by KD Jones
“What is this...ranch?”
“It’s a large amount of land that is owned by King Reichardt. He uses the land for farming and livestock. I’m not sure of the exact size of the land but it’s big enough for his clan to have their own cabins.”
“Do the other kings live in Dragoon as well?” He really wanted to know about Arena but he refrained from asking direct questions about her.
“No. Earth is large, and they divided up the regions much like we had on Drakonia, with the leaders ruling their own clans.”
“Will all the kings be present tonight when we land?”
“I’m not sure, but I do know that one previous king will not be there — Dyson.”
“Why won’t he be there?” He stood a little straighter at hearing a familiar name — one with unpleasant memories.
“He has been stripped of his official title and all the privileges that went with it. In fact, he is wanted for crimes against Drakonians and humans.”
“He tried to abduct Queen Arena back on Drakonia right before we were attacked. There had been no time to exact justice then. I guess he hasn’t changed much.”
“Dyson is the worst type of male. If I had time, I would hunt for him and bring him in to face charges for his misdeeds.”
Blaze could hear the fury in Rainier’s voice. Dyson must have committed a very serious crime if this seasoned general felt so strongly about capturing him. Blaze wouldn’t mind hunting down the honorless male himself. He wanted to feel useful. That’s if he decided to remain on Earth.
The offer the general had made about becoming a crew member on board the Zyon was tempting. His first priority would be to ensure the safety and well-being of his clan. Zowanda, one of the females from his clan who found her true mate on board the Zyon, recently chose to live on Earth with her new mate. They wanted to try to breed and wished for a stable home life. Living on board the Zyon was fine as a warrior without a family, but as a mated pair, family had to come first.
He didn’t have a mate or a dragonlet, so he could remain, but he worried about his clan. How would they react to his leaving them? Blaze knew that distance was needed between him and Shanna. She had made many attempts to renew their physical relationship during the journey to Earth but he repeatedly turned her down.
Looking out the front window as the pilot landed the ship on a large open field, he could see a few males but couldn’t make out their features. He had twenty minutes before his clan started to arrive.
The general stood up and motioned for his warriors to open the hatch to the ship. The warriors exited first to ensure the surroundings was safe. Blaze felt like he should have been one of those going first to protect the general. He had trained for that responsibility. But this wasn’t his call.
He followed the general out of the ship. As they exited, the males he had noticed earlier approached the ship. The general moved forward and greeted them.
“King Reichardt, good to see you again.”
“General, welcome back to Earth, and call me Reichardt. There’s no need for formality,” King Reichardt said. Then he turned his attention to Blaze as the general made introductions.
“King Reichardt, this is Blaze. He comes from King Zocor’s region.”
Blaze moved forward to clasp forearms. “King Reichardt, it’s good to meet you.”
Reichardt smiled warmly. “Welcome to Earth. We have made arrangements for cabins to accommodate your people. Where are they?”
“They will be arriving in twenty-minute intervals.” He looked at the other males standing around. He could tell by way they observed their surroundings that they were the king’s guards. “Are the other kings here as well?”
“They are waiting to greet all of you at the main lodge. We realize you’ve been on board the Zyon for several months and will need time to readjust to being back on solid land, so we’ll make this a brief greet and meet. Then I’ll have my people show your clan to your cabins. Tomorrow after breakfast, we’ll have a more formal debriefing.”
Blaze frowned at the sound of this debriefing. Reichardt was a king, but he wasn’t Blaze’s king. However, these people were taking in his clan and offering them a home and protection. So, he would hold his tongue—for now.
“Thank you for your hospitality.”
Chapter 14
An hour and a half later, he and his clan members followed the general, Reichardt, and Reichardt’s guards to a large wooden building with a porch that wrapped around the front and sides. It was two stories and the front double doors were massive.
“Many of our people wanted to be here to meet you, but knowing how long your trip was, we thought it best to just have the leaders meet you first, then let you get some rest. There will be a large welcoming party for your clan tomorrow evening. The rest of the leaders are in the foyer waiting to greet you,” Reichardt told them.
The general and King Reichardt went up the steps ahead of them. Reichardt turned back to them just as the general reached to open the double doors. He looked back at the clan, nodding at them reassuringly, then turned to go up the stairs.
As soon as the doors opened, Blaze could hear multiple voices being hushed. There was a group of people lined up a few feet inside the expansive entrance. He watched as King Reichardt kissed a short pretty brunette. Her scent was different than a Drakonian’s. She must be a human.
“Leader Blaze, this is my mate Gemma.”
Blaze bowed. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”
The female blushed. “Welcome to Earth.”
Reichardt introduced him to the next person. “This is my second in command, Drake, and his mate Emily.”
He grasped the forearm of the male called Drake. “It’s good to meet you.”
“You too,” Drake responded.
The next male he was introduced to was already a familiar person to him.
“This is Captain Markus. He has served on the Zyon,” Reichardt said.
