Alien Dragon (9 page)

While Hal and Jenika’s training program didn’t prepare me for life with the King or his ridiculous mood swings, it did prepare me for life on the planet. I quickly settle into a predictable routine of cleaning, serving meals, and cooking for the King and his many, many mistresses.

The King doesn’t speak of my first day in his quarters and I never bring it up, instead choosing to keep our interactions as polite and non-touchy as possible.

I’ve been at the castle for nearly two weeks when May comes to my room with a bright red gown.

“No, no, no,” I say, shaking my head as she walks in the room, but May just rolls her eyes.

“There’s a ball,” she says. “Tonight. You’re going.”

“Why didn’t anyone tell me sooner?” I whine. I could have faked sick. A ball? The last thing I want to do is parade around a ballroom full of douche-lords who view me as a sex toy and nothing more.

“The King’s childhood mate is in town unexpectedly. The ball is a last-minute event; however, you still must look your best. You’re his human.”

His human?

I’ve been at the castle for a short while, but this is the first time anyone has labeled my presence so succinctly.

I am the King’s human.

While he beds other women nightly and sometimes in the afternoon, I’m
his
human. No one else touches me or asks me to do anything. The only person I answer to is the King and to be honest, it’s actually kind of nice.

Do the others assume we’re fucking?

May has never said anything and I’m too scared to ask.

“Okay, let’s take a look at this ugly thing,” I finally concede. May comes into the bedroom and closes the door behind her. I strip off my daily dress. It’s plain and simple, but I like it. It makes me look youthful and hopeful. At least, I think it does. Today, though, I was cooking for his majesty and all of his royal guests. In other words, I had to bake cookies for his whores, so my dress is dirty. May picks it up off the ground with a single finger and frowns at it.

“Go,” she motions toward the attached bathroom. “Shower. I’ll get everything ready.”

I go into the bathroom and start the water. Unlike Earth, the water on Taneyemm is always hot. I try not to take advantage of it, but sometimes it’s really hard. I’m always afraid I’m going to wake up one morning and there will be no more water.

Four years isn’t long enough to forget what it feels like to have nothing.

Even though the King has been generous with the space he has provided for me and the clothes he keeps in my bedroom, it’s difficult for me to get attached to anything.

Hal used to shake his head at me because I struggled to accept gifts from the others on the ship. I was always nervous about it. It’s because I didn’t have anything at all to my name on Earth. Anything of value had been sold to care for my mother and then for Father. While we had a few belongings, nothing was more important than family.

Nothing.

I finish showering and dry my hair, then go back into the bedroom where May is standing in the center of the room. On the bed is the most gorgeous dress I’ve ever seen.

It must have cost a fortune.

I wonder if it cost more than
me
.

“I can’t wear that,” I say, but May holds up a hand.

“It’s already late. We have one hour to get you ready, so put these on and sit down.” She throws some lingerie at me and I quickly wiggle into it, glad I’m not modest or afraid of being naked in front of another woman.

Jenika and Ruby kind of cured me of that.

I squirrel into the lingerie, but don’t take the time to think about how soft or sweet it feels against my skin. I usually don’t have the opportunity to wear undergarments, so this feels like a special treat. Instead of basking in the moment, however, I sit down at the vanity and May starts working her magic on my hair.

“You know that you’re amazing, right?” I say. “You can do everything in this place.”

“Yeah, I’m the best. It’s why they pay me the big bucks,” she grins. I like it when May uses old Earth slang she’s picked up from the other humans over the years. She’s still never told me where she’s from. Maybe I’ll never know, but I’d like to.

Someday maybe we’ll be close enough for her to confide in me.

May curls my hair and pins up half of it while the rest flows down over my shoulders. She does my makeup and when she’s finished, I really don’t recognize myself.

“I have no idea how you did that,” I whisper, reaching for the mirror. I hold it for a few seconds before May hurries me up and helps me into the dress and matching red pumps.

“You look fucking gorgeous. Very fuckable,” she adds, and I roll my eyes at that. She knows the King hasn’t fucked me, even if other people think he has. He hasn’t even expressed any interest in me since my first day in his employ. Our relationship is purely professional and very, very hands off.

“Well, maybe I’ll meet a nice dragon tonight,” I murmur, and May smiles.

“What about you? Are you coming to this event?”

