by Lili Zander
Zorux is staring at me. I’m hunched into myself, waiting for him to take a swing at me, waiting for him to erupt in anger. He does none of these things. “You sleep with a knife under your pillow,” he says softly. “Why?”
I can’t answer his question. I shrug off my shirt and hand it to him. “For the cut,” I mumble.
He takes it from me, and dabs at his face. I’m wearing a tank-top underneath, and I can feel his eyes rest on my body for an instant. “Are you afraid that one of us might hurt you?”
My eyes fly to his face. “No.” The nightmare has left my skin cold and clammy, but Zorux’s quiet tone soothes me. “Back at home,” I whisper, “Someone close to me tried to hurt me. I feel safer with a weapon.”
“You’re safe here, Ryanna.” His shoulders are broad, and he looks strong, focused and controlled. There’s probably not a thing in the world that would terrify him. “Go back to sleep.”
I shudder at the thought of falling asleep, of reliving my nightmare. “I’ll just stay up for a while.”
He’s crouched at my side. At my words, he lets me go and gets back on his feet. I feel the loss of his touch like a physical blow. “Are you keeping watch?” I ask him, taking care to keep my voice low. I’d prefer if the others don’t wake up. I really don’t want to explain what happened to everyone.
He nods. “You can join me.” He makes his way to the narrow cave opening and sits down. In the faint green light of the moon, I pick my way past the sleeping bodies and settle next to him. One side of the cave mouth is smooth, and he’s leaning against it. The other side is jagged, so I just sit in the middle, facing outward.
“Sorry about the cut.”
He shrugs. “It’s just a scratch.”
It’s a little deeper than just a scratch. I contemplate apologizing again, but Zorux seems determined to downplay the incident, and I’m quite happy to let him.
I never thought I’d be an abused wife. The first time Mike hit me, I’d been more shocked than angry. Then he begged forgiveness and stopped drinking for two months, and I stayed. I loved my husband. I thought it was a one-time mistake.
Then it got worse, but I couldn’t do anything. I was the biracial woman who lived on the outskirts of Goose Hand, Georgia with my reclusive grandparents. Mike was the sheriff of our small town, an upstanding, well-liked citizen. I began to believe it was my fault. If only I were a better wife. If only the house were cleaner, even though I worked ten-hour shifts at a grocery store in Eastman, almost an hour away.
When I finally picked up courage and left Mike, he swore he’d make me pay. I sleep with a weapon underneath my pillow because it’s the only thing that makes me feel safe, even though I’m on another planet, and my ex-husband has no way of reaching me here. I keep telling myself to stop being terrified. Sometimes, as it did when I shot the Dwals with Beirax’s weapon, it works. Most of the time, it doesn’t.
I’m a fucking mess.
“You’re upset.” Zorux hasn’t taken his eyes off me.
I’m trying not to burst into tears in front of Surly Draekon. “I’m fine.”
“You’re trembling,” he points out.
I can’t dispute that.
“You should sleep.”
“Are you always so bossy?” I snap at him.
A trace of a smile dances on his lips. “Yes,” he says. “Come here, Ryanna.”
A different tension fills my body, and my heart beats faster. I can’t make sense of the look in Zorux’s eyes. We’re sitting at the mouth of the cave, our bodies close enough that if I reached out, I could touch his hard muscles. I could trail my fingers over his bare chest, and rub my thumb over the bar of metal that pierces his nipple. I could slide my hand lower, past his tightly defined V…
Look, don’t touch.
I’ve resolved to keep clear of the gorgeous Draekon men. Maybe I’ll devote myself to good deeds, to go with my vow of celibacy. I’ll be a cross between Robinson Crusoe and a nun. Better than falling for someone. The last time I did that, I ended up in the hospital.
Repeat after me: no men. I’m locking my libido down tighter than a nun’s pajamas.
Uncertainly, I move to Zorux’s side. He puts his arm around my shoulders and pulls me against his body. “You have nothing to be afraid of,” he says, his voice low and soothing.
He’s built like a linebacker, and I feel tiny in his embrace. His hand stroke my hair, and I sigh and rest my head on his shoulder. I don’t think I can fall asleep, but my eyes start to droop, and before I know it, I’m out like a light.
