by Kyle, Celia
Khaza whipped her glare to him, fury in every inch of her face. She is the pay-shint. You do as a pay-shint demands. It is the human way.
The human way that went against Chashan’s training. Females could birth other dragonlets. To lose a female…
His mate’s glare remained in place. As the human wishes.
As much as it tore at his heart.
“Carla, the patient has decided,” he said, pushing the words past his gritted teeth.
His dragon snarled at the choice he made. It did not care that the choice was not entirely his. His wings twitched and jerked, the beast objecting to his decision. Scales pressed against his flesh, skin rippling as they replaced his tanned flesh.
He would not let the animal steal control. He was a strong warrior.
Chashan’s work began in earnest then. Just because the female wished for her dragonlet to be saved before herself didn’t change anything. He would fight to keep them both alive. Carla worked at his side, only exchanging low murmurs. Khaza’s whispers joined occasionally, his mate softly speaking with their patient.
So much blood. So, so much and he hated his limitations as a healer. Even as a Healing Master, there was only so much a warrior could accomplish. A body—human or Preor—had limitations.
Another alarm.
Another wave of blood.
Another whimper.
Chashan still worked with Carla.
The doors opened once more.
“What am I walking into?” Grace, the mate to the fleet’s Primary Warrior, strode into medical. A nurse like Carla, the two human females had a great deal of experience with repairing humans.
“I almost have the baby. You can play catch.” Carla grunted and then the dragonlet came free of its dam. A whirl of activity followed and Grace strode off with the newborn.
Chashan focused and fought to save the life of the dam. A child should not grow without the love of a dam and sire. Too many Preors suffered such a fate after the Great Conflict.
But no matter how hard they fought. No matter how quickly they moved…
The female’s heart no longer beat. His gut clenched and his own heart stopped. Pain stabbed him in the chest and he slumped forward. He gripped the edge of the ryaapir unit, his fingertips turning into claws as the loss consumed him. He’d failed. Failed when his sole purpose on Earth was the care of bearing females.
He failed. A female died at his hands and he…
A cry from the other room reached him, the pure scream of a dragonlet for its dam. A dam who would never hold him close.
Shaa kouvi? Khaza whispered into his mind and then went to him.
Without thought, he lifted his wing and gave her room to approach. She nestled against his side, both staring at the female who’d clung to life long enough to see her son born.
“She…” His throat closed, the knot silencing him.
“It is as Erica wished, shaa kouvi,” Khaza spoke softly. “She wanted her dragonlet to live.”
Chashan spoke words to his mate that he could say to no other. He was a warrior. They did not admit… “I failed.”
“You can hear the bay-bee in the other room with Carla and Grace. He lives to cry because of you and Carla.” Her fingers caressed his chest in a touch meant to soothe. His sweet mate always sought to care for hm.
Chashan turned his head and pressed a kiss to the top of his mate’s head. “I hear your words, shaa kouva.”
“But do you accept them?”
He remained in place, his mouth against her temple. “In time, perhaps.”
Chapter Three
Khaza had never seen a more perfect dragonlet. No, the young one she watched was a bay-bee. Young and fragile and wholly dependent on the care of others. Preor dragonlets were delicate as well, but not so breakable as humans. Humans aged slower, still crawling while Preor dragonlets would be racing through the halls of Preor Tower. But that did not make this small male any less in her eyes.
Eric sen Nuva. Son of Khaza joi Chashan Nuva.
Khaza simply had to inform Chashan of his new status as sire. Eventually. She’d never lied to her mate, but when she’d stared into Erica’s eyes and heard the human woman’s whispered words… She’d had no choice but to make the vow to the dying dam.
A touch to Erica’s temple during those painful moments revealed the woman’s past. The pain. The hunger. The desperation that sent her to the Preor with hope in her heart. Much like another human-Preor mate who’d sought a mate at Preor Choosing Station Tau—Delaney, mate to Zadri. Delaney had been heavily pregnant when she’d arrived and eventually found happiness with her dragonlet beneath Zadri’s wing.
