by Celia Kyle
“Grace, this is War Master Taulan and his mate Lana. Lana—”
“Kozav said you’re a nurse?” Lana did not wait for him to finish speaking and that first question led into many, many others.
What was his mate’s specialty?
Had she ever worked in OB/GYN?
What did his mate think of this spot?
Lana had a pain. What did his mate think could be the cause?
Did his mate believe breast tenderness—
Kozav was prepared to end the conversation in any way, but the last question forced Taulan to step in. “Enough. You will not speak of your breasts in front of—”
“I won’t what?”
Kozav did not have much experience with females, but he did believe Taulan had misstepped with this.
Taulan’s face reddened with anger, Lana’s eyes narrowed with rage, and soon the couple stomped from the command deck and out of sight. Out of earshot as well.
“Sooo,” Grace stared at the door after they left. “That was them, then.”
He gave her a rueful grin. “Lana is newly bearing. Their hearts belong to each other, but…”
Grace snorted. “Hormones. There’s nothing scarier than a pregnant woman on a rampage.”
It sounded as if his mate spoke from experience and he furrowed his brow. “Do we need additional guards? Preor females are not typically violent, but we are unfamiliar with the range of changes a human female undergoes. We would not wish to hurt her, but perhaps a rotating guard to prevent her from harming others should be put into place.”
He did not believe a female so small as Lana could be a true threat, but he also never believed a Preor male could harm a female, either. Thinking of one particular male—Impe—his fury over the warrior’s continued freedom vaulted forward. It surprised him with its intensity, and he fisted his hands when it felt as if his claws would spring free at any moment. His shoulders itched, a sure sign his scales lingered close to the surface, and he attempted to shrug the sensations away.
Impe had still not been found and the male’s uncle—Sugal—was also free somewhere on the ship. Kozav did not believe the healer knew enough of the ship’s systems to evade detection, but Impe’s primary responsibility was in engineering maintenance. He was required to maintain and repair various necessary systems including the ship’s sensors. Other warriors worked to repair Impe’s destruction, but each moment, the mess grew larger and Impe remained free.
Grace’s smile blossomed, her lips spread wide. “She’s no more a physical threat than she was before. Just a little more temperamental and probably a lot more demanding.”
He believed Lana was a lot more temperamental, but he would never say so.
“Come, rasi, there is something I wish to show you.”
It would not be as good as the real thing, but they would explore Preor together once they returned.
It did not take them long to arrive at their destination, the off-duty areas close to the command deck should males have to quickly abandon their relaxation to go to battle. There were several common rooms, a few males sparring while others lazed and told old stories from before the war that destroyed their people.
No one wished to discuss the war itself.
He drew her down the long, final hallway, the length lined with numbered doors, and he drew them to a stop beside the space he’d reserved. He tapped the control pad and waited for the low beep. “Kozav joi Grace Hall, Program Udriea.”
“Kozav?” Grace twitched in his grip. “What…”
“It is one of my favorite places on all of Preor.” The door to the senchamber opened for them. “Let me show it to you.”
He drew her into the space, and he breathed deeply the moment he stepped across the threshold, inhaling the scents of home. The Preors had some of the best senchambers in the galaxies. A necessity considering their natures. Aggressive, sometimes violent, Preors needed calming outlets. A believable senchamber was invaluable.
“This, shaa kouva, is Udriea.” The roll of salty waves filled the air, the soft whoosh and sigh of the water kissing the shore. Sand and rocks crunched under their feet as they walked, shoes sinking into soft spots. “And that is the Gor Ari sea.” She did not protest when he ventured farther and she listened as the senchamber’s doors closed. “I have a small cottage near the cliff’s edge. There were many days I could not fly to the Udriea aerie and soon had a home built here.”
His mate remained quiet, but when he glanced at her, she didn’t seem upset. “It is large, not as large as some, but large enough for you and me.”
“You and me?” Grace seemed to have found her voice. “This place is teeming with salt water.”
He grunted. She spoke the truth. “I spent so many days here that I found I love it. Even if the salt stings my scales on windy days.” He shrugged. “It is not an easy place to love, but the skies do not tell us that love is always easy.”
“But…”
“This way,” he tugged, drawing her to his cliff-side property.
It took mere moments to get to his home, and even less time to settle on the stone wall. He helped her sit on the hard surface beside him and he wrapped an arm around her waist. “Do you see why I can love this place even if its winds hurt me?” He pointed into the distance, showing her the brilliant sunset and sea animals that leapt from the crystal waters. “Anyone can see this from an aerie, but this is the Gor Ari as it was meant to be seen. Yes, the waters are deadly, but the peace I find here is priceless. Humans would say the cost is worth the reward.”
Grace leaned against him with a soft sigh. “But it hurts you.”
He shrugged. “Not as much anymore. I have built a tolerance to the winds and I only truly feel any pain if I go too close to the edge of the cliffs during a storm.” Sailfish burst above the water, the fans of a dozen fish sprinkling across the sky. “Think of so many who miss this because they were not willing to try hard enough,” he murmured.
