Kidnapped by the Alien Dragon

by Ward, Abella

  Realizing at last that her scheme had just imploded before her very eyes, Mara tried to flee, but the Blackwings didn’t allow her to get very far.

  Kenner, however, decided he had waited much too long as it was, and ran to Teresa’s side. The crowd around them alternated between congratulating them and jeering at Mara, as she was taken away to wait for her trial in the cages, while the Elders attempted to call for some order, and failed miserably.

  Only Elder Fanag looked happy at this unholy mess, smiling at Kenner and Teresa, and patting him on the back. “Well done, boy,” she praised him. “I knew you could do it.”

  Kenner wisely decided not to remind the Elder that she was contradicting some of her earlier statements and, instead, put his arm around Teresa’s shoulders and nodded. “Thank you... but, if you’ll excuse us now, we’d rather like to go home.”

  The old lady shooed them away, laughing all the while, and Kenner was glad they could get the hell out of there.

  There were things he had to say to his Teresa, things he had to do to show her just how much he had missed her, and he could only feel free to indulge those needs in the privacy of their own house.

  Chapter Eleven

  After the initial drama, the rest of the process went far more smoothly and quickly.

  Lady Esplyn was questioned some more, and when it became clear she was only Mara’s dupe and knew nothing of consequence to the Kinai, she was flown back to her home in Wallaria by Arul. And, since he was already going to the Skatian capital, the First Lieutenant of the Blackwing Squadron was also tasked with paying a visit to the Emperor with a large chest of presents from the Kinai craftsmen for some preemptive damage control.

  The Council concluded that the instabilities in Mara’s character, which were obviously growing more and more prominent, were a result of a Joining that hadn’t gone exactly right, but had gone well enough for the cracks in it to only just now be starting to show. She was sentenced to death, but before the execution could be held, she hung herself in her own home, refusing to the end to bow down to anyone.

  Kenner and Teresa spent the first ten days of their reunion giving the furniture in Kenner’s house a good workout, and no one had the heart to take it against them. After all, the Blackwings were perfectly capable of governing themselves for a while... and, besides, the people of Kinai kind of owed it to the pair to let them have some time to thoroughly consummate their passions, and then repeat the favor a few months later when they finally tied the knot.

  This vigorous consummation resulted in a birth of a twin boy and girl in the spring of the following year, and as a present to the new parents, the Elders permanently lifted all the bans that governed Teresa’s life in Kinai, and she was granted permission to try for a Joining come winter.

  At first, Teresa intended to decline the honor, fearing that the Joining would be unsuccessful and unwilling to risk making a widower and orphans out of her husband and children. But Kenner begged her to have as much faith in herself as he did in her, and so she left a human woman of the planet Earth, and returned a true Kinai, Joined to the core of her being with a majestic beast, its incredible power infusing every single molecule of her body. It took her months to master the use of it, but once she did to the satisfaction of the Squadron Commander and his lieutenants, she became the newest recruit of the Darkwings, finally finding her place amongst her new people.

  And so, life went on. Our lovers tried to make the most of every moment they had, finding fulfillment in their family, in their work and in each other, making plans for the future while resolving the problems of the present.

  But every so often, when their babies were tucked in their little beds, and the world was at peace under the cover of the starry night, our lovers took flight together, wing by wing, their hearts soaring, joined in a love so deep that it makes dragons sing...

  *****

  THE END

  Bonus Book 3: The Fairy King's Goddess

  Description

  “Among the gods, there were once three war sisters with incredible powers. One of them was killed and reincarnated into human form. You're her.”

  Nikki has always known she’s different. She’s a changeling, a fairy child, an outsider. Her emerging magic, the ability to 'taste' other people's emotions, only adds to that.

  But nothing is what it seems. A mysterious, sexy man claiming to be the fairy king Finvarra arrives, telling Nikki she's an ancient war goddess reincarnated into human form.

  Is Finvarra telling the truth? Nikki can’t help but feeling drawn to his tale… and to the man.

  When an ancient enemy reemerges determined to get his hands on Nikki, she and Finvarra find themselves face-to-face with the most powerful magic they’ve ever encountered.

  There’s only one person who can reopen the gates to the Otherworld.

  Nikki has to make a choice.

  Or she may die. Again.

  Chapter One

  Mom's sadness tasted like lemons. Even from a young age, I couldn't drink lemonade, eat lemon pie, or even look at the color yellow because the taste of it was constantly in my mouth, always stronger when she was having 'bad days' and I had to stay in my room. Out of sight. Out of mind.

  I didn't understand what was going on then. All I knew was that Dad didn't want Mom to see me. Depression was 'too adult' for me to know about, though I lived with its effects constantly. Even when the chocolatey taste of her happiness wrapped me in hugs and kisses, there was always an aftertaste of lemon left behind.

  It was probably why I decided to go into psychiatry in school. I told Dad it was because of the salary, but I just wanted to be able to help my mother. I never felt like I belonged in my home. Maybe if I was able to give Mom some free therapy, I wouldn't be one more cause for her to have those bad days.

