Jasmine of Draga: A Space Fantasy Romance (The Draga Court Series Book 3) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  JASMINE OF DRAGA

  THE DRAGA COURT SERIES

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Copyright © 2018 by Jillian Ashe as Emma Dean

  ASIN: B077T9PRYQ

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, locations, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Contents

  Books by Emma Dean

  Dominance

  Houses of Draga

  The Draga Galaxy

  The Khara Galaxy

  The Hai Galaxy

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Do You Like to Be Teased?

  Do you like Space Opera Adventure Romance?

  About the Author

  Books by Emma Dean

  The Draga Court Series

  Princess of Draga

  Crown of Draga

  Jasmine of Draga

  Heir of Draga

  Prequel – Royal Guard of Draga*

  *Can be read as a standalone before or after Princess of Draga.

  The Khara Court Series

  Warrior Princess of Khara - 2018

  The Hai Court Series

  The Last Dragon Princess of Hai - 2018

  Want updates on when the books are released and my progress with them?

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  Dominance

  Each Kalan is born with a scent marker that identifies their level of dominance. There is also a range within each level. Two people who are at the same level, such as the black rose, can have a different amount of dominance.

  The genetic alterations used these scent markers to reflect ability and position in a pack or society like the Ancient wolves.

  *Spicier/muskier means more dominant. Sweeter is more submissive.

  From most dominant to least:

  Black Rose

  Winterflowers

  Orange Blossom

  Lilac

  Jasmine

  Houses of Draga

  Deytis – Barony

  Baron Kace and Baroness Lyria

  Heir – Leo

  Second-born – Lora

  Draga – Royals

  King Orion and Queen Adele

  Heir – Raena

  Second-born – Giselle

  Third-born – Adelina

  Fourth-born – Asher

  Fifth-born – William

  Sixth in line to the throne – Ian, Elara’s son

  Brother to the King – Prince Solomon

  His wife Princess Mara

  First-born – Ajax

  Second-born

  Avvis – Archduchy

  Archduchess Indra and Archduke Chet

  Heir – Hayden

  Second-born – Masha

  Indra’s Sister – Lady Tine

  Her husband Lord Berter

  First-born – Sonya

  Second-born – Hewayn

  Indra’s brother – Lord Keve

  Priea – Marquis

  Marquess Delia and Marquis Greyson

  Heir – Veri

  Second-born – Alock

  Third-born – Cindra

  Cousins – Adam

  Alfonso

  Ushanov – Duchy

  Duchess Odette and Duke Mikel

  Heir – Marcel

  Second-born – Rashad

  Third-born – Raphael

  Pedranus – Count-ship

  Countess Joslynn

  Scyria – Count-ship

  Countess Malaya

  Heir – Anatoly

  His wife – Elena

  Second-born – Peter

  Third-born – Sirus

  Treon – Marquis

  Marquis Peter and Marquess Wendy

  Heir – Lucas

  Second-born – Grady

  Seprilles – Barony

  Baron Jarvis and Baron Romeo and Baroness Leslie

  Heir – Jayden

  Second-born – Rory

  The Draga Galaxy

  The race of Humans living in the Draga galaxy under the Kala sun is called Kalans. Only the ruling family of each planet holds the name Draga, Avvis, etc.

  Planets in the Draga solar system from first to last:

  Deytis – Barony

  Draga Terra – Capitol; Royal Planet

  Avvis – Archduchy

  Priea – Marquis

  Ushanov – Duchy

  Pedranus – Count-ship

  Scyria – Count-ship

  Treon** – Marquis

  Seprilles** – Barony

  **Seprilles and Treon have elliptical orbits around the sun. Half of the cycle one planet is on the border of one side of the galaxy, and the other half is on the opposite border. Twice a year they are closest to each other than any other planet.

  The Khara Galaxy

  Sun – Corinth

  The race of Humans living in the Khara galaxy under the Corinth sun is called the Corinthians.

