Rubbing his eyes, he growled irritably. The woman was not ready for his cock. He would surely rip her in two if he tried to enter the tiny creature now. She needed more time. But that didn’t seem to matter to his dragon. Claws and fangs scratched and gnashed against the backs of his eyes.
He couldn’t stand the searing pain and stood with a quiet roar. He had to get away from the girl before he was forced to do something they would both regret. She could never carry his young if he damaged her fragile body.
He flicked the spot at the base of his neck that made his uniform spread out over his body. Today he would finalize the plans to begin construction of the new, New York City. He’d told his bride he would consider her designs.
He stood over the bed, looking at her curves rise and fall under the blanket. Joss had worked all his life to come to his position. It was only granted to him through his sheer determination, skill, and more than a little talent.
Before he had even left Draconia, he had decided to use the plans common for all colony planets. Earth was now a Draconian colony. Since the Mulgor invasion, rebuilding efforts classified it as such.
Before the Mulgor had destroyed the infrastructure, they’d been classified differently. But now, Draconia was claiming this world as its own. He had his orders from the president. Colonize. Secure the native populations for further breeding.
The dragon inside his mind grumbled, reminding him that he had to appease his woman somehow. She would eventually come around and agree with him. The pheromones in his semen would see to that. But at the same time, her concerns were beginning to have an effect on him as well. He believed that the colonialization of Earth required the same architectural design as all other Draconian colonies. But his bride’s words were beginning to mingle with the sound of his inner dragons growling. Perhaps there was something to it.
He shook his head, trying to shake out the ludicrous idea of listening to a young human female about such things. She may have some human education, but he was still the Grand Architect of Draconia. He would always have more experience, skill, and knowledge than the human female. Reconstruction would go ahead as planned.
He strode out of his apartment and made his way down the hall to his office. His assistants and advisers were already present in the meeting room. He sat at the head of the table and looked into the eyes of the other Draconian males sitting around the table.
“Tomorrow, we will begin construction,” he said to his crew.
“But sir, the humans are objecting to our design. They refused to leave their camps.”
“These humans are ridiculous. They don’t know what’s good for them. They would rather live in squalor than in buildings with sanitation and running water. I can’t believe we are breeding with such infantile creatures.”
“What are we supposed to do if they won’t move?” one of his assistants asked.
“We will move them by force.”
“Sir? Is that wise?”
“We have orders from the president to reconstruct Earth and provide the human inhabitants with the necessities of life. We will do that. They are fighting against their own good. These irrational creatures make no sense.”
At that very moment, the door to his office pushed open and his mate walked through. She had a smile on her face that he knew would disappear as soon as she got a look at the blueprints on the holographic screen above the table.
“Can I use your tools to show you my idea for the new, New York City?” Octavia asked.
“You may,” he said.
She stepped further into the room and looked at the holographic screen. Her face fell and contorted into rage.
“What is this?” she growled, pointing at the blueprints.
“These are the plans for the reconstruction,” he said nonchalantly.
“You promised me that you would look at my plans.” Her tone was angry and hurt. It stung his heart unexpectedly. His dragon scratched at the back of his eyes, and for the first time, Joss felt regret.
“You can show me your plans later,” he said in a low voice.
“What difference will it make if you’re going to use your own plans?” she asked.
“You will have shown me. Perhaps we will use your plan in another city.”
His heart hurt. Maybe he had been wrong all along. The feelings stirring in his chest and his gut were foreign to him. He’d been so closed off to anything she had to say. After the pain he’d suffered the first time he’d fallen in love, he never wanted to feel that again. And he had steeled himself against ever being vulnerable to another woman as long as he lived.
But now, he was beginning to realize that it had been a mistake to close himself off to Octavia, his mate. He never should have treated her this way. He should have listened to her from the beginning.
“You fucking asshole,” she said. She turned on her heel and stormed out the door.
His dragon gnashed against his mind with his sharp teeth. Something was happening to him. Something was changing inside him. He was softening to this woman. These feelings, these gentle, affectionate feelings of respect and admiration were peculiar.
He hadn’t felt anything like this for quite some time. And as he examined them more, he realized that his feelings for the human woman where boundlessly greater than anything he had ever felt for his first love.
He stood from the table with a start, realization sparking in his mind. He had been a fool. A damned fool. His human female was an expert in his own field, and he had rejected her because of his wounds from the past. He pinched the bridge of his nose, ignoring the questions of his assistants as he walked away from the table.
“Sir? Sir?”
He didn’t answer; he simply strode out the door. He had to find her and tell her how he really felt. It was time to give her everything she deserved. The respect. The love. The reverence that his mate should have had from him from the very start. If she would ever even speak to him again. He could see how he had betrayed her, hurt her. He wouldn’t blame her if she refused him and allowed his dragon to drive him mad.
