Opalite has struggled to keep her self contained while she travels and retrieves lost humans. Meeting up with a shackled dragon male has upset her attempts to keep her lift under her control. When her association with him gets the attention of her handlers, the humans charge her with manhandling one of their own. Defending herself would be hard enough with one witness on her side, but alone against the humans, what chance does a dragon swan have?

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Opalite

Copyright © 2011 Tianna Xander and Viola Grace

ISBN: 978-1-55487-921-2

Cover art by Martine Jardin

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

Published by Devine Destinies

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Opalite D.A.R.E.

D.A.R.E. Project 4

By

Tianna Xander and Viola Grace

In case you missed Ruby DARE…

In Ruby DARE, we met the dragons living on a world not their own, living a life that is only a bare existence in an underground facility.

The people of earth have set the destruction of their planet in motion, creating a device that has enabled them to use a dimensional gateway to walk between worlds. What they didn't know, couldn't know, was that each person transported punched a hole in the stability of their world, each transport weakening the dimensional fibres that allowed their world to remain intact.

Thirty years ago, a woman who was not human walked through a rift and warned them of the problem that would emerge with their technology. She was arrested, incarcerated and when it was found that she was pregnant, her children were removed and experimented on themselves.

This split the four embryos into twenty and the young girls were raised underground with no knowledge of who or what they were.

These girls grew into women who became part of the D.A.R.E. project. Dimensional, Arrest, Retrieval and Extraction, these women travel from world to world to bring back the travellers, prisoners and escapees from earth to hopefully heal the wounds that the humans have made.

The D.A.R.E. project women had no knowledge of their origins aside from what their mother gave them, that is. Eiwyn kept her bond with her daughters while her body was in suspended animation in a lower level of the facility.

Eiwyn is a seer and left her husband to bring her daughters to adulthood without the interference of her kind. Her husband would have used her daughters for political alliances, but she foresaw a different destiny and came to earth so that they could have it.

When Ruby met her male on assignment, Eiwyn breathed a metaphorical sign of relief.

Despite her confidence in her abilities, having a foreseen outcome come to pass was reassuring.

Now, with one daughter safely away, there were only nineteen more dragons to go and she could leave this boring, backward world to its destiny, for better or worse.

And in case you missed Topaz DARE…

Topaz found her mate in the eastern dragon, Kirai. When it was time to remove the technological leash that the lab had placed under her skin, a horrible twist was discovered that put all of the dragonets' lives in danger.

Topaz's attachment to her duty gets in the way of Kirai's courtship, but dragons are nothing if not clever and together they find common ground in a new dimension.

And if you managed to miss Emerald DARE…

Emerald became the object of desire of two dragons, one of whom disappeared before she could reject him. She located her lost sisters and a male of her own while battling nature and a planet in the throes of its own demise.

Aegon is tall, handsome and has no problem with helping her keep the humans flowing home as long as he can stay at her side.

Chapter One

The silence of the world was unnatural. Opalite had never been in a dimension that was this quiet.

The grasses were green, the sun was high and there was no sound from any bird or insect in the air. She was getting seriously creeped out.

Her scanner showed the nine signals she was tracking to be a kilometer ahead. Nothing was visible on the surface, but she forged ahead with a swing in her step.

Mother had whispered knowledge of her sisters' whereabouts while she was getting her pre-assignment medical scans. I trust in your calm, Opalite. You need to know that your sisters are alive, well and in the company of their mates.

Mates? They don't have mates.

They do now. The dragons know that you are out there and they are eager to find you and your sisters for the purpose of life bonds.

Aren't there other females for them?

Not really. It was why I came to Earth and allowed them to split my daughters into quints. Our people do not produce that many females. Your lineage also makes you quite a catch.

With that eye-opening discovery, Opalite had put on a solemn look until she made it through her portal and then engaged in a series of cartwheels and a mild amount of frolicking.

It was after her expression of joy that she noticed the peculiar silence of the new world.

She settled into a steady jog through the grasses and kept a watchful eye on the scanner. The signals were moving around but not much. Wherever they were, they were tightly together, possibly in a small space.

A hillock was the only item in the large field where the signal was strongest. Opalite approached it warily and kept an eye out for anything that would tell her how to get below it. The signals were under her feet but still moving. Her instincts told her that the humans were still alive down there, but she had no idea how to get to them.

"Dammit!"

She knelt and pounded her fists against the ground. Her left fist struck turf, but her right smacked metal beneath its green cover.

"What the hell?"

She used touch to find her way around the edge of the metal cap, finding a soft spot that sunk as she pressed it. A hiss emanated from the ground and there was a wet tearing sound as the scent of damp dirt filled the air. With glacial slowness, a hatch opened right in the middle of the meadow.

Not one to turn down an invitation, Opalite jumped through the hatch and descended into darkness.

Her scanner gave her a clear readout, leading her farther into the darkness. She blinked frantically and her eyes adjusted to the dimmer light. It was a trick she had learned on her third assignment, the world of eternal night.

Her night vision was different from her day vision. The walls and rough floor of the tunnel she walked through were a medium green. Any living thing would glow a bright neon.

A light at the end of the tunnel made her flick her vision back to normal. She moved forward silently, listening to the minute noises that were emerging from the brighter portion of the cavern.

A man was sitting at a table in the middle of a huge room. He was writing in a huge book and checking another before making additional notes. His sleeveless shirt showed markings that were similar to the ones marking Opalite's own arms. He could be one of her kind.

"Welcome, daughter of Eiwyn. Please, be seated."

She jumped as he spoke. "How do you know who I am?"

He turned and pinned her in place with a soulless gaze. His eyes were a solid black instead of having a colored iris.

"The rumor of the daughters of Eiwyn travelling the worlds is rapidly becoming common knowledge."

She walked carefully forward and took a seat in the chair he gestured to. "May I ask to whom I am speaking?"

"Kros, at your service." He bowed from the waist.

"Opalite, member of the D. A. R. E. project. I am here looking for nine humans."

"I have them. It will be a pleasure to get them off my hands. Feeding them is tiresome." He nodded.

A dark sense of unease crept through her. There was something about this man that was not right.

She pressed her scanner and it let out a chirp. "I am appreciating our meeting, but I need to get those humans home. I have a schedule and if I go beyond it, I experience crippling pain."

His features twisted as if he thought the possibility of her in pain was tempting. "Humor me for a while and tell me if you would agree to taking me on as a mate."

Under the table, she prepared the new sedative gun that she had been given. She aimed it at his thigh and spoke as she pulled the trigger and held it down. "I have to say that I couldn't consider any male who lived in a cave. I have lived underground my whole life and I don't care for it."

The repeating thwap of the needles striking his thigh preceded his jump and snarl as they dumped their payload into his system. He was almost to Opalite when he fell to the table, face first.

"Excellent. I wasn't sure that it would work."

She got to her feet, trembling with nerves. Her scanner was telling her that the humans were fifty yards ahead and she was determined to find them.

The smell told her she was on the right track before she rounded the corner to see the ragged and bruised humans in a large but firmly locked cage.

She held up the new badge that she had been given and presented it to them. "I am Opalite of the D. A. R. E. project and I am here to take you safely home."

They sobbed and one of the women pointed down the hall. "What about him?"

"Him?"

"He likes to torture the man down the hall. They are marked the same, but the man on the wall was trying to help us. It was because of us that he got caught." The blonde was filthy, but she was earnest.

"Fine. I am about to open a portal to Earth. Walk through it and you will receive medical care. I will attempt to release your companion."

She focused and opened a doorway within the cell. They ran through in short order, the stronger helping the weak.

With her humans home, she closed the portal and went further down the hall. Her scent caught dirt and sweat, but something else that was far more appealing. She searched the darkness and found him, as they said, chained to a wall. He had been tortured by Kros and was hanging unconscious.

She tried to unlatch his chains before checking the walls behind her for the key. It hung high, but she could reach it if she jumped.

When she returned from an upward hop and turned, her unconscious companion had woken.

"Who are you?" his words were slurred and his eyes were swollen shut and bloody, but he still tried to raise his head.

"I am Opalite of the Dimensional Arrest, Retrieval and Extraction force. I have sent the humans home and now I am trying to unlock you."

His voice was so deep it was almost inaudible, but she felt it to her toes. "It won't work, I can't get away."

"I will help you." She started to work on his ankles and worked her way up the chains until she was working on the last cuff on his wrist.

"Thank you, but you don't know where I live."

She smiled in the darkness and formed a plan. "Show me where the healer who is the mate of my sister lives and I will take you there."

"Good enough."

The image of a bright home with an open view of all surrounding areas was in her mind.

