A Dragon's Tale Ch. 43

"Convinced?" He asked softly.

She slowly nodded.

"You sure?" He grinned

She started to nod again, then got an embarrassed smile on her face as she whispered. "I think I will be when... when you finish."

She bit her lip, then slowly and haltingly rolled over. On the back of her right thigh was of course the other half of the bite marks. Additionally, on her back starting at her shoulder blades and ending around her hips were three long scars that looked like a dragon had slashed at her back with its claws, and the middle one was slightly longer than the other two. They didn't look as deep as the one on her front, which was good because they were at an angle and crossed over her spine. Much deeper and it could've damaged her spine.

He kissed those scars too.

Every inch of them.

Kendra shuddered her way through another mini-orgasm or two as he did, both when he was kissing right next to her spine. He made a mental note that she was sensitive there, mostly so he could take advantage of that in the future.

When he'd finished kissing all of her scars, he rolled her back over.

She looked blissfully happy.

She had a dopy grin on her face and her eyes were only partially open. She looked radiant, and the only thing he could think to compare it to was Alana right after she'd found out that she was pregnant.

"Satisfied?" He asked.

"Almost Drago." Her cheeks went red as she spread her legs, then touched her hands to his hips, gently asking him to come closer.

He did.

Much closer.

Her slit was doing a good impression of Niagara Falls as he slid inside of her, and she came almost instantly. Like every previous time, she locked up tight and she held herself to him, then lost all control of her body. She was vibrating and spasming so hard that he would've been worried she was having a seizure if he didn't know better. He continued thrusting, letting loose inside of her for the second time in twelve hours.

Afterwards, it took a few moments for them both to catch their breaths.

"That... that was even better than... than the first two times." Kendra panted. "It can't keep getting better, can it?"

He grinned. "Only one way to find out."

"Mmm." She laid her head back, eyes closed and a contented smile on her face as she recovered her breath and he rested his head on her chest. Okay, maybe on her breasts. In his defense though, her breasts were very comfortable.

"Hey." He lifted his head to look at her after a minute.

"Yeah." She said dreamily.

"I really do think you're beautiful." He said. "And if you disagree, you're just wrong; sorry." He added with a lopsided grin.

"Okay." She nodded. She didn't look convinced, but shedid look somewhat reassured. That would have to do for now.

He laid on his side and pulled her close, she snuggled into him and sighed.

"Am I a bad wife?" She asked a minute later, and while there was vulnerability in her tone, she didn't seem as fragile as she had when they'd entered the room.

"No." He replied simply. "I'm literally the only person on the planet who's qualified to answer that question, and the answer is most definitely no."

She made a thoughtful sound and then snuggled closer to him. "Am I a good wife?"

He looked down into her beautiful brown eyes and smiled. "You're my good girl, and yes that means 'yes'."

She snuggled closer to him, but didn't reply for several seconds. "Did you enjoy that?"

"You couldn't tell?"

She smiled sheepishly. "I was rather distracted."

He looked deep into her gorgeous brown eyes. "I did enjoy it. In fact, I loved it."

She bit her lip and nodded, but he felt like she had something more to say. A minute later she did. "Could I be better?"

He looked at her almost sternly. "Please tell me you're not asking that because you feel like sex is one way you could pay me back."

She looked down almost instantly.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Kendra, I don't want you to 'pay me back', least of all with sex."

"You don't?"

He shook his head. "I'd rather you had sex with me because you wanted to, or maybe because you were grateful, not because you felt like you had to."

"Oh." She was still looking down, and still not meeting his eye. "But... but I feel like I enjoy it more than you do, which means I... that I'm..."

He sighed. "Which means you feel like you owe me even more when we have sex."

She nodded.

"Is that what was bothering you last night?"

She hesitated, then nodded. "I feel like I'm taking even more advantage of you."

"Well if that's the case, then I like being taken advantage of."

She gave him a half-hearted smile for a moment, then it faded and she didn't reply for several seconds. "I don't think you realize how much I owe..."

She trailed off at his raised eyebrow.

"Please let me finish?" Kendra said, her brown eyes looking like they wanted nothing more in the world.

"As long as we talk about that 'owing' thing afterward." He finally said.

