by Maia Starr
“There is time for you to go. Leave here now, and you can escape with your freedom. Hand Reena to me,” Dekario said as he stepped forward.
“No. I have seen what you can do. You will come after me. So I need a distraction in order to stop you from coming after me,” Commander Triq sneered at Dekario.
“And what distraction is that?” Dekario said as he moved slowly toward me.
“This,” Commander Triq said as he pushed me off the ledge.
“Aagh!” I screamed as I free fell.
“Reena!” Dekario’s voice screamed. The ground was rushing at me and all I could think was… “My baby, my baby,” I cried.
Thud. Strong arms scooped me, and I was suddenly not falling anymore. I was floating in the air. I looked up into Dekario’s face. He was breathing heavily.
“My baby,” I cried. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I had to say it out loud. I put my hands over my belly and pushed my face into Dekario’s strong chest.
“What?” he whispered.
“I’m pregnant, Dekario. I am carrying your child. I am with child. I am scared that the baby has been hurt with all of this,” I cried.
“That bastard!” he said as he looked up. I looked up to see the black dragon flying from the edge into the air toward the volcano opening. Dekario flew to a corner of the volcano with a large amount of natural rock jutting out from the wall. “Hide here,” he said.
“What? No, don’t leave me, please,” I said, grabbing his hand.
“If I don’t stop him now, he will never stop coming after you. He will come after our child,” he said as he put my face in his hands. He placed a kiss on my lips and then said, “I will protect you and our child at all costs. I must end Commander Triq now, or you and our child will never be safe. Hide. I will return.” Then he moved from me and flew straight up into the air. I crouched under the rock and peered out up into the volcano opening. I saw Commander Triq in the distance and Dekario gaining on him.
Then the sky was suddenly littered with hybrids flying into the volcano. I was relieved. The king’s warriors had finally arrived. Fighting was going on in the air inside the volcano and out. Dekario caught up to the black dragon and shot fire at him. The black dragon turned. “Oh god,” I whispered to myself. The black dragon was three times the size of Dekario, and strong. I remembered how my knife bent when I tried to stab the strong scales. The black dragon’s long tail whipped around and hit Dekario in the back, forcing him against the rim of the volcano.
“No, no…” I said as I watched. I knew that finding out I was pregnant had lit a fire under Dekario. It had filled him with rage, and now he was trying to take it out on Commander Triq. Maybe I should have kept it to myself that I was pregnant. If I had kept it to myself then I would be in his arms right now as he flew me back to the village. I would be in his safe arms instead of watching him get beaten by the black dragon of Commander Triq.
I saw Dekario regain control and he pulled his blaster gun and was shooting at the black dragon. The black dragon moved quickly out of the way. The dragon shot fire out of his mouth of razor sharp teeth. The range of fire was longer and thicker than that of a hybrid. Dekario quickly moved out of the way. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping it would be over when I opened them. When I opened them, I saw a familiar form in the air. It was Kavik, and he was now helping Dekario fight the black dragon. They were coming at it from both sides. “Oh thank god. Kavik, please help him. Please help the father of my child. Bring him back to me safely,” I said, whispering a prayer to myself.
Then I saw something shocking. Kavik flew past the dragon quickly. Suddenly the black dragon went limp. It fell from the sky. It was falling straight down toward the ground of the volcano. It was falling, falling, and I remembered that Dekario had said that Kavik had the ability to paralyze with his touch. Dekario was diving straight down toward the falling black dragon with his large knife in his hand.
Boom! The ground under me shook as the dragon fell. Its head fell facing me. I could see that it could see me and I jerked backward. It could not move, but I knew that as soon as it could, it would come after me.
“Aagh!” Dekario came down with a yell worthy of a warrior and stabbed his long knife into the dragon’s chest. The knife penetrated and I watched the life leave the paralyzed dragon. It then shifted back into Commander Triq. Tears fell from my eyes. It was over. It was really over.
Dekario looked over at me. He was breathing in relief. Then he flew over to me. He embraced me underneath the overhang. I pressed myself hard against him. “I was so scared. I thought you were going to die,” I cried.
“No. I would never leave you alone like that. I would never leave you and our child,” he said softly, placing his hand on my belly.
“I am glad that you are happy I am with child. I was not sure that you would be,” I said looking into his brown eyes and pushing his long black hair out of the way.
“Of course I am. Come on; let’s get you out of here. It is not safe. We are in the middle of a battle,” he said as he scooped me up into his arms. Then he flew straight up the volcano, dodging fights between Draqua. It was a civil war, Draqua against Draqua, just like the one that Antaris had told us about. I could not believe that I was not only experiencing it for myself but I was somehow the cause of this particular battle. If Commander Triq had not come for me, then this battle would not be happening. It was because of me, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I didn’t like being the cause of any grief. But I would have to think about that later. For now, I just wanted to get back home and feel safe in the arms of Dekario, the father of my child.
