“Please, raise your head,” Asterios replied while also standing up. “Honestly, I don’t see how this would warrant your refusal. As we have discussed just before, we are going to pick up a few more Dragons besides you.”

Phatru listened to his request and straightened her back, looking at him with a pensive expression. It seemed that she hadn’t just forgotten about that part and was well aware of it. Yet, she had still pleaded with him for her daughter’s chance.

Althea moved to stand next to her a moment later, wrapping a reassuring arm around the woman’s waist as her lips were adorned with a delicate smile. “Of course. I should have figured out you would have found a mate in the time we were separated. I’m happy for you, Pha.”

Her friend’s response was tinged with a hint of sadness in the faint curl of her mouth. No one missed it as the two ladies looked at each other cordially.

“We aren’t… paired,” Phatru admitted hesitantly, as if ashamed to say it out loud, but from what Asterios had heard in the past, it wasn’t that uncommon. “At some point, my head was starting to house rather unusual thoughts for me. They didn’t dissipate, and I ended up longing for a connection, some kind of familial bond, I guess. Maybe I just hit that age, but I simply desired children.”

Althea tightened her embrace tenderly. “I fully understand you. Personally, I didn’t really pay too much attention to those feelings while on the run or in hiding. Perhaps all that stress and anxiety suppressed them. But now that I’m free…”

Her enchanting green eyes sensually trailed towards Ast’s face and he met her gaze. The kindling of a certain emotion flickered behind those fierce vertical pupils of hers and he could spot the faintest trace of heat blossoming on Althea’s fair cheeks. She didn’t have to finish her sentence to make the rest of it more obvious.

With the duo of newly bonded mates peering at each other, the other girls picked up on the meaning too. Especially Miria. Her own desires had been triggered by the unexpected turn of the conversation and she watched Asterios from the side while lightly chewing on her lower lip. Selene had the perfect view of her sister-mate’s adorable moment and grinned to herself amusingly.

It looked like a little competition was brewing up between the first and the last wife.

Then, their draconic companion managed to drag her gaze back to her friend. “Are you then considering passing the mentorship of your daughter to us? Is that the reason why you rejected the position yourself?”

The other woman let out a snickering snort in response. “Me? Mentoring anyone? Are you crazy? I couldn’t teach a fish how to swim if I wanted.”

Althea’s eyes did a faint roll but a tiny smirk betrayed that there might have been something on the matter.

“No. She is waiting for her opportunity with the other nest-born while I simply make sure to do my best at raising her into a decent Lesser Dragon,” Phatru continued with a thoughtful, somewhat reminiscing look. “For quite a moment at this point…”

The last bit was no more than a whisper but Asterios picked it up without a problem, alongside the more sound-sensitive of his mates. And Althea, of course.

“That’s smart and admirable, Pha,” she then said while rubbing her friend’s side.

“It certainly ain’t easy.” The other lady scoffed. “She is just like me… Multiplied by five…”

“So, a rebellious, argumentative, and headstrong troublemaker?” Althea chuckled gingerly.

Phatru bumped her with her hip, crossing her arms over her chest in defiance, which only made the other woman smirk harder. Everyone was now sure that those two shared quite some history. Asterios was starting to grow more curious with each interaction the duo of Lesser Dragons shared. Learning more about his ladies always excited him, and an entire encyclopedia of stories stood right before them.

But, the light teasing and fun ceased as quickly as it arrived. Phatru refocused on Asterios once more, her face morphing into an expression of worry. He tried not to appear too intimidating as he raised a questioning brow at the silver-scaled female, announcing that he had noticed it.

“I… I’m sorry…” Phatru dipped her head down once more. “This is my only condition… If you can’t accept it… Then… I won’t be able to help you…”

She then snuck a glance at Althea with a wry, guilty smile. It was clear that she felt bad about disappointing her old-time friend who had just reinstated their relationship, but she had priorities and held herself firmly to them. Which is also why that friend hadn’t missed such a resolution in the slightest.

Althea was quick to bring Phatru up and turn them to face each other. Placing her soft palms around the other woman’s ears and stroking her hair with the tips of her fingers, she pressed a chaste peck to each of Phatru’s cheeks and then onto the bridge of her nose.

