Dennox:

I’d expected tears and pouting from the human woman when she heard the Firstborn’s pronouncement. Instead, I get defiance.

Defiance is better. Much better. Defiance is interesting.

I’ve never felt the urge to throttle the Firstborn as much as I do at this moment. What does Arax think he’s doing? We are not his puppets, to be mated at will.

Harper Boyd tilts her chin up and glares at Vulrux and me, her sea-blue eyes sparkling with anger. She’s so tiny, this human woman who tugs at my dragon’s heart.

She’s also a complete stranger, and though we’ve been on this planet for a very long time, and I haven’t known a woman’s touch in sixty years, I’ve never bedded a woman who was unwilling, and I’m not about to start now.

She’s yours, my dragon growls. Take the woman. Claim her.

“That’s fine,” I tell her calmly. I give Vulrux a questioning glance. “What now?”

He raises his shoulder in a shrug. “My cousin spends much of his waking hours worrying about the women taken by the other exile batch,” he says. “Especially after they almost took Viola. He’s not thinking rationally. Let’s give Viola a couple of days to work on him, and then he’ll realize that he can’t involve the human woman this way.”

“Ahem.” Harper Boyd speaks up. “Can you stop talking about me like I’m not here?”

Vulrux looks embarrassed. “My apologies, Harper Boyd. You’ve been in a coma, and we got into the habit of having conversations in this room.” He gives our reluctant mate a searching look. “How are you feeling?” he asks her. “Is your arm numb? Any pain anywhere?”

She shakes her head. “I’m itching to get up,” she says. “I’m feeling a little cooped up. What do you guys do for fun on this planet?”

That’s a good question. The answer is that we don’t have time for fun. There are fourteen of us on a hostile planet. Our energy goes toward surviving.

“It’s the rainy season,” I reply. “We mend our weapons so that we may hunt once the lowlands are dry again.”

“Lovely,” she says with a grimace. “So, I’m stuck here in this room?”

Her body is stronger now than it was when she first woke from her coma. The medicinal broths we’ve been feeding her have gone a long way to restoring her strength, but she’s still frail. Rest is the best thing for her, but I can’t bear the look of disappointment on her face. “There’s somewhere I go when I want to be alone,” I tell her. “If you want, we will take you there.”

She starts to get up, and then her face turns red. “I need to get dressed.”

Her body is naked under the sheet she’s clutching, and I’ve heard from Nyx that the humans are strangely embarrassed by nudity. “Of course.” I gesture to a small table. “Your clothes have been cleaned. Vulrux and I will leave you alone unless you need help?”

She shakes her head. “I can manage.”

In five minutes, she’s ready, dressed again in her off-world clothing. She looks pale and tired, and part of me wishes she’d stay in bed, but from the expression on her face, I can tell that she’s determined to go exploring. I hand her a thin cloak, made from the leaves of the watlich tree. The cloak will not shield her fully from the rains, but it will provide some protection before it dissolves from the force of the deluge. “Come,” I tell her.

“No need to tell the human where we’re going,” she murmurs under her breath.  “Come, Harper. Go, Harper. Fetch, Harper. Roll over, Harper.”

I frown in confusion at her words. What is she talking about? “Do you wish to come with us or not?”

She nods. “Don’t mind me,” she says. “My sarcasm switch is stuck in the ‘On’ position. Feel free to ignore everything I say.”

She sways a little on her feet as she speaks. We’re at her side immediately. “Perhaps you should rest,” Vulrux says, looking concerned. “I don’t want you over-exerting yourself.”

She rolls her eyes at him. “I bet you anything that if I spread my legs, you’ll be quite happy to let me over-exert myself.”

That makes me laugh. Vulrux grins in amusement. “Fair enough, Harper Boyd,” he says. “Fine. If you feel faint, lean on us for support.”

She gives us a cautious look as if she doesn’t quite understand us. That feeling goes both ways. “Harper Boyd sounds really formal,” she says at last. “Call me Harper.”

* * *

Harper:

Confession: I kinda want to spend more time with Vulrux and Dennox. There is something about these guys that makes me want to get to know them more. I tell myself that it’s only natural for me to be interested in the two men that took care of me while I was ill, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I’m lying to myself. I can’t stop staring at their bronze skin, their rippling muscles, and the tattoos that cover their bodies, and I’m completely fascinated by their nipple piercings.

Oh, who am I kidding? I’m attracted to them. It’s super-annoying. I mean, newborn kittens are probably stronger than me. I’m still recovering from a coma, and I’m lusting after the first two guys I saw when I woke up?

C’mon, Harper. Stop drooling and pull yourself together. You’re no Sleeping Beauty.

The two aliens—my so-called mates—guide me toward the door. They’ve got their arms around my waist, and they’re practically holding me up. It’d actually be easier if one of them carried me.

Of course, if they tried it, I’d knee them in the groin.

