by Crystal Dawn
“My kind is too, in some ways.”
“Perhaps our people are much alike when we look at the right things?” He’d stepped closer and wrapped her in his arms.
She felt heavenly to him. His lips moved down and he softly pressed them to hers. Her lips opened to him on a soft sigh. That’s when his tongue slipped in to explore her sweet mouth. He consumed her goodness wishing he could take her here in the garden, but he knew he could not. Running his hands all over her, he scented her desire and felt her body heat. It was so hard to hold back.
Stepping away from her, he took her hand and led her away. “Let’s look at more of the garden then return to see more of the castle.” Tomi nodded looking confused.
They toured the hidden parts of the garden, it was beautiful. Now they returned to the castle starting on the bottom and working up the floors. It was obvious she was tired by the time they hit the floor her cafeteria was on.
“There’s so much unused room.” She commented.
“That’s true. There was a time when many more people lived in the castle. Rooms have been shut off and go unused. See here is a large room that was once a kitchen with only a small part used. The dining room and ballroom are still used a few times a year. Maybe a fourth of the living spaces have people living in them.”
“The castle needs remodeled. An updated laundry room would ease the work of the employees. My cafeteria needs more space and a bigger dining room. This needs to be done before you bring in large numbers of people. You also need to give preference to those that have certain needed skills or those fleeing harm.” Tomi observed.
“Fleeing harm? I don’t understand this.”
“You’ve never taken in refugees?”
“No, I’ve never heard that term.”
“On Earth, sometimes a ruler is bad and will abuse a certain group of people. Sometimes those that believe in one god or religion will try to destroy those that believe differently. Also there are times people are victims of floods, earthquakes, or volcanoes.”
“I understand victims of nature. Like the planet we used to get females from. They fled to other planets mostly. So they would be refugees?”
“Yes, but nature isn’t the only danger on Earth people run from the most.”
“Okay. I’m beginning to understand.” He said.
“It would be like if your rebels got control. They would hurt many people. You’ll have to make concessions so the government will want to make a deal with you.”
“What kind of concessions should we consider?”
“I would take a percentage of females they don’t want.”
“Who would they not want? And would we want them?”
“Petty criminals, those with sickness you can cure, and those on welfare like single mothers. You might want to consider some of the male criminals too for the meteor.”
“I think I am beginning to see what you mean. Your government is not kind to their people.”
“Sometimes they aren’t. They also will be giving up some of their best workers and they need something in return. They want the best deal, but so do you. Those who are ill and may even die will get a second chance. You’ll have to check them out carefully. It won’t help them if they come here just to die away from family and friends.”
“Perhaps Kitty could set up the medical program for finding those we can help and come with the first group? I bet the emperor could see the value of that.” He asked.
“I’m sure she would. My sister is kind. This would give some hopeless patients a chance to be healed.”
“I will send him a proposal for this program. It will be wonderful if we can get it going.”
He felt good about it. When he and Tomi were together, solutions just presented themselves. She would be the perfect queen and partner. Now when Earth was going to play such an important part in the lives of his people, she could be an enormous help. Even without that consideration, he knew deep inside she was his.
“Maybe you should find a marketer?”
“A marketer?”
“It’s someone that helps sell something. They come up with a slogan and in this case you need a video. The person would know how to do all that. You’ll be turning females away if this is done right.”
“How do I find this person?” He asked.
“You have people on Earth. Have them look for a good commercial on TV and find out who did it. You’ll want something sexy. They’ll need to tape some of your males.”
“We have many on your planet at any given time. That should be no problem.”
“I guess I should go now. It’s supper time and I need to lock up the cafeteria and make sure everything is cleaned up. This is much longer than I intended to stay but I enjoyed today.” She admitted as her cheeks turned pink.
“Okay. I will walk you there.” He offered. Taking Tomi’s arm, he led her back to the cafeteria. “Should anyone be here?”
“No, but they could have gotten behind and stayed to clean up. It’s just unlikely.” Tomi said.
“I’ll go in first. You stay until my guard and I come back.” He motioned and the guard that had followed him the whole time moved up with him.
They entered and were immediately attacked by two males and a female. He and his guard quickly took them out. None of them were strong or good fighters. Rebels, he would bet on it. Looking up, he saw Tomi had come in.
“That’s Dala. The female I fired who threatened me.”
“She’s more than that. This female is a rebel. I believe she was using the job to spy in the castle. That’s why she was so angry when you fired her.” He explained.
“I thought she was looking for a mate. It never occurred to me she was spying. Why didn’t she try to get a job as a secretary?”
“We run background checks on them. She must have connections to known rebels. Her only way in was in a job like this or cleaning rooms. We’ll be running background checks on all employees in the castle now. Thank goodness you fired her. She could have caused so much trouble.” He observed.
“I should never have hired her. I was just so desperate for help.”
“When so many are looking for work I can’t understand any job being overlooked.”
