by Maia Starr
“Enough caffeine for you?”
She batted the air in dismissal and smirked as she sipped at the green liquid. “It’s just a cup,” she said; her eyes were watching me from behind her glass as she slurped the boiling liquid down.
I eyed the cup and raised my brows. “I’d say it’s more of a tub.”
She snorted and continued to sip at the black coffee, gingerly gesturing it my way to ask if I wanted to share. I raised my hand in polite decline. “I don’t drink coffee.”
“Blasphemy!” she whispered sarcastically. “How do you wake up in the morning?”
“I open my eyes,” I teased.
“So, do you like Earth food? Is food on Udora very different? Am I going to be requesting care packages constantly?”
“Well, considering Earth is a nine-week journey, I’d say your care packages wouldn’t do you much good. Unless you enjoy mold.”
“Who doesn’t?” she quipped with a wink. Her mood seemed to shift slightly as her eyes traced the room. I wasn’t sure if I should inquire as to why, so said nothing. “I’m just looking for my sister,” she finally offered.
“The attractive one, right?”
She rolled her eyes. “Wow. I guess I’m going to have that thrown in my face from here to eternity, huh? No, it’s just… I know they’re knocking us out today,” she said with an exaggerated mime. “You know, with the cryo and all.”
“Yeah, I got the reference.”
Ari took a breath as though she were about to say something snarky, but paused and leaned toward me with narrowed brows. “Do you enjoy being ridiculously serious all the time or is this just a special attitude for me?”
As she spoke to me in familiar and charming tones, my eyes were suddenly lost as I spotted her sister across the restaurant, talking to Brenem. I shut my eyes tightly and rolled them as they opened. He would do that, wouldn’t he?
Brenem wasn’t loyal to anyone but Ikar. Not even his mate. I watched as he brushed his fingers through Ari’s sister’s hair and she laughed at whatever inane thing he’d said.
“Trouble in paradise?” Targeg said jovially as he took a seat at our table. He set down a bowl of fruit and several cooked meats before stealing a sip of coffee from Ari.
Speaking of which, I wanted to say, but remained silent. I couldn’t tell if Targeg was trying to bond with Ari out of friendship or just to bother me. He always claimed to be more likeable than me – turned out he was probably right. She’d definitely taken a shine to him quicker than she had with me. She laughed and pulled the cup away from him, splashes of coffee pooling on the stark-white table below us as the two of them wrestled over it.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ari giggled out, finally landing the prized beverage, now clasped tightly between both her hands.
Targeg sighed lightly and rested his chin on his hand as he gestured toward Brenem. I gritted my teeth as Ari looked over and let out an audible gasp. She turned back to the two of us with annoyance and whispered, “That’s that jerk from yesterday. What’s she doing talking to him?”
My friend shrugged and tossed a slice of orange into his mouth with the skin still on. “That’s Brenem,” he said while chewing. “It’s what he does.”
“What?” she spat back. “Sleep with everyone in sight?”
Targeg let out a hearty laugh and looked to me as he exclaimed, “Basically, yeah!”
“But he has a mate already,” she whined. “What about her?”
“What about her?” my response elicited a cocked head from my mate.
“Can’t we get him in trouble or something?”
Targeg gave a muffled laugh, and I looked over at Ikar. Ariella’s eyes followed mine; she huffed loudly as she began to understand my point. Ikar would never punish his friend, nor would the Koth see it as a point of contention so long as he was mating with his chosen one.
Catching our stares, Brenem approached our table with conceit oozing from his every step.
“Good morning, all,” he welcomed as he leaned down to Ari and breathed heat on her.
I breathed hard through my nose and felt my blood pressure rise as he laid a hand on her. I never moved, but my eyes shot to his hand, and I seethed, “Didn’t have enough yesterday, I see?”
“No, no, Caridan. You’ve got it all backward. It’s you who clearly hasn’t had enough. See, I was the one to drill holes into your shoulder, remember?”
