Dracheons prided themselves on having two things – honor and absolute control.
Dare was a being of honor. He didn’t lie, didn’t cheat, fought fiercely yet fairly, had earned everything he possessed.
What he lacked was control. His humanoid side couldn’t restrain his inner Drache. The beast was too strong, always prowled at the surface, was visible to all.
Dare stood at the top of the Refuge’s white stone walls where he wouldn’t be disturbed. The space was quiet, occupied only by one guard—a friend.
Squaring his shoulders, Dare held up his silver scale-covered fingers. That would be his focus, his everything. He shut down his other senses, narrowed his view to the tip of his right index finger.
His beast fought him, snarling, clawing, clinging to its position. He ignored that part of him, concentrating on the curve of a single scale.
The Drache became bored and gradually retreated deeper inside him. His scales faded from view.
Expanding his sphere of awareness, Dare observed the blue of the sky, the heat of the sun’s rays. His skin remained human-like.
He could do this. Satisfaction flared within him. He would learn to restrain his beast and would no longer be seen as an outcast among his kind. His fellow Dracheons would accept him, would welcome him back to his home planet.
His mate, whoever she was, would be proud to claim him as her male. When he finally found her, she would gaze at him with warm admiration, with lust, with caring. He—
Carinae E’s arid breeze blew over him, bringing with it the scent of blood. It was faint yet strong enough to provoke his Drache.
The beast roared, surging to the surface, prepared to fight, to maim, to kill. Dare’s scales shone, lit by the solitary sun.
He’d lost control. Again. Fraggin’ hole. He curled his fingers into fists, frustration flaying him.
He was running out of time. His female was somewhere on the small outlaw planet. They would eventually meet and his instincts would drive him to bond with her.
Mating was savage and extreme. It provoked even the most docile of Draches.
His much more primitive beast would tear her apart. He grimaced, staring down at the beings swarming around the Refuge’s main gates.
Dracheons’ emphasis on control existed because in the ancient past, precious females had been killed during the mating process.
Dare, a genetic throwback to that time, had been the focus of debates. Some believed he should be put to death. Many, including his parents, supported a movement to ban him from ever mating and possibly passing his affliction on to his offspring. All had considered him to be an outcast.
That made it easier for him to leave the planet undetected and travel to Carinae E. His Drache had located its mate. It would not be denied.
He was her male. He could also be the being who would cause her death. Hoping not to find her, yet driven to look, Dare searched the crowd below him.
All of his senses, including his vision, were more enhanced than any human’s. He studied every female’s eyes, lips, other facial features, seeking to feel something, anything.
He experienced only relief. She wasn’t one of the newcomers. The identity of his mate, the female he’d traveled across the universe to meet, continued to be unknown.
He had more time to learn how to master his beast.
Before trying again, he would fight, burn off some of his excess energy. On Dracheon, physical confrontations were frowned upon. In the Refuge, they were embraced.
Especially if the skirmishes were with the Humanoid Alliance.
A group of those males approached the main gates, guns in their hands. The Humanoid Alliance had tortured many of Dare’s friends, the fellow warriors guarding the Refuge. The humans weren’t welcome in the settlement, knew that, were clearly planning to create trouble for Balvan, the giant green male positioned at the entrance.
Dare leaned forward. The males would give him the fight he yearned for.
Balvan can handle those males. Kralj, the settlement’s all-knowing, all-powerful Ruler, pushed that thought into his head. The modified humanoid monitored the thoughts, speech, and actions of everyone within his wide range. He was aware of the situation. Meet me in my working chambers. Now.
Duty called. Dare perused the activity before him one more time, noting the newcomers. None of them belonged to him, and for that, he was grateful.
He turned and stomped down the stairs. Gazes lifted to him as he descended. Warriors greeted him warmly. They didn’t view him as an outcast.
Females smiled and waved at him. He smiled back. They tittered behind their hands. He didn’t stop moving.
They weren’t his female. Although he was in no hurry to find his mate, he wouldn’t be untrue to her. She already had all of him – his beast, his humanoid, his body, his soul.
He stalked through the settlement. Merchants called out, trying to attract customers for their containers, weapons, and other goods. A pleasure worker negotiated with a bearded male, flashing her three breasts in a bid to increase her price.
