by Crystal Dawn
Captain of the Guard
Winged Beasts series
Book 1
By Crystal Dawn
2015 Copyright by Crystal Dawn
Cover by Januel Escuedo
Edited by Eagle Editing
This book is strictly the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to person or persons living or dead are just a coincidence. Places or events in the story are either imaginary or used in a fictional manner by the author.
Sergeant at Arms
Prequel Book 0
Winged Beast Series
The males of the planet Draconis lose the planet that supplies their mates to a natural disaster. The females survive, but they have left and spread to the far reaches of the universe. Their eyes turn to Earth. Jarel is sent with five other males to find mates and test the compatibility of Earth females. Their results will determine if their Empire looks to Earth or elsewhere.
Davy is trouble or at least she has trouble following her. It's not her fault, it's all because of her ex-boyfriend who is a criminal and has sent killers after her. She meets Jarel who offers to protect her but she's a little suspicious where men are concerned. Should she trust him, or should she rely only on herself?
Prologue
The Draconist were a race of people that had not evolved in over a millennia, as fate would have it and when they least expected it change was coming. As the captain of the emperor’s royal guard and distant cousin, Romo was anxious but excited to have been selected to test out the compatibility of this previously unknown species. He would be the first aristocrat to find his mate on this new world they had discovered. In keeping with the mating rituals of his ancestors, he would capture and secure her. Once he had her on his home planet, only then would he begin to romance her with the intention that she becomes his mate.
As he looked out the window, he prayed to the goddess of all creation as that blue and white ball grew ever larger, that they would be the saviors of his kind.
The last to come would be the emperor even though he was of mating age and in need of a female to secure his line. If the emperor‘s mating didn’t work out, it would be tragic for all their people so he would wait until there was no doubt that the human females were compatible and that the pairings would be fruitful and happy. Since the emperor came from a long line of rulers that were both fair and beloved, a successful fated mating would give him added strength and help ease the weight of his position. Any ruler would have to walk a tight line between being benevolent and being strong enough to hold in check the rogues on the far side of the planet and the cat shifters that lived on the moon above, so not having his line secure would be a tragedy. He had no time to spare in ensuring his mate was found soon.
Their world shared a solar system with other inhabited planets. They had a close relationship with the ice dragons that lived on the planet farthest from the sun. Their bounty in finding mates would eventually be shared with their brothers who lived there. Not everyone would benefit from their good fortune, the rogues would go without mates now that none were available nearby. It was something the emperor might be able to use to bring peace to the land. To a dragon there was nothing more important than finding his mate. Certainly the petty political difference that kept them up in arms could be gotten around in order to mate.
Bree found that she was annoyed while looking for her cousin Davy who had disappeared from this very casino. Davy was a bit hair brained at times, but she usually kept in touch with the family and had never before just taken off halfcocked like this so Bree suspected foul play. The manager here was acting suspicious and a guy named Romo was suffocating her with his presence. She had thought to complain, but he was some serious eye candy so she let him linger near. Of course the last thought on her mind was getting lucky or developing a relationship since she’d just ended the only one she’d ever had.
Captain of the Guard
Chapter 1
Searching
Bree thought back to the long trip here and decided if Davy wasn’t dead, she would kill her. Okay, maybe not kill her but just would make her suffer unimaginable pain? Romo, that gorgeous lug was breathing down her neck and giving her thoughts, yeah you know the kind. She wanted to climb him like a tree and screw his brains out. OMG! Had she really just thought that? She was after all just human and he was seriously hot. It wasn’t like Bree was a virgin exactly, she’d had one longtime boyfriend and they’d tried out just about anything you could think of but in the end they’d parted ways. It had never been the mad passionate affair that Bree had sought, but Jonny hadn’t been happy to let her go.
She had been with Jonny since second grade, her first boyfriend, but at the end of the relationship all she felt was a sense of loss, and that was of friendship. She’d felt the need, before she’d headed into the great unknown to find her cousin Davy, to deal with the relationship with Jonny. She and Davy were close or they had been before she took that job with the mob. Davy hadn’t known they were criminals but the cops had come to talk to Bree and they had hinted that they were. She had talked to a sweet Lt. Bremmer alone and he had admitted that Davy might be in some terrible trouble. No one else was willing to go look for her and she just couldn’t leave her there all alone and without any help.
If she could help her wayward cousin she would. They didn’t really look like cousins, Bree had brown hair that turned fiery red in the sun and emerald green eyes matched with pale skin. She was tall for a woman at nearly six foot and muscular because she was active and played several sports including basketball on a professional team. Her looks came from the other side of her family and she was a DeGreg, because they were related through their mothers. Bree didn’t let shit bother her most of the time, but the situation with Davy was worrying her. Her family was close, at least she thought it was judging by other families that seemed not nearly so tight but everyone was caught up in their own lives.
