Dragon Star Read online

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  Red Rose Publishing

  www.redrosepublishing.com

  Copyright ©2007 by Stephanie Burke

  First published in 2007-07-26, 2007

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  NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment.

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  Dragon’s Star

  By

  Stephanie Burke

  Dedication

  This book is for Laura and the Ladies of Man Lover Romance. Discrimination is wrong, on any level! Thanks Wendi for inviting me! *g* Bless you Sandy, for hanging your foot up my narrow rump and loosing directions out of the window while traveling at extreme speeds down a unknown highway in the backwoods of Texas! The look on your face … LOL For the Ladies and Gents of Flamekeeper! You all keep me writing when I am beaten, battered, and ready to stop. And to Den and my wonderful spawns. Den for support above and beyond, and for the Spawns, may you never read what mommy writes until you are 30! LOL

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Dragon Star by Stephanie Burke

  Red Rose Publishing

  Copyright© 2007 Stephanie Burke

  ISBN: 978-1-60435-011-1

  Cover Artist: Mari LaCroix

  Editor: Savannah Gray

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews. Due to copyright laws you can not trade, sell or give any ebooks away.

  Red Rose Publishing

  www.redrosepublishing.com

  12065 Woodhull Road

  Forestport, NY 13338

  Thank you for purchasing a book from Red Rose Publishing where publishing comes with a touch of Class!

  Dragon’s Star

  By

  Stephanie Burke

  Chapter 1

  She trembled as she cowered in the corner, praying against all hope that the scabs chasing her would not see where she had taken to hiding.

  Her back ached and her head pounded, but it was her overwhelming fear that overrode the physical discomforts and helped to make her so miserable. It was the fear of the knowing what was chasing her that terrified her so.

  The scabs…

  She was lucky to escape their first notice alive, and she knew it. What they would do to her if they caught her? The thought was horrifyingly unthinkable. So she huddled deeper into her corner, bending and contorting her feverish body so that it melded with the shadows, hiding all and offering her the illusion of protection. This physical camouflage was nothing new to her. She had perfected hiding in plain sight when she was but a youngling.

  Out here in the desert lands, you either learned to conform or you were set out for the scabs.

  Even hiding, the sound of the many scurrying feet heading in her direction caused her to panic. Her heart leapt in her chest, and her breathing rapidly increased to the point where she was in danger of hyperventilating and passing out on the rocky ground.

  Remain calm, she thought to herself as she forced herself to calm down, to take shallow breaths, to use her mind and think. There has to be a way out of this.

  But her mind went blank. She could do nothing but stare wide-eyed into the dark, listening with building terror as they drew closer and closer.

  I don’t want to die, she thought as her trembling hands clenched into fists of impotent fury.

  She was not ready to die! Death was so … so final! She was scared of that unknown more than anything else.

  She forced her mind to stop spiraling down in that morbid cycle. It would drive her mad. If she had to die, she would face it honorably. But that was very cold comfort. Still, she would try to face it honorably, with a decided lack of whimpering and cowering. She knew she had to do this, but did she possess the strength?

  As the clicking sounds of the inevitable drew closer, small whimpers began to unconsciously escape her mouth with each breath. Suddenly, she realized that she had no time to find her bravery. Suddenly, it was too late.

  As she watched, paralyzed in sheer terror, a long muzzle and a pair of glowing yellow eyes peered into the shadows inches in front of her face.

  Losing control, she opened her mouth and a scream of pure terror filled the air.

  “IEEEEEEE!”

  Through eyes so wide the whites dominated the pupils; she watched as the creature blinked twice then opened its mouth to reveal a gaping maw filled with razor sharp teeth.

  She was going to die!

  Fear created a metallic wash in the back of her throat and her heart felt as if it was sliding up her chest and out of her mouth!

  She stared as that dark cavern of a mouth drew closer and closer and then … then…

  Then it yawned.

  The thing that was staring at her with those evil yellow eyes yawned as if it were bored!

  Her shrieks stopped mid-echoing-scream as she realized that the thing was not tearing into her, rending her body to shreds.

  She blinked, fascinated by what this thing was doing. Was it a scab? Was it here to feast on her still warm innards while she screamed in sour rending pain and begged for the release of death? Was it really yawning again?

  “Are we through?” it hissed at her.

  She stared wide-eyed as it peered closely at her, raising one eyebrow in her direction.

  “Are-aren’t you going to … to eat me?” she stammered, her body still trembling with fear.

  “Maybe…” it drawled. “But only if you ask nicely,” it replied and began to rise.

  And rise, and rise, and rise!

  “Gods!” she gasped as the thing towered over her.

  It was as big as a house!

  It snorted once, a plume of white smoke flowing from its left nostril as it again arched one eyebrow at her.

