Rubinmire, Dragons of Dragonose 5

Rubinmire

Dragons of Dragonose

Book 5

by Alice Brown & Lady V

Cover Design by Jess Buffet

Copyright © 2023

All rights reserved

Smashwords License

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Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Epilogue

Characters

About The Authors

Books

Coming Soon

History of Dragonose

Humanity had lived and feared the beasts around them for many years. Some of these beasts were very large. They could fly, and their jaws could snap a man in half in the blink of an eye. Some had scales, some not, and often the different beasts did not get along. As they battled it out for a show of dominance, the earth would tremble until, finally, the fight would end with death. Only then would the other beast walk or fly away as the victor.

Humans tried to stay as far away from the beasts as they could. They lived in caves but were sometimes forced out of their own homes when creatures suddenly took over. And, of course, man was also forced to go out and find food. To do this, he put himself in grave danger of these beasts.

Far, far away, on the other side of the galaxy, was the realm of Dragonose. It was a magical place created for a particular fast-approaching time. Humans did not know this realm.

There have been many speculations, scientific and educated beliefs about what happened to the dinosaurs and humanity's beginning. But, to date, man has yet to discover Dragonose. And so, he has been kept in the dark all these years as to what happened. The dinosaurs? They were deemed more trouble than they were worth. Many dinosaurs were giants but with virtually no brains. When the meteor hit the earth, it changed the lives of everyone on the planet. The dinosaurs were deemed disposable. Only a few survived, and because of the fall-out from the meteor, they were significantly reduced in size. They are what man knows today as alligators, bearded dragons, Chinese water dragons, geckos, and lizards.

But the gods looked down on man and the dragons roaming the earth. The beasts were graceful creatures but with little intelligence. Humans were not so elegant but had learned to adapt to their surroundings and had proven to educate themselves. So what would happen if the two became one?

The gods controlled the meteor that hit the earth that fateful day long ago. Although it killed many, they deemed certain men and dragons worthy of being instantly transported to Dragonose.

Since then, man and beast have shared one body. These creatures can shift from human to dragon and back to human whenever needed. Centuries have passed, and with time these creatures have learned to get along with one another. The land of Dragonose has evolved and is now civilized and cultured, a world to be revered.

But, as often is the case, some think Dragonose shouldn't exist. The worst of them are the Raptorians. The Raptorians are powerful enemies to the Dragonose land and its inhabitants. These creatures come from the world Raptor and can shift from man to beasts. They take on a T-Rex look in their beast form but are shorter, have longer snouts, and have vicious razor-sharp teeth. Most of these creatures stand approximately nine to twelve feet tall in their shifted form and believe they should rule the world.

Dragonose has had many skirmishes with its enemies and knows more will come. Thankfully, the Raptorians have not discovered the portals the Dragonose people hold in tight secret. These portals allow them to easily step from their world on Dragonose to Earth and back again.

The only problem Dragonose has is its shortage of females. No one knows why the male birth rate has been 5-1 to that of females. This situation has sent many Dragonose males to Earth to find a mate. Some have happily resettled on Earth, and they only return to their homeland when their king summons them. Others came to earth with no real intention of staying any time. What surprised them was that they were not the only different species on the planet. They soon discovered many other species, in shapeshifters, vampires, elves, etc., all living and sharing the same air and land. All share the same secret because humans are not evolved enough to understand they are not the only life forms in the universe.

And the portals? They are guarded and protected by the Dragons, with very few knowing their existence. Even the high council, who governs all others while on earth, knows of their existence. The Dragonose's biggest fear is that, eventually, the Raptorians will discover one of these secret portals, allowing them to reach Earth. That will be a terrible day because today's humans could not even begin to win against an army of Raptorians.

Prologue

My lord, my lord! The warrior ran into the war room, out of breath from running.

What is it? Kelos demanded. This idiot better not come bearing bad news about their enemy, the Dragonosians.

The warrior stopped short in front of him and bowed. My lord, all of the females and babies, he started.

Kelos had no clue what the babbling idiot was trying to communicate, and his short-fused temper took hold. He backhanded the warrior, making him fall to the ground. Speak clearly, you moron! I don’t have all day to listen to you stammer!

The warrior stood up and bowed again, realizing he had made his leader angry. I apologize, sir. The Dragonose warriors invaded our lab and took all the subjects, he glumly reported.

