Page 55 of Prison Moon
“Really?”
“Yes.”
The relief was profound and made every muscle weak. She’d been so scared of his reaction, she’d nearly worried herself sick as they performed the procedure on him. “You don’t hate me, then?”
“No, Sarra. My heart is full. You are all I need.”
They kept the collar and the lock and headed off into the trees. Sara still hadn’t told him about the orbs that would track them but if he looked up, he’d see them but didn’t think he’d say much. Those things followed them most of the time anyway and even though she knew they were waiting for them to put on a show, she wasn’t worried. Now that she had her dragon back, those orbs wouldn’t last long around them. “So, where now?”
“Now,” Toren said, stopping and turning back to face her, then leaning in to whisper in her ear. “Now, we go to Dra’lera.” He kissed the side of her neck.
Sara stiffened. “Dra’lera?” she whispered back.
“Yes. It’s deep within the mountains—“
Sara slapped her hand across his mouth and looked up. Two orbs floated above the trees. Leaning in toward him, she whispered in his ear. “There was another condition to them releasing you.”
Toren pulled her hand from his mouth. “Which was?”
“They wanted the location of Dra’lera but they never said why.”
“I see.” He glanced up. “My people have lived for thousands of years. Dra’lera is a paradise unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Rich soil and abundant crops, palaces filled with our history. Its location has been coveted for centuries.” He pulled away and took her hand, placing a kiss on her knuckles. “I have wanted to take you there since I found you and I will.” He glanced up at the orbs again. “We will have to be extra careful not to be seen. The entrance is hidden and I intend for it to remain so.”
“Are you mad at me?”
He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Never.”
“Then we go to Dra’lera?”
Toren kissed her, a soft brush of his mouth against her lips. “We go to Dra’lera, my mate. We go to paradise.”
Sara looked up, those orbs following as they headed into the trees. She wasn’t sure how they’d evade them but others had. Kalethra mentioned one bonded couple escaping their ever watchful eye and it gave her hope. If they could do it, then maybe they would too, and once they reached Dra’lera, they’d be safe.
Toren gripped her hand tighter and pulled her close to his side as they walked into the shelter of the trees. She had no idea what lay ahead for them, but she had no doubt it would be nothing short of amazing and for the first time since being stranded here, the thought of Earth didn’t make her long for it. She really had nothing to go back to anyway other than college loans and ramen noodles and she’d gladly live the rest of her life without either of those things. Prison Moon One may be harsh and dangerous but so far it had been bearable. Once they found Dra’lera, all would be right in their world.
It was funny to think that all those years of loneliness would be forgotten by a shape shifting dragon man who was just as lonely. She had to travel across the galaxy and be dumped on an alien moon to fill that void but had she known Toren would have been waiting for her, she would have climbed on that spaceship herself. There wouldn’t be any white picket fences in her future but she was happy, taken care of, and loved. Come end of the day, what more could a girl ask for?