Zaruv: A Sci-Fi Alien Dragon Romance (Aliens of Dragselis Book 1) Read online

  It had been so long since I had been touched by a man. That realization was not lost on me as I tugged on a form-fitting top and my favorite pair of bottoms. Taking a little more care than usual with my hair, I took one final glance in the mirror and sighed.

  “What the hell am I thinking?” I whispered to myself.

  A soft knock on the door made me jump. “Is everything all right, Jennifer?”

  I cleared my throat, “Of course.”

  Pulling open the door I looked up at the dangerously handsome Dragselian. He looked a little worried as he gazed past me and into my bedroom. I stepped in front of him and quickly shut the door. His gazing eyes were just a bit too intimate for me to handle so early in the morning.

  “I need coffee,” I muttered as I wiggled past him.

  “I thought I heard voices, did you have company last night that I wasn’t aware of?” he asked as he followed me.

  I grinned but didn’t let him see. I could hear the faint tone of jealousy in his voice and it gave me a thrill. It was good to know that the attraction wasn’t just coming from me. He was unlike any man that I had ever met.

  “If you are going to be staying here, you’ll need to act and look as human as possible. I will need a few hours to get help for the clinic and supplies for us to leave. You sauntering around like some kind of god won’t help things. People in this area aren’t really friendly to…” I said carefully, “Outsiders.”

  “You mean aliens?” he asked.

  “I mean a race that dangerously resembles the same one that is guilty of slaughtering hundreds of settlers here during the early days. A lot of the men and woman had parents who were murdered by outsiders.”

  He placed his large, warm hand on mine and my heart started to race. I gazed up into his eyes, struggling to catch my breath.

  “Those monsters are not who we are. They were cast out for their crimes against your world and others,” he whispered softly.

  It took me a moment, but I pulled my hand away, pouring myself a coffee with an unsteady grip.

  “So, does this mean that you are going to help me find my brothers?”

  I nodded, “I guess it does. You understand that I can’t leave for long, right? I have commitments here and people that count on me to take care of their children, elders, and family.”

  “Yes,” he said, his tone a promise. “We will only be gone a few days. One of the pods landed not far from here. I do not know this terrain and as you pointed out, I don’t blend in very well on my own.”

  “Well, that’s why you have me, I guess,” I muttered.

  “And I am so thankful that I do. Now, how can I help you accomplish this list of yours? The sooner we can leave, the better. My brother, Ragal, is not the warrior type. I have no doubt that if he crashed as I did, he will look for civilization. He doesn’t understand caution, as well as one in his position should.”

  “Then we should get going as soon as I have my morning coffee,” I promised him.

  Zaruv sighed dramatically and watched me as I sipped the steaming hot drink. I could conquer the world, but I needed a shot of paqmov first. True coffee beans had long ago gone extinct. They were replaced by paqmov that was stronger and far healthier for you. I felt the energy as it slowly started to build inside of me. The day was looming over my head like a curse. On a normal day, I would have drunk it quickly and dashed out the door.

  Today though, I was taking my time because of Zaruv. The incessant tapping of his long fingers was enough for me to dig my heels into the metaphorical ground. My conscience quickly won out though, as I thought of his brothers’ lives hanging in the balance. I could deal with Zaruv’s impatient tapping later. Setting my cup in the sink I quickly grabbed my bag. I had carefully packed enough medical and personal supplies to last several days.

  Looking back at him, I asked, “Well? We need to get out to the Joneses' farm and talk to Mike and his mother. She should be able to watch the clinic while we are gone.”

  He frowned, “Can’t you leave a notice for your clients to seek alternate treatment?”

  I glared back at him, “The nearest clinic after mine is two days by foot. Most of the settlement doesn’t have any sorts of transportation. Life out here is hard, people don’t wait on a poor farmer hand and foot.”

  Zaruv looked stunned, “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  “Yeah, well you did. I told you I would help you find your brothers and I will, but my people count on me and I won’t let them down. I’m heading to the Joneses’, are you coming or not?”

  “Yes,” he muttered, looking properly chagrined.

  I headed out into the hallway and quietly made my way to the steps. When Zaruv slammed the door forcefully, I cringed and glared back at him. He looked shocked.

  “I apologize; your craftsmanship isn’t what it should be.”

  I sighed and started to walk down the steps when I heard the sound of another door opening. Instantly, I was on red alert. The last thing I wanted to happen had just occurred. Courtney was awake and no doubt about to make my life a living hell.

  “Oh! Well hello, Jennifer. I didn’t hear you come in last night,” she said, not even trying to conceal the fact that she had no interest in me.

  Her eyes were firmly glued on Zaruv. To my surprise, his cheeks started to blush faintly as he shot her a sideways grin.

  “No, and that is my fault. I kept Jennifer out late last night. I didn’t realize she had a curfew,” he said in a smooth, Vaxivia accent.

  My mouth dropped open. I looked back to Courtney who appeared even more shocked than I was. It took her a few seconds to recover, but when she did, I saw the nosy smile come back. Great, now she had some juicy gossip to spread around town. I would never hear the end of this. Before I could diffuse the situation, Courtney stepped forward. Her hands placed firmly on her hips.