“Hold on tight,” he said as he moved out of the rim of the volcano. I tightened my hold around his neck. I looked out over the battle in the sky. I didn’t see very many full dragons, the elders, anymore. It was mostly hybrids.
“Look’s like the King’s warriors have this under control,” Dekario said. Then he flew fast and away from the volcano over the sea. I was glad for the fresh sea air that hit me. We flew in silence, and I could tell that Dekario was still on edge. He was constantly looking around to see if there was anyone else around us. Ahead of us, I could see lights. I relaxed a little in his arms the moment I saw the village in sight.
“Home,” I said.
“Yes, home,” he repeated back to me. I was glad to call it that. This truly was my home from now on, and now Dekario knew the truth about me. I was pregnant with his child.
Moments later Dekario landed on the veranda outside my little hut. It was now full morning.
“Reena! Thank God!” Luka said as she ran over to me.
“We were so worried,” Phoenix said as he came over too. They both hugged me. I cried as I hugged them back. “I’m so happy to see you guys.”
“What happened?” Luka said. “We saw that dragon take you then there were crazy alarms and the village emptied of warriors.”
“It is a long story, but that dragon was Commander Triq. He abducted me and took me to an island off the coast where the opposition has a base. The king’s warriors are in a battle crushing the opposition now,” I said.
Luka gasped. “A battle… but?”
“He is alright. I saw him myself. He will return,” I said to her. Dekario, sensing her worry, saw her put her hands on her belly. He knew exactly what this meant. He grinned a little and said, “Do not worry, Luka. He will return soon. The battle was nearly over when we left, and we were winning.”
“Oh good,” she exhaled.
“Now if you two don’t mind, my Reena here has been through a lot, and I want to get her some rest,” he said.
“Oh yes, of course. Reena, drink plenty of water. Take a hot bath and eat something. You need to sleep for as long as you can,” Luka said.
“Yes, doctor. Right away,” I smiled.
“Get your things. I am taking you to my hut,” Dekario said.
I looked at him, raising a brow. “I am? I have never seen your hut,” I said suddenly realizing tha
t we had always been in my hut.
“Yes, I am taking you there. I just thought you would want to let your friends know that you are alright and maybe get some clothes to change into,” he said.
“Yes that is good thinking,” I said to him. I hugged Luka and Phoenix and said, “I will see you tomorrow morning as I think I will be sleeping all day into the night tonight.”
“Yes, good, get lots of rest,” Luka said as she peered over my shoulder toward the ocean. She would be anxiously awaiting Kavik until he arrived later in the mid-morning.
“Come,” Dekario said as he opened the door to my hut. As soon as I walked in, I felt a wave of nausea.
“What is it? Are you all right?” he asked as he put his hand on my back.
“Seeing this hut again reminds me of the fear I felt when Commander Triq came for me, both times. I guess it is a good idea not to stay here. I do not want to think about it,” I said.
“Yes, my thoughts exactly. This place is tainted.” He went into the cupboard and grabbed a woven reed bag and began to push cloths for me to wear along with sheer dresses into it. He draped it on his arm and then said, “Anything else that you want from here we will get later on.”
“That is a good idea,” I said. “I am very tired.”
He scooped me into his arms and then moved toward the door. He moved onto the veranda and flew toward the palace over the large village. I was surprised that he landed on a veranda that was right next door to the King’s palace. The view of the palace was on one side and the ocean on the other.
“This is spectacular,” I said.
“Yes, I love it. It is my home,” he said.
“So close to the King?” I asked.
“Yes, he likes me to stay close to him. He trusts me,” he grinned.
“That must be a great honor,” I said as I moved toward the door as he led me inside.
“It is, but it comes with a lot of responsibility,” he said. “Come in. I will set up a hot salt bath for you.”
“That sounds like heaven,” I said as I walked in. I gasped at the interior of his hut. It was massive. Dekario moved out of sight and I heard him running the water. I took this time to look around. This was not a one-room hut like mine. It was several rooms from what I could see. I was standing in the main living area that had comfortable benches and chairs. There was a very large table that could seat six, and it separated the sitting area from a food preparation kitchen area with lots of tabletops. The colors were blue and green and the thatched roof was vaulted and high. There was a massive window that looked out over the sea, allowing the breeze to come in.
“Come, it is ready,” Dekario said as he reentered the room. I noticed that he had shifted out of dragon form. He walked over to me and kissed my shoulder softly. Then he grabbed the hem of the sheer dress covering my body and pulled it up. I raised my hands over my head, and he slipped it off me. He grabbed my hand and led me to a back room. The tub was enormous and steam was coming off of it. There was a small window with a view of the palace. I pulled off the cloth covering my breasts and then the loincloth at my waist. I stood there naked with dirt and grime on me.
