Topaz Dare

by Tianna Xander

  Kirai growled low in his throat. "Do not do that again, lady. I beg you."

  Heat flooded her face at his request. She wasn't certain why that bothered him, but she noticed that there were many things she had done over the last several hours that seemed to set him on edge. "I will try to remember that offends you and not do it again." She looked back down at her plate.

  Reaching over the table, Kirai lifted her chin to stare deep into her eyes. "It does not offend me, lady. Quite the contrary, I like it." He cleared his throat before dropping his hand to the table. "Perhaps too much."

  Another thing she didn't understand. Would she ever gain some sort of common ground with this male? "Oh, I see," she replied when she really didn't.

  "I can see that you do not," he said with a chuckle, his black eyes twinkling brightly, "but one day you shall. It will be my greatest pleasure and my greatest honor to teach you." Leaning over, he picked up her hand and kissed the back of it.

  Strange tingling sensations traveled from where his lips touched the back of her fingers and up her arm. Topaz took a deep breath and gave him a shaky smile. He was a kind man. That much she could see.

  He is a kind man, daughter, his dragon even much more so when it comes to you. However, he will die to protect you. Do not put him in such a dangerous situation where he must rescue you from another. Listen to him on matters of safety. He knows our people best in this matter.

  Topaz agreed with her mother. He did know their people better than she. After being raised so sheltered in a lab, she had no concept of life outside the cold cement walls where she dwelled on earth.

  The meal forgotten, Topaz pulled her scanner from her hip and glanced down at it. It was time to make a decision. "I need to return the bones today."

  "You will not be returning with them."

  He made it a statement, but Topaz knew he was asking if she planned to stay with him. She stared into his ebony eyes for a moment, then smiled softly. "You seem like a very nice man." He snorted at that, but she continued with a smile. "At least you are to me. I could see how others would fear you." She lifted her chin, staring him straight in the eyes. "But I don't.

  "I have decided to stay with you, at least until we have had the time to get to know each other better." She pushed her plate to the center of the table and stood. "If you don't mind, I think it is time for me to send the bones back to earth." She shuddered when she thought of the huge ant-like creatures on the other planet and what the humans must have gone through during their deaths.

  Kirai led her back to the room where they left the humans' remains and Topaz gathered the bone-filled tarp. "Will you take me there?"

  He gave her a short nod. "I will." Exiting the room through a set of wood and paper double doors, Topaz followed him out onto a large balcony where Kirai wasted no time in changing himself into his large, golden dragon. Climb up onto my back, lady, and I shall return you to the dangerous world. I only ask that you remain close to me. Even a dragon swan is no match for a swarm of the marruk.

  Topaz felt more than saw the strange undulations he made as they lifted off the ground and flew into the air toward a shimmer in the distance. The shimmer soon turned into an open portal and they flew through to the other world. A swarm of the marruk glanced up from their foraging, then back to whatever unfortunate life-forms they managed to capture, intent on stripping their remains clean.

  Kirai set her down on the sand before landing and striding to stand at her side. "We must hurry. The marruk have seen us. They will investigate as soon as they finish their meal. They are insatiable creatures and will soon want more to eat." He placed a hand at the small of her back. It felt strange, yet nice as the warmth seeped into her body. No one had ever treated her with such defense before.

  "Shall I open the portal for you?" he asked as she took a deep breath and set the pack on the ground to wipe her hands on her legs. She no longer wore the leathers. She wore a beautiful red and gold pant suit that Kirai had given her. The top was knee length and embroidered with a large golden dragon that seemed to hug her in all the right places. It also had a beautifully embroidered trim, with strange flowers he called lotuses. She was certain she had heard of the flowers before, but wasn't sure where.

  "I think I should." She frowned. "What if they have equipment that can tell the difference if another dragon opens the portal?" She shook her head. "The last thing we want is for them to realize I am not alone and capture the both of us."

