Zadri (Scifi Alien Weredragon Romance) (Dragons of Preor Book 5)

by Celia Kyle

  Yes, Whelon was correct and the Knowing confirmed his assertion. Bearing females—even if Preor females were stronger and hardier than humans—were coddled and catered to during pregnancy.

  “Then leave this issue and give thanks that Delaney is well.” The words were calm, but the male’s glare was anything but reassuring. It was challenging, hard and unbending, demanding while reminding Zadri of something. Something Delaney didn’t know, but it was knowledge the two shared.

  “Uh, was there a chance I wasn’t well?” A tendril of worry, a small twinge in her belly as her baby shifted, reminding her that she hadn’t woken pain-free.

  Zadri remained silent, but Whelon gave her details, informing her of the tear in the placenta, the separation and bleeding as well as the reason for her lingering aches. “I have healed you fully, but we did not wish to go too far. Not while human physiology is still so new to the Preor and the dragonlet you carry is pure human. It is why some discomfort lingers.”

  Which made sense. She’d rather deal with aches and pains than risk their baby. “But otherwise?”

  “You are well.” Whelon tipped his head.

  “Then I can leave?” She really wanted to leave.

  “Yes, as long as you agree not to navigate without an escort since, as you say, your center of gravity is altered due to your bearing state.”

  Which she could readily agree to. “Then I’d like to go home.” At Zadri’s sharp jerk, she clarified her statement while meeting his stare. “To our quarters.”

  The tension in his shoulders eased slightly, but she could sense his remaining anger. For some reason he wanted her parents on the ship—with them—badly. If only he understood… And she realized he never would if she didn’t tell him—if she didn’t reveal the lovely truth about Mr. and Mrs. Cole.

  “But not before I take a sample of Zadri’s genetic material.” Whelon rushed out the words and strode away, quickly snatching a nearby hypo before approaching Zadri. “If I do not take it now, I do not know when I shall ever get the defense master through those doors again.”

  Delaney had to smile at that. It seemed, Preor or human, all males were the same and hated doctors. The moment Whelon took what he needed, she held out her arms to Zadri, encouraging him to step nearer.

  “Take me home.”

  Zadri lifted her from the platform as if she weighed nothing, holding her close while he moved to medical’s entrance. She leaned her head against his shoulder, drawing in his scent and enjoying their closeness even if he remained frustrated and angry. The argument about her parents was coming—soon—but she’d happily delay it as long as possible.

  With luck, forever.

  9

  Zadri would not growl at his mate. Or snarl. Or bear his fangs to encourage her to heed his words. He would not grumble, either. He was the defense master of the Preor Third Fleet. A trusted and honored male who…

  Wished to shout at his mate for being so careless.

  Fury still coursed through his veins, tempered by the worry that clouded his mind and guided his thoughts. That Luzan had failed so horribly… Another rumble built in his chest, his dragon’s anger surging.

  But Delaney was whole and well in his arms. Her injuries were healed, their dragonlet thrived, and only a hint of discomfort remained. He should console himself with those facts and yet… he could not.

  What could have been plagued him. Those imaginings spun through his mind in an unending whirl that gained speed with every beat of his heart.

  She could have died.

  Their dragonlet could have died.

  He could have lost them both and then where would he have been?

  Taking his final flight. He could not live through the loss of a mate and offspring. He simply… could not.

  And he almost had, which brought his thoughts back around to growling and snarling. Things he could not do around his mate.

  Delaney needed calm and caring, not a demanding, argumentative male. Even if all he wished to do was argue and make demands. Many demands that involved her sitting and not moving an inch. Ever.

  He turned the last corner, entering the corridor that led to their rooms. Several other males littered the walkway and Zadri slowed, shooting a glare at each one as he passed. They were single males—single males near his female. A female he had not yet claimed fully. A female he could not claim fully in the near future. Not while she still suffered discomfort.

  He settled for glaring at them all. Until he heard the first whispered words from those he passed.

  … loaona…

  … hanas…

  …shavar…

  Devotion. Honor. Strength.

  The males recited the warrior’s prayer for his mate—honoring her for being one of the greatest of all warriors of their race. A male battled to end life, a female battled to give it.

  Zadri pulled back some of his anger, swallowing it down while they passed the others. He still did not like their stares, but their message and honoring of Delaney was acceptable. He would keep his anger contained until they were behind sound-dampening walls.

  Their rooms were soon within sight, a mere handful of steps away, and he sighed in relief when a touch of the identipad had the doors parting. He strode into their shared space, a single destination in mind—their sleeping chamber.

  “No,” Delaney patted his shoulder. “I want to rest on the couch. I’m tired of beds.”

  Zadri gritted his teeth. Did she not understand that the ill took comfort in beds? “It is best if you retire to the sleeping chamber.”

  “Whelon said I’m fine and I only have a few lingering aches. I’d like to sit up for a while.” Her words were so soft, so smooth and sweet, that he nearly relented.

  “You are newly injured—“

  “And healed.”

  He pretended she did not interrupt. “And the newly injured retire—“

  Zadri would deny it until the end of his days, but his mate stole any ability to speak from his lips with a single brush of fingers. She caressed his neck, delicate fingertips ghosting over his vulnerable flesh.

