Dekario (Dragons Of Kelon) (A Sci Fi Alien Weredragon Romance)

by Maia Starr

  The fields were filled with every color flower I could ever have imagined, with tall, skinny trees flooding the area and shooting up into the sky. All I could see was bark; no green. They reminded me of palm trees until I got up close to them.

  The Koth had provided me with equipment for gathering herbs and flowers, as well as packages to store them in for study later. I was also supplied a small lab back at Caridan’s home, or so I was told. This way I could make the most of my time here.

  Eventually, we settled into a patch of flowers, and I used my scanner on every new species I found. The scanner would read the biological makeup of the plants to help me understand which ones would be most useful to me. The flowers had a sweet scent that made me want to scoop them all up into my arms. Still, I was careful not to needlessly pluck any from the soil unless I really needed it.

  Hidden caves seemed to line the perimeter of the mountains, and Caridan seemed to take pleasure in the joy I found as we passed new passages.

  Caridan brought me into a nearby cave, and I marveled at the beauty of it. Moss covered every inch of rock that protruded out. The ground was a shallow pond that was a magical bright blue. My shifter grabbed my hand and picked me up so I wouldn’t have to walk through the water. So I let him.

  We walked deeper into the cave, me taking samples along the way of anything that caught my eye.

  There was a shattering waterfall deeper in the cave that I could see through an alcove. We would have to climb down to get any further in, and I decided that was where I wanted to leave it for the day.

  “So… are you okay?” came Caridan’s crisp tone as he set me on a jutting rock. I could feel the soft moss beneath my foot and almost felt guilty for stepping on it. Everything here seemed so much more alive than back home.

  “Yeah, I’m just dandy. Sister of the year, that’s me.” I shrugged helplessly. “Meg’s a pistol,” I said, and he looked absolutely perplexed. “It just means… you know,” I shrugged again. “That she’s difficult.”

  He raised a coy brow and leaned against the back wall smugly as he said, “I can’t imagine what that’s like.”

  “Hey!” I groaned with a laugh. “I’m a joy every waking moment of the day, and don’t you forget it.”

  “She’s unhappy that I chose you.”

  I blinked. He’d certainly simplified that. With a slight nod, I said, “She’s upset that she didn’t get chosen. Not that I was. Which, I mean…” I trailed off momentarily. “I guess I really didn’t, considering we can’t really, you know, do ‘choosey’ things together,” I said with air-quotes, hoping it might come off cute.

  He licked his lip as he thought of something and then his eyes sparked over to mine. “There was an attack on your pod,” he said with a narrowed stare, deciding exactly how to fill me in.

  “Why?” I pressed.

  “To fight me,” he gestured with his hands. “But I protected you.”

  “That’s what you meant,” I nodded. “When you said you stayed with me the whole time; why you were so beat up when I woke up.” He nodded and, despite the seriousness of his allegations, I suddenly grew flattered. “And… why did you protect me?”

  “Dragons…” He thought on this word for a moment, thinned his lips, and then smiled. “Capricious beings that they are, they mark their territory in possessive and authoritative ways. Sometimes having nothing to do with the woman in question.”

  The azure dragon then neared me and played with a strand of my hair between his index and thumb before allowing it to bounce back to its natural curl. “That being said,” he continued in a whispered, hoarse tone, “I can’t help it if I have intentions for you.”

  “And what would those intentions be?”

  Suddenly he was so close to me I could smell his beautiful breath. I put my hands on the side of his chiseled face and kissed him, sweetly this time. No hungry kisses or desperate ploys. I felt his tongue lick mine and slowly discover the rest of my mouth as our bodies pressed together.

  I felt my pelvis grind against his as we stood; I felt how hard he was. I reached down and felt the girth under my hand with delightful recognition.

  He breathed loudly as we kissed and I could feel his whole body glowing. My hips tilted toward him and I pressed my breasts against his chest as he reached down and lifted my skirt, exploring me with the most delicate touch.