The instant that he used her for assistance to get to his feet, she took a few steps until she opened her portal to the home of the image.

Daylight flooded them and she was able to see the face of the victim for the first time. His hair was dark and matted with blood, his marks were fierce, highlighting his cheekbones and giving his lips a cruel twist.

The rest of him was solid, abused and torn muscle. He had been tortured for quite some time.

"Hello! Hello! I need some help here."

A dragon male with only a towel wrapped around his hips came to her. "Good lord. Opalite, if I don't miss my guess."

"You have guessed right. Now, this man needs your help. A man named Kros has been torturing him."

The man whose arm was over her shoulder jumped. "He said his name was Kros?"

"Yes."

"That is my name. A nickname. Short for Kronos. He wanted me blamed." The weak man could still not open his eyes and the frustration was evident.

"Can you help him?"

The man in the towel hadn't moved. "Of course, but not if you stay here. There are far too many males out there who want a crack at one of the daughters or Eiwyn, it would be too tempting. Best for you to go home and check on him another day."

Kros leaned his head down until it touched hers. "Look for me here. No one else will bother you here. I will return to my home in a few days. More than that and I will come looking for you. I have been to Earth before, so I will find you."

A strange pulse started in her belly when she heard that. "Fine, I will go back and wait for my next assignment. I will try to visit after that if I have time."

Kros's face was covered with blood, jagged cuts and still he touched her chin and moved her head for a kiss. She opened her eyes wide as heat and warmth spilled through her in equal measure. The musk that she had picked up on in the tunnel was stronger now. She was sure that she could track him with her eyes closed.

"I will see you again, Kros."

He grinned though it opened a cut. "And I will see you for the first time. Good day, Opalite."

Bemused, she touched her lips and moved through her portal. It had been a good day indeed.

Chapter Two

At least it had been a good day right up until she returned to the compound and found Janus waiting for her in the debarkation room.

"Well, well. At least one of the sisters knows how to return home to repay her debt."

Don't listen to a word he says, dearling, her mother said through their bond. You owe them nothing. It is they who owe you for your willingness to continually put yourself in harm's way to right their great wrong.

Her mother's words soothed her temper. Opalite glowered at the odious man who stood leering at her. She pressed her lips together and ignored him as she strode past him to her handler.

Sela stood still, her dark brown eyes looking forward. No one could tell by the woman's stiff stance that she cared for the sisters more than she let on. The older woman never showed affection. She couldn't. Showing any kind of friendship to the dragon sisters was a ticket on the fastest transport out of the compound. The diminutive handler, all of five-feet-two-inches tall, acted just as was expected of her.

Her face expressionless, Sela stepped forward, a three-shelved cart at her side. "Opalite, please remove your gear and place it here." She flicked a nervous gaze to Janus who continued to leer at them both and lick his lips. "Janus will wheel the cart down to the weapons room when you have finished."

"Whatever you say." Opalite shrugged. Why should she care that they removed an extra step? She started stripping the scanners and other tools from the belt and holster she wore. "It's not like I like carrying it around. This junk is heavy anyway and I am tired." Opalite didn't have a bit of trouble carrying the gear, but no one knew that fact other than her sisters.

She lifted her brow in the mocking way she knew made Sela nervous. "Is there a reason you no longer expect me to pack the weapons down the hall as usual?"

Was that sarcasm she heard in the inflection of her voice? She hoped so. Opalite had wanted to try her hand at being sarcastic for some time. She studied the human for a reaction and sighed when one was not forthcoming.

Opalite knew Sela wouldn't react until they were alone and Janus never appeared to have any personality beyond being a bossy, lecherous pig.

"Stop complaining, Opalite, and finish removing the gear." Janus glared at Sela as though he were something more than a mere tech. "Do you always allow her to treat you this way?"

Sela bristled. "And what would you have me do, Janus? You know as well as I that she could break every bone in my body…" she paused for a moment, just long enough to let her words sink in and give the tech time to think about his actions and any repercussions that could arise. "Would you like to say something?" She waved toward Opalite. "Perhaps you would like a chance to teach my subject how to be more respectful."

Opalite wanted to grin as she watched the color drain from Janus's face. Instead, she continued to slowly remove her gear as though nothing was amiss. Reaching down, she unstrapped the nylon and leather holster from her legs, then unbuckled the waist. The belt slid from around her body and Opalite unceremoniously dropped it on the metal cart with a loud clang.

"There you are." She gave the tech a look that made him tremble and step back though he continued glaring at her. At least the glare was better than his previous leer. "Is there anything else, or can we get moving?" Opalite couldn't wait to get to her room. She wanted to think about what happened on her last assignment. She had met two male dragons!

She barely noticed the doctor as she suffered through the routine return examination. The doctor, a new woman who had just joined the team of scientists, seemed nice enough. The woman even said something about Opalite's brain scan, then shredded the document before making a copy of the previous scan. Then the doctor steered her to the door and told her to go to bed.

Who could sleep at a time like this? Not Opalite. She soon found herself in the large exercise room running the small track that surrounded it. After running two-hundred laps, she eyed the equipment before deciding it was time to think about the male she met and why he affected her so strangely.

As always, Sela waited for her. Opalite sighed. Why must they always have an escort? It wasn't as though Sela could stop her from leaving if that was her intent. The escorts never used to bother her, but the more missions she had, the more Opalite desired the unique feel of being able to go somewhere alone.

Once in her room after her shower, Opalite stared at Sela who merely stood waiting for her to share her experiences.

"Are you going to tell me why they have changed the routine?"

Sela nervously fingered the tablet she carried and sighed. "They said it's because three of the five in your pod have gone missing. Two of them with their gear. The excuse they're giving is that the things you carry with you aren't cheap."

"That's typical." Opalite snorted as she pulled out a chair at her small table and gestured to Sela to take a seat. "They care more for their equipment than they do for my sisters and me." The news may have really made her mad if her mother hadn't already told her that her sisters were alive and well with their mates.

"You know that's not true of all of us." Sela sat down and leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees. "Now tell me," she whispered. "Did you meet one while you were gone?"

"I'm not certain I know what you are talking about, Sela." Opalite carefully kept any inflection from her voice and her expression neutral. "You already know I met those whom I was sent to return."

"Come on, Opalite, you know you can tell me. The team you recovered told everyone about the two men. They even said they both had similar markings as you and your sisters. Don't tell me that isn't significant."

Opalite shrugged. "What is there to say? I shot the one holding the team captive with the tranquilizer, which works wonderfully, by the way. After that, I released the team from what was little better than an animal cage and the other from a torture chamber." She blinked. It was the only indication she would give that the male's situation bothered her in anyway. "I would have left him if not for the insistence of the women I sent back."

"Hmm… yeah, right." Sela stood and headed for the door. "Since you can't or won't tell me more, I guess I'll leave you for the night." She glanced down at her tablet. "You're scheduled for another retrieval tomorrow. Try to get some sleep, will you?"

Sleep? Who could sleep at a time like this? Opalite reached up and pressed her fingers to her lips. She had met two male dragons today. One, she could happily live the rest of her life without seeing again. The other…she felt her lips tingle as she remembered their kiss. The other was worth further investigation.

"Remember, your first objective is always to find your targets. Your secondary objective is to search for your sisters." Dr. Vasser almost seemed sad. It was as though he knew her sisters were never coming home. "You know as well as I do that if they are out there with their implants causing them distress, they may have gone mad." He paced away from her and shook his head. "I know how difficult this must be for you. I cannot imagine losing one sibling and you have lost three." He stopped to run his fingers through his hair.

Opalite kept her mouth shut and her expression intent.

"Take care of yourself, Opalite. That is an order." Dr. Vasser reached out and awkwardly patted her on the shoulder.

She kept her inward grin to herself as she perused the statistics of the next retrieval. Two men, both dangerous, to be brought in dead or alive. She took the weapons that the tech handed her, glad that Janus was not on duty.

Opalite wasn't sure, but she had a suspicion that Janus would take any opportunity given to throw a wrench in the operations. There was a group of humans who despised the idea that their favorite method of transport and exploration was causing their world to collapse.

She was about to take a step toward the podium where she would launch into another dimension when a shout from a far station caught her attention.

The station was unmanned. It was Topaz's old launch site. A gate opened up and two men stumbled through, sliding to the ground as they cleared the dimensional gateway.

Opalite held up her scanner and it chirped confirmation. Those men were her assignment. "Dr. Vasser, my assignment has been completed for me. Those men are my targets."

Security was converging on the men and as they lay there, Opalite could see curls of smoldering vapor on the two returns.

