About a week later, Krista was standing up and able to breathe without any problems at all. It had felt like she had a terrible case of bronchitis, but now that her lungs and throat were feeling better, she was curious about the strange place that the handsome man had taken her to.
Clayton. The man who had been following her before she had been attacked. The man who saved her, twice, from the terrifying bald men with soulless eyes. Fundamentalists, he had called them. Men with a mission to protect the world from beautiful men like Clayton.
Krista laughed at herself. Just because he was beautiful didn’t mean that it wasn’t dangerous for him to be on her planet. Or was it her planet? The claim was that they were from the same place. How was she supposed to know whether or not these interdimensional beings were safe to coexist with?
These were the kinds of questions that she had never even thought to pose to herself. Although she had always been very interested in stories about time travel and people who could jump through different space time continuums, she had never even considered the possibility that there was any truth to them.
But now, this beautiful creature, who could turn into a dragon and save her at will, was telling her that she had better believe everything that he was saying. It was kind of terrifying, but it was also exciting.
“I think that you’re ready to join the community for dinner now,” Dr. Mason said, shuffling around in the underground medical room with a pleased smile on his face. “You have made some remarkable progress. I know our technology is advanced, which has a lot to do with it, but it also helps that Lonis heal well. I’m sure you’ve noticed that throughout your life; it probably felt like you never got sick.”
“Actually, that’s true,” Krista said, a little bit surprised. She wasn’t sure she believed that her family was from the same interdimensional world, though. Clayton had come in to visit her every so often while she was recovering, and they had grown close very quickly. Not only was he handsome, but he was kind and smart and funny. And he seemed fascinated by her. He had admitted that they had been trying to protect her for a long time, which meant that they had probably seen each other more than once. That would explain why he felt so familiar.
“Well, that doesn’t surprise me one bit,” the doctor said, interrupting her thoughts. “A lot of people would have the symptoms for longer, but you have recovered very quickly. I can even see that you had gotten burned, but it left very little mark on your skin. For most people, that would scar, but for you, it’s almost gone. It’s really remarkable, isn’t it? You should be very proud of your heritage.”
Talk of her heritage made her uneasy, and she simply looked into the distance quietly as Dr. Mason made all of the necessary adjustments in her room. She was excited to be able to leave the room and meet more of the dragon shifter people of the Kersh clan.
“Hello there,” a silky woman’s voice said, peering in at Krista. “Dr. Mason told me that you’re feeling much better now, but you’re going to need something to wear while you are here.”
Krista wasn’t sure what to say, and so she simply nodded. She was pretty depressed about how all of her clothing had probably been ruined in the fire, and what she had been wearing had been singed and ruined as well.
“My name is Jasmine,” the woman said with a smile. She had curly red hair and a kind face, and she looked as if she might be in her late thirties. “I’ve come to take some measurements; I’d like to make you some traditional attire. I thought it might help you to feel a little bit closer to your Loni ancestry.”
“All right,” Krista said uncertainly. “Thank you.”
“Oh, don’t mention it. I just wanted you to be dressed appropriately for the first time that you see Kaldernon. I have a feeling that you’re going to understand everything perfectly in that moment, and you might want to feel like you’re dressed for the occasion. I know I would feel miserable if I had that same opportunity and I squandered it wearing robes from the little hospital.”
“I appreciate your consideration,” Krista said with a laugh.
“I think it will help you feel better to look better,” Jasmine said with a wink. “Loni attire is traditionally very beautiful and elegant. It’s going to suit you spectacularly. It will be a great way to honor you when you join the clan for dinner this evening.”
“Honor me?” Krista asked, raising her eyebrows.
“Yes, honor you. We are all very excited to meet you. You’re one of the last of your kind on Earth, you know. That makes you a very coveted person to us. We have been working for a long time to protect you and keep you safe. It is the highest honor to be able to welcome you into our clan, even if it is just a brief recluse from danger. We will do our best to protect you at all costs.”
“That’s a little bit extreme,” Krista said, shifting uncomfortably. “You guys don’t even know me.”
