“Yes. I don’t know for how long. It all becomes a blur, but I think you have been there since I first went to sleep. Which you were.”
He blinked slowly. “Yes, I was. But you saw me in my beast form? In your dreams, I mean.”
“Yes, but I didn’t have anything to use for scale.” She smiled slightly. “In my dreams, you were outlined against the stars.”
“But you didn’t mind the sight?”
“No, I always loved dragons. It was comforting to see something familiar in the cold darkness.”
Rokar blinked his eyes slowly. “You were awake?”
“Sort of. Not really. Time was stretchy. When I was aware of the world around me, it was cold, dark, and all I could see was the light of the stars so far away.” She shrugged. “It is all I remember, anyway. Stars with a dragon flying through them.”
He had a slightly dazed smile on his lips. “You dreamed of me.”
She nodded and sipped at her own tea. “That is what I said.”
He sighed. “What if I told you that that detail meant we were to be mates? It marks us as soul mates.”
She quickly lifted the tea from her lips before she repeated his gesture. “Soul mates? Mates? If you are talking about breeding partners, I have to tell you that with this mutation of mine, I don’t think that having a child is in the cards.”
“Being a mate doesn’t have to contain breeding in the contract. Companions for life is more the thing. A proxy is possible if children are desired. You are quite right. Your talent would not remain dormant during a pregnancy.”
She blinked. “Right. So, why are you telling me this?”
He grinned. “Despite my extended lifespan as a Drai, and now my link to Iratho providing even more time, I don’t want to spend another day without you by my side. Now that we have confirmed that we are compatible, there is only the matter of you approving of my home. Once that is done, I am free to begin physically related courtship.”
“Um, are we in a hurry for that?”
He laughed. “No. It is enough to have you here, safe, and in control.”
She sighed in relief. “Good. I am just getting used to not thinking that I am in a dream every morning. Altering my tenuous grip on reality would be a little jarring.”
“Understood. Would you like to watch the documentary on the Empress-consort of the Haldis Imperium?”
“Oh, please. I love that one.”
Rocky began playing the vid, and despite the attack and homicide that had already occurred, Addy and Rokar had a nice afternoon.
Addy was riding Rokar on a much quicker tour of the landscape when she got the first warning.
“Adelheid, there is a ship incoming. It is the horticultural vessel, and they are requesting a welcome.”
As the update came through the collar of her suit, Rokar wheeled, and he put on speed as he returned to the island.
Addy ducked her head down and let the wind wash over her. As long as she kept her head down, her eyes didn’t burn.
The change in the temperature, the blast of gasses that they passed through, warned her that they had reached the island. She lifted her head as Rokar settled in for a landing.
“When will the ship arrive, Rocky?”
“They are on their descent. The ship will land on the island to begin with, and once all things are settled, shuttles will take the specialists where they need to go. I have bots waiting to transfer the rations and water supplies.”
“Good. Glad you have it all in hand, or whatever.” She was nervous. It was going to be her first time meeting most of the landing species.
She dismounted from Rokar’s neck, sliding along his scales before settling on her feet.
The moment she was off, Rokar resumed his regular form, and she watched as his nude figure was obscured by a whirlwind, which faded into nothing, leaving his body clad in his standard sleeveless bodysuit and boots. Addy wasn’t kidding herself, she liked that moment when he stood in his skin and nothing else, but that would have to wait until the Citadel was up and running.
Two days ago, the aquatic vessel with its personnel and creatures had landed in the northern sea and promptly sunk in to begin its purpose. Rokar had reported that they were doing fine without him. He would check-in in a week or two. Iratho was eager to see how the creatures thrived, but interfering would not be helpful. He would pitch in when he was asked, or when he felt like it.
The ship appeared on the horizon, and it grew larger, but was setting up for a landing at a controlled angle.
Addy took Rokar’s hand, and he squeezed her fingers lightly. “It is fine, Adelheid. They are coming in at the perfect descent angle.”
She fidgeted.
“Don’t worry. They have given all the codes to the station, and to Rocky. They are who they say they are.”
She activated her helmet the moment that the dust started to kick up. Rokar could repel the dust, but she had to do it with the tech she was wearing.
When the dust settled, the gleaming silver-white ship was squatting on the silty soil and a series of balance supports were extending from the hull.
Once the machine was stable, a door opened and steps unfolded to the ground.
The first of the specialists to emerge was masculine, and he was a brilliant green. The second person out of the ship was female, appeared human, and had the wild look of someone who had been up for days.
Addy’s vision fixed on the young woman, and she began to walk toward the younger version of her sister. When the woman spotted her, they were both walking briskly to a midpoint.
Her niece was holding a small angry creature that was growling constantly.
“Aunty Adelheid, I am happy to meet you, but please take him!”
The desperation was obvious, so Addy reached out and took the small fluffy beast in her arms. Her soul felt warm in that moment, and she looked at the eyes that transitioned from angry crimson to soft and swirling silver.
“Hello, little guy. What’s your name?”
He let out a soft chirp and a low rumble, snuggling into her embrace.
Deahlia stared at him. “That little bastard.”
Addy laughed. “Why? What is he?”
Rokar walked up next to her. “He’s a Yaluthu. They are a species of empathic healers and they are self-propagating. They have been trying to get me to take one for you, but Iratho didn’t want to be overrun. Arrangements have been made.”
Addy looked up from her new friend and blinked. “Oh, Rokar-Iratho, this is my niece, Deahlia.”
Rokar inclined his head and settled his arm around Addy’s shoulder. “I am pleased to meet any kinswoman of my mate.”
Deahlia looked at them with wide eyes. “That was fast.”
Addy smiled. “It has been percolating for a few decades, right, Rumble?”
The Yaluthu in her arm chirped affirmative. He was in the right place now, Addy could feel it.
Chapter Eight
Rumble hogged the bed. It was the first thing that Addy noticed about him.
“You are really teeny for something that likes to tangle in the covers. I can hardly wait to see what happens when Rokar is in here as well.”