MARKUS Read online

  Captain Markus looked over at General Ranier. He had been watching the blue planet below them called Earth. They had come across the solar system a year ago, surprised to find that it had satellite technology and even a few spaceships. So far, they had managed to keep their presence a secret from the Earthlings. Through monitoring communications and transmissions sent from Earth to their satellites, his people had been learning everything they could about the race.

  The Earth people had humanoid forms similar to their own humanoid forms, but they did not shift. In fact, anything involving shifting or other alien races seemed to be a myth to the Earthlings. Markus and some of the other warriors had been working on learning many of Earth’s different languages. On Drakonia, they only had one language. How did Earthlings get along with one another when they couldn’t even understand each other’s speech?

  What surprised them the most was that despite the Earthlings’ advancements in science and space, they naively believed they were the only living, thinking beings in the universe. Their movies created for entertainment showed that they did not hold a high regard for beings from other worlds. It was this reason that General Ranier ordered that they keep their existence unknown.

  “I have four teams that will cover the areas known as China, Scotland, Greece, and the United States of America. We had studied the planet’s history and stories hinting of dragon lore, and these four locations seemed to have the most stories. The four leaders of the teams are Warriors Roc, Zan, Kale and myself. I’ll be heading up the team going to Arizona in the United States.”

  “I noticed you did not have Warrior Sonar head up a team. Why is that?”

  “Sir, I plan to take him with me on my team but I don’t think he’s able to lead a mission.”

  “I noticed that you reduced many of his warrior duties after his…episode.”

  Markus sighed looking back out the window. “I may be overprotective. He’s been my only family these past ten years. I feel guilty that I didn’t see his problems until it was almost too late.”

  His best friend Sonar suffered a break in reality about two years before. They had stopped at a planet that had a friendly atmosphere to allow their people on board to take a break and shift into their dragon forms. If Drakonians went too long without letting their inner dragons out, they sickened. Their people could live for centuries, but a sick inner dragon was deadly to them.

  While on the planet, Sonar had a conflict with another Drakonian male who wanted to share sex with the same female. The female chose the other male and Sonar lost his temper and attacked the male. The female was accidently injured. Both males were punished, but Sonar had never really been the same since then. He was worried that something would push Sonar to the breaking point and the general would have to order his friend’s death.

  “Perhaps Warrior Sonar should remain on board the ship. If he has another episode, it could expose us to the Earth people, and they aren’t ready to interact with a dragon-shifting alien race.”

  “I understand your hesitance, but I will take responsibility for him. Perhaps spending time on the planet’s surface will do him good.”

  “If he does have another episode…”

  “I will take care of it,” he said, it but he wasn’t sure he could do that. General Ranier must have thought the same thing.

  “I’ll also send Captain Roan with you.”

  “I can handle my team and anything that comes up.”

  “I know you can, but you have to interact with the Earthlings while searching for signs of our people. Having another experienced warrior will be helpful to you.”

  In other words, Roan was going to be on his team whether he wanted or not, and Roan would ensure that Markus handled Sonar.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “When do you leave?”

  “In stages. I leave with my team immediately; we will be arriving in Arizona when it is dark. The other teams will depart at times that fit their location to arrive in darkness.”

  “You will need to restrict your communications. Once you arrive, contact us and then you have five days to search before you move on to a new location. No communications again until the five days are up. We’re using a pulse signal to scramble their satellites until you have landed. Good luck and safe travels.”

  Markus placed his closed fist over his chest. “Until we meet again.”

  Chapter 4

  Arizona, near the Dragoon Mountains

  Val opened the two bottles of beer and set them up on the bar. Her customers, a couple of locals, winked at her as they grabbed their bottles. The phone rang and she glared over at her supposed help for the night, Tina, who was leaning over and flirting with customers instead of working. She should have told her boss that she would handle the bar alone tonight. Buz insisted, however, that since it was a Friday night she needed the help. Plus, Tina was his niece so there wasn’t much she could do.

  Val reached for the phone and turned her back to the bar. “Saddle Up Saloon. Yes, of course we’re open. No, the kitchen shut down an hour ago. Happy to help.” She hung up and caught the sight of several new customers coming up to the bar.

  Turning around she greeted them, “Welcome to Saddle Up Saloon. What can I get you?” Holy shit! The three men that just came in were smoking hot, wearing leather jackets and tight-fitting jeans and dark sunglasses.

  “Whatever is good,” the taller man with light reddish-streaked brown hair ordered.

  She couldn’t help but gawk at him. The man had to be the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen. If only he took off his glasses. As if he could hear her thoughts, he took the dark sunglasses off and looked at her. She was stunned into silence. His eyes were a golden honey color, warm and welcoming. He cleared his throat.

  “Miss, are you okay?”

  Oh man, he probably thought she was rude or something. “Sorry, what did you want?”

  He took a seat at the bar and the other two men sat as well. They were good-looking men too, but she couldn’t seem to take her eyes from this one with the gold eyes. The way he watched her had her nipples harden and she felt a pulsing in her pussy.

  “I asked for three of whatever is good.”

