by Pearl Foxx
She melted under his touch and turned to take his face in her hands. She stared deep into his black eyes and brushed the hair away from his face, revealing his scars. “I like being able to see all of you,” she breathed.
“It’s an ugly reminder.”
“A reminder of how brave you are. Of how you threw yourself right into danger and pain for someone you loved. That’s something to be proud of, not to hide.”
“You don’t really want to talk about Sotu, do you?”
Niva continued to run her fingers through Zayd’s hair, scratching her nails against his scalp and rubbing the muscles at the base of his neck. “We aren’t children. I don’t expect to be your first love. You know I came here to get away from a broken heart. We have histories, and I want to know yours so I can know you. That’s the only way we can build a future.”
Zayd closed his eyes with a sigh and pulled her tightly against him.
“If my heart hadn’t already frozen to stone, I could fall in love with you.”
“Then let me see if I can make you melt.”
She nibbled on his ear, pulling the lobe into her mouth and sucking. He wrapped his arms around her middle, their hips locked together. She lifted her leg, hitching her thigh up over his hip so she could feel his still hard erection against her belly.
“You feel so good,” he groaned and rolled her onto her back before settling himself between her legs.
She ran her hands along the slope of his shoulders, running them down the hard knots of his triceps and holding on as he positioned himself at her entrance and thrust forward.
His entry was slow but determined, the heat of his cock turning her body pliant. Still supple from her orgasm, she spread easily for his impressive girth and length. He moved with controlled precision as if he were performing a task as opposed to making love.
Niva opened her eyes and found Zayd’s jaw set hard.
She reached for his face, and he lowered his eyes to hers, the connection between them so much stronger with him inside her that she could feel his fear. She pulled him down close to her, and he rested on his elbows, allowing her to wrap her arms around his back. She rubbed the hard muscles bulging on either side of his spine and lifted her hips to meet his, causing him to let out a strangled groan.
She ran her hands along his body, exploring every scar and worshiping each scale her fingers passed over. In her mind, she could feel the old injuries and the way he relished the attention she paid to his skin.
His rhythm relaxed, their movements more natural as they floated together, connected in mind and body.
As their rhythm increased, Zayd plunged into her, pulling almost all the way out until she wanted to scream for missing the searing heat of his cock stretching her. When he rocked back, it was with a grunt and a cry.
“Let go,” she whispered
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You never could.”
He lifted up and looked at her in the eyes before bringing his lips to meet hers in a devouring kiss. He rose onto one arm to balance himself and rocked his body hard into hers.
She screamed out from the force of his thrust, her nails digging into his muscular shoulders as he reached depths she’d never known before. He let out a wailing cry as he released himself deep within her, and she clenched around his rock-hard cock, losing herself in the throes of passion as she worked herself against him until she found her own mind-numbing release.
He collapsed on top of her, brushing the stray hair from her face.
Niva breathed hard, enjoying the heat and weight of Zayd on top of her. Even though they’d had sex before, this was the first time she felt like he had really given himself over to her. She stroked his face and ran a hand down his chest, tracing the line of sweat beaded on his skin.
In the distance, an electronic wail broke their silent reverie.
Zayd pulled out quickly, leaving Niva empty and confused.
“What’s that?” She sat up, fear—both hers and his—skittering down her spine.
He pulled on his leathers in a rush. “Stay here. Don’t go anywhere.” He strode toward the door as if to leave her there, but Niva stood up on his bed, completely naked.
“Absolutely not. I’m coming with you. I can’t let you go alone. You might need a rider.”
Zayd worked his jaw, considering. “Then get some fucking clothes on,” he growled before striding outside.
As she dressed in a rush and stepped out of his quarters, she nearly ran directly into his back. He stood stock-still with an aura of tension around him, staring up into the sky.
Above them, ship lights flashed like shooting stars, and a high-pitched whizzing sound rose in the air. A second later, Niva realized the stars were metallic ships shooting from a deep, black void.
“Oh my gosh,” she gasped. “The wormhole. The humans are coming from the wormhole!”
The ships, numbering in the hundreds, filled the sky like a terrible, horrible galaxy. They streaked against the morning’s darkness, firing their missiles and shooting from their turrets. Snow and ice flew from the ground as the bullets connected. On the ground, Draqons ran, scattering as the artillery spray came toward them.
Some lay still on the ground. Dead.
To the left, a nearby mountaintop exploded, and the screams of the Draqons living in the hive dwellings there could be heard all the way in Zayd’s small valley. The alarm tripled in volume, and Draqons shifted as their mates grabbed weapons.
Zayd grabbed Niva’s hand and ran toward the control center where Maxsym was passing out guns.
“You should still be resting,” Zayd snapped as he grabbed a gun from Maxsym and passed it off to a woman waiting nearby.
“As if anyone can get any rest with all this racket,” he jabbed back, but his voice lacked humor.
Niva’s eyes were pulled skyward as another whizzing sound grew high-pitched and intense as it whisked by.
Grace brought out a box of arrows and began passing out bundles to the mated women.
Niva grabbed a bow and reached for a pack.