  “Not quite,” it leered as it swiftly lowered its head to peer at her again.

  With its long neck easily bent to her level, she could see its eye was easily as large as her whole head.

  Gods, but she never even noticed its sheer size when she had first glanced at it.

  Now she stood, watching this … this thing as it stepped back from the shadows and exposed itself in the dim light of the lowering suns.

  It was white: blinding bright white that seemed to reflect the light around it.

  Its serpentine body looked scaled, yet soft as it again rose to its full height and shuddered. All at once, goosier wings exploded from its back and it lowered itself to its front … legs.

  She blinked as she realized that it had been standing on its rear legs, balancing perfectly as it seemed to ready itself for something.

  “Are you coming?” it asked politely, turning to look at her yet again.

  “What…” she gasped as she slowly rose to her feet. What was this creature?

  “You have wings?” it asked politely.

  “Wings?” she stammered as the ache in her back increased, making her wince and clutch at her hips.

  “I can smell you,” he hissed again, its brow wrinkling in … consternation? “You are almost ripe for the plucking.”

  “Plucking!” she gasped. It was her total lack of interest in plucking that had gotten her cast out into the desert lands into the first place! She
had never felt the desire to reproduce like the other women. Her refusal to let a man choose her for the ritual was what had gotten her into this nightmare to begin with.

  Not that she was a stranger to trouble … after all, a little foundling child had to accept whatever lot life delivered to her. And usually she was quite good at obeying her adoptive father. But to mate with his first son? The barbarian? The bathless wonder? That was too much for anyone to ask of any female.

  So she found herself pulled out of her sickbed and paraded before the council. Justice was swift and unexpected.

  Because several men on the council had been refuted at her hands, they sought revenge the best way they could.

  Banishment.

  So now she had an aching back, no home to go to, the threat of scabs picking at her bones, and this … this thing wanted to pluck her!

  “What are you?” she gasped as the pain in her back nearly bent her double.

  “Have your people taught you nothing? Who is your family? Why must I need travel so far to find my mate?” it asked almost absently.

  “Family? Travel? MATE!”

  “Mate,” the thing sighed, as it seemed to look to the heavens for guidance. Shaking its head sadly, it said, “And the young ones used to be better trained than this. What is the world coming to?”

  “Mate!” she shrieked again. “What are you?”

  “Um … your mate.” he replied after a moment of thought.

  “What?”

  “Your blood mate, woman! And I have searched long and hard for you! If I had not picked up on your distress, you would still be lost to me.”

  “My distress?” Was this huge, walking, house-sized thing trying to be sarcastic? Was it playing with her? Was this all a big joke? “You are the one who is distressing me right now!”

  “Well, I think that I am the better choice when it’s between me and those twelve legged creatures who are on your trail right now.”

  “Twelve…” As her words eased off, she realized the she could hear the clicking and the shrieking sounds of the scabs. They were coming for her.

  She stared at the creature, which although fearsome and quite large, had yet to show any desire to eat her, and then in the direction of that nerve wrecking sound. Which was the lesser of the two evils?

  “Okay! Let’s go, mate!” she said as she looked around to see if the clicking things were within biting distance.

  “So when the scavengers come calling, then you acknowledge me as your mate,” the thing huffed.

  “Could we hurry this along?” she spoke swiftly as she stared over her shoulders, ignoring the sarcasm flowing from the … the Mate thing. “Argue later. Get me out of here now!”

  With a sigh, the creature looked over her shoulders at the approaching menace and then back towards her.

  “What is your name?”

  “I don’t have one!” she cried, her voice rising in pitch, urgent with every word.

  “No name?”

  “They call me Girl!”

  “Well, we have to do better than that.” it snorted.

  “Please…” she cried. The scabs were getting closer!

  “Okay! I’ll think about it as we travel to our new home.”

  “Fine!” she shrieked, as the clicking grew louder. “Just get me out of here!”

  “Gladly, Mate!” the creature snickered then lowered itself to the ground. “I think I will call you Shrill. Shrill … It seems to fit!”

  But she said nothing as the first of the scabs rounded the corner; antenna waving, mandibles clicking, their many eyes shining like new death.

  Too late, she thought. The hope she had felt growing in her heart swiftly dying.

  And then the creature smiled.

  Chapter 2

  The scabs came racing around the corner; the clicking of their scales and mandibles sounding demonic as their many legs pounded the sand and rocks.

  “Get me out of here!” she screamed, then forgetting her fear of the unknown and the pain that was slowly engulfing her body, she raced to the creature and leapt as high as she could, scrambling upon its back.

  The beast looked at the rapidly advancing bugs, its expression growing dark. There were two of them, large and shining purple in the setting suns. Their bodies were shaped like half circles, their teeth-filled mouths centered in their short, squat bodies. They seemed all legs and teeth, but the strength in their large bodies was well apparent as they effortlessly moved across the rough desert terrain.

