by Maia Starr
Boom!
The doors caught on the wind and slammed against the wall. Suddenly, Mordikye was standing in front of me in dragon form.
"Mordikye? What are you doing here?!"
"No time to answer questions Adriana," he said as he picked me up in his arms and flew into the sky. I squirmed, "No! Put me down! What are you doing?! Ahhh!"
"Be quiet," he said as he put a hand over my mouth with his other arm around my waist. I did not know what was going on and I was frightened. Minutes later I was in the Beti and he was shouting orders. Lieutenant Rix strapped me into a seat. The engine roared to life and the Beti shot forward into space. I could not believe what was happening. Just when I was about to have happiness with Terik, it was suddenly taken away. This criminal had snatched me out of the night, and now I was floating into space. Did anyone even know I was gone? What if Terik thought I left with Mordikye on purpose? Shit. What if he didn’t find out I was missing until I was far away, never to be found? I was thinking these thoughts when suddenly the Beti was bumped hard. It was another ship.
That is how I found myself in the middle of a firefight between the ship Beti, commanded by Captain Mordikye, and a smaller speed ship that Terik was in as he tried to hunt down the captain and reclaim me. Now, the Beti was behind Terik’s ship, and Captain Mordikye yelled fire!
I grabbed onto the joystick that controlled the ship and with all my weight pulled it to the right. The entire ship quickly went diagonal and everyone went flying. The fire lasers that left the ship did not hit the ship in front of it. I had succeeded. Red lights alarmed everywhere!
"It's the engine! It's shutting down," Lieutenant Rix shouted. "They must have installed a disabler. They might have known we were going to steal the ship!"
"Shit!" Captain Mordikye shouted. Then he looked at me and growled "Were you with him? Were you with Terik? What did you do with him? You are mine!"
"No I am not! You do not own me! Let me go. Give it up! The ship is going nowhere. You have been caught," I said to him. He grinned a menacing grin and said, "Good, let me be caught. I want to see Terik face-to-face so that I can kill him."
"No!" I shouted.
"Take her away! Lock her up until I come get her. Prepare to be boarded by the enemy, fire at will!"
I kicked and screamed as they were taking me away. I could feel the ship being reeled in by a beam, tracking us in. I knew that any moment Terik and his guards would be boarding the ship and there would be an all out fight. Captain Mordikye was set to kill him.
Suddenly I heard the sound of blasters and battle. I was frightened. I was never going to see Terik again. It was all too much to handle. I had to get out of this locked room but it was no use, I was stuck. Then it became eerily quiet. Tears began to flow down my face, as I knew exactly what it meant.
The door opened. I was shocked by what I saw. There standing in the doorway, bloody from battle, was Terik. I ran into his arms.
"I thought I was never going to see you again, Terik!"
He placed kisses on my head. "I thought the same thing. I couldn't handle it. My heart couldn't handle i,t Adriana," he said, as he picked me up and carried me out of the Beti and into his ship. He gave orders for his guards to return both ships to Sala. The fight was over.
"I thought Mordikye was going to kill you. He said he was going to try to kill you."
"He tried. He failed. I killed him. It is a great loss. There was much information that I needed to get from him, but he gave me no choice. It was either him or I, and I had a wife waiting for me. So I had to do what I had to do," he said to me.
I kissed him hard and passionately. Moments before I had thought I would never kiss these lips again, so now I was going to cherish every sensation I was feeling. I would not take this for granted. He was the one; he was my number one, my first choice husband.
Chapter 11
LAND SENTINEL TERIK VUNA
It had been a week since Mordikye had stolen Adriana from Sala, and from me. We were back on Mooreah and dealing with the aftermath. I had come closer to solving the cargo mystery and found out it was an element called plutonium. But I did not know who Mordikye had received it from on Earth, or whom he sold it to. It was going to take some intergalactic investigations. There was much work to be done. But one thing was certain, I was going to marry Adriana Adams and because of this I could not be happier. We were in our living quarters just south of the castle on a Mooreah.
"I am very happy, Adriana," I said as I gave her a kiss that morning.
"So am I, Terik. I will be happier once we are wed and I am officially yours," she said to me. I liked hearing those words from her mouth. After almost losing her to Mordikye, I had learned to appreciate her more and more. She was too good to be true. Not only was she a beauty and set my passions on fire, but we had the same interest in the land.
"Sentinel! Sorry to bother your morning. It is an emergency!" Luqan burst into the living quarters. It was unlike her to be so brash and I knew that something very important must be happening, very dangerous.
"Luqan! What is it?!" I said running to her side.
"Scouts spotted a cargo ship over the Duton ravine. They are not Drackon cargo ships. We are unable to identify where they are from. But it is clear that they are taking large chunks of flagion into their cargo hold. The ravine is being plundered!"
