by Keri Kruspe
“What is wrong with you?” The male’s face twisted into an unattractive sneer.
“I don’t know!” Another ear-splitting wail rang out. “I can’t seem to control this stupid female body!”
Sherri snickered to herself. Yep, she always suspected men (or males) couldn’t handle the things a woman had to. Her period was supposed to come in another week and her nerves always got tight around that time. Served the rat-bastard right for taking something that didn’t belong to him.
“Well, get control and let us in.”
Ha! No sympathy there.
Sherri felt her body heaving in exertion. Hey, another sign of progress. Before, there wasn’t any sensation, just floating around in a blank sea of nothing. Maybe she was gaining enough strength to build on expanding her awareness to help take herself back.
Which was a weird thing to say.
Maynwaring roared a frustrated yell as he stood in front of the control panel and stared at it.
While Sherri couldn’t hear what he was thinking, she got an impression he was analyzing the console to try to find a way to control the ship. After a few moments, she watched her fingers fly across the panel, flip, and twirl impressions. Lights came on and a doorway appeared.
“About time.” The lead Zerin stomped in front of Maynwaring and glared at him…er, her.
The minute Sherri thought to glare back, her face tightened with that emotion without any effort on her part. Wow, she wasn’t sure if she liked that she and Maynwaring shared the same reaction. Okay, time to take a back seat, listen to the conversation, and figure a way out of this mess.
“Shut the fruk up and get me out of here,” Maynwaring demanded. “I need to get to Earth before the Chancellor has a chance to deploy that weapon.”
“Not so fast.” The Zerin held his hand up to stop Sherri’s body from moving forward. “You promised me M’alalu E’eur, and I’m not moving until I have him.”
“He’s right there.” Sherri’s body went to the prone Ki and gestured for the newcomer to see.
Maynwaring made a motion to kick him again, but Sherri immobilized his foot so it couldn’t move.
“Damn it, let go!” Maynwaring stomped her foot on the soft floor. Good thing the surface was forgiving or Sherri’s ankles might have buckled under the strain. “Fruking hysta! Get me out out of this body. Where’s Babette? I need Babette right now!”
Responding to her master’s call, the red sexbot pushed her way through the throng of Zerins outside the open doorway to stand before Sherri. “I am here, my master.” The bright-red android intoned as she dropped to the floor with her palms flat while she prostrated herself at Sherri’s feet. “How may I serve thee?”
Ugh!
The sexbot’s rump was high in the air with her face planted on the floor.
Even though the sexbot wasn’t a living, organic being, Sherri hated the subservient female display, especially at her feet.
“Did you bring my new orb?”
The demand in Sherri’s voice made her cringe.
“I have to get out of this disgusting body as soon as possible.”
“Yes, I have brought it, my master.” Babette crooned as she stood, her three eyes with their red irises blinking in unison across the arc in her forehead. The wispy, see-through short dress she wore displayed an unshaven mound. Her three full breasts heaved and quivered with each breath and her brick-red nipples hardened into sharp buttons.
The sexbot seemed different from the others in Maynwaring’s prison. Those sexbots had the feminine proportions of an overgrown, bald, neon-colored Barbie doll. But this one sported full head of thick, black hair that fell to her tiny waist. The gleam of malevolent intelligence made Sherri uneasy. She poked through the pirate’s memories to try to find out what it was about the sexbot that bothered her so much.
Sherri pushed her consciousness forward to sift through some of his recent memories. Instead of finding anything about Babette, she found his intention to kill Sherri once his essence escaped into the orb.
She stopped in shock then seethed in anger.
Hah! Seethe…a word she never thought to use in real life. She’d always considered it an overblown word a writer used. However…seethed was the only word that adequately described her reaction to Maynwaring’s plan. She was “seething” so hard she wanted to punch something. Too bad for her the person she desperately wanted to knock out was using her body. Ugh, talk about a no-win scenario. All she could do was suffer in literal silence.
