When Mylash arrived, it was as if Loretta had woken from a terrible nightmare. She ran to him and fell into his arms. She didn’t care about any of her reservations anymore. This was the second time he had saved her from the terror of her world.

“Are you all right, my little mate?” he asked, cupping her face in his hand as he inspected the rest of her body.

“I’m all right. You saved me again.”

“I’m here to protect you. It is the greatest gift to me. Now we must organize these humans to get them to safety. The lava flow has cooled, allowing passage to the outside.”

Loretta and Mylash organized the people and helped them walk back to the rescue workers who had already made their way down the cooling tunnel. Several in the subway bombing had been seriously injured. A few had died. The majority were able to walk out and were greeted by rescue workers and loved ones on the other side.

Mylash put his arm around Loretta and helped her walk out of the subway. When they arrived on the sidewalk, there was already a car waiting for them there. Mylash helped her inside and they drove straight back to the consulate, got on a ship, and shot into space. A few moments later Loretta was stepping out onto the transport bay of a Draconian spaceship.

In the confusion she hadn’t even stopped to ask where they were going. The truth was, she didn’t care. She was happy to be safe with Mylash and away from all of the tragedy happening on Earth.

“General Shin,” an official looking Draconian said, “we have begun the questioning of the prisoners. Our superior truth technology has overcome their mental conditioning. We have found the identity of the leader and know the location of all their bases. These three men had a great deal of inside information.”

“Commander Or, I will send my men to make short work of the rest of the group. We can then move on to the next step of my mission here. We must create sustainability for all humans. Once they have all the necessities of life, they will be much less hostile. To do that, we must take control of resources, which may create even more hostility. In the end, all of humanity will live a more prosperous life than ever possible before. There will be peace among them. All of my computer simulations have come to the same conclusion.”

“I hope you’re right, General,” Commander Or said.

“Even the worst-case scenario shows small-scale war.”

“But the computer simulations did not see the rise of the terrorists. This is what worries me, General. Humans are behaving unpredictably according to Draconian algorithms.”

“All we can do is implement the first phase of our plan. Perhaps we cannot predict the humans’ reactions to equal prosperity for all, but we must try to help them.”

“I’m glad you’ve come to agree. And who is this?”

“Commander Or, this is my mate, Loretta Franklin. Loretta, you can call him Nash.”

Nash took her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist. “I am so pleased to meet you, Ms. Franklin. You should meet my bride, Lexi Garcia.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” Loretta said. She hadn’t expected to stumble into an intense political discussion about her planet. Suddenly, the conversation turned to meeting another girl on board the spaceship. Nothing in her life had prepared her for this, but Nash seemed nice enough. It was good to know there were other girls like her here, too.

“Have you shared the videos I sent you of the basketball?” Mylash asked.

“I have. Everyone is in agreement. We should hold tournaments in the flight gym. The first one starts later today. Why don’t you get your bride comfortable and then meet us down at the gym.”

Mylash led Loretta down the hall to a sliding door that opened to reveal an apartment that was a copy of the one they had below on Earth. “I thought you’d feel more at home if it looked like our other place. I even had your closet copied.”

“Wow. You’ve been busy,” she said, stepping inside.

“It’s not hard when you have infinite resources. The fact is, the Draconians now have more capital than all the humans put together on Earth. We have massive gold, diamond, and minerals supplies on mining planets. We are the ones supplying all the minerals needed for our technology. Even if the humans disagree with our mission, we can still buy them out of their own game.”

“I had no idea.”

“That is only because until now, Draconians have stayed out of human politics. Our position has changed. We wish to preserve human DNA. Unless we help, the species may not be around the next time we wish to mate.”

“That doesn’t sound very romantic,” Loretta said, walking further into the apartment. A long wall was covered in windows that looked out onto space. She could see her planet slowly spinning below. The sight of it took her breath away. There were no words for the wonder of it. All the photos she’d seen could never have captured the marvel of seeing her own planet from above.

She placed a hand on the glass and felt Mylash encircle her waist. “You must rest, my beloved mate. Why don’t you shower and wash the dust from your hair? You will feel better after.”

“Yes. That’s a good idea.”

Disorientation was becoming the norm for her. She looked up at Mylash and brushed her thumb along his jawline. Somehow, he made it all make sense. She smiled slightly and turned toward the bathroom. She knew she needed to get back to her family. She felt so broken and ragged, she just wanted to calm down before she did anything else.

