by Celia Kyle
The whole building shook, vibrations making what was left of the structure tremble and sway. She’d been sitting in the middle of the living room, coloring and quietly playing. She’d learned to always be quiet when they traveled to the scary places.
They seemed to always go to scary places.
“My mother grabbed me, yanked me from the ground and ran while everything fell apart around us. The roof caved in. The floors cracked. More than one wall crumbled beneath the surging waves of the attack.” Carla closed her eyes, remembering those next few moments—those seconds that seemed like days.
“The ground dropped out from under us,” she whispered the words, hating what came next. “I don’t even know how far we fell. Dad never said and no one there that day ever told me, but I remember the weightlessness.”
Weightlessness before the jarring thud against hard-packed concrete and dirt.
“I watched her die, Rendan.” She focused on her mate, vision blurred by the unending tears. “She protected me while we fell, so I wouldn’t hit the ground first. And then she told me everything would be okay. Not to cry. Not to worry. Daddy would come and…”
Carla curled forward, the old pain rising up and snatching the very breath from her lungs. It hurt—these memories, her past. No, it didn’t hurt. It was agony. Remembering her mother’s blue eyes go vacant, the way her skin cooled, and how her fingers grew stiff.
“And she loved me. God, she loved me and he killed her, Rendan. His pride, his love for the military, his fucking dedication to his country… I stayed there in her arms until they found me. My dead mother kept me safe until my father was done playing soldiers.”
“Shaa soma,” Rendan stroked her back, held her close and simply cradled her with comfort, not passion.
“She was pregnant,” she whispered those three words. Three words that still devastated her. “I was going to have a baby brother—Calix. I remember when he stopped squirming inside her. When he stopped poking and prodding her belly. When he died, too.”
“Shaa kouva.” The endearment resonated inside her, ringing true in her heart and stroking her soul with those few syllables.
She found she couldn’t help but respond in kind. “Shaa kouvi.” Her beloved, no matter the difficulties they still faced. “Do you understand now? Why I hate the military? What’s going to happen to me when you leave? Do you want me to go with you? How many dragonlets do I have to lose before you give up on war?”
Carla would lose none since Rendan would never give her offspring. Ever. She would never again see the ravages of war. Not while he lived. He could not stand to see the tears escaping her eyes, the liquid flowing down her cheeks. They were proof of her sadness, the devastation that still lingered from her past.
He glanced at the meal spread before them, the remnants littering the table, and decided the mess could be dealt with at another time. At that moment, his mate needed him more than the dishes needed washing.
Rendan tightened his grip on his mate and rose from his seat in a single, flowing movement. His wings curled around his shoulders, shielding Carla without thought. His instinctive need to protect his mate from all threats—emotional or physical—showing themselves with the movement.
He turned toward Carla’s bedroom, the large space a mere twenty feet from the dining area, and slowly moved toward the room. He’d read much about human emotions and reactions since the Knowing was not, unfortunately, all knowing when it came to humans.
Human females found “crawling beneath the covers” and “hibernating” to be comforting actions. There was also mention of chocolate infused food and something called ays-krim. It was some sort of frozen dessert made from the milk of an Earth cow.
Rendan did not see the appeal and his dragon’s mind was more interested in consuming the Earth cow, not its milk. But he did not have to understand in order to care for his mate. He simply had to do.
He eased through the open doorway, careful not to hit his mate’s feet or head on the jamb. The moment he stepped in, the scents in the room surrounded him, wrapping him even tighter in his mate’s natural flavors. Sweet. Spicy. Hot. Cool.
Hurt.
That was the aroma he detested above all others. The scent of her hurt stung his nose, squeezed his throat and tightened around his lungs. It stole the very breath from his body and went so deep as to injure his soul.
If it’d been a physical hurt, he could have withstood that discomfort, but this was something he couldn’t correct with a ryaapir unit.
Carla trembled in his arms, small body shaking, and a hoarse sob tore from her mouth. Tears flowed over his skin, soaking his chest and uniform bands. That merely had him tightening his hold, grounding her in the present while the past continued to push against her heart. He ached for what she endured, but he was in her life. He would ensure she was never hurt in such a way again.
Rendan padded to the large bed and lowered his body to the edge, still clutching his mate tightly.
“Hush, shaa kouva,” he murmured against her temple.
The endearment rolled off his tongue, quickly and easily replacing shaa soma. She’d responded to his verbal claiming mere moments ago with her own shaa kouvi and he would not allow their relationship to go back to where it was.
“I am here. You are well. Do not mourn so.” Carla turned in his arms, her hands gripping his shoulders, small nails digging into his skin. He tightened his embrace. He’d seen such reactions to death in the past, seen how the heart masters comforted those Preors. He would ground her with his touch and voice. “Your dam and Calix were welcomed by the skies long ago.” He pressed his palms to her back, stroking her gently. “Now we live for them, shaa kouva. Your dam wished it to be so and now you shall.”
He would teach her to live. He would teach her that after loss, there is only the future to embrace.
