Alien’s Secret

A Sci-Fi Alien Romance

Harper Rosling

Copyright © 2024 by Harper Rosling

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No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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Contents

1.  Keldor

2.  Female

3.  Keldor

4.  Female

5.  Keldor

6.  Female

7.  Keldor

8.  Female

9.  Keldor

10.  Ella

11.  Ella

12.  Keldor

Epilogue: Ella

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About the Author

Also by Harper Rosling

Chapter 1

Keldor

I PACED near the edge of my territory, taking in the sights and sounds around me. The feral planet of Reazus Prime was a brutal place to live. If not for my keen senses, I would have succumbed to the dangers present long ago.

I pulled my wings tighter around me as the winds picked up. Storm season was almost upon us. It was time to head back to my lair before the storms made traveling difficult. The last thing I wanted was to be caught out in the storms when they hit.

I turned to make my way back when something out of place caught my eye. An escape pod hidden beneath some brush should not be on my land. I looked around, searching for any signs of others. When no others were apparent, I approached cautiously, wondering what I would find inside. Rumors abounded of human females being discovered on Reazus Prime.

My nearest neighbor, Devkon, had found a human some months back. A feisty little human who had shot me with a point thing, she called an arrow. I still bore the scar from the incident in my wing. Even so, I admired her spirit. She was a good match for Devkon. While we had never been friends, I had an enormous amount of respect for the [look to see if I gave his race a name].

It was difficult to know how long ago the pod had crashed on Reazus Prime. Vining plants grew fast in this area of the planet, hiding the pod by climbing over the top. I scanned around the area, seeking any signs of life or anything else out of place. When I sensed no one, I crouched beside the pod to inspect it more closely. A large dent marred the side of the pod. The door was sealed shut. Whatever or whoever was inside must have been trapped in there for some time. They were most likely dead, but I still had to check. It was my responsibility as the guardian of this land to ensure nothing untoward was happening within my territory.

The control panel refused to leave stasis mode and remained frozen and unresponsive. Even as I attempted to circumvent the programming, the pod beeped. At first, the sound was a steady rhythm. Then the noise became irregular, speeding up into a frantic pace. Even as my fingers pushed at the flashing lights, the pod shuddered as if taking a last breath.

My claws came out as I sliced through the metal, opening the door of the pod. It wasn't my smartest move, but I no longer had a choice. Inside, a female lay unconscious. Her skin was pale, too pale. As her chest rose, her breaths remained shallow. Her pulse was weak, but still steady. She had lost a lot of blood. Wounds decorated the female's head and arms, blood staining the cloth covering other body parts. The pod's emergency medical programming must have failed to engage.

Without further thought, I scooped the female up in my arms. This was not the place to heal her. My lair was closer than the Hub. There, I could protect her while she healed. It would also give me time to determine what I should do with her. She was an unknown, and I did not deal well with unknowns. That my first thought was to bring her to my lair already showed how desperate I was to help her. I was curious about her. That was something new for me. I never let curiosity get the better of me. Curiosity often led to trouble, and I avoided trouble.

My wings spread out, the air ruffling the edges. It had been a while since I'd flown. The hole Devkon's mate graced me with had been slow to heal in the thin webbing. Despite the circumstances, the feel of the air as I flapped my wings and caught a pocket of air felt good. My webbing stretched, caressing the invisible molecules as my wings moved and gained lift. It felt freeing to be flying again.

As I flew to my lair, I couldn't help but steal glances at the female in my arms. Her hair was a strange color, the light reflecting off it showing hints of different colors. The strands were so light, I barely detected the iridescent colors. It was a shade akin to the flowers that grew in my land, except her hair had many more colors in it. It reminded me of a rainbow.

Her skin was pale, and the sight of her made me wish I had gone to the Hub instead. I had no experience with healing females, even those of my kind. There was a healer at the Hub who might help her. The coming storms made it too dangerous to fly back. It wasn't a good time to be in the air. The Hub wasn't a safe place for humans, anyway. Too many beings wanted to claim the rare females since they were universal breeders.

When I landed at my lair, I carried the female into my home. I didn't even know if she would survive the trip. I laid her on the med bed, then set to work. The machine cleaned and closed the wounds. The bioscan showed more injuries, a broken arm, a slight fracture to her head, some internal injuries. As the machine cataloged each wound, the screen displayed more about the female's anatomy. The wounds disappeared as the skin knit together.

The machine had been an impulse purchase some months back. I'd had some vague thought of gifting it to Devkon for his mate. The female was adventurous and Devkon had his claws full with that one. However, Devkon had not needed the gift, having purchased a medbed of his own.

It was not until the machine finished tending to her injuries that I realized I had done more than I ever would for anyone else. I had brought her into my home, something I had sworn I would never do. My home was my sanctuary, a place where I could be myself, free from the eyes of those who sought to challenge me for my lands and my secrets. Bringing a female here was dangerous for me. Yet the thought of leaving the female to the elements and the worst that Reazus Prime offered left me unsettled.

I watched the female as the machine completed its programming. She was beautiful. Everything I was not. My people had a reputation for their strength and ferocity. We were fierce warriors, feared by many. I did not think of myself in that manner anymore. I had not fought in a long time, not since I carved out my place on this wretched planet. I had learned to live a quiet life, keeping to myself. I had been content with my life.

That contentment shattered the moment I spied the escape pod. Now, I was unsure of what my next move should be. I was in uncharted territory. I did not know how to handle females. Especially delicate females from distant planets. Leaving the female to die was not an option. Or even worse, to be found by another being on the planet. Reazus Prime was filled with males who would do anything for a female. Females were rare here. The females that had been sent to Reazus Prime when it was a prison planet were of a different breed, more than capable of taking care of themselves in the harsh environment.

I wasn't sure why I cared, yet I did. It was not in my nature to care about others. Perhaps I was going stir crazy living on this planet. The thought had me chuckling. I had lived on this planet since my youth. Living on this desolate planet had changed me, made me ruthless. It was a part of me now.

The female stirred, and I had not yet figured out what I was going to do with her. I had a feeling that I could no more leave her on the planet's surface than I could allow her to go to the Hub. There was something about her that called to me. I did not understand it, yet I resisting the pull to be near her was not an option. I hunched my shoulders as I wondered what I had gotten myself into.

The female's eyes fluttered open, and she gasped. I moved to her side, and she flinched away from me, fear in her gaze. "Whoa, stay back. You have sharp claws." She winced as she spoke, her voice raspy, as if it had been a long time since she'd used it.

"Be still," I said, my voice sounding harsher than I intended. "You are safe."

The female's eyes widened at the sound of my voice, and she shrank back, her body trembling. I cursed myself for frightening her, for forgetting how alien I must seem to her human eyes.

"I will not harm you," I said, gentling my tone. "I found you in a damaged escape pod on my land. You were injured, so I brought you here to heal."

She stared at me, her eyes searching my face as if trying to determine the truth of my words. "Where am I?" she asked, her voice hoarse and barely above a whisper.

"You are on Reazus Prime," I replied. "A planet far from your homeworld."

Her brow furrowed, and she shook her head slightly. "Reazus Prime? I don't... I don't understand."

Confusion and fear warred in her eyes, and a part of me ached to comfort her. I knew such gestures would likely only frighten her further. "What do you remember?" I asked, keeping my voice low and even.

She closed her eyes, her face scrunching up in concentration. "I... I don't know. Everything is so hazy, like a dream I can't quite grasp."

I chuckled at her words. "I suppose that is true. You are safe in my home. The door is locked and will not open without my permission. No one knows how to find me. You are miles away from the nearest settlement."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Believe me when I say that it is. My nearest neighbor is to the south of us. He and his mate don't visit often. Only when their esapug finds himself on my land. Then Devkon finds himself on my land because his mate has chased down the wretched creature. I have learned to forgive him for the transgression, since I would do the same if I had a mate of my own."

"You said I'm on Reazus Prime? Where is that?"

"That is in a galaxy far, far from your homeworld, I'm afraid."

"You mean like on another planet? How is that possible? That means you... you're an alien!"

I chuckled in amusement. "Technically, I believe you are the alien on Reazus Prime. Though I must admit that I was not born here either. I was brought here when I was a youth. Exiled for political reasons, I had no control over." A shadow of memories attempted to weigh me down, but I threw it off. I had long since given up the hope of ever returning to my homeworld.

"So, I'm not on Earth? I don't even know what to think about that. What do I call you? You have a name, don't you?"

"Yes, female, I have a name. I am called Keldor Blazeclaw. I am a Dragonian," I said, bowing my head at the female, winking at her. To all the deities I no longer worshiped, I winked at the female!

The female giggled and the indignity of winking at her was worth the unusual display. "And what is your name, female?"

The female opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out as horror grew in her expression. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and opened her mouth again. And again, no sound came out. Her mouth popped open as she gasped.

"I don't know." The female tugged her hair, her eyebrows squeezed together in confusion. "How can I not know my name?"

Chapter 2

Female

HE WINKED AT ME!

My rescuer was a sight to behold. His large, leathery wings spanned an impressive width, easily twice my height or more. The wing membranes were a dark charcoal with intricate patterns of scales. As he shifted, the wings caught the warm light filtering in from the window, casting flickering shadows that danced across the room.

My heart raced at the sight of those magnificent wings. They were spellbinding. Dark and imposing, I saw a webbing between the bones that made up the wing structure. A small, jagged scar on one wing stood out, a pale line against the rich coloring, hinting at battles fought or dangers faced.

He was quite handsome, if one overlooked the fact he wasn't human. Intriguing was the word that came to mind. Chiseled features, high cheekbones, and a strong jawline gave his face a striking, almost regal appearance. His eyes, a mesmerizing blend of amber and gold, glimmered with an ancient wisdom. He was so unlike anyone I had ever met. Or at least, I didn't think I had.

But that wink when he introduced himself! A playful, roguish gesture that was at odds with his imposing stature. I couldn't help the girlish giggle that escaped me, the sound tinkling like a wind chime in the stillness of the room. It almost made me forget the dire circumstances I found myself in. Almost.

My memory loss was a strange, unsettling thing. I remembered some aspects of life on Earth – fragments of knowledge and trivia that clung stubbornly to the edges of my mind. For instance, I knew most humans didn't believe aliens existed. There were outliers, the conspiracy theorists and self-proclaimed abductees, but they were often thought of as strange or attention seekers. Maybe even delusional sometimes. Now, faced with undeniable proof in the form of this magnificent creature before me, I wondered if there had been some basis, in fact, for all those stories of alien encounters.

I remembered who the last president was, but I didn't remember my name or who I was. My life on Earth was a big black hole where my existence had once thrived, now gone in an instant, leaving me scared and unsure. I hoped I had been a good person. Who really knew? I could have been a criminal mastermind back on Earth, and maybe this whole memory loss thing was a cosmic way for me to have a do-over. It was unsettling, to say the least, not knowing the core of who I was.

Gingerly, I sat up, my hand going to my throbbing head. Though tender, there wasn't any blood when I looked at my hand. I must have hit my head pretty hard to be knocked out and wake up with no memory. The room spun for a moment, and I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the dizziness to pass.

Looking down, I didn't see any open wounds, though somebody parts were still a little sore and sensitive to touch. It was as if I'd been injured some time ago and had healed, but not all the pain was gone. A faint, medicinal scent lingered in the air, sharp and slightly astringent, hinting at the advanced technology that had mended my wounds.

"Are you in pain?" Keldor's deep, resonant voice cut through the silence, laced with concern. "The medbay is good at learning new species on the fly, but I was hesitant about having it give you any pain medications until it was updated with human physiology."

"It's not bad. A little tender," I shook my head, marveling at the idea that a machine had healed me. That was so far beyond anything we had on Earth. At least, I didn't think we did. I was so confused. And tired. The weight of exhaustion settled over me like a heavy blanket.

"I think I need a nap, which is ridiculous since I just woke up!" I couldn't keep the frustration out of my voice, the words tinged with a weary resignation. How could I be so weak?

"Your body has been through a lot," Keldor said, his tone gentle but firm. "The slave traders would have done their best to not injure you because you are more valuable whole. However, considering how long it's been since the first female was discovered on Reazus Prime, I would guess your pod had been floating in space for some time before it crashed onto my land. The stasis programming appeared to still be functioning, but any emergency medical programming was faulty and did not engage. You had some serious wounds when I opened the pod." He took a deep breath, the sound rumbling like distant thunder. "I'm sure picking you up and flying to my home didn't help your injuries."

"Flying?" I looked at Keldor's wings as they moved around him, the leathery membranes rustling softly. "You mean you carried me and flew?"

He had to be incredibly strong to carry me like that. The muscles in his arms flexed beneath the dark scales as he shifted his weight, rippling with power. I wished I remembered how it felt to be in his arms. It was such a strange thought, but I wondered what it would be like to be in his embrace again, cradled against that muscular frame. I wasn't a dainty woman. Even without my memory, I knew I carried more weight than humans would probably deem healthy. Despite the tender spots, I didn't feel unhealthy. I was curvy and no feelings of shame or inhibition popped into my rattled brain.

I hopped off the medbay, the cold metal floor sending a jolt through the soles of my bare feet. Immediately, I regretted the impulsive move as a wave of dizziness washed over me. I wobbled, my legs threatening to give out, before Keldor scooped me up into his arms with surprising swiftness and grace. For the first time, I knew what it was like to be held in his strong embrace. It was comforting and safe, like being enveloped in a warm cocoon. His scales were smooth and surprisingly supple against my skin, not the rough texture I had expected. A faint, earthy scent, like freshly turned soil after a spring rain, enveloped me, earthy and primal.

"Tell me about Reazus Prime," I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. If I couldn't remember who I was, I would learn about where I was.

"You are on Reazus Prime. It was a prison planet," Keldor began, his deep voice resonating through his chest and into mine as he cradled me close. "Now? Now, it is a place where many go to get lost. A place where they can live their lives without the interference of others. Though some still try to leave. It is not a simple task since few ships that come this way ever intend to go back."

We passed through a doorway into a dimly lit corridor; the walls formed from smooth, gray stone that absorbed the faint illumination. Our footsteps echoed hollowly, the only sound apart from Keldor's voice and the soft rustle of his wings.

"That's a nice way of saying it. You mean it's a place where criminals go to hide," I said, my tone laced with a hint of wariness.

"Sometimes, yes," Keldor nodded, his gaze steady and unflinching. "There are many who are hiding from those who would kill them. There are also those who are not criminals who come here to escape difficulties they cannot overcome on other planets. Some beings here are descended from those first prisoners. It was rare, but not unheard of for females to be sent to Reazus Prime. For some species, there are males who are breeders. My neighbor's race is of that kind. They have male omegas who can breed and carry their offspring. I believe Devkon's parent was an omega."

I nodded, taking it all in. Not everyone who came to this planet was a criminal. That was good to know, though the thought of being surrounded by potentially dangerous individuals was still unsettling.

We emerged into a spacious living area; the walls formed from the same smooth stone as the corridor. Tall windows spanned one side of the room, offering a breathtaking view of a rugged, alien landscape. Twin moons hung low on the horizon, bathing the craggy peaks and valleys in an ethereal, bluish-purple glow. The sky itself was a tapestry of unfamiliar constellations, glittering and shimmering like diamonds strewn across a canvas of deepest indigo.

"What about you? How long have you been here? Were you a criminal or someone who needed to get away?" I asked, tearing my gaze away from the stunning vista.

Keldor paused outside a door before gently kicking it open with one booted foot. Inside was a luxurious bedroom, a massive bed piled high with plush furs and silken sheets in rich jewel tones took up only a small portion of the space. Dark, heavy drapes covered the window, but I saw flashes of that otherworldly landscape through the gaps. Soft lighting glowed from sconces set into the walls, casting a warm, flickering ambiance.