  Kirai chuckled. "That is one thing they could never do. The moment I sensed them attempting to open a portal, I would take you from this place and leave them to the marruk." The look on his face was not one of amusement. He bared his teeth in a smile that looked more like a snarl. "Do not worry, Topaz," he continued as she began to open a portal between them and Earth, "they will never enslave you again."

  Topaz wasn't certain that enslave was the correct word. The Earth scientists used them, that much was certain. She just wasn't sure she could say that they had been enslaved all these years.

  Kirai bent and grabbed the pack at her feet. "Take my word for it, lady. They enslaved you all. For that they shall encounter the wrath of your father." He smiled again. It was another that didn't reach his eyes. "I shall be honored to follow your father into that battle."

  Topaz shook her head and grasped his arm as he would have tossed the pack through her portal.

  "It is my responsibility to return these to Earth, not yours." She took the pack when he offered it to her. Her face heated at her childishness. She could have easily let him do it. Yet, she felt some strange responsibility to do this herself.

  Before she could change her mind, she cut her hand and smeared blood on the pack. With that done, she tossed the pack through. Topaz had just closed the portal when she heard a strange scream and clacking noise to her right.

  Turning, she gasped when one of the marruks lunged toward her.

  "Run!" Kirai pushed her from harm's way as the creature lunged. She stumbled, then gaining her balance, Topaz ran as fast as she could, dodging and rolling as other marruk made themselves known.

  She brought up her stunner and shot one that appeared over the next rise and slid down the other side of the sand dune as the click-clacking continued behind her. Never in her life had she ever been afraid of ants, but these giant creatures made any bug on earth seem harmless.

  Just as the creatures surrounded her and she thought herself lost, Kirai swooped in from above, grasped her around her middle with his giant claws and lifted her to safety. He wasted no time in opening another portal and taking them to his planet where they had nothing to fear but their own feelings for each other.

  "You frightened me beyond belief," he said as he inventoried her body parts, whether it was to be sure none of them were missing or injured, she couldn't know. "Did I harm you when I lifted you?" His attention was on her midsection.

  Topaz shook her head. "I'm fine." She shrugged. "I have a few scratches, but it's nothing I can't live with."

  "Even a few scratches is more than I can bear knowing about if I gave them to you."

  She shook her head. "No. It wasn't you. The marruk got in a few good lashes with their antennae." She shook her head. "I never would have guessed that they could use them as weapons."

  "No one ever does. It is what gives the marruk the advantage in a fight." Kirai reached out and removed the top she wore. "Why did you put your blood on the pack?"

  "To make the base think I had been injured near death when they check the blood on the pack." She shrugged and watched as her clothing fell. Vaguely grappling with the concept of modesty, Topaz stood still as he inspected her ribs with medical proficiency. He paid little attention to her exposed breasts and much to the scratches beneath them.

  "You will need to bathe, to clean any poison from your wounds."

  She'd already known that. Topaz sighed. This wasn't much different from the examinations when she returned from assignment.

  "It is very differ
ent." Kirai pressed a kiss to her naval with a grin. "I am certain those examinations were not pleasant. Believe me when I tell you that soon, you will come to enjoy them. Very much."

  "You're using innuendo again." She knew he was, but still didn't know what he meant by most of his teasing.

  Kirai pulled her top back over her head and waited while she slipped her arms into the sleeves. "You will know soon enough, Topaz. Do not fear what you don't understand. Anticipate it as you would a delicious dessert."

  That was easy for him to say. He wasn't the one always left one step behind. "We don't get to eat dessert if it isn't our birthday. Excuse me, I should really soak these scratches."

  She pushed past him and entered his home, leaving him standing bemused behind her.

  The pain from the welts was starting to radiate and she took a shower quickly, focusing the spray on her ribs. They were seeing a lot of action on this assignment.

  Blisters coated the edge of the scratches and she took a deep breath before ruthlessly ripping them away. The toxin seeped from her skin and she rinsed it again before entering the tub. Topaz's vision spun as she settled and when Kirai's arms caught her, she clung to him while she fought to stay conscious.

