Captured by the Alien Dragon
CHAPTER ONE
Something was wrong. No, not something—everything. Everything was wrong. Even the air tasted different. It was sweeter, like it was cleaner or purer. Chelsea didn’t want to open her eyes. She could sense that there were other people in the room with her. She didn’t want to see them.
The last thing she remembered, she was out walking her dog. It was a nice day, and she wanted to be outside. Work had stressed her out, her boyfriend was driving her crazy, and she was pretty sure there wasn’t enough money in her bank account to pay rent.
It was dusk, and the sun, setting in the distance, filled the sky with an orange, pink, purple color that relaxed her. But, suddenly, the warm relaxing tones were gone, and in their place was a bright, almost blinding white light. She looked around, to see if anyone was there who could confirm that she wasn’t going crazy. But, she was alone. The light got brighter, and in the distance, she saw something—a large, dark shape.
And that was it. That was all she remembered.
She heard people shuffling back and forth all around her, but no one was saying anything. She knew she was lying down, and it seemed like she was in a hospital room. But there was no quiet beeping of monitors or the sickeningly sweet smell that so often accompanied a place like that.
“She’s waking up,” someone finally spoke.
“Should I get him?” another voice asked.
“Not yet,” the first replied.
“Where am I?” Chelsea finally mustered the courage to ask. She kept her eyes closed, however.
No one answered her. They just continued to hurriedly move around. She felt someone reach out and take her forearm, wrapping their warm fingers around it.
When they released her, she opened her eyes—very slowly. The faces of the people working silently around her were serious, but not stern. There were three of them. They were all women, and they were all amazingly beautiful. They all had dark, tanned skin and deep brown, almost black eyes. Their hair was dark black as well. They all looked alike and different at the same time.
The person in the room that didn’t fit in was her. She had pale skin, light blue eyes, and naturally bleach blond hair. Not to mention that all of the women were stick thin. Chelsea was a curvy, voluptuous woman and proud of it.
“Where am I?” she asked again.
They all turned and looked at her at the same time. “You need to rest,” one of them said, stepping forward.
“Did I pass out?” Chelsea asked, looking around her. The room was weird. She couldn’t figure out why, though. There was a door and a small TV screen hanging in the corner. There was a chair and table pushed up against the wall, and the bed she was lying in was more or less your typical hospital bed. She couldn’t figure out what was so strange about that place.
“You need to rest,” the woman said to her again. She looked down at something she was carrying in her hand. It looked like a large tablet. She pushed a few buttons on the screen and looked over at her colleagues. “We can leave. We’re done here.”
They all turned to exit the room without looking back at her. And then she was alone. Still confused, she looked around the room again, trying to figure out what was wrong with it. It wasn’t the typical sterile-feeling hospital room. It almost had a warm, inviting feel to it. The lights gave off a light orange glow, instead of an intense yellow-white color. But, that wasn’t the only thing different about it.
Slowly, a realization washed over her. There were no heart monitors or any of the other pieces of equipment that would signify she was in a hospital. There were no windows, either. Weren’t there always windows in hospital rooms? Maybe not always windows facing the outdoors but at least ones that provided the nurses and doctors the ability to look into the room?
She glanced down at her arm, where one of the women had taken hold of her. It was hard to see at first, but if she squinted, she could make out a tiny, blinking light coming from under her skin.
That’s when she started to panic. She screamed and yelled and flailed about. She pushed herself up out of the bed, letting the sheets fall to the floor around her, revealing that she was completely naked. Still panicked, she ran to the door and tried to open it. It didn’t budge.
Where the hell was she? She kicked at the door and continued to demand answers. It was a while before she finally collapsed into a heap on the ground, tears streaming from her eyes and her heart nearly beating out of her chest.
In that instant, the very second she fell quiet; a man’s voice came from the other side of the door. “Are you calm? If you’re calm, I’ll give you all the answers you want.”
CHAPTER TWO
When he entered, she felt like the air became slightly warmer. Maybe it was the fact that her heart was still racing, causing her to feel like she was being consumed in a cloud of heat. Or maybe it was because the way he looked at her seemed to burn down inside her, making her feel weak and vulnerable. Or, maybe it was just him.
“Ms. Nelson,” he said to her dryly, “if you will.” He gestured to her bed, indicating that he wanted her to return to it.
As she pushed herself up, she became very aware that she had nothing on. She felt her cheeks burn red with embarrassment as she hurried back to cover herself with the sheet.
Her face was still wet with tears, and her hands still trembling. She felt light-headed from her fit and scared—she was still very scared.
“How do you know my name?” she asked him, her voice shaking.
“We know a lot about you,” he said pulling one of the chairs over to the side of her bed. “Let me start by introducing myself,” he began once he took his seat. “My name is Silas.”
“Silas,” she repeated. “Silas what?”
