I Married A Dragon (Prime Mating Agency)(4)

“Where were they trying to go?” I asked, more intrigued than ever, my detective instinct kicking into high gear.

“To the shadow obsidian mines of Dramnac,” she said matter-of-factly.

I frowned and pursed my lips pensively. “That’s the second time you mention shadow obsidian. I thought this whole thing about portal opening stones was a myth.”

Linsea shook her head. “No, shadow obsidian is real, and it allows regular Derakeens to open portals like the Shadow Lords, but for a shorter duration. Each stone must first be engraved with a destination so they don’t end up in some dreadful place. As you can guess, the governments of every advanced world would love to get their hands on these precious pebbles, which we cannot allow.”

“In shady hands, it could be a complete disaster,” I concurred.

“Exactly.”

“Okay, while this is all really fascinating, what does it have to do with me?” I asked, more confused than ever.

She gave me a sympathetic smile. “I’m getting to it. As you likely noticed, Cedros entered some kind of rage after the battle. It is common for Shadow Lords when they spend too much time out of phase or traipsing in the void. It messes with their heads. But worst still, wounds from aqrats—among others—accelerates the process. Their saliva and venoms actually infect the Shadow Lords with a form of… well, something akin to rabies. It can take weeks and even months to burn it out of their system, a very long period during which they’re all but feral.”

I frowned again, my eyes going out of focus as I replayed the events in my mind. “Yes, he seemed to be foaming at the mouth. But then, before I lost consciousness, I got the distinct impression he was calming, maybe even shrinking. Does that make sense?”

Linsea grinned at me and nodded. “Absolutely. While there is no medical cure for jokraz—the Shadow Lord rage—there is a natural one in the form of an Ejaya.”

“Oh, my God! He said that!” I exclaimed, leaning forward with excitement. “It was like I could hear him—or at least I’m assuming it was his voice—speaking telepathically to me and repeating that word, almost like a prayer, like he was in shock. But then Tedrick shot him. The dragon is fine, right? It was just a sedative?”

“Oh yes, he’s absolutely fine. Believe me, things would be far more tense right now had Cedros been harmed. It would be a full out war,” Linsea said reassuringly. “But yes, he did telepathically speak to you. In their battle form, Derakeens cannot use words like we do. However, your presence triggered his accelerated healing process and calmed him. You are the first human Ejaya.”

“Come again?” I asked, disbelievingly.

She chuckled and nodded. “You are Cedros’s Ejaya. Just being around you, and especially in close physical contact with you, triggers a physiological response that makes him secrete loads of endorphins and an immune response that acts as a potent antiviral agent. So instead of taking weeks or months to fight jokraz, they fully recover in a few days, sometimes even just hours, depending on how extensive the infection runs.”

“Whoa… Okay. That’s different. I guess that’s why he was squishing me to get that close contact,” I mumbled, remembering how not particularly pleasant that bone-crushing hug had been. “But I’m still not seeing where the problem is.”

“The problem is that an Ejaya is unique to each specific Shadow Lord. Cedros can only establish that connection with a single person in the entire universe, and that’s you,” Linsea explained carefully. “Therefore, the Derakeen Council demands that you fulfill that role with Cedros.”

My stomach dropped as I stared at the Temern in disbelief. “Demands?”

She nodded with an apologetic expression. “Under Derakeen law, an Ejaya may not refuse the call of her or his Shadow Lord. That means they want you to go live on Dramnac with Cedros and to see to his welfare.”

“You’ve got to be kidding?” I asked, raising my palms questioningly. “And what if I refuse? Which I obviously want to do…”

“If you refuse, they threaten to launch a war against the member planets of the UPO,” Linsea said in a soft voice. “So, as you can guess, we need you to consent, but not only to avoid a war.”

“What else is there?” I asked, still in complete shock.

“While on Dramnac, we want you to also take on an undercover mission for us.”

I froze for a split second, my stunned outrage temporarily taking a backseat while my Enforcer instincts surged to the fore. “Mission? What kind of mission?”

Linsea grinned, knowing she had piqued my interest. “Veladeem Research received the shadow obsidian stones from anonymous smugglers. We need to find out who they are, how they are acquiring the stones, and put a stop to their business. If they bring those stones on to penitentiary planets, they could break out the most violent and hardened criminals in one fell swoop and take them halfway across the galaxy without the guards being able to do a thing about it.”

My brow creased as I nodded. I could see a million different ways to misuse these stones. If they fell into the hands of a warmongering species, they could open portals into unsuspecting neighboring planets and commit genocides. Pirates, thieves, and slavers could also wreak havoc with such a tool.

“Right, that does sound like a worthy mission. But what does that mean as far as Cedros is concerned?” I asked. “Once the mission is done, do I get to just pack and leave Dramnac, or am I expected to stay there a specific amount of time? And what of him? What are his expectations where I’m concerned?”