Jarek (Scifi Alien Weredragon Romance) (Dragons of Preor Book 1) Page 10

  He released one hand and cupped her cheek, rubbing her cheekbone with his thumb. “Do I wish to love you? Yes. Always yes.” Melissa’s eyes filled with moisture and a jolt of panic consumed him in a sudden rush. “Unless you do not wish—”

  She smiled widely and chuckled while she pulled her other hand free and brushed aside her tears. “Of course, I do.” She sniffled. “That was just…” She shook her head. “What you said was beautiful.”

  Jarek grunted. “I know nothing of beauty. I am an old dry scale who long ago should have gone on his final flight.”

  “Shaa kouvi,” she whispered.

  “I will never tire of hearing those words.” Ever.

  “I have seen enough. I will contact Zurer when we return to UST.”

  Jarek quirked a brow. “Zurer?”

  “Zurer joi Sob—”

  Air left him in a low wheeze. “Zurer joi Sobol Haclu. Mate to Sobol joi Zurer Haclu, daughter of the Haclu line.”

  Now Tave quirked a brow. “And that is important? The Negotiate Master has become a friend of the Ujal and his mate is loved by Rina and Reesa both. Sobol also has a soft heart for Melissa. Do you find yourself unable to tolerate—”

  Jarek sensed Tave’s growing anger over a perceived slight and Jarek rushed to appease the prince. “No, I am merely surprised you call Zurer joi Sobol Haclu heart brother. He is…”

  “Preor’s Negotiate Master.”

  “His mate is the daughter of the emperor of Preor. The emperor is said to dislike his daughter’s choice in mate, but he also supports the wisdom of the Knowing. To have their support…” He could not imagine. “To have their support would mean an end to the high council’s interference. No one would dare go against the emperor.”

  Could the mess be handled without bloodshed? Without battles and blades? If the emperor became involved, perhaps.

  Tave merely shrugged. “I will speak with him. I do not know if any concessions would need to be made. I do not pretend to understand the workings of Preor government.”

  “Whatever they require, I will endure.” To have Melissa, he could endure much. He would suffer for years if it meant holding her forever. He only prayed he could prove himself worthy of her. He would speak with every healer he could find. He would regain his ability to fly so he could be a worthy Preor mate.

  “They’re not going to hurt you,” Melissa snapped. “I won’t allow it.”

  Jarek focused on his mate. “Shaa kouva, I do not believe I will come from this unscathed. Many have opinions and just as many wished to see me dead long ago.”

  “They’re not touching you and they sure as hell aren’t going to stand between us if we decide to mate. Who do they think they are to say you’re unworthy? Do they wield the power of the Knowing? Do they claim to know more than the Knowing gives? They can suck one for all I care because they’re not taking you away.” She nibbled her lower lip. “Unless you don’t want to stay. You said you couldn’t mate—”

  “We can discuss sucking and mating without an audience.” He did not want his mate speaking of coming together while others filled the home. Jarek turned to Tave. “We thank you for any help you and Zurer can provide.”

  Tave nodded. “We’ll speak again in the morning. For now, remain indoors and I recommend staying away from windows. I do not claim to understand your warriors and their abilities, but I do not believe luck is limited to humans and Ujal. I do not wish for them to be lucky and strike you down. It would upset Melissa, which would upset my mate.”

  Jarek smiled then. It seemed the need to please mates was not only a Preor trait. “We will see you in the morning, then.”

  The words seemed to signal the end of the evening. Tave gathered his small family while Evuklar herded Nalan toward the back of the home. While Melissa saw the royal family from the cottage at the front, Jarek did the same with his friends at the back porch. He received a hug from Evuklar and a soft kiss on his cheek from Nalan—a human custom apparently—before they padded to the beach.

  He sensed Melissa’s return a scant moment before she leaned into his side and together they watched Evuklar change forms. The sand became a whirlwind around the tan-colored male until it enveloped him. As it ebbed, it left a full-size Preor in its wake.

