Argan: Dragons of Preor

by Kyle, Celia

  His Lily. She rested in a black chair, feet propped on a cushioned square and her body tipped back in her seat. She remained in place at his entrance, hands resting on the arms of the chair in a perfectly relaxed pose. And yet he knew she was not relaxed. He furrowed his brow, staring at her while he tapped into her emotions through the Binds.

  Excitement. Anticipation. Frustration.

  A closer look at his mate showed that her eyes rapidly moved beneath her eyelids, sliding back and forth. Her lips moved, forming soundless words, and then curved up slightly at the corners.

  “Yes.” She breathed the single word and a hint of joy filtered through the Bindings.

  He padded nearer, leaning over her as he stared at his mate. She had not sensed his approach and had yet to acknowledge his presence. He was not a male to demand such devotion from his mate, but he had never seen his mate so… oblivious.

  She twitched in her seat, right arm lifting an inch off the chair while her fingers wiggled and then fell back to the seat.

  “Shaa kouva?” he murmured. She did not reply—remaining quiet—so he raised his voice. “Shaa kouva.” He spoke normally, and she remained unaware, causing his frown to deepen. He reached out, still reaching for her through the Bindings as he laid his hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle nudge. “Lily?”

  Lily’s eyes sprang open and fear spiked in her heart. The overwhelming emotion rushed into him, filling him to bursting with her panic. It slammed into him like a fully grown shifted Preor, crushing his two-legged form beneath scales and wings. She gasped, back arched while her fearful gaze flicked around the room before finally falling on him. Confusion clouded her eyes for a moment, their sparkling blue darkening the longer she stared.

  “Ar…” She moved to sit up, coughing as she jerked forward only to be brought up short by… something.

  He turned his attention to a cord that stretched between the chair and Lily’s hair. A cord that reminded him of the one on Chashan’s device. The device the healing master used when Lily had been ill.

  Ill.

  Argan didn’t hesitate then, reaching for the cable with one hand while he captured Lily with the other. “Come, shaa kouva. You are ill and you will see Healing Master Chashan. No arguments.”

  She got her way the day of the shuttle crash, but not again.

  “Huh?” Lily wrinkled her nose. “Argan, what are you talking about?” She moved to rise once more only to be held still by the cord. “Dammit.” She grumbled and reached for the black string. “This stupid thing…”

  “Is it safe to remove the device from your…” he searched his memory for the correct term. “Port? You should do so. I can then carry you to medical.”

  Lily shook her head. “Slow down.” She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut while pinching the bridge of her nose. “Back up for me and press pause. What the hell are you talking about?”

  “You are ill. I will take you to medical.” He was unsure why she did not seem to understand his intent. His mate was intelligent. If someone fell ill, they were taken to medical. His mate was ill. She would be taken to medical. Perhaps she was even more ill than he imagined.

  “I’m not ill.” She tried to shake her head once more and groaned when the cord stopped her movements. Sighing, she reached behind her head, fingers sinking into her tangled hair. She gave it a gentle tug and moaned softly as whatever it was slid free of her port. “That feels better,” she murmured. “Now, what the hell are you talking about?”

  Argan bent and grasped the cord, eyeing the metal end. “The last time you used such a device was when you were ill.” He ran his fingertip over the reflective surface—the metal reminding him of the ship in orbit above them. “Since you are ill, I will take you to medical.”

  Lily huffed and shook her head. Trembling fingers reached for the cable, plucking it from his loose grip. “I’m not…” She rose from the chair, grasping the back as she swayed in place. “I’m not ill.”

  Argan grunted. He did not have to call his mate a liar. Not when she nearly tumbled to her knees not two feet from him.

  “I’m not.” His mate glared at him. She would not do such a thing if she realized how much he enjoyed her anger.

  “Shaa kouva…” he sighed. “You do not appear to be a female that is well.”

  She clung to the back of the chair and rolled her eyes at him. “I was just…” She waved her hand toward the chair. “I was just… working.”

