by Dixon, Ruby
Veronica’s Dragon
Icehome Book Two
Ruby Dixon
www.rubydixon.com
Veronica’s Dragon
Resonance.
It’s a given on the ice planet, forced upon you by the parasitic symbiont called the ‘khui’. With resonance, a guy and a girl are paired up because they’ll make great babies. It’s a survival mechanism necessary for this sparsely-populated world we’re stranded on…and romantic, in a weird, alien way.
Everyone expects resonance to happen when twenty newcomers are dropped onto the frosty world. I doubt anyone expects the gorgeous, golden god named Ashtar to resonate to someone like me, though. He’s fierce. Flirty. Powerful. Disgustingly handsome.
I’m…not any of those things. I’m bland. Boring. Clumsy.
But resonance seems to think we’d be great together. And Ashtar does, too…
The Icehome series features all of the adventure, humor and community you’ve come to expect in the Ice Planet Barbarians series, but it stands on its own. You do not need to read the other series (or be caught up) in order to read VERONICA’S DRAGON. I do recommend reading LAUREN’S BARBARIAN to get the full experience. Enjoy!
Copyright © 2018 by Ruby Dixon
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Photo by: Sara Eirew Photographer
Cover by: Kati Wilde
Edits by: Aquila Editing
Created with Vellum
Contents
WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE
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
Epilogue
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Lauren’s Barbarian
Ice Planet Barbarians
Cast of Characters
Want More?
Also by Ruby Dixon
WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE
Once upon a time, a group of human women were stolen from their homes on Earth and stranded by their alien captors on an ice planet. They were discovered by the natives (sa-khui, descendants of a blue-skinned race now called the mesakkah) and tended to. The humans were given a parasitic symbiont called a 'khui' (or a 'cootie' as most of the women joked) that has a dual purpose: to keep the host alive and healthy by helping them adapt to the harsh atmosphere, and to propagate the species. Anyone with a khui could be struck by 'resonance' at any time, when the khui in the chest vibrates and sings to let its host know that it has found its one true pairing. The couple would have the urge to breed a child, and the khui would keep urging them until pregnancy was accomplished. As resonance is considered a gift for the once-failing tribe of blue sa-khui aliens, they love and honor their human mates.
If you would like to read those stories, that is the Ice Planet Barbarians series.
Icehome takes place eight years later, when our village of humans and sa-khui are well established and full of happy families and many babies (so many babies). A slaver ship returned to the surface of the ice planet and was defeated by our tribe. The ship's hold was found to contain twenty slaves, all in stasis and waiting to be sold on one of the black markets in deep space. The sa-khui tribe decided to help those sixteen human women and four alien males acclimate to life on the ice planet.
And that is this story, and where we begin. :)
Note: There is clearly (clearly!) a lot of story that has gone on before and this is only the barest of summaries. That being said, Icehome is its own series and you do not have to read Ice Planet Barbarians in its entirety before trying these books out! As VERONICA'S DRAGON takes place on a parallel timeline with LAUREN'S BARBARIAN you'll gain a richer story by reading LAUREN'S BARBARIAN before this one, but I don't feel it's completely necessary. Veronica and Ashtar's love story is entirely contained in this book. Enjoy!
1
ASHTAR
When I awaken, a variety of smells assaults my senses. There are people everywhere, two different breeds of people. One smells a bit like mesakkah, but with an odd tang to it. The other I do not recognize at all…but I know that it is female.
Unmated female.
My nostrils flare and I open my eyes, sitting up.
Next to me, a pregnant female and her blue male—mesakkah male—hold their hands out, indicating I should wait. The female babbles something at me, and I ignore her, gazing at my surroundings. I expect to see another slave pen. As a gladiator, I have been sold to many different masters over the years and held in many different types of pens. This isn't a pen at all, I quickly realize, but a ship's cargo hold. Sunlight streams in off to one side, and I can smell fresh, cold air.
We have landed.
I swallow hard, flexing my neck, and I feel no collar there. Idiots. Do they not know that I could easily escape? I can just shift to my drakoni battle form and bolt out of here, faster than their puny legs can race after me. My wings are clipped, of course—courtesy of my first master—but I am still fast on four legs. And I can eat anyone that stands in my way.
I can do anything I want if I am not collared.
I test my psychic abilities, reaching out for familiar minds. My mental speech is limited while collared, but here, it is gloriously free. I'm able to send out a surge of greeting…except there is no answer. There are no other psychic minds here.
Which means I am the only drakoni.
As usual. At least there is no collar.
Of course, I am certain that collars are simply waiting nearby and that if I loiter long enough, one will be snapped around my neck once more. But there is time to escape. Mesakkah males are good fighters, if not the most imaginative, but in my drakoni form I could take down several if they are not armed with blasters or shockers.
