the ground so then she just rolled off of it into a crouching position. Melinda smiled at her, then laid down where the willowy woman had just been. The moment she was there, Jason moved his arm around her.

Hailey wasn't sure whether she should feel happy for her friend or sad that she herself wasn't being held anymore. Regardless, she was a little jealous; not because she wanted to take what Melinda had, but because she wanted it too. Perhaps with a larger bed they could both have it.

Melinda smiled at her and whispered. "Thank you."

Hailey managed a half-smile back. "Anything for my two best friends."

* * *

Ethan jumped slightly as a combination of delighted squeals and giggles sounded from the quarterdeck. He signaled Serif to pause practice and then looked behind him. Alana, Beth, Taloni, and Rachel were all talking to Anthiel on the quarterdeck, and his two youngest wives looked like Christmas had come early, while his two older wives -- older wife and Rachel he corrected himself -- were looking rather amused.

*What's the--* He started to ask them telepathically.

*Alana's going to enchant dresses for us too!* Taloni almost squealed in delight.

*I can't wait!* Beth added, sounding equally excited.

He smiled broadly just as his wood elven wife glanced his way looking pleased with herself. *Well, since I was doing it for Rachel it only seemed right.*

*I have zero objection.* He said chuckling.

He'd noticed that ever since they had sent up the magical group chat, his wives almost always used it instead of the one-on-one. They seemed to use the one-on-one as a more private, intimate thing, which he liked. It was also a lot easier than trying to manage several separate conversations at once.

As he looked, he was again struck by how young his wives were. Alana was the oldest by several years at twenty three, but she was a wood elf, so he didn't know how that translated into human years with their long life. The next oldest at nineteen was Rachel, and--

He stopped himself.

Rachel wasn't his wife, though she would probably look the part when Alana was done enchanting her dress.

Hmm...

Knowing the wood elf's attraction to the redhead, he wondered if that was on purpose...

He smiled and turned back to Serif. The man was brilliant with a spear, with any weapon really, and he'd learned a lot sparring with him. He was hoping to learn a lot more in the week it would take to get to the Wood elves' kingdom.

* * *

Selene had listened to Melinda and Hailey's conversation with no small amount of confusion. She literally couldn't understand how they could stand to see 'their man' in someone else's arms. If she ever saw a boyfriend of hers doanything physical with another woman, she'd dump him on the spot; no questions asked or explanations allowed.

However, as far as Jason, Hailey, and Melinda were concerned, she was happy to apply one of her father's favorite sayings: "not my circus, not my monkeys". She was just glad that she would never be in that position.

Hailey came and sat down on her cot not long after getting off the other one. A few minutes later, Melinda appeared to start softly snoring, again in unison with Jason. Again, Selene couldn't decide if that was funny or fitting.

A few minutes afterward, Hailey whispered. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah." The Brazilian woman nodded.

"Did I do the right thing?" She asked.

"If you want to share him, then probably." Selene replied evenly.

"You think that's a bad idea?"

"I think I'd hate it, but you're not me."

Hailey made a thoughtful sound.

Selene sat up. "Look Hailey, I think you three will all be okay. I'm not sure how everything will work, but you all seem--"

She stopped mid-sentence as they heard the sliding of the exterior lock. Moments later, the door opened and Smithbond entered. He was looking the same as ever; well rested and dressed in an impeccable suit with an unreadable face.

"Miss Dawson." He said rather quietly, apparently trying not wake Jason or Melinda. "Time to go."

Selene raised her eyebrow.

"Don't give me that look." He said in much the same manner as a parent would to a child. "You signed on and this is part of the job."

She eyed him, trying to decide if she trusted him more or less than your average con artist. She had no idea what his deal was, and she certainly wasn't happy with how things were turning out. However, she was in a precarious position, being trapped in this strange bunker where he held all the cards. Besides, he hadn't given her much of a choice before, and she highly doubted he would now. He seemed content to be pleasant as long as it would gain someone's cooperation. If it didn't...

She stood up.

"Say goodbye to your friends Selene; you're going to be busy for the next week." He said in an almost condescending tone, again as a parent would to a child.

She gave him a look and then turned to Hailey. "Sorry for dragging you into all this, and please tell Jason and Melinda goodbye for me."

"I will." Hailey said.

With nothing else to say, Selene followed Smithbond out of the cell. The man stopped and turned back before closing it though.

"Miss Ozwald, I'll be back in a few minutes to finish your debrief, and then I'll personally escort you and your friends back to your hometown."

Hailey gave him an icy look, but nodded. Thereafter he closed the door, locked it, and started walking.

Selene fell into step beside him. "You're really going to let them go?"

"We might need more intel from Miss Oswald." Smithbond shrugged. "Plus, the unexplained disappearance of a woman after a sudden reappearance after four years could make some people ask some questions that I'd rather not spend the manpower burying. We'll keep tabs on them in case we need more intel or they start to squeal, but profiling says they're unlikely to leak anything."

The ex-FBI agent frowned; of course he wouldn't do it because it was the right thing to do, but at least he'd do it. With the others taken care of, she started thinking about her own situation.

