Without stopping, Oro flew all the way back to Phoenix and the Draconian consulate there. He landed at the front door, and Tabby slid from his back. He shifted and flicked the spot on his neck that made his uniform reappear. He opened the door for her, and she stepped inside.

It was the same place she had been just a few days before. Since then, everything had changed. When she had originally come to sign up for the lottery, she never could have anticipated everything that had happened to her in the last few days.

She never would have expected to have feelings for the Draconian mate she was assigned to. She never would have expected to help him on a dangerous mission against Leo and Juan. Now she was triumphantly returning from Oro’s completed mission. Her feelings for him were as boundless as any she’d ever experienced in her life. As she had ridden on his back from southern Arizona to Phoenix, with her face tucked against his scales, she had examined her feelings and her life the whole time.

Her feelings for Oro were stronger than anything she’d ever felt before. Maybe she was falling in love with him. If this was love, it was exactly what she wanted to feel for the rest of her life. She couldn’t stand the idea of being away from him. She wanted to learn more about him and grow closer every day.

Oro nodded at the secretary as they walked by and they proceeded through the big open room to a back door that led into a smaller space. He pressed a few buttons on the computer on the wall and some doors slid open. Beyond the door was the interior of some kind of vehicle.

“Is this a spaceship?” she asked.

“This is my ship. We will take it back to the armada.”

She sat in one of the big comfortable chairs, and Oro helped her get strapped in. He tapped some information into the computer terminal and sat beside her.

A moment later, they were propelling upward and into space. Tabby could see the world sinking below her outside the window. When they hit the atmosphere, she saw the fiery burn as they broke into outer space. Above the atmosphere, the void darkness of space stretched out before them. Stars twinkled in the heavens, and she could see the planets of her solar system spinning around the sun. The Earth sank below them, and they approached the silent ships that hung in orbit around her planet.

She had believed she was emotionally and psychologically prepared for the sight of it. Aliens had come to her planet when she was still a teenager. Everyone’s consciousness now accepted that there were extraterrestrial life forms. Space had become much less of a mystery in her lifetime. But experiencing the sight of the ships and the planets against the backdrop of space was more awe inspiring than she ever could have conceived of.

“This is so beautiful,” she said in a whisper.

“I can imagine it must be amazing to see space for the first time. My first time in space was when I was only five years old. That was many years ago.”

“How long do Draconians live?”

“Most Draconians live about two or three hundred years, depending on their health.”

She had known that Draconians had a different lifespan than humans, but realizing how much longer frightened her.

“But I won’t live that long,” she said, sad to think of leaving him to live the rest of his life without her.

“When I give you the mating bite, it will change your DNA, allowing you to live a lifespan comparable to a Draconian’s.”

She would live for two or three hundred years? The idea was almost too much to comprehend. She didn’t know if she even wanted to live for two or three hundred years. It sounded like being a vampire or something. Still, it wasn’t immortality. She and Oro would eventually grow old and die. Hopefully, they would do it together.

The ship silently sped towards the open hatch that led into the docking bay of the command ship in the armada. Oro explained everything to her as they were coming in for a landing. When the ship came to a complete stop, the hatch opened and they climbed out.

Oro was immediately greeted by two other devastatingly attractive Draconian males in skintight uniforms. Oro introduced them as Commander Nash Or and General Mylash Shin. Commander Or was the commander of the entire armada. General Shin was Oro’s direct superior officer and the leader of the commandos.

“We received word that your mission was successful,” General Shin said.

“I have taken out Juan Norte, the leader of the Arizona techno-drug cartel.”

“As far as we know, he was the only one who had the codes that would enslave the army of techno-drug addicts. Good work Lieutenant Nix.”

“This is highly unusual, but I had help on my mission. I would like to acknowledge the part my mate Tabby Wilson played in taking out the threat.”

“You allowed your mate into a dangerous situation with dangerous criminals?” Commander Or said. His tone was completely shocked and flabbergasted. Tabby’s face burned hot with embarrassments. Sure, she had done something kind of dangerous, but they’d succeeded and everything was fine. They didn’t have to be so shocked about it.

