Sekari bellowed with rage and lashed the air with his wings, and his men massed around him like gathering storm clouds. Maybe twenty of them were still battle-worthy, with only four of Kodran’s men left in the fight.
There were snarls and bellows of pain from below as a grounded Draell was attacked by Vulfans in their wolf forms. Others must still be humanoid, because laser blasts still cut through the battle. A stray shot punched a cigarette-burn hole in the membrane of Kodran’s wing. As he tilted in mid-air, Sekari barrelled into him from the side, knocking the breath from him in a long, black-edged plume of flame.
As the world tilted on its axis, he saw one of his lieutenants plummeting towards the ground, body a dead weight, tail and serpentine neck trailing limply. He didn’t see if he managed to spread his wings before he hit.
His men were hurt, tired, badly outnumbered. Kodran would not surrender – no honourable Draell ever would – but he spared a moment of regret for the fact that he would never see Rosamund’s face again. Never spar with her, watch the fire spark in her eyes, then see her soften as she forgave him for his insolence and came to his arms.
Then thunder split the sky – the roars of fifty of his clan, swooping in from all sides like an oncoming storm. The air was filled with scales and talons. His people had found them.
The battle was brief and bloody. Ten of Sekari’s men were slaughtered, standing no chance against the overwhelming weight of numbers. Sekari flamed desperately, looking around for escape, but he was surrounded by ferocious Draell warriors loyal to their leader. Panicked, he plunged towards the ground, losing height too fast, crash-landing with a bone-jarring impact. His wings flapped limply.
Kodran swept down after him.
Sekari shifted back into humanoid form. The transformation was clumsy and too quick, and he gasped with pain as the last of his scales receded. “We surrender!” he gabbled. “Under Federation rules, if we surrender in good faith, you cannot harm us!”
This coward called himself Lord High Commander of the Draell,
Kodran looked contemptuously at the man’s pallid skin, his narrow chest, which rose and fell with exertion, and the slight pooch of his belly. He met his gaze for a moment, then spat on the ground between them and turned away. The ultimate insult. My back to show you are no threat. Water instead of flame.
Chapter Eighteen
The delegate from the Draell delegation was named Cranog. Cranog was a tiger shifter with tufted ears and yellow eyes. He sat in the conference room in the Draell’s meeting house, and his men lined the wall behind him. Their expressions were as grim as their stiff grey uniforms with sharp, asymmetrical collars angling up to the right.
Sekari glared at Kodran with an expression of glittering hatred. Kodran sat next to Rosamund, hand over hers. Nelka, Ferenc and Lina sat with them as well. The Vulfans had already given their recorded statements, and were now headed back home to bury their dead.
“We have evaluated all of your statements.” Cranog’s voice was a harsh, emotionless monotone. “We have made our findings and reached our decision.”
Rosamund shuddered, and Kodran squeezed her hand.
“I told you what happened,” Sekari spat at Cranog. “Why is this man not yet in chains?” He jerked his head at Kodran.
Cranog slowly fixed his gaze on Sekari. “You told us what happened. You claimed that these men attacked you without provocation and you defended yourself. You lied.”
Sekari reared back, and scales covered his skin. “You dare?” he snarled, and smoke streamed from his nostrils.
“We do. After you contacted us, we tapped into the Draell’s security feed and observed what really happened outside their caverns.”
That took Sekari aback for a moment. Then he recovered – or tried to. “The feed could be faked!” he blustered.
“It could, although it is highly unlikely that they would be able to fake a live feed that quickly and at such high quality. However, we also did a forensic examination of the fight scene, and of the survivors. What we found did not match the story you told. It matched what we were told by the Vulfans and by the Draell.”
“I see they’ve bribed you to cover for them,” Sekari snarled. “I don’t have to put up with this.” He made as if to leap to his feet, but several of Cranog’s men hurried over and pushed him back into his seat.
“Please add false accusation of a Level 3 Federation Official to the list of charges,” Cranog noted to one of his men, who was taking notes with a stylus on a shiny black tablet. The man nodded and tapped the tablet several times.
“Charges?” Sekari choked with fury.
Sekari glanced at his surviving clan members, who were huddled together at the back of the room. They looked back at him with mingled rage and sullen despair. There weren’t enough of them; they would not be able to take on all the Federation officials in the room.
“We have not gotten to the Draell-nar,” Cranog said. “You hid their existence from the Federation and from most of your people. You exploited them and underpaid them.”
“They signed an agreement to work for our clan! We provided them with the equipment to make their livelihood!”
“You mean your ancestors forced an agreement on them, many generations ago. The agreement would not be approved by the Federation if it were submitted today. You paid them starvation wages guaranteed to keep them indentured to you, and overcharged them outrageously for food and oxygen and supplies so their children’s children would still be indebted to you.”
Sekari sniffed haughtily. “If they wish to be released from their agreement, we will do so. We are a benevolent and generous clan.”
Cranog ignored him. “And furthermore, you lied to us about the presence of cyborgs in order to wipe out the Draell-nar and hide your crimes against them.”
“There are cyborgs!” Sekari screamed. “If you didn’t find them, then Kodran’s clan is hiding them!”
