Chapter 3: She arrives

A guard stepped in front of him, obscuring his view, and he swatted him aside. Humans frequently stepped in his way when he was camouflaged to be invisible. No one took any notice of the swearing guard who landed in a heap a few feet away. Everyone's attention was focused on the woman emerging from the pitiful coach.

A dainty, pale hand took the one the knight offered. Zain clenched his fists against the need to break off the human's hand and then push him aside and take her hand. He was the only one allowed to touch her. He glared at the knight who did not realize that he was a walking dead human.

A delicate face emerged, pale and oval, with hair as dark as a Zyrgin midnight sky. Zain sucked in a loud breath, causing the guards to stir uneasily. She was the most beautiful human female among all females that have walked the Earth in any century. She stepped down, and Zain pushed the knight out of his way, and moved to stand next to her, close enough to touch the hand that clutched a book decorated with flowers against her plain brown dress. She was short. That messenger had lied - she was short as her head barely came to Zain's chest. Her eyes were a deep blue, sharp with an intelligence the inferior humans around her lacked.

The pushed knight frowned and looked around. Sir Robert stepped forward. Another female emerged from the carriage. Zain didn't even look at her. He'd found his breeder. She was his even if she wasn't as tall as he'd hoped.

Melisende towered over Sir Robert, who gamely tried to look imposing while gazing up at her.

Magnificent - she was magnificent, and she was his.

From her beautiful midnight hair, to her round breasts and tiny feet, she was his. Her inferior human dress and the cloth covering her hair couldn't hide her beauty. She shone bright, while everyone around her faded until they looked like badly reproduced copies of humans.

Sir Robert slobbered over Melisende's hand, and Zain glowered at him. The human had long, yellow hair which he touched frequently to draw her attention. Zurian had warned him about human males using their hair in an unbecoming manner to entice a warrior's breeder. Zain reached out and yanked a lock of the human's hair, smirking when Sir Robert stumbled back, glaring at the knight behind him.

The human recovered quickly. "My lady, welcome to my humble castle," said Robert the Brave, with a strained smile.

Zain sneered at the human. Robert the Brave. All he did was drink and eat and bed wenches who were as round as they were tall. He wasn't worthy of a prize like Melisende. It was a good thing Zain was here to take her. She deserved a Zyrgin warrior who would provide a superior dwelling for her. A warrior capable of protecting her. A warrior who would give her many hours in the sleeping place.

"Thank you, Sir Robert." Melisende took the arm the ugly human male dared hold out to her, to lead her into the hall where food waited. Zain stood ready to catch her if she fainted from the smell of sweat, animals, and urine that mixed with the aroma of bread and meat. In contrast to those around her, she smelled like roses. Another sign that she was his. He opened and closed his hands, extending his claws, resisting the urge to forego the battle and grab her. She belonged in Zain's arms, not with the human with the ugly yellow hair. He pulled on Sir Robert's hair again and smirked when the Baron glared at the knight who had accompanied Melisende.

The unworthy male led her inside to the long tables laden with yellow food that offended Zain's eyes. Why would they do that to food? He knew what humans ate by now, and that these primitive humans colored food during feasts, but bread and meat weren't supposed to be bright yellow.

In the courtyard, everyone sat down on plain, wooden benches that lined each of the tables. Only the table where his breeder and Sir Robert would sit had crude chairs. Zain tracked Melisende, who clutched the decorated book so hard, her knuckles became white. Her beautiful lips trembled, and she firmed them. Sir Robert held her chair and flicked back his hair. Zain was pleased to see that she didn't seem impressed with Sir Robert or his ugly hair. He touched his own bare head. Maybe she'd prefer a warrior with a bald head and a superior ridge. One who could provide her with modern conveniences and many hours in the sleeping place. He shifted with discomfort as he grew hard and ready for those hours in the sleeping place. With ruthless will, he forced it down. When the time was right.

Anticipation made him feel as if his blood boiled inside his veins. Zain dropped his camouflage. At first, no one noticed him, too focused on the celebrations. Zain walked closer to the long table where Sir Robert and Melisende sat.

A young woman with red cheeks dropped a tray of crude mugs. The clatter of the mugs hitting the floor mixed with her shrill scream.

Someone shouted "demon," another "dragon." "Grab the children," rang out over the courtyards. It was music to Zain's ears. Most of the humans fled the hall to deeper inside the castle. The soldiers stationed in the castle, and the knights who'd accompanied his breeder, rushed to surround them. Most of them shook so much, Zain was surprised they didn't drop their weapons.

Zain could understand why they called him a demon. It seemed to be a standard response for anything these medieval humans didn't understand. But dragon?

He raised his voice. "I have come to claim Melisende for my bre - bride. Will you fight me for her, Sir Robert the Brave?" At last, he would see battle even if it was against a puny human. He'd already killed an Eduki for her, but he was quite willing to kill a Robert the Brave for her, too.

Melisende touched her forehead, chest, and each shoulder. He'd seen the medieval humans do that before; she thought she needed protection from him provided by her God. The thought made him feel strange, and he resolved to kill Sir Robert the Brave slowly. That would rid him of this uncomfortable feeling. She stared at him with those deep blue eyes that shone like Aurelian jewels. He was a warrior who'd seen many battles. But he felt her gaze like a punch in his gut. She leaned away from him, and he pushed his disappointment down. She feared him. His breeder thought him ugly.

Sir Robert sprang up, reaching for the pathetic sword at his hip. "Be gone from this world, evil being." He motioned his knights over. "Kill it." Over his shoulder, he screamed, "Bring the priest."

Zain had seen the priest and he couldn't imagine what they thought the priest could do against him. Two knights stepped forward. Zain could hear their knees knocking together. He swatted them away with his bare hands and turned back to the table, where his breeder sat, and pushed out his chest. "I hunted an Eduki for you. You can see I am a warrior of superior skill."

Another five knights ran forward, and Zain punched them. They crumpled to the floor with disappointing ease. At least, it made him look good in front of his breeder. Many warriors had complained about the fact that their breeders never saw them during battle. During their greatest hours. He was a fortunate warrior to have the opportunity to fight for his breeder in her presence. He flexed his muscles and turned back to his breeder. "I made a dwelling for you, superior to this primitive place." Their gazes locked, and for one long moment, he had the strangest sensation as if they were the only two people in the world.

"Take her, and leave us alone," Sir Robert wheezed.

Melisende gasped and kept her head up, but he saw her lips tremble. She clutched the book so tight, he feared she'd injure her frail human fingers. She opened her mouth, but Sir Robert spoke first. "Why do you want such a mannish female?"