by Maia Starr
"Jarith...what are you doing?"
"That is the first time that you have not called me Prince," he said, moving closer to me.
Shit, he was too close. He was going to kiss me. Shit, what should I...
But it was too late; his lips pressed against mine. My breath caught in my throat as though he was taking my breath away with his kiss. I felt that confusion once more. The same confusion I had felt before when he kissed me.
I was lost in a haze of cloudy desire and lust. It was overtaking me and overpowering me. I allowed myself to enjoy it. I pushed my hands into his long hair. His large, strong hands went around the small of my back and rubbed me up-and-down. I became immediately wet. I pressed my body firmly against his hard chest, wanting to feel all of him.
I moaned inside of his mouth. The kiss went deeper and his tongue explored my mouth. My hands went from his hair down his shoulders and pressed against his chest. My fingers pressed against the hard muscle that was like a brick. A brick that had to do with the biology of the Drackon weredragons, and I was going to try to steal that biology. I was going to betray this weredragon that was kissing me with passion. I could not let myself get caught up in feelings for him or I would not be able to do the job that I was sent to do.
I pulled my lips from him and escaped his grasp. He growled as I did so. I ran out of my quarters into the ship. I needed to be alone. Fuck. This was not good. I had allowed myself to spend too much time with this attractive weredragon, the prince. Now I had a familiar feeling that I had repressed so long ago: I was falling for him.
This was something that I did not allow myself to do with any male, not even a prince. Dammit. I was going to have to avoid him at least until we were on his planet. We only had two more days of this journey. I would have to isolate myself, and force myself to be able to control the passion that I was feeling for this powerful Drackon weredragon.
Finally, we landed on the planet of Mooreah. I was astounded by it. I was not expecting it to be, but it was a beauty. The sky was a mix of blues and purples lit by a brilliant, bright sun. For a technologically advanced alien race, I expected a city full of neon lights, skyscrapers, something like a futuristic space city. But it was not that at all.
In fact, it was the complete opposite. It was a city built within nature itself. I was amazed at the way that the Drackon had incorporated nature into their building and into their technology. But it made sense. Their own bodies were a mixture of hard, metal-like scales and soft, natural body, and they had designed their world in the same way.
Buildings were built into the mountains and carved with beautiful, intricate designs. The tall trees came in all colors: pink, yellow, purple, orange, like a rainbow plants. But Jarith was right; it did look like a Medieval city. The castle complex was carved into the stone of the mountain and it had many verandas for the Drackon to land.
It was a beautiful planet, like a fairytale children's book, including dragons. My mouth was wide open as I walked from the spaceport toward the castle, escorted by the warriors on our ship. I looked up in the sky and saw so many dragons flying in every direction. It was a sight to be seen. They were all just going about their business; there were even youngling dragons playing and learning the skills of flying.
As I watched, it almost made me cry at how beautiful and simple this alien Drackon race was when for so long we thought of them as so technologically advanced that we did not think they could take pleasure in the simple things, such as nature. But they were creatures after all, more primitive than humans had been in a long time. They were dragons. They were one with nature.
It was beautiful to experience and I wondered if this was the reason why I had been called here, to see it with my own eyes. To see the balance of society with nature, living as one successfully, and still able to be a very technologically advanced and scientifically impressive society. I could not wait to find out what the king had waiting for me. I had traveled far and for so long with the complication of the prince to deal with, all so that I could gain the knowledge that the king wanted me to experience firsthand. The science nerd in me was bursting at the seams. I could not get to the castle fast enough.
"Welcome to Castle Rykor," a servant said to me as I walked into a great hall.
"Thank you. I am honored to be here," I said, nodding my head in gratitude. I was not with the prince. In fact, I had not seen him since I had run away from him two days ago in my living quarters aboard the ship. When I was escorted off of the ship, Lieutenant Axon and a few warriors escorted me. They were with me now as I walked into the great hall. It was like stepping back in time to the Medieval period.
"I will show you to your rooms. The king wishes that you rest and take as long as you like to freshen up, and you will be joining him for dinner as our honored guest this evening," the servant said to me.
"Thank you. I would love to rest." Then I turned to the lieutenant and said, "Thank you, Axon, for everything."
He grabbed my hand and kissed the top of it and said, "If you shall need anything, tell any servant my name and they will see that I am fetched within seconds. I will fly to your window myself as fast as I can."
I blushed at his remarks. He was a charming weredragon. It would have been very easy to give myself to him. But I did not. Which was very strange for me. I was no shy woman when it came to one-night stands. And being alone on the ship for so long with so many attractive weredragons, I would think that I would have indulged. But something had stopped me from doing it, and I didn't want to admit to myself that it was because I had somehow gained some sort of strange attachment to the prince. I did not think he would enjoy me messing around with his warriors. I don't even know why I cared.
