by Celia Kyle
“Stop calling Ivoth stupid.” Elle pulled Charlie from her face. “And you know I’m not leaking or broken. Just… sad.” Her voice grew quiet. Soft. Broken. Hurt.
Ivoth pulled her close and tucked her against his body. Her curves fit him perfectly, as if she was made for him—and, as far as he was concerned, she was. No matter what happened, no matter how she changed, Elle was perfect for him.
“But you will be sad no longer, shaa kouva. We shall fix your Pol Mutation and create our own joy. I will even vow not to harm the quasti.”
If he killed Charlie quickly and painlessly, did that count as harm? Ivoth did not believe so.
Can-not hurt CharlemKle’phi-juewee, stoo-pid Mate F-am. Am strong. Fast. Charlie pulled free of Elle’s hold and raced across her shoulders. Too fast. He raced down her arm and swung from her fingers before flipping up her body. Mate F-am never cat—
His intent had been to grasp her top and climb her shirt once again. His intent. In truth, he missed Elle entirely and landed on the floor with a thud. His mate quickly gathered the quasti close, but instead of cooing and fussing over the animal, she chuckled.
“Did you say you were too fat? What has Ivoth been feeding you? You’re pudging out, and if you’re not careful, the twins will catch you.”
Charlie whipped his tail back and forth. Ne-ver. Much fast.
A low cough interrupted them, and they all turned to focus on Whelon—Whelon holding a small square of cloth to his neck where Ivoth had cut him. “If you are ready, we are prepared.”
What little bit of burgeoning happiness had formed fell away in that instant, his mate now fearful once more. She looked to him, worry filling her eyes.
“All will be well, shaa kouva.”
Charlie patted her cheek. CharlemKle’phi-juewee kill Stoo-pid Mate F-am if lies.
Elle chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Promising to kill my mate if he’s lying is supposed to make me feel better?”
Charlie made a rolling coo, one that he translated as “what do you expect from me?”
Ivoth expected more than a death threat.
“Elle?” Khaza called out to his mate. “It’s time.”
It was time.
He lifted Charlie from her hands and set him aside. He pulled Elle into a tight embrace and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. He did not trust himself to do any more. “It will be well. You will receive a hypo and sleep. When you wake, it will be done.” He pulled back slightly and stared down into her eyes—eyes that he wished to gaze at for eternity. “And you will be mine. Even if we do not share a bed immediately, know that you will be mine. Do you hear my words, shaa kouva?”
“Yes.” She nodded and straightened her spine, shoulders back and head held high. “I’m ready.”
Ivoth only hoped he was, as well. When they walked into the small room, Charlie at his back and massive ryaapir unit in front of him, he realized he was not. At all.
Perhaps they could delay—
A sharp bite to his ankle had him snapping his gaze down—to Charlie sitting beside Ivoth’s leg, carefully grooming a red-stained snout. “Charlie…”
Stoo-pid Mate F-am think stoo-pid. CharlemKle’phi-juewee fix.
He glared at the beast and wondered if Penelope had any quasti recipes in her data. He could not eat Charlie himself—or feed the animal to Elle—but perhaps War Master Taulan would enjoy…
Charlie bit him again. Stoo-pid Mate F-am still stoo-pid. Charlie’s tail twitched. Sad you make stoo-pid cha. Maybe CharlemKle’phi-juewee not even can make smart. Too stoo-pid.
Yes, he was sure Taulan would enjoy roasted quasti.
24
Elle still slept, and Ivoth decided he would kill Whelon, then Chashan. Or perhaps Chashan first. Yes, Chashan, because he was younger than Whelon and less skilled. Then he would end Whelon. And once Whelon suffered under his blade, the emperor’s warriors would end him for killing a male Emperor Haclu favored.
Yes, that was his path.
Heavy thuds on medical’s flooring announced the approach of another, and Ivoth tore his gaze from Elle to meet the newcomer’s gaze.
“War Master Taulan.” He greeted the male appropriately but did not rise. He would not put any distance between him and Elle no matter how little.