Grace did not say anything else and he was content to hold her and watch Preor’s sun set beneath the senchamber-generated Gor Ari. It was a beautiful sight and the only way he recognized the location was not real was due to the lack of aching in his wings. Otherwise, it looked the same—smelled the same—and it made him miss home even more.
He ached to return, to settle into a daily routine with his mate and simply enjoy life. He would apply for a training position. He did not want to be off-planet should his mate be ready to present him with offspring. She would need to be bearing first—obviously—but he did not imagine that would be difficult. War Master Taulan accomplished the task quickly and with great efficiency.
Kozav could do the same. He was a powerful, strong, and honorable warrior.
His only concern was Grace. Already Melissa joi Jarek wished to work and Lana joi Taulan stated she would not hand off her duties once she held a bay-bee in her arms.
“Rasi?”
“Hmm?”
“What did you do for employment on Earth? You stated you worked as a nurse, but also that you had two jobs. What was the other?”
“Ugh. That. It was a necessary evil.” The disgusted tone told him he would only have to concern himself with keeping her busy with a single position though the idea of her being surrounded by unmated males did not sit well with his dragonish nature. Perhaps she could only treat human females or act as an advisor. “I was a Senior Mating Representative for the Intergalactic Mating Agency.”
He stared down at her, confusion clouding his mind with the unfamiliar words. He did not recognize the saying. “What is a necessary evil?”
Grace compressed her lips and wrinkled her nose. “Something you don’t want to do, but have to do.” She shook her head. “Working there was a stupid idea, anyway. Shitty pay to have happy couples thrown in your face every day.” She half-shrugged. “Desperate times and desperate measures.”
“I do not understand. If it was a stupid idea, why did you choose to do so? Were you so desperate that you were
forced to take employment there?”
She quirked the corner of her mouth. “It was an easy way to meet off-world guys?”
Kozav jolted and jealousy flared with those few words. He’d never been a male to experience such an emotion, but it roared through him louder than a dragon’s bellow. “Meet off-world…”
“I know, it was dumb, but,” she sighed. “I’d just gotten another notice from the landlord that they were going to evict us and the Health Ministry refused another petition to have Pol Mutation recognized as a disease and they’d denied the medical claims.”
He listened, he heard every word, yet he could only focus on three words. Meet off-world guys.
“You took a position to meet males?”
“Before I met you,” she accentuated the words as if that would calm his jealous heart. “I needed an off-world mate. Preferably a race that was medically advanced enough to help my mother. I didn’t have the money to join the IMA and search for a mate that way, but applicants went through the offices all the time. I’d hoped I’d find…” She suddenly straightened, smile on her lips once more. “But then I found you and we…”
Kozav should be thrilled at her happiness. She said the words so easily, as if she’d already accepted him fully. But was it him or merely the fact that the Preors helped her mother? She’d been so resistant. Had her agreement and acceptance only come after she’d learned her mother was doing well? That was the reason she allowed so much in their bed. She merely used him to…
He bolted to his feet, dislodging her though he was sure not to send her falling to the rocky ground.
“Kozav?” He would not acknowledge that he found her frown adorable.
“You sought a mate. At the IMA, you took a position with the purpose of locating a mate.”
“Yeah,” she drew out the word.
“You did not care which mate. Just that they had technology to assist your dam.” He gritted his teeth. He could not tell the hurt from the anger or the jealousy. He merely knew his emotions attacked him, swirling and beating at him like the fiercest winds of the Gor Ari.
“When you say it like that, it sounds…” She winced and he told himself he did not care.
“You would have taken any male. You would have done anything.” He sliced his hand through the air.
“To save my mom? Yes. I’ve never lied about that. I don’t understand why you’re so angry.” She pushed to her feet, facing off against him. “What’s all this about?”
He hated that her confused frown aroused him. “You would have mated any male willing to save your dam. Is there any length you would not have gone to? Would you perform genetic manipulation? Would you have lied? Did you alter—”
He snapped his mouth closed with the last question and cursed himself for even entertaining the thought. Humans could not fool the Knowing. Even genetic manipulation could not force a mating.
Grace took a step back and stared at the ground while running her hands over the front of her aczi in nervous gesture. Was she nervous because he discovered the truth? “If the person you loved most in the world, the one person who’d always been there for you, was dying,” she lifted her head and met his gaze, her eyes overflowing with tears, “what would you do? If it would have taken one sacrifice to save your family, what would you do?”
“Anything,” he rasped.
Another river of liquid snaked down her cheek. “How far would you go?”
“As far as it took.”
“Exactly. I’m sorry what I’ve done in the past hurts your feelings or makes you angry or disgusts you, but… I’d do it again. In a heartbeat. Even you should understand that.” She turned away and retraced their path, obviously intent on leaving him behind.
Perhaps that was best. The urge to release his fire, to bellow to the skies and take to his wings, nearly overwhelmed him. Fury battled jealousy in his heart and he struggled to breathe past the emotions.
Yes, for now, space was best.
“Ship, reveal senchamber door. Monitor progress and notify guards standing by.” He knew she would not like the baybee sit-hers, but he could not have her unprotected.
