Captain of the Guard (Winged Beasts Series Book 1)

by Crystal Dawn

  A picture of the solar system Draconis was in came on screen. He explained locations to them including distance to Earth, time for the trip between the two planets, and a little about each planet near Draconis.

  “We’re going to the other end of the galaxy?” Tomi asked.

  “No, you’re going to the next galaxy,” Garulto said.

  “How did you find our world?” Dori asked.

  “We explore and trade all over our galaxy. One reason we never needed to leave our own galaxy was that everything we needed could be found there. Our kind have few females. Our scientists feel that it’s because our DNA is dominant and generally male. The females we mate give few traits if any in our children. They say this traces back to when our dragon and human halves were joined. Truly, we can’t say for certain, but we mated with females one solar system over. Their planet met with a catastrophe and they left to go far away where we were not welcome to follow,” Garulto explained.

  “So you are saying you can turn into a dragon?” Tomi snorted.

  “They can, Tomi. Now that Romo and I have mated, I can do it as well,” Bree explained.

  “He’s brain washed you. I thought you were in love, but this is something far darker,” Tomi accused.

  “We would show you but the dragons are large, even mine. You’ll have to wait until we get on the planet,” Bree insisted.

  “How very convenient,” Tomi sneered.

  “It would be more convenient to change so you could freak out and get it over with,” Bree declared.

  “Please, do you really think we believe you?” Tomi asked. “None of us are that crazy yet.”

  “Are you in outer space?” Bree asked.

  “Duh, I can see that,” Tomi said.

  “What if the windows had been covered? Would it have been hard to believe?” Bree asked.

  “Yes, I concede that point but we can travel to outer space. It’s not an everyday event, but it’s achievable. Turning into a dragon is the stuff of fiction. Nothing short of seeing would have me believing it,” Tomi insisted.

  “Let’s just deal with the space travel for now,” Dori said injecting the voice of reason.

  “Seems like all that’s been covered. You’ll all have access to any background information that interests you. By the time we land, I hope you understand our mating rituals, what type of houses we live in, the jobs we do, the foods we eat, and the climate and geography of Draconis,” Garulto explained.

  “I know I’ll be interested in learning more about it,” Dori observed.

  “If you have any questions, just let me know,” Garulto offered looking at Dori with a smile.

  “I think I’ll be the only one without inside information,” Tomi snapped.

  Bree wondered what was wrong with her. Yes, they’d been misled, a little, but Tomi was acting out of character and over the top. Something else must be wrong because she’d never seen Tomi behave this way before. She was acting like a shrew.

  “Why don’t we find a room for everyone?”Romo suggested.

  “Good idea,” Garulto conceded. “I’ll help Dori.” He offered her his arm and led her away.

  “Betty, would you and Selia follow me?” Niku asked. Betty nodded and grabbed Selia’s hand. They followed Niku out the door.

  “Looks like you two are stuck with me,” Tomi declared.

  “Why don’t you come with us?” Romo asked.

  “Indeed. Why don’t I?” she said throwing up her hands.

  Romo led the way out and Bree followed him. She looked back and saw Tomi was trailing behind them. “This is actually a medium sized passenger ship. We have both larger and smaller ships. There are three residential or passenger room halls. We’ll find you a room in the hall Bree and I will be staying in.” He opened a door and sighed when it turned out to be empty. “This looks like a good room if it’s okay with you?” He turned to look at Tomi.

  “Sure, it looks fine. It’s about the size of an average hotel room,” she observed.

  “There are communal rooms on the ship. There’s a kitchen/dining room that is in one open area. The library is near us, it has computer stations for accessing books. We also have a nice lounge with comfortable chairs and games to play. If you like to work out there’s an exercise room too.”

  “I usually run but I can’t see myself doing that here,” Tomi said.

  “We’ll see you around lunch time?” Bree made it a question.

  “Just come by and get me,” Tomi said looking suddenly tired.

  “Okay,” Romo agreed as he grabbed Bree’s hand and dragged her out of the room. He took her down the hall to a slightly larger room. Maybe this one was meant for a couple. “I suppose things could have gone worse,” he said as the door closed with a click.

  “Tomi took things hard,” Bree observed as she watched Romo stripping out of his clothes.

  “It’s a lot to take in so we can’t blame her. Why are you still dressed?”

  “I’m too busy watching you reveal that gorgeous body of yours to do anything else.”

  “Hmm, gorgeous, huh? I like that you see me that way.” He leaned in and kissed her gently. “Now get rid of all that unnecessary clothes!”

  He jumped on the bed and watched her through eyes full of desire. She began to playfully take off her clothes. The effect she had on him was obvious and gratifying. Moving slowly and sensually, she teased him with each item of clothes and she moved around and tossed the items once they were removed.

  “That’s so fucking hot, Baby,” Romo said in awe.

  She slinked closer and cupped her now freed breast to him like an offering and he crooked his finger at her. It was clear he was more than ready for her. Sliding her hips around, she slid out of her underwear before she joined her mate on their bed. They faced each other and he slid his hand along her leg and moved it up over his hip opening her up to him. He positioned himself and speared into her frantically like a man driven out of control by need. As he fully seated himself she moaned at the feeling of being completely filled.

