Page 25 of Sapphire Seas

I’d always been able to hear his snark, it was the only time conversation had been clear between us, but I’d never been able to feel the warmth conveyed during the exchange the way I did today. Caspian’s arms wrapped around me from the side, so he was hugging Mattias too. What came next could only be described as lightning and a rogue wave all rolled up into one. Caught between screaming, sobbing, and begging one of them to fuck me, I could only ride the rush as I felt our powers grow.

Holy shit.

I could feel every dragon in the compound and beyond that, into Dragon City, hundreds of heartbeats and emotions. Overwhelming until my dragon wrestled our ability under control. It took effort for him to dial them down to a low frequency energy buzz in the back of my head.

“That was like the rush I get whenever I call out to the ancestors to help me,” Caspian said, awe in his voice as he nuzzled my shoulder.

“I think it’s because there are three of us,” Mattias said. “Everything I’ve read about poly matings spoke of there being unique benefits to the way their abilities interacted.”

“I don’t know how unique it is, but I’ve never felt anything like that before,” I said.

Holding them and laughing together helped me finish grounding myself. My dragon could keep chatting with theirs as much as he’d like, we had treats to make and I was craving….

Them.

Their arms.

Their wings wrapped around me.

We were in the kitchen for less than five minutes when I deliberately brushed against Caspian’s side on my way to the fridge. When he turned to look at me I brushed my lips against his, our sweet kiss turning more aggressive near the end. He flicked his tongue out at me and I smirked. Somewhere in all of our flirting, I lost sight of Mattias. His fingers closed around my braid, tugging until I tipped my head back so he could kiss me too.

Better.

Yes, dragon, much better.

Even after the kiss ended, he caressed the back of my neck, squeezing and releasing the pressure points until I sagged against Caspian. For the rest of the time we were in the kitchen, they made a point of pausing between tasks for casual caresses and hugs that led to snuggling against the counter. It might have taken longer than it should have, but we carried three platters into the den for our SpongeBob marathon.

Getting lost in the wacky humor of the show was better than thinking about what the morning would bring. The stakes were too high to allow failure, but at what cost would we pay for success?

Our mission had two phases. Free Torin and find the rest of Caspian’s herd. They were hidden deep within lamprey contaminated waters. Before we could search for them, we needed to locate the block of ice Torin was imprisoned in.

We’d barely entered the region when I sensed the presence of other dragons, but more than that, their intentions, something I’d never been able to feel before.

Angry.

Hostile.

Incoming aggressors, I conveyed to the others.

We turned, peering through the water, waiting for movement in the cold, murky depths. Mattias had been able to share his ability with Quint enough to allow him to swim deeper with us, though it had limited the pathways we could take, because Quint was unable to dive to the depths that the rest of us could. So far though, his presence seemed to be keeping the lampreys at bay. His venom was like acid, reducing them to sludgy, sizzling blobs each time we encountered one.

They’d begun to turn and flee the moment they spotted us now, not that it stopped Quint from destroying them.

How many do you sense? Mattias asked.

His dragon shimmered like the water around us, scales soaking up the hues until he was almost invisible.

Five.

They should have planned better. Mattias replied.

Don’t get cocky, Caro shot back.

The shadow that rushed at me from the depths was like a missile gaining momentum the closer it got. I froze the water in front of me in the shape of a shield, ice shattering when he struck it, but it slowed him down enough for me to rake my claws along his side while he shook off the blow. His painfilled bellow echoed beneath the frothy water, as battles raged around me. I encased his tail in ice to weigh him down, making it easier for me to tear into him with my claws.

As the water around us darkened with his blood, I lost sight of him for a moment, long enough for him to free himself and tackle me, driving me down toward the ocean floor. Didn’t matter. As long as I was surrounded by water I could freeze it into any shape I wanted, including a block around his head that made it impossible for him to breathe. His flailing claws caught my shoulder, my blind side once again proving to be a disadvantage in a battle. I froze his legs next, and those wicked front claws he wielded with such precision they took a chunk out of my tail before I was able to thicken the ice already restraining him.

My ice was sharp when I forged it into a double-bladed axe, much the way Caspian crafted his water weapons. Using my abilities had never been as easy as it was today. My claws curled around the handle as I chased the rapidly sinking dragon, slowly overtaking him as I drew the axe back before unleashing a mighty swing.