Twin Dragons: Dragon Lords of Valdier Book 7 (28 page)

Melina rose from the seat near the window.
They had been on Valdier for several weeks now and she had
discovered even more friends than she had ever had back on Earth.
The Reykill brothers had each found their true mate with a human
and they had welcomed her with open arms.

She had caught a brief glimpse of the other
young woman who had been on board the
Horizon
with them, as
well. Emma Watson was so delicate, Melina was afraid a puff of wind
would break her. Abby Tanner, the true mate of Zoran Reykill, the
Leader of the Valdier, had greeted her, Sara, Emma, and Carmen
warmly when they arrived. Personally, Melina thought Zoran Reykill
was one of the scariest men she had ever seen. Abby just rolled her
eyes whenever he would growl or mutter something under his
breath.

She loved the other women as well. Cara and
Ariel were hilarious. Cara asked her a million and one questions
about her time on the Antrox mine while Ariel assured her once
again that Hobbler was doing fine.

“She is getting huge!” Ariel shared with a
grin. “Asim has already had to enlarge her stall three times in
just a few weeks. You should hear him grumble when she starts
nibbling on his shirt when he is trying to work.”

“She liked to do that to mine as well,”
Melina replied with a sigh. “She has the sweetest personality.”

Melina still found it hard to believe that
Ariel and Carmen were sisters. They each had such different
personalities. The other woman she met was Trisha Grove. She was
very quiet, but Melina had the feeling nothing escaped her.

The person that Melina had fallen in love
with the most was Morian Reykill. Morian reminded Melina of her
Nana with her graceful movements, pleasant manners, and love for
plants. Her Nana could grow just about anything. From the gardens
around the palace, Melina suspected that Morian had the same green
thumb.

What had even surprised her more was that
Cree and Calo had dug up all of her Nana’s roses and brought them
along. They didn’t tell her about them for fear they would die
before they got back to Valdier. They’d turned the sad looking
plants over to Morian for her expert touch shortly after they
landed. Morian had shared what they had done when she was visiting
with her a few days before.

“They were terrified they had killed them,”
Morian confided. “They just needed a little love.”

“I can’t believe they brought them with us,”
Melina said, touching the new leaves. “Nana loved them.”

“Cree and Calo want to plant them around the
home they wish to build for you,” Morian explained with a small
smile. “I will give them detailed instructions on how to do
it.”

“That’s okay,” Melina whispered. “I know
how.”

“I am glad they found you, Melina,” Morian
said softly. “You are good for them.”

Melina glanced up at Morian and smiled.
“They are good for me, too.”

“Yes, I think they are,” Morian replied with
a chuckle. “Come, let me show you some other plants that might be
nice to have.”

*.*.*

Yes, they were good for her, but they were
also a pain in the neck sometimes. Cree and Calo were even more
protective of her now that she was on their world if that was
possible. They snapped and snarled at any warrior who accidentally
glanced her way.

Not that they might not have a good
reason to,
she thought as she stared at her wrists.

A small, trembling smile curled her lips as
she fingered the gold cuffs wrapped around them. She had a feeling
they were going to be a permanent fixture on her after what
happened earlier. She really couldn’t complain. There was still so
much about her new home that she didn’t understand.

A few hours earlier, both men had been
called to a meeting. Tired of being cooped up inside, she had
wandered out into the lower gardens. She loved how there was the
large main garden surrounded by smaller, interior courtyards with
fountains and plants. She had found the perfect one to hide away in
and settled down on a small seat near the center fountain, Calo’s
symbiot curled up at her feet.

Things had been fine until one of the
warriors had shown an interest in her. The male, Adalard Ha’darra,
had stumbled upon her sitting by the fountain studying the Valdier
language. She blushed as she remembered the encounter. She had no
idea he was a Curizan Prince and brother to Ha’ven Ha’darra whom
she had met at the Antrox mine in what seemed a lifetime ago.