  She managed to whisper, "I don't feel good."

  Without another word, she pitched into the waiting darkness.

  Chapter Six

  "Galen, what are you doing here?"

  The dragon smiled and brushed hair from her forehead. "I am taking care of the bacteria that released when I removed your tag."

  "I thought it was venom." She sat up in a pristine bed, holding the sheet to her chest.

  "So did Kirai. If Ruby hadn't come down with the same thing, I would never have gotten here so fast. I healed her and then came right over. It's a good thing you were here. If you had gone back to your world, you would have been dead by now."

  She looked beneath the sheet and checked her healed ribs and the imperceptible mark on her thigh. "Bacteria?"

  "There was a pellet under the leash that I didn't account for. When Ruby started to convulse, we knew it had to be something exotic. Few toxins can actually endanger us. Usually nothing more than swelling and blisters, like the ones you received."

  "So, you just came here?"

  "Yes, Kirai wanted to come get me, but he couldn't leave you so he was going to pull you through dimensions. Good thing I beat him here, it would have killed you."

  Topaz leaned back and closed her eyes. They had booby trapped her and her sisters. Even if the trackers were removed, they had left a pellet inside to kill them. Damned humans.

  When she opened her eyes, Kirai was there, taking a seat at the edge of the bed. "You frightened me."

  "I know. I am sorry."

  He leaned in and kissed her, it was hard, passionate and wild. When he pulled back, his lips were swollen and his eyes were flickering with heat behind the black coal. "Do not leave me."

  She blinked in surprise. "I wasn't planning on it. I said I will stay and I meant it." She caressed his face and stroked the silky strands of his hair that fell over one eye.

  Galen cleared his throat. "I will leave you two alone then."

  Topaz didn't hear more than a rumble in the distance. Her entire focus was on Kirai's face.

  "Tell me what I am supposed to do. I don't know," Topaz's whisper floated between them.

  "Don't think, just feel. And if you like something, let me know." His smile was tender as he leaned into her for a seducing kiss.

  Topaz analyzed the kisses she had received from him, exploring, encouraging, claiming, possessing and now seducing. She reveled in the memories and then pushed them aside to enjoy the moment.

  He touched her with care and attention that started flares of heat beneath her skin. When she stroked his skin in return, he murmured in appreciation. The sheet between them disappeared and she watched his body cover hers with a focus that shattered into sparks of light when he joined them.

  It wasn't over. She didn't know how, but he increased the storm of sensation inside her as he moved. When Topaz moved with him, tilting her hips to his, lightning bolts of sensation struck her until she was moaning and clawing at his skin.

  The tension in her body broke apart and she screamed in surprise, her body wrapping tightly around his to hold him inside her as he groaned and arched against her, his own peak reached.

  Panting and recovering from the shock, she welcomed Kirai into her arms, holding him flush against her. "Now I know why the techs were so obsessed. That was…"

  He lifted his head and gave her a soft kiss. "It was indeed."

  "I had no idea. If I had known, I would have tried it the moment I first saw you." She giggled at his shocked expression.

  He scowled. "Oh, those wasted days."

  She laughed, feeling the pressure of his body against her and loving it. "Are you interested in wasting more time?"

  A high pitched yelp came from her throat as he rolled her over and she ended up sitting astride him. "This time you do all the work."

  It took some trial and error, but she managed to replicate the sensations that she had experienced earlier, and Kirai didn't join her, but he held her while she caught her breath.

  She slumped across his chest and traced the swirls and sweeping arcs of his parental marks. "Where do you think we should look for humans first?"

  He sighed. "Despite the distraction, you are a very determined woman."

  "I am. The faster the humans are dropped back onto their world, the sooner the dimensional rifts will stabilize and my sisters will be free."

  "What of the poison in your bodies?" Kirai was alternately tangling and straightening her hair.

