Caleb held the chair for her to be seated again.
Fine porcelain china dishes sat in front of them on bamboo
woven placemats. A thin rim of gold circled the plate bordering a trim of jewel
toned oriental dragons entwined with each other forming an interlocking pattern
like an M.C. Escher drawing brought to life.
China, linens, silver and crystal set a luxurious table. The
young man lit a collection of eight candles as the centerpiece. He and the
other server stood back behind the woman in red who had also retreated several
steps. Ethan and Caleb didn’t move. Wren wasn’t sure what to do.
“This is a wonderful surprise. I’m delighted.”
Her words set everyone into motion again.
Caleb sat on her right and Ethan to her left. Caleb caressed her arm making
heat spark deep inside her. At a nod from Ethan, the older woman clapped her
hands. The two male servers presented the meal bringing exotic smelling dishes to
the table.
“We wanted you to have a taste of some of the delicacies of
our home world.” Caleb explained.
The twins described each dish for her from five spice
scrimple puffs as appetizer to Cantonese Roast Calbot with rice. Each course
tasted succulent and was served with impeccable flair. She gave up on using the
chop sticks as useless. The brothers gave her the choicest bites from their
servings.
Caleb and Ethan took turns making conversation adding to what
they’d already told her during the day, explaining recessives and dominant
dragon shifters. It had a complicated somewhat feudal system of politics. Wren
wasn’t sure she really grasped all that they’d tried to explain. Sometimes you
just had to be there.
“In our world there are ethnic factions just as there are
here in your dimension. Mai Song and her family are of the more Asian
influenced dragon clan, others more Norse and so on as across your world.”
Caleb elaborated.
“What kind of dragon
are your family
?”
“Ours migrated out to establish Celtic colonies Earthside.”
Ethan spoke low keeping his voice private from their servers.
“So tell me more about this Jaita’me. It sounds like love
words but I’m catching on that it’s a title.” She lifted another bite of the
wonderful Calbot, whatever that was.
Caleb looked slightly embarrassed. “Okay, the title proclaims
you our beloved, indicates that you are participating in bonding with us.
Verucca said it applied in spite of things.”
Who’s Verucca?
Ethan nudged him as if to shut him up and quickly interjected,
glossing over her question.
We kinda
avoided clarifying that the process isn’t quite as on track as might be
expected. These people needed the boost the announcement brings. They still
have family back in Wyrmarach they hope to see again.
Wren
wasn’t understanding
all of
what they were telling her through the mental link. She’d missed words here and
there when she lost focus. She thought she’d heard him say something about
toadstollers and an old woman giving birth, but that couldn’t be right. But she
grasped enough to know that they couldn’t talk about all of it openly with Mai
Song’s people around.
“
Who are these people
that they would cater this kind of meal in my back yard? I’ve gone to their
restaurant in town before and the food was good, but nothing
like
this.”
Ethan looked to the elder
matron, “You wish to speak to our Jaita’me to answer her question.”
The stately lady bowed slightly
to Wren before
she moved forward beside the table. “I would be honored to address the Jaita’me
of Wyrmarach. The events of the
Mane’tung
,
and their benevolence to our humble family is one that I
shall tell the story of, again and again to my children and their children for
generations to come. And now I have the pleasure of telling the tale to our noble
lady.”
She turned more toward Wren. “
Myself
and my spouse were not blessed with the ability of shifting. I serviced a
Drakin Lord when I fell in love with my husband. It was not permitted as we
were both recessive slaves. Still our love was true and we found a way to
secretly be together. We enjoyed happiness as much we could under our humble
circumstances.”
“We pledged our vows under the canopy of the mother tree by
the light of the Goddess moon. My husband and I stole moments together whenever
we could. It was a burden to his heart that he could not protect me from my
master’s coarse use of my body.
All was
well,
until the day came
that I discovered I was pregnant. My master and his guests had been very
careful and the baby inside me would reveal to him my indiscretion. My life
would be forfeit.
My husband believed me, that the child really was his, and
not the masters or one of his associates to which I’d been loaned. I loved my
husband even more for trusting me. Yet, I did not know what to do.”
Wren was taken aback by the manner in which the woman told
her story. What kind of life must she have led as a slave?
The older woman continued her story. “These noble ones found
me crying behind a seller stall at the market. They were in Wyrmarach on
command of the Queen.”
Caleb joked. “Yes, each time we are called home we find a way
to instigate some element of civil disobedience.”
She smiled “They arranged to purchase me and my husband from
our owners, brought us Earthside, against the laws of our world and helped us
establish a business and a home. They have held the life of my family in their
regard, safely all these many years. All I have and all I am
is
because of the compassion of the
Mane’tung
.” She
knelt placing her forehead on Ethan’s knuckles. “There is nothing they could
ask of me or my clan that I and my descendants would not do without question.”