  “I won’t move. I promise.” She rested her head on his shoulder and each of her exhales gave him more of her alluring scent. He recalled the taste of her on his tongue, the feel of her cream coating his lips. He had never tasted anything so sweet in his life.

  “You will not rise.” He would never admit his resolve was defeated by the touch of a female.

  “No, I won’t.”

  Zadri strode to the couch. “You will not let your feet touch the ground.”

  “I won’t.”

  He leaned down, carefully transferring Delaney from his grip and to the soft cushions. “You will not do anything that causes discomfort.”

  She placed her hands on the couch and pushed up, wiggling as she attempted to rearrange herself. “I…” She hopped in her seat and then groaned low, a deep growl accompanying the sound. “I won’t.”

  But Zadri was not convinced. “You have turned yourself into a liar already!” He pointed at the couch, at her movements. “Your every movement causes you injury and yet you persist!”

  His mate froze, pained eyes meeting his, but she remained quiet.

  Probably because it hurt to even speak.

  He clenched his fists and moved away from her, furious at the situation—at himself. Had he been at her side, she would not have fallen. Had he been at her side, he would have carried her from medical. Had he been at her side… he might have been forced to give Whelon a sample of his genetic material. An act he had not been prepared for.

  Because he was concerned—defense masters were never afraid—about the outcome of his testing. Specifically, would the healing master discover that Delaney was not truly Zadri’s? He was not sure he could survive such a blow. Not after having her, holding her, tasting her and hearing her passionate cries.

  Delaney moved, drawing his gaze down to her rounded belly where their dragonlet still remained. He could not lose her afte
r giving his heart to the young she carried.

  “Zadri,” her soft whisper had him shifting his attention, eyes caressing her body with his stare.

  He once more committed her body to memory, every curve and dip. A treasured remembrance to carry him through his final flight should Whelon determine they were not meant for one another.

  When she held his attention, she continued in that same soft tone. “I’m fine.”

  He shook his head, recalling Whelon’s words, the rapid delivery of the healing master’s diagnosis. The dragonlet was disconnected from Delaney for a short time and the result was… unknown. The young thrived and continued its movements as if it was healthy, but the potential outcomes still rocked him to his soul.

  He dropped to his knees before her, carefully gathering her pale hands in his. The tantalizing scent of their passion still lingered in the air, the couch’s fabric holding the aromas. His body attempted to respond to her nearness, but he would not allow his needs to overshadow this moment.

  He cradled her hands gently and traced small circles on her palm with his callused and scarred thumbs. She was so delicate, so soft, so innocent and breakable. While he was a warrior, a male who’d suffered more injuries than he could count. Some of those injuries dated back to a time not long after his birth. When he’d been plagued with an ikpor wing made even worse when his dam and sire realized he would never recover. Not without the intervention of healers. And that’d been too much for his allegedly esteemed family.

  No. Now was not the time for past anger to rise. He had to focus on Delaney—on their relationship and their dragonlet. One who would be loved—always.

  “Delaney…” he mirrored her volume and tone despite the anger still consuming him. “You were injured. Badly. Whelon stated—“

  “I’m okay. The baby is okay.” She withdrew from his hold and stroked his cheek, a petal-soft finger caressing his skin. “I’m sorry it scared you and I’ll be more careful in the future. But Whelon truly did heal me.”

  His emotions tumbled through his body, rapidly shifting from one to another until he could not determine if it was anger, relief, or worry that caused his eyes to sting. Were those tears? No. No. Preor warriors did not cry. He recalled that lesson from his training well.

  Very well.

  “He does not know all there is to know about humans.” He leaned into her touch, breathing in her scent until it filled his lungs. “He knows little of human offspring.”

  “The ryaapir units know human biology well enough.” Her tone was teasing, the small smile on her lips alluring, but he did not have the strength to joke about the accident yet.

  Accident? Was it an accident?

  “Tell me how your injured yourself.”

  Delaney frowned but did as he asked. “I told you. I was walking back from medical with Luzan and just…” she shrugged. “Tripped.”

  She seemed so at ease with the explanation. As if falling in such a way was not worthy of worry.

  “On what?”

  Delaney shrugged. “The floor?” Then a frown overtook her features, brow lowering and lips turning down. “Or maybe a tool of some kind? I thought…” she shook her head as if to banish the thought, but he could not let it be pushed aside.

  “You thought?”

  Another shrug. Humans needed to cease with shrugging. “I thought I tripped over a… tool of some kind.” Her eyebrows lowered further. “A wrench. A rimil?”

  He froze and tilted his head to the side, staring at his mate. “A rimil? You are certain?”

  “I was in a lot of pain at the time, but the Knowing seems to think that’s the best translation for the tool I saw.”

  “When I later questioned Luzan, he did not mention such a tool.” What else had the male not mentioned?

  More gentle strokes from Delaney. “I’m sure he was too worried about me to even glance at the ground.”

