“No.” Trisha said yawning and snuggling closer. She let her eyes drift shut.
“Why not?” Kelan asked unable to let her fall asleep without telling him why she didn’t think her dad would want to kill him. He would have killed any man who did the same to his daughter.
“Because you make me happy and whole.” Trisha whispered faintly.
Kelan lay still listening as Trisha’s breathing deepened telling him she had fallen asleep. He made her happy and whole. Kelan was just about asleep when he felt something kick the palm of his hand. He pressed his hand over Trisha’s swollen belly and sent a wave of warmth through the symbiosis on both of them to his son, calmly telling him to settle down and let his mommy rest. Tears burned the back of Kelan’s eyes as he felt a tiny wave of warmth return to him in answer.
“Are we there yet?” Trisha asked for the hundredth time in the last two hours.
“Almost…just another hour.” Kelan grinned as his mate paced back and forth nervously.
“Are you sure we should beam down? Is it safe for the baby to get its molecules all scrambled?” Trisha asked again.
“It is very safe.” Kelan replied…again.
“Are we there yet?” Trisha asked looking at Kelan and biting her bottom lip anxiously.
Kelan laughed out loud and so did the half-dozen other men on the bridge. They spent the last two weeks almost exclusively in his living quarters on board the
V’ager
. The first night was fine in the conference room but the couch was much too small for many of the things he wanted to do with Trisha. He grinned as he thought of how creative they got. He especially liked having Bio create straps to tie her down while he fucked her over and over.
His dragon even got a chance to have fun with his mate. Trisha had him move all the furniture in the living area to the sides of the room one night so her dragon could be with her mate. Kelan remembered Trisha snapping at Gunner when he barged in thinking something was wrong when he heard Kelan’s dragon roar. Kelan’s dragon chuckled as Trisha snapped and snarled at an embarrassed Gunner who quickly backed out of their living quarters with an apology. Kelan had to soothe his riled mate with several additional love-making sessions before she was ready to forgive Gunner. It took him a little longer to soothe Trisha from her embarrassment and convince her Gunner didn’t see anything. Gunner took one look at the warning in Kelan’s eyes and swore on his own life he saw nothing but Kelan’s wings. Trisha finally nodded shyly before smiling in relief at Gunner. Gunner swore he never saw anything more beautiful than Trisha’s eyes shining with relief and shyness. He would never admit the incident caused him to return to his own quarters where he had to relieve the pain from his swollen cock caused by the erotic picture of the two entwined dragons.
Now, Trisha waddled, it was the only way Kelan could describe her, back and forth. When she turned pleading eyes to Kelan he couldn’t stand it any longer. Taking her hand gently in his, he stated it was time for them to go to the transporter room. He laughed as Trisha practically dragged him off the bridge.
“What if he’s not there? What if something happened to him while I was gone?” Trisha asked anxiously. “What if…?”
Kelan sealed his lips over his mate’s mouth silencing her doubts. “He will be there.”
Kelan didn’t tell Trisha he sent down Kor and Palto to make sure before he transported Trisha down. That was one of the reasons he procrastinated on taking her down. They were in range to transport twenty-four hours before. He wanted to make sure Trisha’s father was in the home she told them about first. He did not want her to be disappointed. Kor notified him that a human male matching Trisha’s description of her father arrived home late last night. Trisha had finally fallen into an exhausted sleep by the time the message came in. Kelan wanted her well rested for whatever happened. While Trisha seemed confident her father would approve of him, Kelan was not so sure. For the second time in his life, he didn’t know what to do. He was scared to death Trisha’s father would try to convince her to stay on Earth. Taking a deep breath, Kelan prayed to all his Gods and Goddesses for the strength to get through the next few days.
“It’s time.” Kelan said as he lifted his lips off of Trisha’s.
She looked at him with love and excitement shining brightly from her deep, dark brown eyes. She nodded and nervously stepped onto the platform next to Kelan and Bio. Kelan turned and looked at the warrior in charge of the transporter and nodded. Within moments, they were on Earth, almost four and half months since Kelan first arrived.
