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  “I have yet to understand why you particularly love the saying. Why would someone offer a small copper coin, which is basically worth nothing, to tell you what they are thinking about?

  Are my thoughts worth so little, I am supposed to offer them to you for a mere trinket?” Mace threw his head back and laughed out loud at his seriousness. Even the most innocuous Earth sayings had him questioning why they were being said. The deck crew stopped to stare at the two security officers who couldn’t be more different if they tried. They wondered what their terrifying Chief of Security could have said to cause such laughter.

  Dragon liked to question his friend about his constant use of Earth expressions and references. Half of the time, he didn’t know what his friend was talking about, but he amused him, a very rare occurrence. So he enjoyed his company more than anyone on the ship. Mace, obsessed with Earth television and movies, spent all of his off duty time watching video feeds from satellite TV. One of his favorite shows was called Torchwood. It amused Dragon how people from Earth almost always portrayed “aliens” as either monsters or sex maniacs. Sex maniacs, Dragon thought, not far from the truth. He could not remember the last time he had sex, not an encouraging sign.

  Once on shore leave, Mace convinced him to go to a movie. They received a recommendation from a friend recently mated. Sol called the movie a chick flick, saying he and his mate enjoyed it greatly. Much to their surprise and embarrassment, the movie had nothing to do with small poultry. In fact, the movie portrayed a group of four women who drank Cosmopolitans and talked graphically about their bodies and sex with men. Dragon and Mace squirmed in their seats for the entire movie, not wanting to leave and attract attention. It gave Dragon pleasure to remind him of this mistake as often as possible. Secretly, he enjoyed the film.

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  It gave him insight to what women of Mother Earth thought of men. Also, he enjoyed the alcoholic beverage very much.

  “No, friend, I am sure the thoughts running through your head are worth much more than one penny. You looked so deep within yourself. It seems like your body’s going through the motions here on deck but your mind is a million miles away. Are you thinking about how mind blowing the video feed of Lost was last night? Who would have thought in Sayid’s flash forward, he would be working for Ben?”

  “Ah…I agree. I never would have guessed Sayid would ever get himself involved with an evil little man such as Ben Linus. Leave it to you, Mace, to introduce me to an Earth show that has me asking so many questions at the end of every episode. My mind is ready to explode. But no, my thoughts are not entertaining. I will be keeping them to myself.” Mace suddenly turned serious. He looked around to make sure no one would overhear the conversation he wanted to have with his friend.

  “I am worried about you, Dragon. I heard a rumor you spent over four hours working out in the activity center last evening and followed it with two more hours drinking Blue Shine in the Observation Room.”

  Blue Shine came from small, electric blue colored fruit from the top of the mountain MaMere in the northern most region of Serralia. It’s extremely potent and expensive. Not a drink normally stocked in the canteen of a medical starship.

  Dragon was getting more and more agitated with the conversation. “What is it to you if I was drinking it in the Observation Room?” he growled.

  Mace looked contemplative, so Dragon knew he was choosing his words carefully. “It concerns me when my rule oriented friend starts breaking rules. It is out of character for you to do something like this. Isn’t Tarlon spending time in the Detention Center for “breaking” some rules?”

  Dragon winced. He heard the concern in his friend’s voice. Instead of the usual annoyance he felt when someone showed concern, he felt hollow inside as if he had no emotions at all Fated Mates

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  anymore. He knew hours of vigorously working out with the laser staff had gotten him noticed.

  Yesterday he woke up feeling extremely anxious. He knew he had to do something to try and shake the feeling. His extra diligence checking star charts proved nothing, going over security tapes, supply transfers and even calling a surprise inspection of the crew living quarters, did nothing but prove his ship ran perfectly. After his shift finished, the feeling still persisted.

  Dragon knew he wasn’t going to be able to relax, so he went to the activity center to work off some of the anxiety. One and a half hours of working with the staff did nothing to get rid of the feeling in his stomach, so he started sparing with everyone and anyone willing to step into the sparing circle with him. Every opponent walked away defeated.

  So when the exercise didn’t chase away the anxious feeling of foreboding, he turned to the Blue Shine; taking it to one of the public gathering places on the ship proved to be his second mistake. Everyone on the ship could go get a drink, socialize, or watch vid-feeds from Serralia in the Observation Room. The appeal of it for Dragon was the floor to ceiling windows where he could gaze down at the planet. He imbibed tumblers full of Blue Shine without feeling much of the alcoholic effect while gazing down at the planet. Or so he thought, but the dull ache in his head seemed to be getting stronger since he got up this morning.

  “I am fine. I am fine,” Dragon rubbed his hands over his face in frustration. The dull ache in his head started throbbing. Dragon reached out to the nearby wall to steady himself. He suddenly felt very unsteady on his feet.