Erica would not find that happiness and protection, but Khaza would make sure Eric was raised in a world of love. Even if that world was filled with aliens.
The bay-bee sniffled and twitched, mouth opening and closing several times before a cry escaped his lips. Khaza had only been a dam for moments and already she’d broken her dragonlet.
“Carla?” She spun and scanned the room. The woman would repair Eric. She must. Panic suffused her and she raised her voice when she called out once more. “Carla?”
The woman strode into the space, a smile on her lips, but Khaza saw the emotional pain lingering in her eyes. The birth of a dragonlet was a joyous time, but it was tempered by the loss of his dam.
“I didn’t touch him, but he is crying.” She stared down at the bay-bee, his cries increasing and eyes squeezed closed. “I didn’t mean to break him.”
The woman’s smile was kind. “No, you didn’t break him. He’s probably just a hungry hippo.”
She frowned. “He’s not human? But his dam…” Carla’s lips twitched and Khaza narrowed her eyes. “You’re teasing.”
Carla winked. “Just a little. But he is hungry.”
Carla went to the wall and a panel slid aside. Khaza stared, watching every movement the other woman made. She was a dam now. She had to learn to care for Eric. She’d never looked after other dragonlets. The idea… it’d been too painful.
The nurse soon returned, a bottle in hand, and placed it on a nearby counter before she reached for Eric.
Feelings—instincts—Khaza had never possessed surged, and she stepped closer to Eric. In her heart, she didn’t want any other than her or Chashan to feed Eric. He was their dragonlet.
Khaza squared her shoulders. “I want to feed him if you would show me how.”
Carla paused and jerked back. Then she tipped her head to the side. Khaza understood the nurse’s surprise. Until this moment, she’d avoided the heartache that came with being around young ones.
“Of course.” Carla nodded slowly. “Use one hand to support his neck and the other right here…”
Khaza followed the directions, lifting the slight weight into her arms and then adjusting her hold as she cradled Eric in her embrace. His cries stopped the moment she touched him and he opened his blue eyes to stare at her. So small. So perfect.
“Hello, shaa senvai.” My heart son. The son of her heart.
“Khaza?” Carla’s uneasiness slithered toward Khaza, but Khaza ignored the emotions. For now, her only focus was the dragonlet in her arms.
Eric whimpered and turned his head, rubbing his face against her chest. A sense of hunger washed over her, a need accompanied by a gentle tendril of confusion. Her dragonlet needed food but this new world was unknown and so different than life within his dam.
“He is hungry.” She lifted her attention to the nurse. “Can you show me?”
“Of course.” Carla nodded, but the woman’s worry remained. “Take a seat in one of the chairs.”
Carla then showed Khaza how to hold Eric just so. How to feed the bay-bee and then berhp him when he’d swallowed his fill. She did not believe liquid was enough to sustain a being no matter his size, but Carla assured her this was the way of humans.
She would have Penelope do research for her once Carla left.
Next came changing his d-eye-perh.
; Through it all, Khaza sensed Carla’s hesitation, her worry, until the nurse finally spoke.
“I know what shaa senvai means.”
She gave Carla a rueful smile. “The Knowing told you.”
The nurse nodded, returning Khaza’s expression. “The baby—”
“Eric,” she interrupted. “His name is Eric sen Nuva.”
Carla shook her head and sighed. “He’s human, Khaza. There are Earth laws that address the care of orphans.”
Khaza pulled Eric even closer, lifting him so she could press a gentle kiss to his temple. “He is not an orphan. I am his dam. Chashan is his sire.”
“He’s human.”
“He’s Preor with Preor pare-ents.”
Another sigh from Carla and then the woman flashed an expression Khaza hated more than any other. Pity. “I know you and Chashan haven’t conceived yet, but you can’t simply take a baby. He doesn’t belong to you.”
She shrugged. “I say he does.”
“And Chashan?” Carla lifted her eyebrows in question.
Khaza swallowed hard and prayed to Syh even harder. “He will support me. Once I explain, he will support me.”
