by Leela Ash
The thought made Gavin furious, and he burst through the door and entered the chamber immediately, not giving any consideration to the effect the rays of the lights might have on him. He felt weakened immediately, from the combination of pushing himself to fly as fast as possible and the way the lights affected him. Sun Dragons and Loni were very genetically compatible, so many of the things that caused weakness in one easily could stop the other in their tracks as well.
Rather than stopping him, however, it simply slowed him down.
Naomi’s eyes widened when she saw the dragon burst through the room, and when Gavin caught her eye, he knew immediately that she recognized him for who he was, even without ever knowing anything about Dragon shifters.
“Damn it, we got us a pest,” the older Hevel growled, reaching into his belt and pulling out a laser. “Get him the hell out of here before he takes the girl.”
Gavin let out a low growl and attempted to ready another breath attack, but he was unable to. But that was okay, he would be able to manage without it. Hevel were weak and had to rely heavily on technology. They were no real match for a Dragon shifter. Even with these stupid lights in the way that were making Gavin feel weak and a little bit nauseated. Everything was going to be okay. He was clearly stronger than they were.
All he had to do was turn the light off. If he could find it.
Gavin’s eyes scanned the room briefly in an effort to locate the switch, but before he was able to, a searing pain surged through his arm. He recognized that pain. He had been hit with one of the laser beams from the Hevel’s gun. The older one had taken a shot when he wasn’t looking. Cheap.
Gavin snarled and lunged at the old man, whose eyes widened drastically in a comical display of fear. He tried to take off running, but there really was nowhere to go. They were in an enclosed room on a ship. The only way to go was down. And as far as Gavin knew, Hevels couldn’t fly. He would go straight down and that would take care of that. Even if the man made it past Gavin and to the escape of the crude doorway his breath weapon had created, there would be no saving him. Because as soon as he had Naomi secured, he was going to blow this ship up and destroy anybody who dared to be within it. As far as he was concerned, they were all guilty.
Anyone who had put his fated mate’s life in danger was part of the wrong side of the war. He couldn’t let them get away with it. Normally, Gavin was calm, cool, and collected. Level headed. It was not generally in his nature to be vindictive or angry. And yet, somehow, this had triggered a side of himself he had never seen before. And it was angry.
Typically, he would have been able to look past it and move forward, trying to listen to the advice of the Elders and try to find the best in every situation. But this time, he had the strangest feeling that if he didn’t avenge his loved one, things were going to get really ugly in a very large, universal way. This was a fated fight; one meant to balance out the perils of evil in the universe so that balance could be restored, and chaos would not be allowed to reign supreme. He had to fight, not only for his future with his fated mate, the potential of a sacred child to complete their union, but for the entire universe’s need to survive.
With that reality fresh in his mind, Gavin quickly located the man as he darted for an escape and halted him with a powerful blow, slicing into his flesh with a sharp sweep of the talons. The old man let out a strangled cry and fell to the ground, whimpering and clawing at his neck desperately. It was a futile effort, though. He was bleeding heavily and there was no possible way to stop it.
With that man out of the way, Gavin turned sharply and eyed the other Hevel. He was staring at him with a cool gleam in his eye and an eerie smile that instantly made Gavin nervous. But that feeling quickly gave way to a feeling far more like irritation, and he focused in on the man, preparing another breath weapon. He wasn’t going to hold back. He would destroy the entire damn ship if he had to. He was going to get Naomi back home, if it was the last thing he ever did.
“Not so fast, dragon scum,” the man growled, his gaunt features gleaming in the pale purple light. It was a strange sight, but Gavin didn’t let it stop him, he focused the energy to a point and prepared himself to let out the blast.
But before he did, the lights suddenly turned brighter, and Gavin let out a sharp cry of pain. He felt all the energy he had attempted to harness begin to evaporate from his form. The beams were stronger. He was losing strength rapidly. What was he going to do now?
