Single Red Dragon: A Dragon Shifter Fated Mates Novel (Space Dragons Seek Mates Book 2)

by Michelle Ziegler

  Her eyes fluttered open again. And this time she tried to get out a few more words.

  "Tracker. Here."

  He followed a finger as it pointed to her neck. Gently, Deo tilted her head to the side, pushing aside her long locks of hair. A small line, a scar the only indication of what she was pointing too.

  "Deo. You're the doc, what do you think?”

  He studied the line. "There are lines running away from this scar, blue lines. Similar to what Maddie, Kal's mate, has. These are much more faint though. Perhaps it's not the same thing, or maybe it's less concentrated?"

  Eadric pointed. "Hell, this one has a tracker attached to it. So poison or what the fuck ever, this just got much worse. What can we do?"

  Deo glared at the scar again.

  "Here. Run this over her neck, then you take her somewhere very far away. Call me when you find it."

  Eadric snarled. "What?" He took the device and turned it on, doing as told. Mumbling under his breath, he ran it over her neck, completely unsure of why Deo thought a magnetron field would do anything.

  "What's an electromagnetic current going to do for her?" he asked, turning it off.

  Deo studied the spot again. "Most likely, this will disturb or destroy any frequency it emits. Buying you time."

  Supporting her, she was dead weight as he waited for Deo. "Shouldn't we go back to the ship? Can't you do something there?"

  Deo shook his head. Eadric respected his brother, but right now his calm demeanor and his silence grated on his nerves. Normally the quiet was just who he was. Right now, though. Fucking irritating.

  "Eadric, remain patient. One, if that doesn't work on whatever they implanted, no. No need to lead them right to us. Two, she melted the metal of the ship and judging by the steam radiating off of her skin right now, I don't think she's getting any colder. Go somewhere fireproof and then send us coordinates. I'll head back to the ship and get what I need."

  Eadric grunted. "Yeah. Okay." They both looked around at the tiny space. No shifting here.

  Carefully he picked her up and followed Deo out of the narrow space. Night had fallen and maybe for once this was good luck. Eadric cursed this stupid planet.

  It will be easy, they said.

  Deo scowled and glared over his shoulder.

  What? They said all we had to do was go and claim our mates. They didn't tell us that there were assholes here with powers and tech.

  Deo said nothing. That's what he was good at. Quiet. Fuck, he missed Kal right now.

  I can feel you're not happy with me and all I can say is get over it. If you want to save Kal's mate you figure out how to tame yours.

  He rolled his eyes. Yeah. Sure. You figure out how to tame a fucking fire ball. He could think of a few ways. One involved her under him, her legs spread wide, her body writhing in ecstasy. Too bad that wasn't where this relationship was heading. No. Instead he had a woman he wanted with every fiber in his body rejecting him time and time again. How many times had she rejected him since he'd rescued her?

  Fucking human women. No thanks, ever. Kal got turned into a chicken. Eadric had to cuff his mate just to stop her from hitting him. Not that she could hit. It still seemed a bit frustrating that she wouldn't let him get near her.

  He didn't bother looking up as the swoosh of air around them, announcing Deo was already gone.

  Fuck.

  All Kal had to deal with was being turned into a chicken, oh, and a poisoned mate. Right.

  Eadric got something akin to a phoenix. He had to figure out how to tame a woman with a skill set that made containment much more difficult.

  "M-Mountains."

  He looked at her.

  "What? Mountains?"

  She seemed to nod before losing consciousness again. Well, sweet. This was getting worse. Fine. Mountains. Only what? Did she want to start a forest fire there? She didn't seem like someone out to destroy everything around her. She could have caused a shit-load more damage on the ship had she wanted to.

  He glanced down at her. Even pale and a bit sweaty she was still the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen and if she wanted him to fly to the mountains he would. He would fly to the end of the galaxy for her, because well. He had, hadn't he?

  He didn't like her stillness as he laid her down on the ground. Better to shift without her fragile form to jostle further. One more glance, and he watched as her chest rose and fell. That was good, she still lived. But for how long. Whatever was going on before they'd sedated her wasn't good.

