by Kyle, Celia
“Wha…?”
“The Preor are not at the mercy of Earth’s atmosphere. Is that what you wondered?”
She nodded. “Yeah, our own ships… They practically burst into flames during re-entry. Even now, after the space program had been in place for years and years, the ships still become fireworks.”
“I do not know what to say.” Taulan shrugged. “The Preor are better than humans.” He wiggled his eyebrows and she realized he’d been watching way too much Earth television. “At many things.”
She just rolled her eyes. Because, in truth, her Preor mate was better than humans… in many ways.
The ship thudded to the ground and she squeaked, surprised by the sudden landing, and the pilot turned in his seat. “Apologies, War Mistress. I beg—“
Good Lord, the men apologized and begged for forgiveness for everything. “It’s fine.”
Choler, more used to humans and their idiosyncrasies, chuckled. “No male worth his wings will stop apologizing when you are frightened or surprised, Lana.”
She ignored the gasps that came from the warriors. Apparently addressing her by her first name was a Thing-Not-To-Do. “Can they do it silently then? Apologize to the stars or something?”
Unfortunately, Choler shook his head. Bastard.
Any other conversation was halted by the low hiss of the ship equalizing the pressure to match Earth’s followed by a thunk then thud as the door opened and the walkway descended. The warriors snapped to attention, striding into formation so she and Taulan would be surrounded as they headed toward Preor Tower. Apparently she had a quick surprise and then they’d head to UST for dinner. Lana voted on making the surprise long and drawn out without dinner to follow.
Taulan overruled her. Just like a man—er, male.
Encircled by Preor, their small group slowly made it across the landing pad and to the pathway that’d take them to the tower. They moved quickly and efficiently, not stopping despite the catcalls and shouts from some of the protestors who constantly lingered in the parking lots.
Just like there were Preor who disagreed with mating humans, there were humans who didn’t want their race mating Preors. Lana thought it was a bunch of bullshit all around. The real reason humans didn’t want the joining was because men knew a Preor’s cock was bigger.
At least, that’s what she’d witnessed.
Two warriors stood guard outside the double doors of the tower’s entrance and they stopped their fierce group, demanding identification. Apparently several extremists attempted to gain access to the tower with false wings. They were strapped with enough explosives to bring the entire building crumbling down.
The malice and ignorance always surprised her, but she wasn’t sure why. If society could create a man like Steven, it could create all kinds of hatred.
Soon they were in an elevator, the space retro-fitted to accommodate the full contingent of guards with space leftover. Barely.
“Now I know how a sardine feels,” she murmured.
Only to have Choler respond. “Preor are not a sea-dwelling race, Lana. Perhaps you missed that portion of your instruction. I shall…”
Choler grinned, mirth dancing in his eyes, and she resisted the urge to elbow him. Barely.
“Choler, quit antagonizing the War Mistress. Lana, quit comparing us to fish,” Taulan grumbled. “It is like traveling with dragonlets.”
Just because she could, she tilted her head back and stuck out her tongue at her mate.
“Do not show it if you are not prepared to use it,” he grumbled.
Lana was more than prepared… when they were alone. Hopefully they’d be alone soon. Like, really soon.
The elevator rose, numbers flicking higher the longer they remained inside the little metal box. More than one warrior’s wings twitched and rustled. In nervousness or excitement? She knew the men stationed on the ship didn’t get to shift very often. Perhaps that was why they were going so high. Taulan was going to let her see a few of the warriors transform and fly for her. At least this time, the male wouldn’t be trying to kill her mate.
As surprises went, this one was pretty cool. She’d pretend to be shocked when they got to the roof. No sense in ruining things for her mate. She’d just…
The elevator dinged and doors parted. At first, she didn’t see anything out of place or odd. They seemed to step into a sort of entryway, sitting area thing. A few plush chairs formed a half circle around a small coffee table and the layout appeared to invite visitors to have a seat and spend a few minutes chatting before they went… somewhere. There were two archways, one on either side of the lobby. Which way would they go? She wondered—
Wondered nothing. Or rather, something. Something like how the hell did they get there? Or where the fuck did they come from? Even holy fuck are they real?
Because there, framed in the archway to their right, stood her parents. Older, more wrinkled than she remembered, but they were there.
Lana’s vision blurred, tears filling her eyes, and she burst past the warriors that still kept them contained. She ducked and darted forward, scooting out of their reach before any one of them could discover she’d escaped. She ran, putting on speed with every step, and when her father opened his arms, she ran faster.
Years she’d been without them. Years she’d been firmly under Steven’s thumb. And now she had her parents back once more.
Because of Taulan—an alien, a male who loved her more than any man could.
21
Taulan could not take his eyes off his mate. She glowed with happiness, her joy easily visible and he basked in its warmth. She reveled in his surprise—her parents’ arrival—but did not know all.
He moved forward, his warriors parting quickly to grant him movement, and he saw that more than one still frowned at Lana. He could not blame them. She ducked her security as if they were inconsequential.
He paused beside Skala. “The males will need to work on their quickness.”