Kelan looked at the huge two-story house that Trisha told him about. This is where his true mate grew up. There was a large wrap-around porch and an old transport out in front of it. Kelan instructed they be transported to a small wooded area so it would not be obvious to any humans if there should be any around. Kelan started forward when he heard Trisha’s soft cry of joy. A huge man was coming out of the house and moving down the steps. Even from this distance Kelan could tell the man was light on his feet for being so large. Trisha moved out of the woods before Kelan could stop her, moving as fast as her rounded shape would let her.
“Daddy!” Trisha cried out running towards the huge man.
Paul Grove’s head jerked up as if he had been shot. His eyes widened as he saw his baby girl running towards him. He took one step, then two before he broke into a run. He opened his arms wide as Trisha threw herself at him, pulling her close in a big bear hug.
“Baby girl.” Paul Grove whispered softly as he stared down into his little girl’s tear-filled eyes. Paul hugged Trisha again pulling away only when he felt her rounded belly.
“What…?” Paul asked uncertainly before his gaze caught on the huge, dark haired man standing near the woods. Paul put a protective arm around Trisha trying to turn so she would be behind him.
Trisha glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Kelan. She held out her hand for him to come closer. “I tagged him, daddy. He’s mine.” Trisha said smiling up at her dad.
Paul Grove stared down into the beautiful face of his only daughter. There was something different about her- a wholeness that she never seemed to have before. She had found true love. Paul turned his attention to the man walking towards him. He was taller than Paul by a couple of inches but not much broader. He walked with an air of confidence that spoke of leadership and power. Paul took in every detail from the unusual clothing to the long sword strapped to his back and some type of gun at his hip. His hair was almost as long as Trisha’s but black as night and straight with two long braids in the front. He wore boots that reached just below his knees and was dressed all in black. Paul took a step back when he looked into the man’s eyes. They were not human. There was no other way to describe them. They were a deep, dark gold with black-elongated pupils, almost like a cat.
“Daddy, this is Kelan. He is my true mate…my husband.” Trisha said hesitantly as Kelan came to stand by her. He gently took her hand in his.
Kelan looked steadily at Paul Grove knowing instinctively the man was sizing him up to see if he was good enough for his daughter. Kelan returned his stare. He was curious about the man who was the father of his true mate. The man who taught her how to survive, how to be strong, and how to fight for what she believed in.
“Daddy,” Trisha said softly waiting until her father looked down at her. “I love him. He took me to the stars and made me whole, just like you said momma made you feel.”
Trisha moved back letting Kelan wrap his arms around her and their son. Paul Grove watched the possessive, yet gentle way Kelan looked and held his baby girl. He saw Kelan place a protective hand over Trisha’s swollen stomach. He also knew if he wanted to be a part of his daughter and grandchild’s life he would have to accept the man she chose.
Paul Grove cleared his throat and gave Kelan a small smile. “Well, son, my daughter once promised me if she ever went to the stars she would take me with her. When do we leave?”
“Oh, daddy.” Trisha breathed out smiling.
Trisha didn’t tell her dad she
found a woman up there that might be just what he was looking for. She couldn’t wait for him to meet Morian Reykill. Trisha grinned as Kelan stretched out his hand to her father in greeting and watched as her dad pulled him into a big hug instead. It took a trip out of this world to find true happiness but she found it in the stars. Trisha looked up at the clear blue sky knowing there were stars up there and thanked her mom for all her help. She could have sworn she saw a twinkle in the sky for just a moment before it disappeared.
To be continued…
Susan Smith has always been a romantic and a dreamer. An avid writer, she has spent years writing, although it has usually been technical papers for college. Now, she spends her evenings and weekends writing and her nights dreaming up new stories. An affirmed ‘geek’, she spends her days working on computers and other peripherals. She enjoys camping and traveling when she is not out on a date with her favorite romantic guy. Fans can reach her at
[email protected]
.
Additional Books:
Abducting Abby (Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 1)
Capturing Cara (Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 2)
Tracking Trisha (Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 3)
River’s Run (Lords of Kassis: Book 1)
Tink’s Neverland (Cosmos’ Gateway: Book 1)
Lily's Cowboys (Heaven Sent)
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