  Maybe there was an answer, but he'd wait for Deo on that.

  Eadric stood, stretching out his limbs as he let his dragon out. If things were different, the damn creature might have pranced around like a puppy in a spring field. Instead, he stalked over to their mate, gentle as could be. She fit securely in one of his large paws.

  The dragon sniffed at her, whuffing into her hair. He didn't want to have patience and wait for his mate, but he also was highly concerned about her lack of attack.

  Yeah. I know. Let's go.

  Pushing off with his powerful hind legs they thrust into the sky, his belly camouflaging the best it could to the darkening sky.

  They soared higher and higher, their sights on the mountains. Where would they head though?What wasn't flammable. A loud voice boomed in his head.

  Rock, idiot. Head for a cave.

  Leave it to Deo, all subtle hints.

  Thanks, love you too.

  His dragon chuckled, but gripped his mate a little more securely. Their heart hurt. Why? They knew why and it wasn't the rejection. There was fear within them, something Eadric wasn't used to. Fear for Kal's mate and now fear for his own mate.

  Soaring through the clouds, Eadric expected a calm to seep in. This was their happy place, high above the worries of everything. Instead, this foreign stress invaded even through his dragon. He pulled her against him, although she didn't feel cold. The opposite, really. She burned hot, his own fire confused and intrigued.

  His dragon sniffed the air, trying to take in her scent. Something was different about her. She was alive, but her scent was tainted. The ash he'd come to think of as her own perfume mixed with the sterile scent of a lab. But under that was the sweet scent that only she could possess. His dragon sniffed her hair, but there was the sour tang. They would worry about that later.

  The air warmed as he descended. Trees sprouting up and changing the New Mexico landscape. He had no use for forests, not the green ones of earth. All they could do is catch fire. He looked for rocky ground. Something hard and gray. His dragon growled as the landscape gave way to a small opening.

  The crack of a tree and a snapping of branches welcomed him as his wings struggled to fit through the break in the forest. A small gray animal scurried underfoot while something else brown scurried up a tree. The tiny thing chattered at him, and his dragon growled in response.

  His dragon walked up to the cave entrance. Eyeing the entrance, Eadric decided he wasn't fitting. Gently placing Lilly on the ground, he shifted. Looking down at her, he realized how pale she was against the brown of the undergrowth and leaves. Fragile was all that came to mind. How was this his mate? A fragile, breakable woman?

  Eadric made quick work of gathering up his helpless mate and carried her in. He wanted to find a reason for his soul to let her go. He didn't want a mate.

  The cold of the floor and crunch of dried needles and leaves kept him from falling too far into his own problems. He needed to make sure she stayed warm, alive, but only for Kal's sake. Or that's what he was telling himself.

  Eadric lifted his head at the sound of twigs breaking.

  It is I, brother.

  He relaxed at the sound of Deo's words. Well, he at least relaxed his hackles. Hesitating, he tried to decide if he should shift back into human form or not?

  Once they'd entered the cavern it opened into a large room, enough space for him to shift back into a dragon and guard the entrance.

  Now, though, he feared m
oving. Looking down at his forearm where she still rested, he hesitated to disturb her. She'd tossed and turned at first, and then she'd settled down a bit once he'd held her closer.

  His stomach knotted. Beads of sweat dotted her brow.

  "How is she?" asked Deo, as he entered the cave on two human feet.

  Same.

  Eyeing the bags Deo brought in, he held in the fear. His own pain was one thing, but hers? Fate was pissing him off right now. His dragon let out a loud snuff of air as they gently lowered their reluctant mate onto a nest like bed. He needed to shift for what would come next.

  Eadric transformed into his two-legged form and stood over her. Deo came closer and Eadric took a long breath, trying to calm the need to protect her. Deo would no sooner hurt her than he would Eadric.

  "Step aside, brother. I won't be doing any cutting right now. We need to find out what's implanted first."

  Instinct fought the idea. He would not step away, instead he stepped around her body, allowing Deo to kneel beside her.

