Dragon’s Secret: Red Planet Dragons of Tajss Book Fourteen

by Martin, Miranda

  I watch him leave, then sit back down on the bed, completely at loose ends. What are they going to do?

  What if Visidion tells Archion he has to leave right away? Would they even let me know? Or would they just toss him out?

  I sit there, ruminating over that.

  Okay. Obviously, I can't be left here alone with my thoughts. I will self-destruct with enough time. I leave the room and start down the hall with the intention of seeking out the girls. I could really do with some girl time right now.

  Luckily, when I go out into the courtyard outside, I see a group of them sitting and chatting. Lana, Calista, Jolie, and Amara all greet me with smiles.

  "Nora, hey!"

  "Hi, Nora!"

  "Come join us!"

  I smile, making my way over to them and taking an open seat.

  "I'd ask you what brings you here, but the rumor mill has been swirling," Amara says directly. She isn't the type to beat around the bush, which I can appreciate.

  "Yeah," I sigh. "The Elders have been pushing Archion to spill the beans about his people. And he is just that determined to keep everything close to his chest."

  "That's difficult," Calista murmurs, her eyes sympathetic. "I'm sorry."

  I nod. "Thank you."

  "I'm sure everything will be fine," Lana says, reaching out to pat my hand. "Visidion is a reasonable kind of guy. Archion hasn't done anything terrible."

  "What exactly did happen?" Jolie asks. "I'm not sure if the news hit us in its entirety, to be honest. It's like getting a story through a long game of telephone."

  I chuckle, shaking my head. I know what she means.

  "The Elders ordered Archion's rooms searched. He didn't appreciate it."

  Amara nods.

  "I wouldn't either," she comments. "And that makes no sense. If you want an alliance with someone, that's definitely not the right way to go about it."

  "I'm glad someone agrees with me," I say wryly.

  "Guys, maybe we should talk about something else right now," Calista interjects, watching my face. No doubt I look just as worried as I feel. "So, how did you and Archion get together?"

  The question, the glitter of curiosity in her eyes, has me laughing.

  "Well, it all started with a sandstorm..."

  I exhaust the subject of how Archion and I got together. Which is truly a testament to how much I don't want to think about the meeting he's in. Then I switch the subject over to them in an effort to continue not thinking about it.

  "Well, Illadon is doing amazing, but he's also driving me right up the wall! You'll never believe..." I relax a little, listening to Calista talk about her child.

  But it doesn't take my mind completely off Archion.

  I don't know if anything can.

  21

  Archion

  I leave Nora behind, following Arawn and Padraig to Visidion's office. As I leave, I have to calm the fear that they won't allow me to come back to her. They could try—but they would never succeed. Settling that surety around me like armor, I face the Tribe Commander.

  Visidion is just as imposing as I remember him being. His laser-sharp gaze focuses upon me as we walk inside, the door closing behind us.

  He doesn't break the silence for a couple of moments, allowing it to settle around us.

  "I suppose these are not the most ideal circumstances in which to meet once more," he finally says in that calm, measured voice.

  I shake my head. "No."

  The corner of his mouth tilts up as he stands and walks out from behind his desk.

  "I hear that you requested a meeting with me," he says, watching me. "Why was that?"

  "I thought perhaps you would be willing to listen to what I had to say," I respond.

  He raises his eyebrows at me.

  "And the Tribe Elders were not willing to listen?" he asks. "I was under the impression that they were willing to listen to anything you had to say."

  "Perhaps. But when someone decides to breach my trust, I am disinclined to be open. Or helpful."

  Visidion nods, his smile fading. "I cannot say that I do not understand."

  "I thought perhaps you would understand about matters of honor. And also, perhaps you would be willing to entertain the possibility of an alliance against the invaders."

  That has him straightening and taking notice.

  "An alliance?" he repeats.

  "Yes. A very valuable one."

  He shakes his head.

  "How do I know that alliance would be a valuable one?" he asks. "You have not revealed any useful information about where you come from, about who your people are. What if you do not have good intentions? What if your people do not have good intentions? I am certain you can understand my reticence."

  It is a fair point. "I am a member of a group called the Order," I explain carefully. I need to give him enough information to assuage his fears, but not so much that I compromise my own oath. "It is a very old and honorable institution."

  He nods slowly, listening.

  "Is everyone in this Order as well trained as you are?" he asks.

  Visidion has not seen me fight, but I am not surprised that he has asked others in the Tribe about me.

  "Yes," I say simply.

  His eyes narrow, most likely thinking about the danger that we could represent if we are enemies rather than possible allies. He should consider that possibility.

  "How many are in this Order?"

  "That I cannot say. I have my loyalties to consider as well."

  He nods, moving to the next question.

  "What reassurance can you give me that the Order is of a sympathetic mind? Because you will have to provide some sort of reasonable reassurance. Allowing you to speak with the rest of your group after you know so much about us...you can see how that is a risk for us."

  I nod. That is also fair.

