COMMANDER KASIAN JADE
I was worried that I would not find her in the dark forest. The moment that I found her, I knew, she was the one. I inhaled her scent and it struck me to the core. And it was unlike any human or Drackon female scent I had ever inhaled. It struck me like lightning. It was shocking, because I did not think it would have this effect on me, not this quickly. But as soon as I pulled her close to my body in order to fly away with her back to the cabin, it had already bonded to my heart.
She sobbed quietly against my chest and I wished that I had been home sooner to prevent this from happening to her. How was she to know that the trails were unmarked and were laid out like a labyrinth? Only those that had a map with them could navigate them. I, and my security detail, hardly used them because we always used our wings. We preferred to fly through the forest, enjoying being a natural creature instead of using our legs to hike. I hated myself for putting my new bride through this, and then I was going to abandon her in less than forty-eight hours when I had to report to New York.
For now, I would do everything I could to console her and calm her. Her sobbing against my silver dragon scales stung me deeply. I wanted to comfort her, but for now I could only fly over the tall pine treetops as fast as I could. Finally seeing the smoke signal from the fireplace of my cabin, I quickly flew down and onto the second floor deck outside of her room. I carried her across the threshold straight into the bathroom. I sat her on a chair and poured her a glass of water. It was then that I saw the stunning beauty of her face. Before, in the darkness of the forest, I could barely make her out. But now her beauty had me standing there frozen. Her brown hair framed her delicate, pale face and sobbing eyes. Her full, pink lips were trembling and I had to force myself not to press my lips against hers; this was not the appropriate time.
"I'm so cold,” she said with her teeth chattering. Her words pulled me out of the hypnotic spell that she had on me. I quickly moved to the bathtub and turned on the hot water in the tub. I had to get her warmed up as soon as possible or she could get sick; she was a fragile human after all. I went to the fireplace on the side of the tub and lit the wood. Soon there was a good blaze going, warming up the entire room.
I moved to her and put my arms around her and pressed her against me for body heat.
"It is best for you to submerge into the hot water; only then will you get your temperature back to a warm state," I said to her. She looked up at me with wide eyes. Damn, she was beautiful, and she was going to be my wife. I smiled at her, because I could no longer hold it in. I could no longer hold in the happiness and warmth I was feeling.
Then she sort of let out a laugh and said, “It is nice to meet you, Commander Kasian Jade.”
I laughed with her and said, “It is wonderful to finally meet you, my beautiful new wife, Kelly Perkins."
Then she turned and looked toward the tub that was halfway full. Then she looked at me and was still shivering. She chugged down the glass of water and set it aside.
"I will go get you some hot tea,” I said, walking to the door and closing it behind me. I wanted to help her undress and place her in the tub, but I did not want her to feel scared of me in any way. I transformed out of dragon form and back to normal.
I went to the kitchen and grabbed a tray. I boiled water and made a large pot of tea. A few minutes later, I was returning with the tray of tea and fruit for my new bride. I opened the door to the bathroom and found her naked body submerged in the water. I could not pull my eyes away from her.
"I am sorry. I just came to leave you this,” I said, holding the tray like an idiot.
"It is all right. You are to be my husband, are you not?” she said delicately.
"Yes,” I said to her with a smile.
"Then come in. I do not want to be alone,” she said to me with a weak smile. I set the tea down on the table and poured her a cup. I walked it over to her and sat down on a chair next to her in the tub. She had taken the liberty of pouring soap in the water and suds of bubbles covered her body here and there, but not completely. I could see two taut, rosy nipples protruding out from the water. I felt my staff grow rigid and a hunger for her was awakened inside of me. I had to restrain myself from not taking her right then and there. But this wasn't the time; she had been through a traumatic episode in the forest and I needed her to take this time to rest and feel calm. She drank of the tea and looked at me with brown eyes.
"Thank you; it is delicious,” she said with a smile.
"It is mint leaves and chamomile flowers from my own gardens,” I said to her.
She smiled a very big grin, as though very pleased. It was then that I remembered that she was a professional chef; of course she would find this very interesting and I was glad to have pleased her.
"I am glad that you make use of your gardens. This is why it tastes so delicious: it is very fresh,” she said taking another drink from the cup. It was then that I noticed the smudge of dirt on her cheek. I used my thumb to wipe across her cheek.
"You had a smudge of dirt on your face,” I said to her.
"Yes, I must have a lot on me. I was out there for a while. I fell on a branch into the dirt. I feel clumsy and silly for getting lost. Will you help?” she said, grabbing a sponge from the side of the tub. She handed it to me and my eyes grew wide as I arched my eyebrow at her.
