"So how does it work?" Santana asked, glancing at her mate, the ship was certainly something and she could see why it was for the imperial family, everything looked like quality craftsmanship, it was like their palace for the sky.

Charlie eyed the quiet deck of the ship, getting in hadn't been difficult, she was a princess and had the authority to be here and visit whenever she wanted, but keeping it quiet had cost her quite a bit of money. The last thing she wanted was her mother finding her, and being horrified that she wasn't going to wait till they were officially married. "Well a ship this size requires a full crew, I'm capable of taking out one of the skippers, but a ship this size requires multiple people to run it. Full staff and crew, the only time it is ever in use is when my father has enough of the nobles bickering and takes off to our mountain palace. It usually happens in the summer when it's too hot. As for how it flies, magical crystals, Brittany and Lena discovered how to make things fly, if you want to know more talk to Brittany. I just know that magical crystals are what powers it."

"How do you know you're not going to fall to your death?" Santana questions, she still couldn't quite make out how it worked or how it could stay in the air, and why the royal family trusted it.

"Well it hasn't fallen out of the sky yet, and it has flown several times with a full crew and landed safely and it's flown through a thunderstorm as well, so I don't know what it would take to bring it down. I think the kitchens should be fully stocked if you're still hungry, I do know how to make some things, I realized when I was out doing training with the army that rations taste awful, and even fresh meat if not properly seasoned and aired out is gamey and tastes awful, so I learned how to cook a few dishes."

"So many hidden talents," Santana practically purred, and her mate wanted to please her. She loved the earnestness in her mate's voice. "Let's see if you have any other hidden talents," Santana says as she uses her claws to rip open Charlie's shirt, tearing it open.

Charlie immediately moves to cover herself up, she had just received the shirt, they had needed to stop at one of Quinn's safe houses, which really was just a brothel for her to get cleaned up and to get some basic first aid, not that she needed it. A bit of control with her mana and she had managed to rapidly heal most of the scratch marks that Santana had accidentally left on her body. If Santana ripped her clothes, she wasn't sure how she was going to move through the city without clothes. She certainly didn't keep any clothes on the ship. At least she didn't think she had any clothes on the ship.

Santana narrowed her eyes, "I really don't know why you're hiding from me I'm your mate!" She insists her tone indicates how annoyed she was as she moves Charlie's arms away. "Everyone has sex Charlie, it's a very primal thing, I'm sure it'll be like swinging a sword for you."

"Do you have any idea how long it took me to be good with a sword?" Charlie pushes back almost immediately, flushing and trying to escape even as Santana holds her firmly in place by the front of her pants. She had zero idea why she was getting dizzy, and why it was getting harder and harder to concentrate.

"Practice makes perfect, and it's your first time, don't worry I'll walk you through it," Santana promised as she slices Charlie's leather pants, this at least causes Charlie to drop her hands and try and keep her pants on. "You are aware that I want you naked, so we can have sex right? Like you're supposed to be naked—sex is primal, you should do it being naked. And it's nothing I haven't seen before."

"I haven't seen you naked!" Charlie manages to sputter out, trying to gather herself. Everything was happening so fast and it wasn't that she was nervous, which she was. She just really didn't know why they couldn't wait till after the wedding. "It's only—what are you doing?" Charlie immediately hides her face in her hands as Santana begins to undo her top.

"Getting naked, you're right it's not fair for me to have all the eye candy. For a dragon you're very skittish, I was always told that dragon's had massive egos, and were super confident. Like when we danced together."

"I was drunk." Charlie said, sneaking a quick peek.

"Do I need to get you drunk again?" Santana questioned, stopping for a moment and studying her mate. That wouldn't do, at all.

"I need to remember this, I should remember my first night, you're just—why do we have to go so fast? And why does my head feel strange?"

"That's the pheromones," Santana says with a shrug of her shoulders, she was a panther prime, her pheromones had always been potent. She immediately tries to reign it in, as best as she could Charlie's eyes seemed almost glazed over and she didn't want her mate to be drunk on her pheromones before they actually mated. Santana reaches for Charlie's hand and takes it, "We don't have to go fast, I'm just impatient and I've waited for this and now that I have you I just wanted to make you mine immediately before other beastkin arrive and try and mate with you."

Charlie takes a breath, and tries to calm her nerves. She liked the smell and judging from how hard she was, her body was primed and ready to go. "Can we at least go to the bedroom first?"

Santana nodded and took her mate's hand, "You know the way don't you?"

Charlie lets out a breath, she was a sword master, if she controlled her breathing she could master this. "This way," she said, leading Santana to her bedroom on the ship. It doesn't take them long to get to the bedroom and she turns on one of the lamps so she can see a bit better as she sits on the bed letting her pants drop to her ankles. She hadn't even kissed someone before, and while she had resigned herself to a match made from her parents, she didn't want to be awful at this. She didn't want Santana to regret being with her.

