Coral

The Sarkarnii do not joke.

Well, they do joke, only it normally involves a lot more fighting than simply telling a person they have to "mate" with one of them and unlock some weird form of technology which, Drega claims, will allow the Sarkarnii to find any of their species still remaining in the galaxy, leaving the Kirakos behind.

A species all but wiped out by another when they took over the Sarkarnii home planet. As much as I feel for the dragon warriors, I can't help but think this is some cruel trick to give them hope.

There can't possibly be a map which can pinpoint all of one species in a galaxy. If there was, everyone would want it. From what I've seen so far, there are few benign aliens, and they all want something…including humans from a backwater planet and as yet, I've not seen a reason why anything would want us.

Save for the Sarkarnii.

And one in particular where I'm concerned. The one who did things to me I didn't even dream possible and then walked away.

He left me panting, and the second I expressed my real feelings, he did what every other male in my life has ever done.

He left.

It's the reason I got fed up with human men. They loved my cool exterior because they loved what they thought was a challenge, but the second they saw the real me…the real Dr. Coral Graham…the one who was vulnerable, the one who wanted to be loved, they ran.

And Drasus made my body sing, and just for an instant, made me believe there could be something between us.

Except the universe is joking with me, even if the Sarkarnii are not.

Drega studies us both as he folds his arms across his blue chest grinning at me like a dragon who has got the cream, all while smoke curls from his mouth.

Drasus on the other hand has sat down on his bed, his scales looking dull, smoke escaping from his nostrils as he breathes heavily.

He is not recovered enough to do anything, and yet he will. Because he's a big bad warrior.

So far, so testosterone fueled. Or whatever the Sarkarnii equivalent to testosterone is.

"You'll be with him all the time. You have to be, Coral," Drega says in that way he apparently thinks makes bad news better.

Drasus rumbles out a growl under his breath. He obviously doesn't want me anywhere near him. He made that pretty clear back in the aquium when I revealed my lack of experience.

He doesn't want any of this, except to get out of the clinic and back to being a warrior. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Or an extremely grumpy, purple scaled male with a tail he can't control. The thing is lashing away next to him while he ignores it.

"And if I say no?"

"I'll go anyway," Drasus snarls.

He literally has three switches—growly, snarly, or dominant and…

But we're not going to think with our lady bits, are we, Coral?

"Yeah, right. You can hardly walk," I reply pointedly.

"I'll take Drelix or one of the other warriors."

He has an answer for everything, anything to get out of here and away from me. Not that I want to be anywhere near him either.

"That won't work. You both have to go. The system won't recognize one without the other. All the human females are keys, but the Sarkarnii are not," Drega says, as if this is something everyone knows.

Drasus growls again, one eye on me, the other squeezed closed, and he seems to be having some trouble focussing.

This is not going to end well.

"I won't do it."

"Coral?"

Dammit! I turn at the sound of Ruby's voice. Drega has brought out the big guns.

Drasus stops growling and opens his eye, watching Ruby carefully, as if she's some sort of threat. Because obviously a pregnant human is a threat. I glare back at him until he averts his gaze.

"Please, Coral," Ruby says. "If there was any other way, honestly, I'd make Drega take it. We've tried with Daeos and Opal. The control room is clear their DNA is not a match. We've tried several times." She takes Drega's arm and gives him a fond look. "But it's no dice, I'm afraid."

"We've isolated the specific function which relates to the activation of the star map. After checking through everything, we think this is the best option for any compatible mated pair to activate the map and the launch codes, and we've run out of time," Drega explains. "It's not too far from the hangar for the Golden Orion," he adds hopefully.

"Where?" Drasus asks, his voice strong, echoing around the room.

"In the caverns."

"Caverns?" I look at Ruby.

She knows how I feel about the caverns.

"Not like the ones the Belek kept you in," she says with not as much reassurance as I'd like. "Not much. And you'd be with Drasus." She grins. "He's in rut for you," she adds with brightness infused with mirth.

I mouth a swear word at her. Ruby grins even more.

Rather than growl, this time Drasus groans under his breath.

"Whatever is decided, we're not going today," I snap, opening my arms and ushering a big blue alien and my pregnant friend out of Drasus' room. "I'm certainly not going anywhere until I know more."

"I agree," Drega says. "There's no point starting out today as it's around two evs' walk to the control room. You can go tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? You mean you don't even want to try us in the control room here?"

"Um…" Ruby looks at Drega and rubs at the back of her neck. "There might have been a Daeos-related incident in the Sarkarnii control room. We can't be sure if it's working correctly to determine if a mated pair is the key."

Drasus snorts out a considerable amount of smoke and rolls his eyes.

"The Kirakos is a target with the Sarkarnii in situ," Ruby says quietly. "The sooner we can leave and hand it over to the Ragad, the better."

"You mean the Belek will be back?" Drasus rasps.

"Not the Belek, but others," Drega says to him. "Wreckers, wrenchers, and their ilk. If they get the hint that the place is worth plundering, they'll come here, and we don't have the firepower and maneuverability to repel them, not until we get the Golden Orion out of the dock."

"Nev!" Drasus shakes his head slowly. "Then we've no choice." He looks over at me. "We go tomorrow."

This has to be a nightmare. I can't possibly deserve any of this. Drasus, the male who rejected me but who is in rut for me, has agreed to this foolhardy mission, and without any choice, it means we get to go spend time all alone in a cave deep in the Kirakos.

Together.