Page 1 of The Naga Wanderer’s Wounded Mate

Prologue

Jasmine

My eyes were on the dragon and the naga hunter in charge of it. I couldn’t help myself. If I looked away, if I didn’t pay enough attention, I might miss the signal. The last thing I wanted was to be left behind, even if Haven was a pretty wonderful place. As far as ending up stuck on a strange, dangerous world far away from Earth, we’d all lucked out.

There was a restlessness coursing through my veins that had plagued me all winter. I thought it had to do with Jolene and the other girls I’d survived with on the crashed ship still being trapped aboard it. Now that they were out, that feeling should have settled, but it hadn’t. I was beginning to believe it was simply part of my nature that had always struggled to settle down.

“Are you still planning to hitch a ride if reinforcements are called?” Kalani asked. She was nearly impossible to hear when she approached, her stealth skills better than mine. I’d been fussing with the drying strips of meat by the already-finished curing shed for the past hour, my eyes on the guys and dragon building the second one nearby. With the air still a little chilled with the last vestiges of winter, nobody had tried to keep me company. Kalani was not deterred by such circumstances; she was the most badass woman I’d ever met, and I had a bit of a girl crush on her.

She looked like a regal queen as she stood next to me. Her posture was perfect, confident, and her body decked out in leather hand-tooled by either her mate or Cosima. Weapons hung from her in various places too, and that included an ancient naga rifle—one that still worked, and with deadly results. If anyone should have been part of the reinforcements standing by to fly to the crashed ship, it was her. She’d chosen to stay behind and be part of the force guarding Haven instead.

I shrugged because I wasn’t quite sure if she approved or disapproved of this plan. At least it appeared she hadn’t told on me yet. If she had, I was pretty sure some hunter would be watching me. Zathar’s orders, for my own protection. “I know the ship; they don’t. I’m a good shot too, and an even better hunter than any of them.” Well, perhaps not better, but I could keep up, do my part.

Kalani’s expression said she believed me, calm, serene. There was even a thoughtful nod. Then her gaze shifted, and she turned to watch the guys as they worked to erect the second shed’s tall roof beams. Her mate was with them, his scales glittering like midnight beneath the violet Serant sun. He’d left his axe at home, but that didn’t make him any less impressive. There was only one other naga who rivaled him in size: Krashe, the former warlord of the Bitter Storm naga.

Automatically, my eyes flicked across the hillside to where the warlord could usually be found—at the site of the second greenhouse—and, sure enough, he was there. His head bent low over elaborate plans drawn very precisely with charcoal on leather skins. He had Vera and his mate, Naomi, with him, and both women were probably overloading him with input he didn’t need at this stage. His expression remained peaceful, however, and his tail was partially curled around his mate’s growing waist. Another pregnant woman, one of several around the camp.

Not that I minded that, not at all, but it was just another way in which I felt like I didn’t fit in. The unmated males had been relentless during the winter, trying to woo me and the four girls who had managed to escape the crashed ship. For over three months, they’d been pretty persistent and very sneaky, finding ways around Zathar’s very strict rules about approaching us.

At least all it took was an actual touch to make them move on, and I’d taken the gamble very early on to let them all try. In fact, I’d made it my business to shake the hand of every newcomer, just to make sure they knew not to bother. Which was why I felt pretty comfortable sneaking along on this trip. In a sea of guys vying for a human mate, I was off the list.

I checked the dragon again, then my bag and bow waiting nearby, so I could race into action just like everyone else. Zathar had told me I couldn’t go, for my own safety. His rules were usually fair; I didn’t for a minute doubt he’d made the decision with only my best interests at heart. I was going to try to leave anyway. The restlessness, perhaps just boredom, and a little hint of guilt over not having done more while Jolene was rescuing everyone on the ship. All of it was weighing on me.

The whistle that cut across the clearing was so sudden and sharp that I froze when I should have been moving. That was it, that was the call for immediate backup at the crashed ship’s site. The dragon dropped the beam to the side like it was on fire, and the males scrambled into practiced, cohesive action. To fit into that choreographed dance looked almost impossible, but I was going to try anyway.

Snatching up my weapons and pack, I gave Kalani a nod, and then I broke into a run. Ducking around the back of the finished shed and cutting across the building site of the new one, I raced for the dragon’s massive golden flank. I’d picked my route carefully so I’d be entirely out of sight of Zathar, who was at the entrance to Ahoshaga. At the back of the dragon, I was also lost in the hustle and not immediately visible to Zsekhet, the dragon rider. I was certain Zathar would have told him the exact number of people in this party. My name wouldn’t be on the list.