He remembered General Rainier speaking highly of Markus. “I feel that I already know you. The general has regaled me with stories of you.”
Markus had a little redness in his cheeks and glared over at the general, who chuckled and looked away. “Don’t believe everything he says. He tends to exaggerate.”
“What kinds of trouble did you get into?” A beautiful female with blonde hair asked, leaning close to Markus.
“Never you mind that. Blaze, this is my mate, Valorie.”
“Hello,” she said with a smile.
“Hello.”
They moved the introductions to the next person in line. “I’m not sure if you met any of the other kings back on Drakonia. This is King Niko, now known as Clan Leader Niko.”
He wasn’t sure whether to clasp forearms or if he was supposed to bow to royalty. Reichardt had clasped his forearm, so he offered his. Niko clasped with a firm grip.
“Welcome to Earth.”
“Thank you.”
King Malachi was next. And then…
“This is Clan Leader Arena.”
When Reichardt moved out of the way to reveal the short petite female of his dreams, he felt like he was experiencing an out-of-body event. His heart beat faster and faster, his breathing seemed to almost stop, and he felt his body swayed a little. He had never felt anything like it, but what shocked him even more was that as soon as her scent reached him, his dragon tried to break from him.
Mate! Claim my mate!
He had to fight to keep control of his inner dragon while he soaked in the lovely vision of her. She hadn’t aged much at all. Her long black hair was braided and held up on the top of her head; her pale skin shined with healthiness. He lowered down to his knees before her.
“My queen.”
“Blaze,” she whispered his name. Her voice, a soft silky sound, seemed to wrap around his heart and soul. Tears filled her eyes and she moved forward to place her hands on his cheeks. “I can’t believe it’s you. How is this possible?”
He cleared his th
roat, which had clogged from so many emotions going through him.
“A mage helped me.”
King Reichardt questioned him. “A mage?”
“Yes, a mage managed to reopen a portal for me, but it led me to a different location than here.” He never took his eyes off of Arena. She was even more beautiful than he remembered, and he couldn’t get enough of her scent.
“Why don’t we show your people to their cabins while we do a short briefing?” Reichardt offered.
Finally, he managed to take his eyes off the delectable female and looked over to where his people were greeted by the other kings. They were watching him and could see that they were curious but also very tired. Blaze nodded. “I would appreciate that.”
Reichardt had Captain Markus and a few other warriors escort his clan out of the ranch house. “We’ll meet in my private office with just the leaders and General Rainier.”
Blaze didn’t say anything as he walked alongside King Reichardt, but he could feel Arena’s eyes on him. There were so many questions he wanted to ask Arena, but he would wait for a more private time. Maybe after the briefing.
Chapter 15
It’s him! Arena couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw him. So many emotions filled her from joy and excitement to...desire. Her inner dragon was bouncing inside wanting to get out, which was unusual because she never reacted to any male.
She had always found him attractive but she didn’t think she previously had this same reaction to him before. Her inner dragon was telling her that he was their true mate, but that couldn’t be. Could it?
As she walked a few feet behind him, Arena took in every inch of Blaze. He seemed taller, broader, with even more muscles than before. There was not an ounce of fat on him. He wore a warrior’s uniform that looked similar to General Rainier’s. When he glanced back at her briefly, she nearly tripped.
“Are you all right, Arena?” King Malachi asked, reaching out to catch her elbow and balance her.
She shook loose of his grip, her dragon wanting to breath fire at the male for daring to touch her. “I’m fine.”
“Who is this guy? How do you know him?”
Arena glared at him, not liking that he was questioning her. “He’s from my region of Drakonia.”
She walked a little more quickly to pass Malachi, to avoid answering any more of his questions. She wasn’t sure how much Blaze would want others to know about who he really was. It shouldn’t make a difference to anyone now that he was the illegitimate son of the late king. However, his relationship to Zocor should be a story he told, not her.
They entered the large office/meeting room where a conference table was situated to the right side of the room. Reichardt motioned for them to take a seat as he sat in the chair to the left of Blaze. She would have taken the seat to the right, but Malachi moved past her to take the chair. Growling softly, she walked around the other side of the table to sit across from Blaze. Their eyes locked and she felt something inside her melting with warmth. He seemed to be affected too, because his eyes glowed a little, as if his dragon was trying to break free. An image of them naked in a bed popped into her head. Her heart was racing and she felt hot all over. Quickly she glanced away.
What the hell was happening to her? She had had a few lovers over the centuries but none made her feel the way Blaze could with just a look. Reichardt cleared his throat and the room grew quiet.
“We’re going to keep the briefing short so that Leader Blaze can return to his clan. First, tell us what happened on your last day on Drakonia.”
She could feel Blaze look away from her and she released the breath she had not known she was holding. His voice, a deep baritone, spoke with such knowledge and strength. It made her look at him as a grown warrior, no longer the shy young teenager who wanted to prove himself to his father. He was his own man — one she couldn’t ignore.