Bree arrived at the casino from where her cousin Davy had disappeared. Growing frustrated with every obstacle thrown in her path after seeking assistance from the management of the hotel, she decided she would find Davy on her own and she’d better be alive and unharmed. Looking up, she saw Romo who’d been standing back watching her like a predator assessing prey, moving toward her. It was alright because she could handle that man with no problem.
“Bree, how are things going? Have you won anything yet?” Romo asked flashing a toothy smile at her.
“I’m neither winning nor losing; I’m just holding my place. What about you?”
“Sweet Bree, I’ve won a pretty pile of money and would love to take you out to celebrate?” The look he shot her heated her up inside.
“That would be lovely. Do I need to change?”
The look on his face was hilarious. Clearly he’d expected a rejection but Bree had decided to change her way of doing things. Avoiding Romo hadn’t worked, maybe allowing him to wine and dine her would.
“You look lovely, no need to do anything except take my arm and I will escort you.”
Arm in arm, they walked to the elevator. Bree had a feeling he would show her nothing but the best. This held true when they arrived at the restaurant and were shown to a small intimate table for two without mentioning reservations. As he helped her into her seat she noted he was so much taller than her. It made her feel protected and cared for which was unusual. Sitting across from her, he sent her a look that made her melt. What was it about this man? Sure he was gorgeous, strong, tall, and polite, so what? Other men were that way too and she didn’t fall at their feet. This man was different and she intended to be careful. Bree wondered what had ch
anged over the past week in which Romo had shadowed her but stayed in the background.
A clear mind was needed for her time with Romo because she could tell he was sharp witted so she planned to have only a single drink. They began to talk of friends and family, she mentioned her cousin Davy who he already knew about and she sensed he felt badly for her but had no intention of helping.
“So what does Bree stand for?” he asked.
“Sabrina. What does Romo stand for?”
“It doesn’t stand for anything. It means brave in one of the ancient languages once used in my country. My parents always knew I would be a soldier since I was the second son so they gave me a name to express a trait they hoped I would carry with me.”
“Have you?”
“Have I what?”
“Carried it with you?”
Romo smiled at her and she melted again. Damn that man could really play her. “I would like to think I have. In our country, no one starts as an officer, not even the royal sons. I started at the bottom as a youngster and worked my way up. I am Captain of the Royal Guard and while it’s not general, it is a distinguished position. It’s the highest captain rank achievable and my next promotion will be to major. It will probably be a position away from home. That’s one of the reasons I want a steady female in my life. I’m tired of the life of a single male.”
“I understand what you mean. You want something that is yours, a home to call your own, and a person that supports you.”
“Exactly. My brothers in arms are great, but friends only go so far, my own family to love and care for would mean everything.”
The food came and they both dug in. Romo ordered steak and while it looked delicious, Bree observed healthy habits to keep her body fit so she ordered fish as it was high in protein and full of nutrients
“So you’re looking to settle down.”
“Yes, I wish to find the right female for me. Have you ever considered leaving home?”
Bree thought about it and what her family meant to her. “I’d have to take my family with me,” she said with a smile.
“You have many females in your family?” he asked casually.
“We do tend to have a lot of little girls. I have four sisters and no sign of a brother. I think I missed having a brother to teach me to fight and how to handle guys.”
“I could teach you to fight, but I don’t want you around guys,” he observed quietly. Their eyes met and heat filled her. Something was changing about their relationship and she wasn’t exactly sure what. This man appealed to her in a visceral way and right at that moment she wasn’t sure if she’d act on it or not.
“I always wanted to learn to fight when I was younger. I haven’t thought about it in a while,” she said.
“You can do anything you wish to, Bree. I can see it in your spirit, you were meant for great things.”
It was a lovely compliment and she couldn’t help but smile at him. “Perhaps I’ll take you up on that?”
“I would love it if you did, but not tonight. This night is just for us and our fun.”
“What kind of fun do you have planned?”
“Tell me what it will take to get you into my bed?”
“Hmm, I’m not the easy kind.”
“I knew that the second I saw you. It only made me want you more,” he admitted and his voice rumbled sending thrills through Bree. It made no sense but the man seemed to have a direct line to her desire. There was just something about him that made her feel as if she had always known him. It was silly, really.
“Men are like that sometimes.”
“I’m not usually like that so that means you’re special. Let me get you something for dessert?”
The waitress came over as if she’d been summoned. “Anyone want some dessert?”
“Yes,” Romo said. “Bring us the two most popular dishes to share.”
“Yes, Sir. Coming right up,” she said as she sashayed away.
Romo had a rough scruffy look that Bree would bet money he didn’t usually have and his deep blue eyes made her stomach jump with sexual tension. The man was too sexy and she knew if she stayed close to him she would be caught in his web, so why didn’t she run? Was it because she wanted to see what it would feel like to lie with him? Did she want to feel him sink into her depths until he could go no further? The man was too sexy and she had become too needy, this couldn’t end well.
