by Crystal Dawn
It was one possibility and she only needed to do it while she was training to work with local herbs. One problem was she had no building to use for a restaurant. Another problem was paying for the supplies she needed to get started. Right now it seemed problems were all she had. Betty looked up to see Niku staring at her. He was just one more problem. They seemed endless and she knew a family meeting was in order once they were alone at Romo’s house.
All her sisters except Bree had the same problem so maybe discussing it would help all of them. Betty could only hope so. The rest of the tour fell flat for her because her mind was preoccupied with her many troubles.
“Betty?” Niku called and it was obviously not the first time. They were in a jewelry store and he held a necklace out to her. It had a dragon on it and she suspected it looked like his.
“It’s pretty.” She conceded.
“May I purchase it for you as a welcome to my planet gift?” He asked.
“It looks expensive.” She guessed.
“It’s not. Please just let me get it for you. That would give me joy.” He explained. She nodded. If it wasn’t expensive, it was rude to decline. His smile was huge as he turned to purchase it. A few seconds later he slipped the long chain over her head.
“Thank you.” She said and Niku kissed her cheek. The steel gray dragon at the end of the chain was nestled between her breasts. It was both savage and a protector in her mind. He was elegant, dominant, and beautiful in an elemental way.
Betty decided it was best not to look at the dragon or she might fall for him. That meant in human form as well as his dragon part. Niku was everything she’d hoped Tom would be, but Tom had not only let her down, he had destroyed her and took the trust his daughter had of males away. Maybe here, she and Selia would heal.
Niku led her out of the jewelry store to meet up with the others in a glass shop. It also had a section of ceramics. The high tech things like equipment for the space ships were made in a restricted area in back of the castle. None of those things would be available in town.
“Why are they so worried about those items?” Betty asked.
“We have rogues that we are dealing with. They have shunned our way of life, but they still want the benefits it gives us. They want the high tech goods and mates. In order to get them, they will have to rejoin our people and swear fealty.” Niku explained.
“What is it they disagree with?” Betty asked.
“They believe royalty is an old idea. The rogues want elected leaders and industry. We’ve seen what those things have done to your world and others. Our majority wants nothing to do with it. My hope is we can pick the best of both worlds and keep our planet pure.” Niku added.
It was sad that Earth was an example of how not to live. They’d only seen the worst of her planet but there was a better part even if it seemed hidden deep. Since the Draconis were keeping a presence there, it was her hope that the good that existed on Earth would be revealed.
“Let’s go, Betty. I think they found the toy store.”
“You have a toy store?”
“Our people love their children more than anything. It’s also true some of us are kids at heart.” Niko smiled and grabbed her hand. He dragged her to the next store and inside.
“I’ll never get Selia out of here.” Betty said as she looked around in wide eyed wonder. There were sections of every type of toy imaginable, even high tech ones. Robots, miniature air buses, and space ships that worked on remotes filled a section. It was an incredible combination of old and new styles of toys.
Selia was going crazy over a robot princess that probably cost as much as a house here. “I’m sorry, Baby. I don’t have a job yet.” Betty said.
“Sure you do.” Bree countered. “You’ll work with me making a garden and getting animals settled into the barn. I can’t possibly do all of that without hiring someone and I know what a green thumb you have.”
Niku grabbed her hands and looked at her thumbs. “They aren’t green.”
“It’s a colorful Earth saying for someone who is good at growing plants.” Bree explained.
“That particular saying makes no sense.” Niku mumbled.
“Most plants are green and much of the work requires use of the hands.” Bree added.
“But not just the thumbs.” Niku murmured.
“Sayings change over time.” Bree defended.
Truth was that she probably didn’t know where the saying had come from. No one knew for sure but since the term was often used among herbalists, Betty had researched it a long time ago. It came into popularity in the early 1900s. Some say it was used because the algae that grows on the bottom of planter would stain a gardener’s thumbs and even their fingers green if they handled many pots. Other argue that it traced back to King Edward the first of England who loved green peas. He kept half a dozen or so serfs on hand to shell them during the season. This would result in their fingers and thumb turning green. The serf with the greenest thumb won a prize.
Betty just kept her mouth shut because if she mentioned what she knew, it might embarrass Bree. Besides, no one liked a know it all. The conversation changed and now they were discussing jobs at the castle. Dori seemed interested the most and Betty wondered what was up with that. It wasn’t that she didn’t want her mother to pursue whatever interested her, she just didn’t want her to get hurt.
It looked like the tour of town was over. The diner was packed so they headed back to Romo’s house. Yes, it was Bree’s home too but it would take a while before that sank in. They loaded on the bus which took off once the last one in was seated. The trip back seemed faster for some reason, maybe because Betty and Selia were tired and nodded off.
As soon as the bus stopped everyone was crowding to get off. Dori took control and everyone was lined up waiting for their turn. Once everyone was past them, Niku stepped out and let her and Selia go in front of him. Once they stepped off, he waved to the driver and the bus pulled away.
