Probably not as well as I should. Still, I felt like I could sum up his situation. “She got her talons into you, and you need to forget about her. Go get your dick wet somewhere else.”
He blinked. “That’swhat you’ve gotten out of what I’ve been saying?”
I shrugged. As much as I liked Vyns, I didn’t really care for — or understand —womanproblems.
“Koar, my spiritknowsshe’s my mate. It’s a seraph thing. Ican’tleave her. My spirit will drag me back to her over and over again.”
Oh.
“So fuck her, get it over with, and settle your spirit.”
Vyns rolled his eyes and began pacing again. “This isn’t something a simple fuck will get out of my system. And that’s assuming she’d let me get that close.” He stopped. “Though… she’s already offered that much. I was the one who turnedherdown.” He groaned. “Fuck!”
“Because she’s fucking other guys, seems a legit reason to me.”
“She’s fucking ademon,” Vyns spat the word. “Or… maybe not currently, but she has… and that’s… ugh!”
Angels hated demons, but to me, both races were just like any other folk, which is to say, conniving, devious bastards. I didn’t have much faith in anyone, even other dragons. Some deep dark part of me whispered about how we were proud beings who should be free to roam the skies and serve no one. But we’d been cowed by the elves long ago. Now I served with distinction, even if others were less… dedicated to their duty. And that galled me. If we were going to be the elite guards of the realm, we should take pride in that.
“So… what do you want?” I asked Vyns. I wasn’t one for comfort.
“I want Izzy!” he said, voice raised, then instantly cringed and lowered his voice.
Yeah, I hoped Saldrea hadn’t heard that.
“I want… alifewith Izzy. I want to love her and have her love me. I want her to heal what’s broken inside me so Icanlove again. I want to put this world right, so no one is forced to serve anyone else and we’re all free!”
Oh.
That wasn’t going to happen.
The elves had far too much control, not to mention the full force of the dragon army and their allies behind them.Even if some of those allies turned against them, any revolt would be crushed far too quickly.
“Dude, you’re screwed.”
Vyns gave a sour laugh. “Don’t I know it.”
I shook my head. I didn’t know how to help my friend. Vyns was a good guy. Perhaps that was why he — more than myself — was trouble by what Saldrea often asked of us. It was wrong and dirty and sometimes horrifying, but I did it all in the name of duty. Yet it wore on Vyns. And he’d changed seemingly overnight… after he’d met that nymph.
I didn’t see the appeal, really. Sure, she was a nymph, and they were said to be able to fulfill any man’s fantasy, looking like anything a man desired. So what? Also, Izzy couldn’t even change from what I’d heard. She’d grown up in the human realm, oblivious to her powers.
I was certain that whatever was going on with Vyns’ spirit was her doing, some trick to lure him away from his duty. It’s why I’d always been so willing to get rid of her. She was a distraction for my one and only friend.
“I need some air,” he breathed, and was gone in an instant.
He was shirking his duty again. A changed man. And not in a good way.
I sat for a while, trying to picture my ideal woman and finding it quite difficult. Plenty of women were attractive, including Izzy. I quelled that tempting line of thought and pushed on, because physical looks didn’t matter that much to me. In terms of a woman’s body, all I needed was a stout woman able to receive my aggressive passion and survive. Of the whores I’d been with, only a few succubi had been so sturdy, no nymphs or dryads, definitely no pixies, they were far too fragile. And I had no desire to rut with trolls or ogres,as tough as they might be. They tended to be dim of wit and lacking in grace.
Women of this age lacked true wit, elegance, and strength of purpose. Saldrea was strong and cunning but lacked any sense of refinement and grace. She was also mean as a Syrnian Scorpion. I desired a woman with… nobility… sophistication. And few women possessed such qualities these days.
Also, a sophisticated enough woman with a sturdy enough body? That seemed like an unlikely combination. So, since I’d never find my dream woman, why try looking?
Still, some quiet part of my heart whispered about how Izzy wasn’t from this realm and might be different.
But I couldn’t have her.
Vyns was into her.