I wake up the next morning in my own sleeping bag-type thing, wondering if I’ve dreamed the whole thing. Until I see the cut on Zorux’s cheek.
I’m not the only one who notices. “What happened to you?” Thrax asks.
I wince inwardly. Now the entire group finds out that I’m a crazy, paranoid woman who sleeps with a knife under her pillow and attacks people in her sleep.
Zorux gives Thrax a blank stare. “I ran into a wall.”
Vulrux and Dennox are preparing the morning meal. Vulrux looks up at Zorux’s words, the flickering flames lighting up his face light in the pre-dawn gloom. “You ran into a wall?”
“It was dark.”
“Funny,” Dennox remarks lightly. “The sky was clear last night, and Uzzan shone bright.”
Zorux shrugs. “Is the food ready?” he asks pointedly. “We have a long walk ahead, and should set out as soon as we can.”
There’s a lump in my throat. Zorux didn’t have to lie to protect me, but he did it anyway. Last night, I’d dozed off in his arms. At some point, he must have carried me over to my bed, but I hadn’t woken up.
I can’t remember the last time I slept so well. The last time I’d felt so safe and cared for.
I don’t know why Zorux keeps people at a distance. When he isn’t deliberately trying to be unfriendly, he’s kind. Gentle. Caring.
Surly Draekon has layers.
Leave well enough alone, Ryanna. No more men.
I keep a careful eye on Harper as we descend to the Lowlands, but if anything, she looks worse, not better. At least she isn’t carrying a full load of supplies. Thrax had come up as we were lifting our packs, and he’d taken most of Harper’s load, putting a finger over his lips as she started to protest. I’d given him an inquiring gaze, and he’d winked at me. “Can’t have her fainting on the way to the ship,” he’d whispered to me.
When we reach the ground, we stop for a quick drink of water from our packs before preparing to confront the jungle. The humidity hits me like a solid wall and Harper groans. “I’d forgotten how fucking hot it was,” she mutters under her breath. “God, I’m not looking forward to this.”
Neither am I. I only spent one day in the jungle, but it was a day I’m quite happy to forget. Sofia and I trying to make our way back to Fehrat 1, dragging an increasingly ill Harper between us. We’d managed to get horribly lost too. We’d have died of thirst had we not stumbled upon the waterfall. Then, I’d had to fight off the Dwals that attacked us.
Harper can’t make that journey again. Not today. She’s just too sick. Of course, my friend would be furious if I tattled on her to Vulrux and Dennox.
An idea occurs to me.
“You know the river where you found us?” I ask Vulrux and Dennox, crossing my fingers behind my back. “Is the ship anywhere near it? Maybe we can build rafts and sail part of the way?”
Vulrux looks thoughtful. “I hadn’t considered it.” He exchanges a glance with Dennox. “What do you think?”
“The river is fairly flat except for one small section,” Dennox replies. “But it’ll take us longer to build rafts than to make the trip on foot.”
“But the rafts might be useful once we find Beirax’s locator,” Thrax says, giving me an amused glance. He helped Harper with her pack, and he knows precisely why I’m suggesting the rafts. Instead of ratting me out to the other Draekon, he’s helping. Again. “Beirax said the pieces of the cloakship were a
two-month journey away. The river runs almost all the way to the Sa’Lung Range before veering south. We could potentially save some time down the line.”
Dennox frowns. “Only if the cloakship is in the path of the river,” he says. “If the drop site lies due north, we’ll be going the wrong way.” He rubs his chin thoughtfully.
Vulrux appears to reach a decision. “Let’s do it,” he says. “If we head due north, it’s only an hour’s journey to the river bank. We march in single file. Dennox goes first.”
That makes sense. Dennox used to be an elite soldier. He’s a formidable warrior, plus he can change into a dragon and breathe fire at anything that might be foolish enough to get in his way. It’s a handy skill.
Vulrux continues giving orders. “Ryanna, you follow Dennox. Then Thrax, Raiht’vi, Zorux, and Harper. I’ll bring up the rear.”
