by S. E. Smith
Both Ariel and Trisha let out a string of expletives they had learned while in the Air Force when Cara made the next turn barely keeping all four tires on the pavement. Cara just laughed. She had taken more than one joy-ride in her life and never been caught by the police who had been chasing her.
Chapter 4
Trelon had spent the previous night studying all the signals coming from the planet below them. He had to admit from space the planet was very beautiful and he was somewhat excited about learning more about it. What he really wanted to learn more about was the female who had not only captured his brother’s heart, but had been accepted by his symbiosis and his dragon. Trelon had a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that his brother had found a true mate with a female who was of a different species. When he had first gazed upon Abby, he had been taken in by her gentle beauty and grace. She seemed so delicate compared to their females but the symbol of the dragon’s mark on her neck showed she had the strength of a Valdier warrior. Now, as he gazed around the meadow where he and the others had transported he could appreciate some of the things Zoran had mentioned during their conversations.
Trelon had spent the day exploring and helping to prepare Zoran’s mother symbiosis for the journey back to their warship in space. Zoran, Kelan, and he were walking across the meadow when he noticed a change in Zoran.
“Zoran, all is well?” Trelon asked noticing his brother’s sudden stillness.
Zoran looked at Trelon as if coming out of a daze. “She has returned.”
Trelon and Kelan grinned at their brother noticing a difference in him already. Zoran was not the only one impatient for his mate’s return, they could practically hear Zoran’s dragon roar with the desire to see her as well. Trelon couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy and, he admitted, jealousy. He could feel his dragon demanding for him to go look for a female. Pushing down the impatient clawing inside him, he let his hand drift down to his symbiosis which was walking beside him, stroking his hand over the sleek head. He would not get his hopes up. The likelihood of finding another true mate on this primitive planet was probably smaller then a nanobot.
Zoran looked at both of his brothers with a grin. “Soon you will meet my true mate.”
Trelon couldn’t help but laugh and tease Zoran and his dragon with all the things he and Kelan would do to keep him occupied so he couldn’t be alone with his mate. Trelon playfully punched Kelan in the arm and motioned with his head for Kelan to grab Zoran so they could wrestle him to the ground. Trelon was just reaching for Zoran when he noticed him suddenly frowning.
“Abby will not be returning alone. There are three females with her.” Zoran said with a frown of discontent. Trelon bit back a grin. It was obvious his older brother did not want to share Abby with anyone right now.
Trelon couldn’t help the low chuckle that escaped as he responded to Zoran’s displeasure. “Perhaps she brings our true mate to us.” Trelon teased, pushing down the roar of hope that rushed out of his dragon at the mention of the females. “I, for one, am not ready but perhaps Kelan, Mandra, and Creon might appreciate having one. I still have much to taste before I settle for one female.”
Kelan laughed grabbing Trelon around the neck. “You believe yourself a bull dragon to satisfy so many females. It takes that many because none could ever put up with you for long.”
Zoran laughed as he watched his brothers joking around. Trelon twisted and pushed his brother off him. It had been a running joke among the brothers about Trelon’s fortitude among the women in the hopes of finding his true mate. Trelon reached around and just about had Kelan in a headlock when he heard Zoran’s roar of rage. Without thinking, he called forth his dragon. In the blink of an eye, he had changed forms and was lifting off the ground, his symbiosis transforming to gold armor around his dragon. He didn’t question Zoran. He had learned during the many battles they had fought against both the Curizans and the Sarafin to trust in his brother and in his own dragon’s instinct.
Calling out in dragon-speak, Trelon listened as Zoran explained how Abby was in danger.
“Do you know who it is?” Trelon asked as he flew up beside Zoran.
“Yes. It is the same man who had been after Abby for years. He had become more aggressive over the past week. He wishes to claim Abby for his own. I will kill him.” Zoran said with a growl. Trelon’s own thoughts flew back to the gentle memory of Abby held securely in his brother’s arms and blushing as she looked from his brother to the men on board the warship. He growled deeply, no one messed with his brother’s true mate and lived. No one.
Cara gripped the steering wheel with a determination that belied her tiny figure as she wrestled to make the turn off the highway onto the gravel road without rolling. Ariel and Trish were cussing up a blue-streak. The truck slid dangerously close to the trees that bordered each side. Cara had to admit even she was impressed with Carmen’s driving. Hell, she was having a hard time keeping a two-ton pickup on all four wheels; she was definitely going to grill Carmen on how she was able to keep upright on a motorcycle.
Cara bit back an expletive of her own when she hit a particularly deep pothole. The headlights of the truck bounced up and down wildly giving the already dark night a more sinister feel. Cara twisted the steering wheel sharply to the left to miss another hole than had to make sure she didn’t over-correct when the wheels hit a soft spot.
“Do you see her?” Trish asked anxiously. “I can barely see a thing. I would hate for Carmen to wreck in the middle of the road and not see her until too late.”
