The Dragon Princess (Crystalosias - Saga - Book One)

-Two Years Ago-

Sahrah leaned against the fence, as she watched the two men in combat. The Dextonian was magnificent. The way he was built, put anyone from her home, to shame. And Dentoria has the biggest and strongest Warriors. That is why no one ever dared to attack them. As she watched the Dextorian fight, one opponent after another, and beat them, she discovered his weakness.

He has been avoiding getting hit in his right side.

“You look happy about something.” Her best friend, Austen Vermonze, of the third house of Dentoria, said when he caught her smile.

“I have found his weakness.” She whispered.

Austen grinned. “I knew you would.”

She and Austen had grown up together and had both been trained by the same man, Bleak. Her father’s strongest and most trusted Warrior.

The crowd went wild when the Dextorian defeated his latest challenge.

“Who’s next?!” The Dextorian who had been setting up the challenges, hollered out to the crowd.

“You should challenge him.” Austen said as he gave her a nudge.

She shook her head. “No.”

“Why? Are you afraid he may beat you?”

She scoffed. “Of course not.”

“Then why not?”

Because I have never fought with someone I am attracted to, before! She wanted to scream at him. But she didn’t. Instead, she said. “Because it’s not worth my time.”

Austen saw the look on his friend’s face and smiled. “Here!” He hollered as he raised his hand.

“Looks like we have a challenger.” The Dextorian said with a grin as he looked at Austen. “What’s your name?”

“Not me.” Austen said as he pushed Sahrah in front of him.

“A woman?” The man asked with a laugh.

The crowd around them laughed with the Dextorian.

“I’m going to kill you.” Sahrah growled.

“Love you too, doll.” Austen said with a laugh.

“I think this would be an insult to our Warrior.” The Dextorian said with annoyance.

“See.” Sahrah said. “They’re sexist pigs.”

The Dextorian glared at Sahrah. “Because we prefer to not hurt a woman, that makes us sexist?”

“No. Thinking a woman can’t fight, that’s sexist.” She snarled.

Derksin watched the woman with the fiery hair. He had noticed her, while he was fighting. Her hair wasn’t hard to miss. And she had been watching the fights as a Warrior, and not a scared or curious woman.

“Let her fight.” Derk said.

His man turned to him. “But Tasheen. She is but a woman.”

“She’s not a normal woman.” The man who had volunteered her said. “She’s a Warrior.”

The crowd laughed. All except the people of this planet. It must be common here, to have a Warrior Woman, among them. It’s not that their planet is sexist. Their women are just too delicate in bone structure.

“A challenge must be accepted, Bentin.” Derk told his friend.

“Wait a minute. I didn’t challenge anyone.” The woman spat at them. ”He volunteered me.”

Derk laughed. She’s a Spitfire. Her hair matches her personality, and he liked it. He liked her. And she was much prettier then he had originally thought.

“Okay, Spitfire. Would you rather I fought your mate?”

Sahrah stared at the Dextonian Challenger. What did he mean by mate? And what had he called her?

Austen cleared his throat. “I’m not her mate, unless you mean friend. I have a mate, and he wouldn’t accept a woman in our bed.” He said with a laugh.

The Warrior smiled with pleasure, and Austen caught the smile.

Sahrah looked between the two men confused. Then something the Warrior had said, registered in her brain. If she doesn’t accept her own challenge, he will challenge Austen. She looked at her best friend. He’s a good Warrior, of his own rights, but there was no way he would beat this Dextorian Warrior. She had a better chance, though it was slim.

“Alright.” She grumbled as she opened the gate in front of her. “I accept.”

Derk laughed. She had sized up her friend against him and decided her friend, would not be able to defeat him. But what about her?

The woman shrugged out of the coat she was wearing and set it on the ground, and Derk’s jaw dropped. She was more than pretty, she was magnificent. The one-piece outfit she wore, showed off a sinew body, with delicious curves and muscles from hard training. But not too much, that she looked manly, by all means, she looked like a strong, beautiful woman.

“Shall we?” She asked as she turned to him.

Derk swallowed. He needs to get his mind off the fact that she is a beautiful woman, or she’s going to beat him, for sure.

Sahrah saw the look on the Warriors face and smiled. She knows how her body affects men, and from the look of the bulge in his pants, he was no different than the others. And what a bulge it was. She has never seen one quite so big before.

Derk saw her notice his erection and smiled. So, the woman knows what she does to the opposite sex. Alright, two can play at this game.

He took his wet shirt off and tossed it to the ground.

Sahrah felt her mouth instantly dry. His body without a shirt; was even more tantalizing, then the tight shirt had been. His muscles rippled as he stretched, and she instantly knew what he was doing. He had caught on to her and was giving it back.

She grinned. Smart man.

“Okay.” Bentin said as he stood between the two Warriors. “Rules are, there are no rules, except one, no killing.”

Both fighters nodded and Bentin moved out of the way.

This is going to be fun.

Sahrah swung a kick at the Warrior and he caught her foot.

“Very good.” He said with a smile.

