by Celia Kyle
It is definitely the end of me, but I do not care.
Every problem on the ship seemed like it was extremely far away. He could not even remember what his morning tasks had been. Nothing mattered except watching Dawn, touching her, talking to her, and serving her. He realized he was falling into the same trap as all the other Preor that had found their mates, but he was powerless.
I guess I was too hard on them, he thought.
“…they needed redroot this morning, but they had none. A young soldier is still in med bay.” Grace’s voice filtered into his hearing as if from far away. Up until now the conversation between the women had been a distant murmur he couldn’t grasp because he was too busy watching his mate. Now the problems on the ship came charging back into his mind.
“Which soldier?” he questioned the females.
Grace paused with a frown. “Merien. He fell in training and Yazen wanted the painkilling gel instead of the injection.”
“Is he well?”
Grace nodded. “It was a simple mistake. They are still trying to find out how it happened.”
“I should have been there,” he muttered.
Grace simply smiled. “You had urgent business, Vende. You couldn’t have left your mate.”
“So, it’s that bad? We’re truly out of some of the core compounds?” Vende tilted his head to the side with the question.
Grace nodded once more. “Even if we get the plants growing now, it will take several months to harvest. The situation is desperate. There’s no other way to put it. I’m no closer to getting the plants growing. We’ll have to figure out an alternative solution.” She looked down with a sigh. There was no solution. They all knew it.
“But, that’s what I’m here for!” Dawn exclaimed. “I can get your plants going. I’ll help with extractions. I can’t wait to get started.”
Vende put a hand on her arm, rubbing it gently. “Of course, you are here to help in the garden, but you are unwell. I don’t care how important it is. You need to rest. The garden can wait.”
Dawn turned and looked right into his eyes. Her irises seemed a deeper blue, her gaze far sharper than it had been.
“I’m fine, Vende. Yazen said I’m fine.”
“He also said to check in with him.”
“Which I will.”
“Of course, you will,” Vende repeated. “I’ll take you.”
Dawn shook her head, breathing out hard. “Vende, I’m going to the garden.”
“When you are well.”
“I’m well now.”
“Of course, you are.” He smiled and touched her cheek. “But not well enough to work.”
The other three women turned back and forth, following the conversation. It was starting to become excruciating to watch.
“You just said how important the garden is, Vende,” Dawn reminded him. “I should go today. Now.”
“No.” He smiled. “Nothing is more important than you.”
“I appreciate that Vende, but I’m well enough to garden. Trust me enough to know that.”
He frowned. “Of course, I trust you. I do not understand what you mean.”
“You have to trust me to do what I need to do and not get hurt.”
Vende shook his head. “I do not understand what is going on.”
“You and me both,” Penelope muttered from above. “If I had ears right now, I’d plug them.”
“I do not think we should be having this discussion right now,” Vende said firmly.
“I agree,” Dawn breathed a sigh of relief. “There’s too much to get done.”
“Yes.” Vende brightened. “We’ll get you to somewhere nice and quiet where you can rest.”
“No, Vende I—” Dawn tried to protest but Vende leaned over and carefully picked her up.
“I’ll take you to my rooms and after you’ve had a rest you can check in with Yazen. Yes?”
“No, not yes. Vende, I want to go to the garden—”
“Of course, you do.” He snuggled her against his chest. “But not today.”
Vende strode purposefully down the hall, focused on his mate as he headed for his rooms. He simply couldn’t accept the idea of his mate trying to work when she was still recovering. To him, she was worth more than every life on the ship.
Chapter Fourteen
During the brief struggle trying to make Vende understand, Dawn felt an inkling of the patience her family must have needed when handling her. She only ever felt love and acceptance from them but, clearly, certain frustrations couldn’t have been avoided.
She stopped arguing with Vende, instead letting him carry her toward his rooms without further fuss. It seemed a strange twist of fate that both Dawn and Vende had a knack for being misunderstood, and now that talent was played out both ways.
Being snuggled in his arms did feel good, though. No matter how much her family loved her, she had always known they worried about her and constantly tried to protect her. Even though Vende fiercely wanted to protect her, he didn’t treat her as a burden he literally had to carry… Even if he had scooped her into his thick, strong arms.
He genuinely wanted to do these things for her. He wanted to know she was comfortable and safe. She always felt she had to maintain an appearance around her family. It seemed to scare them so much when she was unwell. With Vende, she could tell he cared quite personally how she felt and that he would go to great pains to ensure her happiness.
Obviously, he could overrule her comfort and happiness if he perceived danger. Deciding what was actually dangerous was going to be a tough one, she decided.
When they entered his rooms, Dawn was surprised to find them spacious and comfortable. She thought a military man like Vende would live in spartan quarters, but he had a living area as well as a bedroom and bathroom. As her brain kept getting faster and faster, she was able to recognize and appreciate small differences between Preor furnishings and the human ones from Earth.
Just noticing something like this showed her how far she had come. A few days ago, the details of the room would have been a haze. The place where her thoughts became fuzzy and too hard to chase had moved—perhaps even disappeared. She couldn’t wait to apply this enhanced ability to her passion for plants.