“Sadly, I’ll have to miss all the ass-kissing and schmoozing. I’m working the kitchen. Gotta make sure all the assholes have everything they need.”

“So, lots of booze?”

“And pie. Booze and pie. Who would have thought dragons had such particular appetites?”

Not me.

“May?”

“Yeah, Riley?”

I bite my lip and hesitate for just a second. Do I really want to admit weakness? Not really, but this is May. She’s my friend. She’d never use my weakness against me. Never.

“I’m scared.”

“What in the hell for? You look great, hon. You’re gonna knock ‘em dead.”

“Sometimes I wonder if this is all there is. I kind of thought Taneyemm would be a little different, you know?”

“You thought you’d find true love?” Her voice is knowing, but not judgmental.

“Something like that.”

She sighs and sits on my bed, then takes my hands while I stand in front of her.

“Let me give you some free advice, kid. I’m a little bit older than you and a little more experienced, so don’t take this the wrong way, but you can’t wait around and try to find true love. That doesn’t exist. Not anymore. If you meet someone tonight, don’t be afraid to go for it.”

“Go for it?”

“Remember the day in the business meeting?”

“With the flirting and the napkins and the touching?”

May nods, a smile playing on her face.

“Let’s just say, I know you can do better than that. There are going to be a lot of eligible dragons at the party tonight. The King might have said you have to go, but he didn’t say you couldn’t get yourself some dick.”

“May!”

“Just saying, just saying.”

She stands and takes my hands again, giving my outfit one more look. Seemingly pleased, she leads me toward the door.

“Now come on,” she says. “It’s show time.”

I enter the ballroom on the first floor. Like everything else in the castle, it’s beyond enormous. I’ve never seen anything so big, so decorated, so perfect. I feel like a fairytale princess and for just a moment, I can forget about how things have turned out for me.

For just a moment, I’m not the girl Hal pulled from the gutter.

I’m not the girl without a family.

I’m not the stranger on a new planet.

For just a moment, I’m the belle of the ball and I am covered in warmth and contentment.

For just a moment.

I’m supposed to socialize, but I don’t have to stay by the King’s side tonight. He’ll likely have a date, according to May, which is fine. It’s just another woman in his string of conquests. Personally, I would have thought he’d be tired by now, but apparently they’re really good in bed.

I know for a fact that he is, based on how much he makes his woman scream.

Yeah, His Majesty is a little bit kinky. Jenika suspected that he was. She hinted at it several times before she finally told me outright and tied me to a post on the ship. I was tied up with a vibrator strapped to my clit and forced to come over and over while the crew watched.

That was a fun day for everyone, including me. I was too far gone to be embarrassed with what was happening. It felt too good for me to be shy.

The things that happened on the ship during my training are nothing compared to what I think the Dragon King likes, though. His tastes are much more eclectic, much more refined. He likes to tie his women up, but he also likes them to fight him.

He likes to conquer, like a true warrior.

Stepping further into the ballroom, I push through the crowds of people. Despite my beautiful dress, I manage to move unnoticed through the crowd. Everyone looks beautiful tonight.

Everyone is a star.

Toward the back of the room is a bar and though I usually don’t drink with meals, tonight is an exception.

Tonight I need something to take the edge off.

I’m still a little bit nervous about being here. This is my first formal event on Taneyemm. There will be many more as time goes on, though I’ll probably have more time to prepare for the next event. I hope so because I’m looking around and I don’t know a single person.

The other castle workers are all…working.

As far as I can tell, I’m the only one here socially and it feels strange to me. I’m not in the castle to flounce about attending parties, only in actuality, I am. I’m the King’s human. It’s my
job
to attend these functions and make him look good. Maybe I’m supposed to appear like a well-behaved slave. I’m not sure.

The only thing I know is that there’s a glass of something alcoholic with my name on it.

I slip through the dancing and the couples talking and chatting and make my way to the back of the room. There are several glasses on a tray and I take one as I pass a waiter, sipping it gingerly.

“You look beautiful tonight,” a familiar voice says, and I turn.

“Lee!” I squeal, almost dropping my glass. He gives me a dashing smile and I step forward to hug him. He seems surprised.

“I know it’s not your tradition,” I whisper in his ear. “But I’m an Earth girl, after all.”

