A Pet For The Commander: The Complete Series

by Hollie Hutchins

  They ascended to their thrones silently and looked down at us. Their attendants each occupied their own position along the staircase, silently watching everything.

  “We have heard much about you Commander Rakesh, and Diem Sava of Earth. It seems you have stumbled into your own myth,” said the King.

  None of us spoke, but I couldn’t help noticing how Rakesh and Nedan bristled at the way he said my name.

  “Your expedition’s deviation from the original mission objective hasn’t escaped our notice either,” said the Queen. She fought back a smile as she spoke, which scared me more than the King’s obvious rancor.

  “Do you have anything to say for yourself, Commander?” The King demanded.

  “My objective was to test the strength of earth’s defenses. I did so. As for the other developments, they were unintended consequences.”

  “Did you really think you could colonize earth with a few ships and a fleet of drones?” The queen leaned forward, not bothering to hide her smile.

  “I saw no real loss in making the attempt.”

  “And did you mistake this wisp of a female for a military commander?”

  “She wore a uniform, was spotted in the company of military officials, and attended a prestigious academy. It was an easy mistake to make,” Rakesh said. His stoic posture hid his emotions.

  “And so now, you return to Troiken with a problem on your hands.” The King’s disdain was palpable. Rakesh’s jaw popped as he clenched his teeth to control his tongue. On the Chronos, he would have decapitated anybody who dared speak about me in such a way. Here, he could only endure it silently.

  “I’m not a problem,” I said.

  “Would you like to speak, Diem Sava?” He turned his icy stare on me, his words moving like an oil slick across my skin. I realized that he had one objective, to find a reason to discredit us and then execute us. He was the kind of politician that my father always ranted about.

  “That’s how governments work. First, they built a case against you, then they put a bullet in your brain,” he used to say.

  I had to act. I had to say something before we were all railroaded.

  “I know why the Council wanted to meet us, but I have no idea why you would be interested in us at all.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement. I was still on thin ice, but it was better than waiting for them to back us into a corner.

  “Oh? And why is that?” The Queen’s smile dried up, but her relaxed expression didn’t waiver.

  “It was a military expedition, and they needed to confirm that what they heard was true. But after confirming, I don’t know why you would care.” Feigning ignorance seemed the best way to go.

  “In fact, I have my reasons. I believe that your bonded mate would be an ideal servant of the court, and potential sire to noble offspring. If what they say is true, his exceptional talents should make up for his low birth.”

  I felt my heart rate increase as she casually mentioned the idea of Rakesh breeding with another female. I felt the subtle build-up of energy under my skin. My nanites were primed for a fight.

  “He won’t last very long on his own in the court.” I smiled, letting her know that there were things that I knew that she couldn’t possibly understand. She sat back and looked at me intensely.

  “Why are we entertaining them? They are clearly just perversions, spreading indecency and licentiousness and perverting the ancient myths of our people. If we reward this kind of behavior, what will be left of our proud people?” The king’s face turned red with rage as he spoke and the attendants in line beneath him shifted uncomfortably.

  “How often must I tell you, you cannot kill an idea. You can only hope to use it wisely,” the Queen replied, crossing one leg over the other.

  “And why would I agree to be used?”

  The gasp in the room was audible. I knew I was crossing a line by asking a direct question, and even more so by interrupting the conversation.

  “You will agree so that you can spare your planet from a terrible fate and so that you can hope to see your home world again. That’s what you wanted, right? I can make it happen.”

  My heart thundered in my chest. No woman in her right mind would choose the dignity of one man over the fate of her entire planet. Right?

  “And what do you want me to do in exchange for all of those things?”

  “Nothing much. You will become a close ally of the Crown. You will help us to control and put to rest any ridiculous notions of a new world order and you will affirm the legitimacy of the Crown as rightful rulers.”

  The legitimacy of the Crown? I must have missed that part in my studies. It must be serious for her to mention it so openly. I nearly hooted with joy at her revelation. If there was some doubt about her legitimacy, she couldn’t afford to act according to her whims. Every decision she made would need a justification. Perhaps there was still hope for us.

  “However, that doesn’t put you above the law. While on the Chronos, Diem Sava, you committed a grave crime resulting in grievous bodily injury to one of the Royal Academy’s scientists. And for that crime, you must be punished,” the King stood, pointing one, long, boney finger at me.

  Before I could reply, two guards began to rush me. The next few seconds seemed to pass in slow motion. I saw Rakesh take two steps and leap in the air, shifting on the fly. His large, scaled body landed between me and the rest of the Royal guards who streamed into the room from doors behind the thrones. Nedan spun around and tackled the guard closest to him, striking at the guard’s sensitive areas with his bare hands.

  Once again, he proved that his smaller size and mixed heritage didn’t make him any less dangerous. The speed and accuracy I saw the day we met was on full display as he disarmed and incapacitated the larger guard.

  That left only one guard to deal with, but I was empty handed.

  Evade.

  I could hear the Grand Marshal’s voice in my head as I crouched low. There was nowhere to hide in the throne room and the monarchs occupied the only safe spots. With no other option I concentrated all my energy into my legs and sprung upward just as the guard was within striking distance.

