by Celeste Raye
And if he was... then we were truly at their mercy.
I swallowed and smiled at my shifter, reached my hand out to touch his as he extended his arm toward me.
"I'm sorry," he said, sounding pained.
"Me too," I said easily. "I didn't mean to..." I raised my hands to the air and laughed at myself. "I was being, you know, a girl."
"Marina," he said intensely. "I do... love you."
I'd longed to hear those words for weeks. And now they meant nothing. Or, I wished they meant nothing.
I wasn't sure what to believe anymore. All I knew was that it was my responsibility to get my crew the hell off this planet.
"There's more," he said slowly, his tongue creeping over his lips as he watched.
"Can it wait?" I asked in my most sultry voice. I leaned back on the bed and spread my legs to him, moving my hand over my most private places and smiling at him wickedly.
He pulled himself closer to me and hovered over top of my body before pressing his weight into me, grinding against me. I let out a loud, pleased moan and scraped his back with my nails forcefully. It felt good to get my aggression out in one way.
The shifter carefully removed my clothes and lavished my body in the same way he usually did, thrusting into me slowly and quickening his pace.
He licked up the side of my neck and breathed into my hair. He put his hands on either side of my body before scooping me into his arms and standing. I steadied myself with his shoulders, his muscles barely flexing as he held me up, his erection still throbbing inside me.
I grinded into it, making sure my breasts pushed into his chest as my body bounced and writhed against his. He held me still, gripping my torso as he began pounding into me while I yelled out in ecstasy.
But there was nothing thrilling about it; not this time.
He felt amazing, as usual; filling me up from side to side, but there was an emptiness in the act that left me hollow. Waiting on his finish like a ticking time bomb.
This was a mission and nothing more.
I howled out a fake orgasm, my first with him, and he soon followed. I stayed wrapped up in his grasp for minutes and minutes after he had exited my body. I wrapped my legs around his sensually, and in turn, he wrapped his wings around us like a protective force field.
"I do love you," he said again, testing out the words. "I want nothing more than for you to stay here forever with me."
"I want that too," I cooed.
"You do?” he asked, taken aback. "But... your research."
I swallowed hard, wanting to scream. "I'll abandon it," I shrugged simply, smiling as I nuzzled into the crook of his neck. Now sitting on him, I backed away only slightly. "What about your resources?" I asked.
"That is a problem," he said painfully.
"I'm sure you'll find something," I smiled.
He nodded.
"Or," I said; this was the tease, "maybe I can find a way to get you back to Earth. We have plenty... more than enough," I quickly corrected with a flirtatious laugh. "We'll just... have to work something out."
His eyes searched mine and glistened with moisture in an instant. His brows furrowed as he inspected me. Emotion scrawled across his face: guilt, or something else I couldn't decipher. For a moment, I wondered if he would tell me everything. But he didn't.
"Thank you," he said.
He leaned back on the bed so that I was laying on him, curled up in his warmth like so many familiar nights. I could tell by his breathing that he was dozing off. Within the hour, he was fast asleep. I knew that the shifters slept hard. Or at least Tredorphen did.
I knew this from all the times I had tossed and turned in his company, unable to sleep well in someone else's bed, and he hadn't so much as flinched.
The room grew safe to leave, yet a selfish part of me stayed a minute longer than I should have. I relished his scent and the comfortable familiarity of being close to him, wrapped up in his arms. I pretended, just for a moment, that it was just as it was before. We were in love. We were happy. We knew each other.
Then the reality flooded back that none of that had been the truth.
We played the long game. He won.
That was the reality.
I pushed away from him slowly, timing my movements to his breathing. Soon I was off his bed and throwing my clothes on as quietly as possible.
He'd shown me the contraption used to open the gates of the tower: a sight he had shown me for scenic purposes, or so I'd thought. It was a device that worked something like a magnet, unlatching the tight door and gaining access to the prison within.
I tiptoed to the table nearest the bed and searched with shaking hands until the gadget appeared before me like magic. I grabbed it and felt a sickness wash over me. I opened his front door so slowly I thought I might never get out.
My breathing quickened as I looked back at his bed of furs and hovered halfway between his apartment and freedom, frozen in the doorway. I waited to see if he would waken.
Then I ran.
Chapter 13:
Tredorphen
My eyes shot open: slits of what used to be circles. My senses were heightened: ignited like fire. I could feel she was gone. I had claimed her, and now I could no longer feel her.
My body shot out of bed, and I raced toward the door. She was gone.
My thoughts raced over to Khrelan and whether I should suspect him of taking her. He told me he would be in charge of taking the women to the tower. Was Marina to be included in the pack even though I had already claimed her?
I searched my senses, the bodily connection I had made with her, and I could already start to feel her. My eyes darted toward the immense rock staircase that led out of the caves, and I bellowed a screech that echoed throughout the whole cave.
If you're running from me, Marina, you'd better run fast.
I pulled my wings in close to my body and sped at immense speeds, flying up beside the exit and making sharp maneuvers to follow the case as it curved along the rock.
