by Aria Winter
Stolen by the Wind Dragon Prince
Aria Winter
Jade Waltz
Copyright @ 2020 by Aria Winter & Jade Waltz
Stolen by the Wind Dragon Prince All rights reserved under International and Pan American Copyright Conventions.
By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen.
No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the written permission of Aria Winter and Jade Waltz except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Published in the United States by Purple Fall Publishing. Purple Fall Publishing and the Purple Fall Publishing Logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Purple Fall Publishing LLC.- purplefallpublishing.com
Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data
Names: Winter, Aria, author. | Waltz, Jade, author.
Title: Stolen by the wind dragon prince / Aria Winter & Jade Waltz.
Series: Elemental Dragon Warriors
Description: Purple Fall Publishing, 2020.
Identifiers:
ISBN: 978-1-64253-392-7 (pbk.)
978-1-64253-208-1 (ebook)
978-1-64253-357-6 (audio)
Subjects: LCSH Space exploration--Fiction. | Human-alien encounters--Fiction. | Dragons--Fiction. | Shapeshifting--Fiction. | Science fiction. | Romance fiction. | BISAC FICTION / Science Fiction / Alien Contact | FICTION / Romance / Science Fiction | FICTION / Romance / Paranormal / Shifters
Classification: LCC PS3623 .I6675 S76 2020| DDC 813.6--dc23
Cover Design by Kim Cunningham of Atlantis Book Design
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Dedication
To my husband: Thank you for all your love and support. You are not just my husband, you are my best friend and my rock. I love you more than anything.
-AW
To My Husband,
Thank you for being my support and rock during this writing journey.
I love you!
-Jade
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Epilogue
Chapter 1
Skye
Everything is chaos as alarms blare through the ship. Thomas runs ahead of me, the flashing red lights casting a pink glow over his golden hair as we race down the corridor. Smoke fills the hallways, so thick I can barely see the ground ahead. Disembodied cries and screams echo behind us.
My heart hammers as the sounds of blaster fire pierce the air. The aliens must have already forced their way in through the hatch.
“Don’t look down, sis!” Thomas calls over his shoulder as he grips my hands firmly, pulling me along behind him. “We’re almost to the escape pods.”
Too late, I dart a glance at the floor. Bile rises in my throat at the dozens of burned, bloodied bodies haphazardly strewn around us.
An inhuman roar fills the air and a blast of light zings past my shoulder, hitting Thomas in the back of the head.
He crumples to the ground. The world slows as I drop to my knees beside him. Grasping his shoulder, I turn him toward me. His eyes are open but unseeing. A broken sob escapes me as I pull his head into my lap.
“No, Thomas.” My voice is barely a whimper. “No.”
I wake with a start. The fog of my nightmares slowly recedes as awareness trickles back into my mind. My gaze drifts to the flapping gray tarp in the gaping doorway, reminding me where I am.
I hate falling asleep. In my dreams, I relive Thomas’s death every night.
“You’re awake.” Lilly leans over me and takes my hand. Her long red hair spills over her shoulders as she studies me in concern. “How are you feeling?”
Numb. “I feel fine,” I lie and do my best to flash a convincing smile.
Her blue eyes narrow slightly. My best friend can always see right through me. “It gets easier, Skye. I promise it does.”
I know that. I lost my parents three years ago to the flu that swept through our colony ships. Yet somehow, I never thought I’d lose my brother as well. He’s only a year younger than me.
Tears sting my eyes but I blink them back as I correct myself. He was only a year younger than me.
Drawing in a deep breath, I lift my gaze to Lilly. “What’s the plan for today?”
I pull the tarp aside to follow her out of the escape pod. The dry, desert wind is cool against my skin, a sharp contrast to the burning orange sun in the sky overhead. The scarlet sand stretches out in all directions. Wisps of dry dust sweep across the dunes, filling the air with the strange scent of spice, reminiscent of cinnamon and nutmeg.
What a coincidence to find such a familiar smell on this desert world.
“I’m going to go check out that area today,” Lilly points off into the distance, toward the orange rock formations that rise from the endless sand. “If the soil is good there, we can plant some of the emergency seeds to establish a food supply. We might even be able to create a permanent settlement there. The towers and canyons should provide some protection in the event of a sandstorm.”
“How do you know sandstorms will be an issue?” Milo asks.
I turn and he greets me with a pained smile. Milo is my friend and Talia’s brother. He and Thomas are—I swallow thickly. They were the same age. They used to be practically inseparable on the ship.
Talia walks up beside him. “We don’t know—it’s just a guess. But it’s better to be safe than sorry. Besides,” she shrugs, “the escape pod is so busted up, it’s only a temporary shelter until we find something more permanent.”