  I approached the baby-blue house with knots in my stomach. Home for the summer holidays. My backpack and duffle bag made my arms ache, but I had enjoyed the walk from the bus stop. The familiar sights helped ease the nerves fighting in my stomach.

  I sighed as I entered the house. A full blast of lemon coated my tongue. It was bad today. And I knew it was partly because of me. Any change in routine was hard for my mom, and even though she would never admit it, she was relieved when I had gone to university. I guess not being faced with her guilt every day was something that improved her mood.

  "I'm home," I called vaguely to the depths of the house. "I'm just going to take my stuff to my room."

  Dad called a muffled reply somewhere from the kitchen, where the smell of spicy spaghetti sauce was almost as powerful as the taste of lemon. I went to my basement bedroom to drop off my bags before I returned upstairs.

  "I'll set the table," I volunteered after hugging Dad. "Are we having garlic bread?"

  "With extra garlic, the way you like it." Dad smiled. His exhaustion was written in the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes, etched more deeply than normal. "So, did you get that job for the summer?"

  "Which one?" I'd applied to about twenty.

  "The one that you were looking forward to, out in Buffalo."

  It was the one that I was least looking forward to. It was also the one farthest from home. I grabbed clean plates from the dishwasher. "No, they decided they wanted someone with more experience."

  "That's too bad."

  "I've got an internship with the new psychiatric branch at the hospital here. I won't be treating any patients yet, but it's going to look great on my resume. Over three thousand students applied," I added.

  Dad never thought much about me going into psychiatry. No matter how much I argued that it was a well-paying profession and was something I was pretty good at already, he never supported my choice. To his credit, though, he tried not to let his negativity show.

  "And it's paying," I added. "Not much, but I'll be able to give you some money for rent and still have enough to pay for tuition in the fall."

  Dad grunted as he added gluten-free spaghetti noodles to a pot
of boiling water. "A paid internship, eh? Well, I hope they're not just looking for a token changeling. You know, with all the affirmative action that's taking place—"

  "Dad, please." I couldn’t help but snap. As if returning home wasn't hard enough. "Do you have any idea how insulting that is to me?"

  I loved my parents, but they never failed to remind me that I wasn't 'really' theirs. I was a changeling, something that I would never forget. How could I, when I was the reason there was so much lemon in this house?

  Rosemary Goodman was the baby that they had been excited to welcome into the world. She had been taken by fairies when she was only five months old. Before that, she had been a happy, sociable child. But then she stopped making eye contact, cried more often, refused to engage, and they knew she had been replaced. With me.

  It happened all the time, human babies being swapped for fairy children. Since the old methods of leaving the changeling child on a fairy hill to entice the fairies to bring back the stolen child had been outlawed, most parents gave up the fairy child to adoption, too heartbroken over the loss of their little one to care for the replacement. Adoption rates for changelings were very low. Most ended up homeless on the streets after they grew out of the foster system.

  At least my parents didn't leave me for that life. They tried their best to love me. But we all knew that I didn't really belong to them. I called them Mom and Dad, but, legally, they were just my guardians. I didn't belong to them. I belonged to some fairy mother and father who didn't want me.

  "Look, Nikki, I'm just saying that people—"

  "Dad, I have my masters and I'm working on my Ph.D." I yanked the napkins from the cupboard. "I am more than qualified for this internship. They accepted me because I have fantastic grades and my volunteering record is better than any they have seen before. They don't even know I'm a changeling. And you saying that they might have taken me because I am one just completely disregards my accomplishments."

  "I never said—"

  "I told you my lowest grade point was ninety-four percent. Are you going to tell me that all the hours I’ve spent studying aren’t the reason for my grades, but it's really the fact that I'm not human?"

  He grunted again. My hands clenched. That was one thing I hated about my dad. He always thought grunting was enough. There was a sharp taste of black pepper in the air. Great. Now he was annoyed with me. I cocked my head, struggling to get myself under control. I didn't want to fight, not on my first day home.

  That was the thing about having residual magic: I could taste the emotions of the people around me. Even from the time I was a child, I had done what I could to relieve tensions.

  "How is Mom doing? Rosemary's birthday was last week, wasn't it?" My birthday was celebrated on the day that the Changeling Society officially declared I wasn't Rosemary.

  Dad threw some green peppers into the spaghetti sauce. "Nikki, she loves you. We love you. Constantly reminding your mother about the baby she lost isn't going to help anybody."

  My own annoyance spiked as I yanked open the silverware drawer for the cutlery. "Oh, you mean like if you brought up some fantastic news and instead of congratulating you, I had to remind you that I was a changeling? You mean like that?"

  "Nicole Goodman—"

  "Only Goodman isn't my name," I spat, my fists balling. "Nicole X. That's what's on my changeling certificate, what's going to be on my Ph.D. You kept me, but you didn't adopt me. I—"

  I threw my hands into the air. This was a fight we had had so many times I lost count of how often we fought about it. But if there was one thing I knew Mom didn't need, it was for me to be in the house with emotions were running high. I took my plate off the table.