His tone was so cocky on an almost constant basis. The way his voice raised to condescend me sent waves of anger through my system.
“What’s with the girl, Bren?” Targeg asked casually, slapping Brenem’s hand hard off of Ariella’s shoulder before leaning back in his seat.
“Ah, she’s a beaut, isn’t she?” He narrowed his eyes to Ari and exhaled before clapping his hands once together. “Just a sad little thing feeling betrayed by her sister. Thought I’d cheer her up, is all.”
“Betrayed?” Ari repeated softly.
I wanted to tell her not to listen to him or buy into his mind games, but again, I chose to stay silent. My decision made me cringe as Targeg gave her sincere eyes and shook his head. “Don’t believe him. There are only two things Brenem’s good for: lies and a good laugh. Possibly a great lay,” he said and shrugged in a cheerful manner. “But I’ve never heard anyone make a rumor of the last bit, besides Brenem.”
The red dragon was surprisingly calm in response, which took both Targeg and me aback.
“That’s cute,” he said with malice lacing his tone. “Well… I just thought I’d come and say hello before we’re all put into deep freeze.” Then he eyed Ariella before shooting me a meaningful look. “Hope it all goes well.”
There went our breakfast, I thought.
The day wore on, and I kept a close eye on Ariella, who searched endlessly for her sister. When they finally reunited, I kept my distance to offer her some privacy. I couldn’t make out what they were saying to one another, but from the tone of the conversation, I could tell it wasn’t going well.
The pair had made themselves comfortable in the far corner of the common lounge. What started out as hushed whispers had slowly turned into a much more public conversation.
In my peripheral, I could see Targeg hovering around. I stood and leaned against the taupe walls with my arms crossed. When he spotted me, he approached with a usual smile on his face.
“Ready for your girl’s deep sleep?” he asked. “At least there won’t be so much talking. These Earth girls love to talk. Good thing they also love mating; am I right?”
I gave him a deadpan stare, and he began to laugh, nudging me incessantly as he leaned against the wall next to me.
“So?” he goaded.
“So, what?” I asked.
“So,” he repeated as though the question should have been obvious. “Did you do the deed?”
“Ah,” I nodded. “No. We didn’t.”
Targeg looked surprised. He searched my face for any sign of deceit, and then a smile slid across his lips and seemed to settle there. “Well, I’ll be: Caridan is actually listening to orders.”
“She tried to seduce me,” I replied lowly.
My friend didn’t look at me, but let out a small humph and his eyes found Ariella from across the lounge. “I see,” he said slowly. “’Thought she wasn’t up for the royal mating service? Doesn’t she want to be a scientist or something?”
“Your ability to listen when someone is talking absolutely astounds me most days.”
“A nurse?” he jeered. “Whatever! I thought she wanted to be a professional, not a breeder.”
I shrugged. He had a good point. I wondered if I should ask him his opinion on our sudden change in status with one another, but something told me to keep it to myself. He seemed to notice my impassive nature and looked at me quizzically before his shoulders slumped. I wasn’t usually one to share, but if the mood ever struck me, it would be with Targeg, especially when it came to humans.
He’d been with me thr
ough my ordeal with my mate years ago and encouraged me to take my punishment with my head held high. To figuratively spit in the faces of my enemies by taking my position as a soldier and work my way to the top of the ranks.
Soldiers were important to the Koth. We battled humans, took gunfire, and put any shifter in line who opposed our council. We escorted our people through missions in space and were integral to mining our planet and bartering other communities for food and materials. Yet, breeders were still among the top tier of the shifter hierarchy.
Targeg was a soldier and had been training me for decades. He knew exactly how to move to disable his enemies. He always said while he enjoyed getting to know humans, he had no desire to be with one. This made my frustration even greater as he seemed to be at Ariella’s heel whenever I turned around.
I talked to him for several minutes longer before a loud voice came over the ship’s sound system alerting all humans to get to cry deck immediately.
