Jasmine gasped. “Your what?”
Freya straightened up. “I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out for yourself. Didn’t you know? When the Allies first contacted our people about sending your so-called research mission to this planet, our patriarchs all got together to discuss the situation. They agreed to keep our dragon nature a secret. They realized pretty early on your Allies weren’t the benevolent democracy you claimed to be. They suspected the Allies wanted to invade us, and this research mission was just a ruse to get their people inside our Keeps.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying all along!” Jasmine cried.
Freya nodded. “You haven’t said anything we didn’t already know. We kept our dragon nature a secret, so that when the Allies did decide to invade, we would have some advantage over them. Now you’ll shoot your mouth off to your friends, and that advantage will be gone.”
Jasmine stared at her. “I would never do that. I’ve done everything to convince your brothers to take the Allies threat seriously. I couldn’t tell my friends. Any one of them could pass the information to the Allies.”
“I might agree with you, but how are you going to keep it a secret? You would have to lie to your own teammates.”
“I just lied to Rex—at least, I didn’t tell him the truth. They’ll never find out if I don’t tell them.”
Freya frowned. “I guess not.”
“Your brothers pose a much bigger threat than I do,” Jasmine went on. “Isn’t there any way we can convince them to leave the Ulasso alone?”
“I don’t see how,” Freya replied. “The Ulasso are our oldest enemies. We understand how to fight them. No one knows the first thing about the Allies.”
“I do,” Jasmine countered. “I don’t know anything about the Ulasso, except what I saw from Fawks, and that certainly didn’t make him my enemy.”
“He attacked your shuttle,” Freya pointed out. “He tried to kill you, and his people could do a lot worse if we let this incursion pass. They’re extremely dangerous.”
“What makes them so dangerous? Why do you keep insisting they’re so evil when they’re just another Clan?”
“They have advanced technology.” Freya compressed her lips. “There. I said it. Now you have two secrets to keep instead of just one.”
Jasmine’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious? What kind of technology are we talking about?”
Freya counted off on her fingers. “Space flight. Weapons capable of shooting down large space ships. Interstellar travel and communication. Political relations with other worlds in the galaxy. Advanced methods of producing large amounts of food. They live in vast underground cities under the deserts to the south. They are far more than just another Clan. One of their cities houses millions of people, and they have hundreds of cities. They could easily over ruin the rest of us if they chose to do so.”
A broken cry escaped Jasmine’s throat. “This is wonderful! Don’t you see! If what you say is true, the Ulasso could defeat the Allies.”
Freya nodded. “They could defeat the Allies with ease, and with no help from the rest of us.”
Jasmine grabbed Freya by the shoulders. “Don’t you understand? We have to make peace with the Ulasso, not attack them. We have to get them fighting for us. They can protect the rest of the planet from any Allies invasion. We have to send them a message. We have to sue for peace. We have to convince Rocor and the others to drop this silly attack.”
Freya held up both hands. “Slow down. You don’t know what you’re asking. My brothers will never make peace with the Ulasso, much less fight alongside them against a common foe.”
“The Allies will destroy your whole planet if they don’t.”
Freya nodded. “They would probably accept that rather than approach the Ulasso with a message of peace.”
Jasmine chopped the air. “We can’t let them. We can’t let them drag the whole planet down over some ridiculous conflict. If the Ulasso can stand up to the Allies, we have to get them working with us. We have to alert them and convince them to stand with us, no matter what it takes.”
Freya squeezed her arm. “I might agree with you, but you don’t understand these men. They will never take a suggestion from a woman about what they should do. As long as you keep pushing for this, they’ll do the opposite.”
Jasmine humphed. “There must be some way to get them to change their minds.”
Freya chuckled. “I’ve known them all my life, and they haven’t changed their minds yet.”
Jasmine turned away. “I can’t give up that easily.”
“Well, if you want help with anything, you let me know.”
Jasmine turned back to smile at her. “Actually, just having someone to talk to about this helps a lot.”
Freya grinned. “I wondered how long it would take one of you people to catch on. I’m glad it’s you.”
12. Chapter 11
Jasmine strode back up the passage the way she came. She didn’t race the way she did before, but her mind still seethed in turmoil. Now what was she going to do? Every Kratak on the planet was really a dragon. They could change into dragons and back again at will. They would have a massive advantage when it came to fighting the Allies. They would take advantage of the element of surprise, and the Allies wouldn’t know what hit them.
That advantage would last a little while, but it couldn’t defeat the full military might of the Allies force. Once the Allies realized what they were up against, they would come down hard on this planet. They would crush the Krataks, dragons or no dragons.
In the last analysis, only one force on this planet could defeat the Allies: the Ulasso. The Ulasso might be the Assans’ oldest, most notorious enemy, but they were also Kratak’s only hope. No one else on this planet could stand up to fully armed battleships, armed storm troopers swarming over the land, economic blockades, unlimited supply chains—the implications staggered Jasmine’s mind.