The old dry scale chuckled. “She will keep us in top shape, War Master. There is no doubt.”
The male’s mirth and smile at his mate’s antics pleased Taulan. He was glad Lana demanded Skala remain at her side. She found comfort in the older warrior and the older warrior found another reason not to take his final flight just yet. With luck, Skala would find a mate on Earth and would spend many more years with a female at his side.
Taulan continued, striding toward his mate and her sire and dam. The dam caught sight of him first and he found himself the recipient of a hug and kiss. He’d explained to the female that males did not accept affection from any others than his mate, but she informed him that mothers did as they wished. He would have to explain to her—again—that she was not his dam.
When his mate caught his eyes, he quickly wiped away the lipstick that surely stained his cheek. “Lana, I have tried to tell your dam that—“
His mate snorted and returned to his side. She licked her thumb and rubbed at a spot on his face. Perhaps this was a human ritual. “Mom’s gonna hug and kiss on you and Dad’s gonna give you a guy clench and pound your back. Just accept it and move on.”
“A guy clench?” He hoped it was not some sort of fighting maneuver. He would gravely injure Lana’s sire if they battled.
His mate merely patted his chest. “You’ll see.” She leaned into him, and tilted her head back. “Thank you. This is the greatest gift anyone has ever given me.” A single tear slipped down her cheek. “I didn’t think I’d ever see them again. Not after Steven and you’re…”
“A Preor War Master who can do as he pleases.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and drew in her scent. She smelled glorious. Like the crisp skies of Preor at the height of winter. “But that is not the only surprise.”
“There’s more?”
“Oh, Lana, you’ll never guess what your young man did.” Her mother’s voice cut into their conversation and then she snatched Lana’s hand. “Come see.”
Taulan released her
and nudged her toward her mother. “Go.”
His mate disappeared around the corner and he slowly followed, pausing beside Lana’s father.
Sire Coburn sighed. “My wife doesn’t know the meaning of the word surprise.” He slapped Taulan’s shoulder. “But you’ll learn.”
He frowned at the older human and then turned his gaze to Choler. The Negotiate Master saved him from battling Sire Coburn. “Larry, I believe I explained that Preor males…”
Sire Coburn snorted and released Taulan as their gazes locked. “Boy, I’m old, but I’m not dumb. I wouldn’t challenge one of y’all.”
“Taulan?” Lana’s soft voice reached for him and squeezed his heart. Surprise and something else filled her tone. When he swung his attention to her, it was to see her sway in place, her wide-eyed gaze locked on him. She listed to the left, collapsing against the couch that Jarek insisted on, and Taulan raced to her side.
“Shaa kouva?” He tugged her into his lap, uncaring that he held her closer than was honorable when in her sire and dam’s presence. He cupped her cheek and examined her face, searching for the source of her unease. “What is wrong?”
“You bought this. All of it.” The words came out thin and soft. “I don’t… You… We live on…”
He turned his frown on Dam Coburn. “I do not understand.” He believed he had done a kindness. “Choler,” he snapped. “Explain.”
Dam Coburn did not give the warrior a chance to speak when she came forward. “She’s just surprised, Taulan. We’re simple people and this,” she waved at the apartment. “This is more than we’ve ever had in our lives.”
“I wished to have adequate accommodations for my mate’s sire and dam.” He turned a glare on Choler. “You indicated—“
The male tried to answer Taulan once more, and once more Dam Coburn interceded. “We would have been fine with a little one-bedroom apartment on the other side of town.” She shook her head. “A suite on one of the top floors of Preor Tower is beyond anything we could have imagined.”
Taulan grunted. “You will share it with us occasionally.”
Dam Coburn grinned. “You and my little grandbabies.”
He was not sure what a grandbay-bee was, but he assumed she spoke of their dragonlets. “We must create them first.”
Perhaps they did not understand Preor physiology. He wondered if he should explain it or have the Medical Master come to the surface. Since he did not wish to speak of mating to his mate’s sire and dam, he would order someone from medical to instruct the couple.
Lana shook her head and finally gave him her attention. “You did this.”
“We have established that fact.”
“You brought my parents here. You gave them a home—one we’ll share with them—“
“On occasion.” He could not allow her to assume anything else. “I cannot travel from the ship more often than once every eight turnings, and I will not allow you to visit on your own. They are permitted to come to the battleship whenever they wish.” He believed he’d made many concessions. “Now, you may thank me.”
The snort from Dam Coburn was much like Lana’s own. Curious.
“War Master Taulan?” Lazun stepped forward and he recognized the disconcerted expression on the male. He had been acting a beast in preparation for this surprise. He should have expected his warriors to be on edge and wary of interrupting. “The evening meal will be served at UST soon.”
A meal they had to be present for.
With a sigh, he set Lana on her feet and then rose as well. “Come, Coburns. Prince Tave is forgiving, but I have heard his mate is expecting another youngling and requires constant feeding. They will not wait long for us.”
“Oh, but we’re not going. I don’t have anything to wear.”
“We’ll stay here and settle in.”
