Kaida: Protection's Price - 03

In the dark, I awoke. Confused and uncertain, I rolled onto my side. The ground shifted strangely. It felt like I was lying on smooth stones that slid and clinked against each other every time I moved. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up. I couldn't see anything.

What was wrong with my eyes?

A snake suddenly coiled around my throat, and I nearly pissed myself. Shouting in fear, I tore at its coils for several seconds before my suddenly completely awake mind remembered what had happened. The dragon, the duke's men, and the bargain I had made to save my life. My hands went to my neck, but the slave collar wasn't there anymore.

Panting, I stopped trying to escape and bit back the tears that threatened to fall. Did I really agree to be a dragon's sex toy for the rest of my life? This had to be a nightmare. Even as I thought it, I knew the truth. I had agreed. Willingly.

It was a bitter pill to swallow.

Her tail coiled a little tighter. I couldn't help remembering the head that the dragon had quite literally squeezed from its neck.

"What happens now?" I asked, unable to stop my voice from wavering.

"I claim what's mine."

"Oh."

With a flick of her tail, she dropped me onto my back and held me down with one hand. One sharp fingernail rested momentarily against the top of my high neckline. I froze, heart in my throat. Her nail slowly slid down the valley of my bosom, rustling fabric parting at its touch as though she had used a honed knife. Another slice opened my sleeves.

It was like a bar of solid adamantine held me in place. No matter how I struggled, I couldn't make her move so much as a finger's breadth.

In the darkness, I was blind to all but touch. Vulnerable. Weak. Completely defenseless. She grasped one side of my dress and ripped it away with one swift yank.

I couldn't have stopped her if my life depended on it.

"You're beautiful," she said. "Your eyes are such a wonderfully deep shade of blue. Like the open ocean," her cultured voice was cold, at odds with her words.

I took in short rapid breaths, feeling cold drops of sweat beading on my skin. Could she see me? How? It was completely dark. I couldn't have seen my own hand in front of my face if my life depended on it.

Flushing in shame at the thought of being so thoroughly exposed, I found myself stammering. "I. Uh. I... Thank you?"

What do you say to a dragon in a situation like this? A dragon always honors its bargains. Always. Unlike demons, a dragon's honor requires they follow the spirit of the deal, not the exact wording. I've read many cautionary tales about the horrible fate that awaits anyone stupid enough to break their word to a dragon. I had agreed to this, and attempting to break my oath would only make her angry. She would just force my obedience. I strained to hear any sound, any hint of movement.

The dragon nuzzled at my neck, "Your fear is delicious."

Wet lips, as hard as adamantium, as soft as velvet, pressed against mine. Warm and wet, her tongue probed imperiously. A wordless command. I parted my lips, and her forked tongue was inside, claiming my mouth as her own. I responded. Her tongue claimed ownership, while mine hesitantly begged for permission.

She tasted of fire and brimstone.

When her lips finally release mine, I lay there wide-eyed and gasping. I didn't know what to think. Somehow. Impossibly. Despite everything, my first kiss... had been perfect. Even though I should have hated everything about it.

During hushed conversations, those of my friends who had already experienced their first kiss described it as bumbling and awkward. But, there had been no awkwardness.

She straddled my waist and rested her forehead on mine, hands cupping my cheeks. If my parents saw me now, I would surely be disowned and thrown out without a single penny to my name. Anger surged. What did I care what they thought? My parents approved the duke's proposal.

They had expected me to sacrifice myself to that evil man for the good of the family. They told me that sometimes sacrifices must be made, and it was my responsibility to handle whatever challenges life threw my way.

Well, guess what. A family that would send one of their children to such a monster doesn't deserve any loyalty.

They could go fuck themselves.

As though being married to that sadistic evil raping bastard was something I should have just endured.

Propriety, once so important to me, now seemed utterly useless. What difference did it make at this point? I'm no longer their prim and proper daughter. This was my fucking life, and I would damn-well behave as I wished.

Tentatively, I felt for her arms. Her skin was cool against the flushed heat of mine. I brushed along smooth skin, traveling up her forearms and down her sides.

Suddenly, she moved.

A heartbeat later, her hands pinned my wrists in place, one on each side of my head. Her lips met mine again. No longer merely insistent, but rough and hard, demanding instant submission. Before her touch reminded me of velvet-covered adamantium. Now, it was as if the velvet had been torn away, leaving behind raw strength that overshadowed mine.

I whimpered, but she just swallowed the quiet sound. Her tail flexed, sliding along my inner thigh. A chill rushed through me, immediately followed by heat. Squirming, I tried to escape the tail probing it's way up between my legs. For the first time, someone else touched my pussy.

I wasn't ready for this.