"I am a special case," he said, his tone taking on a somber note as he crossed the room and gently deposited me on the bed. "I am the only one of my kind on Reazus Prime that I know of. I was but a youth when an insurrection occurred on my planet. Most of the royal family were slaughtered." He paused, his gaze haunted. "That would have been my fate as well, but someone had the brilliant idea that I might be useful. They only needed to secret me away in some place where I could be retrieved if needed. They chose Reazus Prime, as no one would think to look for a prince on a prison planet."

"A prince! You mean you're royalty?" I gasped, my eyes widening as I took in his regal bearing with a new perspective. The way he held his head, the confidence in his movements, the air of command that emanated from his very being--it all made sense now. He was impressive whether or not he was royalty, but knowing his true lineage added an extra layer of mystique.

As I thought about everything he'd said, my mind snagged on the detail that Keldor had been here during the time Reazus Prime had been a prison planet.

"How long has it been since Reazus Prime was a prison planet?" I asked, my brow furrowing slightly. He didn't appear to be old, at least by human standards, but then again, I had no idea what the lifespan of his species might be.

Keldor pulled back the sheets and settled me down on the plush bedding, a look of concentration creasing his stern, handsome features. As he spoke, the rich timbre of his voice filled the room, resonating deep within my bones.

"I do not know how long Reazus Prime had been a prison planet before I arrived. I had never heard of it before I came here." He shook his head slightly, as if dislodging the memories. "Reazus Prime did not gain its independence until the mines were no longer profitable. Once that happened and the residents revolted because of the even harsher conditions, the planet was more or less abandoned, letting those of us here to survive on our own. I had already been on the planet for many generations of other races by that time."

I tried to wrap my mind around the concept of generations passing while Keldor remained an ageless constant in this ever-changing world. "How old are you?" I whispered, almost afraid to hear the answer.

A low, rumbling chuckle escaped him. "Very old, little one." He patted a clawed hand gently against my shoulder, the scales smooth and cool to the touch. "Now get some sleep. I will go prepare you some nourishment. If you aren't hungry now, you will be shortly now that your body has woken from stasis."

Questions continued to swirl through my mind, a maelstrom of confusion and curiosity. "But how did I end up here?" I pressed. "I don't remember anything. I don't remember leaving Earth, or being taken by aliens. I don't even remember who I am, which is the most frustrating part of this whole experience! So how did I end up here?"

Keldor hesitated, his brow furrowing as if weighing his words carefully. When he spoke, his deep voice was laced with grim undertones. "There was a ship flying near our planet," he began. "A ship full of females of your species. It was a slave ship. Rumor is that something happened to the ship, and it exploded. No one knows for sure. Only that something happened that caused all the females in stasis pods to be expelled from the ship. Some of those pods landed on Reazus Prime. However, that was many months ago. There were rumors that escape pods made it to the surface. Few of those rumors have been confirmed. Confirming those rumors would be too dangerous for the females. Even on this backwater planet, we have heard that human females are universal breeders. For that reason alone, it is best that no one knows for sure where such females are."

My head spun as I tried to process his words. A slave ship? Explosions? Escape pods? The pieces didn't quite fit together in my addled mind. "Universal breeders?" I echoed, grasping at the unfamiliar term.

"Females who can procreate with almost any race," Keldor explained patiently. "There are a few exceptions where breeding would be impossible. There are some races where it is only possible to breed with one of their own kind." He rose to his feet, his massive wings unfurling slightly. "Enough. You need rest. I will prepare food and be back soon. Try to get some sleep."

And with that, the dragon turned and strode from the room, the door clicking shut behind him, leaving me alone with my whirlwind of thoughts and the eerie silence.

It was all a bit much to take in. My brain got muddled and confused at the enormity of what Keldor had told me. I would think about it all later. For now, I would rest and dream of my sexy alien savior.

I smiled at the thought, settling deeper into the plush bedding as the weariness washed over me once more. My eyelids drooped. I blinked, fighting the alluring pull of slumber for a few precious moments.

I smiled again at the thought of Keldor being my alien. Aliens weren't supposed to exist. And yet, here was proof in the form of a tall, muscular alien with scales and large, magnificent wings. Wings! I should be scared, shouldn't I? But Keldor wasn't scary in the slightest.

Sexy? Yes, undeniably so, from the chiseled lines of his face to the powerful physique that radiated raw, primal strength.

Intimidating? Definitely, with those piercing, ancient eyes and that commanding presence that filled every space he occupied.

But scary? Not even a little. In his arms, cradled against that muscular frame, I had felt utterly safe and at peace.

With a contented sigh, I allowed my eyes to drift shut, surrendering to the welcoming embrace of slumber. For now, at least, the mysteries could wait. In this moment, cocooned in the plush warmth and bathed in the flickering amber light, I was home.

Chapter 3

Keldor

I WALKED into the bedroom with a tray in my hands, carrying delicacies I had prepared to help the female regain her strength. Most of the food was high in protein, something crucial for recovery across all species. There were also some exotic fruits native to Reazus Prime that I hoped she might find appetizing.

The female was thrashing about on the bed, her head tossing back and forth as she battled some unseen torment plaguing her mind. I set the tray down on a nearby table, forgotten for the moment, and went to her side to investigate her distress. She had been so drained earlier that I expected her to slumber for many hours, undisturbed. Yet it had not even been a full cycle since she awoke.

As I neared, she let out a blood-curdling scream that chilled me to my core. It was not the first time I had heard such a harrowing sound through the years. The flames of Tartarus itself paled compared to the agony laced into those piercing wails coming from the female. My heart shattered as I scooped the female into my arms, hoping to offer her solace from the nightmare's grip.

Her screams tapered into whimpers as she buried her face against my neck. Her skin was cool to the touch, even as tremors wracked her body in my embrace. I wrapped my wings around her, cocooning her in their warmth and comfort. The female sighed, snuggling closer as I sat down on the bed, cradling her protectively. This chamber was cooler than most in my lair, dragons being creatures that relished sweltering heat. Yet having this female to keep warm made me think perhaps I should have adjusted the temperature better.

"What happened? What horrors did you witness in this nightmare?" I asked gently, rubbing soothing circles on her back as she clung to me.

"I don't know," she whispered, voice trembling. "I saw strange aliens. They looked nothing like you."

"Not all who dwell among the stars are alike in form," I reassured her. "What else can you recall?"

"A ship. I was aboard some kind of vessel. I think that's where I was when I first awoke earlier. The memories are so hazy, but I know I was terrified." A shudder rippled through her and I adjusted the covers, tucking them snugly around her slight frame before pulling her close once more. She fit so perfectly against me, her soft curves molding to my hard planes. An unfamiliar part of me yearned to shield her, to never release her from the safety of my embrace. It was a foreign, unsettling yearning I wasn't sure I welcomed. I had learned long ago not to place trust in fickle emotions - they so often led to grave mistakes. Mistakes I could ill afford.

"You mentioned seeing aliens. Can you describe them to me?"

"Perhaps? Most were shrouded in shadows. I think they were males. Some were big, powerfully built. Others slighter, but not frail - just not as massively muscular as you," she said, a hint of humor tingeing her tone as she gave a small chuckle that sent delightful vibrations through me. "There was one alien, very short, like a child. But I sensed an aura of danger about him, despite his diminutive size."

"And what of the females among them? Did you glimpse any?"

"No, I don't remember seeing any." The female snuggled closer into my arms. "It was almost worth having the nightmare if I get to wake up in your arms. You're almost too good to be real, Keldor Blazeclaw."

"I like the way it sounds when you speak my name," I purred, delighted by the way her lips caressed each syllable. "I could listen to your sweet voice all day, uttering those words over and over."

She threw her head back with a peal of laughter. "Oh, my stars! You're actually flirting with me! I can't believe I'm flirting with a gorgeous alien dragon!"

Unable to resist any longer, I cupped her face tenderly and gazed into her sparkling eyes before leaning in to brush my lips over hers in a featherlight caress. It was my first kiss, and I fervently hoped it would not be my last taste of this electrifying intimacy. The female's mouth was sweet, like the exotic fruits of my homeworld, and I instantly craved more of her intoxicating flavor. The kiss deepened as our tongues met and danced, learning the textures and contours of uncharted territory. Kissing her was a wondrous, exhilarating experience unlike anything I had known. She moaned softly as we parted, her lips swollen and flushed from our passionate exploration. To me, she had never looked more alluring.

"That was...wow," she breathed in an awed whisper, eyes glazed with stunned wonder. "I've never...I mean, I've certainly never kissed anyone quite like that before."

"As I said, I could listen endlessly to you speak my name in that delicious accent." I winked roguishly. "Perhaps you'll grant me the pleasure of hearing it again, if I vow to reward you with more kisses in return?"

She blinked, dazed, then broke into a radiant smile that ignited unfamiliar fireworks in my chest. "Keldor Blazeclaw," she murmured, dragging out each sensual syllable as she leaned in tantalizingly close. Her lips hovered a hairsbreadth from mine as she whispered, "I do believe I'll take you up on that offer."

Our mouths crashed together in a searing embrace, all urgency and blistering need. I angled her head for deeper exploration as my talons carded through her silken tresses. She whimpered into the heated kiss, her small hands roaming boldly over the ridges and planes of my back and shoulders as if committing every inch of me to memory. I groaned low in my throat at her ardent caresses, the rumbling purr reverberating through us both.

When we at last resurfaced, gasping for air, her eyes had darkened to onyx pools of naked desire. "Keldor..." she rasped, voice husky and dripping with unspoken promises that sent scorching licks of fire lancing through my veins. My name on her lips was the sweetest nectar, more intoxicating than the finest of vintage wines. I wanted - needed - to hear it again, a thousand times over.

"Yes, my heart?" I growled, nuzzling the delicate curve where her neck and shoulder met. She shivered deliciously at the intimate gesture, clutching me tighter.

"I want..." she trailed off, seeming abruptly shy. Ducking her head, she mumbled incoherently against my chest.

Gently, I tipped her chin up until our gazes met and held. "What is it you desire, my darling one? You have but to name it."

She worried her lush lower lip, then blurted, "I want to know more about you. Where you're from, your culture, your...your people. Everything." Her cheeks stained a becoming shade of pink, but her eyes were bright with genuine curiosity. "If- if you're willing to share, that is. I don't mean to pry where I shouldn't."

A profound sense of tenderness swelled within me at her earnest request. Pulling her snug against my side, I tenderly stroked her cheek with the pad of my thumb. "Ask me anything, sweetling. I will answer all your questions, to the best of my ability. Though be warned," I added with a wink of playful mischief, "you may soon come to regret rousing a dragon's penchant for long-winded storytelling."

Laughter bubbled up from her chest, the rich sound warming me from the inside out. "I'll take my chances," she giggled, cuddling closer with a contented sigh.

I pressed a lingering kiss to the crown of her head, inhaling the intoxicating floral fragrance of her hair. "Very well, my curious little one. What would you like to know first?"

Settling in, she launched into a rapid-fire volley of questions about my homeland, my lineage, my kind's abilities and history dating back to the dawning ages. I answered each query with patience and as much detail as I could provide, occasionally pausing to ensure I hadn't overwhelmed her with too much information at once.

Her fascination seemed insatiable, her inquisitive nature reminding me of myself at a younger age when I had been consumed by an unquenchable thirst for knowledge about the universe's endless wonders and mysteries. She listened with rapt attention to every word, her expressive face a kaleidoscope of captivated emotions as I regaled her with tales of wild adventures, dragon's treasure, and the awe-inspiring marvels that dwelled amongst the stars far from her home planet.

I avoided the darker stories, focusing on events that happened before my exile to Reazus Prime or after the planet had long gained its independence. The stories were of a happier time when I had carved out my niche in this world. A time when I had found my place in this world, had grown settled if not happy, those were the stories I shared with my female.

At long last, when my voice grew hoarse from overuse, she reluctantly allowed me a reprieve. "Thank you, Keldor," she murmured, placing a tender kiss on my cheek. "For indulging my curiosity, and for sharing pieces of your incredible world with me. I feel like I've been granted a peek behind the curtain into an entire cosmos of mythology and lore."

"The pleasure was all mine, dearest one," I assured her gruffly. "Though I fear my stories have likely only piqued your inquisitiveness further."

She grinned unrepentantly. "Perhaps. But I wouldn't have it any other way."

Chuckling, I pulled her close and nuzzled the top of her head. At that moment, she felt like the most precious treasure in all the vast universes and celestial realms. My greatest adventure yet.

Chapter 4

Female

I NESTLED DEEPER into Keldor's embrace, my cheek pressed against the smooth warmth of his chest as he regaled me with tales of his incredible world. Despite my confusion and the lingering unease from the nightmare that had jolted me awake, I felt an unexpected sense of peace and comfort in his arms. It was almost as if some part of me recognized this magnificent alien male as a source of safety and solace amidst the turmoil.

As Keldor's rich voice washed over me like a soothing balm, I found myself captivated by his words. He painted such vivid pictures of celestial wonders and mythical realms that my mind could scarcely fathom, yet I hungered for every detail, every nuance. His world was so vastly different from the fragmented memories and knowledge I still possessed of Earth, and I wanted to absorb it all like a sponge, to immerse myself in the incredible world he called home.

Perhaps it was the lingering adrenaline from the nightmare, or the heady thrill of being so intimately entwined with such an otherworldly, charismatic male. Whatever the reason, I felt emboldened, daring even, as I playfully traced the intricate patterns adorning his muscular arms and shoulders. His scales were like finely polished gemstones, smooth and warm beneath my fingertips, and I marveled at the raw, primal power coiled within his deceptively lithe frame.

"You know," I murmured, tilting my head back to gaze up at him through my lashes, "for a fierce dragon warrior, you're a fantastic storyteller. I could listen to that delicious voice of yours for ages."

Keldor's eyes danced with amusement as he arched a questioning brow ridge. "Is that so? And here I thought my tales might have bored you to slumber by now."

"Never," I assured him with an impish grin, emboldened by the playful gleam in his mesmerizing amber eyes. "In fact, I was rather hoping you might indulge me with a few more stories. Unless..." I trailed off, feigning a pout as I traced a teasing path along the chiseled line of his jaw. "Unless you've grown weary of my company already?"

A low, rumbling chuckle reverberated through his chest as he leaned in, his lips a mere hairsbreadth from mine. "Hardly, my sweet. I could never tire of your presence, nor of gazing upon your lovely face." His words were like velvet against my skin, raising delicious shivers along my spine. "Though if you insist on tormenting me with such blatant flirtations, I may be forced to steal another taste of those delectable lips."

My breath caught in my throat as our mouths brushed in the faintest of caresses, the lingering heat from our earlier kisses reigniting into a simmering blaze. Just as I was about to surge forward and claim his mouth in a searing embrace, a traitorous rumbling echoed through the chamber, shattering the heated tension.

I froze, mortified, as the unmistakable growl of my protesting stomach resonated loudly. Heat flooded my cheeks in a furious blush as I ducked my head, wishing I could simply melt into the plush bedding and disappear.

"Well," Keldor chuckled, his eyes sparkling with mirth as he nuzzled my burning cheek. "It seems my stories have worked their magic a bit too well. I did promise to fetch you some nourishment, did I not?"

Keldor rose fluidly from the bed, his wings unfurling slightly as he scooped me up. I squeaked in surprise, clutching his shoulders as he cradled me against his sculpted chest.

"Wh-what are you doing?" I stammered, even as I melted into the reassuring strength of his embrace. Being held so tenderly by this magnificent creature was swiftly becoming an addiction I had no desire to resist.

"Why, fetching you something to eat, of course," he rumbled, that delicious undercurrent of amusement tingeing his words. "Unless you'd prefer to nibble on the bedsheets?"

I rolled my eyes in mock exasperation, but couldn't quite smother my grin. "I am capable of walking, you know. And feeding myself, for that matter."

"I have no doubt, little one." His heated gaze drifted over me in a languid caress that raised gooseflesh along my arms. "But where would be the fun in that? Indulge me, hmm? I so rarely have the opportunity to spoil a beautiful female such as yourself."