“You won’t get any help. I told them all about Earth women.” Dala cackled like a witch from a fairy tale.
“That explains that. She’s an evil creature.” Tomi observed.
“She’ll get what she deserves. I’ll be sending her to one of the mines far away.” He promised. “Call some guards to deal with her.” The guard nodded.
“At least it looks like everything has been cleaned and put up. I really wouldn’t feel like dealing with it.” Tomi admitted.
“You could stay in a spare room in my wing for the night.” He offered.
“I don’t have any spare clothes.”
“I can get you something to wear. I’d feel better if you were where you could be protected until we get to the bottom of this.” He could see she was thinking about it.
“Maybe I should.”
“You need to. I have plenty of room.”
“Okay, if you’re sure I won’t be a bother.”
“You could never be a bother.”
Tomi moved to lock things up and that’s when he heard a moan. “Wait!” He whispered and he went to the storage room where dry foods were stored. There on the floor lay one of Tomi’s employees. A large knot was on her head with some blood dripping from it.
“Oh my God! Lushia, are you alright?”
“Tomi?” The female asked.
“Yes, Lushia. It’s me and King Erak. Looks like they knocked you on the head hard. Let’s get you up and to the healer.” Tomi advised.
Lushia had trouble getting up so he just picked her up and carried her there. If no one was on duty, the healer lived in rooms next to the clinic. When they got there, Betty, Tomi’s sister was still there.
“Lushia? Goodness, what happened to her?” Betty asked.
“Sh
e was attacked in the cafeteria as she tried to lock up. It was Dala and she had two males with her.”
“Wasn’t she that nasty women that you fired?” Betty asked as she examined Lushia’s head.
“Good news is it will heal and shouldn’t cause any lasting damage.”
“Bad news?”
“She needs to rest at home for a day or two and she shouldn’t be alone.” Betty said.
“That shouldn’t be a problem. Her husband is home right now.”
“No, he’s not. He got a job at one of the places you told me about.”
“I’ll send her home with a guard who will stay until her husband gets home. Then we’ll find a young person to hire to stay with her until she’s better.” He insisted. Tomi immediately began to protest. “It happened at the castle. I will take charge of everything dealing with this.”
Surprisingly, she gave in. It made him realize just how tired she was. “Let me get your sister settled in a guest suite and I’ll send a guard back to help Lushia. Will that be alright?”
“Sure. I’m here for a few hours. It’s like a second shift. If Kitty gets here, we will cover more time.” Betty explained.
He nodded then he led Tomi out of the healer’s room and down to his rooms. “Everything will be alright. You’ll see.” He certainly hoped it would be.
Once he got Tomi to his guest room and she was settled in, he left her and called his guard giving him instructions. The pull he felt to join his reluctant mate in her room was overwhelming. It was good that he was a strong dragon and he fought the need because he knew she wouldn’t appreciate it.
Sometimes he wondered exactly what Tomi wanted. Her family insisted she was interested in him but a hard woman to win over. He would agree she was difficult to woo. Every once in a while he saw her soften only to toughen up again. She’d let him kiss her which thrilled him, but he wanted so much more. Always before, he’d thought of himself as a patient male.
Now he had his fated mate just two doors down from him and it wasn’t helping him to win her over. He needed her desperately, but he couldn’t seem to seal the deal. Earthers had some sayings he liked. Now he sat down at his computer and put together a proposal based on what his mate had suggested.
In it, he also suggested they research all the possibilities. Once that was done, they would know the best way to handle it. His suggestions were good. The email was sent and now all he could do was wait.
It was time to go see the prisoners. Jarel had been called in to do the questioning since he was now captain of the guard. The promotions that many of his soldiers had gotten recently had lifted their spirits and given them hope that they might rise in the ranks. One problem was they needed more soldiers.
He headed down to the dungeon. It was not a place he liked to spend time. Of course a criminal shouldn’t be pampered. Traitors were the worst of the criminals. The dank smell hit his nose the second he opened the door to the prison.
“My king. I wasn’t expecting you.”
“How goes the questioning?”
“The female Dala is a terrible person. She works with the rebels for pay. Her intention was to mate a high ranking male and sell information to the rebels while living a good comfortable life. She hates Tomi and informed the rebels that she was your intended and the best way to hurt you was through her.”
“I suspected as much.” He replied.
“The two males are low ranking but we got a little information. We’ll be making a raid on a local noble tomorrow. I would send them anywhere but the meteor mines. They want to go there too much. I would also recommend sending a few undercovers in there. Something is definitely going on.” Jarel completed his report.
“Tomi must have a guard at all times.”
“Consider it done.”
He felt better now that Tomi would be protected. The meteor mines had worried him for some time. It was best that they would be investigated. Soon he hoped to have answers. That all people in the castle would now have a background search was also good. Dala had slipped through without question. Others may have too. Tomi was almost a victim of poor security. No one had liked the female but no one had thought she might be a rebel spy.