“Let go, you piece of eztli shit! I’m in control of your body, not you!” The screech from her mouth echoed in the silent ship chamber as her body squirmed and thrashed.
If Sherri hadn’t been trying to wrestle control away, she’d have laughed at the shocked expressions on Rux’s face and the guards next to him. She must look like an idiot screaming and wrestling with herself.
“Maynwaring, get hold of yourself.” Rux slapped her across the face with an open palm.
The contact wasn’t painful, but it was enough of a shock to make the out-of-control pirate stop. Sherri’s eyelids blinked as she felt her invader glare back. “I will allow that infraction to pass with no repercussion this one time.” Maynwaring lowered her voice to come out low and threatening. “But I can assure you it will never happen again. Am I clear?”
The pirate’s threats didn’t appear to bother the male. Rux’s hard dual-green eyes remained steadfast in his glare. “I couldn’t care less. I have a mission to accomplish and I can’t do it without that Zerin. We have to leave and we’re running out of time.”
Sherri’s chest rose and fell as the pirate took in a deep breath. “Agreed.” Her arm raised and pointed a finger at Ki lying behind her. “The puntneji you’re looking for is over there. Now get us out of here.” She turned her back on the Zerin and walked out of the now-dead ship.
The bite of the frozen landscape shocked Sherri as it chilled her to the bone. The stupid pirate didn’t have enough sense to take care of her body.
“Babette, my pet.” Sherri cringed at the sickly-sweet tones coming out of her mouth. “Where is my new orb?”
Babette’s bright-red arm wrapped around Sherri’s shoulders and squeezed close. With that movement, the sexbot transferred an enveloping warmth so Sherri’s body wouldn’t freeze. “I have placed it aboard your lead ship, my master.” The android’s silky voice soothed as her fingers massaged the top of Sherri’s shoulders.
Even as a disembodied spirit, she experienced the cold, inhuman feel of Babette’s touch. She gave an internal shiver of disgust at the malodorous smell coming from the sexbot.
“Good…good.”
Maynwaring answered using Sherri’s voice, which was still creepy.
“I want to…”
As Maynwaring gave instructions, several screams and shouts sounded behind them. Sherri’s body turned, with Babette keeping a close hold on her. The sight not only startled her, but it caught Maynwaring completely by surprise.
“By the Goddess’s titties… what’s going on?”
She screamed as Maynwaring tried to run into the fray.
Babette kept hold of her master to ensure Sherri’s body didn’t escape into the subzero temperature.
There he was! Ki had emerged from the ship like some warrior god of old. He battled Rux and his gathered guards for all he was worth.
A profound sense of smug joy lifted Sherri’s spirits. With fascination she watched as he spun into action.
The large and dangerous male in his prime wove through the throng of bad guys with ease, his face set in stone. With sharp kicks, his arms thrusting and parrying, he disabled all ten Zerins in less time than Sherri’s body took in one breath from the next.
“You fruking asshole!” Rux yelled as he pulled out a small, silver cylinder wand and waved it in front of Ki’s glowering face. “I’ve called off the rest of my troops. And do you know why, you puntneji unclean half-breed?” A sneer pulled his craggy face into something repulsive
.
Ki’s own smile was chilling. “Ah, now I know who you are—Drirux the Coward.”
The other Zerin’s face blanched before it turned a bright shade of purple on his dark, iridescent skin. “I am no coward.” He stepped back and stood with his legs apart in a wide stance. “I want that suit and you’re going to give it to me.”
Ki crossed his large arms and widened his own position. “Now, why would I want to do that?” He nodded at the slender wand in Rux’s hand. “That will have no effect on me.”
“Maybe not, but it will on her,” Rux nodded toward Sherri enfolded in the bot’s arms. “And we both know how soft you are on the humans. You won’t let anything happen to her, even if she’s a bit defective, what with Maynwaring inside calling the shots.”
Ki’s body language didn’t change, but something told Sherri he wasn’t as casual as he seemed.
“You’ll die in the blast as well. How will your death help your cause?”
