by Kate Rudolph
It was the last mistake they would make.
Crux shot a blast of fire and hit one of the slavers dead on, but the other managed to jump out of the way and closer to him and Courtney. Before Crux could change the trajectory of his flame, the second slaver got a shot off, the blast strong enough to make Crux stumble back.
The slaver was too close to Courtney for Crux to use his flame again, but he wasn't letting him take her.
Neither, it seemed, was Courtney. She grabbed onto her wheeled shoes and swung with all of her might, bashing him in the head and sending him crumpling to the ground.
Crux blasted him with fire for good measure.
Maybe this human wasn't just a victim. She had some warrior deep inside of her.
Her eyes flashed over to him, taking in his warrior form. There was an expression he couldn't quite read in her eyes. Curiosity? Lust? Whatever it was, it couldn't matter. More slavers would be coming.
Courtney slung her weapon over her shoulder and met his eyes. "I need shoes."
"Then shoes you shall have."
5
An alien dragon with fire powers was protecting her from evil insectoid aliens who wanted to enslave her. No matter how many times Courtney ran that thought through her mind, it didn't make any more sense.
She was pretty sure this wasn't a nightmare. Nightmares were never this vivid. Maybe she was suffering a psychotic break and was chained to a bed in a mental ward.
That wasn't a pleasant thought.
Then again, it was probably preferable to her current state.
Without much other choice, she followed after Crux as he led her back towards the ship. Why had she made a fuss about being left alone? The closer they got to the place she'd just escaped from, the crazier it sounded that she'd agreed to go back.
She stepped on a particularly pointy twig and bit back a hiss of pain. Shoes. She needed them with great urgency. Shoes and to get the stupid collar off her neck.
The ship came into view quickly, and Courtney tried to keep her breathing even. This place was going to haunt her nightmares for the rest of her life. She only hoped she had enough life left for it to haunt.
Crux— Prince Crux— held up a hand, and Courtney stopped before she ran into him. A dragon prince. Yeah, there was no way this was anything more than an insanely detailed hallucination. Though she hadn't realized her imagination was capable of thinking of things like this.
Between one blink and the next, he shifted from looking like a normal if insanely hot guy to a guy with weird scales on his exposed skin, claws on his hands, and a strange angularity to his features. On any other day, it would scare Courtney, but today she had run out of the ability to be shocked and could do nothing more than go with the flow.
"I don't see anyone," he said quietly and waved her forward. "We go slow. Do you have any idea how many there are?"
She stroked her fingers over her skate, half for comfort, half to remind herself that she wasn't unarmed. "Not a clue."
That didn't surprise him, so they moved forward.
Crux seemed to know his way around the ship, and it made Courtney wonder if she'd fallen out of the hands of one group of slavers and into another slaver's clutches. But maybe spaceships simply had a logical layout to them, one that Crux understood. She was hoping that was true, because she didn't have the strength to fight someone who could breathe fire.
Could he breathe it? She'd seen him use his power, but the fire had come from behind her and she hadn't looked to see the source. Maybe it came from his hands.
It didn't matter. He had power over flames, and she had a bludgeon made of roller skates. Not exactly an even match.
Crux ducked into a small room and came back a moment later with two strange wraps that had a sturdy base to them. He handed them to her and turned away.
"What am I supposed to do with these?" She put her hand against the base and wondered if he wanted her to wrap her fingers like they were about to box, but the base held her hand flat, rather than in a fist.
"You said you needed shoes," he responded as if that explained everything.
Courtney took another look. Well. Maybe she could make it work. She set the wraps on the ground and stepped onto the base. With a little work she managed to wrap the loose fabric around her ankles and fashion something like a sandal. It was flimsy, and she was sure she was going to fall over. But after she took two or three steps, something strange happened. The material of the base of the sandal warmed up and seemed to mold to her foot, and when she looked down, they didn't look loose at all.
Cool.
Maybe the aliens weren't all bad. This kind of shoe technology blew anything she knew out of the water.
But she was quickly reminded of just how bad the ship was when a scream rent the air. Crux shoved her back into the tiny storage area where he'd found the shoes and joined her, blocking her view of the hallway with his body.
Footsteps hustled, slapping against the metal, and something was dragged behind them. She heard pleading words and gasping cries and wanted to run out and save whoever was in trouble.
Instead she waited. She told herself that Crux would stop her from doing something as stupid as charging straight into the enemy, but he didn't have to do anything to hold her back except stand there. She held herself in place.
A few moments later, the footsteps and cries were gone. She and Crux shared a look, and even though he was an alien dragon, she could read the regret in his expression.
"I'll come back and save who I can," he promised, lips tight and eyes grim.
Courtney nodded. He wasn't promising her, she understood. He was promising himself. He couldn't walk away and leave people to suffer.
Crux made sure the hallway was clear before leading her out and down to another store room. This one was full of strange looking tools. Crux took his time looking them over before choosing one and attempting to remove her collar. It didn't do anything.