“Just call me Silas,” he said sternly. “I am in charge of everything around here.”
She looked at him, waiting for him to tell here where “here” was.
He tilted his head to the side and observed her closely. “You’re frightened.”
“Of course, I’m frightened,” she almost yelled. “No one is telling me what is going on!”
“Before I do that, before I tell you what is going on, I want you to know that this is only temporary. Just remember that.”
She felt a shiver of fear wash over her. “All right,” she agreed hesitantly.
“I think the easiest way to say it is with a term that your kind has come to be familiar with,” he leaned forward and spoke slowly. “You were abducted, Ms. Nelson.”
Her jaw dropped open and she sat, motionless for a moment. Then, out of nowhere, she heard the room fill with a hysterical laughter. She realized, shortly after, that it was she who was laughing.
“Abducted?” she asked, breathless.
“To be honest, I’ve never been a fan of the term myself, but it’s your language, not mine.” He still spoke calmly, slowly. If this was a joke, he wasn’t letting on.
She observed him closely as a sinking feeling started to overtake her. He had the same tan skin and dark eyes that the women did. He had shaggy, dark hair that hung loosely around his chiseled face. If he was telling the truth—if she really was taken by a group of extraterrestrials—they were nothing like the green-skinned, buggy-eyed aliens she had seen in the movies.
“Why?” she asked, not sure what else to say.
“The simplest answer is that my people are dying out. We can’t reproduce anymore. But, you earthlings are reproducing so quickly that your planet is on the verge of becoming overpopulated. We want to know why that is. What is it about humans that make you so fertile?”
“Fertile?” she repeated the word with a giggle. He shot her a very serious look that quickly forced the smile to fade from her face.
She wasn’t freaking out anymore. For some reason, simply having an answer was enough to relax her. Perhaps the answer should have freaked her out even more, but it didn’t.
He stared at her intently, looking almost confused. “You’re not going to get angry?”
“Angry? Why would I be angry?”
“We plucked you up with no concern for how you felt about it, and you’re not going to get upset about that?”
“It’s not like I had much going on for me there, anyway,” she replied with a shrug.
It was true. She was in a relationship that was going nowhere, in a job that had no future, and in a deep mound of debt.
“Very well,” he said, crunching his eyebrows together and giving her a puzzled look before turning to leave the room.
CHAPTER THREE
Over the next few days, she saw a lot of different people, who all looked more or less the same. No one said much to her. They simply came in, waved a little device over the blinking light in her arm and left. Occasionally, they would ask her a few questions, and jot down her answers on their over-sized tablets with a quick nod.
She wondered if Silas would return to see her. She had heard his voice outside her room a few times, but he never entered.
She found the courage to ask for him once or twice, but no one ever acknowledged her comments. It seemed, however, that her efforts paid off when he appeared at her door one day.
“You wanted to see me?” he asked as he pulled the chair to the side of her bed and sat down.
“You’re the only one who will talk to me,” she explained.
“That’s something you require?” he asked her in the same monotone voice.
She looked at him confused. “Require?” she asked. “No, I suppose I don’t require it. But, it’s nice, and this is all very hard to process.”
He nodded and leaned back in his chair. “What would you like to talk about, then?”
“I still don’t know exactly what’s going on,” she pointed out.
“Well, you’re on one of our main ships. I’m the captain of said ship. We’re in transit to our planet Verdus.”
“And what happens when we get there?”
“I am not at liberty to tell you that,” he replied in his usual dry tone.
“You said I could go home, though.”
“And you will. In fact, we’ll drop you back in the same exact moment we took you. Don’t worry, you won’t miss anything.”
“Is the ship big?” she asked, struggling to change the topic.
He seemed surprised by her question. He shifted his weight around and studied her closely. “That’s your question?”
“Yes,” she answered bluntly.
“Everyone else we took with you is on the verge of a breakdown, Ms. Nelson. For your own benefit, I shouldn’t be telling you that. But, I have to ask, why aren’t you?”
“Would it matter? Would it change anything if I yelled and screamed and got angry?”
“No.”
“Then what’s the point?”
He let out a soft laugh. Up to that point, she had never seen one of his people smile before. She liked it—especially on him. It almost seemed to soften his harsh features and filled her with a momentary sense of comfort.
“You want to see the ship?” he asked pushing himself to his feet.
“Yes,” she nodded eagerly.
“Fine,” he said, still in a dry tone.
He held out his hand to her. She reached out, hesitantly, to take it. The moment their skin touched she noticed a sort of heat coming off of him. It seemed to fill her.
When they exited the room he dropped her hand quickly. She immediately felt the eyes of everyone in the hall turn their attention to them. With a quick wave, however, Silas dismissed them and they continued with their work.
He led her down one hallway after the next. They all had the same orange-tinted lights that were in her room.
“It’s not what I expected,” she noted as they rounded a corner into a large open space.
