Warriors from the other vessels crowded the room, all facing one way. Emperor Daaynal K’Saan stood there next to his sister-sons, War Commander Tarrick and Lord Healer Laarn, his grim face and scarred body a sight to behold. On the other side of the emperor was his champion, Xaandril, one arm in a sling, and, surprisingly, a human female.
Sardaan watched her from the corner of his eye. Dressed in a curious mixture of warrior’s leathers and human attire, she seemed to be with Xaandril himself. That in itself was a surprise. The big, gruff champion was not known to frequent the pleasure houses and the story of how he’d lost his mate and child, and his reaction, was the stuff of legend.
Yet, he appeared protective and possessive about the little human female, glaring at any male who looked at her for too long. It was an unspoken challenge that the woman was his. If he hadn’t claimed her yet, it wouldn’t be long. Sardaan certainly wouldn’t take him on. Even though the champion was recovering from injury, it would still be suicide.
“We have the human vice president, Madison Cole, onboard,” Fenriis said, his deep voice filling the briefing room. “There seem to be some political issues. The human male, Hopkins, seems to have orders from above her, from the president himself, indicating promises she makes will not be honored.”
Daaynal frowned, a deep crease between his brows. His braids, more than Sardaan had ever seen on a warrior, brushed his shoulder as he looked at Fenriis. “You think she intends to play us for fools?”
Danaar, next to Fenriis, rumbled in the back of his throat, but the commander lifted a hand slightly to silence his second in command. Sardaan watched the interplay with interest. Danaar’s feelings toward the human female were no secret. Hadn’t been since the moment she’d stepped aboard their ship.
“Unsure. I do think she’s being cut out of their command structure. Hopkins spouted off something about reprisals when she returns home because of her stance toward us.”
There was another grumble from Danaar but he didn’t speak. Like Sardaan, he knew better than to interrupt such males in conversation. But Sardaan didn’t miss the tiny flicker of the emperor’s gaze toward the big warrior. Shit. If Daaynal took offense…
“Her stance toward us?” the emperor continued, his attention once again on Fenriis. “A good one, I take it?”
Fenriis nodded. “Seems level-headed and open to both negotiation and the possibility of integration of our two species.”
“One species,” the Lord Healer interrupted. “Humans are a subspecies of Lathar. They literally are us. But smaller.”
“And we still have women,” the woman at Xaandril’s side interrupted, something that made more than a few males around the room frown. But neither the emperor nor the lord healer seemed annoyed, instead nodding in agreement as the woman spoke.
“Madison Cole is a good woman,” she continued. “Fair and level with good policies. She’s always fought for the people, even against overwhelming odds, and it doesn’t surprise me that she’s being reasonable about human-Lathar negotiations. Nor does it surprise me,” she stressed quickly, “that the asshats in Terra-command are moving against her. They’ve been trying to discredit her for years. She’s good people.”
Sardaan watched her openly now, along with most of the room. Daaynal smiled. “Gentlemen, please let me introduce Kenna Reynolds, one of our delightful Terran guests. She has been most gracious in aiding our understanding of her people.”
Sardaan easily decoded the emperor’s words. The woman had to be one of the women taken from the first Terran base the Lathar had discovered. Stories had been going around about them since their discovery. They were all supposed to be military women. Now, having seen her and others on the human ship just off their port bow, he finally understood what that meant.
Kenna lifted her chin, looking around the room with a slight smile on her lips as she nodded in acknowledgment. “Gentlemen.”
“So… you think dealing with the vice president will get us nowhere?” the emperor demanded of the human female, who shrugged.
“Without knowing more about the situation and speaking to her, I can’t say that. I’ve been out of the loop for a while.”
She flashed a grin at Xaandril, and Sardaan was surprised to see the slight softening of his features as he looked at the tiny female. Yeah, the champion had it bad. Why hadn’t he claimed her yet? She was right there, and much smaller than the champion. There was no way she’d be able to win in a challenge fight.
“Who else are we dealing with?” Daaynal transferred his attention back to Fenriis. To his credit, the war commander didn’t even flinch in the face of the emperor’s harsh manner, but Sardaan hadn’t expected anything else. They were all K’Vass, the best warrior clan out there.
“The human ship TSS Defiant originally arrived commanded by a General Hopkins, but after his attempted attack on us, command transferred to a Major General Black. Female. I can’t tell how old she is, I…” Fenriis shrugged a little. “My exposure to females has been limited. If I were to guess, I would say she’s a warrior in her prime.”
The image of the beautiful Terran woman formed instantly in Sardaan’s mind when Fenriis mentioned her name, and he kept his expression level only with hard-fought control. As communications officer, he’d been the first to speak to her and had been instantly captivated. She was tiny and beautiful… her direct gaze affected him on levels he’d never experienced before, and he instantly wanted more. He’d kill to get her into a challenge circle and claim her.
“Wait…” Kenna butted in, her expression rapt. “Did you say Major General Black?”
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Other Books By This Author
Alien Guardians of Earth
Bad Panther
Mad Panther
My Crazy Alien Romance
Tangling With Topper
Touching Topper
Timeless Topper
Jezibaba Saga
All Fired Up
Not Fairy Common
A Howling Success
Baba Yaga Saga
How To Train A Witch
How To Date A Dragon
To Yaga Or Not To Yaga
Aliens In Kilts
Matchmaker Abduction
Nate’s Fated Mate
Shades Of Darcone
Cyborgs: Mankind Redefined
Peyton 313
Kingston 691
Marcus 583
Eric 754
Nano Wolves
Ariel
Brandi
Heidi
Forced To Serve
The Daemon Of Synar
The Daemon Master’s Wife
The Siren’s Call
The Healer’s Kiss
The Daemon’s Change
The Tracker’s Quest
About the Author
Donna McDonald published her first romance novel in March of 2011. Sixty plus novels later, she admits to living her own happily ever after as a full time author.
Her work spans several genres, such as contemporary romance, paranormal, and science fiction. Humor is the most common element across all her writing. Addicted to making readers laugh, she includes a good dose of romantic comedy in every book.
Here are some easy ways to find me online!
www.donnamcdonaldauthor.com
[email protected]
Bad Panther (Alien Guardians of Earth Book 1) Page 16