“My mate is extremely brave and confident. We should ask her help in further missions regarding this matter. She has a great deal of experience with the drug cartel in the southwest of the United States on the North American continent. Even with Juan Norte gone, the threat to the human race still continues.”

Tabby was grateful that Oro was defending her. It sounded like he was also trying to give her some kind of job. She loved the idea of continuing to help take down the drug cartel. Those people had totally screwed up her neighborhood and her life. They got her parents addicted to the techno-drugs, and they had become walking zombies. They’d wasted away and lost any semblance of their former lives. She’d seen it happen to too many people.

Tabby had spent years pretending not to care. She told herself she should just look out for number one. But the truth was, Tabby did care. She cared deeply. More deeply than she ever let herself acknowledge. Acknowledging it would have just made her break down into a puddle of goo, and she wouldn’t have been able to carry on. She had the hard façade to protect herself from the truth.

She hated people like Leo and Juan. She hated what they were doing to her community. She wanted to be a part of solving the problem.

“I’m sure something can be arranged, but we will not allow your mate to be in physical danger again,” Commander Or said, crossing his arms and giving Oro a hard look.

“I agree with you one hundred percent, Commander,” Oro said. “Now, I would like to show my mate our chambers. We have not been completely mated, and my dragon still rages within.”

General Shin and Commander Or both stood back and out of their way, as if to say, “Hurry the heck up and go claim your woman.” Tabby giggled inwardly and followed Oro through the docking bay and down a brightly lit hallway. Other seven-foot-tall Draconian males passed as they walked by. She even saw a few human females in various stages of pregnancy. The girls smiled and waved good-naturedly at her, and she instantly felt welcome onboard the ship.

Oro opened the door into what could only be described as a luxury apartment. It had all the best things, furnishings, appliances, decorations. It was absolutely gorgeous and everything that she could’ve wanted.

“Now this is what I’ve been waiting for,” Tabby said, sitting on the comfortable couch that faced a big picture window looking out onto space. It was an absolutely spectacular view. People talked about million-dollar views, but this was more like a billion-dollar view.

Oro approached her and took her hand, lifting her up from her seat.

“There will be time to relax later,” he said in a husky voice. His eyes were hooded and dark as he looked down at her. She could see the tips of his teeth poking out from behind his full lips. She suddenly felt nervous. He had mentioned claiming her to Commander Or and General Shin. Was it finally time?

She felt flushed with excitement and anxiety. Her nipples pricked under his gaze. She didn’t know what to do, but she didn’t have to think about it long. He led her by the hand into a bedchamber.

“Take off your clothes,” he said, his voice deep and gravelly.

She gasped and began stepping out of her things. Just a little while ago she had Juan Norte staring at her with a similar expression. He had disgusted her. With Oro looking at her like that, all she wanted to do was strip off all her clothes, lay down on the bed, and spread her legs. Her body ached with need, and she was ready, so ready to finally be claimed by him.

When she was naked, she climbed up on the bed, her heart pounding and her palms sweaty.

“What you want me to do?” she asked in a shaky voice.

“Lie down,” he said flatly. Oro flicked the spot on his neck that made his uniform retract. As soon as the fabric melted away, Tabby could see his stiff, throbbing erection thrusting towards the ceiling. She bit her lip and moaned at the sight of it. It was so thick and long, she still didn’t know how it was supposed to fit inside her. It wasn’t like Tabby was a virgin, but she’d never seen a cock that big before.

“Are you sure I’m ready?” she asked, her skin pricking with goosebumps as she watched him climb over her.

“Yes,” was all he said.

He grabbed her knees and spread her legs wide, growling. She could see the dragon in his eyes and the sharp teeth in his mouth. The animal was not far away from the surface. She had known that his inner beast had been scraping and clawing at his mind, demanding that he mate with her all this time. Oro had been so careful, slowly building up her ability to take him so that he would not hurt her.