“I’m—“ she hiccupped and sniffled. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…” she shook her head and pushed as if to leave his embrace, but he would not let her go. “I didn’t mean to…”
“Stay right here, shaa kouva. Don’t move.” He could not help that the words sounded like an order instead of a request. He would apologize later. Perhaps.
“Rendan…” she sighed and slumped into him, the tension leaving her shoulders.
“I have you. We have each other. We mourn for those we have lost and live the life granted us by the skies.” Hadn’t he heard those words over and over again mere centuries ago? When others came to him with their whispered messages and respectful gifts.
His mate lifted her head, red-rimmed eyes meeting his. “It’s been so long.” She shook her head. “I didn’t realize I was still so…”
He did not believe he had ever seen such a beautiful sight in all his turnings. Even with her puffy face and with tears glistening on her lashes, his mate was beautiful. Not because of her body, but because of her heart. His mate loved—deeply—and he only hoped she would feel the same for him someday.
“A hole in your heart is not filled simply because time has passed.” He brushed several strands of hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. “It takes time and patience for your soul to recover from such a loss.”
And sometimes the soul is broken forever. Sometimes that broken soul kills.
He stroked her cheek, her damp skin a testament to the emotional agony that still tumbled inside her. “Every time your soul calls out for comfort, I shall be there, shaa kouva. You are mine now and I will not let you go. I will not let you suffer when I can help you. I will not let you cry anywhere but on my shoulder.”
The white of her eyes was now stained red, her body rejecting the tears that formed, and contrasted against the bright blue of her irises. Her golden hair created a soft halo around her face, the strands rumpled from his tender attention.
She appeared so delicate, so breakable in that moment, and he vowed to never let anything happen to her. He understood the other mated males now. Understood why they snarled at any who upset their
female and tripped over their wings to grant her every wish.
“You don’t want me crying all over—“ She pushed away again as if to leave him, but he would not relent.
“I do. I want your tears and your smiles. I want your heart. You will give it all to me, Carla joi Rendan Butler. I will see to it.”
He wondered if perhaps he behaved like a kave-man. He also wondered how to apologize even though he was not sorry.
“Really?” The corner of Carla’s lips tipped up, curling into a small smile and he released the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
“Really.” He jerked his head in a brisk nod, punctuating his statement.
This was no time for lies. He would give her enough of those in the coming risings… and turnings. She slumped in his hold, giving him more of her weight, her curves caressing him and reminding him of his body’s need. With her tears gone, his cock twitched back to life, anxious for Carla’s wet heat.
He would apologize, but he did not feel sorry for his dick’s response to his mate’s nearness. The timing, however…
She slid her hands down his arms, along his biceps and then up his forearms before stopping when her palms overlaid his hands. Her fingers were soft and delicate, much like her body, and he wondered what such a perfect creature thought of his battle-scarred form.
Carla curled her fingers around his hands and lifted one from her cheek, turning her head as she did so. Blue eyes on his, she gently placed a kiss in the center of his palm, a tender caress that was over almost as soon as it’d begun. Then she turned and did the same to the other, moist lips glancing over his callused skin.
“Thank you,” she whispered the two words against his palm, warm breath bathing him in her scent.
“Why? I have done nothing but what any worthy male would do for his mate. It is my joy to—“
She shook her head, denying his words, and he realized he should have merely accepted her thanks with silence. “For listening. For holding me while I cried.” Another tear escaped and he swore he would never ask the question why again. “For just… existing.” Her grin turned rueful. “Though I should thank your parents for that one, huh?”
Rendan’s old pain did not resurface, his time with the heart masters lessening the agony until it was hardly a memory. That part of his life was nothing more than an impression, a remnant of emotional agony that simply taught him a lesson but no longer controlled his life.
“I have no sire or dam, shaa kouva. They went to the skies long ago.”
A tear escaped, sliding down her cheek, splashing onto his arm. “I’m sorry.”
“No reason to be sorry. It happened in the distant past. I mourn them but that pain no longer haunts me.” He leaned forward, unable to stop what happened next. He brushed a kiss across her forehead and then the bridge of her nose. Then the very tip before going farther south and caressing her mouth with his. “I have no room for pain in my soul now that you’ve overwhelmed me so completely.”
He repeated the motion, desire for his mate surging and forcing him into motion while his mind cautioned that now was not the time.
Rendan’s dragon’s heart dismissed his mind as well. Both parts of him wanted to touch and taste Carla, explore their mate until she no longer cried over her family and, instead, cried over the pleasure he gave her.
He was sure he had read that pleasure was a form of comfort… somewhere.
Their lips met again, the touch sensuous and gentle, a careful meeting that hinted at passion. Hinted, but didn’t overwhelm. He did not want to take what his mate did not offer even if his wred was harder than a katoth’s horn. His pulse thudded out a rapid rhythm, his desire for his mate’s supple body growing with each passing second.
A small shift of her hips reminded him of the plumpness of her ass, the way she fit perfectly against his body and the feel of her hardened nipples pressed into his chest. The air conditioner whirred to life and with the rush of air came a hint of her arousal. The musky, sweet scent teased his senses and that was when his cock hardened fully within his pants. He wanted her—his delicious mate—beneath him.