“What do you mean?” he asked, turning to face her.
“It’s inviting,” she said, her eyes scanning the room. They were in what appeared to be a meeting area. There were large, plush white couches lining the walls, and enormous screens hanging everywhere. Plants were growing out of the ground, creating a pathway through the space.
“Compared to what?”
“You know, in the movies everything in space ships is sleek and sterile feeling. But here, it’s warm and comfortable.”
“Ah yes, movies. All I will say is that you shouldn’t believe everything you see in the movies,” he said as he turned and continued leading her forward.
As they walked, she noticed that there were less and less people around them. “Where is everyone?” she asked.
“It’s late,” he answered quickly. “They’re probably sleeping.”
“So you do that? You sleep?”
He turned to look at her, the smile once again on his lips. He let out a soft laugh and asked, “What do you think we are, Ms. Johnson?”
“Aliens,” she replied quickly.
He increased his grip on her hand. “You’re an interesting woman, you know that?”
“Me?” she laughed. “What does that make you, then?”
“You smile a lot,” he observed, not reacting to her rebuttal.
“You never smile,” she retorted quickly.
“I do,” he said, but with a slightly less dry tone than usual.
“Not nearly enough,” she answered softly, staring up at him.
The air around them suddenly seemed to become filled with a burning tension. His dark eyes were fixed on hers, making her knees weak. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears as he slowly pulled her closer to him.
As he leaned in she felt her entire body tremble with excitement. When he slowly pressed his lips to hers, her head began to spin. He wrapped his strong arms around her, and she let herself become enveloped by them.
Suddenly, a sound from the far end of the room caused him to pull back quickly. He scanned the room, nervously.
“Come with me,” he said, once again taking her hand and leading away. “There’s one more place I want to show you.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Silas definitely saved the best for last. He led her into what could only be described as the window to the heavens. It was a large, open space, filled completely with plants, most of which she had never seen before.
The ceiling, however, was what really caught her eye. It was made completely of glass and provided a view that took her breath away. The dark, endless night sky spread out above them in a blanket of stars.
Once they reached the center of the room, he pulled her into him. “I’ve never met anyone like you before,” he leaned in and whispered in her ear.
The feeling of his warm breath against her skin sent a shiver running down her spine.
“I could say the same,” she replied, breathless.
“You skin is so soft,” he observed, running his hands up and down her arms.
She pressed herself into him. She could feel his heart beating in his chest—or maybe it was hers.
“Something about you makes me want to devour you,” he whispered harshly.
“Then do it,” she dared him playfully.
He pushed her back and held her at arms’ length, “take off your clothes,” he ordered her.
Her hands shaking and her heart nearly beating out of her chest, she did as he said. She liked his authoritative air. It only served to cause her attraction to him to stir even more deeply inside her.
She quickly began to undress, letting her clothes fall to a pile around her, revealing her naked body to him.
He ran his fingers over her skin, starting at her shoulders, and slowly making his way down her body. He stopped, momentarily, when he reached her breasts, taking them in his hands, and running his thumbs back and forth along her nipples. A tingling sensation filled her, and she let out a soft gasp.
“We shouldn’t be doing this, you know,” he said, leaning in to once again whisper in her ear as he let his hands slide further down her body.
“What do you mean?” she asked, breathless with anticipation.
“It’s one of the rules. We’re not supposed to engage in relations with the subject.”
Wrapping his left arm around her waist, he let his right hand fall to the place between her legs. She was thankful that he was holding her because the feeling of pleasure that consumed her almost made her knees buckle.
“But I don’t care about the rules right now,” he said, his voice low. “I want you, Chelsea.”
Her breathing heavy she tried to focus on his words. But, she couldn’t. The feeling of his touch was causing her to shake and her body filled with an insatiable lust.
“Why me?” she finally asked, almost breathlessly.
“I told you,” he said, pulling away from her and once again observing her, naked and shaking in the soft light, “you’re different.”
“Oh,” she said as he began to pull his shirt off over his head. His strong, defined chest and perfectly formed abdomen only caused her longing to be with him to increase.
He reached out and pulled her to him, lying back onto the soft, grass ground. The sky above them was filled with stars, but she didn’t notice.
All she could think of was the feeling of his warm skin pressed against hers. She reached her hand down, slowly undoing the snaps of his pants. As she did, he kissed her neck and nibbled on her ear. The feeling of his breath against her skin again made it hard to focus on anything else.
“Let me,” he said, reaching down and finishing her work for her. Once he had slipped out of his own pants, their bodies came together again. When he pushed himself inside her, she felt warmth explode through her.
As he brushed against every possible part of her, she felt her toes begin to curl and the air around them become filled with a charged heat. She dug her nails into his back, pulling him down closer to her. Sinking her teeth into his shoulder, she felt her body shudder with release.
