Twin Dragons: Dragon Lords of Valdier Book 7 (12 page)

“What is it?” Calo asked as he broke through
the crowd of patrons in his way.

Cree stepped quietly from the back entrance.
“Marastin Dow,” he snarled in disgust. “Several of their warships
are attacking a freighter. Two of them actually had the nerve to
fire on the
Horizon
.”

Calo’s curse filled the air as he looked
around. “They didn’t take Carmen out the front,” he replied
harshly.

“Or the back,” Cree said. “They must have
beamed her to their ship. They must be working with someone within
the Spaceport authority. They never would have been able to beam
out otherwise.”

Melina watched as Cree pressed his comlink
and informed the
Horizon
of the situation. She was seeing
him and Calo in a different light now. These were dangerous men.
Men would and could kill anyone who got in their way. A shiver
raced through her at the thought of what it would be like if she
belonged to them.

Them… both of them,
she gasped,
staring in shock as she began to understand what had been happening
to her over the last few weeks.
I… I’m beginning to care about
them… both of them.

“Get a security team to the authority tower.
I want all ships locked down. No one is allowed to leave until they
have been thoroughly searched,” Cree instructed. “Creon’s mate has
been taken by the Marastin Dow.”

Melina watched dazed as Calo pushed through
the crowd, following Harvey.

“Zuk, take Cal and his grandson back to the
ship,” Calo yelled over his shoulder before he ran out of the
bar.

Melina’s eyes locked with Cree’s as he
paused in front of Zuk. She shrank back from the possessive look in
them. Something told her that she would not be able to hide who she
really was from them much longer. His look promised that.

“Stay with the boy,” Cree instructed his
symbiot. “Protect him at all cost.” He turned to stare at Zuk, who
was standing next to the table. “I will hold you personally
responsible for their safety,” he muttered before he called to his
brother’s symbiot.

*.*.*

Later that night, Melina paced back and
forth in front of the pen holding Hobbler. Cree’s symbiot was lying
next to Hobbler watching her as she moved back and forth, too full
of nervous energy to relax. She glanced up when the door opened and
her grandfather walked in.

“Have you heard anything? Are they back?”
She asked anxiously. “Cree, Calo? Are they okay? Did they find
Carmen? Is she alright?”

“Yes, they are back. Everyone is safe and
sound. They even found some more humans! I swear the universe is
full of us,” Cal said, wrapping his arms around her when she threw
herself into his arms and burst into tears. “What is this all
about?”

“I don’t know, I don’t understand all the
feelings inside me,” she sniffed before she pulled back and looked
up into her granddad’s eyes. “I need someone to talk to, Gramps. I
don’t understand what is happening to me.”

Cal sighed as he saw the pleading for
understanding and help in Melina’s eyes. He remembered the same
look in his son’s eyes when he came to tell him and Buella May that
he had fallen in love. Hank had loved Marjorie from the moment they
met while working at the local grocery store together.

“You can talk to me, Melina,” he said
quietly as he brush her thick hair back from her face. “You have
feelings for the warrior, don’t you sweetheart?”

“Warriors,” she replied, looking nervously
at her grandfather. “Gramps, I don’t understand how. I know it is
wrong to lov… like them both. What am I going to do? How is it
possible? I haven’t even talked to them, but I can’t stop thinking
about them. I want to speak to them so bad and… I want them to see
me as a woman, not a boy.” The last words came out a little on the
pouting side.

Cal chuckled as he led Melina over to the
chairs. He waited until she sat down before he pulled a chair up so
that their knees were touching. He picked up her slender hands in
his and turned them over. Callouses marred her young skin. He
thought for several moments before he began to speak.

“If you had asked me if it was wrong five
years ago, I would have said yes, without a second thought,” he
admitted, looking up into her eyes as he spoke so she knew he was
telling her the truth. “Five years ago, the universe was a small
piece of land in Clayton, Georgia. I didn’t think outside of that
and you. When we were first taken, I worried about what would
happen to you if we were separated. I cursed at God for taking so
much from me. I had lost your mother and my son and my beautiful
Buella May. I couldn’t lose you, too. But, what scared me even more
is what if I died and you lost me? You’d be all alone in a strange
world.”

