At that moment, Sapphire had never been so happy that she and her sisters were like all dragons and unlike the humans who raised them were from a more civilized species.

  Kneeling, she smiled. “RJ, I have no intention of keeping you from your parents. You and your sisters are free to walk through that portal to the other side at any time. No one here will try to stop you.”

  Sapphire shifted her gaze to meet that of Galen who had entered silently through an interior door behind the children. It was a silent warning that she would protect the children’s right to be with the woman who bore them. RJ dashed the tears from his cheeks, gave her a quick hug and a peck on the cheek, then smiled up at her.

  With a hasty wave, he hurried through the rift and into his mother’s waiting arms.

  “RJ!” Lena wasted no time in dragging her son close and plastering kisses all over his face.

  Sapphire glanced at Galen, curious. Waving her arm toward the happy scene, she asked him, “Is that what it is like to have parents?” She knew she shouldn’t ask. Her mother did what was best for everyone in the entire universe when she came here. Twenty girls losing a childhood shouldn’t matter in the grand scheme of things…should it?

  Chapter Six

  Galen stared down at her, a curious expression on his face. “It is not unlike my own childhood.”

  The two girls turned their startled gazes to him. “He’s big,” Jenelina said, immediately sticking her thumb in her mouth.

  “Yes,” Sapphire agreed. “He is big.” She scowled when he raised a brow. These children were in a precarious state of mind. He had no business coming in here and disrupting her. “Perhaps you should follow your brother through to the other side.”

  The girls looked at their mother and nodded. “Thank you for sending us home to our mom and dad.” Liselle led her little sister to the portal and gave her a gentle push.

  Turning, the girl stepped through the portal and into the debarkation room.

  Sapphire watched their parents as they hugged and kissed the children. A strange feeling closed off her throat and she swallowed to dislodge it. Her eyes burned as she turned to face Galen.

  “We have to go. I didn’t wish to worry the children, but when you opened the rift, you forgot to shield yourself.” Galen frowned down at her. “You and your sisters have always been so careful as to not leave a trail. This time, you left a huge one. You may as well have left a trail of crumbs as the children in one of the Earth stories did to leave a trail home.” He strode to the window and peered out. “It is only a matter of time before unmated males arrive and attempt to stake claims upon you.”

  “But you have said that I am under your protection.” She tilted her head and looked at him. She may be a fierce fighter, but she knew she could never hold her own against a male of their kind. They were just too darned big.

  “And you do have it, but, Sapphire, you must realize that if they manage to kill me, you will be unprotected.” He took her hand and tugged her toward the door. “Your sisters and their mates await us behind this dwelling. We must hurry.”

  Just as she turned to follow him out the way he arrived, the outer door behind them burst open in a shower of splintered wood. Sapphire turned to look.

  Galen shoved her quickly behind him and pointed to the rear exit. “Go, hurry. Your sisters and their mates will protect you in my stead, at least until I die. At that time, they will no longer have the right to stand as your protectors on my behalf. Run!”

  Sapphire wasted no time staring at the three men who crowded through the doorway. Behind them, she saw at least two more before she turned and fled through the back door and into the relative safety of her sisters’ company.

  “Come on, Sapphire. We have to get you out of here.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “I will not leave as long as I know Galen fights these men without assistance.”

  “We cannot assist him.” Oton stepped forward. His expression was fierce but filled with resignation. “It is not our right to interfere with the challenges brought upon him.”

  “Will these attacks never stop?” She turned to glance behind her as the dragons managed to knock down the outer wall of the dwellings and brought the fight to the outdoors.

  “They will only stop once you have chosen a mate, sister.” Ruby frowned. “I wish you had a longer time to make your decision, but with all of the males learning of our existence and needing us to complete their lives, it is difficult to keep them at bay.”

  Topaz and Emerald both nodded. “She’s right.” They said at the same time.

  “We must leave this place and take you back to Galen’s world,” Emerald said, her voice little more than a whisper as she watched the men fight.

  “No.” Sapphire shook her head. “I will not leave him.” She rested her hands on her hips and glared at her sisters and their mates. “This practice is antiquated and wrong.” She waved her arms. “What century is this anyway, the second? Can someone just decide to act the part of the cave man and knock me over the head with a stick and drag me away because he likes the way I look…or smell?”

  Sapphire thinned her lips and glared back at the men who still attacked Galen. What would she do if something happened to him? How would she continue without him? The irritating dragon had gotten under her skin in the last few days and, somehow, managed to wriggle his way into her heart. She cared about him in much the same way as she cared about her sisters, only the feeling was much more intense.

  Never before had she felt the urge to kill someone for anything. Today, she felt like killing the men who attacked Galen. With a snarl, she leapt into the center of the fray, punching and jabbing her way through the five men to fight at Galen’s side. Never before had she fought with such determination, such ferocity that she felt as though she could rip every one of these dragon males apart.

