Warlord's Mate

by Lily Graison

  Krista laughed. “We’re ugly?”

  “Apparently.” Marcy picked up another root and started cutting it. “One of them wants to get a piece of human ass, while the other was horrified at the very thought.”

  “Well, let’s hope he persuades the other to forget about it. Not that you have to worry about getting cornered by any of them.”

  Marcy gave her an apologetic smile. “I’ve not said anything but have—” She couldn’t bring herself to ask if she’d been raped so let the question hang.

  Krista shook her head. “Unbelievably, no one has even attempted it or acted as if they were going to. Even the one who carried Dawn off screaming never touched her.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.” Krista reached into the basket and pulled out one of the roots. “After you stormed off that night, the warlord walked into the tent the one who took Dawn went into and made him let her go. I’m surprised you didn’t hear the uproar.”

  “I didn’t, but then again, I was so mad I couldn’t hear much of anything.

  “Well, before the warlord followed you into his hut, he told everyone the females were off limits. That we weren’t to be touched until we gave them permission to do so and if they didn’t like it, they were welcome to leave his camp.”

  “Well, that’s good.”

  “It could certainly be worse. No one liked the new decree but so far everyone’s kept their hands to themselves.”

  “That’s bullshit!” Dawn pushed her way into the conversation. “That big ass thing that thinks he owns me is grabby and if I didn’t fight him off, I’d spend my days on my back.”

  Krista rolled her eyes. “Stop being so dramatic. The warlord told him he had to have your permission to bed you so it’s not like he’s pulling you underneath him on a nightly basis. Besides, he caught you. He saw you before the others even knew I was there. I guess to him, you are his.”

  “What does that have to do with anything? The warlord might have told him he had to ask first, but that hasn’t stopped him from copping a feel anytime the mood strikes.”

  Marcy ignored Dawn’s outburst and looked back at Krista. “So, no one caught you?”

  “No.” She threw a peeved look at Dawn. “Someone ratted me out or I would have never been seen at all.”

  “Like I wanted to be taken alone.”

  Krista scoffed. “It’s not been too terrible. At least I’m not stuck in a tiny cell watching others take a crap in a bucket.”

  Marcy laughed. “There is that.”

  “And I think I’ve got an alien suitor.” She grinned. “The one with snow white skin and the black marks around his eyes. I think his name is Kyre. He takes a bit to get used to, but he’s been kind of sweet so far.”

  “Well, that’s something, I guess.”

  An empty basket hit the ground at her feet. Marcy looked up to find Jityria staring at her. “Cayen needs more xilum berries. Go get them.”

  Marcy bit her tongue to keep from telling Jityria to go find them herself but stood like a good little slave. “Are you going with me?”

  Jityria snorted a laugh. “No, sevit. If I could go, I wouldn’t have told you to.”

  “Then who is going?”

  “You are.” Jityria reached out and gave her a slight shove.

  Marcy balled her fists and clenched her teeth, counting to ten before blowing out a breath. “I’m not supposed to leave camp by myself.”

  “And I say what the warlord doesn’t know, won’t hurt him. Now go before I tell Darqu that you’ve refused to do his bidding.”

  Darqu had been left in charge of the camp while the warlord was gone. Like most of the aliens here, they were mostly hardened warriors, and she didn’t want to piss any of them off.

  Marcy snatched the basket from the ground, looked at Krista and said in her best Arnold Schwarzenegger imitation, “I’ll be back.” She gave Jityria a sneer and left, Krista’s laughter following her into the trees.

  Jorrick scowled, his mood still foul, and the others were beginning to notice. Hushed whispers filtered through the trees, their voices muffled enough that along with the swaying tree limbs, he wasn’t able to make out what anyone was saying but knew it was Mar-see they were discussing. He’d heard her name floating on the breeze once or twice and them discussing her had him snapping at the ones brave enough to talk to him. If he had to guess, he’d say her dancing for him was the topic of conversation for most, if not all of them. That dance hadn’t left his thoughts either.

  Waking up face down on the floor sobered him up faster than the special tea Cayen made. The night before had come back to him in a flash the moment he sat up on his knees and saw Mar-see in his bed. He’d been trying to strip out of his clothes to get a second taste of what he’d had under the waterfall but he’d passed out before getting the chance.

  The headache he woke up with had been different from most and the moment he remembered thinking he’d been drugged, the anger that came with the knowledge had cleared his head enough to realize that bedding Mar-see was monumentally stupid. He’d known it while standing underneath that waterfall waiting for her and he knew it even more now.

  She confused him and he couldn’t afford to let his thoughts get so muddled. The sight of her made him want things he shouldn’t, and he needed time to think. Doing that while she was so near would have been impossible so he’d rounded up the scouting party and headed away from camp to clear his head without the constant reminder of her. He hadn’t taken her from the arena for his pleasure. She was bait and nothing more and he couldn't forget that.

  Why can’t she be both?

  He scowled at his thoughts. She couldn’t be both because if he continued to fuck her, he’d start to care and if he cared, he wouldn’t be able to use her to lure Allok in. She had one purpose in his camp and it wasn’t to ride his cock. She was his means to revenge and nothing more.

