Dragon Bound
Chapter Twenty-Six

Author’s Note: Just a heads up, this chapter does have a little dragon on dragon smut so if you find that not to your flavour, you may want to skip ahead. The scene will be marked with ***

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Chapter Twenty-Six

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They kept Jason in the hospice for three days. It was not a comfortable three days for anyone. Damon and Lune were permitted to stay with him, but they had next to no contact with the outside world. The nurses seemed to think it best if the rider was left to rest. So many people had been injured that the hospice was constantly full of noise and movement. By the third day, Jason was practically crawling up the walls with his impatience to leave. When he was finally released, it was under strict instructions to rest and stay out of the saddle.

He had been bundled up by Damon and frogmarched back to his room where the two dragons were happy to have the grumpy rider to themselves. It was only once Jason was released that the three of them were finally informed of the damage that had been done from the two battles. Jason sat up in his bed, Lune curled against his side. Damon was seated in a nearby chair, idly swirling his drink as Gabe and Logan walked in looking solemn.

‘How many did we lose?’ Jason asked without hesitation. Logan and Gabe pulled up chairs to the bedside and sat down heavily. Both men looked exhausted.

‘Of the king’s thirty knights, we lost ten dragons in the battle against the Kingdom of the Storm. We know at least six abandoned their riders and fled. A further three knights died of their injuries during the attack on the stronghold. Of those who fought beside the king and returned, seven were badly injured including yourself. Four squires were also injured but are recovering well. We are still tracking the injuries among the civilian population but so far forty-three have some injuries though thankfully, few have been life-threatening. At least nine servants were killed in the attack on the stronghold,’ Logan reported. Jason let out a long slow breath.

‘It’s been a while since the Sun King has suffered such heavy loses. Not since the last war.’

Gabe nodded. ‘He has already ordered the recruitment and training of a further forty squires from the surrounding towns and villages. The structural integrity of the stronghold is also being inspected. Many of the walls took direct hits from dragon fire. A few squads have been reassigned to help rebuild.’

‘That isn’t the biggest change though,’ Logan put in. All eyes turned to him. ‘As you well know, several of the dragons lost their collars during the battle. We have spent the last two days in council to decide if they should be re-collared.’

Lune tensed. Jason placed a warm hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently.

‘And?’ Jason asked tensely.

For the first time that morning, Logan smiled, breaking the nasty tension. ‘For the moment, the king has decided to relent and allow the dragons who lost their collars to remain collarless.’ Jason grinned and Damon gave a surprised huff.

‘What about the other dragons?’ Lune asked. The humans looked at him, but he didn’t flinch away.

‘That is still up for debate. The king wishes for as many of his knights and squires to be present for the meeting to discuss the matter,’ Gabe said.

‘When?’ Jason asked.

’Tomorrow. Rest up. You can leave Lune and Damon together in their stall. This is a ‘humans only’ meeting.’ Logan looked sternly at Lune, but Gabe chuckled.

‘And why is that?’ Lune asked indignantly. Damon snorted.

‘It’s alright Lune. If it comes to a vote, I know which side I’ll be on. You can trust me,’ Jason said gently. Lune did trust Jason. If there had been any doubts before, they had all evaporated. Lune huffed unhappily but gave a little nod. Jason rewarded him by kissing him on the forehead. Lune wiggled away.

‘Your beard is getting too long,’ he complained, rubbing at the itchy spot on his face created by Jason’s facial hair. The riders all chuckled.

‘Thank you for coming to see us,’ Jason said in earnest to the two men. Gabe and Logan nodded curtly and saw themselves out.

The three of them ate together that afternoon before Jason reluctantly had George come and take Lune and Damon back to their stall. With Jason awake and healing, the mental connection between them had been re-established though it was weakened without the collars. Lune could quietly admit to himself that he had missed it, being able to feel Damon and Jason. He may not be able to hear them with the same word for word clarity but their presence in the back of his mind was like a warm blanket, familiar and secure.

Once back in the stall together, the binding spell fell away, and they were able to shift back into their winged forms. Lune shook himself out, happy to be away from the smells and closeness of the hospice and back in his old body. He rubbed his muzzle against Damon’s happily. The huge black dragon now had several new scars. The broken horn on his head crest would remain that way for the rest of his life.

Lune would never admit it out loud, but he liked the look of it. His powerful, battle-scarred mate. Lune trilled softly, nuzzling Damon. They stayed awake together for much of the night, sitting outside in their little enclosure and watching the people bustling about. Overhead, a patrol flew, clearly not trusting that the danger was truely over. Lune wondered if their enemies would come after them again.

