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

by Celia Kyle

  Delaney had only been gone for a short time and yet her mother had been so worried she’d had some work done. Probably so she’d look fresh and young during the next press conference. The one where Delaney’s death was supposed to be announced.

  “I’m sure,” Delaney drawled the word, pretending a confidence and calm she didn’t feel.

  “Now, Delly-girl…”

  The “endearment” stabbed her in the gut, and she fought to appear serene.

  “Mother. Father.” She tipped her head in acknowledgment, hands still pressed hard against her thighs. “As you can see, I’m perfectly fine. The Preor have taken wonderful care of me.”

  Much better care than those two had.

  Her mother clicked her tongue. “You’ve been to medical more than once and I heard one of them even tried to kill you!” She gasped, a hand pressed to her chest. “I could hardly believe it. I know the truth and you can’t lie to me, Delaney Collins Cole. I’m your mother.”

  A trembling that had nothing to do with Delaney and everything to do with Zadri filtered through her and she stroked her mate’s hand. If she wasn’t allowed to snarl and growl at her parents, he couldn’t either.

  “Of course I’m not going to lie to you, mother,” she murmured and ignored her mother’s smug smile. “But I know a truth of my own.”

  The smile faltered the tiniest bit, but the woman who’d given birth to her valiantly pulled the mask into place once more. “What are you talking about sweetheart? Have these people filled your head with lies?”

  Delaney couldn’t help it. She snorted and ignored her parents’ glares.

  She couldn’t ignore her father’s barked order. “Respect!”

  That tone used to fill her with fear. Not fear of physical reprisal, but from the mere idea she’d upset her father. Now, she didn’t care. She had a life that didn’t depend on their approval.

  Taking a calming breath, she forced her hands to relax and the tension in her muscles to ease. They couldn’t hurt her. Not from the planet’s surface. Sure, they’d twisted a desperate Preor’s mind, but he’d been one of many. Many who had voluntarily pledged their loyalty and willingness to meet with a heart master to confirm their dedication to the Preor and all females.

  “I can’t respect anyone who isn’t worthy of it.” She let her attention gradually slide to her mother and then back to her father. She looked for any hint of true emotion from them. For any hint they meant anything they’d said from the moment they entered that conference room. She found nothing. “I can’t respect you two. Ever.”

  “Delaney Collins—“

  “Now, Delly-girl…”

  Delaney shook her head trying to quiet them before they got started. “No.”

  But they didn’t listen. Their voices raised, her mother berating her for her actions while her father wheedled and pretended to care. Delaney opened her mouth once more, ready to quiet them, but Zadri beat her to it.

  “Enough!” His shout boomed echoed in the small room and boomed through the comm speakers on Earth. So loud that it silenced her parents and she didn’t miss Liquid’s grin.

  “Well, I never,” her mother huffed. No, her mother hadn’t ever been shut down so quickly.

  “You’re at PCST for one reason and one reason only.” Delaney was proud her voice hadn’t wavered even while she fought to breathe.

  “Are you ready to come home, sweetheart?” Her mother fluttered her lashes, that feigned caring back in place.

  “No. I won’t ever return to your home and after today, we’ll never speak again.”

  Her mother gasped. “Winston! Did you hear what these people made her say?”

  “No one made me say anything, Miranda.” Screw it. It was Delaney’s turn to snarl.

  “I am your mother.”

  “That’s not under debate. Actually,” Delaney shook her head, “none of this is up for debate. I’m telling you. I will never return to you. I will never speak to you again. You don’t exist to me.”

  “Or the Preor,” Zadri’s rumbled words immediately followed hers.

  “Or the Preor,” Taulan echoed her mate.

  “Or the Preor,” Kozav’s voice joined, the teal warrior stepping into view. “Acknowledged.” The male jerked his head in a quick nod before addressing Liquid. “The Coles are not friends of the Preor.”

  “What…” her mother frowned. Or would have frowned if her recent procedure hadn’t tightened things quite so much.