The condescending sneer was back in full force. “My death will cause me to be hailed as a martyr. My name will be a rallying cry for the Warriors of Light so they can lead others into the sacred ways of our ancestors. To cleanse the Zerin people of inferior outside influences!”
Ki gave a loud snort. “You always were a prissy little two-tailed burhe furbutton. No one cares who you are or what you think. They didn’t when we were young and they don’t now. So put your toy away like a good little youngling and I just might let you live.”
Rux’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the silver wand. “You are not the one in charge here.”
Ki chuckled as he let his arms drop. “Well, as we both know, neither are you.” He put his hands on the handle of the blasters he had strapped to his hips. “Take your hand off the detonator for the disintegration cannon and place it carefully on the ground.”
The other male’s face turned a deeper shade of purple as he gave Ki an icy stare before he complied.
“NO! Stop you fool!” Sherri’s voice screamed at Rux. “What are you doing?” Sherri’s body jerked to move before she could stop it.
Rux’s eyes darted toward her and a snide smile creased his lips. His other hand had been holding a hidden knife he flicked in her direction. Between her and Maynwaring trying to control her body to duck out of the way, they weren’t fast enough. The weapon struck. The sharp tip penetrated her upper chest.
Pain, bright and sharp. A widening red blossomed from the wound in her chest and soaked her sweater as the bitter metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. For the first time in her life, overwhelming fear made her body run cold. Death stalked.
Maynwaring screamed something in the background, but he was the last thing she cared about. Through a haze of pain, Ki’s magnificent face filled her vision, causing her eyes to fill with grateful tears. He would be the last thing she’d ever see. Navy/hunter eyes narrowed and his mouth twisted in rage. He bellowed out a roar that couldn’t possibly have come from him. Between one blink and the next, his face morphed. No, not only his face, but his body became larger and changed shape.
At first, Sherri didn’t understand what was in front of her. Not because she didn’t recognize the species, but because she had a hard time believing what it was. A dragon. She loved dragons. She’d read every romance story she could get her hands on about dragon shapeshifters and their mates. To see one before she died was everything she’d ever dreamed of.
Holy God, this one was beautiful. Opulent, navy-blue eyes at the sides of the creature's thorny, scaled skull blazed with iridescent oval pupils. Several small central horns sat atop his head, just above thin, cat-like ears. Rows of small thorns ran down the side of each jawline. His nose was small and had two wide, elongated nostrils. Sparkling crystal growths gathered along the chin. Rows of sharp teeth poked out from the inside of that impressive mouth.
A broad, long neck tapered into a bulky body, with the back covered in navy-blue scales and a row of small fan-like growths on his spine. The creature’s large belly boasted crystal-like skin in a much darker, eggplant color. Four muscular limbs carried his body and allowed the dragon to stand towering and dignified, even when he sat on his haunches. Each limb's four digits ended in strong claws made of what looked like amethyst crystal.
Enormous dark-purple wings grew from his shoulders and ended at his hips. The wings were thick, bladed skin with curved talons growing from each ending like giant scythes.
Sherri studied the end of his graceful tail, topped in a mace-like ball made of the same crystal scales as his claws.
She sighed in pleasure as her awareness dimmed. Thank God Maynwaring’s voice faded into the background. Before the abyss claimed her, the dragon’s massive head leaned toward her, his huge eye filling her vision. She had to touch him, just this once. She reached up with a bloody hand to brush across a velvet muzzle.
Calm resolution covered her as the tension she’d been holding released. The cold breath of death overpowered her. She gave a small smile as Maynwaring’s scream of terror faded into the background. How appropriate the coward relinquished control at the moment of her death. She closed her eyes as wariness pulled. There was enough presence of mind to experience the slightly rough tip of the dragon’s tongue as it swiped across her throat. Once…. twice… before a sharp sting punctured her jugular. A firestorm swarmed through and caused her to arch.
She screeched in agony.
Silence. Blackness. Neither hot nor cold permeated the barren landscape.