  Caridan’s tongue fluttered against mine, and his free hand was deep in my thick blonde hair. My moans seemed to send him over the edge as I touched my fingertips to his face. He lifted me against the mossy rocks. Our lips never disconnected even as I hurried to unfasten his pants and feel the warmth of him hard in my hand.

  “You feel so good,” he whispered, holding my body up against the rock with no show of discomfort. His arms firm and strong as they supported my body. He slid between my legs, and finally, there was no longer any need to wait.

  The thickness slowly filled me, and we locked eyes, both realizing exactly what was being discovered between us. His thrusts started slowly at first, and then with more urgency than before. He breathed heavily, and I followed suit with throaty moans and small smiles as he nibbled and kissed at my breasts and at the nape of my neck.

  “Oh,” was all I whispered as I neared my lips to his ear. The way he looked at me made my body cascade with emotions. I set my hand on his shoulders and tried as best I could to follow his rhythm, even as he held my body up. I tilted my head back and could hear the gushing waterfall making white noise behind us. I could feel the moss and smell the fresh green air and sweet florals that filled the cave. It was perfect.

  I hoped this moment was everything he wanted. I hoped it lived up to my temptations and the long wait he’d endured for weeks waiting for me to open my eyes once again. I hoped he thought I was beautiful and slick with wetness and tight.

  The connection felt like nothing I’d ever experienced with a lover before. His body seemed completely in tune with mine as he entered me harder than before, eliciting a loud moan. He ran his hand up my thigh, holding me now with only one hand. As my eyes glazed over with lust, he realized I was close. He slowed down suddenly to catch my mouth with sticky kisses, and before I knew it, it was over.

  He exhaled furiously as he finished, my hands still fixed on his muscular shoulders as both of our bodies flushed red. We nearly collapsed when it was over, but somehow we both managed to stay exactly where we had stopped.

  My arms felt like they creaked as I finally took my hands away from his shoulder, and I smiled at him. I felt like I’d won.

  Chapter Eight

  Caridan

  “You have birds,” Ariella marveled, shielding her eyes from the sun as a flock flew overhead.

  My eyes followed hers to the great sky above, and I shrugged. She wore a pretty blue dress with a white sash that belted below her breasts. A group of shifter soldiers had taken to the spire fields once more so the humans could collect their samples. We’d been here for two days already, and it was all I could do not to tear her dress down and marvel at her hills and valleys.

  Weeks had passed since our first tryst. We had to be very careful not to let any of the Koth, or Ikar, see what was happening. This meant no signs of affection in public, no lingering conversations, and no coy smiles.

  But inside… inside, she was mine. And I was hers. My feelings for her were so consuming, they often hit me like a deluge of water; washing away my mind and my senses.

  She wore white stockings and long boots suitable for being out in the fields for the rest of the day. I took pleasure in her catching me staring at her, as her face would flush a perfect shade of pink.

  I crossed my arms and monitored the surrounding areas, watching for any predators. We’d been in the field for hours already. Occasionally Targeg or Ikar would approach and try to make conversation with me, but I wasn’t feeling especially chatty. When Targeg finally left our company, I settled and walked over to Ari, crouching down beside her to see what she had gathered.

>   “You really love this, don’t you?”

  “It’s like a dream come true,” she gushed. “You don’t really get much opportunity to study something new on Earth. Not unless you’re deep in the Amazon, or something.” I cocked a brow; confused. She noted my expression and gave a polite waved of dismissal that spilled over with laughter.

  “Forget it,” she said as a smile crept across her face. “Earth isn’t this elaborate, I should say. Udora is amazing.”

  I thumbed through the flowers before plucking one and fixing it behind her ear. “You are very beautiful,” I breathed, hardly able to contain myself.

  Our bodies had merged in a way I hadn’t experienced in a long time. My very being wanted to be around her all the time. “I want to show you everything,” I said.

  “Well, we’ve got a whole year, as I’m told,” she said coyly. “I think we’ve got time.”

