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  “Hmm. Not proper, but with your skin tone, you can pull it off.” He eyed her legs. If she wasn’t mistaken, he licked his lips.

  Perhaps putting on an extra layer wouldn’t hurt. A garter belt was in the lingerie drawer and after selecting a matching set of bra and panties she slipped it on and began to carefully work the silk of the stocking up her thigh.

  It took patience and a good manicure to put on stockings; she had to be extra careful as her nails hadn’t had any attention for a week. Rikard was no help. He had pulled up a chair to watch her.

  As the straps fastened the stockings, she sighed with relief. It was the hardest part of getting dressed, and she had done it without a run.

  The dress she selected was understated, yet daring enough to push the line between her underwear and her outerwear. Fortunately she had chosen a matching color.

  “Alright. I am ready. Shall we go?” With a little digging she had found shoes in yet another drawer. They fit perfectly. Black satin stilettos that matched her bra, and also the trim on the dress.

  The possessive lust in his eyes was unmistakable. “I have been ready since I saw you in the cave, but yes. Let’s go.”

  The dress was a combination of cotton and satin. It was full enough to fall to her ankles and swirl when she moved, and swirl it did as she waited for Rikard to change forms and hover outside the balcony.

  Each flap of his wings blew the dress around her ankles and every now and then it flared up to reveal a hint of thigh. As he held steady, she jumped to his neck and settled astride it with a minimum of fuss.

  As soon as she was settled his heavy wings took them high into the sky. She could feel the power of his muscles under her and carefully kept herself from settling too tightly against him.

  One of the last things she wanted was to arrive in Realm aroused and flustered. Leaning forward and letting the ridge of his neck rub against her clit would do precisely that.

  The braids that he had placed into her hair were still in place and actually kept her from having her hair witch locked as they entered the portal into Realm two miles in the air.

  As they exited the gateway they came out into something that George had never seen. Over a dozen dragons were waiting for them, and followed them down to the courtyard where her mother waited, standing next to a male that shared George’s eye colour.

  She had wondered where it had come from.

  Her dismount was graceful, a lifetime of climbing off dragons, and she stood in front of Rikard’s dragon form and did not leave it until he shifted to escort her.

  He stood beside her, formal robes swirling around him, and she marvelled at the outlay of magic that it must have cost to clothe himself. He held out his arm and she took it.

  As one, they approached her parents, stopping only a few feet in front of them.

  “Mom. I am glad to see you are in good shape after your ordeal.” She nodded to her mother and a wink was Arabel’s response. “Father. It is nice to have seen your face at long last.”

  “Daughter, I am Matthias. And I am your father.” He looked over her shoulder to the crowd of men that had transformed from their dragon shapes. “And as such it is my responsibility to make sure that you have the best possible mate of all of the candidates.”

  “It is with that in mind that I have called upon the males who are here today. They will compete for your admiration and for the right to be your mate. It is my right as your father to do this, and your duty as my daughter to comply.”

  George was not as surprised as she thought she would be. It seemed right and proper that they be given a chance. But… “Rikard, will you join them in trying to win me?” Her gaze searched his. He was angry, but resigned.

  “I will indeed take all comers for your hand. No one shall part me from my destined mate.” He stood aside and gave her hand over to the keeping of Arabel. “Keep her safe for me lady. I will return when I have been victorious.”

  Chapter 8

  Matthias was revelling in his role as father. He had complete control. “The first competition will be to race to the goblin territory and bring back one of their stones of illumination. We will be able to tell by the scent where you got it from.”

  “Are you ready?” The candidates nodded. “Then go!” The first part of the competition was simply the fight to shift shape in the crowd. Rikard was off in a second, having simply shifted first into warrior form to lift him above the crowd, then into full dragon form and away.

  She watched him disappear into the strange new skyline and turned to her mom. “Well, I guess I stepped in it this time.”

  “You did indeed.”

  “Why are you standing so close to Matthias?” Graylin had a feeling she knew the answer.

  “Because we are formally bonding as mates. With you as proof of our fertility, they want to see if I can bear another female.”

  “Do you mind?”

  Arabel remained quiet for a moment. “It was not a part of my life that I had considered open for change. With hiding your existence from the council, I just wanted to let you have all the choices.” She smiled and winked at Graylin. “And the sex is better than I remember it.”

  “So, is mating in dragon form fun? I have never gotten to try it.”

  “It can be, just remember that there are consequences.”

  “Arabel, would you please introduce me to my daughter?” The dark husky voice preceded Matthias. His dark handsome looks and golden bronze skin were traits that no doubt contributed to her own coloring. He was also probably very popular with the magical women who filled Realm.

  “Matthias, Chairman of the Dragon Council, meet your daughter, Graylin Treel. She is an egg-hatch, and has three exceptional friends who are embroiled with the various councils as we speak.

  “Graylin, meet your father. He has risen high in the ranks of the council and is delighted to be a father after all this time.”

  “Pleased to meet you.” They both shook hands, then dropped them with a complete loss for words.

