by Sonia Nova
“Well, well, you Union scum. Erro of Traag, is it?” the leader of the pirates sneered. “It was disappointing when we came across your ship last night and there was nobody inside, but it looks like your evening must have turned out all right. You know, Captain, we’ve been collecting girls in the area almost a whole day, but it looks like you’ve been keeping the prettiest one all to yourself.”
“Let go of me!” Rachel snapped then, kicking her captor in the side of his leg.
The pirate brought his gun up to the side of her head. “You really shouldn’t try my patience, precious,” he told her. “I know how to hurt a little spitfire like you without leaving any bruises that would lower the price we’re going to get for your sale. So, how far did the big guy get with you, anyway? We wouldn’t want to find out he’d fertilized anything, now would we?”
“He never–” she began vehemently, but Erro interrupted her.
“We’ve been going at it non-stop the whole night,” he lied, and Rachel’s jaw dropped until he added, “she’s no good to you boys now. Isn’t it me you want? I blew up all your buddies, didn’t I?”
“Erro, what’s the matter with you?” Rachel gasped, staring at him like he’d lost his mind.
She watched, fascinated, as he finally stepped out from behind the snowmobile and into the open, growing in size as he did so. Her eyes flew wide open as his whole body seemed to vibrate before her, transforming into something else. Suddenly, he grew massive wings and a tail, too, and Rachel could feel her breath escape her lips in shock.
Before she even knew it, she wasn’t looking at a man at all. Instead, she was staring at an enormous, scaly creature that seemed to have sprouted right out of some book on ancient mythology.
“What the hell?” she breathed, her eyes wide as she took in the sight before her. She’d known she was dealing with an alien, but she hadn’t realized Erro was a shapeshifter! The shock rattled through her head, settling somewhere at the back of her brain, and her entire body went numb. She was frozen solid in her place, unable to move even if the pirate’s hands hadn’t been around her arms.
Fortunately, it seemed the pirates were equally frozen, and Rachel couldn’t blame them. She couldn’t blame them for their shock because the creature that now towered over them couldn’t be called anything else but a freaking dragon!
CHAPTER 9
ERRO
Erro had been trying to shift to his other form for some time now – ever since the damned pirates had showed up. But the cold weather, even with his new heat suit, had seeped too deep into his core that he hadn’t been able to shake it off to call forth his beast.
Not until the stupid pirates had thought it a good idea to cock a gun at his mate’s head, at least.
When they had brought up the gun, Erro saw red. He could feel his body begin to vibrate and heat up from inside out as the familiar sensation of his dragon fire burst inside him.
Four faces – Rachel’s among them – looked at him in equal measures of shock and horror, and a part of him grimaced inward. He didn’t care about the pirates, but the frozen expression on Rachel’s face made him wish he’d had the time to explain everything to her in advance. Now, though, there was no time for explanation.
“Get him!” the leader of the pirates shouted all of a sudden, seeming to have awakened from his initial stupor at seeing Erro’s other form.
The pirate holding Rachel immediately dumped her on the snowy ground and the three of them opened fire on Erro. But with his massive wings, he easily took to the air, evading the energy bolts with a broad, reptilian grin.
“Don’t let him get away!”
“He’s not going anywhere,” the pirate who had just dropped Rachel scoffed. “He’s not about to let us take his woman, is he?”
“Try to flank him, you two,” the leader decided. “I’ll come right down the middle.”
Morons, Erro thought. Who shouts their strategies so the enemy can hear them?
Dodging energy bolts was not unlike flying a spaceship; timing was everything. That’s why, the fact that he was a Traag had come to his advantage in the Union’s Academy. He was an excellent pilot, and a part of that was thanks to his ability to fly even without the help of a machine. Now though, he wasn’t in space, and would instead have to use the oldest tricks he knew. The ones he had learned already in his boyhood.
