Autumn found herself laughing at the image his words painted.
“It’s not funny,” Kirall tried to sound harsh, but couldn’t contain his smile. “It was always something like that. So as soon as I could, I established my own home. Now, tell me about where you live.”
“Me?” Autumn’s humor fled. “I live in an apartment with Kristy. You already know that.”
“Yes, but why? Why do you live with Kristy and not your family? You are far too young to be on your own.”
“Not by human standards,” she told him flatly, “and I don’t live with my family because they’re gone.”
“All of them?” Kirall couldn’t believe it. For even as irritating as his brothers and sisters could be, he couldn’t imagine his life without them.
“Yes. Mom and Dad were both only children. Their parents had also passed on. So, no, I no longer have any family.”
“I’m sorry, Autumn. As irritating as my family can sometimes be, I do treasure them.”
“I hope you do, because to lose them…” Autumn felt her throat start to tighten, and she knew she couldn’t go on; so she changed the subject. “Tell me more about the Dragoon world you rule.”
“I do not ‘rule’ Mondu,” Kirall denied. “We have a Council of Elders, of which my father is a member. They solve any disputes that arise in our world.”
“But you said you were the highest of the Primes.”
“I am, but so are my father, mother, brothers, and sisters. Being the highest of the Primes only means that there are no Dragoons more powerful than us.”
“Tell me more, please…”
Looking into her green eyes, Kirall was quickly discovering he could refuse her little, but he didn’t know what to tell her.
Autumn watched Kirall struggle with what to say, and realized if she wanted her questions answered, she needed to ask them.
“You said that all Primes, no matter their color, have black tips at the ends of their hair and on their scales.” Reaching out, she touched his hair. “That it’s a way for others to know their position.”
“That is correct,” Kirall agreed.
“So what color tips do the Minor Dragoon’s have?”
“All Minors have white tips.”
“And the Supremes?”
“The Supremes all had silver tips.” Kirall brought several of her white tips up rubbing them against his cheek.
“But otherwise, they have the same color hierarchy as you?”
“Yes and no,” he told her absently, still playing with her hair.
“What does that mean?” she asked.
“Minors only come in five different colors, the highest being the Whites. There are six for the Primes; the Blacks being a level higher than the Whites. But with the Supremes, there were two more colors above the Blacks. The Reds and the Silvers.”
“With the full Silvers being like you, but only in silver.”
“Yes, and the Reds would be between the Blacks and the Silvers.”
“And Others are below all of those.” She found she was beginning to understand.
“Of course, for they are not Dragoons.”
Autumn was silent for several minutes, processing everything he had told her then wondered. “So what color was that Supreme that left? Razeth?”
“Razeth was a Red,” Kirall told her.
“So what would happen if he returned?” she asked.
“There is little chance of that ever happening, Autumn.”
“Why?”
“Because the oldest living Dragoon is now over eight thousand years old, and Razeth was gone long before his birth.
“What about his offspring, if he did find his mate. What if they returned? Would they be welcomed?”
Kirall hesitated before he answered. “I do not know, but the Supremes’ power has all but faded from Mondu. It now only remains in Kruba, the home and lands that Razeth once protected. It is the highest and most coveted mountain range on the entire planet, and no one has been able to live there since he left.”
“Power. What do you mean?”
“My turn,” he told her. “What happened to your family?”
Autumn jerked back in surprise. “I told you that was off-limits.”
“No, you did not.” Kirall put his arms around her, pulling her back so they were face-to-face. “You only said questions about your scars were off-limits.”
Autumn looked up at him unhappily. He was right, but the two were so intertwined…
“You said your father had black hair with white laminae,” he prompted.
“Ends, not laminae,” she corrected, unable to stop herself from reaching out to touch his that were falling across his chest.
“But you said they were white.”
“Yes, so were my mom’s and my brother, Jack’s. We all had the same strange, white tips.”
“You have a brother?” He didn’t try to hide his shock.
“Had. Had a brother,” she told him stiffly. “He died with my parents.”
“I’m sorry, Autumn.”
“So am I.” She gave him a weak smile. “I loved him, but he could be such a little pain in the butt. His head was always in the clouds.”
“What?” Kirall frowned at her. “I don’t understand. Your brother, he could fly in the clouds?”
“No.” Kirall’s words had her smiling slightly. “Although he would have loved that. It means he was a dreamer, always seeing what things could be instead of what they really were. He found ‘treasure’ everywhere.”
“Treasure?” Kirall felt his Dragon cock its head in interest.
“Yes. We’d go for walks, down a path we took every day, and he’d always find something new and ‘special’, and have to bring it home. His room was full of his treasures.”
“So it wasn’t ‘real’ treasure,” Kirall said, disappointed.
“Only to Jack.”
“So he hoarded it.”
“I never thought about it that way, but yes, he did.”
“He sounds just like a Dragoon.”
“Really? You hoard things?”