She swung her other foot up and connected it to the side of his head as she twisted her foot out of his grip and landed on one knee, both hands on the ground, facing away from him. She quickly got to her feet and turned to face him.

“Very, very good.” He said with a grin.

She smirked, then leaped at him, feet first. Her legs wrapped around his neck from the front and he grabbed her hips.

“Hmm.” He said as he looked at her crotch.

With a grunt, she leaned back until her hands touched the ground.

The crowd roared with laughter.

Sahrah growled. This is one of her best moves and she had never thought of it as a sexual move, until this man.

“Are we fighting, or are you offering me something else?” The Warrior asked with a grin.

“Oh, we’re fighting.” She said as she ground her teeth.

It took almost all of her strength to pull it off, but she managed.

Derk’s eyes widened when her legs tightened around his neck and his body lifted off the ground. Before he knew it, he was tossed across the arena, onto his back. She had used the strength of her legs, to toss him, and the strength of her arms, to balance herself.

She really is a true Warrior.

He grinned as he leaped to his feet and turned to her. She was already standing and watching him. She hadn’t attacked him while he was down, he respected that, and he will show her the same respect.

“How about we make this interesting.” He said with a smile as they circled each other.

“How so?” She asked as her left eyebrow shot up.

“Let’s make a wager.”

“Intriguing.” She said with a smile. “Okay, so what’s the wager?” She asked as she stopped to study him.

He stopped and studied her, in turn. “What do you want?” He asked.

She shook her head. “It was your idea.”

He grinned. “All right. If I win, you spend tonight in my bed.” Her mouth dropped open and he laughed. “Too scared you will lose?”

She snorted. “All right. If I win, you take me out to dinner tonight.”

He eyed her. “Dinner?”

She smiled. “Yeah. A real date and we get to know each other.”

He grinned. “All right.” He said with a nod.

She held her hand out as she walked towards him. He stared at her hand.

“On my planet, we seal a deal with a handshake.” She said.

He grinned as he took her hand then pulled her to his chest. “On my planet, we seal a deal with a kiss.”

Her eyes widened as he leaned forward and kissed her lips. Both their hearts were pounding so loud, they could barely hear anything else.

Whoops and hollers from the crowd, erupted around them.

Sahrah pulled back from the kiss. “I doubt that is true.” She said as she glared at him. “Unless you kiss other men.”

He grinned. “You’ve got me there.”

She shook her head. The nerve of the man. But for her first kiss, it hadn’t been half bad. She had pulled back when his tongue had touched her lips, but other than that, it had been nice.

“Shall we get on with this?” She asked as she pulled her hand from his grasp.

With a grin, he nodded.

They fought for a while, neither of them getting the upper hand.

She needs to get onto his back. But he never turned his back to her, and he was really good at protecting his right side. He managed to pin her under him, to cheers from the crowd.

“Do you concede defeat?” He asked with a grin from above her.

She grinned. “Not yet, I don’t.” She said, then used all of her strength to push him off her and backflip away from him.

Derk grinned as he watched her. She was stronger than most male warrior he has fought, and more graceful. Her moves were so beautiful. He watched as she thought of her next move, then watched her body language as she prepared for what she planned to do next. He grinned as she ran at him and jumped into the air, to wrap her legs around his neck again.

Yes, he likes this move very much. And he could smell that it turned her on as well.

“Didn’t you already try this move?” He asked as he looked up at her face, she hasn’t fallen backward yet.

She smiled down at him. “Not exactly.” She said with a smirk. “I knew you would expect this one.”

She grabbed hold of his head, then spun her body around him, until she was on his back, her legs around his chest and her arms around his throat. It had happened so fast, he hadn’t seen it coming.

Clever woman. He thought.

“What is your plan now?” He asked, amused by her antics.

“Now you will say goodnight.” She whispered as she tightened her hold around his neck.

“You plan to strangle me?” He asked with a gasp.

“No.” She said with a smile. “I can’t have a nice dinner tonight; if you’re dead.”

He snorted. “Don’t you know that I can toss you over my shoulder?”

“Oh, I know.” She said, then she used her heal and kicked him in the right side.

Derk felt the pain shoot through his body as he fell to his knees. She had kicked him so quickly, that no one around them could have seen what had brought him to his knees. She was clever. She had studied him and found his Achilles heel. His damn weak kidneys. But she wasn’t going to let anyone else see his weakness. She kicked him again, and he saw stars as her arms tightened around his throat.

“Tasheen!” Bentin hollered.

Derk smiled, his loyal friend would come to his rescue if it was needed, but this woman was a true Warrior, she’d fought fairly, and was winning.

“NO!” Derk hollered when he saw his friend go for the woman. “This is a fair fight.” He growled.

“But she will kill you.” Bentin said.

Sahrah snorted. “I have no plans to kill your friend.” She kicked him again and applied even more pressure.

If she hadn’t known his weakness, he would have already had her on the grown, the victor by now. She truly is, a true Warrior Woman.

“I’m Derksin.” He managed to say.

She smiled as she applied more pressure to his throat. “Sahrah.” She whispered.

Sahrah. He thought before he blacked out into oblivion.

