Rendan (Scifi Alien Dragon Romance) (Dragons of Preor Book 4) (16 page)

I come, shaa kouva. I shall catch you.

Always,
another gentle breeze inside his head yet the softness did not diminish the steel within the word. She believed he would always be there for her and from that moment forward, he always would. He would not leave her side.

Rendan streamlined his body further, easily falling closer to his mate, and he extended his foreclaws. The sea approached, their descent continuing unchecked, but he had to be careful with his fragile mate. He gently cupped her body, curling his talons around her, and then extended his wings to halt their fall.

His muscles groaned and twinged in protest, the battle with Ballakin taking its toll, but he ignored his body. He was a Preor warrior. He would endure.

An agonized roar came from above and Rendan turned to face the battling males, peach against muted green. The blue sea was stained a steady red with Ballakin’s blood and Rendan believed it would soon hold Ballakin’s body as well.

Zadri darted forward, dancing in and out of reach, flying circles around the heavily injured male. He twisted and dove, spinning out of reach before zipping through the air until finally…

Until Ballakin made a mistake—fatal and final.

That was when Zadri crowded Ballakin.

That was when Zadri opened his maw wide.

That was when Zadri ripped out Ballakin’s throat.

C
arla didn’t fight Rendan
. Much. Okay, admittedly, she didn’t fight him at all. In fact, when he scooped her into his arms, lifting her from the
ryaapir
platform, she might have snuggled into his embrace.

Oh, she was still furious with him. They were definitely due for an argument, but after her brush with death, she simply wanted to reconnect with her mate. Fighting could come later. Like, after she’d spent a few hours simply breathing in his smoky scent and experiencing the comfort of his embrace.

The man wasn’t getting off easily. It was more a temporary stay of execution.

She wrapped one arm around his shoulders, resting her head against his chest and she pressed the side of her face to his warm skin. The steady thump of his heart filled her ear, the rhythmic thud reminding her he was alive. And so was she. She didn’t remember her time clutched in Ballakin’s claws or the fierce battle the three dragons had fought high above the ocean.

No, the only recollection she had of that harrowing time was her initial kidnapping by Ballakin. That was when panic and regret had overcome her mind, eventually her body shutting down out of self-preservation.

Rendan held her tightly and turned toward medical’s exit, and she savored the feel of his lips brushing the top of her head. “I will return you to your room
shaa
…” He cleared his throat. “Carla.”

She ached to hear an endearment fall from his lips, but… they still had a shouting match before she could let him that close again. Instead, she closed her eyes against the bright lights of medical and whispered, “Okay.”

“Offense Master Rendan.” The tentative voice came from their left and Carla forced her eyes open once more. Her body was healed, no pain remaining, but the glow from the ceiling was a little uncomfortable.

Chashan stood nearby, nervous tension vibrating from every inch of his body. But he stood straight, even as shame seemed to radiate from him. “May I speak to Healer Butler?”

Healer Butler again.
Great
.

Rendan grunted and then lowered his attention to Carla. “May he?”

She frowned. Was that a thing? Were single Preor males supposed to get permission from mates before speaking to a female? The Knowing, still ever-present, jumped forward—the speed making her dizzy for a moment. No, it wasn’t a common practice unless the male had harmed the female in question. But Chashan hadn’t…

“Carla?” Rendan’s voice brought her away from the flowing information from the Knowing and back to the present.

“Uh, sure.”

The healing master didn’t step any closer. He merely lowered his gaze to the ground and placed his fist over his chest. Then… then he did something reserved for the emperor. He lowered to a single knee.

Preor warriors didn’t… It was a symbol of dedication, an honor reserved for a member of the Haclu line. Not a human nobody who happened to be mated to the offense master of the third fleet. She was nothing to this male. A good nurse, sure, but nothing more.

Carla wiggled in Rendan’s embrace and he frowned as he carefully lowered her to her feet. She swayed for a moment, using her mate as a solid surface to keep her upright. Then she went to the still kneeling male.

She stopped just in front of the warrior, reaching out and resting a hand on his bowed shoulders. “Chashan, you shouldn’t—“

“I have dishonored a cherished female. I have brought dishonor on the house sen Vorde and joi Treq.” His relatives and his mate. Carla shook his head, but he still wasn’t looking at her. “I offer my life—“

She gave him a gentle squeeze. “Hush. I don’t want your life.”

