by KD Jones
Rei smiled at listening to her shaky voice get a little stronger the more she sang. “Is that it?”
“No, we repeat the chorus part.”
He sang with her, fumbling through the words. “There’s a verse missing, isn’t there?”
She laughed. “My father always skipped a part but I looked it up when I was older.”
“Sing it to me.” She was on the ledge below the window now. He reached his arm out as far as it would go so that she could grip his hand. He was careful not to hurt her but would not let her go. “Sing, Gema.”
She sang about this Jeremiah person being a king and making sweet love. He liked the song, as silly as it was. He especially like listening to her sing it. The more she sang, the less fear he heard in her voice. At her last words, he pulled her through the windows and into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing tightly.
“Oh my God! I was so scared, Rei.”
“Me, too. Don’t climb out of windows onto rooftops anymore.”
“Gladly.” She pressed her face into his neck.
“I liked your song, especially that last part.”
“I can’t believe I did that. I was so high up and then when the dragons came…”
“I’ve got you now.” He didn’t even feel his injuries. Having her in his arms felt amazing.
“Now that I’m safe, I have to tell you…”
“What, Gema? What is it?”
“I’m going to pass out.”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, her head dropped. She had been through so much it was all catching up to her. Not to mention seeing dragons fighting was probably a shock to her system.
When he exited the house, his men were there, shifted in human form. Drake pointed to a car.
“We found this parked to the side. I thought we would take you and the girl back in the car.”
“Thanks. What about the other prisoners?”
“I will have one of our men make an anonymous call to the local police to let them know of the remaining prisoners.” Drake opened the back door of the sedan.
Rei laid her down on the back seat and closed the door. He got into the passenger’s side while Drake took the driver’s seat. Hopefully Gema wouldn’t wake up before they got back to the ranch. If she did, seeing both him and Drake naked might make her pass out again.
Chapter 11
Gema felt cool silk sheets against her skin, and they felt divine. When did she get these sheets? Her bed had regular cotton sheets, nothing expensive—not like these. She sat up and looked around the room. It was easy enough to see with the light coming through the windows. It was a large room with big pieces of very masculine looking furniture.
The bed was one of those king-size canopy beds with ornate wood carvings of dragons on the posts. It looked to be really old. She was curious where she was and whose bed she was in.
There was a knock at the door right before it opened, allowing a very pregnant blond woman to come in. She smiled at Gema. “You’re awake. Reichardt will be pleased. I’m Valorie Castle.”
“I’m Gema Pope. Where am I?”
“You’re at the King R Ranch in Arizona.”
“Arizona?” Gema sat up and realized she was wearing a blue nightgown.
“I helped to change your clothing when Reichardt and the others came back with you.”
“How long have I been here?”
“You arrived late yesterday afternoon.”
“What time is it now?”
“Close to five thirty. The sun should be setting soon.”
“I have to get back home. My abuela’s probably worried sick about me. If I don’t at least call her she’s going to have my picture posted on milk cartons.”
Valorie smiled as she sat down next to Gema. “I’m sure Reichardt will make arrangements to take you home as soon as it’s possible. Here are some clothes. Get dressed and I’ll let him know you’re awake. Then you can call your abuela to tell her you are safe.”
Gema wanted to ask what she meant by safe but the nice woman struggled to stand back up then walked out and closed the door behind her. Maybe she was Rei’s wife. That thought made her seriously sad. Getting to her feet, she quickly dressed in the pair of jeans and T-shirt. The clothes were a little loose on her and the jeans were a little too long. They were probably Valorie’s. A knock on the door had her jumping back. The knocking repeated again.
“Come in.”
The door opened and in walked the best looking man she had ever seen. He had shoulder-length dark blond hair pulled back. His facial features were chiseled and gorgeous. His eyes were the bluest she had ever seen. He looked like a god, like Apollo, the sun god. He smiled at her and she felt her heartbeat pounding hard.
“I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”
That voice was sexy and very familiar. “Rei?”
“I’m sure you must be starving. I would be honored if you’d allow me to escort you to the dining room.”
Her stomach growled low. She laughed. “I am very hungry. Thank you.” She stepped forward but realized she didn’t have any shoes.
“Valorie had clothes that would do for now but her shoes were way too big for you. I have someone out buying you the right size clothes. She gave me these for you to use for now.”
He handed her a pair of flip-flops. “Thank you.” She bent down to roll up the jeans’ legs then slipped the flip-flops on. It didn’t matter that they were a little bit big on her. They were flip-flops. “I need to thank your wife for all she has done for me.”
Rei looked at her weirdly. “I don’t have a wife.”
“Girlfriend?”
“Valorie is mated to a warrior named Markus.”
“What does mated mean?”
“Married. In human terms they are married and are about to have a baby.”
“Is she human?”
“Valorie is human like you and Markus is a dragon shifter like myself.”
“So the baby is a mixed breed?”
