by ML Guida
Disobeying Taog was one thing, but spurning the king meant certain death. Anonghos reluctantly held out his hand. “I’ll not fall in love with her.”
Yethi slowly raised her eyebrow. “Are you so sure, Security Officer?”
“Yes. Love is fleeting.” He towered over the Fate, not caring if she struck him down.
“You don’t like women?”
“No, I enjoy women.”
“You just don’t trust them.”
He refused to turn away from her perceptive gaze, but clamped his jaw tight. He’d no intention of reliving his sad, pathetic childhood to her.
“You will find, Security Officer, that without trusting your mate, the Mistonian will slip through your fingers.”
“You’re wrong.”
“I will be there when those words come back to haunt you.” She covered his hand with hers, nestling the Mating Stone between them. “And you discover true love.”
He snorted. “Then you’re going to be waiting a long, long time, Fate.”
Warmth and tingles raced up Anonghos’ arm, shutting off another retort. A vision formed in his mind of a blonde woman with a curvy body. She had a holster with gun over one shoulder, and she had a smirk that teased at his heart. She entered what looked like a dark alley way. A man twice her size jumped out of the shadows and put his hand over her mouth. In a split second, she flipped him over her shoulder. He landed hard on his back. She grabbed his wrist and rolled him onto his gut. She sat on his buttocks and grabbed his wrists. Before the man knew what was happening, she had clasped on handcuffs––very impressive.
He shook his head. No, he wouldn’t let her get under his skin. He clutched the stone tight in his hand, forcing himself not to throw it across the room, but instead slipped the dreaded purple stone in his pocket. He refused to be weak like his father, and allow a woman to break his pride. He’d mate, but leave her flat.
Yethi gave him a knowing look that he’d fall under his mate’s spell and never let her go. He gritted his teeth. She was sadly mistaken.
“Your majesty.” The captain bowed slightly. “Do we have your leave?”
“Yes.” Greum nodded.
“Be careful, Captain. All of you.” Cosima looked at each of them. “This Mistonian is cunning. I fear it possesses hidden powers. I can’t see them. He’s very clever.”
Greum motioned. “Damon, come forth.”
“Yes, your majesty,” a tall blond man answered. He was Anonghos’s best friend, and the queen’s personal guard. He quickly escorted his red-headed mate, Hera, to the altar to stand next to the queen.
Greum slowly released Cosima’s arm. “Damon will protect you while I guard the entrance.”
When he walked away, Cosima gasped and swayed. He turned around, but Hera immediately clasped her arm. “I’ve got her.” She shooed her other hand. “Go guard the entrance.”
The captain led all of them outside to the landing. “We need to split up and find this thing, but be careful, it wants to possess one of us. We’ll go in pairs so if one’s attacked, the other can destroy it. Set your eruptors to kill. I don’t want this thing on board my ship.”
As they quickly divided into pairs, Greum transformed into a black dragon, forcing them to back away. His body covered the stairs, and he wrapped his tail around himself. His enormous wings sprung out to almost the length of the building. No one could possibly enter the doorway into the citadel. He was the deadliest of all them. Even a Mistonian would have difficulty defeating Greum. His fire could turn the gaseous cloud to water.
But according to Cosima, this thing had no intention of going after the king.
Anonghos was glad to be out of the citadel and ready to do his job again. Unfortunately, he was paired with Daidhl, the Orion’s navigator. He was an excellent navigator, but a poor fighter. He didn’t possess the cunning or the strength of the other Bravians and Dominan dragons, but then again, he was a smaller dragon and of the Inquistains, which were more scientists and explorers rather than warriors. He wasn’t sure what he could do up against a Mistonian bent on destroying all of their would-be mates.
“Transform,” the captain ordered.
They quickly changed into their dragon forms. Daidhl was a skinny red dragon, that like his human form, always looked under–fed. Similar to Greum, Anonghos was a black dragon, but he had a green streak from his head down to his tail. He’d always been proud of it, since the streak used to make him stand out and attract women. He was twice as big as Daidhl, but right now, they were partners.
Without a moment’s hesitation, they flew into the air and headed toward the space port where the Orion was docked and under repairs. Clouds rippled around them and the glisten of moisture clung to Anonghos’s body, but he didn’t detect anything out of the ordinary. A Mistonian would have tried to suck the energy out of him.