  Planets in the Khara solar system from first to last:

  Capuli – Panthera House

  Prince Milagros and Princess Lilja alive

  Arcadius – Neofilis House

  Princess Kaita alive

  Khara Prime – Capitol, where the current ruling family resides

  Royals Dead

  Minara – Tigris House

  Prince Valdis alive

  Lithios – Jaguar House

  Princess Svana and Princess Tawney alive

  Leva – Leo House

  Royals Dead. Prince Nash’s home planet

  Kepri – Serval House

  Royals Dead

  The Hai Galaxy

  Sun – Drakesthai

  The race of Humans living in the Hai galaxy under the Drakesthai sun is called the Drakesthai. This does not apply to the Humans who remain Unchanged.

  Planets in the Hai solar system from first to last:

  Anarr – Skye Dragons

  Kuan-Yin – Ruled by the Unchanged

  Ima
ldi – Ruled by the Unchanged

  Hai Delta – Capitol; Obsidian Dragons

  Tainos – Fyre Dragons

  Argo – Starr Dragons

  Vudu Shaa – Vega Dragons

  Chapter One

  Princess Kaita of Khara

  Inner City

  Planet Seprilles

  Kaita glanced over her shoulder and pulled her hood up over her head. This stupid shikta planet was a wasteland compared to her homeworld. Terra-forming had done nothing to make it lush and fertile; there was no way when for most of the cycle Seprilles was too far from the sun to grow much outside of a greenhouse. The air was barely breathable outside the domes and the air inside of them was stale and bitter.

  It had been months since she had barely escaped the Khara galaxy and her home planet with nothing but her life. All alone with only a few men and women loyal to her, they fled to the Draga galaxy. Kaita had no plans for the future other than to survive and search for her people, the ones lucky enough to escape.

  When she’d heard Prince Nash had survived the attacks as well and somehow managed to get to Draga Terra, and how he pleaded with the King for assistance – Kaita had been relieved. Grateful she wasn’t the last royal of the Khara galaxy left alive.

  Unfortunately, there was no safe way to send a message to her fellow royal, not on the border where Draga had forsaken their own and only the noble family of Seprilles ruled this barren world. Even the nobles were on Draga Terra, and the stewards and cousins had to rule in their stead.

  Her boot splashed through a puddle she didn’t wish to know the contents of. With her knives strapped to her back, her fighter’s uniform and billowing cloak she was nobody among the crowds of people pushing through the market.

  Metal was everywhere. It formed cubes of buildings, stalls and the stench of the tang permeated everything. Kaita fastened her mask over the lower half of her face. The piece of tech hid her features from scanners and filtered the air. She pushed past the dirty miners, the soldiers, and the merchants until she reached her destination. The tavern was busy as usual. It was after work hours and the citizens liked to let off steam with alcohol.

  It was like any world in that sense, Kaita supposed. Despite their lack of beauty on this planet the citizens were surprisingly happy. Word had come the capitol had sent warships and soldiers with supplies to refortify the border. With the Neprijat a quick jaunt away the relief was palpable.

  At the back of the tavern near the bar was a large table, and she slid into the chair next to Mak. “No luck,” she told her soldiers. “The genetic ping revealed nothing in the immediate area. Hoping and waiting for Prince Nash to find us is a fool’s hope. We need to make a better plan.” Kaita slapped the table and the metal groaned. Shikta gravity made her stronger than normal and it was difficult to get used to.

  “Are you sure we cannot contact Prince Nash? The person I spoke to said he’s friends with the Prince of Thieves. He has to know we’re here.”

  “And then what?” Kaita snapped. Her pale, rosy pink eyes held his and the male flinched. “Wait around for sweet Prince Nash to rescue us? We’ve been here for months – and months before that limping through space. I’m done hiding and skulking about. We need to head to Draga Terra. The royals finally acknowledged our alliance and if they have granted sanctuary to Prince Nash they will grant sanctuary to a Princess of Khara as well.”

  Her second shook his head. “We don’t have the fuel to reach Draga Terra, or the food. The starships are running on fumes. Unless we can get our hands on more gold we’re stranded here until we can make contact with Prince Nash and his forces.”

  The drab flight suits they all wore had their insignia ripped from the sleeves. Nothing indicated they were anything other than Draga citizens. Their tech hid their true identities, and the small bit of gold Kaita had smuggled out had kept them from going hungry, but they were down to their last few ingots and something had to be done.

