by Crystal Dawn
“I suppose I should tell you the king has a request for you.”
“The king?”
“Yes, it has something to do with your program. He would like you to expand it. While we don’t have the criminal element you have on Earth, we do have less violent offenders. He’d like to have them work to pay restitution to victims and the crown. Of course this would probably be after the baby is born.”
“He feels I can’t manage it now?” Dori asked.
“There is some concern over your health. If you take on too much too soon, you could end up in bed until the baby is born.”
Dori shuddered. That would be horrible. “Okay. I’m willing to give it a try. I don’t see that it would be a problem to start.”
“It will give you something to think about until you get back on your feet.”
“Thank you for telling me.”
“Of course. I trust you to make a good decision.”
“Even though I didn’t do so as far as the baby goes?” Dori asked.
“You didn’t have the information you needed to make a good decision. None of us knew.”
It was sweet that he was willing to give her a free pass. But she wouldn’t be giving herself one. She had worried something was wrong, but been unwilling to see a doctor. Had it been one of her girls she would have insisted they see a healer right away. This had made her come to the realization she was not superwoman. This baby was kicking her ass and she needed help.
A few days passed and she was finally able to get up and cook some food. She met with Havos and went over schedules and he was doing a great job. The program was working perfectly and everything was alright, except Garulto refused to have sex with her.
Dori understood, sort of. He was afraid she’d overdo it and end up bed bound again. It was true sex was strenuous, but it also gave pleasure and helped relax her. She’d tried to discuss it with him, but he changed the subject. They slept in the same bed, but he came to bed after she was asleep and left early.
Dori didn’t like this denial and her dragon pined for a closer relationship to her mate. Today she was going to take a nap while Garulto was gone and she would wake up when he came to bed. Then she would see if he could deny her. Everything went as planned. They ate supper together, he insisted on cleaning up.
Dori went to bed and fell asleep right away, but she woke the second she felt the bed pressed down by his weight. She knew not to be hasty. Timing was everything and she waited until his breathing relaxed. That was when Dori moved in carefully.
Stroking her mate, her hand moved to his cock which became engorged immediately. He began to wake, but she pulled him on his back and slid on top of him. Her hand guided him inside her before he was fully aware of what she was doing and once she began riding him, he was helpless to stop her.
His hands grabbed her hips and he helped her move faster and harder and he sank inside her deeper. Sex between them had always been marvelous, but now there was something more there. It was a primal element of belonging that added even more enjoyment.
They moved like two creatures of pure passion, wildly claiming and owning each other. It wasn’t long before released erupted in both of them and they clutched and clasp each other and rode out the wild feelings to the end. Once they calmed, he rolled them over but kept her in his arms.
“Dori, we shouldn’t have.”
“We needed to. It’s something we need as much as air and food.”
“But your health, it’s more important.”
“I feel fine right now. If you insist, I’ll go downstairs and have a plate of food. Whatever it takes, but I will not give up sharing this with you.”
“I thought you’d blame me. I mated you against your wishes.”
“Silly male. I’d already decided to mate you. I was just waiting for the perfect time. I waited too long.”
He pulled her in closer for a kiss. “You are everything to me, Mate. I will never let you go.”
“I don’t want you to ever let me go. Now let’s get some sleep. You’ve relaxed me perfectly.”
“I’m pretty relaxed myself.” Garulto whispered with a soft chuckle. He was her perfect man and now he was completely hers and he knew it.
Morning came and it was the first of many that fell into a comfortable routine. Her health continued to improve as the dragon gained strength and shared it with her human half. Dori had never realized how lucky dragons were to have someone with them all the time. Her dragon cared for her, advised her, and gave her comfort. It was so wonderful, she found it hard to put into words.
A couple weeks had now passed and Dori was in good shape. She had agreed to expand the worker program to include petty criminals and those who wanted part time employment like mates wanting to get into the work force.
Havos was a big help, but she hired a young woman to help her with the paperwork. The program was great, but information still had to be put into the system. Dori was more of a manager type. She relied on others for most of the tasks that needed done.
Once the program was underway, it took off and gained a great deal of popularity. Many mates that hadn’t found regular jobs found part time work through her. Once they got experience, they would be able to get a full time job if they wanted.
Dori really felt like she’d found her place on this new world. Her worries now were Kitty, who she rarely heard from and Tomi who she saw regularly, but Tomi never told her much about what was going on in her life anymore.
Tonight for supper they were going to Niku’s house and everyone would be there. Garulto came home and since Dori was ready, they left right away. By being a little early, she could help Betty with the last minute things. Betty was already getting big and she waddled a little bit when she walked. Not that Dori would say anything.
They knocked on the door and her little Silly opened it. “Gramma and Grandpa!” She squealed. She turned and ran to the kitchen to announce them. Dori and Garulto closed the door behind them and followed her.
