My gaze sweeps across the dunes and I wonder why they are alone. Perhaps they crashed and are seeking shelter. Once I determine which species I am dealing with, I will know whether this is friend or foe. Then I will either offer aid or leave them to their own devices.
Wind sweeps through the canyon and my nostrils flare. My eyes roll into the back of my head as the delicious feminine scent of this female is pulled deep into my lungs. A low rumbling growl of arousal reverberates through my chest.
She straightens as if alert then spins toward me. Her hood falls back, revealing smooth, pale flesh dotted with small, darkly pigmented spots across the bridge of her nose and cheeks. Long hair the color of flame hangs in loose waves around her shoulders.
I have never beheld a more beautiful female in my life.
I still and my jaw drops as my hearts pound. Primal possessiveness uncoils deep within me and my mind struggles to process what my body and soul have already embraced.
This strange female is my fated mate—my linaya.
A strange warmth fills my chest. When I glance down, I gape at the dimly glowing pattern the swirls across my scales, directly between my two hearts. Confirmation that what I feel for her is truth.
Raising a delicate hand to her brow to shield her lovely green eyes from the harsh sunlight, she squints in my direction. Caught, I quickly snap my jaw shut and give her a beaming smile like the enthralled male I now am.
All the stories I have heard are truth. Our meeting is everything I was told it would be. Happiness blooms in my chest. I have found she who is my destiny. Now, I need only to claim my mate and be claimed by her in return.
She is mine.
She stares at me and I’m surprised when recognition does not flash across her features. Does she not recognize the fated bond between us?
I open my mouth to speak but freeze when her gaze continues to travel over the rocks and sand nearby.
Realization hits me. Not every species is possessed of acute vision like mine. We can see almost as well in the dark as in the light. She must have poor eyesight indeed to not notice me hidden here in the shadows.
Perhaps this is a blessing of sorts, as her distraction affords me time to study her before making my presence known. Strangely, I do not recognize her species. I rarely travel off-world, but enough that I should have encountered her kind on one of the many stations I’ve visited. However, I don’t recall ever seeing a being like her among the Galactic Federation races.
Surely, I am mistaken. She cannot be mine. No Drakarian has ever found a fated mate in a race outside our own.
And yet, I am conflicted.
My body and soul urge me to claim her, but I am fearful because of her size. She is much smaller than a Drakarian female and I do not trust myself not to hurt her. Need burns through me like fire, but I push it back down. If she is my fated mate, I must treat her with great care. I cannot simply rush into a mating frenzy, as most do after recognizing their linaya.
No. The wiser decision would be to return to my people and report what I have found. I must bring back one of the Healers to assess this strange pull I feel toward this female. However much I desire her at this moment, I cannot simply claim her as I would another Drakarian. We are known throughout the quadrant for our strength, yet she appears rather fragile; I do not wish to hurt her.
I struggle to repress my need to claim her and retreat further into the shadows. As soon as I am out of sight, I quickly shift into my draka form and take to the sky, pumping my wings furiously to override the primal instincts inside me that insist I do not leave her. Although it is irrational, the prospect of another male claiming her instead fills me with anger.
Yes, I’m wise to retrieve a Healer. I do not trust myself to resist going into heat the moment her eyes meet mine and she, too, recognizes the bond between us.
A scream pierces the air, stopping my hearts. Alarm bursts through me and I twist, frantically flapping my wings as I race to return to her. My linaya is in danger.
Chapter 5
Lilliana
Although I’m in the middle of the desert, I can’t shake the feeling that someone is watching me. This is like a scene straight out of a horror story. The part where the plucky heroine—aka me—senses a disturbance in the air around her. All the while she’s being stalked by some horrible, bloodthirsty monster.
Hysterical laughter bubbles up in my throat. I think the heat is getting to me.
Taking a deep breath, I allow my rational mind to overtake my overactive imagination. A while ago, I thought I saw a strange bird in the distant sky, but I haven’t seen anything since. I’ve heard that excessive heat can cause you to hallucinate.
It’s only been a week since our escape pod crashed on this barren rock of a planet. So far, we haven’t come across any more of our people, but I’m sure we weren’t the only ones to land here alive.
We can only survive on rations for so long before they run out. I kneel to gather another soil sample to take back to the rover. This planet is our new home, so we’re going to need to settle down somewhere we can grow food. This sand looks like the desert sand of Earth, but I’m surprised to discover it's full of nutrients. I took the sample in