  “Of course, she doesn’t have a curfew. In a small community though, we keep watch on our own,” she said proudly.

  “Well, I assure you that I will personally be keeping a close watch on her,” said Zaruv in a sultry voice. His eyes flicked back to me, “Every part of her. So, you can now focus your efforts on someone else.”

  To end the conversation, he turned to me and started following me down the steps. I rushed the last few in an effort to flee from Courtney, though I was still reeling from the entire encounter. When we were safely heading to Mike’s home on the outskirts of the settlement, I sat back and studied Zaruv. There was more to him than met the eye, and my eyes were perfectly content looking at him.

  “You’re staring at me,” he said in a casual tone.

  “I just can’t believe what just happened! Why didn’t you tell me you could talk like us?”

  He shrugged, “I guess I didn’t think about it. All princes of Dragselian are taught to speak in different languages and dialects in case we are ever left in hostile territory.”

  “I guess that training came in handy today, but did you have to make it sound like we were, doing that?” I asked, my cheeks flushing.

  “Doing what?” he asked, his gaze meeting mine.

  I rolled my eyes, “Don’t play dumb. You know what I mean.”

  Zaruv inched closer to me, our arms brushing against each other. Our lips were just inches apart. I could almost taste his sweet skin, feel his firm lips as they pressed against mine.

  “Would you prefer if I’d told the truth?” he asked.

  I shoved him away from me, cursing myself for falling under his spell again. “No, I guess not. You definitely gave her enough to gossip for a while.”

  “Then it will be fun when we get back,” he said playfully.

  I groaned. Thankfully the Jones’ farm came into view and I saw Mike and his mother, plus his two small sisters coming to the gate to meet us. The three women looked concerned, but Mike looked thrilled to see Zaruv again.

  “Everything okay, Jennifer?” Margaret asked, not taking her eyes off Zaruv.

  I smiled and climbed down
, “It's fine, I was hoping you could watch the clinic for me for a few days. I will pay you of course.”

  “Sure, things are slow at work right now. Where are you headed? Is someone hurt?”

  I sighed, looking back at Zaruv. “We don’t know yet, but I hope not. Maybe for now you could just keep this visit between us though. I don’t want to get people stirred up for nothing.”

  “Sure, be safe out there, okay?” she said, finally looking at me.

  I smiled at my old friend, “I will. I promise to fill you in when we get back, okay?”

  Margaret nodded her head and watched us as we pulled away. That was only the first stop that we had to make before safely getting out of the enclosed settlement. It wouldn’t be so easy to get Zaruv past the guards. I could only hope that Courtney and her gossip hadn’t reached them on the radio yet. I was hoping to make it out without having to lie to anyone, but I knew that was impossible. I needed to think of something fast as the outpost wall approached.

  “Let me do all the talking, okay?” I whispered as we pulled to a stop.

  Zaruv nodded as two men approached us. Thankfully, I wasn’t familiar with either of them as they were both new to the position. I couldn’t imagine trying to sneak past the sergeant two days in a row. I smiled at the man who approached me, obviously, the higher ranking of the two. He seemed to soften at once.

  “Hi there, I don’t believe we’ve met. I run the clinic in town,” I said.

  “What’s your business leaving town?” he paused.

  “Jennifer,” I offered. “There was a salvage accident last night. I’m taking the driver back to meet with the recovered crew.”

  “Why don’t you have someone else do it? Seems silly for the only medical professional to be skipping town.”

  I raised an eyebrow and set my jaw, “Have you ever seen a wreck salvaged? Men have been known to die trying to get that material out of the ground. If I can save one life over patching a few cuts and bruises than I am going to. Do I need to talk to the sergeant? Are we going to have a problem here?”

  The young man looked to the ground at once, turning to the gatekeeper, “Let ’em go! Now!”

  “Thank you,” I hissed back.

  As we rushed through the gates, I let out a sigh of relief. Now the only thing I had to worry about was the man sitting silently at my side, a dangerously handsome grin playing across my lips.

  Chapter 5

  Zaruv

  I couldn’t stop a grin from playing across my lips as I watched Jennifer begin to relax in the seat next to me. She was amazing! Fearless and strong, I had no doubt that she could hold her own in a fight. It would take us the afternoon to get to the downed pod and I planned on taking advantage of the time with Jennifer. It was an enigma that a human could hold my attention when I’d known all sorts of lovers.

  “You know living out here, you learn to watch your back. Is there a reason you are staring at me?”

  I laughed, she was so perceptive. “You continue to amaze me. How did you come to be here?”

  “On the planet? Or do you mean in an existential sense?” she played.

  “I just want to know more about you. You are the first humanoid that I’ve spent any time with. I can’t help it if you intrigue me.”

  Her cheeks flushed a deep red, driving my desire into a frenzy. I had to be patient with her. She was different than the other women I’d taken to my bed. I wanted more from her but I had to remember my purpose for being here, to save my brothers. Jennifer would be a welcomed distraction in between though. She vibrated with a passion that I wanted to taste.

  “So? Do you have family here or a husband perhaps?”

  “Don’t you think if I had a husband, you would have met him at my apartment.”

