“And you'd have me do what? Bring them all to me and make love to them to seal their loyalty?” I slid an angry look her way. “You want me to whore myself to my commanders?”
“No, of course not,” she chided. “But I would have you spend this night with them. Not as their lover but as their goddess. As the epitome of female beauty; their symbol of lust and love. The Dragon Army will celebrate on their own; they need to see you as unattainable. But your commanders must know that they're important to you. Call them to you now, Vervain. This is their first night on Earth. Like any newborn, they'll imprint on the person who makes them feel safe and loved. I will take care of the lust you inspire, and you will watch over them as they satisfy those needs.”
“You want me to watch while they have sex with you?” I asked in horror.
Star laughed, a tinkling sound. “No, Vervain. I'm not fucking them either. I will create phantom women for them to slake their desire on. And you, their goddess, will lie on your bed among them and watch over them. You will be there for them while they claim their masculinity in this new life. You will guide them through the process of casting aside their virginity.” She leaned in to whisper, “Trust me; this will connect them to you in an unbreakable bond.”
The words shivered through me and a dark haze seemed to coat my vision for a second. A shadow over the Moon. No; over a star. I should have panicked. I should have fought her influence. The part of me that was still Vervain knew that I was sinking deeper into a dark place. Or maybe I was rising. It didn't seem dark once I found my equilibrium. Once I was floating in the amethyst mist. It seemed safe and real and right. As Star had said; they were mine. I made them and it was my responsibility to care for them.
“Star Gods,” I whispered to the wind, “attend me now.”
I felt the command hit them and their attention shift to me instantly. Star was right; they'd been floundering down there on their own. Standing before the Dragons, watching them satisfy their lusts while being denied their own release. They withstood it for me and the thought excited me, as did the knowledge that they were all rushing to my side. Sin would be on his own, but he's a grown man, and he'd be fine. This night belonged to my new gods and me. I wouldn't let Sin have it.
The Star Gods stepped into my bedroom and stood in a line to face me. The only piece of furniture in the circular room was a massive, round bed in the exact center of the space, directly below the golden dome that capped the keep. Eight silver posters stood guard around the bed, surging up from a round dais of polished, midnight stone. Long swaths of glittering, black silk swooped down from the peak of the dome above and draped over the silver columns to stream down the dais steps. In the center of these dramatic drapes, the round mattress lounged beneath piles of pillows and amethyst silk.
I stepped slowly over the black marble floor, the veins of silver within it shimmering in the darkening dusk. As night fell, light softly filled the room, filtering down from a ring at the base of the dome above. My clothing disappeared as I walked, that soft light soon shining over my bare skin, and the men went tense. They moved toward me, drawn by my will and the power of their desire, and when I climbed onto the mattress, they followed me.
“Stop,” I said softly as I reclined on the pillows.
They went still; predators on their knees, stares locked on my body, their intended prey.
“I am not for you. I bare myself only to make you feel more comfortable.”
“Comfortable?” Viper asked with narrowed eyes.
“I will not make love to any of you unless there is love between us, and you are too new to this world and to me to feel that yet. But I will not leave you wanting either. This night is about celebrating life after all, and sex is a glorious part of life. As your goddess, I will guide you through the pleasures of the flesh and ensure that your first sexual encounter in this world will be wondrous.”
I nodded to Star, who stood along the wall, unseen by the men. Eight women appeared, standing before the eight posters on the dais, naked and eager. They all wore my likeness but with different coloring. One had darker skin and one lighter. One had green eyes and one blue. The differences were there but they weren't as noticeable as the similarities.
We must keep them focused on you, after all, Star said into my mind.
“In this way, you may have me.” I waved my hand at the women. “In this way, I shall guide you into passion.”
The Star Gods tore their clothing away and fell upon the phantom ladies lustily. I smiled and laid back on the pillows to enjoy the view.
The Horned Beast lived up to his name and bent his woman over the curved edge of my bed before slamming into her from behind. Clawed hands on her hips, he immediately launched into a rapid thrusting, the sound of his pelvis hitting her ass echoing into the sexual symphony rising around me. Panting, teeth bared, and shoulders bulging with tightened muscles, Beast was a thing of savage beauty.
The Ravening Dog was less bestial but no less primal. Trimmer than Beast but not exactly sleek, his tan skin glistened over a wealth of muscles, all out on display as he stood before his kneeling woman, and she pleasured him with her mouth. He met my
