by Kyanna Skye
“Please, no!” Rayna cried. “My father is the only family I have.”
Ashton’s eyes filled with tears at the terror in his daughter’s voice. He did not speak but looked at his captors beseechingly.
“Oh don’t worry about it,” Pol snapped. He was a burly man with blond hair and thick arms. “We’re not getting rid of him without dispatching his next of kin.”
“I say we get it over with,” the young soldier said, pointing the tip of his gun at Ashton’s head. Rayna searched her mind for the name Kirin had mentioned. Fenn. Kirin said he was given to emotionalism and unwise choices.
“Fenn, please,” she muttered.
“Bitch, how do you know my name?” he turned the gun on Rayna. The dragon’s eyes glowed red with anger.
“Stand down soldier!” a voice from behind them boomed. “Don’t make me tell you again.”
Rayna breathed a sigh of relief. Kirin approached them from the stairwell, followed by another group of men. When he reached Rayna, he wrapped a protective arm around her waist. “She’s with us! None of you will harm her for any reason.”
“Yes sir,” Fenn lowered his weapon.
“What about her father then?” Tarik asked.
Kirin never had a chance to answer his question. A loud boom shook the building. One entire wall of the basement disintegrated, leaving a gaping hole which let in the sunlight. In the blaze of light and sound, military security pushed their way into the building with guns and tear gas.
Kirin took one of the first shots in the volley of gunfire.
He fell to the floor, and she crouched beside him. “Can you stand?” she asked, pressing her lips against his ear. She had one hand on his leg, trying to stem the flow of blood. He nodded.
The smoke and chaos around them were their only protection as she helped pull Kirin to safety.
Rayna sat quietly, listening to the sounds above. Things had gone partially quiet, after hours of reverberating gunshots, screaming, and the sound of heavy machinery circling the building. She was fairly sure she even heard the sound of helicopters at one point. The conflagration spilled out of the building. The dragons were expecting a fight, and they had not given in easily. How far things had gone, and if the public had knowledge of the events at Dynamic Tech, was another issue. Even if people caught video of fire-breathing dragons, anyone who saw it would most likely believe it was a movie being filmed. Anyone brave enough to say they’d seen real dragons would get laughed at.
Rayna was one of only a handful of people who knew about the bomb shelter which they were hiding in, another one being Ashton. It was constructed in the 1950’s when Cold War paranoia assured that every science research facility, Army installation, and some homes had a shelter to protect workers and dwellers from the threat nuclear bombs from the Soviet Union. When the military smashed in, Rayna and Kirin were standing thirty feet away from the trap door that leads downwards to safety. In the smoke and chaos, Rayna was laser focused, pulling him with her.
The room was stocked with food, blankets, and first aid supplies. She cleaned and wrapped his wound. Fortunately, the bullet wound had been through and through and had not hit a vital artery in his leg. He would need at least a day or so to recover. They could only hope no one would find them in the meantime.
Rayna sat on a bunk with Kirin. He laid his head in her lap. Both were stock still. Now that the confusion had lapsed into quiet, she was afraid of what would come next.
“What do you think has happened?” she whispered.
“Heavy casualties on both sides,” he replied. “I felt my brothers out there. Some were shot before they could turn, others phased into their dragon. I wish it would not have come to this.”
“I know,” Rayna soothed. She ran her hand through his dark hair.
The first hours after he was wounded were the most frightening; the fighting raged above, while Kirin slipped in and out of consciousness. He was feverish and delirious for a while. Hours had passed before he was awake. Once fully conscious the fever broke. He was clear-eyed and aware. Rayna had suffered all sorts of horrors in her imagining in between. What if Kirin died? What was going to happen to her father? What if this was truly the end of the world, and she and Kirin were among the people fated to see it happen? Perhaps the dragon’s fire and the arsenal of human weaponry were all that was needed to finish humankind.
Once Kirin was awake, Rayna was able to breathe again. It was with a heavy heart that she listened to him tell how some of the people above had died, that he felt some of his brethren slip away. Rayna wondered what the world would be like if humans felt such bonds between each other, mourning collectively in death and rejoicing in life. If humans could feel that way, maybe they would not be so quick to go to war.
“I don’t trust this quiet,” Kirin said. “When dark falls, we should go out. My people are waiting for us in the desert, with a ship, to take all of us who can make it to the meeting point. I was able to reach out with my mind to them while I slept. They are sixty miles north of us.”
“The Mojave?” Rayna asked.
“Yes,” Kirin said.
“You’re still groggy, aren’t you?”
“I am better than I was,” he said, sitting up. “How are you?”
“I wish I could tell you all the things I am feeling right now,” Rayna admitted.
He smoothed her hair back with a gentle touch if his hand. “You know, when we were out there, being fired upon, and then later, after you got me to safety, I felt every emotion inside of you. Your fear, and your love,” he said.
Rayna felt her breath hitch in her chest. Tears came to her eyes. It was hard enough to admit her feelings to herself and having her tender emotions exposed to him this way was unexpected. She hadn’t had time to think that he would know, especially in all the commotion around them.