“So you are,” he says. “You’ve cleaned up nicely,” he comments, looking me up and down. Maybe it’s because I have a drink in hand or because I’ve gotten a little bit comfortable on Taneyemm, but I take a moment to appreciate just how handsome Lee really is.

His dark eyes are piercing. They seem to see right through me. His hair is dark and short, like the King’s. They could almost be brothers, I realize.

“So the party tonight,” I motion at the room. “I heard it’s for a friend of the King’s.”

“It is,” Lee nods and grabs his own glass from the tray. He takes a sip. “Dane and Zeke have been friends for a very long time.”

“Zeke?” I ask, but wish I hadn’t. Lee’s eyes flash orange before returning to their original color, and his face suddenly looks pale.

“Fuck,” he mutters. “Forget you heard that.”

“Um, okay.” The King’s true name, I’m guessing. He’s so cautious about letting people know it, but I don’t know why. It’s a fine name. King Zeke. Fuck, a girl could get used to that. Maybe it’s sort of a silly name for a dragon, but it’s a strong name, as my father would have said.

“No, Riley, I’m serious. If he knew that I told you, he would kill us both.”

“Surely, he can’t be that extreme.”

He raises an eyebrow, and I realize that yes, he absolutely could be. Dragons aren’t like humans. Or maybe the problem is they’re
too much
like humans. After all, Taneyemm wasn’t immune from war. They shared two of the same wars we did, but their armies were better, stronger, more prepared.

Earth didn’t want to admit there were other planets, let alone planets that were inhabitable.

Our ignorance got us killed.

“I won’t say anything,” I promise, and he nods.

“Dane,” Lee points, and I turn. A tall man is entering the room. He has a beautiful woman on his arm who waves and smiles. Her long, blonde hair flows past her shoulders and her strapless pink dress accentuates her long neck and beautiful shoulders.

“Is that his wife?”

“Sister,” he chokes the word out and I turn to him.

“Do you have a thing for her or something?” I ask. Then I realize that Lee and I are not friends. We aren’t even really acquaintances. We certainly aren’t close enough that I can ask him questions like this.

“Riley, you’re smarter than you look,” Lee comments. “I think if our lordship realized it, we’d all be in trouble. Be careful.” He sets his drink down and walks away, leaving me to my own endeavors.

“Well then,” I say to myself. “Time to find someone to fuck me.”

***

As the evening wears on, I grow tired. Different groups of dragons do choreographed dances together. Dane and his sister, whose name is Star, do a dance together, too. It’s beautiful and fast and I have no idea how she managed to do so well in those heels.

The one person I haven’t seen much of is the King.

Zeke.

The Dark Dragon.

Maybe he didn’t come.

I don’t blame him if he didn’t. These things basically completely suck. The only reason I’ve managed to stay so long is that I’m now drunk.

I have no idea what the weird purple drink is that I’ve been downing all night, but it sure as hell isn’t champagne.

My feet are killing and there’s a new group doing a dance performance, so I decide to find a quiet corner to rest in. I sit down and kick my shoes off, then rub my sore feet. It’s a bit unladylike, but they hurt, and rubbing them relieves some of the pain.

From my little hidden spot in the corner, I can see the dance floor and some of the guests tonight. It’s amazing how so many people were able to come to this event on such short notice.

Is that what it’s like to be the overseer of a freaking planet?

People just do whatever you want them to?

Focused on rubbing my feet and watching the dancers, I don’t notice when I’m joined by someone very tall, very dark, and very handsome.

“May I?” A deep voice says. I look up and see Dane.

The King’s friend.

Time to make a good impression.

“Um, of course,” I say. One thing Jenika taught me is that if a dragon offers to do something, you let him. Taneyemm men don’t offer to do things out of the kindness of their hearts. They might have ulterior motives, but you still always say “yes.”

He sits next to me and the scent of his cologne wafts over to me. Dane is in the corner now and I’m on the outside portion of the bench, the part that’s closest to the walkway. We’re both tucked away, but we can see part of the room. I stop looking at the dancers, though, and now I look at him instead. Dane lifts my foot and places it in his lap, so close to his cock that if I just moved, I’d be able to feel it.

I wiggle my toes.

“Feisty, are you?” He laughs and begins to rub my toes.

“Oooh,” I let out a moan and my head falls back. All thoughts of teasing or taunting vanish as he massages my feet. “That feels
so fucking good
.”