Cayden seemed pleased with his strategy and ran to the body of his companion to take the laser away and aim it at Gavin. First, though, it would have to recharge. Gavin knew this and realized he had time to prepare. Despite his predicament, he could still gain the upper hand. He had to protect Naomi. And if he was killed, he would never be able to do so. He had to pull through this, even though it felt as if his muscles were bursting at the seams and his movements were as slow as molasses. He couldn’t let that stop him. He had to fight.
As Cayden fidgeted with the laser to recharge it – he was clearly unfamiliar with the weapon, much to Gavin’s relief – Gavin was able to tap into his strength. But it wasn’t until he gazed across the room and caught his fated one’s eyes that he felt the surge of power that was going to save their lives.
Somehow, the simple act of gazing at Naomi, her beauty and gentleness, her grace and compassion, all of her strengths and the qualities that were gifted to her by her Loni blood, seemed to channel a new form of energy to Gavin. The lights seemed no longer to affect him, and he turned his eyes quickly to take in the sight of his enemy, who was now raising the laser to Gavin’s dragon form.
Gavin sneered inwardly as a growl began to rise in his throat. The little man wouldn’t know what hit him. He was back on top and he was going to ensure that the woman he loved was safe and sound. And that this vermin was destroyed.
When the laser went off, Gavin dodged it easily and the Hevel looked suddenly concerned. He seemed able to sense that something was different now, though he had no idea what it could be. He glanced back to the switch on the wall, where he had turned a dial to up the energy that was draining Gavin’s power. Gavin caught sight of it and made a mental note. He would have to turn that off as soon as this was over, so he would have the strength to release Naomi from her confines and get them both to safety before the ship was destroyed.
Gavin let his growl turn into a fiery roar, and the Hevel yelped and tried to jump away. But it was all smoke and sparks, not enough to actually hurt anybody. But it was good to know the little man was afraid. Afraid, he should be.
Another loud cry of anguish suddenly sounded in the room and Gavin turned around quickly. The Hevel man had stepped on the bleeding man on the ground to make his escape from the Dragon shifter. How ignoble.
Gavin shook his head in disgust and then, again, began to ready his breath weapon. This time, he was being serious. He had the power to take them both out in one fell swoop, and that was exactly what he planned to do.
He made sure they were far enough away from where his fated mate lay before preparing another steady surge of power in his huge chest cavity. Gavin’s reptilian eyes flickered back to the two Hevel men, who had paused to bicker briefly over the clumsiness of the younger one. But that pointless fight would be their last mistake, because Gavin could feel the temperature in his chest rising. It was ready now.
Before either of the men knew what had hit them, a powerful burst of magma-like flame erupted from Gavin’s mouth, and the shrieks that filled the room echoed off the walls. He hated that Naomi had to bear witness to this type of suffering. But he had been bound by fate to take care of this threat. If he didn’t, she wouldn’t be safe, and who knew what more insurmountable peril might come of their escape? He wouldn’t allow it. He would follow the hands of fate to where he was meant to be.
As soon as he was satisfied that the men had met their fate, the screams had died down, and now only an eerie silence blanketed the room, Gavin bounded to the dial. But he couldn’t
change it in his dragon form. He had to shapeshift back.
He was nervous to do so; he was far more powerful this way. But he had to do what was necessary to retrieve Naomi and allow her to get home safely. No matter what happened.
He took a deep breath and allowed his strong dragon form to diminish, leaving only a naked, humanoid man who quickly seized the dial. Immediately, the pressure of the lights was revoked, and he felt a huge weight leave his shoulders. His power slowly began to reaccumulate within his body, and Gavin gave a huge sigh of relief. Everything was going to be okay now. He had negated the threat. He had found his fated mate in time. They were going to go back home now and recover. In whatever small way, he had done his service to the universe and prevented some unspeakable evil from happening. He couldn’t have been more proud of himself.
“Gavin?”
