by Kyle, Celia
Argan
Dragons of Preor
Celia Kyle
Erin Tate
Contents
Blurb
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
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
About the Author
Blurb
Argan’s honor as a Preor warrior made him defend her. Liquid Knot’s heart demanded she save him.
Liquid Knot—hacker extraordinaire—has made mistakes in her life, but none so big as getting an alien warrior sentenced to death. His head is on the chopping block and the Preor leader is determined to follow the letter of the law. Now, there’s only one thing she can do to prevent his death: claim the sun-colored, sexy, delicious winged male as her mate.
Argan sen Izz’bara does not regret defending Liquid Knot—his dragon’s heart would not allow him to remain silent—he regrets that she condemns herself to a mating in name only. Yet as they spend time together, it becomes clear there is more than friendship between them. Attraction. Passion. Need. Argan did not experience the Knowing the first time he met Liquid Knot so there is no way they could be mates. Right?
Before the question can be answered, someone in the shadows makes his displeasure known. Argan was supposed to die. Now his enemy is intent on destroying Argan and Lily both.
Can he save her from a rampaging Preor again? Or will he fail her just as he has failed so many?
Chapter One
Argan could never tell when she would arrive. When she would give him solace from the unending loneliness. The feeling of abandonment—no matter how justified—dragged at his dragon’s soul. He’d always imagined himself apart, separate from other Preor, but now he was segregated in truth.
However, he would not—could not—regret his actions. He had defended a female. He had performed his duty as an honorable male. It just so happened he threatened a master’s life in the process.
That, perhaps, had been a mistake.
He snorted, a puff of smoke escaping his nose. His dragon remained ever present since he’d been jailed, the beast chafing at its denial of freedom.
Had he kept his head and merely shouted at the engineering master—Vende—he might have been given extra duties as punishment. Instead, he remained jailed and awaited his sentence.
One he deserved.
Perhaps it was a good thing. He was old, worn, and weary—disfigured warrior who had yet to find a mate on the large planet called Earth. Human females shied from him whenever he drew near.
No matter what the third fleet’s human war mistress—Lana—said, he did not believe “chicks dig scars.”
Argan traced his finger along the jagged mark that marred his face. It bisected his features, the skin lighter than the tanned hue that covered the rest of his body. It’d been meant as a killing blow and yet he’d survived.
Survived for a life of loneliness until War Master Taulan issued Argan’s sentence. At least he would obtain relief from his dragon’s constant yearning for a mate.
Argan sighed and pushed to his feet, muscles tight from his lack of movement. There was little space in his cell and his dragon snarled at the confinement.
He stretched tall, lifting his arms over his head while he extended his wings as far as he could. The yellow extensions of his body ached as he tugged on the muscles. The golden hue no longer held the sparkling shimmer he was used to seeing. With no sunlight or wind, and infrequent use, they’d begun darkening to a sickly imitation of his normal brightness.
Though why he allowed himself to feel sadness over the loss of beauty he did not know. The only punishment for threatening the life of a master was death. What did the dulling of his scales matter when his demise was imminent?
Argan bent left and then right, stretching his sides and working out the remaining kinks before finally relaxing with a huff. There, he had accomplished his one task for the day. There was not much else to do in a ship’s cell.
A glimmer to his left drew his attention, a rainbow of sparkles dancing in the air signaling a break in his solitary existence. The whirl of flickering lights slowly coalesced, turning into a familiar form. Its appearance soothed him. Even if the figure was not real in the normal sense, it was still interaction—a blessing.
Soon the figure solidified into the shape he’d come to associate with the ship’s chosen form. The ship—Penelope—elected to appear as a female hologram, a curvy body that reminded Argan of the program’s maker. He would not admit to being slightly intrigued, attracted, by the image Penelope chose to portray. Her long, flowing dark locks contrasted with the paleness of her projected skin. Bright blue eyes met his—the color similar to the Gulf of Mexico.
Today, Penelope chose ripped jeans, a tank top and heavy boots. Boots that reminded Argan of the type he himself wore. Or rather, used to wear. His previous uniform was that of a warrior, but that title no longer applied to him.
“Hi, Argan,” Penelope smiled widely, her white teeth even and straight. “Whatcha doin’?”
He quirked a brow. “I am unable to do anything, Penelope.”
The image rolled its eyes and huffed. “You know what I mean.”
He did, but he also found a measure of happiness in teasing the ship. It’d become more and more sentient as time passed. The human “Liquid Knot” had altered its programming greatly and now Penelope had petitioned for Preor citizenship.
A battlecruiser wished to be a citizen of their home planet.
“Yes, I do.” He grinned at her.
