Draekon Pirate

by Lee Savino

  Every citizen in the High Empire knows that the Great War had ended in disaster for the Draekons. Only the six of us know how it started.

  And whatever Fifth might believe, he wasn’t responsible for the millions of deaths. “It was not your fault.”

  “You’re wrong,” he says flatly. “What did First say?”

  “He rambled somewhat,” I hedge.

  An impatient look flashes over his face. “Fourth, just tell me. I’m not going to try and kill myself again.”

  Caeron, I hope not. The first attempt had been bad enough. “He said that he’d plotted, along with the Supreme Mother, to overthrow the High Emperor. He implied that he’d been instrumental in causing the Great War. It was part of his plan that you’d hold yourself responsible.”

  “No.” Fifth shakes his head violently. “No. I know what I did. No matter what First says, nothing will change that.”

  He needs to talk to a healer. “Listen,” I begin. “I know you’re busy searching for the human women, but have you considered—”

  “I found them,” he says, cutting me off.

  I sit up. “You did? When?”

  “A couple of days ago.”

  I try to read the expression on his face and fail miserably. “Are they…?”

  “Alive? Yes. In good health? No. They’ve been tortured for seven months. They’re badly damaged. The healers could fix the physical damage. The mental wounds go too deep.”

  “The other human woman that Kadir found, Tanya Sinclair. They were able to wipe her memory and return her to Earth.”

  “It’s no longer an option,” he says. “Kelek ab Rahni has refused to transport them. Last month, his cargo ships were blown up by the Triumvirate patrols. He thinks they’re onto him.” His expression turns bitter. “The human women live at the Rebellion headquarters. I’m here too. Every time I walk into a room that she’s in, Naomi flinches.” His lips twist. “It’s an appropriate reaction for the mass murderer that I am.”

  “You are not that. Didn’t you hear what I said? First manipulated you.”

  “I heard you. I don’t believe you.” I start to protest, and he raises his hand to stop me. “Let it go, Fourth. It’s all in the past anyway.”

  Except it isn’t. Not when it’s keeping Fifth from living his life.

  By the time the night rolls around, I’m in a dark place. Dariux wants to bargain with Theldre. Theldre doesn’t think the Rebellion is worthy of trust. Fifth is always going to carry the wounds of the past. And I have to let Diana go.

  I try to fall asleep in my narrow bed, but I can’t. Finally, I give up. I get up, make my way to Diana’s quarters, and knock on her door.

  She opens it. She smells of flowers and spice. Her hair is tousled, and her eyes are sleepy, and she’s never looked more beautiful to me. I see her standing in the doorway, and the absolute necessity of her washes over me like a tidal wave. “Can I come in?”

  “Of course.” She steps aside. “Are you okay, Mirak?”

  I am now. Because Diana feels like home.

  I am in so much trouble.

  26

  Diana

  We sleep together for the next three nights.

  Every night, without fail, Mirak comes to my quarters, and I let him in. We make love. Sometimes sweet and tender. Sometimes, hard and raw and passionate. Always amazing.

  We share stories of the past. Mirak sometimes tells me stories of battles fought and wars won, but mostly, he talks about his brothers. Serious Kadir and prankster Ruhan, tortured Fifth and unflappable Sixth. I don’t ask him about First. The shadow on his face warns me to tread lightly. Those aren’t good memories for my Draekon.

  In the deepest night, I relive the memories I block out during the day. When I tell him about sneaking away from my aunt and visiting my dad, only to discover his body, he hugs me tight and kisses away my tears, and for the first time, the guilt that has held my heart captive loosens its grip.

  I dream of a future with him, a future where we live on the Mahala, and we rob a succession of evil corporations and corrupt guilds. Still pirates, but the good kind. The Robin Hood kind. Mirak will be our navigator, of course, and I’ll be the captain, but he’s secure in his manhood and that doesn’t intimidate him. During the day, we’re professional, but at night, we shut the world out, and he bosses me around in bed, and I love it. In my fantasies spun from hope, Thel is well again. Lisa and I go shopping between raids, and we giggle and swap naughty stories about our partners. I buy pretty things to wear, and in the privacy of our bedroom, Mirak tears them off my body, too impatient to wait. I pretend to be irritated, but I secretly love his passion.

