Excerpt From
T.J. Quinn
Haakon, The Drogon Prince
Rosalind paced her room, trying to make some sense out of the past few days. One moment she was standing next to her car and the other, some disgusting lizards were abducting her from the planet and selling her to some sort of dragons on an even furthermost planet called Zuvrak.
The experience had been quite traumatizing.
She had gone out to buy some groceries at the nearest supermarket, one of those that stayed open 24/7. She had spent the whole day snuggled on her couch, trying to forget the past few weeks and when she finally decided she had to go get something to eat.
It was passed midnight, but she had always felt safe in her neighborhood, so she had hopped in her car and had gone shopping.
When she was about to get in her car, on her way back home, two men had approached her at an incredible speed. Before she could open her mouth to scream for help, one of them had covered her mouth, and the other one had pushed a strange syringe into the base of her neck.
The drug or whatever they injected into her, acted immediately and the next time she opened her eyes, she was on the floor of her cell on the Slythonian’s vessel.
Going through all the training and the humiliation of the auction had been terrible, and she hated every minute of it. Resisting was not an option because any attempt was immediately punished with the action of the collar they had wrapped around their necks.
The damn thing injected some kind of drug into the bloodstream and caused excruciating pain, as she had the opportunity to experience when she tried to get answers from her captors.
In her group, there was only another human female, Erin that had been abducted from England, and during those weeks on the lizards’ vessel, they had become good friends. Fortunately, she had been bought along with her, by the Zuvrakians and taken to their own planet, so she wasn’t completely alone on a strange planet, God knows in what galaxy, with no hopes of ever returning home.
Expecting to be treated as sex slaves, they had been surprised when the vessel’s captain took them to meet their king. Apparently, they had been bought with another destiny in mind. It still annoyed her to be a virtual prisoner, even if she wasn’t wearing shackles and hadn’t been put in a dungeon. Her whole life had been turned upside down, and there was no way back. Whatever happened to them, they were stranded on an unknown planet, amongst aliens, they knew nothing of.
She wanted to rant, she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, she wanted to stomp her feet on the floor out of sheer frustration, but none of that would change their new reality. They couldn’t even escape. They were still wearing the damn collars, and any attempt would be quickly controlled. After all, the Slythonians had passed the control of the collars to the Zuvrakians, and she was sure they wouldn’t doubt using it, despite all their nice words and supposed good intentions.
She sighed and stopped in front of the window, resting her forehead against its cold glass, trying to calm herself.
According to the king of the planet, they were expected to become one of their males’ soulmate, but so far, they hadn’t given them any more details on that. She guessed they wouldn’t even know the Zuvrakians were half dragons if it wasn’t for the unexpected arrival of one of them, still displaying his wings and claws.
Seeing him had been a shock to her. Something strange stirred up inside her, and she felt as if her guts had been clutched in an iron fist, as soon as her eyes fell on him.
Tall, at least seven feet tall, like all of the Drogons she had seen so far, with a long, platinum mane, that fell down his back and those peculiar gray eyes, Haakon was one of the most attractive men… being… whatever he was… she had ever seen.
In fact, he looked a lot like his brother, the king. Same hair, same build, same features, but for some reason, the king hadn’t appealed to her the way this man did. Perhaps, it was the barely contained fierceness she could sense in him, that wasn’t as obvious under the veneer of civility of the king. She had no idea what it was, but it was so powerful, she couldn’t deny it, at least, not to herself.
Used to showing an unmoved expression to the world, she found herself struggling not to show her attraction to him. That had been the last straw.
She asked the king to end the meeting, and he finally agreed.
Egil, one of the men who had bought them from the Slythonians, aka the lizards, guided them through what seemed like endless hallways to their suites. The place was huge, and though she’d had an excellent life back on Earth, the planet’s overpopulation had forced people to live in smaller and smaller houses and apartments. She was sure her whole apartment would fit in the suite’s living room, not to mention the bedroom, the bathroom and the dressing room that were a part of the suite.
The only thing she didn’t like was the minimalism of the decoration. The suite had the necessary furniture and nothing else, not a picture on a wall, not a cushion on the sofa, and surely not a vase with flowers on the small table.
Suddenly feeling exhausted, she decided to take a shower, and if she could decipher the shower stall, she had seen in the bathroom.
But she wasn’t able to. She couldn’t read the hieroglyphs on the shower stall, and she simply couldn’t make the damn thing work.
Frustrated, and feeling a bit edgy, she left her room looking for someone to help her.
She had taken just a few steps out of her room when she heard someone behind her. Startled, she turned around to find Haakon walking her way. Her heart jumped in her chest, and she instinctively put her hand over it.
“Is there a problem, Víf Rosalind?” he asked, with a naughty smile on his face, as if he knew exactly how she was feeling.
