Releasing the Dragon Page 8

  “Annie…teeska,” he murmured, taking her hands in his. “Have you come to tell me you forgive me?”

  “No.” Annie lifted her chin. “Because I don’t. But…” She bit her lip. “But I wanted to tell you goodbye. In case…in case something happens.”

  “Nothing will happen.” His voice was low and hoarse. “I will come back to you.”

  “But you still won’t Claim me,” Annie said. It wasn’t a question—she could see the regret in his burning black eyes.

  For a moment Dru just looked at her, then he crushed her to him and took her mouth in a kiss so sweet and hot it took her breath away. Annie knew she ought to push him away indignantly—he was still going off on a spy mission with a sex robot instead of her—but somehow she found she was doing the opposite. Standing on her tip-toes to reach him, she put her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her, kissing him back for all she was worth.

  His big hands rubbing over her back felt so good and the warm wood smoke-at-twilight scent of him seemed to intensify all around her. Annie found that her pussy was wet and hot and her nipples were achingly tight as she pressed herself against the hard planes of his chest. Once again she had the sensation of huge, invisible wings wrapping around her, securing and protecting her, drawing her even closer to Dru’s big body.

  But then the big Kindred drew away, breaking the kiss abruptly.

  “Forgive me.” His voice was a low, hoarse growl and it had that same, strange double echo she’d heard in it last night when he roared at Christian. His black eyes had split again to show the fiery furnace within. “Forgive me, I…I must go, teeska.”

  “But—” Annie began. She wanted to beg him to stay with her—or to take her with him. She didn’t care which but she had a very strong feeling they needed to stay together. But it was clear Dru wouldn’t go for that. For some reason kissing her had agitated him and now he felt like he had to go.

  He was already striding around to the driver’s side of the shiny silver ship when a new voice called his name.

  “Commander Drugair—before you go I must speak to you.”

  Looking up, Annie saw the blond-haired doctor—Commander Sylvan—striding towards them. There was another Kindred too—one with wild black hair and golden eyes—talking to Liv.

  “Hey Annie—come meet my hubby, Baird,” she called motioning for Annie to come over.

  Annie came but her eyes were on Dru as he and Commander Sylvan walked further up the line of ships, speaking in low tones. From the serious looks on their faces, something bad was happening. Did Commander Sylvan have new information about the man Dru was supposed to be tracking? Was there even more danger than he’d first thought?

  The thought tied her stomach in knots and she could barely muster a smile as she walked up and offered her hand to her new friend’s husband.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” he rumbled. “Olivia told me how the two of you met. Glad to see you’re all right.”

  “It’s nice to meet you too. Thank you.” Annie sighed and suddenly a deep sadness filled her. Dru was leaving and there was nothing she could do to stop him. She turned to Liv. “Say, do you mind if I go back to the med center now? I really don’t want to stay and watch him, uh, take off. It would be too sad.”

  “I understand.” Liv gave her a look of concern. “I’ll come with you.”

  “No, no—you’re talking to your hubby,” Annie protested. “I know my way back—it’s a straight shot from here.”

  “Are you sure?” Liv asked.

  Annie nodded. “I kind of, uh, want some alone time,” she confessed. “If you don’t mind.”

  “Of course not. I completely understand.” Liv gave her a hug and smiled. “Go on back, hon. I’ll meet you there.”

  “Thanks.” Annie tried to smile but suddenly all she wanted to do was cry. She turned quickly away and walked around Dru’s ship, meaning to go down the row that ran behind it, so she didn’t have to see the big Drake Kindred again.

  But as she passed the back of his ship, she saw that the storage hatch was still open and something inside it caught her eye…something silky and bright red.

  Eleven

  Taking a step closer, Annie saw that what had captured her attention was hair—long, red hair and it was attached to a girl who was lying in the storage compartment of the ship. She was surrounded by what must be the Kindred version of luggage—cases of varying sizes and colors—and there was a blank expression on her pretty face.

