by Celia Kyle
She heaved in a few deep breaths of salty sweet air. Her head cleared. She could hear the other two women arguing with the Preor and someone named Penelope. None of that mattered. Her world had been remade.
She couldn’t look anywhere except at that shape kneeling at the edge of the airstrip. She tried to examine her thoughts and control herself, but she couldn’t. She didn’t see why she should. Her life had just changed completely and all she wanted was to embrace those changes.
Dawn jumped up and down, waving, and the other women and Preor leapt back. Her mind and her mouth did not know the words, not yet. But her heart did.
“Shaa kouvi!”
Chapter Seven
Need wrapped itself around Vende’s chest, crippling him as if he was afflicted by steel bands tightening by the second. Rendan touched his mate and rage consumed him.
Still, he could not rise. The Knowing hit him with a visceral onslaught of information. All the stories he had ever heard about the Knowing suddenly made sense. Thought in his youth he had been sure it was exaggeration.
But he could not move.
Even to prevent another male touching his mate! This was an outrage! He needed to get to her, right now, and his body would obey him!
Fighting the sensations and trying to stand upright made his temples pound so hard he thought they might break open.
Something’s not right.
The Knowing was infused with confusing spaces that made him feel off balance. Surely this wasn’t how it was supposed to be? It was as if his knowledge of his mate was diluted somehow. Corrupted.
He tried to get up again and saw the woman standing a short distance from the shuttle with her arms spread wide. Her short, soft brown hair tossed in the wind. She wore a very plain, light dress of pale green, and in the sea spray it made her look like a goddess of the wind.
His heart twisted in his chest and emotion hit him so sharply it stung.
My mate. That’s my mate!
His dragon roared somewhere deep inside. He thrust his weight down and in one movement he stood.
Just as he stepped forward, she jumped and waved, calling out to him. “Shaa kouvi!”
His heart ached as if he’d taken an arrow. Nothing else in the world existed. Not the platform he walked on, the shuttle, or the others gathered nearby. Only his mate.
She beamed, a sweet smile stretching tight across her face. She grabbed her skirts and ran, getting faster with every stride. When she drew near, he opened his arms and she flew into them, leaping up to fasten her arms behind his neck. He grabbed her around the waist and held her tightly against him.
“What is your name, wind goddess?”
“Dawn. Dawn Racine,” she whispered against his neck.
“I am Vende-joi-Dawn Racine,” he rasped.
She giggled and squirmed against him and he gasped, fighting for control of himself. She was so soft and warm in his arms! He turned his face toward hers and she lifted her lips to him, letting him kiss her. Waves of desire throbbed through him, but he kept the kiss gentle. He could feel how fragile and delicate she was, like an elegant flower that needed to be handled with the utmost care.
She let go of his neck and he let her down, her lush curves sliding over the hard planes of his body. Their gazes locked as he stared into her big blue eyes. The wide smile only broadened as she looked up at him. She bounced a little on the balls of her feet, as if she just couldn’t hold in her joy. Vende was utterly enchanted by her sweet, innocent energy, completely forgetting that only a few minutes before he had been complaining that nobody had any discipline.
When she grinned and eased close once more, he stepped nearer to her, ready to serve her in any way she chose. When she raised a hand, he thought she was about to touch his hair and bent down to aid her reach.
Then she touched his wing.
She didn’t just touch it. She put her soft, sensuous fingertips on the strong bony spine holding the wing membrane in place and ran her fingers down it toward the base. A strangled cry nearly became a shriek as he stumbled away from her, almost falling. His heart burned in his chest and his cock fought against his katoth fastenings.
He looked up to see Dawn standing very still, one hand still raised. Her eyes were big and dewy, and the innocence in her face only made his desire burn even hotter.
“I’m sorry,” she rasped quickly. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No, my love, shaa kouva,” he said softly. “You surprised me. But when we are alone, you can do that as much as you like.”
She frowned. “Why do we have to be alone? I don’t understand. I know you guys have a thing about your wings. I mean, I touched Rendan’s wing and he totally freaked out—”
“You touched Rendan’s wing?” Vende fumed. He stepped toward her and took her hand, holding it tightly. “Why would you touch another male’s wing?” His dragon snarled at the very idea of his mate being so intimate with another—even if the male was mated and had his own human female. Desire and fury mixed together inside him and he was losing his composure.
“They’re just so pretty.” Dawn sighed, raising a hand but not touching him, just running her fingers through the air near his flesh. “I just can’t help it. I want to trace every inch of them slowly. So slowly. Just discovering every single scale.”
Vende’s cock and balls felt like they were in a vise. He had been full of seed the moment he saw her and now the teasing talk of caressing his wings slowly was making him lose his mind.
He gave her hand a light squeeze, trying to ground himself. The Knowing still swept through his mind, confusing his senses. Even though the sea breeze was sharp and full of its usual layered scents, the smell of Dawn right under his nose obliterated all else. Including his ability to reason.
