I breathed hard, tried to calm my pounding heart so I could respond. “I would take her here, fuck her against the wall. I would not be gentle. I would hurt her, Engel; her presence does not calm my rage. You want that for Tia?” I asked him, my hands clenched into fists.
Tia put a hand on her father’s shoulder. “Let me speak with him, Father.”
Engel nodded, gave me a hard look, then left.
Tia remained. She walked to the side of the grav-wall and removed a small black pouch from her pocket, placing it in the slot used to pass items to me without the risk of lowering the grav-walls protective shield. She pressed a button and the small drawer slid through the wall to emerge on my side of the containment cell.
I opened the hatch and looked down to see my great-grandmother’s most beloved possession, a family heirloom that had been passed to Tia’s family line three generations ago. I knew what was inside the engraved pouch, but still, I could not resist opening the top and pouring the wealth of gold links into my hand.
I looked at it, then at her. “Why would you give this to me?”
“You are afraid you are too rough for me, that the beast within you will hurt me. It is a present, for the beast. Perhaps touching something that has touched my skin will ease your fever in some small way.”
I lifted the necklace from my palm. The small elaborate gold and graphite coils were cool to the touch, smooth. If the gift was meant to pacify me, it was not working. Nothing would work from Tia, for she was not my mate. My life would be so much easier if my beast would accept her. But he refused.
I placed the necklace back into its pouch and sent it back to Tia using the small drawer. “Keep it, Tia. When you find the mate you are destined for, neither the necklace nor your eagerness will be denied.”
“Please, Deek. At least try…” She lifted a hand to her shoulder and shrugged her gown off the side, exposing her entire shoulder, her neck and most of her breast.
“No.” My voice rose as I spoke, the beast was eager to tell her off. She was not my mate, and the beast was eager to ensure she would not return. I had no desire to waste the short time I had left giving her false hope. “We were friends as children, Tia. But I’ve been gone a long time. I am not the same man that left. And as much as I wish you were, you are not my mate. The beast can smell your desire, the wet heat of your pussy. He does not desire you. We will not allow me to touch you. I am sorry.”
Anger flared in her eyes as she tilted her chin up and I saw a flash of the childhood hellion I remembered so well. “You are so stubborn, Deek! Tell your beast to shut up and accept what is offered.”
“I can’t. It doesn’t work that way.”
“Why not? You’d rather die?”
“It’s not my choice. The beast is in control now. If my true mate is not found, if she can’t soothe the mating fever, if my beast will not surrender to her, then yes, I die willingly. I cannot live with this fever raging in my blood.”
I was prepared for death, expected it even. Tia’s shocked expression surprised me. Why should my honesty distress her? Was she expecting me to change my mind and take her out of desperation? The beast would not allow that to occur. The beast would rather die, and probably would. Warlord Engel was right about one thing… I was running out of time.
She pursed her lips as if she would say more, but she didn’t. She retrieved the necklace and watched me for a minute that felt like an eternity.
“Goodbye, Deek. I hope you find what you’re looking for. And if you change your mind, I’ve left my information with the guards.”
“Thank you, Tia. But I won’t change my mind.”
She nodded. Turning on her heel, she readjusted her dress to cover herself and walked out of sight. I knew she would not return.
What logic I had left wondered if she was truly my last chance at survival?
The beast within said no. He didn’t want her. Didn’t like anything about her. It never had.
And yet, the beast still raged, still demanded his mate.
I dropped down onto the bed, my head in my hands. The beast pressed at my mind like a tidal wave rushing toward the shore to wipe out what remained of my sanity.
My mate would not come, and I would die.
* * *
Tiffani
“Execution?” I pulled on the restraints that held me to the table in the processing room in a futile act of panic. “No. They can’t kill him.”
Warden Egara’s smile was sad. “I’m afraid that is the Atlan way. Once a male is lost to the mating fever, there is no redemption.”