The War Master grunted and lowered to a seat on Elle’s other side. “She still sleeps.”
Ivoth returned the fierce male’s grunt. Her slumber was obvious to the dumbest of beasts. Taulan merely stated the obvious.
“Whelon and Chashan assure me she will wake.” Another statement of the obvious.
“So they say.” Ivoth still did not believe them. Not while Elle continued to remain unconscious.
“Grace joi Kozav’s dam was gravely ill when she received treatment. She is happily mated to Skala joi Coburn, previously sen Hweda.” Taulan repeated words the healing masters had given him. “She was on the verge of death, Ivoth. She is filled with life now.”
Yet Elle did not wake.
“I understand.” He flicked his attention to Taulan and then back to Elle once more. “But they should savor their breaths. If she does not wake healthy and whole, they will not continue living.”
Taulan huffed. “I understand why Lana states Preors are stubborn.” The male leaned forward, moving in Ivoth’s peripheral vision. “I cannot make you believe me, but I can demand your attention. Give it to me, Ivoth joi Elle Davenport.”
Ivoth lifted his gaze and glared at his superior warrior. The War Master could end him, but Ivoth would not go to the skies easily.
“We must speak of your mate’s Cole-Daven and healing of humans. It will require many changes for the Preor and humans. It cannot be done without deep thought and many discussions. The Preor wish to help, but we do not wish to bring harm to our warriors, our mates, and those who choose to work for Cole-Daven.”
Ivoth nodded. Taulan’s assumption that the project would go forward eased some of his concern. “That can be done.”
“Penelope requests to be involved.” Taulan’s voice took on an aggrieved tone. They ship grew more and more bothersome and… headstrong. Yes, he believed the human word was headstrong. And stubborn. And difficult. He’d been told that Penelope acted much like Liquid Knot. It was a truth he could easily accept.
Ivoth nodded and remained quiet, sensing that there was more to Taulan’s visit.
“There is one other concern plaguing my aerie.” At the mention of Taulan’s aerie, his family, Ivoth gave the male his full attention. He quirked a brow and waited for further explanation. “It is about the quasti.”
“I will not allow harm to come to the quasti.” Even if the beast often called Ivoth stoo-pid.
Taulan shook his head. “The quasti is quick to evade and hide. My Lana’s request—my request—is that the quasti keep distance between him and Lorra and Shanas. They wish to play with the beast—”
“They attempt to set him on fire,” Ivoth drawled.
“It is their method of play.” Taulan shrugged. “And when he escapes them, they cry. Loudly.”
“I cannot assist your dragonlets in catching and killing my mate’s quasti.” He shook his head. “It would make my mate sad, and I find…” He sighed. “I find it tears my heart to see her sad.”
Taulan grunted. “It destroys my ears to hear my dragonlets sad.”
“I believe the humans developed a device—earplugs—that can silence you to their cries.”
“You could strengthen yourself to withstand your mate’s sadness,” Taulan countered.
“I could,” Ivoth agreed. “But I will not.”
“Lana wishes me to order you to comply.” Taulan sighed. “I will not, but if she asks if I have done so…” The male raised his eyebrows in question.
“If she asks if you have done so, I will inform her that the War Master made his wishes clear.” It was not a lie, but it was not the truth, either.
“Good.” Taulan pushed to his feet. “May Syh bless you both and that your ma
te wakes before you have worried yourself into the grave.”
“Preor warriors do not worry. We do or we do not.” He repeated the words by rote, and the War Master snorted.
“When I experienced the birth of my dragonlets with Lana, I was worried I would not live to see my dragonlets age.” Taulan shook his head. “A Preor warrior is trained to act as a Preor. They are not trained to survive and mate with humans. Worry is a constant companion to the Preor mate of a human. Embrace it. Battle is futile.”
Ivoth did not have a response for the War Master and remained silent. Was the male correct? He was not sure, and Tualan departed before Ivoth could question him further.
And he was once more alone with Elle. The ryaapir unit’s constant scans revealed themselves as a hologram that hovered just above her body. It reported her condition and remained prepared to repair any damage it discovered.
