Chapter 46: Pounce

I now have an editor, so you all shouldn’t need to put up with my typos and poor/dyslexic editing skills anymore. :)

Note: Telepathic speech in this chapter -- and probably going forward if works okay – will be enclosed in carets (^) instead of quotation marks. Let me know what you think of my latest attempt to work around SOL’s auto-formatting.

^She’s okay Ethan.^ Alana thought to her husband, who was currently standing in the captain’s cabin watching Taloni take a morning nap. She continued using telepathy so as not to wake the sleeping teen. ^Tee said that she cleared the infection and she already has a lot of her energy back.^

^I know.^ He thought back to her, but he kept looking.

^I’ll check the portal stones.^ She thought to him, smiling and letting him watch his third wife sleep. It was only the previous day that she’d been injured, but it felt like a couple of months ago with everything that had happened. She opened the drawer in which they kept the portal stones.

^You okay?^ She heard her husband ask.

^Uh-huh.^ She stared into the open drawer at a long coil of leather that most certainly hadn’t been there when she had last opened the drawer.

It couldn’t be...

Could it?

She reached into the drawer and picked the leather up. She had only asked Elder Goman to check what a piece of dragon leather this size would cost, hoping they could afford it so they could make a travel bow for her. Now there was a strip of leather of the exact size she’d asked for. It was very thick too, exactly what was needed and much thicker than she thought they’d be able to afford. She closed her eyes and appraised it for its enchanting potential, not daring to believe that Elder Goman could’ve--

She gasped.

He had.

^Hey princess, what you got there?^ Ethan asked.

^Elder Goman sent us some dragon leather. It’s exactly according to the dimensions I gave.^ She replied, scarcely daring to believe it with how expensive dragon hide was. She looked up at her husband. ^Do you know how much this is worth?^

^A lot?^

The wood elf nodded in confirmation, still not quite believing it.

^There’s a note.^ Her husband said, reaching into the drawer, drawing it out, and then reading to her. ^I had a leathersmith who owed me a favor, so please accept this to ensure our dragon friend doesn’t lose what’s most precious to him. I will send some elven steel travel arrowheads and travel nocks when you know how much mass the arrows will need to fly properly with your travel bow’s poundage. Expect some dragon skin shafts in the next few days; you’ll have to make do with regular leather for now.^ Ethan looked up. ^It’s signed Elder Goman.^

Alana ran her hand over the leather, appraising it with a critical eye. It was very thick leather, clearly from the thickest -- and therefore most expensive -- part of the hide. She hadn’t expected for the leather to be this thick. That was wonderful because the thicker it was, the stronger her bow could be. She had been planning on much thinner dragon leather, hoping to merely match the draw weight on her normal bow.

This would exceed it easily.

Possibly far exceed it since the strength of a travel bow grew exponentially with the thickness of the dragon leather, and she’d rarely seen thicker leather from any animal. She stared at the strip of leather, hardly daring to believe that she was holding it in her hands. Finding the dragon leather for Ethan’s armor had been a stroke of luck -- or perhaps divine providence? -- and one that she hadn’t ever expected to be repeated. Now it had been repeated. Well, sort of.

Wow.

^Will you be able to enchant it today?^ Her husband asked.

She shook her head. ^No, it took nearly a week to get the enchantment right last time, though I can be much faster this time since I’ve done it before. I have my wooden bow for when we board the airship though.^

^I’m still not sure how I feel about boarding those airships following us.^ Her husband said with a frown on his face. ^Mostly because of you ladies; I don’t want anything happening to you.^

^I don’t either, but we don’t really have a choice, do we?^

He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

^Ethan, I know you want to protect us, but it’s entirely possible that one of us could get seriously hurt.^

Alana felt a burst of anger over their bond and a low growl escaped his throat.

^Your dragon side acting up?^ She asked.

^A little.^ His lips were drawn into a thin line.

^Maybe you should get Selene to ‘hold your wing’ before the battle tonight.^ She suggested.