Unlikely, at least not the same way. They had hoped we would have been greatly weakened from both poisoning and when that failed, freeing us’ Damon thought lazily.

Lune huffed. But this kingdom is greatly weakened, isn’t it?

Many knights have multiple dragons in their stable. They can ride others whilst those injured can rest and heal, Damon thought across their link. Besides. The cave system’s entrance has been collapsed. Many of those Storm riders were killed. With no way to get through, we should be safe. For a while anyway.

Lune could feel the Yoru’s pride and strength. He seemed so confident. You seem so sure of yourself, Lune thought jealously.

Damon nuzzled him. We are dragons. We are concerned with what is, not what will be. Leave the worrying to the humans. Lune let out a soft warble.

George stopped by to leave them a large fat calf to eat. The squire seemed to be slowly getting used to the two dragons though he was evidently still a bit scared of them. Gabe had given the boy a few sugar cubes to hand feed to Lune. Lune took them happily, crunching them up and purring. He moved over to Damon’s side and started to eat as the squire let himself back out.

***

The bigger male chuffed, reaching up to snuff Lune. As Lune tilted his head back, he froze at the feel of sharp teeth nipping down his neck. He shivered, feathers ruffling. He tilted his head, listening and realized that they were alone. George had gone and the noise in the corridors outside had quietened as the sun dipped down outside.

Slowly, almost shyly, Lune turned his head and returned Damon’s nips with a few of his own. His snow-white wings curled and relaxed, and his neck arched, showing his interest. He felt rather than saw Damon tense. The larger male’s scent was full of eagerness and excitement. To his credit, Damon stayed composed, only his twitching tail giving away his excitement.

The yoru purred, nudging at Lune. To his delight, Lune reciprocated, chirping, and lowering himself to the ground submissively. The scent of arousal in the air strengthened as Damon began to scent him, rubbing his crested head over Lune’s neck and down between his wings.

Damon’s weight slid over him, pinning him down. Excited and nervous, Lune huffed for air. He gasped as long teeth carefully closed around the back of his neck as the male’s large cock pressed against his rump. Lune shuddered and obediently moved his tail to one side.

The pointed head of the cock teased at his ass for a moment and Damon shuffled, trying to find the best position. Then his hips snapped forward and the cock pierced him. Lune squeaked as the large erection drove into him. They stayed locked together for several moments, Lune whining and Damon growling. It wasn’t until Damon drew back that Lune snarled. He could feel the barbs along Damon’s shaft tickling his passage.

It was an odd, pleasant sensation and Lune wiggled appreciatively. Damon snapped his jaws, forcing Lune lower to the ground. Lune’s back legs shook as Damon begin to rut into him, the older male’s musk driving him high into his arousal. His own cock was fully exposed from it sheath, dripping onto the straw.

The more he moved, the more Damon seemed interested in pinning him. Across their link was the one word, repeated over and over. ’Mine.’ Lune whined again, his claws scrabbling as Damon drove into him. He slid a little on the straw covered stone.

Teeth closed on the back of his neck, biting hard and marking him for anyone to see. He could feel Damon’s pleasure like an echo of his own, throbbing and ebbing in his blood as the male rutted into him. The pleasure was climbing, spiralling higher and tighter. Each withdrawal made him shiver as the barbs dragged across his sensitive passage only for Damon to thrust back in hard, making his nerves tingle.

Damon’s growls got louder as he lost his rhythm, his release crashing into him as he drove as deep as he could into Lune’s trembling body. Lune hissed at the feel of his release, thick and warm pouring inside him. His own hips jerked, grinding back on the cock inside him as his orgasm broke over him in waves.

They tumbled down together on the heated mats, Damon purring loudly as he gently licked at his mating bite on Lune’s neck. Lune, now feeling slightly tender, basked in the attention for a few moments before lashing out. Damon yelped as Lune bit into the side of neck, just above his shoulder. Lune let out his own pleased purr when he pulled back to see his own bite. Now everyone would know that Damon was his just as much as he was Damon’s.

***

Jason stood beside Logan and Gabe. The meeting had gone for a little over an hour. The atmosphere was oddly mixed. Several of his fellow knights came over to congratulate him on his recovery but there was also a sombreness to the room as everyone realised just how few of them were left.

The once crowded room now had noticeable gaps. Many of the senior squires had been brought into the meeting and were standing by their respective mentors looking nervous. George and his fellow squires now had to grow up fast. They had huge holes to fill.