He looked into her eyes and she smiled, such an innocent and gentle expression that it seemed to cut him. She was fragility itself. He had never seen anything purer in his life. He had to serve and protect her and push his desire away. Now that he had a mate, his many years of discipline would serve him well as he learned to protect her and care for her without rushing her to solidify their mating.
For the first time in his life, Vende doubted his own control. She was so beautiful, so sweet and pure. Even though he knew he had to protect her, the desire to claim her was intense. He looked away and took a step back. As he drew in a few deep breaths, he heard Dawn make a small sound. When he looked to her, she reached for him with sad eyes.
She wanted to hold him. He could tell. He wanted to hold her, too, but he didn’t want to frighten her with his massive erection and fury-filled dragon. It was as if every second of control he had exercised in his life was part of a finite supply that had just run empty.
“Vende, you’re malfunctioning.”
“Shut up, Penelope!” he roared at the sky. “You do not get to ruin this for me!”
“You’re ruining it for yourself. Look at the poor woman. She’s terrified.”
“I’m Dawn,” she said brightly, looking around to address Penelope. “And I’m not terrified. I’m okay… just confused.”
“Vende’s not confused, honey. He wants to dance a horizontal jig with you, pronto.”
At exactly the same time Vende and Dawn looked at a nearby speaker and frowned.
“Horizontal jig?” they said in perfect unison.
“Oh, great lord!” Penelope cried from her circuits. “Two of them! How will I survive?”
Vende felt a surge of anger and thrust out a hand, gesturing wildly. “Penelope, this is none of your concern. Now if you’ll just—”
“I won’t just anything. If I hadn’t stopped you, you two would be doing the fandango right here on the launch pad!”
“Fandango?” Dawn muttered thoughtfully. “I need a dictionary.”
“Penelope,” Vende snapped.
“Look, Vende, this is for your own good. Don’t blame me for this. I’m doing you a favor.”
Before he could answer he was covered i
n the strange tingle that indicated he was being teleported. Away. Away from his mate. If they were separated, she might be forced to endure the pain of the Knowing sickness. Unacceptable.
Without thinking, he launched himself at Dawn and wrapped his arms around her. He crushed her to his chest and held on to her even after she cried out in surprise. He was never letting her out of his sight. His hard-won discipline would return. It had to.
Because taking care of his mate was the most important task of his life. One thing he could never, ever do was let her down.
Chapter Eight
A warm sensation washed over Dawn’s body as Vende grabbed her. It wasn’t exactly pleasant, but it didn’t hurt. He crushed her to his chest quite a bit harder than necessary and she released a low cry of surprise.
She was hot and throbbed in all kinds of places. She had a vague idea of what horizontal jig and fandango might mean, from listening to her brothers. She still didn’t really know their definition, though.
Dawn had a moment to appreciate Vende’s arms around her and the hard press of his chest before the tingling swept through her and then… A sublime moment of in-between. Like the drowsy state just before a sleeper woke. She wanted to explore the experience, but the feeling was gone as fast as it had come.
There was a loud thump and then pain bombarded her. She shrieked, opening her eyes and wondering where she was and why suddenly something heavy was on top of her, crushing her against a hard surface at her back.
“…be so unbelievably stupid!” The disembodied voice—Penelope—shrieked. “You of all Preor should know how dangerous it is to grab another person mid-teleport!”
Vende groaned and attempted to rise. Dawn cried out again, sharp pains assaulting her legs.
“Do you have any idea how much power I just had to suck from the grid? You could have ended up melded together. Talk about all the cursed—”
“How do we know we aren’t stuck together?” Dawn queried painfully. Her voice went high with fear. She hadn’t been scared so far, but this recent development chilled her.
“I’m sorry.” Vende was gentle as he moved so his legs no longer pinned her, and she scooted to his side. Now that his weight wasn’t crushing her, she was in no hurry for him to move.
“You’re the engineering master!” Penelope was not done screaming. “How could you have done something so blatantly idiotic—”
“Penelope.” Vende’s voice was smooth and calm. “Silence.”
The voice went quiet. Dawn could detect a certain smugness to her mate. It meant something to him to get one up on this Penelope… whoever she was.
Dawn snuggled under Vende’s arm and he put it around her, pulling her against his side. She looked up at him as she stroked his chest, the feeling of being warm and safe quickly taking over any fear. Being next to Vende made her feel strong. As if she was important in her own right and not a burden that had to be watched and cared for like a child.
As she looked up into Vende’s eyes she knew her ultimate purpose was to take care of him, and she couldn’t imagine a sweeter existence.
The images of great structures back on Preor, random parts of lore and detailed descriptions of anatomy still throbbed through her. For the first time in her life Dawn felt like her head was full of thoughts. They were all perfectly organized, too. All she had to do was think of a question and the Knowing answered.
The Knowing had filled every bare cavern in her mind. There was no room for memory gaps now, no room for confusion. Her head was full of her mate and his world, and she never wanted to think about anything else.
“Would have been an interesting wedding,” Penelope said darkly. “If I had failed, even the tiniest bit, you’d be stuck together. Wedded for real.”
“You did fine,” Dawn answered softly. “Who are you, anyway?”
