Page 56 of Fated to the Dragon Warlord

“Kerra, if you are going to scent like that, we will not get very far,” he growls. “I will be required to mate you.”

I’m not entirely sure how that would work, but it’s not going to help, given the way my core squeezes. I concentrate on gettingin between two of his spines, and as he opens his massive wings, I hold on for dear life.

In an easy, smooth movement, Darax rears up and then, muscles bunching and contracting, he is in the air, beating in a way which seems too slow to do anything but at the same time we’re rising up above Vorostor Central.

There’s so much to take in as we go higher. I’m looking at the ground below, a ruddy desert which stretches on for hundreds of miles. The silvery complex beneath us, growing distance, is also vast, so large I can’t even see the other side of it, and then, suddenly two more dragons and a ship are in formation with us. I grip harder as Darax puts on a burst of speed, attempting to shield myself from the whipping wind and scouring sand.

I am actually riding a dragon! There are so many humans who would give anything to be in my position. Only it’s not as much fun as you might imagine, what with the wind, and the movement and the rather uncomfortable sitting position. I doubt very much Darax would wear any form of saddle, and in any event, I’m not sure where it would fit.

Riding a dragon is not what it’s cracked up to be.

I concentrate on the world, or rather sky, around me, forcing my head to think of flying in a plane rather than on the back of a shape-shifting alien. It means I can look at the ground without feeling too concerned for the height and get a good look at Vorostor.

The ship speeds ahead. One thing Darax didn’t mention is it appears that space ships are quicker than Sarkarnii. As we fly on, I become aware Darax hasn’t chosen to fly as his dragon for my benefit. He’s clearly scouring the ground beneath us—what for I am unsure, but it makes more sense than him deciding I need a ride on his back.

I’m not complaining however, as the longer the flight goes on, the more comfortable I feel. I get used to the eddies ofwind which push me back and forth, to the movement of Darax beneath me, the rush of air, and the occasional cloud of smoke.

Sarkarnii in battle have to be formidable. No wonder they have become the dominant force since they ended up in this galaxy.

Darax dips a wing, and I spot the wide expanse of forest like grass below us. As he turns towards it, I see another dragon in the sky, and it’s not one of the two warriors who were with us earlier. This is bigger and darker. It hovers, or at least it seems to, before turning and flying away.

I’m not sure who it was, or even if Darax saw, but something tells me it’s not good.

In a whirl of wings and scales, we’re on the ground next to the ship. Darax offers a huge paw, allowing me to descend to the ground. As I get there, Darax the dragon is gone. I’m pulled against a hard, naked, body.

“Flying with you was perfection, little mate,” he rumbles, smoke escaping his nostrils, his eyes filled with fire. “I want you always under me or on my back.”

DARAX

Iam achingly hard for my sweet mate. My cock is desperate to sheath itself in her. The only thing preventing me is the need to gather information from the site where the humans were held and the warning echoing in my head from Deus.

No one will touch my Kerra other than me. I swore it to him, and I swear it to the ancestors. I will claim her. I will give her my bite and my dance.

I will not end up like my brother.

I refuse to end up like Deus.

“Lord Darax,” a warrior with a vid-scanner calls out. It means I have to release Kerra, and I growl as I do so, not wanting to let her go.

“What is it?”

“I’m not sure,” he calls over one of my science officers, a grizzled Sarkarnii called Dalat. He inspects the vid-scanner too.

“There has been Madar here but also another DNA trace,” Dalat announces.

“The humans?” I ask.

“No.” He looks closer. “Not one which is in our database.”

“We need to check with our outlying patrols as to any new species or ships in the galaxy.” I look over at my comms officer.“And any of our suppliers with the necessary tech, we need access to it.” I look at the scanner read out. “There shouldn’t be anything on Vorostor we don’t know about,” I snarl.

And worse, something inmysector. I need to find out what it is before informing the warlords we have an incursion.

Dalox is likely to act first and ask questions later. Which means he’ll unleash Dante and Dexx.

None of them are entering my sector, with or without permission.

This could be war, and as much as I’m always ready for it, I have a mate.

---