  But she’s already under your skin. You running away is proof of that.

  Jorrick pushed his hair away from his face. Maybe the rumors about her being able to wield magic were true. Maybe that was why he felt so drawn to her.

  Or maybe your attraction has everything to do with a mating bond snapping into place.

  A burst of laughter brought his head up. A small group a few hundred nesecs away were laughing. Luckily none had turned to look his way or he would have had one of their heads just to ease his need for violence. Him not being aware of what was going on around him proved she was a distraction he didn’t need. He’d let Mar-see consume too much of his time and thoughts. He may want to bed her but that didn’t mean he should. He’d been in want of the comfort only a female could provide for nearly eight turns of the seasons now but hadn’t indulged, even with the knowledge that it would take nothing more than a word to get Jityria in his bed. As far as he was concerned, he was finished with females, especially ones with hair as red as flame, whose skin was soft and pale pink and felt so right pressed against his flesh. She was leading him to distraction and the sole reason he was here amongst these small clusters of men as they searched for Aris, setting off for countless nights of sleeping on the ground instead of protecting his camp. If he wasn’t near her, then he wouldn’t constantly think of her.

  And how’s that been working so far?

  He scowled at the thought as Aryan fell into step with him, nodded his head in greeting. “How far do you wish us to go?”

  The distraction Aryan provided was just what he needed. He straightened and said, “Once we reach the border of our territory, we’ll split up and do a sweep around the entire area. If Aris isn’t found, then it's safe to think Allok has him.”

  “And if he does?”

  Jorrick clenched his jaw. “Then instead of a rescue mission, this will turn into a burial procession.”

  Aryan said nothing to that. There was little reason to. His men knew as well as he did that Aris was probably dead. Being out here still and looking for him was a waste of time and resources, but he’d n
eeded to be as far away from Mar-see as he could get. A couple of weeks away from camp was plenty long enough to get her out of his head. By the time he made it back to camp, he will have sorted out his thoughts and pushed the desire he felt for her completely out of his system. All he had to do was kill enough of Allok’s men to drown out the sound of her screams of ecstasy.

  Thinking of them immediately conjured them inside his head. No matter how hard he tried, he could still hear her, could still see the look on her face as her cunt clenched around his cock as she came, screaming and panting, the sound echoing off the cavern’s crystal walls.

  His cock twitched just thinking about it, which made his ire even more profound. If he lived to be a thousand, he’d never forget that day, and he was probably fooling himself into thinking this excursion would be enough to make him forget about wanting her but he’d try his damnedest. It’s the only thing he could do at this point because truth was, she may be his revenge, but he wanted her unlike anything else in his existence and he’d die before letting another female ruin his life.

  She’d only grabbed a handful of the berries Cayen needed when she heard someone behind her. Marcy looked over her shoulder and saw an alien she’d only seen around camp but had never spoken to. She didn’t even know his name. He was one of the more human looking aliens. His skin was colored a dark bronze and if it wasn’t for the shape of his ears and the three dark slits over the bridge of his flat nose, he could pass for a human man.

  He was stomping toward her, his stride wide as he crossed to where she stood and she knew she was about to get yelled at by the look on his face alone. She sighed. Did these aliens never get tired of being assholes?

  “You are not to leave camp alone, human!”

  “That’s what I thought, too.” She bent to pick another handful of the berries. “But Jityria—” Her words were cut short when he grabbed her arm and jerked her upright. “Hey, watch it—”

  “The warlord instructed you to remain in camp.” His hand around her arm tightened. “Just because he is not here doesn’t give you the right to do as you please.”

  He yanked on her arm and jerked her to him. The pain from the move shot all the way up her arm into her shoulder. She dropped the basket, the berries spilling onto the ground. The pain in her arm was so intense, she forgot about trying to pick it up as she concentrated on keeping her feet underneath her as he hauled her back toward camp.

  Darqu was marching their way. He looked like a cross between a human and a fish. His face was elongated and his ears could pass for fins if it weren’t for the hole in front of them that clearly allowed him to hear.

  The look on his face was murderous though, which made his lipless mouth slash across his face more harshly. When he was close enough to see the fury in his orange eyes, Marcy saw Jityria standing by a cluster of trees, a smirk on her face. That smirk said more than words did. Jityria was going to enjoy watching her get yelled at. Knowing how conniving the heifer was, she probably planned it just like this. Send her out here on some fool errand, then send these two after her for disobeying orders.

  “You defy the warlord?” The words were yelled at her, a vein in Darqu’s neck bulging as he closed the distance between them. “His word is law whether he is here or not and no one disobeys his orders. Those who do, are punished and made example of.”

  Knowing Jityria, she’d probably already persuaded him to make her scoop out their crude toilet with her bare hands as penance. The satisfied look on her face told her whatever it was they were going to do, it was bringing her pleasure even before the act.

  Darqu looked over her head to the alien behind her. Some sort of silent communication was taking place if the look on Darqu’s face was any indication. They were probably deciding her fate.

  “Look, I was told to come out here. Cayen needed more of those berry things for that drink he makes.” She hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “I dropped the basket but you can see it right behind us.”

