Styra rubbed her hands on her skirt and stood up. The gravity felt weird.
She was escorted out of the ship and to customs by his men. With the guard of the imperium next to her, she was eased past the crowds and then faced customs. The sneer on the face of the inspector was obvious.
Styra faced him and extended her travel documentation.
“I see you are from Blue Station.”
“Yes.”
“The pleasure station.”
She cocked her head. “Entertainment. Yes.”
“So, are you planning on charging for your services here?” His brows were drawn together.
“Of course. No one works for free.” She could see the denial in his expression before he said anything. “I have received my transfer documents as a security specialist for Harva.”
He paused. “What?”
“Second from the bottom. Imperium staffing transfer.”
He flipped through, and he paused. “This says that you have commander ranking.”
She smiled. “I suppose it does.”
He scowled. “Please, place your hand on the screen and identify your species.”
She put her hand on the screen and grinned. “Drake.”
He froze. “Pardon me?”
“Drake. I am a drake. Run all the scans you like, it will still be the same result.”
His sneer was back. “If you are a drake, why didn’t you land outside the port?”
“Well, in the first place, I don’t like to do things illegally; in the second, I am also very new and have only changed form once. I don’t want to make things awkward as I settle in.”
“Settle in? Have you seduced one of the crew of the warship you came in on?”
The door to the interview room opened, and Yr-el growled. “Why is she in here, Rabor? You know better than to detain a drake in heat.”
The inspector shot to his feet and bowed. “Master Yr-el. I am so sorry. I didn’t know she was yours.”
Styra smiled. “We were getting there. He was fixated on sex, but I think we were getting around to why I was sent here.”
Yr-el pulled her to her feet. “Give me her documents.”
The inspector scrambled and put the stack together before handing it over. “I apologize, miss. You should have stated your relationship the moment that you entered.”
“I thought it would sound tacky.” She looked up at Yr-el.
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, pulling her against him and lifting her until they were face to face. She draped her arms around his neck, and when he lifted his head, he whispered, “Look at him.”
She turned her head, and the inspector looked terrified. “Do I have clearance to enter?”
He nodded and bent over to type swiftly. “You have clearance, Styra Il-Mbrak. Welcome to Harva.”
Yr-el grinned. “Excellent. She does try and do things technically correct. When she wasn’t out immediately, I knew that she hadn’t given all of the necessary information upon entering your office. Thank you, Rabor. Good day.”
He carried her out of the office, away from customs, and down the hall. His wings were still present as he walked out of the building and took flight.
She held onto his neck as he flew swiftly over the nearby city and headed toward the countryside. She had never seen that many trees and green spaces outside of a scenario.
She pulled herself up so she could whisper in his ear. “Where are we going?”
“My family home.”
“Why?”
He chuckled. “That is where we are going to live. We are nearly there. Look.”
She turned her head and gasped. Perched on a tall cliff was a castle that was very similar to the one in the scenario he preferred.
“It’s the castle.”
He chuckled. “Almost. When I saw it in the catalogue, I knew it was the one for me. I hadn’t read the fine print about the princess and the kiss, and I am very glad I didn’t.”
She smiled, and he landed with her, still stuck to him in the courtyard of the castle.
Smiling figures came out of the main entrance. A couple who looked to be five or ten years older than Styra and a young woman in an exquisite gown.
Yr-el kept his arm firmly around her as he retracted his wings and walked toward the older couple. “Mother, Father, I am here to introduce my mate, Styra.”
Styra was pulled along for the ride but left alone while his parents hugged him.
The young woman glared at her. “You? You are his mate? I very much doubt it.”
Styra looked at her, and she heard the back of her dress tear. The other woman took a step back as Styra raised her wings and beat them twice, knocking the other woman on her ass. She folded her wings against her back and looked to Yr-el and his family. He was grinning proudly; his parents were standing with their jaws slightly open.
She bowed. “Please, allow me to introduce myself. I am Styra Il-Mbrak. Orphaned, taken in and raised by the blue drake of Blue Station.”
His father stepped forward and bowed. “I am Ren-el, and this is my mate, Vanera.”
“I am pleased to meet you. You have an exceptional son.”
Yr-el snaked his arm around her waist. “And he has chosen an exceptional mate.”
Styra looked at the young woman, and she was gone.
Ren-el winced. “Ah. The rumour was that you were faking a drake bride to throw off our attempts to find you a mate.”
Styra dissipated her wings and stood with her hand pressed to her chest as the wings had torn the support out of her dress. She blushed. “The wings are new.”
Vanera smiled. “But they are yours. I still haven’t met mine yet. I am not old enough with enough drake material inside me.”
Yr-el smiled. “Styra and her cousins are all fully drakes; they are just maturing.”
Ren-el nodded. “That is what Mbrak said. I didn’t believe him, but he said if you took enough half-bloods over enough generations, the result would be a pureblood with interesting characteristics.”
She bowed. “I believe his words are accurate. I know my cousins. They are going to be fantastic drakes in the very near future.”
Ren-el chuckled. “I don’t know what the universe will do with an influx of female drakes.”
Styra smiled brightly. “It will just have to suck it up.”
Vanera laughed. “I like that attitude, but based on the look in Yr-el’s eyes, you two need some privacy unless public displays are more up your alley of interest. Oh, and we are planning a ball to introduce you to the locals as soon as your heat is over.”
She blushed. “You can tell?”
“Only from fifteen feet away.” Vanera winked. “Don’t worry. It happens to all of us.”
Yr-el nodded and picked her up. “Well, we will see you in a few days. Send food.”
Styra blushed but waved as she was flown up and over the castle into one of the spacious turret rooms.
Her heat was going to last as long as it lasted, and she was just going to have to get used to things around the castle and on Harva. It looked like the gravity here was the least of her worries. But, she could adapt, she would adapt, and she would stop radiating pheromones... eventually.