Dragon's Mercy
21.

In his dragon voice, Ryker roars to his people. "The dragon gods have already granted us a favor by defeating Nestor and giving me a second chance at life."

"Let's honor them by finishing it."

The crowd cheers with excitement as they run to their posts.

"This ends today."

She grabs her stomach, knowing she'll do anything to protect her child. Ryker kisses her, then runs upstairs. Quickly changing into their fighting gear, Ryker hands her a few knives and a gun. "Depending on what weapons they have, it may be better to fight on the ground."

"Oh, I like fighting on the ground. Hand-to-hand combat is my specialty."

"Good, because we're going to take them by surprise." Ryker looks as their dragon flight moves as one, doing exactly as they were trained. "Let's kill some druids."

"Hell yes!" She runs into the woods with Ryker by her side. As soon as they get there, a force stronger than anything she's ever felt begins to push against them.

"It's the druids. They want us to feel their power and be intimidated."

"I'm not intimidated. If they want to waste their energy, let them."

When the flights get to the edge of the territory, the ground shakes as the hunters and druids march toward their land. Aelon runs toward them with a fearful look on his face. "Simone is gone! I went down to the dungeon to check on her because of the attack and her handcuffs looked melted."

"That means Simone was working with the druids."

"She sold her soul to the highest bidder."

"And she's going to die for it." Ryker sets his brow.

"I'm actually glad she escaped. I'm looking forward to meeting her on the battlefield."

"Do you really think she'll fight?" Aelon asks.

"Simone will fight. She's all in with the druids." Ryker looks out over the cliff at the line of fighters marching in their direction. "They're still a few miles out. I'm going to risk it and shift into my dragon. I'll be able to incinerate at least 20 hunters before they reach our gate."

"What about the druids and their special weapons?"

"I'll be in the open air, so I should be fast enough to dodge their weapons."

"I'll shift and fly with you, Lord Ryker. We could get a few dragons to kill some hunters before they get to our territory. That would really give us the upper hand."

Ryker looks at Maria with contemplation. "What do you think?"

"I think it's a good plan." She nods.

"Are you going to fly with us, Dragoness? I bet you could take out dozens of hunters and druids."

She looks at Ryker, who gives her a nod. "I'll fly with you, Maria."

"I'll shift and be a distraction while you distract the enemy." She volunteers something a little bit different.

"Great idea."

All three of them shift into their dragons along with ten other dragons in their flight. They fly high in the sky, hoping to take the hunters by surprise.

She flies low and shoots fire into the air, drawing their attackers' attention. "Die!"

"There! Kill the beast!" The druids and hunters turn their weapons toward her. She's careful to stay far enough away that they can't harm her.

"Come get me!" As she gets all of their attention, Ryker and the rest of the dragons dive down from the sky. They shoot fire at the enemy troops, killing dozens at once.

"Get them!" The druid leader shoots a net at Ryker, but he dodges to the left.

"Ah!"

The net falls on top of the hunters and they struggle to get out of the thick rope. They shoot out more nets while the druid sends a piece of magic with the traps.

"What the hell kind of magic is that?" Maria asks.

"Pull back to the cliff!" Ryker barks.

They land back on the cliff and shift into their human forms. "The druids' magic is powerful."

"It could kill a dragon on the spot. Ryker, you died from a special druid bullet."

"It will be harder for them to shoot us with it if we stay in our huma forms because we'll be a smaller target. I want a few of you to stay here and shoot arrows from this cliff down below. The rest of you will fight down in the forest."

"Where we'll have a great advantage because of how well we know the terrain." Maria nods along, getting the idea.

Their fighters nod with confidence, ready to defend their land at all costs. "Are we taking prisoners?" Aelon shouts.

"That's up to you. If you think someone will provide information that could be useful later, take them as a prisoner." Ryker nods, agreeing with her decision.

They lead their fighters into the thick forest. "Aelon, take a few fighters and climb into the trees. The branches should offer some protection while allowing you the advantage of shooting from above."

"If you feel you're too exposed, you can shift into your dragon and fly above the trees where the hunters won't see you."

"Yes, Dragoness." Aelon and a group of fighters climb into the trees. Maria and Ryker duck down behind a bush as they wait for the enemy to come and they don't have to wait long. A moment later, a hunter walks through the trail. Aelon shoots them with his bow from above.

