Water Dragon's Baby Read online

  “Please apply lotion to your dried skin,” the AI told her.

  More images of Shay appeared on the screen, each one more devastatingly gorgeous than the last. His seven-foot-tall form was ripped with exquisite musculature. He had rippling muscles and a swimmer's form. With every breath she drew as she rubbed the lotion into her skin, she felt more and more connected to him. She knew that the link must be taking hold.

  “Now you are prepared for the insemination.”

  A hospital bed emerged from a wall in the bathroom and the AI instructed her to lie down. At the same time, a robotic arm appeared, holding a wide plastic syringe.

  Ella lay down on the bed and blinked nervously several times before she asked the AI if the robot was going to inseminate her.

  “You may have the robotic arm insert the seed or you may do it yourself,” the AI informed her.

  She gingerly took the syringe from the robotic hand and held it in her own human ones. Laying back, Ella carefully spread her legs and inserted the syringe into her wet, ready core. She had rubbed Shay's seed all over her body, including her sexual organs, and her readiness to accept the syringe surprised even her.

  She slipped it inside and pushed the tip in several inches until the AI told her it was at the right location and angle. Slowly, she pushed the stopper and the seed shot deep into her core.

  The intensity of the contact of the pure biological seed from her mate hit her with a force she had not anticipated. All of a sudden, she was hyperventilating and rolling around on the bed. Before she blacked out, she saw medic Zeke rush into the bathroom. He scooped her up, carried her into the bedroom, and deposited her onto the bed. Behind the fading lights of her eyes, and the distant thunder inside her ears, she heard Zeke’s voice.

  “Don't be worried, Ella, this is common. We are pushing the bounds of the mating ritual to get you inseminated as soon as possible. Your body is simply reacting to the unadulterated seed deposited inside you. It will soon pass.”

  The medic left her alone in her bed, and she quickly fell into a deep sleep.

  The next thing she remembered, medic Zeke was waking her from her sleep, telling her to get out of bed.

  “What's happening?” Ella asked groggily.

  “We are approaching the wormhole that will take us to the Draconian star system,” the medic said. “You must be strapped in. But first I am going to check the status of your insemination. He waved a medical wand over her body and checked the display.

  “It appears the insemination has taken hold. Now put on this robe, and we will get you strapped into a chair for the travel through the wormhole.”

  Ella wrapped the provided robe around her shoulders and tied it at the waist. Medic Zeke walked to the side of her chamber and typed information into the holographic control pad. A second later, a seat with a harness similar to the ones in the space pod emerged from the wall. Zeke instructed her to sit down and then he strapped her in.

  “I will return to check your insemination status after we have entered the Draconian star system. There shouldn't be any problems, but we like to be as safe as possible.”

  Ella was so confused and disoriented that she could only nod her head in agreement. Medic Zeke left the room and the bride ship Mercury Rising approached the wormhole.

  Ella could see everything out the huge bank of windows at the far wall of her chamber. The wormhole was like a black void in space without a single star or light inside it.

  The bride ship began to shake and groan. Ella squeezed her eyes closed and gripped the harness at her chest. In that moment, she really wondered what she had gotten herself into.

  She missed her students back at the school on Earth and regretted that she would never see them again. But it was too late for regret now. The bride ship Mercury Rising shot through the wormhole, and Ella gasped and she watched in stunned amazement as concentric circles of light and dark shot past the window. It was as if time and space held no meaning and all of the laws of physics had reversed.

  As abruptly as it had begun, the bride ship Mercury Rising burst out the other side of the wormhole, emerging in the Draconian star system. Off in the distance, she could see the blue-green planet of Draconia. It was larger than Earth and had different continental shapes, but there was an undeniable similarity between Earth and Draconia.

  A moment later, the medic came back into her chamber and helped her out of her harness. He slid the medical wand over her belly to check the implantation of Shay's seed.

  “Everything is in order,” medic Zeke said.

  Ella let out a deep sigh. She had embarked on this journey for one reason - to go to her mate, Shay, and to bring him his child.

  5

  From the first instant that Shay had seen his princess, he was stunned by her beauty. Not a moment went by that he did not have to force her image out of his mind. She had come to represent all that was good and beautiful in the universe, and not thinking of her, or contacting her, grew more difficult with each passing day.

  His inner dragon roared against his mind as he fought his own dragons in the fighting pits below the Coral Palace. The vicious battles with his Dukes and Earls raged on, day in and day out, as he waited for his bride's arrival.

  Every time the females grew sparse and died off, the lower level aristocrats rose up against the princes. Every time, the families of the four houses put down the rebellion. But this time, at the back of his mind, when he felt most vulnerable and most in need of his bride, he feared that it would be different. He feared that they would overthrow his rule of the water lands.

  Deep in the ocean, his fierce dragon form was locked in battle with one of his own Earls. Shay spiraled above the other dragon and shot back down again, baring his sharp fangs. Prince Shay sank his teeth into the neck of the opposing dragon and tasted his blood. He had no choice but to end his Earl’s life. He bit down harder and snapped the dragon’s neck.