Dekario sighed. “You are absolutely beautiful,” he said as he came to me and placed a soft kiss on top of my head. Then he grabbed my arm and held me as I climbed into the tub. The minute the hot water hit me, I felt my entire body release the tension I had been feeling for hours. The soothing salts from the sea were nourishing, and the steam was invigorating.
“Here, let me,” Dekario said as he grabbed a soft natural sponge and dipped it into the hot water. He washed my face first, and I could only imagine how dirty it was. I had a mixture of tears and dirt on my red cheeks. Then he moved the sponge down my jaw, and he saw the mark that Commander Triq had left when he backhanded me.
“Did he do that to you?” he asked, trying to control his anger.
“Yes, he backhanded me when I gave him a piece of my mind,” I said, trying to make light of the situation.
“I’m sure you did give him some words,” he grinned slightly. “But I could kill him again for doing that to you.”
“Let’s not talk about him anymore. Let’s put it in the past,” I said. “I’m too tired to even think of it.”
“If that is your wish, then that is what we will do,” he said as he continued to wash my body. I lay back in the tub and closed my eyes as he did so. I was so tired that I felt myself nodding off in the tub. Moments later, I felt Dekario scooping me out of the water.
“Oh, I am sorry. I think I fell asleep for a second,” I said waking up.
“Do not apologize. You are tired and have been through a lot. I am going to get you into bed,” he said as he set me on my feet outside the tub. He grabbed a long cloth and dried me off. I loved watching him do it. His body was wet from carrying me, and his dark hair was hanging over his brown eyes. I liked that he was taking care of me. I needed this. I needed someone taking care of me, and I was strong enough to admit when I did need some support. He threw the cloth on the floor and then grabbed another dry cloth and wrapped it around me. Then he picked me up.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked sleepily.
“To our bed,” he said.
“Our?” I asked.
“Shh… we have plenty of time to speak of these things. For now, I want you to rest,” he said as he moved through a doorway. I looked into the room. There was a very large bed, almost ten feet in length. It was almost just as wide and colorful materials covered it as sheets. There was soft green mosquito netting draped over it from the ceiling.
“This is beautiful,” I whispered.
“Just like you,” he said as he moved the netting out of the way and laid me softly on the bed. He pulled the colorful cloth sheets on top of me. He began to move away, but I stopped him. “No, don’t leave me,” I said, grabbing his forearm.
“I won’t. I am here. But I am filthy. Let me wash up and I will crawl into bed with you,” he said as he stood up and pulled off his boots. Then he pulled off his loincloth. I looked at his gorgeous body. He was stunning. But he was very grimy. He moved out of the room, and I could hear the splash of the water as he washed up in the tub. I closed my eyes, waiting for him to return. Then I felt the bed move from his weight. “Reena,” he sighed out my name. I moved to him and placed my back to him, and he spooned his body against mine. The heat from his body warmed me instantly, and I felt safe once again. This was the last thing I remembered before drifting off into a deep sleep.
When I awoke, it was already nighttime. I moved my arm across the bed. It was cold and empty. “Dekario?” I said in a panic as I opened my eyes.
“I am right here, Reena,” his deep voice cut through the air. I looked around the room and saw him standing at the window looking out at the night.
I sighed. “I thought you were gone,” I said sleepily.
“No. I am with you,” he said as he crawled back into bed. He pulled me to him and kissed me on the forehead. His large hand moved down my arm and down my breasts as he said, “Did you get good sleep?”
“Yes. I did. I feel very well rested now,” I said, fully opening my eyes to get a good look at him and wake up just a little bit more.
“Good. Here,” he said as he reached to the table and grabbed a cup. He held it over me. “It’s water. You need to drink.”
“Thank you,” I said sitting up and drinking. The cold water felt great going down my dry throat.
“I have food too,” he said.
“I am hungry,” I said. “But you don’t have to get it now.”
“No, if you are hungry then you must eat,” he said as he put his hand on my belly, then said, “Both of you.”
I smiled at him, and he gave me an adorable grin.
“Yes, both of us,” I said.
He got up and went to the table where there was a tray with food. He brought it over and put it on the bed between us. I grabbed a piece of fruit and bit into it. It was tasty in my mouth.
“I was going to tell you when you returned,” I said.
“That was why you were acting strangely that day. You kicked me out of your hut when I said you were hiding something,” he said arching his thick black brow at me.
“Yes. That is true. I was in a panic. It’s not every day that you are pregnant with an alien baby. I had only just found out, and I needed time to process and absorb,” I said feeling embarrassed that he could figure me out so well.
“I understand that,” he said. “But know that you have nothing to fear. I want this. I want you; I have since I met you. I want you to be with me. I want you to be my wife and lifelong mate. If you will have me?” he said.