3013: MATED (3013: The Series)

by Roma, Laurie

  She had seen vids before, but nothing compared to seeing a dragon in real life. The dragon was huge, towering over her, but she could see the intelligence shining back at her through those golden eyes. They were Thorn’s eyes and she could see the love shining back at her through them as he patiently waited for her reaction.

  Alexis pulled away from Brydan slowly, walking over to Thorn. Excitement had her body vibrating as she approached and adrenaline rushed through her as she held out her hand. The dragon lowered its majestic head and gently pushed its nose against her palm.

  “Oh my god…” she breathed out. “You are amazing.”

  “I am pleased you think so.”

  She ran her hand over his nose then walked around him, stroking her hand over his side. He was a powerful beast with hard scales that protected his body like a coat of armor, yet he trembled beneath her hand as she touched him.

  Startled, her eyes raised to his. “Can you feel that?”

  “Aye, my love. I have never let another touch my dragon form and it feels amazing.”

  “I’m glad you’ve never let someone else touch you. It makes this even more special for me.” She walked back to his head so she could look back into his eyes. “Can I really change into a dragon too? It seems too fantastical to imagine.”

  “You can feel your own dragon spirit within your soul. You have our magic in you now. Feel it humming beneath your skin. Call forth the change, mate, and fly the skies with me,” Thorn said though their bond.

  “Come join us, little one,” Xavier commanded.

  Alexis turned her head and saw another large dragon behind her. This one was covered with large iridescent scales that shimmered silver to a glittering dark-gray, and she knew it was Xavier.

  Centering herself, she closed her eyes and focused on doing as they asked. She could feel her mates feeding her their strength, encouraging her to call forth the dragon spirit that seemed to be waiting inside her for this very purpose. Stars bursts behind her eyelids, and a wrenching pain struck her body as the change began. “It hurts,” she whimpered through gritted teeth.

  “Relax, sweetling,” Galan said softly. “You are fighting the change. Give yourself over to it and become one with your dragon. It is already inside of you. All you have to do is trust yourself and the dragon spirit.”

  “We would never let anything hurt you,” Brydan added. “No fear, mate.”

  No fear…

  Repeating that mantra in her head, she forced herself to let go. Pure white light engulfed her as she embraced the magic within her until she felt one with an ancient power so potent it was like becoming one with the universe. She let it spread through her, filling every fiber of her being until she felt the dragon spirit merge with her so they became one.

  The spirit of the dragon was neither male nor female. It was simply an untapped source of energy that flooded her mind with knowledge of the ages and such strength it stole her breath, making her feel utterly invincible. Her senses were in overdrive, allowing her to feel as if she had somehow connected to the very Earth itself.

  The light faded and she opened her eyes, looking out at the world through the eyes of her dragon. Her large head moved fluidly to look over at Galan and Brydan to see them looking back at her with pride glowing in their eyes. Everything became clear to her in that one blinding moment. She was no longer Alexis Donovan, an infertile female. She wasn’t even a liaison officer for the United Federation Command Alliance.

  She was Alexis, the true mate to Xavier, Galan, Thorn and Brydan, and a Dragon Warrior.

  Brydan smiled as he watched their mate flap her wings. She was glorious. Her dragon form was something he had never seen before, shimmering from a pearly-white to silver then to a pale gold color. Using their magic, an individual’s dragon usually took on the color that best represented them. It warmed his heart to see that Alexis’ dragon form had taken on a little of all of her mates, showing how deeply engrained they were in her heart. Her beautiful violet eyes glowed brightly within the dragon’s face as looked at all of them, sharing her joy.

  He endeavored never to do anything that would breach that trust or love she felt for them. Alexis was vital to all of them. Without her, the world would no longer hold any meaning. All the long, lonely years they had waited were worth it in order to have her with them now. Rage filled him at the thought of anything happening to her, but he calmed as he watched her spread her wings and her laughter filled his mind.

  “This is unbelievable!” she called out.

  “You are a natural, Lexie,” Brydan said, aware that he was grinning like a fool as her happiness became infectious.

  “Come, mate. Take us to this special place of yours,” Xavier beckoned. He and Thorn launched themselves into the sky, hovering in place as they waited for Alexis to follow them.

  “Okay,” Alexis said hesitantly. “Here goes nothing…”

  Brydan watched as Alexis flapped her wings, building up momentum before she leaped up into the air, hovering effortlessly.

  “I did it!”

  “Aye, you did,” Thorn said. “We are so proud of you, mate.”

  Her laughter rained down on him as he used their bond to monitor her thoughts to ensure she wasn’t afraid. He felt no fear inside of her, only exhilaration and pleasure. Alexis had fully merged with her dragon spirit and her dragon would allow no harm to come to her.

  Even though all the males could sense Alexis had embraced her dragon, Galan changed into his dragon form and took to the skies as soon as she lifted off, staying slightly below her in case she faltered on her first flight. His protective nature allowing nothing else. They watched as Alexis’ smaller dragon flew around each of the males, and they laughed at her antics.

  “This is so cool! I can’t believe I’m really a dragon!”