“Annoying ass,” she grumbled and drew nearer. A wave of her hand had a cushioned chair materializing on the other side of his bars.
“I am told my ass is attractive, not annoying.” He lowered to the bed, its surface soft and comfortable despite the fact that it was for a prisoner destined for death.
“Whatever.” She would not meet his gaze, but a hint of pink tinged her cheeks. Feigned embarrassment. Intriguing.
He had to admit he found himself oddly drawn to the hologram. Penelope made him laugh in the face of death, even if she was not truly real.
“What are you doing this day?” His raised his eyebrows in question. “Have you ceased punishing the war master for his actions?”
Penelope harrumphed and crossed her arms over her ample chest. Why did she not choose a less attractive image? It was… not right that he found himself fascinated by her.
“His food might lack the proper seasonings.”
“Penelope…”
She glared at him. “You shouldn’t be jailed.”
If she were standing, she would have stomped her foot, plump breasts jiggling with the movement.
“You were protecting me.” She snapped her mouth closed for a moment. “I mean Lily—Liquid.”
Argan pointed at her and gave her a glare as well. “I knew you two were too similar. You are both one and the same, are you not? Lily has lent many parts of herself to your programming.”
Penelope tipped her head back slightly, nose in the air as she sniffed. “Only the best parts. An
d we’re not the same. We are individuals who share common interests.”
Argan chuckled. “Like the love of causing havoc?” He shook his head. “You must take care, Penelope. If Taulan truly becomes angry with you, he will request a programmer from Preor. He will have you reprogrammed.”
She snorted. “As if anyone could get past my firewalls.” She rubbed her nails on her shirt, fingertips drifting close to the valley between her breasts. “I’m too good.”
Argan’s cock hardened, his body aching for the hologram. Imprisonment truly had stolen his mind. He had not been sequestered that long, but still he responded to Penelope’s programmed body.
This was a dangerous game and yet… what did his attraction to the fake female matter? He would die soon. At least he would die with the vision of a beautiful female fresh in his mind.
“Too good to get caught?” His lips twitched. “I distinctly remember a certain altercation…”
The altercation that led to Argan’s imprisonment, but that was not his point.
Penelope grunted. “I suppose I could have been a little subtler when creating Kouvai Nihon.”
“Uh-huh.” Argan mimicked a human expression. “You and Lily…”—he ignored her correction to call Lily, Liquid Knot—“commandeered the training platform and turned it into a Preor vacation destination without approval.”
“It wasn’t like the warriors needed the training platform. The Preor are the most skilled and strongest warriors in the galaxies.”
“I do not think that was the war master’s point,” he drawled.
“You do realize we’ve had this argument several times. Trying to convince me I’m wrong is pointless.” Penelope shifted in her seat and straightened her spine. “I have been informed that females are never wrong. As I am female, my actions were not incorrect. Merely unappreciated.”
Unappreciated by some. The human-Preor mates and their dragonlets loved Kouvai Nihon and begged to visit the hovering platform in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico quite often. It was the one safest places for Preor, their mates, and dragonlets to vay-kay-shon without worry.
“Is that why you chose a female form? So you are never wrong?”
Penelope frowned, lips forming a small pout and brow furrowed. He would not think about rubbing those wrinkles away or wonder what it would feel like to kiss her. Well, if she were real.
Argan mentally shook his head. Taulan needed to release him from captivity or end his life. His feelings toward Penelope grew with every moment and he knew they were, at best, unhealthy. At worst, deranged.
“Lily is female. We could not engage in girl talk if I were male. Thus, female.” Penelope tilted her head to the side. “Would you prefer it if I were male?”
Argan swallowed hard and shook his head. “No,” he rasped and then coughed to clear his throat. “You have sustained me through my imprisonment exactly as you are. I do not believe I would have fared as well if you were male.”
His dragon would have ached to challenge and attack a male presence. The need to dominate and overcome others was ingrained in a warrior.
“Well, your incarceration should come to an end soon.”
He was not sure if he should thank her for the knowledge or curse her. Instead, he remained silent and merely nodded.
“I have done quite a bit of research to examine sentencing options and believe I can argue for—”
He held up a hand to silence her. “War Master Taulan will make the decision that will best honor and protect the fleet. I can ask for no more or no less.”
“But he’ll—”
“It will be as it will be, Penelope,” he interrupted once more though he kept his tone gentle.
Penelope’s lower lip trembled, and she shuddered while sadness overtook her expression. “I think I could save you from one of the harsher punishments.”
Argan gave her a sad smile. “You saved me through your visits. That is enough and more than I deserve.”
The heavy thud of someone’s approach echoed in his ears and he wondered why Penelope hadn’t alerted him to the impending visit. There were only cells lining this corridor and no one ventured down the hall unless they intended to enter.
