by S. E. Smith
“I do not know what to do, Kelan.” Zoran began as he grabbed the bottle away from Kelan and poured himself a tall glass of wine. Kelan sort of heard what his brother was saying, something about fading away…blah, blah, blah. It was too much for his sodden brain to really absorb. Kelan frowned, wasn’t he supposed to do something to his older brother? Oh yeah, I was supposed to kill him, Kelan thought with a wobbly smirk. Kelan reached for another bottle since Zoran had taken his. He would kill him later. It took to much energy to do it right now. Kelan poured some more wine in his cup and a little on the table. Shrugging his shoulders, he focused on trying to connect his cup with his mouth.
“I am ready to take them all back!” Kelan slurred out slowly.
He frowned. No, he wasn’t ready to take them all back. He was going to keep the one called Trisha. She was his. He just needed to show her. Now, the other ones he would take back in a heartbeat, especially Trelon’s mate. No, he frowned again, not Trelon’s mate. Trelon needed her. He would take the other two back. But if he did that then his mate and Trelon’s mate would want to go back so he couldn’t take them back either. Kelan felt a groan escape him. Damn, he was going to have to keep them too, he thought in despair. His warship and his men would never make it home in one piece. Kelan raised a blurry-eyed glare at Zoran. It was all Zoran’s fault!
“I have had it with her…them. They are bossy, opinionated, stubborn…” Kelan hiccupped in the middle of his accusation, “…beautiful and too damn sexy.”
Zoran frowned down at Kelan. He had never seen his brother lose control like this in all the years they were together. Before Zoran could think of a reply, Trelon came in growling and muttering under his breath.
“I need a drink.” Trelon said casting a look that sent daggers at Zoran. Trelon grabbed the bottle of wine Kelan had just pulled towards him and drank deeply from it before he pointed a finger at Zoran and let loose all his pent-up hostilities towards him.
Wiping a hand across his mouth, he growled, “I’m going to kill me a tiny human female with red and purple hair. I’m going to rip her apart, burn her to ash, and then put her back together again so I can do it over and over until she begs for mercy.”
It took everything inside Kelan not to join Trelon when Zoran had the nerve to ask, “What is wrong?” He could have given Zoran a list that would have lasted to the next century. What was wrong was he was hornier than hell and except for using his own hand, he wasn’t getting any! His dragon was ready to take him over and destroy the ship if that was what it took to get to his mate, his symbiosis was sending him erotic images of Trisha in the cleansing room bathing, and he was stuck beating the shit out of the greenhorns on board the ship since his own older brother was too tied up with his mate to take the beating he deserved! Then, to top it off, he was too damn drunk to beat the shit out of Zoran when he finally had the nerve to make an appearance. Life was not fair and it was beginning to piss him off royally, self-discipline be damned. He wanted his mate!
“Wrong? Wrong, he asks.” Trelon growled pointing the bottle at Zoran. “I’ll tell you what is wrong. You landed on a damn planet of females who would drive any male to distraction then act like it is the male’s fault! No, you couldn’t land on a planet where our symbiosis would want to kill the female and our dragon would find them repulsive. No, you had to land on a planet where my symbiosis is so infatuated with the female it does every damn thing she asks regardless of what I say and my dragon is so horny it is about ready to disembowel me if I don’t claim her before another male does, only I can’t catch her long enough to do so.”
“You too?” Kelan slurred before giving Trelon a blurry-eyed frown. There was two of him. When did Trelon clone himself? Kelan thought in confusion. “My female refuses to even acknowledge me as a male. All she does is quote her name, rank, and some awful number I can’t remember. She insists I take her home. My symbiosis is sleeping with her like it is her new pet sending me images of her stroking and scratching it and talking nonsense while me and my dragon get to suffer.” Kelan grunted as his head fell forward. He probably shouldn’t have drunk that last bottle of wine. “She even said if I wanted to stay in my dragon form she would scratch my belly but she wouldn’t touch me with a ten foot pole.” Kelan’s dragon liked that idea a lot at the time and was still mad at Kelan for refusing to shift.