My legs clapped together, pinning her tail in place.

As though she was a wolf whos meal I had foolishly attempted to steal, the dragon straddling me growled. It rumbled through her body. Like a purring cat, only stronger.

I froze, wide-eyed in the dark. Even though I couldn't see, I could feel her cold glare. Despite my clenched legs, her tail thrust brutally up between them and buried itself deep inside my vagina.

I screamed, back arching in shocked agony at the sudden assault.

Before, her tail had seemed long, thin, and whip-like. It didn't feel that way anymore. Expecting the assault to continue, I braced myself as best as I could. But, her tail didn't move. As seconds ticked by, I slowly relaxed underneath her.

"Who do you belong to?" she asked.

When I fled from the duke two days ago, I had been terrified, and rightly so. His rank far outshone mine. He was cruel, powerful, and as close to pure evil as I could imagine. I had been on the run, with little more than the faintest hope of escaping my fate, since tracking magic ensured that it was just a matter of time before they hunted me down.

This dragon was cold, ruthless, and above all, an apex predator. Yet, she had honor, something the duke didn't have. Perhaps it wasn't tempered by compassion, but it was there. Guiltily, I remembered her killing them. Saving me. I thought about the bargain I had made.

Since I had already lost everything normal in my life, and I'm certainly not going to find a husband now. Why shouldn't I follow my secret longings? My forbidden and taboo desires. The ones I've forced myself to ignore. Even if I could go back to that life, did I really want to follow that path?

Deliberately, I spread my legs apart, ignoring the heated flush of shame that seemed to burn through my soul.

"I belong to you."

The shiver that ran through me was unlike any I'd ever experienced before. It seemed closer to excitement than fear or pleasure.

Her tail, thick and heavy, flexed slightly.

The dragon's lips returned to mine, and she whispered between demanding forceful kisses. "Mine. Always mine. Forever mine."

"Yes." My body belonged to her now. Anticipation pulsed through me. This was all I had left, but the thought of being her sex toy secretly appealed to something dark inside of me.

"Don't move," she said.

My wrists were released as she trailed her hands down my arms. She settled back on her rear, sitting on my stomach. With feather-light touches, her fingers brushed against the outside curves of my bosom, circling and teasing in the dark. A thumb brushed across a hardening nipple. I squirmed and let out a spontaneous gasp.

"You react beautifully."

As if she needed to prove her point, two gentle fingers rolled a nipple between them. Happy little gasps of pleasure spilled from my mouth, making me wish I could hide my face in shame.

I reached for her, suddenly eager to return the pleasure she gave.

Strong hands caught mine before I touched her body. She flipped me onto my stomach. The movement spun me around the tail that was still buried inside me. I shivered at the sensation.

One hand pinned my wrists behind my back. The other reached around, up between my breasts, grasped me by my throat, and pinned me against the front of her body.

"Submit."

The tip of her tail twisted inside, and I writhed against her. She released my wrists, but they were trapped between our bodies. Roughly, she gripped my breast in a clawed hand and twisted. At the same time, her tail began to move. It slid out and thrust up brutally. Each thrust was an explosion of sensations, and I lost myself.

It was agony.

It was bliss.

I cried out, whether it was with pleasure or pain, I didn't know. Her hand released my neck and twisted a nipple painfully. It was overwhelming. Terrifying and exciting. I panted raggedly. A fingernail scraped across my breast, cutting furrows into my flesh. When it caught on my nipple, I lost control.

Quivering, twitching, back-arching, I screamed my ecstasy. She didn't release me, and her tail didn't slow. I writhed, trying to escape her touch.

One aching breast was released. Fingernails slid down my stomach and reached between my legs, right above her thrusting tail. She scraped oh-so-gently over my clit, already unbearably sensitive from the intense orgasm I just had.

From that spot, my world seemed to explode, as though I had been hit with a lightning bolt. I was dimply aware of my screams, and that I writhed helplessly in her arms.

At some point, she slowed, and her scratching fingernails began to gently massage my body instead. Shivering in a blissful haze, I started to drift off to sleep.

I gasped, instantly squirming, when a stinging slap against my bare bottom brought me back. The dragon's tail, still wet from my pleasure, coiled around my neck and pulled me inexorably down past her stomach, until I knelt between her feet, face inches from the cleft between her legs. She smelled sweet and tangy, like an exotic fruit.

My thoughts were so overwhelmed by everything she had done to me that this hardly registered.

At first.

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks.

I was naked, on my knees, head between the legs of another woman. I imagine my skin practically glowed red with the sudden flush of embarrassment.

The tail around my neck flexed a firm reminder that I didn't exactly have a lot of control.

I was her sex toy.

