Ambushing Ariel

by S. E. Smith

Sometimes, she just punches, he thought affectionately.

  He stepped over a small bundle of fur as he made his way to the cleansing unit with a shake of his head. The two Tasiers were still loose. He needed to remember to tell Ariel about how they liked to reproduce. He figured those two must be of the same gender since they were in the same cage so he wasn't too worried. He chuckled as he walked into the cleansing room. Ariel still referred to it as a ‘bathroom’. He looked back at his mate as she rolled over seeking his pillow to cuddle. Shaking his head, he marveled at how much his life had changed in just a few short weeks.

  He needed to get cleaned up and meet with Adalard. They would be traveling down to the small unnamed moon. It was nothing more than a dry dust ball but Adalard promised him the contact they were supposed to meet knew where Raffvin’s base was hidden. He frowned when he noticed another small fur ball curled up in the shower looking up at him. He nudged it with his foot to get it out and watched as it hopped into the other room.

  It was probably going to end up in bed with Ariel, he thought with a shake of his head.

  Showering quickly, he dressed quietly so he wouldn’t disturb his mate. He walked over to the bed to give her a kiss. Sure enough, two furry balls were snuggled up against her back. He fought back a chuckle as he lightly kissed her cheek and she swatted at him with a mumble.

  Your mate not like mornings, his dragon rumbled with a satisfied sigh.

  No, she doesn’t, Mandra agreed in amusement as he held her hand so he could brush her lips.

  He straightened with a sigh of his own and quietly left the room. He would rather be curled up with his mate than having to deal with his uncle. He would be glad with the bastard was dead. Mandra never saw the other eight bundles of fur crawling out from under the covers to join the other two curled up next to his mate. Precious lifted its head as the small bundles moved out from under the covers and snorted. It would not do anything to displease its mate, even if that meant protecting her multiplying brood of pets. With a shake of its huge head, Precious curled up on the end of the bed with a contented sigh.

  Chapter 19

  Adalard looked up when the door opened and studied the legendary Valdier warrior prince as he walked into the conference room off the bridge. The big bastard looked entirely too happy, Adalard thought in disgust. He would have to ask him where he found his mate. The female intrigued Adalard. Maybe he would have to visit the female’s planet to see what some of the other women were like.

  “You have a satisfying night?” Adalard asked with a knowing grin stretching the scar on his face.

  Mandra’s huge grin was enough to answer his question. “Have you notified Zebulon of our meeting?”

  Adalard chuckled as he nodded. “Did anyone ever tell you, you are one lucky dragon?” Adalard asked just as Zebulon walked into the room.

  Zebulon took one look at Mandra’s face and snorted. “Did she wear the sapphire dress?”

  Mandra’s eyes narrowed as he stared at his head of security. “Remind me later that I have to kill you.”

  “Told you it was a killer,” Zebulon mumbled disgruntled as he walked over to pour himself a hot drink. “Did she show you the white one with the hint of gold in it? She had to make sure it matched the rose and gold in her scales.”

  The sound of a dark snarl filled the room as Mandra rose slowly out of his seat. Zebulon turned and backed up warily, setting his drink back down as he moved around the huge conference table. Maybe he shouldn’t mention any of the other things Ariel purchased if he valued his life.

  Adalard’s husky laugh filled the air. “If he gets this wound up over you just mentioning the clothes that she bought, I can’t wait to see them. Do you think his mate will model all the things she purchased? I wouldn’t mind…” Adalard’s words were cut off as he found himself laid out flat on the conference table with a very pissed off Valdier warrior fighting for control of his dragon.

  “Or perhaps not,” he murmured.

  “Definitely not!” Mandra snarled out trying to get control of his dragon. His eyes flashed to Zebulon who had picked up his drink again and was making his way tentatively to the other side of the table. “She is mine!”

  “We both agree,” Zebulon said nodding to Adalard. “I don’t think killing a Curizan prince is a good idea. Maybe we can focus on finding and killing your uncle instead.”