  “Oh, Romo,” she whimpered as she arched toward him pulling him in just a bit more.

  “Aw, yesss,” he groaned and his hips began to rock in and out.

  They kissed desperately as the friction grew and they headed toward that indescribable pleasure they only found in each other’s arms. She keened out her pleasure pushing him over the edge where he joined her. As the aftershocks rolled over them and they jerked against each other, he stroked her hair and thought about how he could never again live without her. Possessiveness held him and love flowed over them. He could ask for nothing more than what he held in his arms at that perfect moment. It was what he wished for all the males of his kind and now he had hope that they might find it on Earth.

  Sleep claimed them and neither of them remembered to set an alarm so it was a ceaseless pounding on the door that woke them. Bree woke to a loud noise that pulled her from the most peaceful slumber. Her rest had been much better since she’d met Romo, he seemed to soothe her like nothing else could. It was that whole two sides of a coin or two parts of a whole. She had found a completeness with him she’d never felt or even imagined could exist.

  Jumping out of bed, she pulled on a robe and went to answer the door. She expected Tomi to be there all annoyed like she’d been earlier but it was Garulto. “I was hoping to speak to Romo for a moment,” he explained.

  “We thought it was Tomi,” Bree said.

  “How was she when you dropped her off at her room?” he asked.

  “A little calmer and pretty tired,” she admitted. Romo came up behind her pulling her against his chest.

  He kissed her neck and suggested she take a shower. She nodded and hurried to comply suspecting they wouldn’t speak until she gave them privacy. Once she came out of the bathroom, clean and fully awake, Romo lay relaxed on the bed naked and gorgeous. It struck her as amazing that she had drawn in this beautiful man.

  “I imagine you want to know what that was
about?” he asked.

  “If you can tell me,” she agreed.

  “We are going to make two stops to pick up additional passengers and some cargo. The plan is to have what I believe you would call a layover but only for a day at each stop. I thought you might want to do a little sightseeing, maybe some shopping while we are on those planets. Perhaps Tomi and the others would care to join us?”

  The way he thought about her family made her happy. Tomi was the problem right now and maybe seeing an alien world and even shopping would calm her. Bree felt safe anywhere if Romo was with her and she was sure the other males would accompany them too.

  “Oh, Romo,” she said melting into his side now that he had stood up, all magnificent, muscular six and a half feet of nearly perfect male. Who was she kidding? If there was an imperfection physically or otherwise, she hadn’t found it. It made her examine his belief that they’d been made for each other. He was like a Christmas present you received that you hadn’t asked for but the more you looked at it, the more you knew you hadn’t asked because you never believed something so wonderful existed.

  “We can’t right now, Bree. I need to shower and dress because it’s supper time. Starving Tomi won’t help our cause,” he chuckled. Bree supposed he was right since her family members tended to have large appetites. Being late would only piss her off more.

  Minutes later they stood at Tomi’s door waiting for her to open it. Maybe he saw she was nervous but she felt better when he grabbed her hand and squeezed it. He didn’t let go and then Tomi opened her door. She looked like hell.

  “Hi guys. Is it time for supper already?” Tomi asked.

  “Yes, just come with us and we will meet up with the others,” Romo mentioned.

  “Are you alright?” Bree asked.

  “Just a little out of sorts. I’ve never been out in space or even suspected I would be. I wasn’t prepared for it,” she admitted.

  “It’s alright, Sis. We’ll get through this together,” Bree assured. They all headed down the hallway toward an area that Bree and Tomi hadn’t yet been. It was the kitchen/dining area.

  The room seemed huge and it had a long oblong table in the middle of the open area. The kitchen portion was along two walls in an L-shape. The equipment looked like boxes of different shapes and Bree assumed that the large ones were a refrigerator and a freezer. The smaller ones reminded her of microwave ovens. There was another one that could be a dishwasher. It was like welcome to the future only it was an alien world instead of her own.

  The combination of high tech and no tech that the Draconis used was unbelievable especially when compared side by side. Everything was clean and streamlined, no space was wasted or overstuffed. It was beautiful from one end to the other from what had been seen so far and Bree couldn’t wait to see more.

  Everyone took their place and an unknown male, he looked like a teen, served them the meal she assumed he had prepared. “So, I’m assuming everyone knows about our first stop tomorrow. I hope you will allow us to escort you around the marketplace and some of the tourist destinations. Since this is an unplanned stop, each of you will get a small allowance to allow you to make some purchases. Please rely on the knowledge of your guide to aid you with purchases. The system used in most of these places is bargaining. Prices are fluid based on what the seller is willing to take and the buyer willing to give. They take credits, which is what we will give you, but bartering is also in effect,” Garulto explained.

  Romo looked very happy. “Why is this so good?” Bree whispered.

  “It’s like getting a bonus at work. We will be able to buy things for our home or the child on the king’s money instead of ours,” he explained.

  “You’ll get an allowance too?” Bree asked.

  “Everyone on the ship will get one. These must be some important detours,” he added.

