New Video: Alien Romance Serial: Fated Mates of the Drakoan Episode 12 | Author Reading

[00:00:00.820] – Danielle Forrest
Hello and welcome, here’s a sneak peek of today’s episode. And as long as they stayed in her front yard arguing, they wouldn’t be fulfilling that mission. A mission she suspected was essential to getting Earth back on her feet again. Hi, my name is Danielle Forrest, and on this channel I do videos about myself, my writing and anything related to those topics. In this video, I’m going to be reading from Episode 12 of Fated Mates of the Drakoan, titled In flagante delicto. Let’s get started. Davin felt Jess tense in his arms, and he immediately knew something was wrong. Davin?, she whispered, her voice quivering ever so slightly. Shh, he said. But he was now on high alert, his gaze scouring his surroundings for threats. As he squinted into the night, his eyes adjusted, picking up heat signatures in the darkness. Most were small, animals, or horizontal, people sleeping. It only took him a moment to spot what had caught her attention. A bi-pedal individual was walking in their direction. He tensed as well, his entire body wanting to react as his training had taught him. But he was at a disadvantage. He was currently locked to Jess, limiting his range of motion.

[00:01:14.320] – Danielle Forrest
Davin reached for his pants, which were currently tangled around his legs. He fumbled and jerked at them until he managed to pull a weapon from its holster. He lifted and aimed, his other arm curling around Jess protectively, as if that would make any difference whatsoever. Are you really going to shoot me, commander? The approaching figure said. Davin sagged as he let out a breath of relief, his gun arm falling to his side. Dammit, Van. I could have shot you. Van finally stepped out of the shadows, his stride sure as he crossed the street. Would you have really shot me? Davin resisted the urge to the growl at him. It wasn’t Van’s fault. He’d been the one to simply walk away. He was honestly surprised Van had come alone. It would have been perfectly within his rights to bring the entire team along to search for him. They were on a mission, after all. He could have thought something had happened to him. It could have been dangerous. Van had taken one hell of a risk coming here on his own. Then Davin was jarred from his thoughts as Jess finally squirmed away from him successfully. Her pants pulled up her legs before he even missed her body heat.

[00:02:24.550] – Danielle Forrest
Davin frowned as she stepped off to the side, curling her arms around her middle. He reached out, wanting to pull her into his embrace once more. But the moment he took a step to breach the distance between them, the mess of cloth and equipment around his legs tripped him up. He stopped to right his own clothing, but by the time he finished, Van laughed, drawing both their attentions. It took several more long moments for Van to stop laughing, then to get his breathing under control. Even then, there was a slight wildness he wasn’t used to seeing in his staid friend. Van shook his head as if trying to shake off the episode, then looked to Jess before turning his assessing gaze back to Davin. So this is her?

[00:03:07.480] – Danielle Forrest
Jess was trying desperately to tamp down on her embarrassment as the mystery man approached. Long moments later, he stepped into the light and she could see that he was another Drakoan like Davin. This alleviated at least some of her concerns, but she’d still been caught literally with her pants down.

[00:03:26.390] – Danielle Forrest
That had never happened to her before. Hell, she’d never even participated in the time honored tradition of the walk of shame. Then her brain registered that Davin had called him by name. He knew him. Who was he? Was he a friend, a rival, a subordinate? Davin had said he was a commander, right? That sound like a pretty high up position. Which was when she noticed that the pressure that had kept her distracted and uncomfortable for so long was finally gone. Unwilling to wait a second longer, she awkwardly scrambled to her feet and jerked on her yoga pants. Then the newcomer, Van, said something about her, and she snapped her head up. What’s going on? Meanwhile, Davin was quiet as he too, donned his pants. The awkwardness of the moment was amplified as they each failed to fill the silence. Jess’s gaze jumped from Davin to Van and back again, expecting someone to say something. But Davin’s friend seemed content to simply stare at him, as if that alone could mine the answers he sought. What answers was he looking for? Had Davin done something wrong? They stared each other down like two gunslingers, causing the already uncomfortable moment to drag on longer and longer.

[00:04:37.930] – Danielle Forrest
At first, Jess had her arms wrapped around her middle, feeling embarrassed by being caught in such a compromising and vulnerable position. But as the moment dragged on further and further, her death grip on her ribs gradually loosened. She stared the two down, trying to piece together this unspoken puzzle she found herself in the middle of, but it was useless. Davin seemed mostly defensive, probably at being caught like that, and his friend was like reading a brick wall, giving nothing away. Finally, she got fed up. Okay, what the fuck is going on? Who are you? She pointed at the new guy, firing off questions as fast as her lips could move. Why are you here? Why are you angry with him? He turned to her, his gaze inscrutable, then turned back to Davin as if all answers lay with him. She turned to him as well, a sinking feeling of dread settling into her gut. The entire scene felt ominous. The dark and quiet street, the shadows, the mystery figure, being outnumbered. A part of her just wanted to go inside and forget all this ever happened. Hell, what she really wanted was for the world to make sense again.

