Chronos: Dragon Warrior: Dragon Warrior, #2

By Jamie Phoenix and Ashley West

Meagan Cooper has spent her entire life safely tucked away in her father's Court. As the President's daughter, her life has always been more or less decided for her. Just six months shy of marrying her fiancé Daryn, a high-ranking military man, she can't help but begin to feel trapped in her monotonous routine. But, when Earth is invaded by the Samou, a race of dragon-shifting aliens from one of the Empire's mining planets, her life suddenly takes a very drastic turn.

Kidnapped by the human rebels who have joined forces with the Samou, Meagan is ripped away from the security of her home and thrown into the parallel universe of life outside the Capital city. Terrified and alone, she somehow finds comfort in the one person she never expected to. Chronos is the Samou lead warrior. A muscular, exotic, aggressive man, he takes it upon himself to challenge Meagan. He forces her to face the reality of corruption and greed that permeate the Empire she so loyally continues to defend.

As the tension between them grows, so does the attraction. The lines between anger and desire quickly become blurred, and in the end, Meagan will be faced to choose between the man she can't resist and the life she's always known.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Monster Media LLC
• Release date: Dec 27, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386658665

Book preview

Chapter 1: A Day in the Life

Meagan’s day started like any other. Her entire life always followed the same routine.

She woke up, and she ate breakfast in her room. Then, she got dressed and went downstairs to see her father in his office, if he wasn’t in a meeting. After chatting with him for a short time, she met up with her closest and oldest friend Rachel and they would wander through the Court. Meagan was rarely allowed outside the walls of the innermost part of the Capital. It bothered her, at times, that her world was so small. But, she never admitted that to anyone.

Today, though, her routine had changed. On a normal day, after spending some time with Rachel, she would return to her room, where she changed for dinner. It was common that some important guest came over, but the rare occasions that she ate alone with her father were her favorites.

Now, though, instead of returning to her room to change for dinner, she was preparing herself for something very different.

You look lovely, Rachel cooed as she emerged from her room-sized closet wearing a nearly-sheer green and white gown.

Meagan’s long brown hair was curled and pulled back, framing her thin, still child-like face. The green in her dress complimented the green in her eyes, making them stand out against her porcelain white skin.

She smiled at her friend and walked over to the full-length mirror tucked into the corner of her room. Despite her best efforts to highlight her womanhood with her gown, she still saw a little girl standing in front of her.

I look like a child, she huffed as she spun around to face Rachel.

Rachel was her age but looked older. At 24, she actually looked like a woman. She was taller than Meagan, but that wasn't saying much. She had curves in all the right places, and her prominent cheek bones and plush lips filled out her face in a way Meagan had always envied.

Rachel tossed her auburn hair over her shoulder and pushed herself up off the edge of Meagan’s bed, walking over towards her. You do not, she said firmly. You look just like your mother.

Rachel motioned to a projected photo illuminating a small square on the wall to their right. Meagan smiled to herself as she compared her image with one of the only pictures of her mother that she had.

Meagan's mother had passed away nearly eighteen years ago when Meagan was only six. She had a few, faint memories of her, but mainly she lived on in the stories her father told her about his beautiful, young wife. She was patient and refined. Everyone had always said that her parents together made the perfect team. Her father was stern and strict. But, her mother was compassionate and gentle. The people loved her.

Her mother’s absence created a void in Meagan’s life. Her parents struggled for years to have children, and her mother suffered through one miscarriage after the next. When Meagan finally came along, her mother insisted that they stop trying for more.

For that reason, her father was the only person she had left in her immediate family. Despite his usually rigid demeanor, he was always attentive to her. After her mother passed away, he did everything in his power to take on the role of single parent—to the best of his abilities.

When she was younger, they would spend their time after dinner sitting in the lounge, playing games or reading stories. As she grew older, these times alone together became less frequent, but she still treasured them dearly. Her father was a cold man, with most people. But with her, he was always gentle and kind.

