by Susan Hayes
At first, they’d come in secret, but now, there was open trade with not only the Pyrosians but also other members of the Interplanetary Council. Humanity suddenly had access to technology and knowledge that would have taken centuries to acquire on their own. The world was a more hopeful place as the new information was slowly disseminated, bringing mankind into an age of enlightenment. At least, that was the goal. For now, there were still too many places shattered by war, where people were ruled by violence and fear. The Haven Network was a means of escape for the women and children trapped in those places, but once they escaped, they needed someplace to go. Somewhere safe. That’s where the Pyrosians came in.
Hanna hoped that the distant planet could become a place of refuge for these women and their children, even if they weren’t matched to a male as a potential mate. The rulers of Pyros were open to the idea, but working out the details would take time, and possibly a trip across the galaxy so they could see for themselves where the women would be living. When Megan had taken Hanna’s job offer, she’d known it would involve a great deal of travel, but she never dreamed it might involve leaving the planet.
That was a long-term problem, though. Her immediate concern was the Humanity First activists. Despite the arrest of most of their leadership, they were still a threat. Some of them were protestors for hire, others were anarchists who would move on to the next cause, but there were still too many true believers, and those were the most dangerous of all. She’d been part of the RCMP’s protective policing services at one time, responsible for safeguarding diplomats and world leaders while they were on Canadian soil. During her time there, she’d learned all about the threats posed by terrorists, cartels, lone wolves, and the mentally unstable.
The Humanity First movement was very active in Vancouver, which wasn’t surprising given that this was the place the Pyrosians had made first contact. It was also the location of the aliens’ largest embassy and the site of the first attack. The bombing of B.C. Place stadium had been intended to drive the Pyrosians away, but instead, the aliens had only increased their attempts to educate and befriend humanity. Still, everyone associated with the aliens was a potential target. If anyone learned what Hanna was doing here, it would increase the threat level. As far as Megan was concerned, the longer they could keep Hanna’s presence here a secret, the better.
She sat up and did another casual scan of the traffic outside. The rain was heavier now, making it difficult to see much. They were heading away from the city center, which meant the traffic was slowly thinning as they made their way to the embassy.
The need for secrecy meant they had flown into a private airfield and were relying on the Pyrosians for transport and hospitality for the duration of their stay. Leaving security decisions to others wasn’t the way Megan preferred to do things, but it had been necessary this time. She still didn’t like it.
Hanna caught her eye and gave her a small smile, so subtle it wasn’t likely anyone even noticed. She flashed one of their hand signs to her at the same time, a quick lift and lower of her index finger that meant “all is well.”
Megan raised her hand to respond, but a shadow caught her attention, and she turned her head to see a massive dark shape hurtling toward them.
“Hold on!” Her shout was all the warning she managed before the other vehicle slammed into them, the impact sending the limo into a violent spin that threw them all against their seatbelts. Her ears were assaulted by shocked cries, the screech of tearing steel, and the squeal of tires as they careened across the rain-slicked pavement.
Her senses still spun even after the car came to a stop, and she had to swallow hard several times to quell her nausea. “Everyone okay?” she asked as soon as it was safe to open her mouth.
Everyone muttered a shaky affirmative. Score one for safety testing--they were all in one piece. She checked the windows but couldn’t see anything but the empty road. Where the hell was the other vehicle?
“Lily, call 911. Mr. Tindor, can you contact the embassy?”
The dark-haired alien nodded and pushed back his sleeve, revealing a communicator strapped to his wrist. “Immediately.”
“Thank you.” She undid her seatbelt. “I think we were rammed intentionally. I’m going outside to take a look. Everyone else stays here, and lock the door after I’m gone. Vykor, if anything happens, can you transform and get the others out of here?”
Before Vykor could answer, the partition between the passenger area and the front of the vehicle opened a few inches.
“Kyle, you okay up there?” Jet called to the driver.
Megan turned her head toward the partition and asked, “Did the other vehicle drive off?”
Instead of replying, the driver pushed something through the gap, and it fell to the seat beside her. The partition closed again. What the hell?
She blindly grabbed the object Kyle had dropped, her other hand already trying to unlock the door. It wouldn’t open. The thing in her hand started to hiss, a stream of something cold flowing over her fingers.
“Everyone, cover your mouth and nose. Try not to talk or breathe fast,” she ordered before covering her mouth with the sleeve of her jacket. Even as she did it, she knew it wouldn’t be enough to stop the gas from affecting her.
Everyone frantically tried their doors as the gas continued to flow, filling the interior of the limo. Shit. Shit. Shit.
She spun in her seat, muttered a soft “sorry,” to Lily as her head landed in blonde’s lap, raised both legs to her chest and kicked at the window with her high-heeled shoes. If they lived through this, she was going to give Hanna hell for insisting she change into business attire before they left the jet.
The impact jarred her from toes to teeth, but the window didn’t budge. She pulled her legs back and kicked again, pouring every bit of strength she had into the blow. This time, the window starred a little around the impact point of one heel. Her head was swimming, and her legs were getting heavier by the second. Her third kick hardly made it to the glass at all, and she didn’t have the strength for another attempt.