Metal clanged against metal as two males fought, sparks flying from where their swords connected. Blood dripped on the white sand, the scent exciting Dare’s Drache. The males’ forms were covered in gashes and cuts. One of them limped, his thigh cut to the bone.
As long as they didn’t kill their opponent, Kralj would look the other way, allow them to work out their differences. If someone did die, breaking one of the Refuge’s few rules, the killer’s body would be added to the display of corpses impaled on spikes outside the settlement’s walls.
Kralj’s justice was swift and inescapable.
Dare respected that and his Drache enjoyed the violence, the wildness, the unpredictability. It was now awake and fully aware, pacing inside him. The scents of battle and sex filled his nostrils. Blood rushed through his veins.
He neared the beverage outlet, which served as the Refuge’s command center. A presence barreled toward him, detectable only by the air being displaced.
Dare extended his claws, raised them to block the assault. Another set of claws caught his. His attacker grunted, tried to push him forward. Dare, being bigger and stronger, propelled him backward.
“Your speed is increasing.” He softened the boy’s defeat with praise.
Hulagu’s scrawny form came into view. The boy was a Chamele, had the ability to disappear into the background. “I almost defeated you.”
“Almost.” Dare retracted his claws. He, and many of the other warriors in the settlement, had been training the kid. “Build your strength and you’ll be a worthy opponent.”
“I’m already a worthy opponent.” The boy swaggered, his bare feet kicking up sand. “I’m the greatest Warlord”—he paused—“in the settlement.”
Dare swallowed a laugh. The kid was currently the only Chamele Warlord in the settlement.
“Kralj asked me to meet with him.” Hulagu’s chest puffed with importance. “That’s how much he values my skills.”
Dare lowered his eyebrows. “Kralj asked me to meet with him also.” Why would the Ruler require both of them?
They entered the beverage outlet. Warriors lingered around the entrance, chatting, polishing weapons, their presence adding an extra layer of protection to the structure.
“We’re part of the same mission.” Hulagu grinned, his dark eyes lighting up. “It must require tearing the enemy apart.” The bloodthirsty Warlord-in-training spread his fingers, having not yet retracted his claws. A passing warrior turned his body to the side to avoid being gouged. “I like that.”
If the kid was correct, part of Dare’s mission would be ensuring Hulagu didn’t maim innocent victims. The Chamele was still learning how to use his natural weapons.
The doors to Kralj’s working chambers opened.
“I asked the two of you here for separate reasons.” The Ruler of the Refuge clarified that point right away.
Kralj was seated behind a horizontal support. Shadows shrouded his scarred face. Dita, the Ruler’s tiny human mate, sat beside him. The two of them were always together.
As Dracheon warriors and their mates were always together. A male without his female felt incomplete. Dare knew that truth well.
But he’d rather feel incomplete than guilty. His female had a better chance of remaining alive if they didn’t meet.
He was accustomed to the solitude, would survive it.
“Hulagu.” Kralj turned his focus on the kid.
“Yes, sir.” The Warlord-in-training straightened, pride and excitement radiating from his slight form.
“Your older brother, Oghul, communicated with me moments ago.” The Ruler relayed the information without emotion. “He and his warriors will be arriving in two planet rotations.”
“He’ll take me back to Chamele 2.” Hulagu wrinkled his nose. “Azalea won’t want to accompany me and I can’t leave without her. She’s my gerel, the light to my darkness.”
The kid’s mate had been brutally attacked outside the Refuge’s walls. Since then, she refused to leave the settlement.
But Hulagu, like Dare, had no choice about leaving. Their traditions dictated what they could do and what they couldn’t.
And one of the things they couldn’t do was stay on Carinae E.
“You and your gerel have a decision to make.” Kralj’s voice was flat.
What decision did Hulagu have to make? Dare pressed his lips together.
The kid’s assignment on the planet had ended. He had to return to Chamele 2. When Dare found his mate, he would also have to leave Carinae E, return to his home planet.
If his female survived the bonding process.
Tension crept across his shoulders. He would control his beast. He would.
“I don’t give assignments to warriors lacking control.” The Ruler kept his attention on the kid while addressing Dare’s thoughts. “And the expected decision is not always the right decision.”