Two things became clear to Wren in that moment from what
they’d been telling her for the past twenty-four hours. First, the world of
Wyrmarach that she was preparing to enter was a barbaric primitive one and
second, Ethan and Caleb must be much older than their appearance indicated.
Mai Song smiled broadly and with a bow stepped back to join
the servers standing in an attentive line, waiting their next course.
“So just how old are you two?”
Ethan answered, “Old enough to know better.”
Caleb, the flirt, added, “Young enough to enjoy it.”
Wren miffed. “That’s not an answer.”
“One hundred and twelve this year.”
One hundred and
freaking twelve
, her hand shook as she reached for a glass of water.
Dragons age slowly.
That converts to about twenty-eight in human years.
I’ll focus on
twenty-eight, thank you very much. When do I get to meet your dragon? You’ve
been pretty cagy about sharing.
We possess…
a uniqueness
in our shifting, you might not be ready for.
Caleb’s contact felt tentative, it was a testing kind of
statement. Her reply was automatic.
I’m
ready for anything if you two are there
. Yet, after seeing Izzy, she wasn’t
totally confident that was true. Lalala-- think of other things, besides Izzy.
It wouldn’t do for them to pick up on that shhhh.
The candles were burning low when a soup looking dish was
placed before her.
Caleb leaned over.
“Snow fungi soup.
It is a light, sweet dessert.”
He placed
a cherry from his dish in the center of her tongue. The flavor burst in her
mouth. The meal was an experience-- an event steeped in tradition.
“The fungi grow only on the lee side of snow-capped mountains
of our world.” Ethan raised her hand to his lips, kissing her palm before
wrapping her hand in his. “You are pleased?”
Pleased couldn’t begin to describe how she felt. More like
regal, cherished, a princess in blue jeans and silk. “Magnificent.”
His eyes glowed in the evening light. “Yes, you are.”
He stroked her arm with the pad of his
fingers.
She’d never had a man speak to her this way before. She’d
loved every moment of their teasing and flirting all evening. Closeness had
grown between them that extended beyond their intense physical connection.
Night had fallen coaxing a gentle breeze laced with aromas of
the herbs from around her. Wren had never encountered a meal anything like this
before. Food elevated to sensuous art in the privacy of her special garden.
She felt more relaxed and soothed than she had in days
excepting the moments after mind blowing orgasms. Their touch stroked the
sizzling feelings of desire that she’d fought to keep at bay during the meal.
Their romance throughout the event was a sensual experience, a prelude to
foreplay. They knew how to wine and dine a girl. The heat in her began to
simmer toward a slow boil of need again.
Then, she realized that Ethan and Caleb were both watching
her intently. How much of her day dreaming about sex had they been privileged to
share?
Ethan looked at her with a wolfish grin. Caleb moistened his
full bottom lip with his tongue. Yes, damn them, they had heard every thought
and knew how badly she wanted to . . . damn, this mental bonding thing blew her
privacy all to hell. Her need bloomed over her. Their servers waited invisibly
in the shadows to clear away the remnants of the meal.
She didn’t care if they picked up on her questioning
thoughts. Did they think she wasn’t ready for complete sex with both of them
together? Cause she had news for them. She was revving ready. Her libido was
stuck in over drive. Every movement made her feel something sexual. She wanted
sex and sex now.
They’d cautioned her, she would feel this way after getting
their blood on her. If this is what they were going through after she’d bled on
them last week she wasn’t quite sure how they’d controlled themselves waiting
on her consent. She wanted to ravage. This kind of lustful emotion might have
been what motivated the Vikings.
Yes a few of the
Vikings might have been Drakins on holiday.
Caleb coughed behind his hand, smiling. Ethan stretched up
taller in his chair with a heavy exhale.
Yes I know you both
heard me. I want to be thrown down, fucked and fucked hard. I can’t understand
what we’re waiting for.
Patience.
We’re healing fast but not quite fully
repaired.
Whispered back at her, even their mental communications were
erotic.
Well sure, I
understand, if I’m too much for you to handle.
She teased.
A predatory gleam lit Caleb’s eye “Upstairs, now.”
Ethan laughed. She ran knowing they wanted to
chase her. They caught her at the back door before she could open the lock. The
three of them spilled though the opening together, laughing. Caleb pinned her
between he and Ethan at the kitchen sink.
Ethan slid his hands around her waist reaching under her
shirt to cup her breast teasing her nipples while he kissed his way down her
neck. Caleb reached behind her easing the zipper down. Her elbow bumped the
drain board causing a rattling sound.
