by Anna Hackett
“Try this.” Kavon set a piece of…something on her plate. Cooked meat, she decided. She speared it with her fork and ate it.
Her eyes widened. “Oh, that is good.”
“It is—”
She touched a finger to his lips. “No, don’t tell me. It’ll probably ruin it. Let me enjoy it, and tell me later.”
A rusty laugh burst out of him. That made her smile.
When she looked back at the hall, people were staring at Kavon with shocked gazes, as though he’d grown a second head. She guessed he didn’t laugh much.
Not much later, as Aurina was enjoying a drink she guessed was some sort of juice, a woman sauntered up to them.
She was tall, with a lean figure encased in a leather corset and a white skirt that had a high slit on one side flashing a slender thigh. Colorful scarves had been braided into her long dark hair. She stopped and bowed her head. “Warlord, I wanted to see if you had need of me tonight.”
Kavon sat back. “No, Lali, I told you the other evening, I’d have no need of you again.”
The woman’s face tightened and she glanced at Aurina. “But surely you don’t lie with this…ugly creature. She is short, and round, and odd.”
Aurina raised a brow.
Kavon stiffened, his eyes turning bright gold. “Lali, you apologize to my guest for your rudeness.”
The woman shifted, the whip of his voice making her drop her gaze. “I am sorry, Warlord.”
“To Aurina, not me.”
The woman shot Aurina a mutinous look. “My apologies.”
Aurina barely refrained from rolling her eyes at one of the most insincere apologies she’d ever received. Instead, Aurina nodded.
The woman’s gaze widened. “Does she not speak?”
Aurina released a breath. “I speak just fine. I just don’t have much to say to you. You’re a stranger, and you’re being rude to me for your own reasons, which really have nothing to do with me. And I think they might be having the opposite effect to what you’d intended.” She nodded her head toward Kavon’s set face.
The woman glanced at Kavon and blanched. She turned and melded back into the hall.
More servers bustled over, clearing empty plates and setting new ones down. Aurina didn’t miss how the female servers brushed past Kavon to ensure he got perfect shots of their cleavage as they leaned over. This time, she couldn’t help it—she rolled her eyes.
Finally, Kavon ordered them all to leave, and they flitted away.
“Does everyone obey your orders?”
“Yes.”
She leaned in. “I won’t.”
“I’m coming to understand that.” Kavon pushed a bowl filled with some creamy white substance toward her. “Try this now.”
“I’m pretty full.”
“You’ll like it.”
She took a spoonful and groaned again. “Oh, that is good.” She savored the creamy, spicy flavor. She looked up, and again people were staring at them with wide-eyes. “Why is everyone looking at us like we just danced on the table naked?”
Kavon shot her a small smile. “It is nothing.” He waved a hand at a man with a large jug hovering nearby. The man hurried forward and filled their glasses. “Ale?”
“I’m more an Interstellar martini girl, myself.” She shrugged and took the ceramic mug. “But, when on a barbarian world…” She took a large sip.
The ale packed a punch. It was somehow fruity and spicy at once, and warmed her belly. Whoa, she’d have to be careful not to have too much. But, damn, it was nice to just relax a little. It had been a hell of a few days.
Kavon kept pushing small delicacies her way. After a few more sips of ale, tiredness started to drag on her. She smothered a yawn.
Kavon stood, his giant chair scraping on the stone floor. “You are tired.”
“Yes, I am.”
“You’ll rest now.”
Aurina let out a breath. “Ask, barbarian.”
He leaned down, that rugged face of his close. “When it comes to your care and safety, I will not ask. I will do what is best for you.”
His big body was so close and it was adding to the warmth already generated by the ale. “And you think you know what is best for me?”
“I am a warlord.”
“That’s not an answer,” she said on an annoyed hiss. “I know what’s best for me.”
“Come.” He held out a hand.
She hesitated, but she’d agreed not to make any scenes in public. She slapped her hand into his.
He tugged her out of the hall, and she saw a few warriors elbowing each other as they left. Aurina didn’t really care what they thought.
She wouldn’t be here long enough to care.
As they ascended the stairs, she stared at the glowing light wands attached to the wall. In the hall, she’d seen a giant chandelier carved into a beautiful twisting shape and made from the same material. “Do you mine this glowing rock?”
“Yes. But it isn’t the rock that causes the glow. It is an organism, similar to the nanami, that lives in that particular rock that creates the light.”
“Bioluminescence,” she said. “Fascinating.” Markaria really was a fascinating mix of low and high tech. Heaven help the galaxy when the barbarians conquered space travel. “You’re taking me to my room for the night?”
“Yes.” He pulled her down a long corridor.
“And tomorrow, we can make a plan to see if Drog has my emergency beacon?”
A scowl appeared on Kavon’s face. “Yes. And how we can find Durendal.”
“Looks like we’ll be working together, barbarian.”
He stopped in front of large wooden doors decorated with beaten metal the color of copper. “I have a name.”
Yes, he did. Aurina fidgeted. And she hadn’t been using it…not wanting to get any closer to this fascinating, infuriating man. “Kavon.”
He nodded. “Better.” He pushed open the door.
