MARISSA VOLANDER
Watching Jarith in battle was scary, but exciting. He was a very skilled warrior. His extreme skills turned me on as he showed his strength. But what I was coming to love about him was his way of motivating through speech. When he addressed his warriors before battle, I was in awe of him.
Then when he addressed the entire city from the top of the castle steps, my heart was about to burst with love for this alien king. He was strong not only physically, but in the way that he addressed the Drackon. It was unlike anything I had ever seen on Earth. It was like kings of old that addressed their warriors with motivating speeches that made them want to give their lives for their king. It was impressive. It was something that Earth had lost.
Now, as I watched him sit on the throne, I knew one thing was for sure: I was not returning to Earth. For the first time, I wanted to give up everything to be at this warrior’s side. He was everything to me. I hoped that I was everything to him. His father was going to force him to wed me, but Jarith himself never agreed to it.
I was taken back to my room and a guard was placed outside my door, and another on the veranda, just in case. Jarith was taking no chances while he went to secure the castle and deal with many things.
It was the next day before he came to me again. I was excited to see him, but I was also dreading it because there was something very important that I needed to tell him. He walked into my room and came straight to me, giving me a strong hug.
"I missed you. I'm sorry for being gone so long. Many responsibilities to take care of. The funeral begins at noon. I will have a dress brought to you."
"Thank you. I am very sorry about your father. You must feel extreme sorrow," I said to him.
"Yes, it does not feel real yet."
"I am here for you," I said to him.
"I want to speak to you about that," he said.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I do not want you to feel as though you are a prisoner on this planet. My father tricked you into coming here. You have my permission to return to Earth, if you wish. I will make sure that you get there safely. It is up to you," he said.
I was shocked. I thought it was understood that I would be staying with him. But I did not foresee the option of going back to Earth. A part of me didn't want to go back. I missed my life. I had gave up so much and laughed thinking that I would be returning within a couple of months. Now after so much that had happened and after giving my heart to this weredragon, not going back seemed like a normal thing to do.
"Do you wish me to stay?" I asked him.
"I do. I do, greatly, but I do not want to keep you against your will," he said as he brushed the hair away from my face.
"I understand. Can I think on it?” I said to him.
His face sort of dropped into a frown and then he said, "Of course. Take your time. I must prepare for the funeral. A warrior will come escort you down to the celebrations."
"Wait. There is something very important that I must tell you. It is hard for me to say it," I said to him.
His face grew in anger and he said, "What did my brother do to you? Did he take you? Did you fuck him?" he growled the words.
"No! Nothing like that."
"Good. I can't bear the thought of him inside of you. I want to be the only one," he said pulling me near him and kissing me.
I got lost in his kiss, and it felt good to be alone with him in a romantic way. I pressed my hands against his hard chest and enjoyed every inch of him. Then I pulled myself away; it was time to come clean.
"I have to tell you something."
He moaned at the fact that I had stopped a passionate moment. I moved over to my jewelry box and took out the velvet bag. I poured out the scales. He moved over to them and looked at them and then looked at me.
"What's this? Why do you have these?" he asked. His brows furrowed.
"It's a long story. But it was part of my mission for Gladonetics Corporation. We didn't know exactly what the king wanted with Gladonetics Corporation. But this is what Gladonetics wants, the technology in the dragon scales. I was to take them back so that we could study them and try to replicate the material."
"You, Marissa, are stealing from us?"
"Yes. I'm sorry, Jarith. I was taking my job very seriously at the time, and I did not know any of this was going to happen. That is why I am showing you now?"
"You betrayed me. I have had enough betrayal for a lifetime. Now I am getting it from you as well?!" he shouted. He was very angry.
"You betrayed me as well! You let me believe I was on this trip for advancements between the Drackon and Gladonetics. That was not the case, and you knew it."
"That is not the same thing!" he shouted.
"Yes it is!"
"No! Your betrayal would affect an entire society. Not just one human! I cannot trust you. You are going back to Earth!" he shouted as he grabbed the scales and stomped out of the room.
"Wait! Please don't leave," I said after him. But he had already left. I was hurt. I knew that he would not be happy about the corporate espionage that I had pulled, but I had to tell him; I could not keep the secret from him. Now I regretted it.
Now it was no longer my choice whether I would return to Earth. He was sending me back regardless if I wanted to go or not. My heart sank. I felt sick to my stomach. I felt nauseous. I moved to the veranda to get some fresh air. The guard was posted on the wall. He nodded to me. I was going to nod back to him but instead… I threw up.
I couldn't believe how much this was affecting me and making me sick. My stomach was in knots. Then it hit me.
"Shit."
"Lady, are you all right? Shall I get someone for you?" the guard said as he came toward me.
"No, just a little nauseous. I will be fine," I said, moving back inside to the bathroom. I splashed water on my face. When was the last time I had my period? It was on the spaceship, on the journey here. I couldn't believe it. I was pregnant. Jarith was the father. I was pregnant with the child of the king, and he wanted nothing to do with me. I collapsed to the floor in tears at my luck.
A few hours later, I was at the funeral celebrations for the king. It was a mournful parade through the city with the king's body hoisted high in the air. Weredragons flew high above the city in circles following the parade. They would dive and swoop and soar high in the sky doing tricks and spirals. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. I was not at Jarith's side. It was where I wanted to be. I watched him be the regal prince that had turned king in the funeral procession. My heart ached to be near him, and I wished that I had not told him about the scales. Now that I knew I was carrying his child, a weredragon human hybrid.
In the great hall, a large feast was set up and a celebration filled the space. It was a celebration of life for the king. Jarith sat on a platform at a table with his lieutenants on either side of him. I wanted to be sitting next to him. I wanted to tell him that I was with child. But a part of me wanted him to want me simply because he wanted me, not because he had to because I was with child.
If he found out that I was pregnant he would not allow me to go to Earth; he would keep me here, but he would still be angry toward me. I did not want that. But I was not sure if space travel was safe for a pregnant woman. It seemed like it would not be. I felt very sad knowing that I would have to stay on Mooreah and have Jarith hating me.
He looked at me. I did not see hate in his eyes, I saw hurt. I saw betrayal. I had messed up.