by Lili Zander
Wait. That’s not normal. Something’s wrong.
Arax bends over me; concern etched into the corners of his mouth. “Viola Lewis?” His voice comes from far away and swirls away into darkness.
10
Arax
In the darkness of night, I rage at myself. The kilpei poison hadn’t left our mate’s system fully. I should have been making sure she wasn’t injured. Instead, I kissed her. Tasted her intoxicating sweetness. Craved her touch.
Though the creature inside me aches for the bonding, I reach a decision. In the morning, I will take Viola Lewis to our dwelling atop the Na’Lung cliffs. My cousin Vulrux is a healer; he will tend to our mate. Her safety is my primary concern. Everything else can wait.
Nyx is asleep, and I’m keeping watch when Viola Lewis stirs again. She sits up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, and when she sees that I’m awake, she moves next to me. “I fainted again, didn’t I?”
She sounds disgusted with herself. “This bothers you?”
“I’m not used to feeling frail and useless,” she replies.
I hand her the water sac so she may quench her thirst. “You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself, Viola Lewis,” I reply soothingly. “Your body is still recovering from the kilpei toxin. You can’t help your reactions.”
She drinks deeply and sits down at my side. “It’s not just that,” she mutters. “I wouldn’t have been able to defend myself against the Dwals either. If you want to know about the impact of rising planet temperatures on the wheat crop, I’m the woman for you. But ask me to get a drink of water on this world, and I’m useless.”
The translator tells me that wheat is an edible grain cultivated on Earth. I wrap my arm around her shoulders, and she rests her head against my chest. “Not everyone is a warrior, aida,” I reply, trying to think of a way to comfort her.
She sighs. “You probably don’t even understand why I’m upset. When something threatens you, you can just turn into a dragon and breathe fire on it. No need to be afraid, right?”
I take a deep breath. “We shifted for the first time when the Dwals attacked you.”
“What?” She twists her neck around to gape at me. “How? Why?”
Secrecy is second-nature to the Highborn of Zoraht, but Viola Lewis is my mate. Tell her the truth, my beast orders. “Draekons shift for the first time when they see their mate.”
Her body goes still. “Oh,” she says in a whisper. “But both of you became dragons.”
“That’s the Draekon way. Two Draekons, one mate.”
“That’s why, earlier…” Her voice trails away as she understands why Nyx and I wanted to claim her at the same time. “Oh wow.” Her skin turns pink. “That’s kind of kinky, and kind of hot.”
My lips twitch. On the homeworld, anything goes, and it’s impossible to shock us. Judging by her embarrassment, the people on Earth must be more sexually repressed than the Zorahn.
But she’s not running away. She remains nestled at my side, and her hand rests lightly on my bare thigh. I don’t think she’s aware that she’s stroking me, but she is, and I have to force myself to breathe evenly.
“That’s exciting, isn’t it?” she asks, her voice a mere whisper. “Now that you’ve met me, you can turn into dragons whenever you want.”
“Not really.” It’s not like me to be so open with information. I’ve been taught from birth that knowledge is power, to be guarded and hoarded. “According to the ThoughtVaults, once we sight our mate, our full powers cannot be unlocked until the bond is complete.”
Her hand stops its tentative exploration, and her mouth falls open. “Let me see if I’ve got this right,” she says slowly, pulling away from my hold. “In order to become dragons again, you’re going to have to sleep with me.”
“Yes. Does that terrify you, Viola Lewis?”
11
Viola
Something is wrong with me. They turn into dragons, Viola, I scold myself. You should be freaking out. You should not be thinking about their kisses from earlier, and you most certainly shouldn’t be wishing you hadn’t fainted.
My pussy throbs with need. Earlier, when I kissed them, I was attracted to them, but now, the ache in my body intensifies. Every rational bone in my body screams at me to pull away, but I stay exactly where I am, my back pressed against Arax’s chest.
I wish Nyx would wake up. I’d like to pick up where we left off. When he fingered my ass, I thought I was going to combust from sheer desire. I’d like to do that again, and more. I’d like to be completely filled by the two of them.