"Nothing would give me greater pleasure,” I said to her as she sat up and leaned forward. The water dripping off of her body turned me on beyond belief. I plunged the sponge into the water and rubbed it down her back delicately, washing her fragile and smooth skin. It was complete torture to be touching her in such away but not to be inside of her. It took all of my restraint. Bent over like this, her nipples touched the surface of the water and I longed to suck the water off of them. Her breathing was growing very heavy; she was aroused and I was glad that I had this effect on her. It was very important that my wife found me attractive at least. I washed her back and then rounded over her shoulders, over her chest. She leaned back in the tub and looked at me with her eyes full of desire and said, “I think I can take it from here.”
"Of course. You must be starving. Since you are a chef, I would like to please you for dinner. I had a chef from in town prepare a dinner for us and it is now in the refrigerator, waiting to be heated. I will go downstairs and push it into the oven, and hopefully not burn it,” I said, handing her the sponge.
She laughed a very delicious laugh that set my heart on fire. She was obviously feeling better. She was calm and warmed up. We could start over again.
"That sounds lovely. I would love to have dinner with you and get to know you,” she said to me.
"Come downstairs when you're ready. Take your time,” I said to her as I placed a soft kiss on her wet forehead. I pulled away from her and we stared at each other for a moment. I wanted to kiss her pink lips that were now flushed and full of life, and not trembling as they were before. It was a good sign.
Fifteen minutes later, she was sitting across from me at the table with a hot dish in front of us. I pulled the lid off and I eyed her, waiting for her approval. She laughed at me.
"It looks and smells perfect,” she said to me with a smile. Her wet hair was brushed and loose around her face. She wore a simple pink dress that was tied behind her neck and flowed all the way down to her feet. It was very sexy.
"The vegetables are from the gardens outside, the seafood is fresh from an area called Nova Scotia,” I said to her, trying to impress her with what the chef told me.
"I am very impressed, and very hungry. Let us eat,” she said as she stood up and served a plate and handed it to me. Then she served herself and sat down. We ate of the delicious dinner and spoke about what she referred to as our likes and dislikes. Everything from favorite colors to foods and places to be.
We talked for two hours just sitting there drinking wine and getting to know each other. I enjoyed every moment of it, but I already knew she was the one. I had chosen correctly, and she had chosen me. It was too good to be true. She was wonderful.
“My favorite color is blue; what about you?” she asked.
“Is that important when picking a husband? His favorite color?” I laughed at her.
“No, silly! But it just helps to get to know each other,” she said.
“I guess my favorite color is silver. It is the color of the Drackon, and I am very proud to wear it on my scales,” I said.
“That is a very regal answer,” she said.
“What do you like about cooking? You are a chef; why?” I asked her.
“Because I like taking care of people, or Drackons. I like to know that they are being fed and they should be fed with good and nutritious foods.”
"Would you like to take a walk outside in the gardens?” I asked her.
"Absolutely,” she said with a big smile. I put my hand out to her and she placed her small hand on top of mine. I helped her to her feet and together we walked out the front door. I nodded at one of my security agents standing guard. Unfortunately, it was still necessary, but I did not want to ruin the evening by telling my new bride about what was going on. It could wait until the next day at least. She had already had enough drama for one night. I walked her to the side gardens and she immediately ran to each plant.
"Look how tall these sunflowers are! Look over here at the corn! It is ripe and ready for harvest,” she said as she ran from plant to plant as though I wasn't even with her anymore. I crossed my arms across my chest and watched her frolic in the garden, excited about the bounty it offered. I enjoyed watching her. Her spirit was just as energetic and happy as a youngling. It inspired me.
"Kelly, if I may call you Kelly?” I asked her.
"Of course,” she said as she turned to me and smiled with her hands still on the petals of a sunflower.
"I saw your form. They sent it to me from registration. Why did you only pick one choice? You only put my name on the number one slot and then ignored the other four choices? I have never seen anything like it. Why did you do it?”
"You saw it?” she said with her eyes wide with embarrassment.
"Yes, I did. I must admit it is not normal for the forms to be sent to the Drackon. But because of my high rank, I was able to request it. I hope you don't mind. But when I saw you, I knew that I had to be with you. Then that feeling was only made stronger when I saw your form. You also had a pull to me I assume?”
"Yes. That is the only way I can describe it. Once I saw your photo and read about you, I knew that there was no other choice. I didn't have any interest in any other except for you. I have no idea why, but that is the way it went," she said with her voice almost shaking a bit.