“Gramps,” Melina whispered, squeezing his
withered hands in hers.

Cal shook his head. “As time passed, I lost
hope, child. I stopped believing. But, you… every time I looked at
you I saw hope and beauty and faith that everything would work out.
During the months that we were alone on the asteroid, I realized
that you were growing up to be as beautiful as your mom and Nana
had been. Only, you would never know what it was like to love or to
be loved the way Hank loved your mom and I loved your Nana,” he
said. “You still never gave up. You didn’t give up on that Pactor
and you didn’t give up when the replicator died.”

“I couldn’t,” Melina whispered. “I had to
believe that it wasn’t my time to die. There was so much I wanted
to live for.”

“I like to believe it was that faith that
brought these aliens to the asteroid. I’d also like to believe it
was that faith that has guided these two warriors to you,” Cal
continued. “I don’t think you would have been attracted to two men
like Cree and Calo unless you could handle both of them. Perhaps it
is the universe’s way of telling me that you will always be
protected.”

“But…” Melina started to say as her cheeks
turned to a fiery red. “They think I’m a boy.”

“Maybe consciously they might, but
subconsciously they realize that you aren’t really. They care about
you, Melina,” Cal said quietly. “I see it in the way they look at
you, the way they try to protect you, and the way they try to take
care of you. I’ve also seen the way you look at them.”

Melina ducked her head. Her hair fell
forward to cover her burning cheeks. She thought she had been
careful about concealing her emotions. Her granddad was a lot more
observant than she realized.

“But, there are two of them,” she mumbled.
“I… Isn’t that wrong… to lo… like both of them.”

Cal squeezed Melina’s hands again and waited
for her to look up at him. Hell, he meant what he said earlier. If
they had been having this conversation five years ago or if they
had never been abducted by aliens, he would have had a lot of ideas
about how wrong it was.

But, now, he realized that the universe was
a lot bigger and meaner than he ever dreamed it could be. If he had
a choice of having two warriors caring for and protecting Melina or
one, he’d pick two in a heartbeat. He would do anything and
everything to protect her and make her happy. They both had lost
too much to live by the rules any longer.

“Melina,” he said gently. He smiled at her
when she looked up at him. “It’s natural to be attracted to a good
looking man or two. I just want what makes you happy.”

“But, we’re going home,” Melina pointed out.
“Creon, and even Carmen, said that we would probably be taken back
home.”

“Yes,” Cal replied with a heavy heart. “I
admit, I miss visiting with your Nana. I always planned to be
buried with her.”

Tears burned in Melina’s eyes as she saw her
grandfather’s cloudy eyes glisten for a moment as he thought of her
grandmother. As much as she was attracted to the two men here, she
knew that her grandfather needed her more. Besides, she tried to
reason, it was ridiculous to think that it could ever work out.

No, she would go back home to Georgia and
forget this ever happened. She’d meet a nice boy from town. Heck,
Stuart might still be available and she’d settle down where she
belonged. She would be there for Gramps and visit her Nana and
parents' graves on Sunday after church like they did before all
this happened. And one day, one day she would think of all of this
as a bad dream.

“I miss her and momma and daddy, too,”
Melina murmured. “This is just an infatuation, Gramps. I’m just
lonely, is all. Once we get home, things will be different.”

“I just want you safe and happy, Melina,”
Cal replied. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

“I know,” Melina said, sitting forward and
kissing her grandfather’s withered cheek. “Why don’t I fix us an
early dinner. You seem tired tonight.”

“If you don’t mind, I think I’d just like to
call it a night,” Cal admitted, rubbing his chest. “I only ate a
little at lunch, but it hasn’t sat very well.”

“You were braver than I was,” Melina
admitted. “Sweet dreams, Gramps.”

“You too, child,” Cal said as he rose and
headed for the office-slash-bedroom. He turned at the door to look
at her as she moved to make sure Hobbler was taken care of for the
night. “Melina.”