“Who comes?”
She didn’t answer. Instead, giving him more options. “I could lock them out.”
“Who?”
“Or I could transport you to another area on Earth.”
“Who?”
“Or—”
Argan growled, the deep, rolling sound echoing in the metal lined room. “Who?”
Penelope huffed. “War Master Taulan, Primary Warrior Kozav, and Engineering Master Vende.” She perked up. “I could transport Engineering Master Vende to another area on Earth. He can’t bring charges against you if he is, say, on a secluded, undiscovered island.”
The ship appeared too excited by the idea.
“No.” He kept his tone gentle, but firm. Penelope was a caring being of some sort. She didn’t deserve his frustration or anger. But he also couldn’t allow her to begin disposing of anyone who made her angry.
“Very well, you stubborn baboon.”
“Baboon?” He believed it was some sort of Earth beast, but he could not recall its form.
“Yes.” She jerked her head in a nod. “You’re a baboon’s ass.”
She pushed to her feet, the chair behind her disappearing as she rose. She always vanished before others arrived, as if she didn’t want anyone to know she’d chosen a form and could manifest at will. He believed it would upset some of the warriors, so he remained silent about her ability.
“I should transport you to the jungle to meet your relatives.” With that, she spun on her heel and silently stomped toward the wall. Her ass bounced with each step, jeans hugging the plump curves in a way that drew his arousal forward once more.
Yes, it was wrong that he was so attracted to a hologram—a machine—but he clung to the little bit of joy he’d found in his last days.
Death could not take that from him.
Chapter Two
Lily stomped out of the camera’s visual range and threw herself into the nearby desk chair. The force sent the chair spinning in place, going ‘round and ‘round until friction finally drew her to a stop. Now she faced her computer monitors—the ones displaying the brig on Penelope and the idiot still locked behind metal bars.
“Stupid male.” If he had even hinted at accepting one of her offers, she would have ordered Penelope to hop to it and get Argan out of there.
But nooo…
She sighed and closed her eyes, leaning her head back. She whispered to the ceiling. “Stupid, stupid male.”
“Your statement is inaccurate. Argan sen Izz’bara is highly intelligent,” Penelope contradicted her. Then again, Penelope always contradicted her. Why had Lily reprogrammed the ship again?
Oh. Right. For funsies.
Really, Lily was the stupid one.
“I’m sure he is, Penelope.” She nudged the desk with her toe, sending the chair slowly spinning. “But not taking me up on my offer is a stupid move.”
“He is highly honorable, as well as intelligent. An honorable male would not flee from punishment.”
“Sometimes, I don’t know, living trumps honor,” Lily drawled.
“Nothing is more important than honor.”
Apparently, Lily could code the human into Penelope, but she couldn’t remove the Preor out of the code.
“We’ll have to agree to disagree on that one.”
“There is no reason for disagreement. I am right. You are wrong.”
She snorted and rolled her eyes. “Uh-huh. Whatever you say.”
“I am glad you agree.” If Penelope were a person, she imagined the woman squaring her shoulders and standing that much straighter, happy that she’d gotten Lily’s agreement.
Lily shook her head. “Have you noticed how prim and proper you’ve become? You’re so stuffy now. Ugh.” She shuddered and then narrowed her eyes. “You didn’t le
t someone else touch your programming. Did you? Penelope, you’re a one-woman program. You shouldn’t let others stick their code in you.”
“Well, I never.” Penelope had a nice offended tone with a hint of Southern twang.
“Are you clutching imaginary pearls right now?”
“Like any proper Georgia belle.”
“Then what’s with all the prim and proper speech? Only Preor talk without contractions.” Lily dropped her voice. “You should not wander here. You are not permitted in this area. You do not have proper clearance to blah, blah, blah…”
Hacking computers was easy. Lily had discovered that fooling Preor and physically invading restricted areas was not.
“I believe they speak in that way because they have sticks beneath their tails.”
“You mean up their asses?” She still had work to do on Penelope’s colloquialisms.
“That too.”
“Okay,” Lily huffed and sat forward, tearing her gaze from the monitors. “Bring up a holo of your brig, including audio. I want to see what’s going on up there.”
And figure out how she could stop the worst from happening. She’d told Argan she had ideas, but he’d been too stubborn to listen.
“Aye aye, Cap’n. Argh.”
“You’re not a pirate.”
“I could be a pirate. Shiver me tagrium hull.”
“It’s timbers.”
“My exterior is constructed of tagrium.”
Lily shook her head. “The holo, please. I’d like to listen to Taulan’s ruling.”
Then figure out how to thwart the war master.