She looked around, eager to find someone else to help her, but they seemed to be alone in the hallway. She let out a deep sigh. “I need to take a shower. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to make the shower stall work. How can I call someone to help me?” she asked, making sure he understood she didn’t want his help.
“I can help you,” he offered immediately.
“I’m sure you have more important things to do than to show me how to work the shower,” she dismissed his offer as politely as she could.
“Nonsense, there’s nothing more important than to seeing your guests are well-cared for,” he said, taking her by her elbow and guiding her back to her room.
The moment he touched her, jolts of energy rushed through her body, as if the fabric of her tunic between their skins didn’t exist. Her heart speeded its pace, and she was having trouble controlling her breathing as he dragged her back into her bedroom.
“Really, there is no need for you to bother…” she insisted, but he didn’t pay her any attention.
Haakon had never expected the turn this visit to his older brother would take. Of course, he knew Brynjar had sent Asgar on a special mission, to find possible candidates for mates. The Drogons were running out of females at an incredible speed. If they didn’t do anything to stop that, they would be extinct in a matter of rotations.
Brynjar called him, summoning him to a Council meeting. Though he wasn’t very fond of visiting the city, he left his beloved mountains in the middle of a snow storm. Using a vehicle in those conditions was almost impossible, so he decided to take out his mighty wings and fly to the city. It was a long distance, but nothing he hadn’t done before.
Unfortunately, he had arrived late; interrupting the meeting with his wings and claws still displayed, and he scared the two guests Asgar had brought back.
He was sure he would never forget that moment.
“What did I miss? I came as soon as I could, but the snow had other plans,” he had said, as he had walked into the room.
“What the hell…?” a female voice had come from somewhere in the room, surprising him.
“Haakon… you’re scaring our guests,” his brother had snarled, getting up and striding to stand in front of him.
“Hello, brother,” Haakon had nodded retracting his wings and claws in just a few seconds. “Did I hear the word guests?”
“Yes…”
It was then when his nostrils had picked up her scent, and his whole body had frozen. He had sniffed the air again, to make sure, and the powerful scent of her had almost knocked him down.
Brynjar stepped aside, and he had been able to see her for the first time, wiping any doubt he might have had.
“Is this for real?” he had finally muttered, with a deep frown.
“You tell me, little brother. Does it feel real?” his brother had asked.
“But… how is this possible?” he had muttered, having trouble to believe what he had been confronted with.
He had found his soul mate, and now she was standing in front of him, trying to find ways to avoid him, as if his presence startled her a bit too much.
He was sure she didn’t fear him; she apparently felt the connection between them and couldn’t or didn’t want to understand it. But he wasn’t giving up, he was going to be everywhere she turned around, making sure, it was impossible for her to deny him or the feelings they were destined to share.
He took her directly to the bathroom and turned to look at her.
“Are you sure you want to use the shower? The tub can work miracles on a tired body,” he suggested, but she shook her head.
“I’m so tired I would fall asleep and drown in the tub.” And she wasn’t exaggerating. All of the sudden the stress of the past weeks was taking its toll. And his presence didn’t help her, at all.
“I would never let that happen,” he assured, frowning, at the thought of losing her in such a silly way.
“You wouldn’t be here to stop it,” she pointed out, coldly. “Now, can you show me how to use the damn thing or do I have to call someone else?” she insisted, eager to be alone, out of his disturbing presence.
He decided it wasn’t wise to insist, so he walked to the shower stall and showed her the basic functions. Then he walked to a wall and pressed a button, revealing a concealed cabinet with towels and a few other items. He picked one out and showed it to her.
“You can put this on after the shower.” It was some sort of white tunic, made of a light fabric, but it was huge, perfect to fit the Drogons but not her. “It’s not your size, but we haven’t had time to get you something more appropriate.”
“It’s alright, I can manage,” she picked the tunic from his hands. “Thank you for your help, but I really don’t want to stall you much longer.”
He chuckled but nodded. “Have a pleasant shower Víf Rosalind.”
“Rosalind, please. Call me just Rosalind,” she asked him, crossing her arms over his chest, not sure, why she had asked him that.
It would have been better to keep him at a distance.
“Of course, Rosalind,” he nodded again and with a mischievous grin cracking his handsome face, he finally left the bathroom.
With a heavy sigh, Rosalind took off the tunic she had been wearing and started the shower. As the water on the Zuvrakian vessel, this one was orange too and feeling it run down her body was so pleasant she stayed underneath the warm stream longer than she had planned. With a sigh, she finally washed her hair and the rest of her body with the soap Haakon had shown her, and several minutes later, she finally exited the shower stall.
In front of the sink, she looked for a toothbrush, but there was nothing, not even something similar to one, but she was able to find a strange comb, she used to brush her long hair. After that, she put on the tunic he had given her and returned to the bedroom, just to find him there, standing at her window, looking out.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she snorted, furious with his presence, but especially angry with herself for the way her body responded to his.