^I’ll be fine.^

^Ethan, I’ll trust you if you’re sure, but consider what happened with Beth in Arcanum. Isn’t it better to be safe than sorry?^

He looked at for a long moment. ^It makes it really hard to argue when you first say you’ll follow my lead, then make a compelling case that I should do something.^

She grinned impishly at him. ^I’ll follow your lead, but consider that except for Tee who’s still asleep, we’re alone in a room with a lockable door, and my dress is removable... ^

It was his turn to grin, then he hesitated. ^Tee is still sleeping and I don’t want to wake her.^

^Good point.^ The wood elf replied. ^Later then.^

^Definitely.^

“That was quick.”

Ethan looked at the Brazilian woman who had just spoken as he and Alana exited the captain’s cabin. He put on a mock-arrogant tone, struck a mock-heroic pose, and spoke with a mostly straight face. “I’m just that good.”

The Brazilian woman snort-laughed.

“He is.” Alana said without a hint of embarrassment.

Kendra closed her eyes and made a small sound that was somewhere between a grunt and a sigh.

The Brazilian woman looked at her. “Seriously?”

The dragon huntress nodded. “I didn’t know it was possible to feel that good until--” She stopped and went a most amusing shade of pink, which contrasted magnificently with her slightly darker skin tone. If he was honest with himself, he was rather proud of how well his newest wife enjoyed sharing his bed.

“Anyway.” Selene interjected, then looked at him. “You want to spar?”

They did for a while, after which Taloni came out of the captain’s cabin mid-morning looking bleary-eyed but otherwise good.

He walked over to her. “How are you feeling?”

“Mu ... M...” The Fey teen yawed. “Much better Master. I’m ready to help tonight.”

“Speaking of, what’s the plan for the airship ambush?” Selene asked. “I mean, after you take care of the last remaining mage.”

“We’ll need to think of some way to get a position where we can board them, but they can’t board us.” Ethan replied. “Though honestly, I have no idea how to do that.”

“It can certainly be hard.” Anthiel said from above him near ship’s wheel. “That’s most of the art of airship combat.”

“Could we do something like what happened when we left Gralden?” Ethan asked, remembering how Falkaan’s airship had descended down from above and the men had fast-roped down.

“Too many archers.” Kendra shook her head. “There will always be a few on deck, even more so now that they’ve realized how effective a dragon attack can be.”

“Unless we do it at night.” Selene cocked her head to one side, then looked at Ethan. “Have you ever seen Master and Commander with Russell Crowe?”

“No, never got around to it, why?”

“There’s a point in the movie where our hero’s ship is being chased by a more powerful ship.” Selene replied. “So they create a little decoy raft and hang lanterns on it at night in the exact same position as on the larger ship. Then they snuff out the larger ship’s lanterns at the same time they uncover the raft’s lanterns. Then the main ship turns while the decoy raft keeps going, allowing them to escape.”

“Clever.” He nodded.

“Yeah, I was just thinking; why don’t we do the same with Kendra’s airship?” She turned to the raven-haired woman. “Assuming you’re okay with it.”

“What’s mine is his.” She shrugged nodding her head towards Ethan.

Selene made a face, but didn’t say anything.

“That’s a clever idea.” Anthiel said. “I left the lamps running all last night because the sky was clear and I didn’t see any point in putting them out, so it shouldn’t seem odd to them.”

“I say we do it.” Ethan said. “The only thing I’m worried about is if they see through the deception.”

“I think I know a dragon who could arrange a distraction at the appropriate time.” Kendra deadpanned.

Half of his wives laughed, though Taloni finished hers with a bit of a cough.

“You should really get some rest Tee.” He said. “More rest I mean.”

“I will Master.” She replied.

“Good.”

“You’ll need her to pilot the decoy.” Kendra said.

He looked at her.

“No one else can do it.” The dragon huntress pointed out. “You need Serif and me on the boarding party and Anthiel needs to pilot the Argo. There’s no one else who can operate an airship, or at least not well enough.

He frowned. “I don’t like that you’re right.”

“Master, if I’m on the decoy I’ll be safe and far from the battle.” The Fey teen pointed out. “There isn’t anywhere safer for me to be.”

“You’re still not fully recovered.” He replied.

“But I’m close Master, and I want to help. I cleared the infection up earlier and everything is healed, my body just needs a little longer to get over the shock. I promise I can do this, and I promise it won’t hurt me or even slow my recovery.”