“The first mixed human and Drakonian that we know of.”
“But you’ve been here hundreds of years. Why haven’t your people mated with humans before now?”
“That’s a long story to tell. Maybe we’ll have time to go over it later.”
She realized walking out of the bedroom that she was in a pretty large house. “How big is this thing?”
“We have twenty bedrooms, a dining room, a library, my personal office, a gourmet kitchen, and we’ve got hundreds of acres all for the ranch.”
“This isn’t a ranch house, it’s a lodge.”
He chuckled. “I needed a large piece of property for my people. The ranch house used to house everyone but now most of my people have built their own cabins. We still get together once a month for a meal.”
As he finished saying that he opened two large doors and she stepped into a huge dining hall. The table was large enough to seat twenty or more. And it was full of people who were suddenly all staring at her. She hesitated to move forward. Rei placed his hand on her back reassuringly.
“It will be fine, Gema.”
She followed him to the end of the table where he pulled out a chair for her. Gema sat down, feeling all eyes on her.
“Everyone, this is Gema Esmerelda Hermosa Pope. Gema, this is everyone. I expect each of you to take time to introduce yourselves while she stays here.”
Gema was impressed that he had remembered her whole name. Everyone spoke at once and she nodded at them, knowing she was not going to remember their names. At least she knew one person there: Valorie.
“Thank you, Valorie, for the clothes and flip-flops.”
Valorie smiled at her warmly. “It’s no problem. I’m going to go into town tomorrow to pick up clothes for you that are your size and I’ll get you shoes as well.”
The man next to her growled. Valorie rolled her eyes. “Excuse my husband, Markus. He’s only been on Earth less than a year and he has these old-fashioned ideas of keeping me loc
ked up until the baby is born.”
“I worry for your safety,” Markus grumbled.
“You’ll be with me, not to mention the three guards you’ll have surrounding me at all times.”
“Our enemy is still out there and Markus is just trying to keep you and the baby safe,” Rei said gently.
Valorie blushed and kissed her husband on the cheek. “I know and I love him dearly for it.”
There was a pause as people began eating. Something Valorie said nagged at Gema. She turned to Rei. “I thought your people came to Earth hundreds of years ago. How did Markus not arrive here until a year ago?”
Rei filled both their glasses up with wine. “Elite Warrior Markus and some of our finest warriors remained behind to fight the enemy while our people escaped through the portals. One of the older mages had given Markus a medallion with the coordinates to the two planets where the portals sent our people. They were directed through wormholes that sped up their travel. They reached Earth in about ten years but we had traveled to a much earlier time in Earth’s history.”
“I must say you all don’t look like you’re hundreds of years old.”
“It’s our dragon genes. Once we hit our mid-twenties our aging slows. Most of us will never look older than thirty. We do have a few that look a little older but it’s rare.”
“You’re all so…”
He looked at her curiously. “We’re all so what?”
“Attractive,” she whispered low.
Rei leaned close, lowering his voice to a deep rumble. “You are quite attractive.”
She felt heat rise to her cheeks and glanced around the table to see if anyone heard their conversation. Most of the people were involved in their own conversations but a few of the men were watching her intently.
“Rei, I need to call my abuela, grandmother. She’s probably worried sick.”
“After dinner I will take you to my private office so that you may call her. Don’t tell her where you are, and if there is family or friends she can visit with, have her go see them.”
“Why?”
“Dyson, the male responsible for your kidnapping, is still out there.”
“Did you call the cops?”
“They can’t do anything about a dragon shifter. It is our responsibility to police our people and to mete out justice when it is called for.”
“You’re going to kill him?”
“He would have done worse to you, to me, and all the other people in that dungeon!” He raised his voice, making her jump away from him.
The room became extremely quiet. “I apologize, Gema. I feel responsible for what happened to you and am angry that we could not capture him. He is a menace and a threat to the safety of both humans and my people.”
There were so many questions she had about this person named Dyson, but she could see that it upset Rei and the others. She concentrated on eating her food.
“This is really delicious.”
“I’m glad you like it. It’s one of my best dishes.”
“You cooked this?”
“I did. Since coming to Earth, I found myself doing many tasks I hadn’t done before and cooking seemed to come naturally to me. When we have our once-a-month clan dinners, I cook for everyone. It makes me feel good to provide something tasty and nourishing for others.”
“Well, it’s amazing.”
“Thank you.”
She finished her meal and then Rei stood up to take her to his office. What was she going to say to her grandmother?
Chapter 12
“It’s in here,” Rei said as he led her down the hallway to an open door.
She entered the office and again was amazed at how big it was. The desk was one of those big executive desks. “This is very nice.”
“Thank you. Go ahead and use the desk phone. I need to talk with my warriors on the search for Dyson.”
“Okay.” She waited until he was gone before sitting down in the big chair and picking up the phone. She dialed her grandmother’s number.
“Hola?”
“Abuela, it’s me.”