The head of the facility followed security at a stately pace. He nodded his head to the tech and he turned to Opalite. "Please remove your gear. I guess your day out is cancelled."

She nodded and relinquished her scanner and dart guns. It took a few minutes to unbuckle all of the harnesses, but finally, she was ready to return to the off-duty quarters.

Opalite skipped the medical. She hadn't gone anywhere and there was nothing to compare her scans to. It was going to be a quiet day in the common room if they didn't regroup and give her another assignment.

She was watching another video featuring comic antics that ended in romance when Sela's pager beeped.

Sela straightened and smiled at Opalite. "They have a new assignment for you, something a little less violent than the last one."

Opalite turned the screen off and got to her feet, brushing crumbs from her breasts. "Well, it isn't as if I have anything better to do. Who is it this time?"

"A rich retiree who wanted to live out his years off world, you may even recognize his name from some of the history reels you had to watch. David Everhart."

Opalite stretched, scratched her ribs and walked to medical. "The name rings a bell, but I don't recall why."

Sela sighed. "Your education has been neglected. He was one of the greatest private donors to this project."

"It wasn't something that they concerned us with. We were stuck here, grown here and didn't really get to know why until we were in our late teens." She patted her hair as she opened the door to medical and then greeted the doctor with a smile.

"Today's assignment, take two." Opalite grinned and waited for the doc to confirm basic stats before climbing into her leathers.

Dr. Shivven was cheerful, a lovely contrast to the previous physicians who treated the young women like lab rats. "I just need final blood samples from you before you leave. The scans are current enough."

Opalite paused and extended her arm, the minute puncture took only a second and then she was zipping herself into her leather armor. "Did you really need two of them?"

The doctor whispered to her. "If I am re-using brain scans, it is important that the blood chemistry alters ever so slightly with your meals and is recorded. I can shift the brain scan to match."

"Ah. Thank you, doctor. Your attention to detail is always appreciated." Opalite ran her hands down her suit, checking for any wrinkles. It didn't really have a lot of give, but she liked to be neat when she took her place on the podium.

"And I appreciate what you and your sisters are doing. Ruby became a friend when I needed one and the least I can do is to offer the same courtesy to you. Now, have a nice trip and see you if you get back." The wink was given with her back to the cameras.

Opalite didn't respond with anything other than a short nod. She exited medical and walked down the hall to the dispatch area. While she and her sixteen remaining sisters could open a dimensional doorway anywhere, they preferred to not cause a riot when they reappeared.

The humans tended to get bent out of shape when they popped in and out of their world through energy gateways and as amusing as it was, the sisters had been raised to be polite and diffident toward their handlers. Freaking them out for fun was not on the menu.

She groaned internally when Janus stepped forward to arm her. He had been Ruby's dispatch tech, but since her sister had disappeared, he had floated from team to team, bringing his special brand of condescending hostility to each assignment.

"Pay attention, agent!"

She blinked and based on the color on his face, he had been speaking to her for a while.

"Yes?"

"Your assignment is to reclaim David Everhart, one of the greatest men this planet has ever known."

"I am aware." Just for fun, she added, "Dead or alive?"

He choked and almost passed out. "Alive and unharmed. You are to treat him with the utmost respect."

Opalite nodded. "I will give him the same respect I have given to all of those I have been sent to retrieve. If he resists, I will be less polite."

She took the scanner but almost had to wrestle the tranquilizer guns from him. He fought her, but he lost as she pried them from his hands. "I am stronger than you, Janus, and I will not go on assignment unprotected. There are things out there you can't imagine and some that you only dream of."

She snapped her weapons into place, took a deep breath and opened the portal.

Chapter Three

Opalite staggered as she emerged on a paved road and checked her scanner, but it was showing nothing but static. She heard yelling and cursing as she gasped and looked around her.

As quickly as she could, she stumbled to the sidewalk where locals with a burnished red skin stared at her. Traffic slowly resumed and the hovering craft flowed by, their drivers staring at her.

She smiled weakly. "Hello. Have you seen a man named David Everhart?"

A man with a young family stepped toward her. "Who are you, stranger? Where did you come from?"

She straightened and put on her most official expression. "I am Agent Opalite DARE of the Dimensional, Arrest, Retrieval and Extraction project. I am assigned to retrieve humans and return them home to cease the rupture of dimensional space."

He blinked at her, the silver eyes wide. "I don't know him personally, but you can ask at the dragon consulate."

She almost grinned. "There is a dragon consulate?"

"Of course. We do a lot of business with them. If anyone knows details about another species here, it would be them." The man's wife was curled against his side, his son and daughter cuddled against their legs.

She gave the family a gentle smile that she had practiced in the mirror after seeing it on her romantic comedies. "Thank you. Which way would that be?"

He pointed down the street. "Down one block and over two. The building is shaped like a sleeping dragon."

"Thank you. That will narrow it down." She took a few steps in the direction he had pointed and had to stop, the street was blocked by folks staring at her. "I am here to obtain one human and return to my base. I don't wish to interact with you. I will do my job and go home."

She took a few more steps toward the gathered crowd and they parted for her. Two or three people touched her as she passed, but none went for her weapons, so she was fairly relaxed.

The city was similar to those that she had seen in the videos she was so fond of. People stopped to stare and the occasional collision of vehicles got her attention as she walked. They were either not used to seeing women in revealing clothing, or her facial markings and skin tone were catching their attention. Either way, it was both fun and distracting at the same time.

She shivered when she saw the dragon consulate. It was indeed a building shaped like a monstrous dragon and surprisingly hard to miss. She approached the gates and waved at the guards.

The guards snapped to attention the moment that she raised her chin to meet their challenging gazes. "I am looking for information on a foreigner."

"Please come this way, lady." The guards were the same red as the rest of the population, but they wore a small glyph between their eyes.

The gates swung open and she walked toward the open mouth of the sculpted dragon. Opalite had to admit, it was rather intimidating.

"I am looking for information on a human." She tried to get one of the guards to speak to her, but they shook their heads.

Inside the maw of the dragon, a small male sat at a desk, the same glyph between his eyes. He kept his eyes on his paperwork until one of the guards cleared his throat. With a heavy sigh, the small man looked up, only to pale dramatically when he took in her features. "Lady! I was not told to expect you."

She smirked. "I was not expecting to be here. I am seeking a human named David Everhart and I was told that someone here may be able to assist me. My scanner gets nothing but static."

"Yes, lady. Of course, lady. Please, come with me and I will make you comfortable while we retrieve the human." He scrambled from around the desk and waved the guards off. "Please, come this way."

"I am a little confused as to what is going on here. Where am I?"

"Dihmal. We are one of the primary suppliers of energy crystals for the dragon domiciles. How do you not know this?"

"I don't spend a lot of time with my own kind." She noticed that while the guards were almost as tall as she was, the secretary was barely to her shoulder. "Is there a lot of variety in height amongst your people?"

"We grow with age, lady. This is my first real job." He grinned up at her and she saw the youth in that moment.

"Congratulations, but why do you call me lady?"

"All dragons are lords, all dragon swans are ladies. We are taught etiquette before we are allowed to work with the dragons. They tend to have bad tempers for those who disrespect them. Ah, here we are."

He opened a door and she was ushered into a chamber that had a balcony overlooking the city. By her estimation, she was between the wings of the dragon.

"Please remain here, lady. David Everhart will be brought to you." He bowed and closed the door behind him.

She blinked in surprise and looked at the room around her. It was a conversational room. There were a set of couches, some chairs, a video screen and a low table. Opalite turned to the door when it opened and to her amusement, a small female came in with a tray of food and beverages.

"Good day, lady. What will you drink? We have water or fruit juice." The young woman had a bright, nervous smile.

"Fruit juice. Why am I here in this room?"

"I don't know, lady. I was simply told to keep you comfortable."

Opalite reached for the glass and paused. A heavy beat came from just outside the balcony. She watched a dragon sweep toward her and shift into a male that was peculiarly familiar.

"How in the name of peculiar coincidence can you be here, Kros?"

He grinned and bowed. His bruising was still evident, but he was moving more easily than when she had freed him.

The serving woman left with a short curtsy.

"I asked all of the consulates to keep an eye out for you, Opalite. You cannot know how happy I am that I didn't have to wait for you to make an appearance." He walked toward her and she held her breath.

He passed by her and got a glass from the tray, filling it with water and taking a healthy gulp.

"I don't understand. What is a dragon consulate and how could they be looking for me? All of my sisters look just like me."

He put his glass down and pressed his cool hand to her cheek. "None of them have your eyes, Opalite."

She met his gaze with a smile. "I thought you were going to wait for me on that world."