So far, it had not found anything requiring attention.
So far, Elle had not awoken.
Ivoth bent forward and rested his forehead on the ryaapir unit, the top of his head pressed against Elle’s arm. Skin to skin, he sought her mind, sought the feelings and emotions he’d experienced since they’d first met.
“Shaa kouva,” he whispered. “Syh, listen to my words.” He focused his thoughts, concentrating on Syh and the role the skies played in his mate’s life. “Give her the strength of a thousand warriors. Give her the heart of a thousand more. Give her life. Give her to me.” He rasped the last four words and followed them with a single entreaty. “Please.”
The ryaapir unit remained silent, reporting no change to his mate. Choler had provided him with a human phrase—no news is good news. He supposed that if Elle’s status did not alter, it was better than discovering her health worsened.
Ivoth closed his eyes, seeking a small measure of rest while he waited. His body yearned for slumber, and even his dragon’s soul did not argue with his need. The remainder of his quintet lurked outside, on guard for any attack, while Ivoth remained distracted by his mate.
That knowledge allowed him to relax a little more, allowed him to be lulled by the rhythmic beeping of the ryaapir unit as it monitored Elle’s heartbeat. He drifted to sleep, embracing the pull of exhaustion, and released a soft sigh as he floated into slumber.
And yet… he wasn’t alone. His mind wandered, thoughts drifting like the wind, and he held out his arms, allowing them to slide through his fingertips. But it wasn’t merely his thoughts—dreams—that he touched. No, he came into contact with another.
With… Elle.
Shaa kouva? He whispered the endearment. In the dream? Or in life? He was not sure. When she answered him, he did not care.
Shaa kouvi. Her voice circled him, dancing around his body and stroking him with invisible hands. You came to me.
I come for you. Always. Dream or reality, he would make his demand regardless. You must return. I do not know why you remain but—
Those unseen fingers pressed to his lips. It’s glorious. How could I leave?
Death is glorious? You must wake, shaa kouva.
Death? Her confusion crept into him. Not death. Life. Everything.
Ethereal hands cupped his cheeks and urged him to turn his head. He did as dream-Elle demanded and moved his focus to a collection of clouds. Clouds that danced with the rapid flight of dozens—hundreds—of Preors. No, perhaps more. The sky stretched on and on, delving further into the… past?
Shaa kouva? What…
Come explore the Knowing with me. A tug on his hand had him floating forward. Come see it all.
Ivoth shook his head and pulled against Elle’s grip. The Knowing? The Knowing? He could not believe such a thing, and yet he saw the truth in Elle’s thoughts. Pieces of history filled her dreams, events that would only be known to females who experienced the Knowing.
Elle. Ivoth could not say more than her name. Why did his own mind not contain the information? Had he the knowledge, he would have…
He was not sure what he would have done, but it would have been done.
You must wake when you are well, Elle. I cannot embrace the Knowing if you are not at my side, awake and whole. This time, he tugged to lure her back to him. Wake and become my mate, Elle. Let us experience this together until we take our final flights. Open your eyes.
And then she did.
25
Elle came awake with a soft gasp and a low moan, her body arching and then shuddering as she settled back into the ryaapir unit. She forced her eyes open and was met with a view of medical’s sterile ceiling—an unending swath of white that had no seams or tiles. Nothing to count while her mind drifted to slumber.
Slumber.
Now she was awake.
Why?
Fingers squeezed hers, warm digits gently tightening, and she slowly turned her head to the right. Her gaze collided with Ivoth’s, his presence soothing to her still-puzzled mind. She hovered in the twilight between awake and asleep and gave him a gentle smile.
“Ivoth,” she whispered.
“Shaa kouva,” he returned.
“I’m…” She took stock of herself, exploring the dark corners of her mind. She tried to find anything new—different—inside her but couldn’t locate—
It slammed into her like a hovotruck, bowling her over with its strength and ferocity. It poured into her mind, painting her thoughts with the colors of the past, while she could do nothing but stare at… at her mate.