I see, Kelos responded, heavily sitting on his thrown behind him. He looked to his left and noticed several of his elite warriors were gathered and waiting for instructions. Gather the men; we leave immediately. He locked eyes with his first general. Mustormorn, I will lead today’s contingent.

The other warrior stopped and bowed to his leader. As you wish, my lord.

Kelos waited until the room was empty. He picked a goblet from a nearby table and threw it against the wall, watching the liquid trickle down the surface. It represented Dragonose blood to him, and he vowed to have his enemy’s life source flowing before tonight was over.

***

Kelos and his warriors traveled through the darkness of night to avoid detection. He had spotted more than one dragon in the sky and was thankful for the cover of darkness and forest to keep the reptilians from spotting his group.

The Raptorians were a dying breed. A medical enigma kept his people from reproducing, and it would be too late if he and his scientists didn’t come up with answers soon. Kelos believed the answers they were searching for lay within the Dragonose females. If only they could successfully eliminate their pesky dragons, the females would be possible matches for his males. They were close, so very close, to ridding the females of their beasts.

Kelos noticed the massive plume of smoke coming from the direction of the lab. When they were closer, he smelled the scent of death in the air. His anger rose to the surface. All their hard work was gone in just a few short hours.

As they entered the courtyard of the lab, Kelos noticed the dead Raptorians scattered across the grounds. Not only had his enemy rescued the females and children, but they burned down the building and destroyed all notes and formulas. It would take years to recover from tonight’s attack, and that was time his people could not afford to lose.

Chapter I

Carmen listened to the sounds coming from outside the locked door. Those bastards better not try to come in here! She glanced over to the babies, sleeping peacefully. The twins, Millie and Miley, played on the floor with Sunshine, using the dirt to draw stick figures. Her heart ached every time she thought of their predicament. Why hadn’t someone from Dragonose come to rescue them? She remembered the day the Raptorians had stolen her from her home world. That damn nurse facilitated her kidnapping.

Carmen shook her head as her memories threatened to take her down a long, dark path. She heard more noises coming from beyond the locked door, and Carmen quickly glanced around for a makeshift weapon. She’d had enough of the Raptorians.

Her eyes landed on a spot of rotten wood on the floor. She marched over and grabbed a plank, pulling with all her strength. Ms. Carmen, do you need help? Sunshine whispered her inquiry. All three little girls were adorable and did not deserve the life they were forced to live.

A sound outside their room had Carmen holding her finger to her lips to remind the youngsters to be quiet. She told the children to hide in the nearby closet, hoping it would keep them safe. There was no telling what the ugly, foul-smelling creatures wanted with them. It was possible they finally remembered to feed them, which would be a first in three days. Carmen tugged harder on the board, a satisfactory smile on her lips when she heard the unmistakable sound of it lifting away from the floor.

When the intruder opened the door from the outside, Carmen raised her weapon above her head. She was in position and ready. She did what she could to protect the children, ordering the older ones into the closet to hide.

Enough is enough, her dragon grumbled. These children need their families.

Carmen didn’t care what the enemy did to her, but she was beyond finished watching them slowly destroy the childhood dreams of the youngsters. When a shadow fell upon her, she acted.

Ouch! What the hell?!? A male voice bellowed as he bent over, his hand covering his forehead where Carmen had clocked him with her makeshift weapon.

King Thoran quickly glanced around while holding his aching head. He couldn’t believe someone had just got the drop on him. A look around the room verified a lone woman. On his second pass, he realized several babies were in the corner, on the floor. He also noticed several eyes watching him from the almost closed closet door. He turned his attention to the woman who had just attacked him.

Let’s calm down and lower our weapons, please, King Thoran ordered. His guard, Camdon, stood before the woman, his weapon raised and pointed at her. Thoran lifted his hand and placed it on the other man’s shoulder.

Thoran locked eyes with the strange woman still holding what looked to be a large piece of wood. We are here to rescue everyone. What is your name?

Rubinmire, King Thoran’s dragon, suddenly perked up his head. Mmmm, mate, he murmured.

Have you lost your ever-loving mind? There is no way this poor woman is our mate. We had a mate, Rubinmire. You know this. Why would you think such a thing? King Thoran inquired from his dragon.