He and Daidhl landed near the station, then transformed back into human form. Usually men would have been working, but all the men had been called to the Citadel to learn if they were the next ones to be chosen for a mate. Out of all of the Zalarains still alive, why did the blasted Mating Stone choose him?
Never mind. He had a job to do.
Daidhl took out his transrecorder. “I’m not getting any usually readings.”
“It’s a Mistonian, Daidhl. It has the ability to change its form and hide from our scanners. Come on, we need to investigate the Orion and make sure it’s not lurking in there.”
Daidhl stuffed the transrecorder back into his belt. “I’m well-aware of the Mistonian’s abilities, Anonghos. I was merely reporting my findings.”
The Orion’s hatch door was open and the stairs down, so the workers and mechanics could work on repairs. Anonghos slipped in front of Daidhl, not trusting that the Inquistain would fire if the bastard attacked. Inquistains always wanted to study first, then fire. Since this Mistonian possessed other abilities, he suspected Daidhl wouldn’t want to kill it right away, since Daidhl was a bleeding-heart over any newly discovered species.
Not the smartest thing to do––some of them would want to eat him for a tasty snack.
Cosmia said this thing had hidden powers. The Mistonian must be very powerful if the queen couldn’t detect its abilities.
He glanced over his shoulder. “Stay close.”
Daidhl glared. “I’m not helpless, Anonghos.”
Anonghos turned away. He’d obviously pricked the little dragon’s pride. The captain should have had him stay behind with Damon and protect the women and the other Zalarians.
They slowly made their way onto the ship. The walls and the floor nearly sparkled. The captain would be pleased.
He sniffed, but couldn’t detect anything except disinfectant, which was powerful enough to kill any bacteria and wipe away grim and rust. Something the Inquistains invented, he grudgingly admitted.
They walked down the hallway and headed toward the medical wing. Something dinged in sickbay, as if the Orion were trying to warn them there was an intruder on board.
Tryker, the surgeon on board the ship, had a medical board that would have gone off instantly if an alien or Zalarian walked by it. Hs senses were on alert. Someone was in sickbay when it should be deserted.
“Do you smell something sour?” Daidhl wrinkled his nose.
“Shhh.” But Daidhl was right. He detected a foul odor.
They slowly made their way toward sickbay, neither of them making a sound. The door slid open to a spotless medical room with neatly made beds, clean counters, and supplies put neatly in containers, but no gaseous cloud.
Anonghos entered first which was probably a mistake. He should have had Daidhl enter, because the Mistonian attacked.
A struggled moan made him whirl around. Rather than white, a purple mist poured down Daidhl’s mouth. His body shook uncontrollably. The sickbay’s door slammed instantly shut. It all happened so fast that Anonghos hadn’t had time to fire.
“Daidhl!” Anonghos slammed his fist on the door, but it wouldn
’t open. He instantly transformed into a dragon and used his full strength to open the door.
Daidhl held his eruptor. “Good-bye, Anonghos.”
His voice was edger, bolder, cockier. His once golden eyes were now an eerie purple.
Anonghos swung his tail, but Daidhl fired. Freezing cold engulfed Anonghos, chilling his breath, crystallizing his scales, and congealing his blood. Bitter frostbite seized him. If he hadn’t been a dragon, he’d be dead, but he wasn’t out of the woods yet. The freeze ray was working its way to his already slowing heart.
Daidhl smiled. “Just to let you know, Zalarian, your precious Orion is disabled along with the other ships. I’ll soon be on Earth, and the first mate I plan to kill is yours. I’ll leave you with an image on what I plan to do.”
He blew a puff of smoke into Anonghos’s face. An image formed in his mind. A woman had her throat slit and her body cut open, her guts draped over her side. He couldn’t see her face, but she had blond hair like the woman that the Fate had shown him earlier. Anger and horror and frost flooded through Anonghos. He struggled in vain to escape the freeze ray, which continued to consume his body.
Laughing, Daidhl saluted him, then fled.
Anonghos drew on every ounce of energy, trying to bring up the fire inside him. How the blazes did this bastard know who the mates were? It had to be one of his hidden powers.
