by Milly Taiden
“Shhh,” she shook her head, “don’t speak of dying. I want to live. I’ve never been this alive.” She met his gaze. “You’ve done something I can’t explain. Every cell in my body feels awake.”
“Tell me, baby. Do you like this? Me inside you?”
“Yes. Yes!” She inhaled sharply. “You’re big and deep and I feel so full. I love it.”
“I’ll never tire of this,” he said, continuing to lift and drop her on his cock. “Your pussy sucking on my dick. Watching sweat drip down your chest to crawl to your nipples.” He let go of her hip and grabbed her tit, squeezing at the full mound and tweaking her nipple. “Your body’s mine. Say it.”
He brought both hands to her hips again, lifting and dropping her harder. Faster. His words were tight and short, his body tense.
“Yes. Yes, Jae. My body’s yours. My everything is yours.”
His fingers bit deep into her hips. “I want to watch you have my children. Do you want that, Avery? Want us to create new life together?”
The thought of her and Jae’s babies filled her mind. Her biological clock chose that moment to make itself very well-known, begging her to agree. To do it. Make a family with him.
“Yes. Please,” she moaned. Her pussy felt aflame the faster they moved. She couldn’t keep up. He was the one in control and she was along for the ride. “Come inside me. Make me the mother of your children.”
“You’re mine. You. Fuck everything and everyone else!”
He slammed her down in one final hard slam, wiggling her hips so her clit rubbed his pelvis hard. She came so fast, she clawed at his chest from how hard her orgasm took her. He didn’t stay behind. She was still riding her pleasure when he was tensing beneath her.
A loud growl of something she didn’t understand came out of his lips. Then he came, over and over, filling her with his seed. He brought his legs down and she fell on his chest, both breathless and still shaking from their euphoric climax. This was the first time in her life she’d been brought to orgasm like this. She wasn’t sure she could go back to her toy after having Jae. He not only brought her into the world of the living, he’d brought out a sensuality and sexual hunger she had no idea existed inside her.
TWENTY-ONE
Tor growled after the millionth pothole. Of all the roads in Central America, he was on the shittiest of them all. Basketball-sized rocks embedded in dirt and mud was the only thoroughfare to the side of the mountain where the UFO supposedly landed.
If he wasn’t concerned about villagers, he’d strip and fly in dragon form. But he couldn’t take that kind of chance. He could have sent another team in to search, but with the last one not making headway, he decided to handle this himself.
The folks in Costa Rica and surrounding countries along the narrow strip of land between Mexico and South America based their lives on mythologies and superstitions of the past. Someone seeing a dragon come in for a landing nowadays could create a whole new culture and tear these people’s traditions apart. That was the last thing he wanted. He had enough of that earlier in his life.
Though he had to admit, the medieval times where great fun. King Arthur and his whole story around the knights, fire-breathing dragons, and damsels in distress. Historians would absolutely shit if they learned that knights and dragons were a lot of times one and the same “person.” Really, he thought, did humans believe a three-foot-long piece of steel wielded by a puny human could kill a scale-protected beast of a dragon with fire and could fly?
Of course, back then, there were many more of them around than today. Many more. Their population had dwindled to just a few. And thanks to his two brothers finding mates and quickly spitting out dragonlings, his race once again had hope to rebuild. If the Noir left them alone, that was.
If there was some way to find their lair, he’d wipe it out in a heartbeat. The Noir had a witch working with them at one time, so he had no doubt magic was employed to hide their nest. What baffled him the most was that he didn’t understand why that group wanted to destroy the Drachen still.
The Drachen line was royalty in their old planet, and the Noirs felt they should’ve been the leaders. But that way of life ended eons ago. They were forced to leave their planet in search of elsewhere to support their lifeforms. Their royal family and a few others went a different way than most of the dragon families.