The low, silken purr of his voice sent delicious tremors ricocheting through my core. Who was I to argue with such blatant flattery, especially when delivered with that wicked glint sparkling in his molten eyes?

Keldor carried me through the dimly lit chamber to the sitting area nearby. A small, ornately carved table dominated the space, its glossy surface laden with a mouthwatering array of exotic fruits, nuts, and other delicacies I couldn't identify. Tantalizing aromas wafted through the air, making my stomach grumble eagerly in anticipation.

Rather than depositing me in one of the high-backed chairs, Keldor sat at the table, his long legs stretched out before him as he expertly arranged me sideways across his thighs. I couldn't quite stifle the tiny shiver that raced through me at the intimate contact, my back cradled against the solid wall of his chest, his powerful thighs like steel bands bracketing my hips.

"Comfortable?" he purred, his gravelly timbre vibrating against my sensitized skin in a way that surely should have been illegal.

I bit my lip, giving him a sidelong glance through my lashes as I shifted ever so slightly, allowing my curves to mold against the hard planes of his body. "Mmm," I murmured, unable to resist trailing my fingers in a featherlight caress along the rippling musculature of his forearm.

A low, rumbling growl reverberated through Keldor's broad chest, the feral sound raising delicious goosebumps along my flesh. Then, before I could so much as draw another breath, he plucked a plump, iridescent fruit from a nearby bowl and brought it to my lips.

"Open," he commanded in a tone that brokered no argument.

I arched a brow at him, but obediently parted my lips to accept the succulent morsel. An explosion of flavors danced across my tongue - sweet and tart, with hints of exotic spices that tingled along my tastebuds in the most tantalizing way. A low, appreciative moan slipped free before I could stop it.

"Good, isn't it?" Keldor's voice had taken on a deeper, huskier quality that sent molten heat pooling low in my belly. His free hand traced idle patterns along the sensitive skin of my inner thigh, his touch scorching through the thin fabric separating us.

"Delicious," I agreed, my voice emerging in a breathless rasp. I arched against him, craving that electrifying contact, only to have him withdraw his hand, leaving me bereft.

Undeterred, Keldor selected another fruit and brought it to my lips with maddeningly slow precision. "Then you'll want to save room for more, sweetling. We've only just sampled the finest delicacies my world offers."

I huffed out a petulant breath, but obediently opened for the next treat. And the next. And the one after that. With every bite Keldor fed me from his own hand, the sultry heat simmering between us ratcheted higher, our breaths mingling in scorching exhalations until I thought I might spontaneously combust from the sheer, intoxicating tension.

"Keldor," I rasped out a plea, my slick tongue darting out to chase a stray droplet of nectar from the corner of my lips. "I really think I can feed myself now."

His only response was a low, rumbling growl of disapproval as he snagged another fruit and traced the plump curve along my lips with excruciating leisure, leaving behind a shimmering trail of sweet juices in its wake. "And rob me of such sweet torment?" he husked, the words a heated caress against the throbbing pulse at my throat. "I think not, my daring little minx."

Then, with no further preamble, he sealed his mouth over mine in a searing, all-consuming kiss that stole the very breath from my lungs.

The insistent demand of Keldor's questing tongue against my lips proved too heady a temptation to resist. With a ravenous moan, I parted for him, our mouths clashing in a carnal duel of slick heat and unbridled hunger. His talons scored delicious trails along my sensitized flesh as he angled me more fully into his lap, the thick ridge of his arousal grinding exquisitely against my aching core through the thin barrier of our clothes.

"Keldor," I whimpered breathlessly against the scorching assault of his kiss, my nails raking over the flexing muscles of his back. "Please..."

A low, guttural snarl rumbled up from the depths of his chest as he wrenched his mouth from mine, panting harshly. His eyes had gone molten, the amber irises virtually swallowed by rings of smoldering black. Desire painted his chiseled features in stark lines, the feral angles and planes holding an almost feral intensity that should have terrified me. Instead, it only stoked the raging inferno burning through my veins.

"You test me, sweetling," he rasped in a gravelly rasp. "You are temptation itself with those wanton sounds and scorching caresses."

"Then don't resist," I dared him brazenly as I ground my weeping center against the throbbing length confined beneath those soft, supple leathers. "Take what you want from me, Keldor. Make me yours."

A muscle ticked rapidly in his taut jaw as he visibly wrestled for control, the tendons in his neck standing out in taut cords. When at last he spoke, his tone was rough, almost pained. "As enticing as that invitation is, I fear I must refuse. At least for now."

I blinked at him, dazed and incredulous. "What? Why?"

Keldor cupped my face in his calloused palm, his thumb tracing the swollen curve of my lips with exquisite tenderness. "You are not yourself, little one. Your mind is addled, your memories lost. I will not take advantage of your vulnerable state, no matter how tempting the prize."

Frustration and a hint of anger lanced through me at his gentle refusal. I opened my mouth to protest, to insist that I knew exactly what I wanted - what I craved with every fiber of my being. Keldor hushed me with a lingering brush of his lips, leaving me trembling and bereft all over again.

"Please, try to understand," he murmured, his gaze holding mine in a searing caress. "You have awakened desires in me I had firmly locked away long ago, deemed too dangerous to indulge. To surrender to them now, when you are not fully cognizant of the consequences, would make me no better than those vile slave traders who stole you from your world."

My breath caught at the unexpected vulnerability shining through the cracks in his usually stoic facade. Reaching up, I traced the firm line of his jaw with trembling fingertips. "I want this, Keldor. I want you. Surely you must feel how right this is, how much my body yearns for your touch?"

He caught my hand and pressed a fervent kiss to my palm before holding it against the thrumming cadence of his heart. "You do not know how badly I crave to make you mine, sweetling. To stake my claim and never allow you to leave my side again. But not like this, not when there are so many shadows clouding your mind."

Withdrawing from the intimate embrace, Keldor rose fluidly to his feet, his towering presence utterly commanding the space around him. He took care that I stood on my own before shifting away from me. "Perhaps...perhaps it would be best if we took some time apart. A brief respite to allow our turbulent emotions a chance to settle, and for you to regain your full faculties before we discuss the undeniable connection blossoming between us."

He turned on his heel and strode from the chamber with those powerful strides, leaving me gaping after him in a swirl of confusion, desire, and a surprising flicker of hurt at his abrupt departure. As the heavy door thudded shut behind him, sealing me inside, a wave of frustration crashed over me.

"Damn you and your insufferable honor, dragon," I growled, slamming my fist against the unforgiving surface of the table, rattling the dishes that remained. "I don't need time or space to know what I want. I want you, Keldor Blazeclaw, scars and shadows and all."

Sagging back against the table, I dragged a shaky hand through my disheveled tresses and blew out a harsh breath. Whether or not the fierce warrior accepted it, my heart and body had made their choice. I belonged to the dragon, wholly and completely.

All that remained was to make him see the truth.

Chapter 5

Keldor

I SAGGED BACK against the unyielding stone of the chamber door, harsh pants tearing from my lungs as I struggled for control. My heart thundered with a deafening cadence, my blood scorching through my veins like molten fire from the forges of the ancients. Every nerve ending blazed with lingering sparks from the female's electrifying touch, her intoxicating scent still clouding my senses.

Clenching my fists until the scales lining my knuckles groaned in protest, I fought to steady my ragged breaths. What in the seven sacred rings was happening to me? Never in all my long centuries had I experienced such a visceral, all-consuming reaction to a female's presence. The primal need to claim, to ravage, to bury myself to the hilt in her welcoming heat until she screamed my name to the heavens - it was like nothing I'd ever known.

And that terrified me more than I cared to admit.

As the Prince of Dragoria, I had been well-schooled in the ancient laws and traditions governing my kind since birth. Foremost among them was the sacred covenant regarding mates and the intrinsic bonds we formed. A Dragorian's mate was their literal other half, the missing piece that completed their souls and allowed them to achieve their full potential as warriors, leaders, and the guardians of our celestial realm.

To find one's mate, one's 'anislah', was the greatest honor that could befall a Dragorian. An event so rare and precious, it was celebrated across all the kingdoms with reverent awe. Those fortunate enough to be blessed with the divine gift of a mate were bound together for all eternity, their essences intertwined, their destinies made whole.

But the female currently ensconced in my private sanctuary? She was human. An alien species, one not even remotely connected to the mighty lineage of the draconic bloodlines. We were as disparate as the infinite planes separating our worlds, our very beings comprised of entirely different cosmic matter. There was no way she could possibly be my anislah...was there?

The notion was ludicrous, unprecedented. Archaic texts made no mention of cross-species bondings occurring. It was deemed an impossibility, a sacrilege against the natural order of existence itself. And yet, as I raked a trembling hand through my crest of tousled hair, I could not dismiss the profound sense of rightness that had welled up within me when I held the female in my arms. As if someone had specifically crafted her to fit against me in absolute perfection, we were like two long-lost pieces of a celestial puzzle finally reunited.

Perhaps I was going mad after the long isolation on this desolate, wretched planet. Maybe the solitude had eroded my grasp on reality to the point of delusional fancy. It would certainly explain the irrational impulses bombarding me, urging me to return to that chamber and make the female mine in every sense of the word. Her lost memories and vulnerable state be damned.

I growled low in my throat, the feral rumble vibrating in the confines of my broad chest. No, I could not - would not - allow myself to take advantage of her precarious situation in such a dishonorable way. She deserved better than to be rutted over and discarded like some disposable plaything, especially by one who should have had far better control over his baser instincts.

Raking a shaky claw over my face, I shoved away from the door and began pacing the corridor in an agitated prowl. I needed distance, space to clear my addled thoughts and regain my equilibrium before facing the female again. Focusing on the tangible physicality of my movements, I willed my ragged breathing to even out, the inferno raging through my body to settle into a steady simmer.

Slowly, laboriously, I untangled the chaotic tangle of emotions roiling within me and impose a modicum of order. Locking away the primal drive to claim and dominate, I erected steely barriers around the parts of myself that yearned for the female's softness and warmth. I was Keldor Blazeclaw, heir to the mighty Dragonguard of Dragoria, scion of an ancient and noble lineage. Mere base impulses and fleeting desires of the flesh would not rule me.

No matter how divine that flesh might be.

I pivoted on my heel and strode down the shadowed passageway, my footfalls echoing like a solemn death knell. I had indulged in enough reckless dalliance this night. It was time to retreat, to lick my wounds and fortify my defenses before the female's mere presence splintered what little restraint still tethered my control.

The shadowed stairwell descended into the bowels of my lair, the temperature rising with every step I took deeper into the subterranean depths. By the time I reached the fortified door at the bottom, tendrils of steam curled from the vents lining the corridor, the arid heat of the lower levels embracing me like a soothing balm.

This was my most closely guarded sanctuary where I could truly be myself without fear of prying eyes. Only here did I allow the rigid control over my draconic nature to relax, permitting the flames simmering within to breach the surface in subtle ripples across my scales.

Resting my palm against the heavy metal slab, I channeled a pulse of energy that thrummed through my very being. The door recognized the unique signature of my essence; the runes etched into the ancient alloy flaring to life in a blaze of arcane light. With an ominous groan of protesting gears, the barrier slid aside, permitting me entry to the hallowed chamber beyond.

My breath caught in my throat as I beheld the sprawling cavern, the sheer immensity of the space never failing to instill a sense of hushed reverence. Everywhere I turned, glittering treasures from my lost homeworld adorned every surface in a breathtaking mosaic of splendor. Towering statues carved from imperium stone, their sinewy forms captured in eternal, defiant poses. Exquisite tapestries depicting the great celestial battles that had raged across Dragoria's skies eons ago, their vivid hues still blazing with undiminished vibrancy.

And books - tomes of priceless knowledge pillaged from the royal archives during the time of the revolt during my hasty exodus, their covers etched with the most sacred of draconic runes. As each one had come to my attention, I bartered for them, collecting the rich heritage I both loved and hated. It was said that to read the words inscribed upon those hallowed pages was to gaze into the very soul of creation itself, to unravel the mysteries that gave rise to the universe and all her wonders.

Trailing a reverent claw along the spine of one particularly ancient manuscript, I felt the familiar ache resonate within my chest. The insurrection tore my world asunder, resulting in the loss of so much of my heritage. My life, my identity, my purpose - all ripped away in a tumult of blood and betrayal, the ashes of my former existence scattered to the cosmos.

All that remained were these scattered remnants, these priceless artifacts that had become the sole anchors to my past, my only tethers to the noble legacy that was my birthright. Here, surrounded by the treasures of my people, I could almost delude myself into believing I still walked beneath Dragoria's crimson skies.

Almost...but not quite. For as I sank onto the plush divan positioned before the immense hearth, the scorching heat of the roaring flames licking hungrily at my exposed scales, the lingering scent of the female still clung to me. Amidst the arid, smoky notes of the forge, a sweet, intoxicating fragrance reminded me that no matter how far I delved into my memories, I could never escape the harsh reality in which I was now inexplicably ensnared.

Could she be the one? My anislah, my destiny personified as a delicate, amnesiac alien from a distant world? The implications of such a possibility were nothing short of staggering, shaking the foundations upon which my entire culture and belief system were constructed.

If the archaic texts and sacred traditions were to be believed, the forging of the anislah bond was a pivotal event, one that unlocked a Dragorian's full potential and allowed them to transcend their corporeal forms. To achieve such an ascendence was the ultimate honor, the culmination of every warrior's quest for glory and enlightenment.

What did it mean if one's destined mate was not of draconic descent? What unforeseen consequences might arise from the mingling of such divergent life forces and cosmic energies? The uncertainty of it all made my head spin and my hearts constrict with a bewildering tempest of emotions.

I knew the answers had to lie somewhere amidst these sacred treasures from my homeworld. Somewhere, tucked away like a whisper awaiting rediscovery, was the key to unraveling this mystery bedeviling me. With a resolute inhalation, I turned my gaze to the floor-to-ceiling shelves brimming with the collected writings and chronicles of my ancestors.

It was time to seek the wisdom of the ages and pray to the celestials that the path ahead became clear. For I feared that without the truth to guide me, I risked losing far more than my grasp on reality.

I rifled through the ancient tomes with increasing desperation, the weight of my inner turmoil growing heavier with each discarded volume. Text after text yielded no insight into the unprecedented situation unfolding between the female and myself. Everything I uncovered detailed the sacred anislah rites and bonding rituals, but all the passages clearly specified the necessity of both parties being of pure draconic lineage.

Snarling in frustration, I hurled yet another useless manuscript across the chamber, the priceless pages fluttering through the scorching air like wounded birds before clattering to the stone floor in a despondent heap. This was getting me nowhere. For every question that arose, a dozen more spawned in its wake - a cyclical torment of confusion and doubt assailing me from every angle.

I was a son of Dragoria's most noble household, birthed into a legacy of warriors and scholars spanning back to the first cosmic dawn. Everything I had ever been taught, every tenet and belief ingrained into my very being, ran contrary to the dizzying array of impulses and foreign emotions battering my senses. None of the tried-and-true traditions provided any clarity or comfort when faced with the tantalizing, infuriatingly intoxicating human female upstairs.

Just as I was about to abandon my search in a haze of bitterness, a glint of faded gilt lettering on a dust-caked spine caught my eye. Frowning, I tugged the offending text from its lonely perch on the bottom shelf, the cracked and peeling leather cover nearly disintegrating in my grasp. This edition was ancient beyond reckoning, clearly one of the first chronicles penned in the primordial age before the great clans had settled on Dragoria and established their celestial dominion.

My curiosity piqued, I carefully cracked open the brittle pages, each turn of the fragile parchment releasing a cloud of dust mites into the sweltering air. The runes inscribed in faded, spidery ink were unlike any I'd ever encountered, suggesting a dialect so archaic it predated even the most comprehensive codices in my collection. Entire passages and chapters were obliterated by the ravages of time, the texts reduced to mere fragments of the grand epics they had once been.

I was about to discard the worthless scrap when a singular word lept from the page, its harsh, angular strokes searing into my vision as if scorched there by dragonfire.