  “Matthias, just so you know. Rikard is my choice. He always has been.” The heavy thump of wing beats caught her attention and she looked toward the sound. Rikard was racing another dragon of similar size and it was a neck and neck competition. In the end, it came down to grip.

  Rikard’s opponent lost his grip on the glowing rock that he held and had to retrieve it. This let Rikard land on the parapet and hand the stone to Matthias.

  Bemused, her father simply watched Rikard change back to clothed human form. The rock that he held was only an inch long.

  The rock that had over balanced the other dragon was several feet long.

  As the other dragons came in and dropped their offerings, a similar size was found. All large rocks weighing hundreds of pounds.

  “I declare the winner Rikard! His offering was the best.”

  “But why? His rock was not the largest!” A wave of disgruntled voices agreed with the lone complaint.

  “No, but it was taken from the home of the goblin king. That increases its value over that taken from the mines.” Some of the other dragons looked a little perturbed at that. “Let me remind you that I never told you where to obtain the stones. The value of my daughter is in question. Keep that in mind as you begin the next two challenges.”

  Two more? Matthias was serious about this apparently. Normally she would have been happy that Rikard had chosen the best stone to bring back, but with two more challenges, she didn’t know how he would fare.

  “The next challenge will take place inside. Please follow me.” Matthias held Arabel’s hand and gestured for Graylin to take his arm. She did, and into the council chamber they went. He escorted her to a small ante chamber off the main council hall and she paced up and down, alone. Waiting for whatever the next challenge was.

  * * * *

  Arabel almost fainted when Matthias announced the next event. “The next challenge is to learn a spell and use it on Graylin. Each scroll is for a single use only, and
the spell will be erased from your memory the instant that you cast it.”

  She looked over at him, appalled. “Are you sure that it is safe?”

  “The room she is in has a dampening field. No injury can come to her while she is in there.” He murmured it to her and it stopped the seething fear in her, but didn’t calm her beyond that.

  His voice once again rose to address the assembled men. “Take a scroll from the table and open it. Each has a number on it and that is the order in which you will try the spell on my daughter. You have five minutes.”

  In an orderly fashion, they each took one of the scrolls and began to read, a few cracked smiles as they realized what the spell was for. Arabel felt suspicious. She went up behind Rikard and glanced at the spell.

  Her own mouth twisted up in amusement at the contents. If the males could get this to work, Graylin would have a heckuva time making her choice.

  * * * *

  Graylin had almost worn a groove in the floor when the door opened. “Mom, what are you doing here, and what is that scarf for?”

  “The next challenge has been set up. The men will come in, one at a time, and try a spell on you. To make sure that you don’t cheat and pick Rikard, we need to blindfold you.”

  “Wait. You are letting these guys cast spells at me?”

  “Yes. It’s to determine their magical competency. They were just given the scrolls and have had five minutes to learn it.” Her mouth twisted, “According to Matthias, as long as you are in this room, you can not be damaged. I would stay in here if I was you.”

  “How about if I just run screaming into Realm?” She perched on a chair and took the blindfold from her mother.

  “Then we would have a flight instead, and the fastest one to mate you would win. I am not a huge fan of rape.”

  That sent a chill down her spine. “Right. When do they come in?”

  “As soon as your blindfold is on, and I am out of here.”

  She tied the black silk across her eyes and tightened it. “Okay. Bring it on.”

  The door shut softly, and when it opened the next time, she knew it was not her mother.

  The whispered words slid over her, bringing a feeling of joy and laughter to her soul. It was relaxing and lightening. The magic distorted the voice, but she didn’t feel anything aside from the cheerful wave that passed over her. Whoever it was left the room a few seconds later.

  The second had much the same effect. A small trill of arousal snaked through her and she began to suspect that the spell was for attraction or something similar.

  By the sixth, she had begun to breathe heavily. Her body feeling a sharp spike of lust that quickly faded. The next few were fairly bland and merely gave her the feeling of well-being imparted by the first.

  At number eleven she rose from the chair and started to walk to the husky masculine tones, only stopping when she stubbed her toe and he stopped the spell. She sighed in disappointment.

  The next one did not stir her, but the final reader tugged at things so deeply buried that she was shaking when he stopped. A voice spoke, “You may remove the blindfold now.”

  Matthias was in the open doorway, a dragon that she didn’t know was facing her with a smug smile on his perfect face. Everything about his body proclaimed him to be a dark angel, from his black hair, silver eyes, and high cheekbones, to the width of his shoulders and the curve of his lips.

  “Khiron, this is my daughter, Graylin. In case you were wondering.” A satisfied smirk twisted his lips.

  “Pleased to meet you, Lady. I look forward to the final challenge. A woman as fine as you does not appear everyday.” He bowed low and she had a hard time looking away from the breadth of his shoulders as he rose.

  She had no comment to make, which scared the snot out of her. Khiron. Lord, he was pretty.

  “What is the final challenge, Matthias?” Her voice was steady and she simply spoke as if the dark god wasn’t standing a few feet away from her.

