Knights of Desire [Flights of Fancy 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) by Melodee Aaron Page A

away."
    Landis smiled and turned to face him. "I guess I understand that." The smile slipped away. "So where does that leave Shane?"
    He stood and clapped his life-partner on the shoulder. "In the clutches of the lizards, waiting for rescue. Let's get moving."
     
    * * * *
     
    Cedric moved through the cave to meet his prisoner. Alicia had told him she was awake and in pain, but she didn't know if the woman would live or not.
    He hated this business of skulking about. He was a warrior, not a common criminal and certainly not a kidnapper, but Handley had forced him into this. He had to learn what the plans of this woman and her kind were.
    Alicia had been with him for many years now, ever since he'd taken her from a village of men during a raid. She'd resisted at first, when just a child, but she'd learned the ways of the dragons and become a valuable member of Cedric's household. At some level, Cedric saw her almost like his own child. He definitely saw her as a funny-looking dragon. Cedric often wondered if she saw him as a funny-looking man.
    He entered the chamber where Alicia cared for the captive and the woman was in a chair, dressed in some of Alicia's clothes. The bandages on her chest and shoulders looked bulky, and the woman winced when she breathed.
    Alicia looked up at him. "Cedric, this is Shane. She is in pain, but she says she can talk to you." She pointed at a metal box on the table. "That device speaks for her. It knows the speech of men, and it works with dragon speech, though a little slow."
    He nodded. "Thank you. You may leave us now."
    Alicia bowed her head and moved for the door, brushing her fingers across his shoulder as she passed. When she was gone, Cedric turned to the woman. "I am Cedric, commander of King Handley's troops here in the valley."
    "Why am I here?"
    "Simply put, I need to know your intentions. Handley believes you are here to destroy him, and I tend to agree."
    "That couldn't be farther from the truth. We are here to contact new people, new societies, and nothing more."
    "And yet you have become close with the men and their king."
    "Of course we have." She coughed, doubling over with the pain, and a glob of dark blood spattered on the floor.
    "You won't believe me when I say I'm sorry you were injured."
    "I can't say yet if I believe you or not. I need to get medical help from my people as soon as possible."
    "How soon that happens will be up to Handley. He will be here soon to talk to you."
    "You mean if that happens."
    He shrugged, his wings flexing. "As you wish. I would advise you to not trifle so with Handley. He lacks my patience."

Chapter 4
    The High and The Mighty
     
    In their first contact since sending the king back to the planet, Talbert and Sayid looked out at her from the display. Elsa was glad they had set up visual links to the palace so she could actually see the king. She could read him better that way than by voice alone.
    "So we know what happened to them." Elsa thought for a moment. "Rawls was attacked by one of the dragons and carried off, and your knights went after her."
    Sayid nodded. "Exactly. Landis and Clemmons went alone, refusing to take more men, because they felt they stood a better chance alone than with an army."
    "But the note they sent you doesn't say exactly where Rawls was taken or where they were going."
    "No, it doesn't. Only that they were going to the mountains."
    She paused again. "Science, what does that do to our chances of finding the three?"
    The Science Officer tapped at the screen controls on the conference table, and a topographical map of the encampment and surrounding area appeared on the screen. "There are high mountains all around the camp—" She used the pointer in the screen to trace the higher elevations. "Here and here are the areas where we've seen the dragons clustering. There are also heavy metal deposits in the mountains, and that could be blocking our scans if they are in a deep enough cave."
    Sayid shook his head. "It's