“Dear, you shouldn’t feel remorseful for ensuring your daughter’s bright future,” Althea spoke tenderly. “It’s truly moving how you are able to risk displeasing a powerful True Dragon for her sake this soon after meeting him. More mothers should be like you.”

“It still weirds me out that you talk with such subtlety and grace now, even compared to how mature you were close to our final days together.” Phatru snickered while receiving her compliments. “Should I say that you feel like a proper mentor now?”

“Decades of nurturing the rulers of a humanoid race can do that to a woman.” The emerald-haired beauty winked. “I’ve had a long time to gather experience. But, it’s not about me right now. Let’s focus on you and your daughter.”

“Rusilthea,” Phatru said with a tender smile.

“You named your daughter after me and Rusievne?” Althea’s brows rose in surprise. “I’m… Moved…”

Her friend’s smile didn’t stop growing. “It was meant to be a little tribute to us. We went our separate ways not that long after you left and haven't seen each other since then either. Shit. I’m getting sentimental about all the mischief our trio caused.”

“We were a real plague back then.” That rare, heartfelt laugh escaped Althea’s throat, surprising the girls slightly.

So far, only Asterios had a chance to hear it. Mostly being able to admire it during their time alone. He had made it his goal to evoke it from his mature draconic mate as often as possible whenever they were either on a casual date or making intense love together.

The other lady glanced his way with an inquisitive twinkle in her eyes. “Does he know?”

“Oh, he does have a hint.” Althea joined her, looking at Asterios affectionately. “I haven’t fully abandoned my… dreams… from the early days.”

Seeing the evaluative look he got from his mate’s friend, Asterios had an idea of what those dreams were about. And they did in fact act upon them from time to time.

His partner in those acts then cleared her throat to recapture everyone’s attention. “I can see now why you would suggest such an ultimatum, Pha. Is it that bad?”

“Let’s just say that it’s been a while since she reached physical maturity.” Phatru smiled awkwardly. “She might currently be the oldest in the awaiting group as most of her peers had already been picked up by their mentors. It doesn’t make her any happier to see them all leave either.”

“And did you mention to her that maybe her attitude could be the problem?” Silvia asked as politely as she could.

“Trust me, I tried, and she is aware. She’s just, and I quote, never going to act fake for some random idiot to be taught stupid ass Dragon shit.” The woman rubbed her forehead.

“Sounds like someone I know,” Althea teased, making her friend flush a bit.

“But what about her compatibility?” Tina asked hesitantly, honestly wanting to help but not at the cost of causing trouble for Asterios. “Maybe she is just misunderstood. Like Grea.”

“Hey!” The person in question huffed while putting her hands on her hips. “I’ll have you know that everyone understood perfectly well not to fuck with me.”

The girls chuckled and giggled at that, causing the demon lady to grin roguishly.

“She inherited most of her ancestry from me,” Phatru answered. “I’m what you could call a Storm Dragon. My affinities lie with lightning and air mostly, revolving strongly around the former. I can’t say that I’m particularly powerful, but I did manage to beat Althea five out of seven times whenever we sparred. The other two I ended up entangled in vines in quite humiliating positions.”

“That’s good for you, shortie, isn’t it?” Grea stepped closer to pat Tina on her back with a bit more force than necessary. “You already have water and air from two familiars per element. Lightning will go well with your arrangement.”

“I think so too.” Asterios nodded. “Coming straight from a Lesser Dragon, it has to pack a punch. Both of you would also benefit from my energies. Though, I’m not sure Rusilthea would be comfortable with that.”

“You get used to it,” Althea commented with a light shrug. “And if she’s in any part like the young Pha, she’s going to jump at any opportunity to gain more power.”

“Look who’s talking.” It was Phatru’s turn to roll her eyes at her friend. “Like you didn’t inhale all the knowledge you could sink your claws into with no regard for anything.”

“Because—”

“Knowledge is power, yes, I’ve heard it a billion times,” she interrupted the emerald-scaled lady. “But you aren’t exactly wrong. About both things.”

“So, how are we going to meet her?” Selene asked.

