Ineq (Dragons Of Kelon) (A Sci Fi Alien Weredragon Romance)

by Maia Starr

  “No, it is basically the communal areas of the village but underground. There is plenty of space; you will see.”

  We then went through the archway, and there was a massive spiral staircase on the other side just like the ones that were inside the massive trees that would let me get to the cottages in the trees. We took the stairs down what seemed to be four flights. Then at the bottom of the stairs, there was a long hallway. The hallway then grew into a very large cavernous dome room; it was like an airplane hangar, just as she had said. There were rows of bunk beds all along the massive room.

  “This way to the supply area,” Lisa said. I followed her toward the back of the large room. We handed our baskets off to several Draqua that were working that area. There were large tables and shelves that were filled with supplies.

  “I will show you around,” Lisa said. On the other side of the dome from the supply area were long tables. “This is where we have our meals. It will be done in groups. It is very orderly, and there's always enough food for everyone. Over here in this area is just a general area for sitting and socializing,” she said, pointing to a very large area with lots of benches and pillows on rugs. It was like camping. “In the very back is where you will find washrooms. That is about it. Whenever you want to sleep, we will find empty beds for us. For now, would you like to sit in the communal area?”

  “Yes, that sounds good,” I said.

  We sat down. We were quiet for a minute as I looked around at everyone pouring into the bunker and taking beds or places to sit. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits and not panicked. I knew that we were only here as a precaution and there was no invasion so far, only the threat. But the warriors were being sent to squash it before it could ever leave Tiok. I hoped that the captain and the commander could find Camilla and that she was safe. I also hope they all returned safely; I needed the captain now more than ever.

  “So, Captain Shun is the father of your child?” Lisa cut through my thoughts.

  “What?”

  “The captain?” she said.

  “Oh, yes,” I smiled.

  “I am very happy for you both. He will make a great father and husband, no doubt.”

  “Yes, if he returns.”

  “Don't think like that. He will return to you; you must have hope. Even though mine did not.”

  “What? What do you mean?”

  “My husband, Krillion, was in a great battle that took place here on the island. I was down here in the bunker waiting for him, but when the battle was over, I found out that he did not make it.”

  “Oh my God, Lisa. I am so sorry.”

  “Thank you; I think of him every day.”

  “You were married to him? Did you have offspring?”

  “No, we had only been married four months, and we knew there was a threat from the opposition, so we were going to wait until the threat was over and cleared. It seemed a good idea at the time. I did not want to be pregnant and have to run for the bunker,” she said.

  “Yes, I understand that. If I were further along, this would be very difficult,” I said, putting my hand on my belly.

  “Will you remarry?”

  “Yes, I will, eventually. There is a grace period mandated by the king. If you are a widow, you can take as much time as you want before anyone can court you again. It is really up to me.”

  “I understand,” I said.

  “But my point is not to worry about the captain. Worrying won't make a difference, and it is not good for the offspring. Know that he is coming back to you and that is all there is to it.”

  “Yes, you are right.”

  I sat there suddenly feeling very tired. Having to worry about so many things was exhausting. I didn't know if the captain would return, and if he did, would he have Camilla with him? I would have to tell her everything; I would have to be honest with her. Then I would have to deal with her hating me. It was fine if she returned and hated me. I would just be glad that she had returned to me. I did not want her with Aeriwanas any longer than was necessary; it had already been too long. I hoped that she was strong enough to deal with whatever they were doing to her.

  “I think I am going to go lay down. I did not get much sleep at all last night. And being with child has made me very sleepy all the time,” I said.

  “Come, I will show you how to tell if a bunk has been cleaned or not,” Lisa said. I followed her to the maze of beds and found one in the corner. I laid down and instantly fell asleep. I hoped that when I woke up, all of this would be over.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CAPTAIN INEQ SHUN

  We arrived on Tiok and passed over the village of Pacu. It was in chaos.

  “Looks like the Aeriwanas are being drawn out of the village,” the commander said.

  “Yes, that is a good thing. Set the coordinates for the outer banks, our building target,” I ordered.

  “Coordinates set,” he said. “We have to find her. I won't give up until I find her,” he said to himself. I understood. I would do the exact same thing if it were Alexandra out there.

  “There it is,” the commander said a few minutes later as the isolated small post came into view. There were about five buildings; we were going for the tallest one. That was where we thought Camilla was being held.

  “Land this ship behind that outcrop of rocks over there. We are going to go on our own wings. We have to be stealthy. We do not know how many Aeriwanas are there. Hopefully, they have already been called to the village for the battle.”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  We set the ship down behind an outcrop of rocks to hide it. Then we shifted into Dragon form and flew low along the land toward the building, going around the back. We flew straight up the wall and landed on the roof. We could get a better view from there.

