by S. E. Smith
The last five months had been a challenge as all of them worked with a selected group of Valdier engineers that Cara had met in one of the palace's work areas. Dulce, the head engineer of the project, had reluctantly agreed after they all promised to keep it quiet.
“Trelon almost killed me the first time Cara came into the Repair room,” Dulce had muttered when they asked him and the other engineers for help. “Are you sure he won’t try again? I’m rather partial to being able to breathe,” he added as he stared into the hopeful gazes of the women. “I’m going to get ripped apart by all of your mates.”
Abby chuckled as she remembered his glum look. That look had turned to hesitant fascination, then excitement as they showed him the blueprints that Cara had designed with their input. Soon, the project took on a life of its own as the men dreamed up additional fun.
“What’s so funny?” Cara asked as she came to a slow stop in front of Abby.
She pressed the controller in her hand to apply the remote braking system for the ride. She shushed at Amber and Jade, who were sitting in twin golden car seats squealing ‘Go, go, fast. Go, fast!’ at the top of their lungs. Cara rolled her eyes, it was their third trip on the ride and the girls wanted to go again.
“Oh man, that is so awesome, Abby! The head inside the crystal ball looks just like you,” Cara added as she lifted first Amber, then Jade out of the car. “Go find Zohar,” she ordered when they looked like they were going to start crying. The threatened tears turned to squeals of delight as they shifted and went in search of their second favorite play toy.
“Those two better watch it. Zoran has been working with Zohar on how to escape them,” Abby said with a shake of her head as she gazed around at the finished playground. “You know, this whole thing is pretty awesome, Cara. I know the kids are loving it. How do you think the guys will react? I keep wondering if we should have asked them before we just took over this area. I mean, what if it was someplace sacred or special?”
Cara looked around in satisfaction. Trisha was watching as Ariel ran the program for the mechanical spiders. Spring had joined her sister in trying to catch the roaming arachnids, while Ariel tried to avoid the two determined Dragonlings.
Carmen was talking to two of the engineers who were testing the animated dancing skeletons. Bálint and Jabir were wiggling and dancing with them. Well, they were trying when they weren’t tripping over each other.
Dulce was running the program for the witches, ghouls, and goblins. The funniest part was watching Zohar, Amber, and Jade, who were now happy, trying to catch the heads popping up out of the fake kettles. They were bouncing from one raised top, to the other, as they popped up.
No, this was perfect, she thought as she gazed around the vast room. And the kids were having a blast.
“Are you kidding? You saw this place before,” Cara replied with a soft grin as she heard the laughter of the engineers as they watched the kids playing. “No one had been down here in ages. I bet the guys don’t even know it is here.”
“So, when are we telling them about this?” Carmen asked as she walked up to where they were standing. “Phoenix and Spring have had a terrible time keeping it a secret. Creon keeps asking me why they are walking around with their fingers against their lips.” She gave a bashful giggle as she stared at the amazing world they had created. “I admit, I can’t wait to see Creon’s face either,” she confessed with eyes filled with excitement. “Ariel and I loved the Haunted House ride when the fall festival came to town.”
“That’s the truth,” Ariel agreed as she and Trisha walked up. They watched in amazement as the kids chased each other. “I can’t believe how the kids are loving this, even when we turned the lights out and took them on the ride earlier. Do you remember Herman Hamilton from high school, Carmen? He screamed so loud when the ghosts dropped down in front of us that the ride operator thought someone was hurt and stopped the ride. All the kids keep saying is MORE!”
“Bálint tried to escape three times last night after I laid him down in his bed. He kept saying ‘more play, Mom’ every time I caught him. This is amazing, Cara, thank you,” Trisha added. “The kids are having a blast. Bálint even cried when I took his Vampire costume off of him. He loves wearing his cape and jumping off the furniture. You should have seen me trying to explain to Kelan why Bálint was wearing it.”