“Let’s all go inside, wash up, and get started on lunch.” Dori instructed. Everyone, even Niku, did as Dori said. The woman was a force of nature and the best mom a girl could have. Betty was sure she would have done as well with a boy, but there had been all girls in the family. Selia, the only grandchild, was a girl too.
Poor Niku was seriously outnumbered. They were lucky he was there because he was familiar with Romo’s house and he was able to assemble everything they needed to make sandwiches. Once he got the items, Dori had him set the table with Selia as his helper. Dori had raised all of her girls to help out wherever they were needed. Betty was teaching Selia the same thing so she was eager to help out.
Now they all lined up to make sandwiches. Dori got a stack of plates and put a slice of bread on it passing it down the line. Each of them adding things and Betty was last adding condiments and the last piece of bread. This was the way everything had gotten done when they were growing up.
Déjà vu hit hard as she remembered them canning fruit, vegetables and meats when they were kids. Making meals and doing laundry had been a team effort too, making it easy, quick, and sometimes a great deal of fun. Things hadn’t come as easily for her when she’d become a grown up. Choices hadn’t been as clear, mistakes had been made, and the joy had been leached out of her life because of her bad choices.
Betty knew she had to be careful this time. There would be no third chances. This was make it or break it. Selia had to come first, but she also needed to build a life that would work for her even once Selia was grown and no longer lived at home. Dori had lived for her daughters and as much as Betty and her sisters loved her for it, she couldn’t give up everything that way.
All the plates were on the table and they were about to eat when Romo came through the door. Bree started to go to fix his plate. “You sit down with your mate and I will fix him something.” Dori directed in a no nonsense voice.
Everyone sat down unsure if they should eat without Dori. It didn’t matter because she had his
plate set in front of him in no time at all. Now they all started eating because they were hungry.
“I took the ladies to the village and showed them around.” Niku explained.
Selia giggled. “You called me a lady.”
“You are a lady, a young lady.” Niku observed.
“What did you think of the village?” Romo asked.
“Not many jobs available.” Betty mentioned.
“I thought you would all work with Bree until you found something you really enjoyed?” he asked sounding confused.
“My fault, I didn’t discuss it with them. I thought it would take more than a day before they started looking for jobs, but I should have known better.” Bree admitted.
“I’m not sure you really need all of us.” Betty objected.
Bree’s mouth dropped open. “Have you looked around here? We want to turn this into a working farm.”
That began a long discussion and in the end, Betty had to agree Bree needed their help. Everything would need to be sorted out, but for now they could all work on the goals Bree would set up. While they were helping her, they could look for the job that they wanted and not just take the first thing to come along. A win/win for everyone it seemed.
Chapter 2
What Do You Do?
Niku was used to it. He ought to be by now since he’d been in charge of the Emperor’s Special Forces, sometimes considered in charge of the king’s, but in truth he was only allowed to borrow them. Everyone always asked him what he did exactly. What he did was secretive, classified, and he could never share it with anyone that wasn’t directly involved.
He had studied the humans, he thought it had helped him when he began to woo Betty, although the studying had been done for two reasons. One was because he might be called upon to assist in the situation on Earth; the other because he hoped to be personally involved with an Earth female as his mate. When he’d been told he was coming home without having had the chance to find a mate, he’d been disappointed until he had met Betty.
His dragon had done flips the second he’d laid eyes on her. When her sweet scent had wafted over to him, his dragon had been as excited as a youngster about to take his first flight. Niku didn’t know what it would take to win her heart, but he was ready to do whatever it was. At first, things had gone well, but then she had pulled back for no apparent reason. Later, he’d found out about Betty’s unfortunate history with what humans called a spouse.
The relationship was not something Niku could truly understand so he called it a half mate. It was a bond but not fully formed since they could reject it at any time for any reason. The bond wasn’t strong, because they could also have other lovers if they wanted, although he’d learned that was frowned upon by society. Humans made no sense to him as they could be cruel to each other. They also didn’t protect the weaker ones among them.
Dragons were ruthless to those that harmed the young, the elderly, the sick, or their mates. It was their nature to be protective of those who couldn’t protect themselves. Honor meant the world to a dragon and they had strict codes they followed. Warrior codes were the strictest and it was the greatest honor to die in the defense of others. Not that Niku wanted to die, especially now that he’d found his true mate.
Today Niku had been lucky enough to get the day off, but tomorrow he would be back at the castle protecting the king and the emperor. He had a special mission as well, involving the rogues. His special forces would be meeting with them soon and he would deliver an ultimatum. Sadly, he thought dealing with the rogues would be easier than overcoming Betty’s objections to mating.
“So Niku, how did the day go?” Romo asked as they sat in the living room and the females cleaned up after the meal.
“Everyone seemed to enjoy the trip to the village.”
“And Betty? I noticed she wore your dragon.”
“She was reluctant to accept it at first.”
