by E. A. James
Instead, Aerdan shook his head. He gave Angelica a playful grin.
“Come here,” Aerdan said. He reclined on his back, his manhood bobbing in the air. Angelica blushed hotly as Aerdan took her by the hand and guided her on top of him, until she was riding him astride.
As Aerdan’s manhood slowly slid into Angelica, she threw her head back and moaned. The tips of her dark hair brushed against her sweaty back and she began to grind and rock her hips. Aerdan put his hands to her breasts, gently pinching and rolling her nipples between his fingers as she rode him. Angelica began to moan. She leaned forward and braced herself against Aerdan’s strong chest, bucking hard. Sweat dripped from her face as the explosively delicious sensations built in her lower belly. When her orgasm hit, she was surprised by the intensity. Amazing sensations gripped her and she could barely remember to breathe. Aerdan grabbed her by the hips and began moving her harder on top of his stiff member. Even as her orgasm slowed, Angelica felt nothing but intense pleasure as Aerdan moved his body beneath hers, brushing her most sensitive area with his pubic bone.
“Gods,” Aerdan cried, closing his eyes and groaning. He bucked his chest and shoved his hips high into the air, driving deeper and deeper inside of Angelica’s body. Grabbing Angelica’s hands, he pulled her body down on top of his under her stiff nipples were rubbing against his smooth chest. When he exploded inside of her, Angelica felt the most intense pleasure she’d ever experienced. Soon, she was coming for a second time and they bucked and gasped and moved together in a frenzy of passion.
Angelica lay against Aerdan, breathing hard. He pushed her sweaty bangs away from her eyes and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head with a sweaty mouth.
Angelica sighed with happiness. After a few seconds, she slid off of Aerdan and curled up next to him, fitting her head in the hollow of his shoulder and draping her arm across his perfect body.
“That was amazing,” Angelica said. She sighed happily again and nuzzled Aerdan’s neck, enjoying the musky fragrance emanating from his body. Pushing a hand into his dark, sweaty hair, she propped herself up on an elbow and stared deeply into his sapphire eyes.
“And they say only women in Zheka get to experience magic,” Aerdan joked. The two laughed quietly for a moment, then faded into a comfortable silence.
The sweat on Angelica’s body began to cool and she pulled the sheet over herself.
“Shouldn’t we dress? Go to the feast?”
Aerdan grinned. He rolled on his belly and winked at her. “I have a secret,” he said. “I ordered two platters to be brought up…right about now.”
Angelica flushed. “You’re awfully cocky,” she said. “How did you know I wouldn’t tell you to wait?”
Aerdan shrugged. “I didn’t,” he said. “Just a lucky guess.”
Angelica smiled happily. “Well, you were right,” she said softly.
Aerdan stroked her hair. “Angelica, if I may ask, how do you feel about me?”
There it was. The question she’d been waiting to hear ever since the first mention of marriage had happened. The question she’d been waiting to respond to ever since Muertha had spelled things out for her in grim, unpleasant terms.
Angelica licked her lips. “I’m falling in love with you, Aerdan,” she said quietly. “But I don’t think that I’m ready for marriage yet.” Her heart squeezed and tears came to her eyes. “If you…if you have to marry someone else, I understand.”
Aerdan grinned. He pulled Angelica close and kissed her deeply. “No,” he said. “Angelica, I don’t want anyone but you. Until I met you, I’ve never known love.” He swallowed. “But, that being said…I, too, am not ready for marriage. I don’t think that I am ready to settle down and stay at the castle. I find I yearn for more excitement and adventure.”
Angelica sighed with relief. “Nor should I think you’re all that eager about fighting six men just to win me.” She blushed. “Not that I’m planning on asking you to do that, or anything,” she added quickly. “I could never see another show again and be quite happy about it.”
Aerdan chuckled, faking offense. “No,” he said. “But, for you, I would win,” he added, puffing his chest out.
Angelica burst out laughing. “There’s a surprise for you, too,” she said softly. Climbing out of bed, she pulled Namaya’s cloak around herself, giggling when Aerdan groaned.
“Don’t deprive me of the sight of your body,” Aerdan said.
“Trust me, you’ll want to see this,” Angelica replied. She reached into the pockets and pulled out vast handfuls of golden coins, dropping them on the bed.
Aerdan’s jaw dropped. “What? How? What…what is this?”
“I guess her pockets were bewitched,” Angelica said. “I didn’t even notice until I was out of the castle, but this was all inside of her cloak.” She swallowed. “It’s enough for a ship,” she said. “A ship of our own…one that could carry us across the sea’s on our adventures.”
Aerdan blinked. “You want to do that?”
Angelica grinned. “I do,” she said. “Maybe then I can find some clues about how to get back home, you know – if I ever feel like going back to New York.”
Aerdan grinned. “Come here,” he said. He pulled Angelica close and kissed her deeply. “You’re wonderful,” Aerdan said. “I wouldn’t want to adventure with anyone but you.”
