TO GROW A BOND

After Lucianna had put her clothes back on, Riosae ushered her newest pupils into the temple. When the rest of the crew tried to follow, she stopped them.

"Krol and Rivra are welcome, but I'm afraid anyone who isn't a current or former pupil must stay out. Those are my rules."

Albany folded her hands together, her gaze falling to the ground.

"Will they be able to come out for food? I have many recipes I'd like to cook for them."

"I suppose that would be fine. But you'll have to feed me, as well."

Tereine crossed her arms. "That hardly seems fair."

"Such is life! My castle, my rules! Now then, let's be off."

Lucianna patted Albany on the shoulder. "Hey, you two, look after Faith for me. Message me on the radio if something happens."

Albany and Tereine saluted her.

Rivra and Krol joined Milo and Lucianna as they passed through the gigantic stone archway. The wooden gate closed behind them, and Riosae led them through a courtyard. Neatly trimmed hedges lined either side of a paved walkway. Fairies floated and flitted around, tending to rows of flower gardens. Each fairy they passed stopped to bow and greet their Mistress.

Milo looked at all the creatures with awe. Several of them whirled around his head, giggling at him, asking if he would like to play and calling him cute.

Riosae waved her hand.

"Please excuse the girls. They can be ornery."

"O-oh, I don't mind. But…I thought dragons were subservient to fairies? That's what some myths on Earth say."

"Well, knowing you humans, it was probably some mistranslation. Fairies and dragons depend on each other. I provide them shelter, food, and protection, and they tend to the gardens and grow fruits and vegetables. Purely symbiotic."

The fairies buzzed around Krol and Rivra excitedly, welcoming them back after so long. Many of them poked and prodded Rivra, wondering why she hid her beautiful eyes behind a blindfold. Milo could tell the nagging bothered Rivra, but she wore a polite smile and said the blindfold was a new training method. The fairies seemed to buy that answer for now.

"Leave them alone, girls. Come on, this way to your rooms."

Riosae led them through a castle ripped straight from Arthurian legend: twisting corridors of stone lined with portraits of people Milo assumed to be long dead, up a spiral staircase with large, stained glass windows punctuating their slow ascent. Each window depicted scenes from when magic left Earth many years ago. Dragons, orcs, unicorns, fairies…all the races humans told stories about, but none remained.

"So they all went to space?"

Riosae nodded.

"When the greed of humanity grew too much for us monsters to bear, we decided it would be best for all of our kind if we looked to the stars for a new home. Of course, powerful magic helped most of us move. Other races developed and evolved. Some of us remain closer to our ancestors."

They reached the second floor, a long hallway with doors lining each side. Milo counted at least thirteen doors in total.

(So many rooms! And she lives here practically by herself…)

Riosae motioned to a couple of rooms.

"Here are your rooms, Krol, Rivra. And this room will be yours."

Lucianna tilted her head. "Wait. You want us to share a room?"

"Hmmm? Is that a problem?"

"I mean, I guess not. It's just…"

Riosae clicked her tongue, wagging a finger at Lucianna.

"You two share a very intimate power. I can tell by the way you were looking at each other during the test…There's a barrier holding you two back from a great potential. So we knock that barrier down."

Rivra rubbed her arms.

"Is having them share the same room really the way to go about it?"

"While I may not know the true nature of their ability yet, I can already tell there's something keeping these two from embracing each other. In more ways than one. To become a cohesive unit, whether it's on the battlefield or in the bedroom, you must sacrifice a level of privacy and bare yourself to your partner."

Milo's chest tightened.

(In the same room, with Lucianna?)

He remembered the night she cuddled with him in his bed. Maybe Lucianna didn't remember, but the memory imposed on him several times a day.

(Surely Lucianna will object…)

"Are we sharing a bed?" Lucianna said.

"Of course. It's a king-size, so both of you should easily fit. But…don't get any ideas. I have a sixth sense for all things filthy."

Krol chuckled. "That you do, Mistress!"

Lucianna smiled to herself.

But to Milo, her smile alluded to something more devilish.

