Later That Night at the Local Saloon

“Why are we here?” Sonar asked Markus.

“We’re going to look for signs that our people may have come through. I need to speak to a local to do that.”

“You mean, you need to speak with the female.” Sonar snorted.

“Her name is Valorie and yes, I will be speaking with her.” He hadn’t told his friends yet that he would be staying with Valorie in Dragoon. He needed to make sure that he won her over first and didn’t want to be fighting with his friend and wasting his energy.

They had sat at a table in the corner where they could keep an eye on those coming and going from the saloon. It also allowed him to have a good visual on Valorie, to ensure her safety. She would occasionally look over at him and smile. The other female, the one with the large breasts, was waiting on them.

“Is there anything else I can get you, sugar?” The female leaned over, exposing her cleavage. It was nice, but she wasn’t the female he wanted and his dragon actually growled with anger.

“That’s all, thank you.” Markus paid her and took his drink, glancing over at the bar.

It aggravated him that males came in and flirted with his female, his mate. She would smile and laugh with the men, which infuriated him further. She should only smile at him.

“Easy Markus, your eyes are starting to glow,” Sonar warned him.

It was just him and Sonar at the saloon. They had Roan shift to dragon form and circle the perimeter in the sky. Markus could feel his dragon clawing to get out and fetch their mate. They were having an internal battle of wills.

“We could fly her to the top of the mountain, claim her, and bond with her,” his dragon insisted.

He reprimanded his dragon. “She would be terrified of us if we don’t explain to her first.”

“I want her.”

“Me too, me too.”

Sonar was waving his hand in front of his face. “Markus! Are you even listening?”

“Sorry, I was distracted.”

“Obviously. I said that your eyes are glowing again. I think your dragon is trying to break free. Go outside, get some fresh air, then come back in when you’re calmed.”

“Yes…I’ll do that.” Markus stood up and walked to the door of the saloon. He glanced once more at Valorie, who was watching him curiously. His dragon pushed again, wanting out. Markus controlled him and got through the door, breathing in the night air in large gulps.

“Markus? Are you okay?”

He turned to find Valorie had followed him outside. “I’m fine, just needed some air.”

“My shift’s almost up,” she told him as she took a step toward him.

Markus felt like a magnet was pulling him to her and took a step, bringing them closer. “Would you spend time with me after you are done working?”

“Absolutely.” She smiled and it lit up her whole face.

His heart thudded, and both he and his dragon wanted to see her smile like that for the rest of their lives. Moving forward until she was within reach, he slowly reached out his hand so that his fingers caressed her cheek.

“You are so soft.” He looked into her beautiful eyes. She shivered and he immediately was worried. “Are you cold?” His body temperature always ran hot because of his dragon blood.

“No, I can feel your body heat, it’s like a furnace.”

He moved her to the shadows and pulled her against his body. “I know that I’m new to you, but there’s something between us. Can you feel it?”

She nodded her head. “Yes. It’s crazy, but the moment I looked into your eyes I felt this…pull.”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to wait until your shift ends before I do this.”

“Do what?”

He leaned down and kissed her. She had the most incredibly soft lips he had ever felt. When she opened up and his tongue found hers, the taste of her was explosive. His body reacted and his cock pressed hard against his pants. His dragon rumbled inside, eager for them to claim her.

Valorie wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned against him. Her nipples had hardened and she moaned with desire. He was grateful she was feeling the same desire for him that he felt for her.

Cupping her ass, he lifted her shorter frame up higher so that he could ground his lower half against hers. By the stars, she made him forget everything but mating with her. It took a few seconds for it to register that there was a screeching sound coming from above. There it was again, followed by two more screeching sounds. It was a dragon call, several of them, and they were getting closer.

“What the hell is that?” Valorie asked, looking up into the night sky.

Placing her down on the ground carefully, he pointed to the bar. “Go inside and find my friend. Tell him I need him right now. I want you to stay inside the bar and don’t come out until I come for you.”

“Markus?”

“Go!” He gave her a gentle shove. She turned and ran for the saloon door. No sooner had she disappeared inside then three large dragons dropped down from the sky, landing but a few feet away.

Moving out of the shadows, he faced the dragons, their white shimmering scales gleaming. The lead dragon was easily recognizable. His cowardice had caused the death of many of his people when he broke the line and entered the portal, shutting it closed in both regions. The other kings saved what people they could who were in the portal chamber, but those who were in the West Region of Drakonia died, their portal shutting off abruptly. The dragons shifted and they stood before him in humanoid form. A bag with a rope tied around their necks was removed and clothing was pulled out.

He addressed the male in the middle, “King Dyson, I see that you have survived.”

“Who are you?”

“Captain Markus of the Drakonian Elite Warriors.”

“The last time I saw you was hundreds of years ago. I’d assumed you stayed on Drakonia. Whose portal did you use?”

“I came here on board the Zyon. It’s only been ten years since we fled Drakonia.”

King Dyson took a step back and looked up into the stars. “Only ten years? How is that possible?”

“The mages were able to find coordinates to take us through wormholes that sped up our travel. Also, the portals transported our people to a time period on each planet that would be more conducive to their survival.”

“Hundreds of years spent on this horrible planet with these people. Now we can go home in just ten years!” King Dyson paced back and forth, excited, looking up at the stars.

“No.”

King Dyson stopped walking to look at him curiously. “What do you mean…no?”

“There is no more Drakonian homeworld. The atmosphere has been distorted to where it would be difficult to support life. Everything that made it livable for our people is gone. No water, no oxygen, no animal or plant life.”

Dyson waved that information away. “If we can’t go home to Drakonia, we can at least use the battle cruiser to conquer Earth. It has been hell trying to live amongst these mortals. I tried to rule where I could but…there is always someone getting in my way.”

It didn’t surprise Markus to hear that King Dyson tried to conquer the people of Earth. He was always the most restless and always ready to start a war.

“Give me your communicator Markus, and I’ll contact the commander.”

“General Ranier is not under your command. He answers to King Reichardt, as do I.”

Dyson growled angrily. “You dare defy me, warrior? I’m King Dyson!”

Markus felt the air around them swirl as four more dragons landed. These dragons differed in scale colors from red, to green and gold. They shifted to human form and Markus immediately recognized King Reichardt, who stepped forward.

“You are king only in name. Here on Earth, you rule no one but those you took with you during the evacuation. You closed that portal without thinking about all those you were leaving behind and sentencing to death. You are not worthy of the crown you claim,” Reichardt said before turning to Markus, who knelt down on one knee.

“Warrior Markus? It has been quite a long time.”

“My king, ten years for me but I hear it’s been longer for you. I’m sorry it took so long to get back to you.”

“We’ll tell our stories later.” Reichardt turned to Dyson. “Leave Dyson, this is my territory.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I heard the dragon call and answered.”

Reichardt snarled at him. “You attacked humans on the edge of my territory and have been completely banned. If you don’t leave now, I will force you.”

“You can try but all you’ll accomplish is getting your head chopped off.”

Markus stood up ready to defend his king. He felt Sonar’s presence coming up beside him. He didn’t have a weapon—his dragon was a weapon. His claws started to inch out of his fingers. Another scent had his dragon ready to spring forward to defend—their mate