  “Working?” Argan understood the concept of working but did not understand how it applied to his mate. “Explain.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Explain.

  He made it sound so easy. Didn’t he think that if Lily could explain something easily she would have told everyone by now? She would have told the Preors about her implants. About her abilities thanks to tech. About what led her to a battered door in a forgotten alley all those years ago. Then there’d been the recovery…

  Lily sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose a little harder. Why was being honest such a pain in the ass?

  Because you’re a pain in the ass. Penelope’s voice echoed through her mind, bouncing off her skull and implants both.

  “I think getting you hooked in wirelessly was a mistake,” she grumbled under her breath.

  “Shaa kouva?” Argan’s voice reminded her of his presence. Right. She wasn’t alone. And Argan wanted her to “explain.”

  With a sigh, she padded toward the far wall, cutting across the holo-station as she made a beeline for the promised land. Specifically, the comfy couch she usually used when she’d gone and burned herself out while interfacing with Penelope.

  She shuffled across the wide circle surrounded by cameras she’d designed. Working together, they captured a perfect image of the circle’s occupants for projection elsewhere. Coincidentally, it was what she used when “visiting” Argan. Something he hadn’t known… until then anyway.

  She’d reached the middle of the circle before she realized her mistake. The cams and screens were on—a pre-programmed response to Lily’s presence in the vid capture area. And—fuck her sideways—if she entered without stating a destination, Penelope would “redial” the last location.

  The last location? Yeah, that was Argan’s cell on the ship. Of course, Penelope had to know that Lily wouldn’t want to connect with her brig. Unfortunately, it seemed the artificial intelligence was playing dumb.

  “Connecting to bridge, one moment, please.” Penelope’s polite voice tinkled through the room.

  The “please” confirmed Lily’s guess. Penelope didn’t like Lily keeping secrets and now Lily had given the ship the perfect way to reveal her secret. Stupid interfering bitch. Ugh.

  “Penelope, stop.”

  “Signal bouncing off US Government spy satellite alpha-beta.” The ship ignored her.

  “Sah-tell-eyet?” Argan drew nearer. Perfect. Now he’d know about what she’d done. Sure, she’d planned on coming clean about things but maybe not everything. She’d planned on keeping her stalker tendencies on the down low.

  “It’s this big communication device that the country uses to spy on others.” She waved his question away and kept her attention on the ship. “Penelope, I mean it. I said I’d do this in my own time.”

  “Image incoming.” She could almost hear the smile in Penelope’s digitized voice. Of course, that assumed that Penelope had a mouth to use to smile, but whatever. The ship’s computer was laughing at her.

  “You are such a bitch. You know that?” Lily snarled at the nearest camera.

  Penelope only had one word for a reply. “Connected.”

  If Lily didn’t love the stupid computer so much, she’d disassemble the thing bolt by bolt.

  “Shaa kouva…” the soft slap of Argan’s bare feet on the smooth floor announced his approach and she groaned in response. “What is this?”

  She turned her attention to the wall of vid screens, gesturing toward them with her left hand. “This is Penelope’s
brig.”

  “I do not understand.”

  But he wanted to, which meant she needed to suck it up and explain already. Fuck.

  “I know.” She licked her lips and closed her eyes, taking a deep, cleansing breath before she spoke again. “You protected me against Vende.”

  Argan grunted. “Are we having this discussion again? I did not give anything up for you. You did not ruin the rest of my ‘god for fucking-saken’ life.”

  She snorted. She couldn’t help it. Listening to a Preor curse was just all around hilariously awesome. Hawsome?

  “No, we’re not having that discussion again.” They were having one that was marginally different. “These cameras take a three hundred sixty-degree picture of whoever stands inside the circle.” She glanced at him, eyebrows raised in question. She wanted to make sure they were on the same page before she continued. At his brisk nod, she went on. “Then it’s projected wherever I want that has compatible cameras. In this case, Penelope’s brig.”