  "If my intentions were not good, I could have easily left the group I first met to fight the invaders alone. I could have also left them to fight the two other beasts on the way back to their cave system." I shake my head. "I have risked my life to aid the Tribe. If I only wanted information, I could have followed them home and simply watched. But I did not." I raise my hands, letting them drop once more. "I have honored them, honored the rules of their home. Only to have my trust breached. Rather than respecting my own boundaries, they decided to take matters into their own hands. My question for you would be—why should we trust you?" I look back at Arawn and Padraig. "It seems as though I am now a prisoner simply for protecting myself, for protecting my property."

  The silence after that pronouncement is deep.

  Visidion watches me, his mind working quickly behind his gaze. I do not know if I have succeeded articulating my point well.

  "Why are you so adamant about an alliance?" Visidion asks, not addressing what I just said.

  I let out a huff of breath. "By now it has become obvious that the invaders are not leaving. It is also obvious that they are a threat to all of us left here on Tajss. It is only prudent and intelligent to combine forces against the common enemy." I spread out my arms. "Our objectives are matched in this matter. I understand that there is risk involved. But sometimes, one must move forward on faith."

  He watches me, leaning back against his desk, tapping his fingers on the top as he thinks.

  "You make a convincing argument," he finally says. "If I were to consider this, how would you propose we meet with your Order?"

  I have already thought of this, thought of the best way to present this to minimize risk for them.

  "I can lead you close to their territory," I say. It is not a lie—he simply does not know that there are multiple territories. "With an escort, of course," I add, nodding back at Arawn and Padraig.

  "And how will we reach out to them?" Visidion pushes.

  "If we are close enough to the edge of our territory, someone will see us. We will not be left alone for long, not after they recognize me," I explain.

  "You ar
e confident of this?"

  "I am. And when the one of my brothers arrives, I can pose the possibility of a meeting between the Order and the city. A meeting to discuss mutual enemies and any possible trade that might be had." I bow my head slightly. "Assuming I am granted permission to make such arrangements, of course."

  Another pause as Visidion processes my proposal.

  "You will speak to whoever arrives in front of your escort."

  I nod. I understand his trepidation. I know the location of both the Tribe and the city.

  "Yes, of course."

  Visidion sighs. "Archion, I am going to place my trust in you. I hope it is not in vain."

  I feel excitement build but retain an outwardly calm façade.

  "You will not regret it."

  22

  Nora

  When Archion returns to me in one piece, I'm overjoyed. He's safe. I want to throw myself into his arms and twirl around like in the vids.

  Also, Visidion has agreed to meet with the Order to talk about a possible alliance. The outcome is so much better than I could have even hoped for.

  Of course, just as I feel relief settling in, and we take a moment to eat, trouble comes knocking. Typical.

  I hear the ripple go through the crowd before Visidion shows up, a small army of Zmaj already behind him.

  "There is trouble at the perimeter of the city," he announces, looking over the crowd. "Noncombatants should go inside until we take care of the matter." I see Visidion's eyes fall on Archion, and I know what he's going to say before he says it. "Archion, will you join our ranks?"

  "Yes," he agrees without hesitation. Also a response I could have predicted. He would have joined them even if Visidion hadn't asked.

  My heart clenches and my stomach turns over. I don't want him to go into danger. Then again, where and when on Tajss is danger far away?

  Archion turns to me, cupping the side of my face and capturing my lips with his in a hard kiss. When he breaks it, he meets my eyes.

  "I promise to return, Nora," he murmurs, for my ears only.

  I try to smile. "You better." He smiles at me, kissing me again before standing and joining Visidion's group.

  I watch him walk away—towards a battle.

  Worry beats at me, a familiar but heightened feeling in this case. We finally found a sanctuary and now this. I've been so stressed out, I feel the urge to just curl up and start crying now.

  I take a deep breath, trying to control myself, to control my emotions. I'm usually very good at keeping my head these days, but that was before I found something as profound and soul-shaking as what I have with Archion. I'm desperately afraid of losing him. I never realized how fearful I could be until now, until I have something so precious to lose.

  I head back to our apartment almost in a daze, trying to keep it together. When I get there, I just curl up in bed, trying not to think about anything. I'm not at all successful.

  At one point, there's a knock at the door. It's Calista and the rest of the girls.

  "Can we come in?" she asks when I open the door. She holds up a plate. "We come bearing food and drink."

  I smile at her wanly, stepping back and opening the door wider to let them all in.

  "Sure."

  They all give me sympathetic looks as they march in, holding plates and bottles.

  "There is no point in worrying about it," Amara says, not unkindly. "This is kind of a fact of life here. And the Zmaj are exceedingly good at battle. I'd bet money on them any day."

  "I know. But I can't stop worrying." Nothing but having him back with me will stop that.

  "Oh, sweetie," Amara murmurs, giving me a hug. "Here, food always helps me."

  "And gossip," Jolie adds.

  I laugh, taking the cup of wine Amara hands over to me.

  "Some alcohol doesn't hurt either."

  Amen to that. I take a sip and settle in.

  "Thanks for coming guys," I say, looking around the circle of friendly faces. "It means a lot."

  "We have to stick together," Calista says. "All we have here is one another."