Anonghos concentrated on breathing, fueling the fire inside him. His blood stirred. Frost melted off his scales, and water pooled onto the floor. He managed to move his tail, then his wings. The remaining ice crashed around him. He wouldn’t be able to fly, his wings were still too brittle.
He transformed back into a humanoid form and shivered uncontrollably. His telicator beeped. He pulled it out of his belt with stiff fingers.
“Anonghos, this is the captain. There’s a ship, leaving Zalara. What’s happening? I’ve been trying to reach you.”
“Captain, it’s Daidhl. He’s possessed. Froze me, nearly killing me. He’s disabled the Orion. I’m not sure about the Excalibur.”
“Wait for us. We’re only five minutes away.”
“He’s getting away.”
“That’s an order,” the captain growled.
At least fifty men were hunting for Daidhl, but they’d never get here before he escaped. For the second time, Anonghos disobeyed an order and limped toward the docking bay of the Excalibur. Luckily, the bastard had forgotten about it, or most likely hadn’t time to sabotage the ship.
He opened the Excalibur doors with his stiff fingers and managed to navigate it out of the Orion. Yethi had said it was his fate to solve this. Anonghos’s mate was the one in danger. He might not want to fall in love with her, but she didn’t deserve to die a horrible death.
As soon as he cleared the Orion’s dock, he scanned for Daidhl’s ship.
The communication computer signaled. He sighed. The captain wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“Anonghos,” he mumbled.
“I gave you an order.”
“I know. I’ll contact you when I reach Earth.”
Before he could answer, Anonghos cut off communication. He tracked Daidhl’s course to Earth and recognized the coordinates as being the same one Damon had used to retrieve his mate.
In less than four hours, Daidhl landed in a field, but hadn’t come outside yet. As far as Anonghos could tell, they were outside the city limits. There were no trees or house, only grassy weeds. Anonghos landed close by.
The door to Daidhl’s ship opened, and he stepped outside.
Anonghos quickly turned on the cloaking device that hid the Excalibur and rushed outside to face Daidhl.
“Hello, Anonghos.” He flashed him a smile and his purple eyes glowed. “Did you have a nice trip?”
Anonghos aimed his eruptor. “Don’t make me shoot. You need to return to Zalara.”
Daidhl laughed. “I don’t think so. The Kamtrinians are paying me handsomely for each kill.”
“The Kamtrinians aren’t known for their trustfulness.”
“That’s what you’d like me to believe, Zalaran. Catch me if you can.”
Before Anonghos could fire, Daidhl vanished. Anonghos turned around in a circle.
“Daidhl, where are you?”
A fist plowed into Anonghos’s chin and sent him flying onto his back.
“Your mates will die horribly. Good-bye, Security Officer.”
Footsteps ran away from Anonghos. He aimed his eruptor, but there was no one there. He sniffed and inhaled a sour smell, but it was fleeting.
He whipped out his telicator. “Captain, do you read me?”
“Taog, here. What’s wrong?”
“I just discovered one of the Mistonian’s abilities.”
“Which is?”
“He can turn Daidhl invisible. I think he also smells like sour blilk.”
“Be careful, Anonghos. He could kill you at any time.”
“He could have, Captain, but he didn’t. I think he has something worse planned.”
“The Orion won’t be repaired for at least a week. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to assist you.”
His voice was grim as if he thought Anonghos wasn’t going to survive.
“I know. I’ll watch my back.”
“You better. Cosima said the Mistonian had hidden powers. Invisibility might not be the only one.”
Anonghos’s stomach tightened, and he scanned his surroundings looking for anything moving on its own.
“I’ll report to you soon.”
He shut off his telicator. The hairs on the back of his neck stood straight up as a sinking feeling settled in his stomach: that might be the last time he spoke to the captain.
Also by ML Guida
Touch of Madness
Touch of Curiosity
20 Shades of Shifter
A Pirate’s Curse
A Pirate’s Revenge
A Pirate’s Agony
A Pirate’s Obsession
A Pirate’s Bane
A Pirate’s Darkness
A Knight’s Terror
Dark Promise
Betrayal
Copyright © 2018 by ML Guida
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
