by Crystal Dawn
Winged Beast Series
Book 3
General of Draconis
By Crystal Dawn
2017 Copyright by Crystal Dawn, all rights reserved.
Edited by Eagle Editors
Cover by Januel Escuelo
This book is a work of fiction. All contents, including names, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to persons, living or deceased, businesses, locations or events are completely coincidental.
None of this work may be used, reproduced, exchanged or transmitted by anyone but the person the book was purchased for. Any reproductions of this book in any part or any form must be done with the express written permission of the author or not at all.
Thank you for respecting the work of this author.
Sergeant at Arms
Winged Beasts
Book 0
The males of the planet Draconis lose the planet that supplied their mates to a natural disaster. The females survive, but they have left and spread to the far reaches of the universe. Their eyes turn to Earth. Jarel is sent with five other males to find mates and test the compatibility of Earth females. Their results will determine if their Empire looks to Earth or elsewhere.
Davy is trouble or at least she has trouble and danger following her. It's not her fault, it's all because of her ex-boyfriend who is a criminal and has sent killers after her. She meets Jarel who offers to protect her but she's a little suspicious where men are concerned. Should she trust him, or should she rely only on herself?
Captain of the Guard
Winged Beasts
Book 1
Romo is sent to Earth for a successful mating since Earth is a potential source of female mates for their mostly male race. Things are very different than he expected there but he believes he has found his one and he intends to woo her to his side.
Bree is looking for her cousin Davy who disappeared at this very casino she's visiting. Sure, they all say she's in an isolated country, married and happy but how gullible does everyone think she is? It's a sweet dream but she doesn't believe it for a moment.
Neither do the bad guys searching for Davy and they plan to attack their family to get Davy back. Romo will not allow Bree to be harmed, but can he really prevent it?
Major of Special Forces
Winged Beasts
Book 2
Betty brought her daughter Selia to Draconis with most of her family. They were escaping an existence made miserable by her ex-husband. She was attracted to the dragon Niku, but she feared her own judgement and preferred not to take on a man anymore.
Niku knew how Betty felt, but he’d grown to care about her and her little girl. He would chase her to the ends of the world if necessary and when it was all over and the smoke cleared, they would be his family. A quick prayer to the gods and he would begin.
Prologue
Garulto had never expected the opportunity to meet the one female he would live and breathe for. He’d been around enough females in the past, even shared a bed with a few and never felt anything lasting. When he met Dori, it was like being hit over the head with a hammer. He’d struggled to act normal and feared he’d done a terrible job of it.
From that moment on, all he wanted to do, was get her alone and spend time with her. It didn’t even matter what they did. Breathing in her sweet scent, touching her hand, hearing her lovely voice was all he could think about. Deep in his heart he knew Dori was the only female he would ever love.
When he got back to his position at the military school, he had to play catch up to fix everything that had been put on hold while he was gone. His assistant hadn’t had the authority to make decisions and the major filling in for Garulto while he was gone hadn’t wanted to make any decisions.
Now he was trying to do what was needed at work and pursue the most exciting female he’d ever met. The possibilities for trouble were everywhere. Just a little longer and things would fall into place. Would she wait for him? Goddess, he hoped she would.
General of Draconis
Garulto didn’t know what to do. Dori was his everything, but his career, the one he’d always put before everything, was interfering with their relationship and he feared she would leave him.
Dori loved Garulto. He was her soul mate and she knew it, but her first husband had put his career first and been killed in action. She couldn’t deal with that kind of loss again.
Will fate step in and give them both what they need or will they call it a day and go their separate ways? Love can be magical, but it can also hurt.
General of Draconis
Chapter 1
Draconis
Dori took a deep breath, she was certain without the slightest doubt. Oddly enough, there was no fear. Maybe there should be. All she felt was uncertainty and confusion about the future. Garulto was a marvelous male, but was he the male for her? If he wasn’t, what would that mean for her and the new little life growing inside her? It was true she was old enough to know better than to have sex without protection. Everyone knew the no glove no love saying. There was no good excuse for overlooking the possibility.
The issue had been she felt old as dirt when their affair had begun and thought conception would be impossible. That was something else she should have known better than too. She’d known women who had change of life babies and while she was close, she’d not yet gone through the change. How was she going to tell him? How was she going to tell her girls? They would have plenty to say especially since she’d always counseled them on being careful.
It was time to go meet him and she was sneaking out again. She met him up the road and he drove her to a cottage he had rented. It was a nice enough cottage, but it was the type used for property managers. At first, she had felt young and daring when she snuck out and had a tryst with her lover. Now she was tired of sneaking around and unsure of where this was headed. Maybe a clean break was best. He’d still be welcome to come around, she would never keep him from his child. It was a hard choice to make, but one that needed to be decided as soon as possible.