“Yes, Gramps,” Melina said, turning to look
at him.

“I love you, you know that, don’t you?” Cal
asked. “I want you to know I’m proud as hell of you, too.”

Melina’s expression softened as she stared
back at her granddad. “I love you too, Gramps. More than the whole
universe.”

“Goodnight, sweetheart,” Cal said before he
disappeared through the door.

“Goodnight, Gramps,” Melina whispered as she
tenderly stroked the Pactor that was nuzzling against her. “I’m
proud as heck of you, too.”

Melina patted Hobbler as the Pactor pushed
her head against her shoulder. It had been an hour since her
grandfather had gone to bed, but she wasn’t sleepy. She was still
too wound up from worrying about Carmen, Cree, and Calo and her
growing feelings for the two men to sleep.

Another concern was Hobbler. The baby Pactor
was beginning to grow with the steady supply of food Zuk kept
bringing her. It wouldn’t be long before they would have to move
again if the Pactor continued to grow at her current rate. Melina
was just thankful that Creon Reykill finally allowed her to bring
Hobbler.

Melina let her mind replay the conversation
she and her grandfather’s had earlier. She had to do something
because it was getting harder and harder to pretend she wasn’t
aware of Cree and Calo when they were close. One thing was for
sure, her feelings for the two warriors was driving her crazy. She
couldn’t stop thinking about them. Of course, it didn’t help that
the golden creatures kept sending her image after image of the men
until they haunted her day and night.

Patting Hobbler one more time, she reset the
electronic fencing. Glancing around for something else to do to
pass the time, she spotted the shovel and mop. Walking over, she
picked them up and headed for the storage closet on the other side
of the bay. She had just stored the items when the outer door
opened.

Surprised that anyone would come to visit at
this time of the evening, she stepped out of the dim corner. Relief
and joy swept through her when she saw both Cree and Calo standing
inside the doorway. She seldom saw them at the same time as one or
the other was almost always with Carmen.

As if they could feel her gaze, they both
turned at the same time to stare at her with an intensity that took
her breath away. Their tall, dark forms, dressed more casually than
she normally saw them, sent a shiver of need rushing through her
body.

Cree had on a pair of light, tan colored
pants and a soft, black long sleeve shirt while Calo wore black
pants and a dark, navy blue long sleeve shirt. They both had their
hair pulled back away from their face. Seeing both of them standing
together, it made her appreciate how some of the girls back home
used to squeal when one of the guys would look at them.

Her body heated and liquid pooled low
between her legs when she thought of what it would be like to feel
their hands against her skin. She wanted both of them with a
passion that was almost a physical pain. Her breasts hurt, she
ached down low, and her breath was coming in small pants as images
of them tangled around each other filled her mind.

Curling her fingers into her palm, she
fought the overwhelming urge to rush to them like she had her
grandfather earlier. She wanted so badly to beg them to take away
the ache inside her. It didn’t help that the gold creatures were
sending her images of the men without their clothes.

Like I really need any help with
imagining that!
She thought disgruntledly.

It took a minute for her to realize that
they were not only talking to her, but they had been slowly walking
toward her. She had been so lost in the fantasy of melting between
them that she had let her guard down. Panic started to set in and
she stumbled a step back.

“Don’t!” Cree ordered in a sharp, low voice
before he spoke again in a softer tone. “Don’t be afraid. Please,
we just wish to speak with you.”

Melina started to shake her head, but the
stupid thing suddenly had a mind of its own and instead she found
herself nodding. She didn’t know who was more surprised, her or the
two men standing almost four feet away from her. Her eyes flickered
to the chairs to the left of them before returning to their
face.

Both men carefully stepped back and motioned
for her to go first. Tucking her chin, she stepped slowly toward
them before picking up speed and hurrying over to the chairs.
Grabbing one of them, she pulled it a little further away from the
other three and sat down on the edge of it.

“Mel, can you look at us?” Calo asked softly
as he pulled a chair a little closer to her. “Perhaps remove your
hat so we can see your face?”