Conquered by the Alien Dragon Page 12

  Oslow was chained, quite heavily. My heart hurt seeing him there, but I reminded myself that he wasn't my friend. He hadn't been from the beginning. His views of me had been no more than a small child. I gritted my jaw. He'd poisoned Illion.

  Oh, yeah. That small tidbit.

  "Everyone please come to order. Silence in the room." Illion sat in a chair brought into the room just for the ordeal. "We will give an account of the events as we know them. Lieutenant Chase?"

  Chase stepped forward out of the assembled crowd and gave a quick rundown of the events leading up to Illion's poisoning, and Oslow's intent to ambush the fleet that came to rescue us. He also made sure everyone knew that Oslow knew the Pax were helping the Coovians and had planned to kill the entire Drakon crew from the moment the ship had arrived in their orbit.

  "And let's not forget our three fallen comrades," Illion added with a bowed head. "May they find great honor in the afterlife."

  The room bowed their heads as a collective whole for about two seconds. Interesting. That must have been a Drakon custom when speaking of the dead.

  "Now Oslow, do you have anything to say for yourself?"

  The old doctor shuffled forward with his chin jutted out. "I know many of you agree that this unnatural alliance the Drakon are making with the humans is unacceptable. They really shouldn't even be breeders, but that can be tolerated. But to treat them as equals? To make them our mates and put them in positions of authority over the great Drakon government and infrastructure? That is absolutely beyond credulity." He kept his speech short, and while most of the room looked at him in disgust, I did catch a few head nods and a few narrowed glances shot my way. He wouldn't be the last Drakon to give me trouble.

  "You will each write your vote on a piece of paper and drop it in the box here beside me," Illion said loudly. "All that is required is guilty or not guilty. We will tally the votes and pass judgement once they're all counted. If found guilty, Oslow will face extreme punishment. The type of punishment will be entirely my decision. If you're uncomfortable with being a part of this, you may enter a blank vote. Nobody will know which way you voted and your honor will be your own."

  He nodded, and the Drakons began to file forward, taking a piece of paper and a pencil from Chase, writing quickly, then dropping the paper into the box. I watched them in fascination. I hadn't seen them so gathered before, and the colors of their scales formed a gorgeous rainbow. Every little girl on Earth would've loved to color them in a book with crayons.

  It took several minutes, but eventually everyone had voted.

  "Please gather around to watch the votes so that nothing suspicious can happen." Illion invited them to crowd forward as we separated out the pieces of paper.

  There were only three blank papers. I helped Chase separate out the ones that said guilty or not guilty, then he counted them.

  "By an overwhelming majority," Illion said loudly after Chase finished counting. "We find you guilty, Doctor Oslow, of treason against your countrymen. This is punishable by death."

  Oslow's silvery face paled and turned a little green. I wasn't sure he'd expected that outcome.

  "Do I have any suggestions for his punishment?" Illion looked out at the room, giving them the chance to speak up. They begin shouting, working themselves up into a frenzy. It appeared most of them wanted to tear his head off.

  Illion held up his hand and the crew immediately quieted. They really did learn to respect him.

  "Leticia," Illion said, causing me to jump in the seat beside him. I'd not expected to be addressed at all. "I'm not sure that it would sway my decision, but what punishment would you like to see?"

  I turned and stared at Oslow, remembering his words, remembering the cocktail of death I studied from Illion's veins. I watched Oslow's expression go from shocked to angry as he glared at me. I turned back to my new partner and smiled sweetly. "There's always the kitchen."

  Illion returned my smile, looking for all the world as if he loved me dearly. "I knew you were the right partner for me," he whispered as he took my hand.

  "Boil him," Illion said in a hard voice. The crowd exploded in cheers. Illion motioned to Chase. "This has about done me in," he admitted. "As much as I hate to say it. Can you handle this?"

  "Of course," Chase whispered back. "It would be an honor."

  Chase walked over to Oslow, who's face had turned shocked again, and pushed him out of the room in the midst of the crowd.