Thinking about kneeing them in the groin makes my mind wander to dragon junk. Vulrux and Dennox are huge; Dennox, in particular, is built like a freight truck. I bet their cocks are proportional to their height. Judging from the way she simpered at Arax and Nyx earlier, Viola seems to have no complaints about their equipment.

Another, much dirtier thought strikes me. “When you transform into dragons,” I ask them, trying to keep my voice casual, “how big do you become?”

Vulrux smirks at me. Hang on. He can’t know I’m wondering what actual dragon dick looks like, can he? I decide he can’t.

“I’ve only transformed once,” he replies. He looks at Dennox. “How big did I get?”

“About the size of this room,” Dennox replies. “Maybe a bit larger?”

Whoa. Hello, big boy.

Get your mind out of the gutter, Harper. Remember that speech you made, just two minutes ago? You are absolutely not going to sleep with gorgeous, sexy, outrageously ripped aliens.

Of course, the moment I make that declaration, my mind starts imagining it. In vivid detail. Can you blame me? There’s two of them, and judging by the tightness of their pants, they’re huge. And they’re my own personal shirtless tour guides, eager to see to my every need.

Pinch me. I’m dreaming.

Shaking my head, I lean on Dennox as Vulrux opens the door. The instant I step outside, I stop dead in my tracks. I was bracing for a downpour, but nothing could have prepared me for this. This isn’t rain. This is a solid wall of water.

Vulrux points to a covered passageway. “We’re heading to the dining area,” he says over the thunderous roar.

“How exciting,” I say dryly. “Is there a feast? Has the tribe sacrificed a unicorn for my recovery?”

His eyes are amused. Evidently, these aliens can decipher sarcasm. Oops. “We’re not going to eat,” he says, his lips quirking up. My stomach does a funny little flip in response. Stupid stomach. “Unless you’re hungry?”

Who knows what kind of weird food they have on this planet. Maybe they eat worms. Blech. “I’m fine,” I say hastily. I’m transfixed by the sheer volume of water falling from the sky. I owe Viola an apology. She’s right—no one can go in search of the other women in this weather.

Dennox mistakes my hesitation for fear. “I can carry you, Harper,” he offers.

“Don’t even think about it, buddy,” I warn him. “Or I will break your arms.”

“Is that so?” He laughs outright at me, and I grin back. Okay, I guess his amusement is totally warranted. Dennox is massive. Even at full strength, I’m not going to be able to hurt him. “Let’s make a deal. If you stumble, I will pick you up.”

You know what? Both Vulrux and Dennox are being pretty damn nice, especially considering my ‘you don’t have magic dicks; I’m not going to sleep with you’ pronouncement. They haven’t once brought up the whole ‘I’m your mate’ thing. I refuse to believe that I’m stuck on this planet forever, and I still have no intention of mating with them. But so far this morning, I’ve managed to piss off Viola, and I’m not sure where I stand with Sofia and Ryanna either. I could really use some friends.

We walk through the passageway. “How do the roofs stand up?” I marvel as we walk the short distance. I have to shout to make myself heard above the noise of the storm. “Doesn’t the rain damage them?”

“We rebuild every year,” Dennox replies.

Ouch. No wonder they don’t have time for fun.

The dining hall is empty when we get there. It’s a large space. There’s an inner room, as well as a patio-like area, with a roof but no walls.

“Follow me,” Vulrux says, leading the way into the inner room. In a corner, behind a counter, is a trap door.

Vulrux opens it, and I peer in. “There’s a staircase,” I say, astonished. “Where does it go?”

“It’s Dennox’s pet project,” Vulrux replies. “I’ll let him tell you.”

I turn to Dennox with a raised eyebrow, but he shakes his head. “You’ll find out.”

Okay, buddy. Be mysterious.

We walk down a flight of wooden stairs which seem to go on forever. Finally, we get to the bottom. I follow Vulrux through a stone archway and realize that we’ve reached a vast underground lake.

My mouth falls open. We’ve found Paradise. There are a couple of naturally occurring skylights in the ceiling, through which rain falls in a steady downpour. Most of the lake is sheltered though, and the water is a clear, inviting shade of turquoise. “How did you find this place?” I ask Dennox, astonished. “It’s absolutely gorgeous. Did you build the stairs? How did you tunnel into the mountain?”

“It is beautiful,” Dennox agrees, his lips twitching at my flood of questions. “I found it by accident.” He points to one of the skylights. “I fell through,” he says ruefully. “There are many natural tunnels inside the mountain. Once I knew where the lake was, it was a relatively simple matter to find a tunnel that led to the peak. I didn’t have to do a lot of digging.”

Vulrux snorts. “Not a lot of digging? It took five years to build the stairs.”

Dennox seems uncomfortable with the praise. He moves toward the water, giving me a look over his shoulder. “Nyx told me that many people in your world swim. Do you not know how?”

I snort. I almost made the national team. I taught swimming in high school back home. “Yes, of course I know how to swim.”

Dennox drops his pants and turns around to give me a questioning look. “What are you waiting for?”

