I shifted positions and groaned at the achy stretch in my muscles. Damn dragon had ridden me hard, but fuck, I'd loved every second. Waking to his cocks still hard inside, stretching and rubbing the sensitive walls of my ass and pussy as he slowly rocked me like the waves of the ocean was a sinfully erotic pleasure I'd never known I craved until coming here. Norns, but he was fucking amazing. It was only surpassed by the baths he gave me afterwards.

"Shh... just rest and let the heat soothe your body, kitten. I know you like the water," Pazuzu purred in my ear as one hand cupped hot water and released it in trickles over my chest.

Floating, but still partly in his lap, he kept me from drifting away in the massive, dragon-sized hot spring pool in the lowest level of his private wing. How they had a hot spring on a floating island with no connection to the planet's magma made no sense to me, but then, I'd already seen evidence that their science surpassed even ours. It was an odd feeling, realizing Asgardian science wasn't the pinnacle of knowledge I'd believed. It made me wonder what other revelations I'd discover in my time here.

"You have been such a good girl for me, but I'm also aware you have a brilliant mind behind those gorgeous blue eyes and sex kitten body," Pazuzu murmured. "Would you like to help solve a mystery for me?"

Opening my eyes, I met his dark gaze. "What kind of mystery?" Would this be a chance to gain more intel? He was always careful in the information he allowed around me and it was almost frustrating to not be underestimated.

His hand continued to scoop water over me. "I have an enemy, one of our rare Apkallu females so I can't just kill her without causing more political flack than I want to deal with, possibly even a civil war among the other dragon lords. Lamashtu has conspired against me for eons."

I frowned. I'd have thought a female Apkallu would be revered, given how rare they were. "What does she want?"

Pazuzu scowled, his expression darkening as his jaw clenched. "Something I'm not willing to give her. I can't stand her. You know we are predatory, but even demons have morals. We don't eat pregnant females or children. It's disgusting. There is absolutely no need for it when there are plenty of male prey available. A species' young should be sacrosanct."

Nausea churned in my stomach and I rolled over, climbing his muscular body until I straddled him and could look at him properly, instead of upside down. His lips were pressed together, nostrils flaring with each breath, and the muscle in his jaw ticking.

"Lamashtu eats kids? Babies? Pregnant women?" I asked in a progressively higher-pitched tone.

When he nodded, the gorge rose in my throat and I heaved, covering my mouth. He grabbed me and tugged me to him, rubbing my back.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry to upset you, kitten, but I need you to understand the seriousness of what I'm dealing with," Pazuzu murmured into my ear as he held me and I fought for control of my wayward belly. I took shallow breaths until the nausea passed.

"I'm okay... it was... well, I've seen you eat those that angered you. The thought of that being... yeah. It's a lot." I lifted my head, meeting his gaze again.

"In addition to her disgusting dietary habits that I do everything I can to block, she wants a child with me. For obvious reasons, I'd never breed a child with her or trust her with a child of any race," Pazuzu growled, his mouth pressed into a severe line as he shuddered in distaste.

I hugged him tightly, wrapping my arms and legs around him, and his shudder turned to a soft chuckle.

"Thank you for your compassion, kitten."

When I pulled back, his lips lifted in a small smile and his fingertips caressed my face. "So what do you need from me? What's the mystery?" I asked.

The smile disappeared and part of me felt back for bringing it back up, for reminding him, especially when his eyes lost their sparkle.

"Six months ago, she managed to get into my palace and kill my two bedroom acolytes, as well as numerous guards, while I was away on Earth."

My mouth dropped open and it took me a few seconds to respond. "How did she get in?" The security of the palace was impressive. Not just the number of guards on land and in the air, but Pazuzu also had force shields similar to what we used on our city walls. He didn't skimp on the technology and I was sure there were other defenses I wasn't aware of.

Anger replaced the sadness, with his eyes narrowing and darkening. A visible wave of danger emanated from him. "Exactly. How did she get in? I've been trying to find the answers, but my investigation has thus far been unsatisfactory. I know I'm being lied to, but it's subtle, almost like the ones I'm questioning don't know they are lying to me." A crafty gleam came to his eyes, with a little smirk twisting his mouth. "I'm hoping you might be a little more successful in your questioning, given your unique attributes and skill set."