  For a minute Annie just stared at her, uncertain of what she was seeing. Then she realized this must be the Pairing Puppet thing Dru was taking with him to be his “x’aan-chow” or “sex-pet” as he had explained it.

  “Just look at this thing he’s trying to replace me with,” she muttered indignantly to herself. “It even looks like me!” Well, except that the puppet had curly hair while hers was straightened. Also, it had hardly any freckles while she herself had a metric ton of them. But still, did Dru have to choose a puppet that looked like it could have been her sister? Annie wasn’t sure if she ought to be insulted or gratified.

  “You look just like me—well, almost,” she said, speaking directly to the puppet.

  It had been staring upwards with a creepy, blank gaze but now that she was speaking directly to it, the puppet turned to look at her.

  “Hello, Warrior,” it said in a deep, throaty voice. “How may I service you?”

  “Ugh!” Annie took an involuntary little skip backwards. She hadn’t expected the thing to actually talk to her. Still, its mechanical responsiveness gave her an idea.

  “Sit up,” she told it. “Let me get a better look at you.”

  Obligingly, the red-haired puppet sat up. Most of her body had been covered with a black drop-cloth-type thing but now it fell away, revealing an outfit that was positively indecent.

  “Look at you!” Annie exclaimed, motioning to the puppet. “That top is obscene!” She gestured at the shimmery silver blouse the robot was wearing. “I mean, I can see your nipples right through it!”

  “If my clothing does not please you, I can always slip into something more sexy, Warrior,” the puppet said in that same, throaty Mae West voice that Annie found extremely irritating. Was this really what Dru wanted in a woman? Then again, at least the puppet was plus-sized so she knew he really did like larger women. Still, though…

  “Get up,” she told the puppet. “Come out here so I can really see you—all of you.”

  Obligingly, the red-haired pairing puppet climbed out of the storage compartment and stood in front of Annie.

  “Wow, you really could be my sister,” Annie murmured, walking around the thing and examining it. “Our hair is the same color and we’re almost the exact same size and shape. Of course your hair is curly but then…” She plucked ruefully at a long strand of her own hair that was beginning to wave. “Mine almost is too. It’s been a while since I had it straightened.”

  As she looked at the puppet, an idea began to grow in her mind. A bad idea, probably—a dangerous idea, Annie tried to tell herself. But somehow she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

  The only real difference between herself and the puppet was the freckles, she thought. While the pairing puppet only had a sprinkle of them across her pert nose, Annie had them pretty much all over. But of course, that could be hidden by the black drop-cloth thing she’d found covering the puppet originally and then…

  “And then Dru wouldn’t know the difference…until it was too late,” she whispered to herself.

  Quickly, before she could change her mind, she turned to the puppet.

  “Okay, strip off those clothes—right now.”

  Obligingly, the puppet did as she was told, stripping out of the shimmery silver outfit which hid almost nothing until she was down to her bare skin.

  Looking around to make sure no one was coming, Annie quickly pulled off the green hospital gown she’d been wearing and shoved it at the puppet.

  “Here—put this
on!”

  Again, the puppet did as she as told, putting on the voluminous gown while Annie scrambled to get into the sexy silver outfit. It fit her perfectly, she saw with some satisfaction but my goodness—it really was revealing! Had she thought the little black dress she wore to the reunion was low cut? The shiny silver top dipped almost to her navel and clearly showed her pink nipples through the shimmery fabric. And the bottom was a kind of mini skirt made of the same material which seemed much too short and tight, although she supposed it was meant to fit that way. It stretched over her wide hips and big behind in a way that emphasized both.

  For a moment, Annie almost lost her nerve as she looked down at herself in the sexy outfit. What was she doing? Was she crazy trying to smuggle herself aboard Dru’s ship and join his secret, dangerous spy mission? What if she got killed?

  Then she heard Dru and Sylvan’s voices coming near the ship.