Gavin broke away from his pleased recuperation at the sound of his lover’s voice, and turned quickly to gaze upon her, his eyes bright. He hadn’t seen her since they’d made love, and his body instantly responded to her, despite his best intentions. He hoped she wouldn’t notice the involuntary stiffness of his muscle as he strode toward her, eager to get her unshackled from the table she was bound to and see her free once again.
“Are you all right, Naomi? I was so worried…”
Gavin went to her quickly, removing all of the confines from the delicate woman’s body. She let out a shuddering sigh and allowed him to pull her close to his broad, bare chest. She pressed her forehead against him and swallowed hard before speaking.
“I’m fine. Really. I am just glad I can speak again. That was really bizarre.”
“Yes,” Gavin agreed, nodding slightly. “I can imagine it would be.”
He pursed his lips and held her close, lifting her easily from the table and carrying her through the singed opening he had created in his dragon form.
“What is all of this about?” she murmured, her body trembling against him. Gavin’s heart broke for her in that moment. She had no idea why she had been abducted. Probably had no idea what to think about seeing him in his truest form. And yet, he felt as if everything was going to be okay. She would understand in time, just as all of the others had. He had felt her Loni magic for himself. There was no need to do a blood test. Which was, honestly, probably going to shock the others with how insistent Gavin had been about making sure they had found the right women for the other Dragon shifters by getting confirmation both from the device and from their blood tests. Despite his typical precautions, Gavin had no need for them now. He already knew.
“It’s kind of a lot to explain,” Gavin said gently. “And we don’t have a lot of time. This ship is going to go down any time now. It can’t continue to run without Hevel energy to maintain it. And besides that, I have done a lot of damage to it with my breath weapon. We have to get out of here as quickly as possible. I will explain everything to you later.”
When they made it to the opening he had made with his breath weapon to enter the ship, he set Naomi down carefully and waited until he knew she was steady on her feet before beginning his transformation.
“You’re a dragon.”
“Yes,” he said, just before the transformation was complete. “Please get on my back. We have to get to safety. I won’t let you fall.”
Naomi looked startled but seemed in shock enough to understand and did as Gavin asked. He could feel the rapid drumming of her heartbeat as she lay on top of him and clung to his scales, and he felt a small surge of devotion toward her. This was his mate. And she was safe.
The knowledge gave him a surge of warmth and conviction, and with that, he dropped out of the ship in an effort to get her home.
16.
When they made it back to the house, Naomi wasn’t sure if what she had just experienced had been a nightmare or if it had actually been her reality. Feeling the flip-flopping of her stomach as Gavin dropped out of the sky in his dragon form, then quickly shapeshifted back into his normal human-looking self, seemed like something from a dream. How would she ever be able to believe that all of this had actually happened?
“Am I on drugs?” Naomi asked in a daze as she felt Gavin’s muscular arm wrap around her shoulders and begin to lead her gently into the house. She found comfort in his nearness, even if it was all a strange part of the confusing events of the evening. Whatever had happened to her couldn’t possibly have actually happened. Could it?
But in her heart of hearts, she knew it had. And that it explained something very profound about her, and in a way, things were starting to make sense that hadn’t before. Like the way animals had always been drawn to her. How her singing voice often brought birds to her window. How she always seemed able to help others heal, whether she knew what she was doing from a book or not. There was something else there. Something special. And in a way, she had always known it. Now, she felt she had finally put a finger on it, even though she still had no idea what in the world was going on.
“You’re not on drugs,” Gavin reassured her, his deep voice rumbling against her ear as he walked her carefully to the living room couch. He eased her down and sat beside her, turning her gently to face him. “Everything you saw tonight was real. It happened. And it is never going to happen again. Except the part where I shapeshift into my dragon form. That will happen again. Because I like it. It is a natural part of me.”
“I’ve seen it before,” Naomi murmured, bringing her hand up to touch Gavin’s face. “I saw it when we made love.”