My eyebrow rose. "What are you referring to, my lord?"

His smirk widened and a dark eyebrow rose. "Really, Mist. Do you think I wasn't aware of your attempts to gather information? The deliberate choice of patron to those more easily dominated by you?"

Shit. Did nothing get by this damn dragon?

"I'm not—"

His finger pressed against my lips, stilling my words. "Don't bother denying it, kitten. Hearing lies is one of my many talents. It's why this investigation has been so frustrating and why I need your help. I need to plug the hole in my security. While you are better able to defend yourself than most—and yes, don't deny it, as I know you must have abilities you've kept hidden from our sparring sessions—even you, my fierce little Valkyrie, would only be able to delay Lamashtu from killing you. Hopefully, long enough that my guards or I would reach you to deal with her, but still, left to your own defenses, you'd die."

I pulled his finger from my mouth. "Okay. Yes, I accept that, especially if she's anywhere near your size as a dragon."

Pazuzu nodded. "She's smaller, although not significantly when compared to your tiny size. But now consider, Mist, how defenseless Anna is. In fourteen days, my annual heat will be upon me and I am going to be fucking her and breeding her. I'd like your help in protecting her. And... if you enjoy fucking each other, well, I'm just going to be the luckiest dragon around, now aren't I?"

My mouth opened, not sure which topic to address first. Damn him for tempting me. Midgardians had tons of mythology involving temptation by the devil. If that was Pazuzu, I absolutely saw where it originated from. He was diabolical and clever. I went with the safest option. "Of course, I'll help protect her."

His eyes glinted. He knew I was avoiding the other topics, the seductive bastard. "Thank you."

"What do you need me to do?"

His smile widened.

"To protect Anna," I growled, and he chuckled, before turning serious again.

"As much as I do not want to share you, I'd like you to accept patrons at the temple, those selected by me as being suspicious, to use your persuasive talents to find out what they know," he said.

"I assume you have suspects then?"

"Yes, lion and wolf demons. Although I have several thousand in my realm, there are only a dozen or so that I've questioned who have given me the sense they are lying. Those are the ones I'd like you to wring dry of their secrets. I've arranged for each of them to come to Claw's temple, if you are willing?"

I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow. Wring dry. Really?

Pazuzu smirked, then leaned in to nip my lower lip. "Such a feisty little kitten." 

He sucked my lip into his mouth until I opened to him, caressing his tongue against mine in a teasing dance that had me burying my fingers into his hair and squirming against his too-tempting muscular body. When our lips parted, my breath came in uneven pants.

"Are you willing, Mist? Or do I need to convince you further?" His voice deepened. "I'm happy to have you wring me dry"—he nudged my sex and ass with his cocks—"and fill all these lovely holes of yours again, repeatedly, all night if that's what you require for convincing." His tongue glided along my lower lip as his fingers plucked at my nipples.

I shivered even as I tilted my head to give him access to my neck and lowered myself onto his cocks. The tantalizing stretch had me groaning before I replied, "Yes, I'll do it. Will I be staying at the temple again, then?" Norns, it was hard to think when he was being distracting.

Pazuzu thrust and growled against my neck, "Fuck, no. I'll take you back and forth if we can get the information we need before my heat, but once it starts, I'll portal you back and forth... and Mist?" He wrapped a fist in the braids at my nape, tugging them as he thrust harder and scraped his teeth over my throat. "If you can avoid actually fucking those damn demons, or at least, avoid letting them cum in this little cunt, ass, or mouth whenever possible, I'd appreciate it. You should wash thoroughly before I pick you up. My temper becomes a little unmanageable as my heat approaches and especially during, when instinct is harder to control. I'd hate to eat one of them before we acquire all the information we need and I'm liable to pin you to the nearest surface and fuck you to reassert my claim to this sexy little body each time."

Helpless to deny the thrill his possessive words sent through me, I clenched around him and moaned my agreement.