Santana gently ran her fingers along Charlie's knuckles for a moment, trying to soothe her mate. It was clear that she was to in her head, but she pulls off her shirt without much fanfare which seems to be the distraction that she needs as Charlie's eyes widen as she stares at her chest and she smirks before straddling her mate's waist on the bed and tilting her head upward so she could kiss her. It was awkward at first her mate not knowing quite what to do with her lips or tongue, but just as she suspected it doesn't take her mate long to understand the basics. She smirks into a kiss when she feels her mate's hands roaming over her body. Well it seems like Charlie had finally gotten in touch with her primal side.

~ O ~

It was a cross between a purr and a moan that left Santana's mouth, the first few attempts hadn't gone as well as she would have liked, but Charlie had stamina for days. And was more than making up for the first few attempts, she could feel the mana from her mate's core mingling with her own, they were so very close to resonating with one another one more would push them over the edge. "Don't you dare fucking stop."

Charlie grunts, there was blood all over her sheets and on the floor, Santana's claws had come out several times, and feeling them digging into her arms—but more importantly she could feel the pull of mana that Santana seemed to be drawing out of her, she didn't truly understand why it was happening but Santana didn't seem to be in any pain or discomfort, and she redoubles her efforts, moving her hips with Santana letting their scents mix as she feels the familiar sensation of her own orgasm building. "Santana—"

Santana adjusts herself, propping herself up on her elbows as she pulls Charlie down for another deep kiss as her claws come out once again tearing into Charlie's back and leaving what she could only assume would be another scar, but at this moment she didn't care. As she feels her eyes suddenly ship and Charlie suddenly pulls back her mouth a bloody mess, her teeth had become elongated and her tongue had shifted as the bond snapped into place as she finally lets it go and her orgasm crashes over her.

As she slowly opens her eyes, panting hard, if her claws weren't out at that instant they would have come out as she comes face to face with a pair of dragon eyes staring at her. Charlie's entire demeanor seemed to have changed just like her eyes which had done a partial shift. It hadn't been something that she was expecting, and she suspected, or seen before. She and her panther were one being, but Charlie and her dragon weren't connected like she and her panther were. They seemed to be completely separate beings, and Charlie's other half had taken an interest in her, she wanted to say something to it, but as the mana that ties their bond together finally ebbs away and Charlie's eyes slowly return to normal her mate seems none the wiser.

"I couldn't—" Charlie blinks, her eyes ached and she really couldn't remember the last few seconds of what had just happened but suddenly Santana is kissing her again, leaving her breathless. "Again?" Charlie mumbles against her lips, it was light outside, which meant that they had been here all night. Her tongue felt like it had been scraped clean and tingled as her mana began to repair it.

"Not now, let me rest," Santana says, wincing at how torn up Charlie's arm was, and the blood that had mixed with the sweat and other bodily fluids that were all over the room. Still her mate's arms seemed to be healing slowly, and she knew that she would be fine. She yawns and rolls over onto her stomach stretching herself out before curling up, well satisfied. She'd sleep for a bit and then go and get some fish. Then they could go again.

Charlie manages to sit up and looks at the damage, her room would need to be cleaned and she would need to talk to the maids about changing the sheets far more often. "Do the beastkin have prevention herbs?" Charlie questions Santana, the thought of little versions of her running around wasn't the worst thing in the world and it would force her mother to hurry up and plan a marriage.

"Prevention herbs?" Santana repeated tiredly. What was her mate going on about now? Charlie needed to let her sleep and recharge.

"To stop a pregnancy, if you haven't taken any—will we be having babies soon?" Charlie questions, grinning at the idea. A bunch of little versions of her and Santana running around. It would be nice.

Santana slowly turned to look at Charlie who looked rather eager at getting her pregnant, she rolled her eyes, her mate was a pervert. She was nowhere ready to share her mate with cubs, let alone be responsible for royalty, there would be a lot of work to do before she was ready. "The only pregnancy prevention that I take is to prevent me from entering heat, which is the only time that I can get pregnant. When I enter heat, you will know."

Charlie puffed out her cheeks immediately but when Santana's tail dragged along her leg she let out a bit of a sigh and rubbed her back, smiling when Santana purred. She was sure that her mother had sent out a search party for her, and there would be questions. "How often do you go into heat? Like as often as actual cats—" She quickly quiets down when Santana opens an eye and glare to shoot her a glare, "Right, sleep, food and then more sex."

Santana nodded, and yawns once more before closing her eyes. "You should be proud, no one has ever fucked me like that before," she mumbles before letting her exhaustion take her. She would normally make sure that her space was safe before she did that but she was with her mate, and she trusted her to keep her safe.

"Really?" But Santana doesn't respond, finally fast asleep. Charlie grins, she would take Santana's word for it, and she curls up beside Santana and closes her eyes.