She just knew she wanted more than she’d gotten out of her first marriage and from the way things had been going, this wasn’t it. It was better to be alone than to be with someone and be disappointed. While it would hurt, it was the right thing to do. Having decided that, she would break off their affair now and tell him about the baby later, once the pain had dulled.
With everything decided, she realized she needed to make some money of her own. She might even need to get her own place. It wasn’t fair to Romo to have him help raise an extra child. He wouldn’t protest, she just couldn’t allow it. Right now, she slipped out of the house and walked to the road. It wasn’t long before he pulled up and embraced then kissed her. The same excitement she’d felt the first time was still there.
That wasn’t what was lacking, it was the time together and the companionship. The job he had was one where he was on call all the time. Even the little time they spent together right now could be interrupted with a call. She hoped not, because she wanted one more perfect night to remember. She loved him, but sometimes love wasn’t enough.
“You’re quiet tonight.” He observed.
“Just a tad tired. You’re quiet too.”
“Same here. It’s been a hard day. I discovered some rogues at the school. One was a teacher and he was recruiting for them. Those dealing with these horrible people are being too easy on them.”
“Isn’t that your emperor?”
“He’s getting advice.”
“He doesn’t have to take it. Maybe he knows something he’s not shared?” Dori
suggested. She knew Romo and Niku were advising he be lenient so they didn’t start a rift within their people. She’d overheard them speaking one night as they sat outside tending the fire pit. It made perfect sense and they’d reclaimed some of the rogues like that nice young man Martz who worked for Niku. They kept a close eye on them, but so far they’d all been good.
“Why do I always feel like you know things you don’t share?” Garulto asked.
“Women are supposed to be mysterious to males.” Dori said with a laugh.
“That you are, my love. I just want to make you happy.” Garulto swore. “Perhaps that will be possible in time.”
They’d already discussed his current position and how it tied him down. It was impossible to have a mate and a family and give them much of himself. Apparently, although he’d not said so, he considered her willing to take less because she’d had a mate and children and was now with her children helping them get established.
He must not realize, that while they were happy to have her with them, they had enough extra help now that she wasn’t really needed. Currently she was building a nest egg so she could get her own place, but it was going slow. Every evening, if she didn’t see Garulto, she sat and worked her crafts. She sold them in the herb store, but she was not happy with what they paid. Ten percent didn’t seem fair when she put all the materials and all the work into them. On Earth, it would have been the opposite. Here it was take it or leave it.
Tureen and Cretia visited from time to time and Cretia had told her about the roots, berries, and mushrooms she’d sold to the stores in town to survive. Dori wanted to do that too, but the woods were off limits and she needed an experienced mushroom hunter with her since they were not like the ones at home and she didn’t know the local shrooms.
“I’ve lost you again.” Garulto’s voice softly rumbled.
“I’m here with you. Are we going to your cottage?”
“Yes, what do you think of it?”
“It needs work, but a determined couple could make it homey and nice pretty quickly. I’ve done work such as that to my own home on Earth.”
“Truly?” He asked.
“Indeed. After my mate died, I was left with four girls to raise. It is true I got a widow’s pension, but it was still hard making ends meet. I learned to do many things.” And she would be doing them again once she learned more about Draconis.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that. You are the strongest female I’ve ever met and you have my total admiration.”
Dori wondered if she would still have his admiration when she broke things off between them. “Thank you for saying that. Looks like we’ve arrived.” The two bedroom cottage reminded her of the caretaker houses on both Romo’s and Niku’s properties. It was not as nice or in as good a condition, but it had many similarities to them. She suspected that was what it had been at one time.
Garulto hurried around to the door of his small shuttle. She had gotten out once without help and he’d been terribly upset so she just waited on him now. Now he escorted her to the door. It was a nice enough door although nothing special, but it needed paint. The first time he’d brought her here, it had been hard to open and he’d had to oil the hinges.
The interior had been dusty and they had cleaned up a little before he’d set a basket of food he’d bought in town on the table he’d cleaned. He’d fed her bites of fruit, meats, and cheese. It had been romantic and she would miss him. Maybe she would have been better served breaking things off without a final goodbye.
That day the walls had been the cleanest thing inside and he’d taken her up against one of them like a youngster unable to wait another moment and she’d encouraged him. It brought a smile to her lips. “What are you thinking of?” He asked.
“Our first time here.” She answered right away.
“There was little to smile about. The place was a mess and not as represented.”
“There was a lot to smile about. I was with you and we cleaned it up together.”
He leaned into her wrapping his body around her and kissed her tenderly. Dori loved both his gentle side and his wilder side. The male’s hair was black as night and his lower face covered with scruff. The way he was dressed, in black leather pants, a loose shirt, and black leather boots, gave him the appearance of a pirate. She’d never indulged her secret love of bad boys. Not that he was one, he simply looked like he could be.