  Kaita considered her soldiers. The males and females who followed her looked tired and worn out, there wasn’t a spark of hope left in their eyes. She was a princess which meant they all looked to her. Kaita protected them and she had to step up, make sure she fulfilled her duties.

  “I want all of you to scatter, find out if there are fights, legal or illegal I don’t care. Find something that makes us cash. Bring me back the info and we’ll go from there. A few fights and we’ll have all the gold we’ll need. We’ll head to Draga Terra and join with Prince Nash as a united front.”

  The soldiers perked up and started to smile. A good fight would bolster everyone’s mood. Kaita turned her hand palm up. “Once we have the gold to repair our starships and tech I will send out a coded message to the Prince. From what I’ve heard he’s looking for us, which means he has not forgotten we exist despite his romantic flirtations.” Each of her soldiers placed their hand over hers in agreement and she gave them all a nod. Kaita took care of her own.

  She took care of her people while Prince Nash cavorted with the royals in luxury as his own people suffered. Kaita shook her head. It wasn’t fair to him, but the last few months had been the hardest of her life and she had no more energy for sympathy and understanding. Kaita wanted retribution. She wanted justice.

  Her plans to gather enough forces to rip those monsters limb from limb hadn’t quite panned out yet, but never once had she wavered from her goals. Those monsters had murdered her entire family. A few were missing, but she hadn’t dared ping their genetics while in Khara space. Not even on Seprilles, they weren’t far enough away from the Neprijat and Kaita didn’t know enough about the Neprijat tech. Her ping could alert those abominations to her family’s location.

  Just last week they’d been able to modify the genetic tech and encoded a transmission, but it had been too long since the original attack. There weren’t any pings of her people in the Outer Rim other than the ones already with her. Kaita sighed and signaled for a round of drinks.

  “Hey turn that up!” someone yelled.

  The livestream constantly displayed on the wall showed Prince Nash clasping the arm of the King of Draga. It looked like he was saying goodbye. Kaita narrowed her eyes and focused. The voice coming from the livestream explained Nash had been granted permission to travel to Seprilles in search of his people. Apparently a princess had been sighted.

  Relief flooded Kaita; she was ashamed at how much she’d secretly wished Nash would remember her. He had an entire contingent of soldiers with him and with their tech he would be on Seprilles in a matter of days. All that prancing about in the palace had finally gained some traction.

  The livestream was always a day or so behind by the time it finally reached Seprilles. With any luck Prince Nash would be there within the day.

  “Plan stays the same. We cannot rely on Prince Nash having extra gold or the supplies we need. Find ways to get what we need. I want every starship fueled, supplied, and ready to go when Prince Nash arrives. No doubt he’s managed to locate others.”

  The soldiers clapped each other on the back and started chattering about who might be with the prince and if any of their loved ones were with him. It was more hope than she’d seen in months. Those weeks when they were on the run, before they reached the border, had been…harrowing. Kaita would never forget those hounds on her trail or the skirmishes where they’d lost so many of their people.

  The entire tavern shuddered and a blast reverberated through her skull. Kaita fell to the floor and ducked under the table as she shouted orders. Her people followed without hesitation but they were all trapped. “Report!”

  Her second tapped his armband and studied the streaming data for a second before his mouth became a grim line. “Seprilles is under attack. It looks like the Neprijat.”

  Kaita let out a stream of very un-princess-like curses and then another explosion rocked them. “Everybody single file, we need to exit the building before it falls down on us. I want everyone to our ships now. I don’t care if you have to steal or kill.
Gather fuel and supplies. We’re leaving this blasted planet now. Masks up!”

  They all covered their mouths and noses with the filters. Kaita pulled down her goggles and signaled for her soldiers to follow. Debris rained down on them and she tried to ignore the screaming and shouts from the poor souls all around them. These were not her people and she couldn’t do anything to help them.

  It was like the attacks on her homeworld all over again. Her eyes burned with unshed tears. Kaita would get them back in the sky and blow as many Neprijat out of existence as possible. She only had to survive for a little bit longer. Gather supplies, fuel, and weapons. Destroy the Neprijat. Live long enough to regroup.