The experience of being with him was unlike any she had before. He left her weak and numb, unable to move and not wanting to. She just wanted to lay there, his arms wrapped around her, her face buried in his chest. She barely knew him, but in that moment all she wanted was to stay with him forever.
CHAPTER FIVE
Silas began to come to her room every day. He could never stay for long. He explained that that would cause too much suspicion.
“I can’t stay away from you,” he confessed to her. “My kind we’re always serious, focused and dedicated. When I’m with you, it’s like I’m relaxed—for the first time ever.”
She laughed a lot with him, and he even started to smile more frequently. They talked about her, mainly. She shared her life story with him, talking about her family, and where she grew up. She ended with the depressing reality that was her current situation.
She found herself missing him when he wasn’t there. She thought about him at night, and she had wanted to ask him more about himself, and his kind. The only things he ever said about them were almost haunting.
She couldn’t be certain that they had always been such a hard people. Silas did know that since the crisis on their planet started, over a hundred Earth years prior, survival became the only thing that mattered.
She had been on the ship for, what she guessed to be, two weeks. Their arrival to their planet was abrupt. She got no warning or indication that they were getting close. She became suspicious when Silas stopped his visits. Her thoughts were confirmed when the women who were seeing after her came to her room one day, and, without a word, ushered her away.
As they walked slowly down the long hall, others fell in line with them. They were all whimpering, crying, and asking what was going to happen next. She exchanged glances with a few of them, their eyes filled with terror. Why wasn’t she scared like they were? Should she be?
She didn’t have time to consider these questions further because she was pushed outside a large door, and down a long, wide ramp. The air outside of the ship was fresh and light. It had the same, if not more intense, sweet taste that she experienced upon waking up.
Looking around, Chelsea was awe-shocked by what she saw. It was beautiful—simply breathtaking. Everywhere she looked she saw color—green, orange, red, purple. It seemed like there were plants everywhere, some of the most beautiful plants she had ever seen.
Directly in front of them was a large cliff that seemed to reach up into the sky and disappear. There were no buildings, no cars or houses.
“Where is everyone?” she asked the woman who was leading her towards the massive stone structure ahead.
The woman didn’t say anything but gestured ahead. She wasn’t telling her to continue moving, though. She was giving her an answer.
Looking in the direction she pointed, Chelsea saw that up high, tucked into the side of the cliff were caves. Inside the branches of the trees that were growing out the sides of the stone, she could see movement.
She turned around to face the woman again, a million questions forming in her mind. As she did, her eyes landed on Silas. He was walking not far behind them, and she shot him a sly smile. His eyes lit up, slightly, although his face remained stern.
She watched as he quickened his pace and moved to the front of the group. Once he was there, he stopped, and everyone following him did the same. He didn’t speak, but with a quick nod, all the workers on the ship stepped forward.
The air around them suddenly became filled with a burning heat. Chelsea felt like she couldn’t breathe from the combination of the heavy, intense temperature and the smoke that seemed to appear from nowhere.
When the air once again returned to normal, and the smoke cleared, she couldn’t believe what she saw around her. She blinked hard, trying to process it.
Silas, the woman who was guiding them and all the others from their planet had transformed. They had transformed into dragons. They were all varying colors, sizes, and even shapes. But, there was no doubt that they were dragons.
One of the scale-covered beasts moved over to her. The steps were heavy and shook the ground under her feet. The animal leaned forward and waited for her to climb up onto its back. She did, as did the other still human around her. And then, almost in perfect unison, they took off.
They climbed high into the air, up the side of the cliff, and weaving seamlessly through the branches of the extremely large trees. They didn’t look so large from the ground. The wind blowing by tickled her cheeks, and the rush of the experience filled her with excitement.
When they reached the entrance to the cave where they were headed, however, a sinking feeling began to form in the pit of her stomach. She remembered Silas’ words about his kind being cruel—hardened by their struggle. Inhaling deeply, she tried to calm her racing heart and prepare herself for what lay ahead.
CHAPTER SIX
Inside the cave the bright, green and colorful environment of the outside was sharply contrasted. It was dark, and the harsh stones jutting out of the sides of the walls gave it a dangerous, ominous feel.
The cave itself wasn’t very deep, and against the back wall, Chelsea could see a small group of people gathered. The group that had escorted them to the top changed once again into a human form and began ushering them all forward. Chelsea felt her heart leap into her throat.
In the middle of the group was a man—a large, imposing man. He turned to face them as they meekly approached him. His tan skin appeared darker, and his black eyes blacker than the others from their planet.
Silas stepped forward. Chelsea was amazed that even he, with his massively muscular frame and impressive height, seemed to be dwarfed by the man.
“Darius,” Silas mumbled slowly, nodding his head.
“Silas,” the man replied, stepping up to him. “How many did you bring?”
“Fifteen,” Silas answered.
