That was easier than I thought,” Crag grunted.

“For the dragon-shifter – now we have to capture the feathered creatures that escaped,” Zeb snapped.

“What about his symbiot?” Crag asked, turning to look at Zeb.

“It won’t attack us if it thinks we will kill him. Contain it in the back room; then tie the old dragon up,” Zeb instructed.

“Why don’t I just kill him now?” Crag demanded, looking down at Asim’s inert body.

Zeb frowned and shook his head. “The creature will attack us before he dies. The only way to get away is to contain it until we are ready to leave. Once we have the woman, it won’t come after us or attack us – especially if we kill the warrior.”

“Whatever you say,” Crag said with a shrug.

Zeb jerked his head toward the building. “Pull him into the barn,” he ordered.

Crag reached down and gripped the collar of Asim’s vest. He walked into the barn, dragging Asim behind him. Once he was almost to the back, he dropped Asim and turned to wait.

They didn’t have long. The symbiot burst through the door. Zeb studied the enraged creature. He had seen how deadly they could be on several of the Spaceports. He pointed his blaster at Asim.

“I wouldn’t,” Zeb warned. “If you kill me, Crag will snap his neck before you can save him.”

The symbiot took a step closer and crouched. The symbiot’s body shimmered in a wide variety of colors. The display of colors reflected its feelings of aggression. Zeb gave it a nasty grin.

“Did I mention that my other friend is with the woman and the boys? You can’t save them all. What is it going to be?” he demanded. He waited until the symbiot backed down. “You will go into the back room. If you try to come out, I’ll have all of them killed.”

Zeb knew the symbiot understood him. He could see its eyes narrow. Stepping closer to Asim, he nodded to the room in the back. “Go or they are all dead.”

The symbiot hissed and rose back up. It moved with slow, deliberate movements. Zeb stiffened when it paused as it drew even with them before it snarled and continued to the back room. He followed, giving the symbiot a wide berth. Only when it was in the room did he close the distance and locked the door.

“What about this one?” Crag asked.

“Break his leg and lock him in the other barn for now. He won’t be able to heal without his symbiot. We don’t want him transforming into his dragon or being able to fight. We definitely don’t want him and his symbiot near each other. Once we have the woman and feathered beasts, you can come back and finish the job,” Zeb instructed.

“I hope we make a lot of credits off the feathered beasts. We are going to need them,” Crag grumbled even as he turned and dragged Asim out of the building.

“Boys, come here,” Pearl said in a sharp tone.

Jabir and Roam looked up from where they were coloring. Both sensed the authority and alarm in her voice. They scrambled to their feet and hurried into the kitchen.

“What’s wrong?” Jabir asked.

Pearl’s face was tight with worry. She knelt down, and whispered to the symbiot wrapped around her wrists. The thin bands of gold dissolved and divide before wrapping around each boy’s arm.

“Something has happened. I don’t know for sure what is going on, but Pokey is showing me images. Asim needs my help,” Pearl said in a quiet, urgent voice.

“We can helps, can’t we, Jabir? We are good at helping,” Roam said.

Pearl reached up and touched Roam’s blond hair. “I need you to hide. Can you do that for me? Can you hide where no one can find you until Pokey tells you that it is safe to come out?” she asked.

Jabir nodded. “We can goes to my favorite rock. Daddy and I made a fort in it,” he said.

“Where is it?” Pearl asked, searching the little boy’s face.

“It is in the meadow. It is the one with the tall rocks that sticks up,” Jabir explained.

“You have to be very quiet. No one can see you,” Pearl said. “Those… They are coming. I need you to go now.”

“We’ll be just like Grandpa Paul – really, really quiet,” Jabir promised.

“I’m always quiet. I’m a cat,” Roam stated.

“Hurry and don’t get caught,” Pearl ordered as she stood up and reached for the knives on the counter. “I’ve got some trash to take out.”

“That means she’s going to kick their asses,” Roam whispered. “My mommy says that when she gets mad.”

“Shush! Let’s go,” Jabir said, shifting into his dragon.

Pearl watched both boys disappear around the corner. They were going up the stairs to the upper balcony. Realizing that she had to trust in their natural ability and knowing that the small symbiots attached to their arms would help guide them, she turned her focus on the men who harmed her mate.

Rules? Her dragon asked.

Let’s start with rule number eleven, Pearl suggested with a grim smile as her fingers curled around one of the knives she was holding.

I like that one, her dragon chuckled.

Hans silently climbed over the railing and landed on the deck. He knelt and glanced around. Through the large section of glass windows, he could see the woman in the food preparation area. He didn’t see the kids. He wasn’t worried about them since they were too young to be a threat.