Angelica snuggled happily into the arms of her lover. “I know exactly what you mean,” she murmured drowsily.
EPILOGUE
Namaya stood at her table, leaning over her scrying glass and waving her fingers in the misty surface. Her green eyes glowed with hatred and evil as she parted the clouds. When she saw a beautiful castle surrounded by blue seas and green fields, her eyes narrowed into tiny, angry slits.
Curse them, Namaya thought as she leaned closer, making the castle bigger. The Zhekan castle was decorated for the feast of a hero. Gold and red flags flew from each parapet, and Namaya could hear the sound of cheering crowds from where she stood. Hatred and evil swelled in her heart. For a few moments, she was silent. Then, with all her might, she smashed the scrying glass to the floor. The bowl shattered into a million tiny little pieces. Some of the glass pierced Namaya’s bare feet, but she no longer felt pain.
She had not felt pain in hundreds of years.
At least, not physical pain.
“They have tricked me,” Namaya said to her familiar, Eris, a large black cat perched on the floor. “They have deceived me! And that damnable wench, that girl! Stole my cloak and the stone!”
Eris blinked at his mistress with big yellow eyes.
“I will not rest until they are both destroyed,” Namaya vowed, taking a knife from the folds of her robes and stalking to the hearth. Despite the warm weather, a large blaze roared against the iron grate. Namaya took a handful of potent herbs from the mantle and tossed them into the flames. Soon, the room was filled with a thick green smoke.
Namaya held her hand over the fire and sliced her palm with the knife, dripping blood onto the flames. A musky, warm scent filled the room and clouded her head. Soon, her eyes glazed over with white and she crumpled to the floor, deep in a trance.
As the evil sorceress of Glasule lay twitching on the floor, dark clouds filled the sky and the sea began to froth and twist.
They will pay for their transgressions. I will not rest until their souls have been ripped into a thousand pieces.
ABDUCTED BY THE ALIEN DRAGON
CHAPTER ONE
Amias took in his surroundings. He wasn’t sure he was convinced that this planet would provide what his people were looking for. “I don’t know,” he said to his companions. “Do you think its remote enough?”
“Remote enough?” Cosimo, Amias’ second in command, replied stepping forward. “We’re in the middle of a dessert,” he replied pointedly.
“But there’s a city just 25 miles away,” Amias pointed out. “What if one of the humans finds us?”
Amias knew that Cosimo was right. Earth was the only planet they had found with a climate and landscape similar to the one they were accustomed to back on Zexilon, their home planet. They would have never left the safe haven of their home if it weren’t for the rapidly accelerating deterioration of the outer layer of their atmosphere. This had resulted in one natural disaster after another, eventually leaving Zexilon uninhabitable. All of their people had been scattered throughout the universe, desperately seeking a place they could establish a new life.
He turned to look back at the tired, weary group he was traveling with. They had been searching for months, and it was very likely that they wouldn’t find another place as perfect for them as where they were at that moment. “But if they do find us,” he couldn’t help but wonder out loud.
“Then we’ll do what we have to in order to protect our kind,” Cosimo said stepping towards him and placing a firm hand on his shoulder. “Amias, you’re the leader of our team. If you say ‘no’ then it’s a no. But think about our people. We’re exhausted. We’re weak, and we’re running out of supplies. There’s no telling how much longer we can continue the search.”
That was Amias’ fear—using force. He knew that if it came down to it, his kind would be able to annihilate the Earthlings with no trouble. Their weak, fleshy make-up wouldn’t stand against his people when they shifted from their human form to their other. But none of them wanted that. All they wanted was to live in peace. They would never use force unless it was absolutely necessary.
Amias took a deep breath and let a smile form on his face. “Alright,” he nodded. With that simple gesture, his men burst into a fit of cheers. “We’ll stay!” An audible sigh of relief passed through the group.
“I don’t think we’ll regret it,” Cosimo said, turning to lead the others back to the ship to begin collecting their things.
Watching them walk away, exchanging smiles and words of excitement, Amias reached into his bag and pulled out his communicator. Pushing the small red button on the black box, the screen came to life. “Commander?” he asked when the holographic image of his commanding officer Gerrit was fully projected. Even in a miniature version, he still had an overbearing presence.
“Amias,” Gerrit replied. “I hope you’re calling with good news.”
“I am, sir,” he began. “We have found a place we think will work. We’re beginning to set up camp now.”
“Excellent! Send the coordinates and we will be there within the next few weeks,” Gerrit said happily.
“Will do, sir. I look forward to seeing you,” Amias replied. When the transmission was ended, he keyed in a few commands, and the screen on the communicator began to glow green, the words “location verified,” scrolling across it. With one quick press of a button, the words changed to “location sent.”
“It’s done,” Amias said, turning to his group and holding the black box over his head. Off in the distance, something caught his eye. There was a plane flying overhead and it was getting closer.