Aurina stepped inside and then came to an abrupt halt. “This is your room.”
“Yes.” He strode inside.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I want my own room.”
“No.” He undid the straps on his sword harness, then reached back and pulled his sword and scabbard free. He set them carefully on a sturdy wooden table that was clearly for storing his weapons. Next, he unfastened the large metal clip on his leather harness and shrugged it off. He started walking toward the bathroom, pausing to yank his boots off. When his hands went to his trousers, Aurina found her voice.
“What are you doing?” She stared at his broad back, and that glorious expanse of skin. In the light of the wands, she could see the beautiful metallic gleam of it.
He didn’t look back at her. “I’m planning to bathe.” He disappeared into the bathroom.
Aurina dragged in a breath. Trying to get the man to listen was like trying to bend rock—an exercise in frustration. She stomped across to the bathroom door.
She stopped and her heart jumped into her throat. Holy stars, he was naked.
His back was still to her as he thrust his hand into the huge sunken tub that someone had already filled with steaming water. His ass…she swallowed. It was perfection.
All of him was toned with some serious muscle. He radiated a strength that was more than just those impossibly powerful muscles. As he stepped into the tub, she watched those muscles flex and her throat went dry.
He sat back in the water, the lines on his face relaxing.
“I’m not sleeping with you, Kavon.”
Now he looked at her with steady amber eyes. “Yes, you will. But I never ordered you to do more than sleep.” His gaze dropped, tracing down her body. “But if you’d like to do more, I’m open to it.”
Heat curled through Aurina, slow and stealthy. “You could open the door and summon any one of those women downstairs who were devouring you with their eyes.”
His direct gaze held hers. “Yes, I could. And when I have the time, I often do.
I like a woman’s body.” He shifted, water lapping at the edge of the tub, and spread his arms along the edge. “I like that a woman is soft where I’m hard. I like the sweet smells and tastes of her skin. I like to hear a woman whimper under my hands.”
God. Aurina locked her legs to keep them from turning to jelly. “You’re a warrior. You’re not supposed to be so good with words. You’re supposed to grunt and growl.”
He raised a brow. “I sometimes grunt and occasionally growl, but I’m perfectly capable of using words to describe what I want. You are the one using the word barbarian to try and keep me at bay.” His voice lowered, something raw and hot appearing in his eyes. “I want to touch your fascinating body, and I want to hear you whimper for me.”
Something in Aurina quivered. She’d always had a good sex life. It was hard to find a partner in deep space, so she only got to play on station visits. Otherwise, she had her trusty vibrator for company on the Ariel. Or, rather, she’d had it. It was now either in pieces, in Kavon’s collection, or sitting in Drog’s estate.
But sex had always been on her timeline. She picked young, pliable men who were happy to do as she asked, or lie back and let her do as she pleased.
She was pretty sure the hard warlord in front of her was not going to be anything like that.
“So you want me here in your bed so I’ll eventually whimper for you?” The thought left her…disappointed for some reason.
“No.” Kavon slid his arms back into the water. “I want you here so I can protect you.”
“From what?”
“From Drog. He has his spies. He will hear about you and come after you. He wants everything that I have.” Kavon stood, water streaming off his naked, glistening body.
Aurina felt the heat inside her turn molten. She looked her fill. Why not? He was standing right in front of her in all his glory. His broad chest narrowed down to lean hips, and his stomach consisted of tantalizing ridges of muscle. She drew a breath and, helpless to stop herself—hell, she didn’t want to stop—she looked at the rest of him. Thick legs with powerful thighs and a large, semi-erect cock that fit with the rest of him.
“If you are worried about creating a child, know that our nanami control our fertility. Warriors are not fertile with bedmates.”
She shook her head. She had her own Namah implant that protected her from disease and pregnancy. “I…I mentioned my mother. My father was a man who wanted her in his bed. Just for a few nights. She thought she was in love and he left her alone and pregnant.”
“That is not honorable behavior.”
“No, it isn’t. But she…she pined for him for years. She still held onto the hope he’d come back.” Aurina shook her head, wondered why she was even talking about this. “She never accepted that we didn’t matter to him at all.”
Kavon’s gaze burned into her. “I would never do anything to dishonor you, Aurina. Whatever happens, I will protect you from other warriors who will be enamored of your skin and hair and body. Warriors who will look at you much the way you are looking at me right now.”
She jerked her gaze up. “I’m going to sleep now.” She spun and forced herself to walk out of the room. Part of her wanted to stay and get in that big tub with that sexy barbarian.
The other part of her was afraid, and she wasn’t exactly sure why.
Aurina quickly undressed and pulled on the large, loose-fitting shirt she found in the closet. It was made from a thin, linen-like fabric.
She crawled into the massive bed, piled a mound of pillows in the center as a divider, then dropped down and closed her eyes.
Tomorrow, she had to focus on getting herself off this planet. She needed to find Kavon’s sword, and in turn, find her e-beacon. If she couldn’t find it…her chest constricted. She’d think of something. She could scrounge parts and build her own. She scoffed to herself and thumped the pillow. She was good with rocks, but electronics were not her forte. She could do a few basic repairs on her ship and systems—every scout could—but she usually needed a working comp to help her.