"Now!" Ryker commands as their troops jump out and attack from all sides. The hunters have no chance, falling to the ground dead.

But a group of druids runs through, shooting magic at the troops. "There's no place you can hide."

Their magic is strong. It easily kills three of their dragons instantly. "Fuck this!" Ryker runs at the druid leader and tackles him. Maria's about to help when an arrow flies by her head.

She turns to see Simone standing a few feet to her left, notching another arrow. "It's over, bitch."

Before the woman can notch another arrow, Maria takes out her knife and throws it in her direction. Right before it strikes her heart, Simone dodges and the knife flies right by her. "You were stupid for coming back here to fight. You should've just run away."

"You're stupid for thinking you could win against the druids." Simone stalks toward her and she gets into a fighting stance.

"We've won every fight so far. We'll win this one too. We have the dragon gods on our side."

Simone lunges toward her and she side-steps her, pushing the woman to the ground. She jumps up and takes out a knife. "I'm going to kill you and then I'll kill Ryker."

Maria looks over at Ryker, who's struggling with the druid leader. She takes out her knife as the woman tries to stab her. Simone nicks her arm, drawing blood before she can twist away. "Ah, damn!"

"There's more where that came from!" Simone lunges at Maria again. She swipes her knife out, just missing the dragoness's neck. Capitalizing on her mistake, Maria gathers all of her strength and stabs her in the shoulder. "No!" She drops her knife as she clutches her wound.

Maria slams her to the ground and elbows her in the cheek, forcing her unconscious, then ties her to a tree. "Dragon god food." She chuckles.

"Maria!" A chill runs down her spine at Ryker's plea. She turns and sees the druid leader pinning Ryker down, trying to force an elixir down his throat. Without hesitation, she runs over to where he fights the druid. Another one has joined and is trying to pin Ryker's hands down so the leader can make him drink the potion.

She jumps on the druid leader, successful in knocking the monster off. "You're going to pay for that." He rolls on top of her and wraps his hands around her neck. Ryker easily kills the druid guard, then takes out his gun and shoots the leader between the eyes. The druid falls onto the ground, dead. Ryker helps her stand. But the druid leader opens his eyes and rises. "You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?" He shoots a piece of magic at them and Ryker yanks her behind a tree.

"We need to use our mate bond to kill him. It's the power from the dragon gods."

"Okay, but how?"

"Our weapons won't work. We need to shift into our dragons, which is how we'll be the most powerful."

Quickly shifting into their dragons, they confront the druid leader.

"Ah, I was hoping you'd show me your dragons."

"I'm going to rip you to pieces." The druid shoots magic at her. Instead of running, she focuses all of her energy into stopping the magic.

Right before the beam hits her, it falls to the ground and the leader's face drops with shock. "Your magic won't work on us."

The leader shoots multiple pieces of magic at them. Ryker shoots his fire back, melting the beams. "We need to finish him, Maria! Push back now!"

The druid shoots more magic, this time more powerful than the rest. Using all of their energy, they push the magic back at the druid. The energy shoots through his stomach and into a tree. They run and stand over him.

"Druids will never overtake dragons." She leans over and rips his head off.

As soon as the druid is dead, the hunters and other druids flee. Maria and Ryker shift into their human forms.

"We did it, Maria. The druid leader is dead."

Suddenly, they're lifted into the sky. In a flash, they're standing in the dragon gods' territory. The dragon god Maria met before approaches and Ryker takes her hand.

"Maria, Ryker. Congratulations on your victory. We knew we made the right decision in making you two dragon mates."

"Thank you. We vow to always protect dragons." Maria bows her head.

"We've been so impressed with your determination and loyalty that we'd like to make you an offer." Ryker's hand clenches at her statement. "We'd like you to live out your time together on Earth as mates. But instead of going onto another life where you'll need to find each other again, we'd like you both to join us here as dragon gods." Maria's breath catches in her throat. "Us gods council those on Earth. It's our job to maintain the balance and order of things. We need to have impeccable judgement, even in the face of certain death. And we need to have restraint and know that dragons are not always right."

"When was the last time someone joined you as a god?" Ryker asks, curious.

