The Dragon's Mate

by Jada Cox

  Ella pounded on the door, snapping me out of my thoughts.

  “Emiliano, are you all right in there? Will you be much longer? I’m sorry, but I need to go to work.” The door opened a crack, and she held out a pile of clothing to me. I took it, frowning at the rough textures of the materials.

  “I will be but a few more moments.”

  “I’ll be in the kitchen. If you need me, holler.”

  “Thank you.”

  I shook out the clothing to discern which piece went where and then pulled the pieces on. When I was clothed, I looked into the mirror once again and saw that while the materials were rough, they somehow suited me.

  I found myself wondering what Ella would think of this look. Would she find me attractive or would the rough clothing repulse her? Only one way to find out.

  I exited the bathroom and listened for Ella in the house. I heard noise coming from a room near the door through which we had entered. I made my way to that room and found Ella standing near a counter, a cup in her hand. She looked at me, then sipped dark liquid from the cup, a liquid that exuded a delightful scent.

  “What is that?” I asked.

  Ella lifted the cup she held. “This? Coffee. Life’s blood for me.”

  I reached for the cup.

  “May I?”

  Ella nodded and handed me the cup. I cautiously sniffed the contents and lifted the cup to my lips. It was heavenly!

  “What God gave this to your world?”

  Ella’s eyes widened at my question, but she answered nonetheless.

  “I have no idea, but I sure am glad they did.”

  “I can understand why. It’s is wondrous.”

  I drank to the end of the cup in one movement and then handed it back to Ella. She refilled it and handed it back to me. I sipped this cup more slowly, taking my time to enjoy it.

  She turned from me and gathered a few items from the counter behind her. Her movements, jerky and strangely endearing, sent her keys flying from the counter. I snatched them from the air as they passed me and handed them back to her.

  “You amaze me more with every moment I’m with you,” she whispered.

  “Then we are sharing that experience. You amaze me and my reactions to you amaze me, too.”

  “We really need to go now; otherwise I might be late.”

  Ella walked ahead of me, exiting her home and crossing to her car. I followed, wondering what great adventures would follow here on this planet, where this fascinating woman lived.

  Chapter 4

  I looked. I swear I didn’t mean to, but I couldn’t help myself when he just stood there when I opened the door to hand him the clothes.

  My hands shook as I poured myself a coffee and then attempted to drink it, but my brain wouldn’t stop going around and around that body. The broad shoulders that tapered down to a narrow waist before flaring out to muscular thighs left me breathless and wanting to know if his skin was soft or smooth where it stretched tight over his chest. I had never seen a guy like him. He seemed to be out of this world as if not belonging here on this planet. That was a figure of speech because of course he belonged here. He was just… too hot to be true.

  When he joined me in the kitchen, I thought I’d end up wearing my coffee, my hands shook so hard. Now, he sat beside me in the car, wearing Tom’s jeans and t-shirt, looking for all the world like a normal person, when I knew he was anything but.

  I mean, I found him in the desert, chained to a rock for God’s sake. He spoke like he was from another era, one where women wore long skirts and men bowed over their hands.

  “So, where do you want me to take you?”

  He looked at me for a few moments in silence. I tried not to glance at him as I backed out of the drive. I was already fidgeting in my seat under his heated scrutiny. Finally, he seemed to make a decision and cleared his throat.

  “I need a job, I suppose. I’m sure my name will not garner me the credit necessary to support myself until I am rescued. I need to keep myself occupied, and I’m sure you cannot afford to support me. Would you know of a job for me, perhaps where you work?”

  “I can afford more than you think,” I snapped. There was a superior tone in his voice that set my teeth on edge. “And I’m sure the work that might be available at my company isn’t anything you’d be interested in. We dig in the dirt, and unless you have an advanced degree in engineering, that’s all you would be qualified to do. Dig in the dirt.”

  Emiliano jerked away at my tone. I suppose I offended him, but really, who was he to judge anything about me?

  “What exactly do you do?”

  I glanced between him and the road.

  “I’m an engineer. I design pipelines for natural gas.”

  He nodded and seemed to lose interest as he turned to stare out the window.

  “We have some laborers who work with our pipe teams. You might be able to get on a crew as a laborer. I still think you should see a doctor before you try to work, though.”

  Emiliano dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand.

  “I will be fine. I am already healing. The marks will be gone by morning.”

  “Will someone be looking for you? To take you home?”

  “Perhaps.” He touched his neck, tapping a finger over a spot where it connected with his shoulder. “They should, but the outcome of the battle may have been such that I was no longer a priority. Even if I am a priority, it will still take time before they can come for me.”

  There was a silence between us that I had no idea how to break. The things he just said sounded like utter madness to me.

  “Well, let’s see if we can get you a job at my company. One of the crew members might even know of a place where you could stay… to sleep at night.”

  “I hadn’t considered that need.”

  “Did you have an assistant or something, where you’re from? You seem to need a lot of simple, daily things pointed out.”

  “I had staff at home, yes.”