The desserts came and the waitress set down a cherry cheesecake and a square of tiramisu. Both traditional desserts and both looked wonderful. “Will you share these with me?” Romo asked.
She nodded unable to form a reply and a forkful of cheesecake came her way. The man had an incredibly long reach. There was also something undeniably intimate about being fed by him and maybe that was his intent. The waitress had also brought her a cup of coffee and she sipped some after her cheesecake. “That was very good,” she offered.
Next, a fork of tiramisu came toward her mouth and she leaned forward to get her taste. Again she savored the bite and sipped some coffee afterward. “Did you like that?” he asked.
“Yes, that was also quite good. What did you think of them?” she wondered.
“They are both very sweet,” he replied.
“Dessert is traditionally a sweet treat to finish off a meal. Is it not that way where you come from?” she asked.
“It is generally sweet, but naturally so with fruit or a sweet vegetable often without processing. Too much sweet can be bad for you,” he said.
She knew he was right but there were times sweets added to the joy of the occasion. “These kind of desserts are not eaten by the average person every day. They are a special treat,” she explained.
They finished their dessert and she sipped her coffee. “Would you like to take a walk?” he asked.
“That would be nice. I like to keep active,” she informed.
It was odd that he didn’t pay and she assumed he must run a tab. There wasn’t even a tip left on the table so it must all be added to the bill or the waitresses wouldn’t be so happy to see these guys. Leading her to the elevator, he pressed the button for the first floor. They moved to the main door and he held it open until she walked through. The man was such a gentleman it really amazed her. They were near a lake of some sort. She thought maybe a small manmade one. Ducks swam on the surface and feeders where you could buy a handful of seeds for a quarter were spaced out along one end of the walkway.
She could see shapes swimming in the lake and thought the fish were probably looking around for the seeds the ducks missed. Paddleboats that were for rent could be seen on the other side of the lake. She also saw fishing gear for rent or sale on the other side. Only one side of the lake wasn’t enmeshed in commercialism and that was because it was the side the water was fed in through. Maybe it was a stream cut from a nearby river.
“Would you like to feed the ducks or ride in a boat?” he whispered in her ear. Shaking her head, she continued to walk.
He grabbed her hand squeezing it tight and swinging their joined hands back and forth. She let him since it seemed to make him happy. A path wound around the lake with a bridge crossing the stream that fed into it. It was dusk, so there were few people but there were still a couple boats on the lake. The ducks were floating peacefully and the fish were jumping. They’d just crossed the bridge and were approaching the long side where the boat rentals were and where the forest came close to the lake. It was some kind of state forest and it went on for miles. They started walking near it when Bree felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up.
“We need to leave now,” she insisted.
“I think it may already be too late,” he whispered.
Two big men stepped out of the forest hurrying their way. They stopped before they were close enough to see. “Where’s your cousin Davy at, Ms. DeGrigg?”
“It’s DeGreg!” she replied.
“Whatever. Where’s your cousin at?” the man asked.
“Now may
be you’re not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but surely if you think on this you’ll realize my only reason to come here is to find my cousin. If I’m looking for her, that means I don’t know where she is,” she explained.
“I know you females have your tricks but I’m not falling for them. My boss wants your cousin and I aim to make it so,” he continued. “This is your last warning. We want her and we’ll do whatever it takes to get her.”
The two men who resembled mob muscle out of an old movie disappeared into the woods. “What do you think they’ll do?” Romo asked.
“Nothing good. I’ll probably disappear just like my cousin Davy,” she said.
“I won’t let them get you,” Romo vowed.
“I’m not sure you can stop them,” Bree whispered.
She wasn’t ready to follow Davy into death if that was where she was. Somehow, against all odds, Bree had believed Davy was alive and hiding somewhere. Problem was now she was having some serious doubts. If she was dead, the mob hadn’t killed her or they wouldn’t be searching for her. That left the question of where could she be. Maybe Bree just needed to take the time to enjoy life and what was right under her nose. It made her wonder if Davy had taken the time to enjoy that man she’d met before she’d been killed.
Davy was just too family oriented to leave and never come back. Somewhere there was an answer but if the mob and the cops couldn’t find her why did Bree think she could? Sure they’d been friends all their lives but Davy hadn’t left behind the clues Bree had expected to find. That meant that wherever Davy was, she didn’t want to be followed. In a family that was close and loving, leaving without a personal goodbye was a big thing. Hell, even the cops suspected foul play and thought someone had made her write that goodbye letter.
Here Bree was in a similar situation, bothered by mob guys and with an incredibly handsome man from far away wooing her. Would she leave her world behind to go to the other side of the planet and live among strangers? Probably not and that’s why she didn’t believe Davy would either.