He grinned. "I became impatient and sent a request to the consulates in case you turned up on one of our worlds before I could claim you. I didn't want you to fall prey to another before I could press my suit."

She stared into his dark pewter eyes and smiled. "That sure of my response to you?"

"That sure of the interest your blundering through the dimensions is gaining. Dragons are stirring around the universe at the thought of claiming a daughter of Eiwyn and Draven."

"So I have heard." She smiled. It was one of the warnings that her mother had begun to broadcast.

His hand was rapidly warming on her skin. She swallowed nervously.

"You seem to have healed well."

"Galen did a good job on me but left a few marks so that I would engender pity when I met you. If I was perfectly healed, you may not have recognized me."

She laughed lightly and moved her face out of his light grip, scooting away and heading to the table with the snacks. Opalite took a seat on one of the couches and started picking through the foreign foods.

"So, which human are you seeking here?"

"A man named David Everhart. He will probably not want to go, but I really don't care. He will return home whether he wants it or not." She tried to put some steel in her tone, but when he sat next to her, she fought the urge to scoot away.

He was radiating a lot of heat and she couldn't decide if moving away or cuddling closer would be the best course of action.

"Your dragon is the same color as your eyes."

He nodded. "It is the usual coloration combination."

"Really. What can you tell me about our people? And why the hell do we have consulates?"

He settled back. "That will be quite a tale. If you wish to know all there is to know, I am afraid the price is a kiss."

She frowned. "A kiss for information?"

"That is the typical exchange. It is either that or I fly you across the skies until you wrap your arms and legs around me and won't let go."

She narrowed her eyes and turned to face him. "Let's settle for a kiss."

Chapter Four

She leaned forward, but he didn't meet her halfway. "Why aren't you…"

"You need to give me a kiss. I don't need to take one."

She sighed and assessed her options. Throwing decorum to the wind and shocking him into immobility, she sat across his lap and pulled his head down to hers.

At first, the kiss was awkward, an impact more than a pressing of lips. Forcing herself to relax, her mouth caressed his softly and when he responded, a thrill of triumph rippled through her.

She pulled her head away and attempted to control her breathing. His hands were holding her waist and the monitor on her wrist started chirping madly. That sound sent her off his lap and toward the door just in time to greet the human who was being prodded in by another dragon.

"Kros, I see you have found her. Lady, this is the human you were looking for."

Where she had expected to see an arrogant slice of humanity, she was confronted by a small defeated male who looked at her with hope. "Can you really take me back to Earth?"

"Of course. It is why I am here."

"Can we go now? I am really not very happy with this place."

The other male gave the impression of maturity. He inclined his silver head, the bright violet of his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Lady, I am Dekkin, consul to Dihmal."

"Opalite, agent of the D. A. R. E. project." She grinned as he took her hand in his own and raised it to his lips.

Kronos growled. "Knock it off, Dekkin. Opalite, before you leave, I need to speak to you."

She nodded and David spoke. "I want to return home now!"

There was the arrogance that she had been waiting for. He even stamped his foot.

"You will wait a moment. I have never spoken with my own species before and you will not ruin this for me." Her words were a hiss to her own ears, but she followed Kronos to the balcony where he took her in his arms.

He pressed a quick kiss to her lips and then whispered in her ear. "He will make trouble for you when you return. If I do not hear of you walking the worlds within a week, I will come for you."

His words were heated, but they rang in the depths of her soul. "Thank you. If this goes sideways, it is nice to know that there is someone looking for me."

"Always and forever." Kronos pressed a kiss on her forehead and ran a hand down her spine. "Now, go before I change my mind and keep you here."

She smiled. "You would have a fight on your hands."

"And I might enjoy it."

Opalite felt a solid warmth within her as she returned to say farewell to Dekkin. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"Anytime you tire of Kros, you can come and spend time with me. I promise to be the perfect host." He bowed gracefully, the marks on his face giving him the fierce aspect that belied his ideal manners.

"Okay, David. We shall go now." She opened the dimensional portal and escorted him through.

Janus was still on duty and he looked at her in shock as she escorted David Everhart through the portal.

"Agent Opalite reporting with completed retrieval." She unbuckled her stunners and darts, handing over her scanner.

The guards were saluting her retrieval and it came as a complete shock to her when he spun and pointed a finger at her. "They were holding me prisoner and she is one of them!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Opalite said with a scowl. "You of all people should know that I am here every minute of my existence that I am not on assignment." She turned to Janus then almost gave a relived sigh when she saw Dr. Vasser standing just behind him and to his left.

"Don't believe a word she says." Mr. Everhart pointed at her and spat on the floor. "I don't know what she is, or what they are, but they all had those strange markings and those devil eyes." Her retrieval cast his gaze around the room wildly. "You have to believe me."

Ignoring the tech, she addressed the doctor. "Sir, the man had been kept prisoner by the locals on the other world. He's not…" she paused, hoping her words would sway the doctor. "He's not himself." She stood tall, with her hands behind her back, waiting for the doctor's verdict.

"How long did they hold you captive?"

"She," Everhart paused to point at Opalite. "She and her people held me captive since I got there."

"That was over a year ago." Dr. Vasser sighed. "Don't be difficult, David. Opalite can't possibly be one of those who has held you all this time. Her first time off world was only a few months ago."

"It was her, I tell you. She's one of them."

Dr. Vasser's jaw flexed. "Opalite, please allow yourself to be taken into custody while we examine the charges Mr. Everhart is laying against you. As a team member, you are subject to the same strictures of misconduct as the rest of us."

Opalite was seething with irritation but let the security officers surround her. They marched her down a hall and into one of the holding areas on the level below the launch zones.

Alone in the cell, she let out a stream of curses that she had picked up in her travels.

"One stupid human and my life hangs in the balance." Opalite made a fist and slammed it into the concrete wall.

The dent was satisfying but did not alleviate her problem. Being known to consort with her own kind was going to get her grounded.

It was two hours later when Sela arrived with a folded set of clothing over one arm. It seemed that someone realized that she was still wearing her leathers.

"Hello, Sela. How has your day been? Mine has been a little disappointing thus far."

Sela laughed. "I can see that. Mr. Everhart is showing cracks, by the way."

Opalite took the clothing and turned her back to the security camera. She stripped out of her leathers and was standing barefoot in her cell while her friend folded her clothing and picked up the boots.

"I am not surprised. If he is anything like the humans that run this facility, he is not equipped to be denied his goals."

Sela looked around her and made a shushing motion. Opalite rolled her eyes but kept quiet.

"It isn't known how long they will keep you here, but I am allowed to keep an eye on you as well as bring you your meals."

"Excellent. Is there anything for me to read?"

"I will bring you an education unit. Are you really all right?"

Opalite looked at the woman who took care of her day after day. "I am really all right. This will give me some time to meditate and keep myself calm. You know how I get."

If Opalite had ever seen her mother's expression, she imagined that it would look a lot like Sela's.

"I do know. Keep calm and I will be back in half an hour. Please remember that the scanners are going full bore. They will catch anything that you decide to show or tell them. It can and will be used against you when they figure out how to arrange a hearing."

Opalite nodded and her keeper walked away with the clothing that was the marks of her office. She felt strangely bereft without her leather armor, but with nothing else to do, she folded herself into a meditation posture and took a deep breath.

Her mother touched her mind lightly but receded when she felt the concentrated silence of Opalite's thoughts.

Alone in her calm, Opalite let her mind wander. A smile graced her lips when she wondered idly what Kronos was doing right then.

* * * *

"What do you mean, Opalite has been arrested? They have no right to take one of ours and restrict them." Kronos was furious, but he was having trouble concentrating with the presence of Opalite in front of him with blazing topaz eyes that instructed him that this was one of her sisters.

Kirai was the other confirmation. He was watching Kronos closely. There was no way another male was getting to his mate and he was on full alert to keep anyone from trying.

"When she took that human back to Earth, they arrested her. Mother says he is blaming her for something that you did."

Kronos ran his hands through his hair and looked at Dekkin. "Would you care to field this one?"

Dekkin flushed under his tan. "We didn't incarcerate him. We merely didn't allow him to interfere in our society. That was apparently his design when he arrived and we spoiled his little plan."

Kronos sighed. "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing. We allowed him to come and join our community but only as a regular citizen. He wanted to dictate rights and organizational strictures. We told him no. He did not appreciate that, so he was under house arrest for the remaining months of his stay. He had housekeepers, guests but was not allowed to leave."

"Who paid for his housekeepers?"

Dekkin inclined his head, "The city. He was made a guest and his citizenship revoked after his first six months. After that, he got far more vocal in his comments about the infrastructure. He had to be given away time."

Topaz sighed. "On Earth they call that a time out."