[00:05:43.510] – Danielle Forrest
But that was never going to happen. The world had changed and nothing said she had to like it. Jess frowned, curling her arms around her torso once again. She was starting to feel a slight chill and she wasn’t sure if it was the weather or the situation. She’s my mate, Devin finally said, breaching the silence. A frowned slowly stretched across Van’s face, somehow managing to darken the red scales there. I guessed as much. Davin paused a weird expression, crossing his face, then continued with the introductions. Van, this is Jess. Jess, this is Van, my second in command. Delighted, she said, the uncomfortable situation making her snarky. I’m guessing Van came looking for me once I came here? Van stiffened, a volatile expression, briefly crossing his face before he got it under control once more. Once you disappeared, you mean? I finished that report for you. Then when I came back outside, you were gone. No word, no nothing. You don’t do that on mission. What the hell were you thinking? I wasn’t. Van scoffed. Clearly. Don’t start, Davin snapped, taking a step forward. You have no idea what this is like. You’re right. I don’t because you haven’t said a damned word.

[00:06:56.860] – Danielle Forrest
Van was now animated, throwing his hands about as he threw accusations at Davin. Something about the display felt wrong, though. She didn’t know the man. But there’d been something a hell of a lot more stalwart in his posture when he first approached. Now the restraints were gone and he held nothing back. I’m your second in command, dammit. I need to know these things. Hell, I’m your friend. I deserve to know these things. What could I do? Davin said in return, meeting him shout for shout. They’ve been slowly creeping closer and closer. Now they were practically toe to toe. Jess almost wished she had some popcorn now that the discomfort of earlier was gone and the dam had broken between the two friends. You could have told me. And do what? I don’t know. Exactly. They seemed to run out of things to say, but that didn’t stop them from staring each other down like two guard dogs, both at the ends of their chains. Entertainment over, she knew she needed to stop this. An argument could be productive, but this certainly wasn’t. But what could she do? She was half afraid they would lash out at her if she tried to intervene.

[00:08:04.420] – Danielle Forrest
Again, the fighting dogs analogy came to mind. What would she do if it was two humans fighting? She threw out idea after idea before one stuck. Well, it’s better than nothing. She opened her mouth and gave it a try. Okay, I feel like I’m missing something. Are you two lovers or something? They both balked, jerking away from each other as if they’d been burned, causing her to smile triumphantly. Well, some things are universal. Van straightened facing her as he adjusted his uniform, smoothing down lines that were already pretty much straight. His demeanor returned to that more composed mode he’d been in when he’d first walked into the light only a few minutes before. Davin took a steady breath but couldn’t seem to look at her. Jess stepped forward, compassion making her want to pull the two men into her arms for a hug. Why don’t we start from the beginning, okay? All right. What do you know? Van said hesitantly. Personally or globally? she said with a chuckle, trying to further break the tension. Globally, I guess. She searched for a smile, but Van was a tough cookie to crack, so she shrugged it off and started talking.

[00:09:14.520] – Danielle Forrest
Okay. A couple of weeks ago, the President went on TV announcing that a hostile alien fleet had reached Earth. He declared a state of emergency and asked all non-essential workers to stay in their homes when at all possible. There were the usual assurances. Everything is handled. Everyone’s cooperating. There’s no reason to fear. She shook her head and leaned forward. Let me tell you, it didn’t work. Jess frowned, trying to remember exactly how things had gone after that. She’d mostly heard things in rumors and often out of order, the events happening too fast to keep up with. Not that she’d ever been one to keep up with current events. Generally, if it didn’t happen in the gaming world, she wasn’t interested. But some of her roommates were. Let’s see. After that, there was the requisite panic buying, stories about national shortages on certain things. Some of my roommates were constantly checking for updates, but it felt like it was a lot of the same over and over again. So I wasn’t exactly paying much attention myself. She shrugged. Then the power went out. That was days ago. Was there any rioting? Looting? I don’t know why.

[00:10:25.230] – Danielle Forrest
On our trek to the US Capitol and White House, we spotted damage that didn’t seem consistent with an organized attack. Well, I wouldn’t be surprised, but we’re a few miles out, so I’m not sure we would have heard it if it happened after the power outage. He nodded. So what do you know? About the same time you received the announcement from your government, we received orders to deploy to Earth to reinforce an ally, humans who are currently under threat of attack. We arrived a few days ago, just in time to witness the use of a weapon unlike any we’d ever seen before. It knocked out all our sensors temporarily. When we got them back online, the enemy forces we’d detected upon first arriving were gone. We were able to initiate communication with the remaining human ships in orbit, but neither we nor they could reach anyone on Earth. He sighed. Apparently, those massive weapons not only took out the entire enemy fleet, they also took out Earth’s satellite communications network. Nuclear bombs, Jess said in shock. Yes, I believe that’s what they said it was. A part of her couldn’t believe it. No one had used a nuclear bomb in an offensive capacity since World War II.