  “That is for them to find out.” A ball of light appeared in his hand and he lofted it gently to her. As it burst she fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

  * * * *

  “This is the most surreal thing I have ever seen.” She stood and found herself in a flowing Grecian style gown. The odd thing was the two doppelgangers that were facing her as they rose from their own beds.

  Each move that she made was echoed by the others and in a few minutes she was totally freaked out.

  Arabel once again came to her rescue. She opened the door and took one look at the replicated daughters and laughed. “Don’t worry, Hon. It is just a simple diversion spell. The males have to pick you out of your two clones, so share a group hug to get your scent on them and then just wait.”

  “You will all be held under a paralysis spell until the men have cast their votes. That will keep you from making any signals to your choices.”

  “Fine. When does it start?”

  “In half an hour. Enough time for you all to have some snacks. It has to have been a trying day for you, Sweetie.” The snacks in question were transported in on a cushion of air, no human or physical hands touched them.

  There was baklava, chocolate, strawberries and all her favourite sweeties. It was too much to pass up. Her clones stood next to her at the table and she rubbed up against them to spread her scent. They sat together and lounged while eating the snacks. She encouraged them to touch her, then themselves and in a few moments there was an all Graylin orgy going on. She watched her selves writhe in passion while masturbating and was amazed. If that was what she looked like, she didn’t know if she wanted an audience the next time.

  Still it was impressive. Her skin flushed, her breasts heaved with her breathing and she shook and squealed with her climax. Extremely undignified, but enthusiastic, she had to give it that.

  Now they were ready for the guys. Let them try and tell them apart.

  On cue, her father came in, winced at the scent of arousal in the air, and cast the paralysis spell.

  She was cursing the pose she was in, one thigh exposed, one covered and her hands holding the folds of her gown. Either to push it up or down, it looked like either. And she had neglected to cover one breast. That would be distracting to anyone, let alone a man after her to mate.

  The clones were in her field of vision, and in much the same state. Their clothing askew and their skin rosy with their exertions.

  * * * *

  The dragons came in one at a time. Each male had two minutes to examine them to try to discover the real her.

  There were only two that figured it out, Rikard and Khiron. What a shock. While releasing the spell, she grappled with what would happen next. She had no idea.

  The two clones evaporated into smoke and tiny pixies flew free of the wrapping of magic. And as soon as she was free, she fixed her clothing and stood with a blush on her cheeks, chest and arms.

  Matthias looked her over and sighed. “I had wished for a clear winner, but I suppose that if they wish to, they can have a battle for the honour of your hand.”

  “If they wish to?”

  “Well, if they choose not to, they default their claim to you. That leaves you with whomever is left.”

  She looked from Khiron to Rikard. “What is your decision? Will you fight, or will you give up?”

  “For you lady, I will fight the devil himself.” Khiron swept forward to place a kiss on her hand, then moved it to her forehead, and finally a kiss on her lips that curled her toes.

  He was wrenched away from his gentle exploration by a scowling Rikard. He looked like a pale devil. But his face was the more beloved as she moved to him to kiss him while he glared at his opponent.

  “Rikard. I am not going to kiss your ear. Get those lips over here.” It was hard to have a deep kiss while grinning, but she managed to smooth her features as the warmth of his presence flowed through her. That was something that had been missing from Khiron’s kiss. The feeling of belonging, of being home.
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br />   Sure, there had been passion, but that would fade. Or perhaps not, but it still lacked the comfort of Rikard’s embrace.

  So, now the two men she wanted would battle for her hand. And the rest of her. This day had taken a freaky turn.

  Chapter 9

  There was a crowd gathering outside the Dragon council hall. It seemed that the news of a challenge was one of the greatest draws in Realm.

  She stood between her parents on the walk on the wall and looked down at the field where they would fight.

  Swords were standard, armour unnecessary. They faced off, waiting only for the signal to begin. All forms were available for the battle, but shifting lost points in the judgement and in the eyes of the watchers.

  It was the weaker opponent who would shift first. Or the one with a strategy. One never knew in these things.

  “This will not be a battle to the death! But rather to exhaustion! Take your places, and begin!” Matthias dropped a white handkerchief to the ground, and the instant that it hit, the warriors collided.

  With endurance in mind, they circled slowly, each looking for a weakness in the other, an occasional feint made the onlookers gasp, but it was only when they both engaged in hacking and slashing that the cheering and betting started.

  She sighed and looked around. It was bizarre, but ninety-eight percent of the crowd was male. It seemed that they enjoyed watching other guys bashing each other around.

  Each time that the dragons connected a roar came from the crowd. They were so equally matched that it seemed that hours would pass before a winner was declared. Graylin turned to Matthias and was about to ask if she had to watch the whole battle when a talon scooped her up and she was suddenly airborne.

  “What the hell?” She looked up and only saw a metallic blue underbelly, no clue as to whom it belonged to from her recent suitors. This was ridiculous. “Who are you and what do you think you are doing?”