“Good,” the man replied with a quick nod. He stepped around to get a better look at the newcomers. He eyed them all, one-by-one, examining them slowly. “They’ll do,” he said turning back to Silas.
Silas replied with a quick nod. Turning to face the group as well, he began, “you will all be shown to where you will be staying. In the morning, we will begin the tests.”
With that, a murmur filled the cave, echoing off the walls and filling Chelsea with a looming sense of fear. What tests would they be doing? Wasn’t that what they were doing on this ship? The little blinking light and the data recordings?
The woman who had led her off the ship placed a firm hand on her shoulder and began to lead her back to the entrance of the cave. Just before turning around to leave, Silas’ gaze met hers. His expression was hard and cold, but his dark eyes seemed to lighten slightly when they fell on hers. She shot him a nervous look, wishing she could run to him, ask him what was happening and let him comfort her.
He seemed to sense her uneasiness, because his expression, momentarily, softened to one of concern. The man standing next to him began speaking in a hushed whisper, and he turned away quickly.
Her heart fluttered in her chest as the woman continued to pull her to the edge of the cliff. She then stepped out onto the branch of one of the trees. Not waiting to make sure Chelsea was following; she began to walk gracefully and gingerly away.
Chelsea wasn’t as sure of herself as she set a shaking foot onto the branch. She watched as the woman weaved her way ahead of her, and quickened her step to keep up. The branch was just wide enough that she could stand with her feet shoulder-width apart. One wrong move, one misstep and she would go tumbling down, probably to her death.
The woman didn’t go far before stopping at the entrance of another, smaller cave. “You’ll be staying here,” she said, motioning into the darkness.
“Here?” Chelsea asked, peeking in.
The woman didn’t respond, but turned and continued delicately making her way deeper into the thickening leaves and branches.
Chelsea had to make a small leap to get into what was apparently going to be her temporary home. The air inside the cave was cold and refreshing. It was dark, but as her eyes adjusted she saw that it was somewhat furnished. There was a bed, a table, and a chair.
She walked over to the small, hard bed and sat herself down. Burying her face in her hands, she let the tears begin to flow. She didn’t want to go home; surprisingly enough, she didn’t miss anything about her life back on Earth. She was scared, though. She found herself thinking of Silas and once again longing for his presence.
Curling up and lying back, she realized how exhausted she was. She hadn’t been able to sleep much the night before, due to the abrupt arrival to their planet. Closing her eyes to stop the tears from flowing, she found it extremely difficult to open them again. Before she knew it, she was drifting off to sleep.
CHAPTER SEVEN
She was awoken suddenly when the room became filled with a soft, but noticeable heat. Sitting up quickly, she looked to the entrance of the cave. The sun had gone down, and the night sky had a soft green glow. It was beautiful, and she would have loved to have enjoyed it, but the feeling that she was not alone kept her frozen in place.
A movement in the far corner drew her eye. Immediately she recognized Silas’ outline.
“Sorry I woke you up,” he said as he crossed the room slowly and stood next to her bed.
“I’m glad you did, actually,” she said, wiping the sleep from her eyes and letting the comforting feeling of having him there wash over her.
He shifted his weight around, nervously. Staring down at her, his dark eyes seemed to sparkle in the soft light pouring into the space.
“I won’t be able to come see you as often, now that we’re here,” he began.
Her heart sank slightly at his words. “I think I’m starting to become afraid,” she confessed to him softly.
“I understand that,” he replied sitting down on the bed next to her. “I wish I could say I’ll protect you, that I won’t let anything bad happen to you, but I can’t. I can’t promise something like that.”
A shudder ran through her. “At least you’re honest,” she said with a sigh.
He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him. She rested her head on his chest and let herself become enclosed in his strong frame.
“So, you’re a dragon,” she whispered in the most light-hearted tone she could, not wanting to talk about her situation anymore. She just wanted to enjoy the moment with him. There was a good chance they wouldn’t have many more.
He let out a soft chuckle, “yes, I am. We all are.”
“That’s pretty interesting,” she said with a wry tone.
“I suppose if you’re not used to it, it would be.”
She turned her face to look up at him. He was smiling down at her, the same smile that was so rare, but so beautiful on him.
“When you’re here, I’m not scared,” she confessed. “Maybe I should be. I really don’t know that much about you. But still, you make me feel happy.”
He kissed her forehead and squeezed her tight. “You’re the only thing in my life that has ever made me feel happy, Chelsea. Before you, all I cared about was my duty—my responsibility.”
“And now?”
“Now, I don’t know. You came along and everything became less clear. It’s not that I don’t still want to find a way to save my kind. It’s just, suddenly, that’s not the only thing on my mind anymore. It’s like I’ve found this other thing that’s slowly becoming just as important to me. I found you.”
“Me?” she asked, feeling her heart quicken in her chest.