She took a long, hot soak in the tub, washing her hair and skin with fragrant soap. When she was finally done, she did feel better. Mylash was waiting for her on the bed. He had a bottle of clear oil in his hand.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“This is an analgesic oil that will help your muscles relax. Very powerful. I will massage it into your skin.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

She dropped her robe down around her shoulders, revealing her back, and laid face-first on the pillow. Mylash spread the oil on his hands. It smelled faintly of lemons and hot peppers. As his hands worked into her skin, she began to tingle all over. The oil worked through her pores, sinking into her sore flesh. She let out a long satisfied sigh.

“That feels good.”

He began to peel away her robe, leaving it over her behind and legs. He worked down over her ass and thighs. A moment later, he asked her to turn over. She groaned slightly, coming alive at his touch. It felt so automatic to be turned on by Mylash’s fingers and hands. She looked up at him, her body singing to be touched more deeply.

He ran his oiled palms over her shoulders, over her breasts, stomach and sides. He smoothed the oil into her hips and down her thighs to her knees, legs and feet. He dipped his slick fingers between her thighs, slipping them over her wet slit.

“Mylash,” she whimpered. As crazy as it seemed, all she wanted was him.

His fingers rubbed her hot opening, teasing out the moisture and lubricating her folds with oil.

“This is an aphrodisiac,” he whispered in her ear, leaning down beside her.

“Everything is an aphrodisiac with you,” she said with a low giggle.

He dipped his slick finger inside her and she moaned, throwing her head back. He sucked her nipple and caressed her need. With a gasp, Loretta came. Mylash pumped his tongue into her mouth as he rolled on top of her.

“I want you,” he growled.

“I want you too, Mylash,” she whispered into his ear. She wrapped her legs around him.

“I’m going to claim you now, my mate.” He pressed his cock against her wet pussy.

“Wait. What?”

“I will give you my mating bite and make you mine. Our DNA will mingle. You will gain long life. And all will know we are mated forever.”

“Okay,” she said, breathlessly. He pushed harder against her softness. She groaned when he broke through, sinking deeper into her channel. He stretched her wide as he sank deep into her core.

So deep.

So full.

Loretta couldn’t stop groaning. Climax raged inside her, and she kissed him passionately all over his mouth and face.

“I love you, Mylash,” she said, desperate to tell him. She needed him to know how she felt. She wasn’t just going along with this because she was overpowered or confused. She loved him, adored him. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. And longer. Loretta had never felt this way about another person. She loved her family, but with Mylash it was so different.

Her connection to him seemed timeless, eternal. It felt like something she could never live without and would die for. It was as if all the love she’d ever felt in all her life was condensed into one tiny space. That much concentrated loved was like an atomic bomb or the singularity that created the universe.

She couldn’t explain it, but every fiber of her being wanted him to claim her and bind them together forever.

Mylash pulled back his hips and thrust forward, sending icy shock waves of pleasure through her whole body. She held on to him, panting and moaning with each thrust of his hips. Her arms and legs were wrapped around him and they gazed into each other’s eyes.

“My little mate,” he said in a sexy, deep voice. “You are so sweet and tight.”

“Oh baby. Your cock is. Oh God.”

Mylash’s words and thick cock, pumping in and out of her tender flesh, made her rumble with release. He leaned down and pressed his sharp teeth to her neck. She gasped, feeling them break through the skin. He bit down, hard. The strength of his bite frightened her. Her body buzzed with orgasm. Mylash continued to thump into her in slow, stroking waves.

She could feel her hot blood trickle down her neck and Mylash’s tongue lapping it up. Her pussy gushed moisture around his cock and he pummeled into her, pushing against her pelvis in a hard thrust. He stayed there as his come shot inside her. Her nipples blazed as the streams of come started off another chain reaction of pleasure deep within.

She could feel herself already more connected and attached to Mylash than ever before. She almost wanted to weep as he pulled his teeth away. They lay together, entangled in each other’s bodies, sweaty and satisfied. A few drops of her blood discolored the white pillowcase.

Loretta cuddled into Mylash’s chest, and he wrapped his arm around her.

“Now we are mated. My inner dragon is satisfied.”

“Are you satisfied?” she asked, looking up at him.

“Even more than my dragon. He doesn’t get to make love to you like I do.”

She gasped as sharp laugh. “No, he doesn’t!”

Mylash threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh. Then he turned serious. “My love, it is good to be with you like this.” He cupped her chin in his hand. “We will have many babies. I hope they look just like you.”

“You say the sweetest things, babe.” To hear the hottest man she’d ever seen say he wanted their kids to look like her made her feel truly desired.

“You are everything to me, my little mate,” he said, kissing her again. He pulled away, put his uniform back on, and looked at his wrist. “But it’s time for basketball!”