  21

  Illion

  "Let's go to bed," I said to Leti as the last of my crew left the exercise room. I wasn't sure how she'd handle seeing Oslow boiled alive, so I'd asked Chase to oversee it. I had no desire to make her witness something she couldn't handle. I wasn't that tired, but it had been a good excuse.

  "First I need to take your blood. You shouldn't be so tired out yet, you'd been doing much better." Leti hovered over me, putting her hands all over, trying to feel my underarms and count the pulses of my blood.

  "Get your hands off of me," I said in a teasing voice. "I'm fine. I just wanted a few microns alone with you. We haven't even left the medibay yet or returned to my bed chambers."

  "Is that what you want?" she asked, pulling her hands away and cocking her head. "To return to your own bedchamber?"

  "If you're going with me, then yes. I wish for much more than that tonight, though." I pulled her close, spreading my legs so she fit between them. She looked down at me, a hesitant smile on her face.

  "You're my mate. We've declared it. I wish to make it official."

  She smiled, and I wished at that moment that I would always be able to put a smile like that on her face. With a light touch, I ran my hands down her arms and pulled her hand to feel my erection.

  She rubbed it through the fabric of my uniform, bringing a groan out of my mouth.

  "I feel a little weird doing this, knowing we just condemned a man to his torturous death," she said, her hand stilling.

  "He deserves what he's getting and more. He nearly killed me." I stared at her, uncertain if she was as strong as I'd initially thought. Maybe she needed some time to recover from the ordeal of the trial.

  "No, I don't regret suggesting he be boiled. It's extreme, but so was he." She paused thoughtfully. "It's more like we should have a moment to respect the enormity of the situation?"

  "Is that what you would've done on Earth?" I asked.

  "Probably. Actually, on Earth he would've spent a couple of decades in jail as he appealed the decision and tried to get a higher and higher court to grant him leniency."

  I burst out laughing. "That's ridiculous. He confessed. Even as he had a chance to plead his case, he was convincing my crew that they should understand and sympathize with why he did what he did."

  "I know. It's like that on Earth though. Death penalties are few and far between, with some countries not allowing them at all."

  I stood, taking her hand and drawing her out of the room. "Come, let us not think of such things. We are mates now, and my dragon demands we make it official."

  Since I'd woken up with a clear head, my dragon had roared for two things. Oslow's punishment, and to taste our mate. He was wholeheartedly in agreement to taking Leticia as our own, and wanted to claim her.

  "Are you sure you want to go back to Earth? It sounds like they're a very weak species. You're strong, obviously, but they can't even put a criminal to death without multiple rotations of debate? Sounds horrible."

  She laughed. "They're not all bad, many just have an overwhelming amount of compassion. Sometimes too much. The really bad, the ones that harm children, or murder in cold blood, they are given chance after chance to prove innocence, even if there is no doubt they did the crimes. Serial killers rot in jail."

  "Why do they not just remove their heads? It's simpler."

  "And far less expensive. They keep them in prisons, providing their daily food, entertainment, clothes, and so much more." She took a deep breath. "But this is hardly the sort of conversation w
e should be having as we're walking to your bedroom to, ah," she cleared her throat, "mate."

  I laughed at her shyness. She hadn't been shy in the medibay after she'd been injured. I wondered where the sudden bashfulness had come from.

  "It feels more important this time," she said as if she'd read my mind. "This time, there's emotions involved."

  "There were emotions before," I teased. "But mostly raw hunger."

  I pressed my hand on the gold square outside my room and motioned for her to enter first. "You'll move your things in here?" I asked.

  "Sure, but I don't really have many things to bring. Most of the stuff I've collected has been medical in nature, and I guess technically belongs to you."

  "From this moment on, anything I have belongs to you," I whispered. "You are mine."

  I was a long way from declarations of love, but I knew I wanted to spend the foreseeable future with the beguiling woman who had begun to take my heart.