"Thank you, Lieutenant; I shall remember that. I hope to see you at dinner," I said as I followed the servant up a giant staircase into the castle.
My boots echoed on the stone steps as I followed the servant. It was a very cavernous space. I looked up to see the very tall, vertical ceilings, at least fifty feet high. It was the ceiling of a creature that could fly. It was fitting. It was beautiful.
It was so much like a Medieval fortress, complete with tapestries hanging on the walls. These tapestries had dragons, not just the weredragons that I had become accustomed to of the Drackon race. These were real dragons. They did not look anything like men. They were full dragons. Like the dragons I grew up with in fairytales. Each tapestry seemed to tell a story; I assumed it was the history of the Drackon alien race.
At the top of the stairs, I was led to the right down a long, narrow hall full of rich furniture. It was an unusual mix of touch-screen panels along with the stone masonry of the castle. It was like someone picked up a castle, mixed it with futuristic technology, and placed it in a magical, fairytale-like forest. It was absolutely enchanting. I understood why the Drackon race loved their planet so much and was so boastful about it. It had earned every bit of that boasting.
"This is your quarters. This is how you open the door," the servant said as he held up a round medallion on a string. He held the medallion to the touch screen and it lit up red, and then blue. The door opened. The servant took the medallion and placed it around my neck like a necklace. “Do not lose that."
"Understood," I said as I put the medallion in my hand.
"Your trunk has been brought in to your room already. If you need anything, there is a touch panel on your wall. Press the yellow button and a servant will come to your door," he said as he gestured for me to enter the room. Then he turned and walked down the hall. I entered the door and it automatically shut behind me.
I gasped as I entered the romantic room. It was truly unbelievable. Along the wall, near the door, were many blinking lights and a touch panel with holographic rolling scenes of the various places on the planet Mooreah. There were many gadgets and switches.
Then, turning to the other side of the room, it was very regal and reminded me of the Georgian style of furnishing and decor. There was a large sitting tab
le with plush seats. Thick rugs covered the stone floor and a tapestry hung from the wall with a fully developed dragon and a Drackon flying in a circle around each other. It was very interesting, and I meant to look at it closer later on.
I moved across the room toward the open, glass doors that reminded me of French doors that led on to a large, stone balcony that was circular. I wanted to step out onto the balcony and take in the view, but I was not expecting there to be a surprise waiting for me. I stepped out and saw a tall figure with long-ish black hair just past the ears facing the view. He turned as I stepped out and smiled. I stopped in my tracks and was in awe at the beauty of this young man.
"Apologies, my lady, for frightening you. I did not know you were already on your way to your living space. I was making sure that everything was as perfect as can be for your arrival. Please, allow me to introduce myself; I am Prince Traydon Rykor." He bowed a sweeping bow.
"Hello. I am Marissa Volander," I said, moving toward him. As soon as he said his name, I realized why I thought he was so attractive: he was the brother of Prince Jarith. The younger brother, it seemed. His long, black hair was only down to his ears and his square jaw was firm, but not yet as broad and filled out as his older brother’s. I was intrigued by his presence in my room.
"Yes, I know your name. When father told me you were to visit and be our guest, I had been counting down the days to meet you. I hope what I'm about to say does not offend you, but I am most eager to be acquainted with you because you are a female that holds a position equal to a male on your planet. We do not have such females here. I wish that we did. I hope that you will give me time to enjoy your company and understand the type of female that you are."
He was sweet. He knew exactly the charming thing to say. He was unusual for a Drackon. He was fascinated by my intelligence and my position as CEO of a corporation. I was delighted to be able to show him that females could be equal to their male counterparts.
"Prince Traydon, I would be delighted to speak with you at any time. I find your interest in my intelligence very interesting. I understand that I must seem rare to you, but on Earth, there are many females that hold powerful positions, just like men do."
"That is absolutely beautiful. It interests me greatly. Now, if you will excuse me, I must allow you to get comfortable in your new quarters. I apologize again for the intrusion." He bowed to me and then walked into the room and out the door.
I turned and took in the great view from the veranda. To my left was a waterfall cascading down the gray rock of the cliff. In front of me was the city, very cleanly built, with fine, white lines. To the right, beyond the city, was a vast forest, and above me was a sky of purple and blue. I breathed in the air and it was crisp and clean, much cleaner than Earth. It was paradise in all its glory. I watched as many Drackon flew over the city and I knew that I would never get tired of the unusual sight.
I went back in to my quarters to see my bedroom. It did not disappoint. There was a canopy bed with intricate, lace curtains. The plush mattress was covered with white, silk sheets. I opened the wardrobe and was surprised by what I found. Hanging in the wardrobe were many dresses of various colors. But it was the design of the dress that I thought was very surprising. It was almost like a ballgown from the 1800s, complete with a corset and stockings. It was unusual how close this society resembled Earth from many years ago. I was excited to wear the dresses and already knew that I was going to wear the yellow, satin dress with blue ribbon that gleamed and stood out amongst the rest. I lay down and took a quick nap. I was very excited to meet the king at dinner.