  Mandra released Adalard who grinned over his shoulder at Zebulon. Neither were concerned that Mandra would really kill them but it didn’t mean they couldn’t get a rise out of the normally stiff and unemotional prince known for holding himself to a higher standard. It would appear he lost all control when it came to his luscious mate.

  “You say this mercenary you know can tell us where Raffvin has his base of operations?” Mandra said taking a deep calming breath.

  “He is actually an admiral in our military. Bahadur has been acting as a mercenary for hire. He has made numerous trips to the base delivering weapons to Raffvin for the past several months. It was not easy. Raffvin didn’t trust him with good cause. Bahadur has a way of making anyone uneasy around him. That was one of the reasons we chose him. He doesn’t always follow orders,” Adalard said bringing up a holovid of Raffvin’s base.

  “Why doesn’t he just give us the information and we can take over from there?” Mandra asked sitting down with his own drink at the table to study the holovid in front of him.

  “Raffvin has his new weapon as you mentioned. He also has security set up so he is warned in advance of any approaching spaceships of any kind. He changes the passcode every seventy-two hours,” Adalard replied leaning forward to point out different satellites stationed around the planet Raffvin had converted to a base. “Bahadur knows how to get through them.”

  “Does he know anything about the weapon my uncle has developed?” Mandra asked quietly.

  The thought of his uncle having a weapon powerful enough to destroy a symbiot was something to be greatly concerned over. No one, including the Valdier, really knew exactly how powerful their symbiots were. The creatures were gentle unless provoked to protect those they had imprinted on. Mandra could feel the pain that resonated from his symbiot when those of the guards were destroyed, even from the vast distance that separated them.

  “Bahadur will fill you in on what he believes it is when we meet with him,” Adalard explained changing the holovid to the moon they were orbiting. “We meet him here.”

  Mandra looked at the map on the holovid and noticed Adalard was pointing to a series of caves on one of the few rocky areas. He knew the temperature of the moon could reach temperatures hot enough to kill anything left out in it for more than a few hours. The caves lining the small mountain range provided a natural area for shelter from the sweltering heat.

  “It will be the three of us…,” Zebulon began.

  “And me,” a voice added as the door opened.

  All three men turned to stare at Ariel who was standing in the doorway of the conference room. She was wearing a short, hot pink top that said ‘Bite Me, I’m a dragon’ on the front of it in tiny crystals, a pair of low cut pants and no shoes. Her hair was a silky wave of white with gold highlights flowing down to her waist. Her brown eyes still held the sleepy look as if she wasn’t quite awake. That look was confirmed when she yawned really big before giving her mate a small, sexy smile.

  Mandra stood up and moved around the table toward her. “What are you doing up? I expected you to sleep half the day away,” he said gruffly.

  Ariel laughed and shook her head. “The little ones were hungry. I left them enjoying a bountiful plate of fresh fruit,” she said before leaning into him and whispering, “My dragon wants out. She is clawing at me.”

  She must not have whispered it quite as quietly as she thought from the muffled laugh from Zebulon and Adalard. She peeked around Mandra with a playful frown on her face. Her eyes widened when she saw the cups on the table.

  “You have coffee?” Ariel asked hopefully. “Please tell m
e you have coffee and I’ll love you forever and ever!”

  Mandra growled out as Ariel moved around him. He wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her possessively closer as he shot a look of warning at both men. He would get her what she wanted.

  “I will program you some coffee in,” Mandra muttered sitting Ariel down next to his chair. “Trelon’s little mate uploaded it into our system before we left.”

  “Cara is the most wonderful being in the universe and has my undying devotion for the rest of my life!” Ariel groaned out as she sniffed the brew Mandra handed her. “OMG! This is heaven. I might not have to kill anyone today, after all.”

  Adalard chuckled. “I look forward to meeting your little friend.”

  Mandra shook his head. “No, you do not. She never sleeps, never stops and is always getting into everything. She drove Trelon to the limit of his control.”

  “And he loves her and accepts her for who and what she is,” Ariel growled out in warning.

