Dragon’s Secret: Red Planet Dragons of Tajss Book Fourteen

by Martin, Miranda

  I smile, cupping the side of her face. It is nice to be so cared for. I know my brothers care, but their care is a harder thing, more pragmatic. They know what I am capable of. And they also know sometimes we must all put ourselves at risk for the greater good.

  "I will be exceptionally careful," I reassure her. "I have you to come back to, after all."

  She smiles at that, rolling her eyes.

  "That is such a line," she says.

  "A line?" I question, frowning. "What do you mean?"

  She blushes, looking away.

  "Never mind. It doesn't matter. Just come back as quickly as you can, okay?"

  "Yes. I will come back as soon as I safely can." I do not want her to worry. Nor do I want to leave her unprotected for longer than absolutely necessary.

  I lean down and kiss her lips softly. The sooner we do this, the sooner I can be back with her.

  "Now. The best place to hide you is right here."

  Confused, she looks around. There is nothing but sand all around us.

  "Right here?" she repeats dubiously.

  "Yes. I have hidden in the sand many times. Trust me."

  She looks down at the sand. "If you say so," she mutters, clearly not convinced.

  She doesn't appear any more convinced as I start to dig out a hole at the base of one of the nearby dunes.

  "Sit down here," I say gesturing towards the small hole.

  "Okay. I'm trusting you," she adds, clearly not comfortable as she lies down in the shallow hole. "Now what?"

  "Now I will pour sand over you."

  I proceed to do just that, covering her entire body, leaving space for her face.

  "Are you comfortable?" I ask, stepping back to critique my handiwork.

  I start to level out some areas with my hands so they will not be as noticeable.

  She looks at me incredulously.

  "I'm buried in sand. I'm not comfortable."

  I chuckle.

  "Can you remain here for a bit of time?" I ask instead, rephrasing my question.

  She wiggles under the blanket of sand, attempting to get more comfortable.

  "Yeah, I guess. Just try not to take too long."

  I nod, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

  "I will hurry. It will not take me long."

  With that promise in mind, I take the cart and push it over to where the oasis is.

  Once there, I take out various pieces of the glass that we have collected and carefully start to cover the sandpit. I take my time setting the first one down cautiously, checking to be sure it will not sink. It does not, floating at the top quite easily. Good.

  It takes a while to make the pattern appear random and not so suspicious. I even take the time to sprinkle meteorite glass around the pit itself, not concentrating only in the center of the area. I’m conscious the whole time of Nora, waiting for me, buried in the sand, and I have to fight to be careful and not rush, or I could fall into the sandpit myself.

  Finally, I can step back and survey my handiwork. The sunlight glints off the various pieces of glass, completely obscuring the variation in the sand there. Perfect.

  I take the cart and hide it behind a tree. Then it is time to go back to the invaders. I travel back over the sand quickly, not bothering to be stealthy this time. I want them to hear me. Because I do not have to be quiet, I make it back to their encampment much more quickly.

  I do not want my appearance to seem staged, so I decide to run directly into their camp as though I was not expecting them to be there. Taking a deep breath, I flare my wings out and force my body to a stop, my feet digging into the sand halfway down one of the surrounding dunes.

  They all turn to me as one.

  A staccato yell erupts from the group. I turn around and run away as though startled by their sudden appearance.

  I do not move too fast, slowing my run until I hear them coming after me. When I do hear multiple footsteps, I increase my speed again. I need to be enough distance away from them that their stunners cannot hit me, but close enough that they have no chance of losing me.

  My focus is razor sharp as I lead them away from where I know I have hidden Nora. This is to keep her safe. I will not make a mistake.

  I crest another rise and see the oasis, the sun shining off of the glass. It acts as a marker for me to aim at. Switching directions, I run directly for it.