  Just as Galen landed a right hook to another dragon’s jaw, sending him sprawling backward and unconscious, Sapphire jumped up and landed a spinning kick to the chest of one of the larger males in the group. When she came to rest in a crouch, with one leg beneath her and the other stretched out to the side, she stared up at the three remaining males and growled.

  She felt her inner set of eyelids close and her vision shifted to that of her dragon. The males stepped back as she circled Galen, growling and hissing like a great jungle cat or…perhaps it was just like the dragon she knew she was.

  Why had she done this? Sapphire looked around her. Her sisters stood by, their mouths opened with shock. The men stared at her as though she were some curiosity, some freak in one of the old-time circuses she had read about in her classes.

  Was she a freak? After all, according to everything they had heard, she and her sisters were the only unmated females known to exist amongst the dragons. Did that make them just as much a freak as the two-headed llama or the bearded lady?

  You are nothing of the kind, sweetling.

  Says you, Mother. What would they say?

  Her mother chuckled through their link. I think the question you beg to ask is, what will Galen think, is it not?

  Sapphire shook her head. She knew it was a futile effort. What evidence could she withhold from a woman who saw the future decades before it happened? Why should she care what Galen thought? It wasn’t as though they were tied together.

  But you want to be tied to him, dearest. I feel it and if I can feel it, he must. Look at him, look at the others and declare your choice. Once you make your decision and you have spoken it before witnesses, only you can break the bond that will grow between you.

  Looking up from her position, Sapphire noted where every unmated male situated himself, then slowly brought herself to her full height. Lifting her chin in the air, she stared the men down, one by one. Slipping her arm around Galen’s waist, she felt the power within him. He vibrated with it. It would release soon and everyone within the reach of the ensuing blast would either die or would be seriously injured.

  She wrapped her arm about his waist. “At first glance, one must assume that you all think Galen weak to challenge him. Yet, I cannot help but think you must all know that you cannot win against him, even without my help. But know this, if you continue to challenge him, I will help him and I will not stop at a mere wounding.” She drew herself up to her full height and pasted her most serious expression upon her face. “I will continue to bring your fight to you until I am dead or you are.”

  Chapter Seven

  Two dragons backed away, shifted and flew off. The remaining three shifted their weight and that was enough. Sapphire lifted her bow and fired three darts into each male’s chest.

  They looked so surprised as they fell to the ground, she almost pitied them.

  A polite applause broke out behind her and she turned to watch her sisters and their mates walk away. Portals opened and the ladies disappeared with their men in tow.

  “Where did they go?”

  “You don’t need them to defend you anymore, Sapphire. That was why they came to you.” His voice was a harsh growl, but she didn’t step back.

  Galen was still humming with energy and Sapphire was surprised to find her hand stroking his chest in a soothing pattern.

  “You can calm down now, Galen. I am fairly sure that we got the point across.”

  He shuddered, a rippling of muscle that cascaded through his entire form. “I am trying, but the energy doesn’t reabsorb as easily as it is called.”

  “Then we had better get you back home so you can blast the front yard again.”

  His arm curved around her waist and held her tightly to him, the power glowing in his eyes. “That sounds like a wonderful idea.”

  With his arm around her, his hand turned to a claw and she was soon held in the palm of his huge, scaly hand as he lifted off and flew them through a portal.

  He didn’t speak to her while they made their way to his home. The silence started to work on her nerves in a way she was unfamiliar. It was as if, with her decision made, a switch had flipped inside her and even his touch in his transformed state was working on her senses.

  She let the air flow over her features, smiling at the peculiar peace of mind whirling through her. A piece of her that had been missing suddenly snapped into place. She needed someone who not only would defend her right to choose, but who would let her stand up for herself.

  Galen was that man.

  She grinned, well currently, he was a dragon, but the man was not too far under the skin.

  His home loomed in front of them and he gently set her down before shifting back to his normal shape.

  “You had best go inside, Sapphire. I don’t want you to be injured.”

  He was shaking in place as the power in him continued to build.

  She smiled and placed her hands in his and held on tight. “Don’t worry. You can heal me.”

  He didn’t have a chance to argue, he reached critical mass and wave after wave of power burst from him. Sapphire absorbed it all.

  Fire ran along her nerves and she gasped and clutched at a very concerned Galen.

  “Sapphire, are you all right?”

  The fire took hold in her body and throwing herself into his arms, she surrendered to every instinct she ruthlessly withheld prior to this moment.

  He staggered back at the impact of her body against his, but together, they backed into the house, past an astonished Nela and up to Galen’s room.

  His hands worked at her clothing and she worked at his, the tangled result slowing them down until they fell to the bed, skin to skin.

  The power was running between them, rioting in each touch and sparking with the kisses. As they joined their bodies and slid against each other, the hum of energy built to a crescendo that sent the transformed power back into the universe in a huge flare of light and harsh cries.

  Gasping, Sapphire regained her senses with Galen still inside her. “That was unexpected.”