I wonder if I can create new compounds now? she thought eagerly. So much had been out of her reach before. It was going to take time to fully accept just how much had changed.
Vende set her on the wide, backless sofa, stepping back and taking his hands off her quickly. When he moved over to the equally backless chairs—crafted to allow for Preor wings—on the opposite side, she looked up and patted the sofa beside her, disappointed.
“Since I’m not allowed to work today, the least you could do is sit next to me.”
“I would like to,” Vende agreed.
She could sense the eagerness in his tone but also the restraint. “So…”
“After the way my touch affected you before, I will not take any chances.”
“Oh, Vende, that wasn’t you. It was just the effect the Knowing had on my cotton wool brain.”
He frowned but thankfully didn’t expect her to explain the term. He just shook his head again and stared at the floor, gripping his knees. “I shouldn’t have brought you here.”
“Vende, why?” All her frustration at not being able to go to the garden vanished in her concern for her mate. “What’s wrong?” She moved over to kneel in front of him and touched his knee. His eyes snapped to her face, and at the sight of them Dawn recoiled so fast she almost toppled over.
Vende’s usually dark, stormy blue eyes were a pale, icy green. The color was edged with yellow and gold. Instead of the normal, human looking pupil she expected to see, the vertical slit of his dragon’s eyes dilated and contracted as his eyes bore into hers.
He huffed and she caught the scent of smoke in the air. She had lived her life fascinated by the Preor. She knew they were dragons, but she had never seen one up close and certainly had never seen on
e shift.
Wings and scales were kind of cool and exotic. Reptilian eyes looking hungrily into her own was… something else.
“I’m sorry, Dawn,” he said. “I cannot stop. My dragon will not be still.”
She sat up and moved close once more to rub his knee. When he winced, she felt a sharp tug between her own legs and realized the Knowing was binding their thoughts as well as their memories. She could almost feel what he felt.
“It’s okay.” She smiled. “I hope I can meet your dragon soon.”
Vende flexed, blue scales running across his skin like a flash flood. She saw him shiver as he made a concentrated effort to quiet the beast inside.
“What does it want?” she couldn’t help but ask.
“You.” He looked up and the acid yellow eyes with their long pupils stared right into her again.
Something burned inside her, just above a slow simmer, and she knew if the spark were fanned, she would boil over. She reached over impulsively and put her hands on Vende’s face, pulling him close for a kiss.
He leaned forward, coming off the chair and pushing her down. For a few moments she was trapped under him uncomfortably, but within seconds his mouth found hers and their bodies seemed to blend, fitting together even if they weren’t close to mating and still wore their clothes.
Dawn lost herself in the pleasure. It was far more intense than the few other times they had gotten close. The touch of him all over her brought out that deep fire, encouraging it. She didn’t want it to stop but at the same time, she was nervous. Her own mind and the Knowing worked to supply her with all the information she needed and, even though her body screamed for Vende’s touch, Dawn knew she wasn’t ready to go further.
She tried pushing him up but at first, he didn’t notice. His eyes were closed, his mouth lost on hers. She squirmed underneath him and gave him another hard shove. He looked up like a man pulled from the sea right before drowning.
“What’s wrong?” he gasped, almost a snarl. She stroked his hair and shoved him again. He rolled over to lie beside her, trying to get his breath back.
“I understand now,” she said, sitting up so she could look him in the eye. “I see how our bodies are meant to fit together. Good God, if I look hard enough, I can even see the molecules mingling.” She shook her head roughly. “But I can’t, Vende. I just can’t, yet.” She could sense the crushing disappointment coming from him and she was sorry. She reached out and took his hand, pressing it to her cheek. “I’ve only known kisses from my mother and father, hugs from my brothers.” She shook her head. “I can’t let you into those parts of my body, Vende. It doesn’t matter that we’re mates. I’m just… frightened.”
“Of me?” Shock filled his voice.
“No, my love.” She leaned over to stroke his face. “Of me. I don’t know what any of these feelings mean. I never put too much thought into those parts of my body.” She shrugged. “I’d like to get to know them a bit myself before I let someone else play with them.”
Vende smiled, a soft gesture of amusement and love. “That makes perfect sense.”
He laughed and she grinned. “You think so? I’m glad. I was worried you were going to try and convince me to push dragonlets out of there already.”
Vende laughed, really laughed. He even held his stomach and waved a hand at her. “Okay. I hear you. It was my fault for bringing you here… to my territory. My dragon just wants to claim you.”
“And he will,” she whispered, leaning over to kiss him. “He will. And he will be the first, the one, the only.”
Vende stared at her for a few seconds, understanding the words but not quite believing.
“Your body—it’s untouched?”
“Yes. Do your people have a thing about that? Mine do.”
He shook his head. “No. Not really. But—”
“What?”
He sat up and took her into his arms, cradling her against his chest. “I’m honored, my lady, my love, my mate. Any gift you desire for the exchange of your purity shall be yours if you only name it. I would collect the flowers of light from the far gardens of Scholan. I would fight the demon of Kornan to pillage the fire ruby. I would—”
“Vende.” She quieted him with one hand on his lips. “All I want is you.”