"I would've been alone my entire life." She said. "Every minute of every day, and week, and month, and year and decade. You saved me from that. You saved me from..." Her voice cracked slightly and she blinked to keep the liquid in her eyes from slipping out. "I can never thank you enough for that. Ever."

"I don't mind if you thank me." He replied. "But there's an enormous and vast difference between thanking someone because you want to, and feeling like you owe that person something."

She made a thoughtful sound. "I can try to focus more on thanking you."

"...but you still feel like you owe me?" He guessed.

She nodded.

He pulled her closer and held her. "I can't change how you feel, but just know that I'm not looking for you to pay me back."

"I'll try to remember that." She whispered.

"Good." He kissed the top of her head. She seemed like she was doing better. Not perfect, but better. Still though, he didn't like that she felt like she owed him. He didn't think there was much he could do about it right now, but that would need more thought. Or maybe she just needed more time.

Hmm.

Hopefully the latter, but he didn't think time alone would solve this one.

* * *

Selene took a deep breath and tried again to heal her skin with magic like Rachel had explained. Apparently, the best way to learn to heal yourself was for someone to give you a good hard poke with a needle so you could close the wound. It was harder than she had thought it would be, and took a lot of mana and concentration, but thankfully didn't bleed very much or scar at all.

It did hurt though.

Rachel even had a needle with a metal disc a quarter inch up the shaft to make sure it didn't puncture too deep, and it was a wound from that needle that she was trying to heal. After spending almost five minutes and a large chunk of her mana to close that one little pinprick, she looked around. Beth and Taloni were playing with the kitten near the captain's cabin door while Alana and Rachel were looking over Ethan's sword and talking, probably about how to enchant it further.

Ethan and Kendra were still in the captain's cabin of course. While she couldn't hear anything, the amused looks his other wives occasionally gave each told her everything she needed to know about what was happening in there.

"Did you get it?" Rachel asked as she walked closer.

"Yeah, but it took forever and aton of mana." The Brazilian woman replied. "How does Taloni heal so many people if it takes this much mana?"

"Experience." The teen mage replied. "The better you get, the more efficient you'll be at using mana. Healing shouldn't take that much, and in a few days it'll take much less time and mana."

"Well that's good."

The redhead pulled out the large needle again. "Ready to try again."

Selene grimaced, but nodded.

She was saved by Anthiel's voice from the quarterdeck. "Visitors coming up the dock's ramp."

Rachel gave her an understanding smile and put the needle away.

The Luminar and his wife appeared at the top of the ramp moments later, both smiling. Selene thought that was odd given how Ethan had publicly disagreed with him maybe an hour ago. When Taloni saw them, she huffed, turned on her heel, and walked below decks without a word.

"Is the prophet about?" The luminar asked.

*Ethan, that luminar is here for you.* Alana thought to the group chat.

*What the blazes does he want?* Ethan replied, and it might've been a growl if he'd spoken it.

*No idea.*

*I'll be out in a minute.* He replied, frustration evident in his tone.

"He should be out of the captain's cabin in a few minutes." The wood elf told the visitors and stepped aside to let them board.

She didn't welcome him aboard.

To be sure her body language communicated that they could come aboard, but she didn't actually say anything. They came aboard across the gangplank, and the ever-curious kitten ran up to them and sniffed. He then made a face, backed up a few steps, then turned and scampered over to Selene.

She couldn't help but smile at that.

Neither the luminar nor his wife attempted to engage anyone in conversation, though they managed to avoid coming off as standoffish too. Mostly they just stood there waiting, looking like an advertisement for some product that was supposed to improve your posture.

Eventually Ethan emerged from the captain's cabin with Kendra in tow.

"What." Ethan said without preamble. It was a question, but barely.

"Have I offend you in some way?" The luminar replied.

"That asinine sermon did." Ethan replied curtly. "What do you want?"

The luminar seemed like he'd been caught flat-footed. "I had been planning to thank you for your support and for swiftly removing your wife so you could discipline her. Now..." He frowned.

"Support?" Ethan stared.

"Discipline Taloni?" Kendra nearly growled. "For what?"

"For making a scene and disagreeing with the sermon, which I thought you liked." He replied to Ethan. His mouth was slightly open, and he was looking at the two of them like they were strange creatures he'd never seen before.

"Like it?" Ethan's mouth fell open. "I said that shit had its wires crossed. How the hell did you think I liked it from that?"