“Healer—“

“I mean it. I’ll keep interrupting until you listen.” She forced a lightness to her tone even as tears filled her eyes.

Had he hurt her emotionally and physically by not fully healing her? Yes. But… but she could understand-ish. Their people had come to Earth with hope and he believed Rendan’s lies—seeing her as a heartless human in their midst. She didn’t like his actions, but she understood them.

“Chashan.” She nudged his chin, encouraging him to lift his attention to her. “I don’t want your life or anything else. Say you’re sorry. Promise never to jump to conclusions again, and make sure you talk to both parties before you make a decision.” She forced a smile to her lips. “Think of it as running tests. You wouldn’t toss a diagnosis at someone without checking the
ryaapir
unit first right?”

Chashan frowned. “I would immediately place the patient in the
ryaapir
unit and its accuracy—“

She rolled her eyes. Preor males. “Nevermind. Just promise to save your asshole behavior until you’re one-hundred percent sure you’re right.”

“I still offer—“

“Say life and I’ll hit you.”

He narrowed his eyes. “It is a warrior’s right—“

“Rendan,” she glanced over her shoulder. “I’m gonna hit him and I’ll probably break my hand. Do you think you could go ahead and fire up one of those
ryaapir
—“

Chashan grunted. “Do not strike me. I will concede and offer apologies instead.”

“Good.” Her smile returned. “I wasn’t looking forward to the pain. I figure I’ve had enough to last a lifetime.”

Carla swayed in place, cursing the dizziness that rolled over her for a moment. She was healed but still a little weak. Sure, the
ryaapir
platform ensured she was hydrated and provided sufficient nutrients, but her body was craving something the unit didn’t—wouldn’t—give her.

Coffee. Man, she hated caffeine withdrawal.

Her mate was suddenly there, strong arms wrapping around her, and she found herself lifted into his embrace once more. “You must rest. You were near to death only—“

She stroked his chest with soft, gentle brushes of her fingertips. “I’m fine. I’m alive. I’m here.”

She just needed coffee. Unfortunately, she knew it was
discouraged
when recovering from trauma. But that was for human patients and human methods of healing. She wondered if the same applied for—

The Knowing assured her the rules spread across races. Dammit.

“And I’m ready to go home.” Her home, their home,
a
home. Just somewhere outside of medical. She’d spent too much time in the space as a patient.

Rendan merely grunted and jerked his head at Chashan in a short nod. She sensed a new tension between them, a taut string that she figured would snap at some point. She just hoped they were near medical when it happened.

Her mate turned toward the door, and Carla spied the other occupant in medical—the pregnant human woman who’d collapsed just before Ballakin kidnapped her. She’d come to the choosing station with the hope of finding a mate and Carla thought it might be Ballakin. They’d spied each other and then shortly after… yeah. The woman hadn’t woken since Ballakin’s death and she worried for the soon-to-be mother.

She also worried about the male who hadn’t left her side since he’d returned from the battle with Ballakin—Zadri.

Yes, those thoughts plagued her, but she needed to focus on her own life—at least for a little while. “Take me home, Rendan.”

He stiffened when she said his name instead of
shaa kouvi
, but they needed to talk before she let herself fall into that trap once again.

“As you wish, Carla.” He strode from medical, navigating the twisting hallways of Preor Tower before stepping onto the empty elevator.

The silence enveloped them like an uncomfortable cloud. It was the first time they’d been alone together since she’d discovered his betrayal, and suddenly she wasn’t sure how to act around him. He was still her mate, but he’d hurt her so badly. He’d taken her heart and then stomped on it with both feet, his lies tearing into her soul.

It was what she got for trusting so quickly. It wasn’t even the shattering of her trust that angered her most. It was that she hadn’t tried to protect her heart from him. And then he’d broken it so easily.

Before she was ready, they arrived at her condo door, Rendan bending slightly so she could press her thumb to the identipad. Then the door slid open. Then they were in her condo. Then they were alone.

