MARKUS

by KD Jones

  “I’m the lucky one. Markus is amazing.”

  “We’ll see you later in the main lodging. Destiny and I have our own cabin not far from here.”

  “I’ll see you then.” She watched as they removed their dresses and shifted into dragon form. They leapt straight up into the air and their large wings caught the wind. That was so cool, but she would be too self-conscious to shift and be naked.

  Turning, she headed back to the large two-story ranch house, which was more like a lodge. The front doors were barn doors. She entered inside and after a few minutes of walking around, she realized she was completely lost.

  She neared a set of large French doors and paused just outside the room. One door was partially open and she could hear what was being said. Some of the people she couldn’t recognize their voices but with Markus she could tell which one was him.

  “I found my mate right here on Earth within weeks of arriving.”

  “With a human? That’s forbidden. The female needs to be disposed of and you will be punished for breaking the laws we set here.”

  “My mating is complete. We are fully bonded and Valorie has accepted my dragon fire. It is against Drakonian law for any to interfere with a fully bonded pair. Our souls are tied.”

  “That’s hasn’t happened in…”

  She didn’t wait to hear the rest of what they said. Val couldn’t see their facial expressions, but she heard the disgust some of them had toward humans and toward her. It hurt that they thought so little of humans. It also infuriated her that they would consider separating her from Markus.

  The worst part was not knowing if Markus would stand by his words that she was his mate and he wouldn’t give her up. He had just been reunited with his family and people after years apart. He might be able to bond with a dragon shifter. Was she wrong to try to hold him to his word?

  Finally finding the right hallway that led to their bedroom, she decided she needed some time to process everything and make a decision on what she should do next. The thought of giving Markus up nearly broke her heart. Somehow in the short amount of time that she had known Markus, she had fallen in love with him.

  Chapter 18

  Markus felt uneasy the closer he came to the bedroom that he shared with Valorie. Something was definitely wrong. Opening the door, he looked around the room. Valorie was standing by the window looking outside.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She didn’t look him in the eyes as she turned and faced him. She smiled but it wasn’t a genuine smile. “Nothing. I enjoyed meeting your mother and sister.”

  “Do not lie to me, I can feel your emotions. You’re upset about something. Did my mother or sister say something to make you feel this way?”

  “No, of course not. Your family is amazing.”

  “Someone said something though.”

  “I…overheard what they were saying in your meeting. They want to get rid of me and punish you.”

  Markus was furious that his mate was hurt by the careless words said in the meeting. He had to reassure her. Moving forward, he took her in his arms. “I don’t care what they think.”

  “But they are your kings.”

  “King Reichardt was my king. I haven’t answered to him in ten years. I serve under General Ranier. If our mating is not accepted, we will return to the Zyon. There’s still another planet our people went to that will need to be checked on.”

  “Will the kings let you do that?”

  “This is not Drakonia. They are no longer kings but clan leaders, and I am not part of their clans.”

  “I don’t know. Do you even know if the other planet is inhabitable?”

  “The mages wouldn’t have sent our people there if it weren’t.” He pulled out the medallion he wore around his neck. “This was given to me by the Mage Craggen before I left. One side had the coordinates to Earth and the other side had coordinates to another planet. The battle cruiser can’t remain in Earth’s orbit forever—it will draw too much attention. The Zyon will need to restock and refuel, then set out to locate the other planet. We could travel on board. Would you want to go with me?”

  “To space? That sounds like an amazing adventure.”

  “It’s beautiful, seeing the different planets and being among the stars. It can be quite lonely, though. Many Drakonians took their final flight because they felt alone. My friend Sonar had a break not long ago. I worried that I would lose him, too.”

  She reached a hand to cup his cheek. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. He seems pretty reserved and quiet.”

  “He wasn’t always like that. He used to be full of mischief and laughter, always smiling and flirting with females. I look at him…and sometimes wonder how much longer I will have my friend. He’s changed so much.” He had not meant to share something so emotional, but this was his mate and he could share anything with her.

  “We will spend time with him to make sure that he knows he’s not alone.”

  Leaning down, he kissed her softly on the lips. “My mate has such a kind heart. It’s sweet that you care about others.”

  “I love you so I care about what matters to you.”

  He felt his heart swell with emotions. “I am filled with love for you, too. I plan to show you off tonight.”

  “What’s tonight?”

  “The banquet welcoming those on the Zyon. General Ranier will be here and some of my fellow warriors. They are going to be so jealous that I have found such a beautiful bondmate.”

  “I guess I can’t fake a headache and just stay in the room?”

  “Why would you do that?”

  “Because I’m not good with mixing in a crowd of dragon-shifting aliens who hate humans.”

  “They don’t hate humans. They actually tried to mate with humans before but none of the humans who attempted it were true bondmates and able to accept the dragon fire.”

  “What exactly makes me a bondmate?”

  “I felt an instant connection with you. I couldn’t stop thinking of you at all, I was consumed with thoughts of you. My dragon connected with you too, and insisted that we mate with you. Finally, you were able to accept my dragon fire that healed you and will allow you to age along with me.”