Outrider.

The term was utterly foreign to me, yet its mere mention sparked a peculiar frisson along my scales, raising the fine ridges along my spine and nape. Something about that strange cipher resonated within the primal depths of my psyche, calling to the draconic essence burning in my veins like the eternal fires of Dragoria's molten core.

With trembling claws, I rapidly scanned the surrounding passages, anxiety mounting as entire sections were found missing or too faded to decipher. What little remained spoke of cosmic forces beyond mortal comprehension, of celestial planes and higher orders of existence that transcended physical reality. There were vague references to ancient prophecies and the ascendance of two intertwined souls - but whether those souls arose from the same primordial forge, or from separate crucibles of creation, remained infuriatingly unclear.

What did shine through like a beacon, however, was the concept of the 'Outrider' itself. Fragmented stanzas hinted that this entity, this being of disparate origin, would be the key to unlocking a Dragorian's full power and potential. That through the mingling of their cosmic energies, the sacred anislah bond would be forged into an unbreakable, eternal union.

The tome's final tantalizing revelation stopped my hearts in their thunderous cadence, the scorching heat of the chamber doing nothing to abate the chill of primal trepidation lancing through me.

For it stated, in no uncertain terms, that the Outrider could only be bound to their Dragorian counterpart through the searing initiation of the drake's eternal flame.

The implications were nothing short of catastrophic. I had seen the dragonfire's devastating power firsthand, witnessed entire cities reduced to smoldering ash in the wake of its unholy wrath. To even consider unleashing such obliterating force upon the female's fragile form was tantamount to subjecting her to a blasphemous execution.

And yet...if this crumbling tome spoke truly, denying the female that searing baptism would be to deny us both our destined roles in this unfathomable cosmic design.

Sinking onto the divan in a daze, I cradled my aching head in my claws as the revelations swirled through my mind in a dizzying cyclone. I had sought answers amidst the wisdom of my ancestors, but all I had uncovered was a mire of uncertainty and existential dread more suffocating than I could have ever imagined.

What was I to do? What path could I possibly take that did not obliterate either my soul's deepest longing or the female's existence itself? The chasm between our worlds, our beings, had never felt so vast, so unsurpassable.

I could lose the female - and with her, the missing half of my soul.

Chapter 6

Female

SEVERAL DAYS HAD PASSED since Keldor stormed out of the chamber, leaving me aching and bewildered in the wake of our heated encounter. I had expected - hoped - that he would return shortly, ready to pick up where our passionate explorations had left off. Or at the very least, to offer some sort of explanation for his abrupt retreat and the sudden distance he insisted on putting between us.

But Keldor was nowhere to be found.

At first, I tried to convince myself that he needed a bit of time and space to process whatever inner conflicts were plaguing him. He had mentioned needing a respite to settle his turbulent emotions, after all. I could respect that, even if the sting of rejection still needled at my heart. I was no stranger to confusion and upheaval myself these days.

So I waited, passing the endless hours by exploring my new surroundings and committing every lavish detail of Keldor's lair to memory. I marveled at the breathtaking vista visible through the immense windows, losing myself in the ethereal dance of Reazus Prime's twin moons as they traced their celestial paths across the indigo sky.

Whenever exhaustion crept in, I would return to the sumptuous bed chamber and its plush, decadent comforts, thankful when no more nightmares plagued my sleep. More often than not, I would awaken from a deep slumber to find a fresh tray of food and drink awaiting me - delectable fruits and succulent proteins artfully arranged in a tempting display. The aromas alone were enough to make my mouth water with anticipation.

At first, I had been delighted by Keldor's thoughtfulness, charmed by his subtle efforts to ensure I wanted for nothing despite his absence. As the days stretched on with no sign of the dragon himself, a nagging sense of unease began to take root. Why did he persist in avoiding me so determinedly? Surely he didn't intend to provide for me like some kept pet while remaining an elusive ghost haunting the fringes of his own domain.

I had to know what was going through that complicated, enigmatic mind of his - what had him so shaken that he felt the need to shut me out entirely. He had been the one to initiate that searing intimacy between us, after all. The one to awaken desires in me I hadn't even known existed until his scorching touch set my soul ablaze. Did he expect me to move on and accept his silent rejection, no questions asked?

The thought made me seethe with a slow-burning sense of feminine outrage. I was no fragile wallflower to be coddled and sheltered from the world. I had faced the unknown head-on, emerging from the ashes of my former life with a resilience and determination that even the most formidable of circumstances couldn't shake. So I didn't have my memories. So what? That didn't make me incapable of making decisions for myself. I knew what I wanted.

If Keldor thought he could shut me out and move on from the undeniable connection that had ignited between us, he had another think coming.

With a resolute nod, I pushed away from the table holding yet another untouched meal and stalked toward the heavy chamber door. A woman on a mission. Enough was enough. If the dragon was too cowardly to face me himself, then I would have to track him down and drag the truth out of him by whatever means necessary.

I would not be so easily dismissed or discarded. Not by him, and certainly not by whatever demons still haunted the shadows of his past. Keldor Blazeclaw had awoken a fierce hunger in me, a yearning that went far deeper than base physical cravings. He had given me a tantalizing glimpse into the mysteries of his world, opened the door to wonders and revelations that my wildest dreams could scarcely comprehend.

And I would be damned if I let that door slam shut without first unraveling every last secret he sought to conceal.

With that defiant vow echoing through my mind, I flung open the door and strode into the dimly lit corridor, my bare feet whispering over the smooth stone with each determined step. Squaring my shoulders, I lifted my chin and forged ahead into the unknown depths of Keldor's sanctuary, primed for battle.

That insufferable, maddening, ridiculously sexy dragon didn't stand a chance against my own formidable will.

The dimly lit corridor stretched out before me like a beckoning path into the unknown depths of Keldor's sanctuary. I followed the winding passage, my bare feet whispering over the smooth stone as I ventured deeper into the dragon's domain. Finally, I emerged into a cavernous chamber dominated by sweeping arches and vaulted ceilings formed from the same dusky, iridescent stone as the passageways. This space, however, held an entirely different ambiance from the opulent luxury of the bedchamber.

It was a study of some sort, I realized, a place of quiet reflection and contemplation amidst an atmosphere of scholarly sophistication. Immense shelves lined the curved walls, their polished surfaces groaning beneath the weight of hundreds - perhaps thousands - of ancient tomes and scrolls. A large intricately carved desk occupied the center of the room, its dark wooden expanse littered with stacks of parchment, scattered quills, and several strange objects I couldn't even begin to identify.

But it was the breathtaking array of technology that truly captured my attention and left me gaping in stunned awe. Shimmering, semi-translucent screens hovered in midair like ghostly mirages, their flickering surfaces awash with indecipherable runes and symbols that materialized and dissipated with each passing second. Keldor stood before one of the larger displays, his brow furrowed in intense concentration as his claws danced across an unseen control panel, causing the enigmatic text to shift and rearrange in kaleidoscopic bursts.

It was like something ripped straight from the pages of a science fiction novel, a scene of such technological transcendence that it made my mind reel. Nothing on Earth could have prepared me for the sheer, breathtaking immensity of the wonders surrounding me in that moment. I was quite literally an alien in an alien world, and the full weight of that realization slammed into me with staggering force.

Keldor's deep, rumbling baritone shattered the weighted silence, his words laced with a grim undercurrent that sent a shiver rippling along my spine. "You should not be here, female. These are matters that do not concern you."

Slowly, I tore my gaze from the mesmerizing holographic displays to find Keldor watching me with an inscrutable expression, his piercing amber eyes glittering like molten gold in the muted lighting. My breath caught in my throat as I looked at him for the first time in days, struck by the haggard weariness etched in the sharp planes of his face and the shadows beneath his eyes. He looked utterly exhausted, as if he hadn't slept a wink since storming out of my chamber in a swirl of roiling emotions.

My gaze drifted lower, taking in the half-empty crystal decanter and the tumbler filled with an amber liquid on the small side table beside him. Clearly, I wasn't the only one who had been grappling with loneliness and inner turmoil during our self-imposed separation.

Squaring my shoulders, I lifted my chin in a show of defiant determination - though I couldn't quite mask the tremor of vulnerability that crept into my tone. "You're wrong, Keldor. Whatever concerns you, it concerns me as well. We may have been strangers when you found me, but that's no longer the case, is it?"

I took a hesitant step forward, then another, closing the distance between us as I struggled to put my swirling emotions into words. "You can't shut me out like this, not after everything we've...after how close we became." Heat flooded my cheeks, but I pressed onward. "I thought there was something more happening here, something deeper than just a rescuer and his charge. Wasn't there?"

Keldor's jaw flexed, his throat bobbing with a convulsive swallow as he warred with some internal conflict. At last, he exhaled a gust of heated breath laced with the smoky, woodsy scent of whatever liquor filled his glass. "You are a perceptive female, I'll grant you that. Dangerously so, for both our sakes."

My brow furrowed at the cryptic words, that nagging sense of confusion rising anew. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Instead of answering, Keldor shook his head and turned away, bracing his palms on the desk as he slumped forward in a posture of utter defeat. "I should have known better than to bring you here, to disrupt the solitary existence I had carved out for myself on this wretched planet. You've turned my entire world askew, female, and I find myself at a loss as to how I'm meant to proceed from here."

My heart clenched at the weariness, the despondency saturating his words. Whatever had been weighing so heavily on him, it was clearly taking its toll in more ways than one. Carefully, I crossed the remaining distance between us and rested my hand atop his, relishing the scorching heat that radiated from his very being.

"Then we'll figure it out together," I murmured, giving his talons a gentle squeeze. "Whatever paths lie ahead, we can walk them side by side from now on. You don't have to shoulder these burdens alone anymore, Keldor. Not if you'll let me in."

My words seemed to pierce through the shroud of melancholy Keldor wore, his shoulders squaring as if bracing himself. When at last he turned to face me once more, his gaze burned with an intensity that stole my very breath. There was a simmering hunger in those molten depths, a banked inferno threatening to consume us both in its ravenous blaze.

Before I could so much as draw another breath, Keldor surged forward and captured my mouth in a scorching, all-consuming kiss. His claw cradled the back of my head, talons threading through my hair as he angled me for deeper exploration. I gasped at the sheer ferocity of his onslaught, my fingers clutching at the ridges of his shoulders for purchase as I was swept up in the maelstrom of pure, primal need.

Any lingering thoughts or questions I might have harbored scattered like leaves on the wind as Keldor's questing tongue delved past my lips in a sensual duel of slick, velvet heat. A low, desperate keen vibrated in my throat as I surrendered to the dizzying onslaught of sensations bombarding me from every angle. The taste of him, the scent of smoldering embers and exotic spice, the searing caress of his calloused palms as they roamed with hungry possession - it was all so intoxicatingly overwhelming.

"Keldor," I whimpered against the ravenous onslaught of his kiss, my nails scoring delicious trails along the flexing contours of his back. The hard planes of his body molded against me with exquisite precision, as if we had been crafted by the universe itself to fit together in perfect, divine union.

A low, rumbling growl reverberated through his broad chest as he wrenched his mouth from mine, both of us panting harshly. "You test me, sweetling," he rasped in a gravelly timbre laced with naked hunger. "To temptation itself with that sinful mouth and those scorching caresses."

With a powerful flex of his muscles, Keldor swept me up into his arms as if I weighed no more than a fallen feather. I clutched at him, my pulse thundering in my ears as he carried me toward the plush, oversized rug positioned before the immense hearth. The roaring flames cast a warm, flickering glow over the sumptuous furs and silken cushions strewn across the soft pelt, beckoning with the promise of sensual delights.

Keldor lowered us to the decadent mound of cushions in one sinuous motion, blanketing my body with his own as he settled between my parted thighs. The thick ridge of his arousal ground against my aching center through the thin barrier of our clothes, the delicious friction stoking the raging inferno coursing through my veins.

"Are you sure this is what you want, sweetling?" Keldor's words were a scorching rasp against the throbbing pulse at my throat as he nuzzled along the sensitive column. "There will be no turning back from the path we're about to walk together. I need to hear the words, need to know you surrender yourself to me."

I cupped his chiseled jaw, holding his searing gaze as I offered him the only truth that mattered in that endless moment. "I'm yours, Keldor," I whispered with a breathless conviction that resonated to my very core. "Now and forever, through whatever destiny awaits us among the stars themselves. All I ask is that you never turn me away again, my dragon warrior. My heart and soul are yours to command."

A muscle ticked rapidly in Keldor's taut jaw as he absorbed the weight of my vow. Then, with a low, rumbling growl of pure masculine possession, he sealed his mouth over mine in a searing brand of dominance and need. There would be no more words, no more hesitation or doubts to hinder us. Only the joining of two souls destined to intertwine until the universe itself burned to cinders around us.

As Keldor's sinuous length began a slow, torturous grind against my weeping core, I surrendered to the maelstrom with a shameless cry of rapture. If there were consequences to face for daring to love this magnificent creature, this fierce dragon warrior who had claimed my heart and set my very being ablaze, then I would face them without regret.

Chapter 7

Keldor

AS OUR BODIES joined in a frenzied dance of scorching need and primal hunger, I could scarcely draw breath - could scarcely think beyond the blissful maelstrom of sensations crashing over me in relentless waves. The female's softness, her intoxicating scent and taste, the breathy whimpers of rapture torn from her lips with each rock of my hips...it was utter perfection unlike anything I had ever dared to dream.

How was it possible that this delicate creature from a world so distant could fit against me with such sublime precision? As if the universe itself had crafted her lush curves to be cradled by my own hard planes and angles? Each velvet caress of her fingers along my scales raised frissons of searing ecstasy, every brush of her lips like a scorching brand etched into my very essence.

I drank in every nuance as if parched for the sweetest ambrosia - the fluttering of her lashes, the becoming flush staining her cheeks, the sensual arch of her back as she strained against me. My talons traced reverent paths along the feminine swell of her hips, the gentle flare of her waist, committing every inch of her exquisite form to memory with fervent devotion.

This was my destiny, I realized in a breathtaking rush of cosmic certainty. This female, this passionate, infuriatingly enigmatic creature, was the key to unlocking my full potential as a Dragorian warrior. She was my anislah, my fated other half, the missing piece that would make me whole in a way I had never even conceived possible until her presence awoke the primal yearnings lying dormant within me.

A low, rumbling purr vibrated deep in my chest as I nuzzled the graceful column of her throat, inhaling the sweet floral fragrance of her hair. Mine. She was mine to cherish, to worship, to guard with every ounce of my formidable strength until the cosmos themselves burned to ash. The thought of ever being parted from this female, of her radiant light being extinguished from my world, lanced through me with a physical ache so profound, it stole the breath from my lungs.

Could I truly be so selfish as to keep her for myself?

The sudden, jarring thought sliced through the heated haze of desire, fogging my mind like a blast of arctic air. I went rigid, every muscle in my body locked in a vice of rigid tension as the implications of what I was so close to surrendering to came crashing down in a suffocating deluge.

The female was not Dragonian. She was an alien, a being composed of entirely different cosmic matter and energies than my own. To initiate the sacred anislah bonding with her could have catastrophic, irreversible consequences that I wasn't even sure I fully comprehended. What if the ritual proved too much for her fragile, mortal form? What if the scorching tempest of my dragonfire consumed her, reducing her to smoldering ashes before the transformation could complete?

I would never forgive myself for such a grievous error. I would lose everything - my reason for existing, my other half, my entire universe all in one fell swipe of reckless self-indulgence.

The female must have sensed the abrupt shift in my demeanor, for she drew back with a concerned furrow marring her brow. "Keldor? What's wrong?"

I opened my mouth, intending to give voice to the tumultuous doubts and fears battering my consciousness. To beg her forgiveness and understanding, no matter how agonizing the notion of pushing her away again might be. Anything was preferable to risking her life, her very existence, in pursuit of my own selfish desires.