  With a trumpet and ball of flame spat into the sky, Evuklar took his leave, launching himself upward. He quickly gained height, leaving their vision in a dozen beats of his wings, which left them alone once again.

  Mostly.

  Welvix lurked at the edge of the shadows, waiting for a chance to snatch Jarek.

  Unacceptable.

  17

  Jarek did not know what snapped him from slumber, but his senses went from relaxed to aware in an instant. Adrenaline flooded his blood, pumping strength to his muscles with every beat of his heart. He remained in bed, body relaxed while still prepared for battle.

  Ah, that was what awoke him. Anger. Hatred. Violence.

  Battle.

  He tasted it in the air, the stinging bitterness of fury mixed with disgust. There was another flavor, one he’d savored mere hours ago. Were the males so stupid then? Were they so dumb as to attack so soon after making their threats? The soft rustle of scales on skin told him they were idiotic and Jarek was happy he had not been the warrior to train them for he’d be in disgrace over their behavior.

  Announcing their presence with a shuffle of skin and scale? Unacceptable. Though they did do well at keeping their feet nearly silent on the tile as they moved down the tiled hallway toward Melissa’s bedroom.

  Yet, still the rustle allowed him to locate the male… No, males. He listened intently, trying to count the number of intruders. Only three, though he supposed that made sense. The others would be on the beach, waiting for Jarek to run from the house. Did they believe him to be so easily frightened then? So easily herded to the beach?

  Melissa sighed and snuffled, wiggling closer to him. Her body brushed his, snuggling into his side, and he realized he would be easily chased to the sand.

  If only to draw the fight from his mate.

  Jarek silently pushed to his elbows and reached for Melissa. He settled one palm over her mouth, silencing her before she had the chance to wake with a surprised scream. For she would have screamed. Her eyes bulged widely, exposing the whites fully, and he pressed a finger to his lips in an effort to keep her quiet. She gave a small nod and he knew she recognized the order. He removed his hand and held her stare with his own. He cataloged her features, committed her to his memories.

  For he wasn’t sure he’d come out of the battle alive. He was still injured, his skin still raw and stretched tightly, his bones still not fully knit together once more. So he memorized the gentle slope of her nose, the sparkling of her eyes, the fullness of her lips, and the curve of her cheek. His mate. His one. His forever, yet he’d never had her.

  Another slip of skin and scales. They were getting closer and closer with each passing second. He breathed deeply, hunting for the scents that would identify his attackers. He recognized Welvix and his brother Datzer as well as Milachi. Who waited outside? Then again, did it matter? One male against many and he still needed to protect his mate as well.

  Jarek scanned what he could see of the room with his gaze. He remained flat on his stomach, wings spread over Melissa and joints resting on the edges of the king-sized mattress. Turning his head left, then right, he spied a place for his mate to hide from the coming confrontation.

  He pointed at her and then where he wanted her to go, hoping she understood his direction. The closet was an obvious hiding space, but it was out of the way of the coming destruction. He prayed she was smart enough to stay until it was safe to emerge.

  He also prayed she wouldn’t witness his death. He did not plan to perish but eleven against one—even if he was a War Master—were not good odds, as the humans would say.

  Another slide of skin and scales. The intruders were cocky now, assuming they hadn’t been heard and no longer caring abou
t being silent.

  Melissa’s eyes filled with tears and he knew she finally understood the situation they found themselves in. She shook her head, denying his direction and he pointed at the closet once more. Still she denied him and each shake stabbed at his heart. He found his own eyes stinging and he brushed the pain aside. Dust must have gotten in his eyes. Perhaps sand.

  Preor warriors did not cry.

  Still she denied him. Jarek cupped her cheek, holding her steady as he leaned forward. Their foreheads touched with a gentleness he’d never experienced. It was his last opportunity, his last chance to connect with her before he faced the others. Even if she could not hear his words because they had not completed the binding, he prayed she sensed his feelings.

  Skin to skin, he projected his thoughts. Had they taken the time to bind, had he not been stubborn or had the manners of a rough warrior, she would be able to read his mind.