Jason had been incredibly relieved to see most of his squad on their feet. Fredrick was noticeably limping, and Amara had her wrist in a sling, but they were mostly unhurt. The king himself still appeared unscathed though Jason could see the last few days had weakened the man. There were deep shadows on the man’s face that had not been there before. Takara was sitting at the king’s feet as the only dragon in attendance. The golden skin was marred with many cuts and the king seemed reluctant to take his hand from where it sat in the exotic golden hair.

‘You all should know why we are here,’ the king rumbled, effectively silencing the room in the space in a heartbeat.

‘The tradition of dragon taming has remained unchanged for thousands of years. It has meant the difference between kingdoms and ruin. We would not be where we are today without the dragons who have carried us.’ There were a few murmurs of agreement from the older knights.

‘During the battle against the Storm riders, many of our dragons were freed. They proved their dedication and loyalty by returning with their riders. For their loyalty, they will be free to live without collars, but the question remains…’ he trailed away, his flame-coloured eyes staring distantly into the cobbled floor.

‘Sire, in the past, the collars were a necessary evil, but I would argue they aren’t needed anymore. Any dragon who has soul bonded with his or her master would never injure their rider,’ Logan said boldly. There were many uneasy glances and shaking heads, but Fredrick cut across the noise ‘Aye, sire. Surely these collars are more of a hindrance than a help these days? Those scum tried to kill our dragons in their own stalls. Unable to use their fire at will, they are vulnerable without us.’ The king sat in silence, listening as the conversations broke out.

‘It could happen again,’ muttered George to the boy next to him.

‘No dragon would willingly allow a human to ride them!’ barked up Dane.

‘How would we acquire new dragons?’ George’s friend asked in a frightened whisper.

‘We would be restricted to only having the dragons that would breed. We would not be able to take dragons from the wild,’ noted Henry from across the room.

‘That’s ridiculous! Some dragons take ten years between active breeding periods.’

‘Well, we can’t just walk into the wilderness and expect to form a soul bond with a wild dragon!’ The arguing got louder and louder until finally the Sun King raised his hand and the room quietened again.

‘A fine line, then,’ he said. They watched as he bowed his head, the low light glinted off the spectacular crown of gold and bone.

‘Perhaps a new rule then. Those squires will continue to go out and select a dragon from the wild with the help of the binding collars. If, after one year, the collar will be removed. If a soul bond has not formed, the beast will be free to leave.’ Jason winced. He knew this wasn’t what Lune would have wanted. It was still capturing unsuspecting creatures from the wilds and bringing them forcibly into human captivity. However, the Sun King would never allow his kingdom to go without dragons. This might be the lesser of two evils.

There was a general murmur of approval from some and unhappy mutterings from others. ‘Sire, what about the beasts in the stable now that are still collared?’ Dane asked nervously. Blazing gold eyes fixed on the knight, and he shrank back a little.

‘But sire, we are already missing so many knights. Surely it would be best to wait-’

‘I disagree,’ Jason cut in. ‘You expect them to sit in their stables, see the other dragons free and not grow anxious? You would be causing them unnecessary stress,’ he said.

‘Their collars will be removed. Take them out into the fields. If your dragon has not formed a soul bond with you after fifteen years, Sir Dane, then you are of little use to me as a knight,’ the king said coldly. That seemed to completely silence the other protests.

‘Gabe, see it done.’ The Sun King rose to his feet and tugged Takara up beside him. The young dragon seemed particularly clingy. He was normally the king’s lovely shadow, silent and in the background. Jason couldn’t help wondering if something had happened to either of them in the battle. Jason had been far too preoccupied with keeping himself and Damon alive. He had lost sight of the king almost as soon as the fight had begun.

As the king turned to go, Gabe bowed. People began to disperse. Logan eyed Jason. ‘Well, old friend, who would have thought we would end up here,’ the squad leader grunted.

‘You know, my father did. He wrote in his journals that he thought the collars were creating more problems than they solve. That they seeded distrust between rider and dragon,’ Jason mused. Logan nodded. ‘Your father was a good man. He would be proud of you, Jason.’

—

Jason fought down a grin as he saw Lune and Damon curled up so tight, they reminded him of a ball of black and white yarn. He didn’t have to be a genius to guess what the two of them had been up to. Suddenly he was very glad that their mental connection was not as powerful as it had been. It would not have been fantastic to go through that meeting with an erection.

‘Had fun, did you?’ he said, amused. Damon’s head snapped up with a snort. Lune uncurled gracefully, blinking lovely lilac eyes at him.

‘If you both aren’t too tired from your activities, would you like to join me for dinner, and I can tell you how the meeting went?’ he had to duck as Damon tried to knock him over with his tail. Then he hissed as the injury in his chest throbbed painfully.

