beautiful with its plum and rose-colored leaves and the delicate bloom of flowers scenting the air. It is not as beautiful as my grotto, but it is a pleasing sight.
“This place really is beautiful,” Steph observes in a soft, breath voice that seems to stroke over my wounded heart like a balm and conversely pluck at my cock rapturously as she echoes the direction of my thoughts.
“Naga lands usually are,” Grimsal replies as he draws his dagger along the sharpening stone in his hand. He points to a particularly lush bush filled with pale orange flowers alongside a creek. “Nagas are creatures of waterways, so they keep water flowing throughout their territories and maintain a vibrancy everywhere they touch. There are few places more beautiful… well, outside of unicorn grottos,” he amends with a grin.
“That would make sense then why the naga back there thinks you’re such a good fit, and why fairies would be obsessed with your magic,” she mutters. Her lips pinch together in thought, and she raises an eyebrow at the goblin. “Do fairies have a similar preoccupation with nagas?”
A delighted chuckle fills the air as Grimsal slants her an amused look.
“Certainly, if they could get away with being able to hit it, get a nibble in, and quit it. Unfortunately, female nagas rarely mate outside their species for fear of weakening their bloodlines, so there aren’t many weak targets for their magic other than their very young offspring. Even then, to my understanding, fairies don’t often attempt it. They are terrified of nagas so won’t venture into their territory to snack on one directly.”
Steph eyebrows snap up in surprise. “Seems like fairies can do a lot with numbers on their side. Is naga magic really that powerful?”
“Nah. Male nagas are just enormous. If you saw one, you would understand why,” he adds with a wink.
I huff in the goblin’s direction, the irritated blast from my nostrils loud, drawing their attention. I do not need her distracted by thoughts of large, virile nagas, even if she would be more trapped with them than what she is with me. She is my mate!
Grimsal lets out another round of laughter but takes care to sheathe his blade first. I flick an ear at him in disgust and try to ignore him. It’s a shame that he put the blade away. It would have been entertaining if the idiot accidentally stabbed himself.
My ahandral stares back at him in confusion as he laughs.
“I don’t get what’s so funny,” she mutters.
“My apologies,” Grimsal chuckles as he draws a deep, steadying breath. “Your mate here was just castigating me for teaching you about naga males. To understand why fairies are afraid of them, you have to understand that these huge male nagas are not quite as… discerning as the females of the species, mostly due to the fact that males outnumber females two to one. Fairies will avoid male nagas not only to avoid having their heads bashed in with the creatures’ armored tails, but a male naga will mate with anyone they consider strong and desirable. No fairy wants to be plucked out of the air and hidden away in his fortified burrow while he bonds to them,” he says, ending with another laugh.
“And you find that funny? That’s sick,” Steph retorts.
“Ah, but the funny part is that your male here was actually concerned that, having turned you down, you might be interested in those large males with their multiple pricks…”
Steph spins around to pin me with a disbelieving look. After she concludes gaping at me in a most disconcerting way, like I’m the biggest fool ever born, she gives a choked laugh that soon dissolves into gales of laughter. I flick my tail irritably.
It is a reasonable concern, I protest. Nagas are seductive creatures, and it would be natural for a female to be curious about one of their males. I do not wish to encourage this curiosity because, as you’ve seen, they are difficult to put off from their… courtship.
I don’t add that it is because as far as I’m concerned, she’s mine. That reason is apparent enough to both me, and Grimsal, but for whatever reason she continues to ignore our bond. As I don’t wish to anger my mate, I also try to ignore it in favor of enjoying the rich sound of her laughter.
“Yeah, I see what you mean. I definitely don’t want to be dodging a male, especially if they’re bigger. How much bigger are we