They came to earth while the others went somewhere else, further than earth and hopefully better. Then they discovered the Noir had followed them to earth. On this planet, the Drachen no longer had the power they had long ago. They still had their dragons, but there were abilities they’d lost when they got to earth. The dynasty was over. Why hadn’t the Noir moved on?
He had no idea the fate of the rest of his world. He hoped that those in the other far away planet had found mates and continued to grow their kind. For all he knew, their few were it. That thought broke his heart, nearly cracking his soul. Such a strong and advanced species to be destroyed because of petty jealousies and grudges.
And that was the reason his ass was being battered on the shitty road of boulders leading him into the jungles of nowhere. If there was a possibility that another ship had found their way to earth, then by god, he was going to find them and bring them home.
He rounded a sharp bend and the road stopped. Died into a group of trees. Fuck! He slammed on the brakes and threw the transmission into park. Son of a bitch. He’d been driving for hours to get a few miles. And now that was nothing but a waste of time.
Pushing the door open, he climbed out of the truck and looked around. The air in Costa Rica was warm compared to his mountaintop homes, but cooler than the beaches hundreds of feet below him. The groundcover in the jungles was thick. As if determined to keep human feet from trespassing. But according to those he’d talked to in the area, “in there” was where he needed to go.
Tor leaned against the truck and took a deep breath. These trees were so much different than what he was used to. And the animal sounds and scents were curious also. So much more lush and variable. Yet, something was familiar. Very familiar.
He lifted his nose higher and breathed deeper. Yes, there it was again. He stepped away from the truck, trying to locate the direction of the smell. Striding off the dirt and rock lane, he headed into the jungles. The bugs and critters seemed to sense him and moved away from his path. His dragon was letting them know to stay out of the way. They were on a mission and the bugs were food to his shifted form.
Sweat gathered on his brow as he pushed through dense brush and vines. The sun didn’t penetrate the canopy in some areas, leaving the ground cover sparse and easy to travel, but those areas weren’t nearly long enough to allow him to move any amount of distance in a short time.
The terrain suddenly went from forest to rocky mountainside. And the rocks weren’t the normal make and model. These were high in metal content. He’d never smelled anything like them. And that made sense for a UFO, or anything that didn’t want to be scanned, to lie among the stones. The only type of wave that could correctly penetrate the area would be infrared and the ship would be the same temperature as the surrounding area.
Despite that fact, Tor was sure he wouldn’t find the ship with its abilities to hide and blend into its environment. He’d continue tracking the scent his beast said to follow.
Stumbling to a break in the tree line, he took a path back into the woods. The trail was in better shape than the road he drove the last hour. Voices and sounds of humans met his ears. He was coming to some kind of village or homestead. He smelled livestock and heard dogs barking.
Several hut-like structures came into view. Tan dogs jumped around each other, playing whatever game suited them for the moment. He came to the back of one of the larger buildings, and a door opened. Looking up at him from knee height was a rosy-cheeked smile, one baby tooth missing from the front.
She waved him inside, opening the door wider. Her bare feet padded against the dirt floor. He followed the young gir
l around a hanging piece of material and froze in his tracks. In an old rocking chair sat an even older woman.
She stopped rocking and looked up from her lap and the basket she was weaving. “It’s about time, boy. Much longer and I would’ve been dead.” The little girl covered her mouth with a giggle escaping anyway. The old woman stuck her arm in the air for Tor to help her up. Gently, Tor took her forearm and pulled. She easily got to her feet and punched him in the shoulder. She winked at the gigging girl. “Don’t treat me like I’m on old lady, Tor. My dragon will eat you for lunch.”
Finally overcoming his sudden inability to speak, Tor asked, “How did you know my name?”
She mumbled words in a language he didn’t know, which had to be alien because he knew all of earth’s dialects. Who was this woman, he wondered? If she hadn’t called herself a dragon, he would’ve questioned that.
