Glacian
The creature that stepped out was no child but a small female. Slowly making her way over, I noticed she was constantly aware of her surroundings. Her dark eyes stayed on something only long enough to determine if it was a threat before moving on to something else. She was trained to a certain extent. Bodily, she was similar to our females. Other than the obvious two legs and arms. All Drakian females were tall and athletic. Their muscles are only slightly less defined than the males. This female had curves I had not seen on any of our females. I could see no tail behind her unless it was a very short one. Dark hair was pulled back into a knot at the back of her head. I found myself curious as to how long it would be when she let it down. Her ears were rounded instead of pointed and webbed. As she came to a stop several feet from me, I studied her features more closely.
Her skin was a pale color, making her dark eyes stand out. Her nose was different and sat above a full luscious mouth. I assumed I was staring too long because her little chin jutted up defensively. Her stance was light and she stayed on the balls of her feet, ready to pounce if I made any wrong moves. There was no hesitation in her movements. There was a fluidity about it that took a great deal of training. I had no doubt she would attack me and not think twice about it.
Very slowly, so as not to startle her, I reached my hand out, palm up, silently asking her to take it. For some reason I was drawn to this small sprite. I had met many other space travelers before, but none had drawn my attention the way this one did. My dragon was pushing at me. He wanted closer to her as well. That had never happened before either. Arc normally had no interest in any female that I had been interested in. It was why I was still unmated. No male could mate if his dragon didn't agree with his choice.
I watched as she looked from my hand and then back to me. For several clicks she just looked at it, as though gaging if it was some form of a trap. Still cautious, she slowly reached her hand out and slid her fingers along mine. There was a strange tingling sensation and then an electric shock swept through my body before she snatched her fingers back. But I still felt that soft touch all the way to my bones.
Holding my hands up in a gesture that hopefully she understood as 'wait', I tapped my wristband. She cradled her hand to her chest with a wild distrustful look in her eyes. She took a single step back, ready to disappear at a moment's notice.
"Rokk. Where are you?" I never took my eyes from the female so I knew exactly when she realized that whoever was coming was close. She began looking around expectantly. She cautiously edged closer to the forest behind her.
"Coming up on the beach now, Sire."
"I got one of them to come out. She's skittish. Do not scare her when you get here." I knew my order would be obeyed. Not only was Rokk my advisor, but he was also a very good friend.
Just then, a small carrier vessel came from over the trees and landed a little way up the beach. The hatch on the back came down and Rokk came striding slowly towards us. In his large hands was a small case. As he approached, the female took another step back and planted her feet in the sand, preparing to fight.
Kiera
I took a small step back and spread my feet for better balance in the shifting sand. If a fight broke out and I had to fight both the blue man and the yellow one, I'd be ready. My hand was still tingling from the earlier contact with the blue man. I knew there would be no use in running. I didn't know the area. The blue man had already proven how quickly he could shift. But if I had to fight two instead of one, I was going to need some space. At least until the others can get to me. If the men stayed in this form, I could incapacitate them both on my own. I wouldn't kill them unless there was no other choice.
Moving into a defensible position, I was surprised when the yellow man handed the blue one a small box and bowed before stepping back. Bowing signified master or royalty. Which category did this one fall into? The yellow man didn't seem afraid of the blue one. If anything, there was respect in his every movement. I knew that didn't mean anything. Servants could still respect their masters. Blindly at times.
Watching the two of them, it was obvious that they were trying not to intimidate me. I relaxed my pose but only slightly. I couldn't take the chance they would jump me the second I became comfortable.
The blue man opened the case and pulled out a small triangle with a tiny chip on one side. Handing the case back to the other man, he turned to me and held it out for me to see.
Gingerly, I took the device from him, careful not to touch his skin again. I examined it carefully. The triangle looked to be made of some type of metal and the chip had a tiny glowing light coming from it. I looked up at him questioningly.
The blue man tapped his temple and for the first time I noticed that there was a small upside down triangle there. Looking at the yellow man, he pointed to his temple, showing that he had one as well.
Maybe it was some kind of communication device? Both men seemed to be functioning independently so the device connecting them to a hive mind was out. I was sure it wouldn't harm me. They were wearing one and they seemed undamaged by it. Rustling and loud whispers came from the bushes behind me. I made a quick signal with my fingers behind me and the noise stopped. Once again, I was going to go with my gut instinct. Nothing I was getting from either of these men gave me any indication that they would harm me. Making my decision, I took a deep breath and placed the device to my temple, making sure that it was upside down like theirs were.
There was a small vibration and the device grew very warm on my skin, almost like a burn. I breathed through the pain and just absorbed it. I have dealt with worse. I refused to take my eyes off the men in front of me in case they tried making a move on me while I was supposedly distracted. After a few moments, the heat subsided. The only thing that remained was the queasiness in my stomach from the burning sensation but it was fading as well. Looking at the two men, they were both watching me expectantly.
The yellow one looked at the blue questioningly as the blue did the same to him.
"Do you think it worked? She is just staring at us," the yellow man asked.
"It should have," the blue one replied. "It has never not worked before."
I did my best to hide my surprise but I knew my eyes tightened and narrowed slightly. I could understand them now. So, it was a translation device. Before I had only heard growls and grunts, but all I heard now were actual words. Granted, the timing of the translation and the movement of their lips were slightly off.
"It worked," the yellow man stated triumphantly.
"If you are referring to the translation device then, yes, it worked," I informed them.
At my words, the blue man's hand came to his chest and held it over his heart, or where I assumed his heart would be, and bent over as though he were in pain.
I also suddenly felt a tightening in my chest. I fought as hard as I could but the pain brought me down to one knee in the sand. Clutching my chest, it felt like a vise was squeezing my heart. This couldn't be a heart attack. The blue man had reacted the exact same time I had. That couldn't be a coincidence. I didn't know how to explain it but there was a connection that wasn't there before. I was like another separate heart was beating inside my chest that wasn't mine. How was that even possible?
Staggering to my feet with gritted teeth, I glared at the two men. I was recovering faster than the blue man. "What the hell was that?" I had trusted my instincts to not steer me wrong. How was this even possible? It wasn't from the device. Unless it was a delayed reaction. The pain hadn't hit until after the device had been implanted.
Still gripping his chest, the blue man straightened, gazing at me in bewilderment and…awe? Really? Once his breathing had returned to a somewhat normal rate, he cleared his throat. "My name is Glacian, King of East Balaur. And that, my dearest, was a mating link snapping into place. You are my mate."