Grace continued on, not pausing a moment to glance back at him. Her steps remained smooth and unhurried as she approached the exit and left him in the senchamber.
Alone. As he had been for so many years.
But his mate was right, he would have done anything—sacrificed anything—to have his sire, dam, and sister back with him.
Kozav stared at the digitized sun in the distance, the last rays disappearing beneath the Gor Ari. He didn’t take his attention from the glittering colors, letting the different shades calm him while he sought rational thought. His body remained attuned to emotion, but emotion wouldn’t solve his problems with Grace. Emotion was the source of his problems at the moment. He’d never experienced jealousy before. He’d never suffered such strong feelings. And now his reaction to her hardship pushed her away.
He spun and stomped toward the exit. He should not have allowed her to leave. They could be mad at each other within the same room. They did not have to be apart when angry.
“Ship, locate Grace joi Kozav Hall,” he barked out the order as he strode from the senchamber, anxious to locate his mate. This was their first disagreement and Jarek revealed that make-up sex was the best part of an argument. “Ship?”
“Unable to locate Grace joi Kozav Hall.”
Kozav stumbled to a stop. “Explain.”
Perhaps it was merely a malfunction.
“Grace joi Kozav Hall is no longer part of the Third Fleet. She was last tracked to section coru.”
Section coru. A storage area near engineering that held nothing but supplies. It was also an area plagued with sensor outages and malfunctions.
Impe.
Kozav nearly doubled over in pain at those words. He didn’t believe Grace left voluntarily, and Impe had already proven himself to be a violent and dishonorable warrior.
Instead of waiting for the rest of the ship’s explanation, he launched into new orders. “Primary Warrior Kozav to broadcast comm.”
“Broadcasting.”
“Warriors of the Third Fleet, this is Primary Warrior Kozav joi Grace Hall and we must hunt for one of our own. Impe sen Viz’on has taken my mate and he will be found.”
Kozav did not have to question whether the warriors heard his message. The answering roars, the trembling of the ship, told him more than anything else could.
By his claw or another’s, Impe would be dead and Grace would be back in his arms. He would then have to convince her to stay there.
19
“Listen, you piece of shit, overgrown lizard with wings!” Grace yanked in Impe’s grip, fighting his firm hold. She kicked, aiming for his shin, and missed. “I’m going to kick your ass and feed you to a great white shark.” She jerked and dug her heels in, throwing her weight back in an effort to stop him. “I’m going to turn you into chum and watch—”
Impe jolted to a stop and bent until his face was an inch from hers. Reptilian eyes narrowed and he hissed as he spoke. “Sssilence.”
She didn’t want to be silent. She was pissed and frustrated and she’d never admit it, but she was scared, too. And hurt. Fuck, she’d already been backhanded by the guy once and he really rang her bell. He hadn’t hit her as hard when he snatched her as she left the senchamber, but it was enough to make walking interesting.
Grace curled her lip. “Or. What.”
She was gonna die either way, right? She didn’t imagine the male who’d evaded capture for days and had already hurt her twice would just release her and flit away. Whatever his plans, she didn’t have high hopes about getting away unscathed—or alive.
“Female,” he growled and snapped his teeth, acting as if he’d bite her and she fought the need to flinch.
Grace Hall was a lot of things, but she wasn’t a weakling who backed off when faced with what appeared to be a dire situation. Otherwise her mother would already
be out of her life. But she’d fought when the doctors told her there was no hope. She was ready to fight again. Unfortunately, this fight involved actual bruises and cuts so… not fun.
With every step, she resisted as much as she could, trying her best to break free of his immovable grasp. Strong aliens were sexy, but did this particular alien have to be so strong? His fingers dug into her flesh, the punishing hold sure to leave her arm covered in bruises. Though, if she somehow managed to get out of this with only bruises, she’d count herself lucky.
She glanced up and down the hallway, searching for anyone who could help her. On a ship of two thousand Preors, she’d think there’d be a big winged guy nearby. Or at least close enough to hear her.
“Help! Somebody help! He’s trying to kidnap—” Her head banged against the metal wall, shoulders immediately following and then the rest of her caught up. Pain radiated along her body, overtaking every nerve and shutting out any other sensations. She slumped to the ground with a groan and brought one hand to the back of her head. It was sticky and wet and she pulled her hand away, glancing at her red-coated fingertips.
Impe crouched down. “That was not smart.”
Grace gathered saliva in her mouth and spat it at him, coating his face in the clear liquid. That earned her a roar and another strike. At least this one knocked her out, but not before she heard other male voices, shouts to stop, halt, and go no farther. Grace passed out with a small smile on her face. They’d found her and they’d save her.
Except instead of a warm cocoon of blankets and Kozav’s scent filling her nose when she woke, she found herself strapped into a seat on a short flight shuttle. It bounced and jerked on its way through space, jolting as they passed through Earth’s atmosphere. Growls and curses—some she knew and others she didn’t—filtered back to her from the pilot’s seat.
She hadn’t been saved, then. Had those voices merely been imaginary?
The shuttle shook, veering left and then Impe overcorrected pulling them back right.