The small broken dragon lay in on the plastic liner.
“Hey, what’s with this, I fixed you?”
Caleb mumbled between kisses on her shoulder. “What’s with
who
?”
“I found him broken last week, the day when I fell. I glued
him and now he’s back in the exact same place broken again.”
A week seemed so long ago. “He must have
fallen out of the window sill somehow.” She brushed her finger along the wooden
frame of the window. Caleb stood to study the figure on the counter. Ethan
looked over her shoulder around the room. His grim expression made her stop
thinking about sex interuptus and the small ceramic.
“Caleb, have you swept the apartment?”
“No, I didn’t think about it.” Caleb was already prowling
through the kitchen.
“Why are you talking about housekeeping? I have an electric
broom that will vacuum up any sand. You don’t have to sweep. I catch it every
few days. It helps if you take your shoes off at the door. Besides in case you
didn’t notice I took some time while Izzy was watching the shop and cleaned.”
Her comment was lost on them as the two men rushed around the
apartment. She followed Ethan following Caleb from room to room finally
stopping beside her bed. He picked up a pair of black panties from the floor
beneath the corner of the bed.
“Okay well, maybe I missed a few things here and there.”
He had a distracted look on his face as his eyes scanned back
and forth examining the empty air in front of him. She then realized their idea
of sweep and hers were vastly different.
“Yes, the energy signature is here, malice, evil intent. It feels
like the pattern we ran into the other day, it’s pretty old residue. But
definitely someone was in the apartment. Caleb took the pair of her black
panties from Ethan. “He stood here watching her with these.”
“You mean someone stood by my bed while I was sleeping and
handled my panties?”
Ethan tried to calm her. “We’ll keep you safe. We’ll find out
who it is.”
Caleb spoke with clinical detachment so absorbed in reading
the psychic sign. “I can find sexual energy woven all around in the threads, I
don’t sense any trace evidence. He must have used a condom and taken it with
him to avoid leaving any DNA for us to discover.
“Condom?”
Wren then realized what
the intruder had done with her panties. “Ewww, God, throw them away. He stood
here watching me and did the nasty with my underwear!
Ugh gross.”
She started shaking uncontrollably.
“I’ve been having bad dreams lately, I’ve woke up before dawn
several times. That was why I overslept the morning I fell through the stairs.
He was here, wasn’t he? He must have made some noise that woke me.”
Shudders rippled through her exposing her
vulnerability.
Ethan picked up her partially empty glass of water forgotten
from the bedside table.
“Hey don’t drink that. It’s been there a few days.” I usually
set out a glass at night so when I wake up thirsty I have it there without
getting up. You two have disrupted my routine and I don’t know how long that’s
been sitting there. It might have dust in it for all I know.”
He smelled the water and then stuck his finger in the liquid.
He licked a droplet to taste it. “Yep, just as I though, salty.” He took it to
the sink to dump the fluid and rinse the glass.
“Drugged,
probably enough that if you’d roused you wouldn’t fully wake.”
Whaatt?
A jumbled shake started somewhere in her belly.
Drugs in her
water?
Ethan and Caleb surrounded her. “We’ll take you to our place.
Pack a few things you need.”
Wren nodded
numbly, started for the chest of drawers and remembered all her clean clothes
were in the laundry basket again.
She looked around to grab her sword. She’d really love to see
what the sword might unleash on the creep stalking her. Caleb moved toward the
back door to look at the locks.
He turned the lightweight metal knob. “These locks are pretty
flimsy. We need to have them replaced and dead bolts installed. I should have
checked them out before now.
We wanted to take you out to our place anyway, so you could
see our house. We’ll take you there while we get this place locked down a
little better before you come back.”
He was playing down the danger trying to keep her from being
scared out of her wits. “I’ve got my bag packed.” She hefted her purple and
pink backpack.
“And my sword.”
The blade was in its
leather scabbard. She’d laced it to the straps of the pack. She’d like to use
the sword on the creep that’d invaded her apartment.
Ethan frowned. “Freaky little, messed up bastard, I’ll pinch
his head off. He left subtle clues, like the dragon, just enough to unsettle
her. He’s making it a game about power and control. I guess we’re lucky he just
wanted to gloat for now.”
Caleb swore. “I don’t understand why he didn’t take her. He
could have at any time.”
“Wasn’t ready I guess.” Ethan shook his head. “Fuck.”
“Ethan, I feel him there watching me. I never saw him. He
drugged me so I wouldn’t wake? Oh Goddess, he could have done anything while he
was here. Who would do this?”