Tracking Trisha

Chapter 3-1

Chapter Three

Kelan Reykill sat in the commander’s conference room aboard the V’ager, the Valdier warship he commanded. It was the largest and most sophisticated ship in their fleet thanks to his brother Trelon’s constant upgrades. He was studying the reports that were brought to him with a frown.

He wasn’t concerned about the reports pertaining to the planet below them. Zoran already warned them about the primitive planet he had taken refuge on. Zoran told them to come in using extreme caution as the inhabitants of the planet were unaware of other life-forms that existed outside their galaxy. Trelon already made sure they would remain undetected.

Kelan wasn’t even worried about when he, Trelon, and a few others transported down as they would be more than capable of defending themselves based on the information the reports contained about the planet’s military. They could simply transport out and be out of the solar system before the military even knew they were there.

No, what worried him was what happened to his older brother, Zoran. Kelan seethed as he read over the report on his brother’s capture and t*****e. He was in constant contact with his other two brothers back on Valdier. Mandra and Creon knew Zoran was captured by a group of Curizan warriors, but something just wasn’t adding up. They had been at peace with their former enemies for well over a century. It didn’t make sense.

He knew the members of the royal house of Curizan. Ha’ven, leader of the Curizans, was his brother Creon’s closest friend. Well, as close of a friend as Creon would admit to having. He knew Creon saved Ha’ven’s life during the wars, and that was one of the factors that brought it to an end.

Why would they have taken him to a remote military base that had been abandoned eons ago? Why did they want to know the secrets of the symbiotic relationship between a Valdier warrior, his dragon, and his symbiot? Others had tried in the past to gain such knowledge by trying to capture a warrior’s symbiot. Every time it ended with the captor being killed by the symbiot.

It was this knowledge that gave the leaders of Valdier the power they needed to open their planet to trade almost three hundred years ago. By then, the Three Wars between the Sarafin, the Curizan, and the Valdier were coming to a close.

Trade agreements and peace treaties were signed. In exchange for possible mates, the Valdier would trade some of their powerful crystals to the Curizan. The Sarafin were promised the first-born daughter of the King of Valdier would be mated to the first-born son of the King of the Sarafin.

Unfortunately, Kelan’s father, who wrote and negotiated that particular treaty, did not inform the Sarafin that females were few and far between for the Valdier, especially those of the royal house. The treaty was signed over a century before, and so far, the Valdier had no problems with the Sarafin. In fact, his brother Trelon was a frequent visitor to their Spaceports and did a significant amount of trading with them.

Kelan rubbed his stomach in irritation. Ever since his brother Zoran introduced them to his true mate, Abby, Kelan’s dragon had been acting up. Kelan always prided himself on his ability to deal and negotiate with his more primal half, but ever since it laid eyes on the dragon’s mark on Abby’s neck, it was a constant battle to get his dragon to calm down. He wanted to get to the planet and find his mate.

If one true mate can be found on this primitive planet, then so can another. Mine! His dragon growled in annoyance. Go, now. Find my mate.

Will you just back off! Kelan growled back in anger. We have more important things to do. Plus, there is little likelihood of finding a mate on this planet. You know how our symbiot is! It is so picky, we have never even been able to have s*x with a female if it is in the same room that we are.

Kelan’s symbiot looked up at him with a low snarl and showed its teeth. It was in the shape of their huge Werecat, a creature known for gutting its prey and eating it while it was still alive. Kelan’s dragon snarled back, for all the good it did either of them.

The symbiot could tell through the bands wrapped around his upper arms what his dragon was doing, but it merely snorted before lowering its head. It knew that when it came to the final acceptance of a female as a true mate, if the symbiot did not accept the female, then the dragon would not accept it. And if the symbiot didn’t accept the female, and the dragon refused to breathe the dragon’s fire into her, Kelan knew he was totally screwed. There was no way he would ever have his true mate without all three of them accepting her.

Kelan threw the report down on the table in front of him with a growl. He didn’t have time to waste on fantasies. If he hadn’t found a female yet out of all the females he’d bedded on Valdier—and Curizan and Sarafin and a few others—his symbiot added through images with a yawn. Kelan snarled loudly at his symbiot in response.

His symbiot stood up slowly and shook before turning its head and walking out of the room. Kelan ran his hands through his hair, wishing he could get rid of his dragon as easily as that. It was tearing gouges inside him like a Werecat sharpening its claws. He needed to remain focused on the situation at hand.

Closing his eyes, he sought the calm he was renowned for having before he opened his eyes again with a steely determination glittering from them. First things first, get Zoran and Abby. Next, return to Valdier and find out what Mandra and Creon have discovered. Last, kill the bad guys. A smile curved Kelan’s lips as he found his center again. His dragon could just go take a long, cold shower until they were done.