  I nodded. “That would explain it. I’ll put you in contact with Daniel. He’s the foreman of the labor crew. He’ll be able to help.”

  I took the next exit off the highway to steered the car toward the office where I worked. Emiliano and I rode in silence until I pulled into the parking lot, circling it to find a space near the front entrance. I pulled into a space after a co-worker backed out and left.

  I got out of the car and started to walk toward the building. It took a few moments before I realized Emiliano was still sitting in the passenger seat. I turned back and leaned down to look him in the eyes.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He shook his head. “I’m not used to not knowing what to do or how to do it.”

  “Well, that may be true, but you’re at a time in your life when the lesson to be learned is humility. Come on,” I said while I held out my hand, “I’ll find Daniel and introduce you. He’ll find you a job to work on today and a place to stay the night. You’ll feel better once you have a plan. I promise.”

  Emiliano unfolded his long frame from my small car, standing up and looking around to take in the environment of Lightning Gas and Oil. I looked at the building, trying to see it from his point of view.

  For a fracking company that did significant environmental damage to the land around it on a daily basis, the campus of the main office was deceptively beautiful. The parking lot was divided by small oases of greenery and scrub bushes. The company liked to claim it was a frontrunner in the area of low-water impact landscaping. It made for pretty press, and the campus looked nice, but the truth was that they had chosen scrub bushes because they were cheap, not because they used less water than other landscaping options.

  Emiliano followed me to the front door of the building where I used my key card to enter. We made our way to my office where Michael waited for me.

  “You’re late, Ella,” he snapped as soon as he saw us coming up the hallway. “And we don
’t pay you to bring guests to work with you.”

  “Emiliano is not a guest. He’s here to pick up some work on Daniel’s crew.”

  Michael stood in the doorway to my office and refused to give way as I tried to get into my office. He liked to stand in the middle of the doorway so I’d have to squeeze past him, giving him the opportunity for a grope or a brush. He’d been asking me out since I started working with the company and refused to take no for an answer. He genuinely made my skin crawl and went out of his way to be creepy.

  I turned sideways to edge past Michael as I usually did when he played this game. Emiliano’s hand came down on my shoulder, stopping my progress. I look up at him, shocked to see the fury in his eyes. He looked at Michael and made a sound like a growl.

  “A gentleman gives way to a woman.”

  “What?” Michael’s voice was barely more than a squeak as he took in the fury vibrating off of Emiliano.

  “Move so the lady can enter her office.”

  Michael’s mouth dropped open. Emiliano put his hands on Michael’s shoulders and then moved the other man out of the doorway, pushing Michael until his back ran up against the outside wall.

  Emiliano looked back at me.

  “Is that not better?”

  “Much,” I agreed. “Thank you.”

  “The least I could do to repay you for your help today.”

  I felt heat crawl up into my cheeks.

  “I haven’t really done anything, but you’re welcome.”

  I walked into my office and grabbed the walkie from the charger beside my computer.

  “Daniel, you still on the lot?”

  “I am. What can I do for you, Ella?”

  “I have a man looking for some work for a few days. Do you have room on the crew?”

  “As a matter of fact, I do. A couple of guys didn’t turn up today. Is he strong?”

  I glanced at Emiliano’s muscled form.

  “Oh yeah, he’s strong.”

  “Well, bring him down to the lot. I want to get out to the site before noon.”

  “We’re on our way.”

  I put the walkie back on the charger before turning back to Emiliano.

  “Daniel wants to see you right away.”

  “Then let us go,” Emiliano said, turning and starting towards the door. But before we could leave my office, Michael interrupted.

  “Wait a minute. Who is this guy?” he asked.

  “Really, Michael, it’s not your business. Daniel needs a laborer, and I found him one.”

  “We still need to talk about why you were late and why you think that’s okay.”

  “Fine,” I ground out. “I’ll talk to you about that when I get back from the lot. You heard Daniel. He wants to get out to the site before noon, and he needs this man. Do you want to have to explain to Daniel why it took so long when I told him we were on our way?”

  “No.”

  “Then please excuse us. I’ll be back when Daniel leaves for the site.”

  I walked past Michael and led Emiliano to the truck lot where Daniel staged his work crews.

  Chapter 5

  The man Ella called Michael snarled something rude under his breath and my blood boiled. I reached for the sorry excuse for a man, and he stumbled back from the menace in my expression.

  “Keep that guy on a leash, Ella. Unless you want to see him go to jail.”

  Ella put her hand on my arm, and the fury in my heart drained. I glanced at Ella’s wide, gorgeous eyes.

  “He’s not worth it,” she said softly.

  “If you are sure.”

  “I’m sure, but thanks for caring.”

  “Gentlemen don’t behave like this,” I responded not understanding why a man would treat a beautiful, gentle woman like Ella this rudely.

  “No, they don’t. But we don’t have time to teach him manners. Daniel’s waiting for you.”

