3. Keldor

I walkedinto the bedroom with a tray in my hands, carrying delicacies I had prepared to help the female regain her strength. Most of the food was high in protein, something crucial for recovery across all species. There were also some exotic fruits native to Reazus Prime that I hoped she might find appetizing.

The female was thrashing about on the bed, her head tossing back and forth as she battled some unseen torment plaguing her mind. I set the tray down on a nearby table, forgotten for the moment, and went to her side to investigate her distress. She had been so drained earlier that I expected her to slumber for many hours, undisturbed. Yet it had not even been a full cycle since she awoke.

As I neared, she let out a blood-curdling scream that chilled me to my core. It was not the first time I had heard such a harrowing sound through the years. The flames of Tartarus itself paled compared to the agony laced into those piercing wails coming from the female. My heart shattered as I scooped the female into my arms, hoping to offer her solace from the nightmare”s grip.

Her screams tapered into whimpers as she buried her face against my neck. Her skin was cool to the touch, even as tremors wracked her body in my embrace. I wrapped my wings around her, cocooning her in their warmth and comfort. The female sighed, snuggling closer as I sat down on the bed, cradling her protectively. This chamber was cooler than most in my lair, dragons being creatures that relished sweltering heat. Yet having this female to keep warm made me think perhaps I should have adjusted the temperature better.

”What happened? What horrors did you witness in this nightmare?” I asked gently, rubbing soothing circles on her back as she clung to me.

”I don”t know,” she whispered, voice trembling. ”I saw strange aliens. They looked nothing like you.”

”Not all who dwell among the stars are alike in form,” I reassured her. ”What else can you recall?”

”A ship. I was aboard some kind of vessel. I think that”s where I was when I first awoke earlier. The memories are so hazy, but I know I was terrified.” A shudder rippled through her and I adjusted the covers, tucking them snugly around her slight frame before pulling her close once more. She fit so perfectly against me, her soft curves molding to my hard planes. An unfamiliar part of me yearned to shield her, to never release her from the safety of my embrace. It was a foreign, unsettling yearning I wasn”t sure I welcomed. I had learned long ago not to place trust in fickle emotions - they so often led to grave mistakes. Mistakes I could ill afford.

”You mentioned seeing aliens. Can you describe them to me?”

”Perhaps? Most were shrouded in shadows. I think they were males. Some were big, powerfully built. Others slighter, but not frail - just not as massively muscular as you,” she said, a hint of humor tingeing her tone as she gave a small chuckle that sent delightful vibrations through me. ”There was one alien, very short, like a child. But I sensed an aura of danger about him, despite his diminutive size.”

”And what of the females among them? Did you glimpse any?”

”No, I don”t remember seeing any.” The female snuggled closer into my arms. ”It was almost worth having the nightmare if I get to wake up in your arms. You”re almost too good to be real, Keldor Blazeclaw.”

”I like the way it sounds when you speak my name,” I purred, delighted by the way her lips caressed each syllable. ”I could listen to your sweet voice all day, uttering those words over and over.”

She threw her head back with a peal of laughter. ”Oh, my stars! You”re actually flirting with me! I can”t believe I”m flirting with a gorgeous alien dragon!”

Unable to resist any longer, I cupped her face tenderly and gazed into her sparkling eyes before leaning in to brush my lips over hers in a featherlight caress. It was my first kiss, and I fervently hoped it would not be my last taste of this electrifying intimacy. The female”s mouth was sweet, like the exotic fruits of my homeworld, and I instantly craved more of her intoxicating flavor. The kiss deepened as our tongues met and danced, learning the textures and contours of uncharted territory. Kissing her was a wondrous, exhilarating experience unlike anything I had known. She moaned softly as we parted, her lips swollen and flushed from our passionate exploration. To me, she had never looked more alluring.

”That was...wow,” she breathed in an awed whisper, eyes glazed with stunned wonder. ”I”ve never...I mean, I”ve certainly never kissed anyone quite like that before.”

”As I said, I could listen endlessly to you speak my name in that delicious accent.” I winked roguishly. ”Perhaps you”ll grant me the pleasure of hearing it again, if I vow to reward you with more kisses in return?”