As he stumbled down the hallway, emotions crashed inside his body and his dragon thrashed inside his mind. He barely heard the pinging of his communication device on the inside wrist of his uniform. The insistent pinging continued until he stopped and slid two fingers down the inside of his wrist.
“Grand Architect Noro,” Commander Or said. “Might I have a word with you?”
“Now is not the best time,” Joss said, cringing from the pain.
“It is imperative that we speak now, before any construction begins.”
“What is it, Commander?” Joss said, holding his hands to his temples to try to drown out the sound of his dragon’s screams. He felt as if his skull would crack in half. The pain was overwhelming, and he could barely hear as Commander Or continued to speak.
“It has been brought to my attention that you haven’t altered your reconstruction plans.”
“Yes,” was all Joss could say through the pain in his mind.
“You have to understand, Architect Noro, this type of housing is completely inappropriate for a city like New York. Especially since you plan to build it right over Central Park. New York City is a monument for humanity. It’s more than just a city. It’s the center of art and culture, finance and fashion. We cannot turn New York City into a Draconian mining colony.”
“I’m beginning to understand that, Commander Or.” Joss could barely stand. This was the madness of the mating impulse. He had gone against the instinct of his dragon and was paying the price. He’d disrespected his bride. He’d hurt her. He’d done everything in his power to make her feel small, and his dragon did not agree with his behavior.
“Your bride is an expert in the field of human city development. Why are you not taking her suggestions seriously? Every other Draconian male who has been blessed with a human bride has given her all due respect. Many of our brides have crucial jobs that add exponentially to the power of our mission. We cannot do w
hat we do without them.”
“I’ve been wrong,” Joss said. “I’ve been a fool. All along, I believed I was the superior one. But that couldn’t have been further from the truth. My bride has been trying to tell me. She has been so brave and strong, and I have disrespected her. I deserve the insanity my mating impulse would bring without her.”
“I wouldn’t go that far, Grand Architect Noro. Go find your bride and apologize to her. Listen to what she has to say. She is a native of the city and an expert in her field. I am sure that the two of you together can create something that would be acceptable to both Draconians and humans alike.”
“Yes, sir,” Joss said.
Commander Or disappeared, and Joss continued down the hall, barely able to stand. He had to find her. He had to tell her that she had been right all along.
Chapter 13
Octavia went back to her apartment and began packing her things. She was going to run away. As far away as she could possibly get. She had failed to convince Joss to listen to her about the needs of her city and her people. She could not stand to watch the last vestments of New York be turned into Joss’s dystopian vision.
She knew that her friends back at the camp would miss her, but she couldn’t face the shame of her failure. Everyone had been counting on her from day one. As soon as the reconstruction council had begun, she’d been a primary member. After she had been mated with Joss, her new mission had become convincing the Draconians to build a better city. She’d failed in that, too.
When she was finished shoving her things in her bag, she made her way to the door, hoping she could slip out of the building without anyone noticing. She’d get a ride on one of the barges that came across the water and make her way out of the city forever. Just as she stepped in front of the door, it slid open. Joss walked through and stared at her with the strangest expression on his face, somewhere between pain and insanity.
Octavia took a step back, terrified of the look in his eyes. Was he angry? She didn’t know what he was capable of. He’d already shown her that he was willing to disrespect her to the very core of her being.
“What are you doing?” he asked, looking down at her bag.
“I’m leaving,” she said, lifting her chin up defiantly toward him.
“I deserve that,” he said.
His words took her aback. He deserved it? Something had definitely changed. Had he come to his senses? She didn’t want to stick around to find out. He’d been a massive prick the entire time they’d been together, and she wasn’t counting on him changing in any significant way.
“Well, sounds like we’re on the same page,” she said, stepping around him to the door.
“Before you leave, please allow me to apologize to you.” His words were labored and pained. She turned around and looked at him. That was different.
“Go ahead. Apologize,” she said, gripping her suitcase handle.
“I should have listened to you from the very beginning. You understand things about human culture and civilization that I will never understand. You are also an expert in your field, and I have belittled and devalued your expertise. It was not only disrespectful to you as a human being, it was also disrespectful as a Draconian. We value expertise, and I did not value yours.”
“I’m listening,” she said, setting down her suitcase. Was he really coming around? What had happened?
“I would very much like to see your plans for the new, New York City,” he said.
She smiled brightly, excitement bubbling up from her chest and spilling over into her face. His expression crumbled, and he lurched towards the couch where he collapsed. She darted toward him, suddenly feeling concerned for his health.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Are you all right?” She put her palm to his forehead, feeling his fevered skin. “You’re burning up.”
“It is the mating impulse,” he stuttered. “My dragon is punishing me for my actions, for my disrespect of my bride.”
“Is there anything that can be done?” She had heard that Draconians would lose their minds if they did not claim their brides. She had never heard that they would become feverishly sick and collapse for disrespecting them.
“I do not know. It is highly uncommon for a male to disregard his bride as I have you.”