‘Watch it, I’m still injured you know,’ Jason whined. Damon gave another snort, sending out a thick cloud of smoke. The rider closed his eyes and let the spell take over. Damon and Lune shifted. Lune padded over and wrapped his arms around Jason, apparently in a very good mood. Damon looked smugger than Jason had ever seen him.

‘Come on old man, take us back to your rooms and fill us in,’ Damon teased. Jason flipped him off and guided them from the stable.

Once they were back in Jason’s quarters, they relaxed together on the rug in front of the fire, Lune laying down with his head in Jason’s lap. Jason had ordered them all food, but they had a wait until it would be ready. He ran his fingers through the long white hair.

‘So, how did it go?’ Damon asked carefully.

Jason let out a long breath. ‘Well, the good news is that he has agreed to free the remaining dragons from their collars,’ he said.

Lune blinked up at him. ‘That is good news. What is the bad?’

Jason sighed, still playing with the silky strands of hair that spilled over his lap. ‘There’s no easy way to explain this.’ Lune sat up, detangling his hair from Jason’s grip. ‘What?’ he asked.

‘The king is allowing the continued capture and captivity of wild dragons. They will be collared for a year. If they don’t bond with their rider after a year, then they will be freed.’

Damon frowned. ‘Well, that’s better than I honestly expected,’ he grunted.

‘But that’s not good at all!’ Lune exploded.

‘He’s made a decision.’

‘But it’s not the right decision!’ Lune howled.

Jason’s expression was sympathetic. ‘Lune, no wild dragon would ever willingly choose to move to a human settlement. The collars are necessary for riders to form that first bond with a dragon.’

‘No, they’re not! They’re a symbol of pain, fear, and slavery! If dragons won’t come on their own, then maybe humans should change!’ Lune argued.

Damon winced and Jason sighed. ‘I’m not saying I disagree with you,’ he said gently.

‘But you still won’t leave, will you?’ Lune whimpered.

Jason shook his head. ‘No love, I won’t leave. This is my home.’ He studied Lune for a moment, his expression anxious. ‘Could you ever forgive me for that?’ he asked softly.

‘I suppose I can,’ Lune grumbled.

‘You know what this means though, don’t you?’ Jason said, his chest aching for new reasons. Lune frowned. ‘What?’

‘You can leave if you want to,’ Damon said in a hollow voice. Lune looked from one to the other of them, his eyes widening.

‘I don’t want to leave without you both,’ Lune croaked.

‘Then don’t. Stay here with us. I promise we will always love and protect you, no matter what,’ Jason rasped. Lune flung himself at Jason, knocking him back and making the rider yelp with pain as his injury flared.

‘Oops, sorry,’ Lune squeaked. Damon laughed. The human chuckled and rubbed tenderly at Lune’s cheek. Even without the collars, Lune could feel the deep swell of affection, love, and trust. It was so powerful that Lune felt tears prick the corners of his lilac eyes.

‘Until then,’ Jason squeezed Lune’s thigh, his eyes twinkling. ‘We need to get you trained up as a riding dragon.’

Lune’s jaw dropped in outrage. ‘What!? No! You said I didn’t have to be a riding dragon, I don’t want-’ he squawked indignantly as Jason yanked him forward until he tumbled fully into the rider’s lap.

‘Don’t worry little one. We can work you up to it. In the meantime, you can ride me instead,’ he purred. Damon’s laughter only got louder as Lune’s cheeks went bright red.

‘You’re both horrible,’ Lune grumbled. Damon leant forward and rubbed his cheek against Lune’s as Jason ran possessive hands over Lune’s hips.

‘Horrible?’ Damon teased, nipping at the delicate neck.

Lune shivered, preening under the attention. ‘Definitely,’ the kagame said.

‘Well, we’ll just have to make it up to you,’ Jason said and leant in for another kiss. Lune may not have chosen this life for himself when he left his mountains but maybe it hadn’t turned out all bad. Jason gently licked into the kiss causing Lune to shiver. He had never thought a dragon could fall in love with a human but as Jason and Damon held him between them, Lune thought his heart might burst with everything he was feeling.

He felt that maybe, finally, he was home.

—

FIN

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Coming in July 2023:

Title: Sun Bound (Dragon Bound. Book 2)

Themes: Fantasy, Medieval Setting, Adventure

Summary: Lune is finally settling into his new life as a dragon of the Sun King’s stable. With war averted, he, with his mate Damon and rider Jason, can finally relax. Unfortunately, the Sun King himself is starting to act strange and the riders are becoming worried. Can they discover the reason the man’s newfound madness before the king causes his own kingdom to crumble?

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