  “Now, just a minute…” her father blustered. “There’s no reason to—“

  Delaney frowned, not really understanding why not being a friend of the Preor was a big deal, and the Knowing rushed to provide the answer. If someone wasn’t a friend of the Preor, they were an enemy and the Preor destroyed their enemies. Wholly. Completely. Without remorse.

  “There is every reason.” Her mate’s wings rustled, emotion overtaking him. “You promised payment to a Preor for killing your dragonlet. Killing or,” he curled his lip, “returning her to your care.”

  “We wouldn’t—“

  “Ooh! My turn!” Liquid straightened and wiggled in her seat, a wide smile gracing her face. “Because, thing about it is, ya did.” The woman winked at the comm screen and then tapped a few buttons. A line appeared on the vid, one half still showing the conference room while the other displayed the Cole Pharma logo. “And if I go here, here, annnddd, here.” The woman clicked and navigated through the company systems. “You can see a recording of your convo with Luzan.”

  Her father’s face turned red. “It’s illegal to—“

  “Iii-mmuuu-nityyy,” Liquid sing-songed the word and continued to dig through Cole Pharma documents. “Immunity comes with being a friend of the Preor.” Liquid tipped her head back to stare at Delaney’s parents. “You know, unlike you.”

  Liquid returned her focus to her task. “And, in the spirit of Preor-friendship-dom and the joy of immunity, I did some digging.” Screen after screen whipped across the comm display. “And wanna know what I found?” She tapped the console once, twice, and… “I found this.”

  Her mother screeched.

  Her father bellowed.

  And Delaney? Delaney read the words revealed by Liquid. Specifically, the ones that showed her parents weren’t the owners of Cole Pharma. That position was maintained by one, single person—Delaney Collins Cole.

  “You…” she whispered and looked to her parents. “You kept me prisoner.”

  “We nev—“ Her mother tried to speak, but Delaney ignored her.

  “You kept me locked away in that shell of a home. You kept me under lock and key with security surrounding me every moment of every day.”

  “Now, Delly—“ Her father even tried, but she ignored him, too.

  “You kept me out of the public’s eye and away from any hint of current events so I wouldn’t find out.” Her heartbeat raced, picking up speed with every word. “You didn’t let me attend my grandfather’s funeral because I might have discovered the terms of his will. That’s why, isn’t it?” Neither of them said a word. “Isn’t. It?”

  “You’re not equipped—“

  If she heard those words from his lips again, she’d have Zadri rip them off. “I’m better equipped than you.” She glared at her father. “I’m not a lying, cheating, murderous asshole.”

  “You little bitch,” her father hissed, leaning forward and past Liquid. “You ungrateful, spiteful little—“

  “Tsk. Tsk.” Liquid clucked her tongue. “It’s not nice to call people names.”

  Her father jerked back and turned his snarl on Liquid, raising his hand at the same time as if he’d strike her. And Liquid didn’t flinch. No, she smiled at him, at the man who’d happily punch her in the face.

  Mainly because a large hand wrapped around her father’s wrist before he could make another move. Kozav stood there, teal scales sliding over his tanned flesh and tight hold keeping her father from moving.

  “That was a mistake. Wanna know why?
” Liquid batted her eyelashes, but her father remained silent. Even her mother kept her mouth closed. “The Preor are physical. They’ll beat you—sometimes kill you—for hurting a female. But on Earth, when it comes to humans, they depend on me to handle things.”

  Her parents both frowned, a hint of wariness entering her father’s expression.

  “I,” she tapped the comm panel, “will,” she prodded it again, “destroy,” once more, “you.” A final tap and she sat back with a soft sigh. “Now, you two are penniless.”

  A jolt of happiness zinged through Delaney, the feeling immediately followed by a wave of guilt. Were they bad people? Yes. But… they were still her parents and…

  But they’d tried to bribe someone to kill her.

  But they were her parents and kids were supposed to love their parents, right? Kids weren’t supposed to be happy when everything was stripped away from their parents. Kids weren’t…

  “Zadri.” Whelon’s urgent whisper cut through the silence. Her blood pressure must have sky-rocketed if the healing master was interrupting.