  I arched my back and kicked out with my legs, clipping him on the chin and landing several feet away.

  “Grab her. Stop her. Don’t let her get away!” The King screamed like a manic TV villain. The sound of boots against the stone floors began to fill the room. We needed a plan.

  Several more guards attempted to rush me, and I easily somersaulted away. They were fast and strong, but not very agile. I saw Nedan dispatch two before being overwhelmed by them. The rest of the guard rushed to contain them.

  Your strength is also your weakness.

  I ran to Rakesh, who was standing atop a mounting pile of broken Troitek bodies.

  “Burn them,” I yelled, pointing to the ranks of guards rushing to fill the throne room.

  He grunted and turned around. I climbed onto his back and made eye contact with the King, whose lust for blood had suddenly turned sour. Our eyes locked and for a moment I saw his bottom lip quiver. He was afraid. For the first time, I was happy to see another living thing terrorized. The Queen watched the whole thing from behind a wall of attendants. She didn’t seem perturbed at all.

  Rakesh took a deep breath, his abdomen convulsing several times before he exhaled a blue flame. The guards that piled on Nedan screamed in agony, and the sickening smell of burned flesh and hair filled the room. Their comrades watched on in horror as they were charred beyond recognition.

  “Are you mad? An attack on the Royal Guard is the same as an attack on the Crown itself,” the Queen declared.

  “Somehow, I think you know how to handle things,” I said, giving her another knowing smile.

  Nedan shook off the barbequed remains of the guards and ran.

  “Fly!” he shouted. “Don’t worry about me. Fly away!”

  Rakesh nodded and took one great leap, getting several meters off of the ground. His body undula
ted as he circled the room, gaining altitude with each revolution.

  I watched helplessly as Nedan fought with several guards who pointed weapons I’d never seen before at Rakesh. A few guards fired strange weapons, discharging flaming projectiles the size of baseballs. I watched as they hit the stone walls and burrowed into the stone. Rakesh twisted and turned to avoid them.

  “We can’t leave him,” I cried. I tugged at his red mane.

  He agreed.

  Without warning, Rakesh dipped low, streaming toward the ground as if he expected to pass through it. There was a loud outcry as frail looking attendants tried to guard the King and the Queen from the death in his eyes. Rakesh pulled up at the last moment, snagging Nedan with his hind foot.

  We streamed toward the ceiling at a dizzying speed. Rakesh took another deep breath and then exhaled another great flame. It singed the stones that made the roof.

  “Oh no,” I whispered as we hurtled towards the blackened stones.

  I gripped Rakesh’s mane until my knuckles turned white and my fingertips went numb. I pressed my face against his neck, breathing in his scent and bracing for impact. If we had to die, it was nice to know that we would go down fighting… together.

  The sound of Rakesh’s skull smashing into the stones was sickening. I closed my eyes and waited for the feeling of weightlessness that comes with a long fall.

  Several seconds passed before I realized we were still ascending, flying higher and higher until we were cloaked in red clouds.

  “Woo hoo! I am for you, Red Dragon! We made it, Diem Sava!”

  Nedan’s jubilation at our escape pierced through the skies.

  “I am for you, Red Dragon! I am for you!”

  Rakesh dropped lower after several minutes. Nedan climbed onto Rakesh’s back.

  “We need to find somewhere to hide. They’ll be on our tail soon enough. We can’t just fly into the sunset,” I said.

  “I know a place,” he said.

  “Where?”

  “The Thano Mountains.”

  Rakesh grunted his disapproval.

  “With all due respect, Commander, I don’t think we have many options left. And you and I both know that Thano is the best place for us,” Nedan said.

  “What’s there?”

  “Rebels, outcasts, priests and believers. For nearly five hundred years they have gathered on Thano Mountain and have never been taken by the Crown or the Council. They’re fighters and survivors,” Nedan said with pride.

  “How do you know so much?”

  “I grew up there.”

  “Will they take us in?”

  “Not just that, Sava. They’ll defend you with their lives. And trust me, you’re going to need their help. After what we just did, the government is going to be after our heads. After all, it’s not just a rumor anymore. It’s confirmed. The Red Dragon is back, and that spells one thing,” he said, clapping his hands together.

  “War.”

  I whispered the word like a prayer, hoping that I was wrong. But, the look in Nedan’s eyes and the soft grunt from Rakesh told me that I was right.

  War was coming to Troiken.

  Owned By The Commander - Book 3

  I want to return to earth, but I don’t want to leave Rakesh. But soon, I will need to make my choice…

  I thought I’d escaped from the clutches of those bent on my destruction. But there’s new enemies. And I’ll need new allies. More than that, I need Rakesh at my side, and he needs me.

  People see us as their myths come to life. I don’t know what to make of them. But I do know that our love’s about to be put to the ultimate test. Through violence, war, and longing, we must fight to save our home planets. His on Troiken, and mine on Earth.

  But he won’t come back to me to Earth if we do succeed.

