MARKUS (Dragon Warrior Series Book 1) Read online

  “Holy shit! A dragon?” She couldn’t keep her wonderment and then fear contained when the dragon turned on her and growled. He opened his mouth and fire shot out.

  Oh God, I’m going to die. She closed her eyes, expecting to burn as the flames washed over her but didn’t feel anything. She opened her eyes to find that another dragon had enclosed her in his wings, protecting her. The dragon roared and then opened his wings. She stared into a pair of familiar gold eyes.

  “Markus?” she whispered, feeling stunned, utterly stunned.

  The large dragon’s head nudged her toward the saloon. Yep, Markus was a dragon and he was still trying to tell her to go to safety. This time, she would follow his orders. Getting to her feet, she started to run for the saloon. Glancing back, she saw the dragons attacking each other. She needed to get help and no one inside the saloon would be able to do anything. Wait a minute, she had her cellphone!

  Stopping, she searched her pocket but the phone wasn’t there. Turning around she scanned the ground and found it but it was too close to the fight. There was no way to get to her phone without getting caught up in it. She would have to go inside the saloon to call for help. What the hell was she going to tell Sheriff Jenkins? There’s a bunch of dragons fighting outside the saloon, send in a SWAT team. Yeah, that wasn’t going to go over well at all.

  “My king, look out!”

  That was Markus. She looked up to find all the men were in human form, naked, and still fighting each other. Markus moved to aid another man and wasn’t paying attention. She spotted the man that had said nasty things about humans. He had those knives in his hands raised, about to strike Markus in the back. She couldn’t let that happen.

  Without a second thought, Valorie rushed out and jumped on the man’s back. “Leave him alone!”

  She was no match for this dragon guy. He reached for her and threw her down, then he sliced her stomach with those knives, which turned out to be claws.

  “No!” Markus roared as he pulled the man off of her.

  He was at her side, pulling her into his arms. If she died now, she would never know what it felt like to be with him. “I wish…” The words wouldn’t come, there was so much pain.

  “Don’t leave me!” Markus pleaded with her. He turned to look at the men behind him. “Is there a healer?”

  “She’s lost too much blood. Humans can’t live long with that kind of blood loss. I’m sorry, Warrior Markus.”

  “What about sharing my dragon fire with her?”

  She wasn’t sure what that meant but if it had to do with fire, it couldn’t be good. “It’s okay, it’s my time.”

  “No, it’s not your time!”

  “Markus, I don’t know if that will work. It’s been hundreds of years since any of our kind here on Earth have done that. If she’s not your true mate, dragon fire will kill her.”

  “If I don’t do something, she will die anyway.”

  She was fading out quickly, losing her ability to see, and now her hearing was starting to go as well. Her body felt so heavy, pressing down onto the ground. It wouldn’t be long now.

  “Stay with me, Valorie, I’m not going to let you go now that I’ve found you.”

  Wasn’t that sweet? He was probably the one person who didn’t want to let her go. JJ didn’t count. She wanted to tell Markus that he was special and that she didn’t care if he was a dragon or not.

  “You’ll have to get her permission,” a man’s voice said from above.

  “Valorie, do you accept my dragon fire?”

  What was he talking about? She was dying but Markus was asking her weird questions.

  “I can save you, bond you to me with my dragon fire. I just need you to say yes.”

  He wanted to bond with her. She wished for that, too. It was a shame that she was going to die.

  “Say yes, Valorie,” he pleaded with her, placing his forehead against hers.

  Whatever he needed to hear she would give. “Yes.”

  As soon as she whispered the words, she felt his lips cover hers and warmth poured out of him into her. It was fire, and it burned her inside, flowing outward. What was weird though, was that the excruciating pain she felt before from the stab wound in her stomach was disappearing. She felt no pain at all, only heat enveloping her. Then she felt something else growing inside of her where the flames had gone, a need for Markus to be inside of her.

  She groaned in frustration when he pulled his heat from her. “Easy little one, rest now. I have you.”

  Those were the last words she heard before a deep sleep fell over her. She couldn’t rouse herself and she didn’t want to. She snuggled in Markus’s arms and knew she would be safe.

  Chapter 12

  Val felt wonderful as she stretched out in her large bed. Her hand hit a warm chest. “What the hell?” She scooted back and sat up, causing the sheet to fall down and expose her naked top half. She realized in astonishment that they weren’t in her single-wide trailer…in fact, she didn’t know where they were.

  “Are you okay?” Markus asked, moving to sit up in the bed next to her. He was naked, too.

  “Um…what happened?”

  “Do you remember last night at the saloon?”

  “I was about to get off work and we were going to spend time together. You told me to go get your friend and then…” She looked at him, completely forgetting about the sheet, which she had been grabbing to cover herself. “You’re a freaking dragon!”

  “A dragon shifter.”

  “What’s the difference?”

  “I have two forms but one soul. My inner dragon is a being just as strong as my humanoid form.”

  “Those other guys I saw tonight are like you, too?”

  “Yes. We’re actually from a planet many galaxies away from here. Our planet was under attack and we evacuated as many of our people as we could through portals. My king and our people have been living on your Earth for many centuries.”