“Plus, it will keep her as far away from the battle as possible.” Kendra said. “I wouldn’t have suggested it if I didn’t think she could do it.”

Of that, Ethan had no doubts. “Okay, but I want Beth’s body on Kendra’s airship with you too. That’ll keep her as safe as possible too.” He looked pointedly at the Fey teen. “You’ll be responsible for keeping Bee safe.”

“I will Master, I promise.” Tee’s tone was serious, as was her expression.

“Going back to the distraction to make boarding possible, grenades are pretty distracting.” Selene said after a moment. “If you chuck a grenade onto the weather deck right after you kill the last mage -- hell, chuck two or three -- I’m pretty sure they won’t be paying much attention to the Argo once those bad boys go off.”

“Brilliant Selene.” Ethan said with a respectful nod, then he cocked his head to one side. “I can’t decide whether I should be feeling happy about this plan or feeling sorry for those poor bastards.”

“It could be worse.” Selene replied, her tone clinical. “I could’ve suggested that you toss a few grenades into the crew quarters through the portholes at the same time you toss ones onto the deck.”

Everyone looked at her.

“Remind me never to piss you off.” Ethan said after several seconds.

“Ethan, never piss me off.” Selene with a mostly a straight face, though she cracked into a conflicted and wry smile after a moment. “Before he-- Well, my brother liked playing shooter games and grenades were his favorite. I got suckered into playing occasionally and learned a few things.”

“There’s a part of me that thinks it’s a good idea tactically, but...” He shook his head. “I’m not sure I could do it, and I’m not sure I could live with myself if I did.”

“That’s not a bad thing Master.” Taloni said quietly.

“I’m glad you said that.” Selene said to Ethan. “I’m not glad I thought of it.”

“Hey, we all have dark thoughts from time-to-time.” Ethan replied. “Doesn’t mean we have to act on them.”

She nodded.

“Throwing grenades on deck for a distraction is a good plan, especially if you do it right after killing the last mage.” Kendra said after a few awkward moments. “I agree that throwing a few into the barracks is a little...” She hesitated. “Even I wouldn’t be comfortable with that, even though they are trying to kill us.”

Ethan growled, and he could feel his dragon side bristling even more than normal at the idea of his wives being hurt.

“Okay, that’s twice in one day.” Alana spoke up.

“What is?” Selene asked.

“His dragon side is acting up.” The wood elf replied, then finished before he could speak. “And please don’t deny it sir; we can all feel it.”

He hesitated, then nodded. “Fair.”

The brunette turned to the caramel-haired beauty with an apologetic look. “You know what that means, don’t you?”

Selene sighed. “I need to hold his wing.”

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Selene said as she held onto the tip of one of Ethan’s wings. He was in the room underneath the captain’s cabin with the door ajar enough to fit his wing through it. She had grabbed a small stool and was sitting on it while Thor was curled up against her feet sleeping.

She reached down and gave the kitten a gentle pet as she spoke softly. “That’s a good kitty.”

“I’m not a kitty.” Ethan replied with a chuckle. “But yours seems very taken with you.”

“The feeling is mutual.” She replied, reaching down to gently pet him again. “I never had a pet growing up, but now...” She smiled. “ ... I don’t know how I ever lived without one.”

“I like having the little guy around too, though he still seems skittish around me.”

“Well, you are dragon.” She pointed out.

“True.” He paused for a moment. “As much as we all love him, he really is your kitten. After you finish with Smithbond, Gonorran, and the portal, you should take him back to Earth with you.”

“I’d like that.” The Brazilian woman smiled. “He meows every night until I pick him up and put him in the hammock with me, and then snuggles up on my chest, starts purring and falls asleep. It’s pretty wonderful.”

“Well in his defense, you do have a nice chest.” He replied with a chuckle, then added. “Sorry, slipped out; the flirting is becoming second nature with five wives around.”

“I don’t mind.” She chuckled. “You’re not creepy about it like some guys.” She paused. “It’s a little weird to be talking about this with what you’re doing.”

“Was doing; I got distracted.”

