Karos

by Susan Hayes

  “It’s been dealt with.” Keth waved open the door and continued to walk with him. “How is she taking the news?”

  Karos snorted. “About as well as you would expect. She is angry. Frustrated with me. And her dragon’s spirit is already stirring. Which will only amplify all that she is feeling. It is a good thing she does not know how to breathe fire yet, or I would be scorched.” The presence of her dragon would also ramp up his mate’s mating fever. It had only been a few hours since he’d last taken her, and the need to have her again was a fire in his blood. He couldn’t be away from her for long, or his beast would rebel, as would hers.

  “How long do you have before the rux takes hold again?” Keth asked softly.

  “Long enough. But not by much. We will need to go into the mountains before midday. We will not return until the rux fades.”

  “I know how it is. We’ll see to things here and explain matters to Megan’s friends.” Keth grinned. “Just remember to take a communicator with you so we can keep in touch.”

  “I will do so. But now, I need to go. My mate needs to stay here, where it’s safe.”

  Keth met his gaze. “I will have Eva stay with her.”

  “Thank you, my friend.”

  Keth surprised him by asking, “Do you truly believe this is the right choice? Leaving her behind?”

  He answered without hesitation. “I do.”

  His dragon rumbled, his displeasure clear. The beast didn’t want to be separated from his mate.

  “And your other half?” Keth asked.

  “Is of a differing opinion.”

  “I thought he might be.”

  He shot the other male an inquiring look. “Why?”

  “Because we are stronger when we stand with our mates. They make us better than we were. Eva is a gift from the Gods, one I am thankful for every day.” Keth raised his hands. “In this case, I agree with your dragon. But it’s your decision, not mine.”

  “She stays here.” There was no other option. He couldn’t risk her life. He would not repeat the mistakes of his past. He wouldn’t survive that kind of loss again.

  Keth nodded once and stopped walking. “Then I will wish you good hunting and return to the command center. The transports will be leaving soon.”

  “Our friends will be with us again soon.”

  ‘And the ones who took them?”

  Karos bared his fangs. “Will learn what happens when you mess in the affairs of dragons.”

  Keth threw back his head, laughed, and waved him on his way.

  Karos made for the upper levels. It was time to put an end to this threat, once and for all. Once that was done, he could be alone with Megan and show her what it meant to be mated to a dragon.

  Chapter Eight

  Megan had to wait until everyone’s attention was elsewhere before she slipped out of the command center. Keth had stuck close to her since seeing Karos off, and she got the impression he was keeping an eye on her. Probably to make sure she didn’t do exactly what she was planning on doing.

  She’d spent the intervening time gathering information on the area her friends were being held, working out approach routes, travel times, and trying to make her best guess as to what kind of defences she might find when she got there. Now, she just needed to figure out how to make that happen.

  “We fly,” her dragon suggested.

  “I don’t even know how to become a dragon. Magic isn’t something we humans understand.”

  Her dragon stirred and rumbled, sounding amused. “Not human now. Have me.”

  “I do. But that doesn’t mean I know what to do with you. You didn’t come with an instruction manual.”

  She paced the length of the room again, then glanced around. Keth was conversing with several other Pyrosians and he’d turned his back to her. It was time to go. Karos needed to learn something very important about his mate. She didn’t take orders very well.

  “Mate is wrong. We go. We save. We fight together.” Her dragon sounded as annoyed as she was.

  “He is wrong. This isn’t his fight. It’s ours.”

  There was a rush of approval from her dragon, but that didn’t quiet the worry that welled up inside her. If she disobeyed her mate and put herself in this fight, he wouldn’t react well. Not with the guilt and grief he carried.

  She understood that kind of guilt. She’d experienced it herself more than once. Karos had lost friends, and there was a truckload of guilt tangled up with his grief. If they were going to make this work, he had to accept that he couldn’t protect her from every threat. Her mother had always told her it was always best to begin as you intend to continue, and that meant she needed to be there today. She wasn’t going to be left behind. Not now. Not ever. Karos would have to accept that about her. She closed her eyes and whispered a soft prayer to her ancestors. “Please, help him understand.”

