"The healer won't be in time." Ladon said from the other side of Eben. She looked across and saw the same devastation on his face she knew she was wearing on hers.
Shameaa. His voice in her head was weak. You may have been right...this once.
"I don't want to be right!" She cried. "I want you to beat this, like you beat everything else. Please Eben. Fight!" His hand found her cheek, pushing into her hair and wiping her tears with his thumb.
"I would not give up the light so soon after discovering its warmth." He said, and she grabbed his hand to hold it to her face as agony shook her. He reached his other hand to find Ladon and they clasped hands. "You will look after each other. All that is mine is yours.”
"You don't have to ask."
“Solan."
"Here." Came the gruff voice.
"You will bear witness that all these here belong to me. I claim them as dragon mage of the house of water."
"I will so witness."
"Then he looked at Morgan. "Shameaa..." Then he closed his eyes.
"No! Where's the healer?" She yelled, feeling him slipping away. "Fight! You arrogant dragon. Fight!" She shook him as hard as she could but there was nothing.
Then he jerked and Morgan looked up. A white light was swirling around him, the black shadow wound started to shrink and she blinked not understanding until Clare screamed.
"Rhune!"
She looked down Ebens body and saw Rhune with his hands on the wound. "What are you doing?” But she knew. She had seen her mother heal enough wounds to know when someone was healing with magic. Only Rhune had never had that power. Until now.
Even as she watched the shadow wound was leaching out of Eben...and into Rhune.
'Morgan stop him. He's too young!' This was what Melly had been warning her about! This!
"No." Morgan yelled knocking Rhune away from the wounded dragon. "Hold him away. It'll kill him!"
General Solan Picked up Rhune and turned so that he was away from the body. Rhune was struggling and yelling but he was no match for the Dragon General.
Morgan turned back to Eben. The shadow was smaller but it wasn't enough. Rhune could have saved him but he was too young, he would have died unable to fight off the poison. He was a healer.
Like their mother.
‘Blood or sex, Morgan. That's how you restore a fading dragon. Blood or sex. But only use it when the need is most dire.’
Morgan reached over to the sword Ladon had dropped and slashed her hand against it.
"Morgan!" He yelled reaching for her, but she already had her hand pressed between Ebens lips.
"Fight Eben." She whispered pushing Ladon back when he would have taken her hand away. "Fight!" She yelled it directly into Ebens face.
Just when she though it wasn't going to work, Eben latched onto her hand with sharp teeth. She cried out but it wasn't the pain. She watched as the shadows shrank with each gulp of blood he downed.
"It’s working!” She heard someone say right before she passed out from blood loss.
Chapter 14
When Morgan opened her eyes, she was in her bed in the Forsaken Mountain. There was a naked man at her back.
Eben?
Here Shameaa. The arm at her waist tightened, bringer her closer to his hard hot body. Ladon? Rhune? Melly? Was everyone safe?
Everyone is safe. He said and she burst into tears. Burying her head in the pillow while he cuddled against her back. Shameaa...Eben said finally. You break my heart.
I thought I lost you.
No, you saved me. He said and there was something there that she didn't understand.
"What is it?" She asked sniffling and rolling so that she faced him.
"Rhune could have died, you could have died. I did not expect or want that sacrifice." He placed hands on either side of her face and studied what he saw there. "I suppose I am not used to being the one rescued."
"You were not the only one rescued." Ladon said from where he stood watch on the balcony. His eyes lacked their usual twinkle. "You should not have taken that hit for me." His voice broke. "I almost lost you both."
"Ladon." Morgan said with joy. Sitting up and reaching out to him. He came to the bed and to her hand, pressing it against his face. "I almost lost you both. Better to die than that."
"No. You are here in my hand." She said softly understanding exactly how he felt. "We are all safe. This is better."
"I almost lost you both."
"Come to bed my friend." Eben said quietly. "Come and let us remember we live."
Ladon crawled up on the bed beside the Morgan until they were both kneeling facing each other. He pushed his hands into her hair and kissed her softly. "Little Falcon." He said, running his lips over her cheeks and forehead. Then he pulled hard on her hair, capturing her eyes with a new fierceness. "I cannot lose you."
"Ladon." She whispered. "I'm right here." She leaned up and kissed his chest, running her soft lips over him wherever she could reach, wanting him to feel nothing but love. "I'm not going anywhere. Not without you." Then she took a hard nipple into her wet mouth and sucked. Nipping down with her teeth while he groaned. She swirled her tongue around his other nipple, while her hand palmed his pulsing cock. Her hair slipped through his fingers when she moved lower. Kissing and nipping along his hard ridges and planks. She had just slipped the tip of him into her mouth when she felt Eben behind her, pulling her roughly by the hips, he positioned her on her knees, her legs spread.
Ladon took a firmer grip on her hair and used it to pull her back to his cock. She swallowed around him taking as much as she could as Eben speared into her from behind. She groaned and it had Ladon bucking his hips mindlessly. With Eben pushing her and Ladon pulling she had little control and went where they led.
When Ladon bellowed out his climax, she swallowed him up. Eben pistoned harder until he was pounding a place deep inside that eventually had her coming on a whole body shudder. Then Eben poured his pleasure into her with a dragons roar.
They lay entwined some time later. Morgan draped over Eben with Ladon spooning her from the back. Ebens hand was running up and down her arm as if to assure himself she was real. Ladon had his nose buried at her neck where he could breathe her in with each breath.
There was a thump against the door that had Morgan jumping. "What was that?"
"I believe that is the hatchling discovering the spell I placed on the door."
"When did you do that?"
"When I heard him pounding up the stairs."
Ladon chuckled into her hair. "I suppose we should go out soon." He said, not moving. "They've been anxious to see you awake."
Rhune thumped against the door. "How come they aren't answering?" His bellow could be heard through the solid wood.
But Melly's answer was barely discernible. "Come away Rhune. I said she was awake, not that she was ready to get up."
"Why won't she get up? She's been sleeping for DAYS!"
That had Morgan blinking up at Eben. "How long have I been sleeping?"
"Three days."
"Three days?"
"Long enough for Eben to have us all declared the combined House of Fire and Water. Long enough that the blood rights have been outlawed by the humans and all magic forbidden beyond the gates of Dracon. Long enough that General Solan has started regular patrols to try to save as many mage as we can beyond our walls."
Morgan was on information overload for a few minutes as she digested the news, good and bad.