by S. E. Smith
Trelon walked towards Cara. When he stood in front of her, he suddenly dropped to his knees. Cara watched him silently as he slowly unbuttoned the shirt she was wearing.
“What are you doing?” Cara asked softly.
“I want to see my child…my children.” Trelon said hoarsely.
He gently laid his palms against her flat stomach and closed his eyes. He called on the symbiosis attached to his wrists, feeling them as they fanned out over Cara’s stomach connecting them. Trelon focused inward until he could see the two tiny sparks glowing brightly inside Cara’s womb. He reached out and touched them. The response he received knocked him back on his heels.
“Daughters.” He said in a trembling voice. Trelon stared up at Cara with tears in his eyes. “You have given me two beautiful daughters.”
“You aren’t mad, are you? About them being girls? I mean, I know most guys want to have a son first…” Cara asked anxiously.
Trelon shook his head and stood up. He lifted Cara up in his arms. “In one day, I have been given back the love of my life, my true mate, and the rare gift of not one, but two daughters. Perhaps I did not piss the gods and goddess’ off, for they have definitely blessed me with good fortune.”
Cara’s drew in a deep breath. Who would have ever thought the big lug would turn out to be such a romantic! Cara suddenly squealed in delight as Trelon spun her around and around in his arms shouting he was going to be the best father any girl had ever had. His laughter filled Cara’s heart that earlier had been too afraid of the world around her. Now, she knew that as long as she had Trelon, she could conquer any world; even a strange new one where dragons and gold symbiosis lived as one with the man she loved.
Two weeks later Cara was thinking about killing the man she loved, along with his dragon and his symbiosis. They were driving her nuts. If she got away from one, the other would find her. Trelon had found her stash of tools in the bed side table after the second time she had picked the locks on the chains he had put her in. Of course, that was after he had caught her flying out over the ocean and wave dodging. Cara had explained wave dodging was kind-of like surfing only the goal was to ride inches above them and not wipe out. It was just her luck that Trelon had caught her after an unusually big wave surprised her dragon and she had gone under. He had pulled her out coughing and choking on sea water. She had pointed out she wouldn’t have choked on it if he hadn’t surprised her by yanking her out of the water when she wasn’t expecting it. Then, he had gotten upset when she had snuck out with Abby and Trish and they had gone down to the market. She had been teaching the boys how to play basketball. She had just completed a slam-dunk with a little help from one of the older boys. Unfortunately, the boys thought it would be funny to leave the short girl hanging from the hand-made hoop. She was just about to beg Symba for some help when she felt a pair of huge hands grip her around her waist. All she heard as she looked over Trelon’s shoulders was the boys complaining about losing their coach and Trish and Abby’s laughter.
“Come on, Trelon. You won’t let me do anything!” Cara complained later that day. “At least let me go hang out with Abby while you are in your meeting.”
“What do you mean by hang out?” Trelon asked suspiciously.
He was exhausted! He was doing his best to stay one step ahead of Cara and it seemed like he was always four steps behind before he realized she was even gone! The only time he could catch her was when she was in the cleansing unit sick. Even then, she tried to kick him out. When he wouldn’t go, she would call him every new name she had learned since coming to Valdier and a few from Earth that he had asked Trisha what they meant. After discovering the meaning of the words, he stopped asking and just understood sometimes it was better to not know. His symbiosis wasn’t in much better condition and his dragon just kept reminding him he should have beaten their mate’s ass when he had the chance. He was seriously thinking of asking his mom to watch over Cara for a few hours so he could catch up on his sleep.
“We are going to make a list of all the things we think we’ll need for the babies. We will be in her and Zoran’s living quarters.” Cara said in an exasperated voice.
“Zoran’s living quarters only, nowhere else?” Trelon asked cautiously.
“Nowhere else, I promise.” Cara said. She crossed her fingers behind her back. She didn’t plan on going anywhere else but you never knew, she thought.
“I’ll escort you there and pick you up. The meeting shouldn’t last too long. I was thinking it would be nice to fly over to the cliffs and watch the sun set. Maybe we could take some food and eat dinner under the stars, as well.” Trelon said hesitantly. He knew he had been being overprotective lately but he was just so worried after almost losing her not once but twice. The thought of losing her and their precious daughters was too much to even contemplate.
Cara smiled softly and nodded. She knew when to pick her battles. She recognized Trelon was just being over-protective of her. She probably needed it. It didn’t matter how many times she told him to leave when she was busy throwing up, he never did. He would kneel beside her and press a damp, cold cloth to her forehead and neck. When she was done he would help her stand up and hold her while she brushed her teeth before carrying her either back to bed or into the living area where he would sit her on the couch while he made her a soothing drink. Symba would come and curl up next her. Unfortunately, even a symbiosis was powerless against the effect of morning sickness. It was just something they couldn’t seem to figure out how to cure.
“That sounds wonderful.” Cara said picking up her small tote bag. “Abby is having the seamstress come and take measurements. Both of us seem to be gaining weight faster than we expected.”
Trelon smiled down affectionately. “I like you plump.”