“You’ve made me realize something. What’s the point of saving our people if our people don’t even enjoy life? The existence we have isn’t fulfilling. It’s empty. My life was empty before you.”
He reached down and nudged her chin, causing her to look up at him again. He leaned in and kissed her, slowly. She returned the kiss, with passion and desire. All she wanted, in that moment, was to be with him.
He had also given her something more in life. Back on Earth, she had nothing. Here, she had him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself on top of him, her legs straddling his waist.
Already her body was filled with a lustful longing to feel his touch again. She pushed herself back and rested her hand on his chest. His heartbeat was strong and his breathing heavy.
She leaned back and lifted the shirt off over her head. He sat up and buried his face in her breasts, kissing them greedily. His lips against her skin sent a shiver of desire surging through her.
Slipping quickly out of her shorts, she waited while he did the same. When she returned to her position on top of him, he slid his member inside her slowly. She leaned forward, the feeling of satisfaction consuming her. He wrapped his arms around her back and held onto her tightly as he lifted his hips, driving himself deeper inside of her.
In the soft light, his body seemed to shine, covered in sweat. The lines of his chest and stomach muscles were even more defined, and the chiseled features of his face seemed even more predominant. But still, there was something soft in the way he looked at her.
As their bodies moved together, she felt a connection with him. It was something that she didn’t quite feel the first time. Before, being with him was a simple act of lust. Now, it was filled with passion, desire, and caring. It was a longing to be close.
The feeling of being with him her sent a surge of pleasure and longing simultaneously flowing through her. The more satisfaction he gave her, the more she wanted. His strong, sure movements filled her in a way that no man had done before, and she wished the moment never had to end.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The next day the tests began. They came to her room in the morning, waking her up from the blissful sleep that Silas had left her in.
The small space seemed to fill completely. They were all carrying different devices in their hands and had serious, empty expression on their face. She could hear screams coming from outside—others that were taken with her, she assumed.
She didn’t scream. She wouldn’t let herself scream. The tests ranged from everything as basic as a blood sample to being restrained while they plunged large needles down into her flesh. One injected her with a clear fluid that burned. She could feel it spreading through her veins, sending tears to her eyes and a stifled cry to her throat. Another needle served to extract—blood, tissue, she wasn’t sure what, but, it was almost as painful as the liquid fire they had poured into her.
The same tests were run day after day. Each day, even though she thought she had mentally prepared herself for the pain, it still bolted through her in such a way that she felt like she was living it for the first time.
Silas came to see her again three nights after the test began. Her body hurt, and even breathing sent a dull ache spreading through her.
“Shit!” he said upon seeing her.
He rushed over to the side of her bed and lifted her to him. She leaned her head against his chest, listening to the beating of his heart. It was strong and hard, fast and deep
“I should have come sooner.”
“I can’t do it much longer,” she replied, her breathing shaky. “It’s too much. It’s too hard.”
He lifted her face to his and let his eyes burn down into hers. “You can’t give up,” he urged her.
“When will it end?” she asked, tears stinging her eyes.
A soft rustling at the entrance to her cave caused Silas to stand to his feet quickly. There was a sudden tension in the room that made the pain she was feeling subside. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her hands started to shake as a large, dark figure started moving towards them.
“Don’t worry,” a deep voice said, “it’ll be over much sooner than you think.”
“Darius,” Silas said, stepping forward, blocking Chelsea from his view.
“You know, Silas,” Darius replied, “I have long suspected something like this would happen one day. But, I never expected it from you. My hand picked second in command—I’m deeply hurt.”
“Sir, if you’ll let me explain,” Silas tried to begin.
“You’ll have your chance,” Darius said harshly.
Suddenly, Silas was knocked to the ground. She could see more men pouring into the small space, apprehending him and coming for her.
She didn’t scream. Not because she was trying to be strong, though. She couldn’t. She opened her mouth and nothing came out. Two men lifted Silas up by the arms and pushed him forward. He didn’t look back at her but kept his head down at he shuffled away.
When two more men reached her bed, they grabbed her by the wrists, and aggressively lifted her up, forcing her to follow as they led her to the edge of the cave. Her vision became blurry with tears as all around her the sky became filled with dragons. She had no idea what was about to happen, but she knew it wasn’t going to be good.
CHAPTER NINE
They took her to a large, open field. If it hadn’t been for her situation she would have been in awe at its beauty. Her captors were once again in their human form, and standing around in a large circle.
Her wrists were still held tightly by the two men. She watched as Darius moved slowly to the center of the group, turning to address his people. Even from a distance, he appeared enormous. His dark skin and jet-black hair stood out against the bright, colorful flora surrounding them. The sun was beginning to come up in the distance, and the soft oranges, purples, and pinks did little to calm her down in that moment.
“I have called you all here because I have discovered a traitor among us!” he said loudly.