Then I met her gaze, and all coherent thought scattered like stardust in the wake of a supernova's detonation. Those eyes, those fathomless pools of mercurial silver and azure, shone with such unguarded yearning, such naked trust and adoration that it disarmed me. I was helpless against their blazing intensity, their searing promise of forever captured in those ethereal, ever-shifting depths.

"Keldor?" she whispered again, her fingertips ghosting along the sharp ridges of my jaw in a tender caress. "Please, don't shut me out again. Not when I've found where I'm meant to be - who I'm meant to be with. I'm not going anywhere, my dragon prince. I'm yours now and for all the endless, tomorrow's fate has in store for us."

And just like that, the fires of doubt flickered and died, smothered beneath the scorching tidal wave of pure, unshakable conviction roaring through my veins.

She was right. We were meant to walk this path together, to face whatever awaited at the end of the cosmic journey side by side, come what may. If the ancestors saw fit to bless me with this remarkable female as my fated mate, who was I to question the divine forces that had interwoven our souls from the first primordial dawn?

I would not fail her. Could not fail her. Not when she had already claimed the missing half of my very being without even realizing the cosmic significance of her conquest.

With a low, rumbling growl of pure masculine possession, I surged against the female once more, claiming her mouth in a searing brand of dominance and absolute need. She whimpered into the heated kiss, her nails scoring delicious furrows along my shoulders as she arched shamelessly into my embrace. There would be no more hesitation, no more doubts to hinder us from claiming the destiny that awaited.

With a flick of my claws, I sliced through the thin fabric covering my beautiful sweetling. It no longer mattered if she had a name or memories of what came before. There was only now. Fabric slipped away as my lips investigated each inch of creamy flesh. My heated breath skimmed over.

With a flick of my claws, the thin cloth covering my beautiful sweetling's body fell away, baring her to my smoldering gaze. It no longer mattered if she had a name or memories of what came before. There was only this breathtaking moment, this cosmic convergence that had transcended the boundaries of mere worlds or civilizations.

She was mine. My female, my mate, my anislah in every sense that mattered to the primal essence burning within my very marrow.

Fabric slipped away in shimmering rivulets as my lips blazed a scorching path over every exposed inch of creamy flesh. The female keened softly in the back of her throat, her fingers scoring delicious furrows along the ridges of my back as she arched wantonly into my heated explorations. I drank in every breathless whimper, every shameless mewl of rapture as if it were the sweetest of ambrosia, stoking the raging inferno of need searing through my veins.

"Keldor," she rasped out on a breathy moan as I lavished fervent devotion to the lush swells of her breasts. "Please, my dragon...I need..."

"What do you need, sweetling?" I rumbled against the throbbing pulse at the hollow of her throat, nuzzling along the elegant column. "Tell me, and it shall be yours for the taking."

Her fingers tangled in the thick crest of my hair, nails scraping deliciously over my scalp as she angled me back toward the achingly taut peaks begging for my attentions. "You," she whimpered, her eyes pools of molten silver glazed with naked yearning. "All of you, Keldor. I want to know what it feels like to have you buried so deep inside me, our bodies joined as one across the cosmos themselves."

A deep, rumbling growl reverberated through my chest at her boldly wanton words. Hooking one arm beneath the lush curve of her hip, I angled the female's core against the throbbing length of my arousal, letting her feel the scorching heat and thick girth awaiting her welcoming embrace. She cried out at the delicious friction, her nails raking rapturous lines along my shoulders as she undulated against me in a primal rhythm as ancient as the stars themselves.

"Is this what you crave, my daring little mate?" I rasped against the swell of her lips, drinking in her breathless whimpers. "To have me claim you, mark you, make you mine in every sense until the fires of the cosmos pale beside our joining?"

"Yes!" The word tore from her throat in a desperate sob of longing as she surged against me, her slick folds caressing my engorged length in a searing embrace. "Make me yours, Keldor! Take me, mark me, bind us together for all eternity!"

Reason, logic, every shred of lingering hesitation or doubt disintegrated in the wake of her fevered pleas. With a low, feral snarl of pure possession, I captured the female's mouth in a searing brand of dominance as I sheathed myself to the hilt inside her scorching depths in one powerful thrust. She shattered against me with a rapturous keen, her inner walls rippling in velvet waves as she strained to take the entirety of my thick invasion.

There would be no more denying the inevitable cosmic forces that had inexplicably drawn us together across space and time itself. I was hers, just as she was mine - two halves of the same whole reunited, our essences intertwined in an unbreakable, eternal bond.

With every punishing surge of my hips, burying myself to the throbbing hilt inside my female's velvet depths, I could feel the cosmic inferno blazing brighter within my very essence. The power of the dragonfire, my celestial birthright as the last scion of Dragoria's noble bloodline, roared through my veins in a torrential rush. It scalded along my nerve endings, searing and transformative, altering my very molecular structure from the inside out.

I threw back my head with a guttural roar, the sound more befitting a feral beast than any civilized being as I surrendered to the inexorable cosmic forces remaking me in their searing image. My jaws unhinged, elongating into a maw lined with wickedly curved fangs that glistened like polished obsidian in the flickering firelight. Smoke billowed from the back of my throat with each ragged exhalation, tendrils of scorching vapor that danced and writhed as if alive.

The female gasped at the sight of my metamorphosis, her eyes going wide with a fleeting instant of fear before the naked hunger I saw reflected in those molten silver depths banished any lingering trepidation. She was utterly fearless in that moment, lost to the primal riptide of cosmic forces binding us together across space and time itself.

"Keldor..." she whimpered in a breathy rasp, arching shamelessly into the next brutal descent of my hips as she strained to take every scorching inch of my thick invasion.

I snarled around the torrent of dragonfire spilling forth, the acrid flames licking along my elongated fangs in a blistering caress. There was no turning back from this point, no chance to abort the inevitable cosmic union barreling down upon us. The dragonfire demanded to be sated, to claim its mate in an unbreakable, eternal brand that would rewrite the female's very essence.

With a low, guttural growl of pure possession, I surged forward and captured the elegant curve where her shoulder met her throat between my jaws. The female cried out, half in blissful rapture and half in startled surprise as my fangs pierced her fragile flesh in a searing brand of dominance. But that startled cry quickly morphed into a breathless wail of pure ecstasy as the dragonfire found its release, scorching through the fresh wounds in an incandescent torrent.

I could feel the tempest blazing along our joined bodies, reforging the female into something sleek and powerful and transcendent with every lick of those celestial flames. Her back arched in a bow of pure, exquisite rapture, her fingernails scoring lines of molten ecstasy along my shoulders as she thrashed and keened beneath me. The dragonfire had found its mark, its other half, its destined mate - and it would not be denied its divine union across the endless cosmos.

The inferno reached a cataclysmic crescendo as my hips jackhammered in a relentless cadence, each surge burying me deeper into the scorching rapture of my female's inner depths. She rippled and clenched around my thick invasion in velvet waves, her breathless keen spiraling into a shatteringly blissful scream as her own release crested in time with the dragonfire's cosmic detonation.

I threw back my head and roared my own climax to the heavens as I reached the precipice, my seed erupting in torrential bursts as the dragonfire found its completion. The celestial power detonated outward in a supernova of pure, incandescent ecstasy, bathing us in its searing, transformative radiance. I could feel the inexorable shift in the female's essence as it was irrevocably reforged into something sleek and powerful and eternal - a being of pure cosmic energy destined to burn as brightly as Dragoria's twin suns for all eternity.

When at last the cosmic tempest subsided, I slumped forward with a shuddering groan, every muscle quivering in the aftermath of such a cataclysmic release. The dragonfire had ebbed, for now, leaving only shimmering embers of residual power flickering beneath my scales. But its true work had only just begun.

Slowly, reverently, I nuzzled along the scorched, blistered marks adorning the female's throat and shoulder - the eternal brand announcing her as my mate to all across the endless cosmos. She whimpered softly at the intimate caress, her fingers carding through the thick strands of my hair as she gazed up at me with eyes that had taken on a haunting, otherworldly glow.

In that moment, basking in the scorching afterglow of our cosmic joining, she was the most breathtakingly beautiful creature I had ever beheld. Not a fragile human female, but a Dragonian goddess born anew amidst the star-fire's searing baptism.

My mate. My anislah. My everything.

And she was mine for all eternity.

Chapter 8

Female

I FLOATED IN A HAZY, blissful daze, my entire being still humming with the echoes of rapturous pleasure. A strange, tingling warmth pulsed through my body in rolling waves, leaving delicious trails of sensation in its wake. It was as if something deep within me was shifting, remaking me into...into what, I didn't know. I could feel the changes happening, like a metamorphosis stirring in my bones and blood.

The experience should have terrified me, this sense of my very essence being altered by forces I couldn't fully comprehend. Yet all I felt was a sense of rightness, of inevitability, as if I had been putting one foot in front of the other on a long journey that had finally led me to this breathtaking destination. Whatever was happening to me, whatever I was becoming, it felt predestined - as if the universe itself had conspired to reshape me into the woman I was always meant to be.

I nuzzled deeper into Keldor's scorching embrace, reveling in the reassuring strength of his arms around me. In his arms, cocooned by his primal heat and undeniable devotion, the uncertainty of my transformation held no fear. How could it, when being by his side, belonging to this magnificent dragon warrior, felt more right than anything I could vaguely recall from my fractured human existence?

The life I had before was a faded dream, one that paled in comparison to this vivid, all-consuming reality. I knew without a shred of doubt that I would gladly shed every last remnant of that tattered existence if it meant an eternity of basking in Keldor's searing adoration. He was my destiny, my truth, the tether anchoring me to this new world, and the woman I was becoming with each electrifying caress of his touch.

No, I didn't understand the forces remaking me from the inside out. I had no regrets, no second thoughts as I surrendered myself to their inexorable power. The only thing that mattered was Keldor's arms around me.

I nuzzled deeper into the reassuring heat of Keldor's embrace with a contented sigh, trailing reverent kisses along the ridges and planes of his chest. His scales were like liquid fire against my sensitized skin, scorching in the most deliciously rapturous way. I could feel the steady thrumming of his twin hearts through that searing caress, their cadence in perfect synchronization with the cosmic forces now roaring through my own revitalized being.

"How do you feel, my daring little mate?" Keldor's deep rumble vibrated against my cheek, the words laced with a profound tenderness that made my heart constrict. One of his large hands cradled the back of my head, his talons carding adoringly through my hair as he nuzzled the crown.

I tilted my face up toward his with a brilliant smile, my eyes shimmering with unshed tears of pure wonderment. "Like I've been reborn, my dragon," I whispered in an awed rasp. "Like I've been granted a second chance to live."

A deep, rumbling purr vibrated through Keldor's chest, the rich sound sending delicious shivers cascading along my sensitized skin. "That is because you are changing, my jewel," he murmured, cradling my face in his palm with infinite tenderness. "You are no longer the human female I found adrift among the stars, but something new...something more."

His words gave me pause, my breath catching in my throat as I struggled to grasp the magnitude of what he was telling me. I could feel the transformation happening within me, like a cosmic chrysalis shedding its fragile casing to make way for something infinitely more powerful. But the fullness of what that meant, of what I was becoming, still eluded me in that endless moment.

"I...I don't understand," I whispered, awestruck. "What's happening to me, Keldor? What am I becoming?"

He regarded me with those blazing amber eyes that stared straight into the deepest depths of my newly reforged soul. "I don't have all the answers, little one," he rumbled, the vibration of his voice resonating through me like a full-body caress. "The forces at work here are older than the cosmos themselves, more profound than even I can fully comprehend. But I know this - you are being remade into something primal and powerful."

A tremulous breath escaped me as I absorbed the weight of his proclamation. My mind still struggled to keep up, to make sense of the staggering implications of what he described. In that moment, cradled in the scorching heat of his embrace, I didn't need to understand what was happening to me. I only knew that whatever was happening, whatever I was becoming, it was right. Fated. Destined from the moment Keldor had found me and awoken this primal yearning lying dormant within me.

"Then I will burn," I whispered fiercely, clutching him closer as if he were the only anchor capable of grounding me amidst the swirling vortex of my transformation. "If burning with the intensity of the stars themselves is my destiny, I will embrace it without fear or hesitation. As long as I have you by my side, my dragon, I can face any metamorphosis head-on."

Keldor's smoldering gaze searched mine for an endless breath before he sealed his mouth over my own in a searing brand of possession and promise. The kiss wasn't just a joining of bodies, but of souls - a vow that no matter what forces reshaped our existences, we would face them as one, bound together for all eternity.

I surrendered utterly to the searing onslaught, reveling in the silken heat of his questing tongue and the scorching caress of his talons scoring delicious trails along my sides and back.

I surrendered to the searing onslaught of Keldor's kiss, but this time there was no frenzied urgency, no all-consuming lust driving our joining. Instead, it was as if the universe itself had exhaled a tremulous sigh and granted us a suspended slice of eternity, where the cosmic forces remaking our existences could simply...be.

There was no need to rush, no insistent demands of primal hunger to be sated. We had forever stretched out before us in this breathless moment, an infinite wellspring of tomorrows in which to explore every nuance of our newfound connection. To drink deeply of the intimacies that transcended mere physical cravings and delved into something richer, more profound.

So I savored the unhurried glide of Keldor's tongue against my own, the velvet heat of his kiss quickly becoming an act of reverent devotion rather than ravenous consumption. My fingers trailed along the rippling musculature of his back in a slow, sensual glide, committing every ridge and plane to memory with each electrifying caress. There was no urgency in my touch, only the simple desire to experience all of him, to map the exquisite terrain of his body through an odyssey of awakened senses.

Keldor, too, seemed to sense the cosmic shift that had taken the reins from our primal desires. His large, calloused palms roamed over my bare skin with an unhurried precision, each whisper-light caress igniting sparks of rapture that danced across my nerve endings. He nuzzled along the elegant column of my throat with a reverence that stole my breath, his lips brushing over my wildly fluttering pulse in a scorching brand of possession.

"So beautiful," he rasped in a low, smoldering timbre that resonated straight into my core. "My daring mate, my eternal goddess borne from the star-fire's celestial embrace."

I arched into his heated explorations with a breathless whimper, my fingers delving into the thick strands of his hair to angle him impossibly closer. This wasn't about sating primal needs or surrendering to base urges. This was something infinitely deeper, more sacred - the awakening of two souls who had been crafted from the same primordial stardust at the universe's fiery birth.

Our bodies were conduits for that cosmic force, vessels through which our essences could reunite after eons adrift among the endless cosmos. Every kiss, every lingering caress was an exchange of energy, a blending of celestial powers that sent rapturous tremors cascading through the vast, unexplored planes of my new existence.

Keldor's mouth found mine again in a searing brand of forever, his essence reaching out to twine with my own in a hypnotic cadence. I could feel our cosmic energies intermingling, merging into an incandescent tapestry more brilliant than the mightiest of suns themselves. It was as if the universe were exhaling a tremulous sigh of relief at our joining, approving the sacred union it had conspired to forge across the endless eons.

Reverently, I trailed a path of searing devotion along the strong column of Keldor's throat, breathing in the scorching, heady musk that was uniquely him. My lips brushed over the wildly thundering pulse at the hollow where his neck met those powerful shoulders, and I swore I could taste the cosmic forces pulsing just beneath his burnished skin. His lifeblood was a liquid starfire, his very existence an anthem of searing power and radiant majesty.

"Mine," I rasped in a breathless vow against that thrumming cadence, branding him with the intensity of my own cosmic certainty. "My dragon warrior, my eternal mate. We will burn brighter than the mightiest of suns for all eternity, you and I."

Keldor's embrace tightened infinitesimally, his body a scorching brand of possession and undying devotion. "As you are mine, my daring mate," he rumbled in a voice laced with the cosmic forces that had remade us both in their searing image. "Two souls spun from the same stardust, fated to intertwine across the endless cosmos until the last supernova extinguishes the fires of existence itself."