  He used a small portable device that scanned her neck, detecting anything with an electrical current, or that was the basic gist of it. All his training and the medical crap was the least amount of information he retained.

  The machine gave a low beep near a small line near her spine. The same place she'd tried to call attention to.

  Deo grabbed a mat out of the bag and thrust it to Eadric.

  "Get her on this, stomach down while I grab my tools," Deo commanded.

  Eadric did as told, flashes of sensitive scenes like this on the battlefield. Field dressing soldiers and even innocents on planets that had been attacked. Only, this time his investment was no longer one of a battle-ready soldier. No. This time he was a man with a need, an instinct to protect what was his.

  "I need to run a scan, see exactly where and how deep it is, but I need you to hold her still."

  Laying Lilly flat on her stomach, he gently turned her head, hoping she was comfortable. He waited for a sound of discomfort, but there was nothing. He could hear the erratic beat of her heart. He could hear every exhale. She was alive, and until they figured out what the hell was wrong, this was the best he would get.

  Minutes passed as Eadric watched Deo. This wasn't his field of expertise. No, he was good at the fighting and the celebrating. Eadric had hit that point where he'd been without his family longer than he had been with them. Wars were a bitch, and a broken heart was worse. Probably why he really had hoped he wouldn't find a mate here. Better to let the power consume him when it was time. Until then, he could focus on the job. Fucking dragons didn't see it that way, though. No, the moment they'd smelled her, Eadric was done.

  "All right. It's a chip of some kind. The readings identified some chemicals, neurotoxins. I didn't know earth possessed such a tech. Anyway, I should be able to remove it with a quick incision. Hold her down."

  His dragon writhed within his soul, pawing at the raw fear Eadric tried to pretend didn't exist.

  A growl escaped.

  "Keep your calm, brother," Deo said, lining up a few tools next to Lilly.

  Yes. Calm. Eadric trusted Deo with his life. But, could he let go of his fear right now in order to place his trust of his mate's life into his brother's hands?

  What if she died? He hadn't even mated her, and his body already begged for her. Even just touching her had brought a peace within. How could he go on without her?

  News flash, his dragon nearly snarled. Eadric hadn't wanted a mate and his dragon wasn't about ready to let him forget. Stupid reptile thought it knew better. Okay, obviously he did.

  His muscles strained as he fought the shift. All right, fine. They needed her. Fuck. Calm down.

  Her skin burned hot to the touch, like hotter than his dragon as he knelt near her head. That's not a good sign. Placing a hand gently on her head and the other on her arm, he kept her immobile.

  Everything in him screamed to protect her. Fix her. Hold her. She was his.

  But right now he had to trust.

  As if his brother understood the pain Eadric's soul was in, he explained everything.

  "This will numb the area. She shouldn't feel anything."

  Eadric scowled.

  She better fucking not.

  His dragon snarled, but backed away, watching. Thank the goddess. He wasn't sure he'd be able to to fight back the shift if he fought again to come out. Not if his Lillyanna were in pain.

  "Watch her breathing. This should only take a second, but I don't exactly know what she is and how she will react."

  Deo pulled out a small knife from the bag. The blade poised above her sweaty skin. Eadric clenched his jaw, biting back the need to stop Deo.

  He'd be out for blood if Deo couldn't save her.

  The skin parted under Deo's skilled hands. He dabbed at the blood as it began to seep from the wound.

  "Almost there."

  Using a small pair of tweezers he reached in and pulled out a small device, a chip. They both watched it as if it were going to spout legs and run.

  Eadric squinted at the tiny thing. "That was anticlimactic."

  Deo glared at it. "Never impressive, but it's what you can't see that's always a worry with technology. This isn't a tech that this planet should have. We might have more to worry about with this little group than we'd originally thought.."

  Eadric mashed his molars together.

  "I fucking hate this planet. First, they kidnapped and poisoned Kal's mate, and now this. What the hell is wrong with this place?"