She tossed and turned for a while, before flipping onto her other side, and burying her face in the soft pillow.
She needed to get home…and away from a certain tempting warrior who scared her in ways she didn’t understand.
Chapter Six
Kavon woke with his arms full of woman.
He turned his head and breathed deep, pulling in a lungful of sweet-smelling female. That in itself was strange enough—he wasn’t a snuggler, and usually sent a woman on her way when they were finished. He was a trained warrior—he didn’t like people in his space when he slept.
Then he opened his eyes and stared at the strands of hair in front of him. That fascinating shade somewhere between red and gold. Aurina.
He let his arms tighten around her. She was a delicious handful, that was for sure. His fingers flexed on her smooth skin. By the warrior, he wanted to explore her. Her face was buried against his chest, her arms around him, and her slim legs tangled with his. At some stage during their sleep, she’d burst through her barrier of pillows. Her sleep shirt had ridden up in the night, and the lower curves of her backside were bare.
Kavon closed his eyes and waited for his unruly body to settle. He was a warlord, very much used to getting what he wanted. And what he wanted was a sweet, smart-mouthed skyflyer, who’d crashed into his carefully constructed world.
He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. She wasn’t in his plan. He had a family name to restore and favor to curry with his king. He had to marry a warlord’s daughter, not dally with an independent woman from another world who pushed him at every turn.
Aurina moved, making a small sound in her throat that made Kavon’s already hard cock twitch.
She went very still, then she raised her head.
Green eyes widened, and he half expected her to scramble away. Instead, she dropped her head back to his chest and groaned.
“Aurina?”
“I’m sorry…I’m prone to curling around anything I can in my sleep—”
Kavon felt a shot of something ugly inside. “I do not want to hear about you curling around another man.” His voice was harsh, the tone he saved for his warriors when they’d displeased him.
She shook her head, which made her lips rub against his chest. Kavon swallowed a groan.
“No, I have this body pillow in my cabin on the Sky…where I live with my brothers. I always wake up curled around it like the constrictor serpents of Dagus Prime.” She looked up again, her eyes wide. “Why can I hear two heart beats in your chest?”
“Because I have two hearts. All Markarians do. It gives us added stamina. You don’t have two?”
She shook her head. “Only one.” She shifted against him. “Anyway, I’m sorry…you know, about your discomfort.”
He nudged her with his “discomfort.”
She shifted against him, and he felt the tight nubs of her nipples rub against his chest.
“Aurina,” he murmured, his hands tightening on her skin.
“Don’t say my name like that,” she groaned.
“Let me pleasure you. Let me bring us both pleasure.”
She sat up abruptly, pulling her sleep shirt down. “No.”
“Why not?”
“I’m not staying. It’s best we don’t get entangled.”
“I’m talking about pleasure, not taking you to wife.”
“Sex makes things messy. I still think it’s best we don’t.”
“That’s not what I see in your eyes.”
She pushed at her tangled hair. “Enough, Kavon. We have work to do.” She climbed to the edge of the bed. “We have an e-beacon and a sword to find.”
Kavon lay back for a second. He really was used to getting his way, and really used to women happy to do his bidding at the slightest murmur.
Aurina was as aggravating as she was fascinating.
And it was time he told her the truth about her e-beacon.
�
�I have your beacon.”
She spun fast. “What?”
“It looks like a round metal ball.”
She licked her lips. “Yes. It’s intact?”
“Yes.”
Her face tightened. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I chose not to.”
Her eyes sparked. “And you’re the great warlord and get to do as you please. You had no right to lie to me. God, you lied all day yesterday.” She turned away from him.
Kavon leaped out of the bed. “Nothing yesterday was a lie, Aurina. Least of all how much I want you here and not rushing off somewhere else.”
“You mean leaving for my home? You have no right to keep me trapped here.”
“We have a deal, remember?”
“That’s right, you want to use me first.” Her cheeks turned pink. “For my knowledge.”
Her knowledge was now the least of what he wanted from her. “You help me find the sword and share your knowledge with my people, and I will give you your e-beacon.”
“Fine.” She grabbed some clean clothes and stomped off into the bathroom. A moment later, he heard the splash of water as she bathed.
As Kavon dressed, he wasn’t sure why he felt so…disturbed. He was a warlord, he did as he pleased. What one pretty stranger from the stars thought mattered little to him.
When she returned, her lovely hair was caught back in some complicated knot. Kavon frowned. He didn’t like it. He wanted to yank the damn thing out and let her hair free.
“I really wish I had my Sync,” she said.
“Sync?”
“It’s a small computer…ah, it’s a device, about this big—” she moved her hands “—I use it to write on, store information, that sort of thing. It would make this search a lot easier. Guess it’s in a pile of pulverized pieces in the Wilds.”
No, it was sitting in a locked room above them.
Soon, he was leading her to the scholars’ domain. He bellowed for some breakfast to be brought, and had a quiet word with Colm.
Finally, they reached the door to the large, airy library. Colm appeared and handed Kavon what he’d asked for.
Kavon turned to Aurina. “Before we go in.” He handed the object to her.