My throat goes dry. All my questions about dragon junk have been answered. This isn’t the first cock I’ve seen in my life, but it’s the first alien cock, and it is fine.

Dennox wades into the water. Vulrux gets naked as well and climbs onto a nearby cluster of rocks. I shamelessly check out his tight, sculpted ass, and my insides clench hard. I owe Viola an apology. If her naked guys are anywhere as hot as mine, I fully understand why she’s uninterested in getting rescued.

Vulrux gets to the top and prepares to dive. “What’s the matter, Harper?” he asks. “Are you feeling too tired to jump in?”

“No,” I mutter, my face heating. They’re so casual about their nudity, and I’m being a prude, but NASA’s finest astro-gear was not made for immersion in water. “I don’t have a swimsuit.”

Vulrux looks confused. “You have a lovely body,” he says. “Why do you want to cover it?”

Dennox splashes some water in my direction. “I assure you,” he says, his solemn tone a contrast to the playful gesture, “that we will not claim you without your consent. It is not our way.”

It’s not them I’m worried about. It’s me. If I’m naked in the water with them, I’m not sure I can keep myself from doing some accidental groping.

Vulrux’s lips twitch at my indecision. He doesn’t try to persuade me again. He dives into the water, his body cleanly slicing through the surface of the lake, and emerges, shaking water from his hair. The light catches his nipple rings. I never thought I was a piercing sort of girl, but damn. I just want to take them in my teeth and—

Stop it, Harper.

The guys splash around while I linger on the shore. Damn them. This is a hot, humid planet. My clothing sticks uncomfortably to my body, and a dip in the lake sounds wonderful. The water is clear and blue and calling to me.

I watch them longingly for a few minutes. Dennox and Vulrux aren’t looking in my direction. They’re talking with each other, and not paying any attention to me, a fact that should make me happy but instead fills me with unexpected pique. They won’t even notice if you get naked, Harper, I think sourly. You’re denying yourself for no reason.

Fuck it. I strip off my clothes and jump into the water, sighing in pleasure at the blissful coolness. I haven’t stepped in a pool for almost a year. After Tom, my spiteful and mean-spirited ex-boyfriend had forced me to quit my high-school swim coach job, I’d lost the desire to swim. Now, on an alien planet, my love for the water comes rushing back.

I strike out in the direction of some glowing blue bushes, then remember my encounter with the orange fungus. I’ve had my fair share of murderous plants. I swim toward Dennox and Vulrux. “Is there anything poisonous here?”

Vulrux shakes his head. “You’re safe.” He looks at my right palm and his expression changes to one of concern. “Bast,” he swears. “You’re bleeding again.”

I look at my hand. Sure enough, my cut, which had knit together, has opened. “It doesn’t hurt,” I assure them. A scary thought strikes me. “It’s not going to attract blood sucking leeches, is it?”

“What are blood sucking leeches?” Dennox asks. “I do not understand what the translator is saying.”

I try and explain a leech to the aliens. They nod as if they understand, but I’m not sure if I’ve managed to communicate the concept. “Speaking of blood,” I say, changing the topic, “A few days ago, the two of you were holding my hand, and you were both bleeding as well. Were you giving me some kind of transfusion?”

Vulrux and Dennox glance at each other. Dennox grimaces, rubbing the tattoos on his arms. “Yes,” Vulrux says, after a moment of silence. “According to Raiht’vi, the Draekons have immunity to the enrak. When our blood mingled, we passed that on to you.”

That seems reasonable. I don’t understand why the two men look so wary. “Why are you looking like I’m going to freak out?”

Dennox clears his throat. It’s a very human gesture, and it strikes me how weird it is that I feel so comfortable with them. Will Smith would have shot the aliens. I’m fantasizing about jumping them.

“The Draekon mutation is now in your bloodstream, Harper Boyd. We had to do it to save your life, but there’s a catch.”

I’m not an idiot. I can connect the dots. “I got immunity to the orange goop,” I whisper. “What else did I get from your blood?”

“I don’t know,” Vulrux replies frankly. “As a result of the mating bond, Viola Lewis has become stronger, faster. You might react the same way, or it might be something else. The mutation always has an effect.”

Both of them are bracing themselves for my reaction. I should be upset, I guess, but I can’t summon up much anger. Yeah, even as I swim, the Draekon mutation is in my veins, doing God-knows-what to my insides. Then again, had the two men not acted, I would have died. The primary emotion I’m feeling is gratitude. “You saved my life,” I say softly. “I’m here. I’m alive, and I’m swimming. Viola seems unharmed by the mutation. I’m not going to worry about possible side effects right now.” I take a deep breath. “I’m just going to enjoy the lake. Thank you for bringing me here.”

That’s when I see a movement in the water.

A ten-foot long crimson-red water snake is swimming toward the three of us.

I shriek like a little girl.

Just when I started to think things weren’t too bad after all…

Orange goo, non-stop rain, humidity that makes my hair frizz, and now a massive red snake in the water?

Fuck this shit. The prison planet is doing its level best to kill me. I need to get the hell away from here.