Inside the Nymphaea Haven, Several Millennia Ago…
A cool trickle of water scattered over Aodh's sun—drenched back, slowly making a line down his spine. Icy beads formed, moving at his lover's command in tickling circles down his body. When they reached the apex of his cleft, he clenched his ass and opened one eye to stare lazily at the source of the wet exploration.
Meri let out a throaty laugh and gave him a smile of mock surprise. "Why can't I play with you there? You let Neph do it all the time."
With a growl, Aodh surged up, toppling the nymph and pinning her beneath him against the warm stone they'd been sunning themselves on.
"Because Neph's better equipped to follow through. What have you got?" He held her arms above her head with one hand while he slid his other down her twisting torso. When he delved his fingers between her thighs, he found her as slick and ready as any nymph. Wetter, even, reminding him how she'd taken Neph's seed earlier and was still filled with it now.
"Aodh, stop," she complained, even as her hips pushed up into his hand, forcing his probing fingers deeper into her.
"Do you really want me to stop?" he asked, looking down at her face.
"Yes," she said, though her head moved from side to side in clear contradiction. The little liar always loved playing games with them.
He let out a gruff laugh and latched onto one of her hard nipples, then replaced his mouth with his hand as he slid farther down.
"Maybe you want my mouth more," he said, grazing his lips over her glistening mound.
"Oh, Gaia, that's worse," she said. "Definitely don't use your tongue on me." She spread her legs wide enough for her wet petals to part for him.
Aodh's eyelids fluttered closed at the sight of her sodden folds still creamy with the remnants of Neph's climax. The satyr he'd fallen for wasn't with them at the moment, off seeing to some important Haven business with his sister, but he'd left a lovely gift that Aodh intended to savor.
Meri moaned impatiently, then shivered and let her head fall back when Aodh dipped his tongue in for a taste. Her flavor was there too, but it was Neph he was after and he delved in hungrily, grabbing her thighs to hold her wider for him.
Sweet Mother, the taste of his lover was intoxicating, and he almost wished he could have had Neph's gift unadulterated by the essence of this nymph. Meri's taste was pleasant, and abundant the more Aodh licked her, but her presence was only a necessity.
He plunged his tongue in deep, seeking to lick every last drop of Neph from within her channel and off her slick lips. His beloved satyr's essence coated his tongue as he continued his onslaught of Meri's tender flesh, his arousal driving him to pull a body—shaking orgasm from her quickly so she would return the favor.
He couldn't bring himself to fuck her. Not yet, though Neph didn't have the same reluctance. The satyrs and nymphs in the Haven were much freer with their attentions. Dragons were generally just as free, but the significance of Meri's presence in their secret meeting place in the temple gardens beside the Nile was too significant for him to get past.
He wanted Neph as his mate. And even though the feeling was mutual, they'd be breaking laws and denying traditions in declaring their desires to the higher races. As two of those races' leaders, they had to set an example.
Breeding was an issue for the nymphaea, which meant Neph needed a female to do his duty to his home and his race. Meri might be that female.
"You could just fuck me," Meri said when Aodh rolled over and tugged at her shoulder to signal he was ready for her mouth on him. "My pussy's tight. Just ask Neph—he loves it."
"Can't risk it. You know that," Aodh said, though he knew there was no way he'd accidentally impregnate her without marking her. Their arrangement was secret, merely a cover for a deeper melding with Neph once Meri was safely pregnant with Neph's child.
Resting her hands on his thighs, Meri let out a sigh. "Listen, I know I'm not here for you to love, either of you. I'm not blind or stupid. Neph wants a deeper bond with you as much as you want it with him, but you need me to make it happen so you can keep up appearances. I'm all—in for my own reason—I want a baby. What nymph wouldn't be honored to be the chosen mate of a Dionarch and be the mother of his children? But you should know making sure he can pull this off when he and I are in public together depends on how close you and I are in private."
She stroked a skilled hand up the length of his shaft. Pleasure shot through him, making his body hum and his aura pulse around him. He propped himself up on his elbows and glanced down at her.
"Go on," he said, curious about her direction.
She pressed a kiss to the tip of his cock, sucked the head between her lips, and teased the underside with her tongue for a moment… just long enough for him to war with the impatient need for her to take him all versus his curiosity about what she might be about to suggest.
She released him with a pop and slowly stroked his rigid length.
"He needs to look like he loves me, but we both know he doesn't. He loves you. But if you and I were more closely bonded, it would make it as if we were one person. One soul in two bodies. He can have you when he has me, and he can have you when he has you. Happy Neph all the way around."
Meri went back to sucking him before Aodh could comment, his mind shutting down in response to her mouth. Happy Neph all around was all he could think of, and the idea made him happy. Happier than Meri's delicious lips and tongue working him to climax.
He lay in a buzzed stupor for several moments afterward, then gradually opened his eyes to see her swirling, expectant gaze.
"What exactly do we need to do? Are you talking about melding? Because Neph and I are already about as deeply melded as we can get."
"You aren't this deep. He won't share this with you because it's too sacred a bond, which is sad, really. But I care about the two of you and want you to be happy, so I'll make the sacrifice. All you need to do is give me a taste of your blood …"
Aodh shot up and scooted away from her. "Absolutely not. Our blood is sacred … mine and my siblings. It isn't possible for me to share it."
"Not possible? Or are you just not willing? Wouldn't you shed your blood for love, like we do? Every loving bond between a nymph and satyr pair is bound by a blood meld. There can be no deeper bond between us. Neph hasn't offered you that bond, has he?"
Aodh frowned, his heart in turmoil. Neph had melded with him so many times they shared their senses easily when they made love, like it was second nature. But when his lover was away, the satyr kept his mind shut off from Aodh. As one of the six members of the Dragon Council, Aodh understood the burden of responsibility, but his burden was not as great as his more powerful siblings'. Ked and Belah bore the heaviest burdens of their kind. Aodh's own responsibilities required less thought, more action; he was the dragon who oversaw the teaching and training of all the dragon Guardians, as well as the crafting of his people's temples and artifacts.
"I don't blame him for his responsibilities, Meri. I would never ask something of him that he wasn't willing to give."
"No, but wouldn't you give him something of yourself, if you could? If you knew your blood could be a gift to him, would increase his happiness, wouldn't you give it? Giving without asking in return is the ultimate proof of your love."
Aodh's chest tightened and he looked away for a moment, staring at the nearby fountain burbling up from the center of the lush gardens they lay in. He reached beneath the water with his mind through the portal into the Haven that lay on the bed of the river, seeking out the bond he had with Neph as unobtrusively as he could.
He found his lover's consciousness and hovered just on the outside, not wanting to intrude, but Neph seemed to sense him there and shifted his focus from whatever Haven—related task he was performing. A deep, welcoming warmth enveloped Aodh's being at that small bit of acknowledgment. No words were shared, but Neph's love was clear before he got back to business.
"I would give him my very soul if I thought we could get away with it," Aodh said.
"Then share your blood with me. You won't regret it."
