To Mate A Dragon (Venys Needs Men) Read online

  To Mate a Dragon

  Venys Needs Men

  Naomi Lucas

  Contents

  Blurb

  Venys - Land of the Comet Map

  1. The Coming Storm

  2. The Downpour and the Dragon

  3. Zaeyr Surfaces

  4. Facing an Alpha Dragon

  5. Zaeyr Loses All

  6. Aida Drags Home a Dragon

  7. Dragon Desires

  8. Zaeyr in Heat

  9. The Elders

  10. Sleeping with Dragons

  11. Mating a Human

  12. Delina and Zaeyr

  13. Red Comet Rays

  14. The Chase

  15. Submission

  16. The Journey Home

  17. Accusations

  18. Mine

  19. The Final Night

  20. Loving a Dragon

  21. A Future Full of Dragons

  22. Mating Ritual

  Epilogue: Aida’s Paradise

  Author’s Note

  To Touch 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 Mandi B., and LY

  Created with Vellum

  To Tiffany Roberts, Amanda Milo, and Poppy Rhys. Because you guys are the best!

  Blurb

  The human race is dying under the red comet soaring through the skies above...and with it, the sounds of dragons are in the air.

  My name is Aida, and I was destined to lead the Sand’s Hunter tribe into a new generation—promised to mate with one of the last born males along the Mermaid Coast. But before Leith was delivered to my tribe, my younger sister came of age and the elders chose her to be his mate instead.

  Then a messenger came from the north with rumors of dragons turning into virile males from a single, human touch. Fresh hope blossoms within me as I plan to reclaim my rightful place as future matriarch to my people, and with that hope, I ready my supplies to hunt down one of these dragons to make my own. To touch him, to claim him, to take his seed and honor my people with a new generation.

  But a storm is on the horizon.

  And with that storm, soars an alpha dragon in heat. He’s heading straight for me.

  He sees me.

  All my plans crumble under his dark draconian stare.

  1

  The Coming Storm

  Laughter fills my ears.

  So much laughter. I long to join in but my sorrow weighs heavy on my heart. Everyone in my tribe is joyful but me, and they know it. They ignore my hurt because it’s easier, and not wanting to be a burden, I try and ignore it too.

  A breeze hits my skin, and a streak of red shines down upon me as the clouds move overhead. I glimpse the comet.

  Many weeks ago, the red comet appeared in the sky above, lighting the land with a faint sanguine glow. A hush had fallen across the tribe as we gazed up at it, knowing its meaning.

  Change. Wild, unpredictable change. That’s what the comet means.

  When it first appeared, long, long ago, even before my ancestors traveled to the Mermaid Gulf and settled down, joining with an established tribe already settled here, was the day the world twisted. Or so the stories go…

  Our people didn’t realize what it would do to us until many years later. But generation after generation, our peoples’ ability to produce males diminishes evermore. Each generation is worse than the last.

  This curse didn’t only strike us, but the other creatures living across Venys. Many only produce female offspring as well. We know because our cattle are predominantly female and the merfolk say they have felt it too; though because they live long lives, many of their males are still around.

  Now, the red comet comes every couple of generations to plague us anew. What will it mean for us this time?

  Are things going to get worse? I sigh.

  I check the ties of my net instead, testing them with my fingers. The net is not as large as I would like it to be—not for the journey I have planned—but it’s the best one I have.

  One thing is certain, I note, biting down on my tongue, pulling at the net. A change is in the air.

  A week ago a messenger came down from the north, telling tales of a huntress finding a dragon. A dragon! A rare beast of old that my elders say they haven’t seen since they left the wastes.

  And sacrificing herself, the huntress went out to lure the dragon away from her tribe’s hunting grounds. But when she went up to it—while it was slumbering—she touched the dragon’s hide, and when she did, a fateful change happened. The dragon turned into a powerful, strong, human male.

  I didn’t believe it. No one in the tribe did… until the messenger said she was looking to invoke a mating pact with a tribe along the coast, for the child coming from the union of the huntress and dragon.

  A rare male child, or so this dragon male proclaimed to the tribe he now lives with. Such a mating pact is a rare and special event—one that ties tribes together for generations to come.

  It is not done lightly. It was then I believed.

  After the messenger left, shrieking calls assaulted the land and the sky. The wails of a giant beast somewhere off in the jungle wilds bordering my home. Calls that my people have not heard since before my birth.

  The calls of a dragon seeking a mate.

  Perhaps… Maybe, maybe these dragons are the salvation for my people.

  Which is why I’m preparing this net, planning to catch one for myself.

  I have to try. If not to prove my worth to my people, to at least see for myself if this hope inside me is real. I will never forgive myself if it is, and I did nothing…

  Giggles prick my ears. Looking up, I see Delina nearby in Leith’s arms. He’s kissing her neck.