  “The village Aeriwanas are under attack! Commander Harkin wants us all to report there immediately!” an Aeriwana shouted as he ran out of the building. I looked at Roan. We nodded in acknowledgment. This was good for us.

  We waited low on the roof as we watched twenty or so Aeriwanas run out of various buildings and get into small land speeders. One by one, they each took off across the land.

  “You stay and guard the human. The commander wants to use her as bait in the invasion on Kelon. Do not let her out of your sight,” the Aeriwana said to another.

  “Yes, sir!” the Aeriwana responded, and then we watched him walk into the tall building. That was confirmation enough that the building was where Camilla was, and she was still alive.

  “Thank the ocean, she is still alive,” Roan whispered to himself.

  “Yes, good news. As soon as the last land-speeder takes off over there, we shall go in. We will take out the Aeriwana quickly. Do not give him time to use mind powers on us. We are going to have to shoot him on first sight and surprise him from behind if possible.”

  “Got it.”

  We waited, and then the last land-speeder took off. I nodded at the commander, and we flew down the back of the building and entered. We listened for any sound. Fortunately, Camilla was very loud.

  “What is going on out there? I demand to know!”

  I looked at the commander and smiled. He sighed in relief. We followed her voice. It was the perfect distraction too. When we walked into the room where she was being held, the Aeriwana was facing her. The commander did not take any time. He aimed and shot. The Aeriwana fell to the floor.

  “V! You are here! You are really here!” Camilla began to cry. She was being held behind bars.

  “I am here!” The commander ran to her and grabbed her hand. I looked for the keys to the cage. I found them on the wall.

  “Keys!” I shouted. I opened the cage and Camilla ran out. She jumped up onto the commander and wrapped her legs around him. They shared a very deep and happy kiss. I was facing the door, waiting for any more Aeriwanas to come in.

  “Someone would have heard that shot. If there are any more here, there are coming. We have to get back to the ship now,�
� I said. “The window.”

  There was a very large window, and I broke it open. Then I flew out and made sure it was clear. “All clear! Let's go!” The commander came out of the building with Camilla in his arms. We flew back toward the ship. We were lucky. The diversion of the battle was just what we needed.

  “I gave up all hope. I didn't think anyone would come for me,” Camilla said as the commander set her down inside the ship.

  “I have been trying to come for you since that day. It is complicated, and the king had to grant us permission. I apologize a thousand times that it took so long.”

  “Where is Alexandra?” Camilla asked. I looked at the commander, and he looked at me. We both knew what we were thinking. But I would let them tell Camilla what they had done. This was not up to me.

  “She is safe. She is on our home planet,” the commander said.

  “And that is where you will take Camilla. I want you to fly to Pacu where you will leave me. Then you will return directly to Kelon to get Camilla out of here. She has been through enough already.”

  “But, Captain. You want to just fly out on your own in the middle of a battle?”

  “I will be fine. Do as I say; that is an order. Let's launch.”

  “Yes sir,” he said. He kissed Camilla and then moved into action.

  We flew directly toward the battle. When we arrived, there was a full-scale battle on the outskirts of the village, just as we had planned. We had drawn all of the Aeriwanas out of the village to fight. The air battle was being fought between ships; on the ground, there were Aeriwanas fighting our warriors. Our warriors flew in the air as well as ran along the sand. It was chaos everywhere.

  “There, that ship over there. Take me to that one. As soon as I jump out of the ship, take off directly back home; is that understood?”

  “That ship? Captain, that is the biggest ship in the Aeriwana fleet.”

  “Yes, it is where Commander Harkin will be. He is the head of the snake, and I have to cut off the head of the snake. Don't worry about me. Just do as I say,” I said.

  “Yes, Captain,” he said. This new relationship between the commander and I was different. It was cold. We used to be buddies and talked to each other with sarcasm and wit. Now it was dry and just following orders. But it was all that I could deal with at the moment. All of the things that happened between him and Alexandra were still too fresh in my mind.

  “Open the door!” I shouted as we came near the large ship. The door opened, and I flew out. It closed behind me. I was dodging bullets as I flew straight toward the ship. I landed on top of it. It was time to go to work. I knew that if I did not defeat the Aeriwana here and now, that they would always be a threat to my child, and I was not having that.

  This motivation was something new to me. I never had a human and a child to think of before. I always went on missions because it was my responsibility. I always went on missions because I was a restless warrior. I needed the danger. I craved it. It was something that I needed to calm this fierce dragon inside of me.