  I appreciate the sentiment. And she's right. We need to hold each other down. So we talk. Or, more accurately, they talk and I mostly listen, eating and drinking.

  It's really sweet of them to come and try to get my mind off things, to distract me from my worry. It's partially successful, distracting me enough that I don't feel like my heart is going to beat out of my chest, but there is no way to completely push aside thoughts of Archion and what he's facing out there. Eventually, all of us start to tire. When I yawn, covering my mouth, Amara finally stands up.

  "I think it's time to call it a night, girls," she announces. "Sleep is knocking."

  I nod while everyone else agrees.

  "I'm right down the hall if you need me," Calista offers. "We all are."

  I walk them the few steps to the door and smile at them, feeling my heart warm.

  "Thanks guys. It means a lot."

  A minute later, we've all said our goodbyes and hugged each other. I'm alone in the room again. Sighing, I climb into bed, not at all optimistic about actually sleeping. And I'm not wrong.

  I toss and turn, trying not to think about Archion getting hurt—or worse. But eventually exhaustion takes over.

  I fall into a fitful sleep waiting for Archion to come back to our bed.

  23

  Archion

  The sky has that hint of dark gray that it gets just before dawn.

  I walk through the city streets with the other Zmaj, our group slowly dwindling as we each return to our respective quarters.

  Impatience beats at me as I enter our building. I have never had this great of a desire to return home. Or ever thought of a temporary place as home before. The thought gives me pause. I suppose home is now wherever Nora is.

  I open the door to our shared apartment and step inside noiselessly. It is dark, quiet. The only sound is Nora's steady breathing as she sleeps.

  Moving silently, I stop beside the bed, something inside me settling as I watch my love, safe and sound. I do not slide in next to her right away, wanting just to absorb the sight of her for a moment.

  This female, my mate, has become near everything to me. There are no questions in me anymore when it comes to her.

  I will take her home with me. The Order will accept her. The Elders will have no choice in the matter.

  I appreciate Visidion's trust because it makes the trip easier, and I believe there may be opportunities for trade, an opportunity for an alliance of some kind. Though anything I can reveal to Visidion depends solely on the Order. How much they will allow me to expose in the face of real trade opportunities.

  But I do not want to think of that now. For tonight, I want to simply enjoy the love of a millennia.

  I slide under the covers at last, pull Nora into my arms, and kiss her soft mouth.

  Her eyes flutter open.

  "How did it go?" she murmurs, kissing me back, her arms rising to pull me in even closer.

  The question is clear in her eyes when she pulls back. I answer it.

  "There was no trouble," I reassure her. "Nobody was significantly hurt."

  I do not add yet that we could tell that the invaders recognized me from my earlier decoy attempts. Their reaction told me that they remembered I had led them on a fruitless chase. When they recognized me, they turned wary, eventually breaking off the battle and doubling back—possibly to gather more reinforcements. Their reaction did not go unnoticed.

  Visidion remained unworried at the response. If anything, I could see it made him think of the Order and the possibility of an alliance. It encouraged him to seriously consider a relationship with the brothers of a Zmaj who could strike such fear into our mutual enemies.

  "Quite impressive," he'd muttered, watching them retreat. "Very impressive, actually." The look he gave me afterwards was assessing, almost calculating.

  "No trouble?" Nora asks, frowning. "But then why were you
gone for so long? Are you saying there wasn't anybody there? That doesn't make any—"

  I press a finger against her lips. "Shh. Let us not talk of this quite yet," I say softly, my mouth just touching her neck, as I slide a hand down her side to grip her lush backside. "I would like to think of only you now."

  Her face softens as I roll on top of her, her gaze heating.

  "Yes," she murmurs. "I'd like that too."

  She was sleeping in only her undergarments, an impediment that is quickly gone, along with my own clothing.

  This time, the lovemaking is sensual, a homecoming. Her body is a lush feast, one I take my time with. I suck at her pert nipples until she is writhing underneath me, then I settle between her legs, licking at her delicious, hot taste. I hold her rounded thighs down, enjoying the way her body tenses underneath my mouth, the way she calls out my name.

  "Archion!"

  I lick at her, suck at her, until she goes limp underneath me. I could spend hours kissing her there, in that delicate, private place—the feminine heart of her. But I also want to be inside her. I rise up so we are face to face, and I kiss her swollen mouth as I nudge my erection into her. I am so hard I feel close to bursting. As I feel more often than not when I am near Nora.

  I watch her face as I move inside her, holding myself up so I do not crush her delicate frame. She has a hot, wet, tight grip around me. I cannot imagine anywhere I would rather be. I have never felt this much. Not emotionally, not physically.

  I told her hips, finding just the right position so I hit that small pleasure spot at the very top of her cleft. She cries out, freezing underneath me when pleasure overtakes her again.

  I do not close my eyes, wanting to see every moment. She is so beautiful, so perfect. When she falls back on the bed, breathing hard, she opens her eyes. I lean down to kiss her again.

  "You are mine, Nora," I whisper against her lips.

  It is a mating claim, and though she does not yet know the ways of my Order, I know what my eyes are communicating along with my heart.