The Divine Gambit Ch. 16

"You don't want to go further now, do you?" She asked genuinely.

For a moment, I was sorely tempted by the goddess I was alone with. It didn't help that the dragon spurred me on, hungry to claim our spoils as the victor. He relented, begrudgingly, to my desire to wait, but I nearly didn't.

"No. Sorry, I don't want that to come across as a rejection of you, but--"

She smirked, a playfully haughty expression coupled with lidded eyes confirming her desires. "I can feel that you're not rejecting me for any shallow reasons," Zoey whispered breathily, her hand running along my abdomen, brushing against my exposed manhood in a way that provided deniability, should I question it.

"You have to know that you're beautiful."

"It's nice to hear that my mate thinks so."

"If a runway modeling fashion show ever needed to display their new Amazon warrior line, you'd be their first call, and the star of the photoshoot, too. Anyway, as I was saying, I'm a little desperate for some stability right now in my life. I know you have some time sensitivity on your mind, and I'm amenable to moving faster than I would otherwise want, but I absolutely have to see you apologize to Beth and Sam and for them to accept you before I feel comfortable being more intimate with you."

She smiled, "I understand. I'm pleased, actually. A 'first' kiss was what I wanted to achieve today, but I thought it would happen when I dropped you off."

"We can have our 'second' then instead." I gently teased.

Her ashy eyebrows raised, "Oh? You don't see me as Kyle's little sister anymore? You're ready for another kiss so soon?"

"At least for the moment, while you're here with me like this, I see you as a woman I want to get closer to. One that I'm already cosmically intertwined with. One who, from just the glimpses of the real her that I've seen, I'm impressed with and inspired by. One who I think I'm going to need support and guidance from very soon." I paused momentarily, hoping to separate the nuance from the positives of my answer. "But, I also think that when I wake up tomorrow without you there, I might find myself stewing with some concerns. Thinking that I'm abusing the trust Kyle placed in me to care for you years ago. And while I know that's not our situation today, I can't shake the feeling, especially when I wake up in someone else's arms. It just feels like I'm not doing right by you."

She stood up and held her arms out to me, helping me back to my feet. She began walking through the forest, her hand lingering in mine. After a minute, she spoke, "I understand, and I don't understand. I understand the feeling of not doing right, even from things largely outside your control. I don't understand how you're a dragon. You are so unlike every warning in the training manuals I've been required to read that it makes you seem even more nefarious than them. It comes across like an act, a trap, if all you've ever heard was how terrible dragons are."

She paused for a moment, and I thought about her words. Her initial distrust and fear of me made more sense framed in the context of all of her training. She had been conditioned to see me as a monster because she was one of the final watchers on the wall, guarding the sanctity of the realm against my schemes. Given the scarcity of dragons and lack of any residing here, we had become a boogeyman to remain vigilant against, and Zoey had been trained to see shadows cast by them.

The two of us walked back towards the park area, Zoey's hand in mine. Unlike earlier, when I hadn't noticed its presence, it now felt like it belonged. I felt comforted that it was there, sustained and encouraged by the strength I found in it. I found the support there almost energizing, only visible now against the backdrop of the serenity and the peace of the momentary lapse in the chaotic tumble I was embroiled in.

What I didn't find comforting was the absolute lack of doubt that I had a third party rolling around in my mind. When I drew forth the dragon's essence and shifted here intuitively, I was still in complete control. It was nothing like my experience in that alley with Beth, watching my body move on its own to the commands of another.

And the dragon never spoke to me. We had entire conversations but conveyed information even more directly than with words, fully fleshed out concepts transmitted instantly, meaning transferred without the potential pitfalls of misinterpretation. That first night and the next day with Cynthia, I had talked to something, not just communicated with something. The only time the dragon remembered using words specifically was when Antonin explicitly asked for them from him.

The only positive I could take from that revelation, which I came to while Zoey and I were getting dressed again, was that it wasn't abusing its potential control over me. If it had the ability to manipulate my body against my will, even if it was intermittent and inconvenient, I could be in deep trouble. But, something nefarious with that amount of control wouldn't be likely to allow me to come to this conclusion, to question its presence in my mind. That it had only used its abilities when I needed it to, and then again when I asked it to, inclined me towards giving it the benefit of the doubt. It certainly seemed towards being indifferent, if not benevolent, and if the dream was anything to go on, it needed me.

The drive back was peaceful, to the extent that racing along the highway in a sports car could be peaceful. Zoey and I talked about my relationship with Beth and Sam, what it was like to live with Cynthia while Sam was in my bed, and how Ev had gotten tangled up in my web without my doing. Whenever I tried to retarget a question to Zoey, she gave me an answer but largely evaded, giving me nothing concrete about her recent history. After the third verbal sidestep, I stopped trying and continued awkwardly explaining my life to her, having the more normal first date experience of discussing myself.