Ariel rolled her eyes. “Jabir has been just as bad. He is going as a dinosaur. I swear Mandra thinks Jabir is absolutely the most brilliant kid in the universe because he goes around growling and biting everything.”
Cara laughed. “Poor Trelon thought that Jade had been hurt and called for Symba to come heal her this morning. He won’t admit it, but he thinks Amber’s costume makes her look like an ugly baby Vox.”
“Speaking of Vox, will Riley, Vox and Roam be here in time for our surprise?” Abby asked in concern. “I haven’t heard from Riley in a few days.”
“I talked to her this morning,” Cara replied with a grin. “She told Vox if he ever wanted any more kids, he better get his ass in gear because she promised she would be here by tonight. I’m not sure if that meant she was going to castrate him or if she just wasn’t having sex with him again.”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you guys that I talked to Emma,” Carmen interjected. “She, Ha’ven and Alice will be here this evening as well. She told Ha’ven she wanted to come for a visit. I swear I never expected to see him so loving and protective.”
“This is going to be so much fun. I can’t wait to see the guys’ faces when they see what we’ve been up to,” Cara said with a sigh. “The kids have certainly been enjoying it.”
“Talking about faces, I need to get back upstairs and show mine and Zohar’s face before it gets too late. Zoran is probably pulling his hair out again. He keeps asking me where we’ve been and I’m running out of excuses,” Abby said.
She called out to Zohar, who looked up from where he was sitting on Amber with a triumphant grin on his face before Jade tackled him from the side. He shifted and squeezed out from under her grasping arms before her sister could join her. Abby smiled and opened her arms as he flew towards her as fast as his little wings could go. Amber and Jade, who had shifted as well, bounced along the ground after him nipping at his tail every time he dipped down.
“He is getting better, Abby,” Cara laughed as she gathered up her two when they realized that Zohar had escaped them. “The girls are getting better at sneaking up on Trelon in the mornings. I swear he sleeps with one eye open, waiting for them to attack,” she added as she followed all the others up the stairs, babies and Symbiots in tow.
None of the men working on the last touches to the animations or the departing women saw the shimmering, slightly drooled on, golden spider hiding in the artificial web among the tall, spindly trees. A mischievous grin curved the spider’s golden mouth before it dissolved into an iridescent fog. Spirally down along the base of the tree to the ground, the flowing stream of gold disappeared into the shadowy depths of the underground river.
Chapter 3
“Quiet, I hear someone coming,” Trelon muttered under his breath. “It’s the women. Hide!”
The men quickly slid into the darkened spaces of the old dungeon area. Trelon and Kelan pulled open one of the doors to a cell and slipped inside. Mandra grunted and muttered a silent curse as he tried to squeeze into an alcove next to him. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one in residence in the narrow area. The low hiss of a small, hairy rodent and the silky threads of cobwebs drew a shudder from him. He swore he still had flashbacks from waking up with a Grombot licking him.
Zoran dropped to his knees behind an overturned table while Creon jumped on the edge of it and pulled himself up onto an overhead beam. All of them froze as the voices sounded closer. A low groan almost escaped each of them when their symbiots trotted up the stairs and into the room first.
Don’t you dare give us away, Zoran ordered Goldie and the other symbiots. I’ll take every single one of you
back to the Hive and exchange you if you do!
Loud snorts and the image of him hanging upside down while the women circled him greeted his threat. He grimaced as he thought of which would be worse; for Abby to discover him hiding or for her to find out he threatened to exchange Goldie. He decided to try begging, instead. It might work better.
Please, my friends, Zoran said in a soothing voice. We are going crazy trying to find out what they are up to. You know that all is fair in love and war. The women and Paul have said that many times before.
Relief flooded him as his Symbiot continued past him with a shake of its head. He swore it moved extra slow in order to draw out his anxiety of being found by Abby. The other symbiots were just as bad as each shimmered different colors as they passed by, as if mocking the fact that the ‘big, bad warriors’ were all cowering from their mates.