"Whatever it was, he didn't like it."

Kronos watched as Topaz closed her eyes and concentrated. When she opened her lids again, she nodded. "Mother is giving the news to Opalite. She will do what she can with it."

Kronos closed his eyes for a moment in a bid for patience. While tortured, he had been able to keep the fury from eating him whole, but now that Opalite was on the line, he was far less sanguine.

He gave himself two days to remain calm and serene. After that, anything was possible as long as Opalite was safe and sound. If the humans harmed her, they would find themselves dealing with a dragon whose very nature could bend time itself.

Chapter Five

Opalite shifted in the chair. Thirty-six hours after her incarceration, she was facing a group of human doctors, techs and bureaucrats.

Sela stood near the far exit and bit her nails, a habit that was as endearing as it was mildly revolting.

The depiction of his horrific incarceration was impressive, but Opalite knew better. She waited until his tale of woe was drawing concerned expressions from half of the panel when she snorted.

Dr. Vasser looked at her with surprise. "Opalite, do you have any comment on this matter?"

"Of course I do, but I will allow him his say." She sat back and laced her fingers behind her head. She leaned back and noticed that the man giving testimony did not care for her casual attitude.

David Everhart was almost frothing at the mouth. "You see, you see! They have no respect for humans. They treat us like dirt, no matter our rank or station."

Dr. Vasser was beginning to have a suspicion in his eyes. "Are you finished, David?"

"That's Mr. Everhart to you, administrator!"

"Fine, Mister Everhart. Are you done?"

"No. After the creatures locked me up, they treated me horribly, abusing me at random and giving me a nightmare of existence. When that creature of yours finally showed up, I was at the end of my rope. Imagine how I felt to see her kissing one of my captors! It was terrifying to be led through the light into god-knows-what by that…that thing!"

He was gesturing wildly and one of the women on the panel wiped some stray spittle from her cheek.

"Mr. Everhart. Thank you for your testimony. Please have a seat." Dr. Vasser nodded and waited until the agitated man took his position.

"Opalite D.A.R.E., please give your testimony."

Opalite stood and asked the panel, "What charges do you want me to answer to? That I kissed a male? It is not disallowed. I see staffers kissing all the time."

Dr. Vasser looked a little confused until he conferred with his companions. "We want you to answer to the questions David Everhart has raised as to his treatment. Are you aware of any mistreatment to him or by whom?"

Opalite paused and gave Mr. Everhart a long look. "Why did Mr. Everhart leave Earth? What reason sent him to another dimension?"

The panel deliberated and Mr. Everhart looked slightly uneasy. Dr. Vasser finally spoke. "We don't know. Mr. Everhart, why did you leave Earth?"

He flushed a bright red but answered, "I had become a captain of industry here on Earth, I wanted to bring my control of economics to other societies."

Opalite nodded. "So, when the people you wanted to educate told you to get stuffed, how did you react?"

He turned a hideous shade of purple. "They…how could you possibly know that?"

"I had an opportunity to meet the ruling personage in the city and he filled me in on your reprehensible behavior that ended with you under house arrest because you could not accept that this society was happy without your intervention."

"They needed me, damn it! They were living in a backwards manner…how could they want to stay like that? What the hell are you and how can your folk be ruling outer dimensions?"

Opalite cocked her head. "I am afraid that the physicians to either side of you will have a far better idea of what I am than I do. I am merely an agent of the D.A.R.E. project. I go where I am told and I return when I have found my retrieval or arrest targets. In the process, I meet people. I make friends and have begun a courtship of sorts."

The roar of surprise was deafening, but the conversation rapidly came to a head. After heated deliberations, a decision of sorts had been made. Opalite heard it, but she waited for the official verdict.

Dr. Vasser stood up. "Mr. Everhart, you are confined to this base until you pass a polygraph and whatever tests we can throw at you. Opalite, you are confined to base indefinitely."

"Hah, you got what is coming to you, you freak!" David Everhart was shrieking and dancing around in delight.

Opalite snorted, showing her contempt for the man. She knew it was rude, but how could one care about being rude to someone like this odious man? "Look at him."

Dr. Vasser nodded. "Yes, of course." He snapped his fingers toward the nearest tech. "Take Mr. Everhart to the infirmary and see that he's scheduled a complete mental workup."

"Mental. Mental!" Mr. Everhart swung his arms in a wide arc. "Why the hell are you ordering a mental workup on me?" He pointed to Opalite. "She's the one with crazy friends."

Sighing, Dr. Vasser nodded. "And we will launch a thorough investigation into the matter. You will get your say in a formal inquiry, David." He waved toward the door. "Now, will you go with the tech willingly, or do I have to call for a security escort?"

David Everhart turned a full glare on Opalite. "This isn't the end, woman. I'll see you incarcerated for what you and your friends did to me. You can count on it." He jerked his arm away from the tech who tried to pull him from the room. "Don't touch me, you lackey. Don't you know who I am?"

He's a horse's ass, is what he is, her mother said through their mind link. Don't listen to him. He's as full of himself as he has always been. He wanted to retire off world, did he? I can think of at least two worlds where he wouldn't last through dinner. Eiwyn chuckled, though the laugh sounded rather dark. He would be dinner.

Opalite tried to keep her face devoid of emotion. I never knew you were so bloodthirsty, mother.

Only when some cretin tries to discredit one of my precious daughters. You will know how I feel when you have children of your own someday.

"Are you ready to go?" Sela asked as she stepped up to Opalite's right side. "You won't have to put up with him again."

"Of course." She stared at Sela. Allowing her inner eyelids to close, she looked at her handler with her dragon sight. The sight given by the extra set of lids was more than just a heat signature. Opalite realized that a long time ago. Humans and some other species tended to change color in her vision when they spoke. She wondered if she could discern a lie that way.

We can tell many things about many people with our sight, dearling. We can also tell by their scent. When you use the two in conjunction, they act as a very good judge of character. However, it's difficult to look upon them when they stare at you with such fright, isn't it?

Shifting her vision back to normal, Opalite realized Sela had nearly collapsed. She remained standing with the help of the counter just to her left. She leaned against it, hyperventilating.

"Stop looking at me like that. It gives me the creeps." Sela shuddered. "You know I hate it when you just stare at me with no expression." She clapped a hand over her mouth and looked around when she realized what she said. Luckily, Dr. Vasser and the others had already gone and she sighed with relief. "Stop doing that crap to me," she hissed out under her breath. "What if someone heard me? They would know I consider you more my daughter than my charge."

"And I thank you for that, Sela."

The older woman blushed. "There's no need for that." She looked away, obviously embarrassed that she admitted what Opalite suspected all along. "I would have to be an unfeeling bitch not to care for you after all these years. Why do you think I'm so careful not to let them see it? I couldn't stand it if they separated us."

Opalite let her words sink in and privately wondered how Sela would fare when she was gone. Her attachment to the dragon swans was bound to cause her pain when they all met their matches and fled the Earth. Opalite wondered what would happen when that day came.

Chapter Six

Her rooms were fitted with a lock and she was kept under close watch. Did they think if they locked her up, it would keep her from leaving this place? Were they really that stupid that they bought into the belief that she must be in the debarkation room to open a rift? She could open one here for crying out loud.

When Sela retrieved Opalite for a second hearing, she went just to break up the monotony of the day.

"What do you think they are going to charge me with today?" Her voice was conversational and several techs and keepers within earshot looked at her in surprise.

"I have no idea. It is a smaller panel, but the physicians have been called in and they have questions for you." Sela brought her to a smaller boardroom and led her inside.

Facing the panel, she stood at ease and waited for them to speak.

Dr. Vasser looked uncomfortable, but he forged forward. "Opalite, we wish to know more about your growing relationship with this strange creature."

She smiled as she imagined Kronos reacting to being called a creature.

The thought no sooner crossed her mind than Opalite felt the energy in the room change. She felt the fissure open before she heard Kronos's voice.

"Hello, love." He breathed the words in her ear. "It looked like you could use some help with these animals." He glanced at the men seated around the table who all sat still with blank expressions. They seemed frozen in time somehow.

"How did you--"

Kros laid a finger over her lips. "Shh… Do not ask questions. Merely bask in the knowledge that they will debate what happens next for the rest of the day."

"Why? What happens next?"

"You disappear, of course, and none of them have seen how you did it."

"Because I didn't do it," she replied, smiling up at him. "This is your magic, not mine."

He just grinned at her. "Yes, and what wonderful magic it is. One day, perhaps I will explain it to you."

With that, he merely stepped back two paces and pulled her with him into another world.