The trick was convincing the naga hunters hustling onto the dragon’s back that I belonged there. Once we were up in the air, I was pretty certain they wouldn’t stop for anything. It was very lucky that Joxra was the last one in line, and he said nothing as he boosted me up the dragon’s flank. The former Bitter Storm warrior had a bit of a reputation as a hothead who clashed regularly with Zathar. Even if he knew I wasn’t supposed to be there, he might not care.

Joxra had arrived here with Cosima and Zsekhet when they escaped Bitter Storm territory. He’d come with several friends, as well as a small female naga baby and two slightly bigger male younglings. I’d first assumed they were his children. He had no issue leaving the baby in Farah’s tender care, though, acting more like an uncle than a father. That’s when I’d learned they were the children of his dead brother.

He thought nothing of letting them be raised by the community rather than a single parent. Just as he thought nothing of leaping onto the dragon’s back for what could be an extended—or even deadly—mission away from them. I liked being untethered, free to go where I wanted, but in his place, I didn’t think I would be so casual about it. It was, however, not my place, and we were from very different cultures. I tried not to judge.

I worked rapidly to secure the buckles on my pilfered flight harness, like I was supposed to. Something I’d asked Cosima to practice with me before Zathar had decided I couldn’t come. The dragonrider’s mate was much quicker at it than I was, but my buckles were still secure in no time. Joxra was faster, and he leaned in and silently yanked on each buckle to check it. I tried not to fume inside, not to consider that patronizing. Any other time and place, what he did was common sense. In fact… I twisted and started yanking on his buckles in turn, my bold act met with a husky chuckle. “Thank you, female.”

“Hey,” a voice went up, but it wasn’t coming from anyone on the dragon itself. I could feel it bunch beneath my thighs as the beast gathered itself to leap into the air at the command of Zsekhet. The call came from the ground, but close by. I looked, though every instinct in me told me to duck low and hide. Kalani’s mate, who was also staying behind, had approached and was frowning up at me with a gaze full of accusation. “You’re not supposed to be there!” he said.

Kalani came to my rescue before her mate could turn toward Zsekhet to stop him from taking off. Her eyes met mine once before she grabbed hold of Iave’s shoulder and pulled him down, murmuring in his ear. Heart pounding in my throat, I looked up, past the line of naga hunters seated along the dragon’s spine, all the way to where Zsekhet rode at the base of the beast’s long neck. Had he seen this? Was he going to throw me off anyhow?

Joxra’s hands had already slid to the buckles holding me in place, hovering there as he waited to see what Zsekhet would do, just like me. “Sorry, human. It was a good attempt,” he whispered, proving he knew full well I wasn’t supposed to be there. He definitely scored points for that, but the red-and-orange-flecked male wasn’t my mate, and he never would be. With his streak of insolence, he might have been fun, but I liked having him as a friend in my corner even better.

Zsekhet glanced over his shoulder, his golden scales glittering in the exact same way as the dragon’s massive scales did. Dark hair and black horns made him stand out among his peers, but something else did too: Zsekhet had a zest for life that drew people to him. I’d been told he’d used that to his advantage when seducing his mate, Cosima. There was a twinkle that flared briefly in his golden gaze, there and gone again. I was pretty sure I’d imagined the wink entirely.

With a whooshing noise, he faced forward, and the dragon leaped. We raced skyward with a rush of wind, my hair whipping wildly around my face. Some of the naga hunters weren’t so fond of flying, clinging with tight fists to the flight harness or the spikes that lined Sesethul’s massive back. Others did not mind, but I had a feeling most naga much preferred having their feet—or, er… tail—on solid ground.

Joxra had slapped the tip of his tail over the hand holding my bow to keep it from flying from my grip. He let go when the dragon leveled off, and I twisted to warn him that I had it. “I can hold my own, got it?” This wasn’t going to work if he and the others were just going to hover protectively around me. They had respect for my skills with the bow during practice, and they’d respected them when we had rescued those on the crashed ship. I’d been one of the few sent into the ship, even; that wasn’t a job for the faint of heart.

