Forget about the jaw. She wanted to kick him all right — about three feet lower.
Abruptly, the assembled men started to disperse. Singled out by Him, a few would incline their heads in response, then scurry off as if having received their marching orders.
The meaning of this coalesced in Eva’s mind. “I think he’s their leader,” she presumed aloud. “In fact, I’m positive. See how they bow and defer to him?”
“What? So, he’s the chief muckety-muck, and as such gets first dibs on pussy?”
“Eryn!” Lana protested. “Don’t be crude.”
“Why the hell not? Look around us?” Eryn threw her arms wide as she said this. “We’re stuck on a wilderness planet with a bunch of half-naked barbarians who can’t speak our language. Who gives a fuck if we’re crude? Besides, it makes me feel better to swear.”
Several of the crew nodded in agreement with the tall, lithe guard whose personality was as bold as her red hair.
Marta, the only physicist on their team, blinked up at her with her intelligent blue eyes, as she asked, “What are we going to do, Eva?”
“Why are you asking me?”
“You’re the senior officer since Rebecca isn’t here. She and the other three either made it back to the shuttle and are safe on board the Odyssey by now, or…”
“Don’t even think it,” Eva whispered, her eyes going to the woods beyond the camp.
Rebecca was a hardass; having made first officer at only twenty-three, she had to be. Of the four unaccounted for, Rebecca had the best chance of survival, but in a foreign environment — and outnumbered by a hostile enemy — the odds were against her. Eva shook her head, unable to bear the thought of having lost even one of their own, let alone four.
“They’re coming this way,” someone whispered.
Twisting around, Eva saw seven grinning males descending on the line of tethered women.
Chapter 4
Lana’s male arrived first, releasing her ankle cuff with a press of his thumb and scooping her up in his arms. She squealed, pushing against his chest as he laughed, bent his head and hushed her shrieks with his mouth, lingering in what looked to Eva to be an extremely thorough and heated kiss. When he lifted his head, her friend looked rather dazed — and she’d gone quiet.
One by one, the other six men claimed the remaining women, until Eva stood all alone. Then she saw him, standing about twenty yards away, his golden eyes fixed upon her, an arresting smile on his oh-so-handsome face.
What on earth is going on?
Then he too approached, swiftly releasing her and scooping her up in his arms, thankfully not slung over his back this time. He joined the other seven couples and the rest of the camp, which consisted of four other warriors and two older, white haired, bearded men, though they were equally as tall and strongly resembled the dozen huge brutes. The next instant, a tingling sensation swept through her as they were engulfed in a brilliant flash of light followed by swirling darkness. When it dissipated, her head was spinning, but she stayed lucid enough to see they were in a large room, brightly lit, with glass observation windows, humming control panels, and a half dozen more barbarians, fully dressed and in uniform.
Eva blinked, taking it in for a moment, before turning her head and seeing Lana’s dumbfounded expression, as well as that of the other women. Maybe these barbarians weren’t as primitive as they’d first thought?
He carried her out of the control room and down a long hallway, the other men following single file behind Him, paired up with a woman in their arms, like a parade. With a whoosh of air, they entered a room that appeared to be some sort of medical facility. Rows of stretcher-like beds filled the space, large monitors on the wall above each one. Afraid they had more testing in mind, she began to struggle. He tightened his arms and growled a few words. She stilled, but as he neared the bed and went to place her upon it, she lost it. Not willing to be the subject of more alien experiments, she clutched at him, climbing up his chest, as if keeping herself off the bed would prevent them from doing whatever they had planned next for her.
With a show of agility and superior strength, Eva found herself back upon the bed, his face directly above hers. His hands on her wrists pinned her down as he issued a command in a stern tone. She stopped, lying stiff and tense beneath him as a man in a black and white tunic came to stand beside them. He had pure white hair, and like the rest of these aliens, he was handsome despite being older. His looks were deceiving though, for as he drew near, a closer look at him revealed smooth, wrinkle-free skin.
He began to converse with Him, while he continued to hold her in place. The next thing she knew, the white-haired man — whom she presumed to be a doctor or medical technician of some kind — placed a shield over her eyes, and everything went black. No more than a second passed before it was removed.
“Can you understand me now, sprite?” The low, rich rumble by her ear magically transformed into words she could understand. Her eyes shot to his face as he leaned over her, his arms braced on either side of her body as he watched her intently.
“I can. What did you—” She stopped, unsure if she was speaking his language now, or he hers.
“This is Jarlan,” he tilted his head to the white haired man beside him. “He inserted a translator. We can converse now.”
“Inserted?” Her hands, which were strangely free, flew to her head, feeling for a mark, an incision of some kind, or a microchip under her skin. Her brows knitted as she gaped up at him. “How? There wasn’t time. He put on those glasses things and the next second took them off, you couldn’t have—”
“Actually, it took longer than that,” Jarlan corrected. “About a tenth of a time cycle as our computers deciphered your language and entered it into our data banks. It just seemed much shorter for you.”
“A tenth of a what?” She turned to the older man. “Are you a doctor?”