This is more than the need to distract them from heading to the ship. This feels far more primal. Raw, need rages in my blood. When Arax says mate, a thrill shoots through me. Where the heck is this lust coming from?
I don’t know how to answer Arax’s question. “I overheard what you said to Nyx,” I confess. “You said that sooner or later, you’re going to have to mate with me.”
His eyebrows rise in a very human way. “I wish you hadn’t overheard us,” he replies, regret etched in his voice.
“Why?” I challenge him. “Are you afraid I’ll run away?”
“Terrified,” he replies. His eyes dance with amusement for a brief moment, then his mirth fades. “You can’t run from a Draekon, Viola Lewis. Especially not your mates.” He places a hand on his chest. “I can sense you here.”
I should be much warier. But I’ve been in a crash. I’ve almost been eaten by fearsome predators. Tomorrow, I will be sensible. Tonight, my walls are well and truly down.
Earlier today, my plan was to lie to them about the other women, and escape the first chance I got. But the more I think about it, the more I second-guess myself. This planet is scary. Threats are everywhere. Deadly dwals, poisonous plants, the crazy orange fungus that got Harper, and the imminent flooding of the lowlands.
Arax and Nyx know how to survive on this planet; I sure as hell don’t. Should I confess that I lied to them? Will they be angry?
It’s too much responsibility. If I make the wrong decision—if I trust them and it turns out to be a mistake—I’m not just putting myself at risk. I’m endangering the others.
I’ve stayed silent too long. Arax is giving me a questioning look. I trace the outline of a tattoo on his bicep. “Do the markings have significance?” I ask him. “The Zorahn on the ship had them too. Except for Raiht’vi.”
“Female Zorahn do not mark themselves,” he replies. “The men though, what color were their markings?”
His tone is too casual. “Are you trying to wheedle information out of me?” I ask bluntly. “Why don’t you try asking me directly instead?”
His chest shakes with laughter, and I feel the grip of his arm around my shoulder tighten. “I don’t think I’ve ever been spoken to in that tone,” he says, his voice rueful. “You’re right, aida. I’m sorry. Zoraht is a planet with a rigid social structure, and the color of the markings have significance. I was trying to understand who was behind your expedition.”
Oh. I didn’t expect him to apologize. “Beirax’s head was tattooed with blue whorls,” I reply. “Mannix’s were black and brown.”
“A scientist and a technician,” he replies. “What color were the female’s hair shells?”
I try and picture Raiht’vi. “Blue, I think. Her clothes were white.”
“Highborn too,” he says tightly. “If her shells were blue, she’s a scientist as well.”
The suppressed anger in his voice is hard to miss. “You don’t like the scientists?” I’m doing the same thing I accused Arax of; I’m wheedling information out of him.
“No,” he admits, closing his eyes. “It’s an old wound. When we were exiled, we weren’t allowed to say goodbye to our families. One moment, our lives were normal. The next, we were held in cages, awaiting transport to the prison planet.”
Oh, wow. That sounds… awful.
“The exile is necessary,” he says. “The scientists are probably right to be cautious.
But the way it’s done…” His voice trails off, and he’s quiet for a long moment. “We don’t have tech. We can’t communicate with our families back home. We were dropped onto a primitive planet with no food, no supplies. Nothing to ensure our survival. The scientists want us to die, but they don’t have the nerve to kill us outright. So, they do this instead.” He gestures to the night sky, his expression bitter.
Oh hey, Raiht’vi? I think you forgot to give me some important context.
Of course Raiht’vi’s terrified of the Draekons. She’s right to be. If I were in Arax’s place, and the scientists had treated me the way they treated him, I would want to kill her.
Because of the scientist’s warnings, I’ve screwed up. I’ve been lying to Arax and Nyx almost from the first moment. I’ve let them believe the others are dead. I’ve told them I’m alone.