  She turned to me, wrapping her arms around my neck and offering her mouth. I took it willingly. She tasted of fruit and warmth. I licked the seam of her lips, using the tip of the forks in my tongue to tease her.

  She liked the feeling, because her body pressed firmly against mine as she arched her back and opened her mouth.

  Our tongues battled and I slid my hands between us, cupping her breasts before sliding down the zipper of her jumpsuit.

  She wasn't wearing anything at all under the soft cloth of the medical uniform. I pushed the fabric off of her shoulders and looked at her perky breasts, the dusky pink tips begging to be suckled.

  Who was I to deny them what they wanted? After taking just enough time to shed my own clothes and finish removing hers, I moved my attention to the softness of her skin, denying myself the end goal—her nipples.

  Her neck was warm and soft, so I ran my lips across the hollow between her neck and her collarbone. "Illion," she whispered. "What are you doing?"

  "Enjoying your body. I'm memorizing it. It belongs to me now, not because you're my slave, but because you've given it to me."

  She stiffened. "Wait."

  I sat up and looked at her in surprise. "What is it?"

  "I've agreed that I have feelings for you and I'd like to pursue those feelings. But what happens if time passes and I change my mind?" She arched an eyebrow at me.

  "Well, if you agree to marry me, under Drakon law if we divorce, you leave the marriage a full citizen of Thirren, with the same rights as any other Drakon. You would be also be permitted a portion of my wealth."

  Her mouth fell open.

  "Of course, if you accumulate a mass of wealth, I'd be eligible for half of it as well," I teased. "Never know, Drakons might flock to be treated by a human doctor." I pecked a kiss on her lips.

  "They'll love being treated by me," she responded as my lips returned to her neck. I resumed my progression to my goal.

  My dragon wanted me to bite her, but I saved that for the moment she had her first orgasm. We would claim her, everyone would know she was ours, but it would be the least jarring for her in the heat of the moment.

  I licked and kissed my way across her chest, and into the hollow between her breasts, then finally allowed my hands to add to her pleasure.

  Her breathing elevated slightly as I slid my hands up her stomach. I felt her suck in air, expanding her chest and drawing the sensitive skin around her navel away from my touch. She giggled softly.

  "Ticklish?" I asked.

  "A little."

  I logged that information away for a time I felt more playful. At the moment all I wanted to do was give her extreme amounts of pleasure.

  Her breasts filled my large hands, and I kneaded them gently, finally claiming one of her nipples with my mouth. She moaned again. "Finally," she huffed.

  I chuckled as I teased the nipple into a point, nipping the end of it lightly.

  Moving to the other, I kept the first stimulated with my fingers, rolling it slowly between them, then brushing my knuckle over it as I gave the other a hard suck.

  Leti's hands tangled in my hair. "More, please Illi. More."

  I couldn't deny her what she asked for. I licked down her stomach, avoiding her navel. I'd never liked those pits on the stomach. Drakon had them as well.

  Tasting her was my next desire. I wanted to bring her to orgasm with my tongue alone.

  "Spread your legs, mate," I said bossily. She giggled but did as she was told.

  "You are beautiful," I whispered before lowering my head and using my tongue to tease her little bud. What she didn't realize was how strong and long my tongue was. I hadn't shown her that yet. Now was a great time to start, though.

  I pushed my tongue inside her, drawing it up and pushing that spot inside that I knew would drive her mad.

  Some Drakon men had the ability to use their breath to further increase their partner's pleasure. I'd never tried it, assuming I didn't have the ability, but as I licked Leticia, and my thoughts went to her pleasure instead of my own, I felt a pressure build up inside my chest.

  I exhaled instinctively, and my breath licked over her mound.

  She gasped, then shook slightly. "What was that?"

  "Something I've never done before you," I whispered, then returned to the job at hand, releasing my breath again every time I felt it build up. I assumed practice would help me control it and bring it up when I wanted it to come.