Kelan wondered distractedly if all human females were this annoying. If so, the men of that planet could have them. Well, not all of them. At least, not Zoran, Trelon, and his mates but they could have the rest. He was of the mind to ban any knowledge of their planet in case some other poor unsuspecting male should find it; although, he might could send the Curizans there. That would serve them right. No, Kelan thought dismally again. Creon liked Ha’ven who was the leader of the Curizans. Dammit, life was so unfair!
Kelan listened as Trelon told Zoran about the other two females he had under guard. Kelan was in no mood to deal with any more of their shenanigans. They caused enough damage to last him a century or more. He was quite happy leaving them locked up in their living quarters until they reached Valdier. Then, he would turn them over to Zoran and let him deal with them.
“Why are your females not under guard?” Zoran asked as he finished off his drink and reached for another bottle of wine.
“The one named Trisha is under guard, in my cabin.” Kelan slurred. “Unfortunately, I can’t get in because she has my symbiosis attack me and drag me out every time I try to enter. Wait until I get her home. I am going to send my symbiosis to play and as soon as it is gone, bam, she is mine!” Kelan giggled at the thought of finally having the female defenseless. Okay, he was done. Commanders of a Valdier warship did not giggle. It was time to call a quiet retreat to the commander’s conference room which was his current residence. He was going to have one hell of a hangover when they reached the planet tomorrow since he didn’t have his symbiosis to help him and he was too damn proud to ask the healer for medication. No, life wasn’t just unfair; it was down-right shitty at times. That thought was confirmed when Zoran announced he was going to have Mandra set up a dinner to introduce all the women to their world.
“Oh joy, we get to be humiliated in front of everyone.” Kelan said sourly before he hauled his drunken ass out of the chair while he could still walk and made his way to his lonely, new living quarters off the bridge. He was getting awfully tired of sleeping on the couch.
Chapter 7
Trisha looked on in stony silence as Kelan ordered the men to prepare the transporter for the next group to beam down to the planet. She saw only brief glimpses of him over the past two weeks during the travel from Earth to Valdier. She didn’t understand how they could have traveled such great distances. She got vague impressions from Bio about the symbioses and crystals bending and displacing space at intervals. She would need a lot longer to completely understand what it was trying to show her. Trisha spent most of the time alone trying to figure out how to get back home and how to get a certain irritating alien out of her mind.
It didn't help that she was now having very erotic dreams of him. Trisha glanced down to see Bio looking up at her in innocence. Innocence, my ass. Trisha thought with a raised eyebrow. More like sabotage. She suspected Bio was not only playing with Kelan's mind but her own. Bio snickered and looked back at Kelan with a large yawn showing teeth that looked like daggers. Kelan was doing a good job of sending daggers at Bio. It was the looks he was sending to Trisha that worried her. He looked like he was ready to pounce on her again, only this time she didn't think he was planning on stopping. Trisha was slightly embarrassed about how she reacted to him when he tried to grab her. She was used to seeing the shape of his pupils change as his dragon, she finally accepted he could shift after the numerous images Bio sent her in her dreams, but was startled when she saw the rippling of scales and the slight change to his face. It was probably for the best, she kept telling herself. She didn't want to develop feelings for Kelan. It would make it harder to stay focused
on going home. Home, Trisha thought looking around at all the men, symbioses, and equipment. It was beginning to seem more like a dream than the reality of who she was.
Trisha glanced over at where Ariel and Carmen were standing under guard. Ariel glanced back and rolled her eyes. Carmen just bared her teeth at any of the men who looked at her. Trelon, she was finally able to put a face with a name, was trying to catch Cara. Good luck with that one, Trisha couldn't help but smirk as she watched Cara flit out of Trelon's reach time and time again. Trisha looked up when the door opened again and Abby and her guy, Zoran, came into the room. Abby looked shocked to see them. Trisha watched as she turned to Zoran and spoke to him rapidly. Whatever he said didn't seem to make her very happy. Welcome to the club, Trisha thought sarcastically. That wasn't nice, Trisha chided herself, look at all the good things that have come from being kidnapped! She was as good as new, she had traveled to the stars, she now knew the answer as to if they were alone in the universe. The only thing missing from making this perfect was having her dad with her. Then she could enjoy everything that was happening without feeling guilty about what her dad must be going through since her disappearance.