“After what you told me, I had to be sure you would be alright,” he said, with a smile, closing the distance between them, and standing just a few inches away from her.
She backed away, tilting her head to look at him on the face.
“What do you care what happens to me? I’m a stranger,” she grumbled.
“You’re destined to be one of our men’s soul mate,” he replied in a serious tone, and she snorted again, skeptical.
Only a small group of people had cared for her, and now they were all gone, she had lost them all, they had died on her, leaving her alone and without a purpose in life at the tender age of twenty-five.
Now, she had been taken to another planet, and they wanted her to believe in fairy tales.
“Sure, whatever you say,” she took a deep breath. “As you can see, I’m perfectly fine; I would appreciate if you would leave,” she asked him, ignoring the fire burning inside her. Those feelings had no place in her life, especially if they were directed to that man. She should know better than to want impossible things.
“Wouldn’t you like to have something to eat?” he asked her, still not moving.
“Right now, all I need is a good nap, not food. I’m tired.”
He looked at her carefully, noticing for the first time, her expression and how pale she looked.
“Of course, I’m sorry. Please, get some rest. I’ll make sure no one disturbs you.”
“Thank you.”
Unable to stop himself, he ran a finger down her cheek, relishing on the smoothness of her skin. “I’ll see you later,” he turned around and finally left the room, leaving her behind in a state of complete bewilderment.
His finger traced a trail of fire on her skin, and her whole body tensed up, begging for more.
When the door swished behind him, she threw herself into bed and covered her head with a pillow, desperate to calm herself and forget all those strange feelings he aroused in her.
It wasn’t as if she was a virgin, she’d had a few lovers, she knew what sexual attraction was, but she had to admit she had never felt the way she did with Haakon.
And she hated feeling this way, losing control over herself and over her feelings. It was maddening.
She must have fallen asleep at some point, because the next time she opened her eyes, the room was dark, and there was a huge moon shining up in the sky. It looked bigger than the moon from back home, but she couldn’t tell if it was that or that maybe this one was closer to the surface. She jumped out of bed and opened the window, walking outside to the small terrace that surrounded the whole building.
A cold breeze caught her by surprise, and she hugged herself, determined to stay, at least for a few more seconds. She had always felt attracted by the moon. It soothed her like nothing else did, and this moon seemed to have the same effect on her.
“You shouldn’t be out here, in this cold,” he murmured, as he put a cape over her shoulders, leaving his hands on them.
Somehow, he didn’t startle her, as if she knew he would be there. She let out a sigh and wrapped herself with the cape. Incredibly, the floor under her feet wasn’t cold, as if it maintained the heat from the sun.
“I wanted to take a good look at the moon,” she said, not taking her eyes from it.
“You mean our satellite?” he asked following her stare.
“Yes, what do you call it?” she asked him, curious, loving to feel him so close to her, her nostrils relishing on his unique scent, that inflamed her whole body.
“Máni. It rises every night, sometimes brighter than others, and sometimes we barely see it at all,” he explained.
“It’s a lovely name.” she nodded, taking deep breaths, trying to keep her feelings under control. “Is it as big as it looks, or it’s just closer to the planet?”
“It’s big,” his hands slid up and down her arms a few times, as he stepped even closer to her. It was both a pleasure and torture to have her this close to him, but he couldn’t find strength in himself to stay away.
He knew he had to go slow, to conquer her heart and not only her body, but he was having trouble fighting his instincts, keeping his Drogon appeased, when all he wanted was to make her his.
“Perhaps, I should go back to bed,” she said after a few moments, stepping away from his touch. The last thing she wanted was to make a fool of herself.
“The sun will be up in a short while. A new day is coming,” he informed, turning to look at her, already heading to her bedroom, almost as if she was running away from something.
“I have no place to go, so no hurry to leave the bed. Have a good day, Prince Haakon,” she said closing the window.
But she didn’t go back to sleep, she was too aroused, too anxious to even consider the possibility. She had to get a grip on herself. Falling for someone like Haakon would only bring her problems, especially if she was going to be forced to accept another man as her soul mate. She rubbed her eyes, keeping some silly tears away from her eyes and decided to take a bath. The warm water would calm her down, and by the time she was done, she would go to find something to eat. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a bite.
When she came out of the bathroom, there were clean clothes on her bed, and she looked around, waiting to see Haakon there, but she was alone.
They had brought her one of the suits she had seen them using, but this one was a lot smaller, probably for a kid. She doubted they’d had time to make clothes for her and Erin and she guessed they would need a few pieces of advice on that. These suits were warm and comfortable, but a total pain if you needed to use the toilet.
They had even brought her some kind slippers for her to cover her feet and soon she was ready to go find some food.
She decided to go see if Erin was already up. Perhaps she would like to join her on her quest for breakfast.