  "I'm not going to eat."

  Dad frowned at me. "Where do you think you're going? You just got in."

  "Out. Lajila's on holidays too, I'm going to go see her and come back later. Maybe by then you and Mom can pretend you're actually happy I'm back."

  I slammed the door on my way out. Frustration and anger burned through me as I kicked a stone down the street, heading to the old playground near my best friend’s home.

  Why had I been happy to come home again? Usually, it wasn't this bad. I did love my parents, and I knew they loved me. They didn't keep me or take care of me out of pity or social duty. We had had happier times in the past before my magic started to develop. I guess until then, they had thought maybe the fairies had given Rosemary back, or maybe never even took her in the first place. After all, it wasn't like changelings had special DNA that could be tested. What changelings were tested for was vague at best.

  But after my unique strains began to make themselves manifest, it was undeniable. I wasn't their Rosemary, I was something else. My magic proved that I was a fairy child.

  I just wished that there was some way to go back to the time before my magic came in – to stop it from happening. To be human.

  Lajila Malik, my best friend since we were children, was just exiting her house with her parents when I got to the playground. She grinned and waved when she saw me. I waved back, though half-heartedly. Mr. and Mrs. Malik were both dressed to the nines. Clearly, they were going out.

  "I didn't know you were coming home today," Lajila said when I got closer.

  "Yeah, I took an early flight," I lied. I'd told her when I was coming back, but she was busy. I didn't expect her to remember everything. "I was just going for a walk to stretch out before supper, and I thought I'd stop to visit. Looks like you're going out, though."

  Lajila nodded, her dark eyes dancing. "I have been accepted into a surgeon's program for next year and we're going to celebrate. I'd love to talk, but we have a reservation and we're already late."

  I smiled for her sake. "Congrats on the position. We'll have to talk later."

  She hurried to the car, and I waved again as they drove off. Leaving me alone again. I'd just take some time to cool off, and then I'd go home. Starting fights the first day back wasn't going to help with the situation there. Maybe I'd pick up some cheesecake or something. Sweets always improved Mom's mood, unless she was on one of her diets. Maybe flowers instead.

  I sat on one of the swings, rocking myself back and forth as a cool breeze rustled through my raven-black hair. Why couldn’t I go back to when I was a child – when 'changeling' meant that my real parents had left me with Mom and Dad so that I could learn how to live in the human world properly and bring back wonderful stories to Faerie when I returned?

  "Nikki, you are not defined by the circumstances of how you got here," I told myself firmly. "You are a brilliant student, a creative thinker, helpful to the community, and a good friend. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and get your ass back home where it belongs and help your parents. You can't call yourself a psychiatrist if you—"

  The most delicious scent I'd ever smelled caught my attention. It was like an ocean adventure, with the wind in your hair and the spray of seawater on your face and dolphins leaping through the air beside your ship. My mouth watered.

  A voice spoke behind me. "I've finally found you."

  Chapter Two

  I jumped, glancing around for the man who belonged to the voice. He was rushing towards me from behind, and I jumped to my feet.

  "Hold it right there!"

  He skidded to a stop. I got a good look at him, and my breath caught in my throat. Auburn hair leaning more towards brown than red, piercing brown eyes, strong jaw, chiseled features… and that was just his face. My heart started beating faster. He wore a plain t-shirt that was slightly too small, stretching over sculpted muscles. His jeans were in the same way, showing off a delicious-looking body. Heat flooded my cheeks.

  My reaction surprised me. I couldn't remember when I reacted this way to a guy, especially one I had just met. He must have seen the dazed expression on my face because he stepped forward.

  "Nikki. I've been looking for you for a long time."

  Despite how pretty he was, I moved back and held up my fists the
way they taught in kickboxing class. I narrowed my eyes. "Okay, one, how do you know my name? Two, who are you? Three, why are you looking for me like a creepy stalker?"

  He gave me a devilish grin that had my pulse racing and heat swirling in my core. Whoa. Not the reaction I thought I'd have.

  "Are you implying that some stalkers aren't creepy?"

  I opened my mouth and closed it again. What? The flirting tone wasn't exactly conducive to my thought process, but I shook it off and glared at him. "Don't try to confuse me. Answer my questions."

  "It's complicated." His handsome face fell into a frown, and I tasted something sour in the air. I ignored it. "This is going to be very strange for you. But I think maybe we should start with the fact that you are not a changeling."

  Not a changeling? "Um, no. We start with who you are and how you know my name."

  "I found you through the national database of changelings."

  He was looking for me because I was a changeling? Dread slipped into the pit of my stomach. There had been a spree of known changelings being kidnapped by a shady black-market organization, performing experiments to drain their magic. Was I their next victim? Drawing in changelings with a handsome man was the perfect trap.

  "I'm calling the cops, so you'd better scram."

  "What? Why?"

  I backed up several more feet, bile churning my stomach. "You're one of those changeling hunters. You want to drain my magic and grind up my body parts for potions."

  His face scrunched up, brow furrowing as he stared at me.