Prince of Dragons Read Online Free PDF

dragon. It was a dragon … and a man, at the same time.”
    Sirena blinked. A dragon? She could recall no beings on board who could be mistaken for such a mythical creature. There were the Lupinians, but with those short stubby horns, they resembled Earth bovines or hummels more than any other creature.
    If only Commander Navos was here—he could tap into the girl’s thoughts, ascertain which was true. But he wouldn’t board until they passed by his home planet of Indigon tomorrow.
    “Were you touched or harmed in any way?” she asked.
    The girl shook her head. Dr. Tentaclar agreed. “My examination shows no sign of any physical contact.”
    “Raile? What does the security holo-cam show?”
    He shook his head. “Nothing. There was an aberration in the feed for that area of the ship.”
    Sirena frowned. Unusual. That would have to be checked. “You searched the arboretum carefully?”
    “Yes, Commander. We did find some singed branches, but that could’ve been the glow-torches at the wedding last evening. The only recent life traces found were from garden crew and passengers. Oh, and Commander Stone had walked through a short time before the, er, incident.”
    “And he noticed nothing?”
    “His com-link is off. But wouldn’t he have alerted you?”
    She nodded. That settled it. If there had been any being or creature in the undergrowth, Slyde’s Serpentian senses would have picked it up, even in his foul mood. “Dr. Tentaclar?”
    Two of the doctor’s several eyestalks swung her way. He winked solemnly.
    “I believe the best thing for our young patient would be a medicinal libation and a good night’s rest.”
    Raile’s handsome face fell. “You mean you’re going to give her a sleeper?”
    “I think he means we comp her a couple of free drinks in the nightclub,” Sirena said dryly.
    “Commander, I’ll take very good care of her,” Raile promised.
    “I have no doubt you will. Thank you, Doctor.”
    Sirena closed the com-link, but sat for a moment. A dragon-man, hmm? She’d met many strange beings in the course of her interplanetary travel, but none that resembled a dragon or could breathe fire.
    In fact, it sounded as if the girl had been watching holo-videos of Serpentian legends. The Dragolins , dragon kings of the mountains, were the subject of many a children’s tale. She smirked. Perhaps Slyde Stone was a Dragolin. That would explain both his great size and his demand for monogamy. The legendary beings were said to have mated for life.
    As different as could be from her typically Serpentian father, who had drifted away when she was a hatchling, returning only for casual visits. For an instant she remembered herself as a little girl, weeping in her mother’s arms as she watched him fly off through the sunny desert.
    Sirena shook off the memory with an annoyed hiss. Great serpents, but she needed sleep. She was becoming maudlin. She rose, stretched and then let her silk robe fall in a slither of color behind her as she slid naked into her bed.

    Mina Starline fell asleep with a smile. Her space cruise adventure now had the added cachet of a frightening encounter with an alien being. She hadn’t been hurt, either, so she’d have the fun of recounting every nuance of the creature’s appearance and her own emotions to her friends, but she hadn’t been raped or murdered.
    And she had met the handsome, sexy guard Raile. So far it was a great cruise.

Chapter Five
    Sirena glided into the command deck of the Orion . The sleek command console framed a breathtaking view of deep black space, dotted with twinkling stars. Nearby glimmered the deep purple of a small planet. Flung out behind it lay the red gold shimmer of a swirling nebula, light years away.
    Nearly all the Orion ’s crew commanders were seated in the tall-backed chairs. Halix, head of operations, his round lavender face beaming; Ogg, chief mechanic, wiry and weathered; Dr. Tentaclar, head medical officer; Panthar, the Tygean