Dawn Autumn (15 page)

The dragon hissed, in harmony with his mistress as she marched out of the store.

Fred found himself smiling as he followed the pair into the transport. He’d never seen her so regal. Better yet, she’d called him husband. The burst of pride he felt nearly broke his heart.

Once inside her fire faded to a comforting glow as she coaxed the dragon down to her wrist and comforted him in her arms. “It’s all right, sweetheart. You don’t ever have to go back. You’re so soft! I hadn’t expected you to have such silky hide.”

The dragon burrowed his head between her breasts. Fred could understand the attraction—it was his favorite place, too.

One of them, anyway.

Jay glanced at him. “You aren’t mad, are you? If you really didn’t want me to have him ….”

“I would have said, no,” Fred told her firmly. “I do have some control left around you. Not much, but some.”

She laughed, then sobered. “I just bought a pet I don’t know how to care for.”

Fred leaned back and rested his arm on the seat behind her. “Feed him, love him, don’t let him rule the roost. There’s not much to it, really.”

“Sounds like somebody else I know.”

He tickled her, making her giggle. “Seriously,” she said. “What if he needs a vet check? Shots? Neutering?”

The dragon lifted his head and hissed at her.

Fred laughed. “I’m with you there, pal. Pendragons are pretty healthy creatures, sweetheart. I’ll show you how to use the library when we get home and you can learn about them to your heart’s content. Now, all this shopping has made me hungry. How about we grab something to eat on the way home?”

“Maybe we should stop at a store and pick up a few staples. I’m going to get fat if we keep eating like this.”

“Would you recognize a staple if you saw it?”

She paused. “Good point. I guess I’ll be spending at lot of time at the library.”

“On the library, pet. It’s electronic, like the internet. Don’t worry, we’ll get it sorted out.”

She loved the way he said ‘we’ll’, as if they were partners and he had no intention of letting her stumble through the world alone. Still, as she stroked her dragon, something niggled at her. “Fred?”

“Hm?”

“You like to distract me, don’t you?”

“It’s my favorite thing,” he agreed, twining a lock of her hair around his finger.

“Are you really such an animal lover that you’re turned off by how the dragons are raised, or is there something else you didn’t tell me?”

His eyes shuttered.

“You’d better pick your secrets well,” she chided him. “I’m relaxed and listening now. It’s an excellent time if there’s something you want to get off your chest.”

He looked thoughtful. “So it is. Secrets are a habit, pet. You’re an equation I’m still getting used to.” He drew a breath and looked out the window. “I told you I’m a Sado. Usually that’s a question stopper. Nobody likes to query further because they all know the history ... or the official version of history.” He blew out a breath. “Our planet was invaded when I was barely old enough to remember. I told you I was a fosterling?”

“I didn’t know it was the truth at the time,” she apologized.

“Yes. Anyway, all but a handful of the Sado were exterminated. A few of us young ones were spared to be placed in foster care. Government trophies, of a sort,” he said bitterly. “Years later, when we were no longer a threat, the government lifted the ban on our race. By that time our world had been stripped of cash and influence, of course. A few hundred survivors emerged from caves and ruined cities and were graciously given back our planet. Turns out the invaders couldn’t thrive on our world. The pendragons were only one of the natural wonders that were stolen from us. They’re endangered, back home.” He looked at her pet with bittersweet remembrance. “I barely remember my father holding his.”

She touched his shoulder, hurting for him. “I’m sorry, honey.”

His look softened. “Not your fault. You have a right to know.”

She smiled sadly and snuggled close.

The dragon crooned in her arms.

Jay didn’t want to hurt him, but he was talking to her, and she needed to know more. “Who invaded your world? Why? For that matter, why didn’t your government do anything about it?”

“The galactic government? It’s a joke, a lot like Earth’s United Nations. They’re spread too thin, more interested in protecting their backs than anything else. We weren’t connected to any major trade routes, provided no major energy sources. We weren’t a priority. As to why ....” He looked thoughtful. “There’s another planet in our system, one that’s always been a rival. Lot of piracy back and forth, that kind of thing. Unfortunately for us, they formed an alliance with Dargarians. It was unstable, didn’t last a handful of years, just long enough to invade us. Our only luck was that the Dargarians found the alliance an expensive one, politically and financially. The Prizi, the rival who invaded us? They found our bacteria as hostile to their systems as we were. Thousands died in plagues until they finally gave up and went back home. By then the galactic government’s trade sanctions had some impact, encouraging the move.” He was silent for a while.

She stroked his biceps in silent commiseration.

They’d reached their destination. Fred subtly shrugged off her arm and helped her from the transport. Sensing he needed time, she followed him up to their apartment and put away their purchases. He showed her how to use the electronic library and then occupied himself at a corner console, his back to the room.

