Tracking Trisha (Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 3)

by S. E. Smith

  Trisha gave a cry of alarm as she watched three huge creatures surround the man who had pulled Abby out of the truck. Within seconds, more of the bright blue fire appeared and surrounded the man. Trisha watched in horror as the man was engulfed in flames, his silent screams were frozen on his face for just a moment before his body dissolved into a pile of ash.

  Kelan kept Zoran in his sights as he followed him to Abby. He flew fast and silent, his huge body moving in a graceful rhythm while his keen eyesight looked down through the dark forest below for any sign of Zoran’s mate. Kelan watched as Zoran suddenly dropped down out of the sky, shifting at the last possible moment so he could land in the back of the pickup truck holding Abby. Kelan swerved up and over some trees before he fell back behind the other strange transports that were following Zoran’s mate. He spewed dragon fire behind the last transport causing several large trees to explode and effectively block the road. He would have just destroyed the transport but he wanted to find out what they wanted with Zoran’s mate first. Did they know about Zoran? Were they helping the man who had taken Abby? He circled around and was coming in for a landing when he saw the man who was holding Abby raise a weapon and fire point blank into Zoran’s chest. Cold rage gripped him for a moment as he watched his brother collapse. He let out a roar. To attack one Valdier warrior was to attack them all. The man and any of the others who were helping him were dead. They just didn’t know it yet. Kelan moved in to land just as a dark shape appeared out from the side of the road and tackled the man with the gun.

  Kelan’s head jerked around when he heard Trelon’s voice. “Kelan, do you have a fix on the others?”

  “Yes.” Kelan replied focusing again on the other transport. He could already see Zoran was moving again. He should have known better than to worry about his older brother. The corner of his mouth twitched into amusement as he saw the exact moment Zoran’s symbiosis finished healing him. “The other transport is coming up fast and there is the one that is fighting the man who harmed Zoran. Perhaps we should let that one live if he wins.” Kelan responded.

  Kelan landed next to Trelon just as Zoran stood up. He watched silently as the face of Abby’s abductor changed from triumph to horror as Zoran sentenced him to death before he shifted. Blue flames poured out of Zoran, engulfing the human male in dragon fire. Within moments, nothing remained of the human but ash.

  Kelan carefully cataloged the scene around him as he prepared to finish off the other humans. The one who tackled the man lay prone on the ground. Kelan could smell the blood and could tell from the heartbeat the man would not survive for long. His head turned as the other transport drew to a sliding stop and he watched as three figures slid out of it. The one closest to them was tiny. Kelan’s keen eyesight noticed right away that the figure was of a female, not a male, and she was armed with some type of metal bar. He ignored the weapon. He could disarm her in seconds. His gaze swung to the other two figures as they came around the side of the transport. In that moment, his life changed forever.

  Chapter 4

  Trisha vaguely heard Cara call out to Ariel as she moved towards Abby. Trisha stood frozen in place as Ariel pushed past her and ran to where Carmen was laying in the dirt. Her eyes flickered between the three huge shapes. Trisha moved cautiously towards Ariel who was kneeling on the ground next to Carmen. Trisha could almost hear her father’s voice in her head as she approached the massive figures. Always assess the situation, baby girl. Make sure you know what you are getting yourself into before you make a move. Trisha tried desperately to think about how she could assess this one! Her father never taught her how to deal with creatures that could breathe fire and had huge wings. Her mind tried to flit through some of the movies she had seen to see if any of the scenarios in them might actually work. She was definitely drawing a blank here. She would give anything to call her dad and ask for his advice. He would know what to do. He always did. She absently patted her uniform to see if she actually had her cellphone on her. She didn’t, of course. Her uniform didn’t have any pockets on it. The designer said it messed up the sleek lines of the design when Trisha and Ariel requested some pockets be included in the female uniforms. Her cell phone was in her jacket pocket which was lying on the tarmac back at the Shelby airport.