In response to their attempts at shooting him down, Erro gulped in a bit of cold air, swallowed hard, and then blasted it back at the three of them with a belch of fire, careful to avoid aiming any of it in Rachel’s direction.
He saw that though she had been thrown on the ground a few moments ago, now she was sitting up again, watching the show. Well then, he should probably make it a good one. If he managed to rescue her from harm’s way, she might be less upset that he hadn’t gotten around to explaining this particular feature of his anatomy.
But he didn’t have time to worry about her reaction at the moment if he hoped to save her, because these guys were stepping up the game. One bolt of energy narrowly grazed one of his thighs, making him wince as it left a stinging, but cauterized slice.
Angered by this, Erro belched out another volley of flames, and then another. It took another five or six good blasts before the pirates realized two things. First, their weapons did no real harm to Erro in his current form. And second, things were getting way too hot around there. His Traagen fire had even melted the fluffy white snow on the ground, effectively making the little snow vehicle that the pair of them had travelled in useless for the time being.
Another, much larger blast of laser fire suddenly zeroed in on Erro’s enemies. Surprised, he turned to see that two Union starfighters had arrived at the scene. One of them landed on the ground where the snow had melted, while the other continued to hover, volleying a few more bolts at the pirates who were now running around, no longer engaged in the fight but instead just trying to make their way to their ship before they all burned to ashes.
Erro grinned at the sight. Noticing that the situation was now under control, he quickly dropped down as well and returned to his humanoid form. The pilot from the landed ship already stood by Rachel, obviously ensuring that she was unharmed. He then walked up to Erro so the two of them could talk.
“Say, you must be the downed pilot everyone’s been talking about?” he asked, smiling. “I’m Private Drey, from the Okanogan base.”
“Captain Erro of Traag,” Erro introduced himself.
“Thought as much,” Drey said with a grin. “I suppose you’re in need of a ride? I don’t think you’re supposed to sign up for duty at Okanogan – not as far as I’ve heard at least – but do hop on and I can take you there anyway so we can figure out where you belong.”
Hesitantly, Erro glanced back at Rachel, who now stood a few steps behind Private Drey with an oddly lonely, uncertain expression on her face. The look nearly pierced Erro’s heart, and as he turned back to Private Drey, he merely patted his shoulder in a camaraderie manner.
“Actually, I appreciate the offer, Private, but I’m not quite ready to leave,” he admitted, glancing over at Rachel again and casting her an uncertain smile. “I have a bit of unfinished business to take care of first.”
The Private seemed a bit taken aback by his answer. His brows shot up momentarily, before he caught himself. Taking a quick look between Erro and Rachel, Drey finally turned back to him, a knowing smile spreading on his lips.
“Sure, Captain, I suppose considering the circumstances, the base won’t mind giving you another day or so,” he agreed with a smirk. “We’re not scheduled to leave the area until we’ve rounded up all those pirates and forced them to tell us where the women are, so… Go ahead and get your girl home. When you’re ready, just give us a call.”
Erro smiled at the pilot. “Thanks, sir. You are all heart.”
“I’ll see you soon, Captain,” Drey said as he climbed inside his ship again. He took off soon after, chasing the action at top speed. It looked li
ke the pirates had made it back to their ship despite all odds, and the other starfighter was already full in pursuit, tailing the pirates in the horizon.
Erro watched as Drey joined the chase, and then turned back to Rachel, worried that now that she’d seen his other form, she might not be as eager to continue where they had left off anymore. He walked up to her, uncertain of what to say or do. Fortunately, it seemed he didn’t have to say anything, because it was Rachel who started the conversation.
“So, you’re a dragon, huh?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow at him. To his surprise, her tone was curious rather than frightened, and some of the tension left Erro’s body. “That must be a Traag thing too.”
Erro smiled, feeling slightly sheeping when he asked, “You’re not mad at me, then? I mean, telling you about my inner beast really was going to be the very next part. It’s just that the first confession seemed to be going so well I figured the second one could wait.”