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Adrianna sit down quickly as though the wind had been knocked out of her. I knew she loved that place and that must hurt her to know it was being destroyed. My anger was at a high-level because that place was special to me as well, especially after what she and I had done there.
I ran to the panel on the wall and opened a communication line to the military base and shouted, "This is Land Sentinel Vuna! I need a battalion of fifteen ships with as many warriors that can be spared sent to the Duton ravine! It is being plundered by an unknown race. Take hostile action is needed. Go now!"
"Yes sir, right away! Launching now!" The base master shouted back.
"Luqan! Get my ship ready!" I shouted at her.
"Yes!" She shouted as she ran out of my living quarters. I quickly dressed pulling on my boots while Adriana grabbed my arm. There was an enormous amount of fear in her eyes.
"Terik! They are there to steal large amounts of flagion!" She shouted.
"How do you know?" I asked her.
"Because I am the one that told them where to find it," she said as she began to cry. "I am so sorry, Terik. I didn't think they would come. When I told them my circumstances were different. Everything was different. I'm so sorry. I was excited about the discovery. The power that the flagion holds on Earth is unimaginable. I am a geologist and I was sent to find it here and promised that I would be able to study it on my return to Earth. But then everything changed, I met you and I fell in love with you. You must forgive me."
"How could you? You are not the woman I thought you were! You are a criminal! You are just as bad as Mordikye! Who are you? You have fooled me!"
"No, it is not like that, Terik. Please, you must believe me. I beg you to hear me out. The way it happened is not the way you think. I did not use you and manipulate you. I know it looks that way but…"
I cut her off. I was pissed. I was outraged. But most of all, I was hurt and my heart was broken. She had used me and I fell for it. I even put my life at risk for her, and she was playing me all along. But I had no time to deal with this when I had to stop the theft from happening. "Get out of my way. I have work to do," I said as I pushed her away. She fell to her knees and cried.
"Guards! Guard this woman and do not let her out of your sight until I return!" I shouted to the guards outside my living quarters as I left. It was unbelievable. How could I have been so blind? Now, looking back, it was obvious. She was so interested in taking samples when she could. It was a classic maneuver of a plundering scheme, but because it came wrapped in a beauty that captivated me, I did not see it. If it had been a male asking me to show him the
se areas and take samples I would've seen right through it, as scouting for a bigger robbery. But I was blinded by her scent. "Shit!" I shouted at myself. How could I have been so stupid?
When I arrived at the ravine the cargo ship was lowered to the ravine floor and the Drackon warriors had the crew at gunpoint.
"Who are you? Who sent to you?" I asked as I approached. I was boiling over with anger and I needed to take it out on someone.
No one answered my questions. I punched the first human male right across the face.
"Tell me who you are? Why are you here?" I shouted again.
"Sentinel! The navigation reads coordinates for Earth. It seems to be an earthship but it is crewed by outlaws from Riolb." A warrior said as he came out of the plundering cargo ship.
"I should have known. Take them all prisoner. Examine the cargo hold for how much damage they have done to the ravine. Report back to me," I said angrily. I was furious. How could she do this to me? How could she do this to my planet?
It was unforgivable. The wedding was off. She would be a prisoner.
Chapter 12
DR. ADRIANA ADAMS
I stood there in chains in front of King Jarith Rykor and Queen Marissa. I did not protest my guilt, but I hoped for mercy and understanding.
"What do you have to say for yourself Dr. Adams?" The king said.
"I apologize. I was wrong. The circumstances are not what you think. I wish to plead my case in private to Queen Marissa, if she will hear it."
Everyone was silent and shocked by what I said. It was an unusual request but I knew it was the only way.
"Your request is granted," Queen Marissa said. She stood up and motioned for me to follow her into a private chamber.
"Tell me what happened," she said.
So I began to tell her how it all started. I told her about the dig in Montana and about Richard and Xander Black, who was now in custody of the Drackon. I told her about how the mission to search for the flagion was one I thought meant everything to my career. But when I met Terik, I truly fell in love with him. But by that time it was too late, because I had already given the information about the location of the flagion to Richard since I thought I was being sent back to Earth. I told her every single detail. She listened. At the end of it she finally said, "You remind me of myself from many years ago."
"I do?" I said surprised by her response.
"Yes, I was in a similar situation. I did it for my career as well. But I was fortunate enough to have the heart of the King, who forgave me. He trusted me and believed me. Of course, he didn't until after he cooled off. The Drackon temper is a notorious one and it takes time. I believe you, Adriana. I shall plead to my husband to pardon you. But I cannot force Sentinel Vuna to forgive you. That is altogether a personal matter and it is possible that you will be banished back to Earth." Queen Marissa said.