"200 years ago. A few of the older gods are ready to move onto their next path. They'd like you two to take their place."

Ryker turns and locks eyes with Maria. Her mind itches with a mindlink. "I'd love to be a god and council dragons from her. But I want to make sure that you'd be happy too."

"I can't think of anything I'd want more than to be a dragon god with Ryker."

He squeezes her hand as his chest swells with pride. "I too am honored to accept a future as a dragon god."

A heavy, invisible weight settles on their shoulders, forcing them to their knees. Their hands involuntarily move to clasp in front of their chest. Then even though only the one dragon god speaks, it's as if a thousand ancient voices speak with her. "The gods of the dragons of this universe accept Dragoness Maria and Lord Ryker into our council." The weight moves inside of them and rests in their chests, but instead of feeling heavy, it makes them stronger. She stands and looks at the dragon god. "Your duties start immediately. You will be mandated to come to a meeting once a year to discuss upcoming plans. You may also be called to an impromptu meeting if emergencies arise."

"We will fulfill whatever duties you need us to."

"Also, I captured Simone. I offer her as a gift to you." Simone appears at the word. She's terrified when she sees the dragon god.

"Simone will be a nice sacrifice. We need a slave to clean up after the dogs."

"No, please!" Simone disappears again.

"Good luck."

With that over, the two mates are transported back to the forest where they fought and won their battle.

Ryker hugs her close and kisses her. She burrows into his chest. "No more wars for at least a few years."

"I'm good with that."

Aelon runs over with the rest of their flight and cheer with elation. "We defeated the druids and the dragon hunters are gone for good!"

"I want to thank you all for fighting. Each one of you is pivotal in our victory."

"Now, let's go celebrate!" Maria shouts.

The guards clean up the dead bodies while the flight enters the house. Ryker looks down at her with a flirty smile. "I need to talk to Aelon for a minute, but I'll meet you upstairs. And I say we skip the celebration and stay in bed all night."

"Do you think people will be upset?"

"Not at all. Some of them will probably do the same thing." Ryker leans in and kisses her, then walks toward Aelon.

Excited about being alone with Ryker, she rushes up to their bedroom and opens her closet. She pulls out a sexy black one-piece she's been saving for a special occasion and puts it on.

She lays on the bed and waits for Ryker to enter. A few minutes later, he comes in and stops in his tracks, jaw hanging open. "Holy fuck." He slams the door shut, undressing as he approaches her.

"Do you like what you see?"

"I love what I see. You're so beautiful all the time and I'm going to fuck you as you wear this." His hands move to the chains linking her wrists together, lifting it around his neck. Her lips meet his in a frenzied kiss and his fingers caress her tits.

She moans with excitement when he squeezes her nipple. "Yes, Ryker. Give me everything tonight. I'm all yours."

Ryker's rough as he moves down her body and pushes the fabric covering her pussy aside. He leans so close she can feel his hot breath on her clit, but he pauses, teasing her. She grabs his head and lifts her hips into his face. He chuckles as he flicks his tongue out and licks her clit.

"Fuck, you taste so deliciously sweet."

She moans as she lifts her hips for more. "Ryker, I want you inside me."

He moves up her body, putting both hands on the sides of her shoulders. His cock pauses at her wet entrance as he looks deeply into her eyes. "You're mine forever, Maria."

"And you're mine."

Ryker pushes higher inside of her as she lifts onto him at the same time. Euphoria flows through her at the intensity of the connection. Her hands claw at his back as she wraps her legs around his hips, trying to get closer. "You feel so fucking amazing." He pushes deeper, moving faster and faster. Her legs tighten as she quivers.

"Deeper, Ryker." He pushes higher and she cries out as her orgasm splits her in two.

"Yes, Maria!" At the same time, Ryker shakes uncontrollably as he comes deep inside of her, rolls off of her and holds her close.

"Everything is perfect with you." She sighs, high on sex.

~W~

The following morning, Maria and Ryker are at the breakfast table speaking with Aelon, Agnes and the rest of the flight.

"Maria, I'd like a favor from you." Agnes looks over.

"Anything you want."

"Will you officiate my wedding to Crispin?"

"What?" Ryker opens his mouth in shock."

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