(Why do I have a bad feeling about this?)

***

As Riosae promised, they returned to the Herald to eat dinner. Albany had prepared quite the spread, even larger than the feast she had prepared for Krol's arrival. Three kinds of roasted bird, with at least five casseroles and three puddings for dessert. Tonight she brandished a spirit from Coalwatch, a sweet liquor that to Milo's palette reminded him of salted caramel. After just two glasses, his face burned red hot and his limbs felt liquid.

Despite her initial perverted impression, Riosae turned out to be quite the captivating storyteller, regaling them with tales of fending off invaders. She had battled many a Federation soldier seeking to add her pink planet into their little club.

"But no matter how many times I beat them, they always send more! And that's what I thought you were at first. They hadn't sent an 'ambassador' in a while and so I was expecting one. I'm glad you convinced them to land the ship, though. I would've melted the hull into slag if you hadn't landed."

Krol combed a hand through his beard.

"I just remembered how much you hated people showing up unannounced. But I'm glad you gave these two a chance! From what I've seen, they'll be amazing! Maybe even better than Rivra and me!"

Lucianna held her nose high, and Milo ducked his head.

Riosae took a long drag of her liquor and sighed.

"Well, we'll see about that. Your first day of training starts tomorrow morning. I won't spoil the surprise for you, but there'll be another test. Not quite like the one today, but something to help me better understand your ability and its current limits."

Lucianna, her cheeks flushed with alcohol, leaned into Milo, her chest squishing against his neck.

"Whatever you dish out, we can take on, lady! Just bring it!"

"Ha! I will say, you certainly have your grandmother's fighting spirit! That's what I always liked about you pirates. Free-spirited. Never answering to anyone. Just like us dragons."

Her golden eyes drifted over to Milo, and her grin spread wider than her face.

"And you…you have no business being so adorable."

Milo cocked an eyebrow.

"I'm…sorry?"

"You better be. It's taking all my willpower not to launch myself over this table and destroy your face with my wet—"

"Let's see! It's time I brought out another round of drinks, eh?"

Albany stumbled to the kitchen, hiccupping as she spoke.

"I wish I'd bought five more bottles of this stuff!"

Everyone laughed, and Riosae seemed to forget Milo as Tereine and Krol grabbed her attention. Milo sighed, relieved he wasn't about to fight off a scary dragon lady. A hot, scary dragon lady. But sitting next to Lucianna, whose chin now rested on his head, her pulse pounding in his ear, he wanted to be ravished by her.

(I…can hear you…darling~)

Lucianna's breath grew hot on his neck, and she wrapped her mechanical arms around him, pushing herself until her mouth was next to his ear.

(I'll ravish you, if that's what you want~)

She moaned and nibbled on his earlobe, an electric current zapping down his body and deep into his groin. He leaned back in his chair too far, and his seat tilted backward, sending him tumbling to the floor as Lucianna giggled at him.

"Okay," Tereine said. "I think we should call it a night. Take a couple extra hydration pills so you two don't have a hangover on your first day of training."

Lucianna saluted her. "Aye, aye, Captain!"

Another round of laughter arose as Rivra and Krol helped Milo up from the floor.

***

The five of them stumbled through the castle, the little fairies guiding them through the twisting hallways. Milo was thankful these fairies were a lot more cooperative than those of myth. As drunk as he was, these fairies could have led him off a cliff and he would be none the wiser.

Milo and Lucianna shuffled into their room, a rather sizeable suite with a single king-sized bed, two nightstands, a shower, a coffee table, and a large, dioramic window that overlooked the beautiful hills of Enov.

He flopped down onto the bed, peeling off his boots. The buzz from the alcohol had faded, but some of that dizziness remained, so he took his time preparing for bed.

Lucianna plopped down behind him, her metal arms snaking over his shoulders and down his chest.

Unbeknownst to Milo, Lucianna had peeled her entire suit off, and now wore nothing except a pair of black panties. She pressed her chest into his back, her fingers tracing circles into his suit.

"Darling~ Do you want to do it~?"

"You're drunk."