  “You’ve been here for hundreds of years?”

  “I have only just arrived to your planet. The others that you saw came through the portals. The mages who worked the spell to send our people to your world through the portals did not have time to be more exact, so my people came here during a very primitive time.”

  “How did you get here?”

  “I, along with a few hundred others, escaped on a battle cruiser. The wormholes the mages directed us to take sped up our travel time. It took us ten years to arrive.”

  “Wow, you’re an alien shapeshifting dragon that can travel through time and space. I feel like I’m on an episode of Doctor Who.”

  “I do not know this doctor person.”

  Val knew she should be freaking out right now, but instead she was fascinated. She sat up on her knees and reached out to touch his face with her fingers. “You look so human but I know I saw a huge pointy head and sharp teeth and scales over your body that matched your amazing gold eyes.”

  “I think your eyes are amazing, too.” He moved closer to her, looking at her bare body.

  She was never comfortable being completely naked in front of anyone, preferring the lights be dimmed before having sex. For some reason, she didn’t mind it with Markus. He made her feel beautiful and sexy.

  Markus touched her lips with his finger and she sucked his digit, teasing it with her teeth. He rumbled, or his dragon did. “Is your dragon okay with this? With me?”

  His eyes blinked and she swore she could see another pair of eyes looking out at her. It was weird, but not scary-weird.

  “My dragon adores you, Valorie, as do I.”

  She snorted. “You don’t even know me. I could be a thief, a drunk, or even a killer.”

  “You’re not. I would sense if you had evil intent. You work hard, help others, and never complain.”

  She blinked in surprise. “You’ve been here less than two days! You couldn’t know me that well.”

  He leaned forward and nibbled on her lips as he told her with a thi
ck voice, “I’ve paid attention, watched you, listened to others talk about you. You are well liked in this small town, and the people here feel protective over you. I can understand, because I feel protective over you myself.”

  Val moaned from the delicious feel of his mouth and hands on her body. His big warm hands caressed her shoulders, then slowly moved down her arms. Tingles went up her spine from the sensations he was creating in her. She should ask him more questions…like where they were, but then his fingers found her erect nipples and every thought except for the pleasure she was feeling was suddenly gone from her mind.

  His lips were on her shoulders and he scraped his teeth against her. Her pussy pulsed from that contact. “Valorie.”

  She loved how he said her name. His accent had the emphasis on her middle syllables, lor. It made her think of sex. He made her think of sex. She hadn’t realized he lowered her back to the bed until she opened her eyes and watched as he suckled her nipple.

  “I want to taste you all over.”

  Yes, please! She wiggled, feeling the dampness between her thighs. He stopped what he was doing and lifted his head, sniffing in the air. Then he moved down her body, spreading her knees wide.

  “Your scent calls to me.” That was the only warning she got before he lowered his head and licked her pussy lips. Licking her over and over and inserting his fingers, he pumped in and out. He inserted his tongue and fucked her.

  “That’s…so good.”

  “Just good?” He growled and increased his attentions. His fingers, his teeth, and his tongue strummed her body like an instrument and it didn’t take long before she was singing out her pleasure as she reached her climax.

  Feeling like she was floating from the stars, Markus moved up her body kissing, licking, and nibbling. Her body quickly reignited with desire.

  “Markus…”

  He paused as the tip of his cock teased her entrance and he looked down at her face. Their eyes locked.

  “You are my mate, Valorie.” Then he plunged deep inside of her. He moved in and out, each drag causing ripples of pleasure to course throughout her body. Never had she felt more connected to anyone. It was amazing and incredible. She didn’t think it could get any better, but then he lifted her leg to get a deeper penetration.

  “Holy fuck!” She arched her back as her pussy walls clamped down on him, squeezing him as his hot semen shot inside of her.

  “Mine!” Markus roared his release.

  Valorie felt her very soul combine with his and his dragon’s. They were all three connected and it was the most amazing, beautiful thing she had ever experienced. She fell asleep in his arms with him still inside of her, and sighed with utter contentment.

  Chapter 13

  Markus held his mate close to his heart for hours. Sleep evaded him—he couldn’t sleep, because he and his dragon were thrilled to have found their mate and to have bonded successfully with her. He could have lost her during the attack. Valorie was such a miracle, he never wanted to let her go. A knock on the door was an abrupt interruption to his bliss.

  He carefully pulled his still-hard cock from his mate’s body and covered her with the blanket so that she wouldn’t get cold. He pulled on his jeans and t-shirt before walking over to open the door. He stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind him so that he would not disrupt Valorie’s sleep.

  Sonar and Roan were there waiting for him. Sonar had gone to retrieve Roan from his patrol and bring him to where King Reichardt resided.

  Sonar looked at him strangely. “It’s done?”

  “Yes, we are bonded. I can feel her soul.”

  “Come, King Reichardt wants to talk to you about the girl. I already told him about our journey here and he plans to contact General Ranier when the other kings arrive.”

  Markus stopped walking and looked at his friend in concern. “Not King Dyson?”

  “No, King Dyson is not allowed in this territory.”