  It was obvious that even the males were excited and Selia was excited just because everyone else seemed so happy. “Does everyone include Selia?” Bree asked because children weren’t always included at home.

  “Of course. She can buy some toys, jewelry, or clothing. It will be fun for her and for the rest of us,” Romo insisted. “We will need to be up and around early and although we will have some funds, I suggest we have breakfast on board and lunch at the market.”

  “I’m sure you know best. Does that mean we’re going to actually sleep when we go to bed?” Bree wondered.

  Romo turned a heated look on her. “I wouldn’t count on it,” he replied with a grin.

  They finished supper and everyone, especially Tomi seemed to be in a better mood. Funny what the thought of shopping with someone else’s money could do for a person. They made their way into the recreation room but the room was made for adults. Luckily Selia had a few toys packed and they held her interest for a while. The rec room was comfortable and had adult games. A table was set up to play some kind of card game that no matter how often Romo tried to explain it, was still a mystery to her.

  There was another game where little triangles slid over a shiny surface and there were different nests you tried to slide you triangles into for points. It made her think of air hockey but more complicated. There was a small bar area set up with a huge variety of drinks that Romo informed her were from all over the galaxy and even a few from Earth had already been added. There was beer, wine, brandy, and whiskey. For now she decided drinking more than a glass of wine or a mug of beer was unwise due to her condition. She was limiting caffeine too which was slightly more painful for her. Romo had said his kind found few things unhealthy even when they were in the womb, but she wanted a healer to check things out anyway.

  This baby was the most important thing in the world right now because it was helpless and fully dependent on her and Romo for the care he or she needed. Everyone seemed relaxed and Tomi was back to her usual bouncy self. She was trying to play the triangle hockey style game against Garulto who was obviously well versed in it. Bree wouldn’t be surprised if he was a champion at the game.

  Romo was shooting her intense looks that made her want to end the conversation even though it was informative and head back to their rooms. Niku was filling the rest of them in about the stop they were making in the morning.

  “Trendis is slightly larger than your planet and has four moons of various sizes, all populated. It is hotter than you are used to and we will each carry a cooling device as an emergency measure. Trendies are humanoid, bipedal, and breathe oxygen. They are intelligent, sharp deal makers, and they will also not volunteer any information on the merchandise. If it matters to you, ask.”

  “They are called Trendies? That’s so cute,” Betty said.

  “I advise you not to refer to them or anything they do as cute. They are very sensitive, in part because when they first were contacted, they were treated as children because as you say they are so cute. The tall ones are four feet but they are broad. They are also covered with fur in various colors. I’m afraid you might compare them with teddy bears,” Niku explained. “However they are shrewd and tough negotiators. If you see them as benign, you will be taken advantage of. It didn’t take them long to find benefits in their cuddly appearance.”

  “So are they dangerous physically or just mentally?” Bree asked.

  “I would not anger one. Their teeth can extend to the point they can rip most races apart. One exception is a dragon but only in its pure form,” Niku informed.

  “Sounds like a movie where the creatures were fuzzy and lovable but changed to vicious man eaters,” Bree compared.

  “Just be cautious, stay with your guide, and everything will be fine. We should all retire now since we need to be up early. Since everyone is going, the ship alarm will sound for those that wish to partake of breakfast. Once it sounds, you have thirty minutes to make it to the dining area,” Niku explained.

  “Who is my guide?” Tomi asked.

  “A male will be meeting us at the marketplace. He has the honor of being your guide since he is here a
lone,” Niku said.

  Bree got the feeling there was more to tell but they weren’t going to get the whole story. Garulto came and offered her mom a hand. She took it without a second thought. Bree wanted her mom to have another chance at happiness, really she did, but it seemed odd to see her with a man. Niku did the same for Betty and offered his other hand to Selia who also took it. That male was making amazing progress with two females who tended to be suspicious of men, for good reason.

  Now that they had been informed of the dangers of the next stop, everyone started to drift away in the direction of their rooms. Tomi was right in front of them headed to hers. Bree hoped the guy assigned to guide her would be likable and interesting because so far Tomi had found the least to like about the trip and the males of the new world they were headed to. Bree wasn’t naïve, things were developing between Niku and Betty. She was sure it would be slow, not faster than greased lightning like her and Romo’s relationship. There was something there between her mom and Garulto too. Was it more than friendship? Hard to say but he had taken a shine to her far above the friendly feelings he expressed toward the rest of them, including Tomi.

  Bree knew that Romo had explained that the mating connection was simply there or not. Bree suspected that Garulto would have been drawn to any of them to a point but he was overcome with the attraction to their mom. It was just speculation but she would watch to see how things worked out with any other matings she could ask about. To deny it fascinated her, would be to lie. It was just amazing the way she and Romo had been drawn together. The ties she felt to him, the emotions that swirled through her that she thought were his in addition to her own, it was amazing.

  None of the Draconis seemed to study or understand what or how the mating urge effected them. It made sense to her to understand the thing that determined your future happiness. Someday it would be her and Romo’s children trying to work things out and what if they were confused and wanted advice? She felt like it was her responsibility to say more than ask the goddess.