Lily’s body went limp beneath her, and she looked up to see the blonde slumped against her seatbelt, eyes closed, jaw slack.
It took all the strength she had left to turn her head to check on Hanna. She was unconscious already, and both Vykor and Jet were fading fast. Reality hit, bitter and cruel. She’d failed. They were going to be taken, and she hadn’t stopped it. Neither had the aliens, and one of them was a damned dragon.
That’s the last time I trust the aliens.
Chapter Two
Karos watched the protestors intently. Something had riled them up about ten minutes ago, and the sudden change in activity had him concerned enough he had sent word to Kyle the driver to divert course to the side gate on their return journey.
The protesters had charged the gates en masse, yelling their slogans and waving their signs in a coordinated frenzy of activity. The embassy’s guards had taken up position inside the gate, their expressions impassive, but even from where he stood, Karos could sense their tension.
When his communicator buzzed with a priority tone, he answered it without looking down.
“Karos here.”
There was no response.
He glanced down at his wrist and touched the device again. “This is Karos. What is it?”
Still nothing but dead air. A chill ribbon of dread wound around his spine as he checked to see who had tried to contact him. When Jet’s name appeared on the screen, the sense of dread grew stronger and erupted into full-blown fear when his device erupted in a strident series of chirps. Jet had activated his panic alarm.
“Frost and fire!” He touched the screen of the tablet, calling up a tracking program with hurried swipes of his fingers. Where were they?
The program located the limo and displayed it as a red dot on the screen. It was only a few blocks away, and it wasn’t moving. Worse, the vehicle’s tracker was the only one showing. There was nothing fro
m either Jet or Vykor’s devices.
He dropped the tablet into a pocket. “Call security, front desk.” He almost growled the command. There was a soft chime and the sound of an outgoing connection. The second someone answered, he started barking orders.
“Send a security team to Ambassador Tindor’s location. Clear all gates, and notify law enforcement to meet me at the scene.” He paused, then added. “And have them arrest the protestors out front. They’re accessories.”
“Yes, sir. And uh, accessories to what, sir?” the Pyrosian on the other end asked.
“I don’t know yet. But it’s nothing good.” He switched off the device, put it in his pocket, and banished the barrier spell with a wave of his hand. The rain pelted down on him, soaking him within seconds. He ignored it and set a hand on the rail.
“We go?” His dragon asked, already pushing against the confines of his mind.
“Yes.” He vaulted over the railing and summoned his dragon. The transformation happened in the time between heartbeats. One moment he was falling, the next he was soaring on powerful wings. He climbed hard and fast, a roar tearing from his throat as he headed toward the last coordinates he had for the limo.
Flames and fury, if something had happened to his friends, he’d show those Humanity First fools exactly why they should fear their alien visitors. He’d burn them all and scatter their ashes to the winds.
His mind raced as he flew, trying to fit the pieces together. The protestors normally did nothing but stand outside, brandish their signs, and chant. Today’s sudden surge of activity had to be connected to whatever had happened to Jet, Vykor, and the humans. The timing was too suspicious.
It didn’t take long to reach the vehicle. He tucked his wings and dropped into a dive, streaking out of the sky with a full-throated bellow that should have sent any humans diving for cover. Nothing moved.
He extended his senses, looking for hidden dangers, and found none. Everything was quiet. The limo was damaged, the entire back half crumpled on the driver’s side. It had been knocked off the road, streaks of rubber showing its trajectory. It hadn’t moved since coming to a stop and sat abandoned on a weed-choked boulevard outside an empty lot.
He landed without bothering to shift forms, his massive body taking up most of the street as he furled his wings and lowered his head to look inside the car. The air was thick with some kind of noxious odour that stung his nose, making it impossible to smell anything else.
The interior was dark, and it took him a moment to see the figure sprawled across the seat, her dark dress blending with the shadows. He growled, and the figure moved slightly, her efforts sluggish.
His dragon stirred within his mind, suddenly agitated about something, and he snapped his head up, expecting trouble. There was nothing but the soft patter of the rain on the hood of the vehicle.
“What is it?”
“Ours?” The beast responded, the thought accompanied by a sense of confusion and general agitation.
“You’re not making sense.” He didn’t have time for riddles right now. Jet and the others were missing, and the only one with any answers was inside that vehicle.
“Smell something. Want.”
That, he did understand. He wanted to talk to whoever was still in the vehicle, too. He shifted forms, conjured a dry set of clothes, and stomped over to the door.
“You. Inside. Come out slowly, hands first.”
There was a soft, feminine groan from inside the vehicle, and his dragon reacted with a shout. “Want. Take. Ours!”
He ignored the creature and focused on the only lead he had in the disappearance of his friends. Sirens began to wail in the distance, and he knew he only had a few minutes before human authorities arrived. He needed answers, and he needed them now, before the humans came with their rules and protocols.
“What happened?” the female asked.
“That is what I want to find out. Come out here, hands first.”’