  "Galen says he can remove it and I am sure my mother will warn them. I will ask her to pass on what we have learned."

  He ran his hand down her spine, smiling as she arched into his hand. "Do you think she will?"

  "Yes, survival is what this is all about, for us and the humans. Mother won't let any of her daughters die if there is anything she can do to prevent it." Topaz sighed happily as she enjoyed his touch for one more moment. Grinning, she sat up and escaped his grasp. "Come on. Let's go boot some humans back home and then we will be able to try this again."

  His look was dark, but when she rummaged through his wardrobe and withdrew a shirt and a set of fabric trousers that had a tie around their waist, he became interested. "You will need some proper clothing."

  "Yes I will, but I have no idea how to go about that. At the base everything was provided for me. I would also like to learn how to cook." The loose fabrics felt slightly odd, but they allowed for a breeze to reach her skin that she had never anticipated.

  He looked her up and down from head to toe and shook his head. "That won't do. There is nothing for it, I suppose. I am going to have to take you to meet my mother."

  "What about the humans?" She was more nervous than she had been while facing the large insects. Her own mother was a nebulous presence in her life, a real physical parent was a frightening concept.

  "They will keep. If they aren't dead in the dimensions they are in, they will be fine." He smiled and pulled some leathers on over his own lower body.

  She admired the view of his backside and then started to look for her own boots.

  "They are gone. All of your clothing is gone, but I kept your equipment."

  She frowned, puckering her lips. He pressed a quick kiss on her and then led her out of the house and into the front courtyard where he opened a portal and simply kept walking with Topaz in tow.

  She had a hard time keeping her mouth shut as they entered a lush green oasis topped by a golden palace with a plethora of people coming and going. They were almost human in shape, but pointed ears behind the dark hair gave her the confirmation that she was seeing something else. "What are those?"

  "Elvar. They come in a large variety of skin tones, but are similar to the humans with one exception, they aren't." Kirai nodded to several folk as they passed
and smiles greeted them both.

  Topaz leaned forward and whispered, "Why are they smiling at me?"

  "The elvar live around dragons and subsist off the extra energy we give off. To see another dragon elevates their spirits."

  "Truly?"

  "Yes. They have been gathering around us for eons. If you wish, we can ask a couple of them to join us in my home. They enjoy the work and are fairly good cooks."

  Her feet were unused to sprinting on the bare stone, but she managed to keep up without stumbling. "They will just come with you?"

  "Well, now that you are here, my mother will probably assign a couple to us."

  It smacked of the base all over again. "She will just assign them?"

  "Most of her elvar have been working around her for over a thousand years. They live almost as long as we do, but they can't move between worlds on their own."

  He wrapped an arm around her waist and Topaz knew that it was to keep her from bolting.

  "The elvar will just uproot at your mother's order?"

  "They will jump at the chance to drain the residue from us as we go about our daily lives." His chuckle distracted her as two huge doors swung open to reveal a woman with dark hair and Kirai's high cheekbones.

  She was wrapped from shoulders to ankle in a gold robe with a wide sash of dark blue. Her marks were a brilliant blue and she raised one eyebrow as she took in her visitors. "Kirai, what the hell is she wearing?"

  Chapter Seven

  "Mother, this is Topaz. Topaz, this is Karili the wise, judge of the dragons, and my mother." He bowed low to his parent and she greeted him with a hug.

  "Kirai, I don't see you nearly as much as I would like. Topaz, welcome to my home." She smiled and her pointed teeth were exposed by the gesture.

  "Thank you for the greeting, Karili." She nodded and smiled shyly. It was her first time meeting a female dragon and her mind was spinning with questions.

  The woman looked at her markings and blinked in shock. "Eiwyn's? This is Eiwyn's daughter?"

  Kirai nodded. "One of twenty. I do not have appropriate clothing for her very active lifestyle and her clothing was shredded by large insects. Will you help?"