The Ulasso had all that technology and more besides. They had advanced food production, millions of people, maybe even billions. They had everything the Allies had, plus one key advantage the Allies couldn’t match. They had the home field advantage. They had underground cities to which they could retreat and regroup.
The Allies invasion force would be light years from home. They would spend countless fortunes in money and supplies just transporting their force here. They would have to set up shop on an alien world for who knows how long. The Ulasso could hold out for decades, maybe even centuries.
Fawks flashed before her eyes. That man held all his cards close to his vest. He never revealed the truth about his people. He didn’t have to.
Halfway up the passage, Jasmine heard footsteps coming down to meet her. She pushed her thoughts aside and prepared herself to deal with her teammates. She had to be ready to act natural around them and never give them any indication she kept a secret from them.
Her carefully constructed smile dissolved when Rocor appeared. Her face hardened. He came right up to her. He put his arm around her and tried to kiss her, but she shoved him away with all her strength. “Get off me! Don’t touch me.”
He let his arm drop. “That’s not the reception I was hoping for when I haven’t seen you all day.”
Jasmine turned away. “Get used to it. That’s the only reception you’ll get from me from now on. I never should have gotten involved with you in the first place.”
He made no move to intercept her. He leaned his shoulder against the wall and rolled the words in his mouth. “You must be upset about what you saw outside.”
Jasmine whirled around in a flash. “What did I see outside?”
He shrugged and looked the other way. “You saw me fighting Warku. You saw both of us shift. You must have been surprised, and now you’re reacting.”
She stared at him in shock. “How do you know that’s what I saw?”
He looked her up and down. “I saw you hiding behind the tree. I caught your scent, and when you ran away, you made e
nough noise to catch my attention. You saw the fight, so you know the truth about us now.”
Jasmine shut her mouth with a click. “If that’s true, you understand why I can’t have anything more to do with you.”
“No, I don’t. Why can’t you?”
She waved her hand up and down in front of him. “You’re a dragon. You’re not a man at all. I should have known when I saw that pattern on your face, but I didn’t put two and two together. Now I know. You’re not a man. You’re…. you’re something alien. I don’t know what you are.”
He pushed himself off the wall and faced her. “I am a man. I’m the same man you slept with last night.”
She turned her face aside to hide her burning cheeks. He always knew what to say to make her cave in. He always knew how to get her to do what he wanted. “Whatever you are, I can’t do it again. I have to keep my distance from you. If any of my team finds out about you, the Allies could crush Kratak.”
He shrugged. “I’m not worried about the Allies.”
“No,” she snapped. “You’re only worried about the Ulasso. When are you going to wake up and realize fighting them is the worst thing you can do? The Ulasso have the technology to defeat the Allies. Why don’t you make them your allies instead of your enemies?”
His eyes widened. “So, you know about that, too? Well, so much the better. Now I don’t have to worry about keeping a secret from you.”
“No. It’s only me who has to keep a secret now.”
“You don’t have to.” He waved her down the passage. “Go on and tell your friends what you know. No need to give me or my people a second thought.”
She glared at him. “What do you take me for? How many times have I stuck my neck out for your sake? How many risks have I taken to help you? If I told Rex what I know, it would be all over the Allied Command in a matter of hours.”
He cocked his head. “Will you tell Rex? He would probably love you forever for that.”
She smacked her lips. “I don’t want him to love me forever, and I already had the opportunity to tell him.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because I’m stupid. That’s why. I’m stupid enough to think you and your troglodytic people might actually appreciate some help from someone like me. I can see, though, that you don’t care what happens to you. You’ll just go on your stubborn way until the Allies come along and throw you all in a prison of our own making. Then you’ll wonder why nobody warned you ahead of time so you could do something about it. Lucky for me, I’ll be long gone. I’ll be back on my own world, and I never have to think about you again.”
Rocor nodded. “If you didn’t tell Rex when you had the chance, you’ll never tell anybody.”
She threw up her hands. “I don’t know why I keep repeating myself to you. I’ve already told you the Allies are a grave threat to you, but you don’t listen. I don’t see any reason to keep trying to help you.”
He moved closer to her. He smiled down at her. “Did you like what you saw in the forest?”
She glared up into his face. “Of course not. It was horrific. I can’t believe I ever let you touch me.”
He tugged her hand toward her bedroom door. “Come inside. Let me touch you again.”
She yanked her hand free. “Never! I’m leaving.”
“Where are you going? You can’t leave the planet until the Allies come back.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? You’d like the Allies to come and pick me and the team up so you can get your head caved in by the first storm trooper to come along.”
“I wouldn’t like that. I wouldn’t like you leaving. I haven’t finished with you yet.”
She threw up her hands and spun away. “You’re a pig.”
He seized her shoulders and whipped her around to face him. He pulled her against him and planted his mouth against hers. She slapped his shoulders, but she couldn’t break free. His mouth popped off hers with a smack.