“But he has a mate! Me! I can redeem him, save him. Whatever,” I pleaded with her. There had to be some kind of mistake. This couldn’t be happening. I had a guy who wanted me and he was set to be executed? I think not. “Send me there. The protocol matched us. Officially, by alien law, he’s mine. Isn’t that correct? I am already his mate. Doesn’t that grant me some kind of rights? I have the right to see him. I demand to see him.”
Her eyebrows lifted into severe arcs as she considered me long and hard. She looked over her shoulder and spoke. “Can you hear her, Sarah?” The warden nodded her head, listening. She was having a conversation with someone on the far side of the universe. If I wasn’t in a processing center, I’d think she was crazy. Especially since I couldn’t understand a thing the woman was saying. Her voice was too faint, and all I could hear was the pounding of my rage in my ears. “And what if something goes wrong?”
A deep, rumbling voice came through the speaker then, much louder and more commanding. It reminded me of the voice from my vision and a shiver of rekindled need raced across my skin. “There’s no room for mistakes. If she comes to us, she must have the courage to see it through. Should she fail, he dies,” the voice boomed, startling me.
Warden Egara turned to me and I hardened my resolve. No one, and I mean no one, was stealing this from me. “I won’t fail. He’s mine.”
The warden nodded, turning back to the screen, to the large Atlan male I could hear but not see. “I believe her, Warlord. I think we should give her a chance to save him.”
“Very well. I’m not prepared to give up on the commander. Send her to us. We will get her in to see him.”
Warden Egara actually bowed her head before responding, as if she were speaking to royalty or something. “As you wish, Warlord Dax. If you have transport codes, I will initiate her transport now.”
“They should be arriving at any moment.”
Even as he spoke, the bright blue lights behind me began to flash and brighten and my chair jerked into motion. “What’s happening?”
“Received. Thank you. The commander’s mate is on her way.” Warden Egara ended her call and walked toward me with a sad smile on her face. “Good luck, Tiffani. I am sending you to Warlord Dax and his mate, Sarah. She is from Earth and recently matched. They will help you break in to see your mate.”
That didn’t sound good. Unlawful. Dangerous.
“Break in? Why would I have to break in?”
“He’s in Atlan prison, dear. On death row, as we call it. And you are not an Atlan female, or a member of his family.”
That made no sense. He’d committed no crime other than having his own genetic nature take its course. But I would be committing a crime to see him? I was the one who would be breaking the laws?
“But I’m his mate. And you said I would be a citizen of Atlan now, no longer a citizen of Earth. I should be allowed to see him. I shouldn’t have to break in anywhere.”
She nodded. “Very true, but rules are rules. And only Atlan females are allowed into the containment facilities. Good luck. I hope your attempts are enough to save you both.” She checked her tablet once more and I had a flash of déjà vu as she lifted her head and spoke. “When you wake, you will be on Atlan. Your processing will begin in three… two…”
I tensed, waiting for that last word and wondering what the hell I had just gotten myself into. Breaking into prison? Death row? Beast
mode? Holy shit.
“One.”
The blue light flashed and I was lowered into the pale blue water. I felt like I was inside an egg as the door to the examination room slid closed, locking me within. I closed my eyes and waited, terrified of what would happen next, but the longer I was in the water, the more relaxed I felt.
Were they freaking drugging me? The idea of breaking in to a prison didn’t seem quite so bad. Nor did a mate who was part beast. I felt… relaxed.
When my eyelids drifted closed with an irresistible urge to sleep I realized, yes, they absolutely were pumping me full of some kind of feel-good, either in the water or in the air, and I simply didn’t care.
Chapter Three
Tiffani, Planet Atlan, Warlord Dax’s Fortress
I awoke on a soft bed that made my king-sized mattress at home look like a twin. A fabric as soft as silk cushioned my cheek and I stroked the soft, cream-colored fabric as I looked around the room. I had landed in the middle of a freaking fairytale castle. The room was larger than my one-bedroom apartment back home, the walls looked like pale blue and gray marble. Plush rugs with scenes of oddly colored birds and trees littered the floor and a huge canopy draped the bed, making me feel like I was in a secret clubhouse.