  In order to lure them into the pit, I have to run over it myself. Or at least give the appearance of running over it. Judging the distance carefully—I do not want to end up stuck in the pit myself—I flare my wings out, ready to leap. I cannot look like I am leaping too high or they will look to see what I am trying to avoid.

  So I jump just enough to help me glide but not rise too far over the sand, just barely managing to make it over the pit. I land so close that my feet sink into the edge of it and I stumble forward.

  I do not stop running, using the momentum to propel me onward.

  They are directly behind me, but all of them must keep running long enough that those in the back of the group also sink into the pit.

  So I do not slow down, not until I hear the cries change behind me. When I look back, all of the invaders are in the pit, those who were at the head of the group sinking faster. Those in the back were clearly running much too fast and too close to the others to heed their quicker counterparts' cries in time. They are struggling so hard that they have already buried themselves halfway into the sandpit.

  They are occupied sufficiently, so I return to the oasis to retrieve the cart. The cries of alarm continue to ring in the air as I turn and run back towards Nora.

  I do not have to watch to know that they are doomed. War is a messy business, but I stifle my compassion. They were the ones who decided to invade our planet. We are within our rights to defend ourselves.

  When I make it back to Nora, I immediately push the sand off of her. She lifts her arms out when the weight decreases, and I take hold of her hands, helping her rise up out of the hole. I start to brush the sand off her, but she does not wait to be clean, throwing her arms around me in a fierce hug. I wrap my own around her, holding her close. She trembles with relief.

  "I was so worried," she murmurs against my chest. "There were so many things that could've gone wrong, so many things I kept thinking about. And I knew there wasn't really anything I could do if you didn't come back..."

  I kiss the top of her head.

  "Life is a risk," I murmur. "However, in this case I was not in that much danger. Brawn is not always the answer. There is also wit."

  I tap my temple sagely when she pulls back to look up at me.

  "Wit, huh?"

  "I have much wit," I say with a serious face. "Apparently more wit than ten invaders combined."

  Her mouth twitches. And then she starts to chuckle.

  "You're right. I don't know why I was worried at all," she says, shaking her head.

  "Yes," I agree. "You must see that I am greatly powerful. Invaders are no match for me," I add, deliberately exaggerating my tone and my stance. Her laugh at the idiotic display is my reward. I grin back, happy to see her calm again.

  She becomes serious again when we turn towards the cart.

  "Do you know who they are?" she asks as we move to travel once more.

  I know she is referring to the invaders. I sigh, shaking my head in genuine regret.

  "I loathe the missing pieces of memory," I admit. Even the Order has a few missing pieces after the Devastation. "There is something familiar about their scent, but I simply cannot recall what it is." I shake my head. "It is quite frustrating."

  "I can't help but feel that we're going to find out soon," she says.

  "Perhaps."

  It is a reality that the invaders do not seem to be leaving Tajss anytime soon. I am not certain we will learn anymore, but we might have ample opportunity to do so. Whether that information will be helpful or not is yet to be seen. In any case, I do not want to linger in the area in case mor
e of their kind arrive, bringing more trouble for us. To that end, I push us forward.

  Luckily, we have not actually traveled that far away from the Tribe. Even with the cart and with Nora's slower pace, we manage to arrive at the Tribe's stronghold by nightfall without encountering any more obstacles.

  "Thank God," Nora says as the wall comes into sight.

  I nod my agreement. I would much rather have Nora here behind the safety of the wall, enclosed in the protection of the Tribe, even if the Elders are suspicious of me. I brace myself for it, though.

  When we walk past the barrier of the wall, we are greeted by the other Zmaj and the human females having dinner.

  "Oh my God, we were just about to send out people for you!"

  "And you were able to bring back glass!"

  "Where were you two holed up? We couldn't find you anywhere!"

  Nora explains what happened, how we had to take cover. When she pauses to take a breath, I deliberately step to her side and wrap an arm around her. She stiffens slightly looking up at me with a question in her eyes, but she does not resist when I draw her into a kiss in front of everyone.