  Shaa kouva… Know my heart was filled with joy when I found you and still bursts with joy over the time we had together. Know my life was filled with heartache and pain, but every moment was worth the time I spent in your presence. Know that I will carry you into the skies should this be my last flight. Know the love I cradle in my soul belongs to you alone.

  Melissa shuddered and then a hoarse whisper ghosted across his mind. Shaa kouvi… No. Don’t…

  He could not do what must be done if her pleas continued. Instead, he let that brush of emotional agony fuel his fury. The intruders were close now, mere feet from the doorway. The time to move was now. The time to ensure her safety and draw the males away.

  Stay safe for me, shaa kouva. I will see you again in the stars.

  The time to act had arrived. He silently placed his palms on the mattress and flexed his feet, toes digging into the soft cushioning. His dragon nature responded to the threat, prepared itself for the coming battle. When the bedroom door hinges squeaked, he flew into motion.

  A single shove against the mattress pushed him into the air while a pull on his wings and twist of his body had him spinning through the air to land on the carpet with a thud. He lowered into a crouch, fingers curled while his nails grew into his dragon claws. He was prepared, ready to take on those who thought to end his mating before it began.

  Over a past that had nothing to do with the Jarek of today, he may perish, but he would destroy as many of the others as he could.

  Welvix’s hatred washed over him, the stench of excitement and disgust clinging to his flesh and scales. Jarek fisted his hands—pointed nails digging into his palms—and then relaxed them once more, loosening his tense muscles so he could move with the familiar, fluid grace of his kind. The male sneered at him, curling back his lip to flash an elongated fang. A parlor trick, a teasing game young dragonlets enjoyed when they first gained their wings. Transforming fangs alone was easy. Drawing forth other parts of the beast was very, very difficult.

  And one of the first things Jarek sought to learn when he realized many would happily see him dead for his father’s actions.

  Jarek’s deep green scales slithered over his bare flesh, encasing him in the protecting armor of his dragon. They coated his skin, replacing the tanned hue in moments. Then the deadly spines shaped themselves on his forearms and shins, the inches of sharpened and scale-covered bone forming with a single thought. He may be injured, but not defenseless.

  Movement behind him, the rustle of blankets followed by the slam of a door, told him Melissa did as ordered. She’d gotten to relative safety. Now it was time to eliminate the trash that’d dared enter the cottage.

  “You dare to violate Earth law, Welvix?” Smoke slipped from his nose as he spoke.

  “You dare to take a mate, ikpor?” The young Preor attempted to gain the same transformation as Jarek, but failed. Welvix did not have the centuries in the skies to learn the skill. It would hopefully save Jarek.

  “The Knowing and the stars gifted me with a mate. You know this. You also know you are forbidden—”

  “The son of Taulass joi Claron should not be blessed by the stars! You’re an abomination! A worthless—”

  An object flew past Jarek’s head, the wind from the object ruffling his hair, and struck Welvix in the forehead. The male’s head jerked back with the collision and he stumbled into the two behind him. The weapon rolled across the ground, the white ball had small red stitching across the surface and deep red scuffs. He stared at the item with a frown, his mind attempting to identify it, when the name finally rushed forward. A baseball. No, it was larger. A softball, then. And it came from behind him…

  He spared a glance over his shoulder and met Melissa’s gaze. She held yet another softball, grip tight on the object, and fury was etched into her features. “Melissa, you must—”

  She must hide. She must flee. She must get to safety.

  Yet he could not release those words because Welvix’s swords slashed him.

  18

  Jarek went down in a mass of wings and scales, green overcome by purple. They fell backward to the bed, Jarek on the bottom while the other male landed atop her mate. Claws glittered in the moonlight, Jarek’s deadly nails longer than his attackers’. The abundance of scales and spines was yet another difference between them. It was obvious Jarek was the stronger Preor. It was also obvious he was the injured Preor.

  Blood soaked into the blanket, turning the pale colors dark with the liquid. He was bleeding to death, fighting for her life while she stood around and did… nothing.

