by S. E. Smith
The golden ship shuddered again as she brushed her hand gently against its smooth surface. She laughed softly as she felt the smooth, soft metal. She didn’t understand what it was or where it had come from, but she didn’t get any bad vibes from it.
She let her other hand glide over the surface, as well. She rubbed it lightly while whispering nonsense words. She felt her hands slowly sink into the soft metal, and long strips of the gold reached out, winding themselves around her arms and wrists.
Abby’s breath caught in her throat as she watched the gold bands slowly slide up her arms. When she pulled back, two thin, intricately designed gold bands were attached to her wrists like gold wrist cuffs. Abby stared at them, marveling at their beauty, as she ran her fingers over first one, then the other.
Bo’s sudden barking turned to a scared yelp as he charged back toward Abby. Abby moved away from the ship looking up startled as Bo raced past her toward the path leading back to her cabin. Turning toward where Bo had come from, Abby wondered what other wonders the storm had brought.
“Well, what got your tennis balls stirred up?” Abby asked bemused. She was still in a daze at finding something so beautiful on her mountain. A groan from the direction Bo had just run from caused Abby to take a step back.
Zoran groaned as he tried to lift his head. He didn’t remember much about the landing. He knew he needed to get out; his body was on fire, but he didn’t remember much but the fierce weather from the planet. He collapsed, unable to move, as the pain in his body overwhelmed him. He knew he needed to get back to his symbiot but didn’t have the energy. He could only hope the message he sent out to his brothers would be received as darkness once again took him.
Abby bit her lip as she moved slowly toward the sound of the groan she had just heard. She really hoped this unexpected visit didn’t turn out to be one of those horror-film/alien-possession things. She knew the golden ship was not from Earth. It didn’t take a NASA scientist to figure that out. She just hoped curiosity didn’t end up getting her killed.
Abby saw the figure lying face down on the damp grass. Well, if it was an alien, he sure had the figure of a human—a very big human. Abby wasn’t a shrimp at five-foot-eight, but this guy had to be well over six and a half feet if he was an inch.
Moving hesitantly until she stood next to him, she saw he had long black hair and was wearing some type of uniform with black epaulets on the shoulders. She couldn’t see what his face looked like because his hair was covering it. She stooped down and gently brushed back his hair, letting her fingers rest for a moment on his neck. She found a weak pulse. What worried her the most, however, was how hot his skin felt.
The gold on one of her wrists moved when she touched the man, turning to a liquid and pouring down her fingers until it wrapped around the man’s throat. Abby was afraid at first that it meant to harm him, but then warmth flowed through her and she knew it wouldn’t.
“I don’t know what you are, but I don’t get the feeling you want to hurt him either,” Abby murmured under her breath. “Let’s see what our man looks like and what we can do to help him out.”
Abby ran her hands down the figure looking for any obvious signs of trauma before gently rolling him over onto his back. She drew in a deep breath. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life. He was also the most beat-up man she had ever seen. How someone could hurt another being like this broke Abby’s heart.
Blood spotted his uniform on both the front and the back, making it obvious that the uniform had been put on over the injuries since it was not cut up. His facial features were definitely human-like. Abby ran her fingers over his face, gently touching the cuts above his left eye and cheek before moving down to his lips. He had strong, proud features. His nose was a little broader than normal, and he had prominent cheekbones, much like the Native American Indians. His color was similar too with the darker tanned skin. She wondered what color his eyes would be—brown, blue, or almost black—but they were closed, and she did not want to force them open.
Abby checked him over to see if he had any broken bones. She worried about his ribs, since even in his unconscious state, he jerked when she probed them. She realized the only way she was going to be able to get him to the cabin was on a skid. She whistled for Bo to come to her. He had taken off toward the cabin earlier, but she had seen him sniffing around the meadow again a few minutes ago.