Personally, Zoran had learned a long time ago when to pick his battles. This was one of those times. He’d figure out a way to get even with his symbiot another day.
Today, he just wanted to find out what his beautiful, but stubborn, mate had been up to with Cara. Just the thought of Trelon’s hyperactive mate was enough to make him cringe. He had to give his brother credit for keeping up with Cara, not to mention, Amber and Jade. Zoran swore those two girls were determined to give his son, Zohar, an inferiority complex before he was three with the way they ganged up on him.
Zoran focused back on the present as Abby stepped into the room through the door that had been hidden behind a large, ornate wooden carving built into the wall. She was holding a giggling Zohar in her arms. His breath caught as he studied her elegant figure. Her long, dark hair hung over one shoulder and she was laughing at something one of the other women said. He felt his body react to the sight and sound of her.
Want mate, his dragon growled. Want now.
Not now, Zoran silently groaned back. Don’t you dare call for your mate either. If you do, we’ll never find out what is going on.
She beautiful mate, his dragon purred.
Zoran was about to reply when he felt a small rock hit his shoulder. Glancing up, he barely made out Creon’s dragon perched on the thick beam. The only thing that gave his little brother away was the glow of his eyes as they followed Carmen. She was giggling as Spring and Phoenix gave her kisses on her cheeks every time she tried to talk.
He glanced back at Mandra who nodded at him before he slid back into the darkness. There wasn’t anything he could do without giving away his location. He just hoped that Creon maintained enough control on his dragon to remain hidden.
“So, you really think the guys aren’t going to be upset?” Abby asked as she walked by him. “I mean, Zoran has been very… persistent trying to figure out what we’ve been up to.”
“You should have seen Creon,” Carmen laughed, nipping at Phoenix’s fingers. “He has been watching me like a hawk. I’ve even caught him hiding in the hallways. I can’t wait to see his face when he sees what I’ve been doing.”
“You? If Kelan gets any closer I swear I’d be wearing him as a coat!” Trisha giggled. She stopped for a moment to gently lay Bálint down inside the stroller that Bio shifted into when Bálint yawned and fell sideways as he rode on the symbiot’s back. “I have to admit, what we’ve been doing has been fun, but tagging him has been even more enjoyable.”
“TMI, Trisha!” Ariel laughed as she laid Jabir next to Bálint. “Poor Mandra just worries I’m going to bring home another animal. He is still waiting for Asim to return.”
“Poor Asim,” Abby chuckled. “Have you heard from him?”
Ariel nodded. “Yes, he says he’ll be back once he knows for sure Pearl won’t shoot his ass for kidnapping her,” she said with a grin. “I guess Pearl has been a touch uncooperative.”
“From the short time I spent with her and knowing Riley, I feel sorry for him,” Abby chuckled. “Still, I think it is wonderful he found his mate after so long.”
“I hope it isn’t much longer,” Ariel replied with a sigh. “Mandra and his dragon aren’t near as patient, or calm, around the critters as Asim. Nothing seems to rile Asim. I think that is why he is so perfect for Pearl.”
The men watched and listened as the women continued on their way. All of them stiffened when Cara, trailing the others, paused and looked around the room with a frown. Her head tilted to one side before she shook it, pushing aside the feeling of being watched. She was about to call out to Trisha when a voice behind her called her name.
“Cara,” Dulce said, distracting her.
“Yeah,” she replied, turning as Dulce and the other men came through the doorway.
“Everything is done,” Dulce said with a grin. “It is one of the most fascinating things the others and I have worked on. I’d love to be able to crawl into your brain for few days.”
Cara just giggled and watched as Amber and Jade, riding Symba, charged up the stairs ahead of everyone. “Trelon has told me that a few times. I think he wants to see if there is an off switch. Thank you, guys, for helping out. It would have taken me forever to get everything done.”