He was only viewed as cruel and strict because his job title demanded that of him. He was the President of the Empire. It was a burden that she could see took its toll on him. As he grew older, his bright blue eyes became more tired, his thick brown hair had grayed and thinned, and his temper got worse and worse.

The reality that he wouldn’t be able to lead the Empire forever had become more apparent in recent years. He wanted to ensure that when the time did come, there would be someone there to step up and take over the demanding job of most powerful man in the intergalactic Empire that his grandfather had created.

Being that his only child was a girl, the priority to find his daughter a fitting suitor had been at the forefront of his mind since she turned twenty-one. She had met with a number of candidates, but quickly refused them all. It wasn’t until her 23rd birthday when her father invited the most renowned military leader in his fleet, that she finally agreed to an engagement.

Although he held an advanced place in the Empire’s military, Daryn was young—at least younger than many of the other men she had met. At 30 years old, he was driven and motivated. Meagan knew instantly that he would make a great leader, although how he would be as a husband, she wasn’t sure. He was cold, the way so many people had described her father. But, that comparison gave her hope that one day they would share a more delicate relationship, like the one her parents had had.

A ping rang out, breaking into her thoughts. It was her TeleCom, alerting her that she had a message. Reaching quickly for the small, cube-like device, she entered in her passcode. The words came spilling out of it, flashing brightly.

It’s a message from Daryn, Meagan said, in an almost sing-song voice as she walked over to her bed to plop herself down.

Are you going to open it? Rachel asked, following her over to the bed.

I don’t know if I should with you here, Meagan replied with a giggle.

He’s grown on you, hasn’t he?

He had; it was true. It took a while, but after a few months, Meagan found herself thinking about him from time to time. After another few months, she missed him when he was away training new recruits, and now, she felt sad that he would be leaving Earth for an extended mission to one of the colonized planets controlled by the Empire.

It would be easier if he hadn’t, Meagan admitted.

How long will he be gone, again?

Six months. It takes a month just to arrive at Planet 71-J, and he's expected to be there for at least four months once he lands.

Planet 71-J was the last planet to be taken over by the Empire. After a few failed attempts to find planets that would sustain human life and in turn solve the overpopulation problem that plagued Earth, Meagan's grandfather, and his team had found a few that proved promising. One of them was home to a hostile race of aliens, with the ability to transform into dragons. They're monstrous unholy beasts, her great-grandfather had reported when he returned from a mission to Planet 48-Z.

The Samou, as they called themselves, had prevented Earth from establishing a colony on their planet, although the humans continued to occupy a small section of it, mining a valuable mineral only found there.

Fortunately for Earth, about a year after returning from his last mission to the Samou planet, her great-grandfather found another, unoccupied planet to begin moving humans to. That was Planet 53-S. It was small, though, and didn't do much to help their problem. The search for other planets continued, and during the reign of Meagan's grandfather came Planet 68-Y, another life-sustaining location for humanity to continue to grow. Unfortunately, that planet had been occupied. But, the alien race was weak and easy to overpower.

During her father’s reign as President, they had discovered Planet 71-J. Similar to Planet 68-Y, it was already inhabited by a species of its own. Unfortunately, however, the alien race wasn’t as easy to overthrow. Still, the Empire sent shiploads of humans to the planet, where they were able to prosper, although to a limited degree.

The alien race still continued to fight the humans, and for that reason, Daryn’s fleet was called up to go to the planet and once and for all bring peace to the troubled humans, living there in constant fear.

Are you going to be okay? Rachel asked, setting her hand on Meagan’s knee reassuringly.

Yeah, Meagan said with a shrug. Besides, I’ll have to spend the entire time he’s gone planning the wedding. I’m sure I’ll barely have time to miss him.

And, you’ll have me, Rachel said cheerfully.

Of course, that too.

Meagan and Rachel had been friends their entire lives. Rachel’s father served on the President’s Council. They lived in the Capital, near the Court located at the center of the large, metropolitan city. Rachel’s mother was one of Meagan’s mother’s closest friends, and the two women brought their daughters together before they had even reached 1-year-old. At every point in her life, Meagan had remembered Rachel being at her side.