I took a step towards her and pulled her into my arms. She tilted her neck back as she looked up at me and I leaned over and pressed my lips against hers. I had to kiss her in that moment. It was such a beautiful moment. It was complete honesty in her answer and complete honesty in my question. We had both admitted that there was some stronger force between us that had forced us to choose each other, and that was a hard thing to admit, especially for a strong Drackon warrior like me. But for some reason, I felt like I could tell her everything. I felt as if she was already my wife and we were as one. It was an overwhelming feeling and I knew that I would never feel it with anyone else but her.
The next morning I woke my new bride bright and early. I did not sleep in the same bed as her; I could not trust myself to be anywhere near her or I would take her before she was legally mine. It seemed the right thing to do, to wait. It would not be long now before she was mine. Fortunately, there was a delay in my departure to the city to oversee catching my brother; I would not have to leave until late in the evening after dinner.
"I thought you would like to accompany me to my engineering project," I said to her over breakfast because I still had not told her that I would be leaving her. I was still holding onto the euphoria of being together and did not want to worry her.
"I would love to. It all seems so interesting to me,” she said with a mouthful of a vegetable omelet that she had made with vegetables she picked from the garden earlier that morning. She was very pleased with it and enjoyed cooking. I had watched her from afar as she sang while cooking, it was pleasing to see her in my home… our home.
"Good. I would like to spend as much time together today as possible," I said.
“Me too,” she said with a smile.
An hour later, I waited for my new bride outside the front door. I was speaking with security, making sure that they knew we were on high alert for my brother. I had security wear wrist cuffs. I wore one myself. It would put us in direct communication at the push of a button. It was Drackon technology that I usually did not have my staff use, but now it was very important to implement it.
"I'm ready,” Kelly said as she walked out the door. Her beauty took my breath away. She was wearing a soft pink sweater and snuggly fit jeans that hugged her curves and were tucked into boots that went all the way up to her knees. She made even a simple day outfit look extraordinary.
"You look stunning,” I said to her. I took her hand in mine and kissed the top of it. If it wasn't for my brother out there taking time away from my bride, this would be the happiest moment of my life. I never thought that a human female could make me feel this way. I was not expecting it. I knew that I wanted companionship, but I did not expect to fall so hard in love at first sight and scent. It was a little unnerving.
"Where is the car?” she asked.
"I thought we could fly,” I said, moving away from her and transforming into a dragon form. She smiled a huge smile. I think she approved.
She jumped up and down and clapped her hands together.
"That would be very exciting!” she said enthusiastically.
I scooped her up into my arms, putting one hand under her knees and the other around her back. She moved her arms around my neck.
"Hold on tight,” I said to her as I pressed a kiss against her lips. She kissed me back and then smiled. Then I darted straight up into the sky, carrying her in my arms.
She looked out over the scenery and was extremely happy. This was so much better than the frightened woman that I had picked up out of the forest the night before. Now she could enjoy the flight. Now she could enjoy the forest and the beautiful, bright-blue, sunny sky. It was a very short flight and soon we were landing on the landing deck outside my office.
"That was exhilarating! I always wondered what it felt like to fly. Last night I was so frightened and cold that I could not enjoy it as much. But now that was incredible! Thank you,” she said as I put her down on her feet. She reached up on her tiptoes and kissed me lightly on the cheek.
"You're welcome. Please, come into my office,” I said, opening the door for her. She stepped inside and I went straight to work sitting behind my desk looking over the orders of the day. She walked around my office, lightly running her fingers over various charts and items.
"I will show you around the project downstairs in just a few minutes. Help yourself to a drink,” I said to her.
She went to the counter sink and made coffee. It smelled delicious and I was getting very used to this human drink. She poured two cups and brought one over to me.
"Thank you,” I said to her, feeling very unusual to have someone think of me in this way. It was a first for me.
A few minutes later, we were walking around the project and I was showing her around. She asked a lot of questions and took a genuine interest. It didn't escape my notice that all the Drackon, as well as human men, were staring at her. It made me feel jealous, but at the same time very proud of my beautiful new bride. I was astounded by her intelligence; every single question she asked was one that was well thought out. It intrigued me.
“This is extremely interesting to me. I didn’t know that Drackon technology was so clean. I knew that it was advanced, but I see now why the Earth Council has commissioned this project. We humans really do need help cleaning our air.”
“Yes, you do. It is one of the reasons that I chose this area to build in a year ago when we were first setting up the project. Clean air.”