By the grace of Syh, he would support her.
Carla opened her mouth to speak again, but the sounds of approaching warriors silenced her. The males drew closer, finally pausing outside medical—waiting for the doors to part—before they entered the space.
Khaza’s mate stood among the group of males, his cerulean blue wings and scales catching the room’s light. He was as large and powerful as he’d been the day he discovered her. Through their years of love and loss—of missing a part of their soul without dragonlets—he’d never wavered in his love.
She hoped he would not waver when he discovered what she’d done.
Jarek led the group that also contained Taulan, Kozav, and Evuklar—the fleet’s previous Defense Master.
Jarek spoke first, his attention drifting to Carla, then on until he met Khaza’s stare. “The humans agreed that we could honor his dam—”
“Erica,” she murmured and Jarek tipped his head in acknowledgment.
“We are to honor Erica as we would a Preor female who passed while bringing life into the world.”
Eric wiggled in her hold and she tore her attention from Jarek to look down at the dragonlet. Those blue eyes stared at her once more. There was so much trust in them. So much faith that she would care for him.
And Khaza would no matter what any other said.
“Human caregivers will arrive soon to retrieve the bay-bee.” Jarek’s voice caught her attention once more and she looked to him only to find his gaze on Eric.
“Esteemed Warrior Jarek,” she murmured. She’d wished to speak with Chashan first, but she would not hand Eric to anyone. “I—”
“The baby requires additional care and testing.” Carla stepped forward and turned a hard stare on Chashan. “Doesn’t he, Healing Master?”
Please, Chashan, she spoke to him directly.
Khaza… He tilted his head to the side, concern etched in his every feature. He was worried for her emotional state.
One turning.
He sighed and nodded. One turning. Then he spoke and confirmed Carla’s words. “Yes, he does. I would prefer to verify his health before giving him to the humans.”
Khaza released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding and pressed another kiss to Eric’s head. They’d managed to delay the humans. Now she would simply convince Chashan to agree with her.
Jarek huffed. “Very well. I will comm human authorities and then we will see to giving the female to Syh.”
Chapter Four
Erica had been given a warrior’s service, turned to ash with dragon’s breath and scattered in Syh’s winds as any other Preor who’d lost their life in battle. Her fight had simply been of a different type. It hadn’t been one of claws, fangs, or blades, but with heart and body.
Now, back at Preor Tower once more, he wondered what his mate hid from him. She’d been keeping a secret from the moment of Eric’s birth and he kept his mouth shut until they were alone in their suite that evening. Though not alone since she still hadn’t released Eric into anyone else’s care.
Which made his unease grow. She was very protective of the human boy, possessive even. More than one of the human-Preor mates offered to care for him, but Khaza brushed them all away. As if she was his dam and wouldn’t tolerate…
Chashan’s heartbeat stuttered and then picked up an uneven beat. He watched his mate pad through their apartment, moving with careful, determined strides toward one of their empty bedrooms. Except, when he caught up with her, he realized it was not empty. It’d been decorated—swathed in soft colors and furniture meant to contain dragonlets.
She held a bottle in her hand and lowered into a chair that moved—an Earth rok-ing chair. She cradled Eric close and eased the tip of the bottle past his lips. The male sucked greedily, eyes closed and pleased snuffles escaping his small body.
Then his mate… his mate lowered her head and kissed the boy’s forehead, whispering against his soft skin. “Eat well, shaa senvai. Grow big and strong like your sire.”
Chashan closed his eyes for a moment and sought their connection. He made sense of her swirling emotions and the snippets of her thoughts he managed to catch.
“Khaza?” he rasped. “What…”
She didn’t raise her head when she spoke to him. “I made a vow, shaa kouvi. As Erica gave him life and I saw her thoughts, I made a bloodvow that I would raise him as my son. I am his dam and you are his sire.”
Why had he not seen the change in her before? Because he was too broken by the loss of the female’s life. He’d been too ensnared by duty to see his mate’s behavior.