Jasmine seemed amused by this. She laughed, and her eyes crinkled kindly as she pulled out a tape measure. She beckoned Krista toward her and began taking her measurements.
“We don’t have to know you to honor you,” Jasmine said. “You may not be used to being honored, but trust us, you have been revered from the moment you were born and so you shall remain honored by the Kersh clan.”
Krista was quiet as Jasmine finished taking her measurements, and gave her a silent nod as she left to begin work on the gown. She had doubts that it would be completed by the time dinner was ready that night, but she was surprised when a knock came at the door around five in the evening.
“Here it is,” Jasmine whispered, presenting Krista with the most beautiful gown she had ever seen. It looked a lot like the dresses worn on Earth, but it was a lot more flowing and elegant. It was made of a fabric she had never seen before, a sparkling gossamer, almost like silk, but even softer to the touch. It made her whole body glow when she put the gown on, and Jasmine helped her to tie it up in all the necessary places. There was a piece of cloth, almost like a sash, that she wore between her breasts, and Jasmine was able to talk her into letting her do her hair in the traditional Loni fashion.
“I’m sure, by now, the styles have changed on Kaldernon, but we were able to salvage the material that we needed to make this dress. Some of us took with us the last things that we were touching. It was the only way we were able to survive so long on Earth before we understood how the planet worked.”
“That must’ve been terrifying for you,” Krista said with a frown.
“It was difficult,” Jasmine said with a nod. “But things are much better now, and they’re certainly looking up. We may be able to find our way back after all. Lonis are blessed with sacred intuition.”
Krista sighed and allowed Jasmine to lead her into the dining hall. She hadn’t been out of her room in the medical ward since she arrived, and as they made their way through the halls, she found herself very saddened by the impoverished lifestyle that the Kersh people had been forced into. As soon as she walked into the dining hall, her eyes met instantly with Clayton’s. He gave her a nod of acknowledgment and motioned her toward him.
“Everybody, I would like your attention please,” he said in a loud and booming voice. “This is Krista, the last remaining Loni on Earth.”
The room was filled with quiet murmurs as Krista walked toward Clayton. There were two seats at a large banquet table on an elevated platform where Clayton was sitting. The platform was looking over everybody else. He was apparently their leader, something that she had not considered before. The look in his eyes when he gazed at her made her heart skip a beat. He was so handsome, and couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off of her.
She thought back to one of the days when he had visited her in the medic’s room, and he had stumbled all over himself and his words, trying to complement her on how nice she looked, despite the fact that she was bedridden. She would never have guessed that he could speak with such ease and authority to a large group of people, when he seemed to be too nervous to look her in the eye sometimes. He was sexy and fierce, but he was also uncertain and shy.
“I hope you enjoy your meal,” he said with a private smile to her once she was sitting down beside him. She nodded, feeling more beautiful and welcomed than she had ever felt in her life. The clan was ecstatic to finally meet her, and she saw that many of them were shifting for some reason, turning into half-dragons and half-people before finally relaxing back into their human form and continuing to cheer for her.
“You bring out the dragon in us,” he said with a wink, laughing and looking down at his plate of food. A woman and a man were beginning to serve the crowd, and a large plate of steaming food was placed in front of Krista. Her stomach rumbled loudly and Clayton laughed.
“It’s been a while since you had a real meal, hasn’t it?” Clayton said.
Krista nodded, and peered down at her plate. The food smelled better than anything she had ever smelled before, but she had never seen anything like it. Clayton saw her staring at it and grinned.
“This is a specialty from Kaldernon,” he explained. He leaned close to her ear and began to quietly explain the cooking process. The deep sound of his rumbling voice brought goosebumps to her arms, and she hoped that he would never stop talking. However, of course, he had to, and soon, she was digging in to her plate, enjoying the meal with a deep relish that she hadn’t known was possible.
They chatted casually as they ate, Clayton’s deep, soothing voice seeming to pay attention only to her. She had never felt so intimate with another person before and enjoyed the meal more than she thought that she would. After dinner, Clayton announced that he was going to take her to view Kaldernon. Everybody murmured in excitement and agreement, but didn’t follow him when he took her by the hand and led her outside of the underground tunnels.