  “Well, it’s my understanding that this planet doesn’t offer much for outpost employment. I thought that perhaps he was away working. A woman as beautiful as you surely can’t be alone.”

  She laughed, “You aren’t very perceptive. Don’t you think that if I had a husband my neighbor you met earlier would have said something? No, I don’t have a husband. I didn’t move to Vaxivia to follow some lost love or my family. I moved to help the people.”

  “Couldn’t you do that somewhere a little less,” I chose my words carefully. “Desolate?”

  “Sure, I could, but then they probably would be dying in droves because no other help would come. I don’t care about the circumstances; I care about the people.”

  “That’s very admirable,” I said softly. “So, you don’t have any family?”

  “You sound like a serial killer.”

  “And you seem to be dodging every question I ask you. This is going to be a long trip, I thought it would be nice to get to know you a little bit.”

  She shifted uncomfortably, “I don’t have any family. My parents died when I was little and I never knew them. I grew up in homes for girls. I ran away at ten and vowed to help anyone who needed me.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” I said.

  I slid my hand a little closer to hers. She moved away and I withdrew from her. She still didn’t trust me, but at least I was starting to understand her reasoning. My life had been so charmed compared to what she had endured. Exile was even created to be an easy step. Of course, that was before my ship was shot from space.

  “I think what you do for your community is wonderful. To make such an impact on the lives of others must be a great feeling.”

  She shrugged, “They need me and I need them. You asked if I had family here and I do. Everyone in that town is my family and I’ve seen the destruction that outsiders can bring with them.”

  “They can’t all be bad though. Hasn’t anything good ever come from aliens?” I asked, looking for any way to connect with her.

  “Sure,” said Jennifer absentmindedly.

  I sighed, “Fine. I guess we will just ride all day in silence. Since that’s what you want.”

  Her eyes darted over to me, a fire lighting inside of them. “Wow. You aren't used to being rejected, are you?”

  “Of course, I am, I’m not the snob that you think I am.”

  “Really?” she asked. “Then why are you over there pouting because I’m not falling into your arms like some damsel in distress.”

  My heart started to race as my mouth fell open, “On my planet, no one would dare speak to me that way.”

  “Well you aren’t on your planet anymore and I’m not under your rule. So, I suggest you get used to not getting your own way. Otherwise, this is going to be one long trek.”

  “You know, my life isn’t all fun and games. I have suffered through loss too. My father has been dead less than a month, yet I can’t mourn him. A life in exile, knowing that you are condemned to be cast aside, it’s not a great life all the time.”

  “Why do they do that? Send everyone away?” she asked softly. “It doesn’t seem right. If you have a family, you should get to be with them.”

  I straightened a little, “I don’t believe I’ve ever explained our customs to an outsider.”

  “Is it forbidden?” she asked.

  I shook my head, “No, not at all. I’ve just never been around anyone long enough to share.”

  “Well,” she said with a smile. “Like you said, we have a long drive together and it would be a lot more fun if it wasn’t silent.”

  “Very well, but you have to share with me too. Is that a deal?” I asked.

  She nodded, “But you have to go first. Why are you banished from your home?”

  “Because Dragselians didn’t always get along with each other. There were wars and factions that would strike before a king was even dead. They would poison and plant spies to try and gain control of the next king. Of course, brothers would turn against each other and war would follow.”

  “That sounds terrible,” Jennifer whispered.

  “It was. Or at least that’s what I was told. My grandfather was the first to enact the Right of Exile. He cast his brot
hers from Dragselia as soon as he took the throne. Both of his younger siblings were weak and not cut out for the throne. They posed him no threat.”

  “But he still sent them away?”

  I nodded, “My father did the same with his three siblings and now my brother has done the same. I don’t know why I struggle to go quietly into the night. My eldest brother is an adequate king I suppose.”

  Jennifer arched her brow, “You don’t sound very sure of that.”

  “No, I suppose I don’t,” I said absentmindedly. “I never doubted our traditions until I was older and I started to watch my eldest brother more carefully. He is a good man but he’s very easily persuaded. I worry about my people and his ability to rule with a clear mind.”

  “And you had no say in leaving?”

  “If I had spoken out against the tradition, I would have been sent to Muldoxi, a far worse fate than living my life in exile on an island catered to my needs.”

  “What is Muldoxi? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it before.”

  “You wouldn’t. It’s not well known to outsiders. It’s a moon of my home planet that they turned into a prison for royalty and other high-ranking defectors. My brother, King Mulkaro is an arrogant man. If he heard a whisper of my resentment, he would have sent me there. I believe he thinks that I pose a threat to his rule.”

  “Do you?” she asked quietly.

  “I will share with you a story to answer your question but only if you answer one for me first.”

  “Okay?” Jennifer asked cautiously. “What?”

  “Why are you helping me? I am an outsider that is not to be trusted by your outsider standards.”

  Her eyes locked onto mine, “Because I know that you are a good person. I can see it in your eyes.”

  The air between us grew heavy with desire but Jennifer broke the spell when she looked away. She was fighting to keep her distance from me.

  “Your turn,” she said. “Are you a threat to your brother?”