Trisha started when Kelan called out to her. He motioned for her to step up onto the platform. Trisha's hand went to her stomach to calm the horde of butterflies that were fluttering inside her. Bio seemed to sense Trisha's unease as she stood up and rubbed against Trisha's leg. Trisha smiled down at Bio and gently ran her hand over the large, golden head. She looked back up and stared into Kelan's eyes. She saw his lips curve in a gentle, understanding smile. It was like he knew she was scared but didn't want to show it. Her own lips curved in an answering smile. When he reached out his hand in support, Trisha couldn't deny him. She placed her much smaller palm against his and let him draw her up onto the platform.
It took a while but Kelan thought he finally understood what he needed to do with Trisha. Zoran explained about some of the issues he was having with his own mate's fear of being abandoned in a new world where everything was so different. Kelan also listened to what Abby said about the differences between human mating and Valdier mating. Kelan went back over the information they archived about the human females' planet, as well. He spent hour upon lonely hour reviewing, studying, and absorbing everything he could about Earth and its cultures. Kelan discovered the females liked to be courted. It was a foreign concept to him as Valdier warriors saw their mate and claimed her. That was it. If the female fought it just meant a more exciting mating. Valdier warriors never took a female against her will, if a female was not interested than the warrior and his dragon would know through the scent of her. True mates gave out a scent that aroused the male and the female, as well as, the dragon counterparts of themselves. Kelan could smell Trisha's arousal everytime he was near her. That was one of the reasons he stayed away from her. He knew she wanted him physically but mentally she still fought against their mating. Take her! Kelan's dragon roared out furiously. Claim my mate.
Soon, my friend. You remember our agreement. We must court our mate according to the customs she is used too. We must convince her that this is where she belongs. Kelan replied calmly. He refused to be distracted from his plans. This was a war he was determined to win. He couldn't afford to lose it. To lose would mean to die and he did not plan for that to happen for a long, long time.
Trisha held on tight to Kelan's hand as he guided her through huge gleaming corridors of polished stone. Huge plants in large planters dotted the corridors giving it a lush feeling. The floors and walls were an off-white with threads of what looked like gold and black weaving throughout. Trisha tilted her head back and looked at the high arched ceilings. Carvings of warriors, dragons, and a wide variety of plants and animals adorned them. She gasped when it looked like some of them were actually moving. She tried to focus on mapping the way they were going in case she needed to reverse it but she was having a hard time focusing when all she wanted to do was absorb all the wonders around her. It was only when she felt the warmth of Kelan's arm around her back and waist that she realized he had drawn her closer as they walked. It didn't help that Bio was pressing against her other side pushing her against Kelan's tall, muscular length.
Trisha blushed as she realized Kelan was watching her more than he was watching where they were going. “It's very beautiful.” Trisha said shyly. God, she felt like a school girl again. Who wanted to go through that twice?! She thought in disgust.
“Yes.” Kelan replied with a smile.
That was all he said but Trisha knew he wasn't talking about the palace they were in, he was looking at her with those little flames in his eyes again. Oh, boy, Trisha thought as she started heating up again, I'm in trouble. Trisha smiled hestiantly at one of the warriors they passed. She started when she heard a low growl.
“Did you just growl at that man?” Trisha asked looking up in surprise. She started to turn to look at the man they passed but Kelan tightened his hold on her.
“I'm afraid my dragon and I do not like you smiling at other men at the moment.” Kelan smiled tightly down at Trisha.