We were told that all the females were trained and well aware what would happen from here on out.
The cryo-bay was much different than the rest of the ship. Unlike the white lights that illuminated the other corridors, the cryo-chamber was dark, only illuminated by the hazy blue screens that seemed to light the room. There was one screen for every four girls. Once the cryo was administered, the screens would show the women’s health stats and doctor-trained shifters would monitor them closely for the nine-week duration.
The room had wires and robotic arms that controlled the room on tracks from the ceiling. The mechanical arm would emerge from above and help all the girls into their cryo-pods. The system would be scanned for any errors. After this, the girls would have fluids hooked into their veins that would put them in a frozen sleep. They would awaken the morning we landed feeling refreshed and ready for their new lives.
Weredragons didn’t need to undergo cryo. We were fully accustomed to the speeds we would be traveling to return to Udora. Regardless, I’d tried it once myself, just to see what it was like. As a security officer, I felt it was my duty to experience what our human guests would experience so I would be able to answer any questions they had about it. When they asked what it was like, I would simply say, “It’s a long sleep.”
The walk to the cry chamber felt long and intrusive. To my surprise, the rest of the shifters still hadn’t said anything about my choosing. Many of them didn’t know about my special predicament with our Koth. My punishment. Still, some must have thought it odd that their security officer was taking a mate during a choosing.
I escorted Ari to the chamber and helped her in. Many of the girls made loud noises as they entered their pods: squeals of excitement mixed with hesitant, fearful laughter as the glass closed up over them. Ari simply looked up at me and smiled, her eyes darting back and forth from mine.
“You’re not coming in?” she asked innocently.
I looked the pod over and offered her a wink. “I don’t think I’d fit.”
“Shh…” she laughed. “You know what I mean. You guys don’t go under or anything?”
I knew she already knew the answer to her question and hesitated to think why she might have been asking. I knelt down to be at eye-level with her pod and brushed her hair with my hand. “I won’t leave your side, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I wasn’t,” she lied. I could hear it in her voice.
She had the same worry that I did: Brenem. I wished I could tell her that he’d never meddled with a cryo-pod before, but in truth, he had. One week before landing, he’d smashed a pod open in an attempt to enrage the shifter who had chosen the girl. The girl survived, but the mission was slowed by a month’s time so the captain could slow down from the dangerous speeds for her safety.
Brenem got a slap on the wrist and nothing more.
Ari stared at me for a moment, her eyes fluttering. My demeanor betrayed nothing of my worry, and so she seemed relaxed once more.
“So, I guess this is goodnight?” she said, and I nodded. “Can I give you a kiss?” she asked.
I looked around the room. As much as I wanted to feel her lips against mine, I knew it was too risky with so many personnel around. I shook my head, and she frowned playfully. “Fine,” she snipped. “Just, don’t forget about how much you like me while I’m gone.”
“Never,” I said.
With that, the mechanics started up, filling the room with a familiar hum, and one by one, each human was put down and sealed up like stolen treasures amidst our vessel.
Chapter Seven
Ariella
I gasped for air. I could feel it enter my lungs like an icepick, coldly sifting its way through what felt like blocked passages. My lungs felt like they’d never breathed before. A chill went through my body that caused every hair on my body to stand up. I gasped again, my body desperately searching for the air it craved, and the less of it I found, the more my body waged war against itself.
Finally, a hot mist filled my chamber so fiercely it began to overwhelm my senses. I swiped my fingers against the condensation that had formed on the glass that encased me, and then all of the sudden, I heard a deathly, piercing sound that from my glaze of sleep began to horrify me. It was then I realized the sound was coming from me. I was screaming.
I banged my hands against the glass and through my panic, I suddenly saw a familiar face. Purple hues that seemed so ignite with a glow and long wings that shielded my pod from the sudden light. It was Caridan.