I broke into tears, "I do love him, Queen Marissa. I love him with all my heart. I never thought I could love someone so greatly. But there is more to it. You see we did not wait to be wed before coupling, and I am… I am…"
"You are pregnant with his offspring?" She said to me lifting her eyebrow.
"Yes, I am. He does not know it. I do not know what to do. He will not want the offspring anyway. He hates me.”
"I do not think he hates you. You must tell him about the babe. Whatever happens after that, at least you know that he knows the truth. You would not want him to find out later and for him to think you are withholding information from him when he already does not trust you," Queen Marissa said to me. It was a wise statement and something I did not think of before.
"You must tell him now," she said as she walked towards the door. "I will summon him in here."
She left the room and I began to panic. Terik had not spoken a word to me since the day that he saw me as a traitor when the ravine was almost plundered. I was nervous. What if I said the wrong thing again?
"The Queen is forcing me to be in here with you but I do not have to speak with you,” He said as he walked in. There was fire and anger in his eyes.
"I am pregnant," I said to him quickly. It was like ripping off a Band-Aid, you just had to do it very fast.
He was shocked. I thought I saw a smile come across his face but then it quickly vanished as he said, "How do I know it is not Mordikye’s? You are a deceitful human female. How do I know you did not couple with Mordikye and that it is his offspring you carry?"
"I know you do not trust me. On Earth there are tests to prove paternity. I assume there is the same here. A test to prove that the offspring is yours."
He was silent for a long time and then said, "Yes, there is a test. But that does not change what you did. I do not understand why you did it."
"I don’t expect you to understand because you haven’t let me explain. If you would just listen… I spoke to Queen Marissa and gave her the entire story, and she believes me, and is going to ask the king to pardon me. If your queen believes me, maybe you can too."
He looked at me and took a deep breath and then sat down and said, "I'm listening."
So I began to tell him the same story I told Queen Marissa, starting with the Montana dig. I told him everything. He listened to the entire thing. After I was done I looked at him. He seemed very sad and confused. I walked over to him, and dropped to my knees in front of the chair. I grabbed his hands in mine and said, "Please, Terik ,give me another chance--if not for me, than for our offspring. Do not let him suffer for my mistakes. It is unfair. He will need you. He cannot be raised on Earth without his own Drackon, without his father. Can you not forgive me? Do you not love me?"
"I do love you. That is why you hurt me so much. Your betrayal is beyond anything I have ever experienced."
"I know. I will try to make it up to you and regain your trust with everything that I can do, but what about now? What is to be done with me?"
"I guess if the queen forgives you and believes you, so can I. You are my everything Adriana, from the moment I saw your photo. I knew. I do believe you. Perhaps if I were sent to another planet, I too would become obsessed with a land resource of that planet and be blinded by its beauty and power as well. I do share that obsession of elements with you. I may have done the same thing."
"So you forgive me?"
"I forgive you, if you will forgive me for being so cold and for arresting you? It was not what I should've done. Will you still consider being my human female wife?"
"Yes, without a doubt. I will be your wife and give birth to our son."
He pulled me onto his lap and curled his body around mine. I felt sheltered. I felt safe. He moved his lips over mine and kissed me deeply. I felt sweet relief wash over me. I did not deserve his forgiveness for what I had done, but this love we shared was greater than both of us. We could not be parted.
Months later I was the wife of the Drackon Land Sentinel Terik Vuna. I had been given a full pardon by the King and Queen and accepted back into their company. The Queen had finally told me her story, and I understood why she was so helpful to me. But the greatest joy of all was the birth of our Drackon high-bred son, Vikka Vuna. He was a tricolored Drackon weredragon and he brought Terik and I closer together. I never thought that my geologist life would lead me to being a geologist on another alien planet, with an alien weredragon for a husband, and a son that I adored. It was an overwhelming adventure that felt like it had only just begun. There was much more to come in this new chapter of my alien life. I was ready for it.
THE END
Drin: Drackon Mates
(Drackon Mates)
By Maia Starr
Chapter 1
DR. FELICITY MALTRA
I was on the flight deck of the ship when the distress call was received.
"Captain Jones, we are receiving a distress signal. It is coming from a Drackonian ship!" the communications master shouted.
"Let's hear it!” the captain shouted back. We all stepped closer as the signal was played back to us. It was a se
ries of beeps and it was unlike any Earthling distress call.
"Are you sure that is Drackonian?" Captain Jones asked.
"Yes, this series of sounds matches with the Drackon."
"How far away?” the captain asked.
"Three clicks away."
Everyone was silent as the captain processed this information. Though we all knew what had to happen; it was the law.