Selene sat on her stool, proverbially twiddling her thumbs as she held Ethan’s wing. She knew exactly what he was doing in the room next to her, and she was proverbially ‘holding his hand’ as he did it, yet it didn’t feel weird to her. Or at least, it didn’t feel as weird as she would’ve guessed it would. In fact, she found herself wondering what he would be thinking about. He had five wives, so she assumed one of them. Maybe more than one? Was he remembering some particular time with one of them, or all of them?

“Curious about something?” Ethan asked.

“How did you-- oh, the bond.” She figured that ‘turnabout was fair play’, and checked his emotions. Oddly, he didn’t seem to be particularly turned on right now. “Not in the mood?”

“Eh, not really.” He shrugged. “I mean, I usually have at least one of the five most amazing women in the world turning me on. Walls just aren’t my fetish.” He said the last part with a chuckle.

She chuckled too, then added for no particular reason. “I have to imagine too, on account of having no experience.”

“None?”

She shook her head, not that he could see that. “None. I’ve never been kissed either since I couldn’t find a guy who wasn’t either intimidated by my beauty, or else a total asshole. I just had to imagine a situation when I took care of things, usually inspired by movies or ... other things.”

She wasn’t about to admit that she’d turned to erotic fiction to plug the holes in her fantasies. She’d gradually honed in on her own particular kink over the last few years through reading those stories. She was surprised where she’d ended up, but she couldn’t deny it turned her on.

He chuckled, then switched to telepathy, only to her. ^Well, I suppose I could do that too. Let’s see, what would be an interesting situation... ^ He made a thoughtful sound from the other side of the door.

A hundred different scenarios ran through the Brazilian woman’s head, mostly ones inspired by what she’d read online. She was glad that no one could read her mind because she wasn’t sure she would ever be able to look at anyone who knew.

^Let’s say there’s a woman who’s just getting home from work.^ Ethan began. ^You know the type, caramel hair, amber eyes, flawless bronzed skin, a perfect body, and more drive and determination than most. This professional woman closes and locks her house door, sets down her badge and gun, and then gets a text from her significant other.^

Selene rolled her eyes, very much doubting that he could come up with anything that would appeal to her. Maybe his dragon side, but not the man himself. Of course, she was detecting a hint of dragonishness from him; was that even a word?

^The text contains some very specific instructions that she must follow or risk... ^ He trailed off.

The Brazilian woman hesitated for a full five seconds before deciding to take the bait. ^Okay, I’ll bite; risk what?^

^Risk being disciplined by him, obviously.^

Selene bit her lip and adjusted herself on her stool slightly. Okay, maybe he wasn’t entirely bad at this.

^The woman reads the instructions through twice to make sure she doesn’t miss anything.^ Ethan continued. ^Then goes upstairs and stands by the bed. She removes and neatly folds her clothes one at a time, until she isn’t wearing anything except her black high heels.^

The caramel-haired beauty resisted the urge to sigh; it sounded like he was going vanilla with this after all.

Shame.

^Then she goes into the drawer and pulls out four items.^

Four?

Selene frowned. What four items?

^The woman checks the instructions again, just to make sure so she doesn’t disappoint him, then goes downstairs with the items into the living room, where the blinds are drawn.^

Living room? She cocked her head to one side; where was he going with this? At least he’d said the blinds were drawn. Public exposure definitely wasn’t her kink. Ugh! She hoped he wasn’t going in a direction that involved pain either. That had never been a turn on for her.

^She steps up to the table that he had designed specifically for her, for just such an occasion.^

Selene looked at the door, beyond which a very confusing man-- err, dragon, was speaking. Where was he going with this?

^Then still wearing her high heels, she puts her right leg by the leg of the table and attaches her ankle to the table with the custom-made, fur-lined leather cuffs that she was so grateful to receive for her birthday.^

Wait, what?

She stared at the door, a slight itch starting to form in her nether regions. He wasn’t going to ... was he?

^Then she attaches her other ankle to the other table leg, spreading her legs wide.^ He continued, and unless Selene was much mistaken, there was definitely a hint of dragon in his tone.

She swallowed, then adjusted herself on the stool as her cheeks grew warm along with certain other parts of her. Thor yawned sleepily, then stood up and started walking towards the women’s sleeping area, where he had a bowl of water. She was glad he did; she would’ve been self-conscious with him there.