"Well, wires are used to fasten things more permanently than twine." The luminar's wife said. "So we naturally assumed..." She trailed of at the look on Ethan's face.

"That asinine 'sermon' was about the farthest thing from what Illuminar would say." Ethan retorted. "I didn't talk to Him for long, but the topic came up and what you said was complete bullshit."

The luminar took a step back and his eyes widened slightly, but then he recovered himself. "What I said came straight from the Book of Light."

"No it didn't!" Taloni called from out of sight, almost certainly at the top of the stairs to the lower decks.

"She's right." Alana said. "I've never heard a luminar teach like that before."

"Nor I, and I've heard luminars from all over the Ten Kingdoms." Rachel said. "You twisted those passages into a dough knot."

"Even I have heard enough about the Book of Light to know you're wrong." Selene interjected. "And that's saying something as I've never read a word of it."

The luminar's wife gave her the kind of expression you might give an orphaned child who was hungry.

Bitch.

The luminar frowned. "It puzzles me that Illuminar would choose someone so unlearned in His marvelous ways to be a prophet. It's only once we understand the depths of our own depravity that we can properly appreciate his goodness."

"I don't want to be rude, but take that shit somewhere else." Ethan said, and it looked like he was restraining himself from growling. "You hurt one of my wives this morning with that sermon, and I have half a mind to throw you off the ship for it."

The luminar blinked.

His wife's eyes widened.

"I did not mean to hurt, nor to give offense." He finally said. "But I must teach Illuminar's truth."

Ethan spoke with a hint of a growl in his tone. "Then teach it someplace else because you aren't teaching anything Illuminar would approve of, and I don't want that crap on my ship."

The luminar scrutinized Ethan for several seconds, then nodded. "I shall take my leave then."

He turned but his wife hesitated long enough to speak. "You should listen to my husband if you are willing to change your minds. He knows so much and can help you understand what you're missing about Illuminar and His glorious mysteries."

"Thanks but no thanks." Ethan replied. His voice wasn't exactly cool, but it wasn't warm either. Selene couldn't help but shake her head after the couple left, at the wife especially.

Good riddance.

Once they were out of earshot, she turned to Ethan. "Wow, who shoved a massive stick up her ass?"

"Oh, I don't know about massive." Ethan said in a deadpan voice. "I doubt he's well-endowed."

It took Selene a moment to catch his meaning.

Wow.

She started laughing.

"I don't get it." Beth said, looking at the Brazilian woman.

"Have you ever heard of anal sex?" Ethan asked.

"No, there weren't any books on sex in my father's house." The blonde replied, then cocked her head to one side. "Though, he might've done that on purpose because I loved to read so much. What is it?"

He explained it, and the teen clamped her hands over her butt. "Eww! Gross! Who would ever want to--" She froze as she looked at her husband. "Dominus, you wouldn't want... I mean, you wouldn't ask me to-- would you?"

"No." He shook his head. "I know some people love it, but I always felt like it was about as sanitary as sticking my dick in a toilet bowl. I have zero interest."

"Oh good." Beth breathed a sigh of relief.

Unless Selene was mistaken, it looked like his other wives were concealing similar looks of relief.

"Okay, next things next." Ethan said after a moment. "I need to go orc hunting."

* * *

Beth looked at her husband, really grateful that he didn't want to try...that. It sounded really uncomfortable, and she had absolutely no desire to try it.

"Angel, did you want to come with me?"

"What?" She frowned. "I thought you were going 'orc hunting' as you called it?"

"I am, want to come?"

"Uh..." She looked at her skinny arms which had never had any training in combat. "Um, Dominus, I'm pretty sure that's a bad idea."

"Are you now?" He grinned. "I sense a money making opportunity. How much do you want to bet?"

"Uh, I don't have anything to bet." She grimaced.

He just looked at her, and she felt like he had something up his sleeve. "Dominus, I know you wouldn't want me to get hurt, but there's no way I could come with you into orc territory without getting-- Oh!" Her eyes went wide as she realized what he had planned.

"Now you're getting there." His grin got wider. "Interested?"

"I would love to!" She leapt forward and threw her arms around him.

He hugged her back, then set her down. "You might want to relieve yourself before you enter the Astral Plane; we might be gone a long time.

