by Celia Kyle
“It’s for the good of the company.”
If he did something for the good of the company, her mom didn’t argue. The company paid for their lifestyle, right? It paid for garden tours and nanites with Araimi shields.
“Delaney,” her father murmured, eyes narrowed while he looked her over. It’d been at least a year since he’d called her Delaney Collins. He was still angry about the stain on the hem of her skirt at the last press conference she’d attended.
When she was seven.
“Father.” Young Delaney nodded at him and turned her attention to the other person in the room. “Mother.”
Her mother narrowed her eyes at Delaney, gaze missing nothing as she looked Delaney over. That stare landed on her hands, specifically her fingers—a finger. More specifically, the tiny red spot and hint of a callus. They wanted her to learn how to play the violin, but they didn’t want her building calluses from the constant practicing to become proficient.
It meant she endured daily blisters, daily pain, and daily healing. She’d grown lax with her treatments, letting the skin thicken to protect her hands. Except, she’d forgotten to have them sculpted before her parents’ visit.
Her mother continued her perusal—her judgement of Delaney’s appearance—and didn’t speak until she finished. Of course, she didn’t speak to Delaney at all. She actually turned to a nearby servant, her mother’s personal assistant. “Polish hands. Sharpen nose. Hollow cheeks.”
That was it.
Two months without seeing her parents and she got six words. In truth, it was seven if she counted the greeting from her father.
Another blurring of their environment, holographic people disappearing while the room remained. The room always remained. Her mother rarely visited her space but refused to allow any part of it to be modified.
This next version of Delaney was fourteen—still poised, still demure, still aching for approval. Every inch of her had been sculpted, body free of blemishes and any hint of blisters from violin lessons. Her clothes were pristine, shoes polished until they matched the marble flooring.
Zadri stared at her image while Delaney stared at him. His shoulders were tense, eyes missing nothing as he gazed at the younger version of her. He saw exactly what she remembered—utter perfection, perfect pleats, and a soul deep desire to please.
Young Delaney clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white, and her mate focused on that small movement before his attention drifted. Up her body, over every neat fold and button, until his eyes were locked on the hologram’s. His wings twitched while peach scales danced beneath his flesh as if ready to break free.
The senchamber had plucked the memories right from Delaney’s mind when she’d created the simulation. It recorded the feelings from that time—hope, longing, pain, heartache… eventually, desolation.
“How long has it been since you’ve seen them, shaa kouva?” He turned his head, giving her the heavy weight of his stare. “How long?”
“I’m fourteen here. It’s been six months.” Six months instead of every other.
“But you still have your dam’s shell clinging to your backside. How can a dragonlet survive without the love of its dam and sire?”
Delaney sighed. “How did you?”
Zadri jerked as if she’d slapped him, his eyes widening before his gaze softened. “Shaa kouva…”
Click then clack, her parents arriving once more. They breezed into the room, neither bothering to acknowledge her existence with a greeting. Instead, they simply stared… and spoke to the two others—a man and a woman—they’d brought along.
The scene spread out before them, her mother speaking to the woman while her father addressed the man.
“Eyes should be blue.”
“She should have a team of at least ten at all times.”
“Hair permanently brown, almost black. Lighten skin. She should be striking.”
“I want every wall reinforced to withstand an attack from a Sleixe battleship.”
“Trim her hips. Too wide.”
On and on it went. Sculpt and protect. Pick her apart until there was no part of her that was real or original. Tweak, brush, burn and soften.
Delaney remained in place, not moving an inch while her mother plucked her apart and her father and his companion toured her room.
When all was done, when her parents fell silent and finally left her alone with the two strangers, she let her emotions break free. She let her eyes fill with tears—but didn’t allow them to fall—and her shoulders shook with a silent sob.
The worst the two could report was that young Delaney had appeared undignified in their presence.
“Pause,” she rasped, forcing the senchamber to freeze the image in place. Her throat ached, remembered pain surging forward. A look at her mate revealed he was furious while she remained heartbroken.
“I shall kill them for what they have done.” Furious eyes bored into hers. “They… You were perfect, shaa kouva. Yet they wanted…”
She shook her head. “Not wanted. Did.” She gestured at the woman. “Dr. Matilda Richards, Chief Sculptor at BioCole.” And her parents’ lackey. She waved at the man. Tall and trim, heavily muscled with short hair and piercing dark eyes. Very, very alluring to a young girl. Too tempting to resist when she was old enough to be legal and should have known better. She rubbed her stomach, baby shifting and stretching inside her. “Kevin Wallace, chief of my protection detail. Eventually my ex and…” Her heartbeat stuttered. She wasn’t afraid Zadri would release his fury on her, but that didn’t mean she liked being around anger. “He’s the father of my baby.”
That angry gaze shifted to Kevin and she imagined Zadri would have lit the man aflame if he’d been real. “The dragonlet you carry is ours and I am its sire. And I will kill this man for touching the one that belongs to me. You were still covered in your dam’s shell!”
Delaney chuckled. “He—we—waited until I was older. He gave me the attention I’d never had.” She remembered the good times over the years and then recalled the bad. When she’d discovered she was pregnant and he’d denied ever touching her.