Zayd gripped her arm. “No, it’s too dangerous.”
“Decide now.” She stared him down, unwilling to have this conversation again. “Am I your rider or not?”
A growl rose from Zayd’s chest, and he clenched his fist as his eyes scanned over his hive. Explosions rose in the distance and more ships dove into Kladuu’s atmosphere. When he looked back at Niva, his jaw was set with determination.
“Let’s go.” He strode out into an open area and shifted into his magnificently colored Draqon.
Niva wished she could take a moment and appreciate his beauty. She had missed seeing his second form since their first flight. She ran a hand along his side, but he huffed an impatient plume of smoke in her direction.
She climbed onto his back, arrows secure in the quiver on her back, bow slung over her shoulder. She held on to his thick scales and gripped his back tightly with her thighs. The moment she thought, I’m ready, Zayd flapped his massive wings and rose straight into the sky, ascending with such velocity that she was flattened against his back.
Around them, fires had destroyed much of the dwellings. Raw rock lay crumbled in the springs, which flooded across the ground like spilt blood. A ship let out a metallic scream and went flashing across the sky, spinning nose over tail and colliding straight into a mountain. The Draqon pair who’d brought it down swooped into the air with a battle cry and dove back into the fray.
Other Draqons rose into the air with their mates shooting explosive arrows and guns at the human ships. Zayd and Niva joined them, his powerful wings carrying them over the canyons and mountains quickly.
The attack centered over the Vilkas’ mountain. They launched their own small ships, but the humans’ weapons were fast and lethal, knocking the Vilkas’ ships out of the sky faster than they could take off.
Draqons were more maneuverable and able to avoid the incoming fire, allowing them to get closer to
the invading ships. The guns the Vilkas had provided took out ship wings and knocked the shuttles off course, but the real power laid in the arrows. They required precision to take down one of the human ships, but when properly aimed, they could destroy their enemy.
Niva felt a battle cry rise in her throat as Zayd soared higher, flapping his wings harder. She leaned down close to his body, letting the air rush over her, and the familiar thrill of shooting through the wind, wild and unrestrained, rose.
Zayd made a sharp turn to the left to avoid a large human ship that barreled toward the Draqons’ hive.
Using only her balance and leg muscles, Niva maintained her seat on his back as he swooped around and under the ship. She pulled off her bow, grabbed one of the explosive arrows, and pulled the string to her shoulder, targeting the human ship’s engine.
Chapter Eighteen
Zayd
Zayd flushed with worry as he shifted into his second form. His wings spread wide, and his people moved around him in the open space, giving his wingspan the breadth it required. His panic rose as his Draqon nature took over. The emotions he kept in check in his first form flooded through him, blocking all reason.
But when Niva leaped onto his back, his entire body relaxed. The projectiles continued to fall from the sky, exploding all around him, killing his people and the people of the other clans of Kladuu, but her presence kept him grounded and made it possible for him to focus on the task at hand. With Niva, he did not succumb to the madness that would undoubtedly have gripped him in such a high-stakes battle.
Internally, he chided himself for all the times he’d flown without her. He hadn’t realized how close to the edge he’d been. Thank goodness Maxsym was grounded during the battle, directing flight pairs through the comms the mates wore and coordinating their defense with the Vilkas.
Niva squeezed her thighs tight against his scaly flanks, and he beat his wings, hurling them into the sky. He swerved and dove, avoiding each blast the human ships fired in the Draqons’ direction. A battle pair fell from the sky in front of him, the Draqon male limp, his mate screaming at the top of her lungs.
His people were dying.
His people were dying, and he couldn’t help the thrill that flashed through his body at the feeling of Niva astride his back. He’d found his rider. And despite the stakes of the battle they were embroiled in, he couldn’t hold back his elation.
It fueled his drive. His lust for blood. He was stronger, fiercer, more violent in his assault by having her with him.
They were a true battle pair, and today, they would make the humans pay.
Guns were shot from the ground and from some of the female riders in the sky. Vilkas and Draqons worked together to stave off the incoming human threat. It was inevitable that one day they would find Kladuu, but Zayd couldn’t help his fury over their presence.
The Vilkas had done this.
No, that was the old way of thinking, the thinking of us versus them. It wasn’t the Vilkas who had done this; it was the amphibious Hylas and the traitor Savas who had abducted human women and forced them into the flesh trade. Zayd took pride in knowing his people were not flesh traders and never had been.
Niva tapped on his back, and he directed his attention to the left. He could feel in his mind exactly what she wanted him to see: the human ship, large and flying lower than the others. It was attempting to land. There was no telling how many humans would be aboard a ship that size. If it unloaded enough soldiers, they could overwhelm the Vilkas’ defenses by mounting a dual land and air attack.
If the Vilkas fell, the Draqons wouldn’t be far behind.
Zayd nosedived from where he soared above the clouds, pinpointing the trajectory of the ship. He filled his mouth with acid and screamed out a fiery wail that forced the humans off track.
Niva’s grip on him tightened as he turned in a spinning one-eighty, almost flipping them completely over.
Through their connection, he felt her excitement, the thrill of the ride, the thrill of the chase. But he did not feel any trace of fear or hesitation.