"Is this your world?" Opalite looked around, curious. She rather hoped it wasn't. It was a barren land. Nothing but desert, sand dunes stretched as far as the eye could see and as a dragon, she could see very far.

"No. I brought you here just in case they have developed the technology to trace a rift." Kros glanced at her as though worried someone would follow them at any minute. "It is possible to do so."

"Does that mean they can find my sisters?"

"No." He smiled at her and raised a brow. "Will it frighten you if I change? I want to take you far from here to lessen the chance that they will discover our departure point and follow us from here."

Opalite gave him a one-shoulder shrug. "It will not distress me." She looked back toward the area where the dimensional hole had closed. "However, what I have to say may distress you."

"And that is?"

"We must go back to Earth."

"Why do you say that?" He did nothing more than cross his arms over his chest. His biceps bulged around the gold bands he wore on his upper arms.

The sight made Opalite feel strange, though she had no idea why. She didn't know what kind of reaction she expected, but she didn't expect that calm inquiry.

"We must return for Sela. She is my handler and I…care for her."

"No, we must go. If we go back now, they could stun us and hold us."

Before, Opalite may have been arrogant enough to think no one could hold her against her will, but she knew better now. After all, if they were immune to such attacks, she wouldn't have had the opportunity to meet and release Kros from his bonds.

Something strange burned her throat and she shook her head. Was it the dry air? Looking around, she saw nothing to think anything was amiss.

"We must go. If they have the technology to follow, they will do so within the next few moments." With a shimmer, Kros turned into a dark grey dragon and knelt down, his leg stretched out for her to climb. Hurry. I think I feel a fissure opening. You would think the humans would stop using that machine. They know what it does to the universe, yet they do not care.

Opalite climbed up his leg and settled herself between his wings, lifted a soft scale and pulled it over her legs to help hold her in place.

Are you ready?

"Yes. I am ready." She took a deep breath and grabbed onto the leather strap that suddenly appeared around his neck. "You have a lot of explaining to do when we reach our destination."

And I will be happy to oblige. With a mighty push from his powerful legs, Kros sent them hurtling into the air.

It felt as though they left her stomach on the ground. I feel sick. She held her hand over her mouth.

Do not tell me a mighty and fearsome dragon swan is afraid of heights.

"Of course not!" she snapped the words at him. "It feels as though we left my stomach below." She looked down and closed her eyes. All her life, she wondered what it would be like to fly. She knew she would never get to leave the lab other than to go on assignment, but she had always wanted to fly. Now, she was finally in the air and it made her cringe.

"You must teach me to do this."

I can't.

"You can't or you won't?" Opalite frowned at his back. If she could, she would have bored a hole through his scales with her glare, but instead, she settled for crossing her arms and thinning her lips at him.

I cannot teach you. I would do so if it was within my power, but dragon swans can no longer shift shape. Eons ago they could, but not any longer. The ancient ones chose to allow that power to die.

"But why? Flying would be so amazing."

Yes, but for the ladies, it came at too high a price.

"I can't imagine any price that would be too high to pay for that of flight."

Having children. Since a dragon swan carries her young for several years before birth, every change risked the life of the child. Any change, even the first one could cause a miscarriage. Some stayed in their dragon forms to have their children, therefore avoiding the risk of miscarriage and could not change back. This was when they all decided, if they never changed to their dragon selves, they could never be stuck in that form.

Opalite had to admit she wouldn't know what to do in dragon form but fly. She sighed. "It was a good dream while it lasted."

Your dream can still come true. Look at the ground below us. Look at the sky above us. Reach into the clouds as we fly by and feel the mist. It is just as beautiful in your humanoid form as it is in dragon form. More so. Dragons cannot see in any other color other than shades of red while in dragon form. While you have the advantage of both flight and seeing the full spectrum of color your humanoid form is capable of.

She could see his point. Still, it did little to hinder her disappointment. Looking down at the planet below did little to make her forget about Sela. Would the woman grieve for her for the rest of her life as she once said, or would she move on?

Opalite hoped she would move on. What else could the woman do? She hoped Sela would go on with her life but didn't hold out much hope for that. Opalite discovered that her handler had lost a daughter a few years ago and somehow, she had become some sort of surrogate.

Suddenly, a portal opened before them and they flew through it at high speed. I would like to see them find the remainders of the rift on that world.

"They would be unable to find it. They have no planes small enough to fly through a rift and I don't think that even their most courageous pilot would give it a try."

The next world was beautiful. They materialized over the largest waterfall Opalite had ever seen. Not that she had seen many in her lifetime. Still, it was enough to make her gasp.

If you think that's something, you should see what's on the other side of the mountain.

Curiosity piqued, Opalite sat forward and watched as they approached. A cloud of mist rose up from the pool of water below the waterfall. They flew through the vapor and over the rise to see a golden castle in the distance. It sat atop a huge mountain range that reminded Opalite of a large, sleeping dragon.

"Is this your home?"

It is, but I would build another if it doesn't please you.

She shook her head. "You can just change the drapes if I don't like it."

The laughter in her mind rippled over her. I appreciate a woman who is willing to adapt to her surroundings.

"And I appreciate a male who can land and talk at the same time."

Her legs clamped around him tightly as they dropped altitude and his laughter spilled through her mind again. Welcome to our home.

Chapter Seven

Opalite dismounted with shaking legs. She had never straddled anything for that long before. "It seems nice enough. Do you live here alone?"

He shifted back into his bipedal form. "Yes. Few dragons live with others if they have a choice."

"How do little dragons come into being then?" She gave him a look out of the corner of her eye and watched him flush slightly.

"Well, finding a mate is a prime concern for many, but there are few females to be found." He cleared his throat. "You and your sisters are a blessing from the universe. To have twenty females of breeding age entering society at the same time is unheard of."

"Not anymore and we are not a blessing from the universe, we are a blessing from Eiwyn. Our mother sacrificed years of her life with our father in order to bring us to the worlds." She couldn't help but give credit where it was due.

"He is not happy about the loss of his wife. We are trying to keep the complete truth of his children from him, but it has not been easy." Kros's voice was next to her as she explored the huge doorway that led into the castle.

"It has not been easy on Mother either, but it will not be forever, or so she is telling us. I wish for the day that I can meet her." Opalite whistled softly, listening to the echo within the interior.

"What do you mean you haven't met her? She is your mother."

"We were cloned. She had four embryos and they somehow were split into five sisters each. The researchers don't know why we look identical, but our eyes and personalities are all completely different."

The interior of the home was cool and comfortable. Glossy marble floors butted to matte stone walls. Huge windows were open to the breezes and couches dotted the inner rooms.

"This is a lovely place. How can you live here on your own?" The vastness of the space astonished her.

"Well, I was rather hoping you would join me." He snaked his arm around her waist and she blinked up at him.

"I need to see my sisters first."

He was coming in for a kiss and she reached up and grabbed his lips. "My sisters. Now."

Surprised, but held in her grip, he walked them both to the wide veranda and through a portal. She released him the moment that they touched down on a new flagstone path leading into a large stone building. A less fanciful castle than Kronos's but very striking.

"I am beginning to believe that castles are a theme with our people."

"They are. Men have little else to do while waiting for a mate to come of age or to be available for union." He ran a hand along his hair and he looked a little uneasy.

"What's wrong?"

"It isn't usual for dragons to drop in on one another without notice. Please be aware that we may be rushed by the inhabitants."

Still wearing her scrubs, she straightened and kept her senses on the alert. The body that struck hers was all too familiar, but the squeal of delight was new.

"Hello, Ruby. You are looking well."

Ruby pulled back with a frown and slapped her on the arm like any sister would. "Is that all you can say? After all, it's been a few months since you have seen me."

Opalite gave her a one-shoulder shrug. "It is all that comes to mind. Should I have said more?"

Snorting, Ruby grabbed her by the arm and dragged Opalite into her arms for a hug before she turned and pulled her toward the castle. "You have no idea what's been going on." Pausing, she turned to Opalite and grinned. "We have all decided to continue the retrievals. With all of us working in conjunction, we should still be able to finish all of the extractions in the time projected when we started."

Like she didn't already know that. Opalite crossed her arms with a smile and arched a brow. "And you didn't think we would figure it out when the rifts opened and parties of disoriented people were unceremoniously dumped into the facility?" The look of glee fell from her sister's face and Opalite felt a twinge of remorse. She ran her fingers through her hair and shook her head. "Forgive me, sister. I have been around Janus far too much since you left. I think his rudeness has rubbed off on me."

"Don't worry about it, Opalite. I should have realized that you knew we were still working. I only wish we had the convenience of their records. Worlds with humanoids are plentiful. Having the records would have sped up the process."