On that impassioned vow, our joined essences blazed ever brighter, merging and coalescing into an incandescent tapestry that transcended the bounds of mere physicality. We were no longer Keldor and his human mate, but two tendrils of pure cosmic energy weaving in an intricate celestial dance as old as the universe herself.

Time stood still in that breathtaking union, each fleeting second an eon unto itself as we surrendered to the rapture of our joining. There was no rush, no urgency, only the profound sense of absolute rightness suffusing every plane of our existences. We could spend eternity basking in this moment, allowing our essences to coalesce in an intricate tapestry of forever, and it still would never be enough to fully experience each other to the fullest.

But we had forever, didn't we? An infinite wellspring of tomorrows stretching out before us, ours to write among the stars themselves. So for now, I was content to surrender to the cosmic forces binding us together, to revel in the scorching certainty that I had finally found my home, my destiny in Keldor's searing embrace.

Two souls spun from the universe's first fiery dawn, fated to blaze as one across the endless cosmos at last.

Chapter 9

Keldor

I DRIFTED into wakefulness with a profound sense of contentment thrumming through my very essence, my arms tightening around the exquisite creature nestled against me. The first faint tendrils of dawn's crimson light filtered through the chamber, casting the room in a warm, ethereal glow that danced across the female's bare skin in mesmerizing patterns.

Except...it wasn't skin, not anymore. Not in the fragile, delicate sense that defined her human form before our joining had remade her into something else.

Unable to resist, I drew back the plush furs enshrouding us in their sumptuous cocoon. My breath caught in my throat as my questing talons trailed along the feminine swell of her hips, the undulating curves that had first awakened my primal yearnings what felt like an eternity ago. Except now, that lush, inviting landscape was adorned by a breathtaking mosaic of glistening scales that shimmered with every minute shift of her body.

Translucent, iridescent, each one seemed to capture the faintest rays and refract it into a kaleidoscope of ever-shifting hues. The prismatic sheen danced along the female's newly transformed flesh in rapturous waves, igniting her very being with an unfathomable radiance.

A low, rumbling purr of sheer masculine appreciation reverberated through my chest as I drank in the exquisite vision of my fated mate, my anislah in all her glory. My talons continued their sensual exploration, committing every nuance of her form to memory with fervent devotion.

Here, the elegant curve of her spine was accentuated by a shimmering ridge of gemlike scales in shades of the deepest violet that transitioned into rich, smoldering crimsons. There, the lush valley between the feminine swells of her breasts was a mesmerizing tapestry of silvery iridescence and burnished gold that flickered and danced with every shallow intake of breath.

She was breathtaking, a goddess. Every inch of her had been reforged in the star-scorched raptures of our joining, remade into living, breathing, incandescent perfection. Not a single shred of her former fragile human form remained untouched in the wake of the dragon's fire that had swept through her essence. Yet the metamorphosis that had taken place was not a complete transformation into an alien visage. Instead, it was an exquisite melding of her human origins and draconic physiology, a harmonious fusion of two worlds that had birthed something transcendent and utterly unique.

In place of the delicate, ephemeral beauty that had first captured my gaze now stood a vision of sleek, powerful, otherworldly splendor. She possessed an undulating grace and lithe, predatory strength that hinted at her draconic rebirth. Yet the feminine, enticing curves that had first awakened my primal yearnings as a male remained, accentuated by a breathtaking iridescent sheen that danced across her skin.

She was simultaneously human and alien, familiar yet unfathomably exotic in a way that surely had not existed among the stars since the universe's first fiery dawn. My mate was a living embodiment of two disparate worlds unified in celestial perfection, as if the universe itself had conspired to forge her as a bridge between realms, an eternal vanguard of the cosmic forces that had intertwined our souls across the eons.

I traced the delicate whorls and ridges lining her throat and jaw in a path of hushed reverence, marveling at how the prismatic scales transitioned seamlessly into the lustrous crimson tresses splayed across the pillows. Each silken strand imbued with the same incandescence burning in her reforged flesh, glowing as if lit from within by the fiery heart of the cosmos themselves.

A shuddering exhalation escaped me as my gaze roamed lower, over the breathtaking, alien landscape of my mate's form. She was sublime, divine, radiant in a way that defied all comprehension.

Mine. This magnificent vision of perfection was mine to cherish and worship for all eternity.

As if awakened by the sheer intensity of my adoration, the female stirred against me with a soft murmur of contentment. Slowly, almost reverently, her eyelids fluttered open to reveal endless silver depths that shimmered like the cosmos' first breath. Those ethereal, fathomless pools found mine instantly, holding me immobile in their blazing celestial grip.

When she smiled at me in that breathless moment, it was as if the universe itself exhaled a tremulous sigh of pure, rapturous wonder. Those ethereal silver eyes blazed with the intensity of newborn suns, their celestial depths holding me utterly transfixed in their blazing grip. I could only gape, mesmerized, as the female stretched in a slow, sinuous undulation that sent dazzling ribbons of prismatic light rippling across her flesh.

A soft, breathy moan of sheer contentment escaped her lips as she arched her back in a graceful curve, every glistening scale shimmering as if lit by an inner radiance. It was a hypnotic, alien display of sensual power and predatory grace that should have terrified me, should have set every primal instinct roaring in warning. Yet all I felt was a scorching wave of pure, unadulterated desire crash over me.

This was my mate, my anislah in all her cosmic glory. The missing half of my soul made flesh in a breathtaking tapestry of human allure and draconic majesty.

"Good morning, my dragon prince," she purred in a voice like liquid silk. Reaching up, she traced the sharp ridges of my jaw with teasing fingertips, her touch raising frissons of searing rapture along my sensitized scales.

"You're even more magnificent than I dared dream," I rasped in a low, smoldering timbre laced with naked hunger and sheer masculine appreciation. "A true vision of perfection borne from the dragon's fire."

She laughed, the rich, melodious sound raising delicious ripples of scorching heat low in my abdomen. "I could say the same about you, my mate," she murmured huskily, leaning in to trail a blazing path of searing kisses along the column of my throat. "Though I must admit, I'm rather enjoying these new...assets of mine."

Her words were punctuated with a wicked roll of her hips, the lush feminine curves now accentuated by that breathtaking mosaic of prismatic scales rubbing against me in a delicious glide of velvet friction. A low, rumbling snarl of pure masculine possession vibrated up from the depths of my chest as I crushed the female to me, claiming her mouth in a searing brand of dominance and undying need. She whimpered into the heated onslaught, her nails scoring delicious furrows along my shoulders as she arched shamelessly into my embrace.

"Insatiable little minx," I growled against the swell of her lips as we resurfaced for air, our chests heaving in unison. "You'll be the death of this dragon, I swear it."

She laughed again. That melodious, rich sound reverberating straight into my soul and setting it ablaze with searing, cosmic certainty. "I certainly hope not," she purred, her eyes sparkling with a wicked gleam that held the promise of endless celestial delights. "For I'm feeling quite ravenous this morning, my mate. Ravenous enough to devour a dragon whole, if the notion struck my fancy."

I blinked at her in stunned surprise before throwing back my head with a roar of genuine amusement. Leave it to my daring mate to take the fear and uncertainty one would expect from such a staggering metamorphosis and transform it into something playful and utterly enticing. She truly was the embodiment of the universe's cosmic whimsy - a harmonious fusion of human spirit and draconic fire that could scarcely be contained by mortal boundaries.

"Is that so?" I rumbled in a low, sultry timbre as I nuzzled the elegant curve where her throat met her shoulder, inhaling the intoxicating blend of celestial ambrosia and smoldering embers that was uniquely her. "Then I shall have to summon the royal chefs and demand they prepare a feast fit for a goddess reborn. For I would never dream of denying my mate's appetites, no matter how...voracious they might be."

At that precise moment, as if in punctuated agreement with my words, the female's stomach rumbled with an ominous growl that reverberated through the entire chamber. She blinked in surprise before her melodious laughter rang out once more, the rich sound filling me with an overwhelming sense of contentment and rightness.

"Well, it seems my belly is one step ahead of my baser cravings," she giggled impishly. "Though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, given the rather...vigorous activities we've engaged in as of late."

Chuckling, I brushed a lingering kiss across those lush, tempting lips before rising in one sinuous motion, bringing the female with me in my arms. She squeaked softly in surprise before melting against me with a contented sigh, her legs winding instinctively around my hips as I cradled her to my chest. Even now, there was an innate vulnerability to her that ignited my fiercest protective urges as a mate. This daring, sensual goddess was mine to cherish and provide for through every cosmic dawn we would face together across the endless eons.

"Then a feast you shall have, my jewel," I rumbled in a voice laced with pure, undying devotion. "The finest delicacies this world has to offer, prepared by my own talons to sate your otherworldly hungers."

With that vow, I carried the female from our bedchambers, her arms looped loosely around my neck as she nuzzled into the scorching heat of my embrace. We had barely made it through the outer doors before she went rigid in my arms, her entire body locking up as if frozen by some unseen force. I halted instantly, my own instincts surging into high alert as I whipped my head around to search for any potential threats lurking in the shadows.

There was nothing, no sign of danger or malicious presences encroaching on my sanctuary. Only the female's wide, stunned gaze locked onto mine, her quicksilver eyes shimmering with a kaleidoscope of swirling emotions I couldn't begin to decipher.

"What is it, my mate?" I demanded urgently, tightening my grip infinitesimally as a frisson of primal protectiveness lanced through me. "What's wrong? Are you hurt? Do you feel unwell?"

For an endless, breathless heartbeat, she stared at me in silence, her lips parting wordlessly. Then, like the first rays of dawn cresting over the horizon to ignite the darkness, understanding seemed to blaze across those ethereal silver depths.

"Keldor," she whispered in a tremulous rasp that resonated straight into my very core. "I...I remember. I remember everything."

Chapter 10

Ella

I WAS content to bask in Keldor's scorching embrace as he carried me from our bedchamber, my mind deliriously adrift in the breathtaking afterglow of our the last few hours. The lingering tendrils of bliss still lapped at my senses, each brush of his calloused palms against my scales igniting sparks of delicious friction. I nuzzled deeper into the reassuring heat radiating from his chiseled frame, inhaling the heady, smoky musk that was purely him - my mate.

When he spoke of fetching a feast to sate my ravenous appetites, I couldn't resist the impish urge to tease and flirt, to revel in this newfound connection. Teasing Keldor, basking in the rich, melodious rumble of his laughter - it felt so natural, so right in a way that nothing from my former human existence could have prepared me for.

My contented reverie shattered the moment we stepped through the outer doors of the chamber. One minute, I was nestled in my dragon's scorching embrace, the next, a tidal wave of memories came crashing over me with the force of a tsunami. Disjointed flashes and fragments, a kaleidoscope of half-remembered images and sensations that slammed into me with such staggering intensity, I went rigid in Keldor's arms.

Faces, voices, places I had never truly forgotten but simply...misplaced among the tangled tapestry of my new existence. They all came roaring back in a torrential deluge, each one igniting like a flash of lightning in the darkest recesses of my consciousness. I gasped, every muscle locked in a rictus of stunned paralysis as the memories battered me from all sides in a relentless onslaught.

"What is it, my mate? What's wrong?" Concern blazed like twin suns in his blazing amber eyes as he searched my face with an urgency that bordered on frantic.

I couldn't formulate a response, couldn't put words to the maelstrom of half-remembered images and sensations that continued to pummel me from all sides. Faces, so many faces that had once meant everything to me, were now reduced to ghosts.. There was a man with sandy hair and laughing blue eyes, a woman with smile lines crinkling at the corners as she gazed at me with such profound tenderness and...and...

Sutton.

The name exploded in my mind's eye, igniting a series of memories so vivid and visceral I gasped aloud. Sutton, my best friend, my fellow artist whose disappearance had shattered me to the core and left me adrift long before I'd been swept up by the slavers. Her warm, infectious laughter as we joked about some silly project we were collaborating on. The fierce determination blazing in those emerald eyes as she pored over her sketchbook, her calloused fingers dancing across the pages with effortless grace.

And then...nothing. One day she was there, and the next, she had vanished without a trace. As if the universe itself had reached out and plucked her from existence without rhyme or reason. The anguish, the endless questioning of what I could have done differently, how I could have saved her from...whatever cruel fate had befallen her.

It was that soul-shattering anguish that came roaring back in full force, lancing through me with such profound visceral potency, I doubled over with a strangled cry of anguish. Keldor's arms flew around me, cradling me against the scorching planes of his chest as I trembled and keened, overwhelmed by the deluge of memories that refused to be contained any longer.

"Ella." The name tumbled from my lips in a breathless rasp laced with wonderment and a profound sense of loss for the life I could no longer reclaim, no matter how many pieces fell back into place. "M-my name...is Ella."

Keldor went still against me, the only sound his harsh, ragged breathing as I continued to shudder in the wake of my mind's rebirth. When at last he spoke, his deep timbre resonated straight into my essence, steadying me like a tether in the relentless cyclone.

"Ella," he rumbled, tasting the syllables with clear relish as he nuzzled the crown of my head. "A beautiful name for an even more exquisite vision. It suits you, my daring mate. My eternal Ella."

Despite the lingering ache gripping my psyche, I managed a tremulous smile at his words, at the undisguised adoration blazing in those molten depths. Drawing a fortifying breath, I allowed the deluge of memories to wash over me once more, no longer flinching from their visceral intensity but embracing them with open arms, like a long-lost friend returning home.

More faces, more names, began to emerge from the tangled recesses of my mind's eye. My parents' smiling countenances as they embraced me, so proud yet bittersweet, their eyes shining with a profound melancholy I hadn't understood at the time. Jobs and personal achievements, favorite hangouts and beloved places around the city that had once been as familiar as my own heartbeat, all came raining down in a torrential, suffocating flood.

I reeled beneath the onslaught, gasping for breath as the memories continued their relentless barrage. If not for Keldor's steadying presence, his searing heat and endless devotion anchoring me to the present, I might have been swept away by the tempest entirely. But he was my truth, my destiny, and I clung to that certainty like a lifeline even as the remnants of my old life threatened to drag me under their crashing waves.

Keldor held me through it all, murmuring soothing endearments laced with reassurances and vows of eternal fealty. He brushed lingering kisses along my brow, my cheeks, the throbbing pulse at my throat as the memories at last began to ebb, the deluge reduced to a steady trickle. When I could draw an even breath at last, I gazed up at my mate with eyes that shimmered with unshed tears of pure wonderment and hard-won understanding.

"I was...I was an artist," I rasped out in an awed murmur, my mind struggling to realign the pieces into some semblance of cohesion. "A lettering artist, specializing in calligraphy and hand-drawn typography. It...it was my passion, my entire world before..."

I trailed off, unable to give voice to the life-altering events that had swept me into the cosmos' searing embrace and deposited me on this uncharted world until Keldor had found me. Recounting the harrowing tale of my abduction, of the hell I must have endured aboard that slavers' craft, seemed like desecrating the sanctity of our celestial bond at that moment.

Perhaps, one day, when the wounds didn't feel so raw, so visceral in their intensity, I would share those memories with my mate. But not now, not when his searing devotion was the only truth keeping the tempest at bay.

"You were an artist of words, then?" Keldor rumbled, his smoldering gaze searching mine with a tenderness that made my heart constrict. "One who shaped the universe's silent poetry into something beautiful and profound for all to witness?"

I nodded, the lingering ache in my mind easing infinitesimally as I lost myself in the scorching certainty of his presence. "Something like that, I suppose. Though it was hardly a cosmic endeavor, at least back then."

A faint, wistful smile curved my lips as more fragmented recollections surfaced. "I did love it, though. The way the words could blend and flow together into something greater than their individual parts. It was...an escape of sorts, I think. A way to lose myself in the artistry and find some semblance of peace amidst the chaos."

Keldor regarded me with an inscrutable look, one that conveyed he understood the inherent desire to carve out one's own sanctum from the relentless press of the world better than I could have fathomed. Of course he did - this mighty dragon warrior had been doing just that for longer than I could comprehend, forging his own dominion on this desolate, uncharted world light years from the home that had been brutally stripped away.

