by Laurie Roma
“Already done. You?”
“Aye.” But would it be enough against an enemy they couldn’t see, she didn’t know. “They are out there.”
“Who are they?”
“I do not know, but I can sense them.”
“You could find them, destroy them, but what else would happen if you did?” he asked so casually she turned to look at him, then glanced at the others. Torren waved a hand in the air. “Don’t worry about them. They won’t bother us right now.”
“You knew,” she accused. “Was this some sort of test?”
Torren sighed. “All of life is a test, and you win or lose by the choices you make. I don’t know exactly what you can do, but I have powers of my own that aren’t easy to explain. Perhaps like the curiosity, we have in common, like recognizes like. We are unique in many ways, and yet, that makes us similar.”
She scoffed. “Is that what we are?”
“It’s as good a word as any for now. Do you have a plan?”
Amari hesitated briefly before saying, “I can feed you energy. More than you have ever felt before, but I need to know if you can harness it. Control it. Focus it to destroy our enemy, because they are here to annihilate us.”
He looked into her eyes, seeing far more than she was comfortable with. “We can do this. A Dragon Warrior and a Xenon joining forces. This is going to change things for our people, whether they want it to or not.”
“It has to be done.”
He grinned. “So, it does. I just thought I’d warn you. Ultimately, I think my people need some damn change. Now, let’s get to work.”
Amari didn’t know exactly what to do, so she relied on her instincts. She opened herself up to the energy and did what she had feared doing since that night on Ziturri. She embraced her power, letting the energy fill her completely, not taking over, but merging with every cell.
Her skin began to glow, and the face shield she wore shattered. The magical pieces flew into the air, stopping before they hit anything. They dropped onto the floor, where they turned into light sparks. Her hair unwound, the strands floating free. A part of her wanted to unleash the power. To throw it out beyond the glass to destroy whoever was stalking them. Instead, she turned it toward the Xenon standing close by.
“Ready?”
“Yes. Fuck,” Torren said, gritting his teeth from the onslaught. That’s a lot of energy. What is it they say? Let’s light it up.”
He held his arms out with his hands fisted, the long sleeves of his white tunic flapping in the wind that only seemed to be circling them. Opening his fists, light burst free, so pure and white it was blinding, shooting straight through the glass of the window out into the darkness.
The glass didn’t break, but two ships that had been shielded from view exploded as soon as the light reached them. The light erupted and arched, jumping to another set of ships, then another, until several exploded in a dazzling display of firepower. When all of the enemy ships were revealed, it proved that they had been completely surrounded.
But when the light faded, they were victorious.
* * *
“What is wrong with her?”
Roman’s voice was harsh with worry and panic. They’d almost run into Sarros Ve and two of his guards the moment they had transported into the hallway. They had rescued the Reema before their friend who had been infected could kill them, and Hydra had tasted a droplet of the silver goo before it could rejoin the rest of the shiny pool Roman had blasted out of the attacker.
Hydra’s gel-like substance had begun shifting into different forms with blurring speed. Some of the forms Roman recognized, such as an argos or a tree, while many he had no description for. She made a high-pitched sound that hurt their ears. Time seemed to speed by, though, he knew only a single second had passed, then two.
He sensed she was in pain and was about to blast the silver goo out of her when she stopped making that noise. Hydra returned to her natural form, and she lunged forward, landing on top of the rest of the retreating silver puddle.
“What is she doing?” Lazio yelled.
“Hydra, honey. Don’t eat that,” Roman ordered.
“Honey? What is that thing?” Sarros screamed, scrambling away from them.
Hydra’s form jiggled a little, then she dissolved all of the silver goo inside of her form until nothing remained. “No more tasting. We just have to destroy the bad blood from the bad creatures.”
That made them all freeze.
After a long pause, Roman bent down closer to her. “Hydra, did you just say the silver goo is actually blood?”
She jiggled again. “Yes, blood. Of the bad creatures. The Simi. The takers.”
“Do you know why they attacked us?” Darius asked.
“To learn. To kill. To take. Don’t taste their blood. It’s how they get in, and you don’t want them in. Better to destroy.”
“How do we kill them?” Sarros demanded, peeking at her from behind Darius’ back.
When Hydra didn’t respond, Roman repeated the question.
“Acid burns, but I don’t want to eat them all.”
“You won’t have to,” he promised, but the more she jiggled, the more upset he knew she was. “Do you think fire would work against them?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s okay. You did good. Really good. We’re grateful you figured this out for us.” Light burst through the windows so bright, they had to shield their eyes. Pride swelled through Roman, and he smiled. “Looks like Amari figured out where the ships were.”
“Oh, wow,” Lazio said, blinking rapidly. “I can’t see. I think I’m blind.”
“I’ll send you back—”
Darius shook his head. “I’m staying. Light my sword up, and we’ll see if that works. I’m not leaving you to fight alone.”
“A fire sword works for me. Plus, we still have to get the Spartans,” Lazio reminded.
“I want nothing to do with any of this,” Sarros bit out. “But you saved me. If we need to go get Ian, then I’ll stand with you.”