  “Why would you choose to there?”

  “Yeah…” she nibbled her lower lip. This would be so much easier if he could just guess. Then she wouldn’t actually have to say the words aloud.

  The image on the screen changed, zooming out and adjusting the angle to display Lily’s usual corner in that space. Then a body flickered into sight, a familiar shape coming into focus. One that had the Preor at her side sucking in a harsh gasp.

  “That is…” Argan moved closer to the screens, on arm outstretched. “That is…”

  “Me.” Lily sighed. “It’s me. It started as me wanting to make sure you were okay without revealing myself and then…”

  His gaze flicked between her and Projection Lily, a hint of unease and distrust wavering across his features. She couldn’t blame him for his feelings. Not when she faced life with the same approach.

  He pointed at Projection Lily, that version of her wearing the same outfit from the day Argan had been freed. “That is you? But you do not appear the same.”

  She shrugged. “It’s make believe. I can look however I want. And I didn’t want you to recognize me. I was…” She squirmed beneath Argan’s narrow-eyed gaze.

  “You were…?”

  Her next movement came from her long years alone. Years she’d spent doing whatever she could to survive. Years when she’d made so many mistakes that left her in so many horrible situations. Years…

  Lily wrapped her arms around her stomach, hugging herself, giving herself what comfort she could. This response, these feelings, always reared their ugly head when she was uncomfortable. Admitting her feelings was decidedly uncomfortable.

  She stared at the ground, hiding her eyes from Argan. Hoping against hope that he wouldn’t use the Binds to read her emotions. “I was worried about you.” She curled in on herself. “And I was drawn to you, which is embarrassing as hell. To feel like that toward a Preor who isn’t…” She coughed and cleared her throat. “Anyway. That was me. It’s over now. We’re mated, and that’s that.”

  “You were worried for me?”

  Why couldn’t males just keep their traps shut? “Yes.”

  “You were drawn to me.”

  That was a statement, not a question, but she answered him anyway. “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  She couldn’t hold it back any longer. Instead of answering, she groaned and shuffled to the other side of the room, plopping onto the thickly cushioned couch. “Can we talk about something else?”

  The rustle of wings followed her, the whoosh of that alien part of him announcing his approach. “No.”

  Lily leaned against the back of the couch, closed her eyes, and tipped her head back. With a sigh, she accepted defeat. “We’ll skip over your hotness. We’ve already had that conversation.” Argan chuckled in response and she enjoyed that sound way, way too much. “You…” How did she explain so much without turning into a blubbering mess? “Do you know how I came to be with the Preors?”

  “Some. You performed a task for my people and they now call you a friend of the Preor.”

  She snorted. She couldn’t help it. It was the truth, but only a pale shade of the truth. She lifted her head and met Argan’s stare, a single eyebrow raised. “How about I needed help and I only would have gotten it if I’d done their electronic dirty work first.” She shrugged. “But that’s how life is. I can’t blame them for using me.”

  Hell, she’d gotten all of her implants to be used, right? But when she compared her mate’s behavior to the way the Preors acted… Well, it became obvious why he intrigued her.

  “Preor offer assistance to females freely and without limitations. To demand—”

  She forced herself upright and leaned forward, brushing his rough fingertips with her own. “It’s fine. It’s over and done with.” She hooked her fingers around his. “It’s all good. I swear.”

  Another grunt from Argan and he gently squeezed her hand. Instead of releasing it, he tugged, pulling her upright just long enough for him to find a Preor-suitable seat. He lowered himself to the cushioned bench and then tugged her into his arms.

  It began and ended before Lily could voice her objection, but once he got his arms around her, she realized she was exactly where she wanted to be.

  “It is not how honorable Preors behave.”