It was such a strange thought, although it was literally true. Admittedly, it was a lot easier to accept now. With my future already destroyed, and my body still riding the aftershocks of an orgasm that put every single one I've ever given myself to shame.

Fine. If that's what I had to become, then that's what I'll choose to be. I kissed her inner thigh, licking up with my tongue.

She chuckled, "Such an eager toy. Alright, show me what you can do."

Her tail released my neck. I scooted closer and hesitated; I didn't know anything about pleasing a woman. The possibility had never occurred to me before today, and my parents believed that it was the husband's job to teach their wife how to please them. What little I knew about sex came from practicing on myself and reading an illicit tome on body magic.

Well, I guessed that I should start by doing what felt good when practicing on myself. What was it called? That's right, masturbating.

I slid my hands up her legs and gently probed at her pussy. It was warm, wet, and oh-so inviting. When I masturbated, I had carefully avoided touching my vagina. After all, I couldn't lose my virginity to my own fingers. I'd never gone inside, as much as I wanted to.

So, I slid a finger inside her. She made a contented sound as I explored, first with one, and then with two fingers. She pulled my face to her pussy... So, licking?

I pulled my fingers out and licked across my knuckles for a quick taste. She was tart and tangy. Tasty. I wanted more. Putting action to the thought, I brushed my tongue across her pussy. Apparently, dragons didn't have hair down there.

I wormed my tongue between her lips, and she shivered, causing me to smile. There was something very satisfying about giving her pleasure. With my hands, I stroked the folds of her pussy lips. My tongue explored her depths while my fingers stroked the surface.

The dragon began to pant with pleasure.

Her tail whipped back around my neck and ground my face into her pussy. A rush of excitement surged through my soul. I wanted to do more to please her, but I didn't know what else to do. I'll ask her later.

Her fingers suddenly dug roughly into my hair, and she pushed my mouth down, away from her clit, confusing me. But, I dutifully sucked on her labia, where she had shoved my mouth.

"Not yet. First, there's the build-up. Don't jump to the end ahead of time."

Since my mouth was full, I grunted an affirmative and worked her labia with my lips. Following her instructions, I stayed away from where her clit hid under a fold of flesh. I followed her guidance, whether by hand or voice.

My knees ached, and my back hurt, but I didn't stop. Something was strangely appealing about kneeling here and pleasuring her. Suddenly, she jerked my mouth back to her clit. I quickly sucked it into my mouth, and she shivered against me.

"Lick my clit. "

I released her clit with my lips and obeyed, first parting the protective folds, and then rapidly flicking my tongue back and forth, directly on the small mound of flesh. After a few seconds, I was rewarded when she moaned loudly, thighs suddenly locking around my head, and she convulsed against me.

A smile came to my lips, still trapped between her legs. There was something immensely satisfying about giving someone so much pleasure. Perhaps, being her sex toy wouldn't be so bad.

What really confused me was why the painful things she did to me had felt good. I can remember her twisting my nipple, pinching them. It had hurt, but at the same time... Somehow, everything she did had added up to multiple blissful orgasms.

Well, as her sex toy, I guess I have a lot to learn.

Assuming I didn't die of embarrassment.

The dragon's legs slid apart, no longer trapping my face against her pussy, but I chose to stay where I was. The darkness no longer bothered me, at least when she was near. I wanted to see her again, but I couldn't bring myself to ask. Not after everything we had done. I was content to lean against her in the gloom.

"What's your name?" I asked. It had been bothering me since reading the journal. Her name wasn't listed anywhere, and I hadn't thought to ask when we arrived.

"My name is Kaida," said the dragon.

"Kaida," I said, trying out the name, "doesn't that mean little dragon? It certainly fits this form. It's much smaller than when you're in full dragon form."

"Close enough," she said. "And yours?"

"I'm Elyenryl Goodwin, until my parents disown me for refusing to marry the count. Then, I guess I'll just be Elyenryl."

"Tell me about yourself," said the dragon.

I talked. First, about my family, then about the school, and my dream of becoming an adventurer. She listened, asking questions that made me think. The more we spoke, the more I realized that my parents had only allowed me to enroll at the Academy to keep me under their control. My marriage had been planned out in advance, scheduled to happen before I finished my first year.

They knew what I wanted to become, and because it was inconvenient for them, they had deliberately worked to stop me.

Kaida hadn't stopped my dreams from coming true, she had been open and honest from the beginning. I had even been allowed to leave. If I had escaped, my parents would have traded my hand to someone else, and I still wouldn't have been allowed to pursue my dream.

The price of my survival would be painful, but in the end, I don't regret it. I felt safe, cuddling against Kaida's leg, in the endless night. As I drifted off to sleep, her fingers combed through my hair.