He held her at arm’s length, and they regarded each other in matched determination. What could you do with a man like this? She couldn’t talk to him. She couldn’t get near him. He held himself at a distance, even when he kissed her and suggested they get closer than their own skin.
She tried to break free, but he wouldn’t let her go. The blue-black dragon imprint under his skin roiled and covered his face for a moment. She saw it, and she understood what it meant. That blue dragon she saw in the woods narrowed its eyes at her. It slithered its whip neck to get a better look at her. Then it submerged beneath Rocor’s skin where she couldn’t see it.
It was still there, though. It would always be there. When she kissed him, she kissed that dragon. When she bent over and stuck her ass in the air, she invited that dragon to nail her as hard as he wanted. When she climaxed on Rocor’s dripping cock, she climaxed on that dragon’s lizard spike. He licked her with his forked tongue. He mounted her with his scaly body.
She ought to shudder in horror. She ought to scream and run away. She ought to slam the door in his face and refuse to come out until the Allies returned to rescue her. She wouldn’t do any of that, though. She would only stare in fascinated lust at the intricate pictures covering his face and neck and hands. She would salivate over his rough skin and his cruel dominating treatment. She couldn’t get away. She’d already fallen under his sway. He commanded her. Not even knowing what he was could break that spell now.
He didn’t have to ask her permission anymore. All he had to do was look at her. He hypnotized her. His eyes and his alien face and his iron body turned her on beyond belief. They called her, and she had to come.
He let go of her shoulders. The deed was done. He took her hand, and their fingers intertwined. She was already there, in that room where she couldn’t say no.
She gulped down a mouthful of saliva to make her voice work. She only needed to know one more thing. “Who won the fight?”
A smile touched the corners of his mouth. “Nobody.”
Her eyes popped open. “What?”
“We didn’t finish the fight. Warku and I are too closely matched. Neither of us could best the other. Callan thought we might kill each other, so he stopped the fight.”
“That’s great!” Jasmine exclaimed.
He rolled her fingers in his hand. “He only delayed the inevitable. The challenge can’t be erased just by delaying it. Warku and I agreed to fight again as soon as Callan returns to Harkniss Keep.”
Jasmine’s heart sank one more time. So that was it. Rocor and Warku would fight to the death. One of them would take over as patriarch—if Callan didn’t decide to step in and fight for it, too. So much bloodshed and conflict!
She couldn’t think about that right now. Rocor led her the few steps to her bedroom door. He opened it, and she followed him inside.
13. Chapter 12
Jasmine stood in the middle of the room and waited. In the short time she knew Rocor, she learned to wait until he told her what to do. Broad daylight streamed down through the ceiling window, and a fragrant breeze blew out of the forest.
She couldn’t enjoy them, though, not with him stalking her. He didn’t stand behind her where she couldn’t see him, either. He stood right in front of her where she couldn’t avoid him. She couldn’t turn her eyes away from his smoldering face. She couldn’t escape that maddening steel edge in his eyes when he looked at her.
His tongue moved inside his mouth. “So…. what would you like to do?”
She pursed her lips. “I think the question is what you would like to do.”
He bit back a smile. “You’re smart. You learn quickly.”
“I have a good teacher.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Is that what you want? Do you want a teacher?”
She dared return his gaze. “You said you would show me what it was like to be with a dominant man. We’re conducting scientific research here, aren’t we?”
He nodded and strolled over to the window. He made a great show of gazing out it.
“I suppose that’s what we’re doing.”
“You don’t have to pretend,” she told him.
“Pretend what?”
“You don’t have to pretend you’re interested in me. You don’t have to pretend you want something from me other than plain old sex.”
He didn’t turn around. “If you don’t want me to pretend, I won’t.”
“Why should you pretend? I would rather have the truth than some lie.”
He nodded out at the forests and mountains. “So, would I.”
There. She said it. She didn’t have to say anymore. Now both of them had their cards on the table.
“So... would you like to continue our research? No, don’t answer that.”
She stood silent and waiting. He would tell her what she wanted to do. He knew better than she did. What did she know about what she wanted? She’d lived thirty-two years without ever knowing what she wanted. She never knew until he showed her.
He didn’t smile anymore. His face didn’t turn black and reptilian, either. The patterns lightened. They softened into gentle tumbling waves of leaves and fronds and fingers uncurling and grasping and letting go again. They wrinkled around his lips and washed away into his shirt collar.
He nodded over his head. “Lie down on the bed.”
What? Lie down on the bed without taking her clothes off? She climbed onto the bed and lay down on the pillows. He climbed up, too. He stretched his long body next to hers and crooked one elbow under his head.
She waited. “Well?”
“Well what?”
“Aren’t you going to do anything?”
“Aren’t you going to do anything?”
“I thought you were going to show me what it was like to be with a dominant man.”
“So here I am. You’re with me.”
She blinked. What was he trying to say? “So…. now what?”
“You’re with a dominant man. I’ve shown you what it’s like. Now what are you going to do?”
Rocor (Dragons of Kratak Book 5) Page 8