  She exited the command center casually, resisting the urge to slink or tiptoe out. Karos hadn’t said anything about restricting her movements inside the embassy, only that she wasn’t to leave the compound. No sense tipping anyone off to her plans until she had to.

  She walked briskly along the empty corridor toward the elevator, her head full of potential plans. She was armed and ready. Now, she just needed to find a way out of the embassy without being seen.

  Even if she could figure out how to turn into a dragon, she had no idea how to navigate from the air, and she was pretty sure Google maps didn’t have a dragon-flight mode.

  When the elevator doors opened on the main level, Eva was standing there, her smile as sunny as a summer day. “Going somewhere?”

  Dammit. “If I say yes, are you going to try and stop me?”

  “Nope.” The blonde woman’s smile widened. “I’m here to aid and abet your escape.”

  Megan blinked in surprise. “You are?”

  “You bet I am. You are now a member of the “Mated to an alien” sisterhood. I’d give you the welcome speech, but we’re on a deadline and I can give you the basics while we drive.”

  “Sisterhood, huh? I like the sound of that. Do we get a secret handshake?”

  Eva laughed and pointed down the hall. “We’re going this way. And no, there’s no handshake. No manual, either. Just moral support, advice, and a sympathetic ear when your mate invariably does something that makes you want to toss him out an airlock.”

  “You mean like forgetting to mention that they mated you and you’re not human anymore?” Megan asked.

  Eva winced. “That would definitely count. They try their best, but there are times…” she shook her head. “They might look human, but our males are from very different worlds. The Pyrosians have so few females left on their planet they are insanely protective of their mates. Keth wouldn’t let me out of his sight for the first few weeks we were mated. It’s taken time for him to adjust to the idea that he can’t wrap me in cotton batting and lock me away for the rest of our lives.”

  “He’s going to lose his mind when he finds out you’re helping me, isn’t he?”

  Eva laughed and shook her head. “He knows where I am, and he told your mate that I’d be with you. He just didn’t say where you’d be.”

  “Your mate is sneaky. Tell him thanks the next time you see him.”

  Eva smiled and tapped her temple. “I just did.”

  “Telepathy?”

  “Mmhmm. Romaki mates aren’t the only ones who get some interesting abilities.”

  This day kept getting stranger, and she still hadn’t had a single sip of coffee to help her cope. “So, how are we getting out of here?” Megan asked as they walked.

  “Keth’s arranged for a car, and I’ve got clearance to leave the embassy. Keth sent all the information we’ll need to catch up with Karos and the others to my phone already.”

  That information stunned her to silence for a second. “Why?” she finally asked.

  “Because Keth has learned the lessons your mate hasn’t yet. Mated pairs are stronger when they
are together. He tried to tell Karos, but he wasn’t ready to hear it. You need to be there, for your friends, and for him.” She turned to Megan and shrugged. “Besides, short of a nuclear weapon or flying directly into a star, the only thing that can hurt a Romaki dragon is another dragon. Since you and Karos are the only ones around, you’re pretty much invincible. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be there.”

  Megan’s mouth fell open. “Say that again?”

  “You’re an armour-plated, fire-breathing badass.”

  She was going to roast Karos’ chestnuts when she saw him again. “My mate failed to mention that to me. He said I could be a danger to myself and others.”

  Eva shook her head. “The war cost him everyone he cared about. He doesn’t talk about it much, but Vykor filled in a few details and Keth got more information from Prince Radek. Karos lost so much. He’s trying to protect you…and himself.”

  “He’s also a lousy communicator.”

  Eva snorted. “They all seem to have that in common. Welcome to the sisterhood.”