He kissed her hard on the mouth, then ran kisses down her body, over her neck and breasts, down her stomach, then between her thighs. He kissed the outer lips of her sex, and a jolt of electricity shot through her whole body. She gasped and gripped the bedspread.

She already felt like her mind was about to explode. She was on a spaceship, in outer space, and had a seven-foot-tall dragon-shifting alien between her legs. He was about to put the biggest cock she’d ever seen in her entire life, including in porn, inside of her. Her mind couldn’t even take it.

His tongue licked up her slit and pushed through to press against her clit. She moaned and gasped as his tongue circled over her mound. He ran his hands up her sides and grabbed her breasts, kneading them and plucking her nipples. Sensation and desire rippled through her. She could feel herself so close to climax under Oro’s expert ministrations. How had this guy learned to give such amazing head? Shipboard training sessions?

She ran her hands through his hair and bucked against his mouth, wanting to feel him even deeper. Her breath caught as pleasure barreled towards a crescendo. She groaned, fireworks exploding in her core.

Oro growled between her legs and he slowly crawled over her. She looked up into his face. She was scared, but she trusted him. It was crazy how much she trusted him. A man she’d only known for a few days, a man who was of an alien species, and she trusted him more than she’d ever trusted anyone else in her life. Even her parents had betrayed her with their weakness. But not Oro. Even when she had put herself in the middle of a dangerous situation, he had accepted her. He’d even praised her for her bravery and strength. This guy was the real deal.

He sank between her legs, pressing his hard shaft against her wet opening. He rubbed it up and down on her as he kissed her, his tongue flicking over hers. It incited another rush of hot desire. When he drew back and pressed the head of his cock against her slick pussy, she began panting and groaning with excitement and anticipation.

He kissed her face and her neck and slowly pressed forward. The head of his cock pushed through her outer walls and sank deeper, forcing her open. Her body struggled to accommodate him, enveloping him with her velvety softness.

She couldn’t breathe, she could barely think. As he pushed further inside, her mind went blank. She was full beyond reckoning, beyond imagining. It was impossible to tell where she ended and he began. It was as if their bodies had become one. He was inside her and she was inside him.

His lips pressed to her neck in a passionate kiss. She felt his fangs hard against her flesh, the sharp tips puncturing her skin. She cried out, but her voice was cut off as he bit into her neck.

His hips drew back, and he thrust forward again. Tabby ran her hands up and down his arms and over his back, holding him close. She wanted him closer, so close. She was under him and owned by him. It was as if they had become one in all things. She could feel him inside her. Not just inside her body, but inside her mind and heart and soul.

Oro continued to pump into her, drawing out her pleasure in deep, throbbing waves. She didn’t know when one orgasm ended and the next one began. It was like a haze of absolute pleasure and desire. His teeth gripped firmly on her flesh. She could feel liquid drip down her neck. Was it blood? She couldn’t even think. She didn’t care.

She clung to him as he took her and gave her the greatest pleasure she’d ever felt. With a tremendous thrust, Oro spilled his seed inside her, pumping against her womb. She could feel his hot semen shoot deep into her core. Slowly, he let go of her neck and licked the wound clean.

In such a daze of pleasure and connection, Tabby was unsure that the love making had ended. He slowly withdrew from inside her and rolled onto his back on the bed. He enveloped her in his arms and brought her head against his chest. She could feel his heart beating madly under her ear. He petted her hair and sighed softly.

“My dragon is sated,” he whispered. “I never thought it would feel so good to have a quiet mind once again.”

“Was it really that bad?” she asked, knowing the answer. He had told her his dragon was out of control, and it made her happy to know that he was finally at rest.

She could feel something stirring inside her, something big and ancient. Mates of Draconians did not become dragons. But Oro had told her that she would be changed at a genetic level. Was that what she was feeling? It was all so strange and new, but it felt good. It felt so very good to be close to him.

“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” he said, kissing her forehead.

They slowly drifted off to sleep, and Tabby finally knew that she was home.