  “We don’t have hard liquor or mixed drinks, just wine and beer in bottle or on tap. Do you like dark or light beer?”

  He hesitated for a moment, looking at his two friends before telling her, “Dark.”

  “Okay.” She quickly went to get three dark beers from the cooler and opened them, then put them on the bar in front of each man. She stood there for a moment, not being able to move away, trapped in the first man’s golden eyes. “So are you guys just passing through?”

  That was stupid—just about everyone passed through this small town. Rarely did anyone stay unless they got stuck somehow or were raised up here. She fit the first. She had come with an ex who broke her heart, stole all her money, and abandoned her there. She had no friends or family to call for help, but thankfully the locals were kind enough to take her in. She had been there now for three years, never making enough to go anywhere and really had no desire to leave. This small town had become her home.

  “We will be here for a few days.”

  His voice was deep, with a bit of an accent she couldn’t place—sexy as hell. She bet he could talk women out of their panties with just the sound of his voice. Her body was feeling overheated. Touching her forehead, she was grateful it wasn’t sweaty.

  “Hey Val! JJ is waving for you to come over. I’ll help these guys out.” Tina walked over and leaned over the bar to give the three men a good view of her breasts. Damn Tina and her plastic-surgery-enhanced bouncy breasts.

  She grabbed a bottle from the cooler and stormed out from behind the bar, heading toward the one man she’d hoped to avoid that night—Deputy Sheriff JJ Dawson. As a deputy sheriff, he was okay. As a man she once dated, he could be a real ass at times.

  She brought the bottle of vodka, the only liquor in the place, and refilled JJ’s glass. Buz
kept the bottle here just for JJ to keep him happy. At that moment, all she wanted to do was smack JJ upside the head. He wasn’t just on his way to being drunk, he also had some woman sitting on his lap, possibly in an attempt to make her jealous. Well, she was done with men. All they’d done was prove to be unreliable, lying, cheating bastards.

  She turned to walk back to the bar but JJ grabbed her arm to stop her.

  “Let go, JJ.”

  JJ moved the other woman off. “Honey, go pick a song on the jukebox.”

  The woman glared at Val before walking away.

  “Let me go, JJ. I’m working.”

  JJ pulled her to him. “Come on, babe, I’ll take you back in a heartbeat.”

  She snorted. “JJ, I broke up with you. I don’t want back with you. Let go!” She tried to jerk away but he held on so tight it was starting to hurt.

  “I believe the female asked to be released,” a male voice said from behind her.

  She turned to look up at the handsome man with the golden eyes standing just inches away from her. He was freaking enormous, towering over her—he had to be close to seven feet tall. Looking up into the stranger’s face, she almost forgot that JJ still had her wrist until he squeezed painfully.

  “Damn it, JJ! You’re hurting me!”

  Before she could even blink, the stranger had pried JJ’s hand off her and stepped between them. The guy was so hulking she had to take a step to the side to look around him. JJ was scared shitless. Then he turned his fear into rage and started to reach for his gun. She didn’t want this handsome stranger to get shot just for helping her. She moved forward.

  “JJ, calm down.”

  “Get out of the way, Val,” JJ warned, trying to get to his feet.

  “You’re drunk. Go home and sleep it off.”

  “I’m going to—”

  “Do nothing,” another familiar voice said.

  Val turned and breathed a sigh of relief at seeing Sheriff Jenkins. He was older but a real good man. Now he was someone she could count on. If he wasn’t twice her age and happily married, he would be perfect for her.

  “JJ, didn’t I tell you what I would do if you let your drinking out of hand?”

  “I was minding my own business talking to Val, then this stranger tried to start up trouble.”

  “That’s not what happened, Sheriff Jenkins. I brought JJ his vodka and he grabbed my arm. I told him to let go, but he wouldn’t. When he started hurting me, this guy—”

  “Markus,” the stranger supplied.

  Even his name was sexy. “Markus here stepped between us to help me.”

  Sheriff Jenkins looked at her wrist, which had red marks on it. “He injured you. Val, do you want to press charges?”

  “No, I just want him to leave me alone.”

  “You’re a lucky son of a bitch, JJ. If Val was my daughter and you treated her that way, I would have beat the shit out of you. Go home, or I’ll arrest you for assault anyway.”

  JJ stood up, wobbling a bit. The woman that he had been with evidently decided to spend time with someone else. JJ walked to the door of the bar and glanced at her once more before leaving.

  “Val, I’m sorry he’s being a real dick.”

  “It’s not your fault, Sheriff.”

  “He wasn’t always like this. He’s gotten worse since his mother died. She usually kept him in line.” Sheriff Jenkins turned to look Markus up and down. “You passing through?”

  “I’ll be here a few days.”

  “Well, thank you for helping Val. She’s family to us here in Dragoon.”

  Sheriff Jenkins walked off to go check on a few rowdy customers, leaving her alone with the sexy stranger.

  “Thanks for coming to my aid.”

  “No female should ever be manhandled.”

  She smiled; his accent made him sound kind of old fashioned. “I’m Valorie Castle, Val for short.” She offered her hand to shake.

