I went back to where the soldiers gathered around the woman who had so recently been a rampaging dragon. Zargaza and Kendala were with Gren, I noticed, so they’d gotten healing. Lysandra was at a distance with the archers, who were clearly still on the alert.

Gren hugged Valeria tightly.

The dragon woman was awake, now, and bound. Now that things were calmer, I noticed how beautiful she was. She had a perfect, smooth complexion, and her breasts were full, her waist toned, her hips sleek. What I had taken at first to be a bit of dragon scale on her human form was now more obviously a kind of bra that attached with a few slender golden chains, and I noticed the golden chain around her waist that held the flaps of gold cloth that covered her most private areas.

“She doesn’t seem to feel it’s worth moving and getting a dagger in her throat.” Gren said.

“Yeah, most people don’t like that.”

“Is she people?” Gren asked.

“Always a good question. Thinking your enemies aren’t is so convenient sometimes.” I addressed the dragon. “I’m Abby. What’s your name?”

“Aurea,” she said. She had a deep, resonating alto.

“Want to tell me what this is all about? I’ve been told you don’t detect as evil, so I’m really hoping there’s some sort of reason for all this.”

“It’s not any of your business,” she said. “It’s between me and the goblins. I don’t mean you any harm.”

I glanced at Val, and she nodded. Aurea was telling the truth.

“You sure caused plenty of it.”

“You attacked me,” Aurea said. “And beat me. I’m surprised you’ve let me live.”

“We don’t kill people if we don’t have to,” I said.

Aurea shrugged. “How sentimental. Still, I’m grateful. If you let me go, I will not retaliate. My feud is with those horrible thieving goblins.”

“Unfortunately, those goblins surrendered to me, which makes them my responsibility.” Although they’d pretty much scattered.

She looked at me oddly. “Your property, you mean.”

“No, I meant what I said.”

She grinned. “It seemed like they were escaping. I could hunt them down for you.”

“I think they were running from you, not me. Thieving, you said? Did they take something from you?”

She nodded. “A dragon’s hoard is inviolable. But they snuck in while I was curled up in my cave, and took some of my most treasured possessions. Gold. Silver. And –”

“And?”

“Nevermind.” She blushed.

“So you want your things back.”

“Yes. I approached them in this form, to try to get them back, and they decided I was a witch. But they wouldn’t give me back my things.”

I nodded. “I’ll talk to them about that. I’ll get back your things if I can, and give them back if you’re willing to agree to live in peace. It would probably help if I could get a description of what you lost.”

Again, she turned pink.

“I won’t assume you’re evil just because you’ve gotten ahold of some dark eldritch artifact,” I said. After all, that sort of thing could happen to anyone. “But this killing people thing has to stop.”

“It’s not, um, anything dark and eldritch. Tell me something.”

“What?”

“Why did you heal me? You could have finished me off. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about me living in peace.”

“I told you, we don’t kill people if we don’t have to.” Of course I hadn’t healed her, Bronwyn had. But I could have stopped her, and I was in charge. That decision was my responsibility, just like the deaths of the goblins was my responsibility, and of Kathy and Valeria and the others. I still wasn’t entirely sure slitting her throat wouldn’t have been the better move.

“They need to give me back my things,” Aurea said. “I don’t regret killing any of them, so don’t try to make me feel guilty about it.”

“I’d have done the same thing,” Gren said. “At least, if the things were important to me.”

“Me too,” Zargaza said.

“Did I hit you with my claw?” Aurea asked Zargaza.

“Yep. I was attacking you. All fair, no hard feelings. I’m a warrior, and what would war be without danger, risk, valor, and carnage?”

What, indeed. That was part of the problem with it, that and the fact that it always ended up hurting the bystanders. But I wasn’t going to get people in Amaranth thinking like me. The most I could do was nudge them over a little bit.

“Still,” Valeria said, “Goblins aside, you killed our friends.”

“For which I expected you’d kill me,” Aurea said. “You still might, of course.”

“Well, I think it’s more appropriate that you make amends.”