Bo wagged his tail as he came toward Abby, keeping his head down and his eyes nervously on the still figure next to her. “Come on, boy. I need you to be a guard dog and protect our visitor until I get back with Gloria,” Abby said petting the golden retriever behind the ear.
“Stay,” Abby commanded Bo and watched as he lay down next to the man, resting his head on the man’s chest. “Good boy. Stay.”
Abby took off at a run for her cabin. She would use the old skid she used to haul wood to bring the injured man back to the cabin. She quickly pulled out the harness gear and called Gloria over to her. She hooked up the skid behind Gloria and pulled some thick pads from the storage room of the barn and laid it on top of the skid.
With a click of her tongue, Abby and Gloria moved up the path again to the meadow. Gloria was a pro at this, since Edna would bring her several times a year for Abby to use. It was too cold most of the winter to keep a horse or a mule up this high in the mountains; plus, there was not enough pasture land, so it was a win-win situation for Abby to just borrow Gloria when she needed the extra help.
Abby jumped off the skid once they entered the meadow. The gold ship glimmered as Abby walked by with Gloria. Abby couldn’t help but run her hand along the ship’s surface again to caress it.
“It’s going to be okay. I’m going to help him. Then you can have him back. He just needs some TLC. I won’t hurt him,” Abby said as her fingers glided from the tip of the ship to the very back. She could almost feel the ship’s sigh of relief at her words.
Bo looked up from his place next to the man. After fifteen minutes of grunting and pushing, Abby finally had the man on the padded skid. She was breathing heavily and sweating from the exertion.
“Wow. He’s a lot bigger and heavier than I thought,” Abby said to no one in particular. She didn’t know if the ship, Bo, or Gloria really gave a damn about how big and heavy the man was.
Abby made the short trip back to the cabin at a much slower pace, aware of how the man groaned with every rut she hit. She would have to use the ramp her grandfather had built for her grandmother to get him into the cabin. The skid was narrow enough to fit through the front door of the cabin thanks to the extra wide door her grandfather had installed after her grandmother needed to use a wheelchair to get around. It would be tricky getting him in the room and in the bed, but she felt sure she could do it with a little manipulation.
An hour later, totally exhausted, Abby lay on the bed next to the man. She had pushed, pulled, and tugged until she could barely move, but she had him in the bed. She gave herself a few minutes to regroup before sitting up. First things first, she needed to get his clothes off so she could see the damage. Then she would bathe him and doctor his cuts.
Abby didn’t want to cut the man’s clothes up, but she found it was going to be the only way to get them off. The cloth was stuck to his skin with dried blood in many places and was stretched across him like a second skin in others. She would go to town later and get him some clothes, once she knew it was safe to leave him. As she cut the shirt off him, Abby noticed the gold on the man’s throat had moved down to his chest now. It just lay there curled up as if it was asleep.
Abby couldn’t contain the tears that filled her eyes at the number of cuts and bruises on the poor man. She tried not to blush when she got to his pants. He wasn’t wearing anything under them and was just as impressive there as he was everywhere else. Abby did her best to keep her touch impersonal and hoped the man wouldn’t be offended when he woke up and realized she had taken such liberties.
His legs were covered
with bruises as well as small cuts. It was as if he had been tortured. She gasped as she saw the deep cuts around his ankles. Her gaze flew to his wrists and, sure enough, he had deep cuts there as well. Whoever hurt the man had obviously had him shackled so he couldn’t defend himself.
Abby threw the clothes into a pile. She would burn them later in the burn barrel behind the cabin. In the bathroom, she filled a bucket with lukewarm water. She needed to get his temperature down. She was afraid to give him any medication for a human, not knowing if it would hurt him. She hoped cleaning the wounds and bringing his temperature down would help.
She rolled him onto his side and laid a vinyl tablecloth down with the plastic face down so she wouldn’t soak the mattress. She then laid several towels under him. She bathed his back first, just dampening his hair as best she could. She wouldn’t be able to really wash it, but at least it would feel better than it had.