As they approached the ship, Niva released her grip on him with one hand, and he steadied his flight. She drew back her bow, and through both his Draqon vision and her human eyes, he watched as her arrow soared through the sky, hitting its target and bursting into flame.
Zayd flew closer, passing overhead and spitting acid over the hull of the ship, using it as an igniter so Niva’s explosive arrow would spread and consume the entire ship.
Her aim had been perfect, striking right at the heart of the engine of the ship, sending cascading explosions throughout the interior as Zayd’s acid and flames kept the passengers from escaping.
The human ship fell to the ground in a dramatic explosion of volcanic proportions.
The thrill at the minor victory filled him, and as he turned around to return to the fighting, he watched as the smaller human shuttles retreated.
The Vilkan mountain had a massive hole in one side, the kind of damage that would require years of labor to fix. Without hesitation, Zayd promised himself he would offer his clan’s assistance. Maintaining the Vilkas’ stronghold was essential in keeping the entire planet safe.
From behind him, Niva stroked his scales, and he felt her agreement through her mind.
The human ships grew small in the distance, returning to the outer atmosphere and retreating for the wormhole. Some of the Vilkan fighter pilots followed, using their weapons to take out any stragglers who fell behind. The larger Vilkan ships were powerful but not as fast as the humans’.
Zayd returned to the hive and landed amid a scene of horror and destruction. Draqons came from other dwelling areas, his entire community joining together in the war effort at the main hive. They brought their injured and their dead. Grief swelled in his chest.
Niva climbed from his back and wrapped her arms around his thick neck, not letting go even as he pulled his wings in and shifted back to his first form. She held him tightly, having felt the depth of his grief, but this wasn’t the time to indulge emotions.
He stepped away and grabbed a pair of leathers from Maxsym’s outstretched hand. They shared a glance, and the Swarm Master strode to the center of the open area. He stood tall and raised his arms above his head, calling all the Draqons’ attention.
“Brothers and sisters, the humans have been sent on their way. But they will return. This is a time of grief, and we all have rebuilding to do. But we cannot linger here. We must take to war!”
He joined Maxsym, and although he was not as tall as his Swarm Master, he drew everyone’s attention. Niva’s small hand was gripped in his, and he realized that not only was he about to make a declaration of war, but one of his own mating. Anxiety seized him again. Would his people accept her? Could they accept a human as their Queen after everything that had just happened?
“My people,” Zayd cried, and a resounding roar came from the mass of Draqons. He hadn’t seen this many of his people in one place since Sotu’s death.
His words caught in his throat, and Niva stepped closer, pressing her elbow against his and gripping his hand tighter. A small gesture, one no one could mistake for weakness, but one which he would always be thankful for.
“The humans have discovered the wormhole.”
The people screamed again, and Maxsym raised a hand, silencing their outrage.
“Many have questioned my decision to unite with the Vilkas. I know it has not been popular to ally with our former enemies, but I hope that after today any concern you have will be laid to rest. The Vilkas are our allies. Today we are no longer separate clans. Today we are Kladians. And together we must fight back the human scourge.”
From the back of the crowd, a tall blonde woman with heavy makeup screamed out, “What about your human bitch?”
“Who said that?” Zayd growled, feeling his fury unfurl once again.
The group went silent as Kinyi stepped forward, hatred in her eyes. “You say the humans are invaders, y
ou say that they are a scourge and that we must unite with mongrels like the Vilkas to fight them, and yet you fuck one right here in our own hive.”
Silence responded, heavy and thick like the air before a thunderstorm.
“For those of you who feel this is a conflict, you’re welcome to get the fuck out of my hive. You can join the Vilkas, or take your chances in the jungle with the Katu, or, better yet, see if any of the Hyla will take you in to compare scales.”
The crowd murmured their unease. Kinyi’s jaw clenched.
“I have taken Niva as my mate. Any of you who saw the battle know that she is my true rider. And of all of us, it was a human who shot down the invader’s military force, killing her own people. There is no reason anyone should question her presence.”
He squeezed Niva’s hand and looked down at her with a nod. She took a deep breath, and he felt the flutter of nerves as if they were coming from his own chest.
Niva stepped forward and released her hold on Zayd’s hand. “The ship I shot down is called a Falconer Mobilization Unit. It is used to transport troops and other passengers from Earth to the space station and occasionally to other planets in the Planets and Lifeforms Intergalactic Treaty. To bring them down, you have to get past the plasteel coating on the titanium hull. Guns are too inaccurate, and blasters disperse before meeting their mark. I know these ships. I can draw them for you, and I can show you their weaknesses. Together we can fight the humans. I may have been born on Earth, but my life is here.”
She retook Zayd’s hand, and he leaned down to kiss her, a swell of adoration and respect filling his chest. Through the ephemeral hum that connected all Draqons, he could feel that admiration and respect amongst his people as well. He pulled her close, confident that not only had he chosen well in a rider and a Queen, but her arrival on Kladuu had been fated to save them all.
Chapter Nineteen
Niva
Reconstruction was a slow-going process.