"Where are we going?"

"To the range. How good are you with a crossbow?"

She blinked as she followed him through the endless maze of concrete halls. "A crossbow? I never fired one, why?"

"I thought not, but you'll need to be a near expert by the end of the week." He said as they passed yet another featureless steel door. This place was huge and seemingly designed to be confusing.

"Why?"

"Because you've been promoted to field agent."

"Field agent, what do you...?" She trailed off as she realized what he meant. There was only one reason why a field agent would need a crossbow.

"You can't be serious." She felt like sheshould be shocked, but somehow wasn't.

"Can't I?"

"You want me to leave the planet?" She asked. "I have a family here, and friends."

"No, you have family." He corrected without breaking stride. "Your 'friends' are nothing more than a few work acquaintances and you know it. Besides, I've already dispatched a few agents to tell your parents that you're going on assignment and will be out of contact. They'll also make sure your parents are safe... very safe andvery secure while you're gone."

Selene resisted the urge to attack him.

She could tolerate him threatening her, but her family? That wasway over the line.

"Ah, here we are." He said as if they were discussing the weather.

He pulled a larger than normal door open and led her onto what was clearly a firing range. There were four other men there, all dressed in BDUs and looking like the military type. A fifth man was dressed in a tweed suit and he looked rather nervous, like he didn't want to be there. He appeared to be instructing the other four men in how to handle a crossbow.

"Mr. Abromowitz here will be your instructor. He graciously agreed to help get the team up to speed on medieval ranged weaponry." Smithbond raised his voice and turned towards the man. "Isn't that right Mr. Abromowitz?"

The man jumped at the sound of his name, and calling his reaction a flinch wouldn't have been exaggerating. It didn't take long for Selene to realize exactly what was going on. She now knew exactly how Smithbond saw her. There was really only one way she could think of to describe it:

She was cannon fodder.

He was going to use her as an advance scout for their reconnaissance mission to the other world. She was competent, but he didn't really care if she came back, which made her the perfect sacrifice for whatever his goals were. And he was getting her compliance by threatening her family.

It made her want to scream.

Smithbond turned to her. "You'll leave in six or eight days, as soon as they can transport the portal here and get it setup. Make sure you apply yourself; your survival might depend on it." He finished pleasantly, and she didn't miss the double meaning or veiled threat.

She nodded mutely, wishing she had the weapons and means to stop whatever he was planning. For now, it appeared she was about to leave on a recon mission to another planet, possibly as a forerunner to an invasion. Okay, 'invasion' probably wasn't on the agenda, but they certainly weren't after anything good.

For now, she decided to apply herself to learning the weapons she'd have at her disposal. They might be her best chance of surviving in a world where dragons, airships and magic existed. From what Hailey had said, it could be a brutal place and she would only have a few men and a crossbow to protect her.

She grimaced.

* * *

Hailey took a deep breath as the van slowed and finally stopped. Agent Smithbond had grilled her for almost two hours before abruptly declaring that the 'debrief' was done and personally ushering herself, Jason and Melinda into the back of a large van. She'd been looking at its bland, windowless, steel interior for long enough and couldn't wait to get out, and especially away from the man sitting in the back with them.

The ride back to Jason's apartment had been uneventful and almost completely silent. Smithbond had opted to ride with them in the back, and Hailey couldn't figure out why for the life of her. His presence might as well have been a sound vacuum because no one spoke the entire ride.

He seemed fine with that.

It was unsettling.

Now, he opened the van's rear door and held it as if pretending to be a gentleman. She couldn't quite decide how creepy that was. Without a word, Hailey hopped out and turned to wait for her friends. Jason hopped out first and gave Melinda a hand while she stepped down. The town hadn't changed, though she supposed there was no reason for it to have changed since they'd only left the previous day. It felt like a lot longer.

"You kids be good now." Smithbond said both genially and in a slightly condescending tone.

"Don't call us, we'll call you." Jason replied evenly.

"If we do call, it would be best for everyone if you pick up." The agent replied, and Hailey couldn't tell if that was a threat or not.

Without further ado, he closed the door and moments later the van started off, leaving them on the sidewalk across from Jason's apartment. Except for a few days ago when Ethan had dropped her off, she had never been so happy to see that beautiful old building.

"Hi ladies, come here often?" Jason said in mock flirtatious tone.

They chuckled nervously, still shaken from the last day and a half.

"Let's go." He said, offering an arm to each.

They both hesitated only a moment before each took an arm. He led them across the street, up the stairs and to the apartment door. Hailey smiled when she saw the tiny Christmas ornament wreath on the door. For some reason, that made her feel a lot better. Jason tried the door and Hailey was glad to see that it was unlocked because they had no keys.

"Home sweet home." He said as he took a deep breath.

"Amen." Melinda said at the same time that Hailey said. "Here, here."

Jason closed the door behind him, walked over to the couch and flopped down in the middle. The two women looked at each other for a moment, then glanced at him.

"Well, I'm glad it's not awkward in here." Jason said with an amused smile, then patted the couch on either side of him. "Come here."