  “He needs to tame her before she gives birth,” Mandra said arrogantly looking at Ariel in warning.

  Ariel sat up and looked pointedly at Mandra. “And what exactly is that supposed to mean?” She asked in a deceptively calm voice.

  “She needs to learn to obey Trelon and do what she is told to do. It is for her safety and for their younglings. It is not right for her to be endangering her life or that of their offspring. She needs to rest and listen to what she is told,” Mandra explained calmly not understanding the darkening look on his mate’s face.

  ..*

  Ariel was quiet for the rest of the conversation. Mandra finally gave in about taking Ariel with him when she said could always model some of her new clothes. She figured she could see what the guys in the training room thought of them. It might develop into a side business for her back on Valdier. Mandra had forbidden her from modeling anything without his approval first. One look at his mate’s determined face and he knew she would do it anyway. She was upset with him about something and he didn’t have time to figure out what it was. With a sharp command to Zebulon to make sure the shuttle was ready, he and Adalard went off to check on the weapons they would need while Ariel went to get her boots.

  “Learn to obey, my ass!” Ariel growled as she angrily stomped into their living quarters.

  She was so pissed at Mandra’s chauvinistic attitude she didn’t notice all the little fur balls at first. They were moving in and out through the vent under the dining table, dashing back and forth around the couch in the living area, and hopping out of their sleeping quarters. She stopped putting her boots on to look around with a frown.

  Where did all the little fur balls come from? She wondered vaguely shaking her head before shrugging. Maybe someone else had some on board and they knew she would take care of them.

  Ariel petted a dozen or more of the little creatures as they hopped up, curious to see what she was doing. She laughed as a couple of them played with the strings on her boots. She loved watching them as they rolled around on the floor.

  “You guys sure are having a lot of fun. Where did your little friends come from? You do know Mandra is not going to be happy if he sees all of you in here, don’t you?” Ariel chuckled affectionately before setting two of the furry creatures down. “I have to go. Be good and don’t get into anything.”

  She would have to remember to ask Mandra if he knew where the others came from. Maybe he wanted to surprise her. Ariel didn’t see the dozens of little creatures scurrying through the vents or escaping out into the corridor as she turned to get her jacket at the last minute.

  Chapter 20

  The journey down to the unnamed moon was uneventful. Ariel was still mad at Mandra for his ‘do as you are told’ comment so she ignored his huge ass. She focused on the banter between Zebulon and Adalard. Adalard was cute in a dark and dangerous kind of way. She tried to think which one of her friends back home would be a good match for him. She was about to give up when it hit her.

  “Samara!” Ariel blurted out.

  Mandra, Zebulon, and Adalard stopped talking and looked at Ariel funny. “What?” Mandra asked.

  Ariel laughed and shook her head. “Not what… who. Samara Stephens,” she responded bemused looking at Adalard with a twinkle in her eye. “I was trying to think which of my friends would be the most suited for you, Adalard. I was about to give up when I thought of Samara,” Ariel studied Adalard for a moment before shaking her head again. “Maybe not, she would eat you up and spit you out.”

  Adalard’s eyes flashed at the insult that a female could do such a thing. He was about to snap out a cutting remark when Zebulon glanced over his shoulder with a grin. Adalard shot Zebulon a nasty look at his amused chuckle.

  “Which one do you think would be good for me?” Zebulon asked jokingly.

  Ariel studied Zebulon for a moment before her lips curled into a knowing smile. “Annalisa Hollins. That is if you could catch her before she killed you. She wasn’t feeling too friendly toward men when I left. I can’t really blame her. If some guys were trying to kill me, I wouldn’t like them too much either.”

  Zebulon stiffened in anger. “What do you mean ‘tried to kill her’? Why would a male want to kill your friend?”