Aurea shrugged. “I did nothing wrong. But to the victor goes the spoils. You can’t have my hoard, though. I’ll die first.”

Valeria shook her head. “I’m guessing that dragons have a lot of mana, right? More than humans?”

Aurea smiled. “Yes. A lot more.”

“Well,” Valeria said. “You’re not married, which makes it a sin. Although we can fix that. But still, a sin that saves a life isn’t truly sinful.”

“What are you talking about?” Gren said.

I groaned. Fresh chapters posted on Novᴇl_Fire(.)net

“When Abby has sex with us, she gets back mana,” Valeria explained. “And I don’t like to say it, but she gets back more from me, because I have more mana – she doesn’t get it from me, exactly, but it still has more effect.”

“Oh!” Gren said. “I didn’t realize that.”

“The conquered owe the conquerors their bodies for sexual use,” Zargaza said. “It’s best if the victorious army gets to watch, too. Good for morale.”

“No one owes me anything,” I said quickly. “Consent, remember, people?”

“When war is waged, the loser implies consent,” Zargaza said. “I’ve been thinking a lot about this. I think our philosophies can be reconciled.”

“Think some more, because that’s not how this works.”

“Wait,” Aurea said.

Valeria grinned.

“You’re a woman,” Aurea said. “And Abby is a woman. You mean, like, touching and licking, and rubbing pussies together, and lying with each other while licking each other’s pussies and bringing each other to mind-shattering orgasms… that counts as sex?” Aurea asked.

“Yes, that counts as sex!” I nearly yelled.

“But it doesn’t have a chance of making little dragons,” Aurea said. “I thought it was just a hell of a good time.”

“As it turns out, Abby has an enormous –” Gren looked at me, as if expecting me to stop her, but I was resigned. Besides, this time it was sort of relevant.

“Cock!” Kendala said loudly.

“She does?” Aurea asked. “You, too?”

“Wait,” Gren said. “You have a cock, also?”

“Well, I did.”

“Huh? What happened to it?” Gren asked.

“The goblins stole it.”

“Kill them all,” Gren said, with feeling.

“Wait. You mean the thing they stole was a dildo?” Now all the blushing made sense.

“Yes,” Aurea said. “A special, magical dildo. Not magical enough to make babies with, but it could thrust and –” she broke off, turning red again. “Can yours do all that? If so, I’m totally in.”

“Oh,” Gren said. “Don’t worry. Hers can thrust.”

“And it feels like a man’s, but bigger and better,” Kendala said.

“It’s highly realistic,” Valeria agreed with a smirk.

“Well,” Aurea said. “And that would give you mana? What do you need mana for, anyway?”

“Raising a friend from the dead,” Valeria said, before I could answer. “A friend that you killed.”

Aurea grinned. “Well then! Oh! It seems like I’m morally obligated to let you show me all your cock can do! Oh dear! Oh my!”

“Yes,” Valeria said. “You really are.”

“Definitely,” agreed Zargaza.

“Oh, that sounds too much like ethics,” Gren said. “But I do know that I want to watch.”

“Hold on,” I said.

“What?” Valeria said. “You can’t tell me you don’t find her attractive, or that you’re just going to let Kathy stay dead.”

No. She had me there. I wasn’t going to pass up a chance to get Kathy back, even if actions I had to take were morally questionable. But the situation was complicated. “Are you really willing?”

“I don’t think I have a choice!” Aurea said. “I mean, I owe it to you. And also, I’m your captive, so I really can’t stop you from having your way with me and forcing me to eat you out while you jam your cock deep into my pussy.”

Again with the odd specificity. Of course, that wouldn’t work, but I suppose she still thought it was detachable. Gren giggled.

I shook my head. “No, actually, you do have a choice. But if you want to, we can.”

“Are you going to make me say that?” Aurea asked.

“Yep.”

Aurea sighed. “Okay, fine. I’m curious. And you’re super sexy. I – I want it.”

“Nice. If we untie you, do you give your word of honor that you’ll not try to escape?”