Somehow, she got me to open up about my concerns about manipulating Beth and Sam into things they didn't want. I explained the special bond, and the confusing portion of Beth's non-magical background and the sudden appearance of powerful shielding enchantments that no one seemed to understand. Given that these were parallel concerns to the ones Zoey herself had faced just days prior, she listened intently. While I was sure I hadn't done anything intentionally, that didn't excuse me from all consequences. As we pulled back into the apartment complex, she said something that gave me a lot to think about.

"James," Zoey started, "I'm not trying to scare you or suggest that anything's amiss that you don't already know about or cast suspicions on the girls, alright? But have you considered that this bond of yours might be affecting you, too?"

"What do you mean?"

"You think it might be changing Beth and Sam's behavior, desires, and reaction to you. Have you considered whether it might be doing the same to you?"

I sat back in my seat and contemplated what Zoey was suggesting. When combined with my earlier conclusion, it was certainly worth thinking about. She pulled into a parking space and then turned to me, placing a hand on my thigh to continue speaking.

"I don't want to diminish what you have with them; what you feel for them. I thought it might help you more deeply accept them if your eyes were opened to the possibility, actually."

I nodded, "Yeah, I could see that. To answer the question, I don't think it's changing me. Perhaps accelerating my affection for them? I'm not sure. I've wanted to be with Sam since before I understood what those words actually meant, and Beth simply stepped into my arms and demanded my attention. I think that, even without all of the insanity of magic, I could have come to love either of them before. The bond feels more like it's put the relationship on steroids, rapidly accelerating the development of my feelings for them. Being able to know what they feel, to understand intimately how they react to everything, really expands both the breadth and depth of my relationship with them -- but it didn't make those feelings, I think, just gave me much greater access to them. It just compressed a year of dating into a week, essentially."

Zoey smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as we exited the car. "Good," she said, "I'm glad you came to a similar conclusion. The were-mate bond does literally make those feelings. Teenage hormones turned up to eleven, all pulling directly to a specific person. Yours didn't sound like that at all. You described times when you had been annoyed by Beth and Sam. If this bond was altering your perceptions, I would've expected those little irritants to be smoothed over and forgotten about."

"Are you concerned about being forced into a relationship with those factors? Or, the fact that it isn't just the two of us?"

She shook her head, "Not particularly. It could just be my mate link to you blurring those concerns, but, no. I was bothered that you weren't a were and therefore didn't feel the same overwhelming need for me that I have for you, but it's reassuring to know that you will feel something similar in time. Beth's a bit of a wildcard, but from what I know about Sam, she wouldn't let anyone except herself be taken advantage of if she could help it. Not to mention that, from what I knew of you, I don't have many concerns. I was freaked out when I thought the you I knew was all a lie, but now, I feel quite comfortable. Just waiting for you to catch up, really."

With that, Zoey sighed. Now standing hesitantly just in front of the apartment door, she gracefully slipped in front of me, her second hand coming to hold mine. "So, unless you want to invite me now for a creampie and a cup of coffee, maybe skip the coffee, I suppose I'll just collect my goodnight kiss and wish you a good evening."

Without giving me a chance to acknowledge the absurd quip, she pressed her lithe frame against my torso and brought her lips to mine. She was just as confident and self-assured as she had been previously, but now she was playful, leaving just a little bit of her substantial intensity in reserve. Not that it was any less pleasant for me -- kissing someone nearly my own height was a change in dynamic, a leveling of an imbalance I hadn't been aware of before in a way that reinforced Zoey's solidity.

When I broke the kiss after a minute, she remained close to me, and I could see the pull I had on her soul from the fire in her hueless eyes and the smell of the ravenous desire she radiated. She was practically clinging to my torso, and though it was unmistakable that a part of her wanted more, her humanity returned within seconds, and she steeled herself, resolutely extricating herself from my grasp.

"I should go, before..." She trailed off, but both of us knew what she was intimating.

"Zoey," I said, pausing her retreat, "Today has been eye-opening for me, in more ways than one. I really enjoyed spending time with you, and I was hoping that you'd be interested in seeing me like this again."

Zoey's eyes lit up, and her hand snapped to her face as she snorted in laughter. She chortled hard enough that she placed her other hand against the wall to steady herself. Thirty seconds later, when she had calmed somewhat, she said, "James, that's quite possibly the most absurd thing I've ever heard. Thank you; I really needed a laugh, but was there any question? Really?"

I shook my head, "No, but I don't like that. I don't think it's healthy for me to think that you can't say no, even if you won't. I don't want to be in that kind of relationship, and I believe you deserve to be courted, not just taken and added to the list because of factors outside your control."

"Maybe I want to just be taken."

"We can worry about your preferences when I no longer feel like I'm abusing your circumstances. Like, say, on Friday? The four of us could go out somewhere quiet, and then you could come back here, maybe spend the night. If that sounds good to you?"

"Yeah?" Zoey asked, as if not quite believing the words I had said.

"I mean, if you need more--"

"James," she cut me off sternly.

"I know. I know you're ready now. But I want to see all of you together and your apology to them for last Friday. And I owe it to them to have real first dates, too. Just like you, they don't deserve to be treated like victims of happenstance tied to me simply because of their proximity; if I'm being given all of these resources and powers, it's only right that I share the benefits. They deserve that much, even if I can't offer monogamy."