As she bathed him she was careful to make sure she paid close attention to his cuts. It was strange watching the small gold band moving over his body as she moved the man. It seemed to go to the worse cuts and bruises and stay there for a few moments before moving on. Once, it even came to her and wrapped around her wrist while the other gold wrist cuff dissolved and moved to replace it. Abby just shivered when she felt them move over her. It wasn’t a bad feeling. In fact, it felt warm and fuzzy.
Abby turned even redder as she washed the man’s private area. He was thickly built and long even in his relaxed state. She had never seen or touched a man before, and her hands shook as she gently cleaned him. She was thankful he was unconscious and would never know what she had done.
She tried to think what a nurse would do in such a situation. Hell, she knew even some cosmetologists worked with peoples’ private areas. She tried to focus on the gold band moving up and over the man’s body from one place to another. She watched in fascination as cuts began to heal right before her eyes wherever the gold band touched. Right now, it was working on his right wrist.
Once Abby was done, she removed the damp tablecloth and towels and covered the man with the thick quilt. She put him in her grandparents’ old bedroom. The bed was a king size and seemed to fit him better than her full-size bed. She felt his forehead again, and it felt a little cooler. His complexion looked better as well.
She had enough time to put Gloria in the pen and make some dinner before dark. The electricity was still off, and she didn’t want to run the generator any more than she had to. She could measure the man and order him some clothes from the Internet. Luckily, her laptop was fully charged, and she used satellite for her connection since no service ran this far up into the mountains.
An hour later, Abby closed the laptop, satisfied with her order. She had ordered several shirts and pairs of pants, boxers, socks, and after measuring his feet, which she found were ticklish, a pair of boots and a pair of tennis shoes. It wasn’t easy finding both in a size eighteen wide. She stood up and stretched.
The gold bands had switched again, and she noticed the one on her left wrist seemed to be stroking her. Abby smiled as she gently rubbed the little gold band. She could tell it seemed to enjoy it when she did that.
She figured she would sleep in the big bed next to the man tonight. There was plenty of room for her skinny butt, and this way, if the gold bands needed to change they could. Plus, she just felt better staying close to him. At least until he woke up.
Abducting Abby
Sample of The Dragon’s Treasure
USA Today Bestseller!
Synopsis:
Seven incredible kingdoms, eight sexy tales of love, angst, and adventure! This contemporary fairy tale series will take you to a world filled with dragons, merpeople, pirates, witches, monsters, Elementals, and a lonely king who desperately needs some hope...
Choose your treasure carefully, thief…
Drago, King of the Isle of Dragons, is the last of the magnificent dragons of the Seven Kingdoms. Bitter and alone, he abandons the emptiness of his realm and retreats to the caverns beneath the palace. In the form of his dragon, he remains hidden from the world, protecting the Dragon’s Heart, the last legacy of his people – until he is disturbed by a most unlikely thief.
Carly Tate’s trip to Yachats State Park takes a turn when she is caught in a sudden storm. Seeking shelter, she stumbles through a magical doorway into a cavern filled with treasure! Yet, as incredible as the piles of glittering gold and jewels are, her gaze is transfixed by the slumbering form of a magnificent dragon.
Carly’s appearance begins a series of events that will not only change Drago’s life, but will affect all of the Seven Kingdoms. Can a centuries-old dragon protect his most valuable treasure, or will the evil that destroyed his race take Carly from him as well?
Read on for just over two full chapters of The Dragon’s Treasure.
In the Beginning…
Long, long ago, peace reigned over the Isles of the Seven Kingdoms. Each kingdom: the Isles of the Dragon, Sea Serpent, Magic, Giants, Elements, Pirates, and Monsters were ruled by seven powerful leaders who watched over their realms. Each ruler was given a gift by the Goddess who created their world; a gift that promised harmony among the kingdoms as long as these gifts were kept safe and not used against each other. The rulers were fair and just, and understood their kingdoms needed each other to flourish.