And who would her parents believe? Their daughter? Or an employee?
“I didn’t know it then, but this was the day my grandfather died and my father took over at Cole Pharma. They had to groom me to be presented to the media as the grieving granddaughter. They had to make sure I acted appropriately in public and was seen with the right people.” She could get close to others, but not too close. Cole Pharma stock would go down if the people thought Winston Cole’s daughter was loose. Visible but not too visible. Cole Pharma stock would go down if the people thought Winston Cole’s daughter was a media whore.
Whore. She’d had that word tossed at her not long ago and it had nothing to do with the media.
“Nex—“ She swallowed and gathered saliva in her mouth. “Next scene.”
The ship moved on, scrolling through the images and finally bringing the last set into focus. They were back in the living room.
A still flat stomached Delaney stood in front of the sofa, body turned to face the apartment’s entry. Her hair was slightly fuzzy, eyes puffy and red-rimmed, and she’d lost at least ten pounds at that point. She shook with hunger, but anything she ate would come right back up. Morning sickness kicked her butt at any time during the day and she was surprised she hadn’t lost more weight. Her hand rested on her abdomen, just beneath her belly button where her baby lay. The hologram’s lips parted in a smile and she remembered the hope and happiness that’d filled her when she discovered she was pregnant.
Her parents wouldn’t be thrilled with how it’d come about, but maybe a grandchild would soften them toward her. Maybe…
The entry doors parted to reveal her parents framed in the doorway. Side by side they strode into the apartment, steps matching as if they were one person instead of two. They’d always been that way.
When they stopped in front of her, both of them turned their
attention to her stomach. Delaney’s unease at their intent stares had her placing her other hand over her belly, as if she could shield her child from them.
“I’ve been told of your condition.” Her father spoke, a hint of disgust in his tone. “You’re pregnant.”
“Yes, sir.”
“The board is trying to eject your father from Cole Pharma based on an outdated wi—“ Her mother cut off the word and paused a moment before finishing. “Contract.” She narrowed her eyes, stare lowering to Delaney’s stomach. “We cannot have a scandal at this time. We cannot have the board believing he’s incapable of controlling his own house. This cannot happen.”
“This?” Delaney’s attention bounced between her parents. “What can’t happen?”
Her mother’s glare nearly burned her on the spot. Coles didn’t use contractions—they weren’t eloquent. But instead of reminding Delaney of that rule, her mother turned her attention to Dr. Richards, the woman constantly at her side when Delaney had a rare visit from the duo. It was easier to bring Delaney’s sculptor rather then send a message to the woman later.
Then her mother said four words that destroyed any semblance of affection in Delaney’s heart.
“Get rid of it.”
18
Zadri knew he stood inside a senchamber, that the events unfolding and the people surrounding them were not real, but that did not make his rage any less. He opened his mouth and released a roar so loud the images wavered. His bellow disrupted the chamber’s displays and damaged its delicate circuits. A jolt of fire cut through the air, his dragon’s breath desperate to burn Delaney’s parents until they were no more than ash.
His gums ached, fangs pushing roughly and attempting to break free, but he held the bloodthirsty beast at bay. The only other flesh and blood person in the room was his mate and he would die rather than harm her in any way. Her dam and sire had done enough damage. Even he had done damage when he pushed those two on her.
Another bout of fire and heat escaped, the stream of red and white burning the air. One last clenching of his chest pushed the remainder of his oxygen from his lungs and he refilled them with a heaving gasp. Dragon’s breath built inside him once more, the feral part of him unable to understand the concept of a senchamber. It wanted to kill those humans and it did not care how much fire it took to accomplish its task.
“Zadri.” A trembling hand stroked him, accompanying the whispered plea. “It’s okay.”
He panted, smoke escaping his nose, bathing them in a cloud of fury. “No. No, it is not.”
It would not be okay until her dam and sire took their final flight. Not until he flew them to the very center of Earth’s Gulf of Mexico and dropped them into a group of bloodthirsty sharks.
Much as he had done to Ballakin—his own brother.
A pang of regret struck him, but Zadri pushed the feeling aside. Ballakin had tried to kill a female and his death was justified. Even if he’d known of the connection to the male, Zadri’s actions would not have changed. Yes, blood ties were important, but a female—a giver of life—was even more so. A crime was a crime.
As far as Zadri was concerned, Dam Cole’s order was a crime—a threat—to a life. The life of an unborn dragonlet.
His unborn dragonlet.
He reached for Delaney, hand immediately going to the roundness of her stomach, and he remained silent as he waited for the young to move within its dam. And he did not have to wait long. There was a nudge to his palm, a gentle press of some part of the dragonlet against Delaney’s body. He did not have to worry. Their young was well and safe inside Delaney and his mate would protect him to the best of her ability. Just as Zadri would protect them both to the best of his.
“They should die,” he rasped, smoke and flames still attempting to break free. “For daring to order you to…”
He could not even say the words.