“That depends.” Asterios glanced at their guest. “We could still form a contract if you would like to as your affinities are the same as your daughter’s, and then go through a gate to meet Rusilthea to discuss one for her. If you don’t want to bind either of you to us, then we could wait—”

“It’s alright. It could do her well to be under someone’s charge who isn’t her mother.” Phatru did it again. “As for me… It’s not that I’m completely opposed to the idea… Even as anxious about your true nature as I still am… It’s more about the mate I had Rusi with…”

“Ah.” He cocked his head back in understanding.

“We aren’t a pair, but I still feel like suddenly showing up bound with a familiar contract to one of a True Dragon’s females could be viewed as extreme offense and betrayal,” she explained. “You are aware of how our kin perceives yours. The simplest hint of a True Dragon’s influence on me could scare him away, and he wasn’t exactly a bad mate. I don’t wish for him to entirely cut ties with Rusilthea. Therefore, I would need to first have a talk with him about this, to convince him that you aren’t enslaving me. She is her own person so she can do as she pleases, without any obligations to the two of us. Though, I might mention her situation too.”

“That does sound logical,” Asterios replied. “Enslavement by proxy might be jumping quite ahead but I can believe that people could see it like so after everything you experienced from those cruel bastards. I don’t mind your suggestion.”

“Thank you.” Phatru directed a grateful smile at him. “And this way, even if I end up without taking any contracts, I will still be able to meet with my daughter periodically while she isn’t serving her purpose in your realm or learning from Althea. I would appreciate that possibility.”

“Or you could visit us with Master’s realm-slicing ability!” Miria grinned at her proudly.

The draconic lady’s eyes widened in shock as her gaze snapped to Asterios. “You can do even that?”

“I will be able to do that soon, but yes, I possess the capability needed for it.” He chuckled lightly. “That’s also what I was trying to bring up. As soon as I master it, we can simply bring your daughter here without any binding connections. Though, if you think it will be good for her to experience some authority, we don’t mind either option.”

“Sweet Ancestors…” Phatru moaned in disbelief. “Who the fuck did your pair yourself with, Thea?”

“Most likely the strongest True Dragon of the current age, save for the progenitors.” Althea smiled lovingly at him. “And definitely the most compassionate of them all.”

“Nevertheless… This changes nothing…” Her friend shook her head to regather herself. “I would like your mate to contract Rusilthea if you find my daughter satisfactory. She might be rough at the edges, but I swear she is a good girl at heart.”

He turned to Tina, meeting his short lover’s gaze.

“I want to give her a chance,” she said. “May I?”

“It’s your summon. I can only offer advice.” Asterios smiled.

She trotted up to him and placed a quick peck on his lips from below. “Thanks.”

“And when will I get a badass serpentine Dragon as a pet to order around, huh?” Grea pouted ostentatiously.

“When you learn how to behave in front of others,” Asterios quipped back with a light growl that made her shiver and bite down on her lower lip.

“How are we going to target Lady Phatru’s daughter directly, Master?” Miria queried, tilting her head adorably.

“Oh, I’m no lady, my sweet little kitty.” The female in question snickered. “You better pray I don’t start rubbing off on your sister-mate again now that we are reunited.”

“You should give us something with a connection to Rusilthea,” Althea advised. “We can reuse the circle with a new catalyst since the spiritual ink connected to me will probably extend to your successors too.”

Phatru then thought for a moment before visibly coming up with something. She gestured with her hand and a silvery mist tinged with bluish lightning spit out what looked like a fang on a chainlet. She had most likely brought the item out of her soul storage located at her Heart just as Althea had taught Asterios.

“This is the first fang Rusilthea ever lost,” the Dragon lady stated. “It should serve as a strong enough catalyst.”

“That’s so sweet!” Miria cooed with doe eyes. “I’m going to collect all the fangs that fall out of my cute kittens’ small, ferocious jaws too!”

“Oh, it didn’t fall off on its own. It was knocked out by one of her peers during an altercation.” The mother smirked with pride. “You should have seen the other guy. He wasn’t left with much in terms of the chewing department.”

They laughed lightly while Miria blushed from her misunderstanding. Asterios reached out to pet her charming ears and conveyed mentally that he was looking forward to her making a little collection of trinkets that would showcase their children’s growth. That made her beam at him with pure adoration and she nuzzled her cheek into his with gusto.