  “She is, or rather was, a detective from Miami. That is similar to being head of security in a way. She had a really tough case that she had been working on for about a year. Anyway, she was finally able to crack it. The problem was the bad guy was the son of a really rich man. The dad put out a hit on her while the son thought he could use a more personal approach to silence her. She ended up killing the son when he tried to kidnap her. The dad was finally sent to prison but Annalisa had to go into a witness protection type program for a while because daddy was still pissed at her for killing his worthless son,” Ariel explained. “I can tell you guys this since the likelihood of you ever meeting her or going to Earth is probably nil. She’s working as a deputy in my hometown of Casper Mountain, Wyoming.”

  Zebulon didn’t turn around or ask any more questions. Ariel figured the guys would ignore her again. She was surprised when Adalard suddenly turned to her with a curious expression on his face.

  “Why do you think this Samara would eat me up and spit me out?” Adalard asked.

  Ariel shook her head. “She has five older brothers almost as big as you. She is a small thing but meaner than a hungry dog with a bone. All the guys are scared of her. She works for Trisha’s dad. She handles all the horses for him. I just thought if anyone could handle her, it might be you. She couldn’t intimidate you, at least not easily.”

  “Well, maybe I will go find this Samara and show her I am not a male she can scare!” Adalard said with a grin.

  “Maybe,” Ariel replied with an unsure look on her face. “I’m telling you, she has taken bigger men than you and put their butt in the dirt.”

  “We are almost to the mountains,” Zebulon called out suddenly. “There is a sand storm brewing and the winds have picked up. Make sure you are strapped in tight.”

  Mandra moved over to sit in the seat next to Ariel while Precious moved to lay at her feet. Thin gold threads wound up on either side of her almost like a type of netting. Ariel giggle as some of the threads moved over her bare belly tickling her.

  “I don’t think it is going to get that bad!” She whispered affectionately.

  Warmth filled her as the threads tightened slightly when the shuttle jerked. “Why didn’t we just beam down,” Ariel called out to Mandra above the roar of the shuttle and outside wind.

  “The moon has a natural ore in it that interferes with the beam making it unstable,” Mandra replied as he gritted his teeth and protectively pulled Ariel closer to his body. “Storms also pop up unexpectedly. If we were to beam into this, we would be dead within seconds from the sands cutting into us.”

  Ariel didn’t say anything else. She was grateful for the warm support of Mandra’s body and Precious as the shuttle jerked against the fierce weather battering it.
She might be mad at him but she wasn’t an idiot, she knew when to pick a battle. Right now, she was more than happy to rely on their strength and protection.

  ..*

  They had to wait for the storm to pass before they could disembark from the shuttle. They landed at the foot of a narrow line of mountains. Ariel got up to use the restroom leaving the men to finish discussing their plans for attacking Raffvin’s base. Her dragon was getting impatient to get out.

  What is wrong with you? Ariel asked impatiently as she brushed out her long hair and braided it.

  Want to fly. Want to touch my mate, her dragon grumbled.

  I want to touch him too. I’ll let you have your way as soon as it is safe. I love how it feels to fly with you, Ariel whispered gently.

  She finished up her braid and returned to where the men were sitting near the front of the shuttle. Ariel stopped as she neared the front looking out the front of the shuttle at the diminishing storm and shook her head. Her life had changed so much in such a short time. She barely thought of her old life anymore. If she stopped to think, the only thing she could honestly say she missed was Trisha’s dad. Paul Grove was like a second father to her. He had been her there for her and Carmen all their life, especially after their own parents were killed. Maybe she could talk to Mandra about returning to Earth to get him. She knew Trisha would never be happy without her dad close by.

  Ariel jerked in surprise when she felt the hand on her chin. “What is it, mi elila?”

  “I was just thinking about how much my life had changed in such a short time,” she replied looking up into Mandra’s concerned face.

  “I hope it has been for the good. I love you, my little warrior,” Mandra said tenderly brushing a kiss along her lips.

  “I love you too,” Ariel responded. “Even if you drive me nuts sometimes.”

  Mandra raised an eyebrow in question. “You usually let me know when I do something that displeases you. I have a feeling I am going to be very good at that,” he muttered with a smile.