  "I will take the cart to the collection area," I say to her after I pull back from her soft lips. Nora nods, slightly dazed.

  I smile internally as I push the cart away. I hear the murmurs start immediately. Good. I want everyone to know Nora is my mate, that she is taken.

  I feel the heavy stares of the Elders upon me as I move, but I ignore them. Unless and until they speak to me directly, it is not an issue I will deal with.

  I drop the cart off and return to the kitchen area to find Nora still there, gossiping with her friends. Her very interested female friends.

  "Oh my God, that's so romantic!"

  "Yeah, it's like a Lifetime movie! You guys were holed up in a cave and fell in love! It's so sweet I could gag!"

  "Nora, this is so great—I'm so happy for you!"

  "Yeah, he is pretty wonderful," Nora agrees, blushing under the attention, but also glimmering with happiness. I feel my own chest fill with emotion for her.

  Having heard enough, I step closer to Nora. The conversation halts as everyone realizes I'm there. I nod at her friends as I take Nora's hand in mine.

  "I believe it is time to withdraw for the night," I say to her.

  Nora blushes even more, but does not pull away. She turns readily to leave with me.

  "Bye, guys," she throws over her shoulder.

  "Bye, Nora!" her friends chorus all together, giggling.

  She ducks her head in shyness, but does not deny their obvious assumption as I draw her over to my own chambers. They are correct after all.

  Once we are alone, I pull her back into my arms.

  "Now that we are alone, I want to take my time with you," I inform her softly, leaning down to kiss her cheeks, her forehead, her small nose.

  She sighs, sinking in against me. "Yes, please."

  I chuckle under my breath, pushing her down towards my pallet. And I do take my time.

  Stripping both of us first, I kiss every inch of her body, from the top of her head down to the soles of her feet. She is so perfect. I do not think I could ever sate myself on her. I would forever want more. Her soft skin, her delicate scent, the curves and give of her body. I bury my face against her breasts, luxuriating in their softness, in the rapid beat of her heart.

  When I reach the down between her legs, I find her wet and welcoming, but I do not sink into her right away. I turn her over and kiss every inch of her back too. From the nape of her neck, to the small of her back, to the curves under her backside and the backs of her knees, until she is wiggling with impatience underneath me.

  "Archion," she complains, her voice breathy with arousal.

  Grinning, I lower my body over hers and sink into her from behind. She gasps as I groan, the wet clasp of her familiar but still so new. So glorious. The coupling is just as stunning as before. She makes me feel things beyond the physical, like we are becoming one with each other, the lines between us blurring as pleasure drenches us. It takes some effort to hold myself back, to wait until she reaches her peak, but then I allow myself to reach it as well.

  I wonder how this treasure has entered my life. How I am lucky enough to be holding this perfection of a female, to be holding Nora. To have her in my life.

  We fall asleep with me still inside of her.

  And when I wake in the middle of the night, I find myself hard and still inside her sweet body. When I start to move, she awakens sleepily. I reach between us to rub at her small nub and she cries out, the orgasm quick and sharp. Moaning, I roll onto my back and settle her on top of me.

  We fall asleep once more, but not for the last time. I lose count of the times we couple during that night. I know I will never forget it. And, by the end of it, I am more certain than ever that I will never be able to satiate myself with her.

  I will always want another taste.

  16

  Nora

  Archion kisses me awake the next morning. I hum my enjoyment. I could really get used to this.

  "I am going to go on patrol," he tells me in that deep voice that sends shivers through me. "I hope your day is a good one."

  I smile as I stretch. "I hope you have a good day, too."

  He kisses me again and then leaves. I'm pretty sure he's going to be early, but that doesn't surprise me. I doubt Archion is ever anything but responsible.

  The wake-up call has me jumping out of bed with a smile on my face, ready for the day. Maybe it's dangerous to feel so invested in this still-unlabeled relationship, but I can't help it. I'm going take what happiness I can get.