  The body of the opposing dragon sank below the waves, deeper and deeper into the vast dark ocean. The last thing Shay wanted was to watch his own men die at his hand, but there was no other way to protect his throne.

  This was the tradition and the way of Galaton. The princes were forced to prove that they had the right to rule every five thousand years when the females ran out. He knew that he was the strongest among the water dragons. In fact, he knew he was the strongest dragon on the entire planet. He was the oldest among the princes at two hundred years old.

  As he swam through the waves, back to the dome over the Coral City, his mind flitted to his bride.

  The human female was only thirty years old. Young in terms of a Draconian life span. But she was a mature female for a human. He had received word that her insemination had been successful, but that knowledge had only made it that much more difficult for him to not think about her and worry about her safety.

  All that stood between him and insanity was the growing child inside her womb. Without that bond, the thrall would overtake him, and he would be done for. The water lands would be lost.

  He swam to the hatch of the dome and shifted into his humanoid form once inside. He flicked the spot at his neck and made his uniform reappear, and walked out into the corridor of his palace. Just then, he heard his holocom ping with a new message.

  “A meeting of the Council of Princes is requested.” The message came from Prince Elait of the air lands.

  Shay hurried to his fastest vessel on the landing deck blow the Coral Palace. He got into his speeder and sat behind the pilot's chair. His vessel burst to life as he flicked on the holographic screen. Ascending above the Coral Palace, he came to an exit hatch at the top of the dome. He turned his vessel and sped through the hatch and into the deep blue waters of the ocean. After several leagues, he broke the surface of the water and shot through the sky toward the Temple of the Four Elements.

  In his fastest speeder, it didn't take long for him to arrive. He parked his speeder off the platform dock of the temple. The arches rose high abov
e, spiraling into the darkening sky. Clouds had gathered and he could feel the mist of oncoming rain on his skin. Shay strode down the landings platform and under the tall arching entryway of the water element.

  The other three princes were already gathered around the stone table. The earth prince Magmus, with his deep brown eyes and green-tinted skin, stood at the sign of earth. Prince Salvatt of the Fire Lands, with his red-tinted skin and glowing yellow eyes, stood at the sign of fire. Prince Elait of the Air Lands, with his blue-tinted skin and silvery eyes, stood at the sign of air.

  Shay took his place at the sign of water and slid his hand over the stone table, placing his palm print on the holographic screen in a sign of agreement.

  “What is the purpose of this meeting?” Shay asked.

  “The Mulgor are still a serious threat in our only route between Galaton and Draconia,” Salvatt said.

  “My bride is fast approaching that zone,” Shay said. “Now that Prince Elait has returned, I must go to her. As I sent troops and my best fighters to protect the Air Lands, I expect no less protection from the rest of you,” Shay said.

  “Indeed,” said Magmus. “After Shay, I will be next.”

  “Then it is agreed,” Salvatt said. “We will help protect Shay’s lands while he goes to meet his bride.”

  “The bride ship is still six months out,” Shay said. “But with my ship, the Black Spear, I can reach her within the month.”

  “Then it is agreed,” Magmus said.

  All four princes put their palms over the hologram, indicating that they were in agreement. It took a sample of their DNA as proof. If any of them betrayed their agreement to the other princes, it would have dire consequences.

  As Shay walked away from the stone table and climbed back into his speeder, fear and anticipation mingled inside his heart and brain. He was excited to leave to go meet his bride, but at the same time he feared what could happen to the Water Lands during his absence.

  He had a responsibility to continue the legacy of the Vishak family line as the leader of the Water Lands. But his greatest personal responsibility was to his mate and his child.

  6

  Over the long months in space Ella’s belly grew rounder each day. She still had not spoken to her prince, and it weighed heavily on her soul. She longed for nothing more than to see him and speak to him, at least once.

  Her only consolation was the quickening of her child inside her belly. With each passing day, she fell deeper in love with her baby. And consequently deeper in love with her prince. She never could have imagined, before leaving Earth, that she would ever feel this way.

  The long months in space had made her grow impatient to be with him. Waiting like this was torture. But she knew that at the end of her long journey, she would finally be with her mate. They could start their lives together. The thought of being with Shay, and their baby boy, was what kept her going day in and day out, during the monotonous, long journey through space.

  One day seemed to run into the next, and the only way to truly mark time was by the changes taking place in her body.

  Nothing had really changed or happened, besides her belly, in six months. Ella was beginning to feel as if she might lose her mind.

  One day, out of nowhere, Medic Zeke walked through the doors of her apartment with a distraught look on his face.

  “What is it?” Ella asked.

  “Please have a seat,” Zeke said, motioning for her to sit on the couch.

  They sat together on her couch facing the big bank of windows, looking out onto space. They were passing a gaseous giant planet. They’d been traveling through this large solar system for the last several days.

  “What is it?” Ella asked again.

  “I have bad news and good news, as they say on Earth,” medic Zeke informed her.

  “The suspense is killing me,” she said sarcastically.

  Traveling through space had done a number on her character, and she could barely remember the woman she had been before she'd started her journey.

  “I've been informed that the Mulgor have taken over an area in a star system we must pass through to get to Galaton.”