  Between the breath and my tongue, she was panting through an orgasm quickly. To finish her off, I wrapped my tongue around her bud and squeezed hard, stimulating it as much as I could. She cried out, gripping my hair to the point of being nearly painful.

  My dragon loved it. He demanded we take her, right away.

  I moved up her body, positioning myself at her soaking wet entrance. With a quick swipe of my head through her liquid, I slid into her with ease.

  "You were made to hold me," I whispered into her hair as I moved slowly in and out of my mate.

  "You were made to fill me," she replied in a tight voice.

  She moaned but said no more. I couldn't argue with her. I was trying too hard to prolong the pleasure before my own orgasm took over. I wanted to bite her while deep inside, both of us panting out our pleasure.

  My thrusts were unhurried, though. I took my time, enjoying the feel of the muscles inside her clenching and milking my cock. Eventually, my slow pace built her up enough that she began to squirm. "Illion, I'm close," she whispered.

  "I'm going to claim you." I wanted to give her a bit of warning. I wasn't sure how painful it might be to be claimed by a dragon.

  She nodded her head. "Please," she pleaded. "I'm so close."

  I hastened my strokes slightly as I licked her neck. My dragon roared, nearly taking over. We couldn't shift now, not while inside our mate. I held him back, but his emotions shaded my judgement.

  My hips thrust forward hard, crashing into Leticia, causing her to squeal. "Yes, that's it," she said, throwing her head back as I slammed into her again. Her neck was too tempting, and I sank my teeth into her perfect skin with ease.

  Her blood poured into my mouth, and I felt centered and connected with her.

  I wasn't sure if claiming was some sort of magical or metaphysical connection, but it sure felt that way. She was mine, officially. There would be no divorce, of that I was sure. Our joining wouldn't have been so delicious or wouldn't have felt so right if we weren't meant for one another.

  She had stiffened when I'd bit her, and as my orgasm faded, she relaxed. I released her neck, licking the spots where I'd brought blood. She would heal, but until she did, she'd have my mark for the entire crew to see.

  It would be known that Illion Nevrin-Hielsrane, smearling, had claimed a gorgeous human wife.

  "Are you well?" I asked. She would never be hurt or uncomfortable again if I had anything to do with it.

  "I'm wonderful," she said with a groan. She stretched underneath me. "Hold me?"

  Even though I didn't respond, I was
all too glad to take her into my arms, wrapping my wings around us both. She was mine, and I would take care of her, even in her sleep.

  22

  Leti

  Since Oslow had been the only doctor on board, it fell to me to take over as physician for the remainder of the trip. Illion wouldn't be swayed from his mission. If nearly dying hadn't done it, nothing I had to say would. He trusted I could handle anything that popped up, and help was just a phone call away.

  If only I'd had his confidence.

  The bright side was his mother. He called her the day after he bit me and explained the whole situation to her, then arranged for a video conference for the two of us. She was gorgeous, absolutely stunning. The video quality was shocking, and each of her scales came through crystal clear in shades of pinks and purples.

  "I am so pleased to meet you," she said, a tear rolling down her cheek. "My Illion has been lonely for most of his life. You are a blessing to this mother's heart."

  "Thank you," I said humbly. "I hope I continue to be one."

  She continued welcoming me for several minutes, until she had me stammering and blushing. Finally she stopped. "Please," she said. "Tell me about yourself."

  "I'm a doctor on Earth," I said proudly. "Just graduated."

  "From doctor school?"

  "Yes. Our training to become a physician on Earth is very different from on Thirren. We go to classes, then train with existing physicians. I had just finished my schooling and was about to begin my internship at a hospital."

  "Your parents must have been very proud," she said with a smile. "I am proud that you are my son's mate, and that he found someone so intelligent."

  "They died when I was very young." I lowered my eyes.

  "Now you have a mother again," Illion's mother said warmly. "You may call me Leiren, but I hope you'll eventually call me mother as he does."

  "How can you be so accepting of someone you've just met?" I asked.