He was having a hard enough time holding his dragon back. If she smiled at another male, he wouldn't be responsible for the consequences. He had been harder than hell for the past two weeks and was barely holding on to the little self-control that remained inside him and his dragon. If he didn't claim Trisha very soon, he was afraid of what could happen. He was fearful enough of her surviving the Dragon's Fire mating. The last thing he wanted to do was endanger her by being too rough with her. He kept telling himself she was more fragile than their females, but he was too far gone to care anymore. He pictured the amount of damage his symbiosis healed in a hope it would help remind him of how delicate she really was. Kelan frowned when he remembered all the damage to her body. What had happened to her?
“What happened to your body?” Kelan blurted out suddenly. “What caused so much damage to you?”
Trisha started and would have pulled away from Kelan but he kept his tight grip around her waist. They began walking at a slower pace as Kelan waited for Trisha to answer his questions. She bit her lip, hesitating to tell him, but then decided it really didn't matter anymore. She was healed and Peter was in the past. Neither one could hurt her any longer.
“I was in the military, the Air Force. I wanted to be an astronaut and had been accepted into the Space training program.” Trisha paused before adding. “I used to dream of touching the stars.” Trisha said with a slight smile as she glanced up at Kelan.
Seeing his intense look, she continued softly. “I guess I should start at the very beginning so you can understand everything. My mom and dad married, that's our way of mating, at a very young age. My mom died of a brain aneurism when I was a year old. My dad raised me by himself. He is the most amazing man! He is smart, gentle, and the best dad a girl could ever wish for. He owns a business called Grove Wilderness Guides in a state called Wyoming.” Trisha paused and looked up doubtful at Kelan. Surely, he didn't really want to hear about her life history.
Kelan wanted to know everything there was to know about his true mate. He knew deep down what she was about to tell him was very important. He looked around the corridor and noticed they were not far from his living quarters but far enough he wanted her to finish what she was saying before she changed her mind. Spying an alcove to the right beside one of the huge planters that graced the palace, he stopped and slowly backed Trisha into it. He pressed her up against the wall while his symbiosis laid down in front of it preventing them from being disturbed. Kelan brushed a loose strand of Trisha's hair away from her face, letting the long curl wrap around his fingers. He drew it up to his nose and sniffed at the delicate fragarance. Keeping it between his fingers, he touched the soft strands to Trisha's cheek.
“Go on.” Kelan said softly.
Trisha looked up at Kelan in a daze. She wanted him so badly at that moment she wouldn't have protested if he were to take her right then and there. She had n
ever felt this strongly about anyone before, not even Peter.
“Kelan?” Trisha asked in an uncertain voice. “Will you kiss me?”
Kelan felt his dragon snap to attention at Trisha's softly spoken request. His dragon wasn't the only thing snapping. His blood heated and flowed south to pool in his cock stiffening it with need until the pain of it throbbed against the front of his pants. He answered her request the only way he could, by sealing his lips to hers in a desperate kiss filled with longing and need. He wanted her so badly it was an addiction coursing through his veins. He had never craved anything in his life like he craved the taste of her. Kelan deepened the kiss when Trisha parted her lips, slipping his tongue inside and drinking deeply. He couldn't suppress the moan of hunger that escaped him as Trisha's sweet taste washed over him. Kelan wrapped his arms around Trisha's slim waist pulling her up against him at the same time as he pushed her further back against the wall. Trisha lifted up on her onto her toes to get a little higher. Kelan seemed to understand Trisha's need to get closer and lifted her up so she could wrap her long legs around his waist. The position aligned Trisha's hot, femimine core with Kelan's hard shaft. Kelan rocked his hips against Trisha needing to feel, touch, and taste every part of her. He pulled away and began running passionate kisses down along Trisha's jaw, moving towards her neck, his teeth beginning to elongate as his control slipped and his dragon began taking over. Kelan could feel the dragon's fire building inside him but he was beyond trying to control it. He wanted to claim Trisha, right then and there. It took a couple of moments for the sound of a feminine throat clearing to penetrated his and Trisha's passionate hunger.