  I build endless castles in the air, but I never once ask Mirak what it is that we’re doing. He said that all he had to offer was one night, and we’re way past that, but every time I want to broach the topic, my courage fails me. I’m the Second-in-Command of a feared pirate ship, and I don’t have the guts to ask the guy I’m sleeping with where he sees this going.

  Then, on the fourth day, we arrive at the Rompthik sector. We land in Ghanay, where a Rebellion ship is waiting to transport the sixty injured Draekons to safety. To avoid prying eyes, we’ve booked the entire spaceport. As soon as Soren runs his scans and makes sure we’re not being bugged, I give the order to go ahead with the transfer.

  It’s not just the Draekons that are leaving us today. It’s also Danax.

  I’ve gone back and forth on what to do with the Zorahn scientist. I don’t want him on board the Mahala; we’re not set up to be a prison. He should be tried for his crimes, but because he experimented on Draekons, the High Empire won’t do a damn thing. For one idiotic second, Zabek argued that we should kill him, but then he took one look at my expression and wisely shut up.

  In the end, we’re going to wipe the last week from his mind and drop him off in Ghanay. This is a populated world and not a particularly violent one. He will probably survive, and if he doesn’t, I can’t bring myself to care. I might not have the stomach to put a bullet in his brain, but I also cannot forget what Danax did, and I will never forgive him for it.

  Azeer’s normally in charge of unloading cargo, but nothing about today is routine.

  The Draekons are people, not stolen goods. Several of them are still in serious condition, balanced on the knife-edge between life and death. Odrien has been forced to put them into stasis, and he’s visibly unhappy about it.

  We’ve also never worked directly with the Rebellion. Although our goals have often been aligned, Thel has always been militant about maintaining his independence. This ship-to-ship transfer is a first for us.

  I want to oversee this operation personally.

  Azeer is standing at the foot of the ramp when I disembark. He stands up straighter when he sees me. “The transfer is underway, Chief Officer,” he says. “Odrien’s inspected the med-bay on the Toran, and he’s satisfied with its condition. We’ve already moved the first five Draekons. We will be done in the next twenty minutes.”

  “There’s no hurry,” I reassure him. “Everyone’s a little squirrelly from the voyage. We have the spaceport booked for the entire day, and the crew is officially on leave. Why don’t you head out too? I can manage this.”

  He flashes me a smile. “Thank you, Chief Officer.”

  I’m watching Odrien fuss over the last of the patients when Mirak comes up behind me. “Diana,” he murmurs, wrapping his arms around my waist from the back and kissing the side of my neck. “Want to take the day off?”

  A shiver runs through my body. “Why? What did you have in mind?”

  He nibbles my earlobe. “So many things,” he murmurs. “But first, I thought we’d go flying.”

  I twist around and stare at him. My voice comes out in a squeak. “Flying?”

  He flashes me a grin. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, spitfire, but I’m Draekon, which means that I can fly. If you ever had any fantasies of riding a dragon…”

  “Ha, ha.” That is so te
mpting. Ghanay is a warm, humid world. Today, the skies are overcast, and there’s a thick cloud cover that will keep us from being seen. The conditions are perfect. “I can’t. Everyone’s gone out, and someone has to stay behind and guard the ship.”

  “What’s the point of being the Second-in-Command if you can’t abuse your authority?” he quips. “Luckily for you, I found someone to watch the Mahala. Krep and Ganni have volunteered to stay behind.”

  I give him a suspicious look. “Why?”

  “He won the first round of the kiss-fuck-marry bet,” he says with a shrug. “I might have pointed out that everyone would expect him to buy drinks if he went out. The bars in this area are expensive, and Krep likes to save his money.” His lips tilt up. “Admit it. You thought I threatened him.”