Sahrah waited a moment, then lowered him slowly to the ground. She could have just let him fall to the dirt; like she usually does, but she didn’t want to mess up his pretty face.

“Is he....”

“Sleeping like a baby.” She said as she handed Bentin a slip of paper. “Tell your friend to meet me here, tonight. And he’s paying.” She said with a nod, then walked out of the arena to her friend. “Let’s go.”

Austen grinned as he followed her through the crowd. “I knew you could beat him.”

She laughed. “I would have lost, if not for his weakness.”

Sahrah smiled when she saw her Warrior walk into the restaurant.

He spotted her and smiled as he made his way to her.

“Spitfire.” He said as he stopped at the table.

She chuckled. No one has ever given her a pet name before. “Hello, Derksin. Have a nice nap?”

He grinned at her. “Actually, it was the best sleep I have had in a while.”

“I can do it again for you.” She said with a mischievous grin.

He laughed as he sat in the chair across from her. “You’re a very intriguing woman.” He said, then smiled when her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink. “So.” He said as he picked up the menu. “What kind of food do they serve here?”

They discussed the food for a while, as she showed him the foods she has tried there and enjoyed, then he called the waiter to the table, and they ordered their dinners.

The conversation changed often, and Sahrah enjoyed herself.

She learned that he’s the oldest of seven children, three girls, and four boys.

She informed him that she’s the youngest of three girls, no boys.

They discussed ages, and how he’s only six years her senior. Her twenty-two to his twenty-eight.

“See.” She said as she placed a piece of desert into her mouth, then smiled at him as she swallowed. “Isn’t this better than jumping into bed first?” She asked as she pointed her fork at him.

He laughed. “So, does that mean that you do plan to jump into my bed, at some point?”

She looked down at her desert, the pink returning to her cheeks. “I won’t lie to you, Derksin, I have thought about it.

He grinned at her as he watched her play with her desert. “Call me Derk.”

She looked up at him with a smile. “Well, I’m done eating.” She said as she pushed her plate of desert away from her. “What do you think of a stroll?”

“Stroll?” He asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

She chuckled. “A walk.”

He smiled as his eyes roamed over her face. “That actually sounds really nice.”

She smiled back. “I think you’ll like it.” She said as she watched his eyes roam over her.

He nodded. “The sky is bright with stars tonight.”

She nodded and he helped her to her feet. After he paid their dinner ticket, they walked out into the night.

“There’s a path over there, that we can take.” She said as she pointed to a path just outside the park.

He nodded as he took her hand and placed it into the crook of his arm, then led her to the path. They followed the path in silence, for at least thirty minutes. She felt comfortable with him, she didn’t know why, she just did, and the quiet was nice.

When he finally spoke, she jumped, startled.

“Your planet is very beautiful.” He said as he looked up at the sky and around them at the trees and lighting, from the crystals.

She smiled up at him. “Thanks. We’re proud of it.”

He looked down at her with a smile.

She sighed as she looked out at the crystalline glow. “I would love to see yours.”

“Maybe someday you will.” He said softly.

She nodded slowly. “Maybe someday.”

He stopped and took her hand into his. “Sahrah.”

She didn’t know why, but her name on his lips, made chills run down her spine.

“I have been crazy about you; since I first saw your fiery red hair.” He said as he touched her hair.

She smiled. “You intrigue me too.”

“I could tell.” He said with a smile. “And I noticed that you had found my one weakness.”

She chuckled softly. “That is one of my specialties.”

He nodded. “I could use you in my ranks.”

She eyed him. “Do you mean your army?”

He nodded.

She laughed. “Wouldn’t you get laughed at for having a woman...”

He kissed her, just to shut her up...but when he felt her moan against his mouth, it turned into, much more.

“Derk.” She breathed against his mouth.

“You’re a Warrior Woman, Spitfire. We aren’t against women the way you think we are.”

“Then why are none of your women, warriors?” She asked as she pressed her body against his.

He tried to concentrate on what they were talking about, rather than the feel of her body, pressed against his. It was much harder than he’d thought it would be.

“The women on my planet, are small-boned, and weak. Most die from childbirth or a simple fall.” He said as he looked into her eyes. “We don’t train our women, because they are too frail, and we are too strong, they would die from a single blow.”

She sucked in a shocked breath. “But you are the oldest of seven children.”

He sighed heavily. “My father has had four mates. His last mate died, giving birth to my youngest sibling, Naria. And that was nine years ago.”

“Oh.” She said as she placed her hand against his cheek. “Derk.” She whispered. “What of your mother?”

“She gave my father, two sons, then fell down a hill, and broke her neck.” He said as his eyes looked up to the stars. “She had been carrying a third son, he died with my mother.”

“Oh, dear Lord.” She cried as she threw her arms around him.

He sighed sadly as he held her close. He has never been comfortable sharing his family’s stories, with strangers like this, but for some odd reason, it all felt right with her. And it didn’t really matter that she’s an alien, from another planet. His father had told him to search the stars. And so, he did, and he has finally found his mate.

A strong, beautiful, fire-haired, Warrior Woman.