They had both comforted each other in their times of need. When Meagan’s mother passed away, Rachel and her mother spent a few weeks in the Court, looking after Meagan and helping out in any way they could. And, a year ago, when Rachel’s brother, a pilot in the Empire Air Force, died in combat on Planet 48-Z, Meagan held her friend’s hand and comforted her. Meagan’s father even allowed her outside of the Court to visit Rachel and her family at their home. Although, she did have to be escorted by two heavily armed guards.

Meagan had always felt that her father’s insistence that she stay inside the security of the Court unless accompanied by huge, bulky soldiers was unnecessary. It was true that Earth was also facing its own heap of problems with the local population, but her father had assured her that the rebel humans were only a very small portion of the individuals living just outside the Capital.

The Resistance, as they called their group, was nothing more than the jealous, disgruntled, uneducated people who did not have the qualifications necessary to be considered for colonizing the other planets. They didn’t make the cut as the first, second, or third time groups of individuals were selected to move to the new establishments.

They are nothing more than simple-minded individuals who should be thankful that they were not exterminated when Earth was facing the overpopulation crisis, her father had said one night at dinner when they met with the head of ground control operations.

Maybe I should leave you alone to check your message, Rachel said, nudging her in the shoulder.

Maybe you should, Meagan replied with a giggle. I’ll be down in a few moments. Don’t go in without me.

Rachel left the room, leaving Meagan alone with her message and her thoughts. The contents of Daryn’s message were nothing scandalous, which didn’t surprise her. Daryn wasn’t an emotional person. He didn’t believe in romance and passion. It was something that Meagan had to accept about him. She knew when she entered into the engagement with him that it was more a marriage of convenience than anything. She considered herself lucky to be marrying such a dedicated, strong, handsome man.

Meagan, the holographic text read. I can’t wait to see you tonight. It will be very reassuring knowing that I will have you by my side as I set out on this important mission.

That was it. That was all the message said. Still, she appreciated his efforts. She knew that taking the time to even send that message was something he would have never done when they first started their relationship. She knew he was capable of being sweet to her, in his own way. She just had to learn to recognize and appreciate it.

Pushing herself up off the bed, she walked over to the mirror. Taking one last, long look at herself, she glanced back at the picture of her mother. I do look like her, she whispered to herself. Hopefully, I’ll be able to lead like her one day as well.

Chapter 2: In Here

Walking down the stairs that divided the official Court area from the President’s Residential area, Meagan felt her stomach begin to flop nervously. She had attended many banquets in her life, but this one was different. At this one, she and her fiancé would be the focal point of attention.

Although they had been engaged for nearly a year, their relationship was still a topic of discussion amongst the people of the Capital. They wanted to be sure that their future leader was the right person for the job. For that reason, the mission Daryn was about to embark on was of utmost importance. Everyone was looking at him, judging his every move, sizing him up and casting their judgments of their future leader.

Rachel was waiting at the bottom of the oversized staircase, pacing back and forth, her heels clicking loudly on the marble floor. She appeared almost as nervous as Meagan.

What are you so worried about? Meagan asked as she approached her friend.

Rachel turned and looked at her, almost surprised to see her. I just want tonight to go well for you, she said with a smile. I know it’s very important to you and Daryn.

I appreciate your concern, Meagan replied.

The two girls walked together down the Court’s Main Hall. The walls around them were lined with life-sized portraits of Meagan’s family—her great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents, all depicted alone and with their families.

As they approached the large doors Meagan saw Daryn and her father waiting for them. Daryn looked exceptionally handsome that night in his blue and white dress uniform. His light blond hair was cut short, making his strong jawline and deep blue eyes more prominent. The jacket of his uniform fit him snugly, given his bulging muscles were hidden underneath it.

As they got closer, Daryn walked in their direction to meet them. He held out his long arms, embracing her tightly. He stood at least a foot taller than her, and his frame nearly enveloped her completely.

Leaning in, he placed a quick kiss on her forehead and said, you look lovely.