He dropped his tail, and the bow caught the full force of the wind just like the rest of me did. But I had it, I did. There was no way I’d let my best weapon slip from my grip. Joxra didn’t take offense, or if he did, he didn’t show it. His red face tilted into the rush of wind the dragon’s wings pummeled into submission with each downward stroke. His copper-tinted hair was restrained by braids and beads, and some of those decorations looked deceptively sharp.

He was handsome; there was no denying it. When I looked forward, appraising the hunters in various shades clinging to Sesethul’s back, I had to admit they all were. Some more rugged than others, but all exotic and powerful. There wasn’t a single guy here who was out of shape, and they were all incredibly skilled with their chosen weapons. I knew because I’d watched them spar. They even sparred with Kalani sometimes, but I wasn’t brave enough for that.

Yet none of them were my mate, and I was happy with that too. Unlike the girls who’d been rescued with me three months earlier, they’d already come around and now actively hoped one of the guys would be theirs. This new group, recently awakened from stasis, would be exactly the same in no time.

The flight was longer than I recalled, yet it was short at the same time. My heart rate soared when the crashed ship came into view in the distance. It didn’t look the same as last time, which had only been three days ago. More and more snow had begun to melt as the temperatures rose. Spring was in full swing now, but last week, it had still felt like winter stubbornly persisted. With much of the bulk of the ship no longer covered in snow, it looked like a great black monument sticking oddly out of the purple-hued plains.

Hills rolled toward it from one side, covered in dense forest. It was the direction we’d come from, and I knew this was where the group that had remained behind had made their camp. I searched for any sign of them but saw no smoke rising from campfires. Leaning to the side, I peered down Sesethul’s flank at the ground rapidly passing beneath us as he descended. The forest was a little more open here, and I was pretty sure I saw the glitter of blue scales. Was that an ally or an enemy?

“Thunder Rock warriors, but only a handful,” Joxra murmured. “There are several Sun Fang to the east,” he said, pointing. I followed his hand and saw what he’d seen: more scales, these a more muted brown but glittering with orange flecks. Those had to be Sun Fang, allies that had been part of the party that had rescued me last winter. Something had changed, and they’d flipped sides…

I was not the only one leaning to the side to get a good look. There did not appear to be any fighting going on, but that didn’t mean it hadn’t already happened. As fast as Sesethul had flown, it had still been well over an hour before we’d gotten here. How quickly had the group with the ship called for aid? In time for us to arrive before anyone was injured?

The dragon landed beside the ship, out in the open by the partially rebuilt palisade that surrounded the airlock. They’d been busy, and had perhaps moved their camp behind these walls after we’d left three days earlier. It looked in disarray from the outside, the wood scorched from earlier fights and splintered by arrows and spears in places. When Corin led a group out through the crooked gate to greet us, I knew we all drew a breath of relief.

I was one of the first to have my buckles undone and slide to the ground. My bow was at the ready as I went to greet Corin’s mate, Min-Ji. She peered at me in surprise from behind the raised coils of his silvery-blue tail. “What are you doing here, Jasmine?” she asked, drawing all eyes my way.

The ground rocked beneath my feet, a shuddering, wavy sort of feeling that was hard to put into words. For a split second, I thought it was the dragon’s doing, his tail whipping wildly against the ground behind his body. Then recognition sizzled through my brain. “Earthquake!” I screamed before the rest of the warriors could climb down. “It’s an earthquake!” I flung my hands at Zsekhet, still mounted at the base of Sesethul’s neck. “Take off! Take off now!”

He did not hesitate, screaming for the males to hold on as he made the beast leap into the air. I tumbled as the ground rocked again, the rumbling fiercer this time. It occurred to me then that fighting was the least of our worries. This earthquake was going to send the superstitious attackers running, but if it got any worse… these plains might become unstable. I’d only just thought that when the quake came in full force. Corin was ordering everyone into the ship, and I struggled to find my footing and do the same.

The palisade opening was up ahead, the airlock not far beyond it. The ship would be safe; it was made to withstand escaping a planet’s atmosphere and traveling faster than the speed of light. It might sink, but the earthquake would not harm it. I pumped my feet, my hands holding tightly to my bow and my backpack. The quiver of arrows thumped heavily against my hip with each step I took across the bucking, seesawing ground.

“Jasmine!” Joxra shouted, and his tail slammed into me, crushing me to the ground. Arrows sailed over my head, a spear piercing the ground uncomfortably close to my hand. I rolled and saw another wave of projectiles sailing down toward me, right as the ground opened up and swallowed me whole. There was only darkness after that.