He started forward, pausing when his view of the woman was blocked after she activated the window shield. It wouldn’t matter nor hinder his mission to capture her. One female was no threat to a cutthroat like him.

He stood and walked across the deck. He had seen the symbiot leave a short while ago and knew that Crag and Zeb were capable of handling it and the old dragon warrior. He almost winced at how easy his job would be in capturing the old woman.

He stepped up to the door and tested it. A humorless smile curved his lips when he found it unlocked. Pulling it open, he silently stepped inside.

This is too easy, he thought as he entered before the smile died and was replaced with a frown.

Hans stared at the woman who gazed at him with a smile on her lips. Unease stirred inside him, but he pushed it away. His gaze ran over her slender form. She looked cool, composed, and – he reluctantly admitted – good in black leather for her age.

“Where I come from it is considered rude to enter someone’s home without being invited,” the woman said in a cool voice.

Hans frowned. “You are coming with me,” he ordered.

“I don’t think so. What have you done with my mate?” the woman quietly asked.

Hans gaze narrowed on her face. He could normally tell a lot about his adversary by their eyes. A flicker of fear, a hint of desperation, and panic were normal, but hers were clear and calm. She looked as if she were ready to battle him – and felt confident that she would win. Once again, an uneasy feeling rose in his stomach. This time it was a little more difficult to push away.

“Do not give me any trouble, female. I’ll snap your neck as quickly as Crag is going to snap your mate’s. Then, I’ll do the same to those two younglings,” Hans snarled.

“Listen, asshole, I asked you a question. I’ll ask one more time. What have you done with my mate?” the woman demanded.

Hans sneered at the woman’s show of defiant bravado. He closed the distance between them. Stopping in front of her, he towered over her. Her face was tight with resolve and determination.

“What species are you?” Hans demanded, his gaze narrowing on her face.

“One you don’t want to underestimate,” she replied.

“Your mate will be dead soon. If you fight, so will you,” Hans threatened. He reached out and wrapped his hand around her upper arm. “Come….”

His breath hissed out when her knee connected with his groin in a swift, hard blow. His eyes widened as pain exploded through him. Dots flashed before his eyes and his fingers loosened on her arm.

A loud groan escaped him as the pain spread. He was defenseless against her next blow. She pulled back her arm and slammed her elbow into his cheekbone. Reaching out, he grabbed at her jacket as he fell backwards, pulling her with him.

The woman’s hand rose and she struggled to break free, but his larger frame and gravity were no match for her. Together they fell to the floor. Pain ripped through him and his body jerked in surprise at the source.

He froze and blinked in shock. Following the woman’s gaze, he looked down at himself. It took a second for him to realize that he was dead, his mind and body just hadn’t recognized it yet. The woman must have had a knife in her hand. When he pulled her down, she instinctively raised her hand to cushion her fall. Unwittingly, the knife between their bodies had pieced his heart.

“How? You are… female,” Hans muttered as his body began to tremble.

“Rule number eleven: If you are going to hit someone, make sure they stay down the first time, because you might not get a second chance,” she said in a quiet voice, gazing down at him with a mixture of determination and resolve.

“Rules… What rules?” Hans asked in a slightly slurred voice.

“Pearl’s Rules for Living,” she replied. “Where is my mate?”

“Others… Zeb has him… in… the… barn…,” Hans replied before his eyes dimmed and his head fell to the side.

Take out trash, her dragon growled. No want dead body in house.

“Amen to that, sister,” Pearl replied, stiffening her spine and pushing up off the dead man’s body.

With the added boost of her dragon’s strength, Pearl awkwardly dragged the man’s body out of her house. Once she was done, she shifted into her dragon. She searched the darkness. She was torn between going to Asim first or making sure the boys were alright.

What gut say? Her dragon asked.

The boys – my gut says we need to find the boys, Pearl said.

Then, we find boys, her dragon replied.

Pearl felt the muscles of her dragon contract before she pushed up off the deck. Her wings swept through the air in wide, powerful strokes. She flew low to the ground, following the slight scent trail of Jabir. Her dragon’s gaze swept the area, mindful of their other visitors.

Rule number twenty, her dragon whispered.

Yes, Pearl replied.

Rule number twenty was one that had protected her and the girls many times over the years. If you or your family/friends’ lives are on the line, ignore all other rules except Rule Number 1. She would use her brain. She was smart, tough, and determined. She might be outnumbered and outpowered, but she had a good head on her shoulders and had enough fights under her belt to know when to fight dirty.

Whoop-ass time, her dragon growled.

Yes, it’s time to open a can of whoop-ass, Pearl agreed.