  Zadri lowered himself to a crouch, nearly kneeling at her side. “Shaa kouva…”

  Delaney slowly turned her attention to her mate, ripping it away from the two people who’d caused her so much pain in her life. The two people who’d nearly ended her life.

  His gaze caressed her face, his eyes sliding over her for a moment before he focused on someone just past her. He jerked his head in a quick nod. Giving someone permission to… what?

  Then Taulan was there, reaching past her, fingers hovering over the comm panel. “See it finished, Primary Warrior Kozav.”

  Then a single tap silenced the room, ending the transmission between the battleship and the chaos down below. Chaos she’d never have to be a part of ever again.

  Because of Zadri.

  24

  Zadri’s mate had kept herself hidden away in their quarters for two days after the confrontation with her dam and sire. War Mistress Lana informed him Delaney was simply “licking her wounds” and he should not worry overmuch. He’d decided worrying a little much was acceptable and he’d stayed at her side every moment of those two days.

  Then Taulan required his assistance and—regardless of his objection—Delaney had sent him off to attend to his duties. Which he did, after extracting a promise from his mate. She would remain safe.

  In his mind, remaining safe meant not leaving their quarters. He would be more specific next time.

  Zadri also decided he would use a security shield to contain his mate in their quarters. Or physical restraints to ensure she remained in place.

  Perhaps both.

  Perhaps more. He would consult with Whelon and the ship to determine the best way to limit his mate’s wanderings without harming her or their dragonlet.

  “Ship,” he sighed, “locate Delaney.”

  He’d asked the ship for her location so many times since Luzan’s attempted abduction that he wondered if the ship would sigh if it was able. Maybe he would simply tie Delaney to himself. Then he would always know her location.

  “Delaney is located in medical with Healing Master Whelon and Primary Healer Yazen.”

  Zadri stopped listening to the ship the moment his mind processed the word “medical.” His breath caught, muscles tensing, and then he bolted down the corridor.

  “Make a hole!” He roared the words, demanding the warriors jump to do his bidding.

  And they did. They leapt into doorways, disappeared into rooms and clung to the wall as he raced past. His boots thudded on the metal grating, the ground vibrating beneath his pounding footsteps. The wind whipped at his hair and skated over his wings so quickly it whistled. His dragon urged him on, demanding he move faster. It recalled the few times Delaney had entered Preor medical. From her first visit on Earth to her last on the ship after Luzan’s attack. It recalled each and every cut, scrape and bruise.

  It would never let him forget a single one.

  He sprinted past Taulan and Kozav, ignoring the males as they called out to him. He would apologize—and take any punishment for failing to stop when ordered—later. Now, he needed to be at Delaney’s side.

  Panic spurred him on, worry suffusing his blood and overtaking any hint of logic. He merely knew Delaney was in medical. His bearing mate was in medical.

  By the skies, let her be well.

  But she had to be injured or in need if she’d stepped through medical’s doors. She or the dragonlet required a healer.

  Bile surged up his throat and he swallowed it back down, refusing to disgrace himself in such a way. He could become sick later—in private.

  Zadri rounded another corner, pushing his body to move faster, run harder toward his destination. He snarled at the males in the hall and they jumped aside as well.

  Though perhaps his snarl was a roar.

  Soon medical’s doors were in sight, the metal barriers separating him from his mate, and part of him wanted to run in the opposite direction. He did not wish to know what brought his mate to medical. Not if whatever ailed her meant he would lose her. And for her to go to Whelon without him, her illness had to be dire. She would be dying on the other side of those doors. Dying when he’d just been gifted a mate.

  To gain and lose her in such a short time…

  The doors parted without his prompting to reveal Yazen, the red Preor blocking the entrance with spread, red wings.

  No. Her sickness was so bad, a warrior sought to keep him from his mate.

  “Yazen,” he rasped and listed right, catching himself on the slick wall. “She has…”

  The male rolled his eyes. “When she waddled into medical without you, I informed her you should be summoned, but she did not wish to ‘interrupt your day.’”