“I’m fine. I’m here.” She ghosted her lips over his skin in a gentle, reassuring kiss. “Let the program finish and you’ll see that I—“
“Shaa kouva, I cannot…” He could not listen to their words and remain on the ship. If they said worse, he would steal a shuttle and hunt the two humans. He would chase them around the planet if needed. And then when he caught them, he would… He did not want to acknowledge what he would do—was capable of.
“Shhh… I’m over a lot of it.” Liquid pooled in her eyes and a tear escaped. He caught it with his finger, brushing it off her cheek.
“You cannot simply overcome years of neglect in a moment.”
“No, you can’t, but you can try.” She tried to smile but it appeared as a wobbling grimace.
“And you cannot pretend your dam’s demands never happened.”
She shrugged. “I don’t. It’s why I wanted to go with you instead…”
Now it was Zadri’s turn to grimace. “I was, as humans say, the lesser of two evils.”
Another tear escaped and he caught that one as well. He hated seeing her cry. “Maybe at first, but not anymore. Even when you were arguing with me about letting my mother come to the ship or stay close, it was because you cared about my comfort.”
She breathed deeply and released the air slowly, bathing him in her scent. He tasted her emotions in the air, but he also absorbed much of her nature flavors. The ones he would always recall and associate with his mate. Sweetness and light, crisp wind on a bright day and the gentle breeze on a dark night.
“And you believed that having a mother had to be better than none at all. Do you understand why I don’t want her—them—around us?” Hope shone in her gaze, as if his desire would be anything but a need for their blood.
Zadri cupped her cheeks, making sure her attention was solely on him. “If they dare speak your name in my presence, I will kill them where they stand. Do you hear me, Delaney joi Zadri Cole? You are mine and the dragonlet you carry is mine. They wished to end the life of our offspring and they were hardly caregivers when you were young. They will not come near you—or any other Preor. I will make sure War Master Taulan and Esteemed Warrior Jarek understand that the Coles are not friends of the Preor.”
Taulan would not be any trouble—he had a dragonlet “on the way” as humans said. Jarek was the previous war master of their fleet who’d decided to settle on Earth with his human mate. The male’s sire had played a large role in the Great Conflict. The Great Conflict resulted in the death of so many females and offspring. He would be just as outraged by Delaney’s sire and dam as Zadri. Life was too precious to throw away.
Both males would not hesitate to give him their support.
“Thank you.” He was barely able to hear her words, but he read her lips.
“You do not have to thank me for protecting you, shaa kouva. Ever.” He brushed his mouth across her forehead, breathing in her scent. She was alive and whole. Their dragonlet was safe inside her body. Their? For once, his certainty wavered.
“What of our young’s biological sire, Delaney? How were you able to stop your sire and dam from taking our dragonlet?”
Delaney turned her head, cheek resting against his flesh. “He didn’t—doesn’t—want anything to do with me. I was a fun piece of ass. A rich girl who should have known better than to get pregnant.”
Zadri resisted the urge to leave the senchamber and hunt the male. He was not sure of the meaning of Delaney’s words, but he could hear the tone of her voice. He had hurt her and that was unacceptable.
“As for my parents… I ran. I just…” She paused a moment, one second stretching into more, and he wondered if she’d continue. “They left and I grabbed everything I could fit in a bag. I was already good at escaping the apartment to meet Kevin. I took the same path and just ran. I never looked back. I didn’t want them forcing me to have an abortion.”
“Ah-boor…”
“The English word for removing the baby from me so I couldn’t carry it to term.”
Zadri growled. “I do not like that word. You will not say it again.”
He would remove it from the memory of everyone on Earth if he could. Their race had gone so long without dragonlets that it astounded him that another race could be so careless with their own.
“How did you survive alone in the city?”
“I sold everything I could and when I had nothing left…” She lifted her head and rested her chin on the center of his chest. “I went to the Preor. I was desperate. Hopeful. Broken. I just… I wasn’t looking for a mate, but I needed one. I’m so very, very thankful I found one.” She placed a soft kiss over his heart. “So very, very thankful I found you.”
“I frightened you when we met. You saw me…” Murder his clutchmate. She watched him rip the male to pieces and then stayed connected to Ballakin as he died. Zadri would not wish such an event on even his worst enemy.
“I was afraid. I’d been unconscious and was then hit with the Knowing while also coming face to face with the male I’d seen kill another. My mind was confused and muddled, but when I’d calmed…” Her cheeks flushed a pretty pink and she dropped her gaze. He recalled exactly what they’d done when she’d calmed and they’d arrived on the ship. “We got closer to each other.”
Not close enough at the time, but now they were truly mated. They’d shared bodies and now they would share eternity. She was his mate in all ways but one. He had yet to verbally claim her, but he would. He needed to simply find the right moment.
Standing near a holo of her sire and dam was not the right moment.
“Shaa kouva?” He waited until he had her attention once more. “Let us leave this place. Let us return to our rooms. Let me get close to you once more and show you with my body what I hold in my heart.”
Delaney’s red-rimmed eyes remained locked on his, her gaze searching, and he let her see everything. He let her see his banked need and the emotions that lurked just beneath the surface. Those claiming words teased the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them down. Now was not the time.