Her Fire: A Dragon Shifter Romance by Courtney Clein

Author:Courtney Clein [Clein, Courtney]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MIDS Publishing
Published: 2017-05-03T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six: The Locked Room

Dakara stared at Marissa as she slumbered, her chest heaving up and down, the perfect curves of her smooth skin enticing him. He tried to not think about her obvious beauty, or her rather astonishing wit when it came to the teamwork exercises and competitive bouts they endured.

The cube challenge turned out to be hilarious in its execution. While most people were struggling to form the jigsaws, Marissa gleefully informed him of the Rubix cube they had down on earth, and their thousands of puzzle games, finding the task child’s play.

Dakara himself only managed to complete seven puzzles within the time limit. Marissa completed eighteen. Almost twice as much as the best alien.

Hoomin brains, it seemed, had some curious applications. A smart Segarden knew how a spaceship worked, how wormholes functioned, how the neural connections in a brain pulsed messages to the rest of the body – creativity was encouraged for technological advancements. Kids played with circuit boards, tinkered with vehicles, conformed to war tactics.

Problem-solving restricted itself to the rules of society, of the issues they wanted you to cure. Trick opponents, manipulate and outplay them.

The hoomin would make a fine Segarden. Marissa’s brain seemed hardwired to creative deception and bending of the rules. Anything that could be bent, would. Her mind, despite likely rejecting the implant, had some kind of higher reasoning that Dakara didn’t see in his fellow kind. A type of rationale and function which showed that perhaps hoomins did deserve their place amongst the stars.

She was like one of those black market Segardens, who rumbled that the world was so boring, they needed to go and fetch species from other planets to liven it up a bit.

They’re not entirely wrong.

Dakara shared the same bed as Marissa, though so far, they preferred sleeping at opposite ends, unwilling to interact more than necessary.

I promised her that if we survived the trials, I’d find a way to get her walking in the open. Maybe even assist in a way home for her.

The truth weighed heavy on his soul, like an anvil of guilt. If we win, we won’t be permitted to leave the planet. She’s stuck with me.

Unless, he sacrificed his standing to let her go alone, and be wifeless. A laughing stock to let his unique partner disappear into the void. And, of course, he would die. His kingdom had no use for a king without a superior mate.

Marissa opened her eyes, and stared at him for a long time, those peculiar greens with their black centers fluctuating in size.

His tail twitched in interest, and his scales darkened to a red blush. Such an interesting form. A species with legs, arms and parts similar to the Segardens, whole galaxies away. The things evolution did for them. Her face glowed with a radiant light, and he longed to reach out his padded hand and touch that impossible smoothness, to feel it, if it would be like silk or with a hidden roughness.

Despite everything, he found his admiration for this woman toppling further into something else.

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