They did, settling on either side of him.

"So, we never got to talk about the fact that I fell asleep with Hailey in my arms, but woke up with Melinda." He began. "I know we're all tired, but unless I miss my guess, neither of you are going to be able to relax until all three of us have talked and gotten this sorted."

The two women nodded.

"Okay, so who wants to go first?" He asked. "Just remember, be brutally honest. We stand a much better chance of making whatever this is work if we're honest right now."

"I can go first." Melinda volunteered, but she averted her eyes as she spoke. "So, I had a talk with Selene last night and I've been doing some thinking ever since. If I'm being perfectly honest, I'm going to have a hard time sharing Jason."

She glanced at him as Hailey felt her heart plummet to somewhere near the Earth's core.

"But." The Latina woman added hastily when she saw Hailey's expression. "But I know how much you love him too and I couldn't bear causing you that kind of pain." She turned to Jason. "I suppose my real concern is losing you."

"Mels, I would never--" Jason started to say, but she put her hand on his arm and he let her speak.

"I know, but I'm worried if I -- and I know you would never do this -- but I'm worried that if something made you choose between Hailey and me that you'd pick her, baby notwithstanding."

"Mels, I would never try to come between you two." Hailey said firmly.

"I know." Melinda replied. "So the only way I'm going to feel secure is if there's no chance of that happening; no chance of Jason ever being forced to choose between us. Which means that I'm probably going to regret not having asked Ethan, Alana, and Rachel more about their relationship while they were here. I can't lose either of you, and that seems like the best way. I have no idea how it would work, but I think we can make it work. And I do mean long term."

"Really? Long term?" Hailey felt like all of her dreams had come true at once. She felt a wide smile creep onto her face as her eyes began to get moist.

"Really." Melinda said, though she looked almost scared. "I mean, I'm not saying I'm going to be perfectly comfortable with everything right away, but I think I can get there. Is that okay?"

Hailey nodded, the movement shaking happy tears from her eyes.

"Well that's a shame." Jason said in mock disappointment. "I was hoping we could work this out."

"I think we can, if you promise you'll never leave me." Mels whispered sincerely.

"Or me." Hailey added. "I'm not sure I could take it."

"I won't." He smiled. "And I have just the thing to prove it. Actually, I have just the two things, as I never had the heart to return the one four years ago."

"Huh?" The two women said at the same time.

"I'll be right back." He stood up and walked into the bedroom. Moments later, Hailey heard the creak of the attic stairs being pulled down.

"What is he doing?" Hailey asked.

"I have no idea." Melinda replied. "You know I hate that spider-filled attic even more than you do."

Hailey thought about it for a moment, trying to think which two things he could possibly mean, when the phrase "as I never had the heart to return the one four years ago" jumped out in her head.

He couldn't mean...

Could he?

Less than a minute later, Jason came back with his hands behind his back. He knelt down on one knee in front of both of them, and they were still sitting on the couch. He kept both hands behind his back and out of sight.

"Melinda, Hailey." He said looking at each in turn. "You are the two most incredible women I've ever met. I felt like a part of me died when Hailey disappeared, and I know I'd feel the same if something happened to you Mels. My life really wouldn't be complete without both of you in it, so I'd like to make that a permanent arrangement, if you'll both have me."

Melinda caught on and covered her mouth with her hand, her smile visible even through her petite fingers. Hailey felt like nothing could ever top this day, not if he was about to do what she thought he was.

He was.

He pulled his hands out from behind his back to reveal two little black velvet boxes. He opened them to reveal a small diamond ring inside of each.

They both had a diamond of about the same size, and each had their intended recipient's favorite gemstone on either side of the diamond. They were similar, but different. The bands themselves were also similar -- definitely Jason's taste -- but also subtly different. Hailey's was wider with a thin, artsy lines wrapping around it. Melinda's was slightly thinner and also had lines, but hers were etched in a slightly different pattern. The rings looked different, but also like they belonged together.

They were perfect.

"Will you both marry me?" He asked.

"Yes!" They both nearly shouted.

It was perfect.

He put the rings on both of their fingers, and they both could barely contain their excitement. For the first time in four years, everything felt perfectly right. True, there were still obstacles and life wouldn't be easy. Hailey had no idea how to make this work and she knew it would take lots of work. However, she was sure that the three of them -- four when the baby came -- would overcome all the obstacles and make it work.

Together.

TO BE CONTINUED...

***So, I messed up. A commenter pointed out that I'd used the name "Sarah" for Ethan's ex in the early chapters, but "Terry" later. It's supposed to be Terry, not Sarah, and I obviously got my continuity wires crossed. I'm so, so sorry about that. When I get time, I'll submit an edit of the first couple chapters with the name corrected. Might not be soon with how my life has been going, but I will do it. Also, I'll be very busy next month around when I usually submit, so I might be a day or two late/early with the submission depending on how things go, but I'll aim for the usual last Fri/Sat of the month release. Enjoy the chapter!***

STORY TAGS: dragon, magic, medieval, elf, teen, romance, virgin, harem, cuckquean