“Just make sure that your mates know we only did it because you threatened to take over the workshop,” another one of the men called out in a teasing tone. “Although, that might not be a bad thing.”
“You weren’t the one under Trelon’s dragon,” Dulce reminded the man as their voices faded as they moved up to the next level.
*.*.*
“I’m going to kill him,” Trelon muttered in a low voice, glaring in the direction Dulce and the others had walked.
“Our mates have been down here with the men for months?” Kelan asked in outrage behind Trelon as he stepped out of the cell.
“I didn’t smell any of their scents on Ariel,” Mandra replied with a shudder as he ran his hand through his hair to remove some of the cobwebs. “Goddess, I hope Asim gets Pearl under control soon and comes back to the mountain.”
“I want to know what they have been doing,” Creon snapped as he jumped down.
“I thought you were going to give us away for a moment there,” Mandra told Creon with a raised eyebrow. “Your eyes were glowing. It was the only thing I could see. I’m surprised that Carmen, or her dragon, didn’t sense you.”
“It took every bit of my control to keep him from pouncing on her,” Creon admitted with a crooked grin. “She is so damn beautiful, especially when she smiles.”
“I know,” Zoran agreed. “I felt the same way about Abby.”
“Well, I want to know why Dulce wants to get inside my mate’s head,” Trelon growled, turning on his heel and striding toward the massive door. “Once I know, then I’ll kill him.”
The mumble of agreement echoed as the men hurried forward. They all wanted to know what was going on. It seemed the more the women tried to hide it, the more they just had to know.
Chapter 4
Trelon stood at the bottom of the steps with his mouth hanging open. He knew it was open, but he was powerless to close it. He stumbled forward when Creon ran into his back.
“What is it?” Kelan asked in fascination as he came to stand next to Trelon.
“I… don’t know,” Trelon replied at last as he stepped down the three remaining steps.
Beautiful carved arches supported the rocky ceiling of the enormous cavern. In addition to the natural glow of light from the crystals embedded in the rocks, Cara and the others had installed thousands of tiny lights around the cavern. The effect was an incredible, colorful visual effect that reminded him of the gardens around the palace. At night, the plants glowed in a vivid array of colors.
There was some type of railing system running through it. Four carts were attached to the tracks with three sections of dark, red cloth seats built into them. Each section had doors that opened on both sides of it and a thick, round bar that folded forward over the rider’s lap. As if that wasn’t fascinating enough, the tracks ran through the entire area that was decorated with imitation trees, buildings,
and toys of all sizes and shapes.
“I. M. Here,” Mandra muttered, squinting his eyes to read something carved on a curved stone across the small river. “U. R. There. Who needs GPS?” He turned and looked at Zoran. “What does that mean and why would they carve that on a stone?”
“It is a graveyard,” Creon explained in a soft voice as his eyes ran over the sayings. “I saw one back on Earth. It is a place where the humans bury their dead.”
“Who have the women killed and buried?” Mandra asked in confusion.
Trelon chuckled as he read another marker. “I like that one,” he said, pointing to a headstone under one of the spindly trees. “Here lies Dulce. He met a dragon who could not lose, so now he hangs out with the spooks.”
“I wonder what this does?” Zoran asked as he walked over to the carts. He fingered the back of the seat and looked around for a way to make it go.
“It looks like it runs all the way through the cavern, then circles back,” Trelon muttered as he came to stand next to Zoran. His eyes followed the track as far as he could see. “There has to be a way to make it work.”
All the men started when the device on Trelon’s belt suddenly vibrated. Trelon pulled it from his waist with a curse and glanced down at it. A moment of panic hit him when he saw the tracking device on Cara moving back down toward them.
“We’ve got to go,” Trelon said in an urgent voice. “Cara is headed back down here.”
“Dragon’s Balls! I wish your mate would stay in one place for more than a few minutes,” Kelan muttered.