  I nodded and followed Ella to the elevators. I looked back toward Michael before the doors closed and saw him standing, arms akimbo, spoiling for a fight.

  “Why does he treat you that way?” I asked Ella.

  “Because he’s an entitled jerk who thinks all women find him irresistible.”

  “Why do you allow the treatment?”

  Ella opened and closed her mouth a few times before answering.

  “I…well, I guess because he can fire me and as much as I hate this job, I need it.” She ran her hand through her hair and leaned back against the wall of the elevator.

  “See, I just moved here from back east. I grew up in Pennsylvania and lived in North Carolina for much of my adult life. I left behind my family and friends. I came here alone, and I have to support myself alone. I don’t even have enough money in my bank account right now to make it back home if I were to leave, what with moving expenses and stuff.”

  “You have no man to protect you?”

  Ella shook her head and gave me an irritated look.

  “No, nor do I want one for that reason.”

  “Then for companionship?”

  “No, I don’t have a man in my life for any reason.”

  “You need a protector,” I said. I’d seen the look in Michael’s eyes. He would only be pushed so far before he would no longer be reasonable. He was dangerous.

  “No, I really don’t. Please don’t do that, Emiliano. Don’t make me into a damsel in distress. I have always taken care of myself, and I will continue to do so long after you’ve gone back to wherever you came from.”

  I tried to protest that I could protect her while I was here, but she stopped me as the elevator doors slid open.

  “Look, I get it. Wherever you’re from, you’re used to people doing what you tell them to do. Let me save you time and frustration and tell you, I’m not the girl who does what a man tells her to do. I’m happy to help you, but please don’t mistake my kindness to a stranger as an invitation to interfere in my life.”

  “My apologies, Ella,” I say, holding up my hands to show her that I mean no harm. “I didn’t mean to imply you couldn’t care for yourself. I can see that you can. I simply meant to offer you assistance with that man. He is a danger to you, if not now, then in the future.”

  She nodded and stepped out of the elevator. I followed as she led the way to the outdoor truck yard where an older man appeared to be awaiting our arrival.

  The man looked at his watch.

  “It’s about time, Ella. You know it takes my crews three hours to get to the worksite. I’ll be lucky if they get anything done today.”

  “You can take that up with Michael. He wanted to discuss the fact that I was ten minutes late today and wouldn’t let me go.”

  “If I didn’t think it’d cause more trouble for you, I might just do that,” he said, giving Ella a friendly wink.

  Ella shrugged and then pointed to me.

  “This is Emiliano. He needs work for a while and a place to crash. You have anything like that?”

  Daniel looked me over before nodding.

  “I’ll hook him up with the guys who stay together. I’m sure they’ve got an extra bunk somewhere.”

  Ella gave Daniel a hug.

  “Thank you. If you need me, feel free to call me.” She looked at me. “I’ve got to get back to my office. Daniel will take good care of you.”

  She reached into her pocket and withdrew some bills, which she pressed into my hand.

  “You’ll need some lunch. Just ask the driver if he’ll stop somewhere so that you can buy some food. I’m sure there are places on their route.”

  “They usually stop at a taqueria on the way,” Daniel chipped in. “They’re cheap and have good food. We’ll take good care of him, Ella. Don’t worry.”

  “Thanks again, Daniel. I owe you lunch next week.”

  “I’ll hold you to that.”

  Ella smiled at me, then turned and walked back to the building. I watched her go, enjoying the sway o
f her hips and the way the light brought out colors in her hair that were otherwise invisible.

  “She’s a pretty woman, isn’t she?” Daniel said.

  “Yes, she is.”

  “You sleeping with her?”

  “No,” I said, a little surprised at the forwardness in his question.

  “But you want to.” It wasn’t a question, and I realized he was right. I did want to hold her and touch her and make love to her. Ella was as different from the women of my world as I was from the men of hers. Her self-sufficient nature appealed to me. She was a woman meant to be a partner, a queen.

  “I want to share a life with her.”

  “Wow, pal. You obviously know what you want,” Daniel said. “But I’m afraid that from what I’ve observed so far, Ella’s not looking for a husband.”

  “Nor was I looking for a wife.”

  Daniel laughed and clapped me on the back. “You sound like you’re from abroad. Things must be different there. But come with me, I’ll introduce you to the onsite foreman. You’ll like him. He’s a good man.”

  Chapter 6

  The sun beat down mercilessly, cooking my shoulders under the clothing and coveralls I was loaned by Ella and Daniel. The men around me worked and talked amongst themselves while Jimmy, the foreman, walked from one group to the next. I kept my head down and worked hard, wanting to prove to my new work-mates that I could carry my weight and wouldn’t cost them anything.

  While I worked, I thought about Ella and what I was going to do until I was rescued. I could feel my dragon curled tightly around my heart, but he was awakening. It had been several days since I’d transformed and he would be hungry very soon. I wondered what type of prey this desert might offer up. I’d have to find out soon. When my dragon was denied flesh before, it became more and more difficult for me to control him and to keep myself from shifting.