Thankfully the air was better the second he stepped out of the dungeon. The rebels were feeding them prisoners to work the mines. It was not work most would do willingly although free males who chose to work there were paid well. The mines were getting plenty of help these days. It was sad how misled these rebels were. Few knew the true goals their leaders had. He feared more would be coming for his mate.
Tired, he decided to go to bed and rest until morning. Here in his rooms, Tomi should be safer than anywhere. She was his biggest concern regardless of all his other worries. He dropped into his bed asleep right away. It seemed like moments later that he woke. A cool shower helped clear his mind. Once he was dressed, he called for breakfast for two.
Out in the main room, he saw Tomi was awake and drinking a mug of coffee. He’d gotten a coffee maker and kept coffee stocked when he’d found out how much she liked it. The taste appealed to him and he drank it often too now.
“I ordered breakfast for us.”
“Thank you. I feel really hungry.”
“You’ve already been to work?” He asked.
“I had to go in to see if everything was in order. Lushia usually takes charge in an emergency but she needs to stay home and heal for now.”
“I assume everything was in order.”
“It was. The extra help I hired the other day has really come in handy. A few more wouldn’t hurt, but not like Dala. I should have known better.” Tomi admitted.
“Sometimes, there is no way to know. We’ll be checking your employees out as well as other castle workers we never checked before. This is something we should have done all along. Davy will be in charge.”
The food came and Tomi just nodded. They began to eat the marvelous foods on the platters. He was finding he liked Earth dishes which most of these were. The platters were larger than the usual plates. Once he was done, he finished Tomi’s food since she was full. Now he was sated.
“That’s more than we usually get.” He observed.
“They are supposed to fill the plate, but they got the wrong plates. These are platters used for serving. Perhaps they are aware your dragon has a big appetite.” She grinned.
He liked that she wasn’t greedy. His males said she often threw in extras or had them try new dishes she cooked up. The only other time he’d tried to let someone run the cafeteria, they’d not been the best cook and had charged a lot for a little bit of food. After trying out their food, most of his males had stopped eating there. Tomi couldn’t keep enough food cooked for the long line of customers. People even came from town to eat there.
Jary might find her more help. He needed her to have more time and be with him where it was safer. In a short while, he’d see Jary and asked him. Leaning over, he gave Tomi a kiss which seemed to surprise her.
“I hope your day goes well. If you find the time I’d love to see you for lunch.”
“If I can, I’ll deliver.” Her face turned a lovely pink shade. Tomi got up and hurried toward the cafeteria. It was a shame they were both so busy.
Now that she was gone, he felt alone. He needed her even more than he thought. All those years alone had been hard on him. The mantle of leadership was a hard thing to carry. He chuckled. At least he wasn’t the emperor. His burden as even harder and he too was alone.
It wasn’t long before his com went off. His brows drew together as he wondered what was going on now. “Erak.”
“My king. This is Jarel and another attempt was made on Tomi. We caught them before they made it into the cafeteria so she doesn’t know.”
“Where are they?”
“In the dungeon.”
“I’ll meet you there.” He rushed from the second highest floor to the lowest. An elevator would be nice but not because he was tired. It was for the sake of speed. That wa
s something he might consider.
Now he was at the bottom of the castle and opening the door to his dirty dungeon. He wanted to punish them for attempting to harm his mate. Even if they hadn’t planned harm, just making him come down here was reason enough to punish them.
One cell was full of messy looking males. “Did they come here looking like that?”
“Yes. That caught the guard’s attention immediately. When challenged, they attempted to fight their way in.” Jarel explained.
“Clearly it didn’t work. So what did they say to explain their actions?”
“You won’t like this. They say they aren’t rebels, just poor males who can’t find a job. There’s reward on your mate. A million vesters, dead or alive. The poster says she’s taking work away from the local residents which is causing the shortage of jobs. Betty has a reward poster too. She’s only worth half that. I bet the rebels wouldn’t have the money to pay if they brought her to them.”
“The gods save us from fools. They’re playing right into the rebel’s hands.”
“Davy says in her country they have an office that helps connect people with those needing help. The government runs it. She said if someone ran an office like that privately, maybe they could make money from those looking to hire help. Tomi would pay to get help, Davy said.”
“But who would do this?”
“It would have to be someone from Earth. No one here would have a clue. I never heard of such a thing before. Here you see a sign in a window or your cousin tells you about his neighbor looking for help.”
“It’s not the Earth women taking our jobs, but they may help us with our problems. Honestly, I have no idea what has happened except no one seems to want the jobs that are available. Davy spoke to Dori yesterday. One of Tomi’s workers had a mate out of work. Tomi sent him to Dori and she put him to work right away. They had given up on getting him work. It makes no sense. The work is there even if you go to the meteor for a while.”
“I agree. Something is stopping people from going after the available jobs.”
“Or someone.”
“Get some males working undercover. Have them move around the town and see what’s being said.”