by Leslie Chase
"How long before you can wake them?" he asked, playing for time to think.
"I don't know for certain," Askelon admitted. "The systems have decayed enough that some repairs will be needed to make sure the greatest number survive the process. A few days will be sufficient, I think."
Verikan nodded decisively. "Make the repairs, then. But hold off on the revival until I am certain of our next course of action."
He didn't like the looks the other two exchanged at that, and he gave them a glare. It's my responsibility, he thought. Not theirs. They aren't the ones who'll have to decide between a war of conquest or the death of our species.
Meeting Mordrak's eyes, he glared a challenge. The Captain lowered his gaze and nodded. "Your will shall be done, sir."
7
Josie
The technology inside the crystal was like nothing Josie had ever seen, but the basic principles had to be the same. She had no idea how long she'd been examining it, taking measurements and tracing circuits, but it was fascinating. It was some kind of holographic projector, that much she was confident of, but it was much more sophisticated than anything she had heard of on Earth.
I guess there's only one way to be sure of what it does, she thought, hesitating only for a moment. She had to know.
Closing a link in the circuit, she activated the machine and gasped as an alien suddenly appeared on the couch opposite. This one looked very different from the males she'd seen. For a start, she was female, smaller than the males and wearing a richly embroidered robe. She looked older, as well, though still strikingly good-looking. Josie thought that she looked a lot like Verikan, though she couldn't be sure.
The hologram was so lifelike that Josie had to check, passing a hand through the image gingerly. She relaxed slightly when the image didn't react. For a moment she'd thought that maybe it was a real alien somehow appearing in the room, but it was just a hologram. An incredibly realistic one.
Behind her, the door opened and she heard footsteps. Nervous, she stood, hoping that Verikan wouldn't mind that she'd examined... whatever that was.
"What are you doing, human?" The voice was harsh, angry, lacking any of the pleasant tones of Verikan's. She spun to face the newcomer, but before she could even start to answer, the alien was on her, lifting her and throwing her back from the device.
Josie tumbled across the floor, tools scattering away from her hands as she fell. The alien standing over her wore armor that made him look even bulkier than before. It was made of crystal plates which left his face clear and she could see the anger in his eyes. She recognized Mordrak, the alien who'd tried to attack her the moment she'd opened the tubes. He looked even less happy now.
"I'm sorry," she said, scrambling to her feet as quickly as she could. "I didn't mean anything, I just wanted to see how it worked."
"You are spying on the secrets of the Dragon Empire," the alien said. "That is a high crime."
"Yeah? You're holding me prisoner after I rescued you," she retorted, not willing to take that. It might not be safe or politic to argue, but Josie couldn't bring herself to care. "So why exactly should I listen to you?"
He snarled, baring sharp teeth and advancing on her. Josie backed away, grateful for the size of the chamber but knowing there was only so far she could go. Mordrak followed her, herding her back against a wall and trapping her.
"Thank you for giving me an excuse," he said quietly, wings unfurling. "The prince's gratitude to you is an inconvenient obstacle. With you out of the way, it will be much easier to push him towards an invasion of your homeworld."
Lightning-fast, he grabbed her throat and lifted her into the air. Josie choked, her hands grabbing at his wrist, but he was far too strong to fight. His grin widened as he enjoyed the sight of her struggles.
"He's weak," Mordrak said quietly, speaking to himself as much as to her. "A weak prince and he'll be a weak emperor. Worst luck we could have when we need decisive action to reclaim our future, but burning your world will harden him."
Josie's vision darkened as she struggled for air, and panic threatened to overwhelm her. She could hardly follow his words, but she understood enough to know that Earth was in danger if this man got his way.
Fuck that. I'm not going to let him win without a fight, she thought. Letting go of Mordrak's wrist, she pulled at her belt, looking for something, anything to use as a weapon.
Most of her tools were gone, dropped when he'd thrown her across the room. He ignored her frantic scrabbling, eyes on hers as though he were savoring her slow death.