The crowd burst into an angry roar. Chelsea tried to make out what they were saying, but she couldn’t.
Directly across from where she was standing the people parted and Silas was pushed forward, and thrust harshly into the center of the circle. At the sight of him, a hiss filled the air, and everyone started to shift around nervously and angrily. A feeling of confusion and frustration filled the space and threatened to swallow her.
Silas kept his head down. He wouldn’t look up at her. His eyes, fixed on the ground, looked like dark pits and his hair was thrown around his face in a hectic mess.
“We found him sneaking around with one of the subjects!” Darius continued, looking over to where Chelsea stood.
The men holding her pushed her forward and threw her on the ground near to where Silas was standing.
He leaned forward quickly and helped her to her feet, but he still refused to look at her. Once she was standing, he stood, motionless, next to her, not making any effort to communicate with or comfort her.
“The laws of our kind are very clear, Silas,” Darius said, a little quieter than he had been speaking. He stepped up and stood directly in front of him, forcing Silas to look him in the eye.
“I know,” Silas muttered.
“With our race in crisis like it is, you would rather engage in an ill-thought dalliance with her?” Darius said, thrusting a finger in Chelsea’s face.
“It’s not that simple, sir,” Silas tried to reply.
“It is!” Darius yelled. “It’s as simple as saving our race!”
“Is this really the race we want to fight to protect?” Silas’ voice was stronger. He looked at the faces of the people around him. Everyone was silent, and the air was electric with tension.
“We’re not happy,” he continued. “We don’t enjoy life. What’s the point of saving a people that are miserable? A people that will torture others, for nothing!”
He turned to face Darius, who was eying him angrily. “How long have we been doing this?” he asked pointedly. “How long, Darius?”
Darius appeared surprised by his sudden aggression. He didn’t expect him to speak out the way that he did.
“Doing what?” Darius asked, obviously playing dumb.
“Abducting humans and running these painful, gruesome tests on them?”
“A while,” Darius replied, looking around at his people. “But what other way is there?” he bellowed.
“There has to be another answer!” Silas retorted, matching his loud, authoritative tone. “We have nothing!” he turned to face the crowd. “Did you know that? Did you know that as a result of years of testing and hundreds of subjects, we’re nowhere closer to solving our problem?”
A quiet murmur spread through the audience.
“We just need to change our methods!” Darius tried to explain.
“Maybe we just need to change our leader,” Silas spit at him.
His words seemed to hang in the air. Chelsea scanned the faces of everyone around them. They look flustered, confused, frightened. But, they no longer looked angry.
When her eyes rested on Darius’ face, it seemed to have turned from the dark tan tone to one of a soft red, flushed shade. His eyes looked like they were going to explode from their sockets, and there was one very large, defined vein running down over one of his temples.
“Are you challenging me, Silas?” he asked in a whisper. Even though it was a whisper, his words still seemed to fill the air around them.
Silas took a deep breath and turned to scan the faces of the people surrounding them. He then turned to face Chelsea. He took her hands in his and leaned in and kissed her softly on the cheek.
An intense heat started to radiate off of Darius. Chelsea felt like it was suffocating her. She turned to look at him, but Silas placed a firm hand on her cheek and lifted her face to his.
“You need to get back,” he said to her firmly.
“What?” she asked.
He turned back to face Darius, who was disappearing into a cloud of smoke. “Get back!” he yelled to Chelsea, pushing her in the direction of the crowd.
CHAPTER TEN
They both transformed at the same time, filling the large space and pushing the on-lookers back against the line of trees surrounding them.
At first glance, it was easy to tell which of the two was which. Although their dragon forms carried no similarities to their human, Darius with his red scales, and gold-flecked wings was by far still larger. Silas, who still stood at least 10 feet tall, had bright green scales covering his body that appeared to change to a light blue color as he moved.
Chelsea cowered back in fear, tears burning her eyes. A soft touch from behind her startled her and released the scream that had been caught in her throat.
Turning around, she saw one of the women who had tended to her in the ship—the same one who had served as her guide, bringing her to see Darius the first day, and showing her to her living quarters after.
She didn’t speak to Chelsea, but for the first time, the expression on her face wasn’t a stern, serious one. It looked as if she was scared as well. She wrapped her arm around Chelsea’s shoulder and turned her attention to where Darius and Silas were already locked in battle.
Scared to look, Chelsea covered her eyes with her hands and peeked out at the scene between her fingers. She looked just in time to see Darius lunge forward quickly throwing Silas back against the ground.
It was clear that Silas was the underdog. As he flew back and hit the ground, the earth under her feet shook, and her heart felt like it had taken the fall with him.
Darius suddenly took to the air, ready to dive down and throw his weight into his already struggling opponent. Silas was able to roll out of the way, just as the large, red body came plummeting towards him. Hitting the ground hard, Darius was clearly shaken up.
