Page 13 of Treylon (Soldiers of the Ardannan #1)

It was difficult to control his body when it came to delicate tasks like carrying his woman but he concentrated so hard he was shaking and managed not to hurt her. If he ever caused any harm to come to Rosalie he’d end himself and both he and the dragon knew it.

The first responders were afraid to get near her with him lurking over her.

Thank the gods for Maxxil, who although obviously had a healthy dose of fear, managed to get in his face and talk him into setting her on the grass and then moving away.

Maxxil walked with him, talking in a steady tone the whole time, reassuring him the medics would take care of Rosalie and asking him to shift back into the human form.

“There are things you need to see to, your highness,” Maxxil said persuasively.

“There might be more of these terrorists on Resort Planet. There needs to be a proper resolution of these events and you can’t take command in this form.

Rosalie will need to see you and talk to you when she’s regained consciousness—you’re going to have to reassure her about what happened.

We need you to be the prince right now, not the dragon.

The immediate danger has passed. You took care of the assailants before we even arrived. ”

Gradually Maxxil’s calm, common sense statements penetrated the joint mind of the prince and the dragon and as easily as closing his eyes and willing himself to return to the form of the man, Trey stood there barefoot and naked in the cold night air.

“Thank the gods,” Maxxil said, immense relief in his voice.

“Clothes, I need clothes,” Trey said. “And food. I’m starved.”

Maxxil spoke in his subaural com, issuing crisp orders and then took off his jacket to hand the prince, who knotted it around his waist. “Come to the command post in the hotel, sir, and everything you need will be waiting. I have a groundcar right over here.”

Trey pivoted to check on Rosalie. “She’s to have a fulltime security detail,” he said, “Starting right now. She’s incredibly precious to me, Max. She’s my fated mate.”

“I think we all figured that out, your highness,” Maxxil said with a chuckle. “Let’s get done what needs to be accomplished as a result of this attack and you can get back to her.”

“I have to com my parents,” Trey said, finally walking toward the groundcar. “They need to hear from me that I’m all right.”

Delain was there, at the car. “On behalf of IDA, allow me to express my shock and horror regarding these events tonight, your highness.”

“We all agreed we’d taken adequate security measures,” the prince said, unwilling to place unfair blame. “We’ll know we have to do better in the future.”

“Then you’re not going to terminate the program?” Clearly surprised, Delain did a doubletake.

“The program was working remarkably well,” Trey said. “I found my fated mate after all. Ardanna has no desire to pull out. We just have to rethink security.” He got into the groundcar and offered Delain his hand. “Thank you for your security force’s timely arrival.”

“Someone pushed the bungalow panic button,” Delain said. “My Security chief was dumbfounded but correctly assumed there must be a bigger situation going down so he alerted your people and a full contingent rolled out.”

“Panic button, eh?” Trey thought it over. “I didn’t even know there was such a thing so Rosalie must have done it. Smart girl. Get in, Delain, we have work to do so I can rejoin her sooner rather than later.”

Rosalie came awake with a gasp, disoriented. She was lying on a firm mattress in what was obviously a medbay but not the same one she’d been in after her encounter with the gellifish. Sensors and treatment devices lifted away from her as she sat up, to find Maxxil planted in a chair beside the bed.

“You’re aboard the prince’s ship,” he said, anticipating her question. “He insisted you be brought here and that I accompany you.”

“Where is he? Is he all right?” she asked, hand to her heart.

“Treylon is fine. He’s still on the planet, co-ordinating a response to the terrorist incident.

He’ll be here as soon as he can. In the meantime you should rest and recuperate.

The doctor said you have a mild concussion and a bad case of smoke inhalation, plus a few bruises but everything has been treated. Corilly oversaw the whole process.”

“She’s here too?” Rosalie glanced around the room.

“The prince insisted she accompany me. He thought you’d be more comfortable with a human doctor at your side.”

She leaned close to him. “Are you and she?—”

“I’m pretty sure we are,” Maxxil said, cheeks stained red.

“We are what?” Corilly said, entering the room, carrying two coffees.

“A matched pair,” Rosalie replied with glee. “I’m so happy to hear it.”

“Well, there are things to be worked out,” Corilly told her. “I have obligations at home, to my patients, my employer and other entanglements, but we’ll work it out. We’re not rushing into anything. How do you feel?”