She sighed, but let him have his space.

The library had some interesting topics, but she was feeling a little stressed herself. She downloaded the stuff she wanted to view, then turned the screen off and got out her guitar. With the soft rhythm of old rock ballads humming in her ears, she relaxed, let her soul pour through her fingertips and breathe life into the music. There were no worries in the music, just the familiar memories of home, of peace.

To her delight, her pet loved the music, and he had the voice to give it justice. “Listen to that, you little rebel! You’ve got perfect pitch,” she exclaimed happily. “Wanna be a rock star?” She surged into a complicated riff, then played a little Joan Jett, singing along with his sweet trill.

She was on her feet, singing a duet with Rebel, beak to nose, when Fred came up and gently wrapped his hands around her ribs. The guitar twanged to a sudden stop as he buried his face in her neck with a laugh. “You do know how to bring a man out of a funk, don’t you?”

She set her guitar on the couch and turned around in his arms, rocking him as she hummed to unheard music. “Can’t stand it when you’re not the center of attention, can you?” she teased.

“Hm. If you’re my audience, then that would be a yes.” He kissed the side of her neck, holding her for a long, peaceful moment. “You’ve got me in the mood to party. Would you like to go out? I’d like to introduce you around, and I’ve got some business to take care of.” “Tark business?” she asked, concerned.

“Among other things. That all right?”

She suspected that he didn’t want to leave her alone, and not just for the usual reasons. “Sure, I’ll go.”

She noticed that Fred had changed into black leather and took her cue from him. Her jeans stayed, but she threw on a tank top and her blue leather jacket. He wasn’t wearing his shades anymore, so she didn’t bother. “What about Rebel?”

“Rebel?”

She petted her dragon. “That’s what I’m calling him.”

“Bring him. He won’t raise any brows where we’re going.”

Curious, she followed him out and caught a transport. “Is it too expensive to own your own car?”

“Too much trouble and the parking in this town sucks. Don’t worry. If we do go for the whole rural scene, we’ll get something to drive. If you ask real nice, I might even teach you how to drive my starship.”

She stared at him. “You have a starship?”

He winked at her. “Just call me your interstellar lover. You can ride my rocket anytime.”

She elbowed him. “Brat.”

His mood changed at they pulled in front of a dull stone building and stepped out. Sound and light spilled out of a pair of steel doors every time someone walked in or out, but there was nothing around them but a dark alley. A dumpster sat a stone’s throw from the door. A pair of shadows darted further down the lane, making her uneasy. She wasn’t happy that the transport had left. “This is where you wanted to go?”

Fred put his arm around her waist. “Appearances are deceiving, love. You ought to know that by now.” He strolled for the door, nodding to the bouncer. “Stay by my side, don’t accept if anyone offers you a drink and you’ll be fine.”

She gave him a dubious look, but it was too late. They were inside.

Pink, magenta, and blue lights backlit a band of mixed races playing a techno-Africanesque thing. Nobody was dancing, though the atmosphere seemed charged. Couples or groups glanced up from various tables with the guarded looks of those who exchanged secrets. Iridescent glass bubbles floated along the ceiling, hovered above the booths or an inch from the table tops, which sparkled with tiny stars set in a blue background. The tops were semi-opaque, adding to the otherworldly atmosphere.

“What is this, a spy den or a day spa?” Jay whispered to him.

Fred just grinned and secured them a table against the wall. He barely had time to order drinks before a tall blue man came up and greeted Fred like a long-lost brother.

“Kutlazx Azair!” The man slapped him on the back, then gave him a rough hug as if that weren’t enough. “You old space dog. What are you doing back here? We heard you’d exiled yourself to the armpit of the galaxy.” He wore his long black hair slicked back in a high pony tail and a vest with no shirt. A thick silver choker circled his muscular neck, and he had a black cuff on each wrist, plus two more on his biceps. The goatee on his chin completed the picture of pirate-on-furlong. He caught sight of Jay and one brow went up. “And who is this?”

Fred grinned and let himself be mauled. “Tayl, meet my wife, Jay. Jay, this punk is Tayl Chahser, friend and comrade in arms. We went to school together.” He leaned closer and said in a stage whisper, “Don’t trust him.”

Tayl slugged him in the arm for that one, but his attention moved back to Jay quick enough. “Wife! You’re joking.” He caught sight of the cuff on her wrist and reached for it. Since Fred didn’t object, she let Tayl examine it. He dropped it quick enough, an expression of astonishment on his face. “It’s real!” He called over his shoulder, “Hey, guys! Come look at this. Fred got married!”