"And did you find that peace, my Ella?" he asked softly, brushing the backs of those wicked talons along my cheek in a scorching caress. "In your artistry, in the shaping of words into something sublime?"

I leaned into his touch with a tremulous sigh, drawing strength from the primal heat that sempre to resonate from his very core. "Sometimes," I admitted with a faint, rueful chuckle. "I think Sutton was better at that than I was."

Sutton. My best friend, my kindred spirit in all things, art and life. The one person whose laughter and spirit could pull me from the darkest recesses of my melancholy and make the world seem just a little brighter, just for a little while. Until the day she had simply...vanished without a trace, as if the universe itself had reached out and plucked her from existence without rhyme or reason.

I could still recall the anguish that had gripped me in the aftermath of her disappearance, the endless questioning of what I could have done differently to save her. The guilt, so profound and suffocating, that perhaps I hadn't been as good a friend as she deserved, that maybe if I'd been more attentive, more vigilant, I could have protected her from...whatever cruel fate had befallen her.

We had been sisters in every way but blood, united by our passions and our unbreakable bond of friendship. And then, she had been ripped away, leaving me unmoored and cast adrift in a reality that no longer made sense.

"Ella?" Keldor's voice cut through the cyclone like a blazing beacon, his searing touch anchoring me to the present as he gathered me into his arms once more. "What is it, my mate? What anguish grips you so? Tell me, let me ease your suffering in whatever way I can."

"Sutton. Her name...was Sutton. She was my best friend." My fingers dug almost painfully into the sinuous scales adorning his chest as the words continued to tumble forth in a torrential rush. "One day she was there, so full of life and endless potential, and the next...nothing. As if she'd never existed at all. Just...gone without a whisper of reason or explanation."

The anguish that gripped me in that moment was every bit as profound and suffocating as the day I had finally accepted that my dearest friend, my sister in all the ways that mattered, would never be returning to me. It was a loss so visceral, so devastating, that it had rented my world asunder and left me cast adrift.

"I searched for her for so long," I confessed in a tremulous rasp, my words laced with a soul-shattering anguish that transcended the eons. "Followed every lead, called in every favor from anyone who might have information, but it was as if she had ceased to exist. Kind of like I imagine people now think happened to me. You don't suppose she could have been kidnapped by aliens even those few years earlier, do you?" I asked, giving voice to the harrowing notion that had taken root in the back of my mind.

If such nefarious forces were scouring the galaxy for human females to enslave and exploit, who was to say Sutton hadn't suffered a similar fate to my own? The thought made my heart clench.

Keldor regarded me with an inscrutable look for a weighty pause before responding. When at last he spoke, his deep timbre resonated through me.

"Anything is possible, my Ella," he said, cradling me closer.

His calloused palm cradled my cheek in a searing caress, his smoldering gaze searching the endless depths of my own with an intensity that resonated straight into me.

"I cannot say for certain whether this Sutton suffered a similar fate to the one that swept you into my embrace," Keldor continued in a low rasp. "But I can vow to you here and now that I will use every connection, every favor and resource at my disposal to unravel the truth. If there is even a whisper of your dearest friend's presence on this side of the galaxy, I shall find it and pursue the lead."

A tremulous exhalation escaped me as I absorbed the profound magnitude of his promise. Reaching up, I traced the sharp ridges of his jaw in a path of hushed reverence and sheer wonderment.

"Thank you, my Keldor," I whispered fervently. "You do not know what it would mean to me to discover what truly became of Sutton after all this time. Even if the truth is...unpleasant, at least I would have closure. A way to let go of the endless questioning that has haunted me for so long."

Chapter 11

Ella

I MEANDERED through the lush gardens surrounding Keldor's lair, my fingers trailing over the velvety, alien flora with a sense of childlike wonder. The vibrant blooms and foliage swayed in a gentle breeze. It was all so breathtakingly beautiful, yet utterly removed from anything remotely resembling the plant life on Earth.

Pausing beside a towering fuchsia plant, I traced the delicate, gemlike petals with an exploratory caress. The iridescent blooms fairly danced beneath my fingertips, as if responding to my touch. A sweetly exotic fragrance wafted through the air with each caress, raising delicious frissons of pure sensation along my scales. Even thinking those words still took me a moment to wrap my head around.

So many changes! Yet nestled in the back of my thoughts lingered a faint, persistent twinge of...not regret, per se, but a yearning for something my transformation had seemingly overlooked.

"You seem pensive this morning, my Ella."

Keldor's deep, resonant timbre sliced through my thoughts. I turned to find my mate observing me with those piercing amber eyes that seemed to stare straight into me. His wings were furled against his back, the glossy obsidian membranes shimmering like a breathtaking tapestry of pure, primal majesty.

Wings...

The faint yearning blossomed into a full-fledged ache of pure feminine petulance. How was it fair that Keldor got to remain adorned with those magnificent appendages in all their razor-edged glory, while I had been relegated to a pair of decidedly mundane arms and legs?

Keldor must have sensed the shift in my demeanor, for his brow furrowed slightly as that intense amber gaze searched mine with a hint of concern. "What troubles you, my mate? You seem...unsettled."

I worried my lower lip, hesitating as I tried to determine how best to voice my admittedly frivolous wishes. This was hardly the gravest issue facing us in our newfound reality, yet it niggled at me in a way I couldn't quite shake. If anyone could understand my yearnings, it was Keldor - my mate, my eternal dragon prince.

"I..." I began, faltering slightly before pressing onward with a resolute exhalation. "Keldor, please don't take this the wrong way, but...I had rather hoped that the changes to my body might include a certain...enhancement, if you will."

He arched one smooth brow ridge in silent prompting, that banked smolder in his gaze now dancing with hints of undisguised amusement. As if he could somehow sense the frivolous nature of my lament, yet found it endearing all the same. Damn him and his insufferable masculine confidence - of course, he would be thoroughly entertained by my moment of sheer feminine pique.

Squaring my shoulders, I lifted my chin in a show of faux indignance and blurted, "Wings, Keldor! I was rather hoping this whole metamorphosis would include a pair of wings like yours! You know, so I could actually fly instead of being a perpetual...passenger, I suppose."

The words came tumbling out in a rush, my cheeks flushing with a hint of residual embarrassment even as the ache of yearning lanced through me anew. Because honestly, what could be more sublime than soaring high in the sky?

For a suspended heartbeat, Keldor stared at me, his expression unreadable. Then, the corners of those full lips curved into a roguish grin of pure masculine amusement. Before I could so much as draw another breath, my mate threw back his head and released a peal of rich, resonant laughter that reverberated through the very life force thrumming within the alien garden.

"Oh, my daring Ella," he rumbled once his mirth had subsided into husky tremors. "Only you could bemoan the lack of a seemingly trivial appendage with such impish outrage. You are captivating in your uniqueness, my mate - a true delight."

I couldn't quite smother the impish grin tugging at my own lips as Keldor closed the distance between us in one sinuous sweep. His large, calloused palms came up to cradle my face, those wicked talons raising delicious frissons along my sensitized scales.

"Do not be so hasty to dismiss the notion, sweetling," he murmured, his smoldering gaze holding me immobile in its blazing grip. "Your metamorphosis is still so new, so raw and unfurling. There may yet be...enhancements still blossoming deep inside you."

He leaned in until his lips hovered a mere hairsbreadth from mine, his next words fanning across my skin in a scorching caress of pure, unshakable promise.

"But for now, my mate, would you perhaps indulge me by allowing this draconic form of mine to properly introduce itself? I believe my...other half, shall we say...is most eager to bask in your radiant presence at long last."

I blinked, momentarily stunned by both his words and the undercurrent of wicked promise laced into that rich timbre. When the implication dawned, my brows shot upward in a comical display of surprise.

"You...you have another form?" I asked, unable to disguise the undercurrent of awe tingeing my words. "Like, aside from this magnificent body I've become rather intimately acquainted with?"

That roguish grin stretched into a full-blown smirk of pure masculine satisfaction. "Indeed, I do, sweetling. A form befitting my draconic heritage - one I have been quite eager for you to properly...appreciate, shall we say?"

With those heated words lingering like a brand against my sensitized skin, Keldor stepped back and spread his magnificent wings in one slow, sinuous sweep. An ethereal luminescence began to blaze along the leading edges of those iridescent appendages, raising shimmers of incandescent light that danced across the garden in rapturous waves. I could only gape, transfixed, as that Keldor changed before my eyes. When the maelstrom at last subsided, I very nearly forgot how to draw breath.

Towering before me in all his breathtaking, awe-inspiring glory was the most magnificent creature I had ever seen. Keldor's new form was immense, his serpentine body lined with sleek, sinewy muscle and adorned with a mosaic of glossy obsidian scales that glowed. Each one shimmered and danced, refracting the ambient light into a kaleidoscope of iridescent, ever-shifting hues that dazzled the senses.

Massive wings unfurled from his sinewy back, the razor-edged appendages easily spanning four times my height in both directions. The iridescent membranes shimmered with an otherworldly luster, each gossamer-thin ridge and whorl glistening as if lit by an inner radiance. They looked ethereal, more befitting a creature spun from cosmic stardust than anything bound by mortal flesh and bone. Even the scar which graced Keldor's wing was evident in this version of my mate.

It was Keldor's eyes that held me immobile in their blazing grip - those smoldering amber depths now adorned with a slit-pupiled gaze of preternatural intensity. As our gazes locked and held, I was awestruck. Ancient, unknowable, and spellbinding in their splendor, those eyes looked deep into my soul.

"Magnificent," I breathed in an awed exhalation, my mind struggling to process the vision before me. This was Keldor in his truest, most primal form - a dragon warrior whose radiant majesty defied all comprehension.

A low, rumbling chuckle that seemed to reverberate through the very earth itself emanated from the dragon's impressive maw. The deep timbre raised delicious frissons along every inch of my skin.

Slowly, almost reverently, I drifted closer until I could reach out and trace the elegant whorls adorning his chiseled features. The glossy obsidian scales fairly thrummed with primal power beneath my exploratory caress, their sleek surfaces warm and supple like burnished velvet.

"You are breathtaking, my Keldor," I murmured, transfixed. "Like something out of a storybook."

That rumbling chuckle intensified into a resonant peal of genuine amusement that vibrated the very air around us.

Keldor's rich, resonant laughter faded into a rumbling purr of clear satisfaction as his massive draconic form began to coil itself around me in an elegant, sinuous spiral. I gasped, reaching out to steady myself against the sinewy contours of his frame as his sheer, staggering immensity engulfed me in a breathtaking canopy of sleek, undulating scales and primal majesty. The moment my hands made contact with those glossy obsidian ridges, the dragon exhaled a tremulous sigh of pure, rapturous relief.

"Oh..." The breathless exhalation escaped me in an awed rasp.

Keldor rumbled in clear satisfaction, the tip of his powerful tail curling around my waist in an intimate embrace as he angled that impressive head down toward me. Those smoldering amber depths held me immobile in their blazing grip, ancient and spellbinding.

Then, with a sinuous undulation of his serpentine body, the dragon lowered himself until he was crouched mere inches from where I stood. An unmistakable invitation, one that raised a breathless surge of pure yearning and childlike wonder within me.

I drifted closer until I could reach out and caress the elegant ridges lining the leading edge of one wing. The ethereal appendage fairly thrummed with primal power beneath my exploratory touch, each iridescent membrane blazing with an otherworldly incandescence that made my eyes ache with sublime wonderment.

When I glanced back at Keldor, I found his slit-pupiled gaze trained on me with an intensity that should have scorched me from the inside out. Yet all I felt was a profound sense of belonging and certainty flood through my being.

With a breathless inhalation, I gathered my courage and clambered up onto Keldor's back, straddling the powerful ridge between his wings. I leaned forward and wound my arms around the sinewy contours of his neck, reveling in the scorching heat that seemed to radiate from his very core in pulsing waves.

Keldor turned his head slightly, angling that piercing amber gaze back toward me in silent query. As if ensuring I was properly anchored before we embarked on our journey.

I offered him a tremulous smile, my entire being suffused with a bone-deep thrill of pure, unrestrained exhilaration and rapturous wonderment. "I'm ready, my dragon," I whispered in a breathy rasp laced with naked yearning. "Fly with me."

Keldor's only response was a low, rumbling purr of clear satisfaction that resonated straight into my core. Then, with a flex of those sinewy haunches, he launched us skyward in an explosive burst of preternatural strength and majesty.

I gasped aloud as the ground fell away beneath us in a dizzying rush, the wind whipping through my hair as we climbed higher and higher into the heavens themselves. Instinctively, I tightened my grip around Keldor's neck, clinging to him with the desperation of a lifeline as the ground shrank into insignificance.

When at last the dragon leveled off his trajectory, we soared in a graceful, undulating glide high above the landscape. I could only gape in breathless awe, struggling to fully absorb the vistas sprawling out to the endless horizon in every direction.

A tremulous laugh of pure, unbridled euphoria escaped my lips as the full magnitude of the moment crashed over me in a breathtaking rush.

From such dizzying heights, it was easy to forget the harsh, unforgiving origins of Reazus Prime far below. Up here, adrift among the clouds and endless azure, the planet itself was a breathtaking vista of rugged, unspoiled beauty sprawling to the curved horizon in every direction. Utterly sublime in its primal, untamed splendor.

Chapter 12

Keldor

THE THRILL of soaring high above the landscape of Reazus Prime with my mate on my back was a rapture unlike any I had experienced, even in my long centuries on this wretched planet. Her soft gasps of wonderment, the melodious laughter that seemed to reverberate straight into me - it was the sweetest of ambrosia, igniting an inferno of pure adoration within the primal depths of my being. This was as it was always meant to be - two souls spun from the universe's first fiery dawn, fated to intertwine for all eternity in a searing tapestry of cosmic union.

All too soon, however, the celestial freedom of our aerial odyssey had to conclude. With a subtle adjustment of my wings, I angled us into a gentle descent, my haunches coiling as we alighted amid the lush flora once more. Ella sagged against me with a breathless giggle of pure euphoria, her fingers trailing along the elegant ridges of my throat in a path of hushed reverence.

"That was... amazing," she said in an awed murmur, those quicksilver eyes shimmering as she gazed up at me in open wonderment. "Thank you, Keldor."

I rumbled in clear satisfaction, nuzzling the crown of her head in an intimate caress as I fully appreciated the breathtaking vision that was Ella. An inferno now roared through my veins, scorching and primal in its intensity. I yearned to experience her splendor from an entirely different vantage, one that would allow me to lavish every inch of her prismatic scales with the reverent devotion she deserved as my mate, my anislah in every sense.

Making my choice, I stepped back and unfurled my wings in one slow, sinuous sweep, allowing Ella to dismount from my back. The dragon's time was at an end. Now, it was my turn to fly with my beautiful mate. Once Ella stood on the ground, I stepped back, watching her.

I held her spellbound in my gaze as I allowed the change to come over me. The air itself shimmered and undulated as my metamorphosis took hold, reality itself warping and bending until my humanoid shape stood tall in a violent implosion of power.

Ella's breath caught in her throat as she drank in the full magnitude of my transformation, her fingers drifting up to trace the line of my jaw. I rumbled in clear satisfaction at her exploratory caress, reveling in the rapture of having my mate's undivided attentions.

The moment that lush, feminine form came into full contact with my own, it was like the universe itself exhaled a breathless sigh of pure, rapturous relief. With a low, rumbling purr of pure masculine satisfaction, I launched myself skyward in an explosive burst of strength and power. This time, however, my trajectory angled toward the balcony of my lair rather than the open skies.

Ella clung to me with unrestrained delight, her laughter ringing out in breathless peals of pure euphoria as the wind whipped through those lustrous crimson tresses. All too soon, we were alighting on the ornate balcony adjoining the lavish bedchamber that had become our inner sanctum. I placed Ella on the bed and stepped back, divesting myself of my leathers.