But…I don't leave. Not yet. Because I smell a lot of females. Unmated ones. And so I wait. After all, another master is just another master.
But if they are going to give me a female…
I would stay for a female, I decide. Being chosen as a breeding slave is a great honor, in a way. It means you are valuable enough that they want more of you. It means you are the best of fighters, the strongest, the fiercest. I know I am all these things, but I have never been chosen for breeding before.
This is promising.
I sit up in my stasis cradle even as the female waves her hands in front of me and says something. Probably telling me to slow down, that the stasis cradle can cause nausea and weakness. I have heard it all before. I ignore her because she is already mated and holds no fascination for me…well, other than she is female. It is the closest I have ever been to one, but the tantalizing scents of the others nearby call me to come and investigate. One in particular has a scent that is incredibly appealing, and I'm curious to see who it belongs to.
I swing my legs over the side and hop out. The female and her m
ale follow me, and I see several other mesakkah gathered nearby, holding spears—pfeh. As if those would do anything to a drakoni's scales. I ignore them, too, and the human female says something again, my implanted translator rolling it to Earth Human tongue before interpreting.
"—don't be alarmed because we're not here to hurt you," she says in a gentle voice.
Hurt me? That tiny human? I smile, showing my fangs, because the idea is amusing. I pat her on the head, ignoring the growl of her mate, and then stalk forward through the cargo bay, looking for the females they have provided me.
"Um, what's he doing?" says another female. A quick sniff tells me this one is also mated. Not interested.
"I think he's exploring? Doesn't seem dangerous yet, though," the first mated one says.
Not dangerous yet. It's as if they don't know who or what they've bought. Definitely fools. I let them walk behind me as I hunt through the crowd, though. There are a lot of males, so they must be keeping the females clustered together. I wonder if I get to pick or if they have already selected a fine breeder for me. I would rather pick, though if the one with the delicious scent is my chosen breeder, I would not object.
There, in the corner, are the females. Ahhhh. I drink in the sight of them, as it has been far too long since I was allowed this close to an unmated female. They are huddled together, blankets wrapped around their fragile bodies. All humans, it looks like. Interesting. Most humans are only bought as pleasure slaves and not for their hardiness in breeding. I expected to see a drakoni female here, perhaps another gladiator, because surely a purebred slave would bring in more credits.
I am not displeased, though. The humans are all of a breeding age and attractive in their way. There is a nice variety of colors and shapes, some with big bouncy breasts and some with strong, muscular legs. The ones closest to me smell pleasant enough, but they are all too piled together for me to determine which one is the one with the scent that tickles my nose with such joy.
"We should try to communicate with him," one of the mated females is saying behind me. A hand touches my arm and she gives me a look. "Weeeee mean youuuuu no harmmm," she enunciates, gesturing with her hands and then puts her palm out to me.
I look at her and then bat it aside. She does not interest me in the slightest. Instead, I fix my attention on the females. One in particular with a brown mane is gazing at my cock with an expression that can only be shocked interest. Ah, I like this one. So bold. I send a mental feeler to her, but it attaches to nothing. She is not psychic.
Not yet. But if I give her my fires, that changes everything.
I spread my arms wide and grin at her, letting her get a fine look at my naked form. "Shall you come claim me for yourself then, pretty one? Shall we battle?"
2
VERONICA
I don't know which part of this day has been the most shocking. Is it waking up to find that I've been kidnapped by aliens only to be rescued again? Is it that I'm completely naked and barefoot despite my bone-chillingly cold surroundings? The big, blue, horned guys or the strange “ship” we find ourselves in?
Or is it the incredibly handsome, naked golden guy speaking to me and asking me to fight him while showing off his body?
I gape, hugging the fur blanket closer to my naked body as the golden god gestures at me. I suppose it's my own fault. I've been huddling with the other women, trying to conserve body heat and mentally trying to figure my bearings, when this gorgeous man shows up, practically strutting, and puts his hands on his hips, surveying us. And it's my own fault because I might have stared a little harder at his nakedness than I should have.
But, I mean, I'm only human. Guy's got obliques for days, and I'm a sucker for that sort of thing. It looks like the perfect spot for a woman to run her tongue. Not that I'd ever be bold enough to do such a thing…but a girl can dream. That's all it'd ever be, though. I'm not the kind of woman that guys pay attention to. I'm brown-haired, average height, weight, on the slight side with the boobs, and otherwise completely unremarkable. I'm not as smart as some, or as nice, or as funny. I'm just sort of there. I figured this out long ago when I landed in friend-zone after friend-zone. And I'm used to it by now.