  But this was different. This had an entirely different meaning than any other mission before. The future of my human and my offspring were at stake. It was up to me. Their lives were in my hands. If I did not defeat this now, then the conflict would continue for years. My son would be fighting the same battles that I fought, and my fighting would have been for nothing. No, I did not want that for him. I wanted him to be a skilled warrior, but I did not want him to have to fight the opposition. I wanted him to fight our real enemies, not the enemies born of our own race. I flew harder and faster as I thought about this. I would not let anything distract me from accomplishing this mission.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  ALEXANDRA

  We had been in the emergency bunker for about thirty-three hours or so. I had slept, I had ate, and I had made sure that I stayed hydrated. But I could not stop worrying; it was constant. Knowing that Lisa had lost her husband in battle did not help. My heart went out to her, but it also made me realize just how real the danger was.

  Then I noticed there was some commotion in the bunker at the bottom of the stairs. I stood up with everyone else, trying to see what was going on. Then, I saw her. It was my best friend.

  “Camilla!” I ran to her. I hugged her tightly. She cried as she hugged me back.

  “Oh, Alexandra. It is so good to see you!”

  “I am so happy to see you. I am so sorry for what happened. Come! Come get some food and water and rest,” I said, taking her to the tables where I gave her food and water. She looked tired, but she did not look injured; that was a good thing. It did not seem like they tortured her, but I would not know. I was giving her the time and space to speak to me. I knew that eventually I would have to tell her my secret.

  “Are you all right? What happened to you?” I asked as I hugged her again.

  “After we were in the market. They took me. They took me out of the market to a building far away, in the desert. Then they locked me up in a room. That is all. I don't know why they had me or what they wanted me for. They left me alone except to feed me and bring me water. It was very strange. I am so glad I'm out of there.”

  “So, they did not touch you?”

  “No, in fact from the bits of conversation I picked up, they hate humans. They despise us. They don't want the humans and Draqua to be mating. I was very glad for that.”

  I sighed. “Me too. I am glad they did not hurt you. But being kept prisoner is a difficult thing to deal with mentally.”

  “Yes, especially after being abducted by aliens only two days before,” she said with a smile. I hugged her again.

  “I am so happy you are here. I have so much to tell you,” I said, not wanting to tell her just yet.

  “Whatever it is, it can wait a while. This craziness that's going on. I just really wish I could take a bath and get a change of clothes,” she said, looking at herself. She was still in the club dress that we wore in Mexico with the cloak over her that we wore in the market to disguise ourselves.

  “Well, we can take care of that, all except a bath. But you will be able to once we are released from this place,” I said to her. “Come with me to the washroom, and I will get you some new clothes.”

  “Oh good,” she said following me. “What is this place? Is this the way they live?”

  “No, this is an emergency bunker. They thought the Aeriwanas might invade; that is why they went to invade them first. We are down here just as a precaution. The way they live is absolutely beautiful on the island. They live in tree houses high up in the trees that are linked together by bridges. There's a village with communal eating and fishing and beautiful beaches that look like Tahiti.”

  “That sounds like paradise, like a vacation,” she said.

  “It is, and there are bathtubs with hot water,” I said making my eyes wide.

  “Oh thank God,” she said.

  We walked into the washroom in the back so that she could wash up. I went to supplies and grabbed a fresh pair of under clothing in blue, the tube top and loincloth. Then I chose a yellow sheer dress to go over it. I grabbed ribbons for her hair and a shell comb. I rejoined her in the washroom with the items.

  “Here, so you can brush your hair and braid it if you want to get it out of the way. Here is some clothing; it looks exactly like what I am wearing,” I said, looking down body.

  “Yes, that is very beachy. I guess the beach vacation isn't over, is it?” She laughed. I helped her with her hair and the clothing. Then we went to sit in a communal area.

  “How did you get here? What happened? Did you see Ineq?” I asked.

  “Yes, he and V were the ones that rescued me. I was so happy to see them both. You cannot imagine what I felt at that moment. Then the captain insisted we take him to a battle that was going on. It was the last I saw of him. Then the commander brought me here to this underground place. Then he left. He insisted on going back and helping with the fight even though I begged him not to. So I
am here now.”

  “Oh my God. The captain is insane. I hope that he is well,” I said worried.

  “What? What has changed? You were very adamant about not giving him any room to become your mate. Did you? Is he your mate now?”

  “He is,” I said smiling.

  “Oh, you bad girl, Alexandra! It’s the best, isn’t it?” she whispered to me.

  “Yes,” I whispered back. I knew that I had to tell her now. If I did not, she would be mad at me for keeping it from her for so long, on top of being mad at me for doing it.

  “Camilla, there is something that I have to tell you. I am not proud of it. I am so sorry. I hope that you will forgive me,” I said.