Silas took advantage of his momentary state of confusion to push himself to his feet and release a column of flame in his direction, consuming him almost completely.
This caused Chelsea to surge with hope. That hope, however, was quickly squashed when Darius emerged through the fire, looking to be completely unaffected.
Silas charged forward, hoping to once again surprise him, but it didn’t work. Darius was in the air again. Silas turned quickly and took off as well.
As they spiraled upward, locked in combat, Chelsea buried her face into the shoulder of the woman who was still holding her close. She couldn’t watch.
When a loud crash rang out, and the ground shook violently around them, she didn’t have to look to know who she would see.
Silas was lying on the ground, his body heaving and his breathing labored. She wanted to do something, anything to help him. But, she couldn’t.
Darius set himself down on the ground gently, the air filling with smoke and a maniacal laugh sending an eerie shiver running down her spine.
“You’re too weak, Silas,” he said when he appeared once again in his human form. “You can’t defeat me.”
Silas shuddered and another cloud of smoke consumed him. When it cleared she saw him—weak, defeated, and horribly injured. She couldn’t take it anymore. She pushed free of the woman’s grasp and threw herself on the ground next to him.
“Chelsea,” Silas coughed, “you have to stay back.”
“No,” she said wrapping her arms around him. “I won’t leave you.”
“Then you’ll suffer the same fate,” Darius said with a shrug.
“Fate?” she looked up at him, fear gripping her.
“If we battle, it’s to the death.”
Death. She let the word hang in the air and the reality come crashing down on her.
“That is, of course, unless Silas wants to continue his futile attempt at usurpation,” Darius added with a chuckle.
“Chelsea, you have to go,” Silas whispered, grabbing onto her arm firmly and looking intently at her. She could see tears forming in the corners of his eyes.
“I’ll take his place,” the woman who had comforted Chelsea stepped forward. Everyone turned to look at her. “I agree with what Silas said,” she spoke confidently. “He’s right. What we’re doing isn’t working. We need change.”
Darius looked at her in disbelief. “If he can’t best me, there’s no way you will be able to!” he scoffed.
“I’ll fight too,” another voice came from the other side of the ring.
“Me, too,” another yelled out. And then another, and another. Before Chelsea could really process what was happening, there were at least a dozen people that had stepped forward to show their support for Silas.
Darius shouted, panic on his voice for the first time, “you’re going to stand with him? I’ve led you for the last decade! I alone have kept us alive!”
“They’ve made their choice,” Silas said pushing himself up.
Darius turned to look at him, hate, anger, and fear in his eyes. “So, what now, Silas? You’re going to kill me? You’re going to slit my throat and assume my throne?”
Silas looked down at Chelsea and smiled. “No,” he said turning his focus back to Darius, “I’m not going to kill you. I’m going to exile you.”
“Exile?” Darius choked. “To where?”
“I don’t really care,” Silas said stepping forward. “There are millions of planets out there, Darius. I don’t care which one you choose, but you have to get the hell off of this one.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Silas naturally assumed the role as leader of their race. He made sweeping changes, and all of the subjects were scheduled to be sent home immediately.
Chelsea sat, alone, in her cave, staring at the setting sun. Everything that had happened felt like a dream. And now, the dream was over.
“Why so sad?” Silas asked, appearing suddenly at the entrance.
“Not sad, nostalgic,” she corrected him.
“Oh,” he said with a nod. He crossed the small space and sat next to her, taking her hand in his. “Why?”
“I’m leaving. I know my time here hasn’t been the best, but, sadly enough, it’s still better than the life I have waiting for me when I get home.”
“You don’t have to leave,” he said softly.
She turned to look at him, her eyes wide. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, if you want to stay, you can. That’s why I came to see you, actually.”
“Really?”
“I don’t want you to go, Chelsea. I need you by my side as I enter this new chapter of my life. It’s because of you that I had the courage to start it. I can’t imagine going through it without you.”
“But,” she said, her hands shaking, “I’m not, I mean, I can’t—you know—turn into a dragon.”
He laughed and pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her and planting a soft kiss on her lips, sending the feeling of comfort and happiness he gave her running through her.
“And?” he asked when they pulled apart.
“I can’t even leave my room!” she laughed. “I can’t fly myself up here and swoop back down there when I need things like, oh, I don’t know, food.”
“We’ll put in a staircase.”
“That’s going to have to be one hell of a staircase.”
He smiled at her and brushed the hair out of her face, letting his dark eyes burn into hers, “we’ll make it work.”
“Okay,” she said, a smile spreading quickly across her face.
“Okay?” he asked with an eager nod. “Okay, you’ll stay?”
“I’ll stay. But just know, if I do, you’re never going to be able to get rid of me.”
“I don’t ever plan on it,” he replied, leaning in and pressing his lips to hers. “I could never let you go, Chelsea.”
***THE END***