Rendan carefully lowered her to one of the soft couches, the cushions welcoming her. The moment he released her, he went to a nearby chair, the special design meant to allow for a Preor’s wings’ freedom. It was more like a human stool, backless but with a soft layer on the seat.

He placed it in front of her, as close to the couch as he could get, and then his eyes locked on hers. Intent. Focused. Pained.

Yes, pained. That was the only way to describe the look in his face—his eyes.

“Carla,” he rasped and then reached for her hands. He cradled them in his much larger palms, his thumb brushing the backs slowly—gently. “I must speak and I beg you to listen to my words. I have betrayed you. I have dishonored our mating. I have given you every reason to shun me from your life, but I beg you. Allow me to explain before you make your choice.”

* * *

R
endan held his breath
, begging the skies that she would grant him time to plead with her. He’d been so sure of himself when he went to speak with Chashan, and now he hated himself for his actions—his lies.

Carla remained silent for a moment before she finally said the word he longed to hear. “Yes.”

He released the air in his lungs in a quick
whoosh
and then sucked in another just as quickly. He’d asked for the chance to explain and now he would have to force himself to face the past—and the pain he’d experienced so long ago.

“I would first apologize for my actions.” It was difficult for a warrior to admit wrongdoing, but he would always humble himself before his mate. He did not imagine this was the last time he would apologize in the coming years. “It was wrong to request the injection from Chashan without your knowledge. I have seen your passion and joy when speaking of children and attending bearing females. To take that from you…” shame washed over him. “I also hurt you grievously with my lie to the healing master.” He swallowed hard, preparing himself for the promise to come—and what it would mean to them both. “I swear on my life, on the lives of our future dragonlets, that I will never do such a thing again.”

Carla frowned and shook her head. “You don’t want dragonlets. You said—“

“I said many things—nearly all
stoo-pid
.” He gently squeezed her hands. “I would explain.”

Her frown remained, but she nodded, and he stiffened his spine before letting the memories surge forward. He’d pushed them away for so long, they were sluggish to come to the forefront of his mind, but he was determined. He could not gain his mate’s forgiveness if she did not understand.

Rendan allowed the agony of those first days from the past wash over him, the physical pain from his past joining the emotional misery he embraced at that moment. “I once had a
dam
and
sire
.” He flashed a rueful grin. “Though most dragonlets have a
dam
and
sire
. I mean to say, they once lived. We were a happy
fam-ill-ee
. My
sire
was the primary offense warrior for all of Preor.”

He remembered the pride he’d felt at having such an important
sire
. His
sire
spoke with Emperor Haclu regularly. His
sire
was chosen for many important duties. His
sire
was the strongest, smartest warrior of…

He pushed away that thought. Not ready to face that moment in the past.

“My
dam
was one of the most honored heart masters in our region. She was…” His eyes burned, but they were not tears. Warriors did not cry. His
sire
would—Do nothing because the male was long dead.

“She was beautiful and kind,” he rasped. “She would always go where needed most.” He pulled one hand from Carla’s gentle grasp and ghosted his fingers over his left cheek. “She would kiss me. Here.” He could practically feel her lips on him at that moment. “And then she would go where called.”

Rendan’s gut clenched, hating what came next. “My
sire
was forced to the border. The great conflict was long ended, but fights were common. The Haclu and Preor offense master wished a report on the activity. My
sire
was long trusted.” His
dam
had given her mate a gentle kiss as she often granted Rendan and then his
sire
took flight. “It was not long before my
dam
was asked to join him.”

“Rendan,” she whispered and a tear escaped her eye. He cupped her cheek, brushing it aside.

“Hush,
shaa
—“ he snapped off the word and refocused on the past. “It has been many years. The pain remains, but not as sharply as it once was.” He took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I refused to allow my
dam
to travel with another. If the border was safe for my
dam
, it was safe for me. Plus, she would require protection. No other could be more dedicated to a female than her own offspring.”

At least, those were the words that’d convinced her to grant him his wish. “The flight from our region to the border was uneventful, but the nearer we drew, the larger my unease grew.” He recalled the itching between his wings that had nothing to do with his
dam’s
clothing. The ripple of his scales and tingling in his claws. “We were attacked just inside the border. A mere
mose
—Earth mile—from my
sire.
”