To Touch A Dragon (Venys Needs Men) Read online

  To Touch a Dragon

  Venys Needs Men

  Naomi Lucas

  Contents

  Blurb

  Venys - Land of the Comet Map

  1. Goodbye, Leith

  2. Mating Call

  3. Dragon Rumors

  4. The Hunt Begins

  5. Kaos Awakens

  6. A Fatal Touch

  7. Kaos Mate Bonds

  8. The Dragon Turns

  9. Femdragon

  10. The First Evening Bonded

  11. Kaos Suffers

  12. Pressure Builds

  13. The Forbidden Jungle

  14. Kaos Burns

  15. Seeded

  16. The Second Night

  17. Kaos’s Obsession

  18. Run!

  19. Another Alpha Rises

  20. Storm Kiss

  21. Home

  22. Kaos Rules

  Epilogue: The Beginning

  Author’s Note

  To Mate a Dragon

  Venys Needs Men Collaboration

  Also by Naomi Lucas

  Copyright © 2020 of Naomi Lucas

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without permission in writing from the author.

  Any references to names, places, locales, and events are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, places, or events is purely coincidental.

  Edited by Mandy B., and LY

  Created with Vellum

  To Tiffany Roberts, Amanda Milo, and Poppy Rhys. I adore you guys so much. I love working with you. I hope there are many more collabs in our future together!

  Blurb

  The tribes have wilted. The last of the menfolk have grown old. The human race has been dying since the red comet first soared through the skies above.

  As the youngest hunter, and the only one left within childbearing age, I’m doomed to be the last matriarch of my people. Which would be a great honor, if there were a male to be mine from another tribe. But none have been born, none but my younger brother. It’s been my life duty to protect him.

  When the time comes to escort my brother to a neighboring tribe, my friend tells me a rumor of a huntress finding a dragon in the northern plains. And when that huntress touched the dragon’s hide, the beast transformed into a virile, possessively bonded male.

  With a thundering heart and nothing left to lose, I venture into the forbidden jungle to find such a dragon. To touch him, to take his seed, to bear his burden.

  But the dragon I find is nothing at all like I imagined…

  1

  Goodbye, Leith

  I press my hands to my brother’s shoulders and squeeze. “You are brave,” I tell him.

  His wincing gaze lowers from the bright red comet in the sky above. I try and hide the anxious frown that lurks behind my lips. It wouldn’t be good for my brother to see me reflect his feelings back at him.

  “But Issa, I’m not. A brave man doesn’t fear leaving his home.” The waves crash against the rocks below us. They bring with them the smell of the gulf, the salt, and the washed-up seaweed. They also bring the power of the water.

  That’s why I brought my baby brother here, to breathe in some of the ocean’s power. He’s sixteen years old today, the age he is to leave us. The same time the red comet has come back to remind us of its curse.

  “You are,” my voice is hard, grave. A lie to keep my sadness from showing. “You were born with the sun smiling upon you, and you made the sky proud. You’ve made us all proud. Breathe in the air, Leith, survey the landscape. Remember, so when you visit us, you have a place to go to that reminds you of this moment.”

  “Yes, Issa.” He stands up a little straighter. “I will visit often,” he says with boyish conviction. “You will be a great monarch someday.”

  “As will you,” I say.

  “I will make sure Sand’s Hunters take care of you and Shell Rock when I take over.”

  His sentiments bring a smile to my lips. “Perhaps you can convince one of the other tribes to deliver me a man before I grow old and croney and terribly forgetful.” I make a face when Leith glances up at me.

  “I will convince them to send you all of the men!”

  We both laugh, but it doesn’t last long.

  A short time later, I lead him down from the rocks and to the beach where the others wait to see us off. They gather outside our coastal village where our raft awaits, filling it with supplies for the journey ahead, gifts to Sand’s Hunters.

  In the clear waters that await us are mermaids. They perch and lounge around our raft, their long, glittering tails swaying in the water behind them.

  Our father, Esteus, is among the group on land, wizen and bent, bearing the burden of our tribe coming to an end. My mouth tightens as we near. It’ll be my burden soon.

  In the past, the start of a pilgrimage for a man was one of great celebration, with music, dance, and gifts given to start him on his journey. But not this time. Leith is our youngest, our prized child. He’s my baby brother, and I was given the task—the honor—of protecting him with my life so that he may one day grow up and have children of his own.

  His life is worth more than all of our lives put together.

  Leith is the last male to be born in our generation to the coastal tribes. Today, he’s to be delivered to Sand’s Hunters—down the Mermaid Gulf—so he may give that tribe a new generation and keep the bloodlines pure.

  To maybe, hopefully, have male offspring of his own that could be traded to other dying tribes. To keep our extinction at bay… at least for a little longer.

  My hands clench, nails biting into my palms. The small mass of faces before me lie with happiness. No one’s actually happy. No one wants to see my brother go. Leith brought so much life and laughter to us all. He was our youngest, our most beloved.

  Inhaling, I make my way to the others, Leith at my side.