“I run the ship.” Penelope’s tone kept getting darker. “Well, I’m supposed to. Vende and I have… tactical disagreements.”
Vende turned to Dawn, brushing back her hair and cupping her cheek. He seemed to be completely unaware of Penelope as he looked into Dawn’s eyes.
Dawn smiled and Vende leaned down to kiss her. Again, her body came alive and she opened her lips, letting his tongue inside. As he lapped at her mouth a high excitement rose in her, a feeling more intense than anything she had experienced before. She gave herself up to the sensations, letting her joints go loose as he pushed her to the ground once more.
She reveled in his drugging kisses until his big hand clamped over her breast and gently squeezed. Then she yelped! She struggled under him, fighting for freedom, and Vende sat up in a hurry.
“What did I tell you,” Penelope snapped. “No patience.”
“I’m sorry.” Dawn stared up at Vende with wide eyes. “I’ve never been touched like that before.”
He turned his gaze down, his muscles bulging as they twitched, and refused to meet her eyes. “I apologize, my darling, shaa kouva. I have not been able to control my dragon. I am not worthy of you.”
The words were like blades through Dawn’s chest. She shook her head, shuffling forward to take Vende’s hands. “Don’t say that. It’s not true, Vende. It was just… too fast for me. I’ve never…”
He hung his head even further, his face hidden by a fall of blue-black hair. “The blame is mine. I never considered you would be innocent in the ways of mating… What do humans call it…”
“Sex,” Penelope supplied in a snarky voice.
“Yes, of course,” Vende agreed. “Secks.”
“Sex?” Dawn blinked up at Vende. Dawn didn’t really understand sex… It made babies. It supposedly felt good. People were so obsessed with it that it made her glad she didn’t really know what it was.
If it created these throbbing, tingling and pounding sensations, she could understand why people were so distracted by the act. She wondered how it felt when these sensations were encouraged and had to squeeze her thighs together.
“She’s getting it.” Penelope giggled.
Dawn’s hand trailed over Vende’s chest absently. She let her eyes play across his mouth, imagining what it would feel like if he kissed her in different places. She put her hands on his shoulders and pulled herself up, kissing him gently. His hands came up to stroke her upper arms, but he kept his touch light.
The feel of Vende so carefully holding himself still while she caressed him and explored his mouth gave her a flood of confidence. She kissed him deeper and he shuddered so hard she had to stop.
“You’re in the middle of the hall outside command,” Penelope said in exasperation. The words didn’t mean much to Dawn but Vende stopped, gently pushing her away. She didn’t bother to look around, just kept her eyes on his while her fingers gently caressed his shoulders.
There was almost too much going on for Dawn to follow. When she took her eyes off Vende and saw the long, silver walls she felt disoriented immediately. It wasn’t like any building she had ever seen.
“Wh-where are we?” She finally took a good look at her surroundings.
“This is the Preor ship,” he said simply. “We were transported by Penelope from the Kouvai Nihon.”
Dawn took his hand gently, turning in a half circle to take in the ceiling and lights. The hallway stretched out in both directions like an endless road. She couldn’t believe she had gone through so much stress today and she didn’t even have a headache.
She raised one hand absently, not paying attention. When her fingers accidently touched Vende’s wing he shuddered, almost moving away.
“Oh, I’m sorry!” she cried, embarrassed she’d screwed up again. “I just wasn’t looking. You’ll have to tell me why you don’t like that. Does it hurt?”
“It hurts somewhere,” Penelope muttered.
Dawn watched Vende regain control of himself, his wings trembling. She was starting to feel nervous, like she had done something dreadfully wrong. She wanted to touch him again, but she was starting to feel like her casual, no boundaries
, sort of intimacy was not welcome.
Vende took a couple of steps away and shook his head. He drew in a breath, held it, then let it out in a rush. When he turned back to her, he looked like he was back in control.
“We need to talk, Dawn,” he said. “I don’t think the Knowing is quite what it should be… But there are things I would have you know, immediately.”
“Okay.” Dawn reached for his hand, and as he took it, she curled her fingers and stroked Vende’s palm. She saw him close his eyes and swallow, knowing she was doing something to him but not entirely sure what.
As they walked down the hall together, Dawn thought about how confusing this must be to someone who already had a head full of knowledge. For her it had filled the emptiness and given her promise that she could know more and keep learning.
The promise of love was something she could get excited about, even if she wasn’t sure what being a “mate” meant exactly. Her life had changed dramatically in such a short time, but Dawn couldn’t wait to give herself up to the existence promised by the Knowing.
For the first time in her life she had a purpose. She was wanted and appreciated. Life itself had been promised to her now, not mere existence.
A life she never thought she could have.
Chapter Nine
Dawn’s fingertips were so soft and impossibly gentle that Vende’s other senses faded out to focus on that sensation alone. He was amazed that such tiny points could have such an impact on him. Where her hand rested on his arm felt like the touch of fire, the kind of inferno that could swallow even a dragon.
He looked into her wide innocent eyes and they didn’t match the sultry, effortless sexuality that flowed from her. It had something to do with her inexperience, the fact that she had never felt this way before.
