Kadin: A Scifi Alien Romance (Dragons of Riddich Book 1)

by Teshco, Mel

  “Plans?” she whispered starkly, nausea quickly rising. Her heart jerked in her chest. “And where’s Kadin? What have you done with him?”

  “The dragon is fine,” he dismissed. “Though I imagine the elephant tranquilizer we used will knock him out for many hours, since he was only half-shifted at the time.”

  She slumped a little. Kadin was alive, that’s all that mattered right then. She’d deal with whatever the agency planned to do with him when the time came.

  Mr. Briggs’ expression was all too shrewd as his gaze skimmed over her approvingly. “By the way, you’re right—I never get my hands dirty. I have my own trained, paranormal pets for that.” At her shocked look, he added, “Gracie, don’t you get it? You’re a very special breeder—key to a very powerful weapon. My own personal dragon. A more potent killer than any number of loyal werewolves.”

  The other operatives looked equally stunned, but Grace barely noticed. She shook, her mind reeling. She’d been so wrong! She wasn’t expendable to the agency now at all, she was a gold mine to them!

  She glared at Mr. Briggs. Sick bastard! He wasn’t satisfied exploiting werewolves and god knew what other supernatural creatures. He wanted to impregnate her and turn her baby into a killer!

  “So all this,” she flung out her arms, hands spread, “has been orchestrated just so Kadin could get me pregnant?”

  “Guilty as charged,” he said with a lewd smirk that made her feel violated on so many levels. “Our technology let us know of Kadin’s arrival the moment he entered Earth’s atmosphere two-and-a-half years ago. I kept tabs on him in that time. When we learned he was a dragon, we knew we couldn’t let him die out without exploiting his unimaginable weaponry.”

  God, he was even viler than she realized. She swallowed past the bile in her throat and asked, “What about my parents? What did they ever do to you?”

  He shrugged. “Kadin isn’t the first dragon shifter to land on Earth and we doubt he’ll be the last. We’ve learned certain humans bond and mate with these dragons. All of those mated have been flame-haired.”

  She touched her crimson hair. There was no point denying it, Kadin had already filled her in on the facts.

  Mr. Briggs raised a bushy brow. “I’m not sure if your parents were aware past generations carried the same compatible gene, but either way they knew you were special. Your mother and father were suspicious of me from the moment I bought the house next door and tried their best to keep you out of my sight.”

  “So I wasn’t alone in thinking you were a creep,” she stated, somehow comforted by that small kernel of knowledge.

  “Creep?” he echoed, with a baritone cackle that grated on her nerves. “I’m not sure your parents thought of me in quite that light. I think they considered me much more dangerous.”

  “If they had, they wouldn’t have stayed, wouldn’t have taken any chances.”

  “I’d only been your neighbor for a relatively short time when I began to notice their suspicious stares,” he continued conversationally. “I’d clearly taken too much interest in their little girl. I knew right away I couldn’t risk everything the agency and I had worked so hard to achieve.”

  Her vision swam, her belly tying itself in painful knots. She didn’t want to hear … but she had to.

  “They were throwing things into suitcases the night I slipped in with three of my trained werewolves. Your parents were about to do a runner with you. I couldn’t have that.”

  “No. I’ve heard enough!” she croaked.

  The room was doing a slow spin as her thought processes shifted into overdrive. She understood now why the “authorities” had arrived so soon after she’d found the grisly bodies of her parents. Grace hadn’t recalled anything after the horror she’d walked in on. She pressed a shaky hand to her mouth. She’d assumed—wrongly—that she must have rung the police. But the truth was, the agency had already known. They’d been waiting to bring her in.

  When she ran off after the funeral, it had taken the PDA months to find her, just another waifish child on the streets, covered in filth and ragged clothes. They’d suckered her in by pretending to care about her, by giving her clothes, food and warmth. Trained her, gave her the skills she needed should she ever find her parents’ killer. God…

  Mr. Briggs studied her, as though reading her deepest thoughts. “We know you’ve fucked the dragon. We also happen to know a breeder is always fertile when intimate with one.”