Sherri stood in unfamiliar surroundings, not sure if she was in open terrain or a large, enclosed room. While the light might be bright enough, the only thing to look at was the nondescript ground and a ring of darkness off in the distance.
Except, of course, for the two critters… ah, aliens… creatures? Who faced each other several feet apart. One was recognizable, one…not so much.
The first one was another dragon, but a definite female a little smaller than the one Ki turned into. This one was elegant and beautiful, in a terrifying predator kind of way.
Small, light-silver eyes lay in her rounded, horned skull. Varying shades of dark metallic silver crystals sat atop her head, just above her enormous, round ears. Several rows of small clear thorns ran along the side of her jawline. Her feminine, thin nose had two enormous, rounded nostrils and there was a trio of small crystal horns on her chin. Several rows of large teeth were visible inside her mouth.
Her elegant neck ran from her head into a massive, rounded body. Her top was covered in small black scales with rows of fan-like growths down her spine. Her curved bottom also had dark silver scales in a deeper hue. Four slim limbs were strong enough to carry her body and allowed her to move with dignity and grace. Each limb bore three digits that ended in huge, diamond nails.
Sherri guessed they had to be made of crystalized bone.
The dragon’s enormous wings grew from her shoulders and ended at her delicate pelvis—angel-like wings in silver feathers with a curved talon at the tip. Her flat tail ended in a sharp point with the same shimmery, silver scales as her body.
Sherri sighed as she clasped her fists across her heart in giddiness. Damn, she was worse than a fan going spastic over a movie star. What she wouldn’t give to stroke the legendary creature. Were her scales as soft as their downy appearance suggested or hard as burnished steel?
Tendrils of steam wove out of the dragon’s nostrils as she aimed an evil grin at the nasty-looking creature in front of her.
The repulsive being had a three-part body like an ant, covered lightly in tiny dark gold hairs. The alien balanced on four clawed arms and four legs along with its tapered short tail. It had a prominent horn on its head over three rows of six burnt-orange eyes in sunken sockets. The mouth took up the majority of the face under an enormous, wide nose with rounded nostrils now flared in exertion. Long pointed ears stood straight up like a bat.
“Leave thissss place.” The ugly thing demanded to the female dragon. A forked tongue flicked in and out o
f its large maw. “There is not enough room for all of ussss.” It swiveled its bulky head in Sherri’s direction. “You both will be eliminated.”
Holy shit, that’s Maynwaring! Sherri gaped at the gangster’s true form. Where in the hell were they, anyway?
The feral smile the female dragon gave the pirate was chilling. “Oh no, little male. You are quite mistaken. It is you who will finally be eliminated from this galaxy.”
Between one step and the next, the large dragon swooped down with her mouth wide open and gulped the hapless alien between her sharp teeth. One crunch…two…and a high-pitched scream from Maynwaring was cut off in mid-breath.
The female swallowed as the large bulge that was once the terror of the Milky Way Galaxy found its way into her massive belly. She gave a delicate burp as wisps of smoke drifted out of one nostril and the edges of her mouth. “Oh, pardon me.” The dragon crooned with a sheepish smile.
Sherri smiled back. For some reason, the large female didn’t scare her. In fact, she was lighter than air, giddy with relief. “Is he gone for good?”
The graceful dragon’s massive head nodded. “Oh, yes.” The reply was in a slightly accented voice. “He will never bother us again.” Another delicate burp.
Sherri raised an eyebrow. “Us? I’m afraid I don’t understand. In fact…” She looked around at the cool air swirling in a misty fog.“Where are we and how do we get out of here?”
“This is the in-between times, the only place where I could get rid of that pest.” The dragon folded her legs and rested. With a rumbling sigh, she settled her jaw on bent forelegs. “Come here, child, so I may look at my new companion.”
“Companion?” Sherri went to the enormous creature, more enthralled the closer she got. The dragon’s silver scales had a fine down covering she itched to touch. The warmth coming off the dragon was welcome, especially since until that moment she hadn’t realized how cold she was. “What do you mean by ‘companion’?”