  “Now!” she screamed again as she looked behind her, then tried to burrow into the creature’s skin, hiding behind his fall of large silvery wings. She would do anything to get away from the threat of the scabs!

  The beast looked towards the threatening sound, the long serpentine body shuddering as it debated the merits of fighting the good fight or getting its mate to safety.

  “Please,” she whispered, her eyes tearing up as the horde of two drew closer. Whimpering and shivering, she closed her eyes and again prepared to meet her death.

  The fear and defeat it saw in her eyes decided its next action for it.

  Just as the creatures were almost within striking range, he tensed his body. Those delicate looking wings began to pound the air, raising a sand cloud that temporarily blinded the terrible creatures called scabs, and began to lift its upper body.

  The muscles in its rear legs tightened and suddenly they were launched into the pastel colored sky.

  She held on tightly, her fingers finding purchase in the large plate-like scales that covered it as the creature began to rapidly move. The pounding of her heart almost masked the crackling sound of the air as its wings beat the wind back and pushed her body forward. But the sudden lurching of her body as the creature moved made her eyes pop open to see what was befalling her now.

  Her short, electric blue curls flew madly around her head, dancing in the wake of the creature’s beating wings as she felt the hot desert air race against her bare skin. She felt pressure push her body downward, tighter against the amazingly smooth and incredibly soft scales. But with the creature’s undulations, she knew she had to hold on tighter else she might suddenly find herself lifted clear from the creature’s back!

  Around her, the world began to sway and silently dance as she felt her body being propelled through time and space.

  They shot through the air almost faster than human sight, the bold golds and oranges of the desert sun reflecting upon the sands, becoming a blur. One moment they were flying over the ground, the next they were soaring straight up!

  Up past the clouds they flew seeing the fluffy white puffs of moisture that reflected the pinks and purples of the setting suns. Up past the low, scraggly desert trees and the ruins of the once great city she had been hiding in. Up they flew, seeming to fly so fast that they shot past the problems that seemed so insurmountable just mere moments ago.

  And it all just felt so perfect to her.

  Almost tentatively, she raised her head higher, strangely unafraid as she felt the world pass her … no … she felt herself fly past the world!

  The ground passed at a dizzyingly fast pace as they lifted higher and higher. She smiled as she felt the coolness of the air up there and shuddered in delight.

  She never could take to that awful desert heat well; it was one of the reasons that her adoptive parents felt that she was a weak, sickly child who should have been grateful for any scrap of kindness offered.

  But here … here riding on the back of the beast … she felt like a queen! Her precarious perch didn’t matter, the fact that this beast was taking her far away from everything she had ever known didn’t matter. The fact that her life would be irrevocably changed didn’t matter.

  Here, on the creature’s back, she had found her freedom.

  And she reveled in it.

  “We shall be there soon.” The words floated back to her on a warm gust of air. But it was the vibration under her legs that let her know that he beast was actually speaking t
o her.

  “Where?” she screamed, laughing a little as the wind carried her words away. The wind, this cool wind that flowed over her carried by magical wings, seemed to even ease the ache in her back and sides. It was sheer paradise.

  “To my lands,” it replied and she nodded, feeling the words more than hearing them.

  To its lands … and strangely, she was content with that. After all, anything was better than the hot and arid lands she was leaving.

  Chapter 3

  She didn’t know when her eyes closed, but when she next blinked them open, the ache in her body had noticeably decreased and she felt cocooned in warmth.

  She looked around the room she was currently in and sighed in shocked pleasure.

  This place was warm and comforting, yet light and airy. It was so different from the rich reds and golds of her old home. Instead of colors that reflected the desert lands, this place was strewn with pillows and tapestries of deep blues and purples, and teasing slashes of pink and cream.

  She looked down at the soft, comfortable bedding she was lying on and … groaned.

  She was about as naked as she had been when she was dumped in her adopted parent’s homestead.

  She froze, her eyes growing wide as she quickly tried to determine if there were any new aches and pains below the belt that she should be worried about, but relaxed, as she discovered none.

  In fact, looking down for a visual conformation, she realized that she was lying snuggled on a huge soft pillow, bare butt facing the world.

  Shaking off her unease—and who wouldn’t be uneasy finding themselves naked in a strange place?—she rose to her feet and looked around for anything, anything at all, to clothe her naked body.

  The wind flittering through the huge windows brought her attention to the bright and colorful curtains that seemed to float about the room, held in place over the windows by ornate rods.

  Looking around quickly to see if anyone was watching, she reached up and gripped the satiny material, pulling it down with one quick jerk.

  She giggled as it tore free of its moorings and settled gently over her head.