There were various inlets: open windows that led into the staircase. I shifted my body thin and stormed in through the opening, cracking the rocks and shattering the areas of the opening that my broad shoulders couldn't fit through.
I heard a scream from down the stairs, footsteps beating against the rocky below and then suddenly stopping. I fled down the stairs, using my wings as a propeller and grabbed my love by her freckled neck. I pressed her against the wall in a familiar stance and seethed, "Drop it."
She shook beneath my grasp and a tortured sob escaped her throat as the key hit the ground. I kicked it aside and slowly released my grip.
"Where are you going?" I asked desperately.
"You're a murderer!” she screamed, kicking against me and racking her body with sobs. "You did this; you did this!” she bawled out, slamming her fists into my chest.
Then I let her go.
An empty cold rushed down my body like water.
"I love you," I said. My tone wavered between shock and confusion.
She has said it to me earlier... came from my touch. And she knew? She had said it so convincingly that by the time she left, I had believed that everything could be alright. That I could continue with her without the mar of betrayal hanging between us.
I watched as she sank to her knees, sliding her back down the wall and crumbling into a puddle on the ground. Tears slipped down her freckled cheeks as she struggled to contain the pain that escaped her mouth.
My instinct was to go to her... but I couldn't. I couldn't move.
"They took the girls," she said with a large inhale. "They're not letting us go, and it's all your fault."
I blinked. She was right.
"My father..." I trailed off, my body twitching every time she moved. I readied myself to chase her if she tried.
Marina pulled her legs up to her chest and set her arms around them, crying deeply into them. Her face was full of fear and a host of other emotions I couldn't decipher. I
watched her for some time until she finally seemed to settle in between stifled breaths. Her eyes met mine, and she looked alarmed, like she'd seen a monster.
Then I realized it was me who she was looking at. I was the monster.
I took an instinctive step back and felt a rush of pain course through my legs.
"Why did you do it?" she asked. Tears spilled down her face almost involuntarily, her eyes flicking back and forth from mine.
“If it was my choice,” I said slowly, never even bothering to ask how she found out, “it never would have happened that way. Believe me.”
“Why should I believe you?” she spat.
The question was simple enough, but I didn’t have a good reason. Because it was the truth that was my only rebuttal, but she just stared at me with hatred in her eyes.
“Marina,” I breathed out, kneeling down in front of her and reaching for her face.
“I loved you,” she said through her quivering lip. “Why would you do this to us?”
“It was not my idea,” I argued quietly. “Believe me.”
“I don’t believe you,” she snapped.
“I didn’t intend for any to lose their lives,” I pleaded. “Please, Marina. You have to understand. We are starving. We need to seek refuge on Earth.” My eyes searched hers desperately, and I cupped her cheek in my hand. “Please.”
She bit her lip and looked into my eyes: beautiful hazel staring into me.
“Do you love me still?” I asked. “Can you forgive me?”
Her eyes fell to the floor, and she leaned into my grasp. “I need to rescue my friends.”
“Do you love me?”
She shrugged, broken. “What would it matter? It seems I am your prisoner whether I like it or not.”
I blinked and leaned in, taking her lips into mine with a simple, quick kiss. She returned the gesture, and I stood from her company. I walked up to the key that I’d kicked away from her and lifted her from the ground.
“I can’t betray my people,” I said, handing it to her.
“You betrayed mine,” she said quietly.
“We are dying,” I stated firmly.
She swallowed and set her tongue between her teeth. I could see she understood, somewhere deep down, but our love was lost now.
“I can’t betray my people,” I repeated softly. “But I won’t stop you, either.”
Chapter 14:
Marina
Tredorphen’s words rung in my ears. He wouldn’t stop me. This was my mission now.
Alone.
In purpose, anyway. While Tredorphen assured me this was not his war, he still flew me to the top of the tower, far out of sight, and opened the door for me. He wouldn’t help me free the prisoners, he said, but he couldn’t leave my side, either. He had claimed me.
He couldn’t betray his people, and I couldn’t leave mine behind.
I felt a pang of disgust shoot up my body as I felt the flower of love blooming at the core of my body. The fact that I felt any comfort being near the golden dragon made me feel sick to my stomach.
I wanted believe he had nothing to do with the massacre that happened on the Vulcana. The tape showed nothing of him murdering, I tried to convince myself. And so in my heart, I wanted to forgive him. To make things right. To believe we could overcome our lies.
The door to the tower opened, and I slipped in through the stone pillar. I half-believed Tredorphen might slam the closure shut behind me, but instead, he followed closely behind. He grabbed my waist to maneuver me through the tight corridors, and I marveled in terror at the sight of the tower.
There were floors and floors of prisoners: large cells packed next to one another in the damp tower. The halls had something like brickwork on the floors and myriads of jails. The metal bars echoed with my footsteps, and I could hear the cries of the women.
Tredorphen instructed me to crouch down as a Weredragon began walking down the hall. I fell into the shadows and watched as the gold shifter gave a nod to the guard.
“I’m taking over for the next cycle,” Tredorphen said to the terrifying red dragon.