  I'm still riding that high when Addison comes to visit the Tribe that afternoon. All of the girls get together at lunch to talk with her, to catch up.

  Since she’s the tech expert, we're all interested in what she has to say about the glass and the meteors we found after that beautiful light show in the sky.

  "Actually, we're not all that sure how to use it," Addison admits as we eat. "The glass is definitely different, but we're still trying to learn more about it."

  That sends a ripple of interest through us. We've all been really careful to collect all the glass that melted the sand within our territories, but it's still unclear if the invaders have collected their own from other meteorite showers elsewhere.

  Not knowing what the glass actually does adds another wrinkle to everything.

  "Has Errol learned anything?" I ask, curious.

  Addison nods.

  "There is a sound frequency imprinted in the glass. But that's not all that unusual. He's found the same thing to be true with some of the ores that come from the mining settlement."

  Interesting. We talk over the meteorite showers some more, and the glass. All of this could mean changes in how we do things right now. Not that everything isn't always in some state of flux. We have to figure things out as we go. Addison also brings us some news from the city, which is nice.

  But towards the end, the talk somehow turns towards me.

  "Enough about all of that stuff." Addison leans in towards me, her eyes sparkling. "I hear you're with Archion now, Nora. Come on, spill."

  I blush as the other girls share knowing glances.

  "Uh, yes? We kind of got together when we were trapped out in the desert during that sandstorm," I say quickly. Maybe that'll be enough to appease her.

  But I see Addison open her mouth to ask something else, and it might be more personal.

  Delilah takes pity on me before she can, standing with her dishes in hand.

  "All right guys. Let her go—I need help in the kitchen."

  The girls protest, but I get up with a silent, relieved sigh, and follow Delilah into the kitchen. We need to start prep for the next meal.

  "Thank you," I murmur to Delilah as I work alongside her.

  "No problem," she reassures me. But then she gives me a sidelong glance. "Though, if you do want to talk to somebody...y
ou know I'm here, right?"

  I chuckle, recognizing her tactful attempt to talk about the same subject. Of course, I'm much more comfortable now, alone with her. I know she genuinely cares and we've grown really close working together. I'm happy to share.

  "Well, we had to find shelter when the sandstorm got so strong. With the close proximity and the enforced interaction...I guess we just couldn't avoid it anymore."

  Delilah nods.

  "That makes sense. We should have found a way to isolate you two earlier—it was clear to anyone who had eyes that you guys were into each other." She stops what she's doing to give me a warm hug. "I'm really glad that this happened."

  I blush, considering that as I hug her back.

  "Were we really that obvious?" I ask, uncomfortable.

  "Yes. But it was adorable." She waves her hand. "Never mind that. What happened after the sandstorm?"

  "Well, he trained me with the shock-stick, tried to help me learn how to protect myself. And then, later, he went out while we were smoking meat and came back with a flower for me."

  "A flower?" she says. "Well, then. That is romantic! Guy knows what he's doing."

  I smile, nodding.

  "It was the first time we kissed," I admit, sighing over the memory.

  Maybe I'm being insufferable, but I'm allowed when it's still so new, right?

  "Oh, that sounds just about perfect. Then what?"

  "Well, we went out to collect glass, there was an meteorite shower..."

  I describe what happened next, skimming over details, but I can see Delilah put two and two together. I appreciate that she doesn't tease me over it.

  "I'm so happy for you Nora. And judging by how things are going, you might just have some dragonlings of your own faster than you think," she points out, wagging her eyebrows at me.

  Okay, there goes the no teasing. I flush a bright pink, just in time for the little ones to run into the kitchen.

  "Nora! Nora!" they call out, running over to hug me. I crouch down to hug them back, taking in their sweet baby scents.

  And, for the first time in a long time, I feel that almost-forgotten hope rekindle inside me. If Archion asks me to be his mate, I'm going to say yes.