Elaborate designs decorated white crown molding with swirls of gold and pewter gray that looked strangely similar to the cuffs I’d worn in my dream. And everything, from the couch and chair across the room, to the pillows, was bigger than I’d ever seen before. I wondered just how big these Atlan warriors truly were. And how big were their women? A human child would need a small ladder to get up on that couch.
“You’re awake.” The voice was friendly, female and spoke in English. I rolled over to see a petite brunette smiling at me. She was dressed like a princess in a flowing green-and-gold gown, her hair piled on top of her head in an elaborate up-do I could never hope to master. Her eyes were a warm brown, and full of sympathy as they looked at me. “How’s your head? Those NPUs can be brutal for the first few days.”
“NPU?” I blinked and tried to sit. With the movement, a flash of pain, like an icepick in my temple, made me groan.
“Yep, that’s what I thought.” She grinned and leaned forward with a glowing blue stick of some sort, which she waved around near my face. “Hold still. The ReGen wand will help with the headache.”
“Thanks.” I held still, but my eyes followed the wand back and forth, wondering what the hell she was doing. But it seemed to help and the headache faded. With it went the nausea. And a few moments later, blessedly, the room stopped spinning. I needed one of those.
“The NPU is a translator. While I obviously speak English, the Atlans don’t. It allows you to understand all languages. Better?” she asked.
I nodded and I didn’t feel a hint of pain.
She pulled the ReGen wand back and turned if off somehow, setting it on a decorative, gold-flecked nightstand next to the bed before holding out her right hand. “I’m Sarah.”
“Tiffani.”
“Nice to meet you.” She shook my hand, her grip warm but firm and I noticed the elegantly carved gold bands on her wrists.
“So, you’re mated to an Atlan, too?”
Her smile was a mile wide and gave me hope. “Yep. Dax is all mine. We had a rough start, but I love it here. So tell me, how’s Earth?”
It seemed an odd question, but I wasn’t actually on Earth anymore. “Um, well, the same, I guess.”
“Where are you from?”
“Wisconsin.”
Sarah nodded. “I was an Army brat. I moved so much, nowhere ever really felt like home. I miss Earth, but I don’t. I belong here, and soon you will, too.”
I scooted to the edge of the bed and looked down at my body. I was dressed in a gown similar to the one Sarah wore, but instead of green and gold, it was a deep burgundy that I knew would bring out the red highlights in my hair. It fit me perfectly, and I had to wonder where they’d gotten the darn thing. It wasn’t like I could buy clothes off the rack at home and I definitely hadn’t gone clothes shopping on Atlan while I slept. Unlike Sarah, my wrists were bare.
She must have read my mind. “Oh, isn’t that color perfect? It brings out your eyes.”
“Yes. I… thank you. But where did you get it?”
She rose to her feet and began to pace beside the bed. Back and forth, making me nervous once more. “Don’t worry. We borrowed it from Deek’s sister. She’s about your size, which is small for an Atlan, but it will have to do until we can get a seamstress here to fit you.”
Small for an Atlan? So, Warden Egara hadn’t been kidding.
I scooted to the edge and stood, trying to get a feel for having my legs beneath me. The dress was actually a bit too large, but very flattering. It hugged my large breasts, a band of gold crisscrossing in the front and boosting them from below. I’d seen something similar in television shows of ancient Romans or Greeks in togas. “They dress like ancient Greek gods?”
Sarah burst out laughing as I inspected my gown. “Just the women. Wait until you see these boys in their armor. Hubba-hubba, baby.” She waggled her eyebrows. “You won’t be able to keep your hands off your man.”
That sounded good to me, but it made me remember my purpose. “Speaking of my mate, Warden Egara said he’s scheduled to be executed.”
That stopped Sarah in her tracks and she turned to me. “Yes. You don’t have much time to save him. He’s to be executed in three days if he doesn’t take a mate and prove he can control his beast. Dax is beside himself as they’re good friends. They fought together in the Hive war for a long time. He’s probably pacing right now. We’ve been waiting forever for you to wake up.”
