Destined For The Drakari Warlords: Celestial Mates

Blurb

Celestial Mates—Romancing the Galaxy...

ONE MOMENT, EVA IS on Earth, helping restore the destroyed planet, and the next, she’s whisked to a far-off galaxy, away from her parents and the other cyborgs and humans. She arrives in the middle of a mating ceremony for the two newest rulers, Vander and Virgo. The gorgeous green men are pure temptation, especially since they seem to believe she’s meant to be their mate, but Eva wants to go home. She controls her own destiny, not a blobby peach alien.

Life on Senufo is strange, and she longs for Earth...until her mates win her over, and she starts to fall in love. Is she truly stranded on Senufo as Freydon Rote, the meddling Celestial Mates agent, claims? Or is there a way back to Earth? Will she even want to find it once she surrenders to the tender seductions offered by her Drakari warlord mates?

This is a story in the Celestial Mates universe and features everyone’s favorite meddlesome agent, Freydon Rote. He made a perfect match for Eva’s parents, Carrie and DVS (from Mated To The Cyborg General), so did he get it right again for Eva, or did he make a mistake? Read to find out.

P.S. You don’t need to have read the Cybernetic Hearts series to read Eva’s story.

Chapter 1

VANDER MADE A CARELESS swipe to his chest to remove most of the blood oozing from the wound, giving it little thought. He could feel the pain, but it had fueled him on to victory, along with his twin brother, Virgo. It was obvious to everyone he and Virgo had been victorious. They were the only ones to complete the last set of challenges. They had won the trials, and Chief Barta was just about to announce the results formally. They would inherit the chiefdom soon. Before that, they would finally learn the identity of their mate or mates.

A hush fell over the crowd as Barta stood on the dais, lifting her arms. The amphitheater was filled with water that remained from the last challenge against the saard they had vanquished. By right of trial and victory over the challenges, my successors are Vander and Virgo Skry.

Now the crowd broke its silence, cheering wildly. Vander was aware several of his fellow Drakari were excited. Vander knew that was a good sign. If there were murmurs of discontent among the crowd, the rulers taking over the chiefdom were sure to have a harder battle to be accepted.

Feltha Nip, the shaman, stepped forward then. It’s now time to perform the ceremony to find your mates.

Vander tensed with anticipation, and he could feel Virgo doing the same. They didn’t look alike, but they were still twins and shared many of the same emotions and reactions.

Feltha said some words and moved her hands around in a ceremonial configuration Vander had not seen before. He’d witnessed other mating match ceremonies, but her handwork had been different. Perhaps it was because they were soon-to-be new Chiefs that she had to do something different. With a flash of green, a woman appeared in front of them.

At least he thought she was a woman. She had a pleasing feminine shape, but she was unlike anything he’d ever seen before. Where he and the rest of the Drakari had varying shades of green skin, this woman had a pale golden color. Her hair appeared to be dark brown or black, and it floated around her face in an enticing fashion as she gasped quickly, suggesting she was on the verge of panic.

What is it? asked a few voices behind him.

Vander couldn’t explain why that put them on the defensive, but he left his position on the platform to glide to the strange creature who’d appeared among them. He knelt beside her, and Virgo appeared a second later on her other side.

What’s going on? Where am I? How am I breathing underwater? Her eyes were wide and darting around in clear panic. She hugged herself and flinched when Vander tried to touch her shoulder. Virgo got the same response when he tried to offer comfort.

Calm down and breathe. Vander said the words firmly, trying to get her attention and cut through her anxiety.

How can I breathe underwater? She asked the question again, more vehemently this time. Her hand lifted to touch her throat, where she had three discreet slits, which were gills that allowed her to breathe underwater. She looked even more terrified when she felt them. This is impossible.

Virgo’s tone was gentle. Try to calm down so we can determine how you came to be here.

At first, she didn’t seem to hear him as her vivid blue eyes continued darting around the amphitheater in the fortress, where everyone had gathered for the trials. Slowly, her gaze started to focus on Virgo as he talked slowly and gently to her. Vander was glad his twin was able to get through to her, but he couldn’t help feeling annoyed that she had virtually ignored him. It was an irrational response, but he was used to listening to his emotions and instincts. He had to gnash his teeth together to keep from demanding her attention. He shook his head at the reaction, unaccustomed to being so senseless.

When she finally had calmed down enough that she could speak without that edge of hysteria, she said, I need land.

Vander and Virgo exchanged a look of puzzlement, but they both took one of her arms and started swimming up toward the surface. They spent most of their life underwater, but they could breathe on land just as well, though it was strange to step onto solid land again each time they did so, though the fortress was usually kept free of water, except for ceremonies. The ground was rockier and felt different from the construction in the fortress, though he couldn’t explain why.

She seemed to calm down even further when she was seated on one of the crystalline structures protruding from the ground. At least until she looked into the sky and saw their orange sun and the purple-green sky behind it. She started breathing heavily again, so Vander took her hand and squeezed gently. Her pale golden skin was a strange contrast to the vivid green of his, but a jolt shot through him when he touched her.

Where am I? Her voice was trembling, and she seemed on the edge of panic again.

This is the planet Senufo, said Vander.

She shook her head, seeming to want to reject the information he’d offered. How did I get here? How can this be? Her hand went to a pendant around her neck, and she squeezed it as though it was her lifeline.

Vander gasped. You have a Drakari mate charm.

She gave him a blank stare. I have a what?

He nodded toward the pendant she held in her hand. It’s given to all Drakari at birth. When it lights up, it indicates you’ve found your mate. How did you come to have one? You’re clearly not Drakari. He felt a stirring of suspicion, though he had no justification for it.

The tribes of Senufo had been peaceful for at least the last hundred years. It was unlikely any of the tribes would try to attack in such a strange fashion, even though word had surely spread that Barta’s twin had died two months ago, and so the chiefdom would be opening to a new set of twins or triplets.

She shook her head. I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’ve always been told this was a good luck charm. It was a gift from Freydon Rote, when I was born. Do you know Freydon?

Vander shook his head. I have no knowledge of that name.

Virgo reached out to stroke her hand, which clutched the pendant. She trembled slightly before her hand loosened, revealing the pendant. Virgo studied it, as did Vander, and when they looked at each other, they nodded. They were close enough that they often could communicate without words, and they both agreed this was certainly a Drakari mate charm.

Where are you from? asked Virgo.

Earth. She shuddered. "We have our problems, and terraforming is taking longer than expected, but I’d rather be back on Earth right now. What is this place?