Garulto looked at her with his passion in his eyes. He was going to kiss her again and this time she would go up in flames. Why couldn’t he have a less demanding job like Niku and Romo did? Why couldn’t she keep him? His lips claimed hers with complete abandon and he lifted her and carried her to the bedroom where they would love each other for hours.
Once he pulled back after placing her in the bed, she looked at him closely. He looked closer to thirty even though she knew he was much older. Maybe he would be better off with a younger woman that could deal with the pressures of his demanding position. She was doing him a favor really. Dori lost her train of thought as she stared at Garulto as he stripped the clothes he was wearing from his body.
“Dear Lord!” She whispered. The male was magnificent. His firm body, covered with silky warm skin glowed with good health.
He helped her get naked too and the cool air made her break out in goosebumps. His hot hands warmed her as they explored her body going everywhere. Another kiss, this one wandered down her body to her breasts which he always gave loving attention. Rolling one nipple between his thumb and forefinger, his lips wrapped around the other one and sucked in hard. She moaned and arched up to him.
Garulto was a noble, a second son, who had been bought an officer’s position and worked his way up to a colonel. Not an easy thing in a military where males could serve hundreds of years before retiring. Most of those who died in battle were the untried and therefore lower ranks. Battle was a rare thing these days from what she had heard. Mostly the rogues and an occasional incursion by hostile aliens. They were the foolish ones and easily routed.
It wasn’t that Dori didn’t understand his difficulty, it was that she’d been understanding with her husband and it had come back to bite her on the ass. She didn’t intend to suffer that way again. Although it was true that he wasn’t likely to be harmed in his current position if she was going to raise a child alone, it was better to be alone. All her thoughts fled as he played her body like a fine–tuned instrument.
“Ooh, that feels so good.” She moaned.
Now he was through with tormenting her breasts until they ached and he moved lower. Her channel flooded with need and anticipation. When his hot breath hit her wet folds, she jerked wildly. He held her down and his tongue slid from her gate to her clit. His finger slid into her channel easily as slick as she was. His tongue worked its way back up to her bundle of nerves and it felt so damn good. Garulto was an amazing lover.
Her passion soared as the tension built. She was riding the edge and nearing the point of bliss as he added a finger and continued to pump into her. He added one more finger and nibbled on her clit as he pounded his fingers into her and she exploded, her honey flowing all over his hand even though he tried to lap it up with his tongue.
“Gods, you taste like heaven Sweetheart.” He began to slide up her body until his cockhead pressed her channel for entry.
She spread her legs and arched up to urge him to sink deep into her. This she would miss terribly, but she didn’t want to think about that now. Dori almost screamed in pleasure as he slammed into her. Her legs wrapped around his hips and her toes pressed into the fleshy cheeks of his ass. It gave her leverage to meet him as he drove into her.
Dori was slim, the slimmest she’d ever been. In the past she’d been a little pleasantly plump but all the Herculean sex burned up so much energy she was now thin. As much as she would miss the sex, she planned to work hard enough to get the same exercise. She had plans she would begin working on tomorrow.
Right now she felt tension
in her belly that was about to erupt into a storm of pleasure. Garulto hammered onto her hitting all the right spots. She tried to hold it off to enjoy the feeling longer, but she couldn’t. It rolled over her and writhed and her channel clutched at him. He couldn’t hold back either and he screamed her name as she felt his hot seed enter her womb. They jerked and clenched against each other until their bodies calmed.
“That felt amazing. Are you alright?” He asked.
“I feel good.” Dori answered.
He helped her up and it seemed he had food for them to share. Her appetite was always large after they made love and this time was no exception. They sat and ate quietly until he cleared his throat. “I feel you pulling away.” He accused.
“I’ve given our relationship much thought. It can’t be what I need.”
“You would make wild abandoned love to me and then immediately afterward tear out my heart?”
“I thought it was the best way to say goodbye. We have a good physical relationship, but I need something more. It’s something I don’t believe you’re able to give me.”
“What is that? Wealth? More children? A castle with a view?”
“No, nothing like that. I want a different relationship this time than I had with my husband. We had love and a beautiful family, that is true, but I didn’t have him. He was more committed to his career, his duty than he ever was to me or our girls. In the end, it took him away from us completely. He’d put in his time and shouldn’t have been on the front lines. I buried him, and it was hard, but it was the financial help he gave the family we missed most of all. He was never around.”
“So you’ve decided I’m like him and there’s no point in exploring our relationship. You’ve made up your mind.”
“Does your job take all your time?”
“You know that it does, but I might make changes.”