Doesn't mean I can't sneak a peek at something impressive I'll never get to touch.
He notices me peeking, though. If anything, his cock stands a little taller and his grin gets wider at the sight of me looking. The guy's clearly alien and shameless.
The blonde from this planet—I think her name is Liz—moves forward and swats the golden guy on the arm. "You douche. You speak English?"
The guy shrugs, clearly not all that interested in Liz. He's too busy staring at me and grinning. It makes me wildly uncomfortable…and a little flattered, too, because gosh, when was the last time any guy paid attention to me? Much less a smoking hot one.
And despite his alien-ness, this guy is hot with a capital H. He's at least six and a half feet tall with a shock of bronze hair that reminds me a bit of a lion, or an anime character, right down to the horns peeping through. His eyes whirl with a variety of colors, pupilless but still somehow warm and appealing. Right now as he looks at me, they're whirling a darker gold than his skin. His features are strong, with high cheekbones and the most gorgeously full mouth I've ever seen on a man. As he crosses his arms over his brawny chest, I can't help but notice that his skin is dappled in a scaly pattern, and when he flexes, there are spikes jutting along the underside of each corded arm.
"Jesus Christ. Put that thing away!" The girl I'm sitting next to, Hannah, puts a hand up, shielding her eyes from the bronze god's nakedness.
He doesn't, though. He's still staring at me as if waiting for something. Self-conscious, I clear my throat and gather my blanket tight around me and get to my feet. Or I try to, but my foot's caught under the hem of the blanket and I accidentally fling it to the floor when I step forward. I make this horrible squawking noise in my throat—like a startled chicken—and snatch it back up again, but it's too late.
Golden Boy has now officially seen my boobies.
"Excuse me," Liz hisses at him, snapping her fingers in front of his face. "I'm talking to you."
He glances over at her dismissively. "Why should I speak to you? I am not interested." He points at me. "I like that one. I will take her."
I stand completely still, shocked. "Um, what?"
"No one's getting divvied up!" Liz says. "At least, not until the cootie decides."
"Um WHAT?" Hannah demands.
"Long story," Liz says, putting her hands up. "Remember the parasite thing? The whole resonance thing?"
Hannah calms down. "Right. Still trying to remember that." She rubs her forehead.
I know how she feels. Even though it made total sense when the others explained it, I'm having trouble wrapping my brain around the whole “fated mate” thing. That some parasitic worm thing is going to decide who I should marry. Though, to be honest, I doubt I'll get chosen anytime soon. It looks like there's only a few guys to the bunches of women, and I'm not at the top of the chart.
Well, except for Golden Boy, but I'm pretty sure he's either delusional or trying to embarrass me.
I clutch my blankets and move carefully to stand behind a few of the other, taller women just so I can break eye contact with the alien that's singled me out.
"No one's claiming anyone," Liz says. "Once all of the guys have been woken up, we'll go over the whole song and dance with you, too. In the meantime, go sit down next to your red buddy over there, and for god's sake, do not touch any of the women. Got it?" She waves a hand at his erect dick, which looks larger than any dick I've ever seen—and has a line of ridges across the top. "And put that thing away."
A blue alien moves forward with a blanket, offering it to Golden Boy. He studies it, then scans the audience for me. I duck behind one of the ladies so he can't see me, then peer back over her shoulder after a moment to see if he's still watching. "I do not understand," Golden Boy says in perfect—if accent
ed—English. "Am I not here to breed fine slaves with your females?"
I suck in a breath at that. He wants to freaking breed with me? Saliva gets caught in my windpipe and I end up coughing and choking on my own air. Someone thumps me hard on the back—which makes me drop my blanket again.
"Um, newwwwp," Liz says. She looks over at one of the blue aliens. "I'm gonna need you to take this one, chief. I'm out." She wades in amongst the women, finds me wrapping my blanket around my body again, and points. "And no one let him near this one. What's your name again, honey?"
"Veronica," I say between coughing and try to wave. "Hi."
"Right. Everyone, let's keep Bachelor Number One away from Bachelorette Number Two here." She pats me on my naked shoulder and glances back at the blue alien she was speaking with. "Vektal, you have guy duty. Ladies, I'm going to need everyone to crowd around so we can get you some clothing. We brought extra tunics and pants, but since there's no Walmart around here, sizing is gonna be a fun adventure."
"Yippee," says one of the plump girls whose name I don't recall.
I move along as Liz keeps a hand on my shoulder, dragging me forward. I can't help but glance backward at Golden Boy, though. He's still watching me, his eyes whirling darker, arms crossed over his chest. He doesn't look deterred in the slightest by the alien who grabs his arm and leads him away.
