by S. E. Smith
Her early years were complicated. She had fallen like a ton of bricks for Teri’s father when she was barely eighteen. A bad boy on leave, Joe had been in the Army and their short time together produced her beautiful daughter. Her mother kicked her out of the house when she found out, but Pearl hadn’t cared. She had faced the world with the defiance that only someone as naïve as a young girl in love could.
It wasn’t until after her mother’s death that Pearl discovered that she was the product of her mother’s own youthful indiscretion. It turned out that the man she’d thought was her father had really been her uncle. He had married her mother to protect his older brother who was married to someone else at the time. The hypocrisy of the situation wasn’t lost on Pearl, but instead of being angry, she embraced the freedom of the world around her.
That freedom wasn’t easy, but she had never asked for easy. She had worked at any and every job she could find to provide a good home for her daughter, but it hadn’t been enough. Teri fell in with the wrong crowd when she was fifteen and while Pearl did everything she could to help her daughter, the darkness continued to draw Teri deeper and deeper into a world Pearl struggled to understand.
There were rays of hope that quickly faded with the drugs. The only time Teri remained clean was when she was pregnant. Those were the only two times in her daughter’s self-destructive life that Teri had found a reason to fight back. Out of the two girls, Pearl had worried the most about Tina. Riley was too much like herself, a fighter, but Tina was a lot like Teri – quiet, introverted, and smart.
The sounds of Riley’s laughter drew her back to the present. The glow on Riley’s face and the love in Vox’s eyes was enough to send a surge of warmth through Pearl. Viper had that same look in his eyes when he looked at Tina. She chuckled when Riley pushed Vox’s head under the water cascading from the top of the fountain. Of course, Vox pulled Riley with him, kissing her with a passion that drew groans of disgust from their young son.
“I hope you aren’t expecting me to sit next to wet cat hair on the way home,” Pearl called out to Riley before turning to shake her head at the couple who were standing nearby. They were kissing as well. “Damn, I swear these have got to be the horniest damn men I’ve ever seen. How in the hell does anyone get anything done around here?”
Of course, no one answered, not that she was really expecting one. Chuckling under her breath, she walked over to the table where the refreshments were set out. For a brief moment, Pearl wondered if there could be a good-looking, older warrior who might be interested in a more mature woman. With a shake of her head, she pushed the thought aside. Who was she kidding? Even old, these guys looked young enough to be her grandkids!
“What I wouldn’t give for a guy with a few lines on his face who spoke to me of fine Kentucky bourbon and messy sheets,” she mused.
“Excuse me,” a deep voice said from behind her.
3
It took Asim longer than he expected to finish the chores scheduled for the day. Two of the baby Grombots had escaped when he was finishing the cleanup of the Pactor’s holding pen. They had opened the door to the barn and all the Maratts had run loose. They had frightened the Pactor who, in turn, left him another gift to shovel.
He finally ended up resorting to bribery. A trail of food and the greedy little creatures had followed him, their stomachs practically dragging on the ground because they were so full. Tomorrow morning was not going to be a pleasant day.
He would have to postpone his talk with Mandra tonight. There was no way he would leave the young prince and Lady Ariel with what was bound to be a ton of poop to pick up. He honestly needed to talk to Mandra about shipping the Pactor back to Cree, Calo, and Melina. They had their own spread now. It was about time they shoveled the huge piles of dung.
He was running so late by the time he finished that he almost decided not to attend the function at the palace. It was only his promise to Jabir that he would join the little boy and his parents that compelled Asim to clean up and make the long flight over the mountains. As it was, it was well past the mid-day mark before he soared over the outer wall of the palace grounds.
The guards along the wall raised their hands in a salute of respect for his service and position within the royal family. Asim snapped his tail in response, drawing the attention of some of the young recruits who turned to watch him in awe. He swept past the large towers and curved around to the back gardens.
The sounds of laughter rang out from below. Asim followed the joyous noise, hoping to arrive quietly without Mandra or Ariel realizing how late he was. His gaze skimmed over the families below. Pride and a deep affection swept through him.
Asim understood the feeling of pride. He had been a part of the royal family’s lives since the first king, Jalo Reykill, and Lady Morian joined as a mated pair. He had stood guard over each of the princes, but the affection came from the deep bond that he had developed with Mandra.
If anyone had asked, he would have been hard pressed to deny that he thought of Lord Mandra as the son he’d never had. The largest of the Dragon Lords, Mandra had always been self-conscious about his size. It was hard when both the men and women feared you. It was especially difficult for a young dragon coming into his prime.
Asim knew that underneath the huge exterior of the man lay the heart of a true warrior. He was a gentle giant with a tender heart for all creatures large and small. It was one reason the young prince spent so much time at the mountain retreat Asim had helped him to build. Asim, lost in the memories of his time with the young lord, was startled when his dragon shouted with excitement.
I find her!
What? Who did you find? Asim asked, focusing on the present again. He tried to concentrate on what his dragon saw. His dragon twisted in the air, narrowly missing the branch of a tree. What are you doing?
I find mate! I find her! His dragon excitedly exclaimed.