  Trisha’s eyes widened when a beautiful, it was the only way she could describe it, jade green and silver dragon with glowing gold eyes moved a step towards her. She was captivated by its beauty. For several timeless moments she couldn’t see anything but it. The regal head and blazing eyes, the huge body encased in gold, the long curve of its claws, and the graceful whip-like tail with silver and gold spikes on the end. Trisha cataloged each magnificent part of the dragon’s body unable to break the hold it held over her. She felt like it was calling to her, demanding she surrender to it. Trisha’s whole body shook as she fought for control. She felt like she was drowning. It was Ariel’s soft cry for help that finally penetrated the daze that clouded her mind and forced her out of her reverie. Trisha shook her head at the dragon, breaking the hold it had on her before she hurried over to Ariel.

  “How is she?” Trisha asked quietly as she knelt down next to Ariel. She made sure she kept her senses tuned to what was going on around her. It could turn ugly real fast and she wanted to be prepared in case it did.

  “There’s so much blood.” Ariel said frantically as she tried to use the cap Carmen had been wearing to stem some of the blood flow from the wounds to her chest. “Her pulse is getting erratic. I think one of the wounds may have hit her lung.”

  Ariel turned to the huge green, red, and gold dragon. “Please, help me. She’s my sister. Please.” Ariel’s voice faded as tears filled her eyes.

  Trisha heard the dragon growl out something to the two standing next to them. She had a sense of forewarning that something was about to happen and she didn’t think she was going to like it. She stood quickly and went to turn towards the truck. Her legs, still stiff from the long flight and torturous truck ride, gave out on her. She gasped and reached out trying to keep her balance. Her hands encountered a silky smooth wall. Trisha’s eyes jerked up as she realized the jade green and silver dragon had stepped in front of her when she started to fall. Long, curved claws gently held her elbows while her hands were splayed across a wide chest covered in some type of gold armor. Trisha’s eyes widened as thin threads of gold began weaving out from the armor and up through her fingers and along her wrists were they formed delicate bracelets. She felt a sudden warmth invade her, almost as if the gold bands were trying to reassure her she was safe, protected. Trisha’s head snapped back when she felt vibrations under the palms of her hands as the dragon purred at her. She was staring into a pair of flaming gold eyes when a bright light suddenly surrounded her.

  Trisha blinked several times to adjust her vision as the bright light blinded her. She realized two things immediately, she was no longer on a dark road outside of Shelby, California and the dragon who had been holding her was now a very tall man. Trisha tried to jerk her hands back but the huge male holding her by her elbows pulled her closer with a low growl, as if warning her not to move away from him. She turned her head as a group of men rushed towards Ariel and Carmen. When she struggled to free herself to go to them, the huge male simply tightened his grip and snarled something at the men.

  Trisha watched as Carmen was carefully lifted onto some type of gurney with tubular sides that closed around her body. Two other men restrained Ariel by her arms when she started to fight the men who were taking Carmen away from her. Trisha couldn’t understand what any of them were saying but she felt like they were trying to help Carmen, not hurt her.

  “Let me go!” Trisha said as she struggled against the man holding her. “I need to go with them. They are my sisters. I have to be with them.”

  Trisha could feel the man’s indecisiveness before he grunted and slowly released her. As soon as she was free, she moved to follow Ariel and the other men who had Carmen. Subconsciously, she counted th
e number of men in the room and along the corridors. She knew she was on some type of spaceship, this was something a rational part of her said she would dissect later, but she needed to focus on making a mental map of where they were going for now. She would need the information if they were to get off of it and back home. The tall man who had been holding her followed them closely. Trisha shivered as she got the weirdest feeling he didn’t want her out of his sight.