*.*.*

“It would appear that the Goddess is smiling
on me today,” Adalard had said smoothly as he stepped into the
courtyard. “She has presented me with an image of her beauty to
take my mind away from all the ugliness of the Valdier warriors
sweating as they train for battle.”

Melina’s head jerked up in surprise when she
heard his voice. She looked around, puzzled, as she tried to figure
out who he was talking to. It took a few seconds to realize he was
looking at her.

“I’m sorry. I think you have the wrong
person,” she replied politely.

She had heard some of the guys in high
school say corny lines like that to the girls during Physical
Education class. It sounded just as dorky now as it did then.

A slight giggle escaped her as she thought
about it more. The fact that an alien male would say such a bad
pickup line, half a universe away from Clayton, Georgia, was just
too humorous to miss.

“Your laughter is like music to my ears. It
warms my heart, as I hope you will warm my bed,” Adalard replied
with a devilish grin. “There is no mistake that I have found the
right person for that.”

“That was so bad, you should be embarrassed
to have even thought it,” Melina commented with a shake of her
head. “Not even the boys back home would be caught dead spouting
stuff like that.”

Things had been rather fun until Adalard
stepped a little too close to her. Calo’s symbiot had surged toward
the male in fury, snarling a warning. Personally, she would have
been terrified if something that big and powerful approached her.
Adalard had just waved his hand at it. Melina’s own temper flared
when she saw the symbiot flinch, as it if had been struck.

“You need to leave,” she demanded, standing
up and stepping closer to the symbiot. “Now.”

Adalard had grinned and looked at her with
an appraising glance that scared her. It was the same look that
many of the aliens at the mine had when a new female was delivered.
A few had even looked at her that way even though they thought she
was a boy. She clenched her trembling fingers around the small
tablet and took a step back. She froze when Adalard frowned and
stepped closer to her.

“I mean you no harm, my Lady,” Adalard said
in a calming voice. “You have no reason to fear me.”

She drew in a deep breath, ready to scream
when a dark shadow passed overhead. Another shadow passed swiftly
by her, making her swivel with a cry. Calo rose up out of the
darkness behind her just as Cree landed between her and Adalard.
Cree’s symbiot wove a protective barrier around her as the Twin
Dragons snarled menacingly at the Curizan Prince.

“My apologies, Warriors,” Adalard said
smoothly, stepping away from where Melina stood in the protective
golden circle. “I was but admiring the beauty of the female. I did
not mean to frighten her. I did not realize this was the female
that had captured your hearts.”

“Adalard,” another deep male voice called
out from behind him.

Melina watched as Adalard slightly turned
toward the voice. He kept the Twin Dragons in his peripheral vision
as the new male stepped out of the shadows. She paled when she
recognized the intimidating form of Zoran Reykill.

“Zoran,” Adalard said with a slight incline
of his head.

“You are fortunate that Creon has such a
high regard for you and your brothers,” Zoran said coldly. “The
humans are off limits.”

“For all but the Valdier?” Adalard asked
with a raised eyebrow.

The hissing of Cree and Calo as they took a
step forward sent chills down her spine. She wanted to reach out
and reassure them that she was fine. That nothing had happened, but
right now her vocal chords seemed to have gone on total
meltdown.

Zoran’s eyes flashed to the two topaz and
black dragons. Whatever was in his look was enough to stop them
from moving any closer to the Curizan. Zoran refocused his
attention on Adalard.

“For now,” Zoran said in a low voice. “It
will be more than a knife thrown in fun if you mess with the mate
of the Twin Dragons.”

Adalard chuckled as he looked back at the
two dragons before his amused eyes landed on Melina. She swallowed
the lump in her throat when he suddenly bowed. When he
straightened, he released a loud sigh.

“I fear I must apologize for my poor
manners, my Lady,” Adalard said with a grin. “In another life,
perhaps.”

Melina watched in astonishment as he turned
on his heel and walked by Zoran as if he hadn’t just been
surrounded by some of the scariest men in the star system. Cree’s
symbiot dissolved around her to form the huge Werecat that she was
used to seeing. She turned when she felt the breath of one of the
dragons against her hair.