We set off. Dennox hacks his way through the jungle, clearing a path for us through the multi-colored trees. I see the pink tree that Harper brushed against, the one that sent her into a coma, and give it a wide berth. Thrax points out a knee-high red-leaved plant with long orange thorns. “That’s the laius plant. You humans like to eat the roots, don’t you?”
Heck, yes. The laius root tastes like a nutty potato, and I’m a tiny bit addicted to it. “Do you cultivate it?”
“No need,” Zorux grunts from behind me. “The thing grows like a weed. Besides, we don’t care for it as much as you humans seem to.”
And… Surly Draekon is back. I could probably set my watch by Zorux. Ten minutes of sweetness followed by four hours of ill-temper.
That’s not fair, my conscience reminds me. Zorux isn’t ill-tempered. He just keeps to himself and doesn’t engage in conversation. Also, he lied for you this morning, remember?
That’s true. I turn back and give him a sunny smile, and he blinks at me, surprised. I suppress my triumphant grin. I’m going to out-nice you, buddy. I’m a Southern woman. We can kill with kindness.
As I trudge through the jungle, I keep glancing back at Harper. Sweat beads on her forehead and her steps have slowed to a crawl. It doesn’t take long for Vulrux to notice. As soon as we get to a small clearing, he signals for a rest.
I drop my pack and flop on the ground with a sigh of relief, reaching for my store of water. Raiht’vi sits down as well, her eyes on Harper. “It can’t be,” she mutters under her breath.
Zorux overhears her. “What’s the matter with the human woman?”
Raiht’vi doesn’t reply immediately, and his expression hardens. “We aren’t on the homeworld anymore,” he snaps. “Information isn’t power on the prison planet, scientist. We share what we know because it keeps us alive. If you know what’s wrong with Harper, you need to tell us.”
Huh. Funny. I’d have pegged Zorux as a fervent defender of Zorahn traditions, and I would have thought he’d be deferential to Raiht’vi. But come to think of it, Zorux has avoided both scientists like the plague. He even talks to me more than he does to Beirax and Raiht’vi. Which isn’t saying much because until yesterday, he’d barely spoken to me.
Dennox and Vulrux crouch next to Harper, who’s curled up on the ground in obvious pain. “What’s the matter, diya?” Vulrux asks, his calm voice at odds with the panic in his eyes. “Tell me what’s happening.”
Zorux gives Raiht’vi a death glare, and Raiht’vi clears her throat. “She’s pregnant.”
I’m looking at Dennox’s face as Raiht’vi says those words, and I see the fierce joy that blazes in his eyes. There’s a pang in my heart when I see how happy he is. Then I realize how concerned both men are, and I feel horrible. Am I seriously feeling jealous of Harper? Of course not. I’m thrilled for my friend and worried for her in equal measure.
Harper lifts her head weakly and stares at Raiht’vi. “I can’t be pregnant,” she says. “I’m not late.”
Vulrux rubs his chin. “We’re two different species, diya,” he says quietly. “The symptoms might not be the same.”
“But she’s going to be okay, right?” I address my question to Raiht’vi.
Raiht’vi address her reply to Vulrux. “While a human has never given birth to a Draekon,” she says, “there should be nothing preventing Harper from carrying the youngling to term. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll be an easy birth. Harper shouldn’t be exhausting herself on this journey. She should be resting.”
Dennox’s face is white, and he grips Harper’s hand as if he’s afraid to let go. Harper grimaces. “Stop talking about me like I’m not here,” she says. “I can’t go back to camp. I’ll be too worried about Vulrux and Dennox. That can’t be good for the baby, can it?” She bites her lip. “I just have to push through. Arax is right. Finding the Cloakship is critical. If the exiles that took Olivia, Felicity, Bryce, Paige, and May leave the planet with them…”
I kneel next to my friend and pat her on the back. “Harper,” I say to her, my voice gentle. “I know you want to find them, honey. But you can barely stand up. You don’t want to hurt your baby, do you?”
We’re at an impasse. We need the dragons’ ability to fly in order to retrieve Beirax’s supplies, but Harper cannot come with us. She can’t risk her baby.
Zorux and Thrax reach the same conclusion as I have. “Your mate cannot come on this journey,” Zorux says, giving Vulrux and Dennox a sympathetic glance. “And neither should you. Nothing is more important than taking care of your mate and your young. Your place is at her side.”