A glance over my shoulder tells me that John doesn’t agree. Even though I was part of the bridge crew as a communications and navigation specialist, we both trained as engineers, but it seems that only one of us has accepted that this strange planet is now our home. He knows as well as I do that the escape pods were only built for a one-way trip, and yet, he studies the control panel’s bare electrical components as if he can fix it and send us back into space.
I roll my eyes. The pod won’t even fly at this point, much less break the atmosphere.
I turn to Lilly. “Do you want me to go with you?”
She shakes her head. “Nah. I’ll be fine. I’m taking the rover so I should be back soon.”
I want to insist, but I know my best friend. She has obviously had a stressful week since we crashed. According to the emergency protocol, her jo
b as head of the Botany Department on the colony ships makes her our leader because no senior Bridge Crew officers were on our escape pod. Lilly complained to me just last night that she wanted, more than anything, some alone time to decompress. I think this little excursion will allow her the space she needs.
Each colony ship was equipped with several pods, capable of carrying sixty people each. I don’t know how many pods escaped the ships after the pirates attacked. In all the chaos, our pod only launched a little less than half-full and I shudder to think of how many crew members may have been left behind.
We’re hopeful that we’ll link up with another escape pod out here but there’s no way to tell where the others landed. The pod’s computer is fried beyond repair, which is why I can’t help but feel frustrated that John is still wasting time trying to make the damn thing fly.
“Shouldn’t you at least take someone with you in case you run into trouble?” Talia asks.
Lilly pats the blaster on her hip. “I’m taking this with me. Besides, we’ve been here almost a week and haven’t seen any predators or threats.”
I haven’t slept more than a few hours at a time since we crashed. My mind keeps replaying the nightmare of Thomas’s death. So I’m too tired to argue that Talia’s right; Lilly should probably take someone with her. My best friend is too stubborn to let me convince her of that.
Anna approaches, having overheard most of our conversation. She places her hands on her hips. “You shouldn’t go alone. Take someone with you.”
Lilly gestures toward the canyon. “But it’s not that far. I’ll be fine.”
Anna shakes her head. “It’s probably much farther than you think it is. It’s hard to gauge distance when the whole desert looks the same.”
They argue back and forth for a bit, but as expected, Lilly wins out. A part of me is glad. As the one to make all the decisions, Lilly is under a lot of pressure and deserves a break.
We’re not supposed to be here. We were supposed to find a planet with plentiful water and vegetation. But like it or not, this desert wasteland is now our home.
Argument won, Lilly hugs each of us in turn then she starts for the rover. She spins at the last second to flash me a grin. “Save me the spaghetti food pack for dinner, all right?”
I laugh and roll my eyes. I’m happy to grant her that because she’s the only one who likes the spaghetti anyway. “I will,” I promise. “Be careful.”
I watch her drive into the desert, my gaze tracking the rover until it disappears from view.
Lilly has been missing for two days now. A sandstorm passed through the camp after she left, forcing us to huddle in the escape pod for shelter. For the millionth time, I curse this planet, wishing our colony ship had taken us to a habitable world, not some barren rock in the far reaches of the universe.
I shouldn’t have let Lilly leave on her own, but she insisted. I just hope she was able to stay safe in the rover during the storm.
John thinks we should assume she’s dead, but I can’t do that. If she had died, surely, I would have known.
After all, I knew the moment my mother died. I felt her pass before I heard the news. The doctors reassured me multiple times that her death was quick and painless, but I never told anyone that I already knew. Only Lilliana knows my secret; she’s the only one who would believe me.
No one believes me now when I tell them I know Lilliana’s not dead. She can’t be. Every instinct inside me screams she's still alive. And I’m not giving up until I find her.
Perhaps that’s why I’m feeling eager behind the wheel of my rover and speeding like a madman across the red dunes. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice John’s annoyed look. He’s the one who insisted on accompanying me, but he’s done nothing but complain ever since we set out.
As soon as we crest the next dune, my heart soars. A bright light in the distance—the silver glint of the metal frame of Lilly’s rover—reflects like a shining beacon beneath the blazing sun. When we reach the light, I find the vehicle half-buried under the sand.
I practically leap out of our rover and begin digging with my bare hands, eager to find my friend. The fine, powdery red grains impede my progress. With each handful I rake away, another mound shifts and sand fills the gap again.
John eyes me, his hands on his hips and a hint of irritation in his gaze.
Frustrated, I jerk my head toward him. “Are you going to just stand there? Or are you going to help me?”