“Fuck that,” one of the Reema guards said. Turning, he ran down the hallway.
Sarros sighed. “That doesn’t surprise me. My cousin always was a pussy.”
“I’m staying,” the other Reema guard said, though, his voice shook with fear.
Roman sent the unconscious male back to the command center. At least, he hoped he sent him where he’d planned. Looking at the swords the males in front of him were holding, he imagined them on fire, and was surprised when flames burst to life, coating the metal. The black swords Darius and Lazio held stayed lit, but the two Reemas’ swords burnt to ashes.
“Shit!”
Sarros glared at him. “I’m not staying to fight if you don’t give me a fucking weapon.”
“I’m still new at this,” Roman growled. Picturing a replica of the sword Lazio held, Roman shifted that image into Sarros’ hand. He was thrilled when the damn thing worked and repeated the process for the guard. The vessel violently shifted beneath their feet, and they were thrown against the wall of the hallway.
“That can’t be good,” Lazio groaned.
They quickly took off in search of the Spartans’ quarters. Roman’s steps were a little uneven since Hydra has chosen to wrap herself around one of his legs, then up around his waist. Fortunately for him, she left his favorite body parts out of her hold.
“Are you well, mate?”
Just hearing Amari’s voice was enough to calm him. “I’m good. That was some light show.”
“We destroyed several enemy ships.” She sent him a quick replay of what had happened.
“That’s my warrior queen. I had no doubt you could do it. Oh, and Hydra figured it out,” he said proudly, giving her what he’d discovered in return. “We think fire can kill them. What about the ship? We felt—”
“They detonated a bomb of some sort. I must go down to the docking bay where they are siphoning information from the system. Will you guard
the command center? I believe they might try for another explosion. I sense they are very angry about losing their ships.”
“I’m on it. Love you, be safe.”
“You, too, mate.”
They’d just reached the doors to Ian’s suite when fists pounded on the inside of the suite next to his. Ignoring the noise, Roman placed a hand on Ian’s doors, and was relieved when they disappeared. After he repeated the process, they found Jax and Archer holding a pale Serra between them as she clutched her new pet to her chest.
“What the holy fuck is going on?” Jax barked.
Roman pointed at them. “We’re about to have company. I’m sending you to safety.”
“The hell you are!” Jax boomed.
As the sounds grew closer, Roman decided not to bother arguing. He sent Ian, Serra, and the little bekshin to the command center. When the ship began to turn, they glanced at one another, then kept running on the wall.
“Can someone fill us in?” Archer asked. “We’ve been locked up this whole time.”
“We need one of those swords,” Jax said after Lazio explained most of what had been happening in a single breath.
“I’ll make you one. We have to make sure the command center is guarded. The Simi blew a hole in the station, and Amari thinks they’re going to try to hit there next.”
They ran into the three-story atrium that sat in front of the doors leading to the command center. Roman sighed when he saw Tavius, Malik, Reva, Matt, and Seth waiting for them, all of them glaring directly at him. Forgoing the stairs, Roman transported his group up to the top level of the atrium.
“If you ever attempt to keep me out of a fight again, we’ll find out if Dragon Warriors can grow body parts back,” Tavius growled.
“We didn’t have time for explanations, and we don’t right now either except for a down and dirty recap,” he said. “Lazio?”
“Yes, uncle?”
Roman glared at him. “Don’t make me hurt you. Bring them up to speed.”
He turned as he heard the sound of growls and snarls coming toward them. His mate had found and destroyed the alien vessels that had been ready to obliterate them all. Now, he would defend the others as she’d asked.
He created swords for everyone who didn’t have one and lit them on fire. “If they make it past me, you have to stop them from getting in that room.”
Archer cracked his neck. “We’re not letting you sacrifice yourself for us. Your mate would skin us alive.”
Hydra slid off of Roman’s leg, making Jax, Archer, and Seth jump back.
“They’re coming,” she whispered.
“Hydra, do you want to return to our ship?”
“Only when you do.”
After giving a few more instructions, Roman leapt down to the first level of the atrium, away from the rest of the group. Seth followed him down, his majestic white wings spread as he circled down gracefully.
“We are going to have a talk about how you gave me these when all of this is done.”
“He gave you wings?” Lazio shouted over the balcony. “Can I have a pair?”
“It’s not like that. I didn’t just—never mind.” Roman huffed out a breath. “Does it help if I say I have no clue how I did it?”
“Not really, but I am grateful,” Seth said with a laugh, but he sobered quickly. “How bad is it?”
“Very, and they’re headed this way. You’d be better in the air.”
“You want me to leave you down here alone?”
“Seth, if they get past me, you’re all fucked anyway,” Roman said honestly.
“Shit. Good hunting, brother.”
Roman watched as Seth launched himself back into the air, then he waited, watching the two hallways that fed into the bottom floor of the atrium. He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but he wasn’t prepared for his first glimpse of the enemy. The creatures were tall, with green and brown skin and eel-like tentacles that extended out of the bottom portion of their faces in place of a single mouth. They ran on two legs but had claws instead of hands or feet. They snarled like animals, and their eyes were a milky white that made them look like they were already dead.