"Oh! Good idea." She replied, then rushed to the latrine on the lower decks, finishing and washing as fast as she could before running back up the stairs. When she reached the top of the steps, she saw that Ethan was already in his armor with his weapons on the deck next to him. Everyone seemed to be watching the kitten, who was pushing the bottom of Ethan's hammer around with his nose and paws.

"He's trying to lift it." Selene chuckled.

"He can if he's worthy." Ethan joked back, and Beth remembered that had to do with one of those 'superheroes' from Ethan's home.

After several seconds, the kitten managed to get his paws under it enough that he lifted the very end of the wooden end of the war hammer. Then he nudged it up so he was holding it up with his head, and it slid down onto his back. He looked very pleased with himself.

"He is worthy." Ethan laughed.

"Maybe that should be his name then." Selene said, crouching down and petting the kitten with a happy sigh.

"Worthy?" Rachel raised her eyebrow. "That's a weird name for a cat."

Apparently the kitten agreed because he let out a squeaky meow that definitely sounded negative to the blonde teen.

"No, Thor." The Brazilian woman replied, which was met by a decidedly more positive sound from the cute fur ball. He then started rubbing up against the Brazilian woman and purring rather loudly.

"Oh, I like that." Rachel said after Selene had explained the hammer connection.

"I think he likes it too." Beth said as she watched.

"Okay then little guy, your name is Thor." The Brazilian beauty said to the kitten.

Thor started purring.

Everyone clapped, laughed, or did both. Curiously, Taloni was missing from the group. She had disappeared when the luminar and his wife had shown up, but never reappeared.

"You ready angel?" Ethan asked once Thor had moved on from the hammer and he had attached not only his other weapons, but also put on the grenade satchel and grabbed one of the enchanted rollable leather shields that the wood elven king had given them. It was currently in his hands, but Alana was eyeing it.

"What?" The blonde asked her.

"I have an idea; can I see the shield for a moment?" The wood elf asked Ethan.

He handed it over, and she closed her eyes a moved her hands slowly over it. After a minute, she looked up at him. "I have an idea, do you mind if I do some minor enchanting to the thin layer of dragon leather on the outside?"

"Go ahead." Ethan replied.

"What are you going to do?" The blonde teen asked.

"You'll see." Alana's eyes twinkled. She went down the stairs for several minutes, then returned with the shield rolled tightly from both ends. When flat, it was large and teardrop shaped. When rolled, it was only a few inches tall and very little more wide.

"Try this." She said, giving it to Ethan.

He slipped his hand through the shield, and it looked like an oversized bracer on his left arm. It would limit that arm's mobility somewhat because it stuck out past his elbow and also past his hand, but far less than it would when full size. When it was like this, Beth was sure that he could use his sword in two hands, which would've been nearly impossible when full size.

"It's now double activatable, so you can have it in either position." The enchantress explained. "Try activating it a few times."

He did.

The shield snapped out to be full size, then snapped back to the rolled configuration.

Ethan grinned. "It's perfect." He stepped closer to her and gave her a kiss full on the lips. Alana moaned into the kiss a bit and returned it with enthusiasm.

"I'll thank you properly tonight, but consider that a down payment." He said when their kiss broke.

"Mmm, I can't wait." She smiled back.

He turned to the blonde teen. "You ready?"

"Yes Dominus!" She exclaimed.

"Well then get to it." He nodded his head towards the captain's cabin.

Beth rushed inside and laid down on the bed, making sure the position was comfortable because her body would be in it for potentially several hours while she was on the Astral Plane. She closed her eyes and focused her attention on remembering the strangely purple world, then imagined her body was strapped to the bed while she sat up.

When she opened her eyes, everything was purple.

She grinned, then realized that the image of her being strapped to the bed could be fun in a certain other context...

Hmm.

*I'm ready Dominus.* She thought to everyone as she left the captain's cabin. She couldn't help but notice that Ethan still had the angelic blade Aharown on his side in addition to his other weapons. It was the only thing of normal color on the Astral Plane, and that made it stand out a lot.

*Alright then, why don't you start walking towards the mine.* He thought back. *I'm going to do some aerial recon so we can go in the right direction once we get there, although...* He frowned. *I wonder if I could enchant my eyes so I could see you? We're bonded, so... Hmm.* He closed his eyes for several seconds, which eventually stretched out to over a minute before he opened them again. He looked around, then his eyes settled on her.