  Kelan was in a daze. The female was his true mate. There was no other explanation for the way he felt when he first laid eyes on her standing so still by the foreign transport. His dragon’s response the moment she walked around it was evidence enough he accepted her. It took every bit of self-discipline in him to not just sweep her up in his arms and fly to a secluded place where he could claim her. His dragon’s roar filled his head as he followed her and the other two women to medical. Mine! Mine! My mate! It snarled at the men they passed. Kelan’s eyes were glowing with gold flames daring any other male to even look at her. The message must have been clear because the warriors they passed in the corridors on the way to medical gave him a wide berth.

  His eyes moved lower to the gold bands wrapped around the female’s wrists. His symbiosis had changed into the shape of a large creature resembling the dog that stayed with Abby. It was trotting next to the female making sure its head or another part of its large body brushed against hers as she walked. Kelan’s lips curved when the female absently reached out and ran her fingers along its big head. His eyes drooped in pleasure and a low rumble broke from his throat before he could contain it. Kelan felt the touch as if she had run her fingers along his skin. The warmth of it was transmitted through the bands around his upper arms. He loved the way her hair swung back and forth as she walked. His eyes followed the path down her back, to her slim waist, and full hips. She was slightly taller than the other two females. He liked that. He really liked her long legs. His body heated up and his groin filled and pulsed at the idea of them being wrapped tightly around him as pumped deep inside her. He wanted to mark her so badly he could practically taste her on his lips. His dragon was moving in circles inside him, panting and pacing as it fought back its own desire. There was no doubt his symbiosis accepted her. His dragon was more than ready to bite her and initiate the dragon’s fire mating into her, and Kelan had to admit as he clenched his fists in a desperate effort to not grab her and take her in the middle of the corridor, he wanted her just as bad.

  Kelan let out a curse. It had been three days! Three long, hard, frustrating days! His cock turned hard as a stone whenever he thought about the female he brought aboard. The only time he had been able to hold her was in those few precious moments back on the primitive planet and on the transporter platform. Since then, one mishap after another had prevented him from having a chance to even speak with her.

  After following her to medical to see how the injured female was doing, he pulled the healer aside. Kelan wanted the translator implanted in the females as soon as possible so he could talk to his true mate. Unfortunately, he was called away shortly afterwards on an emergency. It seemed as if his younger brother Trelon had destroyed their transporter room. He later found out it was his brother in his dragon form and his symbiosis. They attacked a warrior who had touched the female Trelon wanted to claim. Then, he received some messages from both of his brothers back on Valdier. They needed him home as soon as possible. He no sooner gave the command to take them home before he started getting reports from Jarak, his head of security. It appeared Trelon’s mate, Cara, was reprogramming everything. He and Jarak spent hours trying to figure out what she was doing and how she was doing it. Every time they thought they finally figured out what she was doing, she would be into something else. Then, to top everything off, he received a report that the injured female was fine now but she had almost killed one of their males. The man was in medical due to injuries he received in the transporter room brawl. The healer informed Kelan the man was given authorization for release back to his normal duties and thought to celebrate by offering to have sex with the female named Carmen before his next shift. The female obviously did not like that idea. It might not have been so bad but the other two females, Ariel and Trisha, reacted badly when his security force tried to restrain Carmen who was attacking the warrior in question. He now needed to repair his medical unit. He finally ordered the females, Ariel and Carmen, removed to their own quarters where they were being guarded around the clock. It appears their skills had drawn the interest of the unmated warriors on board who wanted a chance to court the warrior females. Kelan couldn’t handle any more destruction of his warship, between Trelon, Cara, and the three females, he was pulling his hair out.

  Kelan let out a deep breath as he tried to find his center again. He hadn’t seen his symbiosis since the female came on board. Trisha, Kelan breathe out her name. It was as lovely as she was, he thought. He ordered Jarak to escort Trisha to his living quarters last night after Carmen was given the all clear to be moved out of medical. His true mate refused to leave the medical unit until she knew Carmen was going to be all right. Jarak called to tell him she refused at first to leave the other two females until Jarak pointed out the living quarters were too small for the three of them. He assured her she would not be far from her two sisters and could see them at any time. It was only after he reassured her several times that she agreed to follow him.