“My people are not like yours,” he said gently. “Where I come from, you would be loved simply for who you are. You would be accepted,” he took her hand and squeezed it. “Darling, look at me.”
Rayna had been staring at her feet. Her eyes were filled with tears. It was painful thinking about him leaving her. She would feel truly alone without him. How would she ever go back to the world as she saw it before, knowing what she did now about herself and the world? Extra-terrestrial, intelligent life did exist, and she was here to watch the first new species come into contact with man. The government conspiracy to cover up proof of intelligent life had gone on for many years; it had involved her father since Rayna was a child.
On a personal level, Kirin taught Rayna a valuable lesson about how deeply she was capable of loving. Never having fallen in love before, she feared that maybe she wouldn’t recognize it when it happened. Every part of her longed for Kirin, in ways she wouldn’t have believed possible a few weeks ago.
“Come with me,” Kirin said. “I want us to be together. I love you.”
He kissed her mouth. Rayna gave over to his warm embrace, reaching up to run her hands through his hair.
“I don’t know if I can,” she whispered. “To leave everything behind. Literally, everything I have ever known.”
“Don’t make a decision now,” he said. “But know the invitation is waiting for you. Will you come with me to the ship?”
“Yes, that much I can do.”
He kissed her again, with an urgency that made a tingle move up her spine. She kissed back, barely able to keep up with him. When he touched, there was always a slow building heat flowing through her whole body. He traced every part of her skin.
Standing, she pulled away from him long enough to pull her dress over her head. He pulled her to him and kissed her belly button. Rayna could remember always being shy about her body in front of other men, but not Kirin. She felt adored in his arms. His amber eyes followed her. Even as he kissed, he looked up at her. As Rayna eased down onto the small bed beside him, Kirin took off his clothes. They lay facing each other, chests pressed together, arms locked around each other. Press
ing his lips against her breasts, his hands wandered down to cup her derrière.
“The best thing about coming here has been finding you,” he said. “And loving you.”
It was such a sweet thing to say that Rayna was speechless. But words weren’t needed.
It was hard to negotiate such a small space, but somehow they did; her leg above his hip, his body pressed into her own. As their bodies moved together, she closed her eyes. Rayna bit her lip the moment he entered her. She had never experienced anything quite like him. His heat made her warm, but it also calmed her, made her body feel more one with his. As he thrust into her, she moved with him like a tide drawn in by the force of the moon.
She moaned against his neck, let her hands caress his back. As he moved deeper, harder, she bit into his shoulder.
“Ah, darling,” Kirin groaned. His hands twined through her hair. She looked into his eyes and saw his focus, his need. All of this time she had been worried about what was in her own head. He had never really tried to hide his attraction for her. Though they had made love before, something was different this time. The connection was deeper. Their desire for each other was amplified by each touch.
Moving, Kirin sat up and drew Rayna against him. She straddled him, moving slowly, up and down as he kissed her mouth. He licked and kissed her neck, drew his lips against her shoulders. The heat built slower, but Rayna felt it—her body’s progression towards climax. The beginning of it was there. She felt her body tighten around him, her heartbeat growing slower but beating harder. Her lips dropped open as she took her breath.
Shivers took hold of Rayna’s body, her breath caught in her throat. She came, and a few moments later, felt the burst of his cum inside her. Closing her eyes, she could dream of what it would be like to be with him always, sharing his affection and his heat.
A single tear fell down her cheek as she considered the possibility that this could be their last time together.
Another day passed, and when night came, Rayna and Kirin climbed out of the bomb shelter.
Kirin insisted on going first. Rayna waited behind him breathlessly. She could feel air flowing through the opening.
“What is it?” she whispered. He stood there for nearly a full minute. Goosebumps raised the skin on her arms and the back of her neck.
“Come,” Kirin said, reaching back for her. “You have to see for yourself.”
She climbed up the last two rungs to the basement floor of DynamicTech.
Where there should have been a roof was nothing but open sky. The building was decimated. They stood among blackened remains of the building. All that was around them was ash and soot, remnants of the building’s frame. Shattered glass was scattered everywhere. For a while they stood shoulder to shoulder, neither able to speak. The glow of the moon cast an eerie glow over the destruction.
Rayna cleared her throat. “Um. Well. I guess we know the bomb shelter works.”
It took nearly a half hour to pick their way out of the wreckage of what was Dynamic Tech. Rayna couldn’t help but feel sadness. She thought of her poor little alien subjects: Johnny and Mimi. Unless her father managed to have them evacuated before the dragons leveled the place, they were surely dead. She doubted it would have even occurred to him. Gone was all of the information and technology which was under development at the site. The totality of the destruction was incredible. Much of what was made at the company was created out of research on aliens, from testing which was inhumane.
As a scientist, she wasn’t sure if she should consider it a loss, or a good thing that those projects were now gone. She was saddened that any sentient being had to suffer for the progress of science.
The destruction hand continued outside. Some of the cars were crushed, probably caught underfoot as the dragons walked. Other vehicles were burned into blackened shells. The cars at the perimeter of the lot had the least damage: singed paint and busted windows. Sagging yellow police tape was strung between light posts out on the street.
“I wonder why there are no authorities around,” Kirin said.