It wasn’t expected. It was law. If he didn’t leave Carinae E less than ten planet rotations after mating, he and his female would be permanently exiled from Dracheon. They would be cut off, not have any support from his home planet.
“Hulagu, you have two planet rotations to determine what you will do next.” Kralj ignored Dare’s unvoiced response. “Speak with your gerel.”
“I will, sir.” The kid’s head bobbed. “Your mission has to be more enjoyable than mine.” He looked at Dare, envy reflecting in his eyes. “You’ll probably get to decapitate someone and I am stuck—”
“Speak with your gerel now.” The Ruler boomed. A wave of air swept across the space, blowing the kid’s long hair back.
“Yes, sir.” The Warlord-in-training snapped to attention. “Right away, sir.” He hurried out of the chamber. The doors closed behind him.
Dare was left alone with Kralj and Dita. The couple leaned into each other, their connection palpable, accentuating his loneliness.
He squared his shoulders. The emotional isolation was tolerable if it meant his female lived.
“The Rebels are sending another agent to retrieve the World-Ender plans.” Kralj relayed that unsurprising piece of information.
“They’ve already tried three times to retrieve it.” Each of those agents had been stopped and killed by the Humanoid Alliance. The enemy surrounded the Refuge. “What makes them think this attempt will be successful?”
“It won’t be successful…if they aren’t assisted.” Kralj pushed coordinates into Dare’s mind. They were the location of a small settlement called Mirage, a play place for high-credit beings. “The Rebels have varied their approach. Instead of traveling here directly, the agent is stopping at the settlement first, picking up some of their locally stationed informants.”
That strategy made no sense to Dare. “The Humanoid Alliance will merely kill the agent there.”
“Which is why you’ll meet their agent in Mirage.”
Why did Kralj care about the Rebel’s retrieval of the plans? Dare stared down at the floor tiles, perplexed. What happened outside the Refuge was none of his concern. That was the Ruler’s stance.
“If it concerns one of my warriors, it concerns me.” Kralj answered his unspoken query. “You’ll meet her there.”
“Her?” Dare lifted his head. Was the agent his mate?
An image of a human female filled his thoughts. She was beautiful, had red curly hair, pale skin, green eyes, was the type of mate a Dracheon would dream of deserving.
His beast yawned. His body didn’t respond.
He relaxed. She wasn’t his female.
“Interesting,” Kralj murmured.
You had better be there or I’ll kick your ass. The words floated through Dare’s brain, the voice female.
His Drache didn’t pay it any attention.
“If she is the reason you’ve chosen me for this mission, sir, you’ve made a mistake.” The female held no appeal for him.
“I rarely make mistakes.” The Ruler smacked him with a blast of air, punishing him for his insolence.
Dare, undaunted, widened his stance. “The Rebel agent isn’t my mate, sir.”
“The Rebel agent isn’t the only female in Mirage.” Darkness swirled around Kralj’s countenance.
The male liked to know everything and, in this particular case, his knowledge appeared to have gaps in it. That must irk him.
“There are other warriors, more discreet warriors I could assign to this mission.” The Ruler’s tone was dry.
Dita, Kralj’s mate, gazed pointedly at Dare’s silver scales.
His face heated. Enemies could spot him from half a settlement away. His beast wasn’t designed for subterfuge.
That wouldn’t have been an issue with another of his kind, a warrior with restraint. Normal Dracheons could change their appearances, could seem almost human.
But he was far from normal, his beast uncontrollable.
“I didn’t choose those other warriors for this assignment.” Kralj continued. “I chose you. There’s a connection between you and this mission. That I know.”
Dare didn’t question him further. Dracheons had instincts. His beast had led him to Carinae E. The Ruler’s instincts were more refined. Kralj often sensed events before they occurred.
If the male believed it was important that Dare lead this mission, he’d accept that role.
“I don’t believe it. I know it.” Kralj hit him with another burst of air. “You’re leading this mission. Ensuring the Rebel agent arrives at the Refuge safely is your responsibility. The Humanoid Alliance is monitoring the space outside my terrain but they aren’t blocking beings from entering it. The challenge will be to avoid detection.”