The guard had a large scar gashed across his face and only one arm. The rest of him was pure muscle. His large wings spread far, and he made idle chit-chat with Tredorphen. Seeing that the gold shifter was the prince, the guard could hardly argue with him.
Within a moment, the man clicked his jaw shut and disappeared out the window; flying into the night like it was nothing.
Tredorphen looked at me and nodded for me to open the doors.
“Come on,” I whispered quietly to the girls as I set the magnetic key against their cages and they began flooding out one by one.
I made my way to the cage at the back of the floor and set the lock over, causing the door to prop open. I smiled and waved the girl out, but she wouldn’t budge.
“I’m not going,” Chelsea, a brunette who had been one of my top researchers demanded.
“Like hell you aren’t,” I seethed. “Get to the roof!”
“I’m staying,” she said timidly and backed into the far end of her cage. With a hand crawling over her belly she admitted, “I’m pregnant.”
“That’s fine,” I rushed. “We can take care of it on the ship; now come on.”
“No,” she demanded. “I want to stay.”
Was the darkness of the cell consuming her mind? I clenched my jaw and looked to Tredorphen, who said nothing. He offered a pitiful shrug, and I rolled my eyes. “You’re not helping,” I snapped.
“I told you this was your mission,” he shot back.
“I’m not going,” Chelsea demanded. “I love Aithanarid,” she spoke of her shifter mate. “I want to stay with him.”
I stared at her in disbelief and shook my head, rushing to the next cage. To hell with her then. We made our way to the next floor, instructing the girls to run to the roof. As it turned out, Chelsea wasn’t the only girl to refuse to leave. It seemed the Weredragons had won their allegiance after all.
As we reached the end of the second floor, I could hear the cries and roars of the shifters. My hands trembled as I rushed to unlock more doors, and I looked to Tredorphen desperately, but he did nothing.
The girls began screaming and rushing to the door, climbing the narrow stairs to the roof.
And then the shifters came.
Two shifters, one blue and one purple, rushed into the room, staring at me and then looking to the cages dimly. It took a moment for the reality to catch up with them as they suddenly shot back into a fighter’s stance.
The purple Weredragon looked at Tredorphen with the shock of betrayal staining his eyes and he looked as though he weren’t certain what the next move should be. Was he supposed to fight the prince?
The blue shifter didn’t have the same hesitation. I watched as he drove himself forward toward me, his claws outstretched to claim me.
Tredorphen jumped in front of me and dragged his nails across the blue shifters bare chest; leaving streaks of blood trailing behind.
The purple shifter flew to the ceiling and dove down on Tredorphen, wrapping his tail around my love’s neck and squeezing with force. The blue dragon dug his claws into Tredorphen’s side and bit into his arm.
Tredorphen pulled his arms against them, flapping his wings with force and letting out bellows that echoed and shook the room. The noise was enough to cause the purple shifter to squirm off of him, releasing his neck.
I screamed and watched as the gold Weredragon pulled the blue dragon off of his body, leaving one single claw behind in his skin. My love grabbed the shifters snout and smashed him against the ground over and over until the beast didn’t move.
The purple shifter smiled wickedly at this, as though they were in some sort of game.
“Let’s go!” I yelled, and Tredorphen frowned at me, signaling for me to leave. To escape.
My legs wouldn’t move. I was frozen in place, unable to save my crew and unable to save my love.
Then he gav
e me a look that said: ‘I have a plan,’ and all at once my legs began running.
I took to the stairs and ran up as fast as I could before I heard a cry of flames shoot forth from his mouth; could feel the heat billowing up the stairs behind me as I raced to the top.
The group of us waited with baited breath for something to happen, for the shifters to come for us and imprison us… or for Tredorphen to emerge.
And then he did.
With his unmatched strength, the bleeding golden shifter encouraged us to grab hold of him until all eight of us were gripping onto the Weredragon for dear life as he flew us down to the ground and far north to the Serpent’s Sea.
When he began losing strength, he set us down on the ground, and we all ran like wild winds. Running for our lives.
Moments of suffocating silence emerged as Tredorphen trailed behind us, making sure we reached the Serpent Sea safely. I saw my sister in the distance and ran to her with all the might left in my legs. I cried as I reached the spaceship, nearly collapsing into Athena’s arms. She held me tight and looked up at the field behind me: saw the mere handful of girls who would accompany us.
I swallowed hard and shook my head, crying into her. “I couldn’t,” I sobbed. “I couldn’t get them all.”
She stared into the field for too long after that. We both knew we had to leave, but something drew her eyes to the distance of the land as though more of our crew would come running. But they didn’t.
“Then that’s it,” she said with a sense of finality. “Let’s go.”
My sister helped the girls onto the ship and looked over at Tredorphen with a welcoming smile. The reaction surprised me, and I looked between the two of them curiously.
“Thank you,” I said to the golden shifter, and he held my hand as the ship began humming with the signs of life: with the signs of takeoff.
“I will never have enough words to thank you for what you have been to me,” he said back to me, kissing my hand.
“That’s romantic and all,” Athena said with a laugh before hopping off the ship and pulling the door halfway closed. “And I swear I’m just interrupting for like, two seconds to say that I’m staying.”