“My father has thought up some story to keep them away,” Rayna said. “They were here, but they left.”
He nodded in agreement but didn’t reply. Rayna felt chilled despite the warm night air. Many cars remained, and she wondered which of their owners were perhaps in hospitals, or were dead in the twisted remains of the building. Kirin walked among the rows of cars until he found what he was looking for: a sedan with the keys still in the ignition. The driver’s side window was broken, but the rest were intact.
“I think this is it,” he said. “Let’s hope we can make it up to the desert.”
They slipped into the car. After he maneuvered out of the lot and onto the street. He reached for her, and Rayna slipped her hand into his. In the rearview, she watched the heap of black, twisted metal and wood that used to be her workplace, and the most important thing in her father’s life, disappear from view.
Because they didn’t know if the police might be looking for them, or their vehicle, Kirin didn’t drive above the speed limit. Once they were on the freeway, they were stuck in traffic. Rayna had a growing sense of fear. She daydreamed about dragons crushing the cars ahead of them, while they were stuck among other cars. Or circling in black hawk helicopters, with snipers aiming for Kirin. He had told her about the day he was captured, and the image was impressed into her mind. She’d only slept a few hours during their time in the shelter, but when she did, she had nightmares of black hawks descending upon them like locusts.
Finally, they were out of the great hum of traffic and continuing the drive towards the desert. Lights dimmed. Cars drifted away as drivers took various exits. Soon they were on a nearly abandoned stretch of highway. They continued to hold hands. When her hand began to shake, Kirin raised it to his lips for a kiss, never looking away from the road.
After an hour of driving, Rayna was aware of lights.
These were different than the distant city lights. Floating above the desert floor, these seemed not to be connected to anything. They could have been stars if it weren’t for the perfection in form and alignment. Kirin turned the car onto a country road and turned off the ignition.
“We’re here,” he said softly.
Rayna looked up again and realized that they were only a few yards away from the ship. Now that they were so close she could see it clearly. The saucer shaped object could probably house an entire city full of people. It hovered above the ground. The lights on the surface gleamed like diamonds.
“I have a question to ask you,” Rayna said.
“Yes,” Kirin said.
“I love you,” Rayna told him. “I want to come with you! There’s nothing holding me here…”
“Yes, baby of course you can come,” he said and kissed her. “That’s all I have wanted to hear you say!”
They got out of the car. It seemed as they walked to the craft it felt further away. As they approached Rayna was able to make out four figures: it was Kirin’s unit. He ran to them and in turn embraced each of his brothers. And then he put an arm around Rayna. “What was before is gone now,” he said with relief. “Whatever happens now, Rayna is with us.”
“Commander,” Pol interrupted. “There’s movement on the road.”
They all turned to see tanks moving in. Above, helicopters appeared, seemingly from nowhere.
In front of the brigade of military vehicles was Ashton. He saw his daughter and cried out for her, but Rayna refused to budge.
“Get behind me,” Kirin ordered. She did. Pol and Tarik flanked him on either side. Fenn and Jerrod readied their guns and trained them on the approaching vehicles.
As in Rayna’s daydream, the first shots which rained down were from the helicopters. The men started phasing into their dragon forms, a shivering flurry of movement that made Rayna feel dizzy to watch. Gunshots rang out, and Rayna felt her knees crumpled beneath her.
The last thing she was aware of was Kirin’s scream.
/>
Rayna woke in a hospital room.
She looked up and saw a nurse standing to her left at the bedside.
“What happened? Where am I?”
The woman smiled at her and patted her shoulder. Without speaking, she crossed over to the other side of the bed. The nurse inserted and IV into her right arm, humming a melody under her breath.
“Where’s Kirin?” Rayna demanded, growing agitated. “Why won’t you speak to me?”
The nurse met her gaze, shook her head, and turned away. She left the room. A moment later she came back and opened the door. Kirin came into the room.
“Hello, beautiful,” he said quietly.
“Thank goodness,” Rayna said. “I was beginning to think something had happened to you!”
“No, I asked the staff not to say anything to you, but to get me as soon as you were awake. I wanted to be the one to tell you.”
“Tell me what?” she asked.
“You were injured,” he said softly. He took her hand. “It was shrapnel from a gunshot. It hit you in the stomach. You’ve been medicated and sedated while the medications heal you. If not for our interventions, it most probably would have been a fatal wound. I see you’re feeling better.”
“I do. There was a moment there I thought my life was over… thank you.”
“No. I am sorry you’ve had to endure any pain.”
“So where are we?”
He sat down on the bed beside her. Leaning close, he tipped her chin upwards and kissed her. “We’re on the ship, and we’re safe.”
“Where are we going?” she asked, the thrill of expectation growing. Not only had she managed to remain with Kirin, but she was inside an alien ship! She wanted to learn everything there was to know. She wasn’t sure she could contain her enthusiasm.
“We found another planet, one where we will be able to live. I’m told it’s beautiful there, with blue oceans and bright blue skies like Earth. There will be new things to learn, and adventures to be had.”
“I can’t wait!” Rayna said, and drew him to her for another kiss. “I can’t wait for our brand new life to begin.”