“Those in my profession are known as healers. Some refer to me as a physic. In your world, yes, I would be a doctor.” He looked at Him. “She might experience some dizziness, though that could be from her first teleportation, as well. Either way, it should pass by morning. Contact me if it doesn’t or if her symptoms worsen.” The healer reached down and peeled an electrode from the side of her neck and nodded. “You can take her now, Max Kerr. Rest will do her well for the remainder of the day.”
She looked at her captor, now able to give him a name.
Max Kerr.
She frowned. He didn’t look like a Max.
He caught her hand and helped her to her feet, watching closely as she stood. The room tilted momentarily, then righted. She blinked and although she felt suddenly tired, the brief vertigo quickly passed.
“Dizzy?”
She shook her head, pulling on her hand, but he didn’t let go. “I’m fine,” she said, tugging to get free again. “I’d like some answers. I want to know—”
“I will answer your questions in due time. For now, you will do as Jarlan said and rest. Come along.” He turned, towing her along toward the door. She passed another bed, Eryn lying upon it. She was wearing the same visor like glasses and not moving, a tall half-naked barbarian looking on from her bedside. Eva dug in her heels, wanting to stay. Her resistance had no effect, however, as Max continued out the door and into a corridor.
“We shall arrive on our home planet in about four time cycles. You will rest in my suite until then.”
As he started down the hall, her hand enveloped in his, she hurried to keep up, taking two steps for each of his long-legged strides. They passed other people — all men — dressed in the same tunics as the healer, but in different colors. After several turns, they arrived at a lift and got in. She barely felt it move before the doors opened again. Thinking they hadn’t gone anywhere, she stayed where she was only to be tugged out by Max.
“This is the warrior’s level. We’re almost there.”
“It looks the same as the floor we just left.”
“Loo
k up. The colored stripe on the ceiling indicates the level you are at.” He slowed as they approached double doors. “Here we are.” He passed his hand over a sensor embedded high in the wall and they opened. “I’ll have the doors programmed for your heat signature after you have learned your way around. It might not be on this flight, however. Our transit will be brief.”
He guided her into a large room with plush furniture and several large viewing screens on the wall. Bypassing it, he proceeded down a short hallway, through another set of doors, and into a bedroom. “We sleep here.”
“We?” she squeaked.
“Of course.” He arched a brow and cast her a meaningful look as he crossed to the wide bed. “I would think last night made it clear you belong to me now.”
Eva bristled. “I’m not sure what last night was all about since I didn’t understand a word you said. What’s more, I’m a lieutenant in the United States Interstellar Forces. I don’t belong to anyone except myself. Nor do I answer to anyone other than my captain.”
“Correction. You are my mate, so you answer to me. And since you are soon to be of the planet Primaria, of which I am Maxime Princep, that goes doubly so. None of what you were before is relevant any longer.” He pulled down the linens on the bed as he gave her more directives. “Remove your clothes and climb in. I am going to shower and change. Then I have some contacts to make before I can attend to you. I will rejoin you later.” Without waiting to see if she complied, he left.
She stood staring after him in shock, her mouth opening and shutting in outrage. “His mate!” she finally sputtered. “Fuck that!” She spun on her heel, and rushed out of the bedroom. “And fuck him,” she grumbled as she retraced their path through the suite to the main entrance. Where she would go, or what she would do beyond that she had no idea. She only knew she had to get away from the bossy, arrogant, infuriating alien.
“What I was before is irrelevant now, my ass.”
When the door didn’t open, she waved her hand over the sensor, a stretch for her, as it was placed high on the wall to accommodate the above average height of Max Kerr and his cohorts. It didn’t budge, nor did the indicator light flash as it had for him. She took her hand away and tried again, frowning when nothing happened. Laying both hands flat on the door, she tried to slide it. When that didn’t work, she eyed the sensor panel at length. It had to be the key.
Dragging over a heavy chair from a nearby table, she climbed onto it to get a better look. She studied the glass paneled recessed box for a moment. Maybe she could pop off the outer casing and rewire—
“What are you doing?”
She jumped and shrieked, twisting around to discover Max standing about three feet behind her, arms crossed over his chest, lips flattened into a thin line, his golden eyes snapping with anger. But she moved too fast, losing her balance. She flailed her arms wildly, trying to keep from falling. He was there in an instant, steadying her with his big hands on her hips. Her own fell instinctively to his broad shoulders as she stabilized.
That was when she noticed the change.
Max’s loincloth and miles of bare, tanned skin were gone, instead replaced by a dark red tunic and black pants. There were gold slashes across the shoulders which she assumed signified his rank. His long silky black hair had been tamed and gathered at the back of his neck and the full, somewhat overlong beard had been removed, leaving his face clean-shaven and smooth. The barbarian had disappeared, and in his place stood a handsome, sophisticated, evolved man.
“I asked what you were doing, little one.” His dark brow angled up, a habit she noticed he had when annoyed or impatient. “I’m not used to repeating myself. Nor am I used to having my orders blatantly disobeyed. Where are you supposed to be?” His fingers flexed, digging into her hips, not painfully so, yet delivering a clear warning that she was trying his patience.