Her hand closed on a screwdriver, and with desperate strength she pulled it from her belt and stabbed at Mordrak's face. The tip gouged into his skin and he howled more in surprise than pain. But the shock was enough to make him throw her aside, and Josie landed on the floor in a heap, desperately struggling for air.
"You'll pay for that," Mordrak promised. The anger in his voice made her shudder, and she pulled herself away from him along the floor. Her limbs were weak and she had no surprises left as he stalked after her. She'd put everything she had into the thrust with the screwdriver, and it had barely pierced his scales.
She rolled over to face him as he approached, holding up the bloody tool in a shaking hand. It was the only weapon she had to threaten him with.
Mordrak stood over her, sneering, and casually batted the screwdriver out of her hand. "You won't get lucky twice, vermin."
Raising his fist to strike, he looked down at her with cruel joy in his eyes. She braced herself for the end, and then everything changed.
With a roar, Verikan slammed into Mordrak's side, and the two aliens tumbled away from her. "Get off her," he shouted, rage filling his voice.
Mordrak's response was in the aliens' native language, but Josie could hear the anger and frustration in it as the two of them rolled apart. Whatever he'd said, it wasn't enough to calm down Verikan. Lashing out with a series of punches, he drove her attacker back.
Unlike Mordrak, he wasn't armored. But that didn't seem to stop him or even slow him down. Mordrak raised his hands to guard his unprotected face and Josie gasped as Verikan battered his fists against that protection.
Still he drove Mordrak back, each punch staggering her attacker. Recovering from his shock at the interruption, Mordrak countered. He lashed out with a powerful punch that rocked Verikan and bloodied his lip.
Josie wanted to help, wished she could do something. But what? She was sure, now, that Mordrak had only been toying with her — she wasn't certain that she'd have survived even one such punch at full strength. There was no chance that she could hurt him through his armor, not when she was unarmed.
Heart in her mouth, she watched Mordrak block one of Verikan's attacks, grabbing his arm and throwing him to the floor with a crash that shook the room. But before he had a chance to use his advantage, Verikan hooked his leg around Mordrak's ankle and pulled him down too.
In an instant, Verikan was on top of the other alien, pinning Mordrak with his weight and slamming a powerful punch into the captain's face. When Mordrak raised his hands to protect himself again, Verikan simply grabbed him by the arms and roughly shook him.
Slamming Mordrak into the floor, Verikan roared a challenge. Helplessly pinned, Mordrak shook his head, saying something in their alien language. Whatever the words were, they were clearly a surrender — after a moment's pause, Verikan released him and stood up.
Mordrak pulled himself up to his knees, looking dazed. Both dragons were bloodied, but despite his armor, Mordrak had clearly gotten the worst of the battle. He shot Josie an angry, resentful look before rising to his feet and stalking out of the room. Verikan stood tall, watching him go with fists still clenched and his body vibrating with anger.
As soon as the door slid shut behind Mordrak, Verikan slumped against the nearest wall. Josie ran to his side, grabbing hold of him and trying to support his weight. It wasn't easy.
"Are you alright?" she asked, looking at him. Mordrak's armor
ed gauntlets had left cuts and bruises on his arms, his face, and even torn through his tunic to leave bloody marks on his torso.
"I'm fine," Verikan said, trying to straighten up. He couldn't hide a wince, and she pushed her shoulder up under his arm to support him.
"You're not fine, and you got hurt saving me," she told him, helping him to the nearest couch and lowering him. "You could have been killed!"
Verikan shook his head. "No. He wouldn't dare kill me. He's the Captain of my guards, and that wasn't a fight to the death anyway. You wouldn't be able to miss it if we were fighting seriously."
Josie shivered at the thought. They'd certainly not looked like they'd been pulling any punches, but that wasn't something she wanted to dwell on.
"Well, if you say so," she said, taking a deep breath and trying to control the fear that bubbled up inside her. "He was trying to kill me, though, so I owe you my life. The least you can do is let me take care of your wounds."