  Ella gasped and narrowed her eyes. She knew about the Mulgor. They were the lizard men who were the ancient enemy of the Draconians. They were the ones who had attacked Earth, destroyed half the planet and killed her parents.

  Every child on earth knew about the Mulgor. The effects of their invasion was still impacting the people of Earth’s day-to-day lives.

  “Can't we just go around them?” she asked.

  “There is no other route. All of the other star systems are uncharted and possibly even more dangerous.”

  “What are we going to do?” she asked.

  “That brings me to my good news. I know that you have longed for contact with your mate. And I am pleased to inform you that Prince Shay will be leaving Galaton to come rescue you from the bride ship.”

  “But how can he possibly rescue us? We’re so far away.”

  “The Galatonians have much better ships than the bride ships provided by Draconia. The bride ships were originally constructed to take brides from Earth through the wormhole to Draconia, which as you know, is a short trip. The Galatonians have faster ships with warp drives and cloaking shields. He will have a much better chance of getting here quickly and passing the Mulgor without incident.”

  “When will he arrive?” she asked.

  “Within the month,” Medic Zeke informed her. “Now, let me check on the child.”

  He passed a medical wand over Ella's rounding belly and then checked the screen.

  “Everything appears to be normal. Your baby is developing well. It is only three more months now until your child arrives. There is a good chance the baby will be born on Galaton.”

  “I can't believe it,” Ella said at a whisper.

  Fear and longing mingled in her chest. The threat of the Mulgor was terrifying, but at the same time the prospect of finally meeting her prince was everything she'd dreamed of for six months. She could not wait to meet him.

  The month she waited for Shay to arrive was worse torture than before. Anticipation swam in her blood every moment of every day. Would he be kind? Would he find her beautiful? What would they talk about?

  When she woke in the morning, she thought of Shay, and when she went to bed at night, her last thought was of him too. Shay's pictures filled the holographic screens of her room and all she could do was swoon over them. Soon, very soon, this handsome prince would be hers. She thought of him while she rubbed the requisite lotion on her body. This action was meant to alleviate Shay's mating thrall. While doing this inevitably made her orgasm, it also filled her with loneliness and longing for her mate.

  The day finally arrived when Shay’s ship appeared in the star system. Ella could barely contain her excitement. She was seven months pregnant and full with child. Every sense of anticipation and excitement she could possibly feel surged through her veins at an alarming rate, making her blood pump and her heart pound. She couldn't calm down the entire day as she waited for Shay’s warship, the Black Spear, to catch up to the bride ship Mercury Rising.

  Ella spent the day in her closet, picking clothes. She’d dressed in her most extravagant Draconian lady’s gown. It accentuated the beautiful curve of her belly and draped around her breasts seductively.

  She had chosen a gown to honor her mate’s elemental designation of water. It flowed around her in cascades of blue and green and silver. She had done her hair in long braids that she wore over her shoulders and around her voluptuous breasts.

  She stood at the entrance hatch of the Mercury Rising, waiting for Shay to fly over in a space pod. She could barely stay upright as the blood pumped in her brain, leaving her fingertips numb.

  Finally, the door of the exit hatch swished open and there he was. He stood before her in a tight gray Draconian uniform that clung to his every muscle.

  Everything in her wanted to fall into his arms,
but she didn't know if it was the correct protocol. Shay made the decision for her, crossing the space between them in an instant and enfolding her in his massive, muscled arms. He towered above her by a foot and a half, and she could feel the strength and power radiating from his massive body. He breathed into the top of her head and took in her scent.

  “It feels as if I had waited an eternity for you, my beloved,” Shay said.

  Ella whimpered at his words, wanting nothing more than to retire to her chambers and complete the mating ritual right then and there.

  “Are you prepared for your journey?” he asked her.

  “I am,” she said, in a small voice she barely recognized.

  The attendants on board the bride ship helped carry her bags into the space pod for immediate departure. It all happened so fast. Before she knew it, she was being strapped into the pod by medic Zeke.

  “Don't worry, Ella,” Zeke said. “There is a medic on board your mate’s ship who will take care of you.”

  “You aren’t coming?” she asked.

  “We must leave for Draconia. Our journey is now over.”

  “Thanks for everything,” Ella whispered and medic Zeke stepped away.

  Her mate sat beside her. Her heart pounded in her ears as the space pod door swished shut and unlatched from the bride ship. She looked at her mate as he guided the pod toward the Black Spear.

  “These accommodations far surpass the accommodations the Draconians provided my bride,” he growled, not looking at her.

  Ella rose her eyebrow at his words, but didn't pursue it further. She got the feeling there was no love lost between the Galaton and Draconia. Although they were the same species, Galaton and Draconia were very different in many ways.

  The long months aboard the bride ship had left her plenty of time to research her new home. She had come to understand how Draconia had left Galaton out of the mating lottery for far too long.

  Every time the five-thousand-year mating cycle came around, Draconia did the same to Galaton. Every time, it resulted in the civil unrest Galaton was experiencing now. Ella had come to truly respect and admire Draconia but she couldn’t understand why they would treat Galaton like second class citizens. Perhaps it was because Galaton refused to bend to Dranonia’s rule.