Present Day:

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“Stop right there!”

Asim blinked several times and shook his head. He looked at the two men sitting across from him. Both of them had expressions of disbelief on their faces.

“What?” he asked with a frown.

Brogan, the moodier of the two brothers, raised a hand and ran it down his face, looking more perplexed than on edge. He turned to his brother and gestured – as if encouraging Barrack to ask Asim some questions.

“Don’t look at me. I’m still trying to scrub the image of dirty dragon sex between Asim and Pearl out of my brain,” Barrack stated.

“Perhaps I shouldn’t have told you all the details,” Asim thoughtfully replied, rubbing his chin.

“Then I will ask.” Bewildered, Brogan turned his attention back to Asim. “You kidnapped her and took her as your mate. Why can’t we do that?” he asked, turning to raise an eyebrow to encourage his brother to back him up.

Barrack raised his hands and shook his head. “I still want to know how she knocked his ass into the lake – after I wash the dirty dragon sex out of my head first, of course,” he added.

“Forget I told you about that part. The point I’m trying to make is that each one of them is different. Pearl was older and more experienced with life. From what Sara told us, Delilah is young and innocent, but that doesn’t mean she can’t take care of herself. When you find your mate, she needs to be your partner in every way. If you try to control her, you’ll lose her for sure. I’ve seen each of the Dragon Lords learn their lesson with the princesses,” Asim explained.

“So, you do not control your mate?” Brogan asked with a skeptical expression.

“Curizan fireball! No, Pearl would roast my balls for dinner and serve them to me on a platter if I tried to tell her what to do. She is my mate, my partner, in every sense of the word,” Asim insisted.

“Except in battle,” Barrack said.

Asim shook his head. “No, especially in battle,” he replied in a quieter voice.

“But – how?” Brogan exclaimed with an incredulous expression. “Females are weak! They are not made for fighting.”

Asim leaned forward and plucked the sculpture of the bird out of Brogan’s hand. He held it up and rotated it between his fingers. He studied it for a moment before he smiled.

“That leads me to my next story…. This one happened just a few months ago. Pearl and I have been together for a couple of years now, but she continues to amaze me in so many ways. During our time together, I have discovered that love and respect are not finite, but continue to grow. And, despite our time together, I learned that I had never really seen what my mate could do when she was truly riled,” Asim explained, his voice beginning to fade as the memories rose.

“You hold that as if it means something. What kind of creature is that?” Barrack asked, nodding at the bird.

“This is called an emu, and it is a part of my story that begins with the dragonlings’ unexpected adventure to Earth and one little boy’s love for all creatures. Lord Mandra and Lady Ariel’s son, Jabir, returned home with some very unusual eggs…. Eggs that made me afraid for him, that attracted danger to the woman I love, and hatched into creatures that would rise up to become the most unlikely army this old Valdier warrior has ever seen. This army was led by none other than a couple of small boys,” Asim replied with a chuckle.

“Tell us about this battle,” Brogan demanded, leaning forward with his eyes glued to the small, odd-shaped creature made of wood.

“It begins with a story of love…,” Asim explained. “This strange creature is part of the story…”

A few months before…

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“You need to keep them covered,” Pearl said, smoothing the fresh warm grass over the large, green eggs in the barn a short distance from his parents’ house.

“Will they be ables to breathe?” Jabir asked worriedly.

“They should be fine, but I don’t know what your Grandpa Paul is going to say when he finds out you took some of the eggs from his ranch,” Pearl chuckled and bent to pick up the chubby little boy.

“He would tells me I’m a good hunter! Ruby will keeps them warm. She likes my new eggs,” Jabir giggled, watching the chicken settle on top of the mound. Tina and Viper had left Ruby at the mountain retreat while they enjoyed their time at the palace. Jabir reached up and wrapped his arms around Pearl’s neck. “Ruby promised me that she would take good care of my eggs while I hunts for more.”

“Ruby will take very good care of your eggs, I’m sure. Your mom will keep an eye on them as well. We won’t be gone long,” Pearl promised.

“What happens if Asim finds them?” Jabir asked with a worried frown.

“He’ll keep them warm and safe for you. The eggs will be fine. I want to talk to your Grandpa Paul about them before I mention them to Asim. He might be able to help,” she chuckled.