“Is she aware of the significance?”
“That’s an old legend that means nothing.”
“Don’t think it means anything, huh? Then why did you gift her the necklace?”
“I just like the idea of her wearing my image.”
“That and the fact other males will believe she’s taken?”
“That assumption is theirs to make or not.”
“Okay, if that’s your story.”
“Did you take them to the herb shop?”
“Yes, and Betty spoke to them. She was unhappy afterwards.”
“She’ll find her place if she has a little patience.”
“You were lucky, Romo. Bree’s great and you two had a short courtship. I worry that she’ll ever see me, really see me. How can she when she seems to only look in her past?”
“Betty just needs time. You’re a great guy and she’ll see that once she settles in.”
“I wish I could see things that way.”
The ladies came in and they were talking about their plans for Romo’s property. He had a lot of land and they could do a great deal with it.
“Betty will be in charge of the garden.” Bree decided. “She knows a lot about Earth plants and will learn about local ones quickly.”
“What about me?” Tomi asked.
“You’ll be in charge of the animals. They usually like you. It will be a hard job because you need to research what’s available here and figure out what I should raise.” Bree said.
“If you have all that selected, what will you need me for?” Dori teased with a grin.
“You’ll help with the house.” Bree said as if it was obvious.
“So what does that leave for you?” Dori asked.
“I’ll be helping everyone and I also have to prepare for a baby. The nursery needs to be readied and all the baby things need to be purchased or made. I will be the busiest one.” Bree concluded.
“I think we’ll all be busy starting tomorrow, right?” Dori asked.
“Yes, we need to get started then.” Bree agreed.
“I invited Niku to supper. I hope that’s okay.” Romo notified.
“Sure, it’ll be great to have him here.” Bree said. Niku noticed Betty was silent.
What would it take to make her crave his company? Niku didn’t know, and now with his job once again taking his attention away from his private life, he wasn’t sure he ever would.
“Niku is going back to work in the morning.” Romo informed.
“Where do you work?” Bree asked.
“Right now I’m assigned to the castle. I oversee security for the leaders and special projects.”
“What are special projects?” Bree asked. It was sad she was more interested in what he did than Betty was.
“Whatever my boss decides it is.” Niku said with a chuckle.
“A man of mystery.” Bree commented.
“Does that make me more appealing?” Niku asked.
“It’s fun unraveling a secret.” Bree said with her eyes on Betty.
“You’re probably like the Seals on Earth.” Dori stated.
He was familiar with Earth military. “We are somewhat like them. Our missions are often classified and dangerous.” Now he had Betty’s attention but she would probably hold his dangerous job against him.
“Would anyone like a tour of the castle? You guys could meet me up there when I get off work.” Niku asked. He was surprised when everyone agreed.
“I’ll go with you too.” Romo offered.
It was time for Niku to go home and even though he was reluctant to leave, at least he knew he would see Betty tomorrow. “I’ve got to go now, but I’ll see all of you tomorrow.” Niku said as he waved to everyone. His dragon was calm because Betty wore their necklace. The dragon seemed to think that meant something.
Niku changed into his dragon and flew home. The feeling of being in the air was exhilarating. It made him wonder if Betty would change if they mated. So far two out of two fully mated humans had. The other humans brought back from Earth existed in a partially mat
ed or completely separated status. That was something that had never happened before but it could be because humans were so stubborn. He was seeing the proof himself in his dealings with Betty.
They were perfect for each other, but she resisted him at every turn. His dragon was already starting the bonding process. Silly reptile, he would be crushed if she rejected them. Once he landed in his yard, his dragon let out a roar and shot flames along his driveway so hot, it melted some of the gravel and the sand. The dragon was pissed at him and wanted his mate. He had decided it was something his human half had done that kept their mate from them, but for now, the dragon would stay calm and give him a chance to claim her.
Niku forced the change, turning back to human so his dragon would be forced to sulk rather than set the house ablaze. The house he had bought with his mate in mind before he’d gone to Earth. The house was bigger than Romo’s and he also had a large amount of land. He’d wanted that because he’d not known what his mate might want. He’d been glad that he had the land when he’d met Betty and known instantly that she was his. Now he wasn’t sure if anything would convince the stubborn woman to mate him.
As soon as he entered the house, the aroma of cooking food hit his nose. A woman rushed to him and threw herself in his arms. “Cretia, I told you that my dragon will not choose you.”
“Even a dragon can change his mind. Besides, we’re friends, are we not?” Cretia asked. “Is it because I’m not a dragon?”
“No. I don’t want to hurt you, but my dragon has chosen.” Cretia’s face fell and her eyes teared up. “Perhaps it is what I deserve, my mate, Bree doesn’t want me.”
“I’m sorry, Niku. I don’t know why any female wouldn’t want you.”
“You are good for my ego and a wonderful friend. Someday, you will make a male happy.”
“I understand. Let’s sit down and eat. We can talk of other things.” Cretia suggested.