His men turned to follow his stare, letting their armfuls of items fall to the ground. “What is that?” he heard one of them ask.
“Is it commercial or military?” another wondered.
They all stood, motionless, fear spreading from one of them to the next as they watched it grow larger and larger the closer it got. “It’s military!” Cosimo yelled just as the plane dove down and released a shower of bullets that sprayed the ground around them, causing a cloud of dirt and sand to fly into the air.
The plane pulled up, and when the dust cleared, Amias saw that at least three of his team members were lying lifeless on the ground, pools of blood pouring out around them. He heard the drone of the engine as the plane turned and once again flew in their direction.
“We have to fight back!” Cosimo yelled out, standing over the body of one of their companions.
“You heard him!” Amias agreed, ordering his men into action.
The air suddenly became filled with a hot, heavy smoke that consumed them all. Amias felt his muscles tense and his bones expand. His skin became covered in scales and his back ripped open to produce two large, leather-like wings. When he had transitioned completely into his dragon form he stood at least twenty feet tall. All around him, his men were also already in their dragon skin and one by one they took flight.
The plane pulled back quickly, diving down and turning sharply. It sped off into the horizon, giving Amias a spark of hope that it had retreated for good. His relief was short-lived, however, when the air became filled with the sounds of engines buzzing. In the distance, coming from the same direction that the first plane had taken off in, a dozen different, larger planes were suddenly barreling towards them.
His men tensed with anticipation as they waited for their targets to come within range. When they did, Amias and his team let the fire pour out of their mouths, knocking four of the planes back and spiraling down towards the hard ground.
When the remaining planes began to spray them with bullets, half of them dove down, and the others flew up higher. The planes split up as well, half of them diving and half of them climbing. They were pursuing them with amazing accuracy. Amias heard one gaining on him, and with a sharp turn to the right, was able to throw it off just long enough to turn back and release a column of fire in its direction. He watched the plane fall rapidly, leaving a trail of dark black smoke behind it.
Turning back to give his attention to the others, he saw more planes appearing in the distance. “We need to pull back!” he communicated with them through thought. “More are coming! We can’t take them all on!” he continued.
His men regrouped before taking off in the opposite direction of the advancing fleet. Amias waited until he was sure that they were all together before following. The planes buzzed around him, not pursuing his men, but giving their full attention to him. He tried to dive out of their line of fire, but he was unsuccessful. He felt a sharp pain spread through him. Looking down he saw that it was not a bullet that he was hit with, but a sort of electrical device. The objected blinked wildly, each time sending a bolt of pain running through him. He tried to continue moving forward, but he couldn’t. His body surged with each movement, and the more he fought the worse the sensation became.
He couldn’t fight any longer. He began descending rapidly, despite his efforts to stay in the air. When he hit the ground with a loud crash he took one last look up to the sky. His men had escaped. At least that was some consolation. As he watched the tiny specks disappear in the distance his vision became blurry, eventually filling with nothing but empty darkness.
CHAPTER TWO
Nicole paced nervously back and forth. As she moved, her steps echoed through the large, sparsely furnished reception area where she waited. The gray tile floor and the black leather furniture made the space feel dark, despite the large chandelier which hung overhead and the enormous windows that lined the walls. “Ms. Sanchez,” the receptionist said looking up at her over the edge of her desk, “your father will still be a few minutes. You can feel free to take a seat and relax.”
It was understood that her request was really meant to be a hint that Nicole’s constant movement was disturbing her. “Sorry,” she said quietly as she walked over to one of the large couches running along the wall. Even seated, she found it hard to keep still. Rocking back and forth, she tried to slow her breathing and stop her heart from racing.
It was her first day working at Gen-Lab, and she just wanted to do well. Her father was the leading biologist in the company, working primarily with alien life forms and genetically modified species. The research facility was located in Houston, Texas, and was a highly classified government funded organization. Most people didn’t even know it existed. They were hidden away behind NASA’s enormous complex and worked closely with the scientists there.
&nb
sp; Nicole had originally wanted to be a teacher. She loved working with children, and the simple, quiet life seemed like a much-needed change from the high-intensity world that her father lived in, and consequently brought home to his family. He was a stern man. In her entire life, Nicole couldn’t remember a time when she saw him smile. She always wondered what drew her mother to him.
Nicole was more like her mother than her father in every possible way. Not only did they look alike, with their light, pale skin, bright green eyes, and curvy shape, but they also shared similar personalities. Her mother was soft-spoken and submissive, but she always had a smile on her face—a naïve, innocent smile that let you know she was eager to please.
Juan and Alice Sanchez had had three children—Nicole was the youngest. Her brother and sister weren’t as intimidated by their father as she was, and when they chose their own lives and career paths, the pressure Juan put on his last born to follow in his footsteps increased. “You’re my last hope, Nicky,” he said to her one day. “Don’t let me down.”