I would never stomp on the memory of our beloved first mate, but Fate has given us a second chance. She is our mate, Thoran. Touch her, and you will realize what I am stating is true.

The king glanced over at the woman standing in front of him. She was malnourished, and one look at her face verified she was scared. She kept her lips pressed together, glaring at the two men. He held his hand out. I’m King Thoran of Dragonose. This is one of my warriors, Camdon.

A noise behind him caused him to spin around as one of the infants started crying. The woman headed to the squalling infant. She walked backward, never taking her eyes off Thoran as she held her weapon against her front. As she reached the baby, a small female child poked her head out of the closet. Ms. Carmen? Is it safe to come out? the child whispered.

Thoran’s heart threatened to break in two upon recognizing this woman and the children's living conditions. The occupants were dirty, and their clothing was nothing more than rags. There were a couple of inches of dirt on the floor, and no food, toys, bottles, diapers, or anything essential in sight.

Thoran turned to the child poking her head out of the closet. It is safe, baby. My warriors and I are here to take everyone home. He silently watched as the little girl entered the room, quickly followed by numerous other children. His heart threatened to break again when he realized two little girls were twins. As far as he knew, there hadn’t been any twins born in Dragonose since the birth of his sons.

***

Carmen picked up the crying infant and began to rock it slowly. The older children wearily made their way out of the closet and walked over to stand next to her. While she was glad to see someone finally realize people were missing from Dragonose, Carmen still wondered what had taken them so long. Some of the children had been there for years. Years! And now King Thoran comes waltzing in the door like a knight in shining armor, announcing he was there to rescue everyone. Carmen wondered if the arrogant man thought he would walk into a bunch of simpletons, too scared, starved, and hurt to reason. Well, if he did, she was about to set him straight. Yes, she and the children had gone through unimaginable horrors, and although she certainly couldn’t speak for the rest of the women, Carmen felt she was in complete control of herself.

Yeah, we both know that’s not true, her dragon whispered from within. Due to the poison running through her system, her dragon was weak, but Carmen was the only adult these children had to look up to. She certainly couldn’t afford to go down when so many needed her. A noise behind her had her quickly spinning around as she watched several warriors carrying in other women. More females followed, soon filling the room. The warriors gently placed the ladies they were moving onto the few cots in the room. She wondered what was wrong with them. Were they too weak to walk, or were they sick?

Carmen squared her shoulders when she noticed a large man and King Thoran touching one of the women they had carried. The woman wasn’t moving, and Carmen didn’t know who the other man was, but she could see no reason why King Thoran was touching her. Her temper boiled over once again, and although Carmen knew deep down that the poison running through her system was bringing out this almost uncontrollable anger, it still didn’t stop her from marching up to the men and sticking her finger in the king’s face.

Stop touching her! What do you think you are doing? Don’t you dare touch any of these women or children! They have all been through hell! Are you listening to me? You are not to touch or talk to anyone. She quickly spun on her heel, facing the other warriors in the room. That goes for everyone! No one touches any woman or child without their permission! Carmen would be the first to admit she was screaming like a banshee, but now, she didn’t care. It felt good to release some of the built-up frustration and rage coursing through her. She noticed two warriors step towards her as if to threaten her. She arched an eyebrow up at them. If they thought they could dish out anything she hadn’t already gone through during her imprisonment, they were welcome to try.

King Thoran raised a hand to stop his guards from coming any closer. Stop, he quietly ordered, shocking Carmen down to her toes. He seemed to ignore her outburst and address his warriors. She is right. None of us have any right to touch anyone here. She watched in amazement as he sighed in defeat before turning his attention back to everyone else in the room. I am sorry, he stated quietly, stopping to catch the eye of every woman and child in the room. I have let you down, and I know you have no reason to trust any of us, but we would like to get you out of here and take you to Dragonose. You have my word that you are no longer prisoners and free to go where you wish, but we offer everyone food, shelter, and medical care. I know apologizing does little to fix your situation, but we came once we realized the enemy had kidnapped you. The king stopped and glanced around the room. Please come home with us, he retreated. I give you my solemn vow as your king. I will make this right.

Wow! Talk about taking the wind out of her sails! Carmen found herself unable to stay angry after his heartfelt words. That didn’t mean she was letting him off the hook.