They came together again, kissing each other deeply. Dawn knew she could trust him and let herself go, relaxing into his arms. After a few moments, the intensity settled into a warm contentment. They dozed on the floor, as wrapped up in each other as they had been when they almost got merged in the teleport.
Chapter Fifteen
Dawn
After a while, Vende’s arm grew heavy across Dawn’s shoulders. She was tucked up against him, both lying on their sides as he spooned her. His breath caressed the back of her neck and she shivered with the puffs of air. He was so warm and comfortable part of her couldn’t imagine getting up.
The other part of her couldn’t stop thinking about the garden.
She almost didn’t recognize her own mind. Thoughts flew through it so fast, she could barely catch them. She simply let her mind flow, not trying to hold on to anything in particular. She had always done this, knowing she simply couldn’t retain all the information, and there was no point trying to hang on to it all.
Now it was like she knew the thoughts could not get lost. There was a vast memory bank behind her thinking mind, and as thoughts cascaded, she knew she would be able to go over the information later and truly examine it. The idea was so exciting that lying still and napping became an impossibility.
She eased out from under Vende’s arm, sliding carefully away without waking him. If he woke and found her gone, he would know she hadn’t gone far. It wasn’t like she knew how to pilot a shuttle… right? No. Well, maybe… She shook her head and focused on her impending tasks. She needed to do what she came here to do and check out the ailing garden.
As she left the room, the disembodied voice of Penelope spoke directly to her. “Dawn, where are you going?”
She stopped and looked around, just a little nervous. She had never spoken to Penelope directly. “I’d like to see the garden. It’s what I’m here to do.” Dawn felt like a kid asking the teacher for a bathroom break.
“I can teleport you there right now.”
“Oh, no. Thank you.” She shook her head. “I want to see the ship.”
“Women don’t usually walk around unattended. I should really teleport you or ask for a guard—”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Dawn picked a direction and strode down the hallway. “I can manage. I’m not sick anymore, so I won’t get lost.”
“Famous last words,” the ship mumbled.
Dawn frowned but didn’t stop. “How can those be my last words? Why would they be famous?”
An aggravated growl shuddered through the speaker. Dawn tilted her head, wishing she could address Penelope with eye contact.
“You and Vende are a match. There’s no doubt about that.”
“We are. Aren’t we?” Dawn beamed. “I woke up this morning looking forward to a simple life working in my parents’ greenhouse. Now I’m a Preor mate!”
“Yes, indeed. For all my arguments with Preor males, especially Vende, I can tell you that no matter how infuriating they may be, they are excellent mates.”
Dawn grinned as she trotted down the hall, running her hand lightly across the smooth walls of the ship. “I wouldn’t have anything to compare it to. I’ve never even dated a man.”
“Think yourself lucky,” Penelope joked.
“Oh, I do.” Dawn smiled.
As she rounded the corner, she saw a group of three Preor walking in formation. They were marching swiftly with stern looks on their faces. All of them showed surprise as she came into view, but upon Dawn’s greeting, all of them jumped as if they had been stung in the tails by wasps.
“Hi!” Dawn called out enthusiastically. “I’m Dawn! I’m so pleased to meet you.”
Two of the Preor
stopped a little further back, leaving the first in front of Dawn. His expression twisted as he struggled to control his reaction, but he managed an even tone.
“Hello, ah, Dawn. Can we be of assistance?”
“No, no.” She smiled and waved as she kept walking. “I just wanted to say hi.”
They turned and kept walking, all three of them shaking their heads. Dawn bounced along, happily extending her stride until she was almost skipping.
“Hello!” She waved excitedly as she spied more Preor down the hall.
Penelope made a sound that could have been disgust. “Please, Dawn. Just let me teleport you.”
“No way!” Dawn laughed. “I’m having way too much fun. Hey there! I’m Dawn!”
She hurried up to a group of Preor, ready to shake their hands. As she got close and leaned forward, a terrible sense of dread rose within her. Before she touched one of them, she scurried back, folding her arms over her chest and trapping her hands under her armpits.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I can’t shake your hands.” She looked down at the floor in confusion, a frown furrowing her brow. “I just… can’t.”
“Hi.” The first young male stepped forward, smiling kindly. “I’m Choler. You’re mated, correct? I haven’t heard of any non-mated females coming on board,” he mumbled to himself. “Perhaps you have experienced the Knowing but are not yet claimed?”
“Yes,” she answered him hesitantly. “That sounds correct.”
“You cannot touch another male, nor can they touch you. Not until you have been claimed by your mate. I heard there was some kind of commotion this morning, and no one can locate Vende.”
Dawn smiled. “Vende’s my mate.”
Choler’s face broke out into a wide grin. “Really? Well. That is a game changer, is it not?”
“Oh,” Dawn said innocently, “are we playing a game? I love games. How do you play?”
Choler looked at Dawn and frowned. He opened his mouth to speak but then shook his head.