"My mate," I rasped in a voice laced with pure, undisguised hunger and sheer masculine possession. Before Ella could respond, I surged forward and crushed that lush, feminine form against me, kissing each inch of her as I removed her clothing.

With Ella's clothing discarded in a shimmering trail across the bedchamber, I drank in the full, breathtaking splendor of her form with undisguised reverence. My calloused fingertips trailed along the feminine curves now accentuated by that prismatic mosaic of iridescent scales, committing every nuance to memory with fervent devotion. Here, the elegant flare of Ella's hips transitioned into a hypnotic tapestry of burnished crimsons and smoldering violets that seemed to blaze with an ethereal inner incandescence. There, the lush swell of her breasts was adorned with a breathtaking iridescence of silvery luminescence that fairly danced with each shallow intake of breath.

She was spellbinding, a harmonious melding of human allure and draconic majesty. My mate, my Ella - the other half of my soul made exquisite flesh at long last.

"Magnificent," I rasped in a low, smoldering timbre laced with naked hunger and sheer masculine appreciation. "You are the embodiment of perfection, my daring mate. A true vision of radiance that defies all comprehension."

Ella shivered deliciously at the undisguised intensity of my words, her eyes shimmering like molten starfire in the dim illumination. When she spoke, her voice was a breathless, ethereal rasp that resonated straight into my core.

"You are everything to me, Keldor," she murmured ardently, trailing those slender fingers along the sinuous scales adorning my chest and shoulders. "My destiny, my truth, my whole universe spun into one magnificent."

I captured that exploratory hand and pressed a lingering kiss to her palm in a path of searing reverence. Then I held her transfixed in the blazing depths of my gaze, allowing the full weight of my devotion binding us together.

"I love you, Ella," I said in a low, fervent rumble that was more dragon than Dragonian. "You are my everything - the missing half of my soul."

Ella's breath caught in her throat at the profound magnitude of my ardent confession. I reached up to cradle her face in one calloused palm, holding her spellbound in my blazing stare so she would know the cosmic truth resonating through every syllable.

"I cannot fathom how to draw my next breath without you blazing by my side, my mate," I continued in a voice laced with the primal intensity of a supernova's detonation. "You are the tether anchoring me to this existence, the light that guides me through the swirling winds. Without you, I am adrift, a half-formed fragment consigned to the endless void."

The words seemed to resonate straight into Ella, her pupils dilating until those ethereal silver depths. For a lingering heartbeat, she stared at me in awed silence, as if the full magnitude of my confession had robbed her of coherent thought.

Then, slowly, she surged upward until our foreheads rested together in an intimate brand of possession and undying devotion. When she spoke, her words burrowed deep into my soul.

"And I love you, Keldor Blazeclaw," Ella whispered in a tremulous murmur that resonated straight into the primal essence burning at my core. "Now and forever. You are my mate, my destiny."

She leaned in until her lips brushed mine in the faintest of searing caresses.

With a low, rumbling growl of pure masculine possession, I crushed Ella against me, claiming those lush lips in a fevered onslaught of dominance and undying need. She whimpered into the onslaught, surrendering to me.

Only when we needed a breath did we part. Ella lay back among the bedsheets, arms outstretched, a sensual smile on her lips as she wantonly spread her legs before me. Her pink folds were on brilliant display, wet for me.

Ella's breathtaking display of wanton abandon ignited an inferno of pure, scorching hunger within the primal depths of my being. I drank in every tantalizing nuance as she spread herself in offering before me.

A low, rumbling growl of pure masculine possession reverberated through my chest as I surged forward, blazing path of searing reverence along Ella's luscious curves. Ella arched into my heated explorations with a breathless keen, her fingers scoring delicious furrows through my scalp as I explored the changes in her body with my tongue.

"Keldor..." she rasped out on a breathy moan. "Please, my dragon...I need to feel your mouth on me."

I rumbled in clear satisfaction at her wanton pleas, nuzzling the throbbing pulse at the spot where her leg met with the apex of her sex. "Anything for you, my daring mate." I spoke against her sensitized skin, inhaling the intoxicating blend of smoldering embers and celestial ambrosia that was uniquely her. "Your divine body is mine to worship."

The scent of her arousal hung like a lush, intoxicating cloud in the charged air - a heady, exotic musk. It was the aroma of a goddess in the throes of pure, wanton rapture, and it ignited an inferno of primal yearning in my very marrow.

With a low, rumbling purr of undisguised masculine hunger, I settled myself between Ella's parted thighs and drank in the breathtaking vision before me. Those slick, glistening folds were slick with her need.

"Exquisite." One word. It was enough.

With no further preamble, I surged forward and captured that pearlescent droplet on the flat of my tongue, savoring the sweet, heady nectar of my mate's essence. Ella cried out at the scorching onslaught, her thighs trembling as I laved her with fervent, openmouthed kisses.

"Oh Keldor!" she keened in a breathless rasp of pure rapture, her fingers tightening almost painfully in my hair. "Yes, just like that...oh, just like that!"

I growled against her slick folds in clear satisfaction, the vibrations raising a sprinkling of bumps along her sensitized flesh where there were no scales. Then I delved deeper, my tongue lashing and swirling in a primal cadence as ancient as the winds themselves. Ella's breathless cries spiraled into shatteringly blissful screams as I lapped at her very essence, consuming her divine ambrosia with reverent undying hunger.

On and on I worshiped at the altar of her sublime form, savoring every breathless keen, and shameless mewl of ecstasy until Ella was reduced to a writhing, keening vision of pure, wanton rapture. Her thighs quivered with the strain of holding them apart, her fingers scoring delicious furrows along my scalp as the inferno blazed brighter and hotter within her.

With a final lash of my questing tongue against that aching bundle of incandescent nerves, Ella shattered. Her entire body arched in a bow of pure, searing ecstasy, her rapturous scream seeming to resonate straight into the cosmos themselves as her divine release crested in a crescendo. I drank deeply of her ambrosia, savoring every breathless sob and electrifying spasm as the cosmic forces bound us together in an eternal, searing union.

When at last the fiery tempest ebbed, I moved to drive my cock between those inviting folds, giving myself to my mate. Despite my wish to make it last, my orgasm blasted through me, leaving me weak and vulnerable in the arms of my mate. The one being on this sorry planet, I trusted with everything that I was, everything that I had. Ella's pussy griped my cock, squeezing and milking my orgasm from me as I shuddered at the last throws of the relentless onslaught of emotion that would drown me if I didn't have my mate to cling to.

"Keldor..." she rasped in an awed murmur, her fingers tracing the elegant whorls adorning my chiseled features. "That was...wow. I have no words."

I rumbled in clear satisfaction, brushing a reverent kiss across the plush swell of her lips. "And we have only just begun to experience the endless raptures awaiting us, my mate," I promised in a low, smoldering timbre laced with pure undisguised yearning.

With a low, feral snarl of pure masculine possession, I crushed Ella's lush feminine form against me. Dragons lived a long time, and I anticipated the years ahead with a reverence and joy I never had in all my years on Reazus Prime.

Epilogue: Ella

I DRIFTED through the lavish corridors of Keldor's ancestral sanctuary, my fingers trailing along the ornately carved walls as an endless tapestry of memories from the past few months played through my mind like a cosmic reverie. So much had transpired in what seemed like the blink of an eye - my awakening on this uncharted world, the onslaught of memories as they crashed through me, and remembering the terrifying abduction that had swept me so far from home.

My path had been one of constant upheaval and transformation, each dawning revelation more staggering than the last. Yet I wouldn't have had it any other way. Not when the cosmic forces conspiring across the endless heavens had led me to Keldor's scorching embrace.

A wistful smile curved my lips as I traced the elegant contours of a serpentine statue adorning an alcove, its obsidian scales glistening like liquid onyx in the muted illumination. I marveled at the familiar weight now gracing my own form - that breathtaking mosaic of iridescent scales that shimmered with a kaleidoscope of prismatic hues. No longer was I simply Ella, the human female who had awoken adrift among the stars. Now, I was a harmonious melding of my world and draconic majesty, reborn in the searing raptures of Keldor's dragonfire.

It was a heady, dizzying notion to grapple with, one that seemed to shift and splinter with each dawning realization of the primal power now thrumming through my veins. Every breath I drew resonated with an innate power I was still exploring. My existence had been remade, my soul reforged into something sleek and powerful.

Yet I wouldn't trade this metamorphosis for anything, not even a chance to reclaim the fragile human existence I had once lived. For to do so would mean severing my bond with Keldor, the magnificent dragon prince who had awoken the inferno blazing at my core. He was my mate, my destiny. To be parted from him, from the searing intensity of his devotion and the scorching certainty of his embrace...it was a notion too agonizing to fathom, even for a fleeting instant.

No, this was my path, my truth written across the cosmic tapestry from the moment existence itself had breathed its first fiery breath. I was Ella, a draconic vanguard born anew amidst the dragon's fire in a searing baptism. And I would blaze as radiant and bright with Keldor by my side every step of the way.

A strange tingling warmth blossomed deep within my core as I dwelled on that certainty, spreading outward in rapturous waves until my entire being thrummed with preternatural power. I gasped softly at the peculiar yet delicious sensation, my free hand flying to cradle my abdomen as the feeling intensified into a heated conflagration.

It was almost as if...as if some dormant essence lying within my existence had awoken at last, stirring to wondrous life. I could feel that power blazing brighter and hotter with each labored inhalation, searing along my nerve endings in rapturous waves of pure, incandescent transcendence.

"Keldor..." I breathed his name like an ardent prayer, my mind struggling to comprehend the dizzying onslaught of sensations bombarding me from all sides. What was happening to me? Was this some newfound aspect of my metamorphosis reaching its searing culmination?

A strange, ethereal reverberation answered my silent query. It was like...like the faintest whisper tickling at the edges of my newly awakened consciousness.

Hello? The disembodied voice, little more than a tremulous murmur at first, echoed through the endless planes of my being. Hello, can you hear me?

I froze, every muscle locked in stunned paralysis as the peculiar resonance washed over me in pulsing waves. Surely I couldn't be hearing what I thought I was hearing? Some manner of delusion brought on by the intensity of this latest awakening, perhaps?

But no, the strange, lilting whisper continued to reverberate through my very essence, growing stronger and more insistent with each passing heartbeat.

Hello? It's me...your dragon! The words, laced with hints of unbridled glee and wicked promise, raised frissons of pure wonderment along my sensitized scales. Can I come out to play now?

I blinked rapidly, utterly dumbfounded as the implications of that ardent entreaty slammed into me with the force of a cosmic shockwave. My...dragon? Unconsciously, my fingers drifted lower to caress the lush feminine curves of my abdomen, the peculiar warmth now blazing with the intensity of a newborn sun. Was it...was it possible?

"Who are you?" I rasped in a tremulous murmur, struggling to absorb the magnitude of the moment. "What's happening to me?"

The disembodied voice responded with a melodious peal of rich, resonant laughter that seemed to reverberate straight into my core. I told you, silly! It's me - your dragon, the other half of your existence, borne from the searing raptures of our mate's dragonfire!

I can feel your yearning, you know...that insistent pull to unleash the full fury of my power and blaze a path across the endless skies in a searing conflagration of pure, unbridled freedom! The voice fairly shimmered with electric delight and wicked, teasing promise. So what do you say? Don't you want to let me out to breathe the winds and spread my wings at last?

My breath caught in my throat as a kaleidoscope of vivid imagery exploded across my consciousness - visions of sleek, sinewy power and ethereal incandescence befitting the most sublime of cosmic deities. I saw myself adorned in a breathtaking mosaic of iridescent scales that shimmered with every sinuous undulation of my serpentine body. Towering wings unfurled from my frame in a blaze of prismatic light, each delicate membrane blazing with a luster that made my eyes ache with wonderment.

This was me, I realized in a breathtaking rush of certainty. This magnificent, awe-inspiring vision of a beautiful dragon...it was a primal being finally stirring to wondrous life.

And it wanted out. Out to bask in the sun and spread its wings at last.

A tremulous laugh of pure, unbridled euphoria escaped my lips as the realization took hold, the rich sound seeming to reverberate through the endless planes of my existence. Of course, my dragon wanted to emerge and dance among the winds - it was as much a part of my awakened truth as the blood pounding through my veins or the forces binding me to Keldor for all eternity!

Unable to resist the insistent yearning any longer, I turned on my heel and raced through the winding corridors, my bare feet whispering over the polished stone until I broke free, barreling through a nearby door to the gardens outside.

I drew in a deep, steadying breath, steeling my resolve as the dragon's insistent urgings resonated through my very essence. Closing my eyes, I surrendered myself to the torrential riptide of sensations threatening to sweep me away into uncharted territory.

In that infinite moment of stillness, I could feel a strange, wondrous power beginning to unfurl from the depths of me. It blossomed in rapturous waves, searing along my nerve endings with the intensity of a supernova as my physical form seemed to tremble and elongate. Dazzling prismatic scales erupted across my flesh in shimmering patterns.

A tremulous gasp escaped my lips as I felt my body contorting and shifting, each sinuous undulation more exquisite than the last. Muscles corded with lithe, sinewy power as my frame lengthened into a sleek, serpentine torso adorned in a mosaic of scintillating scales. I could feel the resounding thrum of ancient magic coursing through my veins, catalyzing the sublime metamorphosis as it reached its dazzling crescendo.

Then, with a resounding crash that split the night, a pair of iridescent wings unfurled from my back in an explosion of prismatic light. Each delicate membrane quivered as it caught the wind flowing around us.

This was my truth at last, my awakening borne from the searing raptures of dragonfire. I was a creature of sleek, sinuous grace. Every breath I drew seemed to resonate within me as the dragon grew more solid and I tucked myself within, excited about the possibilities ahead.

Flexing my wings in an experimental sweep, I marveled at the effortless ease of the motion; the membranes cleaving through the air like a hot knife through butter. A laugh of pure exhilaration spilled from my mouth as my hindquarters bunched in preparation for the glorious launch to come.

Then, with an earth-shattering downbeat of wings that sent tremors rippling through the ground below, my dragon propelled us skyward in a blinding rush. The familiar world fell away in a kaleidoscopic blur of muted color and light as we shot toward the heavens, rising higher and higher with every sweep of our wings until the clouds themselves seemed to engulf us.

Arching my neck, my dragon released a torrent of scorching dragonfire that painted the sky in a blinding kaleidoscope of crimson and gold. The air reverberated with the thunderous exhalation, our cry of triumph echoing across the endless planes as we climbed ever higher. This was freedom, pure and untamed at last.

Flashing a wicked grin of pure elation, I banked into a tight spiral, reveling in the rush of adrenaline and pure, unbridled power that flooded my senses. I was Ella, the blazing vanguard reborn amidst the cosmic tides...and I would soar through the endless skies ablaze with the fury of a thousand scorching suns.

Suddenly Keldor was there, flying with me. My dragon circled around, giving Keldor's dragon a playful nip on his tail before exploding across the skies with a seductive whip of her tail. Oh, my dragon liked Keldor's dragon. Keldor's dragon released a stream of his own scorching fire before giving chase to my dragon. Loving the wicked glint in those slitted eyes, my dragon and I whipped across the skies until we were finally caught. What followed was an ecstasy I had never imaged possible.

Coming Soon

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About the Author

Harper Rosling writes Paranormal Romance and Science Fiction Romance under the pen name of Harper Rosling. She loves writing about characters who can look beyond a person's gender and concentrate on who they are on the inside. Gender shouldn't matter when it comes to love or lust. It all depends on the character and who they tell her they are. She loves testing boundaries. Maybe more than she should. Most of her stories are steamy but sweet.

In her down time, Harper enjoys anything crafty. She knits, crochets, spins yarn, quilts, and enjoys losing herself in digital art. She also loves music. All of these hobbies tend to find their way into her books.

Also by Harper Rosling

Alien’ Surrender

Saved by Her Alien Mates

Phaze’s Mates