Dori immediately got to work helping Betty fix food. It wasn’t long before Tomi and Bree joined them in the kitchen and Cretia came in and stood there awkwardly looking at the floor. “Wash your hands, Cretia, and you can help cook.” Dori instructed.
Cretia did as she said and then came over to stand next to her. “You and I will make these deviled eggs. The eggs just need this put inside them.” She pointed to the filling. “When that’s done we’ll dust them with paprika or the local equivalent and they’ll be done.”
Cretai watched Dori do a couple and then she started to help. Eggs were protein so dragons ate them just like meat. They’d cooked a hundred eggs so it would take a while. “So I’ve heard you are gathering in the woods. I usually gather herbs, domed plants, and berries. What have you been finding?”
“I gather shallow root, but sometimes they don’t bring much.” Cretia admitted.
“I gathered those once and the pay was so bad, I never got them again. Betty has some herbs she likes and the castle healer pays well for them. Maybe you should look for them?”
“What do they look like?”
Dori described several of them. “Some are supposed to be rare and they pay the best. I’m talking gold dragons for a bag of them.”
“Really? I think I’ve seen some of them.” Cretia sounded excited.
“If you can find them, Damos will pay you more than the herb store does.” Betty advised.
“I weave mats, but they hardly pay anything for them.” Cretia admitted.
“I used to weave more when the girls were little. We made hats and shirts, belts, and other household items.” Dori mentioned.
“Really, could I see a belt or a shirt?” Cretia asked.
“Betty, I bet you brought a few of those items?” Dori asked.
“Sure, let me go get a couple things.” Betty left to get them.
Betty brought them back and Cretia stopped to take a good look at them. The belts were simple but had beads woven into them. The shirt w
as more something to wear over another item because it had gaps that made it se through. Betty put it on over her shirt.
“It’s decorative more than anything.” Betty explained.
“It’s pretty.” Cretia said with a thoughtful look on her face. She went back to what she was doing and they got the eggs done and moved onto the next dish.
Before long, everyone was ready to eat. They ate outside at a huge table Betty and Niku had near the fire pit. Dori eyed everyone and she was glad to see that Erak had made it. He and Tomi were talking and she didn’t look angry. That was a big improvement. Niku and Betty sat with Selia near them and looked happy.
Romo and Bree looked as content as they always did and had from the moment Bree had brought him to meet her. The only awkward ones were Cretia and Toreen. There was something between them that was obvious. But it was also clear neither was giving in. It seemed all the mates lately were stubborn.
Garulto had told her that mates just didn’t fight the mating before, but it seemed things they were a changing. Dragons would be winning their mates now, not just getting immediate agreement. Dori could see that hard times were ahead for Toreen and Cretia. She wasn’t sure what Toreen held against the girl, but Cretia sensed he didn’t approve of her. Dori could see it too.
Until he got his feelings sorted, there was no point in him pursuing her. Dori knew Cretia was living with him, but she also knew it wasn’t like males would be. He was protecting her and she managed his house. It seemed like a very businesslike arrangement.
The meat from the pit was carved up and set on the table. Everyone could fix a plate now and it was clear they were all hungry. Cretia was starting to look healthier again and she filled her plate full taking several deviled eggs. It was good to see her appetite was back.
Dori turned her attention to her own plate. She was starved too and she knew she’d better eat well to keep up her strength. Selia was the only one that didn’t seem to have a huge appetite. That might change if she mated a dragon someday. For today, they were in good company and had plenty to eat and drink. Things were going well.
Chapter 8
Little Things
Garulto was content with his place in life. Finally, things had started to slide into place. As General of Draconis, he had reached the highest position available for a military male. The only higher positions on his planet were Lord, King, or Emperor and none of those were attainable except by birth or special decree.
He was now where he’d always hoped to be and as General he was Part of the Circle, the emperor’s special group of advisors. The inner workings of the political machine that ran the planet would now be transparent to him. In this position, he could do the most good for his people. Garulto would do his part to prevent more rogues from joining and dealing with those already active.
Not that he was naïve. He knew regardless of how good life was for the average person, there would always be malcontents and dissidents looking to stir up trouble for those they perceived as favored or in a better position than they themselves were in. It was just his hope to limit the number of these people to make it manageable. A large goal, but not one he had to do by himself.
The plan to make some Colonels, and add more upward mobility to the military was one he heartily approved. Right now there were only two Generals and the manager position on Earth which probably should be called a general, but who was he to determine that? Those positions were his and the one on the meteor that was being mined.
His position was basically in charge of all of Draconis and the planets and other heavenly bodies they had under their control except for the meteor. While the planet was not heavily populated, there were several colonies that were partly because of heavy alien populations. They were often the workforce that carried out the farming, mining, or other work in those colonies.