Zoey shook her head and muttered, "Like no dragon I've ever heard of. Yes, I'd like to see you again -- Friday evening sounds great. I work until four and will need a little time after that to get ready."

"How about we pencil in meeting somewhere at six for dinner?"

"Looking forward to it," she said with a smile.

I waved as she walked away and then turned to enter the apartment. Inside, I found Beth in the kitchen, reheating whatever she had made earlier in the evening, while Sam was sitting at the table waiting for me with a resplendent gaze.

"Hey," Beth yelled over without looking, "I heard you thinking about coming home, and then I could feel you outside. Sam's jealous."

"Of me spending time with Zoey?"

Beth giggled as she brought over a plate with two stuffed peppers, the cheese bubbling and oozing out from being reheated. "No, of me being able to sense you like that. She might need a reminder that she's only a couple days behind me."

"Actually, speaking of that, I wanted to take both of you out this week. Make a play at having a normal relationship without the magic insanity."

Beth smiled, clearly having some indication of my thoughts before I had verbalized them, but Sam seemed surprised.

"James, you know you don't have to do that. I don't need any grand gestures or anything like that."

"Going on an actual date with your girlfriend isn't really a 'grand gesture,' Sam. It's borderline bare minimum, to be honest."

Sam started to say something else, but Beth placed a hand on her arm and said, "Sammie, James wants to take you out. Let him love you, okay?" Sam swallowed her comment, nodding and accepting my announcement.

"Alright. One each, tomorrow and Wednesday? I have something in mind for both of you, but if there's anything specific you want to do--"

"I'd be happy to do anything at your side," Sam said.

Beth smirked, but shrugged, "Can't say I've really been on an actual proper date. As long as you keep mine casual, I'm down to try anything."

I nodded, "I figured that, moving forward, we'd get more than our fill of formal events, so I was planning on keeping them all casual. Which means it won't be a grand gesture by design, Sam, just a little thing to enjoy being us."

"All?" Beth asked, picking up on my word selection.

"All. I had a nice afternoon with Zoey today, and I'm sure I'll have wonderful times with both of you, but afterward, I'd like to do one as the four of us. And then have Zoey come back here. I invited her to dinner on Friday and said that would be a possibility."

Sam nodded, but Beth asked, "What's she like? When she's not interrogating you because she's terrified of an evil shadow James."

Sam answered before I could finish concocting a response. "I would say that was actually a relatively accurate display of who she is. Equal parts intense and stoic, not afraid to get dirty for the right cause, and will chase what she wants until she gets it, no matter the cost."

I nodded my agreement with Sam's assessment. "She seemed hyperactive as a kid, but I imagine that was just her wolf. I can't imagine sitting in a classroom with a feral animal inside you, baying to be set loose."

Beth murmured thoughtfully, but the conversation petered out. I ate my dinner, an interesting variation on stuffed peppers that used a bean spread, rice, and cheese as a filling in lieu of the more traditional meat, and complemented Beth for making it work. We had a few quiet minutes at the table, but as we got ready for bed, and I was with Sam alone in the bathroom as Beth cleaned up the final dishes from dinner, I had a question for her.

"Hey, Sam? Why'd you, uh, snowball Beth yesterday?"

In the most typical Sam non-answer ever, she said simply, "It was the right thing to do."

"Okay, let me ask something more specific. I was under the impression that you were largely humoring Beth with intimacy before you did that -- that while you weren't exactly repulsed by being in bed with another woman, you were really just there for me, and that she was there as well was incidental. You appreciated her support as a partner but didn't find her inherently arousing. Was I reading the room right, or am I totally out in left field?"

Sam thought for a moment and then nodded, so I continued, "But being indifferent to her is a bit contradictory with snowballing her like that. I'm a little confused as to what made you do that."

"She coached me through the entire experience, helping me be good for you. Sharing the reward would be fair even if you were merely normal. You're not. Antonin suggested it was making us more powerful magically -- it certainly did for me -- so to deprive Beth of that after what she's done to me would be a terrible injustice."

"We don't know if it's helping her or not, though."

"To rob her of her equal share simply because we aren't yet sure that it's helping her isn't right. It's hers, whether it does or not, unless you've got a compelling reason not to give it to her. The only one I can think of is to try and see if it helps Zoey's impending mortality, and if it does, to give her all of it. Because of you, I have more magic than I ever dreamed of; I'd happily give my portion to either of them."

I raised my hands as a peace offering. "I was just curious, Sam. It didn't seem like you, but with the explanation, it absolutely does."

With that, the two of us went to bed. Beth joined us a few minutes later. In a change of pace that seemed connected to Beth's comment on Sam's momentary pang of jealousy, Sam slept on my chest, her soft body sinking into mine. Beth snuggled against us, facing away, cuddling around the arm I looped across her body. I had survived Monday -- gym, magic lesson, revelations with Zoey -- and come out the other side more than intact. The rest of the week was looking up, and the dragon and I were out to seize it.