"And? What does that have to do with it?"

"I'd…um…rather do it when we were both sober."

He wasn't sure if it was the exhaustion or the booze, or a mixture of both, but his calmness in this situation surprised him. He had the hottest woman he had ever met pressed against his back, asking him to copulate, and yet he refused.

(I could also be terrified…)

(Hehe, is that so?)

His eyes widened. He kept forgetting that they could talk to each other more easily now. He didn't know what had changed for them to accomplish that, but he could have done without the normally handy ability right then.

She rested her head against his, their cheeks touching.

"If that's what you want, then I'll wait until you're ready. Just know…that I want you so bad, darling~"

The ethanol on her breath mingled with her perfume and made Milo think of a boozy apple cider he had once drank back on Earth. He leaned back into her, letting her warmth radiate through him, listening to their heartbeats pound in opposition.

(We have a lot of work to do. We should rest.)

Lucianna giggled and pressed her lips to his cheeks.

He gasped and turned to look at her, but she had already turned away, burying herself underneath the covers. She bid him goodnight, and within moments, she was snoring.

Milo grinned.

(I'm jealous…to act so carefree and loving toward me…I wish I could feel exactly the same about you.)

***

Riosae kept to her word, and before dawn the next morning, she came to fetch them from their beds.

She held a torch above their heads.

"Rise and shine, lovebirds. Get dressed and make your bed. Meet me in the hallway in ten minutes."

As she walked away, Milo groaned, rubbing his head as he sat up. He reached for two of the hydration pills Albany had gifted him. Lucianna had yet to stir, her snoring loud and steady. He shook his head with a grin.

"Hey, wake up."

She grunted, shaking off his hand.

"Just five more minutes…"

He rolled his eyes and finished suiting up. Locating her clothes, he picked them up and, with a mischievous grin, set them all on top of Lucianna's head.

While her snoring paused for a moment, she rolled over and began snoring again.

(How much did you drink last night?)

He looked down at the edge of the bed, his lips parting slightly.

When she had rolled over, Lucianna had exposed her rear. Her left leg stretched out, her toes curling and uncurling, and with each stretch the muscles in her butt contracted. Milo gulped.

"Hey, what's taking so long?"

Riosae had re-entered the room. Her golden eyes landed on Lucianna's slumbering form, and her nostrils flared.

"Hmph. Sleeping off a hangover?"

Her eyes shifted to Milo, and she followed his gaze. Milo tried to avert his eyes, but already Riosae moved to where he stood. An evil smile crept across her lips. She shoved the lantern into Milo's arms and clapped her hands, rubbing them together.

"Let's see you sleep in after this…"

She reared back, cocking her right hand. A faint aura of golden energy encapsulated her hand. Her eyes glowed in the dark.

Milo's eyes widened as he processed what was happening.

"W-wait, hold on!"

But like a snake striking its prey, her hand lashed out, connecting with Lucianna's exposed cheek.

Lucianna's eyes tore open, and with a yelp she jumped halfway across the bed, rolling over until she fell off the other side, landing with a thud on the stone floor.

Milo circled around the bed and stopped.

He had forgotten Lucianna was topless, her twins swaying freely in the morning air as she rubbed her rear.

Riosae snatched the lamp from Milo and held it to Lucianna's face.

"Up and at 'em, sweetheart. We got training to do!"

Lucianna rubbed her sore rear-end, mumbling under her breath.

"You could've just woke me up…"

"Hmph. Get dressed and let's go. I want to witness your ability firsthand."

Milo handed Lucianna her clothes, and she quickly got dressed.

Lucianna looked at him, and he dropped his gaze. She tilted her head to the side.

"Why's your face so red?"

"Hurry up!"

"Ugh, she's so impatient. Oh well. Better see what grand training she has in store for us."

She grabbed Milo's hand and his mouth flopped open. He couldn't stop thinking about the sight of her chest and butt.

(Oh, you really are a perv, darling…)

A small grin played at her lips as she pulled him along, chasing after Riosae.

Milo gulped.

(Am I going to survive this training?)