  “…wanted you to be aware of the situation,” Commander Sylvan was saying.

  “I thank you for the information,” Dru replied. “I will be watching Zar’ren for the weapon you described.”

  Oh God—they’re almost here! whispered a panicked little voice in Annie’s brain. Quick—it’s not too late. Trade clothes with the puppet thing again and run away! Get back to the med center!

  But she didn’t want to go back to the med center—she wanted to go with Dru!

  I don’t care how dangerous it is, she told herself. I’m going!

  But she had to send the puppet away before she took its place. She started to tell it to go back to the med center but a new thought came to her—if Liv saw the thing, her deception would be recognized at once and they would just call Dru on the radio or whatever communication device the Kindred used and tell him he had a stowaway instead of a pairing puppet in his trunk.

  Okay, so they can’t find out—not right away, anyway, she told herself.

  “Look,” she told the pairing puppet in a low voice, “I want you to go now—go wander all over the Mother Ship. And if anyone stops you, say your name is Annie and…and you’re just taking a walk to clear your head.”

  “My name is Annie,” the puppet repeated dutifully. “I am taking a walk to clear my head.”

  “Good.” Annie nodded vigorously. “Now go—get out of here quickly!”

  She gave the puppet a shove on the shoulder and it trotted off obediently, weaving between the rows of parked ships at a brisk pace. Clearly it took the orders it was given literally.

  Annie heard footsteps coming around the side of the ship and knew she was out of time. Climbing quickly into the storage area, she tried to get comfortable in the small, padded space the pairing puppet had been lying in. Then she pulled the black drop cloth over her head until only the top of her hair showed and her face and body were completely hidden.

  The footsteps came closer and Annie held her breath. If Dru pulled back the cloth to check on his puppet, the jig would be up.

  Don’t look, she thought, her heart pounding, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Don’t look, don’t look, don’t look! Just close the hatch and fly away. Just…fly…away.

  There was a moment of silence and then she felt long fingers stroke the top of her head, gently stroking the small amount of hair that was showing above the drop cloth.

  “Oh, Annie…” Dru’s voice was deep and harsh with emotion. “My teeska—how I wish I could have brought you with me instead of this thing.”

  His words, spoken in that deep, choked voice, sent a surge through Annie. She almost sat up and showed him who she really was—the woman he wanted, not the pairing puppet. But caution held her back. It was better not to reveal herself until it was too late for Dru to take her back.

  So she stayed perfectly still as he closed the hatch of the storage compartment and walked around the front of the ship. After a moment, she heard the engines start with a purring roar and then the ship began to lift off.

  Her heart was in her throat as the ship accelerated. Oh God, she was really going to do this, wasn’t she? She was really going to stow away in Dru’s ship and come with him on his super-secret spy mission. This was probably a really, really bad idea.

  But I’m committed to it now, Annie told herself firmly. Committed to Dru and I’ll see this through until the end.

  Twelve

  Dru’s heart was heavy and his Drake was unhappy as he piloted his long-range shuttle through the red gash in space—the fold the Mother Ship had made for him using the power of its artificial green sun. Using space folding technology, the Kindred were able to access almost any point in the universe in an instant—which came very much in handy when trying to move around in the vastness of space. Without this ability, they never would have found so many genetic trading partners and their race, which was 99% male, would have died out long ago.

  “Mine! She should be mine!”

  His Drake roared angrily within him, breaking his train of thought and beating its shadow wings as they passed through the fold, upset that Annie had been left behind. The beating disarranged his instruments, nearly knocking him off course. Dru grabbed for the controls and reprimanded his dark half sharply.

  “Stop it! She had to be left behind for her own safety!” And for mine, he thought but didn’t say. The Drake had nearly come out when he kissed Annie—rising eagerly towards the female it wanted to claim until Dru had been forced to push her away to keep it contained. He had never heard of a Drake becoming so agitated over a female before but it only proved all over again that his other half couldn’t be trusted around the woman they both wanted so badly.