“It is the perfect area. I love it here. So tell me more about the plant. Why are there so many warriors guarding it? Are they always guarding it, or only when you are here?” she asked.
I laughed at her increasing curiosity. “They are always here, unless an emergency elsewhere calls a few of them away. But other than that, they are always here. The power receptors are very valuable Drackon technology. It is what the air filters will run off of.”
“That sounds amazing! Show me,” she said with a big smile that melted my heart.
“Of course, but after that I need to get back to work, but I am having lunch served to us in our office, so you can eat and lounge while I work.”
“Perfect,” she said.
“Yes, everything is perfect.”
Finally, later at dinner, I knew that I had to tell her exactly what was going on. I would have to tell her that I was leaving her, and I did not want her to feel abandoned or hurt. This is exactly why I did not tell her earlier, because I wanted to get to know her without any fear of me leaving her. She sat across from me at the table as we ate a delicious meal that she had insisted on preparing. It was probably the best meal I had ever had on Earth.
"Kelly, there is something that I have been meaning to tell you, but I did not want to spoil the time we have together,” I said to her.
Her smile fell to a frown and her eyebrows wrinkled together.
"What is it, Kasian?” She asked.
It is my brother, Orik. He is a very bad Drackon warrior. I have been ordered by my king to find my brother before he causes great harm as he is here on Earth. In Mooreah, he is wanted but he has managed to come here to Earth. Because of this, I have to leave you tonight. I've tried to delay it as long as I can, but my king wanted me back in the city of New York a day and a half ago,” I said as I squeezed her hand.
"You are leaving me?” she said with her voice shaking.
"Only for a short while. I will not be far away and my security will be here guarding you and the house. I am very, very sorry. But I am loyal to my king and I cannot go against his orders. It is something that I must do. But I promise that I will return soon and we will get married as soon as I return. That is, if you still want me?”
"Of course I want you. How can you say such a thing? I will wait. It is traditional to wait anyway, for humans. It is a period they call the engagement. I will wait as long as it takes. You are the one, Kasian. There is no one else for me; I know that now more than ever.”
I pulled her close and wrapped my arms around her. She leaned her head against my chest and took a few deep breaths. I knew that she was feeling a little down. I wanted to do something to lift her spirits.
"I have an hour before I must leave with my taskforce to the city. Is there anything you want to say? Is there anything you want to do before I leave?” I asked. I deviously wanted her to invite me into her bed, but I knew that it was better to wait until we were married. Then we would have all the time together.
"There is one thing,” she said as she pulled away from the hug and looked up at me smiling.
"Anything for you, my love,” I said to her.
"One last flight. Please?" she said timidly.
"You really enjoy it, don't you?” I said laughing at her.
"Who wouldn't?! It is absolutely amazing, to be in your arms and feel that safe, but yet to be flying high over the Earth. Take me into the forest,” she said.
"Anything you wish,” I said to her. She jumped to her feet and ran out onto the balcony. I was surprised by her eagerness. I stepped onto the balcony with her and transformed into dragon form.
"You are absolutely beautiful, Kasian,” she said as she ran her hands over my scales.
"Keep doing that and I will never be able to fly away from here,” I said with a groan.
She laughed and then threw her arms around my neck. I scooped her up into my arms, cradling her. Then I ran and flew off of the balcony into the forest.
The moon was full and bright. It was lighting the way perfectly for us as I zoomed over the treetops. I knew exactly where I wanted to take her. It was not far from the cabin and it was perfect for a moonlit night with only an hour to spare. I flew fast and furiously, high in the sky. It was not something that I would do on Mooreah being alone, because when you flew at that height it made it very easy for any other Drackons to spot you. But we were all alone out here in the wilderness, except for my team, so I had nothing to worry about.
I finally found the spot and I set us down in the middle of the field.
"What is this place? It is absolutely beautiful,” she said as she jumped out of my arms and ran toward the edge of a crystal-clear pond.
"I found it the first time I flew around this area. It is a perfect spot. A clear field and a beautiful pond for swimming," I said to her.
"I love swimming! If only we had more time, I would make us swim together naked under the moonlight,” she said with a devious grin.
"You should definitely take her up on that. She is stunning naked!" my brother’s voice boomed from across the field.
I turned around in a circle searching for him while holding my hand out to Kelly. She ran to me quickly. My brother Orik emerged from out of the shadows. I was about to say something to him when Kelly interrupted.
"You? What are you doing here?” she said to him.
My heart fell to my stomach as I heard and processed her words. She knew my brother, Orik. How did she know my brother? This could not be good.