“She’s fine. I think I saw some break lights up ahead through the trees.” Ariel bit out between bumps. “God, Cara. Do you think you could hit any more ruts?” Ariel cried out after Cara hit a particularly bad one knocking her into Trish. Cara heard Trish groan as her head hit the passenger side window.
“I’m doing the best I can. It is darker than shit out here and I don’t think this road has ever been graded! You try driving over twenty miles an hour on it and see if you can do any better.” Cara said crossly as she swerved to miss a branch laying half in and half out of the road. The sound of metal being scraped was loud as another branch ran down the side of the truck.
“I can fix that.” Cara said loudly over the screeching. She had no sooner gotten past the fallen debris when a flash behind the truck drew her attention.
“Son-of-a-bitch! What was that?” Cara bit out seeing flames erupted behind the truck through the rearview mirror.
Ariel twisted around trying to see out the back window. “I don’t know. You didn’t hit the gas tank or anything did you?”
“Of course, she didn’t.” Trish said holding onto the dashboard. “That would have been us, otherwise. Just don’t give her any ideas!”
Ariel was just about to reply when she was thrown forward suddenly as Cara slammed on the brakes sliding sideways in an attempt to miss the motorcycle that was lying behind the pickup truck of the bastard who had taken Abby. Another flash of light flared before the trees in front of the truck carrying Abby burst into flames throwing several huge trees across the road and blocking any further passage.
“Holy shit! Did you see that?” Cara asked trying to look up as two dark shadows moved across the road about the height of the trees.
“Oh, my God. Abby!” Trish cried out as she watched Abby being pulled out of the truck in front of them. Cara pumped the brakes trying to bring the truck to a stop. Trish struggled to open the door to the truck just as it rolled to a stop behind the pickup in front of them, almost falling down as her feet connected with the uneven surface.
“Where’s Carmen?” Ariel called out frantically as she struggled to get out of the truck.
Cara’s feet had just touched the ground when she saw three huge creatures, one spewing dark blue flames out of its mouth, at the screaming figure of a man. She vaguely heard Trish and Ariel’s cry of alarm as she pulled the tire iron out from under the seat of the truck. She sure as hell wasn’t going into this em
pty handed!
Trelon kept Zoran in his sight as Zoran followed his symbiosis’ call for help. All three dragons flew as fast as they could in an effort to get to Zoran’s injured mate. Trelon watched as Zoran dropped down out of the sky, shifting at the last possible moment and landing in the back of the pickup truck holding Abby. Swerving up and over some trees, Trelon carefully folded his wings in so they would not catch on any branches and spewed dragon fire in front of the truck causing several large trees to fall blocking the road. He had just circled around and was coming in for a landing when he saw the man who had been holding Abby raise a weapon and fire point blank into Zoran’s chest. Rage filled him as he watched his brother collapse and he let out a roar. He wanted to tear the bastard apart limb by limb. He would kill all of the others who had dared to follow and harm his brother’s true mate. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind when a dark shape appeared and tackled the man with the gun.
“Kelan, do you have a fix on the others?” Trelon called out in dragon-speak.
“Yes.” Kelan replied. “The other transport is coming up fast and there is the one that is fighting the man who harmed Zoran. Perhaps we should let that one live if he wins.” Kelan responded.
Neither one of the brothers wanted to express their concern about Zoran. They could only hope that his symbiosis was able to heal him. Valdier warriors were not easy to kill. While such a wound would hurt like hell when it happened, if their symbiosis was close by it was near impossible to kill them as the symbiosis would stabilize them immediately. Trelon made a mental note to give Zoran hell for not maintaining his dragon shape until the bastard had been neutralized. If he had, then he wouldn’t be in this mess.
Trelon and Kelan were just landing when Zoran stood up. Trelon grinned as much as his dragon form would allow. Oh, yeah, he thought to himself, Zoran’s pissed. He had no sooner landed when his older brother let out a stream of dragon fire. Trelon didn’t feel a thing as he watched the human male who had dared to harm his brother’s true mate slowly turn to ash at his feet. It was only when he heard the sound of a husky voice that his attention was caught and held on a tiny figure standing by the truck that had just pulled up.
Chapter 5
“Holy shit! And I thought the little gold guys were cute.” Cara said before glancing at the dark figure lying motionless on the ground. “Ariel …Carmen.”
Ariel let out a cry ignoring everything but the still figure lying on the ground. Kneeling next to Carmen, she turned her over pulling the dark cap from her blonde hair. A large bruise graced the side of her left cheek and a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of her nose and mouth. Trisha moved cautiously towards Ariel while Cara moved towards Abby.