  Darqu didn’t even attempt to look, keeping his gaze leveled on her instead. “You were not to leave camp alone.”

  “I know this. And I said as much when I was told to go but—”

  “Then you admit to disobeying a direct order?”

  Marcy opened her mouth, then shut it. This was a trick question. She shot a look to Jityria. “Care to help me out here?”

  “Help you? When you willfully disobeyed a direct order from the warlord?”

  Willfully—oh, that conniving bitch.

  “Look,” Marcy said, jerking her arm free from the one holding her. “I only did as I was told. Apparently the message came across wrong so—I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

  The words nearly choked her, but she knew the signs of a power trip and this guy was on one. He must be in charge of security now that the warlord was off doing whatever it was him and the others left to do. She threw a look at Jityria and turned to grab the basket but was pulled to a stop by the one behind her. She shot him a glare, noticing a small hint of something that looked like fear in his eyes. She turned her attention back to Darqu. He looked anything but fearful. When he took a step back, she noticed what he held in his hand. Her eyes widened when he raised it into the air.

  “Oh, no you don’t!” Marcy jerked away from the one holding her. “Remember the last person to touch me? The warlord will kill you for this!”

  “The warlord won’t return for a full rotation of the moons, if even then.” He smiled, something sinister lurking in his eyes. “If he does manage to make it back, any wound I inflict now will be healed by then.”

  His words made her go still. If the warlord made it back. What did that mean?

  “Jorrick left me in charge and any punishment I see fit to dispense will be as if he himself issued the order so it is not I who does this, but the warlord himself. He forbid you from leaving camp. You disobeyed those orders. You will now suffer the consequences of defying him.”

  She clenched her jaw and looked to Jityria. “Stop this, Jityria!” The woman did nothing. Marcy looked at all three of them. “This is bullshit,” she said under her breath before turning to grab the basket. “I’m going back to camp now. Will that make you happy?”

  The crack of his whip split the air, the snap loud enough that when the tip slashed across her back, she barely heard her own screams. Pain lanced through her body, her knees buckling from its intensity. She hit the ground, the agony in her back causing her stomach to roll. Another crack of the whip caused fire to race over her backside and she screamed and fell to the leafy floor of the forest.

  Every single cell in her body was revolting, her cries the only thing she heard. The skin on her back was split open enough she could feel the hot rush of blood running over her skin and soaking into the cloth wrapped around her waist. The tears came unbidden, and she didn’t even try to hide them. It was pointless. The pain was too intense to even pretend it didn’t hurt.

  The alien who had grabbed her arm moved, the leaves and twigs crunching under his boot as he turned and left.

  Darqu turned as well. She could tell by the sound of his footsteps as they grew more distant. They left her there, face down on the ground, bleeding from two whip marks. If this was what Jityria had wanted, then she’d underestimated her. She wasn’t out to just get her punished. She was out for blood and Marcy had no doubt the woman would kill her if given the chance. Leaving her face down in the woods was probably Jityria’s way of hoping she’d lay there and bleed out. The way her back stung, she wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t.

  The noise of shuffling feet disappeared completely. She laid there and cried until she felt hollowed out. Her entire life since waking up on that space ship played through her head and there hadn’t been a single day worth repeating since. Scenes from the waterfall flashed through her mind. Well, maybe that day but nothing else. Life here was hard and ugly and if she would have been able to make it, she would have stood up and started walking. She’d find Sara and Toren and the p
aradise they were headed to and forget all about the warlord and his good looks. She’d leave and never look back.

  She lost track of time laying there and when the last tear was wrung from her body, she opened her eyes. The forest had grown darker. Dusk had fallen. How long had she laid there? She lifted her head and looked back toward camp. The alien who’d initially grabbed her was standing near a tree not far from her. They may have left her laying, but they hadn’t forgotten she was there.

  It took her four tries to crawl to her knees, then stand. Each step felt like torture, the pain in her back screaming in agony with every step. The alien waiting near the trees had the decency to look away when she neared him, his head lowering so she couldn’t see his face. Coward. He’d help beat a woman but wouldn’t look her in the eye afterward.

  She glanced at the other females when she was able to see them. They were huddled in a small group around the baskets, their heads down but the look on their faces told her they knew something had happened. Seeking their comfort would have gone a long way to ease some of the pain she felt if for no other reason than she could bitch with them about what had happened but she knew they wouldn’t help her even if she asked. Not today, at least. What happened in camp wasn’t any concern of the females here and she knew the minute she approached them, Jityria would be there ordering them to leave her be.

  The walk to the warlord’s hut was agonizing and once she pushed the leather door flap back and stepped inside, more tears slipped past her eyelids.

  She undressed slowly, unwinding the material around her waist until the make-shift skirt fell to the ground, then raised her arms, wincing as she untied the knot behind her neck and loosening the material enough to pull it free.

  The lack of mirrors on this world was a nuisance, but she’d found a small silver disk week’s before on the table the warlord left his weapons on. She had no idea what it was used for but it was shiny enough to make out her reflection in it. It was a fuzzy, distorted picture, but it was enough to see the two long slashes down her back.