Dragon's Captive: Dragons of Rur Read online

  DRAGON'S CAPTIVE

  SHEA MALLOY

  —

  Copyright © 2017, Shea Malloy

  All rights reserved.

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental. The characters are all productions of the author’s imagination.

  Contents

  About

  Glossary

  Excerpt

  1 Seela

  2 Seela

  3 Theron

  4 Theron

  5 Seela

  6 Seela

  7 Theron

  8 Theron

  9 Seela

  10 Seela

  11 Seela

  12 Theron

  13 Theron

  14 Theron

  15 Seela

  16 Seela

  17 Seela

  18 Theron

  19 Theron

  20 Theron

  21 Seela

  22 Seela

  Preview: The Alien King's Baby

  Author's Note

  About

  Our world is gone and the dragons have enslaved us.

  The life I knew was changed forever when I lost someone I loved.

  I became a traitor to my people the day I saved Theron, the handsome dragon prince of Andrasar.

  He’s repaid my kindness with captivity. He’s made me his slave.

  He’s my enemy whose clutch I should want to escape.

  He’s a monster I should hate.

  But he makes me forget when his touch scorches me like a brand and marks me as his.

  Humans are a threat and should be destroyed.

  I’ve dedicated my life to the misery of humans. Their unwelcome presence is a reminder of what I’ve lost.

  The appearance of Seela, the beautiful human female who saves my life, contradicts my beliefs.

  She is my fire’s half, destined to be my mate.

  I can’t accept her. I can’t want her.

  She is my enemy.

  But she makes such sweet sounds of surrender when I taste her, I have no choice but to claim her as mine.

  Glossary

  Asafura: fire’s half; the fated mate of a Rur being

  Draki: dragon

  Rur draki: Rur dragon

  Kahafura: mother of fire and goddess of Rur; a deity

  Konai: High Prince; the leader of a region in Rur

  Konai sa: High Princess

  Nai: Prince

  Nai sa: Princess

  Kaha: mother

  Toha: father

  Rahsa: sister

  Rah: brother

  Okan: uncle

  Safur: a ball of light and warmth formed from the energy source of a Rur being

  Zevyet: slave

  Zevyena: slave master(s) or master(s)

  Time on Rur

  Enu(r): year(s)

  Deta(r): day(s)

  Sen: hour(s)

  28 sen in 1 deta

  402 detar in 1 enu

  There are no weeks or months on Rur.

  Excerpt

  It isn’t just Theron before me anymore.

  It’s that dark monster that lives inside him, too.

  It’s night and the only light around us is from the city below. Theron looms over me like a shadow in the gloom but I still see his face. I still see the way his eyes gleam golden and fiery with a hunger that steals my breath, and I know that he’s going to consume me where we stand.

  I won’t let him. I won’t give in to him even if my nipples are hard points seeking his attention and between my legs is slick, burning for his touch.

  I’m still recovering from his first kiss when he accosts me with another one. He angles his head to the side, his tongue swiping at the seam of my lips before slipping into my mouth.

  Lust wraps me up in its heat, smothering me the moment his tongue curls against mine. But the voice inside my head, the one that’s filled with good sense and foresight, screams at me to fight again.

  Don’t give in.

  Trying to free my hands from his hold, I twist away from his kiss. That leaves my neck exposed. Theron drags his lips across my jaw and latches onto the skin below my ear.

  The damp heat of his mouth and tongue inspires a tightening sensation between my legs and pulls a whimper from lips. His free hand finds the tie on my slave’s robe and loosens it with a yank. The ends of my robe hang open, baring me in my underwear.

  Heat floods my face in anger and in mortification. Only one other male has seen me like this, but it’s been so long ago that this moment feels like the first time all over again.

  The look on Theron’s face as his gaze scorches my skin frightens me with its intensity. I’m the meat set before a wild, hungry animal who has been chained too long and is now released.

  It’s futile to tug free from his hold. His hand might as well be a metal clamp around my wrists. I’ve gained strength working in the bakery hefting heavy sacks of baking product, but I’m like a tiny bird in Theron’s grasp.

  “Are you a virgin, Seela?” he asks suddenly, his voice is deeper and rougher. When I don’t answer, he gives me a dark smile. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. As far as I’m concerned, I will be your first and your only.”

  I liked it better when you didn’t exist.

  I liked it better when I didn’t know that I needed you.

  1

  Seela

  —

  True thirst isn’t just parched lips and a tongue that sticks to the roof of your mouth.

  It’s desperation, dizziness, and limbs made of lead.

  It’s discovering the sight of running water is as wonderful as the face of a loved one you haven’t seen in a long time.

  Dumping my bag of meager belongings on the river’s edge, I hurl myself into the river with the dregs of energy I have left.

  If any threats lurk within the bushes, this is the moment when I’m most defenseless. When my face is shoved so far into the water’s depths that the tip of my nose almost scrapes the earthy bedding.