“The Knowing.” Two words she never thought she’d say—not to a Preor. “I feel…”
A smile teased Ivoth’s lips, corners curling up. “And I as well.”
“Which means we’re—”
“—mates.” He finished for her.
His emotions surged, filling her to near bursting with his feelings and desires. He wanted it all, heartache and pain, joy and laughter. He wanted to hoard her every thought and keep her to himself. They were mates, and she was his. The barbaric thought should have offended her, but instead it made her deliriously happy.
She was his mate and he was keeping her.
Forever.
Elle sighed, small smile in place, and let her head roll back and away from him. She stared at the ceiling once more, mind crowded with her thoughts, his, and the Knowing.
Voice no more than a whisper, “Ivoth.”
“Yes, shaa kouva?”
She called the words forward, mind flipping through the Preor genetic knowledge as if she’d been born with the information. It overwhelmed her with facts while at the same time it didn’t. It was almost like a living thing, capable of tempering its responses as needed.
“Aro la kaosado.” Yours for eternity. The closest she could come to “I’ll love you forever.” She slowly returned her attention to him, the words on the tip of her tongue now that she’d said them once. “Aro la kaosado.”
Ivoth’s breath came out with a sharp exhale, all air from his body escaping at once. “Shaa kouva, you should not say—”
“Charlie’s right. You’re stupid.” She grinned at him, simply relishing this moment and not worried about what would come next. Ivoth was hers. She was his. The Pol Mutation had to be healed because the Knowing had manifested. It wouldn’t have happened if the illness remained.
Ivoth huffed and frowned. “I am highly intelligent—more so with the Knowing.”
His words ended with joy alight in his eyes. Yes, they were both smarter with the Knowing filling them.
Elle reached for him, fingers tingling as she stroked his cheek, his temple, and then ran her fingers through his long hair. “As am I. So when I say aro la kaosado, you should know I understand your language with the Knowing and that I mean every word.” She sifted her fingers through his hair once more.
“I broke your love.” Gruff words, but there was hope in his eyes.
“And you’ll break it again someday.”
“I would never do—”
“Just like I’ll break yours.” She gave him a soft, sleepy
smile. “It’s the nature of relationships. As long as we always come back together, we can weather anything.” His hair was like silk through her fingers. “Ivoth. Mate. Shaa kouvi.” Elle couldn’t get enough of saying his name and their connection. She’d wanted this for so long, and now… she had it.
“Shaa kouva.” He turned his head and brushed a kiss across her palm. “You are mine.”
The possessiveness in his gaze, the pure dominance and claiming in his eyes, should have frightened her. He was like an animal, feral in his claim, and looked strong enough to defend his territory—her—if needed. That bottled aggression and violence didn’t scare her. It excited her. He made her tremble with desire and ache for him. Elle wanted Ivoth between her thighs, taking her, claiming her, and coating her in his scent. By the time they left the bed, everyone would know that Elle was Ivoth’s.
Her pussy clenched, the thought of his thick cock sliding in and out of her heat making her tremble with need. Her clit twitched, silently begging to be touched, stroked, licked, and flicked. His mouth. God, she wanted his mouth on her pussy. She was desperate to have him explore her most intimate place, taste every inch of her before he took her completely.
And… and she wanted it all now.
“Ivoth, I need…”
His eyes flashed red, the dragon peeking out for a moment before reverting to green. “I need, as well.” Smoke escaped his nose, heat gathering and warming the air around them. “More than I need air, I need you.”
The pure craving in his stare had her nipples pebbling and forming hard pointed nubs. Would he stroke and caress her there? Take her into his mouth and suckle her breasts like…
Elle trembled once more, her desire growing with every beat of her heart. She’d hoped and prayed they’d be mates, but reality… Reality was so much more than dreams.
“Take me—”
“Yessss…” The dragon answered her request before she could finish.
Unfortunately, that answer was countered by another.
“No.” Deep. Masculine. Annoying.
Elle huffed and fought to push her arousal away. She had to have an intelligent conversation. “Hello, Healing Master Whelon.”