  Alexis looked down at Brydan and if a dragon could smile, she clearly was. “Come on, Brydan!”

  A sound had Brydan turning and he saw four soldiers walk out onto the rooftop watching the dragons in shock. His eyes narrowed, watching the soldiers for any sign of hostility, but the soldiers made no move towards them. They simply stood in place by the doorway, watching the dragons with awed expressions.

  Satisfied that his family wasn’t in jeopardy, Brydan shot them a grin as he altered forms and launched himself into the sky, letting out a triumphant bellow as he followed the other dragons as they flew away from the city that lay spread out beneath them.

  ***

  Chapter Eight

  They landed in a clearing not far from the waterfall, and Alexis shifted back to human form as soon as her feet touched the ground. Looking down at herself, she was amazed that she was still wearing the clothing she had put on before they’d left the suite.

  “You were not paying attention, mate,” Xavier said as he strode over to pull her into his arms. “I clothed you when you changed back. You must remember to use your magic when you shift. All you have to do is think about what you want to wear and will it. I would not like for anyone else to see your naked form.”

  She rolled her eyes at him. “It’s not like I want to go prancing naked in front of strangers either. But, I did pretty well for my first time, didn’t I?”

  Xavier looked down into her beautiful violet eyes and felt such love and pride swell inside himself. She truly was a gift. “Aye, little one. You did very well.”

  He lowered his head and brushed his lips against hers in a tender kiss that had her melting against him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, holding on as he took the kiss deeper.

  “Enough of that,” Galan said playfully, pulling her out of his brother’s arms. “I will be taking our mate for a walk while the rest of you set up camp. Come, mate. Let us go explore a bit.”

  The three other males grumbled as they shot him the evil eye, but Galan simply winked at Alexis, making her laugh. He took her hand in his as he led her away from the group. “I am very proud of you, sweetling. You have taken to being a Dragon Warrior’s mate as if
you were born for it.”

  She smiled as she bumped her hip against him. “I thought you said I was…born for it I mean.”

  He lifted their joint hands to press a kiss to her knuckles. “You were. In all the long years we have traveled the universes, we have longed to find the one female that would complete us. From the first moment we saw you we knew you were meant for us. Finding you has been a blessing.”

  “But how?” Alexis didn’t mean to push the subject, but she really was interested in figuring out exactly how this mating worked. “How did you know I was the one for you?”

  “We felt it the moment we arrived. Perhaps it is our magic that leads us to our perfect mate. One look at you was all it took, but it was more than that. I felt as if my very soul was reaching out to yours. Our race is one that feels deeply, far more than humans are capable of due to our ability to blood bond. It is a sacred thing, allowing someone else access to your mind, but it also allows those who are bonded a deeper relationship. We cannot hide anything from one another. There is no fear of deception or untruth between us, and you never have to doubt our feelings for you.”

  That was true.

  Without the blood bond Alexis had felt as if she had been going crazy. Anger, jealousy and hurt had ruled her emotions, sending her careening into a dark place. She had feared losing them. The attraction between them had been there as soon as they arrived, but she had written it off as pure lust instead of understanding it was something more. She was used to betrayal, of people thinking that she was unworthy. With her mates everything was different. She had no doubt that she was their first priority now. It was going to take some time getting used to, but she wanted it, wanted the life she would have with them more than anything.

  They walked through a break in the trees and came to the waterfall. To Alexis this had always been a magical place, and she was glad she could share it with them. The waterfall was set back into a large pool of crystal clear water that was where the area had gotten its name. Lava rocks heated the grotto area, making it lush with moss and ferns that hung down from the stones.

  “This is beautiful, sweetling. Thank you for sharing it with us.”

  “This area is on the border of what we call the safe zone. South of this is mostly ocean and desert land that we call the badlands. The Alliance still hasn’t really expanded with major cities through those areas. There are outposts there, but rebels are still a problem.”

  “And these rebels do not like living by Alliance regulations?”

  “No, they don’t. But then again, the separation between the elites and other citizens makes it pretty hard to be equal.”

  “Enough serious talk. I want to enjoy you while I have you all to myself,” Galan growled.

  She laughed as Galan lifted her onto a large, flat rock, sitting her in front of him. She automatically parted her legs, allowing him to move closer to her so his erection was pressing against her core. She felt a throbbing between her legs as her body reacted to his closeness. Stars, he felt so good against her that she wanted to feel their naked bodies pressed together. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tilted her head back, inviting his kiss.

  Galan didn’t make her wait. He kissed her softly, brushing his lips back and forth over hers until she couldn’t stand waiting any longer. She opened her mouth and thrust her tongue into his, loving the deep growl that rumbled in his chest. She felt her nipples harden, aching for his touch. His expression was harsh, so serious as he gazed down at her when he pulled back. The intensity in his glowing silver eyes made her insides flutter.

  Gathering her courage, she tapped into the magic inside her and will both of their clothing away. His eyes narrowed as his cock slapped against her bare mound. The power she had been gifted by them was amazing, and talk about easy access when she wanted it.

  “You sway me from my purpose so easily, mate,” Galan growled.