What are you rambling on about? Have you gone mad? Asim demanded, trying to rein in his dragon when it lunged recklessly toward the garden.
Asim silently swore when he felt another powerful burst of joyful emotion sweep through him. Confusion struck him as to the source until he realized the emotion was coming from his symbiot. It had lagged further and further behind them on their journey here, as if reluctant to be around others, but was now putting on a burst of speed in its excitement. Asim tried to focus on what could have caused such a reaction in his symbiot. A curse ripped through his mind when he saw the vivid mental image of a woman that his dragon was sharing with his symbiot.
The picture of a slender woman flashed through his mind so fast that he barely had time to see more than a glimpse of white hair and what looked like black leather. The confusion he’d felt a second ago was nothing compared to what was hitting him now. He must be mistaken. Perhaps Lady Cara had dyed her hair a different color, or Lady Riley had cut hers. That was it! That color reminded him of the hair color of Lord Vox’s mate. He needed to get his dragon under control before the damn thing started another war. With a mental shake of his head, he snapped at his dragon.
Watch out!
His dragon swerved upward and expanded his wings completely at the last second. If Asim hadn’t warned the damn thing, they would have made a spectacular exhibition of themselves. Fortunately, they landed on the back side of a large cluster of shrubbery.
Asim shifted into his two-legged form the moment he landed. Irritation flooded him when he stumbled several steps. He hadn’t had such an uncoordinated landing since he was a dragonling!
“What is the matter with you?” he snapped.
His dragon was pacing back and forth inside him, trying to escape again. Scales rippled over his body, and he could feel the bands around his wrists heating up almost to the point of burning his skin. He rubbed at the gold bands.
It our mate! I see her, his dragon insisted.
You have lost control, he silently snapped, glancing around the garden. The only ones here are the princes and their
mates.
I see our mate, his dragon insisted, trying to push him toward the main garden where everyone was.
You need to get under control before we join the others, Asim ordered.
You wait. You see mate, you not be in control no more, his dragon retorted.
Asim shook his head and drew in a deep breath. He glanced over his shoulder when he felt – more than saw – his symbiot land behind him. The large golden body was in the shape of a WereCat with wings. That was a new addition, since Jabir loved WereCats but wanted one that could fly. It shimmered with more colors than Asim had seen in centuries.
“Don’t…,” he started to warn, lifting a cautioning hand to his symbiot. “Wait here. I don’t want to endanger anyone. I am having a hard enough time trying to control my dragon. I don’t want to have to deal with you as well.”
His symbiot snorted and paced back and forth behind him. For a moment, Asim wasn’t sure it was going to listen to him. It kept glancing in the direction of the main garden. The huge golden body was shimmering in an ever-changing array of colors, and its ears were moving around like small radars turning to analyze the laughter of each member of the royal family.
Asim studied his symbiot with a wary eye when it froze again. He waited to see if it would follow his orders. He grunted quietly when it shook its head and blinked at him.
“Stay here,” he repeated in a firm voice.
He was rewarded with a snort and a light shock to his wrists. Cursing under his breath, Asim glared at his symbiot. Between it and his dragon, he was ready for a drink – or a hundred.
No time to get drunk, we have mate to court, his dragon gleefully retorted.
Court? Asim asked, distracted.
Remember what Ariel say? Mandra court her if he make her mad, his dragon reminded him. I court my mate. She like me then.
“We don’t have a ma….”
The words died on Asim’s lips when he stepped around the bushes and onto the path. He jerked to a stop, his gaze immediately locked on the slender figure of a woman standing near a table laden with food. She was turned slightly away from him so all he could see was her profile.
I told you. I find us mate! His dragon gloated.
Asim swallowed, blinked, and nodded without realizing he was silently agreeing with his dragon. From her profile, he could tell that she was older than the other princesses – a fact that sent a wave of relief through him. She was like finely aged wine that a man could appreciate.
His gaze ran over her short hair that was as white as freshly fallen snow. Her hair was spiked on the top but cut close on the sides. The style showcased her delicate features and made him think of what it would look like after he ran his hands through it.
She was wearing a dark blue, silk blouse tucked into the waist of her black leather trousers and a pair of low cut black boots. His fingers itched to pull the silky fabric free so he could run his hands up under it to caress her skin.
A low curse escaped him when his dragon struggled to get out. Asim acknowledged his dragon was right – they had found their mate. Of course, to be absolutely sure, he would need to see if his symbiot agreed. Hope was one thing – all three of them actually agreeing tended to be another. He had met women in the past who he’d thought had the potential to be his mate only to be disappointed when his dragon, his symbiot, or both didn’t agree with him.
Where in the vast universe had she come from? He couldn’t help but wonder in shock.
He ran a damp palm along his pant leg. He was afraid to test if the Goddess had finally gifted them with a woman who could complete them and fill the empty void gnawing away at them. If the woman wasn’t their mate, the disappointment could likely drive all three of them to lose control. But… if she was, he would need to handle this delicately. He would introduce himself, strike up a conversation, and put her at ease. He would make sure that his dragon, his symbiot, and he didn’t scare her.
Asim remembered all too well the struggles Mandra and the other Dragon Lords had faced. He would be more controlled, more refined – that should help him in his courting of her. Clearing his throat, Asim took several steps closer to the woman.