Tilting her head back, she looked up into
Calo’s blazing gold eyes as Cree circled them, making sure that
Adalard had truly left. She didn’t make a sound as Calo rose on his
back legs, scooping her up with his fore claws as he did.

With a loud roar, he unfolded his wings and
launched upwards with her cradled tightly against his chest. He
rotated as he gained altitude until he was flying high over the
city. A dark shadow zoomed just below him before circling around to
level slightly to the front of his right wing - Cree.

*.*.*

Melina reached up and caressed the smooth
scales across Calo’s breast. A low purr sounded at her touch, but
he never veered from the path he was flying. She expected them to
take her up to their room, but they continued on over the vast
walls surrounding the Palace.

She twisted enough so that she could see the
city far below as they continued over it. Buildings in a variety of
sizes and shapes were separated from each other by a maze of
streets. Her eyes widened as she saw other dragons flying and
landing on the roof tops before they changed.

“It is like an airport,” she giggled as two
more circled around to land. “Only the runways are the
rooftops.”

That explained why each building had a tall,
flat platform with a set of stairs. She had noticed a few of them
in the distance from their room. Watching as the men, or dragons,
took off and landed on them with ease was fascinating to watch.

She gasped as Calo suddenly pulled his wings
in and dropped down as they neared the thick forest that surrounded
the city. She turned her face into him and closed her eyes as he
and Cree picked up speed as they moved in and out among the huge
trees.

It wasn’t until she felt the slight bump and
the arms holding her change that she realized that he had not only
landed, but changed back into his two-legged form. She carefully
opened her eyes and stared up at his chin before turning her head
to see where they were. A loud gasp escaped her and she flung her
arms around Calo’s neck when she realized that they were on a large
branch hundreds of feet off the ground.

“Calo,” she whimpered. “Perhaps now would be
a good time to tell you that I’m scared of heights.”

“You were not when you were flying,” he said
gruffly, walking along the branch as if it were the ground.

“I had wings then,” she choked out. “In case
you haven’t noticed, I’m not wearing any right now.”

Calo lowered her to her feet and gripped her
wrists, pulling them from around his neck. She cried out when he
turned her until she was pressed against his back. She tried to
grab him, but it was impossible with the way he was holding
her.

Firm hands buried themselves in her hair,
tilting her head back until she was staring into Cree’s hot gaze.
She blinked unsure of what was happening. A deep rumble escaped him
before he leaned forward and sniffed her.

An unexpected giggle escaped as he ran his
nose up and down her neck before he inhaled deeply in her ear. She
bit her lip when he pulled back to glare down at her before
switching his gaze to Calo. A sharp shake of his head had Calo
loosening his grip enough that she could slide her hands into his
and curl her fingers around his fingers in a death grip.

“Why did you do that?” She asked
breathlessly, trying not to glance down, but not being very
successful. “Oh shoot! We are really high!”

The fingers in her hair tightened and pulled
her head back around. Her fingers squeezed around Calo’s as Cree
captured her lips with his. Leaning forward, she opened for
him.

“Did he touch you anywhere?” Cree finally
breathed as he pulled back. “Did he?”

“No,” Melina replied huskily. “He was just
being a flirty pest. He sounded an awful lot like the guys back
home when I was in high school.”

“High school?” Calo asked, brushing a kiss
along her neck.

“Yeah, you know. When you are a teenager and
all you can think of is sweet-talking some girl into giving you a
kiss. The girls just like to giggle and stare at the guys’ butts,”
she added with a blush.

Sensing the growing heat in her face, both
men scowled down at her. “Did you look at their butts?”

“No, but I admit I stared at yours and
Calo’s a lot when you came into the repair bay. I thought for sure
you could feel it burning,” she admitted with a grin. “You both
have really cute ones.”

Silence greeted her statement for several
long seconds before the sound of twin masculine laughter filled the
air. Melina breathed a sigh as she leaned back into Calo’s arms.
Her dark green eyes darkened with desire as she watched Cree’s face
relax.