Arax’s hand closes over mine, and I realize, with a blush, that I’m still touching his muscled arms. They’re warm and smooth, silk over steel. “To answer your earlier question,” he says, “These tattoos are from the testing. Zorahn men are tested yearly for the Draekon mutation.”
“And they found it in you.” I stroke his skin, counting the black bands. There are nineteen of them. Woman up, Vi. Tell them the truth and bear the consequences. “How old were you when you tested positive?”
“Twenty.”
“And the Zorahn exiled you here.”
Something else clicks in place. Right before Beirax crashed the ship, he said something about humans serving as seed for the Draekon race. His comment hadn’t meant anything to me at that time, but it does now.
Sometime in the distant past, the Zorahn scientists used human genetic material to create the Draekons. That’s the only explanation that makes sense. That’s why Arax and Nyx recognize me, a human, as their mate. That’s why the Zorahn came back to Earth for new lab rats. That’s probably even why the Zorahn scientists had a cure for leukemia in their back pocket—they’ve already studied our genetic matter.
The thoughts swirl in my head in a confused, tangled mess. What the Zorahn did to Arax and Nyx is horrible and cruel. Being exiled to a prison planet because of something you were born with seems vicious and vile.
The human women will restore the Draekons to the glory that’s their birthright. Those were Beirax’s words. He wants to breed us, mate us to the Draekons. That’s why he crashed the ship on this world.
A frisson of anger trickles down my spine. Beirax didn’t ask us for permission. He didn’t care for our consent. To him, we’re no better than animals.
If it were up to me, I’d sleep with them.
I don’t know where that thought comes from, but it’s true. Even now, I’m leaning against Arax’s chest, touching him, my pussy aching with heat at the thought of the two of them taking me and claiming me as theirs.
But I can’t. If Beirax’s theory is right, then sex with Arax and Nyx will get me pregnant. And then what? I’m supposed to go back to Earth in six months. What would happen if I show up pregnant with a half-dragon baby in my womb? I have no illusions; Uncle Sam would lock me up in the equivalent of Area 51 faster than I can blink.
Arax’s arms suddenly feel like bands of steel. I start to struggle, and he frees me instantly. “Are you alright, Viola Lewis?”
“Tell me why you said you wish I hadn’t overheard you.” I twist around and look into his eyes. “Because you will take me by force, and you prefer that I live in ignorance of that fact?”
His face goes carefully blank. “I don’t know what will happen,” he says. “To the best of my knowledge, no one has transformed into a Draekon for a thousand years. The ThoughtVaults are incomplete. What you overheard was a speculation.”
His hands clench into fists at his side. “I am a man as well as a beast, Viola Lewis.” There’s an edge of pain in his voice, and I want to wrap my arms around him and comfort him. It bothers me to see his distress. “I gave you my word earlier that you will be safe. Even from me.”
It doesn’t look good for the ‘don’t sleep with the hot alien dragons’ plan because when he promises to keep me safe, I believe him. Even though I have no logical reason to.
I’m about to open my mouth and tell him that I trust him. I’m about to tell him everything.
Then I see it on the horizon.
Three rockets of light shoot up from the direction where I left the space ship. One white flare, followed by a red one, and then a white one again.
A grim expression fills Arax’s face. “That’s a Zorahn flare,” he says, his voice utterly cold. “Tell me again, Viola Lewis, how many of you survived the crash?”
I’m in deep trouble.
12
Nyx
Our mate lied to us to protect her fellow humans.
Her logic is deeply misguided. The ship has crashed in the lowlands and will get swept away in the floods that are almost upon us. Even without the threat of the rainy season, the human women will need our help to survive on this world.
I don’t understand what she hopes to gain by keeping them a secret, but one thing is certain. I can’t fault Viola Lewis’ heart. She means well.
“They’re in mortal danger?” Her voice rises in panic as she paces at the mouth of the cave. “We have to go to them. What was I thinking? Harper was injured, damn it. I should have never left them alone.”