“That’s doable.” Dita’s eyes glowed.
“I’ll be asking your advice on how to do it.” Dare told her. Kralj’s mate was a skilled assassin. Her knowledge would be invaluable. “Am I bringing a team?”
“My advice is to limit the number of beings.” Dita answered for the Ruler. “Convince her to leave her associates behind also. It’s easier to sneak two beings into the Refuge than thirty beings.”
The two beings were the Rebel agent and himself. There was no room in that equation for a third being, his mate.
Dare exhaled deeply, relieved. He wouldn’t be meeting her on this mission.
“What do you plan to wear?” Dita eyed him. “You have to conceal every expanse of bare skin, including your face.”
His Drache rumbled with discontentment. It didn’t like excess garments, was annoyed by the ass coverings Dare insisted upon wearing. “I haven’t—”
The doors opened. Three tiny beings flew into the chamber so quickly their forms blurred. Smack. Smack. Smack. They hit Kralj’s leather-clad chest, their arms and legs flattening against him.
The winged offspring slid down his form, falling. The Ruler caught them in his arms. They chortled with glee, flapping their wings, gripping his jacket with their chubby fingers.
Their father was the next to enter the chambers, flying through the doors at a more controlled speed, his expression harried. “Sorry, sir.” Orol apologized. “They figured out the new locks and escaped.”
“They are modified humanoids.” Kralj had little tolerance for failure. “I’ll have the locks upgraded. You work on their landings. That was…undignified.”
One of the male offspring, Dare couldn’t distinguish between the trio, rubbed his face against the Ruler’s neck, cooing happily. The other two squirmed as they slugged each other, flesh slapping flesh.
Orol pried them one by one off Kralj’s jacket. They howled with distress.
“They know they shouldn’t be coming here without permission.” The winged warrior put two babies on his shoulder, tucked the third under his left arm. “We’ve discussed—”
“Did you find them?” Rhea, Orol’s mate, entered the chambers, her face red, her chest heaving. “Thank the stars.” She took one of the offspring from her male. “I turned my back for a moment and they were gone. It was like they synchronized their escape.”
That was probable. The babies would have a sibling bond and they were enhanced beings, would be fully grown within a solar cycle.
Dare gazed at the little warriors with a tinge of envy. He wanted offspring…and a mate.
But that came at a risk, a risk he was unwilling to take.
Orol and Rhea worked as a team to manage their small family. As the couple wrestled with the tiny males, they plotted ways to restrict their charges’ movements.
Which was counterproductive as their babies could hear them.
They were three modified humanoids versus one modified humanoid and one extremely skilled human. And the babies were motivated. They clearly wanted to be with Kralj, around whom much of the action happened.
The couple should concede defeat now.
Kralj and Dita bumped shoulders, relaying information through touch. They had the power and ability to evict Orol, Rhea, and the three little males from their working chambers, yet they didn’t.
That told Dare they enjoyed having the babies close to them. The tiny warriors, the first of their kind, had given all of the modified humanoids hope.
They wouldn’t be risking their females’ lives by mating with them. Dare quietly slipped out of the chambers, headed toward the settlement’s gates.
There were tasks to complete before he left for his mission. He had to seek Dita’s expertise on how to remain undetected. Weapons and garments had to be retrieved. But first, he’d take one more look at the beings waiting outside the walls.
He couldn’t quash that impulse. His more rational humanoid side dreaded meeting his female, knowing it could end in her death. His Drache, driven by its primitive urges, had to find her, was growing increasing restless.
Perhaps his female, whoever she was, would have the strength to handle his beast. He lacked control. She could have it in surplus.
She’d be a female with the highest integrity. He was certain of that. She would be his match in that area.
The combination of honor and control would cause his mate to be appreciated and admired by other Dracheons. They would embrace her. Not with open arms. That wasn’t their way. But with polite approving nods.
And because she was his and he was hers, they would be forced to accept him as well. They would include him, welcome him, respect him.
There would be no more discussions about whether or not a genetic anomaly such as himself should be allowed to mate, to exist. They would see the proof in his mate’s humanoid-like face.
He didn’t fit into their society but his female would.
She’d be a paragon, the perfect Dracheon.
His beast yawned yet again.