Cara just rolled her eyes and shook her head. She wasn’t going to comment on that one. In just a few months, she was going to be more than plump! She was going to look like a basketball with legs.
“Come on, Romeo. Let’s get me to Abby’s so you can go to your meeting.” Cara replied walking out the door.
Chapter 21
Abby was laughing at some of the things Cara was dreaming up for their nurseries when a knock on the door interrupted them. Abby went to answer the door. Just as she opened it, it swung in with enough force it knocked her backwards onto the floor. Cara yelled out and rushed for Abby but was stopped as N’tasha and four heavily armed men rushed forward. Two other men pulled in the lifeless bodies of Abby’s guards. Abby was crab-walking backwards from the intruders trying to get away. One of the men reached down and grabbed Abby around her arm lifting her up and holding her close. Cara turned as one of the other men rushed her and kicked out her leg sending him sliding head first into the nearby side table causing both of them to crash to the floor. She was turning on another when she heard N’tasha’s threat.
“Fight again and she dies.” N’tasha said coldly.
Cara slowly straightened up trying to jerk away from the hands that were grabbing her upper arms. One of the men stood with Abby pressed against his front, a knife to her throat. Cara looked to where Symba and Goldie were crouched hissing and snarling.
“Tell them to back down or I will make sure there is no way they can heal her. I’ll cut her head off if they so much as move a thread of gold.” N’tasha said looking at Cara first then at Abby.
Abby nodded slightly wincing when the blade cut into her skin drawing a thin line of blood. “Goldie.” Abby whispered hoarsely. “Don’t move, baby. Just do what she says.”
Cara’s eyes glittered fiercely. “Symba, chill out. It will be alright.”
Cara could feel Symba’s rage at the idea of her being in danger. Both Goldie and Symba were turning a variety of colors and small spikes rose and fell over their golden bodies as they silently raged against the threat to their mates. Cara sent an image to Symba hoping she would understand. She pictured the little dragon’s guiding Trelon to her. She sent the image over and over until
she felt Symba’s warmth move through her that she understood. The thin arm bands on her moved ever so slightly until them slid under her clothing around her waist. She had been fortunate enough to be wearing one of Trelon’s long shirts. Abby was wearing a sleeveless tunic and her arm bands were clearly visible.
“Tell the symbiosis on you to go to the mother symbiosis. NOW!” N’tasha snarled at both of them.
Abby looked at Cara in dismay. She gasped when she felt the cut of the knife at her throat again. “Okay, okay, I’ll tell them to go.”
Cara watched as the blood slowly soaked into the front of Abby’s tunic. The symbiosis around her neck slid over the wounds healing them before it turned into tiny little birds and flew to Goldie where it was absorbed. Goldie growled and twitched but never moved from the spot she was at.
Cara looked at N’tasha before she told the little gold symbiosis hanging from her ears to go to Symba. “That’s all I have on me.” Cara lied coldly holding up her bare wrists.
“You better hope it is or I’ll have the men strip you to make sure.” N’tasha said with a hatefully smile.
“What are you going to do?” Cara asked furious. This was the bitch that had fucked Trelon so she was already on strike three as far as Cara was concerned. “Why are you doing this?”
N’tasha jerked her head at two of the men. “Gag them and tie them up. We’ll take them with us. We already have the other one. At least with these two and the other one we will be able to strike a deadly blow to the royal house.” N’tasha turned with a nasty smile and looked at Cara. “You see, I was supposed to be the mate of Trelon. If you had not come along I would have been. I have been working him for the past year trying to gain his trust enough to learn more about their plans.” She jerked her head towards Symba. “Only that creature hated me on sight. His dragon at least tolerated me as long as he got to fuck me. But, his symbiosis never would let me near. I thought I had finally worked my way far enough into his affections that he would ignore it; but, he found you, his true mate, instead.”
N’tasha jerked her head at the men. “Get them out of here. I’ll slit the tiny human’s throat and leave it for Trelon once our true King is done with her.”
N’tasha turned and moved towards the door. It opened before she got to it. Standing in the doorway was the seamstress and two of her young helpers. Her gaze moved quickly from the dead guards to her two ladies standing gagged and tied. As N’tasha rushed towards the door the seamstress screamed and threw her basket of sewing items at the rushing figure. The two younger helpers had already started running down the hall yelling for the guards. N’tasha swung out, striking the seamstress a heavy blow to the side of her face knocking her unconscious.
“Move!” N’tasha screamed.
She was already running down the corridor with two men in front of her followed by the man carrying Cara then the one carrying Abby. Symba and Goldie rushed for the two men who had dragged in the dead guards. They were not fast enough to get out of the door. All Cara saw was a splash of blood on the floor as she was being carried away. Cara fought back a wave of nausea as she was thrown heavily over the shoulder of one large man. She knew Abby was fighting it as well from the frantic breathing she was doing through her nose. Cara knew she could get the symbiosis under her shirt to do enough damage to the man carrying her he would probably let her go but she wouldn’t go without Abby. Her mind started spinning as one idea after another went through each scenario and how it could end. There were only four men and N’tasha. Cara wasn’t too worried about N’tasha because if it came down to the two of them fighting, N’tasha might be bigger but Cara was meaner. She had more to live for then N’tasha did and she was really, really feeling like roasting the bitch for dinner.