We accept your offer to help but remember, I’ll be watching you, she warned. She marched over to the older children, who stood silently and pressed against the wall. She knew they were scared, with one looking ready to cry. She wrapped an arm around each twin, Millie and Miley.

Carmen hugged the twins tighter as the men started discussing an evacuation process. What was she going to do once they left the building? Where would she go? What would she do? What would happen to the children? She had spent the better part of five years in this room. Yes, the Raptorians were monsters. They only remembered to feed her and the children every few days. Even then, it was never enough. Each child was kidnapped from their home world of Dragonose and thrown in the room with her; the Raptorians demanded she take care of them. How she was supposed to provide for the children and take care of their needs with literally nothing at her disposal was a mystery, but the moment Carmen spotted the fear in the youngsters, nothing mattered but keeping them calm and healthy. She had done what she could for each child and cried over the few that had not made it. It was a testament to her will and stubbornness that kept all the children from perishing.

But now their people were here to rescue them; the children would no longer need her. Undoubtedly, they each had family in Dragonose that would swoop them up the moment they returned, and she would never see them again.

Carmen remained silent as she helped the children and babies move from the prison into a larger room near the front door. King Thoran stood before the closed door, addressing the group once again.

I’m going to walk outside and ensure it is safe for everyone. If we encounter any problems, Quinn, Bernard, Colt, Blain, and Natasha are trained warriors who will keep you safe. The king turned to the other warrior in the room. Camdon, you’re with me.

Carmen listened as a few of the other women began talking amongst themselves. They didn’t bother to include her, but that was fine. She had never been in with the others, as the Raptorians had decided long ago that she was to run the nursery. Still, she stood silently and listened to their conversation.

Can you believe we are finally going home? I feel like I’m dreaming and afraid to wake up, one woman breathed.

But what if we don’t have homes to return to? another lady inquired as she started to tear up.

Indeed, what if we don’t have homes to return to? Carmen had been in the Raptorian prison for a long time. Her best guess was she was quickly approaching her fifth year. She had no idea how long the other women had been there but knew at least a few were there when she arrived. Were their families still around? What would happen if nobody came to claim them? Where would they go? Carmen glanced down at the twins, still tightly clinging to her. What would happen to the children? She frowned to herself. Carmen would petition the king to be their caregiver if any children had no family to claim them. They knew her, and she loved each one of the children under her care.

King Thoran stepped back inside the door and addressed his charges. Okay, we are clear for transport. Before we start, I want to warn everyone about what awaits us outside. Carmen noticed he stopped and cleared his throat, taking the time to wink at the children. She almost smiled. The oldest three, Sunshine, Millie, and Miley, were the sweetest little girls.

He might not be such a bad person after all, you know, her dragon whispered. Why not allow him to correct the many wrongs?

We have a trained Tantassaurus waiting to carry most of you home. The woman currently riding the animal is an Omega Elf and is the mate of one of my top warriors. We have attached large baskets to the animal for transport purposes, and I assure you everyone will be completely safe. The king stopped and seemed to be uncomfortable with his following words. But please be aware numerous dead Raptorians are throughout the yard.

A Tantassaurus! They were deadly creatures held within a large forest with magic wards to keep the beasts inside. And what exactly was an Omega Elf? Has the king truly lost his mind? Just how much has Dragonose changed since I was kidnapped? Carmen wondered if she would recognize anything when they reached her homeland. It didn’t sound like it. She shook her head. They had found a way to tame a truly terrorizing beast and now had a woman riding it. Like riding a dragon? When and how had that happened? What else had she missed while in captivity?

Carmen held her breath once the front doors opened, and everyone started pouring out of the old, rundown house where they had been kept prisoner. The surrounding yard was in no better shape than the old structure, and dead Raptorians lying all over the grounds gave the area an even more sinister feel. Carmen squared her shoulders as she helped escort all the children out of the house. It wouldn’t do any good for the children to see how upset and afraid she was. No, she had to keep her tough-as-nails attitude up for the kid’s sake.

As they neared the giant beast, Carmen wondered if they would return to Dragonose alive. The colossal beast stood docile, but Carmen grew up on stories of the damage these beings could cause. The old reports stated that most full-grown dragons didn’t want to tangle with the Beasts living in the Forbidden Forest.

One of the warriors helped her climb into a huge basket. Once stationary, she