She blinked, dazed, then broke into a radiant smile that ignited unfamiliar fireworks in my chest. ”Keldor Blazeclaw,” she murmured, dragging out each sensual syllable as she leaned in tantalizingly close. Her lips hovered a hairsbreadth from mine as she whispered, ”I do believe I”ll take you up on that offer.”

Our mouths crashed together in a searing embrace, all urgency and blistering need. I angled her head for deeper exploration as my talons carded through her silken tresses. She whimpered into the heated kiss, her small hands roaming boldly over the ridges and planes of my back and shoulders as if committing every inch of me to memory. I groaned low in my throat at her ardent caresses, the rumbling purr reverberating through us both.

When we at last resurfaced, gasping for air, her eyes had darkened to onyx pools of naked desire. ”Keldor...” she rasped, voice husky and dripping with unspoken promises that sent scorching licks of fire lancing through my veins. My name on her lips was the sweetest nectar, more intoxicating than the finest of vintage wines. I wanted - needed - to hear it again, a thousand times over.

”Yes, my heart?” I growled, nuzzling the delicate curve where her neck and shoulder met. She shivered deliciously at the intimate gesture, clutching me tighter.

”I want...” she trailed off, seeming abruptly shy. Ducking her head, she mumbled incoherently against my chest.

Gently, I tipped her chin up until our gazes met and held. ”What is it you desire, my darling one? You have but to name it.”

She worried her lush lower lip, then blurted, ”I want to know more about you. Where you”re from, your culture, your...your people. Everything.” Her cheeks stained a becoming shade of pink, but her eyes were bright with genuine curiosity. ”If- if you”re willing to share, that is. I don”t mean to pry where I shouldn”t.”

A profound sense of tenderness swelled within me at her earnest request. Pulling her snug against my side, I tenderly stroked her cheek with the pad of my thumb. ”Ask me anything, sweetling. I will answer all your questions, to the best of my ability. Though be warned,” I added with a wink of playful mischief, ”you may soon come to regret rousing a dragon”s penchant for long-winded storytelling.”

Laughter bubbled up from her chest, the rich sound warming me from the inside out. ”I”ll take my chances,” she giggled, cuddling closer with a contented sigh.

I pressed a lingering kiss to the crown of her head, inhaling the intoxicating floral fragrance of her hair. ”Very well, my curious little one. What would you like to know first?”

Settling in, she launched into a rapid-fire volley of questions about my homeland, my lineage, my kind”s abilities and history dating back to the dawning ages. I answered each query with patience and as much detail as I could provide, occasionally pausing to ensure I hadn”t overwhelmed her with too much information at once.

Her fascination seemed insatiable, her inquisitive nature reminding me of myself at a younger age when I had been consumed by an unquenchable thirst for knowledge about the universe”s endless wonders and mysteries. She listened with rapt attention to every word, her expressive face a kaleidoscope of captivated emotions as I regaled her with tales of wild adventures, dragon”s treasure, and the awe-inspiring marvels that dwelled amongst the stars far from her home planet.

I avoided the darker stories, focusing on events that happened before my exile to Reazus Prime or after the planet had long gained its independence. The stories were of a happier time when I had carved out my niche in this world. A time when I had found my place in this world, had grown settled if not happy, those were the stories I shared with my female.

At long last, when my voice grew hoarse from overuse, she reluctantly allowed me a reprieve. ”Thank you, Keldor,” she murmured, placing a tender kiss on my cheek. ”For indulging my curiosity, and for sharing pieces of your incredible world with me. I feel like I”ve been granted a peek behind the curtain into an entire cosmos of mythology and lore.”

”The pleasure was all mine, dearest one,” I assured her gruffly. ”Though I fear my stories have likely only piqued your inquisitiveness further.”

She grinned unrepentantly. ”Perhaps. But I wouldn”t have it any other way.”

Chuckling, I pulled her close and nuzzled the top of her head. At that moment, she felt like the most precious treasure in all the vast universes and celestial realms. My greatest adventure yet.