The old dragon looked down at the little girl watching them in awe and said in the mountain people’s words, “You’d think a great-great-grandson would remember his nana before she kicked his butt to the moon.”
His nana? Grand matriarch Shela? On earth? Once again, he was speechless. This woman was the epitome of every male’s nightmare, mated or not. She kicked ass and took names. Even the Noir were afraid to cross her on their home planet. But she didn’t look like the nana he remembered.
She harrumphed at him. “You live another thousand years and tell me you don’t look different. All this hot, sexy man you show will only look hot and sexy to your mate.” She turned to him. “You are mated, now, aren’t you?” After looking him up and down, she walked away. “Good to see you are. I told your parents to come this way when we left home. I’m glad they listened to at least one of their elders.”
Not only could this woman know what you were thinking, but so many other things that he now remembered. Man, his brothers were going to trip out when he showed up with Nana in tow.
“Nana,” he managed to say as he followed her into the next room, “what are you doing here?”
“Just like your father,” she said, “always asking the dumb questions.”
In the other room, many children gathered around another female elder while a mother and teen girl made food. The woman in the middle of the children looked up from her storytelling. She said, “Ahh, your visit is over. He’s finally here.”
Tor couldn’t help but roll his eyes. How could he have gotten there any quicker without giving away his alter ego? Then the importance of those words hit him. It wasn’t the meaning of those words that surprised him, but the language they were spoken in. His home planet.
Nana hugged the storyteller. “It was good to see you again, Rama. I’m glad you made it here safely, too.”
Rama had been living on earth and he had no idea. Were there more dragon elders here he didn’t know about?
He asked, “What about your mate, Nana? Is he here, too?”
Nana hugged the little girl who had opened the door earlier. “Naw. I left his draggin’ butt,” she winked, yeah, he got it—draggin’, dragon, “on the other planet. He’s not needed here. I am.”
“You are?” Tor asked. “For what?”
Nana picked up a cloth bag then patted him on the shoulder. “You won’t understand, boy. It’s a woman thing. Trust me, you won’t get it.” She stood straight and grinned. “I’m ready, let’s go.”
“Go where?” he asked.
“To your home. Where else would the babies be?” she asked. “I’m not going to just let them die.”
TWENTY-TWO
Jae pulled the car to the front of the hospital’s event lot where Hannah directed and parked. The snowy condition was better than he’d hoped after they’d crossed the city limits. Outside the city, the roads were covered in snow. Plows had been through, but there were too many rural roads to keep them all in safe driving condition.
On the other side of the fence, several feet of snow covered the event grounds. Hannah burst into tears. Ker held her. “Hannah, what’s wrong?”
In between sobs, she blubbered, “There are no games setup, or face painting booths. No clowns strolling with balloon animals or funnel cake stands selling cotton candy. It’s ruined. Everyone must have cancelled because of the snow.”
“Jae,” Avery pointed to a handwritten sign attached to the fence, “what does that say? I can’t read that far.”
He leaned forward, eyes squinted. “Oh,” he said and started the car. “We’re at the wrong place.”
Hannah sniffled. “What do you mean, wrong place?”
Jae shrugged and backed the car around. “It says to park on the south side of the tower.”
“Oh, that’s where the parking garage is on the other side of the facility.”
Jae followed the cleared route around the hospital to the back side. After turning the corner, the white peacefulness became wildly colored balloons and exploding laughter for scores of people. The second and third levels of the garage had been turned into a circus, complete with cotton candy, clowns, and animals, Jae noted as an ostrich crossed in front of their car, being chased by a haggard clown in snowshoes.
Hannah burst into tears again, but happy ones this time. “Oh my god! Jae, it’s wonderful.” She wrapped her arms around the driver’s seat and squished him back in a hug. “You are the most amazing and caring man I’ve ever met.” Then Hannah jumped out of the car and ran toward a couple ladies at a booth, handing out tickets.
Ker leaned forward between the seats. “Way to go, man. How much of this is your doing?” he asked.