^Then she bends over the table.^ He continued to a rapt audience of one. ^She is facing the center of the room, directly the opposite the entrance.^

Selene bit her lip.

If the woman was naked with her ankles spread and attached to the table legs, then her legs, butt, and... other things would be totally exposed, facing the entrance of the room. She adjusted herself on her seat again, and was starting to feel glad that Alana had given her a pair of self-cleaning underwear a while back. She was starting to feel moist down there and thus might need it.

^Then she attaches something that she had to work very hard to get; something she had to earn.^ He continued, but stopped there.

The Brazilian woman waited with bated breath for several seconds before she simply had to know. ^What?^

^Her collar.^

Selene suppressed a moan, not understanding how he knew how to play into her kink so well. She’d never told anyone. Ever. She was careful to always use a privacy-focused browser, always use the most private mode and settings of that browser, and she always used a VPN.

It must be that damn bond.

^But she doesn’t stop there.^ Ethan continued. ^This is a special collar with a small metal ring in front.^

She swallowed.

Hard.

To her, that was the clincher of a collar. Anything else could be passed off as a fashion accessory or choker. For her, that small metal ring in the front made it obvious that it wasn’t a choker, but a collar. Any woman could wear a choker, but only special women -- women who’d proved they were worthy of it -- could wear a collar.

The tiniest moan escaped her lips, but she suppressed it almost instantly.

She hoped he hadn’t heard.

^Then this woman continues doing what she was instructed to do.^ He continued. ^She lays flat on the table which was custom made to ensure her comfort. Then she clips a small carabiner to the collar, attaching the cord on its other end to a cleverly concealed hitch on the table, intended for just such a purpose. Then she adjusts the cord until ti’s just tight enough that she can’t move herself backwards, though without any unpleasant pressure on her neck.^

Selene pictured it in her head. If the woman’s high-heel clad feet were still on the floor cuffed to the table legs, and her torso was laying across the table with her butt facing the room’s entrance, and her collar was attached to the far side of the table so she couldn’t move backwards...

Mmm.

Holy shit that was hot!

In her mind, it needed only one more thing to make it perfect. But he wouldn’t say it, would he?

^Then, she reaches for the final item.^ He continued.

Oh please, let him think of it.

Please.

^She feels around until her hands hit the cuffs, which she then uses to cuff her hands behind her back.^

Fuck yes!

Selene let out a tiny sigh, scarcely believing that Ethan -- kind, caring, and selfless Ethan -- could’ve come up with exactly this. She hadn’t known it until he’d said it, but that was definitely a fantasy of hers now. She’d never thought of a situation quite like this, but damn it was hot.

She bit her lip and waited for him to continue.

He didn’t.

She waited almost thirty seconds, but he still didn’t say anything.

^Ethan?^ She asked tentatively when almost a minute of agonizing silence had passed.

^Yes Selene?^ He replied as if they were discussing the weather or some other trivial matter, not like he hadn’t just given her one of the hottest fantasies of her life, if not the hottest.

^I ... Uh... ^ She floundered, her cheeks burning at even the thought of asking him to continue.

^You ... what?^ He asked calmly, with a hint of dragonish smugness in the background.

He knew.

Fuck, he knew.

How did he know? Probably the bond. Damn it. He knew and he was going to make her ask for more. For some reason, that was almost as hot as the story he’d been spinning. He wasn’t going to let her get away with hinting; she would have to ask. He was making her ask.

Grr, why was that so hot?

^I was wondering if you had finished.^ She finally replied.

^Not yet.^ He replied. ^I would’ve told you to let go of my wing if I was finished ‘taking care’ of things in here.^

Shit.

He was wasn’t going to make this easy. ^Um, I meant the ... the story.^

^I just said I was going to create a situation.^ He replied. ^I’ve done that.^

She wanted to groan in frustration. He was playing with her; toying with her. He knew how much she wanted to hear more and was going to make her ask for it. He was playing her like a fiddle and she almost hated how much that turned her on.