Those tentacles whipped into a frenzy when they spotted him, and using his enhanced vision, Roman could see the tiny marks at the ends of those snake-like appendages. Each was a circle with three spots in the middle that were actually made of tiny, razor-sharp teeth surrounding tubes he could only assume they used to suck things through.
“Here we go,” Roman whispered as he walked into the center of the atrium. He thought about creating a sword for himself but decided against it.
If fire could kill them, then he would use fire...and lots of it.
Embracing his bond with his mate and accepting his magic fully, he called forth the flames, and inadvertently reached his dragon spirit. The rush of energy was so fast, he didn’t have time to turn back. Pure white light exploded inside of him, and he was helpless to do anything but let it consume him.
“Relax, mate. You have called your dragon spirt forth. It is a gift of love, of energy, of light. Do not fear that it is taking you. It is giving. Merging with you to make you whole, enhancing your very being,” Amari said, her voice filled with her love for him.
He hadn’t meant for his first shift into a dragon to be in the middle of a fight on a freaking space vessel, but he accepted that it was happening. He dropped to one knee, then felt like he was dropping out of his own body. For a heartbeat, he was suspended in time and place.
Ancient power flowed through his body, his mind, giving him a glimpse of time itself. He was blessed with the knowledge of the ages just as he had been blessed to love two females in his lifetime, making him the luckiest of beings.
He felt touched by the energy surrounding him, and felt the power given to him through blood and magic. Roman didn’t need the fire. He was a flame, burning with magic and purpose. Finally, he understood his place within the universe, and knew with complete clarity that everything that had occurred in his life had been fated to lead him to this instant.
He had been born to become a Dragon Warrior.
When he opened his eyes again, he discovered that his head had actually busted through the upper two levels that made up the atrium. He glanced down at himself and saw he was now a massive dragon with scales every shade of green and gold.
“How do you feel, mate?”
“Like an idiot for shifting on a space station, but ready to kick some ass.”
He could feel her amusement, and her love when she said, “I cannot wait to fly with you, my love. Now, go burn some Simi. Dragon fire does work on them.”
Through the hole, he could see the enemy had barely moved an inch or two in the time that his life had so profoundly been altered. The Simi ran at him on all three levels, but they must have realized the situation had changed drastically, but it was too late. Opening his large mouth, he shot a stream of flame at the Simi. They shrieked and screamed, then melted into puddles of silver goo that boiled and shrank until it completely disappeared.
“Yeah!” Lazio shouted from behind him. “Take that alien scum! What? I heard that in one of those old human vids.”
“Fight, now. Talk, later,” Darius ordered.
A few of the Simi ran into the atrium from another hallway on the top level, and Darius let out a war cry as he charged them. His flaming sword sliced through them, and they shrieked before they melted into silver goo. Lazio joined in the fight, laughing as he stabbed at the puddles of goo until they disappeared. One of the Simi almost managed to jump on Lazio from behind, but Hydra simply reached up, surrounded the creature, and dissolved him completely in seconds.
“I’m never going to forget seeing that,” Sarros said, shaking his head.
“He’s a dragon...on a space station,” Jax said numbly staring at Roman’s tail. “A dragon in space.”
“Good thing he can fix this thing after, too,” Archer murmured, “Or else we’d all end up floating
bodies in space. Come on. Roman’s not letting any of those things past him, but the others could use our help.”
Roman blew enough fire that the lower level hallways completely lit up with rolling flames. Several of the Simi attacked him from above, the creatures trying to use their claws on his impenetrable scales. He shook them off, but they just kept coming.
Suddenly, he felt Amari’s presence. Turning his head, he saw her standing on his back. “Mate?”
She blew into her cupped palms them pulled the flames she created into two long fire whips. Winking at him, she began to dance on his back, wielding the whips with deadly grace. “All is well below. Did you miss me?”
“Always.”
Together, they made quick work of destroying their enemy, while above, the rest of their group was triumphant as well. Roman shifted back and would have ended up naked in front of everyone if Amari hadn’t clothed him. He couldn’t have cared less. His only thought was getting his hands on her. Dragging her to him, he slammed his mouth down on hers, passion fueling their kiss until they burned as hot as the flames still burning around them.
Their celebratory shouts were cut off as Megara’s voice filled the atrium over the speaker. “Before you celebrate, you should know that we are about to crash onto Kryx Prime. Buckle up, everyone, because we’ve lost controls, and there’s no way to stop our descent. If the Dragon Warriors or Xenon aren’t too busy, we could use another save.”
Amari sighed. “What is a Kryx Prime?”
“That would be the small jungle planetoid near the old Krytos home world,” Roman said. “Seriously? This day totally fucking sucks.”
“Come, mate. We must stop the station from crashing.” Amari raised her voice to say, “Then, we are going somewhere no one can find us. Where there are no other living souls.”
“Where no one is trying to kill us? A vacation sounds good to me.”
“Someplace new?” Lazio asked, leaning over the balcony again. “Can I come?”