Lana snorted. Yes, the two females sounded very similar. “The first time I met Tave I was in a skirt suit, soaked to the bone in sea water with his daughter clinging to me. What you’re wearing is fine.”
It seemed the couple still had difficulty agreeing, so Taulan made the decision for them.
“We will all go. Warriors,” he snapped and the men strode forward, falling into position around the four of them. Now they had no choice.
Taulan was proud of his decision. Especially when his mate smiled at him. Yes, he had made the right choice.
At least, that was his belief until they departed Preor Tower and began their walk to UST. Because, when his mate and her dam paused to gather a few shells while they continued on another fifty feet, a male emerged from the shadows.
One who clutched a knife and held it to his mate’s throat.
Unacceptable.
22
It was too good to be true. All of it. Every single thing that’d happened from the moment she met Taulan until this very second…
Yup, too good to be true.
Because Steven was there—there—with a knife against her throat and his grubby hand knotted in her hair. He tugged hard and she winced, the jolt of pain sliding through her. Lana’s body welcomed the ache like an old, hated friend. One of those people a person had known for so long, but hated to the depths of their soul.
And his presence stoked that hate. Stoked it until it nearly burned her from inside out. She remembered every word ever slung at her, every sneer, shout, and yell. She remembered every slap, punch, and kick.
The first time he split her lip.
The first time he broke her nose.
The first time he fractured her ribs.
Then there were the bruises… So many, so often.
But then she’d met Taulan. Met him and he’d turned her world on its end. Not because he was an alien, but because he was her alien. Her mate. Her one.
The Knowing pulsed inside her, flooding her with more information. It gave her knowledge she hadn’t realized she needed—wanted. It told here where to kick, where to hit, where to jab. That wave of awareness urged her to act, urged her to stomp on his instep, elbow him in the face, and then raise her knee so hard his balls ended up in his throat.
She had to admit, the picture the Knowing painted did give her a smile. Her lips turned up at the corners until a grin split her features. Yes, she could do all that and more and she couldn’t wait.
Of course, she had to convince Taulan to give her the chance. Right then his glare slowly transformed from an expression of pure hatred and evil intent to one of confusion.
He shook his head, brow furrowed as he met her gaze. “Lana?”
The knife at her throat dug into her skin and a familiar sting of pain immediately followed. She knew he’d sliced into her flesh, the burn familiar and welcome. Welcome because it added adrenaline to her blood and strength to her muscles.
Taulan roared, his chest expanding and shoulders growing wider with every breath. His shift threatened, the swirl of dark purple seeming to rise from the sand and dance around his legs. As it rose, so did the color of his scales, the darkness attempting to overtake him. The knife—and Steven—would be no match for her mate.
But first…
“I’m fine, Taulan,” she rasped and fought for air when her ex tightened his grip. Lana jerked against Steven’s hold. Not trying to dislodge him, but merely to give her the oxygen her body craved.
A low whimper came from their right and she flicked her attention to the source. Her mother rested on the sand, her wrinkled hand clutching her forearm. Sand and shells dug into the underside of her mother’s forearm and a sweep of rage joined Lana’s fury. Yes, he held Lana at knife point, but he’d hurt her mother.
He’d hurt her mother.
“Steven,” she gasped when he dug the tip of his knife deeper into her vulnerable neck. “You’re not going to get away with this. You know that, right?” He yanked on her hair once more. It was one of the things he enjoyed—dragging her around by her hair. “You’re not getting off this beach with me.”
Or without her since her mate looked as if
he’d happily rip off her ex’s head. Considering he’d battled a shifted dragon recently—and won—she didn’t think Steven had a chance in hell.
“You’re mine,” he growled. “I had you first. I trained you.”
He’d trained her to fear him, to do what he wanted or she’d get hurt. Yeah, he’d trained her all right. “You may have had me at one time, but not anymore.”
“No. You’re mine.”
“Steven.” That knife point sinking into her skin was really pissing her off now. In the past, she’d tremble and cry. Now she became furious. “I left you. I changed my name so you couldn’t find me. That was a big fucking clue that I wanted nothing to do with you.”
Pain became fury and she used every snippet of hurt—every memory of agony—to fuel her movements. The Knowing still ebbed and flowed, now slowly giving her a new awareness of her body, of balance and strength, and when to use both.
“Lana!” her mate shouted at her, but she didn’t spare him a glance, not when she needed to focus on the piece of shit holding her captive.
“You are mine.”
“No.” She gritted her teeth and prepared for what was to come. “I’m not.”
Lana closed her eyes, shutting Taulan out while she did what needed to be done. She was over this, over him, over every fucking thing at this point.
She lifted her knee and brought her foot down on his instep as hard as she could. She felt the bones snap beneath her stomp and she grinned when Steven let out a high-pitched scream.
“Feels good, doesn’t it?” she murmured and ignored the new roar of agony tearing through her. His blade sank deeper into her neck, but she didn’t have time to worry now. Not when she had an elbow to throw. She bent her arm and slammed it backward, catching his nose. She smiled at the familiar crunch. “Like that?”
Another shout.