Jae shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. It’s for the kids. If my child was sick, I’d want someone to do all they could to make him or her happy. Besides, it’s only money.”
Ker snorted. “Just like the $50 million you had me process for a mysterious charitable donation. And the overtime money to the city to pay for all the city’s snow equipment to be running all night? Not to mention the chartered planes to get everything here--”
“You paid for all this, and the roads were your doing?” Avery asked. “Oh my god is right, Jae. You’re amazing.” She leaned over and grabbed his face for a kiss.
After a couple of seconds kissing, Jae heard Ker in the back, “You know, I actually made the money transfer, if we’re sharing.”
Jae growled in his chest and barely moved his lips from hers. “We’re not, so don’t even think it.”
Ker opened the backseat door and climbed out. “Why am I always last? I hate being the youngest.” When the door slammed closed, Jae and the beautiful lady with him broke into laughter. Ker looked back and winked. Always the clown.
* * *
Holding his mate’s hand—yes, after that incredible sex last night, he made up his mind that Avery was the one. Mark or not, she was it for him. Together they’d deal with Hannah if she turned out to be his mate—they walked around the inside of the parking garage. He was amazed how well the entertainment company he called yesterday had done in such short notice.
The owner assured him the group was ready to leave at the drop of a dime, and setup for the few kiddie rides didn’t take too long. Even enormous space heaters had been set around most places. Jae had promised a bonus if it was to his own satisfaction. It was way beyond that. With the storm having passed, the air was clean and still, and the sunlight was healing. Absolutely beautiful for even the sickest of children to step out and enjoy for a few minutes.
He’d double the bonus and keep the guy’s card for a time he might need something quickly. A spur of the moment wedding, maybe. Who knew?
With Avery and Ker at his side, Jae felt more peace than he had in a long time. Being away from family so much had been harder on him than he thought. He needed to spend more time at home getting to know his niece and nephew, and making some babies of his own. He squeezed Avery’s hand in his and she looked at him and smiled. She was really cute with weather-reddened cheeks and nose.
He loved watching her expressions. She glanced around the place, a huge gr
in on her face. She frowned and turned to them.
“Will you guys hold on a second?” she asked. “I’ll be right back.” Jae and Ker watched as she walked through the crowd.
Ker said, “Avery seems really nice. But is she as giving as Hannah? The nurse would love her enemy, if she had any. You know she can heal, right?”
“I figured she could do something amazing. Healing is huge. It will come with a steep price, too.” Jae glanced at Ker. “You ready for that responsibility?”
Ker ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t think so, man. I just make computers do incredible things. I don’t know anything about medicine, diseases, sick kids, or anything.” Neither did Jae.
Avery stopped at the funnel cake booth and got a cake and two drinks. They watched as Avery approached a bald little boy sitting by himself off to the side. Jae tuned his ears to pick up her voice through the crowd.
“Hey, kiddo,” she said, “whatcha doing all by yourself over here?” She sat next to him, putting the donut and drinks between them.
The boy looked at the powder sugar coated dough and licked his lips. She tore a piece off and set on his side of the plate.
She said, “You know, they say sugar is the best thing in the world. It makes even the yuckiest of medicines taste better. I bet you know about yucky medicine, huh?”
He nodded, but didn’t say anything. His fingers eased closer to the plate and the piece she’d set there. “That’s yours. I brought it for you. Go on and eat it before it gets cold.”
The child raised teary eyes to meet her gaze. “For me?” he said.
“Of course, for you. You don’t see adults eating this stuff, do you?” She tore off another piece and shoved it into her mouth, looking around, pretending to make sure no one saw her do that. The little one giggled and put the sweet into his mouth.
“My name is Avery. What’s yours?” she asked.
“Philip,” he replied. His shyness was endearing.
“Well, Philip,” Avery said, “what are you doing by yourself? There’s lots of things to do.”