  “It’s a rare thing?”

  “Yes. Many will be fascinated with you, so don’t take offense if you find many eyes on you tonight.”

  “I have to be on my best behavior, no pressure there at all.”

  Chapter 19

  The Next Night

  Val cringed at the loudness of the music in the saloon. Last night she was mingling with dragon-shifter aliens, kings, and generals. She danced with both Markus and Sonar, though she had to practically drag Sonar out on the dance floor.

  Tonight, she was working her evening shift at the saloon with her fellow humans. None of them knew the truth about their neighbors on King R Ranch. They probably wouldn’t be able to handle that, either.

  Markus didn’t want her to come back to work but she insisted. To compromise, he sent Sonar to watch over her while he and General Ranier discussed travel plans for the Zyon with the kings.

  She had expected the Drakonians to look down on her, but they didn’t. They were all curious about her and why she was able to bond when other humans couldn’t. That was just as much a mystery to her as it was to them.

  Her thoughts were pulled back to the bar when JJ yelled out for another round of beer for his table. The bar owner and the sheriff had agreed that JJ was not to receive any more hard liquor, and he had a cut off of four bottles of beer.

  Val walked over to his table and placed the bottles of beer on the table in front of JJ and his friends. She turned to walk away but JJ caught her wrist. Not this again. She glared at him and he let her go immediately.

  “I just wanted to make sure we’re okay. You know I didn’t mean to act that way. It’s just that…you know…my mom’s death…”

  “It’s fine, we’re good.” Turning to walk away, she knew she had cut him off but
she didn’t want to talk to him about his problems. She wasn’t dating him anymore and now that she was in a serious relationship with Markus, she didn’t have time for anyone else.

  Sonar had watched the exchange the entire time and if looks could kill, JJ would be dead. “It’s okay, Sonar. JJ’s not trying anything. He just wanted to apologize for his previous behavior.”

  “He touched you.”

  “He didn’t hurt me, he just apologized. I don’t need a babysitter.”

  “Markus is like a brother to me, which makes you my new sister. I won’t let anyone hurt my family.”

  That was actually really sweet of him. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “You are the best, Sonar.”

  His face turned red. To take his mind off what was obviously a shy moment for him, she went around the bar and grabbed a bottle of beer to hand it to him. “Here, on the house. I’ve got to take this trash bag to the back—it’s getting overfilled.”

  “I should go with you.”

  “No no, I won’t be but a moment.” She motioned for him to stay where he was. This whole having a bodyguard thing was ridiculous. Other than a few boneheads who might start a fight, she was relatively safe. The sheriff station wasn’t that far away and most of the customers were local and knew her. She was safe.

  She was about to leave the bag of trash by the back door but felt ridiculous. The dumpster wasn’t but a few feet outside the door. Opening the door, she dragged the bag behind her.

  “What the hell is in here? It’s heavy as shit,” she mumbled to herself.

  “I hear that you mated with a Drakonian,” a male voice said from behind her.

  She jumped in surprise as she turned and bumped into the side of the dumpster. It took a moment for her to recognize the man because she had only seem him once, briefly, but it was definitely that Drakonian king who had tried to stab Markus but got her instead.

  “Dyson, what do you want?”

  “It’s King Dyson, and I simply want answers. Is it true that you bonded with Warrior Markus?”

  “Yes, we are fully bonded.”

  “Were you able to accept his dragon fire?”

  “I would be dead now if I hadn’t been able to, thanks to you. You clawed me deeply and I was dying. His dragon fire healed me.” She started to move past him but he blocked. “Look, I answered your questions. Get out of my way.”

  “I’m not done with you yet. I want to study you, find out why you were able to accept the dragon fire when other humans couldn’t.”

  That seemed to be the million-dollar question, but she didn’t have to answer to this guy. “I’m not interested in helping you.”

  “I’m not asking you.” Dyson motioned for his men to move forward to grab her. Val wasn’t going to be able to fight them, they were huge. She screamed as she dropped down and dodged their hands. She made it three feet before one of the men grabbed her by her hair and yanked her backward.

  The back door to the saloon burst open and Sonar came rushing out. He yelled out a really ear-bursting noise, then he fought with Dyson and the other warrior. Two against one wasn’t exactly a fair fight. Sonar was holding his own though, but unfortunately Dyson didn’t play fair. Another male came out of nowhere and attacked Sonar from behind.

  “Watch out!” Val yelled out a warning, too late. The man holding her slapped her hard. She felt pain throughout her entire head. Her eyes were blurry and she tasted blood from having bit her inner cheek. Another roar from the men fighting had her turning and looking in horror as two men held Sonar immobile as Dyson shifted to dragon form and used his claws to cut off Sonar’s head. She screamed and her air supply was cut off. She lost consciousness, but as her vision faded to black, the last image she saw was Sonar’s limp and dead body lying on the ground.

  Chapter 20

  Markus paced the room, waiting while King Reichardt and King Malachi discussed with General Ranier what would happen now with the Zyon.