“Why have you been such a dick?” she asked. Maybe it wasn’t the most appropriate time to ask that kind of question, but she couldn’t keep the words inside. He mouthed the word dick, looking up at her with confusion.
“I assume you are questioning why I have been so unkind to you,” he said, his voice soft and distant.
“Yeah,” she said. She wrapped her fingers around his hand and held it in her lap. Now that he was coming around, her own feelings were beginning to throb and burst in her chest.
All this time, she had been resisting the emotions that had been building for her from the first day they met. He’d been such a jerk, it had been impossible to even like him, let alone love him. But now, the fate that had brought them together was making itself known. She felt softer towards him. She wanted to help him. She didn’t want to fight anymore.
“A long time ago, when I was a young man, I loved a girl. She was a Draconian like me. We both came from high-ranking families in the Draconian government. We were in the same social circles and spent most of our youth together. Our feelings were mutual and we loved each other.
“Though it is frowned upon by Draconians, we had a love affair before we came of age, before the mating impulse could show either of us who our fated mates happened to be. We both believed that when we came of age, the mating impulse would begin for each other.
“Alas, it did not. When she came of age, her mating impulse came for another man. He was an older, wealthy man with a high ranking position in the government. His mating impulse began for her as well. She left me without a single word, without a single goodbye. Though we had broken Draconian custom, I had believed that we had meant something to each other. She still meant something to me, but I meant nothing to her.”
“I’m sure you still meant something to her. Isn’t the mating impulse super strong for Draconians? She probably just couldn’t resist it,” Octavia said, patting his hand.
“Perhaps you are right,” he said, sighing. “I had never thought of it that way. I was hurt. From that day forward, I resented the mating impulse. I believed that I would never find my own mate and was destined to be alone for eternity. When Commander Or told me that I had been entered into the mating lottery, I scoffed at the idea of being mated with a human. I had lost my Draconian love, a woman I had idealized for decades. How could I possibly settle for human?”
“I thought you were turning over a new leaf,” she said, snorting.
“Turning over a new leaf? You mean changing my attitudes about humans?”
“Yeah, it’s just a saying.”
“I am changing. I have been a fool, a ridiculous fool. Humans are vivacious, beautiful creatures. You are a beautiful creature, my human bride. I beg that you forgive me for my idiocy and my inappropriate treatment of you,” he said, looking down at his hand as she stroked it.
“Do you really mean it?” she asked. She wanted to believe that he could really change. She wanted to believe that all the sacrifices she had made for her people were worth it. And even more than that, she wanted to believe that she and Joss could really be meant for each other.
“Yes, I mean it,” he said.
“You aren’t just saying this to get in my pants are you?” she said, with a laugh.
“I will prove it to you. Come with me to my planning office. I will show you exactly how serious I am.”
He stood from the couch, seeming to be a little less shaky on his feet as they walked towards the door. She followed him down the hallway to his planning office, where his assistants were still gathered around the table, waiting for him. They looked at him with questioning expressions, most of them betraying how intimidating he must have been to work for.
“There’s been a change of plans, gentlemen,” he said, taking his seat at the head of the table. He offered Octavia a seat beside him and she took it. His fingers began to flick across the holographic screen and the blueprints that hung above the table disappeared. A map of New York City and the area’s debris spread out over the table. He briefly explained to her how to use the controls on the table.
“Now, show us, my beloved mate, how would you redesign New York City?”
Her heart leapt in her chest and started doing a tap dance. After everything he put her through, this was finally happening. She suddenly felt a wave of apprehension. Were her ideas really any good? Maybe they were ridiculous. But she drove those fears away and began to draw out a rough sketch of her plans for the new, New York City. It took into consideration what the old city had once been, but at the same time, it made for greater use of public transportation, walkability, public spaces, and open areas where people could gather and recreate.
The team of architects around the tables watched her with rapt attention. Several were shaking their heads and scratching their chins as they inspected her plan. She looked up at Joss and could see by the expression on his face that he was impressed with what she had to offer.
“I see where you’re going with this. It is a very human design, but our cities on Draconia are not altogether different from what you are proposing. It was backwards and foolish of me to expect to turn your grand old city into a Draconian colony. Let us work together to create an advanced and beautiful city that both Draconians and humans will be proud to live in.”
Octavia breathed a massive sigh of relief, her heart fluttering triumphantly in her chest. For the rest of the afternoon, Joss, Octavia, and the entire team worked to put together plans for the reconstruction of the new, New York City. By the time they were done, their collaboration had created something so monumentally beautiful and functional that it could truly be called utopian.
It integrated human aesthetic and the human need to walk rather than fly with advanced Draconian technology. All of the poor planning of previous centuries was swept away and the space had been turned into something that represented the great bright future Draconians had promised.
Draconians: Complete Series (BWW Dragon Shifter Scifi Romance) Page 39