“I helped bring an injured male to the temple where the portal was. Buildings were coming down; fire had broken out, destroying most of our city. The lead mage said that he had a way to reopen the portal briefly so that I could cross through but warned me that the timing may be off or I may end up on a different planet, away from the rest of our people.”
King Malachi didn’t look like he believed him. “The portals were designed to work with one of the kings’ blood to close them. Why would a mage open a portal that could remain open for the enemy to cross through?”
“I closed the portal once I crossed over.”
“You’re from Zocor’s region. He had already died and Arena had to drag his body through the portal by herself to close it. How did you close it?”
Arena stiffened in her seat and looked over at Blaze, and he looked at her. She nodded at him, silently letting him know it was okay to tell the truth. At long last, the truth finally came out with his next words.
“I’m King Zocor’s son.”
Chapter 16
Everyone around him was speaking all at the same time. Blaze ignored them and kept his focus on Arena. My gods she was incredible. She had always had grace but the way she held herself so regally, back straight, head tilted slightly as she listened and eyes that could see right through a person — it mesmerized him.
She looked at him now with pride and acceptance. That helped him remain calm in the face of the slight chaos his words had caused.
“That’s a lie! King Zocor had no children and his mate is sitting right there across from you!” King Malachi said, with a little anger creeping into his voice.
“It’s true,” Arena said softly.
“How?” Reichardt directed the question to Blaze.
Blaze looked around the table as he told of his mother and Zocor’s brief encounter to comfort each other at the loss of his mother’s mate. “Zocor saved my mother. She was ready to end her life, but instead, she found that she carried life.”
“Why didn’t your mother come forward sooner to present you and why wouldn’t Zocor acknowledge you publicly?” Reichardt asked curiously.
“Many of you knew Zocor. He was honorable and would have offered to mate her to officially claim me. My mother didn’t want to put a burden on Zocor or to take away the chance for him to find his true mate. She also feared that I might be taken from her and I had become her whole world. The secret she kept and her continued mourning of her true mate eventually took its toll on her health. Before she took her last flight, she told me the truth and asked me to approach Zocor and restore her honor.”
King Malachi looked over at Arena, who remained quiet while he told the story of his heritage. She nodded her head as she spoke up to confirm Blaze’s story. “It is all true. Zocor acknowledged Blaze privately as his son but he did not publicly claim him because he thought it would have hurt me. I had not been able to bear a dragonlet. I had encouraged him to claim Blaze and over the years he often reconsidered it. Instead, we allowed a rumor to circulate that Blaze was a distant relative. Zocor was so proud of the warrior that Blaze had grown into.”
She looked sad as she continued. “Zocor’s health was beginning to fade. The mages believed that because he did not have a true mate to bond with, he became weaker. I know that Zocor wanted to claim Blaze as his son, so I offered to come before the Kings’ Council to request the break in our union.” Gasps sounded from everyone in the room except for Blaze. He remembered Arena telling him her plans before the attack. Hearing it again sounded weird.
“You planned to end your mating to King Zocor?” Malachi asked with a bit of contempt. The way the male spoke to his queen made Blaze clench his fists.
General Rainier cleared his throat. “May I speak?”
Reichardt motioned for him to proceed.
“I knew King Zocor very well. We were close friends, and he confided in me about the circumstances of Blaze’s conception.”
Blaze watched Arena’s flawless pale skin turn pink with embarrassment. It was a personal thing to end a union and discussing her inability to provide an heir for Zocor c
learly hurt her.
“Can we move on with the briefing?” Blaze asked.
Reichardt agreed. “You’re right. Tell us how you came to be on the planet you ended up on?”
“When the city began to fall, I began assisting the effort to get as many of our people as possible to the temple to transport through the portal. One of the elders had been seriously injured, so I carried him to the temple. The mage leader said that nothing could be done for the elder, but that he could reopen the portal to send me. He knew that I was Zocor’s son and that my blood would be able to close the portal behind me.”
“Something must have gone wrong with the portal, because I ended up on a nearly barren planet. But after a few weeks, I discovered a second portal. The second portal sent me to another planet where I came across a small group of Drakonians.”
“Is that when you declared yourself their leader?” Malachi asked.
Blaze glared at the male. Why was he acting like that?
“Stop being an ass and let him tell his story!” Arena said angrily. He had rarely heard her raise her voice. Evidently everyone else was just as taken aback.
Blaze cleared his throat and answered the question. “I did not declare myself their leader. I helped them organize and find a better location to set up a home. They elected me their leader.”
“How long were you on this new planet before the Zyon found you?” Arena asked. It was the first time she asked him anything. He wanted to get her alone and ask her about her life here on Earth. But that would have to wait.
“Ten years,” he answered.
Another round of gasps sounded. “How is this possible? We’ve been on Earth for centuries,” King Niko said. It was the first time he had said anything.