  Melissa clutched the softball, squeezing it even tighter while she looked for another opening. She was damned good at the game and at least she could use the skill for something. Movement at the doorway revealed two more males waiting to join the fight. Nope. Not happening. Not as long as she had something to throw at them.

  She lifted the ball, squinted into the darkness, took aim, and let it fly. The softball sliced through the air and slammed into the temple of one of Jarek’s attackers. He went down like a stone, losing consciousness in an instant with the strike. That left her with empty hands and one other male intent on doing Jarek harm. Dammit, why did she not have more practice balls?

  Melissa scanned the area near the closet. Hell, she even looked in her closet. All she had were hangers, clothes, and shoes.

  Shoes.

  She snatched one of her four-inch heels, held it by the toe and let it fly. Her target didn’t even bother to duck. Stupid since she nailed him in the forearm, tip of the heel digging into his skin. The male hissed at her, his eyes flashing a look that promised violence. Well, he could be as pissed as he wanted. If it meant Jarek lived through this attack, she didn’t care how much she angered others.

  The attacker took another step closer to Jarek.

  She threw another shoe.

  He hissed at her once more.

  “I’ve got a hundred pairs in here, asshole. I can go all night.” And thank God for her shoe addiction. She chucked another one. This time he did duck. Dammit.

  A groan and shout snared her attention, yanking it from the other male and back to the battling Preors on the bed. Jarek bled from several injuries, his arms scored by Welvix’s fingernails and face bloodied by a punch. The only consolation was Welvix seemed in the same condition. Now she aimed at Welvix, shoe poised to strike him with her next throw. She let it fly, drawing Welvix’s gaze.

  It was enough of a distraction for Jarek to punch his opponent and then dig his claws into the male’s gut. Long furrows were left in his wake and blood flowed from the injury. Melissa wasn’t one for violence, but she mentally cheered with the injury.

  Then she nearly cried because the male she’d knocked out with the softball sat up and shook his head.

  It was back to three against one.

  “No!” She couldn’t withhold her denial. She snatched another shoe and sent it flying. Then another. And still another.

  The recipient of her softball shook his head and then focused on her. He hissed loud and long, fangs bared. But instead of
joining the melee attacking Jarek, he rounded the bed… and came toward her.

  She threw everything she had, attempting to drive him away with any means possible. But he kept coming. Kept drawing closer.

  “Get away from me! You’re violating Earth law!” She rocketed another at the male.

  The male licked his lips, flicking a fang with the tip of his tongue. “I have never tasted a female…”

  Melissa didn’t think he meant sexytimes kind of tasting. Not that she wanted that kind of tasting, but it sure as hell seemed better than being eaten by a crazed Preor.

  “You will not touch her!” Jarek’s bellow came a scant second before the approaching intruder was tackled by her mate. He leapt at the male, forcing the attacker’s wings to close when Jarek encircled him with his arms. Her mate’s momentum took them through the massive window. They shattered the glass, rolled across the porch, then through the wooden railing. Their tangle threw sand into the air and the moment they halted, Jarek shoved free of the male.

  The other two quickly followed, leaving Melissa alone in the home.

  Alone with a phone.

  She immediately snatched it from the floor and raced after the brawling males. It was easy to press a single button that connected her to one of the most powerful people on the planet.

  The phone rang once, twice, and then a groggy male voice greeted her. “Hello?”

  “Tave, I need help. They came for—” The phone was plucked from her hand followed by a warm arm pressing against her throat. Spines dug into her neck and the putrid scent of rotting flesh wafted across her face to fill her nose.

  “I don’t think, ssso.” The word was a drawn out hiss, her captor’s dragon obviously close to bursting free. “We don’t want to be interrupted.” Tave’s booming voice came through the phone, his frantic calls muffled by the distance. The Preor holding her lifted his hand until the phone came into sight. Then it disappeared in a crumple of plastic and metal as he squeezed the device until it shattered. “That’sss better.”