  “Thank you.” Megan was still trying to wrap her head around the revelation that not only was she a dragon now, she was also a force of nature. No one would be able to threaten her friends again.

  They ducked in and out of dimly lit maintenance tunnels for what felt like forever, but eventually, they reached a massive parking garage full of vehicles. Some were clearly civilian, others were identical to the limo she’d ridden in yesterday. There were several large, empty spaces down the far end, which she guessed must have held the transports Karos and others were using.

  “This one.” Eva pointed to a dark red sports car that looked like it cost more than Megan’s annual salary. The windows were heavily darkened, and she knew once they were inside, no one would see her.

  “That must be Jet’s.” Megan hadn’t known the Pyrosian diplomat long, but the car looked like it would be to his taste. Expensive, elegant, and built for speed.

  Eva snickered. “Yeah, it’s his. All part of his playboy alien image.”

  “Image?” Megan dropped into the passenger seat.

  “Don’t tell him I said this, but yeah, it’s all an image. He’s actually a really sweet guy. He’s the eldest son of an old, very noble house on Pyros. Lesser royalty, with all the headaches and expectations that come with that kind of life. His family is big on appearances, but it’s mostly an act for him. I know you’re worried about your friends, but Jet will do anything he can to keep Hanna and Lily safe.” Eva started the engine and headed out.

  They didn’t have to so much as slow down on their way out of the embassy. All she had to do was stay out of sight until they were beyond the gates. Once they were clear, Eva gave her a thumbs up signal and she scrambled back into her seat and strapped in.

  The sky was brightening slowly, heralding the coming dawn as they flew along the streets of Vancouver at speeds that made the rest of the traffic look like they were still in park.

  She picked up the thread of their earlier conversation. “It helps to know my friends have someone competent and kind with them.” She wasn’t going to stop worrying until everyone was freed and safe, but Eva’s words helped settle the worst of her worries for now.

  “Vykor is a good male, too. Quiet, but determined to do the right thing.”

  “But he doesn’t have a dragon.”

  “And he survived on Romak without one. Which makes him the bravest, strongest male I’ve ever met.”

  “That bad?” she asked.

  “I met Keth the day of the bombing. In fact, he saved my life. We travelled back to Pyros with Prince Radek and his mate, Piper. I learned all about the problems on Romak. As much as we tend to think that the more technologically-advanced species have things all figured out, no world is perfect.”

  “I guess not,” Megan said. She’d known about the problems with the temples, the fear-mongering, and finally, the war on Romak, but she hadn’t considered what it all must have been like for someone like Vykor. Someone different. Someone others feared.

  They rode in silence for a few minutes before Megan said, “We’re going to get them back. All of them.”

  “Of course we are. These Humanity First idiots are driven by fear.” Eva’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “We’re going to show them why they should really be afraid of us. Not because we’re taking human women, or influencing humanity’s evolution, but because we can kick serious ass when we’re threatened.”

  Megan glanced over at the petite blonde with the bubbly personality and sweet smile. “We are?” she stressed the first word.

  Eva nodded, her golden eyes burning with an inner fire that made them look like molten gold. “We are. I’m not human either, Megan. I’m a mated Pyrosian, and I throw a mean fireball.”

  Whoa. “Fireballs? You?”

  Eva held out her right hand, palm up, and snapped her fingers. A split second later her hand was enveloped in flames. They vanished a moment later, and she set her hand back on the steering wheel. “I am small but mighty.” She said with a soft laugh. “But since I’m not bulletproof, I’ll be staying behind you.”

  “I’m bulletproof?”

  Eva nodded. “In dragon form, yeah. You ever play Dungeons and Dragons?”

  “I had a boyfriend who talked me into playing for a while, yeah. Why?”

  “Because you’re about to join the real thing. I’m a spellcaster, and you, my dear, are a tank. One with wings, scales, and a breath weapon that can level buildings.”

  Megan thought about that for a second. “I think I’m good with that.”