  The mermaids smile and wave when they see us. I grab my brother’s hand and pull him along when his feet begin to drag. Yelia, our aunt, places the final basket of fruits into our raft while our father stands stiffly beside it, holding one of our oars.

  Tulia, my half-sister, opens her arms, and Leith tugs his hand free from mine, dashing to her embrace. She would be our future monarch if she hadn’t fallen from the rocks when she was three, shattering her leg. It causes her great pain, pain I wish I could take away. Tulia can’t stray far from the village, and because of that, the job has been passed down to me.

  I have three more half-sisters. All older than me by a dozen years, all fathered by Esteus and his first wife, who died before I was born.

  Leith’s and my mother, Ismene, is also dead. She passed during childbirth, taking with her my sister. Esteus refused to take another bride after that.

  Much to the dismay of the other older women who wanted a man.

  There are two more men in our tribe, both even older than Esteus. Pernis, my grandfather, and Oled, the monarch before Esteus took his place. Oled fathered three sons, all given to other tribes, while Pernis fathered only daughters, including my mother Ismene. Pernis and Oled both pilgrimed to us at Shell Rock many, many years ago.

  Oled’s from the Sand’s Hunters tribe, where Leith and I are setting off to today.

  We all hope Leith blesses the Sand’s Hunters with three sons as Oled blessed us several generations ago.

  But those sons, if they come to pass, will be given to the other tribes. Clean bloodlines are paramount. We’ve all heard what happens when a tribe grows greedy. The stories of those horrors fill my head to this day.

  The mermaids vow to take aw
ay their blessings, if ever an event should unfold again.

  I watch as Leith goes to each of the villagers and hugs them tightly. They give him blessings of their own and gifts to start him on his journey. Necklaces of shells, abalone bags, scarves of colorful bird feathers, and animal hides to give his wife. A few tell bawdy jokes about how to please a female, while others gift ointments of virility for him to use.

  Swallowing thickly, I can’t help the gripping sorrow in my chest. Hiding my emotions has been difficult, but like always, Tulia notices and limps to my side, well away from the others.

  “The women of Sand’s Hunters will be celebrating for weeks, seasons even,” she says.

  I keep my voice low. “I wish we could celebrate too.”

  “You want a man for yourself.” It’s not a question. I’ve always wanted a male. She knows that more than anyone. Except maybe Aida…

  But Tulia knows my truth. She knows more about me than anyone else. Tulia will be the youngest in our tribe, once Leith and I leave. But she didn’t want a man, having taken a female lover near eight years past. Nell loves my half-sister as Tulia loves her. Even if Tulia was offered a man with her broken leg, she never would. Never.

  Hiding back a wince, her words hurt. More than anything I want a man. I yearn for one. “I’m frightened,” I whisper.

  Leith goes to stand before our father, and our father gifts him the oar to the raft.

  Tulia takes my clammy hand. “You are not alone.”

  I squeeze her hand, much like how I squeezed Leith’s earlier, and nod, letting go. I check my bow and arrows, my knife hooked at my side, and the fishing nets draping down my left arm before approaching the raft.

  My father gives me a solemn look as he leans down to kiss my cheek, whispering, “Deliver Leith safely. He may one day be our salvation, Issa.”

  He didn’t have to say it. I already knew. I’ve heard it every day since Leith’s birth. But I take his words to heart, like I always do, and kiss his cheek back.

  He peers up at the comet over us and I follow his gaze. “Be careful. Extra so, daughter,” he warns.

  A shiver jolts through me. “I’ll protect him with my life.”

  He pats my shoulder as I turn away. I push the raft into the water, and Leith jumps in.

  And we’re off.

  2

  Mating Call

  The water crashes and churns and swirls as we travel north. The mermaids follow and guide us through the rocks past the isles around Shell Rock. They take us through the tumultuous waters.

  It takes the better part of the day because the waves are against us, and breaks along the isles are a must, not only for Leith and I but for the three merfolk helping us along. Yda, Jye, and Elae. All female, as none of the mermen join us. They stay within the deep waters when the red comet is in the sky. The mermaids mock them.

  The mermen think they can hide from the comet’s power. They laugh.

  Long ago, when the comet first appeared—before my time—was when the balance of nature shifted. All we have to remember that now are stories passed down, like the stories of bad bloodlines. We all know them. At least we all know a version of them. Each tribe has a slightly different truth.

  Nature shifted, and that’s all that matters. A crazed, uncomfortable shift fueled by magic or by some other unseen force. Even now, when the comet returns, the elders say a wildness stirs the world. We may be blind to the magic, but it’s all around us. It shakes things up, and almost never in a good way.

  We pass the last of the rocks, and I take up both oars, pushing us into open waters once again. Leith falls back against baskets with a groan, huffing lengthy breaths. His chest is on display for the sun above and one of the mermaids flicks water at him with a giggle. They like seeing his lean muscles on display. Mermaids love flirting.