Verikan's eyes flashed with an inner fire, and she felt him tense again. His anger made her shrink away even though she could see that it wasn't directed at her.
"Listen to me," Verikan said. "I will not allow any harm to come to you, not from Mordrak or anyone else. I told him as much before he left. You are mine, and any attack on you is an attack on me."
"Hold on," Josie said, sitting back away from him. "What do you mean, I'm yours? I owe you, sure, but you don't own me."
Her indignation burned bright, though a small traitorous part of her wasn't so sure she wanted to object. Sitting so close to him, feeling the heat of his body against hers, only made him more attractive. And he'd put himself between her and harm without a second thought.
That didn't mean he could just claim her as his own, though. Despite the tingle that ran through her at the thought.
He looked down at her, his eyes smoldering. "This is the protection I can offer you, Josie," he said. "You are mine. I am an Imperial Prince and no one will argue with me."
The intensity in his gaze was frightening and exhilarating, and she felt her cheeks heat. If it's going to keep me safe, maybe that's okay. It doesn't have to mean anything. It doesn't. I just need something to keep me safe from Mordrak.
I can pretend to be his whatever if that'll stop me being murdered by aliens. That's fine, right? She tried to ignore the part of her that liked the idea of being his just a little bit.
"We need to get those wounds clean," she said, deliberately changing the subject. "Come on."
"My wounds don't concern me," Verikan said, scowling. The wince as he straightened up showed how much pain he was covering. "These are nothing to worry about. I am a dragon warrior."
He looked at her, cocking his head to one side. With careful, concerned eyes, he examined her.
"Besides, you've been hurt too," he continued, reaching out to brush her cheek where Mordrak had struck her. "It is I who should be looking after you."
Josie couldn't help smiling at that. She'd nearly forgotten her own pain, concerned about him, and she had to admit it was funny — each of them was more concerned about the other. But I'm not the one who took a serious beating, she told herself. He's the one who really needs help, I didn't get badly hurt. Thanks to him.
"I guess we can both get looked after," she said. "Where do you keep the first aid supplies?"
He laughed and shook his head. "I see your species hasn't advanced that far, then. For minor injuries like this, the healing pool will be more than enough."
Josie frowned, dubious, as he gestured towards the pool in the corner of the huge chamber. "We need to wash them, sure, but I think we'll at least need some bandages for those cuts."
"Trust me," he said, standing with a groan. "The nanomachines in the water will fix us both as good as new. Come on."
Standing, he pulled her to her feet and led her towards the pool. It looked like a natural water feature, but looking closely she could see that it was cunningly designed to hide its artificial nature. Not that she needed the clue — there couldn't be any free water on Mars. Even in the base they didn't have enough of it to bathe in, and the idea of diving into it was very appealing, any medical benefits aside. It had been months since she'd been able to take more than a short shower to wash.
Of course, it would mean sharing the pool with Verikan. She shot him a look as they stood by the water's side, and saw that he at least had no qualms about stripping in front of her. Pulling off his tunic and his pants, he looked at her, and Josie found herself blushing as she stared again.
This time she wasn't looking at a strange alien figure in stasis. Now, he was a person to her, someone she spoke with and touched. Someone real, and that made his nakedness matter in a way it hadn't before.
It didn't help that he looked magnificent. She'd admired him before, when he'd been asleep in his capsule. Now all she could do was stare. His muscular body looked like a sculptor had carved a god from the finest stone, but no statue could be so attractive. Even the injuries only made him look better — maybe because he'd gotten them fighting for her. Josie bit her lip as she looked down, looking at his broad chest, his perfect abs. Her face heated as she looked between his legs, unable to tear her eyes away from his cock. It was huge, bigger than any human's she'd ever seen, and ridged. Josie swallowed, unable to stop herself wondering what that would feel like.
His chuckle brought her eyes snapping back up to his face. His strange alien eyes looked into hers, amused, and he raised an eyebrow.