Cara heard the shouts of additional guards as they responded to the two young helpers’ cry for help. By now, they were out in the garden where she and Trelon had spent the month when she had been so lost. Two guards suddenly appeared in front of the man carrying Abby cutting him off from the rest of the group. He wasn’t able to swerve fast enough to avoid them. Cara watched over the shoulder of the man carrying her as one of the guards grabbed Abby around the waist pulling her away to safety as the other one sliced his sword across the stomach of the man who had been holding her. She watched as the man crumbled to the ground. Her eyes jerked up just in time to see Trelon, Zoran and Kelan running full speed up the path towards them. Cara vaguely heard N’tasha say something and the roar of the three men before let her head drop back down. She knew she was in big trouble when she felt the familiar tingle as she was transported away from Trelon.
“NO!” Trelon roared in protest staring in horror at the empty spot where Cara had been just moments before.
His heart was pounding so hard in his chest he thought it would explode. He watched in terror as Cara was transported away from the garden. He called to Symba who burst out of the palace at a full run, snapping and snarling at anything in her path. She skidded to a stop as if frozen for just a moment before she shimmered and changed shape. Trelon watched as Symba expanded her form turning into a sleek fighter.
Trelon ran forward and jumped into the opening Symba had left for him. “Go!” He said urgently. “Go to her.”
They lifted up off the ground and moved swiftly upward, climbing at a steep rate. Symba changed directions a few times before she put on a burst of speed and left the orbit of Valdier. The blackness of space enclosed them as Symba followed the faint signals from the symbiosis on Cara.
Trelon opened communications with his brothers. “Do you have anything?”
Kelan’s image appeared on the screen that formed in front of Trelon. He looked haggard. “A cloaked ship appeared on our surveillance a few moments ago. They had to uncloak to transport. It was N’tasha, Trelon. Abby says that N’tasha and six men killed two of her guards before taking them hostage. Symba and Goldie killed two in Zoran’s living quarters and the guards were able to kill the one holding Abby. She is fine.” Kelan didn’t mention the fact Zoran went ballistic when he saw the blood staining the front of Abby’s tunic. It had taken a while to calm him down enough for him to realize she was unharmed otherwise.
“According to Abby, they have Trisha, as well as, Cara.” Kelan choked out. “Abby says N’tasha plans to slit Cara’s throat as soon as the ‘True King’ is done with her. She said N’tasha wants to leave Cara where you can find her. She didn’t know anything else about Trisha. N’tasha didn’t say where she had been taken.”
Trelon paled and let out a curse. “Cara must have some of Symba’s symbiosis on her since she seems to know where to go. I will find them, Kelan.”
“I’m leaving now. I have the V’ager ready to go. Send me constant updates so we can intercept.” Kelan said. His eyes flashed in rage at the idea of Trisha being held captive.
“I will. Trelon out.” Trelon knew the pain his brother was feeling. N’tasha had signed her own death warrant when she threatened their mates.
Chapter 22
Cara studied the locking mechanism on the cell she had been deposited in. She grinned as she saw it was very similar to the one she had broken out of on the V’ager. She whispered to the little symbiosis around her waist. Soon, she had a highly polished reflective surface in the shape of a golden hand mirror. One of the good things about being so small was people had a tendency to under-estimate you, Cara thought as she carefully moved the reflective surface between the high energy beams. Cara had carefully explained what she was going to do to the symbiosis. It was too small to protect her but it was perfect as an accessory in breaking out. She had also discovered it was sending signals to Symba who was following them. All Cara had to do was stay alive long enough for Trelon to rescue her. If she happened to get a chance to fry a couple of the bad guys in the process, especially N’tasha, then so be it.
Cara bit back a giggle when she heard the hiss of firing circuit board. Placing a gentle hand against her stomach she said softly, “Okay, girls, lesson numb
er one: How to break out of a detention cell.”
Cara pushed open the unlocked door quietly. She listened for a few moments to make sure she was alone. The detention cells seemed to be situated in an octagon shape with each cell facing a center console in the room. Cara peeked in each cell looking for Trish. She was worried when she found all the cells empty. Where would they be keeping her? It made sense if they were going to put Cara in one of the cells that they would have put Trish in one as well. Cara walked over to the center console and studied it. She knew this. It was like the ones she had torn apart on the V’ager. She just needed some tools. She looked down at the symbiosis on her wrists and imagined the tool she would need to open the panel. Kneeling down, she gripped the symbiotic tool that had formed and quickly opened the panel of the console. If she could reprogram it so she could get into some of their other systems she might be able to slow the bad guys down long enough for Trelon to get to her. Cara worked quickly pulling out the micro-programming console attached to the system. Rookies, Cara thought. Yes, it was easier to leave an attached micro-console board for maintenance but it also opened up the ship for easy access to hackers like her. Jarak had discovered that when he had finally figured out how she kept getting into the systems on the V’ager. He had ordered the maintenance crew to detach all of the micro-consoles hidden in the major consoles. It had slowed her down but not defeated her. She had to just remember to keep one on her after that.