Eva opened her mouth, but nothing came out. He dipped his shoulder with a grunt that sounded much like annoyance, and the next thing she knew she was once more draped over it, being carried back down the hall. Her ass was in the air, her upper body dangling down his back, his heavy arm clasped around her thighs to keep her there. Once more, he’d thrown her off balance — quite literally. Before she was able to get her bearings, he flipped her, and she landed flat on her back, this time on a plush mattress. As her world righted, she looked up into eyes flashing with formidable determination.
“What are you called?”
“Uh—” She hadn’t expected him to ask, anticipating a lecture, or more smacks on the behind like he’d given her the previous night. “Eva.”
“Well, then, little Eva, heed me well. I don’t have time to explain all the rules right now. I will, however, clue you in to one that you haven’t quite figured out. You are my mate. As such, you belong to me and will do what I tell you. If it makes it easier, lieutenant, think of me as your new captain, and know that when I give you an order, I expect it to be obeyed. If I tell you to remove your clothes, which I did and am doing so again now, you will get naked. If I tell you to rest in my bed, you will do that as well. And, if I tell you to spread your thighs for me so that I can take you as I did in my tent last night, you will do so eagerly and without hesitation. You see, Eva, you are not in your United States anymore. You are in my world, where men make the rules and women obey them. That is the way it is, and you will adjust to it in time. If you do not, you will learn quickly that disobedience carries consequences — and it’s often more extensive than the few light swats I laid upon your backside last night. I advise that you not test me further.”
He paused, his hand gently brushing the hair out of her eyes and back off her forehead, while ignoring her slackened jaw as she stared up at him in shocked amazement. “Obey me, pretty one, and we will get along together very well. Please me, like last night, and the favor will be returned tenfold, resulting in more pleasure than you ever thought possible. Fight me on this and — well, if you choose that path, I promise that you will find me a worthy and very capable opponent. One that you cannot and will not defeat.” He bent and touched his mouth lightly to her parted lips. “Now, I really must go. Be good while I’m gone, and get some rest.”
His face disappeared and she stared up at the ceiling, hearing the thuds of his footfalls followed by a whoosh of the doors which indicated he had left the suite. She lay there, rendered speechless by his archaic views on men and women, and came to a disheartening conclusion. Clean him up, dress him in fine clothes, and surround him by technology, yet despite the showy façade, beneath it all, the Philistine remained.
“Holy cow!” she mused aloud. “I’ve been mated to a freakin’ barbarian!”
Chapter 5
Pausing outside the meeting room door, Kerr glanced over Jarlan’s report one more time. The news was excellent. All eight of the new females had tested positively and conception rates were predicted as excellent with a highly matched pair. The lone piece of bad news that wouldn’t go over well, was that not all of the warriors had matched well with their female. They would have to be entered into the data bank to determine a more favorable pairing. Despite their inevitable disappointment, five out of eight positive matches gave promising odds that other of their males would prove so as well.
Inhaling slowly, he collected himself before opening the door. Once through, all conversation ended. Gathered were the members of the hunting party, and his leaders, Commander Rothke, in charge of his space fleet; General Trask, the leader of his army; Lothar, the general’s second in command; and Krager, his closest kinsman and heir. Two of the elders also attended, their keen gazes ever watchful. All eyes were upon Max as he walked to the front of the room to address them.
“As I first told you on Ventorcopia, my female was compatible and matched with me at an exceptionally high rate of 99.5%, which bodes well for the species as a whole. Jarlan has confirmed my initial findings with biocellular samples on all the alien females. They are not only compatible, there is only a very slight variance
in our cellular morphology, which is amazing. Jarlan here”—Kerr tipped his head toward the healer who had also joined them—”was practically doing back flips over the findings.”
A rousing cheer went up amongst them, their exuberance making him smile. Long had they searched for a species that could help in the repopulation of Primaria. They hadn’t spoken of it aloud, but many of the leaders and the council of elders had begun to give up hope. Not him, however. It was prophesied that this day would eventually come, and his faith had never wavered.
“The breaching,” Lothar asked, raising his voice to be heard over the others who quieted immediately at the topic. “Did it go well, Kerr? Any difficulties we need to be aware of before we proceed?”
His lips curved upward as memories of last night came to mind.
Trask, who knew him better than anyone, commented immediately, clearly reading his self-satisfied expression. “Obviously, our very capable leader had no trouble.”
He allowed the knowing laughter for a moment, then raised his hands for quiet. “As expected, she was frightened, and required patience and gentling at times.”
“The way your female and several of the more aggressive ones behave, taming is more like it,” Mordrun muttered.
“Something our warriors are well equipped to do,” Trask replied.
Kerr didn’t respond. His friend would find out in due time the challenge and reward of having one of the new females as his own. “The greatest differences between these females and ours, is that they are smaller and used to independence. I haven’t had time to inquire about the males of their species; I suspect they might be a female dominant race. This will present a challenge in helping them adjust to our ways. My advice is to proceed with care.”
The Barbarian's Captive Page 5