  “Good.” They continued to walk down a hallway in the wood and stone structure. It was long and big, but nothing like the castles of his homeworld. They entered a room with books lining the walls. A desk was placed in the middle of the room, and King Reichardt sat behind it. Five males Markus had not seen in years stood on either side of the desk to guard the king.

  “Sit, Warriors Markus, Sonar, and Roan.”

  “It’s actually Captain Markus, my king.”

  Reichardt smiled at him. “Captain, you certainly have made your way up the ranks.”

  Markus glanced out the window, watching as more of his people handled the strange livestock. “What is this place?”

  “It’s a ranch. The property expands a few thousand acres and our people have homes throughout. We raise livestock.”

  “Is it profitable?”

  “We have no need of money. For hundreds of years, we hoarded treasures we claimed and learned to invest it. Our people stayed within our clan territory until recently. The last hundred years have been hard; no children have been bred. That’s why I want to find out all I can about you and the human. How long have you known her?”

  “Almost two days.”

  Reichardt stared at him in surprise. “Why do you think she’s your mate?”

  “I don’t think…I know that she is. I have known since the moment I first laid eyes on her. My dragon wanted to whisk her away to the skies.”

  The other warriors standing looked at him, doubting his words. Elite Warrior Task spoke up for the rest. “That’s impossible. Our dragons have not found any females appealing in a hundred years.”

  “Have you mated with humans?”

  Reichardt answered him. “We used to keep our distance from the humans because they were different from us, weaker, and the council of the kings felt that the mixing of the blood would weaken our line.”

  Markus growled with anger at how they spoke down on his Valorie, or at least her species. “There is nothing wrong with my Valorie.”

  Reichardt sighed. “You have to understand, Markus. When we came here to this planet, the people were so far behind in technology and culture. They thought their world was flat instead of round, and that if they got to the edge of the flat plane they would just…fall off. The humans were fearful of anything that was different from them and struck out of fear. We had to keep our distance to protect our people. Then, over the years, it became a habit. Recently, as we’ve had to learn to invest, we’ve interacted a little more with humans but none have felt a mate pull that I know of.”

  “Until now,” Markus added pointedly.

  “You’re fully bonded?” Reichardt asked curiously.

  “Yes, I can feel her soul as it melded with mine and my dragon’s. I know how she feels and would be able to find her anywhere.”

  “The other kings will be arriving tomorrow. Would you be willing to tell all this before the council?”

  Markus couldn’t refuse his king’s request. If it helped to keep his mate safe, then he was all for it. “I will speak with them, but I won’t have her subjugated to their questions. I don’t want her to be frightened.”

  “I can understand that.”

  “My king, I wanted to ask about my mother and sister. Are they not on this ranch?”

  “They went to another clan to see if your sister would be able to find a mate. I have notified them of your arrival, and they too will come back tomorrow. Now, I want to ask you about the battle cruiser. Will it be able to return us to Drakonia?”

  Markus shook his head. “When we fled, Drakonia was a dead planet, unable to sustain life.”

  “You’ve been gone ten years, could things have improved?”

  “Even if we could find our way back, I doubt it.”

  “How did you find Earth?”

  Markus pulled the chain that had the medallion on it. “Mage Craggen gave this to me as he directed us to head for the last battle cruiser leaving Drakonia. He told me that there were coordinates for each of the two planets on the sides. He warned us of
the time lapse. We followed the coordinates to Earth.”

  “You came here first?”

  “Yes.”

  “So the other planet could have more of our people.”

  “It’s a possibility, or they could have died despite all efforts.”

  One of the warriors addressed the king. “Sir, we could still take our people off this planet on the Zyon.”

  “For what? We have a home here and know who our enemies are. Our people are already dying out slowly from the lack of a bond. It could make things worse if we leave. One thing is for sure, the battle cruiser won’t be able to remain in Earth’s orbit. Humans have evolved and their technology will eventually find our ship.”

  An argument erupted and King Reichardt slammed his fist on his desk. “Enough! These discussions will be handled once the other kings arrive. Markus, you are free to explore the ranch with your mate.”

  Markus stood up. “Where is your cooking area? My mate is going to be hungry when she wakes.”

  “Feser, show Markus, Roan, and Sonar to the kitchen and help them prepare the human food.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Markus started to bow on his way out but Reichardt stopped him. “None of that formal stuff. I haven’t had someone bow to me in hundreds of years. Also, I prefer to be called Reichardt or Rei for short.”

  “I will try to remember that, my king.” Markus followed the other warriors out of the room. He couldn’t wait to get back to his mate. After hearing how rare a bond was, he did not want to take his eyes off of her.

  Chapter 14

  Delicious smells woke Val from her slumber. Sitting up, she watched as Markus balanced a huge tray full of food. “Do you need some help?”

  He looked up and smiled at her. “I’ve got it. I figured you would be hungry when you awoke.”

  Her stomach growled at that moment and they both laughed. “You would be right.” Val wrapped the blanket around her body and got off the bed, walking over to sit in one of two chairs at a small table. “By the way, I forgot to ask you earlier…where exactly are we?”