Rachel laughed at his admission. “Well, that’s a typically male thought process, isn’t it?”
A sly smile spread on his lips as he pulled her back into his arms and held her close – which she fortunately allowed him to do. “I don’t know if it’s a typical response for every male, but I suppose it’s typical of me. So, do you think you could handle being mated to such a crazy character?”
“I have no idea how that could work,” Rachel admitted with a sigh. “I mean, I’m stuck in my contract up here in Alaska, and it doesn’t seem like you do very well in the cold. And besides, Alaska doesn’t have a Union base either, so we’d have quite a commute just to see each other. Didn’t that guy just now say he was from Okanogan? And that you’re not even supposed to be stationed there? Because if that’s not already far enough, the next-closest base would be in Miami.”
Erro shook his head at her worried expression. “Don’t be silly,” he said, brushing a stray lock of hair off her face. “Of course, I wouldn’t just take off and go to work wherever it is that I’m stationed. Even if it is in Miami, I would naturally be taking you with me.”
Rachel cast him an uncertain look. “I don’t know… I couldn’t just leave my internship behind. If I do that, getting another job in the future would be pure impossibility.”
Tilting his head to the side, Erro considered her words. “Is there another Observatory in Miami?” he finally asked.
“Well, of course there is, but I couldn’t just–”
Erro bent down quickly and placed a soft kiss on her lips before she could finish her sentence. “If my base is in Miami,” he said carefully, “which I’m still not sure about since I haven’t signed up after my arrival on this planet – if you become mated to me, we could easily have your contract transferred there.”
Rachel shook her head, still unconvinced. “You really think the Miami Observatory would take me, and Alaska would let me go?”
“That’s the way the Union works on other worlds,” Erro shrugged. “I don’t see why this place would have a different protocol.”
Rachel chuckled, finally seeming to accept his answer. “So, you think you’ve got the whole thing figured out, don’t you?” she asked, a satisfied smile spreading on her face as she snuggled in closer to him. “You think you can just swoop right in and spirit me away to someplace warm and wonderful?”
“Warm and wonderful?” Erro raised a brow at the description. The current environment at least was anything but.
Rachel smiled sweetly, her fingers brushing circles on his chest. “Well, sure. If you are stationed down there, you’re not going to get cold,” she chuckled. “In Miami, what you’ll have are warm, sandy beaches, and a wonderful view of the ocean too.”
A relieved laugh escaped Erro’s lips at her words. “Warm beaches and an ocean? That’s certainly good to know,” he smiled. “I was worried that the entire planet would be frozen solid, and covered in this snow stuff. Still, I’d be more than willing to endure it if that was the only way I could remain close to you, my mate. Although, seeing how even the thought of warmth puts a smile on your face, I’m convinced you’d much rather go with me than remain stuck in a dead-end internship you don’t like, trapped in what must be the coldest portion of your world.”
Rachel laughed now as well. “You might be onto something.”
“That’s a relief,” he grinned now, a pleasurable warmth spreading through his whole being as Rachel laughed. Erro captured her chin in his hand and tilted her face up to look in her green eyes that now sparkled in amusement. Bending down, his lips crushed down on hers in a sweet kiss, and he didn’t let up until she opened her mouth for him.
His tongue swept in, tasting the sweet nectar within. It was only a moment before the flavor sent a wave of energy soaring straight down into his cock, leaving him so hard the throb was almost painful in its intensity. He wanted the woman with every part of his being, and he wanted her right now!
Slowly backing away, reluctant to let her go, Erro quickly shifted into his dragon form once again. Rachel stared at him, surprised, as he enveloped her into his golden arms.
“Erro? What the heck are you doing?” she gasped as he jumped up on his spot and swiftly took to the air. “Put me down! Oh, my God, Erro, let go of me!”
Rachel screamed as they rushed up to the clouds, but he didn’t let go, of course. Surely, by the time he got Rachel back to her home, she would have to realize that with the snow melted, they would have no other way to return and get out of the cold. Nothing fast enough at least.