“Grandpa Paul knows all about eggs and animals,” Jabir replied, happy again.

Pearl watched as Jabir glanced at the small mound of grass in the back stall. Her heart swelled for the little boy who was frantically trying to keep his secret. She and Ariel had discovered a week ago that Jabir had done a little exploring and scavenging when he and the other younglings crossed through a portal to Earth created by Phoenix, one of the twin daughters of Creon and Carmen.

The dragonlings’ adventure had started with a simple Valentine’s Day story and ended with the younglings traveling across the galaxies to find the lonely woman who could heal a dragon whose heart was turning to stone. The dragon, it turned out, was none other than Jarak Draken, the surly Chief Security Officer aboard the V’ager, while the lonely woman was Sandy Morrison, the sister of Paul Grove’s childhood friend and attorney, Chad.

The fathers had followed after the younglings. While they were on Earth, the men learned how easy it was to do online shopping and Jabir had discovered the eggs in one of Paul’s barns. The return trip had them bringing back a wide range of exciting items – and Jabir’s hidden bounty of eggs.

Pearl didn’t understand how Phoenix could create a portal that connected the two worlds. There were a lot of things she still didn’t understand about this world, even three years later. One thing she did understand was that Phoenix was special – even by alien standards.

She touched by Goddess, her dragon softly murmured.

I already figured that out on my own, Pearl reassured her dragon. So, how are we going to keep this little secret from Asim? You know we can’t lie to him.

No lie. Just don’t tell him, her dragon shrugged. What he not know, not hurt him. It make Jabir and Ariel happy.

Pearl chuckled. I guess we girls do have to stick together.

Especially if men take Jabir pets away, her dragon snorted.

Yes, well….

Pearl didn’t add to that point of view. She and her dragon didn’t quite agree that it was time to ship the latest batch of Grombots and Marrats off, but Ariel had grudgingly acknowledged that they were better off on their home world than on Valdier where they were considered a delicacy by the dragons. Of course, tears had flowed down both Ariel and Jabir’s cheeks while the men were loading the animals onto the transport.

Mandra and Asim had huffed and puffed, but Pearl noticed that the men secretly kept two pairs of each animal for Ariel and Jabir. The sets included the runts of the group and the ones most unlikely to survive if they were released into the wild. Mandra talked to a local animal doctor who would make sure they couldn’t reproduce.

Of course, there were bound to be a collection of more strays from the universe by the time Mandra and Ariel returned from the palace. Pearl came to the conclusion that Mandra must have made a lot of enemies over the years. It seemed like a new creature in need was appearing on the mountain retreat almost weekly.

“Jabir! Time to get ready to go,” Ariel called.

“I’m comings,” Jabir replied.

Pearl set the little boy down and stood at the door of the barn, watching as he ran across the open area to his mother. She chuckled when he struggled to climb the stairs. He finally gave up, shifted into his dragon form, and used his wings. Her gaze moved to Mandra. The huge Valdier prince had stepped out of the house onto the deck and opened his arms for Jabir.

“When that boy finally has his growing spurt, there are going to be a lot of surprised people,” Pearl chuckled, shaking her head in wonder.

She had a lot to do before she and Jabir left to go to the palace in a few minutes. They were leaving a few days early so Jabir could play with his cousins. This would also give her a chance to spend time with Riley, Tina, and her new great-granddaughters, Sacha and Little Pearl, as well as great-grandsons, Roam and Leo.

A smile curved her lips when the small family turned and disappeared inside the house. This world was truly an incredible place compared to Earth and was one that the St. Claire women could call home.

“It is hard to believe I spent most of my life on another world when this one feels more like home,” Pearl reflected out loud, gazing around.

Her gaze locked on her mate and she chuckled. Asim was currently arguing with Ariel’s newest acquisition, another Pactor. This one had been injured in a mining accident that left it partially blind. It had been abandoned when Ha’ven’s brother, Adalard, discovered the poor creature during one of his journeys and shipped it to Mandra as a present.

Pearl had noticed that Mandra and Adalard had a growing competition to outdo each other when it came to gag gifts. Mandra’s last gift to Adalard was a pair of Tasiers – a small, round furry creature that could reproduce exponentially if they were not controlled. By the time they arrived at Adalard’s home, the two had already multiplied to eight. By the end of the week, Adalard was threatening war against the Valdier again. Of course, the next day the Pactor had arrived to even out the score.