“Alright. Let’s get to it if we want to wrap it up today. We still need to negotiate with a bunch of other Lesser Dragons after this contract and I have a feeling that it won’t be quick and easy,” he said while receiving the tooth.

“This is a goodbye, then. I’ll run to give Rusilthea a heads-up. If she doesn’t behave, feel free to smack some manners into her musclebrained head.” Phatru glanced at Althea. “I’ll see you later?”

“You won’t run away from me even if you wanted to now.” Althea chuckled and embraced her friend. “Just try and I’ll send a True Dragon after you, and believe me, he won’t return without going to whatever lengths necessary to fulfill my wish.”

They laughed together and Phatru waved at them in farewell. She moved closer to the formation and a gate opened once more. With one last smile, she jumped right into it. The silence that followed its disappearance felt quite eerie.

“Damn. I never thought I would see you fail a summoning ever again after you grew a pair.” Grea giggled mischievously. “Of Dragon’s Hearts, of course.”

He groaned at her while some of the girls rolled their eyes. They dove into the preparations right away, checking on the patterns if they didn’t need replacing or refilling at any spots. Miria and Selene took care of that part while Tina and Asterios examined the rest of the ritual, exploring its spiritual connection. They didn’t find any anomalies over the magical site and concluded that it should be safe to conduct another attempt here without unforeseen complications.

When they were ready, Kindra trotted up to them and placed a motherly peck on the trio’s cheeks for good luck. She also thanked Asterios for the opportunity of witnessing not just one but two events and shared just how entertaining it was. He reminded her that she didn’t need to stay away from the discussions that followed the rituals and that it was fine to voice her thoughts as his mother, which he valued greatly. Promising to step forward if necessary, she retreated to watch with the others.

Exchanging glances, Asterios, Tina, and Althea went through the steps once again. The catalyst was spared its fate this time too since their target should have been warned about the incoming call from another dimension. They didn’t want to unnecessarily sacrifice Phatru’s memento.

Since only a single Echo was sent out of the formation, it traveled rather quickly to the same location as the one that had scored a hit previously. The receiver responded almost immediately too and they could feel someone unhurriedly making their way to Kraedorion. Soon, the azure gate was open again and a new figure stepped out of it.

Instantly, everyone could spot the familiarity between Phatru and Rusilthea. While the former seemed to be a tad taller, she shared the same complexion, scale, and hair color with her mother. However, her hair was cut much, much shorter, forming a style akin to thick silvery spikes slightly combed up and to the back with bluish tips. The new woman’s face had a rougher, fiercer edge to it and her boisterous yet calculative expression matched it fairly well.

As for her attire, it couldn’t be any more different. Instead of a dress, Rusilthea wore a sleeveless top of azure color that cut off around the height of her ribs. That put her well-defined arms and stomach on full display, showcasing a few noticeable scars in the process. Additionally, it was tight enough to accentuate her more than modest charms, betraying a lack of any bra too. For her bottom, she had chosen dark gray shorts with a half-loose black belt hanging off only half of the loops at a slight angle. Silvery shoes completed the look.

The fierce woman locked her eyes on Tina’s kneeling figure right away.

“So, you are the girl Ma seems to believe that I’m going to be the bitch of, hm?” Rusilthea grinned ferally. “You don’t look like much, squirt.”

Asterios had already stood up, but his beloved held her hand up in the universal gesture to leave it to her. So, he did exactly that and continued to almost completely mask his origins, taking a step aside while Tina rose to face the unruly lady.

“Would you like to confirm that yourself?” she challenged.

“Ohohohoho. You certainly don’t lack the courage, girlie,” her soon-to-be-familiar replied. “But words aren’t enough to convince—”

The sudden crunch of bone surprised everyone, almost as much as the sight of Tina’s fist meeting the female Dragon’s jaw with an unexpected blow. Rusilthea took a step back while working her chin and spat something sharp into her palm with a trace of blood. She looked at the other girl’s retreating hand, noticing that it was now covered in dark blue scales.

“I heard your fangs are quite a treasured commodity,” Tina taunted with a smirk. “Perhaps I should harvest a few of my own. That ought to teach you some respect.”

Rusilthea’s savage grin widened to the brim. “Oh, you are fucking on, pipsqueak.”