  There was no answer. They were like all the other species in the world and why Eadric's powers were so important. Why all the warriors were coveted. Why finding them mates to maintain their sanity. Every species had its good and bad, but it always seemed like the bad possessed more evil than the good could ever balance.

  "I'm going to take this back to the lab and analyze it. It feels familiar, but I don't want to say anything until I know for sure," Deo said.

  Standing, Eadric mirrored him. Hesitating to let him leave.

  Thank you, brother.

  Deo nodded.

  There's food in that bag, bedding, some stuff she might be able to use. If we can't set it on fire, I assume she can't. But be aware.

  Eadric gave a curt nod as Deo left, the sudden squawk of birds outside signaling his flight.

  His eyes passed back to Lilly. All he could do now was wait.

  3

  Lilly's head throbbed. At least it didn't burn. That was a new trick of her father's. Or maybe just one she'd never experienced.

  She tried to move her arm, but it seemed to weigh three million pounds. Okay. She'd worry about that later. For once though, her body was warm in a way she'd never experienced.

  Note to self, try out your escape before successfully pulling it off. Really figure out all the things that could go wrong, like an insane amount of pain from a tracking device used to control you.

  She couldn't move her arm, but she could wiggle her fingers and loved the delicious heat under them. Yes, she was warm, but not warm like the cursed fire that ran through her as a weapon. Warm, like peace. Snuggling down, the thrumming pain of her head growing marginally better.

  Her eyelids were so heavy, maybe it was better to just sleep. Why fight it? Nothing in her body wanted to listen.

  Silence greeted her, but as she listened more closely, she could hear a strange rustling, a distant whistle here and there, but the sound was calm. Nothing like the hum of florescent lights or the normal air circulating in her room.

  Her body already stiff grew heavy in panic, her heart beat double time at the realization that she had no idea where she was. She wasn't in the lab. It smelled earthy instead of sterile. She tried to pry her eyes open. God. They needed to open, but she was so tired.

  Calm. She needed to remain calm. If anything were going to happen, it would have happened. That's what she was telling herself, anyway. Lilly was in a state somewhere between awake and drugged. This feeling she
knew well.

  Calm. She needed to remain calm. Let the sedative run its course. Nothing ever lasted long on her.

  Finding her happy place, Lilly remembered the last movie she'd watched, another by Jane Austen. She'd begged and begged for a TV and finally her sister had won an argument, or maybe she'd snuck it in. Her father had never taken it away, so who knows.

  She remembered the hope she clung to in the few movies she got to watch. Her happy place was her crush on Mr. Darcy. Whatever these current drugs were, the warmth radiating through her was what she'd always imagined. A peace.

  As the moments passed, strength seemed to move through her here and there. A bit at a time, she found the strength to move her toes. Soon her hands. Raising one, she nearly panted in exhaustion, but the tickle of her hair on her face was motivation enough to push through.

  Something shifted next to her, and she froze. That wasn't the drug. Her breath shuddered as her heart forgot how to beat for a moment.

  Finally she could open her eyes, but she immediately closed them. Everything hurt, even the dim light. Where was she? She sniffed the air and caught a whiff of fresh air and cinnamon.

  Well, good news. Light, fresh air, and scent of earth meant that she was above ground and she hadn't been buried alive. Bad news, or maybe good news. Either way, she was definitely not back on that spaceship.

  That would teach her to run again. No more comfort of a ship even, no she got stuck outside somewhere.

  Her thoughts froze as her hair blew with a foreign breeze. Wait, no. That was someone breathing. A warm shift in the air as if something was smelling her? Was something smelling her?

  Oh, God. Where was she?

  Had they thrown her to the wild? She knew she'd caused some trouble, but Eadric didn't seem like that kind of guy.

  Lilly tried to remember what had last happened.

  Clearing the fog from her head, images of the alley came to mind. Gag. The smell would probably taint her nose forever. Sniffing the air, she searched for the sour stench of the alley.

  Not an alley. And there was that cinnamon musk again. It tickled her senses. She sniffed again. There was an undertone of smoke, but not the same kind of smoke she was used to.