"It would," Opalite said with a nod. "Yet, getting them would be near to impossible, unless…" She glanced at Kros. He refused to go back for Sela, would he refuse to go back to search for the records? Could he refuse such a request? If he agreed to return for that, they could snatch Sela away while they were at it.

"Unless what?"

Ignoring the stern shake of Kronos's head, Opalite turned to her sister and waved her arm toward the man who so obviously wanted to be her mate. "Unless you had the ability to freeze people in time the way Kronos can."

Ruby turned and pinned Kronos with a wide-eyed stare. "You're named after the god of time and you can freeze time?" She clapped her hands and laughed. "How apropos." She turned back to Opalite. "Do you think he will help us?" Leaning forward she whispered. "The real question is do you think you can convince him to help?"

"He won't even consider returning to retrieve Sela," Opalite replied with a shake of her head. "He is certain they will stun us. They can now. They have perfected the stunning weapon and I have told them it works. I had no idea they would accuse me of misconduct, or I would have withheld the information, the ungrateful wretches."

Ruby bit her lip. "We must consult with my mate. Perhaps if enough of us stormed the facility looking for the records, we could take them by surprise and retrieve the stunners as well." She grinned. "Wouldn't it be fun to turn their own weapons upon them?"

Opalite had to agree that it would be…interesting to see their reactions. Not that she would be able to see them. However, she would learn of them through her other sisters as they managed to escape the facility. "Then we must find your mate."

"Oh, he's in his office speaking to a group of males who have petitioned him for his help in procuring one of our sisters for a companion." Ruby thinned her lips for a moment. "The unmated males seem to think the others can force us to make a decision to live with them."

"No one can force a female to mate." Kronos spoke up as he moved up beside Opalite. "We can ask them to accept us, but any male who wishes to force a female to do his bidding is unworthy of a mate."

"Don't you think desperation drives them to thinking that way?" Opalite wanted to hear his answer. She would never condemn a person just for needing another and she must know that he wouldn't as well. Otherwise, they may not get along together as well as she had hoped.

Kronos nodded. "It could be so. However, they must realize that to attempt to force you to their will would make them unlikely mates for you or your sisters." Taking her hand, he pulled her to a stop, rested his hands on her shoulders and looked down into her eyes. "I couldn't bear to see someone forcing their will upon you or any of your sisters after all you have been through. Living in captivity since you were born is already too much to ask me to forgive. Do not attempt to get me to accede that holding you captive for the rest of your life would be more agreeable than living alone until you find the male who would love you as you deserve."

Opalite's eyes burned for a moment and she blinked. Whatever it was that ailed her wouldn't go away for a few moments. She had never had her vision blur or her eyes burn in such a way before. She would have thought it was tears that burned her eyes, but neither she nor her sisters had ever been a victim of something decidedly human as tears. "I thank you." She turned to Ruby. "Lead us to your mate, sister." Kronos slid his hand down her arm to lace his fingers through hers and she looked down with a smile. "I would like our mates to meet."

Chapter Eight

Opalite tried not to stare at the opulent setting as Ruby led her through the castle. What was it about these males and their need for large, luxurious homes? Had they been human males, she would have wondered if they needed such lavish dwellings because they wished to compensate for something. However, her mother had made it quite clear that male dragons had nothing to prove to anyone.

They need large homes to protect their most precious possessions.

I see no treasure here, Mother. She looked, too. All she saw was thick carpeting covering the stone floor, paintings on the wall, apparently by local artists and sumptuous-looking furniture that appeared so comfortable she could have sat down and fallen fast asleep.

Ruby is his greatest treasure. Watch the way he looks at her. I have seen this through your sister's eyes. He adores the very ground she walks upon. All of your sisters' mates are this way. They wish to keep their women comfortable and happy. Isn't this the way it should be?

Opalite knew it was the way she wanted things to be between her and Kronos, but she wasn't certain he felt the same way. She told her sister he was her mate, but there was still a small grain of doubt lurking in her mind. Who could blame her? She would go from one form of captivity to another--life in the facility, then life with her mate.

You are not my captive, my lady. I would cherish you until the day we both draw our last breath. He released her hand slowly, almost reluctantly. I will not force your compliance. You must make the choice to stay with me or not. However, you also should be aware that there are others who will not give you the choices I have. They will try to take you from me as long as they know you have, as yet, remained undecided.

If I must choose, how can they force me?

They cannot force your acceptance, but they can kidnap you and take you to their worlds where they will hold you captive until they tire of you or find their true mate. Kronos sighed as though he didn't want to tell her about the dark side of their males. Some males never tire of their females, even if they aren't true mates. I thought I should warn you of this.

Do you think I am your true mate? She continued to follow her sister through the castle that had become Ruby's new home.

I would not be here if I did not. He continued to match her stride as they walked and talked with each other.

Listen to him, sweetling. He speaks the truth. Who else would have been able to pinpoint your exact location? Your father would be able to pinpoint mine if the humans hadn't rendered my body inert. My mind still reaches out to him as yours does to Kronos, but without the electrical receptors in my body to amplify my mind's desire, your father cannot and will not locate me until my body awakens and I break free of my prison.

I live to see the day that you two can be together again, Mother. Opalite didn't say that she couldn't wait to meet her father. She had heard much about him and she feared what he may do when he found out that the humans had held his mate and daughters captive for so long. Yet somehow, she knew that he would care for them all and she wished she could get his blessing on her union with Kronos.

Your father, though he would love you dearly, would not hesitate to use you and your sisters to further alliances. Your choice with whom you mate would be forever eliminated. He would mean well, but he would take your choice from you. That is why I begged the males not to tell him of your existence.

Opalite swallowed thickly at that. How could her mother be so certain of this? Wouldn't their father feel any kind of remorse for forcing such unions when he knew they would live their entire lives in virtual captivity? Her mother loved him and swore he loved her. Could a man capable of loving his mate be so cruel to his daughters?

"Do you want to take that chance?" Kronos took her hand again and squeezed her fingers. "What would you do if he suddenly appeared and demanded you mate with the male who tortured me?"

"I would refuse."

"Once your father approves the union, the male would have every right to force your compliance. You would be his prisoner."

Opalite sighed. When had her life become so dark? Why could she not choose to live alone if she wished? She glanced at Kronos and sighed. She must admit, at least to herself, that she found him attractive. Some strange thing fluttered in her middle every time she looked at him. What's more, she wanted to stay with him. No matter what she had hoped, she would never allow her father to take her choice from her. She had lived her life for others for far too long. It was time to take control of her destiny and take control she would.

They followed Ruby to her mate's office. Her sister didn't so much as pause as they reached the closed door. Ruby merely reached out, grasped the handle and pushed the door open.

Opalite barely held back a gasp of surprise. Her fingers tightened on Kronos's as she stared at the half-dozen males who surrounded a large golden desk in the center of the room.

Ruby breezed into the midst of the males and approached the man who sat at the desk.

The males all turned to face Opalite and Kronos. The men stared through narrowed eyes at her hand held in Kronos's light grip.

"Oton, my mate," Ruby said, her voice loud in the growing silence. "I would like you to meet my sister, Opalite and her…mate, if I am not mistaken."

Lifting her chin into the air, Opalite stared back at the men who seemed so rude. If she must mate, it would be with the male of her choice. Not some diplomat her father chose for her. She gave her sister a nod. "Kronos is my mate."

You will not regret your decision, my lady.

Be quiet, you. I regret it already. I do not want to answer to you or anyone else. She looked at him and took a deep breath, taking in his delicious scent. My life has had too few freedoms. Do not mistake my choice as anything more than what it is. My choice.

"Before any of you have any thought about abducting me, my choice is made." She gave them all a level stare and drew herself up to her full height. "I am free to choose whom I wish and I have chosen this man." She turned to Kronos and gave him a slight smile.

Choosing him really wasn't a hardship. He was very well put together for a dragon male. He wasn't difficult to look at either. As males went, Kronos appeared to be very handsome. Not that she had much for a basis of comparison. All of the males in this room appeared to be what Earth women would deem attractive.

Before, she had never understood what the human females saw in certain men. Now she knew what drew them. The color and length of their hair, the flashing of their eyes, anything they said or did could be considered something attractive if they are the right male.

Opalite still didn't want to give up her newfound freedom. However, she watched Ruby with her mate and realized that with the right man at her side, her freedom would never be in question. She glanced up at Kronos and thought he must be the one for her. Ever other male here made her skin crawl when she thought of them touching her. Yet, she stood here hand in hand with Kronos and felt nothing more than the comforting warmth of his body next to hers.