“Dios mio! Estas bien? Donde estas, niña?”
“Calm down, Abuela, I’m fine. Someone kidnapped me from the beach but I escaped with the help of someone else.”
“Kidnapped! Dios mio. Who would do such a thing?”
“A very bad man.” She didn’t want to get into details, especially about dragon shifters. Her poor abuela might pass out.
“When will you be coming home?”
“I can’t right now. The guy who took me is out there free and dangerous. I want you to go visit with Aunt Hermina until it’s safe.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I want you home to me.”
“I want to come home, too, but Rei says it’s too dangerous.”
“Oh, who is this Rei?”
Crap! She shouldn’t have mentioned Rei to her grandmother.
“He’s the man responsible for saving me.”
“Is he single?”
“I haven’t had time to talk to him about his availability. That’s not the point.”
“How will you ever get married and give me bisnietos if you don’t talk to the man?”
“Anyway, go visit Hermina and I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Good night, niña.”
“Good night, Abuela.” She hung up feeling better after talking to her grandmother. She did need to talk to Rei about getting the police involved. He couldn’t take on Dyson without assistance.
Chapter 13
“Glad you could join us, Reichardt,” King Malachi said as Rei walked into the library.
“He had better things—or prettier things—to do, Mal,” King Niko joked.
Rei ignored them and addressed his second-in-command, Drake. “What news do we have of Dyson?”
“Dyson and his men flew north but we are still tracking his exact whereabouts. The house had been one of his oldest hideouts. All the dragon warriors have been alerted to his treachery and will be looking for any signs of them.”
“How many hideouts of his have been uncovered?” Malachi asked.
Niko answered. “A total of nine so far: two in South America, three in North America, three in Europe, one in Asia.”
“I don’t understand how he can keep evading our forces,” Queen Arena commented.
Arena was the only queen left who had originated from Drakonia. Her king had died and she had ruled in his place ever since. At one time Rei and Arena had been lovers and there had been hope among their people that they would mate, but neither of their dragons was interested in a mating. They enjoyed each other’s company from time to time but neither wanted anything serious. He respected her opinion and felt she was perhaps a better ruler than the kings because she had a calm intellect that was a gift.
Rei walked over to the window and looked out at the darkness. “I think he’s able to evade capture because he is working with humans, possibly human military.”
“Why do you think that?” Arena asked with interest.
“I was shot down by human weapons. The warriors wore clothing that was similar to the human military,” Rei explained.
Niko folded his arms over his chest. “What aren’t you telling us?”
Rei looked out the window again. “I can’t shift. Dyson has somehow created a drug that prohibits my dragon from coming out.”
Niko and Malachi stood to attention in shock. “How did he do this? He is not that intelligent.”
Drake spoke up. “Perhaps he has a human scientist working for him.”
“You need to see someone about it,” Arena offered in concern. She moved forward to stand in front of Rei.
“There is a local doctor that is familiar with shifters. He has been caring for Markus’s mate during her pregnancy. He took my blood and said he would have it check out discreetly, but he thinks it’s only temporary and will wear off in a few days. My nighttime eyesight is already improved.”
“This is a disast
er!” Niko began to pace. “Can you imagine how fear would spread throughout the clans if this got out?”
“That’s why I haven’t said anything until now. It needs to stay between us for now. As soon as the doctor finds out what was used on me, we can create an antidote for it.”
“Agreed. We will keep this between us for now,” Malachi said. All the others nodded their agreement as they left to go back to their rooms. All except for Arena.
“May we take a walk and talk?” Arena asked.
He really just wanted to go find Gema but knew that Arena was worried about him and she had always been a good friend.
“Of course. Let’s take a walk outside.”
They left together and headed toward the front entrance of the ranch house. The night air was cool on his skin and his dragon was restless, wanting to shift and take to the air.
“It must be horrible to not be able to shift,” Arena said, leaning against the fence to the horse pasture.
“It’s not natural. My dragon is angry and wants to break free but he can’t.”
“I will make sure my warriors keep a look out for Dyson and his men. We’ll find him.”
“Thank you.” He knew Arena wanted him alone to ask him something more. “What is it you want, Arena?”
She gave him one of her secretive smiles. “I was hoping that you would ask me to stay after the others leave to spend some one-on-one time. It’s been forever since we were last together.”
Rei was taken off guard. Arena had always been aggressive, going for what she wanted. He had always liked that about her. The thought of taking Arena to his bed didn’t appeal. Also, it would be damn awkward considering he had purposely placed Gema in his bedroom.
“I’m honored but I have to say no, thank you.”
She raised an eyebrow at him in confusion. “Why?”
“The timing isn’t right.”
“I apologize if I am interfering with you and someone else but I haven’t heard of you spending time with anyone else in the other clans.”
Arena knew him so well. “There is someone but she is not in the clan. It may turn out to be nothing but…my dragon insists we pursue the attraction.”