But not until he spoke with medical. That reminder put a damper on some of his desire, bringing his errant needs under control. Slightly.
Then Carla lapped at his lips, tongue seeking entrance, and he realized the coming hours would be a true test of his warrior’s strength. Any male could do battle, but could any male resist the temptation his mate presented.
He opened for her, remaining passive and following in her path. He did not want to push, but he craved her like no other. It was best if she directed their passion… for now.
Yet, just because she led, that did not mean he had to always follow.
He fisted her hair, tilting her head to the desired position, and then explored her tempting mouth. He lapped and tasted, suckled her tongue and nipped her lower lip. He stroked her, hands roaming, while he explored her clothed body. Beneath the fabric, hidden by the awkward human coverings, was a body he ached to worship.
Carla whimpered and moaned, pushing against him and increasing the pressure between their bodies. She countered each tempting lick and delicious flick, her hips adopting the same desire-inducing pace. He let his hands slide down her spine and rest on the top curve of her ass like once before.
Before, when he’d nearly lost his head and taken her in the middle of a public passageway. When he’d nearly claimed his mate for all to see.
When he’d nearly…
Rendan ripped his mouth from hers, unable to stop his racing thoughts and fighting to remain in control of his errant body. When his mate attempted to lean into him once more, he grasped her shoulders, holding her steady. Everything inside him rebelled at his actions. His body pulsed with the need to claim his female.
But he resisted. Barely.
“Shaa kouva,” he rasped, arousal and need filling his tone. “Wait. I will not be one of those males humans call dogs with horns.”
That, at least, got his mate to cease. The next time those blue eyes met his, they were no longer filled with sadness, but with laughter.
At him.
Carla couldn’t help it. A giggle escaped, body shaking with the laugh, and she shook her head. “Dog with horns?”
Rendan frowned. “I read of horn dogs. I will not be accused of being such a male. Not when…”
She sifted her fingers through his hair, the silken strands flowing over her digits. She fisted them, need making her rougher than normal. She couldn’t help it. Between their closeness and his obvious arousal, she found her body responding. She transitioned from the sadness of her mother’s death to the need to reaffirm life.
She captured his lips this time, delving into his mouth, savoring each snippet of his flavors. The spice taste teased her taste buds and the heat from his dragon warmed her from inside out. Her pussy clenched, aching for his touch, his cock. She wanted to be possessed by him and to possess him in return.
They were two halves of a whole—a genetic match that couldn’t be denied. Not when the Knowing flowed between them. The Knowing and ability to speak into his mind.
Once more his hands roamed her body, the thin fabric of her scrubs doing little to blunt his touch. Strong fingers massaged and kneaded her flesh, finding those places that made her moan and groan.
Yet she needed more. So much more. And the Knowing told her exactly how to get what she desired.
Carla released his hair and caressed his neck, fingers teasing his warming skin. She teased the straps of his uniform—one designating his position as offense master and the other listing his honors.
Without stopping, she changed position, moving to straddle his thighs. He gave her a half-hearted protest, but she wouldn’t be denied. And when his cock was nestled against her pussy, he stopped his protests all together.
She slipped her fingers beneath the katoth. Stroking the skin normally hidden by the thick straps.
“Rendan,” she whispered his name. “Let me.
”
Let her recite the warrior’s prayer. Let her remove the proof of his status with the honor it deserved.
“Shaa…”
She leaned forward and kissed the hollow of his throat, beginning there before moving on to tease his neck. “Let me.”
He swallowed hard, Adam’s apple bobbing, but remained silent. Was that permission? No, not yet. But when he tilted his neck to the side, giving her access to his bindings, she reached for the clasp. Warrior’s prayer on her lips.
“Surzu ryu kouvai hia loaona.”
Serve the kouvai with devotion.
One latch released, the katoth loosening.
“Surzu ryu syh hia hanas.”
Serve the skies with honor.
The second buckle snapped open, the matching strap falling free.
“Surzu ryu Preor hia shavar.”
Serve the Preor with strength.
Carla pulled them free of his body, the katoth soft against her palms, and let the straps fall to the ground. She’d said the prayer, blessing her male, and now she’d enjoy what’d been unveiled.
She ran her hands over his bare chest, fingers learning the sharp planes of his abdomen and pecs, studying every inch she could reach. His cock remained hot and hard against her center, teasing her with its unmoving presence. She wanted to roll her hips, torment him like he tormented her, but she resisted. Barely.
She wasn’t ready for her exploration to end.
She stretched her arms, wrapping them around his shoulders and reaching as far as she could. She wasn’t searching for more skin to caress. No, she was searching for his wings.
Before he realized what she was up to, she pressed their mouths together once more, instigating another kiss that served to stoke her arousal even further. Her fingers danced over the smooth skin on his back, continuing south until the landscape of his flesh changed. It went from silk to dry, slick flesh—his scales. Specifically, his wing base.