Oton stood and extended a welcoming hand. "Welcome, sister." He moved to open a door behind his abandoned seat. "Please follow me and we shall join your other sisters who await us in the courtyard."

She and Kronos followed the mated pair through the open door. Opalite felt immediate relief when the door closed behind them. The weight of the unmated males' stares had almost been too much for her to bear.

It was difficult to go from never seeing a male dragon, to seeing so many in one place, especially when they stared at you as if you were some sort of lab experiment. Closing her eyes, Opalite suppressed a groan when she realized that she and all of her sisters, save four, were just that--a lab experiment.

It does not matter how you came into being, sweetling, her mother interrupted her thoughts. All that matters is that you are here and you are mine.

Her mother's words soothed her as they were meant to do. However, Opalite still could not shake the horrible feeling that she was never meant to be.

She frowned at the thought. When had she become such an infant? She was finally free. Free to live her life, to live and love where she would. It was something she had never dared to hope would happen. Yet, here she stood on a new world, surrounded by new friends and, hopefully, her pod sisters. Her life was now her own and she was determined to make it a good one.

Ruby and her mate led them down a shadowed corridor. The sound of running water surrounded them as they passed what sounded like small waterfalls within the walls. Perhaps they were. If there was one thing she had noticed, it was that dragon males loved to live near water for whatever reason.

After leading them through a tall archway, Oton opened a large, golden door and made his way to the center of the courtyard. "You can show yourselves. We have brought your sister. Galen was correct in assuming she would soon seek you out."

Topaz and Emerald launched themselves from the shadow and hugged Opalite close.

"We were afraid we would never see you again."

"I see they are still forcing you to dress in those horrible grey scrubs when they lock you down for the night."

Both of her sisters spoke at once and Opalite looked at them each in turn. "It is good to see you two again as well, Emerald. We worried that perhaps you had perished until Mother told us of your defection. The doctors are certain you had gone mad by now."

"Of course they would. None of them could know about Galen and his ability to remove their leashes from deep within our flesh." Ruby moved to join them.

Opalite turned her gaze to Topaz. "Yes." She plucked at the drab top she wore. "They still make us wear these colorless articles." She couldn't help but stare at the magnificent leathers her sisters wore. They even matched the color of their eyes. "If anyone thinks I am working in white, they are sadly mistaken." She took a seat when their host sat down with Ruby in his lap and waved toward the other furniture in the courtyard.

"Sit, please." Ruby urged the men who moved into view and took their places at her sisters' sides.

At least Opalite presumed the men were her sisters' mates, but there was no time for introductions now. They had wasted too much time already.

"Ruby and I have determined that we must return to Earth and try to gather the records of the off-world teams they have stored at the labs." Opalite assessed everyone's reaction. "Do any of you agree?"

"Well… it would make it easier to find the worlds on which they reside." The male sitting next to Topaz said. "It would also cut down the time needed for each extraction. Right now, we all go on every mission. We have no idea how many people to extract, nor do we know the danger level for any given mission. Some foresight would not be amiss."

"That is sound reasoning." Kronos said as he wrapped his arm around Opalite's waist, mimicking the stance of the other males.

"That's true," Emerald agreed. "Right now, we all go together in case there are too many or they choose to fight us, like Ruby's first assignment."

Emerald's green eyes sparking with excitement, "I, for one, cannot wait." She rubbed her hands together. "I would love to have a reason to stun Janus and hope he falls on his face and breaks his nose."

"You're so bloodthirsty, my love," her mate said then kissed her on the temple.

A pang of something Opalite could not identify shot through her system and lodged deep in her belly. It was strange how she suddenly wanted that same kind of affection from Kronos. A lump formed in her throat and she cleared it to remove the strange blockage.

"We must concentrate on the mission at hand." Which was to return to Earth and grab every document they could find on how many teams were off-world and where to find them. Opalite pulled her hand from the comfort of her mate's grip. "We have the element of surprise. Yet, with their new stunners, they could easily recapture us all."

"Not with our new suits," Ruby chuckled. "They not only look sexy as heck, but they are functional, too." Reaching behind her head, Ruby pulled a hood up from what seemed like nowhere and pulled it over her head to cover her face. Nothing showed but her hands, feet and eyes. Small holes cut into the fabric allowed her to breathe through her nose or mouth.

"These suits are coated with a special polymer that deflects energy. They could shoot us and harm us with projectile weapons, but a stunner will merely bounce off us." She grinned. "It's Galen's invention. We really should try to convince one of our sisters that he would make a good mate."

"I am sure we will, sister," Emerald said with a grin. "Now… how do we go about breaking into the lab and snatching up the records?"

"That is a good question. One we must work out before we go storming off to the facility," Oton replied. "For now, we should all go into the dining hall for dinner where we can discuss it."

* * * *

The facility was smoking when it was time for the dragons to leave. Electrical fires broke out amongst the computer equipment and the armory was devoid of weapons and other useful objects. None of the humans were harmed at the ladies' request. All unconscious, those left behind were locked in empty cells where they would remain until the night shift arrived.

The group of dragons stood in the debarkation room and looked around with distaste.

"It is too bad we could not find their sisters. We could all quit this place like a bad habit once and for all." Kronos said with a sneer. "I have often wondered what their accommodations looked like. Now that I know, I would like nothing more than to end this project here and now." He sighed. "It is just too bad we cannot destroy the lab without inadvertently harming the other dragon swans."

Turning, Opalite watched as Oton opened a portal and they all stepped through to his world before returning to their respective dimensions.

Kronos carried her through to his world. He took her to his home where they sat in his dining hall, getting to know each other better. Opalite liked this part of their relationship. It was difficult at first, but after the initial coupling, she found it got easier and easier to look him in the eyes afterward. Not once had she ever thought the natural act of mating would embarrass her, but it had the first few times.

"It is unfortunate that we didn't get more records than we did," Opalite said as she sat in Kronos's lap and fed him the small pieces of fruit from a plate.

He took the fruit gently with his teeth and licked the juice from her fingers. "It is enough to keep us busy for a while. Soon, they will become complacent again and we shall be ready to hit the lab once more. Only the next time," he paused to kiss her on the nose, "you and your sisters shall remain behind. I refuse to risk you all a second time and now that I know my way around the inside of the facility, there is no reason for the threat to you all."

Opalite glared at him through narrowed eyes. "You said you would not dictate to me." She pushed at his chest in an effort to get up. "Let me go, you cretin." She would have really fought him if it wasn't for the fact that he had allowed Sela to accompany them to his world. He even saw to it that she had something to do to make her feel useful and a man who interested her. Perhaps she could begin a new and better life here.

"I will never release you, Opalite. I thought you knew that by now. I do not dictate to you, lady. I only ask that you acknowledge my experience in matters concerning your safety." He squeezed her and stood. "Enough of the fruit. I am hungry for something else."

"You're always hungry for that." She felt herself flush. Never had she blushed as much as she did when she was with Kronos. Before she met him, she never knew she could blush. Now it was almost a daily occurrence.

"Your blush is a natural and beautiful thing, my lady love." Kronos grinned. He carried her from the room and up the stairs. "Now, let us see how deeply I can make your color change."

About the Author

Tianna Xander is an eclectic author of numerous paranormal, sci-fi, time travel romance erotica books. Gaining inspiration for her characters and dialogue through her family and her addiction to the internet, she never fails to amaze readers with each new book she creates. As a reading junkie herself, Tianna has no problem reading whatever is available at the moment from romance novels, murder mysteries and encyclopedias to books on solar energy.

Tianna's life wouldn't be complete without a happily ever after of her very own. She resides in Michigan with her husband, two children, three cats, two dogs and an intimidating bunny. Never one to fail to give credit where it's due, she commends her family for their constant support. After writing many books and receiving rave reviews, her family is just as proud of her. Always full of ideas, Tianna rarely puts the pen down, so readers can look forward to many more exciting stories in the future.

Viola Grace was born in Manitoba, Canada where she still resides today. She really likes it there. She has no pets and can barely keep sea monkeys alive for a reasonable amount of time. Her line of day job tends to be analytical which leaves her mind hopping to weave stories. No co-worker is safe from her character analysis. In keeping with busy hands are happy hands, her hobbies have included cross-stitch, needlepoint, quilting, costuming, cake decorating, baking, cooking, metal work, beading, sculpting, painting, doll making, henna tattoos, chain mail, and a few others that have been forgotten. It is quite often that these hobbies make their way into her tales.

Viola's fetishes include boots and corsetry, and her greatest weakness is her uncontrollable blush. Her writing actively pursues the Happily Ever After that so rarely occurs in nature. It is an admirable thing and something that we should all strive for. To find one that we truly like, as well as love.