“It’s important to find the Cloakship,” Dennox says, his expression agonized. He obviously wants to turn back, but he’s a soldier, and he has a strong sense of duty.
“We will look for it,” Thrax replies promptly. “It’ll take us longer to do it by foot, but that can’t be helped.”
Vulrux takes a deep breath. “I will fly Harper back to the camp and stay with her,” he says. “Dennox can take you to Fehrat 1 to find the locator. But more than that, we can’t do. Zorux is right; we need to be with our mate.”
Crap. Our party of seven has now become four.
In the middle of the night, when I cut Zorux’s cheek, instead of being angry with me, he’d been gentle and caring. This morning, Thrax backed my suggestion of building a raft instead of dismissing it as a foolish notion.
I’m already fighting my attraction to both men. Now, I’m going to be spending a lot of time alone with them, with only Raiht’vi to stop me from doing something really stupid. I can pretend I’m wearing iron clad panties all I want, but my body knows the truth. Earth has not made a vibrator powerful enough for me to keep my desire under control.
6
Zorux:
Vulrux transforms into a dragon. Dennox helps Harper on his back, and the two of them fly away. When they’re out of sight, the former soldier turns to us, a determined expression on his face. He’s still afraid for his mate, of course, but he is Zoraken, and he has a mission. “Let’s go.”
“Wait a second.” Dennox is strong, but there are four of us. “Do you mean to carry all of us in one load?”
He nods. “It’s a short flight to the ship. It’ll be a good test of what I can do. We need to know the limits of our abilities, and the rainy season has prevented us from discovering as much as we should.”
Without further ado, he drops to his knees, his face contorting with pain as he transforms into the dragon. Scales explode from his skin. His outstretched arms stretch and grow, shimmering into wings. “Wow,” Ryanna whispers. I look at her, and she blushes. “I know I’ve seen it before, but every time, it just amazes me.”
Jealousy stabs me as she looks at Dennox’s bronze dragon with awe. The giant wedge-shaped head swivels our way, and even though I know the creature is friendly—it’s Dennox—I tense and force myself not to reach for my knife.
The instant Dennox’s transformation is complete, Thrax springs forward, his eyes shining. “Look at him,” Ryanna mutters. “He looks like a kid in a candy store.”
She’s right; Thrax is almost
dancing with excitement. I bite back a smile. “He’s a former pilot,” I say. “He’s flying again.”
Thrax jumps on Dennox’s gleaming bronze back and slides his way to the front, between the first and second spikes. Muttering something under her breath, Raiht’vi follows, sitting directly behind Thrax.
Ryanna hangs back, her face slightly green. “We’re really going to do this, aren’t we?” She takes a deep breath. “Don’t freak out, Ryanna,” she says out loud. “It’s just like getting on a plane. Really. Except for the part about falling off the dragon and plummeting to my death.”
She’s afraid of heights. Even this short flight has to be a nightmare for her. I pick her up and swing her on the dragon’s back, marveling at how small and fragile her body is. Climbing up after her, I settle behind her. “Lean back against me, Ryanna.” I wrap my hands around her waist and pull her back against my chest. Her body is slender yet soft, and my cock hardens at her nearness. “Relax. Dennox won’t let you fall and neither will I.”
The dragon’s head swings around his long neck. When he’s satisfied that we’re all securely seated, he spreads his wings and jumps forward into the air.
Wonder fills me as we climb high into the sky and I see the jungle spread out below me like a thick green carpet. The prison planet is dangerous, but from up here, it looks peaceful and serene.
Ryanna makes the mistake of looking down, and she whimpers in fear. “Oh my God. I’m going to die.”
I’ve got my arms around her, and she’s perfectly fine, but she’s trembling like a leaf. “You’re safe,” I breathe into her ear. Acting on instinct, I move her hair aside. A pulse is beating in her neck, and I lower my lips to that spot.
We’re flying above the forest canopy. The river Ysri winds a lazy pathway through the forest, curving west toward the Sa’Lung Range before veering south. A small herd of Gawi quenches their thirst at the banks.