  The winds of fate may just blow us in separate directions…

  Chapter One

  “They’ll send gliders after us,” Nedan growled. I could feel the tension in his body as he spoke. He pulled me closer against his chest, using his body to shield me from whatever enemies might be foolish enough to follow us.

  Rakesh dipped even lower, making his red dragon form visible to all the people below. I could hear gasps of surprise and sharp screams as the being that had once only dwelled in myths and legends flew overhead. I could see some of them run for cover, and others cheering at the sight of a great red dragon. Rakesh’s scales glistened in the intense, red sun.

  “It must seem like a mirage to them,” I said.

  “A living dream,”’ Nedan added. The wind muffled his voice and he had a faraway look in his eyes; as if he too was seeing the Red Dragon for the first time.

  “The cat’s out of the bag now! The Council won’t be able to pretend as if we don’t exist,” I mused. I still wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

  “No one will. This changes everything,” Nedan gasped. “Let me down over there in that field. You two keep flying low. Make sure that the people can see you on your approach to the mountain.”

  “Will they just let us in?”

  “Trust me, Sava. They will welcome you.”

  Rakesh grunted his approval and then flew over a large stone house before touching down in the middle of a field. Nedan jumped down from Rakesh’s back and began to run across the field.

  “Where are you going?” I called after him.

  “Don’t worry about me, Sava! I will meet you later,” he called, a wide smile plastered on his face.

  Rakesh leaped into the air again, seemingly catching a current of air that only he could feel, quickly gaining altitude. My eyes stayed glued to the curly orange hair as he ran, laughing loudly. If I didn’t know better, I would assume he was a drunk madman, not a rebel.

  But we were all rebels, now.

  Rakesh followed Nedan’s instructions, flying just low enough to the ground that the people could make him out. His red scales were a natural camouflage, and we found ourselves dropping lower still so that nobody would be confused about what they were witnessing.

  As we approached the mountain, a knot formed in my stomach. I couldn’t imagine what we must look like to anybody watching. A wild-haired human woman riding a giant red dragon wasn’t something you’d see every day. Or ever. At least not in real life. But, here we were, descending from the sky like an illustration from a storybook.

  Or a holy book.

  Rakesh circled the mountain several times, looking for the best place to land. With every loop, more people climbed out of hidden caves and camouflaged dwellings to watch. Unlike the towns and villages that we’d passed, the inhabitants of the mountain didn’t seem to be at all startled by our appearance. They pointed, and some of them cheered at the sight of us, but nobody seemed afraid.

  Spying a small clearing, Rakesh circled once more before his final descent. Males holding ancient styled weapons began making their way to the spot where we planned to land.

  Rakesh maintained his dragon form, landing gracefully and then coiling his body around like a snake, poised for a strike. I slowly climbed down from his back, trying to look more confident than I felt. An older female stepped forward; her features engraved deep into her face. She didn’t look Troitek, though the markings along her temples and arms told me that she must have at least one Troitek ancestor. Unlike the Troitek, her skin was a healthy golden color, and her hair was a tangle of curls the color of sun-baked mud bricks.

  “We welcome you, Sava, to Thano Mountain. We have been waiting for you for a very long time.”

  “Sorry to keep you all waiting,” I said nervously.

  Rakesh grunted, blowing smoke from his nostrils as I took steps toward her. The males in the group gripped their weapons tighter, but none made a move to interfere.

  “Commander!”

  Detack pushed his way through the crowd and ran towards Rakesh, holding up a large garment for him to wear. Rakesh uncoiled himself and shifted swiftly, regaining his humanoid form in front of the anxious crowd
. A murmur echoed around the clearing as Detack draped the robe over Rakesh’s naked body.

  “What are you doing here?” Rakesh asked, his voice still not his own.

  “I had a bad feeling when they split us up, so I followed Nedan’s instructions and came here.”

  “Nedan gave you instructions?” I was only mildly surprised. He seemed to know more about what was happening than any of us and was the only one who seemed to be able to stay two steps ahead of both the Crown and the Council.

  “Yes, Sava. He told us that if we felt unsafe or suspected that we were being followed, we were to come here. He even showed us how to shake any spies and stay off the radar. I thought he was just paranoid, but after seeing the Council…”

  His voice trailed off, and a profound look of disappointment crept into his eyes. He didn’t need to say it out loud. After seeing the Council, he wasn’t so sure who the good guys were any longer. I could sympathize, and I felt a need to give him comfort that I knew he wouldn’t accept. Not from me. Not in front of others.

  “Anyway, I’m here, Meck is here, even Puva showed up. But she’s pretty banged up. It looks like they caught her off guard and she had to fight her way out of a police transport.”

  “Is she okay?”

  “She’ll be alright very soon. Where’s Nedan and P’tah? Aren’t they with you?”

  “Nedan left us a while back. He said he would meet us here,” Rakesh answered.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” I said to Detack, smiling broadly at the great, purple oaf.

  “You honor me, Sava,” he said shyly.

  “Why don’t you come inside. We have so many things to say,” the old female said, grasping my hands in hers. Her fingers were withered but still strong.

  “I have spent my life in service to the Empire. You are rebels. Are you sure that you want to invite me into your base?”