[00:11:31.400] – Danielle Forrest
It was the ultimate deterrent, but no one actually wanted to use them. They were too nasty, had too much collateral damage, and yet it made sense. Nuclear bombs created EMPs. If it detonated low enough to affect Earth, even a single bomb could wreck havoc on a massive territory. An HEMP. She muttered to herself. What? An HEMP? High altitude electromagnetic pulse. Of course, Van said, looking a little excited. That makes perfect sense. He started pacing. We couldn’t understand why the power hadn’t been brought back online, why communication systems were still offline. We assumed the damage to the satellite network was to blame. But if the electronics themselves were fried, going back online again would be no simple task. But I would have thought the government would be prepared for that. I mean, we’ve known about EMPs since the 50s. Wouldn’t all their equipment be shielded or something? Van stopped pacing. That’s true. Even if the main power grid was damaged, they should have been able to maintain command somewhere but where? Fuck if I know. Van turned and nodded to her, Thank you. You have been most helpful. A little thrill ran through her at being called useful, but she shrugged, trying to pass it off as no big deal.

[00:12:47.870] – Danielle Forrest
He turned to Davin, who had been quiet this entire time. Come, we have to go. Davin tensed and Jess knew what he was going to say next. I’m not going anywhere. He looked at Jess, his expression one part stubborn, one part pleading. Davin, my friend, you have to come back. I can only cover for you for so long. You are the commander of the Drakonian fleet here. Everyone is looking to you for direction. Jess startled at his words, Oh, my God, I forgot. A cold sensation rushed through her, leaving a twinge of guilt in its wake. He’d said he was a commander, but she hadn’t really thought that concept through to its inevitable conclusion. She’d only considered his title as far as it benefited her. She’d been reassured by knowing he was somebody, someone of power, of influence, of control. At the time, it had been nothing but a word, something to anchor him to the real world in her mind. But it was more than that, wasn’t it? It was his duty and a heavy weight upon his shoulders that no one else could carry but him. People relied on him. And so long as he’s here, he’s letting them down.

[00:13:56.090] – Danielle Forrest
No, I can’t, Davin insisted. His voice getting deliciously growly as he inched closer to her. Davin, please, you must. But with each pleading word from his friend, Davin became more adamant, more intractable. Van tried reason, duty, emotion, nothing worked, and each entreaty had to have an inching closer and closer to her. When he was practically on top of her, it finally clicked. The mating. That was why he was here, after all, in her yard. But that wasn’t why he was on Earth. Both he and Davin were in uniform, both with weapons clipped into holsters. Even in the dark, it was easy enough to clock them as soldiers, soldiers who had a mission. And as long as they stayed in her front yard arguing, they wouldn’t be fulfilling that mission. A mission she suspected was essential to getting Earth back on her feet again. I need to do something. But what? What could she do? She was just a content creator online, and even that was beyond her abilities right now because there was no Internet, no computer, no electricity. She was literally useless right now. And yet she was worse than that, wasn’t she? She was actually less than nothing.

[00:15:10.100] – Danielle Forrest
She was a negative because she was holding up this team of aliens from doing their jobs. Without her, Davin would be doing what he was supposed to be doing. He would be leading his team, helping the Earth in whatever way deemed necessary. But how do I fix this? That was the question, wasn’t it? So long as she was here, Davin wouldn’t leave her side. So I go with him. The idea struck like a lightning bolt, both painfully obvious and terrifying. She didn’t know what their mission was or if it was dangerous. And while she’d reassured Scottie that she could take care of herself, she felt far less confident in this situation. She was no soldier and her martial arts training was rusty at best. Would she even react correctly in a fight? She frowned and cringed as she blurted it out. Let me go with you, as if she were ripping off a bandage. What? they said in unison, jerking around to face her. Let me go with you. She said it this time with more confidence. But they were each looking at her like she was crazy. Shit, this isn’t working. Think, Jess, think.

[00:16:19.790] – Danielle Forrest
What would convince them? I know the area? I might be able to help? Van stared at her for several moments, his gaze calculating. Then his eyes widened slightly, a grin twitching at the corners of his lips. He gave Jess a barely discernible nod before diverting his attention to Davin. The moment they both saw Davin calm, she knew she’d won him over. Van nodded. Let’s go. Thank you for watching to the end of this video. I hope you enjoyed it. What did you think and what do you think is going to happen next? Leave me a comment below. Anyway, that’s all I have for now. And if you like this video, consider giving it a like and subscribing to the channel and hitting the bell if you want notifications. And if you want to connect with me and my content in other places, you can find links to my various social media accounts and where to find my stories online in the video’s description. And if you’re the type of person who just can’t wait, you can get early access to my stories, among other rewards, on my Ream subscription. Ream is five episodes ahead with Fated Mates of the Drakoan and is currently sharing my unedited WIP of Matched to the Alien Captain.

[00:17:27.970] – Danielle Forrest
Until next time, here’s a few things you can watch while you’re waiting for my next video. Bye.