“Where’s Hanna? Lily? And who the hell are you?” The female demanded, her voice still groggy but gaining strength with each word she uttered.
He gritted his teeth. “I do not know where the others are, which is why I need to talk to you. Get out here. Now.”
The female didn’t answer, but he heard her moving inside.
“We are running out of time. Your authorities will be here soon.”
“My authorities? You’re from the embassy, then.” She finally moved into view, and he assessed her quickly. She was tall for a human female, with a powerful frame hidden beneath her clothes. She had sleek, jaw-length dark hair, burnished gold skin, and eyes the colour of the forests that covered the mountains outside the city, an interesting blend of greens and browns.
“I am. And now you’re going to tell me what happened, and why they took everyone else but left you behind.”
Her eyes narrowed as she left the limo, her movements carefully done to allow her to extricate herself while limited by the knee-length skirt she wore. “They left me behind because they knew I’d be nothing but trouble.” She took an unsteady step toward him and the heel of one impractically designed shoe gave way, sending her tumbling toward him.
He acted on instinct, catching her and pulling her to him to steady her, and as he did, his dragon roared in triumph. “Ours!”
Her scent wrapped around his senses and understanding hit like a comet. The female was his sadina - his mate. Only she could not be. She was human. And he wasn’t worthy of a female. “Teska ren,” he muttered. This couldn’t be.
This was why I hate wearing heels.
The new arrival stepped in and caught her before she could regain her balance, hauling her up against his big body with almost effortless strength. It was like being cradled against a warm brick wall. The man was huge.
His dark red hair hung almost to his shoulders and was highlighted with streaks of silver, mostly at his temples. He stood at least six feet tall, and beneath the almost military cut of his dark clothes was a whole lot of muscle. He was staring at her with golden eyes, his jaw set in a hard line that did nothing to detract from his good looks. He looked like he’d walked off the set of an action movie, and he was most definitely cast as the hero. She looked up at him and reassessed her estimate of his height. She was five-foot-nine, and he was a good six inches taller than her. He was also staring at her as if she’d grown a second head.
“Uh, thanks for the assist.” She straightened and tried to move away, but his arm was locked across her back and she couldn’t move more than an inch in any direction.
“Mind letting go of me, now?”
“Sorry.” He said in English, letting go of her and stepping away so quickly she almost felt a breeze. He stared at her from a few feet away, his golden eyes unreadable. “I am Karos Zattar of the Fire Dragon Clan. Who are you?”
“My name is Megan Richards. I’m…” She swallowed as a wave of guilt struck. “I work for Hanna Dewan.”
“And yet they left you here. Did you have something to do with the attack?”
“The only thing I had to do with the attack was being too slow to stop it from happening.” She glowered at him, resenting the accusation he’d lobbed at her. “I’m Hanna’s bodyguard. It’s my job to protect her, and I failed. She and Lily are out there somewhere, and I need to find them, not stand here while you accuse me of being the bad guy.”
“You are her bodyguard?”
She bristled. She’d been dealing with comments like his since her first day of training. “Yes, I am, and until today, I had a perfect record of client safety.”
Karos sighed. “I meant no offence. Given your role, I’m surprised they didn’t do more to incapacitate you.”
“Honestly, so am I.” She’d been unconscious. They could have killed her. Why hadn’t they?
He gazed at her for a moment, then flashed her a fierce smile that bared his fangs for a second. “Would you like to make them regret their oversight?”
“Hell, yes.” She ki
cked off her wrecked shoes and tried to ignore the squelch of cold, wet mud as her bare feet sank into the ground. “What about you?”
He folded his arms across his chest. “I am the head of security for the embassy. I will make them pay for this. If you wish to be included, you may join me.
He was the head of security? Then he had a lot to answer for. She gestured to the limo. “Today, I trusted you and your people to do my job, and now my friends are missing. Why should I trust you again?”
His golden eyes narrowed and a muscle in his jaw jumped, but instead of the argument she expected, he bowed his head and uttered a tired sigh. “My friends were taken, too,” he reminded her. “We must have missed something.”
Sirens were coming their way now, and judging by the way the sound was bouncing off the walls, they were approaching from several directions. They were almost out of time. “Considering it was your driver who gassed us? I’d say so, yeah.”
“Kyle was part of this?”
“He’s the one that tossed the gas canister into the back of the limo.” She looked around, suddenly realizing the big man was alone. “How’d you get here so fast?”
“Ambassador Tindor activated an emergency beacon. I used the vehicle’s – I believe you call it a GPS – to locate it.”
She looked around. There wasn’t so much as a bicycle to be seen. “But how did you get here?”
He jerked a thumb at his broad chest. “I told you, I am of the Fire Dragon Clan. I flew.”
Right. Dragons were real. And they weren’t from this planet. “Of course you did. Because you can do that.”
He flashed her that primal smile again, and her pulse kicked up a couple of notches. Then, her mind was overtaken by a powerful impression of what it would feel like to feel those fangs of his grazing down the side of her neck as he moved over her, their bodies – whoa.