  General Ranier gave him a look, ordering him with his eyes to calm down. “I understand that you have a few warriors here on Earth that are interested in traveling to the other planet to search for more of our people. I propose an exchange. I have warriors and a few females that would like to try living here on Earth. They’ve spent ten years on a battle cruiser and are ready for a change.”

  King Reichardt looked at King Malachi. “I can agree to an exchange.”

  “Yes, I believe all the kings would agree to an exchange. When do you plan to start your new trip?”

  General Ranier ran a hand over his short hair. “I want to give my people a month or two to have time to shift and fly on Earth. Deep space travel is hard and we don’t know how long it will take to get to this other planet. Plus, I will need to train those from Earth to take over duties currently done by those of my crew who will be staying.” He glanced over at Markus. The men chuckled at seeing Markus’s restlessness.

  Markus went over to the window and looked out at the stars. He felt his dragon fighting to break free to go to their mate.

  “Markus, sit down or something,” Roan told him, motioning to a nearby chair.

  “I can’t, my dragon wants out and wants our mate.”

  “If mating makes you act so crazy, count me out of it.” Roan crossed his arms like he made a decision.

  “You say that now…but when you meet your true bondmate, it’s like nothing else. A piece of yourself that you never knew you were missing is suddenly there, making you feeling whole for the first time. It’s amazing.” Markus tried to go to the chair to sit down but just as he did, he felt fear come over him and knew it wasn’t his.

  “I’ve got to go to her!” He started toward the door just as all the men froze at hearing a dragon call warning. They all got to their feet and rushed to the door.

  He saw his mother and sister and many others coming toward the main ranch house. King Reichardt ordered the women to stay and a few of the warriors to remain behind to guard them. Markus didn’t wait for the others, he shifted into his dragon form and took to the air. The dragon call was from Sonar, and he knew Sonar was guarding Valorie at the saloon. He felt pain now and it was his mate’s pain. His dragon roared in fury. Someone would pay for hurting their mate.

  It took about ten minutes to get to the saloon but it felt like it took forever. They landed behind the saloon and found Sonar’s body, his head lying on the ground next to him. The human sheriff and the male called JJ were there, but they hadn’t seen Markus and the others yet. King Reichardt handed him a pair of pants and shirt. They all dressed, and then he and King Reichardt moved forward out of the shadows while the other four men stayed hidden.

  “What going on? Where’s Valorie?”

  The sheriff glared at him. “This is a crime scene, you need to leave now.”

  “I’m Valorie’s…boyfriend. Where is she?”

  “That’s what I would like to know.” Sheriff Jenkins looked at JJ.

  JJ ran a hand through his hair. “I saw Val taking the trash to the back but she didn’t come back. Then this guy, all of a sudden, jumped to his feet and ran to the back. I got worried when neither of them came back inside so I came out here to look for them and found this guy with his head chopped off—but no Valorie. I know she didn’t do this, she’s not that type of person.”

  Sheriff Jenkins shook his head. “I agree, but we have to find her. She may have witnessed this or the ones who did it may have taken her.”

  King Reichardt stepped forward. “Hi Sheriff, I’m Rei of the King R Ranch. Markus is an old friend of mine. I have a guy with me that is a great tracker. Could he come forward to take a look at the scene?”

  “As long as he doesn’t touch anything. We’ve already called a crime scene team to come and collect evidence.”

  Reichardt motioned for one of the males from the shadows to move forward. He walked around the scene and took in the scents. He then moved toward the other end of the building. “I notice three sets of male footprints, then there was four�
�and Sonar made five. There was a fight then the four males went this way and dragged a female with them. Let me track them further. I’ll call when I find them.”

  “Go ahead,” Reichardt told him.

  “Son, don’t try to take these guys on. Call into the sheriff’s office immediately.”

  “I want to go, they have my mate.” Markus moved forward but Reichardt motioned for him to wait.

  The sheriff looked at Markus. “We’ll get her back. Just hang in there.” He and JJ went to greet the ambulance and other deputy sheriffs.

  Markus could track Valorie on his own. “I can’t wait, I have to find her. I am connected with her but it’s weak. Either she’s unconscious or she’s injured.”

  “We’ll follow you.”

  Markus removed his clothes and handed them back to Reichardt, then he leapt into the air, shifting into his dragon form. His dragon easily spotted the tracker who was still in human form on the ground. Where they took her couldn’t be that far.

  His dragon perked up as Valorie’s scent grew and finally their bond pulsed stronger. He flew toward a farmhouse in the distance. He had to get to her in time. He couldn’t lose her now.

  Chapter 21

  Valorie struggled against the ropes that tied her hands together. She knew her skin would be almost raw from how many times she jerked against the ties, but she couldn’t free herself. She had passed out in the alley behind the saloon and when she woke, she was tied to the stairs in what looked like a basement of some type.

  She had to get out of there. What they did to Sonar…it kept playing over and over in her mind. How could they do that? Markus was going to be devastated.

  Hearing movement on the floor above her, she glanced around, trying to see if there was some way to escape. There was a small window high up on the other side. Maybe she could loosen the wooden handrail she was tied to?