  For Luzan’s sake, he hoped so. For if the male had allowed harm to come to Delaney and not divulged the full truth… The war master and war mistress would be without a guard. Zadri would challenge the male himself for the neglect.

  “Did you see—“ A low tone from the nearby comm station interrupted his question and he growled. “One moment.”

  He eased away from Delaney and strode to the unit, quickly bringing up the message that’d arrived. He scanned its contents and some of the tension in his stomach eased. Perhaps this was the answer. His mate had fought him in medical, but she’d had time to calm. Perhaps now she would see sense and put his worries to rest until she presented.

  “Is something wrong?”

  Zadri faced her, a smile on his face. “No. It seems something is right. “Your dam and sire were notified of your condition and have passed on their prayers. Your dam wishes to travel to us and see for herself. I can request quarters for her—“

  “No.” Delaney’s expression transformed to a harsh, stone mask and her voice hardened.

  “She will stay with you when I am on duty. Watch over you when I cannot.”

  “Never.” There was not even a hint of a crack in her expression.

  “She worries over you.” He gestured at the comm, recalling Dam Cole’s words. “She wishes to see your condition for herself. To assure herself that you are well.”

  Delaney shook her head. “No. That’s not what she’s doing. I don’t know what she wants, but it’s not to make sure I’m okay.”

  “The words are there,” he pointed at the screen. “You may read them yourself, but she states she is concerned.”

  “No.” His mate clenched her jaw, muscles bunching.

  And Zadri… cursed himself but could not remain quiet. Not when her constant denial of a caring dam rang through his mind. It was one rejection too many and his words could not be withheld.

  “Do you recall my full name Delaney?” He did not wait for her to reply. “I am Zadri sen Syh. The Knowing will tell you that I am a child of Syh.” He snorted and shook his head. “A child of the skies. It is a pretty name for what I am.”

  “Zadri…”

  “No.” He sliced his hand through the air, silencing her. “You will listen this time.”

  He hated being so harsh and rough, but she had to understand. She must be thankful for what she had. He straightened to his full height, shoulders back, and then spread his wings. Not fully—the rooms were not large enough to contain his wingspan, but enough to reveal what he typically kept hidden from view. “I do not know my birth dam and sire. I do not know their names or even what they look like. I do know that when they saw my wing and learned of my limitations, they…”

  He took a deep breath, the past threatening to overwhelm his present. He truly did not know his parents but that did not mean he did not recall that day. Not words, but mere images. Snapshots of those moments that would forever haunt him.

  “The healing master that attended my presentation states that I was born with this physical error.” He stretched his right wing a little more, the scarring fully visible now. “My wing skin did not grow as the rest of me did.” The long, pale line showing where surgery after surgery was performed to repair him was a bright contrast. “In truth, some was missing entirely.”

  She opened her mouth once more, as if to speak, but he pushed forward.

  “And when my dam and sire saw me—learned of what would be required to ensure I lived as a true Preor warrior—they…”

  His first memory was of the sun on his face, the bright light warm and inviting. Then came the wind against his flesh, ticking and teasing. From there came the calling of the skies, his inner need to launch himself into the air.

  And he’d done that. He’d launched—been launched—into the skies. They’d turned him into a child of Syh.

  “They went to the edge of their aerie, high above Preor’s surface, and gave me to Syh.” A pretty term for the truth. A truth that—no matter how often he rejected it—still pressed in on him every day.

  “What…”

  Za
dri closed his wings, bringing them close once more, folding them against his back in a comforting squeeze. He did not feel physical pain any longer.

  Only emotional. Only the feelings that persisted after countless talks with heart masters.

  “They threw me into the skies, Delaney. They walked to the edge of their aerie and let me go.” Pain—physical, emotional—consumed him. It took every ounce of his strength not to double over and clutch his stomach.

  Reacting in that way would show him to be weak. Defense Masters were not weak.

  “They gifted me to Syh and depended on Syh to save me—or kill me—as she saw fit.” He met her stare, gaze unwavering, and he ignored the single tear that stained her cheek. “My dam presented me and the very next morning, threw me from her aerie. I was dead to her at that moment. I was not perfect and not worthy of being raised with their name.”

  He trembled, past emotions threatening to overtake him, and his dragon’s rage rose quickly in his heart. He would lose control if he continued down that path, would lose his grip on two legs and transform to claws and scales.

  Zadri strode to the door and reached for the identipad, anxious to put space between him and Delaney. Palm hovering over the smooth surface, he hesitated and then lowered his hand. He should stay with his mate, yet his ability to keep the dragon at bay lessened with every beat of his heart. It did not like recalling that time. The days and years after being tossed into the winds to live or die at Syh’s command.

  The doors parted with a soft whoosh and he stepped through the open portal.

  He glanced over his shoulder, staring at his mate, and he unleashed the last words that refused to be silenced. “You have a dam and sire that gave you life and claimed you. I am alive because my instinct to survive was stronger than my dam’s desire to take mine.”

  10

  The doors made hardly a sound as they whooshed closed, cutting off Delaney’s sight of Zadri. He was gone from her, gone from their rooms with only pain left in his wake. It struck her, the sound of each of his words assaulting her heart with every syllable.