  Water sluices down my face as I rise up from the river and gasp for air. I don’t have patience to sterilize the water and I don’t care about its heavy, earthy taste. The cool water is heaven on my lips and tongue. Splashing my front, I drench my hot skin.

  My pants squelch and dribble water when I sit down beside my bag. My stomach growls despite all the water I just drank, so I dig into my bag for the berry vine and nibble on the round, dark-blue fruit.

  A cool breeze rustles the violet tree leaves. The air grows chillier as evening arrives. The sun has already set, but the last vestiges of light glimmer on the river’s surface.

  It’s the first source of drinkable water I’ve found in days. This dense forest is filled with swamps, insects, and animals of various species that don’t take kindly to a human tromping through their territory.

  It’s easy to learn about the geography of where you live from the safety of a console or from someone else. It’s definitely not as easy acquiring the knowledge from firsthand experience.

  Ikkon’s laughter, roughened by age, echoes in my head, his bronze eyes lit with amusement in his lined face.

  You are not as tough as you think, Seela, he would tease if he were here.

  An invisible grip wraps around my heart and squeezes. I blink rapidly to hold back the tears of loss and rage. Lost in the belly of an Andrasari forest, it’s hard to accept that the one constant in my life is gone. They took him from me. My home is gone too.
All I have left is the will to find somewhere else to live.

  Another passing breeze carries the sound of people screaming. The terror and panic inflected in it makes me anxious. It reminds me too much of what I went through before finding this forest.

  Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I lurch to my feet. A roar overpowers the screams. The reverberant sound of trees splitting and tumbling to the floor shakes the ground.

  Birds squawk and shoot toward the lavender sky. My heart rate escalates, the thumps like drums in my chest.

  Rur draki.

  Run away.

  The warning’s urgency intensifies when the screaming stops. In the growing dark, the silence is eerie and foreboding. Yet, I’m curious.

  Against good judgement, I make my way to where I’d heard the screaming. Ikkon said to me once that my curiosity was a gift from the mother of fire and goddess of planet Rur, Kahafura. He also said that if I wasn’t careful, it would be my downfall.

  Maybe this is why us humans are slaves to the draki. We ignored logic in favour of discovery.

  Why are you doing this?

  There might be survivors and they might need my help.

  When Ikkon needed me, I couldn’t do anything to save him. But maybe I can help these people. Although, I’m not sure what I can do for any unfortunate soul that fights a dragon. Maybe the assistance I’ll offer is ending their suffering with my blade in their neck.

  My steps are light, my shoulders hunched. Thick, maroon bushes high as my shoulders graze my skin. The stench of burnt flesh and smoke permeates the heated air, my skin dampening with sweat.

  Crouching low, I part the bushes. A small clearing has been made from felled trees. Some of them are on fire. Amid the burning trees lay a black mountain of hard, powerful flesh. Its wings lay at rest, though curled close to its body because the area is cramped.

  Blades protrude from its body, the obsidian gleam marking them as Rurium steel.

  Charred, human-shaped lumps are scattered around the dragon. Did the dragon attack the humans or did the humans strike first?

  While the story of how humans came to live on Rur has been embellished for entertainment, we still know the truth.

  In Earth enu 2237, our planet became inhospitable due to extreme levels of radiation. Only a handful managed escape via spaceship.

  The remnants of our species scoured space for another habitable planet until an accidental fall through a wormhole led us to Rur.

  Humans were given refuge within one of Rur’s regions called Andrasar by its Konai—High Prince—Dohar Visclaud. One year later, Dohar died and his brother, Aphat Visclaud, became the Konai.

  Aphat’s first edict as the new Konai of Andrasar: enslave the humans.

  For eighteen years, humans have endured enslavement by the Andrasari with nary a resistance. Until now. There are reports of rebellions, of humans fighting against the Andrasari. Humans banding together to push back against slavery.

  In their primary form, the Rur beings can almost pass for humans. Except for their eyes that gleam with the fire trapped in their bellies.

  They are formidable when they morph into their dragon form. It’s a fool’s errand to fight against a draki. The dead humans laying there learned this the hard way.

  Leave. Now. It’s a must if I want to live. But I’m transfixed by the dragon. A beautiful monstrosity that terrifies me from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.

  I’m in awe of how much strength is encased in that huge beast. It must be so freeing to be so powerful. To know that everyone and everything quivers in your mighty presence.

  The dragon’s eyes are closed. Is it dead? Light plumes of smoke drifts from its snout which means it’s breathing. Maybe I should help it. Go out there and offer to remove the blades from its body so it can heal properly.

  Don’t be stupid, Seela. You’ll be its next victim.

  Ikkon’s words resonate in my head.

  Every life has value.