She bit her lip. ^Um, you could continue if you wanted.^

^Selene, stop pussyfooting around.^ He replied, a note of sharpness in his dragon-tinged tone. ^Say what you want or be silent.^

^I want... ^ Could she admit it to him? He must already know; surely he must. That’s when she remembered that he could feel her emotions over their bond.

He did know.

Her cheeks suddenly felt hot.

She grimaced and then covered her mouth, only to realize that he didn’t seem disturbed by it at all. Far from it in fact, he had actually been spinning a story where...

^I want you to keep going ... with the story.^ She said, needing to get the words out before she stopped herself. She had always thought that everyone would think there was something wrong with her for her kink.

He didn’t.

He not only didn’t think something was wrong with her, but he had actually fed into it; he’d joined her in it. She never thought that would happen.

Ever.

^Say please.^ He replied, and somehow she knew that this had nothing to do with manners.

She shuddered as her nether lips started to almost tingle. She suppressed a moan, scarcely believing how good he was at this. He was taking control of the situation in a way that made her just ... Mmm. She couldn’t have scripted this better if she had tried.

^Please.^ She thought to him. The thought was faint; almost like a whisper.

A plea.

^Very well.^ He replied. ^The woman stays there, laying comfortably across the table with her ankles cuffed to the legs, her collar fastened to the far side, and her hands cuffed behind her back. Completely naked. Exposed. Laid bare for her lover to see.^

Selene shuddered again as she let out a soft sigh. Her breathing was shallower than normal, her cheeks were flushed, and her entire body felt warm; almost feverish.

^She lays over the table as the minutes slowly tick by, each one bringing her lover closer as she waits for him.^ He paused, probably for effect. ^She waits for him in exactly the way that he wants her to wait.^

The caramel-haired beauty opened her mouth and let out a breathy exhale.

^Finally, she hears a car pull into the driveway.^ He continued. ^Her heart quickens.^

Selene’s certainly did.

^She can feel her body reacting to him, to what is about to happen.^

The Brazilian woman could too. If she had been the woman laying on that table, she would’ve had viscous moisture running down her legs.

^She hears the door unlock, open, then close.^

Selene’s breath caught. She wanted him to see her -- not Ethan to see her, but the man to see the woman -- and be captivated by her.

^She hears soft footfalls, then the telltale creak of a floorboard in the room’s entrance announcing that he could see her.^

The caramel-haired beauty made to put her left hand between her legs since she was still holding Ethan’s wing with her right. This was going to be good. She knew it was. If he was going to get off, she sure as hell was going to as well.

^Selene!^ Ethan thought to her sharply, his dragon side again tinging his tone.

She froze.

^Hand at your side unless you want me to stop.^

Her mouth fell open.

How did he know?

Was it the bond? She doubted the feeling were that granular; perhaps his dragon instincts were letting him know? That would make more sense. It still strained credulity though. There was a door between them so he couldn’t see. Could he hear? Did he just know her that well? Maybe he’d learned something from their bonding? Some deeper insight perhaps?

It must be the bond.

Stupid fucking bond!

Selene put her hand down, not wanting him to stop but also wanting to take advantage of the tale he was spinning while hating that she couldn’t. Okay, not exactly hating it. In a strange way, it was kind of hot that he wasn’t letting her. She didn’t know why, but it was.

^The woman hears him breathing, but can’t look to see him.^ He continued. ^Her hair and the collar being attached to the table make that impossible. So instead she waits.^

Selene waited with bated breath.

^She hears him take a step forward, then he makes an appreciative sound.^

Selene moaned softly, imagining him doing that after seeing her like that; completely exposed and utterly helpless.

^He takes another step forward and she feels his hand gently brush the outer curve of her hip, still unable to look or respond because she’s so helplessly secured.^

If the caramel-haired woman had been able to use her hands, she would be cresting a wave right about now.

^The man leans over her helpless and captive body; so close that she can almost feel him touching her, but he isn’t anymore.^ He continued. ^Then she feels a single one of his fingers slowly trace up the outside of her thigh, going over the curve of her hip and up her side.^

Selene was imagining so hard that could she almost feel it.

^His finger comes up her side and over her shoulderblade.^

She shuddered.

^Then he leans down and whispers into her ear: ‘you’ve done so well, I have a surprise for you’.”