Cara vaguely heard Ariel pleading for help from the creatures standing over Carmen’s prone figure; but, it was the creatures standing in front of her that held her real attention. Or, should she say, one creature in particular. Cara’s eyes were drawn to the dragon standing to the left of Carmen ignoring the other two. The dragon was slightly broader than the other two and had the most beautiful coloring she had ever seen. Black scales outlined in gold glimmered in the fading fire light of the burning trees. The creature almost seemed to glow in the darkness of the night. It took every ounce of self-discipline Cara had, which normally wasn’t very much, to focus on helping Abby and not running over to run her hands, and possibly her body, all over the creature. She wanted to be just like a cat and rub up against it to see if its scales looked as silky smooth up close.
Get a grip, girl! Cara told herself as she forced her eyes, body, and mind back on Abby. Cat, my ass. That thing would probably eat me as a snack and still be hungry!
Cara watched as the dragon that had just vaporized the bad guy looked down at Carmen and Ariel and growled out something to the other two dragons near him. It wasn't until he turned his attention on her and growled as she knelt down next to Abby that she swung the tire iron around and pointed it at him.
“Back off, you overgrown lizard, or I’ll have you for dinner.” Cara said with a lot more bravo than she was feeling as she quickly worked on removing the handcuffs on Abby’s wrist. When Abby looked at her silently, Cara shrugged, “I’ve had to get out of more than one pair in my life. Unfortunately, never in a good situation, can you figure that?”
Cara listened with a sigh of relief as Abby chuckled weakly while she told her an abrievated verison of the time one of the guys she had dated thought he could handcuff her to a chair to keep her still during dinner. It gave both of them something to focus on while she worked at picking the lock on the cuffs. When she had them off, she helped Abby stand, holding her steady. Cara jumped and let out a soft expletive when a male hand suddenly appeared.
“Shit! What the hell is going on?” Cara asked looking up at the huge figure of a man towering over her. She bit back a protest as the man gently picked Abby up in his arms as she swayed.
"Unfortunately, you have seen too much, little one. You will accompany us.” The man said right before he and Abby disappeared.
She barely had time to register what he was saying before a flash of light engulfed her.
Cara blinked several times to adjust her eyesight. One minute it was pitch black, the next bright as day. Looking down, she noticed she was standing on some type of platform. Cara shook her head in wonder. She started forward when she saw the huge man holding Abby heading for a door. She hadn’t taken more than a step when suddenly a large, golden creature resembling a cross between a wolf and a lion knocked her down onto the platform, pinning her to the floor.
All hell seemed to break loose next. Cara heard a loud roar and male voices yelling but all she could see was the face looking down on her with what had to be the biggest, sloppiest smile she had ever seen. Before she could even let out a squeal of surprise, the beast on top of her was sliding a silky tongue up her face from her chin to her hairline. Cara instinctively wrapped her arms around the quivering body and turned her face so she wouldn’t get a golden tongue in her mouth.
“Enough! I like you too, but not the mouth.” She giggled as the tongue worked its way all over her face.
She was doing the best she could to keep her mouth closed but it was a losing battle as she couldn’t contain her laughter. Out of desperation, she began scratching the critter on its sides. Before she knew what was happening, it froze then fell over onto its back with its feet up in the air moving back and forth while making a combination purring/growling sound of pleasure.
“I guess you like this, don’t you little guy?” Cara said rolling over onto her knees so she had a better reach of its belly. “Yes, you are just the cutest little thing. Yes, you are. You are such a sweet little baby.” Cara was saying as she scratched its belly using both hands.
“Let me go!” A harsh voice roared out from across the room.
Cara turned to see who was making all the noise. She watched as two men struggled to hold onto a huge man standing against the far wall. His features where slightly distorted, as if he was caught in the middle of changing from a man to a dragon. Cara immediately recognized the unique black scales with a dark, bluish tint and traces of gold that was rippling across his skin. His hair was loose and hanging in silky, black waves half way down his back with lengths of it falling forward over his shoulders as he strained to break loose from the grip of the men holding his arms. His golden eyes were fixed on Cara. Cara’s breath caught in her throat as she returned the man’s stare. So many emotions were flashing through his eyes she couldn’t pinpoint the
exact one that caused a shiver of fear to go down her spine. Cara had the uneasy feeling that if the man got loose he would do more than just pin her to the floor and lick her; he would totally possess her. Cara’s heart was pounding so hard in her chest she thought it might explode; so, when a hand suddenly touched her hair, she couldn’t contain the scream that erupted.
Trelon was frantic. He had wanted to argue with Zoran about returning to the warship but didn’t have time since
Kelan had already sent a request for transport through his symbiosis. His dragon wanted the tiny female. It had begun clawing at him in an effort to get to her as soon as it had heard her husky voice. Trelon had been taken by surprise by the ferocity of his dragon’s response and hadn’t known how to react at first. Before he could decipher what was going on, he had been in the transporter room. Kelan had taken charge of the other three females. The ship’s medical staff had already been notified an injured female was being transported and had met them as soon as they appeared. The other two females had been extremely distressed and had followed the wounded female to the medical unit. Kelan had insisted on going with them.