  But what about the life of my people’s murderer? Only a few Andrasari have ever been kind to me, Ikkon chief among them. The others consider my kind the enemy. They enslave us, torture us, kill us.

  Dead humans surround the dragon.

  Humans it burned alive.

  Shouldn’t it die too?

  My heart thuds in my chest, my mouth dry from the oppressive heat. My sodden clothing clings to my skin, heavy and uncomfortable.

  Every bit of me says I should flee, yet I’m held captive by some inexplicable bind. It’s as if Kahafura led me here for a purpose and demands I see it through.

  The dragon lifts its head abruptly and opens its eyes. It swivels its head, and its twin magnificent golden orbs tinged with vermilion pins me where I crouch.

  My heart grounds to a stop then restarts at a pace that leaves me struggling to breathe. Rising from my crouch onto shaking legs, I hold my empty hands high and visible.

  Then I step free from my hiding spot with an echoing squish from my shoes.

  I speak quickly, my voice clawing its way out of my chest. “I can help you.”

  That day I lost Ikkon, when I was forced to leave my home was terrifying. This moment, staring into the fiery depths of the eyes of a draki, is comparable.

  Lifting its wings, the dragon climbs to its clawed feet, reinforcing its massive size, its strength, its capabilities despite its injuries. I’m an idiot for letting it discover me and I’m going to pay the price for my stupidity.

  The dragon advances, its left wing lower than the right, each stomp vibrating the ground. I take a few steps in retreat.

  Is running away too late for me? Absolutely. I’ll be burnt to a crisp the moment I turn my back to this monster. So, I remain still and face my approaching doom.

  Except, my approaching doom buckles and falls to the ground before it reaches me.

  It roars, the awful sound whipping my heart into a frenzy. Rows of long, sharp, ivory teeth designed to crush bone with a single bite, and the brilliant orange blooming from the dark cavern of its mouth make my skin tighten.

  “I can help you,” I say again, raising my hands higher. “I can remove the blades.”

  My voice breaks on the words. I’m going to die. After running the race of survival in this forest, this is my finish line.

  A low, rumbling sound escapes the dragon. It closes its mouth and its wings deflate. But its brilliant golden eyes are fixed on me.

  Watching.

  Waiting.

  This is my moment to flee, isn’t it? So why don’t I? Why do I step forward instead even though my legs threaten to give out from under me? Why do I take another step?

  It’s absurd, but I have this sense that I was meant to save this dark behemoth. But the closer I get to it, the harder I shake.

  I’m the foolish prey sacrificing itself willingly to its predator.

  There’s a burnt body beside my feet, the ground scorched black beneath it, but I maintain eye contact with the dragon to prove my sincerity.

  I’m close enough for it to turn me into nothing but ash, close enough for it to rise up and gobble me whole.

  2

  Seela

  —

  Ikkon never showed me his dragon form, so this is the first time I’ve been this close to one.

  I can’t help admiring it. The spiralling gold and the black slits in its eyes fascinate me.

  There are ridges on its head and symmetrical half-circle patterns on its flesh. Its wings alone dwarf me and strengthen my sense of insignificance.

  I wait for a sign that it accepts my offer. It hasn’t killed me yet so I guess that’s a positive. If I live past today, this’ll be a great story to tell.

  I, Seela Pith, faced a rur draki. Here I am, alive and whole, to share this remarkable tale.

  The dragon thumps its tail once, its intense gaze never wavering.

  My steps are tentative. Any sudden movements and I’m done. This moment is so surreal. It’s like I’m apart from myself, watching myself commit an a
ct that’s unquantifiable levels of idiotic.

  Standing close, the dragon’s warmth bathes my skin, its scent like fresh earth. It curves its neck to watch me while I inspect the first blade embedded in its left shoulder.

  The lone injury would’ve killed a human, yet the dragon still stands with these blades impaled in its body.

  Removing the blades seems ill-advised but I have no choice. Ikkon said that a Rur being has healing properties in its blood. In order for it to work, I’m certain these foreign objects have to leave its body first.

  When I gingerly pull the first blade free, dark blood geysers from the wound. Blood dribbling free, the opening doesn’t close like I’d expected it to. I worry my plan might not work.

  “I will have to climb on top of you to remove the others,” I say, forging ahead. I don’t know how I manage the words when the thought makes me want to vomit the berries I ate.

  It’s torture waiting for it to accept what I’m about to do. There’s a long silence when I’m sure it’ll kill me for even suggesting I climb it like if it’s a common animal.

  The dragon thumps its tail again.

  Thankfully, the rest of its body doesn’t have ridges like those on its head. I climb onto its back and I swear to the goddess my heart might explode.

  Its flesh is warm, rough and textured. But as much as I want to savour this experience of being atop a dragon, I’m aware there are consequences for dawdling.

  The dragon regards me over its shoulder and I can sense its distrust even though it has allowed me to come this far.