"Your turn," he said, reaching out to unfasten her spacesuit. The catches opened easily in his hands, and Josie found herself paralyzed with indecision. Part of her wanted to object, to push his hands away and keep herself covered. Part of her wanted to be naked right now, to be with this perfect alien god.
Unable to decide, she stayed still and he made her choice for her. The catches of her suit gave him no trouble and in seconds the outer layers were lying on the Martian rock beside the water. She swallowed as his eyes moved over her, devouring her. Verikan's breath slowed and she saw his pupils dilate as he looked at her curves.
Swallowing, she forced herself to move. Reaching up to the zipper of her jumpsuit, she slowly slid it down, letting him see her as she bared her skin. The room's cool air made her shiver, and she felt her blush spread down to her breasts as the fabric opened.
Verikan growled hungrily but didn't move, didn't rush her. Josie was glad of that, her emotions were in turmoil and she thought that any more pressure might make her run. But he was patient, watching as she slowly undid the suit and stepped out of it.
I can't believe I'm doing this, she thought as he admired her. It had been a long, long time since she'd let a man look at her like this, and she'd given up on it happening before she returned to Earth. But here she was, naked in front of an alien. An alien prince, even.
For a long, drawn out moment they stared at each other. Then, surprisingly gently, Verikan took Josie's hand and led her into the water. She braced for it to be cold, but instead it was warm, almost hot, and there was a strange tingling sensation where it touched. In seconds they were both submerged in the warm water, and Josie felt herself relaxing. Somehow it wasn't as embarrassing to be naked with him in the pool.
"Let me see your wounds," he said. No, commanded, there was an unmistakable snap to the words that Josie found herself obeying before she'd even thought about it. Raising her face, she let Verikan examine the bruise that she could feel swelling the side of her face, and the sore marks where Mordrak's hand had dug into her throat.
The flash of anger in his eyes told her that the Guard Captain hadn't heard the end of this, and that made her shiver with a strange mix of feelings. The protective instinct of the prince made her feel weak inside.
Verikan's fingers traced her cheek and she winced. He shook his head, scooping up some water and gently holding his hand to her injury. The tingling felt stronger on her face, and somehow the pain faded instantly.
"That's amazing," she whispered as the
pain vanished. Ducking, she dipped her head under the water and felt the bruises on her neck fade just as quickly. Coming up for air she spluttered, feeling the strange tingling spreading through her. Her heart beat faster, her mind raced.
Verikan chuckled, and she reached out to brush his skin where Mordrak's armored fist had torn it, and then pulled back. The wound was healing as she watched, visibly closing.
"It's a simple technology," he said, taking her hand and guiding her fingers so she could feel the skin knit back together. "The machines in the pool know human bodies well enough to work on you, if you let them. Minor wounds like these will heal in minutes, though it wouldn't help with serious injuries. My people are warriors, Josie — and that means developing ways to heal the wounds we'll take."
Maybe that really wasn't a serious fight for him, Josie thought, shivering at the strange sensation under her fingers. It wasn't just the feel of the cut sealing up; Verikan's skin wasn't normal, wasn't human, though the strangeness wasn't unpleasant in the slightest. Quite the opposite, the unusual feeling under her hand was enticing, and she moved closer to him.
Verikan smiled at her movement, putting a hand on her waist. Josie gasped at the touch of his strong, firm hand, stopping as her nerves reasserted themselves. But Verikan didn't give her time to doubt herself, sweeping her to him.
Her breath caught as he pulled her closer, pressing their bodies together. His injuries no longer slowed him at all, and she couldn't feel her own. Though all she had the attention for was the feel of his presence.
This is wrong, part of her objected again, but it was shouted down by the rest of her as Verikan's lips pressed against hers.
The kiss was like a pulse of fire burning through her, from her lips down to her toes, setting her body ablaze with desire. All her objections died in that inferno of desire and pulled her to him, feeling his powerful, muscular body against hers. Verikan's hand slid under her ass, squeezing as he lifted her, and Josie gasped into his kiss.