  My heart reverberates in my ears and my breaths are short as well, but one of us has to row, and I am my brother’s keeper. Unlike him, though, I have gone beyond the rocks numerous times before hunting for large fish. Alone.

  Jye and her bright yellow tail, long, red hair, threaded with white shells, and disturbingly deep black eyes goes behind the raft and pushes it. She sticks her tongue out at me, forcing a smile to my lips.

  A rhythm forms and my breaths ease next. Leith turns to Elae as she hangs off the side, petting his arm. He teasingly flicks one of her exposed peaked nipples, and she laughs, flapping her tail. I look away as they begin to whisper to one another.

  The merfolk, like every species on Venys, are just as cursed as we humans. When the red comet first came, one thing was assured in the years after its arrival: male birth rates dropped tremendously. For everyone. The difference is, though, like many magical creatures, the merfolk live exceptionally long lives and take many partners. Extinction isn’t on their minds, not at the moment at least.

  But mermaids adore our men, and our men adore them.

  I continue paddling for a time with Jye at my back. We’re parallel to the coast as we pass the mouth of the jungle river.

  Verdant trees rise in the distance, like a lush blanket of fuzzy moss. Some trees are high, some low, some pale green, while others a bright yellow like Jye’s tail. They all mesh together from a distance. The jungle is dense with life.

  Before the expansive river mouth lies an estuary where the Mermaid Gulf’s glorious blue water turns brackish, and past the estuary, where the river begins—and what those brightly colored trees represent—is the Forbidden Jungle. Beaches line the coast of the estuary and all along the Mermaid Gulf.

  My home, Shell Rock, is apart from the main jungle, sheltered in a lagoon of sorts. Although the jungle’s borders are near, steep cliffs separate us from the jungle. We are also protected from waves coming in by the many isles and large rocks that rise from the Gulf.

  Shell Rock is shielded from the waves of angry ocean storms and from the worst of the behemoth creatures of the jungle.

  Now and again, a giant crocodile makes its way to us, but one has never gotten through our protective nets.

  I finger the band of croc teeth resting around my neck. My gaze trails back to the mouth of the jungle river. To enter such a place… it is only for the most skilled, the strongest. Venturing there has always been a dream of courage for me. My fingers leave my necklace to grip the hard oar again. Today, I can’t risk journeying in. My lips part. Leith needs my protection.

  Yet I daydream of spearing a great ape and bringing its pelt back to my people. I’m the best hunter we have now that my father is old, but I’ve never been given the chance to prove it.

  My gaze drags back to my brother, who’s now languishing on his side, his fingers playing with Elae’s wet hair while the mermaid dapples his jaw with kisses.

  Leith needs my protection, I think sourly.

  Yda is doing the backstroke in the water beside them.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be watching for crocs, serpents, and razorsharks?” I huff.

  Yda sticks her tongue out at me and flips back around to dive under the raft. A scratchy, odd noise beneath my butt fills my ears, and I squint. She’s dragging her nails under the boat to unsettle me. Jye and Elae giggle. These mermaids and their games.

  The high sun comes and goes. As the day lengthens, the red comet barely moves across the sky. Sweat leaks out from every one of my pores, mixing with the salt of the ocean water. My hair clings to the back of my neck where my braids fall against it.

  The jungle river mouth vanished long ago, and now we follow the coastline, searching for the smoke-signals on the far horizon. Sand’s Hunters will lead us to them.

  One from a distant tribe might ask why we don’t walk the coast, but they might not know of the numerous hungry creatures that dwell along it.

  A high-pitched, jarring screech assails the air.

  The oars drop from my hands and the raft drifts to a stop. Birds take to the sky in cawing droves, flapping with fear high into the wispy clouds above. The jungle trees shake from their mass a
scension. On the shore, reptiles scurry into the water.

  Leith sits up. Elae’s attentions have stopped. “What was that?”

  I reach over the side to quickly save the oars I dropped. “I don’t know.”

  We wait for the screech to come again, but it doesn’t.

  Yda pokes my arm. “We should go. It’s not safe to stay here.”

  “Do you know what it is?” I ask.

  It’s Jye who speaks. “Something that scares all the birds into the sky and the reptiles into the water. It’s a sound I haven’t heard since the last passing of the comet.” Her voice is grave, alarming.

  We all turn to face her.

  “It’s a mating call,” she tells us.

  “Like when swing monkeys howl out in heat?” Leith asks.

  Jye nods. “Yes, but for a powerful creature that rarely stirs. Like Yda said, we should keep moving. It’s not safe out in the open anymore.”

  A shiver courses down my back.

  Leith takes up the other oar. Yda and Elae move to relieve Jye at the back of the raft.

  The haunting mating screech lingers in my bones.

  We’ve been warned.

  3

  Dragon Rumors

  We row through dusk, searching the darkening coast constantly. We’re all beyond tired. My muscles twitch and shake, an ache took root behind my eyes hours ago, and my palms… I wince thinking about them. Even with years of built-up calluses, they’re raw. Every few minutes, I lift them up and blow on them.