Page 29 of The Naga Maverick’s Determined Mate

Zsekhet took the cup he was offered, suspiciously flicked out his tongue to sniff it, and then he took a sip. Only once he seemed satisfied it was safe to drink did he pass the cup onto me. I folded my hands around the cold ceramic but didn’t drink, just watched what the others were doing. I didn’t trust that big guy, Zsandex, he seemed exactly the type that acted out of fear and ignorance, and that wasn’t going to be good for me. Or Zsekhet.

Once everyone had a drink, though nobody sat down, the Queen ordered Zsekhet to give his report. He shot Zsandex a narrow-eyed stare before he started, explaining the peaceful nature of Outcast Haven, their demand for respect for the sky-beings like me, and the Clans from which their members came. He used many words but it all came down to convincing them that Zathar and his group, our group, had no desire to attack anyone.

Several times, the big aggressive guy tried to interject, demanding more answers or denying what Zsekhet was saying, and each time the Queen silenced him. “I take it, you are so certain of their good intentions because you have proof?” she said, her glance straying to me. It was bothering me a little that nobody had asked me who I was, or that Zsekhet hadn’t tried to introduce me. Except he had fervently declared me his mate toward that Arakash guy.

In answer, Zsekhet uncoiled his tail a little from where he’d still protectively spooled it around me. “Proof? I brought you none other than my mate, Cosima of Earth.” His sigils lit up along the front of his tail and his chest, declaring his words the truth. Well, as far as introductions went… that one was a stunner. The entire tent fell silent, staring in shock.

It was the Queen who recovered first, her body coiling sinuously closer, sliding around her obnoxious guard. I saw her clench her fists before she released them, her shocked expression flicking briefly to something angry before it settled into a much more pleasant smile. I was starting to think that this Naga female was a master at subduing her more violent emotions; I was a little impressed.

“Congratulations, Zsekhet. I know how much you’ve always longed for a mate to belong to,” she said. Her eyes dropped from Zsekhet to me, a bright golden glow that seemed to try and read my every secret. “But how can you be mated to a creature as alien as that? I do not understand how the stars and our ancestors could condone such a thing.”

Zsekhet drew back his lips in what was almost a snarl, his fangs on display when he spoke. “Condone? They didn’t just condone it, they brought her to me! She is a being from the sky, a gift, a blessing, and the most beautiful creature I’ve ever laid eyes on.” I wobbled in his grip when he pressed me up to his chest with a quick motion of his coiled tail. His hand slid to the back of my neck, grasping me tightly, and then he pressed his mouth to mine in a quick, possessive kiss.

My toes curled, and pleasure sang through me. Yup, Zsekhet had already mastered the possessive kissing display, I should have known that kind of behavior was instinctive to most men, even if they were alien Naga who’d never kissed before.

Our audience hissed. That Zsandex growled but Zsekhet ignored him when we pulled apart and he met the eyes of the Queen once more. “Can I speak?” I whispered to him. It didn’t seem like any of them thought I was capable of much beyond just being there. I wanted to make it clear to them that I was a person with thoughts and feelings too, and that I was good enough for Zsekhet.

While that big Naga was clearly hostile, and not on friendly terms with my mate. I had a feeling that Zsekhet had close ties to draw on with the other two, even the Queen. If she had lost her parents just like he had in the outcast attack twenty years ago, it wasn’t a surprise if they’d bonded over that. “Of course,” Zsekhet said, “I will translate, my sweet mate.”

He wouldn’t let me go, holding me against his chest in his arms, his tail restlessly coiling and uncoiling against my legs. The dry, soft rasp of his warm scales against my bare skin was reassuring, I was not alone, and I knew he would always protect me. “My name is Cosima, and my people are only a handful. We were stolen from our homes and stranded here. We want nothing other than to live in peace with our mates, our families. You have nothing to fear from us.”

Zsekhet translated quietly, and just like I’d hoped, the parallels between what had happened to the girls, Reid, and me, and what had happened to their Clan made the Queen soften in sympathy. “Oh… I’m so sorry this happened to you, were only females taken?” she asked gently, sliding a little closer until her guard blocked her way with one brawny arm.

“Six women, one man. You have nothing to fear from us, and nothing to fear from our mates.” I figured it was better to be honest and admit to Reid’s presence, not that I expected a lone male to feel like a threat to them.