  “Are you sure you are well? You don’t look very good. Maybe the Blue Shine affected you more than you think.” Mace put his hand out to help steady him. “You are burning up. I think you need to relieve yourself from duty and go see the medic.” The throbbing pain in his head became piercing, causing Dragon’s body to bow under the pressure. He threw his head back and groaned in agony. The sensation drove him to his knees, his breathing coming in short gasps trying to control it. The pain he suffered at the hands of the torture masons paled in comparison to the excruciating torture happening in his head. Then, as quickly as it had overtaken him, it disappeared. Dragon, still on his hands and knees, tried to take 26

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  deep controlling breaths to calm his body. His teeth clenched, his body hummed and felt like some unknown force had drained him. Sweat poured off his brow and dripped onto the deck, time itself seem to slow down. He saw every drop perfectly formed slowly, slowly falling and splattering on the floor. As soon as he could talk, he would order his men to scan for hostile forces.

  Mace tried to help him to his feet, only to be waved away. Dragon carefully dragged himself to his feet unsteadily. He went to push his hair out of his face when he stopped dead in his tracks and stared unwaveringly at his hand.

  “Dragon…your hand,” Mace whispered in awe.

  Dragon stared at his hand not comprehending at first what started to develop in front of him.

  It took his brain a minute to realize what he was looking at and longer for him to comprehend the magnitude of what was going on. Sacred, scarlet scrollwork in an intricate and unique pattern was appearing on his left palm and reaching up his arm to his elbow.

  “This is not possible,” Dragon whispered hoarsely.

  “Congratulations! The Goddess has blessed you with a mate. If it happened to you, there is hope for the rest of us.” Mace couldn’t believe it. He, along with Dragon and many others, believed they would never be lucky enough to be blessed with mates.

  Members of the crew came forward to congratulate Dragon. He went through the motions as if he were in a dream. Still staring down at his hand, disbelieving the intricate pattern now fully developed on his skin signifying the mate he always hoped for but never believed in had been found.

  If he ever doubted The Goddess being female before, he no longer doubted that fact. While the females in the initial joining ritual experienced mind-blowing orgasms, the males went through excruciating pain to remind them of the pain their soul would feel if they ever lost their mates.

 
“Good Goddess,” Dragon exclaimed still staring at his hand. “I hope you know what you are doing.”

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  Chapter Three

  Liz went to bed hours earlier surrounded by all of the reading material the Serralian Embassy had provided her, her mate was both heroic and tragic. He helped save his people from terrorists at great physical and mental expense. The medical files went into graphic details of the abuse his body had been subjected to. She wept for all of the pain he suffered alone. There were no pictures of his face in his file, but the ones there graphically depicted every torture forced upon him during his captivity. Ironically, the dates of his imprisonment and torture coincided with the time her life blew up in her face. She believed, with the help of some wine and yet another viewing of The Lake House, when you’re destined to be with one particular person, the universe puts in motion events to make sure it happens. You really can’t escape your destiny.

  Liz woke up with the sounds of waves crashing in her ears. Confident of the lack of beachfront property within her condo, she wondered what destiny had in mind for her now. She sat up looking around at her surroundings. Lying under a beautiful canopy tent draped with yards and yards of gauzy royal blue material swaying gently in the breeze, and keeping the rays of the sun from beating down on her body. Liz ran her hands over the bedding beneath her. It felt softer and smoother than the highest count Egyptian cotton sheets bought in Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

  The beautiful beach reminded her of pictures of exquisite Caribbean beaches with turquoise waves and miles and miles of powdery white sand. The gentle breezes lightly ruffled her hair as she walked down the beach to the edge of the water which rose up to meet her feet, tickling her toes.

  “Well, Dorothy, you’re not in Kansas anymore,” she said looking up at a foreign sky with two moons in the distance.

  “I must be dreaming. I read so much information about Serralia I’m dreaming about it in 28

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  Technicolor. Damn! This is one realistic mother of a dream.” Suddenly, her senses went on high alert. She didn’t know if the air around her had changed or if her body sensed another person behind her, but she knew she was no longer alone and somehow her mate stood behind her.

  Two strong bronze hands slowly encircled her waist, pulling her gently back to into a lean, hard body. Liz sighed. This felt right. She snuggled deeper into the embrace. Nothing ever felt this right before. She could stand here in the safety of his arms forever.

  “I’ve been waiting for you. I thought you would never get here,” she whispered.

  “I’m sorry it took so long. I never let myself believe you existed.”

  “I read your file.” The hands moving on her stomach stilled. “I’m sorry for what you had to go through alone. I would have been there for you if I had known.”

  “I wouldn’t have been there if I had faith I would find you someday.” Dragon’s chest expanded letting her love and comfort wash over him. “So you know?”

  “About everything that happened to you when you were taken prisoner? Yes, I know. I know you lost an eye and still wear an eye patch. I bet it makes you look rakishly handsome.” She felt the chuckle in his chest before she heard it. The heat of his body warmed her back and aroused her body.

  “I have never been told such a thing.”

  “Well, I’m sure it does.”

  She stroked the muscular forearms at her waist with light caresses. His body trembled behind her.

  “We’ve never met in person, but I already feel connected to you. Is it normal?”

  “The bonding happens when we are connected as mates. Normal. I don’t know. Right, yes.”

  “Do you know about me?” she whispered.

  “I know you are perfect.” He leaned down and sweetly kissed the top of her head.

  Liz stilled, she might as well tell him about her marriage. She didn’t want any secrets between them.