“Of course.” Kirall gave her a look as if she’d insulted him. “My treasures are protected in my home.”
“By your ‘power’?”
“Yes.” When she just raised an eyebrow at him, he knew they were back to her question.
“Dragoons infuse the territory they protect with their power. It is another way for a lesser Dragoon to know he has trod too far.”
“But…”
“Listen, and I will explain it to you the best I can.” Kirall waited for her nod before continuing. “The treasure a Dragoon hoards is part of his power. If he loses treasure, his power decreases, and so then does his ability to defend the Others under his protection. When a Dragoon knows he will be away from his treasure for an extended period of time, he can increase that power by having it tap directly into his treasure. The bigger the hoard, the stronger and longer the power will last. Razeth’s hoard must have been extremely large to still be able to protect what was once his.”
“You protected your home this way? So no one could get in?” Autumn found herself fighting to keep her eyes open.
“I have. Only my direct family members can penetrate the protection I have put in place.”
“And Razeth had no direct family members left?” Autumn asked, blinking heavily.
“No, they are gone.”
“What happened to the Others that served him?”
“Razeth sent them away before he left. It was as if he knew he would never return.” Kirall could see the fatigue his Autumn was fighting. “Rest, Autumn.”
“No!” She snapped her eyes open. “I don’t like to sleep.”
Kirall frowned at her. That was not natural or healthy. A being, every being, needed to sleep. “Why don’t you like to sleep?”
“Because then the nightmares will come.” Autumn couldn’t believe she’d confessed that, and tried to distract him. “Your turn. Ask.�
��
Kirall knew what she was doing. Shifting, he lay back and repositioned her so he could wrap her in the security of his arms. She seemed to need that. His mind was blank, even though it had been filled with questions. He said the first thing that came to mind.
“Why couldn’t you go to ‘regular’ school?” The minute the words were out of his mouth, he knew they were the wrong ones when she stiffened. “Autumn…”
“I was in a hospital. They claimed I was ‘ill,’ and kept me medicated.”
“What?!!” He went to rise, but her soft hand on his chest held him in place.
“It doesn’t matter,” she told him, unable to believe she’d told him that. Wasn’t she the one claiming she didn’t want her faults and failures regaled across the universe?
“Autumn…”
“My turn to ask,” she quickly changed the subject. “You said your parents found each other late in life. When do Dragoons usually find their mates?”
Kirall let it go for now, knowing it would only upset her if he continued to press. “There is no set timeframe, but it is said that if one does not find a mate in the first fifteen hundred years of their existence, then it is doubtful they ever will.”
“And your parents?”
“My father was close to fifteen hundred years old, my mother one thousand.”
“And you are five hundred.”
“Four hundred and forty-six!” His immediate correction had her smiling sleepily at him, and he suddenly realized she’d done that on purpose.
“I see that age matters in the universe too.”
“Not so much matters, but…”
“But what?”
“But it is said that the longer a Dragoon goes without a mate, the worse the Heat becomes. It’s been known to drive many insane, and they must be ended.”
“Ended?” Autumn frowned at him.
“Yes, otherwise they lose control and rampage.”
“You mean like you said you would do if no female was available?”
“Worse, much worse. The Dragoon…” Kirall found he had to swallow hard.
Autumn’s hand moved soothingly over his chest. “It’s alright, Kirall. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“You need to know.” She did if he were going to take her with him. He covered her hand with his, and gave it a squeeze. “It is nothing like what I told you. A Dragoon, driven insane by his Joining Heat, doesn’t just take all the available females. He will kill any that do not satisfy him.”
“What?” Her eyes widened in shock.
“It is true,” he confessed. “That is why Dacke was so willing to assist me.”
“But you aren’t even five hundred years old!”
“But my Heat is so unusual, it came on so fast, that no one knew what to expect.”
“And Kristy was to be the balm that soothed the Heat.”
“Balm. I do not understand that word.”
“She was to be the thing that would satisfy you. Since she would be willing, compliant, and vocal.”
“Yes.” Kirall told her the truth, but could see the pain those words caused reflected in her eyes. “Autumn…” He reached out to cup her cheek.
“No.” She pulled away from him. “It’s okay. I already knew that.” But still it hurt. Again she had been seen as less, as a failure. “I’m tired,” she told him rolling so her back was to him, “I think I’ll rest now. Thank you for talking to me.”
“What brings you to see me, Dacke?” Healer Talfrin asked, surprised to see the Minor Dragoon entering the room set up as a healing area on this planet. He had just finished inspecting it, making sure it had everything he would need to alter the females’ memories of their time spent among them. But it also contained a Healing bed as a precaution, just in case one of the males accidentally injured a female. He’d never had to use it before, but he believed in being prepared.
“The human females,” Dacke told him.
“What about them?”
“How many of them did you test?”
“How many? All of them.” Talfrin frowned, then demanded. “Why?”