Those places had military installations usually run by majors or captains depending on the size. Once he had looked at all the information and seen the huge number of troops he had command of and how spread out they were, it had hit him how daunting the job actually was. Not that he wouldn’t be able to handle it, but it would require reorganizing and his new colonels, one of which would be Niku, would be a huge help.
Romo would take Niku’s former position, Jarel would move up into Romo’s job even though he wasn’t an officer yet, because of his high recommendations and applicable experience. His mate Davy, because of her sharp mind and technical abilities, was now a sergeant. Dirk had gotten the promotion to lieutenant at the perfect time to move onto a vacated captain’s, but it would be off world. He was happy anyway. He could be back in just a few years and it might even be a promotion.
These changes weren’t because of the Earthers, not entirely. Part of it was because the emperor was adding a couple more planets to the empire. One was a mining planet and the other was a farming planet. Both colonies would draw in large numbers of outsiders and require close supervision and someone tough, thorough, but fair to be in charge.
Niku had immediately come to mind, but he was newly mated with young on the way so he’d scratched him off the list. Romo was in a similar situation as he was himself. That meant he would have to look at the files his assistant had pulled for him, to find suitable males for those two most important positions.
For now, it was time to go home for the day. He would begin the selection process first thing in the morning. He headed up to the roof where the guards all snapped a smart salute. Garulto was after all now head of the military. He nodded in acknowledgement and changed, hitting the air in his dragon form. His beast looked ferocious and was two colors, emerald green and copper.
His beast screamed as he drew closer to home. He missed his mate after having worked from home for so many days. This was the first full day away from her. The teenager he’d hired would keep an eye on her and see she didn’t overdo it. Santie was a good girl and his niece because his brother had married one of the humans form a nearby village and she had already been widowed with a small girl child.
Little Santie had been an adorable child and his family had taken to her as if she was their own. As far as he was concerned, she was theirs in every way that mattered. Dori might try to browbeat her, but Santie had a com and Garulto’s number. Since she hadn’t called, he assumed all was well.
Hitting the ground in front of his house, he changed to his human form and walked into the house. The smells of delicious foods hit his nose making his mouth water. Entering the house, he went straight to the kitchen where his mate was cooking. Garulto stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her feeling the slight bump in her tummy.
Dori leaned back against him. It felt good and right to stand there with his mate in his arms. His niece was working at the table cutting up vegetables. Had she not been present, he might have grabbed his mate and carried her to their bedroom.
“It’s nice to have you home, I missed you.” Dori said.
“I missed you too. More than even I expected.” Garulto swore.
“Do you need a snack?” Dori asked.
“Only if you have one with me.” Garulto still pushed her to eat whenever possible.
“I taught Santie to make coffee cake today. Why don’t we sit down and have a piece?”
They sat down at the table where Santie was working and the cake sat in the center of it. There was also a pitcher of milk. Dori often had that instead of her beloved coffee. She cut them each a pice and used the stack of plates nearby to put them on.
She poured each of them a glass of milk and she handed him a fork. He took a taste. “Mm, this is marvelous, but it doesn’t taste at all like coffee.” Garulto feared Dori would be upset, but she laughed.
“They call it coffee cake because it goes well with coffee. I would love a cup with this, but I will wait until the baby is here.”
Although dragons even the babies were tough, Dori chose to handle this pregnancy as she had the other four. That’s why she had only one cup of coffee and one cu
p of wine. It was unnecessary, but it was cute that she wanted to safeguard her tough dragonlet.
It was a real pleasure to sit here like this with his mate. His farm was doing well with all the fields planted except those used for the grazing animals they had. They got eggs, milk, and various types of vegetable and fruit produce. There were fuzzy lorries to shear twice a year and buzzers, or what Dori called bees, to provide them with honey.
Dori managed the farm and her worker program perfectly. It showcased her abilities perfectly. His mate was a force of nature. She managed to get the best out of everyone. Havos had started in her program as a rogue hoping to reform, but unsure that anything would work out for him. Now he had a home, a good fulltime job, and he was seeing a girl from one of the human villages.
Frex had moved up to being Havos’ assistant. He was living with Havos, but saving for a small home of his own. He too had a good solid job. The possibilities seemed endless for everyone right now as Draconis experienced a spurt of growth. Garulto had heard two of the original Earth females, that had separated from the males that had brought them here, had found true mates.
It seemed a good time to be alive. The rogues were pushed down. His main concern was Dannia, but she was where they could not reach her under the protection of someone on a neighboring planet. Currently, there were no wars and the king had been representing the emperor in peace talks with other planets. Farming was up and the fields planted seemed to be more productive. The meteor which was being mined was also up in production due to the extra workers that had come from other planets. It seemed everyone was drawn to Draconis lately.
Eventually all these new people would create some problems, but he would worry about that later. “Garulto?”
“Hm?”
“You do remember the family is coming over tonight, right?” Dori asked.
