Not Compatible - Viola Grace Page 0,25
sure this looks okay?”
He sighed and kissed her hand. “It looks lovely, and you will be able to sprout your wings if you like to.”
She looked at the soft, dark purple fabric that wrapped her breasts, was fastened behind her neck, and attached at the back of her skirt. The skirt was the same fabric, and the whole thing flowed and clung as she moved.
He held her hand as they walked into the ballroom, and silence fell. Panic hit her, and her wings sprouted, but he held her hand, and they walked down the steps. “You don’t have to get away. No one here is going to hurt you.”
“I know that, but I am not used to wearing this little outside of a scenario, and this is most definitely real.” She managed to get her wings back under control and back into her body.
“You look lovely and like mine.” He wagged his brows, and she snickered.
She squeezed his hand and smirked. “Yup. For as long as you last.”
He paused, and then, he started laughing, and that is how they entered their reception. She was amused, he was laughing, and they were both entranced with each other while his parents made the introductions.
During dinner, Styra leaned over to her mate and said, “There are folk glaring at me as if they wished I would burst into flames.”
“Ah, they would be the family of the ladies who have been sent here to try and stumble into my bed. They belong to a variety of trade unions in the area.”
She nodded. “Okay, that makes sense.”
Vanera rose to her feet, and she smiled. “Thank you, one and all, for attending our little gathering here at Harva. Now that my son has managed to find and keep his mate, his father and are offering Yr-el and Styra one of our other worlds if they want to begin from nothing or this place if they want to remain here and take on our position of outpost guardians for the imperium.”
Yr-el nodded. “We will remain here if you do not mind. Styra could use some stability around her.”
The gathered group of nobles and traders looked confused.
Ren-el smiled. “Well, now that the sun has set, we can go on to other things. The Blue Station has provided us and the imperium with some footage. It should stop the constant bids for your hand, son.”
A projector flared to life over the ballroom, and everyone looked up. The exterior was Blue Station, and a dark and a glowing object emerged from one of the airlocks. The dark object grew, and in a flash, Yr-el the drake was grabbing the smaller glowing item in his claw and flying away from the station.
The projection was taken up by another satellite, and the ball of light went right past the camera before the drake followed and stayed at a safe distance.
Yr-el took Styra’s hand, and she watched the moment of her first transformation. She formed a tight ball and then stretched out, her body absorbing the small rocks and debris that were in her expansion zone.
After that, she started to play tag with him.
She turned toward Yr-el, and he kissed her. “It was a very good first shift, Styra. You should be pleased with it.”
“I am. I just forgot that the area is lined with monitors and video devices. It wasn’t at the forefront in my mind at the time.”
He grinned. “This moment is being broadcast to every elder with any kind of descendants who are capable of a shift. They will be begging Mbrak for an introduction, but if they are wise, they will simply send their best.”
She chuckled. “Is that your classification?”
His eyes were bright. “I am an opportunist. Just lucky to be close enough to Blue Station when he called. I figured it was worth an introduction; I just wasn’t expecting to be exploited by a computer glitch.”
She smiled. “And I wasn’t expecting to have to kiss you and then you again to wake you, but it seems to have worked out.”
“I needed you, you needed healing, and now, I wake you up with kisses. It has all come full circle.” He kissed her hand and then stroked her cheek and started a kiss that had some of the humans around them giving off scents of heat.
Styra whispered, “Is that what I smell like?”
His eyes widened, and he laughed, “No, you smell like peaches and roses. The stronger the scent, the deeper you are in your heat.”
“Ah. They smell like sweat and musk.”
He grinned. “Yeah, they do.”
Styra nodded. “Okay, sense of smell is kicking in. Huh. Who knew that that would come after the full shift and wings?”
He laughed and hugged her. “The order of things that you are involved in is peculiar, but that seems to be the way that you go through life. I now stand forewarned.”
She smiled. He smiled, and the party got going.
* * * *
Yorath the Gold was sitting on his throne when the projection of the newly mated pair completed. “How many of these cobbled-together dragons did Mbrak have?”
His assistant bowed. “Close to two dozen, Your Imperial Highness. The exact number is unsure. He will not respond to our queries.”
Yorath looked at his assistant, and he snorted. “You tried to ask for one?”
“I thought it would be a good idea to bring them here and let you pick one as mate, Your Imperial Highness.”
Yorath smiled. “It does not work that way. I will send a note to Mbrak, and if he has a suitable descendant for me, he will let me know. It is a good thing, in general, though. I am very pleased with the new arrivals. Human body-born drakes are less powerful, but they are faster, so we shall see what becomes of him and his station.” There was time. That was the one thing that Yorath had in abundance. If one of the new couples had daughters, that would work out as well. There was plenty of time, and suddenly, many more drakes were on the horizon.
He smiled. He did love moments of change in history, and he was watching one.
Author’s Note
Well, this could have started off a new series... and it might do it one day. For now... the drakes will keep appearing when I need them.
Thanks for having patience with my weird journey through an unfocused mind, e.g., the Stand-Alone Tales. They have been fun and very calming for me.
Just a few more to get out of my head. Probably. Maybe. Perhaps.
Thanks for reading,
Viola Grace
About the Author
Viola Grace (aka Zenina Masters) is a Canadian sci-fi/paranormal romance writer with ambitions to keep writing for the rest of her life. She specializes in short stories because the thrill of discovery, of all those firsts, is what keeps her writing.
An artist who enjoys a story that catches you up, whirls you around, and sets you down with a smile on your face is all she endeavours to be. She prefers to leave the drama to those who are better suited to it, she always goes for the cheap laugh.
In real life, she is now engaged in beekeeping, and her adventures can be found on the YouTube channel, Mystery Bees Apiary. Just look for the cartoon kittens.