  “I would think your purpose would be the same as mine,” she teased as she wrapped her legs around him, trying to draw him closer. She looked down at the thick stalk of flesh throbbing against her. His enormous erection slapped against his rock-hard abs and she wanted to feel it moving inside of her. A pearly drop of liquid seeped from the tip of his cock and she reached down to swipe at it with a finger, bringing it up to her mouth. Her lashes fluttered at the sweet taste of him and she hummed in pleasure.

  “Mmm…”

  He tilted her head up so their gazes met again. Nostrils flaring, he looked like the warrior he was. She felt the strength of his need for her battering her system as if he was already inside of her. Confusion filtered in when he simply stared at her and she let her legs drop down.

  Old habits of self-doubt seeped in as she studied him. “Is something wrong?”

  “You are my dream, Alexis. On our world we would show everyone that you belonged to us by placing a mating torque around your neck. We do have one made, which we will give to you once we are back on our vessel, however there is something else we would like to do to bind you to us.”

  “All right,” she said.

  Galan smiled at her immediate agreement. Reaching up, he stroked a finger over the mark she wore on the right side of her face, right near her eye. He watched her flinch and anger surged through him at the thought of what the mark meant to her people.

  “Don’t be mad,” she said, smiling at him. “The mark no longer matters.”

  “But it does. Close your eyes for a moment, sweetling.”

  Alexis closed her eyes and waited as she felt him press two fingers to the mark on her face. Her skin heated where he touched her and she could feel his magic flowing into her in a concentrated stream. When he stroked those loving fingers down her cheek she opened her eyes again. She didn’t have to see it to know that the star tattoo that had labeled her as infertile was now gone. Galan had done that for her. He had erased her mark of shame because he knew how she felt about it. Tears of gratitude filled her eyes and he shook his head.

  “Nay, sweetling. Do not weep.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered tearfully.

  “We knew the marking upset you. As our mate you will wear no mark but our own. As I said, we will place our mating torque around your neck to wear, however as Dragon Warriors we have our own mating ritual we would ask of you.”

  She nodded her head. “Okay, tell me what you need me to do.”

  “I know your aversion to the symbol you wore, but we would ask for you to allow us to mark you like us.”

  Her eyes widened. “Mark me…you mean like your tattoos?”

  “Aye.” Galan held his arms out, showing her the dark lines he wore proudly on his arms and torso. “When Xavier and I bound our lives to Thorn and Brydan we had our colors combined on our skin. The silver lines represent the House of Tesera and the gold represent the House of Volis. You are both now. Each of us will take a private moment with you to brand you with our magic if you agree. It is our way of sharing all we are with you.”

  “On Earth, elite soldiers mark their chosen woman with a tattoo next to her left eye when they claim her. The mark is a stylized design of their initials, but they themselves mark their left shoulders and arms as a sign to the world that they are bonded. I understand the meaning behind markings, and I want that with you. I want to belong to you. I would love to wear your mark, Galan,” Alexis said softly. She took a deep breath as she prepared to lay her heart on the line. He deserved to know how she felt about him, and she wouldn’t waste this opportunity to tell him. “Galan, I…I love you.”

  Out of all of her mates, Galan was the first to touch her heart. He was a warrior through and through, but there was something sweet about him. He was caring, and never hesitated to show her exactly how he felt about her. Through their bond she could sense that he had a sensitive heart, and his love for her was absolute and unending.

  Galan’s silver eyes burned like twin flames as he solemnly placed a fist over his heart. He laid his other hand over her heart while he stared into her eyes,
forming a connection so it was impossible for her to look away. “You are my light, my love and my life. With this mark I share my magic and my heart with you. I vow to protect you, to ensure your happiness above all, and love you for all the days we are together in this life, until we are reunited in the next.”

  She felt the warmth of his touch heat up then she felt his magic flowing into her again. Looking down she saw a bright light shining from underneath his hand over her heart. Thin lines of silver swirled and flowed out from under his hand, up over her shoulder then down her back. She felt it moving over her right arm, trailing down to her hand so that her entire arm and upper torso was engulfed in his light.

  When the light faded her right arm, shoulder and back were covered with a tattoo similar to his own. The design was beautiful. It looked like a silver dragon claw was cupping her right breast and it made her feel incredibly special to be able to wear his mark.

  Tears were streaming down Alexis’ face by the time he finished his vow. “I love you, Galan,” she whispered.

  “And I you, sweetling. You own my heart,” Galan swore.

  His mouth came down on hers, hot and hard. He gripped her hips, jerking her forward so she was sitting at the edge of the rock and she wound her long legs around him again. His hand slid down between them, stroking his fingers down her slit, spreading her juices over her lips of her sex.

  She was soaking wet and ready for him.

  “I need you, Alexis.”

  “Then take me. Mate with me, Galan.”

  Galan’s lips claimed hers again as she guided his cock to her tight, wet pussy. His cock was rock-hard, and he felt ready to burst already, but he wouldn’t come yet. Not until he was buried deep inside her. Fitting the bulbous head of his cock to her entrance, he slid forward, burying himself into her with one thrust. He froze, eyes going wide as her body accepted him with ease.