  A thorn of pain pierces my heart. Leith was to be my promised mate, the last male born in years on this side of the gulf. The brother of my best friend, Issa. She journeyed here not two days ago with Leith, delivering him for his mating ceremony with Delina.

  My sister catches my eye.

  Returning her smile takes a lot of effort, but I’m able to do it. But my lips crack under the pressure.

  “Aida! Come and join us. We’re heading to the nearby springs,” Delina says, her tone heightened with pleasure. “This weather is making me sweat.”

  I stop rolling the net over my arm, pushing my worries deep inside.

  Delina’s curves, her long, dark hair, and her shadowed eyes of kohl are slanted with mirth. She still wears the precious gold shells from her mating dress. Leith is behind her, holding a basket of fruits, small pots, and folded cloths for drying. But it’s my little sister my eyes linger on.

  I’d wear them still too if I were in her place. It’s an honor to wear the rare gold shells. She’s beautiful in them.

  “I can’t.” For so many reasons. I lift my arm with the net. “We need more fish for tonight’s feast in honor of your mating,” I say. “For the energy you and Leith will need in the coming weeks,” I add thickly. It’s not exactly the truth, but it’s not a lie either.

  Delina pouts. “Who will be our lookout if Leith and I rut?”

  My nostrils flare, and Delina’s mouth tightens, noticing. She knows I was to be Leith’s mate, not her, but she pretends she doesn’t—that she’s forgotten my years of training, the
honors and responsibilities the elders bestowed upon me.

  When I don’t give in, she sighs. “Fine. You’re no fun. Leith will protect us anyway. Right, Leith?” she asks, turning to him.

  He grins and shakes his shoulders, making the spear strapped to his back wiggle. “Of course. I have the biggest spear of all, and my aim is always true… and relentless,” he answers lasciviously, eyeing my sister’s skirt, where her thighs meet beneath.

  Delina laughs, shoves him, and takes the basket from his arms.

  Leith brandishes a bone knife before them and grips it in his mouth, pulling his spear out next—the weapon, thankfully—and jabs it several times in the air as if he’s stabbing a jungle ape. More laughter follows, some of it from our tribemates nearby.

  When Delina and Leith head off, bawdy jokes follow.

  Watching them leave, the stiffness in my shoulders eases. I’m happy for my sister, but I can’t help the sorrow within me. What’s wrong with me?

  Placing one hand on the net now rolled on my arm, one thought fills my head. I’m the strongest, youngest huntress in my tribe. I’ve protected my people and our lands for years, showing my worth, exceeding the elder’s expectations. I straighten.

  They may have taken Leith from me, robbed me of the future I dreamed of since childhood, but I will prove to them it doesn’t matter.

  I’ll find a dragon, hunt him down, touch his hide… I’ll seek my own mate to save my people from extinction.

  It’s what I’ve been born to do, what I’ve trained for.

  Excitement fills me.

  I’ll find a mate worthy of me, of my people. My lips dare to lift into a smile.

  I pivot back to the job at hand—preparing for the hunt—when I find my mother standing behind me, her face sharp with disappointment. My smile dies.

  “You should’ve gone with them.”

  “I have chores to complete.” I try to move past her before all my excitement fades. Before she can say more.

  She grabs my arm, wringing me to face her. “And if they are hurt? Who will be to blame?”

  “The tribe,” I hiss. “Anyone can guard them. Why does it have to be me?”

  “Aida! You are kindred! Leith is your brother now, and he brings power to our family, our bloodline. We are and always should be the first line of defense between Delina and Leith and the rest of the world. It is our duty. The tribe cares for us while we take on that responsibility!”

  I jerk my arm out of my mother’s grip. “It is not the responsibility I’ve trained for.”

  I know how I sound, I know… but I can’t help it. I can’t take on this responsibility yet. How much more do I have to prove?

  “You are selfish, daughter. You are one of the strongest left among us. You should be honored with this new path.”

  Flinching, I take a step back. And there it is, the reason I can barely make myself laugh or smile. It’s not because Leith is no longer mine—I don’t even find him all that attractive—but the discarded sensation I get every time Delina or my duties—my honor—is brought up.

  “I should be honored, shouldn’t I?” I say. “But you make it hard for me to feel anything but rejection.” She opens her mouth to argue but I cut her off. “I have given my whole life for my people. I have done everything you demanded—I have become strong and capable, foregoing childhood fantasy because the elders deemed me a match for the last male born along the Mermaid Coast. And now, Delina does nothing but come of age, and she is given something I have worked so tirelessly for. With no explanation but ‘she appears more fertile, has childbearing hips.’ I should be honored, but I cannot make it happen.”

  “Aida…” Mother’s face falls, and that hurts me worse than her disappointment.

  “Don’t, please.” I pivot to walk away, unable to bear her any longer. “Give me more time. I need time,” I say hurriedly, heading for the lift down from the rocks to the beach.