He went through five more tools before his shoulders slumped. "The proper keys are likely to be on the guards. We'll need to find one, and I can't char him, as it would risk the tool we need. Stay close. We're almost done."
But maybe luck had turned to their favor. "I bashed a guard's head in when I escaped. Maybe he's still by my cell." She could still remember the sickening crunch. Did it count as murder when it was an alien? That was another thing Courtney couldn't think about too closely.
Crux didn't seem concerned about the morality of alien murder. "Can you find your way back there?"
Courtney nodded. Now that she was back on the ship, she could make sense of where she was. It wasn't nearly as disorienting as her escape had been. But she didn't take the lead. Crux followed her directions as she told him which way to go, but he stayed ahead of her just in case they met any aliens intent on destruction.
They didn't.
They made it to her old cell in just a few minutes, and Courtney was disappointed to see that the alien she had beaten was no longer there. "He looked dead when I left," she said, preemptively defending herself.
But Crux didn't want to hold it against her. "His compatriots might have moved his corpse. Or, perhaps, you merely rendered him unconscious. It doesn't matter. Let's scavenge some food and find a place to hide for the night. I don't want to get caught out after sundown."
"Any particular reason?" She tried not to focus on the way the collar hung heavily around her throat. She wanted it off. Now. But that wasn't going to happen yet.
"I find it's best not to be caught out on a strange planet in the dark, not until I can find out what dangers lurk." He led her down another hallway.
Dangers. Great. And he wasn't talking about the alien slavers. She didn't want to think about the scary shit that might be haunting the planet.
Crux found a machine and activated the screen, pressing buttons as they lit up. A few moments later, a small hatch beside the screen opened and revealed a stack of what looked like individually wrapped granola bars and four can
teens.
Her protector looked her up and down before grabbing all of the food and stuffing it in his own pockets. Probably for the best. Courtney didn't have pockets of her own. And she hated to think how something would taste if she stuck it in her skate boot to carry it.
They were lucky not to meet any more aliens as they escaped the ship and Crux led them back into the forest. He moved with the kind of surety that made her wonder if he'd been here before today. Then she realized he was looking at some sort of tablet on his wrist.
"What's that?" she asked. Her mouth was dry, and she could really use some water. She hoped they could stop soon.
"I released a dragonet when I arrived. It's mapping the planet and sending me information." He turned suddenly and they headed up hill.
"There's a baby dragon out there?" This planet was no place for a baby, even if it was a dragon.
Crux laughed. "That must be a translation error. No. The dragonet is a small machine that flies and relays information back to me. All the baby dragons are safe at home, I should hope."
"Oh, so it's a drone." That she understood.
But Crux might not have heard her. They stood at the mouth of a small cave. "Wait here," he instructed before plunging inside.
She felt highly exposed, but there were no evil aliens around to nab her. She was safe. She just had to keep telling herself that.
A moment later, Crux came out. "There doesn't appear to be anything living in the cave. Should be safe enough for the night."
A cave. Wonderful. Courtney wouldn't call herself a camper, but just like with everything else, she didn't have another choice. She entered the cave.
At first it was pitch black, but Crux got a fire started quickly and arranged a small sitting space for her. It wasn't comfortable. They didn't have blankets or pillows. But it was better than nothing.
He set something up by the entrance to the cave.
"What's that?" For a moment, something shivered in front of the cave's opening, but then Courtney blinked and it looked normal again.
"A small force field generator. It will keep anything outside from coming in. I don't want any surprises during the night."
"Good call." She didn't want to imagine what kind of scary creatures might be waiting for them outside. And she certainly didn't want to be caught off guard by any of the alien slavers.
They settled in, and a short time later, Crux offered her the granola bar and a canteen. Courtney tore into the meal, not caring how it tasted. The light slowly started to dim outside and she was grateful for the fire.
Then the sun set completely.
For a moment, it was peaceful. Then she heard the rabid cry of an animal in distress. Then another. Then it was like a hundred beasts howling in unison.
Something thumped against the force field, but after a moment, it seemed to hold.
"What's out there?" she whispered, afraid to summon the monsters with the sound of her voice. The crackle of the fire was loud enough to make her worry.
Crux was grim again. "I don't know. But it sounds like we must be sure not to be caught out after sundown."
The monsters kept screaming, and Courtney knew she wouldn't sleep.
6
After about an hour, the worst of the screams and howls seemed to quiet, or maybe Courtney just got used to them. Crux gave her two more granola bars, and she finished off all the liquid in her canteen. It was thicker than water, sweeter too, but not unpleasant to drink. She didn't ask what it was. She'd had enough surprises for one day.
Crux was sitting a polite distance away, and for some reason, that made her antsy. She looked at the entrance to the cave and saw something fly quickly in front of it, one dark speck moving across the dark sky, almost impossible to perceive. And the only thing protecting them from it was an invisible piece of technology she didn't understand.
That was one thing she could fix. "How does it work?"
Crux looked up from where he'd been staring at the fire and tilted his head in confusion. "What?"
"How does the force field thing work?" She wasn't science minded, but she needed to have some idea of what was going on.