Arax and I exchange uneasy looks. “What happened to the human?” This is a dangerous world. A woman the size of our mate will not be able to protect herself. The dwals are vicious during the day. At night, the hairus swarm the air.
“Harper brushed against some kind of fungus. An orange one.”
Bast. “Growing on the bark of a tree?” I demand.
“Yes,” she says nervously. “Why?”
“Because it’s very poisonous,” Arax replies, his expression grim. “Rorix brushed against it. He went into a coma for three months.”
“Rorix is Draekon? What could possibly hurt one of you?” She pivots to us, a stricken look on her face. “Sofia and Ryanna were going to help her back to the ship and put her in stasis, but if she became a dead weight…” She shivers at the thought. “What if they’re still outside? What if they can’t find shelter? I have to go to them.”
When our mate looks at me the way she is right now, I want to give her everything, but it’s impossible. “It’s too dangerous, aida,” I tell her regretfully. “This close to the rainy season, the hairus swarms are thick in the air, each one half as big as this cave. They will swoop down from the sky, and they’ll feed on anything that moves.”
I pull her into my arms and breathe in the scent of her. She smells of worry and panic, but underneath the fear, there’s a distinct note of arousal. My body reacts to her heat and her nearness, and my cock hardens. “It will be dawn in an hour.” I stroke her back soothingly, and she wraps her hands around my neck. “As soon as the sun’s first rays touch the ground, we will set off to find your friends.”
This close to her, it’s hard to ignore my own need. I want to fling her down on the floor of this cave and take her, deep and hard. I want to hear her soft cries of passion, feel her nails rake down my back.
The urge to mate presses down on me like a physical weight.
Then I feel her fingers caress my erect cock through my loincloth. “I’m your mate, isn’t that right?” she asks us. She tugs her shirt with its strange fastenings free, and her pale, voluptuous breasts are exposed to the night air, with their pink-tipped rosy-hued nipples. “Then take me.”
The beast roars its approval in my brain. She welcomes the mating bond, it crows triumphantly. She will be ours now.
And when we are mated, the beast will be free.
13
Viola
Let’s be honest. It’s not going to be a hardship to sleep with them.
My motives aren’t entirely pure, okay? I didn’t know the ship had flares, and neither did any of the other women. The call for help could have only come from one of the
Zorahn.
And the color code? We might not have learned about the rigid class structure on Zoraht, and we definitely didn’t learn how to survive if your ship crashes on the wrong planet, or what to do if you ran into hunky exiled prisoners who turn into dragons. But the one thing the Zorahn taught us was how to yell for help. The sequence of ‘white, red, and white’ is the Zorahn code for mortal danger.
If Raiht’vi or Beirax are afraid, then it really doesn’t bode well for the eight women on the ship.
I don’t care about the Zorahn. I just care about my girls. Harper, Sofia, and Ryanna are out there somewhere. Olivia and May are hurt. The others are hopefully still in stasis, but I can’t be sure they’re safe either.
Birds the size of cars swooping down on anyone who moves? Stupid jackal things as big as a horse hanging around waiting to attack anyone who seeks water? This world is crazy.
The only creatures more powerful than the birds and the jackals, fine, the hairus and the dwals, are Arax and Nyx, because they can change into dragons.
And the only thing stopping Arax and Nyx from changing into these Draekons right this second? We haven’t had sex.
Houston, we have a solution.
I swallow hard as I place my hand on Nyx’s cock. The dark haired Draekon studies me with hooded eyes. “What are you doing, Viola Lewis?”
Arax looks at me with serious eyes. “You need rest, sweet one.”
Their response isn’t encouraging. I pull my hand away from Nyx’s cock, abashed. Maybe going straight for the goods is a little too forward.
You’ve never had anal sex before, Vi. They’re huge. Are you really ready for this?
I lay my hand on Nyx’s chest. “I just want to touch you,” I murmur. “I’ve never seen skin like this before.” It’s the truth. I inhale his spicy scent and stroke the bronze skin. There’s a faint pattern of scales under the tattoos. Is it new? I don’t remember seeing it earlier.