He placed his hand on top of the chamber and enunciated his words to me, though I couldn’t make out what he’d said. He knelt down closer to my face, and I felt another chill run through my body despite the hot air that was flooding my bed.
I felt my back ache as I made to move and so I decided it would be my best bet to stop. I slowed my breathing until I was calm enough to take control again. I lowered my hands from the glass and looked up at Caridan’s colors through the glass. It all came back to me after that; the choosing, my sister, the night I’d spent enticing Caridan and tempting myself against my own will to fall for him.
I remembered that I was his illegal bride.
Noises filled the room; shifters barking orders and robotic movements. Then came the sound of the pods opening. One after another, I could hear the sliding of glass and calm voices awakening back to life.
It was a strange thing to wake up. The last thing I remembered was Caridan telling me he’d never leave. And now here he was, by my side. It felt as though we’d just had that conversation, yet my body knew I hadn’t been awake for some time. I felt the urge to run; to get out. I was starting to feel confined and afraid when all of the sudden, the glass in front of me slid forward and the air of the shuttle flooded my lungs.
Instantly I began to shiver as I sat up on my makeshift bed. My teeth chattered violently as I reached for Caridan. He pulled me out with a smile and whispered, “Almost done; I promise.”
“You sure love making promises,” I jeered quietly, stepping out of the pod and taking my first stand in weeks. “Did you forget about me?” I blurted out.
I wasn’t even sure why I wanted to know. My mind couldn’t decide whether nine weeks was a long time or a short time to be away from someone. Regardless, something hit my gut when I heard his voice that reminded me I was really starting to like him. What if he’d been separated from me so long that he’d forgotten what he might be feeling?
Caridan shifted from one foot to the other and chuckled quietly, now holding onto my waist. I’d almost forgotten the angles of his face. His jawline seemed more pronounced than the last time I’d seen him. And he now had small spikes that protruded along his cheekbones. His teeth were partially fanged, and my delight suddenly turned to worry as I noticed the bites and scrapes that decorated his face.
“Are you alright?” I asked quickly, forgetting all about my previous questioned as I reached to his broad shoulders to balance myself.
“Just excited, that’s all,” he said with a bre
ath.
I stared at him carefully before deciding it was best to believe him, at least for the moment. I offered him an accepting smile and wrapped my arms around him almost involuntarily, and he hesitantly hugged me back, albeit only with one arm. I stared in wonder at the oil slick of colors that shimmered through his wings before backing away.
“Was it a long wait?”
“I should be asking you that,” he smiled and took my hand.
“Oh shush,” I batted him away. “I was sleeping. All I remember was feeling cold and then dreaming about collecting samples from these really steep cliffs on Udora before Meg pushed me off. And… yep, that’s about it. So, did it feel like a long time?”
Caridan raised his brows and then quickly lowered them as he led me down the hallway towards our room. “I forgot how much you women love to talk,” he half-joked.
He still hadn’t answered my question. Obviously, this guy wasn’t too slick with the ladies, or he would have realized all I wanted him to say was that he missed me. His lack of response made my stomach turn. I set my jaw stubbornly as I walked beside him and finally asked, “What did you do while I was out?”
Caridan kept walking, somewhat ahead of me, as we reached the elevator. He pressed it closed before any of the other couples could enter the space with us. I could hear their shouts of disappointment as he watched the doors lock behind us. Before I had the chance to ask another question, he pushed me against the wall and held my chin between his thumb and forefinger before meeting his lips with mine.
He pressed his built body against me, and I ran my hands along his muscles and across his shoulders. The azure scales warmed beneath my hands and made me want him even more than I already did. He cupped my breast in his hand and began kissing down my neck as I made a loud moan. If this is was how much my body craved him, I couldn’t imagine how he’d felt after nine weeks.
“I never left your side,” he said through lusty breaths. His tongue trailed from the crook of my neck up to my jaw. His lips found their way back to mine, and his tongue flicked into my mouth with a tease. I exhaled loudly and ran my hands through his dark, thick hair.