  “No, I want to show you everything now.”

  “Well,” she laughed, suddenly dumbfounded as to what to say. “I don’t know if that’s a come-on or if you’re trying to…”

  Before she could finish her sentence, Targeg came back toward us, using his wings to reach us in haste. He grinned at Ari, and I could feel my eyes rolling.

  “I have something to show you, too, dear,” he jested in a sexual tone, and the pair erupted in laughter. I, myself, didn’t find him quite as hilarious. Funny thing, that, how once there was a woman around, all the shifters suddenly wanted to be comedians.

  “I can’t imagine what that might be,” Ari said demurely, but didn’t look up from her work.

  Targeg still didn’t know what had happened between Ari and me, and the more I thought about it, the more he must have believed she was fair game. I gritted my teeth and looked his way, expressing my annoyance only for a moment.

  “She’s working,” I snapped, never looking in his direction.

  “Yeah, she’s been working for two days straight,” he argued. “Thought you could use some water,” he said kindly and tossed a bottle her way. Ignoring me, he crouched down beside her and began to inspect the many samples

  “Amazing,” he snorted, gesturing the bottle of moss to me. “What we walk on every day she finds fascinating. You should feel lucky she doesn’t have higher standards, Car.” The yellow dragon laughed, and Ariella joined him.

  “Hey, I happen to see real potential in the ordinary,” she jeered. “So, yes, he should feel lucky.”

  Targeg’s chuckle died off, and suddenly his face went serious. He looked to me with the same eyes that had always befriended me, suddenly curious and concerned. The expression he gave sent my stomach twisting so fiercely I had to walk away from the pair. I stepped out into the field and shielded myself from the sun with my wing; still listening to them, even more intently as Targeg’s tone turned into a whisper.

  “That’s all well and good, but you know Caridan can’t really participate in a choosing, right?” he cautioned her below his breath.

  “That’s right,” she confirmed nonchalantly. “So, what’s the problem?”

  “I just don’t want to see you get attached, that’s all. He’ll be guarding you for a few days, and then he’ll be shipped off to some other mission. You know that, right?”

  She blanched, and while I couldn’t see her face, I could hear her tone waver. “Thanks for the friendly advice,” she said with a put-on smile in her tone. “I wasn’t really anticipating being chosen, anyway, so… I hope you’re not expecting a play-by-play of my broken heart,” she chuckled.

  “No, of course not. I’m happy if you’re happy,” he said sincerely.

  “Thank you,” she said sweetly. “I really do appreciate it.”

  “Oh,” Targeg said, incredulous.

  Before I could listen in on any more of their conversation, Ikar approached. He smiled at me and set his hand on my shoulder. “I didn’t see you there,” I said genuinely.

  Ikar offered a courteous nod and let out a tired breath as he said, “Your senses are no doubt dulled from all this rain we’ve been having. The sun seems to have come out now, but it was quite the storm we had this morning, wasn’t it?”

  “Yeah, came out of nowhere,” I said lowly, nearly rolling my eyes at the sentiment. I was too tired to be hit with cheesy metaphors and dull chit-chat. If Ikar was speaking to me, it was for a reason, not for a weather update. “Must be quite the excavation of resources to have you called out from the ranks,” I said in my best attempt at cheerful banter.

  Usually, someone of Ikar’s station wouldn’t bother himself with research teams, yet he’d been here for two days overseeing the work.

  “My commitment to my station is half-hearted at best,” he smiled, his tone dismissive. “But you’re not wrong. This situation has become somewhat top tier, if I may say privately.”

  I raised a brow at him and ran my hand through my hair, feeling the strands tickle my skin underneath.

  “You’re doing a great job,” Ikar breathed as he watched over the field of biologists. His expression seemed genuinely impressed. “No attacks, and plenty of samples. Your girl is something special, just as Zaphira suggested.”

  “Oh?”