“Much better and worn out at the same time,” Rosalie said candidly. “It was a lot to take in tonight. It is still the same night, isn’t it?”

“Morning on the planet actually.” Corilly gave Maxxil one coffee and offered Rosalie the other, which she declined with thanks.

“Did Treylon, did he actually turn into a dragon?” she asked Maxxil. “Or was I hallucinating after getting hit in the face?”

“He did shift, yes,” the officer replied. “He’s back in human form now.”

“But how? I mean, I’ve never heard of such a thing outside of novels.”

“It’s not my issue to explain, it’s his,” the Ardannan said. “I can say certain bloodlines are known to have the capability, although it’s quite rare. I believe the last one in Trey’s family was his great-grandfather. They can shift under certain…conditions.”

She wasn’t satisfied but could see how uncomfortable the discussion was making Maxxil.

Corilly gave her date a nudge. “I’d like to speak with Rosalie alone, doctor to patient, if you don’t mind.”

He gave her a startled glance but obediently got off the chair and headed for the door. “I’ll be right outside if you need me. There are fulltime guards assigned to you as well.”

“Sounds like he’s gone high handed again,” Rosalie said with a smile. “Thank you.”

As soon as the door closed, Corilly sat on the edge of the bed. “How are you doing, really? I mean, obviously I know the physical status, but this must have been huge emotionally.”

Rosalie gulped, eyes filling with tears she couldn’t control. As she broke down the other woman gave her a hug and a literal shoulder to cry on. “I was so scared. They were going to rape me in front of him and then kill me. I was fighting as hard as I could?—”

“Don’t fault yourself because you couldn’t go all superheroine and save yourself from determined, armed terrorists,” the doctor said, rubbing her back. “None of what happened on the planet was your fault or your problem to solve.”

“Trey solved it all right.” Rosalie gave a shaky laugh and took the tissues Corilly handed her.

After blowing her nose and discarding the tissue in the mini recycler beside the bed, she said, “I wish you could have seen it. It was like a scene from an action trideo or a romance novel. He became a literal fire breathing dragon in front of my eyes, to save me, which he did. I mean, that’s the reason I’m sitting here in one piece and I still can’t believe it. ”

“We have to remember the Ardannans aren’t human,” Corilly said. “We share a common biological design as so many peoples across the galaxy do, up to a point and we’re compatible species but bottom line, we aren’t exactly the same. Were you afraid of him?”

“No, not at all.” Rosalie shook her head emphatically. “Not even when he picked me up. I knew it was Trey and he knew it was me.”

“I think I would have been.” The other woman’s shudder spoke volumes.

“Maxxil assured me he doesn’t have the capability of changing into a dragon or anything else, which was a relief, I have to say.

I might have to rethink the whole thing if he could!

” She assessed Rosalie with a practiced eye and checked the monitors. “Feeling better?”

“Quite a bit, thank you. I guess I needed to have an emotional outburst.”

“You’ll probably need more than one,” Corilly said, standing up.

“Seriously, you should probably find a therapist when you get back to Earth or wherever you go next. Speaking as your doctor now, I’d say to expect episodes of post traumatic stress.

Flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, that kind of thing. All perfectly normal.”

As if I could afford therapy , Rosalie thought with grim amusement. I don’t even have a job right now and no savings. And my Twilka bathing suit burned up in the bungalow so I won’t even be able to resell it.

There was a knock on the door and Maxxil stuck his head in. “The prince is on his way. His shuttle just landed on the hangar deck.”

Corilly patted her shoulder. “We’ll give you a few minutes to yourself before he gets here.” She tugged Maxxil out of the room, for which Rosalie was grateful. Kind as the couple was, she did want at least a little time to prepare for seeing Trey again.

And hearing what his plans for the future were where she was concerned.

She got out of bed, surprised at how shaky she was and made it to the tiny bathroom.

One look in the mirror and she was horrified.

Part of her hair had evidently burned off and a section was singed.

She had huge circles under her eyes, and a black eye and swollen cheek where the terrorist had struck her.

There was a knock and the door opened in the room behind her. “Rosalie?”

She straightened her spine and turned, walking out of the bathroom with all the dignity she could muster, although the vertigo ruined the effect.