“If you give your word not to try to take anything from my hoard.”

“I won’t take anything from your hoard. And in fact, I’ll let you go entirely if you agree to live in peace with us.”

“If you don’t take anything from my hoard, I’ll live in peace with you. The goblins, on the other hand…”

“I’ll try my best to get your things back, if you in return will agree to an alliance, to leave the goblins alone, and to help us in turn if we need you.”

“If you succeed in getting my things back, or reasonable replacements, then I agree.” She grinned at me. Reasonable replacements? Did she know I had vibrators? Oh, she still thought I had an artificial cock, and thought she could get it from me.

“There’s something you really, really need to know before we make love,” I said.

“You have an unsightly mole?”

“No.” How was the best way to put it? “She’s pregnant,” I pointed to Gren.

“Oh. Congratulations,” she said to Gren. “So?”

“With my child.”

“How is that possible?” Aurea asked.

“Because she has an amazing appendage,” Gren said. “I wouldn’t let just anyone knock me up. Why don’t you just show her?”

“Clothes off!” Zargaza said.

“Clothes off!” someone echoed. In moments, it became a chant.

I had to raise my voice. “The important thing is to know that having sex with me could, indeed, make you pregnant. I think. Depends on how dragons and demons work together, and all that.”

“Really?” Aurea said. And then, catching the rhythm of the others, she chanted with them. “Clothes off! Clothes off!”

“Fine,” I said. I decided to leave her tied up for now. After all, the people guarding her would all be stunned for a moment.

Valeria helped me by unzipping the back. I lifted my dress off.

Stunning Beauty.

I wondered if Aurea would be able to just shrug off the effect, but no, she kept staring. And I kept going, kicking off my shoes, unsnapping my bra, and then lowering my panties. The stunning effect kept rolling along, as I didn’t give anyone a chance to recover before stripping further.

Gren was the first one to recover her voice. “Such a beautiful sight. But darling, you’re only half hard. Let me help with that.”

A moment later Gren and Zargaza were jockeying for position to “help.” Kendala was picking up my discarded clothes.

“Isn’t that my job?” Aurea asked. “It’s a real flesh and blood penis, isn’t it?”

“Yep.” Gren lifted it. “And a pussy, too.”

“Wow!” Aurea said. “Can someone untie me? I promise not to try to escape. I mean, why would I even want to?”

“She’s telling the truth,” Valeria said.

“Then untie her.”

“Personally I think it’s more fun when you’re tied up,” Valeria said.

Kendala and Gren quickly untied her.

“Clothes off,” Kendala told Aurea.

The chant began all over again.

You know, this is the perfect time to use Love Slave. On a dragon! It’d be epic.

Aurea stood up. “Watch me,” she told me.

I watched.

She reached behind herself, and undid a catch. She cupped her breasts while she brought the chain forward. Then she spun, showing off her long back, and that nothing was holding the bra on except her hands. She spun again to face me.

“I was going to take it off when you couldn’t see my chest,” she told me. “But then, I decided I didn’t want the audience seeing before you did.”

She dropped the bra to the ground, revealing breasts a little larger than average, with golden-brown nipples that pointed straight at me.

Kendala, ever helpful, reached for the bra. Aurea stepped on her hand. “Mine,” Aurea said.

“I was just going to put it to the side so it wouldn’t be in your way.”

“Part of my hoard,” Aurea told her.

“But it looks like it would be uncomfortable to lie on.”

“If you don’t give it back, I’ll hunt you down and –”

“She’ll give it back,” I said. I nudged Gren and Zargaza. They had accomplished their task.

“Fine.” Aurea lifted her foot.

I closed the distance and ran my fingers along the gold chain that held her only other garment up. “May I remove this? And give it to Kendala here for safekeeping, so you’re sure to get it back?” My now-hard cock nearly brushed against her belly. Zargaza and Gren knew what they were doing, and as much as I hated to admit it, my time with Zargaza had given me a taste for this kind of public display.

“Yes,” she told me.