  “Aida!” she calls after me, making me wish there was an easier way to escape. “I know you are prepping supplies.”

  I stop at the lift’s lever and wrench my eyes closed.

  “I know your head is filled with fancies of dragons,” she says, cutting into my excitement. She walks up behind me, her hand taking mine from behind and squeezing it. “I know you’re preparing to go out and find one for yourself. Face me, daughter,” she urges.

  Turning back around slowly, I do as she says, all while knowing what is about to come.

  She lets go of my hand and cups my cheeks. Her voice lowers. My heart cracks. “I know we have hurt you, have dishonored you. I know having Leith taken away to be given to your sister is not an easy thing to accept, not when you’ve been told your whole life that he and you were destined.”

  Unable to look away, I drop my eyes.

  “I wish the elders could have spared you. I wish Delina had an ounce of empathy to show you, but don’t you see? Can’t you see why we decided to make Delina Leith’s mate instead of you?”

  “You think she’s more fertile,” I whisper harshly, feeling a little jolt of anger rise within me.

  “No, Aida,” my mother says, leaning in close to whisper in my ear. “You’re worth more to the tribe with all your strength, with your courage and tenacity. Delina… well, Delina can barely lift a spear or create an ointment for pain.” She lets out a little laugh. “Let her be weighed down in pregnancy for all the years to come, not you, my dear daughter. As I, your cousins, and the other dying families grow older, we will need your strength to survive. We will need you as you are.”

  She’s trying to make me feel better, but instead, her words only make things worse. Mother was a great huntress and guardian, even while she was pregnant with me and my sister, and Delina is more capable then she’s saying.

  I know Delina’s worth. As my sister, she is worth my life.

  Yes, Delina lacks empathy, but she’s strong-willed, and an incredible cook. Her fingers are dexterous and she stitches the most beautiful shell jewelry and hide coverings. I love my sister and mother—even when she tries to cow me—as I love the tribe.

  But this… I don’t need this, whatever this is.

  Mother is focused on the tribe as a whole, and not the whims and wants of a single member, not even if that member is her own daughter. I can’t blame her.

  It’s people like her that keep us alive.

  “Yes, Mother,” I say, all I can say.

  She smiles. “Good. Now, stop this nonsense and be the Aida I raised. The Aida your sister and Leith need, the tribe needs.” She lets go of my cheeks. “I’ll send Milaye to guard your sister and Leith while they bathe, but next time, I’m sure you will make the right choice.”

  I watch Mother walk away, back toward the central bonfire where some of the other older women sit around cooking.

  The clouds shift overhead, streaming red down upon the village in waves, shadowing sections in red and brightening the rest with sunlight as they move over the comet and sun above at different times. I catch the gazes of some of the tribeswomen, and they glance away at once. But I don’t feel shame knowing they heard everything my mother said.

  No, there is only numbness in me right now. Numbness that allows me to think.

  Instead, I look back up at the sky, out towards the ocean to my right and over the cliffs of my home. I notice darkness begins taking over the sky.

  The clouds are not friendly puffs but one long miasma that shadows the usually twinkling blue ocean into a somber grey. It’s hazy in the distance, making the sky and ocean become one. It’s rain, lots and lots of rain.

  I frown.

  I hope Issa made it home to Shell Rock. I think of my friend who promptly left after delivering her brother here to return home. Thunder hits my ears.

  And with it, an ear-splitting roar.

  My muscles tense, and my palms slicken with sweat as a shiver streaks through me. Birds ascend into the sky, fleeing. Another scream assaults the air, one after another.

  They’re c
loser.

  So close, the screams vibrate my bones, my soul.

  Glancing at my mother, she’s looking straight at me, her expression worried.

  “Storm!” someone yells. The rest of the women get to their feet in a flash.

  A drop of rain hits my cheek. Without another thought, I rush after Delina and Leith.

  2

  The Downpour and the Dragon

  Drenched in rain, I race over the rickety wooden bridge that connects the cliff of Sand’s Hunters home to the jungle. From there, I stumble down the slopes to the west that lead to the springs.

  Within minutes of that first raindrop, the tribe fell into chaos. The clear skies of the morning vanished under clouds that gusted over our home, bringing with them an angry and wild surge of wind.

  Following the path, I see the small waterfall up ahead that pools into the basin in the rocks, water that will eventually lead into the gulf. But it’s the deep cave beneath the pool that makes it a spring, and the water fresh and unsalted. A private, beautiful place hidden by large rocks and tall trees with sweeping leaves.

  Branches shake and lower with the rain as Delina and Leith come into sight. Naked, under the falls.

  Delina is against the rocky wall as Leith thrusts into her. My mouth drops.

  I come to a stop next to Milaye, the tribeswoman guarding them.

  “We need to go!” Milaye screams from the shore, but neither Delina or Leith hear her. Milaye flinches when she sees me. “They can’t hear me from under the falls,” she huffs.