  “I thought you might be.” Eva checked the map again. “We’ll be there soon. You ready to ruin the bad guys’ day?”

  “You know it.”

  Eva reached for the stereo and pushed the play button. Wagner’s Flight of the Valkyries filled the car.

  It was perfect.

  Karos finished coordinating his teams, making sure they were all in position. They were doing a final comms check when a new sound reached his ears: the roar of a car engine and a compelling crescendo of music. What in the name of Solun’s hoary beard was it, and how had it gotten past his established checkpoint?

  The answer came when the doors opened, and two females who had no business being there stepped into the grey morning light. Eva was wearing one of the Pyrosian security uniforms, which doubled as body armour, custom-fitted to her small stature. Keth had it made for her in case the embassy was ever attacked. This was not an attack, though, and she should be back at the embassy, out of harm's way.

  Megan walked with a determined stride toward them, still wearing the tactical vest and weaponry he’d loaned her. Her face was set in a stubborn mask, and her dark eyes glittered with a dangerous light as she closed the distance between them.

  He went out to meet her. “You are both supposed to be back at the embassy.”

  “I’m supposed to be here, getting my friends back.” Megan’s voice held a hint of a growl he found arousing despite her blatant defiance.

  “Keth was supposed to—“

  Eva cleared her throat. “My mate told you that I would stay with Megan. He never said anything about where we’d be at the time.”

  Karos ground his teeth together. “I need to protect my mate. Megan, we talked about this.”

  Megan met his gaze squarely. “And I need to be here, doing what I can to save my friends.” She smiled a little. “Alongside my mate.””

  Eva spoke again. “You know as well as I do that a Romaki dragon doesn’t need anyone’s protection, Karos.”

  “Which is something else you forgot to mention,” Megan added, her dark eyes narrowing, and for the first time, he saw a gleam of gold in their depths. Her dragon was making its presence known in every way it could.

  “You shouldn’t be here, sadina. You aren’t ready for this.” Even as he said the words, he knew they weren’t true. It was what he’d told himself because it was easier than dealing with the fear of losing someo
ne else he cared about.

  “If I’m not ready, then I better get there fast, because you’re not going in there without me. Tell me what to do, dammit. I’m not sitting this one out.” She stepped up to him and laid a hand on his chest. Her voice softened. “Karos, please. You told me that your Gods chose me to be your mate. If this is what’s meant to be, then why won’t you let it happen? You promised me we were partners.”

  “We are.” He covered her hand with his. “But I can’t lose you.”

  “Then teach me how to protect myself. According to Eva, you’re a fire-breathing badass. Show me how to be one, too. I trust you to protect me. Will you trust me to watch your back, the way you trusted Tali?

  His fear burned away in a rush of fierce pride and desire. This was his mate. His everything. And he couldn’t deny her anything, not even this. He trusted her with everything he was – including his life. “I trust you.”

  She started to argue again, then grinned up at him as she registered what he’d said. “Say that again.”

  “I trust you with my heart, my soul, and my life, Megan Richards. We will do this together, despite the risks. The Gods are crazy, and so are you.”

  He pulled her into his arms and kissed her, drinking in her courage and beauty until he was drunk on it. Their tongues danced, bodies melting into each other. His fingers stroked through the warm weight of her hair, and she slipped her arms around his waist and pulled herself in tight against him. Gods, she was incredible. He didn’t deserve her, but he finally understood that it didn’t matter. She was his. He’d have to find a way to be worthy of her.

  When he finally raised his head, she grinned up at him, her eyes dancing now. “Now what?”

  He looked around, trying to estimate how much room they would need for what came next. “Now, we free our friends. Eva, you may want to give us some room. And tell the others we’ll be moving on the target soon.”

  Eva nodded. “What’s the go signal?”

  “Two dragons taking to the sky,” he replied.

  “Gotcha.” Eva beamed at them both, then moved to where the others were waiting.