  “She waddled—walked?” Zadri knew Delaney did not like being compared to an Earth duck… even if she walked like one. “Into medical? Unassisted?”

  “She is well.”

  He pushed away from the wall, eyes focused on Yazen. He sought any hint of subterfuge in the male’s gaze and found none. He spoke the truth.

  “Then why is she—“

  A laugh—giggle—filled with pure joy filled his ears. Not from Yazen, though the male did give him a smug smile, but from his mate. He pushed past the primary healing warrior and moved deeper into medical. He sought the source of that laugh, striding across the space until he reached a small area separated by a dangling curtain. Kozav’s mate, Grace, had demanded walls and a door for human privacy, but temporarily settled for a curtain.

  A simple, thin piece of cloth hid his amused mate from him.

  Then another sound reached out for him, a speeding whoosh. It was a rapid, regular beat similar to a human’s heart but so, so much faster. He did not imagine it came from Delaney—she would not be so joyous with a pulse that quick.

  Yet she laughed once more.

  The rapid tempo continued, occasionally softening in volume only to surge again. It sustained that transition, a fluctuating volume that had him frowning despite his mate’s obvious joy.

  “It’s… Oh, God, it’s…”

  Zadri too wanted to enjoy whatever put that level of happiness in his mate’s voice. He nudged the curtain aside and eased into the loosely confined space, his gaze first going to Whelon and then a beaming Carla. Their twin smiles allowed the knot in Zadri’s stomach to ease and then he turned his attention to Delaney.

  Delaney was lying happily on a medical platform, the roundness of her stomach exposed, her flesh coated in a glistening gel. Carla held a small device to his mate’s belly, gradually sliding it over her flesh.

  “Shaa kouva?” He padded to his mate. Now that he’d assured himself she was well, he allowed himself to become annoyed. “You were not—“

  Delaney grasped his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Listen,” she whispered.

  “I am listening. It is time you listened.”

  “No,” she shook her head. “Listen. That’s the heart
beat.”

  He found himself frowning once more. “Heart… beat…?”

  “Of your dragonlet,” Whelon interjected.

  Zadri turned his attention to Delaney’s stomach, where their dragonlet rested until its presentation. “It is… well?”

  “Yup,” Carla slid the device over the large mound. “She’s comfy cozy in there. Measurements and pulse are good. Development is right on schedule.”

  “She…” he whispered and swallowed hard. “He is a she?” He returned his gaze to his mate. “Shaa kouva?”

  “It’s a girl.” She squeezed his hand. “We’re having a little girl.”

  A female. A girl. Zadri sen Syh had a mate and would soon have a female dragonlet of his own. Emotion overwhelmed him, washing over him in a tumultuous wave of joy and thanks. He thanked the skies for their gift—for Delaney and their offspring. The joy… it was unimaginable. It suffused every inch of his body, overtaking and burning away any past hurts that lingered in his mind.

  The past was just that—past.

  He was no longer sen Syh. He was now joi Delaney Cole, sire to…

  “Lilet,” he whispered the name he’d only ever dreamed of. The name he wished to someday call his female dragonlet should the skies bless him.

  “Lilet?” Delaney whispered.

  “It is a name I… When I dreamt…”

  “Lilet den Cole.” She squeezed his hand, her palm resting atop his, and gave him a small smile. “It’s beautiful.”

  “You are beautiful, shaa kouva.” He tucked her hair behind her ear. “More beautiful than the skies.” Her face flushed pink. He knew he’d embarrassed her with his compliment, yet he did not care. She was the most beautiful female to ever walk the Earth or fly through the skies. He leaned down and brushed a kiss across her forehead. “And more precious than the wind.”

  A soft stirring of air and a quiet brush of fabric told him that Whelon and Carla gave them privacy. As much privacy as a curtain could provide.

  He would urge Taulan to build walls and a door for medical. Strongly.

  For now, he had words he wished to say. Words that he had delayed while searching for the proper time to repeat them.