Alas, the peace was not to last. One night a strange and brilliant light fell from the sky and landed in the ocean. Those who saw the meteor streak through the dark skies made lighthearted wishes. One young sea witch saw the falling star and swam out to sea to catch it. She was unaware that something dark and evil lived within its core – a darkness that would slowly overpower her and threaten the very fabric of the Seven Kingdoms.
Prologue: The End of the Great Battle
“Return to the isle, I will join you soon,” Drago ordered.
“Drago, do you think it safe?” Theron asked, glancing across the waves at the man who had emerged from the inky blackness.
Drago released a growl of warning. His second-in-command tilted his wings and fell back, increasing the distance between them. Five dragons, all members of his elite guard, hovered close by. The three males and two females kept a wary eye on the water below them. Even with a dragon’s eyesight, they could see nothing within the growing darkness of the storm clouds around them or through the turbulence of the waves.
“Return now,” Drago ordered.
“Yes, my king,” Theron reluctantly agreed, rising higher and issuing a sharp order to the other guards.
Drago kept his gaze locked on Orion. The Sea King gazed back at him with the same intense expression on his face. The large sea dragon that Orion rode shook its head, feeling the tension between the two men.
“Orion,” Drago growled.
“I come asking for a truce, dragon. You are the last of the kingdoms. The others agreed to peace,” Orion stated.
Drago snorted, small puffs of smoke swirled from his nostrils and blew away in the gathering wind, floating toward Orion. The sea dragon jerked in alarm. A smile of satisfaction curved Drago’s lips when he saw Orion fight for control of the huge sea dragon. The sharp, angry glare Orion shot him told Drago that the Sea King was well aware that he had frightened the sea dragon on purpose.
“What brings on this sudden desire for peace?” Drago asked in a mocking tone.
Orion's mouth tightened in irritation. “It was all lies,” he replied.
“What were lies?” Drago demanded.
“I had no desire for your treasure nor to steal the Dragon’s Heart, Drago. The Isle of the Sea Serpent has its own treasures. We do not need the enchanted gold and jewels of the dragons and I know better than to try to steal the gift of the Goddess,” Orion said.
Drago snapped his teeth. “You claim that, yet I’ve captured your men who swear just the opposite. You also blamed the dragons for scorching your fields above the sea. None of my people attacked your kingdom and still they lie at the bot
tom of the ocean while their mates and children cry in sorrow,” he retorted.
“I know, but I swear on the Trident that those who you captured are under a curse of dark magic, forced to do deeds they would never have done otherwise. I also swear that it was not my people who struck the dragons from the sky. They… Drago, they lay as statues, turned to stone by a spell I have never seen before,” Orion replied, his voice barely audible above the sound of the wind and waves.
“You swear? Then who did such dark magic? The only ones with such power are those from the Isle of Magic,” Drago demanded.
Orion hesitated and looked out over the sea before returning his gaze to Drago. Drago could see the regret in the other king’s eyes. He could also see the sincerity.
“Nay, it was not the Isle of Magic, it was my cousin Magna,” Orion finally said.
“The Sea Witch?” Drago asked.
“Yes, something has happened to her. I have banished her, but I fear that is not enough. Her magic grows more powerful and must be stopped once and for all. It was her lies and treachery that started the wars between the kingdoms. She cast a spell – there is a darkness within her unlike anything I have ever seen before, Drago. It is unnatural. The more we fight each other, the stronger it grows. The only way to defeat the spell is to work together,” Orion said.
“I sensed the darkness in her when she came to me for asylum. I should have killed her then, but instead gave my word to protect her from you when she said you had gone mad. Know this, Orion, if I find her first, all the water in the ocean and her black magic will not save her from the fire of my dragon,” Drago swore.
“I hope it will not come to that. Do you accept the truce, Drago? I pledge to do everything I can to bring justice for the hideous deeds Magna has done,” Orion said in a solemn tone.