  Kelan could feel his dragon pouting. He wanted to go to her last night. He wanted to curl up with his mate. Kelan knew exactly what he was feeling. He was exhausted as well and could think of nothing more gratifying then to curl up in his bed with his cock buried deep inside Trisha. Just the thought of it had his body hardening again. He couldn’t remember the last time he had so little control over his body and feelings. Kelan decided the V’ager could do without him for a little while. Snapping out an order he was not to be disturbed unless they were under attack from someone other than Trelon’s mate, he left the bridge striding with determination towards his living quarters. It was time to go claim his mate.

  Trisha woke up feeling angry, frustrated, and worried. Three days had passed since their arrival aboard the warship. Her dad was probably frantic by now. Harry, the old airport air traffic controller she had met when she first flew in to pick Abby up would have found their bags by the jet and notified the local authorities about them. Her dad would have expected her phone call two days ago, as well. He knew if she said she was going to call, she would. She would never tell him that and not follow through. She had to get back to Earth. She couldn't imagine never seeing him again.

  Trisha turned her head as she felt a movement on the bed next to her. The huge, golden dog-looking creature who had been her constant companion for the last three days was lying curled up next to her. It was watching her with big, soulful golden eyes. Trisha smiled gently and ran her hand over its head and down its back. It had been her shadow since her arrival on board the ship, sleeping next to her in the medical wing and keeping any of the big males away from her. She didn’t where it had come from or even what it was but it seemed to have attached itself to her. She laughed softly as she felt the warmth spread through her fingers and up her arm. It didn’t take long before the bed began to vibrate as it purred.

  Shaking her head, Trisha climbed out of the huge bed. She was going to get cleaned up and go find her friends. They needed to get home as soon as possible. She didn’t care if she had to tear the spaceship apart. She wanted to go home now!

  Trisha padded barefoot into the bathroom. She figured out last night how to use the shower unit and toilet after a few trials and errors. It really wasn’t that different from hers back home as far as how it looked but how it worked was another matter. During her exploration of the cabin, she found some clothing in one of the panels in the wall and decided to use one of the shirts as a nightgown. It was plenty big enough. As she went through the clothing a shiver ran down her spine. She felt like she hadn’t been given just any random room. She wasn’t
real sure who the room belonged to but she suspected it might be the tall man who had grabbed her down on Earth. Another shiver went up her spine as she remembered the beauty of his body and the strength in his arms as he held her. Trisha wasn’t a weakling. She had grown up always being physically active thanks to her dad but since her accident, working out was a necessity. If she didn’t work out, she didn’t walk. It took her over a year of intensive physical therapy to learn how to walk again. She was never going to go back to a wheelchair if she could help it. Anyway, it didn’t matter to her who the room belonged to, as far as she was concerned she was going home today so he could have it back.

  Trisha thought back to last night as she brushed her hair out and piled it up on top of her head. So much had happened. After Carmen creamed the guy in the medical unit, they were escorted out of it. Of course, she and Ariel helped a little with the creaming part. When the doctor called for security, all hell broke loose when two of the men tried to grab Carmen who was beating the shit out of the guy who propositioned her. Ariel jumped into the fray adding to the confusion. When one of the men grabbed her, Trisha couldn’t stay out of it any longer. The three girls always stuck together. By the time they were done, the man was readmitted to medical for additional healing and the medical unit was in shambles with broken chairs, overturned beds, and bent instrument trays. The bent trays were Trisha’s doing. They were going to need a team of carpenters to repair the damage, Trisha thought with a grin as she passed by a hole in the wall near the door. The last time I had this much fun, Trisha thought with a contented smirk, was in the bar fight down in New Mexico the weekend before Scott and Carmen took off for South America.