  “Be still!” he told his darker half again. “I must attend to this mission. We will be approaching the Maw Cluster soon.”

  The Maw Cluster was a collection of large asteroids which were home to some of the most advanced sex-tech in the galaxy. There were experts there who specialized in implants, hormone therapy, gender-swapping, genital-cloning, and body modifications of all kinds. And in the middle of it all, was the largest asteroid—so big it was almost a small planet— Gr’lx Prime. It was the home to the Shadow Palace—a tall, imposing edifice that straddled the border between the Pleasure District and the Shadow District and imposed its will over the entire Cluster.

  Usually the Maw Cluster was only available to outsiders via junkets—large commercial ships which voyaged from the edge of the Cluster inward, stopping along the way to allow the patrons that rode in them to get off on the asteroid of their choice. But Dru had a special connection with Slo’vv—the Shade-being who indwelled the Shadow Palace and ruled the entire Maw Cluster.

  He had established the contact early through a game of chance. Slo’vv had been out among his people on one of the lesser asteroids and had decided to sit to a game of four-fisted Yarb. As it happened, Dru had been at the same game, attempting to make contact with a male the Kindred High Council believed might be of use to them.

  Four-fisted Yarb entailed keeping track of four separate sets of cards—which might have proved difficult without the help of his Drake. But with his darker half to watch his back and help keep track of the cards, Dru was able to win handily, though all the other participants in the game had four hands and he had only two.

  Slo’vv had been impressed by Dru’s victory and had invited him back to the Shadow Palace. In this way, Dru had made a much more valuable contact than the one he had been originally seeking and he had been welcome there ever since. He often brought the Maw Cluster ruler oddities and trinkets from other worlds—strange things that weren’t readily available in the Cluster. It cemented his cover as a merchant and also ensured that Slo’vv was happy to see him every time he came.

  Now Dru thanked the Goddess that he had several such trinkets safe in the storage area of his shuttle, along with the pairing puppet who would act as his x’aan-chow. It wouldn’t do to show up to the Shadow Palace empty-handed or without a proper companion. In the past he had hired the services of one of the many prosties who inhabited the
Pleasure district but the idea of being with a real female other than Annie sickened him now. In fact, even the idea of the pairing puppet sickened him but what else could he do?

  You could have taken Annie with you, that’s what you could do, whispered a little voice in his head.

  What? And bring her into danger? he argued with himself. I think not! The Maw Cluster isn’t safe for such a beautiful little female—especially not the Shadow Palace.

  Before he knew it, he was on the edges of the Maw Cluster. Time to put in a call to Slo’vv’s guards and let them know he was here. The sooner he got down to Gr’lx Prime, the sooner he could start tracking Zar’ren. Right before he left, Commander Sylvan had gotten word that what they’d feared was true—the half-Kindred was working on some kind of new and devastating weapon of mass destruction and he was intending to use it on the Kindred.

  Dru had to stop him before it was too late, so there was no more time to waste feeling sorry that he’d left Annie behind.

  He had to get to work.

  Annie let out a sigh of relief as she felt the shuttle touch down at last. They hadn’t been riding that long—only about an hour. But there had been a moment after they first took off when her whole body seemed to feel wrong and distorted somehow. It had passed quickly but Annie had been extremely worried that maybe she had somehow become deformed by the field of weirdness they’d passed through.

  She’d felt her arms and legs and face and head when it was over and was relieved that everything seemed to be in its right place and in the right size and shape. But still, the strange experience had given her a fright.

  Of course, she had no idea the weird sensation came from going through the fold in space. Someone who had folded space before could have told her that it was different for everyone. But since she was a stowaway, there was no one to reassure her that everything was going to be all right.

  She heard muffled voices coming from the front of the ship—someone telling Dru he was cleared for landing. Then a feeling of deceleration and a swift and surprisingly delicate landing. Dru was a really good pilot.