  “Sorry,” she bit out, “I’m definitely not pregnant.” She sent him a disgusted look. “I’ve always used contraception.”

  The three agents fell back a little as Mr. Briggs stepped forward. He snorted with mild amusement. “That’s true—until recently.” He shrugged. “The agency replaced your birth control pills with placebos. You’re now very much fertile, and, I’m sure, already in the early stages of pregnancy.”

  Grace felt the blood drain from her face. No. That choice was hers to make! And no baby of hers was going to be torn from her arms by the agency. She’d die first. And take every last one of the bastards with her.

  She shook her head, focusing on each of the three men who’d once been her comrades in arms. “How could you let this happen? I trusted you.”

  Luke glanced at Pete. Alexander’s jaw clenched, disquiet flashing in his stare.

  Mr. Briggs laughed scornfully. “More fool you. But you can be smart now and leave with us. You get one chance to save Kadin and your unborn little freak.”

  Her voice gave nothing away as she asked, “Why? So you can take away my child to use as a killing machine?”

  Over my dead body.

  “No need to be so melodramatic,” he sneered. “I only want to take advantage of your child’s full potential, brainwash the kid while he—or she—is still young enough not to know any better.”

  Yeah. In just the same way you had the agency exploit me.

  She swept a hand in the direction of the front yard. “And what about Kadin?”

  Mr. Briggs shrugged again. “We’ll restrain him with chains shortly, keep him safely locked up.” His pleased expression was beyond repulsive. “And you’ll fuck him as often as needed to make me a whole family of dragons.”

  “Oh my god.” Full comprehension dawned. “You’re going to force any children I may have to stay in their dragon form, aren’t you?”

  Would that make them forget their own humanity?

  Alexander frowned, clearly uneasy by this information. “You said no harm would come to Grace—”

  Mr. Briggs swiveled his head, fury mottling his face. “Shut your mouth, maggot!” he snarled. “This operation is way bigger than anything you three could ever imagine.”

  Pete’s shoulders stiffened. “We’re not one of your pets, Briggs.”

  Luke glanced at Grace. “We’ve always done right by the agency, taken our oaths seriously. But it seems the agency hasn’t been completely forthcoming.”

  An inhuman growl suddenly echoed from the front yard.

  Grace’s heart thudded hard. Against all odds, Kadin had woken and, by the sound of it, shifted fully into dragon form. She almost felt sorry for any agents outside.

  She nodded at her ex-comrades. “Go. Before Kadin annihilates you too.”

  When they exchanged uneasy looks, Mr. Briggs’ eyes narrowed with rage. “Stay and fight the dragon, you fucking cowards!” Strings of spittle caught on his chin. “I will see you murdered if you leave!”

  “Don’t listen to him,” she said, feeling oddly calm when another roar from Kadin rocked the house. “Your boss won’t be leaving here.”

  Pete and Luke nodded before hightailing it out the back door. Alexander tossed his tranquilizer gun to Grace. He gave her a pleading look, opened his mouth as if to apologize.

  “Don’t,” she breathed. “Please. Don’t.”

  When Alexander disappeared through the back door, she trained her gun on Mr. Briggs, who fell to his knees, his face ashen. “Grace! Think of everything we’ve done f
or you. Have mercy! I have no weapon. No defense.”

  “Nor did my parents,” she said flatly.

  Kadin crashed through the house, too big and in too much of a hurry to spare furniture and walls. She kept the gun trained on Briggs, though she knew the gutless prick wasn’t going anywhere.

  When her dragon burst through the narrow kitchen entry with his eyes glowing red, Grace nodded and stepped aside. She’d dreamt of her revenge, of killing her parents’ murderer with her own hands. But she realized now there was another, more fitting way to see the demise of the horrid Mr. Briggs.

  A stream of fire poured from Kadin’s mouth, flaming the man—the murderer—where he knelt.

  Chapter Eight

  It had turned into a glorious day. The lake gleamed like a sheet of iron beneath the sun, while bees droned and a vague scent of honey jasmine drifted in the air. But Grace’s senses were attuned to Kadin and the sheer beauty of his dragon form.