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  “I was married before,” she blurted out nervously. “He was not a nice man. He hurt me, not only physically, but verbally too. It took a long time, but I left him.” Dragon fully stilled behind her. All the wonderful stroking stopped. Her stomach dropped down to her feet. Shit! I’ve ruined this already. She knew her mistake of a marriage would follow her around for the rest of her life. She knew it.

  “You don’t know how much pain it causes me to know how much pain you had to endure. I would gladly be tortured again if it meant taking it away from you. You never have to be afraid with me. I would sooner cut off my own arm than hurt a hair on this beautiful head.” Liz nodded, the lump in her throat making any physical speech impossible.

  “I realize it might be a while before you believe this, but it is true.”

  “I do believe you. I don’t know why, but I do.”

  “Good. Now, we can continue what we started here.”

  Callused thumbs again stroked her stomach making it quiver and her pulse quicken. If this was what he could do to her body with only his thumbs, she might actually die from pleasure.

  She smiled thinking about what her obituary would say. Woman dies from having the most intense sexual experience of her life, then her brain stopped working; her body took over and went into overload.

  She leaned back and like a cat rubbed herself sensuously against the rock hard cock poking her in the back.

  “You feel so good. I don’t think I have ever been this hard.” Dragon hissed through clenched teeth at the sensation.

  Liz felt powerful knowing she could bring such a reaction from him. She smiled a secret feminine smile of seductive satisfaction.

  Leaning back to ensure ultimate closeness, Liz turned her head to rub her cheek against his chest. His scent was intoxicating, a combination of male musk and a scent totally unknown. It totally equaled a man, an extremely aroused man, her man.

  The turn of her head exposed her long, creamy neck to him. With her position Liz implied 30

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  her total submission to him. She wanted him to know she belonged to him in every sense of the word. Dragon leaned down and trailed his lips down the column of her throat. A shiver of arousal spread through her body. Her scent enveloped them. Her beautiful breasts with their distended nipples were begging for his attention. His hands drifted up her body to cup her full breasts, kneading them until she was groaning uncontrollably. They fit perfectly in the palms of his hands.

  The rolling and pinching of her sensitive flesh cause her head to fall back against his chest and gasp at the sensation. The sweet pain his fingers were causing sent spasms of pleasure shooting down to her already drench pussy. Her womb spasmed in short bursts releasing some of the pressure building up in her body.

  “No.” Liz groaned as his hands left her breasts to travel slowly down her body. Her abandoned breasts felt heavy and her over sensitized nipples jutted out toward the sky begging for more attention. Her whole body heaved and strained towards her release. Her hips undulated against his cock trying to drive him crazy. Perspiration erupted over his body from the force of his control.

  “Please,” she begged. “I can’t stand it. Make me come. Please!” The deep male chuckle of satisfaction emerging from behind her would normally annoy her in its arrogance, but now her body was in control and all it craved the incredible pleasure his hands were wringing from it.

  “Oh, don’t worry, precious one. You will come. Before I am through with you, you will be screaming your release so it will be echoing in the heavens. You will be coming around my fingers. You will be coming around my tongue. I will make you come as my cock is pounding inside you, so deep and so hard you won’t know where my body ends and yours begins. Your legs will know the breadth of my waist, my neck, and my shoulders. Your screams will be music to my soul,” Dragon hoarsely whispered into her ear.

  His words made her wild. Her juices flowed like a river onto her thighs. Every part of her body started str
aining to get closer to him.

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  “It seems even on this dream plane, I have no control when it comes to being close to you. I fear when we are truly together, I will be so out of control I will disappoint you.” He groaned from behind her.

  “I don’t think that’s even possible,” Liz said in a voice she didn’t recognize as her own. Her body hummed out of control even though the hands on her hips were restraining her from any movement. Deep inside her, her womb quaked while the rest of her body screamed for release.

  “This is a dream, then? It’s not real?” Amazed the sensations in a dream could feel so real. If this was really a dream, it was the most vivid dream she’d ever experienced and never wanted to wake up from it.

  “It is a combination of both.” He rubbed his cheek in the silkiness for her hair. “You have the type of hair men dream about splayed across their pillows, trailing down their chest. I can’t wait to see it wrapped around my cock. I want to fill every one of my senses with you. The smell of your hair is more intoxicating to me than any alcohol ever invented” Liz shivered within his embrace, the emotions overwhelming her.

  “You are asleep in your own bed on Earth,” he explained, “and I have used the way of my ancestors for our true selves to connect with each other on this plane. What we are feeling and doing is totally real.” As he continued to explain, his right hand left its position on her hip and drifted downward towards her aching pussy. “In order for me to keep the connection between us intact, I have to remain in total control of my own body, but I am going to give you a taste of what we will be like together and I vow we will be together soon.” Liz’s whole body thrashed uncontrollably as his fingers sharply tugged at her trimmed bush guarding the entrance of her pussy. He purposely avoided her swollen, throbbing clit and with his fingers spread her labia, so her sex was wide open for his exploration. A thick finger probed at her entrance, spreading her cream with excruciatingly slow stokes over her sex, still avoiding the one place where she wanted him to touch the most.