With a heavy sigh, he drops to his knees at my side and reluctantly starts digging.
Sweat beads across my brow as I dig furiously, hoping that Lilliana is still alive inside her rover.
She has to be. I can’t bear the thought of finding her dead. I’ve already lost almost everyone I love; I can’t lose anyone else.
A sandstorm passed through here. She’s smart, so I’m sure she took shelter inside the cab. She’s probably just passed out from the heat and exhaustion.
When we uncover the driver’s side door, I jerk it open, only to find the cab empty. No sign of my best friend.
John places a hand on my shoulder with a sad look. “If she’s not here, I hate to say it, but she is probably dead.”
I don’t want his pity. I shrug his hand away. “She’s not dead, John.”
He shakes his head, frustrated. “Look, I know she’s your friend, but you have to face the facts. If she’s not in the rover, there’s no way she survived that storm.”
“You don’t know that,” I snap.
He glances at the sky. “It’s going to be dark soon. We need to head back to camp.”
“Not yet.” I scan the rover for any clues to my friend’s fate. My heart sinks when I notice her blaster and jacket on the passenger floor. She wouldn’t have left those behind unless she had no choice.
Tears sting my eyes and blur my vision as I stare out at the vast expanse of scarlet sand. Caught in the wind, sand grains weave through canyons and around the towering rock formations jutting up from the earth. I turn my gaze toward the pale-blue sky.
She can’t be gone. She just can’t.
Strong arms wrap around me as John pulls me into a hug. He gently runs a hand over my long, blonde hair. “I’m sorry, Skye. I really am.”
Despite my resolve to remain strong, unbidden tears escape my lashes and run down my cheeks as I rest my head against his chest, struggling to hold back a sob. How could we have ventured so far into the dark void of space only for her life to end here? We could have forged a new life with the last of our people, escaping the world that generations before us poisoned beyond saving.
A soft scrape across my forehead pulls me back from my dark thoughts. John’s chapped lips brush across my skin. He continues down my temple to my cheek and just as he’s about to bring his mouth to mine, I jerk back, stunned. “What are you doing?”
“Just trying to offer you some comfort.” He leans in to try again.
I place my palm firmly against his chest and push him away. “I’m fine.”
He responds by tightening his arms around me. “No, you’re not. You’re in shock,” he murmurs. “That’s to be expected after losing a friend.”
I shove him again. “Let go of me.”
“Come on, Skye. I’m just trying to comfort you. Stop acting like you don’t want me.”
“I don’t want you,” I snap, staring incredulously.
His expression hardens. “What are you talking about? I’ve seen the way you look at me. We both know you want this.”
Is he crazy? “I don’t know what you’re talking about, John. Now, let me go!”
He shoves me away, slamming me back against the rover. Pain explodes across the back of my skull as he cages me in with his arms. His towering form looms over me. “Stop playing hard to get, Skye. I’m getting tired of it.”
John has always had a thing for me. But it’s never been reciprocated; we’re just friends and nothing more. In all the time we spent together on the ship, I’ve never had any rea
son to fear him until now.
“I’m not playing, John.” I force myself to straighten and meet his eyes evenly, trying to appear unafraid so he won’t think I’m weak. “I mean it! Let me go!”
He leans in to kiss me again. I knee him in the groin.
He yelps in pain, doubling over. I use the opportunity to escape.
“You’re going to pay for that!” he snarls.
I dive into the rover, gripping the handle of Lilly’s blaster firmly before he jerks me back out by my ankles. My head hits the door as he slams me face-first against the panel. The world tilts and spins dizzyingly. He once again pins me against the frame with his larger form.
Using all my strength, I twist onto my back and jam the blaster’s barrel into his chest. “Get off of me,” I growl through gritted teeth. “Or I swear, I’ll shoot you!”
A shadow passes overhead, blocking the light of the sun. Squinting toward the sky, I gasp when I see a hulking creature fly toward us.
Noticing my expression, John turns, following my gaze, and releases a shrill cry. “What the hell is that?”
A massive talon swipes out, throwing him off me. He hits a nearby boulder with a sickening thud before sliding to the ground in a crumpled heap.
I stare at the creature in wide-eyed shock. It’s a light gray dragon straight from the old Earth legends, a myth made manifest before my eyes. It circles before landing in front of me. In a whirl of dust and wind, it transforms into a man covered in pale, gray scales that shimmer iridescently beneath the sun.
Stunned, I freeze as he reaches out to cup my cheek. His scales are unexpectedly soft against my skin. He studies me with a piercing gaze, his ice-blue, vertically slit pupils contracting and expanding as he stares down at me.