  Her chest ached, her throat thick with love.

  If he was handsome as sin in human form, as a dragon he was divine. Like a chameleon, his scaly body had taken on the palest blue of an early-morning sky, the perfect camouflage for flying.

  With the burnt smell of Mr. Briggs in her nostrils, Grace had stumbled outside, breathing deep of the surrounding scents and sitting close to the water’s edge. Kadin had dropped beside her, his big scaly head resting on her lap, his amber eyes beseeching.

  “Don’t be sorry,” she murmured with an unsteady sigh, running a hand over his head and rubbing the blunt twin nubs that she guessed were horns. “I’m only grateful that cold-blooded killer got what he deserved.”

  Kadin blinked up at her and snuffled. Thin smoke wafted from his nostrils, releasing his peculiar sulfur fragrance. She smiled. She was starting to appreciate his fire and brimstone scent.

  She felt his change come on even before he drew away from her. Her belly clenched. She’d never appreciate seeing his torturous shape shifting. He groaned as his big bones snapped and crunched to retract into the much smaller frame of man.

  He lost consciousness seconds before his tail and jaw retreated and his blue scales dissolved into a smooth, golden hued skin.

  She reached out, sliding her fingers through Kadin’s dark hair. In contrast, his face was white, his closed eyes shadowed beneath. But at least now he looked at peace, the pain no longer tormenting him.

  “I won’t ever ask you to change again,” she whispered.

  His eyelids flicked open, raw emotion shining in his weary stare. “When the Earth’s full moon rises, I won’t have a choice.”

  Her heart ached for him knowing the pain he had to go through. “Then as long as we’re together, I’ll be by your side every second that you go through the torment.”

  “We’ll never be apart again,” he said hoarsely. “You’re free. Those agents are on your side now.”

  “You heard?”

  His lopsided grin caused her insides to melt. “Dragons have exceptional hearing.”

  She released a taut breath. “Free,” she whispered. “I can hardly believe it.” Of course the agency might send other operatives, but she wouldn’t think about that right now. She paused, chewing her bottom lip. “You would have also heard I’m pregnant.”

  He sat up and held out his arms. “Come here. Please.”

  She slumped gratefully against him, her arms curling around him as she murmured, “I never planned to have children. I thought only ‘normal’ women deserved such gifts, women who had someone to love them as much as their child.”

  One of his big hands cupped her scalp, his thumb gently kneading. “Sweetheart, I do love you. With all my heart. My soul.” His husky laugh sent tingles down her spine. “And I never did really like normal, for obvious reasons.”

  Was it possible? Did he truly love her? “You do?” she breathed.

  “Grace, look at me.” She lifted her head, staring into his adoring eyes. “I loved you even before you walked through my bedroom door, dressed as a hooker but looking every inch an angel.”

  Her heart glowed. He loved her! “You already knew me?” she asked weakly. “I’m sure I would have remembered you if we’d met elsewhere.”

  He was unforgettable.

  “We never met … officially.” He shrugged. “But I’d been aware of the PDA for quite some time. They didn’t seem to realize dragons have far better eyesight, hearing and senses than a human. At one point I followed the same operatives who’d been following me. The fools led me to you.”

  She blinked. “Where was I?”

  “You were in the city waiting for them beside a dark sedan. I glimpsed you a handful of seconds before you disappeared into the car with your team.” He sighed jaggedly. “I could have stared at you all day. I knew there and then I couldn’t rest until I had you.”

  “I had no idea.”

  He nodded. “It was ironic when I was left with little choice but to schedule call girls so that the PDA would plant you in their place. Your agency wanted me to fall for you, but I was a step ahead of them already.”

  “Why didn’t you approach me the old fashioned way?”

  He chuckled. “You were surrounded at all times. You were invaluable, an asset they didn’t want to lose a second time.”

  “Yet they were willing to risk me and a whole lot more to see me impregnated by you.” She sighed. “I was little better than the hooker I pretended to be.”

  His hand drifted gently along her jaw. “You sold your soul to the agency long before I bought you for sex.”