  Sweat was beaded on his forehead and slicking down his spine. She caressed him idly.

  “I always wondered what my power was for. I thought it was defense, but this is much better.” He leaned down to press a soft kiss to her lips and worked his way down her jaw line.

  He shifted his hips and slowly started to wake her body again.

  “Are we…are you supposed to be doing that again?” She shifted against him to keep him deep.

  “Is it a problem?”

  “Um…no.”

  “Can we discuss this later?” His voice was muffled in the hollow of her throat.

  Her voice was lost on a squeak as their bodies did the speaking for them.

  Hours passed as they came together over and over with breaks for bathing and a snack brought by a blushing Nela.

  When they were both satisfied that they had had a chance to explore their partner thoroughly, they showered and dressed, arriving in the kitchen just in time for Lona to slide two plates of lunch in front of them.

  “That amount of noise should be illegal, by the way. I had to send Nela home.”

  Sapphire blushed and Galen grinned. She closed her eyes and jumped as his hand patted her backside.

  “Stop it. I am going to be a strictly no-nonsense outside of the bedroom kind of mate.” Her scowl didn’t bear much weight as her mouth kept kicking up with a foolish smile.

  “Fine, but I will keep the option to change your mind.” He reclaimed his hand and started to eat.

  Sapphire picked up her spoon and ate the stew. Her mind was flickering with locations of humans and she was eager to get started in ejecting them from the span of worlds that they were infesting. She couldn’t do that if she wasn’t fueling her body.

  “So, Sapphire, where do you wish to go next?”

  His tone was so casual, she almost didn’t hear the anticipation in his voice, but when she looked at him, there was a gleam in his eye.

  “I am not sure. There are many places that have smaller gatherings of humans. A few are even penal gatherings. I can’t tell which is which before I get there, but I think a smaller bunch would be a better target for me.” Sapphire finished her lunch and drank a glass of water.

  When Galen cleared his throat, she grinned again. “Fine. For us.”

  Lona chuckled and cleared their plates, sliding a bowl of fruit in front of each of them.

  Sapphire looked over at the housekeeper. “You are in favor of this?”

  “I am in favor of anything that gets Galen the woman he needs. You will be good for him.”

  Galen looked between them, astonished. “I am right here. You can see me, right?”

  Sapphire ignored him. “You really feel that I am the right woman for him?”

  “Miss, there are not a lot of women out there of his race, even less that would give him the time of day. You are perfect for him and for the holidays, please get me some noise-cancelling headphones, perhaps a pair for Nela as well. I think the noises scared her celibate.”

  Sapphire started laughing and Lona joined her.

  Galen looked between them and shrugged, eating the dessert provided. He seemed content to deal with whatever the women in his life came up with.

  Sapphire grinned, she was going to test his resolve at every opportunity and she was fairly sure that he was going to come through with flying colors.

  If her sisters’ men were anything like Galen, no wonder they were not tempted to return to the lab. Life away from the planet of their birth definitely had its bonuses and, as she watched Galen hold out his bowl for a second serving of fruit, its challenges.

  Chapter Eight

  The blast shook the small shed that she was hiding in. Who knew that the humans had brought rocket-propelled grenades with them?

  Are you all right?

  A little scorched but otherwise fine. Did you get the children away without incident?

  I did. Several of them enjoyed it.

  Good. I am going to open a rift in the ground. I have never done that before, but these humans are ticking me off.

  I am a few minutes away. Don’t do anything too stupid.

  Sapphire grinned at the caveat. She was sure that what she was about to do was exceptionally stupid, but she was going to do it anyway.

  She peeped around the corner and pinpointed the men and women with the weapons. In rapid succession, she opened and closed rifts under each of them, a few getting up to run but falling into the holes she placed in their paths.

  Opening rapid-fire rifts was hard and she was covered with sweat by the time the final human dropped through the rift and hopefully into the dispatch area back on Earth.

  Once her senses told her that all the humans were gone and that Galen was still over a minute away, she opened her own rift and stepped back into the home that she had escaped.

  Mother, if any of the others are here, tell them to leave. Now!

  Why, dearest?

  I am about to make the humans very angry.

  She stepped onto her dispatch platform and waited for someone to notice her. The moment that the guards saw her, their guns came to bear.

  “I need to speak to Dr. Nefrin. Now.”

  A rapid scurrying brought the facility manager to her post in under a minute. She kept a travel rift ready to open at a moment’s notice.

  “Dr. Nefrin, as you may have noticed, my sisters and I are now free of the leashes.”

  “Only the gem set. The rest are still coming back on time. Why did you blow up the lab?”

  “That wasn’t me. Check the eyes, Dr.”

  He inclined his head. “What do you want?”

  “I want to tell you that getting the humans off their worlds is still our highest priority. We will return all of the colonists that you have sent and lock the dimensional rifts against them. The balance will be restored and we don’t want you to look for us again.”

  “I see. So, what is to stop me from having these charming men put you back under the control of the facility again?”

 

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