  I did. Which isn’t fair. Mirak’s only been on board the Mahala for a few days, but he’s already impressed Azeer, made friends with Krep and Ganni, and taught Sina some wrestling moves. It’s almost like he’s planning on staying.

  He’s not. You’re fantasizing about the impossible again.

  Mirak is here for one reason and one reason alone. He’s’ trying to get Thel to agree to a partnership with the Rebellion.

  I don’t know if he’s making any progress. I could ask him, but once again, I’m being a coward. If Mirak fulfills his mission, he’ll leave. It’s much easier to bury my head in the sand and pretend that it isn’t going to happen.

  “I have always wanted to ride a dragon.” I stand on tiptoe and kiss him. “Give me five minutes to finish up here?”

  Mirak is a good-looking guy. That’s like saying that the sun rises in the east. It’s just a statement of fact. I’ve been around him so much the last few days that I’ve almost stopped noticing it.

  Almost.

  Then he strips off his clothes and shifts into a dragon, and it hits me in a rush all over again.

  Dragon-Mirak is a beautiful, lethal predator.

  He’s huge. The size of him is the first thing that registers. He’s so big that I don’t have words to describe it. His scales are red. Not scarlet, more the deep rich red of a good wine, or maybe the fire red color that leaves turn for one glorious week every fall.

  Large leathery wings emerge from below his shoulders. A row of curved spikes emerges from his spine. His talons are curved and gleam like garnets. His tail ends in an arrowhead-shaped tip.

  His head is lean and angular. His teeth, which poke out from the side of his mouth, look wickedly sharp. His face is covered with smaller scales, lighter in color than the scales on his body.

  I know this is a stupid thing to say, but he looks like a dragon.

  Except for his eyes. When I look into the dragon’s bright green-gold eyes and notice the gleam of amusement in them, I release the breath trapped in my lungs, because I recognize that expression. I’ve seen it often on the face of the man I’ve fallen in love with.

  “How do I climb onto you?”

  The dragon jerks his head toward his tail.

  Got it. Before I can give in to an attack of nerves, I clamber up Mirak’s spine and settle in between his spikes. His scales are warm to the touch, and when I rest my palm on his back, a low thrum vibrates through me.

  This is already the most amazing experience of my life, and we haven’t even taken off.

  “I’m ready,” I tell him. Dragon-Mirak swivels his head around to verify that I’m properly seated. He waits until I grip the spike in front of me. He crouches down, his powerful wings unfurl. He flaps them once or twice, and then he jumps into the air.

  We’re flying.

  Wind whooshes through my hair. I’m grinning like an idiot; I can’t help myself. Mirak soars upward, flying higher and higher, until we break through the cloud cover.

  It’s so warm here. The sun beats down on me. Underneath me is a magical carpet of clouds, in shades of white and blue, as soft as the fluffiest of pillows. Ahead of us is a large flock of bright pink birds. They scatter in fear as soon as they spot the predator in their midst, but when Mirak slices through the sky, oblivious to them, they return. They surround us from a distance, winged escorts as we journey through their dominion.

  Soon, too soon, it’s over. Mirak starts to descend. He touches down with barely a lurch. I slide off him, and he lumbers away a few feet before transforming into a man. A naked man.

  I run to him and hug him tight. “Thank you,” I whisper into his neck. “That was the best experience of my life.”

  He hugs me back. “For you, spitfire,” he breathes into my hair. “I would do anything.”

  We spend the rest of the day walking around the forest paths, browsing the local food market, buying everything in sight, and picnicking on the banks of a lake. When it’s time to head back to the spaceport, I almost don’t want to. It was the perfect day. I’m not ready for it to end.

  Then we enter the spaceport. Thel’s headed up the ramp of the Mahala, leaning on his walking stick.

  Zabek is a half-step behind him.

  Oh crap.

  Mirak stops dead in his tracks. “I thought that he was leaving when we arrived in Ghanay.” He turns to me, his eyes filled with accusation. “What the hell is he still doing here, Diana?”