Her eyes were clamped tightly shut, and her face was screwed up into a cringing frown that was so amusing Erro found himself smiling. Eventually, she calmed down enough to open her eyes and look around.
The ground below was a blanket of white, and the sky all around them was dark even now, in the middle of the day. The only light out came from the strange, glowing green and red streaks he’d already noticed before too. They peeked down at them through the clouds, casting a slight hue on everything around them. Although he didn’t know what Rachel thought of the view, Erro could think of only one word.
Beautiful.
“Erro? This is completely amazing,” she told him after a while. “I’ve never seen the world quite like this before. You know, I was already beginning to hate snow, being stuck up here in Alaska. But when I see it from up here, I realize it’s not so terrible anymore. It’s… beautiful.”
Erro couldn’t answer her, of course. In his current form, he had no use of his vocal cords. But maybe he would be able to answer her in other ways? Playfully, he winged his way a bit higher still, making her squeal. He wasn’t sure if the sound came from fright, or from delight, but he increased his speed a little anyway as the white mound and smoking chimney that belonged to her house came into view.
He was glad she didn’t hate the snow. Although the stuff seemed horrible and cold, it was where Erro had met his mate, and he could hardly hate it either. Besides, he wanted her last memories of this place to be pleasant – before moving to Miami or wherever it was that he’d be stationed.
When he set them onto the ground again, Rachel was shivering from the cold air despite his attempts to share his warm energy with her, and she hurried indoors in a bid to get warm. Erro transformed into his humanoid form and rushed in after her, watching as she quickly removed her jacket and hung it up, then began to strip off her other clothing down to just one shirt and one pair of pants.
“Erro, that was freezing!” she complained. Her teeth were chattering and she wrapped her arms around herself. “You really don’t know how the cold works at all. Just what am I going to do with you?”
Erro grinned cheekily as he replied, “I could think of a few things.”
He winked at her, enjoying the blush that rose onto her cheeks in reaction.
“I’ll bet you could,” Rachel giggled as her eyes slid from looking into his own to looking at something down below.
With a low groan, Erro closed the gap between them, and kissed her with an intensity that l
eft no doubt of exactly what he had in mind.
CHAPTER 10
RACHEL
Rachel’s blood boiled as she cast Erro a bold look and began to tug him toward her bedroom door. All this time, they had been trying to find a way to communicate with words, but now, they had come to a point when they didn’t need them anymore.
“Does this mean you’re ready for some goodwill toward men?” Erro asked with a hopeful chuckle.
Rachel walked her fingers up his chest. “Maybe toward one man.”
Erro smiled wickedly, following her to the entrance of the room. He glanced behind her curiously, taking in her bed. “Your sleeping platform looks nothing like the ones we use on Traag,” he noted, “but it does look inviting.”
A devilish grin took over his features, and he caught her around her hips. Rachel yelped as he lifted her up and brought her into the bedroom with him, setting her down on the side of the bed.
Waggling his eyebrows at her, Erro reached up to his neck and pressed his necklace, deactivating it and catching the silver disk in his palm. All of his clothes disappeared in a flash, leaving him completely nude and revealing all that glorious muscle she had already been ogling through his suit. It was even more impressive like this, and Rachel found her breath catching in her throat.
“Somehow, that doesn’t seem very fair,” she pointed out, her voice thick even as she drank in the sight of his superb body with anticipation. His shoulders were broad and well-defined, his stomach toned, and his cock… Rachel shifted her eyes back up to his face, a deep warmth spreading on her cheeks.
“Fair?” Erro cocked a brow at her, not understanding.
Rachel swallowed, trying to get the words to come out right. “Undressing like that,” she explained. “It’s kind of like having all the Christmas wrap disintegrate to reveal the present that’s concealed inside.”
An inviting smile spread on Erro’s lips at her words. “Don’t look so sad, ele’a,” he teased her. “I still get to unwrap you.”