“How long was I out?”
“Half a day. The time is pretty similar here. Their days last twenty-six hours, but I was always a night owl, so the longer days don’t bother me.”
“Okay.” I didn’t really care about that right now, but I filed it away for later. I had three days—and a generous two extra hours for each one—to save my mate and control his beast. I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to do that, but I was willing to do anything. The Atlan warrior was mine and I wasn’t going to let anything happen to him. “Let’s go. Warden Egara said you would help me get in to see him.”
Sarah walked to the door and opened it. I followed behind her, exiting the luxurious bedroom for a long hallway that looked like a royal decorator had been given unlimited access to cash. I wasn’t familiar with the artifacts that lined the hallway, the vases and carved tables, the painted murals and fresh flowers everywhere, in every imaginable color. I didn’t know what they called this stuff, but I recognized money when I saw it.
I cleared my throat. “So, are you a princess or what? I feel like I’m in Cinderella’s castle.”
That made her laugh. “Yes. Dax is a celebrated warlord. When the Atlan men return from the war, they are treated like kings. We have another castle in the northern lands that I haven’t even seen yet, and more land, titles and money than I can even comprehend.”
If we’d been on Earth and spoke like that, I’d think she was gloating, but she didn’t seem the type.
Shock registered in my system after a moment. I knew a lot of veterans who came home from fighting broke and without a place to stay. “How can they afford to do that for all their vets? That’s amazing.”
Sarah looked over her shoulder at me, sadness in her eyes, and opened another door. “Not that many make it back. They are on the front lines with the Hive, on the ground. I know what it’s like. I’ve been there, fought for the Coalition myself. They fight like demons, but either they get taken down in battle, or they lose control of their beast. The ones who come home are the strongest warriors, and they are treated like gods.”
I grinned. “So, you’re mated to a god?”
Her smile was pure wicked. “Yes. And so are you.”
She held the door open and I preceded her into a long dining room with a table that would s
eat at least thirty. The chairs were high-backed black wood of some sort I’d never seen before. Seated at the head of the table was a giant.
He stood, and I stopped in my tracks. Holy shit, he was big. Well over seven feet tall with shoulders twice the width of mine. He was dressed in form-fitting black armor that hugged every damn muscle, from ripped abs to rock-hard thighs and I knew my jaw dropped, but I couldn’t seem to close it.
Sarah closed the door behind us and walked around to step into her mate’s waiting arms. She was probably five eight, and she looked almost childlike next to him.
“Welcome to our home, Tiffani. I am Warlord Dax.”
His deep voice rumbled through me and I would have stepped backward, but Sarah had her hands wrapped around his waist like he was just a big teddy bear. While I feared he could crush me with just a tight grip, I had to give him the benefit of the doubt. His words were not spoken in English, but even as the thought passed through my mind, the strange processor they’d implanted in my skull translated the words directly into my head, like a thought. Amazing. “I’m Tiffani Wilson. Nice to meet you.”
He indicated I should take a seat, but I was too nervous. I wanted to go see my mate. He was the reason I was here, and since the moment Sarah had told me he only had three days left, it was as if I had a ticking time bomb in the back of my mind. Three days was not a lot of time.
On the table in front of him were four golden bands, two similar to the ones on Sarah’s wrists, and two much larger. I glanced at Warlord Dax and confirmed my suspicions. He wore cuffs nearly identical to Sarah’s, only bigger.
He noticed my attention. “Commander Deek’s sister brought these for you when she brought the dress. They are carved with the markings of Deek’s house.”
“His name is Deek?” I asked. It was the first time I heard it and I wanted to know more.
“Yes, he is an Atlan ground commander from Battleship Brekk. He served for ten years, and I with him. He saved my life more than once, and I would not see him die now.”
Tamed By The Beast (Interstellar Brides Book 7) Page 3