  27

  Mirak

  She lifts her chin in the air. “Zabek and I have reached an understanding,” she says. “He came to me, and he apologized for what happened in Avela, and I decided to let it go.” She glares at me. “He is Thel’s son.”

  When Diana loves, she loves deeply. Her father isolated her from civilization, brought her up in the harshest of conditions, and failed to give her the skills she needed to live in a society, and she’s never blamed him for it. Instead, she believes she’s partly responsible for her father’s death. That if she’d been living with him, they could have survived the winter together.

  Theldre is like a parent to her. Zabek’s absence will hurt the Ekton pirate, and she won’t even think about causing him pain. Her soft heart will be the death of her.

  “Zabek is a festering sore that you need to lance. He’s going to keep undermining you, Diana. This is a mistake.”

  “I told you already, I can handle Zabek.”

  Of course, she can. But Diana’s my mate. Wanting to protect her is instinctive. Every time I see Zabek, my dragon wants to tear him to pieces. I don’t like him. I don’t trust him.

  Ruhan has been doing some digging. Wherever Zabek goes, he leaves a string of bodies behind. A year ago, when he was the Second-in-Command on the Mahala, he’d led a team on an ill-advised raid on Shamak, just to prove to his father that he was capable. They’d been ambushed. Six people went into that warehouse. Only one, Zabek, walked out alive.

  Then there had been the incident on Besep 3. To save face, Zabek made it seem like he wasn’t in trouble with the Pajeon. Diana had come too close to death that day.

  She should have left the self-centered Ekton behind on Besep 3. She should have surrendered him to the Pajeon and let them extract justice.

  “Can you?” I demand. “I’m not the only one who thinks this is an awful idea. Azeer, Ganni, Maz, Lisa—no one can believe you let him get away with murder.”

  She flushes, hot and furious. “You’ve been discussing this with the others? What the fuck, Mirak? You don’t think that undermines me?” Her face fills with hurt. “You don’t trust my leadership. You don’t think I’m capable of being in charge.”

  What? Diana thinks I’m undermining her? She thinks I don’t trust her? The accusation stabs me. Of course I haven’t been discussing Zabek. But people talk, and I keep my ears open, and I make sure I know what’s going on. If there’s even a hint of mutiny from this crew, I will act. Diana’s safety is not negotiable.

  You’ve hurt her, you idiot. Make this right.

  “That’s not fair,” I bite out. “I think you’re capable. I think you’re amazing. I always have.”

  Tell her she’s your mate. Tell her why you’re wound so tight when it comes to her. Te
ll her that you love her. That until you met her, you were just existing. That she has brought you to life.

  I take a half-step toward her, suck in a breath, and reach for her hand. “Diana, this is a stupid fight. Look, there’s something I need to talk to you about. I—”

  Both our comms erupt at the same time. Azeer flings himself down the ramp and runs full speed toward us. “Chief Officer,” he gasps. “We have an emergency.”

  28

  Diana

  He says he thinks I’m capable.

  Do I believe him?

  I’m not sure.

  Yes, Mirak seems perfectly content being our navigator. Yes, he’s always been perfectly supportive. He’s never once treated me with disrespect.

  But maybe that’s just because he’s not planning on sticking around. After all, why make waves when you’re not invested?

  There’s a pit in my stomach, a feeling that this is all a dream, and that any moment, I’m going to wake up and discover that it isn’t real. That it’s all a lie. That I’m back in the scientist’s lab, and he’s experimenting on me, and it’s agonizing, and I’ve constructed an elaborate fantasy to dissociate from the pain. That everything good that’s happened to me since I left Earth—Thel rescuing me, my time with Mirak—is nothing other than a coping mechanism.

  My screen is flashing urgent messages. Azeer looks like he’s freaking out, and he never does. Krep and Ganni are prepping the Mahala’s takeoff procedures. I don’t have time for feelings. Not now.

  I sprint into the conference room, Mirak at my heels. Thel is already there. So is Zabek, though, once again, I have no idea why. Soren is there too, looking at his screen with a frown on his face.