“Excuse me,” he said in a thick, rasping tone that demonstrated his dragon was close to the surface and he wasn’t as in control as he’d hoped.
4
Pearl released a sigh of irritation at being pulled back to reality. She swallowed the sarcastic comment on her lips and turned toward the voice. She needed to watch what she said. After all, she wasn’t on Earth anymore.
She had always tended to speak before she thought, especially after working at the bar for so many years. That bad habit had gotten her into trouble more than once. Thank goodness for Tiny, her six-foot-five, three-hundred-five-pound bouncer, and her rock-salt-loaded shotgun. Between the two, she’d seldom been in a situation she couldn’t handle. But, that was back on Earth, and she needed to remember that she wasn’t on her planet any longer.
Still, whenever she heard ‘excuse me’, a hundred different retorts popped into her mind. Since she was on an alien planet, she decided it was probably best that she didn’t say ‘Why? Are you about to have a baby explode out of your chest and need someone to catch it?’ After all, who knew if it might be true?
Turning to face the man, Pearl couldn’t help but suck in a deep, calming breath when her gaze locked on a pair of black booted feet spread apart in a stance that spoke of power. She clenched her fingers into a fist to keep from fanning herself as she ran an appreciative gaze up the man’s legs. He was wearing black leather trousers that did nothing to hide his long legs, thick thighs, narrow hips, and….
“Someone crank down the air conditioning, I think I’m having a hot flash. Lordy, but I love a man who can make leather look that good,” she said under her breath.
Pearl’s gaze paused at the opening of the man’s vest. She couldn’t stop from licking her bottom lip at the tantalizing view of his rock hard abs. She swallowed and breathed deeply, afraid she might have forgotten how to for a second. Her gaze continued up his muscular frame. She hadn’t seen muscles like that in… ever.
Fear of disappointment struck her hard – what if she got to the top and it turned out to be a pimply-faced boy and not a hunk like Sean, Sam, Kurt, Liam, or Denzel? Nothing killed a good fantasy like hearing a rough, sexy voice and finding out it is the kid from down at the Dairy Queen going through puberty and taking steroids.
Her eyes followed the path of exposed tanned skin until she stopped at a set of blazing golden eyes and a face weathered by time and life. The instant attraction hit her hard.
How do you say yummy? Over fifty and single, she thought.
Her delight changed to a scowl of shock at her reaction to him. Hell, she had only made a half-hearted wish, not a full-fledged, certifiable one! It wasn’t like she was really in the market for a man in her life! She had been on her own for so long, she wasn’t sure she would know what to do with one who had actual working parts. She wouldn’t call any of the few serious relationships she’d had in her life earth-shattering. They had all been more like shaking the Jell-O bowl – lots of wobble before they melted into goo. Something told her this guy could make the bed shake like an earthquake!
Asim held his breath when the woman turned to face him. The moment their eyes connected, his dark golden with her vivid blue ones, he knew he was lost. Her expression quickly turned from surprised interest to a dark scowl. Dread swelled inside Asim and a sense of panic began to rise up, threatening to choke him.
“Who the hell are you?” the woman demanded, gazing back at him with an intense look.
“Asim,” he automatically replied.
She doesn’t like what she sees, he thought in dismay.
You think too much. She like us. She say she love man who make leather look good. You a man and you wearing leather, his dragon sighed in exasperation.
That doesn’t mean she likes the rest of me! Asim snapped in irritation.
&nbs
p; Pearl was flustered by the way the man was returning her gaze, as if she was part of the brunch buffet. True, she might have been doing a bit of eye-candy sampling, but since she had found herself on an alien world in her sixties, she figured, she deserved to sample all the candy she wanted. Hell, at her age, she would throw in the whole damn cake with it – in every flavor, along with the ice cream and whipped topping.
The man said something that Pearl wasn’t sure she heard correctly. It sounded like a guttural ‘Mine!’ The translator thing they had given her must not be working correctly; because there was no way that this man could mean what she thought he said.
“I beg your pardon? What did you say?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.
“You are mine!” the man repeated.
Pearl blinked and took a startled step back when a golden creature suddenly surged from her right to stand between her and the man. The creature was like the other ones she had seen wandering around the gardens – only this one was focused on her like a starving dog eyeing a T-bone steak.
Panic hit her and her hand automatically reached behind her for a weapon to fend off the large, golden cat-shaped creature. Her fingers curled around the handle sticking out of a bowl and she whipped it around, slinging a creamy pudding mixture through the air. Dismay washed through Pearl. The gooey, cream-colored dessert and spoon were no defense against her attacker. In fact, the damn thing opened its mouth and swallowed the flying mixture. Unfortunately, the man standing behind it wasn’t quite as agile. Specks of custard dotted his face. The intense expression on his face darkened into one Pearl wasn’t sure she could define. The only thing she could think about when the man said ‘Mine!’ was he was a dragon, and dragons were meat eaters.
“Oh, shit! My old hide is too tough to eat. You’d be better off chewing on your pants,” Pearl snapped in exasperation, waving the spoon in front of her.