Zsekhet grinned when I declared the last, “Unless you hurt Cosima, but that’s universal, isn’t it? A mate protects what’s his at all costs, we can understand that kind of sentiment, can’t we? Zsandex?” Ah, he was firing off a warning shot to the Queen’s guard hound, letting him know that he would not let any threat or insult to me stand.

The Queen waved a hand and now she gave her guard a firm shove against the shoulder. “I understand very well. Come, let’s be civilized. Sit, drink, talk!” It was an order rather than an invitation and finally, the hostile male moved aside to settle on the pillows next to the young Queen. Zsekhet and I settled on pillows ourselves, but Arakash remained hovering next to Zsekhet’s shoulder. Was that meant to be a silent offer of support? An indication of where the male was putting his loyalty?

The conversation that flowed next was friendly and open, without Zsandex ever speaking a word. The Queen seemed to endeavor to draw me into it now that she knew I could understand what was said. It was by far the strangest tea party I’d ever attended, and I was immensely relieved, but also kind of proud of myself, when it was over.

Chapter 18

Zsekhet

I pulled Cosima along with me in the fading sunlight, urging her to the edge of the camp where my tent should still remain. I’d always preferred the peace and quiet of being close to the open desert, and close to where Ses would sprawl on the sand to sleep. It would not surprise me if he’d dug a sleeping pit in his usual spot and was already snoring away.

“That went well, didn’t it?” Cosima asked quietly. She was gazing around herself with a curious expression, not appearing to be intimidated by the many stares she was still getting. A small crowd of younglings was trailing at our back, whispering urgently together as they stared at my mate. She took all of that in stride, not a hint of fear, despite how closely this resembled what we’d gone through inside the Hearth Caves of Bitter Storm.

“It did,” I confirmed. “I think the Queen is convinced Haven is no threat to Serqethos. Zsandex is a suspicious bastard though, but he’ll do as she says.” As the mate to a sister of the former Queen, he’d been one of the only surviving Clan members left with any position of authority. Until Alshara got older, he’d been our interim leader, and he’d made it his life’s entire focus to avenge our fallen or rescue the females that were stolen from us. It was hard to unbend from that kind of anger and bitterness when the task was over.

I spotted the long, barbed tip of Sesethul’s tail lying in front of the sand-blown entrance to what was once my home. The tent had sand dunes piled up against the sides, but not nearly as much as three months’ worth, someone had been by to maintain my abode. The dragon’s large shape rose up behind the tent, a bulwark of tough scales and heat against the desert sands and rapidly dropping temperatures.

“Tomorrow,” I said as I appraised the crowd of younglings behind me, “You and I will visit the gate for our blessing. Tonight, I will pack anything I wish to take with me to Haven. It won’t be long until we’re flying home, in time to finish building your greenhouse.”

I couldn’t wait to show the ruins and the gate to my mate, certain she’d be excited to see it all. I knew how much she loved to study buildings, their construction, and that designing them really excited her. I was eager to discover what she’d think of the history here at Serqethos. The ruins were built right up to the edge of the lake but they spread far and wide beyond it.

Most of the ancient city had been entirely covered by sand, we were unable to keep up with the sand that covered everything, though my people tried to keep the most important buildings clean. A job assigned to young dragon riders, who could use the wind their dragon generated like a giant sweep. I remembered the task fondly, having spent many hours with Ses on it myself as a youngling.

I wiped all thoughts of the ruins and the gate from my mind when we reached my tent. I’d lived here on my own for many years, the small structure less of a home than Arakash’s tent had been. Still, I was excited to share it with Cosima for the night. Sheltered from the cold of the desert nights, with just enough privacy to convince my mate to let me make love to her. My cock pulsed eagerly in my pouch, already slick and ready for when she’d welcome me between her silky thighs.

***

Cosima

I smiled as Zsekhet slithered casually over Ses’s tail and flung open the leather flap to his tent. It wasn’t very big, just big enough to hold a nest and some sacks of belongings, a lantern dangling from a pole that he lit. When the tent flap closed behind us, a chorus of complaining noises went up behind us and I saw a glint light up in Zsekhet’s eyes.

“Oh boy, what’s that you’re thinking?” I asked, warmth and happiness already bubbling through my bloodstream. That was a glint of mischief, he was up to no good, and I loved how much he knew how to have fun.