  “It’s how everyone I’ve ever known has behaved. It’s what I’m used to.” Mostly. “Except then I met you.” She tipped her head back and rested her cheek against his shoulder. “You came to my defense. You put your life on the line, for me. And you didn’t want anything in return.” She ran her palm up his chest, curling her hand around the side of his throat. Her fingers played with the long strands of his hair as she met his intent stare. “I offered to free you and every time you said no. You asked for nothing. You never apologized for stepping in and stopping Vende’s rant. You did what you felt was right and that was it. No blackmail. Not tit for tat.” She ran her thumb across this pulse point. “Do you know how rare that is?”

  Argan remained silent, his eyes not revealing a single emotion. Even the Bind on her wrist kept his feelings hidden from her.

  “You know you’re attractive.” Lily ignored his snort. “But that’s not all you are. You’re honorable even when it isn’t easy. That’s what drew me to you, Argan. You live life as you are even if others disagree with you. There’s following the law and then there’s doing what’s right. You did what’s right.”

  “Shaa kouva, I am not a male to be thought of in such a way. I lost my honor when—”

  She shook her head. “No, I’m not listening to that anymore. The other warriors can say whatever they want, but there is no changing my mind. You’re the most honorable Preor I know, and I’ve met every single one of you. All of you.” She grimaced. “It was a part of the deal that no one else knows. I had to be willing to meet everyone to see if I was someone’s mate.”

  Argan frowned and narrowed his eyes. “When did this happen? I do not recall…

  “Remember the ‘holiday party’ when we had a receiving line? The warriors had to shake everyone’s hand as they entered.” Including hers. At least they hadn’t announced exactly why they all had to shake hands.

  Argan slowly nodded though his brows remained furrowed. “I do. We touched hands and then—” He snapped his teeth together and swallowed whatever else he planned to say.

  “And then?”

  He shook his head, denying her an answer.

  “So, you were the first to offer me something without asking for anything in return. That last time that happened I was,” she squinted, counting back the years. “Twelve.” She nodded. “Yeah, I was twelve. Living on the streets. My brother…” Her throat tightened, a knot squeezing her until she fell silent. “My brother loved me. He took care of me because I was me and when he was killed…”

  Raw pain struck her in the chest, stabbing her with the agony of his death. The dagger went through her heart, digging past bone, cartilage, and muscle to rea
ch that vital part of her.

  “We were street kids.” She closed her eyes and turned her face into his chest. “No one looks at street kids until they want something. Something that only street kids are good for.” Lily shuddered, the memories of rough hands, liquored breath, and the stink of body sweat overtaking her senses. “My brother was there though. He was there, and I should have given in. If I had given in then….”

  Large hands pulled her even closer, cradling her in a way that had nothing to do with sex and everything to do with comfort. Even as she sensed his rage through the Binds, she recognized his attempt at soothing her as well.

  “The asshole killed him. And it took me a few years, but I made that man suffer.” She reached for the back of her head, fingers stroking the patch of skin beneath her port. “I’m not physically strong, but I got my implants. No system can keep me out. Nothing can be hidden from me. Everyone’s life is on the net. It’s my home.”

  “Shaa kouva.” He murmured the endearment and she returned her attention to his face once more. “You may spend time on the net, but it is no longer your home.” He cupped her cheek, rubbing his thumb along her lower lip. “I am your home.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Argan woke slowly, darkness meeting his gaze as he fought to push aside the exhaustion. He’d spent hours stretching his wings yesterday, something he hadn’t done for months, and now his body paid the price. But why had he jolted from sleep? A glance out the window revealed that the sun had yet to rise above the horizon. There was no reason for him to be awake and yet…

  His dragon huffed, blowing a puff of smoke through his mind while it grumbled. The rumble was followed by a wiggling of his mate’s body as she snuggled closer. She breathed deeply and then released the air with a soft sigh, relaxing against him once more. Had his beast woken him to soothe their mate? He mentally chuckled, laughing at the dragon. In the past, many warriors had cowered before Argan’s beast. What would they think now if they knew his violent half hid a layer of softness? One that was wholly focused on the human female in his arms.