“We searched the entire planet. We found not a trace of them.”
“Then they fled before you arrived! I am being framed!”
“We searched the surrounding area,” Cranog shrugged. “We saw no cyborg ships.”
Sekari was shaking with rage.
“Then they used a cloaking device!”
Rosamund thought she saw a flicker on Cranog’s brow when Sekari said that. As if Cranog knew, but wouldn’t acknowledge it. Perhaps he knew about the soldier-cyborgs. That would be a hard secret to keep entirely under wraps.
“You always have an excuse, don’t you? You will be returned to Federation Prime, to stand trial for your crimes.”
Cranog’s men pointed silvery wands at Sekari and his crew, and silvery nets shot out from the wands, sucking tight around their targets. The wands must have been designed to block Draell’s ability to shift, because the scales vanished from their skin.
Several men descended on each of Sekari’s crew, and Sekari himself, and began dragging them from the room.
“I am the Lord High Commander of the Draell! Unhand me! Unhand me! I will have you all executed!” he screamed, his voice high-pitched and terrified.
His wails were so loud they heard them all the way from the hallway as he was dragged from the building.
Rosamund let out a breath that she hadn’t even realized she was holding.
Kodran favored her with an enormous, beaming smile.
“At last,” he said. “We can schedule the mating ceremony. Next week”
Rosamund smiled at him…but she shook her head. “Not so fast,” she said.
“Not?” Kodran looked dismayed.
“I just have one condition.”
Chapter Nineteen
One Earth month later…
It had been hard for Kodran to delay the ceremony until Talia and Lukan were ready to visit, but Rosamund had insisted.
“Of course you’d end up with a dragon,” Talia teased, as they reclined on a padded couch in the gardens behind Kodran’s home. They were sitting on a grouping
of chairs around a round stone table, on a beautiful spring day.
“Draell,” Kodran corrected her. “Humans only invented the name dragon as a corruption of the word Draell.”
“Sure, sure.” Talia waved a hand at him dismissively as her mate Lukan poured her another glass of wine. She took a long, appreciative sip. “Whatever you are, you make excellent wine. I’m jealous, Rosamund. I’ll have to visit you a lot.”
“We will give you the recipe, and some cuttings from the dleebafruit berry trees,” Kodran said graciously. “But of course you must also visit frequently, because it will make my mate happy.” He winked at Rosamund, who leaned against him with a sigh of contentment.
The mating ceremony had just concluded, and the entire Draell clan was celebrating with an enormous party.
Soon, Kodran would fly Rosamund off to their honeymoon cabin, where they would spend the next ten solar circles in sensual bliss. But for right now, Rosamund was enjoying the company of her friends and her new clanmates.
And she was also cuddling Verona, one of Talia’s twins, while Nelka was cradling Laruk, the other twin, with a dreamy expression, and shooting looks at her own daughter, Lina. Verona and Laruk had tiny, pointed little ears with tufts of fur on the ends, and they made adorable squeaking noises.
“Stop looking at me like that,” Lina griped. “I will mate when I chose to mate. Besides, it’s Rosamund’s turn first. She will give you grandlings so you can stop nagging me every waking moment of my life.”
“By the way,” Rosamund added, “I have to thank you for helping to ensure the mating ceremony took place.”
Lina flashed her a blinding, innocent smile. “Oh, you mean helping with the preparations and the dress fitting? My pleasure.”
“No, I mean I know who sabotaged the FTL drive and ensured that I would have to stay here,” Rosamund said. “Someone who works in the clan’s engineering corps. Someone with a vested interest in me staying here and getting mated.”
“Goodness, who could that be?” Lina smiled sweetly. “Please let me know when you figure it out.”
“I will do that,” Rosamund said.
Kodran flashed his sister a look. “Did you really…”
“Did I forget that I needed to get some more dleebafruit pastry? Yes, I did, and I am starving, thanks for reminding me.” Lina shot out of her chair and vanished into the crowd.
Kodran watched her go with a thoughtful look on his face.
“Interesting,” he said. “But it makes perfect sense. Nobody else would have had motive, ability and opportunity to get at the FTL Drive. I cannot be angry with her, of course.” He smiled fondly at Rosamund.
“Me either,” Rosamund admitted.
Talia leaned over to take her baby back, and Rosamund reluctantly surrendered her.
“Don’t worry,” Talia assured her, “You’ll be following in my footsteps soon.”
“I certainly hope so.” Rosamund stroked Verona’s thick, curly brown hair.
“I know so.” Talia flashed her a confident grin. “And I’m always right.”
“Of course you are,” Rosamund said, giving her a skeptical look. Then she pointed across the lawn. “By the way, thanks for bringing Mar-ee and Far=ex.” The two serv-bots were moving through the crowd, carrying trays of drinks even though they were guests. Dot-R was following them, carrying a tray of appetizers. Serv-bots just couldn’t help it; it was in their programming.
“Are you kidding? Like I could have stopped them. I’m just glad that Dot-R wants to come back home to Ilyria. Her parental units were driving me crazy worrying about her.”