Gavin smiled broadly. “So that’s how you recognized me right away.”
This connection they had was bizarre. How had he known that she recognized him? How did she know he would be there to save her? They had become linked somehow; some beautiful thread of fate had tied them together. But why? What was the meaning of all of this?
“Please, Gavin. Tell me what’s going on. Don’t hide anything anymore. Don’t hold back with me. I need to know.”
Gavin sucked in his breath and then nodded slowly.
“You deserve to know the truth,” he said. “Though, it is going to sound just as unbelievable as what happened tonight. Bearing that in mind, remember that what I tell you is possible. Okay?”
“Yeah…” Naomi shifted nervously. She wanted to be able to believe whatever he told her, but everything seemed so overwhelming. What if this was just some sort of bad trip?
“Naomi, I’m serious,” Gavin said, turning his eyes directly on her. “Repeat after me. It is possible.”
Naomi sighed. “It is possible,” she mumbled, unhappy to have to follow Gavin’s lead but relieved at the sense of comfort it brought her. She was going to get an explanation. And she could believe it or disbelieve it. Either way, there would be something to consider to help her process.
“I am one of six Dragon shifters that were banished from our home planet and forced to make do as citizens of Earth. You are a descendant of the beautiful Loni people, who create love and harmony wherever they go. Combined, Sun Dragons and Loni descendants can, when fated mates, create sacred children that maintain peace and beauty throughout the universe. They keep shifter magic alive. They keep hope alive. It is a wonderful thing. It is something we are a part of. I believe we were fated to be together.”
Goosebumps rose on Naomi’s body and she pursed her lips as she took in the information. She had already felt that something like this was possible. It felt right. True.
“Why didn’t I know about any of this sooner?”
Gavin sighed and gripped her hand suddenly, an action that felt perfectly normal between them, though it sent a small surge of desire coursing through her body. She tried to ignore it and focus on his explanation.
“The Loni are very secretive about their origins. Especially outside the safety of our home planet, Fiora. There are dangers lurking throughout the universe. Descendants with Loni blood are often in much danger. It is very difficult to live a peaceful life if a Loni is aware of their origins, unless they are on their
home planet. Those on Earth only find out when it is too late, for the most part. It is unfortunate, but it is the way of things.”
Naomi nodded, inhaling deeply. Gavin squeezed her hand, almost as if he could feel exactly what she was feeling. His fingers were strong and masculine. Comforting. It was almost easier to take this all in with him by her side. So that was why she had been abducted. It was all starting to make sense. No matter how painful it may be.
“And you are a Sun Dragon?” Naomi asked, suddenly feeling shy. The memory of Gavin’s strong, virile body suddenly came alive to her from the night when they had made love, and she blushed furiously. He was naked beside her, and her irresistible attraction to him finally made sense.
“Our union could result in a sacred child’s birth. We would have to cherish and protect it with our lives. It is a big responsibility.”
Naomi nodded. She was willing to take it on. She had always wanted a family. “I would do that with any child I carried.”
The words Gavin had spoken struck her in an unexpected way, and her body suddenly became alive with longing. She wanted nothing more than to consummate her feelings for Gavin. The idea of him inside of her again, and not only that but giving her a child, was almost more than she could bear. She turned her eyes shyly back to Gavin, her body buzzing. Ready.
Gavin smiled kindly at her and held his arms open invitingly. “Everything is going to be okay now. You are safe.”
Naomi let him hold her comfortingly, soothed by his deep rumbling voice and the presence of his arms around her, heavy and safe. Comfortable.
When she looked up into his eyes, he gave her a brief, confident smile and she felt a sudden, involuntary surge of heat consume her. He was still naked. She had seen him in all his glory before he had rescued her. She had been affected, but too in shock to really process it all. Now, though, there was nothing in between them. Nothing to make her think twice about the way he made her feel. Her body was still on fire for him. She’d wanted him so badly. For so long. What was stopping them now?