  He took her hand but didn’t shake it, just held it in his and smiled. “I’m Markus.”

  “No last name?”

  “No, just Markus.”

  “Well, thank you. Let me get you a drink, on the house.”

  “Actually, I need to be going. My friends and I plan to camp out. Do you have any recommendations?”

  “Triangle T Guest Ranch. Some of the campsites aren’t level, so check the area out first before setting up your tents.”

  “I appreciate the information. Should you get your wound checked out?”

  She tingled when he reached for her wrist to turn it over. His touch was gentle and all she wanted was to rub her body against his.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “Should you call your male or family?”

  “I’m alone and can take care of myself.”

  He glanced over at the bar. His friends were standing and walking toward the door. “I have to leave. I will see you again, Valorie.”

  His accent was so hot when he said her name like that.

  “Have a good night, Markus.” She watched as he walked away, enjoying the view of his ass in those tight jeans. Now there was a man she would willingly commit a small felony for. He was just that hot.

  Chapter 5

  Markus stood in the dark shadows of the abandoned building across the street, watching the bar. His people had planned for just about every contingency, using translator implants to aid him with the Earth languages, trading the mineral composites Earthlings called precious jewels for the money used in that area. What none of them could have planned on was him—and his dragon—instantly being attracted to a tiny Earthling female.

  He had entered the bar with his fellow warriors, intending only to ask a few questions about the history of the small town suspiciously named Dragoon. Walking through the door, he was bombarded with the mixed scents of males and females, dust, and alcohol that Earthlings—humans—liked to drink. His friend Sonar wanted to look for somewhere else to search for answers. He was about to agree, but caught sight of something to the left where a big wooden counter sat with stools in front—a bar. It wasn’t the bar that caught his attention, it was the person behind the bar.

  A blonde-haired female was working, handing out drinks. The data collected stated that on Earth the females worked alongside the males; they did not need a protector. This was different from his culture and it seemed wrong to see someone so fragile working hard. He couldn’t help himself, he approached the bar and placed his order.

  When she looked up into his eyes, his entire body felt a spark. She had the most amazing pair of blue eyes. The color was rare on his homeworld. He must have caught her off guard because she seemed to stare at him in shock. He attempted to smile to put her at ease, and the reaction he got from her was interest. His inner dragon stirred with interest as well. No female had interested both him and his dragon—ever.

  On Drakonia, their dragon and humanoid form would choose a female that they both wanted, then mate with her. Markus had been too young to choose a female before the enemy attacked. On the long journey to find one of the planets their people had been sent to, he had shared sex with the few females on board, but none of them had excited his dragon.

  He sat on the stool, despite the uncomfortableness of the Earth pants, and now his cock was stiffening, making it even more awkward. He ignored the looks his companions were giving him and concentrated on the female before him.

  Her voice was a mix of soft and husky—it sent shivers down his body. Her hair was held up with some kind of band and the part hanging down would sway or brush against her shoulders whenever she moved. He longed to take down her hair and spread it out on a bed while he covered her body with his own. His sexual thoughts were interrupted by the other female that sashayed their way.

  “Hey, Val! JJ is waving for you to come over. I’ll help these guys out.”

  What kind of name was Val? He glanced at the second woman, who didn’t hesitate to flirt and lean across the bar to show off her large breasts. She was a tall bl
ack-haired female, attractive and curvy, the way he usually liked females, but she didn’t excite him or his dragon.

  Turning his back on her, he watched the blonde female walk over to a table near the back of the room. She wore short pants that were tight and showed off her curvy ass, which he and his dragon were drooling over.

  When the male grabbed her arm, nothing could have kept Markus in his seat. He stormed toward the table, people tripping to get out of his way. He could sense the female was hurting from how tight the male was holding her. It was unacceptable to hurt any female.

  “I believe the female asked to be released,” he said, surprising the struggling pair.

  The male sitting down didn’t even bother to stand in the face of danger. What kind of warrior was this?

  “Damn it, JJ! You’re hurting me!”

  Markus acted quickly, removing the male’s grip and placing his body in front of hers in case the male struck out. He had some kind of weapon on his waist but Markus knew he could disarm him quickly if needed. He was frustrated when the female moved around to place herself in danger.

  “JJ, calm down.”

  “Get out of the way, Val.” The male got to his feet, and Markus almost smirked at how small the male was. He would be no match for him even in humanoid form. His dragon wanted to use his fire to burn him to nothing, but Markus used restraint.

  Another male appeared, wearing a badge similar to the one the male named JJ wore. This male was small too, but he was older and had wisdom in his eyes.

  The female explained the situation but Markus never stopped watching this JJ person. He could attack. The female looked at him and he told her his name.

  “Markus.”

  “Markus here stepped between us to help me.”

  “He wasn’t always like this. He’s gotten worse since his mother died. She usually kept him in line.” Sheriff Jenkins turned to look Markus up and down. “You passing through?”

  Markus didn’t care what excuses the male had, it was no reason to treat a female the way he had. “I’ll be here a few days.”