Kodran threw a brawny arm over Rosamund’s shoulder, and she settled against him with a smile. Everything was working out beautifully.
Prenzal and Feodora had already had their mating ceremony a couple of weeks earlier, and he was a doting and attentive step-parent to Feodora’s daughter. The Draell-nar were now living with Kodran’s clan, working side by side to build up the new colony.
And Rosamund had plans to introduce her sister to the Starcrossed Dating Agency on Ilyria. She had high hopes of fixing her sister up with an alien mate of her own.
She glanced over at Kodran. “By the way, we need to take a little break from the festivities,” she informed him.
“We do?”
“Yes, we do. It’s…traditional.” She winked at him.
“Oh, I see.” A grin spread across his handsome face.
“We’ll be back in half an hour,” Rosamund added, standing up.
“An hour,” Kodran corrected her, and his grin widened.
Rosamund blushed. “Ahem. You all enjoy yourselves. Kodran and I need to…talk.”
Talia stood up as Kodran and Rosamund started to walk away, and hurried after them.
“I just wanted to be the first to say, congratulations,” she said.
Rosamund looked surprised. “But you already congratulated me on the mating. And you brought a wedding gift.”
“I know. That’s not why I’m congratulating you.” Talia grabbed Rosamund’s hand and guided it up to her temple. “I just noticed it in the light. Just now.”
Kodran leaned closer, and his face lit up. “Yes. Oh, my. Yes!”
Rosamund stroked her forehead. “It feels…scaly. I have scales.” Awareness dawned on her, and overwhelmed her.
“That means you’re turning Draell. There can only be one reason you’re turning Draell,” Talia said.
“I’m…expecting?” Rosamund lit up with joy.
But she was talking to Talia’s retreating back as Talia rushed to tell her mate the happy news.
Nelka looked over at them and quickly handed Laruk to his father.
“Did she have to tell them now?” Kodran grumbled. “We will never be able to get away to have our little…talk!”
“It’s all right,” Rosamund said, beaming with joy.
Kodran stopped pouting and put his hand on her belly, and he smiled too.
“We have plenty of time to…talk,” Rosamund assured him. “We’ve got our whole lives.”
THE END
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About the Author
Hello, I am Georgette St. Clair, writer of hot, sexy romances which star all Alpha heroes, all the time. The road to love may be rocky and fraught with peril, (and humor and scorchtastic sex and healthy heapings of snark) but my shifters will stop at nothing to claim their fated mate.
A little about me: I live in Florida. My checkered career involved stints as a newspaper reporter, EMT, internet marketer, cocktail waitress, temp, nurse’s aide (but not all at the same time...)
Now I’m living my perfect life, spending my days in a fantasy universe where I nudge my smart-mouthed, take-no-guff heroines onto the path that will set them on a collision course with true love.
Check out my website for a complete list of titles and what’s coming soon. Or connect with me on Facebook.
Also by Georgette St. Clair
The Mating Game Series:
The Mating Game: Big Bad Wolf (The Mating Game Book 1)
Dating a Dragon (The Mating Game Book 2)
Shifters of Silver Peak series:
Mate Marked: Shifters of Silver Peak
Shifters of Silver Peak: Mate for a Month
Shifters of Silver Peak: A Very Shifty Christmas
Bridenapped Series:
Bridenapped: The Alpha Chronicles
Bridenapped: The Alpha’s Choice
Shifters, Inc Series:
The Alpha Meets His Match (A paranormal romance) (Shifters, Inc. Book 1)
His Purrfect Mate (A Shifter Romance) (Shifters, Inc. Book 2)
Pixie the Lion Tamer (Shifters, Inc. Book 3)
Shifters, Inc. The Be
ar Who Loved Me (A BBW Paranormal Romance)
Spotting His Leopard (Shifters, Inc.)
Blue Moon Junction Series:
Blue Moon Shifters: The Alpha Claims a Mate (A BBW Paranormal Romance) (Blue Moon Junction Book 1)
Blue Moon Shifters: The Bobcat’s Tale (A BBW Paranormal Romance) (Blue Moon Junction Book 2)
Blue Moon Shifters: Hard to Bear (A BBW Paranormal Romance) (Blue Moon Junction Book 3)
Blue Moon Shifters: My Heart Laid Bear (A BBW Paranormal Romance) (Blue Moon Junction Book 4)
Timber Valley Pack Series:
Bride of the Alpha (A BBW Paranormal Romance) (Timber Valley Pack Book 1)
Purr for the Alpha (A Paranormal Romance) (Timber Valley Pack Book 2)
Hard as Steele (A BBW Paranormal Romance) (Timber Valley Pack Book 3)
Timber Valley Pack: Lynx on the Loose (A Paranormal Romance with Shifters)
Taken by the Alpha (Timber Valley Pack Book 5)
The Alpha Won’t Be Denied (Timber Valley Pack Book 6)
Standalone titles:
Grayslake: More than Mated: Grayslake: Furrever Yours (Kindle Worlds Novella)
Badlands: The Lion’s Den
The Dragon Claims His Treasure (Starcrossed Dating Agency) Page 12