Asim’s loud curses floated through the air along with the sound of thuds on the ground coming from behind the animal. The new medicine Asim was giving the Pactor was helping, but it also made it have loose stools. Her heart melted when Asim reached up and stroked the Pactor, murmuring to soothe it, before he walked over to where he had left the shovel and pail.

Turning, she returned to her own little bundle of whatever Jabir had brought home. She wasn’t an expert, but she suspected the large, avocado-colored eggs were some kind of bird. Since he had retrieved them from Paul’s ranch back on Earth, she wasn’t too concerned that they would be dangerous. The eggs reminded her of the ostrich eggs she once saw at the Denver zoo.

“Ostriches aren’t too bad. Mandra can always have them shipped back to Paul’s ranch, though he may have to fight with Ruby over them first,” she decided with a laugh.

Checking on the eggs once more, she was satisfied they would be safe. Ruby was sleeping on top of the pile. She chuckled softly as she shut the door to the stall. She could just imagine all of the men’s faces if they were to catch a glimpse of the huge eggs that she, Ruby, and Jabir were fretting over. They would go ape-shit over them.

Pearl never could have imagined that a dragon would go nuts over hard-boiled eggs – especially colored ones! She reckoned it was a combination of their competitive nature and their avarice for pretty things. Personally, she just didn’t get it.

Pearl closed the door to the barn and looked around for Pokey. The symbiot was sprawled on the house’s deck, soaking up the sun. Pokey rolled to his feet when Mandra came out carrying Jabir. Ariel followed with a small suitcase and a backpack in the shape of a dinosaur.

Pokey shook and jumped to the ground. Pearl watched in fascination as the golden body shimmered and transformed. The living metal creature was stretching and curving until a compact, golden transport hovered slightly off the ground waiting for her. She couldn’t keep the smile from curling her lips when she thought of what else that living metal could do.

Yes! Her dragon hissed in delight.

You are a horny bitch, you know that, don’t you? Pearl silently chuckled.

You the one that likes on top, her dragon retorted.

Yes, I do, Pearl agreed, smiling.

She walked toward where Asim was working. Leaning against the railing, she silently waited for him to finish what he was doing. Even though she was only going to be gone for a few days, she knew that she was going to miss him. While she had spent most of her life alone, she had quickly adjusted to having Asim’s quiet presence in her life and now couldn’t imagine having it any other way.

“What are you smiling about?” Asim curiously asked, looking up to catch her expression.

“Sex. On top, on the bottom, dirty dragon style,” Pearl quipped, knowing it would start the fire in Asim’s eyes.

“Goddess! You mention that to me now when I can’t do a thing about it? You are killing me and my dragon, Pearl!” Asim cursed, holding a shovel full of Pactor dung.

Asim dropped the dung into the wagon and walked over to the fence. He propped the shovel up against the rails and pulled his gloves off. Placing them on a post, he leaned forward and brushed a kiss across her lips.

“I’m going to miss you,” she said with a sigh.

“I could always fly back and forth each morning and evening,” Asim suggested with a smile.

Her eyes glittered with mischief. “With all the kids around…? We’d never have any peace; and you know that I’m talking about the big kids, not the little ones,” she chuckled with a shake of her head. “You have enough to do here. It will only be a few days and I’ll be spending time with the girls.”

“A few days is too long,” Asim replied with a mischievous expression. “We could always meet half way.”

“Your dragon is stuck on the dirty dragon style, isn’t he?” she teased.

“Just a little – so am I,” Asim retorted with a wicked grin.

Pearl tilted her head back and laughed. She loved it when they teased each other. It didn’t matter what she said, he was able to think of a comeback. Of course, on the few occasions when he couldn’t, he used his lips and body instead.

“I’ll send you a location for later tonight,” she teased, brushing a kiss across his lips with a little suggestive tongue to go along with it.

“Pearl, I ready!” Jabir called out behind her.

“I have to go,” she said with a sigh.

“Later tonight,” Asim vowed. “Dirty dragon style first.”

“You’ll have to catch me first,” Pearl replied with a wink before she turned and walked away.