Chapter 6
PRINCE JARITH RYKOR
I watched Marissa being escorted into the dinner feast to be introduced to my father. She looked wonderful in a Drackon-made dress. It was yellow, in soft satin, and it made her stand out amongst all the rest.
All eyes were on her. She was the special guest of the king. We had never had a human female invited by the king before. Everyone knew that it was important as the hall was filled with nobles of great wealth that had gathered just to see the human. As my eyes moved over the space, there were very familiar faces in the hall, even Braxa, one of my former lovers. It was a festive occasion, but I was in no festive mood.
"Marissa Volander, it is an honor to meet you. Please take a place at my side for dinner," my father said as he took her hand in his and kissed the top of it.
I hated him for that move. Why did he have to touch her? Then he led her over to the table and she glanced sideways at me. I looked away. I could not watch this happen. My father was going to take the one and only human female I had ever been interested in and make her his sex toy. It was too much for me to handle, especially because her delicious scent engulfed me as she moved past me. It was teasing me.
“Let the dinner begin!” my father shouted over the hall. All sat down and large trays of food were brought out. I had missed the bounty of my planet after eating the dull food of Earth that had lost its flavor in the toxic environment. I sat next to my father on his right side, and Marissa sat on his left. On her side sat my brother, Traydon. It was strange; he should have been sitting at my side. The hall was full of the sounds of chatter and clanging plates, but it was not loud enough to drown out my father’s flirtations with Marissa.
"Your planet is lovely, King Rykor. I was not expecting so much beauty. Your race has really utilized nature and incorporated it into your society. I applaud you for it," I heard Marissa tell my father.
"Yes, it is of vital importance to live with nature. We make it a high-priority. You shall take a tour of our structural systems. I am sure that the Gladonetics corporation will have years of study based on our technology here," the king said to her.
"Yes, I would love to see the structural systems. I have so many questions," she said as she ate alongside my father. No doubt he was making plans to take her on a tour of the castle and seduce her, just the way my lieutenant had on the ship. I rolled my eyes at it. I was growing angrier by the minute. They continued on this way, with my father dodging her questions about his new interest in Gladonetics.
“King Rykor, I must ask, we at Gladonetics are very curious about this new agreement you would like to make with us. Can you not tell me a bit about it now?” she asked curiously.
“There is plenty of time for business later. Now is a time of rest and celebration after your long journey. It is also time for…”
My father stood up from the table. Marissa seemed disappointed by his way of deflecting her questions. Then my father shouted, “It is time for the music!”
The crowd cheered and the musicians played loudly. My father stood up and took Marissa’s hand in his own and led her to the dance floor.
Everyone parted as she and the king danced the first dance. Just seeing him put his arm around her and his hand planted on her lower back was enough for me. But then my brother took the second dance, and for the first time, I saw the way he was looking at her. He wanted her. Did he not know why she was brought here? For our father?
Probably not; he could be very naïve in these situations. He was always very quiet and always the dutiful son, unlike me, the rebellious one. Traydon wanted to be king so badly he could taste it. I would almost give up the throne to him if it wouldn't be such a disgrace; no Drackon had ever done so.
I had finally had my fill of the show. I went outside and shifted and took my first flight into the forest after being away from home for so long. I flew past the forest and out to the rocky deserts. I flew all night. When I returned later that night, I landed on the veranda outside of Marissa's room. I fought myself hard not to go in there and kiss her. I could smell her. Before I was able to get a full hard on, I flew away.
The next morning, I’d had had enough. If my father was going to claim her, he needed to do so now, because if he did not, I would take her.
"Father, I have brought back the prize you so wanted: the intelligent human female, Marissa Volander. If you are going to claim her
as a concubine, then you should do so immediately. It is unfair to the human that you should lead her on into thinking this is some sort of negotiation. Tell her the truth," I said, pacing back-and-forth in my father’s living quarters.
He laughed a very boisterous laugh. How dare he laugh when I was in such pain because of the desire that I felt for her.
"Son, that is not why I had the human female come to our planet. It is the opposite of that," he said.
"What do you mean?"
"I had her brought here for you. I had to bring her so that you would bond with her on the trip back to our planet. I want you to take her as a mate."
"What!"
"It is true. I want you to take a human wife, an intelligent one. I want one capable of ruling an empire by your side. She has proven that she can run a very large corporation. There is not much difference between running a large business and running a kingdom. She is your match. Dealings with Earth is the future of the Drackon, and I think it would be a very smooth transition if a human female is queen during the transition."