  She released a slow breath. Kadin was right. All those times she’d mentally repeated never to forget who she was, never to trust anyone, and yet she’d done the exact opposite.

  “Did you know I was a breeder?”

  His fingers twirled around some of her impossibly wild hair. “Yes. Besides the fact breeders have the fiery red tresses of a dragon’s flame, there’s an instant, undeniable chemistry between a dragon and a breeder that scatters all logic. All common sense.”

  Little wonder all reason, all judgment, all her years of extensive training had flown out the window the moment she’d clapped eyes on him. “So our attraction is really nothing more than … lust?”

  He shook his head. “No. What I feel for you is much deeper than just the physical. It’s emotional. It’s spiritual.” His hand moved downward, spread fingers resting on her flat belly. “You’re my life mate.”

  She allowed him to tug her forward, his mouth settling over hers briefly before she pulled back, searching his stare. Reservations still lingered despite the love and adoration for him that longed to break free and reveal itself. “You realize you’re taking on more than just a breeder and an ex-agent? I’m all too human sometimes. I don’t sleep much—I have terrible nightmares even after all these years. And I have this bad temper to go with my red hair—”

  He pressed a finger to her lips. “Shh.” His smile was all affectionate warmth and primal heat. “The only thing I care about is you … our future.”

  Then he abruptly rolled until she lay sprawled beneath his hard body. “And I think I know just exactly how to prove it,” he finished huskily.

  *

  Thank you so much for reading Grace and Kadin’s novella-length prequel, I sincerely hope you enjoyed it! There are plenty more full-length stories in the series for you to enjoy, with book 2 in the Dragons of Riddich series, Asher. Continue reading for a sneak peak, first chapter preview.

  First Chapter of Asher: Dragons of Riddich

  Asher Mannett, ruler of the Riddich people, woke coughing and blinking through the haze of toxic smoke billowing into the cabin of his crashed craft.

  He and his crew had reached Earth, despite their unorthodox landing. But he wouldn’t allow joy to flood his system just yet. Not when the instrument panel before him flashed red in a distress signal that issued universal alert.

  He sucked in a jagged breath, his belly turning to liquid. The forced touchdown had set off an alarm th
at wouldn’t attract anyone friendly.

  He and his crew had fled their world, along with a dozen other crafts filled with the last remaining survivors of Riddich. Each craft had been preprogrammed to journey to different parts of the universe so that some might elude the Tantonics, an armor-plated enemy who had almost succeeded in making his people extinct.

  “Cold-blooded bastards,” he growled, coughing fitfully again with the vile smoke even as he released the safety mechanism of his body yoke and dropped to the floor. He fell heavily, his ankle snapping beneath him. He bit back a curse at the sharp, searing pain. But a broken bone was the least of his concerns.

  If the hated Tantonic fuckers hadn’t been far behind, the distress signal would now bring them in fast. If he didn’t get out of here with his crew in the next few minutes they’d be blown to kingdom come, or worse, brought back to Tantonic for months, even years, of torture and degradation before being subjected to energy extraction, which would eventually shut down their organs.

  He looked up at his comrades who were unconscious and still yoked to the craft. “Wake up,” he shouted hoarsely between another round of hacking coughs. Smoke didn’t normally bother him, but this shit was deadly. He called out to each of them, hoping to rouse them before the noxious smoke filled their lungs. ”Dahlia. Baron. Wyatt. Valor. Wake the fuck up!”

  Dahlia came to first, her big green eyes blinking and her helmet sitting askew on her short-cropped blonde head. She coughed and looked around, her webbed, one-piece uniform stretching with her movement and her eyes going wide. “What the hell happened?”

  Asher bit back a joyous laugh at seeing his sister alive and well. Thank god. He’d already lost his reckless younger brother, Kadin, three years earlier through banishment. He’d not lose his sister too. But he wouldn’t get too jubilant too soon.

  “We crashed somewhere on Earth. I’m guessing Australia since blips on the radar showed we were still headed that way before I blacked out.” At least they hadn’t landed in the ocean. “The distress signal’s been set off. We need to wake the others and get the hell out of here.”