Page 57 of Dragon Me Through Space

Scout shifted into a large drone with its single lens glowing bright red and four lasers primed and ready to shoot.

“You will let us leave, unscathed, or I will kill you,” I ordered Prince Alton.

He nodded once. “They are free to leave,” he breathed to the guards, trying not to move his throat much to keep my dagger from cutting in too deeply.

The guards formed two lines on either side of the doorway, giving us an exit, but looked torn.

“Announce, immediately, that all Caltyrelans are now free and our engagement officially dissolved.”

He started to try to stand, a sneer on his lips, so I dug the tip of my dagger into his throat, drawing blood.

“Do it!” I ordered.

He froze, cleared his throat, and did as I said, the proclamation playing across the entire planet thanks to their advanced announcement system. I was so glad I’d paid attention when Mother had taught me about their planet and civilization.

“Pardon me from all past, current, and future crimes,” I ordered.

He did that as well.

The announcement ended and he asked, “Satisfied?” The glare he gave me would have made weaker beings cower. I wasn’t weak, not anymore.

“One more thing,” I said. “This is for my parents.” I drew the dagger across his neck and then stabbed it into his chest.

His body fell and King Almarst rushed forward, aiming a gun at me.

Preston stepped between us and fire burst out of his mouth, destroying King Almarst.

The guards cried out and started to move towards us.

“They pardoned my crimes!” I shouted, stopping them. “And ordered you to let us leave unscathed. Do not betray their memories by disobeying their final orders.”

The guards froze, but their faces clearly showed their hatred.

“Let’s go,” I ordered the Dragonkin. “The stink in this place is making me nauseous.”

The four Dragonkin surrounded me, their bodies shields as we walked out of the castle, through the streets, to the dock, and into our ship.

We all stood on the bridge, silent until we made it off planet and started the hyperdrive.

Once we were certain to have escaped, the Dragonkin took turns hugging me.

“You brave, stupid, beautiful woman,” Preston said with a growl in his voice as he gripped me tightly.

I patted his back and was glad he couldn’t see the stupid smile on my face. “I’m glad you’re safe, too.”

He pushed me back and crushed his lips to mine. His lips were soft, but demanding, warm, and the way he kissed me made my head spin.

“You were magnificent,” Wayne said and pulled me out of Preston’s hold to hug me.

“How did you know you could beat him?” Gage asked.

My brain was still spinning from the kiss Preston had given me, but I cleared my throat, sat in Preston’s chair, and answered. “They’re renowned for their cruelty, but the royals never actually do anything. They just order their guards and army to enact the punishments. Or they ensure the person is chained and can’t move before they hit them or cut them. I may have been spoiled as a child, but you know I’ve been through a lot of things, that I’ve experienced a lot since they last saw me. They had no idea.” I smiled and sat in Preston’s captain’s chair. “I finally got my revenge. Hopefully my parents’ souls can rest easy now.”

Zeke dropped to one knee before me, picked my hand up from my lap, and kissed the back of my knuckles. “Thank you for saving my brothers and I. We are in your debt.”

I shook my head. “You were tortured because of me. I should have done more research so I would know they had DNA scanners and likely would have mine listed in their database. Maybe I should shave my head so my hair won’t be on you for any future incidents.”

Zeke reached up and tugged on a strand of my hair. “Not a chance we’d let you shave your beautiful hair.”