You look very handsome, as well, she replied, smiling up at him.

Rachel, her father called to her friend, why don’t we go in and give these two a moment alone before their grand entrance.

Yes, sir, Rachel said, smiling at Meagan over her shoulder as she went to meet her father at the door.

As the two of them slipped into the ballroom, a respectful applause spilled out into the hall. Just as the door clicked shut behind them, Meagan could hear the leader of ceremonies announce her father’s arrival.

Are you ready for this? Daryn asked, stepping back and letting his arms fall silently to his side.

I suppose, Meagan replied, twisting her hands in front of her.

She wasn’t ready, though. She was nervous—very nervous. And, she wished that Daryn would reach out and comfort her again. But, she knew he wouldn’t. He wasn’t great with intimacy. That’s not to say that they hadn’t been intimate. But, whenever they were, it always seemed to be mechanical. Even when they kissed, it felt almost uncomfortable. He never kissed her in public, afraid it would make him look soft and weak. But, when they were alone together, they had shared a tender moment or two. She held onto those moments, knowing that somewhere down deep they had shared some sort of connection.

Will we have time alone together after the banquet? she asked, hoping to be able to share one of those elusive moments with him before he left.

No, he replied, shaking his head. My fleet is scheduled to leave right after the event.

She lowered her head, looking at the floor. Oh.

To her surprise, he reached out and nudged her chin up, looking down at her with an expression of concern. Will you be okay while I’m gone?

I’ll be fine, she said with a shrug. I’ve got enough to keep me busy.

I’ll miss you, Meagan, he said softly.

Her heart fluttered slightly. I’ll miss you, too, she whispered.

For a second she thought he was going to lean in and kiss her, but instead, he hooked his arm with hers and announced, let's do this.

When he pulled the large doors open, the room in front of them fell silent. There must have been at least 200 people present. All eyes were on them, and Meagan felt her pulse begin to race nervously.

Ladies and gentlemen, the leader of ceremonies yelled out, I present to you the guests of honor—Miss Meagan Cooper and Lieutenant Colonel Lawson.

A loud applause filled the room, bouncing off the walls and high ceilings and falling back on Meagan heavily. The couple stepped forward together, smiling politely at everyone they passed as they made their way for the large, rectangular table in the center of the room. Meagan's father was seated at the head of the table, empty chairs to his left and right. Daryn took his place at her father's right and she sat to his left. Rachel was sitting to her left, something Meagan had insisted on.

The instant they took their seats, the room once again resumed its previous state—a buzz of excitement and chatter.

I have no doubt that young Daryn here will be successful in this mission, her father explained to some of the other military personnel seated around them. Her father’s voice was loud and booming. Hell! I wouldn’t be surprised if he returned early.

Daryn flashed a cocky smile, one she only saw him wear when he was with other high-ranking officials. Mr. President, Daryn replied confidently, your faith in me is humbling, although, well-deserved, I should say.

The men around them bellowed with laughter. Seeing Daryn in these situations always made Meagan feel awkward and uncomfortable. He was so different with these people than he was when it was only them.

Those hopeless shits don’t know what they’ve got coming to them, one of the men said with a laugh.

Taking them out shouldn’t be any problem for you, Lieutenant Colonel Lawson, her father added.

No problem, at all, Daryn replied, nodding his head in assurance. They should have done the smart thing and taken the deal we offered them months ago.

You know the alien races, her father said, they’re stubborn and stupid. They don’t know what’s for their own good.

It’s a good thing we’re here to teach them then, isn’t it? Daryn added with a hearty laugh.

Meagan pushed her food around on her plate, trying not to stare too intently at her fiancé. Whenever he got like that, she felt as if she were looking at someone different and it disturbed her.

Don’t like the meal? Rachel asked, leaning in and speaking softly.

It’s fine, Meagan said, shoveling a pile of potatoes into her mouth.

The truth was, the meal was delicious. It was made completely with natural ingredients, something rare in the Empire. Ever since the problem of overpopulation began to plague Earth,