  My heart sank, and my eyes shot to Ikar, making no pretense. I wasn’t sure why he had brought up Zaphira’s name, but it put me immediately on edge. I knew Zaphira had told me to choose Ariella, but I didn’t know how much of that she had shared with my Koth.

  “She told me she told you to choose Ariella.”

  She shared everything, as it turned out.

  “Did she tell you why?” I bit my lip and sighed inwardly, looking up at Ikar, awaiting what his reaction might be.

  He raised his brows happily toward me; a look of impression crossing over him. “She said Ariella had potential; that she’d been researching ways to heal the Aurorean properties,” he spoke, referring to the area of a dragon’s throat that produces fire. “She knew the girl would be enticed to fix it if she could get attached to you, seeing as…” He paused, but there was no other way to say it. “How you’re one of the only ones left who can.”

  “Oh,” was all I said.

  “That one,” he pointed to the blonde from across the field. “She has a lot of strong beliefs about the Marraflower and its healing properties. She’s already mixed up a salve and she’s testing it out on Targeg sometime in the next few weeks.”

  “Targeg,” I repeated slowly. “Interesting.”

  “Don’t,” he cautioned, turning his head to me and following my eyes as they landed on Targeg and burned through his form.

  “Don’t what?”

  “You know what,” he warned. “She’s beautiful. But, she isn’t worth losing your life over. Nor your best friend.”

  “And why would I lose Targeg?” I played along, only half certain what he was trying to say to me.

  In private, Ariella had told me that when she first saw the lineup of dragons, she found Ikar very appealing. This was the only thought that seemed to dredge through my mind as my Koth spoke to me in respectful tones. It was no surprise, as much as I didn’t like hearing it from her. He was always a favorite for the choosings. He had white and silver features, with wide set wings. He had long white hair and silver eyes. There wasn’t anything about him that screamed ordinary. He was ethereal. I knew that.

  “I’d hate to see the past repeat itself, is all…”

  I looked into the eyes of my superior and suddenly wondered if he was really the terrible shifter I’d made him out to be in my mind. We’d clashed on occasion in the past, but my behavior hadn’t been the most cautious when we’d first met.

  “You remember our deal, right?” he asked.

  “I remember.”

  Don’t touch her: that was the deal. Don’t touch her and we don’t kill you. I had no rights as a shifter any longer. My body was a vessel used for fighting other dragons, other creatures. A vessel used to protect those we brought back to Udora. I’d accepted this long ago. But I couldn’t not touch her. N
ot anymore.

  My eyes were elsewhere, but I could see Ikar give an approving nod in my peripheral.

  “I’m pushing to have you reinstated, should this girl provide a cure.”

  My head snapped in his direction, and I actually felt myself smile. “Really?” My tone betrayed nothing of my excitement. In fact, it came out more as a statement than a question.

  “Really,” he repeated with a laugh. “Just don’t do anything to screw it up. Don’t take this girl, don’t kill anyone out of your jealousy, and stop fighting with Brenem. He’s well within his rights, and you know it.”

  “Hmph,” was all I said.

  That night I’d brought Ariella home, waiting around some extra hours so she could buy food from our market and pick up supplies from the laboratory before turning in.

  We’d spent the night talking until we could barely keep our eyes open, with her nestled in my arms. I neglected to make love to her, feeling uneasy somehow. She never asked what Ikar and I spoke of, and I never offered.

  I’d spent the next few days in the mines with the rest of the soldiers, guarding the humans as they dug through our soil and made plans for our biology. It was Ariella’s day off. Those were the days that I hated most of all.

  Not only was I not allowed to be around her during her time off, but it left my mind to wander how she was spending her time. If she and Targeg were viewing the sights of the city I still had yet to show her, or if Brenem had finally found a way to rouse the demon in me.

  I approached my front door and watched as Ari’s clean face poked through the crack of the door. She smiled at me and waved me in, her hair up in a messy spiral of waves. She looked tired.

  I stepped into the apartment and felt a surge of power flow through me that left me glowing. There was an atmosphere that filled our apartment with something I had missed for a very long time.