“You’re sure?” Dacke continued to question.
“Of course, I’m sure. I have the data right here.” Talfrin went to his makeshift office and picked up the tablet that held all the names and each female’s specifications. He handed it to Dacke. “As you can see it’s completely documented. Twenty-four females. All went through testing and cleared. All were given a bolus.”
“I see that, but what I don’t see is the name of the female that was delivered to Kirall.”
“You mean the female you requested return? Kristy?” Talfrin frowned, he didn’t recall seeing that name now that he thought of it. “Did she not arrive?”
“No, another female came in her place, and Bonn took her directly to Kirall.”
“He did what?” Talfrin exclaimed. “Without having her tested first?!! He knows the rules! They were clearly explained to him.”
“Which makes me wonder how many of the others he has been ignoring.”
“This female with Kirall. We have to get her away from him before it’s too late.”
“It already is. They have joined, and Kirall is satisfied with her.”
“He is…” Talfrin trailed off. “Are you sure it isn’t this Kristy with him?”
“I am sure. As is Kirall.”
“So you’ve seen her?”
“You know better than that, Talfrin. A male Dragoon, especially a Prime, never allows his female to be seen by another male during a Joining Heat.”
“So how can you be so certain then?”
Dacke hesitated for a moment, Kirall would not be happy with him for telling Talfrin this, but the Healer needed to know. Talfrin was going to have a problem altering this female’s memory.
“Because I could scent her boundary blood,” Dacke told him.
“Boundary blood?!!”
“You heard me, Talfrin.”
“But...what...How is that even possible?” When Dacke just raised an eyebrow, Talfrin flushed. “I know how it is possible, I just don’t understand how she could possibly satisfy a Prime male during a Joining Heat, especially one like this one.”
“I know and I agree, but Kirall refused to give her up, and vows she is unharmed except for the breaching. I don’t know how you are going to erase that when the time comes.”
“Neither am I. I will have to research it.” Talfrin could see something else was bothering Dacke. He owed this Dragoon a great deal. He was the first Dragoon to arrive on Terceira, Talfrin’s home world, and he had instantly recognized that they would be unable to defeat General Terron with only the warriors they had. He had immediately sent out a call for assistance, unconcerned with how it would reflect on him.
Because of that, not only had Terceira been saved, but so had Talfrin’s family. He owed this Dragoon a great deal.
“What is bothering you, Dacke?”
“Could there be other females...like the one with Kirall, that we do not know about? And if we don’t, and your numbers have always matched, then what happened to them?”
Talfrin suddenly understood Dacke’s concern. Dragoons, no matter their color or status, were always very protective of females.
“I do not know if we can ever find out if it has happened before, not unless Bonn tells us.”
“Doubtful.”
“Agreed, but we can make sure this...what’s the female’s name?”
Dacke frowned, realizing he did not know. “Kirall never told me.”
“Well, we will need to find out after the gathering.” Talfrin wasn’t stupid enough to interrupt Kirall. “But until we do, I can make sure she is the only one at this gathering by doing a wellness check on each female.”
“Some of the males are not going to like that.”
“Their ‘likes’ have never concerned me. I was against these gatherings in the first place. A female’s memories should never be altered without her con
sent.”
“You know why, Talfrin. This planet isn’t ready to accept that there are species other than themselves in the universe.”
“Then they should be left alone until they are.” Talfrin took the tablet from Dacke’s hand. I will begin my investigation. You need to find out what you can from the other males here. They may have information we need.”
Chapter Seven
Kirall stared down at Autumn sleeping in his arms. At first, she had just feigned sleep and he let her. He even reached over and dimmed the lights in the room for the first time. It seemed to have done the trick, because not long after that, she truly did fall asleep.
What had driven her to take such an action after having admitted how much she hated to rest? Had it been his words? Had his telling her the truth hurt her so badly that she would prefer nightmares to him?
No part of him found that acceptable.
But nothing about this Joining was ‘acceptable’ to him. When his Heat had first hit, all he’d wanted was a female…any female…he hadn’t cared who, or where, or how, and now that shamed him. For even during a Heat, a female should always be treated with respect. His father had taught him that.
Looking around the room, his shame grew.
Could a female not feel more disrespected?
Even the sheets they lay on were substandard. He hadn’t noticed their roughness until just now, and Autumn’s skin was so much more delicate than his.
Had they been at his home on Mondu, he would have laid her down on only the softest of sheets. He would have made sure all her needs and desires were met. Food. Drink. Bathing. He would have showered her with jewels from his hoard. He would have worshipped her.
Instead he was here, in a room meant for one that was easily forgotten. And that would never be his Autumn.
He was a Prime Dragoon. A Black on Black. The most powerful of his kind, and yet when it came to this little Other, he had failed. Not only himself, but more importantly her, and that was unacceptable.
Bound By Heat - Dragon Shifter Page 8
