I Married A Dragon (Prime Mating Agency)(35)

While I was savoring these treats—some of which he consumed as well, mainly the fermented stuff—Cedros inquired about my past. The alcohol having loosened my tongue, I shared without restraint.

“I grew up in the refugee colony of Iliat,” I said wistfully. “When I was three weeks old, a natural disaster destroyed nearly a third of my planet Loros. So many people died. And of those who survived, many were never reunited with their kin, as was my case.”

“You were separated from your family?” he asked in a sympathetic tone.

I nodded. “I don’t recall any of it, as I was much too young. According to my records, the rescuers heard me screaming from the third story of an apartment building. Half of the building had been torn off and collapsed into the ground. I’d apparently been fairly dehydrated, but safely tucked in my crib. They wondered if my parents had been in the half of the residence that collapsed, or if they’d simply been unable to climb up to rescue me.”

“I’m sorry, my Kaida. I didn’t mean to bring up a painful topic for you,” Cedros said, looking guilty.

I smiled and patted the back of his hand reassuringly. “It’s okay. It’s not like I have any actual recollection of this. I was a newborn, literally days old, and too young to have been registered in the Galactic Archives. In theory, I didn’t even exist,” I said with a chuckle. “Since no one claimed a missing newborn with my description, and DNA matching with their database yielded nothing, they sent me to the colony.”

“Have you tried looking for your parents since?” he asked in a soft voice.

I took a shot of something that made me think of a mix of mango, kiwi, and vodka. “I did. Sadly, I had little info to go off of, and found nothing that even remotely matched my situation. I believe my parents died during the disaster, but I’ll never know for sure.”

“Is that why you joined the Enforcers? To have more resources to track your parents?”

I chuckled. “No, it’s not. Although I initially thought of that. Colonies are many things but not a paradise anyone wants to live in. There are few prospects, a lot of poverty, and especially a lot of crime. I’ve always had an inquisitive mind, so school was a wonderful escape for me. I enjoyed reading and studying, which earned me good grades. That, in turn, gave me better living conditions through the scholarships that included a warm bed and three meals a day.”

“I am relieved to hear it. But it is terrible that younglings should face the possibility of going cold and hungry,” Cedros said with a frown.

I shrugged. “It is terrible, but it is a sad reality on far too many worlds still. I just knew I wanted to get out of Iliat. I refused to spend the rest of my days there, stagnating. Thankfully, the UPO offered a few training programs to those who qualified in the skill tests they ran annually.”

“Skill test?” Cedros asked, tilting his head to the side.

I nodded. “They tested everything, including our I.Q., physical and psychic abilities. As a human, I had fewer options than some other species. Still, when I was sixteen, I qualified for both their scientific and peacekeeping programs.”

“Why did you choose peacekeeping?” he asked, surprised.

“As much as I loved science, where that program would take me was far too uncertain. With the peacekeeping program, I knew exactly which curriculum to tackle to land in one of the roles I wanted. Beyond the fact that I was always athletic, I’d seen too much violence and crime in the colonies. I no longer wanted to be helpless in the face of that kind of shit. I wanted to help bring order and safety to other people like me.”

“And yet, you left the colony,” he stated matter-of-factly, his expression merely curious, devoid of any condemnation.

“Yes. The program eventually required me to leave Iliat, as I earned more scholarships and more advancement. When the opportunity to become an Enforcer presented itself, I couldn’t pass it up. With the UPO’s peacekeeping force, I would protect oppressed and endangered people throughout the galaxy.”

“Did it live up to your expectations? Do you enjoy it?” Cedros asked.

I beamed at him. “Yes. I absolutely love it. It can sometimes be hard and gut-wrenching. But knowing that I make a difference, that I bring happiness, justice, and safety to those in need is the greatest reward I could ever ask for or want.”

It was his turn to beam at me. Cedros leaned forward and caressed my cheek with an approving glimmer in his fiery eyes.

“I fully understand the flame that drives you. It is the same for me, although our duties are quite different,” he said in a gentle voice. “We have law enforcement here as well, but nothing as perilous and grand scale as what you do. I’m assuming that once our ‘honeymoon’ is over, you will resume your Enforcer duties?”

I licked my lips nervously, grateful for this perfect opening he was giving me to come clean.

“You are correct, although I’m technically already back to work,” I said carefully.

His scaly eyebrows shot up. “Already? How so?”

I shifted on my cushion and lifted my chin. “There were two reasons for me to come to Dramnac. First and foremost was to heal you and act as your Ejaya.” He nodded, his attentive gaze boring into me. “But I also came here on a mission for the UPO.”

This time, he stiffened and frowned, a sliver of suspicion entering his eyes. “You have a mission on Dramnac for the UPO? Is the Council aware of it?”