“He is human, Khaza.” He went to her, slowly and carefully so he didn’t disturb the bay-bee. He knelt at her feet, bringing him closer to his mate’s bowed head and the feeding infant. “He is governed by human laws. We cannot simply keep him.”
“His dam wished to become a Preor mate. Her mate would have claimed him as his own and he would have become a Preor dragonlet.” She finally lifted her eyes to him. “He is now as he would have been had his dam lived.”
Chashan narrowed his eyes. “I do not like it when you make sense.”
That earned him a grin, a sparkle of happiness that’d been missing for… It’d been gone from the moment they realized her heat had not ended with a dragonlet in her womb.
“Shaa kouva, are you taking Eric because we have not…” He licked his lips, unsure how to ask his question without hurting her.
“Shhh…” She reached for him, delicate fingers trailing over his cheek. He turned his head and nuzzled her palm, breathing deeply to draw her scent into his lungs. “If Syh wished us to have a dragonlet before this moment, we would. Eric is not a substitute. He is a gift. A gift from Syh and I will not relinquish him without a fight.”
A soft sound from Eric demanded their focus. His bottle was empty and Chashan took it from Khaza once she withdrew it from the bay-bee’s mouth.
Chashan kept his attention on her as she laid a cloth on her shoulder and then placed Eric on her chest.
“Carla showed me how to care for him and Melissa and Grace made sure we have the necessities.”
“We will replace their credits.” He knew when he’d been defeated.
She shook her head. “No, they are…”
The Knowing gave him her thoughts. “The items served their purpose for others and are no longer needed.”
Khaza nodded. “Hand-me-downs. They still have life and can serve us. Then we can give them to another. It is a human custom.”
“We’re not human.”
“But Eric is and we will tell him when he is older. He is our dragonlet, but he will know of his dam and his people.” She had that stubborn tilt to her head and glitter in her eyes.
“Very well, shaa kouva. Very well.”
“Penelope?” he called o
ut to the computer. “Please confirm the existence of any other relatives of the human female Erica. Report in the morning.”
“Acknowledged.” The computer’s response was a whisper. As if it knew Eric eased toward slumber and needed quiet.
“You will allow him to stay?” Khaza’s question was equally soft.
“Shaa kouva,” he murmured and it was his turn to cradle her face. “You are the sky beneath my wings. You are the very breath in my lungs. You are the sun that greets me every morning. Syh has not given us a natural dragonlet, but I agree that he has given us better. He has given us a dragonlet that needs us. He will stay. You are his dam. I am his sire. It is done.”
“And if any object?”
“They will learn that they made a mistake. A deadly one if they persist.” Now that he’d said the words, his dragon looked at the bay-bee with possessive eyes as well. Eric was theirs.
The bay-bee released a soft sigh and ceased moving. A glance showed that Eric had fallen asleep. “Let’s put him in his bed, shaa kouva, and then I can care for you.”
Wide eyes met his. “I am well. I don’t—”
“Shaa kouva, you are the dam of a newly presented dragonlet. We are following some of the human customs, but we will not neglect the Preor.” He cupped her elbow and assisted her to her feet. “Lay Eric to rest. It is time for the Sael Ealaa.”
“The ceremony is only performed after the dam’s body has healed.”
“It is a thanks to the dam for the pain she endured and I wish to perform it now.” He gently took Eric from her hands and went to the crib. He carefully laid him to rest. “Penelope, monitor Eric sen Nuva and alert us if he cries.”
“Acknowledged.”
“I didn’t endure pain, Chashan,” his mate tried to object.
He pulled her close, not stopping until their bodies were aligned, and he curled one wing around Khaza. He stared at the sleeping dragonlet and lowered his head to rest his cheek on his mate’s crown.
“You have endured a dam’s worry from the moment of Eric’s first breath. His dam asked you to make a vow and you have done nothing but fear losing him. Or am I wrong?” She said nothing and shook her head. “Then I should perform the Sael Ealaa. It is not birth that makes you a dam, Khaza. It is your heart.”