Crux blinked a few times and grimaced. "I regret to say I'm not exactly sure. Something about exciting the molecules within range to solidify them and prevent unwanted intrusions. I promise it works, we've been using them for years."
Courtney slumped against the wall and pulled her legs up to hold them close. Her skates were sitting at her side, in reach if she found herself in need of a weapon but not adding unwanted weight to her shoulders anymore. "So you find yourself holed up in caves hiding from monsters a lot?"
He gave a comforting smile. "Less often than you'd think. We use a modified version of the force field device back home to seal up the windows in buildings to prevent theft and nasty bugs from getting inside. Also works for heat and cold if you adjust the settings correctly, but still can let in breezes. The technology has been around for centuries."
She blew out a breath at that thought. "Centuries. Damn. Sounds like you're pretty advanced."
"Advanced?" He sounded puzzled and shifted a little closer to her, probably to hear better over the crackling fire. "What do you mean? That makes it sound like there's some sort of predetermined path for civilization."
"Isn't there?" Courtney tried to imagine it based on what she'd been taught. "There's pre-history, you know, people hiding out in caves while monsters stalk outside." They shared a smile at that. "Then people learn to farm. There's kingdoms and cities. Eventually someone discovers electricity. There's space travel. I don't know. Seems like a predetermined path to me."
Crux didn't immediately respond, and the thoughtful look on his face made her wonder if she'd said something wrong. "And no society ever deviates? None ever regresses? There is only a forward path to progress?"
"Well, when you say it like that, clearly not." She hugged her knees even tighter. "But it's comforting to think that there's a road laid out ahead."
"Yes, I imagine it is." He didn't even sound smug when he said it, the asshole.
He looked even better in firelight. He was back in his regular human form, but he still wore the utilitarian clothing he'd appeared in when he'd rescued her. It was all back, sleeves pulled up to reveal very nice forearms, and muscles that weren't hidden under all that fabric. His face was sharp and shadowed, the fire making it shift as the flames crackled.
She would have never known he was an alien if she'd seen him on Earth. She probably wouldn't have been able to untie her tongue to talk to him either. He wasn't just hot, he was intimidatingly attractive. Almost insultingly attractive. It actually annoyed her how beautiful he was. And competent. And fire breathing.
"Have I done something wrong?" Crux asked out of nowhere.
"What?" Courtney shook herself out of her train of thought.
"You were scowling at me like I'd asked for favors you refused to permit." He nodded at the fire. "Would you like me to move to the other side?"
"You're fine. And so am I. It wasn't about you." Well, it totally was, but she wasn't going to admit that his hotness bordered on offensive. "What's your home like? Are you really a prince?" It was harder to believe that he was a prince than it was to accept he was a dragon.
"My father is King Venin, the Dragon King, and I am his oldest son. That makes me a prince. One day I will be the Dragon King. Though I hope not for a long time." He shuddered. "Despite our differences, I do love my father and have no wish to see him ill. Nor do I have any wish to shoulder his responsibilities yet."
Dragon King. Cool. Cool cool cool. Courtney bit her tongue to keep from saying anything about that.
"I live in the palace at Dragon City. It's a small city, perhaps thirty-thousand people all told. Hardly the biggest in the kingdom, but more than acceptable for my brothers and I. I fear we might make life difficult if we lived in one of the larger cities. We've found the kingdom functions better when the royal family lives at some remove from everyone."
"We had out of touch royals once too. It didn't end well." She only realized what she'd said once she said it, and her eyes got wide and she pressed her lips together tightly to keep from saying anything else.
But it only made Crux laugh. "My father has residences in every major city in the kingdom and several in smaller towns. He rotates his living quarters every other year and tours the country—at his own expense—with some frequency. I am not so blind that I'd call him perfect, but he does know his people."
"And do you?" She was American enough not to like the idea of a king with unlimited power, but also American enough to be fascinated by royalty.
"I have, but for now I am more focused on honing my warrior skills."
"Is that what brought you here?" She was thankful, but it did seem strange. As far as she knew, he had no connection to this planet or anyone who was on that ship. If it was random chance that had rescued her, she'd be thankful, but she needed to know.
That brough Crux up short, and he stared back at the fire for several moments. "I came here for my own reasons. My father has… it doesn't matter. I am glad that I could be of service to you. I despise slavers and will stop them wherever I can."
It wasn't an answer, but Courtney got the idea that he wouldn't answer if she pressed. And she wasn't entitled to his truth, no matter how much she wanted to know.
"It's late," he said. "You should sleep."
"I don't think that's likely." She could feel exhaustion pressing down on her, but the thought of actually closing her eyes made her want to break out in hives.
"I'll keep you safe," he promised. "And I'll stay far away. No need to worry about me."
She hadn't worried about that at all. "Actually." She hated to ask. He'd already done so much for her. But she had one idea of how she might make sleep come. "Do you think you could sleep close? Right next to me. I'm… feeling kind of alone right now. You don't have to say yes," she was quick to add. "You've already done a lot."