He laughs and continues touching me. I let out another moan as he rubs my foot a little bit harder.

“You know,” he says, his voice low. “If you keep making those noises, someone might get the wrong idea.”

“What idea is that?”

“They might think I’m over here fingering you beneath that lovely gown.” I glance up and realize that my gown has indeed poofed up around us. Anyone walking by will
definitely
get the wrong idea, especially with my sex noises.

“Sorry,” I whisper. “Can’t have that happening.”

“Can’t we?” He asks, and his hand moves up to my thigh.

Dane looks into my eyes as his fingers roam around my soft legs. Ruby did a great job removing my hair permanently. I don’t worry about stubble or strays as he touches me. I know I’m soft everywhere, but I’m surprised at just how much I enjoy him touching me as his hand continues to move up.

“You’re the King’s friend,” I murmur.

“And you’re his human, aren’t you?”

I nod, gulping. This is far too intimate for someone I’ve just met. Oh, I wanted to fuck someone tonight, wanted to feel them plunging deep inside of me, but not the King’s friend. That’s pushing things a little too far.

Only as Dane touches me, I realize I don’t want him to stop. It feels too good and I’m too needy to ask him to stop. His hands feel like magic against my skin. They feel good.

They feel naughty.

“Tell me, love, why hasn’t he fucked you yet?”

“How do you know he hasn’t fucked me?” My voice comes out in a sort of low whine, heavy with my arousal.

“If he was fucking you, you wouldn’t tolerate me touching you here.”

“Is that so?”

Dane nods, slowly. He doesn’t drop his hands, though. He keeps moving his fingers in soft, massaging circles. Slowly, he moves up my dress.

“If he was fucking you, he wouldn’t let you out of his sight.”

“That’s not true,” I comment. “He fucks lots of women. He doesn’t care about them at all.” It hurts a little that Zeke doesn’t want to fuck me, but do I really want to just be one more girl who throws herself at him?

“They aren’t you,” Dane says simply, and for the first time, I get the impression that he actually thinks I’m worth looking at. Dane looks at me like he could eat me alive and enjoy every second of it.

“He says I’m fat,” I finally manage to say, and Dane laughs.

“Does he now?” He chuckles. “Sweetheart, you haven’t got an ounce of fat on your damn body. He can’t appreciate your curves? That’s no worry. I know someone who loves curvy little humans.”

“Who is that?”

His fingers inch up my thigh, slowly, steadily moving higher and higher. Dane’s eyes never leave mine as he gently rubs my skin. At some point, I must have stopped breathing because Dane stops moving his hand for a second and smiles.

“Take a deep breath, sweetie,” he whispers.

I can only nod, but I do what he says. I breathe. Inhaling slowly, then exhaling. Once he’s convinced I’m not going to pass out, Dane’s fingers resume their slow journey upward, toward my core.

The music fades and the crowd disappears. Here in the corner, no one can see us unless they’re very close. We’re behind some potted plants on a little bench. I can still peek out and see the crowd, but the corner is dark. We’re hidden.

And Dane, King Zeke’s best friend, is touching me.

My pussy is soaked with the idea that he might slide his fingers into me. I’m dripping wet as he moves higher and higher.

“I can smell you, human,” Dane says. He leans forward and sniffs the air. His other hand cups my cheek, and I lean into his touch. He’s so different from Zeke that for a moment, I wonder how they became friends.

But then Dane’s fingers reach my panties, and I catch my breath.

“The King’s virgin human,” Dane chuckles. “Hiding behind a plant at the party with the bad boy of the group. Who would have thought?”

“I thought the King was the bad boy,” I say. I almost forget and use his real name. Luckily, I catch myself in time. The last thing I need is for Dane to tattle on me.

“Oh, honey, he’s got nothing on me.”

Then he plunges two fingers into me, deeply, stretching me, and I open my mouth to cry out.

Only I don’t make a sound because at the same moment, Dane’s lips press against mine and he’s kissing me. And oh, Dane can fucking kiss. He doesn’t waste time playing. There’s no sweet tracing of my lips. There are no soft, teasing pecks. No, he plunges his tongue into my mouth and shows me that when Dane wants something, he gets it.

His fingers play with my pussy, sliding out to tease my clit before he thrusts them back in again.